35 - One Hell Of An Entrance

Late Friday Afternoon, 2 Hours Before The Duelist Kingdom Ship Departs 

"You sure you don't want to come? I can give you one of my Star Chips..." I offer my lovely counterpart.

Ishizu had decided that my arrival at this tournament would be done in style. It was partly for her as well, sure, but she insisted it was for me. 

We sat nestled close together in the back of a black limousine driven by one of her Tomb Keeper clansmen. I had no idea that there were more of them in Domino City, but Ishizu explained that when she talked about setting up a headquarters for their organization here to have a place of power at the center of the Duel Monster's world, a bunch had happily and giddily followed her over. Apparently, many, especially in the younger generation, were excited at the prospect of leaving their dark and musty tombs and the heat of the Egyptian sun for the comforts of modern society. That gave our driver, a cute girl in her mid-20s named Amunet Salah, a great incentive to keep our secret, as she could only remain here as long as she was in her Clan Leader's good graces. 

Not that she was a stranger to keeping secrets...You know, being part of a secret society of Tomb Keepers and all...

Anyway, the limo was not simply a black stretch model. No...that would have been too plain for Ishizu's plans!

It was fully customized with golden highlights, illegally tinted windows, and the icons for Anubis and Isis painted on the top. When she had the time to get this prepared, I had no idea, but I was obviously very impressed. Ishizu's smirk when she saw my look of shock informed me she had been planning this for a while. Even Amunet had a costume! She wore a well-fitted black suit with gold and cerulean blue accents as well as a black cap with small golden wings at the back and onyx black jackal ears at the sides.

The inside of the limo was no less spectacular, and, although there was plenty of room within the car, Ishizu sat right next to me with our shoulders touching. She would probably have been even closer, had we not been in costume. 

In case it wasn't clear already, Ishizu had really gotten into her Isis and Eset personas. She worked closely with Ren for hours over the last 2 days to not only tailor the look of each aspect but also define their attitudes and mannerisms. She made unique ways that they talked and interacted with others, even going so far as to define which of her personas was with my 2 differing Anubis personas.

"Why can't they just all be together?" - That question had gotten me a fierce scowl. I was, apparently, "Not being very romantic."

In short, she was having a blast pretending to be 2 completely different people and was not sparing a cent, splurging on things she wanted instead of needed for her clan for the first time in her life. Ishizu went as far as to develop a backstory for our personas, how we met, how we fell in love, and where our most romantic dates were held. 

When I asked her to whom she expected us to tell all this, she just blushed and looked away. I then wondered aloud if she was making our 4 personas into Otome protagonists and their capture targets, and she absolutely refused to answer or to look at me at all. 

Oh, well. If she was having fun, I could deal with her making us even flashier and fantasizing a little. I even offered to act out some of her romantic fantasies, and she promptly grabbed onto me while shouting, "REALLY!?!"

Have I mentioned she is cute? Because she is...Also, I am a bit concerned with the way she is smiling and softly giggling to herself now...

Back to the present.

"No...As much as I would love to, I will remain here to maintain your cover story. Ren, Kin, and I will go out and take several pictures together this weekend. I will switch between myself and you to make sure there is evidence that you were here the whole time, just as we discussed. Thank you for giving me your logins to your social media accounts, by the way." Ishizu answers quietly as she leans her head onto my shoulder. 

"You aren't gonna start blocking girls I am friends with, right?" I ask in a deadpan.

"So long as they stay out of your DMs, we will have no problems." She answers back.

"You know you are the only one for me, Zushi," I respond, rolling my eyes.

"And I intend to keep it that way." She answers back, with an unapologetic smile.

I chuckle and shrug. To be honest, I don't really care. 

We finally arrive at the dock where the cruise ship to Duelist Kingdom waits. I can see crowds of people all around at the entrance to the pier on either side of the road. Reporters stand in front of cameramen running their stories and talking about the tournament as well as the famous duelists competing. Duelists crowd the barriers that tall, bulky men in suits guard, all trying to buy or intimidate their way in. Fans wave signs and cheer as car after car parks in the cordoned-off lot beside the entrance.

"Wow. Quite the turnout for a tournament of 40 people..." I comment, thinking back to the anime where I remember there only being a line of duelists and no one else. 

"This is a tournament orchestrated by the creator of Duel Monsters himself, or, at least, the modern incarnation of it. 40 of the best duelists in the world have been personally invited by Pegasus to compete. I would be more surprised if it wasn't receiving this kind of attention." Ishizu comments with a chuckle.

"So why am I here?" I ask in a moment of self-deprecation. Yes, I was good, and yes, I had been invited to participate in Regionals, but I didn't even make it to the semi-finals! Did I really think I could survive here? I was confident in myself, sure, but I wasn't arrogant or oblivious. This had been my goal ever since day one of coming to this world and merging with Toshiaki, but seeing it in person really made it sink in. Did I have what it takes to survive even the first day?

Sure, people's cards and decks in the anime were hot garbage, but I had faced Rex. I knew he wasn't just using Twin-Headed King Rex (1600/1200) and claiming it was the strongest dinosaur card ever. Hell, he had more powerful dinosaur cards in his deck that he had won from the World Championship Tournament! Cards that were unreleased to the public! 

I had been stewing on this for a while but...my knowledge from the anime only went so far. I would be a fool to assume these "Top Duelists" were using 1200 ATK monsters and next to no traps. It had already been proven that this wasn't the case, in fact! 

Was I going to embarrass myself here? Was I good enough to stand with the main cast and try to claim the title of King of Games?

"Toshiaki Arikaki," Ishizu says my full name in a hard tone while grabbing my face and turning me to look into her beautiful blue eyes. "You earned Pegasus' attention within weeks of starting as a duelist by your own merit. You earned a spot in Regionals based purely on your own efforts. Yes, they might have been drawn to the look and the mystique of Anubis, but who designed the look, hmm? Who beat Takashima Nobu, a previous World Champion, in a duel? Who got to the Round of 16 and earned a place in the coming World Championship Tournament despite many expecting him to fail in the first round? You did all these things in one month, Toshi. You are smart, cunning, and incredibly talented, and you deserve to be here just as much as any of the other 40 invited. Do not put down the amazing and wonderful man I love again, do you understand me?"

I stare back at my amazing lover in shock for a few seconds, before ripping off my mask and kissing her as passionately as I possibly can. 

We lose ourselves in that moment for several minutes until a polite cough interrupts us. It is only then that I realize the limo has stopped and a growing crowd is standing close to the barriers of the parking lot waiting for us outside. 

Ishizu laughs and gently lowers my white porcelain mask back onto my face, allowing me to become Anubis once more. 

"Besides, with the cards you've added recently, I honestly feel sorry for them having to duel you." She finishes her thought with a winning smile back up at me. "Thanks for the one you gave me again, by the way. I am still not done thanking you for that, but it looks like we are out of time. You head out first, I will follow shortly - Remember the plan, alright?"

I nod several times and move to exit the vehicle. 

Zushi was right. I had some ridiculously powerful cards now, and I needed to get my head on straight. No more doubting myself. I could do this. I would make it to the semi-finals this time, at the very least, and, with my newly upgraded deck, I could even reasonably make it to the finals.

I was ready. Pegasus had no idea who he messed with. With me on their side, the main cast was gonna curb-stomp him into oblivion.

Hmm? My new cards? Oh, right. I suppose I should cover them as well...

* | * | *

3 Days Earlier...

After hours of deliberation, the choices were finally locked in. I purchased all the items Ishizu and I agreed upon with nervous anticipation.

The first of these items were the ones I had previously mentioned: Ishizu's Mask & Cloak for 1,750 DP, and 1 Permanent Waystone Obelisk & 5 Waystone Obelisks for 10,000 DP.

The permanent Obelisk was set up in our room and we used 2 of the regular Obelisks to link the two together, giving us a permanent way back home whenever we needed it. Interestingly, once linked, the Obelisks became whatever accessory we chose for them to be, and we could change their forms at will. The only stipulation was that they were always solid, matte black.

I had joked about making mine a cock ring, but Ishizu had slapped my arms over and over with adorable crimson cheeks at my lewdness. Worth it. 

Ultimately, we decided on matching toe rings. Yup, you read that right: Toe Rings.

Why? Because, in case of kidnapping, we figured the last piece of clothing that would be removed would probably be our socks, at least in the initial stage of the kidnapping. So long as we had the rings on and we were conscious, we would always be able to get back home no matter the circumstances. Ishizu opted to turn hers into an anklet whenever she wore open-toed shoes, but I never had that problem. 

If you are thinking that kidnapping is an unlikely scenario...you have obviously not seen the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime in a while...

With the other 3 Waypoint Obelisks, I planned to keep 2 for safety purposes and emergencies while using the third to get back to the island after teleporting home in the evening. Sleep in a tent on an island owned by a creepy billionaire? Nope, I'll sleep next to my hot girlfriend instead, thank you very much.

The last non-card-related item I bought was a monthly special in my store as Ishizu had convinced me to spend 5,000 DP on it as a future investment:

I didn't argue with her at all, this bracelet sounded metal as fuck!

Once I bought it, it appeared on my wrist as if it was always there. Just as the text said, the bracelet consisted of small, quarter-inch-thick chains of black stone. At first glance, this was all I saw, but upon further inspection, each chain seemed to drip with the darkness contained within, as if they were leaking small droplets of ink very slowly. It was subtle and almost appeared to be an illusion because as soon as I was sure I saw it, the chain returned to exactly as it was before. I could see the drips happening in my peripheral vision, but whenever I focused on it, there would be nothing different from what was there before. 

It was trippy, dude.

Unfortunately, the bracelet didn't fill my mind with Shadow Magic spells, as I had hoped. The only one I knew was how to initiate a Shadow Duel, but Ishizu had warned me not to do that unless I was willing to put my life and, more importantly, my soul on the line. 

It was like I had a fancy new desktop computer with all the bells and whistles, but no games to play on it. Kinda a bummer, not gonna lie. Next month, I was 100% getting a spell. Even if it was something silly or simple, I wanted to do magic dammit!

Anyway, enough about the items. Onto the most important part of the shop - The Cards!

This had been the aspect of my shop that Ishizu and I had debated the most. We spent hours going over different combinations and trying to find the most ideal way to first spend my points. 

In the end, we decided on a "Slow and Steady Wins The Race" approach. 

Yes, all the Booster Packs and Starter Decks in the shop were things I needed, but it wasn't like buying all of them this month would make next month's choices any easier. In fact, I was positive it would only get more difficult as new rare cards were released. Instead of going for immediate gains, I should focus on long-term growth. 

With this in mind, I first unlocked the Deck Builder & Collections Manager for 1,000 DP. This was a no-brainer for me. It sounded a lot like a storage space for my cards and ways to save different deck configurations that I can pull out whenever I like. Insanely useful, if true. The problem was that there wasn't any extra info given on the screen other than the name, so I had to make some assumptions. Still, it was only 1,000 DP, the same price as a Booster Pack, so I might as well pick it up.

Once I bought it, the information filled my mind and I smiled. Yup. Exactly as I imagined. 

I now had access to a menu that had 2 different options: Card Manager & Deck Selection.

The Card Manager sucked up all the extra cards I had lying around my room and organized them like you could expect to see in a Yu-Gi-Oh! video game menu. I could sort them and organize them however I wished, and I could start building a deck right there and then, all from the comfort of my own mind. Once a deck was made, it was automatically stored in the Deck Selection menu for easy access. 

Basically, I willed all my cards in and could spit out decks right back into my card case. Pretty neat!

All the decks I had ever constructed as Toshiaki were available in my Deck Selection and I could easily know what cards were in them at a glance. I could just as easily remove decks or rename them from the same menu with a thought.

'Glad something turned out as I expected, now on to the unknowns.'

After that, I immediately and eagerly purchased 2 Starter Decks and 12 Booster Packs.

I was confused for a second as I realized there were now 2 new Starter Decks and 2 new Booster Packs, but that didn't mean I was upset. In fact, I was thrilled!

The inner child within me was screaming with delight as I opened them and earned their golden bounty. In one second I had gone from having a moderately good deck to one of the best decks I could have in this time period, the staple spells and traps and new Booster Pack cards were just that good.

Next...we decided to unlock some new packs from the shop.

I'll be honest, it hurt to unlock packs without being able to buy any of them, but I had spent most of my DP on the sure things rather than the maybes. It kinda felt like I was ordering an item I wanted, but found out I would have to wait a month for the shipping after I had already purchased it. That was until I got a surprising message from the shop.

I stopped breathing.

My heart beat out of my chest a mile a minute.

"N-No. Fucking. Way."

"What is it? What's wrong, Toshi?" Ishizu asks me worriedly as I sit up in bed and stare ahead of me at the screen my brain refuses to comprehend.

"Ha...Hahaha...Oh my fucking god, no way!!!" I scream as I pull Ishizu into a bone-breaking hug while bouncing up and down on the bed.

After a few seconds of this, I let go and kiss Ishizu while rubbing her stomach.

"You're my good luck charm, baby! Oh, man, this is everything I could have hoped for!"

In case you are confused, I was not excited about Tournament Pack 1 or the McRonald's Promotional Card Pack. The three free packs were a nice consolation, of course, but they were nothing game-changing. The real prize was the last one.

Dark Beginning 1 - The first reprint set. 

Why is this set so spectacular? Well, let's see what the store has to say about it:

That's right. I had just received 100,000 DP worth of Booster Packs; 120 rare or higher cards.

Yeah.

It was turning out to be a pretty good day. 

The only thing I wished was that I could open the packs myself instead of the system opening them for me.

Just as I thought that, however, 10 packs with shining silver wrappers fell from the air and landed in front of me.

"Oh! That startled me," Ishizu says while resting a hand on her chest. She then looks up at me with narrowed eyes, "And what do you mean by 'Lucky Charm'? Stop rubbing my belly like I am the Laughing Buddha! Are you calling me fat!?!"

I laugh and shake my head as I pick up the first pack. "I don't think you understand what these packs are...Do your best not to scream as we open them, okay?"

I was thankful that they didn't have the original artwork on them. It would be difficult to explain why Yugi was printed on them without getting into this world only being a story where I was originally from. That was a conversation I wanted to avoid having for as long as possible. It didn't help anyone to know, and, anyway, I was Toshiaki now; I do not consider Josh to be me anymore. 

"Why would I screa-" That was as far as Ishizu got before she grabbed onto my arm and shoulder with both hands and with so much force it was probably going to be a bruise tomorrow. I didn't wait for her to finish her words and ripped the pack open, letting the cards spill out onto the bed before us. 

Wow. Yeah, this is everything I wished for and more.

"I...I don't believe it..." Ishizu whispers in reverence, holding up the very first card I pulled out of all 10 packs with shaking hands. "You pulled Imperial Order...Toshi...Do you have any idea how much this card is worth?"

"I pulled 2 of them, you mean." I correct her and ignore her squawk of disbelief. She hadn't even paid attention to the other cards, but now she hovers over the lot going from card to card in wonder. She then takes on a very serious expression and starts organizing them into small piles. Once she is done, she turns to me with wide eyes and points to the first pile with a trembling finger. 

"These cards here are worth 500,000 DP or more." She then moves to the next pile. "These are worth around 6 million DP in total, and those cards," She says pointing to several single cards including Jinzo, Time Seal, and Blue Eyes White Dragon¹If you are wondering how these cards are available when Toshi just got access to them, remember that the packs of the real world are much more diverse and many cards that were released in the OCG are out before the TCG releases Toshi has access to. This means more cards are released and that Rare cards are actually rare and worth a lot. He basically just did the equivalent of pulling every art piece from the Louvre Museum out of thin air., "Have never even been auctioned before. If Seto Kiaba learned you had them, he would either have you kidnapped or flood our entire house with Yen to buy them once he sees you are under my protection!"

"You've met Seto Kiaba before?" I ask, completely ignoring her pale completion and the worry lines etched into her pretty forehead.

"Toshi! This is serious! Last, and most crazy of all, are those two cards." She hisses at me and then picks up the two copies of Imperial Order. "I was part of the auction for the last one of these. Do you want to take a guess at how much it sold for, hmm? 12 million DP, Toshi. That is 1.2 Trillion Yen. Trillion!!! And you fucking have two of them!!! I almost spent an eighth of my family's wealth on this one card!!! Do you have any idea how important the card is?" Her cheeks are flushed and her breath comes out raggedly. ²Just another quick reminder that all major disputes are settled with card duels. For those in power, having rare cards like these are essential to accomplish their goals and getting ahead of the competition.

"If you want one, all you have to do is ask, babe. I'll take this one, you take the other." I answer smoothly, picking the first from her hand and smiling widely at her.

"You...You...Your just going to...give this to me?" She stammers in absolute disbelief. 

"Of course! We are partners, Zushi. What's mine is yours." I explain simply with a shrug. "I promised to help you and your family out just as you promised to help with my Anubis secret. The way I see it, you have done nothing but help me since I told you, but I have done next to nothing for you. If you need this for your family, then it is yours. Besides, the shop won't let me sell any of these, or, rather, I can, but I can't use that DP for purchases in the shop. It is a stickler like that sometimes-"

That was all I got to say before Ishizu mauled me. She made sure to pick up the cards and put them aside first, so as to not bend them. Then, she attacked me with such fervor that I forgot all about my other packs to open. 

Hours later, I lay in bed with Ishizu tuckered out and sleeping beside me with a warm smile on her face. I still had 6 more packs to open, so I figured I should do that before going to bed myself.

"Hmm...not bad. I was expecting far worse" I whisper into the silence of the bedroom late in the night. I then dismiss all the cards, except for the one I promised Ishizu, into my Card Collection and cuddled in close to drift off to sleep myself. 

Yup. Today was a good day. Thanks, System, turns out you are alright after all. 

* | * | *

Back To The Present

Feeling much more confident in myself than before, I step out of the limo away from the crowds surrounding us. Amunet holds the door open and smiles encouragingly at me as she gave a thumbs-up - It seems she had heard our little pep talk as well. 

"Thank you," I say in my deep Anubis voice before turning toward the crowd around us.

They were practically blocking the exit, there were so many of them. 

"Anubis! It's him!"

"I told you! Look at that Limo, it was obvious!"

"Anubis, can you spare a moment for Chanel 17?"

"Take off your mask!!"

"Kyaaa~! I love you~~!!!"

Shouts from all around deafen me to the rest of the world. Flashes of cameras and signs raised all over the place block my view anywhere I turn. 

To be honest, it was all a bit intimidating.

Still, I have a role to play, so I make my way over to a group that appears to be my fan club. I am only mildly surprised to see it is comprised of 70% women. 

"Here he comes!"

"Show us your face!"

"No way, is he coming to talk to us!?!"

"Good evening everyone, thank you for your support. I will do my best in this coming tournament." I answer calmly as I approach. Although I do not speak too loudly, my deep voice carries much farther than the others, so it is not difficult to hear me. 

My fans erupt into cheers, and several reporters and cameramen try to push through to get a word with me. Now that I am closer, I can make out the wide variety of my fan club. Several are wearing handmade Anubis costumes, and some are dressed normally but have Golden Ankhs painted under their eyes with glitter body paint. The most striking, however, are the three at the front wearing practically nothing. 

Black half-shirts with my name written on them, golden miniskirts covering only the bare necessities, and black fishnet stalkings running the length of their long legs enticingly. All three of the women are gorgeous dark-skinned beauties, and they bend and pose in seductive ways as they call out to me loudly.

"Anubis~! Where is your wife? Did she ditch you again? Do you want us to show you some affection~?"

"We bought golden underwear specifically for tonight, do you want to see them~?"

"You should spend some time with us before you need to board, we promise to show our devotion to your Godly body~~!"

My other fans stare at the trio with a mixture of confusion and disgust. Let's be real, no one actually talks like that outside of books and anime. This situation is straight out of a poorly written fantasy story!

...Which was kinda the point. 

As if on queue, (because it totally was on queue) the limo door opens behind me, and out steps Isis in her Eset persona, the Egyptian Goddess of Magic, and Anpu's, my maskless version's, wife - Or so I was informed by Ishizu and Ren yesterday.

Her body is covered in black, skintight armor with gold and cerulean blue highlights. Her face is that of Es*death, and her ice-blue hair spills out behind her, capped with golden metal tips. A headband that was black in the center and had a golden outline with little jackal ears stuck up on the top of her head. Golden Egyptian-themed earrings and accessories were attached stylishly all over the ears and headband so that they draped into her hair. In her left hand was a tall golden staff with various patterns of black and white intermixed and gems embedded at the top where it formed into an Ankh. The most prominent feature, however, was her cold-as-ice blue eyes and the cruel smirk clear on her cherry-red lips as she stalked toward us as if walking a model's runway.

Yup. This was the plan Ishizu talked about. Again, she was having fun, so I didn't mind playing my part.

The three from before? Tomb Keepers. Ishizu planned this whole thing out just for this moment. 

Each of the three, unseen by all because of their far forward position, had stars in their eyes as they clap silently in front of their uncovered stomachs at Ishizu's approach. They were, of course, in on the whole thing as well, and offered to play this part to help Ishizu shine.

As she reaches my side, she hands me her staff before draping her right arm around my back, hooking it on my shoulder. She then cocks her left leg up and wraps it around my font, her knee locked to the side of my right thigh. Lastly, she rips free my mask from my face (exposing my Anpu or Sephiroth face I prepared earlier), only to end the dramatic entrance scene by pulling me into an incredibly passionate and intense kiss. 

In front of every one of my fans and the camera crews all trained on her. 

She ends the kiss, dragging my bottom lip with her teeth as she pulls away, then turns to the three who accosted me earlier with a head tilt.

"I'm sorry, did you need something from my husband?" Her words, sporting a deep Egyptian accent, dripped with faux concern and mock confusion as she stared at the three, and then into the cameras all around with a wide, victorious smile.

Yeah...she was a bit miffed at some of the ladies' comments and reactions to my face reveal in Regionals and wanted to send a strong message. 

From the immediate silence and dropped jaws surrounding us, she seems to have succeeded fairly well. That was, undoubtedly, going to end up on every news channel in Domino City.

Before anyone can recover, I take back control, wrapping my arm around her waist, untangling our limbs, handing her back her staff, and leading us forward toward our destination. 

"Now, now, Isis, be nice to the mortals. Thank you all for coming, I appreciate your support." I chide my practically purring "Wife" as we make our way through the crowds and into the blocked-off pier. 

She had her fun, but now it was time to get serious.

I had a tournament to win, friends to make, and Duel Points as well as other goodies to secure.

I was as ready as I could ever hope to be.

It was finally time for The Duelist Kingdom Tournament to begin.