Tales of Academia

by Magi Mana

After the Pharaoh left, Yugi and Tea got married and had two children named Atem and Mana. The two attend Duel Academy at the same time as Jaden and the others and participate in the events of the anime. As canon as possible, and the original series will be referenced, specifically the Ancient Egyptian versions of Atem and Mana. Uses English names and timelines. No particular ships

14. False Pretenses

I'm sorry I've been away so long. My laptop broke down for about two weeks, and then I went out of town, and then I finally got a job. Yay, I'm a responsible adult. Ugh, I don't have time to obsessively write my stories.

Anyway, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its spin-offs. If I did, the missing students would have been found.

Chapter Fourteen: False Pretenses

"You did WHAT?" Syrus yelled. Mana put her head down on the table in the Slifer cafeteria as the short Slifer voiced his objections to Jaden's latest transgression. It had been a late night practicing her spells, and her friends were yelling through the last bit of time she could nod off. "So where am I going to sleep?"

"I'm sorry, Sy," Jaden apologized. "I guess in the all the excitement I didn't think about that."

"Excitement? You traded my bed for a card!" Syrus continued before burying his face in the table.

"Seriously, Jaden?" Mana mumbled without opening her eyes. "Who on campus even needs a bed? The school provides them. Heck, I have two spare ones in my room."

"But I got it for you," Jaden pleaded. "Isn't your birthday next week?"

"It was last Tuesday!" Syrus leaned into Jaden's face as he shouted. "And I'm surprised I even made it with everything you've put me through this year! I might need a new roommate! Or at least take one of the beds in Mana's room!"

"Oh, yay, you heard that," Mana grumbled. "Syrus, I get you're angry, and you've every right to be, but can you tone it down? Please? It's too early in the morning to do this."

"Mana, it's almost noon," Jaden said.

"It's still too early," she answered.

Jaden turned back to his roommate. "Look, Syrus, I'm really, really, sorry. I promise I'll be the best roommate from now on."

"What's this? Trouble in Paradise?" Chazz mocked them.

"Hey! It's private!" Syrus yelled at him.

"Then don't yell for everyone to hear," Mana told him.

"Hey, it's okay," Jaden brushed off Chazz's interruption. "It's just Chazz, and we share everything, like dessert!" he eyed the black-haired student's food.

"Yeah right, Slifer-slacker!" Chazz pulled his plate away. "Keep dreaming!"

"Okay, then can I have your corndogs too?" Jaden persisted. "And your mashed potatoes?"

"How about asking for a bed while you're at it," Syrus spat.

"Guys!" the sleep-deprived brunette yelled, cutting of her irritated friend.

"Uh, guys," Chumley ran into the cafeteria. "Anyone order a sub? 'Cause there's one parked outside."

Mana sat up and rubbed her eyes. So much for nodding off in the cafeteria. "North Academy is the only place I know that uses submarines."

"It's not them," Chumley confirmed. "There's no logo on this one."

"Let's go check it out," Jaden led the charge to their mysterious visitor.

"Syrus, you coming?" Mana turned back to see Syrus still at his place on the table. He shook his head. "All right," she left him alone to assess the possible threat.

They found the mysterious submarine at the harbor, though they could hear the feedback from owner's microphone as far away as the Ra dorm. "Avast, ye landlubbers!" he yelled into the mic. "I be the Admiral!"

"What is he, like a pirate or something?" Jaden asked as everyone covered their ears.

"He's something all right," Atem said over the squeal. Bastion and Alexis stood behind him. "The real question is: why is he here?"

"Ye scallywags never laid your ears on the tales of the Admiral? Scourge of the Seven Seas?" the captain asked.

"Off all the stories our parents told us, that one never came up," Mana answered.

"I'm thinking he's a pirate," Alexis said.

"I set sail to challenge one of ye to a duel," Admiral continued. "The bilge rat known as Jaden Yuki!"

"Is he a Shadow Rider?" the Key guardians asked.

"Can he stop with the stupid microphone?" Mana asked. "If that thing squeals one more time, I swear I'll make it blow up."

"Show yourself, Jaden," Admiral yelled into the mic. "Where ye be?"

Another round of feedback hit them. "That's it!" Mana's wand materialized in her hand. She pointed it at the microphone and chanted something. The mic shattered into several pieces, startling the submarine captain.

"Wow, you're in a bad mood," Atem commented.

"I really just want to go back to bed," she answered.

"Another late night of practice?"

"Yeah, and Jaden and Syrus got into a fight this morning. Most of my morning has consisted of yelling. I was just about to force them into separate corners when Chumley told us about this guy."

"Who dares break me microphone?" Admiral yelled at the crowd.

Mana rolled her eyes. "I did!" she yelled at him. "I'm a little short on patience today, and I have absolutely none to spare on you. You want a duel? You get down here and face us. Or at least challenge us like a normal person!"

"I know ye aren't Jaden Yuki," Admiral shouted, struggling to compensate for his destroyed microphone.

"I'm right here," Jaden called to the submarine leader.

"Then we be dueling," he answered. "Get yarr game one!"

"Now?" the Slifer asked.

"No, next week," Bastion answered with sarcasm.

"This should be good," Chazz laughed.

"Let's go, ya drivelswigger!" Admiral pushed his voice louder. "Ye best come aboard. If not, I be tying yer mates to the yard arm fer Davy Jones!

That pushed Jaden's buttons. He always turned more serious when his friends were threatened, and he marched right up to the Admiral's sub. "Jaden, hold up!" Alexis tried to stop him. "If this is a Shadow Game, no way we're letting you go all alone. I'm coming with."

"I don't know," Jaden said without looking back. "Lately in all my duels, my friends end up in danger."

"We're in this together," Alexis insisted.

"Right!" Bastion joined in. "I'm with you too."

"I just wish I had a parrot. Or an eye patch," Chazz chimed in.

"You see, Jaden?" Atem stood next to them as well. "We're all in this until the end."

But Syrus isn't here. Mana knew their short friend was still mad at Jaden. In a way, their argument was about as petty as some of the fights Mana and Atem got into sometimes. They'd ignore each other until one of their friends reminded them it was time to stop. "Jaden, kick his butt and don't lose your Key. I'm heading back to the dorm," Mana said as she turned away.

"Mana, are you sure?" Atem asked before she left.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she answered. "Besides, if he is a Shadow Rider, do we really want all the remaining Keys trapped on that submarine at once?"

"Good point," Atem relented. "You going to find Syrus?"

"Yep," she grinned. "Remember the shaving cream fight?"

"How could I forget?" he said. "See you when this is over."

"See you later," Mana walked away from the group.

The Slifer dorm was pretty much deserted by the time she got there. Heading straight to the guys' room, she knocked on the door. "Syrus? It's me. Do you want to talk?" No answer. "Syrus, I know you're in there. You're sitting on your bed stewing about your fight with Jaden." Still nothing. "Fine, I'm coming in." Mana opened the door. Just like she predicted, Syrus was curled up on his bed, glaring at his feet.

"If I wanted to talk, I would have answered," the blue-haired Slifer mumbled.

"And if I wanted you to stew alone, I would have gone away," she countered and sat on the floor next to the bed.

"I don't need you to tell me to just forgive Jaden because he didn't mean it," Syrus spat. "No one made him trade my bed away."

"That's not really what I'm trying to do," Mana said. "In a way, maybe, but I really just want to give you some perspective and to make you feel better. Remember at the School Duel when Uncle Seto told Atem not to let me pull pranks?"

"Kind of," Syrus answered. "I still can't believe you sprayed him with water every chance you got."

"Oh you say that like it's the worst prank I ever did," Mana scoffed. "That doesn't even crack the top ten."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," she grinned. "Atem used to help me with the more elaborate ones, and sometimes our friends Max and Joan would join in. Or Max would, and his cousin Joan would get dragged along telling us this was a bad idea. Surprising, considering she's the youngest of us. (1) But anyway, one of the best-slash-worst pranks Atem and I did was to rig the ceiling in Uncle Seto's office to rain shaving cream on its occupants." She giggled. "I still laugh at his expression as he was covered in the stuff and had no idea how it got there. Uncle Seto caught on pretty quickly though, and that became the day we faced his full wrath. We were in so much trouble; Mom grounded us for two months."

"You actually did that to Seto Kaiba?" Syrus asked. Mana didn't think his eyes could go any wider. "How are you still alive? Did you use magic?"

"Syrus, I didn't start learning magic until after we were at the Abandoned Dorm. Anyway, I was ten at the time, and Aunt Kisara shielded us," she answered, "though she also personally told Mom what happened, which led our being ground for two months. Also, my mom is crazy-scary when she's angry. Yeah, Dad can be the strict parent when needed, but Mom doesn't take any of our crud."

"Okay, you are insane, but how is this supposed to make me feel better? Or are you just trying to make me laugh?"

"You laughing is the bonus," Mana said. "The point I'm trying to make comes during those two months Atem and I were grounded. There was this carnival that came into town, and Atem really wanted to go. But since we were grounded, so Mom and Dad wouldn't let us attend. Apparently we—or I—had crossed a line with that prank, so they were sticking to their guns. Atem was so mad. He blamed me for not being able to go because the prank was my idea. And he was right; it was my fault. I tried so hard to make it up to him, but he wouldn't accept my apologies. And then my attempts to make amends turned into a vicious fight between us. We almost pulled Max and Joan into our feud, which irritated our parents even more. They threatened to ground us for a third month if we didn't stop. It was a week before we realized how stupid we were being."

"So you're saying in your story, I'm Atem and Jaden is you?" Syrus asked.

"In a way, I guess, though that wasn't the only fight we had. It was just the most memorable," she answered. "Jaden hasn't mentioned having any siblings, and I'm guessing you didn't get into fights with Zane like this. You and Jaden are best friends; it's normal that friends sometimes fight. But sometimes those friends just need a nudge to make things okay again. Maybe you and Jaden will both learn from this."

"And what did you and Atem learn?"

"Well Atem learned the meaning of true terror that day and gave up pranking the adults after that, especially Uncle Seto. He decided that he wasn't going to let getting busted keep him from missing out on other things. And yeah, angry Uncle Seto is kind of terrifying. I at least started thinking through the consequences of my pranks a little more. You know, is the punishment worth the prank? Granted, I didn't stop, but I keep my pranks on Uncle Seto smaller, and if I get caught I tell him I meant to get Airi. Dragon Mom Kisara usually doesn't believe me though."

"Dragon Mom?"

"Let's just say she really likes dragons and acts like one at times."

Syrus laughed. "You're right that Zane and I never fought like that. He was always this perfect duelist and student, and I was his lame little brother who always got picked on. Zane even went away for a while to do some secret, extra special training. I don't know much about it, but that was where he got his Cyber Dragons. Zane's always so serious; I always felt I had to be just as good to even be acknowledged by him. He seemed to ignore everyone who wasn't on his level. It made sense when I found out he was friends with your brother."

"Actually, it was Alexis's brother that made them be friends," Mana said. "You'd be surprised how awkward Atem can be at times. Atticus made them hang out, or at least that's what Atem told me. He didn't tell me too much though. Atticus's disappearance strained things between our brothers for a while though. I think you're the reason they started speaking again."

"You mean when we almost got expelled?"

"Pretty much. Atem was always on our side, and even if he couldn't directly help you and Jaden, he was doing what he could. He was actually the one who tipped me off you were dueling the Paradox Brothers."

"OH THE RHYMES!" Syrus groaned.

"I know, right?" Mana laughed. "I wanted to duct-tape their mouths shut so much."

"So what's Dark Magician Girl like?" he asked, changing the subject. "I mean, you talk with her all the time. Does she like me?"

"She considers you a friend," Mana answered. "Are you still hoping for something more?"

"Maybe," Syrus drew out the word as he responded.

Mana sighed and made her wand appear in her hand. "Hey, Partner, you want to come out?"

The orb on the wand glowed, and a blonde spellcaster clad in blue and pink appeared in the room. "Is something wrong?" Dark Magician Girl asked.

"No, we're just hanging out," the brunette answered. She noticed the blush creeping across Syrus's cheeks as the blonde sat down next to her partner. "Syrus was hoping to talk to you." Mana winked at her spirit partner.

"Well, I, uh," Syrus stammered as Dark Magician Girl turned her attention to him. "I, I really like you," he finally said. "I want to get to know you better."

"Oh, Syrus, you're sweet," the Duel Spirit answered. "And I like you too, but not in the way you're thinking. I don't want to lead you on, I really don't. You're sweet, and caring, and I know you'll find someone. But that someone can't be me. I'm sorry. Besides, it would never work out. We'd always need a third wheel to communicate. Is that the right term?" she turned to Mana.

"Close enough," the brunette answered.

"But I promise you'll always be my friend," the blonde assured Syrus.

"Okay…" Syrus looked down at the bed in the face of Dark Magician Girl's rejection.

"Hey, I have an idea," Mana interrupted, attempting to lighten the mood. "Tell us more about ancient Egypt. You mentioned before that Mahad was under a love spell. Exactly what did that spell do?"

"Well…" Dark Magician Girl began the tale of the serious magician who was the best friend of the pharaoh and his overeager apprentice's attempts to help him find love.

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Atem, Alexis, Bastion, and Chazz joined Jaden on the boat to the submarine. When they got close enough to the sub, a metal claw reached down and gripped the sides of the boat and lifted it onto the deck of the submarine. "High tech, for a pirate," Bastion commented as they made their way through the sub. "I'm beginning to this this 'Admiral' is less buccaneer and more financier. How else could he afford a submarine or…" Everyone's eyes widened at the arena inside the sub. "A submerged duel arena?"

"Well pirates are known for stealing money," Atem added. "If this guy's done that, who knows how much money he has to spend on things like this."

"Talk about shiver me timbers," Jaden said as he took in the sights.

"Arr, tis a fine ship!" the Admiral exclaimed. "But let's weigh anchor and duel, ya filthy powder monkey!" He led Jaden onto the arena, two round platforms connected by a catwalk, suspended over a glass bowl that revealed the scenery of the ocean. "Wish yer mates farewell, you ain't be seeing them again!"

"So what are you waiting for, Admiral?" Jaden mocked his opponent. "We going to duel, or are you going to walk the plank?"

"Walk the plank on a submarine?" Chazz asked. "How about open the window too?"

"How about he starts to concentrate?" Bastion interrupted him. "That Admiral's raring to go."

"I'm beginning to doubt he's a Shadow Rider though," Atem said as he looked around. "It doesn't look like a Shadow Game." He was about to ask his sister if she sensed any magic, and then he remembered she opted to stay behind and go look for Syrus. He hadn't realized how much he'd come to rely on her opinions and insights when it came to the supernatural encounters they were having. What about you, Partner? he silently asked.

"I don't sense a Shadow Game yet," Black Luster Soldier answered as Jaden brought out his Elemental Hero Wildheart (1500/1600) in defense mode. Then the lights went out.

"Should've guessed you'd turn out all the lights," Jaden accused his opponent. "It is a Shadow Game! What's it for: my soul, my Key?"

"What ye be speaking, ya yellow lily-livered swabbie?" Admiral asked.

Jaden pressed his point further, confusing the pirate even more. "Jaden, stop," Atem tried to cut off the Slifer's interrogation, but the Admiral just ordered the submarine to surface immediately. Atem and Bastion just barely held onto the railings while Chazz and Alexis went sprawling across the floor.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Chazz moaned from his position.

"This guy sure knows his sailing," Alexis commented. "Guess he's really not a Shadow Rider after all."

"I tried to warn him," Atem sighed. "Even though this guy's not a Shadow Rider, he's calling all the shots since we're in his territory. The entire crew of this place is going to listen to him and not us."

"But if this isn't a Shadow Game, how did he shroud the duel arena in darkness? Someone care to explain that?" Bastion asked, still suspicious of the pirate.

"Ever hear of a light switch?" Atem asked.

"Sir, we've fixed the lights in the arena," one of the crew said to his superior.

"And there you have it," Atem answered. "This guy definitely isn't a Shadow Rider, but he's after something. We need to figure out what."

The Admiral made his move with the field spell A Legendary Ocean, its water flooding the arena. Jaden covered his mouth and struggled to find air among the water. "Jaden, you do realize that you're not drowning?" Bastion pointed out to the panicking Slifer. "It's just a hologram."

"Oh yeah," Jaden took a breath and returned to his care-free self. "Maybe they'll throw in some holographic lobsters for lunch."

Admiral crushed Jaden's laughter with A Legendary Ocean's effect, lowering the level of all water monsters on the field by one and boosting their strength by 200. His Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness (2100/1400) tore through Wildheart. As he set a card, he explained he studied Jaden, a treasure of a duelist, and he came to find the Slifer he studied like a map.

"So what's so important about me?" Jaden asked as he summoned Avian (1000/1000) in defense mode and set a card. "Why'd you go to all this trouble?"

"Well, lad, the Admiral's to be building a new Duel Academy at the bottom of the briny deep," the pirate answered. "What'd ye think?"

"Uh," Jaden paused.

"But there be a hitch," Admiral didn't wait for Jaden's answer. "Me still needs a first mate. A mate who be grand, a mate like ye!" he gestured to his Slifer opponent. "And ye'll help me run it, ya swab!"

"Well, it's not evil, but I really don't see Seto Kaiba going for this," Atem commented dryly. "And I mean no offense to Jaden, but I can't picture him running a school. Especially knowing how much he sleeps through class. At least if Mana's not exaggerating."

"Jaden can't leave us!" Alexis insisted. Atem glanced at the blonde. He could tell she had a crush on Jaden, even if Jaden was completely oblivious to it. Not that Atem could take the high road when it came to realizing crushes. Alexis did have to spell out Blair's feelings for him.

"Why not?" Bastion asked. "It is an amazing opportunity."

"Good, maybe now I'll get a new room," Chazz spat.

"The room would still be occupied by Syrus and Chumley," Atem pointed out to the black-haired student. "You'd have to compete with them for it."

"Jaden, ye be the finest duelist on the seven seas," Admiral complimented his opponent. "I want ye to teach with me. Ye'd be great."

"Well, I have taught Chazz a few things," Jaden grinned. Chazz scowled from the viewing area.

"Then you're in," Admiral took the Slifer's response as an acceptance. "Welcome aboard!"

"But I was joking," Jaden innocently pointed at himself.

"Then what say ye to a wager between mates," the pirate suggested, stating the stakes. If Jaden won, he and everyone else went free, back to Duel Academy. If he lost, he had to join the Admiral in creating the underwater school. And since the duel had already begun, Jaden had to accept the stakes.

Admiral continued the duel by swarming the field with his fish, thanks to his trap Cursed Waters Level 3, allowing him to summon monsters whose levels totaled three, aided by the magic of the field spell. Then he sacrificed his two new monsters to clear Jaden's field before attacking directly with the Orca. Jaden's LifePoints fell to 1700. He made a comeback with Thunder Giant (2400/1500), blasting through the Orca and landing his own direct attack, knocking the Admiral down to 1600 LifePoints.

"And that about evens the score," Atem commented as Jaden laid two cards face-down.

"How about a deal?" the Admiral asked as he got to his feet. "We maroon this duel here and now, and you come work for me for a thousand Doubloons."

"How much?" Chazz asked.

"That's over a million dollars!" Bastion mentally did the math.

"It's despicable," Atem spat. "He's not sure he can beat Jaden, so he's trying to bribe his way out of it. And this guy wants to teach people to be duelists? Not a chance. It's disrespectful to both the duelists and the cards."

"So what say ye, Jaden?" Admiral pressed his bribe. "Do ye want to be rich?"

"Nope," Jaden answered, surprising everyone but Atem. "Don't you get it? I don't care about the money."

"Oh no? But what have ye back at Duel Academy?" the pirate asked. "Yer mate Syrus doesn't want ye."

"The Admiral did his homework," Chazz commented, watching Jaden's reaction closely.

"Syrus?" Alexis turned to the guys. "What happened?"

"From what I gathered, he and Jaden had a bit of a falling out," Bastion answered.

"It's why he and Mana didn't come with us," Atem answered. "Syrus is mad at Jaden, and Mana went to cheer him up. Let's just hope this pirate doesn't get in Jaden's head too much."

Admiral finally made his turn, playing The Shallow Grave spell. Both players summoned a monster from their graveyard in defense mode—he chose his Orca, and Jaden brought back Clayman (800/2000). The pirate then sacrificed his Orca to summon Levia-Dragon - Daedalus (2600/1500). Daedalus then used its effect to send A Legendary Ocean to the graveyard to wipe out Jaden's field. The Slifer barely survived with Emergency Provisions, slipping by with a mere 100 LifePoints after Daedalus's attack.

"That's not good," Atem commented. "This might be his last draw."

"Here goes something!" Jaden yelled as he drew. With no cards on his field and nothing in his hand, Bubbleman was the perfect Hero to help turn things around. The Hero's two card draw, combined with the Pot of Greed, boosted the Slifer's hand. From there, he revived Sparkman and sacrificed Bubbleman to summon Elemental Hero Neo Bubbleman (800/1200). Neo Bubbleman's effect let Jaden destroy Daedalus, and Sparkman finished off the pirate's LifePoints. "That's game!" Jaden gave his victory salute to the Admiral.

Atem watched the two duelists closely as the exited the arena through the doors below the balcony the others had watched from. Something about the look in the Admiral's eyes set him on edge, and his suspicions grew when one of the crewmen came up and told them Jaden had decided to stay with the Admiral.

"I can't believe he's really staying," Alexis said sadly, watching the stairs for their boisterous friend in red.

"It is a good opportunity for him though," Bastion said. "I just wish he and Syrus had made up."

"Whatever," Chazz rolled his eyes. "Let's get out of here." He led the way to the dingy that would take the students back to the Academy.

"You guys go ahead," Atem said when they got to the dinghy. "I want to check something."

"Check what?" Bastion asked.

"I don't think the Admiral was being completely honest. I'm going to try to find Jaden before leaving for good. Just to confirm he really wants to stay." (2)

"Then we should stay too," Alexis insisted.

Atem shook his head. "You guys should get back to the Academy. Just because this guy wasn't a Shadow Rider doesn't mean we can let our guard down. I'll be fine."

"But how will you and Jaden get back?" Bastion asked.

"I have my way," Atem smirked and strapped on his duel disk. "I'm sure you'll see our arrival."

"Okay, good luck," Alexis got on the boat. "Bring Jaden back."

He nodded, and the three underclassmen rode the dinghy back to the island. Then he turned around and went back inside the submarine. Careful to avoid the crewmen, he made his way back to the arena, searching for Jaden.

"What do you mean left?" he heard Jaden's voice.

"They took the first and only dinghy home," Admiral answered.

"So I'm stuck?" Jaden asked.

"Yar. I fear it be true," the pirate told him.

I knew it. "That's only partially true," Atem said as he slammed the door open. "Yes, Alexis, Chazz, and Bastion took the dinghy back to the Academy, but we were told you wanted to stay aboard the submarine."

"You lied to them?" Jaden glared at the Admiral.

"It matters not," Admiral laughed. "Ye still be stuck here. Ye've no other way back to yer school."

"I've got that covered," Atem said as he powered up his duel disk. "We're leaving."

"Alright!" Jaden grinned. "See you around, Admiral."

They ran to the entrance of the sub and pushed the door open, chased by the crewmen. They faced their pursuers on the outer surface of the submarine. "Ye've nowhere to go!" Admiral yelled at them.

"That's what you think," Atem smirked and drew a card. "Come forth, Curse of Dragon!" He played the card on his duel disk.

A large, yellow dragon appeared and roared at the pirate and his crew. "Ye think to stop us with a hologram?"

"Whoever said it was a hologram?" Atem asked. The dragon swooped low enough for the two students to hop onto its back. At the tri-colored duelist's command, the dragon flew the two back to their school.

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Syrus nudged Mana dozing next to his bed. She stirred but didn't wake up. He hadn't even noticed she had fallen asleep at first; he'd been too caught up in Dark Magician Girl's stories of ancient Egypt. Then without warning, the Duel Spirit vanished. Whatever power Mana used to bring her over to the human world wore off.

I forgot she was really tired when Jaden and I were fighting in the cafeteria. And she was trying to make me feel better. Careful not to disturb her, Syrus hopped down from his bed and walked out to the balcony. Mana was right. His fight with Jaden was stupid. Jaden may not have rigged the ceiling with shaving cream, but he was a great friend, and Syrus needed him. If he was willing to make amends, then so was Syrus. He just hoped whatever was going on with the submarine turned out okay.

"Hey, Syrus!"

Syrus looked up to see a large, yellow dragon approaching the dorm. "What is that?" he yelled.

"It's us!" Jaden called from the dragon's back. Now that it was closer, Syrus recognized the Curse of Dragon along with its two riders—Jaden and Atem. Jaden jumped down from the Duel Spirit's back and landed on the balcony.

"Why were you guys riding a dragon?" Syrus asked.

"Long story," Jaden answered. "But listen. I'm sorry for earlier."

"I'm sorry too," Syrus apologized. "Just get me a new bed and we'll call it even."

"Sure thing," Jaden grinned and stepped into the room. "Why is Mana sleeping in our room?"

"Long story," Syrus answered. "I sort of tried waking her up, but it didn't work."

"It takes more than nudging to wake her up," Atem said. "You guys got a bucket and some water?"

"Yeah," Jaden grinned.

"You're not thinking…" Syrus pieced together Atem's plan.

"Yes I am," Atem answered. "And trust me, it's funny. I may not be a prankster, but I know to get Mana. Call it revenge for the pranks she pulls on me. I'm her favorite target, next to Uncle Seto."

"Does she have a death wish?" Syrus asked.

"That's what most people ask," Atem said. "Now let's get that bucket filled."

The three of them each found a bucket and filled it with water. Silently they crept up to their sleeping friend. Atem counted to three with his fingers, and on the third count they dumped the content of their buckets on their victim.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKK" Mana shrieked.

The three guys burst out laughing. "You were right, Atem, that was funny," Syrus laughed.

"We should totally do that more often," Jaden grinned.

"Atem Yami Muto!" Mana turned furious blue-green eyes on her brother.

"Well, I'd better go," the Obelisk senior turned tail and ran out the door, chased by his sister.

"Should we help him?" Jaden asked.

"I think we'd better barricade our room," Syrus answered. "Mana told me she regularly pranks Seto Kaiba. If she could do that without magic, what do you think she could do to us with it?"

"Good point," Jaden closed and locked the door to their room. Together he and Syrus began building a fortress that would hopefully keep out a very angry magician.

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Atem and Alexis watched Atticus carefully as his friend stared out the Academy windows. Professor Fontaine said he was fine to leave the infirmary, but Atticus still struggled to remember what happened to him. He struggled to remember much of anything. Alexis visibly worried about her brother, and Atem wished for the thousandth time that he knew how to help Atticus.

"Hey, guys," Jaden greeted them, pulling Atem out of his thoughts. The overeager Slifer was followed by Mana, Chazz, Professor Banner, and someone Atem didn't recognize. "How's Atticus doing?"

"Better," Alexis answered. "He still can't remember much of what happened, but at least he's out of that hospital bed."

"He'll come around soon, Alexis," Jaden assured her.

"He has too," Atem steeled himself. His friend would be all right. They just had to have faith.

"Anyway, what brings you all over here?" Alexis asked.

"Ask Professor Banner," Mana said. "He said he had to see all of us with a Spirit Key."

"The law actually," Banner answered and gestured to the stranger. He was taller than the professor and wore a brown suit with a white shirt and black vest. A hat the same shade of brown as the suit covered most of his shoulder-length silver hair. What startled Atem the most was a golden eyepatch over the man's right eye—it had the Millennium Symbol on it.

"Good afternoon, sir, ma'am," he tipped his hat to them in greeting. "I'm Detective Zaloog."

"You see, since three of the eight Spirit Keys have already been taken by the Shadow Riders, and the fate of the world rests on protecting the remaining five, the Academy thought it best to call in the police."

"But what about—"

"Shh!" Atem silenced his sister before she could say more. "Something's not right," he whispered to her. "This is against what Sheppard told us when he asked for our help." He didn't know what the supposed detective had in mind, but baseless accusations would get them nowhere. Especially since Banner was supposed to help them. "Let's just play along for now." Mana nodded.

"By the way, Alexis, where is your Key?" Jaden asked the blonde.

"Right here, around my neck," Alexis pulled her Key from beneath her blazer.

"Same," Chazz gripped his.

"Me too," Jaden held up his, along with his Shadow Charm.

"We all have ours on our person," Atem said, noting how his Key was framed by his card pendant.

"Oh my," Zaloog sighed. "That's exactly what I was afraid of. You may think that's where it's safest, but it's not. For you see, all the Shadow Duelists have to do is find you, and they found your Key."

"I promise you, sir, that it'll take more than finding me to take my Key," Mana glared at the detective.

Atem nudged her. "Knock it off."

"I agree with what the detective suggested to me," Banner told them. "You should each hide your Keys somewhere safe."

"Whatever's clever, I guess," Jaden agreed.

The Muto siblings exchanged a look. They would need to be extra clever to get past this guy. Luckily, he didn't seem to know who he was dealing with.

Their first stop was the Slifer dorm. Everyone heading to Chazz's room; Atem and Mana slipped up to hers, passing by the janitor. "Has that guy always been here?" Atem asked, watching guy paint the railing.

"At least for a while," Mana answered. "Anyway, I saw Chazz putting his in a lower drawer of his wardrobe. "So what's our plan?"

"We hide our Keys somewhere only we know, and we tell everyone they're somewhere else," Atem said. "You think Dark Magician will help?"

"Call him but we got to be quick," Mana tossed Atem her card. She grabbed her Shining Friendship plush, a self-stuffed toy she had since she was six and pulled open the Velcro seam. "No one will think to look inside the plush."

"Dark Magician, come forth," Atem summoned the purple-robed spellcaster.

"What do you need?" Mahad asked.

"Help," Mana quickly explained their situation. "Can you cast a spell on my desk drawer to make it seem like our Spirit Keys are hidden there?"

"I can do better than that," Mahad pointed his green staff at the drawer, and a rune appeared on it. Then he pointed it at the siblings, and a similar rune appeared on the inside of their right palms. "Now you two will be the only ones able to open the drawer without any nasty surprises.

"Palace security trick?" his brunette protégé asked.

"Among other things," the Duel Spirit answered. "Now I'd better go before this detective sees me. My apprentice and I will try to watch without being seen. If he's truly got a Shadow Charm, then we best be on guard and prepare for anything."

"Okay," Atem released Dark Magician from his physical form. "Thank you for your help."

"Prince, quick, put your Key in your pocket," Mana told him.

Atem quickly slipped off his key and shoved it and his hand into the pocket of his pants. "My small friend will help tonight, just like yours," he said, glancing to the innocent-looking plush. Mana nodded, and they stepped out of the room.

The detective and other Key Guardians had moved onto Jaden's room by that point. "Where'd you guys go?" Jaden asked when they entered the room, pulling the door shut behind them.

"Hiding our Keys took a little more effort, so we decided to get a head start on it," Mana said. "You putting it in your desk?"

"Yep, the junk drawer," Jaden grinned.

"Good, no one will ever find it mixed in with all that clutter," Zaloog said.

Chazz frowned and closed the drawer. Suddenly the door started to rattle, prompting Jaden to confront the culprit. "Who's there?" he yelled as he threw the door open. A short guy with spikey, sandy hair in a Slifer uniform jumped in surprise. "Oh, it's you."

"Hey, C.K., you lost again?" Syrus asked as he and Chumley came up to the room.

"Your room's next door, remember?" Jaden prompted the short student.

"Oh yeah," the guy took off back toward the stairs.

"C.K.'s a new student," Chumley explained. "Kind of on the slow side. I love dueling him."

"Very well. Now, miss, where did you hide your Key?" Zaloog turned his attention to Mana.

"I thought we were supposed to keep it a secret?" she innocently countered. "But I trust my friends, so I'll show you." She led the way next door to her room at the end of the balcony. Once the door was shut, she pointed to the drawer with the rune. "Atem and I hid our Keys there, and I cast an illusion spell cast on it, so even if someone opens the drawer, they won't see them at all." She pulled open the drawer—it was empty. "Don't touch it though," she warned them. "It'll destroy the illusion if someone touches it." Mana pushed the drawer closed.

"That is very clever," the detective commented. "I've never heard of something like this."

"Call it my own special magic trick," Mana grinned.

Nice work, sis. Atem could see everyone bought their ruse, especially the detective. We'll definitely have to thank Dark Magician when this is done. They had the bait set; now they just had to see what they caught.

Their next stop was the Obelisk Blue girls' dorm. "I'll catch up to you guys," Atem said, pulling away from the group. "I need to find the restroom."

"There's one over there," Jaden pointed to a door.

"Jaden, it's the girls' dorm—no restrooms for us. I got head to the guys' dorm." Atem took off towards his own room.

It only took him a few minutes to reach the safety of his room. "Partner, what do you think about this Detective Zaloog?" he asked as he grabbed his Kuriboh plush. The same time Mana got her Shining Friendship toy, Atem had gotten one of his furball friend. Though he had long outgrown the need for a stuffed toy, he could never bring himself to get rid of this one. It was too much a reminder of his small friend always eager to help, whether in a duel or now as a partner. Atem took his Spirit Key out of his pocket and stuffed it into the plush, concealing it perfectly in the stuffing.

"I believe he is a Duel Spirit given solid form," Black Luster Soldier answered. "The eye patch he wears must be a Shadow Charm that grants him the ability to walk amongst you humans."

"Or the next Shadow Rider is like me," Atem grumbled. "Do you think he can see you?"

"I cannot say for sure," his Ka told him. "Just remain on your guard."

"I will," Atem locked his door and went to rejoin the group. He passed a nurse with long, thick brown hair on his way. Did she always work here?

"Took you long enough, Atem," Jaden grinned at him. "We got all the Keys hidden safe and sound."

A security guard passed by them outside. "How long has that guy been here?" Atem asked.

"I don't know," Mana answered. "I kind of make it a point to stay away from anyone in a security uniform."

"Because they're likely to bust you for pranking," Atem chided his sister.

"Hey, I've been on my best behavior. For the most part anyway," Mana pouted.

"Anyway, we can all sleep safe and sound tonight," Banner smiled.

Atem shared a look with his sister. They'd see how soundly they slept.

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Mana yawned and climbed up to the top bunk in her room. Since all three beds were made up, and no one else was using them, she slept in whichever one she felt like at the time. Tonight she wanted to be up and away from the booby-trapped drawer. If she and Atem were right about the detective, someone would try to take the keys, and that meant they'd go for the drawer. Mahad hadn't gone into detail about what the trap would do, but it was probably best she steer clear of it. Mana grabbed her Shining Friendship and burrowed herself under the covers. Before closing her eyes, she summoned her wand and stuck it under her pillow. She was ready.

She woke to someone screaming in her room. Mana pointed her wand, but all she saw was a brown-haired blur running out her door. After checking that her Key was still safe, she hopped out of bed and went to check the guys' room.

"Hey, the Key is gone!" Jaden yelled.

"What?" Mana spotted the hole next to Jaden's desk. "That's how the thief got yours."

"What about the Keys in your room?" Syrus asked.

"They're fine," she told him. "Someone made a grab for ours, but I left a magical surprise for them. Let's go check on Chazz."

Things looked worse for the Key Guardians as the group of Slifers descended the stairs. Chazz's door had been smashed in, and the drawer his key had been in was also in shambles. The room's occupant slept soundly in his bed, oblivious to what happened in his living space. Jaden and Syrus woke him began telling him what happened while Mana examined the scene. The Key was definitely gone, and whoever took it had to have massive strength.

"They may not have used magic in this case, but there's no doubt they're back," Mana said.

"The Shadow Riders," the other Key Guardians said.

The group split up and went to get the other protectors. Mana beelined straight for her brother's room. She climbed the tree by his window and hopped onto his balcony. "Prince!" she rapped on the door. "Come on, Prince, open up!"

Atem glared at her as he opened the door. "Somebody better have set off Mahad's trap."

"Somebody did, and they stole Jaden and Chazz's Keys."

"Yours still okay?"

"Yep, SF hasn't been given a second thought."

Atem checked the stuffing of his Kuriboh. "We're good."

The siblings joined the rest of the group in Chazz's room. "So all your Keys are gone too?" Chazz asked them. Everyone confirmed it. "So all we got are the Muto's Keys?"

"We'll figure this out," Detective Zaloog entered the room followed by four people, the janitor from yesterday, C.K., the nurse who stopped by Alexis's room, and the security guard from outside the Obelisk dorms. (3) "I rounded up some suspects to help get to the bottom of this most serious crime."

"So you'll question them?" Banner asked.

"In due time," the detective answered. "After I pose a few questions to you first."

"Well whatever," Jaden agreed. "After all, he's the detective, right?"

"Wrong," Chazz shot down his fellow Slifer. "Something's up."

"I'm with Chazz," Atem said.

"Boys, please, let's let him do his job," Banner interrupted them.

"Sorry, but this is a job for Chazz Princeton," the black-haired student declared. "Now everyone who knew where those Keys were is in this room. So that means the thief has to be too."

"I guess," Syrus accepted Chazz's reasoning. "But how will we find him? Won't we need evidence?"

"I did see a press-on nail on my bedroom floor," Alexis said.

"A press-on nail?" Chazz repeated. "That sounds like a very promising clue, Lex." Mana smothered a snort at Chazz putting a detective persona. "So where's it now?"

"I… kind of threw it in the garbage," Alexis admitted.

Chazz sighed, "Well there goes that lead."

"Guess I goofed," the blonde Obelisk looked down in shame.

"That's right, there was a hole in the wall of our room," Jaden chimed in.

"You're right," Syrus agreed.

"Please tell me you guys didn't seal it up," Mana pleaded.

"Well…" the guys looked sheepishly at her.

"Way to go, Slacker," Chazz mocked them. "You guys are really something.

"We do what we can!" Jaden grinned at him. Mana rolled her eyes.

"Well, without any evidence, I guess we won't know who did it," Banner concluded.

"Not quite," Mana said as Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl appeared next to her. Mahad nodded. "I need everyone to show me their hands. All gloves off, both sides of them. Unless Chazz has something he wants to add."

Chazz pointed out everyone but the detective, the Guardians, and Jaden's roommates. "Each of them did it," he accused.

"You've got nothing on us," the nurse said.

"Don't I?" Chazz smirked.

"How about I ask the questions?" Zaloog suggested.

"No, I want to hear what Chazz has to say," Mana said. "I can prove who attempted to steal my Key and my brother's. I think Chazz has the rest."

"Ladies first then," Chazz gave her the floor.

"Then back to what I said earlier: everyone show me your hands."

"What good is this going to do you?" Zaloog asked.

"It's simple," Mana grinned. "Atem and I didn't tell you everything about how we hid our Keys. You see, they were never in that drawer in my room. There was never an illusion spell. The drawer appeared to be empty because it was actually empty. We asked the Dark Magician to cast a spell to help convince everyone they were hidden there. That rune on the drawer was a trap," she paraphrased Mahad's description of how the spell worked. "Anyone who attempted to open it would get struck with a burn in the shape of that rune. One that won't heal any time soon, I might add."

"But you opened the drawer in front of us all?" Zaloog said.

Mana revealed the counter-rune on her palm. "I have a counter spell cast on me. So does Atem. Therefore we were the only ones who could open it without being burned. Now everyone show me your hands." All the Key Guardians raised their hands for her to see. Reluctantly, the detective and three of the other suspects did the same. All that remained was the security guard. "Come on; you're the only one left," Mana pressed the guy. "You're proving why it is I avoid security."

The guard relented and held up his hands. On the back of his right hand was a nasty burn in the shape of the rune on Mana's desk drawer.

"Well, we have one confirmed for attempted burglary," Mana grinned. "What do you got, Chazz?"

"How about we hear from these guys?" Chazz held up his Ojama cards. "See, when we hid each of the Spirit Keys, I hid one of these cards with them. And in my dorm room, I had all of these watching you," Chazz attempted a flashy card trick, but the cards all scattered onto the floor. He panicked before shaking it off. "The point is they all saw who did it."

"Caught you red-handed," Ojama Black glared at the culprits.

"Certainly did," Green added.

"You're so busted," Yellow grinned.

"Who told you what?" Zaloog asked, looking around the room.

"Where are these witnesses?" the suspects looked around the room.

"Well maybe you can't see them, but I can!" Chazz yelled at them.

"So can I," Mana said.

"And I know they're behind this, Detective," Chazz insisted.

"I bet you actually can too," Atem stepped in. "The way I understand it, no matter the form, Duel Spirits can see each other in this world. And that's what you are. All of you. And that eyepatch is a Shadow Charm that lets you maintain your physical forms."

"What?" Everyone but the Muto siblings asked.

"Very clever," Zaloog grinned at them. "Yes, we are the criminal ring known the Dark Scorpions!" He and his cohorts ripped off their disguises to reveal matching uniforms of brown tanktops, red pants, and stylized boots and gauntlets. A tattoo of a black scorpion was on each of their right shoulders.

"We've never heard of you," everyone else said. Black Luster Soldier was sure they were Duel Spirits, but even he didn't know who they were.

"Of course you haven't," Zaloog grinned. "We've been deep undercover in your school for years now, waiting for our chance to nab those Keys."

"And now the Scorpions finally have them," the rest of the crew said at the same time. "Except for two of them."

Mana grinned at them. "You got played."

"And to use the ones you have, you have to beat me in a duel," Chazz challenged them. "So bring it on!"

"Of course!" Zaloog exclaimed as he pulled on a duel disk. "That's why the Keys didn't work. We have to beat them in a duel!"

"Got that right," Chazz smirked. "So let's go, Shadow Rider."

They exited the room and faced each other outside the Slifer dorm. "I'll win this as easy as I stole your Keys. And then I'll take the last two Keys from those two."

"Take him down, Chazz!" Mana cheered for her friend.

The fake detective summoned Golem Sentry (800/1800) in defense with one card face-down. Chazz pulled ahead by bringing out Armed Dragon LV5 (2400/1700) using Fiend's Sanctuary. The Dragon slashed through the Sentry, and its ability leveled up when Chazz ended his turn by setting two cards.

Zaloog drew two cards with Pot of Greed and summoned Don Zaloog (1400/1500)—himself. He walked onto his own field and activated Mustering of the Dark Scorpions. He summoned every Dark Scorpion in his hand: Gorg the Strong (1800/1500), Meanae the Thorn, (1000/1800) Cliff the Trap Remover (1200/1000), and Chick the Yellow (1000/1000). The rest of his crew of thieves appeared on his field, announcing their names.

"How much you want to bet Bakura would have destroyed these guys?" Mana asked her brother.

"I find it ironic that the 'Trap Remover' couldn't get past the trap we set for him," Atem answered. "But yeah, the Thief King would wipe them out. Or use them as bait."

Don Zaloog then revealed his face-down card: the trap Dark Scorpion Combination. It allowed each Scorpion to attack directly but only inflict 400 points of damage each, knocking him down to 2000 LifePoints. Chazz flinched with each attack that struck, and then the Scorpions' effects kicked in. Armed Dragon LV7 was returned to the top of his deck, one of Chazz's face-downs was returned to his hand, he lost the top two cards of his deck, he had to discard a card, and Zaloog got Dark Scorpion Combination back to his hand.

"Stay strong, Chazz!" Jaden encourage his friend and rival. "You can beat these guys!"

"Hello? Of course I can!" Chazz retorted. "Now be quiet and let the Chazz do his thing." He countered with Level Modulation, allowing him to revive Armed Dragon LV7 (2800/1000) at the cost of Zaloog drawing two cards. Zaloog ended his turn with two face-downs.

"I hate when this guy plays face-downs," Syrus said.

"I hear you, Syrus," Jaden agreed. "This should be interesting."

"I take back what I said earlier," Mana commented. "Bakura would use these guys as entertainment."

"I still think he'd send them in first if he wasn't sure what traps were in a tomb," Atem added.

Chazz used Armed Dragon's effect to wipe out the Scorpion's field, but Zaloog countered with Retreat of the Dark Scorpions, allowing him and his comrades to escape destruction and return to the hand. Armed Dragon attacked directly, blasting away all but 1200 of Zaloog's LifePoints. Chazz finished with a face-down.

Don Zaloog summoned himself again and activated Mustering of the Dark Scorpions; Chazz countered with Ojama Trio, summoning three Ojama tokens to the Shadow Rider's field and preventing him from bringing out his entire team. And if they were destroyed, Zaloog lost 300 LifePoints for each one.

"Sorry pal," Ojama Black said.

"Thanks for having us," Green waved at them.

"I just love hot chocolate!" Yellow held a steaming mug of something.

Where did Yellow even get hot chocolate? Mana smothered a laugh at the brothers and the dumbfounded look on the Dark Scorpion's faces. (4)

With his main combo foiled, Zaloog brought out Meanae and played Dark Scorpion – Tragedy of Love. By sacrificing Meanae, he could destroy all of Chazz's monsters. Meanae's Thorn Whip slashed through Armed Dragon before being blasted away herself. With Chazz's field clear, Zaloog attacked Chazz directly, leaving him with only 600 LifePoints left. Zaloog's effect then forced Chazz to discard the only card he had in his hand.

That card was Ojamagic, which allowed Chazz to add Ojama Yellow, Black, and Green to his hand. Then Chazz played Polymerization to fuse the Ojama brothers into Ojama King (0/3000). A giant white creature resembling the Ojamas materialized on Chazz's field, a large grin plaster across its oversized head. The three tokens cheered for their ruler.

Chazz continued with Ojamuscle, destroying every Ojama monster on the field but the King. It also boosted the King's attack points by 1000 for every Ojama destroyed. King's long, dark blue tongue stretched out and wrapped around the tokens, pulling them back into his mouth and swallowing them. And since the tokens were taken out, Zaloog lost 900 LifePoints. Ojama King belly-flopped onto Don Zaloog, wiping out the rest of the Shadow Rider's LifePoints.

"All right!" Syrus cheered for the victor.

"You won!" Chumley added.

"Way to duel, Chazz!" Jaden yelled.

"And way to trust your cards," Mana cheered at Chazz's use of the Ojamas.

"Bye-bye," Chazz smirked at his defeated opponents.

"No, this can't be. We can't lose," Zaloog said from his position on the ground, his eye patch glowing. His comrades ran to him, but they never made it, all vanishing in a flash of light. Five cards lay on the ground were each Scorpion was.

Chazz knelt to pick up the Shadow Charm and card by it. "Well guys, guess that's one less Shadow Rider we have to worry about."

Syrus and Chumley went to pick up the other cards. "Well I say good riddance," Chumley said.

"That's what you get for trying to steal," Syrus added.

"Yes," Banner agreed. "And now the Spirit Keys are back in safe hands."

Atem narrowed his eyes at the Slifer dorm head. "Prince, what are you thinking?" Mana whispered to him.

"Banner was the one who hired Zaloog as a detective," he whispered back. "He also knew the Keys couldn't just be stolen. If the Dark Scorpions had succeeded in taking all the keys and then defeating Chazz, then we'd be sunk."

"So you think Banner deliberately endangered the Spirit Keys?" she asked.

"I don't know what to think," Atem answered. "But we still have three Shadow Riders left to face. We have to be ready for them."

"We will," Mana promised him. "Let's go back to bed for now. We won't beat them if we're too tired to duel."

He nodded and started walking to the Obelisk dorm; Alexis followed shortly after him. The rest of the Slifers returned to their rooms. As Mana walked by Chazz's door, she heard his resident Duel Spirits partying. Zaloog and the other Dark Scorpions' voices were among them. Now I know why Chazz sleeps with earplugs. Laughing to herself, Mana climbed the stairs to her own room.

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Atem knocked on Chancellor Sheppard's door before classes started. "Come in," Sheppard said from inside the room. Atem opened the door to see Sheppard sitting at his desk, his head in his hands. "Ah, Atem, what can I do for you?"

"I'd like to have a full list of all the students who went missing along with when and where they were last seen," Atem got straight to the point.

"Atem, I'm not—"

"Please don't give me the whole spiel about proper channels and me not being allowed access to this information," Atem cut him off. "I know the students being missing is only a rumor to the outside world, and I know that if Seto Kaiba knew it was going on, he wouldn't stand for it. He believes in fixing the problem instead of covering it up. Atticus wasn't the only student to go missing, and we still have no clue what really happened to him. I want to get to the bottom of what happened. I'm tired of just sitting around waiting for the next Shadow Rider to attack or for another student to just show back up. And I'm hoping they didn't all end up like Atticus." He took a breath to calm himself. None of this was the chancellor's fault, and he was getting stir-crazy. He hated not being able to do anything to help Atticus. "I'm sorry; I mean no disrespect to you."

Sheppard sighed. "I understand how you feel," he said. "I too wish there was more we could do to find the missing students, but there isn't. Not without causing a panic."

"So the students are to fade into obscurity without those who care about them ever knowing the truth?" Atem snapped. "There are people who know about the supernatural aspect to what may have happened. Or at least about the magic in the Abandoned Dorm. I know something was up before Atticus disappeared."

"All right," Sheppard relented. He typed a few commands on his computer, and the printer started up. "If I trust you to help save the world, then I should trust you to help your classmates. But you mustn't share this information with the other students." He handed Atem the sheets of paper.

"Only with those I completely trust," Atem promised. "Thank you, Chancellor. I promise you won't regret letting me have this."

"Maybe a fresh set of eyes will fix this," Sheppard said. "Though I will warn you to be careful. I don't want you join this list of students."

"I promise I'll be careful." Atem left the office, files in hand, and beelined for his room. He still had an hour before class started, and he wanted to get a jump on sorting through his new information.

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"You all know Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba as dueling legends, far and away, the very best of their generation," Professor Banner gestured pictures of the two famous duelists as he spoke.

"And best looking too!" one girl exclaimed. "They're total dream boats!"

"I like Mai Valentine," a guy chimed in.

You guys know they're all married, right? Mana yawned. From a practical standpoint, it made sense Yugi and Kaiba would play a part in the school's curriculum. They were the world's best duelists. It didn't make the classes about them anymore interesting. None of it was new to her.

"But you do realize class," Banner continued, "there were other great duelists before all of them."

"How is that, Prof?" Jaden asked, awake for one of the few times for class. "I mean, Duel Monsters hasn't been around for all that long."

Mana elbowed him. "Shadow Games in ancient Egypt. Remember, Jaden?"

"Mana is right," Banner said. "And one of the best back in those days was a powerful pharaoh named Abidos III."

This is new. "Was he related to the Nameless Pharaoh?" Mana asked.

"Yes, he was," Banner answered. "For those who don't remember, the Nameless Pharaoh saved Egypt 5000 years ago at the cost of his own life. The throne then passed to his cousin Seto. Pharaoh Seto and Queen Isis rebuilt Egypt after that battle and led the land into prosperity. Abidos III was their grandson, and he was undefeated." (5)

"Undefeated? That's so sweet!" Jaden exclaimed. "He must have been something else! Of course, it's a good thing he's not around today, 'cause then that undefeated record would go adios!"

"Sure it would, Slacker," Chazz laughed. "And then you'd probably take down Yugi and Kaiba too."

"You think?" Jaden turned to face Chazz behind him. "Thanks! I had no idea that you believed in me so much, Chazz."

"It's sarcasm!" Chazz flexed his hands in frustration, ready to strangle Jaden.

"Sure, but if you want to change your name, Chazz, you can do a lot better than Sarcasm," Jaden answered without missing a beat.

"You know what I mean!" Chazz leaned forward and grabbed Jaden into a headlock.

"Hey come on, guys," Syrus tried to stop them. "You're going to get us in trouble."

"Yeah, this isn't the time," Mana agreed with the blue-haired duelist.

"Want to see trouble?" Chazz grabbed Jaden by the ears and pulled. "Fine. How about this?"

"Stop," Mana hissed.

"He's going to hear us," Syrus pleaded.

"He sure will," Banner glared at them. "You can continue in detention."

"Aw man," Syrus and Mana looked at each other. "That's the fifth time this week," Syrus complained.

"And I was actually starting to get interested in this class," Mana said glumly, bracing herself for another boring day of classes and afternoon in detention.

It was dark when their time served was finally over. "Man, I spend more time in detention than I do in class," Syrus said. "My mom's not going to be happy."

"Not happy? My mom's going to kill me," Mana said. "Be glad you've never been busted by her."

"Just blame Sarcasm," Jaden looked to Chazz.

"Okay, the joke's old!" the black-haired student yelled at their fearless leader, pulling him into another headlock.

"At least things can't get worse," Syrus sighed.

"Are you crazy?" Mana asked. "You never say that out loud! The universe will respond!" A scream came from somewhere. "See what I mean?"

The group ran towards the disturbance. Whatever they were facing probably was not going to be good.

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

Atem met with Zane and Alexis at the lighthouse that night. "Thanks for coming, you two," Alexis said. "I just really needed someone to talk to. I thought having my brother back would make everything okay again, but," she paused, "it seems like there's more questions than ever now. And then with these Shadow Riders, I just don't know what to do."

"Nor I," Zane said. "But know that right now, you and Atticus are safe."

"Zane's right. And I might have something," Atem held up the binder of files he got from Chancellor Sheppard. "I visited Sheppard and convinced him to give me a list of all the missing students, including when and where they were last scene. If we can figure out how they went missing, we might find out where they are now. Or at least start making connections. I know we were freshmen when all this happened, so we might not remember everyone here. But there must be a pattern." (6)

Zane took the binder and started flipping through the pages. "Here's something," Zane stopped at one page. "Yusuke Fujiwara. Remember him?"

Atem examined at the picture. "Wait, yeah, I think so. Wasn't he a friend of Atticus's?"

"Atticus claimed him as a friend," Zane answered. "But Yusuke wasn't very social."

"Coming from you, that's saying something," Atem smirked.

Zane narrowed his eyes at his shorter friend. "I'm not afraid to tell your sister the best places to get you."

"Don't you dare," Atem glared black.

"Guys," Alexis interrupted their banter. "Can we get back to Yusuke?"

"Right," Atem said.

"Yusuke kept to himself," Zane continued. "Atticus was the only person I ever saw talk to him, and he always refused Atticus's invitations to hang out. But from what I can tell, his disappearance is the earliest, but this is just from a quick flip through."

"We could head to the dorm and started organizing it," Atem suggested.

The ground beneath them shook, cutting off their conversation. The path back to the mainland crumbled to pieces, and mummies rose from below the surface. Well this is straight out of Anubis's book. Atem powered up his duel disk and summoned Black Luster Soldier. The black and gold warrior slashed through the mummies. "This isn't good," Zane said as he stood in front of Alexis. She screamed.

"Partner, where are they coming from?" Atem asked his Duel Spirit.

"I don't know," he answered.

"Alexis!" Jaden called to them.

"Zane!" Chazz yelled.

"Prince!" Mana's wand appeared in her hand.

"Save yourselves!" Zane instructed them.

"No way, you need help," Jaden charged towards the path to the lighthouse, but more mummies appeared to block their way.

"No way is Anubis going to return today!" Mana blasted the mummies with her magic. Her wand glowed, and Dark Magician Girl appeared next to her. Together they blasted through the more of the mummies, regrouping with their friends.

"Give us the Spirit Key," more mummies said as they surrounded the students.

"So these guys are Shadow Riders," Atem said as Black Luster Soldier slashed through the ones closest to him.

A light drew their attention to the sky. The source looked like some bizarre golden jet. "Duelists," a voice called to them. "I have come for you."

The light blinded them, and when Atem came to, they were aboard the Shadow Rider's ship. Black Luster Soldier and Dark Magician Girl stood ready to defend them. Looking around, there was a platform above them, and at the far end of that platform sat a throne with an Egyptian occupant sitting on it, his face covered by a golden mask. He wore a beige tunic and blue and gold kilt with gold bands adorning his arms and legs, and a long dark blue cape trailed down his back. His hair was covered by a blue and gold headdress with the Millennium Symbol on it. "Hello there," the Egyptian greeted them.

Jaden climbed up to the platform. "What's the big idea?" he demanded to know.

"That's not how one should address an Egyptian pharaoh," the Shadow Rider said.

"Then talk to someone who knows about the pharaohs," Atem and Mana joined Jaden on the platform. Their spirit partners stood behind them, poised and ready.

The stranger fixed his gaze on Atem. "You look like my grandfather's predecessor."

Mana's eyes widened. "You're Abidos III, aren't you?" she said. "The Undefeated Pharaoh."

"I see my reputation precedes me," Abidos said.

"Sorry, but we're bigger fans of your grandfather and his cousin," Mana said.

"Abidos," Alexis whispered.

"He looks just like the picture Banner showed us in class today," Chazz said.

"You two would make fine palace girls, my beautiful doves," Abidos addressed the females.

"It's Alexis, you masked weirdo," the blonde retorted.

"And I'm Mana," the brunette said.

"Mana?" Abidos looked closer at her. "I remember a Mana when I was young. A kind old woman who looked after me. She died when I was young."

"I'm named after her," Mana said.

"And I'm named after your ancestor, the Nameless Pharaoh," Atem said.

"So how about we look the parts?" Mana pointed her wand at her brother and chanted something. His skin tanned, and his clothes changed from his Obelisk uniform. When the light from her spell died, Atem wore a short off-the-shoulders beige dress with a pleated skirt and matching boots and bracelets. A long white cape trailed down his back, and a strange headpiece tangled in his hair. The red gem on a golden choker sparkled from his neck. "Whoops!" Mana pressed her free hand to her mouth. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Mana Kisara Muto!" Atem yelled at his sister. He could hear the others laughing at him.

"I'm sorry!" she rubbed her free hand through her hair before pointing her wand at him again. "Let's try this again."

This time when the light faded, Atem wore the beige tunic and kilt of an Egyptian pharaoh. Gold adorned his arms and neck, and a heavy golden crown rested on his head. A long blue cape cinched around his neck and attached to a golden wing on his left shoulder, keeping it from covering his duel disk. Luckily, that survived Mana's transformations and remained a standard Academy disk. The only other parts that remained untouched were his Spirit Key and his card pendant.

"Now it's my turn," Mana held her wand above herself and cast a spell. Her skin tanned like her brother's, and she now wore the outfit that first appeared on Atem. Her Key remained around her neck as well. "There, that's right."

"You may look the parts, but you don't want to duel me," Abidos stated. "So just leave your Keys and walk away."

"If you think to take our Keys, you've got another thing coming," Atem stated. "You may have been undefeated in your time, but that doesn't mean you're all-powerful. No one can keep winning forever. I'll take you on."

"You can't talk to me like that!" Abidos cried indignantly at Atem's bluntness.

"Yes, I can," Atem kept his tone even, respectful as he would to any opponent. But there was no way he would bow to a Shadow Rider. "Being a Pharaoh means nothing in this time. Here, respect is earned, and victory is won through hard work and determination. And like the Pharaoh I was named after, I will protect my friends and this world with everything I've got. It's time to Duel!"

"I'm always ready to duel," Abidos said. "Now prepare yourself, Key-Keeper, for—"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it. It's not our first Shadow Game," Chazz cut off the former pharaoh.

"Kick his butt, Prince," Mana encouraged her brother.

Both duelists readied their duel disks. "Let's see," Abidos pondered over the cards in his hand. "First I think I'll summon Pharaonic Protector (900/0) in defense mode. And I'll lay down a face-down. Your turn."

"No defense points?" Syrus questioned the Shadow Rider's move.

"It's my move!" Atem drew his card.

"But not before I activate the First Sarcophagus," Abidos revealed his face-down as soon as Atem began his turn. The trap remained visible on the field, waiting for Abidos to finish the combo.

"Well that's an interesting choice," Atem said.

"Yes it is," Abidos mocked his opponent, "but I'm afraid you'll have to wait until I bring out another two Sarcophagi before you see why, Key-Keeper."

"I'm not afraid of a few mummies," Atem chose his monster. "I summon Queen's Knight (1500/1600) in attack mode!" The blonde card warrior materialized on his field. "Destroy Pharaonic Protector with Majestic Sword Swipe!" Her sword slashed through the Protector. "I warned you being a Pharaoh gave you no edge in this time. I set a card and end my turn."

"But the duels are much tamer here," Abidos answered. "Let me give you a taste of the old school. I play Second Sarcophagus!" A spell with an image of a sarcophagus appeared next to the trap. And when the third is played, this duel and your soul will be mine."

"I don't think I'm going to like whatever comes out of those coffins," Mana said.

"You think it's going to bring a monster?" Syrus asked.

"Well coffins don't usually hold magic potions. They have bodies in them," she answered.

"Next I'll play my Pot of Greed," Abidos began his turn. "This lets me draw two cards, and I think I'll play one now. Go, Tribute to the Doomed! Now by discarding one card from my hand, your Queen's Knight is destroyed." Linen wrappings rose from the ground and ensnared the female warrior, dragging her into the earth. "And next I'll play Pharaoh's Servant (900/0) in attack mode." A mummified Egyptian spear wielder appeared on the field. "Now stick him," he commanded the Servant. The monster charged Atem with his spear, knocking the Obelisk down to 3100 LifePoints.

"Ah!" Atem gasped as the spear impacted. It almost made him wish he'd used his face-down, but the Servant was so low in strength he'd waste it.

"Prince!" Mana called worriedly to her brother.

"I'm okay," he assured her and the others.

"My undefeated record will be staying in tact, but you will not," Abidos promised. "But don't worry, Key-Keeper, after I play this face-down, it's your turn again. If you have the strength left to play it, that is."

Atem smirked as he drew. "Whoever said I was worried?" he asked. "It'll take more than your Servant to defeat me. I play Reinforcement of the Army! This lets me add one level four warrior from my deck to my hand. And I choose Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400/1200), who I'm summoning now." The elf warrior materialized onto his field. "And next I'll play Harpies' Feather Duster! This destroys all the spell and traps you have on your field. So say good-bye to your Sarcophagi!"

"I don't think so," Abidos discarded a card. "Go Magic Jammer! It turns your Feather Duster into dust itself."

"Not bad," Atem rethought his strategy. "I think I know how you went so long without defeat."

"What you should think about is getting some new cards for that weak deck," Abidos scoffed.

"Oh, he shouldn't have said that," Syrus muttered.

"He's definitely going to get it now," Mana added.

"Don't you dare disrespect my cards," Atem scowled. "They've never let me down, and they're not going to start today! Go, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian! Attack the Servant with Celtic Blade Slash!" The Guardian's sword pierced through the spear wielder, dropping Abidos down to 3500 LifePoints.

The former Pharaoh sank to his knees as he felt the pain of the attack. "You can't attack me," he gasped.

"Yes, I can," Atem refused to back down. "Unless you're not as familiar with modern dueling as you claim."

"But I am Abidos, the greatest duelist ever."

"Not in this era," Atem shot down his opponents beliefs. "You claim to be undefeated, but your monsters haven't even stood up to mine. I don't see how you were truly undefeated in your life."

"He's got a point," Mana said, twirling her wand around.

"I was hoping to see some super rare cards or something," Jaden complained. "I'm kind of underwhelmed."

"Yeah, his cards are hardly better than a starter deck," Syrus commented. "For a legend, this guy is a bit of a letdown."

"Looks like Atem's going to win this one easy," Chazz said.

"Especially since he hasn't even used Black Luster Soldier yet," Mana added.

"Make your move, Pharaoh," Atem urged his opponent.

Abidos remained frozen, pondering his past victories. "Wait. Could it be all my servants let me win?"

Atem heard everyone behind him question the validity of the Pharaoh's servant. "So you never fought a real duel before?" he asked. "Even to protect Egypt from danger?"

"Grandfather Seto eliminated all threats after his cousin sacrificed himself to seal away the Dark One," Abidos answered. I heard from my father that he was diligent in everything, holding everyone to the highest standard, especially my father and uncle. My father didn't want that in his reign. Yes, we trained and dueled, but perfection wasn't his priority. He wanted his people to enjoy their lives in the peace and prosperity while it lasted. Including me. He died when I twelve summers," Abidos turned his masked face to Atem. "Could it be Father asked them to do this?"

"I don't know," Atem answered. "I wasn't there. I know about Pharaoh Seto and his predecessor, Pharaoh Atem, along with those in their lives."

"Atem?" Abidos stumbled on the name.

"His name was gone by your time," Atem said, "but my father freed the Nameless Pharaoh from the Millennium Puzzle and helped stop Zorc for good. I'm named in honor him, Atem, just like my sister is named in honor of High Priestess Mana."

Abidos stared at the ground in front of him. "I always believed I was the best duelist because I never lost. Now I'm just a fraud."

"Not necessarily," Atem encouraged his opponent. "It's impossible for someone to win every game. Strength doesn't come from constant victory; it comes from standing up in the face of defeat. Everyone here has been defeated at some point, and we all got back up and kept fighting. Now it's your turn. Stand up against your challenge and face me with everything you've got. No more hiding behind your title as Pharaoh."

Abidos nodded and got to his feet. He reached up and pulled his golden mask off his face, revealing a young man about their age with wide indigo eyes. "Atem, just promise me you'll give it your best."

"I always duel with everything I've got," Atem promised. "Now make your move."

"I know this is partly because I changed our clothes, but you guys kind of look alike," Mana looked back and forth between the two duelists. (7)

"During your End Phase, I get to play The Third Sarcophagus," Abidos pulled out the final piece of his strategy.

"Why would Atem encourage him to do better?" Chazz asked. "That guy's a Shadow Rider."

"Because it's what we do," Mana told him. "Dad did the same thing to Leon at the KaibaCorp Grand Championship. Plus in a way, this guy is like family."

"Now I sacrifice all the Sarcophagi to finally summon Spirit of the Pharaoh (2500/2000) in attack mode!" The three cards merged into one golden sarcophagus. Its lid slowly opened, and a mummified pharaoh in bright orange garb climbed out of it.

"Told you a monster would come out of it," Mana said.

"I expected a lot more than 2500 attack points," Jaden commented.

"I'm not done yet!" Abidos insisted, annoyed at the Slifer's comment. "A Pharaoh is nothing without his servants. You see, whenever he's summoned, I get to call up his friends, up to four level-two zombies from my graveyard." Two Pharaonic Protectors and two Pharaoh's Servants materialized next to Spirit of the Pharaoh, each with 900 attack points. "And now my draw!" he drew his card.

"You should know Obnoxious Celtic Guardian can't be destroyed by monsters with more than 1900 attack points," Atem said. "And he's more than a match for your followers."

"Then I suppose it's a very good thing I have this card," the former Pharaoh smirked. "I activate the powers of Thousand Energy. Now all level two monsters on the field gain 1000 attack points." The four weaker monsters glowed with energy. They charged in and all slashed the Guardian, knocking Atem down to 1100 LifePoints.

He grit his teeth against the pain. "Prince!" Mana called to him.

"And now to finish you," Abidos said. "Go, Spirit of the Pharaoh!"

"Not today!" Atem revealed his face-down card. "Magic Cylinder will redirect your attack right back to you!" Spirit of the Pharaoh pointed his crook and fired magic into one cylinder, and the bolt of energy shot out of the other, striking Abidos directly and taking all but 1000 of his LifePoints. "I'm not finished yet," Atem promised.

"Neither am I," Abidos played a spell. "Now I sacrifice one of my monsters to activated a little card I like to call Soul Guide. It gives me LifePoints equal to the attack points on the card I just lost." His LifePoints rose to 2900 from the Pharaonic Protector he tributed. "But it's about to get a whole lot better. Soul Guide also lets me put a copy of the card I just sacrificed right back in my hand. And even though Thousand Energy will most certainly destroy my monsters, from how your LifePoints turned out, it will be worth it. My record shall stand!"

"No, it won't!" Heart of the Cards, guide me. Atem drew. "I play Polymerization to fuse Gaia, the Fierce Knight and Curse of Dragon into Sky Galloping Gaia, the Dragon Champion (2600/2100)!" An armored knight with twin lances soared in on a red-scaled dragon. "When Sky Galloping Gaia is summoned, I'm allowed to add the spell Spiral Spear Strike from my deck to my hand, which I activate now." He inserted the card into his duel disk. "When Spiral Spear Strike is in play, any Gaia monsters that destroy a monster with fewer defense points will inflict the difference as battle damage to you." Atem held up the last card in his hand. "And now since he's the only card in my hand, I'm allowed to summon Swift Gaia, the Fierce Knight (2300/2100) without a sacrifice." Another knight with twin lances rode in on a horse to join his comrade.

"Two Gaias?" Syrus and Chazz said at the same time. Mana and Zane smirked at each other; they knew what Atem was doing.

"There's more," Atem continued. "When Sky Galloping Gaia attacks a monster, he can change that monster's battle position. Go, Sky Galloping Gaia, attack Spirit of the Pharaoh! Double Dragon Lance!" The flying knight swooped in; his opponent knelt and held its sword up in defense. The Dragon Champion's lances pierced through the monsters and knocked Abidos down to 2300 LifePoints.

"No, this can't be," Abido's eyes widened as he realized he was trapped.

"It is," Atem said. "Now, Swift Gaia, finish him off with Spiral Lance Thrust!" The Fierce Knight charged at the former Pharaoh and struck him with his lances, wiping out the rest of Abidos's LifePoints.

The defeated royalty knelt on the ground. "Abidos, what is it?" Mana asked him.

"I used to think I was the best duelist of all time," he admitted. "But now I know I need a lot of practice if I want to be a true dueling legend."

"You fought with honor," Atem commended his opponent. "That already is the first step to becoming a truly powerful duelist."

"If you're ever in the afterlife, look up your grandfather and Pharaoh Atem," Mana winked at him. "I'm sure they'd love to teach you. And tell them Atem and Mana Muto say hi."

"You could come with me," Abidos offered.

"No thanks," Mana shot down the request.

"Our place is here," Atem answered. "Maybe someday we will meet again though."

"I'll look forward to it," Abidos agreed.

The former pharaoh dropped the Academy students off at the edge of the island. The Muto siblings waved good bye as his ship shot off into the distance, probably back to wherever his spirit had been resting.

"Hey, Mana," Atem turned to his sister, fingering the Shadow Charm Abidos had given him. "Now that we're done with Egyptian duel, can you change us back?"

"Right," Mana let out a nervous laugh.

"And please don't put me in another dress," he sighed. Zane snorted next to him. "One word, Zane," he warned. "One word and it's on."

"I didn't say anything," Zane said, keeping his face straight.

The underclassman snickered as the two seniors stared each other down.

"Here we go," Mana pointed her wand at Atem.

His body glowed, and when the light faded, he was back to his normal skin tone and wearing his short Obelisk Blue blazer and blue pants. "Thank all the Egyptian Gods," Atem sighed in relief. "Mana, let's not do that again. At least not until you're sure you can do it without messing up."

"Lighten up, Prince," Mana rolled her eyes at him before returning herself to normal. "Gosh, this is going to make Spirit Day so much more fun."

"Did you even bring your costume?" Atem asked.

"No, but if I get this spell perfected, I won't have to," she stuck her tongue out at him. "And I won't have to worry about that stupid wig."

"Who do you want to go as?" Alexis asked.

"That's a surprise," Mana winked as she shut the door to that answer.

Atem rolled his eyes. Her costume was no surprise; she'd gone as the same thing every year.

He fingered the headband Abidos left. There were still two Shadow Riders left. Who would they target? And what powers did they have? Atem feared things would only get worse for the Key Guardians from there.

1. I made a passing comment about Joan Taylor last chapter, and she and Max Wheeler will be fully introduced down the road. I'll let you guess their parents based on their names. For an age reference, Atem is two years older than Mana, Max and Airi are one year younger than Mana, and Joan is two years younger than Mana.

2. It bothers me that everyone just took the Admiral at his word when he said Jaden wanted to stay. Come on guys, your friend was completely disinterested in what Admiral had to offer during the duel, and he suddenly decides to like it? That's not how the Force works!

3. Even though they were undercover, I assume the Dark Scorpions were still communicating with each other. So even if Cliff didn't directly see where Atem and Mana supposedly hid the Keys, Chick could tell him.

4. Guys, I seriously want to know where Ojama Yellow got the Hot Chocolate. That particular line makes laugh so hard each time, and it's so random.

5. Okay, people, hear me out this. In Ancient Egypt, Seto loved Kisara, and I think Isis and Mahad were a thing too. But Mahad and Kisara died, so those relationships didn't work out. Same with Atem-he never had an heir to the throne. I'll admit, I have a soft spot for the Kaiba/Ishizu pairing, so that may bias this a little bit, but look at the Millennium Items passed through the Ishtar family, and who on the court owned them. Seto had to marry someone and have an heir because that's how royalty and kingdoms work. So my head canon is that Seto and Isis married and had two children-one to be the next Pharaoh and another to start the line of Tombkeepers. Isis can see the future after all. I also think it would be stupid to keep six of the most powerful Items ever made in the same place while waiting for Atem's return-hence the Ishtars having two Items and Shadi guarding the other four, that line started by Mana and an apprentice learning how to use them from her. As for Abidos, since he has the stone tablets and Diadhanks to duel, I assume he's after Atem's time, but there's no way Seto would have a son who doesn't earn his victories. If he died before his grandson was born, and Seto's son is more relaxed about things, then yeah, Abidos is plausible and still fits into the timeline of the series.

Oh my gosh, that is the longest footnote I've ever written. But I spent a long time trying to figure out Abidos's place in the timeline. I may write a story featuring this and other parts of the Egyptian timeline, provided I get my life together and get ahead of this and A Dragon's Destiny.

6. Like I said in the disclaimer, does it bother anyone else that they never say what happened to the students? Also timeline wise, I think Atticus went missing when he was a freshman because he repeated two years, based on the fact he was still a student during the third year of the show (season 4 is the same year as 3).

7. Back to my theory that Abidos is a descendant of Seto, if you compare how he looks to Atem, I see a lot of similarities. Yes, I will admit part of that is anime facial features all having a similar style, but still! If people can think Mai and Cecelia are related (I'll admit I did for about ten minutes), then this is equally plausible.

Once again, I am so sorry this took so long to get written. Now that I have a job, I'll try to have a more definite posting schedule, but I do go by what story needs to be updated versus posting on a particular day. I'm adding a section to my profile where I'll announce the next chapter that will be posted. Also I need to give a shout out to LoveGlutton for helping me with some of the details. I never would have thought of Sky Galloping Gaia or Spiral Spear Strike for Atem's deck. LoveGlutton helped me make more concrete deck lists for my added characters because the only decks I really know how to work are Spellcasters. Also the idea for the shaving cream prank Mana tells Syrus about came up in a role-play we did.

Thank you for reading! And for putting up with my ramblings/crazy theories. If you ever want to discuss timelines and theories, feel free to message me. Also I'm not sorry for the embarrassment I put Atem through this chapter. I've wanted to write about Abidos for a while, and it was a great opportunity to discuss the kingdom after Atem. Also once I had the idea for Mana's spell-fail, I couldn't not do it. Mana's spells still need to go wrong once in a while.