Hey, batter, batter! Hey, batter, batter, SWING!
Haha! One of my favorite High School Musical songs! Why did I mention this? Oh, you'll see!
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!
"Come on, Jaden!"
"You can do it!"
"Whoo! Goo!"
"Yup! Just leave it all up to me!~" shouted Jaden happily as she prepared herself for the next pitcher. She was currently the batter and next in line to strike some baseballs after her current batter teammate failed.
The members on her team were all cheering her own, especially since she and Syrus proved to be very strong duelists from the Tag Duel event. Right now, it was Gym class, and Miss Fontaine was currently coaching the game, separating the girls and boys in two random teams instead of forming two teams of opposite genders.
In addition, the cheerleader squad was there on the sidelines, practicing for their cheerleading routine. Most of them happened to be members of the Yaoi Fanclub, so they had hidden cameras for any yaoi they could find, especially Jaden and Syrus, since the rumors quickly spread that they might be a couple.
"Hey, waittttt!" Bastion came running into the baseball field in a hurry, breathless as he approached his team. "Sorry, I was busy constructing my deck."
"Can you pitch?" asked one of his teammates.
"Sure!"
"Well, we need a fresh arm."
"Pitcher change! Bastion's pitching!"
Jaden relaxed her shoulders and pointed her baseball bat at Bastion. "You! You finally showed up, Bastion! Don't think I'm gonna hold back even for a sec!"
Bastion stood up straight; fire in his eyes as he prepared to throw. "Oh, don't worry, I know. Trust me, I've done all the calculations. I think it should be you who should be worried about my upcoming assault and-What are you doing?"
"...Hey, batter batter! Hey, batter batter swing! I've got to just do my thing! Hey, batter batter! Hey, batter batter swing!~" Jaden sang, swinging lightly to pump herself up for Bastion's pitching.
Syrus shook his head. "That's the last time I let her watch the sing-along version. I can't believe she even watched that clip 10 times just to memorize the lyrics!"
"Are...are you singing that song from that one movie?" asked Bastion.
"Yup!"
"Why?"
"It encourages me!"
Bastion shrugged, knowing this was another one of Jaden's weird antics. "Alright then, hope you're ready for some FIGHT!" He threw his arm back before swinging it as hard as he could, allowing the ball to fly at a high speed rate.
Jaden swung as hard and fast as she could, but it wasn't enough as the ball slipped past her and landed on the catcher's glove.
"Strike one!"
She tried again, but once again, the results were the same.
"Strike two! ...Strike three!"
"Aw, come on!" Jaden complained, throwing her baseball bat at the ground in frustration. She handed her baseball bat to the next batter and went to sit down on the sidelines.
Once it was Jaden's turn to pitch, she made sure that she walked three batters in a row, confusing the rest of her team. Sensing something was wrong, Syrus and a few others went up to Jaden, wanting to ask something.
"Jaden, what's going on?" Syrus asked. "You got two outs, but you walked the last one for no reason!"
Jaden laughed and rubbed the back of her head. 'Well, I let them walk on purpose."
"Huh? Why?"
"Well, how else would I pitch Bastion?"
"Eh?! Jaden, you let those three people walk just so you could get even with Bastion?!" exclaimed Syrus, surprised.
"Yeah! I wanted to get my payback on Bastion!" declared Jaden, pointing at the currently new batter, which conveniently was Bastion. "Bastion, you hear that?! You're going down this time!"
Bastion merely smirked at her comment, letting Syrus pass so that the blue-haired boy could get into position as the catcher. "Nice declaration, but can you back that up with your actions? I'd like to see you try."
"Game on!" Jaden's eyes were fiery hot with determination, wanting to beat Bastion.
"Bring it on!"
Both players readied themselves; their auras acting as fierce as animals like a tiger and a dragon. Though unclear which, it was indeed clear that both were more than ready to prove who was the best.
With a loud cry, Jaden flung the ball towards her opponent with everything she's got. Bastion expected her throw would be that like a dragon, so he would defend and definitely deflect with the steel strength of a tiger.
Meanwhile, Crowler was walking around the stadium, minding his own business and muttering angrily to himself about his previous failed attempts of getting one certain Slifer Red expelled.
"The Paradox Brothers couldn't beat Jaden, Chazz couldn't beat Jaden, and probably nobody in this school can beat Jaden! I need to find someone who can beat Ja-AAAAAHH!"
The sheer force that Bastion presented by hitting the ball bacl was so intense, it managed to fly out of the baseball area and thrown itself right into Crowler's face. Specifically, his eye.
Jaden and Syrus rushed over to help the person in need, quickly realizing, in their horror, to be Crowler. Syrus turned to Jaden, coming to a stop once they saw Crowler buried under all the sports equipment he had crashed in.
"W-what do we do?! Now we're really in big trouble!"
"Uh...Pretend we didn't see him?"
Unfortunately for them, Crowler scrambled to his feet and spotted the two so-called troublemakers trying to sneak away. "You! Don't you two dare run away!"
"Aaaah! We're sorry! We're sorry! We're sorry! We're sorry!" Syrus kept bowing his head up and down, apologizing repeatedly so they wouldn't get expelled.
"You okay, Professor Crowler?" asked Jaden.
Just then, Bastion came into the scene after running all this time. "I'm sorry! I was the one who hit the ball!"
Crowler was about to do something reckless when he quickly changed his mind. Bastion Misawa was the smartest person in school, with all the straight A's that the pathetic Slifer slackers could never accomplish! Not only that, but he is talented with dueling! Instantly, a new plan formed in his mind as he turned to Bastion.
Jaden and Syrus managed to sneak away while Crowler was talking with Bastion, but hid behind a nearby wall and tried to eavesdrop on the whole conversation. So far, all they managed to get out of was, "Ramble ramble ramble baseball...Ancient Gear Golem...and IN MY EYE!"
Crowler spotted the two nearby and yelled, "Hey! SHOO SHOO SHOO! Go away! Private time!"
"Aah! We're leaving!"
Bastion sweatdropped, feeling a bit bad for both Jaden and Syrus as they left. Crowler turned back to Bastion, explaining to him, "Never mind those two! Slifer slackers...Anyways! I'll overlook this accident under one condition, and that is..."
Later...
"Hey! Foot rub and ice tea here!" ordered Chazz, relaxing against his seat as he crossed his legs on top of his desk.
One noble Obelisk Blue spoke up with confidence. "Get it yourself."
"Huh? What was that?!" Not liking what he was hearing, Chazz sat up straight, glaring at a small group of Obelisk Blues who started muttering things about him.
"Doesn't he know?"
"Guess not."
"What an idiot."
"Chazz, where do you think you're sitting?" demanded another Obelisk Blue, walking up to him.
"My seat. Obviously."
"That's not your seat anymore, so move."
Chazz was growing rather impatient with his fellow Obelisk Blue members. They were supposed to be respecting him, damnit! Instead, they're treating him like a nobody, like a Slifer reject!
"What are you talking about?! Of course it's my seat! It says so right here and-WHAT?!"
Every person's desk was enlisted with a name tag which only the teacher could place in, and right now, Chazz's name tag was replaced with the Obelisk Blue boy's name; Toma Casher.
"Sorry, Chazz! But you were moved WAY over there!" Toma pointed to the area where the Ra Yellows and Slifer Reds were gathered. Of course, to a Obelisk Blue, that would be considered an insult and a disgrace to have been seated there.
"What?! That seat?! Near those pathetic Slifer slackers?!" exclaimed Chazz just as Crowler walked in class and headed towards his desk. "Dr. Crowler! Please tell me this is a joke! Tell everyone I belong up here!"
"But you don't. That's all because you lost to that...Oh, what was his name...? Ah yes, Jaden Yuki. A SLIFER!" Crowler practically screeched at the top of his lungs. "Which is why tommorow, you will duel Bastion Misawa! And if you lose, you two will switch dorms!"
"What?! I'll be demoted to Ra Yellow?!" Now things were looking way worst in Chazz's favor, and the whole thing about losing to a Ra Yellow only to become one of them if he lost if even worse!
"Now, if you don't want to embarrass yourself even further, I suggest you take a seat, Chazz," spoke Crowler as politely as he could, although anyone could tell he had a bit of a smug attitude there. "Sigh...Things would only be better if you could only duel like you listened good right now!"
That comment caused everyone in the entire classroom to start snickering before bursting into fits of laughter. Humiliated and in anguish, Chazz shoved an Obelisk Blue boy out of the way and rushed out of the classroom.
"Damnit, damnit, DAMNIT!" Chazz was cursing to himself as he kept running away; the sounds of humiliating laughter still echoed inside his head, even though he was way far away from his classroom. This wasn't fair! How dare those fools, especially one of his favorite-well, least favorite teachers, Crowler, do this to him?!
No, this was fine. It was just some dumb Ra Yellow. He's faced lots of Ra Yellows before, and none of them have come close to beating him! All he needs is a bit of confidence and rearranging of his deck! Yeah! Then tommorow, he'll be guaranteed a win against that Bastion Misawa!
Afterwards, Jaden Yuki was next on his target list.
Near the Ra Yellow dorms...
"Man! You sure are good at baseball, Bastion!" complimented Jaden, stretching her aching arms. "Gonna take a while for all these bruises to go away."
"Yeah, but I never knew you were so good at baseball, Bastion," admitted Syrus. "I guess you must have practiced a lot, huh?"
Bastion chuckled, showing the both of them his own personal baseball bat, only with a bunch of mathematical equations written on it. "Actually, all I did was do the math."
"Are those formulas?"
"Yes. The pitches I threw and the balls that I hit were all calculated hits that I solved through formulas and hard work. So, I find that science, statistics, geometry, and a lot of things play a role in everything that we do in life!"
Although Jaden had no clue what any of the formulas indicated, she could tell Bastion put a lot of mind in his work. "Huh. Never thought of it that way."
"So, do you have a formula for everything?" asked Syrus, curious.
"Oh...You could say that. By the way, mind doing me a favor? I'll explain what it is once we get to my room."
It took less than a few minutes to arrive inside Bastion's room, which had everything that a normal room should have. A bed, some shelves, a desk, a closet, and normal things such as that. However, the only thing different about the room was that the walls were filled with multiple formulas and equations which Bastion himself had written down.
"Eh?! You did all this?!" both Syrus and Jaden wondered, glancing around the bedroom walls.
Bastion nodded. "Yes. This is my room, as well as my lab and workshop. They're all equations and formulas I wrote down. One area I wrote for Traps. Another for Spells cards. The others...well, you get the idea. Most of these, I memorized. As you can see, I'm running out of room! So..."
"So, what?"
Holding up a mop and paint bucket, Bastion smiled. "So...Mind helping?"
"I'm in!" Jaden didn't even think twice before swiping the paint bucket and mop away from Bastion. She then sat down and struggled to get the lid off the pain bucket.
"Hold on, Jaden! Let's remove all of my stuff before we start painting!"
It took more than an hour to move all of Bastion's belongings out of the room due to heavier things such as the bed or the desk. Eventually, the three of them managed to accomplish emptying out Bastion's rooms, where they started opening up their painting and cleaning supplies.
Bastion began talking with Syrus, instructing him what to do. "Alright, so while I clean up the floor, you and Jaden can help paint the-Jaden? What are you doing?"
"Hmm?" Jaden stopped what she was doing, blinking at Bastion. She was holding a small paintbrush covered in white paint, and on the wall was a small picture of Winged Kuriboh. "I'm drawing Winged Kuriboh! He's so cute!~"
"But...I know I said we're supposed to be painting, but that's not the sort of painting I was talking about." Bastion walked over with a larger paintbrush, then dipped it in pure white paint before slashing at the wall, obliterating Jaden's cute drawing along with it. "See? That's how-"
"Nooooo! Winged Kuriboh!"
"Oh no, here we go again!" complained Syrus, running up to Jaden. "Um...Jay? I'll let you paint the ceiling! You can even use the ladder!"
Instantly, Jaden calmed down. "Okay!"
Bastion sweatdropped at how quickly Jaden began bawling, then calming down at some quick-witted words. 'That's all it took for him to calm down? ...Interesting.'
Soon, everyone found themselves commiting to their own assignments as they got to work on repainting the whole room. Bastion was using a wet rag to clean up any paint that dripped from the walls and ceiling and any dust laying around. Syrus was stuck on painting the walls while Jaden stood on a ladder to paint the ceiling with some white paint, though she had to stand on her tip toes to reach the top.
Jaden was having way too much fun painting that she didn't even notice her grip on her brush slipping. By the time she did, she gasped, turning around to see the brush splattering paint all over Syrus's face and making the boy fall down out of surprise.
"Sy! Are you okay?!"
Syrus shook his head, trying to get any white paint out of his eyesight before blinking continuously. Once he regained his sight, he glared at Jaden, and the Slifer Red girl instinctively knew what he was about to pull.
"Oh, so it's like that, huh?"
"S-sorry, Sy! I didn't mean to-"
"THIS MEANS WAR! GET DOWN HERE NOW!" Syrus started shaking the ladder back and forth frantically, trying to knock the poor girl off it as she was trying to stay steady and reason with Syrus.
"WHOA WHOA! SYRUS! I'M ON A FREAKIN' LADDER!"
"I DON'T CARE! THIS MEANS WAR EVEN IF YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND!"
"GAH! STOP IT!"
"NOOOO!"
"SY! SY! I'M GONNA FALL!"
"OF COURSE! THAT'S THE PLAN!"
"AAH! STOP IT! STOP! AAAH!"
"REVENGEEEE!"
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Jaden fell off the ladder, but at least managed to stay on her feet before being splashed by some white paint by another Slifer Red friend of hers. "Syrus...! You got paint all over my favorite jacket!"
"What do you mean, 'favorite?' It's the only one you have."
"IT'S STILL MY JACKET! THIS. IS. WARRRR!"
"Music to my ears, Jay!" Syrus agreed and proceeded to splash another batch of white paint at Jaden to start his first initiation.
Bastion, who was fed up with their loud bickering and distractions, tried to calm them down. "Alright, that's enough! Hand me the paint-"
"DODGE!" Jaden ducked down in time, only to see that Bastion was the victim of Syrus's attack. "Um...Syrus did it!"
"Hey! I-Well, I guess that is kinda true."
"Kinda? You-"
Suddenly, Jaden's face and bangs was coated with white paint after Bastion hit her with a paint-soaked rag. Jaden quickly shook her head, getting the paint out of her eyes before growling at Bastion. She took a paintbrush and tried jabbing Bastion with it, though Bastion was quick-witted and swift in dodging her jabs just as Syrus dumped another bucket of paint onto her.
"Hey! No double teaming!" complained Jaden, completely covered in white, dripping paint. "Ooh! I'm Frosty the...Paint Girl! I'm gonna get you, Bastion! But first, Sy's on the list!"
"What?!" Syrus tried to get away, but Jaden wrapped an arm around his waist before bringing him to her chest and nooging him with her wet, white hands, getting more paint on the small boy.
Bastion smiled and crossed his arms, wanting to allow the two to have their fun for a bit longer...Until he himself was ambushed by the two with white paint in their hands, that is.
Oh, the battle royale of paint was on.
"Mmmm! So good!~ I didn't think I'd have a good time painting!" said Jaden with half of her mouth full. "You're alright, Bastion!"
Syrus nodded, gulping down the contents of his food down his throat. "Yeah! And so is Ra Yellow's food!"
While Bastion was collecting some food for himself and his friends, Jaden and Syrus were scarfing down on some fried shrimp in the Ra Yellow cafeteria. Bastion decided that some food was good enough to treat his friends for helping him paint his room, as well as a shower. For some reason, he was still confused on why Jaden insisted on showering alone instead of all together. They are men after all, so what was the deal?
"Is that so? Then, here's some more food," said Bastion, walking back to the table with a plate of lobster in his hands.
"Yay! Foood!" Both Jaden and Syrus cried out, excited to taste another one of Ra Yellow's delicious food. Their eyes were filled with love and their mouths drooling from hunger despite the fact that they had finished their fried shrimp just a couple seconds ago.
Before he could eat, Syrus remember something and asked, "By the way, what did you and Crowler talked about?"
"He wanted to test me to be an Obelisk," answered Bastion, settling down in front of the two.
"Whoa, seriously?"
"Well, you deserved it! Congrats, Bastion!"
Flattered, Bastion tried not to show any signs of embarrassment. "W-well, we don't know yet."
Ignoring Bastion's slight discouragment, Syrus and Jaden nodded to each other, knowing that Bastion was going to do well to pass Crowler's test tommorow. "Of course it's obvious!" said Jaden. "After all, Bastion did easily beat that proctor back in the entrance exams! I'm sure he'll do fine tommorow!"
Syrus nodded. "Yup! Now, let's eat!"
Hearing those words, Jaden started gobbling down before Syrus, causing the both of them to start some sort of fast eating contest as Bastion watched them with a smile. While he was confident in his own abilitiy tommorow, it was...nice to know that his friends were there to give him some assuring anyways.
Later, at night...
"Got it, Chazz?"
"...Yeah."
"I can't hear you."
"I said money! I mean, yes!"
Chazz seated in his own couch in his room, talking with his two older brothers on the TV screen through certain connections that his rich family could easily afford. In all honesty, Chazz wanted some peace and quiet, but nooo! His brothers just had to interrupt his private time through the screen and force him into another one of their lectures.
"Good, you better. Because the Princeton brothers have a plan. Your brother and I are following through with it."
"And you better be following through with yours, Chazz. Come on, just think about it, little bro! The world of politics, finance, and Duel Monsters! If we can control them all, we can control the entire world! So be the best!"
"The future of the Princeton family depends on it! Depends on YOU!"
Once proclaiming that, the two older brothers logged out, and the TV screen went dark, leaving Chazz all to himself. "Card games have jack shit to do with the world, guys," was what Chazz wanted to say. However, he didn't want to provoke his two brothers, so he kept his mouth shut and nodded to all the things they required him to do.
'Besides,' thought Chazz, looking out his window to see Jaden, Syrus, and Bastion heading towards what seems to be the Slifer Red dorms. 'How can I tell my older brothers that I'm not even top of this school yet? If I told them that I lost to a Slifer Red, they'll disown me for sure!'
Wait, Bastion? Bastion Misawa is the guy he's supposed to beat tommorow! He seems to be rather sleepy by the tired look on his face. It was possible that he was staying over at the Slifer Red dorms for tonight. If that were the case, then...
Chazz's eyes widen, realizing the huge possibility and advantage he had right now. Although he'd normally wouldn't do this, he had to for the sake of his family and to cease being demoted to a stinky Ra Yellow!
At the Slifer Red dorms...
The moment Jaden and Bastion entered inside, fatigue took over their minds before they immediantly fell asleep the moment they landed on Jaden's bed. Bastion was snoring rather loudly, laying on his back while Jaden used his chest as a pillow, curling up and snuggling close with a dreamy smile on her face.
Syrus and Chumley were the only ones still awake at the hour, though they couldn't help but watch the scene unfold in their very eyes. Confused, Chumley looked at Syrus. "Uh...Syrus? Who's this guy?"
"Oh, him? His name's Bastion Misawa. Since his room got painted, he's got nowhere to sleep."
"...Shouldn't we move them or...?"
"No! No!" Syrus frantically shook his head, looking quite scared. "Like time I tried to move Jaden while she was sleeping, she lashed out at me like a cat! I've still got a few red marks from before..."
"Yikes, dude."
Meanwhile, in the Spirit World...
"I can't believe this!" Flame Wingman smashed a table through his clenched fist, obviously angered for some reason.
"Flame Wingman, I'm surprised too, but if we don't calm down, we'll never resolve anything right!" pointed out Tempest.
Hero Kid #3 frowned, wanting to note something. "But last time, you-Gh-!"
"Shut up, idiot!" whispered Hero Kid #2, pinching his arm.
"What's the problem now?" asked Avian, curious to know what Flame Wingman discovered.
The Fusion Monster took a deep breath before managing to calm down a little. "Okay...I found Jaden sleeping with a Ra Yellow in her bed! Not just any Ra Yellow, but that Bastion Misawa!"
Several gasps coursed throughout the room, knowing that the situation had gotten rather intensive. "...What's wrong with that?" spoke up White Magician Pikeru, confused. "I sleep with Burstinatrix sometimes when I get lonely, and she welcomes me in her bed."
"Yeah, me too!" said Hero Kid #1 rather too proudly.
"Us too!" Even the other two Hero Kids joined in as well.
Everyone reverted to Burstinatrix, and Bubbleman was the first to speak up courageously. "B-Burstinatrix...I can't believe that you, of all people, would-YOW!"
"Don't get the wrong idea!" hissed Burstinatrix, her palm bursting with her own fire power. "They normally come during thunderstorms, so, like the good person that I am, I let them sleep with me. It doesn't mean anything else, so don't think otherwise!"
"People, we are missing the big issue here!" Flame Wingman reminded, his voice loud and clear. "The problem is, our master was sleeping with someone!"
"...Were they fully clothed?" asked Clayman awkwardly.
"WHA-Well, yes. They were."
Ebon Magician Curran tilted her head, more confused. "Uh...why wouldn't they be clothed?"
"...Clayman, Sparkman. Escort all children out of this room, please," ordered Tempest, not wanting to make the situation even worse than it already is.
Both heroes nodded before gently guiding the Hero Kids, Curran, Pikeru, and any non-adult Duel Monsters out of the room, despite their complaints and protests.
As soon as they were gone, Avian replied, "If those two didn't do anyhing, then there's nothing to worry about. I overheard one of Jaden's friends saying that Bastion stayed over because his room was being painted."
"See? Just a complete misunderstanding," ensured Burstinatrix, patting Flame Wingman in the shoulder.
"Fine...But I'm keeping my eye out for that Bastion guy. I'll burn him alive if he tried hurting Jaden!"
"You know that we're forbidden by Spirit World laws to harm a human being unless by reason, right?"
"...Damn laws."
The next morning...
Bastion yawned as he stretched his body and sat up straight. Jaden's mattress wasn't as comfty as his bed, but at least it was still soft and warm. Speaking of, where was his roommate?
He looked around, seeing Syrus and another boy sleeping in their own personal bunk beds, but no sign of Jaden. Oh well, might as well wash up and get a fresh start in the morning!
Once he opened the bathroom door, he didn't expect to see Jaden in his...well, her undergarments.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Syrus shrieked before Chumley fell out of his bed and landed on Jaden's mattress. They collected their own consciousness and ran to the bathroom, where they blushed red and turned away as soon as they saw Jaden.
"Hmm? What's wrong, guys?" Jaden cutely tilted her head as she was putting on her clothes. Every time she changed, Chumley and Syrus always reminded her to do so in the bathroom out of respect for her womanly appearance, even if she looked like a boy.
Chumley closed the bathroom door shut right as Bastion just stood there, stuttering and quite in shock before Syrus dragged him away to explain some things.
In a few short minutes, Jaden stepped out, wearing some new, freshly dried and clean Slifer Red clothes since they did happen to get messy from yesterday's paint war. "Hey, guys! Good morning!"
Bastion, who was sitting in Jaden's bed, cleared his throat and blushed pink. "So...You're a girl?"
"Hmm? Yeah, I am. Why's that?"
"W-well, why didn't you tell anyone?! In fact, doesn't the school know your gender?!"
"I dunno. And besides, you never asked."
Bastion's breath hitched; Jaden had a good point there. He shouldn't be yelling at an oblivious girl like that, seeing how she could be easily mistaken as a boy based on her looks. Come to think of it, the forms enlisting a person's full background never did include their gender, so in a way, it was the Duel Academy's fault. That kinda explains why she isn't in Obelisk Blue Girls dorms.
"Oh...Well, I want to give you my sincere apologies," spoke Bastion. "I'm...sorry that I yelled at you right now, and I'm sorry for interrupting your...private time in the bathroom earlier. A true gentleman should never have walked in a lady like that, even if unknowingly."
Jaden merely petted Bastion on the head. "I have no idea about the last part you said, but I forgive you anyways!"
Bastion turned to Syrus and Chumley, curious about one thing. "How long have you guys known about her gender?"
"Ever since she tried rescuing me from the Obelisk Girls D-"
Chumley shut Syrus's mouth shut with an open palm, but Bastion already figured out what he was going to say. "What?! Boys aren't allowed there unless given permission!"
"I-it's a really long story," said Chumley.
"Jaden! Jaden! Jaden!" Dorothy's voice repeated Jaden's name over and over as something was knocking on their door.
Jaden opened the door and saw Dorothy, all out of breath. She must have ran all the way here to tell her something important. "Oh, hi Miss Dorothy. What's up?"
"I...I was at the docks, unloading some shipment when I saw them! Cards tossed everywhere!"
"What?!" Gently pushing Dorothy aside, Jaden and her friends started running for the docks, hearing Dorothy crying out to them to be careful.
Just like Dorothy had said, cards were floating above or a little underneath the water, completely drenched and unusable. Syrus and Jaden recognized some of these cards to be Ring of Destruction and Vorse Raider; cards Bastion used for his duel against the proctor!
Bastion seemed to realize this as well, as evident from his firm, but sorrowful voice. "It's my own fault. This deck was moved in the hallway yesterday when we were painting."
"Who would do something like this?" wondered Syrus.
"I can't believe it! This was your own deck, Bastion!" said Jaden, turning to her Ra Yellow friend. "Your promotion is in less than an hour, what are you going to do now, Bastion?"
The only thing Bastion could do right now is stand tall and not let negative things fill him in, or they would only ruin him in the end.
Later...
Bastion, Jaden, and Syrus were already out of breath, but they kept on running for Bastion's sake. They were already 10 minutes late to the duel assigned for Bastion and his opponent, but they were pretty lucky that Crowler and Bastion's opponent were still there.
"Hmph. You're late," said Crowler. "Oh, and I see you've bought company."
"Heh, and I thought you ran away," said Chazz with a confident smirk. "Wouldn't blame ya if you did."
"So, Chazz is your opponent?" Jaden wondered as something clicked into her mind. "Then, that means that Chazz was the one who threw away your cards, Bastion!"
"Whaaaat?" Crowler didn't know what was happening, but apparently, there was some issue going on about some cards being tossed away.
"Ignore him, Dr. Crowler," advised Chazz. "I have no idea what he's talking about!"
"Why you-!"
Bastion turned to Jaden. "Hold on, Jaden. We don't even know for sure if he's the one who threw my deck in the ocean."
Chazz nodded. "Heh, I'm gonna have to agree with nerd boy here! You have no proof of whatever bad thing I may or may have done! I didn't do anything."
"Oh, is that so?"
Everyone saw Alexis and Zane walking inside the Dueling Arena, both looking serious. "Alexis? Zane?"
Alexis, who had spoke up previously, continued. "I saw you, Chazz! This morning, by the water! You dumped them in and ran off! I normally wouldn't snitch or tattle, but you don't mess with someone's cards!"
Jaden glared back at Chazz, fighting the urge to knock his teeth in. "Yeah, that's low, even for you!"
"Oh, come on! Who's to say those weren't my cards I was throwing away? I guess me and Bastion must have similar decks!"
"Liar!"
"No one calls me a liar! And no one calls me a thief!" Chazz looked at Crowler with something of interest in his mind. "Hey, I have a proposal! Would you allow this condition, Dr. Crowler? Whoever loses gets expelled!"
Okay, now Jaden wanted to seriously knock his teeth in. "That's unfair and way out of line! Bastion doesn't even have his deck anymore, for crying out loud!"
"No, it's fine. I'll accept those terms," said Bastion, suspiciously calm. "After all, I do have a deck."
"Huh? You do?!" asked Syrus, surprised. The deck that he had seen Bastion used was in the entrance exam. Perhaps Bastion had another, different kind of powerful deck?
"Of course. A good duelist always has a spare deck. Or, in this case, a few of them. After all, you saw my different formulas. Well...They were for all of my different dueling decks!"
Bastion unzipped his jacket and tore it wide for everyone to see six packs of decks on his vest. "And, each one of them is as powerful as the next! For example, a deck based on the WIND Attribute! FIRE Attribute! WATER Attribute! EARTH Attribute! LIGHT Attribute! And last, but not least, a DARK Attribute deck!"
"Yeah? Well, you can have your six stinkin' decks!" shouted Chazz, presenting his own deck. "Because all I need is one! I'll burn you up so badly that you won't even see it coming! Now, let's do this!"
"Got it! And I'll be sure to defeat you with this deck!" assured Bastion, taking one of his decks out and placing it on his duel disk. "You're just another equation to be solved, that's all!"
"Bring it on!"
"DUEL!"
- DUEL -
Chazz - 4000 LP
VS
Bastion - 4000 LP
"I'll take the first move now!" decided Chazz, drawing a card. "I summon Chthonian Soldier in Attack Mode!"
Jaden remembered the last time she faced this Monster, and he was as tough as any other soldier Monster she's faced, even now.
Chthonian Soldier - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (1200/1400)
"Then a card facedown! And that'll do it for now!"
"Oh will it now?" wondered Bastion, who drew a card.
"What sort of Attribute did Bastion choose?" questioned Alexis to herself. "WIND? WATER?"
"I summon...Hydrogeddon in Attack Mode!"
A Monster whose skin was literally made of muddy water sprang onto the field, roaring as it made its appearance.
Hydrogeddon - (WATER/Dinosaur) - LV4 - (1600/1000)
"Now, attack Chthonian Soldier with Hydro Gust! Destroy him!"
Obeying his master's command, Hydrogeddon opened up its jaws and let loose a geyser of muddy water straight at the soldier, eliminating him.
Chazz - 3600 LP
Bastion - 4000 LP
"Thanks! You just activated my Chthonian Soldier's special ability!" shouted Chazz. "It deals to you the same amount of Battle Damage that I took if Chthonian Soldier is destroyed!"
"Not bad," commented Zane.
"Bastion sure walked into that one!" said Jaden, already experiencing full hand what that effect could do.
"I activate a special ability as well!" declared Bastion. "You see, if Hydrogeddon successfully destroys a Monster in battle, I'm allowed to immediantly summon another Hydrogeddon from my deck! So rise, Hydrogeddon!"
Another Hydrogeddon Monster showed up next to its fellow companion, raring to attack.
Hydrogeddon - (WATER/Dinosaur) - LV4 - (1600/1000)
"And, my Battle Phase still hasn't ended yet! So go, Hydrogeddon! Hydro Gust!"
Chazz screamed before he was being blasted by the geyser the second Hydrogeddon released, shoving him to the ground with such heavy force.
Chazz - 2000 LP
Bastion - 4000 LP
Grunting, Chazz stumbled as he stood up before drawing a card. "Grr! You'll pay for that! I activate my Trap, Call of the Haunted! And, I'll revive my Chthonian Soldier!"
Chthonian Soldier - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (1200/1400)
"Next up, I'll activate Inferno Reckless Summon! This allows us both to Special Summon in Attack Mode any Monster from our deck, hand and Graveyard that are the same as the Monsters we already have on the field!"
"It doesn't make sense!" said Alexis as Bastion and Chazz summoned and soon had three of the same Monsters on their sides of the field. "It doesn't matter how many of those Chthonian Soldiers Chazz brings out! They're still not enough to defeat all those Hydrogeddons!"
"Not by themselves, they won't," said Zane, slowly catching onto Chazz's plan.
"I activate the Equip Spell card, Chthonian Alliance!" Chazz said. "The Monster equipped with this card gains 800 Attack Points for every Monster that has the same name as him! That brings one of my Monster's Attack Points up to...3600!"
Chthonian Soldier (#3) - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (3600/1400)
"Attack, Chthonian Soldier!"
The Chthonian Soldier with the highest amount of Attack Points brought up his sword and slashed at one of the Hydrogeddons swiftly, bringing Bastion's Life Points down by a large amount.
Chazz - 2000 LP
Bastion - 1600 LP
"No! Bastion's Life Points have gone down more than a half!" cried out Syrus. "He's losing the duel!"
Once it was Bastion turn, he drew a card. "I'm not finished! I summon Oxygeddon in Attack Mode! Now, attack the 1200 Attack Point Soldier with Vapor Scream!"
Now, a pterodactyl-like water Monster swarmed the air, unleashing a loud screech which destroyed one of the weaker Chthonian Soldier.
Oxygeddon - (WATER/Dinosaur) - LV4 - (1800/800)
"Forget?! When my soldier's destroyed, you take the same damage as me!" yelled Chazz.
Chazz - 1400 LP
Bastion - 1000 LP
"My turn's not through!" said Bastion. "Next, my Hydrogeddon attacks another one of your soldiers!"
One of the Hydrogeddons blasted a stream of water at the last, weakest Monster, minimizing Chazz's Life Points.
"That damage is still all going back to you, loser!"
Chazz - 1000 LP
Bastion - 600 LP
"Aw man! Why does Bastion keep attacking?" complained Syrus, worried. "He's only hurting himself!"
"Nah, he's fine!" Jaden assured the boy.
"Yeah, Bastion's playing smart," Zane started to explain. "The Chthonian Soldier with the Equip Spell card has 3600 Attack Points. Bastion would need to summon an incredibly high-leveled Monster in order to defeat him. Unless, however..."
As they spoke, the last remaining Chthonian Soldier went from huge and strong to small and weak, making him par to par with Bastion's Monsters.
Chthonian Soldier - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (2000/1400)
"Wait! I see! Unless he takes out the other Chthonians and lowers the big one's Attack Points!" gasped Syrus.
Nodding, Jaden said, "Right! So, if Bastion's gonna beat that thing, he's gotta give up a few Life Points!"
Knowing that his previous task was accomplished, Bastion set a card facedown. "Now, I play a card facedown and that will do for now!"
"Fine! My turn!" shouted Chazz. "I'm sacrificing Chthonian Soldier and all the cards in my hand in order to summon Inferno Incinerator! Didn't see that one coming, did ya?! Hahahahaha!"
The last remaining Chthonian Soldier began burning up before being transformed into a sphere of flames which exploded. In Chthonian Soldier's place, an nasty bug Monster that was as sharp as his name appeared.
Inferno Incinerator - (FIRE/Fiend) - LV6 - (2800/1800)
"Face it, Bastion! You don't stand a chance against the Inferno Incinerator! Especially since his Attack Points increase by 200 for every Monster you have out on the field!"
Inferno Incincerator - (FIRE/Fiend) - LV6 - (3400/1800)
"What a strong Monster! No matter which Monster Chazz targets, Bastion will still lose!" cried out Jaden, shocked at how high the Infernio Incinerator's Attack Points were.
"Now, Inferno Incincerator! Attack with Fire Storm Blast!"
The powerful FIRE Monster opened his mouth and shot out a stream of fire straight towards his intended targets.
"I activate my Trap! Amorphous Barrier!" countered Bastion. Several pillars formed in front of his three Monsters and defended against the fiery blast. :When I have three of more Monsters on my side of the field, this Trap negates my opponent's attack and ends the Battle Phase!"
"Aww, so what? One turn! That's all it matters!" replied Chazz cockily. "I end my turn!"
"I'm afraid there won't be a next turn!" said Bastion, drawing his card.
"Huh?"
"Oh, and Chazz? You're going to DIE."
"What?!"
"No, I'm just kidding. But seriously, you are going to drown. I activate Bonding-H20! I sacrifice two Hydrogeddons and two Oxygeddons and Special Summon Water Dragon!"
Like the name suggests, the Monster that appeared and towered over everyone was a dragon made of water, an obvious WATER Attribute Monster.
Water Dragon - (WATER/Sea Serpent) - LV8 - (2800/2600)
"And since the number of Monsters on my side of the field decreased, your Inferno Incinerator's Attack Points decreased!" pointed out Bastion.
Chazz was only slightly amused by Bastion's attempt to turn things around. "Doesn't matter. My Monster's Attack Points are still higher than yours."
"You think so? You should check your own work!" Bastion shouted with sheer will. "Because everything it going exactly as I calculated!"
"What?! Is he saying that he's had this whole duel planned the entire time?!" gasped Jaden, who was as shocked as the others.
Seeing a shadow above him, Chazz's eyes widen and he screamed as a tidal wave crashed down upon him and his Monster. Once the Inferno Incinerator was hit with the full force of water, he gradually became weaker.
Inferno Incinerator - (FIRE/Fiend) - LV6 - (0/1800)
"No! My Monster But how?"
"It's Water Dragon's special ability," answered Bastion. "As long as he's on the field, the Attack Points of all FIRE Attribute and Pyro -types become 0! Now, Water Dragon attack! Tidal Blast!"
Water Dragon roared before releasing a waterfall of water from his mouth, easily taking out the weakened Inferno Incinerator and washing away Chazz with the waves once his only remaining defense had vanished.
Chazz - 0
Bastion - 600 LP
Winner: Bastion
"A well-played duel, Chazz," complimented Bastion. "But not well enough!"
"Pure luck!" scoffed Chazz, forced to accept his defeat with disgust. "You just happened to choose a WATER-type Deck, that's all!"
"Perhaps. But, luck favors the prepared, and I was prepared to beat you with a half dozen cards as well. Sorry, but you would have lost the duel one way or another. But...but deny it if you want. Just like you denied throwing my deck into the ocean."
"Oh yeah? Prove it!"
"Well, if you insist." Taking a wet card out of his pocket, Bastion presented it to Chazz, which happened to be Vorse Raider, but with some sort of chemical equation written on it. "Here, a card I fished out. With a formula I wrote on it. I supposed you could have written it, but the math would have been wrong."
Chazz gritted his teeth as he listened. Damn! How did he miss that?! Granted, it was dark when he committed the crime, so he couldn't have seen the dark writing. Still, he should have just burned those cards up or just rip them to shreds and tossed them in the trash!
"Chazz." It appears Bastion wasn't finished. "You stoled, you lied, you cheated, you lost. You deserved to be demoted. Those who can't treasure their own cards lack what it means to be a true duelist!"
Chazz dipped his head down, facing the ground as he struggled to hold his composure together. "No...This can't be...!"
Having seen enough, Crowler went up to the dueling platform to congratulate a new fellow Obelisk Blue member. "Bastion Misawa! Welcome and congratulations on getting into Obelisk Blue!"
Bastion shook his head, appreciating his teacher's offer. "No, I must decline that invitation."
"Whaat? What for?!"
"When I came into the Duel Academy, I decided that I would only be an Obelisk Blue when I become the best in the freshman class. Jaden..." He turned to Jaden, though a slight visible pink blush was seen. "I think the #1 student for the freshman class is you."
"Thanks! Does that mean you wanna duel me right now?" asked Jaden, getting all pumped up after seeing Bastion duel so skillfully.
"Sorry, but not now."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Because I have a lot of work to do before I duel you. I have formulas to write, theorems to solve, and a whole ton more. You're a good duelist, Jaden, and I plan to be ready. The six decks I was using were mere prototypes anyways."
"P-prototypes?" grumbled Chazz, shaking with anger and humilation. "Damn...Have I really fallen so far?"
"Don't worry, Jaden," said Bastion. "Soon, my walls will be filled with strategies and we will duel! Just prepare, for our duel might be like that ball game! You know, when I struck you out?"
Jaden pouted, crossing her arms. "Don't. Remind. Me."
The Ra Yellow winner chuckled. "Oh, yes. I forget that you hate losing. But, nevertheless, be orepared for our next duel."
"Alright! You're on!"
The two duelists stared at each other with intentions to win and strong wills like that of a tiger or a dragon. Both were going to do their best once the time came for them to duel, and no doubt it would be a life-changing experience for both of them.
Alright! I did this as fast as I could! A small, Thanksgiving present from me to you! Thank you! Thank you all! You're all too far kind!
But anyways! Just a few pointers here and there! Yes, I did include some parts of the abridged version here and there, and I wanted Bastion to think after he defeated Chazz, 'Water water everywhere...' And something like that. But, I realized that wasn't in Bastion's nature to act such a way, so I didn't put that in.
Anyways, if you guys have any ideas for more, please feel free to tell in the reviews! Oh, and don't tell me what pairing to do because it's a surprise! With that said, have a good Thanksgiving!