TWF: Hey hoe~! What is up, ladies and germs?! Welcome back to the stage of history! Wait, why did I suddenly quote a Soul Edge announcer before the battle? O.o
Fen: I have no clue why…
TWF: It must have been that hacking MotWC had done to our radio, my mind went more random, as of late… 8O
MotWC: Nah. I think it's just because you're crazy.
TWF: Le gasp! How can you say that, dude?! *brushing my teeth with a hard bread with cheese on it*
MotWC: Very easily, actually. I'm looking at the evidence right now…
TWF: Just so you know, it's multitasking! I'm brushing my teeth while eating! :D
MotWC: ANYWAYS, welcome back ladies and gents!
Fen: Yep! To all those who reviewed we thank you! Twenty plus reviews is not a bad start, I admit.
TWF: True, ever since the official proper introduction of Synchro Summon implemented in this season.
MotWC: But this chapter, we're gonna rev it up a bit more. *shoves a bar of soap into my mouth after saying "rev it up"*
TWF: Dude… that's my bar of bread… not soap... -_-;
MotWC: Your bread is still in your mouth… -_- Now let me wash my mouth of that filthy 4Kids dub nonsense in peace.
TWF: Oh… right. *keep brushing my teeth*
Fen: ANYWAYS, we'll be getting back on track with the official episode one of Season 3, and like always, we'll be having our own twist on it as well.
TWF: Do the twist? *blinked before heading towards the radio and tuned it into the korean 'Twist King' song.* Wohoo! *start dancing*
MotWC: No. Not that kind of twist. Either way, get ready for things to get interesting.
Fen: Right!
TWF: Does the twist means I twist my arm or something? I can't turn them 360, y'know?
Fen: Let's get this chapter over with...
Disclaimer: Same thing.
It was now the next day and after having family time for that entire day, Kurogasa and Alexis had the chance to go out on a date. Today, they decided to walk on the beach and enjoy the breeze as the sun shined brightly.
"Some things never change…" Kurogasa sighed as he and his girlfriend walked along the shore.
"Yeah, but that's not really a bad thing, y'know?" Alexis commented as she watched the tide roll in and out gradually.
"How's that?"
"Well if you take away the whole 'save the world' thing, life here at Duel Academy isn't so bad." Alexis explained.
"Heh… I guess you're right about that." Kurogasa chuckled lightly. "And man, yesterday was crazy. All the freshmen are fawning over me, Aurora being unfriendly, I'm late to my family time, and had to do make-up family time for that entire day too."
"Well at least you were able to spend some time with them. Opportunities like that have been pretty scarce lately." Alexis pointed out.
"Yeah… and I really wish people would stop fawning over me too. I'm not the type of person that flaunts their fame all around."
"But they love you."
"Yeah, as the Kamen Rider and not the actual person."
"Don't worry. They'll eventually see you as an actual person."
"I guess." Kurogasa sighed. "Though I'm still confused with Aurora. What's her problem?"
"Can't say. Maybe she's just picky about her friends?" Alexis answered.
"I don't know. There's just something about her that just rubs me the wrong way. I mean I get it, she has her gripes with me and all, but there were times that it was beyond my control and I couldn't do anything about it. Even when you…"
"Don't worry about it. It's all behind us now." Alexis reassured.
"I know but… for some reason, it doesn't want to leave me alone." He muttered. "I've been… having nightmares recently about last year. Mostly you being brainwashed, where I was at my weakest…"
"Kuro…" Alexis said a bit worried as they stopped walking.
"Ever since I lost you to the SoL last year… I wasn't the same…" Kurogasa trailed off. "I was angry, confused, lost, doubtful, even hopeless… I had to fight tooth and nail to get you back…"
"I know…" Alexis got out. Kurogasa then suddenly hugged her, much to her surprise. The bangs of his hair covered his eyes and she felt Kurogasa trembling. "Kurogasa?"
"I can't lose you again Lex…" Kurogasa whispered shakily. "I can't go through that hell again. I don't want to lose someone I love twice…"
"Kurogasa…" Alexis muttered. She returned the sudden embrace with one of her own. "You don't have to worry about that. You're stronger than you were back then. If anything happens, I know you can handle it." She then broke the hug and kissed him briefly. "And even if I were somehow taken away again, I know without a doubt that you'll come and save me."
"Alexis…"
"After all, you're a hero. And they always save the day… and the girl, right?" Alexis smiled.
"Heh… yeah, you're right." Kurogasa chuckled before hugging her. "Thank you Lex. You always know how to make me feel better."
Alexis smiled and chuckled. "And you always know how to keep life interesting." She added.
"Such as?" Kurogasa smirked.
"Now that would be telling," Alexis grinned. "C'mon, let's keep going. After all, you did say you want to make up for lost time."
"Right." Kurogasa nodded with a small smile before the two continued walking on the beach.
Somewhere, deep within the darkness…
"Jaden…"
The voice echoed out his name.
"Where are you… my beloved one? Jaden Yuki…"
The voice echoed within the darkness… until the eye opened up, hinting the existence of the person it searched for.
(Cue Theme Black Swallowtail by Uroboros)
(Opening Instrumental) The scene begins with Yukina standing while clasping her hands in silent prayer. The background then showed the signature Monsters of the various characters. The background then shattered, replacing Yukina with Joan in her new attire as she suddenly took a battle stance. At the same time, the camera rotated, revealing Viper, Yubel's weakened form, Joan Alter and an assortment of other silhouettes. Ghost and Specter suddenly landed next to Joan and joined in. As they dashed forward, the title screen appeared from Joan's flag and moments later it moved to the next scene.
(Taken by the sinking blue~) At the Slifer Red Dorm, Kurogasa was feeding his younger siblings, Suzaku and Sakura.
(Gonna understand the hatred to understand) However, Sayaka had other plans as she came from behind and pulled Kurogasa's cheeks, making a funny face and the twins laughed hysterically, making Kurogasa sigh with a sweat drop.
(True meanings of love!) The Primary Kamen Riders, Dark Magician Girl and Joan watched in amusement from another table while his parents and Alexis smiled.
(Does not end until the end comes) Down at the beach, the Akasaka twins were shown sparring while Jaden, Syrus, Chazz, Rock, and Blair watched in interest.
(And the people get replaced again) Suddenly, Kazuma and Naomi are shown standing in what appeared to be the devastated ruins of Domino City, their tattoos having appeared on their bodies.
(But this keeps repeating on and on!) As the twins look towards the sky, their eyes widened as they see a black-haired figure hovering in the sky with a malicious smirk on his face. Behind him is an unnaturally large moon.
(Another start~…) Koji was sitting on the floor of his dorm with his eyes closed, his old vinyl records scattered about as he saw visions of his Boogie Knights as well as the Secondary Kamen Rider predecessors, even seeing himself as Kamen Rider Disco.
(A win~ prearranged is no fun~!) He then opened his eyes as he felt Marta hug him from behind and kiss his cheek, causing him to smile before pulling her onto his lap for a passionate kiss, while her Fantasy Warriors and his Boogie Knight friends looked at them with smiles and embarrassment.
(You won't get far~, you can't~ escape!) At the entrance of Duel Academy, Rika, Allyson, Mamori (hiding behind Allyson), Aurora, Jim, Hassleberry, Tsukiyo, Axel, Jesse, and Masaru looked at the horizon, and a confused Mitsuyo looked at them before looking where they are looking.
(If you ever get lost) As soon as the scenery changed to a barren desert…
(Oh, Black Swallowtail~!) Allyson's red hair changed to pure silver, fluttering gracefully while her eyes closed. As soon as she opened her eyes, her left pale green eye turned grey, similar to a certain priestess.
(Karamitsu ita ima ni shigamitsuku) Kurogasa and Koji transformed into Kamen Rider Duelist and Disco respectively and joined the Kamen Riders to fight against the Dark Riders and a new dark figure.
(Jibun o yawasa ni nurikaete made) As a flock of Harpie Ladies dived down towards the Akasaka twins for the kill, their odd-eyes glowing brightly before they change into Tyrant Mode and unleashed their power.
(Me ni shita mono ga riaru ni surikawaru kono sekai!) As the Ojamas were wiped out easily from an attack of another monster, a cannon shot fired as X took charge of the offense while Zero and other Final Fantasy characters helped out with the Kingdom Hearts characters.
(Kore de ī no~?) They advanced until they reached the possessed Marcel with the three Sacred Beasts towering behind him. As soon as the Sacred Beasts unleashed their strongest attacks, it clashed with everyone's combined attacks, causing the screen to turn white before moving to another scene.
(Instrumental) As the camera slowly zoomed out, it revealed all of the Kamen Riders, Dark Magician Girl and Joan standing at the top of Duel Academy with wind that fluttered the girls' hair, with other monsters floating and standing in front of the entrance, slowly zooming out even further to the barren desert. The characters have determined looks, trying their best to find their way out, while Yukina prayed for their safety on the island, ending the song.
Chapter 2: Newcomers to the Academy
Somewhere, far from Duel Academy, a large white ship headed towards the academy from afar. As the voyage continued on, a man who had brown hair spiked up, with greyish brown eyes over his glasses, an ear piercing on each lobe of his ear, wearing red and white sleeveless shirt and brown pants over his black boots. Around his neck is a necklace in large beads and tape recorder in his hand, recording the events.
"June 11th." The man began. "Our voyage to Duel Academy is about to reach its end safely. The ship Kaiba Corporation prepared for this voyage was comfortable and nothing to complain about. But, if I had to name a problem…"
He paused, looking at his surroundings and noticed something throughout his trip. Within his view, there's a man with a cowboy hat sitting on top of his black spiky hair, having his right eye bandaged over his black eyes, wearing a white long sleeved shirt with a brown vest, dark blue jeans with a gun holster around his waist, and brown boots. Resting on his head is what it seems to be a rather large alligator dubbed Shirley. At this time, the two were spending time resting next to the pool, as the brown-haired boy continued on with his recording.
"It'd be that this luxurious cruise liner had only five passengers. The first is myself, Adrian Gecko. Another one would be Jim Crocodile Cook." he introduced, as Jim lets out a yawn. "It would seem the swimming pool area is his favorite."
As he looked around him once more, Gecko continued, "The third and fourth passengers are Professor Thelonious Viper and Axel Brodie. However, these two rarely come out of their rooms."
Taking a breather, he closed his eyes and continued, "And the fifth is… a ghost. A ghost that's not on the ship, even though the passenger list says he's on board. But, once he steps foot on Duel Academy, everything will be clear, as well as his identity."
After he completed his recording, both he and Jim noticed the familiar volcano smoke from afar, indicating they are near the premise. "Blue sky, emerald sea, wild volcano… that's Duel Academy!" Jim said enthusiastically, raising his pet Shirley up high without trouble. "It's-a beautiful~!"
Inside one of the room, an african man who had black long hair that is shaped after a paper fan with braids tied in white; Axel does not wear a school uniform, instead sporting a red tank top and black sleeveless vest and pants. He wears a gold pendant of unknown origin around his neck and brown military boots. At this time, he is polishing his cards before stacking it back into his deck and puts into his duel disk that resembled a rather large pistol. The said man walked towards the center of the room, focusing himself while putting the duel disk around his gun holster. On instinct, he drew out his duel disk, immediately equipped it onto his arm and activates it. He immediately drew out his cards while his duel disk activates, thus completing his mock training.
*KNOCK! KNOCK!*
"Who's there?" He asked.
"It's me." The voice introduced himself, putting the said soldier at ease.
Placing his deck and duel disk back onto its place, he opens the door, revealing a rather large man standing in front of him. A stern man with pointy black hair, strict black eyes with discipline, wearing dark purple uniform with yellow shoulder decorations and bronze buttons and beads around the collar and its shirt holder. To complete his uniform, he wore dark purple pants and black shoes.
"Professor Viper!" The soldier recognized.
"At ease, Axel." Viper replied, entering the room. "I see you're the same as always. Who did you say came to visit besides me?"
Axel approached the table, fetching a paper on it. As he passed to the professor, he added, "This person."
"Hm…" Viper pondered, reading the contents of the paper. "Adrian Gecko. He came to see you?"
Axel silently nodded, making Viper sigh.
"I see now. He seems like the type to meddle in others' affairs." He commented. "Well, don't worry about him. Once we arrive at Duel Academy, we'll commence our usual duels. We're reaching there soon, so be prepared."
Axel smirked while chuckling to himself, understanding Viper's command.
"Oh my. I must be preaching to the choir. I know it's impossible for you to just sit around." He added before leaving the room.
"Have a great day, everyone~!" Yukina gave a motherly wave to the Slifer students to make them feel at home. Having decided to stay at the dorm in order to look after her children, the students replied back differently. While the girls waved back at her happily, the boys, on the other hand, were more concerned with admiring her beauty.
"Why… are you staring at my mom like that?" a voice growled. The Slifer boys cringed when they saw Kurogasa and saw he wasn't appreciative of the boys staring at his mom as they were.
"Relax, soldier. Everyone's taking a liking on ya' mom." Hassleberry assured.
"But she's married." Kurogasa got out.
"Yeah, I agree with him, Kurogasa-kun." Rock replied. "I mean, she's nice, friendly, always tending to other people's love problems and easy to get attached to! She's a mother figure, after all!"
"Heck, I even learned that she's the DA's Mom of the Year, big whoop." Chazz huffed.
"W-Well, e-everyone does like her, s-since we got back…" Masaru stuttered.
"Jaden!" Syrus shouted as the group noticed he was wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform as opposed to that of Ra Yellow.
"Ara? Syrus? What's the matter, dear?" Yukina asked.
"Ah, Yukina-sensei!" Syrus got out. "Have you seen Jaden around?"
"No, I haven't seen him. Why do you ask?" She tilted her head.
"Maybe Syrus-senpai wants to give him some candy?" Mitsuyo's said, as the twins followed behind him, only to get bonked on the head by her older twin. "Owies~!
"Mitsuyo, get serious…" Tsukiyo grumbled.
"What? Onee-chan, if you keep getting angry like that, you won't get any boyfriend soon!"
*POP!*
"Say that again, Mitsuyo… I dare you…" Tsukiyo threatened, drilling her twin's head with her knuckles and causing Mitsuyo to flail her arms in pain.
"She doesn't like to be asked about that topic, hm?" Otoya appeared, hovering above Kurogasa. "Kurogasa-kun, why don't you-"
"Not gonna happen." Kurogasa shot down, making Otoya be on all fours.
"How cruel… being shot down even before the question was even finished..." he muttered.
"What about you guys?" Syrus asked, looking at the boys. "Have you seen Jay?"
"Last I saw him, he was with Rika." Kurogasa said.
"Are those two at it again? Dating?" Rock assumed.
"If she ever hears that from you, you'll get a frying pan heading for your face…" Chazz mumbled. "I should know, being the recipient of many beatings…"
"We know that Daddy-O." Koji slightly deadpanned.
"Honestly, how could he forget?" Syrus sighed. "Today's the opening day of the Academy, too…"
"Oh, yeah. Like that guy would just pop out of nowhere…" Chazz commented, crossing his arms. "A Slacker will always be a slacker…"
"Doesn't that point you out as well?" Hassleberry noted.
*POP!*
"Whoa, easy Chazz…" Kurogasa placated. "Look, if anything, we can always go find him."
"U-Um…" Masaru stuttered. "S-Shouldn't we all be going to the opening c-ceremony now?"
"And shouldn't you have a change of clothes, Hassleberry?" Syrus asked.
"What about it?" Hassleberry asked. "I like this uniform, private!"
"Well, there's nothing wrong with that… as for me, though, today I just wanted to wear something new, too!" Syrus proudly boasted.
"Eh? Senpai wore something new, other than the uniform?" Mitsuyo said in awe. "Like new undies?"
*BONK!*
"Owie!" Mitsuyo cringed in pain, courtesy of Tsukiyo's fist smoking.
"Shut… up…"
"You are being rather violent as of late." Allyson said, walking out from the cafeteria with Sayaka in tow. "Maybe you should learn some patience, Tsukiyo…"
"As long as my sister doesn't blurt out anything silly, my temper is always at its max…" Tsukiyo added as her left eyebrow twitched.
"Mitsuyo, I'm not talking about my underwear…" Syrus sweat dropped. "I'm wearing my new glasses."
"Really? It looks the same to me." Sayaka tilted her head.
"Anyways, if we can't find Jaden, we'll be late for the opening ceremony!" Syrus panicked.
"Relax, will ya?" Chazz scoffed. "I'm sure that Rika will drag his butt back to the Academy before we even know it…"
Inside Jaden's dream, the scenery was all greyish and Jaden was lying on his stomach, in the middle of the desert. As his eyes opened, he noticed the change of scenery. "Huh? Where am I?"
As he looked to the side, he noticed the Academy was stranded in the middle of the desert, much to his confusion. "What's Duel Academy doing in the middle of nowhere?"
"This is where destiny lies…" a female voice spoke from everywhere at once, as Jaden looked for the source and noticed…
"Huh? Allyson?" He asked, noticing the figure before him.
"No, I am not Allyson, nor shall I deny that I dwell within her…" 'Allyson' spoke, as Jaden saw the differences to her and the student. Instead of her usual red hair, it was silver, while her left eye was grey instead of pale green.
"What's going on here, Ally?" He asked.
"What you see before you is a prelude of what's to come." 'Allyson' replied as she suddenly appeared behind Jaden, much to his surprise.
"What's to come?"
"Correct." She replied, suddenly vanishing then reappearing elsewhere. "Your path shall intertwine with your destiny. And you are not the only one whose path shall cross with destiny's."
"You're saying my friends will be in danger?!"
"…" she remained silent, vanishing then reappearing in front of him now. "Everything starts… with your fate, Jaden Yuki. The pivotal moment is close at hand. You cannot stop it. It must run its course and you must see it through to the bitter end."
"You know, you're pretty scary sometimes, Ally…" Jaden said, sweating a bit. "I can see why Kurogasa was so scared of you when you first entered the Academy…"
"Kurogasa Kururugi followed the same path, and he lost everything dear to him." She continued, still in her place. "In time, the events shall unfold before you, and your actions will influence the future."
"What do you mean by that?" He asked, as she suddenly disappeared. "Hey, Ally! Come back here!" He exclaimed, running towards where she might be, only to stumble upon his friends standing in the desert. "You guys!"
Sliding down the slope, he immediately ran towards the group, as he approached the standing figures. "Thank goodness you're alright! I was worried about you guys! And did you guys know? Allyson said something weird a… ga… in?"
He paused, noticing all of his friends are not moving at all. "You guys?" As he stretched to one of the figures, it suddenly dissolved into sands, much to his surprise. "Chazz!"
One by one, all of them started dissolving within the sands, much to Jaden's horror. "Professor Crowler! Alexis! Syrus! Hassleberry! Rika! Kyoshiro-sensei! You guys!" He then saw Kurogasa and Koji before they too dissolved into sand. Shouting to the heavens, he exclaimed, "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!"
"Jaden, wake up!"
"GAHHHHHHHHHH!" Jaden cried out in shock as he suddenly opened his eyes, noticing he's not in the same place as he dreamt before. He's back at the Academy, lying down on the rooftop underneath the sunny sky, only to be shadowed by Rika's figure, leaning over his face and frowning.
"I've been searching for you all over the place!" Rika snapped. "And here you are snoozing off here on the roof!
"R-Rika?" Jaden muttered, sitting up from where he slept. "You're really you, right?
"What are you talking about?" Rika blinked. "Jaden, I think the heat got the best of you…"
"Sorry… I had this really weird dream…" Jaden muttered. "And I actually met Allyson in my dream, although, she looked kinda weird."
"Weird?"
"Yeah, she's like having silver hair and her eyes are different colors, and talking about fate and all that."
"Don't you think you're just overthinking it?" Rika asked, straightened herself up, crossing her arms while mumbling, "Besides, why her? Why aren't you dreaming about me?"
"Rika?" Jaden blinked, oblivious to her words, as Rika blushed.
"Coooo!" Winged Kuriboh cooed, getting his attention.
"What's up, buddy?" He asked, as Winged Kuriboh turned his attention elsewhere, getting the attention of another spirit nearby. It was a small cat-like creature with indigo fur, big red eyes, and a big ball of ruby-colored crystal at the end of its tail.
"Hey, Jaden. What's wrong?" She asked, as the strange creature approaching the three. Winged Kuriboh and the strange creature met and… they started to get along?
"Say, Rika. What kind of a squirrel has four ears with ruby eyes, a body of a squirrel and has a big ruby crystal ball at the end of its tail?"
"Huh?" Rika got out, as they heard the sound of the 'ding' simultaneously. "What are you talking about? You're referring to that little guy over there?"
"Ruby! You in here, pal?" A voice called out, getting the creature's attention.
"Ruby? That's its name?" Rika said, as Ruby immediately went back in the 0direction of the new voice.
"Ruby! Ruby! By, by, by, byyyyyyyy~!" Ruby chirped, happily climbing onto its owner's shoulder.
"So, this is where you ran off to?" The figure smiled. The person in question was about their age and wore a blue vest with dark blue outlines, a lavender shirt with frilled cuffs rolled above the wrists, and black pants held up with a white belt. His teal hair rose up in the back but otherwise was kept down.
"Heya. Is that Duel Spirit yours?" Jaden asked.
"And it's Ruby, right?" Rika added.
"Yep! Ruby Carbuncle, to be precise!" The student replied.
"Carbuncle?" Jaden added.
"You mean… that little guy is a legendary animal?"
"Yep, that's right, little missy!" The student perked up. "And is that Winged Kuriboh?"
"Yep, that's my partner over here." Jaden perked up, as Rika couldn't help but sweat drop on the similarities between the two.
"That means you're Jaden Yuki." he grinned. "I thought you're the masked hero in the Academy that I've been hearing about."
"Oh, that's my friend, if you mean by that." Rika spoke up.
"Is that so? That sounds great!" The person grinned happily.
"Wait, you can see Winged Kuriboh like us?" Rika added.
"Since I was little, I've been able to see Duel Monster spirits. It's the same with you two, right?" He asked.
"Yeah! Me too!" Jaden said.
"Small world huh?" Rika smiled a bit. "Oh, I'm Rika Ryusaki by the way."
"Nice to meet ya', young lady." He grinned.
'Come to think of it…' Jaden pondered to himself. 'Since when exactly have I been able to see spirits?'
"Anyways, you're new here?" Rika asked.
"We haven't seen you around here before…" Jaden noticed.
"If you say it like that, I guess I am a freshman." The student smiled.
"That's sweetness!" Jaden perked up, offering his hand to him. "Welcome to Duel Academy! Let's have a great day together!"
"Yeah." the student replied, shaking his hand.
'Honestly, these two really are two peas in a pod.' Rika pondered, looking at the two staring at each other for a while.
"I've got a strange feeling about you." Jaden began.
"I think so, too. It's like we've met each other many times before." He replied.
As both Duel Spirit monsters started to argue with one another, Rika suddenly recalled, immediately pinching his ears. "C'mon, already! We don't wanna be late for the opening ceremony!"
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Jaden cringed in pain, being dragged by his girlfriend. "I get it, I get it!"
"Let's just go already…" Rika sighed, continue dragging him along with her.
"See ya' later, man!" Jaden waved, as the student replied back with a wave of his own. Even Winged Kuriboh followed suit.
At the main hall, every single student gathered in the main auditorium, muttering with one another about their first day. Amongst the midst of the first years, the teachers heard their whispering:
"Wa~, I can't believe the red dorm has a wonderful teacher!" One of the female Slifers got out.
"I don't really feel out of place, since she really made us feel at home…" the male Slifer said. "We really are lucky to have her as our Slifer Head dorm… for girls…"
"Che, why do even bother saying such a thing?" A female Obelisk freshman huffed… before fawning over Kyoshiro. "But that sensei is really hot. Just looking at him makes me feel at ease."
"Yeah…" another small group of female Obelisks agreed, fawning over him.
"You do know that he's already married, right?" The male Slifer got out.
"Eh?" The female Obelisk blinked.
"And the one you mocked of our Head dorm? That's his wife." The female Slifer pointed out.
"Whaaa?!" She gasped.
"Kyoshiro-sensei, both you and Yukina-sensei really are a hit amongst the students." Miss Fontaine said.
"What can I say? It just happened!" Kyoshiro grinned happily.
"I wish I had that sort of charisma…" Professor Satyr muttered quietly.
"Ahem!" Chancellor Sheppard began, getting their attention. "Now then, from today on, a new year begins. But I want you to put your resolutions in your heart and finish this next year without any regrets."
"Are you sure about this, soldier?" Hassleberry asked, turning his attention to Chazz. "Sticking in the red barracks?"
"It doesn't matter to me anyways. If possible, I'd join the Black Dorm, if there's one."
"Not gonna happen anytime soon." Rock deadpanned.
"Y-Yeah…" Masaru nodded silently.
"Aren't you supposed to be in Ra?" Chazz glared at him.
"You don't have to be picky when it comes to choosing which side you're on, private." Hassleberry grinned, happily placing his arms around Rock's shoulders. "Isn't that right, Sarge?"
"You betcha!" Rock grinned.
"I have no idea how you two are getting along just fine…" Chazz sighed in annoyance.
"Attention, will our Freshman Representative Blair Flannigan please step forward to recite the Academy pledge?" called Bonaparte from the stage.
"Her?" Chazz scoffed.
"It's funny, Chazz." Syrus pointed out.
"About what?"
"You went through all that trouble to go back to red, only to have your room taken by her." Hassleberry chuckled.
"Even if the dorm was modified into a large inn and has a second floor for the girls to stay in, she stayed there because she felt like it." Syrus added. "It's kinda like her new hangout place with Sayaka and for getting close to Kurogasa's mom, too."
"You just had to mention that, didn't you...?" Rock sweat dropped
Blair being dressed in the Slifer uniform stepped forward to the center of the lower stage. Everyone clapped for the new Slifer as she raised her right arm and recited:
"We the students of Duel Academy, solemnly promise to abide by the Academy regulations.
To resolve all conflicts by dueling.
To show respect for our professors, and our fellow peers.
Unless they try to take over the world."
"Did she really need to add that last part?" Kurogasa sweat dropped.
"It does kind of make sense with how crazy it was during these past two years…" Alexis pointed out.
"I guess you're right." Kurogasa sighed.
"Hey relax. We'll get through our last year together and graduate. We'll probably have something probably trying to take over the world, but that didn't stop us right?"
"Heh… yeah, I guess so." Kurogasa chuckled.
"Getting chummy as always, aren't you, 'senpai'?" Aurora muttered, glaring at Kurogasa. "If you keep this up, who knows what will happen to this academy…" Kurogasa simply rolled his eyes.
"Just ignore her." Alexis whispered. "She'll come around and forget about last year."
"If only it would be that simple…" Allyson said, looking at Aurora. "Her hatred for you seems deep. I don't even know if the guidance of the Cosmos can help her… if I could hear her again…"
"Y-You still can't hear them?" Mamori stuttered.
"I'm afraid not. Not after the incident last year…" Allyson sighed lightly. "It's so strange. I can always listen to her, but now for some reason, she's silent."
"I'm certain it'll come around again." Marta assured. "If anything, you can consider it as a sign of no trouble. You did your job, after all, right?"
"I really hope you're right." Allyson pondered, thinking about her words carefully.
"Though, you told us your task isn't finished. What could that mean?" Tsukiyo asked, as Mitsuyo happily ate her lollipop, regardless of the attention she gets from others.
"That, I still do not know. Only time will tell when my strength is needed once more." Allyson added.
"That's all from me, the representative of Slifer Red of Duel Academy, Blair Flannigan!"
As soon as she finished her oath, she walked back towards her place, but not before taking a look at where Kurogasa sat and… winked at him?
"Gh!" Kurogasa cringed and Alexis could only glare daggers at the girl.
"Why can't she take a hint that you're taken?" Alexis muttered.
"I asked myself the same question." Kurogasa sighed.
"Sometimes, I kinda feel sorry for ya, aibou." Koji remarked.
"Having girl problems, Kuro?" Rika teased.
"Shut up…" Kurogasa grumbled.
"Now then, this year, wishing for an improvement in the ability of Duel Academy's students, we have invited new students from different academies to our school!"
This got the students' attention, wondering who it might be coming back to the academy. "Do you think the ones that we dueled in the School Duel two years ago might return?" Alexis asked.
"Maybe." Kurogasa pondered. "It'd be nice seeing them again."
"Duel Academy is a school founded to promote growth in dueling, and has established branches worldwide. And this year, we have invited the top students from each of those schools to ours." Sheppard continued.
"Other countries, huh? That would mean we'll be getting different ones this year…" Rika said.
"Hm? Different?" Allyson asked, as Mitsuyo suddenly raised her arm.
"Hm? Yes, Miss Mitsuyo?" Sheppard asked.
"Are they going to bring some goodies from their place?"
*BONK!*
"OWIE!" Mitsuyo cringed in pain.
"Honestly… can you be any sillier than that?" Tsukiyo grumbled, making Sheppard sweat drop.
"You sure have it hard, huh?" Sayaka sweat dropped too. Shifting her focus back onto the main hall, she added, "Could the champions of each Duel Academy from other parts of the world come here, then?"
"That's… not a bad idea…" Kurogasa got out. "I always wanted to meet them and know them better."
"That's total sweetness!" Jaden perked up on his seat. "That means I got to duel them when I see them! Now I'm getting more excited than ever!"
"Down boy, heel." Chazz deadpanned. "Typical Jaden."
"Er-hem!" Sheppard cleared his throat. "Moving right along, without any further ado, let's introduce our representatives, shall we?"
Footsteps can be heard, as an individual walked out from it and stood in front of the stage. "Introducing first, representing Duel Academy's East Campus: Adrian Gecko!"
"By campus, they must mean different branches of Duel Academy instead of a different academy completely…" Rika took note, as another student walked forward.
"Next, the representative of Duel Academy's West Campus: Axel Brodie!"
"…" Axel remained silent, marching into the academy with a serious expression.
"That's one serious soldier…" Hassleberry commented.
"I think the two of you can get along, I think…" Rock said.
"Then, the next student, representing Duel Academy's South Campus: Jim Crocodile Cook!"
"Alright!" Jim cheered, carrying his pet Shirley above his head.
"Is that… a crocodile?" Syrus gulped.
"U-Um… that's… an alligator… I think." Masaru corrected.
"Really? How can you tell?" Syrus looked at him.
"Their brains, that's what…" Chazz remarked.
"And finally, the representative of Duel Academy's North Campus: Jesse Anderson!"
…
…
…
…
But there was no one coming.
"Where is he?" Crowler asked, looking around.
"There iz no one coming, non?" Bonaparte asked.
"Where is that little tyke?" Kyoshiro scratched his head. "Could he be lost in DA?"
"That's… a possibility." Professor Sartyr mentioned.
"So, he's a ghost, perhaps?" Adrian muttered to himself.
"Wait a minute…" Chazz noticed. "Did he just say Jesse Anderson?"
"What's up, Chazzter?" Jaden asked.
"It's not possible… is he the one that uses the Crystal Beast deck?" Chazz recalled.
"You know about them?" Kurogasa asked.
"A few years ago, Pegasus created this exclusive set of cards that were never released to the public. My family offered him millions for them but, he wouldn't give them up."
"They're really that special?" Hassleberry asked.
"Shut it!" Chazz snapped. "Never interrupt The Chazz when he's in the middle of a monologue." He then cleared his throat. "The legend of the deck goes back to Ancient Rome. Julius Caesar ordered that seven rare jewels from around the world be brought back to Rome to put in a stone tablet, each of them was from one of the places he conquered. But when the ship transporting them was heading back to Rome, it was caught in a storm and the crystals were lost. But, Pegasus did a little research on this and created seven new Duel Monsters and Spells and Traps that support them."
"The Crystal Beasts." Alexis said.
"Yeah. After that, Pegasus gave them to some tournament winner."
"Crystal Beast?" Jaden looked at him. "Now I feel like I wanna duel him!"
"Is that what you always think of?" Chazz deadpanned.
Just as things were just about to get interesting, the door suddenly opened, seeing Yukina standing by the door, with a student behind him. "Kaa-san?" Kurogasa blinked.
"Yukina? What's up?" Kyoshiro asked.
"Gomen ne, minna. I brought along the student with me." Yukina smiled motherly, as the familiar individual walked in.
"Sorry about that! This academy's so huge, I got lost!" The individual grinned sheepishly. "Thankfully, this kind teacher lead me here!"
"Ara, ara. It's always my pleasure to help those who are in need." Yukina smiled.
"What about the kids, Yukina?" Kyoshiro replied, getting her attention.
"Daijobu, anata. The staff in the teacher's room are looking after them." She waved off nonchalantly, not caring about getting weird glances from other students in the conversation.
"Your mother sure is something, Kurogasa." Allyson commented. "Able to speak without a hint of awkwardness."
"No kidding." Kurogasa sweat dropped.
"Hey! You're that guy Rika and I met on the roof!" Jaden recognized as Yukina stood on the stage next to her husband.
"Oh, Jaden!" The student recognized. "The opening ceremony event is here, right?"
"Yep, that's right!" Jaden grinned. "By the way, did you happen to see a guy named Jesse?"
"Jesse, huh?" The student got out.
"Um… Jaden? He's, uh…" Sheppard spoke out.
"That Jesse you're looking for? It's me, really!" The student, now introduced as Jesse, laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.
"I knew it!" Chazz got out.
"That's Jesse Anderson?!" Rika gawked.
"Hm? Is there something amiss?" Allyson asked.
"It can't be…" Aurora said in awe. "The very elite of duelists is actually attending here."
"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to hide it from ya, but…" Jesse got out.
"No worries!" Jaden replied
"If we can get back on track, allow me to properly introduce him." Sheppard said, as Jesse happily got up on stage. "The representative of Duel Academy's North Campus: Jesse Anderson!"
"It would seem you do exist, after all." Gecko said.
"Eh?" Jesse got out. As he looked to the student next to him, Axel only glared at him, making Jesse slightly nervous.
"You're Jesse, right?" Jim asked, tilting his hat slightly. Offering his hand, he said, "Hello, my friend."
The stage heard a grunt from Jim's pet, making them aware of it.
"W-Wait a minute, there's a crocodile here?!" Crowler panicked. "A live one?!"
"Also…" Sheppard continued, getting the students' attention once more. "There's one more person I would like to introduce to you all."
A large man marches forward, standing in front of the stage while looking at the students before him. "Hailing from West Campus, he's here to provide a special course this year: Professor Viper."
"Whoa… that guy looks…" Rock trailed off.
"S-Scary…" Masaru replied stuttered shaken, as Viper began his speech.
"Good afternoon, everyone. By all right, you would hear an endless stream of speeches and greetings here. But you all don't need that this year."
"At least he cuts to the chase." Aurora added.
"If any of you have heard my methods are strict, you've heard correct," Viper said, in a deep, authoritative voice. "However, I believe actions speak louder than words. So, I'll make this short so we can get down to business."
Koji stared at Viper with a distrusting glare as the professor spoke. "Something ain't right about that cat. I'm picking up a serious 'creeper' vibe from him."
"You too huh…?" Kurogasa muttered, keeping his eye on Viper. "I'm already getting a bad feeling about this already…"
"Without further ado, let us begin the exhibition matches immediately." He said, catching the students off guard making the students murmur against one another.
"Did you know about zis?" Bonaparte asked Crowler.
"Your guess is as good as mine." The Ancient Gear duelist frowned.
"With that in mind, I have already decided on who shall duel for these exhibitions, and it shall come down to three matches." He declared, catching them off guard yet again.
"Three matches?" Alexis wondered.
"I wonder who." Tsukiyo pondered.
"Oi, kiddo." Tsukasa got out, hovering above Kurogasa, along with Daiki. "Did you smell it?"
"Yeah… trouble…" Kurogasa muttered.
"I was about to say you smell cologne, but meh, that works." Tsukasa shrugged, striking Kurogasa's nerves.
"But jokes aside, Tsukasa isn't that far off." Daiki commented. "I bet on my thief instinct that he's hiding a bigger treasure than this one."
"Maybe one that's supposed to stay buried." Kurogasa frowned. "Philip, can you run a background check on this guy?"
"Ho~? Curious already? Very well, give Shotaro the keywords after that man's speech and I'll search it for you later on." Phillip suggested, reading a book about food… again. "The soup Tendou mentioned does keep me busy, thus I shall learn everything about it before I'm free again."
"Here we go again." Shotaro sighed, tilting down his fedora hat.
"In any case, we should keep our attention to this professor." Ryuu spoke.
'These duels are the ones I have the most interest in…' Viper thought to himself. On cue, he continued, "The first duel would between Jesse Anderson!"
"Eh? Me?" Jesse blinked.
"And then, his opponent will be… Jaden Yuki!"
"Sweetness! I got the first dibs!" Jaden cheered triumphantly. "And getting to duel a guy with those legendary cards on the new term? That's totally wicked!"
"Tch, I really thought I could face him…" Chazz scoffed.
"Relax, Chazzter! You'll get your chance!" Jaden perked up.
"Stop calling me that, slacker!" Chazz snapped. "It's The Chazz!"
"Wow, he sure got some strange friends, too." Jesse chuckled.
"The second duel." Professor Viper continued. "Will be Kurogasa Kururugi."
"Eh? Me?" Kurogasa got out.
"Ara…" Yukina tilted her head slightly.
"And his opponent…" Viper paused, thinking. 'I learned that this Academy not only has two Kamen Riders, but also a fortune teller known as the Guardian. From my knowledge, Kurogasa Kururugi is an ever-evolving masked hero, meaning he has potential of giving off much energy needed, and so does his friend, Koji Shinamori. Though the latter is slower, the power he gained is much more potent than Kurogasa's. Also, the Guardian, Allyson Massri, has the ability of predicting the future with her gift. Pitting against the two would be obvious of what I have planned for them. But…' he paused, seeing Aurora glare at Kurogasa in silence. A smirk then appeared on his face, thinking, '…I've already prepared a contingency plan. The fortune teller can wait for another time.'
"Aurora Aldrich!"
"!" Kurogasa went wide eyed at that.
"…" Aurora was silent, but a smirk was on her face too.
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Alexis murmured in clear surprise.
"Oh dear…" Allyson said surprised as well.
"This does not bode well…" Marta noted.
"And finally." Viper continued, now glaring at Koji. "The final duelist is Koji Shinamori."
"Wha-?!" Koji gawked.
"Love?" Marta blinked, surprised too.
"S-Senpai?" Mamori said stunned.
"And he will go against Adrian Gecko!" He continued.
'What is he planning?' Gecko pondered, glaring at Viper.
"The following students I've called out, come to this stage!" Viper commanded, as both Koji and Kurogasa were hesitant for a moment, while Jaden and Aurora went towards the stage, standing next to both Jesse and Gecko.
"Master…" Joan appeared, hovering next to him. "The Lord has sent bad omens to me, about that individual…"
'I know… I don't know what he's planning, but for now we have to let it play out.' Kurogasa said in his thoughts.
"Very well, by thy bidding, but please…" Joan looked at him worriedly, as Kurogasa walked down the steps. "Proceed with caution…"
'No need to tell me twice…' Kurogasa thought again, as he and Koji eventually reaches the stage, with Joan remained hovering around him.
"I got a bad funky feeling about that cat, Koji." Thunder Roller said.
'I know, but for now, we don't have much of a choice. We'll follow his jam for now.' Koji suggested.
"Oooooh, this jive-turkey is already giving me the heebe-jeebes!" Flame Fatale shuddered.
"Tell me about it sistah. I smell un-grooviness all over him." Aqua Mama added.
"The six of you, place your right arms in front of you." Viper commanded.
As soon as the six of them held them up, Viper placed some sort of device around their wrists, and they were locked securely.
"What's this thing?" Jaden asked, looking at it.
"Just a present from me, to celebrate the new term." Viper said. "And all students will wear one as well."
"Ara? That's what they'll be wearing?" Yukina blinked.
"Yep, seems like it." Kyoshiro blinked too.
"Hmmmm…" Kurogasa frowned looking at the device. But when he did, for some reason, for a brief moment, his vision flashed, seeing an eye glowing with flesh surrounding it.
'What the-!' Kurogasa thought shocked.
"These three duels are to commence in one hour! Duelists prepare your Decks!" Viper said, and with that, he left the stage leaving the students to murmur amidst one another.
"Kurogasa, what's the matter?" Shouichi asked. "Did you sense something wrong?"
'Very…'
"Just as I thought…" Joan said, looking at the device around his wrist due to her high awareness and instinct. "What is he planning to do with it?"
An hour later, everyone had gathered back in the Obelisk arena in order to watch the upcoming exhibition duels. Kurogasa and the others sat at the front of the stands and watched intently as Jaden and Jesse approached each other from opposite sides of the platform. Though Chazz, most of all, was waiting almost eagerly for the duel to begin.
"What's up Chazz?" Rock asked as he watched the Slifer waiting impatiently.
"I want to see those Crystal Beasts in action." Chazz answered calmly. "I want to at least do that if they were given to someone else."
"But deep down, you seem awfully excited about it." Allyson commented. "I can tell seeing as you're already sitting on the edge of your seat and the duel hasn't even started yet."
"Like I said, I just want to see these cards and how they work. I've been interested ever since I found out this Jesse guy was the one that got them." Chazz added as he discreetly rolled his eyes.
"Whatever floats your boat dude." Rock shrugged.
"Seems like everyone is excited about this duel, love." Marta said to Koji.
"You got that right Sweet Thang." Koji grinned. "Seeing Jaden's HEROes and Neo-Spacians go against Monsters as rare as these Crystal Beasts is groovy."
"Yeah, but we know my guy's gonna win for sure!" Rika said.
"You sure about that, soul sistah? Because as far as I'm concerned. We know nothin' about the Crystal Beasts."
"K-Koji-senpai has a point." Mamori stuttered.
"Still this is one war we can't take our eyes off of." Hassleberry stated.
"I guess that's going to depend on how this duel goes." Alexis pointed out. Meanwhile, down at the arena floor, Viper stood in between Jaden and Jesse as both duelists prepared themselves.
"Hey Jesse," Jaden spoke up, "You seem like a nice guy, but I'm not holding back! That ain't my style!"
"Funny, I was gonna say the same to you!" Jesse replied with a competitive smirk.
"Those two are so alike." Tsukiyo commented.
"Oh! Oh! Does that mean Jaden has a lost twin we don't know about?!" Mitsuyo asked excited.
*BONK!*
"Owie~!"
"You really need to keep your mouth shut…" Tsukiyo growled as her fist smoked.
"T-Tsukiyo-san, y-you really shouldn't do that to your sister." Masaru stuttered.
"But she's being such an air headed idiot." Tsukiyo grumbled.
"Are both duelists ready?" Viper asked authoritatively.
"You betcha!" Jaden answered.
"Definitely!" Jesse added.
"Then let the first duel begin!" Viper announced before walking off the platform. Both duelists then drew their starting Hands.
"DUEL!"
Jaden: 4000
Jesse: 4000
"Visitors first," Jesse called out, drawing his sixth card. "I'll start off with this guy, Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise in defense mode!" As he placed the card on the duel tray, everyone watched in awe as a glowing emerald appeared on the field, glowing green. The emerald shined, and then transformed into a dark green tortoise shell with emerald pillars sticking out of the top. Also, glowing green eyes were peering out from the shell, showing that the actual tortoise was inside. (3/ATK: 600/DEF: 2000)
"Wow," Jaden gasped. "Chazz was right!"
"About what?" Jesse asked.
"You have the Crystal Beasts," the Slifer exclaimed.
Jim whistled in fascination.
"They do exist!" Adrian gasped.
"Jesse, why's everyone staring at me?" Came the voice of Emerald Tortoise.
"This is Duel Academy, pal," Jesse replied, "Remember I was tellin' ya about it earlier?"
"Oh, man, it's so big in here! You know I can't fight when I'm anxious!"
"Well, you're the best I got for now. But, I'll get the rest of our pals out soon enough." Jesse assured.
"Alright," the tortoise sighed, "But, you're gonna need all of us."
"That's sweet, Jess!" Jaden exclaimed. "You can talk with your monsters like I can!"
"Well, yeah," Jesse stated, "They're my best friends! No, they're my family."
"Wow!" Jaden said in awe. "Your monsters are your family? And I thought I was close to my monsters."
"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn," Jesse concluded, inserting a facedown card into his disk.
"Yep. So much alike." Tsukiyo deadpanned.
"Then this should be interesting." Marta commented.
"Interesting that he'd start off with a defensive Monster." Chazz noted.
"Alright, then I'll go! Draw!" Jaden called out as he began his turn. "Sweet! I'll summon Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin in ATK mode!" On cue, the humanoid blue dolphin emerged from a portal in the ground. (3/ATK: 600/DEF: 800) "And now I'm gonna activate Aqua Dolphin's ability! By discarding a card from my Hand, I can look at yours and destroy a Monster from it! Sonar Wave!"
After paying the effect's cost, the Neo-Spacian of water took that as his cue to get to work. He released a wave of sound from his mouth, aimed directly at the cards in Jesse's hand, causing holograms of those same cards to appear above his head, revealing Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat, Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle, Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle, and Tempt to the Crystal.
"Alright, I think I'll destroy Ruby!" Jaden announced, forcing Jesse to discard the declared card.
"Aw c'mon! Not my Ruby!" Jesse protested.
"Sorry Jesse, but that's the way the cookie crumbles, or in this case, crystal crumbles." Jaden shrugged.
"Did he really just make a pun out of that?" Kurogasa sweat dropped.
"Hey you know how Jaden is." Kyoshiro grinned.
"Hai. He's so energetic when it comes to dueling." Yukina added.
"That's not really the point." Kurogasa sweat drop became larger.
"And now the other part of Aqua's effect activates. Now you take 500 damage since I destroyed one of your cards!"
Jaden: 4000
Jesse: 3500
"Aw man, not cool!" Jesse groaned.
"Hold on, there's more where that came from." Jaden grinned before taking out a card from his hand.a "Next I'm activating O - Oversoul! Now with this, I can bring an Elemental HERO back from the Graveyard!"
"Hang on, Jaden shouldn't have anything in his Graveyard!" Koji pointed out, but then gasped as it clicked. "Unless…"
"He used Aqua Dolphin's effect to discard something!" Syrus finished.
"Time for the fun to begin!" Jaden declared as a portal opened in the ground. "Come on out, Elemental HERO Neos!" Leaping out from the portal leading to the Graveyard was Jaden's signature Monster. (7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000)
"Wow, Neos brought out so early!" Jesse gasped with excitement, "I'm totally star-struck." But then he sighed, "Wish we weren't in a duel right now, I'd be asking his autograph," Afterwards, he smiled, "But it's bad timing that you Special Summoned him."
"What?"
"I activate my trap card, Triggered Summon!" the Crystal Beast duelist announced, "Thanks to this, we both can summon a Level 4 or below monster from our hands! I summon Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle in defense mode!" Like Emerald Tortoise, a cobalt jewel appeared and flashed. It brought out a large eagle with brown and white feathers, yellow beak and yellow claws. Inside its wings and around its neck were cobalt stones. (4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 800)
"Holy Toledo! Talk about a huge crowd!" Cobalt Eagle exclaimed, looking around the room before shielding himself with his wings.
"Ooh, we're in trouble now," Emerald Tortoise said in fright.
"In that case, I'm gonna Special Summon my Neo-Spacian Grand Mole!" Jaden said as the Neo-Spacian of earth drilled up through the ground before landing on his feet next to Neos. (3/ATK: 900/DEF: 300) "Now it's time to battle! Grand Mole attacks your Cobalt Eagle while Neos attacks Emerald Tortoise!" On cue, Neos launched a blast of energy from his fist while Grand Mole closed up his drill and flew forward at Cobalt Eagle. The Neo-Spacian of earth hit his target, breaking through Cobalt with ease. Meanwhile, Neos' attack managed to destroy Emerald Tortoise in a matter of seconds.
However, as soon as the two Monsters were defeated, a pair of chunks of rock, one embedded with emerald and the other embedded with a cobalt-colored crystal, formed directly in front of Jesse.
"What the- what gives?" Rika asked confused.
"Those Crystal Beasts should have been destroyed." Aqua Dolphin pointed out.
"They were," Jesse replied, "But they have an effect that allows them to be sent to my Spell & Trap Zone as precious crystals, or Continuous Spell Cards for the folks sticking to game terms."
"To probably be used as fodder later on." Kurogasa mused thoughtfully. "That's actually a pretty nifty effect."
"Well whatever it is, it's not gonna stop Aqua Dolphin from attacking you directly!" Jaden reminded. Jaden's final Monster then unleashed another wave of sound from his mouth that pushed Jesse back upon impact.
Jaden: 4000
Jesse: 2900
"Then I'll place a facedown and call it a turn." Jaden finished. "I can't wait to see the other monsters you got in that deck."
"Hmm," the Crystal Beast drew the next card of his deck and smiled, "If you like my first two beasts so much, watch what my next one does! It's my Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat!" An amethyst crystal appeared on the field and then cracked to reveal a pale pink panther-like cat wearing a brooch that had an amethyst jewel embedded in it. (3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 600)
"This one looks tasty," the cat stated as she licked her lips, "He'll make a purr-fect snack!"
Jesse laughed a bit, "Easy, girl,"
"I haven't had fresh meat in the longest time!"
"Whoa, that cat looks so cool!" Jaden commented. "What does it do?"
"You'll see, but first I activate Crystal Beacon! If I have 2 or more Crystal Beasts in my Spell/Trap Zone, I can Special Summon a Crystal Beast from my Deck! And I choose Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger!" A giant topaz stone showed up and shattered revealing a white tiger with a curved horn and yellow stones on his neck. (4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000) "You ready?" He asked the tiger.
"Why don't you tell our friend here about my special talent?" Topaz said in a low voice.
"Oh yeah, that's right! Whenever Topaz Tiger attacks, he gets an extra 400 ATK! Now go over there and take out Aqua Dolphin!" Topaz Tiger leaped up, feeling more powerful… (4/ATK: 1600-2000/DEF: 1000) and then pounced on Aquos, smashing him to the ground in cloud of smoke.
"Not Aquos!" Jaden shouted.
Jaden: 2600
Jesse: 2900
"I want a chance to sink my teeth into his life points now, Jesse," Amethyst Cat growled, scratching her claws on the ground.
"Well, once I cut your strength in half, you can go right into his life points," Jesse stated as the cat's power decreased. (3/ATK: 1200-600/DEF: 400), "Go, Amethyst Power Pounce!" Amethyst Cat leapt right over Jaden's monsters and pounced on him. Once Jaden was on his back, the Crystal Beast landed a hard scratch on his face.
Jaden: 1800
Jesse: 2900
"Oooooooooooooooh…" Everyone cringed.
"That's gonna leave a mark…" Kyoshiro grimaced.
"Ara… I hope he's alright." Yukina said worried.
"Yikes, I don't wanna be that kitty's scratch post." Sayaka got out.
"Hey! Easy on my man!" Rika scolded.
"Sorry." Jesse said sheepishly.
"Hey, no big deal!" Jaden responded after recovering from the slight shock delivered from the hologram.
"Alright, alright. How about you cats take a nap while I place a facedown to end my turn." Jesse said.
"Then it's my move!" Jaden said as he drew his next card. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" He did as the card instructed. "Sweetness! I summon Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab in Attack mode!" Upon his declaration, the humanoid fire-elemental scarab materialized on the field. (3/ATK: 500/DEF: 500) "And now it's time for a little Contact Fusion! Neos, Flare Scarab, you're on!" The two Monsters nodded before leaping into the air as a small galaxy formed above them, which they were drawn into as light flooded from the center. "Come on out, Elemental HERO Flare Neos!"
Once the light died down, the FIRE variant of Neos made its appearance. (7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000)
"You're just full of surprises, huh," Jesse smiled. "Your monsters are cool!"
"Hey, what does that make us? Used kitty litter or something?" Amethyst Cat sneered
"C'mon, just because he's got a cool monster, doesn't mean I don't appreciate you guys at all," Jesse protested, "We're a family, I care about y'all more than anything else."
"If you like my monsters, then you'll like Flare Neos' effect!" Jaden continued. "He gains an extra 400 ATK for each Spell or Trap on the field. And…" He grinned cheekily at Jesse's three dormant Crystal Beast cards. "Since your Monsters are being treated as Spells right now, they give Neos an extra 1200 ATK!" Flare Neos let out a yell as a flame-like aura outlined his form while he powered up. (7/ATK: 2500-3700/DEF: 2000)
"Alright Jay!" Syrus cheered.
"He took advantage of the Crystal Beasts' own effects to strengthen Neos." Alexis commented. "That's a smart move."
"Now I activate Neo Space!" Jaden announced as their surroundings changed into a colorful and wavy dimension. "Now Neos gets an extra 500 ATK and he doesn't have to return to my Fusion Deck at the end of my turn!" (7/ATK: 3700-4200-4600/DEF: 2000).
"Well I'll be!" Jesse whistled.
"Now I'll have Flare Neos attack Amethyst Cat!" Jaden declared. Following his master's order, Flare Neos flew into the air and launched a large ball of fire at the Crystal Beast Monster.
"I don't think so!" Jesse countered as he pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate the Trap Card, Last Resort!"
"What's that?" Kurogasa wondered.
"Oh, does that mean we're done with school early?! We get to go on vacation?!" Mitsuyo asked excitedly.
*BONK!*
"Owie~!" Mitsuyo cried anime tears.
"Idiot… school just started!" Tsukiyo gritted her teeth.
"T-Tsukiyo-san… Mitsuyo-san…" Masaru sweat dropped.
"Wow, you sure have it hard, don't ya Masaru." Rock stated.
"You're gonna love this." Jesse chuckled. "This let's me activate a Field Spell from my Deck!"
"From the Deck?" Jaden repeated. "Sweet!"
"And it only gets better from here, buddy!" Jesse added as a card stuck out from his Deck, which he took and slipped into his Field slot. "I'm activating Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins! And by the by, since Neo Space is gone, that means your Flare Neo's ATK goes down!" (7/ATK: 4600-3700/DEF: 2000). The colorful dimension disappeared and was replaced with ancient ruins that resembled ancient Rome.
"Where are we?" Jaden wondered as he looked around, taking in the scenery.
"This, good buddy, is only a small part of the place where the seven gems making up the Crystal Beasts were found." Jesse explained. "In terms of the game, my Rainbow Ruins gains certain effects based on the number of Crystal Beasts in my Spell & Trap Card Zone!"
"That's pretty nifty too." Kurogasa commented.
"Now since you're about to destroy my Amethyst Cat, I activate one of Rainbow Ruins' effect! Since I got two Crystal Beasts in my Spell/Trap zone, the damage gets cut in half!" The fireball that Flare Neos threw, hit its target, destroying Amethyst Cat instantly, but an amethyst crystal took its place and was now in the Spell/Trap zone.
Jaden: 1800
Jesse: 1650
"Ah well, can't do much. I'll switch Grand Mole to DEF mode and end my turn. And Flare Neos returns to my Deck." Jaden finished as the mole crossed its arms while on one knee and Flare Neos disappeared.
"Aw man, Jaden's having a tough time taking Jesse down," Syrus said to his friends around him.
"You don't know the half of it," said a voice that was familiar to them from behind. They all turned around and saw a young man with grey hair and blue eyes, dressed in a clean, white tuxedo. It was Pro Duelist, Aster Phoenix.
"Aster? What are you doing here?" Rika asked a bit surprised.
"This is a bit unexpected." Allyson blinked.
"Did you guys already forget?" Aster questioned. "I'm still technically a student here."
"And you're still competing in the pro circuit?" Alexis wondered, to which Aster nodded.
"Yeah, but I heard that the Crystal Beasts had come to Duel Academy," the D-Hero user replied. "Haven't you heard that they're legendary?'
"Yeah, but you mean that you only came back to get your hands on some cards?" Chazz asked.
"No, only Jesse can control the Crystal Beasts," Aster stated. "He's got a special bond with them."
Ojama Yellow popped up next to Chazz though no one else noticed it at the moment. "Awww, that's so sweet," the little spirit exclaimed, "It's kinda like our bond. Right, Boss?"
"Beat it," Chazz grumbled as he punched the little monster and it disappeared.
"W-What do you mean by, 'a bond'?" Mamori asked.
"If you haven't heard, some duelists have very special connections with their cards," Aster explained. "Have you ever noticed Jaden talking to his monsters? Jesse can do the same thing with the Crystal Beasts. And even when destroyed, their spirits stay with him no matter what. And I'm sure the same goes for the Kamen Riders and Boogie Knights, right Kurogasa? Koji?"
"Well…" Kurogasa got out.
"Yeah, since you put it that way." Koji finished.
"But there's something that very few duelists know about Jesse," Aster continued, "It's that he didn't choose his monsters, they chose him!"
"The monsters picked him?" Sayaka wondered.
"No way!" Blair said.
"You're talking nonsense, Phoenix," Hassleberry protested.
"If you don't believe me, just talk to Maximillion Pegasus," Aster retorted. "I first heard about Jesse from him when I won my first Industrial Illusions tournament…"
Flashback
At a big party held years ago, Aster was attending the event after winning one of Industrial Illusions' annual tournaments.
"Aster-boy!"
Aster turned to see a familiar tall man with platinum hair that reached a little past his shoulders and covering the left side of his face. He dressed in a red, three-piece suit with a white shirt underneath. This of course was Maximillion Pegasus, the CEO and founder of Industrial Illusions, and the creator of Duel Monsters. "Congratulations on that impressive victory of yours,"
"Thank you," Aster smiled.
"You are without a doubt a new prodigy in the world of Duel Monsters, as well as the top 5 duelists on my list…" The Duel Monsters creator continued, "Number 1 is obviously Yugi Moto, number 2 is Seto Kaiba, number 3 is Joey Wheeler, and the honor of number 4 goes to you."
"And number 5?" Aster wondered.
"Jesse Anderson," Pegasus answered.
"Who's that?"
"I met him a little while back at another tournament," Pegasus explained. "When Jesse took his place on the field right before the final match, the Crystal Beast cards that were with me started calling out to him."
"You mean they're real?!" Aster gasped. "Whoa! I thought they were only a legend."
"They're 100 percent real," Pegasus replied. "And now they're his."
"But those cards are priceless!" Aster exclaimed once more. "I would've paid anything for them."
"But they weren't for sale. They needed to choose the duelist they wanted."
"You mean the cards picked him?" Aster asked.
"Yes, I understand if you don't believe me," Pegasus stated. "But it's the truth."
End Flashback
'Jaden had better get a good idea of what he's up against.' Aster thought.
'I have no clue what I'm really up against,' Jaden thought. 'It's just pretty good that those crystals are in his Spell/Trap zone, and don't have any points.' He then gasped. "But… that must mean…" Jaden said aloud.
"Huh?" Jesse said confused.
"You're planning to bring out your best monster with those gems, aren't ya!" Jaden asked directly.
"EHHHHHHHHH?!" His friends asked surprised.
Jesse grinned. "How'd ya know?"
"Okay, is it just me or did Jaden actually figure out on his own what Jesse was going to do?" Rika asked with utter surprise.
"Not to mention that this is the first time we're all seeing this deck. The chances of him actually guessing Jesse's strategy was astronomical." Allyson said, also in disbelief.
"Looks like ya got me, Jay," Jesse laughed. "I'm planning to summon a legendary creature with the help of my crystals!"
"So, I was right?!" Jaden asked excitedly.
"I just need at least 7 crystals to be played," Jesse stated, "And when I've got them all ready, I can summon something beyond your wildest dream! The Rainbow Dragon!"
"Awesome!" the Slifer exclaimed. "Are ya gonna bring it out soon?"
Jesse laughed, "Not exactly."
"Huh?"
"I'm having too much fun to end this duel now. You're just gonna have to wait; this monster is too special just to bring out anytime I want."
"As if I'll be able to wait," Jaden replied.
"Alright then, my draw!" Jesse called out as he drew his next card. "I'm gonna activate Rare Value! This lets me send a Crystal Beast on my field to the Graveyard to draw 2 cards." Once Emerald Tortoise vanished from the field, Jesse drew his two extra cards. "And next, I'm summoning Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth!" The next Monster to appear on Jesse's field was a large grey elephant with amber-colored gems embedded into its body. (4/1700/1600)
"I want to run over zat little tooth pick of a man!" The mammoth said with a German accent.
"And you will, but first Topaz, do your thing. Attack Grand Mole!" Jesse ordered. The tiger complied as it lunged forward at the defending mole.
"Not so fast Jesse!" Jaden countered. "I'm activating Grand Mole's effect! It lets me return him and the Monster he's battling back to our hands!" In the span of a second, both Monsters vanished from the field in a flash, having returned to their respective owners' hands.
"Alright, but now I can have Amber Mammoth attack directly!" Jesse pointed out with a grin as the massive elephant charged forward, swinging its head to the side and subsequently slapping Jaden with its trunk.
Jaden: 300
Jesse: 1650
"And that's gonna be it for me." Jesse concluded.
"Alright, now it's my turn!" Jaden said, drawing his next card. "Sweet! I activate the Spell Card, Convert Contact! I send Grand Mole and Flare Scarab from my Hand and Deck to the Graveyard and draw two cards!" He said, before doing as the card instructed. "And next I activate, and this may sound strange, the Spell Card, Cocoon Party! This lets me Special Summon a Chrysalis monster from my Deck for each Neo-Spacian in my Graveyard with a different name. There are three, so I Special Summons Chrysalis Pantail, Chrysalis Chicky, and Chrysalis Pinny in ATK mode!"
Appearing next on Jaden's field via a portal were a trio of small Monsters; a baby panther, a baby bird, and a baby humanoid. All three of them were encased in transparent cocoons, hence their names. (2/ATK: 800/DEF: 300) (2/ATK: 600/DEF: 400) (2/ATK: 100/DEF: 700)
"Awwwwwwwww, they're so cute! I wanna hug them!" Mitsuyo exclaimed, ready to jump out of her seat and to the stage, but Masaru and Tsukiyo held her back.
"M-Mitsuyo-san, no!" Masaru panicked.
"You're not hugging them!" Tsukiyo gritted, trying to pull her back.
"But I wanna~!" Mitsuyo whined.
"Ara… she's very energetic." Yukina blinked.
"Well, whaddya expect? She's Mitsuyo!" Kyoshiro laughed.
"Tsukiyo really has it bad doesn't she." Marta deadpanned.
"Y-Yeah…" Mamori stuttered.
"Sorry Mitsuyo, but sooner or later, all of them have to grow up!" Jaden said, "Now I activate the Spell Card, Contact! By sending these Chrysalis Monsters to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon their adult forms! Neo-Spacian Dark Panther in ATK mode and Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird, and Neo-Spacian Glow Moss in DEF mode!"
As the three chrysalis Monsters were cloaked in multicolored light, their casings shattered like glass, allowing the creatures inside to grow and take new shapes. Now replacing the Chrysalis Monsters were the Neo-Spacian of darkness (3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 500), the Neo-Spacian of wind (3/ATK: 800/DEF: 600), and the Neo-Spacian of light (ATK: 300/DEF: 900).
"Next up is Air Hummingbird's effect!" Jaden went on. "I can gain 500 Life Points for each card in your hand! And since you have two, I'll be happy to take that extra 1000 Life Points! Do your thing, Air Hummingbird!" On command, the red hummingbird flew over to Jesse as flowers sprouted from the cards in his hand. Air Hummingbird then put its beak to the flowers as though it were draining nectar.
Jaden: 1300
Jesse: 1650
"And next I'm gonna activate Neos Energy and equip it to Dark Panther!" Jaden added as he activated the Spell Card. "This'll increase my Panther's ATK by 800." Dark Panther snarled as it grew stronger. (3/1000-1800/500) "Alright, now Dark Panther will go in and take out your Amber Mammoth!" Jaden's Neo-Spacian dashed forward while extending its claws just before it pounced at the gem-infused mammoth, slashing it apart in seconds.
"But I'm activating the effect of my Rainbow Ruins." Jesse interjected. "So now I'll halve the damage!"
Jaden: 1300
Jesse: 1600
"And then since Amber Mammoth was destroyed, you know what that means!" Jesse added as another chunk of rock embedded with amber crystals formed in front of Jesse.
"Hm… I'll end my turn." Jaden decided.
"Alrighty, get ready!" Jesse said as he drew his next card. "I summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus!" At that point, a sapphire crystal appeared and glowed before taking shape of a white pegasus with a sapphire horn on its head (4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200).
"Sapphire Pegasus was summoned, so its effect activates, so now I'll take Ruby from my Graveyard and put it into my Spell & Trap Zone." Jesse explained as a chunk of rock embedded with rubies materialized onto the field. "And then here comes the fun part! When Ruby is put in my Spell & Trap Zone, I get to Special Summon him!" On cue, Ruby Carbuncle's dormant form shattered away, revealing the small furry creature. (3/ATK: 300/DEF: 300)
"And it gets better!" Jesse went on. "Since I just summoned Ruby, I can activate his other effect to Special Summon as many of my Crystal Beasts in the back as I can! Come on back Cobalt Eagle, Amethyst Cat, and Amber Mammoth!" On cue, All three of the aforementioned Monsters burst out of their dormant states and stepped into the Monster Zone. (4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 800) (3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 400) (4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1600)
"Alright, now all of my Monsters will attack! First Sapphire Pegasus attacks Dark Panther!" Jesse declared.
"Follow me everyone!" Sapphire Pegasus said in a horse-like voice.
"Aye aye chief!" Cobalt Eagle saluted with a wing.
"Even though their ATK is the same?" Syrus wondered.
"That doesn't matter to him." Chazz pointed out as both Monsters charged at each other and were destroyed in a large explosion. As expected, a chunk of rock embedded with sapphires formed in front of Jesse.
"That's right. His Crystal Beasts just go to his Spell & Trap Zone when they're destroyed." Alexis noted.
"Now I'll have Amethyst Cat attack directly via its own effect at the cost of halving the battle damage!"
"Purr-fect…" Amethyst Cat licked its lips before pouncing on Jaden again and-
*SCRATCH!*
Jaden: 700
Jesse: 1600
"And next Cobalt Eagle attacks Air Hummingbird!" Jesse continued as Cobalt swooped down from the sky and slammed into Air Hummingbird, killing it instantly. "And then Amber Mammoth attacks Glow Moss!" the Crystal Beast added as his mammoth Monster charged forward and crushed the Neo-Spacian of light underneath him.
"Alright Ruby, go attack Jaden directly!" Jesse encouraged as the small creature ran forward and pounced on Jaden while smacking him with the ruby ball on his tail.
Jaden: 400
Jesse: 1600
"And that's all from me!" Jesse grinned.
"Then it's my turn!" Jaden said drawing his next card. "Sweetness! Just what I need! I activate the Spell Card, Fake Hero!" He said, playing the aforementioned Spell Card. "This lets me Special Summon an Elemental HERO from my hand, but he can't attack, so welcome back Neos!" Jaden slapped the card on the tray and the newest addition to the Elemental HEROes returned from the dead. (7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000)
"And next I'm activating Contact Soul to bring back the Air Hummingbird in my Graveyard!" Jaden added as the Neo-Spacian of air returned to the field. (3/ATK: 800/DEF: 600) "And now it's time for another Contact Fusion! Neos, Air Hummingbird, let's do this!" Taking their cue, Neos and Air Hummingbird leapt into the air and vanished into a spiral galaxy that appeared above the arena. "Come on out, Elemental HERO Air Neos!" In a flash of light, the winged variant of Neos descended from the sky. (7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000)
"Now get this," Jaden went on as Air Neos began to glow. "Since you have more Life Points than me, Air Neos gains ATK equal to the surplus!" (7/ATK: 2500-3700/DEF: 2000)
"3700 ATK?" Jesse gasped.
"And aimed at Amber Mammoth! Go Air Neos!" Neos flew into the air and turned to face the jewel-infused mammoth before swooping down and preparing to strike.
"Not so fast there, buddy!" Jesse interjected. "The time's finally come for me to bring out the Monster you've all been waiting for!"
"He doesn't mean-!" Aster gasped.
"Rainbow Dragon?" Kurogasa wondered.
"This is gonna be funkadelic!" Koji said excited as all of the Crystal Beasts on Jesse's field and those in his Graveyard began to glow.
"And now it's time for the one, the only… Rainbow Dragon!" Jesse called out as the light grew brighter. Though what happened next was something unexpected by everyone.
In the span of a second, the light emanating from Jesse's cards went out like a lightbulb.
"…Just kidding!"
And as everyone was left confused as to what happened, Air Neos struck Jesse's Amber Mammoth and finished it off once and for all.
Jaden: 400
Jesse: 0
When the smoke from the attack cleared, Jesse was lying spread-eagle on his back. And despite all that, he got up laughing and said, "Congrats!"
"But, what about that Rainbow Dragon?" Jaden asked.
"There's a catch about that, Jay… I don't have the card yet." He laughed again.
"What the…?"
Then, the audience started booing Jesse.
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Kurogasa sweat dropped.
"I can't believe he played us like that!" Chazz said incredulously.
"YOU PARTY POOPER!" Mitsuyo, Sayaka, and Blair shouted.
"Way to wind us up and have it blow up in our faces…" Rika grumbled.
"It's true you guys!" Jesse said, trying to calm the crowd down. "You see, according to legend of the Crystal Beasts, the soul of the Rainbow Dragon lives in a hidden stone tablet. But, I didn't say 'hidden' for nothing. No one knows where it is. But, when it is found, Pegasus promised he'd make it into a Duel Monsters card for me. So, if the tablet's anywhere on the island, someone let me know ASAP!"
What Jesse and Jaden didn't realize was the gems on the metallic wristbands glowing briefly before fading.
Just then, Viper walked onto the platform and stood between the two duelists.
"That was an excellent match you two." he told them. "Now then, the next duel will start in five minutes. Both duelists, get ready!"
"Looks like I'm up." Kurogasa said as he stood from his seat and slightly turned his head to see Aurora sitting several seats away from his friends. Aurora noticed and smirked at him, making it clear that she was going to enjoy this.
"Are you sure you're up for it?" Alexis questioned.
"Yeah… and hopefully she'll see that not everything was my fault last year…" Kurogasa sighed.
"I know you can do it. Just don't mind everything she says." Alexis encouraged.
"Here's to hoping."
TWF: Alrighty, looks like the canon duel is up now!
MotWC: That's right, and starting next chapter, I've prepared a little surprise for the duel against Aurora.
Fen: Trust me, you'll be surprised. And when you see it, don't start complaining.
MotWC: Yeah, because if you do I'll be the one to rip you a new hole. *smiles innocently*
Fen: And then what? Shinin' it up real nice, turn that SOB sideways, and stick it straight up their candy asses? o.O
TWF: Wow, somebody loves to make phrases today. o.o;
MotWC: Nah. Just gonna wreck 'em real good. I find this ironic though… I shouldn't be doing such a thing considering the context of the situation.
TWF: …does it involve a baguette shoving up on his butt? .0.
Fen: No… just… no…
MotWC: Something way worse... Far, far more worse.
TWF: …A cucumber? 0.o
Fen: I'm not sticking around to find out, so see ya next chapter!
TWF: Please tell me at least it doesn't involve an eggnog! 8O
MotWC: Just… wait until the next chapter. You'll see…