The Games

As the fields were being prepared, friendly duels were taking place on a stand in front of the audience. Dancer and Evelyn jumped up and down in their seats watching the matches take place. Evelyn had a big red balloon in one hand and a giant lollipop. Seeing them brought a smile to Mai's face. It was because of the boy she held in her arms that there were going to be more sights like this taking place.

Down below in the makeshift arena, Yugi was going up against the local hotshot from The Royal Embolodian Academy of Dueling. A bright student, so he boasted, with skills to take on even Yugi Muto. A brash boy, but very polite nonetheless.

Sportsmanship. It was almost a rare thing to see in the world of Duel Monsters. Evelyn and Dancer cheered when the match began. All around them there were Duelists clashing against one another for fame and prizes. It goes without saying that Yugi stole the show and all eyes were focused on his Duel.

LP 4000

The boy, whose name was Tellvian of the House of Darknox bowed respectfully before the greatest player the world had ever seen. He drew his cards and said: "It is an honor to play against you, Master Yugi. And it will be an even greater honor to defeat you."

"Oh really?" said Yugi. "I heard you were really good. Show me what you've got."

"Very well. Can I start first, Yugi?"

"Of course."

T1

"Thank you, Yugi." He held up his arm to show off a gold bracelet with an amethyst in the middle. It flashed and transformed into a Duel Disk. "I summon Minomushi Warrior! With an attack strength of 1300!"

The warrior he summoned was a ten-foot-tall soldier wearing the skin of a fierce beast he killed long ago. And he wielded a sword made of stone, which he sliced through the air as he grunted before letting out a loud battle cry to try and intimidate Yugi into leaving the match.

"Ha. I think those points speak for themselves, don't you think?"

T2

Yugi gave a nod while bearing a wide grin.

"Uh-huh. Not bad. Not bad at all. All right. I summon Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress Number One!"

A shadow darkened the arena. Everyone pointed up as they saw a large blue dragon soaring down towards them at great speed.

"Fireball Attack!" Yugi shouted.

The dragon opened its mouth and shot out a ball of red and orange flames at the primitive warrior. The fireball struck the ground in front of him and then incinerated him to ashes.

Evelyn gasped, almost letting go of her balloon. "Oh, that was such a novice play! Yugi doesn't play around."

"Wow! Amazing!" Dancer agreed. "I love Duel Monsters!"

A woman approached with a cart full of treats. "Anything off the trolly dears?" she asked.

"I'll take everything!" Evelyn said, pulling out her bag of gold coins. "This is a Yugi Muto match after all. I'm going to need something sweet to quell all this excitement."

T3

Tellvian -3900

Yugi- 4000

"I knew you would fall for that move, Yugi," said Tellvian. "A handicap like that is a great way to put your opponent off guard. I summon the mighty Opticlops in attack mode!" he said, slapping the card down.

The magical machinations inside the machine whirred and hummed and then projected the image of a tan-skinned cyclops that stood fifteen feet tall. The creature growled and snorted, then pounded its hands on the ground like a wild ape.

ATK/1800 DEF/1700

"This is a neat trick my master taught me, Lord Yugi. A combo attack. Opticlops is strong now but when I combine him with Dark Energy, his attack and defense points will increase by 300! (ATK/2100 DEF/2000)"

"Uh oh!" Yugi said, bracing himself.

Opticlops, now infused with the power of darkness, fired a laser beam from his eye and zapped the Winged Dragon on the chest, shattering it to pieces. Yugi grunted, anchoring his feet into the ground to keep himself from getting blown away by the blast. Tellvian applauded himself.

"Aha, see the devastating power of a combo attack, Master Yugi."

Evelyn couldn't believe the arrogance of the boy. Being one of Yugi's students herself, teaching her the Buster Blader archetype, it was obvious Yugi knew about something as simple as an equip-spell combo, so who was he to boast. Her face buffed and turned red like her balloon.

"Uh oh," Dancer said, clinging onto the edge of his seat. "Maybe Master Yugi isn't so tough after all."

"Silence, cur!" shouted Evelyn. "You just watch! My master is going to trounce this plebian!"

T4

Yugi- 3300 LP

Tellvian - 3900 LP

"All right, it's my turn," Yugi said. "I activate Unexpected Dai. If I control no monsters, I'm allowed to special summon a Level Four or lower monster from my deck. I call upon the Mystical Elf, who I will sacrifice to summon Berfomet! And when he's summoned I'm allowed to add Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts to my hand! Next, I activate Polymerization, fusing Berfomet, and Gazelle to become Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!"

A two-headed lion-like creature materialized in front of Yugi. His thin fur was brown and shined brightly in the sunlight. There were also patches of long black fur on his chest and behind his arms and it had a snake for a tail. It spread two white-feathered wings that spanned twenty-feet long. Each head had a long, wild, jet-black, mane waved fiercely in the breeze. One head had a single horn and the other had two curved horns.

ATK/2100 DEF/1800

"Wow, look!" Evelyn cried. "Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts! He's one of Yugi's favorite monsters!"

Dance couldn't contain his excitement anymore and left his seat to lean over the railing. "I don't know about you, but I hope he can bring out the Dark Magician! That's the one everyone wants to see!"

"Hold on!" said Tellvian. "Your Chimera is an impressive monster, Yugi, but both he and my Opticlops are evenly matched. Our monsters will destroy one another if they battle."

"You've already lost this Duel if you believe I'm some sort of novice," said Yugi. "I know that already. I didn't win Battle City and Duelist Kingdom for nothing. I have just the card I need to bring down your Opticlops. I equip Chimera with the Horn of the Unicorn, which will increase his attack by 700 points. Now Chimera's attack increases to 2800! Attack!"

Chimera sprinted across the field and then slammed into Opticlops. The creature fell backward and landed on the ground with a great crash that shook the foundation of the observation towers around the arena.

"I set a card face-down and end my turn."

T5

Yugi - 3300 LP

Tellvian - 3200 LP

"You haven't outmatched me yet, Yugi! I activate the spell, Ancient Rules! Now I can summon a high-level normal monster without tribute. Arise, Phantasm Spiral Dragon!"

Water rushed out of the ground in front of Tellvian. The spout that shot out of it then swirled around the field, forming artistic shapes made of water, which acted as a gate to allow the monster entry into the real world. The cerulean-colored dragon flew out of the water with membraneous wings and two black horns crowning its head.

ATK/2900 DEF/2900

"That's not good!" said Yugi. The Phantasm Spiral Dragon summoned powerful fountains that shot out of the ground. They swirled through the air and struck Chimera, sending him down one of the holes and drowning him. The Horn of the Unicorn was added to the top of Yugi's deck per its effect. "Chimera!" Yugi shouted.

"I end my turn," said Tellvian.

T6

Tellvian adjusted his glasses. "So much for your Mythical Beast, Yugi. My Spiral Dragon proved to be the much stronger monster. Oh, what's this?"

A light appeared in front of Yugi, which turned into Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts.

"When Chimera is destroyed," said Yugi. "I am allowed to bring back either Gazelle or Berfomet to the field from the graveyard. I draw and activate Pot of Greed, gaining an additional two cards to my hand. Next, I'll summon Silver Fang in attack mode! Then, I activate my face-down card. Monster Reborn. Now, return, Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast in defense mode!"

The winged monster dove out of the ground from a portal of bright light then landed in front of Yugi with his wings down, acting as a shield. "I set a card face-down and end my turn!"

T7

"So is that all you can muster, Yugi? Well, then, it appears my victory will be a quick one! I summon the mighty La Jin the Mystical Genie of the Lamp!"

Emerald green smoke spiraled out of Tellvian's Duel Disk and formed into a green-bodied genie with a sinister sneer on his face. 'Hmmm-hmmm-hmmmm,' he sniggered.

"Now, which one of those awful beasts should I attack first. Ah, yes, your Silver Fang will make a nice pelt for the rug, eh? La Jinn, attack his Silver Fang!"

La Jinn took a deep breath and released a stream of fire from his mouth that swirled around until it formed into a dragon's head. The animated flames could even roar and snapped its jaws. The flaming dragon head sailed toward Silver Fang but ran into a wall that caused the flames to disperse.

"No! What did you do?"

"I activated my trap card. Negate Attack. Your battle phase has ended and my monsters are safe."

Tellvian brushed a lock of hair off his face and jeered. "Ha. Keep it up, Yugi. I've got to admit, it's fun watching you squirm under the wrath of my powerful monsters. There's only so long your traps can save you from them. I end my turn."

T8

"We'll see about that. My deck is full of monsters who are more than a match for your beast." He closed his eyes and placed his fingers on the top card of his deck. "Come on, Heart of the Cards. Guide me." He drew the card and held it up high. "My faith in my deck rewards me wit this. Swords of Revealing Light!"

An arcane circle formed above Tellvian and spun around slowly. It sparked and then a rain of glowing swords fell from its core, landing all around him to form a cage.

T9

"The Swords of Revealing Light?" said Tellvian. "Yugi, you must be really desperate. What good will a three-turn delay do you, eh? Very well, if that's how you wish to play. I'll just bolster my offense. I tribute La Jinn to summon Wattaildragon!"

La Jinn was struck by lightning and was vaporized. Then, more lighting bolts colored bright blue struck the ground. They spun around, forming a vortex that turned into a blue-feathered dragon with torn wings and a tail with a tip that looked like lighting made into flesh.

ATK/2500 DEF/1000

"What did I tell you, Yugi? Just give up!"

Three of Tellvian's turns went by. On the second turn, Yugi set a card face-down. At the end of the third one, Tellvian sacrificed a monster to summon a mechanical vulture called Ally of Justice Clausolas.

The flying beast raised its wings and let out a metallic screech that rang across the city. It flew in circles around the arena cawing and snapping at Yugi before it landed on his side of the field to join Wattaildragon and Phantasm Spiral Dragon.

"I end my turn," said Tellvian. The swords faded and the monsters were free to attack. The crowd gasped. Could this be the end of the King of Game's rein?"

Yugi drew and ended his turn. He still had one trick up his sleeve.

"What a shame," said Tellvian. "I activate the spell card, Stop Defense! This card will force all your monsters into attack mode."

"Oh no!" Yugi cried.

"Yugi!" Evelyn shouted from the stands.

"Your crown now belongs to me," Tellvian boasted. "Go my monsters, attack, and destroy him!"

"Just as I thought," said Yugi. "Your ego renders you blind to the back of my board."

Tellvian just noticed the trap card laying behind Chimera's back leg. "Oh no! I forgot about the trap you laid!"

"Indeed you have! Your true foe in this Duel is not me. It's your overconfidence. That is your greatest enemy, kid. You were so focused on wiping me out with brute force that you failed to see the trap. And here are the consequences of your actions. Behold my trap card, Wall of Disruption! This card will lower the attack points of your monsters by eight hundred for each monster you have. Therefore, your monsters will lose twenty-four hundred attack points."

Since Wattaildragon was the first one to attack, it was struck down by Chimera, who took flight and tackled the once-powerful monster in the gut. Tellvian lost 2000 Life Points for that move. He commanded his other monsters to stop and they did. Their stats, once impressive, were now pitiful.

"My turn!" said Yugi. "I will sacrifice all three of my monsters to summon the mighty Chimaera the Master of Beasts!"

Chimera absorbed the souls of Gazelle and Silver Fang. He started to grow stronger and bigger, much bigger! He grew so large he could peer over the city wall. His fur turned into a beautiful snowy-white color and the patches of hair on its body turned golden blonde. A gold-feathered wing formed on all four of the monster's legs. His claws turned purple and his white wings grew bigger and glittered radiantly in the sunlight. The snake that formed the creature's tail was longer and colored black with a purplish-white underbelly. Red gems were inlaid on each of its sides and its eyes were like molten gold.

ATK/3000 DEF/3000

"It's one of those ultra-rare prize monsters!" gasped Mai. "Wow! How did Yugi get a hold of a card that precious? Oof, that poor kid is done for."

Duke gave a shrug and put one leg over the other. "I think you're overreacting. That thing's not all that impressive to me. What in the world makes that overgrown house cat so valuable?"

Mai shot him a nasty look. "Wow, dice boy, you seriously never heard of a tournament prize card? I mean, sure, they don't offer anything except a pretty picture and strong attack power, but they're super valuable. Only winners of the grandest tournaments in Termnnia can have those. They're worth 1,000,000 gold."

"Really? Wow. I wonder if Yugi is up for some trades?"

"Go, Master of Beasts!" shouted Yugi. "Attack and destroy Phantasm Spiral Dragon!"

Chimaera ran across the field and took flight. It stopped right in front of the sun, darkening the city. Both Chimera's heads widened their jaws, and then a fiery arcane glyph formed in front of their snouts.

The glyph started to spin as Chimaera's heads charged a fiery attack inside their mouths. Chimaera then unleased a rain of meteors that pummeled all of Tellvian's monsters and reduced his Life Points to 0.

"Nooooooooooo!"

The crowd cheered as the trumpets let out a victorious fanfare. "Ladies and gentlemen! Your winner and still your King of Games, Lord Yugi Muto of the Stormcoasts!"

Moments later, the herald of the tournament made his way back to his box. He held up his hands to shush the crowd and waited for the chitter-chatter to die down. A loud, majestic blast from the trumpets announced that it was time for the herald to speak.

"Honored guests, it is with great pride that we welcome you to these games honoring the young hero. Who not only vanquished Anubis from our world precious but will take the Diamond Throne as the new heir. Ladies and gentlemen. From this day forth, begins the days of Daveed Plantegrast the Eradicator of Anubis!"

The crowd cheered. The herald held up his hands to pacify their applause. "And now, presenting his Grace, High Chancellor Maximillion Pegasus, and his beautiful wife, Cecelia of Avonju!"

The crowd let out a round of applause for the High Chancellor— who often called the Right Hand of the King. While Daveed was the heir to the Diamond Throne, and by all rights should be High King now that Antar had passed on, he was still way too young to rule.

Until he came of age, it was Pegasus's job to rule Termnnia with the help of a regency council. Cecelia blew kisses at the crowd in the stands; she was a fair-faced Eldori woman with long locks of blonde hair as bright as sunshine that went all the way down to her heels.

Pegasus gave a long speech about his title and promises to keep the land in balance until Daveed was ready to grow and claim the throne for himself. And then, with a clap of his hands, he said, "May the tournament begin!"

The trumpets sounded again. The herald stood up and gave a deep breath, ready to announce the first tilt of the games. "Presenting from the east side; the Captain of the Royal Guard: Ser Joey Wheeler the Black Dragonknight! Come forth and prove your worth!"

Joey came riding into the lists on the back of a black warhorse ornamented in armor to match Joey's, which was stylized to look like a Red-Eyes Black Dragon. The people stood and clapped for him as he rode around in the sands holding up his lance topped to resemble a Black Skull Dragon's head.

"So, what's the objective to this, guys?" Serenity asked. "Joey says that this joust is going to be different than any jousting I've ever seen."

"He's right, hun," said Mai, letting the baby suck her finger. "This is Duel Joust. The rider's chestplates carry fifteen-hundred Life Points. Each hit from the opponent's lance is minus five hundred Life Points. The one who deducts their opponent's Life Points, or, knocks them off their horse is the winner."

"That's all?" Serenity asked.

"No, that's not all," said Mai. "The knights each select one monster summoned with Solid Vision Tech to join them in the tilt. The monster appears next to them as a Phantom. It forces the jousters to think on their feet because the monsters will attempt to knock the riders off as well."

"How do you defend against a monster?" Serenity asked again.

"That's up to the knight," laughed Duke, nodding to sleep on the seat behind them. It was a long night and he didn't get any sleep. Not even the excitement of Duel Jousting could keep him awake. He yawned. "There is no magic way to get them not to de-horse you. Wake me when it's time for the Nymphs to start dancing."

Serenity nodded, and in great anticipation watched the tilt unfold.

Tristan

"And now!" cried the herald. "Presenting from the west side! Ser Tristan Taylor the Wolf of Fairfax! Come forth and prove your worth!"

Trumpets blew as the gates were raised and Tristan came riding out atop his gray mare, both of them armored in steel decorated with ornamentation resembling the Silver Fang of Tristan's House.

His greatest admirers stood up and held up banners with his name written in gray paint, and those who were fans of bare-knuckle fighting gave off cheers that could be usually heard in the fighting pits located across Termnnia. The gauntlets of Tristan's armor were plated with gold decorated in scrollwork, a sign of his reign as the bare-knuckle king.

"Well, Tristan," said Joey. "Looks like ya finally made it to the big leagues. How does it feel being in front of a real audience?"

"Don't underestimate me, Joey. I've been battling in the tilts long enough to learn some new tricks."

The herald shouted: "Fighters! Choose your monster!"

"Watch this!" said Tristan. A blade, looking like the one on a Duel Disk came out from out of his gauntlet, but it had one space for a card. However, Tristan held up two cards. "I've advanced enough in rank to do this! Fusion Summon!" He crossed the cards in the air. "Roboyarou and Robolady, combine and form Super Roboyarou!"

A portal opened behind him and then a cyborg clad in blue armor jumped out. He carried a double-bladed lance, which he then covered with a strong electric aura. The spectators applauded Tristan for his spectacular summon.

Not being one to shy away from the spotlight, Tristan held up his hand, waving it around proudly as he basked in the admiration of his fans. Joey then let out a laugh that caused the cheering to die down.

"Tristan. You should know I've been in this business far longer than you. Yer not the only one who can Fusion Summon!" A Duel Disk blade came out of his gauntlet. "Giltia the Dark Knight and Gearfried the Iron Knight, combine yerselves and form into one! Fusion Summon!" He slapped the card on the blade. "Gilti-Gearfried the Magical Steel Knight!"

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Mai said.

Joey and Tristan put on their helmets. Tristan's helmet was crafted to look like a three-headed wolf and was topped with three long plumes. Two were gray and the middle one was white. The burning red eyes of the wolves flashed brightly in the morning sun.

Mai noticed young Dancer getting out of his seat and leaning eagerly against the railing to get a better view of the battle. From the moment she saw him she knew he had such a fascination with heroes, knights, champions, and warriors of all colors.

He admired the extravagant armor that both the jousters and their horses wore. The lively crowd, the colorful banners hanging over the lanes, the giant viewing platforms covered with a royal-red tarp, and chequy patterns at the bottom.

It was unlike anything he had ever seen before in his life, nor will for a long, long time. Being from Elleria, Mai guessed he would be stuck in a monotonous city of black and white. She had been to the capital, King's Rock, years ago with her mother.

The buildings there were white with black domed ceilings and the temples had bronze statues. The green of the palm trees and the turquoise waters were the only thing that added color to the city. Even the knights were black and white.

She felt glad to be here in the capital. The trumpets sounded off, signaling it was time. And they were off.

Joey and Tristan raised their lances and their steeds galloped toward one another. Their monsters hovered above them, following at their heels. When Tristan and Joey were close, the monsters sprang into action.

Super Roboyarou increased his speed, then tossed a bolt of lightning from his hands to scare off Gilti-Gearfried. Joey's warrior only held up his shield arm, blocking the attack, and bouncing it back at him. Super Roboyarou dodged the bolt, which hit the ground beside Tristan.

His horse cried out in fright, which was just what Joey wanted. The horse was swerving left and right, keeping Tristan from galloping in a straight line. Tristan tried to keep his lance straight and his horse to calm, costing him a few precious seconds before Joey's lance smacked him on the chestplate. He reeled back, almost falling off his horse.

"OH!" shouted the crowd.

Tristan grimaced. The impact, which could be heard all the way up from the top of the stands, stung his chest.

"Ser Tristan loses five-hundred points!" declared the herald. When Joey's horse reached the other end of the pavilion, he raised his lance victoriously. Gilti-Gearfried swung his bladed shield-arm and stood at attention. Tristan and Joey got into position and readied for the next round.

They charged again, raising their lances. Joey's lance was topped with the head of a Red-Eyes Black Dragon with a glowing mouth and eyes that seemed to blur like flames as he rushed across the lane towards Tristan. Tristan narrowed his eyes so he could lock on to Joey's chestplate through the narrow slits of his helmet.

His breath reverberated inside his helmet and dotted the steel with moisture. Suddenly, Joey disappeared behind the flaming red eyes of Gilti-Gearfried. Tristan's shock caused him to lose focus and waste precious seconds.

Could he count on Super Roboyarou to save him in time before he and Joey clashed?

It sure didn't feel like it.

Gilti-Gearfried was getting closer and closer. Suddenly Super Roboyarou soared over Tristan and his horse. The two warriors locked weapons. Gilti-Gearfried had enough power to push Super Roboyarou off and then they clashed in mid-air, zooming over the tilts, completely forgetting their task of defending their masters. Super Roboyarou spun his double-bladed lance and conjured a blue ball of energy.

He swung the ball towards Gilti-Gearfried. He blocked the attack with his shield, causing the energy ball to rebound and rocket towards the ground a yard or two from Tristan, causing a tremendous explosion. Tristan, in his confusion and fright, pulled on the reins, causing his mount to lose speed.

His next mistake was looking up at the battle as his warrior and Joey's warrior clashed dozens of feet in the air. He failed to see Joey riding out of the cloud of smoke, still charging in at maximum speed. When Tristan focused back at the lane, he saw Joey just in time and raised his shield.

Joey's lance smacked it with great force. Tristan's elbow gave way to the impact and bent backward, knocking the shield back at him. He felt the edge of it smacking against his helmet. He put all his weight into the left half of his body; for he could feel himself falling off the saddle.

The crowd cheered, for it was a last-minute save on Tristan's end. Tristan let out a deep breath as he rode towards the other end of the lane. Gilti-Gearfried and Super Roboyarou stopped fighting. They nodded respectfully before flying back to their masters' sides. Tristan breathed heavily. A bead of sweat rolled into his mouth, stinging his tongue with a salty unfavorable taste.

He could see Joey on the other end of the lane. He looked so menacing. His armor was huge and bulky. The horns and spikes were tipped with glowing red metal. His cape waved behind him, the lower half hued with an enchanted glowing fabric that made his cape look like flames. The Red-Eyes Black Dragon crested on his helmet spewed out small clouds of white smoke and the fiery glowing plume flapped like the wings of a phoenix.

His warhorse shook its head and snorted smoke through the openings of the chaffron forged to look like the face of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Even the eyes over the mount's orbs were glowing red. He was a champion, that's for sure. Tristan felt foolish about going up against him. But then, he looked to the stands and saw his sister, Serenity. Her hands were clasped over her chest, reminding Tristan of the days when he was young and watched jousting from the stands.

He recalled how fair maidens would always gasp and jump and holler before covering their mouths with their hands as the ones they loved risk life and limb in these dangerous jousting tournaments. He hoped that someday he would ride into the tilts with a beautiful maiden to cheer for him up on the stands.

For many years, he longed for that maiden to be Serenity. Serenity suddenly waved a handkerchief in the air and started cheering him on. That sure put a lot of confidence back into him. He felt energized and had the urge to charge against a hundred men single-handedly.

And this joust was much different than the ones he saw as a boy. He had a pretty badass-looking monster over his shoulder. He raised his lance in the air and pounded his fist against his chesplate. He let out a loud roar to rally the crowd by his side.

And now it was time to charge again. Both knights lowered their lances and their monsters took positions over their masters. Gilti-Gearfried brandished his large iron ax and Super Roboyarou spun his lance around. They kicked their horses into a gallop. Gilti-Gearfried fired fiery beams from his eyes, striking Super Roboyarou in the chest and knocking him to the ground. Gilti-Gearfried then soared to Tristan and started assaulting him with his ax.

Tristan held up his shield, trying to keep his lance straight while blocking the magical steel warrior's attack. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of Joey, startling his warhorse. It stopped and reared on its hind legs. Joey cursed as he pulled the reins, trying to keep the damned beast still. Super Roboyarou then used jet boosters on his back to fly towards Gilti-Gearfried with great speed.

He smashed his lance on Gilti-Gearfried's shield arm so hard that it cracked. His arm rebounded from the impact, exposing his chest. Super Roboyarou quickly raised his fist and powered it up with a cybernetic enhancement that increased the strength of his punches two-fold. He smashed his fist into the knight's chest, knocking him away.

Tristan saw his chance, for Joey was still trying to keep his steed steady. He charged, and lifted his lance, taking aim for the exposed chestplate. Joey saw him coming, but it was too late. Tristan's lance struck him on the chest.

"Aaaagggh!" Joey shouted. The impact caused him to drop his shield. His body bent backward, the crowd gasped. It looked like he was about to fall off his saddle but he seemed glued to the mount.

"Ser Joey loses five-hundred points!" shouted the herald.

The audience applauded Tristan for a job well done. "Yeah!" Tristan shouted, pounding his fist against his chest. He rode to the other end of the lane where a water maiden came running out of the cellars with a bucket of ice-cold water.

Another one emerged out of the other end to tend to Joey, while a young boy went to the lane to pick up the fallen shield. The water maidens dipped a goblet into the bucket. Joey and Tristan removed their helmets. Their faces were dotted with glittering drops of sweat and their hair was ragged and shined from the wetness that accumulated inside their helmets. Joey took the goblet and took a quick drink, then handed it back to the girl, asking for more.

But he did not drink from it. Instead, he poured the water over his head. Tristan took four long gulps and tossed a palm-sized gold coin at the water maiden. She bowed and ran back to the cellars. Joey paid his water maiden handsomely as well and then put on his helmet. Tristan did the same.

Both riders readied their lances and their monsters got into position. They fought their hardest but were equally skilled it seemed and their monsters were well trained. None of them could get to each other's chestplates.

They charged towards one another until the sun went down and the torches in the arena were lit. In the end, Ser Tristan could not best the veteran jouster. Too tired to keep himself up, let alone continue jousting, Tristan's body gave way and he tumbled off his horse, landing on the ground with a loud, clanking, thud. Gilti-Gearfried and Super Roboyarou then vanished; for the match had finally concluded.

"Ser Tristan has been de-horsed. Ser Joey is your winner!"

Joey got off his horse and helped Tristan back up on his feet. Both knights took off their helmets and hugged, causing the audience to stand up on their feet and applaud. Tristan and Joey held each other's hands up and basked in the admiration of the crowd.

"Good tilt," said Joey. "Ya really learned a lot."

Even though there was a good display of sportsmanship between them, Tristan was still plenty mad he lost the joust. Though his body was battered and sore, his ego was still pristine. "Yeah, well, I'll get better. Just watch, Wheeler. Next time we joust, I'm knocking you on your ass."

"Nyeh ha-ha-ha, I'll be ready."

Yami

After the joust, the festivities continued. Once the sun went down, Joey, Tristan, Duke, and Yami made merry in the tavern called the Drunken Knight Inn, having a meal of hot meat, baked potatoes, and tankard after tankard of mead. The other patrons laughed and roared with joy as a band was playing music in the corner.

The old tavern rang with laughter and fragranced by the delicious smell of Niwatori meat roasting in the kitchen behind the bar. A fire roared in the giant stone fireplace filling the tavern with intense bursts of warmth and a fiery glow bathing the patrons in a warm orange tinge. Their shadows danced on the polished wooden floors and walls.

Chandeliers made of elk antlers with little white candles glimmered from their iron hinges on the ceiling. The two lion statues carved into the fireplace had red candles in their mouths. Above the fireplace was a portrait of a buxom woman posing over the decapitated head of a giant she slew.

Joey proudly boasted her as Belladonna Wheeler, his great-great-great aunt. He explained her greatest exploits and how she convinced the stubborn House Walsten to share their Red-Eyes Black Dragon cards with the Wheelers.

"What do you think, Yug?" Joey asked.

"I'm sorry, what?" said Yami.

"Anyone home?" Tristan asked then he chugged down the last of the mead in his metal tankard.

"Still thinking of the baby I suppose," Duke said playing with a lock of his long black hair, his bright green eyes like emeralds in the red glow of the fire.

"Relax Yugi," said Joey. "The kid's the High King of Termnnia now. He doesn't need us."

"Technically, no," said Yami. "We don't know if the Divine Beasts have accepted him." The tavern then shook violently. The chandeliers waved to and from their iron hinges, and drops of mead fell from Joey's tankard. "That's the third time tonight," Yami said with worry.

"More mead, gentlemen?" asked a servant girl who approached holding a wooden tray with one hand. She raised her voice so as to be heard over the lively music and the roaring laughter of the patrons.

"Absolutely!" called Tristan. "And can I ask for the Rassay Mountain?"

"Of course, Ser Tristan!" the girl said taking his empty tankard.

"What's the Rassay Mountain?" Yami asked.

"You should try it, Lord Yugi," said the girl. "It's a drink containing sweet cream, covered with caramel, over some of our finest mead, and topped with a delicious goldenberry from my garden."

"I'll try it then," Yami said with a smile.

"Make it four!" Duke Devlin said, pounding the table and holding up four fingers.

"Right away gentlemen," the girl said bowing and she walked away.

"What were you saying about the Divine Beasts, Yugi?" said Duke, eating a pretzel.

"It is up to the Divine Beasts to see who sits on the throne. Not us."

"He makes a good point," said Duke. "But why wouldn't they pick the kid? He destroyed the greatest evil since Zorc."

"And?" said Joey. "The Divine Beasts can be rather picky. You ever heard of Relegost Morvion the Red Knight of Feldia? He was one of the contenders during the 100 Years Interregnum of the Second Age. He defeated almost all the Great Houses and petty kingdoms of Termnnia, and took Rassay without a fight, but despite his accomplishments the Divine Beasts rejected him."

Duke intervened as he laughed, slapping his hand on the table. "And when he forcefully tried to summon them, the monsters exterminated him. What a moron."

Another violent shake and this time it caused the patrons to stop what they were doing. The laughing subsided, and the music came to a halt. Yami and his companions quickly dashed outside; Duke tossed a small sack of Star Chips on the table before heading out.

They exited the warmth of the tavern and entered the cold, wet rainy night. Bands all over the city stopped playing their music, and people stopped dancing. Lamps shook to-and-fro on their hooks, and a few shacks and stables were even knocked down. Yami began to fear the worst.

An Embodorian soldier called out to him from the walls above.

"MASTER YU-GI-OH! YOU NEED TO SEE THIS!" he called.

Yami, Joey, Tristan, and Duke walked up the stone steps to the city walls above. The knight pointed at the mountains standing a mile away which were nothing more than black silhouettes in the dark, rainy twilight sky. It was dark, but Yami saw clouds of dust rising into the sky, and large chunks of rock were being tossed into the air.

"What is that!" cried Tristan.

A loud horrifying roar answered his call. Yami stood rooted to the spot when he saw six burning red eyes peer through the mountains far off in the distance. Another loud roar and the beast revealed itself.

A Mist Wurm.

The beast was over a mile long and heavily armored in a purple shell. It had hundreds of sharp armored legs. Noxious purple gas erupted from multiple chimneys from its back as it gave another bellow into the night.

The people of Emboldor screamed in fear and began running about, fleeing for their lives. Yami's jaw dropped when he heard more horrible roars from the mountains that burst into clouds of dust.

Five more Mist Wurms appeared from the mountains giving screeches and grunts as Emboldor stood before them.

But then Yami heard another sound. Drums. Yes, he could hear drums coming from the mountains as well. The Mist Wurms stayed where they were, swaying from side to side in a battle dance.

Yami heard another familiar noise. Grunting could be heard mixing in with the sounds of beating drums. A Fire seemed to be flickering from the tunnels the Mist Wurms made.

What Yami saw next made his heart stop. Legions of orcs were pouring in from the tunnels made by the giant Duel Monsters. They snarled and roared as they at last set foot onto the surface.