Hoo boy, it's been a busy year so far. But despite everything I managed to finally get this chapter done. I thank everyone for their patience for the next chapter. I would like to thank Osidiano for being the beta for this chapter. He is now the main beta for this story so hopefully future chapters will appear more consistent.

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game. All trademarks go to their respective owners.


"Have you heard from Jaden or Syrus at all Chumley?" Chumley snapped out of his daze. From across the table Alexis flipped through her PDA, waiting for any new messages to appear on her screen. Chumley's grilled cheese was already cold, his appetite replaced with nerves.

"I got a text from them this morning." Chumley checked his own PDA to confirm. Even though it was a Sunday the main lobby was still full of students and staff passing through, so he may have missed the hum of hos PDA. "They said they checked into a hotel in Sapporo last night and are now boarding a plane to Russia."

"They're already out of Japan? I can't believe those two!" Alexis smacked the table, pushing herself up out of her seat. "How can they cross the whole country in one day?"

A chuckle escaped Chumley's lips. "I wouldn't put it past Jaden; when he needs to get somewhere, he'll go at practically light-speed to get there as soon as possible. He's like an express train!"

Alexis sat back down, looking a bit flustered. "They must be taking the shot at North Academy. Do you think they'll take them in?"

"They will probably would have to go through initiation to get in."

"'Initiation'. Why do I not like the sound of that...?"

"North Academy's entrance exams aren't as thought out as they were to get in here. They pick someone to duel a challenger and if they win they can start school at the bottom rung."

"That's it? Why aren't there more people in North Academy?"

"Probably because no one wants to go up to the frozen north to play card games." Chumley scratched his own back. "It would probably be rough for them, but I'm confident that they can pass it."

Alexis turned her eyes to the outside. It was a cold but clear day, and one could see out for dozens and dozens of miles across the island and out to sea. In her head she tried to draw the path her two friends took from Domino across the country. Even if it was Jaden they were talking about she still didn't understand how the duo could pull it off in less than a day. "We should probably call them to make sure they're okay."

"Oh, right. We can use the video phones at the mail center to call them once they reach North Academy."

"And how would you pay for that slacker? I don't think a peasant like you could afford a satellite call." Chumley's hair stood on end upon hearing the familiar voice. Crowler stood firmly behind the Slifer, his pale face not happy to see him. "Who would you want to call anyway?"

"To call Jaden and Syrus! Sheppard threw them out into the world so someone needs to make sure they haven't gotten into trouble..."

"I think they are in a big heap of trouble already Ms. Rhodes!" Crowler laughed in a tone that made students several tables down cringe. "Plus aren't you glad that those two losers aren't stinking up the school anymore?"

Alexis stamped the table with her fists. "They were only trying to make a stake here! And Jaden is one of the best new guys in the school!"

"Don't give me that talk!" Crowler's sly resolve started to turn to anger. "We Obelisks can't be sticking around with the rejects! Especially not lazy repeaters like him!" Crowler pointed a stiff finger at Chumley for emphasis.

Chumley stood up in response. "Hey, we have a right to be in this school too Doc!". To his left a few Slifers stood a stone's throw away, all appearing frustrated and glaring angrily at the professor.

Crowler reeled himself in: as much as he would like getting some more delinquents expelled, he didn't want to do it by causing a small riot. "Jaden was the only reason that Slifer Red started to catch up to the other dorms anyway. But even he couldn't avoid making a grave mistake that any average student knows not to do."

"That 'mistake' saved our lives!" Alexis started to spit back, but quickly reigned back her temper. She quickly changed the subject. "What they did wasn't worth having them be embarrassed in front of the whole school by professional duelists."

Crowler scoffed at the comment. "Humph, I thought it was a good way to show them what part of the pecking order they were on. The ParaDox Brothers were my perfect pick to show that! Not to mention give the school some more publicity!"

"Th-They were your pick?" Chumley stammered in surprise. "On what planet is having all-star duelists fighting students fair at all?"

"We knew that the odds were pretty slim for those two, but what do you expect? The school can't let rule-breakers off the hook can it?"

"It makes the staff look pretty cruel if you ask me!"

Crowler only laughed. "Well I look forward to seeing you try to convince Sheppard otherwise. I can't wait t see him getting you get kicked out of school too!" Before he could continue his PDA buzzed in his pocket, and the professor gave it a quick glance. "I would love to keep beating the bush, but I have a meeting to go to! Ta-ta!" Neither of the students returned the farewell, but Crowler strode off without further banter.

Chumley slammed his fist against the table. "We'll show him! We can't disappoint Jaden and Sy and let our dorm get trampled on again!"

"Relax Chumley," Alexis said, sitting up to adjust her skirt. "We won't get Jaden back by beating up Crowler. But that clown acts like he knows something else..."

"Something else? What else could he do besides sick two seasoned pros on them?"

Alexis leaned closer to Chumley's ear, keeping her voice down. "I mean that Crowler may know something about what happened in the old dorm that night. It seems too convenient that he had the ParaDox Brothers ready to duel Jaden two days after we got caught."

Chumley's eyes widened, having a realization. "Now that you mention it, I did catch Crowler snooping on us when me and the guys were telling ghost stories several nights ago."

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Ghost stories? I would think you boys would have more things to do than sit around like little kids!"

"It was a gloomy night! Not much else to do when we're all stuck inside! Regardless, I saw Crowler slipping into some shrubs for a split second. He must have SOMETHING to do with getting Jaden into trouble if he was there that night."

Alexis pondered for a few moments before answering. "Well, we need to look further into this. This all smells too fishy." She looked around to see if anyone was eavesdropping then, and upon the coast clear, leaned over the table to whisper. "We need to spy on Crowler and see if there is anything else he did last week."

"Wha-?" Alexis covered Chumley's mouth to avoid bringing attention to themselves again. "Spy on him? The doc already gives us tons of trouble. He would wring us if he caught us sneaking in his stuff!"

"If we want to find evidence to convince Sheppard to bring Jaden and Syrus back, then spying is the only way we can find evidence in a timely fashion. I bet Crowler will still have records in his office regarding the incident." Alexis put her arm down from Chumley's mouth, wiping her hand on her skirt. "He may even know why that man attacked us when we were at the dorm. The fact that Crowler didn't bring him up at all is pretty suspicious."

Chumley waited to reply, catching a glimpse of Chancellor Sheppard passing by across the room. "We'll need a plan then. We can't just sneak into Crowler's office when he's on duty."

"I'll give it some thought, since I do live in the Obelisk Dorm." Alexis winked. At that moment her PDA rang, and the young lady looked a bit surprised. "Oh! I'm supposed to meet up with Jasmine right now. I promised I'd help her train for her midterm match. We need to continue this soon."

Chumley sat up, gathering his barely-eaten grilled cheese to toss out. "We're still going to call North Academy later right?"

"Definitely! We can't leave Jaden hanging for another day." Alexis gathered her trash as well to toss. "Can you be there at 4:30 to save a booth for me? I need to get going."

"Of course! I'll catch you later!" Chumley replied. With that, the two split ways. Chumley's stomach grumbled loud enough for half the hall to hear, and he started to regret skipping on lunch so he made way to a vending machine.


A few hours later students and staff started to fill the Obelisk Dorm. Dinner was still a few hours away, but everyone had to get ready for classes tomorrow. Alexis walked back toward the dorm's exit to get to the phone center, but she bumped into someone on the way down.

"Argh, be more careful will you?" Alexis stumbled backwards, catching herself on the railing. The person turned to face her; Alexis's eyes lit upon realization, but his gaze was one of indifference. "Oh, it's you Zane! I have been looking for you!" Zane did not respond, though his eyebrows rose slightly.

"Why didn't you help us? Why did you not try to help your brother?" Alexis demanded. Zane remained silent, his stare making Alexis feel uneasy. A few students took pause along the stairs, looking to see what the commotion was.

"I can't defend Syrus if he breaks the rules, even if he is my brother." Zane's reply made Alexis start to fume. "At some point he has to own up to his mistakes."

"You know that he did nothing wrong! He only-"

"He got caught sneaking into that old dorm, which Sheppard made very clear was off-limits. If he can't follow rules then perhaps he is not ready for Duel Academy after all."

Alexis resisted the urge to scream at him. "He only went in there because I-the academy was in danger!"

"Then why was Duel Academy in danger?"

"Becau-" Alexis gulped down the rest of the sentence. As much as telling what really happened would clear the situation up, getting expelled was certainly not part of her and Chumley's plans.

A few tense moments passed, with more students gathering on the stairs to see what the commotion was. Alexis and Zane stared at eachother in uncomfortable silence, until Zane sighed. "What's done is done Alexis. Syrus is gone and there is nothing I can do about it." Zane started to walk off, giving the crowd the cue to break apart.

Alexis quickly turned towards the departing senior, sounding more worried in her response. "Would he have done the same for you?" Even she did not know the answer. Zane did not reply, and walked up the staircase and out of view. The young lady began to follow, but the chime of her PDA caught her before she started up the stairs. Alexis sighed in frustration before pulling out the device to read the message.

Where are you? We don't have unlimited minutes on the phones, so you better be here quick!

-Chumley

"Crap! I knew I shouldn't have left after 4!" Alexis cursed under her breath and began going back down the stairs. Catching Zane would have to wait.


Chancellor Foster set a cup of hot tea on his desk, the three students already seated. Syrus and Lucien declined some tea, and Jaden already burnt his tongue trying to down his cup before it cooled. Foster settled down in his chair, pushing aside some loose papers and fished a pen and notepad from his cluttered desk. "Let's not beat around the bush, what do you two know about the old dorm back at Duel Academy?"

Jaden decided to start. "Well we went in there to help a friend find her brother who went missing in the dorm a few years ago," Jaden began. "But this masked man kidnapped her and forced me to duel him in the basement where there was a bunch of strange etchings on the floor and walls."

"Can you describe the etchings Jaden?" Foster asked with greater interest.

"A bunch of rings and circles, like those crop circles you'd find in a cornfield! And during the duel a bright yellow eye glowed on the floor then everything started to fog up in a purple smoke! Well, the man pumped a bunch of smoke form in the room when he dueled, but this smoke felt...wrong. Like it wanted to swallow us whole."

Syrus piped up. "The glowing didn't start until sometime after the duel started. Like the duel angered something in the building."

"This sounds pretty bogus to me!" Lucien interrupted. "Purple smoke?"

"We'll listen to what they have to say Lucien." Foster answered. "You may not know yet, but I do have an interest in these kinds of incidences."

"We thought it was a trick," Syrus resumed. "But the guy started to lose his cool when everything got purple and when Jaden beat him, a bunch of hands grabbed him and pulled him into the fog! We thought it was a disappearing act to escape, but the man seemed pretty horrified, like it wasn't part of the plan."

Foster was already taking notes of the account. "Can you tell me who this man was?"

"He called himself Titan," Jaden replied. "He was tall and he wore a trench coat, a black hat, and a silver mask. He also had this weird pyramid-shaped brooch around his neck, looked Egyptian looking. It looked an awful like that millennial puzzle!"

"You mean Millennium Puzzle?" Foster corrected. Behind Jaden's head 'Winged Kuriboh' sighed in embarrassment.

"Yeah. There were rumors that students disappeared from the dorm because of a Millennium Item cursing the place. I thought they were all blowing steam, but after what happened that night I'm starting to believe them."

Syrus put a hand on Jaden's shoulder. "That puzzle he had was a fake though, at least we think it was. When he said that there were seven Millennium PUZZLES, not items, I thought something was off. I don't think a Millenium Item can break from being hit from a card either."

Jaden laughed. "Yeah, I got him pretty good when that fake puzzle shattered into a dozen pieces!"

"If I may ask," Lucien questioned. "does this have anything to do with why you guys got expelled from DA?"

Syrus became more solemn in tone. "We tried to warn our friends about what happened, but the school made them and us keep quiet about it or face expulsion! We were forced into a tag duel in order to stay in Duel Academy!"

"Against the ParaDox Brothers?" Foster looked surprised. "How is that fair?"

"It was that sneaking Crowler's idea! He wanted us gone from Duel Academy right from the start!" Syrus smacked his fist against the chancellor's desk, causing most of the loose paper to fall to the floor.

"Crowler? I heard a few things about him from students who came from Duel Academy. Nothing good apparently." Foster tapped his pen on the desk. "But how can you be sure it was him?"

"He convinced Chancellor Sheppard to go with the duel; he didn't even try to help our case!" Syrus wanted to kick the desk, but held himself back.

"To sum up, we lost the duel, got expelled, and came here hoping to continue our dueling careers." Jaden spoke plainly. "I know our story sounds outrageous to a normal person, but you gotta believe us!"

Lucien remained skeptical. "Do you believe them chancellor? I still think the story is too crazy to be true."

Foster closed his eyes and did not respond for what felt like an eternity, leaving the three teens anxious for something, anything, in response. 'Winged Kuriboh' caught something out of the corner of its eye: It looked like a small black bird with a mask on its face flittered through the window and out the door behind Lucien. No one else seemed to notice it, so 'Winged Kuriboh' thought it to be a duel spirit.

But before 'Winged Kuriboh' could call to Jaden Foster broke the silence. "Duel Academy has kept quiet about the abandoned dorm for a good while; whatever went on in there warranted it being closed off for everyone." Foster slowly stood up, his chair creaking in the process. "But what happened there did not warrant expulsion or a gag order. I would like to know further details about what happened, so we can help clear things up."

"Does this mean we can stay here?" Syrus asked the big question the two wanted.

Foster shifted his lip. "It will be tricky to explain, but I'll let you two join our academy. On a certain condition for you Syrus: You need to qualify for a position at the school, so I will sort out a test for you."

Syrus gulped, not wanting to be back in the hot seat. "A test? Like a written exam?"

Foster shook his head. "No, not like that. It will involve dueling. I'll let you know about it tomorrow." The chancellor nodded to himself. "But for now you two can stay in the guest area."

Jaden jumped up in excitement, almost hitting Lucien with his arm "Alright! The Slifer duo is back! We won't let you down chancellor!"

"I hope so. In this school too many losses kicks you out. Keep that in mind!" Foster set his pen down. "And we will discuss more about your record and the old dorm when I ask, got it?"

"You bet!" Jaden answered.

Foster couldn't help but smirk; Jaden had a way to brighten the mood. "Alright, you two are dismissed for the day. Meet back here first thing in the morning."

"We better get our clocks right this time Jay." Syrus cautioned. The two stood up and began to leave.

"And for Pete's sake, get some proper winter clothes!" Foster added. "You guys are gonna freeze to death!"

"R-Right away sir!" Syrus stammered. With that he and Jaden left the room, leaving Lucien behind. Foster gathered some papers to finish up. "You're free to go as well Mr. Crimley."

"I still have a couple questions sir." Lucien said, making sure not to sound too demanding. "Do you think Duel Academy will come back for them?"

Foster scratched his head. "I have no clue, but regarding that dorm they've become quite aggressive in keeping it out of public eye. I don't think they would want them to stray too far from the net."

"I see," Lucien looked down briefly. "Do you want them to stay?"

"It will depend on if Syrus passes the test or not. We'll have to wait and see!"

Lucien nodded. "Alright, I won't bug you about it." Lucien got his bookbag and made his way to the door. "See you around chancellor."

"See ya around Lucien, and you did a great job today." Foster gave a thumbs up. Lucien smiled back before taking his leave.

I may want to look into this 'Titan' fellow too. Foster pondered through the notes he took. Don't want him showing up and causing trouble if he's still around.


"Come on, pick up..." Alexis tapped the monitor. "You said that he would be on at 4:45?"

Chumley looked at his PDA for a second. "That's what his text says. Did you ever use this thing? I would think you would have a fancy computer to do it from your room."

Alexis shook her head. "My laptop's battery died. And it'll be weeks before I can bring a replacement out here." The terminal to continued to stay grey, with only the words "Connecting..." blinking on the screen.

"I should get a laptop myself, though I'll have to pester my dad for it, and he hasn't called at all in the past month."

Alexis turned toward the Slifer. "Really? Your parents don't bother you every flipping day? Can we swap places?"

Chumley couldn't help but laugh. "I wouldn't mind being in the Obelisk Dorm for a day! Where do I sign up?"

Before either student could continue a familiar voice shouted from the speaker phone. "Hey! Is this on?"

Alexis nearly jumped out of her skin. "Jeez, don't scream into the screen Jaden! I still need my ears!"

"Whoops, sorry! I can never figure these things out. Hey Syrus, get a bit closer!" Jaden pulled his partner toward the terminal, the shorter student's head filling the screen. "Gah! Alright, alright, just don't throw me into the screen Jay!" Syrus got off of the monitor and straightened his pale green jacket, having a bit of trouble moving his bundled-up arms.

Alexis took notice of the lack of red on the two Slifers. "What ARE you two wearing? I can barely see Syrus under that jacket!"

"We got new clothes from the chancellor! We wouldn't survive the cold if we kept our DA uniforms!" Jaden unzipped his own brown jacket, showing that he had his crimson red blazer on underneath.

"Does that mean you guys got in?" Chumley butted in. "Congratulations!"

Jaden scratched his chin. "Well, we're not QUITE in yet. I mean, I got in for beating this Russian guy, but Syrus still has to past a test."

"A test?" Alexis spoke with a bit of concern in her voice.

"Y-Yeah, I didn't beat my test duel, so I need to complete a challenge that Chancellor Foster had in mind. Don't have a clue what it is."

Chumley bit his lip. "So you're not in North Academy yet?"

"I'm in, I think, but I'll make sure Syrus gets in just fine!"

"Even though I lost yet again Jay? I'm not sure..."

"You won't pass with that attitude. Plus didn't you beat me on the train more than a dozen times?" Jaden gave Syrus a good smack on the back. "You almost had that guy last time, so I'm confident you'll win!"

Syrus visibly shook underneath that winter jacket when Jaden struck him. "O-of course, I won't lose!" Syrus replied with a bit more confidence.

"We have faith in ya Syrus." Chumley added. "I know you got the skills to impress. You got into Duel Academy no problem, so you can do this."

Syrus's eyes widened, looking like an awe-struck toddler. "Th-thank you Chumley!"

"Now that's the spirit!" Jaden wrestled Syrus under his arm. "Us Slifers can't be held down for long!"

Alexis slid back into view. "Slow down a bit Jaden; you said you THINK you got in?"

Jaden looked a bit surprised. "Weeeelllll, the chancellor said he wanted to hear more about the..."incidents" last week. He seemed very eager to hear our tale! Apparently he knows that Crowler is a real buzzkill too!"

Alexis tried to hold back her snickering. "R-Really?"

"Definitely! We're supposed to meet him again soon to explain our situation, so I think we're out of the fire for at least a little while." Jaden resumed.

"At least you guys aren't dead in the water yet." Chumley replied. "Hopefully we can get you guys back here through North Academy soon enough."

"You guys come up with a plan yet on getting Sheppard to bring us back?" Syrus questioned.

Alexis shook her head. "Not yet, it's gonna be awhile until talking to him about it isn't a hot-button topic. Especially since we need to stay tight-lipped about you-know-what."

"Well that puts a wrench in things." Syrus scratched his head. "Is it okay to talk through email about it? I'll give you guys my spare account if the Academy one is no good."

"Yeah, we're gonna need it if we don't want Sheppard getting nosy." Alexis made sure not to speak too loud in case someone might hear. "However, priority one should be to stay in North Academy. That way you guys can stay in the Academy system."

"I should probably practice a bit more before bed then," Syrus added. "I get the feeling I'll be having another busy day tomorrow." Jaden yawned in the background.

A timer beeped on Alexis' monitor, indicating that her session was almost up. "Crap, I'm almost out of time. Can you send us your backup email to Chumley's PDA, Sy? You should know his address."

Syrus looked at the corner of his monitor to see how long it had been running. "Yeah, I'll send it right after this. The signal is a bit wonky out here though so it may take a few tries."

"Alright then. Sorry I couldn't keep this thing on longer guys, but we got other people waiting to use the phones." Alexis turned to see a growing line of people for the videophones behind her. The Ra Yellow student at the front of the line looked pretty annoyed that she was taking so long.

"It's no prob! We probably won't have time to get back here tomorrow anyway, but we'll try to contact you guys over email." Jaden fumbled with his jacket's zipper, clumsily zipping back up. "You guys stay out of trouble alright?"

"I would say the same for you two, and good luck Sy! We'd be rooting for you!" Chumley exclaimed.

Syrus smiled back, his spirits lifted. "Thank you guys. Talk to you soon!"

"See ya soon!" Chumley waved. With a click the call ended, the screen cutting to black. Chumley and Alexis grabbed their things and made haste out of the room so the next person could go.

"Jeez, I didn't think the phones would be THIS busy today." Chumley groaned.

Alexis followed alongside, the two making their way to the exit. "I'll say, place was becoming a madhouse." The two stepped out into the evening air, the sky a mix of oranges and purples from the setting sun. "In any case, we need to form a concrete plan so we have something to work towards getting Jaden and Syrus back."

Chumley stretched his back out, his spine giving an audible click. "I know, but we won't figure it out overnight. I'd wait until we know more about Syrus's situation."

"I agree. I still think snooping on Crowler should be on the table as well. That should be a good place to start."

"And that'll be the hardest part for sure." Chumley answered back. "Especially since the Obelisk Dorm isn't fond of Slifers dropping by. You think you can get into his office?"

"I'm pretty sure I can slip in and out fast." Alexis thumbed her ear. "I'll snoop around his place tomorrow after class, then we can draw up a plan of attack that night, alright?"

"Alright, though "sneaky" is not something I can do well 'Lex."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there then. " Alexis mused, "Maybe we can get some practice in over a couple of nights."

"And how do you suppose we do that?"

"I dunno, maybe we can try sneaking around in the basement? I can find the keys for it Chumley, just cut me some slack!"

"I'm just trying to keep us off the chopping block." Chumley waved his hands. "I don't think we'll get let off the hook this time if they catch us."