Chapter Thirty-Three
33
The night was calm around the Obelisk Blue Dorm. Though the same couldn't be said for Chazz Princeton, within its walls.
"Got it, Chazz?"
"Yeah..."
"I can't hear you~"
"I said Yes, I understand." he huffed.
"Well, you had better." said Slade,"The Princeton Brothers have a plan, and your brother and I are following through with our ends of it!"
"And you had better be following through with yours, Chazz!" said Jagger,"Just think of it, Little Bro. The world of Politics, Finance, and Duel Monsters! If we can control them all...then we can control the entire world! So be the best!"
"The Future of the Princeton family depends on it!" said Slade,"It Depends on you!"
With that, the monitor of the screen shut off and Chazz sat up, stewing on the couch in his room.
Be the best?
He huffed alone with his thoughts as he stood and walked over to his window and looked out.
How can I be the best...with lucky punks like those guys out there?
Outside in the night Chazz could make out a few silhouettes in the darkness. Jaden and Syrus seemed to be running up ahead. Norika appeared, waving her arm for someone to follow. Seeming to be giving directions to a taller malewho walked over into the dim lighting with what seemed to be an unconscious body in his arms. Bridal style. It looked like Connar. Chazz gasped softly as he tried to get a closer look at her condition.
It looks like her ankle has been wrapped...
he thought to himself.
I wonder what happened?
However no one seemed to be panicking this time unlike before when he last saw a similar scene with Connar in that state. So he assumed this time she must simply just be sleeping.
Wait...what is this?
Chazz blinked.
Bastion is carrying Connar in his arms? And He's heading off to the Slifer Dorm for the night?
"Hmmm..."
Then his Dorm Room will be empty...
Late into the night. Chazz made his way out to the Ra Dorm. All was silent as everyone was asleep. He explored the halls for a moment in search of Bastion's room when he came across a door with furniture piled up outside of it.
What am I doing?
He thought to himself and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
But then...Do I have any other choice...?
XXXXX
Connar yawned and let out a squeak as she stretched , carefully pulling herself out of bed and hopping outside onto the deck to sit and take in the cool air through her hair that had taken multiple washes to be back into it's soft beautiful pink state...and NOT covered in paint. It was early morning. The sky was lighting up, but the sun had not yet risen. Norika snored away inside and she sat hanging her legs through the railings and kicking them back and forth carefully.
I must have crashed on Misawa's floor while they finished the rest of the clean up...
she thought to herself as she stretched.
I woke up with his Ra Yellow Jacket draped over me like a blanket...
She blinked.
Bastion Misawa...he seems pretty nice, doesn't he?
"And pretty handsome too! Did you get a load of his accent~?" a familiar female voice giggled in Connar's ears and she huffed with red puffed cheeks.
Not now, Dark Magican Girl!
"Awww come on~" the female spirit guide would come and go as she pleased. But mostly, it seemed she did so just to partake in a little girl talk from time to time.
I guess even duel spirits get bored, huh?
Connar chuckled.
It gave her a sort of big sister feel whenever Dark magician Girl would drop in for a visit. It was nice.
"Hey, what's that...do you see it?"
"Huh? What's what?" Connar blinked as she asked out softy and took a peak at the direction the aparition was pointing to, and her blue eyes went wide as she noticed what appeared to be a familiar ash haired male decked out in Obelisk Blue running back quickly to his dorm.
"Wait...isn't that Princeton?" she blinked,"I didn't know he got up this early...how odd. I wonder what he's doing?"
He seemed to be coming from the Ra Yellow Dorm... and that scene made Connar feel incredibly uneasy.
No...Princeton?
she thought to herself.
What have you done...?
XXXXX
"Jaden! Jaden wake up!" Dorothy's pounding on Jaden's doork disturbed Connar from an awkward sleep as she seemed to have passed out on the deck by her door earlier that morning.
The student shop owner, Dorothy, was greeted by two shocked Slifer males and a Ra who shared the confusion, as well as a very tired bed head named Norika, two doors down.
"Huh? Connar?" Norika blinked a shse rubbed her eyes, "What are you doing outside...?"
But there was other commotion that held the pinkette's attention.
"What is it ?" Jaden blinked. Curious as to why there was such a commotion, Connar sat herself up and rubbed her eyes.
"Oh, Jaden, it was awful!" said Dorothy,"I was at the docks this morning, unloading some goods near the shore." she stated,"Then I saw them!"
"Saw what?" Connar yawned sleepily.
"Huh? Connie?" Jaden blinked,"Did you...sleep out here?" he asked,"If Norika locked you out of your room, you could have crashed in ours! We would have made room!"
"As if I'd lock her out!" said Norika, "You just want an excuse to sleep with her again~"
"For teh last time, all we did was sleep!" Jaden huffed.
"Yeah...I still question that..." Syrus muttered.
"Thanks for the offer, Jaden." Connar chuckled,"But no, I woke up early this orning and sat out here, I must have fallen asleep again some time after that." she chuckled,"Anyway, , What did you see?"
"Cards!" she exclaimed,"Cards tossed everywhere!"
"Tossed!?" The friends all looked to eachother and took off running to the docks.
"Be careful now, guys!" Dorothy called after them. Once they arrived Jaden got a closer look at the water logged cardboard in the water and noticed a few things.
"That's Ring of Destruction," he said softly,"And Vorse Raider...Bastion...these are all of your cards!"
Misawa's!?
Connar gasped softly and thought to herself.
There's no way Princeton really did this...?
She thought back to the morning scene she witnessed when she saw Chazz running from the Ra Dorm's direction. She didn't want to believe it was true. But the feeling only became more uneasy.
"It's my own fault." said Bastion,"This deck was in the desk that I moved to the hall way yesterday when we were painting..."
"But...who would so something like this?" asked Syrus.
"Someone who doesn't want him to advance, that's who!" Jaden huffed,"I mean...this was your deck, and now it's ruined." suddenly a realization hit Jaden and he gasped,"Aw no! What are you going to do now, Bastion!? Your Promotion exam is in less than an hour!"
"M-Maybe we can explain the situation!" Connar stated.
I can only hope it's not what my gut is telling me it is...
XXXXX
They rushed to the Duel Field field only to be greeted by , who was waiting patiently with the teacher while wearing a complex look of exhaustion and guilt. Connar could feel her heart tighten as all signs seemed to be pointing to the theory that she was trying so hard to deny.
"Ah! Bastion! You made it!" sighed in relief, but his tone soon changed when the followers pulled up behind their Ra Yellow class mate,"Oh, and I see you've brought some friends..."
Chazz's face of complex emotions shifted once he got a glimpse that Connar was among the crowd and he quickly shifted his expression into a smirk.
"...I hope you duel better than the company you keep." he scoffed.
"Hold on..." said Jaden," Chazz is your test opponent?"
Connar twitched as she felt Jaden's tune change.
"I'll bet then that he was the one who tossed your cards, Bastion!"
"Pardon!?" Even seemed surprised to think that Chazz could sink that low.
"N-Now, hold on, Jaden!" Connar said as she stood defensively between the two with her arms out.
Chazz gasped slightly as he looked down at the female student, who would still stand to defend him...even with trembling arms.
Connar...even now still, you would...?
Norika thought to herself. Still finding it hard for her to understand the strange complex relationship between the Obelisk and the Pink haired Slifer-by-choice.
"Why are you defending him, Connar!?" Jaden snapped. She tensed up when he raised his voice, she never did take being yelled at very well, but she still remained standing between them.
"It's...it's not fair to accuse someone...without proof!"
Jaden let out a huff and an irritated grunt.
"He's Chazz! He's always giving everyone around him a hard time, that's all the proof I need!" stated Norika.
"I don't know what he's talking about, !" said Chazz,"I didn't do a thing."
"Is that so!?"
The minagerie let out a startled gasp and looked over at the accusatory female voice as Connar remained in her position with her head down.
"Zane?" Jaden blinked,"Alexis?"
"I saw you, Chazz!" said Alexis,"This morning...by the water...you dumped them in and ran off!"
Connar's body twitched as the final piece fell in place, and her trembling arms fell slowly back to her sides.
"So...that confirms it, then..." she said softly.
Everyone gasped and blinked back at Connar who kept her face hidden from them.
"Confirms, what!?" Chazz snapped.
"...I saw you too, Chazz...this morning..."
What!?
Chazz gasped.
No...she saw that!?
This seemed to make Jaden even more angry.
"If you saw him then why did you bother defending him!?" he snapped.
"I didn't see it!" she snapped back,"All I saw was Chazz running away from somewhere..." she said softly,"I didn't see him actually tossing the cards so...I couldn't accuse him of anything!"
"Oh Connar..." Norika sighed softly, feeling the pain her friend must have been feeling in her attempt to defend him...even now.
A hush fell upon the crew as Connar remained weakly in place, visibly trembling.
Even you...huh Connar?
Chazz huffed to himself and quickly averted his gaze.
Jaden felt complicated. He was angry, but she was hurt, and he didn't know which emotion to act upon so he let out a heavy sigh.
"Listen...Connie..." he said softly," I know you try to see the good in people...but sometimes...it's just not there."
"You don't know anything!" She snipped startling Jaden into backing up a few steps.
"Take it easy, on her Jaden..." Norika said softly,"Try to remember in Connar's situation it's a little more complicated..."
"Complicated HOW!? ...Huh?" Jaden blinked as he noticed a couple drops of water falling to the floor. He looked up to see if there was a cieling leak, only to realize that the droplets that fell, were actually from Connar's tears and he felt shaken inside.
"Connar...come here." Zane motioned her gently to come to him as he opened his arms for her. She kept her face down, reluctantly avoiding his gaze, standing in place. Zane sighed and stepped towards Connar, gently draping his arms over her shoulders and carefully pulling her toward his chest in his embrace. It was warm, and a little awkward, but comforting. Like a big brother whose little sister was in tears and he had no idea what else he could do to console her other than give an awkward sibling hug and softly stroke her long pink hair. It wasn't tight or forced nor was it passionate. It just was.
"Connar..." Syrus sighed as he watched the scene that clearly came awkwardly for his older brother Zane, but he was touched that Zane cared enough to try.
"I've known Connar for years..." Syrus said softly,"But I don't think I have ever seen her cry..."
" She doesn't like for people to see her cry..." Zane said softly," But She'll be all right." he sighed,"She's just not very good at handling being yelled at...which I think has been happening quite a lot for her given recent events." he said nothing more after that.
"...Was that a stab at me, Truesdale?" Norika asked.
But the stoic male remained silent. Which said it all.
Jaden however felt a little bit guilty for having been one of the ones who yelled.
Alexis sighed.
" I normally wouldn't snitch, " she said," But you don't mess with someone's deck!"
"Yeah, no joke!" said Jaden,"That's low Chazz, even for you!"
"Aw come on!" Chazz shrugged,"Who's to say I wasn't throwing out my own cards?" he blinked,"I guess Bastion and I just have similar decks, that's all!"
"Liar!" Jaden huffed.
"No one calls me a liar..." Chazz growled," And No one calls me a thief!"
Connar twitched as Chazz made this his defending statement, mainly because it was only a reminder that he had lied to her, and everything she envisioned him as through the passing time was crumbling away piece by piece. She gripped tightly to the back of Zane's blazer, keeping her face pressed against his chest, refusing to even acknowledge Chazz with even a glance. Feeling this, Zane shot a glare at the the other Obelisk male and tightened his hold on Connar a little more pressing her against him slightly.
Chazz took the sting hard when the pinkette wouldn't even give him a glance and he averted his own gaze as well. Remaining stubborn in his defense.
"Fine, then you're not!" Bastion huffed,"Let's just have our duel, shall we?"
"But how?" Jaden blinked.
"A good duelist always has a spare deck." said Bastion,"Or a few of them...remember you saw all my different formulas?" he asked as he began unfastening his blazer,"Well they were all for my different dueling decks!" Everyone jumped back with a start as the Ra student ripped open his blazer and flashed the crowd with 6 pack. 6 different deck holsters attached to his chest.
"And each one of them is as powerful as the next!"
"Hmph, yeah!? Well you can go ahead and have your 6 decks...because all I need is one!" said Chazz as he held his own deck forward, "Now let's start!"
"And here I thought you would never ask~ Chazz!" Bastion chuckled as he took his step onto the duel field. He swiped out one of his decks and slid it in, activating his duel desk system,"You're finished!"
"Bring it on!" Chazz huffed.
"DUEL!"
To be Continued