Tag Team Trial
The time has come. Today was the day for Jaden and Syrus' tag team duel. And if they wanted to stay at the academy, they had to win. Dr Crowler was walking through the hallway of Duel Academy.
'Just look at them.' He thought to himself as he went by a bunch of Slifer red students. 'Pathetic Slifers littering the campus like vermin. The hallowed halls of my Duel Academy are for the elite, not the lame. Not Jaden Yuki.' An image of a grinning Jaden popped in Crowler's mind. Unable to contain himself he burst out yelling. "THAT SLIFER SLACKER HAS MADE A FOOL OF ME FOR LONG ENOUGH!" His outburst was loud enough to make the slifer students around run away frightened. "But soon he will pay most dearly for it. Soon with what I have planned, he will be the fool."
"Dr Crowler." Someone called out.
He turned around to see Chazz walking up to him. "Ah, Chazz. How may I be of service?"
"You can put me in the tag team duel against Jaden and Syrus, that's how."
"You?"
"That's right. This time I know I can beat him and send him packing."
"Sorry, but you'll be sitting this duel out Chazz."
"Huh?"
"Don't get me wrong, your skills are admirable, but I'm afraid I'm not taking any chances on this one. If Jaden loses here, he'll be expelled from the Duel Academy once and for all. Which is why he'll be facing the greatest tag duelists in the world." With that, Crowler left, leaving a confused Chazz by himself.
At the Slifer red dorm, Jaden and Syrus were in their room with Chumley, going over their decks.
"How can you guys be so calm?" Chumley asked.
"Ha. What's not to calm about?" Jaden retorted. "It's just another duel, another day. No problem, right Sy?"
"But duh, Jaden, it's not just another duel. It's a tag duel and if you lose, you'll be on the next bus out of here."
"Hello, Chumley. That's totally why we're not gonna lose today. And Chumley, we're on an island, bus?"
"Whatevs, you ought to give me your meal cards just in case."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Jaden said sarcastically.
"Well someone's got to eat your grilled cheeses if you go."
Syrus stared at the Powerbond card. 'Chumley may have a point. Last time I dueled, in a one-on-one duel that is, I was awful, just like my big brother always told me I was. If we're going to stay at the academy, I'm just gonna have to do and not let anything get in my head, especially Zane. After all, the last time I let him get to me, Jaden really let me have it…'
Flashback
"Sy that's your brother talking. Come on pal, you gotta believe in yourself."
Flashback
'Belive in myself.' Syrus thought after thinking back to when Jaden said those words. 'That's exactly what I'm gonna do. Believe in myself, believe in myself, believe in myself.' He then stood up. "I BELIEVE IN MYSELF, JADEN!"
Jaden looked at his tag partner with a strange look. "Hey uh… that's great."
Chumley watched as his friends walked towards the door. "well, good luck you guys. I really want you to win the match."
"More than you want the grilled cheeses?" Jaden asked, looking at his friend, amazed.
"I'd rather have you guys as friends, than extra grilled cheeses."
"I think I might cry." Jaden said, breaking into a grin.
"See ya soon, Chumley!" Syrus said, before heading out with Jaden.
'Yeah, I hope so.' Chumley thought gloomily, watching his friends leave.
At the main dueling stadium, all the students, teachers and the Chancellor took their seats waiting for the tag duel to start.
"The tag duel will begin in just a few moments. And remember, these are the test conditions. This is a sudden expulsion match"
Bastion and Andrew were sitting in their own seats as the announcement was made. "A tad harsh I say."
"No joke." They looked to the side and saw Alexis and Jenny sitting down next to them. "You're Bastion Misawa, a friend of Jaden's right?" Alexis asked.
"I suppose you could say that. And you're Alexis Rhodes correct? And you are?" He asked as he looked at Jenny.
"Jenny." She said simply. "And we're the reason why they're in this mess. They were helping us at the abandoned dorm."
"I see."
"But now if there's anyone in need of help, it's them." Alexis said. "Have you heard? Rumor is Crowler arranged for professionals to duel them. Tag team legends. Duelists that worked with the creator of Duel Monsters himself."
"Professionals?" Andrew asked. "Jeez, I knew that Crowler want them to get expelled, but that's crazy."
"Send in the accused. Syrus Truesdale and Jaden Yuki."
Chazz slammed his foot in the back of the chair in front of him in anger as he watched the named duelists enter the arena. The noise was loud enough for nearby Obelisks look at him and for the two Slifers hear it. "Whoa! The acoustics in here are great." Jaden commented.
"Yeah… You think maybe they'd count the echo as your tag partner.?" Syrus asked.
"For the last time Syrus, you're my tag partner." Jaden said as he ruffled Syrus' hair a little.
Syrus laughed and pulled away from him. "Doesn't hurt to ask though."
As they made their way to the middle, Chazz was barley preventing himself from bursting out in rage. "You Slifer slackers. It should be me taking you out. But I guess as long as someone does it…"
Not too far from him, Michael was sitting by himself, looking down at Jaden and Syrus. 'Alright you guys. It's time for you to show everyone what you're made of.'
Back down at the arena, Jaden noticed another friendly person coming into the arena. "Hey look, Chumley made it here!"
"Just barley." Syrus added.
"I thought running… was healthy." Chumley said trying to catch his breath.
Higher up in the stands, Zane was staring down Syrus. 'Well little brother, time to see if you belong here, or on the next plane out of here.'
'Zane!' Syrus thought upon seeing the look at him. He walked after Jaden with his mantra of 'Gotta believe in myself, gotta believe in myself, gotta believe in myself, gotta believe in myself.'
As the two of them arrived on the plat form, Crowler raised a hand in the air and spoke to the crowd. "Now without further ado, allow me to introduce our guest tag team duo!" Two men jumped onto the stage. They did a series of flips and then landed on the side of the platform opposite of Jaden and Syrus. They were almost identical like two cherries. They were bald in Chinese robes, one wearing orange and the other green. They had Chinese symbols on their foreheads.
"What is this?" The two Slifers asked.
"The Paradox Brothers!" Crowler announced in reply.
"Salutations you fools." the orange one greeted.
"Hope you're ready to duel." The green one rhymed.
"Uhh, I've never heard of these guys." Jaden said.
"Me neither." Syrus admitted. "Maybe this tag match won't be so bad."
"Perhaps." Crowler spoke up. "After all, They haven't dueled for ages and their last opponent was a child. I believe it he went by the name of 'Yugi' something."
"The King of Games?" Syrus asked disbelieved.
The Paradox Brothers Smirked confidently.
"I've studied these guys." Alexis mention "They're some kind of dueling mercenaries, not to mention the best tag team duelists in the world. This is hardly fair."
"I think that was Crowler's point. Statistically speaking, I put Jaden's odds at winning at one in fifty."
"Hey! You should have faith in your friends, not placing bets on them." Jenny commented with an angry tone in her voice.
"Yeah, anything can happen in a duel, so they can win this." Andrew agreed. "So don't say such negative things."
"Sorry."
"Hey Chumley!" Chazz called out to the big Slifer. "Looks like there's going to be a whole lot more in your dorm. Your friends are toast."
"Not Lishus." Chumley said.
Zane was as stoic as ever as he looked at the opponents.
"Enough with the pleasantries." Para said.
"And now on with the duel." Dox filled in.
"We didn't come here to talk..."
"We came…"
"To destroy you!" The both of them said simultaneously.
"Crowler!" Sheppard called out as he arrived right behind the twins. "Don't you think this is a bit much?"
"No, not at all!" Crowler replied. "Jaden and Syrus broke a big time rule, so they should face big time opponents. Besides, we can't send the brothers back now, they've come so far."
"What does that matter? You're the one paying their travel costs." Crowler face vaulted at this. "Jaden, I'll leave it up to you, son."
"These guys couldn't even beat male pattern baldness, so there's no way they're gonna be able to beat us." Jaden said jokingly.
"Oh how wonderfully clever." Crowler said, not amused. He then stood up and spoke up. "Duelists, prepare for battle." The Slifers and their opponents readied themselves.
Jaden noticed the nervous expression Syrus' face. "Breath Sy. We can do this."
The latter smiled sheepishly.
"The rules for this tag team duel are really quite simple." Crowler began explaining. "There is no sharing of strategy, no sharing of advise and no sharing of any card that is not yet in play. But you may use what's on your partner's field. Understood?"
"Yeah." The duelists replied.
"Then duel!" Crowler hopped off the stage.
Jaden & Syrus: 8000
The Paradox Brothers: 8000
"Get your games on!" Jaden said as the four duelists activated their duel disks and drew their starting cards. He looked at Syrus who nodded.
"Here goes." He announced as he drew a card. "First I'm gonna summon Gyroid in attack mode." Syrus' small, blue cartoonish helicopter appeared in front of him. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 3)
"You must be joking." Para commented as he began his turn. "I am surprised that that thing even has an attack mode. This on the other hand, Jirai Gumo." A large brown spider appeared opposite of the little helicopter. (ATK: 2200 DEF: 100 LV: 4)
"What? An overgrown bug?" Jaden remarked and began his turn. "That's nothing that my deck can't squash. Elemental HERO Burstinatrix, defense mode!" The red clad fire heroine kneeled down before Jaden. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 800 LV: 3)
"The best defense you fool, is a strong offense." Dox said starting his turn. "Kaiser Sea Horse, attack mode!" A blue and purple aquatic warrior with a double ended spear and a shield stood up on Dox's field. (ATK: 1700 DEF: 1650 LV: 4)
'Alright. If I know dueling like I think I know dueling, these guys are sure to attack next.' Syrus thought. But to his surprise, the brothers had another plan in mind.
"I choose to play a spell card from my hand…" Dox announced. "Tribute Doll! To activate it, I must sacrifice one monster from our side of the field. Good thing my brother is so generous with his." Para gave him a nod to go ahead. "Farewell Jirai Gumo." Black vines emerged from the spell card and crushed the big spider. "Now I am allowed to summon a level seven monster this turn. And I choose to summon, Kazejin!" A green head with a strange symbol of it and a pair of arms appeared in a gust of wind. (ATK: 2400 DEF: 2200 LV: 7)
"He sacrificed his brother's monster to summon a better one for the team. Now that's tag dueling." Bastion commented.
"Would you mind to trying to not sound so impressed, Bastion?" Alexis asked in a slightly annoyed tone.
"Kazejin. From what I've heard, there are two other monsters similar to that one." Jenny said. "And if all three of them are on the field, they can combine together to create an even more powerful creature."
"Then let's hope Jaden and Syrus can destroy it before that happens." Andrew replied.
On the arena, the brothers began their rhyming again.
"Do you actually think you know anything of this game?"
"You're losers, you're jokes, in other words, you're lame."
"And if they think this is starting to get grueling…"
"Then wait until I draw and give them a true schooling." Dox finished the rhyming. "I play Dark Designator. This powerful spell card allows me tall call out any monster that I can think of. And if it's any way in my brother's deck, it's added immediately to his hand. Now let me see here… Sanga of the Thunder."
Para chuckled as he picked out the named card. "What do you know, it's right here, ready to tear them asunder."
'You've gotta be kidding me. Another level seven monster?' Jaden thought.
"The duel just started…" Para said tauntingly.
"And yet it is almost done." Dox filled in.
"For your demise has already begun." They spoke the last part simultaneously. Syrus looked nervous at their words.
"Don't worry Sy, they're only saying that because it makes for an easy rhyme." Jaden attempted to reassure him. 'Well I hope we don't make an easy match. Okay, monster roll call. I got my Burstinatrix chilling in defense mode and Sy's got… well… he's got his little helicopter thingy. Not bad, but not good when we're down at some serious serious opposition. Including some level seven green thing I've never seen before.'
"What do you think Jaden?" Syrus asked. "If we just quit right now, we'll have some extra time to pack up all of our stuff. So uh… Shall we?"
"The only thing we're packing is some serious dueling punch." Jaden replied, trying to encourage his partner. "I'm telling you, we'll beat these guys Sy."
"You know what Jaden, you're right." He said, more determined than before. 'We are packing some serious dueling punch. Not only am I gonna show the Paradox Brothers, but I'm gonna show my brother as well. And I'm gonna do it right here, right now, on this turn.'
"All aboard!" He announced as he drew his card. "I summon Steamroid in attack mode." The cartoonish steam train appeared beside the helicopter. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1800 LV: 4) "And I also play this, Polymerization. Check it out. I'm taking my Steamroid and Gyroid and fusing them together to create the ultimate engine that could. Steam Gyroid." The two monsters formed to create the bizarre train like monster Syrus played against Jaden in their practice duel. (ATK: 2200 DEF: 1600 LV: 6) "Now that's locomotion! See, you guys made a mistake in all that teamwork; by sacrificing Jirai Gumo, you left your brother completely defenseless. Leaving the door wide open for an attack."
"Uh… Sy?" Jaden tried to warn him.
"And I'm coming in! Steam Gyroid, attack Para!"
"An attack!?" He said surprised.
"Got that right!"
The members of the audience looked at Syrus' error with different expressions on their faces; Bastion, Andrew, Alexis and Jenny gasping. Zane scowling. Crowler and Chazz chuckling. And Michael having an unease expression. The gray machine advanced forward, the blades spinning around itself.
"If you please brother."
"It'd be my pleasure indeed brother. Kazejin, defend with Squall Barricade!" Dox commanded his green monster. It stepped in front of Para and pushed Steam Gyroid back by blowing wind fro its mouth. "Our monster's special ability, do you like?"
"It brings down your damage to zero, without even a fight."
"So I goofed?" Syrus asked, looking stunned stupid.
Crowler was at seeing Syrus' performance. "Do these two actually think they have a chance at beating Para and Dox? They stink worse than dirty socks. Ha! Now they even have me doing it."
"Forget it Sy, no biggie." Jaden tried to cheer I'm up.
"Yeah right." Syrus said glumly.
"Hey, I'm serious pal. Just keep going."
Syrus nodded at his partner's words. "Alrighty then, I play one card facedown and end my turn.
"At last, a smart move." Para jabbed. "My draw. I play Monster Reborn and bring back the frightful Jirai Gumo." The giant spider reappeared in front of him. (ATK: 2200 DEF 100 LV: 4) "And I'll also activate another spell card. Tribute Doll."
"Not again." Syrus moaned.
"Yes again! And again, I will use it to sacrifice Jirai, so that I can summon yet another level seven monster; Suijin!" Once again, black vines emerged from the spell card and crushed the spider. And a blue monster that looked like a pair of legs with a head in the mid section, on which was another strange symbol, appeared on the field. (ATK: 2500 DEF: 2400 LV: 7) "And I am not done yet. Mind if I borrow a monster brother?"
"Please, that's why he's there."
"I sacrifice Kaiser Sea Horse." The named monster covered in dark fire as Para spoke.
"In case you did not know, when you are summoning a light attribute monster, Kaiser Sea Horse's sacrifice counts as two instead of one." Dox explained. "Which means I am now able to summon Sanga of the Thunder." A brown and red torso with arms and a face in the middle materialized next to the blue monster. "ATK: 2600 DEF: 2200 LV: 7)
"Now I place those odds at 500 to 1." Bastion said.
"What're the odds of you being quiet." Alexis replied.
"So those are the two monsters you mentioned?" Andrew asked.
"Yeah." Jenny replied. "If they are about to do what I think they will…"
"Three monsters on our side, what could be better done?" Dox wondered.
"I know what brother, when they come together as one. I sacrifice Kazejin, Suijin and Sanga of the Thunder so I can summon the ultimate monster; Gate Guardian!" The three monsters were surrounded by light and when it faded, there stood a giant creature. Its upper body and arms were made of Sanga, the mid section was Kazejin without its arms and Suijin was the legs. (ATK: 3750 DEF: 3400 LV: 11)
"Gate Guardian!?" Syrus exclaimed.
"He's gi-normous!" Jaden added, being as surprised as his partner.
"Just wait until you see his attack. Destroy Steam Gyroid! Tidal Surge Attack!" The bottom part gathered water, while the upper harnessed electricity. The mid section combined the two elements with wind it out towards Syrus' machine. The fusion monster was overcome in a second and the blast passed through it and hit Syrus.
Jaden & Syrus: 8000-6450
"This isn't a duel, it's a target practice for the Paradox Brothers." Bastion said. "And Sy's the bullseye."
"He just made a few bad moves, that's all." Alexis said, attempting to remain positive. "He'll turn things around… at least I hope he does. Jaden's good, but he's not good enough to win this thing by himself."
"There's still a chance they can turn this thing around. We just have to believe in them." Jenny said, trying to encourage her friends.
"Yeah, I'm sure they can find a way to defeat Gate Guardian." Andrew said positively, before making a frowning expression on his face. "But still, I don't really like this. I know that Crowler is dead set on getting Jaden kicked out, but making Syrus suffer as well is way too far."
Michael didn't like this either. "Come on guys, you've worked so hard to prepare yourselves for this match. You can win this."
"I know it hurts…"
"And the bad news is it only gets worse."
"If it gets as bad as this rhyming, then we'll be in serious trouble." Syrus commented
Peeking from the edge, Crowler was watching this duel with a glee. 'These two are dueling perfectly.' He thought. 'They know just what to do and are doing it. After all, in a tag duel, once you destroy the weakest link, the entire thing comes crumbling apart. And they certainly found just that, little Syrus.' He turned his gaze towards the latter. 'Poor little Syrus, he'd be the weakest link on a plate of sausages.'
Chazz was chuckling evilly at this.
' Aww man. I hope Jaden's got something special in that deck of his.' Syrus thought worriedly. 'Or this match is over, and so are our lives at the academy.'
"Well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Let's take this thing down!" Syrus looked doubtful at his partner's words.
"I can't wait too see you try, so I will end my turn with a facedown card." Para challenged.
"Then it's time to go to work! Here goes." Jaden said as he drew. "Sweet! All right, you're getting called up big guy. First I'm gonna summon the Elemental HERO Clayman!" The large stone warrior appeared next to the red fire heroine. (ATK: 800 DEF: 2000 LV: 4) "Then I'll play Polymerization. Now I'll fuse the Clayman and Burstinatrix to create, the Elemental HERO Rampart Blaster. She's bad." The two heroes were sucked into a fusion vortex and came out as the big female armored hero. (ATK: 2000 DEF: 2500 LV: 6)
"Yeah, she's bad, bu not as bad as that Gate Guardian." Syrus pointed out. "She only has 2500 defense points, that guardian's attack points are 3750. Blaster will get blasted.
"Don't sweat it. That's what her special ability's for Sy. When she's in defense mode, the Rampart Blaster can attack an opponent directly."
"Our life points!" The brothers exclaimed.
"Now go Rampart Blaster! Blast them with Rampart Barrage!" The armored female hero shot two missiles from her arm, each hitting one of the brothers. "Sure, it's only half the points you'd normally lose, but hey it's a special effect, what're you gonna do?"
The Paradox Brothers: 8000-7000
"A lucky move." Dox muttered.
"All right, we're back in this thing!" Syrus cheered.
"Sy, we were never out of it."
'Yeah, Jaden's right. We can win this!"
"It's my turn now." Dox announced. "I'm activating the equip spell card Fairy Meteor Crush. And I'm equipping it to the Gate Guardian. Now when the Guardian's attacks a monster in defense mode, the difference between his attack points and your monster's defense points, are dealt straight to your life points."
"Not so fast!" Syrus barged in. "You're forgetting that I have a facedown card out. I'm activating, Mystical Space Typhoon! It destroys one spell or trap card. And I'm gonna use it on the one you just played, Fairy Meteor Crush!" A tornado emerged from Syrus' spell card and sped towards Gate Guardian.
"Right into my trap." Para's facedown card flipped up as he spoke. "I activate Judgement of Anubis. Foolish boy, this lets me stop your little spell simply by discarding one card. Your typhoon has just been downgraded to a cool summer breeze. Observe." He said as he discarded one of his cards. The tornado thinned out until there was nothing left of it. "But wait, that's not all it does. Anubis also destroys one of your creatures."
"And then its attack points are dealt back to you. Pretty cool special feature." Dox explained. Rampart Blaster exploded, the winds of the explosion hitting the two Slifer students.
Jaden & Syrus: 6450-4450
"I know it feels like we have your backs to the wall, but in fact the wall's right in front of you. I play this to end my turn." A gray brick wall came together right in front of Dox. It had a face in the middle and pipes that made up its arms. (ATK: 0 DEF: 2100 LV: 4) "It's called Defense Wall. And as long as it's on the field in defense mode, all the monsters you have, can only attack him."
"The Gate Guardian on offense and that wall on defense. Almost flawless." Bastion commented.
"I get it!" Alexis said, annoyed at him. "Now are you going to be quiet or should I move?"
"Seriously Bastion, I know what the Paradox Brothers are doing is impressive, but you need to start cheering for Jaden and Syrus instead." Andrew suggested.
"Yeah, or is it possible that you want them getting expelled?" Jenny asked, almost as annoyed as Alexis.
"O-of course not. Sorry." Bastion apologized.
"It's your turn." Dox pointed out to Syrus. "What are you waiting for?"
"Uhh, to be honest, a miracle." Syrus replied. He looked disappointedly at the card he drew. "I summon Cycroid, in uhh, defense mode." An orange, one-eyed bicycle appeared on Syrus' field with its handlebars in a defensive position. (ATK: 800 DEF: 1000 LV: 3) He noticed Jaden staring at him. 'Oh, Jaden's looking at me, I can feel it. I know it was a weak monster, but it was the best I can do right now.'
"You summon a bike?" Para asked mockingly. "Well it's in for a major flat. Gate Guardian, Tidal Surge Attack!" The giant once again combined water, thunder and wind and fired it from its mid section'n mouth. The elements crashed through the bike who futilely tried to defend itself. "And don't forget the effects of the Fairy Meteor Crush I have him equipped for. The difference between my attack points and your defense points you take as damage." The giant charged up its attack and shot it out at Syrus, who cried out as he was hit.
Jaden & Syrus: 4450-1700
Chumley, Michael, Bastion, Andrew, Alexis and Jenny gasped upon seeing this.
"Your life points are falling…"
"Your game play's appalling…"
"There is nothing to be done except give up and start bawling." Jaden's face was hidden as his partner and most of the audience was looking at him.
"Attention Jaden Yuki. It is your turn. You must make a move, or you will be disqualified"
"Why is Jaden just standing there like that?" Jenny asked worriedly. "He isn't giving up, is he?"
"No, I don't think so." Andrew replied confidently. "The Jaden I know would just keep dueling until the very end. There's no way he would give up."
"But look at the field." Bastion protested. "It's two monsters to none. It's a simple calculation to figure… they'll be knackered."
"Nice going Bastion." Alexis said sarcastically. "Now you're putting them down using words I can't even understand."
"Come on Bastion. Don't say that." Andrew protested. "We have to believe that Jaden has a strategy."
"Oh, I'm certain that he does. It's Syrus I'm concerned about. He's walked into every trap, spell and attack the Paradox Brothers have played. He's been horrible."
"You know, on second thought, I think I liked it better when I couldn't understand you." Alexis commented.
"Oh sorry." Bastion said as he shut up.
Chumley was silently begging them to win. 'Oh please, let them win, let them win. I'll give up grilled cheeses for a week. I'll just fry them instead.' "Go team."
Michael was a little worried as well. "This is so uncool. Jaden and Syrus are in a very, very tight spot. Dammit Dr Crowler, why do you have to make it so difficult?"
Chazz was grinning at the thought of seeing Jaden and Syrus lose. 'Finally, those Slifer slackers are getting the beat down they deserve! I can't wait until they lose and get kicked out of the academy, especially that loser Jaden.'
"Chazz, you alright?" One of his lackeys asked, seeing him seething. The Obelisk just ignored him and continued his thoughts.
'That slime! Thinking he was going to be the next King of Games. Now way! That's my destiny. Especially since he's about to be expelled.'
Crowler was chuckling to himself. "I'm a genius, a pure genius! First I lure them deep inside the abandoned dorm, then I arrange this tag duel as a punishment, then I hire the world's best tag duelists to ensure they lose and expelled!" He then burst into laughter.
"So, Crowler, enjoying the boys' punishment a little too much, are we?" Crowler jumped, he forgot Chancellor Sheppard was sitting right behind him.
"Oh my no, you misinterpret." He replied nervously. "I'm just laughing because I'm happy the duel's nearly done. After all, our poor students look so weary. I'm thrilled their suffering is nearly finished."
"Oh, it doesn't look like they're suffering so much to me." Sheppard said. "In fact, Jaden looks like he's just getting his second wind." Crowler looked at the specific Slifer Red student and saw him with his head raised and a look of determination on his face.
The Paradox Brothers noticed it too.
"Well, well. The Slifer Red forges ahead." Para commented. "When a smart duelist…"
"Would have fled." Dox filled in.
"Oh man, I'm starting to wish that the academy had made us Slifer orange. Then we wouldn't have to put up with so many of these awful rhymes." The two brothers frowned at his comment. His duel spirit appeared beside his head and cooed. "I know, I don't think they got it either."
"Forget about our rhyming…"
"Just focus more on your card play."
"For the partner you have…"
"To win, you have a long way."
Syrus moaned at their words.
"Don't you listen to them, Sy. Ok?"
"But they're right."
"They're not right, Sy. I know, cuz you're gonna be the one to take that thing down." Jaden pointed to the Gate Guardian. "So let's go." He drew a card. " First I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman in attack mode." The blue and gold hero appeared in a shower of electricity. (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1400 LV: 4) "And then next, I'm gonna equip him with this, Spark Blaster!" A small rectangular gun materialized in Sparkman's hand. "Now with each blast fired, I can change the battle mode of one of your monsters. And I'll start with, Gate Guardian. Take a knee, you're going to defense mode." The electric hero shot a blast from his weapon that coursed over the giant monster, forcing it drop down and cross its arms.
"Well that was certainly an odd choice. Unless Jaden has something planned, I'm afraid he's wasted his move." Andrew and the Obelisk Blue girls simply continued watch the duel, instead of making a remark about Bastion's comment.
"You must be a fool. When Gate Guardian's on defense, he never tires. Your situation is just as dire."
"And though I hate to feed the fire, the Defense Wall we played you have yet to retire."
"Great, thanks. I'm just gonna throw down a facedown now and end my turn."
"Fine then, my draw." Dox announced. "I'll just place one card facedown. No more, no less. Brother, you do the rest."
"Excellent decision, I think it's for the best. For I'm quite sure that next turn, I'll win us this contest."
"Aww man." Syrus moaned. "Jaden, you heard them. Next turn they're gonna take us out. There's no point to me even drawing. I should just give up, maybe they'll at least let you have a rematch then."
"Syrus, listen to me…" Jaden said. "One draw, that's all it takes to turn the tide of an entire duel. You remember the last time you had one draw, right?" Syrus mind wandered to the specific moment he was referring to...
Flashback
The three Slifers were in their dorm room. Jaden and Syrus were sitting across from each other dueling on the floor. And Syrus was backed into a corner.
"Ha! You'll never get out of this." Jaden said.
"Yeah, I give. Let's have a rematch. But first, let's see what I would've drawn. And it's..." Syrus turned over the top card of his deck. "Whoa, this changes everything!"
"Yeah, well, it doesn't change the fact that you already gave up the match though, right?" Jaden asked nervously.
Syrus laughed
Flashback end
"You hear what I'm saying, Syrus?" Jaden asked. "There's no such thing as a last draw, cuz with the right card, you can always get another draw."
"But…"
"No buts about it. Make your move pal. I know you can do it Sy. It's all up to you."
'I know Jaden. That's what I'm afraid of.' Syrus thought.
'Come on guys, I know you can win this.' Andrew thought as he watched the duel with a confident look on his face.
'Aw man, Jaden said my one draw could keep us from losing this duel, but the only way we won't lose is if I beat that Gate Guardian.' Syrus then suddenly remembered a duel he had finished with Chumley...
Flashback
Jaden looked at the cards Syrus held as he was sitting across from Chumley. "Whoa! That card is sweet," He said pointing to one in particular. "With the right combo, it could beat anything. So can I have it?"
"Eh…"
"Oh come on!
"No way, you always do this…" Chumley was just sitting there, giving them an awkward look.
Jaden put his hands in front of himself and begged. "Pleeeeeease?"
Flashback end
The flashback faded as Syrus' thoughts returned to the present again. 'That's it! That one card is the only chance we have. But if I don't draw it, we're done. Jaden and me, all our hopes of becoming the best, everything we've ever dreamed about. Our fun, our friendship, our future, it'll all be over…'
All right, here it goes." Syrus then drew his card, his expression lightening up as he saw it. "Jaden!"
"Sy, you got it?" Syrus nodded. "Then show them the drill!"
"All right, I summon Drillroid in attack mode." A purple and beige cartoonish machine erupted from the ground. It had tracks and a drill on its front, as well as on its arms. (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1600 LV: 4) "And guess what, when Drillroid fights a monster in defense mode, it's automatically destroyed." The two brothers' eyes widened at this.
"Oh yeah."
"So open wide!" Syrus' machine monster sped in the direction of the Gate Guardian. Halfway through...
"Defense Wall!" Dox called out and the named monster stepped in between Gate Guardian and Drillroid. And thus, the Defense Wall was destroyed when the drill broke it down.
Jaden & Syrus: 1700-1200
Chazz chuckled to himself. "Those two must have forgotten that Defense Wall automatically intercepts any attack.
"A nice try." Para commented.
"But not nice enough." Dox finished.
"Gate Guardian still stands…"
"Despite your best stuff."
"But that wasn't his best stuff. Right Sy?"
"Yep. But now that your Defense Wall's rubble, you'll get it. Well a certain monster will anyway. I activate the spell card, Shield Crush. That's right. And just like the name says, it destroys any monster that's trying to hide in defense mode. Just like… that Gate Guardian!" A blast of green energy shot out from Syrus' spell card. It crashed over the giant monster, destroying it in a flash.
"Gate Guardian is cooked!" Para said.
"I can hardly look." Dox said.
"Nice going Sy." Jaden congratulated. "The bigger they brawl, the harder they fall." The two smiled at each other.
The crowd burst into cheers.
"Haha, fried cheese here I come!" Chumley cheered.
"Haha! That's more like it." Michael said.
"Hm." Zane was still watching with the neutral expression on his face.
As for Dr Crowler… "No! This is supposed to be punishment! And the crowd's treating them like heroes! Chancellor Sheppard, tell me you're watching this."
"Yes, well done Crowler. This match you set up is promoting teamwork and dueling fortitude. Fine job."
"Did you see that? Did you? Tell me you all saw that." Bastion said, shocked at how the tide of the duel just turned.
"Bastion, we're sitting right next to you watching our friends in the duel of their lives. What do you think we're watching?" Alexis replied.
"But you know what amazes me even more than them taking down that Gate Guardian?" Jenny asked. "The teamwork that they used to do it with. That's what this is going to win this."
"They're coming along just fine. Let's hope they can keep it up." Andrew said.
"Okay. Now, I play one card facedown and end my turn." Syrus looked at Jaden. "Thanks for the pep talk."
"Hey, thank you for the sweet move."
"Sure."
"Mind if we join in on all the praise you two?" Para asked.
"Because for destroying that monster, we should really…"
"Thank you."
Syrus looked confused.
"They say what doesn't destroy you makes you stronger. And it's true. After all, we haven't been destroyed and we're about to become more powerful than ever." Para said as he held up a spell card. "Dark Element! This spell card can activate whenever Gate Guardian is in the graveyard. Now by paying half our life points...
The Paradox Brothers: 7000-3500
"We can summon a monster that can't be beat in battle."
"Dark Guardian!" The Paradox Brothers called out.
Dark energy surrounded the spell card and went into the graveyard section of Para's duel disk. It came back out and then formed a vortex in the ground, from which arose a monster as gigantic as the first. It was a huge muscled man wearing black armor, an unusual helmet and carrying a double sided axe. From the waist down, instead of legs was a big mechanical spider. (ATK: 3800 DEF: 3800 LV: 12)
"Invincible in battle and has those attack points?" Bastion asked, being as shocked as the rest of the gang.
"Oh my god! That's insane!" Andrew said.
"This is bad." Syrus said
"Now Guardian, attack Drillroid with Axe Slash Bash!"
"That's it," Bastion cried out. "If this connects, Jaden and Syrus will lose."
"Jaden!" Alexis said.
"Syrus!" Andrew called out.
And as anyone would predict, Chazz was chuckling in anticipation. The guardian swung its axe, producing a massive energy wave aimed at Syrus' machine monster.
"Farewell." Para said.
"Not yet!" Jaden cried. "I play my facedown Hero Barrier! Sorry fellas, but this lets me stop one of your attacks so long as I have an Elemental HERO out. And as you can see, Sparkman is standing tall." A blue shield surrounded Drillroid, stopping the attack. The collision was so strong that the whole audience could feel it.
"Whoa! That was close." Andrew commented. "Nice save, Jaden."
"An impressive trap card." Para admitted
"I never quite thought they'd be so hard." Dox said.
"I know, we bombard and bombard. Oh well, at least our precious Dark Guardian…"
"Has kept up his guard."
"Quite right brother. He won't be blasted to shards."
"He'll finish them off next turn."
"And this duel will be ours."
Syrus sunk to his knees. 'Just when I step up my game, they step up theirs even more.'
Crowler giggled to himself. "Here it comes. The moment I've been waiting for. The moment these two lose and get expelled."
"Chin up Sy," Jaden said cheeringly. "This match isn't over yet."
"But Jay…"
"But nothing Pal. Stand up." 'Cause you'll want a good view for what I'm about to pull.' Syrus managed to make himself stand straight.
"It looks like the boy still wants to proceed."
"Really? I thought surely mercy he would plead."
"No, he would need smarts to know when to concede."
"Can it you two!" Jaden said as he drew. "It's my turn. And I activate the spell card Pot of Greed. This lets me draw two cards. And next I'll play Fusion Gate." He slid the spell card into the field spell drawer. "With this, I don't need Polymerization. I can summon all the fusion monsters I want. And I'm gonna start by fusing Elemental HERO Avian, Bubbleman and why don't we throw Sparkman in the mix as well?" Sparkman turned into a yellow light, Avian to a green one and Bubbleman to a blue one. "All to create, wait for it…" The three lights swirled around each other. "Yeah! And there he is! The Elemental HERO Tempest!" The new monster was a muscular man wearing a dark blue armor, had untamed green hair and a blue visor covering his eyes. He had wide green wings with metallic feathers and in the place of his right forearm, was a silver cannon. (ATK: 2800 DEF: 2800 LV: 8)
"Fine creature." Bastion commented. "But it still can't beat their guardian."
"Bastion! Just whose side are you on?" Alexis and Jenny snapped at him.
"I'm sure Jaden knows what he's doing." Andrew said.
"An impressive move, but it is useless, boy."
"Have you forgotten about Dark Guardian? He's still deployed. And since in battle he can't be destroyed…"
"The beast is null and void."
"Void this! Skyscraper!" Jaden inserted the named card into his duel disk and tall city buildings appeared around the four duelists. "Ever hear that you should never play in a construction zone? Well it's true, cause now my Elemental HERO gets an extra 1000 attack points because it's weaker than Dark Guardian." (ATK: 2800-3800)
"What the…"
"Now, Hero Tempest, attack with Powerhouse Plummet!" The winged hero charged up its cannon and dove at the enemy. It slammed its right arm into the giant and released the pent up energy, causing winds to kick up around them.
"Didn't I warn you? In battle he can't be beat. Your Elemental HERO Tempest has been wasted. So just accept…"
"Your defeat."
"Sy, can you spare a card?" Jaden asked his partner.
"Sure."
"I use Tempest's special ability." Syrus' facedown card disappeared. "Sorry you guys, but so long as I banish one of our cards to the graveyard, Tempest isn't destroyed." The two monsters still intact, Jaden's hero distanced himself and flew back to his field.
"Nice work wasting your attack there, slacker." Chazz said.
"I don't get it. Was he hoping for a tie?" Alexis asked. The others just shrugged.
"Clever." Zane said to himself. "Just so long as Syrus knows what to do next."
"Jaden…"
"Hey it's cool, trust me.
Syrus nodded.
"Sy, This will all work out if you play the right card come your turn."
"If he has a turn." Dox said as he drew. "I play the trap card, One-on-One Fight! Though I'm sure you'd prefer to run and hide, this card forces both our strongest monsters to do battle. So I hope that your Elemental HERO Tempest is up for a rematch."
"But why?" Syrus asked. "It'll be a tie again. What's the point of attacking?"
"I have my reasons."
"And they're sneaky ones." Alexis commented. "For Tempest to keep tying Dark Guardian, Jaden will have to keep sacrificing cards."
"And whatever edge they give him." Bastion added.
"But the only card they have left is Skyscraper," Jenny said. "Which means…"
"Jaden and Syrus are in serious trouble now." Andrew filled in.
"Well, I hate to do it, but I have no choice. Guess I gotta get rid of Skyscraper." The buildings crumbled down, causing Tempest to lose his extra points. (ATK: 3800-2800)
"So you saved your monster," Dox said." But that doesn't mean you saved your life points." The energy waves from Dark Guardian passed through the winged hero and hit the two Slifers.
Jaden & Syrus: 1200-0200
"That's all for me."
"And next turn I'll give you my guarantee…"
"This duel will be ours, just wait and see."
"All right Sy. Remember what I said."
"Oh right." 'That this would all work out if I played the right card.'
"Got it Sy?"
"I think." 'Play… That goes back to what my brother was saying. About the difference between knowing how to use a card and knowing how to play it. But do I know the difference?" Everyone was looking at Syrus in anticipation. He looked at his brother and saw him watching.
Then in his mind, he was face to face with Zane, wearing a blue middle school uniform while Zane still wore his Obelisk Blue uniform. Zane had his back to him while Syrus' head was lowered.
"Hey Zane, what's the difference between knowing how to use a card and knowing how to play it? Aren't they the same?"
Zane turned his head slightly to look at Syrus. "That's something that can never be taught, only learned. It takes a moment of pure clarity, when you see dueling on a different level. A higher level, all the angles, all the moves. You won't think, you'll just act."
Syrus snapped back to reality. 'All right. Then enough thinking, it's time for action.' "Here we go. My draw!" He said as he drew a card and looked at it. "Ok, first off, I sacrifice Drillroid, to summon UFOroid." The drilling machine disappeared and was replaced by a simple flying saucers with the same cartoonish dace as Syrus' other monsters. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 1200 LV: 6) "And also, I activate the spell card Powerbond."
"Hm." Jaden nodded.
"It's a fusion card." Syrus explained. "And I have just the two monsters to fuse…" He looked at Jaden. "Jaden, do you mind?"
"Hey, what's mine is yours, Sy."
"Then I'll merge UFOroid and Tempest to create UFOroid Fighter!" The flying saucer was transformed into a hovering platform which Tempest stood on. "And it gets better, its attack points are the sum total of each individual monster's attack points. (ATK: 4000 DEF: 4000 LV: 10)
"It matters not." Para said. "So stop your ceaseless prattle."
"You know Dark Guardian can't be destroyed in battle." Dox said.
"Yeah that's true, but, that doesn't matter. Cause Powerbond has a special effect that doubles my Roid Fighter's attack points." Tempest glowed with a blue aura feeling the power. (ATK: 4000-8000)
"To make 8000!?" The brothers exclaimed.
"Sure, Dark Guardian will survive the attack, but it will be a different story for your life points. Now, let's go! Roid Fighter attack! Cosmic Flux Blast!" Tempest shot a blast of blue energy that hit Dark Guardian. The giant monster let out a cry as the attack passed through him, going on to hit the Paradox Brothers.
The Paradox Brothers: 3500-0000
"Way to go!" Chumley cheered.
"Haha! Well played guys!" Michael cheered.
"They did it!" Jenny said as she was overjoyed by their victory.
"Of course they did." Andrew said proudly. And then suddenly, felt someone wrap their arms around him. He turned to see Jenny hugging him while laughing. "U-um, Jenny?" He said while blushing a little.
Upon hearing Andrew saying her name, Jenny noticed what she did and let go of him. She turned away with a blushing face. "S-sorry."
"Well well, they won." Bastion said with a smile. "I'm getting more impressed every day."
"I'm just happy that Jaden gets to stay here." Alexis said.
"Jaden and Syrus you mean?" Andrew corrected, shaking off the blush.
"Well yes, Syrus too, of course." She stammered. "I just said Jaden because… well… I just thought his name first. Let's just go and congratulate them." And she left out the seats.
Jenny had a mischievous smile across her face. 'I can tell why you only said his name.'
Chazz growled angrily. "I'm outta here." He then got out and stormed out of the arena, with his lackeys following him.
"It can't be!" Crowler fell to the ground in his surprise. "How'd they win? Not fair."
"How?" Banner said as he kneeled down to his level, with Pharaoh in his arms. "Because of your superb teaching of course. Oh wait, they're in my dorm." Pharaoh reached out and licked Crowler's face.
The Obelisk teacher started to freak out. "That furball just licked me! Does he have rabies!? Show me his papers! CALL THE POUND!"
"Let it out, Syrus." Jaden said. "I know you cry out when you're happy."
"No way. Not the new Syrus." He managed to contain himself for a moment before breaking out."
"Well, there are some things that will never change."
"Well one thing that won't be changing," Chancellor Sheppard said. "Is your enrollment at the academy. You're here to stay."
"Yeah!" Jaden and Syrus cheered.
"Congratulations, guys!" Andrew said as he, Jenny, Bastion and Alexis came to them. Even Michael came down to congratulate them. "That was well played."
"Oh and you guys." Jaden talked to the defeated brothers. "Let me just say it was a great honor. And if you ever want a rematch, just holler."
"Well said Jaden." Sheppard commented. "And I'm sure it'll be even better written." Jaden's eyes bulged outward. "That's right. I'd like a five page report. I want to read all about what you've learned by dueling the brothers. And how it helped you realize that trespassing into the abandoned dorm was wrong."
Jaden's shoulders fell down at hearing the requirements. "Talk about a bummer."
"How about ten pages then? And single spaced too."
"I'll make sure they get it done Chancellor." Banner assured him.
"You sure are a smooth talker, Jaden." Michael commented with a teasing grin.
"How can I write ten pages!?" He cried out. "I've never even read that much!"
Syrus looked at his brother in the distance. 'I wanna think I impressed you Zane, that I dueled at a higher level, that I showed you I can play a card ,not just use it. But I know I still have a lot to learn and a lot to live up to.'
A small smile crossed Zane's face as he left.
"Ten whole pages!" Jaden continued his ranting. "That's practically a book! My life is so over. I don't even know how to spell 'Paradox Brothers'. And do all their parts have to rhyme? Aww, this is gonna take forever!"
"Cheer up Jaden." Andrew said. "There's at least one good thing about this."
"Yeah! At least you're here to stay!" Chumley said as he approached his roommates.
The audience was giving Jaden and Syrus a standing ovation.
The brown haired Slifer student lost his grumpy and gave them a two finger salute. "That's game!"
And done. Until next time.
