A/N: Guess who's back! Team Santoryuu here, hooking you up with our latest fanfiction. To all our loyal readers of our last fic, welcome back. To any new readers we've attracted, you might want to read the first fic to get a feel for our fan characters. Just need to include the disclaimer here and we can move onto the story…

Disclaimer: You'd think we'd own the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh by now wouldn't you? Ah well, such is life. Yu-Gi-Oh, both the game and the show, belongs to its respective owner(s) and not us. Now on with the show!

Hi.

My name is Tim Hokage.

I used to be called the Elemental Duelist of Fire, until about one year ago. That was the year that I met Seto Kaiba, Yugi Mutoh, Joey Wheeler, and all of those other famous duelists who get all of the spotlight. Besides Kaiba, they were all fairly decent people.

If I had met Yugi and the others under different circumstances, I wonder if my life would have turned out differently. Would I still have wound up in a duel with Mr. Kaiba? Would I have regretted kicking his ass that badly? Would I have still burnt two buildings to the ground and almost enjoy it?

Probably. Except for the 'Duel Kaiba' part.

You see, two years ago, my brother (Brian) and I found out about a weird tournament. It was called the 'Grand Elemental Tournament,' and it was hosted by a madman named Needlez. Of course, at the time, we didn't know he was crazy. I probably should have sensed something was…shall we say amiss…after I almost turned my card into ashes with my fingertips. However, I was too busy shouting 'Flame on!' and setting myself on fire.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, I was the comedian of the group known as the Elemental Duelists.

Brian was the responsible type. He used dark monsters, and was first to figure something was up. I guess intelligence isn't hereditary, because now I feel stupid for not figuring it out myself.

Celeste was the protective mother of the group. She made sure I didn't scorch the water duelist's head and shout 'Fish Fry! Fish Fry!' She was also a fairly skilled fairy/light duelist, and was even considered the best of us.

Mako Tsunami was our water duelist, and he quite frankly pissed me off. He used every form of water monster possible, and worse yet was all theatrical about it. Of course, he was the most popular for being in more professional tournaments. But that didn't mean he had to brag about it.

Yes Mako, you were in tournaments with Yugi and Joey. The parts you leave out of the story are the parts where you lost.

Anyway, little Zeffie Gale was the…constant sugar rush of the group. If I had that much energy when I was eight-years old, my mom would have given me tranquilizers. Of course, I'm not sure if that was Zeffie after the tranqs. She was our wind duelist, who could power an entire city for a week if you set her loose on a hamster wheel hooked to a generator.

Finally, there was Gold. Mr. Gold. Mr. Gold sir, to anyone that was shorter than him. Which was pretty much everyone. But to be honest, he was a very nice guy. He was calm and steady, just like his element: earth. I feel bad for the guy, he's had a rough life between divorces and being Zeffie's babysitter.

Oh, and our "Great Leader" Lord Needlez. I'm not sure if he was really a lord, but Needlez sure fit 'cause he was a pain in my ass! First of all, he had one of the worst Scottish accents I'd ever heard. Second, he was the crazy guy who sent us on a wild goose chase for world domination. He used what he called an "Alchemy Deck" based around several different elements.

I personally felt that he just couldn't make up his mind.

So, we were sent to Japan and Egypt to gather the dueling talent of Yugi, Joey, Kaiba, Marik, Ishizu, and Mai. We were supposed to use their talent to restore Needlez's old powers.

In the end, Brian turned coat, and betrayed Needlez. I followed suit, and pretty soon all of the Elemental Duelists gained up on him. We finally beat Needlez, thanks to Yugi beating him in a duel, and me sacrificing my fire talent to disrupt his elemental balance…thingy.

Translation, did you original recipe, or extra crispy?

After what had to be the coolest pyrotechnics I had ever seen, we made amends, everyone's talent was returned, and everyone went home. Our whole group split apart.

Celeste forced us to keep in touch through e-mail and text messages, and I've grown to hate that 'You've got mail!' voice. But in her last e-mail, she mentioned a new tournament. Something about a 'virtual world.'

About two days later, Brian and I got an invitation to Kaiba Land D.C. Seemed like a good reason to visit the capitol (that and flipping off congress, which Brian won't let me do because he's no fun.), So I figured 'eh, what the hell? Sounds like fun.'

We made it to Kaiba Land, and immediately hopped on every ride we saw. I've thrown up about three times…

And it's about to be four!

Team Santoryuu

Proudly presents

Yu-Gi-Oh: The Virtual Tournament

Prologue

Logging In

Kaiba Land D.C.

One of the first Kaiba Land amusement parks opened outside of Japan, it was a place to find happy children, young couples, parents, and duelists of all ages. Between the thrill rides and the dueling attracions (such as the arena) there was something for everybody. Little kids could even meet actors dressed as their favorite monsters (word is the guy who plays Kuriboh quits on Thursday).

At the moment, it also was housing two brothers, who were by the exit to the "Burst Stream of Destruction." Advertised as the most gut-churning ride in the park. A huge roller coaster with cars shaped like the Blue Eyes White Dragon, and at least six loops in a row.

One of the bothers, Brian Hokage, had brown hair and blue eyes. Despite the fact that it was a warm and sunny summer day, he wore a black light-weight jacket and t-shirt. He had fresh jeans on, and a pair of faded gray sneakers. Strapped to his left arm was a duel disk, and a deck box was tied to one of his belt loops.

He was currently waiting for his younger brother, Tim. Tim had red, spiky hair that looked like fire from a distance. He had blue eyes like his brother, and at the moment wore a red t-shirt with a fire pattern near the bottom and ends of the sleeves, and baggy, black carpenter jeans. His shoes, though usually black and grey, were currently orange and yellow.

The reason being that he was retching over a garbage can.

"You had to have those nachos before we got on, didn't you?" Brian sighed, shaking his head.

Tim groaned in response, and picked up his duel disk from the ground.

"Next time you say that you'll pay for lunch, think about the consequences." He responded with a low moan.

"How is this remotely my fault?" Brian asked, "I said I'd pay, I didn't say it had to be right before we went on a roller coaster!"

"It's the American way: blame someone else." Tim said as he staggered to a nearby bench.

Brian sighed and pulled something out of his pocket. It was an invitation, written in blue ink on pure white paper.

Attention Duelist,

You have been selected as one of the few to be invited to the grand opening of Kaiba Land D.C.'s newest attraction:

The Kaiba Corporation Virtual Dueling World.

This grand achievement in entertainment technology is being installed and tested simultaneously at all Kaiba Land Amusement Parks across the world. And only those who hold a copy of this invitation are being allowed to be the first to enjoy it.

To celebrate, Kaiba Corp. is hosting a tournament inside this new attraction. Competitors from all across the planet will be able to duel each other without setting foot outside their home country! Kaiba Land D.C., Europe, L.A., Hong Kong and Domino City will all be participating, and giving free admission to the rest of the park to you and all other competitors.

All you need bring is your deck, updated to current advanced format rulings, and this invitation to Kaiba Land DC on July 7th, 2006. And of course, be prepared to duel! An announcement at the park will be made to inform you of where to go.

We look forward to seeing you!

Signed,

Seto Kaiba, CEO, Owner, and Chief Stockholder of Kaiba Corporation.

"Are you looking at your invitation again?" Tim asked as he pulled his own out.

"You know we only got invited because you got lucky against Kaiba." Brian said, taking a seat next to his brother.

"I'm not feeling so lucky now." Tim explained, waving his invite, "Mine says 'P.S. You're dead to me!' written on it."

"Speaking of your relation with our gracious host, how's that internship at Kaiba Corp. U.S. going." Brian asked, pocketing his paper.

"I'm the coffee monkey." Tim growled, folding his invite up, "But amazingly, the pay is pretty good. I think I'll have paid off the damages by the time I'm done in college."

Brian and Tim both had a good laugh at this. They both remembered all of the problems they had caused for Yugi and his friends last summer, but they were glad to see that there was little bad blood between them and the King of Games.

Yugi had even been writing to them and the other Elemental Duelists, explaining that he had received an invite to this tournament as well.

"Well, if Yugi is here I'll bet Joey will show up." Brian said, leaning back.

"How can you be sure?" Tim asked.

"Name a tournament they haven't been in together."

Tim thought for a minute, when a musical chime rang through the park.

"Attention all Kaiba Land patrons. If you currently hold a blue-and-white invitation, please report to the main duel arena now. You have thirty minutes. This is your only notification." A pleasant voice with a vague Asian accent announced.

"Doesn't that sound like that girl from the Kaiba buildings we attacked?" Brian asked as the brothers got up.

"Poor Claire, I think if she sees me again she'll have a panic attack." Tim joked.

Both of them snickered, and headed to the main arena at the center of the park.

-----------------------------------------

In the meantime, in Domino City, Yugi Mutoh lay asleep in bed. It was a little after midnight, but he had turned in early (around 5:00 p.m.) at the request of the tournament host.

His hair still retained its miraculous spiky shape and color, and his deck and duel disk lay next to him. Suddenly, a loud buzzing sound rang throughout his…tube. Yugi sat up, and yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Can't say much for these 'tube hotels.'" He muttered as he pushed open the door, "But it was nice of Kaiba to put the tournament guests up…"

Yugi's thoughts were cut short was he heard a loud 'clang' followed by a yelp of pain. The tube across from him opened, revealing his blond haired friend Joey Wheeler. He was currently nursing a bump on his forehead as he clambered out of his mini-room.

"Who's the genius who came up with this idea?" He growled as he reached back in for his disk and deck.

"Someone short I'll bet." Said a familiar voice.

Yugi and Joey turned to their mutual friend/rival Mako Tsunami. His skin was as tan as ever, and his black hair still had a blue stripe in it. He still wore a blue vest and shorts, along with sandals and a blue headband. Like Joey, he was rubbing a fresh bruise as he fetched his disk and deck.

"Sleep well guys?" Yugi asked.

"Not really, too cramped." Joey said as he stretched, "How about you?"

"Like a rock." Yugi smiled.

"Why did Kaiba decide to start this tournament at midnight again?" Mako asked as the three of them walked into the lobby.

"From what I heard, he wanted to be fair to the American duelists." A sweet, female voice chimed in.

"Or, he felt like being mean to us." Said another female voice.

The boys looked up, and saw Mai Valentine, in all her blond haired glory, wearing her usual purple jacket, white shirt, and purple mini-skirt. Her disk and deck were already fully loaded, and her midriff was visible showing off her slim figure.

Next to her was young Serenity Wheeler, her brown hair swept behind her shoulders. Despite the ungodly hour, she had a sweet smile and a sparkle in her blue eyes. She wore her favorite pink-and-yellow shirt, and a pair of denim shorts. She was carrying her duel disk rather than wearing it, and her deck box was strapped to her waist.

"How can you two be so bright and chipper this early?" Joey asked as he stifled a yawn.

"Poor puppy." Mai cooed, "Upset that your little nap got interrupted? I thought a real duelist would be used to this."

"It has been a while since anything weird has happened." Serenity pointed out, "Joey's been catching up on lost sleep over the last year."

"Well he'd better wake up if he wants to have a chance in this tournament." Mai commented, "Now come on, the clerk said we have to go to the main arena here."

"Who have thought Kaiba would invest in a hotel inside the park's grounds?" Mako muttered as they walked out, "It's genius!"

"Tell that to me after the sunrise." Joey grumbled as they left the hotel and headed into the park.

Kaiba Land Domino City after dark was a sight to behold. Far removed from the bustling metropolis of rides, employees, and paying customers it was now a virtual ghost town. A single path was currently illuminated by a set of street lights, leading the way to a large, dome arena at the center of the park. This was the path Yugi and his group followed now.

"So Serenity, how did you get invited to this?" Mai asked as they walked.

"It probably has something to do with me almost beating Joey last year." Serenity explained, "I think we told you…"

Serenity fell silent, remembering how Needlez had tricked her into almost destroying her beloved brother. The vile fiend had discovered the last remaining Seal of Orichalcos, and had given it to her after convincing her that Joey was her enemy. If it hadn't been for Yugi and the others encouragement…she tried not to think about what could have been.

"Besides, I've gotten pretty good." Serentiy explained, "I can even beat Joey sometimes!"

"It's a really cool deck Serenity." Joey smiled, "Just wish we had more of a chance to test it before a big tournament like this."

The gang arrived at the arena, and filed in. Like the outside, only a single path was lit, indicating which way to go. Following it, they went down a long hallway, then entered a steel door.

On the other side, they stopped. In front of them were several metallic pods, with glass covers. Inside each pod was a cushioned seat, with a metal head rest.

"The virtual pods." Yugi, Mai, and Joey all whispered.

"Man, these things have never been good for us." Joey grumbled, "Why did we even agree to come to this?"

"Well, I'd imagine it's because you can't resist a chance to try and show Kaiba up." Mako commented, "Mai is probably interested in the prize, and Yugi…well, he just loves to duel."

Joey and Mai both shot him an angry glare.

"Oh…that was a rhetorical question wasn't it?" Mako said as he sheepishly took a step back.

"Hello their duelists." A familiar voice said.

The team turned around, and looked down (except for Yugi). Standing about chest high on Joey was Mokuba Kaiba. His black hair still went down his back, and he was currently dressed in a gray business suit. He smiled as he gestured to the pods.

"Glad to see you all decided to come!" He said happily, "Seto will love this news!"

Everyone but Serenity seemed less than thrilled about the idea.

"Anyway, I trust you have your invites?" Mokuba asked.

"Sure." Joey said as he pulled his out.

"Great." Mokuba said, "Alright, now as you probably guessed, this tournament is going to be inside the virtual world. We'll need you to leave you purses, spare cards other than your side deck, and duel disks out here."

The quintet looked at one another, but gathered the items requested. Mokuba took them, placing them in a box behind him, and gave each of them a numbered ticket.

"Those are your vouchers for the items you leave." Mokuba explained, "Now just choose a pod, and get ready for an awesome experience!"

"These are safe this time, right Mokuba?" Yugi asked.

"What do you mean?" Mokuba asked.

"I mean, no Big Five, no chance of being trapped in there, nothing like that?" Yugi elaborated.

"Don't worry, we double checked everything, and we triple check it every hour." Mokuba assured him, "There's nothing to worry about."

The five duelists looked at each other.

"Good enough for me." Mako shrugged as he headed for an empty pod, "See you inside!"

Yugi, Joey, Serenity, and Mai all nodded, and headed for other pods. Most of them were free, though they did see a few that were already occupied. Yugi climbed into a pod across from Joey (who was next to Mai he noted), and watched as the arm of the chair opened.

"Please insert deck." An electronic voice beeped as the pod closed.

Yugi placed his deck into the indicated arm, and a whirring sound indicated it was being checked. At the same time, the other arm opened.

"Please insert side deck." The voice requested.

Yugi slid a slim stack of fifteen cards from his jacket pocket. He placed it into the other arm, and watched as they both closed.

"Thank you, please close your eyes." The voice instructed.

Yugi closed his eyes, and heard an electronic whir.

Then a white light filled his vision…

-----------------------------------------

Yugi looked around. He blinked, took a few deep breaths, and wiggled his toes and fingers. Everything seemed to be working properly.

"At least we came through in one piece." A voice commented in Yugi's mind.

"Yami, how are you feeling?" Yugi asked.

"Just fine. As before it seems that I carry through to this world along with you." Yami assured his partner, "So, Kaiba is ready to get this tournament under way then?

"Sure seems that way." Yugi nodded, "But before we start, I have a request."

"What is it?" Yami asked, puzzled as to what Yugi may need.

"I want to duel on my own in this tourney."

Yami was dumbfounded by this.

"What?" He gasped, "Is something troubling you Yugi? Have I been annoying you or…"

"Nothing like that." Yugi explained to his partner, "I just can't seem to remember ever competing in a major competition like this without you backing me up. I think I'd like to try this one by myself."

Yami thought for a minute, and astally projected next to his young counterpart. He placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder and smiled.

"Very well Yugi." Yami agreed, "Normally Kaiba's tournaments have a history of…trouble. But this one should be quiet. To be honest, I could use a little break."

"Thanks." Yugi smiled.

"And if something crazy does happen, I'll be well rested for it." Yami nodded.

With that, the ancient spirit retreated back into the Millennium Puzzle around Yugi's neck. Yugi now looked around at the area they were in.

The world around him was a drastic change from the virtual pod room. He now stood in a grassy field, with many other people walking about. They seemed to reflect a variety of cultures and ethnicities. Some were talking, others merely observing, but to Yugi's surprise no one was dueling.

"Hey Yug!" Joey's voice shouted.

Turning around, Yugi saw the other four members of his little team run up. They were dressed in the same clothes, but none of them had their duel disks.

"Looks like you all came through fine." Yugi smiled.

"The coming in part was never a problem." Mai reminded him, "If I recall, we tend to have problems with leaving this world."

"Not this time Ms. Valentine." Said a calm voice from behind Yugi, "I can assure you that there will be no problems."

Turning around again, Yugi and Joey gasped.

Standing before them was a boy, just a little shorter than Yugi. He wore a white shirt and pants, and had short green hair. He gave a smug smile to the group, and shook Yugi's hand.

"Hey Yugi, long time no see." The boy said.

"NOAH!" Yugi, Joey, and Serenity shouted together.

"But I thought…" Serentiy began.

"That I was deleted? Well you're partially right." Noah smiled as he took a step back, "I actually owe a part of my survival to Seto and Mokuba."

"And just how is that?" Joey asked.

"Well, if you'll recall, in our last encounter I had possessed Mokuba for a short amount of time." Noah explained, "However, I relinquished my control over him to ensure that Gozubora Kaiba…"

"Your father." Yugi interrupted.

"If you want to call him that…" Noah scowled, then continued, "Anyway, I made sure that he was deleted. I would have been as well, but I had the forsight to back myself up, and download my true self into another vessel. The copy shut down all links after I left, and ensured my 'father's' defeat."

"So this is the you we met the first time." Joey guessed, holding his head, "Man, this is a little confusing."

Noah thought for a minute, and smiled.

"To put it simply: I cloned myself, and the clone beat Gozubora. During the commotion, I left." He stated.

"But how?" Yugi asked, "All links were shut off as soon as you went back in, right? So what did you escape in?"

"Mokuba." Noah explained.

The other three stared at him, while Mai and Mako just looked at each other and shrugged, not following much of this.

"I was able to transfer my mind into Mokuba, as sort of a split personality." Noah elaborated, "It's sort of like what I observed with you Yugi, only it wasn't as mutually beneficial. I got out, sure, but I was unable to communicate with my host."

"So then how did you get out?" Serenity asked.

"That's where Seto came in." Noah smiled, gesturing to the area around them, "He was recreating my virtual world for his amusement parks, and Mokuba volunteered to help test it. When he entered, so did I, and I was released from his mind."

"And it was quite a shock." Another voice said, "We thought we'd seen the last of Noah."

Seto Kaiba walked over. He was wearing his white jacket and black clothes underneath. His brown hair swept down over his eyes, and he was also lacking his duel disk.

"When he showed up, I was positive it was a virus in the system." Seto growled, "After he destroyed my antivirus programs though, that was proof enough that he was real."

"And to think, you didn't want me back at first." Noah laughed, "Thanks to my help, we had this up and running in less than half the predicted time!"

"Yes, we did." Seto admitted with a sigh, "You don't have to rub it in. Now then, Yugi…"

Yugi and Seto's eyes locked for a minute, a smug smile crossing Seto's face.

"I've been looking forward to this. And I can assure you that I don't plan on losing." Kaiba said simply.

"Well, neither do I." Yugi responded.

Suddenly, Joey screamed at the top of his lungs! The others turned to him, and saw him clutching his chest as he spun around to face…

Brian Hokage, who was laughing out loud.

"I can't (hahahahaha) b-believe (haha) I actually scared you!" Brian choked out between chuckles.

"Why I oughta…" Joey growled.

"Brian!" Serenity smiled.

"Hey there Serenity, its been a while hasn't it?" Brian said, returning the smile.

"Hey, don't forget me!" Tim shouted as he ran up behind his brother.

"Tim, good to see you." Serenity grinned.

"I guess…" Yugi thought, still remembering the fire duelist's destructive streak.

Tim turned to Kaiba, and gave him a wave.

"Hey there Kaiba, gained any IQ points yet?" He asked with a laugh.

Kaiba looked about ready to throttle the younger Hokage brother, when a much more feminine voice intervened.

"Now Tim, isn't behavior like that the fastest way to get kicked out of this tournament?" The voice asked.

"It's also the quickest way to get fired from my job at Kaiba Corp." Tim explained, "Which I hate. Because I'm the coffee monkey."

Turning to the voice, Yugi smiled. A girl, about the same age as Brian, was walking up to them. She had brown hair (currently in a braid) that fell to about her waist, and brown eyes behind purple framed glasses. She wore a white tank-top and yellow, pleated skirt. Her feet were covered by white ankle socks and yellow tennis shoes.

"Ah, Celeste Hikari arrives." Seto grumbled sarcastically, "The girl who believed she was a match for Yugi…"

"Ah lay off her Kaiba!" Joey scolded, "You know she was brainwashed!"

"Yeah, and its better that she matched Yugi than surpass you, right?" Tim asked with a smarmy smile.

Kaiba shot another ugly look at Tim, then smiled as Brian cuffed his brother across the back of his skull.

"You beat Kaiba, we get it already." Brian grumbled, "Now quit rubbing it in before you get us kicked out!"

"I didn't know you wore glasses." Serenity observed as she attempted to change the subject.

"Oh these?" Celeste asked, pointing to the frames, "Well I had perfect vision, but only with my light powers. Once they faded, I needed my glasses again."

"I like her better with glasses. Make her look like…some sort of movie star or somethin'." Said a gruff male voice with a distinctly Brooklyn accent.

"Yeppie!" Said a high pitched voice.

"And the geek parade continues…" Kaiba mumbled under his breath.

Now approaching the team was a massive human. He was at least seven feet tall, and well muscled. He had dark hair, shaved into a crew cut, and dark eyes. He currently wore a white muscle shirt, blue jeans, and brown loafers that showed considerable wear.

Crouching on one of his huge shoulders was the perfect contrast to this man. A small girl, with blond hair that reached to her shoulders. She had sparkling green eyes, and was wearing a green t-shirt and white jean shorts. Her feet were covered by nothing but a pair of green sandals with white straps.

"Hey, geeks aren't called 'Gold the Fighting Mountain' now are they?" The large man challenged as the girl leapt from her perch.

She dashed over, and wrapped her arms around Celeste's lower torso (the highest part she could reach).

"Celestey!" The girl cheered, "Zeffie is so happy to see you again!"

She broke off the hug and frowned.

"We didn't see you while we were loading up in Kaiba Land LA." She explained.

"Probably because I ducked into a pod ASAP." Celeste thought, rubbing her sore middle.

"Fuggedaboutit." Gold said, "She probably just got in before we did."

"Guess so." Celeste nodded.

"Bri-bri!" Zeffie cheered, "Timmy!"

She ran over to the two brothers, Brian holding her an arms length away to avoid a rib crushing embrace.

"Okay, I'm happy to see you too Zeffie." Brian laughed.

"Hey Zef, good to be back in the states huh?" Tim laughed.

Zeffie nodded, and then jumped at Mako, knocking him to the ground.

"Maky!" She cheered happily, sniffing the air, "Wow, they even copied your fish smell!"

The others all had a chuckle at this as Zeffie got up and turned to Yugi. The boy braced himself, but Zeffie just pointed at him.

"Hope you're ready Yugi!" She shouted, "This is gonna be the tournament Zeffie beats you in!"

"If we had a yen for everytime we heard that…" Joey sighed as he looked at Yugi.

"I'll look forward to our duel Zeffie." Yugi promised.

Zeffie smiled, and ran back to Mr. Gold. She jumped up, landing on his chest, and clambered back onto his shoulder.

"Well, I can't say this has been fun." Kaiba stated, "But I have a few matters to take care of before we actually begin. Feel free to socialize for a bit!"

And with that, Kaiba headed off. Noah however just stayed, watching him go.

"Don't you need to help him?" Mai asked.

"Not really." Noah explained, "I helped make this world, but Mokuba ran all the final checks and such. Chances are, Seto wants to check with him."

"But how can they run the checks without you finding out what's in the virtual world anyway?" Serenity asked, not noticing as Brian and Mako started to talk behind her.

"Oh, didn't I mention? Seto created a robotic body for me to download myself into." Noah smiled.

"Seriously!" Joey gasped, "That's awesome!"

"Well, it's not quite as good as having a real body, but it sure beats being stuck in a computer all day." Noah agreed.

"Hey Mai, Brian said you had something for me." Mako said, walking to the blond beauty with a curious look, "He thinks you might have forgotten about it…"

Mai looked at Brian, and smiled. She mouthed the words 'thank you' and then clobbered Mako right in the stomach with a well placed kick! Mako fell backwards, gasping for breath.

"That's for last year Tsunami!" Mai smiled.

Zeffie giggled a little, as Gold helped the ocean duelist to his feet. Mako took a few deep breaths, and waved his assistant off.

"I'm good, thanks." He said, sounding fairly choked up from the attack, "I guess I deserved that…"

"So…" Yugi said, trying to ignore what just happened, "Celeste, you make any changes to your deck?"

Celeste smiled, "Yeah, and I actually found a counterpart to one of your cards."

"A counterpart?" Yugi asked, "What do you mean?"

"Winged Kuriboh!" Celeste explained, "And I have to say, Pegasus improved it by giving it wings. He even made it a light attribute fairy!"

"Sounds really cool Celeste." Yugi smiled, "Can't wait to see it in action."

"Say does anyone know who else is in this tournament?" Joey asked as he looked around, "I don't really see anyone I recognize."

"I heard the American National Champion from a couple years back is supposed to be in this tourney." Gold said, "What's his name…Keith?"

"BANDIT Keith?" Joey asked.

"Yeah, that's it." Gold nodded.

"Well at least he can't cheat in here…" Joey grumbled.

"Don't be so sure." Tim warned, "Back in the states, cheating is now called 'Keithing it.'"

"He's been making a comeback recently." Brian explained to Yugi and Joey, "And everyone knows he's been cheating. Problem is, no one has been able to prove it."

"That, and he's one of the biggest jerks ever." Celeste chimed in.

"He's not the only unexpected guest though." Noah chimed in.

"What do you mean?" Joey asked, looking at the boy.

Noah just smiled as he gestured to the other duelists around them.

"Seto didn't want to risk missing out on upcoming talent in the dueling world like he did before. So he sent several scouts to card shop tournaments, and had invitations issued to those who showed promise. For several of the competitors this is their first major tournament, while others may be old pros who just dropped out of the limelight…"

Before this conversation could go any farther, a voice echoed across the virtual plains.

"Attention duelists!" The voice called out, "Prepare yourself for the greatest dueling experience of a lifetime!"

Out of the ground rose a huge platform. Standing on top of it was Seto, his duel disk strapped to his arm. He smiled as he waved his hand over the crowd around him.

"Duelists of the world, welcome to Kaiba Corp Virtual Tournament! I hope you're all ready for duels unlike any you've ever experienced." Kaiba challenged, "For in this world, the monsters are as real as you are!"

Several members of the crowd began to whisper excitedly among themselves. As they did, a grid of cards appeared before Kaiba.

"Now then, it's only fair to warn you that we'll be playing under very special rules in this competition." Kaiba explained, "Rules known as the Deckmaster System."

"Deckmaster system?" Brian muttered.

"Oh boy." Joey muttered, "I remember this."

"The rules for this system are easy. At the start of your duel, you select one monster from your deck." Kaiba stated as he tapped a card on the grid before him, "Go Lord of Dragons!"

The card shattered, and a man wearing brown robes and a dragon skull helmet rose from the platform next to him.

"Now then, the monster you select is known as your deckmaster. It shall remain by your side, off the field, for the duration of the duel. Every deckmaster has a special power, and with over 2000 monsters in the database you should have fun trying them all. For this demonstration, I will use Lord of Dragons, and my foe will use Ultimate Baseball Kid."

From the platform in front of Seto, another monster arose. This one was a little boy wearing a red baseball uniform and carrying a bat. He set the bat aside, and strapped on a duel disk. Both players drew five cards, with Kaiba drawing a sixth.

Kaiba: 8000

UBK: 8000

"Now then, during your duels the deckmaster can not be attacked. Nor will it be affected by any card currently on the field. In other words, it's completely safe. Now then, I'll begin this demonstration by summoning Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode. That will be all for this turn."

Kaiba slapped a card onto his disk, and a fierce creature wearing green and black armor and wielding an ax jumped up before him.

The baseball kid drew, and placed a card into his disk. A swirling vortex of black shadows rose over the field, and pulled Vorse Raider inside! The effects of the Dark Hole spell wore off, and only Lord of Dragons, the enemy deckmaster, and Kaiba were left on the field.

"You see? Lord of Dragons and Ultimate Baseball Kid are perfectly safe."

Ultimate Baseball Kid continued his turn. He placed a card onto the field, and a gloppy pile of mama rose up. It formed into a human figure, and the Molten Zombie (1600/600) let out a low moan. The kid pointed, and it spat a stream of liquid rock at Kaiba, who grunted as the blast hit him head on!

Kaiba: 6200

UBK: 8000

The kid laughed, and picked up his bat again. The zombie let out one last moan, and transformed into a glowing orb of flame. The child took aim, and swung his bat, knocking the ball right into Kaiba's chest! Several of the observers screamed as Kaiba stumbled backward from the blow.

Kaiba: 5800

UBK: 8000

"As you can see, Ultimate Baseball Kid here can sacrifice a monster to deal his opponent direct damage equal to 100 times the tributed monster's star level." Kaiba explained as he dusted off his jacket, "Too bad that won't be enough to save him…"

The kid just stuck his tongue out, and laid two cards facedown. The cards appeared before him, and he waved to end his turn.

"Why do I get the feeling that it's more than a coincidence that he's using a fire monster for this?" Tim asked.

"Probably because it is more than a coincidence." Celeste stated, "He's going to kill it."

"Shh, Zeffie can't here." Zeffie hushed them.

Kaiba drew, and placed another card onto his disk. A purple scaled humanoid rose up before him, brandishing a golden spear.

"My Kaiser Seahorse (1700/1650) would be enough to deal some damage." Kaiba explained as his Lord of Dragons began to glow, "But I think I'd rather use my own deckmaster's power: master of dragons!"

Kaiba's cards began to glow, and he removed Kaiser Seahorse from his disk.

"I just surrender 500 life points, and I can have an extra normal summon this turn, so long as I summon a dragon. Like this one…"

Kaiser Seahorse vanished, and in its place raised the intimidating, silver scaled Blue Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!

Seto: 5300

UBK: 8000

"Attack!" Kaiba ordered his dragon, "White lightning!"

The kid gasped, and waved a hand over his disk. One of the facedown cards lifted, and four fluffy Scapegoat Tokens (0/0 X4) jumped in front of the attack. One of them was immediately wiped out, leaving the other three huddling together in terror.

"Each monster will also display a unique personality, depending on their nature and the nature of their duelist." Kaiba smiled, "It should make you all feel more…involved."

He nodded to the child, who drew and smiled. The kid pointed to his facedown card, which lifted to reveal DNA Transplant. It began to glow with a flaming aura, and the remaining three goats, plus Seto's dragon all turned a burning orange color. Kid smiled, and grabbed his bat, jumping onto the field next to his goats.

"Now then, at anytime during your turn accept the battle phase, you may special summon your deckmaster to the field. This gives you a slight advantage, for it will still have its own abilities as well as its deckmaster power. In the case of the Ultimate Baseball Kid, he now gains 1000 attack points for every fire monster on the field aside from himself. Since there's currently four, he gains 4000 points."

The UBK (4500/1000) let out a ferocious war cry and jumped forward. He slammed his bat against the dragon and sending its head flying into the distance.

Seto:3800

UBK:8000

The kid laughed again even as his stats dropped to (3500/1000), and waved to end his turn. Kaiba drew, and smiled as he turned back to his audience.

"There are two drawbacks to summoning your deckmaster however. The first is that you can't move it back unless its power says you can." Kaiba explained with a smirk, "And also, if your deckmaster is destroyed, you automatically lose the duel. Allow me to demonstrate. I activate Premature Burial!"

Kaiba's card flew into its slot, and with a massive roar the Blue Eyes (3000/2500) returned to the field! UBK (4500/1000) just spat on the ground and readied his bat.

"Guess again chump, I play the spell that will end this duel!" Kaiba shouted as he tossed a card into his disk, "BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!"

The energy of the spell gathered around the dragon, which opened its great maw. Crackling white energy gathered in its mouth, and UBK gulped.

"Now every monster on my opponent's side of the field will be destroyed. And since this includes his deckmaster…"

The wave of blinding energy shot forth, obliterating the goats and the mini athlete.

Seto: 3000

UBK: DECKMASTER DESTROYED

Kaiba's disk shut down, and he smiled. He looked back over the other duelists once again and raised his disk over his head.

"A few more things to keep in mind:"

A glowing number one appeared over Kaiba's head.

"One, You can't sacrifice your deckmaster, nor can you steal control of an opposing deckmaster. Such attempts fail automatically."

The one was replaced by a two.

"Two, You can transform your deckmaster through fusion or similar methods. In those cases, the new deckmaster will only have the powers of the previous one, plus whatever normal abilities it may have."

The two shifted into a three as he continued.

"Three, if you choose to use a spirit monster as your deckmaster, it will remain on the field if you summon it there. However, it will lose all powers except its deckmaster ability."

Three gave way to four now, and all eyes were on Seto.

"Four, though you lose if your deckmaster is destroyed, you won't lose if it is removed from play. So long as it returns to the field by the end of the turn it was removed in."

Everyone was paying rapt attention to Kaiba as his platform began to drop down to the ground.

"Now then, onto the basic structure of the tournament. It shall be fairly similar to Duelist Kingdom, so those of you that attended that should feel right at home. You will each start with two win points, which you may bet in duels. The victor will receive the agreed upon amount of points, and then be randomly transported to a new section of the world. Lose all of your points, and you're out of the tournament."

Kaiba now stood on the ground, even with the rest of the duelists. His voice was still echoing, as though coming from an invisible amplifier.

"Oh yes, one last thing. In this tournament special programs that have been dubbed as Eliminators lay hidden around the Virtual World. If you can find and defeat one in a duel you'll automatically be awarded with three win points, as well as a special prize. Lose however, and you're out. Circumstances can sometimes change these rules however…"

Several members of the audience began to whisper again, wondering what the prizes may be. Kaiba cleared his throat, ending the recreational conversation.

"Now then, the first sixteen players to obtain a total of ten points will be declared finalists. Once the last finalist is selected, all duels will immediately cease, and you shall all be transported to our virtual arena to pay witness to finals of this competition! So remember, duel well, but duel quickly."

With that, Seto's voice stopped echoing. He smiled as he walked back toward Yugi and the others.

"Deckmaster system huh?" Yugi asked, "Was that your idea or Noah's?"

"Noah talked me into it." Seto explained, "I felt it would be a nice…twist for my little party."

"Well the opening was sure theatrical enough." Joey commented.

"I'm so excited! When do we start?" Serenity asked, bouncing on her heels.

"Any minute now, we'll be sent to the Virtual World proper." Seto explained.

"Wait, you mean we aren't really in the Virtual World right now?" Mai asked, narrowing her eyes at Kaiba.

"Nope, this is just a loading area." Kaiba explained.

Suddenly, the ground began to shift and roll. Everyone present stumbled a bit as a giant card appeared under their feet.

Looking down, Zeffie let out a squeal of delight, and jumped from Gold's shoulder. A card of her own materialized underneath her.

"Yay! Compulsory Evacuation Device is Zeffie's favorite trap!" She said happily.

Before anybody could react any further, the traps glowed and a large cannon formed around each person present.

"Prepare for your flight people. Final Destination: Kaiba Corp Virtual Planetoid!" Mokuba's voice shouted.

"I don't like where this is going." Brian muttered from inside his trap.

"Woo Hoo!" Zeffie shouted.

"Hey, mine is too small!" Gold complained.

"It's dark in here! Let me out!" Tim shouted.

"You realize there's only one way to get out of a cannon, right?" Mai asked.

"…DON'T LET ME OUT!" Tim screamed.

"This is just Kaiba getting back at us." Celeste sighed.

"That doesn't mean this will be pleasant." Mako moaned.

The cannons all fired together, sending dozens of pulses of light screaming into the heavens. They flew upward, toward the sky, which shifted suddenly. Now a large planet was floating over head, and the green meadow below turned into a cloudy atmosphere.

--------

Sitting out in the real world, Mokuba leaned back and smiled as he watched the lights strike random points all over the virtual planet.

"Looks like the Kaiba Corp Virtual World Tournament is under way!" Mokuba smiled.

He looked down from his station at the dozens of programmers watching their own screens.

"Alright people, we've got a tournament to watch over!" Mokuba shouted, "So let's get this started!"

Hey, Tim Hokage here again! Looks like the Virtual World Tournament has started with a bang…well, several bangs actually. Everyone is going to land on the virtual planet, and our first duel will be Yugi vs. Noah in a chapter we like to call:

Crash Landing.

This is Tim Hokage saying 'I'd better be paid for this narrative'! Good night folks!

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Deckmaster Powers

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Ultimate Baseball Kid

Warrior

Fire

3 stars

500 attack

1000 defense

DM Power: Grand Slam: Tribute one FIRE monster on your side of the field. Deal direct damage to your opponent equal to

100 times the level of the sacrificed monster.

---

Lord of Dragons

Spellcaster

Dark

4 stars

1200 attack

1100 defense

DM Power: Master of Dragons: Pay 500 life points. You may have one extra normal summon as long as you summon a dragon-type monster. This power may only be used once per turn.