Helllo! I'm back! Hey, hey, guys! Guessing from the title of the chapter, I can assume you know which episode this is, right? And if you guys know what that episode is, then you know what happened before the whole Spirit World Festival thing took place, right?
Hehehe...Also, I got ideas from Persona 3 and 4!
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!
Deep in the abyss of darkness, Jaden was dueling for the lives of her and her friends against a mysterious Shadow Rider cloaked in darkness. Both Jaden and the Shadow Rider were at the endgame; exhausted and both low on Life Points and it was Jaden's turn.
"It's my turn! Attack him directly, Wildheart!" yelled Jaden aggressively.
Wildheart lunged forward and leapt to the air, slashing at the cloaked Shadow Rider, but dealing no damage as the cloak was split in half instead. The two halves of the cloak coiled and merged together to transform into a dragon of darkness. The dragon breathe out azure blue flames and destroyed Wildheart and also struck out Jaden with its flames.
"I...I lost..." muttered Jaden, appalled as the last of her Life Points went down the drain.
"JADEN!" The screams of her friends attracted Jaden's attention as she turned and saw both Syrus and Chumley being burned alive by the azure flames, screaming in pain as they reached out for her for help.
"I'm coming! Chumley! Syru-"
Right before she could help him, her feet got tangled up by whips of darkness beneath her as they started dragging her down since she has to face the consequences of losing a Shadow Duel. Struggling to break free, Jaden tried to reach out for her friends, but couldn't even utter an apology before she was lost to darkness forever...
"Aaah...! Aaahh...I'm...I'm sorry..! I'm sorry!" pleaded Jaden, clinging onto her bedsheets as tears rolled down her cheeks while she tossed and turned.
"Jaden! Jaden!" shouted Syrus, trying to shake her to wake her up. He couldn't help but be concern for her, seeing the state she was in. If only there was more he could do for her, but unfortunately, he couldn't. All he could do was try to wake her up and fail as he watched her endure her nightmares.
Winged Kuriboh felt sad that his friend was acting this way and wanted to help her out, but knew that Duel Spirits were limited to human interaction. But...Maybe there was another way?
In the Spirit World...
"Jaden's been having nightmares for the past week?" questioned Avian right after Winged Kuriboh gathered up Jaden's precious Duel Spirits inside the meeting room of E-Hero HQ.
Winged Kuriboh nodded, fluttering his wings. "Kuri kuri! Kuri kuri kuri! Kuri kuri kuri, kuri kuri kuri kuri!" ("That's right! I'm so worried for Jaden! If this keeps up, something bad might happen to her!")
"Well...it's always bad for someone's mental health if they experience nightmares too much," spoke up Burstinatrix, trying to think of a solution.
That's when the normally silent Necroshade spoke up. "...Tommorow is another Duel Spirit Festival, correct?"
"Huh? What about it?" wondered Bubbleman.
"I think perhaps he's trying to suggest that Jaden should come into contact with the Spirit World tommorow. After all, we only get Duel Spirit Festival days every few times a year," suggested Tempest.
"But this is different than dreams. During Duel Spirit Festivals, a human being can physically contact with the Spirit World instead of just dreams," recalled Lady Heat.
"And it can't just be any random spot to enter. There are always separate areas which humans can enter within in these times," said Sparkman.
"How about a hot spring? There's a spa center around here in Duel Academy," said Burstinatrix. "Winged Kuriboh, can you convince Jaden to relax at a spa tommorow? Tell her you want to play with her or something. After all, you are one of her favorites."
Winged Kuriboh happily nodded. If it'll make Jaden feel better, all the more reason to do it! Plus, he loved playing with Jaden, even if she did somewhat suffocate him with her tight hugs every now and then.
The next day, inside the Hot Springs Center...
"Mmm...Ah...this is the life..." sighed Jaden, relieved as she laid against a rock while the rest of her body were deep within the warm, hot spring waters meant to refresh her and keep her body all warm and smooth.
Winged Kuriboh seemed to be enjoying himself as well, bathing in the water with a towel on his head as he chirped happily. His wings fluttered and splashed around a bit while he swam around in a circle with Jaden watching him. So far, the plan of making her forget her nightmares was working!
Feeling a bit dizzy from the mist and staying in the water for a bit, Jaden took her towel off before tightening it around her chest before cradling Winged Kuriboh in her arms and stepping onto a smooth rock.
Winged Kuriboh was confused by her actions until he found himself being thrown in the air and caught in Jaden's arms. Apparently, Jaden wanted to play yet another game of catch with him, which he didn't mind.
"Hahaha! Up you go!~" giggled Jaden, continuously tossing Winged Kuriboh in the air over and over as the little furball squealed.
Meanwhile, in another section of the hot spa, Syrus and Chumley were having the time of their life as they were playing inside as well. Syrus, having ahold of a floating tube, performed a cannonball and splashed into the water, floating onto the surface in a second.
"Yahoo! This is so much fun!" laughed Syrus happily. "Chumley, get in quick!"
"Uh...Syrus? Your towel came off," pointed out Chumley.
"Eh?! Oh no!" the blue-haired boy cried out embarassingly before swimming forward to grab it. At that moment, Chumley leapt from high ground and onto the water as well; his own version of cannonball sending a bigger wave towards Syrus, who sputtered and spat out water.
"Haha! Got it!" teased Chumley, now having possession of Syrus' towel before swimming away.
"Hey! Give that back, Chumley!"
"Ha! I'd like to see you catch me then, Sy!"
"You'll be messing with me if you don't give that back! Wait u-AAAHH! COLD, COLD, COLD!"
"Stop it with all the noise, you two!" scoffed Chazz, having thrown cold water at Syrus from a wooden bucket to make him stop.
"Eh? Chazz is here?" Chumley wondered, surprised to see him here, of all places. "So, are you here to hang out?"
"Hmph! As if I want to, slackers!" Chazz said harshly, turning away as he sat perfectly on his own rocky seat...until he was hit in the face with water.
"Nyeh!" Syrus giggled, sticking his tongue out at Chazz. "That's payback!~"
"Why you-! You'll pay for that!"
"Oh!~ Whatcha gonna do about it, huh?" taunted Syrus before swimming away as fast as he could.
"Grrr...! I'm gonna Chazz you up!" The black-haired Princeton growled before diving underwater to chase after the prick who dared to splash water at him.
Chumley witnessed out of amusement the two of them going at it as Chazz attempted to strangle Syrus and push him down the water while Syrus was fighting back as well, both arguing and yelling at each other comically.
"Ha! Take that! Down! Down! Down!"
"Gah! I can't swim! Lemme go!"
"No! You deserve it!"
"Oh yeah?!"
"Aah! My towel! Give it back, you bastard!"
"Aaaah! Chumley, I got his towel! Quick, grab it!"
"Be right there!" chuckled Chumley, swimming towards them to join their 'fight.' Unknown to the three boys, the more they fought, the more noises and more louder they were producing, enough to fill the entire area.
"Huh? What's that noise?" wondered Jaden, standing up with Winged Kuriboh cradled in her arms. Winged Kuriboh had a bad feeling the more Jaden walked towards the source of the noises and shuffled more in her arms to feel more comfortable. When the Duel Spirit saw what was happening, his eyes popped wide.
Syrus, Chumley, and Chazz were in the water, but they were all holding onto towels and fighting amongst themselves, trying to grab their original towels back from each other while yelling at each other.
"HIYA GUYS!" called out Jaden; her voice loud enough to pierce through theirs.
Ceasing their current activity, the male trio turned around and were utterly shocked to learn Jaden was there. Among them.
Just her.
One girl.
Among a group of boys.
Inside a spa where everyone was naked.
Winged Kuriboh was in her arms, though only Chazz could see him.
Three Boys + One Girl + Hot Springs = DANGER DANGER DANGER!
"AAAAAHHHH!" All three boys screamed before turning their backs on her and quickly wrapping their towels around their waist to cover themselves, not caring whose towel had originally belonged to.
"Hey, what's wrong?" wondered Jaden, oblivious as Winged Kuriboh just laid in her arms, mortified.
'THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN! THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN! THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN!' thought Winged Kuriboh.
This was really bad for Winged Kuriboh's case. Should the others find out, he'd be crushed by most of the other male Elemental Heroes! They'll stomp on him, rip his wings out, probably plucking each feather one by one, and skin him alive! No, they'll probably deal with the boys here, and then him! Jaden's Duel Spirits tend to be a little bit too overprotective of Jaden, and if they'll willing to protect her, then they might be willing to stomp of cute puppies and kitties, and he fit in the category of cuteness!
"Jaden! Why the hell are you here?!" demanded Chazz, having fixed his towel.
"Hmm? What's wrong with that?" wondered Jaden, swimming towards them, unknown of what the problem was.
"Jaden! You do realize this isn't a co-ed hot spring, right?!" shouted Chumley as he and the boys refused to turn around.
"Co-ed?"
"It means that boys and girls can't be allowed in here at the same time!" complained Syrus; his cheeks reddening from not only the heat of the water but also from Jaden's presence. "Besides, it's the guys' time to be in here!"
"But...it's 4:00. And I just got here," said Jaden, confused.
Her previous comment caused the boys to freeze. Every single hour, the schedule for the boys and girls automatically switched each day. For example, from 12:00 to 1:00 would be the boys time, and from 5:00 to 6:00 would be girls. Today, it was the girl's turn for the spa for times 4:00 to 5:00.
'I didn't realize we were here for that long!' Syrus thought.
'Please don't tell me any other girl was here!' Chumley thought.
'...I'm such an idiot. I'm an idiot surrounded by idiots,' thought Chazz, facepalming himself.
"What's the matter? I don't get what's going on, but since we're all here, let's all play together!" Jaden cheered, throwing her arms up into the air.
Unable to take anymore of this foolishness, Chazz let out a yell before whirling around and grabbing her by the shoulders. "How naive are you?! Goddamnit, you idiot! Girls and boys can't bathe together! It's wrong and you're an stupid idiot for not seeing why! No, in fact, WHY can you not see it?"
"...What are you talking about? My Dad bathed me when I was a baby."
"THAT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! How on earth did you even make it to this school?!"
Jaden grinned at the memory. "I beat Crowler to get in, remember?"
"I...That's true, but...uh..."
Now that Chazz realized it, he noticed that Jaden's skin was...smooth and somewhat milky since he was grabbing her shoulders so firmly. He was fighting the urge to poke her skin just to see how soft it truly was along with her cute cheeks. The way her hair was slick back made her somewhat sexy along with that alluring look in her eyes. Her towel was the only thing blocking his view of what was-
Okay, what was he thinking?!
"Ow! Chazz, you're gripping me too hard!" cried out Jaden, winching in pain as Chazz dropped his head, trying to control himself.
"Hey! Leave her alone, you bully!" shouted Syrus, clinging onto Jaden's arm and glaring at Chazz. He blushed when he was squeezing her arm and feeling her soft skin, yet his determination to protect Jaden was all on his mind at the moment.
'...It's just like some sort of romantic comedy with two boys fighting for a girl's heart,' thought Chumley, sweatdropping as he watched Chazz and Syrus arguing with each other.
'STRANGER DANGER! STRANGER DANGER!' Winged Kuriboh thought, alerted once he saw the two boys making physical contact with Jaden as he squeaked. Well, one good thing came out of this. He now had sufficient proof and a story to tell the others so that they'll focus all their rage on Syrus and Chazz instead of him.
"Chumley! Help me out! Grab Chazz's towel!" shouted Syrus.
"What?!"
"I got it! I got it!" laughed Chumley, swimming away while waving Chazz's towel in the air.
"Gah! You-! You'll pay for this, Syrus!" threatened Chazz, red-faced as he covered himself despite the fact that his bottom half was already submerged underwater. "But first things first! CHUMLEY!"
"Go, go, Chumley! I've got your back!" encouraged Syrus, swimming towards Chumley as the both of them rushed away from Chazz as he angrily persuaded them.
Winged Kuriboh sighed before noticing the spot Jaden was in and wiggled away from her arms, disappearing back into the Spirit World to begin the preparations for the Duel Spirit Festival.
Being by herself, Jaden dove underwater to ease herself as she was alone and at peace. While the water was warm and relaxed her muscles, Jaden couldn't help but think back on the previous Shadow Games so far.
Each Shadow Game always risked someone's life, even succeeding to do so when Camula took away Crowler and Zane's souls and stuffed them in dolls. Syrus was also on the verge of dying one time after his blood was sucked out and his life at stake due to the darkness of the Shadow Games.
'...With that's going on lately, it's no wonder I keep having those nightmares,' thought Jaden, pulling herself back to the surface and laying against the water to stare at the ceiling. 'Syrus and Chumley were almost victims of the Shadow Game before, too. I thought dueling was all about having fun, but now, it's all about dueling for your life. Was it...wrong for me to assume that?'
"Kuri kuri!" ("Jaden! Jaden!") called out Winged Kuriboh from not too far. Once he caught her attention, he began flying away, wishing for her to follow him for the next phase of his plan.
"Huh? Winged Kuriboh?" Jaden swam after him, wondering what was up.
Once she left, Syrus and Chumley decided that throwing around Chazz's towel was getting boring, so they returned it, and in exchange, Chazz gave them huge bumps on the head. Rubbing the back of their heads, Syrus and Chumley noticed that Jaden wasn't around.
"Jaden? Where'd she go?" wondered Chumley.
"She probably left to go get changed," said Syrus.
"Huh?" Spotting one of his favorite Monsters rushing through the water, Chumley swam after him. "Des Koala? Is that you?"
"Chumley? Where are you going?"
"Damnit...why do I have to play in the water with those guys?" mumbled Chazz, tightening his towel around his waist. "And what the hell is wrong with Jaden? Not knowing that girls can't bathe with guys..."
"Ooh! I'm late! I'm gonna be late!" cried out Ojama Yellow, appearing out of nowhere before leaping onto the water.
Chazz, not knowing nor caring about Ojama Yellow's schedule, scoffed. "Yeah, yeah! Go, whatever! I don't care! Just don't come back!"
Springing back to the surface, Ojama Yellow, too happy to even comment on Chazz's rude behavior, said, "Alright, fine! Well, I gotta get to the Spirit Festival anyways!"
"Huh? Spirit Festival?"
"Winged Kuriboh? Where are you?" called Jaden as she wandered around another part of the hot springs. Suddenly, something yanked her downwards underwater, causing her to scream; only for nothing to come out but bubbles as she frantically twisted her body to break free before a light blinded her.
In the Spirit World...
"Owowowowow..." muttered Jaden, having landed facedown firsthand on the ground. Sitting up, she was surprised to find herself in her Slifer Red clothes along with a duel disk strapped to her wrist.
Before she knew it, several different Duel Spirits, mostly Fairy-Types, were looking at her with curiosity. That was to be expected since it was awfully rare for a human to appear in the Spirit World.
"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Jaden screamed, surprised to see the Duel Spirits.
"AAAAHHHHH!" They screamed back, hiding behind some pillars. What else should they have done? The human started it first!
"Aaaaaahhhh...Hey!" Realizing that the Duel Spirits were harmless and had no harmful intent, Jaden nervously waved back at them, trying to give them a friendly greeting. "N-Name's Jaden Yuki! Nice to meet ya! Are you...all Duel Spirits?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Okay, then." Finding the situation to be awkward with being the only human here, Jaden scratched her cheek. "Then, maybe you can tell me-gah!"
Falling from above the water-like ceiling, Syrus, Chumley, and Chazz crashed down; all groaning in pain once they hit the ground. Surprisingly, Des Koala along with Ojama Yellow joined the fray since they happened to be Duel Spirits of their owners.
"Ow..." complained Jaden as she had unwillingly been used as a cushion for Chazz.
"Stupid Ojama...Why did I agree to follow him?" complained Chazz before his hand squeezed at something...soft.
"Aah!" shrieked Jaden, instantly sitting up and pushing him off her. "Chazz! You idiot! Idiot, idiot, idiot!"
"Gah!" Falling over, Chazz fell on his back, rubbing the back of his head. "Ow...what did I do?!"
"Hey, why are we back in our clothes?" wondered Chumley, speaking outloud the one thing that was on everyone's minds.
"My glasses! I can't see without my glasses!" cried out Syrus, getting down and frantically searching for them, careful not to move too fast in case he might break them.
While chewing on some leaves, Des Koala spotted the glasses the human boy was referring to and picked them up before handing them back to Syrus.
"Oh! Thanks, Chumley!"
"Hey, Jaden? Are we in...some kind of Spirit World?" Chumley asked, amazed by the amount of Duel Spirits gathered in one place. Well, he knew they were Duel Spirits because he recognized some of them from the trading cards.
"Wait, Chumley? If you're there, then...who's behind me?" Confused, Syrus put his glasses back on and turned his head to see the calm Des Koala eating his leaves. Blinking, Syrus rubbed his eyes before placing his glasses back on. Then, he proceeded to scream.
"Aaaaah! Des Koala?! But how?!"
"This is so weird!" commented Chazz, gazing across the area. "It's like a bunch of Duel Monsters have come back to life! Hey, ugly!"
"Hey! I am not ugly! And I happen to have a name!" pouted Ojama Yellow.
"And I don't care! Anyways, this is where you said the spirits gathered, right? Some sort of...Duel Spirit Festival?"
"Uh-huh! That's right, boss!"
"So, this is the Spirit World, huh?" muttered Jaden, looking around. It seems to be peaceful, a little quiet, yet filled with kind-hearted and gentle Duel Spirits. Maybe Winged Kuriboh sent her to this tranquil place in order to make her feel more relaxed?
"Are you the duelists guided here by the spirits?" A masked man with long hair came up to them, asking.
Ojama Yellow gasped, surprised. "Oh my God! It's-!"
"KYAAAAAAAHHHH! IT'S KAIBAMAN!" squealed Jaden loud enough for everyone except for Kaibaman to cover their ears, though Kaibman did winch.
"Jaden, what are you talking about?" wondered Chumley.
"KAIBAMAN! HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW?!" Jaden grabbed Chumley's shoulders and started shaking him back and forth. "He's one of my favorite heroes ever! He has his own show, 'Kaibaman!' He has over 300 episodes and he even has two movies! One of them has him riding on Blue-Eyes White Dragon and slaying his archnemesis, the evil Dark Magician! I even turned over a hundred cereal coupons to get that limited edition Kaibaman keychain! HE'S SO AWESOME!"
While Jaden was squealing over Kaibaman, everyone else sweatdropped and thought, 'Just how crazy is this Kaibaman franchise, anyways?'
Kaibaman cleared his throat, causing Jaden to straighten up and pay attention to him. "Are you done ranting on? Because just so we're clear...I am not the Kaibaman you know! I...am a Shadow Rider disguised as Kaibaman!"
Jaden gasped before angrily shouting, "How dare you! How dare you do that?! Giving me bad grades is one thing, insulting my Monsters is another, but when you're a bad guy disguised as one of my favorite heroes, you've crossed the line!"
'It didn't even occur to her that he might be lying?' Chumley, Syrus, and Chazz thought.
"So, what are you? Did you bring us here? Are you going to take us back home?!"
"You ask a lot of questions and talk too much. But I'm afraid that you won't get any answers unless you duel me right here and now," Kaibaman challenged, activating his duel disk.
Left with no other choice, Jaden also activated her duel disk after him.
"From the look of things, I'd say you accept my challenge. But I sense...I'm not so sure...I sense fear. Yes! Deep fear! Fear that you'll lose and that you and your friends will succumb to the Shadow Games' effects! But you should feel ashamed of that! Instead, you should be aiming for the top by challenging me!"
"What's he talking about, Jaden?" questioned Chumley.
"This is about your dream, isn't it?" said Syrus.
Seeing Jaden all tensed up and thinking Kaibaman may be onto something, Chazz spoke up, "Look, if you don't wanna duel, let me take your place."
"No! I don't wanna! He's insulting Kaibaman by disguising as him! I can never forgive him for doing that!" complained Jaden, yet deep down, feared the Kaibaman standing before her since he could be a potential Shadow Rider.
"Oh? Not backing down? Then, you can look forward to facing this card!" Kaibaman informed, holding up a rare Blue-Eyes White Dragon card.
"Whoa! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" gasped Jaden.
"How'd he get his hands on such a rare card?" wondered Chazz, having second thoughts on dueling Kaibaman.
"What's wrong? All talk but no bark for you, Jaden?"
"Grr...I'll still take you on, Shadow Rider!" shouted Jaden, refusing to acknowledge him as Kaibman. "So, let's give these Duel Spirits a good show!"
"DUEL!"
- DUEL -
Jaden - 4000 LP
VS
Kaibaman - 4000 LP
"I'll go first! Draw!" declared Jaden. "First, I'll summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Attack Mode!"
The blue caped hero with the bubble blaster showed up immediantly at her command, relieved to see his master arriving in the Spirit World safely. The phases of their plan was going smoothly.
Elemental Hero Bubbleman - (WATER/Warrior) - LV4 - (800/1200)
"Bubbleman's effect activates! If he's summoned out while I control no other cards on the field, I get to draw two more cards from my deck! And lookie here! Polymerization was one of them! I'm using it to use Avian and Burstinatrix from my hand in order to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"
Jaden's ace Monster in the hole crashed down onto the ground besides Bubbleman with his arms crossed as his demonic appearance frightened some of the Duel Spirits as they cowered behind some pillars.
Elemental Hero Flame Wingman - (WIND/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (2100/1200)
"Yes! The plan is progressing!" said Flame Wingman, turning to one of his fellow Hero allies. He glanced behind his shoulders, glad to see Jaden was alright and doing fine.
"Now I'll call it a turn!"
'Just how are you planning on taking the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Jaden?' thought Chazz, anticipating the situation as he remained silent during the duel.
'No doubt he's gonna use that Blue-Eyes this duel,' pondered Jaden, trying to think of a good strategy to counterattack. 'I was hoping that card might be at the bottom of his deck. But, if this is a Shadow Duel, then...Syrus and Chumley...they'll...'
Flashback...
"JADEN!" The screams of her friends attracted Jaden's attention as she turned and saw both Syrus and Chumley being burned alive by the azure flames, screaming in pain as they reached out for her for help.
"I'm coming! Chumley! Syru-"
Right before she could help him, her feet got tangled up by whips of darkness beneath her as they started dragging her down since she has to face the consequences of losing a Shadow Duel. Struggling to break free, Jaden tried to reach out for her friends, but couldn't even utter an apology before she was lost to darkness forever...
'No! I can't think like that!' Jaden thought, shaking her head. 'I have to win!'
"Wishing you could back out now? Too late!" taunted Kaibaman, drawing his card. "My move! I summon myself! Kaibaman!"
Kaibaman - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV3 - (200/700)
"Whoa! There are 2 Kaibamans?!" gasped Syrus, astonished.
"Why summon himself if he's got a lower Attack Point?" wondered Chazz, suspecting something must be up.
Smirking, Kaibaman announced, "And now I activate Kaibaman's effect! By sacrificing him, I'm allowed to Special Summon a certain dragon from my hand! Allow me to show you the legendary, the one and only, BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!"
The strong gusts surrounding the Monster, Kaibaman, blew stronger as the Monster vanished while the other Duel Monsters shrunk back in fear of the approaching threat that was about to take flight.
"Behold! And quiver in fear! Descend forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Blue - Eyes White Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV8 - (3000/2500)
"Crap! It really is the big deal!" shouted Chazz as Jaden gritted her teeth.
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Destroy Flame Wingman!" ordered Kaibaman. "Burst Stream of Destruction!"
"NOOOOOOO!" screamed Flame Wingman, wishing to spend more time on the field.
Living up to being the destructive, legendary dragon that he is, Blue-Eyes White Dragon didn't hold back any power as his electrifying breath attack vaporized Flame Wingman to a crisp, revealing to all the massive power Blue-Eyes White Dragon held.
Jaden - 3100 LP
Kaibaman - 4000 LP
"And now I'll end my turn."
"Well, at least Jaden still has Bubbleman!" said Syrus, trying to lighten up the mood.
"Yeah, but Bubbleman's nowhere near Blue-Eyes' power! If Jaden's gonna win this, she's going to have to change up tactics!" said Chumley.
"My turn! Draw!" Jaden swiftly drew her card and thought of a quick countermeasure to at least defend. "From my hand, I activate Polymerization! I'll fuse Bubbleman on my field with the Clayman in my hand to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Mudballman in Defense Mode!"
Kneeling with his arms crossed over his chest, Mudballman was surprised to see himself facing against Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but even the mighty dragon couldn't penetrate against his defense.
Elemental Hero Mudballman - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (1900/3000)
"I'll end my turn from there!"
"My turn! Draw!" shouted Kaibaman. "I'll activate Pot of Greed! This lets me draw two more cards! From my hand, I activate the Spell, Burst Stream of Destruction!"
"A card that's the same name as Blue-Eyes' special attack?" Jaden gasped, surprised to learn such a card existed.
"What's the deal with it being a separate card?" wondered Chazz.
"You're about to find out! First, it activates as long as there's at least one Blue-Eyes White Dragon on my field," Kaibaman informed. "And now that my dragon is out, the Spell automatically destroys all Monsters on your side of the field, Jaden!"
"What?!"
"Go! Obliterate Mudballman with Burst Stream of Destruction!"
The Spell card unleashed blue bolts of lightning that zapped through even the impenetrable defense of Mudballman, leaving no mercy for the Elemental Hero.
"Oh no! Now Jaden is completely defenceless! No Monster or anything!" cried out Syrus, panicking. "And if she gets a direct attack from Blue-Eyes, she'll get 100 Life Points left! Goodbye to her!"
"No, there's some hope," said Chazz. "On the turn Burst Stream of Destruction was used, No Blue-Eyes can attack this turn."
"Really? Whew! That's a relief!"
"It won't matter!" Kaibaman said. "I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands!"
The creepy-looking Monster with literally ten thousand hands appeared right in front of Kaibaman.
Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (1400/1000)
"And now he'll lend me a hand! When Manju is summoned, I can choose one Ritual Monster or one Ritual Spell card from my deck and add it to my hand! I'll add the Ritual Spell, White Dragon Ritual, to my hand! This requires at least a Level 4 or higher Monster to sacrifice for the Ritual summoning, so I sacrifice Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands to Ritual Summon Paladin of White Dragon in Attack Mode!"
A white knight clad in armor and holding onto the reins of a white dragon while gripping a spear in the other flew right next to Blue-Eyes White Dragon, silently greeting him.
Paladin of White Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV4 - (1900/1200)
"Sure, Blue-Eyes White Dragon can't attack this turn, but that doesn't apply to any other Monster on my field! You're a naive fool if you thought otherwise! Paladin may not be a dragon, but he's able to tame one, and that's top notch in my book! Now, go! Paladin of White Dragon, attack Jaden directly!"
The paladin raised his spear before bringing it downwards, releasing a tornado-like attack that nearly blew Jaden away, but damaged her Life Points.
Jaden - 1200 LP
Kaibaman - 4000 LP
"And I'm not done yet! Using Paladin's effect, I now sacrifice him in order to Special Summon from my hand or deck another familiar dragon! Care to guess which?"
Still winching in pain from the last direct attack, Jaden muttered, "Not really..."
Kaibaman smirked before declaring, "Let me give you a hint, then! It has blue eyes, white scales...The Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV8 - (3000/2500)
"Uh-oh! This is bad!" cried out Jaden.
"Oh no! Not only does Jaden has to deal with one Blue-Eyes, but two?!" shouted Syrus. "Plus, Blue-Eyes is a rare card, so why does this guy have two?"
"Kaibaman's deck..." whispered Chazz to himself. "Don't tell me, is it the exact same copy as...?!"
"I end my turn," said Kaibaman; the air around him full of confidence as he had two powerful dragons at his side.
"About time! My move!" said Jaden. "First, I'll activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two new cards! Oh, another Pot of Greed, which I'll use again! Next up, Monster Reincarnation!"
"Awesome!" Chumley praised. "That card allows her to bring a Monster back to her hand at the cost of discarding one card from her hand!"
"Now, I think I'll discard Necroshade from my hand and then add Bubbleman to my hand! Then, I activate Fusion Recovery, letting me get back Polymerization and a Monster used for Fusion Summoning! I'll add Polymerization along with Avian back to my hand and then, I'll fuse Avian, Bubbleman, and Sparkman in my hand to create Elemental Hero Tempest!"
Using a combination of Spells to retrieve the necessary Fusion Materials, Jaden's efforts paid off as she Fusion Summoned a powerful Fusion Monster.
Elemental Hero Tempest - (WIND/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2800/2800)
"Hmph. Nice Monster. Too bad he's still weaker than my two Blue-Eyes!" reminded Kaibaman.
"Not for long! I activate the Field Spell, Skyscraper!"
Large buildings towered over the entire field and surrounded the two duelists and their Monsters, blocking any sort of escape as the air above turned into the night skies with the moon high above.
"Thanks to my Field Spell, when an Elemental Hero attacks, if its Attack Points are lower than the opposing Monster's Attack Points, the Field Spell increases my Elemental Hero's power by 1000!"
Elemental Hero Tempest - (WIND/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (3800/2800)
"Now, attack one of his Blue-Eyes, Tempest!"
Soaring high until landing on top of a building, Tempest charged up his laser gauntlet before firing a beam and destroying a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Jaden - 1200 LP
Kaibaman - 3200 LP
"Whoa! Jaden actually did it!" Chazz commented as Chumley and Syrus were ecstatic. Maybe Jaden truly did have a chance to fight off the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon, considering she already took one down.
"I'll set a card and end my turn!" said Jaden confidently with Tempest by her side. "And to think, I was worried I'd lose! Well, not anymore! This is the Elemental Heroes' power of unity!"
"Huh...My heart's racing from all the tension and excitement."
"Mine too! I'm super pumped! It's been a while since I felt this way! In fact, I almost feel like you are the real Kaibaman!"
Kaibaman had to smirk at ther previous comment, considering he truly is the real Kaibaman. "Have you broken any doubts, Jaden Yuki?"
"Eh?"
"Did you really think that by defeating one Blue-Eyes, that you've won this duel? That you're cleared of any obstacles? If so, you've got a long ways to go from being a true duelist! But that's okay! A true duelist always strives for battle and accepts any wins or losses no matter what! This is the nature of dueling! A road of dueling like the one you've walked onto is still a gateway! Yet, are you still going to be naive and stop right here because of your fear?!"
"Like hell I will!" shouted Jaden, irritated by his truthful, yet brutal words.
"Yes! Exactly! Be that way! One presses on by believing in their own dueling and their deck! That beaten down road you're taking...if you don't give up, no matter if you win or lose 100 times...that is the path you'll be taking if you strive to be the best!"
Without thinking, Jaden stared in awe at Kaibaman as she had muttered, "Kaibaman..." While her mind refused to accept him as an infamous hero from her childhood, her heart already had.
"At the very least, I'll give you credit for facing head on and defeating one of my Blue-Eyes, but this is as far as you'll go! My turn! From my hand, I activate Silent Doom! With it, I'll Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard and onto the field in Defense Mode, and I choose Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV8 - (3000/2500)
"Now I play Polymerization!"
"It's the same!" gasped Chazz, realizing his little theory was correct. "So, he did have another one after all!"
"What are you talking about, Chazz?" asked Syrus.
"Kaibaman's deck is the same deck as the one Seto Kaiba uses!"
"Wait, what? Which means...he has three of them?!" exclaimed Jaden, turning back to her opponent's side of the field as the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon revealed himself.
"Too late! Here we go! Now with my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, I'll Fusion Summon the ultimate Dragon-Type Fusion creature! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
Vanishing into a hole full of illuminating light, the three legendary dragons were sucked into it, leaving no trace of them anywhere. The hole exploded with winds bursting everywhere as a fusion of the three dragons appeared much more powerful than before.
Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon/Fusion) - LV12 - (4500/3800)
"Behold! The ultimate dragon, supreme in strength and devastating of them all!"
Being gazed upon by the three heads of the ultimate dragon, Jaden couldn't help the tingling feeling inside of her as she grew both frightened, yet excited at the same time. "Awesome..."
"My dragon's Attack Points are 4500. Even if your Tempest gets a power boost from Skyscraper, he's still no match for my dragon! Oh, and before I attack, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy Skyscraper!"
Large tornadoes sprang up and crushed the tall buildings, leaving not even a scrap of rubble left.
Jaden felt some sweat falling, knowing that he was right. Her Monster didn't stand a chance now that Skyscrapper's destroyed, making Tempest's Attack Points back to his original value; 2800!
4500 - 2800 = 1700
She has only 1200 left, so this would definitely leave a fatal blow for her!
"Kuri, kuri!" ("Jaden, Jaden!")
"Huh?" Turning around, Jaden saw Winged Kuriboh along with five other differently colored Kuribohs with him; all wearing pompons and mini cheerleading uniforms. If it weren't for the intense duel at the moment, she'd probably be squealing with joy along with cuddling the six cuties. Instead she smiled and nodded to them before turning back to Kaibaman. "Okay, I'm ready!"
Kaibaman nodded. "Go, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Ultimate Burst Stream of Destruction!"
Making one last struggle, no matter how much she lost, Jaden declared, "I'll activate Tempest's effect! By sending 1 other card I control to the graveyard, I target 1 Monster I control, and I target Tempest, so he can't be destroyed!"
"But you'll still take the damage! It's over! Pulverize! Die honorably! Applaud loudly! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The electrical blast large enough to wipe out a building shot past Tempest right as Jaden's set card was sent to the Graveyard. The blast may not have destroyed Tempest, but it still shot past Tempest and inflicted major damage to Jaden as she was sent flying and crashed down.
Jaden - 0 LP
Kaibaman - 3200 LP
Winner: Kaibaman
"Kuri, kuri, kuri, kuri, kuri!"
"Syrus...Chumley..." Grunting, Jaden sat up and glanced down to see Winged Kuriboh and the other five Kuribohs bouncing up and down, trying to wake her up. Twisting her head to the side, Jaden could see Chazz, Chumley, and Syrus were fine and surrounded by the friendly Duel Spirits in the area.
"Defeat is nothing to be ashamed of. What matters is getting up after getting beat up," Kaibaman said, walking up to Jaden.
"Wait, are you telling me this entire duel was to teach me that?" asked Jaden, standing up before feeling her injuries course through her body. "Ow, ow, ow!"
"So, tell me, are you still afraid of losing?"
"Huh? Now that I think about it, no. I'm not. I actually had fun in that duel!"
"And do you know why? Because you faced it. You lost, but you're okay. Lose AND win, Jaden Yuki."
"Whoa...For a Shadow Rider, you sure are pretty cool!"
"...I had hoped by now that you would have figured out that I wasn't a Shadow Rider."
"Whoa, really?!"
"Jaden!" Seeing their friend alright, Chazz, Syrus, and Chumley separated from the group of Duel Spirits and ran up to Jaden's side. "Are you alrig-"
"EEEEEEEEKKKK! OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! IT REALLY IS YOU, KAIBAMAN!" shrieked Jaden, holding Kaibaman's hands into hers. "I'M SO SORRY FOR DOUBTING YOU AND THINKING YOU WERE A SHADOW RIDER!"
While Jaden continued blabbling on, with Kaibaman awkwardly taking this all in, Jaden's friends remained silent and continued sweatdropping. "...I wonder if he'll accept an autograph?" wondered Chumley.
"Pfft! Please!" scoffed Chazz, crossing his arms. "You can't just go up to a Duel Spirit and say-"
"Hey, hey, Kaibaman! Can I have your autograph?" asked Jaden, handing Kaibaman her failed essay test.
"Uh...sure. Isn't this your essay, though?" 'There are about 15 errors here, and I'm not even trying.'
"I don't care! Crowler's a dumb butt anyways! Sign it! Sign it!"
"Even Kaibaman's falling to Jaden's mercy," sighed Chazz.
"Why does Jaden carry that inside of her pocket, anyways?" wondered Syrus.
"Why are we wearing our original clothes if we were originally naked in the first place?"
"Point taken."
After signing the essay, Kaibaman turned and started walking away into the deep mist of the area, making his appearance nearly invisible as he started fading back into the mist.
"Hey, where are you going?" asked Jaden.
"My role here is done. From here on, the future is your to decide. Also, if you wish to leave, ask your pal, Kuriboh. After all, he's the one who brought you here. Goodbye...Jaden."
Seeing him leave, Jaden hugged the essay paper with her hero's signature on it. She folded the paper and tucked it away in her pocket before spotting some of her own Duel Monster cards appearing, such as White Magician Pikeru or even Elemental Hero Flame Wingman.
"Hey, guys!" Running up to them, Jaden happily engaged in several conversations with them, especially with her overprotective Elemental Heroes before she dragged them over to her friends. "Oh! And there's Chazz, Chumley, and Syrus!"
At the mention of 'Chazz' and 'Syrus,' most of the male Elemental Heroes quickly glanced at them, and not in a good way either. Their auras rose the more they grew angry in sight of those...despicable boys.
'Why are they staring at me like that?' wondered both targeted boys, backing away a bit as Chumley left to go play with Des Koala and the other Fairy-Type Duel Spirits.
"Jaden...why don't you go and play with the other Duel Spirits? There's a matter...we have to do," informed Flame Wingman, cracking his knuckles from behind his back.
"Okay! Now then..." Jaden whirled around and tackled Winged Kuriboh and the five Kuriboh Brothers, snuggling and hugging them close as they squealed and played around with them, ruffling their soft, colored furs against her. White Magician Pikeru, Ebon Magician Curran, and the other children Duel Spirits joined with Jaden except for the three Hero Kids, who were forced back by the Elemental Heroes.
"Just go easy on them," sighed Burstinatrix as Flame Wingman and some of the overprotective Duel Spirits marched towards Chazz and Syrus.
"That's a hopeless wish," commented Avian.
"Well, if things get too hairy, we can always save their lives," reminded Bubbleman, watching the bloodbath about to commence.
"Chazz Princeton...Syrus Truesdale..." spoke the ringleader of the group, Flame Wingman. "We meet at last..."
"W-what do you want from us?" asked Syrus, nervously.
"...We'll give you a ten second headstart. One..."
"W-wha-?"
"I'm outta here!" shouted Chazz, running the second he saw the Elemental Heroes charging up their signature elements.
Jaden along with the cute Duel Spirits before her were grooming each other, trying to make the other pretty and playing dress up when they heard faint noises. They saw saw Chazz and Syrus constantly being chased by some enraged, as well as sadistic, Elemental Heroes, who kept on firing and blasting their lasers, fire blasts, or just about anything to kill the two of them. The Hero Kids and Flame Wingman were especially enjoying this.
Winged Kuriboh chuckled darkly to himself before looking up to Jaden innocently. "Kuri, kuri, kuri! Kuri kuri kuri kuri kuri!" ("Don't worry, Jaden! They're just playing tag with your friends!")
Normally, anyone could see that was an obvious lie, but seeing that it was Jaden they were dealing with, she took it in. "Oh! Okay! Cool! I'm sure they'll be fine!"
By the end of this, both a half-brunt, frozen, electrified, and charred Syrus and Chazz would be wishing that they would destroy all of her Elemental Heroes the second they dueled, starting with Flame Wingman, who made the first move.
Back in the spa center...
"Aaaahhhhh...This is the life!" sighed Jaden, relaxing against the warm water.
"Hey! I should be relaxing more than you! Do you even know what your stupid Monsters did?!" shouted Chazz, rubbing his body with the water along with Syrus as they were trying to get pass the trauma they just experienced.
"They played a game of tag with you. Nothing wrong with that."
"Like hell they di-"
"Is someone there?" called out Alexis' voice as the girl herself just entered the spa.
"Hi, Al-" Before Jaden could greet Alexis, Chazz covered her mouth with his hand, pulling her close to him while gripping her wrist with the other hand.
"Chazz! What are you doing?!" hissed Syrus, jealous.
"You're gonna get us all in trouble!" whispered Chumley. "This can considered sexual harrassment!"
"Shut it! I'm thinking!" hissed back Chazz before whispering into Jaden's ear. "Okay, Jaden, here's the deal. You don't tell Alexis that we were here. You don't mention anything about any of us boys about what happened today. If you do, I'll...I'll give you mine, Syrus', and Chumley's desserts for a week!"
Jaden gasped just as Chazz lowered his hand to let her talk. "Make it 3!"
"2."
"Fine, two weeks. Plus, I get all the fried shrimp."
"Hey! What about our consent?!" complained Syrus.
"Who's there?!" shouted Alexis, being extremely cautious.
"Hey, shut it! It's our lives or giving up desserts and fried shrimp for 2 weeks!" growled Chazz. "As much as I hate to admit it, if you guys get caught now, I get caught, and I don't need another hellish experience going on, especially with Alexis!"
"Fine," said Chumley and Syrus, slumped that they were going to be forced to go through the condition.
"Okay! So, no telling Alexis about you guys? Got it!" said Jaden before swimming towards Alexis within a few minutes later. "Hey, Alexis!"
"Quick, while we still have a chance!" whispered Chazz before going through a different route to exit. Why...why did he like it when he held Jaden in that position almost like he was dominating her?
"Chazz, hurry up!" said Chumley, spotting Alexis talking with Jaden. The three of them exited the spa room and hurried on back to the males' room, never wishing to speak what occured ever again.
Haha! Finished! A spa scene? I couldn't resist that!