The night sky above Domino was choked with dark clouds, their shapes swollen like brewing tempests. The city lights glittered far below, distant and insignificant, as Kaiba's private blimp hovered over the harbor — an iron predator waiting to swallow its prey.
Inside the hangar bay, Seto Kaiba stood near the open loading ramp. His long coat whipped faintly in the evening wind, the tips of the fabric curling like the edge of a blade. He had one gloved hand in his pocket, the other holding the six locator cards needed to reach the final stage of the Battle City Tournament. They gleamed in the dim light, proof of his victory and, more importantly, proof of his control.
His jaw was set, and his cobalt eyes were colder than the steel floor beneath his boots. He had already received word — Yugi Muto was gone. Killed. The Duelist Exterminator had ended him using a card Kaiba had only heard rumors of — a god card so twisted it could never have been part of the ancient Egyptian pantheon. The Wicked Eraser.
Kaiba didn't outwardly react when he learned the news, but deep inside, the knowledge ignited something sharp and ugly. Not grief — Kaiba had never been one for mourning — but irritation. Yugi was his rival. His challenge. The one obstacle that forced him to keep sharpening his own edge.
And someone else had taken him off the board.
Kaiba's grip on the locator cards tightened slightly.
The night air shifted as the first finalist approached.
Joey Wheeler's footsteps echoed against the ramp, hurried and heavy. His fists were shoved into the pockets of his jacket, his expression carved in fury. His Duel Disk rested on his arm, not activated, but ready — as if he might use it at any second. His blond hair was wind-tossed, his eyes narrowed into slits.
"Where's the creep?" Joey muttered under his breath, scanning the blimp interior like he expected the Duelist Exterminator to appear in the shadows. The muscles in his jaw twitched every few seconds, a physical reminder of his temper.
Joey didn't slow down for them. He barely looked back. But there was a kind of protectiveness in his pace — as if, despite his fury, he was still instinctively keeping the younger duelists within reach, making sure they were close enough to stay safe. His voice cut through the air again, sharper this time.
"That freak thinks he can mess with my friends and get away with it — not on my watch," Joey hissed, slamming a fist against the side railing as he passed. The metal clanged, and both Hawkins cousins flinched at the sudden sound.
Connor's voice was small but steady. "Joey… maybe we should wait for Tea and Tristan. Or at least—"
"They're not comin', kid," Joey snapped without turning around. His voice softened just a fraction after a beat. "They're stayin' back with Professor Hawkins. Somebody's gotta watch him, make sure he's safe. The old man's been through enough with having to watch over gramps."
Rebecca's blonde pigtails swayed with each step as her eyes darted around, both curious and anxious. Connor, a bit shorter, kept close to her side.
Connor reached into his jacket and pulled out a neat stack of four locator cards. He pressed them into Rebecca's hands.
"These should get you into the finals," he said quietly.
Rebecca's eyes widened. "Connor… are you sure? You earned these!"
Connor gave a small shrug, a faint smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. "I've got extras. You need 'em more than I do."
Rebecca clutched the cards tightly, her cheeks flushing with gratitude. "Thanks."
The next arrival announced herself before she even stepped into view. A confident, measured rhythm of heels echoed up the ramp — Mai Valentine. She strolled in with arms crossed, her long blonde hair flowing behind her. A smirk tugged at her lips, but her eyes — sharp, violet, and watchful — swept across the hangar with practiced awareness.
Her gaze lingered briefly on Joey, but she didn't say a word. Not yet.
Then came Odion, dressed in Marik's garb — the cloak, the jewelry, the regal posture. His expression was calm, his movements steady, every inch the image of the Rare Hunter leader. Behind him, in the shadows near the entrance, stood the real Marik — his black hair glinting faintly in the light, his violet eyes alive with malice.
And beside Marik… was Jason.
The mad scientist's white lab coat was pristine despite the long night. His glasses reflected the blimp's lights, hiding the careful calculation in his eyes. Every movement of his hands was precise, as though each gesture were part of a larger experiment. He watched the arrivals with the detachment of a man studying lab specimens.
The Duelist Exterminator was next to appear.
He walked in with unhurried steps, his long trench coat moving with the air from the ramp's motors. His face was pale, his features drawn but calm. The Millennium Puzzle was no longer in his possession, yet the aura he carried was just as heavy.
Joey's eyes locked on him instantly. His face twisted in open hatred, and his hand twitched toward his Duel Disk.
"You," Joey growled.
The Exterminator didn't even look at him. His gaze moved instead to Kaiba, then to the other duelists, as if Joey's anger were beneath his notice.
The tension thickened as Bakura entered, his eyes half-lidded, his lips curled into a subtle smirk. His white hair seemed to glow under the blimp's lights. He gave no greeting, only a brief glance at the Duelist Exterminator — and an even briefer one at Marik — before stepping aside and leaning casually against a wall.
Kaiba's voice finally broke the silence.
"All of you are here," he said, his tone clipped. "Almost."
He looked over them like a general surveying troops. "The rest of the finalists are already aboard. There's only one spot left."
That made everyone pause. Connor glanced at Rebecca. Joey frowned. Even Mai tilted her head slightly.
Kaiba's lips curved into the faintest smirk. "Looks like there's still someone else who made it."
Footsteps echoed from the ramp.
And then —
Every eye turned toward the source.
Yugi Muto.
He stepped into the hangar, his face shadowed by the lights above, but his eyes — hard and burning — were locked on the Duelist Exterminator. There was no trace of his usual mild demeanor.
The Duelist Exterminator's normally unshakable expression faltered for just an instant.
Joey's jaw dropped. "Yugi?! But— you— you were—!"
Jason's smile faltered for the briefest moment when Yugi appeared in the hangar. His eyes, hidden behind the reflection of his glasses, narrowed with sudden calculation.
Impossible… he thought, the words sharp in his mind. He lost a Shadow Game.
His gaze lingered on Yugi's chest — no golden chain, no gleaming relic hanging there. The Millennium Puzzle was gone.
So how did you crawl back from the darkness, boy? Jason's fingers twitched at his side, as if resisting the urge to reach for him and confirm he was real.
Slowly, the corners of Jason's lips pulled into a thin smile again, masking the unease building beneath. But behind the glassy reflection of his lenses, his mind raced with a single, gnawing question.
What in the hell brought you back?
Yugi stepped fully inside, the ramp closing behind him with a mechanical hiss. The sound reverberated through the hangar like a coffin sealing shut.
Jason's eyes narrowed behind his glasses, the corners of his lips curling upward in intrigue.
"Well now," Jason said softly, his voice dripping with false civility. "It seems the rumors of your death were… premature."
Yugi didn't even glance at him. His gaze stayed locked on the Duelist Exterminator.
"You and I," Yugi said, his voice low but clear, "aren't finished."
The Duelist Exterminator said nothing, but his eyes tightened. The faintest flicker of something — annoyance, regret, anticipation — passed across his features.
Jason took a slow step forward, adjusting his glasses. "Kaiba," he said, almost cheerfully, "I think I have the perfect suggestion for our opening match."
Kaiba's eyebrow arched. "Oh?"
Jason's smile widened. "The Duelist Exterminator… versus Yugi Muto. A rematch." He let the word linger, savoring it like a fine wine. "First round of the finals."
Joey's face lit with savage satisfaction. "Yeah! Let's see him get what's coming to him!"
Mai gave a low whistle. "That's one way to start the night."
Kaiba considered for a moment, then looked between the two duelists. His smirk returned.
"Fine," Kaiba said. "You want to tear each other apart? Do it on my blimp."
The Duelist Exterminator's gaze shifted to Yugi at last. No words. Just a nod — small, almost imperceptible — as if to say, I'll face you.
Yugi didn't nod back. He just kept staring, the tension between them thick enough to choke on.
Outside, the night deepened, and the blimp began to rise, carrying its passengers toward the sky — and toward the first match that would shake Battle City to its core.
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