Edit: 23/01/2016:
Hello! Kitsune is back! I apologize to everyone who's been waiting so long for a new chapter of this story and I promise you that I won't keep you waiting any longer! I've been off simply because I'm struggling with my depression and my anxiety, even more so of late and it's given me the added side-effect of mood swings and I've just lost a lot of inspiration. *droops ears*
But! *perks up!* I made a resolution to myself that I would get back into typing and give myself an outlet so that I can do something more productive and not mope about all day. I've gotten some new ideas for ALL my current fics so I will be updating a new chapter for EACH ONE (currently active) within the next four weeks. (If not, then guaranteed before March.)
So for now, this is me making small edits to the chapters currently up and updating them for you all! I've also decided to move the current deck lists off the story and place it in a new 'story' which I will link to at the end of our current chapter count (which is after chapter 15!) *wiggles tails*
Also, this story has gained popularity during the time I've been off! So the current rankings for this story is now... *drum rolls*... SEVENTH! In Favorites and THIRD in Followers! I am so totally floored by the response and that so many people are enjoying this little story of mine! I'm hoping I can keep writing and keep you entertained with what this mind of mine can give to you all. But nevertheless, thanks to EVERYONE for the support, reviews, and for just being awesome readers. *bows deeply*
I'll mention the few major changes I've made in terms of the headers and in terms of duel statistics and the like: namely that I'm using a different format for it, now aligning the score to the center of the heading and not the usual left... plus I'll also now mention how and what effects happened to cause the shift of Life Points (namely Card attacks, trap and spells effects, etc.)
So! Just improved edits for now but EXPECT A NEW CHAPTER SOON! ;)
*(On a side note, I never did do disclaimers for this thing. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own my own ideas, my original characters and plotlines. There are also tidbits from you wonderful readers that have been submitted into this fic and made it as awesome as it is so I will get back to thanking you all individually once I've got the list of who to thank. Nevertheless, thank you!)* X3
(Decided to keep the Text Summary as a one-time thing so it'll be displayed on this chapter only from now on instead of every chapter.)
"Get your game on!" - Talking!
"Well, this'll be fun!" - Whispering voices / Duel Spirits talking!
'How will you fare, I wonder?' - Thoughts / Duel Spirit thoughts!
"Let's Finish This!" - Key Speeches / Haou Speaking!
"Go Jaden!" - Shouting / Loud Voices / Multiple Voices / Duel Spirits Shouting / Multiple Duel Spirits Talking!
(*Card Information; Selected Position!*)
Winner: Jaden Yuki! - Announcements / Speakers!
~Enter The King!~
~The Grand Entrance!~
A smile graced his lips as a lone figure stood on the rooftop of the building complex where his apartment was. Since he found himself unable to sleep, he decided that he would make himself a warm drink and spend the time watching the sunrise bathe the city in her golden rays. All across the rooftops of Domino City, the sunlight beamed down towards the many reflective glass surfaces of the tallest of these buildings, the Kaiba Corporation;the headquarters of one of the most prominent and recognizable duelists of his time, Seto Kaiba.
Like a beacon, the golden rays bounced off the many mirrors of the building, way above and across the city itself. Still being able to see some of the night sky still present, it sent a shiver down his spine; stunned by the magnificence of one of nature's many beauties, illuminating it to a picture that many artists would aspire to capture on a canvas or keep out of a sense of achievement and awe. Finding himself entranced by the view in front of him, he almost missed the soft and silky voice that decided to break the serene silence.
"Jaden?" a soft feminine voice called out, startling the lone figure from his actions.
Jaden Yuki; a seventeen-year old teenager (soon to be eighteen in a few months) turned his head towards the new voice. His thick mane of brown hair, glowing with the morning light, span around to the approaching figure, revealing his bright and content chocolate-coloured eyes. Having experienced most of his life as an orphan, he was grateful to the company that he had longed for over the years. His mother had died shortly in the theater after giving birth to him, leaving him on his own as his father had shortly passed away shortly after receiving the news that he was going to be a father. Thankfully, he had prepared for this and had left his son an account of savings which he rarely touched.
From speaking with people who knew his parents, he soon discovered that his parents were both well-known figures in the tag-team dueling circuit but they both died in the height of their prime. Nevertheless, he developed a love for dueling and took up the game in honour of his deceased and scarce-known parents as something he loved to play and as the last connection he would have to them both.
He smiled as he turned to fully greet the newcomer, revealing his white hooded jacket, with the design of a group photo of five of his duel spirits; the Elemental Heroes. The picture was taken with the original five members before they were expanded and more people joined: Avian, Bubbleman, Burstinatrix, Clayman and Sparkman, all standing in front of a blue light. He took one of his hands out of his black jeans pockets and crossed his feet waiting, showing his white trainers which had been tinted gold by the morning light.
An interesting fact; he discovered that he possessed the ability to talk and interact with his duel spirits: an ability he was grateful for, as his spirits would act like the family he always would have wanted. It made the loneliness of having no-one to turn to much more bearable and it gave him many happy moments as he grew up.
"Hey there." he warmly smiled before turning away to face the sunrise again. "I didn't think you would be up yet."
"I take it you had another bad night, Jaden?" the spirit asked as she made her way over to him and stood next to him near the balcony fence. "Like you, I couldn't sleep and I knew I'd find you here as you always do this when you've had a bad night." she explained as she laid her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her. She was currently wearing a red hoodie, followed with a pair of black jeans which showed off her curvy figure, finished by her calf-high red boots. Her ash-gray hair, with white tips, was tied into a ponytail which left two bangs to fall either side of her face, free from her normal crown which she wears. Her emerald eyes shimmering in the morning light.
"You know me too well, Trix." he softly smiled as he pulled her towards him. "Yeah, another bad night. I couldn't get the voice out of my head and I just couldn't deal with it." he explained, tiredly. She wrapped her arm around his torso and gave him a soft hug in response.
"Just take your time, Jaden. Yubel would say the same thing. We're all worried for you but we're all behind you every step of the way. You've become family to all of us." she warmly smiled as a tear dropped down the side of her face, unconsciously. Jaden noticed this, however, and wiped it away with his thumb before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on her lips; one she had no hesitation in returning as she softly moaned into his mouth.
"I know. I'm so grateful for you all. I really don't know where or what I'd be doing without you all." he replied after the two broke up, resuming their previous stances. "I can't explain it but... it's like you guys are pieces of myself. I feel complete with you around me, giving me some kind of worth. It's all I have until the time comes and I take up my duties." he professed as he closed his eyes as he inhaled her scent. There was a smoky feel to her but he could smell a small amount of jasmine in her ashen-white hair.
"Jay, we feel exactly the same way about you. Despite what anyone else thinks, only you would be brave enough to pursue any kind of relationship with a duel spirit, let alone more than one of us." a new voice spoke up as she carried out two mugs of tea. Similar to Burstinatrix, this new figure wore an orange hoodie with a flame insignia on the front, black jeans which showed her curves and a pair of white leather boots. Her long golden hair flowed freely down her back as her amber eyes absorbed the morning light, giving them a glow. She walked over to the pair and handed the female a cup to drink from before moving herself to the other side of Jaden and leaned against him.
"Thank you. I thought you were working last night? How come you're up so early?" Trix asked as the new female made her way to his free side, snuggling closer into him.
"Yeah, it was. I just seemed to not need the sleep, I guess. You two, on the other hand... couldn't sleep again?" she asked politely as a concerned frown made its way to her face.
"Not last night, no." Jaden sighed as his arm wrapped around the new figure. "I came up here to calm myself down and admire the view. Beautiful, isn't it, Kiyomi? Trix?" he asked the two girls as the three of them made their way towards the lone bench that resided on the rooftop garden.
"Yeah, it's beautiful. It's really peaceful." his Lady Heat spirit replied. Unlike most heroes, they use aliases for themselves while dueling but only Jaden bothers to call them by their proper names; something refreshing for them all.
"I could just fall asleep to this." Burstinatrix off-handedly commented as she snuggled closer to Jaden, as Kiyomi copied her actions from the other side.
"Ya know? That's not a bad idea." he replied, yawning and basking in the warmth he got from the two beautiful women either side of him as he leaned his head on top of Burstinatrix's head, pulling the two girls closer to him as the three of them nodded off in the morning light. Unknown to them, behind them a new figure materialized out of the air, shimmering into view and dressed completely in black. A pair of streamlined black bat wings freed themselves out of her back, which contrasted against her unnaturally-pink skin. Her long, messy silver hair flowed down her back as her heterochromian eyes watched the three of them together, the vertical eye on her forehead remaining closed for the time being as there was no need for it. She gazed down at the three of them, paying a little more attention on the sole male of the group. She softly smiled before she decided she's done what she wanted and returned to her King's deck.
~ETK!~
(Time Skip: Rooftops)
"Jaden?"
"... ngh? W-What?" he groaned, waking up and taking the moment to stretch the kinks out of his body.
"Wake up, Jaden! You're gonna be late for the entrance exams! We haven't got long until they're finished!" Burstinatrix shook him awake, realizing that they overslept.
"What!?" Jaden yelled as he shot up from his spot on the bench, collapsing on the floor in front of them, giving the two females a small giggle as they watched. "O-Oh, yeah! Right! I'll quickly get changed!" he yelled as he flew down the stairs that lead to his room, leaving the two bewildered spirits on the roof.
"What are we gonna do about him, eh?" Kiyomi shook her head, smiling in amusement.
"Changing into uniform would be a good start, right?" Burstinatrix shrugged, not being able to keep her smile off her face as the two spirits faded back to his deck.
~ETK!~
(Time Skip: Domino City Park)
"Excuse me! Sorry ma'am! Running late for an exam!" Jaden yelled, apologizing to everyone as he cut through the park to reach the Examination Hall; where the second stage of the entry exam took place. Checking his watch, he noted he only had ten minutes before this semester's preliminary exams slot closes for another six months. Kicking up the pace, he moved faster to make sure he reached the place in time.
Thinking back to what the three of them were talking about this morning, Jaden recalled the moment where his absent duel spirit, Yubel, had told Jaden about his hidden persona: a guardian spirit that dwells within him. His name is Haou but the full title he had in his previous life was the Supreme King of the Gentle Darkness. Over his childhood years and after a major event occurred in his life, she had sat down and explained to him about the King's life and her connection to him while training Jaden to harness the power of the darkness without it consuming him and turning him into his alter ego's lesser-but-still present sadistic side. She explained to him about some of the cards which the King used in his past life; rewarding Jaden with new cards for the progress he'd make in controlling his powers.
It was while he thought about these things, he had missed the figure that was walking towards him until Jaden ran straight into him and knocked him over. Having fallen over himself, he shook his head. "Sorry about that man! I'm running late for an exam!" he apologized. A deep baritone chuckle came from the other person, causing Jaden's head to snap up as it sounded familiar to him.
"My, my! Being tardy as usual are we, Jaden?" the new voice replied, amused as he dusted himself off and offered his hand to the downed brunette.
"W-Wha...? Y-Yugi!?" the brunette yelled, surprised as he looked upon the face of the 'King of Games' himself. "Geez... how long has it been since I've seen you last? How've you been holding?" Jaden beamed with delight as he took Yugi's hand and got hauled up to his feet.
"I'm fine. I'm reading into some rumours that have been going around but I have no concrete evidence as yet. Nevermind that though, I heard today was the day of your examination, right?" Yugi smiled, reaching into his pocket for something.
"Yeah! I had another bad night last night and ended up dozing off watching the sunrise with Kiyomi and Trix." he sheepishly grinned. Yugi paused for a moment before his features softened slightly before nodding.
"How charming. Here, Pegasus told me that I'd run into you and that he wanted me to hand over these cards to you. 'Fresh off the press and one of them you're gonna love', he said." chuckling, he handed over a few cards for Jaden to inspect. His eyes widened at the new cards he had gotten and gently placed them in the inside pocket of his jacket.
"These are incredible! If you see him before me, tell Pegasus I said thanks and that I love them! Anyways, I gotta go! Don't be a stranger, Yug!" Jaden yelled as he ran off towards his destination, leaving Yugi watching his retreating frame with a warm smile on his face.
"Indeed. Godspeed, Jaden... show them them the power of the 'Elemental King'!" Yugi spoke before turning around and continuing on his way, much happier than he had been.
~ETK!~
(Time Skip: Duel Academy Exam Halls)
She sighed softly as she tapped her pen against the clipboard that sat silently on the table in front of her, wondering how much longer she would need to wait. She wished for something to happen to take her mind off the monotony of her task and occupy her. As if her prayers were heard, she saw a body flop over the park railings and land awkwardly on the floor. She perked up seeing him jump to his feet and run over to where she was sitting. She was so stunned that she didn't hear him but thankfully pulled herself back to attention.
"Gah... h-hey miss! T-This the place for the entry exams?" Jaden panted as he stopped right before her, hunching over as he rested his hands on his knees to recover.
"U-Uh... y-yes sir! May I ask why?" the receptionist politely asked, sitting up more and presenting her a bit more professionally than she was moments before.
"I'm down on the list. Overslept." he grinned sheepishly, still recovering his breath. She quirked an eyebrow before scanning the list of names currently on the paper.
"No problem. Your name?" she giggled.
"Jaden Yuki." he replied with a flourish and a charming grin. Her head snapped up in bewilderment before shaking her head to rescan the list, finding his name and crossing it off.
"The Elemental King himself! May I say it's a pleasure to meet you in person sir! Of course, make your way inside and wait for the announcer to call your name up. Best of luck!" she smiled, bowing once more before sending him a small wink. He winked in return before making a dash for the main hall where the duels were taking place. She watched him run inside and smiled to herself, thanking whoever it was for her answered wish.
For those not familiar with the set-up, there are two stages to the entry exams; a written and a practical exam. Having been schooled by a benefactor of his, he had impressed a lot of the examiners by getting a solid eighty-nine percent on his exam. While a good score, it only counted towards half his final mark since the scores on both of these exams will decide on which rank you will receive and which 'Class' you'll end up in. The three available ranks are:
Slifer Red: the lowest rank of the three dorms. As the Duel Academy was founded by Seto Kaiba himself, he still held a grudge against the 'King of Games' for their rivalry towards one another. This in mind, Yugi's Slifer God card was the lowest of the three ranks, chosen for those who lacked in either dueling skill or their academic studies. While the lowest of the three, it wouldn't be a permanent stay as there would be opportunities of a 'Promotion' to the next higher class, or a 'Demotion' if you are failing to keep up or as a punishment.
Ra Yellow: the middle class of the three. Despite being the most legendary and powerful of the three cards, held by the traitorous Marik Ishtar, Kaiba was apathetic towards the monster. This dorm was for those who did extremely well on their exams, getting within the top fifteen percent of scores.
Obelisk Blue: the elite dorm, according to Kaiba. Of course, this is only because he held the Obelisk God card and it was a massive boost to his ego. However, this was the most corrupt rank as most people in this dorm comes from wealth and prestigious backgrounds, forcing Kaiba's hands as he needed to keep his reputation as being impartial and unbiased. While people knew this wasn't the case, they never brought this fact to light out of respect for the man himself.
Moving his way towards the hall, he found a whole block of seats being unoccupied by anyone, so he made his way towards one of the higher rows to get a good view of the current duels that took place down on the field. He glanced around before his eyes landed on a certain duel that caught his eye. The applicant had black, neatly combed, hair that had a silver streak through it, white jacket and currently in the lead with all four thousand life points in tact. His opponent, however, was down on nineteen hundred but had three monsters on his field to the applicant's one.
"Okay, freshman, pop quiz time! You got three monsters staring you down and two face downs. Which of the following do you do? A) Throw in the towel? B) Attack, hoping I don't trigger my face downs? Or C) Run home to momma?" the examiner asked, making a bad attempt in copying Elvis. The figure shook his head before a challenging smirk appeared on his face.
"I think I'll go for option D) None of the above. I activate my trap card, Ring of Destruction! I choose one monster on the field and we both take damage equal to it's attack points. As you only have nineteen hundred, I'll choose my Vorse Rider and end this duel!" the challenger replied as a ring appeared around his monster's neck, detonating the monster and reducing his opponent's points to zero.
"Good choice. Congratulations into making Duel Academy." the proctor complimented, smiling as the holograms disappeared.
"Thank you." the applicant bowed before making his way out of the arena and making his way up to the figure he was curious about right up near the rafters and by himself. Getting close enough, he found himself wondering why he looked familiar but was brought out his thoughts by seeing a pair of brown eyes on him and a smaile appear on the person's face, directed at him.
"That was a good move. Sacrificing your monster and life points to take out your opponent's remaining points is an impressive move. Can be risky but seeing as the decks are basic builds, you wouldn't have much that would be able to counter that. Nonetheless, good play." Jaden smiled, earning a surprised look at the detailed criticism but nodded and smiled in return.
"Thank you. Is the seat taken perchance?" the newcomer asked politely, receiving a shake of the head as he took a seat next to him. He could hear the brunette mumble slightly before he spoke once again.
"Who else is there I can wa... oh? You look interesting..." Jaden mused as his sights turned to another dueling area, pointing out the person he meant to his current company. The challenger was a young girl who looked around the same age as he did; red hair that was tied into a ponytail, leaving two bangs either side of her face and a pair of amber eyes to match. She wore a navy blue hoodie with the words 'Keep Calm and Carry On Dueling', something which amused Jaden, a pair of skinny white jeans and white/blue trainers. She was currently losing with three hundred points left and an empty field, apart from one face down.
Her opponent was your average-looking male with tussled brown hair and glasses, who had three monsters on his field, including a Dark Magician. His life points hadn't been touched as yet as he looked disapprovingly at the potential candidate before him.
"Your move! You better come up with something good or you fail!" he remarked snidely.
"My draw!" she yelled desperately as she drew her next card. She chanted under her breath before looking at the card, her eyes widening in shock as a grin slowly formed on her face. "Just what I needed! I play Card of Sanctity, allowing us both to draw until we both have six cards in our hand." she commented as she drew six new cards while he drew only one. "Now it's time to finish this! I play my spell card, Dark Hole; destroying all your monsters!" she smiled as she watched her opponent's monsters get sucked up into the vortex above the field.
"I play my little cutie, Red-Eyes Black Chick... but it won't be staying for long as I activate my face down, Dragon's Rebirth! By removing a dragon-type card from play from the field, I can special summon a dragon-type monster from my hand or graveyard. I think I'll bring out my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" she beamed.
A small baby dragon variant of the self-same dragon that made Joey Wheeler one of the most recognizable duelists in his time appeared on the field, giving out a cute baby roar. It turned back to his duelist and gave her another cute roar before it quickly meta-morphed into one of it's bigger forms. While similar to the Red-Eyes Metal Dragon, the only difference was that this version was shrouded in an aura of dark energy which was pierced through with the red pulsing lights that appeared on its armour and through its wings.
"Now that he's on the field, I'll activate his effect! Once a turn, I can special summon a dragon-type from either my hand or from the graveyard back to the field. I don't usually show this card unless I'm in a really foul mood but I'll make an exception for you, ya creep." she snarled as she placed a card in attack mode on her dueling disk. "So come out, my Blade of the Crescent Moon; Mikazukinoyaiba!"
A clock chime sounded out of nowhere as the space in front of the two duelists warped slightly, giving way to a humanoid-shaped dragon that growled as it stepped out of the portal. Surrounded by a glowing blue aura, enhancing the coldness of its navy blue and black metallic exoskeleton, iit contrasted with the eerie glint and blood-like pulses from its golden spherical pauldrons and from within the trims in the armour itself. With matching gauntlets of the same design and a pendulum-like dual-handed blade in his hands, it completed the visage as the examiner paled considerably.
"N-Now let's not be hasty!" the examiner cried, begging from the terror in front of him as he stared down the glares of these two menacing dragons. She raised an eyebrow before a disapproving frown marred her face.
"Oh, I don't think so! If you want to be condescending then don't expect any mercy from me. Red-Eyes! Mika! Let's wrap this up!" she yelled, pointing him out as their target. The auras on both her dragons returned two-fold as their red lights flared in response to their power levels rising as they both took to the air, gathering all the attention of the students and examiners who were able to watch. Her Red-Eyes began forming a condensed ball of potent dark energy in its mouth before launching it towards her opponent and causing a mass explosion that left a smokescreen in its wake... which gave the ample cover for her Mikazukinoyaiba to dash forward at an extreme speed and finish up with a flurry of strikes with its crescent blade, reducing his points to zero. The speakers flared up, seeing as the examiner was currently unconscious from the last attack and the speaker sounded like she had amusement in her voice and a hint of gratification.
Winner: Jennifer Andrews!
The now known Jennifer let out a happy yell, fist-pumping the air before making her way up to the stands. Unbeknownst to her, two sets of groups were watching the duels that were going in; the other group consisted of three teens all dressed up in sharp and crisp royal blue uniforms and watching the proceedings with uninterested eyes, much to the case of the sole ravenette male that decided to prop his feet up on the chair in front of him and lean back on his arms behind his head.
"Hey... she's pretty good, huh Chazz?" a boy with wavy blue hair and black-framed glasses spoke up with a nasally voice towards the ravenette next to him, earning a grunt in response as he waved his hand dismissively.
"She just got lucky. The Proc went too easy on her at the end and she fell for his taunts. She won't get far and she's definitely not Obelisk material. I mean c'mon, we went to that pointless Duel Prep School for the past three years; we're ready for the Academy! These clowns don't know what they're getting themselves in for but they'll learn the hard way... the Chazz Princeton way." he smirked, snapping open his onyx eyes that held a dangerous glint to them that the other two males noticed and promptly shut themselves up. Little known to them, that their conversation was heard by a certain brunette...
"Tch! With an attitude like that, you'll find that you're the one who'll find out the hard way that overconfidence bites you on the ass harder than you think." Jaden commented as he cast an eye over the dueling areas for another interesting match. He jumped slightly when he heard a voice speak up from just behind where he was sitting, snapping his head to find the voice.
"That's Chazz Princeton. He's been in Duel Prep School for the past three years and is one of the strongest duelist of this year, if not the best." Jaden turned his head to find a young boy, much shorter than himself standing there with a subtle frown on his face but soon shook his head clear and looked down at the pair he had unknowingly startled. He quickly pushed a strand of his unusual cyan hair out the way of his silver eyes, hidden behind a pair of frame-less glasses. "Name's Syrus Truesdale! Nice to meet you both!" he smiled, holding out his hand.
"Doesn't matter. Underestimating your opponent is a surefire way to losing a duel. He's just used to having everything his own way like a spoiled child. Anyway, I'm Jaden Yuki. Pleasure to meet ya!" he smiled, taking the hand offered and shaking it for a few moments. The figure nodded with a knowing smile on his face and followed suit and shook the newcomer's hand.
"Bastion Misawa, at your service." the older male smiled, motioning Syrus to grab a seat next to them and silently agreed to follow Jaden's lead and watch the duels. Just beneath the three of them, the VIP box that was set aside for Academy faculty members had gotten a little more active from the numerous applicants that had been accepted this year. While there had been a couple of applicants that had been rejected due to lack of scores or lack of skill, the members of staff looked generally pleased with the quality of duels and potential students.
"Looks like we've got a pretty good crop this year!" the one male member of staff commented as he quickly wrote some notes down on his sheet of paper before looking up and turning to one of his colleagues, who nodded in agreement with the statement.
"Yes, indeed!" the other examiner smiled in response. "There have been some incredible plays and some tremendous comebacks seen today. Miss Jennifer Andrews to name but one! Coming back from three-hundred life points to turn the tide of the battle and claim the win with a double-play summon; a level seven is impressive enough but a level ten monster as well? That'll boost her marks up!" he complimented. Next to them, another teacher sat there silent but wasn't paying any attention to the small talk going on around him. While he was a male, he could very easily be mistaken for a woman if you didn't know who he was.
Donning a blue uniform similar to that of Chazz's, showed his affiliation with the Obelisk Blue Dorm but he had a few extra differences to his uniform; the golden shoulder plates and trimmings for one, and the ruffled pink collar for the second major difference. Shaking his head, loosening the blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail and quickly checking a small pocket mirror to check if the small touch of makeup was still in good condition. This was Dr. Vellian Crowler, Headmaster of the Obelisk Blue Boy's Dorm.
'Another rookie for the Academy. I'm just glad this was the last duel, otherwise there'd be even more slackers coming in, too.' he thought to himself, sighing as he snapped shut his pocket mirror and placed it back in his chest pocket before crossing his arms. Deciding that there wouldn't be anything else of note to watch, he stood up and proceeded to walk out-
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Sir..." a figure dressed in a sharp black suit appeared before him, halting his tracks as he looked down condescendingly at him. "... but I have just been notified that there is one last applicant that has arrived to take his exam, Mr. Crowler."
"Excuse me..." he paused, turning a glare on the male security staff currently barring his way, "Did you just call me 'Mister'?" Crowler scowled. The man quickly paled slightly, stammering out an apology less he lose his job.
"A-Ah, apologies, miss... I'm new here-" he began before being silenced by a withering glare and a snarl from the male in front of him.
"For your information, you nitwit; I have a PHD in dueling to earn the title of 'Doctor', thank you!" he snapped before pushing him aside and continuing his journey. "Now tell the truant that he'll have to come back next year." he finished, earning concerned looks from the other staff members.
"C'mon, Dr. Crowler. We have time for one more duel, surely?" he pleaded, looking to his colleagues for encouragement.
"Let's give him a shot!" another examiner spoke up, earning a few nods and words of agreement.
"He's just a little late, that's all..." the one female examiner spoke up, trying to defend the person's chance to apply. Apparently it ws wrong to mention as he span on his hell and faced her before leaning down in her face.
"LATE IS RUDE!" Crowler snapped as his phone went off, pulling back as he pulled it out of his pocket. "I have no time for slackers!" he fumed as he pressed the accept call button. "WHAT!?"
"It's Sheppard."
"O-Oh, Chancellor Sheppard, how nice of you to call!" Crowler spoke, softening his voice as a wince passed his face.
"Just calling to make sure everything is running smoothly. We wouldn't want a repeat of what happened last year, no?" Sheppard asked, freaking the dueling professor out as the memory passed through his mind briefly on what happened. "When you cut a third of our students application because someone called you 'Mr.' or 'Mrs.'? Never mind, just make sure everyone gets a fair shot!"
"Y-Yes, o-of course, sir! *Beep* Furry-chinned windbag; doesn't he realize there's enough talentless flunkies already!?" he whispered to himself. Sighing dramatically, he waved his hand and acquiesced. "He's the boss. If he wants me to give this scrim shaker a duel, then I shall!" he finished, walking away. "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have one last duel to finish up, don't you?" he slyly smiled.
"B-But Sir, who will he duel and with what deck?" one examiner asked, scanning down the list as he saw no scheduled examiner next to the applicant's name.
"Leave that to me!" Crowler replied, looking over his shoulder with a smirk before cackling to himself as he walked away rubbing his hands together. Back with Jaden, Bastion and Syrus, the three duelists continued to watch the few remaining duels take place and watched the walls that separated the main stage slowly be taken down and opening up the space a bit more. It was during that when the female duelist Jaden had watched earlier shyly made her way towards them. She slowly walked up to the three males and smiled softly as she raised a hand in greeting. "H-Hey there!"
"Hey there, yourself!" Jaden greeted, earning the attention of Syrus and Bastion as they turned from their conversation to theirs. "That was a sweet comeback you made down there! Never pegged you for a dragon-user, though. Few and far in between and lesser still for females to take up the mantle." Jaden complimented, earning a more confident smile in return.
"Thank you! I've always loved dragon cards, ever since I was a little girl and I just couldn't duel with anything else, I guess. Name's Jennifer Andrews, pleasure to meet ya!" she beamed, extending her hand for him to shake.
"Jaden Yuki, and likewise!" he smiled, shaking her hand and noting how soft they were before quickly pulling away while trying to not let his facial features show his inner admonishment. "These two fellas are Syrus Truesdale and Bastion Misawa." he introduced the other two males. Both acknowledging her, she quickly smiled back with a wave before the speakers flared back to life:
"Would Jaden Yuki, please report to the Dueling Area. I repreat; Jaden Yuki to the Dueling Area, please. Thank you!"
"Well, it seems like I'm up!" he grinned as he stretched out after jumping to his feet. "Wish me luck!" he beamed as he ran down the stairs, leaving the three of them behind.
"He's a lively one, isn't he?" she asked the two males who shrugged. She shook her head amusedly before taking the seat he had just vacated and watched as Jaden ran onto the field with his duel disk locked on his right arm. Unlike the standard-grade duel disks that everyone is given to use; she noted that his disk was designed in a myriad of colours, shifting like the colours of the rainbow. She also spotted that, instead of the blue dome for his life points, it was clear with a white light underneath. The frame and card placement edges were black while the markings in the monster zones were the same colour as his dome.
They all looked across as the floor gave way and split apart, allowing everyone to see who his opponent was. Everyone was shocked when they found Dr. Crowler himself standing in front of him, watching as two faculty members saw to his duel disk being fitted on him. Unlike his own, Crowler's disk was being strapped to his chest; noting idly that his deck and graveyard slots were both right next to each other and pointed upwards. The duel tray itself was held in his hand like some kind of rock guitar and a small adjustable appendage could be used as a means to hold his cards; something Jaden found interesting. Like most people who didn't know, Jaden wasn't sure about his or her gender.
"Alright, test time!" Crowler snapped, earning the attention of the brunette in front of him. He frowned as he took on the apathetic demeanour of the male in front of him and immediately dismissed him as something inconsequential. "So, son, what's your name?" Crowler quipped, earning a slight narrowing of the eyes and a frown from the examinee.
"Jaden Yuki, Sir." he bluntly replied, not liking his tone. Clearly the tone was heard as the frown deepened on the Doctor's face.
"Well, Jaden Yuki, I'm Dr. Vellian Crowler; Department Chair, Head of Obelisk Blue Male Dorm and Techniques Professor here at Duel Academy." he introduced himself haughtily. Jaden smirked as he spoke up;
"Wooooow, really!?" he asked,faking a shocked and wowed tone of voice. "Impressive stuff! And here I was, thinking you were some kind of school mascot!" he chuckled. Several reactions in the stands either earned him glares, aspirated looks or bouts of soft laughter.
"Duel Vest On!" Crowler snapped, activating his disk and drawing five cards to start with; looking to humiliate him and punish him for his lack of respect and his rude tone of voice. Much to his dismay, Jaden simply grinned tauntingly as he drew his cards as well.
"Let's Duel!" Crowler replied.
"Game on!" Jaden yelled with a large grin on his face.
~Crowler: 4000 LP~
~Jaden: 4000 LP~
Much higher up in the stadium balconies, stood two Obelisk Blue students; one male and one female. The female of the pair was wearing the traditional female uniform; inverted colouring which meant wearing an armless white blazer with the royal blue trims, followed up with a short blue mini-skirt, blue high heels and a pair of dueling gloves that had gold studding embedded in the knuckles. Meanwhile, he wore the standard male equivalent of the alternate uniform; a full-sleeved white jacket with the Obelisk trims, faded blue jeans and a pair of black mens' boots underneath. While he had long navy hair, which reached his shoulder blades, and piercing grey eyes, she had a long mane of dirty-blonde hair that flowed freely down to her lower back, with a pair of amber eyes to match. While he chose to stand up straight, she opted to lean forward slightly and rest her arms on the balcony.
"Man, this kid must be really good or really stupid if he's facing off against Crowler. Right Zane?" she asked him, glancing to him out the corner of her eyes. He gave no response for a few moments before opening his eyes and gazing down at the stage beneath them.
"Maybe, Alexis. I'm curious to see if he's worth dueling myself." he replied with a stoic face. Alexis shrugged as she followed suit and turned back down to the stage as well; watching as Jaden correctly call the coin toss and choosing to go first.
"Hey, doesn't he look familiar to you?" Alexis spoke up, wondering why she thought that she knew him. Zane raised an eyebrow before turning back to the duel, not giving a response but mentally wondering himself.
"I'll start!" Jaden spoke as he drew his sixth card. "Okay... I'll play three face downs and end my turn." he commented, earning a few gasps from the audience from the near-suicidal move. The three people up in the stands were not faring better as the cyanette stood up and leaned forward.
"What's he thinking!?" Syrus yelled, stunned. While Jennifer looked bewildered, Bastion looked on with a calculating glint in his eyes, humming to himself.
"Depending on just what those three face downs are, this could either be utterly embarrassing or completely ingenious. Either way, this is a duel that's worth watching till the very end." Bastion commented with an approving smile on his face as he made himself comfortable in his seat.
"I-I think he knows what he's doing, guys. I don't know what makes me say it... but I just know he'll win." Jennifer spoke up, surprised with herself with just how much confidence she had in him. She also pondered just why he looked so familiar...
"What is this kid thinking?" Alexis scoffed unimpressed. "If this is the best he can do, he should just give up. We don't have time for people like him." Zane simply watched the match with a critical eye, wondering what Jaden was up to and what he had planned in this duel.
Crowler, however?
"Bahahahaha! Is that all you've got?" Crowler taunted mockingly. Jaden simply waved him off with a smirk, not falling for the taunts.
"Hey, I actually know what I'm doing. You just worry about your own cards while I worry about mine. Sound good?" Jaden replied, riling up Crowler even further as he drew another card.
"Your funeral! I play two face downs and activate Heavy Storm!" Crowler chuckled as his opponent's cards were about to be destroyed. Everyone tensed for the spell to take effect but were surprised when the middle of Jaden's face down cards flipped up, revealing a trap in use.
"Thanks to your Heave Storm, I can trigger my trap card; Heroic Tribute! By sending one of my warrior cards from my hand to the graveyard, I can protect all the cards on my side of the field for the rest of this turn! So I'll sacrifice my Elemental Hero Necroshade to the graveyard and activate my trap's effect!" Jaden replied as he discarded a card from his hand. The spirit of his Necroshade soon appeared in front of his face downs and protected them from the spell card, fading away once the storm calmed down.
"A pity that your cards didn't follow but it's of little matter! Now that both my traps were sent to the grave, I can summon two Wicked tokens to the field... but they're not staying for long!" he snorted before laughing once again as two statues rose up in front of him, revealing two Sphinx-like creatures before a purple aura surrounded them both and mobilized them both into movement and off their original stone pedestal.
(Wicked Fiend Token: Fiend / Dark / 4* / 1000 ATK / 1000 DEF) (x2)
Back with the three Obelisk males in the stands, their eyes opened up as the one with glasses shot forward in shock, stammering in response to what he just figured out. "N-No way! Crowler's using his own deck! This kid should just give up!"
"Yeah! No-one can beat an expert like Crowler, right Chazz?" the bulkier of the three commented as the ravenette paid more attention to this duel than any of the others so far. Letting a 'tch' escape from his mouth he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs and clasping his hands together.
"This kid's a joke! Three face downs, no monsters? Sacrificing a monster just to keep them on the field? Pathetic! I'm gonna enjoy watching Crowler mop the floor with this slime! Should've done this to all the entries!" Chazz commented, smirking cruelly.
"Seriously?" Alexis sighed, slightly disappointed. "I though he'd be something different... but I guess I was wrong." She made to move away before finding herself stopped by Zane holding his arm out in front of her.
"You're too soft, Alexis... but don't count him out just yet." Zane commented, surprising her by how he seemed to be defending him. "Maybe he'll stay in this thing long enough four us to see Crowler's rare card." he finished, earning a shake of her head.
"You should count yourself lucky. Not many people get to see this next card of mine but... I think I'll make an exception!" Crowler smirked as he placed a card down in his monster zone. "As I haven't summoned yet this turn, I'll rectify that by tributing my two tokens so I can summon the mighty Ancient Gear Golem!" Crowler cackled as he raised his hand to the sky. The two tokens exploded into a pillar of light which blinded the groaning and creaking of rusted cogs and bolts, with a red eye piercing out of the light and straight into Jaden's orbs. Soon enough, the light faded; revealing a gargantuan mech made out of rusted scrap metal and gears, coloured a rusted copper brown.
(Ancient Gear Golem: Machine / Earth / 8* / 3000 ATK / 3000 DEF)
"There it is!" Alexis gasped as she stood ramrod straight with wide eyes. "Crowler's legendary Ancient Gear Golem!"
"Now we'll find out what makes it so legendary. His opponent will be in a world of hurt with that one." Zane commented bluntly, mentally chiding Jaden for his first move leaving him unprotected from the oncoming onslaught.
"Now-now Jaden, I hope you're not too scared of my Golem! But I must confess it was a foolish move to leave yourself for an open attack... a lesson I'll make sure you'll remember! Ancient Gear Golem, attack with Mechanized Melee!" he screeched, pointing towards Jaden as the attack target.
"Thank you! I was waiting for the attack!" Jaden grinned as he slammed a card down on his duel disk, watching as the card materialized on the field. Crowler couldn't halt the attack but the sudden card appearance did throw him off slightly.
"Huh? How are you playing a spell card now!?" Crowler decently asked, genuinely confused.
"I'm playing a spell card from my hand. But before you have a go at me, it fits the requirements as it's a Quick-Play Spell!" Jaden explained as he showed the card to Crowler. "The card's called Judgement of the Wise! Now, I flip a coin. If I call it correctly, your Gear Golem's no-trap effect is canceled for this turn only. If I don't? Well... with your Golem hitting me with six thousand attack? I'd be outta here on a stretcher faster than I can say 'whoops'." Jaden playfully smiled as Crowler's Golem froze mid-attack. Jaden pulled out a coin and expertly flipped it before catching it and slapping it on the back of his left hand, noting a holographic screen appear above the duel, with the camera showing his hands to avoid any kind of cheating.
"While people like playing with their heads, I like to go with my gut instincts! So I'll go with tails!" he spoke up, revealing his hand as the monitor showed the coin in his hand... revealing it to be tails. Crowler watched his monster glow in a blue aura which made the beaming red eye flicker a few times before returning to normal.
"Now that your Golem's effect is gone; I can activate a little trap-combo; something I like to call 'What's Yours is Mine!'. Now the order matters in terms of chain linking so first; I play my Magic Cylinder and I'll follow it up with my Enchanted Javelin. Like the title says: you lose three thousand life points and I gain three thousand life points! Simple, no?" Jaden explained chucking to himself as he let the stunned audience watch the procedure follow through. Up on the balcony, Alexis' jaw was open wide as she stared impressed at the cunning and somewhat-lucky trap-play by Jaden below.
"Oh my god... t-that's incredible!" she complimented in awe. Zane simply smirked as he glanced towards Jaden and saw him in a new light from being able to turn a duel around so quickly. While Jaden wasn't out of the woods yet, he had secured himself a bit of time. Though he still tried figuring out why he looked familiar and why he's seen those cards before...
"It seems I was wrong about him. Maybe there's more to him than meets the eye." Zane commented shook his thoughts clear, smiling slightly at the impressive play. Back in the stands, the group of two males and one female cheered at the incredible move they had just seen.
"A magnificent play, Jaden! By playing the cards in that order, you've practically stole Crowler's life points for your own, taking no damage!" Bastion complimented. "Impressive play indeed!" he smiled.
"I guess why Jaden called that combo what he did! It makes sense!" Syrus beamed with a large smile on his face as he turned and hi-fived Jennifer next to him. She turned back to the field and grinned brightly, shocking the two males as she seemed to come out of her shell a little.
"I told you he was gonna win!" Jennifer beamed, proud of herself. Back on the field, Crowler's Golem began charging energy in his hand before aiming it at Jaden. After a few comedic moments of yelling from Crowler telling it to stop, the fist detached from the rest of the body and launched itself towards Jaden. Of course, thanks to the two trap cards, the initial attack then split into two; one into the cylinder and one into the Enchanted Staff that absorbed the power of the attack before coating Jaden in a light-green aura that increased his life points. Meanwhile, the other cylinder appeared point-blank in front of Crowler as the attack backfired onto him, causing a small explosion to detonate on the dueling area.
~Crowler: (4000 - 3000) = 1000~
~Jaden: (4000 + 3000) = 7000~
Two-card Trap Combo: Magical Cylinder + Enchanted Javelin
(Ancient Gear Golem's attack: absorbed by Jaden and reflected back onto Crowler.)
"Ouch!" Jaden winced, snapping his fingers as he hopped on one of his legs, crouched slightly. "That looked like it hurt!"
"What was your first clue you numbskull!?" Crowler growled-groaned as he pulled himself back up to his feet and dusted himself. "Your move!" he snapped, as he tried tidying his hair.
"W-wait, what?" Jaden asked, stunned. Sweeping his arm out to the current field, he looked back at the Doctor and tilted his head. "That's it?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Crowler asked, slightly confused to his comment.
"You said that you teach Techniques in Dueling, right?" he paused,crossing his arms as he explained his issue. "Where's the technique? Sure, getting a level eight on the field in your first turn is impressive but leaving yourself with no back-up plans if I happen to find a way to take out the last thousand of your life points! I know Pegasus has his Tremendous Fire Spell card which does that... so what's stopping me playing it? Plus, with nothing on your side of the field, you have nothing to stop it should I have a means." Jaden explained, stunning the audience with his logic as he drew a card. "I'll let that sink in as I play my Pot of Greed and draw two more cards." he commented, leaving Crowler dumbly watch on as a green jar with a face on the front pulled two cards from his mouth and handed them over to Jaden.
"Who the HELL do you think you are talking to me like that!?" Crowler snapped, yelling at him with fury etched into his face. The watcher had to lean back slightly, having never seen Crowler this worked up in a duel before. Jaden paused as he rearranged his hand.
"You really wanna know who I am?" Jaden asked, dead-panning as he closed his hand and crossed his arms. "Tell me Doctor, Tell me if you've ever heard of a moniker known in the circuit as the 'Elemental King'?" he asked rhetorically. There was dead silence in the crowd before one person gasped in shock before the audience got rowdier and the noise became that of shock, disbelief and awe; making him grin. "Seems they've figured out who I am."
"W-What!? Y-You're the Elemental King!?" Crowler stuttered, paling as he finally realized just who he was facing; a Pro-Duelist from the Circuit and one of most prominent ones at that!
"The one and only!" Jaden bowed dramatically, earning more gasps from the audience. "I hoped to have kept in the dark a little while longer but I didn't really have much choice." he shrugged, grinning as he glanced up to the group of three friends he made just a shot while ago.
"No way!" Syrus gasped, looking at Jaden who simply gave him a smile and a two-fingered salute. Giving up making sense of this shock news, he simply sat down next to Jennifer. While he couldn't cope with it, she looked at him with stars in her eyes and leaned over the chair as she held her fists up to her face.
"Ohmygod! It's him!" she squealed happily as she soon trailed off into a tangent of gibberish that both males decided to not follow. Bastion simply chuckled in amusement as it finally clicked to Jaden's identity.
"Simply incredible! It makes sense that he's had the duel in his favour ever since the duel started. No wonder his last move was so good!" Bastion commented in awe. While up in the stands, Alexis was left speechless by finally connecting the dots herself.
"S-Seriously? That's him!?" Alexis gasped again, pointing towards said male. To her surprise, he looked up at her and simply bowed for her playfully. She shook her head but she couldn't deny the smile on her face threatening to break through. Zane chuckled, shocking her further.
"I though he looked familiar. Jaden Hoshiryu Yuki; the Elemental King. Said to have been given the moniker by three of the world's top duelists for completely mastering the Elemental Hero deck; which is no easy feat to pull off." Zane complimented. "I think he's warranted enough of my attention." he smirked.
"I-Impossible!" Chazz whispered in disbelief, standing up in shock as he pointed at Jaden. "Y-You mean to tell me that this... this chump is a Pro-Duelist!?" he rhetorically asked, turning around when getting no reply as the two males had fainted in shock. He growled before kicking the one in the shin before storming off. Back on the field, Jaden looked down in his hand and saw one of the new cards he had been given earlier on reveal itself. He grinned as he looked into his hand and planned his next move out.
"Ah! Pleasure to meet you! How about we give you a grand debut, yeah?" he asked a particular card in his hand, winning a melodic giggle in response. He looked back up with a challenging glint in his orbs as he held the next card in his hand and lifted it into the air, pointing upwards with his index finger: "Let's finish this!"
"Oh no..." Crowler paled even further. Whenever he had sat down and watched some of Jaden's matches, he knew that those three words would be said whenever he was guaranteed to win the duel.
"Got that right. Now when I used my Heroic Tribute, I sent my Elemental Hero Necroshade to the graveyard. But that's where the kicker comes in!" he smirked as a ghost-like visage of the said duel spirit appeared next to Jaden and fist-bumped with Jaden, much to the further shock of all watching. "So thanks to my Necroshade chilling out in the graveyard, I can use his one-time ability! I can summon any level Elemental Hero without a tribute, straight from my hand!"
He placed the card down in his monster area and watched as a small burst of light formed in front of him before getting bigger and brighter. "I've just got this card today from a friend of mine, so making her grand debut to the field? Elemental Hero Supernova!" he introduced her, lifting his hand towards the sky.
The beam of light flew up into the air before bursting back onto the field, making everyone cover their eyes in response. As soon as the light faded, the figure within the beam could be seen and many of the remaining males had to hold their noses in response. Her long and wavy blonde hair that cascaded down her back with a beautiful pair of glimmering blue eyes glittering under the lights. She was wrapped in a white veil that loosely surrounded her frame but showed off her curvaceous body, leaving a few men hot under the collar from their thoughts. She hovered in the air as strips of her veil fluttered around her as small orbs of stellar energy circled her in a methodical fashion.
(Elemental Hero Supernova: Spellcaster / Effect / Light / 9* / 3500 ATK / 2700 DEF)
"Well hello there! What a pleasure to meet you!" Jaden bowed towards his newest duel spirit. She smiled warmly as a small blush appeared on her face before she floated down in front of him and softly cupped his cheek. She saw the small blush on his face and that he hid the uncomfortable feeling that welled up inside of him but she softly and sadly smiled as she let go before returning to a genuine smile.
"Hey, yourself! My name's Ayumi. I'm glad I can be of help!" the now identified Ayumi replied, giggling to herself at Crowler's gaping fish impersonation. Up in the stands, both Alexis and Jennifer both shuddered slightly. Having no idea why they did, they passed it off as a weird occurrence.
"Like I said, this is her debut! So you have the honour of facing her! Now, her effect kicks in! By sending a card to the graveyard on the turn she is summoned, I can destroy one card on the field! And take two guesses which one I choose..." he trailed off as a beam of star energy burst quickly from the outstretched finger of Ayumi and pierced through the metal plating of Crowler's Golem, shattering it to pieces. Seeing his only line of defence now shattered, much to his shame as Jaden's words rang true in his mind, he sank down to his knees.
"W-Wait just a moment! W-We can work something out!" Crowler begged on his knees, crying comically as he held his hands in front of him both begging and protectively.
"Uh, how about no..." Jaden dead-panned. "Supernova, how about you show Crowler the light and hit him with Stellar Chain Reaction!" he grinned, swiping his arm to signal. His duel spirit giggled at the pun as she spread her arms out, commanding the orbs into motion.
"Got it, Jay!" she smiled as the orbs of energy began spinning faster around her frame before she launched them into the air like a wrathful halo. She brought her right hand out and clicked her fingers, sending the orbs of light all towards Crowler, causing a chain reaction of explosions as they hit home. "Heehee! Go boom!" she giggled as she gave a flourished twirl before standing beside Jaden.
~Crowler: (1000 - 3500) = 0~
Attack to Life Points directly from Elemental Hero Supernova.
"And that's game!" Jaden smiled as he turned to face his Supernova and gently took her hand and kissed it, earning another melodic laugh and a blush on her cheeks before she smiled warmly back and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. 'This is gonna be a good year.' he thought as Ayumi winked at him before vanishing. So stunned by the sudden display of affection, he didn't see the group of three run onto the stage and congratulate him.
"Now that's some impressive dueling." Alexis smiled, complimenting him in an impressed tone of voice as she stretched her back. "I guess I was completely off the mark about him... but I'm curious about that last card he played. I've never heard of it before and he did say it was her 'grand debut'..." she commented, earning a nod from Zane.
"Neither have I but I've heard news that Pegasus was due to create cards to expand on the Elemental Hero deck and give some more variety." he quipped, earning a giggle from Alexis. "I can only guess Jaden was the one to get the first batch. Never the less, he played well." he complimented before walking off.
She paused as she looked back down and saw Jaden looking straight at her before giving her a salute. She shook her head but returned the gesture herself before turning away from the scene. 'Keep this up and this'll be an interesting year for us all.' she thought to herself before following Zane.
Meanwhile Jaden was bombarded with students and examiners coming up to him and congratulating him on the masterful display of dueling, some of them even thanking him for 'putting Crowler in his place' and 'teaching him some humility'. After the crowds died down, he made his way over to the waiting three friends and sheepishly chuckled from the looks on their faces.
"Why didn't you tell us in the beginning that you were the Elemental King?" Syrus yelled, happy for his friend and shocked at the same time as he ran up to Jaden.
"Surprise factor. Surprise!" he grinned sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders before he got glomped by the only female of the group. He was surprised but he relaxed when he felt no ill intent from her action and simply chuckled as she spouted something he couldn't catch. Soon, she let go of him and beamed at him with a massive grin on her face.
"That was amazing! I never thought I'd see a Pro up close like this! A-And let alone c-compliment me for my dueling skills..." she started strong before shyly turning her head away, blushing slightly.
"Hey... don't sell yourself short! The fact that you drew the one card you needed, when you needed it, shows how much of a bind you have with your cards. Also, coming back from almost losing to obliterating your opponent with four cards is nothing short of impressive, Jen. Keep it up and you may just beat me someday." he complimented, smiling at her. She couldn't stop the blush from reaching her cheeks as her face began to match the colour of her hair, forcing her to take a seat as she plays with her fingers, winning a soft chuckle from Jaden as he took a seat next to her.
"I must say it's a privilege to meet the Elemental King in person, Jaden. Impressive play; minimal effort with maximum output." Bastion smiled, offering his hand in congratulations. Jaden smiled as he shook hands with him, noting he had a firm grip on him.
"It's nice to be recognized and it's always nice to meet fans of mine." Jaden smiled as he broke the handshake. "Well, now that everything's over... who wants to grab a bite?" he asked, jumping to his feet. Earning agreeing yells, the four of them decided to make their way to one of the local restaurants. Hidden to them all, a shadowy figure watched the four retreating backs making their way out of the building as his gaze focused on one person in particular...
Nodding to themselves, they turned around and walked deeper into the shadows, vanishing from view and leaving no traces that they were ever there.
~ETK!~
(Time Skip: Apartment)
After a long and eventful day, he was glad when he stepped into his small apartment. While he had the money to afford a bigger place, he was much happier having this small apartment on the rooftop of the building where he could watch the sunrise on the nights he couldn't sleep. Chucking his jacket on the back of the sofa and slipping out of his trainers, he made his way to the fridge and pulled out a can of cola. Moving back across the room, Jaden sighed as he flopped back onto his queen-size bed, savoring the feel it had on his body as he groaned in delight. Placing the can on the cabinet beside him, he stretched out before getting comfy. "I'm so glad to finally lie down. Today's been hectic; I just wanna curl up and doze off to sleep..." he spoke to no-one in particular.
"Oh? Is that an offer to join you, Jaden?" a soft melodic voice spoke up. Jaden smiled as he recognized the new voice belonging to one of his newest additions to his deck, namely Ayumi. He scooted over slightly as he lifted himself up slightly to sit up against the headrest of the bed.
"Only if you want to. I'm not the kind of person to force others into doing things they don't want to, I've never been like that. So if you'd like to join me, then by all means you can." he replied, earning a few points in her books. She giggled once more as Jaden felt the weight of the bed shift as she crawled over to him in a more fitting version of her outfit. She got to arms' length of him before she sat demurely as a small frown appeared on her face.
"Well, I've been talking with Burstinatrix and Kiyomi. They've told me about... w-well... that..." she stammered, not really knowing how he'd take the news. She looked up and found his eyes closed and received no response for a few moments. Taking it as a bad sign, she apologized before moving off the bed, only to find a hand gently placed on top of hers. She paused as she turned to find his chocolate orbs mesmerizing her sapphire ones. "T-They've told me how much of a wonderful man you are and how you have an intimacy with some of the female spirits. It's so unheard of in our realm and... after they described how it felt... I-I wanted to..." she trailed off, losing her confidence before she found her hands being taken into his own.
"I know it's an usual situation and if they've told you... that... then you understand why it's how it is between us. But don't think that the feelings aren't genuine." he reassured her, squeezing her hands slightly in response from feeling her tremble. "Knowing the two of them and how it must be for you not experiencing that kind of sensation..." he trailed off, earning a small nod from her.
"They told me that I have permission to... get to know you better, should I so wish." she finished his sentence with a waver in her voice. He simply smiled at her and she could feel the care radiating off of him and see for herself the charm that captured the other spirits' hearts. "I..." she trailed off as her eyes fluttered close. She lowered her head to his slowly as she stopped from feeling his breath on her lips.
"You can stop if it's uncomfort-" Jaden began talking but was soon silenced as her lips connected with his, instantly sending tingles over her body as the two of them opted to simply enjoy the kiss. She managed to purr into his mouth as a hand slowly rose up and gently cupped his face, bringing it closer to her so she could feel more of the wonderful sensation that was invading her body at that moment. This continued for a few minutes before she found herself getting uncomfortable and opted to lean him down and for her to straddle him as she continued to experience more of her first kiss. The two of them lost themselves to the hands of time before she gently pulled away and stared deeply into his eyes with her love-glazed eyes.
"Wow..." Jaden breathlessly complimented; eyes glazed over. He had experienced some of the first kisses with a few of the duel spirits but this one was probably the most... tender... of them all. There was no rush, there was no battle, just the experience of her first kiss being so incredible for her. She smiled beatifically as she rested her head on his chest and climbed off him and cuddled into his side.
"Wow..." she copied, breathing heavily as a healthy blush settled on her face. "I think a little bit of sleep would be good for us both. It will be the last time you'll be here in a while and we'll have a plane to catch tomorrow." she softly reminded him, earning a small pout that made her tinkle once more. He simply smiled from the look on her face and simply kissed her once more before thinking that sleep was a good plan.
"Night guys!" he yelled, much to her confusion but her eyes widened in shock when she heard her fellow duel spirits chuckle and giggle before replying back.
"Night!/Laters!/Goodnight Jay!/Sweet Dreams!/Woof!" his heroes (and his mechanical-dog spirit Wroughtweiler barked and) shouted back, earning a smile on his face and a blush on hers realizing they were watched. "Night, Ayumi." he spoke softly to her before closing his eyes, letting sleep claim him once more. She took a moment to admire his sleeping face and just how peaceful he looked. Smiling once more because of him, she softly kissed his lips before nesting her head in the crook of his neck.
"Good night, Jaden." she smiled as she followed him into sweet slumber, ready for the first new day in the life of her King.
~Chapter One: End!~
~Original Card List!~
Elemental Hero Supernova:
(Spellcaster / Effect / Light / 9* / 3500 ATK / 2700 DEF)
Effect(s): When Special Summoned or Tribute Summoned to the field, you can discard one card from your hand to destroy one card on the field. When this card is sent to the graveyard, remove two LIGHT monster cards from play to special summon this card back on your side of the field.
Heroic Tribute (Quick-Play Trap)
When this card activates, send one card with 'Elemental Hero' in it's name to the graveyard. Your cards cannot be destroyed by monster effect, spells or traps for the rest of the turn this card was activated in.
Judgement of the Wise (Quick-Play Spell)
Flip a coin. If you call it correctly, you can activate one of the following effects:
- Negate all effects from your opponent's cards that are in play.
- Draw three cards from your deck.
- Discard a level four monster, or lower, and gain life points equal to it's attack.
If you call it incorrectly, your opponent gains control of this card's effects.