Yu-Gi-Oh! Kaimon! (Season 1)

by CosmoK13

After a devastating fight between darkness and light, six souls were sealed away in mythical items. A prophecy foretold that these six spirits will come together to defeat the darkness. Join Yugi Mutou, as he and his friends, along with the other five chosen hosts, set out on a bunch of adventures to uncover the past, battle against all odds, and use the Power of Spirit Monsters!

5. Chapter 4

Episode 4: Theft of the Legendary Watch

"The history of games… It goes back many millennia, with the most famous and recent battles coming from Egypt in ancient times. These games were believed to have predicted the future of man and the kings. It was a traditional ceremony that would decide the fate of humans. They called it the 'Shadow Games'. At the beginning of this century, a team of archeologists from America were excavating the tomb of a pharaoh. Inside the Valley of the Kings, the Millenium Puzzle rested in one of these tombs. On the wall next to the golden box was written, "The one who will solve the Puzzle will awaken the Shadow Games." When it was discovered, most of the group died of mysterious causes. Upon the writing on the golden box, was a warning. "The one that completes this puzzle will be granted the power and knowledge of the darkness. That person will then be given the title: King of Games.""

It was the story that Sugaroku had told Yugi when he first gave him the box containing the pieces of the incomplete Millenium Puzzle. Yugi admitted that he forgot a few details, since he told him that story nearly eight years ago. But as of late, the young high schooler couldn't stop but to be reminded of that bedtime story his grandfather had told him. Though it may have sounded like a horror story to younger kids, Yugi loved it in regards to the mystery and even the mentions of games, since he was a nerd about them himself. Yet he had been having such strange dreams as of late.

Last night in particular, he envisioned himself inside of an enclosed room. The only light that kept him from the darkness was the illuminating flames from torches hanging on the walls. Everywhere he looked, he would see strange writings on the stones. Based on the symbols and figures painted, he would deduced that he was in a tomb from Egypt. Yugi shivered, feeling cold as the tomb seemed to have no circulation. Though it was an enclosed room, so he should have figured. Oddly enough, despite the fact that there was no air, Yugi had no problems breathing. The young boy looked around, checking over every corner he could see in the small room. There really wasn't that much in here, aside from the drawings on the wall and the flames from the torches. However, his light purple eyes scanned over to a pedestal at the very end of the room. Upon it sat a golden box with the eye of Horus on it, shimmering in the light.

For some reason, Yugi felt compelled to go to it. As if some power was forcing him to take one step after the other. His hand slowly rose up, reaching out. The skin on his fingers began to feel such a strange sensation the closer he got to the chest. He was hypnotized by the glow that it was giving off, as if the treasure was calling him. He listened, unaware of anything else that was around him. He was so close, the nearer he got, the brighter the chest began to glow. It was almost blinding, but Yugi had his head and heart set on getting that box. The moment that his fingers came into contact with the cold gold, the light coming from the pupil of the eye engravement had officially illuminated the whole room. It engulfed Yugi whole, blinding him in the process as he was taken over by a strange force that not even he could describe.

Wide eyes flew open as Yugi was lying in his bed. He groaned, sitting up and rubbing his temple. He sighed, looking out the window of his room, seeing the sun was rising. Once again, he woke up to that dream. "Again…" Yugi sighed. "This is the third time this week… I wonder if I've been listening to Grandpa's Egyptian stories too much?" The young boy wasn't sure why he was having this dream, but it had been recurring for a while now. Surely he didn't think much of it, after all, he had dreams like this before whenever his grandfather would tell him stories of different cultures from his expositions during his youth. And yet, for some reason Yugi felt strange whenever this dream occurred in his head.

Yugi wasn't going to let that bother him, because today was going to be a fun one. He got up from his bed and yawned, exciting for the day ahead of him. His eyes drifted over to the Millenium Puzzle that rested on his desk. A smile crossed his lips as he reached over and picked it up, holding it in his hands. It was his most treasured possession, something that Yugi was very proud of. After all those years he finally completed it, and now whenever he went out he wore it proudly as if it were a trophy. Yet, as he looked at the strange artifact, he couldn't help but have such a sinking feeling about the Puzzle every time he looked at it. Especially all the strange events that have occurred ever since he pieced the item together.

As the sun was starting to brighten up the sky, Yugi got himself ready for the day. Once he was all set in his clothes, he headed downstairs where his grandfather was setting up breakfast. Since it was Sunday, the Kame Game Store was closed so his grandfather and Yugi could rest and just relax the rest of the day. Sugaroku had made some rice omelettes for him and his grandson, as he was just serving them up. Yugi climbed down the stairs, heading into the kitchen as he smelled the food cooking. "Good morning, gramps." Yugi called out to his guardian as he was scouting about the small kitchen.

"Ah, Yugi. I figured you'd be up early." Sugaroku noted as he began to pour some orange juice. "You sure have been getting up a lot earlier lately, I hope you're getting enough sleep."

"I am Gramps…" Yugi tried to assure him, knowing how worried his grandfather was.

"Well, breakfast is almost ready, I just got to set the rest of the table." He assured, carrying the two cups of drinks onto the small platform, next to the plates.

However, Yugi was grabbing pieces of bread, sticking them in the toaster and waiting for them to come out. He looked over at his grandpa with a confused expression. "Uh… Grandpa, I can't stay for breakfast…" Sugaroku stared at Yugi with a disbelief look. Yugi loved it when his grandfather made breakfast on Sundays. Afterwards, they would spend all day playing games and looking over the adventures his grandfather went on in his youth. Yugi had a nervous smile on his face as he began to explain. "Today is the day we all agreed to hang out at the arcade, I told you this on Friday, remember?"

Sugaroku blinked a few times, rubbing his chin as he hummed. "Oh…" his eyes lit up at the sudden realization. "That's today? I must have forgotten… my memory wasn't like it used to be."

A sudden wave of guilt came over Yugi. Grandpa was probably looking forward to spending the day with Yugi, since it was their tradition as long as he could remember. He should have reminded his grandfather the day before, but after the events with Kaiba, Yugi had a lot on his mind. He suggested a day at the arcade with everyone to try and take their minds off of the messes they had found themselves in. When he told everyone about the idea, they were more than willing to agree to it. Plus it would be their first time officially hanging out as friends. Yugi was very excited about it to say the least, but he wasn't sure if he could leave his grandfather behind.

Sugaroku noticed the fallen look Yugi had on his face. The old man knew how important it was for Yugi to have friends, after all, he had been alone most of his life. Besides, getting out of the game shop would do his grandson some good. The old man smiled as he picked up one of the plates. "Tell you what, I'll save this one in the refrigerator and when you come back, you can have it for dinner?"

Yugi seemed unsure at first, as he looked at his grandfather. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. At least this saves me the trouble of cooking for you tonight. Unless you prefer I throw this out?" He asked.

Yugi was quick to respond. "Of course I'll eat it! Save it and I'll eat it tonight." Sugaroku chuckled as he got a container and started to put the food away. The toaster brought up the heated bread for Yugi, who went over and grabbed the two pieces. He quickly devoured the first one as his grandfather reached into his wallet, taking out yen that was the equivalent of 40 bucks. "Here you go, some cash for the arcade."

As Yugi finished his first piece of toast, he took the money and looked it over. After counting how much was there, he was stunned and looked at his grandpa. "Gramps, this seems like it's too much…"

Sugaroku raised his hand towards Yugi. "Now, now, don't worry about the amount. You've helped quite a lot around the shop and balancing work with your studies hasn't been easy. Besides, I figured since it was a special occasion. I want to make sure you have as much fun as you can. Think of this as a raise for being such a big help and for keeping those grades up." It was clear the old man was not going to take no for an answer. He wanted Yugi to be able to spend as much time as he could with these new friends of his. If it meant sacrificing a bit of money in the process, then it was worth it.

Yugi held onto the yen, a smile forming on his lips as he couldn't help but admire his guardian. "Thank you, grandpa. I promise to make it up to you."

His grandfather told him not to worry about it, but Yugi wouldn't pay attention. He was just so glad that his grandfather was understanding. Yugi checked the clock and saw that it was twenty before eight. "Oh? Is it this late already? I gotta get going!" Yugi pocketed the cash and placed the second piece of toast into his mouth. Heading out of the kitchen and going to the door. "I'm off!" Yugi called out as he opened the entrance.

"Wait Yugi!" Sugaroku called out.

The high schooler turned back to see his grandfather, while a piece of toast was in his mouth. "Vhap Rampba?" He asked as the food in his mouth prevented him from speaking a concrete sentence.

"Now don't go on out there in a big hurry. At least finish eating first before going out. It's bad for the digestive system you know."

Yugi managed to munch down half of his toast before responding in a better tone. "But I'm already running late, and I don't want to inconvenience everyone." Yugi took a step out the door, closing it on his way out. "Later." Yugi told his grandfather

"Hey, hold on! Yugi!" Sugaroku called out to his grandson, but it was too late as the door closed. "Geez…" Sugaroku sighed. Then again, Yugi was still fairly young, so to him, there was no time to waste. A smile soon formed on his lips as he thought back to what Yugi said. "Everyone huh?" The old man turned around, looking over at the counter. He pictured himself as a decade younger than he was now, showing a smaller Yugi a board game. He could still remember how excited he was as he picked which piece he wanted to use. As he reminisced in the memory, Sugaroku couldn't help but chuckle. "Yugi used to only hang out here alone and play games… But now he seems to be hanging out with his school friends quite frequently. It seems that these friends of his have changed him for the better." He began to head back to the kitchen, going to eat his breakfast before it got too cold. "I'm glad you're finally happy, Yugi."

As Yugi closed the door to the shop, he began to head to the arcade everyone agreed to meet at. They agreed to meet there at nine, and Yugi was just leaving. Thankfully, the carcade wasn't too far from the station, if he left now he should be able to meet everyone. As he made his way down the sidewalk, he walked up to a shop that was flower based. He was just about to pass by until he noticed someone tending to the flowers in the pots. Yugi blinked, going over to her as he saw the familiar green haired girl. "Cosmo?"

The young girl turned around, after watering the daisies in the gray bin. She had on a light green apron with a rose in the center. She looked over, seeing Yugi coming towards her. As he approached, she smiled at him while setting the watering can down. "Good morning, Yugi." She greeted.

"So this is the flower shop you live at?" He wondered, looking up at the building. It had teal colored siding, with bins and pots full of flowers either in full bloom or ready to bloom. The windows were very clear, though the leaves were covering what was on the inside.

Cosmo giggled as she looked at Yugi. "My home and the shop. It's a bit small, but it's all we have…" She admitted shyly. "It's not great, I know…"

"No, no, it's adorable." Yugi assured. "I can't believe you managed to redo this. I don't remember the shop looking like this." He eyed the building.

"I wanted to ask, what kind of shop was this before? I never knew what this was before we moved in here…"

Yugi had to think for a moment, trying to remember. He didn't pay too much attention to the smaller shops around here, a lot of them come and go that he couldn't keep track of. "Uh… I believe it was a clothing store?" Yugi didn't seem so sure. "I never really saw this store on my way home or out…"

"Don't pay that much attention?" Cosmo asked.

Yugi rubbed the back of his head as he laughed. "You could say that." It wasn't that he didn't care, but he didn't notice much outside his own world. Sure, it may not have been healthy but he didn't have anything else to do before. Though, it did remind him of where he had to be. Yet as he looked over at Cosmo, a question came to his mind. "You know, me and the others are going to spend the day at the arcade. Do you want to hang out with us?" Cosmo looked at Yugi, with surprise on her face. "I know it's last minute, but I thought it would be great to have you there."

A light shade of pink spread across Cosmo's cheeks. Yugi didn't notice as he expressed his kindness towards her. She lowered her gaze, however, as her hands reached to grab the watering can. "I'm sorry, I have so many chores to do today, and someone has to tend to the flowers."

"Ah, I see…" Yugi noted, sounding slightly sad that she declined. Though he did just ask out of the blue. He wished he could have asked her the other day, but he didn't see her on the day he and the others were planning the event.

Cosmo looked up at him, giving Yugi a small smile as she reassured him. "Thank you though…" Yugi looked back at her, seeing her face lit up. "Next time you go out, I want to go with you. I-if you allow me to." She wondered as she kept holding the metal can.

Yugi nodded. "Of course!" He promised.

Cosmo nodded towards him as she looked behind her, where Yugi was heading to. "I suppose you should go to where everyone else is, right?"

"Ah! Right!" Yugi jumped as he realized that he was going to be late if he stayed there. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, Cosmo!" Yugi waved his hand as he began to run off. Cosmo waved to him as he was heading to his destination. Once he was out of her sight, she went back to tending to the flowers, as the smile and blush was still on her face.

Yugi made his way towards the arcade, only needing to go a few more blocks before reaching the building. As he was walking, he noticed how crowded the streets were as he was pretty much enclosed with a person on any side of him. Yugi didn't complain, it wasn't so bad but he could still sense everyone's urgency to be somewhere or taking their time to just enjoy the fresh air. "The streets sure are busy for a weekend. I'm glad I didn't try taking any public transportation." Yugi noted to himself. Hopefully the traffic of people would be able to keep going smoothly so he wouldn't have to be delayed in arriving at the location. However, it wasn't until Yugi looked down a certain alleyway that he noticed something strange. Nothing bad, but strange nonetheless. He looked down between the two buildings and saw a few guys standing together, in a line. Yugi wasn't sure why they were all standing there in such a position. He walked over, and soon noticed the fact that there were many other people that were standing in a line. Many men and women were in a straight pathway, leading further down the alleyway.

Curiosity got the better of Yugi as he followed the path of people, going into the small space. He soon made it to the other side, seeing the people heading towards a particular store in the back next to other small shops. They were all going to that one in particular, waiting patiently. Yugi looked over at the large banner above the store, seeing that it was some sort of clock shop. Yugi didn't understand what everyone was waiting for. Was it some sort of special sale that was happening? The high schooler looked up at a random man in a cotton sweater. "Excuse me, sir?" Yugi was able to gain the man's attention as he looked at the young kid. "Why is everyone waiting in a line for?"

The man stared at Yugi, as he seemed astonished. "You mean you don't know? This store is giving out the D-Shock Premium Collection."

Yugi heard that name before, mostly from Miho since she was an expert in fashion and design. From what he remembered, the D-Shock was a special watch line that was known for the materials it used and the most elegant designs. There were different lines and different variations. They come out with a new brand every year for a new collection, and they only release it once for a limited time. "Wait, they're selling those wristwatches here today?" Yugi asked the man.

"Yeah, that's right." The man answered. "Today is the day the mystical premium collection is released. It's on sale here for a limited time today."

"Huh," Yugi noted. "The mystical collection…" he repeated, noting that was probably the name of the brand that they released. Which means that once these watches sell, they would have to wait another year for a new line to come out. And only those that would be lucky enough to get one today would be the only ones to have them. Everyone else wouldn't be able to wait around for anymore, since the company would never release the same collection again or make anymore from that line alone.

Yugi looked back at the line, not understanding how someone could be able to stand there for so long just for a piece of jewelry. Then again, as he had his Millenium Puzzle around his neck, he shouldn't have been one to judge. As he turned back to the crowd however, his mouth gaped as he looked to see a familiar face standing with everyone else. He seemed to be pretty close up front but still behind many people. As he stood there, he was hunched over a bit, as his hands were in his pants pocket. Yugi decided to investigate what Honda was doing in a place like this. 'Why is Honda here?' Yugi wondered as he walked up to where his friend was standing in line. Was he here to buy the watch from this collection? 'I never really thought of Honda as the type of person to be into accessories. Then again, I think I remember him mentioning wanting a new watch.' Yugi remembered how Honda was trying to save up to get himself a new wristwatch, since the old one had been broken for a while and he was a very punctual student.

Once Yugi was close to the taller high schooler, he could see a few beads of sweat on his face as his eyes were crossed. It seemed he was in some pain, Yugi assumed it must have been due to the exhaustion of him standing in a long line for a stretch of time. Honda's eyes twitched, looking at the building. 'Damn it! I feel like I'm going to spill if I don't hurry up.' Honda told himself mentally as his eyes focused on the entrance. 'Just a bit longer, I only have to wait a bit and I can buy it… There's no way I'm backing down. I'll never forgive myself if I don't fulfill this request just because I had to pee.' Though it was easier said than done as Honda's bladder was telling him to take this matter urgently. Causing his eyes to cross as he turned around, doing his best to keep himself in check. As he looked beside himself, that was when he noticed his friend and fellow classmate.

Yugi gave a smile at Honda, as he greeted him. "I never thought I would see you like this, Honda. Are you here for the watch as well?"

"Of course I am…" Honda nervously laughed. He then became real serious as he leaned into Yugi. "Yugi, I need a big favor from you." The star fished haired boy looked at Honda, wondering what he wanted. Before Yugi could ask anything, the taller of the two pushed Yugi into the line, making him take the spot that Honda was in just a moment ago. Yugi looked around, wondering how Honda managed to switch their positions so quickly without him knowing. Before Yugi could ask, his friend held out his hand and placed a good amount of cash in his fingers. Yugi looked at the yen before going back to meeting his brown eyed classmate. "I will be right back after heading to the restroom. Just take my spot and I'll get back as soon as I can! Use the money to buy the watch if it's your turn!" It was all Honda told Yugi before he started running off, or rather shuffling off in an awkward run as he held his legs close together.

"H-Honda!?" Yugi called out, wanting to know what the meaning of this exchange was. Honda though was already too far gone. The young teenager sighed, knowing that he couldn't refuse now. Clearly Honda wanted this watch, and the very least he could do was make sure he got it. All he had to do was wait in line until Honda got back, then he would take his spot again. All Yugi had to do was be a stand in until Honda was done with his bathroom break. Afterwards, the two of them should be able to head to the arcade and still meet up with everyone within the hour.

So, Yugi did what he could as he took Honda's position. Time went on, as the line kept getting shorter and shorter. Yugi watched as people came out with a pink box, containing the watch. The more people left the line, the closer Yugi got. To be honest, he was getting a bit worried as he made his way up into the store. "Where's Honda? He's running late." Yugi noted, looking off to where his friend ran off to, hoping he would come back soon. As one person got a watch, then another, soon Yugi found himself inside of the store now. And within a few more minutes, he was at the front of the counter. "Okay. Next in line please." The man behind the counter instructed.

Yugi approached. "Alright," he said, looking up at the green shirted man, who was wearing a smile as he held a pink box with the wristwatch inside. It seemed that Yugi was going to buy the watch after all. Well, it wasn't that big of a deal, he thought. He could just hand it to Honda once they saw each other.

"Today sure is your lucky day, it seems." The salesman told Yugi. Again, he was confused by the statement, not quite sure what he was referring to. Until the one behind the counter made an announcement to everyone else behind Yugi. "Everyone else standing in line! I deeply apologize in advance! The D-Shock Premium Collection is officially sold out!" Yugi could hear the shock and disappointment in everyone else's voice. It made him feel bad, since he was the one getting the last of the D-Shock on sale, and everyone else that was standing in line wouldn't be able to get the one from this collection.

However, there wasn't much he could do. It seemed he would have to be the one to get the watch and hand it to his friend. He set the money that Honda had gave him onto the counter, waiting for it to be taken. "So this is the last item? Glad Honda got here in time." Yugi noted as he watched the salesman take the cash.

"Here you go. Thank you very much." He responded to Yugi. The young boy smiled as he saw the pink box, wondering what the D-Shock actually looked like. Though he would wait for Honda to open it himself. Yugi smiled as he reached to grab the box, thanking the salesman. Before he could grab the package, a different hand placed itself on the item, one Yugi did not recognize. He looked up to his right and saw a tall man, glaring at him. He didn't seem like someone to mess with, the outfit he was wearing was weird, but it also showed a very intimidating demeter he presented. His skin was much darker than Yugi's, though it wasn't too noticeable. He had small hooped earrings on his left ear, and a nose piercing as well. On his head was a violet bandana and his eyes were being covered by strange shades that had hints of pink. His outfit was just an orange jump jacket with a very dark green shirt underneath.

The way Yugi was looking at him, and the way he was holding onto the box, he did not seem like a nice person. Even though Yugi couldn't see his eyes, he was certain the man in front of him was glaring straight at him. "I will be the one taking this off your hands." He told Yugi, in such a cold and stern tone.

Yugi was nervous, whoever this guy was he seemed serious. Even the salesman and the people from behind were backing up just by the actions of this man. Despite the scene, Yugi wanted to stick up to him. He already paid for the watch, and it was for Honda so there was no way he was going to take it. "What are you talking about? This D-Shock isn't yours!"

"Someone like you does not deserve this item." The darker man stated, coughing for attention as he drew up the sleeve he wore on the arm holding the box. Yugi's mouth practically fell to the floor as he saw on his arm five swish watches of different colors and looks.

"Ah! T-those are…" The salesman gasped, seeing the ten watches on the man's thick arms. He wore them proudly and showed them off with pride.

"They're the Special Variation Swiss Color Watches. This collection can only be completed when these colors and designs are together like this. In the whole world, there are only about a hundred each of these ten types." As the man spoke, Yugi looked up, staring into those dark rose glasses, seeing his reflection as he could just imagine the eyes behind the lens becoming more determined. "In Japan… no… in the world no one else has ever collected these ten rare types at once and wear them as I do. Don't you get it now?" A smirk soon played on the man's face, believing he was finally getting through to Yugi. "That's why this D-Shock Premium Collection will only have meaning in the hands of a watch collector such as myself, to admire the craftsmanship and value! An amateur like you who doesn't understand the meaning of rarity or value, should not possess such an item!"

Yugi wasn't really sure what this guy was going on about, just because the watch had an exotic reputation, doesn't mean it should be treated as just a collectors item. It was no different than Yugi's Puzzle he wore around his neck. Sure, there was a lot of history behind the Millenium Item, and it can be viewed as a precious artifact since there aren't any others of its kind. But Yugi never saw it that way, he saw it as his treasure that he completed on his own. One that was a memento of his grandfather and his stories. He kept the Puzzle because he loved it and it meant the world to him with the origins behind it. The D-Shock was just the same, Honda wanted the watch for himself not because of its value, but because of the use and how well crafted it is.

"I can't…" Yugi tried to protest, he wanted to keep the watch. He already paid for it and knew how desperate Honda was. However, that was not an acceptable answer as Yugi was grabbed by the collar and pulled to be face to face with the man.

"If you think you can fight me… I won't forgive you for keeping this watch from me!" At this point, pretty much everyone else in the store had left. The man behind the counter could only watch in horror as he feared something was going to go down. Yugi actually believed he was going to be in another fist fight, though he would be the one receiving the hits. He bit his lip, nervous as the watch collector seemed ready to take him down.

"Pardon me," Yugi was relieved to have seen a hand touching the shoulder of the guy. Yugi believed it to have been Honda for a split second. But upon hearing that female voice, he recognized it as Sparkle, seeing her light purple hair. Yugi didn't care who it was, all he cared was the fact that someone would actually help him.

When the collector turned to face Sparkle behind him, Yugi could get a glimpse of his small, brown eyes that were hidden behind his spectacles. "What do you want? Are you gonna get in my way?"

"I may not be a collector or whatever you call yourself, but I know that this watch is not yours. This young man paid for it, and was here first. Therefore, it is rightfully his. If you can not respect that, perhaps you shouldn't have this watch to begin with."

The Collector batted Sparkle's hand off of his shoulder, glaring at her now. "Wanna go, bitch?" He sounded very angry as he was now the one glaring at Sparkle. The woman raised a brow at him, not at all intimidated, more so she was just waiting. Yugi watched in fear and anticipation, wondering what Sparkle would do. She had proven that she is more than capable of taking down someone twice her size, but would she really be willing to fight in such a small area like this? It seemed that Sparkle was willing to take the challenge. But her eyes soon laid on the man behind the counter.

"You, call the cops. Tell them that there is some trash here they need to pick up." Sparkle instructed the salesman. He jumped from where he was standing, but quickly took out his cellphone, calling the police station and requesting for someone to come to the shop. The Collector looked back over at the salesman, then at Sparkle. He was not going to take his chances for the law enforments to show, so he rushed out of the building, leaving Yugi and Sparkle alone. The woman looked over at Yugi, giving a kind, yet victorious smile. "Are you okay, Yugi?"

The shorter of the two breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Sparkle-chan."

"Don't mention it. I ran into Honda-kun on the way here and he asked me to see if you got this watch he was trying to get." She noted as her eyes drifted to the counter, seeing the pink box still resting on the surface. Yugi hurried over, grabbing it and looking back at Sparkle. "Anyways, glad to see I was able to be here before things went south. You certainly do have a knack for getting yourself into such violent situations." Sparkle noted.

Yugi rubbed the back of his neck, nervously smiling at the lavender haired woman. "I could say the same about you showing up at the right moment when I need you."

She blinked, looking at Yugi as she was slightly taken aback. However, she crossed her arms over her chest and did a playful tease. "I'm not always there to bail you out… though it seems that I have been bumping into you a lot lately whenever these situations arise. Seriously, we really should stop meeting like this." A chuckle came out of Yugi's mouth at her response. Her lavender eyes turned back to the salesman. "Did you inform the police?" The guy nodded, still shaken up about the event that happened. "They should be here soon, best to tell them everything and see if they can find that guy."

Yugi held onto the pink box, looking up at Sparkle as he seemed confused. Why did she want the police to be after this man? He was already gone, and despite his aggressive behavior and near physical threats, he didn't harm anyone. Yugi didn't have much time to think about the idea as his friend entered. "Sorry I'm late, Yugi." Honda called out as he walked into the small store. "Did you get the watch?" Honda looked over at the two high schoolers, seeing that Yugi gripped the box tightly as Sparkle was by his side, producing a protective stance. "Is everything okay?" Honda asked, getting concerned by the silence and the looks on everyone's face.

Sparkle looked back at Yugi. "You and Honda should go, I will stay here and give the police their information. Have fun today." She waved at him, scooting him along towards Honda. Yugi looked back at her, baffled for a moment, but Honda helped bring Yugi out of the shop as they walked down the sidewalk. Yugi handed the watch to his friend, then explained what happened to Honda in detail.

"Seriously, that was uncalled for." Honda seemed enraged as he was holding onto the box. "I'm sorry I was so late, I didn't mean to get you involved in such a mess."

Yugi waved his hands to assure him. "I'm alright, If it wasn't for Sparkle something bad would have happened instead. I'm just glad we could keep the watch. Though I have to say, I didn't expect you to be into this sort of thing." Yugi repeated to Honda as they were nearing the arcade.

"Eh? Well… actually this watch…" Honda nervously blushed as he held the box in his hands, gripping it tightly.

"Honda-kun!" The two of them looked ahead, seeing Miho calling out to Honda with Anzu and Jounouchi already at the front entrance of the gaming building. Yugi waved to everyone as they hurried over to the group. Honda rushed over to the purple haired girl with the yellow ribbon. "I'm glad you made it!" She smiled cheerfully as she held her hands together, looking up at the brown haired man. Honda's face went flushed, he was completely weak as he looked at the beauty of Miho Nosaka.

"M-Miho-chan… h-here is y-your D-Shock…" With shaky hands, he handed the pink box to Miho who gently took it and smiled. Miho giggled, taking the box and opening it. That was when she revealed a golden wrist watch with high digital parts. She immediately began to put it on as Honda helped her. Yugi was confused at first, watching the exchange. Seeing Miho's excited face and Honda's blush taken over his features, that was when Yugi pieced everything together. It wasn't Honda that wanted the watch, it was his crush that was after the piece of jewelry. Honda was probably waiting in line to get it for her, which would explain why he was so desperate. At least this was a much better reason than just Honda wanting a watch, since this guy has proven he would do anything for Miho.

Once Miho finally got the watch on her wrist, she showed it off to everyone. "Look! Doesn't it look great?" Admittedly, the golden metal did not match that of her red coat and white dress, nor would it seem to go with her hair and eyes. Though it did seem to bounce off with her ribbon, so that must have been good? Yugi wasn't exactly one when it came to fashion, anyone would see that upon realizing he was wearing his school uniform on a Sunday.

Jounouchi gasped as his eyes scanned the watch on Miho's wrist. "I can't believe you got such a limited edition item!"

"You really helped Miho out today Honda-kun. If you hadn't taken my place, I don't think I could have gotten this." She admitted innocently.

Anzu glanced over at Miho, raising a brow her way. "It sure is great to have such trust-worthy friends to do you favors, right Miho?" Anzu mocked, clearly being a bit passive aggressive on the fact that her female friend had used Honda just to get her something she could have gotten herself. Of course, no one else would say it but the female burnette.

However, Miho did not understand the context of the sentence and turned her attention to Honda, who was standing by her side while looking up at the sky, trying his best to keep his composure. "Absolutely! I love you, Honda!" Miho proclaimed in a happy tone. Clearly, she didn't mean it in the way that a person with such passionate feelings would say, but it was enough for Jounouchi to make fun of his best friend.

"Ya hear that, Honda? She loves ya." Jounouchi mocked him with a raised brow as he had a sly tone. "It must have been worth it to stand in such a long line so early in the morning then, right?"

Honda's face became flustered, as a sweat drop formed on the side of his head. He knew that Jounouchi was making fun of him for his crush on Miho. And despite how much he showed it with his facial features, Honda tried to deny it with a speech. "Shut your face, you filthy joker! Even if I wasn't a beautification member, such a task would be the natural thing to do for someone in need." Honda gestured to the world, raising his arms up. "Just take a look around. The people in this world have dirty hearts… It is my job as a true member to purify those people's hearts by leading a better example. This is why a pure heart and great kindness are the best qualities a beautification member can have!"

Yugi was the one to step in and disrupt the speech Honda was giving. "Though in this regard, it might have been a bit extreme."

"And a bit forceful." Anzu agreed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Jounouchi broke his attention from his friend and looked over at the purple haired girl. "Say, Miho, could I request to take that watch for the day?"

Miho turned over to the blond, holding up the wrist her watch was on. "Eh? You wanna wear the D-Shock?"

Honda realized everyone wasn't listening to him at this point, making him a bit annoyed. He turned back to face the group, waving his arms around. "Damn it, Jounouchi! Are you even listening to what I said?!"

Jounouchi didn't pay any mind to Honda as he talked with Miho. "I just wanna wear it while we're here. I've always wanted to wear one of the D-Shock collector items." Jounouchi explained with a smile, as his face lit up.

Miho was surprisingly willing to hand the watch over to Jounouchi like that, as she reached for the strap. "Alrighty then. Just make sure to keep it on you the whole time." Miho advised, making sure it wouldn't get lost while in Jounouchi's possession.

Before she could begin to take off the piece of jewelry, Honda interjected by yelling, "Wait a moment!" right in Jounouchi's ear. It was so loud in volume, that the blonde's hair was blown away by his voice.

"What the hell, man?! What are you screaming in my ear for?!" Jounouchi glared at Honda, as they had a strong rivalry in their eyes.

"Rock-paper-scissors." Honda stated in a determined voice. Jounochi was confused, staring at him with a blank expression. Honda explained further. "The winner of rock-paper-scissors will get the reward of holding Miho-s D-whatever for the day!"

Jounouchi turned away and scoffed. "First off, it's a D-Shock. If you don't even know the name, you shouldn't have it to begin with."

"Are you gonna play me or not?!" Honda stated getting more mad as Jounouchi kept mocking him.

"Man… you're serious?" Jounouchi raised a brow at Honda. The man already had his dominant hand out, ready for the match. "Alright, alright, if I really have no choice here…" Jounouchi sighed in annoyance.

The two of them began the count down. "Rock… Paper…" They said in unison as they threw their fists in the air. When they laid down, Jounouchi came out with rock while Honda used paper. "Alright! I won!" Honda cheered as he held a fist in the air.

"Hey, best two outta three!" Jounouchi declared, ready for another round.

"No way! I won fair and square!" Honda stated. "Miho-chan, may I have the watch?" He held out his hand. The purple haired girl was still baffled by the showdown, however, she complied.

"Just be sure to keep a good eye on it." Miho told him as she slipped the band off and handed it to the brunet. Honda's face gushed as he stared at the watch in his hand, practically drooling as he held in his palms something Miho wore only recently.

"Now that that weird contest is done, can we please head inside already?" Anzu asked, raising a brow at Jounouchi and Honda.

"Yeah!" Yugi agreed. He and Anzu were the first two to enter, followed by Jounochi and Miho while Honda brought up the rear. The arcade inside was so vast with bright colors. The polished floors were that of magenta, as the walls were that of a cerulean hue with a horizontal apricot stripe in the center. The place had neon stars, circles and triangles decorating the walls in brighter colors, with machines practically covering most of the floor. The building had three floors in total; the main one where the group was standing as of now, the upper area where there were more slot games rather than virtual ones, and a basement, which was a few staircases down that held the boiler room and some extra materials for the customers. Clients were not allowed in the basement, but it was never really guarded so no one was usually stopped.

The moment Yugi stepped into the building and looked around, he awed at the scenery. "This is so cool! I can't believe how much work they put in after reconstruction!" Yugi smiled. He couldn't believe how much bigger the arcade was.

"Yugi, you used to come here all the time when you were younger, right?" Anzu asked her childhood friend.

Yugi nodded as his eyes sparkled. "It recently got remodeled last year, and now it's officially opened to the public."

Jounouchi looked around as he noticed how there were some people here, playing games already. "It sure seems busy for an arcade." He noted. "I would have thought these things went out of style." He wasn't wrong, ever since consoles and video games one could play in their own house became a trend, people started spending more time indoors playing the games they bought on their own. With such advanced technology as well, no one really had any respect for the classics. However, Yugi was a fan of nostalgia. He remembered when his grandfather took him to this very arcade for his tenth birthday. Little Yugi was so impressed by how many games and large stations there were, he felt like he was in heaven. Yugi and Sugaroku spent all day at the arcade, celebrating Yugi's birthday. He didn't want any cake or presents, being in that building made him the luckiest person alive that day. Occasionally, he would still go to the arcade, spending what he could to play on any of the consoles. The store had been in a bit of a decline, since new technology came out and people played more in their house, but Yugi loved the ecstasy behind the building. With it's new look and branching out to many more festivities, he figured this would be a great place for him and his friends to spend the day, since it was pretty close to all of their houses and there wouldn't be that much traffic of people on their way back. The games were pretty cheap to play, usually every console being at most one dollar. Yugi was certain everyone brought enough to play a few games, though he knew they wouldn't possibly get through all of them in one day, it was the experience that would matter.

"So, what should we do first?" Jounouchi asked as he looked around, trying to pick out which game to play first.
"What kind of games do they have here?" Anzu asked as she looked at Yugi.

The smallest of the group explained. "Most of the games they have here are electrical based, with many machines and consoles, but they separate them based on type and style. They're fighting games, dancing games, shooter games, button mash games, this place has it all. Some of them are even luck based and if you win, you get more coins to play more games."

"Well, I prefer fighting games than card games anyday." Jounouchi noted.

"Honda, what game should we play?" Miho asked as she turned to the brunet, who was admiring the watch that he had on his wrist. "Honda?" Miho asked again, trying to get his attention.

Anzu held Miho's arm and pointed to what appeared to have been a claw machine. "Hey Miho, I think there might be some cute stuffed animals in that crank game over there." Miho's eyes sparkled as she saw where the other female was pointing.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Miho urged as the two girls made their way over to that area, leaving Jounouchi, Yugi and Honda. Honda was too busy admiring the watch he won for the day.

"Hey Yugi, where are the fighting games?" Jounouchi asked his smaller buddy. Yugi smiled as he started leading the blond to that genre, as he was more than excited to start playing. Once Jounouchi found a game, he sat down and inserted a dollar to play five rounds. He chose a street fighter game, holding his fingers on the joystick and the buttons. "Now we're talking! These are the kind of games I'm into. Hey Honda, you wanna play against me?" Jounouchi looked up to the other guy. Honda was still gushing over the D-Shock, admiring the beauty who wore it recently, rather than the value of the features. Jounouchi sighed as he saw how entranced Honda was by the golden accessory. "Geez, that guy is too love struck for his own good. How about you, Yugi?" Jounouchi asked.

Yugi shook his head in response. "I'm gonna try out some luck based games, I've been feeling pretty confident these past few weeks, and I wanted to test it out." He said with some courage. It was also another thing Yugi felt after completing the Millenium Puzzle. He couldn't explain it, but he somehow got this newfound confidence. Though he was unsure why or what the true cause of it was, he still wanted to show it off.

"Well then, good luck. And make sure to keep an eye on the love bird over there." Jounouchi advised, pointing over to where Honda was, still obsessing over Miho's watch. Yugi gave a slightly annoyed sigh but assured Jounouchi. He led Honda over to the area of slot machines, wondering how much Yugi would be able to win. He wanted to see if he could win some money back to give to his grandfather after he was so generous enough to give Yugi an extra amount of cash just to spend the day with his friends. He inserted one dollar, being able to try for four rounds. Yugi held onto the stick, watching as the slots rolled. Honda was too busy rubbing his face against the cool metal of the watch to even notice or cheer Yugi on for his luck.

Yugi waited for the right moment to flip the stick, the first time he only got one seven, a lemon and a skull. So he didn't win that round. He tried for a second time, getting two lemons and a skull. A bit better, but it wouldn't get him far. The third time he managed to get one lemon and two sevens, a better matchup but he wanted to go big and all the way. With a final flip of the switch, Yugi watched with anticipation as the slots spun around and around in the machine, one stopping after the other. One Seven. Two Sevens. Three Sevens. The machine blared to life as it illuminated, spilling out so many coins, filling up the container. A smile spread on Yugi's face as he watched the bits coming out, giving him about half of what his grandfather paid him for during this day.

"I did it!" Yugi gasped with a pleasant tone. "I can't believe I got this much on my first try! Hey, hey, what do you think Honda?" Yugi turned around, trying to get the attention of his friend that he was supposed to be with. Honda however, was busy rubbing his cheeks against the metal of the watch, still dazed by how much he could still sense Miho on it. Yugi reached up, waving his hand in front of his face, in an attempt to get him to snap out of it. "Hello? Honda?" Yugi did his best to gain his attention, but it was no use. He slumped and sighed, knowing he would be too distracted with the watch to even play any of the games here. So much for Honda joining in. Though as Yugi looked around, he could still see the others having a good time. Jounouchi was hard at work with smashing the buttons to win each round in the fighting game. Miho and Anzu were trying to get the mystery packages that were in the claw machine, though none of them had gotten anything yet. As Yugi watched over his friends, he was pleased they were having a good time nonetheless.

For the next few hours the four of them, since Honda was still admiring the D-Shock, played together and separately in different genres. Yugi tried out more of his luck when it came to other games, and he seemed to have been on a roll. Winning no matter what or who he was up against, his friends were impressed with the skills he had. "You really are the king of games, eh Yugi?" Miho commented.

Yugi laughed nervously. "I'm just used to playing these games, so I know all the tricks."

"No matter what kind of match is thrown your way, you always seem to accept the challenge." Anzu pointed out.

"Well, I don't always win. But even if I don't, it was still fun." Yugi smiled in response. That was what he loved the most about games, it wasn't about who won or lost, the importance of it all was having fun. That was what Yugi believed and why he always enjoyed them. Playing such matches was what brought people closer, and formed such strong bonds. Now that Yugi had people to play with, he felt those bonds becoming stronger as he was growing closer with his new friends.

"Even though you can't land a punch in the real world, you show no mercy when it comes to Street Fighters." Jounouchi remarked.

"Maybe you should take him on in that offer then." Anzu smiles cheekily. "After all, you could officially say that you kicked Jounouchi's ass."

"Why you!" The blond glared at Anzu in a bit of rage, while the brunette just stuck her tongue out at the jock like character. Miho and Yugi stifle a laugh together, but even they had to admit the funny dynamic the two shared. Yugi couldn't believe how much fun everyone was having, it felt too good to be true.

"Oh, hey Yugi, do you know what time it is?" Miho asked as she went to check her wrist, but realized she did not have her D-Shock on her.

Yugi looked up at the ribbon haired girl and checked around, trying to find something that told the time. He soon saw the big neon clock on the west wall, saying that it was four in the afternoon. Yugi was pretty shocked to have seen that they had played for over seven hours, but then again, everyone was having a blast. Yugi pointed to the time for Miho and she sighed.

"Sorry everyone, but I need to be heading back now." She told the others.

Everyone else looked over at her, as Anzu asked. "You're heading home already, Miho?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I have an early curfew since my mom will be out late tonight." She explained. Yugi didn't complain, even though Miho had to go, he knew she had a reason to leave so early. Plus they had spent a long time at the arcade anyways, and he was sure that everyone else would be wanting to go home in another hour or two with school tomorrow.

It was at this point that Honda came up behind Miho. Yugi wasn't sure where he had gone, probably to check on another game or went to the bathroom. He arrived just in time to hear Miho say she was leaving. "Really?" He then began to reach into his back pocket on his pants. "Then let me return your…" he paused as he couldn't feel the watch in his pants. He was confused, looking all over his pockets as he started growing nervous.

Jounouchi and Miho must have noticed this as well as Miho looked at Honda confused. "What's wrong, Honda?"

Jounochi raised a brow at his friend. "Don't tell me ya lost the watch already?"

Honda became more frantic as he started searching desperately for the D-Shock around his vest, his pants and anywhere. "No… No I just had it on me! This can't be! Hang on, where is it?" The more he was asking questions, the more virgous his searching of his body became. Yugi was a bit worried about Honda, seeing how desperate he was to try and find the gift Miho gave to him. His eyes wandered over to some of the claw machines, and that was when he noticed someone looking at them. Someone familiar… in a bright orange sweater with a purple bandana and violet shades. The moment Yugi saw the figure, he was reminded of the incident that happened at the watch store that very morning.

"That man…" Yugi muttered to himself.

Yugi was interrupted from his muttering as Honda practically screamed while taking off his pants. "It's gone!" When Yugi turned, his whole face went red as he backed away, seeing Honda had stripped down to his underwear and pulled at the hem to look inside of the clothing. The girls also wore a blush as they stared, while Jounouchi was the only one with any common sense to keep his eyes closed, shaking his head in disappointment in Honda for losing the watch, and for having no dignity. "I SWEAR I had it! Where did it disappear to?!" Honda grabbed onto his face, questioning how it was possible that he lost such a valuable watch.

All of that stripping and searching only earned him a slap from Miho. It was so powerful, he fell right to the floor. She turned on her heels, running out towards the door screaming as she cried out. "Honda, you idiot! You comepley stupid idiot! I hate you! I really hate you!" She shouted as she ran out the front door, crying her lungs out as she rushed out of the building.

Honda, who was now on the floor, reached out to where Miho had left. He was the one with the tears in his eyes, knowing that he had let Miho down by not taking care of her precious watch. "I'm… sorry Miho…" he cried as he fell to the ground.

Everyone looked at the pathetic, naked man on the ground. A lot of people were staring which made the group even more embarrassed. Jounouchi picked up Honda's clothes, tossing them to the burnet as he sighed. "Get ya ass up, you waste of a beautification club member…"

"Jounouchi's right," Anzu declared as she had her hands on her hips. "You may have lost the watch, but that wasn't any reason for you or Miho to get upset by it."

"What will I do?" He moaned on the floor, letting the tears spill from the eyes. "It's all my fault… I was so careless, and I ended up losing Miho's D-whatever… Now she'll never trust me again…" He whined, feeling as if his heart was completely broken.

"Like I said, it's not D-Whatever, it's D-Shock…" Jounouchi sighed.

Honda stood up on his knees, glaring at Jounouchi with newfound anger. "It's D-lost if anything now!"

Jounouchi slapped him upside the head, trying to get him back to his senses. "Then find it damn it! If you want to recover Miho's trust and your pride, let's stop wasting time and search for it!"

"That's right," Anzu agreed. "It's probably still here, so if we all look we can find it before the store closes."

Honda managed to get himself back on his feet, wiping the tears from his eyes as he bit his lip. "R-right…" he grabbed his clothes, putting them back on with his pants then his undershirt and finally his vest. "The watch couldn't have gone far! If we find it now, Miho will be able to forgive me."

"And just like that, he's back on his feet." Anzu sighed, amazed that such a man can go from hopeless to determined in less than a minute.

"Alright, let's go back to where you were last." Jounouchi advised.

"Let's see… I went to the bathroom to wash up, but before I washed my hands, I put the wristwatch in my pocket because I didn't want it to get wet." Honda remembered.

"Alright, we can start there." Jounouchi nodded.

"I'll check around the games," Anzu assured the others.

Yugi looked over to where the guy from the watch store was, he just stared at them from behind a claw machine. By the time Honda had regained himself, he turned his back on everyone and started walking away. Yugi wasn't sure if he imagined it, but it felt like that man was smiling at him. "Could it be…" Yugi muttered as he glanced at where the watch collector was heading off, furrowed his eyebrows as he had a gut feeling.

"Yugi, will you search here as well?" Anzu asked, making him face where the other three were as they were staring at him.

"Uh… yeah, I'll check over there…" Yugi pointed in the direction where the bandana man had wandered off to.

Anzu looked over at the smallest of the four, questioning what he was thinking. But she was against saying anything, since they only had four more hours before the arcade would close, it being a school night. With everyone's location decided, they separated and began searching for the legendary watch. Yugi stood where he was, seeing everyone around him head off to look for the D-Shock. He turned his head back to where the watch collector was only a moment ago. Yugi wondered if he should inform Honda and the others about the guy, perhaps corner him and see if they could find the watch on the man. However, he was against the idea after thinking it through. 'I can't just tell everyone about my suspicion when they don't even know the guy himself. I don't have any proof he took the watch, and even if I do convince everyone else, it may be too late.' Yugi couldn't imagine letting that man go, because if he did, they could lose the D-Shock. At the very least, he wanted to make sure that his guts were right.

He knew it was stupid, he should have gotten someone but at the moment he needed to be certain. He rushed over to where the collector had run off to. Yugi stood on a platform connecting to many staircases, there weren't that many leading up, but there sure were a few that went down, probably leading to the boiler room. He looked over the rail, catching a glimpse of the orange jacket the man was wearing. He was heading down to the basement, stopping halfway on the stairs. Yugi kept his eyes on the man as he was standing there, looking around as if to make sure he wasn't being followed. He dug into his pocket, taking something out. Yugi wasn't that far away, so he could see the shape and color of Miho's D-Shock in his hands. Yugi's instincts were correct, he did take the watch! He must have grabbed it when Honda was in the bathroom.

Did that mean he followed Yugi and Honda all the way here just to try and get the D-Shock? This guy must have been completely obsessed with this collectors item if he had to resort to stalking. The guy kept heading further down the stairs, though he did turn back and smirk. Yugi believed he must have known he was following the collector, but it didn't seem like he was bothered by it. The collector walked further down the stairs, and Yugi in a haste ran after him. He knew it was foolish to head and try to fight someone twice his size. Even so, he didn't want to let the opportunity go. He couldn't let that collector get away with his prize, a prize he stole. It had to be up to Yugi now, he had to do whatever he could to get the watch back no matter what.

Yugi followed him to the ground floor, seeing the man head into double doors on the left. He looked up above the doors to see the name tag 'Boiler Room". Yugi wasn't sure why he went in there, it seemed like a dead end unless… The small high schooler swallowed a bad feeling in his throat, but he came this far now. Yugi burst through the doors, looking around inside the room, seeing many large machines and hearing creaking noises nearby. The lights were on, so he could at least see. The doors closed behind him, as Yugi wandered into the room, looking for that collector. He tried his best to be on guard, knowing that he could very well be attacked at any angle.

"I-I know you're in here!" Yugi proclaimed, trying to sound tough but he was shaking inside.

Yugi jumped as he heard footsteps from behind, seeing the collector coming out from one of the many machines. He dawn on a mischievous smirk, staring at Yugi through his shaded glasses. "I had a feeling you'd find me here." The collector chuckled, keeping his hands in his pocket as he towered over Yugi. No doubt the watch was in one of them. "I can't believe out of all of ya, it was you that noticed me. Then again, you were the only one who knew me from the shop. But coming down here by yourself was a mistake."

As scared as Yugi was, knowing that he was no match for the person in front of him, he knew he had to do the right thing. He had to get the D-Shock back no matter what. It was the only way Honda and Miho could be happy. "Give it back…" Yugi begged. His voice was hushed, so much so the collector wasn't able to hear right away, raising a thin brow at the kid. The high schooler looked up, raising his hands in fists as he pleaded. "Give it back! That D-Shock is Miho's!"

But his pleas were not enough to convince the thief. "This D-Shock is mine!" He proclaimed, sounding annoyed rather than mad. "Those fools didn't even take good care of it, passing it off as if it's just another accessory rather than admiring it for the true beauty it should be."

"But that isn't-" Yugi didn't finish his sentence as the man reached over, grabbing Yugi by the collar of his jacket. He hurled him to the ground, skipping him across the room with little to no effort. With how small and light Yugi was, picking him up and tossing him across the floor was like skipping a stone on water. Yugi screamed in slight pain, feeling his face get roughed up by the floor.

"You think you can come down here and tell me off? You couldn't take back this D-Shock if your life depended on it!"

Yugi coughed, propping himself up on his hands and knees to steady himself. If there was one good thing about being physically bullied at school, it was that his body had gotten used to such beatings. A cheap trick such as that didn't truly phase him, though he was finding it difficult to keep himself balanced. "It… doesn't change… the fact that it's not yours… You stole it!"

"What are you saying? This watch is mine and mine alone!" He repeated, clearly not getting the memo at all. Yugi knew it was no use, clearly this guy was not remorseful about what he did. His words were falling on deaf ears, but he still had to try. He stood up on his feet, trying to head over to the man, in a last attempt to take the watch back. The thief only had a crazed smile on his face, watching the midget boy coming his way. "I was able to get this with no work, and for free. I live for this kind of thing, I'm a collector for a reason! Just obtaining a mystical item like this is the greatest high in the world!" The collector declared, raising up his leg and kicking Yugi in the side, just as he was less than a foot away from the thief. He gasped in agony, feeling the kick actually do damage to his skin. He fell onto his knees, holding his side as he looked to the floor. His vision began to blur as the beating was finally catching up to him.

He really was no match for this guy, no matter how hard he tried he just wasn't strong enough to stop him. Why did he bother coming down here? He knew he wouldn't have been able to get the watch back himself. But he didn't want to let everyone down by letting him get away with the D-Shock. Even so, he closed his eyes, trying to bear the pain. He wished he was stronger, he had to get the watch back no matter what. With a sickening laugh, the collector turned around, heading for the door. Yugi felt like he had lost his chance to recover what was taken, he kept his eyes closed, wishing that it would be alright. As he was holding his side, gasping for air, he felt a familiar chill run up his spine. It was one that he felt every time him or his friends were in trouble. The Millenium puzzle began to glow, making Yugi's body stand up on his feet again.

The thief was already at the door, holding the two turn handles, trying to pry it open. As he attempted though, they would not budge. "What's going on? Why is this damn thing locked?" The collector grunted in anger as he tried to force the doors to swing outward, but to no avail. He didn't think anything of it at first, just a small set back to leaving. However, the more he tried to escape, he began to sense a strange new presence in the room. A shadow fell on the thief's body, making the man get a strange and unworldly feeling. He started to sweat from his head, getting even more nervous.

"It's game time." A confident voice boomed out, making the collector turn to see who said that. He felt his heart sink for a brief moment as he looked around. The room was different, as he was surrounded by many different gears and cogs of shapes, sizes and colors. The walls were of a mixture of hues in the purple and violet family, giving off a creepy atmosphere. But the most disturbing of it all, was the one he had kicked and punched. He was no longer laying on the ground, nor did it seem like he was the same person. He was the same height as the collector, with his eyes going from a light shade of amethyst to that of a darker violet. He bore a sly smile, glaring at the collector as his hands were in his pocket, with the Millenium Puzzle still glowing brightly.

The man did not know what to make of any of this. Was it some sort of trick the kid was playing on him? Regardless, he must have been the reason why the door wasn't opening. "Why you!" He ran towards the kid. It didn't matter what he looked like now, he knocked him down before he could do it again.

"Watch out. It's dangerous." 'Yugi' warned as he stood where he was. Watching as the thief kept getting closer. He only stopped not because of the verbal warning, but from what appeared to have been a large pendulum that swung between the two of them. The thief gasped, seeing the large object of a clock swinging in the space between him and the kid.

"What the hell is all of this?" He demanded an explanation, these events couldn't be happening, there had to have been some reason.

"We're going to play a game." 'Yugi' explained.

This caused the collector to look at him, anger beginning to rise. "What do you mean?"

"However, this is called a Shadow Game. And the wager will be the D-shock."

The collector held up the golden watch he had stolen, opening his mouth at the prize that was on the line. "Don't screw with me, you bastard." He warned, holding onto the D-shock as he presented it off. As if he was going to risk the accessory to this wannabe. There was no way he had any plans of agreeing. Unfortunately, he was not given a choice. As a crimson stained window appeared on the ground, between 'Yugi' and the collector. The double doors opening, revealing a silver bird attached to wires and reaching up. Chirping as it grabbed the D-Shock from the collectors hand, pulling back into the window. The collector gasped, looking at the small doors that the bird took the D-Shock from. He fell to his knees, clawing at the window to get through. "No! My D-Shock!"

"Can you say it's your D-Shock when you stole it?" 'Yugi' questioned as he looked down on the man. Without the watch, he was vulnerable, and he would use that to his advantage. "But if you manage to win this game, I'll let you go with that watch as yours." He promised. Though he knew for a fact that he would not, so really it was an empty one.

The collector finally looked up at 'Yugi', getting serious with what was on the line. "What game exactly?"

"So you accept the challenge?"

The thief got himself up on his legs, even though he still had a nervous sweat on him, he glared at 'Yugi' with a fierce presence. "I'll play this damn game of yours!"

"No need for such language." 'Yugi' stated, keeping his eyes locked with the collector. "The rules are very simple," 'Yugi' started to explain. "At the start of the game, the Pigeon that has the D-Shock will pop out again. The stopwatch on the D-Shock will activate. The one who stops it closets to ten seconds wins."

The collector laughed with a mocking tone. "Is that all there is?"

'Yugi' was not done explaining yet. "Of course, if you exceed over ten seconds, the same pendulum from before will pass by right next to the D-shock." He mentioned as his eyes wandered to where the large pendulum had swung. "You understand what will happen if you are too slow, right?" 'Yugi' warned. This caused a bit of a panic in the collector, as 'Yugi' could see it written on his face. He now realized the dangers of this game, and if none of them acted quick enough, they could end up with a broken wrist. "Will you still accept these terms, despite the risks?" 'Yugi' wondered if the collector was willing to go through such lengths just to keep the D-Shock. As much as he hoped he would back down, it was clear from his methods that he was willing to do whatever it took to keep the watch for himself.

"Don't scare me out! I'm doing this!" The thief assured, holding onto his determination to try and keep his fear down.

"Alright, do you want to start?" 'Yugi' offered.

"Of course I will!" The collector proclaimed.

"Alright then… Game… start." 'Yugi' said that famous line, and as if on cue, the pigeon jumped back up, holding the D-Shock in its beak. The timer was going on the small screen, milliseconds turned into seconds. It felt like agony, as the ticking could be heard echoing around the room. The collector sweated as he stared at the watch, waiting for the right moment. He had to be cautious, if he wasn't careful he would end up losing more than just the D-Shock. But he had to win, he came this far and he would be damned if he was going to let some brat take what was rightfully his. He waited, fingers outstretched as he was ready to reach out and click the button to stop the timer. It was nerve wracking, but he couldn't turn back now. At that moment, the collector pushed himself forward, clicking the button and pulling away just in time for the pendulum to swing forth, missing his hand. He watched it go, until it was out of sight. He then turned to the watch, seeing how far he had gotten in time. The timer read 9.35, pretty close to ten seconds. He could have gone farther, but the threat of the pendulum forced him to retreat.

He pulled back, a satisfied smile on his face. "How's that?"

'Yugi' saw the numbers, and he was impressed. "You're good. Now it's my turn." The bird went back into the windows, while 'Yugi' stood there, waiting a few seconds before he began his turn. "Start." He said, and the pigeon went back up, beginning the timer once again.

The thief looked at 'Yugi', with a smug expression at first. 'Let's see how far these new guts of yours take you.' He thought to himself. All he had to do was wait for him to slip up, then he could walk out of here with the D-shock in his hands. As he gained a closer look, his expression turned to that of confusion. 'Yugi' had his eyes closed, listening only to the ticking the stopwatch was making. He was waiting, being patient for the right collector noticed this, and it made him on edge. Clearly the one before him was not the same cowardly child that didn't put up a fight. There was something off about this guy now… something, unnatural.

Upon hearing the momentum of the pendulum swinging from the left, 'Yugi' opened his eyes. He reached out, pressing the button to stop the timer, then moved his hand to the right, avoiding contact with the large object just as it passed by the D-Shock. The force from the pendulum caused 'Yugi's' coat to flap a bit in the back. Once it was out of sight, the collector looked at the watch and was more or less shocked at the results. "9.95 seconds?!"

"Looks like I've won." 'Yugi' informed.

"No way!" The thief shouted, getting verbally upset. "That was just a test! I demand a second try and this one will be real!"

"A test?" 'Yugi' repeated. His eyes went wide, finally seeing how serious this man was getting. He could have denied the man his retry, but if he did, he felt he wouldn't learn anything. "Very well then. Shall we begin now?" 'Yugi' asked.

"Hold on! This time, I'm going on this side." The collector stated, walking over and standing next to 'Yugi'.

"Alright then." 'Yugi' complied, heading to the other side. He didn't argue, because he was aware of what the thief was thinking, believing he knew the trick that would make him win the game. "Start." 'Yugi' declared, and the bird came back up, with the D-Shock in it's mouth as the stopwatch was activated.

The collector stared at the watch, a clever grin on his face. He believed he was so smart at that moment, knowing full well the loophole out of this mess to be the victor. 'I figured out what his winning strategy is. One side is more favorable in terms of escape.' He thought back to when 'Yugi' moved his hand out of the way just in time for the pendulum to swing passed the D-Shock. It was so close, but because 'Yugi' was on that side, he was able to swing his hand away with no problem. 'Now I can move my hand right at the last millisecond before it hits me. With this side the switch will be on my side to get to easily. I thought it'd be harder with the numbers being upside down, but so long as I know where the switch is, that's what really matters.' With such a method, there was no way he would be able to lose. "Alright… now!" The collector reached out, ready to press the switch to end the timer, as it was nearing ten seconds. For a brief moment, he felt victory within his grasp and the watch. However, before he could press the button, he suddenly got this uneasy feeling again. 'Wait… something's not right here…' He couldn't explain it, but that uneasy feeling made him sense something was wrong.

His suspicions were correct when he heard the noise of the pendulum coming from his left. He looked over, feeling the sweat bead down his forehead once again. "Damn it, the Pendulum is coming from the other side?!" he shouted, realizing he was in great danger. He had to get his hand away from the watch, he pulled back, trying to get out of the object's path. It was too late, as a bone crunching crack could be heard, followed by the screams of agony from the collector. The pendulum swung up to the ceiling, out of sight. The thief held onto his broken hand, cradling it to try and make it better.

'Yugi' watched the man, and even though he should feel bad, with how selfish he was acting he deserved such a slap, or in this case, impalement on the hand. "It seems you've lost." 'Yugi' stated, walking over and reaching out to the D-Shock that was still in the beak of the bird. The timer was still going, even if 'Yugi' had taken his turn, he would have beaten the thief anyways. "If you don't mind, I'll be taking this back where it belongs." His hand had just wrapped around the watch, ready to pluck it from the bird. It could have all been over, no further repercussions or worse damage, but no… greed took over the collector enough for him to reach his hand and grab at 'Yugi's' wrist.

"No way!" The collector gripped the wrist tightly, not having any intentions of letting him go. "I've come too far to give this up. Screw this damn game! This D-Shock is mine!" He looked up at 'Yugi', glaring at him as he still had that spark of defiance. It would be the last mistake he would make. For as the thief looked up at 'Yugi', his face turned white as his confidence faded. 'Yugi's' features now showed anger as he frowned at the man. His eyes were clouded with judgement and a hint of evil. Upon his forehead, a glowing eye symbol that was the same as his Millenium Puzzle appeared. It was a sign that the collector would be punished.

"Pathetic human." 'Yugi' quietly said, sending yet another chilling sensation down the person's back.

"W-what the…" The collector didn't finish his sentence, for 'Yugi' said his famous words.

"The Door of Darkness in your heart… has been opened."

"What's that?" The collector wasn't sure what 'Yugi' was talking about. Was this just another trick to get him to let go of the watch? He felt his broken hand acting up again. He thought that it was just the bones, but as he slowly moved his arm out to get a closer look, a nightmarish vision awaited him. He looked at the back of the hand, flesh had been ripped out like leather. Instead of bone or tissue, all the collector could see were moving gears inside of him. The faint sounds of ticking and clicking from those moving cogs. He stepped back, the collector screaming in pure terror as he felt his body acting differently, cold and hollow within his very core. He gripped the sleeve of his jacket and pulled it back, trying to see his Swish Colored Watches. But to his horror, he saw the watches being absorbed into his arm, bits of his skin already covering the straps and the metal. "W-What is this?!" He screamed for an answer, but got nothing.

'Yugi' at this point had grabbed the D-Shock, walking away from the collector as he was doomed to live out the nightmare that he created for himself. No matter how much he begged and screamed, the collector was unable to get any help. "Stop it! Make it end already!" He shouted, his body changing into that of what he so desired: a watch. He could already feel his eyes turning that into a face of a clock, with little tick marks as well as a big hand and a little one. "Save me!" He cried out, falling to the ground as he believed he was changing into a monster. He was unaware that this was only in his head, but the mentality would surely scare him. 'Yugi' had what he needed, and the collector would no doubt get retribution for his crime, so he left. He had done his part, now he just needed to do one more thing.

---

It was already night out, and the arcade was ten minutes away from closing. Pretty much everyone else was already gone or were beginning to head out. At this point, Anzu, Jounouchi and Honda were sitting around, slumping in disappointment. They had tried searching for the D-Shock everywhere in the building, but none of them came up with anything. With it being so close to having be kicked out, they were starting to lose any hope that they would be able to locate the watch.

"I can't believe we haven't found it yet." Anzu sighed in grief.

"Now what do we do?" Jounouchi wondered.

Honda stood up, his head hung low as he had a face full of regret. "I guess we should head home." He suggested. The other two looked at the burnet in surprise. "It doesn't seem like it's here, no point in continuing at this rate."

"Honda…" Jounouchi stood up and approached his side. He could see how crushed he was as he knew he would never be able to forgive himself. He was the one that lost the watch and Miho's trust, and he knew if he didn't get it back Miho would never forgive him. If they were not able to find it tonight, they would consider it lost forever.

"Don't blame yourself, Miho will forgive eventually." Anzu tried to assure, but was certain that it was an empty promise knowing how materialistic the ribbon girl was. Honda gave another sigh, ready to accept defeat. Jounouchi kept patting him on the shoulder, but it did nothing.

"We should tell Yugi then." Jounouchi advised.

"Where is he anyways?" Anzu asked as she looked around. The other two guys looked for their friend as well, wondering where he had wandered off to. Hopefully he didn't get into trouble, since it seems wherever he goes, bad things seem to follow. Anzu was the first one to see Yugi coming from where the staircases were, a smile on his face as his hair covered his eyes. "Yugi!?" Anzu called out as he approached them. "Are you alright?" She asked, a bit worried. Everyone gathered around the smaller student, wondering what he was holding in his hands.

Yugi lifted his head up, revealing those innocent amethyst colored eyes as he smiled up at Honda. "Sorry to worry you guys, but I think you will be happy with what I got." Yugi then held up the hand at Honda, showing off the golden watch. Everyone's eyes were wide as they saw the D-Shock in Yugi's palm.

Honda was the one to take it and looked it over, making sure it was the real deal. "You found it! You really did!" He looked over the watch, a smile spreading on his face as his features glowed up. "It's the real watch! You really got it back, Yugi!"

"Where did you find it?" Jounouchi asked, turning his gaze to Yugi.

"It… was under a game machine." Yugi struggled to find an acceptable answer. "Near the toilets."

"How did it get under there?" Jounouchi wondered, for he was certain they checked every single machine that the building housed.

Anzu turned to Yugi herself, noticing a scratch on his left check. "Also, what happened to your face?"

Yugi got a bit nervous, but tried to keep his smile. "Oh, I uh… saw something funny under that machine. But I don't remember what it was." He couldn't mention the guy that stole the D-Shock, because no doubt would Jounouchi and Honda try and go after him. Also, Yugi didn't even know what happened. All he remembered was being beaten up by the guy and laying on the floor. Then he blacked out as his body felt cold yet hot at the same time. When he regained consciousness, he was standing between two staircases with the D-Shock in his hand. He was really confused, and though his face stung he had so many questions. As much as he wanted to go back to the collector and see what happened, he was against it as he was sure he would have gotten beaten up once again and had the watch stolen. Yugi thought the best thing was just to give the watch back to Honda before that collector came back. So here he was, having little memory of what happened and Honda crying as he got Miho's D-Shock back. It seemed to have been a happy ending all in all, so Yugi didn't complain too much. What mattered was that Miho's watch was recovered.

"Thank you, Yugi." Honda covered his eyes with his arm as he started to cry. "Now I can see Miho again and be forgiven! I owe you one, Yugi." Jounouchi gave a sigh as he seemed indifferent about the situation. Anzu and Yugi just watched but were still happy for Honda.

---

"I'm home!" Yugi called out to his grandfather as he opened the door to the game shop. It was pretty dark out and usually, Yugi would have been in bed by now for school tomorrow. However, he was hungry and wanted to chat with his grandfather. Yugi made it past the counter and headed to the house of the building, seeing his grandfather was watching television. He looked up from the couch.

"Ah, Yugi, getting back so late." Sugaroku stated.

"Sorry Grandpa, Miho lost something and we had to search for it." Yugi explained as he took off his shoes. "I should have called, but we were so busy and it was hard to find a payphone. Anyways, I hope you didn't get too lonely." Yugi giggled slightly.

At this point, Sugaroku stood up and made his way to his grandson to see him. "Nah, the shop was surprisingly busy, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle alone." He looked at Yugi, noticing the scratch on his face. "What happened there?" He pointed to Yugi's cheek.

Yugi rubbed at the small scrap and explained. "Some guy gave me trouble at the arcade, but Jounouchi and Honda took care of it." Yugi assured. He didn't want to lie to his grandfather, but he couldn't say he didn't know the origins of the mark.

It seemed to have worked as his grandfather bought the excuse. "Well, I'm glad those two were able to help you." He smiled. "So, did you have a good time?"

Yugi nodded. "We had a lot of fun! Well, we did spend a bit of time looking for Miho's watch, but other than that it was really great."

Sugaroku smiled at himself. "I'm glad. You really have become a different person ever since you made those friends. And solving the Millennium Puzzle." Sugaroku added the last line, looking down at the Egyptian artifact that hung around Yugi's neck. The high schooler noticed how insightful his grandfather was being, staring at the Puzzle with such a straightforward glare. Sugaroku noticed his grandson looking at him strangely and shook his head. "Ah, sorry. Just muttering to myself. Anyways, you still want to heat up your breakfast?"

"Oh yeah! I'm starving." Yugi noted as he made his way to the kitchen, going to the plate of his breakfast and heating it up in the microwave. Once that was done, he went back to the living room and sat on the couch with his grandfather. "What are we watching?" He asked, looking at the screen.

Sugaroku looked back up at the television. "Just a chess tournament, nothing too special." He told him. "I can see if anything else is on."

"No, it's alright. It doesn't matter what game, I like watching any." He assured. "Plus, it's more fun watching it with you, gramps."

Sugaroku laughed, as he settled into the couch, watching the competition with his grandson. Yugi may love hanging out with his friends, but he would always have his grandfather to be by his side. At this moment, Yugi wouldn't trade anything to give this up.