Hey, guys! Long time no update… Ehe… My life's been hectic as of late, and I'm not quite sorted yet. I feel really, really bad about leaving you guys hanging, so I wanted to pump this out now, before next week… Next week's a big mystery for me, 'cause I don't know how much time I'll have for writing… You guys have every right to be angry with me, I DID update a fic for months, after all, and never once updated this. Thing was, though, that fic was just as neglected as this is now. That's the thing about multiple stories at one time, inspiration comes and goes… And that fic's getting neglected, 'cause I've been trying to spend time on this one.
Anyway, I'm babbling. Ugh. I'm really, really sorry! I do NOT know when the next update will be, but I promise I'll work on the Field Trip Chapters as much as possible in the coming weeks… I've got a big duel ahead to write for, and it will NOT be short like this one. Thing is, Princess Rose is hard to write for. She only showed up in one episode, and we only know so much of her deck. You'd think I'd want to insert some OC cards here, but I did not. Not even once. That's why I included the 'Next Time' at the end, 'cause there was nothing left to put. And even it doesn't shed too much light on what's to come… I didn't really WANT to spoil much for the coming Chapters. I kinda shouldn't have published this yet, 'cause the new co-author hasn't read it from beginning to end, but I haven't heard from her for a few days. Hence, you're getting this earlier than you maybe should… Nevertheless, starting tomorrow, the days ahead are going to be unpredictable for me. So, in advance, Happy Easter! I'll be updating the Profile shortly…
Last note: I'm just getting back into the swing of writing for GX, so bear with me. I hope this update isn't terrible. I'll do my very best to make up for it in Chapter Eight, if this is an embarrassment. Feel free to speak your mind, readers!
Seth Phoenix sat at his circular table in the White Dorm. Cards were sprawled out on the table facedown, as usual. Seth was shuffling them as he always did. Bastion walked into his Master's Chamber and bowed on one knee.
"Princess Rose has arrived as you requested, sir." Bastion paused. He had been staring at the polished floor as he said this, but now he looked up as he continued. "And… if I may be so bold to ask… Why bring her here now? Weren't we about ready to embark on that surprise Field Trip…?"
Seth chuckled, and he had a dark grin on his face.
"Bastion… Before we can go on a Field Trip, we must determine where we are going… And our opposition won't concede to us until we defeat them in a duel… One duel is all it takes."
Bastion blinked.
"A-Are you sure about that…? What if… they have Jaden duel…? And why can't I be the one to duel for the Society?"
Seth laughed, and his grin grew wider.
"Destiny, Bastion. Princess Rose is destined to duel this time, and it is NOT Jaden who is destined to duel today…"
Bastion frowned and remained on one knee.
"Then… who, Master?"
Seth sighed and stood up. He knew Bastion would be curious, but he would just have to be patient.
"You'll see… Now, if you would be so kind, guide me to our guest's quarters… I need to have a chat with our fair maiden…"
Bastion stood up and led Seth to Princess' Rose quarters…
- At the Slifer Red Dorm -
"BADA BING! Take dat, Dino Boy!" Lorenzo exclaimed.
Hassleberry groaned as his Dark Tyranno was taken down, and the last of his Life Points were depleted. Lorenzo had just beaten him again, and he was not happy about being unable to triumph with his dinos.
"Grr… Just you wait, son! I'll git ya back!" Hassleberry growled and held up a fist. His eyes flashed 'dino' for a split second.
Lorenzo laughed and rubbed his nose with one finger.
"Heh! That'll be the day! I'm da three-time video game Champ! No way lame dinos are gonna beat Lorenzo!"
"Grr! You wanna take this outside, wise-guy?" Hassleberry bared his teeth and took a step closer to Lorenzo, fist still in the air. The eyes flashed dangerously once again.
Lorenzo laughed harder.
"Hehehe! We're already outside, man! But just say where and when, and Lorenzo'll bring his A-game! … And da brains…" Lorenzo snickered.
Hassleberry roared and stomped his foot on the ground. Lorenzo was a new ally, but that didn't mean he had to like him. But if the Sarge trusted Lorenzo, then Hassleberry grudgingly accepted that he could, too.
Chazz rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
"Dorks…" Chazz mumbled. He had been watching the duels, and so far the outcome had been the same. Hassleberry just kept losing again and again. Jaden had watched each match with growing excitement, but Chazz suspected he knew who would win each and every time. And he had been right so far.
Alexis sighed and continued to stand by Jaden. She, too, watched the matches between Hassleberry and Lorenzo, but she didn't care for the matches, because she thought their time could be spent more wisely. They were good matches, but every day spent like this meant that the White Dorm would be expanded more and more. Not to mention the Blue Dorm SHRANK with every passing day, and Alexis REALLY didn't like seeing THAT. The White Dorm was becoming a very bad infestation at Duel Academy, and Crowler and Bonaparte were NOT helping.
Just as she was about to speak up, Syrus ran up to the group as Hassleberry and Lorenzo deactivated their duel disks to take a breather. He was still wearing a White blazer, signifying his allegiance, and he wasn't winded like he usually was after running.
"Hey, guys. There's an Assembly going on in a few minutes. Master requests your presence, as this announcement will affect the whole school, not just the White Dorm."
And without saying another word or allowing anyone to question him, Syrus ran back to the school. Jaden and everyone else exchanged glances.
Jaden looked downcast and mumbled, "Sy…" He really hated seeing his friend as apart of that Society. Syrus never had time to hang out with them anymore, and he was definitely different from before.
"Ugh. Let's just GO already… The sooner we hear their stupid announcement, the sooner we can beat the crap out of them in a duel…" Chazz muttered and began stalking towards Duel Academy.
Hassleberry raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.
"You really think they're gonna drag us into another duel?"
Chazz shook his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"They called us out, didn't they? At least one of us is dueling…"
Lorenzo smirked and ran after Chazz.
"Bada Bing! We can take it! C'mon, guys!"
Jaden eagerly rushed after Lorenzo and Chazz, with Hassleberry right after him. Alexis casually walked after them, albeit a little reluctantly…
- At the White Dorm -
Bastion rapped on Princess Rose's door. The 'Assembly' was going to start soon, and all the White Dorm was told to meet up in the school. Yet, he and Syrus had tasks to complete before joining the rest of their Dorm. It was likely that Syrus had accomplished his task already, urging Jaden and his company to come to the 'Assembly'. That left Bastion to collect Princess Rose and guide her to the school.
"Come, come, Madame… We mustn't keep the Master waiting!" Bastion sighed. Princess Rose had told him to 'wait', because she had to 'put her face on', but that was ten minutes ago. If they didn't hurry, they would be late, and Master Seth loathed to be kept waiting.
"I'm coming already! You can't rush beauty!" Princess Rose snapped on the other side of the door. However, she didn't open it for several more minutes.
Bastion hung his head and groaned.
- At the Main Dueling Arena -
Jaden and co. sat opposite all the White students in the Obelisk Arena. There were other students that were not apart of the White Dorm, but they were few and sparse. Rather than sit next to each other, everyone that wasn't apart of the White Dorm spread apart from one another in the stands, with the exception of Jaden and friends.
When Jaden and the others got to the Arena, they met up with Atticus and Alexis' groupies. Greetings were exchanged, but there was no time for small talk, because Crowler took the stage.
Crowler cleared his throat and stared pointedly at Jaden and his friends.
"Now that everyone is here, we can begin. Took you slackers long enough…" Crowler grumbled.
Bonaparte, who stood by Crowler as per usual, snatched the mic from him and grinned.
"We'll be going on a field trip tomorrow! Everyone be packed and ready to go! Boat leaves at 8AM sharp!"
Crowler smacked Bonaparte upside the head and growled lowly as he snatched the mic back from Bonaparte.
"Shorty… I was supposed to announce that!"
Bonaparte rolled his eyes and smirked up at Crowler.
"I don't remember Master saying that specifically. Master said to gather everyone and announce the field trip. Who died and made you queen, anyway?"
Crowler seethed and said nothing more. After all, Seth didn't even say where they were going. Crowler didn't even think to dismiss everyone, so they just sat in the stands, murmuring to one another.
"Oh? Speechless already, Abaddon?" Bonaparte snickered.
Crowler twitched.
"Can it, Shorty! You're still the Vice Principal!"
Bonaparte laughed and shook his head.
"I may be Vice Principal, but you're not the one in charge anymore! Remember your place, Crowler!" Bonaparte ended with a glare.
Crowler glared back, and they both forgot where they were…
"Field Trip? Why'd they spring this all of a sudden?" Chazz wondered aloud to himself.
Atticus, Mindy, and Jasmine nodded in agreement, but said nothing. Hassleberry frowned and crossed his arms as he slumped in his seat.
"Whatever the reason, it can't be good…"
Lorenzo shrugged and smirked.
"Well, whatev. J-Man and I can take whateva they t'row! Bada Bing!"
Hassleberry growled and held up a fist at Lorenzo. His eyes flashed dangerously yet again.
"Get this through your thick skull, Private… I'M Jaden's Wingman, and I'll be doin' the tacklin' with him!"
Lorenzo just laughed in response, which only served to anger Hassleberry more. In fact, the eyes stayed dino for a few minutes, rather than flash back to his regular eyes after a few seconds. Chazz scoffed at their quarreling. While all this was going on, Jaden appeared excited.
"I wonder where we're goin'… Hope it's somewhere cool, fun, and exciting!" Jaden exclaimed.
Alexis frowned and shook her head.
"I dunno, J… The Society of Light sprang this on us, so it can't be good… They could've gone without us, but they decided that we should come along, too…"
Jaden quirked an eyebrow.
"Huh? But aren't Crowler and Bonaparte in charge of the school…?" Jaden crossed his arms and struck a thoughtful pose. Then a wave of realization hit him. "Oh…! That's right, they're apart of the Society of Light, huh? Okay, it can be bad, if they get to choose where to go… Darn."
Jaden and his friends were snapped out of their reverie by Crowler's high-pitched scream. When they looked at the Arena, Seth was standing beside Crowler, arms crossed, and looking at Jaden directly. Apparently, he had surprised Crowler by suddenly standing there, though it actually wasn't all THAT hard to scare Crowler.
Bonaparte snickered at Crowler's shriek of terror.
"Some Principal…"
Crowler growled and glared down at Bonaparte. Seth ignored them both.
"Jaden… The destination of this Field Trip rides on one duel. Are you up to the task of defeating our representative…?" Seth questioned, an eyebrow arched.
Jaden raised a fist at Seth and nodded, determination in his eyes.
"You bet I am! Who's it gonna be? I'm itchin' for a duel!"
Seth chuckled, and that bothered Alexis. Alexis turned to Jaden.
"J, you sure about this? I think I'd better duel. I mean, the last time your life was at risk…" Alexis spoke concernedly.
Jaden turned to Alexis and raised an eyebrow.
"You sure, 'Lex? I can totally take whoever they throw! … Which isn't to say you can't, but… I wanna go somewhere for this Field Trip, and… the only way I can get us to go there…"
Alexis smiled and shook her head.
"You wanna go to Domino, right? Don't worry, J, I'll win and get us there." Alexis assured him.
Jaden shrugged and turned back to Seth. He moved his hands to his mouth so he could holler at Seth.
"Hey! Change of plans! Alexis is gonna duel! Is that okay?" Jaden asked.
Seth chuckled again and closed his eyes.
"Certainly, Jaden. In fact, I anticipated that she wanted to duel. We're in for quite a duel." Seth turned to get off the Arena, and he motioned for Bonaparte to follow him. Stopping mid-stride, Seth said, "Crowler, you are to be the referee for the duel. Alexis' opponent should be here momentarily."
Crowler blinked as Seth got off the Arena stage, with Bonaparte right behind him. Bonaparte momentarily turned back to Crowler to give him a glare, because Master chose Crowler to referee, and then Bonaparte hopped off the stage. Crowler ignored him.
"B-But, sir… Are you serious about turning this into a duel…? What if Alexis wins?"
Seth chuckled and began making his way to his mobile throne, which was situated in the center of all the White students.
"I know the outcome already, Crowler. You need not worry. Do your job."
Alexis finally got up on the stage and began shuffling her deck. Before Crowler could say anything more, Bastion ran into the room and motioned for everyone to turn their attention to the corridor that he had just ran out of.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I apologize for the delay! But now, I beseech you to direct your gaze to the lovely Princess Rose, the representative for our grand Society in this duel!"
Everyone's eyes fell upon the beauty that entered the room as Bastion proudly proclaimed this. Rose had silvery hair with two long bangs on either side of her face and gray eyes. She wore a Princess tiara with a red jewel embedded in the front and a sapphire blue dress with white ruffles at the bottom of it. When all guys caught a glimpse of her, they went gaga. Some even started drooling.
Alexis frowned and inserted her deck into her duel disk. This 'Princess Rose' was definitely a favorite, at least among the boys. Still, that wouldn't keep Alexis from sweeping the floor with Rose.
Princess Rose took the stage and took her Duel Disk, which Bastion held up to her while kneeling on one knee. After she turned her Duel Disk on, Rose said, "So, you're supposed to be some big Pro, or something? Not impressed."
Alexis shook her head and activated her Duel Disk.
"Nope, I'm just a student here at Duel Academy. I'm an Obelisk Blue, and proud of it!"
Princess Rose shrugged.
"Whatev. Look, I don't mean to be mean or anything, but I'm special and you're, like, not, okay? I can talk to Monster Spirits! My Princes will protect me and bring me victory!"
Alexis frowned and didn't give a retort. She didn't have a right to say that Rose couldn't see Monster Spirits, because she herself couldn't. Jaden could, though. And if Rose was as strong as Jaden was in a duel, then this would be a tough fight. Alexis liked a challenge, however.
Jaden scratched the side of his head and squinted really hard at Princess Rose and her immediate surroundings. He didn't see any Spirits. Turning to Chazz, he said, "Hey, Chazz? You see anything?"
Chazz shook his head and squinted just as hard as Jaden.
"… Nope. Either they're not out at the moment, or she's lying."
Ojama Yellow appeared besides Chazz and did a little jig.
"What kinda Spirits do you think she has, Boss…? Something big and strong, like me?"
Chazz growled and punched the air where the Spirit hovered.
"If her Spirit is as lame as you, she won't be much of a problem for Lexi…
Once the Spirit had dissipated, Chazz cheered for Alexis as he comically pulled out a sign that stated, in bright pink letters, 'Lexi's #1!'
"C'mon, Lexi! You can do this, I KNOW you can!"
Alexis ignored Chazz's cheers and picked up her first five cards.
"So, you ready to duel or what…?"
Princess Rose yawned and picked up her first five cards as well.
"Sure, whatev. This'll be over real quick, and then I can go back to reading the Frog Prince!"
Alexis frowned again and even growled a little. But before she could retort, Crowler held up his hands defensively and gave a cheesy grin.
"N-Now, Ladies! Save it for the Duel! Begin!"
Alexis muttered, "Gladly…"
- Duel! -
Alexis: 4000
Rose: 4000
"Like, royalty first!" Rose declared as she drew her sixth card. She looked contemplative for a few seconds, and then she summoned a creature in Attack Mode. "First, I'll go with this little cutie! T.A.D.P.O.L.E.!
(0/0)
A large and, in Rose's eyes, cute tadpole materialized onto the field. It undulated as it floated in midair. Rose smirked and crossed her arms.
"Like, your turn!"
Everyone blinked and stared at Rose's move. There didn't appear to be a rhyme or reason to her just bringing out a tadpole. Jaden and friends were confused, to say the least. Jaden wished that Bastion was on their side, so he could explain what Princess Rose was planning. But alas, Bastion sided with the Society of Light, and wouldn't be in the mood to enlighten outsiders to the Society's representative's strategy.
… But if Jaden had been sitting next to Bastion, he would be surprised that Bastion knew nothing of Rose's strategy, even as an 'esteemed' member of the Society of Light.
Bastion, who was sitting to the right of Seth, turned to his Master and raised an eyebrow.
"M-Master? Just what is that girl thinking?"
Seth chuckled and entwined his fingers in his lap. He gave Bastion no answer as he eagerly watched the duel unfold.
"…"
Rose: 4000
Rose's Hand: 5
Alexis scowled and drew her sixth card. The weak Monster was obviously a trap, but Rose made a mistake: She put it in Attack Mode. Alexis hated to spring such an obvious trap, but if she could strike a major blow now, then the duel could be over in a couple of moves. Looking at her hand, Alexis saw she had the cards to do just that.
"Okay! First, I'm going to play Polymerization and fuse Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater to form Cyber Blader!
(2100/800)
"Then… I'll summon Cyber Tutu!" Staring straight at Rose, Alexis continued, "You ready for this? Cyber Tutu! Destroy her T.A.D.P.O.L.E.! Cyber Blader, you go in for the direct attack!"
Cyber Tutu flew into the air and came down hard on T.A.D.P.O.L.E. The creature perished upon contact, and Cyber Blader elegantly charged at Princess Rose, dealing massive damage.
Rose: 900
Alexis smirked, but her confidence dissipated when Princess Rose spoke up.
"Owww! Well, since you destroyed T.A.D.P.O.L.E., I guess I'll just have to use his Special Ability! Whenever my little cutie's destroyed, I get the other two cuties from my deck and add them to my hand! Not a bad Ability, huh?"
Alexis shook her head and crossed her arms.
"… Fine. Your move."
Alexis: 4000
Alexis' Hand: 2
Princess Rose laughed and drew her next card.
"Like, omigosh! I can totally do this!" Rose giggled and activated a Spell card. "I have a Polymerization, too! And I'm fusing the three Des Frogs in my hand to make D.3.S. Frog! The hunk of my deck!"
(2500/2000)
A gargantuan frog materialized behind Princess Rose, and it did not look friendly. Because the frog was facing away from the Society of Light, they didn't recoil in shock and fear of the revolting creature.
Hassleberry held up an arm defensively and twitched.
"Get my bib! It's BBQ time!" Hassleberry exclaimed.
Lorenzo shook his head. His eyes bulged.
"Mamma mia! Glad I'm not duelin' right now!"
Chazz twitched and didn't say a thing. Alexis' groupies clung to Atticus, and Atticus breathed, "Whoa."
Jaden was the only one who seemed EXCITED at the sight of the Monster.
"Aw, man! 'Lex is sooo lucky! Now THAT'S a Monster!"
Everyone went bug-eyed at Jaden as he said that. He had to be nuts! On the other side of the room, the Society seemed content that Rose was making up for her last move, though Seth already knew every move there was to come.
While everyone guffawed and admired Rose's creature, Alexis smirked.
"Well, now's a good time to mention this… Since you have one Monster out, my Monster gets a Special Ability. Namely, it cannot be destroyed in battle. No matter how hard you try, you CAN'T."
Princess Rose shrugged and pointed at Cyber Tutu.
"Well… Guess I'll just have to destroy the weaker one then, huh? D.3.S. Frog, my Knight in Shining Armor, make the, like, ditzy ballerina go bye-bye!"
D.3.S. Frog opened its gigantic mouth and unleashed a very long tongue that latched onto Cyber Tutu and reeled it into its mouth. That was it for Cyber Tutu, as it was savagely swallowed and digested. Alexis cringed.
Alexis: 2500
Princess Rose finished her move looking smug.
"Like, your turn! Make it count, 'cause I'm totally gonna take you out!"
Rose: 900
Rose's Hand: 4
Alexis drew her next card. There appeared to be nothing that she could do at the moment, but at least she still possessed Cyber Blader, who made an excellent shield, for now. At the same time, putting Cyber Blader in Defense Mode probably wouldn't be a wise move, at least at this point. Rose could summon another Creature next turn, and that would be the end for Cyber Blader. Taking damage wouldn't be easy, but what choice did she have?
"Okay… I'm setting one card facedown and ending my turn." Alexis stated as she did just that.
Alexis: 2500
Alexis' Hand: 2
Princess Rose drew her next card and laughed gleefully.
"Omigosh! I can totally play Foolish Burial! With it, I'll send one of my Treeborn Frogs to the Graveyard! Then, I'll send the other two that are in my deck to the Grave with my Flute of Hammelin Spell Card! Get this, if any Monster was sent to the Graveyard this turn, then the rest are, like, sent to the Graveyard, too. If you have any, they'd be sent there, too, but I doubt YOU have any, like, total cuties!"
Alexis snorted.
"And… what's the point of ditching your Monsters like this…?"
Princess Rose sighed exasperatedly.
"Ugh! The point is this: For every Treeborn Frog in the Grave, my total hunk, D.3.S. Frog gets 500 additional points! Cool, huh?
(4000/2000)
"Anyway, time to devastate your Life Points! D.3.S. Frog, Attack!"
Alexis scowled again. Rose was a little too presumptuous. On the other hand, with such a strong creature, why wouldn't she be?
"Not so fast! Hallowed Life Barrier saves my Life Points, if I just discard one card! Also, Cyber Blader remains in play because you still only possess one Monster! Your Attack was useless!"
Alexis discarded one card from her hand, and it was Rose's turn to scowl.
"Like, whatever! I can totally beat you on my next turn!"
Princess Rose pouted and ended her turn.
Jaden and co. all heaved a sigh of relief when Rose's turn ended. Things really took a turn for the worse when Rose made her Monster's strength four grand, and they could only hope that Alexis turned it all around on her next turn.
Bastion was sitting on the edge of his seat. He was very pleased with how the duel was turning out, and he fervently hoped that Princess Rose COULD finish the duel on her next turn.
Seth just smirked at his disciple's increasing excitement.
"She will finish the duel on her next turn… And it will be quite the finish."
Bastion blinked and quickly turned to face his Master.
"Master, just what is the outcome…?"
Seth chuckled and crossed his arms.
"You'll see…"
Rose: 900
Rose's Hand: 3
Alexis rolled her eyes.
Well… That D.3.S. Frog just needs a few more points, and it COULD KO me… Though in its current state, I'm looking at a two-hit KO… So if I don't do something now, I'm done for. C'mon, give me something…
Alexis beamed at the card she drew.
Yes… That'll do.
"I play De-Fusion! It lets me de-fuse one Fusion Monster, and I choose that grotesque D.3.S. Frog!"
Princess Rose gasped as D.3.S. Frog broke into three Des Frogs. The three frogs hopped to the front of Rose and stared in Alexis' direction.
"Take that back! D.3.S. Frog was a HOTTIE! Oh well, Jeffrey, Roosevelt, and Percival can finish the job!" Princess Rose fiercely proclaimed.
(1900/0 x 3)
Alexis twitched. She gave her three frogs names?
"Anyway… Now that they're weaker, I can take them out one at a time. Cyber Blader, destroy the center Des Frog!"
Princess Rose wailed, "ROOOOSEVELT!" as the Des Frog was impaled by Cyber Blader's heel.
Rose: 700
Alexis sighed and shook her head.
"And now that you possess two Monsters, Cyber Blader's Attack Points double. Looks like the duel could be over next turn."
(4200/800)
With that, Alexis ended her turn. It was all she could do.
Alexis: 2500
Alexis' Hand: 1
Princess Rose chewed her bottom lip and growled.
"Well, it's next turn… And I'm gonna beat you for not only insulting my hottie, but also for destroying Roosevelt!" Rose continued after drawing her next card. She smirked upon seeing the card. "Look out! I've got a totally tubular card, and it's called Amphibian Angel! By sacrificing Jeffrey and Percival, I can use Amphibian Angel's totally rad Special Ability! Y'know all those frogs you've insulted? Well, they're all, 'We're back!'"
(1400/800, 1900/0 x 3, 4000/2000)
Rose continued smirking as not only the three Des Frogs appeared, but D.3.S. Frog as well. And now that Rose possessed five Monsters, Cyber Blader had no Special Ability for Alexis to rely on. Alexis cringed.
"This is the end…" Alexis muttered to herself.
"I don't believe it! HOW could she beat my LEXIII?" Chazz wailed and slumped in his seat.
Lorenzo went bug-eyed again and said, "Not even I could get outta dat, not with dose cards!"
Hassleberry nodded in affirmation.
"Poor 'Lex…" Hassleberry muttered as tears began streaming down his face.
Atticus chewed his thumb nail and looked worried.
"Guys… What if she gets brainwashed…? She IS facing a representative of that Society…"
Jaden's eyes bulged and he stood up in fear.
"ALEXIS! No!" Jaden cried, knowing it was futile.
Princess Rose shrugged and sighed.
"You put up a fight, I guess… But nobody gets away with bad-mouthing my hunks! NOBODY! First, my hunk, D.3.S. Frog is gonna take out your Cyber Blader. Then, all my other hotties are gonna attack you in a combined assault! Just so no one's left out! 'Kay? ATTACK!"
Alexis shielded herself as D.3.S. Frog let out its unnaturally long tongue again and pulled Cyber Blader into it, and as the other frogs hopped towards her to attack her. She couldn't believe she lost, when victory was so close.
Alexis: 0
Rose: 700
A dust cloud had been kicked up with that combined attack. When the dust settled, Alexis was sprawled across the stage, and Princess Rose's frogs were dematerializing. Feeling no sympathy for the one who insulted her 'boyfriends', Rose huffed and stalked off the stage, not even waiting for Crowler to announce the winner. Crowler stood speechless in the center of the stage.
Seth stood up and applauded Princess Rose. Bastion followed suit, and Syrus and Bonaparte immediately after him. Then the Society of Light stood up as a whole and gave their applause. Crowler was the last to join in, but he was as joyous as everyone else. Even the few non-Society members, outside of Jaden and his friends, stood up and applauded before Crowler. Jaden and the gang were the only ones to not join the applause. They had a friend to tend to.
One by one, Jaden, Hassleberry, Lorenzo, Chazz, Atticus, Mindy, and Jasmine made their way to Alexis' side. As they were doing this, Crowler cleared his throat and spoke into the mic.
"Ah, what a stunning duel to watch! But in the end, the Society of Light proved triumphant! And now, Master Seth will announce where we shall be going!"
Chazz growled and glared daggers at Crowler.
"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? What about Alexis?"
Seth, who somehow silently and swiftly made his way from his transportable throne to the arena stage in mere seconds, answered Chazz's query.
"You need not worry for your friend, Chazz… She is merely asleep, and she remains with you. Unfortunately, I needed to confirm whether Princess Rose was truly for the Society, and this duel proved that she wasn't. Rose is, sadly, a naïve girl who chooses to spend her time reading the same fairytale over and over again, rather than worship the Light. But… enough about Princess Rose.
Seth gestured for Crowler to give the mic to him, and Crowler obliged.
"Now then… This duel decided where we would go, and, in the end, the Society of Light triumphed. As the proud leader, I am honored to announce that we will be making our way to the town of Oneiro tomorrow morn… As Bonaparte stated, be ready to go by 8AM sharp. And Jaden…" Seth glanced at Jaden.
Jaden glanced back at Seth, and he narrowed his eyes a little, still upset about Alexis getting hurt.
"What…?" Jaden said exasperatedly.
Seth chuckled and smiled.
"Be ready to be tested… This trip will prove once and for all who you are. I look forward greatly to how the trip will turn out, not even I can predict what will happen…" Seth continued to chuckle even as he handed the mic back to Crowler. He walked away without explaining anything more…
Next Time: Ghost Town or Glimmering Utopia? The Phantom Town of Oneiro!
"Hey, J, what do you suppose this Oneiro place is like?"
"No thanks, I'd rather stick around here at Duel Academy, rather than go wherever that psycho Seth Phoenix wants to go… He may have been my manager, but I know his true colors now!"
"Master, what is significant about having Jaden's Test here, of all places?"
"Bastion, I am relying on you to guide Jaden and his friends to this designated location. Let them wander until the preparations are complete, but make sure that they get to the castle…"
"Whoa! This wasn't what I was expecting!"