Chapter 2: Slifer versus Obelisk
Zzz...
It's Sunday morning. Jaden has decided to sleep in. Banner and Yubel's spirits are sleeping soundly as well. However, they are about to get a very rude awakening...
"UP AND AT 'EM, SARGE!"
"Gah!"
Jaden ended up falling out of his bed. Yubel and Banner also woke up. Jaden was annoyed that his sound sleep was interrupted. He looked up to see who so rudely woke him up. Of course, it was Hassleberry.
"It's already 1000 hours, private! You haven't even had breakfast yet! Private Lexi and the others actually sent me here to come get you!"
"Aw, leave me alone, Hassleberry," Jaden groggily said as he climbed back into bed. "I just want to sleep."
Just as Jaden lay his head back on his pillow, he felt his legs being yanked.
"What the heck!?!"
Hassleberry pulled Jaden until he fell on the ground again. He then grabbed Jaden and slung him over his shoulder like a lifeless doll.
"I don't think so! You need some grub, stat!"
"W-wait a minute Hassleberry!"
"Off to the mess hall!"
Hassleberry sprinted out of the dorm, with the helpless Jaden's body being flopped around. His head also ended up hitting the door on the way out.
"Just you wait everyone! The sarge and I will be there in a minute!" Hassleberry proclaimed out loud as he continued running to the Academy.
-
"He's right here, everyone!"
Hassleberry sat Jaden down at one of the table's seats. Everyone looked at Jaden. He looked horrible. His hair was a mess, there were huge bags under his eyes, and there was a large bump emerging from his head.
"Hassleberry, I told you to drag him here, not maim him!" Alexis yelled.
"I wouldn't worry about him. Once he gets some fried prawn and some egg bread, he'll be all over it like a dog and a steak," Chazz stated.
Syrus came walking over to the table. Like Chazz said, he brought over a plate of fried prawn and egg bread. Syrus then placed the plate in front of Jaden.
"Come on, Jay! Eat up!"
Jaden stared at the food. After a few seconds, his face fell down onto the plate. Apparently, he fell asleep, as he began snoring.
"So...he wasn't really hiding from us. He really was that tired," Alexis said.
"Oh, please wake up, Jady!" Blair pleaded as she hugged the sleeping duelist.
"I know just the thing!"
Chazz got up from the table and went to a hose that was on the wall of the Academy. He found a bucket next to the hose, and filled it up with water. He then walked back to the group.
"Chazz, don't!" Alexis warned.
"Just trust me!"
"That's not a very good idea Chazz!" Syrus nervously said.
"Just trust me!"
"You know how the sarge is now! He might end up kicking your hienie!" Hassleberry bellowed.
"Just trust me!"
Blair backed away from Jaden. In fact, everyone but Chazz backed away from the table altogether. Chazz stood in front of Jaden. He grinned an evil smile. Then...he threw the entire bucket of water in Jaden's face!
Jaden's head sprung up. He sputtered and spit large amounts of water out. He looked around to see who threw the water at him. He saw Chazz standing in front of him and waving 'hello' to him.
"I'LL KILL YOU, CHAZZ!"
Chazz yelped and ran away from the table. Jaden jumped up and began chasing him. When Chazz looked behind him, he saw Jaden had fiery rage in his eyes.
"Boss, you have to hurry! He might actually kill ya!" Ojama Yellow scaredly said.
"I know that!" Chazz screamed. Eventually, he ended up running into a tree. He slid to the ground, his face completely red with pain.
"I've got you now!"
Just as Jaden was about to punch Chazz in the gut, Hassleberry grabbed him from behind and restrained him.
"Don't do it, Sarge! He's not worth it! He's not worth anything!"
"What'd you say, Dino Boy!?!" Chazz menacingly said as he got up and balled his hands into fists.
"EVERYONE OF YOU, SHUT UP!!!"
Everyone did shut up. They looked at Alexis, who was the one who yelled the command. She sighed and went up to Jaden, who was let loose from Hassleberry's grasp.
"Come on, Jaden. He was just messing around. Just please eat your breakfast and take a few yearbook pictures with us, and you can go back to your dorm, okay?"
Jaden looked at Alexis. She clasped her hands together, brought them up to her face, and mouthed 'please?'
Jaden sighed. "Fine. I'll do it for you, Alexis."
Alexis blushed at Jaden's comment. Jaden silently walked past her and went back to the table. He sat down and began eating his (now mushy) food.
"Well, well! It seems Alexis is the only one who can calm the beast!"
Alexis turned around and saw Atticus walking towards her. She folded her arms.
"You just have to know the right words to say."
"You also need to have a pretty face," Atticus said, grinning.
Alexis scoffed. "And what is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that Alexis Rhodes is absolutely, positively, insanely in love with Jaden Yuki!" Atticus proclaimed to the entire world.
Alexis growled. "Would you shut up, Atticus! I'm just worried about him, that's all!"
"And she's not in love with that loser! She's in love with me!" Chazz said as he grabbed Alexis's arm, prompting her to punch him in the face.
"Oww..."
"Haha! Anyway, have you chosen who your opponent is going to be yet, Alexis?"
"Not yet, I'm still deciding..."
"You can tell who she's gonna duel by the title of this chapter," Syrus mumbled.
"What was that, Syrus?" Atticus questioned.
"Nothing! Nothing!" Syrus said as he waved his arms around, trying to divert attention away from himself.
-I-
As the others were talking to Atticus, Jaden was silently eating his food. Winged Kuriboh appeared and sat on his shoulder.
"Kuri Kuri. (You seem to be following Alexis's orders.)"
Jaden swallowed a bit of prawn. "She'd be really peeved if I didn't just do what she asked."
"Kuri Kuri. (You'll be back to normal, or at least somewhat normal eventually. Don't worry.)"
Jaden sighed. "I'm not sure if I'll ever go back to my old self, Kuriboh..."
Suddenly, a boy appeared next to Jaden. It was Zeke, the ex-lead singer of Generation neXt.
"Hey Jaden! Man, you look horrible!"
"I've had a crazy morning."
"Rough. Hey, you know any good duelists around here, besides yourself?"
Jaden pointed to his friends. "They're all pretty powerful duelists. Well, except for Blair, but don't tell her I said that."
"Cool!" Zeke took another look at Jaden's friends. He remembered meeting some of them yesterday. "I'll keep a watch for them. Well, laters!"
Zeke got up and waved good-bye to Jaden. He began walking into the forest.
-
Zeke found himself deeper in the forest. Eventually, he reached an open area. In this open area was a small waterfall and some land barren of grass or plants.
"Great! I'm sure that their are some interesting artifacts in here! It's time for Zeke, the up and coming Duel Archaeologist, to shine!"
Right when Zeke was about to go into the small pool of water the waterfall created, a dark shadow appeared in front of him.
"What the-!"
The shadow began creating a form. It turned into a man wearing a dark suit.
Zeke groaned. "You again! Trueman!"
"Mr. T is back," Trueman chuckled as he created a dark duel disk on his arm. "Look behind you, kid."
Zeke looked behind himself. There was another Trueman clone there.
"Howdy, Zeke."
The Truemen cornered Zeke. Zeke took out his duel disk and put it on.
"You guys followed me here. You guys and the other Truemen are never gonna stop, are you?"
"That is correct. We won't stop until we have both you and the other master duelist in our hands." The two Truemen said in unison.
"I won't let that happen! And you think a 2-on-1 duel is going to stop me? Think again!"
Zeke took out a deck that appeared to have a dark energy emanating from it. He put the deck in his disk. Then, all three duelists activated their duel disks.
"Duel!"
-II-
"Okay, everyone! Smile!"
Atticus held the camera. He was going to take a picture of Jaden, Alexis, Syrus, Hassleberry, Chazz, and Blair. He clicked the button, and the picture was taken.
"Ok! Now one of Jaden and Alexis!"
The others backed away from the shot. Alexis stood next to Jaden, but put one of her hands on Jaden's shoulder, and the other hand on his arm.
"Cheese!"
Jaden made a forced smile, while Alexis made a genuine smile. The camera clicked, which signaled that the picture was taken.
"Me next! Me next!"
Alexis went to take control of the camera. Blair ran up to Jaden and hugged him. He seemed uncomfortable with the position. Alexis took the picture, and Jaden broke away from the hug.
"Take one of the Chazz!"
Chazz placed his foot on a rock and made a victory pose. Alexis took the picture, but made a mental note to destroy the picture later.
"How about one of Syrus and Hassleberry?" Alexis suggested.
The two decided it was okay. They leaned their backs on each other, and gave a thumbs-up to the camera. The picture was taken.
"The ladies love me! They want my picture!"
Alexis groaned. Atticus went in front of the camera. He winked at it, but kept his eye closed.
"Take the picture, Lexi!"
Alexis snapped the photo, and rolled her eyes afterwards.
"One last photo! Jaden, get in front of the camera and do your 'game on' gesture!"
Jaden made a slight groan. He went up, and slowly did his 'anti-salute' gesture.
"Smile, Jaden! You have to smile!" Alexis ordered.
Jaden forced a smile once again. Alexis snapped the picture, and frowned at the fakeness of Jaden's face. Afterwards, Jaden walked away from the group and walked back over to his dorm again.
"I'm getting real tired of that Slifer's new mopey attitude," Chazz growled.
Alexis looked at the digital memory in her camera. She looked at the pictures of Jaden with disdain. His smile was artificial in every single one of them.
"Hey, guys! What's up!"
Alexis looked up from her camera and saw Zeke Garrington walking towards the group. Unlike Jaden, he was very happy right now.
"Whoa! That's Zeke Garrington!" Hassleberry, Blair, and Atticus exclaimed together.
"Yep! That's me!"
Atticus thought of an idea. "Hey, Zeke! How about a picture for the yearbook?"
"Sure!" Zeke liked the idea.
"I know! He should be pretending to sing in a mic!" Blair said.
"Where are we gonna get a mic?" Chazz asked.
"Oh, he can use mine!" Atticus offered, taking a microphone out of his pocket and handing it to Zeke. Everyone gave him a weird look.
"You carry a microphone in your pocket?" Alexis asked as if it was a normal thing for Atticus to do.
"You never know when you might need it!"
"How's this?" Zeke was making a pose as if he was screaming into the microphone, like in a metal song.
"Ha! Great!" Alexis happily took the picture. "This is front page!"
"Hey, Zeke. You look kinda dirty," Blair pointed out.
"Huh? Oh, I was just in a duel against two other people. But I totally whupped their butts!"
"You must be a pretty good duelist," Syrus said in awe.
"Oh, yeah? I bet he can't beat me," Chazz confidently said.
"We'll see, Chazz. We'll see."
-
Jaden looked up at the ceiling. He pondered what he was going to do for the rest of the year.
"Jaden....you're not thinking about leaving Duel Academy, are you?" Banner asked worriedly.
"Well, I wasn't, but that actually sounds like a good idea. If I leave, I won't be putting my friends in danger anymore. They'll all be safe," Jaden said as he went to pack.
"Now hold on a minute!"
Jaden stopped dead in his tracks. He looked up at the top bunk. Sitting there was Yubel's spirit.
"Bad things don't happen to Duel Academy because you're here! They just happen because there are bad people in the world. In fact, most of the bad guys don't even know who you are until you challenge them! And if you leave, who's gonna protect your friends? If you leave, and some evil force hurts them, and you aren't there to protect them, how are you going to live with yourself?"
Jaden took in every one of Yubel's words. Many of his emotions were conflicting inside of him.
"Just stay, Jaden. Your friends need you. Now lighten up, have some fun, and go to the dance!"
Jaden went back to his bed and lied down. "Alright. I'll stay. But the dance isn't for a few more hours. For now, I'll just stay in here."
Jaden then took out his iPod and put his earphones in. He put the volume up to nearly maximum, and lied facedown on the bed.
-III-
It is now 7:00 in the afternoon. The D.A. Dance Extravaganza will be going on from 6:00-10:00. There were many people at the dance. There was also music, food, games, and dancing! All of Jaden's friends were there wearing casual clothing.
"Hassleberry, stop hogging the shrimp!"
"If I can't kill and eat the little shrimp that's annoying me right now, then I have to settle for this!"
Syrus and Hassleberry continued arguing over the food. Chazz rolled his eyes.
"Idiots."
Atticus went over to Alexis. "Hey, Lexi! Who's your opponent going to be?"
"I still haven't decided."
"WHAT?!? Come on, the duel is in ten minutes! Just choose someone!"
"Alright, alright!" Alexis reassured him. Atticus hastily walked away.
Alexis walked over to Syrus, Hassleberry, and Chazz. "Who do you guys think I should duel?"
"I would duel you, but I don't want to embarass you in front of everyone, my little cupcake," Chazz sweetly said.
"I can't duel. I think this shrimp gave me indigestion," Syrus complained as he clutched his stomach.
"My stomach's a torpedo! It can take anything!" Hassleberry bragged as he literally poured plates of shrimp into his mouth.
Alexis groaned. "You know guys, I'm really worried about Jaden."
"Don't be," Chazz abruptly said. "He's just gloomy cause he thinks he always puts us in danger, and all of his duels lately determine if the world lives or not. He just needs a fun and casual duel, and he'll be back to normal."
As soon as Chazz stopped talking, Alexis saw Jaden walk into the gymnasium.
"Jaden!" Alexis ran over to Jaden.
Jaden saw Alexis running over to him. He made a small smile and waved 'hello'.
"I'm surprised you came over, Jaden."
"It's only for a little bit. I'll just hang around, eat some food, watch the duel, then go back to my dorm."
Alexis made a scowl. "You know Jaden, you've been acting really cold lately. Why do you keep blowing off your friends? We miss you Jaden..."
"This is my business. Just keep out of it."
"I don't want to keep out of it! You've changed Jaden! I want the old Jaden back!"
Jaden looked at the ground. "The old Jaden is dead and will forever be dead."
Atticus called for everyone to be quiet. Alexis was very angry and had an intense scowl on her face. "Not if I can help it! Jaden Yuki, I challenge you to a duel!"
Jaden looked at her in surprise. He did not expect to duel today.
"Alexis..."
-IV-
"Alriiiiiiiiiight! This is the special entertainment tonight! This shall be a duel between Jaden Yuki and Alexis Rhodes!" Atticus announced.
Jaden and Alexis were now in the very middle of the gym. They faced each other. Alexis looked very determined.
"New students, get ready for a treat! Get ready as two of our school's best duelists battle it out! And...begin!"
The two activated their duel disks. They then drew five cards each.
"Duel!" Jaden cried out.
"GAME ON!" Alexis yelled with enthusiasm.
Alexis: 4000 Jaden: 4000
"I draw!" Jaden drew one card. "I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in Attack Mode!"
Elemental Hero Sparkman: ATK1600 DEF1400
"I put one card facedown and end my turn!"
"My turn! I draw!" Alexis drew a card. "I activate Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards!" Alexis drew two cards. "I summon Cyber Tutu!"
Cyber Tutu: ATK1000 DEF800
"I equip Angel Wing to Cyber Tutu! When you take battle damage, this will deal an extra 300 points of damage! And since Sparkman has higher ATK than Tutu, she can attack you directly!"
Alexis: 4000 Jaden: 2700
"I put two cards facedown and finish my turn."
"Ngh...I draw! I activate Polymerization to fuse Elemental Heroes Avian and Burstinatrix to create Flame Wingman!"
Elemental Hero Flame Wingman: ATK2100 DEF1200
"Attack that Cyber Tutu!"
"I don't think so! I activate the trap Waboku! Now I don't receive damage or lose my monster!"
"Hm...cool...I end my turn."
"It's my turn! I draw! Now I activate my own Polymerization to fuse Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater to make Cyber Blader!"
Cyber Blader: ATK2100 DEF800
"And since you have two monsters, Cyber Blader's ATK is doubled!"
Cyber Blader: ATK 4200 DEF800
"Get ready, cause Sparkman's toast!"
"Hehehe...hahaha!" Jaden was laughing hard.
"What's so funny?"
"I remember this from our very first duel. You summoned Cyber Blader, then had her attack my Sparkman. Only this time, your upper-hand is even higher!"
"You...remember that?"
"Of course! It was a really cool thing to see, other than the fact that my monster was destroyed."
"Jaden..."
Alexis:4000 Jaden:100
"My turn! I'll draw! And I summon Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab in Defense!"
Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab: ATK500 DEF500
"Next, I activate Pot of Hopelessness (made up)! I discard the top three cards of my deck and then draw three cards! I put two cards facedown and end my turn."
"Time for me to draw! Now Cyber Blader, attack Flame Wingman and end the duel!"
"I activate Hero Barrier! Now your attack is cancelled!"
"I put one card facedown and end it."
"Then my turn! And draw!" Jaden took a look at his card and smiled. "Alright Alexis! You want game? Game on!"
Alexis grinned. This is the Jaden I know...
"I summon Neo-Spacian Grand Mole! Next, I use Fake Hero to summon Elemental Hero Neos! Now get ready for Triple Contact Fusion!"
Neos, Flare Scarab, and Grand Mole flew into the air. They began fusing together.
"This...is Elemental Hero Magma Neos!"
Elemental Hero Magma Neos: ATK3000 DEF2500
"Magma Neos now gains ATK equal to 400 times the number of cards on the field! And I count eight!"
Elemental Hero Magma Neos: ATK6200 DEF2500
"And I activate the continuous trap Double Punishment (made-up card). During our turns, we can both use this card and pay half our life points so that the effects of our opponent's monsters are negated until the end of the turn. However, we won't get to your turn!"
Alexis: 4000 Jaden: 50
Cyber Blader: ATK2100 DEF800
"Magma Neos, attack Cyber Blader and end it!"
Magma Neos created a massive meteor. It then hurled the meteor at Cyber Blader, completely destroying it.
Alexis:0 Jaden: 50(Winner)
"And there we have it folks! Jaden Yuki has emerged triumphant in an amazing One Turn Kill!"
Alexis fell down to her knee. However, despite losing, she still had a smile on her face. She looked up at Jaden.
Jaden grinned and flashed the 'game on' gesture. "That was awesome!"
Everyone applauded for both Jaden and Alexis. Jaden walked over to Alexis and helped her up.
"Alexis...thanks for dueling me. I can't remember the last time I've had a duel so fun! Thanks for helping to rekindle that spirit in me."
Alexis nodded. "I did all I can to do just that."
While everyone was cheering, Zeke looked at Jaden. He began thinking.
The Truemen were looking for the "other" master duelist. Could that be Jaden?
-V-
Jaden was walking back to his dorm. But as he got closer, he saw Alexis leaning on a tree.
"Hey, Alexis! I've been meaning to talk to you!"
"I wanted to talk to you too."
Jaden put on an apologetic face. "About what I said before our duel...looks like I was wrong. You brought the old me back. Sure, I'm a lot more mature than before, but I've found a love for dueling and being with my friends once again. So...sorry about what I said."
"That's cool, Jaden. So..." Alexis walked to the cliff. She overlooked the entire ocean. Jaden walked up next to her. "You know, after I graduate, I'm planning to go over to a Duel College overseas to continue my studies."
"Really? That's perfect for you! I'm proud of you, Lex."
Alexis turned around to look at Jaden. "What are you planning to do in the future?"
"You know...I haven't decided yet. I'm still trying to find what's right for me. But don't worry! I'll figure it out!"
Then, Jaden did something unexpected. He went over to Alexis and hugged her. Alexis blushed at Jaden's sudden action.
"You're probably not used to this, as I never really hugged anyone before. But, I'm just really glad to have a friend like you. Thanks for being my friend."
Alexis felt happy upon hearing Jaden's comments. She closed her eyes and hugged Jaden back. After a few moments, Jaden broke away.
"I'm gonna get some sleep. See you in class tomorrow!"
Just as Jaden was about to walk away, Alexis grabbed ahold of his arm.
"Huh?"
"Jaden...ever since I first met you and first dueled with you, I've always..."
"What is it?"
"...Jaden, for the longest time, I've always...really liked you."
"Well, I like ya too, Alexis! I like all of my friends!"
"No, Jaden. You don't understand. I mean that...I like you more than a friend."
Jaden was very surprised at what he just heard. He was also surprised to feel his heart beating quite fast. "You...like me as in...love?"
Alexis nodded and warmly hugged Jaden again. She put her head on his chest. "I know you don't really think about love. But...I just felt like finally letting you know. Now Atticus will never let me live this down."
"Wow, Alexis. I'm really amazed. Well, I-"
Alexis put her hand on Jaden's mouth. "Don't say whether you like me or not. I told you this so you could finally understand me. I wasn't trying to wring your feelings out of you. Just...keep my words in mind."
Alexis took her hand off of Jaden's mouth. "Ok."
Alexis smiled warmly at him. "Well, see you tomorrow." She then turned around and walked back to her dorm.
Jaden was still a bit overwhelmed at the confession that occured just now. He turned to walk back to his own dorm, but Alexis's words kept echoing in his ears.
Jaden, for the longest time, I've always...really liked you.
=---=
Pot of Hopelessness(Spell): Send the top three cards of your deck to the graveyard. Then draw three cards.
Double Punishment(Continuous-Trap): Pay either half or 1000 of your life points. All of your opponent's monsters' effects are cancelled until the End Phase. Both you and your opponent can use this card's effect.
-First duel of the story! Alright! To start things out, I will point out that over the course of the story, I will very frequently make up cards. I can't even begin to fathom how many cards I will make up! If any of the cards' effects appear forbidden, or there is an actual real-life version of the card, please point it out, and I will correct the mistakes. Also, at the bottom of every chapter, I will make a list of every made-up card and describe their full effects. Please point out any mistakes you see in the duel!-
Anyway, as you can see, this story has some similarities to the actual Season 4. For example, the Truemen are present. Jaden is also quite cold in the beginning. The duel between Jaden and Alexis is supposed to be a substitute for the Pair-Duel Tournament in the anime. Also...how about that confession? How will Jaden deal with that? Only time will tell!-
