Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX
AN: Thanks a million to those that reviewed last chapter. I'm glad people liked the changes in the battle between Jaden and Chazz and are curious as to how Chazz being a chosen sibling for the Yukis will play out. Let's just say that Chazz will be more open.
And to people wondering on what's exactly gonna happen in the spin off... I can only tell you the title is 'An Unsteady Mix' and Jaden will need to rely on his Supreme King powers to protect him and Jason. I can't say more without spoiling the whole thing.
I was gonna put the next two chapters into one so we can get to the Shadow Riders, but I don't wanna rush anything for this story and wanna give the Yukis they're own time to shine.
Also some news. I'm going to Orlando Florida on March 4th and won't return until March 11th. Since I type on my phone, I'll be working on the next chapter at that point, but still don't expect an update during that time.
Enjoy
Chapter 21-
"Ugh...that's the last time I mix chili sauce with ice cream..."
Syrus climbed down the ladder of his bunk bed late one night, his stomach practically tearing itself apart from the inside. He walked out of his dorm room and headed down the stairs, walking towards a random door, thinking it was the bathroom. He turned the doorknob and pulled it open. The room had a bed, a large desk and glowing light from inside.
Blinking, Syrus rubbed his head, "Oh man, this isn't the bathroom." He was about to close the door when he heard a strange sound coming from the desk. He rubbed his eyes some more and saw that Banner was sitting in front of a computer monitor, his back to the open door.
"You are not here to ask why, you are here to obey."
Banner shifted in his seat, "But Jaden is one of our best students, and he could be buried alive!" He protested to the strange voice.
Syrus stood there, "Buried?" he whispered.
"If the tomb shall be the end of Jaden Yuki, then so be it. His true potential must be tested! As well as the other who shares a similar spirit..."
Syrus quickly and quietly closed the door, and then backed away, scared of what he just heard, and all before the identity of the other two.
'Tested? In a tomb? Where he could be buried alive?! Something tells me this test isn't mid-terms...' he thought before quietly running up the stairs to his bed, no longer needing to go to the bathroom after such news. But also he had a cringing feeling of who the other might be. 'And he's after Jason too!'
...
The next morning, the gang was in Banner's alchemy class.
"So you see, children, we can learn a great duel from alchemy that applies to dueling," Banner went on, standing by his desk with two different vials with multi-colored liquid in his hands. Pharaoh lay comfortably in his master's chair.
Banner held up the vials, "Just as we can fuse two monsters to create a more powerful monster, we can mix two compounds and make something equally impressive," he poured one of the liquids into the large vial and shook it gently, "You see, it's rather very-AH!"
The vials exploded, sending a large cloud of smoke into the air. Banner waved his hand, coughing as he made the smoke go away from his face, which was now smudged from the smoke, "On the other hand... it can be equally devastating..." he coughed before falling on his rear end.
Jason had a small smirk on his face from Banner's little explosion as the ringing of the bell signaled the end of the class. The ringing also woke up Jaden from his snore fest, the older twin having stayed awake all night chatting with Yubel about his training to use his stage two cards.
Since using Dark Tornado in his duel with Chazz, the dark energies around his cards weren't as strong as before; signalling that Jaden was gaining better control. Unfortunately it cost him some sleep last night.
The Slifer Hero user yawned and stretched, "Morning guys...what I miss?" he looked ahead at Banner, who was picking himself up, "Learn anything good today?"
"We learned how to duck," Syrus said quietly.
"And that Banner sucks at mixing chemicals," Chazz added.
Banner brushed himself off as he rose to his feet, "Oh, I almost forgot! I'm... uh... planning a little field trip," he held up a pile of papers, most likely schedules.
"A field trip?" Jaden perked up. "Seriously? Where to? Carnival? Circus?" He asked, excited
"Where would there be a carnival or a circus on the island, Slacker?" Chazz asked with a hint of sarcasm. Just because he and the Yukis were unofficial family now didn't mean Chazz would quit on calling Jaden a slacker. He did stop calling Jason a cyclops, instead referring him as Raccoon Boy due to his deck.
Banner smiled, "Even better! We are going to take a ten mile hike all the way to the excavated ruins, where we will be taking geologic core samples!"
'Ruins?' Asami was interested, loving anything that had to do with exploration and discovering new places.
"It's this Saturday at 7:00 AM, so don't be late!"
...
And so, Banner's class arrived in the meeting spot outside the Academy, ready for the field trip. However, it wasn't the results Banner had really wanted. While not many of the class came, all of the ones who came, including Banner, had a backpack with them, filled with food and supplies while one had a basket.
Jaden, Syrus, Chazz, Jason, Asami, who was the one with the basket, Alexis, and Chumley were the only ones who came.
Banner frowned, "Only seven of you? Is that all? Where is everyone else?"
Syrus yawned, "It's early in the morning, Professor... they're probably back in their dorms, in their nice, warm beds," he turned to Chumley, "Probably enjoying the company of their soft pillows."
"Like I'd be doing if Banner didn't threaten us with detention..." The larger boy muttered.
"And like I'd be doing if Jaden didn't literally drag me out of bed!" Chazz glared at his new foster sibling, who only smiled innocently as his response.
"Well Chazz, we do need to start hanging out more if we wanna build a strong connection between each other." Jaden explained. Chazz grumbled some incohesive words under his breath and didn't argue further, which Jaden realized was his way of accepting things.
Jaden then turned to Chumley. "And you do need to get out more, Chumley." Jaden said as he patted him on the back, the larger boy just groaning I'm response.
"Plus this could be fun," Asami added optimistically, holding Jason's hand. "Traveling to another part of the island. Who knows what we can find?" Her posture just screamed 'excited'.
Jason didn't mind the hiking, also thinking that this can be kinda fun... but he only thought this when his optimistic girlfriend gave him a cute pout the other day to get him to come with her since Jason likes to sleep in on the weekend. He just couldn't say no to his sweetie when she begged him... which was earning him a bunch of smirks from Chazz that he was 'whipped'.
The guy might've now been family, but Jason was thinking about kicking him in the shin.
"To tell you the truth, I'm excited too." Alexis told her best friend. "These ruins we're going into used to host the Shadow Games." 'And maybe I can find some hints on what happened to Atticus.'
Banner continued to address the students, "Now, before we advance anymore, I must warn you children. When we enter the ruin site, you must be careful. Inside the area, is an ancient tomb. Now, usually..."
Syrus drowned out the rest of Banner's lecture once he heard the word 'tomb.' 'A tomb!?' He then pulled Jaden to the side, earning a look of confusion from the E-Hero duelist. "Listen Jaden," He whispered. "I think Banner wants to bury us and Chumley. Last night, he was talking about the tomb and you in it. And he said 'another,' that could mean Jason."
"Then why not you, Chumley, or Chazz?" Jaden asked.
"Cause they're not your brother!" The little Slifer replied.
"Sy, this must be another chili sauce nightmare." The Evil Hero duelist waved off. "You're worrying too much."
"All right class, let's move onward to the ruins." Banner said, as every got going.
'Don't say I didn't warn you...' Syrus worriedly thought as he walked after the rest of the party
...
As they walked, climbed and crawled for many hours, Chumley kept whining and complaining about what he hated throughout the trip. Chazz had started off like that too before he just gave up and kept his complaints to himself. Chumley on the other hand...
"Are we almost there?"
"My feet really hurt!"
"Can we take a bathroom break or something?"
"I hate climbing!"
"I hate crawling!"
"I hate hiking!"
"Are we there yet!?"
"I'm hungry!"
"Finally, we're here!" Banner laughed triumphantly, secretly glad he didn't have to put up with Chumley complaining for awhile longer.
'Good, because I was two minutes from smacking Chum upside the head...' Jason thought.
The others looked directly in front of them, was what looked like a broken archway that was mostly covered in green moss.
"Cool..." Jaden breathed, "They looked all ruined," he commented, looking around at the site.
Alexis smiled slightly, "That's because they're ruins."
"Right..." Jaden nodded.
"Real smooth, Slacker." Chazz mumbled, getting a snicker from Jason and Asami.
Banner set down his pack and looked around, "Marvelous!" he tried to hold back his excitement. "You can still see the fated remains of the oculus, oh and the phastigium! No doubt inspired by a meniment of Saka'Ra."
'If you want to talk ancient, Jaden has a few stories he can share about the past.' Jason thought to himself, getting a chuckle out. He's been feeling sick lately, getting headaches and that kind of stuff; so he looked for moments to make himself laugh to ease the pain.
"Well, at least we finally got here." Chazz said.
"Yeah, even for some old rocks." Syrus said.
"Well I'm just happy I get to sit down," Chumley groaned, rubbing his legs, "I hate hiking..."
"Yeah we know, you've said that every five minutes for the past two hours." Chazz remarked.
Jaden grinned at his friends and looked at his teacher, "Speaking of sitting down, how about we chowdown?"
Banner nodded, "I don't see why not. Afterwards, we can check out the rest of the ruins. Maybe there's some well preserved sarcophaguses around...or is it sarcophagi?" he dropped his bag and looked through it, "Oh well, time to eat for now. I love pizza, I can barely wait,"
Jaden and the others turned around on their lunch blanket, staring at their professor.
"Pizza?! You get pizza while we're stuck with whatever it is I'm holding?" Jaden whined holding up a rice ball.
Banner inched himself away from them, holding his sack close, "I'm your teacher, I need pizza for strength so I can teach you properly!" he said defensively.
Jaden rolled his eyes and joined his friends once again.
"Not problem Jaden," Asami said as she held out her small basket. "You guys can share with me and Jason."
Jaden grinned. "You two being a sappy couple worked out for everyone!" Jason's reply was a rock chugged in Jaden's direction. "Easy! I'm just poking fun!" Jason smirked.
"Is it wrong I find this hilarious?" Syrus whispered to the other three students.
Chazz had a smirk on his face. "Nope... I'm enjoying this as well."
"That's funny," Banner murmured, rummaging through his backpack, "I don't remember having a fur-topping on my pizza,"
Instead of pulling out his lunch, Banner pulled out a familiar fat cat out of his sack, crumbs around his whiskers. Pharaoh mewed and gave a small belch.
Banner facefaulted, "Pharaoh! You were supposed to stay at home, not hitch a ride in my bag and eat my lunch!" he cried. Banner hung his head in dismay, then slowly turned to his students, looking very humble, "Maybe...you could share you lunch with me, children?" he asked, hands together.
Everyone looked at him, mimicking his squinted eyes look.
"Sorry," Jaden replied, "But we're your students and we need this to learn!"
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, besides you weren't gonna share, Professor," Chumley pointed out.
Banner facefaulted again, "But of course, I was going to share!"
"Share what?" Alexis asked, "Pepperoni breath all day?"
"Sentiments exactly," Chazz nodded.
While Banner kept trying to score some free food, Pharaoh walked around the area. The fat cat looked around and noticed something sticking out of the dirt. He walked over and dug, shoveling dirt behind him as the object became clearer. It was a large, round disk with symbols carved into it. In the exact middle of the disk, a green gem lay. Pharaoh mewed and prodded the disk.
At the touch of the cat's paw, the green gem began to glow a bright light. Pharaoh shrieked and ran back to his master, while beams of bright green light shot into the sky from the earth.
"What's going on?!" Jaden watched as more and more beams erupted from the dirt. Everyone else rose to their feet and stood back to back, while Pharaoh leapt into Banner's arms, shaking like a leaf.
"Guys! Look up!" Syrus pointed to the sky.
Everyone gazed upward to see the sun split into three separate balls of fire and light.
"Is... anyone else seeing things in triplicate?" Banner asked nervously.
"I'm scared," Asami whispered frighteningly, snuggling into Jason as he wrapped his arms protectively around her.
"Oh man..." Alexis mumbled.
Chumley's jaw dropped as a veil of different colored lights appeared, moving around them in a circular pattern, "Man... this is the most lishus field trip ever,"
"Something isn't right." Syrus pointed out.
Chazz scoffed. "What gave that away Einstein!? The three suns in the sky?"
A nudge made Jaden look away from the light to see Yubel standing over his shoulder.
"You guys should probably run." Yubel advised.
Sly appeared over Jason. "Yubel's right. You guys should probably find some safe ground!" He also advised.
As if in response, thunder boomed above them and lightning flashed, making everyone jump out of their skins.
"Everyone, run for cover!" Banner shouted.
Everyone started to run around, trying to find shelter. The lightning and thunder came quicker and quicker each time, making them more frightened.
Banner looked ahead towards a tall building, "We'll find safety in that-" His last word was drowned out by more thunder.
"The what!?" The kids shouted.
Banner pointed to the thing ahead of them, "The building with the hole!" he yelled.
Jason looked over his shoulder and noticed Jaden had stopped running. Skidding to a stop, he pushed his girlfriend forward before he turned back for his brother.
"Dude, are you crazy, run!" Chazz yelled.
"Yeah, this storm's getting worse!" Alexis added, noting the numerous bolts.
Jaden looked at Jason then behind him to see the others huddled into a hole, hoping the shelter will protect them from the storm.
"Guys, stay in there, Jason and I will lead the storm away!"
The mute boy nodded to his brother as Jaden took off, then snapped his head towards the fleeing Slifer as if he just realized what he just agreed to.
As Jaden ran off in the opposite direction, the light from above became brighter and brighter. Jason covered his eye as he ran after Jaden. But as he caught up with his sibling, the light blinded them both, causing them to black out.
...
After the blackout, Jaden had awakened in a strange place. It looked similar to the ruins, but also, vastly different. In front of him were the ruins that... well, they weren't exactly in ruins anymore. It was very tall pyramid that was standing in perfect condition.
Jaden had stared in awe at the sight. "I think I took a wrong turn back there..." He muttered.
Yubel nodded her head. "We're definitely not in our dimension anymore." She stated. "That light show seems to have transported us to a different world."
Jaden gasped. "Jason!" He ran to his younger brother and pushed him up. "Wake up, you gotta see this!"
The mute seemed drowsy, head swaying back and forth and his eye looking all tired and dead. He wiped his eye before he seemed to fall back unconscious.
"Come on Jason, don't pass out now," Jaden begged. "Not when I need you." Jaden shook him lightly, which seemed to stir him back to the world of the living
"Look behind you!" Jaden pointed out. Jason looked around and then to Jaden to provide some kind of confirmation as to what the hell was going on. He gasped at the reformation of the ruins. Also, the archway from Duel Academy was outside the giant building they were in, but it was broken up.
Jason looked to Jaden. 'How the hell did we get here!?'
"It could be some strange dream..." Jaden wondered. "But then we wouldn't be having the same dream. I don't think twins can do things like that."
Yubel smacked him on the back of the head. "Focus idiot!"
"Hey!" Jaden exclaimed, more shocked that he was able to feel Yubel then her actually hitting him. "How'd you do that?"
"We're in another world, genius." She answered sarcastically. "I can turn solid for a short time since there's a lack of duel energy."
"Now that is strange," Jaden nodded. "But where are the others?" Jason shrugged.
"Ahem..."
Jaden turned at the silent cough, and took a defensive stance. "Jesus!" He jumped in surprise. Jason turned to see a black-haired girl and blond male teen, and a black-haired man all dressed in black robes, dropping the boys' backpacks at her feet. With them was a dark-skinned woman.
"This is sacred ground!" The girl told them. "You must leave immediately!"
"Or you shall be imprisoned in the tombs of this land!" The black-haired man threatened.
Jaden gave an uneasy smile while Jason stood petrified. Yubel was gone. Of all the times. "Yeah, we'll be happy to leave. Just as soon as we find everyone else and..."
Jaden was interrupted as the black-haired man grabbed him and held him up against the shadows. The girl did the same to Jason.
"What gives?" Jaden growled. "And be careful on slamming my brother against the wall. He has a head injury." In typical Jaden fashion, he cared more about Jason's well-being than his own.
"Quiet!" The girl spoke. "The soldiers are coming!"
On cue, a group of footsteps were made on the ramp above the six. They were wearing the same robes as the cloaked people holding the students, but they were armed with spears. Everyone held their voices until they were sure they were gone.
"What's going on here?" Jaden asked the robed people let him and Jason go.
"There are others who share your dress." The girl replied. "They've been taken by the Gravekeeper Chief."
"What!?" Jaden shouted while Jason stared shock.
"It's true," The black haired man nodded. "They'll be punished for trespassing in the tomb."
"Oh no they won't" Jaden challenged. "If you want us out so badly, we can get them and leave." He said.
The cloaked people looked over to each other before they handed the boys their backpacks, the Yuki siblings slinging them on.
"So be it, you were warned." The girl said as she led them all inside the tomb.
They stopped at an empty room. "You two must wait here."
"For what?" Jaden shouted. "We said we would get them and leave!"
"I shall get them." The girls said. "If you two are caught around the tomb, you'll be of no use to them."
"Fine..." The boys caved in as they sat around and the girl left.
A certain amount time past and still no sign of the black robed people, causing Jaden to tug at his hair, "What is taking her so long?!" He growled.
Jason looked over to him. 'You think I know?' He asked.
"I'm just saying," Jaden sighed. "Someone says that they'll help you, they shouldn't leave you hanging." Jason rolled his eye in response.
Jaden jumped, like if he just came to a conclusion. "What if we're being set up?" He asked. Jason turned fearful as the thought came to his head. All the time they've waited, adding that the lady worked for the leader here, it seemed rather logical.
"SOMEONE! HELP US!"
The scream of a girl made the boys jump to their feet.
"Alexis!" Jaden turned and looked up at the window. With a well placed jump and grip, he latched onto the opening and pulled himself up. Outside the room he was in, was a deep rectangular pit below him. Jason followed suit and leapt as high as he could and looked out the other window. Squinting, they saw six stone coffins in the middle of the pit. The boys' eyes widened, seeing that in the coffins were their friends. Each of them had their own coffin, and they were all wrapped with stuff that looked like it came from a mummy. They also saw that Chazz and Asami were being transported, most likely to another part of the tomb.
"Son of a bitch!" Jaden hissed. Jason was thinking the same thing, but also felt helpless watching his girlfriend get dragged away and he couldn't do a damn thing to help.
Both of the boys felt a sharp prodding on their rear ends making them pale. They weren't alone anymore.
"Get down!" A deep, gravelly voice ordered.
"Move towards the sharp object?!" Jaden looked over his shoulder to see a small group of men in white clothes and black cloaks. Some were armed with spears, while others had daggers at their belts. While each of them was a different person, many of them looked the same, save one man. He had dark skin, much like the others, wore a fine robe of white and black with gold embroidery and a thick beard.
"Now," the bearded man hissed, ignoring the outburst.
"Ok, ok!" Jaden said as he and Jason slid down the wall, rubbing their backsides to ease the stinging left by the spears. "Ever hear of a handshake?" That question earned them about half a dozen more spears pointed towards him. Jaden held up his hands, extremely nervous at the turn of the situation, "I'm so sorry, where are my manners! I'm Jaden Yuki, and this is my brother Jason Yuki."
All of the guards had the spears near the boys' necks.
"...And what would your name be?" He asked the bearded man he assumed was the leader.
"I am the Gravekeeper Chief and you have traversed on the sacred tomb that I protect..."
Jaden gulped, "Hey, that's great, pal! Now, how's about me and my brother just go and grab our friends, then we'll just head on out?" He offered. "We'll zip back to the dimension we came from, ya know?"
"That is not possible..."
"Oh... Why not?" Jaden asked.
The Chief chuckled, "Because fools, you have tread upon my domain and now you will be punished along with your friends."
"Oh c'mon!" Jaden groaned, getting more and more annoyed every second. "Can't we just pay a fine or something?" Jaden asked desperately, not liking the odds between him and Jason. It was two against an army. They would lose this quickly.
"You cannot..."
Jason boldly pushed the spears away, angry that they were holding his friends and lover hostage. He cringed as the spearheads came back, pointed at his neck and bandaged eye. He kept his head high though in the face of death. He wasn't worried about getting stabbed. He's already been shot and faced death before. This was nothing compared to that.
Again, the Chief laughed, "You both show some spirit, Strangers. We will forgive your trespassing... given that you survive my challenge," he offered, "What do you say?"
Jaden looked at the spears, "Well, what's the challenge?" he shot back, secretly hoping that he didn't have to fight any angry large animals or go through a booby trapped temple.
The Chief smiled and held up a deck of Duel Monster cards as his answer.
"A duel?" Jaden grinned in relief as the spears were removed. "Now you're speaking my language! I'll take you on, but only if you set all my friends free if I win! Deal?"
"Agreed," the Chief nodded.
Jaden opened his pack and pulled out a duel disk from inside his pack, "For my friends, there's no if about it pal," He looked back at the Chief, "I'll win!"
"You misinterpreted me, boy," the Chief said. "You AND the other red one have to win."
"Wait a sec!" Jaden jumped back in. "Me and my brother have to duel?"
"That is correct." The Chief replied.
"Just one problem with that," Jaden said, getting more glares thrown his way. He pointed to Jason. "He can't speak."
"Oh, why is that?" The Chief asked unimpressed.
"He was born without a voice."
The Chief looked a little amused by this. "The Gods must've not been pleased if they didn't give him a voice."
"Yeah, let's go with that." Jaden nodded, not caring what these people thought of Jason's predicament. Jason didn't seem to care either since he just stared indifferently.
"Oh don't worry about that," the Chief eased. "I have just the solution for that. Guards! Take the one eyed quiet one to his opponent!"
Guiding the boy with their spears, the guards led him out of the room. Before disappearing, Jason turned back to his brother and gave a stare. A stare that said, "Jaden, come out alive, you hear me?"
Jaden smiled at his brother, getting what he wanted to say. "Like I said, I'll win this!" He replied. "Go save Chazz and my future sister-in-law." Jason nodded, his eye widening and blushing madly at Jaden's declaration. He was led away by the guards.
"But, if you lose, you and your friends will be punished. You will be buried alive!" The chief stated.
"Buried alive, huh?" Jaden asked. "Then its a good thing I won't lose." He smirked.
The Chief smirked right back. "We shall see..."
...
Jaden now stood at the top of the structure surrounding the pit where his friends and Banner were. He and the Gravekeeper Chief were standing on little extensions that stuck out from opposite walls.
"Good luck Jaden," Banner said. "We're all rooting for you. Very, very much so."
"Jaden!" Syrus and Chumley called.
"Come on Jaden, save us." Alexis said.
Jaden looked down to the coffins and smiled towards them. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna lose." He looked back to the Chief as they each turned on their disks and drew their opening hands.
Jaden: 4000
Chief: 4000
"Since you trespassed on my ground, I'll have the first move." The Chief said as he drew his sixth card. "I place a card facedown in defense mode, thus ending my turn," He declared as he placed the mentioned card onto the disk.
"Now it starts mine," Jaden drew his card and looked at it just as he heard Yubel's voice call out to him.
"Careful Jaden..." Yubel warned. "We're no longer in our world. Who knows what can happen?"
"Don't worry about a thing," Jaden eased. "I summon the Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode!"
Jaden smiled as his caped water hero came alive (ATK: 800/DEF: 1200), "This guy's got some pop, too! When he's summoned to the field, and there are no other cards on my field, I can draw two more cards!" he drew his cards, "Awesome..." he moved some of his hand around, "Next, I'll place one card face down on the field and end my turn!"
The Chief drew his card, and then placed it on the disk, "Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier!" He paused as a man in black robes carrying a long spear appeared in front of him. (ATK: 1500/DEF: 1000)
Jaden noticed that the monster card was identical to some of the men that held him and Jason in the room before.
"I hope your Bubbleman's draw gave you two very good cards, because he's already outmatched in battle, and soon he will be outnumbered. I now summon, in attack mode, Gravekeeper's Guard!" he waved his arm and the facedown monster from his first turn was revealed to be a fat man with a three-pronged spear. (ATK: 1000/DEF: 1900)
For the second time, Jaden was reminded of some of the men from before.
"His effect," the Chief glanced at his Guard, "Forces one monster that's out to return to its owner's hand. So, I choose Bubbleman!"
Multiple red rings emanated from the Guard and spread outward. As soon as the rings touched Bubbleman, a beam of red light shot upward and Bubbleman returned to Jaden's hand.
"Now that you are left unguarded, I'll attack you directly!" the Chief pointed to him. "Go, Gravekeeper's Guard! Attack with Blazing Blade Strike!"
The fat man with a spear lifted his three-pronged weapon and flew to Jaden's side, bringing it down hard across Jaden's chest.
Jaden: 3000
Chief: 4000
Jaden yelped and his hand went to his shoulder, "I felt that..." he looked over to Yubel, who was standing behind him with a shocked look on her face. "This is real!" They both came to the same conclusion a second later.
'A Shadow Game!'
Down below, the lids to the coffins began to slowly close, inch by inch.
Pharaoh mewed and Banner shivered, "Hello! No joke it's real!" the Headmaster of Slifer shouted up to his student.
Alexis, Chumley, and Syrus cringed at the closing of the coffins.
"Now, Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, wage your attack!" the Chief ordered his second monster, "Lunging Spear Assault!"
The second Gravekeeper monster let out a battle-cry before jumping to Jaden's side of the field and jabbing the Slifer in the gut with his spear.
Jaden: 1500
Chief: 4000
Jaden again winced after the blow and doubled over.
"Ok... now I get it." he panted, watching the monster return to his master, "This isn't about Life Points, it's about my life!" He stated, confirming his and Yubel's suspicions about the stakes of the game.
The Chief laughed mildly, "Yes," he pointed down at the coffins, which were starting to close up more and more, "And theirs too! You see, for every life point you lose, the coffins start to close!"
'That explains they're part in this...' The Evil Hero duelist thought as he looked down again, worrying every second as the lids started closing again and shutting his friends off from the outside world.
Syrus whimpered as it became darker in his own coffin, "Guys, I'm claustrophobic! For real!"
"Me too," Chumley whined, "If it'll get me outta here!"
"Jaden!" Alexis called from the coffin, growing increasingly more scared each passing second.
"It's my turn now," Jaden drew his new card. "And I play the Spell card, Dark Fusion!" He cried as the familiar dark smoke appeared in front of him, "Elemental Heroes Avian and Burstinatrix combine to create..." he paused, watching his feathered and leotard-clad Heroes merge together. "The Evil Hero Inferno Wing!"
The Chief raised an eyebrow as a large, red and fiendish looking creature with a strange claw descended from the sky. (ATK: 2100/DEF: 1200)
Jaden grinned, "Did my Bubbleman give me two good cards? Well, see for yourself because from both of them, came him," he waved his arm to the Spear Soldier, "And this next attack!"
The Spear Soldier yelled as a ball of fire rained down upon him from the Inferno Wing's claw, burning him to a crisp before exploding. Groaning, the Chief covered his head from the backfire wave as his points went down.
Jaden: 1500
Chief: 3400
"Don't think you're outta the woods yet!" Jaden smirked some more. "Because for every attack point that Spear Soldier had when he was destroyed, get dealt to you as damage, courtesy of my Inferno Wing!"
Once again, the Chief covered himself protectively as a huge ball of fire shot down towards him. He held back a yell as the flames surrounded him.
Jaden: 1500
Chief: 1900
"Next, I'm gonna summon up Blood Hound in defense mode and end my turn," Jaden said as his robotic hound appeared alongside the Inferno Wing. (ATK: 800/DEF: 1500)
"It's ok, Jaden's gonna win this!" Syrus said in a shaky voice, "Way to play, Jay!"
"Alright, make your move," Jaden urged the Chief, "The quicker I win this duel, the quicker I can get my friends back!"
The Chief laughed, "All the quicker for them to be sent to their doom,"
Jaden frowned, "I just know I'll win, that enough for ya? Now c'mon!"
The Chief drew his card and looked at his hand, "First, I'll change my Gravekeeper's Guard from attack mode to defense mode..." he paused as his Guard knelt down onto one knee, "Then I'll place one facedown monster in defense mode as well as a facedown."
"I guess you don't know the first rule about Duel Monsters," Jaden commented as he drew his next card, "A good defense is a sweet offense. And who better to teach you that rule than Stratos!" Jaden's turbine flying hero appeared. (ATK: 1800/DEF: 300) "And his effect let's me bring any Elemental or Evil Hero from deck and add it to my hand!" He checked the deck and found one. "I choose my Elemental Hero Clayman!" After adding to his hand, he looked to his fusion monster. "Inferno Wing, attack with Inferno Blast!"
"I reveal my trap card, Enchanted Javelin!" A trap depicting a weird purple javelin flipped up, the small little object appearing and launching a green beam into The Chief.
"What's going on?" Jaden asked.
"My trap let's me gain life points to your monster's ATK before the attack hits."
Jaden: 1500
Chief: 4000
Inferno Wing's attack connected with Gravekeeper's Guard, roasting the guard in the blue flame emerging from its claws.
Jaden: 1500
Chief: 3800
"And thanks to my monster's ability, you take damage equal to your monster's DEF points."
"You said ATK points before!" The Chief declared.
Jaden smirked. "It all depends on which is higher," he explained as Inferno Wing expanded the blue flames to the Chief.
Jaden: 1500
Chief: 1900
"He cancelled the damage!" Alexis gasped in shock.
Jaden sighed at his failed attempt to defeat the Chief. "Stratos, attack his facedown monster!" Stratos launched a gust of wind that struck the facedown monster, revealing a man dressed in long dark robes with pieces of golden jewellery around his head. He also held a thin blue and yellow staff with a circular tip.
"Foolish boy," the Chief smirked. "You showed my Gravekeeper's Curse, which takes away 500 life points from you!"
Before disappearing, the man's staff glowed yellow and covered Jaden, making him wince in slight agony from the hit.
Jaden: 1000
Chief: 1900
The four coffins closed a little bit more as a result of the drop in life-points. "You gotta do better than that." Jaden said with a shaky breath as he concluded his turn with a facedown, feeling his body grow weaker and weaker each second. He really needed to get his endurance for Shadow Games built up before his big battle.
"Very well then. Perhaps this card will suffice. I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" He picked up two more cards. He held up a spell with the showing a canyon with tall stone walls. "I cast, Necrovalley." Their entire surroundings changed from the restored ruins to reflect the image on the card. Vast stone spires rose from the ground, the two duelists now standing on tall rock columns. A layer of mist blanketed the ground below, apart from the area where Jaden's friends were trapped.
"Uhhh, not good."
"If you don't think that's good, then you'll not like me summoning another Gravekeeper's Curse!" A second copy of the monster Jaden just destroyed appeared. (ATK: 800/DEF: 800) "And now you lose another 500 life points!"
The familiar glow surrounded Jaden as it took away half of his points.
Jaden: 500
Chief: 1900
The four coffins were almost completely shut.
"Jaden!" The four prisoners shouted.
"I play Double Summon to allow me to summon twice!' The Chief then slapped another card onto his disk, "I play Gravekeeper's Assailant in attack mode!"
Jaden watched as a young woman in a long black cloak with a curved dagger appeared on the field. (ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500)
The Chief smirked again, "I believe now is a good time to tell you about the power of the Necrovalley. As long as its activated it will increase the attack and defense points of my Gravekeeper's by 500!"
"What?!" Jaden's eyes widened, "You're kidding!"
Both Gravekeepers felt right at home as their power increased. (ATK: 1500-2000) (ATK: 800-1300)
"Then I play Stop Defense to force your Blood Hound into attack mode!" Jaden's eyes widened when his defending dog took a stand.
"Now, Gravekeeper's Assailant, attack Inferno Wing!" The Chief ordered.
Jaden blinked, "What, you got sand in your eyes? Can't you see Inferno still has more points?" Jaden's eyes quickly widened. "Unless you got some sorta-"
"Special ability?" the Chief cackled, "Yes, the Assailant does, actually. It allows her to change the battle mode of your Inferno Wing from attack to defense!"
The Assailant's eyes glowed white and the Inferno Wing was soon surrounded by a purple aura, forcing her to kneel down, with his arms over his chest.
"Oh man..." Jaden turned from his monster to the Chief, "Man, you really know how to duel, don't you?"
The Chief nodded, "The best is yet to come, boy. Assailant, attack Inferno Wing" he ordered, pointing to the defending Hero.
With a small grunt, the Assailant flew to Jaden's side of the field, her knife growing bigger. She appeared behind the Wingman and backstabbed him. Jaden cried out as his monster exploded before his eyes.
"Now you lose, Gravekeeper's Curse destroy his Blood Hound!"
"No, Jaden!" His friends shouted as Curse moved in to end the duel.
"I reveal my Dark Defense trap card!" A trap showing Lightning Golem being pelted by a bunch of fire blasts flipped up. "By sending an Evil Hero from my deck to the graveyard, I can reduce the damage I take by half!"
The ghost of Dark Warrior appeared and shielded Jaden from some of the blast of the destruction of his Blood Hound.
Jaden: 250
Chief: 1900
Letting his lungs breath, Jaden smirked. "When Blood Hound is destroyed, I get two cards back from the Graveyard: an Evil Hero and a Dark Fusion!"
"You have the wisdom of dirt," the Chief spat at him, "Necrovalley negates that effect!"
"Huh?!"
"Any Spell, Trap, or Monster Effect involving the Graveyard is completely useless! Just as you have proven to be in your effort to save your friends." The Chief laughed out loud, "Don't you see? Both you and your cards are useless here!" He cracked as he placed his last card facedown.
Jaden looked down at his Duel Disk and groaned. Right now, Stratos was his only monster but he was now weaker than his opponent's monster.
"No way, Jaden can still win this!" Syrus protested.
"I hope so," Chumley replied.
"Oh no, it's no use, we're done for!" Banner moaned.
"That's not true!" Alexis shot back at the professor, "Jaden's been in worse predicaments than this!"
"Look at the Life Points and look at the Field!" Banner snapped lightly, "Jaden has one monster out, is down to almost 200 life points, while the Gravekeeper's Chief has two monsters and almost 2000 life points!"
Gravekeeper Chief laughed confidently.
'How did this happen? We set out to find some ruins, and suddenly we're about to become some! This is no joke...if I don't get my game on, we're all gonna be long gone!' Jaden thought. He then looked down. 'And I don't even know how Jason is doing to save Chazz and Asami.' He tried to think about how his brother might be doing.
The screams and cries for help from his friends and teacher rang in Jaden's ears as he stood silently on his side of the field.
"Don't fret about your friends screams," the Chief chuckled, "Soon, they're voices will be muffled as they are buried alive deep beneath the earth."
Down below, his friends watched on for their would-be savior.
"I know you can win this, Jay!" Syrus said hopefully.
"And I know I want outta here!" Chumley moaned.
"Come on, Jaden..." Alexis whispered in support.
Jaden drew his next card. "The first thing I'll do is play my Legacy of a Hero to draw three more cards from my deck!" Jaden picked up his three cards and looked them over. "I'll attack your Gravekeeper's Curse with my Stratos!"
"I reveal my Gravekeeper Shield!" A golden shield appeared in front of Gravekeeper's Curse. "Now my monster is not destroyed!"
"But you still lose life points!"
Jaden: 250
Chief: 1400
"To follow that up, I play Mirage of Nightmare. And I'm gonna throw down two facedowns." He stated as two facedowns and the spell appeared on the field. "I end my turn."
"Very well, my draw."
"And my chance to activate that Mirage spell. During your standby phase, it lets me draw until I have four cards in my hand." He smiled when he saw his cards. "Yes!"
"Judging by your smile, that must mean you've drawn some good cards? Well don't be so sure. You don't know what is good because you don't know what you're up against."
'I don't like the sound of this.
"I play my Spellbook Inside the Pot to let us draw three cards!" Jaden and The Chief drew their cards, giving The Chief three and Jaden seven.
"I now sacrifice Gravekeeper's Curse, to summon myself!"
"Summon yourself!"
The staff wielding monster was enveloped in light, as well as his duelist. When it died down, the Chief was standing on the field. (ATK: 1900/DEF: 1200) "Due to Necrovalley's effect, I gain 500 attack points." (ATK: 1900-2400) "And as long as I'm on the field, my graveyard's not affected by Necrovalley. Meaning I can use spells, traps and monster effects on any monsters laid to rest there. And that's not all. I also get to summon back one Gravekeeper from my graveyard."
"No way!"
"Rise, Gravekeeper Spear Soldier." The spearman rose next to his chief. (ATK: 1500-2000) "Now I'll play, the spell, known as Monster Reborn. This lets me summon yet another monster. And I choose, Gravekeeper's Curse." The named monster returned to the field again. (800-1300) "And since he was summoned, you lose another 500 life points, meaning you lose!"
"I reveal Emergency Previsions! I can now send Mirage of Nightmare to the graveyard to gain 1000 life points!" Jaden's points rose as the Gravekeeper's Curse unleashed the blast, making him squat in pain.
Jaden: 750
Chief: 1400
"Behold, the power of the shadow game."
"Shadow game? I knew it..." Jaden grit his teeth, not knowing that his friends heard him.
"What does he mean by 'He knew it'?" Syrus asked, getting shakes of the head from the other three that were trapped with him.
"Yes. And the game's almost over. For you, your life points and your friends." The coffins' lids got ever closer to being fully closed.
"Come on, Jaden," he tried to motivate himself. "You've gotta step your game up. You've gotta stop screwing around for your friends. They're all counting on you. And I won't let them down. Especially when down means six feet under in an old sarcophagus. No way no how! They're coming home!"
"Yes, their eternal home! Assailant attack!" The woman's dagger changed into a sword and she leapt in the air at Jaden's monster. "And she will easily destroy that Stratos of yours!" Assailant made her way to Stratos.
"Go Hero Barrier!" A barrier of blue wind kicked up as the assailant bounced off the shield.
The Chief glared at the returning Assailant, "You should've attacked faster!" he scolded with a hiss. The Assailant bowed her head and returned to her place on the field.
Jaden scowled at his opponent, "Hey, it's not her fault you messed up, it's your own!"
"Shut your mouth, or better yet Spear Soldier will shut it for you!" Spear Shoulder took that as his incentive to attack. He stabbed Stratos with his spear, causing Jaden to grab his chest in pain.
Jaden: 550
Chief: 1400
Jaden revealed his facedown. "And now I'll reveal my Evil Signal to summon my Defender in defense mode!" The dark hero appeared kneeling with his arms crossed and shield raised. (ATK: 500/DEF: 2500)
Despite Jaden saving himself, The Chief laughed. "You're proving to be even less of a challenge than I thought! Come now, fight back! This is barely fun anymore!"
Jaden glared and growled at him. He had no monsters, no spells or traps, and seven cards in his hand. He needed to do something now on this turn or else he was gonna lose and he and his friends will be buried here.
He drew his card, giving him eight. He smiled. 'I think I just might have a chance.' He thought as he looked over at The Chief. 'Yeah... I can do this...' he felt Yubel behind him, ready to go.
"Make your final turn," the Chief smirked.
"Believe me when I say that I this is over," Jaden spoke confidently as he took two cards from Defender's effect. "First I'm gonna play the Misfortune spell card! In exchange for my battle phase, I can deal damage equal to half of one of your monster's ATK points! And I choose you!"
The Chief was surrounded with a dark aura.
Jaden: 550
Chief: 200
"A good try, but Jaden is still shy 200 points!" Banner declared.
"But if he gave up his Battle Phase, he has to have a plan." Alexis reminded, having absolute fate that Jaden would pull through. They might not be able to see the duel much anymore, but Jaden's tone of confidence made her feel at ease... despite close to being buried alive.
"And now I play Polymerization to fuse my Bubbleman that you sent back at the beginning of the duel, and the Clayman I took from my deck with Stratos a long time!" The two aforementioned heroes appeared before they started mixing together into a larger form of Clayman. "Meet the Elemental Hero Mudballman!" (ATK: 1900/DEF: 3000)
"That's a lot of defense points!" Chumley stated.
"He's been defending for awhile now, Chumley!" Banner reminded. "He needs a monster that can deal a lot of damage!"
"But he can't attack due to Misfortune," Alexis said. "So he must have some other plan."
"I now play Fiends Sanctuary to call forth a Fiend Token!" A small little metal creature appeared. "And now I sacrifice both of my monsters to summon forth my favorite monster, Yubel!" The two creatures disappeared in favor of the feminine fiend. (ATK: 0/DEF: 0)
The Chief smirked. "You traded in two weak creatures for an even weaker monster! Do you really want to lose that badly!?"
Jaden smirked back, surprising The Chief. "Don't judge my friend based on her ATK points. You're in for a real surprise," he promised as he held up his last card he would use. "I place this facedown and since its my end phase, I gotta sacrifice my Defender to keep Yubel on the field." Defender vanished from the field, leaving only Yubel and his facedown.
The two friends shared a knowing look before they each put on a determined look.
The Chief laughed. "Eight cards and it still wasn't enough to help you win," he crackled as he drew his card. "I know about your monster's nasty side effect. If I attack it, I lose the points!"
Jaden and Yubel pretended to look shocked while the others genuinely were.
"Oh man, he was so close!" Syrus called.
"He could've won!" Chumley added.
"We're done!" Banner complained as Pharaoh mewed in agreement.
"Jaden!" Alexis stared wide eyed.
Jaden started cracking up himself before he busted out laughing, confusing everybody present but Yubel.
"What is wrong with you?" The Chief asked.
"Nothing," Jaden answered. "I'm fine. I'll admit that I am a little surprised that you know about Yubel's ability, but it doesn't really matter..."
"Oh... Why is that?" The Chief asked. Jaden pointed down, making the Chief gasp. "Oh no!"
"Oh yes!" Jaden grinned. "I reveal my facedown card Battle Mania! Thanks to this, all of your monsters have to attack this turn, no excuses!"
The Chief let out a horrified gasp as he unwillingly charged up a red energy ball that he threw to Yubel. She smirked as her eyes glowed red and redirected the ball back to the Chief with a smack of her wing.
Jaden smirked. "And don't forget about Yubel's ability, you take the damage... not me." He said as the ball connected with the Chief.
Jaden: 550 (Winner)
Chief: 0
That's game!" Jaden did his two finger salute as Necrovalley sank into nothingness and the surrounding tomb appeared once more.
The Chief groaned in pain as the Assailant and a group of spear-carrying Gravekeeper's ran to the both of them.
"Is he okay?!" Jaden ran around the square perimeter as the Assailant got her leader to his feet.
He was then barred passage from reaching them by the other Gravekeepers. The Chief noticed this and waved his arm, "No! He lives!" he looked at Jaden, "He was a worthy opponent."
Jaden grinned, "Aw thanks! As a duelist I have to admit that your moves were awesome, too! Despite the circumstances of the duel, it was a good one."
"Only one other person has passed this challenge," the Chief took a deep breath, still recovering from the attack, "That is, until now. For overcoming our trials, I bequeath unto you," he reached up and pulled at something from under his shirt, "This mystic medallion." Once he handed the gift, Jaden immediately noticed a problem.
"Some gift," Jaden held up the pendant, "It's only half!"
"But of course!" the Chief lightly scolded, "The only other person who passed the challenge has the other half. Hopefully, when the time comes for you to battle in another Shadow Game, this medallion will serve you well,"
"I'll be sure to remember that," Jaden said as he placed the medallion necklace around his neck.
"I didn't recognize you at first, but after seeing those Evil Heroes of yours, I figured out who you were right away," Jaden stared wide eyed as he got where the Chief was going with this. "Only one person in existence has been told to fight with those creatures... You must be The Supreme King."
Upon hearing that, the followers of the Gravekeeper Chief gasped and started bowing to him, making Jaden stare in shock, confusion, and awe.
Seeing no point in hiding it, Jaden nodded. "Yeah, I am The Supreme King... or at least I was." At the confused looks, he elaborated. "I'm his reincarnation, having been reborn to fight against a powerful evil that's coming soon."
"Well what brought you here?" The Chief asked.
Jaden had to smile sheepishly. "Accidental tare in dimensions," he said, getting small shakes of the head from the Gravekeepers.
The Chief nodded, "Well it was an honor then to duel The Supreme King."
"Thanks... so can you-"
"But that doesn't mean that I will just let your brother and the other two go," The Chief said after seeing what Jaden was about to ask. "Its tradition here that freedom must be won and I can't just break it."
"Fair enough..." Jaden sighed.
He then watched as the Chief waved his arm, then saw the coffins down below them open all the way, his friends free at last.
"We're free!" Syrus yelled happily.
"Ugh, someone turn down the light!" Chumley moaned.
"Not me, I love light, light is my friend!" Banner said joyously as Pharaoh mewled.
"Jaden did it!" Alexis cheered.
On that note, the wrappings around them were unraveled, letting them crawl out.
They all met up with Jaden, Alexis giving him a hug for saving them, Jaden hugging her back with a firm grip. He was currently thinking about Jason and the others, so he missed the observing and confusing looks his friends were giving him.
'Supreme King?' They all thought.
End of Chapter 21 of Supreme King Jaden
Uh-oh... Looks like Syrus, Chumley, Alexis, and Banner know about Jaden's little secret. I bet none of you were expecting it to be revealed like this, or at least part of it.
Jaden's past as The Supreme King will be shed on a lot more in the coming chapters, not just because some of his friends know, but because The Sacred Beasts are coming. There's some foreshadow for ya on his past already.
People have pointed out to me that The Supreme King wasn't really evil in canon and that he just went to extremes to get what he wanted. I know this. I watched the anime all the way through many times. But things are different in this story. The Supreme King was good at one point, but something happened to make him evil in Jaden's past life. I can't say what or when it'll be revealed, but it will be unveiled at some point.
Now Jason has to win Chazz and Asami's freedom. Since I'm talking about Jason, the next chapter is really important for some information regarding him and his character. You'll probably miss it or not get it right away, but it'll be there.
Like I said up top, I'm going on vacation for a week so I don't know if I'll be able to update. I'll try, but don't expect anything.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, the remix to Jaden's duel with The Chief, and the small little cliffhanger. Review to let me know what you liked or didn't like.
Card Stats:
Gravekeeper Shield
Trap Card
When a Gravekeeper monster is selected as an attack target, the targeted monster can't be destroyed in battle for the turn.
Card Image: A golden shield protecting Gravekeeper Chief
Dark Defense
Counter Trap
Send one Evil Hero monster from your deck to the graveyard. Half the battle damage of one attack this turn.
Card Image: Liightning Golem being protected by a green aura
Next Time: Chapter 22