The Next King

by Branarn

It's Jaden's first year at Duel Academy. Yugi has passed him the torch, having faith that he would become the next King of Games. Follow Jaden through his journey on that path. Rated M for language and sexual content in later chapters. Introduces several OC's as well as updated and/or completely new story arcs for all characters involved.

6. Chapter 6 - Dance of the Dragons

Chapter 6: Dance of the Dragons

"That's all for today class, but we still have 20 minutes left so you may do as you please in that time." Banner said

"Are you prepared for tomorrow, Jaden?" Bastion turned to his friend

"Hmm? Tomorrow? What's going on tomorrow?"

"The field test, dummy. Slifer students face off against other Slifer students and the same with Ra. Whoever wins their duel and gets a good grade on their written exam gets a chance to move up a dorm." Kat explained

"Oh… but I don't want to move up to Ra. I like it here in Slifer with Sy!" Jaden sighed

"Well, what if Sy wins tomorrow?" Kat said happily

"Even if he does, he has test anxiety and never does well on written exams." Jaden explained

"Well, you could always throw your match then I guess." Kat said sadly

"Yeah, no. I'm not doing that. Hmm… maybe I'll talk to Chancellor Sheppard. See if he has anything else for me." Jaden said aloud while deep in thought

"Why would he allow something else? The field test is required for all students below Obelisk." Bastion asked

"Dunno, but maybe. It's worth asking, atleast." Jaden smiled

"Sure. Ask Banner if you can go up to his office now, then. Better you ask today rather than tomorrow on test day." Kat beamed

Jaden got up from his seat and went to talk to the head of his dorm

"Professor Banner?"

Banner looked up at Jaden and smiled while pushing his glasses back up

"Ah, Mr. Yuki. What can I help you with?"

"Well, I was wondering if you'd write me a pass to go see Chancellor Sheppard. I wanted to ask if I can take a different test than the field test, since I don't want to leave Slifer."

Banner beamed at Jaden

"Well, of course I'll write you a pass. Though... why do you want to stay in Slifer? We are the lowest dorm on campus, Jaden. Ra Yellow students have more privileges and access to better facilities."

"Meh. I like Slifer red. Syrus is here, Chumley is here, and I don't need all that extra stuff. Plus, I'd have to move all my stuff which would be a nightmare." Jaden and Banner both laughed at this as Banner handed him his pass

"Take your stuff with you, Jaden. By the time you get there and get done, your next class will have started." Banner called out to Jaden as he gathered his stuff and left

10 minutes later, at Chancellor Sheppard's office

*Knock knock*

"Come in" came a deep voice from the other side of the door

Jaden stepped through the large double doors and looked around. The office was spacious with several plants and windows everywhere. In the middle of the room was a large desk with a bald man sitting behind it, Chancellor Sheppard. Slightly to Sheppard's left was a tall man with brown hair and a long, white cloak, who had his back to Jaden.

The man slowly turned around and Jaden recognized him immediately

"Holy shit! You're Seto Kaiba!" Jaden rushed forward and shook his hand energetically

"Yes I am. Now who… ah, Jaden Yuki, right?" Kaiba looked at Jaden, who had a smile you would usually only see on a small child

"You know me?" Jaden asked

"Well, I know who you are. I saw your entrance duel exam." Kaiba hardly had any emotion in his voice

"Oh, cool! I- "

Jaden was cut off by the doors behind him opening and hearing a scream

"DAD!"

Jaden turned as he saw Kat run forward and hug her father, almost tackling him in the process

"Hey baby girl. Missed you. How's school going?" Kaiba hugged his daughter

'My pride and joy' Kaiba thought to himself

"Oh, its really good, actually. Made some good friends." Kat turned to Jaden

"Like Jaden here! I completely forgot you came up here, Jaden. Sup?" Kat laughed as she hugged her dad and looked at her friend

"Yes, 'Sup' indeed. What do you need from me, Mr. Yuki?" Sheppard said with a pleasant smile and warm voice, like always

"Oh, right. Sorry. I was wondering if I could take an alternative test instead of the field test." Jaden said slowly

"Why?" was all Sheppard said

"Um… well I really like it in Slifer. My friends Syrus and Chumley are here, and I like the head of our dorm, Professor Banner. I don't want to move up to Ra Yellow, but I also don't want to lose a match on purpose or do bad on the written test on purpose. I also don't want to strip the chance away from one of the other Slifer's to move up, should that be their wish."

"I see. Did you have anything mind?" Sheppard asked after a short delay

"Well… what're the Obelisks doing tomorrow?" Jaden asked

"Nothing. They have the day off, as the field test doesn't really concern them, since they're already in the highest dorm." Sheppard said

"Well… maybe you can put me in a match with one of them, then. Since they have nothing going on, I won't be causing any trouble, I don't think. If I win, I get a good grade. If I don't, then I get a bad grade." Jaden said with a less than certain tone, like he was questioning himself if it was a good idea at all

"Hmm… I don't know, Jaden. I don't think I can allow that." Sheppard said

"It's fine. Arrange it." Kaiba said plainly

"Wait, really!?" Jaden jumped in place

"Yes, really. I own Duel Academy, so I make the rules here. I saw your entrance duel, and I'd like to see you duel again." Kaiba said plainly

"In that case… do you think you could arrange it so I can stay out after dark?" Jaden asked

"Hmm… maybe. I don't really see what you need that privilege for but if Yugi Muto thinks you're worthy of using God cards, then I don't see why you can't stay out after dark. But you'll have to stay away from the Abandoned Dorm." Kaiba replied

'Abandoned Dorm?' Jaden thought

"Let's make it interesting. If you win, you can stay out after dark. But you must duel an Obelisk student of my choosing, should they be willing." Kaiba grinned

"Sounds good. Who am I dueling?" Jaden jumped up, ready to accept any challenge

"My daughter, Kat."

Kat gasped and hugged her dad

"Hell yeah, I'll duel him! Thanks dad!" Kat basically squealed

"You're going down" Kat and Jaden both said to each other at the same time, which made everyone in the room laugh

"I'll arrange it, Seto." Sheppard said as he smiled

"Now I need you two to leave. I would like to finish my conversation with Sheppard." Kaiba said

"Ok!" Jaden and Kat ran out of the office and went to go tell their friends

The next day at the Obelisk arena

"And that brings your lifepoints to zero. Good duel!" Bastion said to his opponent as they walked towards each other to shake hands. Bastion had played perfectly and calculated every move. Jaden, however, did not get to see his duel.

Both Jaden and Kat were not in the Arena. They were mentally preparing by themselves in the prep rooms

'If she's even half as good as her dad, this will be tough.' Yubel said

'I'm sure it will be. This will be fun.' Jaden said as the intercom came on

Now for the final duel of the day. Jaden Yuki from Slifer Red versus Catherine Kaiba from Obelisk Blue. Both contestants please report to the Arena immediately

Jaden and Kat walked out from opposite ends of the Arena. The crowd was packed, as everyone had heard about this duel and wanted to see the Egyptian gods vs the blue eyes.

As Kat and Jaden shook hands, they noticed several familiar faces. Syrus, Chumley, Zane, Alexis, Triss, Bastion (who was now wearing a blue blazer), and Seto Kaiba were all sitting together in a neat unit.

But Jaden noticed someone else too. Not near the others. In a corner, blending in with others, was a hooded individual. Marik.

"Nice duel earlier, Bastion. Good to have you in Obelisk." Zane said as he shook hands with Bastion

"Thank you!" was all Bastion managed to get out before Triss started talking

"Who are we rooting for here?"

"Whoever you want, I suppose. They're both friends." Bastion replied

"Alright, spill guys. Who's rooting for who? On 3… 1,2,3" Alexis said

"Kat" came from Syrus, Zane, Seto, and Triss while "Jaden" came from Alexis, Chumley, and Bastion

"Makes sense you'd be rooting for Jaden" Triss whispered as she giggled

Alexis decided the appropriate response to this was to dig her finger nails into Triss' thigh, which made her silently scream in pain until Alexis let go of her

At the Arena

Jaden and Kat were still close enough to talk so no one else could hear them

"You ready? I'm not holding back, Jaden" Kat was grinning from ear to ear

"I would certainly hope not. Besides, gotta put on a show for everyone!" Jaden laughed

"Trying to impress a girl?" Kat teased

"No! What do you mean? What girl?" Jaden was blushing slightly. No one far away could possibly pick up on this, but Kat could since she was right next to him

"You know who I'm talking about. But enough about that, lets get to it" Kat laughed as the two got in position to duel

"DUEL!" They both yelled as they activated their duel disks

"Ladies first" Jaden bowed

Kat's turn:

4000 LP

"Why thank you. Draw!"

Hand Size: 6

"I summon the White Stone of Legend, in defense mode!" Atk: 300 / Def: 250

A white ball floated just above its card. It gave off a bright light.

"I'll put one card face down and end my turn"

"Seems like a weak monster to have in a blue eyes deck. What's it do?" Triss asked

"If its destroyed, it lets her add Blue Eyes White Dragon to her hand" Bastion replied

Jaden's turn:

4000 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 6

"I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in Attack mode!" Atk: 1600 / Def: 1400

A man in a blue-suit appeared, electricity crackling off him

"Now Sparkman, destroy her Stone!"

Sparkman conjured a lightning bolt and threw it at the stone, which shattered upon impact

"I activate the White Stone of Legend's special effect. I can now add one 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' to my hand!"

Kat flipped through her deck and picked out a card and then reshuffled her deck and placed it back in her duel disk

"Alrighty then. I'll put one card facedown and end my turn." Jaden said while smiling

'Can't wait to see that thing.' He thought to himself as whispers could be heard in the crowd

Kat's turn:

4000 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 5

"I summon Maiden with Eyes of Blue in Attack mode!" Atk: 0 / Def: 0

A girl in a brown and blue dress appeared. She had long, silver hair and bright blue eyes

"That's bad news for Jaden" Bastion said aloud

"Why? What's that card do?" Syrus asked

"Whenever it's attacked, the attack is negated and the Maiden switches battle stance. She then summons a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from Kat's hand, deck, or graveyard." Zane explained

"Wait. So then how does he win?" Triss asked this time

"He has to use removal to get rid of it, or he won't be able to do anything to Kat." Kaiba replied, which made Triss blush

"I'll place one card face down and end my turn." Kat said as a black and brown card appeared at her feet

Jaden's Turn:

4000 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 5

'If you can find Clayman then you can make Thunder Giant and get rid of it, Jaden' Kuriboh exclaimed

'Yeah, if I can find him.'

"Alright! I'll summon Elemental Hero Avian in Attack mode!" Atk: 1000 / Def: 1000

A large, green monster appeared. He had two large wings and three sharp claws on each hand.

"I'll also place one card facedown and end my turn." Jaden said

Kat's Turn:

4000 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 4

"I summon Fairy Dragon in Defense mode!" Atk: 1100 / Def: 1200

A green dragon with no arms or claws and purple eyes hovered on the Arena

"I'll end my turn"

Jaden's Turn:

4000 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 4

"Alright… Sparkman! Destroy that Fairy Dragon!"

"I activate my trap card: Staunch Defender!" Kat yelled with a smirk

"Staunch Defender allows me to select one of my monsters, and make you attack that monster with all of your monsters! And I choose my Maiden!"

"Fuuuuuuck" Jaden said while grinning

Sparkman threw a lightning charge at the Maiden while Avian flew up into the air and hurled quills at her

The maiden went into defense mode and got hit by the lightning, then moved back to attack mode and got pierced by the quills

Kat's duel disk lit up as this was happening

"Here we go!" Syrus exclaimed

"NOW! COME FORTH! MY BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGONS!" Kat yelled

Two monsters appeared out of light and landed on the Arena and roared as the audience gasped

Atk: 3000 / Def: 2500

"That's my girl." Seto whispered quietly to himself

"And with that, Staunch Defender is over." The trap card shattered, and Kat sent it to her graveyard

"Right then. This is… less than ideal." Jaden said which made everyone laugh

"I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in attack mode!" Atk: 1200 / Def: 800

A woman in a red suit appeared. She had fire coming from her hands

'Maybe she'll think with it in attack mode I've got something planned and she'll not attack?' Jaden thought

'Wishful thinking' Yubel replied

"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." Jaden said

"If he doesn't figure something out quick then he's toast!" Alexis gasped

Kat's turn:

4000 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 4

"The more the merrier, right?" Kat said

"Might as well" Jaden said while smiling

"Good! Then I sacrifice my Maiden and Fairy Dragon to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Atk: 3000 / Def: 2500

A third Blue-Eyes appeared next to the other two. They were all beautiful yet dangerous looking

"Now… let's get rid of Avian! WHITE LIGHTNING!"

The blue eyes on the left opened its mouth and shot a white laser towards Avian, who exploded on contact, dealing 2000 damage to Jaden's LP

"Next, get rid of Burstinatrix!"

The blue eyes in the middle fired its laser, this time dealing 1800 damage to Jaden's LP

"I won't lie, I expected more, Jaden. Now destroy Sparkman and end this duel!"

"Not so fast! I activate my face down Trap card, Hero Barrier! So long as I have an Elemental Hero on the field, I can stop one of your attacks!" Jaden exclaimed

The third Blue eyes charged its laser and fired at the Barrier, but to no avail

"Fine, then I end my turn." Kat said smiling

Jaden's Turn:

200 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 3

"I activate the spell card Swords of Revealing Light! Now you are unable to attack for 3 turns!" Jaden exclaimed

"Delay all you want, Jaden. My blue eyes aren't going anywhere!" Kat yelled

"We'll see." Jaden replied

"I end my turn"

"Those cards in his hand… they have to be big tribute monsters for him to not play them in this situation." Bastion said

"Agreed" Zane nodded

Kat's Turn:

4000 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 4

"I'll lay one card face down. Since I can't attack, I'll end my turn here."

Jaden's Turn:

200 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 3

"I play the spell Card of Sanctity! This lets us both draw until we have 6 cards in our hands!" Jaden said as he drew 4 cards and Kat drew 2

"Thanks!" Kat laughed

"Mhm. You enjoy those." Jaden said, not really paying attention to her

'Alright… I can win with 3 different ways here, Yubel. Wanna make your debut?'

'Up to you. But no one knows I exist yet, right?' Yubel asked

'Nah. Haven't showed you to anyone yet.' Jaden replied

'Best keep me a secret for the future then, in my opinion. Summon one of the boys!' Yubel said excitedly

'Right you are. But which one? Guess we've got time to decide'

"I play Pot of Greed!" Jaden said as he drew two more cards

"Next I play the spell card Emergency Provisions, destroying my only facedown and giving me 1000 LP!"

"Finally, I'll summon Ra's Disciple in defense mode!" Atk: 1100 / Def: 600

Three Egyptian men in headdresses resembling the Winged Dragon of Ra appeared

"I'll leave you wondering what's coming next. I end my turn." Jaden smirked

Kat's Turn:

4000 LP

"Fine. I draw!"

Hand Size: 4

"Meh, I end my turn." Kat said, annoyed that she couldn't do anything with swords of revealing light out

Jaden's Turn:

1200 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 5

"Alright then, Kat. Ready for some fun?" Jaden said smugly

"I'm not worried. Let's see which God I'm slaying today!" Kat yelled, which got the audience fired up as Jaden began chanting loudly

"MIGHTY PROTECTOR OF THE WIND AND SKY, PLEASE HEED MY CALL! DESTROY MY FOES AND BRING ME VICTORY IN THIS FIGHT! I SUMMON SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON IN ATTACK MODE!"

The Arena grew dark and lightning formed at the roof, crackling at unprecedented speeds and frequency, giving the room a serious light show. Out of the lightning came a massive red Dragon with two jaws. As it came out of the hole in the dark sky that had replaced the roof of the Arena, it gave off a terrifying roar that shook the foundations of the building. Atk: X000 / Def: X000

The crowd stared at the monster in awe

Jaden looked at Slifer, who looked down towards Jaden as well

"Sick entrance, dude. Now, let's go to work."

"Alright, Kat. Slifer gains 1000 attack and defense points for every card in my hand, and I have 4."

Slifer Atk: 4000 / Def: 4000

Kat looked up at Slifer who stared back at her

"Give me your worst, big boy" Kat looked determined

Slifer roared at Kat so loud that most covered their ears until it was over

"Taunting a God? Someone's confident." Zane said

Seto smiled at his daughter standing strong in the face of Slifer

"Slifer, wipe that smirk off her face!" Jaden yelled

Slifer opened both of his mouths and a laser came out of both, forming into a ball slightly in front of him. After a moment of charging his attack, Slifer sent a devastating beam towards the Blue Eyes in the middle, which disappeared after an explosion

"I'll also switch my Sparkman into defense mode!"

Sparkman dropped to a knee and crossed his arms like an "X" in front of him

"Over to you, Kat!" Jaden exclaimed

Kat's Turn:

3000 LP

"Good! Draw!"

Hand Size: 5

"I told you I wouldn't hold back, Jaden!" Kat yelled

"Get him girl!" Triss yelled which made Kat smile

"I play the spell card Mage Power! This let's me choose one of my monsters and give it 500 attack points for each spell or trap card I have on the field, and I have 2! So I equip it to one of my Blue Eyes White Dragons, bringing him up to 4000 attack points!"

Blue Eyes to Kat's right Atk: 4000

"Next, I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Swords of Revealing Light, which means I can attack!" Kat yelled which got the audience on the edges of their seats, knowing what was coming

Kat smirked and looked at Slifer

"Let's dance, you ugly bitch!" She yelled

"Blue Eyes?... Fuck him up" she ordered

Both dragons flew up in the air and prepared for battle. Slifer wrapped his long body around Blue-Eyes and bit into it's wing as the monster roared in pain. It responded by turning its head to bite Slifer ferociously until he was forced to let go and retreat. As Slifer tried to get away, Blue Eyes dropped on top of him and charged its beams and shot them towards Slifer's face, who also charged his beam in preparation to fight back. The two beams collided and an explosion happened shortly after which enveloped both dragons.

When the dust settled, there was nothing left

The audience was silent for a moment before breaking into a standing ovation

"That fight was better than any movie I've ever seen" Syrus said which made his friends laugh

"No kidding" Bastion replied

"Slifer... was beat. Wow." Jaden said in shock

"Now my darling Blue Eyes, destroy his sparkman! White lightning!"

The only remaining Blue Eyes fired his beam towards Sparkman, who stood no chance and exploded

"And I'm not done yet!" Kat roared from the other side of the arena

"I play the spell card Monster Reborn! With it, I bring back one of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon's in attack mode!"

Atk: 3000 / Def: 2500

"I'll also activate my face down, Call of the Haunted! This let's me bring another monster back from my graveyard, and I pick my third Blue Eyes!"

The third Blue-Eyes reappeared between its brothers and the three roared loudly

"But they won't be around for long!" The audience gasped

"I play Polymerization! With it, I fuse my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons together to summon the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in attack mode!" Atk: 4500 / Def: 3800

The three Blue-Eyes flew up into a portal and out came a much larger dragon. It was silver like others, but it had 3 heads and its body was atleast twice as big as a regular Blue Eyes.

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon Atk: 4500

The crowd gasped at the majestic monster

"I'll uh… end with that then." Kat said, looking smug

Jaden's Turn:

700 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 5

"I'll play my second Pot of Greed" He said calmly

'Yubel? Whatchu think? Should we do it?'

'Do it!' Yubel yelled in excitement

"Alright, Kat. That was pretty good. But… can you do it again?" Jaden said while smirking

"Oh no" Kat said

"OH YES!" Alexis cheered

"I play Monster Reborn! With it, I'll summon Slifer the Sky Dragon back to the field!" Jaden yelled

Slifer came down from the sky again, letting out a pissed roar Atk: 5000 / Def: 5000

Jaden and Slifer looked at each other

"This is your show dude" Jaden said while smiling

Then, all at once, it grew quiet, and the audience all heard a deep voice that shook the stadium

"Rematch, bitch" was all it said, and with that, everyone stood up and cheered as the Dragons took the sky to do battle again

This match was just as violent, if not even more so, than the previous one. Slifer roared as he launched forward and again wrapped himself around Blue Eyes. This time, Slifer took ahold of the the head on the right and ripped it completely off! The other two heads screamed in pain as they charged a beam to fight back, but Slifer detached from Blue Eyes and sent his own beam back. The two beams collided in the middle of the Arena and Slifer's golden beam slowly pushed its way towards Blue Eyes until an explosion happened and Blue Eyes could be seen falling to the ground. Slifer then descended on the severely wounded creature and ripped another of its heads off, the only one remaining being the one in the middle. Slifer then flew straight up into the sky and charged a beam and sent it towards the almost-dead Blue Eyes, who had no strength left to fight back with. The beam collided with Blue Eyes and Slifer didn't stop until his rage had been quelled. Slifer then flew behind Jaden and roared at Kat, whose eyes were wide with disbelief. Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon had been bested in battle.

"Slifer! Slifer! Slifer!" the audience chanted

"He... did it!" Triss said in disbelief

"Well then… that was fun. Let's continue, shall we?" Jaden said

"Since slifer was a special summon, he will disappear at the end of my turn. But I can still normal summon a monster this turn, so I choose to summon Elemental Hero Heat in attack mode!" Atk: 1600 / Def: 1200

"I'll also throw down a face down and end my turn." Jaden said as he turned to Slifer and thanked him

"We're less than 2 weeks into the school year, and I've seen more shit this year than I thought I would see in the rest of my life." Zane said to his friends

"Very good, Jaden." Marik whispered to himself

"I'll have to call Yugi tonight and tell him about this" Seto said

Kat's Turn:

2500 LP

"I'm not out of this yet! Draw!"

Hand Size: 2

"I summon Vorse Raider in attack mode!" Atk: 1900 / Def: 1200

An ugly beast wearing armor appeared with a pike where its blade was shaped like a sword

"Now attack Hero Heat!" Kat ordered

"I activate my trap card: Negate Attack! This stops your attack and ends your battle phase!" Jaden retorted

"I'll place one card face down and end my turn then" Kat said irritated

Jaden's Turn:

700 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 4

"I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Attack mode!" Atk: 800 / Def: 2000

A rock-man appeared on the arena and unfolded itself

"Now I play the spell card Double Summon, which allows me to normal summon again. I tribute Elemental Hero's Clayman and Heat to summon Elemental Hero Bladedge!" Atk: 2600 / Def: 1800

A golden monster appeared on the field. He had a sword on each of his arms and his entire body was covered in armor.

"Bladedge, attack Kat's Vorse Raider!"

Bladedge rushed forward and cut Vorse Raider in half, who exploded

"Let's make this a little more interesting. I play my second Card of Sanctity!" Jaden and Kat both drew until they had 6 cards in their hands

"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn"

'Wonder if I'll need that one. We'll see how far Kat wants to take this' Jaden thought as he looked at his face down

"This is a very close match. Good idea, Kaiba" Bastion praised

"Thank you, Mr. Misawa"

Kat's Turn:

1800 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 7

"I summon Celtic Guardian in Attack mode!" Atk: 1400 / Def: 1200

An elf in green armor with a longsword appeared in front of Kat

"Now I lay one card facedown and end my turn"

"Kat looks smug. She must have something good coming" Triss said

"Probably. I have a feeling there's not many turns left in this duel" Alexis said as her friends all agreed

Jaden's Turn:

700 LP

"Draw!"

Hand Size: 7

"Alright I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart in attack mode!"

Atk: 1500 / Def: 1600

"Now then, Blade- "Jaden was cut off by Kat

"I activate my face down, call of the haunted!" The crowd gasped as Kat revealed her trap

"And you can probably guess which monster I'm summoning from my graveyard! Come on back, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Kat yelled

The tri-headed silver dragon rose from the Arena's floor and roared Atk: 4500

"Sorry, Jaden. But this duel is over once its my turn." Kat said while smirking

"Nah. You won't get a turn." Jaden said calmly

"Ha! Ok then tough guy, let's see you take down my dragon" Kat boasted

"Gladly. See, I was wondering if you were going to try this again. I didn't want to do this to you, but you left me no choice now." Jaden laughed

"I play my face down card. Monster Reborn!"

"AGAIN!?" came from most of the audience

"SLIFER RETURN ONCE MORE TO PROVE THAT YOU ARE THE GOD OF THE SKY!" Jaden yelled as Slifer descended and roared from the sky once more and the audience cheered Atk: 6000 / Def: 6000

"Re-match! Re-match! Re-match!" the audience chanted

"Let's get this out of the way first. Bladedge, destroy Celtic Guardian!"

Bladedge dashed forward and destroyed the armored elf

"Now then, onto the main event. They're tied so far, so let's break the tie. SLIFER! WIPE THAT BITCH ASS DRAGON OUT!" Jaden roared

Once again, the mighty dragons took to the sky to do battle. Instead of wrapping himself around Blue Eyes, which is what the tri-headed dragon expected, Slifer flew as fast as he could straight into the dragon and knocked him over. Slifer then quickly repositioned and fired his beam at Blue Eyes who managed to get up and fire back in time. The two beams clashed in the middle, but neither beam was winning or losing. Instead, a blinding explosion occurred, and everyone had to cover their eyes temporarily. As everyone's vision returned, they could see Slifer slashing down the back of Blue Eyes which caused the Dragon to bleed profusely. Slifer then sliced one of its heads off with his right arm's claws and bit the left head off with his dual jaws. With only one head remaining, Slifer flew up into the sky directly above Blue Eyes. Slifer slowed his ascension and turned around and descended at high speeds with his mouth open towards Blue Eyes' final head. As Slifer's mouth made contact with Blue Eyes' head, he forced the entire head into his mouth and continued all the way to the base of its neck and then chopped its head off. Slifer backed up and spat out the long neck with Blue Eyes' final head on the end of it, then charged his beam and destroyed the carcass of the former-mighty dragon.

Kat LP: 0

With that, the holograms disappeared, and the duel ended.

"That's game, Kat! And a damn good one, at that!" Jaden exclaimed

The crowd was quiet after witnessing the final battle that ended the duel

Seto Kaiba stood up and started clapping and everyone soon followed, giving the duelists a standing ovation

Kat and Jaden shook hands as their friends rushed to the Arena to congratulate them

Alexis was the first to get there and beamed at Jaden

"That was really good, Jay!" Alexis said

'Jay' he thought. He stared at Alexis, who was smiling back at him, and time seemed to slow down for Jaden. He noticed everything about her, every little detail, in that moment.

Her long, beautiful hair. Her beautiful Hazel eyes that he could get lost in. Her perfect little nose and cute smile. Her sexy voice. The way her perfume smelled… it was all intoxicating to Jaden.

"Jaden?" Alexis snapped him back to reality

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was staring, wasn't I? I was just thinking about the duel!" He said as he tried to play it off. He managed to fight back the blush and sound confident in what he was talking about.

"Ha! I bet! That was crazy! You both did really well!" Alexis exclaimed as she looked back and forth between Jaden and Kat

"Thanks!" Kat beamed at Alexis

As the other friends all barreled towards them, Alexis looked away, and Kat managed to whisper something in Jaden's ear so only he could hear it, and no one noticed her do this

"You totally like her dude. Keep doing shit like that and she'll know that you like her, but she's still unaware for now. Talk more later" Kat whispered before backing up with a shit eating grin

Before Jaden could retort, everyone had surrounded him and was high fiving him as Triss hugged Kat

"That was crazy, Jaden! Best duel I've ever watched!" Syrus said as Chumley commented that it was 'totally lishus.'

"Yes, very well played and calculated!" Bastion shook hands with Jaden

"Seems I have some competition" Zane said as he stared at Jaden

Jaden smiled at Zane, who couldn't help but crack a smile back at him

"You bet!" Jaden said happily

"Mr. Yuki" Seto Kaiba came forward to shake hands with Jaden

"That was a great duel from both you and Kat. I will inform Sheppard about allowing you to stay out. Now please excuse me." Kaiba walked over to his daughter

"Guys, I would hang but… I really gotta use the bathroom!" Jaden said which made everyone laugh

"I'll meet you guys in 10 minutes at the Cafeteria… I'm starving after that duel. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded their heads and departed

"Bastion! I wanted to talk to you about something…" Zane had started talking to Bastion but Jaden couldn't quite make out what it was

Jaden watched Alexis' hair sway as she left

'Damn boy… she's got you bad, and she doesn't even know it' Yubel teased

'Alright, alright. You're right, I like her. But I don't want to do anything yet, probably not for a while. I really like it the way it is now, just us being friends. Strong friendships make strong relationships' Jaden reasoned

'Sounds good to me. At least you admitted it.' Yubel laughed

A few minutes later in the bathroom

Jaden was relieving himself in one of the stalls as he heard someone start talking

"Very impressive duel, Jaden." The voice said

"JESUS CHRIST! Almost gave me a fucking heart attack, Marik. Are we alone?" Jaden asked through the stall as Marik laughed

"Yes, for now. Listen, meet me in an hour in the same room as last time. Bring Ms. Rhodes with you as well, you can tell her where you're taking her." Marik said and then vanished, just like that

"Ok… Marik?... Marik?"

'How does he do shit like that? He actually just pulled a fucking batman' Jaden thought as Kuriboh and Yubel laughed

5 minutes later in the Cafeteria

Jaden entered the Cafeteria and sat with his friends. There were so many of them they needed two tables, so they sat where they could all see each other and talk reasonably without yelling to one another. Kat was there too but Seto had already left on his jet.

Jaden was alone at a table with Kat as the rest of his friends were at the big table nearby.

"Kat" Jaden whispered

Kat turned to Jaden and got a shit eating grin

"Yeah?" she whispered back

"Tell me what you know about this place called the Abandoned Dorm. Don't be loud, just give me the quick important details." Jaden asked

Kat frowned

"Well, all I know is it's somewhere on the island. Apparently, many students have gone 'missing' there. Mysterious circumstances, never to be seen again. Triss told me that… well, apparently… one of them was Atticus Rhodes… Alexis' brother. Please don't repeat any of this to anyone." Kat said quietly and quickly

Jaden looked shocked but said nothing back as Alexis stole his attention again

"Whatchu guys whispering about…?" Alexis said, which put everyone's attention on Jaden and Kat

"Uhhhh…" was all Kat said

"We were coming up with ways to prank you guys. That's hush hush though, can't spill more than that." Jaden was laughing while Kat put her head down and started giggling uncontrollably

The conversations resumed to normal after that for the next half hour

Jaden finally got up and said he was 'getting more food', but signaled to Alexis to come with him, which he made sure no one else would notice

"I'm still hungry too" she explained to her friends as she got up, but they all seemed to tune her out as they were talking about whether Zane could beat Jaden

"Yeah, what's up?" Alexis asked as she walked up to Jaden, putting her hair behind her ear as she talked

Jaden noticed this and couldn't help but stare at her for a few seconds before speaking

"Uhhh… I saw Marik. He said he wanted to meet me, and I should bring you. Same place and its in… 10 minutes" Jaden said after he checked the clock on the wall

"Ok! Then we gotta get out of here, but we probably shouldn't leave together…" Alexis trailed off while blushing

"Yeah that would make it too obvious. Plus… well, you know already what they would think" Jaden said as they both giggled

"Ok, I'll just tell them I want to put the God cards away. They'll believe that." Jaden said

"Right… I'll just say I'm freshening up at my room. Thought it's hard to detach from Triss for too long. But hopefully" Alexis said

"K sounds good, meet you there soon"

At the unused storage room

*knock knock*

"It's Jaden"

The door unlocked and opened slightly as Jaden snuck in

Marik looked at him

"Where's Ms. Rhodes?"

"She should be here any minute…"

*Knock knock*

"That's probably her"

Jaden went to open the door and saw Alexis staring back at him, Triss by her side

"Oh! Uh… I can leave…" Triss said while giggling

Jaden and Alexis both turned scarlet

"It's not like that. Just come in, Triss."

The two girls entered as Jaden closed the door and locked it

Alexis sat down and signaled for Triss to sit next to her as Triss noticed the cloaked person in the room

"Uh… Who're you?" Triss asked quietly

"I was going to ask you the same question, my dear." Marik replied

"Jaden? Who is this? And why do you only bring beautiful ladies here? Trying to hook me up?" Marik said in a voice that no one could describe, yet everyone knows what it means

"Her name is Triss, and she's way too young for you" Jaden laughed

Triss, however, was feeling quite uncomfortable which made Alexis laugh

"Meh. Fuck it. Women will be the death of me." Marik said as he took his cloak off

"My name is Marik Ishtar, at your service." Marik bowed before Triss and smirked

"Um, Marik Ishtar? Holy shit… uh… I-I-I'm T-Triss Merigold." She replied while stuttering. She had turned a scarlet color

"Well, Ms. Merigold, it's nice to meet you… I hope." Marik sat back down and stared at Triss with squinted eyes for over a minute, which made her very uncomfortable. Alexis and Jaden were all too familiar with this and just enjoyed the show

"Why is he staring at me?" Triss whispered to Alexis, who started giggling

"I can hear you, Miss Merigold" Marik said which made Triss jump

Jaden fell into all out laughter

"Ok Miss Merigold, let's talk." Marik said

"Thank God…" she said

"I'm going to ask you a series of questions, which will determine if I trust you or not. There is no wrong answer, just answer them truthfully." He said with a shit eating grin

"O-Ok…"

Marik cleared his throat

"Have you ever peed in the pool?"

Alexis and Jaden started laughing uncontrollably as Triss turned very red again and looked uncomfortable

"Yes..." she whispered

"Do you sing in the shower?"

"Sometimes…"

"Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?"

"N-No…" she said as she looked at the ground

"I said answer truthfully, Miss Merigold" Marik said, about to bust out in laughter at the situation

Jaden and Alexis were using each other for support to keep from falling to the ground, their faces were red with laughter and they were crying

"Yes." She whispered

"Who's the best-looking person in this room?" Marik was dying laughing on the inside, but tried his best to keep a straight face to keep up the uncomfortable atmosphere. He loved it.

"Um… Me?" she said

"Other than yourself" he was relishing in the awkwardness

"Um… you? I guess?" Triss had never blushed so hard in all her life

"Mmmm, into older men eh? Naughty girl." He said as Jaden and Alexis were wheezing at this point

"No! I didn't mean that, just figured I'd be nice and maybe you'd leave me alone after that. Why am I here?" She said angrily

"Because you wanted to come. You wouldn't let your friend, Ms. Rhodes here, leave by herself. Am I right?" Marik asked politely, but really was feeling quite evil at the moment and he couldn't get enough of it

"Fine! I'll leave then!" Triss said as she got up, about to cry

Finally. Finally, Marik cracked. He laughed like a hyena

"Forgive me, Ms. Merigold. That was simply too much fun, you are so easy to tease. Please, sit back down. I have no problem with you being here." Marik apologized while still laughing

Triss sat back down with a slight smile as Jaden and Alexis recovered from their fit of laughter

"Now then… Ms. Rhodes, nice to see you again. Looking lovely as always" Marik said as Alexis blushed

"Thank you…" she replied quietly

"Good duel today, Jaden. Flashy too, which I like."

"Thanks, Marik. But why did you bring us here?"

"I'm here to let you know that your lessons begin tomorrow night. But first, I must find a suitable area. This room won't cut it. I need somewhere spacious but also somewhere where no one will see or hear us. Any ideas?" Marik looked to each of them as Jaden just looked at the ground

"Jaden? Something on your mind?" Marik asked

"Uh… maybe. But it's not a good place, from what I hear." Jaden replied quietly. He was afraid he would upset Alexis with what he was about to suggest.

"Please, I've been to the Shadow Realm and back many times. There is no worse place. Tell me, what is this place you speak of?"

"Well… apparently somewhere on the island is an Abandoned Dorm. Several students have gone missing there, according to the stories. No one goes there now" Jaden said as he could feel Alexis burning a hole through his head with her eyes

"They're not just stories. My brother went missing there over a year ago and hasn't returned." Alexis said coldly as she got up

"You'll have to find someplace else, I don't want to go there." Alexis left with Triss and slammed the door behind her

"That went… about how I expected it too." Jaden sighed

"Hmm, touchy subject I see. You can make up with her though, no worries there. She fancies you" Marik said as he went back to thiking

Jaden looked up at him surprised

"Fancies me? How would you know something like that?"

"I can just tell. Though, I don't think she's aware of it just yet. It's a slight interest she has. You see Jaden, I can tell a lot about people by spending 5 minutes with them. I knew that you were special when I saw you, and I knew your friend Ms. Rhodes was also special when I saw her. I knew your friend Miss Merigold was deep down a shy and and gentle creature that tried to look tough and outgoing on the outside, which is why I was able to play her so well a few minutes ago." Marik explained

"So, Alexis is special? In what way do you mean? And how would you know something before she does, anyways?" Jaden smelled bullshit, though Marik was right about Triss

"Just a theory I have, yet to be proven. Though I grow surer of it every time I see her. I'll let you know more when I'm certain." Marik said

"And as for her attraction to you, well… I just know. I can tell she doesn't like most boys, she simply tolerates them. She has a few friends that are boys, but the rest are just assholes who only care for her body, at least in her mind. Though she's probably not far off. Don't believe me? Ask her sometime." Marik said

"Anywho, enough about that for now. I didn't come here to coach you on how to court a girl, you already know how to do that, even one of Ms. Rhodes' caliber, but refrain from it for some reason. This abandoned dorm you speak of… I want to see it. You and I will go there tomorrow night after dark. Meet me outside your dorm tomorrow at 9:30 pm sharp. Don't be late." With that, Marik got up and walked out of the room, leaving Jaden with his thoughts.

End of Chapter 6

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this, it was meant to be kind of a filler chapter. At first I was going to just do Jaden vs Chazz like in episode 4, but decided against that and to take it a whole different direction. We finally got to see Kat duel, and she's very good, maybe even better than Alexis. I'm also molding her towards that "girl best friend that you don't have romantic feelings for" type, so let me know what you think about that. Next chapter will be a few days before it comes out, since it's going to be a big one. I have lots of good plans for next chapter with Marik and Jaden and really look forward to putting them on paper... or, well, you know what I mean. Also, please give feedback on Marik! I have a good idea of where to send his character in this series, and I want to know if you guys like his personality here or not. Till next time!