Welcome back, and here's a new story. I get this idea after reading one of YGO Fangirl's stories. She's another one of my muses.
Sakura: What about me?!
You're my dark half, there's a difference! Anyway, in this story, Jaden will get the Neo-Spacians and Yubel back earlier and he and Jesse will be childhood friends (as well as something else *wink wink*). Rose, if you would.
Rose: Wolf doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX. She just owns her OC's, the idea, and any cards she makes up.
And here we go.
Chapter 1: A New Chapter and A Surprise
The gang, along with Zane and Atticus, had gathered in the chancellor's office to finish up the congratulations and good byes, since Chumley was going to be leaving soon for his new job at Industrial Illusions.
"Well, Chum, I guess this is it." Syrus said, trying to sound upbeat and failing miserably.
"Come on, guys. Goodbyes aren't forever." Jaden said, doing a far better job at being upbeat.
"Jaden's right." Alexis agreed, being just as strong.
"Thanks, guys." Chumley said, smiling even though he was crying.
"We'll certainly miss you, Chumley." Bastion spoke.
Chazz just grunted, having never been one to get emotional.
"Well, this is cause for celebration!" Atticus declared in his usual goofy tone. "Let's have a party!"
"NO!" Alexis, Zane, and Crowler shouted at the same time.
"Why not?" Atticus whined like a little kid.
"You were barred from throwing parties after what happened at my thirteenth birthday party!" His sister growled.
"And I'm agreeing after freshman year's New Year's party fiasco!" Zane said in a threatening tone.
"How was I supposed to know that one of the third years was going to spike the punch?!" Atticus tried to defend himself, before giving a sly smile as he remembered something. "And you weren't complaining when we came to the next morning and realized that we'd-"
Zane covered his mouth, his face almost completely red and exuding a dangerous aura. "Finish that sentence in front of my brother and I'll kill you! Finish that sentence at all and I'll kill you!"
Though since his mouth was covered, Zane didn't see the sneaky grin Atticus had until he felt something wet on his hand.
"Ah!" He jumped, pulling back his hand in shock and disgust. "You licked me!"
"Would you have preferred I bite you?" Atticus asked smartly. There was a hidden, suggestive meaning behind that.
"Can you be anymore immature?!" Zane asked, wiping his hand on pants while glaring at Atticus.
"Yes I can, actually!" Atticus smirked wider as he tackled Zane in a hug.
"Will you get off me?!" Zane shouted, trying to dislodge Atticus from him.
Everyone just burst out laughing at the spectacle. Even Chazz and Crowler were laughing at the tops duelist's plight. Only Atticus could make Zane lose his cool.
"Alright, you two, break it up." Shepard said between laughs.
After the boys broke apart, he spoke again. "I'm willing to let you kids have a party. However, Dr. Crowler will be supervising to avoid another fiasco."
They agreed, and everyone began filing out of the room. "Ah, Jaden, could you stay for a moment? There's something I wish to speak to you about."
Everyone looked at Jaden, who just shrugged, before leaving the room. Jaden turned back and moved to stand in front of the desk.
"Am I in trouble?" He asked, thinking he was.
Shepard raised an eyebrow, before laughing. "No, in fact, I have big news. You've been selected to be on an abroad program this summer. It's mostly a travel program where we choose one or more students to go to various places across the globe to see dueling in different countries. Our four academy branches as well as our American counterpart also choose students. Normally, we look at academics and dueling skills, but this year we just looked at the latter and you were highly recommended. Congratulations!"
Jaden was stunned. He never thought he'd be able to go anywhere outside his hometown or Duel Academy. This was a dream come true.
"Wow! When do I go? Will I be traveling with anyone? Will I be back for second year?" He started firing of questions, still partially in shock.
Shepard laughed again, seeing the excitement in the teen's eyes. He held up his hand to stop Jaden. "To answer your questions, yes, you will be back for second year. Yes, you will be traveling with ten other individuals at the start. You will start with three of them. One is a young man from North Academy and the other two are young ladies from a new, prestigious private duel academy called Duel Tech, who recently got into the program. Along your route, you will be joined by two students from West Academy, two from South Academy, two from East Academy, and finally one from the American Duel Academy."
"As for when you go, you will actually be leaving in a few days time. So, you will have some time to prepare for the trip and inform your parents." When Jaden nodded in understanding, the chancellor told him he may go.
Meanwhile, outside the door, the rest of the gang was spying to see what was up. Even Crowler and Chazz were curious.
"What do you suppose the chancellor wants with Jaden?" Bastion asked in a whisper. They were keeping their voices down as a precaution, in case they could be heard.
"I don't know." Atticus answered with a shrug.
"Maybe the slacker's finally getting expelled!" Crowler said, gleefully.
"Dr. Crowler!" Zane hissed.
"Sweet, I will get his room this time!" Chazz said with equal glee.
"Will the two of you knock it off!" Alexis hissed that them.
"I'm with Alexis on that." Atticus supported his sister, looking surprisingly serious.
"Anyway," Syrus piped up. "I just hope Jaden's not in any kind of trouble."
"Yeah, 'cause that would be totally anti-licious." Chumley added.
"Don't worry guys, he's fine." Zane assured. He had a hunch about what this was about.
Just then, Jaden came out of the office. Once he did, everyone can on him with questions.
"So, what's up?" Syrus asked first. "What did the chancellor want to talk to you about?"
"Is it another save-the-world thing?" Atticus added.
"Come on, out with it!" Chazz demanded.
"Guys, one at a time!" Alexis said, getting the others to stop so Jaden could talk.
"The chancellor told me that I've been chosen for a summer abroad program," Jaden said, still kind of dazed from the news. "Me and students from other schools are going to go globe trotting all summer."
"Wow!" The group responded at once. They were just as surprised as Jaden had been.
Syrus spoke up again. "That sounds awesome, Jay!"
"Congratulations!" Alexis exclaimed, happy for her friend. "When do you go?"
Jaden hesitated a moment before answering. "I leave in a few days."
Everyone was quiet for a few minutes before Atticus spoke up in a chipper tone. "All the more reason to have a party! A send off for both Chumley and Jaden!"
To his surprise, everyone agreed with him.
Later that night, at the Slifer dorm
They had decided to have the party at the Slifer dorm, since it was just going to be them. It was surprisingly mellow for something thought up by Atticus. It was just snacks and socializing.
Jaden had slipped away some time during the festivities and was now sitting by the cliff looking at the night sky. So many emotions were going through him.
'I never thought I'd have the chance at an adventure like this. I'm excited, but I'm also nervous. I'll be traveling with people I don't know.'
For some reason, Jaden's mind kept going to an emerald eye boy he met some years ago. 'And why have I started thinking about him again, after all this time?'
Jaden continued to stare at the sky as his feelings bounced back and forth between excitement and worry. He heard a soft 'coo' sound and looked over to see Winged Kuriboh next to him. The little spirit was curious as to what had his master so perplexed.
"Oh, hi, Winged Kuriboh." The furball cooed again in a questioning manner, like he was asking what was wrong. "Well, a new adventure is coming soon. There'll be new places to see, new people to meet and duel, but, I won't be traveling with my friends. I'll be with people I've never met before. I'll admit, I'm a little scared."
"Plus, it's made me start thinking about someone I haven't seen in years." The little spirit cooed again, asking who he was talking about. "His name's Jesse. We met one day at the park when we were kids. We played together for a few months before his family had to move back to America. I haven't thought about him since, until now. Maybe a part of me is hoping I'll run into him."
Kuriboh nodded in understanding and gave some words of encouragement in his little Kuriboh language. "You're right, Kuriboh. It's a chance at a new adventure and it's okay to be scared, but I won't let it stop me. Thanks, buddy."
His spirit friend nodded and then vanished. Jaden then resumed looking at the stars, feeling his worries fade away.
He soon felt another presence behind him. Turning around, he was surprised to see Zane standing there. "Oh, hey, Zane. What's up?"
"Jaden, after we see Chumley off tomorrow, meet me at the arena," Zane said, looking very serious. "We're going to have our rematch."
Jaden was surprised, but nodded in agreement.
The next morning, the docks
The gang was gathered at the docks to see Chumley off. As expected, there was some crying (Syrus) and hugging.
"Well, so long, Chumley." Jaden said with a smile.
Chumley nodded and fought back the tears. "Well, I better go. There's a lot of work ahead of me."
"And I have a feeling you're going to do great."
After a few more goodbyes, Chumley boarded the helicopter, which was soon flying off into the distance. The group continued to wave until it was out of sight.
"Well, there he goes." Chazz said matter-of-factly, though deep down he was a little sad to see the older student go.
"I miss him already." Syrus sniffled, trying to stop the tears.
"Don't worry, Syrus," Alexis said, putting up a strong front. "I'm sure we'll meet again, someday."
"Alexis is right," Bastion agreed, his mind flashing to a girl with long, fiery red tresses and silvery-blue eyes. "Life is full of meetings and partings. We're bound to meet again."
"Amen to that," Atticus agreed. "What do you think, Zane?"
When he didn't get an answer, he turned to see that Zane wasn't there. "Hey, where'd Zane go?"
They all turned to see that Zane was gone. They also noticed something else.
"Hey, Jaden's gone, too!" Syrus pointed out.
"Where did those two go?" Crowler wondered aloud.
"I wonder…" Atticus mused. Since he knew Zane the best, he had thought about where to go. "Hey, guys, follow me. I have an idea."
They all looked at each other and then followed after Atticus.
Main Arena
Zane and Jaden had slipped away after Chumley left and were now at the main arena. It was currently deserted, since the other students were most likely studying for finals. They made their way to the platform and stood across from each other.
"Ready, Jaden?" Zane asked as he activated his duel disk.
"I've been ready since our first duel." Jaden replied, copying his actions.
At one of the entrances, Atticus lead the others right to them.
"Good call, Atticus," Alexis said, moving forward to get a better look. "Looks like they're going to duel."
"It's going to be calm, cool, and collected vs. fast and furious!" Her brother agreed with a large grin.
"I don't know about furious, but Jaden is fast." She conceded
"Either way, it's going to be an impressive match." Bastion spoke, watching the duel intently.
"It should be my match!" Chazz grumbled.
Shepard had also been with the group and was anticipating an interesting match. They all slipped into the arena and took their seats to watch the duel.
Zane had taken the lead early on, since Jaden was trying to duel with his head instead of his heart like he always did. Thankfully, he snapped out of it, and was able to end the duel in a tie.
"Wow! That was an awesome duel, Zane! You really are the best!" Jaden commented, getting up from being knocked down by the blast.
"Maybe, but my time in the spotlight here is done," Zane said, as he walked up to Jaden. "And I feel I'm leaving Duel Academy in good hands."
He and the hero duelist then shook hands. "Good luck, Jaden, with next year and your trip."
"Thanks, Zane, and good luck with the Pro Leagues!" Jaden answered.
"That was awesome!" Syrus exclaimed, catching the two duelists' attention.
"Nice duel, you two!" Alexis added.
The others were also thoroughly impressed by the duel.
"Nice work, on both parts. I have high hopes for the both of you in the future." Shepard said, quite proud of both his students.
"Hey, I have an idea!" Atticus said. "Let's have a beach party!"
"What is it with you and parties?" Chazz deadpanned, wondering why he looked up to this guy.
"You'll get to see Alexis in a swimsuit~" He whispered to him.
Now he remembered.
"I heard that!" Alexis shouted, hitting both boys on the head.
This caused the group to go into a fit of laughter.
The beach
After the laughter subsided, the gang had agreed to go to the beach. Crowler and Shepard had work they needed to do, so it was just the kids. While the freshmen played by the water, Atticus and Zane a little ways away, watching them, like parents watching their kids play.
Since they were pretty much alone, Atticus decided to finally ask Zane the question that had been on his mind since yesterday. "You were the one who nominated Jaden for the program, weren't you?"
"Yes, I was." Zane acknowledged.
"Why?"
"Of all the nominees, Jaden deserved it the most." Zane explained. As usual, he says more with just a few words.
Atticus hummed in understanding before going quiet again. Now he was starting to feel uncomfortable for some reason, he wasn't sure why. He had known Zane for years and had gotten… closer last year.
'It must be because of our time apart.' Atticus deduced, now feeling sad because Zane was graduating and he wasn't. He had always fantasized about them going through life together, but now, thanks to those stupid Shadow Riders, he would be stuck at Duel Academy to make up the time he missed while Zane moved on.
This scared him the most. What if while they're apart Zane meets someone and forgets him?
While these thoughts were running through his head, he didn't notice Zane looking at him, watching his expressions like he could tell what he was thinking.
"Atticus?" Said boy turned just in time to have his lips meet Zane's in a kiss.
His eyes widened at the gesture of affection, knowing they weren't Zane's thing, especially in public. After a minute pause, he closed his eyes and went with the flow as Zane deepened the kiss. When they parted, Zane moved his face closer to his ear.
"Meet me at my room, tonight." He whispered lowly, making Atticus shiver lightly at the tone.
Zane then pulled back and turned back to the ocean as the others came up to them, quietly taking the other boy's hand in the process.
Atticus also turned back, hoping that no one could see how red his face was.
A few days later
The time for Jaden to go was soon upon them. They had all gathered at the docks, where the cruise ship was waiting.
Jaden was particularly anxious, from both excitement and nerves. He hadn't been able to get ahold of his parents since they worked long hours, but he hoped they got the message he left them.
The send off was a lot like Chumley's, only with possibly even more crying.
"Well, Jaden, looks like it's time to go." Alexis said, trying to be strong.
"Be sure to call from time to time." Bastion requested, putting up a brave face.
"I'll keep in touch." Jaden replied.
"Yeah, whatever," Chazz said, trying to sound like he didn't care. "Now, go on! Get going!"
"I know you'll make Duel Academy proud, Jaden." Zane declared, sounding like a proud mentor.
The Slifer gave the graduating duelist a confident smile as a way of saying 'thank you'.
"I'm going to miss you, Jaden!" Syrus cried, latching onto the boy in a hug, balling like a little baby.
"Ah, Sy, get off!" Jaden yelped, trying to push his roommate off.
Everyone just started laughing at the two.
After finally separating them, Jaden said good-bye, gave everyone a hug, except Chazz and Crowler for obvious reasons, and then boarded the ship. As it pulled away, he stood near the railing watching the others wave to him, him waving back. He stayed like that, until he watched their forms leave the dock.
He was about to go find his room when a familiar southern accented voice stopped him. "Hey, there!"
Jaden slowly turned and was met by a very familiar teen with emerald eyes. The Slifer stared for a while before a thought dawned on him, a smile trying to play at his lips.
"Jesse?"
The other boy smiled. "Good to see you remember me, old friend."
And I'm going to leave it at that.
Antonio: Well, that bit with Zane and Atticus should be obvious to all pervs or those who know what a lemon is.
Oh, yeah, you know they did it. What can I say? I like that pairing. Also, the next chapter is going to go right to second year, since this story will mostly be about how a different Jaden effects the series. I will do a separate story about his and the others adventures on the trip. Plus, I didn't write the duel since it was the same as in the show. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have classes in the morning. So, like always, read, review, and stay tuned!