AJ: We're live from Quincy, Illinois 60,000+ strong and all here to see the great Y2Jade and his hot fanfic commodity known only as, The Pro Leagues!

Bil: You've been gone for nearly three weeks and that's the best you can come up with?

AJ: Well…I….

Bil: And why did you decide to come to this backwater dump? 60,000+? Maybe if you include everything in a 50 mile radius.

AJ: Yeah…

Bil: And in the two and a half weeks you've been AWOL, you only came up with one duel, and it's this piece of crap? I suppose next you're going to tell me that your Internet is on the fritz, too!

AJ: …Explain why you came again?

Bil: Because I'm the part of your mind that pushes you onward, forcing you to face new challenges and without me you'd be nothing.

AJ: Oh…so you're the little devil that sits on my shoulder like in the cartoons.

Bil: Basically.

AJ: Ok…so where's the other dude?

Bil: That's for me to know and you to never find out. 3

AJ: o.o;;;;

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Chapter 11: The Mammoth Returns: Shannaro Is The Opponent

"C'mon guys!" Sho yelled. "Hurry up, or we won't get good seats for Aniki's duel!"

Kenzan was racing behind him to keep up. "Slow down! We've got an hour before the show even starts! For all we know, Judai could be on last!" Kenzan roared loudly. "Why do you wanna get there so early, anyways?"

Sho turned his head. "Because I want to see the pre-duel interviews!" he replied, slightly annoyed. "Aniki will probably be on one of them, since he's become such a big-name star now!"

"WHAT!?!?! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO!?!?!?" Kenzan gasped, as he charged ahead even faster than before, soon becoming even and passing Sho.

Fubuki, Areka, Manjoume, Asuka, Misawa, Junko, and Momoe brought up the rear. "It appears that they're really into this, wouldn't you say?" Fubuki chuckled.

"Why not?" Misawa stated. "We haven't had as big of a star from the Academia as this since Kaiser, and even he wasn't getting title shots this early into his pro career."

"It should be me getting that chance…not Judai," Manjoume growled savagely. "He always gets the opportunities to do this kind of stuff."

"Well, he did beat you in the Genex Tourney, didn't he?" Asuka smirked back at him.

"It was just a fluke!" Manjoume insisted. "I wasn't right in the mind then!"

"It's debatable whether he's right in the head, now…" Areka muttered quietly, just enough so the girls could hear. Manjoume cocked an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

"Still," Junko began, after stifling her laughter, "it's odd that Judai, a relatively newcomer in the Pros would get a shot to get a duel for the title before Edo even has a rematch."

"Yeah, but at least now Judai gets to duel Kaiser once again," Momoe mentioned. "I'm just wondering which duelists will be put up against Judai to test him?"

"It won't be any walk in the park, that's for sure," Fubuki responded. "Knowing that Kaiser can have a hand in which duelists he faces will mean that Judai will be facing tough odds. I just hope that if and when he does face Hell Kaiser, that this time, he'll get him back to normal. I don't like seeing my best friend like he is now any more."

Asuka smiled softly. Fubuki turned to his sister, giving her and inquisitive staer. "What's with the smile?" he wondered aloud.

Asuka turned to give him a grin. "Judai will win," she told him firmly. "I'm sure of it. Judai has never lost when it mattered before, right?"

Fubuki looked at his sister out of the corner of his eye, before returning his gaze forward and closing his eyes. His mouth curved upwards into a grin. "You're right," he breathed, suddenly comforted by his sister's words.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Do we have to do this?" Judai groaned as Saiou pushed the boy from behind towards the door to the press room. "I'm no good with publicity. You know that."

Saiou sighed in annoyance. "I've told you already, you are the contender to the Pro League Championship," the pale individual explained for what, to him, felt like the millionth time, "so, to keep your fans happy, you need to have a conference every now and again to respond to questions that may be asked of you."

Judai turned his nose up and pouted. "My fans are only happy if they see me dueling," the duelist reiterated. "Besides, you know I get camera shy."

Saiou pursed his lips. "Look, the faster you get this done, the faster we get out of there, so just shut up and get to it," Saiou stated, shoving him through the door, causing the bright lights and flashing photography to stop the duelist from asking how he could shut up and answer questions at the same time.

Judai cursed under his breath. "Be that way, you," he scoffed. Saiou hurriedly shoved him into a seat at the table in front of chattering reporters.

"Judai-kun! Judai-kun!" multiple reporters began shouting. The young boy's gaze rotated from side to side at the vast sea of onlookers, as they began shouting for his attention.

"Judai-kun!" a portly man with slick black hair called out. "Is it true that you are facing Hell Kaiser in a rematch!?"

"What are your predictions to this next battle?" a red-haired female interviewer inquired.

"What can you expect from Hell Kaiser!?" a blonde female questioned.

"Do you have a vendetta against Hell Kaiser because he defeated your friend and confidant Edo Phoenix!?" another taller male hollered.

Judai gulped and began to feel the hairs on the back of his neck prickle up. Perspiration appeared on his brow and he began to get stage fright. Luckily for the lad, Saiou had recognized this. He knew that the reporters liked to get in your face, especially with rookies. They were sharks who had smelled blood. He stood up and cleared his throat. "SILENCE!!!" he roared, not viciously, but loudly and firmly enough to quiet the crowd. "Raise your hand, please. My client will select you to stand up and state your question. We will answer one question at a time, so as to not make Judai-kun uncomfortable. Thank you."

He sat back down, turned to Judai and muttered, "You must show them that you mean business. Otherwise they'll just do this every time. You need to be firm with them, alright?"

The soothing words calmed the boy down. 'No wonder the Light of Ruin selected him to be the leader of its motives. He may not look it, but the guy can manipulate a crowd as well as one person, effortlessly.' He took a deep breath and looked out on the crowd. He saw one female with her hand raised and pointed to her.

The woman stood up, revealing her pink suit. "Judai-kun, is it true that you are facing off against Hell Kaiser in a title match?"

Judai coughed to clear his throat, leaning forward. He then meekly stated, "Yeah, I guess. I was told that I must have a series of duels against top level duelists to test my skills beforehand, however." He gazed across the room and noticed another finely dressed male with his hand raised. The Osiris duelist nodded to him.

"How do you think you measure up to Hell Kaiser?" he gruffly called.

"Well, I mean, I defeated him the last time we met," Judai stated. "So I'd say that I at least am equal with him." He gestured to another male.

"Yes, but do you think he may have a psychological edge over you? He did force you to defeat him by attacking directly. So you never did beat his Cyberdark Dragon," he mentioned matter-of-factly.

Judai frowned, not at the question, but to help him think of an answer that sounded sufficient. "Yeah, you could look at it that way," he pointed out. "But I'd rather think that I found a way to bypass one of his strongest monsters. A win is a win, whether it's outright or otherwise."

The man stayed standing. "Yes, but now that he has revealed his newest monster when he defeated Edo for the title, do you think he may have surpassed you, as well?"

Judai bit his lip, narrowing his eyes. He took a few moments to collect his mind into a concise and direct answer. "Well, again, he may have brought out a new monster, but who says that I don't have any new monsters or cards to win? It just forces me to use new strategies, many I've tried out during the Genex Tournament." Thankfully, the man sat down this time, and Judai directed his attention to a female, who stood up.

"Judai-kun," the female squeaked, "speaking of the Genex Tournament, who would you say were your strongest opponents in the Tourney?"

Judai glanced at Saiou out of the corner of his eye. The seer didn't move an inch, but the pro could tell he was uncomfortable with this discussion. Judai decided to bypass that duel. 'No need for them to know about that type of thing,' he mused.

"I'd have to say that my greatest challengers were, mainly because I only faced them, were my friends and fellow students at the Academia," he replied, trying desperately to keep a normal voice as the nightmares from that month unburied themselves from his mind. "It was because we all had a common goal, the contract to get where I am right now. It was…difficult…to put our friendships aside to fight each other for that goal, but I think it pushed me to reach a level I had never rose to before."

The female reporter sat down and Judai motioned to another. "While we're on the subject at the Academia, do you mind if I ask a few questions about your personal life?"

Judai glanced at Saiou again, who shifted uneasily, but did nothing to stop Judai. The boy figured there would be no harm in it. "Sure, why not?" he answered.

"Ok, well, how was your time at the Academia the last two years?" she inquired.

"It was fairly interesting, slightly scary, but always entertaining," Judai confidently stated, grinning. "Not a day goes by that something wild happens, kicking up the action to new heights. I've had more fun there than I've ever had in my life. I don't know if I could see my life without living there. It's way too much fun."

"Well, how about your life there? Do you have good friends there?" she continued.

"Of course!" he shouted. "I can trust in all of them, which makes it even better. We're all one big family." He smiled at his own comments.

"Ok, one more," she called as she wrote down on her note pad, "do you have a significant other?"

Judai blinked inquisitively. He felt the sense of doom rise within him, once again. Saiou was there to save him, as the diviner leaned to the hero's ear and muttered, " A female companion."

Judai felt his stomach lower again. 'Is that all?' he wondered. 'Didn't she already ask if I had good friends?' He cocked an eyebrow at the thought, but shrugged. "Of course, doesn't everyone? Saiou's sister, Mizuchi, is one of my 'significant others'. She isn't even at the Acade----" Judai's brow furrowed at the response of the room.

The lady's eyes widened, along with the rest of the room, "One of…?" she repeated.

Judai looked at Saiou, who had an odd look that appeared to consist of half disbelief and half rage. Judai wondered what that would mean, and figured that he should continues. "Well, sure," he continued, "I have several at school, too! Asuka Tenjoin is one of them. She and I hang out all the time. Over the course of the Genex Tournament, I gained a companion in Areka, as well becoming better 'significant others' with Momoe and Junko. I think we gained a mutual respect over each others' stamina to last so long, especially since we sometimes didn't sleep most nights."

The entire audience was speechless. Finally, the lady who had asked the question gulped and blinked several times. "Ummm…are you serious…?"

"Oh, of course!" Judai told them. "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm good friends with a lot of people at the Academia?"

Saiou, who barely was able to keep a straight face at the last comment, slowly inched towards Judai, whispering, "She means a girlfriend."

Judai grinned for a moment longer, before Saiou's words registered within his brain. Judai's face fell immediately and turned his head towards Saiou. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT SHE MEANT A 'GIRLFRIEND' IN THE FIRST PLACE!?!?!?!" he bellowed. A loud crash forced the pro to turn towards the sea of reporters, which had now turned into an ocean of legs pointing upward, as they fell out of their seats in complete shock and relief.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The same crashing sound from the television was mimicked and reverberated throughout the entire auditorium. A sea of legs straightened upright was seen everywhere. Soon everyone was able to reposition themselves into their chairs.

"And he's supposed to be representing Duel Academia…!?" Areka breathed in annoyance.

"I can't believe I ever lost to that idiot…" Manjoume growled.

"Well…" Fubuki chuckled, relieved Judai didn't mean what he was saying, "at least we know that the fame hasn't gone to his head."

Asuka giggled at Fubuki's comment. "That's true. But I think he's too free-spirited to be affected by that."

"Now he knows that his main strength is dueling," Sho muttered.

"I dunno if I should laugh or feel bad that he just humiliated himself on live television," Kenzan stated, trying desperately to keep an even visage.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edo roared with laughter, while Mizuchi sat with a stern look on her face. Judai pouted and blushed in embarrassment as he sat in the dressing room adjusting his duel disk and prepping his deck. "I…C-CAN'T BELIEVE…YOU THOUGHT…" Edo choked through his mirth, before he fell prey to his amusement once again.

Saiou, who was also chuckling in the corner behind the trio, tried to make a firm face, "Now, Edo, you know that Judai-kun has had a….ermmm…underprivileged childhood." He coughed several times, trying to keep his glee in check

"Awww, shut up, you two," Judai murmured. "Look, I didn't know what it meant, and Saiou told me it meant a 'female companion'. Sorry I thought they meant female friends as in regular friends…Yeesh."

Mizuchi pursed her lips. She apparently hadn't bought this argument, though Judai couldn't blame her. Judai looked at her for a quick second before returning to stare at the floor. 'I probably just humiliated myself in front of the entire student body and…' Judai gasped. "ASUKA!!!" Oh, he did it now. Asuka would probably never speak to him again.

"Ugh…" He groaned as he rose out of his seat, walking towards the door. "I better go."

"Wait," Mizuchi, who had not spoken for sometime, ordered. "Do you know who your opponent is?"

Judai shook his head. "I just know his name is 'Shannaro'. Rumor is, he was a captain in the army. Wonder what made him decide to duel." He opened the door to exit.

"Be careful with the women out there, you, ladies' man, you!!!" Edo called before howling again, after him. Judai's shoulders slumped lower as he walked out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Judai advanced towards the entrance, keeping his stare away from the duelists that glared savagely at him. He could feel the stares on him, but didn't raise his eyes. He knew the hatred and envy, how some young punk who hasn't fought against anyone proven yet suddenly gets a shot at the title. But he also knew he couldn't respond to them. They thought he was snobbish and arrogant because he had caught some fame. It was like meeting Edo all over again. This time, though, his friends weren't around to help.

He remembered what Saiou had told him. He shouldn't respond, because that would only prove them right. So onward he strolled, when he heard a crash, followed by the foul stench of alcohol billowing down the hall.

"Damn It!" a familiar gruff voice grumbled. "Whaddya mean I can't have anymore sake!?!?"

"Sir, if you're dueling tonight, don't you think you should be slightly sober so you know what you're doing?" the bartender nervously questioned. It was obvious to anyone within earshot he did not want any trouble.

"I'm perfectly fi----INE!!!" Another crash clamored down the corridor.

Judai dashed down the hall, skidding around the corner, seeing a giant, burly man lying on the floor with a stool on its side by his legs. His visage dropped in disbelief. "I should've known…" he murmured.

The man rubbed the back of his head. "Damn it…" he grumbled. "Stupid head…" He opened his eyes and noticed Judai. "Oi! Hey there, Pup!" he chirped. He rolled to his stomach and stood up. He slammed his giant hand into Judai's back, nearly knocking the lad off his feet. "BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! How's it going?"

Judai sighed. "Alright, I suppose…" he grumbled. "What're you doing here?"

"Funny thing, I gotta duel somebody tonight," he roared. "Hell, Yeah! Shrimp won't know what hit 'im! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

Judai covered his ears from the rumblings emanating from the man. "Great…" he answered. "So, who're you dueling?"

The man grinned toothily. "Hell, Yeah! I dunno!" the man howled. "Doesn't matter! They'll get their ass handed to 'em….BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!"

"Yeah…well, I gotta get going, so…" Judai cut in. He slowly backed away and began to leave.

"Damn It! Oh, well, See ya in the duel ring sometime, Pup!" the man hollered. "Always say 'Ello' to ol' Shannaro-taicho whenever you get the chance! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!" Judai strode quickly down the passageway, out of sight.

"What a drunk…" he murmured. He continued on his way towards the entrance to the arena when he froze. "Wait a minute…Shannaro…taicho?" He whirled back around and burst through the door. The giant had disappeared.

Judai stared at the fallen stool where the mammoth laid. He grinned, as he felt his limbs tingle with excitement. "Shannaro-taicho…" the young pro whispered in enthusiasm, "I'll see you in the duel arena." He turned and hastened through the doorway towards the entrance to the duel circle.

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AJ: Welp, there's Chapter 11. Sorry, I had planned to start the duel this time, but I got kinda carried away with the interview.

Bil: I'll say you did, fool. How did you make this chapter so long with that?!?! Idiot.

AJ: Yeah, I know. Please come back for the next episode: Chapter 12: The Gauntlet Begins: Judai Vs. Shannaro-taicho! Read and Review, Please! I promise the next chapter will be better!