Some time later, Jaden, Jesse, and their friends and fellow classmates were in a helicopter that was on the way to Academy Island, where they would spend the next few years learning about Duel Monsters. Jaden had slept for a lot of the ride, but Jesse eventually woke her up and suggested they try to find a way to pass the time.
"So, Syrus, what is your story? Like, what drives you to be a Duelist?" Jaden asked her new friend.
"Uh…uh…I just…want to be as good as my brother someday," Syrus awkwardly confessed.
"Really now? Is he a pro or somethin'?" Jesse asked.
"Not yet, but he is easily the strongest Duelist I know. He can even manage himself against pro level opponents," Syrus noted.
"Impressive. May be worth facing him in a Duel someday," Jaden said.
"He could be a worthy opponent. We just need ta find an' challenge him to a match," Jesse agreed.
"Do you know where we can find him?" Jaden was curious.
"He's…," Syrus said only to stop talking.
"Hey, are you okay?" Jaden asked.
"Yeah, ya look a bit sad. Do ya feel that way because of us or your brother or are we lookin' a bit too deeply inta this?" Jesse asked gently.
"It's not your fault, you guys. I just… don't know if I should let you guys face him yet. Also… he just makes me feel…," Syrus confessed.
"What? What does he make you feel?" Jaden gently pressed, wanting to get to the heart of the problem.
"I-It's nothing, you guys," Syrus said.
"Well, if ya ever change your mind and wanna talk to us about it just let us know," Jesse supportively said.
"Yeah, and I'm sorry if we made you uncomfortable," Jaden apologized.
"It's okay. I guess it isn't the worst idea to get to know each other better," Syrus admitted.
"Yeah! And it sure beats Jaden's idea of playing eye spy!" Jesse good-naturedly joked.
"Hey!" Jaden yelled as she pretended to be offended by Jesse.
"So, what about you two? What drives you two to Duel anyway?" Syrus questioned curiously.
"Well…," Jaden began only to be interrupted by the copter having just arrived at Duel Academy island at long last. "Attention, new Duel Academy students: if you look outside your windows, you'll see your new home away from home. Now, now, I know you're excited, but don't shove. Quite a sight, eh? Now then. Fasten your seatbelts and set your seats back to an upright position. We're going in to land. Next stop, Academy Island," The pilot said.
Later on, inside of the school, all of the students that got to the school on the helicopter were waiting for the introduction speech in one of the classrooms, now wearing their respective uniforms. Jaden had fallen asleep standing up, not noticing that Chancellor Shepherd had just appeared on the screen in front of them. Jesse decided to let Jaden sleep and tell her what she missed later.
"Good morning and welcome, my students. I'm Chancellor Sheppard, the headmaster here, and you are the best and brightest young Duelists in the world. Now please, get yourselves settled in at your assigned dorms. I think you'll find them quite comfortable depending upon how you ranked of course," The chancellor said.
"Well, I don't know about you Sy and Jesse, but it looks like I'm in the Slifer Red dorm," Jaden said.
"That's cool. Same with me," Syrus was happy.
"That makes three of us. Well, looks like we won't have far to go in order to see each other at least," Jesse said.
"Yeah! I wonder if we'll bunk together," Jaden agreed as she saw Bastion walk on by. "Hey, Bastion, you in red, too?"
"Well now, let's see here, yellow sleeves, yellow buttons. I don't think so," Bastion dryly jokes.
"Oh, I get it now. So that's why the three of us are in red," Jaden realized.
"Please don't tell me that you've just figured that out now," Bastion dryly commented again.
"So what? Ever think that I'm color blind," Jaden asked in faux annoyance, puffing up her cheeks.
"Well, no, actually, I didn't. Are you color blind?" Bastion questioned.
At this, Jaden laughed. "No, but I coulda been! See you round the dorms, Bastion!" Jaden wished farewell to the Ra Yellow.
"I doubt that. Your dorm's over there," Bastion said as he pointed in the opposite direction of where he was walking.
"Well, time to see where the three of us will be sleeping in," Jesse said, wanting to get the excitement out of the way as he jumped up and down and looked like he was full of energy about to burst.
"And you're excited about what?" A new figure, also in Slifer Red, said as they approached the trio.
"Seeing our dorms, of course! These dorms are goin' to be our home for the next couple of years, after all," Jesse answered.
"I know, right Jesse? I bet wherever we stay we'll have fun just living and playing together!" Jaden said, looking just as ready to burst as Jesse. "Oh, by the way, what's your name?"
"My name's Blair. I managed to score very low on the written test, I'm afraid, but I did very well on the Duel test, almost the best if it weren't for Bastion and you guys," Blair noted.
"You sound like an impressive Duelist. We'll be lookin' forward to seein' you around the dorms," Jesse wished a fond farewell.
"I'm afraid you're getting an undeserved crummy start being in Slifer Red," Blair shook their head.
"What do you mean?" Syrus asked Blair, confused.
After a bit of walking, Jaden, Jesse, and Syrus had arrived at the Slifer Red dorm, which was a smallish two-story building with a red roof that was near the ocean.
"Aw man! This looks as horrible as Blair implied it was! This isn't a dorm. It's like an outhouse with a deck," Syrus complained as he looked over the outside.
"You kiddin' me? Check out the view. This place is great," Jaden said, looking on the bright side of things as she looked at the beautiful view of the ocean from the balcony.
"You have a point Jay. If nothin' else we have a nice view of the ocean," Jesse agreed.
"Maybe. I guess it could be worse. But still, our first day here and things are already looking down!" Syrus yelled, looking upset.
"Hey Sy, don't worry too much. I mean, this place does have a rustic appeal, right?" Jaden tried to comfort her friend.
"Maybe," Syrus said conflicted. "What do you think, Jesse?"
"I say we check out our room before we say this place sucks or doesn't," Jesse answered. "If I remember right, the three of us apparently are all sharing a room. That sounds fun, right?"
"Uh, I guess so?" Syrus agreed reluctantly as he looked over their dorm numbers until they found the dorm the three of them were sharing; Room 5A.
Jaden opened the dorm room. If there was any word to describe the dorm the three were sharing it was small. The room consisted of very little extra space as about half the room was taken up by triple bunk beds and a desk that one can sit at. While not bad, the room was incredibly simple. "Wow, this place looks like a cool spot to spend our time together, right Syrus? Right Jesse?"
"Well, the place certainly is a bit small for us, but I think we can manage," Jesse said.
"I… I don't know," Syrus nervously buffered, not sure if he should be happy about the room or sad that it was so small.
"Hey, don't worry, Sy. It's not the end of the world if we don't have the best room at the start," Jaden said comfortingly.
"Jaden's right. And besides, perhaps you could work your way up into living in a higher ranking dorm in time," Jesse agreed.
"Maybe you guys have a point. At least I'm with my friends. Hey, do you think that there is some kind of fate or destiny at play here, you know with us all meeting and becoming friends?" Syrus asked.
"Personally, I doubt there is any destiny at play here," Jaden said, not wanting to get further involved with the past any more than she already had.
"Oh, right. But, regardless, at least we managed to meet some fairly nice people to become friends with," Jesse said, understanding the trauma that Jaden must be feeling after all they went through as young kids.
"By the way, what is with the color system at this school anyway?" Jaden asked.
"Don't you remember our father tellin' us about it earlier in the week?" Jesse asked his sister, only for everyone else to be a bit awkward when she shook her head. "Well, okay, the system is like this-."
"Why don't I explain how this whole color thing ends up working?" Blair said as they stood right outside the dorm room door.
"Well, I don't see why not," Jesse decided. "Go ahead."
"Perfect! Well, you see, Seto Kaiba himself set up this school to have a special system based around his usage and experience with the God Cards. The higher you rank, the better your accommodations. The top ranking dorm is Obelisk Blue, which all the girls get into in order to avoid potential problems involving both genders. As for boys, they get in there through connections or grades. Ra Yellows are the middle tier, which you get into through being good and having lots of potential, but not as much as Obelisk Blue. Finally, there is Slifer Red, where… everyone else gets into. I've heard that Slifer Reds don't get the best treatment sadly, but maybe you can prove them wrong and get into a better dorm. I plan on eventually getting a better rank," Blair finished, panting a bit from how long their explanation was. "So, was my explanation helpful?"
"Helpful? Aw man! I didn't know that we'd be the lowest of the low by getting into Slifer Red!" Syrus was getting worried as he ran off.
"Hey, get back here, Sy!" Jaden called out as she followed her new friend and roommate.
With only Jesse and Blair left, Blair apologized, "I'm sorry for what I said. Perhaps I was a bit blunt.
"Hey, it's fine, Blair. I mean, you were just tryin' to help. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go catch up with Jaden and Syrus and try to help calm Sy down," Jesse said before running off.
It took some time, but Jaden and Jesse had finally caught up with Syrus, who was looking very downcast. "So, Sy, are ya' doin' okay? You ran off lookin' very upset back there," Jesse noted in concern.
Syrus only moaned in sadness. "Come on, Sy. Don't tell me you're still depressed. I'm sure that Blair didn't mean anything by what he said about the dorms," Jaden tried to comfort her friend.
"You heard what she said, though. We reds are the worst," Syrus sadly said.
"I wouldn't worry about things too much right now," Jesse said.
"Yeah! Forget about the system! I mean, red's a sweet color. Think about it. Where do ya think the term "red hot" comes from? From red, baby!" Jaden said happily and comfortingly.
Syrus looked a mixture between relieved and confused. "To be fair, the year hasn't even officially started yet," Jesse said. "So we can't be the worst yet. We can easily rise up in the ranks," Jesse agreed.
After hearing what the duo had said, Syrus's previous sadness had been washed away. "Yeah, you two are right. Red is for red hot! Scorching, dangerous, hot," Syrus said as Jaden noticed something and was starting to walk off, with Jesse following after just to be safe. "I'm like a furnace. Or a really big bottle of spicy salsa dip, right?" At this, Syrus looked over to where Jaden and Jesse were and saw that they were gone.
"Aw man! I'm not a dip! Wait up, you guys!" Syrus said as he ran after the duo. "So, can you guys tell me what caused you to run off so suddenly?" Syrus called out to the duo that was ahead of them.
"Oh, sorry! It's just that there's some kind of duel action goin' on in that building!" Jaden answered.
"And I wanted to make sure Jaden here didn't get lost," Jesse explained himself.
A few minutes later, inside of the main building…
"Not that I doubt you, Jaden, but how do you know that there is duel action going on in there?" Syrus asked.
"Oh, simple. Now then, I think that it we should go right down this hall…," Jaden said as she led the group down the halls.
"Uh, can you please answer? Do you have some kind of sixth sense for Dueling or something?" Syrus asked, confused.
"Well, you wouldn't be the first person to ask Jaden about that," Jesse joked. "Jay, ya may want to explain yourself to our friend here."
"Oh, sorry! To put it simply, I can tell because it is in the air, Sy! I can just smell or feel a good Duel goin' on. It's all because of my card spirits giving me a hand in sensing what is happening around me. Can you do so as well?" Jaden asked Syrus as she began to walk into the arena.
"Duel what now? Sorry, but I don't think I understand your reasoning at all," Syrus shook his head in confusion and disbelief. " Though I may be able to do a better job if I had helpful card spirits or if today's pollen count was lower," Syrus noted sadly.
"Hey, are you okay, Sy? Hey, just because Jesse and me can see and hear spirits doesn't mean anything bad that you can't," Jaden comforted.
"Yeah. I hope ya don't feel too bad. I mean, not many people can understand their card spirits, ya know," Jesse tried to comfort Syrus.
"It's just… you know what? Never mind," Syrus brushed off his sadness and followed Jaden into the arena. "Are you sure we should be in here?"
Once everyone finished walking into the room, they looked around the arena in awe, especially Jaden and Jesse.
"This is the sweetest Dueling arena I've ever seen, and I've seen some impressive arenas," Jaden said.
"It looks completely state of the art," Syrus agreed.
"I bet it would be great to duel in here!" Jesse agreed in wonder.
"Well, why don't we find out and duel each other?" Jaden suggested.
"Do you guys think we can?" Syrus asked.
"I bet we can. After all, this is all our campus, of course," Jaden said.
"I know, right? How much do ya think Kaiba and dad paid to construct the arena, though?" Jesse asked.
"By the way, does your dad have some special connection to Industrial Illusions, judging by what ya just said?" Syrus wondered.
"Oh yeah! Ya see, our dad is…," Jesse began to answer only for an Obelisk Blue with blue hair, one of Chazz's friends, to interrupt.
"We don't care who yer dad is, Slifer Slacker! Just know that this campus doesn't belong to all of us like ya claimed earlier! This is the Blue Obelisk's campus," The blue haired jerk answered.
"Look here, you Slifer Red rejects don't belong in this arena like us. See the crest over there," The brown haired boy pointed towards a Obelisk sigil carved onto the wall. "That sigil means that the arena is Obelisk Blue turf!"
"The three of us were just looking around, but we'll leave now, right, Jaden and Jesse?" Syrus asked, trying to avoid trouble for them.
However, as Jaden looked over the sigil and turned back to the two jerks, she said, "Nah, we don't have to leave. Not so long as one of you guys agrees to duel me. Or Jesse. Heck, even Syrus."
"Oh yeah! Ya see, you may think this arena is just for the Obelisks, but we can duel here as well, especially if it's against one of you guys. Just give us a chance and we'll show our stuff," Jesse agreed.
"Wait a minute. I thought I recognized you two. Chazz!" The blue haired kid cried out.
"Chazz, those applicants that beat Dr. Crowler are here. Check it out," The brown haired teen called for Chazz.
At this, Chazz got up and looked over the trio, looking unimpressed.
"Oh, hey. It's nice to meet you. My name is Jaden. And these are my friends Syrus, and Jesse. And your name was… Chuzz was it?" Jaden asked, confused, which annoyed Chazz.
"His name's Chazz Princeton, and he was the number one Duelist back at Duel prep school so make sure and pay the proper respects, got it?" The blue haired teen said.
"Yeah, he's gonna be the future King of Games–the best Duelist in the world," The brown haired teen gloated on Chazz's behalf.
"I think that's unlikely," Jaden shook her head.
"Say what?"
"You see, it's impossible for him to be the future King of Games, because that's exactly who I can end up being. Or Jesse. Though most likely me being the Qu-," Jaden explained only for the two friends of Chazz to laugh at Jaden before she could finish.
"Well, if this is the worst we have ta deal with, I'd say we'll do fine," Jesse pointed out.
"A Slifer Slacker as King of Games? Yeah, that'll be the day!" The blue hair teen grumbled mockingly.
"Can it, you two. Maybe the new kid's right to brag," Chazz pointed out.
"Whaddaya mean there, Chazz?" The blue haired teen asked.
"He did, along with his friend, beat Crowler after all. And that legendary rare monster of his, I suppose it takes some skill to pull that off," Chazz noted.
"Yeah! And a bunch of teamwork too!" Jesse cheered.
"I agree with you, brother! Together, us two great Duelists were able to defeat Crowler and get into this school! Oh, and by the way, I'm a-," Jaden tried to say only to be interrupted.
"Or was it luck? I say that we find out right now. And, seeing as how Jaden here did all the heavy lifting, I'll duel him first," Chazz challenged.
"Oh yeah! Bring it on, Chazzie!" Jaden agreed.
However, before the pair could Duel, a voice said, "This sure is a motley crew." Upon turning to see the source of the voice, they saw it came from Alexis Rhodes.
"Whoa! Who is she?" Syrus asked.
"Hey Alexis," Chazz said flirtingly. "Have ya come to watch me mop the floor with my new little friend Jaden here? It'll be a short Duel, but an entertaining one for sure."
Alexis responded, "I'm here to remind you about the Obelisk welcome dinner. You're late."
"Hmph. Fine! Let's get going guys," Chazz brushed off snobbishly as the trio left.
"Well, that's one way ta be welcomed," Jesse noted.
"I know. I kinda like it," Jaden said.
"Sorry if Chazz rubbed you the wrong way, you guys. Not all of us Obelisks are like that. He's just a jerk, especially with Slifers," Alexis apologized.
"Oh, it's no big deal. I've dealt with total jerks before. And, to be fair, those types don't really bother me at all anymore. Besides, I'd have beaten him in one turn," Jaden bragged.
"Maybe be a bit more realistic with your guess next time," Jesse joked.
"Yeah. We're gonna have to work on that overconfidence," Syrus noted nervously.
"Okay then. How's this for more realistic? Two turns. Maybe two and a half," Jaden half-joked, amusing Alexis.
"The Slifer welcome dinner's about to start, too," Alexis pointed out.
"Oh, right! We better go, Sy, Jess!" Jaden yelled as she began to run. "Race you guys!"
"Interesting. I'll bite. Let's go!" Jesse cried out as he rushed for the Slifer Red dorm, with Jaden and Syrus being right behind him.
"Hey, wait up! Why is everything a race with you guys?" Syrus complained as he was in the back.
Suddenly, Jaden stopped before running in place and turning around, asking, "So, hey, what was your name again?"
"Alexis Rhodes. And yours?" Alexis asked in turn.
"The name's Jaden," Jaden answered."See ya around!" Jaden said as she ran off.
"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Syrus asked as he ran behind Jaden.
"What? I need to catch up with Jesse." Jaden pointed out.
"It's almost time. For the last few years, we've been looking for allies that will help us to obtain our prize. And find them we did. Soon, the power we have been looking for will be ours! All we need now is for Sheppard to give the seven keys to the Duelists that he thinks can stop us. Little does he realize that in doing so, he'll be helping us," A mysterious man said as he hid in the shadows.
"Yes, I agree. Still think I was being foolish when I first told you about the Sacred Beasts all those years ago as a mere shadow when you helped Kaiba and Pegasus build this very school?" Another, much younger voice questioned.
"I may not have believed you at first, but when Pegasus warned me that those very cards could cause trouble and that they needed to be hidden, I started to understand that destiny was moving in my favor. I just need to wait for a few more months, and then those Sacred Beasts and their power will belong to me!" The older man said gleefully.
"Don't worry, master. You'll get what's coming to you soon enough. For now, however, we need to find a way to get Sheppard's attention so that he'll give up the keys to his students."
"What did you have in mind?"
"Simple. I'll Duel the chosen hero of the Gentle Darkness. With how much she loves to Duel and with how innocent and stupid she is, it's only a matter of time before she blabs to the Chancellor and gets him to worry enough to give up the keys."
"Such a simple plan. And yet, effective. Go ahead and prepare your Deck, Nightshroud."
"Yes. I will," Nightshroud grinned evilly as he walked off to prepare for the coming Duel that night.
Meanwhile, in contrast to the luxurious looking welcome dinners of the other dorms, Slifer Red merely served white rice, curry, and fish. While it didn't look bad, it was a massive disappointment compared to what the students were expecting.
As the students complained over the disappointing dinner and whether or not the dorm headmaster was a cat, the real headmaster for Slifer Red, Professor Banner, walked into the room with a warm smile.
"Hello, children. I'm Professor Banner. Now, before we eat, I'd like you each to tell us something about your-," Banner began only to be interrupted by Jaden and Jesse.
"This stuff's good," Jaden said with her mouth full of food.
"I know, right? I wonder if we can have more than one serving," Jesse agreed.
"Um, guys? We're supposed to say something about ourselves," Syrus warned, not wanting his two friends to get into trouble.
"Ok, how bout this? We're starvin'. Sorry to eat so soon, but we couldn't help ourselves!" Jaden answered.
"Actually, do ya think we should wait a minute first?" Jesse asked his sister.
"He's walking over here, guys!" Syrus warned as Banner was doing just that. "I mean it, you two. Please st…," Syrus nervously continued until Banner was right where they were.
"We shoulda waited, shouldn't have we?" Jesse asked Jaden.
"Yep, we should have," Jaden whispered back.
"Well, since some of us don't feel like waiting, let's just eat," Banner suggested understandingly.
Back in the dorm room…
"I'll tell ya, Professor Banner sure can cook," Jaden said as she rubbed her belly.
"Yeah, and he seems like a pretty nice guy, as well," Syrus agreed as he poured three glasses of tea.
"I know, right? I thought for a moment we would have been in trouble," Jesse agreed.
"But he understood we were just hungry due to not getting lunch and let us eat without a hassle! He'll be a nice guy to be around while we're in Slifer Red," Jaden noted.
Suddenly, Jaden heard and felt a buzzing coming from her pocket. She got out the source of the buzzing, which was a PDA phone-like device.
"Cool! Looks like we get a fancy phone to go with our stay here!" Jaden said.
"Well… it looks better than the phone I have. But who could be calling at this hour?" Syrus was confused.
"Only one way to find out. Answer it, Jaden," Jesse suggested.
At this, Jaden pressed the answer button and an image of Chazz suddenly appeared on the screen. "Hey, Slifer Slacker! Don't think you're off the hook. Tonight at midnight, it's on. Oh, and why don't we make it interesting? Whoever wins gets the other guy's best card."
As the call ended at this point, Jaden started to look psyched. "All right! Guess I'll get to Duel at that arena after all."
"Are you sure we should agree to this Duel? I mean, it's against campus law to ante your cards," Jesse wanted, not wanting to see his sister get into trouble.
"Look, why don't we just not accept his card when I win? That way, I get to duel and no one gets into trouble," Jaden suggested.
A few hours later, half an hour before midnight...
Alexis was on her way to the Slifer Red dorm, wanting to warn Jaden and the others not to go ahead and accept Chazz's offer to Duel. While she had no concrete proof that a Duel was about to go down, she had a feeling from what she knew about them that Chazz would still try to Duel Jaden and that Jaden would lose to the Obelisk and wind up broken and miserable as a result.
"I just hope I'm not too late to stop them," Alexis said as she was about to go and ask where Jaden and the others were staying. However, before she could approach one of the doors to knock and ask, she noticed a strange man wearing a mask looking into one of the dorm windows. For room 5A. "What in the...? I don't know who they are, but chances are they're going to cause trouble for the other students, including Jaden and her friends. Don't know why she's in Slifer, but that's not the point! I need to do something!" For a moment, Alexis considered getting one of the Dorm heads, but not knowing where Banner was and not having the time to contact someone else before the strange man could harm anybody, she realized she had to confront the man now. And so, she decided to do just that.
As Alexis approached the figure, she heard him say, "Dang it! The girl is gone! And so is her friends! How am I supposed to capture and Duel her now?"
"And why do you want to Duel Jaden, anyway? Better yet, why do you have to be a creeper in order to Duel her...whoever you are?" Alexis demanded.
Upon hearing the voice, the figure, Nightshroud, turned around to confront Alexis. For a moment, Nightshroud was looking on in confusion. He was sure he had never seen the girl before. However, he still felt as though he knew this girl from somewhere. It may be because of his human host. However, either way, he knew that she was getting in his way and that any obstacles to his power needed to be stopped. "I don't need to answer anything, little girl. If anything, I should be asking why you are getting into my way!"
"I'm getting in your way because you're trying to hurt innocent students! What am I supposed to do? Let you hurt my fellow students like a cowardly worm?" Alexis countered.
"I'm warning you now. I am a powerful Duelist, not to be taken lightly. I guess I'll answer this much. My name is Nightshroud, and I was here to challenge Jaden Yuki, in order to test her skills. However, if you refuse to stand down, then I'll challenge you to a Duel. And trust me, you will be crushed and broken by the end of our match," Nightshroud warned Alexis.
"Fine! Then let's Duel right here, right now! I won't let you hurt Jaden or anyone else!" Alexis challenged as she prepared her Duel Disk.
"Independent and fearless. How interesting. Let's see how long you'll stay that way," Nightshroud said as he prepped his Duel Disk as well. "Let's Duel! You have the honor of going first, Miss..."
"Alexis. Alexis Rhodes. I'll start by summoning Cyber Tutu to my field in Attack Position (1000 Attack)! Also, I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn," Alexis played.
"That's all? A weak monster and some facedowns? What a weak move for someone who dares to challenge me! Well, why don't I make my superior first move? I draw! And I summon a real monster! Alexandrite Dragon in Attack Mode(2000 Attack)! Now, I'll have my mighty monster attack and destroy your pathetic Cyber Tutu," Nightshroud attacked, his dragon shooting out a light energy blast from the mouth.
"I play my trap card Doble Passe! With it, your attack is changed into a direct attack on me and my targeted monster attacks you directly!" Alexis countered.
"Fair enough. I'll still be capable of causing plenty of damage to your Life Points. Heck, it'll be more than I would have originally! Thanks for helping me out! Protecting your monster just made things worse for you!" Nightshroud laughed.
"I wouldn't say that. I play my other facedown Cyber Destiny Draw! Now, when I would take damage from a direct attack, I can reduce the damage to zero once per turn. Not only that, but I get to draw a card every time I can deal damage through a direct attack! Nouvelle Pointe (Nightshroud-3000 LP)!" Alexis yelled out.
"Not a bad move. But I'm afraid you won't be making them this good for long!" Nightshroud threatened.
"We'll see. Now, any closing moves before I take my turn?" Alexis asked.
"I place two cards facedown and end my turn. Make your move, and make it short, please!" Nightshroud growled.
"Oh, I won't! I draw! And next, I'll play the spell card Polymerization in order to fuse together my Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater that are in my hand! I Fusion Summon Cyber Blader (2100 Attack)!" Alexis summoned.
"Hmph. Not a bad monster. Still, it doesn't look to be that powerful. I can easily summon out a much stronger monster to destroy it!" Nightshroud said.
"We'll see. First. we need to get around to destroying your precious Alexandrite Dragon! Whirlwind Blade, Cyber Blader!"
"You fell right into my trap! I play the trap card Burning Red Barrier! Now, should a dragon monster be attacked, I can negate the attack and deal you damage equal to that monster's level times 200! Since your Blader is level 7, I can deal you 1400 points of damage! Better luck next time...assuming there is a next time (Alexis-2600 LP)!" Nightshroud said with a smirk.
"I'm not done yet! Now, I play the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon! With it, I can destroy your other facedown card and stop you from using it!" Alexis played as a whirlwind blew away the other card; another copy of Burning Red Barrier. "Looks like you have no defenses from a direct attack now."
"Foolish girl. You seem to have forgotten that I still control a monster!" Nightshroud reminded.
"I didn't forget. You see, Cyber Tutu can attack my opponent directly even if you have out a monster so long as all the monsters you control are stronger than my Cyber Tutu! Now, attack Nightshroud directly once more! (Nightshroud-2000 Attack)! And due to Cyber Destiny Draw, I draw yet another card," Alexis attacked.
"I have to admit. You are much more competent than I initially pinned you for," Nightshroud admitted.
"Thanks. So, will you leave now and not hurt Jaden or any other innocent student?" Alexis asked.
"Of course not! You are about to meet your ruin. Just end your turn and we can move on and end this Duel!" Nightshroud demanded.
"Fine. I place a card facedown and end my turn. Your move," Alexis ended her turn.
"And it will be the begging of the end for you! I draw! I now summon Mirage Dragon to my field in Attack Mode (1600 Attack)/(2100-4200 Attack)! When this monster is on the field, you cannot play your trap cards during my battle phase! So much for defending your pathetic monster! Next up, I play the equip spell card Axe of Despair! I'll equip it to my Alexandrite Dragon and give him 1000 more Attack Points (2000-3000 Attack)! Now, I'll have my Mirage Dragon attack and destroy your Cyber Tutu (Alexis-2000 LP)! Now, time to get rid of your remaining monster! Alexandrite Dragon, attack and destroy Cyber Blader!" Nightshroud commanded as he grinned, a dust cloud forming on the field. "So, looks like you lost your other monster, huh?"
"Afraid not!" Alexis said with a grin as the dust cloud disappeared, Cyber Blader still being present as Alexandrite Dragon was destroyed (4200-2100 Attack)/(Nightshroud-800 LP).
"I-I don't get it! How could your monster still be standing?! My monster was much stronger than your pathetic Fusion monster!" Nightshroud was outraged.
"It was...until Cyber Blader's ability activated! You see, Cyber Blader's ability varies depending on how many monsters you control. Since you had two monsters out, she was able to double her points, making her stronger than your Alexandrite Dragon!" Alexis revealed.
"Grr! I should have predicted this! But-I can manage this much. I place a card facedown and end my turn. Your move, little girl," Nightshroud ended his turn.
"So, if you don't mind telling me, what exactly is it that you are after? Like, why are you after Jaden?" Alexis asked.
"Does it really matter if I explain things? Just know that things will change very soon. Just make your pathetic move so that I can finish you off!" Nightshroud yelled.
"Very well then. I draw! And, I'll summon to my field a second copy of Etoile Cyber (1200 Attack)! Now, to put an end to this Duel. Cyber Blader, attack and destroy Mirage Dragon!" Alexis attacked.
"I play my facedown trap card Mirror Force! Now, I'll destroy all face-up Attack Position monsters you control! So much for your counterattack, little girl!" Nightshroud smirked.
"Not yet! I play my facedown card Cyber Jammer! Now, by discarding one card, like Cyber Gymnist, from my hand I can negate the activation of your trap or spell that would destroy a Cyber Girl and destroy it! Now, let's continue from where we left off. Cyber Blader, attack and destroy Mirage Dragon with Whirlwind Blade (Nightshroud-300 LP). Now to end this. Etoile Cyber, attack Nightshroud directly!" Alexis declared a winning attack...or so it seemed.
"I play the effect of my Dark Blocker Dragon in my hand. With it, I can discard it to reduce the damage from a direct attack to zero! In exchange, the monster that attacked can be protected from destruction one time only!" Nightshroud countered. "You thought you were about to win, when in reality it was just a simple hope spot!"
"Grr! I end my turn. Make your move!" Alexis yelled.
"Oh, I will! And it will put an end to this pathetic game! I draw!" Nightshroud began his turn, seeing that he drew Red-Eyes Baby Dragon. "I summon to the field my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon in Attack mode(1200 Attack)!"
"Wait. Red-Eyes?! As in Red-Eyes Black Dragon?! Do you have that monster? Joey Wheeler's ace card?" Alexis was shocked.
"Of course. It happens to be my monster of choice. And you won't have to wait very long to see it. Now, I'll have my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon attack your Etoile Cyber!" Nightshroud attacked.
"Wait...but why? Your monster is equal in Attack Points to mine and Etoile Cyber can't even be destroyed due to Dark Blocker Dragon's ability! What ability does Red-Eyes Baby Dragon have?" Alexis nervously wondered.
"You'll see soon enough," Nightshroud said with an evil smirk as both monsters clashed, with Etoile Cyber surviving the attack. "You see, when Red-Eyes Baby Dragon is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Red-Eyes monster from my Deck that is Level 7 or below and then equip this card to said monster! And the monster I choose is Red-Eyes Black Dragon(2400-2700 Attack)!"
"This is gonna suck, isn't it?" Alexis asked with some snark.
"Of course it will! Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack and wipe out Etoile Cyber with Inferno Fire Blast (Alexis-500 LP)! I place one card facedown and end my turn. Make your final move while you still can. Or...you can run away and let me find Jaden Yuki. So, what's it gonna be?" Nightshroud gave a proposition.
"I...I won't be giving up so easily, Nightshroud! I draw! And...I'll end this Duel right now! I equip Cyber Blader with Fusion Weapon! With it, her attack and defense power will be increased by 1500 points (2100-3600 Attack/800-2300 Defense) Now, let's put an end to this Duel! Cyber Blader, attack and destroy Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Alexis played her finishing move.
"Oh, this Duel will end, but not with your victory, little girl! I play my facedown card Red-Eyes Inferno Burst! Now, since you declared an attack while I have 500 or fewer Life Points, we both take the same amount of damage from this battle! Meaning...," Nightshroud countered.
"So...that means...," Alexis gritted her teeth as an explosion rang out across the field, reducing both Duelist's Life Points to zero.
"I have to admit. You were a much stronger Duelist than I anticipated," Nightshroud admitted.
"So, since the Duel is over...why don't you tell me who you are?" Alexis asked.
"Hmph. Like that really matters? Maybe...we'll be able to meet again. Only next time...things will go differently," Nightshroud said as he disappeared like magic.
"Nightshroud...Who is he?" Alexis wondered. "Oh! I should go check and see if that Duel really is going on!" And so, Alexis ran off from the Slifer-Red dorm for the battle arena in the main building.
Thanks for reading. I know that my story won't be the most original, but I hope to make an interesting and fun story that adds more to the original anime and characters, giving characters like Alexis and Syrus more credit and Duels to help their arcs out and to make them better characters. If anyone has any ideas or advice, please let me know.