Chapter 3: The Crown (So Close I Can Taste It)
With a grim countenance, I swiftly walked up the path from the bay to the top of the cliff. I took care not to run, as it would have compromised my calm demeanor. Still, I had to walk quickly to keep up with Zane. Jaden, Syrus and Chumley hustled behind me, and I waited for them to catch up before continuing on myself.
Alexis was walking between Zane and my group, seemingly indecisive about whom to walk with. "Alexis." I said stonily to her, leaving no room for interpretation. She paused and waited for me to fall into step with her.
"You did well in that duel. Even I haven't defeated Jaden yet, and you did it with Syrus helping him. You might actually beat Zane if you keep this up." She whispered that last part- I got the distinct impression she was afraid of losing favor with Zane.
I looked at her unwaveringly in the eye before responding. "Thanks, I appreciate that. I'd still like to duel you sometime, you know. That is, unless you make me fill out an eight-step application process like this guy."
She laughed genuinely, tinkling music to my ears. Her hand brushed my shoulder momentarily. "No, you don't have to worry about that." She seemed interested, but I couldn't help but notice how often her gaze fixed on Jaden. Shrugging it off, I continued to follow Zane. He was taking us far, all the way up to the peak of the island's volcano. A tiring waste of time to be sure, but I couldn't deny the dramatic effect it had.
"A bit of a walk, huh? Not saying I don't like the cardio, but still…" I piped up flippantly.
"Quiet." Zane replied coldly. "You said you wanted to duel me. So far, you've put up with everything I've asked of you. It's only fair that I finally indulge your ridiculous request. I hoped that Jaden would be able to humble you, but I see that's a job I'll have to undertake personally. Now prepare yourself."
"And I'm sure your schedule is normally oh-so busy. That's why you spend all day brooding by a fucking lighthouse." I thought derisively. "I appreciate this, I really do. Let's have a good duel." I said, doubting he would appreciate any snark from me. His expression slightly softened.
"You may begin whenever you're ready." The Kaiser said cordially. "Actually, I was thinking we'd play a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who goes first, as the rules of this game dictate." I walked over to the Obelisk upperclassman and stuck out my hands, a closed fist over an open palm.
Taken somewhat aback, Zane frowned before acquiescing. "On shoot. Rock-paper-scissors, shoot!" I called out, throwing out an extended fist while Zane simultaneously laid out an open palm.
"Ah, poor predictable rock. It seems I will be deciding who will go first. Now as I said, start whenever you're ready." Zane said smugly.
"Damn, rock usually works…" I grumbled as I made my way over to my side of the clearing. "It was a good try, man!" Jaden offered supportively. Alexis barely managed to obscure her laughter with a cough.
"Ok then, I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn." I said as quickly possible. I set some basic traps, a Ring of Destruction and a Draining Shield. I teched Draining Shield into my deck during the walk up to the volcano- a last minute meta call. I had the feeling I would need every life point I could get my hands on.
Zane chuckled, a surprising thing, before beginning the duel properly. "I'll also set two cards and end my turn." He said, as placid and calm as ever.
"Alright." I responded in kind, schooling my features into a poor facsimile of his effortless calm. "I'll draw…and pass." I declared lamely. After a minute, Zane drew and passed once again. The tense quiet that fell over the battlefield threatened to burst at this ridiculous excuse for a duel.
"I'm only going to have one shot at this…the one-turn kill. If he won't attack…or can't attack, I should be able to draw what I need." I thought frantically, my own anticipation level rising steadily as this stalemate wore on. Jaden was already looking bored, the poor kid. Somebody get him some Adderall…and maybe hook me up while you're at it.
"I activate Foolish Burial, allowing me to send a monster from my deck to the graveyard." I sent a copy of Don Zaloog, certain that I wouldn't need him in the duel. The fact that he was dark-attribute would also help me summon Black Luster Soldier when I drew the fucking thing. "I'll end my turn after that."
"There you go! He actually played a card, you guys!" Jaden cheered, pumping his fist skyward. Syrus and Alexis remained silent, tense with expectation.
"It's probably set-up for summoning Black Luster Soldier." Bastion's analytical, calm voice was a huge shock to Jaden, who didn't see him approach. Syrus let out a bit of a squak upon Bastion's surprising appearance.
"When did you get here?" Jaden asked after recovering from his momentary shock.
"Just now. What am I, some sort of ninja?" Misawa commented wryly. "No, I merely wished to see just how my roommate would fare against the great Kaiser. Since he's managed longer than three turns, I'm already pleasantly surprised."
"You're Jamie's roommate?" Alexis interjected. "Sorry, I don't think I've met you yet. I'm Alexis Rhodes." She extended her hand in greeting.
Bastion quickly shook her hand in response, a bit overeager. "I'm Bastion Misawa, Jamie's minder. How did the Queen of Obelisk Blue end up hanging around with this motley crew anyhow?" He asked dryly- he decided not to mention hat he had already met her before at Jaden's public duel with Chazz. In fact, they had quite a lengthy conversation. Grimacing, he kept a stiff upper lip and carried on like a good boy.
She rolled her eyes. "Believe it or not, I think the best duelists in this school are all here, standing on this very volcano. Jamie knows about Zane's strategy, and he's doing his best to play around it. Who knows if it'll be enough?"
"Oh? You wouldn't include Chazz Princeton in that list then?" Bastion, who always had an eye towards status and rank, took quick notice of her omission.
"Chazz is a good duelist, but his star has been falling ever since he took that rather humiliating loss to Jaden, with a deck full of rare cards no less." Alexis shrugged. "I think that he's on thin ice with Crowler as well."
Bastion nodded. "I see. His star is falling then…" "A new position in Obelisk Blue may be opening soon, and I have no doubt that Jamie's going to have his eye on it. Hmm…he might find himself with some competition…" He thought with uncharacteristic cunning.
Meanwhile, the seventh turn of the duel begun, and my strategy was just beginning to come together. At long last, I had seven cards in my hand, and one of them was a light monster. "I'll pass again." Now that my hand was overflowing, I was allowed to discard a card to the grave during the end phase. I pitched Airknight Parshath, and unless Zane teched in a card that would banish some of my own cards from grave, I would be fine. Now I just needed to survive whatever attacks he would throw my way and draw into my trump cards.
"I've had just about enough of this ridiculous farce. I draw, and summon Cyber Phoenix (1200/1600) in attack mode!" In a pillar of light, a mechanical phoenix with four wings emerged, its cybernetic veins flowing with strange orange fuel. "Attack him now!"
I had to let Cyber Phoenix's attack go through, since its special effect prevented me from targeting it. Still, it felt good to know that I forced Zane to abandon his usual strategy. (Jamie 2800/Zane 4000)
"Now the game can truly begin!" I laughed bracingly, taking the damage. "What a shame that you won't be able to make your major plays."
"You honestly think my entire strategy revolves around summoning Cyber Dragon turn one? Fool. You've done nothing but give me time to accumulate my resources." Zane snorted, and for the first time, I felt a faint stirring of fear in the pit of my stomach. Perhaps I really was playing into Zane's hand.
"My draw. I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face-down card. Next, I'll summon Gemini Elf (1900/1000) in attack mode!" Twin sisters descended to the field, dark energy crackling at their fingertips. One of the sisters had dark brown hair and a slinky purple dress, while her twin had wavy blonde hair and a dress adorned with furs. Their clever eyes narrowed in mischief and malice as they saw Zane.
"Attack his Cyber Phoenix now!" My girls put their hands together, creating a huge sphere of shadowy energy from their combined powers. With a cry, they hurled the energy ball at the Cyber Phoenix, warping it apart. (Jamie 2800/Zane 3300)
"I'll end with that." Well, at least I got in a bit of damage on him. I looked over at the spectators, and noticed that they seemed quite shocked as well. Jaden's grin widened, Bastion's eyebrows arched, Syrus' scowl deeped, and Chumley's vaguely bored countenance remained unchanged. Alexis was looking at me strangely- I couldn't tell what she was thinking at all. But that didn't matter. I needed to win as soon as possible before Zane drew something he needed. To my surprise, Zane looked pleased- definitively not a good sign.
"You spent so long trying to avoid my Cyber Dragon only to grow impatient in the end! Not so clever in the end, are you? Now then, since you have a monster on the field and I don't, I think I'll special summon my Cyber Dragon (2100/1600) in attack mode." I cringed, realizing my error all too late. How could I have made such an amateur mistake? Perhaps it was my nerves affecting my judgment. I wanted so badly to win that it was affecting my play. I was always the type of duelist who played better when I was completely relaxed. My strategic mind could better experiment and take risks without the fear of failure looming over me.
Taking a deep breath, I stood up straight and stretched out my shoulders. I loosened the tension around my brow and braced myself for Zane's next play, hoping I had the tools to avoid an OTK.
"Next, I'll activate Future Fusion. This continuous spell allows me to target one fusion monster in my fusion deck. I think I'll choose Cyber End Dragon. Then, I send that monster's fusion materials from my deck to my graveyard." Zane said strictly, pitching two Cyber Dragons and a Proto-Cyber Dragon to the graveyard. "Then, in my second standby phase after this card's activation, I can summon the Cyber End Dragon from my deck to the field. Two turns." Zane held up two fingers, as if I was some dense child that didn't understand numbers.
It looked like things were being hurried along, then. "Two turns, eh? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now do your worst!" I balked, my bravado hiding a very real terror at the way this duel was headed.
"As you wish! Cyber Dragon, attack his Gemini Elf with strident blaze!" The mechanical hydra let loose a blue stream of flame at my girls, who cringed in terror as the beam approached.
"I activate my trap card, Draining Shield!" A green barrier materialized around my elves, the flames harmlessly licking away at its surface. "This negates your monster's attack and allows me to gain life points based on how many attack points your monster has!" I grinned as I saw the life point counter on my duel disk rise. (Jamie 4900/Zane 3300)
Zane huffed. "Very well. I'll set a card face-down and normal summon Cyber Valley (0/0) in attack mode." A small, silver-plated serpent slithered to the field, its sides adorned with red power nodes.
"I chain the activation of my second trap to your end phase- go, Ring of Destruction! This will destroy your Cyber Dragon and inflict damage to our life points based on its attack points! And it looks like I have plenty of life points to spare!" I boasted a bit, my two-trap combo going off nicely.
The ring of explosives detonated around the Cyber Dragon's neck, the explosion causing both Zane and I to cover our eyes. Zane growled at the impudence of such a play, believing it to be part of a wider combo on my part. He would be wrong in that assumption, but far be it from me to correct him. (Jamie 2800/Zane 1200)
"That worked out really well for him, then. I almost thought Jamie messed up big time there." Jaden said with a short laugh.
"Oh, he might have. But still, being able to cover your tracks when you make a mistake is a good skill for any duelist to have." Bastion noted, his eye ever critical.
"No way…maybe he can beat my brother!" Syrus thought, the idea both thrilling and frightening to him.
"I enjoy watching Jamie duel. It's nice to see a duelist with a bit of guile. But Zane's got this one, I think." Alexis mentally sighed.
"Ok, what should we do here…I need this next draw to be a good one!" I drew, and if there was ever a time I needed the Heart of the Cards to be real, now was it.
And so enough, it was true. The Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning was in my hand and ready to summon at any time, since I had a Don Zaloog and an Airknight Parsath in grave. Oh, to see the look on Zane's face when his precious Cyber End Dragon gets banished with one swing of the sword will be worth all this. For now, I would have my trusty Marshmallon playing defense.
"I'll set a monster in face-down defense position. Then, I'll get that Cyber Valley out of my way! Gemini Elf, attack now!" The girls shot another volley of dark violet blasts, but I knew these wouldn't find their mark, unfortunately. Cyber Valley's special effect activated, banishing itself to end the battle phase. The cybernetic serpent vanished in a shimmering curtain of golden light, taking my attack with it. Zane got to draw a card out of the deal as well.
"I end my turn." I muttered. Zane was as detached as any surgeon I had ever seen. I was starting to understand why he was viewed as being so intimidating- that stone-cold look on his face was unseemly, even though I knew that he wasn't always this way.
"One standby phase has passed." Zane intoned. "I'll activate the Cyber Repair Plant spell card. This lets me activate one or two effects depending on how many Cyber Dragons are in my graveyard. Since there are three, I can activate two effects. The first lets me add a Light Machine monster from my deck to my hand. After that, I can add another Light Machine from the graveyard back into the deck." Zane then returned a Cyber Dragon to a deck while adding what else but another fucking Cyber Valley.
"Shoot, another Cyber Valley, huh? Looks like you're going to be able to summon your Cyber End Dragon after all." I said, trying to be sportsmanlike.
"Actually, I don't believe that will be needed. I have everything I need to win this game right now! By banishing every Light Machine from my field and graveyard I can summon the glorious Cyber Eltanin (?/?)!"
"What!?" I thought Zane only had this card in the manga or something! Clearly, this wasn't the case. From now on, I would have to assume that every character had cards from both the anime and the manga as well. Which ones they had would have to be determined.
Meanwhile, a shocking blue portal opened behind Zane, depressurized wind blasting from its entrance. Zane's navy blue hair blew every which way, but otherwise he was stock still, his arms crossed and his expression passionless. Meanwhile, here I was throwing my arms in front of my face to protect myself from holographic wind of all things.
Cyber Eltanin was massive- it utterly dwarfed every one of us, its chrome frame larger and wider than the maw of the island's volcano. Nine smaller mecha dragon heads circled around one utterly huge face. It roared a high-pitched whine, the air itself reverberating around its giant teeth. Instantly, one of the nine dragon heads unleashed a bright blue laser that vaporized my Gemini Elf.
"When Cyber Eltanin is summoned, all other face-up monsters are destroyed. Then, it gains 500 attack and defense points for each monster banished for the summon. I banished three Cyber Dragons, a Cyber Valley, and a Cyber Phoenix, giving Cyber Eltanin 2500 points!"
I smirked, glad to have a set monster and some face-downs.
"Next, I'll normal summon Cyber Dragon Zwei (1500/1500)!" Another silver serpent appeared, although it was practically a bug next to the massive Eltanin. Yellow light emanated from the Cyber Dragon Zwei's plate armor, giving it an eerie glow.
"Now, attack his set monster!" The serpent coiled and lunged, flipping my monster face-up. Unfortunately for my good friend Zane, he attacked my trusty pal Marshmallon (300/500). The Cyber Dragon ripped the cute pink marshmallow in half, only for my creature to effortlessly reform a moment later.
"What a shame that you ran into my ace monster. Behold, the powers of basic battle immunity! Now, since you attacked Marshmallon, you'll be taking 1000 points of damage. Too bad, but hey, you shouldn't have attacked." I grinned a bit- I was so close to victory! (Jamie 2800/Zane 200)
To my surprise, the corners of Zane's mouth twitched upwards as well. "You know, I saw your entrance examination against Professor Drummond. I wasn't impressed with you then. You seemed arrogant and proud of hiding behind your defensive traps. I didn't like the way you disposed of your cards when you were done with them like tools. I still don't like that. But you are good. I can respect skill, and you have skill. Few have brought me this close to defeat before. This has been a fun game, and I regret that it must end so soon."
I was surprised- I don't think I've ever heard him say so much. "Thank you, Zane. All I wanted was respect." I admitted internally, having no intention of saying such a thing aloud. I nodded, taking a long breath before replying. "In a real battle, you do what must be done to win. Without Marshmallon, I would've lost against Professor Drummond, and he wasn't even using his real deck. Without my traps, you would've defeated me twice over by now." I paused before delivering the main point of this little speech. Wow, this really is like an anime.
"People want to judge me for dueling the way I want to? They're free to do so. They can judge from the sidelines as I keep winning!" I drew my next card, and I knew instinctively that this was my chance to win. Was this the heart of the cards?
I only had this one moment to win. The next turn, Zane's Future Fusion would activate, and that Cyber End Dragon would come bearing down like a hurricane, a force of nature beyond my power to stop or even slow down. That meant I had to strike right now!
"At long last, it's here…my time is now! I banish Don Zaloog and Airknight Parshath from my graveyard to summon my strongest monster, the golden knight that walks the road to twilight! Through Light and Darkness his path intersects! Come forth, Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!"
The afternoon was fading to evening, and that warm orange glow was just beginning to fall over the island as my knight took to the battlefield, that halo of glorious fire burning all around him.
"Woah…no way. Does Jamie actually have this?" Alexis wondered out loud. "Hey, good for him if he does, I didn't think anybody could beat Zane." Chumley added. Far from being resentful or jealous, Jaden watched the match with a light smile, simply enjoying the battle of wills unfolding before him. Syrus was caught up in the match, not sure how to feel.
"Amazing…I never thought I would see a freshman with such a powerful monster. Truly, it's an amazing creature." Zane said in genuine recognition. I ignored his words and instead focused on his face-down.
"Of course that's a battle trap. But I have no choice but to attack! Sure, I could banish one of his monsters, but that won't do any good when Cyber End Dragon is on the field next turn anyways! Damn it all!" I cursed, on the razor's edge of panic. This couldn't be the end, not when I had gotten so far!
'What is it? The way forward is clear." Zane said knowingly.
"Of course it is. Black Luster Soldier, attack his Cyber Dragon Zwei and end this duel now!" My dark knight leapt majestically into the air, bringing down his curved blade with a strong sense of finality.
"You've surprised me, kid. But you're not the only one who can use a cheap battle trap! Activate, reverse card! Mirror Force!"
"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me!" My jaw dropped in utter and devastating shock, feeling a sudden drop in the pits of my stomach.
"Language, freshman!" Zane said as my knight in shining armor, my indefatigable champion, was blasted apart in a blinding flash of light. I was left with only Marshmallon, the sweet little guy giving me a look of sympathy as my last hope was lost.
"Shoot, and I came so close!" I had nothing left. My face-downs were bluffs, completely useless in the face of this seemingly insurmountable challenge. My arms fell to my sides, my clenched fists slowly unfurling. Still, I wouldn't surrender. I would stand tall and dignified in the face of defeat, just as Jaden did before me. Hey, at least it was a hard-fought game, but sometimes you've just gotta throw in the towel.
Haha, you didn't really believe that, did you?
"I set a card face-down and end my turn." I muttered stonily. Jaden, Syrus, Chumley, and Alexis were shocked, clearly expecting me to have another trick up my sleeve, some way of stealing victory away. I suppose they would see soon enough.
"So let it be done." With a flourish, Zane drew his last card. "Now that two standby phases have passed, my Future Fusion spell activates properly, allowing me to summon my own pride and joy! Come forth, Cyber End Dragon (4000/2800)!"
A torrent of blue flame erupted suddenly and fiercely, taking my breath away. From the pillar of fire burst the three-headed hydra, its metallic exterior shimmering in the nighttime reflection of the nearby waters. It screeched harshly, but my ears hardly noticed it, white noise blocking everything else out.
"As I'm sure you're aware, the Cyber End Dragon inflicts piercing damage whenever it battles a defensive monster. Since your Marshmallon only has 500 defense points, that will add up to 3500 points of damage inflicted to you." Zane eyed my face-down cards carefully, but he seemed otherwise confident about this impending attack.
"Attack with Triple Evolution Burst!" The three heads of the dragon were alight with blue energy, photons streaming off of the blasts in blue lines of light.
My Marshmallon, the brave little guy, withstood the blast as well as any other. He reformed and took his place by my side, a truly loyal soldier under my command. But in this case, even Marshmallon's defenses were totally inadequate. The blast nearly rushed over me, and I stood tall, my green eyes bright, cold, and furious.
Suddenly, a moment before the laser would have hit me, it halted and sputtered out. It was still close enough to kick up a cloud of dust, but even still, the audience was confused as to what actually happened. The dust settled, but the monsters didn't disappear. That was the first clue for many of the spectators that something was amiss, but Zane didn't seem to notice.
"Good game, man. I mean, it's not the outcome either of us would have wanted, but oh well…" I said with affected lightness.
Zane nodded back, before the implications of my words dawned on him. "What are you talking about? I just won. That's exactly the outcome I was going for."
I cackled. "You might want to take a look at your pet! It looks like somebody's fixed him with a new collar! Personally, I think it's very fashionable!"
Everyone's eyes locked onto the neck of the Cyber End Dragon, where a ring adorned with bombs was affixed.
"No way…impossible!" Zane said in genuine shock.
"Ring of Destruction..." I say, gesturing to my flipped up trap. "I know, running two copies is a bit reckless, but I figure it would be a good backup measure just in case. Looks like it paid off, at least when the alternative scenario is considered."
"That means…a draw." Zane said slowly, the situation unbalancing him. I couldn't blame him; a draw in this game was quite rare.
But he was right; in this time period, Ring of Destruction had not yet been errata'd, meaning that upon activation, both players took the damage from the card's effect at the same time, resulting in a draw in this case. When the card's text got altered by Konami in 2015, the effect actually damaged the player who activated it first, meaning that I would have technically lost had I activated the post-errata version of the card. Konami was motivated to get Ring of Destruction off the banlist, but luckily for me, the card in its original form hadn't even been banned yet here! Before it did, I planned to take it as far as I could.
The ring exploded, the burst of flame completely engulfing the Cyber End Dragon, as well as us both. (Jamie 0/Zane 0)
"A draw…just like taking your sister to the big dance. Not exactly painful enough to be called a loss…but it sure as hell isn't a win either." I say dryly, deactivating my duel disk.
To my shock, Zane actually laughed at that, in spite of himself. When he caught everyone staring in shock at him, he quickly clammed up again, embarrassed to be caught acting like a human being. "I think that's a pretty accurate assessment. You have some nerve, Jamie. I take it you want to be an Obelisk Blue before the year is out." He said, trying to reclaim his cool. I'm sure he was just glad his perfect win record wasn't fully tarnished. Considering how he went off the deep end when Aster Phoenix beat him in canon, I was almost glad not to win.
"I hear the beds are nice. But really, just seeing your face everyday is a good enough reason to join."
Alexis guffawed at this, but the joke seemed lost on Zane. He nodded to himself this time, his arms crossed. "Very well, Jamie Lancaster. Perhaps I will see you among the blue coats before the year is out. I would like to see the future of Obelisk Blue in capable hands. That will be all." With that, he turned around and walked away, not caring about what I, nor any of the spectators, had to say.
"How dare he speak to me like that!?" I began to grow riled again, but ultimately I realized that this was as close to a show of respect I was going to get from Zane. He seemed to want me in the ranks of Obelisk Blue, as much as he could be said to want for anything. Truly, I calmed down. I couldn't win them all, and Duel Monsters was as much a game of luck as it was of skill. Next time, I would get the better of him. Next time, I would face him as an Obelisk.
Alexis, of course, ran after Zane's retreating form. Truthfully, I found the way she hung off of his arm irritating, but this was mainly out of envy more than anything else if I'm being honest. "Would she still run after him if I emerged victorious?" Shaking my head, I did my best to rid myself of these dark ruminations.
"Hey, you did great out there, Jamie! That was one sweet duel!" Jaden clapped me on the back.
"Thanks, man. I heard you put up a good fight against him as well." I offered him some respect in return.
"Yeah, it was a close one, but that Cyber End Dragon was a bit too much to handle. That's alright though, I'll just have to keep gettting better. It's good to have someone like Zane to aspire to." Jaden replied blithely.
"I'm surprised it was the piercing damage that nearly defeated you, since your deck is so trap heavy. Running two Rings of Destruction…I've tried that before, and it's hardly ever a good idea." Bastion noted clinically. I chuckled as the Slifers' eyes glazed over when Bastion began to speak. He could be a bit of a bore sometimes, I admit.
"Yeah, I wasn't drawing into anything, man. I had no choice but to use it. If only I had a Magic Cylinder, right?" I said, and we both chuckled a bit at that.
"Such statistical anomalies are frustrating indeed. Just run three of them next time." Bastion suggested. Although Magic Cylinder was an expensive card at this time, I did consider buying at least two of them to tech in against Zane in the rematch. That would be doing whatever is necessary to win the battle. And yet, a part of that cynical strategy didn't sit well with me. I never liked to construct a deck solely for the purpose of countering another build, except in extreme situations like the Zoodiac format of late 2016. Then again, I guess that essentially is what every anti-meta deck has been doing since the game's beginning. I made a mental note to pick up a copy of Fossil Dyna as well, if he was out at this point in the game.
"I just wonder what I could have done differently, ya know?" I confided.
"It's possible to make no mistakes and still lose, or in your case draw- this is the way of all battles, not just Duel Monsters. Don't be too hard on yourself, just get ready for the next time." Bastion consoled. I nodded, agreeing silently.
I walked with Bastion, Syrus, Jaden, and Chumley back to the red dorm, and there was a new sense of companionship amongst the group. Even Syrus seemed to view me with some semblance of respect, and I in turn vowed to be more approachable with him. I tried my best to open up and be "one of the boys". These guys were my best chance at finding something like the friendships in my old life. My best chance at finding a family. It was an enormous thing to imagine.
I ended up sleeping at the red dorm that night, Bastion and I curled up in what looked like army reserve sleeping bags. As people tend to do, we talked for hours after crawling into bed, our thoughts pouring out as fast as we could form words to speak with. Inevitably, the discussion turned to girls. This was mainly myself, Syrus and Chumley doing the talking in this case. Bastion considered himself above such a base topic, and Jaden…Jaden was weird. He genuinely didn't seem to have any sort of sexual or romantic drive towards girls. Perhaps the yaoi fangirls were right all these years and he really was gay. Perhaps he simply couldn't feel such emotions because of his past self's promise to Yubel.
"What a bizarre idea." I mentally scoffed. I still found Yubel to be a rather repulsive creature, and I was not looking forward to the day that I would eventually meet her face-to-face. I was aware it was the Light of Destruction that primarily drove her wicked actions during the series, but that didn't change the fact that she was hurting people and would have to be stopped by force when the time came. If I had the chance to banish that demon to the deepest hell I could find before she killed nearly all of Jaden's friends and drove Jaden to madness, then I would do so without hesitation. Still, I couldn't help wondering if my fear was unreasonable.
But for now, I laughed with the boys. Syrus had just finished regaling some story or another. "Hey you guys, I think Alexis likes me. She even brushed her arm against me during the duel once!" Syrus squeaked excitedly.
"I dunno, it seems like she was more into the duel, Sy." Chumley responded, his perspective a bit more grounded than his roommate. Then, the koala turned from the top of his bunk bed, craning his head to peer down at me. "What do you think of Alexis, Jamie?"
"Anyone with functioning eyes can see that she's pretty. Seems to be a decent duelist as well." I said succinctly.
"Yeah, she's pretty good." Jaden agreed, his hands tucked behind his head as he lay in bed.
"So you like-like her, Jamie?" Syrus asked tentatively.
"I guess, man. As much as every other red-blooded male on this island does." I shrugged, trying not to be too impatient. These guys were at the age where the possibility of attention from those inscrutable girls was enough to get excited over. Technically, I was at that age too, but you know what I mean. Still, I wondered how much of an impression I had made on her as I drifted off to sleep. There were always so many thoughts at the beginning and end of each day.
Alexis Rhodes POV
"So, you're back to your usual spot, eh?" Alexis noted wryly as she joined Zane at the end of the pier, where he stood near the blinking lighthouse that guided ships back to port.
"So it would seem." He smiled slightly. Zane was always able to loosen up just a little when she was around. He and Alexis were childhood friends, having met through Alexis' older brother, Atticus. Zane remembered being so shocked at how different the siblings were. Atticus, brown-haired and broad-shouldered, was always at the ready with some joke or game to counterbalance Zane's grim demeanor. Alexis, on the other hand, was more reserved, a bit cooler than her brother. She was no clown, but she could be just as witty as Atticus if the situation demanded it.
"You played well today." She said soothingly. "Especially since your opponent was playing an unorthodox build."
"Yeah, what a weird kid, right? I guess I misjudged him a little. Still, it was only an unorthodox build as you say because of his rank. Ra Yellow Freshman don't play cards like that in the same way that Jamie Lancaster did today." Zane, ever a proud and strict man, rarely admitted to being wrong publically. Only in Alexis' company did he feel comfortable doing so.
"Oh, I don't think he's that different from you back when you were a freshman. Really, I don't think you two are very different even now. The way Jamie talks, the way he duels…he seems much older than he really is."
"Are you calling me an old man?" Zane replied playfully, bumping her shoulder with his own. "But I can see what you mean. Him and Jaden are both fascinating opponents. It bodes well for the future of this academy that they are both in its ranks. And yet they are very different as well- Jaden is all youthful exuberance and raw talent, while Jamie is a more pragmatic, calculating type. I should like to see the two of them duel one-on-one sometime."
"They really have captured your attention, haven't they? Of course, I'm not one to talk. Anyways, what news of Chazz?" Alexis asked.
"Crowler will be scheduling an examination for him tomorrow. I don't know when it will be yet, but I imagine that it will be no more than a few days out once it is announced."
"I suppose Bastion will be joining our ranks soon, then."
He turned to her and scoffed. "Come now, you really think I would let Bastion pass up Jamie now that I've seen what they're capable of? The choice is clear who should replace Chazz, since Jaden has no interest in advancement. Jamie will duel Chazz- an interesting matchup, wouldn't you agree?"
"Bastion deserves a fair chance, don't you think? He has a certain rigor to him that would make him a good fit for Obelisk. At the very least, he'll bump up our grade average." She defended.
"Bastion will get his chance in time, but for now I need to keep Jamie close to me. He will make a good training partner, and in time he may become the most powerful duelist in Obelisk, once I have graduated. And if he decides to move against me...then it will equally good to have him close."
Alexis sighed, but eventually nodded in understanding- no one got to Zane's level without a good deal of planning and positioning, and even fewer stayed there for long if they underestimated potential rivals. "I'm not sure you should be worried. Jamie seems like a good guy." She said softly.
He turned to her, somewhat stern. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not the bad guy here. I was merely preparing for an eventuality. You must admit there is a certain...belligerence to him."
"Yeah, I suppose…" She assented begrudgingly. She did like Jamie, and looked forward to getting to know him better in the Obelisk dorms. She just hoped that he wouldn't run afoul of Zane and Crowler…
Jamie's (My) POV
The rest of the school week went normally….far too normally. I kept coming back to the dorm expecting Bastion to be gone, but he still remained, spending most of time in the room drawing equations on the walls and ceiling. I couldn't imagine how Jaden and Syrus were holding up, since their tag duel was this afternoon at the Obelisk Arena.
"Why the hell are you writing the quadratic formula on the ceiling and not on a piece of paper? Do you think I enjoy looking at that every morning?" I asked out of exasperation. When he didn't respond, I added, "I can get you paper."
"I've discovered the secret…the secret to Jaden's deck! He relies completely on fusion summoning!" Bastion nearly shouted as he thrust several pages of notes into the air, like he had just uncovered the secrets of the universe.
I simply stared at him blankly, expectant of a further explanation.
"I mean to say that I found a few cards that could counter Jaden's deck well. It's obvious that Jaden relies on fusion summoning." Bastion hastily added.
"Yeah, whatever you say, bud! So what are you teching in?" I ask.
"I have a few ideas…but I'm really liking this trap card I found. It's called the Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell." I walked over to his side of the room, where he had the card's information pulled up on Amazon, a website which still existed in this world I guess. Mentally, I made a note to buy stock in the company as soon as possible.
"Well, I like that it's a counter trap, but having to discard a spell card sucks. It's such a shame Prohibition is banned." I replied.
"Oh, you would have had a field day with that card. I could only imagine the look on Zane's face if you played Prohibition and called the name of his beloved Cyber Dragon." Bastion chuckled.
"I see it every night in my dreams. Still, I suppose this card is your best bet. You could always negate his fusions with Magic Jammer, but that would only be a superior option if your cards benefitted in some way from being in the graveyard." I postulated. "You know, like if you ran Sinister Serpent or something. Magic Drain is another option, but these are trap cards we're speaking of. They're intrinsically slow. If Jaden fuses turn one, you're suddenly looking at an buttload of dead draws."
"Indeed, maybe even multiple buttloads. For now, I'll place an order for three of these cards, since they're cheap enough. Is there anything you're thinking of picking up?" Bastion swiveled in his chair to ask me.
"I want another copy of Magic Cylinder, but they're too expensive. I appreciate your offer anyways." I waved off. I would have to find some way of getting money for cards soon. I doubted my parents would approve of me spending their hard earned cash on children's trading cards, even if they did technically count as "school supplies".
"Now then, you never explained how you'll be getting your ridiculous math problems off of the wall."
Bastion rubbed the back of his head with a nervous laugh. "Sorry about that. I just run out of paper and continue my thoughts on the only surface available to me. The walls need to be painted soon anyways, so it's not a big deal." He explained hastily.
I laughed. "Ah, okay then. I didn't even realize it, but the paint is starting to peel a bit now that you mention it. Of course, I doubt this will be our room for much longer."
"You think so? I've grown rather comfortable in here." Bastion responded idly. "But I'm not so ambitious as you, I'm afraid."
"There are certainly benefits to keeping the yellow coat. Others will underestimate you, to their peril." I acknowledged, but Bastion only smiled and shook his head.
"Not everything has to be a tactic, you know. I enjoy the company of my floormates here, including you. I enjoy this location on campus, by the green grass and the forest. Frankly, after I thought about it, I don't think Obelisk would suit me, but you…you were born to wear the blue coat. The next chance you get, you should test to get in there. I'd love to see you earn it." He clapped me on the shoulder, and I knew then that Bastion was a good and loyal friend for life. A brother that would support me and I him.
I grinned back. "I will. Anyways, let's head down to the arena. Jaden and Syrus will enjoy the sight of a friendly face right about now." We grabbed our backpacks and trekked down to the Obelisk arena.
The match went about the same as it did in canon, although Syrus was perhaps a bit more assertive in his demeanor. I underestimated how irritating the Paradox Brothers way of speaking was in the show, and soon, no one was cheering for their defeat as loudly as I. UFOroid Fighter did the trick again, as I figured it would. Bastion and I sat with Alexis, and argument soon erupted between them which I found to be hilarious. Bastion endlessly dogged Jaden and Syrus, doubting their strategy at every turn and generally remaining skeptical. Meanwhile, Alexis was all blind hope and optimism, and I could tell that she was beginning to get annoyed with Bastion the longer the match wore on. Even worse was the fact that I was sitting between them, so I was forced into the role of mediator half the time.
However, that was all forgotten soon enough as Jaden and Syrus emerged victorious from their trial by combat. It amused me to see Alexis offer Syrus only the necessary expected congratulations, then heap praise on Jaden like the dude was the second coming of Yugi Moto himself. "Then again, he is a king in his own way." I corrected myself.
Smiling, I was happy to stand back and watch the congratulations be doled out. Therefore, I was surprised to see Jaden fall into step with me as we exited the cool arena chamber into the yellow sunlight. We tapered off from the main group so as to speak more privately.
"Thanks again for training with Syrus and I last week, I think it really helped him out. He's doing a lot better than he was. Still not perfect, but hey, he's getting there." Jaden said. He was really such a nice person, considering I had no intention of dueling either of them in the first place and only did so in order to get to Zane. I gulped nervously, feeling guilty all of the sudden.
"Any time. I was glad to do it. And I agree with you about Syrus. I know he's shy, but as long as he keeps challenging himself every day, he'll become an amazing duelist. He might need help from us in that regard, though." I replied.
"He'll come around, in time." Jaden said with a chuckle. I laughed as well, completely sure that he would.
"All great things have humble beginnings."
"I'm glad you didn't say 'small beginnings'. Syrus might have an issue with that." Jaden admitted.
"To be completely honest with you Jaden, I don't think Syrus likes me very much at the moment. But I would like to see him succeed. He's not gonna do it with the mindset he has right now." I said. The unspoken question hung in the air. "Do you trust my intentions?"
Jaden thought about the question for approximately three seconds before answering, "I dunno, you seem like a decent guy to me. Alexis and Bastion seem to like ya. Plus, you're really strong and fun to duel against, so you're alright in my book! Maybe Syrus could stand to get a little more experience dueling." He finally answered.
"I think you're a good guy too. I'd like to duel you again soon. Anyways, I appreciate your thanks." I replied.
"No problem. Let's go get some food with everyone else, I'm starved!" Jaden waved as we rejoined Bastion, Syrus, Chumley, and Alexis. I nearly couldn't contain my joy at having a good group of friends to call my own. Some went their whole lives without any, so I was lucky to have a second life to make new friends in.
A/N
Hope you all enjoyed.
Gradually, we're going to depart from the stations of the canon, and the stage is already set for a few crucial divergences. Jamie will be dueling Chazz next chapter for the right to enter into Obelisk Blue, which will be a huge turning point for both characters. Chazz has not made many waves in the story so far, but I have big plans for his character- his arc is going to be very unique and will incorporate elements of the anime and manga, among other things.
Ultimately, Jamie did not beat Zane, although he did manage to earn a modicum of respect from the Kaiser. Their relationship will also be a significant part of the story- they will have a rivalry/friendship akin to Yami Yugi and Seto Kaiba from the original series. But which one is more like Yugi and which one is more like Kaiba? I'll leave it to you to decide. Next chapter will see a duel between Jamie and Chazz, as well as the introduction of a new character. Until then!