Saturday, 05/12/2001, 8:14 p.m.
Kame Game Shop, second floor.
The moonlight entered through the windows of the place, illuminating its interior with a faint white glow.
The room showed four figures, all of them teenagers.
They were Yugi Muto, Anzu Mazaki, Jonouchi Katsuya, and Hiroto Honda. They sat on the various seats of the place, their gazes fixed on the content broadcast on the television.
The noise coming from the TV was deafening. A constant rhythm filled the room of the house.
The broadcast showed a large dueling arena.
In the background of the image, a stand filled with children and young people could be seen.
Suddenly, a male voice was heard through the television with an excited tone.
"Calling the more than one thousand Duel Monsters fans gathered here from all over the country!"
The camera swept across the stands showing the audience shouting with excitement. The narrator continued without changing tone.
"At last, the deciding match of this tournament is about to begin!"
After a brief pause, the narrator went on, shouting over the noise of the crowd. The camera rolled and rose toward the dueling arena.
"Who will rise from among the two hundred duelists eliminated during the national-level regional preliminaries?!"
The camera focused on two tall and narrow structures in front of the arena. They had long metallic blinds as part of their architecture. The image paused on one of those structures. Then, the announcer's voice echoed throughout the stadium once more.
"Here come our participants!"
A yellow platform emerged as the blind retracted in the focused structure. The figure of Shin emerged on the platform with a calm expression and his arms crossed. He was dressed completely in black.
The narrator proceeded with the action in an excited tone.
"The representative of eastern Japan, participant Shin Osako! Age, 15!"
The camera switched to the other platform, also yellow. A short teenager dressed in green and yellow, brown pants, and with a red cap on his head could be seen. He had rounded features, a slim build, short brown hair, and dark brown eyes with small pupils. His expression was fierce, marked by a determined smile.
Meanwhile, the announcer commented in a booming voice.
"The representative of western Japan, participant Dinosaur Ryuzaki! 15 years old!"
The camera focused on both arenas facing each other from the perspective of the audience.
At that moment, Jonouchi grumbled in a low voice, his expression annoyed and his teeth clenched. Except for Anzu, who kept her gaze fixed on the TV, the rest of the group turned their attention toward the blond boy.
"So jealous. Humph, at least Shin made it to the final. I wish we had faced each other there."
Raising an eyebrow, Hiroto commented in a doubtful voice.
"Although it's obvious to say, the tournament format wouldn't have allowed that. You'd have had to face Shin before the final, in the regional championship... Hehe, although for that you'd have had to make it past the district's top eight. Haha."
Jonouchi's face twisted into a grimace and then he exclaimed in a furious tone.
"You bastard!"
Scratching his head, Yugi spoke with a nervous face, his tone conciliatory.
"Come on now. The important thing is that you tried. You worked really hard last month. We all saw it."
Jonouchi's shoulders slumped and his expression showed a look of regret. His words came out in an embarrassed tone.
"I don't want Grandpa to see me like this. I let him down."
Just then, Mr. Muto entered the room with a white box with green and blue patterns in his hands. His voice was heard in a doubtful tone, his expression calm.
"What's this about me?"
Turning in his seat with a start, Jonouchi spoke in a nervous tone, his expression regretful and his posture bent forward.
"Grandpa, I'm sorry!"
Sighing briefly, Mr. Muto commented kindly, his face serene.
"You did well, my boy."
Jonouchi's face showed surprise. Yugi and Hiroto watched the interaction with curious expressions. Anzu kept looking at the TV with a nervous face. Mr. Muto went on in a calm voice.
"To be honest, I thought you were a noisy good-for-nothing who didn't stand a chance of entering a tournament. But you really worked hard."
Tearing up, Jonouchi muttered with a moved expression, his tone relieved.
"Grandpa!"
Then, Jonouchi stretched his arms out in a gesture of embrace toward Mr. Muto. However, just as he was about to touch the old man, the latter moved toward Yugi and the blond boy fell off the sofa onto the floor with a dejected expression.
Meanwhile, Mr. Muto commented with a calm expression. The box rose slightly in his hands.
"By the way, Yugi. A package arrived for you."
With a confused face, Yugi muttered raising an eyebrow, his voice curious. At the same time, Jonouchi lay on the floor making a strange grimace.
"A package? I wonder who it's from?"
Blinking a couple of times, Mr. Muto commented with a confident voice. Leaving the package on the sofa, he pulled a blue envelope from the right pocket of his pants, his face serene. The envelope in question was open.
"It seems to be an invitation to a tournament. Your friend Shin wrote this. It also included a warning. He's a good friend... Hm, I wonder why he didn't call you instead of sending a letter?"
Taking the letter, Yugi murmured in a confused voice, his face curious.
"A letter from Shin? A tournament? How strange."
Meanwhile, Hiroto and Jonouchi gathered behind Yugi. Their gazes briefly wandered over the TV. Jonouchi whispered with a frown, his tone intrigued.
"You said Shin?"
Then, Yugi read the letter aloud.
"[Hello, Yugi, I hope you're well by the time you receive this.]"
Yugi's gaze focused on Shin's figure on the television screen. Then, he went on in an intrigued voice.
"[I'm writing regarding a package I received recently.]"
Hiroto, Jonouchi, Mr. Muto, and Yugi all turned their gaze to the package on the sofa. Hiroto whispered with a curious expression.
"A package? It must be that one."
At the same time, Yugi read the letter without change in tone.
"[It's very likely that you'll also receive one. As a friend, it's my duty to warn you not to play the tape that comes with the package. It's probably defective. At least, mine burned out my player.]"
Eyes wide open, Hiroto commented in a nervous tone.
"A defective tape can do that? What the hell? Who would send something like that?"
Meanwhile, Mr. Muto took the package and opened it with a serious expression. A murmur escaped his lips.
"I should have done this from the start."
Yugi continued reading the letter in a weak voice, his face pale.
"[As for the rest of the contents of the box, thanks to an acquaintance I managed to find out that it's an invitation to a very important Duel Monsters tournament. We'll talk about it later, when I get back from Nagoya.]"
Yugi paused briefly, his expression intrigued. His gaze fixed once more on the TV, on Shin. His words came out without looking at the letter.
"[Signed, Shin Osako.]"
By then, Mr. Muto held the VHS tape in his hands. A smile marked his lips as he spoke with a relieved expression.
"Here's the troublesome girl. Better throw it away."
The rest of the package's contents came into view.
Yugi, Jonouchi, and Hiroto looked at the box's interior with confused expressions. Jonouchi muttered in a surprised voice.
"What's this?"
Inside the package were a pair of small golden stars on a pink slide mount. There was also a red fingerless glove with a white wristband. That wristband had empty molds of the same size and shape as the golden stars.
Suddenly, Anzu exclaimed in an excited voice.
"Shin won!"