Black and Red
Trick or treat! Well, this is my Halloween trick AND treat. I tricked you into not thinking I was gonna update (I mean, I'm very good about doing it at least once a week and it's been a good while since I did anything...), but as a treat, I give you a double update, a deck list for my characters, AND finishing that oneshot I was talking about earlier, Bleached Red to Dye Black, which I will admit right now contains mild spoilers for some of the later plot. Either way, you're welcome.
Remember to read the companion story too, Gold and Silver!
All transcribing was done on my own, so no stealing was done other than from actual episodes!
This is the title of the English-dub for Episodes 13 and 14 (with Chazz out the picture, not a whole lot's gonna be going on until he returns, so I might as well get five episodes out the way; yes, this is a double update since I was gonna do this separately but then decided to split it into two chapters to cut down on length slightly). Its Japanese version translates to "Wild Release! SAL Duel" and"VS Psycho Shocker!", but my own personal chapter title is "Past Regret".
I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, otherwise Chazz wouldn't have left Duel Academy...
Chapter 13/14: Monkey See, Monkey Duel and A Spirit Summoned or "Past Regret"
Chazz had a locked haversack thrown over his shoulder as he strode down towards the docks, mentally giving his goodbyes. He wanted to tell Bastion not to fuck up his relationship with Sora, to ruffle his brother's copper hair and tell him he forgave him for implicating him because of the Obelisk jacket. More importantly, he wanted to get a hug from Jaden, the brunet bawling for him to stay and clinging as close to him as he possibly could. But he couldn't do any of that. All he could do was walk towards the docks and wish Sora luck in his solitude… only for him to run into someone.
"Hey!" he snapped from the ground, snatching his bag up and putting it over his shoulder again, "watch where you're going, asshole!"
"You're one to talk," a familiar voice retorted, and the Princeton looked up to see the recognizable figure of none other than Sora's ex-boyfriend, Benito Devlin.
"What are you doing here?" he questioned the dice player, eyes narrowed in dislike. Benito had been an optimistic influence on the redhead, but Chazz had never liked the playboy, not wanting his little brother to turn out like that.
The young Devlin glanced over at his duel spirit before returning his aquamarine eyes to Chazz's silver ones. "I wanted to play school for a little while," he answered. The elder Princeton twin never had been able to see Mystic Swordsman, so he wouldn't understand that Mystic had guided him to a spirit hotspot, "and what better place to do so than the very place my dear friend attends?" Noticing the upsurge of emotion in those silver orbs, he raised his hands placatingly. "Relax, I know he's not mine anymore. I didn't come here to pursue him as anything more than a friend."
Chazz examined Benito for a long moment, looking up and down the other boy, before he nodded, continuing his exit. "Room 13, Ra Dorm," he informed. "He'll likely be delighted to see you. And…" he steeled himself, forcing the words from his lips, "tell him I'm sorry."
"Jaden, it's awful!" Syrus cried, running down the stairs to his friend's seat, "Chazz is gone!"
"And that's awful how?" Sure, he may have been a slight sweet on the cocky ravenet, but he was still mad at the Princeton for lying about throwing Bastion's cards in the ocean—yes, Jaden still thought Chazz did it since Alexis had sworn she saw an Obelisk jacket, not a Ra yellow one—and for not telling them that he and Sora were related.
"Well gee, I don't know," Syrus confessed, "because he's your big duel rival?" He paused for a moment, thinking. "Plus, I bet Sora'd be really upset if he couldn't find him, and whether Sora dumped Bastion's cards or not, he's still our friend."
"You're right!" Jaden replied, his brown eyes widening. "I need my competition, and if Sora's related to him, I bet he'd be able to give me a good duel too!"
Syrus resisted the urge to facepalm. "Don't you think we should look for him? I mean, what if he's in trouble and he needs our help?"
Jaden opened his mouth to say that the ravenet would be fine before he stopped, realizing something. Every time Chazz has taken a beating, Sora's always been at his side, helping him back to his feet, but even then, it's clear he only got up because of his brother… In his mind, the two Princetons stood together, Sora's back to Chazz's chest as they opposed the world, but then the redhead faded from the picture, making his twin look smaller and far more vulnerable. His heart ached fiercely, but for some reason, he felt like blushing when he pictured himself taking the young Obelisk's side instead. "You're right, we should go look for him."
"Bastion!" Sora yelled, bursting into Professor Banner's chemist class without a care for whatever education was going on and stomping over to the other Ra's seat, "what the hell did you do to Chazz?"
The Ra, who hadn't been able to interact with the smaller boy since the duel against Chazz because the gamer had been firmly avoiding him, put down his pencil and eagerly turned to his companion. "I don't know what you're talking about, love," he answered calmly, fighting back a smile at finally being able to interact with the other boy. "I haven't seen Chazz since the duel."
He wasn't aware of the moment the blow hit him, only that there was a stinging pain in his cheek. "Asshole!" the redhead yelled, tears gathering in his silver eyes. "Chazz is gone and he's not coming back!"
Bastion couldn't move, too shocked by what had just happened. Sora… hit me.
Luckily for him, Benito's duel spirit had zeroed in on Sora's deck and told the Italian how to find him. "Sora, dear," he said, wrapping his arms around the youngest Princeton, "calm down."
He wouldn't have been able to misunderstand that voice anywhere. "Benito!" he cried, turning around and kissing the boy on both cheeks as the ravenet copied the affection to him. "What're you doing here?"
"Visiting," the Italian answered, not the least bit surprised by the gesture. "Come on, let's go get the stuff Chazz couldn't bring with him, he'll be pissed if it gets thrown out." Locking his blue-green eyes with Bastion's brown ones, he shook his head. If this boy hurts Sora any more, I'm gonna unleash Mystic on his ass…
It was the slam of the wooden door of the classroom that unfroze Bastion. "Sora," he whispered, dropping his gaze back down to his paper mournfully. He hadn't meant to hurt him, but from the looks of things, the redhead thoroughly hated him now… and he had every right to.
"Well children, I wanted to tell you that Chazz is okay," Professor Banner said, causing Jaden to shoot up hopefully.
"That's great news," the brunet cheered, looking more relieved, something his companions were quick to echo. He didn't want to admit it, but he'd been starting to get worried.
The teacher paused sheepishly. "Actually, I was looking for Sora, but ever since the boy blew up in class, no one's been able to find him, so I figured that you two would have a better chance of finding him." He shook his head. "Of course, there is some bad news as well." Jaden gasped, his heart aching again, but thankfully, the man continued. "You see, Pharaoh tracked him to the docks, but when I arrived, he was already leaving on his family's personal yacht."
"Where I imagine he'll be staying until he gets himself back in the right mind," a soft voice said, causing them all to whirl around.
"Sora!" Jaden cried, looking up at the redhead. "I never knew your family had a yacht. Mind if I take it out sometime?"
The Ra rolled his eyes, his arms wrapped tightly around the black leather jacket Chazz had left in his room (the elder Princeton twin had outgrown it a few months back, much to his dismay). "Jaden, the Princetons aren't paupers, but somehow, I don't think Chazz would let me do it."
"If he lets you do it but not me, I'm gonna complain," a new voice added, originating from the black-haired boy who rested his chin on Sora's head. He gave them an easy smile. "Benito Devlin, at your service."
"I'm going back to my room," Sora muttered, shying away. "Later guys."
Professor Banner sighed. "It's such a shame to see him so down," he murmured, stroking Pharaoh. "After all, I'm sure Bastion thoroughly regrets being the one to be Chazz's final duel, but that's no excuse for Sora to take it all out on him."
"Hey!" the tanned Italian growled, "Sora and Chazz were really close! After all, Sora was the only one who knew Chazz actually liked Jaden!"
The brunet's eyes went wide. Chazz… liked me? he wondered. But… he… His brain gleefully showed him an image of the ravenet, but this time it was a memory, a guilty one. Only now did he notice that the Obelisk had not truly acted as if he had lost until he'd looked at Jaden, an image that left his heart aching like it hadn't ever before. Chazz may have liked me, but the feeling's all one-sided… right?
~Time lapse~
Not for the first time in the past several months, Bastion was fishing a card out of the lake. According to Miss Dorothy, the cards had been turning up once every other day while the break had been going on, all of them cards that must've seen a lot of affection in their day. He wondered what duelist would possibly be getting rid of his cards in such a manner, it spoke only of hate, grief, or guilt to throw your own cards into in a lake to ruin them in such a manner, but today that question was answered. The cards sitting in the Ra's hand were a waterlogged copy of Silent Swordsman Level 7. There was only one duelist he knew of on the entire island who used that monster: Sora.
Benito sighed, leaning his head against the wall as his duel spirit, Mystic Swordsman, patted his shoulder comfortingly. /Be at ease, Benito/ the swordmaster encouraged gently. /Sora will come around eventually. He's just not the type for taking loss well, and besides, I've heard that the boy he liked, Bastion Misawa, provided the push that caused Chazz to leave./
Benito didn't answer his spirit, just sighed and looked at the near-empty common room in the Ra Yellow dorm. To his knowledge, only a small handful of students had remained, the most notable of which were Jaden's group (who were spending it at the Slifer dorms and had promised a festive party to anyone wishing to come over), Zane and his boyfriend (who, aside from occasional sightings with the blond in the bluenet's arms or on his lap in the Obelisk cafeteria, had been practically absent from campus), and the Ra duo of Sora and Bastion (who still had not made up, Benito being used as an unwilling shield by the depressed redhead).
A loud shout had him regaining his feet, throwing open Sora's door to see the boy cowering in the far corner, his duel spirit standing protectively in front of him. The monster relaxed his stance then, striding forward. /Benito,/ the spirit greeted with a small bow. /It is good to see you again, especially with the problems that have been going on ever since Sora began destroying his deck./
"You've been destroying your deck?" Benito yelped, darting to Sora's side to search for answers in those forlorn silver eyes. "Why?"
"Chazz left me," he whispered, "and Bastion hates me. What's the point of dueling anymore?"
/And that's the problem,/ the warrior admitted. /Because of that, he's raised the ire of the duel spirits in his deck. I could never hate him, he's my spirit partner, but he is still pursued by a great number of angry monsters. I have destroyed as many of them as I could, but there are still four that remain./
/And you want us to destroy them, don't you?/ Mystic Swordsman asked, his wielder keeping a close eye on Sora.
/Please,/ he answered. /I would ask Sora to make peace with them himself, only he has completely shut down. He no longer hears or sees me, and even worse, he refuses to take his medication instead and thus suffers as a result./
/Don't worry, Command Knight!/ Mystic Swordsman reassured, thumping his arm over his chest, /We won't let you down!/ He smiled softly. /I'll even call in a favor to ensure everything works out./
Command Knight bowed slightly. /I thank you greatly./
Benito followed his duel spirit to the lake, fully trusting in the card to not steer him wrong. It never had before. Indeed, standing there on the sandy bank was the translucent spirit of Sora's former signature card, Buster Blader. Of course, the main reason it had been such a cornerstone of his deck was because Chazz had used a deck of dragons, but the mythical beasts had been discarded in more recent times, leaving the card to be kept only for sentimental reasons that now seemed too painful for the upbeat redhead. "So you are my opponent," the warrior stated. "Fair enough, I shall duel you."
"All right!" the Italian crowed, "it's been a while since I had a good duel!" A glance at his cards to determine what he had was all it took for him to determine he didn't really like his hand. "Well, I think to start out, I'll play the magic card Card of Sanctity! You see, this card lets me remove from play every card on my field or in my hand and draw two more in exchange." He let his cards, Mad Sword Beast, Stealth Bird, The Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension, The Fiend Megacyber, and Level Up!, slip back into the blue deck case on his hip, instead pulling a new hand from his deck. Better, but not ideal by any means. "Well, with that done, I think I'll summon out Giant Rat in defense mode and activate my Banner of Courage." He couldn't do anything else at this point since he had no more cards and couldn't attack this turn.
"Very well," the spirit acknowledged, drawing. "I'll start off by summoning Marauding Captain, and I'll use his special effect to summon Command Knight from my hand." The two monsters appeared on the field, though the latter looked thoroughly disappointed to be here. "Now, my Captain, attack!" The warrior sprung forward, cleaving the creature in two.
"All right!" Benito cried, a flicker of his blue eyes to his own duel spirit confirming his choice, "I activate my Giant Rat's special ability and summon another one from my deck to the field in attack mode!"
"Very well, let's just try that again with my Knight!"
Benito took 200 damage from the attack, but he quickly bounced back. "Giant Rat, come on out!" he cried, a little glad the card was so flexible.
"I'll add a card facedown. Turn end!" the warrior declared, conceding his turn.
Benito drew. "Okay, I remove one of the Giant Rats from my Graveyard in order to summon Gigantes!" he yelled, snatching the mentioned card from the slot and moving it to his deck case along with the other cards. "Now, Gigantes, attack Marauding Captain!" The spirit took his first damage of the duel, dropping his Life Points to 3100, but the Italian wasn't done yet. "Now, Giant Rat, destroy Command Knight!" The two monster leapt at each other, their attacks equal and resulting in their ruin. "Luckily for me, I can still use Giant Rat's ability even though it was my own attack, and I chose to summon Mad Sword Beast to the field to attack you directly!"
"Well played," Buster Blader congratulated as his Life Points dropped to 1500, "but you won't triumph. I activate the trap card Call of the Haunted to bring back my Marauding Captain! Now I play the magic card Black Luster Ritual. This means that if I tribute monsters whose total level is equal to eight, which I can without touching my new monster, I can summon Black Luster Soldier from my hand. But that doesn't count as my summon for the turn, so I'll tribute both monsters in order to summon myself to the field!" The warrior appeared in a swirl of his cloak, his body solid. "Now, for my final move, I'll attack your Mad Sword Beast!" The Dinosaur-type monster let out a protesting roar as it burst into pieces, dropping Benito's Life Points to 2400. "Turn end!"
Benito drew and scowled at the card. Big Bang Shot… not my best card. It can't help me now… He threw a glance at Mystic Swordsman helplessly before he announced "I'll just switch Gigantes into defense mode for now."
"Very well," the monster acknowledged. "I'll just destroy your monster myself and then your magic card with my Mystical Space Typhoon. Turn end!"
Mystic Swordsman smiled at the Italian, gesturing for him to draw the card. Obviously it was a good one. "I activate the card Dimension Fusion!" Benito cried, showing the card. "Sure, I'll have to pay 2000 Life Points, but in return, I get to summon all the monsters I have that are removed from play, and I have four. Come on back, Giant Rat, The Fiend Megacyber, Stealth Bird, and Mad Sword Beast!"
The four creatures took the field, their triumphant cries echoing loudly across the forest, but Buster Blader wasn't afraid of losing quite yet. "In case you haven't noticed," he stated, "my attack points are still higher than any of your monsters, no matter how many of them you have."
"True," Benito acknowledged with a smirk, "but that's an easy fix. I equip my Big Bang Shot to my Fiend Megacyber to increase his attack by 400 points, which gives me enough firepower for him to destroy you and my monsters to get rid of what's left of your Life Points!" Indeed, the monsters sprang forward to do as he'd said, delighted to obey their wielder, but Benito turned to his spirit partner. "Come on, Mystic," he stated, "let's go back to the dorm. I've had enough dueling for a month."
The swordsman chuckled but fell in step behind his partner, not at all minding the lack of dueling he experienced at the duelist's side. Sure, Sora may participate in more duels, but he wouldn't trade partners for anything, not when Benito was so much more emotionally stable than the young Princeton was.
Bastion couldn't contain himself any longer. He simply had to see Sora and he had to do it now. Throwing his covers off himself, he got out of the bed where he'd been tossing and turning while trying to sleep for the past couple of hours and strode out of his room, letting out a soft hiss at the coldness of the floor against his bare foot. Biting his lip as he stood before the door, his hand rested softly on the brass doorknob and warming it as he debated whether to enter the room and risk Sora's ire or to remain where he was and go another day without seeing the beguiling redhead. His calculations warned him that the likelihood of him receiving another slap was almost certain, yet he still couldn't contain the want to endure the hit when it came and see his fellow Ra anyway.
The mathematician heaved a sigh. He wanted to resist Sora, but for some reason, the task was impossible. His hand, almost of its own volition, pressed down on the handle, pushing open the door and casting a stream of light into the room where it fell over the beautiful sleeping form of the redhead curled up underneath his covers in a fetal position, head tucking down towards his chest fearfully, the area around his closed silver eyes red and puffy from shed tears. "Sora," the Brit whispered, guilt clenching his heart for being partially responsible for the boy's current state.
The door slammed behind him. "So you are the one he cried so feverantly over," an unfamiliar voice stated, causing Bastion to whirl around to the impossible vision of the translucent form of the very card that weighed down his pocket, Silent Swordsman Level 7. "Perhaps a duel would enlighten me as to why he chose you over his gift."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Bastion replied, pulling his Fire deck from its case and snatching the sash and mount that lay abandoned on Sora's desk with a fine layer of dust overtop, "but if it's a duel you want, then fine." He slipped the deck into its slot, buttoning his jacket up so that the sash would fit more comfortably over his chest and absently wondering if Sora would have been pleased to know he'd chosen his Fire deck to honor the Princeton's favorite card. He drew, claiming the first turn for himself. "I'll summon UFO Turtle in defense mode and place one card facedown."
"Draw!" the swordsman cried, nodding. "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode. Now, Gearfried, attack that turtle!"
Bastion smirked. "Thanks for that, by destroying UFO Turtle and sending him to the Graveyard, you allow me to summon one Fire-attribute monster with 1500 attack points or less, and I choose Ultimate Baseball Kid!" The boy appeared on the field, his usual attack of 500 doubling. "Oh yes, and now that he's on the field, his special ability takes effect in that he gains 500 attack for every Fire-attribute monster on the field."
"As if it matters," the warrior scoffed. "You aren't good enough to be by his side, and I'll prove it in this duel! Turn end!"
"Sora's mine!" Bastion growled, drawing. "I summon out Little Chimera in attack mode, and in addition to my Ultimate Baseball Kid gaining 500 attack points for there being another Fire monster on the field, Little Chimera's special ability gives every Fire-attribute monster another 500 points, which my Baseball Kid will be putting to use on your Knight and my Chimera on your Life Points." The two duel monster responded, the boy hitting a flaming baseball directly into the face of the armored creature in a manner that reminded him rather painfully of how the same thing had happened to Sora and the feline leaping at the warrior's face, dropping the Life Points of the spirit to only 2800. "Now, for my final move, I activate the spell Limit Level – Area B! This prevents any four-star or higher monster from being in attack mode!"
"A good card," Silent Swordsman complimented, "but not for this deck! I summon Silent Swordsman Level 3 to the field, which makes him the perfect target for my Level Up! to turn him into his five-star form, but as if that wasn't bad enough for you, I think I'll play another Level Up! from my hand to bring out myself!" The monster fully materialized then, his sword resting on his shoulder before he threw a smaller version straight into the Level Limit card as part of his special effect, one he knew he didn't have to explain since Bastion had been able to see it used firsthand before. "Now, I think I'll just destroy that Baseball Kid for throwing a ball in my face!" he yelled, cleaving the monster in two and Bastion's Life Points down to 3200. "I'll place one card facedown. Turn end!"
"I think I'll change Little Chimera to defense mode, but I'll summon out Raging Flame Sprite in attack mode and use its special ability to attack you directly!" The little boy sprang forward, smiting the swordsman with his staff before darting back, having dropped the other's Life Points to 2200. "I'll add another facedown and end my turn."
"I summon out Command Knight!" the swordsman cried, bringing forward the caped soldier who looked thoroughly miserable there on the field, his gaze fixated on Sora hungrily, drinking in the boy's appearance before traveling to Bastion, eyes flickering over the way the boy handled the awkward setup of Sora's Duel Disk and Duel Sash with relative confidence. "Now, I'll destroy your little sprite myself and the kitty with my Knight, who not only causes both he and myself to gain 500 attack for being Warrior-type monsters but also benefits from an additional 500 attack from your Little Chimera's special ability as well." The warrior sprung forward, his broadsword slicing through the fairy easily and knocking the Brit's Life Points down to 2500 as the elegant knight's attack cut down the final monster in front of him. "Turn end!"
The Ra student threw a glance over at Sora, brown eyes taking solace in the slumbering gamer as he drew before they widened. What is this card doing in here? I never had anything like this in my deck before and I sure as hell didn't put it there myself! He glanced at the field. Still, it couldn't have come at a better time… "I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 4 in attack mode!" he cried, watching as the dragon appeared with a screech, its silver wings flexing intimidatingly as it placed itself protectively in front of the two students. "Now, I use my card Call of the Haunted to bring back Ultimate Baseball Kid and chain my Raigeki Break to it in order to destroy you!" As the monster stumbled back into its translucent form, the kid destroyed the Command Knight, who had a small smile on his face as he disappeared. "Now, Horus, end this!" The dragon screeched and obeyed, throwing a fireball to obliterate the last 200 Life Points of his opponent. Feeling tired, Bastion shrugged off the dueling equipment and crawled in beside Sora, cuddling up to the boy's back and falling into a more comfortable sleep than he'd had in weeks.
Jaden: And onto the next chapter!
Chazz: *grumbles* Why didn't I show up in this chapter? I'm the star of the show!
Bastion: ...
Review please!
Last edited: 10/31/2011
