Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Call of Soul

by TheLandMaster

Turns out that when you have too much fun with dueling, you attract the attention of some weirds things. And these weird things end up putting you into some very "special" games. But hey, a duelist's gotta do what a duelist's gotta do! So let's do this! Game set, Duel ready! - Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Self-Insert fic, altered canon!

4. Chapter 3

Have I said how much I envy Kaiba for having infinite money? Because I do. I really, really do.

Example one being the fact I, and incidentally every other entrant of the academy, were now travelling first-fucking-class on a plane that was one golden toilet from being an ostentatious chariot for the rich. Sure, there were no flight attendant offering caviar or related, but the seats were silky smooth, the plane had some top-notch AC, and of course there was the company!

… Okay so, I lost Jaden and Syrus in the crowd while boarding… But at least I found some temporary company.

"C'mon Lorenzo, put your back into it!"

"Speak for yourself, partner, you're the one who can't hit anything!"

"Less talk and more shooting, gabagool!"

"IT'S BADA-BING, YOU MOUTHBREATHER!"

I don't know how I hadn't taken a shoe to the head yet, with all the shouting and yelling going on in the back of the passenger plane Duel Academy had oh-so-helpfully provided for our travel to school.

Said shouting being the product of me having just met the one kid who loved video games more than anyone else in the entire student body: Lorenzo Giralta. You know, the Gradius dude from the Society of Light. Turns out he joined the same year as everyone else, and with some pretty good grades too! Figures that someone the Society went after would be a competent Duelist when he's not faced with Protagonism Power. And wouldn't you know, Lorenzo turned out to carry a pair of PSPs with him whenever he went, apparently just in case someone wanted to join in.

So here we were, playing Gradius III and doing our damned best to get through the Boss Rush as fast as possible for that sweet, sweet record.

Unfortunately, I was not a good side-scroller shooter player. Hence, our current predicament.

"Mama mia, where did you learn to play this?!" asked the young man in exasperation as he carefully bobbed and weaved around the absolute shitstorm of bullets and missiles fired by the boss.

"In the seat of a plane while going to school!" was my admittedly heated response, but then against I had the stress of trying to maneuver a tiny-ass fighter in the middle of a shitstorm of—

BANG!

GAME OVER. MISSION FAIL.

"GOD-!... Fffffffffffucking dammit…"

"Heheh, no way we're beating this with how poor you play, fuggedaboutit."

"Hey, watch it Lorenzo," I called out with a raised finger, even if I couldn't keep the smirk off my face. "I could still trounce the shit out of you on Dueling, and we're gonna be studying together. So careful with the jabs there, paisano." And of course, the game afficionado gave a chuckle of his own as he stuffed his PSPs back into his coat.

"Oh sure, if you remember to duel while doing all that bad acting."

"Excuse you, my acting is amazing and you all know it."

"Yeah sure, keep telling yourself that, friend…"

Attention all students. Please return to your seats, fasten your seatbelts, and prepare for landing procedures. This flight will arrive on Duel Academy in moments.

Any further barbing was cut short by the announcement of the flight attendant over the intercom, which resulted in a storm of people that I only now realized had been standing all over the corridor rushed to sit down again. With a nod and a quick salute to Lorenzo, I did much the same and ran to my own seat, quickly clicking the seatbelt closed before quite literally slamming my face against the glass.

And there it was.

I know how cliché it is when someone says they were "awe-struck" by seeing something grandiose, like a landmark or piece of art. It encompasses a gamut of feelings quickly and easily, letting someone easily explain themselves.

And yet… It was the only way I could describe Duel Academy. The building itself was gargantuan, on a scale befitting of a cathedral or temple. The massive tower topped by a white dome, surrounded by the smaller towers that each bore a dome with the color of the dorms, all surrounded by the seven dull-yellow spires that I knew were far more than simple décor, but that for any less-knowing passerby could be just another monument. Off in the distance I could see the dorms for Obelisk Blue, while closer to the coast were the Ra Yellow and Slifer Red buildings… Huh, and the red dorm didn't look as shitty as it did in the anime… Or as small. The latter also applied to the Yellow dorm, it seemed far bigger than what I remember it being. Then again, I also thought this place was gonna be a high school, and it turned out to be a college… So God knows what else I'd be hit with.

But those were worries for Future Me. Right now, Present Me was too busy geeking out silently in my seat as the plane began descending towards the island and a tarmac that, again, I was sure did not exist in the anime. Not a few minutes later, our plane touched down and smoothly made its way down the strip, coming to a rest a little before the end of the track.

All students, Duel Academy welcomes you to the campus. Please leave the plane in a calm and orderly fashion, remember to pick up all your belongings brought aboard the aircraft, and enjoy your stay!

As calmly as I could (and by that I mean, not leaping off the seat like it was on fire), I got up and took the backpack and rucksack I had filled with the miscellanea, school supplies and clothes that I had purchased and managed to feasibly carry in-hand. The rest of my stuff had been packed on actual luggage and was going to arrive tomorrow, on a separate private plane, probably so we could have time to acclimate to our new five-year life and set up our dorms.

Still… Man, Kaiba sure likes to flaunt his money.

As the mass of boys and girls funneled towards the exit door, I did my best to stretch my neck over the heads of everyone and try to find Jaden or Syrus, hell maybe Bastion or any other freshmen… But no dice, to me they were lost amidst the mass of young men and women that clogged the plane's insides. And that mass made the process of letting people file out painfully slow, to the point I actually started tapping my foot like a jackhammer on the ground, until finally the line began moving further towards the front and I began getting closer and closer to the exit, until finally I crossed the oval archway and found myself blinded by the intense sunlight, with the warm, humid air of the island against my face… And the pounding of my heart against my chest.

Finally… The real deal was about to start!

"Duel Academy, here I come!"

-O-

"Oh hey, there he is! Hey Drake, over here!"

Jaden waved his arms high and wide once he caught sight of his very loud acquaintance, his own voice carrying over the crowd that had stopped to look at the young man standing at the top of the stairs off the plane, who only now had realized had really shouted that aloud and both surprisingly but predictably shrunk slightly in embarrassment before he caught sight of the waving arms directed at him. With his smile returned, Drake ran down the stairs and rushed towards Jaden, who quickly offered his hand for a shake. "Hey hey, look who made it! Glad to see you here, Jaden!"

"Oh, come on, like there was ever any doubt of it," replied the brunet boy with a grin of his own. "I saw your duel against the teach! No way they could say no for you!"

"Though of course, your acting skills could use some polishing," called out a cool and collected voice off to the side of them. And indeed, approaching with his arms crossed and an amused smile in his face was Bastion Misawa, flanked by, surprisingly enough, Syrus Truesdale. "At least you can duel better than you can make speeches."

As expected, however, all the young man did was laugh and wave his hand from side-to-side. "Oh come on, that was just a spur of the moment thing. You really think I'd go that far with every Duel?"

"Frankly? Yes, very much so."

"Harsh… But fair." Drake then took a step forward and offered his hand to the newcomer, making sure to keep his eyes locked forward with Bastion's. "But where are my manners? Drake Atlas, a pleasure to meet you."

"Bastion Misawa. The pleasure's all mine."

"Hey there, Syrus. See, I told you you'd make it!" said Atlas as he turned to the shorter boy next to them, who shrunk away briefly at the attention given before giving the young man a nervous smile.

"You… Didn't actually say that, Drake," replied Syrus. To his budding amusement, Drake merely kept staring at him for a moment, blinking slowly, before giving a thoughtful nod.

"Huh… You're right, I didn't…" muttered the young man, and for the third time in the day his smile quickly returned full force after a brief absence. "Well, I'm saying it now! So here we all are! We all made it, so now we just gotta keep giving our best!"

"You said it, buddy!" added Jaden as the two high-fived each other, leaving Bastion and Syrus to watch in bemusement. A moment later, however, Jaden began looking around them at the gathered crowd, even craning his neck a bit over everyone's heads. "Oh, right, wonder where that other blue haired kid went?"

That drew the confused stare back into Drake's face, who turned to look at Jaden curiously. "Blue haired kid? You guys met someone else?"

"Indeed, he was another entrant to the school, and as confident as you are," replied Bastion with one hand cupping his chin in thought. "… If I recall correctly, his name was—"

"Attention all students!"

It was then that a very commanding voice called out further away from the group, and achieving the impressive feat of having all heads turn as one towards its source: a group of six adults, all wearing very military-esque green uniforms, complete with berets and black cloaks draped around their shoulders, standing in front of three parked buses. And leading the group was a young woman with black shoulder-length hair and a golden badge on her chest. The woman took a step forward and let her eyes drift over the crowd, before giving an approving nod. "Welcome, new students, to the next five years of your education. I am Chairman Narita, chief of security of this school," she spoke in an authoritative tone. "We are here to escort you all to campus for your welcoming ceremony. Please form proper lines and board the buses in an orderly fashion. Am I clear?" And when the response was a few confused and mumbled replies from the students, the woman stomped her boot onto the ground and rose the volume of her voice once more. "I said, AM I CLEAR?!"

"MA'AM, YES MA'AM!" was the unanimous cry from all boys and girls… Bar Jaden, who simply looked to the side in confusion as he saw, of all things, several limos driving away from another part of the landing strip.

"Hey, miss chairman? Where are those going?" asked Yuki, pointing at the quickly departing vehicles in the distance. To her credit, the woman did not take the seeming act of disrespect personally, instead merely following the given direction before returning her gaze towards Jaden, a smirk now visible on her face.

"Those are for our candidates that made it to Obelisk Blue. Consider it an incentive to bettering your grades and climbing ever higher for the dorms above you."

"Then how come I'm not inside those?"

You could have heard a pin drop as the students and faculties turned to face the young man with a ponytail that was standing right beside the brown-haired boy, who had a surprisingly easy-going smile. One that, unfortunately, the chairman did not share. "What did you say, young man?" she asked dangerously, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Drake.

"I mean, Obelisk Blue is where all the best duelists go, right?" he replied in earnest with a shrug. "So that means I should have taken that limo too, right?"

To this day, every student swore up and down from the bottom of their hearts, that the temperature of the air just seemed to drop to freezing once the young man had finished speaking… And right as chairman Narita's smile became downright evil.

"… Why, I believe you're absolutely right."

-O-

"Well, that was certainly a rich experience to witness."

"Bastion… Go… Fuck… Yourself…"

"Such coarse language. Aren't you supposed to be the king of this school?"

"A king… Can still… Swear… Dammit… Water…"

"Here ya go, Drake."

"Thanks… Sy…"

I knew it was a bad idea. I just knew it was a bad idea.

So why, oh why did I try my luck with the lady who would be right at home in a military boot camp… Oh right. Cause I'm stupid.

The result? She had made me chase the limos on foot all the way to the Academy.

How far was that? REAL FUCKING FAR, AS IT TURNS OUT.

By the time I got to the building, my legs felt like melting, my lungs were burning, I was drenched in sweat… Is this retribution for beating Crowler so gloriously? My comeuppance by karma? Cause if so, my hatred for the concept skyrocketed so high, it probably was fist-fighting that laser satellite Sartorius was salivating over. Also I was definitely throwing stink bombs inside Narita's office.

But that was later. Right now I had other priorities. Like not dying out of exhaustion, that was pretty important.

In-between labored breaths, I took the water bottle Syrus had just offered and drained the whole thing as fast as possible, even as some splashed out and drenched my shirt. Thankfully, the water was cooled, so I was saved the suffering of having warm water to sate my thirst. Once I had emptied the bottle and I properly began feeling my body again, I let out a long, weary sigh, just as a hand was offered to me. I took hold of it and hoisted myself off the ground, receiving a pat in the shoulder from the hand's owner, in this case Jaden. "Thanks Jay… Well, guess we lost enough time. Let's get to the welcome ceremony before it ends."

"Uhh… Drake? The ceremony's over already."

I'm… Fifty percent sure my neck snapped with how fast I turned towards Syrus, depending on if I had or hadn't imagined the crack sound. "What?!" I almost screeched, just as a package was thrown against my chest.

"Yes, it ended about ten minutes ago," replied Bastion with that ever-present confident smile, motioning to the package in my grasp with a nod. "Professor Crowler asked me to deliver this to you, and also to deliver a message." He cleared his throat, then put his hands behind his back and straightened his posture, while his expression became… Awkwardly similar to Crowler's. "Remind signor Atlas that even with his performance during the entrance exam, he shall still show the proper etiquette and maturity expected of a student of this institution."

"… That impression was terrible, and the accent even more so."

"He got you there, Bastion," chuckled Jaden good-naturedly, earning in return a bashful look from the young man. "But yeah, better watch out with the lip you give the teach, Drake."

"Yes, well… I was just trying to impart the message as accurately as possible."

"I know, Bastion… And thanks," I said calmly with a smile, before turning my attention to the package in my grasp. "So… I take it this is my uniform or something? What dorm did I land on?"

-O-

"Huh… Single-living room… Sweet, sweet privacy~"

Turns out Crowler was not a vindictive asshole in this version of the story! That conclusion having been reached quite fast once I opened the package that Bastion gave me. Not half an hour later, here I was, standing in the middle of my new home (very) away from home, wearing a surprisingly comfy yellow jacket and uniform, surrounded by a closet, a good bed, a work table with a computer atop of it, a TV mounted on the wall and a bathroom with a shower and toilet. The essentials, plus a few amenities, as expected of the mid-tier dorm… Though it did make me wonder what the hell was inside the Obelisk Blue rooms then. Maybe they had personal pools or something?

Eh, problems for the future… That is, if I ever made it to Obelisk. I don't feel like pushing myself that hard, especially with all the big bad folks ready to tear down this school for whatever plans they decided to cook up, plus all the other quote-unquote "crazy-ass shit" that would come.

So for now, my focus would be on resting, getting all of my cards readied, befriending our future heroes… Oh, right, speaking of that…

Quickly pocketing my decks and cellphone, strapping my Duel Disk to my arm and making sure that my room was properly locked, I rushed through the halls of the Ra Yellow dorm, waving and nodding at my fellow class-slash-dormmates as I passed them by. Off the corner of my vision, I caught sight of Bastion speaking rather animatedly with some big guy in glasses, probably another side-character from the show, who both smiled and waved as I ran past them… Three times.

Okay so maybe I got lost a few times.

Still, ten minutes of search finally yielded the person I had been looking for: a man probably entering his senior years, with combed-back grey hair, a yellow long coat and bits of a business suit showing underneath those clothes.

"Professor!" I called out, some of my breath hitching as I tried to draw it back to normal. "Professor Sartyr, can I have a quick word?" Thankfully, the man heard my call easily enough, turning to face me with a curious look in his eyes.

"Ah, mister… Atlas, was it?" queried the headmaster, a faint smile in his face. "Is there something you require?"

"Well… More of a suggestion, professor. That is, if you'll hear me."

"Of course, young man. It is a duty of a teacher to accommodate his students," replied Sartyr with a chuckle as we began walking once more, his hands crossed behind his back. And honestly, hearing the man said that… It brought a smile to my face. Poor dude, being the butt of an honestly cruel joke about being ignored. Here he was, willing to hear me out for an… Admittedly crazy idea that I was about to offer, with plentiful trust to boot. I'd make sure to visit him more often throughout the years in return, make sure to pay him back for all he did for the dorm. "So, what is it I can do for you?"

"Well, I know for a fact that we'll have the welcome dinner tonight in each dorm, correct?"

"Yes, that is indeed correct… You're not going to skip out on it, will you?"

"Well… Yes. But for a good reason, I promise!"

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"See, I have an idea for a… Bonding exercise between our dorm and the Slifers…"

-O-

Time flew for the new students of the school, and soon the sun had disappeared into the horizon, allowing the moon to take its place in the sky and illuminate the island. And spread across the island, shining with both light and life, were the dorms of the school.

Inside the Obelisk Blue dorms, both male and female ones, the students chatted, laughed and passed time as cart after cart of lavish dishes and drinks were brought out to supply the feast laid to them, all under the watchful eyes of their headmasters, Crowler and Fontaine. To them, the elite of this school, no expense was spared, and no luxury was too grand, especially since they represented the God wielded by the school's founder and apex of their education.

In the Ra Yellow dorm, things were quite calmer and less ostentatious, but no less pleasant to the students: seated around long, rectangular tables, they made small talk and ate from the bountiful foods offered, as headmaster Sartyr watched with a content smile how his newest students mingled… While simultaneously wondering if Mr. Atlas' plan was going along well.

Hope it's not all wasted in the end, thought the professor as he took a long sip from his glass of juice. Haven't worked that long on those for quite some time… Oh well, I'm sure it'll be fine. Besides, he took the costume along. I know they'll love it.

At the Slifer Red dorm, however…

While the school had, albeit only recently, moved away from the blatant favoritism that had been ingrained onto the budget allocation (helped by a shocking shift in the school founder's mood after the wrapping up of his "personal project"), the red dorm still remained the one with the lowest priority in terms of resource allocation. Oh yes, the refurbishing and expansion of the building to include more rooms, proper heating, a larger dining area and actual food instead of piddling meals offered before were all welcome additions, but compared to even Ra Yellow, Slifer Red still received the short end of the stick.

The biggest proof of such? Their "welcome feast" was… Not exactly such.

"Man, I haven't had sushi in such a long time! And tonkatsu! What a haul!"

Of course, such things meant nothing to one Jaden Yuki, who cheerfully went through the serving area that had been packed with many different types of sushi and other Japanese dishes. With a wide grin and a snicker, Jaden piled as much food as his plate could theoretically hold then quickly made his way out of the serving area and onto the many tables set outside, where many other fellow students had already sat and now waited with some trepidation for their headmaster to appear.

After all, bottom-of-the-barrel as their dorm may be considered, the school definitely wouldn't sink low enough to give them a short, dumpy cat for a headmaster… Hopefully.

Jaden took a moment to look around for his promised saved spot, and smiled brightly as he took note of Syrus waving at him from a table further away from everyone, his own plate of food already set and ready in front of him. "Jay, over here!"

"Coming!" he replied, dodging and weaving his way through the chairs and benches until finally, he set down the piled bounty onto the table next to Syrus' far more conservative portion. "Come on, Sy, food's there to be enjoyed!"

"Not all of us are bottomless pits, Jaden," replied the boy with a smile as he pulled a nigiri from his plate and popped it into his mouth with a satisfied hum. Jaden… Shoveled as many fried shrimps as he could inside his own mouth, that in an effort to preserve the safety of the reader's sanity, will not be described in detail. Syrus, however, is not capable of partaking in such luck, and thus had to witness the display in all its horrifying glory. "Case in point…"

"Whmdv du yu mmn, Cy?"

"Jaden, please…"

"Well, I see someone is taking full advantage of our offered food."

It was a calm, almost soothing voice that somehow carried over the bustle of the gathered students and made all heads turn towards its source. Standing in front of the dorm, and apparently having gone completely unnoticed until now, was a very tall and lean man, with his extremely long black hair tied into a ponytail and draped in a very casual attire of a shirt, tie and pants. His eyes were closed behind his clear square glasses, and a pleasant and disarming smile graced his face, giving him an air of friendliness and approachableness that all students could feel exuding.

"Good evening, students. I am professor Lyman Banner, headmaster of the Slifer Red dorm," he spoke in a smooth and pleasant tone as he walked towards the table where the large brown cat had yet to stir from his present nap, and gently took it onto his lap. "I understand the reputation this dorm holds, but bear in mind always: this is but the starting point of your education. You all shall have the chance to rise to the dorms above us, be it Ra Yellow or Obelisk Blue." And as he scratched behind the ear of his cat, the man's smile grew just an inch wider. "And for further motivation… I hope you all remember that Obelisk the Tormentor was defeated by Slifer the Sky Dragon in the Battle City Tournament."

And indeed, several students perked up and grinned at that thought, with more than one table erupting in animated chatter… Bar Jaden, who was still busy stuffing his face with food in indescribable ways that are most likely criminal in a few countries.

"So, students, remember to always keep your spirits up, and—"

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

Boys and girls screamed as, from out of nowhere, several explosions went off atop the dorm's roof, launching flames and pink smoke up into the air in a massive mushroom cloud. Fireworks flew further into the sky and exploded in a blinding and deafening pyrotechnics display, while streamers and paper flakes floated down gently around everyone in an almost comical fashion.

And amidst all of the display, a figure came forth from the smoke, concealed by a full-body cloak and hat… And carrying and honest to goodness pink cannon on their shoulder.

"Yadda yadda yadda, that's a whole lotta yapping!" called out the figure with a youthful, cheery and boastful female voice, swinging the cannon around into a reverse grip. "Sorry, teach, but I'll say it here and now! None of these chumps have any chance against me! I'll be the first to climb those ranks and be the best damn Duelist in this entire school!" And to punctuate her statement, the girl pointed her cannon upwards and fired, creating another large pink cloud over the dorm. Yet again the students yelped in surprise, not the least of which was Syrus, who jumped under the table with his hands clamped tightly over his ears.

"Gah! What do you think you're doing?!" shouted the blue-haired boy, peeking his head from underneath the table. His words, however, went unheeded by the girl, who instead slammed her cannon upright next to her and clutched her cloak tightly with one hand.

"Now behold! You better remember my name, because it'll be the talk of the school for years to come! I'm-!"

"YOI-YOOOOOOOOOOI!"

"What the hell?!"

"Oh, what now?!"

-O-

Cherry blossom petals fell dramatically around me as I stood boldly atop a massive pan wafting smoke from the hole in one side of the cover. The food cart, also supersized to fit the supersized pan, was covered in a large white table sheet, with dozens of bowls neatly piled up around it, and several boxes of wooden spoons to one side.

And me? Well, I was dressed in the absolute best costume possible: a cape made to look like soba noodles, a kimono patterned with vegetables and meat, a beautiful kabuki mask painted with the red-and-white patterns, gripping a large ladle with one hand over my body, and a big frypan over my head as a hat. In summation, I looked fucking amazing.

And while I never watched Naruto before in my life, I sure as hell knew Jiraya… And I knew that presentation was all.

"Be it north, south, east or west! Be earth, ocean, heaven or hell! There is but one wisdom to be shared!" I shouted aloud, both twirling the ladle in the air and making my damn hardest to not corpse when I glimpsed the bewildered look in everyone's face, Jaden's absolute glee, Syrus' very much done expression… And of the cloaked figure with a cannon standing atop the Slifer Red dorm.

…

Okay then.

"Yes, for all who hear of this wisdom know it to be true! And that wisdom… Is that of food!" And with that, I leapt from atop the pan and onto the ground, both being careful to not upset the thing and to make sure my landing didn't mess up my get-up. Then, with a calculated amount of strength, I knocked the ladle against the pot, forcing a resounding GONG to echo from it and across those present. "Yes, food! For it is food that allows us to live, to fight, to duel! Food enriches the body and warms the spirit! It brings us joy and happiness, and unites all in its embrace! So to all of you, Slifers who wish to climb to the top… I offer this gift, from the house of Ra!"

And so, I shoved the ladle into the lid's hole, readied myself… And heaved.

And to my immense relief, this did not result on the thing tilting into the contents of the pot and splashing me with hot broth, or failing to clear the pan and tilting it and all of its contents onto me and the ground. Instead, the lid flew off and landed on the ground with an echoing CLANG, allowing a plume of smoke to waft from inside the pan… And let out the delicious aroma contained within.

… At least, I hoped it was delicious. Not having a sense of smell limits that kind of stuff. But considering how everyone in the show had reacted to his curry, I'm pretty sure the ramen he had made would be mouth-watering to them.

… There, confirmation, Jaden was eyeing the pot like a starved man.

So with their full attention now on me, it was time for the grand finale!

"And who is it, that bring such a bounty? Why, it is none other than I, the great-!"

… Thaaaaaaat is before suddenly, an explosion went off right in front of me, enveloping me in a pink smoke that, surprisingly, made me taste strawberries as soon as I breathed it in. Of course, what followed that was a massive coughing fit that completely ruined my image and the mood I had set, while I furiously waved my arms and the ladle to push away the smoke. "Oi, what the hell, you asshole!" yelled loudly a voice from above, drawing my gaze up at the roof where the figure had stood, now with their cloak discarded to the side and…

… Oh God, she was adorable.

She was short, probably five feet tall, with shoulder-length hair in a beautiful gradient of red to pink from the tips to the top of her head, and an absolutely epic ahoge square on the middle of her forehead, rising to the left then bending over like a scythe to the right. Her eyes were a brilliant emerald color, and I could see from what little of her figure was exposed, she had a very toned physique.

As for her clothes… I'll be the first to admit, they were cool as all hell.

A black coat with gold shoulder plates draped over shoulders like a cape, a golden chain attached to the lapel of the coat, red spikes on the sleeves and four red cloth stripes hanging from the inside, all four inscribed with different Japanese symbols. She wore one of those white sailor fukus, only with a long purple ribbon tied to the front, and instead of a skirt, she wore black-and-red camo-pattern pants held by two belts, each one with a gold star on it. And finally, for her footwear, steel-tipped boots.

In summation? Bar the cannon, she looked like the most stereotypical Japanese thug ever… And yet she looked amazing.

Unfortunately, my fanboying was eclipsed by my anger. Which also decided to surface riiiiight aboooout… Now.

"What the hell are you thinking, you stupid brat?!" I shouted, glaring daggers at the girl as I strangled the ladle's handle. "Why did you shoot me with a fucking cannon?!"

"Shut the hell up, you idiot weeb!" was her reply as she stomped onto the roof and slammed her cannon down. "You and your stupid getup ruined my fucking entrance! Do you know how much work I put into getting all this shit?!"

"Speak for yourself, you crazy-ass bomber! You almost blasted all the food! You know how long it took to make this?!"

"Probably longer than it'll take for me to kick your ass, noodle boy! You wanna throw down?!"

"Bring it, firecracker! I'll punt into straight into the ground!"

WHACK!

"Gah!"

"Heheh, get wrecked—"

WHACK!

"Son of a-!"

To my (and probably hers) eternal embarrassment, our shit-slinging was brought to an abrupt end once something hard, small and fast smacked us right in our foreheads. In my case, I toppled to the ground with a very undignified squawk, getting myself tangled in the noodle cape I had been wearing and losing my mask and frypan hat. The girl, consequently, had the unfortunate side-effect of rolling off the roof, cannon and all, before face-planting onto the ground with a squeak of her own.

And no matter what she claimed, and how many explosions she fired at me, I'd swear with a hand over my heart that it was the most adorable sound I had ever heard.

"I believe that is quite enough, wouldn't you say?" spoke up the smooth and calm voice of who I very quickly realized was Lyman Banner, who was standing there all happy-looking and shit, and that only made my stomach churn.

How long would it take until the homunculus started cracking? How long until his borrowed time began draining?

Long enough, I thought grimly, as my hand drifted down to whatever it was that had been throw at me.

… It was a flip-flop.

Banner had hit me in the head with a flip-flop.

The only thing keeping me from going into a profanity-laden tirade over that was the thought that the girl had also been nailed with one, so hey! Misery loves company and all that stuff. So my public shame was her public shame! Schadenfreude and all that.

"While I understand the enthusiasm both of you have, and spirited competitiveness is something I will always support, I believe that disrupting this ceremony is a tad much, wouldn't you agree?" asked the teacher as he caressed Pharaoh, walking until he stood between me and the girl. "While I appreciate the gift, Mr. Atlas, I also ask that you be cordial when delivering it… And more subdued. As for you, Ms. Witzer, while your enthusiasm is commendable, please refrain from speaking such harsh words to your colleagues. We want all of you to succeed, after all."

And with that said, Banner stepped towards me and took the ladle from my grasp, calmly wiping away some of the dirt that had gotten into it, before walking over to the pan and pouring himself a bowl of my gift to Slifer Red: a big-ass pan filled with yakisoba, freshly cooked and with that delicious thick broth. "So, shall we all make peace over food, as many are known to?"

And that indeed served to break the ice. Like a starved mob, the Slifer Red students rushed towards the table and pan, quickly grabbing bowls of their own and making a line in front of Banner, who began serving them one by one. And as I beheld that little sideshow, I found a hand being offered to me… A hand that was coming out of a sleeve lined with red spikes.

"Heh… Guess that show on the entrance exam wasn't a one-time thing, huh?" said the pink-haired girl with a chuckle and a grin, her cannon now holstered on her back. I stared at the offered hand for a moment, before a chuckle of my own escaped my lips and I took the offered limb.

"What can I say, I love a good show," I replied good-naturedly, hoisting myself off the ground as I was pulled by her with an honestly shocking amount of strength for such a small body. I gripped her hand a bit tighter, and looked her straight in the eye before giving it a shake. "Drake Atlas, at your service."

"Anna O. Witzer, a pleasure as well, buddy," and with a simple move, we were now clasping hands upright, both of us squeezing our hands as tightly as possible. "Can't wait to see what you really got going there, Atlas."

"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing."

"Well hey, look who's making even more friends!"

We both turned in the direction of the voice, and lo and behold, there came Jaden carrying three bowls of yakisoba, with Syrus following close by with his own bowl in hands. "Guess you're gonna be the most popular guy in the school pretty soon, huh Drake?" asked Yuki as he offered a bowl to both me and Anna, and that we quickly took into our hands.

"Probably the loudest, too…" muttered the blue-haired boy, before turning an almost pleading look to me and Anna. "Please tell me you two aren't be this way the whole time…"

In return, I looked at Anna. She looked at me. We looked at Syrus, then back to ourselves. Then we grinned. Maliciously.

"Oh no…"

"Sorry Sy, but I'm not gonna be one-upped by someone who needs fireworks to be loud enough to be heard," as I stuffed myself with noodles and began slurping them just a tad louder than I needed to while casting a sideways-glance to the girl beside me.

"Oh, is that so, you two-bit actor? Did you come up with that get-up by dumpster-diving at a noodle restaurant or something?"

Had it not been for the noodles still packed inside my mouth, I would have come up with some sort of witty reply or fantastic comeback… Probably… Most likely. So instead, I had to settle for shrugging in silence before swallowing the lump of carbs down. Damn, if there was one up-side to getting isekai'd, it was getting a new fit physique to ruin with fat food! Bless ye, good fortune! Once my mouth was fully clear, I turned back to Jaden and snapped my fingers toward him. "Oh yeah, Jaden, you guys didn't tell me the name of that other blue-haired kid! Wanna share that info now?"

Jaden's response was to… Slurp noodles like vacuum, before quickly swallowing it fast enough to make me worry he would actually start choking on the thing. Something that, thankfully enough, did not happen. I did not look forward to having to save the protagonist of this whole story because of my food of peace, thank you very much! "Phew… Oh, right, I skimped on that! My bad there, Drake!" he finally replied with a cheerful laugh. "But umm… What was his name again, Sy?"

The boy in response scrunched his brow, closed his eyes and crossed his arms in thought, remaining that way for a solid minute. After that, I merely shrugged again and started drinking the broth from the noodles. Oh well, another new student I knew nothing about, just meant more friends!

"… Oh, right! Now I remembered! His name's Sora Perse!"

WHAT?!

COUGH-HACK-PHEW-COUGH

"WHAT THE FUCK, ATLAS, RIGHT ON MY JACKET YOU ASSHOLE?!"

WHAT?!

WHAT THE FUCK?!

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?

-O-

Meanwhile, in the Obelisk Male Dorm…

"… Huh… Why does it feel like someone's talking about me?... Eh, whatever… Oh hey, wait up with those chocolates!"

~O~

There's no excuse good enough to justify how late this is… And honestly, how sloppy I feel it is.

Doesn't mean I won't give some, anyway.

But first, as I've stated a few times already: I'm deeply sorry for the delay on everything. I don't know what caused that massive apathy slump that stopped my writing output, but as you can see, it severely impacted my capacity to write, thus making the update for anything so goddamn late. Coupled with that was the fact I lost myself in research and planning for Titanomachy (aided by the Ego of the Cross-Brain, who I shall sometimes point as the sole perpetrator for some things happening. You're on your own there, pardner.), and some time researching for that other new project… And yeah, time flew by. On the personal front, that being IRL, there was the combination of several busy days that drew away the free time I had, the aforementioned apathy slump… And something more recent that almost made me stop writing the chapter again due to triggering some intense anxiety attacks… I'm… Still working through that last one…

Finally, two last points.

1- As mentioned, I'm not particularly happy with this chapter, but I also know that if I were to go and fix it, it'd probably never come out. So I did my best to fix it towards the end, but still… Yeah, not my proudest product. I hope to get the quality back to maximum come the next ones.

2- For those not in the known about it, this fic had its name changed. Why? Well, turns out someone made a GX fic that is also named Yu-Gi-Oh! Re-GX at AO3… After mine. I checked. Still, they got a TVTropes page before this one did, so I guess you win this time, Consaibot1. You win this time… So yeah, welcome all of you, to GX: Call of Soul!

…

I swear if I find a fic with the same name, I'm gonna grab the Infinity Gauntlet.

Speaking of TVTropes, did you know Titanomachy got a page there?

Speaking of Titanomachy, did you know the next update will be for it?

Until next time, folks… And hopefully sooner rather than later.