Another Snow Day at College allowed me to finish up this opening to the Shadow Riders! It's time to rock baby!
And for the guys you submitted their OCs for this arc, thanks for the patience to get here!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-OH! GX or the rest of the franchise. I own Claudio, YugiNAtem117 owns Melody, AzureKite4 owns Kenji and Jethro is owned by Rocket Knight 777.
Chapter 32: Call of Duty! Protect the Sacred Beasts!
Somewhere, in a dark cave at night, a group of shadow figures gathered around as a strange man's voice was heard...
"Our enemies have been tested... our allies are in place... the hour is upon us!" The voice said, delightfully. "It's time to cover the world in shadow! Which among you will lead us to battle?"
"I'll go master!" Another voice claimed, younger and arrogant.
"So will I..." The next voice spoke, sounded monotonous and inhuman.
"And I shall go as well!" The last voice declared, was feminine and haughty.
The voice, presumably the leader, called them out by name...
"Nightshroud..." This figure was a brown-haired man, covered by a black dragon mask. He was dressed in black coat, shirt and pants.
"Twilight..." The next one had a dome over its head, hard to tell if this person was male or female. The rest of him was covered in otherworldly, grey armor.
"Brightveil..." The last was indeed female dressed in a white cloak with the hood over her head. "So be it..."
"We, the Slayer group, will not fail!" Nightshroud boasted as he slipped on an academy duel disk.
"No mere duelist shall defeat us!" Twilight spoke as his dome helmet shined, as he too slipped on an academy-issued duel disk.
"And the island's prize shall be ours!" Brightveil grinned as she slipped on her academy-issued duel disk.
As they left the secluded cave, another figure stepped in and watched them leave.
"Gemini..." The voice spoke to the newcomer. This figure wore a black jacket and wore a shirt that had a grey color. "Should they fail... you know what to do..."
Gemini grinned. "And I'll take pleasure in doing that, when the time comes!"
Thunder boomed and lightning flashed late one night as Chancellor Sheppard stood alone in his office, his lights turned off. He stood at the window, watching the rain roll down the glass as the sky was illuminated by the lightning. Something had been troubling him lately, something very important. It was something that would change the lives of many that were on the island.
Another flash of lightning came, but this time, Sheppard saw something. He waited until the lightning flash again, and then saw three dark objects flying across the sky, through the storm clouds.
He frowned, placing his hands behind his back, eyes never leaving the sight, "And so, it begins. The fight...the War..."
As Sheppard stayed in his office, the dark forms flew through the air until coming to a complete stop on the mountainside, just below the rim of the volcano that stood on Duel Academy Island.
Three separate figures stepped off of their hang-gliders, the objects from the sky, and stepped a bit away as the both were enveloped in flames. It turned out to be Nightshroud, Twilight and Brightveil.
The taller one gazed out from behind his dragon mask and chuckled darkly. A bright glowing made him gather his hands and in a golden flash, a half helmet started glowing. Brightveil looked down at the half-medallion around her neck also started glowing a golden aura. Twilight raised his arm to see the bracelet on right arm glow like the others. They all looked at each other, knowing the other half was on the island as they looked out across the island, feeling the wind blow pass them.
Meanwhile at the Slifer dorm, oblivious to the storm, Jaden was fast asleep, snoring the night away. Chumley and Syrus lay curled up underneath their own blankets as the storm raged own, the both of them frightened by the intensity of it.
"I don't get it, Chumley," Syrus looked underneath his bunk to see Jaden roll over onto his side, "How can Jaden sleep through this?"
"Forget the guy who can sleep, think about the guy who can't sleep!" Chumley snapped at his friend, climbing down onto his bunk, "Hold me!"
None of them, not even Jaden, noticed a glow coming from the medallion that the Gravekeeper Chief had given to him.
At the Ra Yellow dorm, Claudio woke up due to the loud booming of thunder and the flashes of lightning.
"Man..." He groaned. "Can a guy get some sleep around without a storm keeping you up!?"
He then noticed the half armlet glowing on his desk and walked over to it.
"Is... the other half here?" Claudio asked himself.
Also as the Obelisk Blue Dorm, Kenji also was awake, but he was still lying in bed, and watched his half-helmet glow.
"So... it's here..." He said, like he could feel it approach it. "Maybe I can also find that person in the black dragon mask..."
The next day, things went about their normal routine. Banner's class on Alchemy, while it did provide some insight on fusion monsters, was becoming a lot more easier just to duel and figure things out.
Kenji however was mulling over the past events. 'First that dream, the dimensional travels and now my helmet's glowing?' He thought. 'This is getting a lot darker down the line...'
"Something wrong, Kenji?" Alexis asked from the next row down.
"Oh, uh, nothing really..."
"Well, you look like you've been up all night." Mindy noted, as the ninja duelist looked a little drowsy.
"You sure you're alright?" Jasmine asked.
"Yeah, don't worry too much." Kenji said, giving an assuring smile to the girls.
While Jasmine and Mindy turned back to Banner's lecture, Alexis wasn't convinced as much.
Claudio was in the same boat as Kenji, but he was telling Melody all about it...
"Your armlet started glowing?" Melody asked him.
"Yeah, during that storm last night it lit up brightly." Claudio replied. "I'm surprised I got to sleep after that."
"At least it's been great so far." The magician duelist noted.
"That's true..."
The bell rung for the end of class, and it also signaled Jaden's wake up time. He had a paper mask to show he was 'awake' during lecture. He lifted his head from his desk and pulled up the face mask he had made sometime before, yawning.
"Alright!" Jaden stretched, "Time to get up."
Syrus looked away from his PDA, "For the next class?"
"Nope," Jaden grinned as he pulled out and opened up his lunchbox, "Time to get up for lunch!" He turned to his lunch, "Oh yeah, the one subject I can't get enough of!"
"Aren't you a little early for that?" Jethro asked. "It's ten in the morn..."
"Just a moment there Jaden," Banner called out to his student just as Jaden stuffed his mouth with a piece of fried food, "I'm afraid your lunch will have to wait. It seems Chancellor Sheppard wants to have a word with you."
Jaden bit into his food, "Hm?"
"Uh oh..." Jethro covered his eyes with his hat.
Chumley leaned forward behind Jaden.
"Hey, I'll be glad to watch your lunch for ya," He offered, "Especially if it has a side of grilled cheese in there."
Jaden laughed slightly, looking at his friend, "You wish!"
"Chancellor Sheppard?" Syrus murmured worriedly, looking at his best friend, "Jaden, what did you do?"
Shrugging, Jaden swallowed his bite as his mask fell over his eyes, "I dunno. Maybe it's good news, like an award or something."
"Yeah right!"
The small group turned to see Chazz rising from his seat. Chazz never did get the Slifer blazer, and now always wore that black coat he came back with for some reason.
Chazz smirked, "its never good news when you go to Sheppard's office!" he pointed at Jaden and laughed, "You are so busted!"
"Actually, Chazz, he wants to see you too."
"Say what!?" Chazz snapped his head to Banner, eyes wide.
Banner nodded, "You heard me. He also wants to see some others," he scanned the different sections of his classroom, "Jethro, Bastion, Claudio, Melody, Kenji and Alexis."
Jaden frowned as his friends stood up in their place at the mention of their names, "This doesn't sound good,"
Kenji nodded, hearing his friend, Something's up...
"We're not gonna make a run for it, Professor Banner, you don't have to escort us to Chancellor Sheppard's office!"
Banner nodded as he led the eight down the hallway, "Yes, I do. It seems that Chancellor Sheppard wants to have a word with me as well."
The small group reached Sheppard's door just as two others arrived at the same time. It was Zane and Doctor Crowler.
"Well, well," Crowler smiled at the group, "Look at this convocation of students. Some of the best students in the school, I see,"
His smile widened slightly as he took notice of Jaden and Jethro. He leaned to the side to make eye contact, "Uh oh. Some of these things are nothing like the other," he said in a small sing-songy voice, "Looks like some people are a little bit lost."
"No he's not," Jaden smiled and glanced to the person at his right, "Chazz was invited here."
"He means you!" the former Obelisk snapped.
"Actually, you stand out not wearing an Academy Jacket..." Jethro added. "So... it has to be you..."
"Can it, Lone Ranger!" Chazz snapped at the cowboy duelist.
The group of eleven entered the office of the headmaster and stood there for what seemed like hours as the balding man explained to him why they were there.
"The three sacred what cards?" Jaden asked when he got the opportunity between sentences.
"Beasts," Sheppard turned away from the window and looked at him, "and due to their colossal power, their intense might, they were hidden here,"
"Sweet..." Jaden looked up at the ceiling in thought, "Like in someone's mattress or in a cookie jar?"
Chazz glared at him, "Let him finish!" he hissed.
"They're not in a cookie jar," Sheppard continued, "They're actually much closer than you'd ever think," he pointed down, "Right below you..."
The group of eleven murmured and looked at their feet.
"You see, Duel Academy was built in part to protect the Demon cards. They were buried deep underground, their power sealed safely away. After all, legend has it that if these cards ever see the light of day..." Sheppard put his hands behind his back and his face became more solemn, "Terrible things will happen. Buildings will crumble, light will fade, souls will fall. Our world will be no more!"
Alexis and Melody gulped at what their headmaster had just said.
Bastion's eyes were as wide as plates, "No more...?"
Chazz's brow furrowed, a scowl on his face.
"Aw man..." Claudio whispered.
Kenji shook his head.
"Whoa..." Jethro muttered.
"So where are these cards?" Jaden asked, seemingly un-phased by the news, "I say we take 'em out for a spin!"
"HAVEN'T YOU BEEN LISTENING?!" Crowler screamed at the Slifer, "HE JUST SAID THEY CAN'T SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY!"
Sheppard gestured for him to quiet down, "This is why I've gathered you here today. You eleven are to protect the Sacred cards from the wicked ones,"
Zane frowned and raised an eyebrow, "Wicked ones?"
"That's right," Sheppard nodded, "A band of duelists known as Shadow Riders who covet these cards," he glanced over his shoulder, out the window, "I'm afraid three of them are already here. They arrived in the thick of last night's storm."
"Naturally," Bastion murmured, "The villian's most used cliché."
"And this isn't make-believe..." Claudio muttered.
"Ok..." Alexis took a deep breath, "So how do we protect these cards?"
Sheppard brought out two small black boxes, "By protecting the Spirit Gates. To get to the cards, one must unlock them, and to unlock them, one must gain the eleven keys that are needed for each gate. That is how we will protect these cards, by protecting the keys and the plates... and here they are."
Everyone watched as Sheppard opened the boxes. Inside, within the lined interior, were eleven golden oddly shaped keys.
"One for each of you to guard."
Bastion looked at them, "Wait. If we hold the keys, won't that make us targets for these Shadow Riders?"
Sheppard nodded, "It's true. With these keys, the Shadow Riders will seek you out."
"Uh, seek us out?" Chazz blinked, "You mean take us out!"
"Only in a duel," Sheppard went on, "Fortunately for our side, the keys can't be simply stolen. An ancient edict commands that the keys to be won in a duel. So, I've called upon our schools eleven best to take up this challenge and fight the good fight!" he cleared his throat as he looked at them all, mainly Crowler and Banner, "Well, nine best, but I needed eleven so...you know."
Crowler leaned into Jaden's view, "He certainly doesn't mean me!" He hissed.
"Of course, if any of you think that you aren't up to it, and feel like backing out, I won't blame you. After all, these Shadow Riders play for keeps. So..." Sheppard pushed the box and the keys outward to the group, "Who feels like saving the world?"
Bastion looked at Alexis.
Alexis looked at Chazz.
Melody and Claudio looked at each other.
Kenji and Zane did the same.
Jethro was pondering about it.
Jaden grinned and snatched a straight key that also had a string around it, "Count me in!" he laughed as he placed it around his neck, "How about that, it's just my size!"
Hearing him, Zane couldn't help but smile. He reached and grabbed a key, "I too, accept."
"Can't wait to save the world..." Claudio picked up his key.
"Not without me..." Kenji picked up the fourth.
Bastion nodded and reached for another, "It'd be my honor."
Chazz just grunted as he snatched his respective key.
"I don't want you boys having all the fun," Alexis said jokingly as she took a key.
"I hear you!" Melody grabbed a key.
"Those Shadow Riders will be ridin' on out of here!" Jethro picked up his key.
"How can I refuse? After all," Crowler wagged a finger, smiling, "Our very world is at stake! Our way of life, the future of our school," he took the second-to-last key, "and if I said no, I wouldn't have this very posh piece of jewelry!"
Sheppard grumbled, "Well, I'm glad you're doing it for all the right reasons..." he muttered to Crowler.
"Well then, I'm the last one it seems," Banner walked over and claimed the final key for his own. He held it up, looking at it as Pharaoh mewled and pawed at it.
Jaden looked at his fellow key protectors, and then clapped his hands, "Well, let's get started. The best duelist should go first so that would mean... me!" he said with a stupid grin.
"You?!" Crowler screeched in his ear, making the Slifer fall over, "You couldn't beat a drum!" He then turned to Sheppard, "Obviously, I should go first! If not, I say Zane," he waved to his favorite pupil, "After all, he did beat Jaden."
Jaden picked himself up, only to meet Crowler's sneering face half-way up.
"Oh here we go..." Claudio grumbled.
"That's right," the Obelisk Blue professor whispered, "I know all about that little match you had with Zane, and I mean little because I heard you lost in no time at all! How pathetic,"
"Look who's talking..." The Jukebox Hero duelist smirked.
Chazz scoffed, "Forget the both of 'em, I'm clearly the best choice!"
"There is no choice," Sheppard said, finally stepping in the argument, "This isn't some tournament where you get to choose who goes first, this is war! You could be attacked by your enemy at anytime and anyplace. My students and colleagues; be on your guard..."
Later that night, Jaden along with Jethro, were in Jaden's dorm room telling the others what his newly appointed duty was and what it was all about.
"...so that's about it," he finished, running his finger along his key, "Now, I just wait."
"Not much else, since we're the ones being hunted." Jethro added. "But at least we won't make it easy on them!"
Syrus stared at him, still not believing what he had heard, "Aren't you two scared?!" he squeaked.
"No joke," Chumley nodded, "Creepy Shadow guys lookin' to beat you so they can destroy the entire world..." He sat back in his desk chair, "I mean, that's pretty intense!"
Jaden nodded, "Yeah. It's not only intense, but it's also exhausting..." he let out a long yawn, "So I'm gonna hit the hay,"
"WHAT!?" Chumley and Syrus cried in unison.
"You can't go to sleep right now, what if a Shadow Rider shows up!?" Syrus pointed out.
"You'd be a sitting duck!" Chumley added.
"They're right, with three of them here, we gotta be on guard!" Jethro said. "They could just strong arm us without getting ready!"
Jaden shrugged and put his arms behind his head, "I'm sure they'll wake me up to duel for the key. I only hope it's not before ten," he took a breath and exhaled calmly, "Actually, make that eleven. You know, time for a shower and stuff,"
Syrus put his head on the back of his seat, "Wow, Jay. You sure are chill about this."
"Hey, no wait..." Jaden sat up, "Better make it twelve. I'd probably need to eat breakfast too,"
The cowboy sighed. "Well, I'll be in the dorm room, getting my deck ready." Jethro then walked out of the dorm room. "'Night boys..."
Syrus sweatdropped, then turned to Jaden, "With the fate if the world at stake, Jay, maybe you could skip breakfast?"
"Yeah," Chumley nodded, eyes glazed over, "I'll look after it for ya..."
Jaden grinned, "Yeah...sure, Chum. Well, now that that's settled," he turned around and climbed onto his bunk, "I'm gonna settle myself between the sheets. I'll see you guys tomorrow..." he let out another yawn and rolled over onto his side, "...when I save the world."
Chumley watched Jaden snore, and then turned to Syrus, "Well, at least he'll be well rested," he pointed out.
At the Ra Yellow dorm, Claudio and Melody visited Bastion's room, staring at the keys they held.
"Three of them are here already... the Chancellor said..." Bastion mused.
"Which means, they can hit three people at the same time..." Claudio noted.
"Scary once you think about it's not a duel for fun, but for the world..." Melody said. "At least we're not going down so easily."
"I heard that..." The Jukebox Hero duelist grinned. "We're not the stepping stone, that's for sure!"
"Here, here!" Bastion nodded. "And, I have different types of decks, all with different strategies to defeat my opponents."
"In other words, we're all set for the war!" Melody pumped her fist up.
"Let's get to our rooms before curfew then," Claudio told them. "It may suck, but that's still keeping us in for the night."
"That's fine..." The magician duelist yawned. "But the second any Shadow Rider comes, let me know..."
"Gotcha, night Bastion." Claudio said as he and Melody left for their rooms.
"Let's hope it stays a good night..." The intellectual duelist muttered.
At the girls' dorm, Alexis was telling Mindy and Jasmine, who were in their pajamas, about her duty to protect the keys.
"...And that's the story of how I need to be on the lookout for those Shadow Riders." Alexis finished telling her story.
"Whoa, that's like, so cool!" Mindy gushed. "Finally, a chance to show off why you're the Queen of the Obelisks!"
"Don't forget this is a lot dangerous, than it is Mindy..." Jasmine said, trying to be sensible about the ordeal.
"Jaz is right, Mindy." Alexis noted. "If I lose this duel, I could end up losing more than just this key. And the others are in much danger as I am."
"So Zane and Kenji are in the same boat as well?" Mindy asked. Alexis nodded.
"Don't worry; they're tough." Jasmine reassured her roommate. "Besides, Zane's never been defeated so any of those Shadow Riders goes after him are asking to get kicked off the island!"
"And Kenji's pretty powerful in his own right." Alexis added. "So don't worry about either one of them."
"But you know something..." Mindy wondered. "Where are those two? I never saw them go back to their dorms..."
The Obelisk Queen gasped. "I supposed to meet up with them!" She quickly grabbed her Spirit Gate Key and ran out the door.
"You know, Alexis gets all the cute guys to hang out with her." Mindy pouted.
"Well, Zane's mostly a friend to her and I haven't seen any sparks..." Jasmine noted. "But she and Kenji mainly hit it off despite how he freaked her out on opening day."
"Oh, this is so romantic!" The black haired Obelisk gushed again. "It's just like a story I once read..."
Jasmine groaned. "I really need to take those romance storybooks away from you."
If they were more insightful, they would've seen a pair of glowing red eyes piercing the shadows, staring inside the room.
Meanwhile, Kenji left the Obelisk dorm with his disk and bag, containing his half helmet, and headed for the lighthouse.
"Almost time to meet..." Kenji said to himself and picked up his deck. 'These Shadow Riders won't know what hit them after this..."
"Kenji!"
The ninja duelist saw Alexis run up to him.
"Alexis? Thought I'd see you at the lighthouse already..." He said.
"I was running late, talking with the girls." She told him. "We should get to the lighthouse."
"Sure..."
'Poyo!'
Kaabii's spirit appeared in front of Kenji, frantically waving his tiny arms around.
'What's the matter, Kaabii?' Kenji thought.
Kaabii pointed his kunai at the Obelisk Girls' Dorm. 'Poyooo!'
Once Kenji turned around, he saw a bright light flashing on and off in a certain room.
"Alexis, look!"
Alexis turned around to see the light flashing and gasped. "That's my room! Mindy and Jasmine could be in trouble!"
"Let's get over there!"
Both Obelisks headed over to the Girls' Dorm and immediately ran to Alexis' Room and kicked the door open.
"Girls!" They yelled, but they saw no one there.
"This is bad..." Kenji muttered.
Suddenly, a glow came from his bag and the helmet popped out and into Kenji's hands.
"What the---"
A cold, evil laugh filled the air as the light began to get brighter and brighter.
"What's happening?!" Alexis cried.
The laugh came again.
"What's happening?" a cold voice asked them, "The first duel is happening!"
The light finally began to die down and the Obelisks found themselves in a large area, standing on top of a big, glowing circle.
"Where are we?" Alexis asked, looking around them. They were surrounded by a huge, circular rock wall and the air was filled with very hot air.
Kenji looked around as well, especially over the edge and his eyes widened to see a pit of bubbling lava beneath them, "I'd say a very weird dream..."
Both he and Alexis cried out as a huge serpent, which was made of lava, circled the area.
"Make that a nightmare," Alexis whispered.
"It's neither..." a cold voice said as the lava-serpent crashed into the glowing circle, leaving a huge flame in its place.
The two of them watched a figure walked out of the flames, laughing evilly.
"What's going on!?" Kenji demanded, climbing to his feet.
"You mean you don't know?" the figure asked as the flame died down. The owner of the voice was a tall young man in all black. A heavy trenchcoat was on his shoulders, a strange mask that resembled a dragon's face was on his own, dark brown hair peeking over it. Not to mention a duel disk on his arm.
Kenji glared at the new guy, for a minute. "Guess I'm a slow learner..." He said sarcastically.
The young man smiled as the light from the lava bounced off a ruby-like gem on his mask, "And you can call me Nightshroud."
"Nightshroud?"
"Yes. I'll be the one taking that key you have around your neck," Nightshroud said, pointing to the golden object Kenji wore.
The ninja duelist then gasped as the mask was similar to what he saw in his dreams, a few nights back.
'That mask!' He thought. Then he suddenly looked at Nightshroud closer. 'What...' He turned to Alexis and back to Nightshroud.
"Something wrong, Kenji..."
"No..." He said, though he was not sure at the moment. 'At least I don't think so...'
Nightshroud held up a glowing object from behind him. Kenji saw that that the object was identical to his helmet that he was holding...
"Nice helmet," Nightshroud commented, "The Gravekeeper must be getting sloppy. But if you think you'll beat me as easy as you beat him, you have another thing coming! I'll get that key and I'll get it now," he swore, "and to make sure of it, I've brought friends."
"What does that mean?" Alexis demanded as a couple more lava serpents appeared around them, dancing amongst the molten liquid beneath their feet.
Nightshroud chuckled and waved his arm to the side, "Here. Say hello to Jasmine and Mindy!"
Both Obelisks gasped and looked around the place.
"Alexis! Kenji!"
Both of them turned to see a glowing orb sitting on a flat slab of rock, surrounded by three claw-like formations. Inside were their friends, still in their pajamas.
"Oh no!" Kenji shouted.
Alexis cupped her hands over her mouth, "Just hold on, we'll get you out of there!"
"It looks like they're in hot water...or maybe I should say hot molten lava!" Nightshroud cackled, "But then, such is the nature of a Shadow Game, Key-Keeper."
"Shadow Game!?" Alexis gasped.
Kenji stepped up, "Listen, just duel me, and let them go!"
Nightshroud shook his head, "I don't think so. I need them to ensure a speedy match. That barrier around them is...well let's just say it wasn't built to last," he held up a card, "I'm afraid there's more...you see, the other thing at stake in this duel is your soul, Key-Keeper. Your soul will be sealed away in this card when you lose,"
The card had a black aura swirling around it.
"Of course, if I lose, my soul gets trapped in there. But c'mon, let's be honest with ourselves," Nightshroud grinned wickedly, "Me lose? No way! Now then, shall we?"
Alexis grabbed Kenji's arm, "You can't do this, Kenji!"
"But we have to, if we're gonna save the girls." The duelist said, glaring back at the Shadow Rider. Kenji's disk whirred to life, "You wanna duel, you got one!"
"Good luck, Kenji!" Jasmine yelled from the orb.
"Please end this as quickly as you can!" Mindy added.
"Alright, let's battle!" Kenji shouted, placing his deck into his disk.
Nightshroud's disk activated and the Shadow Rider followed suit.
"Let the Shadow Game begin!"
Sorry this had to be a cliff hanger, but I think the duel would be better suited in a separate chapter, making this like an intro to the Shadow Rider Arc. The duel will be up later today!
Next Time: Kenji faces off against Nightshroud and his dragons to free Alexis' roommates and friends. But it won't be just any ordinary dragon, it's a rival of Blue-Eyes!
Read and Review! Later!