The Abandoned Dormitory, a forbidden place at Duel Academy, and a scary one at that. It was not a dormitory like the others. It was a large, dilapidated building with boards on the windows and the front door open. Even though the place was deserted and abandoned, one person had been going there frequently since she arrived on the island. Alexis Rhodes. She walked through the trees and stopped right in front of the wall and the "Do Not Enter" sign. Then she placed a red rose at the foot of the wall...
"Be at peace my brother, wherever you are..."
Meanwhile...
In the dining hall of the Slifer dormitory, Jaden, Syrus, and Chumley were telling ghost stories while Ibuki was video-conferencing on Jaden's Duel Pilot. He had met Jaden from time to time while going to the Academy from the Red dormitory and after the exams, he was introduced to Syrus and Chumley and tonight he was invited on call so he wouldn't have any problem telling ghost stories. Now it was Syrus' turn.
"I went out into the woods, and under the full moon, I see a path that leads to a cave that looks... abandoned!" Said Syrus as he took his turn.
"Oh really?" Asked Jaden, interested. "And then what?"
"Then, at the bottom of the cave, I see a mysterious lake. So I go in and look very carefully. And in the right angle of light, at the bottom of the lake, beyond my reflection, I see a rare and powerful map. Naturally, I go looking for it, but when I reach out for it... an arm comes out of the water, grabs me, and starts pulling me into the lake! AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! HELP ME, NOT THE WATER, NOT THE WATER!" Said Syrus getting too involved in his story.
"The water isn't that scary." Said Jaden.
"Even dirty swamp water?" Sighs Syrus "You're right, only a moron would be afraid of such a story." He said unaware that Chumley had taken a position in the far corner of the room.
"It was still a good story." Said Jaden as he picked up a four star monster called Chained Spirit at the Earth. "Mid-level scares for a mid-level card."
The rules were to tell a story as scary as the level of the monster drawn was high. He then drew a card from the deck. "But me, I hope I can get a high level card..." But the card Jaden drew was Sinister Snake, a weak one-star monster. "Oh..."
"Lucky..." Said Ibuki.
"Yes, you were lucky. You don't have to scare us at all with that low card." Said Chumley as he returned to the table.
"Well, I think I have a story that might do the trick." Said Jaden as he set the card down. "Actually, it's more of a memory. When I was a kid, I used to hear sounds, but I didn't hear them until late at night. I think I was dreaming, but then... I would hear them... they sounded like voices, but not the ones I recognized. I would go into the game room to investigate but when I did, there was nothing there at all... except my cards."
"And... ? " Insisted Syrus.
"And that's the end of the story."
Syrus and Chumley groaned.
"Hey, at least the story matched the level." Ibuki shrugged.
"It did." Confirmed Syrus.
"But do you want to hear something strange?" Asked Jaden. "Lately, I've started hearing them again."
"I want to join the fear party!" Said a voice behind Jaden.
The voice made Jaden, Syrus and Chumley scream in fear while Ibuki had a simple startle. As for Chumley, he was in the corner of the wall and Jaden and Syrus turned to where the sound was coming from. It was only Professor Banner and Pharaoh.
"You... you just did." Was all Ibuki could say.
"Yeah, we're a little on the edge of our seats here." Added Jaden.
"Or at least we were." Added Syrus in turn. Chumley was still in the corner, curled up. Everyone relaxed again. "But since you're here, why don't you draw a card. The higher level it is, the scarier your story must be."
"Well, that sounds easy enough. Let's see." Banner drew a card. It was the Five-Headed Dragon!
"Level 12?!" Said Ibuki gasped as Banner turned the card over to him.
"I think I'll go to bed now." Said Syrus immediately.
"What's wrong with you? Don't you want to hear about the abandoned Dormitory at the end of the island?"
"The Abandoned Dormitory?" Asked the four students.
Banner pulled up a chair and sat down. "Yes. No one talks about it, but there was once a special dormitory set up at the edge of the forest. It was actually the Millennium House. It was closed when several students mysteriously disappeared."
"Where did they go?" Swallowed Syrus.
"Well, that's the whole mystery." Answered Banner. "But rumor has it that it has something to do with the Shadow Games." This intrigued Ibuki.
"The Shadow Games?" Asked Syrus.
"Thank you, you can stop now." Pleaded Chumley from behind another table.
"You see, children, the Shadow Games are duels that are played with mystical objects called the Millennium Objects. Monster duels themselves began in ancient Egypt. The form of dueling for the Egyptians was the Shadow Game. If you lost, you were sent to the realm of shadows, a mystical place that thrives on darkness and the fear of those who enter it. According to legend, shadow duels were very deadly and some even led to death."
"Come on." Said Jaden dismissively. "Millennium items, Shadow Games, these things can't be real."
"No, it's real..." Said Ibuki as everyone looked at him. "The Shadow Games are very real..."
"Oh come on, they can't be." Said Jaden as he waved his hand. "It sounds like you've experienced the Shadow Games yourself."
Ibuki was silent for a moment until he spoke again.
"That's because I attended one of them..." He replied. Everyone gasped except him.
"Seriously?" Asked Syrus in disbelief.
"I don't want to talk about it." Said Ibuki emphatically.
Pharaoh yawned.
"Well, Pharaoh is tired, I think it's time to go back to my room, good night, kids." Said Banner as he walked out the door.
"Good night, Professor." Said Jaden, Ibuki and Syrus.
"You know, I saw a scary building once in the forest." Said Syrus.
"Great." Said Jaden. "So you're going to lead us tomorrow night."
"What do you mean, tomorrow night?!" Exclaimed Syrus.
"What do you mean, us?" Chumley added.
"This is going to be fun." Said Jaden. "We might even find out what happened to all those missing people."
"Jaden, do you realize how bad this is?" Asked Ibuki, a little angry.
"Oh relax Ibuki." Jaden waved his hand at her. "If it makes you feel better, we'll be careful when we go there."
"Well, you can go if you want. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not going to get in trouble the first year." Said Ibuki.
Unbeknownst to them, Dr. Crowler heard everything from the outside.
"This is the opportunity I've been waiting for." He said to himself excitedly. "I think it's time for the Shadow Games to make a comeback, along with the Millennium Objects." He left, thinking about who to enlist...
In a dark alley in Domino City, a duel was about to end, with one of the participants being frightened by the situation.
"Okay, you won, take what you want and go!"
"What I want." Said the masked man in a trench coat wearing a dueling harness similar to Crowler's but the tray on his sleeve. "It's your soul!"
He held up an inverted gold-colored pyramid with a single slit-iris eye in the center. It suddenly began to glow with a golden glow as the opponent protested again...
"Please have mercy! Let me go!"
The man merely watched emotionlessly as the light from the pyramid spread.
"Mercy? What is this?" The golden light turned white as the opponent screamed and fell, scattering the cards from his deck. "Rest in peace, in the realm of shadows." At that moment, his cell phone rang and the man opened it. "Speak."
The person on the phone gave some details.
"Duel Academy, tomorrow night... I'll be there."
He hung up the phone and smiled.
The next day, during class, Jaden and Syrus slept in while Banner lectured with Crowler glancing around the classroom at the two sleeping Reds Slifer and Ibuki.
"That's the last time you sleep in class, Slifer scum! And that cheeky one pretending to be a good student! You three..." Thought Crowler. "You'll get a real lesson... on the Shadow Games!"
Later that night, when it was only about 9 o'clock in the evening and the moon was full, Crowler stood alone on the docks beside the lighthouse, waiting. After a while, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned and saw a person in black standing a few feet away from him. It was a tall man, dressed in a black trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat, Crowler turned to the man.
"So you're the one they called the Shadow Duelist?" He asked.
The tall man smiled.
"My opponents have given me many names, but most of them are hard to discern through their screams of horror. What is the job?" He asked as a fog appeared around them.
Crowler smiled as he informed him of his job.
"I want you to scare two people so intensely that they will leave this island and never return!" He then provided two pictures, one of Jaden and one of Ibuki, to the man.
"I know this boy." Said the man as he looked at the picture of Ibuki.
"Anyways. Are you ready to take the challenge?" Said Crowler.
"Of course I am! I never turn my back on a challenge... And I'll teach these boys terror before I send them to the shadow realm!" Replied the shadow duelist.
The fog disappeared, taking the mercenaries with it. Crowler left satisfied.
In the Blue dormitory, Ibuki sat at his desk and studied, or at least tried to. His brain couldn't help but think about the story Professor Banner had told him and the others. While it brought back good and bad memories, it also made him uncomfortable. He didn't want to be reminded of the Shadow Games. He just hoped that the rumors were false and that the abandoned dormitory was simply... abandoned, and that Jaden and the others wouldn't disappear like...
His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of his Duel Pilot. He picked it up and saw that it was a message from Alexis. He smiled when he saw her name on the interface and opened the message but the content shocked him.
It was a picture of Alexis unconscious in a kind of skeletal looking coffin with a message written right underneath.
"If you want to save her, then meet me at the abandoned Dormitory tonight. I'll be waiting for you."
Ibuki's eyes turned a darker golden color, his heart pumping blood so hard and fast that he could hear it in his ears.
He was determined to make the one who had attacked two of his friends pay. But before he could get to his destination, he called Bastion. When Yellow Ra picked up, the video feed showed him still wearing his uniform.
"What is it, Ibuki?" Asked Bastion, a little annoyed. "I'm in the middle of solving an equation and..."
"I need your help Bastion." Said Ibuki. "It's really important."
To better illustrate the urgency of the situation, he showed the message he received along with the picture.
"What should I do?" Asked Bastion quickly slightly in shock at the message.
"I'm going there to save her. Jaden probably went to visit the dorm because of a story from Professor Banner, but he might be too late and I don't know what the guy who kidnapped her has in store if I take too long. So I'd like you to call security and let me know." Planned Ibuki.
"Okay, but be careful. If you get caught, you might get expelled." Warned Bastion as he took a picture of the messages with his own Duel Pilot.
"Frankly, compared to what can happen to him, I don't care what I risk." Said Ibuki coldly before hanging up and running out of the Blue Dorm towards the Abandoned Dorm.
Upon arriving at the abandoned dormitory, Ibuki received a call from Bastion.
"Ibuki, I can't get anyone to come. It's... disturbing and strange. They never leave their posts... unless the chancellor or vice chancellor says so." Explained Bastion.
"Crowler..." Muttered Ibuki through gritted teeth as she immediately cut the call and entered the dormitory.
A series of lights showed him the way to a hidden stairwell. Stopping when he heard something crunch under his foot, he looked down. Seeing a picture of what appeared to be a male version of Alexis, he concluded that he was somehow related to her and took the picture. Placing it in his jacket before continuing his journey. As he descended the steps, his senses began to react to the energy in the air. He continued and soon came to a huge underground cave.
Just as he reacted to the energy, the energy reacted to him. Whispers began to grow louder, dark things stirred. Coming to a massive hallway, he saw several carvings engraved with seven objects. He knew what they were; the fabled Millennium Objects, the first way for the shadow realm to break through theirs. He walked by, an impulse occurring every time he passed an object. Eventually he arrived in a basement where the Shadow Duelist stood with an open casket behind him with Alexis inside. Standing before him was the one who sent the message.
"Ah, Ibuki Kadoya. I see you've come... are you ready to be swallowed by the shadows?" He menaced.
"Who are you, what did you do to them and how do you know my name?" Asked Ibuki as the gleam in his eyes grew brighter.
"My name is Titan. As for those girls, don't worry about them, their souls have already sunk into the realm of shadows. And I know your name because I read an article about your mother a few years ago." Said the Shadow Duelist, his last answer making Ibuki flinch. "How sad, she had so much potential."
"I forbid you to talk about her!" Shouted Ibuki as anger rose within him.
"Ibuki!"
The latter turned around to see Jaden, Syrus and Chumley.
"Who is he? And why did you come, I thought you didn't want to get in trouble." Said Jaden to the Blue Obelisk.
"He says his name is Titan, and I came because he kidnapped Alexis." Answered Ibuki
"What?!" Shouted the trio.
"That's right. And if you want to save her soul, you'll have to beat me. But I warn you, this duel will be a Game of Shadows. A forbidden domain in which no one is allowed to set foot. And if you lose, I will take your souls." Said Titan.
"So it's your fault that people have disappeared!" Said Jaden as Chumley gave him a Dueling Disc that was in his bag to Jaden.
"Perfect, I'll take you both on. I will make you know terror. " Said Titan in a calm tone.
"I don't think so." Said Ibuki as he pulled out a deck box from inside his jacket. Unlike the one containing the Deck with the Dark Cybermen, this deck box emanated an aura so dark that you couldn't see the fingers of the hand holding it. "I swore I wouldn't touch it again."
"What are you talking about?" Asked Jaden as Ibuki moved slightly towards Titan.
Before Jaden could get an answer, a black dome was established around Ibuki and Titan.
"What the hell is that?!" Shouted Syrus.
"I don't know! But if this guy did that, he's very good at special effects!" Said Jaden.
A few minutes later, the dome disappeared, only Ibuki was still present where he had appeared, there was no trace of Titan except for a map where he was.
"What was that, Ibuki? And where is Titan?" Asked Jaden.
"I don't know. While the dome dissipated, he ran away." Answered Ibuki as he walked towards the coffin where Alexis was and carried her before heading out of the room.
Ibuki hated lying to his friends, but with what happened, he had no choice.
A few minutes earlier, inside the dome that had just formed, Titan was looking around, shocked and frightened by what was happening.
"What the..." He said before Ibuki spoke up.
"You dared to attack my friend, using her as bait, and you really thought I would agree to a duel against you?" Asked Ibuki in a dark tone that made Titan's blood run cold.
"This... This is not a simple duel, this is a game of shadows." Said Titan trying to be intimidating despite the fear that took hold of him, brandishing his pyramid inverted as if it were a talisman of protection.
Under his mask the mercenary's eyes widened as he noticed that in the shadows two dragons were drawn behind Ibuki.
"Your artifact is a cheap replica of Yugi Muto's Millennium Puzzle. You have made a mockery of the shadows enough to be punished in a manner befitting the affront you have committed." Declared Ibuki in a firm tone.
At the end of his statement, the two dragons spat fire on Titan, who was struggling against the heat that seemed to make him suffer without killing him.
"Aaaah, aaaaaaaah! Please, I beg you save me!" Shouted Titan as he struggled and tried to extinguish the fire without success, even rolling on the ground, which made a card fall to the ground.
"You can dream. You used her and mocked the shadows. So you will burn, until the end of time." Said Ibuki as Titan and the dragons disappeared into the shadows before the dome disappeared, leaving the mercenary alone with his flames.
As Ibuki walked out of the Abandoned Dormitory with Alexis in his arms, Alexis opened her eyes and could now see Ibuki carrying her like a bride.
"Ibuki..."
"Are you alright?" Asked Ibuki immediately.
"Or... yes." Said Alexis hesitantly, trying to hide her blushing face from the way her friend carried her. "What happened?"
"Someone kidnapped you. But don't worry, he won't hurt you again. I promise you that." Said Ibuki.
As Ibuki answered her question, Alexis felt reassured. She was afraid he would ask her why she was out late at night.
What she didn't know was that he didn't care how she was kidnapped. He was thinking about Crowler, he had stopped security from acting to let someone in, and used two of his friends as bait.
"If he tries anything else, I'll make sure Crowler understands that he's going after something more dangerous than himself..." Thought Ibuki as he continued on his way.
The next day, Ibuki stayed in his room, sitting on the floor with his back to the wall and his legs against his chest. He didn't even bother to go to class today. He just didn't want to deal with anyone right now. Even though he hadn't shown it, the shadow play during his duel with Jaden against Titan had messed him up. A bad memory had surfaced.
Someone knocked gently on Ibuki's door. He didn't bother to get up, but the door opened anyway. Alexis slipped quietly inside. She looked worried when she saw him. She walked over to him and knelt down next to him. Ibuki looked up to see her.
"Hi Alexis..." Said Ibuki, trying to smile so as not to worry her, but didn't succeed.
"Are you okay, Ibuki?" Alexis asked softly.
"I would be lying to you if I said yes..." Answered Ibuki.
"Jaden... told me what happened." Said Alexis.
"He did, huh?" Ibuki scoffed sadly. Alexis nodded her head.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk about what happened?" Asked Alexis.
"I'm sure. I...I'm not ready to talk about that kind of thing yet." Answered Ibuki.
"I'm sure you do. I'm... I'm not ready to talk about that kind of thing yet." Answered Ibuki, "All right. If you want to confide in someone. We're here for you."
"Thank you." Said Ibuki as a tear ran down his face as he closed his eyes.
Then he felt arms around him. He opened his eyes when he felt Alexis pull his head back against her chest, holding him close.
"You don't have to hold back your tears, you'll only accumulate your grief." She said.
She was right, but Ibuki didn't want to allow himself to cry, not now. He took a deep breath and regained his composure.
"By the way, I found something in the Abandoned Dormitory." He took the picture he had picked up out of his jacket and gave it to her. "I thought I saw a little family resemblance to you. Do you know him?"
Alexis took the photo as she looked at it in amazement.
"That's... that's my brother. He's one of the people who went missing at the Abandoned Dormitory." She answered.
"Really?" Asked Ibuki. Alexis nodded again.
"His name is Atticus. He taught me everything I know about dueling. How to play, how to act, everything. When I found out he was missing with several other students, I couldn't believe it. He was gone. Without a trace. The police couldn't find anything. I didn't want to believe it. So my goal became to get into that school, not just because I wanted to become a professional duelist, but to learn what had happened to the missing students, as well as the whereabouts of my brother."
Ibuki listened to the story Alexis was telling him. Meanwhile, he couldn't help but feel a kind of camaraderie with the girl. She had experienced the loss of someone important. She knew how heavy a burden it is to rise from sadness. She knew the strength and difficulty of trying to find answers to the truth.
"I understand, my brother is one of the two Yellow Ra found dead last year. I came here to find the person responsible and make him pay..."
Alexis' eyes widened. If he was talking about this, then it wasn't the Game of Shadows thing, so what could it be that was harder for him to talk about than the loss of a loved one.
Before the conversation could continue, someone started knocking on the door. He motioned to Alexis to go hide in the closet, which she did. Ibuki got up and went to open the door of his room to see several men and women coming out and ringing the bell, he was breathless.
"Can I help you?"
"We are the disciplinary action team. We have come to bring you to your disciplinary council, Mr. Kadoya." Answered a woman in front of all the other members of that team.
"So be it."
Ibuki let himself be taken away by the disciplinary action team who left the room without paying any attention to the room.
Alexis came out of Ibuki's closet and went to the Duel Academy to try to find out more about what was going to happen. But when she arrived, she had the bad surprise to see Jaden and Syrus escorted by the same kind of people. They were also summoned by the Disciplinary Council.