Hey everyone, I'm publish this alongside my other new story, How to Train Your Dragonborn. I decided to try my hand at a regular Yu-Gi-Oh GX story instead of a crossover, and I have to stay, personally, I really like how it's developing so far.
Anyway, let me know what you think.
I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX.
Chapter 1- Jaden Yuki-Muto!
"Come on mom and dad! Hurry up!" said six-year-old Jaden Yuki as he ran ahead of his parents. Just a few days ago, the family of three received a package in the mail. The package were the cards that Jaden had drawn and submitted for KaibaCorp's card design contest, and a letter stating that Jaden had won the contest. Also included, were invitations for the family to visit and tour KaibaCorp, before being chauffeured to the satellite launch site. Needless to say, Jaden had been ecstatic, and much to his parent's bemusement, had not been able to sit still for more then five minutes ever since.
"Calm down Jaden," his father said with a chuckle. "KaibaCorp isn't going anywhere; and it's not like they're going to launch the satellite without your cards," he finished, gesturing to the stack of cards in his son's hand.
Unknown to the Yuki parents, there was another individual tagging along with the family. This person, or spirit rather, was known as Yubel, and hers was the first duel monster's card that Jaden ever owned, and subsequently, his favorite. She bore a frightening appearance that would've easily scared any other who saw her; a black skin-tight suit covered most of her form, with the exception of her right leg and her midriff, which left her sickly-pink skin exposed. Her hair possessed two distinct colors, split evenly down the middle, the left side being a vibrant blue, while the right was a fine silver. If all of that wasn't enough, her eyes were another source that added to her demonic appearance. Heterochromatic eyes, one yellow, one a pale blue-green, watched Jaden with care and amusement, while a third eye, placed vertically in the center of her forehead moved randomly in all directions, constantly alert for any threats to her king.
Though he didn't know why or how, Jaden had always been able to see and communicate with Yubel, even though no one else he knew ever could. All Yubel would ever tell him when he asked, was that he was very special, and that he would find out when he was older. He always pouted whenever she told him that, much to her amusement.
'Your father's right Jaden. There's no need to hurry,' said Yubel as she floated alongside her charge. Blowing his one and only friend a raspberry, Jaden continued on ahead, forcing his parents to jog slightly to keep up with their hyperactive son.
With his mind clouded by excitement, Jaden rounded a corner without looking, only to wind up in some kind of alleyway. 'Jaden, look out!' Yubel's warning reached the young boy too late as he tripped and fell, the cards in his hand scattering all around. 'Are you okay Jaden?'
"Yeah, I think so… oww!" as he tried to get back up, a lance of pain went through his knee. Looking down, he noticed that his fall had ripped his jeans, and his knee was scraped up and bloody. "That really hurts," placing his hands over his knee to try and block out the pain, Jaden's eyes widened as he noticed all of his cards scattered around him, "My cards!" Ignoring the pain in his knee, he reached out and picked up the one nearest him, looking at his drawing of a silver suited hero with a pronounced fin on top of his head. "At least they're not ruined."
While Jaden was focused on his cards, Yubel looked behind him to see the thing that he had tripped over. Her heterochromatic eyes widened when she noticed what it was. 'Jaden, we need to…' it was too late though, as Jaden turned around to pick up another of his cards, only to freeze when he caught site of what was behind him. The body of a young woman, a teenager, was sprawled out on the ground near the alley wall. She was bleeding from multiple holes in her chest, forming a small puddle of blood.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" a deep voice sounded throughout the alley. Jaden and Yubel whipped around to see a large man, dressed in a tattered leather jacket and jeans. In his hand was a pistol, and the gleam in his eyes was enough for even the young, naive Jaden to figure out what his intentions were. "Don't even think about it, kid," the man raised his gun and pointed it directly at Jaden the moment he moved to stand up, "Can't have you running off now that you've seen my face."
Yubel cursed her powerlessness in this situation. As a spirit, her powers were extremely limited compared to her original body. The only time when she was capable of using any of her powers was when Jaden played her card in a duel, and unconsciously transferred his latent power into her temporarily. But here and now, she was as useful to her king as a duelist without a deck. She couldn't even shield him properly; any physical object would simply pass right through her!
"Jaden!" an alarmed cry from the end of the alley rang out, startling Jaden and Yubel into turning around. That was all the chance the thug needed, as he rushed forward, grabbing Jaden in a choke hold, eliciting a cry of pain from the child.
"Move and the boy dies!" to emphasize his point, he pressed the gun against Jaden's temple, ceasing the boys struggling. Jaden's parents could scarcely breath, too afraid of doing something that might get their little boy shot.
Unseen by any except for Jaden, Yubel was frantically swinging her claws at his captor, in a futile attempt to save her beloved king. Tears poured from her yes at every failed strike, her transparent claws simply passing through the thug with no effect. She couldn't lose her king, not again!
"Look, let's all just… calm down," Jaden's father said, as he took a cautious step forward, his hands raised in a calming manner. "We'll give you whatever you want, just please, let my son go."
Smirking, the thug tightened his grip on Jaden, startling the boy back into trying to break free. "Maybe you should take your own advice, pops. I'm perfectly calm. Now stay where you are, or I'll put a bullet through his skull." Jaden's father could do nothing else but oblige, taking a step back to stand next to his crying wife. "Good, now drop all of your valuables. Purse, wallet, watch, everything, and I might let the little guy go."
Jaden's eyes widened at that, doubling his efforts at breaking free. He remembered what the man had said when he first appeared, and knew that he was lying about letting them go! He wasn't going to let them go, he was going to hurt all of them, and it was all his fault! If only he had been paying attention to where he was going, none of this would have happened! 'Yubel! Do something!' he mentally cried to his friend, wishing that she would hurt this thug like she had hurt some of his dueling opponents before.
'I'm trying Jaden, but nothing's working!' she cried, her tears flying around as she continued her futile attempts at striking down their assailant.
Grunting as one of Jaden's flailing legs managed to kick him in the knee, the thug glared at the squirming child in his grip. "Hold still you little shit," when Jaden ignored him and continued his struggling, he growled, glancing at the couple standing just inside the alley. "Screw it, I don't have time for this."
"No, please don't hurt him!" Jaden's mother cried when they noticed the man tightening his grip on the weapon. Desperation over taking them, both parents ran forward, attempting to reach the pair before the man could pull the trigger.
Time seemed to slow as the thug turned his attention to the charging parents. Jaden felt the gun being pulled away from his head, only to be aimed at his parents. Eyes widening in terror, he attempted to shout a warning to his parents, but it was all for naught.
Two loud cracks rang throughout the alley.
Jaden and Yubel watched in horror as the bodies of Jaden's parents fell, never to rise again. Tears gathered in the young boys' eyes, as he beheld the sight of his parent's murder. They were dead. They were dead because of him. Murdered in cold blood. By the man holding him captive.
The last living Yuki felt his grief and sadness begin to ebb away, slowly being replaced by a burning anger. He had never hated anything as much as he hated the man behind him. The mere thought of the man filled him with an uncontrollable rage… one he was all too willing to let burst free.
All of a sudden, time sped back up. The irises of Jaden's eyes changed to a honey gold, before the alleyway was consumed in darkness.
Jaden awoke with a gasp, sitting upright in his bed as he panted. His body was covered in a cold sweat as it always was whenever his dreams made him relive that horrible day. The day his parents were ruthlessly taken from him, the day his life was forever changed. Throwing the blankets off, the sixteen-year-old duelist swung his legs over the side of his bed, and held his head in his hands as he steadied his breathing.
Ten years. Ten long years, and still the memories haunted him as if it were just yesterday. He doubted he would ever fully recover from the incident, but if there was one thing he had learned over the years, it was to always keep fighting, no matter what.
'Jaden, are you alright?' glancing up from his place on the bed, Jaden offered a small smile to his loyal spirit companion. Yubel smiled slightly in return, though her concern for him was apparent in her eyes. He could never hide anything from her, even if he tried. She understood him better than anyone else, and could always tell when he was hurting.
"I'm fine Yubel, just had a nightmare is all," he said, trying to push the memories of that day out of his mind and get ready for the day. It was clear that Yubel didn't buy his half-assed excuse, but she let it slide, knowing that forcing the subject would only upset Jaden even more.
After a refreshing shower, Jaden towel dried his dual colored hair, letting the ends spike up naturally behind him. Returning to his room, the teen duelist put on his clothes of choice before heading downstairs for some breakfast. Casual black slacks along with a matching jacket, that flared out at the end was the typical uniform for the school he had been attending, and he had gotten somewhat used to wearing the outfit so often. Rounding off his outfit with a simple red t-shirt underneath his open jacket, Jaden made his way downstairs.
"Jaden!" a brown and pink missile colliding with his abdomen greeted the teen as he stepped into the kitchen. Smiling at the missile, which was revealed to be a young girl, Jaden wrapped his arms around her and picked her up in a hug.
"Morning Mana," he said with a smile. Walking over to the table, he set the eight-year-old girl down in her seat before taking the one next to her. Like him, Mana was dressed in the girl's uniform for her school; a pink buttoned coat over a white oxford shirt, and a blue, knee length pleated skirt. The most distinctive thing about her appearance though, had to be her hair. Her long brown locks, a color she shared with her mother, flowed downward sporadically to the base of her neck, a trait definitely inherited from her father. "Ready for school?"
Mana pouted, and crossed her arms petulantly. "No," she grumbled, "I don't want to go to school today, I want to go with you and watch your entrance duel."
"Now Mana, we talked about this," a new voice said as the owner, one Téa Muto formerly Gardner, walked in from the kitchen, carrying two plates of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Instantly, Jaden's mouth began to water as the delicious aroma of food reached his nostrils. No matter how upset he might be from his nightmare, Téa's cooking always managed to bring him out of whatever funk he might have been in. "You know you can't simply skip school to go watch your brother duel."
"Yeah, I know," the young girl reluctantly admitted as she began to eat, "Doesn't mean I have to like it though."
Swallowing the food, Jaden reached over and patted the young brunettes head lightly. "Don't worry Mana, I'll record my duel so you can watch it tonight, sound good?"
"Really?" when Jaden nodded, she threw her arms up with a cheer, "Yes! You're the best big brother ever!"
Téa smiled as she watched the interaction between the two siblings. Even though they weren't related by blood, they were still very close, and cared for each other just as any regular siblings would. Movement from the corner of her eye brought her attention to the duel spirit watching the scene with a fond smile of her own. It never ceased to amaze her just how caring Yubel was when it came to Jaden and his happiness, despite her rather demonic appearance. Catching the spirits eye, she gave her a warm smile, which Yubel returned with a grateful one of her own.
The sound of the front door opening and closing drew the occupant's attention to the entrance of the final member of their small family. Yugi Muto smiled softly as he walked into the kitchen and found his family all together. He was garbed in his preferred casual clothes, consisting of a pair of dark blue pants with a long-sleeved black shirt. Over this he had on a gray sleeveless jacket, with dark blue accents along the edges. He still wore his signature studded, buckled collar, along with matching bracelets and belt, that was fed through the loops properly. A second belt hung off his hip, holding his deck case in place on his right.
"Morning daddy!" as usual, Mana's exuberance led her to be the first one to speak.
Chuckling, Yugi took a seat next to his wife, after giving her a quick kiss in greeting. "Good morning Mana, ready for school?" Jaden, Téa, and Yubel couldn't help but laugh as Mana pouted once more. It seemed she was hoping she could try and convince her dad to overrule Téa and let her go with Jaden. Calming his own chuckles down, Yugi turned to his adopted son, "Morning Jaden, ready for the exam today?"
"You know it," Jaden answered with a confidence that had both Yugi and Téa smiling. If there was one thing Jaden excelled at, it was dueling. Yugi, having seen the potential Jaden possessed when they had first met and took it upon himself to teach him everything he knew about the game. Now, Jaden was perhaps one of the top duelists in the country, if not the world. The only reason he hadn't gone pro already, was because Yugi and Téa both wanted Jaden to have as normal a childhood as possible. After everything that had happened to him, and all of the responsibilities that came about because of it, he deserved as much normality in life as could be had.
"Then I can only wish you the best of luck. I know you'll do us all proud son."
"Thanks, dad. That means a lot to me." Jaden's heartfelt reply brought even brighter smiles to his adoptive parents faces. The times when Jaden called either of them 'mom and dad' were few and far between, and they cherished every one of those moments. Mana, picking up on her brother's mood, leaned into his side and gave him a hug, one which he gladly returned.
Glancing at the clock, Téa stood up from her seat, taking everyone's dirty dishes with her and placing them in the sink. "Well we better get going soon or we'll be late. We still need to drop Mana off at school before we get you over to the testing center Jaden." Her children nodded, both of them gathering their things. "You going to come with us Yugi?"
"Not this time, unfortunately," the King of Games said as he stood up and gave her another kiss on the cheek, "Kaiba asked me to stop by as soon as possible to help run through some final checks of the new prototype duel disk they've been working on."
"Okay, have fun, and tell Kaiba and Mokuba I said hi."
Jaden and Mana chose that moment to walk back into the room, each with a backpack hanging off their shoulders, and in Jaden's case, a duel disk strapped to his arm. "Mom, did you just use the words 'Kaiba' and 'fun' in the same sentence?" said teen asked with a smirk, eliciting a giggle from his sister and a chuckle from the elder Muto's, "I didn't think that was possible."
"Alright you two, ready to go?" asked Téa.
"Yep, all set." Mana simply nodded while her brother answered. With some more hugs all around, the three headed towards the garage and got into one of the Muto family's cars, a vibrant red Chevrolet Camaro convertible. As they pulled out of the garage and started down the road, Jaden took the time to close his eyes and reminisce about how much his life had changed.
As fate would have it, Yugi and Téa had been nearby on a date when the incident in the alley occurred. Yugi, having an intimate understanding of the nature of Shadow Games, had easily sensed and recognized the power that had erupted from Jaden, even from a couple blocks away. They had arrived shortly after to find the alley completely destroyed, and an unconscious Jaden lying at the heart of the devastation, with nothing else in sight, except for his faithful guardian.
Yubel had begged them to help, and they had been all too willing to do so. They had taken Jaden to a nearby hospital for treatment, and while he was being cared for, Yugi had questioned Yubel about the power he had sensed previously. Though she was hesitant at first, clearly still upset about what had happened, she had eventually relented and told the couple of what had transpired in the alley, and what it signified for her young charge.
To say the young couple were horrified at what had transpired was an understatement. That a child had witnessed his parents' murder first hand was heartbreaking, but they had sworn then and there that they would do everything they could to help. To that end, Yugi had immediately contacted the two people he knew could be of the most help in this situation, Seto Kaiba and Maximillion Pegasus. Kaiba had felt especially responsible for what happened, seeing as it was his contest that had ultimately caused the Yuki family to wind up in the situation they did. In an attempt to help make up for what happened, Kaiba had sent his own personal security to investigate the scene, while his companies' lawyers put together a legal defense in case some moron decided to place blame for what happened on a traumatized six-year-old.
Pegasus had surprisingly been in town on business when he received the call, and had rushed over to the hospital as soon as he could. When he arrived, he had asked Yubel if there was anything, she could think of that might help make Jaden happy. He wanted to do what he could to help ease the pain of loss that awaited the young boy when he finally awoke. Yubel had told him about how excited Jaden was about his card designs winning KaibaCorp's contest, and that he hoped that one day they would be made into real, official cards. Sadly, most of those designs had been destroyed when Jaden awakened and unleashed his powers, all except for one, Elemental Hero Neos. The former holder of the Millennium Eye immediately offered to personally create the card himself, something Yubel knew Jaden would be incredibly grateful for.
It took two days for Jaden to wake up, and in that time, Yubel had not left his side once. Much to her surprise, the Muto's had been a constant presence in Jaden's hospital room as well. They had been present when Jaden woke, and had sat with him as he cried and grieved over the loss of his family. Not long after Jaden had woken up, Pegasus had arrived, and much to the young boy's surprise, had presented him with the only existing copy of the new Elemental Hero Neos. Thankfully, the creation of Neos had done what everyone hoped it would, brought a much-needed source of joy into Jaden's life.
That joy however, took a small hit the following day. When it came time for Jaden to be released from the hospital, social services had been ready at the door, waiting to cart Jaden off to a foster home. The thought of going to live with complete strangers, people he had never even met was a terrifying thought, especially after everything he had just been through. Téa easily picked up on this, and had generously offered Jaden the choice of coming to stay with her and Yugi, an offer the young boy readily accepted, having become somewhat attached to the couple over their time together.
Time passed, and slowly Jaden had come to truly think of the Muto's household as home. The young couple were kind, caring, and always did their best to include Jaden in whatever it was they were doing. It was a couple of months after the incident, on Jaden's seventh birthday, when Yugi and Téa had given him the best gift he could've ever asked for.
The chance to, officially, be a part of a family again.
When they had shown him the adoption papers, he couldn't keep his joy and happiness contained. He had tackled them both in the fiercest hug a seven-year-old could muster, all the while muttering 'yes' over and over again. That day, Jaden had legally become a member of the Muto family, and he couldn't have been happier.
Jaden was pulled from his reminiscing as the car came to a stop. They had stopped in front of Mana's school, Domino Elementary. "Alright Mana, have a good day at school," Téa said as she turned around to face her daughter.
"I'd still rather go watch Jaden duel." Despite her obvious reluctance, Mana unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned forward to give her mom a kiss on the cheek. "Love you mom."
"Love you too dear. I'll be here to pick you up after school ends."
"Ok," turning to her brother, the young girl gave him the best hug she could from the backseat, "Love you big bro; make sure to kick some butt in your duel!"
Grinning, Jaden placed a kiss on top of his sister's head, returning the hug. "Love you too sis, and you can bet I will." With one last smile, Mana hopped out of the car and went over to join a group of her friends as they walked into the school together.
From the school it didn't take long to reach the testing center, a domed building situated on top of a small hill at the edge of town. They drew a fair bit of attention from the students in line at the registration table as they pulled up. Putting the car in park, Téa gave her oldest a bright smile as he gave his deck a quick shuffle before inserting it into his duel disk. "All set?"
"You know it," Jaden said with a smirk, eager to face his next challenge. He had developed quite the competitive streak from training with his adoptive father, and he always relished dueling a strong opponent.
"Then get in there and show them what Jaden Yuki-Muto can do."
Smiling, Jaden wrapped his adoptive mother in a hug, one she gladly returned. "Thanks mom, I'll make you and dad proud. Promise."
"You already have sweetie." With that parting statement, Téa placed a kiss on Jaden's forehead before he got out of the car and made his way over to the registration table.
Ignoring the curious looks from his fellow applicants, Jaden waited patiently for his turn to register. Taking the time to observe his potential future classmates, he noted the air of nervous anticipation that seemed to radiate from everyone around him. Jaden hid a smirk as the line slowly moved forward; he could understand why everyone seemed so nervous, after all Duel Academy was a place that could make or break a career in the pro-leagues, and no one wanted to mess up their chances of getting accepted. Even though he understood their fears, he still had to wonder why everyone seemed so nervous about this part of the test, after all, it was just another duel as far as he was concerned.
'It may be just another duel to you Jaden,' Yubel began as she appeared on her kings right, smirking as well. 'But you have to remember, not everyone has been trained by the King of Games since childhood.'
'I know that Yubel, but still, this should be the easy part of the test. I was more nervous during the written exam.' Yubel had to suppress a smirk as Jaden gave off a small shiver at the mention of written tests. It wasn't that he lacked intelligence or anything, quite the opposite in fact, but Jaden had never been a fan of any kind of written assessment, preferring instead to demonstrate what he had learned through practical application.
Turning away from his faithful duel spirit as he reached the front of the line, Jaden gave his name to the attendants, signed in and quickly made his way inside, ignoring the looks he was getting from everyone that had heard his name.
"Sometimes I really wish they'd stop with all the damn staring," Jaden mumbled, as he walked up to the barrier leading to the stands overlooking the massive dueling arena below. There was a total of four full-sized dueling fields in the arena, each one currently sectioned off to prevent participants from being distracted. All of them were currently in use with applicants taking on duel proctors to determine whether or not they'd make it into the illustrious school.
'You're the eldest son of two major celebrities, it would be more surprising if they didn't stare at you.'
Jaden gave his guardian a light withering glare, having caught the humor in her tone. Sighing in exasperation as she flashed him a smirk, he turned back to looking around the arena. One thing that immediately caught his attention was the number of students already dressed in Academy blazers occupying the stands. Most likely the upperclassman interested in seeing how the new freshman stack up. Smirking at the thought, Jaden turned back to watching the duels as he waited for his turn, 'If they want to see what we freshman can do, I'll be happy to show them.'
Hearing the silent declaration, Yubel's previous smirk grew into a vicious grin, now even more eager to watch her king decimate some poor fool in a duel.
In another part of the arena, the typical stands were replaced with several rows of benches with counter tops placed in front. This was the area where the members of the Duel Academy staff sat and evaluated each of the duels as they occurred. Sitting among the general Academy staff was an individual that at first glance many would have incorrectly identified as a woman, given his long blonde ponytail and the makeup he had on. Dr. Vellian Crowler watched on with his arms crossed, as another applicant managed to barely scrape out a victory. 'Another slacker for the Academy,' he thought with disdain. Even though he was the Vice-Chancellor of Duel Academy, and had a fair bit of sway in determining an applicant's dorm, it wasn't enough in his mind.
The only way to prevent those he believed to be slackers from entering the Academy was for them to lose their entrance duel. Sadly, since all duel proctors were required to use an exam deck, it was fairly common for applicants to pass. As he pondered on the 'injustice' of having slackers in his academy, one of the members of the hired security team approached and handed over a list of the next batch of applicants that had arrived to take their tests. A sudden thought occurred to Crowler as his colleagues began looking over the list of names, and pairing the students off against proctors.
"Pardon me gentlemen," his rather grating voice immediately caught their attention, "But I'm starting to become a little stiff just sitting up here. Inform the duel proctor for Field 4 that I will be taking over for a while to loosen up a bit." Though they were surprised by the sudden decision, none of the staff had the courage to question the Vice-Chancellor about it.
Absently picking up one of the test decks, Crowler smirked as he made his way down to the dueling field. 'It's time I showed these slackers that they don't belong here at Duel Academy.'
The stands had slowly started to fill up as more and more applicants arrived to take their test. Jaden paid those around him little mind, keeping most of his focus on the duels taking place as he waited for his turn. He had already noted several people that he thought would be interesting to duel in the future.
An explosion drew the reincarnated king's attention to the dueling field below where he was standing. He frowned slightly when he saw yet another applicant being defeated by the fields new blonde-haired duel proctor.
"Jeez, that's the fifth person that guys failed. Talk about harsh." What was even worse in his opinion was that the guy didn't even seem to care that he had essentially just crushed an aspiring duelists chance at furthering his career. Even going as far as to try and demean the poor kid with some snide comments.
"That's Dr. Crowler," a rather timid voice said from his right. Turning to see the speaker, Jaden found a cyan-haired teen with round glasses resting on his nose. He was dressed in his own school uniform; a navy-blue turtle-neck coat and matching pants with plain sneakers. What really made him stand out was his shorter stature, just reaching Jaden's shoulder in height. "He's the head of the Obelisk Blue Boy's Dorm, and he's got a reputation for disliking anyone that's not already an Obelisk."
"Wow, sounds like a real asshole to me," Jaden's blunt statement surprised his companion, especially since it was in regards to one of their future teachers. "Oh, my name's Jaden by the way."
"Syrus Truesdale," the now named Syrus replied. "Anyway Jaden, have you dueled yet?"
Jaden shook his head in the negative. "Not yet."
"You nervous?"
"Nope. Dueling's what I'm best at," he said with confidence. "How about you Syrus?"
"Yeah," the shorter boy said a little shakily, "Though to be honest, I'm really surprised I managed to win. See, I have this thing where I get test anxiety…" he trailed off, feeling ashamed of his perceived shortcomings.
Jaden immediately picked up on the shift in Syrus' mode. His older brother instincts kicked in as he reached over and gave Syrus a rather strong pat on the back, causing the smaller boy to stumble forward slightly. "Hey, don't get so down Syrus. You passed the test, and you're in the Academy! That's all that matters bud," he said with a smile, which got wider when Syrus returned it with a hesitant one of his own.
"Jaden Yuki, please report to Duel Field Four. Jaden to Duel Field Four." The sound of the intercom caught both boys' attention.
"Field Four?" exclaimed Syrus, eyes widening, "That's the field Dr. Crowler's on!"
"Well, guess I get to be the one to put an end to the good doctors winning streak." Jaden shared a smirk with Yubel, both of them eager to knock Crowler down a peg or two. The interaction went unnoticed by Syrus, who was fretting over the fact that his new friend might not get into the Academy now. Placing a firm hand on the smaller boy's shoulder, Jaden gave it a reassuring squeeze calming the boy down somewhat, "Relax Syrus, there's nothing to worry about."
"But Jaden…!" he began, only for Jaden to flash him a smirk as he made his way down to the dueling field. Syrus was surprised by the sheer confidence that Jaden seemed to have in himself, something that he silently envied. Though his worries were still present, he put them to the back of his mind, and decided to trust in Jaden. "Go get 'em Jaden."
Meanwhile, Crowler was feeling rather proud of himself, having prevented five more slackers from joining the Academy. He may have been using one of the pathetic exam decks, but that didn't prevent him from absolutely humiliating all of the second rate rejects he had faced so far. "Now if only all of the duel proctors treated their opponents like this, then we wouldn't have to worry about slackers attending this school ever again," he muttered as he waited for his next victim to arrive.
He didn't have to wait long as the platform on the opposite side of the field rose up.
Jaden stood on the opposite side of the duel field, a battle city duel disk strapped to his left arm. Now that he was closer, he honestly had to fight back a cringe as he took in his opponents' appearance. An altered Obelisk Blue blazer with gold, tasseled shoulder pads, and large pink ruffles poking out of the sleeves and collar; that combined with his odd makeup choice made for a rather unappealing visage.
'I'm honestly not sure whether we're dealing with a confused transvestite, or an amateur crossdresser.' Jaden couldn't help but agree with Yubel as he readied his deck and deployed his duel disk.
"Alright, test time," Crowler began, "So, son, your name?"
"My name? They just said it loud and clear over the intercom a second ago. Or is your hearing as bad as your fashion sense?" the Academy students present gasped in shock at Jaden's bold statement, though several could be seen fighting the urge to laugh.
"I beg your pardon!?" the Obelisk Headmasters fury was almost palpable and his screech borderline deafening.
Jaden simply smirked, readying himself for his duel. "Guess I got my answer. Your hearing really is that bad."
In the stands, sitting among some other Duel Academy students, was a group of three boys, all of them garbed in the standard Obelisk Blue uniform. One member of the trio had brown, spiky hair and a slightly tanner complexion compared to his companions. "Man, talk about lip. This kid has got some attitude, don't 'cha think Chazz?"
"No kidding," the second member of the group, a bespectacled teen said. His blue hair was combed to one side, leaving a single large, wavy bang to frame the right side of his face. "With that kind of attitude, he must either be really good, or really stupid. What do you think, Chazz?"
The final teen, the aforementioned Chazz, leaned back in his seat as he observed the duel that was about to begin. "I think you're right Taiyou, this kid does seem pretty stupid. It should be pretty entertaining to watch Crowler destroy our mouthy little friend," he finished as a cruel smirk spread across his features. The trio shared a chuckle at that, each anticipating the humiliating defeat Crowler was sure to give Jaden.
Down on the field, Crowler had turned away from his opponent and was currently biting into a handkerchief. 'How dare this slacker make a mockery of me!? I am the top professor at the worlds premier dueling school, I deserve to be treated with respect!' Casting a scathing glare at Jaden, who wasn't fazed in the slightest, Crowler decided that he wasn't going to hold back on this particular applicant. His back still facing Jaden, the Obelisk Headmaster subtlety pulled the exam deck out of his duel vest, and replaced it with his own personal deck.
Smirking at his own cleverness, Crowler activated his duel vest and turned to face Jaden. 'I'll show this slacker what happens when you mess with me; and since I'm using my own deck, it'll be all the sweeter when I defeat him!'
"Duel!" both competitors declared as they drew their opening hands.
Jaden: 4000 LP
Crowler: 4000 LP
"Here we go," said Jaden as he drew his sixth card with a flourish. A familiar disembodied squeak made him blink, before he smiled at what he had drawn. 'Hey Winged Kuriboh, where have you been lately?' the spirit of Winged Kuriboh appeared next to Jaden and began to float around excitedly, squeaking all the while. 'Family reunion huh? Bet that was a fun time, but now, how's about helping me win this duel?' this time Kuriboh's squeak was decidedly more determined. Looking at his hand, Jaden smirked as he glanced at Crowler, 'Time to bring this guy down a few pegs.'
"I'll start by summoning Winged Kuriboh, in attack mode!" as the familiar tuft of brown fur with wings appeared, a collective 'aww' resounded throughout the arena.
'Winged Kuriboh: Atk 300/Def 200, Level 1, Light Attribute, Fairy/Effect- If this card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: For the rest of this turn, you take no battle damage.'
Not everyone was as appreciative of Kuriboh however, as Crowler made his opinion known. "A Kuriboh?" he scoffed, "Please don't insult me. I am a master tactician, I know virtually every duel monster's technique ever devised. There is nothing to be gained by having a monster like that in your deck. Quite the amateurish mistake I must say."
"Well no one asked for your opinion, did they?" Jaden shot back. There were only two things that could really get him angry, and insulting his deck was one of them. "But whatever, not like it's gonna matter. Next, I'm going to activate the spell card Transcendent Wings. Now by sacrificing Winged Kuriboh and two cards from my hand, I can summon out Winged Kuriboh LV10!" Sliding two cards into the graveyard caused a light to envelope Winged Kuriboh. From that light, two massive, feathered wings unfurled to reveal that Winged Kuriboh was now coated in golden armor that gave him the appearance of a dragon. "Lastly, I'll place two cards facedown to protect him and call it a turn," the brunette said as he placed his remaining two cards into his spell/trap card zone.
'Winged Kuriboh LV10: Atk 300/Def 200, Level 10, Light Attribute, Fairy/Effect- Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Must be Special Summoned with "Transcendent Wings" and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. During your opponent's Battle Phase: You can Tribute this face-up card; destroy all Attack Positionmonsters your opponent controls and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the combined original ATK of those destroyed monster(s).'
"Oh please," Crowler sneered as he caught the card his vest ejected, "All of that for a monster that barely has any attack points? You must be more of an amateur than I first thought. No matter, this duel will be over soon enough." Placing his new card into his hand, the gender-confused professor smirked in delight when he discovered he had all of the cards he needed to win this duel in one turn. 'Seems today is my lucky day. I can humiliate this slacker and show off the true power of my deck at the same time.'
Up above the stands, on a private observation area, was where a select few Duel Academy students were permitted to watch the duels. Among these students, was a stunning young woman who drew a fair bit of attention from the male population. Her long, dark blonde hair flowed down to the small of her back, several bangs framing her beautiful features. Dressed in the white vest and blue miniskirt of the Obelisk Girl's uniform, she made for a stunning vision.
"He's certainly an interesting one, don't you think Zane?" she questioned her companion, her melodious voice carrying over the sounds of the stands below.
"Perhaps." Unlike most, she hardly blinked at the sharp, disinterested tone that answered her question. Stepping up to the rail revealed her companion to be a young man in his later teens. His dark blue hair fell down to the base of his neck, with a row of bangs covering his forehead, ending just above his sharp blue eyes. The typical senior Obelisk Blue Boy's uniform he wore was slightly modified, ending in two pointed coattails, making him stand out more among the crowds. "Though I can't say much about his respect for authority."
"You can't really blame the guy. I mean professor or not, you don't insult someone's deck. That's just low."
"True," Zane conceded as he crossed his arms, "But Crowler does have a point Alexis. Most Kuriboh cards aren't really worth much of anything. Makes you wonder what he's got planned."
"Whatever it is, we'll find out soon enough." Alexis said, leaning on the palm of her hand.
"Oh man, what's Jaden thinking?" Syrus exclaimed, hands on the rail in front of him, "Why would he summon that kind of monster in attack mode? Its attack points are way too low! He's practically asking to be attacked!"
"That might very well be his plan," a thick British accent spoke from the Syrus' left. The owner of the voice was revealed to be a young man dressed in a white school uniform with gray trim. His slicked back black hair was angled to the left slightly, with two silver highlights running back from his temples. "Depending on just what those facedown cards are, your friend could very well turn any move of Dr. Crowler's to his advantage."
"What? He wants to be attacked? Wait a sec, who're you?"
The teen's gray eyes widened slightly when he realized that he hadn't introduced himself yet. "My apologies, I'm Bastion Misawa, and you are?"
"Uhh, Syrus, Syrus Truesdale," the cyanette answered, before his eyes widened. "Wait, Bastion Misawa? You got the highest score on the written test out of all of us applicants!"
Bastion gave a small awkward grin at the declaration, before turning his attention back to the duel. "You flatter me, but right now your friend is the interesting one. He is taking a large risk, but if he's played the right cards, it could be quite the ingenious turn around."
"I sure hope so," Syrus mumbled as he turned back to the duel as well.
Crowler's smirk hadn't lessened even a little, if anything only getting wider as he held up one of the cards in his hand. "Now my young scholar, it's time to begin your first, and final lesson at this Academy! To start, I'll activate the spell card Heavy Storm! With this, I can now destroy every other spell and trap card out on the field." A strong gust of wind blew across the field, forcing Jaden to shield his face just as his two facedown's exploded into polygons.
"Well that was quick," Jaden mumbled, lowering his arms as the wind died down. 'From what I know, a card that powerful would never be used in one of the examination decks.'
'You're right,' Yubel spoke from her place beside her king, 'Seems he didn't take kindly to your earlier jokes. He likely switched out the test deck for his personal deck when he had his back towards you.'
'Yeah, probably,' he conceded, though he continued to smirk, 'Still, that just means this should be more interesting.' Smirking as well, the demonic looking spirit faded from sight, likely back into Jaden's deck to rest.
"Now let me show you a real monster! I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound, in attack mode." Placing the card on his right most monster zone led to a robotic canine appearing on Crowler's right. The monster was comprised of several gears and was covered in rusted, dark green armor. "And when he is successfully normal summoned, you take six hundred points of direct damage! Sick him my hound, Canine Cannon!" Tensing its legs, the mechanized hound opened its jaws and launched a ball of energy that struck Jaden directly.
Jaden: 3400 LP
Crowler: 4000 LP
'Ancient Gear Hunting Hound: Atk 1000/Def 1000, Level 3, Earth Attribute, Machine/Effect- If this card is Normal Summoned: Inflict 600 damage to your opponent. If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step. Once per turn: You can Fusion Summon 1 "Ancient Gear" Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or field as Fusion Materials.'
"Hang on," said the blue haired Taiyou, "Ancient Gear monsters and Heavy Storm? Cards those powerful would never be in one of the test decks, Crowler must be using his own!"
"Well then, things just got a lot more entertaining," Chazz said with a smirk, leaning back further into his seat. "I'm really going to enjoy watching this now."
On the observation deck, Alexis did not share her fellow Obelisk's opinion. "Seriously? First he insults his deck, and now he's bullying some applicant with his very best cards? How much more of an elitist snob can you be?"
"You're being too soft Alexis," Zane said, his face as impassive as always, "I just hope we get a chance to see some of the rare cards that Crowler has stashed away in that deck of his. They're said to have some quite devastating effects." The blonde beauty simply shrugged, though she silently admitted that seeing such rare cards in action would definitely be interesting.
"But I'm far from done," the blonde man continued. "Now I'll activate his second ability. You see young scholar, once per turn, my Hound allows me to fusion summon an Ancient Gear fusion monster by using monsters from my hand or field as the materials."
"Fusion summoning without a fusion card?" Jaden couldn't completely keep the surprise out of his voice, and no one could blame him. It was rare to come across a monster that actually allowed someone to perform a fusion without the need for an actual fusion card.
"Yes!" grabbing two of his four remaining cards, the Obelisk Headmaster revealed them to his opponent. "And with the Ancient Gear Golem and Ancient Gear in my hand, along with Hunting Hound on my field, I can fusion summon the strongest monster in my deck!" Gasps rang out across the entire arena as Crowler revealed the fusion material monsters. Ancient Gear Golem was known to be an incredibly rare and powerful card. That Crowler was using it in a fusion summoning meant that whatever he was creating had to be just as powerful, if not more so. "Rise, Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem!"
The monster that appeared was absolutely massive, easily towering over the dueling field. It bore a resemblance to that of a centaur, with the lower half consisting of four powerful legs and three cable-like tails. The top half appeared similar to the Ancient Gear Golem, though the armor was slightly thicker and more elaborate. One key difference however was that the monsters left arm was replaced with a massive silver claw, with two large gears sticking out. Only adding to the impressive image was the fact that the monster was comprised entirely of the dented, gray metal and rusted gears that was the signature of the Ancient Gear series.
'Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem: Atk 4400/Def 3400, Level 10, Earth Attribute, Machine/Fusion/Effect- "Ancient Gear Golem" + 2 "Ancient Gear" monsters. Must be Fusion Summoned. If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercingbattle damage. If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step. If this card is destroyed: You can target 1 "Ancient Gear Golem" in your GY; Special Summon it, ignoring its Summoning conditions.'
"4400 attack points!? How's Jaden supposed to get out of this now?"
"Indeed," said Bastion, "Things look quite bleak for your friend at the moment. Thanks to Crowler's Heavy Storm, he no longer has any spell or trap cards to help protect his monster. On top of that, he has no cards left in his hand. Simply put, it looks hopeless."
"No way," stunned disbelief colored Syrus' tone as he watched on with wide eyes. Jaden was one of the few people that had been friendly to him all his life, and actually seemed to want to be his friend. But now, all of his hopes for the potential friendship were about to crumble. "There's got to be something he can do to turn this around!"
"So that's Crowler's most powerful monster, Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem." It was hard to tell unless you knew Zane personally, but Alexis could easily detect the hint of surprise as he spoke. "I've only ever heard rumors and speculation about that card. I honestly wasn't sure if it existed or not."
"Well it looks like those rumors were true. To think that Crowler had a monster like that hidden away in his deck all this time," Alexis trailed off as she glanced over at Jaden, standing directly opposite the behemoth of a monster. "Still, it's kind of sad that the only reason we're getting to see such a powerful monster is at that guy's expense. There's no way he can win this thing now, not without any spells or traps to protect his monster."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Alexis." Said blonde beauty looked at Zane, her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Take a closer look at him, he doesn't seem worried in the least. In fact, he's staring down that rare and powerful monster, and he doesn't seem to be worried at all." It was true, even after Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem had been summoned, the calm confidence that Jaden had shown almost the entire match was still present. "Normally I'd think it was simply false bravado and inexperience, but the way this guy carries himself is too natural for it to be either of those. He has experience dueling high level, powerful monsters; and judging by his confidence now, he still has a plan to win this duel."
"But how? He doesn't have any cards in his hand, and the only thing on his field is that Winged Kuriboh… LV10!" Alexis' eyes widened even more as she put the pieces together. "Of course! The only reason such a high-level monster would have so few attack points, is if it has a powerful special ability!"
"My thoughts exactly Alexis; and I think we're about to see just how powerful that special ability is."
Gleeful cackling filled the arena as Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem settled behind its master. "Behold my most powerful monster!" Jaden couldn't help but cringe at the sheer euphoria that seemed to emanate from the gender confused professor. He was honestly enjoying this a bit too much. "You should feel honored you slacker! Not everyone can claim to have been defeated by a monster as powerful as this!"
"You monster may be powerful Crowler, but to be honest, it's not all that impressive." The nonchalance with which Jaden made his rather flippant statement sent shockwaves all throughout the arena. "All things considered, that Ultimate Golem of yours is rather tame compared to some of the monsters I've faced before."
It was true. Being raised by the King of Games, and growing up around some of the world's greatest duelists, it wasn't surprising that he would have dueled them all at some point in time. Kaiba especially had a knack for not holding back. He had faced the mans Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon a total of four times so far, and he could safely say that it was way more impressive than Crowler's monster.
As one would expect, Crowler didn't take kindly to Jaden's little comment. His body began trembling as he finally lost what little cool he had retained during the duel. "I've had enough of you, you worthless slacker! It's time I destroyed you, the same way I destroyed all of the other pathetic dropouts who applied to my Academy! Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem, attack with Crushing Mechanized Melee!"
Watching as the behemoth of a monster reared its left clawed fist back to strike, Jaden smirked. "Just what I was hoping for."
"What?" Crowler gasped, startled out of his angered thoughts.
"Man, for a master tactician you really overlooked one important detail. See, even though my Winged Kuriboh LV10 doesn't have a lot of attack points, his sweet special ability more than makes up for it." Crowler's eyes widened as Winged Kuriboh began to glow with a white light. "During my opponents battle phase, I can sacrifice him in order to destroy every monster on your field that's in attack mode! Do your thing pal!"
Winged Kuriboh gave off an echoing squeak as the glow around him intensified. The moment Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem's fist struck the light, shockwaves were created. Unfortunately for Crowler, those shockwaves were directed back at his prized monster causing cracks to appear along the length of it.
"Oh, I almost forgot the best part." With a grin on his face, Jaden dropped the final bomb that would seal his victory. "For every monster that's destroyed with this effect, you take damage equal to those monsters original attack points. Which means…"
"He won!" Syrus gasped out in surprise and happiness.
"That's game," Jaden finished as Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem finally succumbed, and fell apart. The teen duelist found it rather comical that the broken pieces all ended up falling on top of a shell-shocked Crowler.
Jaden: 3400 LP
Crowler: 0 LP
Said blonde male had his eyes wide in disbelief as the holograms faded from view. 'Impossible!' his shock and disbelief carried over into his thoughts, 'There's… there's no way this delinquent could defeat me! How could this happen!?'
"Just who in the world are you!?" he asked, still laying on the ground from where his monster had fallen on him.
Jaden glanced over his shoulder at his defeated opponent, having turned to exit the arena. "Well, I guess I should properly introduce myself. After all, they didn't get my name quite right when they announced it." Turning around to face the Obelisk Headmaster, he flashed a smirk as he pointed a thumb at his chest. "My full name is Jaden Yuki-Muto, nice to meet you."
A resounding gasp echoed throughout the arena at the mention of his true name, not that Jaden was all that surprised at this point. Though the staring and pointing were annoying, he had gotten used to it for the most part, especially when he was around other duelists.
Yugi and Téa, being known celebrities, often ended up giving several interviews a year. Whenever a question about their family was asked, the both of them had always spoken about him and Mana with love and pride. That was one of the things he loved most about his adoptive parents, they loved and cared for him just as much as Mana, their own flesh and blood daughter; and the fact that they weren't afraid to tell the whole world that always brought a warmth to his heart.
"N-no way," Crowler stuttered in stunned disbelief. Jaden Yuki-Muto, the son of Yugi Muto, the King of Games was said to be a dueling prodigy. Rumors about the young prodigy were abound, some even claiming that he regularly defeated professional level duelist in private matches.
"Well, since I won, that means I made the Academy." Turning around again, Jaden began walking off towards the stands, "See you in class, teach."
Alexis watched the young man as he walked back over to a stunned Syrus, and introduced himself to Bastion. She couldn't keep the smile off her face as she watched him interact with his friends.
'Jaden Yuki-Muto,' she thought whimsically, 'He definitely has a future here.'
There you have it! Hope you enjoyed it. Also, I've done a lot of research and planning for this, one of which is the improvement of certain characters decks. You'll see some new strategies and cards appearing all throughout this story. If you have any suggestions for decks that some OC's or miscellaneous characters could use, send them my way. Though I warn you, THERE WILL BE NO SYNCHRO, XYZ, PENDULUM OR LINK SUMMONING IN THIS STORY. So if you've got a deck suggestions make sure it fits that criteria, or provide a BELIEVEABLE alternative to card effects.
Till next time.
Wolf out!
