Wow, sorry for the long break. This duel was a pain to figure out. Special thanks to battousaisgirl16, hinatagirl18, and Cyberbee15 for their help with the duel. I probably didn't follow all the rules, but I hope it at least makes sense.

Boring stuff. Don't own Yugioh, just Airi, and my OCs. The duel in this chapter is loosely based on the Kaiba/Alistair duel from Season 4. Just a reminder, this tournament is based on the reference in GX. Oh crap, do I have to write that now?

Enjoy :)

Chapter 73

Yugi stared up at his skylight. Looking at the clock he groaned at the 10:37 pm shining back at him. Gramps had ordered him to go to bed to prepare for the new tournament the next morning. He'd already gone through his deck. He'd chosen his second deck, the one he'd used to face Yami. He was nervous about going to sleep. Anxiety manifesting as nightmares couldn't be good for his health. But he didn't know why he was having these trepidations.

"Yes you do," he told the ceiling. "You're waiting for everything to fall apart during the duel, the fate of the world, or Kaiba's company being at stake unless you play the right card."

It sounded whiny and he was glad no one was around to hear him. He swallowed the lump threatening to form at the lack of a person being there telling him off. He glared at the ceiling. There was no reason to think anything would happen. The last tournament wasn't world-threatening, just company threatening. They already saved the world. Then again, there always seemed to be a world controlling nuts coming out of the woodwork. He didn't know how he would get through another threat without Yami.

Yugi sighed and closed his eyes. "Whoever is listening up there. Please, can this tournament, just be a normal tournament?"

Silence answered. Best he couldn't ask for he guessed. On the bright side, there weren't any weird messengers or packages appearing.

A light tap sounded on his door made him jump. The door opened, revealing Airi, in her pajamas, standing there with a cup of tea in one hand.

"Hey," she said. "Sorry, to disturb you."

"No, I wasn't asleep yet." Yugi lied, sitting up.

"Well, this will help." she motioned to the cup in her hand. "I figured you'd need this."

"Sure your mind link is gone?" Yugi accepted the tea, the warm ceramic giving warmth back into his fingers.

"Are you alright?" Airi asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"You just seem a bit jumpy."

"Nerves I guess."

Airi nodded. "I know the feeling." she'd agreed to accept the invitation to duel. Joey had also gotten an invitation and was more than ready to show his stuff.

"You have your deck figured out?"

"Yep, checked it twice." Yugi motioned to his card pouch.

"Then I guess I'll see you on the field tomorrow." Airi paused. "Oh, before I forget." she pulled a package out of her pocket. "This came for you tonight."

A knot formed in Yugi's stomach. "Who's it from?"

"Not sure." Airi held it out. "A private messenger came and said this was for you. Took forever for him to let me give it to you instead of him delivering it in person."

Yugi accepted it. It was a small padded envelope. No return address, only 'Yugi Muto. Deliver in person' written in a flowing script.

Airi watched him carefully. "I need to get some sleep. Let me know if it's a threat so I can beat them up."

Yugi managed a giggle. "Will do."

Leaving a kiss on his forehead, Airi disappeared, closing the door behind her.

Yugi sipped his tea, looking at the package. Should he wait? It didn't have instruction when to open. Curiosity got the better of him and opened the envelope. Inside was a slip of paper and dark blue card sleeve with the edge of a duel monster card peeking out. Unfolding the paper he stared at he realized it was from Pegasus

Yugi-Boy

Apologies for the long silence but with obligations common of a man in my position my time has been spent. I hope we have a chance to catch up at Kaiba-Boy's tournament. This is a belated thank you for your help earlier this year. This will be a nice addition to your deck.

Sincerely

M. Pegasus

Yugi stared at the note. Classic Pegasus, but this didn't make any sense. He stared at the card sleeve. This might be a warning that things are going to get worse. Taking a deep breath he slid out the card.

The second Battle City Tournament was more contained. The duel locations had been reserved only a few blocks radius around the KaibaDome, clearly marked, instead of the entire city. It was much faster to duel through the other contestants and get the sought for items, in this case, it was collecting the other competitors' invitation.

Like before, there was a set number of tickets you could win to qualify for a spot in the finals. Yugi noticed the rest of the duelists were mainly from around Japan with only a few international fame. There were fewer familiar faces that go around. Years of strangers coming to attack him made Yugi more guarded, but after a few duels, he was able to rationalize he was letting his imagination run away with him.

The first few duels felt weird. Yugi held his own, but he caught himself pausing after his draws as if waiting for Yami to advise him. But there was no friendly reminder he wasn't alone in his mind. Except for Tea and Bakura cheering from the sidelines, there wasn't anyone traveling with him around to watch his duels. Joey had Mai, Tristan, and Serenity, while Tristan did his best acting like he wasn't enjoying spending time with the latter, and Gramps went with Airi. After the first few times, Yugi got back into the groove of professional dueling and even had fun with some of the decks he went up against.

Yugi collected all the invitations in no time. He, Tea and Bakura returned to the main dome to see who else made it. A large screen outside the Kaiba Dome listed the winning contestants. Eight spots began filling in with names and rating their performance. Yugi was listed at the top of the list, with the best track record. Kaiba, for some reason, wasn't participating in this round of games. He probably considered being in charge of the tournament was more practical than having to spend time going through lesser duelists.

"Look." Tea pointed. "Joey made it."

"Why is he so low on the list?" Bakura asked. "I thought he was a better duelist then that, considering his stats during the first battle city. Or did I remember it wrong? I really don't remember most of the last time."

Tea and Yugi exchange a side glance.

"Kaiba probably still doesn't consider him that good." Yugi watched the rest of the lineup. "I wonder why Mai didn't compete."

"She's taken a break from competing." Tea noticed the boys staring at her. "What? I've talked to her recently."

Yugi made a note to get caught up with everyone's lives.

Nearly all the slots were filled. He tapped his foot as he watched for his sister's name. She couldn't have been knocked out this early. Even if she wasn't looking for a comeback, getting knocked out in the first round would be too embarrassing. But she did last time, he reminded himself. But she was doing it to mess with Kaiba and give Yugi and Yami her locator card. There weren't those risks anymore. He glanced at his card pouch. At least he hoped.

"There she is." Bakura's voice jarred his thoughts.

Finally, her name appeared, at the bottom of the list.

"Huh?" Tea said. "But she's as good as you boys, why is she down there?"

"Probably all the years I've been out of the game."

They turned to see Airi and Gramps coming towards them. Yugi stared at his sister's outfit. She'd opted for a black mini skirt and tank top, a long vest the same color as Yugi's uniform covered the rest of the outfit. Her jade pendant and Yami's wrist band were the only jewelry, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, highlights shining in the sunlight.

"But you were in Battle City last year. Doesn't that count?" Tea asked.

"I didn't make it to the finals. That's probably their logic."

"What are you wearing?" Yugi had left first that morning and hadn't seen his family until now.

"Will you tell her if she looks ridiculous?" Grandpa said.

"You look cool." Tea said. "Though, what's up with the blue vest?"

"Well, since everyone is going to say I'm riding on Yugi's fame, I might as well embrace it."

Yugi frowned. "You're not doing that."

"It's the media, Yugi. they'll say what they want." Airi said. "Don't worry about it. Just get through the day then we can relax."

The finalists stayed at the KaibaLand hotel, like the tournament a few months ago. It felt like deja vu as Yugi went through the motions of another reception. Flashes from cameras and being approached by duelists he'd never met before through the entire evening.

Airi kept close, giving him tips on what to do. When they finally got out of the press hall, Yugi readjusted his blue jacket.

"When does that all stop?" he asked.

"When you stop." Airi checked her hair in a hall mirror. "Though, I'd wait until after the tournament to announce it."

Joey appeared, waving to the crowd and grinning like a jackal.

"He's enjoying it," Airi said.

"He can have it," Yugi said.

She smoothed a crease in his collar. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing great."

The rest of the reception wasn't as crazy. Yugi secretly was grateful Rebbecca wasn't there to pull him around by arm everywhere. Things were rather casual, and he found himself enjoying himself with his friends. Mokuba had been able to get more passes for them all to attend. Airi and Mokuba spent the most time talking together, and Kaiba hadn't appeared at all.

Halfway through the night, Yugi noticed Pegasus arrived. He wasn't announced but instantly was swamped by a mob of people.

"Why is he here?" Bakura asked.

"Probably funding."

"Its Kaiba. He's got enough money." Joey pointed out.

"Yeah, but still, Pegasus produces the cards. Kaiba still doesn't have the rights. Looks good for the company if they at least pretend to get along."

Yugi remembers the package he'd gotten. He excused himself and went over to talk to Pegasus.

"Ah, Yugi-boy." Pegasus came over, wine glass raised in greeting.

"Ah, hi." Yugi did his best to smile. This was probably the first time he'd seen Pegasus without him being a threat or being possessed.

"Finally I found you. With hair like yours, I'm surprised I didn't spot you immediately. You've grown too haven't you?"

Yugi nodded.

Pegasus glanced around, swirling his glass in a nonchalant way. "Did you receive my package?"

"Yes," Yugi said.

"Good, good. Had a devil of a time getting it ready in time. Finally, I can get some sleep."

"Sorry?"

"A lot of my cards are inspired by, for lack of a better term, visions. Getting the god cards printed was more than enough trouble. You better be taking care of those."

"Of course I am." Yugi had brought one of the god cards with him. The rules wouldn't allow all three. The other two were carefully stored somewhere safe.

"Excellent." Pegasus took a sip of wine. "Headache to create cards. This new one gave me no rest until I made it."

Yugi considered. This was getting more and more strange.

"Have you played it yet?"

"No," Yugi admitted.

"Shame, though I guess it wouldn't do much in regular duels. I hope to be there when you play it. I better keep moving, your sisters heading over and she doesn't like me much. Good luck Yugi-boy."

He wandered off. Airi appeared a few moments later.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. What would be wrong?"

"You look shaken up."

"Oh, ah, I just don't feel good." Yugi lied. "I'm going to go to bed."

Airi let him go, but he was sure she knew he was lying. He wanted to tell her but something kept holding him back. He had some suspicions of the card he got, but he didn't want to say anything until he knew. Something was off about this card and he didn't want to give her any faulty information.

Entering his hotel room, he locked the door. Going over to the place he hid his deck, he slid it out and began flipping through the cards. He stopped on the new card. He set the rest of the cards on the bedside table and held up the new card up to the light.

The image was in silhouette, draped in shadow. Even in the light, it was hard to get a clear view of the features. The only clear parts were the red flowing pants and black decorations around the belt around the bare chest. Symbols surrounded the figure, probably artistic expression.

Yugi sat back still staring at the card. The timing was too convenient. His first tournament without Yami and this card appeared. He couldn't tell Airi. It was too soon. Besides, it was just a coincidence, right?

The finals started the next morning. The eight remaining duelists lined up on the stage. Yugi was placed off two one side next to Joey and Airi. Mokuba was enjoying himself being the MC again, riling up the crowd and introducing the duelists. Yugi just wished they'd get on with it.

For some reason, Mokuba had to introduce all of the duelists from the lowest ranks to the highest. Yugi didn't recognize most of the contestants, some new blood in the works was refreshing. Joey's announcement resulted in a healthy response, causing him to start flexing and telling the crowd they rocked.

Airi was second to last. When her name was read, audible booing could be heard amid the applause. Some hecklers shouted some crude jokes near the stage. Joey started shouting at them to shut it and show respect. Airi kept waving despite the uproar, but Yugi could tell her smile was more fixed than usual. Yugi's fists clenched. He was distracted by the applause erupting at the sound of his name. Turning red he did his best to wave. He noticed Airi giving him signals to smile. He did his best, but he was still annoyed.

The screen above them showed a bracket of the first paring along with numbers of the order of duels. Both Muto siblings were placed on opposite sides of the brackets. Yugi could practically hear everyone speculating on which sibling would make it and if there would be a showdown.

The duels began. The lack of threats to the world and 'I'm going to destroy you' banter between moves was refreshing. This time, his opponents talked about how they were going to dethrone the King of Games. Not world ending but still got old by the end of Yugi's duel.

Thankfully in this tournament, Yugi could watch the other's duels. Joey held his own, becoming a favorite to the crowd with this underdog antics and snappy comebacks. And then there were Airi's duels.

Airi started at the bottom of the bracket, not getting much support from the crowd. She made her way through the battles, defeating one after another until she, Yugi, and Joey were among the last few remaining challengers. With each move, the crowd warmed more and more, but there were still some, Yugi overheard, talking about how she was just cutting into the tournament, just like she could just start over after several years absence.

"Show them, sis." Yugi murmured, before heading off to face Joey in the semi-finals.

Airi leaned back on the bench allowing herself a moment of peace. It was rather embarrassing that she'd lost to Stu Early. It had been a long boring duel, but then he'd pulled the winning card at the last moment so now she was out. That was probably for the best. Several swigs of a water bottle were refreshing and she was able to collect her thoughts. She'd had a better reception then she thought. It was pretty quiet. Only Tea and Tristan could come cheer at the sides today. Airi was glad they were busy watching the duel.

Joey vs Yugi was the last duel before the final showdown. Whoever won that would face her for the first place spot. The duel had already started and she could see the holograms from where she sat. Dragons, warriors, and magicians appeared and clashed in an entertaining ferocity. Yugi actually smiled during parts of the duel. She drummed her fingers on the railing. At least Joey and Yugi got to face each other without mind control.

It was really odd not having an overhanging threat. It felt crazy, almost like the last few years hadn't happened. She was waiting for shadow realm clouds to appear. She moved the band around her wrists to look at the red bead, rubbing her finger across the engraved surface. She wondered where Yami was. She'd hoped wherever it was he was able to rest.

The crowd erupted into cheers and snapped her back to the field. The life point counter dropped to zero; Yugi won. Airi cheered, running to the sidelines to greet the boys. Yugi and Joey shook hands before Joey pulled the other in a friendly headlock as they walked off the field.

"Great job." Joey was saying as they walked to the group.

"Let him breathe Joey," Airi said.

Tea and Tristan joined them on the sidelines.

"Great job man."

"Third place again," Joey said. "Least I'm consistent. Can only go up from here." he slapped Yugi on the back. "The next duel is going to be the real show."

"That's right." Tea said.

"Showdown time," Tristan said.

Yugi grinned. "Can't wait." he turned to his sister. "Sorry about your loss."

Airi shrugged. "Can't win them all. I can't wait to see your next duel."

However, the announcement for the next duel was delayed. Murmurs from the crowd grew as the time became longer. Airi noticed Yugi had become more agitated, looking around at the arena, as if waiting for someone to appear from across the field. Even Airi began to worry.

Finally, the crackle of the loudspeaker broke the unrest.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. We apologize for the delay. It has come to the attention of the organizers of the tournament that the duelist Stu Early was found with illegal cards in his deck. For this, he has been disqualified."

Airi's eyes widened realizing that she had been her last opponent. No wonder his dest was off.

The announcement continued. "This means his victory in the last round in void and the final tier is back open."

"Why don't they just let Airi face Yugi and get it over with?" Joey said.

The announcer seems to have heard him because it's next statement clarified. "Due to the situation of illegal cards in the last duel, the previous duel must be redone to ensure integrity."

"Did he just call me a cheat?" Airi bristled.

"We apologize for the delay, but the rematch will take place immediately. Miss Airi Muto will face our appointed opponent in 5 minutes."

Airi let out a long sigh. "Well, I guess that better than nothing."

"How did someone like that get that far up in the ranks?" Tea said. "Irresponsible."

"Go wipe the floor with them Airi," Joey said.

Airi nodded and began walking towards the entrance to the arena.

"Airi!"

Turning she found Yugi behind her. "Be careful ok."

"I will." she paused. "Yugi. are you alright?"

"I'm," he swallowed. "Yeah, I'm doing ok."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Fine." Yugi glanced around before stepping closer. "That package I got in the mail. It was from Pegasus and it was a card. Every time that happens, people, I care about get hurt. Nothing has happened yet, but I'm sure something will."

"Did he say why he gave you a new card?"

"No."

"Yugi." Airi's tone became very serious. "Are you maybe, getting paranoid?"

Yugi glared at the floor. "I'd call it that if it wasn't consistent."

"Was consistent." Airi reminded. "That's over remember."

Yugi gave her a look.

She looked around for something to help ease his mind.

"What was the ca-"

"Duelist report to the field." the voice announcer boomed around them.

She turned back to Yugi to have him pull her into a hug.

"Just be careful ok," Yugi said in her ear. "I'm probably being silly, but just be careful."

Airi returned the hug. "I promise.

She released him and turned to the field. She appeared onto the field and walked to her position on the field. The applause was louder than it had been during her earlier duels. She must have won over some more people. The other side of the field was still empty.

"Ladies and Gentlemen." the announcer said over the crowd. "Due to unexpected circumstances, there will be a slight alteration to the program. Seto Kaiba will stand in the next bracket."

Kaiba entered with his usual flair: coat tail flying out behind him and a smug expression. The crowd erupted with cheers. Airi realized her mouth had dropped open and closed it quickly.

"I startled you?" Kaiba said.

"Sort of," Airi admitted.

Kaiba gave her a glance over. "What are you wearing?"

Airi realized she was standing in front of her ex in a mini skirt and sleeveless vest. Pushing down her rising heat in her cheeks she changed the subject. "Why are you dueling me? I'd think this duel was beneath you."

"I don't like a debt unpaid."

"What debt?"

"You owe me a duel."

Airi's confusion turned to incredulous. "You mean the finals? The International Championship finals? That was years ago."

"You left before I could duel you."

Airi glanced around. "Our other duel didn't count?"

Kaiba's face darkened at the mention of their desert duel a few months ago. "That was part of the agreement."

"Of course it is," Airi smirked. "Care to make it more interesting?"

"Gambling on the field is forbidden."

"Noble way out. What about the set number of moves?"

Kaiba paused. It had been an extra challenge for them when they'd competed together to see if they could beat simulators, or each other, in less then ten moves.

"Five moves."

"Only five?"

"Is that a problem."

"No." Airi inwardly groaned. Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut?

The announcer's voice boomed over the crowd. "Because of the circumstances of this duel, if Airi Muto loses this duel the win will automatically go to Yugi Muto."

Airi glared at Kaiba. "Your idea?"

"I want to make sure you'll apply yourself."

"You want to duel me to finish what we started. Why extra stakes?"

"If Yugi wins this easily it will hurt his reputation."

"How do you figure that out?"

"Rumors happen."

Airi hated to admit it, but she could see the headlines in her mind; King of Games wins because of default. She activated her duel-disk. "Then we have unfinished business."

Kaiba did the same.

The life points appeared on the screens above them. Airi focused in on what she had to do. So, get this over within under five moves so they could get back the regular program.

"Ladies first," Kaiba said.

Airi drew. "Pretty confident, aren't you?"

Kaiba smirked.

Airi looked over her cards. "I set a face-down monster in defense mode and end my turn."

A murmur rumbled through the audience.

Kaiba glared at her. "You're not going to take this seriously."

"Your turn."

Kaiba drew. "I summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode." the electronic monster spread, the hologram humming at it waited for orders. Kaiba eyed her face down. "I end my turn."

Airi drew, glancing off to the side where she could see Yugi and his friends watching. She smiled at them before turning back to the field. "I sacrifice my face-down a monster to summon Dark Witch in defense mode." The female monster knelt on the field, staring down the mechanical monster on Kaiba's side. "I place a face-down card and end my turn."

"That was your plan?" Kaiba drew. "You must have lost your touch. I summon Y-Dragon Head. "X-Dragon Cannon, attack Dark Witch." the monsters had the same number of attack and defense points causing both monsters to be destroyed. "Y-Dragon Connon, attack her life points directly."

Airi's life points dropped to 2500.

Kaiba placed a facedown and ended his turn.

Airi took a deep breath and drew. She couldn't afford to lose. She could see the papers now. 'Battle of the ex's ends in failure' or 'washout duelist can't beat her ex' or something like that. This duel was her chance to get back at all the looks and whispers she's dealt with. She had to win this.

"I activate my face down, Card of Destruction. Both of us discard our hands and draw the same amount of cards."

"Cheap move," Kaiba said.

She ignored him. "I summon Shining Angel in attack mode." it looked stupid for the male angel up against a robot with more attack points. "I place a face down and end my turn."

"You're really not trying." Kaiba drew. "Y-Dragon Head, attack Shining Angel."

The angel disintegrated and Airi's life points dropped.

"I end my turn," Kaiba said. "Do something this time."

Airi drew. "Thanks to your attack, activate Shining Angels Special Ability. I can summon a Light monster to the field. I summon Light Effigy in attack mode."

"The same old tricks."

"Not so fast," Airi said. "I can use Light Effigy as a double tribute to summon a light monster to the field. I summon Constellar Virgo in attack mode. I equip it with Dark Pendant, raising it's attack points to 2800. Constellar Virgo, Attack Y-Dragon Head."

The monster was destroyed. Kaiba's life points dropped to 2700.

"Finally you're doing something," Kaiba said.

"I end my turn." Airi felt drained. What was wrong with her? That move worked, but now she could tell by Kaiba's smirk, she'd walked into his trap.

"Now it's my turn." Kaiba drew. "I summon Vorse Raider. Then I activate my Soul Exchange to take control of your Felgrand Dragon. Now I have two monsters to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

A cheer went up through the crowd as Kaiba's famous monster appeared onto the field. Because of Black Pendant, Kaiba's points dropped by 500 points but didn't seem to matter with the Blue-Eye on his side of the film. Airi stared up at the white dragon realizing she'd just put all her moves in at one time. She'd rushed into this and now looked like a complete idiot. She could feel her composer slipping and did her best hang on as her mind raced to find options.

She looked off to the side where her brother stood watching. He looked at her and smiled, giving her a thumbs up. He still believed in her. It wouldn't matter to him if she won or lost. But she had to win. She wasn't to leave him to win by default when he was already worried something bad was going to happen. All she had to do was salvage this duel.

"You have one move left," Kaiba said.

Airi reviewed her options. No monsters on the field. But maybe she had something in her graveyard that could help.

"Because you've destroyed my Felgrand Dragon I can activate its special ability. When it is sent to the graveyard it can be summoned again to the field, with some help. I can select a monster from my graveyard and use it to raise Felgrand Dragon's attack by the number of its level x200. I chose Tyrant Dragon, level 8, raising my dragon's attack points to 4400."

Felgrand Dragon seemed to give Blue-Eyes a smirk.

"Felgrand Dragon, Attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

The dragon disappeared and his attack points dropped to 800.

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

"You lost the bet," Kaiba said. "That was your 5th turn."

She shrugged. "Can't win them all."

Something flashed across his face as he drew his next card.

"Pathetic," Kaiba said. "You've already given up. I play Monster Reborn to bring back Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Blue-Eyes, attack Felgrand dragon."

Airi flipped over her facedown. "Mirror Force." she clarified, as the attack backfired.

Kaiba's life points dropped to zero.

The screen flashed that Airi won. The crowd stood stunned for a moment. Then a small murmur of applause started near the front. It began to grow louder or louder until it became defining.

Airi bowed to Kaiba. He hadn't moved and didn't respond as she walked to the side of the field. Yugi and the others waiting along with the side cheering at her success. Airi and Yugi grinned as they hugged. The screen above them shifted to announce the next duel.

Yugi Muto vs Airi Muto. Duel in 15 minutes.

A/N: Hey, hope the duel was at least good enough to be entertaining. Hope you are all safe and healthy. Please review. Take care and God bless.