Here we go with chapter 4!
Wilma: Wolf doesn't own GX, X-Men, or Glee. If she did, Jaden and Jesse would be together. She also doesn't own any music featured in the story. She only owns her OC's.
Chapter 4: Raring to Go!
It was a few weeks after Jaden's duel with Alexis, and it was the day before testing. Robin was currently sitting in Professor Satyr's class, finishing up another class and surviving another lecture.
After the first day, students are split into different classes. Robin was happy that she had Bastion and Jamie in this class, though she sadly also had Chazz and his goons in this class, too.
As the class ended, the professor gave the class a reminder about the tests the following day.
"As a reminder to everyone, the promotion exams start tomorrow morning with Professor Banner. The written test will be similar to the entrance exams with 45 questions and 5 duel puzzles. There will be a 30 minute break before the field test, where duelists will be paired with others from their dorm in order to promote to the next dorm, or in the Obelisk's case, stay where they are. With that, I wish you all luck!"
The class was dismissed and everyone was talking amongst themselves.
"I shouldn't have to take these exams," Chazz mumbled. "I'm already the best duelist here."
"You the best?! Hah, that's Zane's spot!" Robin recognized the voice of Jasmine, one of Alexis' friends.
Not exactly a friend of hers due to their first meeting. She thought that since she was a friend of Alexis, maybe she was nice. But all she said was, "Get lost, dweeb! I wouldn't be caught dead with a weaker duelist than me!"
"Come to think of it, I have yet to see her duel…" Robin muttered to herself.
"It's Zane's last year," Chazz yelled. "Then I'll be top duelist in Duel Academy!"
"Ambitious character, ain't he?" Robin asked Jamie, who nodded.
"Alright there, Robin?" She felt a pat on the shoulder from Bastion.
"Yeah, just thinking about the exams." Robin said.
"Well, no worries," Bastion said. "You study hard enough, and the written exam should be a breeze! And your dueling skills are admirable, too. Just be glad you don't get paired with me."
"That a challenge, Einstein?" Robin smirked. "Time and place, and we can go anytime!"
Jamie stared at her friend in awe, wishing she could be brave like her.
Bastion notices the other Slifer girl at that moment. "Hello, there. Who might you be?"
"Oh, this is my roommate, Jamie!" Robin introduced her roommate. "Jamie, this is Bastion, we met at the entrance exams."
"Nice to meet you." Jamie said in a soft voice, shaking his hand.
"You too, Jamie," Bastion greeted. "Anyway, shouldn't when we get to studying?"
"Oh, right!" Robin said, getting up. "Let's get ourselves to the library, and get reading!"
Jamie and Bastion laughed.
"Mind if I join you?" Ares asked, walking up to them.
"Sure." Bastion replied, and then they all left.
Sometime Later
After a few hours of reading, the kids left the library and went their separate ways.
Bastion and Jamie were going to the card shack to get some new cards for their decks. Robin didn't understand having more than one deck, but after seeing Bastion's decks in action she wasn't going to argue.
Ares and Robin were heading back to their dorms to get some food.
"Hey, Slifer slacker!" They turned to see Torimaki. "I've got a bone to pick with you!"
"Ares, go see if you can find Jaden." Robin whispered to the Toon duelist.
He nodded and walked on.
She then turned her attention to the snobe coming towards her. "Didn't I leave you lying in dirt last night? Or do you and your machines want to take another trip through the recycling plant?"
"Ha, that was a practice deck to throw you off!" Torimaki boasted holding up his duel disk. "Now, I'll show you my real skills with my real deck!"
"I'd take you up on that offer, except I don't have my duel disk on me, so…"
"Well, then I guess we have to do things the old fashioned way!" Torimaki interrupted, assuming a boxer's position.
Robin was a little worried, not by a fight, she could handle herself. She was worried that Torimaki would use his powers and attract attention.
"Try that, and I'll kill you in your sleep and make it look like an accident." They were interrupted by the cold and deadly serious voice of a ticked off Hex, who had the company of a very scared looking Ares.
"Who the heck are you?" Torimaki asked rudely.
"Man, I bet you never had a girlfriend." Ares muttered.
"I'm her brother," Hex spoke. "Leon "Hex" Yuki, and I'm doing the usual big brother stuff, protecting my sister. I'll duel you in Robin's place."
"Fine by me, I get to stomp a Ra!" Torimaki declared turning his duel disk.
Hex then activated his.
"Let's duel!" They shouted.
Hex: 4000
Torimaki: 4000
"I'll cast the first spell!" Hex said as he drew his card. He looked over his cards, and made three choices.
"I set two cards face down." Two facedowns appeared at his feet.
"Then, I'll summon Apprentice Magician in defense mode!" A blond woman in a purple outfit appeared in a purple flash. It consisted of a cloak, boots, and armguards. She also had a red headband, white belt, and a magician's staff that she defended herself with (400/800).
"I end my turn."
"Hex is already putting up a defense." Ares said to himself.
"My draw!" Torimaki drew. "I summon a spellcaster of my own, Lord of Dragons!"
A man in white bone armor, most likely dragon bones, appeared from a dark blue light. He also had a blue cape that blew in the wind (1200/1100).
"A dragon deck?" Robin asked.
"That's right! And once I get rid of this Ra, I'll unleash them on you!" Torimaki said to the Slifer girl.
"Hey, your opponent's over here!" Hex snapped. "Hurry up and make your move!"
"You're in a hurry to lose!" The Obelisk taunted. "I play the Flute of Summoning Dragon!"
A bronze horn designed to look like a dragon appeared in LOD's hands. He began playing in a low tone. "I can now summon two more dragons to the field! So meet Spear Dragon and Luster Dragon!"
Answering the flute's melody, two dragons appeared on the field.
The first dragon was blue with tan stomach and a long nose. Its arms were its wings and it had two white horns on its head (1900/0).
The second dragon was also blue but was covered in sapphire blue diamonds. It gave Hex a snarl (1900/1600).
"Oh boy…" Hex muttered.
"Spear Dragon, attack with Cyclone Burst!" Said dragon shot a powerful wind blast that cut through the magician, bursting her to pixels.
"And when it destroys a monster in defense mode, it still causes damage!" The wind blew over to Hex, who protected himself with his duel disk.
Hex: 2900
Torimaki: 4000
"I activate Apprentice Magician's effect!" Hex said. "When she's destroyed in battle, I get to summon a level 1 or 2 spellcaster from my deck to the field, face down!"
He took a monster from his deck and set in face down defense position.
"Grr, well since it doesn't damage me, Luster Dragon, get it, Sapphire Flames!" The sapphire dragon unleashed blue flames at Hex's face down monster, which turned out to be another Apprentice Magician.
"The cycle of magic continues!" Hex smirked as he set a new monster.
'He's playing with him, like I did the other night…' The fairy duelist thought.
"Your turn Lord of Dragons, Dark Spell!" The caped lord created a dark orb and flung it at the face down monster. Guess what it was? "Another Apprentice Magician?! She related to you?"
"Be thankful I can only have three of one monster, but I still have a few monsters that fit the bill, like this guy!" He said, setting a new monster.
"And since Spear Dragon attacked, he has to go into defense mode! This wouldn't be a problem except for the fact he has no defense to speak of!" The long nosed dragon folded his wings in front of him and dropped to the ground.
"I end my turn with this!" A facedown card appeared at his feet.
"My turn!" Hex drew. "I activate my face down, Mystical Space Typhoon, getting rid of your face down!"
Said spell unleashed a powerful wind toward the other side of the field.
"Not unless I activate it! Imperial Order!" The trap flipped up on Torimaki's side, showing a king ordering his men.
"Now, you can't use any of your spells!" The wind from the spell died down.
"Alright, plan B! I flip summon Old Vindictive Magician!" The monster that appeared was an old man in red robes, a blue cape, and carried a green staff (450/600). "And when he's flip summoned, he destroys one monster on the field!"
"You can't, my dragons are immune to card effects as long as Lord of Dragons is on the field!" Torimaki said.
"Wasn't aiming for your dragons. Destroy his spellcaster!" The old man fired a green blast, destroying the dragon lord.
"No way!"
"All right!" Robin cheered.
"Now, I sacrifice the old guy to summon Chaos Command Magician!" The old man vanished and a blue mage in green robes appeared on the field (2400/1900).
"Attack Luster Dragon with Chaos Magic!" A mage shot a red lightning blast from his scepter, shattering the dragon into sapphire shards.
Hex: 2900
Torimaki: 3500
"And I'll place a face down to cap it off!" Hex ended.
"Good!" Torimaki drew. "First I'll stop Imperial Order's effect!"
The mentioned trap card shattered.
"Now I can activate the field spell Mountain!" The area around them change to look like they were surrounded by mountains.
"Now, all dragons power by 200 points!" Spear Dragon flew up and perched up on top of one of the mountains (1900-2100/0-200).
"But I'll sacrifice Spear Dragon to summon Luster Dragon #2!" The blue dragon flew off, deep into the mountains.
In his place was a dragon that looked similar to the first Luster Dragon, only with emeralds. It roared happily, being at home in the current surroundings (2400-2600/1400-1600).
"And I'll give him more power with this, Dragon Treasure, raising its stats by 300!" A blue aura appeared around the emerald dragon (2600-2900/1600-1900).
"Overkill, much?" Hex deadpanned.
"It's important to show off who's the superior duelist! Now take out his magician with Emerald Flame!" The powered up dragon breathed massive, green flames that torched Chaos Command Magician in one hit, and the rest of the flames conversed on the male Ra.
Hex screamed at the sudden flames.
Hex: 2400
Torimaki: 3500
"And since you hate fire so much, Dragon's Gunfire takes 800 points away from ya!" The emerald dragon shot another fireball at Hex, causing him to scream again.
Hex: 1600
Torimaki: 3500
"I think I've done enough damage for now." The Obelisk said, pleased with himself.
"Get… over… yourself…" Hex grunted, getting up.
"You okay, Hex?" Robin called to her brother.
"Yeah," He straightened up and drew his next card. He smirked when he saw what it was. "I'm good."
When the guys saw that smirk, they did so as well.
"Oh, you're in trouble now, blue boy!" Robin said, playfully.
"I activate my facedown, Call of the Haunted!" Hex declared. "This lets me bring back Old Vindictive Magician from the graveyard!"
The old mage reappeared (450/600).
"So, what?" Torimaki shouted. "My dragon has way more power than that crusty old geezer!"
"Who said I was finished?" Hex said. "Now I play Magical Dimension!"
A gold sarcophagus appeared behind the old mage. "I can only use this card when I have a spellcaster on the field. I sacrifice my magician to summon a new one!"
The sarcophagus opened, sucking up the old man. "Come forth, Cybernetic Magician!"
The coffin released a man in all silver with blond hair, blue pants, light purple robe, and silver staff with a hand guard (2400/1000).
"Bring it on!" Torimaki challenged. "I won't lose much after my monster's gone!"
"Yes, you will!" Ares interrupted. "Or have you forgotten the second effect of Hex's spell?"
"He's right. Magical Dimension destroys a monster after special summoning, so guess what's gonna happen to your Luster Dragon #2!" The sarcophagus reappeared behind the emerald dragon, and sucked it up.
"Hey!" Torimaki shouted.
"And, since that was a special summon, I can still normal summon this turn, and I pick Breaker the Magical Warrior!" A soldier in red armor wielding a shield and sword appeared (1600/1000).
"And when he's summoned, I can give him a spell counter which gives him 300 extra attack points." A glowing blue symbol appeared on the shield (1600-1900/1000).
"Not again!" Torimaki cringed. "Beaten by a Slifer and a Ra?"
"Serves you right for messing with my sister! Breaker, Cybernetic Magician, end this duel!" The silver mage shot the Obelisk with silver lightning, stunning him, followed by a swift slice from Breaker, knocking him down.
Hex: 1600
Torimaki: 0
"Game over!" Robin boasted. "And here I thought Obelisks were "all-powerful."
"Not the ones who got there via connections and money," Hex added, before turning a glare on Torimaki. "Last warning. Stay away from my family, unless you want to get kicked around again."
Tormaki picked himself up and glared at the friends. "Wait 'til Chazz hears about this!"
"That's enough!" They all turned to see Jaden standing there, looking angry.
"I'm calling a meeting with the battle class students, so report to the sub-level classroom! Now!" With that, Jaden stomped off to find the other students.
"Oh, boy!" Ares trembled.
"This could get messy." Robin muttered, Hex nodding in agreement.
Battle Class, Sub-levels
All the students in the class had been rounded up and were waiting in the classroom they used for lectures, which was what they were about to get, just not a school lecture.
Everyone could tell Jaden was angry about something, which for those who didn't know the brunette's moods was a scary sight.
"All right, it has been brought to my attention that there have been some issues due to a certain group of people thinking their rank is better than others. That is going to stop. Right. Now!" Jaden growled his words, making no room for argument.
"I'm not scared of this guy!" One Obelisk whispered to his friend.
"Yeah, he's just a Slifer, what can he do?" The other asked.
That sent Jaden over the edge.
"You need to learn to get along!" The outburst startled everyone, especially Bastion, Alexis, and Syrus, having never seeing Jaden lose his temper. "No one is going into battle alone!"
Everyone was stunned silent by this point. "We do missions in groups of two or more, that's basic procedure! It covers your weak spots and enhances your strengths! In a real fight, this ridiculous dorm fighting could get you or someone else killed! You keep this mind!"
Jaden seemed to calm down by this point and went about with his announcement. "Now, tomorrow a new shipment of rare cards is going to be coming in and we're going to be sending a team to them as extra protection. I'm going to be leading this team so I'll be choosing who comes. I'll send a message to the people I choose after dinner. Those who get chosen can either stay in their dorm rooms or they can stay in one of the rooms we have in the sub-levels. Go to bed early, because we will be up before the sun rises. That being said, you are dismissed, so go about your studying and preparations."
Early the Next Morning
The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, and the group that Jaden had chosen were waiting at the docks from where the cards were supposed to depart. It consisted of Jaden's usual crew, Hex, Robin, Shadow, Sophia, Ares, Phoenix, Anokai, Angel, and Ari, and the people Jaden had chosen were Alexis, Bastion, and Syrus.
They were all wearing black jumpsuits and belts and masks with the Guardians symbol, an italic "G", in silver on the front. Jaden's uniform was a bit different, his jumpsuit was sleeveless with a cape attached to it, and the symbol was on the back.
"Okay, listen up!" Jaden commanded his troops. "The boat will be arriving in a few minutes. When it gets here, I will take up a position with captain and use my abilities to search for enemies. We'll split up from there. Hex, Robin, and Sophia will take the boat I'll be on. Ares and Anokai will take the second boat and Angel and Ari will take the third."
"Syrus," Jaden turned to his roommate. "Since you can teleport, you'll be a drifter. Go between crafts and help wherever you can."
"Shadow, Phoenix-" Jaden stopped when he realized that he was down a member. "Where is Phoenix?"
"Here I am!" They turned to see the weather controller ride in on a motorcycle. "Biker gang was heading this way so I took them out."
"...You're not keeping that." The telepath said bluntly.
"Darn it!"
"Back to what I was saying, Shadow, Phoenix, and Alexis, since you guys can fly, you'll be our eyes in the sky. You'll be our air force."
"Finally, Bastion, you'll be the system's protector. Keep our tech up and running and shut down the enemy's. Also, over the com units, use your code names."
Jaden then turned, sensing the boats approaching. "Right, let's go!"
Sometime later
It wasn't even five minutes into the voyage before all hell broke loose. Armed pirates in the numbers of a small army descended on the vessels, armed with automatic weapons.
However, the team was ready for an assault. Jaden was up with the captain in the main control room. Bastion was there, too, reinforcing the system computers.
"Status report!" Jaden called over the coms.
"These guys don't know when to give up!" Hex commented.
He, Robin, and Sophia had already knocked a group off the deck, but know a new group was making their way up.
Sophie made some sparks, startling them into falling off. A few still got up and tried to surprise her.
Hex saw them just in time.
"Rangu!" He called and something like a lion appears terrifying the attackers.
"Aha!" Sophia turned unleashed a burst of energy, knocking the perps out.
"Thanks, Hex!" The Yuki boy nodded.
They then turned when they heard Robin unleash a sonic screech, blasting the remaining guys off the ship.
"Too easy!" Robin smiled, giving a thumbs up.
"Don't get too cocky, Siren," Jaden came in over the comms unit. "There are still more where those guys came from."
"We could use some help over here!" Ari's voice joined.
They were having a bit more trouble. Ari had his claws out and was trying not to actually kill anyone, while Angel was phasing through people, confusing them and knocking them down.
"Nightwalker, backup Shadow Faye and Wolf!" Jaden radioed to Syrus.
Syrus appeared on their boat, in a puff of smoke, coming down on an insurgent before teleporting again. He repeated this action until all of them were knocked out.
"They're all down!" Syrus announced.
"Good work!" Jaden approved, who then sensed some attack subs coming under the water. "Virus, we got company under the water! Take 'em out!"
Bastion nodded and closed his eyes. In his mind, it was like he was entering a tunnel to cyberspace. Mentally, he was inside the operating system of the subs.
A few seconds later he opened his eyes and said, "Done."
"Got their weapons?"
"Yes, and their navigation. Now, they can only move in one big circle." Bastion cracked.
Jaden smiled at the tactic before the turning back to the others. "The subs are neutralized. DJ Steele, Sonic, how're you guys doing?"
"We're having some trouble!" Ares responded. "We may need backup!"
"Cyber Girl, Tempest, back 'em up!"
Alexis and Phoenix swooped down from the air to where Ares and Anokai were.
True to what they said, they were having some issues themselves. Ares was able to make their weapons fall apart with his power over metal and Anokai was moving faster than the eye could follow, though there were unconscious pirates in his wake.
The problem was that they were showing up just as fast as they can take them down.
Phoenix went first, using her powers to summon a powerful wind to at least stop the pirates in their tracks. Then, Alexis started firing blue energy beams from her hands, knocking them over the side.
"Okay, now we're good!" Anokai declared, catching his breath.
"Good work!" Jaden congratulated. "Blackwing, what's the situation in the sky?"
Shadow was up above the rest of them, his wings spread to full thirteen feet. He scanned the horizon with his falcon eyesight and didn't see anymore enemy vessels. "We're clear! All the guys we just took down are retreating!"
"Excellent, all that's left is to do is tie up the knockouts and throw 'em in the brig," The telepath worked out the final step, before turning to the captain. "This is where we part company, Captain. It should be calm from here."
The captain nodded. "Thank you, Guardians. Don't know how things would have gone if you all hadn't been here."
"It's what we do, Captain," Jaden replied modestly. "Well, bon voyage."
With that, Jaden and Bastion left the control room and headed for the deck.
When there, Jaden used his telekinesis to get them up in the air and headed towards Duel Academy.
Phoenix and Shadow swooped down and got Hex and Sophia, while Ares used his powers to make a platform for him and Ari.
Anokai used his speed to race off, Alexis pulled in beside Jaden, Robin used her sonic shrieks and a glider attached to her uniform to take to the air in a glide, and Syrus and Angel teleported away.
A few hours later
The same fleet of vessels were about to reach their destination.
"Attention, all craft," The captain spoke to the crew over intercom. "I know it's been a long journey, fighting off mig intruders, taking on attack subs. It seems the whole world has tried infiltrate our defenses, but thanks to the Guardians it's about to all pay off. We're about to reach our final objective with the payload safe! So full steam ahead, men! This is the moment we've been waiting for! The moment Duel Academy gets their new rare cards!"
At the Slifer dorm
At the the Slifer dorm, the morning saw the leader of the Guardians sleeping in a little, since he had been up before sunrise.
They had all gotten back a few hours earlier and had decided to take some quick power naps. Well, most of them.
Syrus, on the other hand, had gone back to doing what he had been doing all night, which was some kind of strange seance. He was sitting at the desk with candles lit and wearing a headband with three Monster Reborn cards in it. He seemed to be praying to a poster of Slifer the Sky Dragon, being the poster boy for desperate measures.
"Please, please, please! Please help me ace my exams today, or I'll be stuck wearing this red blazer forever. Not that there's anything wrong with red, of course! It's great on you, Slifer, but I wanna be in Ra Yellow! Please give me a sign that you'll help!"
*Ring!*
"Slifer?!" Syrus freaked at the sudden noise before calming down. "Oh, it was just the alarm clock."
He got up to go turn the blasted contraption off, which was right next to Jaden's head and somehow he slept through it.
"And of course Jaden sleeps right through it! How can he be so relaxed when there's so much at stake?! Even if we had been up pretty early."
Syrus started shaking Jaden to get him to wake up. "Jaden, wake up! If you miss these tests, you'll never advance to the next dorm!"
"Hold it right there!" Jaden yelled in his sleep, smacking Syrus in the face and knocking him to the floor. "'I play a trap!"
Syrus groaned, sitting up. "Why can't he ever be dreaming in defense mode when I wake him up?"
"Duh, Syrus! You shouldn't be waking him up at all!" The blue haired boy looked up to see Chumley looking over the side at him. "Just think about it. After today's written test, we have our field test, and it would be totally lishus for us both if Jaden slept right through it. You get what I'm saying?!"
"Chumley, I never get anything that you say!" Syrus complained, sitting up a little more.
"Hello! The field test is where they pit class members against each other in a duel, and I don't wanna duel the guy who beat Dr. Crowler! So if we let the competition sleep in, then we make out. You get it?" Chumley explained, winking.
"Oh, I get it," Syrus glared at the older boy. "And I'm starting to get why you were held back two years."
He turned his attention back to Jaden. "Jaden! Get out of bed! We're already late! I'll save you a seat! Hurry!"
And with that he ran out the door.
Chumley watched him go. "Fine. Plan B it is."
Syrus was running fast to the main building. 'OK! Cram time! Now, let's see. A normal trap can counter a normal spell. A quick play spell can beat a ritual spell, and-'
He then comically tripped. 'A double knot beats a single knot.'
When he got up, he remembered he could teleport. 'Oh, duh!'
He facepalmed before doing just that.
In Robin's room, another alarm clock was going off and then was effectively being destroyed.
"Ugh, is it already time to get back up?" Robin groaned, reluctantly getting up.
"Sorry, I forgot how early you had to get up," Jamie apologised. "By the way, how'd the mission go? If you're allowed to talk about it, I mean."
Robin smiled at her roommate. "Jamie, we're not the NSA. Jaden's only rules are don't tell outsiders and don't use your powers in public."
"Oh, okay." Jamie nodded.
"And just so you know, the mission went better than expected."
Jaime nodded. "Well, since you're up, let's go get a quick breakfast before going to class."
"Sounds good."
As they left, Jamie also mentioned. "By the way, Robin, that alarm clock was mine."
"Oops."
In Anokai's room, the Wheeler boy had gotten up to the alarm clock, but his roommate slept through it. He went and got something to eat, as well as something for his roommate, and then sat at the desk for a quick cram session while he waited for his roommate.
When he heard a groan, he counted down the phases until the freak out. He had been with his roommate long enough to learn his pattern.
First he turns over to face the alarm.
Then, he cracks open an eye to look at the time.
Then he would burrow back under the covers to try to sleep more.
And finally…
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
…The time registers in his brain and he starts running around like a headless chicken in a mad a scramble to get to class on time.
"Over here." Anokai gestured to some food as Dylan did his morning panic.
The other Slifer grabbed the food and almost rushed out the door, when he finally stopped and slowly turned to his roommate who was lightly snickering. "How are you already awake?"
"Alarm."
"And you didn't bother to wake me!?" Anokai was startled by the sudden anger rising from the other teen as well as the appearance of what looked like scales forming around his eyes.
"Whoa, Dylan, calm down!" Anokai said, holding up his hands in defense.
This made Dylan calm down, and become slightly scared and shy again. "Jeez, what was that about?"
"Sorry, I wasn't myself just then." Dylan said, absentmindedly eating his bagel.
Kai stared for a moment, but let it go for now. "I can get us to class fast, just finish that bagel and we'll get going."
About two minutes later, they were both outside their room.
"Alright, hope on." Anokai said, gesturing for Dylan on his back.
"What?" Was all he could say, dumbfounded.
"Just do it." Dylan, still confused, proceeded to got on his back, in a piggyback ride.
"Now close your eyes, shut your mouth, and hold on."
"Huh?" Before Dylan could question this or change his mind, Anokai took off running with his roommate letting out a yell.
As the girls were walking to class, they heard a scream. They turned around only to see a red blur race past them, with a strong tail wind knocking them on their butts.
"What… was that?" Jamie breathed, shaking as she got up.
"That was most likely Anokai giving Dylan a lift to class, judging by the scream." Robin guessed, not as shaken.
"...He's weird."
"Yep."
Ra Dorm
Jaden wasn't the only one sleeping in.
Ares was sound asleep in his room for two reasons. One, he was not a morning person. Two, he had barely gotten any sleep before the mission due to staying up so late studying.
Hence why he didn't hear two people come into his room until it was too late.
"Barrel Dragon, Tri-gun Blast!"
"Blast Magician, Blast Spell!"
The next thing Ares knew was that his room had turned into a war zone. The blast was enough to knock him out of bed.
"Whoa!" He yelled. "What in the name of-?"
Ares then got up and found a snickering Bastion and Hex standing there.
"Not cool, guys!" The Toon duelist yelled.
"Hey, you weren't gonna get up if we didn't do this." Hex chuckled.
Ares growled. "Just get out so I can get dressed!"
The other two just chuckled again, but left the room. When they were out in the hall, Angel and Phoenix came out of their rooms, probably having heard the noise just now.
"What the Shadow Realm was that?" Phoenix asked.
"Just getting Ares up and moving." Hex answered, smiling innocently.
The weather meister just rolled her eyes, and went back into her room to get dressed, same with Angel. Hex and Bastion then went down to breakfast.
The other three soon joined them, along with Graig.
"You ready for testing, today?" Bastion asked, trying to make small talk.
"I think so." Ares said, between bites, hoping he was. He may be one of the smartest guys in the group, but even he could get test anxiety.
"Don't worry, Ares, I'm sure we're all going to be fine!" Angel assured him, as they conversed over breakfast.
Obelisk Blue
Meanwhile, Shadow was up and moving at a timely hour and was now contemplating what to do about the slumber party still sleeping in his room.
Ari, Kyle, and Jacob had been up studying so late that the three had just fallen asleep on the floor.
Shadow heard a knock on the door, and when he answered it, it was Sophia. Her friends had gone on ahead, so she came to check on the boys. "Morning, Shade."
"Morning," He greeted. "Mind helping me with the lazy bums I have on my floor?"
"Sure!" They went into the room and Sophie proceed to jump on her Egyptian friend.
Ari yelled and lashed out at the sudden attack, kicking Jacob hard in the side, who then jumped awake and rolled over on top of Kyle with enough force to both wake him up and knock his breath away.
"Sophie! What the hell?!" Ari yelled at the Game Princess, who got off of him laughing like crazy.
"Sorry, Kyle!" Jacob cried, getting off his friend.
"Ow!" The blond Obelisk gasped, sitting up with a wheezing fit.
"Get up, you slugs!" Shadow called to them, heading for the door. "We still need to go get breakfast before we go take our tests!"
He then moved to the side as Sophie sped past him with Ari on her heels, making threats.
"That was a heck of a wake-up call!" Kyle commented.
"I just asked her to help me get you guys moving, I didn't know she had that mind." Shadow stated, secretly having a feeling that was going to happen.
With Jaden
"Man, Chumley sure can cook! Wow!" Jaden was finally up and using his powers to fly toward the main building.
As he made his way there, he flew past a heavy-set woman wearing a pink blouse with blue overalls trying to push a van up the hill. Thankfully, she was so busy with the task she hadn't seen him just then.
He came to a stop and looked back. "Hm, to be a gentleman or to be on time? Well, seeing as how I'm never on time."
He flew back to get behind the van to give the lady some assistance. "Pardon me, ma'am, do you need some assistance?"
"Oh, thank you. You must be from the auto club." The woman replied, thankful for the help.
"Don't let the jacket fool, I'm just your average, good Samaritan." Jaden responded.
"Isn't that nice?" She replied, but lost her grip and the van started to move backwards.
Jaden quickly used his powers to stop the van, setting his hands on the vehicle to make it look like he was pushing.
"It would probably be nicer if I pushed!" Jaden said, pushing the van.
"Thank you."
"It's no problem, ma'am!" Jaden said with a smile.
"You're such a sweet boy." She said gratefully. "I'll remember this. And it's not "ma'am", you can just call me Dorothy."
Test Room
The others were working on their tests, when a commotion broke Shadow's concentration. He looked over to see Jaden had gotten into an argument with Chazz and were causing a ruckus.
This was starting to tick off Phoenix, Hex, and Ari, who were trying to ignore it, and Bastion started to see it in the spellcaster duelist sitting next to him too.
"I do wish Chazz would stop picking fights with the lower ranks." Bastion muttered, before turning back to his test.
Hex then got an idea.
"Hey, Angel?" He whispered, tapping her on the shoulder, causing her to turn around.
"Yeah?" She whispered, trying not to draw attention.
"May I borrow that extra pen you have, please?" The spellcaster duelist asked, putting on a polite face.
Angel nodded, though she was suspicious, and gave Hex the pen.
"Thank you." He then turned toward where the commotion was and promptly threw the pen, hitting Chazz in the head, Angel sucking in a breath at what she just helped cause.
"Ow! Hey!" Chazz exclaimed, turning to glare in the direction the pen had come from.
"Will you shut up, Princeton?!" Hex yelled at the Obelisk, shaking his fist. "Some of us are trying to last until graduation!"
"One of these days, stunts like that are going to get Hex clobbered." Shadow muttered under his breath, Ari, Kyle, and Jacob wondering whether Hex was brave or stupid.
Sophia snickered under her breath. "Hex really has a low tolerance for people like Chazz."
"Gotta admire a guy who's willing to do something crazy!" Jennifer smiled grudgingly, Clare nodding in agreement.
"Leon, please refrain from throwing things at the Obelisks, if you can help it." Professor Banner tried to be stern, but his voice betrayed his amusement.
"Jaden, please come and get your test." With a big smile, the Slifer went and got said test, and Hex went back to his own.
Alexis looked over at Jaden with mild disapproval and worry. "I hope Jaden knows what he's doing."
"Don't worry, Lex," Sophia whispered to her friend. "Jay can power through a test no problem, despite his 'lax attitude about school."
"I hope you're right," Indigo emputted. "The exam time is almost over."
Jaden got so focused on his test that he didn't see Crowler peaking into the room, watching him.
"You may be able to skate your way through the written exam, Jaden, but when your field test starts, believe me, it'll be your biggest blunder!" He cackled.
After the test
On the far side of the island, the commander and his crew had landed and were heading toward the school.
After the test was over, Banner made an announcement. "Alright, class. The written exam is now over, so please walk, do not run, to get in line for today's new rare cards."
"They're here?!"
"Oh, dear." Banner muttered.
As soon of those words were out of his mouth, a stampede of students rushed out the classroom. This left only Bastion, Hex, Phoenix, Ares, Angel, Graig, Shadow, Ari, Kyle, Jacob, Sophia, Jennifer, Clarita, Indigo, Jaden, Syrus, Robin, Anokai, Jamie, and Dylan, the others trying to wake four of the Slifers.
"Chazz, Chazz!" Torimaki called to his 'boss'.
"The new cards are here!" Raizou added.
"So, go fetch." Chazz answered, not even looking up from the paper in his hands.
Like loyal dogs, the two lackeys ran off.
"Hey, Shadow, Ari!" Jacob called over to his new friends. "You coming to look at some rare cards?"
"Nah, my deck's good as is. Thanks anyway!" Ari declined.
"I can probably get some of those cards myself, so no thank you." Shadow shook his head, watching his new Obelisk friends head out.
"What about you, Sophia?" Indigo asked her dorm mate. "Would you like to join us?"
"Mmm, I'll pass."
"Suit yourself." Jenny responded, heading out, her step-sister and Clare close behind her.
"Say, you two may want to give some serious thought to waking up." Bastion said, shaking Syrus awake.
It took a bit, but Syrus finally woke up with a startled yelp.
"Aw, I flunked, didn't I? I'm a complete failure!" He moaned, anime tears going down his face.
"Sy, if they were grading melodrama, you'd get an "A"." Jaden cracked, looking up from the desk he was laying on. He wasn't actually sleeping, he was just resting his eyes.
"Hey, where'd everyone go?" Syrus asked, now noticing the empty classroom.
"That's what I was trying to tell you. The new rare cards have arrived today. Everyone's at the card shack." Bastion explained.
"What?! New cards?!" Syrus cried in disbelief. "Hey, how come no one told us?!"
"Because everyone wants the best cards for themselves to use in the field test." Ares told him.
"So why aren't you two getting some?" Syrus asked the others.
"I was going to, but I decided to give Bastion a hand in waking you guys up," Angel said. "Besides, my deck's good as it is."
"I can handle what comes at me during the field test without them." Hex shrugged.
"I'm good here." Robin said.
"Same here." Anokai added.
"I think we're good." Jamie answered, Dylan and the others agreeing their decks were up to snuff.
"Please, one errant card, and my deck's delicate balance would be completely thrown off." Bastion replied.
"Mine wouldn't!" Syrus said.
"So, let's go. I was going to see if there are any Elemental Heroes I don't have. Thanks for the tip, guys." Jaden said, heading out of the room with Syrus right behind him.
"While they're doing that, I'm going to find a quiet place to work on my deck." Ares said, walking off.
"That's not a bad idea." Graig shrugged, walking off as well.
The Card Shack
The two teens were soon at the card shop, only to see there wasn't a line when there should have been.
"Where is everyone?" Syrus asked, surprised at how quiet it was before realizing something. "They couldn't have…"
"Run out of cards already?!" Both Slifers finished, Jaden mainly from surprise.
Keeping calm, he walked up to the counter to speak to the lady behind it.
"Excuse me, um, Sadie?" He asked, looking at the girl's name tag for her name. "Are there any card packs left?"
"Of course we have some left. Just regular packs, though," She pulled a single pack. "Here you go."
"Um, I was kind of hoping for more than one." Jaden said, a little annoyed about the matter.
"I'm done for!" Syrus whined. "I slept through my written test. Now I'm going to flunk my duel test 'cuz I can't upgrade my deck!"
"So take the pack, Syrus." Jaden offered. "I just came to browse."
"Really? You'd give me the last pack that they have?" Syrus asked, amazed by his friend's generosity.
"It's cool." Jaden assured.
"But what about you two? I mean, what if…" Syrus started, but trailed off.
"What if what?" He asked.
"You fail!" Syrus finished, worried for his friend.
"No way, Sy," Jaden said with confidence. "I may fall down from time to time, but I don't fail."
"Yoo-hoo! Auto club!" Called a chipper voice coming in from the back.
They turned, and Jaden saw that it was the woman from this morning.
"Oh, hi!" He greeted the older woman. "You work here, too?"
"Oh, no, I don't work here, I own here! Cool, huh?!" Dorothy explained, winking.
"That's awesome!" Jaden commented.
"How do you know her, Jaden?" Syrus asked.
"Oh, I helped her this morning when her car broke down." The hero duelist explained.
"Here, I have something for you." The card shack owner said, getting both boys' attention.
She looked like she had a secret to share. "Just call it a thank you for helping me."
Elsewhere
Chazz and his flunkies were in a different part of the school, killing time before the field tests. His "friends" had just explained what had happened at the card shack.
"Then this guy shows up and takes all the new cards. I mean, every one!" Torimaki explained.
"So we couldn't getcha any, Chazz. Sorry." Raizou apologized.
"You know what's "sorry"? You guys, that's what," Chazz snarked, before turning to them. "But it doesn't matter. 'Cuz not one duelist here can beat me, no matter what card he has."
"Unless that duelist happens to be Jaden Yuki." The three Obelisks turned to see a man in a long black coat and hat.
"Who's there?!" Chazz growled.
"Someone who suspects you despise Jaden as much as I do." He answered mysteriously.
"That's the sticky fingers who took all the rare cards!" Torimaki cried.
"Cards? What cards? Oh, do you mean these cards?" He spread his jacket open, revealing rows of cards.
"Oh, now dat's style!" Raizou commented.
"Talk about havin' a card up your sleeve." Torimaki added.
The mystery man laughed. "What's the matter, Chazz? Don't recognize me? How about now?"
He threw back his cloak and hat to reveal…
"Crowler!" All three boys were shocked.
"You know, you looked better all covered up." Chazz wise-cracked.
Crowler face faulted, but then straightened up. "Yes. Well, I have a plan that will make us all look better and make Jaden Yuki look like the cut-rate duelist he truly is. I want you to be his test opponent for his field test and to use these rare cards to be him."
"But we're not in same dorm!" Chazz pointed out. "They won't let me be his test opponent."
"They? I am "they." I'll make it happen! And you just make sure that you use all these rare cards to put Jaden in his place in front of the entire academy!" Crowler assured, before letting off an evil cackle.
Duel Fields
Everyone was in the gym, where the practice fields were. Shadow saw that the others had either already started their duels or were just finishing them, as he made his way onto the field.
When he got to his, he got a big surprise, in the form of Alexis Rhodes facing him.
"So, I'm facing you Alexis?" Shadow asked to be sure.
"Yup. How often can one say they dueled the son of Seto Kaiba, so I want to face you in a match to see how good you are for myself." Alexis said, activating her duel disk.
"Fine then." Shadow smirked a Kaiba smirk, activating his disk.
Alexis: 4000
Shadow: 4000
"I'll let you go first."
"Thank you," said Alexis, drawing his card. "I play Etoile Cyber in attack mode."
The redhead ballerina appeared with a twirl (1200/1600). "Then, I'll place two cards face down, and end my turn."
"Let's see," Shadow said, drawing his card. "I summon Tusk Dragon in attack mode!"
A silvery serpentine dragon with spikes going down his back appeared (1800/1000).
"But that's not all. Next, I play Double Summon and summon Dragon Mail Knight!" A black knight with a dragon motif, holding a sword and shield appeared (1600/1900).
"Now, I'll have Tusk Dragon attack Etoile Cyber!" Tusk Dragon charged at the dancer.
"I activate my facedown, Doble Passe, which means your monster attacks me directly in exchange my monster can attack you directly! Plus, my Etoile Cyber gains 600 extra points when attacking someone directly!" The dragon went around her monster and struck Alexis.
Alexis: 2200
Shadow: 4000
Etoile Cyber then danced across the field as her strength increased (1200-1800/1600). She then spun and threw a roundhouse kick at Shadow, who managed to block it with his duel disk.
Alexis: 2200
Shadow: 2200
"There's still my dragon knight to contend with," Shadow reminded. "Attack!"
The dragon knight charged at Etoile Cyber, his sword ready to strike.
"I play my second trap! Compulsory Evacuation Device! Now, I can send Dragon-Mail Knight back to your hand!" Dragon-Mail disappeared from the field.
"Then I'll end by setting two face downs of my own!" Shadow said.
"My go," Alexis said. "I summon Cyber Tutu in attack mode!"
A small ballerina with pink hair appeared (1000/800).
"I also play Polymerization, allowing me to summon Cyber Blader!" Alexis' signature monster appeared on the field next to the younger one (2100/800).
"And since Tusk Dragon is stronger than Cyber Tutu, she can attack you directly!" Cyber Tutu did as her predecessor did and spun kicked at Shadow, who blocked the kick.
Alexis: 2200
Shadow: 1200
"Now, Cyber Blader, attack Tusk Dragon with Whirlwind Rage!" Cyber Blader went into a spin and headed towards the spiky dragon.
"Go, Negate Attack!" The Kaiba heir reacted. "Your attack is canceled and your battle phase is over!"
"Guess my turn's over." Alexis finished.
"My turn," Shadow said. 'All right, deck, don't fail me now!'
He looked at his card and almost laughed. This duel was his.
"I play the spell card, Ancient Rules!" A spell with the picture of an ancient dragon activated.
"This lets me special summon a level five or higher normal monster from my hand and I choose Luster Dragon #2!" A dragon made out of emerald with crystals on its shins appeared, giving a mighty roar (2400/1900).
"Next, I play Tribute to the Doomed! This will get rid of your Cyber Blader!" Cyber Blader was wrapped in bandages and then dragged into a sinkhole under her feet.
Alexis growled as she lost her best monster.
"And since Luster Dragon was a special summon I can still normal summon. So, I summon Totem Dragon!" The dragon that appeared had small body with a large neck and markings that make it look like a totem pole (400/200).
"But he won't be staying for long, since he counts as two sacrifices! So, I sacrifice Totem Dragon to summon Light and Darkness Dragon!" As the smaller dragon disappeared in a flash of light, a large dragon that was half white with an angel wing and half dark with a demon wing and two tails appeared with a loud roar (2800/2400).
"Now, Luster Dragon, attack Cyber Tutu with Emerald Flame!" Luster Dragon #2 gave a deep breath and sent a blast of green flames at Cyber Tutu, destroying her.
Alexis: 400
Shadow: 1200
"Now, Light and Darkness, attack her directly, with Dark Fire!" The dual attribute dragon let loose a powerful stream of dark fire at Alexis, finishing off the rest of her life points.
Alexis: 0
Shadow: 1200
"Good duel, Alexis!" Shadow said.
Alexis smiled at him before leaving and Shadow went to where the others were standing.
"That was awesome!" Syrus said.
"A good match indeed," Bastion praised. "We all won our duels."
"That's great, now let's see what the next match is…huh?!" He couldn't believe what he was seeing for the next match-up.
Neither could Jaden because it was his duel up next.
"I'm dueling an Obelisk?" He gasped. "And it's Chazz?!"
"That's right, Jaden," Crowler confirmed, since he was the one judging their exam. "Since you always talk such a big game, I pulled some strings for you so you got the challenge you deserve!"
He pointed to Chazz. "So congratulations! You'll be dueling one of the top ranked duelists in the school! What an honor! I certainly hope that you were able to snag a lot of today's rare cards so that your deck is up to snuff!"
Jaden could hear the sarcasm as well as see the truth from reading his mind. He was tempted to say so, but decided to keep up the dumb act. "What's wrong? Aren't you going to thank me?"
"Jaden's dueling Chazz?!" Angel gasped.
"They actually put a Slifer against an Obelisk?!" Indigo asked.
"I've got a baaad feeling about this!" Syrus said.
"This is clearly a trap," Bastion said, suspiciously. "Only a cavalier fool would agree to it."
"I'll do it!" Everyone gasped at Jaden's voice and the duel starting.
"And apparently Jaden's a cavalier fool." Hex muttered.
"I heard that!" Hex face faulted, and the others laughed at his reaction. "All right, Chazz! Get your game on! It's time to finish what we started at Obelisk arena!"
"Hmm, yes, and in front of the entire school, too, where everyone can watch!" Crowler mused.
"Yeah, watch you get slammed by me!" Chazz jabbed.
They put their decks in their duel disks and turned them on.
"Duel!" Both boys shouted.
Jaden: 4000
Chazz: 4000
"No excuses this time, Chazz!"
"Bring it, Slifer slacker!"
"Oh, it is brought!" Jaden drew his next card, when he heard a familiar coo sound. "Well, well! If it isn't my favorite furry friend."
He smiled at his spirit partner. 'Kuriboh, you're in for a treat! We're about to rain some serious skills on Chazz! Check it!'
He looked over the cards in his hand and one caught his attention. "I don't believe you've gotten to chance to meet this Elemental Hero, have you, Chazz? Meet Elemental Hero Clayman!"
A huge monster made of rock with a red dome for a head appeared (800/2000).
"He'd like to make your acquaintance." Jaden smirked, laying a face down.
Chazz snickered. "Not after he sees what I've got planned for his! Don't think for that oversized pile of pebbles has a chance against me, Jaden, or against this!"
He drew his next card. ''Preciate the card, Crowler.'
"Fresh off the presses, meet Magical Magic!"
"What's that?!" Jaden asked.
"A redo. All the cards in my hand that I don't want, I put back in my deck. Then, I shuffle and redraw. Pretty cool, don't you think?"
"Wha?! How?! A rare card on the first draw?!" Syrus gasped.
"He must have been lucky to get some." Robin commented.
"And it's a very dangerous one at that," Bastion explained. "Now, Chazz will essentially be able to pick exactly which cards he wants and which he doesn't."
"I haven't even gotten to the best part!" Chazz said, redrawing and showing Magical Mallet again. "See, Jaden, I got to reshuffle Magical Mallet, too!"
Jaden growled.
"So, if I draw it again, which I just did, I can play it again and again! And that comes in handy when I'm looking for this! V-Tiger Jet! Sharpen your claws in attack mode!"
A yellow tiger, shaped like a fighter jet appeared (1600/1800).
"Not one of those!" Jacob groaned.
"And there's a lot more where that came from! Check out the magic of Frontline Base! It lets me summon another level four or below monster this turn! And I have just the one. I play W-Wing Catapult in attack mode!"
A blue jet platform appeared (1300/1500).
"Now merge!" Both flyers took off and then joined together, one on top of the other (2000/2100). "All right! The VW-Tiger Catapult!"
"A union fusion monster?!" Sophia revealed, Clare gasping in shock.
The audience was impressed.
"But wait. I'm not done yet 'cause he still has his special ability!"
"That's not good!" Jaden muttered.
"Gimme a break! Is this guy's turn going to end sometime this century?!" Syrus complained.
"By sending a card to the graveyard, I can force one of your monsters into attack mode!" Clayman was forced to stand.
"So now after the Heatseeker Blitz from my Tiger Catapult, your life points are toast!" The Tiger Catapult launched its missiles at Clayman, but Jaden was prepared.
"I activate my facedown, Negate Attack! Not only is your monster's attack negated, but your battle phase is over!" Jaden countered, a vortex absorbing the missiles.
Chazz grunted. "Fine, I'll finish up with one card face down."
"Whew, that was a close one." Ares sighed.
Graig nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, go ahead and finish up, because I'm just getting warmed up!" Jaden drew his card.
"Speaking of which, here's a guy who can really turn up the heat! Elemental Hero Sparkman in defense mode!" The electric hero appeared, crossing his arms to defend himself (1600/1400).
"Then, I'll switch Clayman back to defense mode!" The rock hero kneeled back down. "I'll end my turn there."
"Not much else he can do with all the new rares Chazz seems to have!" Bastion said.
"No kidding!" Phoenix agreed.
"It's just not fair!" Syrus complained.
Shadow narrowed his eyes. 'I wonder… how did Chazz get his hands on those cards?'
Alexis was watching the duel from another part of the arena. 'This is a complete mismatch! How can Jaden fight back if he doesn't know what he's fighting?!'
"Ready for round two, you Slifer slime?! Well, X-Head Cannon is!" A blue machine with two cannons on its shoulders appeared (1800/1500).
"And, thanks to Frontline's magic, so is Z-Metal Tank!" A yellow tank like machine appeared next to X (1500/1300).
"So, he does have them." Jaden grunted.
"X and Z?" Syrus said. "Oh, man, that can only be one thing!"
"Now, I play my face down card!" Chazz said as his trap was revealed. "Call of the Haunted! In case you slept through that class, it allows me to bring back a monster from my graveyard and I choose…"
A red metallic dragon appeared (1500/1600).
"No way!" Robin and Jenny cried.
"It's him!" Syrus gasped.
"He has it!" Bastion confirmed.
"That's right! Y-Dragon Head! It's what I discarded with my Catapult's special ability," The new monsters flew up and locked on to each other, X on top, Y in the middle, and Z on the bottom (2800/2600). "And now I combine them all to create XYZ Dragon Cannon!"
"Now, Chazz has two monsters out with over 2000 attack points each!" Bastion said.
"But wait, Jaden. There's more!"
Jaden gasped.
"Actually, less. Sure, they say two heads are better than one, but I have to disagree, especially when the one in question is the ultimate V to Z Dragon Catapult Cannon!"
The two machines joined to form a new creature. It was made up of the monsters Chazz had and it reminded Jaden a little bit of Transformers or Power Rangers (3000/2800).
"Makes your Sparkman look like a heap of spark plugs, huh? Or at least it did." After that comment, Sparkman disappeared.
"Hey, my Sparkman!" Jaden said while the crowd gasped.
"Oh, I'm sorry, didn't I mention V to Z's special ability? He allows me to remove one card on your side of the field once per turn!" He chuckled.
"And if you think that's impressive, just wait'll you see his attack, an attack that leave a giant dent in your life points, because when he attacks I get to choose your monster's mode, and you know what? I choose attack mode!" Clayman was forced to stand again.
"Which means not only will your monster be zapped…" The Dragon Catapult Cannon fired a lightning blast, Clayman groaning as he was destroyed. "But your life points will, too!"
Chazz: 4000
Jaden: 1800
The crowd gasped.
"Jaden!" Syrus called to his friend.
Crowler saw everything from a special viewing box with the chancellor.
"My goodness!" He said with fake sincerity. "Perhaps Jaden can't play with the big boys after all. I guess he's not as good as everyone thinks!"
Shephard just stared out the window.
"Aw, what's the matter, Jaden? Having some test anxiety?" Chazz taunted. "Don't worry. It'll be over soon."
"No way, Chazz. I've got a whole army of powerful heroes at my command! This isn't over! It's only begun! My draw!" He drew his card.
"I play Pot of Greed and draw two more cards from my deck!" He took his two cards and gasped when he saw one.
Flashback, back at the Card Shack. "Now, I know said we were out of cards, but I did hide away a few, for polite young students like yourself!" She pulled out a booster back and handed it to the young Slifer. "Maybe you can put them to some good use, when you're not fixing some old cards, that is!"
Jaden was stunned, but gratefully accepted the pack. Present
"What do you think, Winged Kuriboh?" Jaden asked his little friend.
The little fairy monster gave an agreement. "All right, let's do this!"
Jaden smirked. "I summon Winged Kuriboh in defense mode!"
A Kuriboh with white wings appeared (300/200).
This got a reaction out of the females in the crowd and the guys were right in the middle of it.
"Aw, he's so cute!" Indigo was no exception to the crowd.
Jenny gave her step-sister a look.
"And I'll add a face down and end my turn." Jaden concluded.
"That's it?! That's all?!" Syrus asked. "But all he's been playing is defense!"
"If Jay's got a plan, he better use it, and fast!" Anokai noted.
'I sure hope Jaden knows what's doing.' Alexis thought, staring wide eyed at the duel.
"All done, huh? Good, cuz now I can cook that Kuriboh, and I like mine well done!" Chazz said. "There's about to be a fried furball on the field, ya loser!"
"You don't scare me!" Jaden argued.
"No big deal. I don't have to. That's his job!" Chazz retorted. "Dragon Catapult Cannon, attack!"
A giant energy blast was launched at Winged Kuriboh.
"Once that Kuriboh's gone, Jaden will be completely defenseless!" Syrus whimpered.
"Secret weapon time!" Jaden sent his last two cards to the graveyard. "I sacrifice two cards to activate…"
"WHERE DID HE GET THAT?!" Crowler cried.
"Transcendent Wings!" Winged Kuriboh's wings suddenly grew very large and acted as a shield for the blast.
"It can't be!" Chazz exclaimed.
"Oh, it be," Jaden confirmed, smirking a worthy Kaiba smirk. "Transcendent Wings has evolved Winged Kuriboh into a level ten monster!"
Winged Kuriboh LV10 was about the same size but with a dragon shaped helmet and larger wings (300/200).
"And it gets better, too! By sacrificing himself, Kuriboh destroys all monsters in attack mode and deflects their attack points back as damage to you! Kuriboh, why don't you show him how it works?!"
The blast directed back at the machine it came from and was destroyed, taking three quarters of Chazz's life points with it.
Chazz: 1000
Jaden: 1800
"Lucky punk." Chazz muttered, glaring daggers at Jaden.
"Lucky?" Jaden asked. "No, I just have a habit of being in the right place, at the right time, to help the right people, which isn't you, Chazz, and that's a bad thing because with 1000 life points and it being my turn, all I need is the right monster, and you'll be finished!"
"Serves Chazz right. He could have won the duel with those two monsters alone," Ares criticized. "His arrogance is going to be his own undoing."
"Big time." Dylan and Jamie said at the same time.
"Here goes everything!" Jaden drew his card.
"I summon Elemental Hero Avian in attack mode!" The feathered hero appeared, shocking the spectators (1000/1000).
"Attack!" The winged hero charged forward and slashed his claws across Chazz's side.
Chazz: 0
Jaden: 1800
The crowd was stunned silent for a moment, but then they were cheering quite loudly.
"Jaden did it!" Syrus cried happily.
"Way to go, Jay!" Ari cheered with the crowd.
"Yeah!" Robin added, she and Hex high fiving.
"Impossible!" Crowler cried leaning on the glass. "Not with all the rare cards I gave Chazz! This simply can't be!"
"Rare cards? What exactly are you talking about, Crowler?" Shepard asked.
Crowler jumped when he realized he was talking out loud. "Uh, nothing! I have to go grade some tests."
He quickly walked off. Shephard just laugh at his retreating back.
Jaden waved to the crowd that was cheering for him, before turning to the Chazz. "That's game, unless you want to duel again."
"Oh, we will." Chazz hissed.
"Hey! Jaden!" Syrus ran up to him with the rest of the gang walking up behind him.
"That was well played, Jaden," Chancellor Shephard spoke over the loudspeaker. "Not in the history of our revered academy has a Slifer ever dueled an Obelisk during these exams. Jaden, not only did you hold your own, but you won. Your courage against overwhelming odds is inspiring. It is with great pride that I grant you promotion to Ra Yellow. Good job!"
The crowd cheered again.
"Ra Yellow?! You're the best, Jaden!" Syrus complemented, hugging him around the waist.
"I do my best." Jaden said with a humble smile.
"Good show, Jaden. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to Ra yellow." Bastion offered his hand.
"And Ares, Angel, Hex, Graig, and I will be the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth!" Phoenix added.
"Thank you!" Jaden said, shaking hands with Bastion, Graig, and his long time friends.
The crowd cheered again and Jaden returned to waving to them.
Syrus watched with a smile and sad eyes. 'Aw, man. I knew Jaden wouldn't stay a Slifer for long. I hate to see him go, but I know it's for the best. Hopefully, we can still be friends, at least.'
Sub-Levels, Danger Room
After the field tests were done, all battle class students were asked to report to the sublevels and then to one of the training rooms. They were given the same uniforms that the team wore assignment that day.
The students were all exhausted mentally from tests, so they were all a little annoyed.
"Why were we called down here?" One of the girls half asked half whined.
"Who knows?" One of her friends answered.
Alexis, Bastion, and Syrus were standing near the edge of the group. They were also confused about what's going on, especially since Jaden and the main team weren't there.
Suddenly, the lights in the room flickered before going out. Then they came back on, but the class wasn't alone.
There was an unknown man in a black suit with a full head ski mask now standing near the wall behind the group. Before anyone saw him, he had already jumped into the fray and taken out six students.
Everything erupted into chaos after that. The students tried to utilize their powers to fight back, but the assailant was too fast and was able to take them down just as fast as they were trying to fight back. A few of them were able to land a few hits, but it barely scratched him.
Bastion used his ability to take control of the tech in the room, trying to use the lasers to hit the intruder. Unfortunately, with everyone near panic, he couldn't get a clean shot.
Alexis was the one doing the best in the straight up brawl department. She was matching the mystery man punch for punch, hit for hit. They were firmly locked in combat.
Torimaki was the one who was the most surprising. Whether he was calm or just stunned, he didn't know, but he saw an opening and took it.
He sneaked around behind the assailant and shifted into a black panther. Crouching low and with the patience of the big cat, he sprung forward, taking the intruder by surprise with a blow to the back.
The enemy fought back though, being able to through Tori off. Tori twisted in midair, landing on his paws, then shifted again, turning into a polar bear. He charged toward the assailant, using his full strength to knock him over and into the wall. He pressed a paw to the attacker's chest in order to keep him down.
However, the assailant turned out to be inhumanly strong. Putting all his strength into it, he was able push Torimaki off of him and they started wrestling on the floor. Everyone was at a complete stand still, watching the two go at it.
While fighting, Tori got an idea. Once the enemy went for the choke hold, Tori shifted into a python. Using the constricting powers of the snake, Tori managed to get his body around the intruder in such a way that he was able to pin his arms to his sides and keep his legs tied.
"Time!"
Everyone jumped at the sudden voice in their heads, Torimaki unconsciously shifting back to human form.
The doors to the danger room opened and the main team walked in, all dressed in their uniforms.
"Alright, Ari, that's enough," Shadow walked over to help the man in black up. "We don't want to seriously hurt anybody."
The mystery man took off his mask, revealing that he was Ari. "Hey, the real bad guys aren't going to hold back, so I'm not either."
Jaden did a mental sweep over everyone. They were all shocked and confused. Jaden knew they were going to have a lot of work ahead of them with this group.
"Okay," The telepath addressed the group. "This test, the easiest one I plan on giving. I know where your weaknesses lie from this and the biggest is teamwork. Work. Together. And stay on guard. You're opponent will attack when you least expect it."
"Torimaki," The Obelisk stood up straight. "You get one of the highest scores out of everyone here. While your power isn't based on heavy attacks, you were able to adapt to your circumstances. Good work."
Tori blushed and looked down at the praise. He had never been complimented like that before.
"Same for you, Bastion," Jaden continued. "You were also able to adapt to your surroundings and showed restraint and concern for your teammates. Same with you, Alexis."
Alexis and Bastion had a similar reaction as Tori.
"Alright, everybody, class dismissed!" With that everyone started making their way out of the room.
"Oh, and Dylan," Jaden mentioned as said person walked passed him. "Don't be afraid of your power."
Dylan didn't say anything, he only stopped mid step to show that he had heard him. Then, he continued on his way.
"Hey," Ari caught up with Alexis. "Good sparing in there."
Alexis smiled. "You too."
Slifer Dorm
Later that night at the Slifer dorm, Chumley was talking over getting a new roommate after hearing the hero duelist got promoted.
"How's this? Roommate wanted. No one named Chazz. Rare cards a plus."
Syrus didn't answer. "Hey, if you're not going to help with this, Sy, you should do something constructive like make me a grilled cheese."
"I just thought he'd say good-bye to us. That's all I wanted." Syrus said sadly.
"Hi, guys!" Both Slifers turned to see Jaden standing in the doorway.
"Jaden? Why are you here?" Syrus jumped out of the desk chair.
"I wanted to say congratulations on passing your field test, and in case you've forgotten," Jaden smirked. "I live here! Sure Ra Yellow sounded nice, what with clean sheets, lack of cockroaches, plus my brother and three of my oldest friends there, but I rather stay here."
"Ohhhhhhhh! Really?!" Syrus jumped onto Jaden in a hug, crying like a little baby.
"Oh, come on! You're getting my jacket soaked!" Jaden complained, embarrassed.
"I thought I'd lost you forever," Syrus sobbed. "And now I'm never letting go of you!"
It was at this point Jaden started trying to push Syrus off him, but he held strong. "Please, Jay, just a couple more hugs, huh?"
"It's not the hugs, it's the waterworks!" Jaden snapped, but starting laughing at some point. "At least red doesn't stain as easy as yellow."
"I had a feeling you'd be sticking around," They turned to see Robin and Jamie at the door, Robin holding a plate of snickerdoodles. "So, let's celebrate the end of tests for awhile!"
"I smell snickerdoodles!" Dylan jumped in, scrambling around Robin like a squirrel trying to get one.
Everyone started laughing at that point, Jaden enjoying the time he had with the people he viewed as family.
Ra Yellow
At the yellow dorm, Hex, Ares, Phoenix, Angel, Bastion, and Graig were celebrating too. Well, it was just the last five, since Hex went and took a nap after the exams were over.
"To us!" They said, clinking their sodas together.
"For our successful exam grades!" Bastion said.
"And showing what amazing duelists we are!" Ares added.
"Too bad Jaden decided to decline the promotion…" Graig said.
"At least he's showing what Slifers can really do!" Phoenix reminded.
"Yes, can't wait to duel him some day…" Bastion added, mostly to himself.
He then noticed the missing member of the group. "Say, where's Hex?"
The answer came from Hex himself. "AREEESSS!"
Ares' eyes widened and then made a dash from the room. "I gotta go!"
Five minutes later, a very ticked off Hex burst into the room, his face covered in doodles.
"Where is he?!" He hissed, looking ready to kill.
Graig had his hand over his mouth, either from shock or from trying to keep from laughter. Bastion had his head down, also trying to keep from laughing. Angel had both hands over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud, and Phoenix just abandoned all modesty and laughed loud and hard.
Hex then proceeded to pull out his PDA and call the other Ra. "Oh, my best friend in the whole world, wherever could you be?"
"I'm not falling for that!" Came the reply from the other end.
"I will find you, and when I do, you will pay!" The tone was just as deadly as Shadow's can be.
"Threats don't work on me, either!"
"It's not a threat, it's a promise." The call ended after that.
Hex then stalked out of the room to go find his soon-to-be-dead friend. The remaining three Ras busted out laughing shortly after.
Obelisk Dorm
If you don't count Chazz, everything was good at the Blue dorm too. The four Obelisk boys and the four Obelisk girls were all celebrating in Shadow's room.
"Well, congratulations on us passing our exams!" Shadow started the toast.
"And to all of us being allowed to stay in Obelisk Blue!" Jacob added, Kyle nodding in agreement.
"Cheers!" The girls raised their glasses, though Jenny didn't say anything.
"Which reminds me," Ari said with a smile that looked innocent, but Shadow could clearly tell it wasn't. "Oh, my childhood friend, I've got a surprise for you!"
"Oooh, what is it?" Sophie asked, completely innocent.
"Close your eyes."
"Okay."
Sophie did as her friend asked, so she didn't see that cold bucket of water coming until it was too late. She screamed at the sudden downpour and Ari took advantage of her shocked state to get a running start.
"That was for this morning!" He informed her as he fled from the room.
Sophie soon snapped out of her stupor and chased after her oldest friend, ready to kill him. The remaining teens looked at each other, before they started snickering and then all out laughing at what just happened.
They didn't know that Chazz had heard everything from the other room, and was stomping down on the growing jealousy and longing he felt growing in his chest.
They also didn't see him take out a pill bottle and take one of the meds inside.
Chazz staggered over to his bed, since the pills made him tired, and plopped down, wishing he could throw up. He turned and looked out the window, feeling nothing, when before taking the meds he had wished nothing more than to run through the night and not look back.
And that finally ends chapter four! Sorry that took so long, with my other works, class, and work, I haven't been able to post much.
Michael: What's wrong with Chazz?
All in time, Mike. All in time. Anyway, read, review, and stay tuned.
(Please, send your prayers to Quebec. Someone open fired on a Mosque during prayer time and six people were killed Sunday night. Same say prayers aren't enough, but they're a darn good place to start. We can't let hate win! We need love to win!)