Yu-Gi-Oh! Hearts of Darkness *Reboot* [IC/PG-13/Started/Not Accepting]

[Kohakuchan19]

[center][size=6][color=#4b0082]Yu-Gi-Oh! : Hearts of Darkness[/color][/size][/center]

Heartland; A symbol of prosperity, utopian peace, and technological advancement. It is here where many people have gathered from all over the world to participate in the World Duel Carnival. Many come for the festivities, but even more come for the WDC Tournament.

Many people have already registered for the tournament, but everyone has their own reasons.. Some are after rare cards, Some want to be known as the best duelist in the world, and some have more selfless reasons. Either way.. the grand prize is to have one deep desire fulfilled.

A young adult woman with long brown hair, blue clothing, and goggles has just received her WDC ID Card, and entered the Large and prestigious building where the tournament Preliminaries were going to be held She waits in the Lobby for the event to begin. She takes a seat against a wall, and digs into her yellow backpack for her decks, and shuffles through them, making sure her deck was ready to go. The expression on her face was somewhat blank as she put her full focus into her cards. Her thoughts were also preoccupied with recent events that had taken place, just weeks before now… The very reason she was here in the first place…
The young woman finally starts looking though her Side Deck, and gets to a Black xyz monster card.. She carefully shifted her eyes around to make sure no one was paying any attention to her. It seemed that the cost was clear for now.. She looks back to the card, which featured an Opossum-Like Beast-Warrior named “Number 93: R.K. King – El Zebulos.”. She then started to whisper to it.

[b][i]“You’re sure that He will be here…?”[/i] [/b]She said quietly [b][i]“There’s so many people here… I’m not sure I’ll even get past the Preliminaries at this rate…”[/i][/b]

[color=#008080][i]“You must have more confidence M’Lady…”[/i] [/color]The Card spoke back via the mind [color=#008080][i]“Have faith in me and your deck, and we will overcome any obstacle that comes our way.”[/i][/color]

[b][i]“I just hope there aren’t any card betting rules… If I DO lose, I might lose you to some other duelist..”[/i][/b]


[color=#008080][i]“Don’t fret M’Lady.. We will find your friend.. and we’ll set him free together.”[/i][/color]

_____________________________

Not Far in the same vicinity, A young man with Spiky black hair, and a dark jacket with black jeans is standing waiting around for the Preliminaries to begin. He appears to be rather bored or irritated. This young man was certainly impatient. He kept flipping his D-Gazer on and off, just because.

[color=#0000cd]“Hmph… This whole Registration business is taking too long… I want some action now!”[/color] Said the Young man as he leaned against a wall, and crosses his arms. He looks across the Lobby, and sees Amber. [color=#0000cd] “So she has come to the tournament too has she… No doubt she wants a rematch from before.. But she’ll never beat me.. not while I have you Number 89….”[/color]

[color=#ff0000][i]“Do not get cocky! She carries a number with her too… I can sense it…” [/i][/color]Said a voice in the young man’s head. [color=#ff0000][i]“She will be a problem later.. We must destroy them as soon as we’re able.”[/i][/color]

[color=#0000cd]“Of course…”[/color] Said the young man. Looking around to make sure no one was paying attention.

[Kazooie]

Kaze walked into the Preliminary Building, holding her WDC ID card. She took a seat, pulled out her D-Gazer, and rolled it around in her hand. As more and more people filled the room, she began to get nervous, her legs were shaking and she was beginning to turn pale.

[i]Too many people... So many... My god, what was I thinking, there's no reason for me to be here... None at all...[/i]

She put the D-Gazer away, and pulled out her cards. She began to thumb through them, hoping to see something she could do to improve her deck and odds at winning, but so far, she was stuck.

[i]I suck at making decks, why would I join this... I can't duel... I rely entirely on luck.[/i]

She watched as more and more people entered the room, from people who looked normal, to those who had odd markings, to a few who just plain acted odd. She had no idea where to start with this competition, and was beginning to freak out at the shear enormity of the tournament.

[i]I-I underestimated this thing...[/i]

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

On one of the many elevated highways criss-crossing the huge city, a pair were weaving in and out of the bustling traffic, one, a Hispanic man with polarized sunglasses on a strange silver and black motorcycle, the other a girl with red hair and goggles on a red and black hoverboard. Finally, they reached a clear stretch of the expressway, and slowed down until they were side-by-side.
[color=#D4AF37]"Alright, [i]cerdita[/i]!" [/color]The young girl declared to his partner. [color=#D4AF37]"Ready to try and tackle my Knight's Sense again?"[/color]
[color=#ff0000]"Stop calling me that!" [/color]The girl replied, irritated. [color=#ff0000]"It ain't my fault I don't know Spanish! But yeah, I so wanna do this!"[/color]
[color=#D4AF37]"Sweet! Let's hack and slash!"[/color] He pressed a few buttons, and the earpieces on the sides of their head lowered and affixed themselves to their eyewear. [color=#808080]"AR Link established."[/color] A female computerized voice announced. [color=#808080]"Establishing Link between A and B."[/color] A pulse echoed through their world and created a bubble of augmented reality for their duel. [color=#808080]"Executing custom dueling program 1ShotRun.dul...Executed." [/color]A pair of shields, each split into 6 slices, formed around them.
[color=#D4AF37]"Now, to get this show on the road, I will use X-Saber Souza!" [/color]He placed a card on his Duel Disk. [color=#D4AF37]"Come on out, [i]hombre[/i]!"[/color]
A green ring formed, and a giant knight at least 8 feet tall leapt out to float alongside the motorcycle-driving man. The new arrival had spiky black hair like his partner, but with greying sides, and a scraggly beard. Underneath a tattered red cape was a set of black and silver armor with gold "X" decals. He pulled out a pair of broadswords and twirled them before taking a fighting stance. (2500 ATK|LV7)
[color=#ff0000]"Fine then...I'll play The Mother Earth!"[/color]
As the girl placed the card on her Duel Disk, a miniaturized Earth formed, and unraveled itself to reveal a woman with flowing, semi-armored white robes that had blue orbs on them. Beneath her Dark Magician Girl-like headdress was long, flowing blue, green, yellow, and white hair that seemed to make a pattern similar to the planet seen before. She twirled a staff with a red gem on its end and readied herself for combat. (2500 ATK|LV10)
For a few seconds, the two duelists and their monsters waited silently for the other to make the first move, until the computer announced. [color=#808080]"Go." [/color]Both the sorceress and the barbarian charged in and came into contact, the white-cloaked woman blocking the mercenary's swords with her staff. As they struggled, one of the sections of the girl's front shield cracked, and shattered. A second one was about to meet the same fate until Earth pulled back and started firing bolts of bronze energy at the pavement. The bridge shook and sections jutted out as spikes to stop Souza, but he nimbly dodged the attacks, though one of his duelist's shield sections started to crack. Souza then tried to leap up at Earth, but she summoned a wall of water to sweep him back, destroying three of the motorcyclist's shield pieces in the process. Souza countered with another berserker charge, causing a shield piece belonging to the girl to go away, but he and Earth deadlocked again, this time both duelists losing their crests quickly. Earth quickly hit Souza in the jaw, causing him to stumble back, but he grabbed onto her staff and pulled it away, sending the staff flying off of the bridge. She surrendered, raising her hands up when Souza pointed his swords towards her, as all of the redhead's crests shattered.
[color=#ff0000]"No fair! You cheated!"[/color]
[color=#D4AF37]"Nope, Atsuko. Souza simply used his smarts."[/color]
[color=#ff0000]"Ugh...this ain't over, Chris!"[/color]
[color=#D4AF37]"Simmer down, [i]cerdita[/i]. We have a tournament to get to."[/color]
[color=#ff0000]"Stop callin' me that!"[/color]
[color=#D4AF37]"Maybe someday."[/color]
They both deactivated their dueling systems and headed for the Preliminary Building of the WDC to start this game.

[spoiler=Cardex]
[color=#D4AF37][u]Chris:[/u][/color]
[url="http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/X-Saber_Souza"]X-Saber Souza[/url]

[color=#ff0000][u]Atsuko:[/u][/color]
[url="http://ycm.wikia.com/wiki/The_Mother_Earth"]The Mother Earth[/url]
[/spoiler]

[Wave_Sine]

Palir had waited patiently through the registration process. As he stepped away from the counter, his WDC identification card in hand, he thought about whether Heartland's garbage disposal system would be able to handle the strain of all of the extra tourists and duelist without every worker helping keep it running smoothly.
[i][color=#006400]Oh well. This is my paid vacation time anyway. I'm sure those guys will be able to keep things running without me.[/color][/i]
As he walked into the virtual sea of participants, quite a few moved to get out of his way, and he frowned, first internally, then a second later on his face, not that anyone would see it behind the mask. Sighing, he would have wondered why he was being avoided, but he already knew. The strange, sudden pauses between steps, the faint but audible grinding, the blank, porcelain mask that had no features save for eyeholes. All of these probably, and the mask was to prevent further unrest, even if it was somewhat unsettling.

However, although he was here for fun, he had another motive. He doubted that the prize of "one wish fulfilled" would be able to help him, so he was here looking for something else. As much as he tried to ignore the card in his pocket, he still recognized it as a source of great power, great enough that he might be able to use it. And he understood there were more cards like the one he had. Those cards, that power, that was the true reason he was here. And to see all of the people who lived in and came to the city and used the Obots.

Palir stopped walking and let the crowd of duelists weave around him, leaving a small circle of empty floor space.

[Medivh]

[i]You really found it neccisary to wear a tie and formal stuff? [/i]asked Number 76: Plasma Behemoth of a teenager.
[i]Shut up! [/i]the boy responded. [i]It was your idea, anyway.[/i]
[i][color=#ff0000]Hey, just calm down, Greg, and you too, Plasma. [/color][/i]Said the high-pitched voice of Poki Draco.
Plasma Behemoth grumbled.
Anyway, the boy in question was Greg J. Kalem, sitting in rows of chairs, absent-mindedly turning his WDC ID card over in his hand and feeling like an idiot. He was probably the only person there wearing a tie and dress clothes. Greg sighed.
[i]This is [/i]really [i]boring, [/i]said Number 76.
[color="#ff0000"][i]I don't like to admit it, but he's right, [/i][/color]conceded Poki Draco. [color=#ff0000][i]When's this thing gonna start, anyway? [/i][/color]
Greg sighed mentally. [i]Don't ask me, [/i]he thought.
[i]Weird crowd, huh? [/i]said Behemoth.

[Des ＨＥＲＯ]

James confidently entered the Preliminary Building holding his WDC ID card and sits in an isolated chair close to the corner. The teen board out of his mind grabbed his deck attached to his Duel Pad and quickly skimmed through his deck to be prepared that his master actually placed the extra Xyz Support/Anti-Support as he finally got as a reward for loyalty and to be certain of being protected against the Number Hunters his master feared would target him.[color=#daa520] [i]‘I am as prepared as I need to, but the hard part of this will certainly be finding these simple Number Holders to beat,’[/i][/color] the teen realised grinning at each and every card at the back of his deck that was the cards adjusted to his deck. [color=#daa520][i]‘Master Omega is surely very resourceful these days. The insane genius took all this effort for me to collect him a few Numbers. I cannot wait for his plans to come into action…Let the hunt begin,’ [/i][/color]he smirked as he put down his deck into his Duel Pad and then put his Duel Pad into his pocket. He observed the increasing plagues of crowd to find anything unusual about the wide range of Duelists. He found nothing.

[color=#daa520][i]‘Since when was Number Hunting so much work?’[/i] [/color]James signed impatiently as he loathed on the seat. [color=#daa520][i]‘I guess I have to wait until the duels actually start to see any Number Holder, they are even trying their hardest to make them look innocent’[/i][/color]



Seconds later, an middle aged man wearing a red mask that looks like a devil emerged into the Preliminary Building tightly hold his WDC ID card. He felt somewhat excited that his plan has come far enough for his goal to be achieved. He ignored everything around him and waited impatiently for the WDC to start. [b][i]‘This is only the beginning, after many years of planning,’ [/i][/b]he smirked pulling the hoody over the black cloak he had over his head.

[Lord JZ of the Enigma]

It had been months since he had left home, of course, what was home to a traveler but the land beneath his feet, there was nothing more then the trudging sound of his feet to accompany him for quite a while. Dark quiet nights, sunny brisk days....those, were quite done with by now, the closer he got to the city always marked huge changes, suddenly gravel turned to concrete, and the sounds of birds chirping was replaced by cars and obots. With a slightly hunched back from his backpack the young raven haired man looked far back, no sign of the wilderness anymore, and ahead of him, nothing but skyscrapers, one with a very distinct heart shape.

"This place has some weird terrain....I could swear I was in the woods a few hours ago.....or was that a park?" Looking slightly confused he took a better look of his current surroundings, sure enough there were duelists aplenty, however in this giant crowd, none of them had the look in their eyes he wanted. "huh, this better not be another dud, the invitation was way too flashy...." he looked on at the registration tower still a while away. "oh great, my favorite thing in the world....waiting....this better be worth it."

[Durandamon]

Some people were crowded around two teenagers, dueling with D-Gazers on the door of the WDC Location. On one side, a boy with short hair and a brown school uniform was wearing a black tinted D-Gazer, while on the other side was a much taller guy, with a sleeveless black shirt and jeans wore a tan D-Gazer.

[color=#800080]"Okay, since you can't play your cards correctly, I shall defeat you."[/color] - said Leon, with the school uniform - [color=#800080]"I activate the effect of E-Hero Prisma, changing him to E-Hero Neos! Now, Cocoon Party activate!"[/color] - A crystal man shone, and shaped itself into a tall monster with a white horn and white skin. As the spell activated, three eggs appeared on the field - [color=#800080]"With Cocoon Party, I summon Chrysalis Pinny, Pantail, and Mole! Since I have Neo Space, I tribute them for their Neo Spacian counterparts!"[/color] - the eggs dissapeared from the field, and in their place appeared humanoid creatures -[color=#800080] "I activate the effect of Panther, taking the effect of your Brionac. I discard the only card in my hand, and send your Brionac to your Extra Deck."[/color]

[color=#8b4513]"D-damn! No good...still, you can't defeat Gungnir with my Messenger of Peace face-up!" [/color]- said Leon's opponent.

[color=#800080]"Idiot, I'm not done yet. Contact Fusion, E-Hero Neos and Neo-Spacian Glow Moss. Let's go, E-Hero Glow Neos!"[/color] - the white warrior merged with an alien-like man, forming a lancer in a blue shining armor.

[i][color=#008080]"Isn't this too much, Leon?"[/color][/i]

[color=#800080]"No, darling. This is just enough. I activate it's effect, destroying your Messenger of Peace, and granting me a direct attack! Go, Neo-Spacian Mole, and return it's monster to the hand!"[/color] - the other creature, a mole equipped with a drill, jumped to the opponent's dragon of Ice, and bounced to the hand, along with the dragon - [color=#800080]"Glow Neos attack! Glowing Lance!"[/color] - the monster hurled it's lance at the opponent, and hit.

2200>0

Leon took his D-Gazer off, and walked away to the WDC location before his opponent knew what had happened.

[i][color=#008080]"Really Leon? Not even a good game?"[/color][/i] - said Number 2.

[i][color=#800080]"Joker, it wasn't a good game."[/color][/i] - responded Leon.

[i][color=#008080]"It's called being polite, you should do it once in a while."[/color][/i]

[i][color=#800080]"Don't lecture me, I'll be nice!"[/color][/i]

Leon reached the Preliminaries Building, and showed his ID to the guard. He took a seat near the entrance, and pulled his D-Gazer over his eye. Slowly, the room was filled with different duelists.

[i][color=#800080]"Number 2...do we see the same thing?"[/color][/i]

[i][color=#008080]"The Numbers? Yeah, there's a bunch of them here. Please be careful Leon!"[/color][/i] - replied the Straight Joker, with a worried tone in her voice.

[i][color=#800080]"Hey, remember you are dueling too."[/color][/i] - Leon smirked, and looked around. With his naked eye, he spotted some blue auras: Number Cards. If there were Hunters among them, he should be careful.

[宇佐見 蓮子@C94]

Sitting on top of a small building, a young man with neck-length silver hair can be seen watching a duel from above. One of the duelists appear to be wearing a school uniform while the other one is wearing a sleeveless black shirt. [color=#696969]"Oh, a duel? This maybe worth my time." [/color][color=#000000]The man said with a boastful tone. [/color]Moments later, the duelist wearing the school uniform had defeats his opponent quite easily, almost too easily. [color=#696969]".....That guy wearing the school uniform.... Looks like he's slightly better than most other duelists I've encountered.[/color]" [color=#000000]Saying so, the man jumped off the building and landed with great ease, despite the fact that the building is obviously more than 10 meters tall[/color] - enough to kill a normal human-. [color=#696969]"Looks like this so called "WDC" is more interesting than i thought... Fuhahaha... Perfect..." [/color][color=#000000]The man let out an eerie laugh, claiming that everything is "perfect". The man then entered the preliminaries building. He then took a seat and activated his D-Gazer, in search of someone that has a "power". Although he couldn't find anybody possessing a "power", he found a familiar person sitting near the building's door. The guy wearing a school uniform that won a duel several minutes ago. [/color][color=#696969]"Looks like he's also a participant. As much as i hate to do this, i don't think just greeting a man would kill me." [/color][color=#000000]He walked towards the entrance and took out his hand from his pocket, offering the person a handshake. [/color][color=#696969]"My name is Yuki. Yuki Kandou. Nice to meet you." [/color][color=#000000]Yuki[color=#696969] [/color]said to the person, making a fake smile as he does so.[/color]

[AkatsukiPride!]

"Oh, hurry [i]up[/i]!" a girl in her late teens shouted at her brother. Her arms were crossed, and her cheeks puffed out. "We're gonna be late for the WDC!" The boy laughed. He was the same age, due to them being twins. His hair was the same orange color as his sisters. "Clam down, Blazey!" He said. "Learn to be patient." He was holding a golf club, and readying to hit a golf ball into the last hole of the Heartland Golf Club. He was close up to the hole, and was just about ready to hit the ball. He licked his thumb and stuck it to the air to feel for wind direction. He readjusted, then hit the ball lightly. The ball stopped next to the hole, but then a quick breeze blew it in. "Kay, I'm done," he said, turning back around. "About time!" his sister shouted. "You take forever, Mikey!" Her brother laughed. "You have no patience! C'mon, lets go."

***

"Your opponent just played Magic Cylinder. You lose." Mikey had been discussing possible scenarios with his sister, but she had just lost. She crossed her arms and made a 'hmph' sound.The two had been walking for a while now, but they had finally gotten to the WDC Registration Building. "Woot!" Blazey shouted. "We're here!" Mikey smiled, and pat his sister on the shoulder. "It didn't take that long, sis." Blazey crossed her arms. "Yeah it was. We wouldn't have taken so long if you hadn't insisted on playing each hole twice!" Mikey smiled. "Learn some patience, sis." She two walked into the building and showed their ID Cards to someone who was helping run the thing. They sat down on the only available seat, the ground, and looked around the room. "Lots of people here," Mikey said. The two put on their Yasulu Inc. Series D-Gazers and looked around some more.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

[color=#000000][b]Akuma Chishio & Dr. Faker[/b][/color]

[color=#800000]"It's over, Akuma,"[/color][color=#000000] Dr. Faker goaded as he won the duel against Akuma Chishio, who had faced his Koa'ki Meiru deck with her main Deck of LIGHT and DARK monsters, [/color][color=#800000]"Now hand over the Number Card and step aside,"[/color]

[color=#000000]Akuma grimaced, before taking out Number 7: Lucky Straight from her Deck. She glowered at it with anger before finally extending her hand. However, just as Dr. Faker was about to grasp the card, Akuma made a simple flick of her wrist, and the card was gone; banished to the Balian Sector with the other eight Number Cards she had acquired.[/color]

[color=#4b0082]"What's the matter?"[/color][color=#000000] Akuma asked mockingly, a smirk across her face, [/color][color=#4B0082]"Expected me to let my guard down?"[/color]

[color=#800000]"No... I was so close... GRRR, I [i]EARNED[/i] THAT CARD, YOU...!!"[/color][color=#000000] Before he managed to say the B word, a blip sounded on Dr. Faker's PDA. He turned to it... and then all of a sudden, his rage was short-lived. He seemed to have detected a Number, but more importantly, it was one of the ones that was [/color][i][color=#000000]supposed[/color] [/i][color=#000000]to have remained banished into the Balian Sector.[/color]

[color=#800000]"Well, well, what do way have [i]here[/i]? Looks like I've detected a certain something that's suppose to be banished,"[/color][color=#000000] Dr. Faker informed as he held the PDA in front of Akuma so she could see it, [i]much[/i] to his own delight, as well as [i]her[/i] horror, [/color][color=#800000]"Either you've failed miserably with your power this time or one of those cards has managed to [/color][color=#800000][i]escape[/i][/color][color=#800000] your vile imprisonment.[/color][color=#800000]"[/color]

[color=#000000]Taking time to recover from the paralysis of her dread, Akuma bolted down towards the direction of the signal. Dr. Faker, however, didn't follow. Instead, he turned the opposite direction, visibly pondering as he walked away.[/color]

[color=#800000]"Hmm... if only I could find out how that happened," [/color][color=#000000]he mused, [/color][color=#800000]"Then I can make [/color][color=#800000][i]sure[/i] the same thing happens to all the [i]other[/i] [/color][color=#800000]Numbers, and then [/color][i][color=#800000]none[/color] [/i][color=#800000]of them will be safe from my grasp. Oh well, back to the laboratory!"[/color]

[color=#000000][b]Aivea Kaiba[/b][/color]

[color=#000000]Meanwhile, on the grounds where the WDC was to take place, a rift had opened up, and Aivea Kaiba was thrust out of it with so much force that she ended up sprawling across the ground. It took a while for her to regain consciousness, but the time she did so, the rift had vanished into thin air, the chance of Aivea being reunited with her father Seto Kaiba being vanquished in the process. However, Aivea barely managed to catch a glimpse of the rift, and extended her hand towards it.[/color]

[color=#800080]"FATHER!!"[/color][color=#000000] she exclaimed, before realizing the hopelessness of the situation, [/color][color=#800080]"What the hell am I [i]doing[/i][/color][color=#800080], here?"[/color]

[color=#000000]Something caught her eye; a pile of Duel Monsters cards that looked as though they were thrown all over the place without any regards to their owner. A good number of these cards were face-down, but surprisingly, some of the face-up ones included all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, and all the Hieratic cards. That's when Aivea had an epiphany; these wer[/color][color=#000000]e [i]her[/i] cards! [i]They[/i] [/color][color=#000000]must've been sent flying out of her pocket as she fell into the rift. However, as she gathered them, she found one that was completely unfamiliar to her, and one that she could've [/color][i][color=#000000]sworn[/color] [/i][color=#000000]wasn't with her Hieratic cards. What it [i]was[/i] is Number 17: Leviathan Dragon, one of the 99 Number Cards that had come to this universe along with the Xyz Monsters.[/color]

[color=#800080]"Well if no-one [i]else[/i] wants it, I'll [i]take[/i] the damned thing!"[/color][color=#000000] Aivea shouted as she angrily thrust the card into her Deck, unaware that it was capable of possessing mortal human being, [/color][color=#800080]"NOW WHERE THE HELL'S MY EXPLANATION FOR THIS MESS??!!"[/color]

[Brinolovania]

In the World Duel Carnival preliminary building, there was a hallway leading away from the main lobby. It contained a staircase, and a janitor's tool closet. Standing in shadow near the end of the hall was a relatively tall teenager who would be perfectly normal, except for the fact that he was wearing a mostly white superhero costume. Thomas was flicking his WDC admission card up in the air, then catching it again. And he was thinking. [i]"[/i][i]It seems like there are a whole lot of people here. Hm...with this many, it's likely that if there are more of these "Number" cards, a few will be here. If not...somebody will stur up trouble, and I can take care of it. If not that...I'll get to duel random people while wearing a ridiculous costume. Oh well, it'll be fun anyway."[/i]

[Merci]

Out of all the duelists heading towards the Preliminary Building, Rai was the only one running. He wasn't racing anyone in particular, he was just impatient, and with his partially-cybernetic body he was fast. He dodged people, jumped above cars, and even gave a high five to a random guy waving to something. He was just showing off, to nobody in particular. He was excited for this event. Numbers. That was what he wanted. Not the stupid wish at the end of the Carnival. His cloak flowed behind him, and with his costume he actually looked like a little kid playing superhero. He ran fast, like lightning, but then he came to a suddden halt as he finally reached the building.

With his WDC ID card in his hand, he quickly showed it to the guard and then stomped inside. Inside was where there were more people than he had originally expected. But he also grew excited. He could feel the presence of the Numbers, many of them. Maybe a quarter or a quintet of the entire crowd. So many Numbers. His Number card could grow more powerful with them. His feet were going up and down, and so he began to give quick looks to everyone within the crowd.

He made quick eye contact with most of the crowd he examined. Some of them looked powerful and mysterious, others just looked pathetic and dorky. Some gave him weird or annoyed looks when they noticed him, but others just ignored him. In most of them, the Numbers feeling didn't change, but for some it suddenly grew expodentially. He kept these people in mind, he knew these were Number wielders. Or at least people related to them. He was excited, brimming to the core. All the while he walked around the building he had a friendly, energetic smile on his face. He was attracting suspicion and attention to himself. Exactly what he wanted. Bring the Numbers to him. Feed his own Number Card.

He paused in his tracks when he noticed one in particular, with an even higher Number feeling than the others (James). Thunder Spark Dragon was trying to say something in his mind, but to him it didn't make much sense. He had always been unable to communicate with his Number, their minds were never in synch. To him, whatever his Number said sounded just like static. He was excited, he didn't want to sit down. Instead, he just ended up darting across the building, from place to place, receiving weird looks by many.

[Kohakuchan19]

From her little spot on the floor, she watched as others came into the Lobby, She was about to feel the presence of other numbers as they came by.. What was she going to do if she had to face any of them in the Preliminaries; would she be able to defeat them, or would she fail in her mission to free Seth from his Number's evil grasp. She was also concerned as to what would happen to her number. El Zebulos had become more than just some spiritual guide, He was her friend too, and so were all her other Monster cards. Each and every one of her Decks were built with the utmost care. Her favorite monsters were like her best friends in her own head..

Some of these duelist she had been observing seemed rather odd, but one that caught her attention in particular was a young man in a cloak, and was darting around the lobby, distracting other duelist. Part of Amber was saying to be weary of this person, but she couldn't help but be somewhat amused. She would cover her mouth a bit as she chuckled at the sight.

[color=#008080]"M'Lady.. do try to pay attention.." [/color]Said Zebulos[color=#008080] "I know you're anxious about this tournament.. But we need to make sure our strategies are at their best."[/color]

[b]"I know.. I know.." [/b]Said Amber [b]"But you have to admit, some of these folks are rather amusing to watch. They're all so full of character."[/b]

[color=#008080]"And potentially dangerous."[/color] Zebulos argued [color=#008080]"Just be on your toes alright?"[/color]

[b]"Alright.." [/b]Said Amber with a slight frown. She then put her cards away, and stood up and began to walk around, to see if she couldn't get a glimpse of Seth[color=#008080].[/color]
[color=#008080]_____________________________________[/color]

Little did Amber know, Seth was actually keeping a real close eye on her the whole time, but kept himself out of her sight. As much as he would have loved to crush her in a duel once more, He wanted to see if she had gotten any better by watching her in the Preliminaries. He watches Amber as she wanders around the Lobby, seemingly trying to meet more people, which, depending on the type of people she talked to, would be a big mistake on her part.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

[color=#000000][b]Aivea Kaiba[/b][/color]

[color=#000000]Nothing. Not a sound was to be heard after Aivea's yell, well... nothing that would answer her question, anyways. There were [i]plenty[/i] of voices to be heard inside the large building where the preliminary duels were to be held. Following her instinct, Aivea kicked one of the doors open and barged inside, before scouring the place for potential answers, but having no luck. She then began pushing people out of her way, as she made for an opposing door that would allow her to exit the building.[/color]

[color=#800080]"Daughter of KaibaCorp President, coming through!"[/color][color=#000000] was all the warning that Aivea would give.[/color]

[color=#000000][b]Akuma Chishio[/b][/color]

[color=#000000]Meanwhile, where Aivea [i]was[/i], Akuma tried to look for the Number Card that had escaped the Balian Sector, but had no such luck in finding it anywhere. Akuma was [i]beyond[/i] perplexed, as she saw Dr. Faker's PDA signal from earlier.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]"Damn it, it was [i]just[/i] here,"[/color][color=#000000] she cursed as she looked all over the vicinity, [/color][color=#4b0082]"Where the hell would it have gone?"[/color]

[color=#008080]"Excuse me, Ms. Chishio?"[/color][color=#000000] stated a Sector Security Officer, [/color][color=#008080]"Have you lost something?"[/color]

[color=#4b0082]"Huh?"[/color][color=#000000] Akuma turned around to see the officer, [/color][color=#4b0082]"Oh! Um... yes, I've um... dropped a rare Duel Monsters card along my way to sign up to the WDC, and well... I can't seem to find it [i]anywhere[/i]. You didn't happen to see it, did you?"[/color]

[color=#008080]"Um..." [/color][color=#000000]the Sector Security Officer started for a camera that might've filmed the area, but didn't have any luck finding any, [/color][color=#008080]"I apologize, Ms. Chishio, but I'm afraid I can't help you. Perhaps you should ask at the main lobby."[/color]

[color=#4b0082]"Yeah... I'll be sure to do that, thank you," [/color][color=#000000]Akuma replied before leaving, [/color][i][color=#4b0082]'Damn that Faker for lying to me! I suppose that's his way of getting [b]back[/b] at me banishing that Number right in front of him, but [b]that[/b] doesn't make it any less infuriating!'[/color][/i]

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Chris and Atsuko pulled their respective vehicles into a nearby parking area, and headed into the WDC Preliminary Area, carrying their Duel Disks and their WDC ID badges. They flashed the badges at the entrance, and walked in.
[color=#ff0000]"So...why are we here again?"[/color] Atsuko asked the larger swordsman.
[color=#D4AF37]"The grand prize is a free wish. Surely, one of us will come out on top, and we'll be able to find the Key of Solomon, or at least figure out what exactly we're trying to find. Maybe even a clue as to where we should go next."[/color]
[color=#ff0000]"Yeah...but what if this Professor Poser guy can't fulfill our wish?"[/color]
Chris grinned. [color=#D4AF37]"Then we get a ton of practice dueling the other competitors."[/color]
The two split up, Chris pulling down his sunglasses as he mingled with the crowd, and whispered into the microphone of his D-Gazer attachment. [color=#D4AF37]"C.A.G.E. Overlay."[/color]
His vision shifted, and, to him, a series of green rings, similar to what were used in a Synchro Summon, spread out across the room. [color=#D4AF37]"Numberdex Application Run." [/color]He whispered again, causing some of the rings to intersect with various people and highlight them green in Chris' gold vision. Phantom displays popped up to indicate their Number, based on the energy signature of the Number. Some were inconclusive, not being in the database Chris was using, but he was able to identify a good portion of them. One stuffy old man in a business suit had Number 77: Megaslot Jackpot, while some little kid with blonde hair was running around with Number 23: Hakurai. He continued to see all sorts of Numbers, such as Number 55: Harbinger of Chaos, Number 68: Glacial Dragon, Number 3: Supreme Fairy Raphael, and Number 27: Infernal Knight Cubic, until he noticed something...odd...his scanner was reading Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon...but only partially. The signature wasn't matching perfectly, which was causing his systems to glitch out. He started to close in on the odd energy, and approached Number 91's owner.
[color=#D4AF37]"Yo." [/color]He asked the spiky-haired young man. [color=#D4AF37]"What's up?"[/color]

[spoiler=Cardex]
[u]Various:[/u]
[url="http://ycm.wikia.com/wiki/Number_77:_Megaslot_Jackpot"]Number 77: Megaslot Jackpot[/url]
[url="http://ycm.wikia.com/wiki/Number_23:_Hakurai"]Number 23: Hakurai[/url]
[url="http://ycm.wikia.com/wiki/Number_55:_Harbinger_of_Chaos"]Number 55: Harbinger of Chaos[/url]
[url="http://ycm.wikia.com/wiki/Number_68:_Glacial_Dragon"]Number 68: Glacial Dragon[/url]
[url="http://ycm.wikia.com/wiki/Number_3:_Supreme_Fairy_Raphael"]Number 3: Supreme Fairy Raphael[/url]
[url="http://ycm.wikia.com/wiki/Number_27:_Infernal_Knight_Cubic"]Number 27: Infernal Knight Cubic[/url]
[url="http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Number_91%3A_Thunder_Spark_Dragon"]Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon (original)[/url]
[/spoiler]

[Aqua Girl]

[size=5][sub]It had been many long tireling days of travel and Hannah was tired. She was sweating prefusely and her mouth was parched, she looked up with weak eyes, "[color=#ee82ee]D-D-D-.... [/color]" She strugles to blurt out, her delicate hand trembles as she tries to speek. "[color=#ee82ee]D-Dri... Dri...[/color] "[/sub]

[sub][color=#ff0000]"This Child.. why did I chose her as my partner?[/color] " Deep Voice rumbles in his own head.[/sub]

[sub]"[color=#ee82ee]Driver! I'm parched get me something to drink at once![/color] " She says sudenly lively, in the limo as they make their way to the WDC, In truth it had only been a single days drive. She seems to glow in hapyness knowing that this lead might make her way to her love. She was very excited to meet him after all these years apart, she finaly would be able to hold him to his promice to marry her. She squeeals happily, Geting a large sigh from her partner spirit. "[color=#ee82ee]Are you not excited Doomie![/color] "[/sub]

[sub]The deep voice rumbles in anger, "[b][color=#ff0000]I said not to call me that child![/color][/b] " He lowers his voice in her head with a grumble. "[color=#ff0000]As long as theres many to destroy I will be satisified[/color]. "[/sub]

[sub]"[color=#ee82ee]Aww~ Dont worry I remember~ [b]1000 defeated Duel Spirits.[/b][/color] " Shes says darkly with a happy yet dark grin. She suddenly squeals as the Driver brings her a drink and resumes driving. The Spirit thinks. "[color=#ff0000]Can this giddy little girl realy get me my freedom?[/color] "[/sub]

[sub]After another hour twiddling with the card that houses her duel spirit and making him dizy, they arive at the WDC registration building. "[color=#000080]Miss were here.[/color] " The driver barely manages to say before the girl leaves the limo, "[color=#ee82ee]I'll meet you back at the hotel Driver~[/color] " she says slaming the door on the objecting driver who eventualy drives off knowing he would get no where with her once shes decided on something. She Rushes off In a giggly fassion, She quickly registers, her deck data pre registered for her, The others around her gasp as she pulls out a gold ID card, showing shes won atleast 1 National championships, tho you can enter with much lesser of a card like bronze or silver, shows shes won a nationals to get here. Although the card gathers atention from some very lurky characters, She smiles and skips out of the registration area when she sees a familiar face walk past her. Hannah almost bursts in to tears at how happy she is, shes about to go capture him when she hears a group of girls mention how cute he is. Her eyes become Cold and angry as she quickly turns to the grils, her puffy hair streigtening out on its own, Her Duel Disc activates and she activates her D-gazer, [color=#800080]"You three... Duel me now... [/color]" She says her eyes glaring at them. "[color=#ff0000]Oh? This will be fun they must have pissed you off![/color] " Hannah's spirit says chuckling deeply.[/sub]

[sub]The three girls look at her dumb founded, "You little girl, want to chalenge us? All at once?" The girls bust up[ laughing but Hannah remains still. They look at her confident stare and activate their duel equipment, "Fine then you arogant kid well show you, not to mess with adults."[/sub][/size]

[Merci]

Rai laughed as some swordsman approached him. He was one of the people that he hadn't checked yet, but when he appeared the Numbers feeling within Rai shot up. This person had Numbers on him, it didn't take more than a glance inside himself to establish the feeling, the feeling that came from his precious Number 91. Perfect. Now they were coming to him, like fishes, unaware and ignorant of the threat beyond darkness.

"Nothing yet, but soon I'll be up!" He replied, still grinning. But then he reconsidered his choice of words. "Wait- that sounds wrong. Anyway. . . ."

There was still a wide grin on his face. He took a step closer to the man, and then he edged in close, as if he was going to whisper some secret with this man about his girlfriend or something, or share some video game cheat that unlocks Chaos End Ruler - Envoy of the Beginning and the End. But he wasn't. He didn't say anything along those lines.

"Trying to strike up a casual conversation, I see?" He whispered. "Well, it's not working. [b]We will take all your Numbers, and then we will kill you.[/b]"

Then he retreated back and laughed out loud again in his high, energetic manner. He wondered if there were any more Number wielders that would approach him as well later on. Still, none of them were a match for his Numbers card, for certain. He would destroy any such power, or steal it from them.

[Kohakuchan19]

As Amber was walking by, She noticed 4 young women about to duel. The Prelims had yet to start, so it wasn't like she had anything better to do. Besides, she didn't see any sign of Seth anyhow.. Amber approaches the group of girls out of curiousity.

[b]"Hey, what's going on here? a Three on One Duel...?"[/b] Amber asked, then looked to Hannah. [b]"I hope you didn't CHALLENGE them all at once... >> Well.. Not unless you're REALLY good at this game..."[/b]

[i][color=#008080]"M'Lady! She's not a normal duelist!" [/color][/i]Cried Amber's Number in her mind. [i][color=#008080]"She has a number on her person, and he isn't the [/color][/i][i][color=#008080]friendly type!"[/color][/i]

[b]"Hmmm..."[/b] Amber became quiet a bit as she pondered on the situation. [i]"I think I'll just sit back and see what happens.. it's not like she doesn't know what she's getting into..."[/i]

With that, Amber looked back to Hannah and smiled. [b]"You know what..? I can tell you have a bone to pick.. So I'll stay out of it."[/b] Amber then backed away to let the 4 duel it out.

[Wave_Sine]

Even with all the different types of people here, swordsmen stand out. Palir had been watching the floor, scanning for people he might be interested in dueling, but his eyes were always drawn back to the warriors. This time as he watched them, a different person, a sort of highly energetic boy who Palir had noticed earlier came up to one of them and then appeared to whisper something in the swordsman's ear. Something that appeared to shock the swordsman, who had seemed to take a step back unintentionally, as the boy then backed up.
[i][color=#006400]I wonder... Well, I may as well go over there to see what's going on. Something's really making me wonder about that guy...[/color][/i]
Palir started to walk in their direction, reaching into the pocket of his coveralls for his main deck, as the sea of people continued parting; duelists trying to get out of his way.

[Lord JZ of the Enigma]

Having finally gotten through the hell of registration, but now he just wanted the competition to begin, or at the very least a tree for himself to rest on.....a tree somewhere in this metal-forsaken city. "there has got to be somewhere with a bench or something made out of wood...." he looked around and sighed, no one seemed to take his interest however he did feel that many of the duelists here were the correct type. "Didn't think I would smell so many of them....a lot of them are still near the registration area too...cool...maybe, I should go back to check up?"

People were staring, he did happen to go ahead and talk to himself, which is not exactly a normal thing...not to say he was normal, especially since he can apparently smell a persons skill, hopefully it's intuition and not other duelists B.O.

Upon closer smelling he felt some people that were..."murky" others that were kind, and one...very familiar scent. "this one...interesting....huh, I'll find out who it is later.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Chris was incredibly perplexed this kid's sudden laughter. A few of the gathered guests turned to stare at Rai, but they eventually went back to their business. Chris then heard Rai misuse Chris' own casual greeting, then whisper something very creepy into his ear that caused Chris to stumble back. Kill him?!? Geez, the competition were not messing around at all in this tournament! He tried to regain his composure, but he then noticed a strange silver-haired man with a mask approach him. [color=#D4AF37]"Nice costume." [/color]Chris complimented as he deactivated the C.A.G.E. overlay and pulled his sunglasses back to their resting position above his forehead. [color=#D4AF37]"But it's not Halloween yet. But who am I kidding? I'm the guy walkin' around with a sword on my back Anyways, what can I do for ya, [i]hombre[/i]?"[/color]

Atsuko, on the other hand, had wandered through the throng until she reached the 3-on-1 duel on the opposite side of the room, and decided to watch. Like Chris, she pulled up her goggles and whispered into thin air to activate a special Augmented Reality application to find Numbers, which she did, especially on the woman in the center of it all, who had Number 17: Leviathan Dragon.

[spoiler=Cardex]
[color=#800080][u]Aivea:[/u][/color]
[url="http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Number_17%3A_Leviathan_Dragon"]Number 17: Leviathan Dragon[/url]
[/spoiler]

[Durandamon]

Leon was sitting sideways, using the empty chair next to him as a table. In front of him, he had placed two decks for a solo game.

[color=#800080]"Damn...I can't play by myself, it's annoying!"[/color]

[i][color=#008080]"Why don't you find someone to duel with? It will be fun!" [/color][/i]- answered the high-pitched voice of the Number dressed as a Casino Bunny.

[color=#800080]"Huh...still, who can I duel with? Hey is that..."[/color] - Leon stood up, and saved his deck in his pocket. In front of him, there was a 4-Way duel. -[color=#800080] "Three vs. One? Are those girls insane!?"[/color]

[i][color=#008080]"L-Leon..."[/color][/i]- the voice of Number 2 suddenly became quiet and scared.

Leon looked up, and saw something terrifying.

[color=#800080]"Yeah...Numbers. More than one...could one of them be a Number Huntress?"[/color] - Leon started walking toward them, and noticed another girl watching the duel.

[i][color=#800080]"Is she safe, Joker?"[/color][/i]

[i][color=#008080]"Yeah, her Number isn't evil."[/color][/i]

[color=#800080]"Excuse me..."[/color] - Leon poked the girl in the arm, lightly - [color=#800080]"It seems as you are watching this duel, right? I'm Leon. Nice to meet you!"[/color] - he then offered his hand, wanting to shake hands with her - [color=#800080]"Maybe this is a little rushed but, would you like to duel? I'm eager to testing my decks before the Preliminaries begin."[/color]

[Kohakuchan19]

Amber looked behind her when she heard someone speak. She saw Leon, and tilted her head in reaction. She was then asked if she was watching the duel, just before he introduced himself as Leon. When he asked her if she wanted to duel, she looked at the duel she was about to watch, and then back at Leon.

[b]"Hmm.. I guess it wouldn't hurt."[/b] Amber said with a gentle smile. [i]"Any objections Zebulos?"[/i]

[color=#008080]"I sense that he has a number on him.. but he and her both seem to have good intentions."[/color] Zebulos replied.

Amber then smiled and then shook Leon's hand with a slightly bigger smile. [b]"Yeah! Lets do it. My name is Amber by the way."[/b]

Amber looked around and then saw an area they could duel at.

[b]"Did you want to use Duel Disks, or duel at the Tables?[/b] [b]Cause I see a nice open area just at the corner over there"[/b] Amber said as she pointed out to another area of the room.

[Kazooie]

Kaze got up, tired of sitting and waiting for something to happen. More and more people were flooding into the building, and Kaze was beginning to feel a bit nauseous. She quickly jumped out of her seat, and ran to a less crowded area. There appeared to be a couple of duels going on, but one in particular seemed to gather attention.

[i]Three-on-One, those duels are always a bit fun to watch... But unfair. I hate seeing things like that.[/i]

As she walked over to the duel, she noticed two others who seemed like they were about to duel. She walked over quickly, and felt a little under pressure.

[i]My god... There's a huge... HUGE force here... Seems like there are more then enough Numbers here... It's just a matter of finding who's possessed and who isn't...[/i]

"H-hey!" She called out to the two who were about to begin dueling. "I-I know you two don't know me, but I was hoping maybe I could tag along and watch... I'm not from around here, and the crowd is starting to get to me, s-so... I need a distraction..."