Evening, all~ Told ya I had something planned now, didn't I?
It's been a long while since I've touched this fanfic of mine. I'm still stunned it's been nearly… two, three years for an update of any kind? It feels much longer, yet not as long at the same time. Even crazier to think that I started writing this as an inspiration from another fanfic I read a whole seven years ago.
As to why there has been no update since then? It's the mixture of no inspiration, a lack of effort, mental issues, this stupid pandemic, and a lot of sleepless nights. It all combines for one heck of a volatile cocktail to render me lifeless for most things, and unable to find joy in the things I once did and still do.
As we're coming up to the end of 2021, I decided to myself that I'm pushing myself, now. No more waiting, no more excuses, none. This is loooong overdue and I owe so much to you wonderful people to get my ass back in gear and get onto doing both this fic and my other one (Sword Art Online: Advent Children).
The story has changed. The characters feel more realistic. The decks have been upgraded to support the new cards and archetypes that have been released over the past seven years. And for all the flames I've received in regards to my decks, my OC cards, and everything else?
Who are you to say anything? You don't seem to realize that this fic of mine isn't a solo effort: I've had so many wonderful readers, writers, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Enthusiasts also gave their input into this story and made it a story that once became the third most followed story in the GX category and the top ten favorite!
I can't take all the credit. I simply had the help from all the amazing people who've supported me over the years, and those patient enough to wait before I found the motivation to give this story another try. From nearly giving up on it, to making it a personal goal to see this story finished (even though it's only the first part!)
But sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, everyone. For all the support, the messages, the ideas, the motivation, all of this is such a massive success because of every one of you. I love you all so much and thank you for being so patient with me. This is the thanks that I want to give back to you, and I hope I do you all proud!
Also, I've seen this done before somewhere but I'll be giving each chapter an alternative title, alongside the official chapter title! Seems pretty fun to do, so I'm gonna do it!
So. Here we go...
Enter The King: Redux!
~Legend~
"Get your game on!" - Characters talking normally!
"Well, that'll be fun!" - Whispering voices / Duel Spirits talking! (Italic words hinting at the emphasis on certain words, or sarcasm.)
'How will you fare, I wonder?' - Character Thoughts / Duel Spirit thoughts!
"Let's Finish This!" - Key Speeches / Haou Speaking!
"Go, Jaden!" - Shouting / Loud Voices / Multiple Voices / Duel Spirits Shouting / Multiple Duel Spirits Talking!
(*Card Information; Selected Position!*)
Winner: Jaden Yuki! - Announcements / Speakers!
~Enter The King: Redux!~
~The Grand Entrance!~
(~A New Beginning!~)
A soft smile graced his lips as he stood on the rooftop of the building complex, as insomnia took over and left him unable to sleep. It wasn't the first time he experienced this sensation, so he made it a routine to make himself a warm drink and spend the time watching the sunrise bathe the city in her golden rays. Across the rooftops of Domino City, way above the city itself, the sunlight beamed down towards the many reflective glass surfaces of the tallest of these buildings like a beacon, the Kaiba Corporation: headquarters of one of the most prominent and recognizable duelists of all time, Seto Kaiba.
Yet still being able to see some of the night skies present sent a shiver down his spine, stunned by the magnificence of one of nature's many beauties.
Illustrating it to a picture, many artists would aspire to capture the scene before him, down on a spread of canvas, to keep for that sense of achievement and awe. Finding himself entranced by the view in front of him, he almost missed the soft and silky voice that decided to break the serene silence.
"Jaden?"
Jaden Yuki, a seventeen-year-old teenager, turned his head towards the new voice. His thick mane of brown hair, glowing in the morning light, spun with the movement of his head to face the approaching figure, revealing his bright and content chocolate-colored eyes. He smiled as he turned to fully greet the newcomer: revealing his white hoodie, complete with the design of a group photo with five of his duel spirits, the Elemental Heroes.
The picture was taken with the original five members before they expanded in numbers and more people joined: Avian, Bubbleman, Burstinatrix, Clayman, and Sparkman, all standing together as comrades-in-arms. He took one of his hands out of the pockets of his black jeans and crossed his feet waiting, showing his white trainers which had been tinted gold by the morning light.
An interesting fact to know about him is that he possessed the ability to talk and interact with his duel spirits: an ability he was grateful for, as his spirits would act like the family he always would have wanted. Though, growing up as an orphan would do that to someone. Because of that, he was more than thankful for this ability and to those who had been there for him.
"Hey there," he warmly smiled before turning away to face the sunrise again. "I didn't think you would be up yet,"
"I take it you had another bad night, Jaden?" the spirit asked as she made her way over to him, standing next to him near the balcony fence. "Like you, I couldn't sleep and I knew I'd find you here. You always do this when you've had a bad night," she sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder, smiling at the gesture of his arm wrapping itself around her waist.
She had donned a crimson hoodie, followed by a pair of black jeans that did wonders emphasizing her impressively curvy figure, finished with a pair of calf-high, matching crimson boots. Her ashen-grey, snow-tipped hair, tied loosely into a ponytail that left two bangs to fall either side of her face; free from her normal crown. Her emerald eyes shimmer in the morning light, tinting them into a wonderful blend of green and gold.
"You know me too well, Trix," he softly smiled, pulling her towards him. "Yeah, another bad night. I couldn't get the voices out of my head," he explained, tiredly. She wrapped her arm around his torso and gave him a strong hug in response.
"Just take your time, Jaden. She would say the same thing as well, you know this. We're all worried for you but we're all behind you every step of the way. You've become family to all of us," she warmly smiled, a tear unconsciously falling down the side of her face. Jaden noticed this, however, and wiped it away with his thumb before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on her lips; one she had no hesitation in returning as she softly moaned into his mouth.
"I'm so grateful for you all. I don't know where or what I'd be doing without you all by my side all this time," he replied after the two broke apart, resuming their previous stances. "It's like you all are pieces of myself: I feel complete with you around me, giving me some kind of worth. It's all I have until the time comes and I take up my duties," he professed, closing his eyes, and inhaling her smoky, jasmine-tinted scent.
"Jay, we feel the same way about you. Despite what anyone else thinks, only you would be brave enough to pursue any kind of relationship with a duel spirit, let alone more than one of us," a new voice spoke up, revealing that they carried out two mugs of tea.
Similar to his Burstinatrix spirit, this new figure wore an orange hoodie, with a flame insignia on the front, black jeans which enhanced her more slimline, yet no less prominent curves, and a pair of white, low-height leather boots. Her long golden hair flowed freely down her back, her amber eyes absorbing the morning light, giving them a more prominent glow. She made her way over to the pair and handed Trix the other drink, before moving herself to the other side of Jaden and leaning against him also.
"Thank you. I thought you were working last night? How come you're up so early?" Trix asked, watching the new female making her way to his free side, and snuggling closer into him.
"Yeah, I was. My body seemed to not need the sleep, I guess? You two, on the other hand; couldn't sleep again?" she asked quietly, a concerned frown making its way to her face.
"Not last night, no," Jaden sighed, his arm wrapping itself around the new figure as well. "I came up here to calm myself down and admire the view. Beautiful, isn't it, Yomi? Trix?" he asked the two girls, the three of them taking their spots on the lone bench that resided in the rooftop garden.
"Yeah, it's beautiful and so peaceful," his Lady Heat spirit, Kiyomi, replied. Unlike most, they only bother to use aliases for themselves whilst dueling. Only Jaden had ever gone out of his way to call all of them by their proper names; something refreshing for them all and something that endeared him to them all.
"I could just fall asleep to this," Burstinatrix off-handedly commented as she snuggled closer to Jaden, prompting Kiyomi to copy her actions from the other side. Both females savoring his natural warmth and nuzzling against his neck, closing their eyes as a wave of content bliss passed over them.
"Y'know? That's not a bad idea," he replied, yawning and basking in the warmth he got from the two beautiful women on either side of him. Leaning his head on top of Burstinatrix's head, pulling the two girls closer to him as the three of them nodded off in the morning light.
Unbeknownst to them, a figure appeared out from behind the three, shimmering into view and dressed completely in a form-fitting black bodysuit. A pair of streamlined black bat wings freed themselves out of their back, which contrasted against their unnaturally pink skin. A mane of long, messy silver hair flowed down their back, heterochromia eyes taking the time to watch the three of them together. She gazed down at the three of them, paying a little more attention to the sole male of the group. She softly smiled before she decided she's done what she wanted, and returned to her King's side.
~ETK:R!~
(Time Skip: Rooftops)
"Jaden?"
"... mn?" he groaned, waking up and taking the moment to stretch the kinks out of his body.
"Wake up, Jaden! You're gonna be late for the entrance exams! We haven't got long until they're finished!" Burstinatrix shook him awake, realizing that they overslept.
"What!?" Jaden yelled as he shot up from his spot on the bench. Forgetting he had slept in a sitting position, his legs gave way the moment he tried to stand; leading to him collapsing on the floor in front of them, giving the two females a small giggle as they watched.
"I'll quickly get changed!" he yelled, recovering from his fall, and flew down the stairs that lead to his room, leaving the two bewildered spirits on the roof.
"What are we gonna do about him, eh?" Kiyomi shook her head, smiling in amusement.
"Changing into uniform would be a good start, right?" Burstinatrix shrugged, not being able to keep her smile off her face as the two spirits faded back to his deck.
~ETK:R!~
(Time Skip: Domino City Park)
"Excuse me! Sorry, ma'am! Running late for an exam!" Jaden yelled, apologizing to everyone as he cut through the park to reach the Examination Hall; where the second stage of the entry exam took place. Checking his watch, he noted only ten minutes remained before this semester's preliminary exams slot closes for another six months. Kicking up the pace, he moved faster to make sure he reached the place in time. While his thoughts lingered on making the exam in time, he had missed the figure that was walking towards him until Jaden ran straight into him and knocked him over. Having fallen over himself, he shook his head.
"Sorry about that, man! I'm running late for an exam!" he apologized. A deep baritone chuckle came from the other person, causing Jaden's head to snap up as it sounded familiar to him.
"Being tardy as usual are we, Jaden?" the new voice replied, amused as he dusted himself off and offered his hand to the downed brunette.
"W-Wha? Y-Yugi!?" the brunette softly yelled, surprised as he looked upon the face of the 'King of Games' himself. "Geez, how long has it been since I've seen you last? How've you been holding?" Jaden beamed with delight, took Yugi's hand, and got hauled up to his feet.
"I'm good! Mostly reading into some more rumors that have been loitering around, but nothing concrete. Never mind me though, I heard today was the day of your examination, right?" Yugi smiled, reaching into his pocket for something.
"Yeah! Another bad night last night and ended up dozing off watching the sunrise with Kiyomi and Trix." Jaden quipped, refusing to comment on the previous response, a sheepish grin appeared on his face instead, scratching the back of his head. Yugi paused for a moment before his features softened slightly before chuckling.
"Trust you, Jay. Here, Pegasus told me that I'd run into you today and that he wanted me to hand over these cards to you. 'Fresh off the press and a few new acquaintances you're gonna fall in love with, Jaden-boy!', he said!" Yugi grinned softly, handing over a few cards for Jaden to quickly inspect. His eyes widened at the new cards he had gotten, taking note of the hint before gently placing them in the inside pocket of his jacket.
"These are incredible! If you see him before me, tell Pegasus I said thanks and that I love them! Anyways, I gotta go! Don't be a stranger, Yug!" Jaden yelled, already running off to his destination, leaving Yugi watching his retreating frame with a warm smile on his face.
"Go get them, Jay!" Yugi spoke to himself before turning around and continuing on his way, much happier than he had been.
~ETK:R!~
(Time Skip: Duel Academy Exam Halls)
She sighed softly to herself as her frame dropped forward, tapping her pen against the clipboard that sat silently on the table in front of her, wondering how much longer she would need to wait. She hadn't seen anyone for the last half-hour, and it had begun to get a touch boring with nothing to do. She wished for something to happen to take her mind off the monotony of her task and occupy her, even if for a brief moment. As if her prayers were heard, she saw a body flop over the park railings and land awkwardly on the floor.
She shot up seeing him jump to his feet so quickly, running over to where she was sitting. She was so stunned that she didn't hear him but thankfully pulled herself back to attention the moment she saw him stop in front of her.
"Gah! Hey, miss? Is this the place for the entrance exams?" Jaden panted, hunched over, and rested his hands on his knees to recover his breath.
"Y-Yes, sir! May I ask why?" the receptionist politely asked, sitting up more and presenting her a bit more professionally than she was moments before.
"I should be down on the list. I got lost on the road of life coming here, as she forced me to make a quick detour~" he grinned sheepishly, still recovering his breath. She quirked an amused eyebrow and a soft giggle before scanning the list of names currently on the paper.
"Doesn't she always? Your name, sir?" she quipped in response, glad for someone with some wit and humor to them.
"Jaden Yuki, miss!" he replied with a flourish and a charming grin. Her head snapped up in bewilderment before shaking her head to rescan the list, finding his name, and crossing it off.
"The legend, himself! May I say it's my absolute pleasure to meet you in person, sir! Make your way inside and wait for the announcer to call your name up. Best of luck, though I doubt you'd need it!" she smiled, offering her hand sending him a small wink. Gently taking the hand and placing a kiss upon her knuckles, he winked in return before dashing the main hall where the duels were taking place. She watched him run inside and smiled to herself, placing her kissed hand into her other in reverence, thanking whoever it was for her answered wish.
For those not familiar with the setup, there are two stages to the entrance exams; one written and one practical exam. Having been schooled by one of his benefactors, he had impressed a lot of the examiners by getting a solid ninety-one percent on his written exam. While impressive, it only counted towards half his final mark since the scores on both of these exams will decide on which rank you will receive and which 'Rank' you'll end up in.
The first of the three, Slifer Red: the lowest rank of the three dorms. Since the Duel Academy was founded by Seto Kaiba, himself, he still held a grudge against Yugi Moto for their rivalry towards one another over the years (yet Jaden knew it was Kaiba being a sore loser and being petty, though he'd never say it out loud).
With this in mind, Yugi's Egyptian God card was the lowest of the three ranks, chosen for those who lacked either dueling skill or academic studies. While the lowest of the three, it wouldn't be a permanent stay since there would be opportunities of a promotion to the next higher class, or a demotion of rank if you were failing to keep up or as a punishment.
We then have Ra Yellow: the middle of the three. Despite being the most legendary and arguably powerful of the three cards, held by the traitorous Marik Ishtar, Kaiba was mostly apathetic towards the Egyptian God. This dorm was for those who did extremely well on their exams, getting within the top fifteen percent of scores.
Finally, there was Obelisk Blue: the elite dorm, according to Kaiba. Of course, this is only because he held the Obelisk God card and it was a massive boost to his ego. Something Kaiba vehemently denied when called out on his decision and refused to answer further. However, this doubled back and also became the most corrupt rank, much to the duelist's ire. Most of the students who have been brought up in prestigious and wealthy backgrounds are assigned this dorm, forcing Kaiba's hands in the matter.
Despite there being students of a high academic prowess earning their way through hard work and determination, he needed to keep his reputation as being impartial and unbiased amongst some of the most famous families and names in the world; despite the political backlash and negative impact on not only his reputation but his business' reputation also. While people knew this wasn't the case, they never brought this fact to light out of respect for the man himself.
Moving his way towards the hall, he found himself a full block of seats being unoccupied by anyone, so he made his way towards one of the higher rows to get a good view of the duels currently taking place. One that caught his interest straight away, had an applicant with neatly-combed, black hair with a prominent silver streak through it, white dueling jacket and currently taking the lead with all four thousand life points intact. His opponent, however, was down to nineteen hundred but had three monsters on his field to the applicant's one.
"Okay, freshman, pop quiz time! You got three monsters staring you down and two face-downs. Which of the following do you do? Throw in the towel? Attack, hoping I don't trigger any face-downs? Or run home to momma?" the examiner asked, making a bad attempt in copying Elvis. The figure shook his head before a challenging smirk appeared on his face.
"I think I'll go for none of the above! I activate my trap card, Ring of Destruction! I choose one monster on the field and we both take damage equal to its attack points. As you only have nineteen hundred, I'll choose my Vorse Rider and end this duel!" the challenger replied as a ring appeared around his monster's neck, detonating the monster and reducing his opponent's points to zero.
"Good choice! Congratulations on making Duel Academy!" the proctor complimented, smiling as the holograms disappeared.
"Thank you," the applicant bowed before making his way out of the arena. Noting the sole male sitting by himself near the rafters, his curiosity got the better of him, and made his way to join them. Getting closer, he found himself wondering why he looked familiar but was brought out his thoughts by seeing a pair of brown eyes on him and a smile appearing his way.
"That was a good move! Sacrificing your monster and life points to take out your opponent's remaining points is an impressive move, if not used often. Can be risky but seeing as the decks are basic counter builds, you wouldn't have much that would be able to counter that. Nonetheless, good play!" Jaden smiled, earning a surprising look at the detailed criticism but nodded and smiled in return.
"Thank you. Is the seat taken perchance?" the newcomer asked politely, receiving a shake of the head as he took a seat next to him. He could hear the brunette mumble slightly before he spoke once again.
"Who else is there I can watch- oh? You look interesting~" Jaden mused as his sights turned to another dueling area, pointing out the person he meant to his current company. The challenger was a young girl who looked around the same age as he did; red hair that was tied into a ponytail, leaving two bangs on either side of her face and a pair of amber eyes to match.
She wore a casual navy blue hoodie with the words 'Keep Calm and Carry On Dueling', something which brought a snort of laughter to Jaden's lips, a pair of skinny white jeans that showed off her well-fitting derriere, and finished with a white-and-blue Converse combo. She was currently losing with three hundred points left and an empty field, apart from one face-down in her back row.
Her opponent was your average-looking male with tousled brown hair and glasses, who had three monsters on his field, including a Dark Magician. His life points hadn't been touched as yet as he looked disapprovingly at the potential candidate before him.
"Your move! You better come up with something good or you fail!" he remarked snidely. Her eyes narrowed at his tone, gritting her teeth before closing her eyes and praying for the next card to pull through.
"My draw!" she yelled desperately as she drew her next card. Chanting under her breath before looking at the card, her eyes widened in shock as a grin slowly formed on her face. "My deck pulled through again! I play my spell card, Card of Sanctity, allowing us both to draw until we both have six cards in our hand!" she commented as she drew six new cards while he drew only one.
"Now it's time to finish this! I play my next spell card, Raigeki! Say bye-bye to your Dark Magician and your other two monsters!" she grinned, watching her opponent's monsters get struck by a large lightning bolt from the card itself, clearing his side of the field.
"I play my little cutie, Red-Eyes Black Chick but he won't be staying for long as I activate my face-down trap card, Dragon's Rebirth! By removing from play a dragon-type card from the field, I can special summon a dragon-type monster from my hand or graveyard! It's always touching seeing the little ones grow up so fast; as my chick transforms into my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" she beamed, the grin turning more wild in nature as her eyes blazed gold.
(Red-Eyes Black Chick: Dragon / Effect / Dark / 1* / 800 ATK / 500 DEF)
A small baby dragon variant of the self-same dragon that made Joey Wheeler one of the most recognizable duelists of his time appeared on the field, giving out a cute baby roar. It turned back to his duelist and gave her another cute roar before it quickly meta-morphed into one of its bigger forms. While similar to the Red-Eyes Metal Dragon, the only difference was that this version was shrouded in an aura of dark energy, red pulsing lights piercing through the aura that appeared on its armor and through its wings.
(Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon : Dragon / Effect / Dark / 10* / 2800 ATK / 2400 DEF)
"Now that he's on the field, I'll activate his effect! Once a turn, I can special summon a dragon-type from either my hand or from the graveyard back to the field. I don't usually don't like going overkill unless I'm in a foul mood but I'll make an exception for you, ya creep!" she snarled, placing a new card in attack mode on her duel-disk.
"So come out and teach this fucker its place! I summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
A white burst of energy flew from the deck before converging in front of her, protectively, revealing the majestic dragon standing there for everyone to see, the trademark card that made Seto Kaiba one of the most iconic duelists of the world. Letting loose a savage roar, its sights focused on the examiner in front of it, the Red-Eyes followed suit and moved in front of her, standing side-by-side with its kin. The spectators cheered in response to the spectacular play, while the visage of the examiner paled considerably.
(Blue-Eyes White Dragon: Dragon / Light / 8* / 3000 ATK / 2500 DEF)
"N-Now let's not be hasty!" the examiner cried, begging from the terror in front of him as he stared down the glares of these two menacing dragons. She raised an eyebrow before a disapproving frown marred her face.
"Oh, I don't think so! If you want to be a condescending son of a bitch, then don't expect any mercy from me! Red-Eyes! Blue-Eyes! Let's wrap this up! Yin-Yang Helix!" she yelled, pointing him out as their target.
The auras on both her dragons returned two-fold as their power flared in response to her command, both taking to the air and gathering all the attention of the students and examiners who were able to watch. Both dragons converged their attacks into two orbs of both black and white energy before spiraling down in a helix to the examiner's face, reducing his points to zero.
The speakers flared up, seeing as the examiner was currently unconscious from the last attack. While trying her best to sound impartial, everyone could make out the amusement in her voice, with a hint of gratification.
Winner: Jennifer Andrews!
The now known Jennifer let out a happy yell, fist-pumping the air and patting her two dragons before making her way up to the stands. Unbeknownst to her, two sets of groups were watching the duels that were going in; the other group consisted of three teens all dressed up in sharp and crisp royal blue uniforms. Watching the proceedings with uninterested eyes, much to the case of the sole ravenette male, deciding to prop his feet up on the chair in front of him.
"Hey, she's pretty good, huh Chazz?" a male teen with wavy blue hair and black-framed glasses spoke up, a nasal twinge to his voice towards the ravenette next to him, earning a grunt in response as he waved his hand dismissively.
"She just got lucky! The Proc went too easy on her at the end and she fell for his taunts. She won't get far and she's not Obelisk material! I mean c'mon, we went to that pointless Duel Prep School for the past three years; we're ready for the Academy! These clowns don't know what they're getting themselves in for but they'll learn the hard way: the Chazz Princeton way." he smirked. Snapping open his onyx eyes, which held a dangerous glint to them, something that the other two males noticed and promptly shut themselves up.
Little known to them, that their conversation was heard by a certain brunette.
"Tch! With an attitude like that, you'll find that you're the one who'll find out the hard way that overconfidence bites you on the ass harder than you think, moron," Jaden commented snidely, casting another eye over the dueling areas for another interesting match. He jumped slightly when he heard a voice speak up from just behind where he was sitting, snapping his head to the origin of the voice.
"That's Chazz Princeton. He's been in Duel Prep School for the past three years and is one of the strongest duelists of this year, if not the best," Jaden turned his head to find a young boy, much shorter than himself standing there with a subtle frown on his face. Having noticed the stares from the two males, he shook his head clear and looked down at the pair he had unknowingly startled with a shy smile. Deftly pushing a strand of his unusual cyan hair out the way of his silver eyes, hidden behind a pair of frameless glasses.
"Name's Syrus Truesdale! Nice to meet you both!" he introduced himself, holding out his hand.
"Doesn't matter; underestimating your opponent is a surefire way to losing a duel! He's just used to having everything his way like a spoiled child, no doubt. Anyway, I'm Jaden! Pleasure to meet ya!" he smiled, taking the hand offered and shaking it for a few moments. The figure nodded with a knowing smile on his face and followed suit and shook the newcomer's hand.
"Bastion Misawa, at your service!" the older male smiled, motioning Syrus to grab a seat next to them and silently agreed to follow Jaden's lead to watch the duels.
Just beneath the three of them, the VIP box that was set aside for Academy faculty members had gotten a little more active from the numerous applicants that had been accepted this year. While there had been a couple of applicants that had been rejected due to lack of scores or lack of skill, the members of staff looked generally pleased with the quality of duels and potential students.
"Looks like we've got a pretty good crop this year!" the one male member of staff commented, quickly writing some notes down on his sheet of paper before looking up and turning to one of his colleagues, who nodded in agreement with the statement.
"Yes, indeed!" the other examiner smiled in response. "There have been some incredible plays and some tremendous comebacks seen today. Miss Jennifer Andrews to name but one! Coming back from three-hundred life points to turn the tide of the battle and claim the win with a double-play summon; a level eight monster is impressive enough but a level ten monster as well? That'll boost her marks up!" he complimented wholeheartedly.
Next to them, another teacher sat there silent but wasn't paying any attention to the small talk going on around him. While he was a male, he could very easily be mistaken for a woman if you didn't know who he was. Donning a blue uniform similar to that of Chazz's, showing his affiliation with the Obelisk Blue Dorm but with a few noteworthy extra differences to his uniform; the golden shoulder plates and trimmings for one, and the ruffled pink collar for the second major difference.
Shaking his head, loosened the blond hair that was tied into a ponytail, and quickly checked a small pocket mirror to check if the small touch of makeup was still in good condition. This was Dr. Vellian Crowler, Headmaster of the Obelisk Blue Boy's Dorm.
'Another rookie for the Academy. I'm just glad this was the last duel, otherwise, there'd be even more slackers coming in, too,' he thought to himself sourly, sighing as he snapped shut his pocket mirror and placed it back in his chest pocket before crossing his arms. Deciding that there wouldn't be anything else of note to watch, he stood up and proceeded to walk out-
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Sir," a figure dressed in a sharp black suit appeared before him, halting his tracks as the Obelisk teacher looked down condescendingly at him. "I have just been notified that there is one last applicant that has arrived to take his exam, Mr. Crowler."
"Excuse me?" he paused, turning a withering glare on the male security staff currently barring his way, "Did you just call me 'Mister'?" Crowler scowled. The man quickly paled slightly, stammering out an apology lest he lost his job.
"A-Ah, apologies, miss! I'm new here-" he began before being silenced by a withering glare and a snarl from the male in front of him.
"For your information, you incompetent buffoon; I have a Ph.D. in dueling to earn the title of Doctor, thank you!" he snapped before pushing him aside and continuing his journey. "Now tell the truant that he'll have to come back next year!" he finished, earning concerned looks from the other staff members.
"C'mon, Dr. Crowler. We have time for one more duel, surely?" he pleaded, looking to his colleagues for encouragement.
"Let's give him a shot!" another examiner spoke up, earning a few nods and words of agreement.
"He's just a little late, that's all," the one female examiner spoke up, trying to defend the person's chance to apply. It was wrong to mention as he spun on his heel and faced her before leaning down in her face, forcing a flinch and a hasty retreat from the sudden movement.
"Late is rude!" Crowler snapped as his phone went off, pulling back as he pulled it out of his pocket. "I have no time for slackers!" he fumed as he pressed the accept call button. "WHAT!?"
"It's Sheppard."
"O-Oh! Chancellor Sheppard, how nice of you to call!" Crowler spoke, softening his voice as a wince passed his face.
"Just calling to make sure everything is running smoothly. We wouldn't want a repeat of what happened last year, no?" Sheppard asked, freaking the dueling professor out as the memory passed through his mind briefly on what happened. "When you cut a third of our students' applications because someone called you 'Mr.' or 'Mrs.'? Never mind, just make sure everyone gets a fair shot!"
"Y-Yes, o-of course, sir! Furry-chinned windbag; doesn't he realize there are enough talentless flunkies already!?" he muttered to himself. Sighing dramatically as he locked his phone and slid it back into his jacket, he waved his hand and acquiesced.
"He's the boss! If he wants me to give this scrim shaker a duel, then I shall!" he finished, walking away. "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have one last duel to finish up, don't you?" he slyly smiled.
"B-But Sir, who will he duel, and with what deck?" one examiner asked, scanning down the list as he saw no scheduled examiner next to the applicant's name.
"Leave that to me!" Crowler replied, looking over his shoulder with a smirk before cackling to himself as he walked away rubbing his hands together.
Back with Jaden, Bastion, and Syrus, the three duelists continued to watch the few remaining duels take place. Seeing as they were coming up towards the remaining few duels of the day, the walls that separated the main stage into segments slowly disappeared to open the space up more. It was during that time when the female duelist Jaden had watched earlier shyly made her way towards them. She slowly walked up to the three males and smiled softly as she raised a hand in greeting.
"Hey there, fellas!"
"Hey there, yourself!" Jaden greeted with a wide grin, earning the attention of Syrus and Bastion as they turned from their conversation to theirs. "That was a sweet comeback you made down there! Never would've pegged you for a dragon-user, though! Few and far in between, and lesser still for females to take up the mantle!" Jaden complimented, earning a more confident smile in return from the young woman.
"Thank you! I've always loved dragon cards, ever since I was a little girl, and I just couldn't duel comfortably with anything else, I guess~ Name's Jenny Andrews! Pleased to meet ya!" she beamed, extending her hand for him to shake.
"Likewise!" he smiled, taking her hand and kissing it softly, earning an amused giggle from the redhead. He noted the callouses on the tips of her fingers, contrasting with the softness of her palms before quickly pulling away, trying to not let his facial features show his inner astonishment.
"These two fellas are Syrus Truesdale and Bastion Misawa! As for myself? I'm-" he introduced the other two males pointing at them respectively. Both acknowledging her and exchanging greetings, she quickly smiled back with a wave. Jaden was about to introduce himself before the speakers flared back to life and cut him off mid-sentence:-
Would Entry #176, please report to the Dueling Area! I repeat; Entry #176 to the Dueling Area, please!
"Well, it seems like I'm up!" he grinned as he stretched out after jumping to his feet. "Wish me luck!" he beamed as he ran down the stairs, leaving the three of them behind.
"He's a lively one, isn't he?" she asked the two males who shrugged in return. She shook her head amusedly before taking the seat Jaden had just vacated, getting comfortable as she watched Jaden run onto the field with duel-disk locked on his right arm.
Unlike the standard-grade duel disks that everyone is given to use; she noted that his duel-disk was designed in a myriad of colors, shifting like the colors of the rainbow. She also spotted that instead of the blue dome for his life points, it was transparent white. The frames and card placement edges were matted-black while the markings in the monster zones were the same color as his dome. She could've sworn she had seen that design before but failed to remember where.
They all looked across the duel area as the floor gave way and split apart, allowing everyone to see who Jaden's opponent was. Everyone was shocked when they found Dr. Crowler himself standing in front of him, watching as two faculty members saw to fixing his duel-disk on him. Unlike his own, Crowler's disk was being strapped to his chest; noting idly that his deck and graveyard slots were both right next to each other and pointed upwards. The duel tray itself was held in his hand like some kind of rock guitar and a small adjustable appendage could be used as a means to hold his cards; the design concept being something Jaden found interesting.
"Alright, test time!" Crowler snapped, earning the attention of the brunette in front of him. He frowned as he took on the apathetic demeanor of the male in front of him and immediately dismissed him as something inconsequential. "So, son, what's your name?" Crowler quipped snidely, earning a narrowing of the eyes and a frown from the examinee.
"Jaden, Sir," he bluntly replied, having heard the disdain and not liking his tone. The tone was heard in return, the frown deepening on the Doctor's face.
"Well, Just Jaden, I'm Dr. Vellian Crowler; Department Chair, Head of Obelisk Blue Male Dorm, and Techniques Professor here at Duel Academy!" he introduced himself haughtily with a smirk.
"Wooooow, really?" Jaden asked, faking a shocked and wowed tone of voice. "Impressive stuff! And here I was, thinking you were some kind of school mascot! The frilly collar kinda screams that Performalpal-swag, yanno?" he chuckled. Several reactions in the stands either earned him glares, aspirated looks, or bouts of soft laughter from the cheap shot from the examinee.
"Duel Vest On!" Crowler snapped, activating his disk and drawing five cards to start with; looking to humiliate him and punish him for his lack of respect and his rude tone of voice. Much to his dismay, Jaden simply grinned tauntingly as he drew his cards as well. "Let's Duel!"
"Game on!" Jaden yelled, a large grin on his face.
~Crowler: 4000~
~Jaden: 4000~
Much higher up in the stadium balconies, unknown to the two, stood two Obelisk Blue students; one male and one female. The female of the pair was wearing the traditional female uniform; inverted coloring which meant wearing an armless white blazer with the royal blue trims, followed up with a short blue mini-skirt. A pair of blue, calf-high high-heeled boots, and a pair of dueling gloves with gold studs embedded in the knuckles.
Meanwhile, he wore the standard male equivalent of the alternate uniform; a full-sleeved white jacket with the Obelisk Blue trim, a pair of faded blue jeans, and a pair of black mens' boots underneath. While he had long, navy-colored hair, reaching down between his shoulder blades, and piercing grey eyes; she had a long mane of dirty-blonde hair that flowed freely down to her lower back, with a pair of amber eyes to match. While he chose to stand up straight, she opted to lean forward slightly and rest her arms on the balcony.
"Huh, this kid must either be really good or really stupid if he's facing off against Crowler. Right, Zane?" she asked him, glancing at him out the corner of her eyes. He gave no response for a few moments before opening his eyes and gazing down at the stage beneath them.
"Maybe, Alexis. I'm curious to see if he's worth dueling myself," he replied with a stoic face. Alexis shrugged as she followed suit, turning back down to the stage as well; watching as Jaden correctly called the coin toss, and choosing to go first.
"Hey, Zane? Doesn't he look familiar to you?" Alexis spoke up, wondering why she thought that she knew him. Zane raised an eyebrow before turning back to the duel, not giving a response but mentally wondering himself now she mentioned it.
"I'll start!" Jaden spoke as he drew his sixth card. "Okay! A controversial start but I'll play four face-downs and end my turn," he commented, earning a few gasps from the audience from the near-suicidal move. The three people up in the stands were not faring better as the cyanette stood up and leaned forward.
"What's he thinking!?" Syrus yelled, stunned. While Jennifer looked bewildered, Bastion looked on with a calculating glint in his eyes, humming to himself.
"Depending on just what those four face-downs are, this could either be utterly embarrassing or completely ingenious. Either way, this is a duel that's worth watching till the very end," Bastion commented with an approving smile on his face as he made himself comfortable in his seat.
"... he knows what he's doing, guys. He doesn't have that nervousness about him that screams a novice duelist," she commented, her eyes narrowing slightly at the figure she just met. "He has confidence, but not just a bravado-kind of confidence. It's the confidence of knowing what you're doing and having sung the same old song and dance many times before. I don't know what makes me say it but I just know he'll be fine," Jennifer spoke up, surprised with herself with just how much confidence she had in him.
She kept trying to wrack her brain as to why he looked so familiar to her!
"What is this kid thinking?" Alexis scoffed unimpressed. "If this is the best he can do, he should just give up. We don't have time for people like him." Zane simply watched the match with a critical eye, wondering what Jaden was up to and what he had planned in this duel.
Crowler, however?
"Bahahahaha! Is that all you've got?" Crowler taunted mockingly. Jaden simply waved him off with a smirk, not falling for the taunts.
"Hey, I know what I'm doing! You just worry about your own cards while I worry about mine! Sounds good?" Jaden replied, riling up Crowler even further as he drew another card.
"Your funeral! I play two face-downs and activate Heavy Storm! Thanks to this card, all spells, and traps on the field are destroyed!" Crowler laughed as his opponent's cards were about to be destroyed. Everyone tended for the spell to take effect but was surprised when the middle-right of Jaden's face-down cards flipped up, revealing a trap in use.
"Thanks to your Heavy Storm activating, I can trigger my trap card; Heroic Sacrifice! By sending one of my warrior-types from my hand to the graveyard, I can protect all the cards on my side of the field for the rest of this turn!" Jaden replied, discarding a card from his hand. The silhouette of the duel spirit, that was just sent from Jaden's hand, soon appeared in front of his face-downs; protecting them from the spell card before fading away, once the storm calmed down. Everyone on looking up in the stands was still trying to figure out what monster was sent to the graveyard and find out what deck he was using.
"A pity that your cards didn't follow but that doesn't matter! Now that both my traps were sent to the grave, I can summon two Wicked tokens to the field but they're not staying for long~" Crowler sang before laughing once again as two statues rose in front of him, revealing two Sphinx-like creatures. A purple miasma surrounded them both and mobilized them both into movement, both of which moved from their original stone pedestal and screeched in unison.
(Wicked Fiend Token: Fiend / Dark / 4* / 1000 ATK / 1000 DEF) (x2)
Back with the three Obelisk males in the stands, their eyes opened up as the one with glasses shot forward in shock, stammering in response to what he just figured out. "N-No way! Crowler's using his own deck! This kid should just give up!"
"Yeah! No one can beat an expert like Crowler, right Chazz?" the bulkier of the three commented as the ravenette paid more attention to this duel than any of the others so far. Letting a 'tsk' escape from his mouth he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs and clasping his hands together.
"This kid's a joke! Three face-downs, no monsters? Sacrificing a monster just to keep them on the field? Pathetic! I'm gonna enjoy watching Crowler mop the floor with this slime! Should've done this to all the entries!" Chazz commented, smirking cruelly.
"Seriously?" Alexis sighed, slightly disappointed. "I thought he'd be something different but I guess I was wrong," She made to move away before finding herself stopped by Zane holding his arm out in front of her.
"You're too soft, Alexis, but don't count him out just yet," Zane commented, surprising her by how he seemed to be defending him. "Maybe he'll stay in this thing long enough for us to see Crowler's rare card," he finished, earning a shake of her head as she took his advice and kept watching.
"You should count yourself lucky. Not many people get to see this next card of mine but I think I'll make an exception!" Crowler smirked as he placed a card down in his monster zone. "As I haven't summoned yet this turn, I'll rectify that by tributing my two tokens so I can summon the mighty Ancient Gear Golem!" Crowler cackled as he raised his hand to the sky.
The two tokens exploded into a pillar of light that blinded the groaning and creaking of rusted cogs and bolts, with a sole red-eye piercing through the light and straight into Jaden's orbs. Soon enough, the light faded; revealing a gargantuan mech made out of rusted scrap metal and gears, colored a rusted copper brown.
(Ancient Gear Golem: Machine / Effect / Earth / 8* / 3000 ATK / 3000 DEF)
"There it is!" Alexis gasped as she stood ramrod straight with wide eyes. "Crowler's legendary Ancient Gear Golem!"
"Now we'll find out what makes it so legendary. His opponent will be in a world of hurt with that one..." Zane commented bluntly, mentally chiding Jaden for his first move leaving him unprotected from the oncoming onslaught.
"Huh~ Ancient Gears, eh? Been a while since I faced those," Jaden quipped, a grin on his face. Crowler paused for a moment before dismissing the odd comment with a smug smile.
"Now-now, Just Jaden, I hope you're not too scared of my Golem! But I must confess it was a foolish move to leave yourself for an open attack; a lesson I'll make sure you'll remember! Ancient Gear Golem, attack with Mechanized Melee!" he screeched, pointing towards Jaden as the attack target.
"And now, for the plot twist!" Jaden grinned as he revealed the furthest right face-down card, revealing a quick-play spell card. Crowler couldn't halt the attack but the sudden card appearance did throw him off slightly.
"Huh? How are you playing a spell card now!?" Crowler decently asked, genuinely confused. He knew his Golem would have prevented any cards from being activated from Jaden's back row, thanks to its effect.
"I'm playing a spell card but before you have a go at me, it fits the requirements as it's a Quick-Play Spell!" Jaden explained as he showed the card to Crowler. "The card's called Forbidden Chalice! Since this is classed as the beginning of the battle step and not the damage step, which is what you were probably thinking it was, I can choose one monster on the field to use this card on!" Jaden commented, explaining what was happening for those who were just as confused as Crowler was.
"Since the only monster is on the field right now is your Ancient Gear Golem, it'll have to be that!" Jaden playfully smiled as Crowler's Golem froze mid-attack. The golden chalice poured its contents over the head of the mechanical golem and watched as it grew stronger, much to everyone's immediate confusion.
(Ancient Gear Golem: Attack Boost (3000 + 400) = 3400 ATK) (Effects are negated.)
"Did you hit your head or something? You're giving me more points to attack you with!" Crowler asked, genuinely confused by the sudden boost to his monster's attack points. However, his confusion began to die down when he saw the mischievous smirk on Jaden's face.
"I did, but that's not the point here!" he joked, earning some laughs and claps from the crowd. "True you have some extra attack points but the card is called Forbidden for a reason! So now that your monster's no spell/trap effect is negated for this turn, I call pull this next trick off!"
"You have got to be kidding me!" Alexis yelled, gripping the balcony and leaning down in pure shock. Zane also starred with widened eyes at the incredibly surprising play, reminiscent of his dueling style. Up in the balcony; Syrus, Bastion, and Jenny were also in shock while the rest of the audience grew in noise at the sudden change of atmosphere in this duel. The round of applause boosted his energy levels as he activated the last two of his face-downs.
"I activate a little trap-combo; something I like to call 'What's Yours is Mine!' Now the order matters in terms of chain-linking so first; I play my Magic Cylinder and I'll follow it up with my Enchanted Javelin. Like the title says, you lose thirty-four hundred life points and I gain thirty-four hundred life points! Simple, no?" Jaden explained chucking to himself as he let the stunned audience watch the procedure follow through.
On the balcony, Alexis' jaw was open wide as she stared impressed at the cunning and somewhat lucky trap-play by Jaden below.
"Oh my god... that's incredible!" she complimented in awe. Zane simply smirked as he glanced towards Jaden and saw him in a new light from being able to turn a duel around so quickly. While Jaden wasn't out of the woods yet, he had secured himself a bit of time. Though he still tried figuring out why he looked familiar and why he's seen those cards before.
"It seems I was wrong about him. Maybe there's more to him than meets the eye," Zane commented and shook his thoughts clear, smiling slightly at the impressive play. Back in the stands, the group of two males and one female cheered at the incredible move they had just seen.
"A magnificent play, Jaden! By playing the cards in that order, you've practically stolen Crowler's life points for your own, taking no damage!" Bastion complimented, clapping his hands loudly in praise. "Impressive play indeed!" he smiled brightly, admiring the incredible deck knowledge to pull that off.
"I guess why Jaden called that combo what he did! It makes sense!" Syrus beamed with a large smile on his face as he turned and high-fived Jennifer next to him. She turned back to the field and grinned brightly, shocking the two males as she seemed to come out of her shell a little.
"I told you he would be fine!" Jenny beamed, proud of herself and his amazing play. Back on the field, Crowler's Golem began charging energy in his hand before aiming it at Jaden. After a few comedic moments of yelling from Crowler telling it to stop, the fist detached from the rest of the body and launched itself towards Jaden.
Of course, thanks to the two trap cards, the initial attack then split into two; one into the cylinder, and one into the Enchanted Staff that absorbed the power of the attack, before coating Jaden in a light-green aura that increased his life points. Meanwhile, the other cylinder appeared point-blank in front of Crowler as the attack backfired on him, causing a small explosion to detonate in the dueling area.
~Crowler: (4000 - 3400) = 600~
~Jaden: (4000 + 3400) = 7400~
Two-card Trap Combo: Magical Cylinder + Enchanted Javelin
(Ancient Gear Golem's attack: absorbed by Jaden and reflected onto Crowler.)
"Ouch!" Jaden winced, snapping his fingers as he hopped on one of his legs, crouching slightly. "That looked like it hurt!"
"What was your first clue you numbskull!?" Crowler growled, groaning as he pulled himself back up to his feet and dusted himself, tidying his hair. "Your move!"
(Ancient Gear Golem: 3000 ATK)
"W-Wait, what?" Jaden queried, pausing a duel for the moment as he looked stupidly at his opponent. Sweeping his arm out to the current field, he looked back at the Doctor and tilted his head. "That's it?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Crowler asked, slightly confused by his comment.
"You said that you teach Techniques in Dueling, right?" he paused, crossing his arms as he explained his issue. "Where's the technique!? Sure, getting a level eight on the field in your first turn is impressive but leaving yourself with no backup plans if I happen to find a way to take out the last six hundred of your life points?" he explained, the silence deafening as everyone listened.
"I know several cards that could easily take your remaining six hundred life points, so what's stopping me from playing them? Plus, with nothing on your side of the field for backup, you have nothing to stop it should I have a means!" Jaden shrugged, stunning the audience with his logic as he drew a card. "I'll let that thought sink in as I play my Pot of Greed! For those who don't know what it does? It lets me draw two free cards~" Jaden smirked widely, more than familiar with the meme that had grown on the internet, leaving Crowler dumbly watching on as a green jar with a face on the front pulled two cards from its mouth and handed them over to Jaden via its tongue.
"Who the HELL do you think you are talking to me like that!?" Crowler snapped, yelling at him with fury etched into his face. The watchers had to lean back slightly, having never seen Crowler this worked up in a duel before. Jaden paused as he rearranged his hand.
"You really wanna know who I am?" Jaden asked, dead-panning as he closed his hand and crossed his arms. "Tell me, Doctor, if you've ever heard of a moniker known in the circuit as the 'Elemental King'?" he asked rhetorically. There was dead silence in the crowd before one person gasped in shock, the noise from the audience increasing rapidly in a compilation of shock, disbelief, and awe; making him grin. "Seems they've figured out who I am~"
"W-What!? Y-You're the Elemental King!?" Crowler stuttered, paling as he finally realized just who he was facing; a Pro-Duelist from the Circuit, and one of most prominent ones at that! Not only that, one who has been trained by three of the most iconic duelists of all time!
"Jaden Hoshiryu Yuki, at your service~" Jaden bowed dramatically, earning more gasps from the audience, confirming his identity, and savoring the blistering roar of applause from the stand. "I hoped to have kept in the dark a little while longer but meh," he flipped his hand, grinning as he glanced up to the group of three friends he made just a short while ago.
"No way!" Syrus gasped, looking at Jaden who simply gave him a smile and a two-fingered salute. Giving up making sense of this shocking news, he simply sat down next to Jenny. While he couldn't cope with it, she looked at him with stars in her eyes and leaned over the chair as she held her fists up to her face.
"Ohmygod! It's him!" she squealed happily as she soon trailed off into a tangent of gibberish that both males decided to not follow. Bastion simply chuckled in amusement as it finally clicked to Jaden's identity.
"Simply incredible! It makes sense that he's had the duel in his favor ever since the duel started. Jenny seemed to have been spot on with her observation; no wonder his last move was so good!" Bastion commented in awe. While up in the stands, Alexis was left speechless by finally connecting the dots herself.
"S-Seriously? That's him!?" Alexis gasped again, pointing towards the said male. To her surprise, he looked up at her and simply bowed for her playfully. She shook her head but she couldn't deny the smile on her face threatening to break free. Zane chuckled loudly, shocking her further.
"I thought he looked familiar, since you pointed out, Lex. Jaden Hoshiryu Yuki; the 'Elemental King'. Said to have been given the moniker by three of the world's top duelists for completely mastering the Elemental Hero deck; which is no easy feat to pull off," Zane smirked, locking eyes with the celebrity in question. "I think he's warranted enough of my attention."
"I-Impossible!" Chazz yelled in disbelief, standing up in shock as he pointed at Jaden. "Y-You mean to tell me that this... this chump is a Pro-Duelist!?" he rhetorically asked, turning around when getting no reply as the two males had fainted in shock. He growled before kicking the one in the shin before storming off. Back on the field, Jaden looked down in his hand and saw one of the new cards he had been given earlier on revealing itself. He grinned as he looked into his hand, planning his next move out.
"Ah! Pleasure to meet you, my dear! How about we give you a grand debut, yeah?" he asked a particular card in his hand, winning a melodic giggle in response. He looked back up with a challenging glint in his orbs as he held the next card in his hand and lifted it into the air, pointing upwards with his index finger: "Let's finish this!"
"Oh no," Crowler paled even further. Granted he wasn't hugely knowledgeable on the more current duelists on the Professional Circuit, he had heard about him; even going as far to have watched a few of his duels for study purposes. He mentally smacked himself for not recognizing him sooner but he knew that those three words were a tell of his whenever he was guaranteed to win the duel.
"Oh, yes! Now when I used my Heroic Sacrifice last turn, I sent my Elemental Hero Necroshade to the graveyard! But that's where the kicker comes in!"
Jaden smirked as a ghost-like visage of the said duel spirit appeared next to Jaden, fully revealing himself this time around and fist-bumped with him, much to the further shock of all watching. "So thanks to my Necroshade chilling out in the graveyard, I can use his once-a-duel ability! I can summon any level Elemental Hero without a tribute, straight from my hand!"
He placed the card down in his monster area and watched as a small burst of light formed in front of him before getting bigger and brighter. "I've just got this card today from a friend of mine, so making her grand debut for you all? Please welcome to the stage; the beautiful, the heart-stealer, the smexy: Elemental Hero Supernova!" he introduced her theatrically, lifting his hand towards the sky.
The beam of light flew up into the air before bursting back onto the field, making everyone cover their eyes in response. As soon as the light faded, the figure within the beam could be seen, with many of the remaining males having to hold their noses in response. Her long, wavy blonde hair cascaded down her exposed back, with a beautiful pair of glimmering blue eyes glittering under the lights.
The soft tan of her skin gave her an exotic beauty, enhanced by the soft red lipstick that ramped up her raw sex appeal. Wrapped in a white veil that loosely surrounded her frame, yet perfectly showing off all of her curvaceous body, she left more than a few men (and women) hot under the collar from their thoughts. She hovered masterfully in the air, the strips of her veil fluttering around her as small orbs of stellar energy methodically circled her.
(Elemental Hero Supernova: Spellcaster / Effect / Light / 10* / 3500 ATK / 2700 DEF)
"Well, hello there~ Pleasure to meet you! Hopefully, the introduction was to your liking, my lady~" Jaden bowed towards his newest duel spirit, winking up at her the moment he stood back up. She smiled warmly as a small blush appeared on her face, giggling at the positive energy that radiated from him before she floated down in front of him and softly cupped his cheek.
She saw the small blush on his face and felt the minuscule flinch from her hand on his face, and the slight stiffening of his body, causing a slip of her mask and her smile to fade slightly. Fearing she had done something by accident to ruin her first impressions, she felt his hand over hers and his body relaxing, his eyes conveying a silent message to her as a thumb rubbed her hand. She allowed a beatific smile to shine brightly on her visage, her sapphire eyes bursting forth with shimmering life and her energy to fully return.
"Hello yourself, handsome~ My name's Ayumi, and you flatter me with your honesty, my good ser~" the now identified Ayumi replied, giggling to herself at Crowler's gaping fish impersonation.
"As I said, this is her debut! So you have the grand honor of facing her for the first time, Doctor Vellian Crowler! Though as far as firsts go, I'm sure you can agree you lucked out, hmmm~?" Jaden flirted with his newest spirit, earning a peal of heartfelt and melodic laughter as she blushed brightly.
"I concur~ Let's hope that the aftershow lives up to your performance here and now, hmmm~?" she coyly smirked in response, earning another applause from the audience at the play-flirting between them both. Now that they understood that Jaden was who he was, the scene in front of them wasn't as bizarre to them; since it was common knowledge that he was able to interact with his heroes, turning most of his duels into performances that left everyone fulfilled.
"You little minx~ Now, her effect kicks in! By sending the last card from my hand to the graveyard, I can use her effect! Only on the turn she is summoned, I can destroy one card on the field, as a quick effect! And take a guess which one I choose~"
Jaden made a small joke by waving his finger around the field before landing on the last defense between Ayumi and Crowler. Ayumi, meanwhile, almost seemed to dance in place as stellar energy gathered around her. Gathering enough of her energy, she allowed a smirk to appear on her face. Arms suddenly snapping outwards, the energy exploded from her in multiple arcs of energy; piercing through the metal plating of Crowler's Golem and shattering it to pixels.
Seeing his only line of defense now shattered, much to his shame as Jaden's words rang true in his mind, he sank to his knees.
"W-Wait just a moment! W-We can work something out, right!?" Crowler begged on his knees, crying comically as he held his hands in front of him both beggingly and protectively.
"Uhhh, how about no? Like Jenny's opponent did to her, I won't stand for someone disrespecting me because I was late! To quote her further? You wanna be a condescending son of a bitch? Then you'll get no mercy from me!" Jaden fumed. Up in the stands, Jenny's eyes widened before softening in awe. She wasn't aware that he had paid attention to her duel to the point he could recall her words and teared up from the emotion.
"Ayumi? How about you shed a little light on Crowler's behavior with Stellar Chain Reaction!" he grinned suddenly, swiping his arm to signal. His duel spirit giggled at the wordplay, spreading her arms out as she commanded the orbs into motion.
"You got it, Jay!" she grinned widely, the orbs of energy beginning spinning faster around her frame before launching them into the air like a wrathful halo. She brought her right hand out and clicked her fingers, sending the orbs of light all towards Crowler, causing a chain reaction of explosions as they hit home.
"Heehee! Go boom~" she giggled as she gave a flourishing twirl before standing beside Jaden, who wrapped an arm around her before he gave a peace sign.
~Crowler: (600 - 3500) = 0~
Attack to Life Points from Elemental Hero Supernova
"I think that's game, don't you?" Jaden smiled as he turned to face his Supernova, gently bumping his hip into her body. She shook her head, the bright smile still visible as she returned the action in response. With a soft blush on her face, a mischievous look appeared in her eyes, as she leaned in to kiss the duelist on the cheek; winning a thunderous uproar of wolf-whistles, cat-calls, and applause from the onlookers.
'This is gonna be a good year,' he thought as Ayumi winked at him one last time before vanishing. So stunned by the sudden display of affection, he didn't see the group of three bodies run onto the stage and congratulate him.
"Now that's some impressive dueling!" Alexis smiled, complimenting him in an impressed tone of voice as she stretched her back. "I guess I was completely off the mark about him but I'm curious about that last card he played. I've never heard of it before, and didn't he say it was her 'grand debut'?" she commented, earning a nod from Zane.
"Neither have I. I've heard the news that Pegasus was due to create cards to expand on the Elemental Hero deck, and give some more variety. The trouble with his Heroes is that he doesn't have much access to powerful non-fusion monsters, making the need for fusion a must. Opponents would easily try to negate his ability to fusion, leaving him at a huge disadvantage. By creating some more powerful, stand-alone cards, it means that the necessity of fusion summoning can be eased up on slightly," Zane explained, earning an 'ooh' from Alexis as it made sense.
"I can only guess Jaden was the one to get the first batch. Nevertheless, he played well," he complimented, a smirk on his face before walking off.
She paused as she looked back down, Jaden looking straight at her before giving her a salute. She shook her head but returned the gesture herself before turning away from the scene. 'Keep this up and it'll be an interesting year for us all~' she thought to herself before following Zane.
Meanwhile, Jaden was bombarded with students and examiners coming up to him and congratulating him on the masterful display of dueling, some of them even thanking him for putting Crowler in his place, and teaching him some humility. After the crowds died down a little, he made his way over to the three waiting figures and sheepishly chuckled from the knowing looks on their faces.
"Why didn't you tell us in the beginning that you were the Elemental King!?" Syrus all but yelled, with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer with fireworks taped on at the ends.
"Surprise factor, mostly. Surprise!" he grinned sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders before he got glomped by the lone female of the group. He tensed up for a moment but he relaxed when he felt no ill intent from her action, chuckling as she spouted something he couldn't catch. Soon, she let go of him and beamed at him with a massive grin on her face.
"Ohmygod, that was amazing! I never thought I'd see my idol up close like this!" she began before stepping back and bashfully blushing. "A-Also, t-thank you for complimenting my dueling skills," she shyly stammered turning her head away, blushing slightly.
"Hey, don't sell yourself short! The fact that you drew the one card you needed when you needed it, shows how much of a bond you have with your cards! Also, coming back from almost losing to obliterating your opponent with four cards is nothing short of impressive, Jen! Keep it up and you may just beat me someday~" he complimented, smiling at her.
She couldn't stop the blush from reaching her cheeks; her face began to match the color of her hair. The complement proved too much for her, her head going dizzy for a split second and forcing her to take a seat. Playing nervously with her fingers, she 'eep'd' in response when Jaden took a seat to her and bumped shoulders with her. A more natural and comfortable smile appeared on her face as she returned the gesture, much to his delight.
"I must say it's a privilege to meet you in person, Jaden! Impressive play; minimal effort with the maximum output! Though that Forbidden Chalice play of yours had many of us guessing what you were trying to pull off!" Bastion smiled, offering his hand in congratulations. Jaden smiled as he shook hands with him, noting he had a firm grip on him.
"It's nice to be recognized and it's always nice to meet fans of mine!" Jaden smiled as he broke the handshake. "Well, now that everything's over, who wants to grab a bite? My treat!" he asked, jumping to his feet. Earning three positive responses, the four of them decided to make their way to one of the local restaurants he frequented.
Hidden to them all, a shadowy figure watched the four retreating backs making their way out of the building; his gaze focusing on one person in particular. Nodding to themselves with a smile on their face, they turned around and walked deeper into the shadows, vanishing from view and leaving no traces that they were ever there.
~ETK:R!~
(Time Skip: Apartment)
After a long and eventful day, he was glad when he stepped over the threshold into his small apartment. While he had the money to afford a bigger place, he was much happier having this small apartment on the rooftop of the building; where he could watch the sunrise on the nights he couldn't sleep.
He didn't need much and having less is sometimes more, he often thought.
Chucking his jacket lazily on the back of the sofa and kicking off his trainers, he made his way to the fridge and pulled out two cans of cola. Moving swiftly across the room, Jaden sighed as he flopped back onto his queen-size bed, savoring the feel it had on his body as he groaned in delight.
Placing the cans on the cabinet beside him, he stretched out before getting comfy. "I'm so glad to finally lie down. Today's been hectic; I just wanna curl up and doze off to sleep!" he spoke to no one in particular.
"Oh? Is that an offer to join you, Jaden?" a soft melodic voice spoke up. Jaden smiled as he recognized the new voice belonging to one of his newest additions to his deck, namely Ayumi. He scooted over slightly as he lifted himself slightly to sit up against the headrest of the bed.
"Tell me, how could I refuse the offer of a beautiful woman such as yourself?" Jaden quipped back, earning a small giggle as she moved to sit on the opposite side of the bed. "Only if you want to, of course! I'm not the kind of person to force others into doing things they don't want to. I've never been like that. Plus, I've never been one for most social norms, so I see nothing wrong with a male and female sharing a bed as friends, if they're comfortable enough!" he replied honestly, earning a few points in her books for being open with her.
She giggled once more as Jaden felt the weight of the bed shift as she crawled over to him in a more fitting version of her outfit. She got to arms' length of him before she sat demurely as a small frown appeared on her face.
"Well, I've talked with both Burstinatrix and Kiyomi while you had food earlier. They've told me a little about yourself, as well as... w-well... t-that..." she stammered, not knowing how he'd take the news. She looked up and found his eyes closed and received no response for a few moments. Taking it as a bad sign, she apologized before moving off the bed, only to find a hand gently placed on top of hers. She paused as she turned to find his chocolate orbs mesmerizing her sapphire ones. There showed no signs of repulsion nor anger, only a sad acceptance and his vulnerability laid bare before her.
"T-They've told me how much of a wonderful man you are and how you have an intimacy with some of the female spirits. It's so unheard of in our realm and... after they described how it felt... I-I became a little curious..." she trailed off, losing her confidence before she found her hands being taken into his own.
"I know it's an unusual situation but if they've told you... that-" he paused, speaking slowly and shuddering violently. He took a few deep breaths and allowed the memories to be purged from his immediate train of thought. "-then you understand why it's how it is between us. But please don't think for a single second that the feelings aren't genuine," he reassured her, squeezing her hands slightly and locking his fingers with hers in response to feeling her tremble.
"I believe the term I can use for myself is being demisexual," he softly explained, seeing the confusion on her face from the unfamiliar term. "It means that I can't form genuine, emotion-driven, physical affection with someone unless I have a strong emotional bond with them. Just a byproduct of what happened," he nodded softly, earning a grateful look from his current company.
"They both told me that I can take my time to... get to know you better if I wanted to," she finished his sentence with a waver in her voice. "I had not expected to feel at ease around you the way that I do. I've only just met you and yet… it feels like I've known you forever. It's so strange but I…" she trailed off as her eyes fluttered close.
Slowly opening her eyes, she saw him smiling towards her, feeling the care and tenderness radiating off of him and seeing for herself the charm that captured the other spirits' hearts. She slowly lowered her head to his, stopping briefly from feeling his breath on her lips.
"You can stop if it's uncom-" Jaden began talking but was soon silenced as her lips connected with his, instantly sending tingles over her body as the two of them opted to simply enjoy the kiss.
She felt like she was floating right now and her body was gliding through the air, weightless and free. She had heard stories of how magical a kiss could feel but no amount of words could begin to describe how her first kiss made her feel. Purring gently into his mouth, a hand rose up and gently cupped his face, bringing it closer to her so she could feel more of the wonderful sensation that was invading her body at that moment. This continued for a few minutes before she found herself getting uncomfortable, opting to climb into his lap to straddle him before continuing to experience more. The two of them lost themselves to the hands of time before she gently pulled away, satisfied for the moment, and stared deeply into his eyes with her love-glazed eyes.
"Wow," Jaden breathlessly complimented; eyes glazed over. He had experienced some of the first kisses with a few of the duel spirits but this one was probably the most tender of them all. There was no rush, there was no battle, just the experience of her first kiss being so incredible for her. She smiled beatifically as she rested her head on his chest and climbed off him and cuddled into his side.
"Wow~" she copied, breathing heavily as a healthy blush settled on her face. "I think a little bit of sleep would be good for us both, or I'll end up stealing your sleep to kiss you endlessly~ It will be the last time you'll be here in a while and we'll have a plane to catch tomorrow," she softly reminded him with her blush returning in full force, earning a small pout that made her giddy inside from this intimacy. He simply smiled from the content look on her face, kissing her once more, to her delight, before thinking that sleep was a good plan.
"Night guys!" he yelled, much to her confusion but her eyes widened in shock when she heard her fellow duel spirits appear, chuckling and giggling before replying.
"Night!/Laters!/Goodnight Jay!/Sweet Dreams!/Woof!" his heroes (and his mechanical-dog spirit, Wroughtweiler,) shouted/barked back, earning a smile on his face and a scarlet blush on hers, realizing they were watched.
"Sweet dreams, Ayumi~" he spoke softly to her before closing his eyes, letting sleep claim him once more. She took a moment to admire his sleeping face and just how peaceful he looked. Smiling once more because of him, she softly stole another kiss before nestling her head in the crook of his neck.
"Sweet dreams, Jaden~" she smiled as she followed him into sweet slumber, ready for the first new day in the life of her King.
~Chapter One: End!~
~Original Card List!~
Elemental Hero Supernova:
(Spellcaster / Effect / Light / 10* / 3500 ATK / 2700 DEF)
Effect(s): When Special Summoned or Tribute Summoned to the field, you can discard one card from your hand (Quick Effect): choose one card on the field, destroy it. When this card is sent to the graveyard, remove two LIGHT Elemental Hero monster cards from play to special summon this card back on your side of the field but its effects are negated.
Heroic Sacrifice (Counter Trap)
When this card activates, send one card with 'Elemental Hero' in its name to the graveyard. Your cards cannot be targeted or destroyed by monster effects, spells, or traps until the end of the next turn.
Okay! I'm so much happier with how this updated chapter turned out! So much more added, corrected, and changed to give this chapter a much smoother flow! There seems to be a bit more defiance with this Jaden, given how he takes more of a lead with the technical aspects of the duel; it gives a bit more of a grounding point to the fact he grew up with several of the best duelists of the generation before him.
Also, when I first started writing this seven years ago; I did write both Jaden and Jenny as dual aspects of myself. That hasn't changed!
Jaden represents the part of me that longed to be someone that everyone looked up to, yet remaining true to himself and humbled. He also represents the side of me that deals with the demons I face daily, and how he has the help around him to pull him through.
Jenny is more of a combination of my flirtier side, alongside the skewed perception of social norms due to my past issues. Also, it contains hints of my best friend, and my bromance; who I jokingly call 'Jenny-chan', since he takes to calling me his 'Jaden-kun'! The fact he just recently got married to a wonderful woman makes no change to that bromance! (Though we still wonder who is Chandler and who is Joey between the two of us!)
But yeah, so much happier with this chapter. I'll be giving update notes as we go through the chapters for what has changed! See you in chapter two, everyone! :3