Chapter One – Entrance Exam
The stands surrounding the four duel- arenas were packed with spectators; watching the remaining dualists finishing their exams, as the PA system blared an announcement for all students who'd passed their entrance- tests to proceed to the registration desks.
Then the 'late applicant' arrived; also wanting to take the test.
When the news first reached 'Doctor' Crowler, he tried to push it off; "Well, tell the truant that he'll have to come back next year." The other proctors started to protest, but then Crowler's phone rang: It was Chancellor Sheppard, Headmaster of Duel Academy; calling to remind him that he didn't want a repeat of "last year's mishap". It was out of his hands now, 'officially', at least... He got to his feet, "Pardon me; I'll be right back."
One of the other proctors also stood, "But... Who's going to be the boy's duel proctor, and which exam- deck should we use?"
Dr. Crowler smirked, "Oh... Leave that to me." He turned, and made his way down to the arena: He would deal with the late- arrival himself – and with his own duel- deck.
Half an hour later;
Doctor Crowler's life- points hit zero, and a chorus of stunned exclamations rose from the crowd... None of them had ever come across a duellist like this before: He fought with an Elemental/ Evil- Hero deck, and it was an extraordinarily powerful one at that.
Then there was the brief moment when the boy's eyes seemed to change from brown, to a burning gold, though most of the watchers put that down to a trick of the light… What other explanation could there be? If they had been able to see the creature that had materialized next to him at the end of the duel, they would have been truly afraid.
YUBEL: 'This was a waste of time... He was no worthy opponent.'
JADEN: 'No; he wasn't… Hopefully there'll be some once we reach the academy though."
YUBEL: 'Will I be able to fight any of them?' – There was a slight edge to her voice.
JADEN: 'We've been over this already: If the signs we've sensed are any indicator, the next three years or so will prove to be very... 'Interesting'. It would be best for us to wait until we know the lay of the land, before we reveal our true nature – or the full extent of our abilities.'
YUBEL: '{Sigh}… Fine.'
The boy had made an impression, though; and before the hour was out, his name was common knowledge: Jaden Yuki.
Later, on the plane to Academy Island;
Not long after Jaden had boarded the academy- bound plane, now wearing the red blazer that identified him as a member of the 'Slipher Red Dorm', he heard a nervous voice say "Uh ... Is anyone sitting there?"
Looking up, Jaden saw the short, blue- haired boy he'd been talking to, briefly, before his exam. Jaden shrugged, and said, "Sure… Seat's free." The other boy sat, and introduced himself as "Cyrus Truesdale". Jaden recognized the name from talking to other students, but he didn't go into it.
The conversation turned to other subjects; mainly the duels they'd watched, during the exams.
A few rows back;
Alexis Rhodes, an Obelisk Blue student, was sitting about five rows behind Jaden and Syrus. Next to her, her friends – Jasmine and Mindy, were chatting about the academy, duels, duellists, and whatever else. Alexis, however, was deep in thought: Something was... 'Different' about that last applicant, that much she new: She'd seen his eyes change color, though she knew better than to say so. She also got the feeling that he hadn't really been trying – despite his defeating Doctor Crowler. Now they were all on their way towards Academy Island, where her brother and six others had disappeared, three years ago, now... The more she thought about it, the more she wanted answers – and she was determined to get them.
A few days later;
A few days after their arrival on Academy Island, and by pure chance, Alexis learned that Chazz, another Obelisk Blue student, and – in her opinion, a jerk with an inflated ego, planned to challenge Jaden to an after- hours duel, in the Obelisk Arena. {He wasn't going around telling people, but she happened to overhear him talking about it with two of his friends.}
This was, of course, against the rules, but she had a feeling that any punishment would fall harder on Jaden, and she hadn't gotten any of the answers she'd wanted.
So she went to the arena at the same time, as they would've been there, just in case: If she was lucky, she might get some useful information.
When she arrived, the duel was already underway. Unfortunately, Syrus was also there; so there'd be no opportunity to get information out of Jaden. But she was here now: Might as well see how this played- out. So she made her presence known, saying, "I had a feeling I'd find you guys here." She also explained about the rule banning after- hours duels, adding, "But let me guess: Chazz didn't tell you."
The duel was cut- short before either dualist 'officially' won, though, so they could avoid being caught by academy security. At the time, though, Chazz did seem to have the upper hand…
It was only after Alexis had shown Jaden and Syrus the back- way out, that Jaden showed her that the last card he'd drawn: 'Monster Reborn'… A card that would've won him the duel – if he'd had the chance to play it.
That came as a surprise to her, and made her even more determined to get her answers.
To be continued…
