Kaiba's observation is astute: even beyond the platform boots and the little bit of extra muscle, Mazaki is a few inches taller than when he last saw them. They stand taller now, too, a nearly-imperceptible shift in posture that only a duelist like Kaiba would detect.

For their part, Zahra gives Kaiba an appraising glare. The fact that he isn't demanding to see Atem would suggest that he was from before the finals, but Zahra wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing when they came from. (They are still very, very bitter over the publicity they got at the Grand Prix.) "Wouldn't you like to know, dragon boy?"