Episode 2: The Creator's Challenge

It turned out this new arrangement the young man found himself in was easier to adapt to than he thought. The first few days were the toughest, as he had to constantly remind himself he was no longer living alone. Ryou helped his sister and father settle into the apartment, setting up their things, making sure they had their space. They tried not to overstep onto his area's but in the end Ryou had to move quite a bit around. He ended up packing a large portion of his Monster World figurines in boxes so that the shelves could be used for his father to store his stuff in until he could take it to the University or Museum.

"This should be the last box…" Ryou told his father, setting it up and getting the packing foam so the figurines wouldn't get broken while they were put away. Amane was helping her brother pack up his collection and placing her father's objects up in the cabinets. Ryou checked over the other four boxes of his Monster World hobby, stunned by the amount he had. "I can't believe I have so many…" He trailed off. He knew many of the figurines he crafted were from the friends he made in his other schools, but he also had to craft NPC's, monsters and props for the settings. He must have spent over half his childhood drowning in this game.

"I actually expected you'd have more, given how obsessed you are with Monster World, which hasn't changed even all these years later." Amane teased, taking some of the figures out from their shelves and handing them to her brother. He then began to place them carefully and strategically into the box, so they could fit and not get broken.

"I'm not that obsessed." Ryou shot back.

Amane rolled her eyes. "Please, you'd always carry a notebook and pencil with you in case you got an idea for a campaign of yours."

"It wasn't just for a campaign…" Ryou defended. "I also tried to help father with his notes when he had a discovery."

Amane smirked with slight amusement. "Lying is unbecoming of you, brother." Ryou felt his face heat up when she kept joking with him. He had forgotten that Amane could torment him at times, but she never was too mean about it. And at least she made it a point that only she could tease her brother and no one else. Ryou had to admit, he was impressed with how well she had been adapting since coming to Japan. They had already gotten her room set up, which they were using the Monster World room hence another reason why they had to clear the figurines and game pieces up. Amane also managed to get her new wardrobe with her own style. Her outfits were either athletic based or were casual with cute mascots on them. Some had frills and puffy parts as well. She could be a tomboy at times, but she also didn't mind the girly aspects either.

As for her lessons, she was doing well for the most part. Ryou has been helping her with all of them and making a plan on what subjects to study on certain dates and times. He also had to set deadlines so she could be more motivated to get those lessons out of the way. Right now, Amane was focusing on her Japanese and Foreign Language (English), since it would help her speak and write better while she was staying in Japan. So far those lessons haven't been too grueling for her, as she was making progress. At the moment, she had managed to finish up her first year of Japanese and English, and was working on the second year which was almost completed. She had managed all that in the span of ten days, and just as Summer vacation had started on this very day. Of course, she still had a lot more to cover before she could even think about attending Domino High as a student, but she was determined to be with her brother.

Mr. Bakura was helping to put a few things away while his children packed up the figurines. "Don't take it personally, son. I never minded your Monster World hobby." He tried to tell Ryou. "I am still surprised with how much you have collected over the years. Though I am sorry you have to pack it away like this."

Ryou did feel happy that his father was being supportive, and he was a bit guilty that he had to uproot his son's decorations just to accommodate them. The younger Bakura reassured his father. "It's alright… I wasn't using them anyways. So I may as well pack them up and free up space now." He continued to put away the figurines from the RPG, making sure they were comfortable for their long hibernation. "I just hope I have enough room in the closet…"

"Well, you should be able to use up the shelves again soon." Mr. Bakura promised his son. "Today will be the day of my orientation at the Domino Museum. If all goes well, I can begin to put some of my own belongings into my office so there will be more space at home."

Ryou smiled as he noticed how excited his father was. He seemed to be taking this job opportunity more seriously than he thought. Guess his father was earnest about getting that position so he could be with his children. Ryou was even beginning to warm up to the idea of having his father around. Mr. Bakura was doing all he could to make up for lost time, helping around the apartment, talking with Ryou about his day and his personal life. Part of the young man still kept a few of his barriers up, since he was worried this new routine would not last forever. But… as stupid as it sounded, he wanted to embrace this change as it was something he longed for.

Amane interrupted the silence in Ryou's mind. "And I can always leave one of the shelves for you. So if you ever want to put your own stuff in there, you can."

Ryou turned to his sister as she said that, which was enough for him to forgive her for her earlier comments. "Though you would have to put some things on the shelves first before you can give one away."

"He has a point," Mr. Bakura interjected. "I already filled one shelf."

Amane chuckled. "Well, I don't have anything I can put in that space. The only belongings I have are my clothes which are already in my closet and my hygiene stuff which is all in the bathroom."

Ryou looked around the room, which was once his Monster World space had turned into his little sister's bedroom. It was more spruced up to accommodate a sleeping quarters, with the full double sized bed that had white sheets and duvet. But that was really all that resembled a personalized touch to this bedroom. There was no indication that this area belonged solely to Amane, as it lacked any trace of her personality. Maybe they should do some more shopping and get her some materials that interested her, Ryou thought.

"If you want to get some of your own belongings, why not head out and do some shopping?" Mr. Bakura suggested what Ryou was thinking. "As long as you don't go crazy with your spending, you should have the chance to decorate your room how you see fit."

The other two noticed Amane's eyes widened, sparkling with ambition. "Really?!" She jumped.

Mr. Bakura noticed how excited his daughter was, but he couldn't deny her now. "We can go shopping once I come back from my orientation." He promised.

The light left her eyes as Amane slumped. "But you'll be gone for hours…" She pouted.

"I won't be gone that long…" He tried to reassure, yet she was not budging.

Ryou knew Amane was disappointed, and he became guilty himself. But their father couldn't leave right now to cater to his sister, he had to get his job started. Which meant the only one who could be with his sister was himself. "Why don't we head out?" Ryou suggested, which got the attention of his family.

"Are you sure, son?" His father questioned.

"You'll be busy with the museum so it will be just me here with Amane. She's been cooped up in the apartment for over a week studying to catch up. It would do her some good to get out for some fresh air and to stretch her legs." He explained.

Amane raised a brow as she gazed over at her brother. "The way you say it, makes it sound like I'm a dog."

Ryou turned to her and noticed her judgmental expression. "I… didn't mean to make it sound that way." He tried to explain. "If you don't want to go out right away then-"

"I didn't say I was rejecting the offer!" Amane quickly interjected when she heard he was going back on his proposal. "After all, this is your way of making up for the time you didn't go with me and dad to pick out my new clothes. So you can finally pay up by getting me some things for my bedroom. And take me out to lunch."

Ryou couldn't help but form a smile on his face when he heard his sister. "Fair enough, you manage to drive a hard bargain." He had to admit. Hearing that made Amane grin with satisfaction.

Mr. Bakura sighed. "Don't exploit your brother, Amane. He's already helping you with your studies and giving up half of his apartment for you." He reminded his daughter.

"It's alright, father." Ryou promised him. "She has been working hard, so she deserves a reward for her studies. Plus, it's only fair that she utilizes her room the way she wants, since it will be her's for a long while."

"Just try not to spoil her," the father urged gently. Amane merely smiled up at the two, trying to look innocent. "If you don't need any more help here, I'll gather my stuff for the museum and head out. I want to get there early so I can make a good impression."

Ryou nodded. "We should be alright here. Once this box is paced and put away, we'll head out."

Mr. Bakura nodded, then began to walk out of the room with the stuff in his arms to begin packing for his meeting. Ryou went back to finishing up the task, gathering his figurines of Monster World and storing them away. He couldn't believe he was actually packing them up like this. He usually had them in those cases so they could be seen. Maybe because he felt they deserved that at least… Now he wondered if he did it because subconsciously, he wondered if his friends had always been in there to begin with. His eyes focused on one of the people in his hands. He took note of all the details he managed to sculpt, staying up late into the night to craft the figurine for his friends for them to use. He always found it odd how after his friends slipped into those coma's, the only thing he kept around were the dolls they had used during the game. Ryou had become paranoid over the years, but he remembered one thing that scared him was the feeling that he was never alone in his apartments. Especially when he would enter the room with all of the Monster World characters, he felt as if they were staring at him. Everytime he held one of them back then, his skin became warm while holding one…

"Ryou? Are you okay?" Amane called out to him, which made the older one snap out of his thoughts. He jumped, then turned to look over at his sister who stared at him with a raised brow. He glanced back at the figure in his hand, it was still cold and he could not see the eyes following him. His nerves managed to ease up, slowly putting the doll away.

"Sorry Amane, I was just reminiscing about Monster World…" He told her honestly. His hands quickly packed away the model, as he didn't want to risk having anymore flashbacks of those terrifying times. Especially while he was in the presence of his sister.

"That's why you're gloomy?" Amane questioned. "Come on, you'll be able to play your game again. Just because it's being packed away doesn't mean you have to give up on it." That wasn't the real reason Ryou hadn't been playing Monster World, but he knew he couldn't tell his sister the true motive either. "Hey, how about once I get fully set up in the apartment and have a head start on my school lessons, you could re-introduce me to Monster World?" She suggested. That caught him off guard, so Ryou turned and faced his sister with a perplexed expression. Amane rolled her eyes and continued talking. "It'll be a great way for us to bond again, plus you're already doing so much for me, the least I can do is support your hobbies."

"But… you weren't much of a fan of Monster World…" Ryou pointed out.

"Hey, I was young back then and couldn't understand the rules. But now I'm older, and I should be able to understand the rules better." She retorted. "Besides, I know how much games mean to you. Especially your role playing ones, so it's all the more reason for me to get involved and use it as an excuse for us to spend time together. As boring as it may seem, I'll power through it if it means I can play with you."

Ryou could only stare at his sister in disbelief. Amane may have teased him about his hobbies, but she was willing to participate and learn about them all for the sake of making him happy and to be closer to her brother. She always valued his interests and wanted to be part of it so he wouldn't feel alone. Despite all of the bad things that occurred during his Monster World campaigns, Ryou did think about the kind of adventures he and Amane could have with the game along with some of his other friends. Even if it may not happen any time soon… he still envisioned it and wished for it to become a reality. The mere thought alone placed a smile onto his lips.

He continued to pack up the few models he had, and once they all fit he closed up the box. "That's the last one…" He declared, making sure the lid was securely shut. He then picked it up and began to walk with it out of the bedroom and into the living area. Amane followed him, walking right behind him while he carried his collection of Monster World pieces. As he was going through the apartment, he couldn't find his father anywhere and noticed that his work bag was also gone. He probably already left, Ryou thought. Once he was back in his bedroom, he opened his closet and set the box inside with the others to be laid to rest for now. "Finally… a bit cramp now, but it will do for the time being."

Amane peaked to see how little space was left in the closet. "You should invest in a shelving system." She pointed out.

Ryou looked behind to see her and sighed with a smile. "Since that's all finished, why don't we head out?" He suggested. The idea alone made Amane's face light up as her eyes went wide. With an enthusiastic nod, it was decided that the siblings would be spending time together.


It had been almost two hours since the Bakura siblings were out around Domino City. Ryou had taken Amane out for her to do some shopping so she could decorate her room, but per their father's request she had to set a budget otherwise she would not be treated to some lunch. Thankfully, Amane was interested in getting a new bed set for her mattress and pillows, along with a few stuffed animals that she found cute to place on her bed. She also got a few manga that appealed to her for reading material. She also picked out some paint examples from the store in case she wanted to change the color of her room. She carried the bags of her shopping spree with her as she walked side by side with her older sibling. "Now this is what I call a haul!" She skipped happily with the bags in hand.

"You say that even though most of your stuff is for one piece of furniture in your room." Ryou retorted as she tried to keep a distance, in case one of the bags hit him.

Amane turned to answer her brother for his remark. "I've got to start somewhere with the budget dad set for me! At least this is the first step to making that room my own!" She declared. "First the bed, and next will be painting the walls to match my personality."

"I don't mind you coloring the walls, but did you need to get over thirty samples of paint?" His eyes looked down at the color swatches to showcase the kind of shades the store carried. All of them were from the pink family.

Amane raised up her finger as she explained to her sibling. "Of course I did! If I'm going to paint my room, I need to decide what kind of color I want. Pink is always the option, but there are many factors to consider. For example, what kind of shade do I want my room, because the color comes in many different levels of brightness. Do I want my room to be blindingly pink to showcase how passionate I am, or do I want to keep it subtle and go for a more dull shade? This is a process." She decreed.

Ryou raised a brow her way when she explained her reasoning. "At this rate, you won't have the room painted until next month." He noted. Amane gave him a stink eye at the remark, but he merely laughed it off. Despite the teasing of one another, he was enjoying his time with his sister. He couldn't remember the last time they had gone to hang out with each other, it had been that long. Now he only wished he had done this when she first came to Japan, but better to do this now than never. He allowed the smile on his face to show, which caught Amane off guard.

"Why are you so happy?" She asked.

"I'm just glad that I can spend time with you like this once again." Ryou admitted. The answer made her jump, but she returned the grin nonetheless.

"Can't say I blame you for missing me. But, I'd be lying if I said I haven't missed you." She told him. "I mean… I know it was easier for me given I was asleep for all those years. But you must have had it rougher, huh?"

"It may not have all been pleasant, but I managed to pull through." He reassured her. Somehow, despite all the terrors, he found a way to survive. "But… I feel much better now that you and father are here." He added. For the first time in so many years, he felt like he was actually living, not surviving.

Amane mused. "I'm glad Father is letting us stay in Japan. Not that I don't mind England, but there's something about this country that really pulls you in."

"Probably also helps that we have a background of this country as well." Ryou added. "But, I can't blame you for thinking that. Japan has some interesting aspects…" He had to agree. "And I'm sure in time, you'll come to be used to it as well."

Amane sighed. "I wouldn't mind exploring more of Domino, but this is the first time I've been able to escape my studies. I'm enjoying the fresh air while I can because who knows how long it will be until I get another break…"

"Well, you are the one adamant on trying to be in high school by next school year…" Ryou reminded her, as Amane had no one to blame but herself. "And you've already made progress by completing almost two grades worth of English and Japanese."

"Yeah, but I am still in the elementary level of those lessons and I still have a handful of other classes I have to catch up on." Amane grumbled.

"It's only been one week since you began those studies, just give it time. You should be able to be up to date on those two subjects by mid-August." He reassured her. "As long as you keep your focus and don't take too many breaks." He added.

"Well, this lesson plan of yours better be worth it if I am going to be at Domino High School by next year." Amane retorted. "Say, what time is it now?"

Ryou quickly looked at his watch on his wrist to check the time. "It's almost one…"

That made Amane smile. "In that case, let's get a bite to eat before we head back home." She suggested.

The brother of the Bakura's felt his stomach grumble at the mention of lunch, which helped to decide. "In that case, let's find a cafe." Amane giggled upon hearing his stomach rumble, but it was all in her favor. The siblings continued to walk down the street, while Ryou checked around to see if there was any store open that catered food for them to sit down. While they walked and looked, something of interest did catch Ryou's attention. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw two familiar figures walking down the side of the road. The taller of the two was slumping and looked upset while the other was patting his back. Amane noticed Ryou had stopped walking and turned to where he was looking. "Hey, aren't those your friends from school?" She questioned.

"Yugi and Jounouchi?" He was surprised to see them, more so in the state they were in.

Amane smiled as she heard their names, deciding to wave her arm up. "Yugi! Jounouchi!" She called out to get their attention. It worked as the two gazed to see the siblings with their shopping bags.

Yugi was the one who smiled and waved back. "Bakura! Hey!" He walked over with Jounouchi by his side who was still down, but the smaller one radiated positivity. "What a coincidence bumping into you here." He spoke to Ryou.

The blue-haired one gave a small nod. "Yeah… we haven't seen each other much since Amane and my father picked me up from school. Sorry for not keeping in contact, I've had a lot on my plate setting up my sister at the apartment."

"You don't have to apologize. I'm just lucky we were able to run into each other now." Yugi noticed the bags that Ryou and Amane were carrying, which made him curious. "Were you doing some shopping?"

Ryou opened his mouth to answer, but Amane beat him to it. "I was just getting a few things to fully decorate my room. Of course, since father put me on a budget, I was only able to afford stuff for my bed and get a few manga."

"Sounds like you're getting settled into Ryou's apartment, huh?" Yugi questioned Amane.

The younger of the Bakura's nodded. "I still have much to do to flesh out my room, but that will get done."

"Even though you haven't picked out a color for the walls yet," Ryou retorted. That made Amane glare at him in judgment, but he once again chuckled. He turned back to Yugi before talking to him. "We were about to get some lunch then head home to unpack. Would you like to join us?" He asked. He wanted to catch up with Yugi and Jounouchi, since it had been over a week since they saw each other. And based on Amane's expression, she wasn't opposed to the idea.

"I wouldn't mind usually… but, I was in the middle of counseling Jounouchi…" Yugi pointed over to the blond, he was hunched over while spewing mutters of dread and regret.

"What's up with him?" Amane questioned as she noticed how dejected Jounouchi was acting.

"He's upset about losing the Duel Monsters Japanese Nationals." Yugi explained.

Ryou blinked, not understanding what he said at first. It wasn't until he put the words 'Duel Monsters' and 'Nationals' together he realized what Yugi was referring to. "Oh right! The Japanese National Tournament for Duel Monsters. I had forgotten that was today."

"Duel Monsters?" Amane repeated, not knowing what they were referring to.

Ryou and Yugi continued to talk with one another. "Jounouchi had been training with Grandpa for weeks so he could enter and get the prize money. We headed to the stadium to cheer him on and watched his duels. But during the semi finals… Jounouchi got bested…" Yugi gently explained.

The blonde heard what he said and winced. "If only I hadn't used up that one spell card… and if I had paid more attention to his side of the field… I should have switched my Monster to defense mode…" He continued to mutter all of his regret as he rubbed his head while staring at the ground.

The other three noticed how upset Jounouchi was, and his negativity was drawing attention to other bystanders. "Poor Jounouchi…" Ryou noted.

"Come on, Jounouchi. You still did pretty great." Yugi tried to cheer him up.

The blond finally looked up so he could be eye to eye with his shorter friend. "Pretty good? I got fifth place!" Jounouchi cried. "I was so close to being in the top four! Talk about embarrassing!"

Yugi sighed, worried his words alone won't make him feel better. Ryou stepped forward to input his two cents. "Fifth place for your first nationals is still a well-deserved title. And considering this was your first official Duel Monsters tournament, being in the top ten is an achievement in itself."

"Bakura is right!" Yugi agreed. "The fact you made it that far shows you've really made progress with your strategy. And you can use this to motivate you to get better."

"You… really think I can get better?" Jounouchi was starting to sound hopeful, so Yugi rolled with it.

"Yeah, and I know Grandpa will be happy to hear how well you did! Maybe you'll be able to actually beat him and me one day."

Hearing that made Jounouchi stand up straight, with a fiery passion in his eyes. "Yeah! And the fact that I went from someone who lost to a girl five times to a fifth place winner in the first Nationals, proves that it can only get better from here! I just gotta readjust my strategy and change my deck!"

Amane backed up as she could feel his determination from where she stood. "He sure did a 180 fast." She remarked.

"Why don't you try becoming better by looking back at all your previous Duels?" Ryou suggested. "The best way to perfect a strategy is to go back to your challenges that you've won and lost. That way you can make notes on what you did to gain that victory and what cost you to lose."

"That's a great idea, Bakura!" Yugi praised him. Ryou chuckled at the way Yugi was pleased with the idea, and Jounouchi gave a nod of agreement.

"They said they were going to air the tournament later tonight, at around six on the broadcast before it's uploaded online." Jounouchi stated.

Yugi's eyes lit up as an idea popped into his head. "I know! Why don't you come over to my house so we can watch the matches together when they air? I can even invite Honda, Anzu and Cosmo and we can hang out while watching the Duels to take notes."

"And we can pig out on some snacks! Count me in!" Jounouchi agreed.

Yugi nodded, as it was a great way for them to get together. The short boy turned to the siblings with a beaming smile. "What about you, Bakura? Want to come over with your sister?"

Ryou blinked, processing the invitation for a moment. "Oh… I dunno. I don't want us to be any trouble…"

"Don't worry, you guys won't be any trouble. It'll be nice to have you over and we can get to know your sister as well." He gestured over to Amane, who jumped on her heels.

"Come on brother, it would be rude to decline an invitation from your friend!" Amane urged.

Ryou wanted to say no, mainly because of hesitation. He still felt a bit off on accepting the offer, not just because he was still self-conscious about the Monster World incident but also because he hadn't been in contact with Yugi and the others for over a week. Granted, he did have an excuse with his sister and father, but he felt like he wasn't being a good friend by keeping distance. He thought about using an excuse to try and get out of this invitation, like saying Amane needed to get her room done or she still had some lessons to learn. Although knowing her, Amane would probably say something like: I'll do it later, let's enjoy ourselves tonight. As much as he wanted to try and excuse himself, when he saw the pleading look on his sisters' face, it caused him to have some doubts about rejection. "W-Well…" He was still hesitant to accept, but part of him couldn't refuse Yugi.

Amane noticed how her brother had gone quiet. Fearing that he would decline, she stepped forward and spoke to Yugi. "We'll be there!" She declared with a gleeful tune. Ryou jumped at her outburst, but she continued. "Can you give us your address so we know where to go?"

Yugi was just as surprised as Ryou when Amane spoke up, but it was replaced with joy as he was glad to hear the two would be coming over. He reached around in his pockets until he took out a small business card which he handed to the younger Bakura. "The Kame Game Shop. Just look for a sign with a turtle and you are there."

Amane looked at the card and was impressed. "Woah, these business cards are cute yet professional." She giggled at the colors and images on the piece.

Yugi softened his expression at her comment. "Grandpa has been making me carry a few lately to help strum up business."

Amane tucked the card away in her pocket to keep it safe. "So, when should we come over?"

"The tournament won't be airing until six tonight. So if you guys want to come by an hour before, that should be fine. And don't feel you need to bring anything." Yugi explained.

Amane nodded. "We'll see you at five." She promised. Amane turned towards her brother, grabbing hold of his arm. "Come on, Ryou. Let's get some food and head home to unpack." She urged while dragging him away with the bags. Ryou tried to protest, but she was much stronger than he was. Yugi and Jounouchi waved to the two siblings, the shorter of the friends calling out that he couldn't wait to see them. Ryou knew for certain that there was no going back, since Amane had made the decision for the both of them. She didn't seem to care how he felt as she continued to walk with him, while he was silent the rest of the way. Still, he would have no choice but to go to this party, despite his doubts.


As evening was falling in the sky, the time to attend the party was closing in. The two siblings walked down the street, but their paces couldn't be anymore different from one another. Amane was skipping ahead of her brother, a smile radiating off her face as she was pleased with this get-together they were going to. Ryou kept his walk brisk but average, he didn't seem displeased with this party but he also wasn't looking forward to it. Again, the thought of not being a good friend to Yugi and the others clouding his mind. He didn't want to reject their kindness, but he also didn't think he deserved it since he hardly did anything to repay them.

Even so, he was doing this more for Amane than himself. She had been pretty cheerful throughout the day after their encounter with Yugi and Jounouchi. Amane and Ryou had their lunch at a cafe, then headed home for Amane to unpack what she bought today. Afterwards, she agreed to another lesson or two with her brother until around four, when they decided to head out. The fact that she didn't complain about her studies proved she was in such a positive mode. In fact, she was just one test away from completing the second grade of English and Japanese. Admittedly, Ryou was impressed she was taking her work seriously, though that was probably because she was having something to look forward to.

Amane turned around to see her brother, who was lacking behind. "Hurry up, Ryou! We're going to be late!" Amane urged.

When he heard her, Ryou was taken out of his thoughts to see how impatient she was. He merely sighed before looking at his watch then responded to her. "It's already five o'clock and we just have one more block to take." He told her.

Amane pouted at his response. "You and father are the ones who always tell me we need to be at our places at least five minutes early."

Admittedly, that was true. Still, he didn't think much of it. "I'm sure if we're a few minutes late, Yugi will understand. Besides, the Duels won't be broadcasted until six, so we're still early enough to see them."

Amane slowed her pace so she could walk by her brother. She held the back of her head with her arms as he tried to reassure her. At the mention of 'Duels', that managed to peak her interest enough to change the topic. "I still don't understand this whole… Duel thing. What is it?" She asked her brother.

Ryou should have figured she would be curious about the concept. So he tried to explain it to her as a means to distract her while they were heading to the Game Shop. "Duel Monsters is what it's called. I don't know too much about it, but it's a trading card game where you use a combination of monsters, spells and traps to create a strategy to take down your opponent."

"So… it's like 'Magic the Gathering'?" Amane questioned.

When he heard her say that, a smile managed to form on his own lips. "I think the game was inspired by that, but it has many differences. From what I heard, the game originated in America, but only recently has been ported out to other countries. So far, Japan seems to have the most fascination with it out of all the others. Hence why they threw their first national Duel Monsters Tournament today. Aside from that, I don't know too much more about Duel Monsters." He admitted.

Amane tilted her head when he explained that to her. "Really? It sounds right up your alley. Given how much of a fan you were with 'Magics', which inspired you to get into Monster World." She pointed out.

"Well, I was more of a fan for table top games, rather than card games." Ryou told her. He turned his gaze away from his sister as she looked ahead, making sure they were on the right path.

Amane kept talking with him while he stared forward. "Is Duel Monsters any fun?" She asked.

Ryou glanced her way for a moment, noticing how genuine her expression was. It was clear she was curious, which meant she was interested. He turned away from her gaze so he could think of a response, but nothing came to his mind at first. Eventually, he had to be honest with her. "I haven't played it myself, so I can't say for sure. But Yugi and Jounouchi seem to enjoy it, so it must be interesting."

Amane giggled as she curled her lips into a grin, thinking about what Duel Monsters could be. "Maybe we could play it together sometimes." Her offer caused Ryou to look back over in her direction. He was stunned for a moment, yet he couldn't deny she seemed excited about the idea to spend more time with her brother and get involved with such a game. Though he wasn't sure if she would stick with Duel Monsters, the thought of seeing Amane and him playing the game did make him warm up to the idea of becoming experienced with it.

"I suppose we could give it a try… but I don't know that much about the game's rules." Ryou admitted. "Yugi is more of an expert with this game though, so I'm sure if we ask he could explain it to us."

"With how excited he and Jounouchi were, that makes sense." Amane teased. Ryou thought back to how Yugi and Jounouchi wanted him to get his own Duel Monsters deck. While he wasn't interested at the time, he could at least check out what kinds of cards there were. If anything did appeal to him, then he would take up the offer.

Once they took a turn, the Kame Game Shop was right in their sights. Amane jumped as she saw the building. "There it is!" She pointed towards it.

Ryou took a look at the tiny building with the yellow walls and green roof, as well as the small billboard sign next to the entrance to show a turtle and the large blocky letters above the door that spelt out: GAME. "It's a lot smaller than I thought it would be." Ryou admitted, trying not to sound rude but he was honest.

Amane turned to her brother to input her own opinion. "I think it's kind of cute," Amane admitted. "Though I'm not a fan of the yellow walls…" She hummed while tapping her cheek.

Ryou mused as they continued to head towards the shop. Upon arriving at the door, they realized they were not the only ones heading inside. Standing in front of the entrance was a girl who was near the same height as Yugi, carrying a brown paper bag in her hands. Ryou recognized her instantly, especially when he noticed her grass green hair that flowed right to her shoulders. He was startled upon seeing her, but he found himself approaching her. "Cosmo?" Ryou called out.

The green-haired girl turned from the door, looking over her shoulder to see the two Bakura's approaching her. "Oh! Ryou! It's been a while." She commented with a smile. She looked pleased to see them, mostly the older one.

The older Bakura began to relax more when he saw her, then added to the conversation. "Sorry I haven't seen you much. I've been busy with my home and family." He told her.

Cosmo shook her head towards him. "You don't have to apologize for helping out your family. I'm just glad we could see each other now." She told him. For some reason, her explanation made him all the more reassured and less guilty. He found himself sharing her grin while they stayed near the door. "Is everything going well for you and your family now?" Cosmo asked.

Ryou was about to answer, only for Amane to step forward and take the spotlight once again. "My brother has been helping both me and our father out."

"A-Amane!" Ryou jumped when he saw her taking charge of the conversation.

"He's had to move around his apartment though to accommodate us, and he's also having me study a bunch so I can catch up on school if I want to get into high school next year. He's also been taking me out to get me things for my room, and has spoiled me a bit." Amane continued to list as she looked proud of herself. "He's the best big brother a girl like me could ever ask for, and he has not once complained about this situation."

Ryou became flustered as Amane kept praising him, not that she wasn't wrong it was just embarrassing to him. He also didn't know how Cosmo would react and was somewhat worried about her response.

The other girl merely kept up her kind demeanor. "Ryou really is a reliable person, isn't he?" That comment took him off guard, as Ryou looked back at Cosmo who continued while staring at the both of them. "I'm sure it couldn't have been easy, but it's really impressive how you've been helping out your sister."

Ryou rubbed the back of his head at her words, becoming more flustered. "W-Well… Amane and I were really close when we were younger. And having her back has been a breath of fresh air. There may have been some bumps in the road, but I'm grateful to be spending time with her and father again."

Cosmo smiled at Ryou before turning her attention towards Amane. "It's also nice to see you again as well, Bakura…"

Amane laughed at the formality. "Please, you can just call me Amane." She reassured. Cosmo looked at her confused, wondering if it was really alright. "You call my brother by his first name, so it's only fair you call me by my first. If it's alright that I can call you by your first name…" She trailed off for a moment, letting the gears in her head turn as she examined the other girl. "Cosmo, was it?"

"Yes, Cosmo Seedrian is my name…" She answered. "And I don't mind if you refer to me by my first name."

Amane grinned wider, placing her hands on her hips with confidence. "Alright, Cosmo it is! I hope we get to be best of friends!"

Cosmo giggled at her remark. "I look forward to becoming friends with you as well, Amane." Seeing how friendly she was made Ryou loosen up a bit. He was grateful Amane wasn't causing too much of a scene, then again they had only just met. The green-haired one spoke up again as she looked at Ryou. "So, are you here for the Duel Monster Tournament viewing party?"

Ryou nodded. "Yugi invited the two of us earlier today. I was a bit hesitant to come, but Amane seemed really excited."

Amane stepped up. "Well, you've done a lot for me the last week, it's only fair you get a chance to see your friends again." She pointed out.

Cosmo mused at the interaction between the siblings. "Well I'm happy to see you here, Ryou. And it will give us a chance to catch up."

Ryou saw her smile and he couldn't help but to return one back to her. "Y-yeah…" Amane noticed how bashful he was being, despite him trying not to reveal it. "W-Well… we better not keep them waiting." He urged, going to the door and opening it. He held it wide open for the girls to head in first. Cosmo and Amane entered together, while Ryou followed behind them.

The room they entered was the store portion, shelves of figurines, games from table top ones to video games, and posters that decorated the walls. Ahead of them was the counter where the owner of the store was. The old man with gray hair in the shape of a star, was wiping down the glass counter only to stop when he heard the bell at the entrance ring. He looked up, seeing the three coming in. "Good evening," he greeted them. As Ryou looked at the man, he was certain this older person must be related to Yugi. Probably the grandpa since that's who Yugi usually mentions.

Cosmo smiled and bowed to the older man. "Good evening, Mr. Mutou."

He smiled as he looked over at the group. "Cosmo, it's nice to see you again. You must be here for the viewing party."

"That's right, I hope we aren't too late."

Sugaroku laughed. "Not to worry, you still have another hour before they release the footage from the tournament. Everyone is already upstairs in the living room getting settled." He told her.

Ryou stared at the man for a moment longer, seeing the similar features he shared with Yugi. He wondered if his friend got his fascination from games and his gentle demeanor from his grandfather. Cosmo turned to look at the taller Bakura then spoke. "Ryou, Amane, this is Sugaroku Mutou. He's Yugi's grandfather and the owner of Kame Game Shop."

Amane approached the counter before bowing. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Mutou. I am Amane Bakura, and this is my older brother, Ryou Bakura." She gestured towards her brother.

Suargoku perked up as he listened to the other girl. "Bakura?" He turned over to Ryou, which caught him off guard. "Ah! You must be the friend from school Yugi mentioned. The one who loves RPG games."

Of course, Yugi probably would have told his grandfather about Ryou's love for games, since it was something he and Yugi have in common. "Y-yes sir…" Ryou answered.

Suargoku seemed happy as he chuckled. "It's nice to meet another game fanatic around here… especially one who enjoys Monster World."

That name caught him off guard, but it also sparked a bit of an interest in him. "You… know about Monster World?" He asked with slight curiosity.

Sugaroku chuckled. "It was quite popular when Yugi was in elementary school. And I had my fair share of playing a few campaigns. Sadly, no one has the time or means to play the table top version. But I'd do anything if I could get my hands on some set pieces. If I began selling them, I know the customers would get curious and want to get invested."

Ryou began to feel more relaxed in this environment, meeting Yugi's grandfather and learning of his love of games. Even though he had some not-fond memories of Monster World as of late, if possible he would love to get back to it once he knew it was safe. "You know… I have a few Monster World set pieces and figurines at home. If you're interested, I could give some to you to put on display."

Sugarouku and Amane turned to face Ryou. One had an expression of bafflement while the other was ecstatic. "Really?!" The old man jumped from the counter as a grin was plastered onto his face.

"Are you sure, brother? After you work hard to make those pieces…" Amane questioned, knowing how much they meant to him.

Ryou kept his perky expression as he was certain. "I moved them all to storage, so they'll be collecting dust anyways. At least here, they can serve a purpose. Plus it'll be a while since I'll use them again and many pieces are too old for me to do anything with. If I do get back into Monster World, I want to create a new set in both figurines and displays." He explained, and it seemed like a good enough excuse. He'd had many of those Monster World Pieces since he transferred from school to school, and getting rid of them would help him to ease up the guilt he had. Also, it would free up his storage and he would be making someone else happy. Maybe this could also be a reason for him to get back into the game as well.

"Why don't you bring them over tomorrow then?" Sugaroku suggested. "I can display them myself, and in turn I can offer you any game here that you want. Whether you want a physical game or something more of the digital kind… Consider it my way of paying you for the Monster World collection."

"O-oh… I don't know…" Ryou was hesitant.

Sugaroku waved a finger at the man. "Now, now… do not refuse a request from your elders."

"Yeah brother, you have to respect the request of your elders." Amane repeated.

Ryou sulked at his sister's teasing. "You just met him…"

Once again, Cosmo found herself giggling at the interaction the Bakura siblings were having. "Will you be joining us for the party, Mr. Mutou?" Cosmo asked.

The elder settled himself down to regain his composure, then answered her question. "I want to do a bit of cleaning up for the store tomorrow. Now that it is officially summer vacation, it will be pretty busy. So I want to get some new displays and clean up for the customers. Once I finish, I'll head back there. You three can go on though," he urged, lifting up the small counter to open up the way. "I'll join you once everything is all set."

"Thank you, Mr. Mutou." Cosmo told him as she headed behind the counter with the other two following behind. They entered the building and headed inside. They were taken to the living area that was half covered by a kitchen, but everyone else were there. Anzu and Yugi were in the living area getting the furniture set up, while Honda and Jounouchi were in the kitchen getting the food ready.

The two high schoolers in the living room saw the other three, and greeted them. "Hey guys!" Yugi waved to them so they could come closer.

"Thanks for having us over," Cosmo told Yugi as she stepped towards him and Anzu with her bag.

"I'm glad you were all able to attend." Yugi smiled, showing how happy he was while looking at the three new guests that arrived.

"Sorry if we're late," Ryou apologized.

"Don't worry, we still have a while before the Tournament is broadcasted. We're just setting up so we can eat and play a few games." Yugi explained.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Cosmo reached into the bag she brought with her and took out some containers. She handed them to Yugi, who took them in his hands and stared at them. "I felt bad coming over empty handed, so I wanted to make something for the viewing party."

Anzu gazed at the container with the white sauce and grew curious. "What is it?"

"It's called tzatziki, it's a well-known appetizer from Greece. It's made with yogurt, cucumber and garlic and can be used as a dip or spread." Cosmo explained.

"Oh, I've heard of that!" Ryou chimed into the conversation. "It's a dip used for pita bread, fresh vegetables, or crackers. It can also be used for other foods like grilled meat or gyros."

"You had some before, Bakura?" Yugi asked.

Ryou nodded. "Father took me to one of his expeditions in Greece when I was younger, and we had this. It's really great, but I prefer it with the bread."

Cosmo smiled at his expression and couldn't help but be bashful at his comment. "Well, it's hard to find pita bread since they don't sell them around Japan. They're only available at import stores, but they're very expensive. Luckily, they aren't hard to make and it's easy to get the ingredients here so I baked some. But the other veggies and crackers I got from stores." She explained while trying to hide a blush. Ryou noticed it, wondering if she was not used to praise.

"Thanks, Cosmo. I can't wait to try it." Yugi told her.

"Just try and eat some before the other two get to it…" Anzu warned.

"Oh! I should have asked first!" Cosmo realized suddenly. "None of you hate the taste of cucumber or garlic, right? Or allergic to it?"

Yugi shook his head. "This is alright, really." He promised her.

"As long as it's food, Jounouchi and Honda will-" Anzu was interrupted as the other two friends scurried over to where everyone else were. Jounouchi and Honda's mouths were watering as their eyes lit up.

In unison, they both asked the same question. "Did someone say food?!" Anzu glared at them with annoyance for their interruption. But they were focused on the idea of stuffing their faces. The other four ended up laughing at the enthusiasm Jounouchi and Honda had when it came to eating. As Ryou noticed the cozy atmosphere and the merriment of everyone, he truly did feel safe and relaxed, comfortable even. Now that he was here, surrounded by all of these people he could call friends… it made him realize how much he had missed out over the years. Maybe Amane was right, Ryou needed to let loose and not overthink things. Tonight, he wouldn't worry about the Millennium Items or Monster World, he would be with the people who care about him.

Anzu took the containers from Yugi."I'll help get the food set up, wanna help me Cosmo?"

The green-haired girl nodded. "Alright, I'll set up the plate for the tzatziki." She walked with the other woman as they headed to the kitchen to get everything set up. Honda and Jounouchi watched them go, holding out their arms as their fingers were gripping the air.

"Please hurry back..." Honda urged.

"The food…" Jounouchi cried out.

Yugi chuckled at their disappointment, but knew they would eat soon anyways. He sat around the table with Ryou and Amane, as they got comfortable. There was still thirty minutes left before the program would begin, so they were just hanging around until then. Ryou's eyes noticed something on the table, which made him turn to see a few notebooks and pencils. "I thought our school wasn't giving us summer homework unless we ranked the bottom 100 for our midterms." Ryou pondered.

Yugi was baffled by his notion, until he realized what Ryou was looking at. "Oh, that's not school related. It's for Jounouchi." Yugi explained.

Ryou blinked as he was confused, so Jounouchi further elaborated as he sat where the writing materials were. "Since this will be my chance to look over my Duels and others, I figured it would be a great opportunity to write down the strategies I use and what other Duelists do as well. Yugi suggested I take notes on other Duels that aren't my own, that way I can try and use my own deck against theirs for a better chance of winning."

"That sounds like quite a bit of studying…" Ryou noted.

Jounouchi mused. "If I'm serious about wanting to get into Duel Monsters and be an elite Duelist, then I need to make sure I know my cards well and find ways to improve."

"If only you took your school work as seriously as your Dueling, you might have gotten a higher grade than 392." Honda remarked.

Jounouchi glared at the brunet, becoming annoyed as he shot back his own insult. "Says the guy who was only 12 students ahead of me!" Honda stuck his tongue out as he teased the blond.

Amane hummed as she set her elbows on the table, using her hands to rest her head on. "I still don't understand this Duel Monsters thing. Why is it so popular?"

Yugi turned to the younger Bakura as she was thinking out loud. "It became a sensation mostly due to marketing. And now that a national Tournament from Japan has taken place, it's only made the game that much more popular." He explained as the two siblings listened to him. "Plus, the cards are cheap to get, as long as they are basic ones. I hear that the higher leveled ones are harder to get. Not to mention there are rumors that the creator of Duel Monsters wants to add more rules and special conditions for monster summoning."

"They're already planning that far ahead?" Ryou questioned. "Didn't the game only come out recently?"

Yugi shook his head. "Technically it's been released for a while, but it's been localized in other countries for a few years. Japan is the only country that has caught onto it the most, which is why it's the country hosting the first regional Duel Monsters Tournament outside of America."

"Come to think of it, we didn't really know much about Duel Monsters until this year…" Jounouchi realized. "It only became popular once we all entered high school."

"Even now, its popularity is increasing with each passing day." Yugi added with a smile. "That's why I've become obsessed with it, and have taught Jounouchi the game as well. There's so many possibilities you can create in terms of deck types, strategies and luck."

Amane's eyes went wide as she herself became interested. "Sounds like a cool concept…"

Ryou nodded at his sister, agreeing with her. He wasn't planning on getting involved in Duel Monsters, since it didn't appeal to him. But with the way Yugi was selling the product and its sheer popularity, even he was curious to get involved. "You know, Amane wanted to learn more about Duel Monsters, and I'm starting to think it wouldn't be a bad idea to get involved as well."

Yugi turned to face the Bakura siblings, his face beaming with merriment. "Really?!"

"I don't know much about the game, but if you teach it to me I might give it a chance." Amane admitted.

Yugi gave a look of fascination, as he was growing fond of the idea. "In that case, I can teach the two of you the rules and help you create your own decks while we watch the Tournament being broadcasted." Amane and Ryou nodded in agreement, since that seemed like the perfect idea.

Cosmo and Anzu came over with the food and drinks, setting them down. "Alright, the food is all set up." The brunette stated as she helped Cosmo set everything up.

"Now it's a party!" Honda cheered.

Jounouchi turned to the grandson of the owner. "Hey Yug, turn the channel on. The broadcast is about to start!"

Yugi nodded, grabbing the remote and turned it to the channel that it was being broadcasted on. The first thing they saw was a large crowd covering the seats as they were in a stadium, cheering with anticipation. Images of Duel Monsters flashed across the screen, along with the certain participants who entered the tournament were shown as well, until it transitioned to the title: Duel Monsters National Tournament in bold letters. "Hello to all the thousands and millions of Duel Monsters fans across the country." A man wearing a suit holding a microphone made his voice echo. "We are here to recap the Duel Monsters National Tournament hosted in Japan, including watching the final match to see the winner. Among the 200 Duelists who made it through the regionals to this event, only one can claim the crown." Everyone cheered as the crowd was in real time, while the man was merely recapping the events.

"200 Duelists… wow. I didn't think there would be this many for a first time national tournament." Amane spoke.

"I was just as surprised when I heard that number as well," Yugi admitted as he looked over at Amane. "But I heard that the tournament had many prizes for the winner. One of them being a three million yen prize."

Anzu's eyes shifted over to Jounouchi after Yugi explained that. "Ah, so that's why Jounouchi was adamant on entering…"

The blonde felt the judgment from one of the women in the group, so he defended himself. "Hey, that money wasn't just for me! I was planning on giving it to my mom and sister, since they were a bit behind on bills and figured I could help them out."

Anzu just raised a brow his way, a bit disappointed he was only thinking about the money. Though the mention of his family, Cosmo couldn't help but be curious. "How is Shizuka doing? I haven't heard much from her since her birthday party."

Jounouchi lowered his guard when she asked that, and he began to scratch his forehead. "Honestly, I'm not sure myself. She's been having more tests and therapy done to her, but neither her nor my mom have told me about her progress… But I haven't heard anything bad so far."

Yugi chimed in. "Maybe that means she's getting better." He tried to be positive. Jounouchi could tell Yugi was trying to cheer him up, and he couldn't help but give him a smile.

"Maybe…" He hoped. "Anyways, they did give out a money prize for the top ten Duelists, so at least I didn't walk away empty handed."

"How much money did you get?" Honda asked.

"About 750,000 yen," Jounouchi answered.

Honda smiled and patted his shoulder. "Hey, that's a pretty great score you got." He was pleased, plastering a wide grin. "That's still a lot of money."

"Yeah… I already gave half to my mom, since she wanted me to keep some of it. But I told her I wasn't keeping all of it, I wanted her to take some for her and Shizuka. We eventually agreed to split it." Jounouchi elaborated.

"What are you going to do with the money you kept?" Cosmo asked.

"Well, considering where I ranked, I think I'll invest in getting some better Duel Monsters cards." He chuckled. Yugi laughed with him, though it wasn't a bad idea.

Ryou turned to face Yugi so he could ask a question. "What other prizes did they say the winner would get?"

Yugi hummed as he had to think, but he shook his head as he came up empty handed. "I don't remember the exact prizes that were offered… just the money was the big one. I think that's why so many people wanted to enter."

Now Ryou wondered what else could have made the first Japanese National Duel Monsters Tournament so grand that gathered hundreds of participants. Maybe the final prize was something involving the creator of the game? He thought back to the interview he saw with the creator of Duel Monsters, and how excited he was to see where the tournament would go. "Something wrong, Bakura?" Yugi asked his friend.

Ryou heard his question and looked at him. He shook his head. "Nothing… just thinking." There was no point in telling Yugi, since he didn't have a lot of information anyways.

"Hey look," Cosmo called out as she stared at the television. "They're about to recap the first Duel of the Tournament." She watched as the first two participants of the first round were shuffling their decks as they were inside a glass box.

"Alright!" Jounouchi flipped open one of his notebooks, then lifted up his pencil as he had a serious fire in his eyes. "Time to study Duel Monsters!" He declared as he watched the Duel happen and took notes step by step on their turns. The group couldn't help but be stunned at how focused the blond was in regards to this topic. While some found it admirable like Yugi, Cosmo and Amane, the others were somewhat baffled that this was the kind of topic Jounouchi decided to get involved in.


Hours passed as the group continued to hang out and enjoy their time. The Duels continued to be aired in order, since many of them were rookies, the Duels went by quickly so they took about five to ten minutes. Jounouchi made sure to write down every single turn each Duelist made, and when it came to his Duels, he was extra vigilant and was thorough in getting every single card, the effects and types they were. He also wrote down any card combination they played and how it affected their strategy. Anzu and Honda were watching as well, drinking their tea and eating the food they had. Ryou, Amane and Cosmo were gathered around Yugi, who used a side table which was covered in a bunch of Duel Monsters cards that were in different colors.

"So there are three types of cards in total," Yugi began as he pointed to a certain card at a time. "These ones are Monster Cards, they're used to engage in battle with your opponent. Depending on the color of the Monster depends on their power. For example, the yellow background of the Monsters are called Vanilla Monsters, meaning they don't have any kind of ability. But the Monsters with an orange background are labeled as Effect Monsters, because in their card descriptions, they list the kind of abilities you can use them for during battle. For example, Kuriboh's special ability is that I can discard this card when my opponent is attacking me, and if I do then the battle damage results in 0 and I lose no life points."

Cosmo awed. "To think such a cute creature could come in handy during a battle…"

"So not all Monsters have Effects then?" Amane questioned.

Yugi shook his head. "No, but that's why Spell and Trap cards exist, to help boost up your monsters or to weaken your opponent." He placed out a few cards with a greenish background. "Spell cards can be used to either strengthen your monsters or your side of the field to give you a better fighting chance against your opponent. While trap cards," his fingers went to point to a few cards with a purple background. "Can be used to weaken your opponent's monsters or get rid of them. The key to a solid deck is to ensure you have a balance of Monster, Spell and Trap cards."

Ryou followed the rules of Duel Monsters, as he was learning so much about the card game. It was a lot more intricate than he first believed, but he was becoming more invested. "This sounds simple enough, but I have a feeling we've only scratched the surface…"

Yugi giggled at Ryou's comment. "It does get a bit more complex, but once you know the basics, you'll be ready for any Duel."

Ryou was still hesitant in actually getting into the game, yet the looks Amane and Cosmo had as they eyed the cards showed the opposite of his feelings. "This is so cool! And there are so many cards…" Amane awed.

Cosmo held up one card as she examined the contents it had. "What is this symbol in the top right corner of the card?" She asked.

Yugi noticed it and answered. "That's the attribute of the card. Every Monster has an attribute and a type. An attribute is what element that monster is associated with. There are six in total: Water, Earth, Fire, Wind, Light and Dark. And the types represent the kind of monster they are. They're meant to help split monsters into groups in a more broader aspect than attributes do. Some cards can also enable a support of various effects depending on the type and attribute of a monster. Each monster has 1 Type, and they're currently 24 different types."

Ryou blinked at that explanation. "There are that many?"

Yugi nodded at the blue-haired one. "Many people build their deck based on types, so they have better support cards to strengthen their monsters."

That did make sense to Ryou, and he wondered if Yugi and Jounouchi had their type of deck as well. Amane and Cosmo continued to gaze at the cards, picking a few up in their hands. "Ah, these ones are plant types." The green haired girl smiled as she looked at the paper.

"These spellcasters are cute and look like they can kick some butt…" Amane mused.

The two boys noticed how excited they were about the cards, which made Yugi smile all the more. "Looks like they're getting into it." He commented.

Ryou couldn't blame them, Cosmo had known Yugi longer than he has, so they might have shared a love of the game. As for Amane, she was able to play role playing games but could she handle something strategy based? His eyes looked back over at the cards to see the illustrations. A few did catch the eye of the older Bakura, as he picked up a few monsters that looked like ghosts. "Are these… occult creatures?" Ryou questioned.

Yugi looked at the cards he picked up and smiled. "They're Fiend Types, but most of them are usually demons of some kind. But speaking of the occult, I remember seeing some trap and spell cards involving an ouija board."

Hearing that caused Ryou to become more excited. "You mean it's possible to create an occult theme deck!?"

"Uh… yeah. There could be some cards that could fit that theme." Yugi admitted, taken off guard at first but trying to be supportive. "You're into the occult, Bakura?"

"Eh… well…" He realized how excited he was, which embarrassed him. So he tried to defuse the situation based on his interest. "I might have been somewhat interested in it, only because I needed to learn about it for an older campaign I did for Monster World. But… It does have a spark of interest for me."

"Are you a professional when it comes to the occult?" Yugi's question caught Ryou by surpirse, by how genuine he sounded. He wasn't judging him, but was curious.

"I… wouldn't say I'm a professional. I just know the basics at the moment… but maybe I could learn a bit more." He admits. It was another interest he had, learning about the dead and having the idea of communicating with them. Maybe it was because he had known many civilizations with an afterlife concept or maybe… It was something involving the Millennium Ring now. Whatever the reason, he felt that now was an ideal time to be more active. But, no one said you had to only have one hobby. Looking back at the cards again, a smile spread on his face. "Could you help me find some cards for my deck, Yugi?"

Hearing that request made the multi-colored high schooler beam. "I recommend gathering fiend and dark type monsters, those seem the most occult I can think of. As for spells and traps, find ones that benefit the attribute and types of the Monster cards you have." He advised.

Ryou nodded as he went to build his deck, along with Amane and Cosmo who were also hard at work structuring their cards. As they were busy with that, Yugi went over to check on the Duels and the others. It was already going past nine at night, but there were a few challenges of the Tournament left to see. Ryou kept his ears open so he could listen in, but he also made sure to focus on his deck.

Yugi went over to sit next to Jounouchi, noticing how much he had written down on his notebooks, which surprised Yugi. "Woah, you already filled four out of the five you had…"

Jounouchi smirked at Yugi as he seemed pleased. "I managed to not only record my own Duels, but other Duels for research so if I come across someone who uses a certain type of deck, I'll be ready."

Yugi chuckled. "Do you think you're ready to change up your deck now? We got some new cards over where the others are." Yugi gestured to the table Ryou, Amane and Cosmo were at as they were checking over their cards.

"I will… once I see the last duel. They're about to show the finals of the Tournament." Jounouchi stated as he turned back to the TV. Yugi was just as curious as he looked to see what was happening.

"To all of the Duel Monsters fans in the crowd and at home, it's time for the tournament finals. Out of the 200 Duelists who made it through the regionals to the tournament, only one can claim the crown." The announcer told everyone as he was recapping the events of the duel. "The finalists are entering the stadium." Two doors opened, one on either side of the arena. The first door revealed a young teenager with turquoise hair in an arranged 'beatles' style haircut. His beady blue eyes were intimidating, even more so with the large, round yellow glasses crafted with an insect horn in the center to connect the lenses. He wore a green jacket with a raised collar, covering a white shirt with a red bow tie. While his top half was more exaggerated, his lower half was casual with brown trousers and shoes. "From East Japan, 14 year old Insector Haga!" The announcer declared, while the finalist smiled in a somewhat creepy manner.

The second one to enter from the other side was someone around the same age and height, with long brown hair with a purple strand next to his forehead, which matched his eyes. He had on a green jacket covering a black shirt, with a tan vest over it. He also had tan pants and on his head was a red beanie cap. "From West Japan, 15 year old Dinosaur Ryuzaki!" The announcer declared, as Ryuzaki looked confident but also humble.

Watching the two finalists made Jounouchi act up as he shook his fists. "Dammit! I wanted to be the one in the Finals!" He whined.

Anzu turned over to the blond and gave a sympathetic smile. "At least you did your best, and fifth place in your first official Tournament is still a decent improvement compared to where you were before."

Jounouchi sighed, looking away. "So says everyone…"

Yugi chimed in with his own positive attitude. "And considering you haven't been training that long, you've won a lot of Duels to make up for the ones you've lost." Jounouchi slightly smiled at Yugi's comment, cheering him up as the blond started to feel confident.

Until Honda had to weigh in. "Plus, none of us actually believed you'd even survive your first match. So you surpassed even our expectations…" Jounouchi glared at his long-time friend, who merely laughed and smiled. The blond looked ready to sock his friend for that remark.

Ryou looked over at Yugi as something had been on his mind in regards to the tournament. "You know, Yugi. I've been curious about something." The multi-colored hair teenager turned to the older Bakura, as they were in a conversation. "You're quite skilled when it comes to Duel Monsters, so why didn't you participate in the tournament?"

Yugi didn't seem surprised that he was asked that question, but he didn't answer it right away either, as his eyes downcasted to the floor. Ryou noticed this and was worried he might have offended Yugi. Before he could try and change the subject, he heard the shorter one response. "I've thought about it… Jounouchi asked if I was going to participate as well… but, I made a decision…" Ryou blinked, becoming curious as he listened while everyone else also had their ears on the pair. "I decided that if I enter a tournament… I want to enter so I can fight him…" He didn't know who Yugi was referring to at first, but the statement left everyone speechless for a moment.

The one to break the silence… was Anzu. "Do you mean... Kaiba?"

Yugi finally looked up at his friends to give a nod with a small smile. "Yup! I want to battle him again, but on a more even footing unlike last time." The memories in Ryou's head began to replay, as he had vague moments of going to Kaibaland and watching the group take part in the challenges of G.A.M.E, as it was called. Plenty of moments were foggy, because he dipped in and out at times. Probably because he was being possessed now that he thought about it. He inwardly shuddered at the thought of the spirit of the Millennium Ring taking over so he could watch the matches himself. Though Ryou was surprised he didn't do anything, so he didn't think much of it.

"I'm surprised Kaiba isn't in the nationals, either." Cosmo interjected while looking back at the television. "Do you think because of the loss from Yugi, he didn't want to show up?"

"It's not that…" Yugi answered. "Kaiba is still in the hospital." That part caught Ryou off guard, so Yugi continued. "After the final challenge of G.A.M.E. where I had to challenge Kaiba to Duel Monsters, when I won he was left in a comatose like state. He hasn't been able to move or talk since."

This shocked the young man with blue hair. He knew that Yugi had won the Duel against Kaiba, but he didn't know that the ladder had fallen into such a state. It sounded close to what happened with his friends… Ryou shook the thought immediately, as he was certain that Yugi couldn't have that ability. Unless… he used the Millennium Puzzle, which might be the cause of his powers. Ryou stayed silent as he didn't want to talk about the Items, plus he didn't know how he could ask Yugi that with everyone here. His eyes glanced at the golden pyramid hanging around Yugi's neck, which had so many similarities to his own.

"He must have been in such a shock from the loss, he couldn't process it." Anzu theorized.

"Considering he was the original Japanese Champion for Duel Monsters, can't say I blame him." Honda shrugged.

Despite their words, Yugi remained quiet as he held onto his Puzzle. There was more to this story, Ryou was certain of it. Yugi must have had some powers in that artifact just as the blue-haired one did with the Ring. He was certain that his friend knew more than he was letting on, and as much as he wanted to question him about it, he knew this was not the time nor place.

"Woah, check it out!" Honda cried out, gaining everyone's attention to the screen. On the TV, they watched as the Duel was taking place and the two finalists were neck and neck. Both of them had a few hundred Life Points left. It all came down to what moves they would make to determine who would win the championship.

"Hey Yugi, who you thinks gonna win?" Jounouchi questions, turning towards the shortest guy in the group.

The multi-colored high schooler stared at the screen, his eyebrows furrowed as he had a serious expression at the moment. "Insector Haga's speciality is Insect Combos. He'll combine his Insect cards with Armor cards to enhance their strength and abilities. On the other hand, Dinosaur Ryuzaki uses the megaton power of his Dinosaur cards to overwhelm his opponent." The way Yugi spoke so confidently with his answer, only proved his knowledge when it came to the games and the players. A few of the guests were stunned by his detailed intuition, while Jounouchi smiled back at the TV as he spoke his own comment.

"If it's between insects and dinosaurs, then there's no question! Ryuzaki is definitely going to win."

"I wouldn't be so sure…" Yugi wasn't disagreeing with his friend, but there was only one way to determine if it would be true or not. Everyone stared to watch the last few turns of the Duel, as Ryuzaki was the one to go next.

"Our battle has been evenly matched so far, but I'll finish you with this!" The Dinosaur Duelist declared, picking up a card with a smug expression before putting it on the table. The smoke filled the box, creating an illusion to bring the monster to life. A purple dragon-like creature with two heads emerged, roaring out to show how aggressive it was.

The Announcer of the Tournament narrated the event. "Dinosaur Ryuzaki summoned 'Two-Headed King Rex', his rare and most powerful card." It wasn't truly powerful, but for a basic Vanilla monster with four stars, 1600 attack points was a good enough offense for most lower leveled monsters. "How's that?!" Ryuzaki called out to his opponent, trying to intimidate him with his strength.

Insector Haga on the other hand, merely laughed with a sly grin. "I'll play this card against yours." The teal-haired one summoned a monster of his own, onto his side of the field with another card face down. Clouds gathered around the Duelist, summoning a wine colored bug with the body of an ant but eight legs like a spider.

"Insector Haga is countering with 'Big Insect'." The Announcer declared, showing the stats of the Monster on the screen for the viewers. His monster was in attack mode, but it only had 1200 Attack Points, which was much weaker than Ryuzaki's monster.

"What's with that wimpy monster?" Jounouchi commented with a cackle. "Ryuzaki has definitely already won." Jounouchi was just as confident at this point.

Yugi stared at the TV intently, as the Duel was continuing. The shortest of the men had a look of disagreement towards the blond. 'No… with the way Haga's strategies are… he's baiting Ryuzaki.'

Back at the match, Ryuzaki brimmed with confidence as he controlled his monster. "Kill the bug, King Rex! Attack!" He ordered. The two-headed beast roared, lunging right after the opposing monster. Despite the difference in attack power, Haga did not seem bothered. On the contrary, he began to laugh with a grin of his own.

"You just said 'attack', which means you've activated my face down card." The Insector flipped over his face down card in the spell and trap zone, revealing the purple card with a spiral of blues and reds.

Ryuzaki gasped as he saw the card, becoming worried. "What?! You had a trap card?!"

Haga pointed at the monster on Ryuzaki's side, explaining his strategy. "The Trap card is called 'Negate Attack'. It forces your Monster to cease its onslaught on any of my monsters, sparing them from destruction and ending your turn." Despite how strong the monster was, King Rex attempts to slash at the insect with its claws was impossible. As a barrier appeared between the monsters, forcing the dinosaur back near Ryuzaki as it failed to slay the opponent.

"Oh no! King Rex!" Ryuzaki cried out as his attack failed.

"Now, since your turn ends, it's mine." Haga declared, taking a card from his deck and placing it on the table. "I equip Big Insect with the equipped card, 'Insect Armor with Laser Cannon'." The insect on Haga's side was shrouded in a light, blinding the bug from view for a moment before it was revealed to be wearing armor with a gun aiming the barrel over at the dinosaur. Big Insect now had an attack power of 1900, more than enough to finish off the monster and the rest of Ryuzaki's life points. With his finger pointing at the target, Haga gave the order to his monster. "Attack!" He declared. The insect obeyed, firing the laser from the barrel towards the opposing monster. Once it landed right on the King Rex, it howled in pain as the body was covered in yellow static. Despite Ryuzaki screams of protest, he could do nothing but watch as his ace monster vaporized before his eyes. "King Rex is extinct." Haga declared, watching the life points of Ryuzaki go down to zero.

Ryuzaki pulled back, processing the loss. He held his head down as he was forced to come to the terrible truth. "I lost to a bug…"

The camera panned to the announcer, who held the mic to his lips excitedly. "With the final decisive blow, the winner of the Duel Monster's championship is Insector Haga!"

While Haga was getting up from the chair and holding his deck proud for the crowd, the group at the game shop watched as the match was decided. Jounouchi stared at the screen with wide eyes, disbelief in his expression. "I can't believe it… Inspector Haga won…"

"If it hadn't been for that trap and spell combo, Ryuzaki would have claimed the championship…" Ryou added.

Anzu perked up. "Look, there's still more." Everyone kept their eyes glued to the screen.

The Announcer continued to speak. "For becoming the top Duelist of this competition, Inscector Haga will now receive the prize money and trophy." The man with the microphone turned towards the doorway where one of the two remaining Duelists entered. The shudder opened, revealing smoke and a silhouette of a figure. "And here to give you your awards, is our special guest, Maximillion J. Crawford!" The man stepped out of the smoke and into the light, for everyone to see. Wearing his red suit and puffy white sleeves and undershirt, complementing his straight, silver hair that covered the left half of his face. The crowd cheered as he entered, approaching Incestor Haga with a trophy in both hands. "The president of Industrial Illusions, and the genius game designer who created Duel Monsters."

The silver-haired man approached the winner, kneeling to his level and holding out the prize. "Congratulations." He spoke in a mix between Japanese and English.

"T-thank you…" Haga took the trophy, being bashful as he was face to face with the creator of the game.

"As the winner of this tournament, you are granted entry into an upcoming event sponsored by my company." He told Haga, who seemed even more excited.

"And that concludes the first ever Duel Monsters Japanese National Tournament! When will the next one take place? Only time will tell." The Announcer told the cameras as he waved to them, signaling the ending of the program.

Amane awed as she watched the TV, eyes wide as she was entranced. "Woah… that was awesome!" She cried out with delight. "I never would have thought a card battle game would be so exciting, but the way those monsters were brought to life really kept me on my toes! Those were some pretty cool looking illusions!"

Cosmo mused at Amane's excitement. "It really is a fascinating game."

Jounouchi sighed. "I still can't believe a bug expert ended up winning the whole tournament." He appeared disappointed and baffled, as he stared at the television.

"But, it proves that a good combo of monsters, spells and traps are the key to winning any battle." Yugi pointed out. "Brute strength is not the only way to win, because no matter how strong a monster's original attack may be, you can always make a weaker monster stronger with the right combos."

Ryou nodded at Yugi's comment. "It is quite a confusing game, but if you are able to have the right strategies, you could win any match no matter your opponent."

"Exactly!" Yugi looked over at the blue-haired man with a smile. Ryou noticed the grin and returned it back, finding enjoyment out of this get together.

"I guess this means I have a long way to go…" The blonde realized.

Yugi tried to cheer up his friend with his optimism. "You've done well for your first tournament, which means you can only improve from here!" Jounouchi stared at his friend, examining Yugi's expression of determination. He had to admit, despite all odds, the shortest of the bunch always knew how to keep moving forward and never wanted to give up no matter the outcome.

"Yeah…" Jounouchi beamed. "I just gotta fine tune my deck and practice my strategies…"

"That's the spirit!" Yugi urged.

Ryou watched the pair, seeing how close they were. He may not have known the full history of the gang and how they met, but he knew that they were such a tight-knit group it would be nearly impossible to pull them apart without a struggle. Even though he had doubts of fully becoming part of their circle, he was grateful they allowed him in and would include him in things. "Oh my!" Ryou's thoughts were interrupted as he heard Cosmo sounding distressed. He turned to look her way, noticing she was staring at the clock hanging on the wall. "It's already gotten this late?" He was confused by what she meant, until his eyes caught the numbers and hands on the object, realizing the time. It was fifteen past ten at night, which was much later than what they thought it would be.

"Geez, didn't realize how long those Duels took…" Jounouchi muttered as he was just as perplexed by the way the day had passed.

"Sorry for keeping you all so long…" Yugi apologized.

Amane moved over to him with a radiant smile. "Are you kidding? This was fun! It was a great chance to meet all of my brothers' friends and to learn about this game."

Honda nodded in agreement. "Not a bad way to start out our Summer Vacation." Hearing that helped to ease Yugi a bit more, as he grinned over at his friends who seemed to enjoy their time together. "But I should probably get going… I told my mom I'd be back before eleven." Honda declared as he lifted himself off the couch.

"I should head out as well," Cosmo told them. "Galaxina is working late tonight, and she wants me home before she gets back."

Yugi nodded. "That's fine, you guys should head back. Don't worry about cleaning up, I can take care of it."

"Are you sure?" Ryou questioned, as he didn't feel right to leave Yugi with all the cleanup.

"Jounouchi and Anzu are staying over, so they agreed to help out." Yugi explained.

The blonde nodded. "I want to restructure my deck a bit more, plus I don't need to be home anyways…"

"And I have work early in the morning, so by staying here I'll be there sooner than if I stay home…" Anzu added.

Ryou was glad to hear Yugi wouldn't be alone with the mess, and he could head back with Amane with a clear conscience. "In that case, we'll be heading out as well. Come on Amane." He urged his younger sister.

The younger Bakura pouted but stood up as she went over to her brother's side. She changed her expression as she smiled over at Yugi. "Thanks again for inviting us."

"Thanks for coming by, I hope we can spend more time together." He referred to the siblings.

Amane was eager to agree, while Ryou gave a small nod. Honda headed out first, waving to the group as Jounouchi told him to stay safe. Once he was gone, Cosmo began to get her things. She was about to grab the food she brought, but Yugi told her she can keep it here, since Jounouchi was a fan of it. When they saw how protective the blond was of the tzatziki, Yugi and Cosmo knew it was easier to just give him what he wanted. At least Cosmo was happy someone liked her food. Ryou and Amane headed out first, while Cosmo was still helping a bit. Amane headed out towards the store area first, as her brother was lagging behind. Before Ryou could go through the door connecting the house to the shop, he stopped in his tracks when he saw the owner coming through with a box in his arms. "Mr. Mutou…"

"Oh, hello Bakura." The old man greeted the high schooler. "Are you heading out as well?"

"Y-yes… the viewing party is over and me and Amane need to head home before it gets too dark."

Sugaroku nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't see the Duels myself, but someone has to tend to the shop." He declared. "I hope you all have fun though."

Ryou was impressed with how kind Sugaroku was. "Thank you, Mr. Mutou. And we did have fun. Thanks for having us."

"Any friend of Yugi's is welcome here." He reassured. A friend… yeah, Yugi probably saw Ryou as that. As odd as it sounded, he wasn't against the idea either. "Welp, you and your sister better head back now."

Ryou nodded at the older man. "We will… oh, by the way." Ryou remembered the conversation he and Sugaroku had earlier, in regards to his collection. "What time did you want me to bring over my Monster World figures? I don't want to rush you, but the sooner I get them out of my closet, the better."

"Ah!" The gray-haired one's eyes went wide at the mention of the figurines. "Anytime is good for me. But if you want, you could bring over a box or two tomorrow. I want to get that display up quickly as well. So how about you come around here at say… nine in the morning?" He suggested.

That seemed fair to the high schooler, so he smiled. "Alright, tomorrow at nine. I'll bring over one box."

"And feel free to stay awhile when you come over…" Sugaroku offered, passing him by to head to the living room with the package. He watched the old man go, before heading through the door and going outside where his sister was waiting for him.

"Took you long enough…" Amane pouted at him.

Ryou rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Sorry… I was asking Mr. Mutou what time I should bring the Monster World pieces over. I'll be here tomorrow at nine in the morning."

Amane heard this and softened her expression. "Will you need help carrying some boxes?" She offered.

"I'm only bringing one box for now, so I don't need extra hands." He told her.

Amane pressed a bit more. "But wouldn't you rather clean out that closet in one day rather than take multiple trips?"

Ryou raised a brow at her. "So you can skip your studies?" He retorted.

Amane dropped the helpful sister act, shrugging knowing she failed. "Worth a shot." Ryou knew that was what she was after, but he wouldn't fall for it. Still, he couldn't blame her for wanting to be rid of her studies, even though she was the one adamant on going to the school with him next year.

Before they could head out, they heard the door open behind them as Cosmo walked out. The green-haired girl looked over at the siblings, stunned at first when she saw them but quickly smiled. "Oh! Ryou, Amane. I thought you two would already be on your way home."

"I was held up because I wanted to ask Yugi's grandfather when I should come back tomorrow." Ryou explained.

Cosmo stared at the older Bakura with curiosity. "You're coming back tomorrow?"

"Yeah… for the Monster World figurines and pieces he wants to display." Ryou explained.

"Oh! Right." She remembered the conversation. "It's really nice of you to give up some of your game pieces to Yugi's grandfather."

Ryou chuckled. "Well, I'm not using them now and a lot of them are really old. I also don't want them to take up space in my apartment now that Amane and my father are living with me."

"I see… will you be staying around tomorrow at the game shop?"

Ryou was hesitant to answer at first, since he wasn't sure if he should spend all day here. But… it would depend on what happens tomorrow. "I'm not sure yet."

"Maybe I'll see you tomorrow then. I want to ask Yugi for some help with my deck so I can start playing Duel Monsters with him and the others."

Ryou glanced at Cosmo when she said that. "You want to participate in it as well?"

Cosmo mused. "It sounds like a lot of fun, and they have some plant type monsters that are really pretty." She awed as Ryou could tell she was imaging those kinds of Monsters for her to summon.

"Well, I hope it goes well for you." He wished her the best.

"Are you planning on making your own Duel Monsters deck?" She questioned.

"Well… it does sound interesting. But I'm not fully sold on the card game yet." He admitted.

He saw her expression soften at his answer. "That's fair, you don't have to make one if you don't want to. I don't want you to think you're being forced into it."

"No, no, no one is forcing me…" Ryou immediately defended himself. "I'm just… trying to figure out what kind of types I would want. If I do decide to make my own deck, I want to first study the game and the monsters so I have a better chance at a stronger deck."

"Oh, I see…" Cosmo realized.

"Anyways… if we cross paths tomorrow, I'll stay and help you with your deck if you want. Though I doubt I'll be much help since I still don't know much about the game itself."

"That's alright, you don't have to. I just wanted a second opinion just to be safe." Cosmo admits.

Ryou smiled at her. "Well… I guess I can do that…" he admits sheepishly.

"Oh! And if possible, maybe you could tell me more about Monster World." She urged.

That caused the blue-haired one to jump in surprise. "You… you want to learn about Monster World?"

"Yugi told me about how you and the others played a game and said it was fun." That surprised him, not only had Yugi talked about Monster World to Cosmo, but he said it was fun? Then again, he doubted that Yugi would tell her what actually happened. Still, he was perplexed that she was invested. "Do you think it would be alright if you taught me about the game?"

"Uh…." Ryou couldn't answer that right away, as he was still hesitant to get involved in anything Monster World related.

"He'd love to!" Amane interrupted their conversation. This caused Ryou to jump as his sister interjected. "My brother knows everything about Monster World, so he can teach you the basics and you'll be a professional in no time!"

"Really?!" Cosmo sounded excited. "That's great! I'll come over tomorrow morning. Thanks so much!"

"U-uh… but…" Ryou stuttered as he wanted to decline this offer. Yet when he saw how happy Cosmo looked with her beaming expression, the very thought of refusing made him feel guilty. He turned his gaze away from her, as he knew for a fact that he couldn't get out of this commitment his sister forced onto him. "I… could give you some tips for your campaign…"

Cosmo awed as she was even more merry. "Thank you, Ryou!"

"Well, we better head out. It's a long way back to our apartment." Amane stated. "Let's go brother, we don't want father to worry about us."

"R-right… I'll see you tomorrow, Cosmo." He told her. Cosmo waved to the siblings as she watched them walk down the streets.

As they were heading back home, Ryou tried to process everything that had just happened. He glanced at Amane's way as they talked. "I don't seem to recall Cosmo asking you if you could teach her Monster World."

Amane rolled her eyes. "You were taking forever to respond. Besides, it's not like you're gonna play a campaign, you just have to teach her the rules. And she seems interested in the game… your game…" She chuckled at the end.

Hearing that humming in her voice made Ryou curious, raising a brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh… nothing." She turned her gaze away from her brother, but he could still see that sly smirk upon her lips. He decided not to press further, just wanting to head home and get some rest after a long day. Though, part of him did feel a bit happy about the idea of teaching Cosmo Monster World. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad, he just had to keep an open mind and attempt to have a positive outlook on the future.


Back at the Game Shop, Yugi, Jounouchi and Anzu were picking up after the viewing party. They had to put away the dishes and food, as well as tidy up the furniture. "Man, watching those Duels got me all fired up!" Jounouchi decreed as he fluffed up the pillows. "Now I get what you said about how even strong monsters can't stand against a good combo!" He told Yugi.

The short high schooler chuckled. "I can't say I'm surprised that Haga won, he is great with strategy and combos. And it was a great learner experience for both of us."

"I was just as surprised as well," Anzu admitted. "Who knew that Duel Monsters was so intense." She finished throwing the rest of the paper plates away.

As they were done with the cleaning, Sugaroku walked in with the box in his arms. "Looks like I missed the tournament."

Everyone turned when they saw him enter. "Grandpa!" Jounouchi greeted him.

"It was awesome, Grandpa!" Yugi exclaimed. "Insector Haga ended up winning."

"Is that so?" He questioned. "Can't say I'm surprised. I've heard that he is skilled in insect combos."

"Sorry you missed it," Anzu apologized.

"Oh don't worry, I had Yugi record it all for me so I can watch later." Sugaroku reassured them, to which Yugi nodded, confirming his actions. "I also can't wait to see how you did in those Duels, Jounouchi. I'm quite curious to see where all of my training has gotten you."

The blond blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It only got me to fifth place though… sorry gramps."

"Why are you apologizing, you did great." Sugaroku's words made Jounouchi perplexed, so the old man kept going. "To be honest, I didn't think you'd be ready for a tournament in such a small amount of time. But you managed to work hard and earn that position you claimed. Being in the top five for your first tournament is as worthy as being first place."

Hearing that brought tears to the blonds eyes, as the words from his mentor was what he needed to break the ice to prove he did his best, and made those he cared for proud. He was so happy, he jumped over to hug the old man. "Gramps-" Before he could wrap his arms around him, he walked over towards his grandson as Jounouchi fell to the ground.

"By the way, Yugi. You've got a package."

Yugi perked up as his grandfather walked towards him. "A package?"

"Yes, not long ago a man in a suit with sunglasses came into the store, asking if Yugi Mutou lived here. He said to give you this package and open it."

"Who's it from?" Yugi asked.

"The man didn't say…" He handed the package to his grandson, as the multi-colored haired boy took it and examined the object.

"I wonder what's inside." He set the box down, as the others gathered around him. He opened the lid and was confused by the contents within. A few things caught his interest, the first was a strange glove with a wristband connecting it, with ten star-shaped holes that went around it. Speaking of, there were two star-shaped chips that could have fit into the wrist of the glove. There was also an 8 inch laptop with a touchscreen and detachable keyboard

"What's this?" Anzu questioned.

Yugi looked at the paper that was resting on top of the device, seeing it had some words written on it. He began to read it for everyone to hear. "Dear Yugi Mutou… I am certain you are wondering why we send you this package. I can not fully explain on the paper, but if you follow the instructions, everything will be explained."

Anzu shuddered. "Sounds ominous…"

"What does it say?" Jounoichi asked.

Yugi went to read on. "Power up the laptop and click on the face-call app. There is already an account made for you, so don't worry about signing in. There will be someone waiting for you at 10:30 PM for a call." He checked the clock at the wall, seeing it was a few minutes before the designated time. He grabbed hold of the device and clicked the power button. It didn't take too long for the tablet to be up and running. He set the small device up so that everyone could see it. He found the app and clicked on it, waiting for the other person to call back as he wondered who had sent this. Was it Kaiba? He doubted it considering the state he was in. Once it reached the designated time, the person on the other end finally picked up and their silhouette came into view.

A man with long, silver hair that covered the left half of his face, with a red suit and child-like smile. "Hello, nice to meet you, Yugi-Boy." The man spoke in an English accent. "At last we meet." He added it in the native language of Yugi.

The group of four were shocked when they saw who it was that was speaking. "That's… Jounouchi gasped.

"The American who invented Duel Monsters! Maximillion J. Crawford!" Yugi was just as surprised.

The silver-haired man waved his hands as he had a bashful expression. "No, no, please call me Pegasus. My real name is such a mouthful, especially to non-English speakers… And don't be so surprised, I wanted to personally see the esteemed Yugi-boy."

This only confused Yugi even more, but he couldn't help but feel slightly ecstatic that the creator of his favorite card game was calling him. "I understand that you are very skilled at Duel Monsters. After all… you defeated Kaiba-boy! Good job! Well done! Wonderful!" He clapped his hands and applauded. Yugi wasn't sure why, but part of him felt… unsettled? "Now, let's get down to business." He changed his demeanor to become serious but his smile was still on his face. "I want to test your skills, right here and now! I challenge you to a game of Duel Monsters…" Everyone was surprised but it was Yugi who was the most shocked. "Now, since I am a busy man, I will need to put a few restrictions on this Duel." Pegasus continued. "We will have a time limit set for this Duel, ten minutes in total. Both of us will start off with 2000 life points, and the one with the most life points at the end will win."

While Yugi was thinking it over, the other three behind him were having a conversation of their own. "Pegasus wants to Duel Yugi?" Jounouchi muttered.

"I guess he's interested since Yugi beat Kaiba… at least from what Pegasus told us." Anzu whispered back.

Sugaroku hummed. "It still seems strange that he would go to such lengths just to Duel Yugi…"

Despite their mistrust of the creator, Yugi thought over this opportunity that presented itself to him. Sure, it may seem sudden and there had to be more of a reason for Pegasus's request… but he also couldn't deny the man such a challenge. 'My opponent is the creator of Duel Monsters! To be able to play against him… it's a dream come true!' The thought alone sent a jolt of determination within the high schooler. "Okay! I'll take any challenge!" Yugi declared.

Hearing this caught the others off guard, but it was clear that Yugi had made his choice. "You gonna do it, Yugi?" Jounouchi wanted to make sure.

"I'll do it!" Yugi declared.

That was music to Pegasus's ears, as he smiled humbly while gathering the cards on his end. "All right. Build your deck in front of the monitor. I hope you don't mind if I go first, do you?"

Yugi nodded on the screen, as he gathered his cards together until he had forty and shuffled them to ensure he had a random hand. Pegasus did the same, and set the deck down on the table on his end, with five cards in his hand. "Okay! My deck is ready!" Yugi declared.

"Splendid, I shall go first." Pegasus mused, while his eyes were closed. He held the hand of cards up to his face, ensuring Yugi couldn't see them. He hummed as his other hand was hovering over the papers. "Hmmm… this will do." He took one card from his fingers and set it down in the spell/trap card zone. "I'll set one card face down, and end my turn."

Gasps were heard from the group as they watched him take a card with his eyes closed. "He didn't even look at his card…" Anzu muttered."Did he already know what he was going to pick?"

"No, his cards were shuffled, it would have been impossible to tell." Sugaroku noted.

Jounouchi cheered Yugi on the sidelines. "Come on, Yugi! You got this!"

The short high schooler nodded, staring at the screen. 'He doesn't have any monsters on his side, but he has a face down. Maybe he's waiting for me to summon something so he can destroy it? Or is it a spell card and he's waiting for the right monster to boost it up?' Yugi pondered the possibilities of what Pegasus could do. 'I can't think too hard about this… I only have a set time! I need to act!' He drew a card from the deck and checked over his hand, seeing something that could help. "Okay! I summon Koumori Dragon in attack mode!" Yugi held up his card. It was a vanilla monster with only 1500 attack points, but he figured it would help him out for now.

Pegasus chuckled as he had a confident expression on his face. "Ah… the Koumori Dragon… a nice card indeed. But I'm afraid it won't do any good against my trap card," Pegasus flipped over the card he had on his side, revealing it to be a purple card of a jar with the face of a dragon. "Dragon Capture Jar switches all face up Dragon-Type monsters on the field to Defense Position, and they can not change battle positions." As he explained that, smoke began to fill the room within the Mutou house. Yugi jumped as he saw the card of his monster slowly come to life, creating a real life version. He was caught off guard, as the monster was not only standing before him, but it also lowered itself after a roar to show how submissive it had become now. Pegasus continued to find joy out of this, while Yugi started to realize his gut had been right that something about this was wrong.

"W-what…?" He was confused, the monster had appeared before him, but how? He also noticed how quiet the room had gotten due to a lack of commentary. When he didn't hear the reaction of the others, he turned his head around only to see them in a strange state. Their bodies were all in a blue color, their limbs were no longer moving and no sound came from them. They couldn't even blink their eyelids as they all stood there, motionless. Now Yugi was becoming even more terrified. "Grandpa?! Jounouchi!? Anzu?!" He called their names but they did not respond.

"So sorry, Yugi-boy. But I don't want to have an audience." Pegasus stated, which made him turn to glare at the silver-haired man. "Don't worry, they are perfectly safe. If you can win against me, they will go back to normal." He promised.

Yugi was trying to process everything that was happening and piece together what was going on. The cards coming to life, the room growing dark, his friends and family becoming frozen like statues. There was no doubt about it, this was no ordinary Duel Monsters challenge Yugi was facing with the creator. "This is… A Shadow Game!" He gasped. The smile on Pegasus's face merely confirmed his fears.

Author's note: Okay, so this one was a bit longer than I thought it would be, and I wanted to capture all of Pegasus and Yugi's Duel… but sadly I would rather not continue because I have already exceeded my page limit. I usually tend to write these Yugioh episodes to be around 25-30 pages, since I like to think of each page as one minute of the run time if this was an anime. Yes, I know it doesn't work like that but it helps me to keep a limit and not over-explain or over-detail things. I will try not to make this a habit, but now and again I might have a few episodes where there will be over 30 pages, but I try to limit myself. So, that being said, I am going to have to cut this Duel short because I am already 34 pages in at this point, and I won't make any more. But don't worry, you'll see the Duel in the next chapter and I will assure you it won't be as long as this one. Thanks again to everyone who is enjoying this series so far. Also big shout out to 'themagicalgirlzone' and 'Multi inkling' for following this season so early into the story. I appreciate you two following along right now, and if you haven't already, I highly recommend that you read season 1 of Yu-Gi-Oh Kaimon on my page to get all caught up and know what has happened before season 2 keeps going. Thank you all again for your patiences and commitment to the story and I will see you in the next chapter. Sayonara, and stay classy, my Otaku's.