State of the Meta

by Yung Warrior

A self-insert in which a competitive player from 2016 finds himself warped into the world of GX. Between adjusting his deck to make up for the inverted power creep, making grades, and saving the world, there's much to do, but all good players know how to adapt to their circumstances. SI-OC, 1st Person POV

18. Caught In A Landslide

Chapter 18: Caught In A Landslide

Soon enough, we made it to the infirmary with our professor in tow. Fontaine's staff informed Adam and I that Alexis and Atticus had stabilized, although Atticus was fixed in an inexplicable coma. Alexis, on the other hand, would only need a few days of treatment before she would be up and running again. Better still, Crowler's recovery would take even less time than that.

Adam took the cart back to Rosewood Sporting Goods, his own odd behavior having seemingly passed. Hopefully that situation would resolve itself without involving me. I had no patience for Harry's bullshit at the moment. Without thinking, my legs lead me back to the Obelisk Blue dorm. I passed out as soon as I hit the bed.

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I woke up at ten in the morning, only sleeping for five hours despite my tiredness. My sleep schedule was thrown off-kilter to be sure, but I took respite in the idea that the Shadow Riders would most likely wait for an interim of time before sending out another opponent for us to face. As much as I was raring to fight one of these freaks myself, some time to regroup would be nice. This was an added layer of suckiness for the others that I didn't have since they were supposed to be learning while all this shit was going on.

I crushed a bottle of water and went to check my phone. Around five in the morning, Adam told me that he managed to get the cart refilled and back to the shed before the shop opened. He also said that he planned to be honest with Harry about what had happened. I imagined that this wouldn't be a problem, as long as he excluded the more supernatural elements of the night's events and emphasized the part about saving milady Alexis to trigger Rosewood's white knight instincts. I texted this advice back to him and trusted that the situation was handled.

I had already missed two classes, although Crowler's was cancelled for obvious reasons. He would be back by next Monday, though. Banner's, on the other hand, was cancelled indefinitely, also for obvious reasons. According to my next message, Zane had gone to Sheppard to break the news about Banner's betrayal and subsequent death earlier this morning. Sheppard excused the key keepers, along with Adam and Erin, from class for the day, but we were supposed to meet in his office at one in the afternoon. Then, we could decide on a plan moving forward.

The final message was from Sheppard himself, who formally excused us from classes for the day. However, he refused to say more until we met him in person that afternoon. I could only imagine what the official story was going to be regarding Banner.

"Since I have some time to kill, I should go see how the injured are holding up…" I thought groggily as I threw on some sweats and left the room. I stopped by the dining hall on the way out to grab a quick bite, and more importantly, to fill my thermos to the brim with coffee. I ate a hasty meal consisting of an apple, a few slices of summer sausage, and some hard-boiled eggs before making to leave. However, on the way out, I also decided to stop by the sweets tray and grab a chocolate bonbon, as they were Crowler's favorite. Call it brown-nosing if you want, but the guy could probably use one at the moment.

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"Shouldn't you be in class, Signore Lancaster?" Crowler said as I entered his private room. Alexis and Atticus were being treated in the outer wards – sadly, Alexis was asleep, and Atticus was in a coma, and he would stay in that state until Titan was defeated.

I wanted to march off to the Abandoned Dorm right this instant and go looking for the Shadow Rider, but the numerous blunders I made with the Banner situation has taught me patience. In time, he will be forced to seek the key keepers out, which means we get the advantage of a defensive position. It is easier to hold ground than to take it, after all. I was such an idiot for ousting Banner the way I did. For as much as I mock Harrington Rosewood for being a white knight, I was partially motivated by own feelings for Alexis in that instance. I wanted to enact vengeance on the one who sent her brother to the dark in the first place, and I never even got to duel the bastard.

"There's no need to overthink things. Even if things proceed exactly the way they did in canon, we would be just fine." I thought, before realizing the Crowler asked me a question. "Sheppard excused the key keepers from class today, as well as Adam and Erin."

"Well, with two classes cancelled, it's just as well I suppose. The good news is I'll be hale and hearty by Saturday now, according to miss Fontaine! Why, we only have to miss three days of my class. Wonderful news, eh?" Crowler asked, and I wasn't quite sure whether that statement was meant to be a joke, so I pivoted from it.

"Professor Fontaine said that this would be fine to eat, doctor." I said, offering the bonbon to him. Sure enough, he grinned from ear to ear at the sight of the sweet.

"Ah, this is exactly what I needed, Signore Lancaster. Thank you. You should come by with another one of these after the meeting with the headmaster." He practically demanded.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Will do. I was planning to come by later tonight anyhow."

"Ah, yes." He responded knowingly. "We can only hope the Rhodes siblings recover as swiftly as possible. It's a shame that Banner did not reveal how he turned Atticus to the dark, as well as what happened to the missing students."

I stayed silent, not wanting to say anything…suspicious. "Maybe we'll find out someday. I'm certainly curious to know the answer."

"I feel that Banner was only a piece in a greater game beyond our current comprehension. But to speculate further at this point would be fruitless. We should focus on defeating these Shadow Riders." Crowler said with uncharacteristic decisiveness. The man actually could be a dignified professor when he wanted to be. I think he sensed that I had little patience for the whole posh diva routine, so he dropped it around me. Of course, the fact that I was an Obelisk Blue most certainly worked in my favor as well.

"I'll be back later to fill you in on the meeting, doctor." He nodded wearily, and I took my leave. I took one last look over at Alexis, but she was still not awake. Sighing, I slowly went on my way. Aimlessly, I ambled around the building, my mind blank and hazy. I don't really smoke, but it certainly would have been an opportune time to look out a window longingly while lighting up a ciggy. Girls love that sort of thing, right?

"Ah, you're early, mister Lancaster." Sheppard waved me in. As per usual, the jolly old fellow was sitting at his desk in front of the large picture window he had that faced the southern shore. Nothing out of the ordinary there. What surprised me was the man sitting across from him.

There was no other day to describe it; his appearance was powerful. The man wore a crisp, bright white suit with a blue tie that matched his wintry eyes impeccably. He was a Tinder-approved six-foot-one. His brown bowlcut was insulting; this man had so much money, power, and influence, that he could walk in a room with that bad a haircut and no one would say a word against it. A kerchief with a Blue-Eyes White Dragon pattern hung from his shirt pocket.

Seto Kaiba rose from his seat, his cold blue eyes boring into me. "Lancaster, huh?" He said neutrally, although there was a seemingly omnipresent intensity to him.

"Uh…yeah." I steeled my nerves, although I was certain Kaiba had already perceived my shock. "It's nice to meet you in person, mister Kaiba."

"Yes, I remember you well…you were of the students who helped subdue Wheeler. I would thank you, but I seemingly recall that you attempted to leverage that against me the very same day." Kaiba said placidly. I was frozen to the spot. Sheppard gulped audibly, and there was a screeching silence.

Then, he cackled loudly. "Don't sweat it, kid, I used to do the same thing when I was your age. It's good to go after what you want, and you had the perfect opportunity. Sadly, I've been around the block too many times for something like that to work on me. If it makes you feel better, I was looking for an excuse to can that project for the longest time anyways."

Uh…wha? So…ok? "Well in that case, you're welcome." I said dumbly, at a loss for words otherwise.

Sheppard looked at me like I was insane, but Kaiba just laughed again. "Can you believe this kid, Sheppard!? I haven't heard this level of audacity in a great many years. Put er there, kid." Kaiba extended a handshake.

Prepping myself, I reached forward and took that handshake. Kaiba and I crushed each other's hands as hard as possible, our arm muscles subtly flexing as we each attempted to assert dominance. I figured he would go for the vise grip, and the only way to meet that is with a vise grip in return. Having the weaker handshake is intolerable. Kaiba would only respect arrogance and audacity – being humble or nice around him would only lead to being labeled as weak. Emerald green eyes clashed with polar blue as we both smiled falsely at each other. Sheppard was sweating profusely as he observed the clash of wills taking place.

The handshake lasted about forty seconds before Kaiba finally broke off. My hand hurt, but I made no attempt to massage it or appear as if I was in any sort of discomfort. "I suppose I should thank for taking up the duty of becoming a key keeper. After this ordeal is finished, you and your fellow students will be rewarded for your efforts. I value loyalty highly." He said.

"Thank you, sir. I've already applied for the summer internship." I reply cautiously. Kaiba grunted in response before taking out a flask from his inner coat pocket. He took a seat before taking a deep swig of what looked like whiskey. Glancing at the clock, I noticed that it was ten minutes before eleven in the morning.

The others arrived in short order afterwards. They were all surprised to varying degrees to see Seto Kaiba himself sitting in on the meeting, and Bastion found himself getting sized up the same way I was by the CEO. Bastion seemed much more intimidated by Kaiba than I was, but then again, he was an actual kid and I wasn't. As soon as Zane, Jaden, Bastion, Erin, and Adam arrived, Sheppard moved to speak.

"So-" Before Sheppard could get a word in, Kaiba silenced him with a look. "Sit down, I'll handle this." He said dismissively, not even looking at the headmaster.

"Before we begin, I'd like to thank you all for choosing to protect this school and the people in it. Not everyone has the fortitude to handle a challenge like this. The fact that two of you have decided to entangle yourselves in this conflict despite not even having keys of your own is commendable." Although that was supposed to be a compliment, the way Kaiba talks makes it sound like a condescending sneer.

"Thank you, mister Kai-" Erin began before she was interrupted.

"But enough of the pleasantries. One of my professors is in the hospital for a week and another is dead. The dead professor was a traitor. A student that has been missing for over a year suddenly reappears but is in a coma. That student is another student's brother, who also happens to be hospitalized for seemingly inexplicable reasons. What am I supposed to make of this? Frankly, I'm surprised KaibaCorp's stock isn't ever affected by all this bullshit, but hey, let's not pretend any of us know anything about economics." Kaiba rattled off impatiently. Wait, did he just admit to not knowing anything about economics?!

"That's about the long and short of it, sir. There are supposedly five more Shadow Riders out there planning to invade the island. They're after the Sacred Beast cards." Zane spoke up.

"They're after the what now?" Kaiba asked in genuine confusion, lighting up a cigarette despite the fact that we were indoors.

"Um, sir, that's going to set off the fire alarm-" Sheppard began to protest.

"Shut the fuck up." Kaiba glared, and I swore that Sheppard nearly wet himself on the spot. "Anyways, what are they after again?"

"Uh, you know, the Sacred Beast cards? Uria, lord of Searing Flames? Hamon, lord of Striking Flames…Raviel, lord of Phantasms?" Sheppard helpfully supplied.

Kaiba scratched his chin. "Not ringing any bells."

Sheppard pinched the bridge of his nose. "The rip-off god cards, mister Kaiba."

"Oh, yeah! Those cards are complete trash, right? Good thing they have all that destructive power stored within them, or else they'd be little more than coasters for my drink. Well, it's not a good thing in this case, but you know what I mean. Anyways, these Shadow Riders require all seven of the Spirit Gate keys to unlock those cards. Sadly, the keys are bound to this island, with ancient laws keeping them from leaving, if memory serves. Believe me, if I could have thrown these fucking things in a vault and forgot about them, I would have." Kaiba continued, completely unconcerned with swearing in front of high school kids. This was one of the most bizarre conversations I had ever experienced, and I barely resisted the urge to bust out laughing.

"Sir?" Bastion raised his hand meekly. "If the keys are bound to the island, then doesn't that mean we are bound to this place by extension?"

Kaiba regarded him quizzically, but Sheppard was the one who responded. "Yes, it is true. None of you will be able to leave the island while you bear the keys. However, the Shadow Riders will not wait long to seek you out. They are impatient to reach their goal."

I frowned. "That would have been nice to know before we accepted this responsibility." There were grumblings of discontent from the others as well.

"If this threat has not passed by the end of the school year, you all will receive free housing and meal plans on the island for the summer until the Shadow Riders are defeated. For your efforts, your tuition for this semester will also be greatly reduced." Kaiba answered.

The students brightened considerably at that, as though putting their lives at risk was a small price to pay in exchange for a free semester of school. Considering how expensive this place was, I guess I couldn't really fault them too much. Besides, the most powerful of the assassins was already taken care of. Once Camula and Titan are gone, we're basically home free.

"On another note, there's the matter of hiring Banner's replacement due to his "crippling health problems". I sent out application forms to a few worthy individuals this morning. They have until Friday to reply, and then I will handle the interviewing process. If things go well, there should be another chemistry professor here by the end of the month." Kaiba continued.

"Until then, I will teach the class in addition to my regular duties. This is not an ideal situation, but before long classes will return to normal." Sheppard finished. "Are there any questions you all have?"

"Who will be the new head of Slifer Red?" Zane asked.

Sheppard steepled his hands. "Professor Drummond will be acting head of Slifer Red until the new hire is confirmed." He answered. We nodded at this, the group having a fairly positive opinion of the professor, despite his perpetually bored demeanor.

"Mister Kaiba, would you duel me? I bet it would be a super sweet match!" Until now, Jaden had managed to keep himself relatively reserved in respect to the seriousness of the situation. Frankly, I'm surprised that held back his excitement for this long, considering the second-best player of the game was standing right in front of him.

Kaiba looked upon Jaden blandly. "Nah, I'm good. Anyways, if that is all, I need to leave. Time is money and whatnot." With that, he briskly made his way to the door, dialing his phone as he went.

"Huh, what a weird guy." Erin commented wryly.

"Well, what do you expect from a man who flies around in a Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet?" Zane chuckled. "Besides, he's a legendary duelist."

"The money doesn't lie. Considering his outfit is more expensive than a semester's tuition here, I can't really criticize him too much." Adam grumbled as he pulled at the collar of his Ra Yellow uniform.

Bastion and I were having a side conversation. "So, did you apply for the summer internship at Kaibacorp yet, Jamie?" The black-haired scholar asked.

"Yeah. I was thinking of asking doctor Crowler to be a reference for me, but I don't want to ask him while he's in the hospital. I got Fontaine to spot for me instead." I responded. "I visited him today and he seems to be recovering well."

"And what of the Rhodes siblings? Jasmine was very worried about Alexis."

"I think Alexis was just asleep, but Atticus is still in a deep coma. I have a feeling that's due to more…supernatural causes though. I think that once the darkness is beaten back, Atticus may recover." I said.

"It's impossible to say for certain. You should stop by later and see if she's awake, though. I think she'd be very happy to see you." He said with a knowing smile.

I gave him a droll look in response. The guy has some success with his first girlfriend and now he thinks he can go around shipping people, eh? The absolute madman. But he was probably right.

"I will. So, do you think Kaiba will actually hire us? We kinda did fuck up a major project of his." I pivoted.

"It's hard to read that guy. He's probably so rich that the concept of money has lost all meaning to him. Frankly, I think he rather admires audacity and theatrics, especially since his dueling glory days are long behind him." Bastion and I were on the same track in this regard. I had to wonder just what Kaiba was like as a person in this time period. I mean the dude was 28, it's not like he was over the hill. He was certainly eccentric, but not full-on mad like he was in the Dark Side of Dimensions movie…right? What was his relationship to Yugi and the others like nowadays? Maybe I would be able to find out more about Kaiba during the summer internship, if I landed the job. Having Bastion along for the ride would be fun too.

For the first time, I was considering what lied beyond the canon storyline in this world. What was I going to do for a living after I was done with school? The obvious answer would be to become a pro duelist, but I don't know if I'd like the life of a prizefighter. And yet, it would certainly be strange to graduate from Duel Academy and then go on to major in Finance or a similarly normal career path. It was just like Banner said - there is an ocean of paths stretched out before me.

"Who knows? Maybe we'll find out." I said noncommittally, the memories starting to come back again. However, a tap on the shoulder snapped me out of my reverie.

"Hey Jamie, can I talk to you for a second?" Erin asked in a seemingly innocuous tone. I mentally groaned. I knew that this moment was coming.

"Yeah." I answered. "See you later, Bastion." Giving me a smarmy look, he took his leave. We broke off from the others and left the main Academy building shortly thereafter. On the main path from the building, she finally started talking.

"So what's your deal, anyways?" She started off on the attack.

"As far as…?" I responded. This annoyed her greatly.

"Everything. Why do you act so strangely? You duel like someone with years of experience. Most students stick with the same set of cards throughout their school years. They form a sense of individuality based on the theme of their decks, and they form a bond with their cards. You don't have any connection to your cards at all. And another thing, how were you able to determine that Banner was a Shadow Rider? I never even began to suspect him of that." The questions poured out of her.

"I overheard him talking to somebody on a webcam who I assume is his master. They were talking about taking the beasts and using their power for the sake of immortality. Considering that taking the keys also kinda means the key keepers have to die, I didn't think it was so extreme to think that maybe he wasn't on our side. It turns out my suspicions were correct." Hiding in this lie didn't make me feel good, but she wouldn't believe me if I told the truth anyways. And even if she did…what then? If my secret got out, I would be treated as a curiosity to be studied, a glorified fortune teller. I didn't even dignify the whole "connection with my cards" question with a response. What does that even mean?

"What about when you knew right away that Blair was actually a girl?" She was flailing now.

"You knew that right away as well, if memory serves."

"Fair enough…" She narrowed her eyes. "But I can't shake this suspicion I feel. I've known you for almost half a year, and yet I feel like I don't know anything about you. You've never shared a single thing about yourself to me. I just don't get you."

"I don't get it, what do you want me to do?" She had perfectly good reason to be suspicious of course, and it made sense that she wouldn't exactly know why. It would be stranger if she jumped to the conclusion that I was from another timeline. Maybe I do give off kind of a weird vibe, but I couldn't pretend that I was just a normal guy like the rest.

"Just answer one question for me. What is the source of your knowledge?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just tell me!" She hissed, her annoyance peaking.

"Just leave it alone, Erin." I said, trying my best to keep calm.

Erin shook her head and laughed bitterly. "I don't get it. How am I supposed to trust you if you never put your trust in me? You know, I thought you were really amazing for a while there. But then I realized that I was basing my thoughts on an ideal. I don't know the real you, and maybe I never will."

Her words would have eviscerated a younger man, but not me. Breaking down and begging her not to leave would've only made her walk away faster. What was I supposed to do? If I told her the real truth, she would simply just run away instead of walk. A fatalist might say that our paths were always meant to diverge. At least, this is what I rationalized.

"Erin, there's a lot of things about me that no one can ever know. It's not a question of trust, if it were then we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I really like you…but some things must remain unsaid."

"Do you think you're the only person in the history of mankind to have problems? I could at least try to understand." She responded passionately.

If even one person knew the truth, it would eventually become public. That's how it always is with secrets, especially ones like these. "I'm sorry." I said solemnly.

"Me too, Jamie. Me too." She looked very sad, curling a light brown lock of hair with her finger. "I'll see you around…" She walked away towards the shoreline, presumably to surf.

I sighed heavily. As much as I griped about being a "harem protagonist" being pushed away by a girl like this was really a terrible thing. Would she have really understood if I told the truth? Or would she see it as a cooked-up story hiding the real truth? Was I a coward for this? My mind swam with horrible thoughts.

I decided that I needed some time to think things out. I made for the Ra Yellow dorm to grab my fishing gear. I left it in Adam's room. The last time I went fishing, Adam helped me clean and cook what I caught, and afterwards we played video games at his dorm for nearly the whole night. I hadn't fished since then, so my stuff was still there. Hopefully he would leave me alone.

"I'm a horrible person…maybe I deserve to be alone…"

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(Adam Sugihara POV)

"WHAT'S good Youtube, SimplySugihara here with another sick nasty Premium Gold First Edition Box Opening! Make sure to hit that subscribe button down below for more dope, awesome Duel Monsters content! OH BABY! I'm here today with my boy Jaden, say hello to the people Jaden!" Adam's normally sly voice was booming and theatrical for his Youtube audience.

"What's poppin', homies! Today we're gonna be getting our game on to the max!" Funny enough, Jaden's nineties skateboarder lingo combined with his goofy demeanor was perfect for these sorts of over-the-top videos. He and Adam often did collaborations together, and after the calamity of the last few days, the boys were more than glad to sit down and record a video. The camera was positioned over them as they both sat at Adam's dorm room standard desk.

"Ok, we're gonna start with the first pack, boys! I'm hoping for that Ultra Rare Sacred Phoenix, it's gonna be lit beyond belief! And- huh?" Adam was about to open the first pack when he heard a knock at the door.

Adam sighed as he turned off the camera. "Shit, we're gonna have to do the intro again. Sorry Jaden, I didn't think anyone would be coming by."

"No problem! I got nothing else to do today, so it's no biggie!" The hero duelist was still giddy over the fact that he actually saw Seto Kaiba in person.

Adam was surprised to find Jamie at the door. He expected that the Obelisk would be spending the rest of the afternoon with Erin. That he was back so soon meant something had probably gone wrong. It was obvious just from looking at him. Jamie's normally gleaming eyes were dull, and his posture had grown withdrawn.

"What's up, man?" Adam raised an eyebrow. "Hi, Jamie!" Jaden waved from the background.

"Hey." The Lion of Obelisk said, seeming somewhat distracted. Frankly, Adam thought that was a ridiculous nickname, but it seems to have stuck as Jamie made a name for himself in Obelisk Blue. He wasn't even sure whether Jamie himself knew about it, as no one called him that to his face. "I'm just here to pick up my fishing equipment. Sorry to interrupt a video or whatever." He mumbled.

"It's not a problem, we were just recording the intro. I picked up a Premium Gold box with my last paycheck. The market watchers are saying it's gonna be really valuable for the next couple months. I'm hoping to pull a couple of Snipe Hunters, myself." Adam babbled, hoping that talk about cards would distract Jamie from the source of his funk.

"Yeah, I hear that might some good backrow staples for my deck, too!" Jaden grinned boyishly.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I hear it's a good box." Jamie said, trailing off as he dug his tackle box out of Adam's closet.

"Yeah…so, how long are you gonna be out for?" The gambling duelist asked.

"Probably until dark. I work again on Friday, so I'll catch you there if I don't see you before that." Jamie answered quickly, putting a hand on Adam's shoulder to move him out of the way.

"Alright, I'll see ya then." Adam said to Jamie's back as he walked out the door.

Jaden shrugged. "Wonder why he was in such a hurry. It's not like the fish are going anywhere."

"I don't know, but he forgot his pole. I'll be right back." Adam said quizzically, grabbing the fishing pole from the interior of the closet. Hurrying outside of his room, Adam just barely saw Jamie turning the corner at the end of the hall. Half-jogging, Adam managed to catch up with his friend on the outdoor porch of the Ra Yellow dorm.

"Hey, wait up!" Adam rarely raised his voice, so when he did, people tended to be taken aback. Jamie halted and turned around, his brow furrowed.

"You forgot your pole, Jamie. You know, the thing that you fish with. Kind of an essential part of the whole thing." The Chinese duelist snarked off.

Jamie laughed as well, although Adam could not tell if it was genuine or not. "Yeah, that would make the act of fishing rather difficult. Thank you." He said, taking the pole from Adam's hands.

"Hey man, are you alright? I can tell that whole situation with Erin didn't go well." Adam asked, and Jamie seemed surprised at this, as though he didn't expect Adam to care.

"Yeah, things just didn't work out, that's all." Came Jamie's cryptic answer. Adam could understand not wanting to talk about such a thing though, especially so soon after the breakup. It was a shame, they seemed to make a decent couple.

"Well, just be careful. From what you told me yesterday, a Shadow Rider can show up around here at any time without warning. Stay ready so you don't have to get ready." Adam advised.

"I'll be fine. See ya later, Sugihara." Jamie nodded and went on his way, seeming a touch more relaxed than before at any rate.

"Heh, that guy's always been a bit mysterious…hopefully he doesn't do anything stupid." Adam rushed back to his room, eager to start up the unboxing video again. Jaden had briefly dozed off in his chair – it was clear that he was still relatively exhausted from his duel with Banner. Adam knew that Jaden tended to really get into duels, but he seemed like a totally different person out there at times.

"Just my luck to have a bunch of weirdos for friends…when the most normal one of the bunch is Bastion, you know have a group of oddballs on your hands." Adam groused internally but meant nothing malicious. The game was a little more interesting this way.

"Okay, let's start this bad boy up!"

They got the camera rolling once more and redid the intro. Adam figured that over the top behavior would draw in more views than his regular droll attitude. He also decided that for the thumbnail he would have him and Jaden making overly hyped faces, the best card they pulled, and perhaps a bright Technicolor background. Surely this would entice viewers by the thousands!

"I'll open the first one…okay, we got Golem Sentry, Next To Be Lost, Adhesive Explosive, Phalanx Pike, and a rare Snipe Hunter! Nice, that's already a decent pull for me. Your turn, Jaden." Adam began.

"Here we go! Let's see…I got a Hero Barrier, Fusion Recycling Plant, Forced Back, Helping Robo For Combat, and… a prismatic Elemental Hero Terra Firma?"

"Hey, Fusion Recycling Plant could be useful for your deck – wait a minute, what did you say that last card was?" Adam was caught off-guard, a rare occurrence.

"Check it out! A fusion between heroes Ocean and Woodsman!" Jaden sleeved the card carefully before handing it to Adam, who speed-read the text.

"Huh, I didn't see this card on the set list posted online. Considering that it's an ultra rare that supports a popular archetype, I would have heard of it. Come to think of it, I've never heard of this card before in my life." Adam scratched his head.

"Must be a misprint. Man, I really am lucky. This is super sweet! Do you think this card was meant to come out in a future set?" Jaden wondered with childish glee.

"Who knows? I can't even imagine the odds of such a card finding its way into your hands, it must be one of a kind at this point in time. Terra Firma's not even that good of a card, but this is still pretty cool. Wonder how much that baby would sell for…then again, most buyers would probably assume it's counterfeit unless we met them in person." Adam rubbed his hands together, dollar signs appearing in his eyes.

"What? There's no way I can sell this card, it's a Hero! And you always got to give the hero time to shine! Anyways, do you think that we should continue opening the rest of the box?" Jaden responded.

"Oh yeah, you're right. It's awesome that we got this on camera. This video's gonna get tons of views! And that means more of that sweet, sweet ad revenue baby! Oh shit, I should probably edit that out in post later."

In their excitement, Adam and Jaden failed to notice a black bat hanging from the windowsill, red eyes glowing before it flew away to report to its master.

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(Jamie Lancaster POV)

It was nice to know that I still had some people in my corner. Adam and Jaden were good guys. My mind was set a little more at ease as I passed by the Slifer red dorm on my way to the coast. There would be a lot of people at the beach this evening, but as long as there was a spot open on the pier it wouldn't bother me.

As I ambled by the shack from the west, I saw Professor Drummond, of all people, approaching from the north. He was walking and reading at the same time – I don't really get how he could do either activity effectively at the same time, but whatever. As usual, he wore his navy-blue dress shirt with a white tie while also rocking some dark jeans and a pair of brown boots. Designer glasses along with tying his black hair into a man bun completed a very hipster look that only really worked on a certain type of man. I would certainly look like an idiot if I tried that style, but it worked well on him.

"Good day, mister Lancaster." He greeted without looking up from his book, which looked to be a biography of some famous statesman.

"Hey, professor." I said quickly, hurrying on my way. I was growing tired of being held up.

"Hold up." He said, closing his book and putting inside his backpack. "Are you busy right now, mister Lancaster?"

"I was just going to go fish. Why do you ask?"

"Ah, I see. I must confess, I'm surprised that you are not hounding me for a duel as you usually do. If you wished, we could have our match now and get it out of the way." He said with a lackadaisical air.

"Oh yeah!" I was pretty curious about what his real deck was. A good challenge might serve to take my mind off things just as well as anything else, and I would feel bad about brushing off the professor after directly asking him for a duel. That would bad etiquette. "Sure thing. Let's do this, teach!"

"I'll never get what is so exciting about these duels to you students…but any teacher worth his salt on this island has a decent deck. You'll see for certain right now."

"You don't like dueling?" I questioned. A character in the Yugioh universe (the Yugiverse?) who doesn't like to duel? Is that even possible?

"Eh, I mean I get the appeal of the game, but I've never really been super into it." Drummond shrugged lamely.

"Uh…" I scratched the side of my face. "You are aware that you are teaching at Duel Academy, right? No offense, but why in the hell are you teaching at DUEL Academy if you don't like to play this card game?"

"Ehh, benefits are good, I get to live on a tropical island, and I also actually get to put my History degree to good use. Considering how well Kaiba takes care of us, it's a pretty sweet gig. Beats working at a goddamn public high school any day."

I laughed. His reasoning was certainly understandable, but I am always surprised whenever I met someone in this universe who didn't have a stock anime personality. No wonder they never showed this dude in the show – he was way too ordinary!

"Alright, I got you. Anyways, I don't exactly have a duel disk right now, otherwise we could get started." I piped up.

"There are some extras in the shed. I'll grab one for you, just wait here." Drummond fished out his master key and rushed over to the Slifer Red dorm. A minute later, he emerged with a dusty old Battle City model duel disk, just like the ones used in the original series.

"These are older units, but they're patched to work with the newest cards, so you don't have to worry about any issues with the holograms." Drummond handed the device to me, and I had to admit it felt cool to use an old-school duel disk, rather than the academy model. The only thing that could be more old-school than this is if we used the Beyblade-style disks Kaiba had in the Duelist Kingdom arc.

Drummond won the roshambo and he decided to take the first turn. "I set a monster and…one additional card to start things off." He said disinterestedly.

"Ok, it's my turn!" I said with excitement. Despite the funk I was in, a good fight never ceased to make my blood boil. What was this guy's real deck? Today, I would finally know the answer.

My ever-useful Marshmallon was in my starting hand. Haven't seen this card in a while. "I'll also set a monster along with two face-downs. Your go."

"Very well. It seems we are both using a defensive strategy. I will force you out of that shell with this. I activate the trap card Rock Bombardment! By sending one rock monster from my deck to the grave, I can deal 500 points of damage to you." Drummond sent Lost Guardian from his deck to the grave, and a holographic rock passed through me as I took the damage. (Jamie 3500/Drummond 4000)

"Ah, a rock stun deck, huh? I have to admit, that wasn't what I expected, and yet I suppose it is a little on the nose for a history teacher." I bantered.

"Well, it's an anti-meta playstyle, so it doesn't tend to appeal to as many players. Besides, most prefer the aesthetic appeal of dragons or warriors rather than dry old rocks. I find that they suit me rather well." Drummond said.

It's gonna be tough to play around a serious rock stun deck, especially since I'm playing the meta at this time, which was Goat Control/Warrior Toolbox with a splash of Chaos functionality. I should avoid attacking into his set monsters if I can.

"To continue things, I'll set another monster and flip over my Guardian Statue (800/1400)" A dusty brown statue with huge arms rose form the ground. "When this is flip summoned, I can bounce one of your monsters back to your hand." Pointing at my set Marshmallon, I grumbled. So it was gonna be like that, eh?

"Now, I'll sacrifice Guardian Statue to summon Guardian Sphinx (1700/2400) in attack mode!" An animated sphinx clad in regal Egyptian garb gazed upon me, its eyes glowing.

"Now, I'll attack directly!" The sphinx chucked some golden plasma my way from its mouth, Nappa style. I decided to let the attack go through, not wanting to use up my trap cards until it was necessary. (Jamie 1800/Drummond 4000)

"My Sphinx's special ability flips itself into face-down defense mode once more. And when it's flip summoned…well, you'll see." Drummond attempted to be cryptic.

"Yeah, I know what the card does, dude. When it's flip summoned, all of my monsters get bounced." I cut him off.

"Well, someone's a little testy today. What's got you in such a bad mood, mister Lancaster?" Drummond asked with a mix of good humor and sincerity.

"Ahh…girl trouble, I guess you could say." I decided to answer with as much honesty as I could.

Drummond chuckled. "Say no more. I remember having plenty of girl trouble back in my high school days…good times." Yeah, I remember having a similar experience back in my original high school days too. I really didn't want to have to go through that again, but I guess it was a little late for that.

"I'm looking to take my mind off things, so let's continue, professor." I said blandly. He nodded knowingly and signaled for me to take my turn. I needed to take out his monsters before they could activate their flip effects.

My next draw served this purpose well. "I cast the spell Nobleman of Crossout. This lets me banish your set monster, as well as any monster with that card's name in your deck!" A knight with flowing blonde hair and bright silver armor took the field, plunging his sword into Drummond's face-down creature. It was, of course, Guardian Sphinx. Drummond was forced to search through his deck and banish his other copy of the card as well.

"And for my next trick, I summon Exarion Universe (1800/1900) in attack mode!" A centaur whose human half was covered in blue armor galloped onto the field, wielding a bloody orange double-sided spear. "I set one card face-down and attack directly!" My monster charged unabated towards Drummond, the spear (digitally) running him through. "I end my turn." I said. (Jamie 1800/Drummond 2200)

"As relentless as ever, I see. This will be an interesting matchup – I wonder how well my defenses will hold up against your playstyle." Drummond brushed himself off and prepared to take his turn. "Sadly for you, Nobleman of Crossout is limited, so it won't be so easy for you to bypass my set monsters in the future."

He was right, I was extremely lucky to have that card in my starting hand. For as much as I roast the Heart of the Cards, it still comes through once in a while.

"Breaking down my rock monsters will be even more difficult after I activate the field spell Catapult Zone." We were suddenly transported into the middle of a raging battlefield, with huge trebuchets on either side of us lobbing boulders over our heads. It was freaky as hell until I realized that it was just a very realistic, highly detailed hologram. "Now, if a monster of mine would be destroyed by battle, I can simply send a rock monster from my deck to the graveyard."

"Hmm…" I seem to remember Catapult Zone being a fairly modern card. Just how much of the card pool here was true to its corollary time period in my past life? It was so bizarre – some cards had their anime effects, while others had their OCG rulings, and others were from the 5D's and Zexal eras. There were no Synchros, XYZ's, or Pendulum monsters to be sure, but apart from that it was hard to determine from which time period these cards came from. It was no matter – I would just have to play around them and strengthen my deck wherever I could.

"It's not just to protect his board, he also probably wants rock monsters in the grave to summon Gaia Plate the Earth Giant or Megarock Dragon. Those can be handled with backrow, so I should be all right…" Thinking about strategy was a good way of getting my mind off things.

"Now, I'll set another monster and end my turn." His highly defensive style was not only a major divergence from the stock proctor deck he used on the day of the exam, it was also a unique counter to my own style. He was forcing me on the offensive, whereas with this deck I usually liked to sit back and wait for the opponent to trigger my backrow. He was the one setting the pace, which I didn't like.

"Okay…I'll sacrifice Exarion Universe to tribute summon Airknight Parshath (1900/1400) in attack mode!" I traded one centaur for another, although this one rode in on angelic wings, and more importantly, dealt piercing damage. With this, I would be able to circumvent the Catapult Zone's effect.

"Now, I'll launch an attack! Take em down!" The winged paladin swept down on Drummond's set monster with a slash. It was Golem Sentry (800/1800), a door-shaped rock monster holding a blue axe. (Jamie 1800/Drummond 2100)

"A keen strategy, but my field spell keeps my monster alive." The teacher dumped a monster from his deck to the grave.

"That may be true, but since my Airknight inflicted battle damage, I get to draw a card." This guy's defenses were tough – it was rather like dueling against my own deck, although he was less reliant on traps and more so on defensive monsters.

"My turn." If Vector Drummond noticed my impatience, he didn't comment on it. "I activate Golem Sentry's effect, which allows me to flip him face-down once more. Next, I will – guess what? – set another monster! My turn is over with that."

I frowned. At this point, I was pretty sure he was setting up for a big Megarock Dragon play, so I had to finish him with one big play of my own. "Alright, I'll start by playing Foolish Burial to send a monster from my deck to the graveyard." I chose to pitch Don Zaloog, since he was a dark monster who could be used for Chaos fodder. With a chuckle, I realized that one of our future enemies was currently a card in my deck. Duel spirits are funny like that.

"Next, I'll summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600/1000)!" A knightly spellcaster clad in red Dark Magician-style armor warped to the battlefield. The hilt of his sword glowed with a green spell counter. "When this monster is summoned, he immediately gains a spell counter which raises his attack points by 300. However, I'm going to immediately remove that spell counter to activate his other effect, which lets me destroy a spell or trap on the field. Time for a change of scenery!" Breaker raised his sword skyward. From the tip of blade coursed dark purple energy which destroyed the Catapult Zone field spell and returned us to the front of the Slifer Red dorm.

"Now, it's open season on your monsters! Airknight Parshath, attack the face-down Golem Sentry!" With another slash, the gatekeeper was taken down for good and I got another draw. (Jamie 1800/Drummond 2000)

Breaker's probably not strong enough to take out his other monster, but I need to know what it is. Plus, it might have an effect when it's specifically flip summoned and not just flipped from an attack. "Breaker, attack."

The other set monster turned out to be Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (800/2200), a copper apparatus adorned with spikes. My crimson warrior was blown back, and I paid for my decision. (Jamie 1200/Drummond 2000)

"Mister Lancaster, do you remember how I gave you grief for playing stall cards like Marshmallon during the entrance exam?" Vector bantered.

"It was very annoying."

"Well, I only said that because I play an even more defensive deck than that, so it was just a bit of self-referential humor. Besides, you acquitted yourself well. I'm interested to see how this duel will conclude now that the shoe is on the other foot. Now, I'll start things off by playing Smashing Ground, destroying whichever of your monsters has the highest defense value." My Airknight Parshath was crushed unceremoniously by a boulder as he spoke, which was rather darkly comedic in its own right.

"Now, I'll play my own Foolish Burial. After that, I'll summon my greatest monster! By banishing every rock type monster in my graveyard, totaling five, I can special summon Megarock Dragon (?/?)!"

Stones of varying size rose into the air, coalescing to form an enormous dragon. Of course, it had to be a dragon, every boss monster in this damn game was a dragon, even in archetypes that otherwise had nothing to do with them. Hell, there are so many dragons that later on they added the Wyrm type, which was a type essentially reserved for weird dragon monsters. But I digress. "Since you have five rocks banished, that's 3500 attack points, right?"

"Ah, I see you're familiar with that card's effect. Yeah, you're right. 3500 is more than enough to end this duel, but I know better to rush in against you of all people. This bad boy is mainly for protecting my life points. Instead, I'm going to bypass your monsters with Gear Golem the Moving Fortress. By paying 800 life points, I can attack you directly!" The bronze tank launched a red laser at me from its eyes. I grimaced as my life points entered the red zone. "That's it for my turn." The teacher yawned. (Jamie 400/Drummond 1200)

Shoot, he's got enough life for one more attack too, which is all he needs. However, I also have Magic Cylinder and Shrink face-down, so I can at least use those if I absolutely need to. Of course, he also has two face-downs. This next draw would have to be good.

Alright, I can work with that. "I banish Don Zaloog and Airknight Parshath from my graveyard to special summon the honorable knight of the dawn, Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" The golden knight descended from the sky and landed by my side, his blade already drawn.

"Wow…even I have to admit that is an impressive card." Drummond whistled.

"Yeah, you sound positively ecstatic." I said sarcastically.

"Well, I'm not too excited about it being used on me…but it'll take more than that to break my rock monsters down." He replied with a resolve that I wouldn't have expected out of him.

"We'll see. Sorry to screw over your big boss monster like this, but I'm sending your Megarock Dragon to the next dimension! My Black Luster Soldier's effect activates!" With a swing of the sword, Black Luster Soldier opened a portal to a different plane of existence, into which the rock dragon was decomposed.

"Really, the next dimension? Why couldn't you just say killed, or even banished?" Drummond asked blithely, unbothered by the fact that his strongest monster was just wiped.

"Uh, it sounded cool in my head. Anyways, I'll attack your Gear Golem the Moving Fortress with Breaker now!" The spell-slinging knight took a stab at the machine with his thin saber.

"Activate reverse card, Book of Moon! This lets me flip a monster on the field into face-down defense mode, and I'll choose my golem." I was forced to call off my attack for the time being. He would be able to swing for game next turn with his Gear Golem's effect, since he had the life to spare. Of course, I had a Magic Cylinder set in case he tried to do that. Our defenses were thoroughly entrenched at this point, it was just a matter of who drew the right card at the right time.

"Okay, I'll set a monster and call it a turn." Marshmallon was lurking in the background just in case he somehow dealt with everything else on the field. I doubted he had a monster that dealt piercing damage.

"Ugh, I'm getting a bit tired of this…and as much as I'd like to go in for the finisher, I know that you have some backrow waiting. I'll set a monster and end my turn." The professor finished with a bored expression.

I had to laugh. "You know, for someone who doesn't like to duel, you're giving me a really tough match. Thanks for agreeing to this."

"Thank you, mister Lancaster. It's all part of the job description. Now let's hurry this along, I've got essays to grade later tonight." His droll response only made me laugh more. In a world where practically every named character got fired up about dueling, this guy was a total anomaly.

"Alright, let's see how your defenses hold up now." Sadly, my next draw was a Book of Moon of my own, a very dead card in this matchup. Still, I had enough on board to go for game. He has one set card, which he chose not to activate the last couple of times I attacked. Time to go in.

"Black Luster Soldier, attack the face-down Gear Golem!" After a tense moment, the attack went through. My knight sliced and diced the machine down to scrap metal before turning his eyes on his other set monster. "Using his effect, my knight will launch his second attack!"

However, the Black Luster Soldier's sword was stopped, unable to swipe through its target. The skeleton of a thick-headed dinosaur held off the blade with its dense skull. "My set monster is Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo (1200/1300)! When it is flipped face-up all specially summoned monsters are instantly destroyed! Sorry to screw over your big boss monster like this." Drummond echoed my own words from earlier as my soldier crumbled like an old statue. At the same time, his monster was destroyed as well.

"Finally, a clear field! Breaker, attack directly for game!" The wizard's cape flapped in the wind as he leapt towards Drummond's slim frame. For the first time all duel, he actually looked a bit worried.

"I activate my trap card, Release from Stone! This lets me special summon a banished rock monster. I'll bring back Golem Sentry!" The gatekeeper burst out of the ground and blocked Breaker's strike with his own weapon. My warrior was forced back, and I had to end my battle phase.

Shoot, I almost made it through this time. And without my Black Luster Soldier, I'm not sure I'll be able to swing over his monsters. This duel was getting annoying, to be sure.

"You're bloody tenacious, I'll give you that. There's no way I can win in a straight up fight." A small smile worked its way up Drummond's face. "So I won't. I activate Shield & Sword to switch the attack and defense values of every face-up monster on the field. Golem Sentry now has 1800 attack and Breaker is reduced to 1000."

I gulped. This was fine, I still had the Magic Cylinder in the back.

"Alright, I'm launching an attack!" The door monster lumbered forward, raising its axe high. Breaker raised his shield in preparation, counting on something coming to his aid.

"Perfect! I activate my-" I began.

"During the battle phase, I activate a quick-play spell from my hand! Go, Anti-Magic Arrows! For the rest of the turn, spells and traps cannot be activated, letting my attack go through."

A volley of sharp silver arrows rained from the sky, pinning my face-down cards and rendering them utterly useless. The Golem Sentry's axe sliced through my monster, ending the duel unceremoniously. (Jamie 0/Drummond 1200)

"Damn it!" I muttered the curse as the holograms faded. Man, today was only getting more and more messed up. Maybe I shouldn't go fishing – with the way things have been going lately, I wouldn't get a nibble!

"It was a good game, mister Lancaster. You were just having an off day, that's all." The bespectacled man said with a wink. I grumbled, but this was an off day. Like a fucking really off day.

"I guess everybody drops a game now and then. Thanks for letting me use this." I took off the duel disk and handed it to him. "Maybe we can have a rematch some other time. I'll see you tomorrow, professor." I said hastily while making to grab my gear.

He regarded me curiously, adjusting his tie quickly. "Everyone drops a game now and then, true. But there is a lesson in every defeat. And life never ceases to teach. It is only when we refuse to listen that we grow still, and die."

I gave him a strange look. "Well, you had the right cards at the right time, and I didn't. What should I learn from this?" I asked, not to be impudent, but out of genuine curiosity.

"Just think about it. I know that you are discouraged by girl troubles or whatever is actually bothering you. But life is all about struggle, and these are but mere tests on your path to greatness. Mistakes happen to us all." The hipster professor smiled.

"Yeah…I've made a lot of mistakes in my life." I murmured.

"Surely not that many, you're still quite young."

"I suppose you're right."

"You'll do just fine, Jamie. You have the tenacity and grit to do whatever it is you want to do in life. We've all only got one shot, so might as well make it count, right?" Drummond said nothing else, simply going on his way and leaving me to go fish.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I fished until it was good and dark outside, and sure enough, I caught nothing. "Looks like Drummond's taking over as the cryptic mentor figure now that Banner's gone." I grumbled as I finally decided to return to the dorm.

But he did have a point. I couldn't be expected to do everything right, even with my knowledge of canon. What did it even mean to do everything right? I definitely didn't do everything right in my first life, that's for sure. But I did have a chance to make this second life the best it could possibly be. Could I trust others with this secret? I couldn't be sure. For now, if we make it through the events of canon and everyone's still alive and kicking, that's a victory. For now, that is my purpose. Once everything is said and done, I can decide what I really want to do…maybe this summer internship at Kaibacorp will help me decide that, if I get accepted. Maybe I could still be friends with Erin too. Anything more…that might be a can of worms not worth opening. I just need to follow my instincts and learn from my mistakes like teach said. I was starting to feel like my usual self somewhat again.

Sleep eluded me that night, and as it was a particularly cool night, I left the windows open in my room. In the pale blue moonlight, I watched the curtains shimmer in the breeze from beneath the covers, thinking about anything and everything. I did doze off eventually, but it was a restless sleep, and I soon woke up having to take a quick piss.

Imagine my shock when I walk out of the bathroom and see an enormous vampire bat perched on the sill. The beast was enormous, easily taking up the entire window frame with its huge webbed wings. Glowing red eyes gazed dispassionately on me. So much for a break before the next Shadow Rider showed up.

Clad in only a pair of polka dot boxer shorts, I suddenly wished I was packing heat. My pure astonishment only increased as the giant bat morphed and changed shape. Did you ever read those Animorphs books as a kid? Yeah. I gripped the spirit key around my neck.

The bat shrank in size and took the form of a woman with long, flowing green hair of an unusually light shade. Her skin was pale as milk, offset by crimson lipstick and cold brown eyes. A frankly flawless body was contained in a slinky dress the color of red wine. A bronze choker engraved with the eye of Wdjat hung on her neck. Ah, so this must be Camula of the Seven Stars.

"Well well, I didn't expect a nighttime visit from you lot, and especially so soon. How's it going, Camula?" I yawned.

She raised a thin eyebrow in confusion. "How do you know my name?"

"I know everything." I responded automatically.

"Really?" she drawled in a heavy Eastern European accent. "Then what am I thinking about right now?"

"You were thinking about getting the hell out of here and letting me go back to sleep. I know you vampires don't like the daytime, but I have class at 8:30 in the morning tomorrow so…maybe some other time." I snarked.

"Wrong. I was actually thinking about taking that key of yours…and maybe more than that." She said sibilantly. "And how do you know that I'm a vampire?"

"No offense, but it is a bit obvious from the whole "transforming into a giant bat" thing. Although I don't remember the Twilight vampires being able to do that. Also, your fangs are showing." These villains were quite fun to banter with! At least I could be somewhat honest with them.

"Green eyes, brown hair, lame sense of humor, and a spirit key. There's no doubt about it, you're Jamie Lancaster. I've finally found my target." She said with a sexy smirk. Alright Jamie, focus!

"So it seems you're not gonna leave me alone. How did you find my room from the outside of the building anyways?" I asked, slowly moving towards the dresser without taking my eyes off of her.

"Don't worry about that." Camula brushed the question off.

"You had to systematically look in every window in the dorm, didn't you? How long did that take?" I grabbed my duel disk and placed my Melodious cards in the main deck slot. "Actually, don't answer that. Let's just get down to business. And I don't mean sex. Not a fan of biting."

"You overestimate your looks nearly as much as you overestimate you dueling ability."

"Then why are you looking at me like I'm a piece of meat?"

She smirked. "You can play with words, true, but you will not defeat me in a game of cards. I have eyes and ears all over this island, and I saw today that you lost to a history professor who doesn't even like to duel."

I chuckled, looking at my real deck. "You're right. I must be a complete joke. Killing me should be an easy task."

"Don't jump to conclusions, boy. Whether or not I will kill you remains to be seen. My master has ordered me to bring you to him. He merely wishes to speak with you." She purred.

"Wait, what?" That threw me for a loop. What would Kagemaru have to say to me and not the others?

"You can reserve your questions for him. Surely you wouldn't mind a little nighttime intrigue with me? I am an escort for you." Camula said with sultry tone.

"Yes, but not that kind of escort, right?"

"It is unwise to provoke me. I have information on every card you've ever played, thanks to my bats. You're an open book. Now be quiet and come with me. My master has a generous offer for you. Tonight may be a pleasurable one for you yet…but perhaps not. If you are so good with words, you will make the right choice."

So, she knows about every card I've ever played, huh? Well, what about the ones I haven't played? That might come as a bit of a nasty shock. Without an audience, I'll be able to play my Melodious cards without issue. I'll defeat Camula and Kagemaru in one fell swoop.

"You're right, I could hardly refuse a lady like yourself. You don't mind if I get dressed first, do you?" I asked casually.

"Hmm, if you insist." She demurred. I had to admit, she would be overwhelming to an actual teenage boy. I imagine none except Zane, who was a master at keeping his cool, and Jaden, who was just weird, could properly resist her charms. There's always something about vampires, I tell ya. No wonder so many romance novels use em. Sadly, the only action I was going to get tonight involved playing a card game. Of course, I had no interest in getting bitten either, so maybe it was for the best.

What sort of offer could Kagemaru have for me? Did he know the truth? And if so, how? I put on a tight black tee, some dark grey joggers, and white sneakers. The Melodious cards were encased in gold sleeves and ready to roll.

"Let's see where the night takes us."

A/N

Hope you all enjoyed. This update is long af, I realize. But as it's a busy time of year rn and updates being infrequent as a result, I'm trying to include more content in the chapters when they are ready to roll. If this chapter was too long, let me know, it's valuable feedback.

I'm sure some people noticed, but I definitely based Adam's YT channel off of SimplyUnlucky. It's all in good jest though, that guy is very funny.

Can't wait to write more Kaiba, he's a fountain of memes. Fair warning, parts of his characterization are based off films like Wolf of Wall Street and American Psycho, as well as abridged. He's gonna be wild in this fic, dude, I can't wait. I'm certainly not going to bash him of course, but some of his character traits may be overblown for the sake of humor, that's all.

Otherwise, Jamie and Erin are putting a bit of distance between each other. She feels that he does not trust her and that he is generally mysterious to the point of being shady. He feels that telling the truth would permanently alienate him from the others. Hopefully you can see both points of view there, I didn't want to present one side as being entirely right and the other as being entirely wrong. The exchange put Jamie in emo mode for a bit, but dueling with Professor Drummond made him feel better, or to be more accurate it put the problem out of his mind for the moment.

Jamie losing to Drummond may seem a bit odd considering Drummond is not passionate about the game, but the professor does know how to play well, and no one has a 100% win rate. That's the interesting thing about this verse compared to something like Bleach for example - there, the power system is a clear hierarchy, like for example there is no way Hitsugaya could ever beat someone like Aizen. In Yugioh however, since both "fighters" are playing a game, anyone could theoretically beat anyone with the exception of certain hard counter matchups like an anti-fusion deck vs Jaden for example. It makes the duels a bit more unpredictable, although sometimes I doubt how exciting they are for readers.

How did Terra Firma find its way to Jaden? What does Kagemaru want with Jamie? Will we finally see the Melodious cards in action? Find out on the next exciting episode of State of the Meta!