Ready for some Syrus action? I am, so here we go!
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series only the OCs!
"An age-old relic with an unstable stairway that seem like it'd break at any time," muttered Chazz, filming a documentary with his video camera as he made his way upstairs. He pushed opened Jaden's bedroom where currently, Jaden was trying to calm down and stop Syrus and Hassleberry from further arguing with each other.
"Why are you still here anyways?! You should leave me and Jaden alone!" cried out Syrus. "You stink, and I don't remember the last time you showered!"
"Hey! One, if I leave, there's no way I can learn and experience more dueling from Jaden! It'll ruin my charisma!" argued back Hassleberry. "And what about you, huh? You snore loud at night and still keep a baby night-light on! Oh, and for your information, I did shower! ...Last week."
"Well, next time, stay under the water!"
"Hey, hey! Come on guys, let's all get along with each other!" encouraged Jaden, standing up from her seat. "If we're gonna be roommates, we've gotta make some compromises! Besides, shouldn't we be more worried about the Red Dorm getting demolished? I'd say having one friend's better than no friends! So, let's have a group hug!"
"Nah, I don't do hugs!" said Hassleberry.
"'Cause your stench scares everyone away!" insulted Syrus, sticking his tongue out in disgust.
"And here lies the poor, miserable idiots living in a poor, miserable habitat," concluded Chazz, aiming his video camera at the three friends.
Noticing Chazz and his video camera being directed towards them, Syrus spoke up, asking, "What are you doing, Chazz?"
Turning off his video camera, Chazz replied, "My room's finally been completed. It has a wide living room, along with a spa room overflowing with light! And it has a fine-quality maisonette design that offers comfort and warmth for sustenance! And I was just recording my last moments in this flirty Slifer Red dorm before I finally move into my own room! A bit of a documentary, I guess you could call it."
"Geez, now you're making us sound bad," muttered Syrus, sweatdropping alongside with Hassleberry.
"Eh?! You have all those cool stuff?! I wanna see! I wanna see! I wanna see!" squealed Jaden, bouncing up and down. "That spa and comfty stuff!"
Chazz knew one of Jaden's weaknesses besides cute things and fried shrimp was her irresistible urge to check out cool and neat things. "Hmph, I knew you'd say that. Well, follow me and-huh? Alexis?"
Standing in front of Jaden's dorm room was Alexis, who had been quietly and patiently waiting for the others to finish chatting. From the looks of things, it appears as though she was carrying some sort of luggage with her.
"Who's she?" wondered Hassleberry, having never met Alexis before.
"I left the Obelisk Blue Dorm," revealed Alexis. "Think you could let me stay here?"
"Whaaa?!"
"Two girls...in one bedroom with me?! Best. Day. Ever!"
"Of course you can, Alexis!"
Meanwhile, in the Chancellor's Office...
"So, tell me, monsieur," spoke Bonaparte, being in an arranged secret meeting with Crowler. "Who's going to be our next big star in the Star Discovery Project?"
"You don't need to worry. Everything is fine! And for our next big target, it shall be Syrus Truesdale, younger brother of Zane Truesdale, who's now a duelist league professional!" said Crowler, taking out a photo of Syrus from his breast pocket. "We'll have him duel an Obelisk Blue student, and should he win, we'll promote him to Ra Yellow!"
Grinning, Crowler thought sinisterly, 'And due to the huge reputation his older brother has, all public eyes will be on him!'
However, Bonaparte seemed to be thinking of an entirely different objective. 'If he gets promoted to Ra Yellow there'll be one less Slifer slacker to deal with, bring moi one step closer to bidding the Red Dorm adieu!'
Back to the Slifer Red Dorm, inside Chazz's new room...
Everyone was amazed and impressed by the level of detailing within Chazz's room, or rather, his home near the Slifer Red Dorms. It was basically a two-story building with loads of space, including a hot spa and a living room.
Once the tour was finished, everyone still left a bit dazed and taken aback by Chazz's new home, questioning whether or not they were in heaven or some sort of alternate reality.
"This is really amazing! Do you mind if I crash here?" asked Alexis.
"Hey! I thought you were going to live with us!" pouted Jaden. "I mean, I was really looking forward for a slumber party and stuff..."
"Of course you can live here! There's plenty of space, after all!" replied Chazz before turning to Jaden. "And...I guess you can live here too, Jaden. Don't get the wrong idea, though! It's not like I want you to live here! I just figured that my rival needs to be in top form for our duel in the future, that's all!"
'Once again, Tsundere Mode is activated,' thought Alexis, Hassleberry, and Syrus, peering their eyes at Chazz in disapproval.
"By the way, why did you come to live with us, anyways?" asked Syrus. "Did something happen at the Blue Dorms?"
"You bet something happened!" scowled Alexis, unzipping her luggage and taking out a red dress, surprising everyone. "This all happened because of Crowler! Get this; he told me to wear this, and to duel while singing! Something about wanting to turn me into some dueling pop star or idol or something."
"Still, why are you walking off with a dress you don't want?" questioned Jaden.
"Because I'm giving it to you. As much as I don't like being forced to wear things, I figured that you might have more use to it," said Alexis, tossing the dress over to her.
"Wait a minute!" complained Jaden, taking the dress and examining it with disgust. "I hate dresses! They're so frilly and girly and-"
"ACCEPT IT OR ELSE!" growled Alexis, obviously not in the mood for any argument. Being constantly forced to become someone she wasn't to the point of leaving her Obelisk Blue dorm could cause so much stress to one person.
Frightened by Alexis' rage, everyone quivered in fear as they hid behind bits of furniture. "Jaden, accept it or else she'll kill us all!" squeaked Syrus.
"Okay, okay! I'll take the stupid dress!" cried out Jaden. "Jeez, I still don't see what's with all the fuss over a dumb dress."
Getting up from behind a chair, Chazz pointed out, "It's more than just the dress, you idiot! It's about Chancellor Crowler!"
"Ohhhh! I get it!" gasped Jaden.
"Finally!"
"Crowler wants to wear the dress!"
"NO, STUPID!"
Clearing her throat, Alexis explained, "Now that Crowler's in charge, things have gotten way worse! He's just trying to further his career, and with Bonaparte as Vice-Chancellor, they're just doing whatever they want, and I'm sick of it!"
"Yeah! And on top of that, they're trying to demolish the Red Dorm!" said Jaden. "They can't get away with this! We have to stop them!"
Barging inside, Bastion was completely exhausted, but he glanced around and spotted his friends. "Oh! There you guys are! We have trouble! It's Syrus! I have something important to tell Syrus!"
"Hmm? Oh, hey Bastion!" greeted Jaden.
"Who's he?" wondered Hassleberry, once again having not met another one of Jaden's friends.
"That's Bastion, the smart one of the team," summarized Syrus. "So, did something bad happen, Bastion? And what's this important stuff you gotta tell me?"
Once everyone settled down to sit in the living room, Bastion explained that under Crowler's instructions, Syrus was to duel an female Obelisk Blue student named Missy who duels using an Insect-Type deck. The reward for Syrus should he win was a one-way ticket to being promoted as a Ra Yellow.
"Missy...she's a little creepy, but she's actually one of the toughest Obelisk Blues I know, and she's been nicknamed the 'Insect Princess,'" revealed Alexis.
"Well, congrats. You're officially Crowler's next victim," scoffed Chazz rudely.
"Hey, there's no need to discourage Sy like that! You're so mean, Chazzy!" pouted Jaden, glaring at him. "Anyways, Sy, this is your big break! If you win, you get to prove everyone wrong and show them just how strong you are! Especially at Chazz! You get to brag it all to his face!"
"Hello? I'm right here!" shouted Chazz, gritting his teeth. "And I would have been in Obelisk Blue if it weren't for Crowler's stupid interference!" 'Although, it's not so bad being here. I got to have my own room, and I get to stay close to Jaden. If I had returned, I would have met the snobby idiots who look down on others. In a way, I guess Crowler did do me a favor.'
"J-Jaden..." Shaking with fear, Syrus stood up with tears whelming at his eyes. "There's just no way I can win against an Obelisk Blue! I'm just going to lose miserably in front of the whole school! I'm gonna lose just like I lose most of my duels! Waaaaah!"
Upset, Syrus rushed out of Chazz's home, startling everyone and prompting Hassleberry to chase after him as everyone grew concerned. They knew that Syrus always had a kind hearted, but timid heart, and wondered if he was going to pull through this okay?
With Hassleberry and Syrus...
"Come on, soldier! Up and at 'em! This is your chance to show off your cool side in front of everyone!" encouraged Hassleberry, sitting on top of the top bunk bed and glancing at Syrus, who had entrapped himself in a blanket cocoon.
"It's not a chance, it's a pinch! I'm practically being forced to duel!" cried out Syrus. "Either way, no one would care if some guy like me combined with a dead tree and hung from it! I'm just a worthless, pathetic coward who can't do anything, so leave me alone!"
"Hell no! As if I'll let you give up a great opportunity such as this!" Grabbing onto the bed covers, Hassleberry yanked as hard as he could, spinning Syrus around after freeing him before he fell down. "Now listen here! Fear is your mortal enemy, and fear needs to be destroyed! Fight that fear!"
"But...I'm afraid of fighting!" said Syrus, getting up.
"Then, you've already lost the war!" said Hassleberry. "Lemme ask you something, soldier! How did human survive through wars and obstacles?"
"Er...with luck, cooperation, and resources?"
"I...Actually, yeah, Hassleberry admitted. "But that's not the main point! The point is, those guys survived by evolving! Learning from their mistakes, growing stronger physically and mentally, and much more! If you wanna evolve, you'll do the right thing, duel and beat this Missy girl, and then level up!"
"Hassleberry...why are you helping me so much?" asked Syrus.
"Well, because I can't stand it when the weak are pressured into being cowards or in your state!" revealed Hassleberry. "Besides, if you ran away from Duel Academy, then Jaden would be sad."
'I actually almost did at one point,' thought Syrus.
"Plus, if you did leave, there's no way I'm getting more competition for Jaden's heart! Chazz would be my only rival, and because of his nasty attitude, there's no way Jaden will pick him! I need a strong fellow like you to keep our rivalry burning!"
"Hassleberry..."
"Besides, I get to have the chance to crush you, so if I crush both you and Chazz, it's a win-win situation for me!" said Hassleberry happily, grinning.
Syrus frowned. "Oh, it's on! It is so on!"
The next day...
"Hurry, hurry!"
"It's starting!"
"Quick, we gotta get front row seats as soon as possible!"
Running past Chazz, who was in no hurry to get to the Duel Arena, several students eagerly rushed to get their seats and see the duel between Syrus and Missy. Zane Truesdale's brother vs a female Obelisk Blue; now that was something to watch!
"Chazz!" called out Syrus, walking up to him before handing over an envelope. "Do you think you could give this to Jaden?"
"Why? What is it?"
"Just...please give it to her, alright? I gotta go! And no peeking!" Practically shoving the envelope into Chazz's hands, Syrus ran off so he could prepare for his duel.
Curious, Chazz shrugged and opened it, astonished to see Syrus' best card inside. "Ah! It's Power Bond!"
"What'd I just say?!"
Once the audience assembled all around the Duel Arena, it was only a matter of time before the match began. All around, the audience noise only further increased as time passed, and some of the comments were not very good ones.
"Zane Truesdale's little brother? Dueling?"
"There's no way he'll beat an Obelisk Blue! We all know how much he sucks!"
"Wow, this'll be over sooner than I thought!"
Seeing the crowd all riled up and betting on Syrus' loss, Bonaparte seemed mildly surprised as he commented, "All odds are up against the little runt. Think he has a bit of a small chance?"
"But of course," assured Crowler. "After all, size doesn't matter, only skill. Something I've experienced personally by myself."
"Go, go! You can do it! Go, Syrus!" cheered Jaden, dressed in the same cheerleading outfit that she had donned when she cheered for Chumley's duel. With the cheerleading outfit on along with her new appearance for the year, this just made her more cuter and girly.
"Wow..." sighed Hassleberry, unable to stop staring at her as some drool drippled down his chin. "Hey, Jaden? Next time I duel, could you come and cheer me up while wearing that?"
"Hmm? Sure!" agreed Jaden before continuing to cheer and jump up and down. Some nearby male students stopped to watch her, also intrigued and waiting for her to jump a bit...higher.
Alexis scoffed and shook her head before glaring at each and every single male student staring at her with her devious, dark aura, which seemed to scare the students, especially Hassleberry since he was close by, into returning to watch the duel. 'Jaden, you honestly have no idea how much of an influence you're having right now,' thought Alexis, shaking her head.
Hassleberry turned towards Syrus, who was about to face off against Missy. 'Soldier, you may have won the battle this time, but not the war. You may have gotten lucky enough to get Jaden cheer for you, but I'll have my turn soon enough!'
Syrus' opponent, Missy, was a young female Obelisk Blue with wild, long magenta-colored hair who wore a few accessories and makeup. Unimpressed by Syrus' meek appearance, Missy told him, "So, you're Zane's younger brother? Don't take this personally, but you're nothing what I expected. I thought you'd be a lot more handsome and strong like my beloved Zane." To prove her love for Zane, Missy opened up her locket, revealing a picture of Zane inside.
"Hey, that's no fair! Syrus is just as cool as Zane!" defended Jaden, frailing her pompoms around in frustration.
"No fear, soldier!" Hassleberry called out, reminding Syrus of their talk from last night.
"Sorry about all this," apologized Alexis, thinking part of Missy's behavior is her fault because they happen to come from the same dorm together. "Missy is an enthusiastic fan of Zane's. Basically, she's another one of his fangirls."
"Well, even so, she doesn't have to be mean to Sy like that!" pouted Jaden.
"Look, kid, I don't have a grudge or anything, but I'm a girl with needs. And right now, I need to win this duel, because if I win, Chancellor Crowler said that he'll promote me to go pro in the Dueling World League," explained Missy. "So, I won't hold back at all against you!"
"Alright, fine!" agreed Syrus, all fired up. "Then, what are we waiting for?!"
"DUEL!"
- DUEL -
Missy - 4000 LP
VS
Syrus - 4000 LP
"It's my turn, draw!" said Missy. "From my hand, I summon Prickle Fairy in Defense Mode!"
Prickle Fairy - (EARTH/Plant) - LV4 - (300/2000)
"What a tight start!" commented Hassleberry. "A good defense is a good offense!"
"Not only is my Prickle Fairy strong in defense, but her special ability helps out as well!" explained Missy. "You see, as long as she's out on the field, you can't attack any of my Insect-Type Monsters!"
"A fitting card to be placed in an Insect deck like hers," said Alexis, finding Prickle Fairy to be more useful in more ways than one for Missy.
"I'll end my turn! So, come at me, boy!"
"Challenge accepted!" shouted Syrus, drawing his card. "Good! I activate the Spell, Shield Crush! That means I can target a Monster in Defense Mode and destroy it! And I choose your Prickle Fairy!"
Shocked, Missy could do nothing as her absolute defense, Prickle Fairy, was destroyed in an instant.
"But I'm not done yet! I still haven't summoned a Monster, so I summon Steamroid in Attack Mode!"
Steamroid - (EARTH/Machine) - LV4 - (1800/1800)
"Now, attack her directly!"
In response to his command, Steamroid released some hot steam from his engines, making train chugging sound as he rode towards Missy, stopping midway in front of her before firing even hotter steam and hitting her on the face.
Missy - 2200 LP
Syrus - 4000 LP
"Yeah! What a great move, Sy!" cheered Jaden, fist pumping the air with her pompoms. "You can do it! You can do it!"
"That was amazing, Syrus!" Alexis said happily.
The audience's opinion began to change as they started to view Syrus a bit differently after seeing him pull off the amazing stunt. In fact, some were even praising him and acknowledging his skills a little.
"Wow, that was actually pretty cool!"
"Yeah, you go!"
"Way to play!"
Seeing the crowd now cheering on his side, Syrus couldn't help but grin as he posed confidently. "Haha! Do you hear that? The crowd's on my side! How do you like that, huh? Oh, and I'll end my turn for now!"
"Oh no!" groaned Jaden, facepalming as her face was buried in her pompoms. "Now Syrus' bad habit is kicking in. He's letting fame get through to his head."
"Damn cocky brat...! That'll all change once I go!" growled Missy. "My turn! I summon Pinch Hopper in Attack Mode!"
Pinch Hopper - (EARTH/Insect) - LV4 - (1000/1200)
"A Monster like that is no match for my Steamroid!" reminded Syrus.
"Maybe so, but you shouldn't underestimate the power of my cute Insect-Types!" shouted Missy. "I activate the Spell card, Multiplication of Ants! So now, I sacrifice my Pinch Hopper in order to Special Summon 2 Army Ant Tokens!"
Army Ant Token - (EARTH/Insect) - LV4 - (500/1200) X2
"Even if you managed to summon two more Insect-Types, they're still not strong enough to beat Steamroid!" said Syrus.
"Then, I take it that you haven't heard off Pinch Hopper's special ability? When he goes from the field to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon an insect-Type Monster from my hand!"
"Uh-oh, this is looking pretty bad," muttered Hassleberry, thinking she was going to summon a high-leveled Insect-Type Monster.
"She's sweet, she's strong! She's Insect Princess!" called upon Missy dramatically.
Insect Princess - (WIND/Insect) - LV6 - (1900/1200)
Gulping, Syrus glanced at the strong and beautiful Monster, trying to figure out a new way out of this situation. "You can do this, Sy...Just stay calm."
"Just to let you know, Insect Princess's Attack Points increase by 500 with each time she destroys one Insect-Type Monster in battle," revealed Missy.
"Uh, hello? I don't own an Insect deck like yours, so obviously, I don't have any Insect-Types in my deck!" corrected Syrus.
"That's all about to change!" promised Missy. "I activate the Field Spell card, Insect Garden!"
The entire dueling field began reverting from the regular Duel Arena on campus to an entire wildlife garden full of gigantic weeds, grass, and flowers, almost as if they had shrink and were living in the same level as insects.
"Whoa, what's with that Field Spell?" wondered Jaden.
"Oh, I get it now!" gasped Alexis, realizing Missy's plan. "I know what Field Spell that is! And if I'm right, then Syrus is going to be in huge trouble, because now, Missy's going to lend Syrus some of her Monsters!"
"Huh? Why would she do that? I mean, isn't that kinda a good thing?"
"With Insect Garden, all Level 4 or lower Insect-Type Monsters are now under your control," Missy explained, watching her two Army Ant Tokens crawl to Syrus' side. "And now I play the Equip Spell, Insect Pheromone, and equip it to my Insect Princess! Now, attack one of his Army Ant Tokens!"
Her wings illuminating pink light after being given a boost-up, Insect Princess flew upwards and flapped her wings, leaving trails and gusts of sparkling, pink wind to destroy one of the Army Ant Tokens.
Missy - 2200 LP
Syrus - 2600 LP
"And don't forget Insect Princess' special effect! She gets stronger by 500 Attack Points for every Insect Monster she destroys!" said Missy. "But wait, there's more! Insect Pheromone's effect activate, forcing your other Army Ant Token to fight with my Insect Princess during this exact same Battle Phase!"
Insect Princess - (WIND/Insect) - LV6 - (2400/1200)
"No way!" cried out Syrus, watching his Army Ant Token crawling towards Insect Princess in a futile effort to harm Insect Princess.
"Now, take it out!"
Flying firm and strong, Insect Princess wasted no time fluttering her wings and summoning forth greater winds to take out the last Army Ant Token, and since she became stronger, Syrus' Life Points took a massive hit.
Missy - 2200 LP
Syrus - 700 LP
Insect Princess - (WIND/Insect) - LV6 - (2900/1200)
"I end my turn!" stated Missy.
"S-She's strong...What should I do?" Now Syrus was starting to grow hesitant and worried about losing. If he doesn't win, he'll never improve and will continue on being the wimp that he is!
"Syrus, remember what I said?! You have to face your fear in order to overcome it!" called Hassleberry, agitated.
"Sy hasn't lost yet. He just hasn't show his true strength yet," replied Jaden calmly, sitting down as she had grown tired of cheering. "He's the type who gets things done when he needs to. Besides, Sy's got a trump card in his sleeves, so he'll be just fine!"
"..." Chazz glanced at Jaden, wondering whether or not to tell her the truth. Instead, he decided to just continue baring witness to the duel and see where Syrus' progress will end up.
'Not again! Whenever things get tough, I start to doubt myself!' thought Syrus, trying to calm himself down. 'Jaden and the others told me that in order to be a good duelist, you have to respect your opponent! But there's this small voice in my head that tells me to give up and that I'm not good enough!'
As if on cue, Missy insulted out loud, "You're not good enough, dork, so just give up!"
'See? There it is! But even so, Jaden taught me to never give up! That I can turn a pinch into a chance!' Syrus thought. "My turn, draw! First, I'll switch Steamroid into Defense Mode! Then, I summon Submarineroid into Attack Mode!"
Submarineroid - (WATER/Machine) - LV4 - (800/1800)
"What, are we growing desperate now?" taunted Missy. "That thing's only got 800 Attack Points! No way can it defeat my Princess!"
"I'm not aiming for your Princess! I'm aiming for you!" revealed Syrus. "That's because of my Submarineroid's special ability! He can attack you directly!"
Submarineroid dove underground in the sandy grounds, causing some sort of confusion with Missy as she tried to locate where Submarineroid went before she got a sneak attack to the face by the Machine-Type Monster before he emerged from underground and back to Syrus' side.
Missy - 1400 LP
Syrus - 700 LP
"And now Submarineroid's second effect activates! When he attacks or is attacked, I can switch him into Defense Mode!"
"That was good, but what he really needs to play right now is Power Bond," said Jaden. "Wonder why he hasn't played it yet?"
Sighing, Chazz thought this might as well be a good time to tell Jaden. "He can't. Power Bond...isn't in his deck."
"Huh?" Being handed an envelope by Chazz, Jaden opened it and gasped when she saw Power Bond inside before angrily facing Chazz. "How could you?! Did you steal it from his deck?!"
"Hey, what gives?!" demanded Hassleberry, turning around to confront Chazz.
"Chazz, why'd you do that?!" shouted Alexis.
Being cornered for something he didn't do, Chazz argued back, "Hey, I never stole it in the first place! He made me take it, to give to you!"
"Hmm? Me? But why?" wondered Jaden, staring at the Power Bond card after calming down.
"I'll set a card facedown and end my turn!" concluded Syrus.
Feeling agitated and pressured by the continuous duel, Missy yelled, "You think I'm going to lose?! No, I'm going to where my beloved Zane is! My turn, draw! I summon another Insect Monster, my Magical Longicorn!"
Magical Longicorn - (EARTH/Insect) - LV4 - (600/1600)
"Thanks to my Insect Garden, you have to take him whether you like it or not!"
"Again?" wondered Bonaparte.
"Bonaparte, if this works, my entire plan's a flop!" screeched Crowler, increasingly growing worried since he did promise Missy if she held up the end of their bargain.
"I'll destroy the Magical Longicorn I moved over to your field and I'll win!" declared Missy. "Now, go, Insect Princess! Finish this once and for all!"
"Not so fast! I activate a Trap! No Entry!" said Syrus. "This switches all Monsters into Defense Mode! Then, you have to discard 1 card from your hand!"
"Fine! I end my turn!"
"He somehow made it...Whew! This duel is stressing me out!" sighed Bonaparte.
Crowler sighed as well. "Oh, oui, oui."
"Good hustle, soldier!" cheered Hassleberry.
"Yeah, look at Sy go!" exclaimed Jaden excitedly. "You can do this, Syrus!"
"You're good, getting it this far," admitted Missy. "But, you don't win duels with luck. Then again, I guess luck's all you got. So, tell me, what's it like being Jaden Yuki's flunky?"
"Her...flunky?"
"Yeah, that's right. You always follow her around. Honestly, I'm not sure if she's being a manipulative bitch or if you're just following her because of the pretty looks she has, not that she's prettier than me, of course. But a flunky should just do as a flunky does! So, don't get in my way!"
Unable to contain his anger, especially when she went so far as to insult Jaden, his best friend and crush, who had absolutely nothing to do with any of this, Syrus hollered, "SHUT UP!"
His outburst echoed throughout the entire Duel Arena, surprising everyone. Syrus was always a gentle, soft boy who sometimes got into fights, but never intentionally hurts anyone. To see him like this was an entirely new side.
Calming down, Syrus took a deep breath. "S-Sorry...But, you're right about that. I've always been chasing after things ever since I was little, even seeing my older brother as my role model. Zane...he was a star athlete, always got the good grades...and even the good looks."
"Sy..." Jaden watched as Syrus explained himself in front of Missy-no, the entire auditorium, and if he, who always said that he inherited his good looks from his mother instead of Zane inheriting that part, then Syrus must truly be admitting his flaws.
"It's not just Zane I've always chased after, but Jaden as well!" continued Syrus. "Well, you know what? I won't chase after them anymore! I'll get stronger, and I'll walk with them!"
Touched by his motivational speech, Jaden now understood why Syrus didn't want Power Bond in his deck; at least, not in this duel. Power Bond was certainly strong and could guarantee his victory in this duel, but that would only be borrowing his brother's strength. He wanted to win this without the help of his brother or anyone else; to stand up on his own two feet.
"And there's one more thing you should know!" shouted Syrus. "Don't you ever, EVER call Jaden such a horrible name like that, EVER! She's my friend-No, she...she...I...I LOVE HER!"
"Did he just confess his love for her in front of the entire school?!" exclaimed Missy, Alexis, Hassleberry, Chazz, Bonaparte, and Crowler.
"That soldier's even braver than I thought..." mumbled Hassleberry.
"Hey, can we actually do this?! Having our star pupil confess his love like that?!" exclaimed Bonaparte.
Crowler shrugged. "Eh, why not? Not like it's going to change anything. If anything, it'll only encourage Syrus even more."
"Awwww! I love you too, Sy!" cheered Jaden, waving to him.
"What?! I lost the competition?! Just when I was getting into it?!" gasped Hassleberry, unable to believe his ears.
"You're so cute! I love you too like everyone else! So, go go! Win!"
"Figures..." muttered Chazz and Alexis. A typical answer coming from Jaden, who was still oblivious to love.
"Whew!" sighed Hassleberry. "I'm still in the game!"
"My turn, draw!" said Syrus, red-faced. "I activate the Spell card, Vehicroid Connection Zone!"
"Sorry, but Magical Longicorn's special effect activates!" said Missy. "When he's on the field in Attack Mode and on your side, he can negate the activation of your Spell cards!"
"Too bad, then!" spoke Syrus. "My special Spell card can't be destroyed by Spells, Traps, Monster effects, and it can't be negated, either! I sacrifice Drillroid, Steamroid, and Submarineroid in order to Fusion Summon Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill!"
A pink, enlarged vehicle-like driller Monster with a gigantic drill as his nose popped out from underground and appeared all by himself.
Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill - (EARTH/Machine/Fusion) - LV8 - (3000/2000)
"Jumbo Drill! Attack Insect Princess!"
Digging underground, Jumbo Drill dove his way towards Insect Princess, catching her and Missy off guard as the successful ambush attack ended in a large explosion.
"There's another little twist you should know! When my Jumbo Drill attacks a defending Monster, if his Attack Points are higher than the Monster's Defense Points, he deals piercing damage!"
Missy - 0 LP
Syrus - 700 LP
Winner: Syrus
Finishing off the duel with a victory pose by giving off a V-sign with his two fingers, Syrus stood majestically as his opponent fell to her knees in defeat as the crowd ate up his victory and cheered loudly, being incredibly impressed by Syrus' skills.
"The winner is Syrus Truesdale!" announced Crowler, causing the cheering to rise even further with Syrus waving to the audience.
Later...
"What?! You're still going to Ra Yellow?!" cried out Alexis, shocked upon hearing Syrus' final decision.
"So then, you'll be doing exactly what Crowler wants!" reminded Chazz, feeling betrayed.
"Don't you care what happens to the Red Dorm?" questioned Hassleberry.
"W-well..." Syrus' intention was to explain himself before heading for the Ra Yellow dorms, but as soon as everyone heard the words "I'm going to the Ra Yellow dorms," everyone freaked out and assumed the worse. At least let him finish talking!
"Nah, it's alright, guys! Just let him go!" assured Jaden. "I mean, he's only going to get stronger, right? He's moving up in the world!"
Syrus nodded. "Yeah, that's right. So, just wait for me to get into the same level as you, Jaden!"
"Here, don't forget this!" Taking the Power Bond card out of her pocket, Jaden tossed it to Syrus, who caught it.
"Zane told me to become a duelist who can stand on his own and respect his opponents, so he gave me this in hopes I might stand up on my own," explained Syrus. "I thought I needed it to be just as good as he was. I didn't realized that I've grown to rely on this card. So, I'm going to try and get stronger on my own without the card. Here, Jaden. You take it."
Jaden shook her head. "Keep it as a keepsake. It's a valuable card that has all your memories with Zane, right? So, go and break a leg out there!"
"Right!"
Everyone was saddened to see Syrus leave for the Ra Yellow dorms. Sure, he would get much more fancier food, more comfortable living quarters, and so forth, but without him, it just feels like the Slifer Red dorms had a member of their own die. Well, as long as Syrus was happy, his friends could afford to be happy for his sake as well.
"Hey! Those are my fried shrimp!" cried out Syrus, donned in his new Ra Yellow outfit.
Surprised, with his mouth stuffed with fried shrimp, Hassleberry was dumbfounded. "But...But you moved to the Yellow barracks!"
"Nah, I figured that I would want to eat with Jaden, so I decided to stay here as a Ra Yellow! Besides, you did the same thing!" replied Syrus. "And there's no way I'm handing anyone over to Jaden! If there's anyone who's gonna be after her heart, it's me!"
"Since when did you get so tough?!" demanded Hassleberry, standing up from his seat.
Grinning mischeviously, Syrus retorted, "Since I took your advice, Sarge! Bleh!~"
"That's it! Let's take it outside! You and me! One-on-one!"
"Zip it! Can't you see I'm trying to eat?" said Chazz, annoyed before returning to his platter of food, only to discover all of the fried shrimp was gone. "Wha-?! Where'd my fried shrimp go?!"
"..." Jaden stayed silent and innocent as possible, but anyone could see one of the fried shrimp's tail at the corner of her mouth.
"You little-! Gimme back my fried shrimp!"
"Waaaah! Chazz is attacking me!"
"Soldier, you and me are taking it outside!"
"Bring it on! I'm not afraid of you, private!"
"IT'S SARGE!"
That night...
"Jaden, how did you convince Chazz to use his room for the sleepover tonight?" asked Syrus as he, Alexis, Hassleberry, Jaden, and Bastion all sat down in the living room.
"Hmm? What are you talking about?" wondered Jaden. "He said before that I could live here, so I'm taking advantage of his offer!"
"Jaden!" cried out Alexis. "You manipulate Chazz's words about his offer to stay at his new home? ...Nice. Teach me your ways!"
Stepping out of the bathroom with hot steam escaping from the bathroom was Chazz, clothed only in a towel around his waist. "Ah, that was pretty go-WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?!"
"Hiya, Chazzy! We came here for a sleepover!" said Jaden.
"I didn't give permission to have a sleepover here at my place! Now, get out of here!" shouted Chazz, using the bathroom door to cover himself.
"But Chazzzzzyyyyy!"
"No! No whining! Your stupid puppy dog eyes aren't gonna work on-"
Suddenly, Jaden, who was in her seat, flashed in front of Chazz and pounced on him, tackling him to the bathroom floor and getting on top of him, causing everyone to cry out in surprise.
"Jaden, what the hell?!" exclaimed Chazz as he realized he was being pinned down by Jaden, who further increased her strength and tightened her grip on his wrists.
"Jaden! That's not appropriate!" said Bastion.
"Get off him, Jaden!" said Alexis.
'That lucky bastard!' thought Hassleberry and Syrus, enraged on the inside.
"How dare you say that?!" shouted Jaden, shaking Chazz by his wet shoulders over and over. "Puppy dog eyes are one of the cutest in history! They stare into your very soul and are like heaven to you! Apply that to puppies or kitties or something and you get a cuddle of fun!~ Don't you EVER call puppy dog eyes stupid! Promise me!"
"I-"
"PROMISE ME!" Now Jaden was starting sound and look demonic, scaring Syrus and Hassleberry as they hid behind Alexis.
Even she was scaring Chazz as he frailed his arms. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry! I promise!"
Jaden quickly reverted to normal as she patted Chazz's shower head. "Good boy!~"
"I'm not a dog, damnit! Get off me!"
Once Chazz dressed and dried himself, he reluctantly agreed to host a mini sleepover at his new home under fear of Jaden. However, he did lay down a few ground rules and conditions.
1. Any mess made during the sleepover, someone besides The Chazz himself had to clean it up. (Everyone wanted to wipe the smug look off his face.)
2. He gets to sleep with Jaden. (He was nearly killed by Hassleberry and Syrus for this.)
3. Any time he wants a drink or food, Hassleberry and Syrus has to go fetch it for him. (Once again, both boys were resisting the urge to kill Chazz.)
4. More rules may be added later by The Chazz himself.
The first thing Chazz had in mind? A simple game of Spin the Bottle.
"I gotta go to the bathroom!" said Alexis, excusing herself as she rushed to head for Chazz's bathroom. Yeah, she was not dealing with that sort of shit.
"I don't get it," said Jaden, picking up an empty soda bottle. "Why do we have to play a boring game? All we're doing is just spinning a bottle and that's it."
"...Jaden, how much do you know about the game?" asked Syrus, deadpanning.
"Oh! Just that you spin a bottle and that's it! Flame Wingman and my other Duel Spirits told me everything! They also told me it was the most boring game in history and that I shouldn't play it!"
Typical of Jaden's overprotective Duel Spirits. Of course, they would lie about a kissing game for Jaden's innocence.
"Well, screw them! Let's just play the damn game!" shouted Chazz, spinning the bottle. 'Come on, Jaden! Come on, Jaden!'
And the soda bottle landed right in front of...Hassleberry.
"Ew! EW!" cried out Hassleberry, backing away from Chazz as Syrus burst into laughter. "No way! Nuh-uh! I quit!"
"I'm certainly glad I wasn't in front of that bottle," muttered Bastion.
"Yeah, you know what? Screw the game! We don't have to play it! We can always just choose a different game!" Chazz agreed, throwing the soda bottle away. Yeah, no way was he going to go and kiss Hassleberry.
"Huh? Okay! So, what game should we play?" wondered Jaden.
After multiple games later...
"Alexis sure is taking a long time in the bathroom," Jaden commented, glancing at the bathroom where Alexis went as she was holding a piece of paper. "Oh well, it's probably no-"
Thinking that enough time has passed, Alexis stepped out of the bathroom and came across a rather...unusual and odd sight.
"Gah! Syrus, go higher! Higher!"
"I can't-! I'm reaching my limits!"
"No! Don't touch the-Ah!~"
"Ewww, don't make a sound lik-Eep! Where are you touching, you bastard?!"
"...What are you guys doing?" asked Alexis, crossing her arms.
"Oh, hiya, Alexis! We're playing a game of Twister!" giggled Jaden.
Somehow, Jaden managed to convince Syrus, Hassleberry, and Chazz to play a game of Twister while she and Bastion were serving as the commentaries for the game as they gave orders to the three boys.
"...It really isn't what you think," spoke Bastion awkwardly.
The three boys were clearly in very...peculiar and close positions with each other, having twisted their bodies in ways that could be considered...sexual.
"Ugh! Get your butt out of my face!"
"You think I want to be in this position?!"
"Ew! Ugh! Did you just farted?!"
"Okay, guys! Chazz, left hand blue! Sy, right hand yellow! And Hassleberry, left leg green!" commanded Jaden happily.
Despite obeying the orders, this caused the trio boys to become more in awkward and painful positions. In fact, some of their bones cracking could be heard.
"Gaaaah! I can't take it anymore! My bones are cracking! Bastion, help!" cried out Hassleberry.
"O-okay!" said Bastion, trying to figure out what to do.
Syrus had an even better idea. "Ow...Bastion, why don't you get Jaden to join us? In our game?"
"Yeah! Get her to join us and-IYEEEEEE!" Hassleberry shrieked. "Hurry!"
Frowning, Alexis grabbed Jaden by the shoulders and took her away. "Jaden, why don't we head over towards the kitchen? I saw ice cream and fried shrimp there."
"Yay! I love those things!"
"NO, NO YOU CAN'T! NOT WHILE WE'RE DYING!" screamed Chazz, on the verge of breaking. "WHAT ARE YOU GUYS, DEMONS, ABANDONING US?!"
"Bastion, save us!" cried out Syrus.
"Okay, okay! Um..." Picking up the paper Jaden dropped, Bastion tried to read something. "Uh...Hassleberry? Try right leg red!"
"O-okay! I can do this! I can-GAAAH! MY GOOD BONE!"
'They do realize they can stop the game anytime, right?' thought Alexis annoyed as she scooped up some ice cream for her and Jaden.
Thus concluded the sleepover...for now.
Skit: Traumatic Bad Luck
"Aww, come on! I still think we should have resolved our problems with a hug!" pouted Jaden, crossing her arms in disappointment.
"I've told ya before! I don't do hugs! I'm a man, and big men don't do hugs!" defended Hassleberry. "Besides, haven't you heard all about them rumors? About how hugs are considered a terrible omen?"
"Huh? Who told you that?" wondered Syrus.
"A guy I knew in Ra Yellow told me something! He was one of the former Troop Tyranno gang members, but he told me and a bunch of other people that long ago, there used to be this guy with crazy hair. Looked Egyptian too! And he always asked for a hug!"
"Awww! That's so sweet!" said Jaden.
"But, instead of a hug, that Egyptian guy just stabs people to death!"
"So, he's basically a psychopath," said Syrus. "That's not an omen! That's just some psychopath whose phrasing of 'hugs' means stabbing people to death!"
Hassleberry shook his head. "It ain't matter no more. Too many folks were scared to death and thus renamed the 'Hugs' as a bad omen!"
"Oh, come on! It can't be that bad!" said Jaden, opening her arms and walking closer to Hassleberry. "Here, lemme give you a hu-"
"AIYEEEEE!" As quick as lightning, Hassleberry leapt high in the air, clinging onto the ceiling fan for dear light. "...Just letting you know, I was not afraid of hugs. I was doing my daily dino jump!"
Syrus rolled his eyes. "Yeah...right."
Skit: Operation Hot Bath
"Where's Jaden and Alexis?" wondered Syrus.
"In the bathroom, bathing," said Bastion, who was reading a book.
Syrus, Hassleberry, and Chazz ceased what they were doing and glanced at one another. They didn't need words to express what their hidden desires were as they all shook hands, forming a temporary truce. Since Bastion was distracted with his book, it didn't take long to reach the entrance of the bathroom.
Their manly desires must be met!
Unknown to Syrus and Hassleberry, standing right in front of the bathroom were both an enraged Burstinatrix, Lady Heat, Rampart Blaster, and Escuridao, the females of the Elemental Hero team. They did not look happy.
"Yeah...I'm just gonna go do something else," said Chazz, backing off. He could handle bullies. He could handle Obelisk Blues. He could handle Jaden's stupidity. Hell, he could even handle Flame Wingman, which he did and survived. But pissing off already pissed off female Elemental Heroes whom he couldn't touch? Yeah, he was not crossing that line.
"Feh, chicken," said Hassleberry, reaching out his hand to open the bathroom door. The second he made contact, he felt his head a little bit...hot.
"Gaaaah! Your bandanna's on fire!" cried out Syrus.
Looking up, Hassleberry realized he was right and screamed like a girl, running away and trying to find a source of water to extinguish the fire. Syrus screamed when his pants were on fire and hurried towards where Hassleberry was.
Operation Hot Bath was a total failure.
Skit: Human Victory
Winged Kuriboh always loved it whenever he got to sleep with his master, Jaden, which was like, everyday. Sure, she cuddles with other cute stuffed animals, and he didn't mind being treated like a stuffed animal, but as long as he got to sleep with his master, everything was alright.
That is, until he was flung away by Chazz and kidnapped by the Ojama brothers.
The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Chazz's grin as he became the new replacement for Jaden's snuggle buddy; Jaden cuddling close to Chazz as she was asleep.
Chazz Princeton has yet again made another enemy.
In a flash, Flame Wingman appeared, not appearing happy and angry, as evident of the flames boiling up his body and being visible. "Chazz Princeton...For daring to be in this position, your punishment shall be death..."
Chazz predicted something like this would happen ever since their last fight, so he made sure to be fully prepared. "You could annihilate me if you wanted to, but I know you won't."
"Bullshit. There is literally nothing that would hold me back. I'll face the punishment for burning a human alive later. All I need to do is burn your alive, and that's one less threat away from harming Jaden's innocence. Plus, she's asleep, so she'll never know who did it."
"You must seriously be an idiot," said Chazz. "She's clinging onto me like I was some lost, cute puppy. You burn me, you burn her, too. And I know you would never, ever burn her."
"...I could always kill you whenever you're alo-"
"Oh, sure, go ahead. Try me. Go ahead and try to assassinate me. But I know you're a hero at heart and would never kill innocents or bystanders."
"Your point?"
"The Ojamas and my other Duel Spirits are always with me. So, if they witness you kill me, they'll run away like cowardly idiots. Sure, they'll run, but they're still witnesses. But you know who else is going to know who murdered me? Jaden, and she's going to hate you if you kill me. And I got info that any insult from Jaden is like a stab to the heart for you. Imagine what would happen if you were hated forever by the one you cared about the most?"
"...You're a selfish, son of a bitch, Chazz Princeton. I hope you burn in hell when you die."
Chazz scoffed. "As long as you're not in it."
"GAAAAAAHHH!" Furious, Flame Wingman left, leaving a satisfied Chazz to cuddle with Jaden.
Finished! And if you think that's the end of the sleepover, there's more to come! But not in the next chapter! The next sleepover might be in this season or next season, but there will be another part of the sleepover!
Oh, and before I go, do you guys really want me to put up that Zane vs Aster duel? There's not really a lot to it and focuses on those two. Well, see ya!