Yu-Gi-Oh! Eternal
A Fanfiction by neomage
(DISCLAIMER: neomage has returned! And, just like before, neomage does not own Yu-Gi-Oh in any of its forms!)
CHAPTER 10 – Samurai Rival
DUEL ACADEMY LECTURE ROOM
The school bell rang again as Janus and Ricardo dashed along the corridor. "Oh, man, we gotta hurry up!" Janus cried frantically, running even harder.
"This'll be cutting it close…" Ricardo muttered as he kept pace with Janus.
The two boys rounded a corner, just in time to see students swiftly filing into the door of their designated class. Immediately the two ran up to join the tail end of the group. "SAFE!" they exclaimed simultaneously.
They hurried into the classroom and headed for their seats, just as Professor Crosskill entered the room through his designated entry door. "Good morning, class," he greeted them all, setting his lecturing tools on his table.
"Good morning, Professor Crosskill," the students replied. Some said it with a degree of enthusiasm, others said it as though wishing they could be elsewhere; if Professor Crosskill noticed this latter attitude, he showed no sign.
"Now, then!" he spoke up again. "Before we get into today's lesson, first I'd like all of you to submit your essays on the comparison between modern-day Duel Monsters and the ancient games of Egypt that I'd assigned last class. Anyone who doesn't submit their essay right now can look forward to spending this evening in detention, no excuses, no exceptions! So—fork them over right now!"
There was a unanimous rustle of paper from every corner of the room as the students passed their respective assignments up to the front. A large pile of papers soon made itself apparent on Professor Crosskill's desk. "Good, very good," he nodded with approval. "All right, now that that's done, let's get into it…"
He took a piece of chalk and turned to the board, beginning to write in big bold letters. "Now, for today's discussion topic," he spoke as he wrote, "we will be going in-depth into something we were only barely able to touch upon last class—ancient Egyptian artifacts that were said to be connected to Duel Monsters."
Hearing this, Janus inwardly groaned. Just great—the same thing he was interrogating me about last class! Man, what do I know or care about such boring crap, anyway?
"As you will recall from last class," Professor Crosskill turned to face the class again, "I made mention of the fact that in ancient Egypt, during the reign of the pharaoh Aknamkanon, seven magical artifacts were created by his priests to protect his kingdom from his enemies. I also made mention that with these items' creation began the birth of Duel Monsters. Hopefully, in your reading to prepare the essay I assigned, you would have spotted detailed information on these seven artifacts. Now…today, we'll be talking about what these items were, and also we will learn if there were others like them. So, students, turn your textbooks to Chapter 7…"
Pages were swiftly turned.
"Now, starting on page 113…" Professor Crosskill waited as more rustling of pages occurred. "…there should be a description of what the items were called, how they were made, and what powers they were purported to have. Now, I need a volunteer to quickly read the section regarding the name of the items and their creation. Anyone?"
An Obelisk Blue student near the back of the class stood up, textbook in hand. "With the enemies of the pharaoh Aknamkanon bearing down on Egypt's borders," she read, "he made a decree that an ancient ritual should be performed to create a means to protect his kingdom. What was not known at that time, however, was that the ritual would require ninety-nine human sacrifices…"
A shiver ran through the class as that section was read.
"An entire village was slaughtered for the ritual; the victims' blood, bones and flesh were then mixed in with the gold that was used to forge the items needed to protect the kingdom," the student continued reading, seemingly unmoved at the grisly information in the text. "The items were then used to successfully repel Aknamkanon's enemies and drive them from Egypt. These items are referred to today by Egyptologists and other historians as 'Millennium Items' due to the thousands of years they were sealed away and thought lost forever since the days of Aknamkanon."
"All right," said Professor Crosskill, holding up a hand to signal the student to stop reading. "Now, students, make a note of this. One of the historians who documented this information that we are currently reading is the famed archaeologist Ryou Bakura; without his input, this information on the Millennium Items might not exist today. Make sure you write it down somewhere, as it may come up on your next test."
Janus cocked an eyebrow. We're gonna be tested on this boring stuff? Oh, brother…
"Now," Professor Crosskill continued, "I need another volunteer to briefly read to the class about the seven individual Millennium Items, and what powers they were said to have. Quickly, now…"
This time it was Ricardo who stood up with his book at the ready. "The seven Millennium Items were as follows," he read. "The Millennium Key, the Millennium Eye, the Millennium Necklace, the Millennium Rod, the Millennium Ring, the Millennium Scale, and the Millennium Puzzle. According to legend, in addition to each Item possessing its own unique abilities, all seven had the power to summon real Duel Monsters, transport their users and their victims to alternate realities where 'Shadow Games' could be played, and inflict punishments upon their victims that fit whatever crimes the victims had committed."
"All right," said Professor Crosskill. "Now, could someone else read the individual powers that the Millennium Items were said to have?"
In her place at the back, Cassara picked up her book. "The Necklace allowed its user to see through time, predicting future events and also witnessing events gone past," she read. "The Rod had the power of mind control, and also concealed a dagger within its handle that could be used for sacrifices. The Scale had the power to determine if a person was a liar or truth-teller, and if the person was a liar they were punished accordingly; it also had the power to fuse Duel Monsters together. The Key could alter a victim's personality and also turn the user invisible at will. The Eye allowed its user to read the minds of others. The Ring could trap the souls of others at the user's whim, and could also locate other Millennium Items. The Puzzle, said to be the most powerful of the seven, could grant one wish to the person who successfully solved it; it also increased its owner's chances of winning games, and was said to be able to separate the good and evil aspects of a person from each other."
"Thank you," said Professor Crosskill.
A Ra Yellow student raised his hand. "Professor, one question: wasn't the Millennium Puzzle owned by Yugi Muto at one time, many years ago?" he asked.
Immediately furious whispering broke out in the class. "Hey, yeah, that IS true, isn't it?" some of the students asked each other.
"My dad used to talk about seeing Yugi dueling in the Battle City tournament, and he said Yugi wore some kind of upside-down golden pyramid on a chain! And it looked just like the Millennium Puzzle does in the text!" Another Ra Yellow student opened her book to show those sitting closest to her.
"No way!"
"You're kidding! Really?"
"Does that mean Yugi Muto was cheating in his duels all along?"
"No way! Yugi would never cheat in a duel!"
"Well, it did seem a little weird how he was always able to win when you'd least expect it…"
"Like you'd know! You weren't even born when he was dueling!"
"CLASS!" Professor Crosskill loudly slapped a ruler on his desk, grabbing everyone's attention again. "Listen, all of you. It is indeed true that Yugi Muto was at one time the owner of the Millennium Puzzle; however, there is no concrete evidence to suggest that it may have influenced his dueling victories. And even if it did, he was always known for playing Duel Monsters according to the rules—if he had felt that using whatever power the Puzzle possessed, if any, was a form of cheating, he would never have been seen in tournaments with it on."
"Professor Crosskill, may I suggest a compromise?"
At once all heads in the room turned in the direction of the new speaker's voice. Janus was a little surprised to see who it was. "Hey…isn't that…?"
It was Jiro Burger, sitting in the seat at the extreme top left corner of the class. Now he stood up, a grave look on his face, even as all eyes were on him. "And what exactly is your compromise, sir?" Professor Crosskill asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"It's this," Jiro replied. "Whether the Millennium Puzzle—or any of the other Items, for that matter—had magic powers or not, it cannot be denied that back during his days of stardom Yugi Muto had an unusual knack for getting lucky in duels just when it would seem that all chance of victory for him was gone. He is known now as the King of Games of his generation, but if he won his duels by relying solely on any special powers, then that title should be waived even if he wasn't technically cheating. He had skill, certainly…but there were a number of times in his career when he rightly should have lost against more highly-skilled opponents, but did not. That kind of luck just flies in the face of all the time those other duelists surely would have spent honing their skills…as if they spent all their time training for absolutely nothing."
The other students looked at Jiro, then at each other. Professor Crosskill cleared his throat. "Ahem…quite a strong conviction you have there, Mr. Burger…"
"Hang on a second!" Janus jumped up in his seat, startling everyone else as he turned to look in Jiro's direction. "What're you saying—you don't believe in natural-born talent? Because surely Yugi Muto had plenty of THAT, Puzzle or no Puzzle!"
"Sure, I believe in talent," Jiro replied. "But I also believe that talent is not something you are born with—it is something you must work to achieve for it to mean anything. Yugi didn't spend his whole life training in Duel Monsters…his skill just seemed to fall into his lap, just like that. And to me, that is unfair to every other duelist in the world who'll work, and work, and work, and yet will never be able to reach the kind of potential he was purported to have."
Professor Crosskill cleared his throat again. "Well…I suppose we can accept that compromise for the time being, Mr. Burger. Now, could we get on with the class…unless, of course, Mr. Yuki would like to make another noisy outburst like he did just now?" and he shot Janus a stinging glare.
Sighing, Janus flopped back down into his seat. But as he did so, new thoughts occupied his mind. Pretty big words, Jiro…guess I'm gonna have to wait till the end of class before I can get you to explain yourself, especially since that prick Crosskill is being an ass today as usual…
----------
AN HOUR LATER
The bell rang for the end of second period, and the students came pouring out of the classroom, loudly chatting amongst their respective groups. Momentarily caught in the crush of the crowd, Janus soon managed to slip out from among them and leaned against a wall, taking a moment to catch his breath. "Okay, I don't have any classes till 2:00," he mused. "Now's my chance to find that Jiro!"
"Janus? Ah, there you are!"
Looking up, Janus saw Ricardo and Cassara emerging from the student crowd and coming to meet him. "Oh, hey, you guys," he hailed them. "Say, has either of you seen Jiro? I was hoping to ask him something…"
"You mean, pertaining to what he said back there in class?" Ricardo inquired.
"Yeah, that," Janus nodded. "He sure didn't seem very supportive of the whole idea of 'natural talent'…and I wanna know why."
"Well, good luck finding him to ask him that," Cassara noted. "I've noticed it for the last two days—you don't really see him anywhere on campus except at class and at the dorm, and even then he rarely sticks around for much of anything."
"I know what that's like," Janus agreed. "I've only really talked to him about three times by now—when he and I were first introduced as roommates…this morning when I woke up…and just now, in class. I haven't had any other opportunities to really get acquainted."
"Well, maybe he's made his own set of friends that he hangs out with, and that's why we don't see him," Ricardo suggested.
"That's what he told me this morning, but I wonder…" Janus frowned. "If that's really true, how come we don't see him hanging around with anybody? You'd think you could at least see who his friends are, if they exist at all…"
"I suppose it's not our business to pry, Janus…when Jiro feels comfortable revealing who his friends are, then he'll do that," Cassara told him. "For now, let's just continue being nice to him when we see him. I'm sure he'll lighten up to us sooner or later."
"Still doesn't mean I can't get to ask him why he feels the way he does about natural talent," Janus reasoned.
"Yes, I agree that he certainly seemed opposed to the concept," Ricardo reasoned. "I suppose that means, in such a case, that he really wouldn't hang out with us anyway."
"Why not?" Janus protested.
"Think about it, Janus—at least two of our group is a natural at something," Ricardo answered. "You have a natural talent for dueling, amplified by the training you got from both your parents, who are themselves dueling experts. I have a natural talent for things like mathematics and history, and you know my father's an algebraic genius. For someone like Jiro, who I suspect may probably have had to work twice as hard as we've done in order to get a similar amount of skill in whatever field he specializes in, there might be some level of resentment."
"Hey, now—Natasha and I aren't as good at math or at dueling, and we don't hate you guys," Cassara told them.
"That's because you've both known us longer than any of us have known Jiro," Ricardo told her. "So of course there's going to be a difference in perception."
"Well…one thing's for sure, that Jiro Burger is one mysterious guy," Janus acceded.
Suddenly the bell rang again. "Oops—that's third period's bell! I'm gonna be late for my Spanish class!" Cassara exclaimed in a sudden panic. "Well, talk to you guys later!" And she turned and ran off up the corridor.
"Sure thing!" Janus called after her. "Maybe we can lunch together today!"
"Yeah, definitely!" Cassara flung over her shoulder.
Ricardo chuckled. "Well, I'm going to head over to the library. I just hope they have something interesting for me to read this time around."
"Dude, haven't you, like, read all the books in the library by now?" Janus eyed him suspiciously.
"Not exactly…just the ones on science and math," Ricardo grinned. "Maybe they'll have new books on those subjects for this school year…if not, I can always get started on the history books!"
"What a nerd you are," Janus shook his head.
"Yeah, well, don't forget which nerd it was that came up with that brilliant plan for us to help out everyone during the World Championships," and Ricardo gave Janus a knowing grin. "And what're you going to do in the meantime, Mr. Dueling Genius?"
"Ha, ha," Janus gave a sarcastic laugh. "Well, if you must know, I'm going to take a look around for Jiro. I don't have anything else to do between now and when we all meet up for lunch, anyway."
"Good luck with that, then," and Ricardo turned and headed off down the corridor himself.
"Catch you later, bookworm," Janus called after his friend. Then, chuckling, he turned and walked off himself.
----------
ELSEWHERE ON DUEL ACADEMY ISLAND, AT THAT MOMENT
A little distance away from the Duel Academy buildings, out in the forest, there was a small grove of trees and other plants. High above, the sun's rays shone down through the trees' leaves, painting quite a beautiful picture in the eye of a naturalist. Birds could be heard chirping within the branches. Bees flew from one colorful flower to another. Just a stone's throw away, there was a miniature waterfall that came down into a stream where fish swam unmolested.
And in the open space which all of this surrounded sat Jiro Burger, in a cross-legged position, his hands on his knees, his eyes closed and his head bowed.
Presently he spoke, disturbing the stillness of his environs. "My avatar…come before me."
And then—out of nowhere—the semi-transparent form of a man in red Samurai armor and a blue cape, with a sheathed katana at his side, emerged in front of Jiro. "You summoned me, my master?" the silhouette spoke, bowing respectfully.
Jiro looked up. "That I did. Tell me, what do you think? Are there truly others here, like you?"
"I have indeed sensed their presence, my master," the Samurai replied. "But so far, only one other avatar appears to have been unlocked…the one referred to as Neos."
Jiro's eyes narrowed at that. "You wish to fight him?"
"Merely to test his strength, my master. To see if he will be worthy of facing me and my followers."
"Hmmm…well, have patience, Shien…that can be arranged in due time." And Jiro nodded meaningfully at the silhouette before him.
----------
DUEL ACADEMY GROUNDS, A LITTLE WHILE LATER
"You're sure? You haven't seen Jiro anywhere around?"
"No, man; sorry."
"Okay then, thanks. Let me know if you ever spot him around, all right?"
"No prob, Janus."
Disappointment clear on his face, Janus turned away from the group of Osiris Red students and walked off. Okay…I've checked just about everywhere I can think of…but where the hell is that Jiro? He's sure good at getting himself lost at wherever he is!
"You seem quite eager to find this Jiro Burger, now aren't you?"
"What the…?" Turning, Janus saw the semi-transparent form of Elemental Hero Neos standing right next to him. "Oh, wonderful…"
"What?" Neos seemed to cock an eyebrow at him.
Janus glanced around, checking to see if anyone was in sight. "Hey, man, you can't just show up unannounced like that! People will think I've gone loco if they see me talking to you—and you know they can't see you!" he hissed in as low a tone as he could manage.
"Relax, Janus," Neos chuckled. "You didn't seem much worried about that this morning, when your friend Ricardo showed up while we were talking. That you would allow such a trivial thing to affect you now is almost…amusing."
"Yeah, well, try living in a world where claiming to be able to talk to Duel Monsters is the first sign for you to be tossed into a little room with padded walls," Janus grumbled.
"Heh." Neos regarded Janus. "In any case, don't you think you should leave Jiro be?"
"What do you mean?" Janus asked.
"You wish to know why he is not supportive of natural talent, yes?" Neos questioned. "Well, I say his reasons are his own, and he should not be forced to divulge them against his will. When he feels the need to explain himself, he will do so once he is ready."
"Does that include allowing him to stay so secretive?" Janus wondered. "I mean, as far as I know, the guy barely socializes with anybody else. He claims to have his own circle of friends, but the way he acts so mysterious and all, I seriously doubt that."
"Or perhaps his friends are not the type of friends you are thinking of," Neos suggested.
"Huh? What d'you mean by that?" Janus looked at Neos, perplexed.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Janus Yuki!"
"Huh?" Janus looked up at the sound of the voice—and immediately began to blush. "Oh…Professor Flannigan…!"
Indeed, it was the literature teacher, walking toward him with a smile on her face. "I assume you have a free period, and that's why you're not at class, hmmm?"
Briefly glancing to his right out of the corner of his eye, Janus noted that Neos had vanished upon Professor Flannigan's appearance. "Well, uh…yeah, actually, I don't have another class today until 2:00," he admitted.
"That's when Literature class is," Professor Flannigan noted. "Although, I'm not sure whether to call you lucky or lazy for having so much free time on your hands. Perhaps I need to speak to Principal Yuki about that…"
"No, no, it's not like that, really!" Janus hastened to assure her. "It's just that my schedule allows me this much free time on Mondays and Wednesdays—the other days of the week, I'm actually pretty busy with classes!"
"Never mind, dear—I was just teasing," and Professor Flannigan briefly and playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "Anyway, I think congratulations from me are in order."
"Congratulations? For what?" Janus asked, puzzled.
"Why, for beating Calhoun Vincente in a duel on Monday evening!" Professor Flannigan answered. "Oh, come now, Janus, don't look at me like that; you think teachers don't listen to student gossip from time to time?"
"Oh…well…" Janus rubbed the back of his head. "I was just doing what I had to do in that duel, that's all."
"So modest," Professor Flannigan chuckled. "But just between you and me, that's not all that the rumors say…"
"Oh?" Janus blinked.
"Yes." Now the teacher's face was a little grave. "Some of the Obelisk Blue students in particular…I've heard them say that your victory was nothing but luck, and that Calhoun simply had a bad deck shuffle, and that is why he lost."
"Oh, I see…" Janus frowned. "And what do you think, Professor Flannigan?"
"What I think? Well…" She rubbed her chin as if in contemplation. "I think that whether you beat him by a fluke or through real skill, the fact remains that you beat him, and no amount of public relations gossip is going to change that." She chuckled again. "But you know what? I'm willing to bet that in spite of all of the gossip supporting him, Calhoun must still be pretty burned by your victory over him."
"It would serve him right, after all the crappiness he put me through just to get that duel," Janus sighed.
"What's done is done, dear," Professor Flannigan told him. "Anyway, what are you going to do now, since you don't have a class? Are you going to practice your dueling skills?"
"Actually, I was just looking for somebody," Janus replied. "Jiro Burger, my roommate at the dorm. But so far nobody I've asked seems to know where he is."
"Jiro Burger, eh?" Professor Flannigan looked thoughtful. "I have him for Literature on Tuesdays and Thursdays…a rather bright boy, if a little narrow-minded."
"Narrow-minded?" Janus wondered.
"Yes." Professor Flannigan nodded. "He hasn't participated much in our class discussions, but so far he's made it clear that he believes very strongly in hard work. Anything other than that is a sham."
"Hmph…wish I'd known that before," Janus sighed. "Earlier in class, he was going on about how natural talent in Duel Monsters is an unfair advantage against people who work hard and train all their lives in the game. I think he's got issues…"
Suddenly he paused. "Huh?"
Several yards away, behind Professor Flannigan, there was a rather odd sight: a semi-transparent form of a man in red Samurai armor and a blue cape! Okay…that's not something you see on this campus every day… Janus frowned as he looked at the bizarre sight.
"Hmm? What's the matter?" Professor Flannigan queried, looking at Janus even as he seemed to stare past her. She then turned and looked. "What is it? Is something there?"
Oh, yeah… Janus's frown became deeper. That…that must be a Duel Monster spirit, like Neos! And of course, it figures that I can see it and Professor Flannigan can't…
The Samurai then appeared to make a motion with his arm, as if beckoning to Janus. He…wants me to follow him or something? Well…
"Sorry, Professor Flannigan! I thought I saw something just now—I'm gonna go check it out!" Janus hastily apologized to the teacher, and then ran past her and toward the Samurai. In turn, the spirit spun around and dashed off across the grounds, heading for the nearby tree-line.
"Janus, wait a minute! What's going on all of a sudden?" Professor Flannigan called after Janus.
"Don't worry—I'll let you know when I get back!" Janus shouted back to her, even as he continued to run.
Professor Flannigan shook her head. "That was weird…"
----------
ELSEWHERE ON DUEL ACADEMY ISLAND, AT THAT MOMENT
Jiro was still sitting in the same cross-legged position, his eyes closed as he appeared to meditate. But on his mind was one thought: Bring him to me, Shien!
----------
Janus was now running through the bushes and past the trees, continuing his pursuit of the Samurai spirit that showed no indication of slowing down for anything. "Man, that guy can run fast!" he panted.
Neos appeared next to him again, flying very fast to keep up with Janus. "You decided to just follow that spirit, without thinking of the possible dangers awaiting you?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow at his human companion.
"Like what?" Janus panted from his exertion.
"Well, for instance, the fact that you could get lost easily in this forest; not to mention the fact that this could be a trap of some sort," Neos pointed out.
"And who'd want to trap me in this forest? Hardly anybody comes this way!" Janus argued.
"How about that Calhoun person?" Neos suggested. "He would want revenge against you for your defeat of him, after all. Have you considered that?"
"Actually…no," Janus admitted. "But if it was Calhoun behind this, wouldn't he use an Alien monster to lure me in? His deck strategy doesn't call for Samurai or anything like that, as far as I recall. Besides, I doubt he'd be able to see Duel Monster spirits, anyway."
"You have a good point," Neos reasoned. "But if this monster we're chasing is not one of Calhoun's, then who does it belong to? Not just anybody can see Duel Monster spirits, you know."
"Guess we're gonna find out pretty soon!" Janus still did not slow his pace.
The pursuit was approaching a break in the trees—and it was right at that point that the Samurai spirit abruptly stopped, turned, and held up a hand for his pursuers to halt. "Whoa!" Janus cried out, skidding to a halt just inches away from his quarry.
The Samurai pointed to a grassy clearing, just beyond the tree line—and, for the first time, he spoke. "Enter this place with reverence and respect," he said, in a deep-throated voice. "My master awaits." And then, as he bowed to Janus and Neos, he vanished into thin air.
Neos nodded to Janus. "Go ahead," he said. "And good luck." And he, too, disappeared.
Bracing himself, Janus walked out of the trees and into the clearing—and was instantly struck at what he saw. "Whoa…this place…it's…" he whispered, glancing around him at the seemingly unspoiled vegetation and at the waterfall flowing into a stream a few yards away.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Janus jumped, startled at the voice. He immediately turned in a direction…and blinked. "No way…Jiro?"
Indeed, there sat Jiro Burger, in the same cross-legged position as before. Now, however, he calmly stood up and regarded Janus. "Congratulations on finding this place," he said matter-of-factly. "And thank you for confirming something I've been suspecting a little while now. Just the fact that you were able to follow Shien here confirms that you also can see Duel Monster spirits."
Janus gave him a puzzled look. "Shien? You mean that Samurai dude?"
"Of course." Jiro nodded.
"Well, okay, but…what're you doing out here, in the middle of practically nowhere, by yourself?" Janus wondered.
Jiro shook his head. "Take a good look around you," he instructed. "The grassy clearing in which we stand. The trees surrounding us. The birds that inhabit the trees. The flowers that grow in and around the bushes, and the bees that buzz from flower to flower. The little waterfall over there, the stream it feeds, and the fish that inhabit that stream. All of these are but sons and daughters of Mother Nature herself…when I'm here, amongst them, I am not truly alone. And, too, from time to time Shien comes out and we chat about many things."
Janus made a face. "So…these are your 'friends' that you were talking about this morning, huh?" he remarked. "And here I thought you were as normal as the rest of us…"
"And you talking to your Elemental Hero Neos is 'normal'?" Jiro quizzed. "Of course, I only assume that you do talk to him, as I talk to Shien."
"All right, cut to the chase, Jiro," said Janus. "Why am I even here? Why'd you and your Samurai friend lure me out here?"
"Because, Janus…both Shien and I wish to test a few things," Jiro replied coolly. "In Shien's case, he wishes to pit his strength against that of Neos—to see which of the two of them is the stronger monster. And me, well…I want to find out first-hand whether or not hard work is better than natural talent."
"Back with the whole speech you made in History class? Gimme a break," Janus groaned.
"Actually, I think it's something you would do well to consider seriously," Jiro said sternly. "For one thing, how was it possible that back in his glory days Yugi Muto was able to best opponents even when they had him pinned to a wall with no possible chance of victory in sight? For that matter, how is it possible that you were able to defeat the likes of Drake Phoenix and Calhoun Vincente, even though both of them had more experience, better strategies, and stronger monsters than you?" His eyes narrowed. "Yugi Muto came out of complete obscurity and defeated the likes of Seto Kaiba and Maximillion Pegasus, who had worked for years to establish their reputations within the Duel Monsters world. Similarly, Drake Phoenix worked hard to make a name for himself in the dueling tournament circuit, and Calhoun Vincente had to prove himself worthy of being second-best of the Obelisk Blue duelists so that he could claim the title of 'best' after what happened with James Truesdale's suspension—yet, out of nowhere, you showed up and cut both of them down. And let's not forget the World Championships that ended a while back—you were able to claim third place in that tournament, coming out above a whole host of entrants who obviously had stronger skill than you did."
"What're you getting at?" Janus asked him.
"What I'm getting at is simply this," Jiro replied. "As far as I'm concerned, there are only two viable explanations for someone to have that kind of talent without putting forth any obvious effort—either their talent comes natural to them, or they're cheating. And it doesn't matter which of those two categories you, or Yugi Muto, or anyone else for that matter, might fall under…you make the blood, the sweat, the tears that other duelists have to sacrifice to get their level of skill seem all for naught. And frankly speaking, I despise people like you who do that!"
"Uh-huh, I was right—you definitely have issues," Janus scowled. "But what're you going to do about it?"
"That brings me back to why I've had you come here," said Jiro. "I wanted to duel you in a place where I knew we would not be disturbed. After all, this is not a duel for glory or showmanship—this is a duel that is meant to prove a point. I'm going to prove to you right now that there is no logical way you could have defeated your previous opponents with your level of skill or the strength of the deck you possess. I'm going to prove to you right now that before the strength of someone who has actually worked to get that strength, in the face of raw training, 'natural talent' or any other outside force is NOTHING!"
Janus crossed his arms. "A duel, is it? Well, I don't really mind…but I still think you're being a little too uptight about this."
"Let me hear you say that again after I've crushed you!" Jiro challenged.
"Fine, then," replied Janus. "Jiro Burger, your challenge is accepted! Bring it on!"
Both boys promptly pulled out their respective Duel-Disks from their jackets and strapped them on. Then Jiro, pulling out his deck, motioned to Janus to come to him. "Just so we can both be sure there's no cheating involved…?"
Rolling his eyes, Janus approached Jiro and held out his own deck, at the same time taking Jiro's. Then the two of them vigorously shuffled each other's decks, handing them back to each other moments later.
"Why would I have to resort to cheating? That's a real low blow…" Janus muttered as he walked several paces away from Jiro.
"Think whatever you want…but a lot of times it's hard enough to tell the difference between people who cheat and people who claim to have 'natural' talent," Jiro replied. "Especially in Yugi Muto's case…who's to say which of the two categories he fell under, especially since he had the Millennium Puzzle with its power that we learned about in class today?"
"Whatever, Jiro," said Janus. "Let's do this now!"
"Very well," said Jiro. "Let's duel!"
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neomage: This chapter's for all of you folks out there who likely would've complained that Yugi having the Millennium Puzzle gave him an unfair advantage, plus the power of story-scripting had him almost always winning against opponents who had a clearly bigger advantage…but honestly, what do you think? Was Yugi cheating all that time, or was it natural talent…or was it something else? You be the judge!
Anyway, more chapters are coming up soon…and next chapter, the duel between Jiro and Janus starts!
krizrampage: I say Yugi was cheating all that time!
kRiZ: Says you! It was talent, pure and simple!
yamikriz: Oh, suuuure…and talent comes in the form of a magic golden pyramid that is suspended from the neck by a chain or string…
rampagerkriz: Well, what about those times when Yugi had to duel WITHOUT the power of the Puzzle, and still won? Answer that!
kriztrigun: But he dueled WITH the Puzzle more times than he dueled WITHOUT it—far more!
neomage: Sigh…just review soon, everyone…