Author's note: This fic is mostly going to take place in the duel monsters dub universe, with Season Zero, GX, and 5D's (up to the dark signers arc) added in. Don't worry. You'll only have to see Duel monsters to understand what is going on. The rest is explained as the story goes along. Thank you again for reading!

Yugi stepped off the plane terminal and took a deep breath. It had been so long since he had last been in Domino city. Fifteen years, fifteen years since he had the privilege of living in his hometown. Not that he didn't try to come back to this city often. This is where some of his dear friends and family still lived. The one he was currently going to see was his mother, who ran Grandpa's world-famous game shop. Yugi's popularity as the reigning King of Games had helped put the shop in the spotlight. But another spotlight had pulled Yugi away from all this. His dream of making his own game.

While he didn't have to turn into an archeologist to make this game, it did take a lot of traveling and business meetings. People to impress and connection to make if he wanted a hope of competing in this hologram and VR flooded game market. Add on being married and adopting two beautiful children in the last ten years. Domino city just didn't have what Yugi needed in a home. Until now. After years of this game in the making, it was finally on shelves. In video game form and card form. The sales of this game were what allowed Yugi to finally move his family to the expensive Domino city.

Yugi's family couldn't come with him today thanks to his oldest having to finish the school semester, but they would be here in a week. He could finally show his kids where he had grown up. This thought brought a smile to his face as he collected his luggage and headed out of the airport. Outside was a sunny winter day. He took a moment to see how much the city had changed. KaibaCorp sure had grown this place. The most apparent change was an Ener-D reactor in the center of the city. It supposedly collected duel energy and turned it into usable energy for everyday appliances. Whatever it was, it sure took up a lot of space. Not that Yugi minded, it was because of this breakthrough Kaiba was in a good enough mood to even look at Yugi's crazy new game idea. It was through KaibaCorp technology that Yugi's game gained an edge over its competitors.

As Yugi walked he noticed a large number of duel spirits in this city, much more than his old town in America. These spirits were creatures from a parallel dimension Yugi and his friends freed from Dartz. After that whole adventure, duel spirits started coming to this world more thanks to the duel monsters card game. Less than one percent of the population could see these spirits. These spirits tended not to care, becoming invisible partners to those that wielded their cards well. Yugi felt a small pang of loneliness as his spirit partner, Gandora the Dragon of Destruction, was not with him at the moment. The lazy dragon was staying in America as long as she could, refusing to move until the very end.

Yugi flagged down a cab and gave the driver the address for his Grandpa's shop. He had purposefully asked his mother not to pick him up. He didn't want to mess with her busy schedule. He could have had any other of his friends pick him up, but he didn't want to bother them either. So he told no one of his early arrival, not until he could fully move into his house. He sat back in the taxi and admired the world around him. The sun, the water, the nostalgia it was all so- SCREECH

Yugi was flung forward as the cab had to come to a sudden stop. Thankfully his seatbelt stopped him from face-planting into the chair in front of him.

"What happened?" Yugi asked. The cab driver growled.

"A duel, right in the middle of the street. I ought to call the police on these kids for dueling in an illegal area. Don't these kids know the duel laws?!" The cab driver huffed as he smashed his cab horn. Yugi sighed but tried to smile. He would be home soon. Why ruin this feeling with annoyance?

The two kids didn't seem to react to the cab's horn. Both of the boys appeared to be more scared of losing than breaking the law.

'Duel Monsters sure have gotten big.' Yugi thought to himself. The world pretty much revolved around the game. Yugi wondered just how many wars, elections, and treaties had been fought with these cards? Entire schools were dedicated to this game because of its importance. All from a small card game from the 90s.

"That's it, I'm not waiting. Move it!" The cab driver yelled as he raced through the monster holograms covering the street. Yugi clung onto the handholds as the crazy driver blew through the duel. For a split second the driver couldn't see anything, causing the car to careen onto the sidewalk. With the speed he was going at the driver couldn't pull the car back on the road. He ran straight into a fire hydrant. Yugi was once again nearly strangled by his seatbelt as everything flew forward. The airbags in the car went off. Yugi blinked, everything was spinning. He slowly reached for the car door and plopped out.

"Well, that's one way to welcome you to Domino city." The cab driver said as he got out of the car. Yugi nodded. Other than the world's new rotation, everything else was fine. Even the cab driver seemed to be ok, despite being closer to the damage. He didn't hit the hydrant that hard, just enough to dent the car.

The two turned as police sirens blared behind them. The duelists from earlier had already fled the scene, Yugi almost wished he could have joined them. A single, motorcycle riding policeman turned the corner and stopped behind the wreck. The policeman took off his helmet and walked over. Yugi rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on the policeman's face. Could it really be?

"Tetsu?" Yugi gasped. Tetsu, an old high school bully of Yugi's. Back then he had beat up Joey and Tristan (who had also been old bullies of Yugi's) and tried to impose a bodyguard fee. Unluckily for him, that was the same time Yugi had finally solved the Millennium Puzzle. Tetsu, the first victim of a newly awaken, confused, and completely crazy pharaoh.

'No.' Yugi shook his head. He refused to remember those events in that light. Because of those events, he gained the best group of friends he could have ever asked for.

"Yugi? Is that you!?" Tetsu asked. Yugi smiled as he shakily walked forward. Tetsu paused in front of Yugi. Seconds passed in silence between the two. Yugi had no idea what to say. The last time he had seen Tetsu, the upperclassman was being carted away to a mental intuition. Tetsu seemed equally as lost.

"You know this nice officer?" The cab driver asked. Yugi blinked, remembering that the cab driver was even there.

"Er, yes. He was a high school classmate of mine." Yugi smiled. Trying to show Tetsu he had no grudges.

"That's good. Then can you tell the nice officer that a duel was played in the street? That's why we crashed. It was not our fault." The cab driver grinned at Tetsu as he wrapped his arm around Yugi's shoulder. Yugi sighed at "our fault" and pulled away from the driver.

"I know about the duel, that's why I was called here actually. As a police rookie, it's my job to break up duels like this." Tetsu turned to the place the duelers had been, then to the crashed taxi. "But I think this commotion did my job for me." He then turned back to Yugi. "What are you doing here, Yugi? Didn't you just release a new game? Shouldn't the King of Games be at some big party, not this side of town?" Yugi winced at his title. While he still actively defended his title, he wasn't a fan of being referred by it. With the world now running on a card game, the title meant much more than Yugi was comfortable with.

"The King of Games?!" The cab driver gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry, sir…. If I had known who was in my car…" The cab driver gasped as he tried to find his words.

"It's no problem, really." Yugi tried.

"I-I must get your luggage out immediately! I can't let it get damaged!" The cab driver finally spat out as he ran back to the car. He started fighting with the unwilling car to get Yugi's items out of the trunk.

"You don't have to do that! Oh, dear." Yugi sighed.

"…I'm sorry… I should have guessed you were trying to be discreet." Tetsu exhaled. Yugi turned back to Tetsu. While Yugi was quite proud of his late growth spurt, he was still short for a grown adult. Tetsu was a giant of a man, just as he had been in high school. Now though, this giant was gripping his helmet and fidgeting at every little move Yugi made. Yugi had to say something, because of him this man had probably spent years in therapy.

"Um, Tetsu, I just want to say… about back then." Yugi started. Tetsu raised his hand.

"I'm not just sorry for blowing your cover. All those years ago… Back then, I had many problems that I managed to hide from others, even myself. But what you did… whatever it was. It brought all those problems forth. Because of that, I received some real help. Something I would have been too prideful and greedy to get myself. I am now much better than how I would have been. I appreciate that… That's all I want to say on the subject." He ended. Yugi blinked in surprise. "Now can you help me stop this guy before he throws his back out? Mr. Not King of Games?" Tetsu asked. Yugi paused a second, then smiled and nodded. The two walked to the sweating and swearing cab driver. Well, that is a nice welcome to Domino city.

...

"Welcome home Yugi." his mother said as she kissed her son's forehead.

"Thanks, Mom." Yugi smiled. He turned back to wave to Tetsu as he drove away. Yugi's mother tilted her head as the two walked back into the house/shop.

"First you don't want me to pick you up at the airport. Then you are brought here on the back of a police motorcycle. You just love making your mother fret." She sighed.

"Sorry Mom, I didn't want to worry you about picking me up. I know how hard it is to run this shop alone." Yugi said as he brought in his luggage. His grandpa, the man that got him into his love of gaming, had died many years ago. He was at a ripe old age, and it was definitely his time, but thinking about him still hurt a little.

"I'm not alone Yugi. While Solomon is no longer here, I still have your father and many kind employees." His mother said. Yugi nodded, then stopped. He looked around the store. The two had already walked past the front room that used to work as the game store's front. This shop had initially been one little room with a counter and a few shelves. Now though, the store had been expanded to almost all the lower rooms of the house. Each filled with vibrantly colored boxes and toys. Nothing Yugi didn't expect, but…

"It's only two o'clock. Shouldn't this place be open and filled with people?" Yugi asked. His mother giggled at Yugi's confusion.

"No, I closed the place today, but people are here." Yugi's mother started pushing him forward to the very back room.

"Huh?! What do you mean-?" Yugi was suddenly met by bright lights and cheerful yells.

"Welcome home, Yugi!" He was surrounded by three familiar faces jumping out from behind furniture.

"Guys, what are you doing here?" Yugi grinned as Joey, Tristan, and Duke came forward. Joey pretty much ran to Yugi. Yugi opened his arms for a hug, but that was never Joey's style. In one quick movement, Yugi found himself in one of Joey's famous headlocks.

"We're here because of you, ya big idiot!" Joey yelled as he gripped Yugi.

"How dare you try to sneak into Domino city without telling us," Tristan added.

"I didn't want to make a big ruckus with only me!" Yugi laughed as he weakly fought against Joey's grip.

"You better be thankful for your Mother, or else this ruckus would not have happened. She called us one day ago, not realizing you were trying to be sneaky. It's like you didn't want to see us." Duke said in a jokingly dramatic voice. Both he and Tristan turned their backs to Yugi to feed more into their dramatics. Yugi sighed, he then pushed Joey off in one quick movement.

"It's not that I didn't want to see you guys. I just came early to finish up some paperwork and re-check the new house. It's not very exciting, and I knew all you guys were busy-" All three turned to Yugi.

"Not very excitin'?! Yugi is comin' home to his roots. Comin' home to us from his world travelin'! If dat's not excitin', I don't know what is!" Joey said.

Yugi grinned at his friends. They had all grown and changed so much. Joey was now even taller with longer and shaggier blonde hair. It even looked like he was trying to grow a mustache, and failing. Tristen was also taller with much more muscle. He was a security guard at KaibaCorp. It made Yugi smile to see him still a protector. Duke had stayed about the same size, but that hasn't stopped his "mojo" or whatever it was that drove all the ladies crazy. He had been one of Yugi's main supporters throughout his game development process.

"Well, I'm glad you guy are here. It might make this last-minute paperwork bearable." Yugi said.

"That's the attitude!" Tristen said as he patted Yugi on the shoulder. He then stopped to really grip Yugi's shoulder for a second. "Whoa, you have certainly been hitting the gym." He added.

"I felt dat. It's not like I let him throw me off." Joey said while rubbing the arm Yugi had grabbed to push him off.

Yugi scratched the back of his head and smiled."Heh, sorry. I've been working out for a while now. It's like a small game. Seeing how far I can push myself every morning."

Suddenly, the ground started to shake violently. While Yugi was used to earthquakes, this felt different. This felt more like someone was crinkling the ground like a piece of paper.

"What was that?" Yugi asked after it had settled down.

"Oh, it's the Ener-D reactor. It's happening all the time." Duke said nonchalantly. "It sometimes does that. It's not dangerous other than things falling off of tables." Yugi blinked and looked at the other's reactions. They had the same uncaring look.

"It's really nothin' Yuge. You know KaibaCorp made sure of dat. Now to the important things, like what in the world is your work out plan?! You threw me off like I was a paperweight." Joey excitedly asked.

"Hey, you don't just ask a man his workout secrets. Don't worry Yugi, I'll protect them, once you tell me them." Tristen mischievously smiled.

"Don't you go buttin' in Tristen or I'll show you my workout routine!" Joey yelled in Tristen's face. Everyone else sighed as the two continued to go at it. Some things never change.