Chapter 13: The Tag Punishment Duel
The time for Judai and Sho's Punishment Duel was nearing, and students began making their way to the Duel Arena.
However, the students weren't talking about the Punishment Duel. At least, not Judai's.
The current topic of discussion, was Shin's latest Duel against Kaiser Ryou, which the majority of the academy saw thanks to Samejima's unfamiliarity with modern tech.
Mostly Ra students kept talking about the Duel, almost as if to review it and find possible ways Shin could've won. Of course they wished Shin would've won, however even Shin couldn't stand a chance against the Kaiser's might.
However some students saw the duel as unfair, and attributed Shin's loss to him still being out of shape due to the two days he spent unconscious. However, as hard a truth as it was to swallow, even in peak condition Shin couldn't beat Ryou. Not yet at least.
Among the students were a few Obelisks as well, though they were mostly there to congratulate Ryou on his win, and partly to see Judai get expelled. Manjoume being among those students, however he still had some unsettled business with the Slifer which he wanted to finish right now.
'I need to ask Chronos if I can be Judai's opponent. That way I can finally crush that slime and get rid of him. And then I'll come after Shin..' he thought, s slight smirk making it's way unto his face.
It didn't take long for the student's to arrive at the Duel Arena, however upon entering, they were greeted by a rather interesting sight.
In the middle of the arena, were Shin and Ryou. However, the curious thing was that they were both on their knees, slumped over and with a rather dark and depressing aura above them.
In front of the two, was Asuka. And the people soon realized what had happened, as they noticed the smoking harisen in the girl's hands, which were crossed over her bust. Her foot was tapping against the floor and her face displayed quite a range of emotions, none of which were good.
"I trust you both learned your lessons?" the blonde asked, staring down at the two young men with a burning gaze.
""...Hai..."" they both answered in unison, their voices being almost devoid of emotion.
"Shin." came her call, fixating the boy with a death stare, which made a light whimper escape his lips. "Lesson" she commanded, as Shin slumped over even further.
"...N-Never disobey A-Asuka-sama's orders..." he mumbled, tears welling up in his eyes, as his face displayed quite a large amount of fear.
With a sharp nod, Asuka's sight landed on Ryou, who flinched, but didn't show any other sign of weakness.
"Lesson" she commanded again, her voice so sharp it could cut through the two.
"...Never let Shin rope me into anything, without consulting Asuka-sama beforehand..." the Kaiser answered simply, without any emotion.
"Good. Now the final lesson?" Asuka inquired, as her gaze softened slightly. Shin and Ryou then bowed even further, and in unison replied.
""Never anger Asuka-sama!"" they declared, as Asuka nodded her head with a smile, putting the harisen away as they two boys breathed in relief.
"That's right boys" she responded, patting the two on the head, smiling as if nothing had ever happened.
The students that had been watching everything unfold, were left staring in shock. Even Manjoume was surprised, at seeing this side of Asuka. And every one of the students present had but one thought.
[She has them completely whipped!] they exclaimed, subconsciously memorizing the lesson Shin and Ryou just learned. To never anger Asuka.
They then watched as Asuka told Shin and Ryou to stand up, before taking Shin's hand and dragging him toward the stands as the boy trudged behind her like a marionette.
And as the couple left, Ryou also turned back and began heading toward the opposite side of the stands, while muttering a 'good luck Shin..'.
The observers stood motionless for a while, trying to figure out what exactly Asuka had done to the two. Few had some theories, but they were anything but pleasant, and they weren't far off.
On this day, Shin had learned that Asuka's word was law, and if he broke it again then there would be Hell to pay.
A while later, the spectators had finally dispersed to find a seat, most going as far away from Asuka as possible. Even Manjoume decided to stand clear of Asuka for now, not wanting to accidentally set off a bomb he didn't wish on his worst enemy. Yes, even Shin. And right now he felt slight pity for the fellow, and sort of reconsidered challenging him to a Duel tonight.
...Mostly due to being afraid of what he would go through if Asuka caught wind of it.
But he pushed those thoughts aside, as sat himself next to the entrance, waiting for Chronos and the other professors to arrive.
Back in the Slifer dorm, Judai and Sho had just finished getting ready, both themselves and their decks.
"Alright, I think we're ready to do this" Judai noted, standing up and looking at his short friend.
"Definitely! Let's win!" Sho agreed, determination clear in his eyes. Seeing this, Judai grinned.
"That's the spirit! Say, are you as excited as me? This will be our first Tag-Duel right?" he asked excitedly, as Hayato appeared from his bunk bed.
"It certainly helps that you won't get expelled anymore. Less pressure and more enjoying the duel right?" the koala fellow asked, to which Judai and Sho nodded.
"That's certainly true. If it wasn't for Shin, we'd still be facing expulsion" Judai stated, before glancing at Sho. "Let's not forget to thank him properly for saving our butts after our duel is over."
Sho nodded, as they prepared to leave.
"I'll be coming to cheer you on too" Hayato called, before his friends left. "May not be expulsion, but I still don't want you guys to have extra homework for three months. That means you'll be pulling all nighters and I won't be able to sleep!" he laughed, as Judai grinned his signature grin.
"Don't worry! Sho and I got this one in the bag! Seeya there Hayato" he said, before leaving with Sho in tow.
Back at the Duel Arena, everyone that was going to watch the Punishment Duel had settled into their respective seats.
At the entrance, professor Chronos appeared through the door, catching Manjoume's attention. Thus, he hurried down and called out to the professor.
"Prof. Chronos, wait!" he called as the teacher turned around with a raised eyebrow.
"What is it, Signore Manjoume? Time is ticking" Chronos answered, crossing his arms.
"Please, allow me to be Judai's opponent! I promise I'll crush the slime this time!" the Obelisks requested, but was met with refusal as Chronos shook his head.
"I'm afraid there will be no need for that, Signore Manjoume" Chronos responded, wagging his finger in front of the boy. "I have already called for a pair that should prove more than enough of a challenge for the two Slifers. After all, teamwork is the key to success in this duel, no ne? And the pair I chose happen to excel at teamwork" he grinned, before turning on his heel and walking back toward the teachers booth.
However, he did glance back at Manjoume, as he had some new for the Obelisk.
"Also, you should probably be more concerned about yourself. With your latest loss, against someone like Judai no less, you may very well end up being demoted to Ra Yellow. I suggest you tread carefully, Signore Manjoume" Chronos said, before going back on his way.
'Damn...curse you Judai..!' Manjoume seethed, grinding his teeth together.
Miffed, he made his way back to the stands and plopped down into his seat, his expression remaining fixated into a scowl.
On the other side of the stands, was Misawa who had just arrived to watch the duel as well. He took a second to scan the seats, and quickly located Asuka and Shin, sitting curiously away from everyone else.
Disregarding the thought, he quickly made his way over to the pair, and took a seat next to the blonde girl.
"Looks like it's about to begin-" he noted, glancing at his two friends. Though he was surprised when he saw poor Shin rocking back and forth with a pale expression on his face. "-My goodness Shin, what happened to you?" he asked astounded.
"...W-Women...they are s-scary Misawa...d-demons, that's what they are..." he mumbled, still rocking back and forth.
"Uhh..." with a sweatdrop, Misawa glanced at Asuka, who still had her innocent smile on her face. "Asuka-san, what exactly happened to Shin?" he questioned.
"Oh, I just taught him and Ryou a lesson they ought to never forget~ I take it you saw the duel this morning as well?" she asked, to which the boy nodded slowly. "Well, I explicitly told Shin stay away from duels for a while, but as you saw this morning he ignored me, so I took upon myself to discipline him. Isn't that right, Shin-kun~?" she asked sweetly, gently patting Shin on the head.
However that action caused Shin to turn rigid with fear again, as he shakily nodded his head.
"Y-Yes, A-Asuka-sama...Shin has l-learned his lesson, A-Asuka-sama..." he responded, sweating bullets. Satisfied, Asuka turned back to Misawa with her ever-so-sweet smile, making even him slightly lean back in his chair.
"See, Misawa-kun? Shin will now behave~" she said.
"Will...will he be okay?" the Ra student questioned, worried for his friends sanity. Well, whatever seemed to be left of it anyway. Not that it was much to begin with..
"Oh, he'll be fine" Asuka waved him off, glancing at Shin. "He'll spring right back to his usual self in a minute, like he always does" she chuckled slightly, as Misawa released a relieved breath.
"Well that's certainly true.." he mumbled, looking at the Duel Field. "First it was Shin, and now it's Judai's turn. It feels like it's just one thing after the other, doesn't it?"
"Yeah...and it's my fault all of this happened" she mumbled, looking at the Field as well. "I should've been Judai's partner in this duel."
"I don't think that would've worked out, Asuka-chan" Shin suddenly said, returning to his usual self in an instant, surprising both Asuka and Misawa. "You may be skilled, but there's a certain chemistry that needs to be present in a Tag Duel."
"What do you mean Shin?" Misawa inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"It's not just the Decks, but the duelists need to be in sync as well" Shin explained, showing a contemplating face, before glancing at the blonde beauty. "Both you and Judai are head strong. The leader type, so to speak. That doesn't work in a Tag team"
"And you're saying that Sho being Judai's partner is better?" Asuka asked, curious as to what Shin was talking about.
"As a matter of fact, yes. Both of them are close friends, and Sho obviously admires Judai very much. That means he's also more likely to follow Judai's lead. While I'm not saying he should just go with whatever Judai's saying, this is a good opportunity for Sho to get the push he needs" he explained, before crossing his hands behind his head. "Then again, that's just what I think. I may be wrong, who knows?"
"We'll just have to see how the duel pans out, won't we?" Misawa surmised, earning a nod from Shin.
"That we do Misawa-chan" he mumbled, leaning back into his seat and waiting for Judai and Sho to show up.
And it didn't take long for the Slifers to show up.
As they entered the Arena, Sho couldn't help but notice all the people that have gathered.
"We're going to be dueling in front of all these people?" he mumbled, beginning to feel under pressure. But Judai made sure to calm his partner down by patting his shoulder.
"Don't worry Sho! Everything will be just fine. Besides, this just gets me fired up!" he chuckled, ruffling Sho's hair and going on ahead, followed by the short boy soon after.
Back in the stands, Manjoume began gritting his teeth as soon as he saw Judai. He even kicked the seat in front of him in frustration.
"Judai..." he growled, clenching his fist. "I wanted to crush you with my own hands…!"
As they reached the stage, Judai noticed Hayato who just arrived in the stands.
"Hey, Hayato showed up after all" he noted, looking at his big friend who tried his best to catch his breath from running. Judai then waved to him, before going to take is place on the field.
Before he could join him, Sho noticed someone else in the stands. Namely, his brother Kaiser Ryou.
'Use this duel to show me what you're capable of as a duelist, Sho' Ryou thought as the two brothers locked eyes for a moment.
'Big brother…' Sho mumbled in his mind, before following Judai's example and taking his spot on the field. 'Watch me, brother!'
"Now, the Tag-Team Duel will begin!" Chronos announced, raising his hand high in the air.
"And who will they be dueling, professor Chronos?" asked principal Samejima, who was leaning over the stands. "Will it be teachers or Obelisk students, like Shin did during his duel?" he questioned. "Or are you proposing to duel them yourself?"
Chronos's sweatdropped at all the questions, before turning toward the excited principal.
"I'm afraid none of those option are fitting for this duel, Principal. Since these two will be a Tag Team, they will have to duel opponents who are suited for this task!" he explained, raising his finger.
"oh? And…?" the principal leaned further, little stars appearing around him.
"For today's duel...I have brought in legendary duelists!" he declared, surprising the audiences.
"Legendary Duelists?" Misawa questioned, as if he didn't hear it properly. "Is he really allowed to pit legendary duelists against those two?"
"I don't think so" Asuka mumbled, slightly narrowing her eyes. "Having to face someone know as a 'legendary duelist' is too much for mere first years, not matter how you look at it" she said, before she and Misawa heard a sigh from the boy next to them.
"Come one you two, have a little faith" Shin said, waving his hand. "Those two didn't have Seto-chan picking their opponent. That would really be a 'legendary duelist'" he said, grabbing a cup of soda from nowhere. "What's the worst Chronos can do? Make them face the Paradox Brothers? Ha" he laughed, bringing the cup to his lips and taking a sip.
"Now, I bring to you!" Chronos suddenly exclaimed, as two shadows jumped on the field.
They then proceeded to flip around on the field for a few moments, before landing behind Judai. As they stood up, people eyes opened up in recognition.
"We are the wandering Guardians!" one of the two said, followed by the other.
"WE are the Paradox Brothers!" he declared, shocking some of those present.
*PFFFFFFF-!*
One of those people was Shin, who immediately spit out his drink in shock.
"*cough* *cough* W-What!" he shouted wide eyed, coughing hard as Asuka patted him on the back.
"Hey, that was like one of those Hong Kong movies!" Judai exclaimed, a big smile on his face. Sho on the other hand, wasn't so keen.
"Are those the guys we have to fight?" he mumbled to himself, as Chronos appeared behind them.
"Those two are legendary duelists who once fought the King of Duelists, Yugi Muto" Chronos boasted, smirking at the Slifer students.
"The King of Duelists?" Sho mumbled in shock, looking at the smirking brothers Para and Dox.
"I've heard of them before" Asuka said, as Shin finally stopped coughing. "Those two used unstoppable combinations to make the King of Duelists stuffer..." she mumbled, before a foot suddenly slammed on the railing in front of her.
"Hey, that's overkill!" Shin shouted at Chronos, clenching his fist hard. "You can't pit certified Pros against Novices! That's not fair in the slightest-!" his complaint was suddenly stopped as Asuka pulled him back down from the railing, seating him back on his seat before he could make an even bigger scene.
Shin's outburst certainly took everyone by surprise, though he did speak what was on most people's minds. Minus those like Manjoume, who actually enjoyed the current predicament.
'Actually, this is perfect' Manjoume smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Suffer an unsightly loss in front of everyone Judai Yuki" he mumbled, closing his eyes.
'Oh man this isn't good' Hayato thought, worrying for his friends.
Ryou simply kept watching, seemingly unfazed by the events unfolding.
"Hmm, your friends is most certainly right" Para told the two Slifer students. "And while we bear you on ill will..."
"We still have our own reasons for fighting you" Dox finished his brothers sentence.
"The gate before you shall remain closed..."
"Unless you can defeat us!" the two brothers struck a pose, before exclaiming in unison.
""Now, let us duel!""
Although the display was rather hilarious, both Judai and Sho had a few beads of sweat rolling down their faces, which made Chronos chuckle to himself.
'Shaking in their boots..!' he thought, grinning wildly.
"Shin is right, this is quite the radical move professor Chronos" Samejima said, now at the foot of the Duel arena. "These two are the real deal."
"B-But principal" Chronos said, trying to find the right words to persuade Samejima to allow the duel. "These two are the only ones suited to deliver the right punishment for what those slackers did! We need to make an example for the other students!" he tried, as Samejima nodded his head in thought.
"Hmm, I see" he said, looking back up at Chronos with a smile. "Alright then, I'll allow it. Shin managed to win his duels after all, so those two aren't in any danger anyway" he smiled, making Chronos remember that they wouldn't be expelled, even if they lost. And that thought made him cringe. "Good luck you two" he encouraged, before returning to his seat.
'That's right...I forgot Signore Shin managed to foil my plans once again. If only he wasn't there to save those slackers every time!' he grumbled in his mind, returning to the Duelists.
"Oh man this is sweet!" Judai exclaimed, stars appearing in his eyes. "I get to duel someone who face Yugi Muto! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" he said happily.
"Well, anyway..." Chronos mumbled, his whole mood dropping considerably seeing that his plan would not come to fruition. He then walked toward the middle of the arena and raised his arm.
"Everyone, take your places!" he called, as the Tag Teams went to their respective sides of the field, the audience cheering on.
Judai glanced at Sho, before taking a big breathe and raising a thumbs up.
"It's time Sho. I'll be counting on you!" he grinned, thrusting his thumbs up at his Partner, who smiled in return. Chronos then began explaining the rules.
"You may not give any advice to your tag-team partner! However, you may use any card your partner has already placed on the field. But you may not use your partners monsters to attack." he said, glancing at the two teams. "Furthermore, both teams have a combined 8000 LP and no one is allowed to attack on their first turn. Understood?" seeing no protests, he nodded his head.
"Now then! If both parties are ready! Let the duel, begin!" Chronos declared, starting the Tag Duel.
[DUEL!] all four shouted in unison, drawing their respective hands.
Para/Dox: 8000 LP
Judai/Sho: 8000 LP
Once everyone drew their cards, Judai glanced at his for a moment, before looking at Sho and giving him a nod, signaling him to go first. With a nod of his own, Sho took a card and placed it on his Duel Disk.
"I summon Gyroid in ATK mode!" he called, as a cartoonish helicopter appeared on the field.
Gyroid -LV3- (1000/1000)
"I end my turn" Sho said, as Para drew his sixth card.
Judai/Sho: 8000 LP
"It is my turn now! I summon Jirai Gumo in ATK mode!" on the brother's field, a giant demonic spider appeared.
Jirai Gumo -LV4- (2200/100)
"I now end my turn" Para said, crossing his arms.
"A Level 4 Monster with 2200 ATK right off the bat?" Asuka mumbled surprised, not having seen such a thing too often.
"It's rare, but these things can happen with the right Archetype and deck" Misawa said, studying the duel field carefully, trying to think of possible strategies the Paradox brothers may be using.
"Though those monsters are usually either not worth summoning, plain beat sticks, or have a catch to them" Shin explained, having seen his fair share of cards through the years. "Jirai Gumo for example is a monster who has a catch that makes it almost not worth summoning, except for stalling and blocking."
"And what's that catch?" Asuka asked glancing at Shin.
"If you were to attack with Jirai Gumo, you first need to toss a coin. If you call it wrong, you lose half of your LP" Misawa answered before Shin, surprising Asuka.
"But it still has other uses for the brothers" Shin said, as the three focused back on the duel at hand, where Judai started his turn.
"I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in DEF mode!" Judai announced, as the female Hero in red suit appeared on the field. She then crouched on her card and crossed her arms as a shield.
E-HERO Burstinatrix -LV3- (1200/800)
"Turn end."
"Then it's my turn!" Dox declared, drawing his card. Without skipping a beat, he placed a monster card on his Duel Disk. "I summon Kaiser Sea Horse in ATK mode!"
In front of Dox, a creature wearing purple colored armor and holding a golden double sided spear.
Kaiser Sea Horse -LV4- (1700/1650)
'Since it's the first turn, no one can attack yet' Sho thought, narrowing his eyes slightly. 'That means the next turn is when the battle begins.'
"My turn isn't over yet!" Dox declared, grabbing a card from his hand and inserting it in the disk. "I activate the spell, Tribute Doll!" he declared, as the card flipped up. And from it, a bunch of black hair-like tendrils appeared and wrapped themselves around Jirai Gumo.
The brothers exchanged a silent nod, before Jirai Gumo was destroyed. Dox then returned his sight on the field.
"When this card is activated, I must tribute a monster in order to summon a Level 7 monster from my hand that can be Normal Summoned. And I choose to summon Kazejin!" he announced, as gusts of wind ripped through the arena.
And among those winds a monster appeared. A green monster consisting of a torso and hands, bearing the Kanji for 'wind' on it's body.
Kazejin -LV7- (2400/2200)
"He sacrificed his partner's Monster to bring out a stronger, more useful one" Misawa said, seeing the brother's teamwork at play.
"Such teamwork, on the very first turn..." Asuka mumbled impressed.
Shin however, wasn't sharing the feeling.
"What did you expect? They've been tagging for years now" he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "At this point, their decks play themselves. Those are just there to activate the cards."
"Then that means it will be even harder for Judai and Sho to win" Misawa surmised, only for Shin to shake his head.
"Actually, it means they've become predictable" he stated, making Misawa and Asuka raise an eyebrow. "Come on, Misawa. Just take a look at their field. It's not hard to realize they're trying to bring out the Gate Guardian."
"The Gate Guardian? Isn't that the same monster they used against Yugi Muto?" Asuka asked, Shin nodding with a grin.
"Exactly~" he asnwered. They then heard Misawa hum, whilst cupping his chin in his hand.
"Gate Guardian. A Level 11 monster with 3750 ATK and 3400 DEF" he mumbled, glancing at Shin. "That monster is normally quite hard to summon under normal circumstances."
"However, this is a Tag Duel" Asuka said. "This time, it's two decks working together, instead of just one. And like Shin-kun said, these two have tuned their decks to work perfectly in sync."
"You're right" Misawa glanced back at the duel field where he saw Sho try to attack Para directly with his Fusion monster Steam Gyroid, due to him not having any of his own monsters to protect him, only to have Dox stop him with Kazejin's special effect. "Looks like Sho forgot to check if Kazejin had any special effects."
"A pity, but I don't think Sho had any cards to help him with that regardless. And now when Para's turn comes around, he'll certainly summon the remaining two of the trio and bring out Gate Guardian."
"And how do you think he'll do that, Shin-kun?" Asuka asked curiously.
"Plenty of ways" Shin answered simply, before elaborating. "Mausoleum of the Emperor, for example is a good card to use in this situation."
"Because of their shared LP?" Misawa guessed, earning a nod from Shin.
"That card allows you to summon high level monsters at the cost of your LP, doesn't it?" the queen of Obelisk asked her pseudo/ pretend boyfriend that no one knew about yet, receiving another nod in return. "So that's why. With all those LP, they could easily summon Suijin or Sanga, and still have plenty of LP remaining."
"That's right-" Shin started, but stopped upon seeing Para bring back Jirai Gumo using Monster Reborn. "-Or they can do that..."
"What?" Asuka looked back on the Duel Field, as the Paradox brothers began the preparation for Gate Guardian's summon.
Back on the field…
Para/Dox: 8000 LP Kaiser Sea Horse ATK 1700, Kazejin ATK 2400
Judai/Sho: 8000 LP Burstinatrix DEF 800, Steam Gyroid ATK 2200
"Now that I have Jirai Gumo back on the field, I activate another Tribute Doll!" Para declared, as the same black tendrils wrapped around Jirai Gumo, destroying it once more. "Using Tribute Doll, I sacrifice Jirai Gumo in order to summon Suijin!"
As Jirai Gumo burst into pixels again, a new monster appeared in it's stead. Suijin, a blue monster that appeared to miss it's upper half.
Suijin -LV7- (2500/2400)
"However, that wasn't all" Para smirked, glancing at his brother. "Allow me to use some of your power brother."
"Feel free big brother" Dox agreed, reciprocating Para's smirk.
Kaiser Sea Horse then became enveloped in a dark aura, as Para took another card from his hand.
"Using Kaiser Sea Horse's effect, I used it as two tributes to summon Sanga of the Thunder!" he declared, as Kaiser Sea Horse disappeared and lightning rained down, from which the final of the element trio appeared.
Sanga of the Thunder -LV7- (2600/2200)
"When summoning a Light-Attribute monster, Kaiser Sea Horse counts as two tributes" Para explained, making Sho gasp and take step back.
Back in the stands, Misawa was impressed once more.
"They summoned all three elementals so effortlessly...Looks like you were right Shin. Their decks really are tuned to perfection" he said, as Shin narrowed his eyes slightly.
"It's not over yet. Here comes the boss…!" he said, watching on as Para took one more card from his hand.
"Now, I tribute Sanga, Kazejin and Suijin in order to summon the great Gate Guardian!" he announced, as all three of their monsters floated in the air.
They then attached themselves to one another, with Sanga acting as the upper body, Kazejin acting as the mid-section and Suijin becoming the lower half. The assembled monster then landed on the field, shaking the ground as it did.
Gate Guardian -LV11- (3750/3400)
""Gate...Guardian?"" Judai and Sho mumbled in unison, staring in awe at the giant monster staring them down.
"Now, Gate Guardian! Attack Steam Gyroid! Demon god Shockwave!" he commanded, as the monster gathered a mass of electrified water in front of it, which it launched at Sho's monster.
Of course, due to the large difference in strength, Steam Gryoid didn't stand a chance against the attack and was soon blown away and destroyed. The attack then continued all the way to Sho, depleting his LP.
Judai/Sho: 8000 → 6450 LP
"Did you see that?" Para gloated, followed by his brother.
"This is what Tag Dueling is all about!" he exclaimed triumphantly.
"Steam Gyroid was beaten just like that..." Sho mumbled, a bead of sweat rolling down his face. Meanwhile Chronos couldn't be more pleased.
'The essence of Tag Dueling is making the team crumble by taking out the weak link' he smirked happily. 'The drop out boy is surprisingly tenacious, however Signore Marufuji isn't nearly as strong willed.'
"Are you okay Sho?" Judai asked his partner, who nodded.
"Y-Yeah I'm fine..." he said, looking down at the ground. 'I wish I could help Big Bro, but against that thing...Maybe I am just dragging him down.'
AS he glanced at Judai however, Sho saw no fear whatsoever on his face. In fact, he looked excited.
"Man that monster is awesome! I've never seen anything like it" he smirked, getting pumped. "Did the King of Duelists face this monster too? I'm getting pumped just thinking about it! He exclaimed, preparing to draw his card.
"My turn now! I draw!" he stated, drawing his card confidently. Looking at the Polymerization card he drew, brought a smirk on Judai's face.
"First, I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in DEF mode!" he said, as the giant Hero appeared on his field in a defensive stance.
E-HERO Clayman -LV4- (800/2000)
"Then I activate the Spell card, Polymerization! And with it I fuse Clayman and Burstinatrix!"
The two monsters then became absorbed within the familiar vortex and out of it appeared a female version of Clayman with more armor, a gun for a hand and wielding a red shield in the other hand.
"Appear, Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster!" Judai announced as the monster landed on her card in DEF mode.
E-HERO Rampart Blaster -LV6- (2000/2500)
"Another Elemental Hero Fusion...But it still doesn't have enough power to beat Gate Guardian, Big Bro!" Sho told his partner, who grinned in response.
"It doesn't need to. I activate Rampart Blaster's effect!" he said, as the monster pointed her gun at the Paradox brothers. "While Rampart Blaster is face up on the field in DEF mode, it can attack my opponents directly, but the damage is cut in half" he explained, surprising the duelists.
""What?!"" they both exclaimed, as Judai ordered the attack.
"Go, Rampart Blaster! Rampart Shot!" he ordered, as the monster shot a handful of rockets at the brothers, creating an explosion afterward.
Para/Dox: 8000 → 7000 LP
"Kuh-!" Para grit his teeth, as the smoke cleared from his face.
"Not bad at all..." Dox praised, though he too was gritting his teeth.
"Nice Big Bro!" Sho exclaimed happily, as Judai gave a peace sign.
"No biggie~" he said with his usual grin. "I end my turn" he stated, as the two Slifers focused on their opponents again, Sho's expression becoming a serious one.
'Right, if Big Bro managed to do it, then I can do it too! I need to rise to the challenge and make sure I'm useful!' Sho thought with renewed determination.
Judai/Sho: 6450 LP
"Hm! Then it's my turn again. I draw!" Dox stated, drawing his card."I activate the Equip Spell card, Fairy Meteor Crush!" he stated, as the card flipped up on the field. "Now, a monster that's equipped with this card deals Piercing Damage when attacking a monster in DEF mode!"
"Not gonna let that happen!" Sho declared strongly, activating his facedown card. "I'll finally be useful to Big Bro! Activate, Magical Space Typhoon!"
A small tornado then appeared from Sho's card, and began heading toward Gate Guardian.
"This card allows me to destroy one Spell or Trap card on the field! And I choose Fairy Meteor Crush!" Sho exclaimed, causing Dox's eyes to widen.
"Think again!" Para suddenly exclaimed, as his own face down card flipped up. "Activate counter-trap, Judgment of Anubis!" he announced, as Sho gasped in surprise and took a step back. "When this card is activated, I can discard one card from my hand to negate one of my opponents Spell or Trap card that targets to destroy one of our cards."
"No way!" Sho exclaimed, as his card burst into pixels and the tornado dissipated before it reached Gate Guardian.
"But not only that, it also allows me to destroy one of monsters, as well as deal damage equal to it's ATK!" he declared, shocking Judai and Sho as Rampart Blaster exploded into pixels, dealing damage to them as well.
Judai/Sho: 6450 → 4450 LP
"Heh" Para grinned, seeing their LP go down. Then, as it was still his turn, Dox placed one more card on his Duel Disk.
"Finally, I place Defense Wall in DEF mode" he said, as bricks started assembling into a monster in front of him.
Defense Wall -LV4- (0/2100)
"Now, when this monster is in face up DEF position, all of your monsters must target it for their attack!" he explained, as Chronos laughed some more in the back ground while the rest of the spectators stared in awe at the combo.
"Gate Guardian for offense and Defense Wall for defense...These two really don't skip a beat, do they?" Misawa mumbled, staring at the field. Asuka nodded her head in agreement.
"I guess they aren't called legendary Duelists for nothing...Their Tag Duel skills far exceed Judai and Sho's.."
While Asuka and Misawa seemingly only saw the dark side of the situation, Shin tried to find a way to reach the positive one. And with a little bit of thinking, he managed to think of a way.
'Heh. I guess now it's a good thing Judai and I went to the Card Shop that day after all' he grinned lightly, before looking at the field, where Sho summoned Cycroid to defend their LP. 'It's not gonna help against Fairy Meteor Crush Sho. Those measly 1000 DEF points aren't going to do anything...'
Proven by Para, as he attacked Sho's monster with Gate Guardian as soon as he drew his card, destroying the poor monster in seconds and inflicting some more damage to Sho and Judai.
Judai/Sho: 4450 → 1700 LP
As their LP dropped, so did Sho who fell to his knees after the attack.
""No one can defeat the Paradox brothers!"" the two brothers declared, striking a pose as the smoke cleared from Judai and Sho's side of the field.
Up in the stands, Misawa and Asuka looked on as their friends stood motionless on the field a monster with almost 400 ATK staring them down and only 1700 LP remaining.
"I guess this is as far as they go, huh?" Misawa mumbled leaning back in his chair. "Taking on the Paradox brothers in a first time Tag Duel was too much for them after all."
"In a Tag Duel the strength of each duelist and how they can cooperate is essential" Asuka said, also believing this is a far as the two Slifers go. "An impromptu Tag Team can't stand up to professional Tag duelists..." she said releasing a breath
WHACK
That was, until they were both slapped on the forehead by a harisen of all things, courtesy of Shin, surprisingly.
"If you two are giving up on them already then go somewhere else. You're spoiling the mood with your pessimism, you non-believers!" Shin exclaimed, crossing his arms and looking back to the Field.
"Ow.." Misawa and Asuka rubbed their foreheads, before looking at Shin. "What else can they do though?" Misawa asked. "They're staring at a monster with 3750 ATK and the ability to induce Piercing Damage. I don't know of any Elemental Hero Judai could use to beat Gate Guardian."
"And Sho-kun doesn't use Cyber Dragon's, so he can't summon Cyber End Dragon" Asuka added, making Shin shake his head slightly.
"Tsk tsk" he clicked his tonge, wagging his finger at the two. "While you're right about that, there are still other cards that can help them" he said, glancing at his two friends. "I know for a fact that both Judai and Sho have a card that win them the duel. They just have to draw it."
"I sure hope you're right" Asuka said, looking at field, where Judai and Sho seemed to finally pick themselves up.
In the meanwhile, with Judai and Sho…
"He's quite persistent isn't he?" Dox said, seeing Judai unfazed by their situation.
"Even after all that happened he refuses to give up" Para mumbled in agreement, while Judai smiled.
"As long as I have cards in my deck, this duel isn't over!" Judai said, looking at the Paradox brothers determined. "That' that the King of Duelists always said, right?"
"Humph! But what about your partner?" Para grinned, looking at Sho.
Following the line of sight, Judai noticed Sho looking dejected, as if he had already given up.
"Come on Sho, we can't give up now" Judai encouraged his friends, though it didn't help much. "As duelists, we can't back down from a challenge! Besides" he then pointed at Gate Guardian. "You still have that card, don't you?"
It took a second for Sho to realize what Judai meant, but as soon as he did, his eyes widened. Then, with a determined expression, he nodded.
"Alright, let's win this Sho!" Judai stated with a grin, drawing his card. "My turn now!"
"And I'll start it off by summoning Elemental Hero Sparkman!" he declared, as the electrical hero appeared before him.
E-HERO Sparkman -LV4- (1600/1400)
"Now, I activate the Equip Spell, Spark Blaster!" he said, shoving the card in the spell slot as a sparking gun appeared in Sparkman's hand. "Now, during my Main Phase I can use Spark Blaster's effect to switch one monster you control to DEF mode!" Judai explained, as the Paradox brothers opened their eyes wide.
"Gate Guardian switches to DEF mode!" the Slifer declared, as Sparkman used his gun to shoot and electrical current toward Gate Guardian, forcing it into DEF mode.
Gate Guardian DEF 3400
"Then I end my turn with a face down!"
Judai/Sho: 1700 LP
"I don't understand what the purpose of that move was" Dox told Judai. "Even in DEF mode, Gate Guardian is still too strong for you to vanquish."
"Anyway...I draw" he stated simply, drawing his card. "I set one card and end my turn" he said, taking a card and placing it into the Spell and Trap card slots.
"It's up to you now, elder brother" Dox said, glancing at Para. Said brother nodded his head.
"Don't worry brother. I'll finish this next turn!" he declared.
Para/Dox: 7000 LP
It was now Sho's turn, however he hesitated. Negative thought entered his mind once more.
'Can I really do this? We are only one attack away from losing...And even though we won't get expelled, Big Bro will still suffer the embarrassment of losing thanks to me...' he thought, furrowing his eyebrows.
Judai saw his partner's inner struggle, and decided to give some encouraging words.
"Don't think about what happens if we lose Sho" he said, making Sho look up at him. "Whether we lose or not doesn't matter anymore- thanks again by the way!" Judai suddenly turned to the audience, directing the last bit at Shin.
The boy simply grinned and gave them a thumbs up, receiving one form Judai as well.
"Anyway, what matters now is just to have fun!" he grinned, before turning slightly serious again. "I believe we can beat these guys. Do you?" he questioned, grinning at Sho.
The short boy was silent for a while, as he processed Judai's message.
'Big Bro's right! No more thinking 'what ifs'! I need to believe in myself and focus on the present!' he declared in his mind, before looking back at Judai with a confident expression. "I believe too Big Bro! Let's win this!"
"That's the spirit Sho!" Judai exclaimed happily, seeing Sho finally believe in himself.
"Then it's my turn now!" Sho declared, looking at his deck. As he did, he remembered the card Judai spoke about. 'We need that card to win...' nodding to himself, Sho placed his hand on his deck and drew.
"I draw!" as he did, he saw what card it was a smiled. "Big Bro!" he looked over at Judai, who got the message and gave a nod.
"Go for it Sho!" he encouraged.
Nodding, Sho set the plan in motion.
"From my hand, I summon Drillroid in ATK mode!" he announced, as a cartoonish drill appeared on the field.
Drillroid -LV4- (1600/1600)
"When Drillroid attacks a monster in DEF position, it can destroy it after damage calculation!" he explained, surprising the Paradox brothers. "Go Drillroid!" he ordered, as the monster began heading toward the Gate Guardian.
"Careless!" Dox exclaimed, as Defense Wall appeared in front of Drillroid, blocking it's attack.
And, since Defense Wall's DEF were higher than Drillroid's ATK, Judai and Sho were dealt the difference as damage.
Judai/Sho: 1700 → 1200 LP
"Heh. You forgot that all your monsters must attack Defense Wall" the younger brother explained with a smirk.
"But because it battled a DEF position monster, Drillroid's effect destroys Defense Wall!" Sho countered, as Defense Wall exploded into pixels, leaving Gate Guardian as the brothers only monster.
"Even without it, you've already used up your only attack" Para grinned. "Which means that Gate Guradian is free to attack you next turn."
"We told you already! Our monster is unbeatable!" Dox exclaimed, to which Judai smirked.
"No monster is unbeatable...Isn't that right Sho?" he glanced at his partner, who nodded with a small smirk of his own.
"I didn't forget about Defense Wall's effect. Which is why that attack wasn't my real goal!" he declared, making the brothers eyes go wide in surprise. "I activate the Spell card, Shield Crush!" he announced.
""What?!"" the two brothers exclaimed in shock.
"This Spell allows me to destroy one monster on my opponent's side of the field that's in DEF position!" he explained, as a beam of energy shot forth from the card, heading straight for Gate Guardian.
And it didn't take long, for the seemingly unbeatable monster to disappear in a burst of pixels.
"Our Gate Guardian…!" Para mumbled, shielding his face from the dust of the explosion.
"They actually managed to beat it?!" exclaimed Dox, being just as surprised as his brother.
"I told you didn't I?" Judai grinned. "No monster is unbeatable!"
Seeing the Gate Guardian get destroyed, made the audience erupt into cheers.
"To think Sho would have such a card up his sleeve..." Misawa marveled, impressed by the sight.
"And to be able to draw it when they needed it most. I thought they hadn't altered their decks before the duel, and I think that may have been a good thing..." Asuka mumbled, being on the same boat as Misawa.
Shin, was probably the only one to not be surprised by the display. He just kept smiling the entire time.
"See? I told you guys they could turn it around~" he sang, leaning back in his chair.
"Yes, you were right this time, Shin-kun" Asuka agreed, glancing at the teen next to her. Said teen raised an eyebrow.
"'This time'? I am always right!" he exclaimed childishly, making Asuka shake her head while chuckling, before focusing back to the field.
"Unbelievable…!" Chronos exclaimed shocked. "Those drop out boys managed to beat a legendary monster..?!" he despaired, seeing the Slifers turn the duel around.
"There's nothing strange about that" Samejima said from the sidelines, looking completely unfazed by the change of events. "They're students here at Duel Academia after all" he smiled.
Even Daitokuji spoke up, whereas he had been silent the whole duel so far.
"Seems like Mr. Marufuji has some untapped potential after all nya~" he said whilst stroking Pharaoh's fur. However his expression slightly dropped. "Unfortunately, this may very well lead to something even more difficult for those two to overcome..."
Back on the Duel Field, Sho continued his turn.
"I set one card and end my turn" the teal haired boy said, as the face down appeared on his field.
Judai/Sho: 1200 LP
"It seems we were the ones who got careless. We lowered our guards" Para mumbled, still surprised by the Slifer's feat.
"I would have never guessed they had the necessary tool to beat our Gate Guardian" Dox agreed. However, both brothers then smirked.
""However, that doesn't mean the duel is over yet!"" they stated in unison, taking Judai and Sho by surprise.
"Our unbeatable teamwork begins now! I draw" Para declared, drawing his card with his smirk still present. "From my hand, I activate the Spell card, Dark Element!"
On the field, the card flipped up before it became enveloped by a dark miasma.
"This card can only be activated when Gate Guardian is in the Graveyard!" he explained, as a portal opened on the field. "Now, I sacrifice half of our LP in order to Special Summon Dark Guardian from my deck!" he announced, as the portal emitted a bright light from which a giant figure appeared.
Para/Dox: 7000 → 3500 LP
"Wha-?!" Sho became shocked, upon seeing the brothers new monster.
A giant warrior clad in armor, with it's lower half being like a spider's. It also carried a massive axe in it's hand and upon arriving on the field released a malefic laughter.
Dark Guardian -12- (3800/3800)
"3800 ATK?!" Misawa exclaimed shocked, like most of the audience currently. Even Shin was shocked.
'I didn't know about Dark Guardian!' he exclaimed in his mind. 'I thought their only Ace was Gate Guardian, since their whole strategy resolved around having it out on the field. I should've figured those two wouldn't rely only on Gate Guardian anymore, especially after their loss against Yugi-chan...' he cursed himself, before releasing a breath.
"At this point, I'm glad Seto-chan made me duel first..." the boy mumbled, making Asuka glance at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Weren't you the one who told us to believe in those two?" she questioned, as Shin's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That was before that came out. Even I don't know anything about it, or how to beat it..." he responded, wishing Judai and Sho good luck, as they were on their own for now.
And as he focused back on the duel, he saw Dark Guardian raising it's axe and launching an attack toward Drillroid.
"It that attack lands, those two are finished!" Misawa exclaimed.
'Judai that facedown better be what I hope it is!' Shin called in his mind, hoping his friends wouldn't lose now that they came this far.
Fortunately, Shin was spot on again, as Judai activated the facedown card.
"Activate, Hero Barrier!" he declared, just before Dark Guardian's attack reached Drillroid. "While I have a monster whose name contains Elemental Hero, I can negate one of your attacks!"
From Judai's card, a blue barrier appeared which blocked Dark Guardian's attack, the resulting shock waves rippling through the arena.
The two kept colliding for a moment, before dispersing in a violent gust of wind.
"So you avoided that attack" Para noted mildly impressed, as the wind died down.
"Not bad at all. But it won't happen again!" Dox smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Our Dark Guardian's Special Effect makes it invincible in battle!"
"With it out on our field, victory is assured!" Dox declared confidently, as Dark Guardian released another evil laugh.
"No way..." Sho mumbled, staring at the massive monster. "We managed to destroy Gate Guardian, but because of it they were able to summon an even stronger monster..." Sho muttered.
"Don't worry Sho, things like these happen all the time~" Judai grinned. "We managed to beat Gate Guardian and we'll beat this Guardian too. We'll definitely win!" he said confidently, not allowing any negative thoughts to return.
"Right!" Sho nodded, focusing on winning once more.
"So you still intend to keep fighting, huh?" Para smirked, looking at the two Slifer students.
"I admire your backbone you two" Dox noted.
"I end my turn" the elder brother stated simply, allowing Judai to start his turn.
Para/Dox: 3500 LP
"Then it's my turn now! I draw!" Judai announced as he drew his card. Glancing at it, he smirked as he placed it into the Spell card slot. "I activate, Pot of Greed in order to draw two new cards!"
"Then, I activate the Field Spell Fusion Gate!" he stated, inserting the card in his Duel Disk. "Now I can Fusion Summon a monster without the need for a Polymerization card, but the Fusion Materials are banished instead of being sent to the GY!"
"I use Fusion Gate to fuse Elemental Hero Avian and Bubbleman from my hand, with Elemental Hero Sparkman on my field to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Tempest!" Judai declared as the three monsters flew up high and merge into one.
The resulting monster appeared in a small tornado which it dispersed by spreading out it's wings.
E-HERO Tempest -LV8- (2800/2800)
"Heh, there it is.." Shin grinned, remembering Tempest as one of the cards Judai got while the two students were at the Card Shop. "I think I have an idea on how those two can win now."
"Really?" Asuka asked surprised. "How? Tempest is too weak to take on Dark Guardian and deal Damage."
"Not to mention it can't be destroyed in battle, so even a temporary boost in Tempest's ATK won't help much" Misawa quipped in from the side. Shin's smile didn't wave though.
"I never said it was Tempest that was going to win them the duel" he said, looking at the field, as Judai activated Skyscraper in the place of Fusion Gate. "But it will be essential to their win. If I remember correctly, Sho has a Fusion monster that requires a Warrior-type" he explained, surprising Asuka and Misawa.
"But doesn't Sho-kun use Machine-types?" the blonde questioned, as Shin's smirk grew a little.
"Exactly. But you'll see it soon enough, if everything works out like I hope it will" he said, gesturing for them to focus back on the field, where Judai attacked Dark Guardian with Tempest.
However, even with Skyscraper's boost to Tempest's ATK, the two simply clashed into a stalemate. But Gate Guardian's effect prevented it from being destroyed, so Judai had to use Sho's facedown card to activate Tempest's own effect and prevent him from being destroyed.
As the dust of the clash settled, Judai turned to his Partner.
"I end my turn. It's up to you now Sho" he grinned. "All you have to do is draw that card, and we got this duel won."
"Hm!" Sho nodded, knowing what card Judai was talking about. 'Big Bro knows Tempest can't beat Dark Guardian head-on. Which means our only option is to use that...'
Judai/Sho: 1200 LP
"It's mu turn now. I draw!" Dox declared, drawing his new card. As he did, his facedown card flipped back up. "I activate my Trap card, One-on-One Fight!"
"This forces our strongest monsters to battle one another! Dark Guardian, attack Elemental Hero Tempest!" Dox ordered, as the massive Guardian raised it's axe and swung at Tempest.
"Again? But won't that end up the same?" Sho exclaimed, forgetting about Tempest's actual effect.
"Your partner doesn't have any card to sacrifice in order to keep Tempest on the field!" Para explained, making Sho realize the fact as well. But they were wrong, however.
"Gh-! I send Skyscraper to the Graveyard to prevent Tempest from being destroyed!" Judai declared, as the city surrounding them crumbled into pixels.
"But now without Skyscraper's effect, your monster becomes weaker than Dark Guardian, which means you still take damage!" Dox exclaimed, as the shockwave from the two monster's clashing ripped through Judai and Sho's side of the field, draining their LP.
Judai/Sho: 1200 → 200 LP
"I end my turn" Dox grinned, seeing their opponent's LP almost gone.
"I'll give you credit for lasting this long. But this duel is almost finished!" Para said.
Para/Dox: 3500 LP
"Then it's my turn now" Sho said, ready to draw his card.
"Sho, remember what just happened. That will be our key to winning this!" Judai quipped from beside him, with Sho giving a nod.
"I...draw!" he declared, putting his faith in his deck and drawing his card. Looking at it, his face fit up. 'This is it! This duel is ours!' he smiled confidently, something everyone else picked up on. Seeing this, Judai also smiled.
"It's time to end this! I sacrifice Drillroid in order to summon UFOroid in ATK mode!" Sho announced, as Drillroid disappeared from the field and in it's stead a large cartoonish UFO appeared.
UFOroid -LV6- (1200/1200)
"Now, I activate the Spell card, Power Bond!" he declared strongly placing the card in his Duel Disk with no hesitation. "Using Power Bond, I can Fusion Summon one Machine-type monster from my Extra Deck! I fuse UFOroid together with Elemental Hero Tempest and Fusion Summon UFOroid Fighter!"
Sho and Judai's monsters then flew up high, where UFOroid turned into something like a hoverboard at Tempest took his place at it's helm.
UFOroid Fighter -LV10- (?/?)
"UFOroid Fighter's effect activates! It's ATK becomes the combined ATK of the monsters used to Fusion Summon it!" Sho explained, as his monster's ATK went up. A lot.
UFOroid Fighter ATK ? → 4000
"How will that help you?" Para questioned. "Even if your monster is a little stronger, it's still can't destroy Dark Guardian."
"But it doesn't have to" Sho smirked, making the brothers eyes open wide. "Now, Power Bond's effect activates! A monster that was summoned using this card, has it's ATK double for this turn only!"
""Huh?!"" Para and Dox exclaimed in shock, as UFOroid fighter's ATK went ranks above Dark Guardian's. They also realized what Sho meant.
UFOroid Fighter ATK 4000 → 8000
[8000 ATK?!] the Paradox brothers, along with the majority of the spectators exclaimed.
"Dox said it himself! Even if your monster doesn't get destroyed, the damage still goes through! Go UFOroid Fighter!"
Sho's monster flew up high, and launched an energy beam toward Dark Guardian. Of course, the monster managed to tank it, but the attack continued through it and made it's way to the Paradox brothers where it hit them head on.
Para/Dox: 3500 → 0 LP
WINNER: Judai/Sho!
As the dust cleared and the holograms disappeared, Para and Dox fell to their knees in defeat. And with it, the audience erupted into cheers.
"Yeah! They did it!" Hayato shouted happily from the side line, beginning to clap his hands.
"Heh, they actually managed to do it. They defeated a legendary Tag Team!" Misawa cheered too, as Shin glanced over with a smirk.
"Guess you found yourself one tough cookie as a rival, huh Misawa-chan~" he said, making Misawa turn to look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't you mean we found ourselves one tough rival?" he questioned, making Shin chuckle.
"Sure, if that's how you want to see it" he said, standing up from his seat. "But there's three of us, and only one can have the top spot. That means you and Judai will be stuck behind me as rivals~" he sang, making a challenging smirk appear on Misawa's face.
"Getting quite confident aren't we?" he questioned, seeing Shin's smirk become even bigger.
"I told you Misawa-chan. The best don't lose~" he sang, before turning to leave the stands and go over to his Slifer friends to congratulate them.
Left alone, Asuka turned toward the RA student.
"You're really that happy to have a strong rival?" she asked, making Misawa nod while folding his arms.
"I am. A strong rival will help you improve constantly" he answered, glancing back at the girl. "What do you think?"
"well, I don't really see Judai as a rival. If anything, I'm just that he proved himself capable of taking care of himself here at the academy. And thanks to him, Sho-kun is finally starting to believe in himself more as well, so I guess him being here at the academy has it's perks" she answered. She then glanced at the field, where she saw Sho locking eyes with his brother.
And as Ryou began walking away, Asuka stood up and left the stands as well, leaving Misawa alone.
On the other side of the counter, Manjoume wasn't exactly thrilled about the outcome of these event.
'First Shin saves those slackers from expulsion, and now they manage to increase their reputation by beating two legendary duelists! Whereas my reputation has been dragged through the mud, along with my pride…!'
Gritting his teeth, Manjoume abruptly stood up and left the stand, with his goons calling after him.
And Chronos was in a similar state of disbelief.
"I-I can't believe this! Those two managed to beat two legendary duelists…?" he mumbled with his hands clutching the side of his face, resembling a famous painting. He then stumbled backward on the ground, where Daitokuji approached him.
"It seems like my students are more talented than you thought, nya~" he said happily, stroking Pharaoh's fur, who gave an affirmative meow, before licking Chronos's face sending him into a panicked state.
As that was happening, Judai turned to his partner.
"We did it Sho! All thanks to you!" Judai cheered, patting Sho on the shoulder. Said boy tearing up slightly from happiness.
"That was an awesome duel you two" came Shin's voice, as he approached his friends with a smile on his face.
"Thanks~" Judai grinned too, giving Shin a bro fist. "Though we should be thanking you for changing our punishment~ It really helped relive some pressure" he and Shin shared a chuckle, whilst the dual haired teen shook his head.
"You have nothing to thank me for, Judai. Friends help each other out in times of need, right?"
"Right!" Judai agreed, as principal Samejima approached the three, a crying Chronos clinging to him like a child, and Daitokuji standing next to the two..
"That was an excellent Duel" he smiled warmly. "Normally, I should have said we'll rescind your expulsion, but as we all know Shin already took care of that, even if it was with a concerning aftermath" ha said, raising his eyebrow. At which point Shin sweatdropped lightly, and giggled awkwardly.
Samejima then looked at the two Slifer's.
"Of course now, you won't have that extra homework for three months~" he laughed, being joined by Judai, Sho and Shin while Chronos slumped even more at not being able to at least torture Judai with homework. Something Shin caught, and narrowing his eyes at slightly.
"However, that doesn't apply to the homework you've already missed" Samejima chuckled, Judai and Sho perk up in surprise, while Chronos perked up in happiness. "And since you still need at least some form of penalty for entering off-limits property, I expect a 30 page essay from you two."
"Wait, what?!" Judai exclaimed in shock.
"Daitokuji will supervise you while you do so, and Chronos shall grade it. Have fun~" and with that, Samejima turned to leave with a giggling Chronos in tow.
"But wait, what about Shin?!" Judai exclaimed, making Shin's head snap toward him with a 'what are you doing?' expression on his face. Samejima stopped an turned toward Judai with a simple question.
"What about Shin?"
"why doesn't he get the penalty? He was with us that night so he was trespassing too!" he exclaimed, as a childish side of him took over, not wanting to be the only one suffering the penalty.
"Shin won't be getting that penalty, as he's already been though enough, I'd say" Samejima answered, causing Shin to look at Judai triumphantly.
"Ha! Suck it nerds!" he laughed, while Judai pouted angrily.
"However" Samejima started, making Shin's triumphant expression vanish. "That's our opinion. Mr. Kaiba on the other hand, doesn't seem to be so lenient. He contacted us earlier and told us to increase Shin's workload starting next week, as he's already so far ahead of the other first years. His latest duels proved as much~" he smiled, before turning to leave once more, this time actually leaving the Arena.
"Ha! Suck it nerd!" Judai exclaimed victoriously, quoting Shin as a taunt.
"Shut up Judai! Why can't you just keep your mouth shut, huh?!" the boy growled, butting heads with his rival-now-turned-frienemy.
"It's what you get for trying to slip away from your punishment!" Judai retorted, pushing shin back slightly.
"I cleared you guys from expulsion, at the cost of my own health no less, and this is how you thank me?! I already have problems getting enough rest, I don't want to pull all-nighters on top of that!" he shouted, pushing Judai back even further.
At this point, Sho took a couple steps back since he didn't want to be caught in the crossfire. He could even swear he heard something like two dragon's roaring when his friends began butting heads.
Up in the stands, Misawa was shaking his head at his rival's antics, with Asuka who was at the entrance doing the same.
Daitokuji kept his usual smile, but Pharaoh was now on his shoulder, due to being scared by the ongoing argument.
"If you got a problem, fight me!" Judai declared, stepping away from the head-butting and activating his Duel Disk.
"Oh, you're on!" Shin did the same, immediately taking out his own Duel Disk and activating it. "I'll make sure I put you in your place Slifer!" he declared, letting his noncompetitive side take over his better judgment.
"Grr, just because you're Ra doesn't mean you're better!" Judai replied, getting riled up by being called 'a Slifer' by Shin.
"Alright you two, that's enough nya~" a voice resounded, stopping Shin and Judai's 'brawl'.
"There's no need to get so riled up over such a small matter, nya~" Daitokuji said, finally stepping in between the two.
"He started it!" Shin exclaimed childishly, pointing at Judai.
"Don't blame me! Take your punishment like the rest of us!" Judai replied, pointing at Shin.
Of course, they once again returned to butting head, as Daitokuji did a rare gesture. Face-palming.
But even though they fought like children now, their friends still knew those two didn't mean it, and would be back to being best friends in no time.
That's a wrap~
Hey there, long time no see, huh?
I'm sorry for that. I'm not going to try to give you some half-assed excuse like 'My computer' or 'I got sick and couldn't write'. I know I would be annoyed if someone who hadn't given any sign of activity for almost two months came back with the 'Sorry I had a cold, you know?'...how you gonna have a cold for two months?!
Anyway. Again, sorry for not posting. I had other things to take care of and slowly lost my writing creativity.
But! As you can see, I'm back now! Hopefully for longer than the last time…
I tried my best getting into the swing of things again, but it's a little awkward because the majority of this duel is Judai and Sho's duel, which was difficult to write, since I had to constantly switch back and forth from writing, to watching the episode to make sure I didn't miss anything.
And even then, I had to change up the duel narration here and there, since the main drive of the Tag Duel, aka not getting expelled, wasn't there anymore. So I apologize if the duel is kind of weird.
But with that out of the way, I thank all those who stayed and waited for this chapter for all this time. To those who left and maybe see this in the future, I don't hold anything against anyone~ I myself have a few stories which I dropped after the author stopped updating for so long…
So again, thank you for staying with me, leave a review and tell me what you thought of the chapter and I'll see you in the next one~
...Hopefully this time I won't take over a month to update…
Cya~