Chapter 15: Trust

Ghassan was in the forest, relaxing by a tree. He decided to skip class for the day and spend time thinking about what the group's next move would be. 'If we can get proof that Banner's a Shadow Rider, then we can get him fired by Sheppard. Then he won't be able to stop us from expeliing Jaden like before. Maybe I can record him monologuing out loud and give that to Sheppard. Have to hope I can come across him doing that though. I probably should also look into how Industrial Illusions is making Synchro and Xyz monsters now according to Scott.'

"What are you doing skipping class?" A familiar voice asked. Ghassan looked up and saw Alexis, Mindy, and Jasmine standing in front of him. Alexis was naturally in the front.

"What about you three? It's normal for a Slifer to skip class, but it's not a good look on Obelisks to do the same." Ghassan replied.

"We're looking for Chazz. He suddenly disappeared after he forfeited against Bastion, and we got concerned. What's your excuse?" Alexis replied.

'I guess Damian only told me and Scott that Chazz was leaving.' "I'm looking for him too." Ghassan lied. "He's a friend of my brother's, and I felt he would get worried if Chazz suddenly vanished you know?"

"Yeah, you were looking so busy." Jasmine sarcastically said.

"Hey, searching can get tiring y'know."

"Well, how about we all search for Chazz together?" Alexis suggested.

Ghassan thought for a little while. Odds are Alexis would ask him more questions about Atticus and if he had anything to do with Crowler selecting Damian and Scott to duel Jaden and Syrus. On the other hand, considering what was about to happen to Jasmine, he could use this as an opportunity to gain Alexis' trust and have her stop interrogating them. "Sure. Why not?"

"Great! With four people, we'll definitely find my Chazzie!" Mindy exclaimed.

Jasmine turned to Mindy. "You like Chazz? Weren't you talking about how hot Bastion was a few days ago?"

Mindy laughed nervously. "Can't a girl change her mind? Besides, Chazz wears the blue jacket a lot better than Bastion does."

Ghassan rolled his eyes and stood up. He then turned to Alexis who was glaring intensely at a bush. "What are you looking at?" Ghassan asked.

Alexis pointed. "Over there. Something moved behind that bush."

Ghassan, Jasmine, and Mindy turned around and saw that the bush was rustling. "It must be Chazz then." Jasmine said.

'Here it comes' Ghassan thought. "Well might as well check it out." The four walked up to the bush, Ghassan staying several meters back as he knew what was coming.

"There you are Chazz. We've been worried sick." Alexis said. "Now come out of-"

A figure lept from the bushes. A monkey wearing a robotic suit and a duel disk screamed at the students.

"WHAT THE?!" Alexis yelled.

"AHHHHH!" Mindy and Jasmine held each other.

"I am shocked and afraid." Ghassan calmly said.

The monkey lept at the Obelisk girls, shoved all three of them to the ground and grabbed Jasmine. The monkey then lifted her up and ran off into the forest.

"Wh...what was that?" Mindy asked.

"I think it was a monkey." Ghassan answered.

Seconds later, the students heard footsteps. They turned and saw four men in suits appear. One was a short old man with grey hair, a beard, and glasses. The second was a young man about Ghassan's height with brown hair and sunglasses. He was carrying a yellow tranquilizer rifle. The third was a tall man with glasses and black hair. The final one was only slightly taller than the old man. He was wearing a purple hat and a blue bandana over his face, clashing heavily with hsi dark suit.

"He's gone." The tallest man said.

"Where'd he go?" The old man asked.

"Who are you four?" Ghassan asked.

He never got an answer to that question as all of them suddenly heard Jasmine scream in fear.

"Up in those trees." The man wearing a bandana stated. Everyone turned and saw the monkey holding Jasmine, leaping through the trees.

"PUT! ME! DOWN! NOW!" Jasmine shouted.

"Over there!" The man in sunglasses yelled.

"Move hurry!" The old man yelled. Three of the men in suits ran ahead, the one in the hat and bandana turning to the students.

"It's too dangerous for you kids, so stay back. Don't worry, we'll make sure to save your friend as well."

"Thanks, but Jasmine's our friend. We're helping her out." Alexis replied.

"Also, I'm 19. I'm not a kid." Ghassan said. "I just applied late."

The man shrugged. "Your call." He ran off ahead, Ghassan, Alexis, and Mindy following.

Eventually, they reached a cliff and saw that Jasmine was placed on a tree branch at the edge of the cliff. The three men in suits were there as well, the one with a tranquilizer rifle aiming at Wheeler. "Help..me..." Jasmine pleaded.

The man in sunglasses aimed. "I can get a clear shot but..."

The tall man gritted his teeth. "Blast it. If we fire, Wheeler will drop the girl."

"Well...this definitely opens up you scientists to a lawsuit." Ghassan stated.

"What are you talking about?" The old man asked.

"Due to your negligence, your test animal escaped, kidnapped a student, and if things go poorly, might kill her."

"You don't have to say that last part!" Jasmine yelled.

"He has a point Doctor." The young man in the bandana said. "You didn't take precautions to ensure that Wheeler didn't escape. You guys are in for it now."

"Don't get smug intern. Your job is at risk due to the situation just like ours." The old man said.

Alexis walked up. "So...why is that monkey wearing a duel disk?"

The old man turned to Alexis. "That's no ordinary money. That's Wheeler. He's a trained duelist."

"A dueling monkey?" Mindy asked.

"Sir..." The tall man said.

"Oh, right. Saying too much." The old man who seemed to be the head scientist turned back to face Wheeler. "Now what will we do about Wheeler? We can't let her risk dropping the girl or else we'll get shut down."

"And, you know...causing the death of an innocent girl will haunt your conscience." The intern responded.

"Yeah sure."

Ghassan smiled. "How about I duel it then?"

Alexis, Mindy, and the two scientists wearing glasses turned to Ghassan in shock. "Duel? Can't you see the situation here?" The head scientist asked.

"A crazy idea like that is something I'd expect Jaden to do. I guess his craziness is contagious." Alexis said.

"Hey, it looks like this is the only option."

The intern chuckled. "This could be interesting."

Ghassan walked up to Wheeler and Jasmine. "Hey, Wheeler. Let's duel. If I win, you let Jasmine go. If you win, you can do what you want."

"Wait, what?!" Jasmine yelled.

"It's the only way to get you free. Would you rather have the monkey drop you to your death?"

Tears of fear started to build up in Jasmine's eyes. "My life is in the hands of that Slifer?"

Ghassan activated his duel disk. 'I'm not too big on dueling, but I'll take any opportunity I can to get Alexis off my back.' "So, what do you say?"

"Will Wheeler even be able to understand him?" Mindy asked.

"Of course. Wheeler's been trained to understand human language." The intern stated.

The money paused before nodding. Alexis and Mindy gasped. "It really did understand him!" Alexis observed.

Wheeler walked off the tree, leaving Jasmine there, and activated his duel disk.

"Perfect! I have a clear shot now!" The man wearing sunglasses yelled.

"No." The head scientist ordered. "This is the kind of field test we've been waiting for."

The red visor worn by Wheeler lit up. "Duel!" A mechanical voice from the robotic suit yelled.

Alexis and Mindy gasped. "It's...it''s talking?!" Mindy asked.

"Please. That would be completely unrealistic." The head scientist replied. "His helmet reads his mind and talks for him."

'Damian was right. GX was weird.' Ghassan thought.

"My turn. Draw." Wheeler drew a card. "I summon a monster in defense mode and set two cards face down. Face down! I end my turn."

Ghassan drew, "I summon Jurrac Guaiba (1700/400) in attack mode!" A small flame appeared in front of Ghassan before the flaming Guaibasaurus emerged from it. "Jurrac Guaiba, attack the set monster!" Jurrac Guaiba launched a fireball at the card. The image of an ape with cybernetics briefly appeared before being destroyed. "Jurrac Guaiba's effect activates. Since it destroyed a monster by battle, I can special summon another Jurrac if it has 1700 or less attack points. But it can't attack this turn. I choose Jurrac Velo." (1700/1000) The flaming velociraptor appeared on Ghassan's side of the field.

"I activate the effect of Test Ape. Since it was destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, I can special summon one level 4 or lower Gladiator Beast monster from my deck. I special summon Gladiator Beast Lanista!" (1800/1200) An anthropomorphic eagle with green armor and wielding a spear appeard on Wheeler's side of the field.

"Gladiator Beast?" Ghassan asked. He recognized that archetype. Monsters that could tag each other in after the Battle Phase by shuffling themselves back into the deck. 'I remember Damian using that deck against me back when I regularly played Yu-Gi-Oh. He must have sold that deck online to and those scientists got a hold of it.' "I set a card face down and end my turn."

Wheeler drew a card. "I summon Gladiator Beast Dimacari (1600/1200) in attack mode." A purple anthropomorphic ram wth armor appeared. "Gladiator Beast Lanista, attack Jurrac Guaiba! Attack! Attack!" Gladiator Beast Lanista charged at the jurrac, spear in hand.

"I activate my quick-play spell, Shrink! This halves the original attack points of one of your monsters until the end of the turn. You can guess which one I choose."

Wheeler gritted his teeth. (Gladiator Beast Lanista 1800-900/1200) "I activate my trap card Defensive Tactics! For the rest of the turn, my Gladiator Beasts can't be destroyed by battle, and all battle damage is reduced to 0." A barrier appeared around Lanista as Jurrac Guaiba slashed it. The Gladiator Beast jumped back to it's original position. "Dimacari attack Jurrac Guaiba as well!"

"Huh? What reason for that?" Mindy wondered. "Sure it wouldn't get destroyed but it seems kinda pointless."

The head scientist chuckled. "Don't underestimate Wheeler. He knows exactly what he's doing."

Dimacari charged at Jurrac Guaiba, who breathed fire at the ram. Like before, a barrier appeared, protecting the Gladiator beast fromd destruction, being pushed harmlessly back to it's original position on the field. "When Defensive Tactics is activated, it goes to bottom of deck instead of going to graveyard. Next, I activate effect of Gladiator Beasts. After the phase, if they attacked, I can shuffle them into deck and special summon a Gladiator Beast with a different name!"

Alexis, Mindy, and Jasmine gasped. The two gladiator beast dissappeared in a trail of light as they returned to Wheeler's deck. "I special summon Gladiator Beast Alexander (2400/600) and Gladiator Beast Augustus (2600/1000) from my deck!" An anthropomorphic lion in orange armor and a purple, four-armed anthropomorphic eagle with purple armor appeared on Wheeler's side of the field.

"So, you end your turn?" Ghassan asked.

"No. No. Augustus's effect activates! When special summoned by Gladiator Beast, I special summon a Gladiator Beast from my hand in defense mode! I special summon Gladiator Beast Murmillo (800/400)!" A blue anthropomorphic carp with twin turbines on it's shoulders appeared. "When Murmillo is special summoned by Gladiator Beast monster's effect, it can destroy monster on field. Destroy Guaiba. Destroy Guaiba!" From it's twin turbines, two torrents of water were blasted at Jurrac Guaiba, destroying it. "Turn end."

"You know, I'm kinda embarrassed to say it, but that monkey is probably a better duelist than I am." Mindy said.

"Indeed. Originally with the budget we had, we could only teach Wheeler the basics of dueling. But a few weeks ago, our investor provided us three times the money they initially gave us to fund our project of their own free will." The head scientist stated. "Kaiba wants this project to be able to keep up with those new Synchro and Xyz monsters. He even provided us the deck for Wheeler."

"Sir..." The tall man said.

"Right, saying too much again."

"Wait, Seto Kaiba is funding this project?" Alexis asked.

The intern sighed. "Cat's out of the bag. Yeah, Seto agreed to fund these guys since it could make a new breakthrough in dueling technology. At first he only had interest in naming the monkey. But now he took more interest in it. He even had one of his interns, that being me of course, come to help these guys out."

'So Kaiba's somewhat involved in this situation eh?' Ghassan drew a card. "I use it's own effect to special summon my Gilasaurus (1400/400) in attack mode." A brown raptor appeared on Ghassan's side of the field. "When I use this effect, you can special summon a card from your graveyard."

Wheeler nodded. "I choose Test Ape (700/300) in defense mode. Defense mode!"

"Next I activate Big Evolution Pill. I sacrifice a dinosaur monster and as a result, can normal summon any dinosaur monster without tributing until your 3rd end phase after this card's activation. I tribute my Gilasaurus." Gilasaurus dissolved in light.

"Now, I normal summon my Jurrac Titano (3000/2800) in attack mode!"A gigantic red t-rex with magma-like skin appeared on Ghassan's side of the field. "Nex I activate the effect ot Titano. By banishing a Jurrac monster with 1700 or less attack points from my graveyard, Titano gains 1000 attack points until the end phase!" Wheeler screeched in shock as flames built around the Jurrac. (Jurrac Titano 3000-4000/2800) "Jurrac Titano, destroy Gladiator Beast Alexander!" A large fireball built up in Jurrac Titano's mouth before it was fired at Alexander, destroying it. (Wheeler 4000-2400) "Jurrac Velo, destroy Gladiator Beast Murmillo!"

The Jurrac charged at Murmillo and slashed through it, destroying the Gladiator Beast. "I end my turn. Jurrac Titano's attack points go back to normal now." (Jurrac Titano 4000-3000/2800)

"Looks like Ghassan's got the upper hand." Alexis said.

"For now, yes. But don't underestimate Wheeler. We've made sure that he doesn't make mistakes when dueling." The head scientist stated.

Wheeler gritted it's teeth and drew. "I activate Pot of Greed. I draw two cards." Wheeler drew two cards from his deck. "I sacrifice Test Ape to summon Gladiator Beast Spartacus (2200/1600) in attack mode." A brown, anthropomorphic dinosaur with brown and yellow armor wielding a battle appeared. "I fuse my two Gladiator Beasts together. Fuse! Fuse!"

"No card to fuse them together? Does that Spartacus monster have an effect that allows fusion summon without Polymerization?" Alexis wondered.

"Not exactly. Gladiator Beasts can fuse together by shuffling back into the deck." Ghassan answered.

"...Correct." The intern answered.

"I fuse Spartacus with Augustus. Summon Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz! (2600/1500)" A swirling vortex appeared before the two Gladiator Beasts combined together. A monster of a similar species to Gladiator Beast Spartacus wielding a similar battle axe appeared, only looking more like royalty wearing a gemmed blue robe. It also had three red shields floating in the air around it. "I play Indomitable Gladiator Beast. A Gladiator Beast I control gains 500 attack points! Gaiodiaz, power-up!" Gaiodiaz let out a roar as it's muscles grew slightly larger. (Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz 2600-3100/1500)

"Damnit. It's stronger than Titano now."

"Gaiodiaz, attack Titano!" The Gladiator Beast jumped in the air with it's battle axe and slashed Jurrac Titano in half. (Ghassan 4000-3900)

"I'm confused. Why didn't Wheeler just use that spell card on that Augustus monster instead of fusing them together? It would get the job done just as well, AND he would have another Gladiator Beast to destroy Ghassan's other Jurrac." Mindy stated.

The head scientist chuckled. "Wheeler was aiming to do quite a bit more than just 600 damage."

"Huh?"

"Gaiodiaz effect, go! When it destroys monster, you take damage equal to it's defense points" Wheeler yelled.

Ghassan gasped. "Titano has 2800 defense points."

"Go Gaiodiaz!" The red shield floating in the air launced blasts of energy at Ghassan, knocking him to the ground. (Ghassan 3900-1100) "I set face down card. Gaiodiaz's power goes back to normal. (Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz 3100-2600/1500) Your turn, your turn!"

"I told you kids not to underestimate Wheeler. It won't make a mistake twice. We've made sure of that." The head scientist said.

"You're gonna lose to a monkey?! My life is in your hands you know!" Jasmine yelled from the tree branch.

'Maybe I should surrender and let Wheeler keep her.' Ghassan stood up. "Alright, it's my move." Ghassan drew a card. "I activate Graceful Charity. I draw three cards, then discard two." Ghassan did exactly that, discarding the two cards he had in his hand prior. "Next, thanks to Big Evolution Pill, I can normal summon this card without tributing. I summon Jurrac Tyrannus. (2500/1400)" A large, red T-rex with green arms, green legs, and yellow hair on it's back and head appeared on Ghassan's side of the field.

"Tyrannus weaker than Gaiodiaz." Wheeler pointed out.

"Not for long. By sacrificing a dinosaur monster I control, Tyrannus permanently gains 500 attack points." Jurrac Tyrannus ate Jurrac Velo before it's hair burst into flames. (Jurrac Tyrannus 2500-3000/1400) "Jurrac Tyrannus, destroy Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz!" Tyrannus charged at the Gladiator Beast.

"I play my trap card, Defensive Tactics! I drew it again with Pot of Greed."

Ghassan gritted his teeth. Thanks to all the shuffling his Gladiator Beasts do, it's not a surprise he would have draw that card again. A barrier appeared around Gaidoiaz as Tyrannus attempted to bite it, negating destruction. "I set-"

"Battle phase over? Then I activate Gaiodiaz effect! It returns to Fusion Deck, and I special summon two Gladiator Beasts from deck! But can't summon Spartacus." Gaiodiaz disappeared in a trail of light. "I summon Gladiator Beast Bestiari (1500/800) and Gladiator Beast Retiari (1200/800)" A anthropomorphic green eagle with dark green armor, and a green fish-like creature with a trident appeared.

"Bestiari effect activates! When special summoned by Gladiator Beast, a spell or trap card you control is destroyed. Big Evolution Pill is destroyed!" Bestiari flapped it's wings, sending a powerful gust of wind at Ghassan's card, destroying it. "Retiari effect activates! When special summonedby Gladiator Beast, one card in your grave is removed from play. I remove Jurrac Titano!"

The head scientist chuckled. "I told you Wheeler wouldn't make a mistake twice. We made sure of it."

"How so?" The intern asked.

"Right, you only came a little while ago. As you know, we run through Wheeler through several practice duels. If he ever made a mistake twice, he would be punished."

"Punished?" Alexis asked.

The head scientist nodded. "We would prod him with sharp objects, whip him, deny him food. Some electric shocks from time to time. All to ensure he becomes a better duelist."

The intern looked angry. "So you're saying that you abused Wheeler?"

"Well that's ony way of saying it, yes."

The tall scientist pinched the brink of his nose. "Sir..."

"Oh, right. Forget you heard anything."

Ghassan ejected the card from his graveyard. 'None of them know that Titano can't be special summoned, so it could have been worse. Besides, I drew the cards I needed to win anyway.' "I set two cards face down and end my turn." Ghassan suddenly heard the noise of several chattering monkeys.

"Do you guys hear that?" Mindy asked.

Alexis turned to a rock not too far from Ghassan and Wheeler. Behind it were several monkeys watching the duel. "Even more of them. Do you think they're..."

"Wheeler's family probably." Ghassan stated. "And he probably tried to escape to see them again."

Wheeler drew a card. "Must win! See family again! I fuse Bestiari and Retiari! Summon Gladiator Beast Gyzarus! (2400/1500)" The two Gladiator Beasts merged together before a monster somewhat similar to Bestiari appeared. However it was larger, it worn more armor, and had several more red feathers. In addition, two wind turbines were on it's shoulders. "Gyzarus effect! When summoned, it destroys two of your cards! I destroy Tyrannus and your left facedown!"

The turbines started to spin before two small tornadoes were formed. "I activate the card you were about to destroy, Mystik Wok! I tribute a monster I control, and gain lifepoints equal to either it's current attack or defense points. I tribute my Tyrannus to gain 3000 life points!" A large cooking pot appeared before the Jurrac went inside it, dissolving in the boiling water. (Ghassan 1100-4100)

Wheeler grunted. "Gyzarus, attack dir-!"

"Sorry. You're not gonna get that attack." Ghassan interrupted. Wheeler grunted in confusion. "I activate my face-down card, Ring of Destruction! I destroy one monster on the field. Then, both of us take damage equal to that monster's attack points!" The monkey screeched in shock before a collar with several grenades attached to it materialized around Gyzarus's neck. 'I got lucky drawing both Ring of Destruction and Mystik Wok so that I could survive it with Graceful Charity. Heh, maybe the luck of anime characters is rubbing off on me.'

Gyzarus exploded, the shockwaves reaching both Ghassan and Wheeler. (Ghassan 4100-1700) (Wheeler 2400-0) Ghassan deactivated his duel disk. "Looks like I win. So now you let Jasmine go."

Wheeler nodded. It walked up to the tree branch, picked up the scared Jasmine, and walked back, putting her on the ground. Jasmine quickly ran towards Mindy and Alexis. "I...I was so scared!" She hugged Alexis and Mindy.

"It's ok. You're safe now." Mindy told her.

The tall scientist carrying a net, the head scientist, and the man with sunglasses carrying his tranquilizer rifle started to walk towards Ghassan. "Good job on defeating Wheeler. Now..." The head scientist then turned to Wheeler. "It's time to take him back to the lab. In fact..." The head scientist then turned to all the monkeys watching behind a boulder. "We have quite a few more monkeys now."

"Last I checked, all Wheeler had to do if he lost was give back Jasmine. I didn't say anything about returning him to you guys."

Alexis walked forward. "Wheeler deserves to be with his family. Not abused in a lab. If you don't let him and his family go, your top secret experiment won't be so secret anymore."

The tall scientist frowned. "Cute. But get out of the way." He shoved Ghassan to the ground before throwing a net onto Wheeler.

The head scientist walked past the students. "You think anybody will believe kids like you four? Please. You don't scare us."

"But I bet Seto Kaiba does."

The head scientist widened his eyes before turning around. It was the bandana wearing intern. "What are you talking about?"

"Nowhere did you tell Seto that you'd be abusing Wheeler. I highly doubt he'd be willing to fund this project if he knew. Especially when you assured him that Wheeler would be treated in safe conditions."

"How...how does he know what we told Kaiba?" The tall scientist wondered.

"It'll be your word against ours. And do you honestly think Kaiba will believe a random intern like you?" The head scientist replied.

"Maybe not. But I'm pretty sure he'd believe the vice-president of his company." The young man took off his hat and bandana, revealing his face and long, black, spiky hair. "Not to mention his younger brother."

Everybody except for Ghassan gasped in shock. 'Figured as much. An extra lab worker who wasn't in the episode where Jaden dueeled Wheeler, he calls Kaiba by his first name, he sounded similar. Hell, it's even the same disguise he used in Duelist Kingdom. Question is, why is he here?'

"M-Mokuba Kaiba?!" The tall scientist asked.

"Wh-what's the vice-preisdent of KaibaCorp doing on this island?!" Alexis asked.

"Seto was suspicous of what was going on, so he had me see what you guys were doing." Mokuba told the men in suits. "And you can consider the funding of your project over. Also, if you don't let Wheeler and those other monkeys go, KaibaCorp will have info about your abuse spread far and wide."

The head scientist gritted his teeth. "Fine!" He turned to the man wearing sunglasses. "Release Wheeler, and take our technology off him." He then turned back to Mokuba. "But know this, we'll find a way to continue our experiments, with or without KaibaCorp's funding."

"...So you're saying in front of my face that you'll continue to abuse animals in the future after I threaten to report you to the authorities for doing that?"

"LET'S GET GOING SIR." The tall scientist loudly suggested. He and grabbed his boss by the arm and led him away, the man wearing sunglasses following after getting the net and technology off Wheeler. Their boss' big-mouth has caused enough trouble for one life-time.

"They were in such a hurry that they forgot to take their tech with them." Ghassan stated.

Mokuba shrugged and then walked up to the monkey. It backed away in fear. "Yeah, being part of the company that funded this probably makes me look pretty scary to you. But I promise that me and Seto didn't know about the conditions you were put in." Mokuba offered a hand to Wheeler. "Can you accept my apology?" Wheeler hesitated, but slowly reached Mokuba's hand, shaking it. Mokuba smiled. "I'm glad you accept it."

Mokuba stopped shaking Wheeler's hand, and pointed at the duel disk the monkey was still wearing. "Hey, it cool with you if I take that deck?" Wheeler nodded, and gave the deck to Mokuba. He then walked up to Ghassan. "I know that you were kinda roped into this, so how's this as an apology-slash-thank you gift?"

Mokuba held the Gladiator Beast deck towards Ghassan. Ghassan shrugged. "Sure, I'll take it." Ghassan took the deck and put it in his pocket. On a closer inspection, while Mokuba only grew a little bit in terms of height, he certainly looked older. Probably around his early 20s.

Wheeler then went towards it's relatives. After several hugs, and many monkey chatters that the students couldn't make out, Wheeler waved goodbye before heading into the forest alongside it's family. 'I gotta admit, that felt pretty nice.' Ghassan thought.

"M-Mokuba Kaiba. It's...it's an honor to meet you in person." Alexis said nervously.

Mokuba chuckled. "If you're so nervous to talk to ME, I'd love to see how you'd react to meeting Seto in person."

"Well...I want to say thank you. If it weren't for you, they would have definitely taken away Wheeler."

Ghassan suddenly realized something. 'Wasn't it Banner who saved Wheeler in the anime? What's he doing right now?'

"No worries. I'm glad I could help. But anyway, I have to go now." Mokuba walked off.

"I can't believe it. We just met a celebrity!" Mindy exclaimed.

"Really stretching what counts as a celebrity there Mindy." Jasmine replied.

"Anyway, let's keep looking for Chazz." Alexis stated. She then turned to Ghassan. "Also...thank you for saving Jasmine."

Jasmine reluctantly nodded. "Y-yeah. What she said."

Ghassan smiled. 'Perfect. I'm beginning to gain Alexis' trust.' "No problem. I'm happy you're safe. Anyway, let's keep looking." The four all walked off, continuing to look for Chazz.


Mokuba was inside a helicopter, on his cell phone while an employee was operating the helicopter. "So yeah, I had it shut down after finding out they were abusing Wheeler."

"That's all fine and dandy Mokuba, but we both know that was only a secondary reason why I sent you to that island." A voice replied on the phone. "Did you get any info on the seller?"

"Yeah, I'd say so. The Gladiator Beast deck that we bought online is the only one of it's kind. Pegasus hasn't finished designing those cards yet."

"And?"

"Well I found a student named Ghassan there who seemed all too familiar with the deck's mechanics. He even explained how they fused together even though nobody outside of the one who originally sold the deck should know that."

"Not bad. But Mokuba, there's the possibility that the one who sold the deck from Duel Academy used that Gladiator Beast deck at that Academy a few times before selling it."

"True, but none of the other students knew about Gladiator Beasts. Along with that, that Ghassan person was using monsters called Jurracs. We've been keeping records on every deck sold online alongside Pegasus, and no deck like that popped up Seto."

"Perfect. Looks like we have a potential lead then."


Thanks to Mokuba's investigations, KaibaCorp is starting to make progress to find out about whose responsible for selling the never before seen monsters before. This can mean trouble for our protagonists.

It's been a while since Ghassan had a full length duel, so I figured it was the right time to give him one. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and are looking forward to the next one!