Disclaimer: I own nothing (obviously).

I'm going to get a bunch of stuff out of the way. Be prepared.

This story takes place like around a year or two or so after the end of Yu-Gi-Oh GX. There's some things that I included and didn't include, and if I missed anything, it's just because I haven't watched the series in a long time. I don't want to fuss over every single detail of a character since the main ones are the most important ones. This is just a test story, so I just want to see how it does and if I end up liking it or not.

Also, this story isn't focusing much on Yubel and any of those other things. It's just mainly about Jaden and his friends fighting against a new threat along with Yugi, Kaiba, Pegasus, and some of Yugi's other friends. I honestly never liked the "other dimension" plotline involving Yubel, Dark Jesse, and the other crap. It just didn't fit the lifting and exciting mood of the rest two or three seasons of the series, so if you don't like it, then feel free not to read it.

The OC's deck is a different version of the decks that Chazz and Alexis had when they joined the Society of Light, but I didn't copy everything completely. I just always liked white, so I decided to make a whole new entire deck for him. Nothing is OP'd or weird though.

This chapter might also be a little rough just because I didn't have enough time to "perfect" it, so just bear with me on this.

Information:

- Hand = Hand.

- M-Zone = Monster Zone.

- S/T-Zone = Spell/Trap Zone.

- Paragraphs in italicizes means that it's a flashback.

If there's anything you liked or dislikes about the chapter, feel free to leave a review.

Chapter 1: New Appearance: Tristan Wheeler

|Duel Arena, Kaiba Dome|

The crowd roared in excitement as the current duelist fell on his knees in defeat. The entrance exam for Duel Academy was currently taking place at the Kaiba Dome, and the large group of applicants for the academy of the best had almost been sorted through.

The audience continuing to cheer, Doctor Vellian Crowler, a strange looking male with blonde hair and dark brown eyes, stood up from his seat in the private booth and raised his hand for the crowd's attention. "And there we have it people! Although Jason Harper lost the duel, we judges have found his skills and determination to be admirable and have decided to accept him into Duel Academy!"

As Jason exited the duel stage while waving at the audience, Crowler coughed into his hand and waited for the cheers to die down before continuing. "And now ladies and gentlemen, please help me to welcome the next applicant, who is in fact quite a special guest! The cousin of the infamous Joey Wheeler, Tristan!"

As the crowd cheered loudly in approval, two figures from the railing above watched as a fairly attractive male of at least eighteen entered the duel stage below with his hands shoved in his pocket. He had slightly long black hair spiked messily to the side and midnight blue eyes that almost hid its pupils, and although he had a fairly serious look on his face, he had an exciting and lively glint in his eyes that caught the attention of all the people and applicants in the Duel Arena.

The figure on the left, who was a long, dark blonde-haired female with light brown eyes, hummed softly as she studied the applicant below. She was dressed in a sleeveless white top with blue trimmings along with a matching white miniskirt that also had blue trimmings on them. She also wore a matching pair of blue fingerless gloves and boots. Her outfit very closely resembled the female Obelisk Blue student's uniform.

"Hmmm… He certainly shows promise, don't you think?" she asked as she turned to face the figure on her right. "He doesn't look all that excited, but that's a promising look that's in his eyes alright."

"I don't really know Alexis," said the figure beside her. "Just because he looks good doesn't mean that he is good, but I have to agree with you… I definitely like that look in his eyes." The figure, who was a male, had fairly long dark brown hair and deep brown eyes. He was dressed in a plain, long dark red jacket with the front opened, revealing a black shirt underneath it. He also wore dark blue jeans along with plain white sneakers.

"I guess you're right," replied Alexis with a cheerful laugh. "Anyways, let's see how he does. I'm curious to see what type of deck the cousin of a pro duelist like Joey Wheeler uses. I bet he was able to get his hands on rare cards that regular duelists would never be able to get!"

…

As Tristan reached the battle stage, he took his hands out of his pockets as the proctor that was his opponent for the duel gave him a quick grin. "Alright son, don't think that I'll go easy on you just because you're the cousin of Joey Wheeler! I'm expecting great things from you!"

Returning the proctor's grin, Tristan laughed as he raised his arm with the duel disk on it. "I'll try not to disappoint… Now, if you're ready…"

"Let's duel!"

Duel Proctor: 4000 (Hand: 5, M-Zone: 0, S/T-Zone: 0)

Tristan: 4000 (Hand: 5, M-Zone: 0, S/T-Zone: 0)

"Alright, I'll start things off here!" said Tristan as he and the proctor each drew five cards from their respective decks. "I'll start off by playing my spell card Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two cards from my deck, and now… I'll play my White Knight Evangel Soldier (ATK: 1100 DEF: 800) in attack mode! I'll also lay two cards down and call it a turn for now. Your move, proctor."

From their position on the railing above, Alexis and the male's eyes widened in surprise at the appearance of Tristian's first new monster. "A white knight…?" Alexis stared at the white knight wielding a white sword with a look of awe and surprise on her face. "It's similar to the monster which Chazz used when he was under Sartorius's control, right Jaden?"

Jaden, the male who was leaning against the railing next to her, nodded at this. "Yea, so I'm guessing that he uses like some kind of white knight deck? So awesome!"

Grinning, the duel proctor chuckled as he drew another card from his deck. "Not bad for a start, son. Alright, now it's my turn! Well, that monster of yours looks impressive, but that's about it… Battle Ox (ATK: 1700, DEF: 1000) in attack mode!" As he laid the card down, an armored ox with a vicious look on its face appeared out on the field while wielding a dangerously sharp axe. Now Battle Ox, attack his White Knight Evangel Soldier with axe bash!"

"Not so fast!" cried out Tristan as he stretched out his hand. "I activate my face-down trap card, Negate attack! Now your monster's attack is canceled, and your battle phase automatically ends."

"Che!" The duel proctor scoffed as he gave Tristan an acknowledging nod. "Not bad for a starter move kid. I guess that the only thing left to do is place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Duel Proctor: 4000 (Hand: 4, M-Zone: 1, S/T-Zone: 2)

Tristan: 4000 (Hand: 4, M-Zone: 1, S/T-Zone: 0)

"Of course," said Tristan with an even look on his face. "Alright now, let's see… I summon my White Knight Evangel Lancer (ATK: 1700 DEF: 1300) in attack mode!" As he threw the card down, a knight clad in white armor riding a white stallion with a flowing mane appeared on the field. "And now… Lancer, attack his Battle Ox with spiraling drive!"

As the white lancer charged with his lance held out, the duel proctor laughed out loud as if Tristan had performed a textbook mistake. "That won't do anything kid! Since both of our monsters have the same attack, you'll only-!" He suddenly stopped talking as he realized something. "Wait a second… You-!"

"That's right," said Tristan. "Since I have two monsters out on the field, once my lancer and your ox destroy each other, your Life Points will be left unguarded."

"Ahhh!" The duel proctor doubled over in pain as Tristan's White Knight Evangel Soldier slashed at him with his sword. As his Life Points dropped, he grimaced as he straightened up. "Well, not bad for a newbie…"

…

From their place on the railing, Alexis and her friend silently watched the duel that was going on below. "Wow, that was a nice move!" exclaimed Alexis from her place. "In order to defeat his opponent's powerful monster, he took it out with an equally powerful monster! Don't you think, Jaden?"

Jaden, the figure beside her, nodded in agreement as he watched the duel continue below them. "Yea, talk about being ambitious! He doesn't care if he loses his monster as long as it means getting a direct hit on his opponent! A little harsh of a move for me, but a chill one at that!"

"Ah, if it isn't Jaden Yuki!"

Jaden and Alexis turned around at the sound of the sudden voice that came from behind them. Turning around, they saw that it was in fact Doctor Crowler. "Oh, hey Doctor Crowler!" said Jaden with a wave and a big smile. "It's been long!"

"Yes yes, over two years if I'm correct!" exclaimed Crowler in his usual annoying high and screechy voice. "I didn't know that you had come back until just a day ago, but it looks like you and Alexis have already gotten together, huh?"

Alexis blushed at this, but Jaden retained his usual blank and dense look on his face. "Well anyways," began Alexis in a rushed tone, "this new guy's pretty good, huh Doctor Crowler? I can't believe that you actually got the cousin of Joey Wheeler to join Duel Academy! He's almost a mini-celebrity at the academy now."

"Yes, isn't it wonderful?!" laughed Crowler in an excited tone. "To think that the Joey Wheeler actually approached Chancellor Sheppard and I just a week ago! He asked for a special request for us to personally take care of his younger cousin! To be honest, I didn't even know that he had a cousin, especially one so young."

"Well, he's not much older than us, if not older," said Alexis as she turned her attention back to the duel. "And it looks like he's just about finishing up his duel."

"Yes yes, it seems that you're right," agreed Crowler as he looked down at the duel that was going on below. "His deck is a most special one… The White Knight Evangel Deck if I'm not mistaken. It was an exclusive deck that was the grand prize of a tournament that was held over a year back at the Kaiba Dome. There's actually been a rumor of an unbelievably rare and special card that's supposed to be the only one of its kind in all of duel monsters!"

Jaden's eyes widened at this, and he looked at Crowler, and then at Tristan below. "No way! A card that's one of a kind?! Now I have to duel him!"

…

Duel Proctor: 500 (Hand: 1, M-Zone: 2, S/T-Zone: 0)

Tristan: 1500 (Hand: 3, M-Zone: 1, S/T-Zone: 3)

"Well, it looks like this duel's just about over," said Tristan quietly. As he drew his card, he looked down at it and smiled, causing the proctor to step back in nervousness. "Ok, I'll switch my White Knight Evangel Soldier to defense mode as insurance, and now my sacrificing my second Evangel Soldier, I summon my White Knight Evangel Executioner (ATK: 2100 DEF: 1600)!" As he placed the card down on the duel disk, a white knight wielding a large white axe with a silver axe head appeared on the field.

"Che!" The proctor's mouth twisted into a frown as the monster appeared on the field. "Well, at least this duel isn't over yet. I still have both my Gradius (ATK: 1200 DEF: 800) and Shining Friendship (ATK: 1300 DEF: 1100) out, and since they're in defense mode, my Life Points are safe!"

"Think again," said Tristan as he closed his eyes and shook his head. "When my Executioner destroys a monster in defense mode, the difference between its attack points and the destroyed monster's defense points gets deducted from your Life Points."

The proctor's eyes widened in shock as he realized what this meant. "What?!"

Tristan opened his eyes and pointed at the proctor's Gradius. "Now, Executioner, attack his Gradius with finishing axe attack!"

At his master's order, the executioner knight leapt forward, and, brandishing his axe, swung down at the battle spaceship and completely destroyed it. "And now, the finishing blow!" cried out Tristan. "Go, executioner!"

"Ahhh!" The proctor cried out as the executioner swung at him, and he grimaced as his Life Points dropped to zero. "Heh… Nice moves, kid." Straightening up, he deactivated his duel disk and crossed his arms. "Welcome to Duel Academy!"

Giving the proctor a grin, Tristan gave him a polite bow and walked towards the exit, the crowd cheering loudly in celebration of his victory.

…

"Wow, that was a pretty sick duel!" exclaimed Jaden excitedly. "I wonder if he'd duel me?!"

Alexis laughed out loud as Doctor Crowler chuckled out loud. "You never change, do you Jaden?" said Alexis with another laugh. "Well, it's nice to see that you haven't changed a bit."

"Well, it's time for me to announce the next duel!" Doctor Crowler waved at the two of them as he walked back towards the private booth. "Come by Chancellor Sheppard's office if you ever get a chance to, Jaden- and you too, Alexis!"

"Sure thing!" Jaden called out as he waved back at his old vice-chancellor. He then turned back to face the battle stage below as the next duelist stepped up to face his opponent. "The next duel is up! Now I'm even more excited for this year!"

"Oh?" Alexis stepped forward and looked Jaden in the face as he turned around in mild surprise. "So you're here to stay now? I mean-…" She turned her head and looked down at the floor as her face flushed red. "It'd be nice to have you around after so long to be honest… It's been pretty quiet without you, Jaden."

"Huh?" Jaden blinked as he stared at her with a dense look on his face. "Don't worry, Alexis! I've had my fill of adventure in the last two years! I'm definitely here to stay, at least for now. Yubel and I haven't sensed any trouble or dangers in quite a while, so we decided to stay at Duel Academy if Chancellor Sheppard allows it. I missed the Slifer Red Dorms anyways, so I-."

"Well if you want," said Alexis hurriedly, cutting him off, "you could stay with me in Chazz's dorm that he had built for him when he was at Duel Academy." She quickly blushed furiously after realizing what she said. "I mean, it'd be nice since we could hang out since I'm staying at Duel Academy as an observer, and there's lots of room there as well…"

Jaden tapped his chin as he thought about this, and he gave her a big smile a moment later. "Yea sure, why not? It'll be fun!" He then turned back to face the view below. "Now, let's watch this next duel!"

Alexis turned to the duel and smiled, suddenly giddy and excited at the same time. "Yea, let's watch!" As they watched the duel, she glanced at Jaden out of the corner of his eyes and resisted the urge to laugh out loud in pure happiness.

Jaden… I'm glad that you're back.

|Chancellor Sheppard's Office, Duel Academy|

Three days later…

Chancellor Sheppard looked up at the sound of the double doors sliding open to see Jaden and Alexis walking into the room. "Oh, well if it isn't Jaden! It's been too long my boy, much too long!" He stood up and walked around his desk to shake both Jaden and Alexis's hands in greeting, giving them a big warm smile.

"Please, have a seat!" he added as he motioned to the two comfy chairs that sat in front of his desk.

Once the two sat down, Chancellor Sheppard sat down in his own seat and let out a deep sigh as he sank into the cushioned seat of his chair. "Now, Jaden," he started as he carefully observed the mentioned. "What brings you here back to Duel Academy? I know that you left a little over two years ago to help out the world as much as you could, but I feel as if you came back here for some reason known only to you, am I right?"

Jaden grinned at this, and he crossed his arms as he sat back in his seat. "I see that you've already figured me out Chancellor Sheppard! Well, to tell you the truth, you're uh… right and wrong…?"

Sheppard and Crowler, who had been quietly standing behind Sheppard's desk, frowned at this, obviously confused. "Please explain," said Sheppard.

"Ok,
uh… Where should I begin…" hummed Jaden. He then leaned forward in his seat, a serious look appearing in his eyes. "Well, let's see…"

…

After explaining the situation to all three of them, Jaden took a deep breath and leaned back into his seat. "Well, that's about it I think."

"Hmmm… That was a very interesting explanation," said Sheppard in a melancholy tone. "So, what's your plan now, Jaden? Until you come across that, you'll have nothing to do, am I right? According to what you said, it could be weeks or even months before it could happen. Don't you think that it's time to join the pro league now?"

"Yes, yes!" agreed Crowler happily. "You've always wanted to join the big boys up there in the pros, haven't you? I'm sure that you could become a big shot there if your skills haven't dulled in any way!"

Jaden laughed at this as if they both had just suggested a ridiculous idea. "Join the pros, huh? Well, maybe if it was right after I graduated, but now? After two years of travelling all over the world, I'm not so sure if I could get a sponsor so easily! After all, it's been forever since I've dueled in public."

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that, Jaden," said Sheppard as he shook his head in disagreement. "I'm sure that many businesses and corporations would love to hire you as their spokesperson after one or two small-time duels. Also, I could put it in a good word for you at Kaiba Corp if you'd like. Since Seto Kaiba started taking on pro duelists to represent Kaiba Corp, many young and bright duelists like yourself have been applying for there in hopes of getting picked up by them."

"I'm with Chancellor Sheppard on this, Jaden," chimed in Alexis with an encouraging smile on her face. "You could definitely get in there with Chancellor Sheppard's recommendation, and in case you didn't know, Syrus and Chazz were selected from a group of applicants just over a year ago!"

Jaden's eyes widened at this, obviously not having had knowledge of this. "W-Wait, Syrus and Chazz are in the pro league now?! That's awesome! So when was this?"

"Well," began Alexis, "Syrus joined just a little over five months or so after the graduation, and Chazz just recently decided to join a little over a month ago. Zane is still in the pro league of course, and Jesse Anderson is also doing great as a pro too although it's back at his home. He still comes to this area to participate in the bigger duels though."

"Oh, so Jesse too, huh?"

Crowler looked down at his watch and then blinked once before leaning down and whispering something into Sheppard's ear. Sheppard straightened up at this, and he coughed into his hand as he glanced at the two that were seated in front of him.

"Well, it seems that the time is getting late," he said. "Why don't you two run along to the Obelisk welcome dinner? I'm sure that Alexis can get you back into the groove of things if you've forgot about how things work here in Duel Academy."

Jaden yawned as he stretched his arms out towards the ceiling. "Yea sure, why not?" Getting up from his seat, he stretched out his legs as well and turned his head to look at Alexis. "Alright Lex, let's go!" As he turned around to leave, he waved at Sheppard and Crowler as he walked towards the door. "See you guys later! It was nice seeing you again Chancellor Sheppard!"

Alexis nodded as she leapt up from her seat, suddenly energized by the thought of spending some more time with Jaden. "Yea, let's go!"

Later that night…

Three hours later, Jaden and Alexis stared out into the ocean from their position on the edge of the cliff that overlooked the vast ocean that surrounded Duel Academy. The full moon was bright, and the waves crashed against the base of the cliff below as the tide stretched out against the blanket of sand at the edge of the shore.

As they stared off into the distance, Jaden glanced to his side at Alexis before turning his gaze back to the ocean. "So, Lex… I've been wondering about something…"

Alexis blinked, taken by surprise. "You were wondering about something? What is it, Jaden?"

"Before graduation, you said that you were going to America to study abroad, right?" asked Jaden curiously. He planted his hands on the firm ground behind him and leaned back while using his arms for support. "So, what happened to that? To be honest, I really didn't expect to see you here when I came back."

"Oh, that!" Alexis laughed softly as she thought back to the talk with Chancellor Sheppard and Doctor Crowler exactly twenty-five months ago. "Well, you see, I…"

… "So, Alexis… what's your decision?" asked Sheppard. He folded his hands together and rested his chin on them as he stared at Alexis with a curious look in his eyes. "Will you remain at Duel Academy, or will you go to North America and study abroad? I just want you to know before you respond that no matter what decision you make, it should be the one that you truly want from the bottom of your heart."

Alexis sighed as she thought about her decision, secretly in turmoil on the inside about the whole entire thing. What should I do…? she asked herself. I already made up my mind about this during my duel with Jaden, but is it really what I want…? I want it, but at the same time, I don't know if it's the right decision… Frowning, she lifted her head and looked Sheppard straight in the eyes. "I..." I have to do this… Everyone else is moving on- I have to do this so that I'm not the only one that's left in the dust.

"Well?"

Alexis took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak. "Yes… I'll go, Chancellor Sheppard. Even though I'll miss everyone here in Duel Academy, all of my friends are going their own separate ways, so it's time for me to take my leave as well."

"I see…" Sheppard sighed, a hint of sadness in his voice as he spoke. "That's what I thought you'd say… Well, things like this only comes once in a lifetime Alexis… This will be a good experience for you."

Doctor Crowler, who had been quietly standing in the back, sniffed as he wiped a tear away from his eyes with a handkerchief. "Good for you, Alexis. Even though I'll miss you terribly, I wish you the best of luck, and I know that you'll do great things there!"

…

"Oh, so you did go after all!" exclaimed Jaden in a surprised tone. "So you left right after graduation and stayed there to study for two years?"

Alexis nodded in response. "Yea, that's right!"

Jaden suddenly scratched his chin as a thought occurred to him. "Wait, so why are you back now? I don't know much about studying abroad or whatever you called it, but it sounds like something that would take more than two years to finish!"

"Heh…" Alexis gave him a sad smile as she looked down at the ground. "Yea, well I could have stayed there much longer if I wanted to, but… I missed everyone, so I just decided to come back to Duel Academy as a researcher! Anyways, Mindy, Jasmine, Chazz, Syrus, and Atticus all live in the same general area! I figured that coming back would be the best choice, so here I am!"

…

After a brief moment of silence, Alexis was startled by the sudden rustling noise of Jaden getting up from his spot on a patch of dry grass. "Well, it's getting pretty late," he said with a loud yawn. "I'd better get going."

"Wait, you're already leaving?" inquired Alexis, both sad and disappointed at the same time.

"Oh, well… yea. I'm pretty tired from today, so I figured that I'd just go and get some sleep." Giving his long-time friend a big smile, Jaden turned around to leave. "Anyways, see ya later Lex! It was nice hanging out with you after so long!" he called out as he ran down towards Chazz's dorm.

Alexis sighed deeply as she watched Jaden turning into a dot as he ran off into the distance. After a quiet moment of stillness, she slowly got up from her spot and trudged back to her dorm room with a sad look in her eyes.

You really haven't changed at all, have you, Jaden?

This chapter was just to introduce the new character as well as reintroduce Jaden and Alexis into the story. Not much action or plots going on in this, but there will be later on in the next few chapters.

Follow, favorite, and review. If you liked or disliked anything about the chapter, let me know through a review. Much appreciated.