Chapter Ten
When He Left Duel Academy
~the next day~
Manjoume walked away from the Main Academy Building with his back packed. He stopped and turned around to face the building, smiling.
"Farewell, Duel Academy," said Manjoume.
With one last glance at the building, Manjoume turned and walked away.
~sometime later in class~
Shou ran down the stairs frantically as he called out to Jaden.
"Aniki!" yelled Shou. "Aniki! Aniki!"
Jaden opened one eye, having woken up from Shou's shouting. She lifted her head off her desk and looked at her blue-haired roommate as he ran up to her. Shou hunched over and placed his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
"What's up, Shou?" asked Jaden.
Shou inhaled deeply and looked up at Jaden.
"Bad news!" said Shou. "I heard Manjoume-kun's gone missing!"
Jaden's eyes widened as she stared at Shou in shock.
"What'd you say?" exclaimed Jaden.
Asuka and her friends, Junko Makurada, a rufous-haired girl with dark grey eyes, and Momoe Hamaguchi, a raven-haired girl with brown eyes, overheard Shou. Somewhere in a different section of the room, Manjoume's groupies, Taiyou Torimaki and Raizou Mototani, happened to have been talking about said person Shou mentioned.
"They say he rushed to get his things this morning and ran away," said Taiyou.
Raizou nodded as he leaned back in his seat with his hands behind his head.
"And all because he lost to Misawa, I'm bettin'," he added.
Some of the Ra Yellow students who sat close to Taiyou and Raizou overheard them as they continued to talk about Manjoume. Daichi closed his eyes and crossed his arms as he tried to ignore them seeing as he was sat somewhat close to the two Obelisk Blues.
"What a loser!" remarked Taiyou.
"How disappointing," added Raizou.
Shou and Jaden stared at Taiyou and Raizou as they continued to show their true colors.
"It feels like a losing dog's left!" commented Taiyou.
Both Taiyou and Raizou started laughing as Jaden stared questioningly at them.
"What's with them?" she asked. "Until yesterday, they followed Manjoume like droppings on a goldfish."
A/N Remember, I'm using the subbed version of this series to help with 50 to 75% of this story. The other 25% to sometimes 50% is all original…if you can call that original. Now, back to story!
Shou looked at Jaden.
"Hey, Aniki…" said Shou.
Jaden blinked and looked at Shou.
"You don't think he's completely hiding from everyone just because he lost that duel, do you?" asked Shou.
Jaden stood up from her seat and slammed her hand on her desk…rather hard.
SLAM!
Shou flinched at Jaden's reaction as she scowled while she ignored the fact that at least half the class was staring at her. The students stared at Jaden, most of them amused with her next sudden outburst.
"That jackass!" yelled Jaden. "There's no way that's the case, is there?"
Shou blinked and stayed silent, to which Jaden sighed in dismay.
"That can't be it…" said Jaden.
Jaden looked down and stayed silent for a few moments. Shou looked at her somewhat concerned. Suddenly, Jaden looked up and grabbed Shou's arm.
"C'mon, Shou," said Jaden. "We gotta go get Safer, back."
Shou looked perplexed at Jaden.
"E-eeh?" exclaimed Shou. "But class is about to—"
Jaden interrupted Shou as she began to drag him out of the classroom.
"To hell with class!" said Jaden. "Misawa, I'm leaving the excuse for sensei to you!"
Daichi blinked as Jaden ran up the stairs towards the exit dragging Shou along with her. He looked perplexed at the gender-mistaken girl, whose hand was on the door.
"May I ask why I have to create an excuse for Daitokuji-sensei?" asked Daichi.
Jaden looked down at Daichi as Shou tried to break his roommate's grip on his arm. It was a work in progress that was failing heavily, much to Shou's dismay.
"Because I'm not going to be able to make it for class and you're the smart one!" replied Jaden. "Say no, and I'll make sure Daitokuji finds out what happened yesterday morning!"
Daichi blinked and blushed as memories of yesterday morning rushed into his head. Not wanting to face embarrassment from the Osiris Red whose misconception he oh so unpleasantly (and painfully) discovered just the other day, he had no choice but to agree.
"Very well, then," Daichi said, sighing.
Jaden smiled and nodded in approval as she pushed the door forward and ran out, still dragging Shou. Daichi rubbed his temples as he watched his rival and her roommate run away.
"I think I liked it better back when I thought she was still a boy…" thought Daichi. "It was less awkward than it is now."
After somehow dodging security and sneaking past Professor Chronos while dragging a blue-haired Osiris Red, Jaden had managed to have successfully snuck out of class with Shou and was now crawling through a tunnel-like opening in one of the Main Academy Building's walls. She paused midway and peered carefully around. Finding the coast clear, she continued to crawl out the tunnel-like opening as she gave Shou the sign to follow.
"Okay, now!" said Jaden.
Shou crawled through the tunnel-like opening once Jaden was out of the tunnel. Jaden pushed herself off the ground and stood up. She was dusting off the dirt on her shirt when Shou got off the ground and stood next to her. Someone spoke to them so suddenly right after Shou had stood up, it startled both roommates.
"I wonder where you're planning to go by cutting class…" said someone.
Shou and Jaden both jolted in their spots and yelled as their eyes widened. So much for trying to be stealthy and silent… Seeing as their espionage (if one can even call this espionage) was foiled, Shou and Jaden turned around. (1) They exhaled in relief, having been holding their breath from shock. They haven't been discovered by teachers or security, but by three fellow Obelisk Blue students…specifically Asuka and her friends Junko and Momoe.
Both Osiris Reds walked over to the trio as Asuka crossed her arms. How she and her friends managed to get out of class without sneaking out the way they did it, Shou and Jaden will never know…BUT! It wouldn't hurt to ask, right?
"How did you get out without taking the same route we took?" asked Jaden.
Junko jabbed her thumb over her shoulder, pointing in a certain direction as she said, "We used the door."
Jaden blinked a few times.
"Ohh…" she said. "Well, we're going to go look for Manjoume. Right, Shou?"
Shou sighed and nodded somewhat reluctantly. He never did get a chance to voice his opinion on the matter and now that he was here, it was pointless to go back.
"Anyways, I can't just sit around, right?" said Jaden. "Listen, don't tell sensei."
Asuka nodded.
"All right, but there's one condition," said Asuka.
Shou and Jaden were taken aback somewhat with Asuka's proposition.
"Condition?" they both said.
Asuka smiled and continued on with her offer, "We're going with you."
Jaden stared wide-eyed at Asuka, perplexed.
"Huh?" said Jaden. "Why?"
"You said it yourself, didn't you?" asked Asuka. "We can't just sit around."
Jaden nodded and placed her hand on top of Shou's head.
"True…" said Jaden.
~later in the forest~
Voices from the group were heard throughout the forest calling out for Manjoume as they searched for him.
"Hey!" yelled Jaden. "Manjoume!"
Shou looked around and cupped his hands around his mouth.
"Manjoume-kun!" Shou called out.
The group stopped in their tracks as Jaden cupped her hands around her mouth and called out for Manjoume again.
"Manjoume!" Jaden called out.
Asuka closed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. She was not amused.
"Honestly…" she said, opening her eyes and cupping her hands around her mouth. "Get out here! I can't believe you'd hide over losing a duel! That's just pitiful!"
Asuka's loud voice disturbed a flock of birds as they flew out of the forest. Jaden, Shou, Junko, and Momoe stared at Asuka, all of them silent from shock as her voice echoed through the forest. A somewhat awkward silence filled the forest for a few moments until Jaden spoke.
"Dang, Asuka…" said Jaden. "You're as forceful as ever…"
Junko smiled and closed her eyes as she responded to Jaden's comment.
"But that's natural," remarked Junko. "Really, he's just a weak boy."
Momoe replied and reacted differently by smiling and holding out her hands with a certain look in her eyes. What that look was, Jaden had no clue what it was.
"Still, I'm sure Manjoume-san's different!" Momoe said, closing her eyes and placing her hands on her cheeks as she blushed slightly. "I mean, he's such a cool guy!"
Jaden clenched her teeth as she looked at Momoe perplexed as she sweat dropped. She wasn't the only one who was confused with the Obelisk Blue's weird behavior. Shou blinked a few times and voiced his question on Momoe's comment.
"What's that mean?" asked Shou.
Junko looked at Momoe questioningly.
"I thought you said Misawa was dreamy the other day?" said Junko. "You're fine with anyone that's good-looking."
Jaden and Shou blinked a few times before they narrowed their eyes. Momoe had a crush on Manjoume, which explained her behavior. Jaden, having focused everything on dueling and such, never showed interest to anyone of the male gender that went beyond a sibling-like, platonic relationship. As a result, her experience with boys went only to friendship, so it was rather natural for Jaden to question why anyone would think Manjoume or Misawa was dreamy since she saw them in a perspective different than Momoe's.
Momoe reacted to Junko's remark by laughing as she placed her hand on her head. Asuka ignored her roommates as she saw something. Jaden noticed Asuka's alert and serious demeanor.
"What's wrong?" asked Jaden.
"Over there!" Asuka said, pointing. "Something moved just now!"
Junko, Shou, Momoe, and Jaden all gasped and turned to the direction Asuka was pointing at. Asuka was pointing at a bush (2) that began to rustle after a few seconds had passed. Shou blinked.
"It's Manjoume-kun," said Shou.
"Oi, is that you, Manjoume?" Jaden asked, smiling afterwards as she walked toward the bush. "It's me, Jaden Yuki!"
Shou, Asuka, Junko, and Momoe followed Jaden as she walked closer to the bush.
"Don't put up a front, just come out!" said Jaden. "Oi!"
The group was all a mere few inches apart from the bush when a monkey outfitted in a partial robotic suit popped out of the bush, scaring the living daylights out of Shou and the girls. Momoe and Junko held onto each other as they shrieked while Jaden, Shou, and Asuka, who were also screaming, stared wide-eyed at the monkey. The monkey rushed towards the group before tackling Shou onto the ground, kicking up a bunch of dirt from the ground creating a ball of dirt. This created a domino-effect that brought the girls into the ball of dirt with Shou and the monkey, seeing as the girls happened to have been close by.
A/N It's just like those saloon fights in the old cartoons back then like in Popeye or in Disney cartoons! Man, I miss the old days now that we have some crappy shows like Hannah Montana…
Everyone screamed within the ball of dirt that made everything undistinguishable as the monkey jumped on one another. This ended up knocking everyone on the ground on each other, including the monkey itself, who was trapped underneath them. As the monkey struggled to escape, the domino-effect struck again.
"Ah!" yelled Jaden. "It's grabbing my chest!"
"Sorry, that was me," said Junko. "Wait! You don't even have anything!"
"Not that you know of!" snapped Jaden. "Sheesh, just because they're small doesn't mean they're not there…does it?"
"Ah!" yelled Shou. "It's on me!"
"Sorry, that was me!" said Momoe.
"Quit moving, already!" snapped Asuka. "You guys are all on me!"
"AAAAAAHHH!" yelled Junko.
The monkey jumped out of the ball of dirt and ran off with Junko into the forest, leaving the dazed quartet on the ground. Asuka pushed herself out from underneath Shou, Momoe, and Jaden. Momoe inhaled deeply and exhaled as Jaden got off of her. Shou was on the ground on his stomach in a daze as he stared out into space spiral-eyed.
Jaden, Momoe, and Asuka tried to calm their pounding hearts as they stared with wide-eyes at the monkey as it ran off.
"W-What was…" said Asuka.
Jaden was wide-eyed as she stammered a few times before finally saying, "I think it was a monkey…hey, where's Shou?"
In response to Jaden's question, Shou answered with a subtle groan. Momoe heard Shou and looked underneath herself, realizing that she happened to have been sitting on the poor boy's back. After she managed to stutter out a sheepish apology, she got off of Shou quickly.
The sudden sound of rustling startled Jaden as it got louder and closer. Jaden screamed as she stood up from the ground immediately, the top half of her face now blue. Momoe, Shou, and Asuka did likewise as they wondered what it was this time.
"What is it now?" exclaimed Asuka.
From out of the forest ran out three men in suits. One of them was shorter than the other two men and had a beard with a mustache as well as square-lensed glasses. The second man wore square-lensed glasses and was the tallest of the three while the third man wore sunglasses and was in possession of a yellow and red rifle.
"Did he escape?" asked the tallest man.
A loud, high-pitched shriek caught everyone's attention.
"Help me!" shrieked someone.
Asuka and Momoe looked around, realizing that their roommate was missing.
"—Junko?" said Asuka.
"Help me!" shrieked Junko.
Everyone looked at the forest as Junko, who was screaming loudly, was carried through the trees by the monkey. Momoe looked at Junko perplexed.
"Come on, Junko-san…since when were you over there?" asked Momoe.
Junko screamed again.
"Since that monkey carried her off just a while ago," replied Asuka.
"Help me!" screamed Junko.
Junko continued to scream as the monkey carried while he swung through the trees from branch to branch.
"He's over there!" said the man with sunglasses.
"Oi, go catch it!" said the short man.
A/N Sheesh, did they ever give these guys names? Eh, whatever, they're only in this episode once so it doesn't really matter.
The three men broke into a run and trailed after the monkey. Shou, Momoe, Asuka, and Jaden ran after the men, confused with what they just heard.
"H-Hey, h-hold on!" yelled Shou. "What is all this?"
The group stopped in their tracks, the men having ignored them. Jaden, Asuka, and Momoe looked at Shou.
"I don't really know, but any rate, we have to save Junko," said Jaden.
With that said, the quartet trailed after the three men as they chased after the monkey and Junko. The monkey continued to swing from branch to branch as he carried Junko farther away into the forest.
"What's this about?" yelled Junko.
Few moments later…
The monkey held his arms up while he carried Junko over his head as he made his way across a pond by jumping from one rock to the next rock.
"Please, let me go!" yelled Junko.
A few more moments later…
The monkey ran out of the forest as he carried Junko over his head. Junko had her eyes closed throughout the whole time she was being carried off by the monkey.
"Let me go!" yelled Junko.
The monkey stopped running once he was on the trunk of crooked tree and began to lower Junko down, ignoring her as she pounded on him with her fists.
"Let me go!" yelled Junko.
Junko opened her eyes after a few moments when she realized that they've stopped moving. She looked down and saw that the crooked tree she and the monkey were on was at the edge of a cliff. Junko whimpered as she stared wide-eyed at the ocean that was right below her and the monkey. It was a very deep plunge from the tree down to the water…This scared Junko.
"No!" Junko shrieked as closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around the monkey. "Don't let me go! I'm scared!"
A/N Anyone thinking 'Tarzan' moment? I am!
Junko continued to cry out in fear as the three men whom her friends had encountered ran out of forest into view. The three men spotted the monkey and Junko, whom were at the edge of a cliff.
"It can't escape anymore!" said one of the men. "If you don't want to be shot by the tranquilizer, come back to us quietly!"
As if to show that they were serious, the man wearing black sunglasses aim his rifle at the monkey. Just then, Shou, Momoe, Asuka, and Jaden ran out of the forest and stopped a few feet away from the men. At that same time, the monkey took Junko's hands off of him and grabbed onto her arm with both of his hands as he pushed her slightly over the tree.
Junko looked down as the monkey held onto her arm to prevent her from falling off. Having been reminded of how far it was from where she was at to the bottom down, Junko closed her eyes and screamed.
"H-Help me, Asuka-san!" screamed Junko.
The tallest of the three men stared at the monkey and Junko.
"Tch…I can't believe he took a hostage so brazenly like that…" he said.
Jaden held up her fist as she stared at the men and said, "Better yet, just who are you guys?"
"Huh?" said Momoe, Shou, and Asuka.
Shou, Momoe, and Asuka looked at the monkey and noticed that he wore a duel disk on his left arm. Shou pulled on Jaden's sleeve and pointed at the monkey.
"Aniki, that monkey's wearing a duel disk!" said Shou.
The two other men overheard Shou and turned to him and the group. The shorter of the two spoke to them.
"That isn't just a mere monkey!" said the short man.
Asuka eyes widened slightly as the man continued his explanation.
"This is the dueling monkey that we've been putting a lot of effort into training!" the short man stated.
Jaden blinked a few times.
"A dueling monkey?" questioned Jaden.
"Right, and his name stands for 'Super Animal Learning', or SAL for short," explained the short man.
Shou looked at the monkey, SAL, and blinked a few times.
"Looks weak," remarked Shou.
The tallest of the three men looked at the short man.
"Doctor!" said the tall man.
The doctor looked up.
"Seems it was a slip of the tongue," said the doctor.
The doctor and the tall man turned around.
"Wait a sec!" said Jaden.
Both men turned around and looked at Jaden perplexed as she stepped up and jabbed her thumb at herself.
"Leave it to me!" said Jaden.
The doctor looked at Jaden, still perplexed.
"To you?" he questioned. "And what, pray tell, are you saying you can do?"
Jaden smiled.
"I'll decide things with a duel, of course," replied Jaden.
Shou looked at Jaden.
"'Duel'?" repeated Shou. "Aniki, you couldn't…"
"Are you saying you're going to duel that monkey?" asked Asuka.
Jaden looked back at Asuka and grinned.
"I ain't saying I'm marrying it," Jaden said in a joking manner. "If you duel someone, your hearts would link up. Even if it's a monkey."
Jaden turned and started running towards the monkey.
"Oi, SAL!" she called out.
SAL looked back at Jaden.
"If you're a duelist, too, what do you say to settling things with a duel?" Jaden asked as she pointed at SAL.
SAL held Junko closer to himself as he continued to stare at Jaden. Shou looked at Jaden with awe.
"Amazing, Aniki…is having a conversation with him!" said Shou.
Momoe blinked a few times.
"Could that mean he's part monkey?" asked Momoe.
"I'm sure it's programmed to understand human speech, since he can even duel," said Asuka.
Jaden held up her fist and looked at SAL with a serious expression.
"If I win, you'll release that hostage!" said Jaden.
Junko looked at Jaden anxiously.
"A-And if you lose?" Junko asked nervously.
Jaden blinked a few times in question.
"If I lose?" Jaden said, realization slowly coming to her as she closed her eyes and scratched her head. "Oh, that's right…I didn't think of that…"
Junko sweat dropped as Momoe, Asuka, and Shou fell back anime-style. Jaden opened her eyes and stared at SAL.
"Okay, if I lose, you'll do what you want, SAL!" said Jaden.
Tears welded up in Junko's eyes from anxiety.
"No way!" cried Junko. "What's the point in that?"
"Don't sweat it, Junko!" reassured Jaden. "I'm going to win, without a doubt!"
SAL stared at Jaden for a few seconds before nodding and placing Junko down. Junko backed away from SAL as he walked away.
"He threatened me!" said Junko.
SAL hopped onto a rock and held out his left arm as his duel disk activated.
"He's up for it," said Asuka.
Jaden activated her duel disk as well and smiled at SAL while she reached for her deck.
"Now we're talking!" said Jaden.
The man with the tranquilizer rifle immediately took action and was about ready to pull the trigger.
"He released the hostage!" he exclaimed.
"Wait," said the doctor. "We may just get interesting data, so just let them do this."
The taller man looked at the doctor for a few seconds before focusing his gaze back on Jaden and SAL. Jaden drew her starting hand (5 cards) and stared at SAL, smiling.
"Let's go!" she said. "Duel!"
A sudden robotic voice responded back to Jaden and said, "Duel!"
What was astonishing about the voice was that it came off of SAL. Jaden's eyes widened as she let out a startled yell as Shou, Asuka, and Momoe stared at SAL.
"He spoke!" said Shou.
The doctor laughed at Shou's outburst.
"All of the dueling terminology has been programmed into him," explained the doctor.
Jaden blinked and grinned.
Jaden:
LP
4000
SAL:
LP
4000
"My turn!" Jaden said, drawing a card. "Draw!"
Jaden looked at her card, which happened to be a monster card, specifically Elemental Hero Sparkman.
"Alright!" she thought before looking up, smiling. "First, I'll go with this guy!"
Jaden played Elemental Hero Sparkman in attack mode.
ATK1600
"I end my turn!" said Jaden. "Now, it's your turn next!"
Junko looked anxiously at Jaden as she gripped a tree branch and pulled herself up.
"I'm begging you!" pleaded Junko. "Hurry and save me!"
Shou cupped his hands around his mouth.
"Don't worry!" reassured Shou. "Right now, Aniki's doing his best to beat him, and he'll save you!"
Momoe clasped her hands together, staring out at Jaden with a concerned look in her eyes.
"That's only if he does…" said Momoe.
Shou blinked and looked at Momoe as SAL reached for his deck.
"It's my turn!" said SAL. "Draw!"
SAL looked at the card he drew. The helmet he wore showed him the card's ATK and DEF as well as his and his opponent's life points in the form of four bananas. SAL looked up as he played the card.
"I summon Berserk Gorilla!" said SAL.
A muscular, brown-furred gorilla pounded his fists on his chest as he roared before taking his offensive stance.
ATK 2000
Jaden's eyes widened at Berserk Gorilla's ATK.
"What?" exclaimed Jaden. "Berserk Gorilla's got 2000 ATK?"
"With Berserk Gorilla, I attack Sparkman!" said SAL.
Berserk Gorilla charged at Sparkman before punching the Elemental Hero into the air, destroying him. Jaden shielded herself as the aftermath blast took a toll on her life points.
Jaden:
LP
3600
SAL back-flipped three times on the rock he stood on before he picked a card from his hand.
"Next, I set a reversed card!" SAL said, placing the card face-down. "I end my turn!"
Jaden clenched her teeth as she growled slightly at SAL. Shou stared at Jaden, perplexed with what just happened.
"Huh?" said Shou. "He's doing Aniki in!"
"If you end up losing to that monkey, you'll be even more humiliated that you won't stand being at the Academy," remarked Asuka.
Jaden turned back and glared at Asuka and Shou.
"Quit it!" snapped Jaden. "The duel's just started! And who asked you?"
Jaden turned back to SAL.
"It's my turn!" she said, picking out card from her hand. "Draw!"
Jaden glanced at her card and smiled.
"Okay, I'll use this!" Jaden thought before she held up the card and said, "I activate the Magic card, Polymerization! I fuse Elemental Heroes Avian and Burstinatrix in my hand to summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"
Elemental Heroes Avian and Burstinatrix appeared on the field and spun around together in the same direction. This caused a whirlwind to form from the velocity they spun in around them. As the whirlwind began to clear, the effects of Polymerization had fused them together and formed Flame Wingman.
ATK 2100
Jaden tightened her fist as she looked at SAL, her expression serious.
"Take this!" Jaden said before she directed Wingman at Berserk Gorilla. "I use Flame Wingman to attack Berserk Gorilla! Flame Shoot!"
Flame Wingman aimed his right arm at Berserk Gorilla and shot out a fiery blast at the gorilla monster. Berserk Gorilla was destroyed by the blast, taking a small toll on SAL's life points.
SAL:
LP
3900
SAL chattered in his distinct vocalization, his tone a mixture of either shock or anger.
"It's too soon to get shocked!" said Jaden.
SAL looked at Jaden and made a perplexed sound. Jaden held her fist up as she explained.
"I activate Flame Wingman's special effect!" said Jaden. "The ATK of the monster destroyed in battle is dealt as damage to the player!"
Jaden pointed at SAL, who let out an astonished exclamation.
"Berserk Gorilla had 2000 ATK points…" said Shou. "That means…"
"His life is getting reduced by another 2000 points," Asuka finished for Shou.
SAL looked at Flame Wingman as he stood in front of the simian. Through SAL's eyes from behind the helmet, was Flame Wingman's right hand aimed at him, shooting a fiery blast that engulfed the monkey. SAL shrieked as the flames engulfed him while his life points were depleted.
SAL:
LP
1900
Jaden smiled and brought her fist down.
"Did you see that, SAL?" said Jaden.
SAL replied with a rather depressed 'ooki'. Jaden blinked and ceased her smile.
"What's this?" she asked. "Is he already worn out?"
Shou held his fist up as he looked at SAL, smiling.
"Just surrender and release Junko-san!" said Shou.
The doctor laughed quietly.
"To think he's underestimating his opponent because it's a monkey…" the doctor remarked, closing his eyes and looking down. "I think he'll be in for some pain."
Shou overheard and ceased his smiling as he stared at the doctor perplexed. The doctor turned to him and explained.
"Did you know that a monkey's ability to hear the voices or spirits is higher than that of a human's?" asked the doctor. "To that end, we used monkeys for our dueling animal experiments."
Asuka, Momoe, and Shou looked at the doctor perplexed.
"Animal experiment?" repeated Shou.
The tall man looked at the doctor, having heard what he just said.
"Doctor!" said the tall man.
"Oh, it seems my mouth opened up again…" the doctor said before turning back to the duel.
Jaden looked at SAL perplexed.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "You already surrendering?"
SAL held his fist up as he bared his teeth at Jaden, somewhat angered.
"It's my turn!" said SAL. "Draw!"
SAL drew a card and glanced at it, earning a smile from Jaden. Jaden held up her fist and laughed a bit as she smiled.
"That's the spirit!" said Jaden. "Now, bring it, SAL! Let's do this!"
SAL played the card in his hand.
"I summon Acrobat Monkey!" said SAL.
A monkey-like monster in what seemed to be robotic armor appeared on SAL's side of the field after flipping a few times into the air. As his named implied, the way he appeared on the field was like that of an acrobat. Acrobat Monkey landed on his feet, facing Jaden and Flame Wingman.
ATK 1000
"Next, I open my reversed card!" said SAL. "I activate the Trap card, DNA Surgery!"
SAL turned the face-down card on his field over as Jaden's eyes widened in shock. Knowledge of what she learned during the past years from focusing on dueling and such popped up into mind.
"Did you say 'DNA Surgery'?" exclaimed Jaden. "Isn't that the card that changes all monsters' types to the one you choose?"
The time Jaden used her knowledge of cards was not during classes, this was either ironic or her preference of using her knowledge. Though, since this was Jaden, it probably had to do with both and some part involving her father like how she knew about the Millennium Items.
"Things I find useful only when I'm doing things dad doesn't approve of…" thought Jaden. "Wonder how dad will react if he ever found out…"
Jaden shuddered slightly at the thought of what could happen. It involved getting grounded, no dueling for a month, and/or choosing her choice of clothes when they went on their monthly clothes shopping and such…something to which Jaden would just rummage through the aisles and grab clothes off a random rack. The quicker she bought her clothes, the faster she and her dad could go to the card shop.
More to the point and off that subject, SAL held up the card, DNA Surgery, as he called out his monster-type of choice.
"Beast-type!" said SAL.
At that motion, both Acrobat Monkey and Elemental Hero Flame Wingman grew beast-like features to match their recently changed monster type. Both monsters growled and bared their teeth at each other. Jaden stared at Flame Wingman in awe at his type transformation.
SAL picked a card out of his hand and held it out.
"Next, the Magic card, Wild Nature's Release!" said SAL.
Asuka stared at the card SAL held in his hand, memories of the card's effect popped up in mind.
"Wild Nature's Release…" said Asuka. "If I remember correctly, that card raises the ATK of one face-up Beast-type or Beast-Warrior-type monster on the field…by an amount equal to that monster's DEF."
Shou continued to watch the duel as he heard Asuka explain the card's effect.
"Just one Beast-type…" Shou said, his eyes widening as realization struck him. "T-Then…!"
"Acrobat Monkey!" said SAL.
Acrobat Monkey's eyes turned yellow as he looked up and held out his arms. He growled aggressively before hollering out loudly as his robotic armor started to crack and break off his body. His armor was completely gone, save for the helmet on his head.
"Acrobat Monkey has 1800 DEF points!" said Shou. "So, that means…he has 2800 ATK?"
Acrobat Monkey tightened his fists and pounded on his chest before screeching out loud as his ATK increased.
ATK: Previously, 1000
Now…2800!
Jaden's eyes widened.
"W-What?" exclaimed Jaden. "Aw, crap…"
"Acrobat Monkey's attack!" said SAL. "Acrobat Ooki!"
Acrobat Monkey screeched in an aggressive manner as he beat his chest with his fists a few times. Afterwards, he held his hands together and brought them down, now spinning rapidly towards Flame Wingman in a wheel-like motion. Acrobat Monkey stopped spinning and slammed his clasped fists over Flame Wingman once he was in front of the Elemental Hero. The assault destroyed the Elemental Hero, the aftermath now taking a toll on Jaden's life points.
Jaden clenched her teeth as she winced from the aftermath shock.
Jaden:
LP
2900
Jaden opened one eye while she clenched her teeth, staring at SAL and Acrobat Monkey. Acrobat Monkey placed his hands on his head in an agonizing manner before he was destroyed. Shou and Momoe watched the duel, both surprised and confused with Acrobat Monkey's sudden destruction. Asuka crossed her arms as she kept her gaze focused on the duel.
"The attacking monster got destroyed, too!" exclaimed Shou.
"The monster affected by Wild Nature's Release is destroyed that same turn," said Asuka.
The part on SAL's helmet covering his eyes glowed red as he spoke.
"I end my turn!" said SAL.
~meanwhile in class~
Daitokuji, with Pharaoh in his arms, stared questioningly at his class, having noticed a few absences after seeing the empty seats. Normally, he wouldn't mind the absences, but when he realized that Jaden and Asuka happened to have been some of them, something wasn't quite right. Asuka had never missed a day of class and, despite having a habit of sleeping through class; Jaden was surprisingly always present up to this point…the only exception being her suspension from classes.
Had it not been for the absences of three certain students, Daitokuji would have just continued classes and question the absentees after classes. However, since Shou, Junko, and Momoe were also gone, there was no mistaking that something was wrong. Pharaoh meowed as if to catch the attention of the professor.
Daitokuji gazed down at Pharaoh before looking around the class. Having noticed another absence, he got a feeling that the sudden absences all were connected in some way. He focused his gaze on Daichi after spotting the Ra Yellow's slightly flustered state.
Memories of yesterday's events popped up in mind as Daitokuji remembered waking up to a loud, high-pitched scream followed by yelling that seemed to have been coming from Jaden's room, having heard some complaints from the Osiris Red residents. Along with that, he seemed to recall having heard from Hayato after questioning the koala-resembling boy for the sudden wake-up call about a dorm change test involving Daichi Misawa and Jun Manjoume.
Seeing as it was Manjoume that was one of the absentees, Daitokuji decided to question the one who had caused yesterday's wake-up call. Wearing his usual smile, Daitokuji laughed mentally as he remembered that Daichi had just recently discovered Jaden's true gender during the time the Ra Yellow had spent with the Osiris Red trio in their room.
Daichi felt as if someone was staring at him and looked up from his work. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face when he realized that Daitokuji was looking at him, smiling. This didn't look good…
Few moments later,
Daitokuji stood in the hall after giving his class an early dismissal, one to which Daichi knew that he was screwed…figuratively. And he was right as he stood in front of Daitokuji in the hallway.
"Misawa-kun, would you care to explain Yuki-kun's absence-nya?" asked Daitokuji.
Daichi looked at Daitokuji, somewhat nervous as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. Remembering what Jaden had told him, the Ra Yellow cleared his throat and answered the professor's question.
"Jaden wasn't feeling well and went back to the Osiris Red dorms," replied Daichi.
Daitokuji petted Pharaoh as he listened to Daichi. He arched his eyebrow at the Ra Yellow.
"Is that so-nya?" asked Daitokuji. "What about Marufuji-kun?"
Daichi blinked and tried not answer quickly as he said, "Shou went with her."
Daitokuji nodded and adjusted his glasses.
"I see you've found out about Jaden-kun's gender-nya," said Daitokuji. "This wouldn't happen to be involved with yesterday's scream, would it-nya?"
Daichi looked nervously at Daitokuji. This wasn't how he had planned would happen…hell, he didn't even get that far after making the excuse thanks to the fact that Daitokuji had entered the class moments after Jaden and Shou had ran out of class. When Asuka, Momoe, and Junko had left, Daichi didn't know, but all he knew is that it was either sometime after or before Jaden and Shou had left.
"Misawa-kun," said Daitokuji.
Daichi snapped out of his thoughts as he looked at Daitokuji.
"I know what happened yesterday-nya," said Daitokuji.
Daichi was taken aback as he stared at Daitokuji, flustered.
"Y-Y-You do?" stuttered Daichi.
Daitokuji nodded as Pharaoh meowed and jumped out of his arms. Daichi rubbed the back of his head as he looked down sheepishly.
"About that incident…it was an accident," said Daichi. "I didn't know—"
"It's all right, I'll let it slide…" reassured Daitokuji.
Daichi let out a mushroom sigh in relief only for his bubble to be burst by Daitokuji.
"…this time," added Daitokuji. "I can't exactly let this happen to my female student-nya. I'm expected to keep this from happening to her…especially if it's from a male student-nya."
Daichi blinked a few times as Daitokuji looked at him with a serious expression.
"Don't let it happen again," said Daitokuji. "Is that clear?"
A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Daichi's face as he swallowed the lump that formed in his throat before he nodded. Daitokuji quickly changed his serious expression to his usual one.
"Okay, now tell me…where are Yuki-kun and Marufuji-kun-nya?" asked Daitokuji.
Daichi, out of options and ideas, sighed and decided to give in seeing as Daitokuji already knew about yesterday's events, anyways.
"They went searching for Manjoume," said Daichi. "That's all I know."
Daitokuji nodded in approval as Pharaoh rubbed against his leg. Daichi sighed and rubbed his temples.
"May I leave?" asked Daichi.
"Certainly-nya," said Daitokuji.
With that said, Daichi walked away from Daitokuji and made his way back to his dorm. During this, the Ra Yellow made a mental note to start thinking up excuses if this ever happened again. The last thing he needed is another confrontation with Daitokuji…
Daitokuji watched as Daichi walked away before focusing his attention on Pharaoh, who seemed to be trying to catch his attention. Pharaoh meowed as Daitokuji bent down to pick him up.
"What is it, Pharaoh?" asked Daitokuji.
Whatever Pharaoh was trying to tell him, Daitokuji had a feeling it had to do with his absentees and Manjoume. Standing up straight, Daitokuji made his way down out of the Main Academy Building with Pharaoh in his arms.
~back to the duel~
Both SAL and Jaden stared at one another for a few seconds before Jaden reached for her deck.
"My turn!" said Jaden. "Draw!"
Jaden glanced at her card, determination in her eyes as well as slight stubbornness (A/N Yuki-kun does not give up!). She looked up at SAL.
"I'll give him not surrendering and giving me a challenge," thought Jaden. "But unfortunately, this is the end. This turn will decide it all."
Jaden held up the card in her hand.
"Alright, here goes!" she said, about ready to play her card when sudden sounds and slight rustling caught her by surprise.
The sounds were close by… In fact, they were coming from behind some boulders that were just a few feet away from Jaden and SAL. Behind the boulders were a group of monkeys, all peering out from behind their hiding place wearing concerned expressions and making anxious sounds.
Momoe and Shou gasped as they stared wide-eyed at the monkeys while Asuka looked perplexed.
"Huh?" said Shou. "There's a lot of monkeys!"
"Are we going to be attacked?" exclaimed Momoe.
The two men and the doctor stared wide-eyed at the group of monkeys in shock.
"What's this?" asked the tall man.
Jaden stared at the group of monkeys, her mouth opened slightly in wonder. She blinked once before hearing a 'kuri kuri' from her favorite partner. She turned her head to see Winged Kuriboh floating in the air right by her.
"Kuri kuri," said Winged Kuriboh.
Jaden blinked again as she interpreted what Winged Kuriboh had told her.
"O-Oh, I get it," said Jaden. "Is that what this is?"
Jaden turned her head to SAL.
"You escaped from the research lab because you wanted to go back to your friends, didn't you?" asked Jaden.
SAL tightened his fist and let out a loud 'ooki' in reply to Jaden's question. The tone he answered was a quite obvious 'yes'. With what they just heard, Shou, Asuka, and Momoe felt a newfound sympathy for the dueling monkey (3).
"So, he wants to go back to his friends…" said Momoe.
Shou frowned.
"But if Aniki wins, he'll go back to the research lab…" said Shou. "I can't help but feel sorry for him…"
Asuka kept her expression serious despite her newfound sympathy for SAL.
"I know, but we can't just leave Junko there," said Asuka.
Asuka, Momoe, and Shou directed their gaze on Junko, who stared out from where she was with a sad look in her eyes.
"If we let SAL go back to his friends, we can't save Junko-san…" said Shou. "If we save Junko-san, SAL can't go back to his friends…"
Shou placed his hands on his head and closed his eyes as he groaned in aggravation. Either outcome to the dilemma he had stated out would only benefit to one being. With that fact realized, Shou was beyond confused and wanted nothing more than a solution.
"Man, just what do we do?" wailed Shou.
Asuka focused her gaze on Jaden.
"In a case like this, how would you plan on handling this?" thought Asuka.
Jaden looked at SAL with a serious expression. Having heard Shou, she was also aware of the dilemma. However, being the one dueling SAL made it even harder for her to decide whether to lose and let the monkey go back to his friends, but in return, she can't save Junko or win the duel and save Junko, but with the expense of sending SAL back to the research lab away from his friends. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place…
The gender-mistaken girl sighed and kept her gaze focused on SAL. There was only one thing she had to do, whether she liked it or not.
"I'm sorry, SAL, but a duel is always a serious game," Jaden said, closing her eyes. "Once a duel's started, we can't hold back, no matter what the reason."
Jaden opened her eyes and held up a card in her hand.
"I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in attack mode!" said Jaden.
The golem-like Elemental Hero appeared on the field.
ATK 800
"Due to the permanent Trap, DNA Surgery, Clayman becomes a Beast-type!" said SAL.
Yellow energy appeared on Clayman, causing the Elemental Hero to grow animalistic-features. Jaden held a card in her hand as she stared at SAL, determination in her eyes.
"So what?" she asked. "I'm ending this battle right here! I activate the Magic card, Life-Risking Change! I choose one monster with 1000 or less ATK on my field, and pay 1000 life points."
Jaden:
LP
1900
SAL bared his teeth at Jaden as he tightened his fist.
"When battle damage is dealt to the opposing player, the attacking monster's DEF is added to that amount!" explained Jaden. "Here goes, SAL! With Elemental Hero Clayman, I attack directly!"
Jaden held her fist up as she ordered Clayman to attack.
"Take this!" said Jaden. "Clay Knuckle!"
Clayman tightened his fists and sent a punch right at SAL. The punch went right through SAL, causing his life points to decrease slightly.
SAL:
LP
1100
Jaden smiled as she continued on with her attack.
"Next up, with Life-Risking Change's effect, Clayman's 2000 DEF is added to that damage!" said Jaden.
SAL fell onto his knees despondently, his hands on the rock he was on as he panted heavily. Through his helmet, the last of the four bananas representing his life points faded away while his opponent still had half of hers left. A small buzzer sounded as the image of a sad monkey face with the words 'GAME OVER' appeared, notifying him of his defeat.
Shou, Asuka, and Momoe all smiled at Jaden's victory.
"Aniki won!" said Shou.
Jaden placed her hand on her hip as she looked at SAL.
"Well, we promised!" said Jaden. "Time to release Junko!"
SAL stared at Jaden for a few seconds before turning around and walking over to Junko. Junko let out a startled shriek as SAL picked her up and carried her over a few feet away from the tree she was previously on. SAL then lowered her onto the ground, to which Junko immediately got up and ran towards Asuka. Asuka smiled and ran towards Junko.
"Junko!" said Asuka.
Momoe and Shou trailed after Asuka as Junko latched onto the dark-blonde Obelisk Blue.
"Asuka-san!" Junko cried out. "Momoe!"
Jaden stared at the Obelisk Blue trio as she kept her hand on her hip, smiling. Shou stopped by Jaden's side.
"Junko-san, you're safe now," said Momoe.
Shou smiled at Jaden and gave her a thumbs-up. Junko blinked and turned to face Jaden.
"Thanks for saving me, but…" said Junko.
The Duel Academy students turned their gaze on SAL, remembering that in return for Junko, he had to go back to the research lab.
"That monkey's going back to the research lab, isn't he?" asked Junko.
SAL murmured in a depressed tone as the three men from the research lab started walking towards him and the group.
"Well done," said the tallest man from the research lab. "Leave the rest to us!"
Jaden clenched her teeth and ran in front of SAL with her arms held out open to block the three men from the research lab.
"Hey, hold it!" yelled Jaden.
The three men listened and did as they were told by Jaden, though it was out of curiosity and amusement to what the gender-mistaken girl was doing.
"Don't get the wrong idea!" said Jaden. "I said he'd release the hostage if I won the duel, but… I didn't say he'd go back to the research lab!"
The three men looked at Jaden, baffled to what she said actually was true. Somehow, Jaden managed to find a loophole to her proposition with SAL if he lost. Jaden diverted her eyes at SAL as she smiled.
"That monkey's going to be back in the forest with his friends," said Jaden.
SAL let out an astonished 'ooki', having been shocked by Jaden's sudden willingness to keep him from going back to the research lab. Shou smiled and cupped his hands around his mouth.
"Yo!" Shou called out. "That's Aniki, all right! That's the way!"
Asuka smiled, as did Momoe and Junko.
"That's an ending you'd come up with," said Asuka.
Momoe nodded.
"He's got a good point, surprisingly," remarked Momoe.
"An Osiris Red, huh?" said Junko.
"He's interfering!" said the man with the tranquilizer rifle.
The man with the tranquilizer rifle and his taller accomplice, whom now had a net in his hands, shoved Jaden out of the way as they made their way towards SAL. Jaden, having fallen onto the ground rear-first from being shoved by the men from the research lab, rubbed her backside as she got off the ground. Her eyes widened when she heard SAL shrieked and turned only to see a net thrown onto the poor monkey.
"SAL!" exclaimed Jaden.
SAL struggled within the net as both men restrained him. Jaden clenched her teeth and tightened her fists as she glared at the men, shaking in anger.
"Shit…" Jaden cursed as she continued to scowl at the men.
Jaden was enraged up to the point where she didn't notice the doctor, whom was walking right past her until he spoke.
"If you want him back with his friends so much, we could do that…" said the doctor.
Jaden blinked and ceased her scowling as she looked at the doctor, perplexed.
"Huh?" said Jaden.
The doctor walked up to his assistants, the tallest one of them holding up SAL within the net. The assistant with the tranquilizer rifle kept his gaze on SAL incase he had to resort to shooting the monkey with a tranquilizer.
"However, they will be in my research lab!" the doctor said, looking back at Jaden.
Jaden's eyes widened.
"What?" she exclaimed.
The doctor turned around and looked at the monkeys behind the boulders, his hands behind his back.
"Catch all the other monkeys!" said the doctor.
The assistant wearing black sunglasses aimed his tranquilizer rifle at the monkeys.
"We are short on animals to experiment on, after all," the doctor added.
The assistant with the tranquilizer rifle was about ready to pull the trigger when a very familiar tabby cat intervened. The cat jumped off from the ground and yowled as he pounced on the man's head, hitting him right in the eyes. The man grunted and dropped the tranquilizer rifle as the cat jumped off him before placing his hand on his eyes.
The tabby cat landed on the ground on his feet like any other cat would (4) and walked over to where a very familiar man, specifically a professor, stood. Seeing as there was only one professor in Duel Academy who owned a cat, the person was without a doubt Daitokuji. Daitokuji knelt down to pick up his cat as he praised the feline.
"Great work, Pharaoh," Daitokuji said as he lifted Pharaoh off the ground. "You're my pet, after all-nya!"
Pharaoh meowed while Daitokuji petted his head as he carried the tabby cat in his arms. Jaden, Shou, Asuka, Momoe, and Junko stared wide-eyed at the professor as he walked towards the three men from the research lab.
"Daitokuji-sensei!" they exclaimed.
The doctor stared at Daitokuji as he walked over to the tranquilizer rifle.
"Who are you?" asked the doctor.
Daitokuji stopped in front of the tranquilizer rifle.
"If this goes public, you would be the embarrassed ones, wouldn't you-nya?" asked Daitokuji.
Daitokuji moved his foot under the tranquilizer rifle and kicked it up into the air. He caught the rifle with his right hand as he held Pharaoh in his left arm. He kept his usual smile as he looked at the three men.
"You'll be charged with animal cruelty, you know," remarked Daitokuji.
The doctor scowled at Daitokuji, his eye twitching slightly as he gritted his teeth.
A few moments later…
The men from the research lab had left, leaving everyone in peace. Robotic armor lied on the ground in front of SAL, having taken it off save for the duel disk on his arm. He turned around and scampered over to the group of monkeys by the boulders. Daitokuji and his students watched as SAL and his friends all made rather happy sounds, having been reunited.
"They all look so happy," Shou said, smiling.
"Thank goodness," said Junko.
Jaden grinned and cupped her hands around her mouth.
"Let's duel again sometime!" said Jaden.
SAL grinned as he held up his left arm where his duel disk resided. Jaden winked and pointed two fingers at SAL as she smiled.
"Gotcha!" said Jaden. "That was a fun duel!"
SAL waved good-bye at Jaden.
"Don't get caught again!" said Jaden. "See ya!"
With that said, SAL and his friends scampered off into the forest. Momoe looked at Daitokuji.
"At any rate, I wonder what would've happened to us if Daitokuji-sensei didn't show up right then," said Momoe.
Shou, Junko, Asuka, and Jaden turned their heads to Daitokuji.
"Thank you very much," said Asuka.
Daitokuji continued to pet Pharaoh as he held the cat in his arms.
"No, I didn't do anything," said Daitokuji. "Please, say that to Pharaoh instead of me-nya."
Pharaoh meowed as if in response. Jaden looked at Daitokuji questioningly.
"Still, why did you come here, sensei?" asked Jaden.
Daitokuji looked at Jaden, wearing his usual smile.
"A little birdie told me you were looking for Manjoume-kun-nya," said Daitokuji.
Jaden blinked a few times before realizing who Daitokuji was referring to. Narrowing her eyes, Jaden made a mental note to pay her rival a visit. Daitokuji placed his hand on Jaden's shoulder, startling the gender-mistaken girl slightly.
"Speaking of Manjoume-kun, I found him-nya," said Daitokuji.
Jaden blinked and smiled.
"Huh?" said Jaden. "Really?"
Shou smiled.
"Thank goodness!" said Shou.
Both Momoe and Junko laughed while Asuka just smiled. Daitokuji smiled nervously as he continued on.
"But he's no longer on this island-nya…" Daitokuji added a bit nervously.
Jaden ceased her smiling and blinked.
Sometime later by the docks,
Daitokuji and his students all stared out at the ocean from the docks.
"To tell you the truth, I noticed it earlier, too," said Daitokuji. "And after hearing that you were searching for him as well, I went to find Manjoume-kun myself-nya…"
~flashback~
Manjoume stood on his family's yacht, staring out at Duel Academy with determination.
"Just you watch…it won't end like this," thought Manjoume.
Daitokuji watched as the yacht sailed off into the ocean.
~end of flashback~
Shou, Momoe, Asuka, Junko, and Jaden all stared out into the ocean.
"So, that's it, huh?" asked Jaden.
"Manjoume-kun left the island…" said Shou.
Momoe placed her finger on her lips.
"Manjoume-san…" Momoe said.
Jaden turned around quickly and smiled as she tightened her fists.
"Don't worry!" reassured Jaden. "I know he'll come back!"
Shou nodded and replied, "Yeah, he will!"
Asuka nodded as Jaden turned around and stared out at the ocean again.
"I know Manjoume's looking at this same sky, too!" said Jaden.
Shou narrowed his eyes and stared at Jaden.
"Aniki, you're showing off too much," said Shou.
Jaden blinked and looked at Shou.
"Huh?" she said. "Really?"
Jaden smiled and laughed, her friends and Daitokuji joining in her laughter.
A/N End of chapter. *walks in wearing Limey Man shirt* I FINALLY updated and I'm FINALLY wearing the YGO TAS shirt I got at the Anime Expo on July 2! BTW, if you were there, I was the Yuki Nagato in a maid outfit with a red camera…why did I choose that for my cosplay? Well, Kami-sama (me in Haruhi Suzumiya cosplay with the nickname 'Kami-sama' given to me by friends) wanted to take a break, so I decided to break in my new cosplay outfit and wig.
Anyways, It's been two weeks and I know I probably irritated some of you guys—*dodges stuff thrown at from angry readers* Okay! I know, I was supposed to have had this chapter up two weeks ago, but I got sidetracked with the yaoi manga (Oh My God!) I bought as well as the first four volumes of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist manga…oh, and of course the prime suspect of this late update… me watching a BioShock 2 walkthrough. Hey! It's not my fault the game has such a good plot! Of course, it is my fault for getting into the game, but I don't resent…I only resent not updating this chapter two weeks ago. In compensation to this lateness, more chapters have been updated today, so keep reading and you know the drill! Also…read the first review to this chapter and you have to watch episode 11 of DarkSideIncorporated's Yu-Gi-Oh GX the Abridged series to get it!
Oh, and since this is the 10th chapter, I'd like to give a shout out to my favorite faithful reviewers who have stuck with me this far!
PrincessAnime08, Yuri n' Chuka, Hippi the headgehog112 who made a rather interesting story to how Manjoume finds out Jaden's true gender…don't worry, she had my permission, Hestic, heartlessneko I'm keeping an eye on you for watermelons and pointing out my references! Okay, where was I…Lightmagegirl4437, XRarityoftearsX, A Neverending Dream of Flight whom I'm glad decided to stick to the story, and digiwriter1392.
(1) Just an excuse to finally use the word espionage. Heh, heh…
(2) The badly drawn bush that was pointed out in my favorite Yu-Gi-Oh GX Abridged series.
(3) Not to be mistaken with the name Seto Kaiba once called Katsuya Jounouchi in the dub!
(4) Depends if that theory happens to be true. I would try it on my cat, but I don't want to be scratched! That cat is evil…ish! He used to attack me for no apparent reason when I went into the garage when he was a kitten!
That's it! Continue onto the next chappie!