Several weeks later, more precisely one week after the entrance exams of the Duel Academy. Ibuki was standing at the bow of the ship, arms crossed and staring at the blue seas, contemplating the beauty of the ocean.
It was after several minutes that he could finally see the island where they were all heading. With a massive structure and knew it was the Academy. As he watched the island grow, he could see the place more clearly.
It was a sandstone color with several obelisks with four domes on top in four different colors, red, yellow, blue and finally on the largest dome, white.
Ibuki smirked.
"It's about time." Thought Ibuki.
Once he arrived, Ibuki stepped onto the island. And the moment he did, he froze as he felt something, an ancient power, a divine power rising through the island and into him.
At the back of the school, three cards lay in the darkness. Cards that were like gods... but belonging to another master in an unknown tomb of a being. They served no one... Many had tried to use them, only to encounter a terrifying spell at the hands of the spirits.
So they were locked up. Sealed from the light, buried in darkness and earth. But Ibuki's second foot touched the earth, he felt it... the power has not been felt since time immemorial. The card spirits roared with joy, the whole island shaking with their unbound joy.
Someone with the power to use them had just arrived.
The island shook for a second, everyone thought it was because of the volcano. But Ibuki knew what caused the tremors.
"Of all the places possible, they hid them here." Said Ibuki, a smile crossing his face. "It's not often that a divine set chooses you." He said.
The entire group of students, after recovering from the earthquake, were led to the center building and into a massive auditorium. They were separated in their dorms, Ibuki standing next to Jaden and the young boy with cyan hair who from what he expected was named Syrus. The screen appeared to reveal the man from the Cyber Art Dojo. The man smiled jovially at the assembly.
Once all the students were gathered inside, a large screen lit up, revealing the face of a bald, stocky man with an interconnected mustache and goatee.
"Hello, new students and welcome to the Duel Academy! I am Chancellor Sheppard, head of this most prestigious institution!" Said Sheppard, happily greeting his students. "It is truly an honor for me to guide you, bright young duelists, in your future careers as professional duelists. But before that, you must graduate and before that, you must become familiar with your new home. In a moment, you will be called to receive your school uniforms. Each is color coded for the dorm you are assigned to: red for Slifer Red, yellow for Ra Yellow and blue for Obelisk Blue. Please note that these uniforms must be worn during school hours. You must wear them to classroom and school functions. On your off hours or days off, you may wear whatever you want...within reason. If your uniform is damaged in any way, please see your dorm head for a replacement." Continued Sheppard. "Speaking of which, once this message is over, please report to your dormitory and report to your dormitory leader to receive your syllabus, class schedule, and school rules. I'm sure you'll find your dorm room quite comfortable...depending on your classification, of course. I look forward to getting to know you over the next three years and, once again, welcome to Duel Academy!"
The video stopped and the students quickly went to get their uniforms.
Ibuki, of course, received an Obelisk Blue uniform, a long blue jacket that went down to her ankle with white trim.
"Nice, I like the material." He thought as he walked out of the locker room. He saw Jaden, Syrus and Bastion standing nearby, probably waiting for him, and moved to join them.
Syrus and Jaden were wearing Slifer Red uniforms, much to Jaden's dismay at the way he beat Crowler.
Bastion, on the other hand, was wearing a Ra Yellow uniform, similar to the Slifer Red uniform, only yellow with a white border instead of red.
"Ah, Ibuki!" Said Bastion. "Glad you joined us..." He said before pausing when he saw the uniform his friend was wearing. "Ah you're an Obelisk Blue."
"Yeah. At least you'll have someone to tell you if the blue dormitory is worth it, if you end up being a blue too." Ibuki said serenely even though a mocking smile was visible on his face.
The four of them talked for a few minutes before going to their respective dorm.
Once he had unpacked his things in a dorm room where he was the only resident, he went out and spent the next few hours exploring Lille with Jaden and Syrus.
Ibuki had to admit it, he was impressed, the complex was quite elaborate. Several classrooms, a well-stocked cafeteria, a gym that looked like it was designed for Olympic athletes, and even a card store!
But what they were most excited to see was one of the dueling arenas.
"Woah..." Said Syrus in awe. "Look at this place!"
"Very impressive." Said Ibuki. "Built to match the quality of a professional dueling arena."
"Imagine dueling on one of these arenas! With everyone watching!" Said Jaden excitedly.
"You two reds are not allowed to be here! This arena is for the Blues only!" Said a voice behind them.
The trio turned to see a trio of Obelisk Blue, freshmen like themselves.
"Yeah!" Shouted the second Blue. "Reds aren't allowed!" Said he, pointing up and behind them.
They turned and saw a stone bust of Obelisk the Tormentor attached to the wall above the arena.
"They should have put it on the other side of the room, so people can see it when they enter." Thought Ibuki. "There would be a lot less confusion that way."
"S-Sorry!" Syrus stammered. W-We didn't know!"
"Indeed. They didn't know." Agreed Ibuki as he turned to leave. "Come on, les, let's go find the Slifer arena."
"Wait." Said another voice.
They turned to see the third Obelisk, Chazz, coming forward.
"I remember you, you're the guy who finished his duel in the very first round during the entrance exams." He said before turning to Jaden. "And you're the one who beat Dr. Crowler."
"Yes, I'm the one who beat Dr. Crowler. My name is Jaden Yuki." Said Jaden.
"I'm the duel in one round." Answered Ibuki. "Ibuki Kadoya. And you are...?"
"You don't know who he is?!" Asked one of the other Blues in disbelief. "He's Chazz Princeton, the best duelist at the Duel Preparatory School!"
"Yes!" Shouted the second Blue. "He's the best our dorm has to offer and the future King of the Games!"
"Is that true?" Asked Ibuki, making sure he sounded as unimpressed as possible.
"You don't believe me?" Asked Chazz, looking annoyed. He then noted Jaden and Syrus' red uniforms and smiled at that. "It's nice to see that the academy still recognizes scum when it sees them and puts you where you belong. I was afraid they were going to put you in yellow after that lucky break with Dr. Crowler. On the other hand I'm surprised they let a punk like you into our dorm."
"You say you saw the duel." Retorted Ibuki. "If you had seen it, you'd know that it wasn't a fluke. Either for me or for Jaden. It was a fair fight."
Chazz laughed at Ibuki's statement.
"Okay." He said sarcastically. "If it wasn't a fluke, why don't you prove it here, now with a duel?" He challenged.
"Do you often fight people you don't know?" Ibuki asked, looking annoyed.
"Only with trash who don't know their place!" Said Chazz as he stepped forward.
Syrus and Jaden, sensing the tension between Chazz and Ibuki, fearfully took a step back, but Ibuki remained anchored in place, unintimidated.
"I vaguely recognize your last name." Declared Ibuki to the self-centered Obelisk Blue. "The Princeton group, right?"
Chazz smiled.
"That's right yes!" He said arrogantly.
"Yes, I remember them." Continued Ibuki. "The family of self-sufficient morons desperately trying to get the world to take them seriously."
Chazz immediately became angry.
"What did you just say?!" He asked, his lackeys preparing to back him up.
"Unless you're suffering from sudden and random hearing loss, I think I spoke loud enough for you to hear." Replied Ibuki.
"You have the nerve to say that to me!" Growled Chazz. "Why don't you come over here and tell me that closer and see!"
Ibuki stared at him, shrugged, and walked towards him, stopping when they were only a few inches away from each other.
"Is this close enough for you?" He asked.
Chazz was startled by the sudden boldness but held on.
"You are brave. How much longer do you think you'll stay that way?" He said.
"You mean during a duel?" Ibuki asked.
Chazz nodded his head.
"Can I? Yes. Will I do it? No. " Said Ibuki, before turning and starting to walk away.
Chazz laughed at him.
"He doesn't seem to have earned his place with us, guys." He said. "Too scared to face pros!"
"I don't mind facing pros." Replied Ibuki, pausing. "But that's not who you are."
Chazz growled at Ibuki's insult.
"I'm Chazz Princeton!" He shouted. "The best duelist in the Obelisk Blues!"
"Considering you just joined Obelisk Blue, I find that unlikely." Retorted Ibuki.
"I was the best at the Duel Preparatory School!" He said in a loud and proud tone.
"The best among the spoiled rotten? I'm shaking with fear." Said Ibuki sarcastically, annoyed and unimpressed.
Chazz was now shaking with rage.
"Face me in a Duel!" He ordered.
"No." Replied Ibuki. "I've wasted enough of my time putting spoiled brats in their place. I have no desire to do it again."
"I'm not a spoiled brat!" Argued Chazz.
"Really?" Ibuki asked, not believing him. "Tell me, how much effort did you put into your deck?"
"Yes!" Chazz answered immediately.
"I don't consider choosing it and then paying for it with your family's money as an effort. So?"
Chazz said nothing and that was all the answer Ibuki needed.
"That's what I thought." He said before turning around and starting to leave again. "The only thing I hate more than spoiled brats is wasting my time. Congratulations, you checked both boxes."
Chazz was seconds away from losing it.
"You dirty...!" He said before he heard someone clear their throat.
Everyone turned to see a beautiful Obelisk Blue student, her eyes squinting at Chazz.
Ibuki saw her and felt his heart racing. It was rare for him to be rendered speechless by beauty, but this girl was absolutely stunning!
How long had it been since a woman had made him stop like this?
"Am I interrupting something?" She asked.
"Hi Alexis!" Chazz greeted, his eyes eagerly scanning her figure. "You're just in time to see me take down these slackers!"
"Really?" She asked, not believing him at all. "I heard everything. You're an Obelisk, Chazz! You're supposed to be a good example for the other dorms! He was just responding to your provocation. You deserved what he said."
"B-but I...!" Chazz swallowed.
"But nothing!" Interrupted Alexis. "Go back to the Blue Dorm before I decide to tell Dr. Crowler how you're embarrassing our dorm today!"
Chazz wanted to refuse, but didn't want to upset Crowler on the first day, so he gave Ibuki one last dark look and left, with his lackeys behind him.
Alexis sighed before approaching the duo of Slifer and the other Obelisk.
"Sorry about Chazz." She began, looking ashamed. "As Ibuki proves, we're not like all the Obelisks."
"I hope so." Replied Ibuki. "One Chazz Princeton is enough for this island."
Syrus, Jaden, and Alexis laughed before the teenager held out her hand.
"Alexis Rhodes, just like you I am a first year Obelisk Blue." She introduced herself.
Ibuki took the offered hand and shook it.
"Ibuki Kadoya." He said.
"Jaden Yuki." Introduced Jaden.
"Syrus Trusdale." Introduced Syrus.
"I noticed." Said Alexis. "I'm surprised. I saw you and Jaden duel. I can't believe that after you beat Dr. Crowler, you're sent to the red dorm!"
"I have to admit, it's curious." Said Ibuki.
"Oh, it's no thanks." Said Jaden surprising Syrus and the two Obelisks. "It's just a jacket color, it doesn't mean I'm bad." He said optimistically which made Ibuki chuckle.
"I like that attitude." He said before turning his attention to Alexis. "I hope there are others like you in our dorm."
Alexis blushed slightly at the praise.
"Thank you." She said before looking at the time. "Oh, the welcome dinner starts soon! We better hurry, Dr. Crowler won't be happy if we're late."
"You're right, he doesn't seem to be the most forgiving of managers. See you guys." Said Ibuki while following Alexis towards the blue dormitory, where the welcome dinner was held.
Jaden and Syrus, as for them, also turned to leave.
Once the dinner was over, Ibuki lay down on his bed and looked at his ceiling with a thoughtful tone. He had spent the dinner talking with Alexis and he had to admit that the other boys in the dormitory that were staring at him amused him.
"Does she look nice?" He thought. "She's got a head on her shoulders... and a body to match." he thought before freezing. "What was that thought?" He wondered. "Yes, her beauty caught my eye but... when was the last time a woman caught my eye?"
He decided to put this thought aside and try to sleep, when suddenly his Duel Pilot rang to indicate that he had received a message.
He opened it to see that it was a message from Jaden.
"Chazz invited us to the arena for a duel. You want to come."
He thought for a second, looking at the time, before answering.
"It's past curfew. I advise you not to go, but it's up to you. I'm not going."
He then put his Duel Pilot on his bedside table and fell asleep until he was awakened an hour later and rang the bell again.
Ibuki took it and picked up the phone to quickly deal with this little problem.
"What?" He asked, annoyed.
"Don't think you're off the hook for what you told me!" Said Chazz's extremely importunate voice from the Duel Pilot. "My duel with Jaden has just about been interrupted. But we still have a score to settle! Meet me outside the dorm in an hour. Bring your deck. The winner will get...!"
It was then that Ibuki hung up the phone. As angry as he was that Chazz had somehow learned his PDA number, he just wanted to sleep.
He wanted to sleep, but Chazz kept calling him. After a while, he got tired of it, and hid in a drawer full of clothes so that the vibrations wouldn't bother him anymore.