CHANGES MADE: JADEN YUKI to YUKI JUDAI. Since many were confused as to which version I was using, here it is. Yes, that's right. I prefer the Jap better. I'll also be using some Jap words to further confuse you (Just kidding). And I have a question. Was Sho addressed by Kenzan as Marufuji-senpai or was it only Sho? Nonetheless, read and be confused.

Sounds of beeping echoed all over the forest of pure green. The rectangular contraption that made the beeping was currently being swung here and there by Jim Crocodile Cook. The curling sense of eagerness made a grin on his face. It was a face that looked like a kid in search for an adventure.

"This is really something." He grins to the cymometer while studying its readings. The hand on the machine was on the farthest reading possible.

*RAAAAWWWWWRRR*

"Huh?" Jim turned his head to the right. He knew who made the animal-like sound. It was supposed to be right beside him. "KAREN!"

Karen, a crocodile that Jim had with him long since, had gone running off. Its footsteps were, indeed, small but it was undeniably fast. It broke twigs and swayed bushes like it was nothing more than decoration. The path it was taking was at random as though it's completely following its instincts. One thing was for certain, though. It was heading out of the timberland.

Jim was trying his best to keep-up with the animal. "Karen! Wait!" He was desperate not to lose trail of the crocodile because if he did, who knows what will happen to its victims. With Karen's current condition, it can't seem to distinguish between enemy and friend.

xxxXXXxxx

"How's the analysis, Ayukawa-sensei?"

The teacher in question had a face that can't be painted by bright colors. "The numbers are very disturbing." She was reevaluating the statistics in the document pertaining to Sho's condition. The confusion added more enigmatic thoughts to her, already-chaotic, self. "It's as if he dueled 24/7."

"So he's just fatigued then?" The boy's attitude was near to insensitive saying 'that's it?' to the nurse's face. It was as though he wore a mask that completely hid his true feelings within. A thing that Ayukawa knew that the boy can never do.

Ayukawa was puzzled by the indifferent approach. "Y-yes. He should be conscious by tomorrow with some rest." The gaze she had as she stared at Sho's sleeping figure was clearly in for a pity ride to oblivion. "But a normal duel shouldn't have done this."

'Meaning it WASN'T a normal duel.' Judai concentrated on his own thought. His silently-stomping foot showed impatience. A chained beast wanting to go berserk. The one to duel O'Brien, originally, was Judai, himself. Hearing Cobra's conversation with O'Brien clearly suggested it. 'Yet I dragged Sho to dueling the guy without even knowing what that Professor is planning.' His teeth were gnashing hard. 'Am I going to repeat the same mistakes again?'

A boring 8-bit ringtone broke Judai's focus. Ayukawa held out a PDA from her stainless lab coat. "Yes, this is Ayukawa…"

Judai couldn't hear who was on the other side and it wasn't in his interest to know who it is either.

"…I'll be there shortly." Along with a soft close to the PDA, the nurse placed the documents she held on the table. "Sorry, Judai. Can I ask you to look after Sho for a while?"

The teen grabbed a chair that was somewhere nearby. "Roger that."

"Thank you." She grasped another folder on the desk with her right hand. On her way to the automatic door, she stopped. "Judai…" Looking at people with cordial eyes must be a pre-requisite to being a nurse. "…please don't force yourself too hard."

A relieved smile implied that he understood what Ayukawa tried to say. "…I'll keep that in mind."

The stare could freeze an army if he continued it for much longer. Judai has been analyzing the bio-band on his and Sho's wrist for the last 30 minutes. After his duel with Johan, he felt that something was draining him out of fuel, and recently, he saw Sho's bio-band shine for a moment while the duel was ongoing. He wasn't considering the two dots as a coincidence.

'How frustrating. I was the one who led Sho to duel O'Brien so isn't this my fault?' The air around him was raising. 'If only I knew what Cobra meant by "dueling seriously".' For a millisecond, his eyes went gold. He was starting to lose his temper which, he knows, is not a good sign. 'I need a breather.' He sighs long and solid, trying to lose the accumulated heat from within, as he made his way to the exit.

The door slides open as two girls went in to the infirmary. One of them was obviously from Obelisk blue while the other wore a Slifer red uniform. The girls carried with them lunchboxes which was for the sick. They stopped their tracks as soon as they saw Judai blocking their way.

"Judai?"

"Judai-sama!"

Judai had his eyes in shock and his mouth was slightly open. The man was surprised to see the duo by means of staring at them for seconds. "Asuka and Rei?"

Rei gleefully went forward so as to be closer to Judai in proximity. Her eyes were sparkling and her lips were curving to a lovely smile. "Judai-sama! It has been a long time!"

"Uh, yeah. Long-time no see." He smiled, too, after seeing her cheerful greeting. It somehow lightened his mood. Sending good vibes with a smile was working for him.

Asuka, after seeing their atmosphere, moved to Sho's bed through a shoulder-to-shoulder brush with Judai. "What are you doing here?" The cold attitude towards him was logical in Asuka's point of view. He deserved it.

Judai stepped a foot backwards as he made way for Asuka. "I was just about to head out-"

"Please accept this!"

"Eh?"

The maiden-in-love was offering a lunch box to Judai. She was bowing at 45 degrees with the box towards him. Asuka was narrowing her vision to the simple gesture of giving. She was wondering whether Rei made it in hopes that Judai would be the one to eat it.

Judai can feel the piercing stare right behind him. "I-isn't that for Sho?" He raised both of his hands to show a refusal.

"Not really." Rei shoved the lunchbox to Judai's hand. "I thought he'd still be out cold so I prayed that Judai-sama would be there at the infirmary." She tip-toed her right foot that was teasing the floor, and started blushing. Her eye-to-eye contact with Judai was glistening a different spark with a pink setting. "And here you are. Don't you think it is fate?"

A bitter smile combined with a drop of sweat answered her. Judai has been careful not to push Rei's love buttons but that was somehow impossible to do. So as not to confront the issue of their fates, he decided to brush it all off with a subtle laugh.

The clank of a chair being pulled and placed rang across the sickbay. It was from the Obelisk girl's clumsy way of arranging a seat. There was a reason why she did it, though. She caught a certain couple's attention. "Weren't you heading out?"

"That, I am." Judai slipped pass Rei's defense. "Look after Sho for me." He forged a smile and waved good-bye while running out of the hallway.

"Waaiiitt, Judai-sama!" Rei tried to go after him but gave-up abruptly.

Asuka, in the moment's solution, exhaled all of her tension.

xxxXXXxxx

The air outside the academy happened to be cool. Like the monsoon was staging a typhoon's wind. The clouds were saying the same. Its fast shifts meant that a storm was brewing somewhere near the island. For now, it's all windy which was good for a little time out.

Judai tried to forget what happened earlier and decided to move on to the topic at hand. 'There are two points that connect me with this case. First was when Cobra wanted me to participate on a duel with Johan. Second was when he wanted me to duel gravely against O'Brien.' He set his eyes on the clouds above him. The wind felt good for his mind. It was keeping him calm. In doing so, he was trying to make a conclusion. 'Is this another problem related to me?'

"Aniki!" Kenzan came rushing. Anxiety and hope rang about his voice.

"Yo." Johan clipped his hands to the pockets of his pants. "How's Sho doing?" Worry wasn't noticeable from his tone. He was as carefree as the cool breeze flowing pass the group.

Judai liked his attitude as if nothing could make a ripple out of his rhythm. A type of nostalgia always shot him that he didn't enjoy. It was a conflicting feeling. "He's still unconscious but Ayukawa-sensei said he'd be up by tomorrow."

"That so? Too bad."

"But what happened back there – don?"

No one answered Kenzan's question with exception to the furious wind. "UUWWWAAAAAARRRRRGGHHHH!" And a sharp-earsplitting cry that came from the questioner, himself.

The group watched with eyes and mouths wide open. Kenzan dropped to his knees and felt for his butt that was currently being crunched by a large force. "WHAT THE HELL?!" His buttocks can feel sharp and pointy objects though it wasn't to the point of tearing his pants. The pain should be bearable since he wasn't crying.

"Sorry!"

An Australian-accented voice came, uninterrupted, from the forest. After some seconds of swooshing leaves, a man with a cowboy hat and bandaged right-eye eventually came rushing. Jim went straight to Kenzan whose butt was currently being eaten by a crocodile. "Down girl, down!" He patted Karen's head to pacify its sudden outburst.

The reptile-ish iris in the crocodile's eyes went from narrow to wide. The strength in Karen's jaws were diminishing and gradually, she was letting go of the dino-boy's behind. Jim was caressing her head. To the crocodile, it was enough to calm herself down. Now, she was enjoying Jim's care. "Good girl."

"Good?!" Kenzan was stroking the bitten part like a precious gem. "That croc just bite me!"

"And I already said sorry." Jim carried Karen over his back like a backpack. "It's just that Karen has been acting strangely since last night so I investigated the reason." After fastening the crocodile's bag-like crib behind him, Jim snatched a cymometer from his vest. "One of the things that stir a reptile's instinct is an electro-wave. Turns out there was a huge blast of it last night somewhere in the island."

As if to show that it was functioning, the cymometer's hand moved in a random manner.

"Last night?" Johan came to notice the detail. "Could it be the time when Sho had the duel?"

Kenzan couldn't let the topic go. "Then it's related to Sho's condition?!"

"If that's the case, then this could get interesting." Jim spat a smile that revealed his mystery-loving self. "Want to find out?"

"Sorry, but I'll pass." A fast-unfazed answer.

There shouldn't be a person in that vicinity to refuse the offer knowing how worried all of them are for Sho. But there was actually a douchebag that said the line among the group. Judai stepped away from them. "I have to go somewhere so good luck."

He waved good bye with his back.

Kenzan's head was filled with steam. His chest tightened with explosive anger to the point that his eyes went reptile mode. "I've been thinking of excuses about your cold attitude but this does it."

Sensing the pure hostility of an animal, Judai halted his tracks. However, he didn't face Kenzan. His uptake of the situation was the calm side.

The dinosaur clenched a fist that was directed to the ground. "MARUFUJI-SENPAI WAS SENT TO THE INFIRMARY YOU KNOW?! HOW CAN YOU STILL ACT LIKE IT DOESN'T CONCERN YOU?! AREN'T YOU WORRIED ABOUT HIM?!"

Judai glared at the clouds that moved steadfast. "Rain, huh?" He mumbled to himself. The sigh he let go caught his disappointment that it's going to rain and also the part that Kenzan was ranting at him with full force. 'Is that what he thinks of me now? An apathetic person?' From within, Judai was saddened at what Kenzan shouted. "Instead of giving me a sermon, why not get a move-on on your investigation, no?"

Growling in hate was what Kenzan was doing. His teeth rumbled with disgust towards the person in red. He was supposed to be respecting him, but with Judai's new antics, it was impossible to do so.

"Hey, Kenzan. Calm down." Johan patted Kenzan's shoulders. He was acting as a middle man. He looked at Judai who was still gazing at the sky. "You're planning something aren't you?" He went closer to Judai. "Something related to who's responsible?"

Judai kept his silence. The distance from him to the group went further as he walked steps that weren't comprehensible.

Kenzan was thrown a bucket of cold water. "…what?" His eyes went back to a pair of human eyes. His stand to the argument was gone as he saw Judai walk away. His voice stuttered from guilt on what he just shouted. All in all, he wasn't able to understand it. What was Judai planning and why isn't he saying a word about it?

'I knew it.' Mixed feelings of vexation and unspoken discontent made Johan take a grip within his pocket. "Isn't it better if you let us know about your plans?" It was painful how he knows that Judai has been taking a burden all by himself. It made him feel like a useless person.

The Slifer Red didn't bother to look back and a final wave of good bye answered Johan's question. Underneath his mouth was a gritting teeth with pure irritation. 'I let you know my plans and then what? Drag all of you into another dangerous situation? Not gonna happen.' He wasn't angry about Johan's insensitive-like suggestion. The inability to answer the question was proof that he wasn't strong enough to shoulder his friends' life if ever they were, indeed, pulled into the predicament. 'It's not like I don't trust their ability to shoulder themselves. If I confirm that this has something to do with me, then I would just be towing them into my problem.' Turning his back on them was the only solution he thought of where no one would be hurt. No one but himself.

'So Judai's the villain in their eyes?' Jim now had a rough idea about what's happening. Truth be told, he was laughing from within while the whole thing was happening. 'Dino-boy had a misunderstanding and he took it out on Judai.' Not only that, he can't seem to see how Judai was the cold looking guy they see him as. 'Then again, this is this and that is that.' Jim glanced at the cymometer. Only slight movements so far. "Hey." He caught the two's attention. "Are you coming or not?"

The boys stared at each other before they went to a decision. Their eyes looked with let-down sentiments to where Judai exited. Individually, they saw a new light to Judai's mind-set. It was a cold road he was facing. Such thought was theirs' alone. In a final acknowledgement, Kenzan and Johan nodded.

"If Judai is taking care of the other side…"

"..We can take care of this side – don."

The group of three walked towards the forest as their heavy atmosphere lifted to the cold sea breeze.

'But we'll catch-up, Judai.' Johan grinned to the new challenge in his path. 'Until then, you better sit tight.'

'As someone who follows him,' Kenzan set his eyes to the forest. His eyes looked different from earlier. 'I can't let Aniki do this alone.' It had a light with a fresh reason.

XxxxxxxX

*Ring ring*

Just as Judai separated himself from the crowd, his phone rang with a magnanimous bearing. He held the red phone in contempt, understanding that he wasn't in the mood to answer it.

*Ring ring*

He got more irritated the more it rang. A last click to his tongue.

"Yo. Been a while."

"…"

"You don't sound pleased that I called."

"…"

"Is silent treatment a new fad these days?"

"Hibiki-san. If you have something to say, please get on with it."

"Hahaha! I see someone is in a bad mood."The man named Hibiki went quiet. The action changed the atmosphere of the conversation from light to heavy. "You're back in Duel Academy aren't you?"

"I am."

The hush silence Hibiki took was enough to take-in Judai's answer. "President Kagemaru says that there is a large concentration of energy in there."

"So the old man is on the move already, huh."

"Not as well as you think. He's still in the middle of treatment."

"Does that large energy have something to do with me?"

"It appeared at the same time as you returned to Duel Academy. We thought that the high energy was you doing something but the reading is rather unusual."

"In what way?"

"It's the same concentration when you materialize a Duel monster. But…this time, it's larger."

"…" Judai can bring out a Duel Monster's power whenever he wants. He awakened to the ability while he was outside of the Academy. The two months he was away. It was due to this reason that a certain group was keeping its eyes on him. For them, he was a wild card that might bring peace or destruction to the world. "For your information, I haven't done anything THAT grand."

"We know that."Hibiki nodded. "And since you're already there, President Kagemaru wants you to investigate it in his stead."

"Hah?" Judai doubtfully answered what he just heard. He didn't owe anything to Kagemaru and it was, instead, the opposite. Kagemaru owed Judai.

"Of course, the President has something to offer."Hibiki initiated a negotiation in the President's place. Kagemaru knew that Judai has somehow matured and, therefore, doesn't take favors lightly.

Judai smirked to the thought of the offer. "Sounds interesting. What's the offer?"

"We will help you find THAT."

The gap between his lips were from the sheer disappointment he just had to hear. The THAT that they were talking about was already identified as nonexistent. He was now pursing his lips in dismay as he remembered that fact. "…I thought the old man was smarter than this."

"IT's still out there!"Hibiki responded almost instantly, desperate to let Judai hear the rest of the offer. "It's not an understatement if we say that IT is somewhere nearby!"

"…" The weight of the offer and the investigation was hanging on Judai's importance scale. It was a win-win situation if he took the offer since he was already curious of the large energy concentration. It might have something to do with the current activities around him. Not to mention that President Kagemaru had his own grounds regarding THAT. What Hibiki said somehow made a new type of hope within him. It was a possibility that made him highly consider the offer. 'I guess saying no would be stupid.' The sigh took off some weigh out of him. "Alright. I'll take the deal."

Hibiki puffed out in relief. "It's sealed then."

"But where did you get the assumption that IT's still existing?"

"So you think it's just an assumption, huh? Well, we can't blame you for that."The other line was murmuring audible concerns. "With regards to your question, sorry but we can't disclose any information until you've finished your part of the deal."

Gathering that Hibiki was using the contract at its fullest, Judai can't help but feel cheated. "Che, so stingy."

"Hehe~ Don't underestimate me, Judai-kun."Hibiki resembled a sage that was teaching his student a lesson.

Static noises on the background went louder than it should have. Something was disturbing their communication line. Another wave of electro waves. "What's with th-s interference?" Hibiki's voice became weaker and some words were already hard to hear. Taking that it was a sign to say good-bye, he ended their conversation."Anyways, we only calle- for th-t. If you need assi-tance, you kn-w the drill."

The call ended without Judai saying good-bye and thanks.

The lad pushed the phone into his pocket. His grinning face wasn't washed away. 'It's without a doubt that Cobra has something to do with this phenomenon.' When Judai saw Cobra enter the premises of SAL lab by coincidence, he already had a well full of doubt about the teacher. However, even with all the doubt he has, he can't point a finger at Cobra with only that. 'Evidence, huh?'

Judai continued his tread towards the forest. "I'll follow Jim's lead, then." Shrouding his face with his red cloak didn't rub out his smiling lips as he discovers a new kind of hope.

XxxxxxxX

Johan and Kenzan have been following Jim's lead like it was the most natural thing. Taking lefts and rights in a forest that should be jam-packed with dangerous animals didn't present a problem to them. On Jim's hand was the cymometer that changed values from time to time. It was their radar since entering the woodland.

"Jim Crocodile Cook. He's been sniffing around for a while." Cobra was seeing the whole thing from a monitor. Hands at his back, he smirked. "Shall I give him a taste of that person's power?"

The group was closing the distance between them and the SAL lab, Cobra's base of operations. Though instead of panicking, Cobra was unbelievably calm. As if them getting closer wasn't a least bit of a threat.

He pressed a button that was separated from the other controls. "It's a shame that none of them can compare to Yuki Judai's energy."

XxxxxxxX

"!" Jim stopped while glancing at the cymometer. "Stop."

The three of them stood there in the middle of greenery. One of the clueless followers didn't question the sudden action but instead cast an eye at the crocodile behind Jim. It was wriggling in aggression. It was a good thing that Jim enclosed its eyes with a cloth.

"So it's here?" The one-eyed man kept his eyes on the meter. His body was moving along with Karen's violent tantrums.

"RRWWWaaaaaaaa!"

Jim and Johan leaped forward.

Kenzan roared behind them like a fuse of sanity was cut from his brain. The growls behind his gnashing teeth continued to bear its fangs at the two. His hands were ready to crush and reap one or two bones. The eyes were especially in predator mode. Reptile-like irises reflected from his eyes.

"Kenzan!" Johan was able to sense the antagonism from a meter and he knows it wasn't directed at him. "What's going on with you?!" He inched closer to Dino-boy.

The growling didn't break from there. "Grrrrr….!" It was ignoring Johan who was about to go behind him. His eyes were pointing to Jim. One step, he managed to taunt the two. And with a dash that looked like a t-rex that found its prey, he launched an assault.

From behind, Johan jumped at Kenzan with a body slam. Pinning him down to the ground was the best idea there ever was. He knows for himself that he can't compete with strength against the guy. "Kenzan, snap out of it!"

"Grraahh!" The dinosaur tried to wriggle his way out of the body lock. It was following its instincts. 'Attack the crocodile behind that man' is what it was saying.

"Urk-" The lock on Kenzan's physique was already at its limit. "Jim, you're his target! He must be trying to get revenge for the biting!"

Dumbfounded as he was, Jim still tried to process why Kenzan, who showed zero hostility earlier, was attacking him now in such an unrefined manner.

"Jim isn't the target but rather the crocodile behind him." There was a voice that came from where they entered. "Kenzan was transplanted with dinosaur DNA in his left leg. With that, I think you already know what's happening, Jim."

Johan looked behind. "Judai!" Seeing the hooded Slifer student made him relax at the wrong time. He lost his grip on Kenzan. "Aw, crap."

"Rwaaarrr!" Kenzan got up on his feet and jumped towards Jim with all intents to maw down the other reptile in the vicinity.

"I get it now." Jim held out the cymometer like a shield. He sneered with the impression of appreciation at Kenzan.

The dinosaur bit the cymometer with its mouth similar to a dog biting a chew toy.

With the chance, Jim sprang backwards and brought out a duel disk that was shaped like a boomerang. "Karen can't fight you right now so let me be her substitute, Dino-boy!" The red light on the duel disk indicated that it was on.

"Grrrr…" Kenzan showed his academy-issued duel disk. "Raawrr!"

Both duelists where in their right places, each in their own stances.

"Jim." Judai went to the audience side along with Johan. "I suggest cutting this duel short."

"Why?" Jim drew 5 cards from his deck as he eyed on Kenzan intently.

"Don't play dumb. You know that dueling him might send both of you to the infirmary in the same way as Sho was."

Judai was able to hit the bullseye. The duel that will happen right now will be pivotal to determine the fact that the duels had something to do with the blasts of electro-waves. But Jim knows for himself that he can't contain his' nor Dino-boy's fighting instinct intact. He was exalted when he knew that Kenzan has a dinosaur bone on his leg to the point that he was giving-off a scary grin. The excavator within him can't seem to keep its rationality at human level. "Alright. I'll try not to drag this out."

Judai saw how Jim said the words with an amused face. From there, he understood that he's going to have some fun with this duel. Tucking his head deeper into his hood, he thought of the days when he, too, had fun when encountering strange foes. It made him feel a bittersweet sentimentality.

"I thought you were going the other way?" Johan turned to Judai. He was curious why Judai suddenly changed his mind.

"Kenzan's words earlier and some air just cleared my head." Judai took off his hood. He wasn't lying. Although his real motive was to investigate, he can't dismiss the fact that his friends were already starting to get involved in the early game.

Johan noticed the expression of being suffocated in Judai. "Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"

Judai was surprised to hear the words. Ayukawa already said a similar phrase earlier but now he was caught off-guard. "…what makes you say that?"

Johan wanted to laugh at the irony in front of him. 'He doesn't seem to notice it, himself.' He pointed a finger on his face. "It's written all over your face."

Judai stroked the surface of his face like there was something stuck in it. "? Really?"

"Rawr!" Kenzan also drew 5 cards by instincts.

"Oh. So you still have your duelist spirit within you?" Jim was saying it to his lab rat named Kenzan. "Then, shall we get started?"

A moment of silence was given to them. It was irrefutable that both parties were in high spirits. The remarkably cool wind whistled towards the plain they were in. The two – no – three spectators saw their auras' in spark.

"Duel!" | "Rawr!"

AN: I feel like I cheated on you guys for some reason. And I've noticed it just recently...Cobra doesn't have a full name does he? (in the Eng version he had one "Thelonious Viper") Anyways, here's the update~ Is anyone still in the track of the story I wonder? ^_^ As usual, PM me or review for some questions or reactions.