Yugioh GX: Beyond the Academy

by cypher32

It's been 2 and a half years since Jaden and his pals graduated from Duel Academy. Over that time span, Jaden has been using his powers for the good of mankind, with the help of Jesse and Axel, as part of a 3-man cell. Tired of the constant fighting, Jaden only wants to see his friends again. After his employer makes a shocking announcement, will he get that chance? Or maybe ...

14. A Rematch Long Overdue

Chapter 14: A Rematch Long Overdue

Part 1

Along the chilly, breezy, star-lit path, a small trolley was making it's way to the large guest house on the other side of the island. On board were Jaden and his friends, as they were looking forward to getting some well-deserved rest, anticipating the wonderful days to come. The atmosphere surrounding them was one of delight and joy, except for Jaden, who was still pondering about his meeting with the chancellor. While he was lost in his thoughts, Yubel appeared and began to speak to him telepathically.

"Why the long face, Jaden? You realize that you're dragging down the merry mood that your friends are in," she said.

"Sorry, Yubel. I'm still thinking about what the chancellor said. I mean, how on earth did Crowley know I was coming back? Did he guess? Is he actually psychic or has some future prediction powers like Sartorius? Aarghh, just thinking about it makes me feel..."

"Jaden?" he heard Alexis's voice next to him. He looked up at her, and saw that she was looking at him with concern, with the others also having a similar look. "Is everything okay? You've been cringing and shaking your head furiously for the past two minutes," she said.

Jaden looked around at his friends, who he noticed were staring at him with concern. He realized that he had unconsciously expressed his thoughts, and slightly blushed out of embarrassment. "Sorry for that guys," he said. "I was just... thinking about stuff."

"Stuff? You mean, about Crowley and the knights?" asked Alexis.

"Oh no, nothing about them!" replied Jaden hurriedly. "I mean, they are a problem, but that wasn't what I was thinking about. I was thinking about... oh, I was thinking about how I'm gonna greet my friends! You know, I haven't seen them in a while, and they're probably a little bitter because I never contacted them since high school, so I was thinking about what I was gonna say to them!"

"Yeah, that does sound like a problem, though I never expected you of all people Jaden, to worry about something like this. You're usually friendly with everybody, and you always seem to know what to say. Plus, you seemed fine when you saw me for the first time in two years, and you got along with Mac just fine, though a certain 'someone' was pretty emotional when she got to see you again," he said with a mischievous smile.

"Yeah, well I'm not buying it Jaden," replied Alexis, ignoring her brother's comments. "Like Atty said, you aren't the type to worry about something like that. Plus, you seemed really deep in thought since you left the chancellor's office, which I believe is way out of character for you. I think you're a bit disturbed over something he told you, and the only possible thing that could be troubling enough for you, is the matter of Crowley and his little band of knights, so it must be related to that. Tell me Jaden, what really happened in the chancellor's office?" asked Alexis with a slight intensity.

Jaden began to feel cornered from Alexis's intensity. "Wow, she's pretty good. You know, I believe she'll make a great counselor, on top of being a teacher," commented Yubel inside Jaden's head. "Not helping, Yubel!" he replied to her. "What do I say to her now? I can't talk about the Dragoons in front of Atticus and Mac. Man, I hope something or someone can get me out of this situation!"

As Jaden was thinking that, the trolley came to a stop. "Well, it looks like we've arrived," said Mac, who was looking at something on her left side. They all turned to that direction, and saw a very wide, luxurious mansion in front of them.

The driver looked looked back at them, and said, "This is the guest house prepared by chancellor Sheppard, where all of the guests of the reunion will be staying. Inside, you will find many modern facilities that we hope will cater to all of your needs, including an underground gym, high-tech kitchen with a full pantry and chefs ready at your beck and call, an outdoor bath and spa, and many more. Your luggage has already been delivered to your room. Inside, a student volunteer will provide you with your room keys, and answer any questions you might have, as well as provide you with a schedule for tomorrow. On behalf of chancellor Sheppard and the rest of the staff, we would like to officially welcome you to the duel academy reunion."

"Wow, this place looks amazing!" exclaimed Jaden. "Let's take a look inside!" he said excitedly, then took off towards the guest house. Sharing his enthusiasm, both Mac and Atticus followed suit, while Alexis left the trolley last, and followed slowly behind, still in thought.

"I don't get it. What did the chancellor say to Jaden to get him all riled up? I'm sure it had something to do with Crowley, but what? Did he actually figure out Crowley's plan, and told only Jaden to keep us safe and out of the loop? I'm sure there's more to this story then that." She stopped when she realized something. "Wait a second, Jaden said that both Axel and Jesse work with him at Kaiba Corp., that they were on the same team, and the chancellor already spoke with them in private like he did with Jaden. Whatever's going on, I'm sure they know something, and I'm going to try and get it from them."

"Hey lex, you coming?" asked Jaden from in front of the house.

"Yeah, just give me a sec," she replied, running up to him. "For now, I guess I'll have to probe Jaden for more information, though I'm not sure he'll actually tell me, promise or otherwise. Still, I want to know more, so I can help him," she thought, then gave a bitter smile. "You know, if anyone else heard this, I'd probably be mistaken for a nosy stalker."

---

"It's way bigger on the inside, isn't it," commented Jaden, as they stepped into the mansion.

As he had pointed out, the inside of the mansion was more spacious then one could have first imagined. The main lobby and meeting area were wide enough to host a large party, and was equipped with several recreational facilities, including a mini-bar with seats, several long couches and comfortable seats, pool tables, one of the biggest Ultra-HD TV's in the market, and of course, an entire space wide enough to duel, battle city style. At the end of the hall, stood the entrance to the outdoor hot springs and spa, which was wider and fancier then any of them had ever seen before (with of course, proper segregation between the genders, much to Atticus's dismay), providing them with a beautiful view of the beach, coupled with the chilled yet gentle and heartwarming breeze coming from the sea. On the right side of the main lobby, was the kitchen and dining area, and as the trolley driver had explained, the kitchen was equipped with the latest cookware and a stocked pantry. The dining area itself could accommodate a large number of people, to the point where Mac and Alexis thought it was excessive, considering the number of guests. On the left were two sets of elevators, one leading to the male guest rooms, the other to the female guest rooms.

Atticus whistled in admiration at the sight of the place. "Man, I've gotta hand it to the chancellor. He has terrible taste in professors, but I've gotta admit, he has great taste in housing and entertainment," he said.

"Of course he has. After all, you are our important guests," came a feminine voice from behind them. Jaden and Alexis both instantly recognized the identity of the voice, as they had both met that person before. They turned around to see a familiar girl with fiery-red hair, standing behind the main counter in the lobby. "Welcome guests, to the duel academy guest house. My name is Fira, second year Obelisk blue student, and I will be your attendant and helper on this lovely evening," said the girl who attacked Jaden and Alexis a few nights ago, Fira. She was dressed in the traditional Obelisk blue uniform, at the exception of a small name-tag located on the upper-left side of her uniform.

Jaden instantly jumped in front of Alexis, and braced himself for what might come, while both Atticus and Mac tensed up after hearing her name, expecting trouble, but contrast to all of their expectations, Fira looked surprised. "Huh, why the sudden tone change in the room? Is something wrong? Why do you all look like you're going off to war or something?" she asked.

"Sorry, but I think you'll forgive us for being a little cautious," said Jaden fiercely. "Especially after what happened a few nights ago."

"Huh, a few nights ago? I'm sorry, what are you talking about?" she asked, confused by Jaden's words.

Jaden widened his eyes, while Alexis screamed out," Don't play dumb with us! You attacked Jaden and I a few nights ago, and nearly killed a large number of people, and now you have the guts to act like nothing happened!"

"Huh, attacked you? Killed people? That sounds awful, and nothing like me! Why on earth would I ever want to do that? Besides, I've never met you people in person until today, so I think you've mistaken me for someone else. Why would you accuse me of such horrible atrocities? I would never hurt anyone like that!" shouted Fira tearfully, trying to defend herself.

Jaden was dumbfounded. "What the hell is going on here?" he thought. "She's acting way different then before. And what's with those tears? Did she really not do anything, or perhaps she was forced or manipulated into doing those things?"

"Don't think too deeply into this, Jaden," said Yubel in his thoughts. "She's clearly faking, though I've got to say that she's doing a pretty good job at it."

"Faking?" asked Jaden.

"Most likely, she's trying to win over Mac and Atticus who have not actually seen her before, or perhaps taking into account the fact that we might have exposed her beforehand, she is probably trying to hide her actions from a certain someone, and that someone is probably watching us now, maybe through a hidden camera or something of the sorts," speculated Yubel.

"Someone? Oh, could you mean someone like the chancellor?" asked Jaden.

"Bingo," said Yubel. "After all, that sneaky professor probably doesn't want any 'inconveniences' to pop up before he can execute his plan. Think about it; If one of his students cracks, the whole operation could be compromised. I'm honestly impressed that he managed to keep everything hidden from the chancellor for so long. I mean, even I was eventually exposed by you and your friends within a month or so, when I was working with that other professor, remember?"

"How could I forget," said Jaden bitterly, as he put his attention back to the situation at hand.

"Never hurt anyone? Never met you? Don't give me that crap!" shouted Alexis. "After everything you put me through, you think you can just play this off as some dumb misunderstanding?!"

"But it's true! If it's as you say, and whatever happened to you took place a few days ago, then I had nothing to do with it! I was at the academy this whole time; In fact, I haven't left the academy since the autumn tournament that took place in Domino a couple of months ago, and I even have an alibi to prove it!" replied Fira confidently, then took out a document from a small cabinet below her, and showed it to them. "See, I've been helping out at this mansion for the past five days now on orders from professor Crowler, and I've only ever left a couple of times to report to the chancellor. Normally, I'd also show you the security footage of this place from the past few days, but I don't have access to the security room. When my colleague comes back, I'm sure he'll also vouch for me, cause we've been working together from the start. So as you can see, it's impossible for me to have left the island without someone noticing my absence, not to mention improbable, since I don't have a way to leave the island in the first place, and to top it all off, I didn't know where you were back then, so how could I have found you?" she explained tearfully.

Alexis staggered a bit after seeing Fira's proof. "That's impossible! I know she's the one who was present on the bridge that day, and the one who kidnapped me, not to mention the one who dueled Jaden, yet there she is denying it and acting all innocent. But the proof... unfortunately, the proof all makes sense, especially if she has security footage and witnesses to back it up. Then how... wait, those black flames of hers! I don't know how, but I know that based on Jaden's side of the story, she can teleport with them! After all, she managed to get from the restaurant to the Domino City bridge in virtually a few seconds, so it'd actually be a cinch to get off the island undetected. However, there's still the matter of the security footage..." she thought, as she stared at Fira.

The two stared at each other for a short while, and right before Alexis was about to say something, Atticus jumped in. "Alright, break it up, ladies. You know I'm always in the mood for a classic catfight as much as the next guy, but we need to prioritize here," he said, then faced Fira, and bowed. "I'm sorry for what my sister said. She's actually been through a lot these past few days, and is a little on edge. Please forgive her, she's really tired and probably mistook you for someone else," he said apologetically. "Though I must say, I'm not sure how anyone could mistake someone as cute as you for somebody else."

"Oh, how sweet of you," said Fira with a smile, then looked up at Alexis. "Normally, I wouldn't forgive such a heartless and baseless accusation, but since it's the holidays, I guess I could let it slide just this once. Plus, I've always admired the 'Obelisk Queen' ever since I joined the obelisk blue girls dorm; After all, she was a role model to us all, though I never expected to see such a... fierce, aggressive side of her, especially not today," she said.

"Oh, that's nice of you," said Atticus, then he turned around and faced Alexis. "Now Lex, come on, I know you've had a long day, but you can't go around screaming at every person you meet, just cause they look like someone you might know."

"But Atticus, that's the same girl who..." she began, but stopped after seeing her brother's face. He had a serious look on his face, then he nodded at her slightly as if beckoning her to play along. She closed her eyes, then bowed her head. "You're right, brother. I'm sorry Fira, I must have mistaken you for someone else. Like Atty said, it's been a long week," she said apologetically.

Fira nodded. "Well okay, it's fine. 'Tis the season of forgiveness after all," she said indifferently, then moved back to the counter. "Well, now that your here, I need to give you your keycards. Please remember to take your keycard with you wherever you go, as you need it to enter all of the house's facilities. Now where did I put them? Hm, let's see..."

As Fira started looking for the keycards, Atticus beckoned the group to come together. "Listen, we need to play it cool for now," he said in a low voice. "I know that she's put you two through hell, and I know that you want to lash out or get even with her; Heck, even I don't want to forgive her, despite how cute she is, but right now is not the best time for that."

"Atty's right," agreed Mac. "Knowing Sheppard, he's probably watching this place right know, and if he is, then we probably have another person watching in on us too, and you both know who that person is."

Both Jaden and Alexis nodded. "The point is that if Sheppard's watching, and this girl does really work for Crowley, she wouldn't want to be exposed just yet, but at the same time, it'll look bad for us if we start questioning her," explained Atticus. "In other words, there's nothing we can do right now, but play along."

"That Crowley guy is pretty sneaky though, to the point where I think we underestimated him," said Mac. "He has us dancing in the palm of his hand, and it's like he's mocking us from somewhere, saying 'Go ahead and interrogate her... if you want to look like the bad guys'. I'm afraid Atty's right; We just have to play this out."

"Oh, darn it! I must have left them in the back room!" said Fira, as Jaden and his friends ended their little discussion. "Just a minute, please. I've gotta head on back," she said to them with a cute pose, then headed into the room behind the counter.

Silence enveloped the room for a while. "Well, you heard them. What do you suggest?" asked Jaden telepathically to Yubel.

"As they said, it's best to do nothing for now," she replied. "That professor is probably watching us now, laughing at our misfortune. That little witch got us good, managing to trap us from all sides until the professors's plan comes into motion. It's infuriating, but not unexpected. After all, he managed to survive this long without being discovered by the chancellor, so I'm confident that he can survive a few more days safely, and all we can do is to wait patiently until either he slips up or..."

"Ah, I see that our guests are here," said a calm voice from behind the group. They turned around to see a young man with a slightly slender figure standing behind them, slightly bowing with a hand over his chest, dressed in an obelisk blue uniform. He had flowing, shoulder-length blonde hair, deep-blue eyes, and quite a handsome face. He looked up and said, "Welcome our dear guests, and a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Edward Sherwood, hailing from jolly old England, 2nd year student at this illustrious duel academy as well as top of my class, and I will be one of your attendants on this lovely evening."

"Sherwood? As in the Sherwood conglomerate?" asked Mac.

"Ah, the lovely young madam knows me well. That brings me such joy," said Edward, then he proceeded to head towards the group, while saying, "Yes, I am the next head of the prestigious Sherwood conglomerate, as everybody on this island seems to know, but as I've learned here and you probably already know, my family name means nothing in this academy. Here, I am simply 'Edward' the duelist, not a rich playboy, nor some sadistic, delusional celebrity. Though I must say, it makes me delighted to know that you of all people know my name, Ms. Mackenzie."

He then approached Mac, took her hand, and gave her a small peck on it. "Well, how courteous, Edward," stuttered a confused Mac.

"Please, call me by my duelist name, Ray," he said.

Alexis blushed slightly at the scene, not expecting this turn of events, while Atticus was smiling on the outside, but slightly irritated on the inside. "It's just a greeting. It's just a greeting. It's just a greeting..." he kept repeating those envious thoughts inside of him. Jaden on the other hand, was looking inquisitively at Edward, sensing that he gave off the same kind of vibe that Fira did.

"That name, Ray..." he thought.

"Oh, I'm impressed that you of all people managed to pick that up right away," said Yubel telepathically. "Yes, judging from the dangerous aura this young man is giving off, and his name 'Ray', it seems like we've found the second elemental knight, the 'LIGHT' knight."

"This of course applies to everyone," said Ray. "Please don't think of me as Edward Sherwood, but as your fellow junior duelist, Ray. I do hope we get along," he said courteously, then approached Jaden. "Especially you, Jaden Yuki. I look forward to getting to know you better," he smiled, then offered his hand for Jaden to shake.

"Sure. Same here," smiled Jaden confidently, and he accepted the handshake. As they were shaking hands however, Jaden felt an ominous presence gripping him, as if something were trying to invade his mind. He staggered for a bit, then looked up and saw Ray giving him a sinister smile for a brief moment, before releasing his hand, and returning to his usual business smile.

"Well, I'm sure that all of you are tired after your long journey, so let me show you to your rooms. Have you received your keycards yet?" asked Ray.

"No, the other girl said that she forgot them in the backroom, and went to grab them," said Mac.

"By other girl, do you mean Fira? We were supposed to work our hardest together to support you guests tonight, but it seems like she's doing things at her own pace again," said Ray, then turned and called to Fira, "Oi Fira, did you get the keycards yet? Our guests are waiting!"

"Is that you, Ray? I found them, coming back in a sec," she shouted back.

"My deepest apologies for this blunder," he said, while turning around and bowing. "She can be a bit of an air-headed girl sometimes."

"No prob," said Jaden. "Everybody forgets things."

"Thank you for your kind words," replied Ray, as Fira popped up from the backroom.

"Sorry for the wait!" she said enthusiastically. "Here are your room keys," she said, handing each of the members a keycard. Each keycard had the guest's name, as well a unique number on it. "As you can see, each guest has his own unique keycard. Your number is on your card, but just in case you're the forgetful type, like myself, your names are engraved onto each door," she explained.

"Well, I am sure that you are all anxious to get up to your rooms, so allow us to escort you there. I will go with the gentlemen, and Fira will escort the ladies. Now, please come this way," instructed Ray, as he and Fira led the group to their rooms via the elevators.

Yubel, who had been observing the whole time, glanced at Ray fiercely. "That boy, he did something to Jaden. I don't know what it was, but I felt it," she thought, then shivered a little. "It was not a pleasant feeling though; It was as if he was trying to break down and enter Jaden's mind with a hammer! Could this be his spiritual power? If so, then we could be in for a long vacation. Let's hope Jaden or the chancellor manage to deal with that pesky professor and his knights, before the situation can escalate out of control."

---

"Well Ms. Mackenzie, here is your room," said Fira, as they stood in front of Mac's room.

"Thank you, Fira. Also, Mac is fine. We're going to be seeing a lot more of each other, so I don't mind if you call me a bit more casually," replied Mac with a smile.

"Okie dokie!" she said cheerfully, then moved on to the next room as Mac stepped into hers. "Well Ms. Rhodes, your room isn't very far from hers, only a few doors down."

"That's nice," said Alexis, who was deep in thought. "Could she really be acting all of this? It's still hard to believe that she's the same person, then again..." she thought, remembering how she acted in front of Jaden.

"We're here, Alexis," said Fira, as she stood in front of Alexis's room. "I hope you'll like it. The chancellor put a lot of detail into designing these suite-style rooms."

"I see. Sounds nice," said Alexis indifferently, before realizing something. "Wait a second, I don't remember letting you call me so casually," she stated, facing Fira.

"Oh, you didn't? I though that since you and Mac were friends, that it would be alright for me too. Guess not, huh," said Fira dejectedly, but the smile instantly returned to her face. "I do admire you though. I mean, you were the best obelisk blue female duelist ever!"

"Well thanks, I guess," said Alexis.

Fira then looked at Alexis with a dangerous smile. "Hey, can I hug you? I always wanted to hug my female idol!" she requested.

"A hug? Normally, I'd refuse, but I did say all of those things, so I guess..." began Alexis.

"YAAAY," cheered Fira, not waiting for Alexis to finish. Alexis was flustered for an bit, and was about to respond, but Fira asked in a low voice, "What the hell do you think you were doing back there?"

Alexis shuddered a bit, as the girl's tone had changed. "Huh, what are you..."

"Shh. No talk, just listen," interrupted Fira. "I meant, you making a scene back there. Here I was, trying to play the good girl, and you just had to go and try to foil it. Luckily for me, your precious brother stepped in, or rather should I say, lucky for you." Alexis shuddered at those last words, as the atmosphere around them grew strangely cold. "Honestly, I was this close to burning you to a crisp. You should feel thankful that your dear brother stepped in, or even more so, that lord Jaden was watching. That would have destroyed all of my credibility, and ruined my personal plans. Honestly, I feel so frustrated right now, but alas, I can't deal with you right now. I can, however, cut you a deal."

Alexis widened her eyes a little. "A deal? With you?" she asked cautiously.

"Yes, glad you catch on," said Fira indifferently. "Listen, I really don't like you, but I don't really have much of a problem with the rest of the guests, and I really don't wanna cause any unnecessary trouble while lord Jaden is here. I want him to have as much fun as he can while he's here, and I'd rather him not jump in to protect you like last time, so I want to call a truce. As long as you stay out of my way when I'm interacting with lord Jaden, then I won't interfere with you... for now, anyways. Though I say deal, it's more of an ultimatum, since you don't really have much of a choice. After all, I'm sure you're quite traumatized after last time."

"Traumatized? What kind of messed-up crap are you spouting? There's now way I'd... !" began Alexis, but she stopped and began to shudder. Fira had created a small ball of black flames in her right hand, and held it near Alexis's back. Alexis, realizing this, began to shake uncontrollably and sweat heavily, her body remembering the damaging effects of Fira's flames from their last encounter. Unable to contain her fear anymore, she raised a small shriek and pushed Fira away from her, the force of which caused her to reel back and fall to the ground.

Fira smirked at the sight of Alexis. "See what I mean. All I did was make a little, harmless ball of flames, and you're already cowering on the ground, crying and whimpering like a little b****," mocked Fira. "Admit it, you're terrified of me, and even if you try to act all tough, the fear and pain has already been engraved deep into your body, and now, you can't even face me eye-to-eye, but I guess that's a suitable punishment for a rich b**** like you. Maybe now, you'll realize how wrong you were, and you'll regret seducing my king," she said, a sadistic expression on her face, but it changed to a very calm, proper one in a manner of seconds.

"Well, I'll let you off with just that. It's getting late, you need your sleep, and I have a couple of things to finish before the other employees come back. After all, I'm just a volunteer," she said cheerfully in a bright tone, contrast to her tone a minute ago. "Well Alexis, it was fun chatting with you and getting to know you, and I look forward to doing so again later," she said while bowing, then headed towards the elevator. As she got in, she said, "Oh, and don't forget our little deal," in a calm voice, a slightly sadistic smile on her face, then the elevator doors closed, leaving Alexis alone in the spacious hallway.

Alexis slowly got up, as her body noticed that the danger had passed, then she slammed her fist into the wall next to her. "Why? Why was I so afraid of her? I knew she couldn't hurt me, at least not here, so why did I act like that? Was it instinct, or maybe... what she said is true. I really am traumatized, and that fear will prevent me from going against her," she thought as she stepped into her room, then slumped onto the nearby couch. "Damn it! This is just the worst. Now what do I do? Well, I guess the first thing I can do is go see Jaden for my original goal, I guess, because from what I can see, that might prove to be difficult later on."

---

"Well gents, here we are," said Ray, as he and the two guests he was escorting stood outside the door to one of the rooms on that floor. "This will be your room, master Atticus," he said.

"Thanks, man. You've been helpful," said Atticus, then he wrapped his arm around Ray's shoulder and said, "So tell me, newbie. Do you kiss all the ladies you come across? Or just the really cute ones? Or maybe it's just the one's you fancy, hm?" said Atticus, his tone hiding the thorns in his voice. Jaden smiled bitterly at the sight, while Yubel looked in disbelief. "I can't believe that this playboy is actually jealous of a simple peck, and on the hand no less. Human truly are mysterious creatures," she thought.

"Hm, whatever do you mean by that?" asked Ray, confused, then he widened his eyes, as if knowing what Atticus was referring to. "Oh, do you mean when I politely greeted madam Mackenzie? That is how I greet all the ladies I come across, particularly those of the upper-class. I was born to a family that was dedicated to the service of her majesty, the queen, after all, so showing this much courtesy is a must. Oh, was she your girlfriend? In that case, I apologize to you master Atticus, as I am aware that some people will take offense to my actions. I should have been more thoughtful," he finished, bowing.

"Man, when you put it that way, you make me look the bad guy," sighed Atticus. "Well, I guess I did overreact a little. It's fine, water under the bridge I guess."

"Thank you for your kind words, master Atticus," said Ray politely.

"Hey man, Atticus is fine. You getting all polite just makes things creepier," said Atticus, then he turned to Jaden. "Welp, I'm gonna check out the room, so I guess I'll catch you later, Jay," he said, then he stepped into his room.

"Now then master Jaden, your room is a couple of rooms down, as you can see here," said Ray, as they moved for a bit then stopped.

"Yeah, thanks," replied Jaden. "So you going to be working here all week?"

"As much as that would be a delightful experience, I'm afraid not, master Jaden," said Ray. "You see, Fira and I are only here as replacements for the regular staff of the house, who are busy with other tasks at the current moment. Of course, I will still act as a student volunteer, as will Fira, and we will be helping you with all your other needs during your stay."

"Oh, okay. You guys must have it rough," said Jaden.

"Not at all. After all, a chance to mingle directly with some of the best duelists makes it all worth it," said Ray with a smile. "By the way master Jaden, could you spare some time during this week for a friendly duel with me?" he asked.

"A duel? Sure, I don't mind, but there are plenty of good duelists that you can duel with, so why me..." began a cautious Jaden, but he was then stopped as he felt both of his shoulders being squeezed immensely. He looked ahead of him, to see Ray squeezing his shoulders with a powerful force, a sinister look on his face.

"No, it has to be you, the most powerful duelist of your time! Ah, I can picture it now, the sight of our fierce battle tearing this worthless world apart, and shaking the very ground beneath our feet! It will be a battle of epic proportions, and at the end of it all... I will finally obtain what I seek!" he said wildly, as if delusional. Jaden was stunned by this sudden reaction, while Yubel confirmed her suspicions, and proceeded to help Jaden pry free from the boy's grip, however that was unnecessary, as the boy in question let go voluntarily, with an apologetic expression that belied the sinister one he wore earlier.

"Oh, my sincerest apologies," said Ray. "I got a little excited there, and when I get excited, I tend to forget my surroundings, and I begin to act a little aggressive, based on the people who know me personally." He then bowed, and said, "Please accept my humblest apologies! I swear on the great Sherwood name that a mishap like that will not happen again, mark my words," in a frantic manner.

"Yeah, no problem man," said Jaden with a bitter smile. "Well, I'm gonna head into my room now, so I guess I'll see you later."

"Yes, of course. See you later, oh supreme one," said Ray, the last part only heard by himself as Jaden stepped into his room and closed the door behind him.

Once inside, Jaden just took a few steps, then plopped down on what seemed to be a couch. He had not turned on the lights, and the lighting coming from the window was dim. "Man, that was a close one. That guy, Ray, it almost seemed like he was trying to enter my head. What's that about? Is that his ability? And that grip..." he thought, troubled by the revelation.

"Yes, that boy is more formidable then he looks," said Yubel, who appeared. "Earlier, I also felt it, like a foreign entity trying to invade your mind, and a creepy feeling of... helplessness, like my body couldn't move," she continued, slightly shaken. "Be careful around that boy, Jaden, for there's no telling what he'll do. That smile, it was similar to the one that the professor had when we met him a few days ago."

"Don't worry, Yubel, i'll be fine. Plus, everybody's here, so we should be..." he began, but then heard a knock coming from his balcony window. He turned to the source, and saw two people standing outside. He couldn't tell much about them, only that both were male, and one of them seemed pretty intimidating, but just as Jaden was activating his powers to prepare for the worst, a familiar duel spirit jumped into his chest, causing him to tumble back onto the couch.

"Ruby, ruby," said Ruby Carbuncle happily. Ruby was one of the crystal beasts, and it's presence meant only one thing.

"Heya Ruby, it's been a while," said Jaden happily, then he realized it. "Wait, then that means that one of the guys outside is Jesse, and so the only other guy has to be... Axel! Man, what a wimp I turned out to be, am I right?"

"Well, to be fair, you have a right to be cautious after everything that's happened," said Yubel with a sigh. "Now, I think you should switch on the lights, and welcome them in. If I'm not mistaken, the switch should be somewhere above where you're sitting."

"Thanks, will do," said Jaden, as he got up, and flipped the light switch, welcoming the smiling gaze of Jesse, and the disinterested but respectful gaze of Axel, as he headed towards the balcony.

---

"So Fira, how was your little grudge talk?"

"It was pretty satisfying actually. That little b**** is probably cowering in her room right now, but I'm more interested in what you were talking about upstairs with our lord."

"Nothing, I just offered to duel him, is all. Don't look at me with that scowl; It'll mess up your pretty face."

"Don't patronize me, you bastard. You think I didn't see what you were doing back there? Lord Jaden might not have realized it, but I have. You were trying to use your powers on him, weren't you?!"

"Relax, it was just a demonstration of my abilities, a bit of harmless fun if you will. I never truly intended to use my powers; After all, he's a vital key for the success of our plan, and my ambitions."

"...Listen up, si cazzo. If you dare pull that stunt again, I will kill you. è chiaro?"

"Oh Fira, your accent is slipping. You best be careful, my dear. Plus, I think you should only say that after you've beaten me at least once, though I will heed your advice... for now."

---

Part 2

"Hey, great to see ya, Jay!" said Jesse excitedly, as he exchanged a high-five with Jaden. "It's only been a week, but it feels like it's been ages!"

"Yeah Jesse, I'm glad to see you guys too," replied Jaden.

Once Jaden had opened the balcony window, he was reunited with his friends and teammates, Jesse and Axel, who were all now seated on the surprisingly wide couch. They had just gotten back from the secret meeting with their fellow Dragoon contact, and Axel was eager to fill Jaden in on all of the details.

"I'm going to go ahead and assume you didn't read the case file yet," said Axel, and once Jaden nodded, he continued. "Well, I also assume that the chancellor told you about the meeting. But before I fill you in..." he stopped, then took a small, handheld device from the small bag he brought with him, and said, "I need to ensure that this place is secure. Why don't you ask Jesse about his brief Rio trip while I work?", then got up and walked to the doorway.

"Yeah, I don't have much to say about that, though," laughed Jesse. "I mean, I got to the airport, and was heading to my hotel room, when Axel gave me the call, and said I had to head back, because we got a last minute assignment. Man, the weather was pretty good, and I was hoping to enjoy the beach with Ruby and the others. Ain't that right, Ruby?"

"Ruby, ruby!" said Ruby Carbuncle excitedly.

"Then I had to get back, but there was a long delay at the airport, because apparently there were a couple of storms on the route back, and the pilots didn't wanna take any chances, and when I finally got back to Domino, Axel was all pissed and stuff, so there's that. But on the bright side, we get to meet everyone again, so that's cool," said Jesse excitedly, then continued talking for a while about what happened from that point until they arrived onto the island, then asked Jaden about his week.

"Yeah, I guess it was really exciting. I mean, I already met Alexis and Atticus for starters, so..." began Jaden, but was stopped by Jesse.

"Woah, woah, woah!" shouted Jesse, "Step back a little. You met with Alexis? When did you... how did you..."

"Well, it's a long story..." began Jaden.

"And it's a story that'll have to wait," said Axel. "I took some countermeasures, so we should be free of anyone trying to listen in on our talk. I've also set up a few hidden cameras around the room, particularly near the doorway and balcony, and I'll give you access to the feeds later."

"Well, somebody works fast," said Jesse sarcastically.

"Of course I do, because one of has to," replied Axel, then he continued. "So, after speaking with the chancellor, we met with the agent. As we expected, she's a fellow Dragoon, and she is quite an interesting character, if I had to say. First off, as expected, the artifacts that were brought into the island are currently being set up all over the academy, however what they do or where they are is still widely unknown, since it seems only the professor and one of his knights are responsible for setting up the artifacts. Second, this flash drive we got from her contains the schematics for Crowley's base. It seems like he's got himself quite the funds, cause the security in that place is top-notch and state-of-the-art. Well, not that it matters, because even though the security is military grade, it seems like the powers of the six knights alone make it difficult for anyone to get in there, let alone a specialist like myself."

"So what's the success rate for us staging a frontal assault?" asked Jesse.

"To be honest, even with all of our advantages, still less then five percent... and that's being generous, " answered Axel. "It seems like the base is like an underground fortress, with up to six levels underground, and on top of his knights, there are several researchers and personnel, hand-picked by the professor himself, working there. Apparently, all of the important stuff happens on the lowest level, and only the professor and his most trusted knight knows what goes on down there, and based on our contact, that's where the spirit energy is at it's highest concentration, so that's going to be our goal... is what I want to say, but I don't want to take such a costly risk."

"Are their abilities that terrifying, Axel?" asked Jaden.

"Compared to the supreme king's full abilities, no," said Axel honestly. "But compared to say, Jesse's abilities over here, then I would say that they're well trained enough to rival him, if not best him,"

"...You're got me there, Axel," smiled Jesse bitterly.

"My point is that if we currently can't face them, at least not on our own," said Axel. "It might be a different story if we got the academy involved, but for their safety, and to ensure that we don't get compromised, we're on our own. Even the chancellor, who could be our biggest asset, understands this. If we can't find a way to sneak past, if not incapacitate those knights, we can't escape their powers. Speaking of which, that brings me to my third point, the knights themselves. Our contact gave a very thorough explanation on the identity, background and powers of each of the six knights, which you'll probably find in that file and I assume that you haven't read yet, Jaden." Jaden nodded, and Axel asked, "So, have you met or encountered any of the knights? I suspect that Crowley's main target seems to be you, so logically speaking, he should have sent one of his knights to either entice you, or threaten you, so which one was it, Jaden?"

"Let me answer your first question, by saying that I only met the two knights who are working as student volunteers downstairs, Fira and that blonde, British guy," answered Jaden. "As for your second question, well, you're hunch was right on the mark, Axel. A few nights ago, I had a little encounter with that girl Fira. Long story short, she kept trying to get me to join her group, I refused, we dueled and I won, but apparently I was out for a couple of days as a result," he said, purposefully omitting the details that pertain to Alexis's involvement.

"I see, so it seems that Crowley made the first move," muttered Axel, then he looked at Jaden. "Jaden, we're here to get the long story, not a summary. We need details and information, something we can cross-reference with what we have to get a better grasp of our opponents. Plus, I get the feeling that you're trying to hide something." Jaden widened his eyes at Axel's words, and Axel gave a small smile."Bullseye, huh? Jaden, you've never been good at hiding things. You need to remember that your expressions can give away everything, and if you can't mask your emotions when the time comes, then your enemies can get a lot of information out of you, and you will lose the psychological battle. I could go on, but we don't have the time for that," he said, turning on his handheld device, displaying Fira's profile on the screen, and began reciting it.

"Fira, age 16, female, red hair and blue eyes, blood type A, height is 1.7 meters, weight is 45 kilograms, origin unknown though her slight accent slips hint that she might be from Italy, and currently a second year here at duel academy. What the public know about her is that she's unbeaten here at the academy, and pro scouts have already approached her, even though she turned all of them down. Even against the pros who visit duel academy, she's never lost. Apparently, she's also one of your fangirls Jaden, and talking about you is her favorite hobby, besides swimming and cooking, though you probably already knew that," Axel said the last part in a slightly teasing tone, though Jaden didn't notice. "She's also very popular with the boys, and she's been approached by several gravure modeling agencies, though apparently she was caught saying, and I quote, 'I'm saving my body for my king... I mean, my future boyfriend, preferably a great duelist with brown hair and eyes, and who loves fried shrimp! Yeah, only he can see it!', though apparently that didn't stop the agencies from trying countless times."

"Oddly specific, isn't she?" snickered Jesse, glancing at Jaden, while Yubel thought, "I know I wanted women to like him, but why on earth did it have to be a stalker?!"

"Now for what we need to know, and what the public doesn't. Among the knights, she represents the 'FIRE' element in duel monsters, and is ranked number 3 on Crowley's hierarchy chart. All of her so-called subordinates are female, because apparently she doesn't want to associate with men as much as possible. As for her powers, she can apparently use..."

"Black flames," interjected Jaden.

"Exactly," said Axel. "Those flames that she can manifest can produce a heat far above the human tolerance level, and Crowley even has her use it to threaten or interrogate certain people. I mean, she hasn't killed anyone, supposedly, but a lot of the chancellor's spies suffered major burns in several areas on their body, some of which are permanent." Jaden stared blankly, unable to believe that the girl he faced in a duel would actually do something like that, but he remembered what happened to Alexis. "In duels, she's also very aggressive in her playstyle, particularly after she received her new deck from Crowley, and although she keeps a prim and proper facade in most cases, she will not hesitate to drop her facade and insult or even hurt someone if provoked, and she wears her emotions on her sleeve during that time, though that rarely ever happens. The only positive point is her obsession with you, Jay. Based on this report, everything she does, she does it under the pretext of 'For Jaden's sake', and she'll probably listen to whatever you say. If you play your cards right, you can even convince her to leave Crowley, reducing the number of troubles we might have to face soon," explained Axel. "Now, why don't you fill us in on what you're hiding before we continue?" he asked with a serious expression.

"Come on Axel, Jaden would never hide anything from us deliberately. I mean, the guy is practically an open book, and at the exception of when he got back from the dark world, and probably Yubel, he's never really kept anything from anybody, am I right Jay?" asked Jesse.

Jaden thought for a second, then said, "No, Axel is right. Something else happened that night, and as a result, I might have... no, I have changed someone's life forever. I suppose if someone had to know, you two are the best guys I can say this to, at least for now, but before I do, there's someone else I need to drag into our conversation."

"Someone else? What are you talking about?" asked Axel suspiciously, a very dark tone behind his question. "Are you saying that you disclosed confidential information to someone outside the Dragoons?"

"Now lets calm down, Axel. I doubt even Jaden would do something so risky, right Jay?" asked Jesse, though with a slight doubt.

"Yeah, even I know when I'm not supposed to do something. Come on, give me some credit," said Jaden, drawing a sigh from the other two guys. "However, I'm serious about what I said." He paused, and took a deep breath, then said, "Guys, I need to tell everything to...", but was interrupted by a knock on his door.

Jaden and Jesse flinched a little, while Axel calmly accessed the cameras he had placed all over the room using his device. Looking through the camera he had stealthily placed on the door, his tension slightly disappeared, as he saw a familiar figure standing outside. "Well, it seems like they haven't caught on to us yet," said Axel, showing the two the feed from the camera. The person who knocked on the door, was Alexis, who had come to speak with Jaden. Jesse smiled seeing an old friend again, his tension vanishing, while even Axel, despite being cautious, could not help but smile a little. Jaden on the other hand, knew that this was the perfect opportunity to tell Alexis everything, as he had once promised.

"Well Jay, aren't you gonna let her in?" asked Jesse.

"Wait, before that, I need you to both refrain from saying anything confidential. I believe that you both already know that, but a little reminder can't hurt," said Axel, as he beckoned Jaden to open the door, while hiding his device.

Jaden got up, and opened the door, to see an anxious Alexis waiting for him. "Hey Jay, you have a moment?" she asked. "We might not have a chance to talk face-to-face like this, especially after our friends get here, and with all of the planned events, I thought I'd talk to you before we all get busy."

"I don't mind at all, in fact, now's the perfect time," said Jaden. "But, you're going to have to put up with a couple of guys you know all too well," he explained as she stepped into the room.

"A couple of guys? What are you..." she began, but stopped as she saw Jesse and Axel on the wide couch. Jesse gave a wide smile, and raised his hand to greet her, while Axel looked at her with a stoic expression, but from experience, you could tell that even he was ecstatic, if only a little. Alexis saw them, and smiled brightly. "Jesse and Axel, is that you? I can't believe it, it's been ages!"

"Yeah, long time no see, Alexis. Hope you've been doing well," said Jesse.

"It's good to see you again, Alexis. You've grown a bit taller, and I can also see that you've trained your muscles a little, probably from martial arts. I'm actually quite surprised, as you didn't seem the type, but then again, you are one of the most tenacious and determined people I have ever met, and a little self-defense can't harm you," said Axel in a calculating manner.

"Thanks Jesse, I'm really glad to see you too," said Alexis, while high-fiving him. "And great to see you too, Axel," she added a little awkwardly. Urged by Jaden, she took a seat on the couch, and began chatting with the two happily, while Jaden went to check if there were any drinks he could offer them, and although he wanted to serve them some beer or sake, as they were all of legal drinking age, Yubel advised against it, considering what will happen next, so he brought them a variety of fancy juices that he found in the fridge.

As he got back, he heard Alexis say something a little unexpected. "Listen guys, I'm glad to see you all again,and I really want to catch up some more, but if you don't mind, I need to talk to Jaden in private for a while, about something a bit personal, so can you guys leave us for a couple of hours?" she asked.

Axel and Jesse looked at each other for a second, then both stared at her with a surprised expression. "Look Alexis, much as we don't mind leaving you two to chat, we've got our own urgent matter to talk with Jaden about, and unfortunately it concerns our job. You probably didn't know about this, but Axel, Jay and I all work for Kaiba Corp. as field testers, and..." began Jesse.

"I already know about Kaiba Corp. from Jaden," said Alexis. "Also, while Jaden was staying at my place, a colleague of yours, Bridget, dropped by to deliver some documents, so I already know all the specifics."

"I see. Well, in that case Lex, I won't have to bother with a long explanation," said Jesse, then he looked at her with a serious expression. "Listen, right now on this island, there's a man who plans to probably do something sinister, we're not a hundred percent sure what though. I can't reveal his name or where he is, but as a dear friend of ours, I think you should at least know the severity of the situation, and on that note, me and the guys need to discuss what we're going to do to counter that man's plans. For that reason, I would rather you wait until tomorrow to chat with Jaden." Axel listened, and while he wanted to interject, he decided to remain silent instead.

Alexis paused for a second, then asked, "By man, do you mean that professor Crowley?" Both Jesse and Axel looked surprised at the mention of his name, as she continued. "Believe me, I know everything about that. I know that he's here on this island, that he's been gathering artifacts, and that all of his plans seem to revolve around the supreme king. I also know about his knights, and the fact that they all have spiritual abilities like Jaden or Jesse, and having been personally assaulted by one, I know firsthand how dangerous they really are," she explained, the last part coming out with a slight chill in her voice.

"But how did you..." began Jesse, before Axel cut him with another question to Alexis. "Wait, so when were you attacked?"

"A few nights ago. Why?" she replied.

"I see," he replied, then looked at Jaden. "So the victim that Jaden saved a few nights ago in his encounter with Fira was you," he said. "Then that explains a lot, and also explains your hesitation, Jaden. Later on, if possible, I'd like you to re-count the events that happened that night, to help us with our investigation, after I hear Jaden's take, of course."

"Wait Axel, aren't you even a little suspicious of how she knew all of this?" asked a bewildered Jesse.

"What's there to know. She was attacked, and Jaden rescued her, and because of the events, and probably Jaden feeling a little guilty about his friend getting hurt, he explained almost everything to her, so I doubt keeping quiet or denying it would do us any good, not to mention that Jaden had to get his information and sources from somewhere, and I assume that Alexis or someone close to her, was that source. At this point, it's better to just admit it, and get as much as we can from her, am I right?" explained Axel.

Jesse still looked doubtful, but nodded reluctantly nonetheless, and said, "Yeah, you have a point."

"Despite that, this doesn't change the fact that this is a confidential matter, and while I do trust you personally Alexis, the choice isn't mine to make, as Mr. Kaiba has ordered us to be secretive, so I too am going to ask you to please leave any matters with Jaden for tomorrow," explained Axel calmly.

The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, until Jaden stepped between them and placed the drinks on the nearby table, then looked at Axel. "Axel, I know this gonna sound weird, but I need you to let her hear our conversation," he said with a serious expression.

Jesse looked at Jaden with a shocked expression, as if he had been betrayed, while Axel calmly stared at Jaden, and asked, "Any logical reason I should? Or is it that she already knows everything, and despite the constant warnings, you revealed everything about us and what we do at Kaiba Corp. willingly, thus making you a traitor, or in lesser terms, someone with 'loose lips'." He then stood up, and walked over to Jaden until they were directly in front of each other. "Of course if it's the latter, you realize that you've committed an act of betrayal, and thus will be thoroughly and swiftly dealt with by myself and Jesse. So tell me Jaden, which one is it?"

The two of them stared at each other, the tension in the room growing by the second, but contrast to the situation, Axel smiled. "Just kidding. You haven't told her anything confidential about us, that much is clear, which means you have some sort of reason for letting her in on our conversation," he said.

Jaden sighed in relief, then smiled. "Man Axel, don't do that to me! You're jokes could end up killing someone one day!" he complained.

"Wait Axel, how can you be so sure?" asked Jesse dubiously.

"A lot of reasons actually. First of all, if she knew, she would realize that the three of us being together in the room, meant that something confidential was being discussed, and she wouldn't have asked us to leave so she can talk to Jaden. Secondly, when she got into the room, and greeted us, there was no hesitation in her voice or tone, and she didn't seem like she wanted to ask us something about our job, which would have left an awkward mood in the room had she done so. Plus, I'm sure that she realizes the risks of talking about confidential matters in enemy territory. I could go on, but we're wasting time here," he explained.

"Well then Alexis, let me ask you a question," declared Jesse. "What did Jaden tell you about our job?"

"He said that you were field agents, and that you tested new dueling technology, or something like that, and travel the world," said Alexis.

Jesse looked at Axel, and he nodded. That answer was their cover story that they would give to anyone who met them, and had been arranged beforehand by the three of them. It technically wasn't a lie, and they could still safely omit all the confidential details. "So, what do you guys think?" From a normal person's standpoint, it seemed like Jesse was talking to himself, but Jesse had directed his question to his duel spirits, the crystal beasts.

"Her aura looks calm. I believe she's telling us the truth," said Sapphire Pegasus, one of Jesse's most trusted spirits.

"Ruby, ruby!" agreed Ruby.

"Yeah, I can sense her aura too," said Jesse, then he turned towards Alexis and lowered his head. "I'm really sorry for doubting you, Lex. We've been through a lot, so we have to be really careful around other people, even if they're friends. I knew you were trustworthy from the start, but I still doubted you, so I'd like too..." he said as he was looking up, but paused to see Alexis with a surprised expression on her face.

"So that's your duel spirits, Jesse. Ruby Carbuncle and Sapphire Pegasus, two staples of your deck, though they look so much more realistic right now, to the point where I can actually sense or even feel their presence in the room," she commented.

Jesse and Axel both stood up in shock. "Wait, you can... see them?" asked Jesse hesitantly, and Alexis nodded. "That's impossible! You've never been able to see them before, so how did you..." he began, before he stopped as Axel put a hand on his shoulder.

"I think that this is Jaden's reason for letting her into our conversation, am I right?" said Axel, and Jaden nodded.

"What, that's your reaction? I mean, if it was somebody we didn't know, like those knights, that's one thing, but when somebody we know to be normal, suddenly shows up, and declares she can see spirits, doesn't that seem at least a little weird to you?" asked Jesse in a high-pitched voice.

"Of course I would... if Jaden didn't already have an explanation. Not to mention that you're usually not this aggressive and out of character, even when we do discover others with similar powers and abilities. Plus, you do know that everybody has a connection to duel spirits, but for the vast majority of humanity, that ability is dormant, hidden behind a door, if I were to use simple terms, in their soul, a door that can never be opened without the correct stimulus. Chazz, for example, only awakened his powers after he ran away from the academy in his first year, and while he might have had those abilities from childhood, it was never apparent until then. Of course, a small minority of humanity, like you and Jaden, are born with your powers already active, particularly Jaden who has the supreme king as his ancestor. That's why you need to understand that anybody, whether it be friend or foe, can awaken their latent spiritual powers at any given moment, so I think you should stop overreacting, sit down, and listen to what Jaden has to say," explained Axel.

Jesse realized his mishap, then lowered his head, and apologized to Alexis again, then calmly sat down. The rest of them followed suite, and soon, silence returned to the room.

"Alright Alexis, you have to listen to me very carefully," said Axel. "What I'm going to say to you is very confidential, and only a handful of people know about our real jobs at Kaiba Corp. You've probably guessed it a while ago, but 'field agents' is just a cover-up story we use when people ask us about our jobs. Whatever I say here, stays here. Once you learn about us, your life will be targeted by those trying to get to us, and they'll want to use you, whether as a source of information, or as a hostage. More importantly, if Mr. Kaiba finds out about this, there's no telling what lengths he'll go to keep us all silent, but at a minimum, you can consider your social life to be over. You can never go back to college, will never be able to see your friends and family again, and maybe even forced into living in some undisclosed location. Of course, I'm just hypothesizing, but the point is that if you hear this, you'll be thrust into a place of no return, but I won't force you to do this. You can still walk away now, and forget this ever happened. I won't even need to hear your take on what happened a few nights ago, I'll just trust Jaden's words. I know this is a big decision, so I'll give you a little while to decide..."

"No need!" said Alexis confidently. "I've already resolved myself to hear more about what Jaden really does, because it could give me clues about these new abilities of mine. I want to... no, I need to hear this! Please, let me be a part of this, and let me help you in any way I can!" she declared with a serious expression.

Jesse sighed and shrugged his shoulders, while Axel gave a small smile. "Is that so?" he asked. "Well alright, if you've resolved yourself, then there's nothing else I can say. Normally, I'd have you sign a non-disclosure agreement, but I trust you enough. In a sense though, I thought you might say that," he said, glancing at Jaden. "Well alright, lets get down to business. Firstly though, I'd like you two to recount the events of that night."

"Well, it all started at a restaurant..." began Jaden, as he then proceeded to recall the events of a few nights ago, how he and Alexis went to dinner and how they were attacked by Fira, how Alexis was kidnapped and her motives for doing so, how he chased her to the top of the Domino City bridge and beat her in a duel that took a lot out of the both of them, and how he met the mastermind, Prof. Crowley, through still unclear means. Alexis added some information about her personal conversation with Fira prior to Jaden's arrival, while Axel took note of every vital piece of information.

"Black flames, huh? I see, that more or less matches what we have on her from our data, but the fact that she would attack you directly puzzles me a little. I mean, using you as a hostage was within expectations, but her motivation for doing so, the surprising fact that her rage and anger were directed only at you, and the fact that she didn't really bother trying to keep you from Jaden and use you to leverage the situation into her favor, all that I don't get," said Axel, voicing his thoughts.

"Well, I pretty much do," said Jesse mischievously, while glancing at Jaden.

"Well, that's fine, so now for the real reveal. Jaden, I want you to tell me how Alexis awakened her dormant powers, and I want you to be thorough. I realize that you're hesitant to talk, and I understand, but you realize that if the wrong people found out about whatever it is you did, let alone Crowley, Alexis will never be safe again, so I need you to calmly tell me every last detail. If you can't, then I'll be forced to ask Alexis to leave," said Axel seriously.

"Damn, I knew they were going to ask that," he thought. "But, if I wanna keep my promise then I have to..."

He looked at Axel, and declared, "I'll do it, but as for exactly what happened, I'll have to rely on Yubel's take, since she was involced. Is that alright?" After getting a confirmation from Axel, he continued. "Alright, let's start from what happened after I woke up...", then as he did with first recollection, proceeded to talk about the events that happened as soon as he awoke from his slumber a couple of days after the attack, how he had entered Alexis's room as she was still unconscious, how Yubel had told him of an unproven method to potentially heal and revitalize her that involved transferring some of his powers through her, how he decided to take the gamble, which paid off as Alexis had woken up, and how they had found out of the side effect that his actions resulted in. Jaden then told Axel about the promise he made with Alexis, and his resolve to see it through to the end, feeling responsible for what he knew was his fault. All the while, Alexis was listening closely, and although she made a slightly embarrassed expression when Jaden explained the last part, she remained quiet throughout the rest.

"I see, you two have been through a lot," said Axel, his words aimed at the two of them, then he sighed. "Well, I have a feeling that at least one of us is going to end up regretting this, one way or another," he complained.

"Well, we've already gotten this far. Might as well see this through to the end," smiled Jesse.

"Alright, well what do you want to know first?" asked Axel.

"Your job. You've told me that being field agents was just a cover, so who are you really? Are you like a secret service or a spy organization, or something along those lines?" she asked.

"Straight to the point, I see. Fine, you're actually mostly correct. We are a secret organization, personally managed by none other then Seto Kaiba himself, and funded by Kaiba Corp., but we're not your typical secret organization; We don't fight terrorists, handle assassinations, espionage and sabotage, or any other crazy thing you can think of. We handle issues that are of a more 'supernatural' nature, and more specifically, we mainly deal with a certain mysterious antagonist, one you know all too well from your last year at duel academy," explained Axel.

"Wait, you don't mean... darkness?! But didn't Jaden finish 'it' off at the end. I mean, he freed Fujiwara who was the host, and practically saved us all, so how? Why?" she asked, stunned and confused.

"Yeah, well, we don't know much about that either. Just that, Fujiwara was apparently one of many hosts, and as long as we don't track them down, darkness will never stop rising. You know, that last part sounded kind of menacing," he explained. "Even now, we've only ever stopped the agents of darkness, guys like 'Trueman', and they just keep coming back whether to find new hosts, or to eliminate anyone troublesome, or even to just attack us head-on, for all it's worth."

"Sad thing is that while we've beaten any agents we've come across, they still manage to wreak havoc wherever they go, not to mention the fact that they probably found other hosts behind our backs. Our life sure is a hard one," commented Jesse.

"So how did it happen? How did Kaiba form your organization, and how did you and Jaden become involved?" she asked.

"Well, do you want the long version, or the summarized one? The long version might take a while, but I can tell you everything, even the small stuff, while on the other hand, the shorter version will be a lot more generalized, but I guarantee that you'll know enough to paint a vivid picture of the rest of the happenings. Plus, Jaden can fill you in at a later date. So, which will it be?" he asked.

"I just want to learn more about what you do. I want to learn a lot more about what the true purpose of darkness is, and how it might relate to me and my powers in the future. And if possible, I want to be prepared for the worst, if 'they' truly will use me as a hostage to get to Jaden and the rest of you. Specifics aren't really necessary, though, just tell me what I want and need to know," she declared.

"Summarized it is," said Axel, he said as he recounted the events that led to the creation of the Dragoons.

---

"Well, back in your last year, you remember that Jaden left the academy abruptly for a short while, and it was at that time that darkness finally made it's true move, correct? Well, what you don't know is that an incident happened related to darkness over at Kaiba Corporation's main HQ in Domino, and while Jaden dealt with it, Kaiba Corp. was completely blown up in the process, a specific story I don't want to get into right now. In any case, after found out about the incident, well if you skip all of the hissy fits, he started to research more about this mysterious enemy, though he is a skeptical person and would never admit that 'it' is a supernatural enemy. Still, he classified darkness as a dangerous organization, and after realizing that dueling was the only way to beat darkness, he began to gather some of the strongest duelists in the world, prioritizing those who were not in the pro leagues, or those with spiritual powers like Jaden and Jesse, and began to set his plan in motion. And thus, the 'Dragoons' were born, 'Dragoons' meaning dragon knights, a fitting name given his obsession with dragons."

"Around three to four months after it was blown up, Kaiba Corp. was surprisingly rebuilt, bigger and better then ever. At that time, I was taking jobs from Maximillion Pegasus, working as a freelance agent for a variety of security or espionage details, and one day, I was called to Mr. Pegasus's office, where to my surprise, Seto Kaiba was there. They were in the middle of a conversation, and when I stepped in, called me over to him, and introduced me to Seto Kaiba. From there, it was just a formal discussion, that Kaiba was forming a group of duelist elites to combat this 'organization', and that he was recommending me for one of the limited spots on that team. Kaiba wasn't convinced, however, and decided to put me up to a little test, the contents of which I'd rather keep to myself for now. All I can say is that I barely passed, and officially became the first member of the Dragoons."

"Time passed, and he started to add more members to the group. Around this time, Kaiba asked me to recommend a few of the 'middle-class' duelists to join the Dragoons. Of course, my decision was clear; For me, there were two guys I would want to work with the most: Jesse Anderson and Jaden Yuki. Both had faced darkness before, and Jaden had actually won. Jesse was surprisingly easy to find, seeing as he was pursuing his goal of freeing and releasing duel spirits from those who would use them for nefarious purposes. I actually found him in Domino when I was searching, and convincing him to join was actually pretty easy. He knew about darkness, and helping the Dragoons was helping himself protect his beloved duel spirits, so it was a win-win. Kaiba tested him, he passed, and the two of us formed a team, with the intention of adding one more member, who I think you know very well."

"Of course, Jaden was a hard man to find, as I'm sure you're already aware. Honestly, it took us almost an entire year to actually track him down. Every sighting, every incident, whether it was Venice or Brazil, he appeared and disappeared like the wind. It seemed like every time we got close, he was one step ahead, and whether it was deliberate or not, the bottom line is that we could never catch him. Even I have to admit, that the only reason we caught up in the first place, was that he was struggling against his enemy, long enough for us to catch up and help. After that, the story is pretty straightforward; After some hard convincing, Jaden joined up, with surprising ease I might add, considering Kaiba took him without so much as an interview, though Sheppard might have indirectly helped. In any case, Jaden joined up with us, and we formed our three-man cell, taking out our foes and spending time with each other. I'd go over all of our adventures, but it'll take quite a while to say all of them, so let's just say that we kept doing our job from then, right until about a week ago."

"As for how this relates to you, well from what I know, all of the confirmed hosts of darkness all share one distinct trait; One way or another, they all have spiritual powers similar to Jaden's or even yours. That's why I told you that starting now, darkness can and will target you for a variety of reasons, so you have to be prepared for the worst. Luckily for you, you've only awakened, so I doubt that darkness has noticed, but I've been wrong before. Alexis, I advise you not to use your powers or do anything that might arose suspicion in public. After all, it's highly likely that Crowley might not be the only enemy on the island," he finished, then closed his eyes.

Silence filled the room. "So that's it. That's why Jaden was so worried, or at least one of the reasons for that. I have become a target, and not just any target, but a very valuable one. What should I do?" Alexis thought, a serious expression on her face.

"Don't worry, lex," smiled Jesse, as he wrapped his arm around Jaden's shoulder. "Me and Jay will teach you the basics, and you'll be able to handle your powers in no time!"

"Yeah, Jesse's right," added Jaden. "How about we take an hour every night dedicated to training?" he suggested.

"Great idea, Jay! Axel can do his thing for an hour, while we practice," said Jesse. "So, what d'ya say, Alexis? You in?"

"Damn straight I am," she replied with no hesitation, then she bowed her head. "Please teach me what you know,"she requested politely.

"Then it's decided. An hour after every day, we'll meet here. Alexis will practice self-control of her powers with you two, while I'll do surveillance. Jesse will join me as soon as you're done," ordered Axel.

"What about me?" asked Jaden.

"You have to stay put after training. They're watching you after all," said Axel. "Best to not give them any open invitations, if you know what I mean." Then he stood up and faced Alexis and asked, "Well, anything else you want to ask?"

"How many hosts are there?" she asked.

"More then we know, less then you think," said Axel vaguely. "I think that covers everything, so now you know the truth. The question is what do you intend to do with it?"

"If you're implying that I would reveal your secrets, then that contradicts what you said earlier about trust, right?" she asked.

"That's not what I meant," said Axel calmly. "I just want to know how you're going to use the information. It is a lot to swallow, after all."

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked with a defiant smile. "I'm going to practice controlling and using my powers, even after Jaden and Jesse finish teaching me, and I'm going to improve as a duelist. Then, I'll be able to stand side-by-side with Jaden, and help you guys fight!" she declared passionately.

"Lex, you do realize that one of your statements was a akin to a confession, right?" said Jesse with a naughty smile.

"What are you...!" she began, then blushed as she realized. "Oh god! I just said it, to stand side-by-side, isn't that just like asking to be with him forever?! I mean, of course I wanted to confess, but not like this! I got too caught up in the moment! How do I get out of this one?" she though frantically.

"Lex," said Jaden.

"Y-yeah," she replied hesitantly. "Did it happen? Did he finally realize my feelings? I didn't want him to know like this, but if this will bring us together, then...". Jaden calmly moved towards Alexis with a serious expression. Alexis, already embarrassed by her own thoughts, panicked as Jaden walked over.

Once he approached her however, he placed his hand on her shoulder, and smiled. "I'm so glad you want to help us fight the darkness, Lex! Let's fight on the battlefield together as comrades who share a spiritual bond!" he declared happily.

Alexis froze up all over, her embarrassment turning into sheer disbelief, and her expression turning cold. Axel sighed at the sight in disregard, while Jesse thought, "Ouch. Alexis just got friend zoned. That was a b****slap right there. Smooth Jay, real smooth," while shaking his head with a facepalm.

"Huh, what's wrong guys? Why are you all making shocked expressions?" asked Jaden cluelessly.

"Nothing Jay. Absolutely nothing at all," said Alexis with a blank expression as she got up, removing Jaden's hand, and walking to the door. "Thank you guys for trusting me with your secret. I now know a lot more about what I should do from now, and I'm a lot closer to my goal... or so I thought until a minute ago. I'll leave you to your planning, while I go check to see if anyone else got here, but I'll make sure to come back at the same time tomorrow for my training. Well, good night," she stated, then left his room.

"Wait, I don't get what's going on?" asked Jaden. "Isn't she happy that we get to fight together?"

Jesse got up and wrapped his arm around Jaden's shoulder. "Jaden, if I didn't know you, and I wasn't your friend, chances are I would've punched you just now," said Jesse with a sigh.

"Huh, what are you saying?" asked Jaden, panic starting to creep in. "Dense oaf," were the words he heard in his head, probably from Yubel.

"Alright, playtime is over," said Axel, breaking the somber mood in the room. "Now, let's get back to the briefing."

"Wait, shouldn't Jaden run after her?" asked Jesse.

"Not the time, we're busy," responded Axel. "And besides, while I'm no expert in that type of stuff, I know very well that it'll probably make things worse right now. Let's just get back to work."

Jesse shrugged his shoulders and sat down, while Jaden pondered the meaning of Axel's last sentence as he followed suit, preparing themselves for the potential battles ahead.

---

Part 3

"Morning already, huh?" thought Jaden, as he slowly arose from his bed. He recalled how the rest of the evening had gone after Alexis left. The trio discussed several topics, including the surprising location of their base, among others. By the time they had finished, an hour had passed, and from Jaden's window, they saw that their friends had arrived. Jesse and Axel decided to wait for them in the lobby, while Jaden decided to greet them in the morning. In the end, they decided that Jaden would perform activities with the others as planned, while Axel and Jesse tried to dig up whatever they could, and hopefully, infiltrate their base.

"But to think that their base was there. Man, what was that professor thinking?" said Jaden to himself.

"Probably his idea of a twisted joke. Or perhaps he's trying to send a hidden message to you, or maybe even trying to keep you away. You don't exactly have fond memories of the place after all," said Yubel who appeared next to him.

"Well, when you put it that way, I can only think of it as a bad joke," sighed Jaden. "Anyways, Axel and Jesse will deal with that, since I have more pressing matters to take care of. I mean, I bet my friends are pretty pissed that I left them hanging last night."

"Well, maybe..." said Yubel, recalling what happened after Jaden had gone to sleep. She had left Jaden for a bit to check out her surroundings, trying to prevent an incident similar to when Fira had attacked them, and in doing so, indirectly (or so she says) heard the conversation between all of Jaden's friends who had just arrived, greeting each other casually. It remained that way, until one of them spoke up about Jaden, asking why he hadn't come out to greet them, while Axel and Jesse telling them that he was really tired, and that he said that he'd see them at breakfast. Although there was a slightly big uproar afterwords, Yubel decided to stop listening and continued surveying her close surroundings until morning, where she returned to Jaden's room.

"In any case, it's time I faced them," said Jaden as he got out of bed. "I haven't seen them for two and a half years, I kept trying to push them away, and I hadn't even contacted them until a week ago. Despite all of that, I've already resolved myself to greet them, to apologize for any trouble I caused and to get back to the good old days when everyone got along. I just hope that everybody's in a forgiving mood... nah, I'm sure it'll be fine." He reassured himself, then took a shower, dressed up in some casual clothes including a red jacket, then took a deep breath, and left his room. "Well, here goes nothing,"

---

As he headed for the elevator, he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Well, if it isn't Mr. popular," said the male voice behind him. As he turned around, he saw the face of a formally dressed guy he knew all too well.

"Yo, long time no see," greeted Aster Phoenix, as he walked towards him.

"Aster! It's great to see you too! Man, you haven't changed all that much," said Jaden as he high-fived one of his old friends.

"I'll take that as a compliment. As for you, you seem like a man on a mission, a man who's seen all of the dangers of the world and still keeps coming back for more. But enough about you, shall we get going?" asked Aster.

As the two of them were heading down, Jaden noticed something. "Hey Aster, you don't seem all that surprised to see me. I mean, I expected you to be your usual calm self, and that you wouldn't jump out like Syrus or something, but you're acting like we've been meeting up regularly, and you're you know, not surprised... Damn it, now my head's spinning," he tried to ask.

"Well what did you expect?" asked Aster. "I'm the type of person who's difficult to piss off and even more so to catch off guard. Plus, I already knew you were coming back, so there's not really a surprise anymore, though I was a little surprised that you didn't show up last night to greet us. Lastly, I wasn't exactly close to you as a friend to the level that say Syrus or Chazz would be. We're still friends of course, just not in the same way as with the others."

"Well, when you put it that way..."said Jaden.

"Besides, you're here now, and that's what matters. Honestly, I was a little nervous about facing you, wondering how I would talk to you when I saw you again, but I guess I was worrying for nothing. Anyways, you should prepare yourself; You're lucky that I'm not the type of person to get emotional over a reunion, but I can't say the same for everyone else. There was a bit of an uproar while you were having your beauty sleep, and well things got out of hand... you know what, I'll just leave it as a surprise,"said Aster with a small wink. "Oh, we're already on the ground floor. Well, after you Jaden," he said as the elevator doors opened.

The two of them walked over to the lounge for breakfast, but the closer they got, the more nervous and excited Jaden began to feel. The overwhelming tension matched only by his unwavering enthusiasm, as he prepared himself for what was to come, but nothing could prepare him for what came next. As he stepped into the lounge, he heard the sound of thundering footsteps racing towards him from behind. As he hesitantly looked back, he saw the figures of two of his best friends racing towards him at an unnatural speed.

"BROOOOO!" screamed Syrus and Hassleberry, tears flowing from their eyes at an alarming speed (as well as a bit of snot).

"Sy and Hassleberry! Wait you two, I know that we haven't seen each other in a while, but I think you both need to chill and... OMPH!" Jaden tried to slow his friends down, knowing the potential effects of them ramming into him, but was a little too slow, as he received the full impact of his two friends head-on (Aster managed to gracefully step out of the way at the last second). They rolled forward in a comedic fashion, passing through the lounge, all the way into the female side of the hot springs, falling inside with a big splash.

After a few seconds, the three of them jumped out of the spring, shouting "HOT!" and landed on the nearby floor. Meanwhile, Aster who was looking on, poured a cup of coffee for himself while shaking his head. "Truly a trio of idiots," he thought.

"Ow, why the hell did you guys have to rush into me like that?" asked Jaden, nursing the injury on his leg.

"B-bro, it really is you. I'm not dreaming, am I?" asked Syrus, as he slowly got up, while rubbing his head.

"Well, yeah. I mean, who else would I be, Sy?" asked Jaden cheerfully.

"I'm still in disbelief, but that voice sounds just like big bro," said Hasselberry.

"Yeah, I've always sounded like this... I mean, I think I have," said Jaden, starting to doubt his own credibility.

Syrus and Hasselberry looked at each other, then started tearing up again, and ran over to Jaden, shouting, "BRO!", while crying.

"Come on guys, don't start crying," said Jaden, as his two friends embraced him. "We're all grown-ups now, so... I mean, I missed you guys too and stuff, but I... I mean , it's not right to..." he tried to find the words to say, but they wouldn't come out. Luckily, his two friends understood his intentions.

"Bro's right. We're not kids anymore, we're men, and men don't cry," declared Syrus confidently. 'Yeah, even though this is a heartfelt reunion between us and our bro, we've gotta stay strong like a triceratops," declared Hasselberry.

"Not what I was going for, but okay," said Jaden with a bitter laugh, then he smiled as Syrus and Hasselberry helped him off the ground. "But honestly, I'm so glad I got to see my two best friends again. I... was always worried that I'd never see you guys again, so I'm actually grateful that I could see you guys again."

"Bro," said Syrus, while Hasselberry simply patted Jaden on the back slightly violently, saying, "Oh come on big bro, don't say something so embarrassing and slightly pessimistic. I'm sure we would've met up again at some point, but in any case, I'm kind of glad too."

"Well, the trio-de-losers is back together. Man, you guys look like a wet mess. What, were you guys trying to skinny dip together?" mocked a voice behind them.

"Shut it Chazz, it's not like that!" shouted Syrus, defending himself.

"Whatever, it's not my problem that a lack of women in your life got to you that hard, you pathetic virgin," said Chazz.

"Why you, I'm gonna... MMPH!" began Syrus, before Hasselberry grabbed him from behind before a fight ensued.

"Now now, I'm sure Chazz is just messing around like usual, ain't that right, Chazz?" asked Hasselberry.

"Whatever," replied Chazz, as he turned his focus towards Jaden. "So, you're finally back? You know, after all of these years, it's sad that you still look like the same old goof I knew back at the academy."

"And you still look like that same as ever, though you did get a little taller, I guess," replied Jaden. "Great to see ya, Chazz. How are the Ojama bros getting along? They're still with you, right?"

"Hah, as if I could get rid of those pests even if I wanted to. Still, they do serve a purpose," said Chazz.

As he did, Ojama yellow emerged from behind Chazz, wearing it's usual bikini-style underwear. "Oh, boss, you do care," it said, while crying.

"Shut up," muttered Chazz, as he tried to shoo the spirit away.

"Nice to see you again too, Jaden. You know, the boss won't say it, but he was actually looking forward to meeting you, that he was smiling the whole way here," it said happily while being chased.

"I said shut up, damn it!" shouted Chazz, trying to catch the spirit with his hands.

"Mr. Princeton, I've brought you a latte, just like you asked and... what are you doing?" asked a female voice, approaching their location.

"Can't you see, Chris?" said Chazz, as if stating the obvious. "I'm trying to grab this little yellow bastard and shut it up!"

"I'm sorry Mr. Princeton, but I still can't see those spirits you're talking about. Why don't you ignore it like you usually do, and come get some breakfast. Apparently, the chancellor has really gone all-out preparing this for us," she suggested.

"Yeah, whatever," he said. "Oh, and Jaden, if you wanna chat with a real pro, you're welcome to sit at my table. You should be honored; not many people get to enjoy a meal with a pro," he added, then left for his table.

Chris then approached the group. "I'm sorry for my boss's tsundere tendencies, but you know that he's actually really happy to be here, the happiest I've seen him in months," she explained.

"Oh, don't mind it. We're all used to Chazz playing hardball around us," smiled Jaden. "Um, I don't think I've ever met you before, though."

"Oh right, introductions," she said, flustered at the fact that she had forgotten, then she produced a card from her pink purse. "Hello there, Mr. Yuki. I'm Christina, but you can call me Chris for short. I'm about the same age as you, and as you can see from my outfit, I love the color pink. I've been employed by the Princeton Corporation to watch over their rising star, Chazz, as his attendant and agent. Here's my card," she said formally, giving Jaden her card.

"Thanks. Nice to meet you too, Chris," said Jaden, as he took her card. "I hope you and I get along in the future as friends. You can drop the formalities and call me Jaden, by the way. Formalities really don't sit well with me."

"Sure, if you want," she said with a smile, then she bowed. "Also, thank you for being such good friends with Mr. Princeton. He'll never admit it, but he treasures his bonds with all of you, even if he doesn't show it upfront."

"Don't worry, we already know that," said Jaden. "It's one of the things that hasn't changed since high school." He and the others then got up, and he said to Syrus and Hasselberry, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna go change before... ACHOO!" before sneezing from the cold.

"Yeah, it ain't a good idea to stay like this," said Hasselberry, while shaking.

"Well, if you'll excuse us, Chris," said Jaden, then he and the others dashed towards the elevator, heading back to their rooms for a quick change.

As she saw them rushing over, she thought,"So that's Jaden Yuki? He has a really warm personality, and it's no wonder Chazz likes him so," before frowning. "Maybe if it's him, then I might be able to save her before..."

"Hey Chris, you gonna eat or what?" asked Chazz from behind her.

"Coming," she said, as she took one final glance at the elevator, then headed towards Chazz.

---

"Man, I know you guys are happy to see me and all, but seriously show some restraint. We're lucky we haven't caught a cold...yet," said Jaden, scolding the pair.

"We're sorry, bro," said Syrus and Hasselberry in unison. The three of them had changed into more comfortable clothes, and were heading back down on the elevator. While Jaden had considered taking another shower to be safe, he decided that he was out of time, and so he just quickly changed.

"Come on, I can't stay mad at you guys. Or anybody, really," smiled Jaden.

"Where was that personality when I was antagonizing you," thought Yubel secretly with a sigh.

"Still, I believe that I speak for both of us when I say, welcome back bro. We've all missed ya," said Hasselberry cheerfully.

"I missed you guys too. I would have contacted you before, but..."

"It's alright, bro. Syrus told us about the whole 'phone troubles' you had," said Hasselberry.

"Well yeah, there was that, but I never really attempted to contact you guys or even come visit. If anything, I thought a lot of you would be mad at me for shunning you all these years, and I'm actually really happy that's not the case," explained Jaden.

"Of course not, bro! We all know that you've got you're... circumstances, and that it would be difficult for you to see us. Plus, all of us have been busy with our lives, so you're not the only one at fault, right sarge?" asked Syrus.

"Yeah. Syrus has been busy in the pros, and I've been busy using my dino-digging skills to search for fossils and ancient ruins with Jim, so we all have our circumstances," agreed Hasselberry.

"But if you really wanna make it up to us, then you can spend the whole reunion hanging out, from day to night, morning to evening. Oh, and we have to exchange contact details, and hopefully you won't lose them this time. Sound good?" requested Syrus with a smile.

"Yeah, I'd love to," said Jaden happily, as they stepped out of the elevator for the second time that day. Once they arrived back at the lounge, they noticed that there were several other familiar people present, enjoying a hearty breakfast.

"Well, look what the dingo brought in," said Jim, who waved over to Jaden and co. "G'day mate, and lovely to see again. Fancy joining us for breakfast?" he said with a wink. The other two at the table, Axel and Jesse, simply smiled.

"Jim! It's great to see you too man, and yes, I'd love to join you for breakfast!" said Jaden enthusiastically, as he took a seat, while Syrus and Hasselberry followed suit. As he sat down, Jaden noticed something. "Huh, wasn't Karen supposed to be with you? I mean, I don't see her on your back, and I kind of wanted to say hi!" Karen was Jim's crocodile friend, and to him personally, she was family. An incident happened between the two when they first met in Jim's youth, resulting in Jim losing the sight in his right eye, but thanks to that, an unbreakable bond was born. Jaden was one of the rare people who managed to befriend her safely.

"Oh, Karen. You do realize that it's winter, and she's cold-blooded, correct? If anything, I would have been better off leaving her at home, but she's my family, so I couldn't leave her behind. Luckily, our rooms have central heating, so she should be fine for the time being. Don't worry, you can pass by my room later, and give your greetings personally. I'm sure she'll be just as thrilled to see you again as I am," explained Jim. "Well, don't mind us, go have a crack at that make-your-own omelet bar. After all, the drool on your faces doesn't look fake."

"Oh, sorry about that," said Jaden, wiping away his drool. "Also, morning Jesse, Axel. Sorry if it seemed like I forgot you guys."

"Wait Jay, why is it that you don't seem surprised to see those two?" asked Syrus.

"Well, that's cause we've been working together this whole time, so seeing them now really doesn't surprise me, you know," said Jaden.

"Work with them? What do you mean..."

"Just get going, Sy. You can hear the story later," said Jesse.

As Jaden, Hasselberry and Syrus moved on to the buffet table, the morning continued to roll-on. Jaden and co. enjoyed a hearty breakfast, all the while meeting some familiar faces, including Sartorius, who was overjoyed to see Jaden again in his own way, and Professor Bonaparte and his son Marcel, who were there on the insistence of Professor Crowler. After he piled up his dishes (an army's worth to be exact), he regrouped with Syrus and Hasselberry, and they sat down at Jim's table, and they began to swap stories about their various adventures; Syrus talking about the pro league, Hasselberry and Jim talking about their archaeological excursions, Axel and Jesse explaining the 'details' of their Kaiba Corp. work(omitting the necessary details of course), and Jaden talking about his life before that. At that moment, an unexpected person approached their table.

"Well, well, if it isn't Jaden Yuki himself, finally back from the dead," came the voice from their side. Jaden looked to his right, to see Zane Truesdale, a rival of his and Syrus's older brother, standing before him. "Greetings, Jaden. I do hope you've been well," he said.

"Zane! Yeah, I've been great, but you look amazing. Just imagine, when I last saw you, you looked like a man on the brink of death, and yet here you are, healthy and better then ever," said Jaden happily, as he jumped up to greet Zane. He offered a handshake, which Zane took. "I even heard that you're returning to the pro leagues soon, and I can't wait! Congrats!"

"Thank you. Coming from you Jaden, that's a big compliment. Those years of pain and suffering caused by the cyberdark style of dueling are finally behind me, and I hope it stays that way, but let me correct you on something; My return to dueling will happen on the final day of the reunion, a day before Christmas eve, and it seems like my opponent is a one-of-a-kind duelist," explained Zane.

"Really, who is that duelist?" asked Jaden.

"Wait, you don't know who? Did the chancellor not inform you of anything?" asked Zane with a surprised look.

"No, he never really told me anything about a duel featuring you or anything like that," responded Jaden. "But seriously, who's your opponent?"

"..." Zane stared at Jaden for a second, seemingly thinking about something, but he them smiled, and said, "I'll leave it to your imagination," then proceeded to leave their table, before he stopped, and said, "Though I will tell you this; He's an opponent I've been wanting a rematch with for years. If you want to know more, then wait for the chancellor's announcement at the gala tonight. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to speak with an old friend. See you later, and good to have you back, Jaden", then he calmly walked away.

"What was that all about?" asked Hasselberry.

"I don't know, so I guess we'll have to see," said Jaden, as he went back to eating.

Alexis came down a few minutes later, and walked over to their table, followed by Mac. "Hey guys, good morning," she said.

"Morning!" smiled Jaden.

"Good morning, tomorrow girl," replied Jim, while Axel simply nodded, and Jesse waved with a smile.

"Mornin' lex," greeted Hasselberry, while Syrus was fidgeting around like crazy. "What's up with you?" asked Hasselberry. "Are you still hung up about last night's 'blunder'?"

"Hiya lex. What a... lovely morning... we're having," sputtered Syrus.

"Huh, what's wrong with Sy? Why's he so embarassed all of a sudden?" asked Jaden.

"Oh Jay, you and your questions," said Jesse next to him, as he wrapped his arm around Jaden's shoulder and brought him close. "Actually, while you were asleep, Alexis, Atticus, his girlfriend Mac, Axel and I greeted the other guys when they arrived. When Syrus saw Alexis, he initially tried to go up and greet her, but Chazz, trying to do the same, got in his way, or rather, they got into each others way, resulting in a small tussle, that resulted in both their pants dropping and Alexis taking a look at their... surprisingly lacking manhood, if you know what I mean. Then, she gave them the death stare and a severe scolding, the words 'perverts' and 'children' being thrown around. I know that they had the s*** scared out of them, and their asses were exposed, but man, was it funny for the rest of us. Heck, even Axel laughed a little!" whispered Jesse with a snicker.

"Ouch. But he looked fine while we were eating," whispered Jaden.

"Well, I guess the feeling of wanting to see his big bro helped him overcome his trauma. That, and the fact that Alexis told us that if we ever bring this up or laugh about it, she'd force all of us to expose our... valuables, and believe me, I wouldn't wanna be that guy," whispered Jesse, shuddering.

"Yes it is, Syrus. I do hope you're wearing some underwear today. Wouldn't want you to freeze down there," she said with an icy glare.

"Y-yes ma'am," said Syrus dejectedly, slowly retreating into his seat.

"Now, now, let's all just enjoy breakfast, and forget about what happened for now," said Mac, trying to mediate. "Alexis, I think I see Jasmine and Mindy over there. Let's go over and join them, and Syrus, was it. It was an accident, albeit a...big one. Don't worry, I'm sure she'll forgive you... eventually, so just enjoy your day and don't think too much on it," she added, while pushing Alexis to the girl's table.

"By the way bro, Alexis greeted you normally. What's that about?" asked Hasselberry, while trying to soothe Syrus.

"Oh, they were on the same ferry here. They ran into each other there," said Jesse before Jaden opened his mouth.

"Oh, well that makes sense," said Hasselberry, then he went back to soothing Syrus.

"Hey Jesse, why did ya lie to him?" whispered Jaden.

"..." Jesse looked at Jaden in disbelief, then shook his head and said, "You do know that there are a lot of Alexis fanboys in the academy, Chazz and Syrus included. If they heard that she had a boy in her house, how do you think they'd react? You'd be public enemy number one," replied Jesse. "Course, there's another reason, but I'd rather not make an enemy out of Alexis right now. I like my manhood where it is, thank you."

"Ok," replied Jaden, then he turned his attention to Jim. "By the way Jim, you mentioned that there was one other person who came with you. Who was it..."

"MY PRINCE!" Just as Jaden was about to finish his question, a loud, girlish voice rang out from across the hall. Jaden and everybody else turned their attention to the source, and saw a familiar girl with darkish-blue hair staring in Jaden's direction. Jaden instantly cringed with a weird smile, while the others simply sighed and went back to their usual business.

"Hey Blair," Jaden said weakly, waving. The instant he said that, Blair raced over to his seat and lunged towards him. "Oh god, not again!" he said in a panic, and attempted to leave his seat, but was held back by Jesse. "Jesse, what the hell?!"

"Now now Jay, you shouldn't let a lady embarrass herself anymore then that, am I right?" said Jesse with an amused look.

"That's not it! It's just... OMPH!" he began, but was too late, as Blair flew at him, the force of which knocked both of them over to the ground. Both of them landed on top of each other.

"Jaden, my prince. I missed you so much. Now, we'll be together forever, and I'll never let you go,"she said, rubbing her head on his chest like a kitten.

"Heh, nice to see again too, Blair. Please go easy on me,"said Jaden with a bitter laugh. Everyone else around them, already familiar with their antics, simply smiled wryly or sighed. All the while, Yubel was watching the scene unfold from above.

"You know, I honestly forgot about that obsessive, maiden-like fangirl," she thought with a sigh, then gave a confident smile. "On the other hand, this might finally give Jaden and Alexis the push they both needed. The ball is in your court, girl. Now, how will you react?" she continued, her sight directed at Alexis, who unlike the others, was frowning heavily at the scene. And thus, the morning of the first day rolled on.

---

Time continued to flow as the day moved along. Jaden, Syrus and co. spent the rest of the day cooped up in their rooms, swapping stories, having a few casual duels, eating snacks, and many more activities. Originally, they were planning on paying a visit to their old Slifer dorm, for old time's sake, but the chancellor had asked them to hold off on that until the next day, as they were still planning a variety of activities and things over at the academy, and seeing that the gala would take place over at the academy's main dueling arena, they'd have their chance later.

Jaden told stories of his adventures (of the ones he could anyways), Syrus and Chazz both talked about their duels and experiences in the pro league, at times gloating their achievements, and at times, mocking each other, though Jaden could tell that at the very least, they respected one another. Time flew, and eventually, it became 5 pm, which meant that they had to gather at the lobby where they would be escorted to the gala, which would last for a couple of hours. Jaden was standing below, talking to Sartoruis about an issue of concern, while Syrus and Chazz were secretly admiring Alexis's figure in a dress, Atticus and Mac were chatting with Hasselberry and Blair, and Jim was having a pleasant conversation with Axel and Jesse. Zane and Aster had gone on ahead for reasons they defined as 'personal'. Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best, which made Jaden feel out of place, much like at the restaurant a few days ago.

"... So, I don't really know what to do. I'm well aware that Aster and my sister have something going on between them, and I have tried to keep my distance, hoping that they would come reveal this to me, but Aster has surprisingly remained quiet. I'm a little confused as to how I should handle this. Should I just come out and confess that I know what's going on, or should I continue to play coy?" asked Sartorius, explaining his situation.

"Um, that's nice and all, but should you really be telling me this? I mean, I'm non expert when it comes to this stuff, and I'm sure Atticus or one of the girls would have been a much better choice to talk about this topic," replied Jaden.

"Well, I understand that romance is not a... favored topic of yours, but I really don't know the others as well as you do, and the only other person I can talk to is a main character in my dramatic dilemma, so... not a lot of options, you see," explained Sartorius.

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess you're right, but don't expect my advice to hit home," said Jaden, and after Sartorius nodded, he continued. "I'm actually a little confused, cause I never took Aster for the shy type, and while he is a tricky guy, he is honest... most of the time, so I have a feeling that he's hiding something, probably something that he's a little too unwilling to share. I mean, I don't think it's the case, but I think that thing he's trying to hide his embarrassment, cause it must be pretty embarrassing if he had to hide it from one of his best friends, don't you think?"

"Hm, I see. That does make a lot of sense actually, but what could be so embarrassing that not only Aster, but my sister couldn't tell me?" pondered Sartorius.

"Well, I don't know that much, cause you know, I'm not that insightful, but I believe that you should be honest to him. After all, as best friends, I'm sure he'll be comfortable talking if you confess to him gently, and while you might not like what you hear, I'm sure your bond with him will only grow stronger," declared Jaden confidently.

"I see, honesty. Truly, this answer best fits your personality, and while it might not fit my own, I am willing to at least give it a try. Alright, I'll speak to him tonight after the gala," declared Sartorius, then he bowed. "Thank you for your council, Jaden."

"N-no, you don't have to bow. My opinion isn't all that important, I'm sure," stuttered Jaden.

A couple of minutes later, a couple of youthful staff members entered the lobby. "A big hello to all of our precious alumni. M-My name is Mira Krantz, third year Obelisk Blue student a-and current student council president," said the young lady with a slight stutter who stood at the front. She had flowing chestnut hair and wore a somewhat thick pair of glasses, but anyone could tell that under that pair was a pretty cute face. "Um, although I might be inexperienced, I am here to escort you to the event, and um... well I..." she tried to get the words out of her mouth, but kept failing to do so, and began to blush out of embarrassment. Behind him, Jaden could hear Chazz and Syrus whispering.

"So is she one of those shy, innocent types? You know the ones that are all the rage in novels these days?"

"Beats me, Sy, but she's sure acting like one. She's actually pretty cute, though not enough to match with any of the girls in here. Are they sure she's the right fit to be student president?"

"Well, to be fair, she does seem like the type that guys wanna protect. I mean, a lot of guys wanna have a girlfriend they can show their manly side to, especially these pure, innocent ones, am I right? Since this school is mostly male, maybe that's what worked in her favor?"

"Maybe... Wait, third year? Did we have a first year like that back in our last year? I mean, none of the freshmen stood out..."

"Wow, from all that fighting earlier, you honestly couldn't tell that they're pretty close," thought Jaden.

One of the two boys who came with her went next to her, and began to whisper in her ear. "Oh, um right," she said after the boy stepped back. "My fellow council members and I will guide you to the event happening at the main academy building. Several trolleys are waiting outside to escort you to the event. Please pair up in groups of 3 or 4, and head out to the front gate, and we will allocate you into the trolleys in turn. Again, though I might be inexperienced, I promise to do my best to answer any questions you might have and support you in any way possible. If you have any concerns, please feel free to consult them with myself or with my colleagues, Samuel and Kenji over here. With that, let us please head out, and I hope you enjoy your evening," she finished with such poise, you wouldn't think that she was stuttering at the beginning.

The boys then introduced themselves. The first one, Samuel, was a tall, blonde young man with a carefree smile, and he waved at them as he was introduced, while the second guy, Kenji, had blach hair and eyes, and looked calm and poised. He was the one who whispered in Mira's ear, and he simply bowed his head upon introduction. As the council turned and walked outside, they saw Mira fidgeting and shaking, while the two guys were trying to comfort her, indicating that she had been pushing herself.

The group simply nodded while smiling at the council's introduction, then they assigned themselves into groups, with Jaden pairing up with Syrus, Hasselberry, and Blair who talked (forced) her way into Jaden's group. After that, the entire group got into their assigned trolley, and they took off heading for the academy's main building. The ride felt pleasant, as the calm, early evening breeze gave them a sense of inner peace and relaxation. Jaden also enjoyed the nostalgic views with his pals, while Blair was clinging onto Jaden the whole trip, much to Hasselberry's silent dismay. After a short while, they arrived at their destination, and left the trolley. Led by the three council members, the group made their way into the building, prepared for the festivities ahead. For Jaden though, he was not prepared for what would come next.

---

"Wow!"

Jaden and the others could not hide their amazement upon seeing the main auditorium transformed into a high-class ballroom. Once they entered, they saw a host of the academy's students dressed in their formal school uniforms or formal suits and dresses, all gazing at them with looks of intrigue, skepticism and admiration. At first, the students simply continued to stare as the group made their way to the center of the hall, until Chazz, who couldn't stand all of the stares, decided to take the initiative by making a declaration.

"Hey everyone, it's me, pro duelist Chazz Princeton, and I'm ready for my fans to adore me. Don't worry, I'll be signing autographs all evening, so please don't rush; There's plenty of Chazz to go around," he said with a wink.

Everyone stood in silence for a moment, then as if waiting for the opportunity, all of the students ran over to them, and formed a large circle around them while squealing happily.

"Oh my god, it's the legendary Slifer himself, Jaden Yuki!"

"Oh wow, it's the Obelisk queen! God, she's really hot!"

"That's Syrus from the pro leagues! He's really cute!"

"I recognize those guys! The kings of the archelogy world right now, Jim and Hasselberry!"

Many comments, compliments, handshakes and autograph requests, among others, were requested by the hundreds of students in attendance. While they were glad to see their fellow juniors admiring them, the pressure was starting to get to them, as the adoring crowd got a little more demanding and physical, but before Jaden and the others could react, a loud booming voice was heard through the hall.

"ENOUGH!" came the order from the other side of the hall. The surrounding students suddenly grew quiet and began to disperse. Jaden and the others were stunned at how quickly the students dispersed, and wondering about the origins of the voice.

"It's rude to our guests to crowd them, no matter how famous they are or how much we've all wanted to meet them, so please show some restraint," came the same voice, closer and yet much calmer then before. The group turned to the source, to see the waves of students moving apart, and a man that looked to be in the prime of his life approaching them, with six students following behind him. Jaden identified the man immediately; He was the whole reason Jaden was here for the reunion after all, by sending Fira to 'test' him by sending the invitation to his house, by meeting him in that dark shroud and revelaing his plan to revive the supreme king, all of those events leading up to this moment. Yes, the man approaching was professor Crowley, the academy's current philosophy professor, and the man leading (or the 'caretaker' as he described himself) the elemental knights. Some of the gang like Chazz and Syrus showed confusion, not knowing his identity, while others like Jim and Mac, were weary of the professor for different reasons and were on their guard. Once he got within a few meters of them, he stopped and bowed.

"Welcome, our gracious alumni. Most of you have never met me before, but my name is Professor Alistair Crowley, philosopher and historian extraordinaire. I have only been teaching at this academy for a couple of years now, though I wish I had started sooner, seeing the wealth of talent your class had. In a sense, you could say that this reunion was one of my selfish desires to meet some of the academy's finest students, and have my own students learn from the knowledge you bring to them. I would love to talk about myself some more, but that can wait for another time, since the chancellor will be here to give his speech in a few minutes. In the meantime, let me apologize for the behavior of the students, particularly those of obelisk blue who are under my direct supervision," he explained himself, then bowed.

Jaden simply frowned, not knowing what the professor was planning, while Yubel looked on. "That man sure does have a flare for the theatrical," she thought. "Apologize, my foot. The students here are obviously being led by the nose, yet somehow, it doesn't feel like he's controlling them. I wonder..."

"So, with that out of the way, let me introduce the next generation of talent, trained personally by me, and strong enough to take even the mightiest of duelists," announced Crowley with a confident smile, then he beckoned the six students behind him to step forward towards him.

Jaden, Mac, Alexis and Atticus recognized two of them instantly, as a girl with fiery red hair and a tall young man with blonde hair stood among the six. Fira and Ray stood next to each other in formation, as did the rest of the six. Axel and Jesse silently noticed a girl with dark hair in the group of six, the same girl who was their double-agent. Though they hadn't seen her face, Axel noticed that the girl had the same height, and her dark hair was visible from her hood when they first met. The girl had an androgynous look and a tomboyish feel to her, though one could also say that she was, simply put, beautiful.

Crowley then continued. "Now let me introduce them in order. First is my most trusted confidant from the esteemed Sherwood house, the knightly Edward Sherwood!" Ray bowed at his introduction with a calm, business smile.

"Secondly, with a delicate figure of a fairy, yet possessing the beauty and cunning of a courtesan, the illustrious and mesmerizing Wendy!" The young girl next to Ray bowed. As she was described, she had lovely flowing green hair and the delicate figure and build of a dancer, or as the professor had described her, a fairy, while her face seemed to be a perfect blend of purity and maturity. She gave a gentle smile to the group, a smile that made the students around her clutch their hands, smile and blush.

"Thirdly, a beauty and passion that ignites even the coldest of hearts, the black flame herself, Fira!" Upon being called, she bowed, then looked up towards Jaden and gave a small wink, before quickly doing the same as the other two.

"Fourth, a powerful and mighty, yet calm and tranquil warrior from the largest temple in China, a disciple like no other, the mighty Fang!" The young man bowed with his eyes closed, and though he was said to be raised in a temple, he had a flock of jet black hair on his head, yet his demeanor remained calm, even after he finished bowing, his expression unchanging.

"Fifth, a local born talent who despite a small build, held large ambitions that are blossoming here at the academy. Please welcome Mizuki!" The young person stood and bowed timidly, and when looking up with teary eyes, one could only tell the gender of this person, though from her clothing, the group assumed she was female.

"Finally, the silent and mysterious shadow of the night, with ferocity and strength that shames men, and a physique comparable to a model. The mighty and lovely Noir!" The young lady bowed as well, then with an unchanging expression, glanced at Axel for a split second, then returned next to the others.

"During your stay here, these young men and women will aid you with anything you need. Questions, duel practice, errands, you name it. Consider them as unpaid interns, and you are here to instruct them, giving them tasks and chores, and in return, these students will learn and grow from your influence. You see, what my students have in strength, they lack in experience, so I do hope you treat them well. Once again, my knights are at your disposal, so please use them and teach them as you see fit," said the professor with a final bow.

The knights followed cue, saying, "PLEASE TREAT US WELL, OUR SENIORS."

Jaden and the others looked flabbergasted, wanting an explanation for what happened. "What's going on?" thought Jaden.

"I don't know Jaden, but I don't like it. Instead of hiding his secret weapons, he put his cards on the table just like that. He put his knights, his leverage against us, right within arms reach, as if provoking us, saying 'If you want to defeat us, go ahead and try. We don't need to hide anything from you, because we will win either way'. That crafty bastard, what is he planning?" thought Yubel, linking her thoughts telepathically to him.

Before anyone could react however, everyone in the room heard a cough coming from the main stage. They all turned to see chancellor Sheppard standing on it, with the other professors in tow. "Are you done promoting your merchandise, Alistair?" he asked in a formal tone.

"Ouch, someone's hurtful, though your description is quite accurate," said Crowley with an unfazed smile. "Yes, I am done with introductions, and I thank you for waiting me to finish, but as you know, I just had to let our guests know of their helpers, so was I wrong?"

"No, it just wasn't the right time and place is all," replied Sheppard, then turned his attention to the rest of the student body. "In any case, my dear alumni, you heard from the professor. Those six are the best in the academy right now, and they will be guiding you from now and taking care of your every needs, and in exchange, please share with them the knowledge you possess. Now then, does anyone else want to make an announcement?"

After confirming the answer from the silence in the room, he continued. "Dear guests, professors and students, welcome all of you to the first ever alumni reunion week. We have brought together some of our finest alumni, who have gone through many hardships during their time here, to rise to the top. During their time here, I do hope that all students act in moderation, and I'm sure our alumni would love to listen to your kind words of praise and requests. As for our guests, please indulge yourselves during this week. Visit nostalgic locations, have mock duels with students or even just relax on the beach, please act at your own discretion, and consider this place your home away from home."

"Over the course of the next several days, we will host a variety of events for you, ranging from competitions to fan appreciation events and a lot more, all of which should have been covered in the schedule handed out to you yesterday. We have placed much care into these events, so I do hope you enjoy yourselves. Of course, they all pale in comparison to what I have planned for the final evening of the reunion. I know that a lot of students have been hearing rumors about a one-of-a-kind duel that will take place on the final day of the reunion. Well, I am here to say that those rumors are true; There is going to be a duel, one the likes of which you students have never seen before, between the last 2 duelists you could have ever thought would be facing each other."

The students began to murmur amongst themselves, as Sheppard paused purposefully to add an air of drama to his announcement. Unbeknownst to Jaden, Aster had suddenly slipped right next to him, but Jaden was too caught up in Sheppard's words to notice.

"A legendary duel? So the rumors were true?"

"I heard that they're going to bring in special duelists from overseas!"

"What about the alumni? Aren't they gonna be participating in that duel?"

"Now that ya mention it, that does make sense."

All sorts of crazy ideas and thoughts emerged from the students present in the hall. Jaden himself already knew the identity of one of the duelists, as the person in question, Zane, had already confessed to it this morning. In his thoughts, that also explained why Zane had gone ahead, as he would probably appear next to the chancellor at the announcement. The question was, who was the identity of the other duelist? Jaden could hardly wait for the answer.

Sheppard continued after the hype died down a little. "I can see that this duel has truly captivated your thoughts, so let's not keep you all in suspense any longer. Let me introduce the first member of our wonderful event. He is one of the finest duelists I have personally trained, and the top of his class as well. For a while, he was a member of the pro leagues, but fell out of favor after multiple defeats, only to rise back stronger then ever, though his new strength took a toll on his body, and his name disappeared from the dueling world. Now, he is back with a vengeance, and ready to make his debut again in the pro leagues, but first, he will have his first duel in what has seemed like an eternity, and I have asked him to have that duel right here at the academy. Master of the cyber style, Zane Truesdale!"

At Sheppard's introduction, Zane who was standing in a shadowy corner behind the stage, stepped onto the stage, and stood next to Sheppard. The students stood silent for a moment, before erupting into loud cheers at the revelation, with looks of admiration and pleasant surprise written on their faces. The excited chatter grew in the hall, while a large number of fans called on Zane to beat down his opponent. Jaden and his friends all smiled bitterly at the sight, with most of them thinking that the reaction to Zane's presence was pretty expected, yet exaggerated at the same time.

"Well, good on you, Zane," thought Jaden happily. "Though I really wanted to be his opponent. Guess I can ask him later."

"Alright, all of you, settle down," ordered Sheppard gently, and after the chatter died down, he continued. "Now, I guess it's time to introduce Zane's opponent for this duel, and yes, he is here in this room with us."

Everyone froze at his words, and began looking around, some excitedly, some nervously. "Wow, he's here already. Guess that means that it's one of the students, or maybe one of us! That'll be awesome. It'll probably be Chazz or Syrus though," thought Jaden.

"This opponent is also an alumni of this school, and a more recent graduate. He is a student who climbed up the ranks from the bottom, and against all of the odds, he climbed up to the top of this academy. Although he wasn't the best academic student our university ever produced, his dueling skills more then made up for the deficit, and he was loved and respected by a lot of the student body, unbeknownst to him. He is also a personal favorite of mine, and I am looking forward to seeing how far he has grown, as are you all, I'm sure."

"Okay, that's sounding a lot like Chazz or Syrus, though it's probably Chazz. I doubt Zane wants to fight his little brother for his comeback duel. Still wish it was me though," he thought.

"As the opponent in the alumni reunion duel, or comeback duel if you wish to call it that, please welcome, the 'Eternal Slifer' as the student body describes him, Jaden Yuki!" announced Sheppard excitedly.

The entire room fell silent, as the spotlight fell on him. Jaden himself stared blankly for a bit, still trying to process what he had heard. "Huh, did he just call my name? Nah, that's unlikely," he thought, shaking it off as a misunderstanding.

After a while, Sheppard called out to him. "Wow, was it really that shocking. Well Jaden, won't you join us on stage?" he asked.

It was then, that it finally dawned on him. The chancellor's indications, Zane's reactions to his questions, it all made sense. Right now, he was Zane's opponent in this duel, and for the first time since his first year, he would have his chance at a rematch with Zane Truesdale, one of the only duelists he had never beaten.

The problem was, that he couldn't believe it was him.

"Wait, you really mean me? That means... EHHHHH?!"

Jaden's scream echoed through the hall, as the mother of all rematches would soon begin.