A good day to all. So I'm back for the next chapter, and I feel that sparks are going to fly after this one, though I can't blame Jaden on this one in particular. After all, boys will be boys, right... or am I?
Thanks for the support in your reviews. Your positive energy is what drives me to write more! Please keep it up! Also, please keep sending your thoughts and ideas. I won't be able to add or use them immediately, but don't fret; I will be using them down the road. There's one guest in particular who recommended something interesting...
One of you has said that I don't add comas after quotes. I have tried to fix that a little, but if I'm wrong, can you please elaborate with an example? I could use all the help I could get.
Last time on Beyond the Academy:
Jaden and Syrus have a little hearty conversation, and Zane seems like he's got a plan in mind for Jaden. Elsewhere, one of the new decks are revealed, but who else got Pegasus's decks, and why...
By the way, one of the original Yugioh! characters makes a small cameo, but it's the last person you'd expect, so please look forward to that!
So what are you waiting for; GET YOUR GAME ON!
Chapter 8: Showdown at the Arcade
Part 1
After waiting for the girls to cook the picnic food, they then headed over to the park. Although the park was shoveled clean of snow, the area was still pretty cold, so all of them had put on their winter gear. After they found a nice spot under a large tree to sit down, Atticus and Jaden set up the rug, while Mac and Alexis prepared everything else, which included setting up the food.
"Well everyone, this is the lunch made by Mac and I. Please dig in!" smiled Alexis. The girls had prepared a lunch that consisted of club sandwiches, a healthy amount of garden salad and rice balls with various fillings inside, along with some homemade cookies and lemonade. During and after lunch (of which Jaden had eaten 10 helpings of and Alexis, who expected as much, made plenty of), they began swapping stories and making jokes about their time at duel academy. It was then that Jaden asked a question, that triggered the rest of the day's events.
"So, how'd you and Mac meet, Atticus?" he asked.
The duo slightly blushed at the question, before Atticus answered him. "Well Jay, Alexis, Mac and I are all childhood friends. Our dad's were best friends from college, so during the time Mac lived over here in Domino, we frequently used to meet. It was around the time lex and I went to duel academy during our middle school years, that Mac went back home to America, and we didn't see her again until we all met up at Duel College several years later. Man, was I stunned by how much she had changed over that time span. I mean, look at her! She's a real knockout, ain't she!" Mac furiously blushed as Atticus gave his answer. "I guess I confessed, and she accepted, though not right away, but who can resist my manly charm... OW!OW!OW!" he continued, before Mac began pinching his cheek.
"I accepted," she began, "because you began begging, and were for some reason so desperate to date me, you actually cried, and I found myself pitying you, so I just said yes."
Jaden and Alexis began laughing really hard after hearing that, while Atticus began acting hurt. "What? You mean all those days that you said that you loved me were lies?!"
"Yup! I did it as a favor to Alexis, who didn't want to see you heartbroken," she said, as she playfully winked at the two of them.
Atticus then embraced her, and shouted while pretending to sob, "I'm sorry (sniff) Mac! I'll be better (sniff)! Just don't leave me!"
"Please stop it, Atty. People are watching," she sighed as she hit him on the head. Jaden and Alexis continued laughing hard, until Mac asked, "Well, you two are certainly getting a kick out of all this. Now that we're on topic, any ladies in your life, Jaden?", with a mischievous smile on her face.
Alexis instantly stopped laughing, and looked at Mac with shock, while Atticus chipped in.
"Yeah Jay, tell us about your love life," he said.
Jaden began thinking before he finally responded by saying, "Well, I don't really know a lot of girls, so I've never actually been in that kind of relationship." Atticus and Mac gave looks of disappointment, while Alexis gave a small sigh.
"However, I did go on a couple of dates before I started working for Kaiba," he recalled. Alexis twitched her eyebrows, while Atticus and Mac looked at each other in surprise, while he continued. "It was nothing serious. Sometimes, when I save a girl possessed by darkness, she invites me to a meal or something, to express her gratitude, so I guess that date was the wrong word, though there was that one time a girl was holding my hand the whole time, and she asked me to spend the night with her at this weird hotel, with a heart-shaped logo."
Alexis began losing her composure, and gritting her teeth in frustration, but Jaden wasn't paying attention. Atticus marveled at the story, while Mac, noticing the state Alexis was in, gulped and asked "So Jay, did you go inside with her?"
"Nope! I apologized and said that I had something more important to do, and that I had to be on my way. When she asked why, I told her that I simply can't stay in a hotel room with a girl I don't really know, and that I don't really know what a 'love hotel' is, if that's what it was called," he responded with a smile.
Mac and Atticus both fell down, stupefied. Alexis, who had regained her composure, simply sighed and said "Typical Jaden", unaware of the small smile of relief that had crept onto her face.
"By the way, what is a love hotel? Is it different from a regular hotel?" he asked.
The other three blushed as they heard the words 'love hotel', before Atticus responded by asking, "Jaden, first tell me what you think dating is?"
"Well, isn't it where a guy and a girl go somewhere together to eat or something?" he asked.
Atticus gave a long sigh, while Mac and Alexis simply shook their heads in disbelief. Atticus then wrapped his arm around Jaden's shoulders and said, "Dude, you have a LOT to learn about love. In the next few days, the master of love himself, is going to teach you everything you need to know."
Jaden looked at him in a confused manner, before saying, "Okay?!"
"Ahem," Mac coughed, "how about we get some hot cocoa to beat the cold, before heading to the arcade. Jaden and Alexis, please wait here while Atty and I go get the drinks. No whipped cream on yours Alexis, right?" After getting a nod from Alexis, she turned around to Jaden and asked, "How about you, Jay?"
"Extra Cream on mine, please!" he exclaimed.
"Alright, will do. Come on Atty, let's get moving to that cafe across the park," she replied, as she dragged Atticus with her.
After putting some distance, Atticus smiled playfully and laughed. "Oh, you sly fox you! Setting the two up, I see!"
Mac sighed and said, "I won't deny it, but my methods are different and less obvious. Still, I hope Alexis takes advantage of the chance I've given her, but why do I feel like something's going to go wrong..."
Part 2
"So Alexis, you haven't told me about life at Duel college. Is it really different from life at Duel Academy? Oh, what kind of food do they have over there?" asked Jaden excitedly.
"You know Jay, life isn't always about food, but I'll tell you a little I guess. The campus is huge, slightly bigger then duel academy I'd say. There are no ranking systems over there like we had back at the academy, but those excel and perform better then others get better benefits. Thankfully, Atty, Mac and I are all members of the elite class, though you'd probably be right there with us if you joined up with us, Jay," explained Alexis. "Classes are longer at DA, but you can choose your timings, so if you want to sleep-in, then just do it."
"Man, sounds like fun," he began to imagine life there.
"I'm currently majoring in duel theory, you know, so I can teach students later on. Both Atty and Mac are taking duel philosophy, though Atty's just waiting until his pop-star career takes off, and he claims that studying is just a 'diversion'," she sighed.
"Ha-ha, sounds like Atticus alright," he responded, before saying, "Well you three must be some of the most popular figures on campus."
"What do you mean, Jay?" she asked.
"Well, Atticus is probably famous with the girls, and Mac is really beautiful, so I'm sure she's a hit with all the guys. I'm sure the 'Obelisk Queen' is a hit with the boys on campus as well, just like our time back at the academy" he explained.
"Well, you're right about Atty and Mac, but what makes you think that it's the same for me?" she asked with a slight irritation in her voice.
"Well, remember that back at the academy, you were a hit with all the guys, and a lot of guys wanted you to be their girlfriend, Chazz and Syrus included. I'm just assuming that it's the same situation at Duel College. I mean you're really good looking and a great duelist, so it shouldn't be a surprise," he explained.
"Yeah, but I don't like guys who are needy or focus on looks alone. Plus, there are guys like you, who aren't into romance or dating girls, and would rather duel all day. On second thought, you might be the only one I know that's like that" Alexis began feeling really irritated and frustrated the more she continued to talk. "Why Jaden, do you want me to be with someone else?" she asked in a slightly louder tone then usual.
"No, I just think that someone with your looks and personality, would have gone on a lot of dates or whatever, or that you might even have a boyfriend," he replied.
The word 'boyfriend' hit Alexis hard and began to sink in. That's when she did something uncharacteristic of her; she finally snapped. "That's right, Jay. Thanks to that stupid brother of mine, I've been forced to go on some dates, though none of that serious 'love hotel' crap, like the one you were on," she shouted.
"Um, lex, you're kind of..."he began in a meek voice.
"I'm what, Jay! Loud, angry, frustrated! Well, you're right, I am! You ditched me without saying anything on graduation day, and when you finally show up again, you start talking about boyfriends, and you start talking about it like it's natural or something. Well, it isn't! All the men I know are either a bunch of idiots, whose only goal apparently is to 'get some action', or clueless idiots like you. None of you ever care about how I feel, or my opinion on things! None of you think about what I want, or notice stuff that's right in front of your freakin face! And you know what, Jaden; you're one of those guys, so please stop asking about boyfriends like you're a natural on the topic, cause you're not. You can't even notice the feelings I have, which is why you'll never understand me!" she paused her breakdown to take a breath of air, when she noticed that the people nearby were staring at her and whispering to themselves. As for Jaden, he looked frightened and hurt. Alexis slowly regained herself, took a deep breath, and began to walk away from Jaden.
"Wait lex, I..." he began with a weak voice, but Alexis shot him down by saying, "I'm sorry Jaden. I need to be alone for a while.", and with that, she ran away from the scene.
"I've done it again," he thought, as he begun clenching his fist and punching the ground. "I'm terrible. I did my best so that she could forgive me, and so we could make up, only to hurt her the very next day, but I don't get it. Why was she upset when I mentioned boyfriends?" he pondered.
Yubel then appeared next to him and sighed. "The fact that you still don't get it, means that you still don't get what's going on right in front of you. Well whatever, I won't spoil it for you," she said. "The thing you need to do right now is to go after her, and calm her down. You know, fix your mistake."
"You're right Yubel, I've gotta fix this," he declared, and then headed off to search for Alexis.
"What am I doing?" thought Alexis, as she sat on a nearby bench. She had run away from the scene, even though deep down, she knew it wasn't Jaden's fault. He hadn't meant to bring up the subject in that way, and she knew that she had overreacted, something uncharacteristic on her part. "Still, why'd he have to go and say all that with a smile?" she thought. "Like I feared, maybe he really doesn't see me in that way. Jaden, you idiot! Why don't you take a hint?"
Then she sighed. "Now I feel stupid for trying. Jaden's always been so dense, so it's not like he'd understand right away. I want to tell him, but..." Doubt began creeping up inside of her, when suddenly she heard her name being called out. She looked up, and saw Jaden running towards her. "Well, at least he came after me, but I'm not in the mood to see him right now."
She began to walk away, when Jaden caught up to her and said, "Wait Alexis, please let me explain! I'm sorry I got you upset. I promise that I won't bring up the topic again."
"No Jaden, I'm sorry," she said coldly. "You didn't really mean anything by it, and yet I shouted at you and got mad. Still, I'm upset that you don't really get what's going on. Oh well, let's go back. Those two have probably gotten back by now." Alexis then reversed her direction and began walking back to the picnic sight, with Jaden in tow, wondering what she meant by 'what's really going on'. Deep inside, he could hear Yubel mutter the words 'DENSE OAF', but decided to ignore it for the time being.
Part 3
Several minutes after the little fiasco between the two, Atticus and Mac returned with the hot chocolate, to find a dark, gloomy atmosphere lingering around the site, and that most of it was coming from Alexis, who wore a cold, icy and emotionless expression on her face, and was facing away from Jaden, who wore a depressed and hurt expression on his face.
The two who had just arrived stood in complete disbelief at the sudden change of atmosphere, before Atticus whispered "Hey Mac, what happened? We just left them for a short while. How'd it end up like this?"
"You tell me," she replied. After studying the situation for a bit, she reached a conclusion. "From what I can tell, either Jaden said something insensitive indirectly, and Alexis hasn't forgiven him for it yet, or that Alexis finally confessed, got turned down, and from the looks of it, lashed out at him furiously, because she couldn't handle it. Of course, there are several other possibilities, but for her sake, I hope it's the first one," she explained.
Mac then approached the two of them, while saying, "Hey guys, look who's back with your hot chocolate!"
"Great..." "Cool..." were the lifeless responses she received.
"Um, did something happen, guys?" she hesitantly asked.
"No, nothing at all. Now why would you assume that?" Alexis asked with a cold smile.
"..." Jaden simply stared into emptiness.
Atticus then came up and said cheerfully, "Well guys, enough chit-chat, let's get going to the arcade, and continue our fun, fun, fun, fun day!" He put an emphasis on the word 'fun', but all he got as responses were, "Sure, why not..." "Sounds like fun..." from both Alexis and Jaden respectively.
Mac frowned, then groaned. "It's no fun if you're not smiling, now is it?! Okay, pep talk time! Alexis, come with me. Atty, you take Jaden and walk the other way. We meet at the car in 30! Capeesh!" she ordered. Jaden and Alexis didn't complain, and went with Atticus and Mac as ordered.
"Okay lex, what's going on?" Mac demanded an answer. "We were gone for nearly 30 minutes, so how did that playful atmosphere disappear?"
"I'm sorry, Mac. Jaden was asking about my love-life, even though I'm sure it was just an innocent curiosity, and I overreacted, shouted at him, and rejected his apology," Alexis explained.
Mac sighed. "I get the gist of it, but why didn't you accept his apology?" asked Mac.
Alexis paused to think, then replied, "Because... because I thought that he indirectly rejected me by asking if I had a boyfriend with a smile on his face."
"You know lex, you are in some ways more hopeless then Jaden. Remember, Jaden has an innocent personality, so he could never actually reject you with a question, it's illogical" Mac laughed as she explained her point. "Plus, did you ever stop to consider that Jaden wanted to know about it, you know, to know if you were single or not," she pointed out.
Alexis's expression changed into one of surprise. "Actually, no I didn't."
Mac then hugged her tightly. "Don't worry, if he has the guts to reject you, you and I will send him straight to hell! So for now, let bygones be bygones."
Alexis smiled. "You're right, Mac. But if I'm going to forgive him, I'm going to have some fun while I'm at it. After all, that's what arcades are for, right?" she said with a mischievous smile.
Mac giggled, and said, "Alright, let's head back."
"Come on, Jay. Cheer up, it's not like it's the end of the world or something," Atticus said, trying to cheer Jaden up. When Jaden didn't respond, he sighed. After a while of attempting to comfort him, Jaden slowly began to tell the story, and even though Jaden was clueless as to what had pissed off Alexis, Atticus immediately realized that the word 'boyfriend' must have been the cause. Atticus concluded that, while Jaden didn't mean it, Alexis took his question as a sort of indirect rejection, triggering her mood swing. "Listen Jay, Alexis is gonna forgive you. Don't sweat it!" he smiled.
"I'm sorry Atticus. Ever since the Yubel incident, I've done nothing but hurt Alexis. Even now, I was insensitive and said something I shouldn't have. If you wanna slap me or something, then please do. I deserve it," he said, bracing himself for whatever came next.
Instead, Atticus patted him on the shoulder. "Jaden, you are too kind. Listen, we all know that you weren't you in that world, and even Alexis forgave you for what happened. Even now, I'm sure she feels nothing but gratitude towards you. So Jaden, try to apologize one more time. I'm sure she'll forgive you. After all, she needs to for my plan to work."
"Thanks Atticus, but what plan are you talking about?" asked Jaden.
"Uh, nothing man. I, uh, think we should be getting back now," Atticus stammered, and began running back to the car, with Jaden in tow.
The two boys reached the meeting point, to find the girls waiting for them.
"Sorry we're late. We were just having some guy talk," Atticus said smoothly.
"What a coincidence! We were having a girls talk as well," said Mac while winking at him.
Jaden then looked at Alexis and smiled, while bowing apologetically, but Alexis simply looked away. Jaden sighed, thinking that it was going to be a long day, not noticing the smile Alexis had put on. "I'm glad he still feels guilty. This is going to be fun," she thought.
Part 4
The Dragon's Flame arcade was one of the biggest arcades in the world. It was established by Duke Devlin, the creator of Dungeon Dice monsters, and one of Yugi Muto's many friends and rivals. Being a gamer and hardcore competitor himself, he decided to build an enormous hall just for games. The idea was a hit, as hundreds of Domino City residents flock to it each day, and thanks to a deal with Industrial Illusions, every couple of months, the arcade hosted a special 'challenge day' with an exclusive, one-of-a-kind card up for grabs. Coincidentally, the arcade was having it's latest 'challenge day' on the day Jaden and co. decided to pay them a visit.
The trip to the arcade had been a rather uneventful one. Jaden and Atticus were talking about the latest arcade games, while Mac and Alexis were talking about duel strategies. The one minor dent had been the tense atmosphere between Jaden and Alexis. Whenever the two crossed eyes, Jaden would look away in guilt, which in turn made Alexis feel guilty herself. Luckily, Atticus told some jokes to ease the tension a little, which worked to perfection. Soon, the car stopped, and they were at the arcade.
The title 'DRAGON'S FLAME' shone brightly in neon, right under a neon version of Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Inside, the place was huge. The atmosphere was that of a Las Vegas casino, only more childish. Rows and rows of game machines and attractions filled the place. To their right, a small, hip restaurant lay in wait, and to their left was the counter, where players could register in contests, and where players who accumulated enough points could win all sorts of prizes including toys, cash, coupons, and of course, cards. In the middle of the hall was a classic duel arena, reminiscent of the Duelist Kingdom days.
"Alright guys, Mac and I are gonna go on a little date, so we'll leave you two to sort things out," declared Atticus.
"Wait, Atty..." began Alexis, but Atticus had already taken Mac's hand, and ran off.
"Listen lex, I, um..." began Jaden, before Alexis put a finger on his lips.
"I already know, Jay. I'm sorry too. I was rash, and I overreacted, even though you didn't really mean what you said. Guess we're both in the wrong, huh" she smiled. Jaden's mood improved after seeing her smile, but Alexis then frowned. "But that doesn't mean you're out of the woods just yet," she said.
"Well, how can I be off the hook?" he asked.
Alexis turned away from him and gave a mischievous smile. "Well, how about a contest, right here and now. Winner is whoever gets the most points between the two of us, in a series of games and competitions," she turned around giving him a daring smile, which he returned with a confident smile of his own.
"Alright lex, I'm game. Let's do this!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, and for the record, the winner can ask any favor they want from the loser, such as asking for one's forgiveness. So, with that, let's get started!" she declared.
"Yeah, bring it on, Alexis!" he replied, then ran off to the first attraction.
Deep down, Alexis thought "I hate taking advantage of his innocent personality like this. I mean, the poor guy doesn't know that I've already forgiven him. Still, I want him to feel a little guilty, and at the same time, I guess this is my way of wanting to spend some time with him. Well, that and I want to kick his butt in these games." Then she followed Jaden to the first game they would play.
The two of them played plenty of games that night, starting with racing games (which Jaden won easily), a dance showdown (which Alexis won easily, because... well let's be honest, Jaden had never danced in his life), and several of the common usual games, which included shooting hoops, the ball toss, fighter games, air hockey, and many, many more. Throughout the contest, the two of them enjoyed themselves thoroughly, and with both piling up wins at a fast rate, that by the time it was almost closing time (10 PM), the two of them had, without noticing, just accumulated enough points each to obtain the special prize card. Their contest had already attracted the attention of, not only the customers at the arcade, but also the staff. At one point, the manager had called the owner, Duke, to inform him of what was going on.
"So, those two have beaten a lot of my games, have they?" he asked.
"Yes sir, and they are currently a few points away from obtaining the prize, but it's about 10 minutes to closing time, and we're afraid that they won't finish the game on time. Not to mention the large crowd that's watching their exploits with expectant eyes. We're at a crossroads about what to do. If we close, the people might rebel or go home disappointed, but if we let them have at it or open the place for an extra hour, the staff might not like working extra hours without pay. So, we thought about asking you for advice, sir," explained the manager.
Duke thought about the situation for a few seconds, then he told the manager on the other end of the phone "Listen, keep the place open for a couple more hours, and tell the staff they'll receive double the hourly rate as overtime for the extra two hours. Also, I expect you to make that last competition a glamorous affair. After all, it's not every day we get a competition this intense on 'challenge day', now do we?"
"Yes sir, will do!" said the manager, then he hung up. Duke sat down and began reminiscing. "Intense competition, huh. I wonder how long it's been since I've seen or heard about one of those. Probably not since Yugi, and the good old days..."
Back at the arcade, not noticing all the commotion, Jaden and Alexis reached the final stage of their contest, the duel simulator. This simulator was a two-player game, where both players would square off using digital decks from the always popular battle city tournament.
"Alright Jaden, this is the last match. It's tied between us, so the winner of this duel wins the contest," said Alexis with a confident smile.
"Alright, let's duel!" declared Jaden. Then, the two took their respective positions on opposite sides of the console, where Jaden picked Yugi's deck, while Alexis picked Kaiba's deck. Then, the two began their duel.
Atticus and Mac were enjoying their little date. After playing with some of the games, and racking up some points, the two went into the photo booth, to take some memorable pictures of themselves, but Atticus began flirting with his girlfriend, and after a while, a simple photo session turned into a hot, steamy make-out session.
It started when Atticus's simple flirting turned into a kiss. After their lips parted, Mac asked while bewildered, "What the heck are you doing!?"
"I'm sorry, Mac. I really wanted to take a picture of us making out," he replied.
"In here!" she screamed. "Of all the stupid and bold ideas Atty, this is the..." she stopped, as Atticus held onto her tightly.
"Please Mac" he said in a soft voice, "Just this once. Nobody's here, so just 1 picture, please. I want to make some memories of us loving each other."
"Sometimes, you make absolutely no sense" she sighed, then calmed down, before blushing. "Alright, just a little, but no funny business, or I'll beat you to a pulp..." she began, before Atticus screamed in joy "YAAAY! Thanks honey!", and sealed her lips again. The two continued to kiss, occasionally stopping to breathe, until they heard a conversation outside the booth.
"Did ya here? There's a boy and girl having a heated duel contest." "Really!" "Yeah, it's true! Martin saw them, and they were tearing the place apart. That is so friggin awesome!"
The two stopped smooching, and looked at each other, before Mac spoke up. "Are they who I think they are?" she asked.
"Only one way to find out" he replied. The two of them fixed their messed up outfits, took their photos, and left the booth.
The two arrived at the scene, where they noticed Jaden and Alexis dueling on the console. Alexis had summoned Kaiba's ace monster, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and had all her life points, while Jaden had 800 points left, and one face-down, but a full hand.
"Alright Jay, looks like I'm going to win this," she said confidently. Jaden on the other hand, was panicking.
Mac, who was observing, said, "Wow, lex actually pushed Jaden into a corner."
"Yeah, but remember that this is the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon," Atticus pointed out.
"Alright blue-eyes, attack Jaden directly," shouted Alexis.
Jaden was still panicking, until he remembered something. "Oh, right! My face-down! I play the trap card Magic Cylinder. This takes the damage I would have taken, and sends it right back at ya! Sorry, Alexis," he declared.
"Wait, what?! NOOO!" she shouted, as she lost her life points.
The spectators were silent for a moment, before they erupted into a loud cheer. One of the staff members then made the announcement. "And the winner of the dueling simulator competition is Jaden Yuki!" she announced. That's when Jaden and Alexis finally noticed that pretty much everyone in the arcade, including Atticus and Mac, had been watching. Jaden smiled and bowed, saying "Thank you! Thank you!" to the crowd, while Alexis blushed, as she was embarrassed.
The manager walked up to them. "What a duel, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed it!" he announced, then he turned around to face the pair. "Thank you both for this entertaining duel. You gave everyone a great show. Also, let me be the first to congratulate you Jaden. You are the winner of this month's 'challenge day', and as such, you have won this exclusive, rare card, courtesy of Maximilian Pegasus!" he announced.
"I did what?" Jaden asked in a daze.
The manager began to explain, "Why, you've earned enough points to claim this one-of-a-kind card. Here, please accept it! You've earned it!", as he handed the card over to Jaden.
"Thanks a bunch!" smiled Jaden, as he took the card and held it in his hand.
"Everyone, once again let's hear it for Jaden!" With that, everyone clapped, and that signaled the end of the showdown.
"Wow Jay, what a card!" Atticus said in admiration, as he looked it with keen eyes. "What are you going to do with it?" he asked.
Jaden thought about it for a bit, before saying, "I know just the thing." He took the card, and waked over to a smiling Alexis, who was talking to a couple of the spectators.
She noticed him, and walked over. "Congrats, Jay. It looks like I've got a long way to go," she said.
"No way Alexis, you're way better then you give yourself credit for," he said in admiration, garnering a smile from her. Then, Jaden put on a serious face. "Alexis, you should probably take this card," he said, giving her the card.
"Huh, but that's your prize. Why would you..." she began, but Jaden stopped her there.
"Alexis, I'm sorry. I said some stuff I shouldn't have, and I hurt you. But I promise, that as long as we're still friends, I'll never hurt you like that again, and I want this card to be a symbol of my pledge," he said. Alexis looked dazed for a second, before slightly blushing. "So please, forgive me this once, lex."
"You idiot!" she shouted while covering her face in embarrassment. "I already forgave you a long time ago. Like I said, you didn't really do anything wrong, it was just me overreacting, so you don't have to feel guilty about a thing, okay. The contest was just a way so I could let off some steam, and so we could have fun, nothing more complicated then that, and yet you..." Jaden then put a finger on her lips to stop her.
"I know, lex. It was a fun competition all the same. Still, take the card as a symbol of our friendly relationship," he said.
Alexis looked at him for a while, then sighed. "Alright Jaden, I accept this gift. But no take backs," she said mischievously. "Now, lets get back to those two..."
"Hold it! I still haven't gotten my reward," said Jaden, grabbing onto Alexis's hand.
Alexis sighed, knowing that he'd probably ruin the mood. "Well, what do you want?" she asked.
"I know, lex. Buy me some dinner!" said Jaden cheerfully.
"Really Jaden? That's all you want?" she asked, stupefied, but recovered quickly and sighed. "Typical Jaden," she said with a smile. "Alright Jay, lead the way," she said, linking her arm with his.
"Um, Alexis..." he began blushing.
"What? Is there a problem?" she asked in a cold tone.
"No ma'am! Let's go!" he said.
Around this time, at the Yuki residence, Jaden's parents were watching a romantic movie together, when all of a sudden, the doorbell rang.
"Coming," said , as she went to the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see a very beautiful, red-haired girl outside, dressed in a formal business outfit.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Is this the Yuki residence?" the girl asked.
"Why, yes it is," Mrs. Yuki replied.
"Then you must be Jaden's mother" she smiled, then said, "Hello, my name is Bridget Parker. I work with your son Jaden at Kaiba Corp. Is Jaden here? I need him to sign a few documents." The truth was that the documents could actually wait until the next meeting in a month's time, but Bridget, wanting an excuse to see Jaden, decided to pay him a visit, under the pretext of signing a few documents, as well as giving him a few things.
blushed at the sight of Bridget. "Oh my, my son must have some real luck, getting to work with someone as beautiful as you," she commented.
"Why, thank you ma'am," replied Bridget.
"As for your inquiry, Jaden's actually staying at a friend's place nearby, and won't be back until Christmas Eve," she said .
Bridget frowned a little. "It's alright, ma'am, I'll go see him there. Can you tell me the name of the person he's staying with?" she asked.
thought a little, before remembering. "Ah! I remember. The boy's name was Atticus Rhodes, and his address was..." she stopped because she noticed that the girl in front of her began shaking and gritting her teeth, before regaining her composure.
"Thank you ma'am, you've been most helpful. I think I'll head there tomorrow morning. Thanks for your time," said Bridget, as she hurried back to the limo, and drove off, before Jaden's mom could invite her in for tea. On the way back, Bridget began thinking. "Atticus, huh. He's probably still a playboy, though I heard he's started dating Reggie, so it's not a problem. The real problem is... her," she scowled at the thought of her rival. "Just you wait, Alexis Rhodes! Jaden will be mine, one way or another."
This one was probably an inconsistent chapter, though I wouldn't really know. So, a new card. What could it be? Man, Jaden's innocence can be fatal sometimes, but then like I said, I don't really blame him. It seems like the next chapter is gonna have a showdown between rivals, though not what you might expect. I really hope you enjoy this one.
Now for the preview:
Next time on Yugioh GX: Beyond the academy
Bridget pays the Rhode's household a visit, and things turn heated up between Alexis and our little visitor. Jaden learns a little more about the tournament, and then he wears... a tuxedo! All this and more in Chapter 9: Dense as a Brick
So for now, I guess I'll turn in. Looking forward to your reviews and support!
With that, I end my turn.