Chapter 20: My Duel Monster Spirit Can't Be This Cute!
(Chazz Princeton POV)
In the far north, winter raged in all its intensity. Every other day, it seemed like driving snow barraged the campus of North Academy, with grey clouds blotting out the sun and fierce winds whipping across the ice fields.
But nothing could dampen the spirits of the students. For so long, North Academy had been an afterthought, the redheaded stepchild of the five great Duel Academies of the world.
East Academy in England was well known for being situated in a bustling metropolitan area, where ambitious students had ample opportunity for networking and career striving.
West Academy, located in Morocco, was known for its strict and militaristic structure, which produced duelists of extreme discipline and focus. Its headmaster, Thelonious Viper, had recently introduced the controversial system of Survival Duels to his students, although details about what exactly those Survival Duels entailed were thin on the ground. Still, there was no denying that West Academy students were hardy and tough.
South Academy, located in Australia, took a more laid back stance, and supported the most areas of academic studying besides dueling of all the other schools. Students were given extensive freedom to explore various styles of dueling, and this led to the rise of numerous unusual and unique decks.
Central Academy was known for three things – its stratified dorm structure, its location on a tropical island in the Pacific Ocean, and the deep pool of talent it supported. In the past ten years, Central Academy had produced the most powerful and skilled duelists of all the academies, and why wouldn't it, with Seto Kaiba himself at the helm? However, the school also had a reputation of aloofness and arrogance due to the fact that many of its top students came from rich families and silver spoon prep schools.
North Academy was just there. It sat in the frozen wastes of Siberia, simply existing so that there could be a Duel Academy for every cardinal direction, it would seem. The Northerners were masters of none- they did not have the rarest cards, or the most clever students, or the most intense training methods. They were looked down upon by the other schools – after all, what duelist worth their salt would choose to freeze their asses off for a subpar education?
However, that was beginning to change.
Under the leadership of their ace duelist, Chazz Princeton, North Academy was slowly but surely rising in the world of dueling. After their victory against Central Academy at the 2004 School Duel, the North Academy students had some portion of glory for the first time, and a leader to rally around. Despite his horrible haircut, mishmashed deck, and complete lack of anything resembling conventional social skills, Chazz was exalted by his peers. Or perhaps it was because of these oddities that he was liked. One thing was for sure – as long as he kept winning, he would have no shortage of respect from the Northerners.
"Just keep winning." The black-clad Czar thought to himself as he got out of the North Academy monthly practical exam. Despite his strange deck, Chazz managed to do just fine in the examinations, winning the necessary number of matches and completing the written test to satisfaction.
"Whew, glad that's over with! What a bore!" Jesse Anderson, Chazz's best and only friend, whistled as they walked out of the gymnasium where the tests were being held. As usual, he was completely chilled, even as other students came out of the test chamber wringing their hands in worry.
Chazz chuckled. "So, I take it the exams were no trouble for you then."
"Nah, my Crystal Beasts and I are a unit, there's no way we could lose to simple proctor decks. And from the looks of things, we've got a free afternoon ahead of us! What to do…" Jesse mused.
"I'm gonna go practice. If you'd like to come with, I wouldn't mind." Chazz said.
"Oh, curling, you mean? Of all sports, I never thought you'd get into curling. You really are a Northerner! But I'm gonna take a pass this time, I think. Maybe I'll see you at dinner." Jesse said with a two-fingered wave. Chazz saw the Ruby Carbuncle duel spirit nuzzle in Jesse's hair, making him suppress a small smile.
"Very well-" Chazz began to speak, but the sound of his phone ringing cut him off. "It's the headmaster." He said with furrowed brow. Jesse decided to stick around for a moment, in case Foster's call had something to do with him.
"Hello?" Chazz answered.
"Chazz, my boy, I hope I am not interrupting anything too important." Foster warbled.
"Not at all sir, Jesse and I just finished our practical exams."
"Ah, very good. I have no doubt you two did splendidly as always. If mister Anderson is with you, that makes things a little more convenient as well. If you lads are done with class for the day, could you come by my office sometime this afternoon?" The headmaster asked.
Chazz glanced at Jesse, who nodded. "We can come by right now if that suits you."
"Good! I'll be expecting you." Foster said quickly before hanging up.
"I wonder what he wants." Chazz said.
"He probably wants to tell us how awesome we are!" Ojama Yellow popped up out of nowhere, as he is wont to do.
"Maybe we're finally gonna get our very own statue built! I believe that would be an excellent use of the school's funding!" Ojama Black piped up, his man tits jiggling.
Jesse chuckled at the little gremlin's antics. "That's probably not it. I think there's only one way to find out. Shall we?" Jesse held out his hand towards Chazz with a little curtsy. The Crystal Beast user always knew the best way to get Chazz's goat, although he never meant anything malicious by his teasing. Jesse was superficially popular at North Academy for his bishonen looks and friendly attitude, but he didn't have many close friends due to his constant traveling. Chazz and Jesse were really the other's only true friend.
With a lighthearted scoff, Chazz swatted away Jesse's hand. Then, they both made their way towards Foster's office, their duel spirits loyally trailing behind.
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"Gentlemen, have a seat." On the surface, Foster cut an even less intimidating figure than Sheppard. He always wore the same beat-up yellow puffer parka couple with dark jeans and functional brown leather boots, even when indoors. He was going bald, but refused to completely shave his head, and always seemed to have two-day old stubble on his face. However, his grey eyes shone with cleverness, and Chazz knew that the man was much more intelligent than he appeared.
"Headmaster." Chazz ground out with a short nod. Jesse, on the other hand, simply gave a casual smile and his requisite two-fingered salute. They both sat in swivel chairs opposite of Foster's oak desk. His office was designed similarly to Sheppard's, even having a large picture window facing the north. Unlike the palm trees and beaches that could be seen at Central Academy, Foster's office showed bare expanses of ice and snow. In the distance, a mountain range loomed darkly.
"Before we begin, we should wait for the others." Foster said cryptically, putting some stray folders on his desk inside a file cabinet.
"What others?" Jesse asked, but his question was answered by the sound of Skype booting up. Pulling out a remote control, Foster turned on the 32-inch monitor on his east wall. To Chazz's great shock, the faces of Slade and Jagger Princeton appeared on the screen.
"How goes it, little bro?" Slade jeered. From the looks of things, they were both at the Princeton family manor in the outer boroughs of Yokohama, Japan. It was Friday, so Chazz imagined they had just arrived there for a weekend retreat. The King in the North got over his surprise quickly and schooled his features into what he perceived as a neutral expression (although really it was more of a scowl).
"Just fine, brother." Chazz said tersely. The hostility rolled off of him in waves, but neither of the older brothers seemed to notice or care.
"Glad to hear it." The seemingly innocuous remark sounded very much like a threat coming out of Slade's mouth. Jesse glanced between the brothers, the tension palpable.
"We have an excellent opportunity for the both of you. As you're well aware, North Academy's clout has seen a significant uptick since your victory over Jaden Yuki at the School Duel." Jagger began to explain. Chazz couldn't help but smirk – the day he defeated the Slifer slacker was utterly glorious in his mind.
"And because of this recent upswing in our fortunes, many smaller schools are attempting to bask in some shared glory by scheduling events with us. Everyone loves a winner, after all." Foster chimed in. "As our strongest two duelists by a country mile, everyone is eager to see the depths of your talents."
"Hmph. Is that all? I'll take on any one of these hillbillies if that's what you're talking about. The Chazz never runs from a challenge!" Chazz declared as the Ojamas twerked in the background. Luckily, no one but Jesse could see them. It was the hardest thing he had ever done, but the teal-haired boy managed to keep a straight face.
"I'm still not exactly sure what ya'll are getting at." Jesse asked once the giggles subsided.
"The American Duel Academy has sent both of you a formal invitation to a tournament at the beginning of the summer, June 1 to be precise. That is the final day of term for them, and the tournament is held amongst the best students at the school as a sort of graduation ceremony." Jagger posited.
'What does that have to do with us, then?" Chazz asked fiercely.
"You two won't be participating in the tournament, but you would both duel in an exhibition match with two of the top students from the American academy. It would be a 'show of international friendship' and all that bullshit." Slade answered.
"You two would be handsomely compensated for such an endeavor, and we would be happy to provide the means of transportation. If you agree to this challenge, the American Duel Academy would provide a night's stay in a nearby hotel." Jagger said in a way that suggested that they would be fools to turn this chance up.
"North Academy's semester finishes the week before, so it wouldn't conflict with anything here." Foster supplied.
"Where is the American Duel Academy? It's a pretty big country, after all." Jesse said with good humor. No one laughed.
"It's in San Francisco, California. A nice change of pace, as far as weather is concerned." Foster said with a small smile.
"Awesome! San Fran is a great city!" Jesse exclaimed.
"I'm sure you would think so." Jagger remarked, sharing a glance with Slade in which a secret joke was shared. Jesse's good mood evaporated, and he gave the investor a cold glare. Chazz didn't understand the implications behind the remark, looking at his brothers with momentary confusion. Soon enough, however, he was back to his usual bluster.
"Of course I'll go. As the Czar, it is my duty to represent North Academy the right way. I'm about to Chazz all over these American's faces!" Chazz declared with his usual ostentatiousness, turning his own name into a verb.
"I'll go as well." Jesse said, taking a deep breath.
"Very good. I will inform Principal Mackenzie of our decision tonight. Thank you for brokering this agreement, misters Slade and Jagger. And thanks to both of you boys for dueling. I believe this deal bodes well for North Academy." Foster said with uncharacteristic professionalism.
"Make the family proud, Chazz. We will discuss this at length later." Slade finished. Chazz nodded silently, not relishing the idea of speaking to them any more than necessary. The elder brothers nodded back before cutting the call.
Foster breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh man, those two always put me on edge. Thanks for agreeing to this, fellas. You're gonna be heroes if you manage to win another big duel overseas, moreso than you already are."
"A chance to get out the cold is enough of a reward, but to knock some heads while we're at it? How could I resist?" Chazz grinned. "And once my power grows, I'll knock those bastard brothers of mine off their pedestals for good!" He thought viciously. "I'm gonna be my own man someday, just they wait!"
After some more idle talk, the two boys left the Headmaster's office and made for the cafeteria. "You weren't kidding about your brothers being horrible, Chazz." Jesse said seriously.
Chazz gave him a sideways glance. "Yeah, they are." Chazz would never admit it, but Jesse was more of a brother to him than Slade and Jagger had ever been. They didn't know him and they didn't want to know him. At least he could be reasonably sure that Jesse wouldn't betray him the moment he outlived his usefulness like those two shitheels would.
"What's got you so upset anyhow? They hardly spoke a word to you." The czar mused as they descended the staircase towards the mess hall.
Jesse gave a false smile that Chazz didn't recognize as false. "Eh, it's nothing to get worked up about." He said. Chazz shrugged and put the incident from his mind completely.
"I just wonder who's gonna be our opponents…"
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(? POV)
A sleek white limousine crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, one of many cars crossing the famous road on the average morning commute. However, the subject matter being discussed by the passengers of the limo was anything but average.
"Well well, it appears the ambiguously gay duo has accepted our invitation. Everything is proceeding according to plan, wouldn't you say, Mac?" A man spoke as he looked up from his laptop. He was tall and muscular, his white coat and pants striking a contrast with the black leather interior of the limo. His ivory and gold commissar cap covered straight blond hair and a pair of strict blue eyes. A curious green earring hung off his right ear, but there wasn't a matching one on his left.
"Indeed, although there's nothing ambiguous about Anderson, if you catch my drift, brother." A woman wearing similarly militaristic garb answered. She brushed her shoulder-length blonde hair behind her hair with a disarming smile. She had a stunning figure, and an earring identical to her brother's on her left ear. "It is Princeton who is the more fascinating character."
The man pulled up a video of Chazz Princeton dueling Jaden Yuki at the School Duel. The video was posted by someone named SimplySugihara on DuelTube. "Light and Darkness Dragon and Winged Kuriboh…wouldn't you know it; both of these guys have spirits. Looks like a lot of interesting people are coming out of Central Academy. Rumor has it that another of the Legendary Planets is on the island as well. And this Jamie Lancaster fellow seems a bit odd. He defeated Princeton in only two turns." He mused, his mind going in a thousand different directions with this information.
"We have no use for a duelist who does not have a spirit. Besides, the only reason he won was because of a cheap trap card. For now, let us focus on our goal…all my eyes can see is the supreme beauty of that dragon. A card of such strength and grace does not belong to one as crude as Princeton. Those disgusting Ojamas suit him better!" Reggie Mackenzie laughed cruelly.
"That's right. He can keep those little shits for all it matters. The Dragon and the Kuriboh are what we need." David Rabb replied. "And if we can, I'd like to find out what Anderson's deal is."
"I think we both know what his deal is." Mackenzie interjected sharply.
David sighed. "I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about his duel spirits. Rumor has it that the Crystal Beasts used to be the servants of another greater duel spirit, one that even rivaled the power of Ma'at."
"Hmm? In that case, he may be a threat as well. But we shall find out the truth soon enough, as we wait for them to fall into our trap…" The siblings cackled, dark shadows crossing their faces. "A few months are of no importance…compared to the tedium of five thousand years."
"Man, you sure meet some weird people at this job." The put-upon Uber driver sighed at the front of the car. "I don't get paid enough for this."
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(Kagemaru POV)
When the rubble began to fall from the castle ceiling, Kagemaru had already detached his tank from the grounded support systems around him and scuttled away on the spider-like apparatus attached to the with tank's bottom. Camula's life was a necessary loss…now that he knew the power of a deck from the future.
"It is fortunate that I escaped when I did…I would have no chance against those terrifying cards!" Kagemaru mumbled to himself in the back of the helicopter. In the event that he would have to make a hasty escape, he had one of his other assassins, a duel spirit by the name of Don Zaloog, waiting with transport at the ready.
Zaloog was piloting the aircraft. Much like his card art, he wore a leather vest with a bandolier slung across his shoulders. All sorts of weapons and tools were affixed to his utility belt, and a black scorpion design was tattooed to his bicep. His silver hair was long and lank, and a patch emblazoned with the symbol of Horus covered his left eye socket.
In the back, the four other members of the Dark Scorpion gang sat, tending to their master. They wildly differed in appearance; there was a burly, bald strongman, a rather jumpy, short blond boy, a smirking, devious brunette woman, and a shifty-looking man of medium build who seemed fixated on polishing his knife. No, I mean actually polishing his knife, like an actual dagger, not the other thing. What they all shared was a mischievous nature – they were sort of people who sought trouble gladly, and often thrived in it.
They weren't the most powerful of duel spirits, but Kagemaru was able to win them to his side fairly easily; money was all they cared for. Kagemaru could scarcely believe that some people could be swayed by such a meaningless thing as money…merely living paycheck to paycheck like slaves. Luckily, his eyes were set on the higher goal of eternal youth, and no amount of money could sway him from that.
The reason he could see his goal so clearly was because he had felt the powers of youth before. He had once been a hard-bodied young man with strength and vitality immeasurable. Men wanted to be him, and women wanted to be with him – and a great many were. He made sport of challenges that caused other men, weaker men to throw their hands up in defeat. Kagemaru had the best of everything in life – women, travel, money, and power- but nothing made him happier than seeing other men whine about how unfair it all was, that he made their place in the pecking order all too clear. Retreat was a wholly unfamiliar word to him.
And now look at him – running scared from a bunch of singing little girls! It was bad enough that he had to cling to life with the aid of modern medicinal technology, but that smart-aleck Lancaster made him look ridiculous and feeble. And to top it off, he needlessly lost one of his servants in the process. Duel Monsters wasn't around back in Kagemaru's youth, but he was sure that he would be able to defeat the key keepers, a bunch of children, with the Sacred Beasts.
Then, when he did his research on the key holders in question, he started noticing a troubling pattern. None of the others were particularly noteworthy – Zane Truesdale was powerful, but there were ways to defeat the Cyber Dragons. Jaden Yuki had an unusual array of abilities – he wielded the gentle darkness as though he had used it all his life. But his academics were poor, and Kagemaru felt comfortable concluding that he was an unskilled brute, who could be outdone with strategy and planning.
Jamie Lancaster, on the other hand, was a completely unexplainable case by any normal metrics. In middle school, he was a boy of average intelligence, more interested in sports than schoolwork. He was rather goofy too, and liked to joke around in dopey, good-natured manner. The boy never expected much out of life, spending most of his free time messing around with his friends and playing games. He used a simple dragon deck, chosen only because he thought that dragons were cool. Even as the meta evolved, he would never abandon that dragon deck of his.
Until one day, he did.
All of these previously established traits went out the window the day of the entrance exams. Jamie completely altered his deck – Kagemaru didn't think there was even a single dragon type monster in there now. Furthermore, he wielded his cards with mastery, at least compared to before. He even used a copy of Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning, a card considered quite rare. His personality and study habits practically changed overnight as well. Jamie had among the best grades in the freshman class and rose to Obelisk Blue within his first two months on campus. This sudden ambition wasn't congruent with the type of person he was in the past. His sense of humor had become a bit more snappish and biting than it was before, and there was a certain intensity that didn't exist before.
Kagemaru had some ideas as to how this could be possible, but he saw the security camera footage of the boy battling what looked like the duel spirit of Jinzo, he developed a theory.
The boy was an emissary of the sacred darkness. For one reason or another, the cosmic forces brought this man from a different timeline to this one. There was no other way to explain the dark duel energy that flooded from his being seemingly without his knowledge.
"Jamie Lancaster could be a false name…he might not even be human." Kagemaru, unknowingly, was building up a grand image of his enemy, such was the extent of his fear.
"We'll be landing in Vlore shortly, boss. A ship is waiting there for us. We'll sail north and regroup at Ancona." The brown-haired man reported, never taking his eyes off his knife. Kagemaru was shaken from his reverie.
"Good. Ever since that Noodle Incident, Seto Kaiba has been barred from setting foot in Italy. Our forces will be able to convene safely there." The old man said.
"Yes, although we'll have to find some new clothes for Abidos. He tends to stand out as he is now." The woman glibly added, and the other Dark Scorpions snickered in response.
Kagemaru remained stoic. "The key keeper that Camula was battling is still in Albania. He may have died from the castle's collapse, but I have reason to believe he is not an ordinary human."
The laughter of the scorpions ceased immediately. Camula was among the most powerful of their group. They held no love for her but knowing that the key keepers were this strong gave them pause. This Jamie Lancaster seemed to even put a trace of fear in their master.
"I am not sure how long he will be stranded in Albania, but the longer the better. If Lancaster is isolated from the others, we should be able to pick off the weaker key keepers with relative ease." Kagemaru continued.
"But boss, shouldn't we take out this Lancaster schmuck while he's by himself? He's gotta be weakened from fighting Camula, right?" The jittery blond boy spoke up, seeming to regret his words even as they poured from his mouth.
"No!" Kagemaru boomed, silencing his minions. "Additional preparation is needed to handle Lancaster. I will destroy him myself in due time, once I have the cards to do so. For now, I want you lot to focus on defeating Bastion Misawa. He is one of the weaker key keepers in terms of duel energy, but his intelligence makes him somewhat dangerous. He is smart but lacks cunning – if you are able to subvert his own preconceived notions of your battle power, then defeating him should be more than possible."
"Consider it done!" Each of the Dark Scorpions sounded off. "The Dark Scorpions are on the job!"
Kagemaru nodded, confident that the gang could at last handle this much. "As for me, I will have to create cards that can destroy the Melodious Divas…every card has a weakness, and I will find a way!" Nothing would stop him from achieving immortality, and certainly not a band of vocaloid waifus!
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(Alexis Rhodes POV)
Alexis Rhodes opened her eyes to a dark hospital ceiling at five in the morning. The painkillers left her mind a bit hazy, and she spent almost two minutes staring at the ceiling fan, recalling what had happened in the past week.
"Atticus…" She mumbled, looking to her left. Somehow, behind the curtain separating them, she knew that her brother was there. She thought that Atticus was long dead. The idea of him returning from the depths of darkness was a moment Alexis had dreamed of a thousand times…and she had made that dream a reality with her own two hands. She had freed him from the monster controlling his heart, and he was back. Waking up didn't just feel like returning to consciousness – it felt like being reborn into a new life, one full of wonder and possibility.
Her arms felt dead, but she was slowly regaining feeling in them. Looking to her right, Alexis saw a beautiful vase of marigolds that everyone pitched in to buy. A card signed by the key keepers, the teachers, Adam, Mindy, Jasmine, and even Erin sat next to the vase. Alexis felt a lump in her throat, glad that she had people who were on her side on this dark and frightening world. People who liked her for more than her beauty and social standing. Even her rivalry with Erin was better than the fake and honeyed words of the people she hung around with in prep school. At least Erin challenged her directly- the other girls would smile to her face while scheming to put a dagger in her back, metaphorically.
Alexis couldn't wait to get out of this hospital. She was a key keeper, a fighter! She would not stand by and expect others to take care of things for her. She couldn't wait to see her friends again. It was a crazy thought, since it was the middle of the night, but a friendly visitor would be a welcome sight. In her hazy state of mind, she didn't notice the spirit key in her bedside dresser glowing, signifying that a fellow key keeper was doing battle.
"Wonder what sort of trouble is afoot now…"
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(Jaden Yuki POV)
It was happening again. Although he had a few blessed months of peace since the last time, the nightmarish voice was coming back.
For the past three nights, his dreams were assaulted with visions of Professor Banner's death. Endlessly, he would see the smiling professor he used to break bread with crumble into dust. Tonight, however, his dreams were visited for the second time by the voice.
"You have done well, my king. This was your first great victory. Didn't it feel good to crush an upstart, to impose your will!? There are few greater pleasures in life than watching an enemy disappear." The voice sounded like it was getting off on this.
"No. That wasn't a victory. I hated that I had to do that. Professor Banner used to be a friend. He just wanted to live. Nothing about that situation was fair." Jaden would posit, speaking back to the horror that dwelled in his mind.
A high-pitched, childlike laugh. "Fairness is the false idol that the common and mediocre cling to. A king has no use for such a concept. In order to keep the peace, a king's will must be absolute! Your word describes what is fair and what is not! And if someone defies that will, then that person should be punished. With death if that is your wish."
"I'm not a king! I'm a hero, so just shut up!" Jaden was fed up and would have done anything in that moment to make the voice go away for good. "I don't want to kill anybody…but I had no choice."
But to his shock, the voice seemed pleased with this behavior. "It seems you are rediscovering your will. Good…these recent events may have served a little to right your course. You were always a gentle boy, wanting nothing more than to cling to childhood and the simple pleasures in life…in truth, it is one of the qualities I love about you. But when you learn to hate…not a force in the universe will be able to stop you."
"Stop talking about love! You are filled with nothing but evil! You don't love me, it's clear that you only want to see me suffer, so stay out of my life!" Jaden roared.
But the voice openly welcomed this, as though Jaden's words were twisted compliments. "Yes, you're exactly right! Suffering is the way that we love each other! It's certainly the way you express your love for me when you sent me away all those years ago..."
To his horror, Jaden saw an arm plunge into his chest like a sword through jello. Looking down, he saw the arm was not human; they were purple and black and clawed, with scales like a dragon's. The pain was utterly unlike anything he had experienced before – it added an even more surreal layer to this nightmare.
"This is the true bond between us, my king! The bond of pain! Oh, how I love you, Jaden! And after all of the thieves that want to steal your love and power are killed, we will be able to love each forever!"
The arm withdrew, and Jaden saw that his heart was held in the creature's talons. The red, veiny mass pulsated as blood seeped from the open hole in his chest. "This has always belonged to me and me alone! The more you resist your destiny, the more you will suffer!"
"I won't do it, you hear me! That's not who I am! I'll change my destiny and be a hero!" Jaden shouted into the void, somehow still alive despite his heart being gone. He fell endlessly in a dark void, watching his heart grow smaller and smaller in the distance…
Suddenly, Jaden woke up again, the key around his neck glowing brightly. The dream faded from his memory again, but the pain lingered. Feeling around his chest, Jaden noticed acute pain, as though sharp objects had been digging into his skin in that area.
However, the bright key put his mind from the unexplainable discomfort. "No way, is a key keeper dueling right now? A Shadow Rider must have attacked in the middle of the night! I sure hope that they're alright…" Jaden loved his friends and wanted to protect them…but right now he wasn't sure if he could protect himself.
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(Jamie Lancaster (My) POV)
As the ruins of Camula's castle grew smaller in the background, I walked vaguely towards some semblance of civilization. In the far distance, I saw the lights of a city, contrasting heavily with the fields and forests of my current surroundings. I walked towards the city, unsure of how far off it was. The night was crisp and clear, not as cold I would've expected for mid-February. Luckily, the walk wasn't lonely.
"Then again, I have no idea where I am. You wouldn't happen to have any ideas, would you? My phone is dead." I asked my traveling companion.
Flying next to me was the duel monster spirit of Sonata the Melodious Diva. I never drew this card in my duel versus Camula, but I did have two copies in the deck. She was a beautiful young woman with shimmering green hair and lemon-colored skin, oddly enough. She wore a blue dress with musical note patterns on the hem and a teasing expression on her face. It seems all of these Divas like to tease me, but Sonata was the only one that could manifest as a spirit outside of duels. She also had a proclivity for bursting out into song.
"~Chilling out with the crew in the schoolyard, finding trouble, never looking too hard~" She sung. I wasn't aware that I needed a female cover of the fucking English theme song in my life, but here we are.
"Um, Sonata?" I waved my hand to try and get her attention.
"~GAME ON, GETCHA GAME ON~" She belted.
"SONATA!" I raised my voice and finally got through to my very strange duel monster spirit.
"Huh? Oh, no idea, Jamie-kun. Not familiar with the geography of Earth." She flew effortlessly in the air while I walked westward along the tree line.
I gave her a droll look. "You don't have to refer me with a Japanese honorific. I'm not even Japanese. Am I? Wait, I'm pretty sure I'm not!" I rationalized, briefly experiencing an existential crisis as I pondered the ethnicity of anime characters.
"I know, Jamie-kun~" She pulled my cheek, her voice perfectly melodious and sublime. I rolled my eyes.
"You're free to do as you like. I really owe you girls for helping me out back there. Things could've gotten really…unpleasant." I shuddered, recalling Camula's attempt on my life. "But I'm not sure why I can see you now. Before, I couldn't see any duel spirits."
"Well, if I had to guess, it's probably because you weren't using your real deck before! But I'm not an expert on things like this, I never went to college." Sonata explained.
I did a double take. "Duel spirits have college?"
She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Sure we do, silly! It's not the same as most human systems of education, but we duel spirits do have a functioning society."
Huh. I guess I never thought of it like that. Whenever the duel spirit realm was brought up in canon, such mundane details were never the focus. Still, I found this information fascinating.
"It might have something to do with the shadow games, too. In your duels with Jinzo and Camula, you've been totally immersed in duel energy. Plus, you were around dark beings like Nightshroud and Jaden when they were fighting." During our long walk, I was able to fill her in on everything that happened up to this point.
"Yeah, maybe." I mused. "Sorry for keeping you girls out of the action up to this point, by the way. It's not what I really want to do, but you understand that I don't have much choice."
"Don't worry, we've just been in the duel monster spirit world. Besides, even if you're not dueling with us, I bet I could still manifest as a spirit from time to time as well!" She said cheerfully.
"Hey, that's cool. You seem pretty nice! So why on earth did you choose to throw in your lot with someone like me, anyways?" I ask with a smile.
She smiled back sweetly. "I know you come from a timeline where duel spirits don't exist, so I thought it would be interesting to hang around you. Fortunately, you turned out to be a mostly decent guy as well. Not every duel spirit is lucky enough to be linked with a good person, ya know. Some duelists enslave their spirits and force them to do their bidding. I think that's what that Kagemaru guy wants to do with the Sacred Beasts, right?" She asked. It was hard to talk about serious subjects with Sonata since her voice naturally had a soothing, sultry quality to it.
"Yeah, that's why he wants these keys. Speaking of which, I thought these keys weren't allowed to leave the island. We're clearly not on the island, so I wonder what the deal is." I pondered. Sonata shrugged.
After about two hours of walking, our travels took us took a gas station on the outskirts of the city. The signs and labels were written in a language that I couldn't recognize by sight. I was no expert on languages, but it didn't seem to be a well-known tongue like English or French. A few of the signs included both English and the unknown language though, so I was able to find my way around somewhat.
I entered the gas station and went to the bathroom. While I took care of business, Sonata looked around the place for a map, unbeknownst to the bored teenager behind the counter. "Over here, Jamie-kun!" She called as I rejoined her, gesturing to a stack of maps over by a vending machine.
Hmm, let's see…a flag with a black twin-headed falcon on a red field…we're in Albania! Specifically, we just entered the port city of Vlore. This must be where Camula was originally from, both as a human and a vampire. Guess I can check a place off of my travel bucket list, although circumstances were obviously less than ideal. The map was labeled in Albanian and English, allowing me to get the lay of the land fairly easily. Luckily, the place had an airport as well. It would cost a pretty penny to get back to Academy Island – it would probably drain my savings from work – but that was the way things were.
"Then again, I could contact Headmaster Sheppard and see if he could arrange transportation back to the island. I'd be glad to split the costs as long as my "parents" don't find out. I didn't want them to worry.
There was a payphone outside I could use. I had no idea what time it was on the island. It's probably an eight to ten-hour difference. So, it would be about eleven in the morning to one in the afternoon there if it was about three in the morning here. Sheppard will probably pick up. From there, I can make a plan to get back to the island. Only problem was, I didn't have the local currency, so this plan wasn't really feasible.
"We'll have to wait until the banks open to exchange, which is in…six hours. Great." I mutter. This really sucked!
"Aw, there's gotta be something to do in a city like this. Let's just sightsee until morning!" The positive-minded Sonata chimed in. I couldn't help but grin. "After all, you just beat a strong enemy! That's gotta be worth a little celebration!"
I couldn't help but grin. "Believe me, after all of these villains are taken care of, I plan on spending the rest of my long life celebrating. And there will be plenty of singing involved, I assure you."
"That would be great. Especially after the way you went down in your past life…no one deserves to die like that." Sonata commented, and the smile slipped off of my face.
"So you know about that, huh?" I said in a low, angry voice.
"Yeah." Sonata said. Sensing my turmoil, she backpedaled, "I'm sorry, let's not talk about that! It's in the past."
"Right…it doesn't matter now." I mumble. "No need to apologize, I'm just a little worried about how we're going to get back to the island."
"Well, your key is glowing again, maybe that will help." The green-haired diva pointed at my chest.
I looked down, and sure enough, the key was growing brighter by the second. "What the Nani?!" I exclaimed as we were both suddenly engulfed in a dome of golden energy.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
When we reappeared, I quickly took note of our surroundings and concluded that we were in the main infirmary at Duel Academy! Thank Ra!
It seems that Kaiba was right about the keys not being able to leave the island after all. It looks like after a set time period, the keys are able to teleport themselves, and by extension me, back to the island. I was gone for about…five to six hours, so that must be the time limit. Interesting. Sunlight streamed through the windows, nearly blinding me. It was clearly around midday here, while it was three in the morning in Albania. The teleportation must have been instantaneous.
Wait, if I'm in the hospital wing, that means…I turned around and saw Alexis Rhodes staring at me with an absolutely shocked expression.
"Sup." I lamely greeted.
"What are you doing? How did you even get in here?" She asked. I assume she probably didn't expect me suddenly appearing in a flash of light at the foot of her bed. Understandable.
"So, I know this looks a bit weird, but I have an explanation." I began. And at that moment, I felt about eight hours of jet lag hit me all at once. Skipping across several time zones, combined with my already extreme fatigue, was a bit too much. My eyes locked onto a nearby garbage can, and I proceeded to vomit inside of it. Alexis was utterly gob smacked.
After I was finished with that bit of nasty business, I proceeded to stand up and begin my explanation as though nothing had happened. "So anyway, what happened is – BLARG!" I felt a second wave coming and hunched over the trashcan once more. Alexis' silent shock transformed into uncontrollable hilarity. As my stomach was being emptied of its contents, I tried to recall an incident more embarrassing than this.
"Oh yeah, just a couple of hours ago when the Divas played Spice Girls over the dramatic battle with Camula. That's a contender, at least." My brain helpfully supplied. With a rattled breath, I stood again balancing on a nearby sink as I wiped the sweat from my brow.
"Come on, I don't look that bad, do I?" Alexis said teasingly. Seems like every girl in the world is getting their shots in at me lately. Truth be told, even with the unkempt hair and pallid skin of a recovering hospital patient, she was still pretty stunning.
"Let's never speak of this, agreed?" I ventured.
She laughed. "Yeah, I'm telling everyone the first chance I get. That was the funniest thing I've seen in a while! Anyways, if you're done puking, why don't you explain this whole teleporting into the hospital wing business?" She said while giggling.
"Look, I need to get some sleep or else I'm going to fucking die. My sleep schedule's been horrible ever since I became an Obelisk Blue, now that I think of it." I stammered.
"You get used to it." Alexis replied. "Just give the abridged version."
"Screw the rules, I have money!" I immediately spouted.
She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean by abridged, you goofball."
And so, I gave her the play by play of the night's events. "So yeah, this vampire was an absolute babe, but she was also really crazy, and-"
"Wait, what did you say?" Alexis perked up dangerously.
"I said that this vampire was the ugliest creature I have ever laid eyes upon." I hastily amended.
"Oh, good. That's what I thought you said." She seemed suspicious yet mollified.
To finish off the story, I pulled Camula's bronze choker out of my pocket. "You know each of these assholes has a shadow charm, right? For Nightshroud, it was the other half of that weird medallion Jaden has. For Amnael, it was that book of his. Well, this vampire lady had this. What do ya think?" I handed it to her so she could take a closer look.
She appraised it carefully. "Eh, it's kinda cute, but the weird Ancient Egyptian eye at the center is kind of a deal breaker."
I sputtered, "It's not for you to wear!" Although the image of Alexis wearing a choker was nice…but anyways, "It's proof that the third Shadow Rider is officially pushing up daisies."
Alexis grinned. She appeared to be nearly back at full strength. "I bet you were glad for the opportunity to let loose on one of these freaks."
"Oh, you have no idea."
"You and Zane like to play it cool, but it's kind of cute how the both you can't help but get excited for a good challenge. I suppose that's why you two get along like a house on fire." She giggled. "I take it you'll be telling the others about this today?"
"I'll be telling them about it whenever I wake up, because I'm going to sleep now. By the way, when are you getting out of this place?" I asked, my wooziness peaking.
"Tomorrow. I just hope that Atticus will wake up soon. I'm getting really worried about him…"
"Hey, he'll be all right. Fontaine's crew will find a way to treat him. Just remember that he wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for your efforts." I said in an attempt to be encouraging. Alexis seemed to appreciate the effort, at the very least.
"Have a good rest, Jamie. The next time I see you, we'll both be ready to take on the world." She said softly.
"Of course." As my exhaustion threatened to overtake me, I quickly took my leave and stumbled back to the Obelisk Blue dorms while other kids were going to class. I had already missed two days of school, but grades were the last thing on my mind. Those would work themselves out.
As I crawled onto the bed, I heard Sonata's voice above me. "Jamie and Alexis, sitting in a tree – K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Maybe you should try not to puke in front of her next time, stud."
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Not my fault the keys seem to gravitate towards each other. I would have rather landed here so I could sleep." I mumble back.
"Really? I think you rather enjoyed having the opportunity to talk to that girl. She's pretty cute, ya know!" The green-haired siren cooed.
"Good night." I said even though it was 11:30 in the morning.
"Sweet dreams, Jamie-kun~"
"I said cut it out with the honorifics!"
A/N
Hope you all enjoyed. Shout out to any Albanian readers out there.
Thought this chapter would be a nice way of catching up with several characters. No duel this time, but we got Chazz and Jesse road tripping right into a trap, the introduction of manga villains, another Jaden/Yubel nightmare sequence, Kagemaru schemin', and Jamie basically blundering his way back to the island with a new duel spirit in tow! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter because it let me explore numerous POVs.
So the keys can technically leave the island, but after about six hours they will just warp back to the island because they are bound to the Sacred Beasts. But on the plus side, they will also protect the key keeper if that key keeper's life is threatened during a duel. Outside a duel, they're on their own, so yeahhhhh...
Anyone who has read the manga already knows what David Rabb and Reggie Mackenzie are after. They're not OCs, just to be clear lol. We'll see how well Chazz and Jesse deal with them while Chazz also plots against his older brothers. I hope you guys are finding this fusion of the anime and manga verses satisfactory. Not everything from the manga will be appearing, just whatever strikes my fancy basically. The manga does a lot of things really well but there are some highly questionable decisions made there as well (Jesse and Aster in particular got shafted hard in the manga).
Meanwhile, Jamie has a duel spirit! He didn't think he could see them at first, but exposure to Shadow Games as well as his real deck has revealed that Sonata the Melodious Diva is his duel spirit. However, she is not with him all the time like Winged Kuriboh is to Jaden for example. She can only really manifest while Jamie is using his real deck or has his real deck with him, so just a heads up there. A while back, I came down hard on not giving him a duel spirit. As I planned out the plot further, I ultimately decided to do this as a way of developing Jamie's character, since he's normally very anti-supernatural. What do you guys think? I obviously included a few parody elements in there as well lol.
A long author's note, but I wanted to clear up a few possible points of confusion. If you have any questions or comments, then by all means let me know, I love to read long and detailed reviews. See you next time!