Chapter 11: To Chazz it Up, Just Ketchum Now
Chazz wandered Duel Academy Island aimlessly on a partly sunny day. "I wonder how Alexis is doing," he asked himself. "Today's a good day to go see her." As he strolled along the shore, laughter ensued. Chazz heard and turned to the noise, finding Ash, Alexis and Pikachu on the beach. Still practically obsessed with the blond, he didn't like to have anyone around her. "How many times, Ketchum?!" Neither Ash or Alexis heard Chazz. Instead, Ash began fidgeting through a pocket.
"I wanted to do this for awhile now, Alexis," he started. "You've been the biggest help since I came to Duel Academy Island… and I wanted to give something back to you." Alexis seemed interested with what Ash wanted to bring out. From his pocket, a little case that would fit in the palm of his hand. Alexis gasped, hands over her mouth, the surprise of her life.
"Is this…" she stuttered. "Is this what I think it is?" Ash knelt down and opened the case, revealing a gold ring. Chazz gawked to the sight of the ring.
"No way!" he protested. "You're not allowed! I refuse!" Turning to Alexis, he hoped she would turn down the proposal. "Alexis, say no!" Alexis removed her hands from her face, smiling brightly to the idea. Pikachu sensed her decision soon enough.
"Ash, there's no way I can be with anyone but you! If you want my answer… YES!" Chazz's jaw dropped before jumping down to the beach to reach the two as they kissed. The landing caused the surface to collapse, the sand eating his legs before the rest of his body.
"I… must… get to… Alexis!" He struggled and eventually, he unearthed himself. "I can't just bury my doubts like that!" He dusted himself off before looking around the beach for the three… but they vanished. "Don't tell me those two ran off to brag about it!" That's when bells echoed throughout the island. Chazz looked around for a little bit before finding a church. Chazz felt something not right about seeing a place of worship. "When did this island have a church?" Curiosity drew him toward the church where he found a couple in white. The groom wore a white tuxedo while the bride wore a gorgeous shoulder-less white gown and fingerless gloves that extended up her arms. "So that's what's going on. A wedding's taking place." He walked toward the doors and saw a mermaid wearing a nun's cloak while still in her shell. The green-haired sea creature with a blue scaly fin sat in the shell with eyes. "Isn't that Toon Mermaid? And what the heck is she doing in that getup?" Standing by the groom was Jaden with Jesse, Hassleberry, Syrus, Bastion and a taller dark brunette young man not far off, all wearing matching red tuxedos. By the bride was Blair. Interestingly enough, Mindy, Jasmine and Jaden's Burstinatrix stood close by in blue shoulder-less gowns. Also inside were various Duel Monsters, including Winged Kuriboh, Hiita, Dark Magician Girl, Ruby and the Ojamas.
"We are gathered here today to witness the union Ash Ketchum and Alexis Rhodes in a Duel Monster wedding," Toon Mermaid announced. Learning, Chazz flipped out again. The proposal wasn't long ago.
"What?!" Despite the loose sand, Chazz ran as hard as he could to reach the church.
"Alexis, do you wish for Ash to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, and until death do you part?" Chazz continued to run until he smashed into… seemingly nothing.
"Ow..." Alexis didn't view the decision as hard.
"I do," she answered. Chazz peeled himself from the invisible wall he slammed into.
"What's the meaning of this?!" Toon Mermaid, completely ignoring Chazz, continued on with the commencement.
"Ash, do you wish for Alexis to be your lawfully wedded wife?" she proceeded. "To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, and until death do you part?"
"Indeed I do," Ash accepted. Pikachu entered from the side and Blair lifted the Pokémon that carried a pair of rings on a pillow. Toon Mermaid had more.
"If anyone has a reason these two should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." Chazz pounded fiercely at the invisible wall, more irritated per second.
"Alexis should be mine!" he roared. "That twerp doesn't even belong!" No one within the church heard a peep from Chazz. Jaden turned to the dark brunette.
"So, you happy to see your sis get hitched, Atticus?" he asked.
"Kinda," he huffed. "To be honest, I'd rather see her with you." Jaden laughed a little, not enough to disrupt Toon Mermaid. Ash and Alexis slipped the rings on their fingers.
"The gods of the Duel Monsters' Realm: Slifer the Sky Dragon, the Winged Dragon of Ra and Obelisk the Tormentor have accepted these two as the unity of family. With their appraisal, I happily pronounce Ash and Alexis… as husband and wife. Congratulations, you two! Ash, you may now kiss Alexis Ketchum, your bride." Ash and Alexis quickly kissed and the crowd of Duel Monsters, Ash's groomsmen and Alexis' bridesmaids erupted with cheer. Chazz, still not accepting the wedding reception, equipped himself with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
"This is my dream!" he yelled. "I may have to bend my rules if I have to have it my way!" He pulled the trigger and the grenade fired from the launcher. It hit the invisible wall and the concussion of the blast seemed powerful enough to shatter. However, the wall not only stood firm without a scratch, the concussion propelled Chazz from the wall and into the sands, head first. Fortunately, he seemed uninjured. He soon dug himself free but the church vanished… for some reason. "I didn't kill Alexis… did I?" Cheers from behind Chazz forced him to turn to find the same crowd waiving to the two newlyweds as they climbed on board a giant paper airplane, roped to a giant three-headed blue dragon. Chazz became startled with the massive beast. "Wait a second… How did Seto Kaiba get in my dream?! That's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" He soon saw Pikachu jumping on the paper airplane. Realizing the connection, Chazz sprinted to stop Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon from lifting off with Ash, Alexis and Pikachu in tow. Once on, Alexis tossed a bouquet of flowers to the crowd which landed in Blair's hands.
"Yay!" she cheered.
"Have fun!" shouted Syrus. The Duel Monsters and students on the island waived them a fond farewell into the next step in their lives.
"No!" yelled Chazz. He couldn't run fast enough and a foot found a sand trap which engulfed his legs. "I… won't… be… denied!" However, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and the paper airplane took off to the sky with the three sitting firmly. Chazz could only watch in despair as the newlyweds soon became nothing more than specks in the sky. "I lost Alexis to that twerp? What else could go wrong?" On cue, a tremor below himself. From despair to panic, Chazz tried to pull himself from the hole he was in. "Me and my big mouth!" He couldn't free himself and soon the ground collapse beneath him. He screamed as he plummeted to a black abyss.
Instead, he simply fell out of bed and onto his head on the floor below. Hitting the ground with a harsh thud woke Chazz to find himself in his room. "Ouch!" he groaned. He soon sat up, rubbing his head from the fall. "Man, that was a heck of a nightmare… aside from the Duel Monsters… and those pratfalls… it felt lifelike. Almost as if..." He soon believed his nightmare had a purpose than scaring him. "No! That's not a nightmare!" He got up with a grit of determination as the Ojamas appeared.
"Boss, what is it?" the green Ojama questioned.
"It's gotta be! Everyday, Ash and Alexis are together… and I know the reason! That dweeb is in love with my girl! I just know it!" The other Ojamas jumped in fear of his outburst in belief of the dream's supposed message.
"Hey, calm down, boss!" the yellow Ojama tried to ease. "You're scaring all of us!"
"I'll calm down when he realizes what I desire and leaves her alone! And there's one way to do it!" The Ojamas felt helpless in easing the raven-haired off his kilter. "We duel! It's time for him to Chazz it up!" He pushed open the door and stomped pass the dining hall which most of Slifer Red's residence had breakfast. Jaden was the first to see him.
"Morning, Chazz!" he greeted. "Ready for breakfast? Hassleberry made some-" He stopped after noting Chazz completely ignoring him. "Chazz?" Storming up the staircase, he reached Ash's room and pounded the door, full of rage.
"Get out here, Ketchum! We're dueling!" Jaden, Syrus and Alexis watched Chazz as he worked the door over.
"Chazz has lost it before," pointed Syrus. "But I believe he's finally gone off the deep end."
"True but why is he after Ash?" asked Jaden. "That knockout punch from before?" The bashing of the door concerned Alexis.
"Chazz, leave him alone!" she pleaded. Her concern came from last night after she helped rescue Ash from her fellow dorm mates who kidnapped him and Pikachu to a kiss fest. Chazz didn't want any lip from the one he desired.
"I'm doing this to protect you!" he growled before resuming the violence on the wood. "Get your butt out here, coward! I challenge you to a duel!" In the targeted room, someone did wake up from the pounding. Chimchar and Pikachu stirred along someone in the bed.
"Can't a girl get her beauty sleep?" a familiar voice groaned. The pounding bothered the Pokémon more than who was under the blanket. Chazz didn't wait to hear Ash get up.
"If you won't come out of there, I'll make you come out!" He punted the door open, his challenge more demanding. "Rise and shi-" A girl's scream bellowed from the room. Chazz gawked at who it was. Blair covered herself with the blanket, scared at the intruder. "What… the..."
"Get out of my room!" she screeched. Hearing her, those looking up at Chazz's surprised face guessed the source of the sound.
"Is Blair in Ash's room?" wondered Jaden. Alexis gulped that a young woman reached Ash after what he endured last night.
"Your room?" repeated Chazz. "I was sure this was Ash's… and are you..." Pikachu escaped and leaped into Alexis' arms. Chazz took a step back but had his head smashed by Ash's PokéDex thrown out. It caromed down to Syrus, surprisingly not damaged. Chazz lost his balance and fell down the staircase onto his back with another harsh thud.
"That's… gotta hurt," Jaden gulped. Blair felt embarrassed while Alexis and Pikachu, perched on her shoulder, arrive back at the doorway.
"Blair, you okay?" she asked. Pikachu squeaked in some concern for her.
"Alexis..." hushed Blair, still keeping the blanket tucked. "And Pikachu?"
"Yeah, what are you doing in Ash's bed? I stayed over to make sure he wasn't suffering anymore." Blair blinked, confused to the question.
"Wait… I'm in my room, right?" Pikachu pointed over her just as Ash began to stir as well.
"Too much noise..." he groaned, rubbing his eyes. Blair gawked at the topless Ash in the same bed she sneaked in. Alexis wasn't sure what to make of the scene. All Ash did was look. "Blair, what are you doing in my bed?" Blair's face bled red in utter humiliation. Alexis thought of a lie that could ease the trainer.
"I told Blair what happened to you and she grew worried," she fibbed. "She came to make you feel better about last night." Blair looked confused. She wasn't told about Ash's kidnapping. Still, this was someone in a higher level than her so it felt forced upon. "I'll let you guys get your coffee or whatever you need to get started." She and the other Pokémon chose to exit, allowing the embarrassed to straighten themselves. Blair turned herself toward the door, taking the blanket with her.
"Don't look!" she warned. Seeing her bare back, Ash turned away.
"Syrus gave me some new shirts last night after they freed me and Pikachu from the Obelisk Girls' Dorm," he offered. "They're on my desk. I won't look." Blair saw the pile and Ash turned his head away.
"Anyway, I'm sorry about breaking in your room, let alone get in bed with you… and sorry for what happened to you last night." She slipped a black t-shirt on.
"It's okay. I'll get over it before long." After she got out and to her room, Ash got dressed. A little while later, Ash got dressed himself, a green t-shirt over the Slifer Red jacket. He reached the dining hall but Chazz blocked the entrance.
"Not one step near Alexis," he urged. "You got that?" Ash didn't budge.
"You're mad that the girls in Obelisk Blue love me and not you. Jealous, much?" The steam slowly started leaking from his ears. Those still inside watched on as Blair came out of her room to see the showdown.
"Ever since you and that little rodent and those creatures you own came on this island, it's been nothing but the two of you! There should be no one but me to tend to Alexis Rhodes!" This argument felt personal to him and he didn't want to stay quiet. However, the incident last night gave Ash a worthy comeback.
"So why didn't you tend to her when she called for help getting me out of that situation?" The comeback startled Chazz, not willing to accept the dream foretelling the visit so far.
"Okay, that was a good comeback," Jaden scoffed.
"Stay out of this, slacker!" scowled Chazz. "I've had it up to here with everything you brought from your world! If you want Alexis as your own..." The moment he revealed his deck, Ash felt the challenge. "You'll duel me in the arena!" The challenge forced Alexis to come out to deny the idea.
"You can't!" she yelled as she dashed out of the dining hall and fixed herself between the boys. "He's been through a lot since last night! Give him-"
"I'm not giving him anything else anymore! Either he duels me or he leaves this island! I won't allow anyone to make this academy a mockery!"
"Look who's talking?! This is the exact reason that demoted you to Slifer Red!" That's when Ash grabbed his shoulder. Alexis turned to the raven-haired with a grit on his face.
"I've been willing to try some new card combinations," he smirked. "Anyway, Alexis and I can tell you that we're just friends but you'd refuse to listen to simple words. If you think there's anything between us, don't force it down our throats… and if you want to duel me… get your game on!" Chazz snarled at the words from Ash coined from Jaden.
"Next thing we see is him saying 'That's game'," he brought up.
"Considering that he's been with you since he arrived," Syrus pointed out. "I wouldn't be surprised." The news spread around the island on the duel going to occur. The students gathered in the arena to watch a duel take place. The entire island came to see this duel, including Sheppard and Crowler.
"We're about to see if Ash is really can hold his own in a duel," Crowler said.
"I certainly can't wait," Sheppard urged. "This will be Ash's big test. If he wins, he'll be promoted." Crowler gawked at Ash's sudden opportunity.
"What?! You're going to give him Ra Yellow just like that?!"
"He did get a perfect score on his recent test. A victory against Princeton will convince me to the step up." Both duelist began climbing onto the stage and stood in their squares.
"How does it feel to be dueling in front of so many people at once?" taunted Chazz as he revealed his deck to insert to his Duel Disk.
"Nostalgic," Ash replied with a smile and his own deck. "Keep in mind, my Pokémon and I battle in stadiums with bigger crowds than this." Once the decks entered the slots, 4000 Life Points on display on each.
"Let's duel!" they shouted together. Each on drew the five cards from their decks.
"I'll start," Chazz offered. "Besides, if you're going to duel me..." Jaden figured Chazz's next line.
"He's gonna fire the crowd up with his favorite chant," he predicted. Chazz pointed to Ash with a confident grin.
"...You've got to Chazz it up!" Male students roared in delight before making their voice heard.
"Chazz it up!" they chanted. "Chazz it up!" This made Ash a little nervous to taking the role of underdog.
'Great… he's got a cheering section,' Ash minded. His Pokémon began shouting for him to concentrate.
"Chazz is trying to get in Ash's head with volume," Bastion studied. Chazz drew one more card from his deck before he began the duel.
"Now I start the duel with Armed Dragon, Level Three in Attack mode!" he announced. His card on the deck, a hologram of an orange dragon with steel plating emerged. Its Attack stood at 1200 while Defense wasn't far off at 900.
"A level monster?" wondered Ash.
"And that's not all! I'll lay two cards face-down! That should end my turn!" The two cards appeared. Ash pulled a card from his deck. A nod told himself what to do.
"This turn, I'm emptying my hand." Chazz blinked to the ploy. Ash pressed a button on his Duel Disk that opened another slot with a marking of a four-point star. "Let me change the field with Chorus of Sanctuary!" A green card emerged with a picture of a brunette angel flying over rose pedals. "Any monster in defense mode gains an additional 500 Defense Points! Next, I'll lay one card face-down in Defense Position and four more face-down!" The five cards emerged in their spots. "And that's my turn." Ash's chance to launch an attack came and left.
"You wasted your turn with that stunt? Talk about pathetic!" He drew his next card. "Let me activate Armed Dragon, Level Three's special ability and upgrade him to Level Five!" Armed Dragon vanished for a new dragon. This red dragon looked covered head to toe in spiked armor. The Attack doubled to 2400 while the Defense boosted to 1700. "And I think I'll take advantage of your Chorus of Sanctuary by summoning Ojama Yellow!" The yellow Ojama appeared before crossing his arms. It had no Attack power but its Defense risen from 1000 to 1500 by Ash's card.
"Ready to go, boss!" it readied.
"Your moment will come, Yellow. First, Armed Dragon, Level Five; go after that face-down!" The Armed Dragon raced in at the card, flipping to reveal Thousand Needles. Its Defense had lifted from 1800 to 2300, not enough to stop Armed Dragon. "Trying to prick me, but Armed Dragon's Attack power is-"
"Not enough," Ash grinned as he activated a trap. The picture on it was a wall of a black castle. "I activate Castle Walls! This raises the Defense of Thousand Needles by 500 points!" Now Thousand Needles' Defense climbed to 2800, now enough as Armed Dragon attacked. The strike ended up puncturing Armed Dragon more than Thousand Needles. The Armed Dragon exploded while Thousand Needles remained intact. Chazz's Life Points spilled to 3600.
"Okay, I see what your game is! Using that Chorus of Sanctuary to keep you Life Points at bay. I'll let you make a mistake but after I lay another card face-down. By the way, you may have used Thousand Needles to stop my Armed Dragon but its special effect is about to happen. You see, if Armed Dragon battles another monster, it'll be destroyed at the end of the same turn." Ash gulped when Thousand Needles blew up. This left him rather defenseless.
"Thanks, Thousand Needles." As he drew his next card, the men cheering for Chazz increased in volume.
"Chazz it up!" they repeatedly chanted. Jasmine saw the chagrin on Ash's face. She knew he needed support.
"Come on, Ash!" she yelled, hoping her scream could cut through the chants for Chazz. "Don't give up! You gotta Ketchum now!" Ash heard Jasmine, feeling his confidence get a new spark.
"Of course Jasmine would back Ash," Alexis murmured. Mindy heard the call and opted to join in.
"Ketchum now!" she repeatedly chanted. Before long, more and more of the female students and plenty of males began chanting Jasmine's finish!
"Ketchum now!" they chanted over and over. In fact, they began drowning out the chant of the opposition.
'I didn't exactly ask for this,' he minded. 'But at least it's a good counter the whole "Chazz it up" chant.' Alexis shook her head softly to the war of support.
"I still want to get back at them for their mischief but even they know who they want to win," she muttered. The chant became such an immediate hit, Pikachu joined the verbal fray, getting a laugh from Jaden and Syrus. Ash drew his next card.
"Nice..." he grinned as he view what he drew. "Another new card I wanted to try. I summon Element Dragon in Attack mode!" A giant pink dragon with green wings and orange hair came out, its Attack registered at 1500, able to match Ojama Yellow's defense. "I could attack but nothing could happen so I'll end my turn here." Ash still played without a card in hand.
"I see!" snarled Chazz as he drew the next card. "You might want to hurry and stop what I have in store. I now summon Ojama Black in Defense Mode!" Once on the Duel Disk, the black Ojama joined the yellow, his stats similar at no Attack and 1500 Defense.
"Okay, Ash!" he called. "What do you have?" Hiita emerged and viewed the situation.
"The last thing I'd do is empty your hand on the first turn," she mulled.
"It's okay, Hiita," Ash eased. "I'm channeling the Eggwich catch."
"Real cute," Chazz sneered. "Play your next card. I dare you now that my turn ends." As instructed, Ash drew his next card.
"If you insist." He glanced to the card before nodded. "I play Element Soldier in Attack Mode!" Once on his Duel Disk, a man in yellow armor and holding a spear came out. Like Element Dragon, Element Soldier had 1500 Attack and 1200 Defense. Still, Ash did nothing. "And that's all I'm doing." That turn ended just as fast as the last turn. Chazz didn't want to keep monsters from piling. He drew his next card.
"Allow me to use Pot of Greed so I can draw two cards!" He showed Pot of Greed before pulling two cards from his deck. One peek made him snicker. "First, I'll summon the last Ojama brother: Ojama Green! This time in Attact Mode!" He slapped the card on the Duel Disk, standing tall. Like the other Ojamas, Green had no Attack and 1200 Defense.
"I know something that you don't, Ash!" he taunted. Chazz sneered at the next card he pulled from his hand.
"I'm about to put you in the corner! I play this: Ojama Delta Thunder!" The spell card revealed the three Ojamas with electricity emitting from them. "You think you were smart in making sure you didn't have any cards in your hand. This card debunks that idea. For each card in your hand and on your side of the field, you take 500 points damage!" The Ojamas emitted a blast of electricity that collected on the six cards on Ash's side before striking him. His life points avalanche from 4000 to 1000. "Now I'll take my Ojamas back for part two… and in turn, I'll let you have your Element monsters plus your Chorus of Sanctuary." Forced, Ash pulled his two monsters and his Field Spell card. "And I'm not done yet! I'm about to combine my Ojamas with Polymerization!" Chazz held the same card Jaden used in his duel. "I'm merging my three Ojamas to create… the Ojama King!" The three Ojamas came together and in a flash, changed to a giant white oval-shaped man-thing with a massive mouth and eyes outside the head like Ojama Yellow's. He wore a circlet and a cape to go with the red underwear. While his Defense stood incredibly at 3000, his Attack was another story altogether, at zilch. "And since he's on the field, I can shut down up to three monster panels!" Three panels on Ash's Duel Disk lit red. "Lastly, I activate my trap: Ojama Trio!" The trap card had the three Ojamas on there. Those three reappeared in Defense mode on Ash's side of the field, their Defense now at just 1000. Ash now faced Ojama King with Chazz's Duel Spirits on his side of the field. "And that ends my turn!"
"Boss, what did we do to you besides be an annoyance?" whined Ojama Yellow. Ash now faced defeat if he didn't pull the right card. He drew his next card. The crowd behind Ash increased volume, hoping their voice would carry to Ash.
"I'll admit, even weak monsters have a lot of potential," he confessed. "However, this duel's going to end."
"You're a fool if you think you can end it here and now."
"Which is why I don't think I can win… I know. First, I'll activate a card I had face-down this whole time." One of Ash's card rose, revealing Pot of Greed. "You've already played this card so you know how it works." He drew two more cards from his deck. "Next, I'll reapply Chorus of Sanctuary… not that it will help your three Ojamas you gave to me… and thank you for having your Ojama King in Attack Mode for this last move I have. Now if having Dark Magician Girl was a surprise, wait until I show you this." He pointed to another card face-down, now coming up. A magic card with a picture of a circle around a six-point red star behind two golden candle towers. Above the star, a blue fireball in midair. Chazz stood aghast at the card.
"It can't be!" He wasn't alone in that department of dismay.
"No way!" gawked Jaden.
"Sam Hill!" gasped Hassleberry.
"Impossible!" gulped Bastion.
"That's..." stuttered Syrus. "That's Black Magic Ritual!" This spelled an omen to Ash's turn.
"If Ash is using Black Magic Ritual..." Alexis started to believe.
"Ketchum now!" chanted Blair, adding to Ash's support. "Ketchum now!" Ash prepared to send the duel to its conclusion.
"The only way I can make it work is sacrificing two of your Ojamas from field and Element Soldier from my hand!" He discarded Element Soldier and Ojamas Yellow and Green became flames merging together. "Time to come out… Magician of Black Chaos!" When the flame created something shaped like a man. The flames snuffed, out came the same look as Ash on Spirit Day, only taller and leaner. His Attack registered at 2800 and Defense at 2600. Soon enough, Chazz began to laugh, a joke that found a punchline.
"Do you know how to do math?" he chortled. "Even if you did take out my Ojama King, I'll still have 800 Life Points and one card that will wipe you and your smug attitude out of here." Never wavered, Ash let Chazz laugh before adding more.
"I now play the Equip card, Mage Power! And give it to my Magician of Black Chaos!" He inserted the new Spell card in the Duel Disk which popped up. It had three hooded figures worshiping a cauldron of light. "With each Spell or Trap card on my side of the field, Magician of Black Chaos gains 500 Attack and Defense… And since this is my third card of either type on my side, Magician of Black Chaos has 1500 more Attack to dethrone your Ojama King!" Magician of Black Chaos's Attack ballooned to 4300. Chazz's laugh stopped the moment he saw the buffing. "There's a reason I don't make friends with selfish people: they don't know what weaknesses they have until it's too late. Magician of Black Chaos, take down the Ojama King with Chaos Scepter Blast!" Magician of Black Chaos fired a magic missile from the scepter which walloped Ojama King in a massive explosion. The blast launched Chazz from his feet and striking the railing behind him. He and his Life Points fell to nothing. Ash pointed to the down raven-haired. "And that's game!"
Jaden and Syrus sighed to Ash using Jaden's victory line. "You'd think he'd use something original," Syrus murmured.
"Can you blame him?" defended Jaden. "It's catchy, like the 'Ketchum Now' chant."
"The chant's catchy alright." The crowd supporting Ash came out of the stands to congratulate the victor. A few students became interested with his cards.
"That was awesome," a Ra Yellow student applauded. "Say, you want to trade your Black Magic Ritual and Magician of Black Chaos for my Six Samurai set?"
"No way, dude!" an Obelisk Blue student denied. "Those cards for my Dark Hero cards!" As some of the students fought to get Ash's cards, Mindy and Jasmine found their way to their hero.
"I knew you could take Spazz down!" cheered Jasmine. "You have the cards and the costume?"
"Funny that you mentioned it," Ash came clean. "The cards actually came with the costume!"
"For real?" gawked Mindy. "You definitely were meant to have it!" The two girls kissed Ash on each cheek. This time, Ash accepted it with a laugh of his own. Sheppard, Crowler and Dorothy came forward.
"Okay, break it up!" ordered Crowler. "Break it up!" As soon as the crowd mostly dispersed with Mindy and Jasmine locking arms with Ash and Pikachu running up to meet his victorious trainer, Ash faced the three adults. Chazz cried at the loss, his Ojamas hanging around.
"You didn't have Ojama Delta Hurricane in your hand?" asked Ojama Black. Chazz shook his head with his face buried on the floor.
"Ash Ketchum, your jacket." Seeing Dorothy, he figured the jacket would be taken care of.
"Just note that I did clean it the night before," he sneered as he removed his jacket and handed it to Crowler.
"Ash, that was a magnificent duel between you and Chazz Princeton," Sheppard complimented. "To go with the perfect test score, it is my obligation to award you the promotion. Ash Ketchum, you are now… Ra Yellow!" Dorothy handed Ash a yellow jacket which he put on. A happy Ash saw Pikachu jump from his head to his shoulder.
"How about that, Pikachu? I'm just as yellow as you!" Pikachu chuckled to the comparison. The crowd regrouped and lifted Ash in the air in celebration, They threw him and Pikachu up several times for the award. Evening soon came around with Jaden and his friends gathering in front of Slifer Red's dorm. Alexis had Ash's PokéDex to see other Pokémon.
"Ash, I wish you didn't go so soon," Blair whimpered as she hugged Ash. "You'll come and visit, right?"
"I will." Ash glanced to Chazz's room. "He risked humiliation for Alexis… and I thought Brock was bad..." Suddenly, a squeal.
"Adorable!" chimed Alexis before she hit play.
"Pichu, the Tiny Mouse Pokémon," it computed. The picture on screen showed a smaller version of Pikachu with lighter fur, pink cheeks and smaller tail. "Pichu is the pre-evolved form of Pikachu. Its underdeveloped electric sacs make it prone to shocking itself." To Alexis, she believed Ash found Pikachu as this Pichu.
"Ash must have found you as this Pichu, right?" Pikachu shook to the theory. Alexis became confused.
"Pikachu and I became partners on my first day as a trainer, long before I knew about Pichu," Ash clarified.
"Really?" Pikachu nodded to confirm the detail. "Say, is it alright if I have Pikachu again, and I can study up on the PokéDex?" Pikachu gulped to the idea since the time last night wasn't pleasant. "Don't worry. I'll be with you and no one else within the dorm will come close. I promise." Pikachu rethought before leaping onto Alexis' shoulder.
"Alright, I'll see you in school!" Alexis led Ash away as Blair began to tear up.
"Ash…" she mumbled. "I wish I stayed with you in bed." Jaden didn't hear Blair's sudden plea. All they knew, the day's done and Ash would be under a new roof. While the day ended in Ash's favor, something will come and support the loser of the duel.
TO BE CONTINUED...
