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

22. Waifus and Wizardry

Chapter 22: Wizards and Waifus

(Kagemaru POV)

In the city of bridges, the master of the Seven Stars plotted. Kagemaru dwelled in the cellar of an otherwise innocuous town home in Mestre, Italy. Inside his life support tank, his eyes were closed and his body seemed serene. The mechanical claws on the bottom of the tank moved seemingly of their own accord, working feverishly on some unknown project. A sharp green light illuminated the dark cellar, and it was clear that powerful supernatural forces were being harnessed, focused to a single point.

Idly, Kagemaru noticed Don Zaloog, one of his Shadow Riders, enter the room with a quiet tread. "Oi, boss." Zaloog greeted.

Kagemaru's eyes remained closed. "What have you to report?" He said without preamble.

"Saw two men from Industrial Illusions sniffing about today, we did."

"Industrial Illusions in Italy…this is most irritating. Were they handled?"

"Yes, sir." They both knew what "handled" meant.

"Good."

After a long pause, Zaloog spoke up, "Beggin' your pardon sir, but we should prepare to move again. They'll be wondering after those two men soon enough-"

Kagemaru held up a hand, and Zaloog froze. "There is no need. The creation process is nearly complete. The Lancaster boy is good for one thing, at least…an entire universe of power is now within my grasp. I have bonded with creatures that will bring this world to heel. Yes, very soon, the time will come to lay siege to the island. And then you and your crew will be rich beyond your dreams."

At first, Zaloog looked confused and frightened. At the prospect of wealth, however, his fears were forgotten. "I'll get our people ready to move. We'll depart when you command, sir."

"Yes, we will." Kagemaru said decisively. Knowing that he was dismissed, Zaloog softly exited the room.

As he held a glowing card in his claws, Kagemaru's pale eyes opened. "Jamie Lancaster…Jaden Yuki…once I am finished with the both of you, you will know the true power of fusion summoning! And then, immortality will be mine…"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxxxXxxXxxX

(Jamie Lancaster (My) POV)

A month of relentless wind and rain passed, March blurring into April. It wasn't until the end of April that we could finally be sure that the rainy season was nearing its end. And as the sun began to peek out more often, the school became abuzz with spring fever. More importantly, Central Academy's annual spring festival was approaching.

The festival was known colloquially on campus as Duel Monsters Spirit Day. It was traditionally on the last Saturday of April, three weeks before final exams. For a day, the grounds were adorned with various carnival games, sweet stands, sports fields, and many other forms of merriment. There was even a cosplay contest – but even students not competing liked to dress as their favorite cards. It sounds dorky as all hell, but any excuse to party is a legitimate one in my eyes.

It was the day before the Duel Monsters Spirit Day proper, and the necessary elements for my costume had just arrived in the mail. After I got out of classes for the day, I grabbed the package from the mailroom and rushed up to my room.

"Ooh, is that your spirit day costume?" Sonata popped in out of nowhere. Generally, she was good about knowing when it was okay to appear and when it wasn't. Whenever I was in the Obelisk Blue complex, Sonata could usually talk to me without any worry of Jaden or Chumley seeing her. I didn't know if any other Obelisk Blues could see Duel Spirits, but I wasn't paranoid enough to keep Sonata suppressed at all times. She could always tell me if someone with the sight was around.

"Alright, I'm going to try it on. No peeking, although realistically speaking there's no way I can stop you from doing so." I caught myself. To drive this point home, Sonata passed her immaterial hand through my head.

"Whatever you say, Jamie-kun…" She said, drifting through the wall. I looked at the spot she passed through for a few seconds, just to make sure she wouldn't poke her head out. Then, I opened the box and began to undress.

It took a little bit to get the costume on correctly, but I managed to get it eventually. "Alright, you can come out now." I said, uncertain that she could even hear me.

It seemed that she could. Sonata phased back into the room and sized me up. "Ah, that's nice!"

I was wearing sterling silver replica knight's armor that I ordered off the internet. It wasn't as heavy or durable as real knight's armor, but it was a lot easier to move around in and wasn't quite as hot. I walked into the bathroom to look at my reflection in the mirror.

"Well, what do you think? Blade Knight seems a good pick for this sort of thing. The costume is not too intricate or flashy, but since a lot of people are going for more aesthetic looks, this might stand out for its simplicity." I asked.

"Hard to say. Most guys will probably pick a warrior type monster for the ease of it, but I wouldn't worry about that too much. Your new hair suits the knight look pretty well." Sonata appraised.

I let my hair grow out a bit in the past month. Formerly short and messy, I chose to let it get to medium length for a more surfer-esque look. Naturally, I would have to get a more conservative cut for my rapidly approaching interview with Kaibacorp, but for now I was content to experiment a little. "Thanks."

"You know, I once came across the duel spirit of Blade Knight, about 75 years ago." Sonata commented.

"Oh really? What's he like?" I asked idly as I began to undress. I was so caught up in the conversation I forgot to tell her to leave as I put on my uniform again.

"He serves Bronn, the mad king of the Dark World. He was known for being one of the few honorable spirits serving in that tyrant's army. Never mistreated the people and sought to curb some of the king's more psychotic impulses as best he could." She briefly explained, as it seemed to be an uncomfortable topic for her. Still, something about it aroused my curiosity.

"You say 'was' and not 'is'. What happened to him?" I pressed.

"Well, he's still around, but in the past few months, I have heard whisperings that he has changed tremendously. Before, he was chivalrous and courteous. Now, I hear that he will do anything to achieve his ends, and is just as ruthless as the other scum in the king's army." She told me.

I suddenly shivered. "In the past few months? What could have happened to cause such a dramatic change?"

"I have no idea." Sonata shrugged, not wanting to speculate.

"Well, if you find anything else about this being, please let me know. I find it interesting." I asked.

She eyed me strangely. "Jamie, you have enough problems without worrying about some random duel spirit. Don't get too worked up about it, ok?"

As I put on my blue coat, I looked at her seriously. "Just keep an eye on him, and let me know if something interesting comes up-."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Syrus Truesdale POV)

In the student commons, Syrus was on his laptop, headphones in. While others studied, he was watching his favorite anime; High School DxD. Zane said that he wasn't allowed to watch harem anime or read ecchi manga anymore, but he could sod off as far as Syrus was concerned – although he would never say such a thing aloud.

"Zane…he had a perfectly good chance to get some snu-snu, and he passed it up! Unbelievable! I sure wish Tania would have chosen me…" The blue-haired boy thought bitterly. To get his mind off his older brother, he returned to watching his show. The headphones compressed his spiky hair tremendously, making his haircut seem shorter than it actually was.

"Issei is such a lucky bastard!" Syrus thought not for the first time. "But why does he have to be such a coward! Man, if I were in his place, I would have had a threesome with Rias and Akeno by the fifth episode!"

While the show played out on his browser, he had a word document open, in which he was writing a piece of fanfiction. It was a Godlike!Strong!Smart!Naruto/DxD crossover in which Syrus was self-inserting as Naruto. He would sometimes even mistakenly write his own name when he meant to write Naruto's. His story was extremely popular on the fanfiction website he was publishing on – he nearly had 5000 follows and favorites!

Every so often, his eyes would frantically dart around the room to make sure Zane wouldn't sneak up on him. Sometimes, he could have sworn he heard a female voice laughing softly at him, but then he would look around and find only men in the common area. It was very strange. However, he was able to put it from his mind and focus on writing his lemon scene between Naruto and Koneko.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Jamie Lancaster (My) POV)

After I finished trying on my costume, I walked back to the main school building in order to mail a letter to my "parents". Writing that letter was a deeply uncomfortable experience, but they wanted to know how I was doing. The contents of the letter were entirely positive – they didn't need to know about the Shadow Riders. Someday, I was going to have to confront the issue of how to address them. For now, this would suffice.

I dropped by the mailroom just as it was about to close, and barely managed to get my missive sent. Checking the time, I noticed it was nearly five o' clock. I planned to eat a light supper, hit the gym, and get to bed early so as to be well rested for the next day's festivities. I also felt it was highly likely that a Shadow Rider would attack on the day of the festival. Zane's fight against Tania was nearly a month ago, and we were all waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. Besides, the festival would be a suitably dramatic locale for a final battle – this is an anime after all.

As I passed by the commons, I saw Syrus sitting in a corner and decided to drop by and say hello. Taking the piss out of Syrus was a lot of fun, but he was also an undeniable friend of the group, and it was important to let him know that. I knew just how strong he could be, given enough time to mature.

I strode over to his desk. He was typing quickly, his focus devoted entirely on whatever he was writing. Smirking, I tiptoed behind him. Ra forgive me, the urge to prank him was too strong.

"I thought I told you - no more of this anime shit, little brother." I put on my best Zane impression, which basically involved sounding as bored as possible.

"AAAAAUGGH!" Syrus squealed, shutting his laptop and yanking his headphones off, causing his hair to poof out at the sides. The other students in commons gave us dirty looks. "Oh, it's you." He breathed a sigh of relief. "You're horrible! I actually thought you were Zane! If he catches me reading light novels again, he's gonna tell on me to mom and dad!"

"Say no more." I see he's dipping back into the light novels with a vengeance. Some people have a ciggy, others drink caffeine, and some look at lewd images of anime waifus – we all have our vices. I certainly didn't care what Syrus did on his own time. Pranking him never got old though.

"So what are you Slifers doing for Spirit Day?" I asked casually, choosing a rather cliché topic of conversation so as to set him at ease.

"Well, Chumley and Jaden are painting the lines for the duel fields right now. Professor Drummond's handling the setup well, although I can tell he can't wait until he doesn't have to be head of Slifer Red anymore." Syrus was the sort of person who was shy normally, but could really blather on in the right setting.

"Any costumes?" I asked wryly.

"Not for me, although I think Jaden wants to try something." The blue-haired boy answered. "I wonder if it'll be an Elemental Hero! What about you?"

"Well, you heard about that bet your brother lost with Alexis, right?" I grinned devilishly. "Let's just say the Kaiser's costume will turn some heads. As for me, I plan to go as Blade Knight."

Syrus looked confused. "What bet? What's Zane dressing as?"

"You'll see…" I said cryptically. Suddenly, I heard a feminine giggle from above. Sonata knows what I'm talking about, so it makes sense that she's having a bit of a laugh…but when I glanced up, I didn't see Sonata.

A duel spirit flew in the air above us, and it wasn't mine. She was an incredibly attractive woman with long blonde hair and twinkling green eyes. Her clothes were those of a magician's – specifically, they were the sort of thing a woman might wear as an "Adult" Halloween costume. It showed plenty of skin, periwinkle and pink fabric drawing attention to creamy expanses of leg and collarbone.

It was the Dark Magician Girl, and somewhere, a Yu-Gi-Oh fan was touching themselves inappropriately. She gave a wink and held a finger to her mouth, signaling that I should be quiet. She pointed to Syrus and grinned.

"What are you looking at, Jamie?" Syrus asked.

"I thought I saw a huge spider up in the rafters." That was enough to quell his curiosity.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I woke up early the next day and donned my costume. After a quick breakfast, I made my way to Zane's room, rather noisily due to the nature of the armor.

I knocked on the door and Zane answered a moment later. "Were you expecting someone?" I asked as I let myself in.

"I heard you coming from sixteen miles away in that armor." Zane grumbled, as he was not much of a morning person.

"As I recall, you're the last person who should be talking shit on someone's Spirit Day costume." Last week, Alexis and Zane decided to place a friendly wager on the outcome of a pro duel, a duel which Zane called incorrectly. Now, he had to dress in whatever Alexis wished. And she could have a cruel sense of humor at times – I could attest to that!

He let me in though, and I noticed that Tania's gauntlet, her shadow charm, was on Zane's dresser. "So what are you doing with this?" I pointed at the glove with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, that? Nothing more than a paperweight. The headmaster requested that I keep it around though. You still have the choker from the vampire, right?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm not sure if keeping around these dark items is a good idea though."

"Since they were designed for the specific Shadow Rider in question, I doubt there's any problem with keeping em around." Zane speculated.

"Hmm…" I mentally wrote something down for later. I planned to conduct some experiments on these charms and see just what the deal is with them anyways.

"Ready, Zane?" Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. Just like in canon, Alexis was dressing as Cyber Harpie Lady. She wore bronze armor that didn't protect much but showed off a more than fair amount. I certainly didn't mind - there was no denying that it was a sexy outfit. Mindy and Jasmine would be cosplaying as the other two Harpie Lady sisters.

As soon as Alexis saw me, she froze, looking me up and down. "Good morning, Alexis. That's a nice costume." I said coquettishly. A spot of color tinged her cheeks.

"Uh, t-thanks. Sorry, I just didn't expect to see you here. Getting your punches in early, eh Jamie? You're just in time to watch me work some magic." She said, quickly regaining her composure. I got the sense that Alexis was enjoying this a little too much. Zane sat on the edge of his bed and put his head in his hands.

"Let's just get this over with."

In thirty minutes, the transformation was complete. Zane's dark blue hair was spiked upwards, straining against gravity. He wore no shirt, navy blue swim trunks, and wooden sandals. To top it off, he held a plastic harpoon toy in his hands. As the costume came together, my grin widened. Zane's costume was the Legendary Fishman, the signature card of professional water duelist Mako Tsunami.

"What a freaky fish guy!" I jibed, throwing a beach towel at him.

Zane sighed, catching the towel with one hand. "I expect to hear that phrase about seven hundred times today, so might as well get started early. Let's go."

We made for the grounds, Alexis and I chuckling the whole way.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

We trekked down the hill towards the Slifer Red dorm to meet up with Jaden and his boys, stopping at the Blue-Eyes Café on the way. The coffee shop was selling a few new specialty brews in the spirit of the day. Zane did not order anything, while Alexis ordered a Happy Lover Latte (all of the specialty drinks had horrible names such as this). For once, I decided to splurge on a brew of Blue-Eyes Mountain. The buyer's remorse hit me like a freight train shortly thereafter.

Syrus and Chumley elected not to cosplay, while Jaden was wearing an…interesting combination, a fusion if you will, of multiple creatures. He wore the hat of Saggi the Dark Clown, the shoulder pads of the Bamboozled Celtic Guardian (or whatever that card was called), the body armor of Breaker the Magical Warrior, and the shield of Gearfried the Iron Knight. It was a total mess, and I loved it.

"That's pretty funny Jaden, you should go with it." I prodded.

"Yeah, you won't have to worry about anyone having the same costume as you at least." Alexis added.

"I know it's pretty silly, but it's all we had in the Slifer dorm. I wanted an Elemental Hero costume, but we didn't have any!" Jaden shrugged. "You guys have some great outfits yourselves! Although I never would have thought Zane would choose to be the Legendary Fisherman."

Zane covered his face in embarrassment. In the background, Syrus was snapping some pictures, no doubt to use as leverage at a later date. We chatted for a while, observing the other Slifer Red students readying the dueling field for the costume duel. It was nice to not think about the impending danger from the remaining shadow riders for a little bit.

Around ten, we saw Erin, Bastion, Adam, Mindy, and Jasmine arrive from the north. Mindy and Jasmine were of course dressed as Harpies, while Bastion decided to forgo a costume. Adam was just wearing a grey suit and vest – was that a duel monster? I couldn't remember. But seeing Erin's costume put my mind from all that. She had put together an elaborate Maiden of the Aqua costume, regaled in pearls, white robes, and a violet shawl. She even styled her hair to match the card artwork – it was breathtaking.

"That's a great look. I have to wonder how much it cost though." I wondered aloud as the group met us.

"Not as much as you'd think, as long as you know where to look." Erin's eyes flashed demurely. "I have an eye for this sort of thing, sir knight." Our eyes briefly clashed, but the battle was over as soon as it started. "As do I." I shot back.

"Sorry, is that a duel monster costume, or…?" Jaden asked Adam, dissolving the tension.

Adam was reading something on his phone, not paying attention. "Huh? Well yeah, it's Sand Gambler!"

"He owned that suit beforehand, he was just too lazy to buy a real costume." Jasmine immediately threw him under the bus.

"Hey! Not everyone has time for custom-made Harpie Lady crap! Seriously, you people put way too much work into this." The gambler responded indignantly. "And if anyone's costume deserves to get roasted, it's that freaky fish guy." He pointed at Zane.

"That's number two." The Kaiser rolled his eyes.

"Well, it's something alright. Anyways, I wonder who should take part in the annual Slifer Red costume duel?" Syrus said.

"Did somebody say costume duel?" A feminine voice interrupted. We all turned around and saw whom else but the spitting image of the Dark Magician Girl. "Oh right, the filler episode." I thought dryly. I should have figured this whole plotline would still be happening. Still, as far as filler episodes go, this one was rather amusing. Looking around, I saw a crowd of students was already beginning to gather.

"Woah, now that's one hell of a cosplay." Adam commented, pulling at his collar.

"Geez…I could have sworn we would have the costume contest in the bag, but it looks like a new challenger has appeared." Mindy said, in awe.

"Who is that? I don't remember seeing that student around. She owns that costume though." Zane added, glad that people weren't paying attention to his getup.

"She can own my body too if she wants!" Syrus began jumping up and down again.

"We might have to start keeping this kid on a leash." Alexis facepalmed.

"Believe me, I've thought about it." Zane replied.

"If you all are having a duel…can I join in?" The Dark Magician Girl waved sweetly.

"Yeah, that's fine! More than fine actually!" Syrus, who apparently was the MC for this event, wholeheartedly approved. "Who would you like to duel?"

Jaden's eyes glinted at the prospect of a challenge, as did Zane's and Erin's. Alexis and I glanced at each other and shared a silent joke, while the others were trying to figure out just who this mysterious waifu actually was.

"Welllll…" The Dark Magician Girl said cutely. "I was hoping I could duel you." She pointed directly at Syrus.

"Nani?!" Jaden and Erin had the whole anime sweat drop thing going on, while Zane joined Jasmine in facepalming.

Syrus' eyes were wide as dinner plates. "I accept!"

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be the MC of this thing?" Adam inconveniently pointed out.

Syrus regarded him with an expression that would not look out of place on his older brother.

"Listen well, Sugihara. I've been a fanboy of Dark Magician Girl since jump street. While you were partying, I was in drawing Dark Magician Girl fanart. While you were playing shitty little online poker games on your phone, I was writing Dark Magician Girl x Reader fanfiction on DeviantArt. While you wasted your days at the gym in the pursuit of vanity, I cultivated a Dark Magician Girl roleplay blog on Tumblr - which has seen massive success, I might add! And now that my destiny stands before me, you have the audacity to stand in my way?"

As the tirade continued, it seemed as though Syrus was towering over Adam. "Uhh, tell you what, I'll just get on the mic, ok? Just please don't hurt me." He pleaded for his life, and to his great fortune, Lord Syrus was a man of mercy.

"Woah, Syrus is hardcore." I sniggered.

"He's something alright…" Erin agreed, echoing Syrus' words form earlier. "You do know that's not actually the real Dark Magician Girl, right?"

"Alright, Dark Magician Girl is getting really cumbersome to say. Oi, what's your name?" I shouted across the field to the "cosplayer".

"Umm, I'm really sorry, I hope I'm not causing any trouble…" The Dark Magician Girl gave me a knowing wink. "You can just call me Mana."

"We love you Mana-chan!" The crowd called out at once.

Syrus smiled. "Wow, just like the old Egyptian legends…I would be honored to duel you, Mana."The little guy activated his duel disk with a zeal that was really quite amusing. The funny thing about Syrus is that everyone expects that he's a sweet, innocent boy once you look past his myriad insecurities. In reality, he's really a bit of a gremlin – he is horny for trading cards and gets a swelled head like any high school boy does when he thinks he is superior. And that's what I liked about him – he really was like a regular person.

Jaden, however, didn't find this nearly as funny as I did. "I'm bored. This is boring. I'm gonna go check out what else is going on." He said like an easily distracted child.

I was about to say something, but Bastion beat me to the punch. "Jaden, I think the likelihood of a Shadow Rider ambushing us during the festival is high. Be careful, and don't wander off alone." He cautioned.

The hero duelist shrugged it off. "I'll be fine. See ya later, guys!" He waved and proceeded to wander off alone.

"Ughhh…." Bastion already knew that his warning would be ignored completely as they always were. "He's such a kid."

"But he's a great duelist. If a Shadow Rider comes along, he should be able to take care of himself." Alexis decided to jump in. "He's beaten both of us. In fact, I think the only people here who haven't lost to Jaden are Zane and Jamie."

"Goddamn right." Zane and I said simultaneously.

"Well, we haven't lost to Jaden either." Mindy pointed to herself and Jasmine. Her comment was quite rustling, as we all knew that Jaden (as well as any serious duelist) could easily destroy both of these silly girls. However, no one wanted to be the asshole that pointed this out, so we stayed silent and focused on the duel.

"Are you ready, cutie?" Mana asked sweetly.

"I was born ready." Syrus responded, and I believed him.

XxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxx

(Jaden Yuki POV)

Like a wayward puppy, Jaden wandered throughout the campus, looking for an interesting opponent to duel. He was really hoping to get a crack at that Dark Magician Girl cosplayer, but it was not to be this time.

"Still, there's gotta be some good fights to be had around here…" The Slifer wondered as he wandered by some snack stands. The crowd of students was thick here, as many uncreative boys felt that today would be a good time to ask that girl they've always liked on a date. Jaden was one of the few single guys there – although he wasn't alone, strictly speaking.

"Well, whatdya think, Winged Kuriboh? Any of these people strong duelists?" Jaden asked his companion spirit, as if Winged Kuriboh could actually discern such a thing from a cursory glance.

"[That doesn't really fall in the scope of my powers, Jaden. But I can see plenty of spirits around here…I bet if you concentrated, you could see them too.]" Only Jaden knew this, but Winged Kuriboh's actual voice was an extremely deep bass that wouldn't sound out of place on the likes of Barry White. The tone certainly didn't match the creature's cutesy appearance.

Jaden squinted and looked at the sky above. Sure enough, once he devoted his entire focus to the act of seeing, he could observe several duel spirits in the sky. He saw a Curse of Dragon, Harpie Ladies, and all manner of avian monsters.

"[Today's like the high school reunion for us Duel Spirits. Especially for the ones without humans.]" Kuriboh idly commented.

"Gosh, that kinda makes us sound like pets!" Jaden said, half-indignant and hoping that his spirit would contradict him.

Kuriboh did not deign to respond. Soon enough however, Jaden forgot about it.

"So, it's like a high school reunion, huh? What were the cliques like?" Jaden asked with surprising wit.

"[Well, the big chads are Dark Magician, or more accurately Mahad, and the Blue Eyes White Dragon, or more accurately Kisara. Harpies are the bitchy popular girls, while the Synchrons are the A/V club nerds. I was a nobody until one day Yugi Moto and I established a partnership. I got him out of a pretty nasty spot of trouble in Argentina once.]" With every word the Kuriboh spoke, Jaden's curiosity was more and more piqued.

"Wait, why did you call the Dark Magician Mahad? And the Blue-Eyes Kisara? Are those their real names?" Jaden gushed.

"[Uh, yeah basically.]" Kuriboh sweatdropped, realizing he was saying too much.

"And what exactly are the Synchrons? Are they cards?" Jaden was asking dangerous questions.

Kuriboh's mind whirred as he tried to think of a way to distract Jaden. Luckily, this was not a difficult task, as the boy was dumb. "Well, the answer to your question is very simple- What in the world could that be?" The duel spirit exclaimed in mock surprise. Jaden's head whirred to where Kuriboh was pointing.

"Kuriboh dumplins'! Get ya Kuriboh Dumplings here, hot and fresh off the grill!" A vendor with a thick Boston accent shouted to the group of passerby students.

"Woah, good call Kuriboh! I was getting pretty hungry!" Jaden grinned.

"[Good thing this kid is a fucking brick, or else I would have been in big trouble there. Remember, ixnay on the ynchro-say.]" Kuriboh was relieved before he realized what Jaden was referring to. "[What? No way! You people eat Kuribohs?!]" He exclaimed in shock.

"Huh? Oh no, they're just pieces of dough that are painted to look like Kuribohs. It's just a prank, bro." Jaden reassured.

"[Oh really? And how would you feel if I told you that we Duel Spirits eat human-shaped dumplings?]" Winged Kuriboh raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, do you?"

"[Well no, but…]"

And so Jaden went on his wayward stroll, eventually making his way down to the harbor. At Kuriboh's behest, he ditched the dumplings and chose to pick up some fried shrimp, his favorite, instead. Idly, he ambled along the boardwalk, looking at the docked ships until he noticed something was amiss.

"Say, was there always an ancient Egyptian-styled boat docked here?" He asked. Next to all of the modern deep sea fishing boats and private ferries, there was a wooden rowboat with two dozen oars notched and a billowing white sail. It was a surreal sight.

"[That's not the work of a spirit, since you can clearly touch it. Still, such a vessel is not fit for the open sea – it's meant for passage through a river.]" Kuriboh's gears were turning.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, pal?" Jaden asked.

"[I believe so – this is the work of one of those irksome Shadow Riders.]" The puffball surmised.

"Actually, I was thinking that there is somebody strong around for us to duel – but you're right too! So if I were a Shadow Rider, where would I be?" The Hero duelist wondered.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXXxXxXx

(Jamie Lancaster (My) POV)

I suddenly felt a tingle. My "Jaden's getting himself in trouble" senses were tingling. Either that or I was contracting food poisoning. But I was reasonably sure it was the first thing.

"No, I think you're probably right. That boy shouldn't be wandering off by himself. Do you think I should go check on him?" Sonata felt that it was safe to appear next to me now that Jaden had left.

"It's fine. Jaden may think like a brick most of the time, but he actually can take care of himself. I'm personally more interested in seeing what happens in this round of The Bachelor, aren't you?" I asked facetiously. Sonata and I were communicating telepathically, so I had keep half of my attention on her and half on my surroundings to make sure it didn't look like I was spacing out.

"Honestly, I don't know what Mana sees in that little perv." Sonata grumbled, and I couldn't help but agree.

But for the sake of playing Devil's Advocate, I decided to reply, "Well, love is like wildflowers – it often blooms in the most unlikely of places."

Without realizing it, I said that last part aloud. The others turned to me in confusion. "What, don't you guys agree?" I quickly added.

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Simply challenging Syrus to a duel doesn't mean that this mysterious cosplayer is in love with him. She could be interested in him for any number of reasons." Bastion spoke up.

"Well, Syrus is an interesting person." Zane said, his meaning unclear. Alexis looked at him, trying to see if Zane was being sarcastic or not. Meanwhile, the first turn was beginning.

"I set a monster and a face-down card. That ends my turn!" Syrus clearly did not want to waste time.

"Ok, here we go!" Mana began, to the cheers of the audience. "I play Magician's Rod (1600/100) in attack mode!" A spectral image, only faintly visible, of the legendary Dark Magician appeared. The ghostly afterimage was holding a solid and very real staff. "When this card is summoned, I can add a spell or trap card that lists Dark Magician in its text to my hand." She chose to add Dark Magic Curtain to her hand by this effect.

"Then, I'll set one…no, two cards. Then, I'll launch an attack!" She thrust her hand forward, and the afterimage launched a spectral energy blast at Syrus' face-down. It was revealed to be Gyroid (1000/1000), a blue cartoon helicopter. The Gyroid weathered the blast and remained on the field.

"Sorry, but Gyroid can survive one extra attack each turn, so he's sticking around!" Syrus explained.

"Aw, I thought I had ya that time! Oh well. Your turn, sweetie!" Mana waved. Did she really just call him sweetie? Ra preserve us.

"So, Mana is pulling out the big guns. I'm surprised she is doing so in the middle of such a large audience." Sonata observed.

"Indeed. Magician's Rod is not a card from this time period. But these people are so dreadfully unobservant that I would more surprised if they actually did notice. So tell me, do these cards come from the future as well?" I asked.

"Good question, but your assumption isn't quite right. It helps if you think of the duel not as a game, but as a ritual in which two wills clash. We duel spirits channel our will and draw upon otherworldly energies to create a card that suits our will." Sonata tried to explain.

"So you can make whatever card you want? Why don't you just start off the game with the five Exodia pieces in your hand or something?" I asked wryly.

"Well, we can't do stuff like that. The Exodia pieces are far too powerful for most to command. Our imaginations are sadly limited by our power level. It's like a bottleneck – we think of the right card and shape its image with the power we have at our disposal. Then, it becomes real. So really, our card pool is limited as well, although we have a few more options than humans do." Sonata's words gave me much to think on.

"I summon Steamroid (1800/1800)." A cartoon train took the field, and suddenly I was thinking of the many Thomas the Train Engine memes I had seen in my old life before the whole dying business.

"Now, I'll switch Gyroid to attack mode and go in!" Steamroid barreled down the path at Magician's Rod. The train gained 500 attack points during the damage step due to its effect. Surprisingly, Mana let the attack go through. (Syrus 4000/Mana 3300)

"Nice, the face-downs are bluffs! Gyroid, launch a direct attack!" In a surreal display, the cartoon helicopter punched the magician waifu using one of its landing wheels as a fist (?). Watching Vehicroids always made me feel like I was tripping, because even though we were already in an anime, the Vehecroids were "animated" differently, so it was like two layers of separation from what I was used to considering as "reality". (Syrus 4000/Mana 2300)

"Hey, that was a good move!" She praised. "Now let me strike back! I activate the spell Dark Magic Curtain! By paying half of my life points, I can summon the ultimate wizard in terms of attack and defense! Come forth, Dark Magician (2500/2100)!" (Syrus 4000/Mana 1150)

A violet pentagram appeared on the ground, purple energy burning into the soil. Yugi Moto's ace monster (well, one of his ace monsters…his main ace monster, anyways) emerged from the circle, his dark purple robes and emerald scepter immediately recognizable. The audience went wild, as Dark Magician was arguably the most popular monster in the game.

"What, no way! I thought that Yugi was the only duelist who wielded the Dark Magician!" Bastion exclaimed.

"Clearly not. Dark Magician did get reprinted recently, but it's still a pretty rare card. Besides, it's a level seven vanilla with 2500 attack points, who's really trying to build a deck around that?" Adam responded.

"Well, it worked for the king of games, so it can't be so bad." Erin said.

"Yugi has a way of making every card work to its fullest potential…it's not something any duelist can do." Zane chipped in, and it was amusing how correct he was. Yugi certainly did have a way of making things work out – having a mystical artifact that can manipulate fate will do that for you!

"Now, I'll launch an attack at your Steamroid! Go, my master! Dark magic attack!" A ball of violet energy coalesced on the tip of the scepter.

"Since I declared an attack with a spellcaster, I can activate my trap card Magician's Circle! Each of us can special summon a spellcaster with 2000 or less attack points to the field in attack mode!"

"And of course I don't have any…" Syrus observed glumly.

"And we all know that I do! Say hello to a dazzling master-apprentice combo! I summon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)!"

A hologram (but was it really?) of the Dark Magician Girl appeared, and there was no discernible difference between the duelist and the card. "Wow, now that is a great cosplay!" Alexis said in admiration. I rolled my eyes.

"Wow, this is just amazing! But I'm not planning on losing!" Syrus said with odd boldness.

"Now, my attack will continue!" Mana's blonde hair gently flowed in the breeze, her gentle and playful countenance at odds with the powerful offense she was mounting.

"I activate my trap card, Supercharge! When a vehicroid is attacked, I can draw two cards." Syrus got some pretty good draw power off of his trap, but it did nothing to encumber the assault.

With a swish, the Dark Magician blew away Syrus' train with a blast of magic power. Syrus' machine lost 500 points when it was attacked due its own effect, causing him to take more damage. (Syrus 2800/Mana 1150)

Then, Dark Magician Girl launched a deep red plasma blast from her own staff. This attack struck Gyroid head on, although its special effect ensured its survival. "That ends my turn." (Syrus 1800/Mana 1150)

"Alright, now we got ourselves a game." I commented casually.

"In order to win, Syrus may have to use…."that" card." Zane added with a melodramatic, serious tone.

"Ooh, what is that card?" I couldn't tell if Mindy was being sarcastic or not. Oh who I am I kidding, we all know that she isn't.

"You know….""that"" card." Zane refused to elaborate. I yawned. His attempt to dramatize this filler duel was admirable, but it really wasn't that deep, bro.

"My draw!" Syrus started off his next turn in dire straits, facing down two of Yugi Moto's most famous cards. And this girl was so stunning, she clearly took his breath away…but surprisingly, the ever-present fear on his face was absent.

"I switch Gyroid to defense mode. And then I'll set another monster and a face-down. That's it for me." He was turtling now. I was trying to think if he had any flip monsters in his deck, but nothing was coming to mind. Hopefully that face-down was useful.

"Aww, that's it? Oh well. It's my move!" Mana drew. "I summon Magician's Valkyria (1600/1800)." Another beautiful witch took the field. Her face and body were almost identical to the Dark Magician Girl, but she was distinguished by her auburn hair, blue eyes, and teal robes. "As long as she's on the field, my other spellcasters can't be targeted for attacks!"

"And without further ado, let the magic show begin! For my first trick, Dark Magician and Magician's Valkyria attack Gyroid!" Mana's first two magicians finally sent the bothersome helicopter to the scrap heap. However, Syrus didn't seem worried.

"And now, Dark Magician Girl attacks the face-down monster!" The blonde cutie shot a volley of dark pink energy waves at Syrus' mystery machine. However, when the dust settled, Syrus' monster was still on the field.

"Mixeroid (0/2200) is gonna be able to take that." Syrus explained. On his field was a green cement mixer trunk with the Polymerization symbol on the side. "And you'll take a little damage for it!" Dark Magician Girl was flung back, and the battle phase ended. (Syrus 1800/Mana 950)

"Should have attacked it with Dark Magician." Erin said.

"Yeah, no kidding. I guess she thought that Syrus wouldn't have a monster with that amount of defense." Adam added. "This kid isn't half as shitty as I thought he'd be."

"He's grown as a duelist quite a bit, thanks to Jaden. He's really out here trying to stand on his own two feet." Alexis said with admiration for Syrus' efforts.

Zane's stern expression softened a little, which was about as good as it was gonna get for now.

"Well, that's my bad. Your move Sy!" Mana chirped.

He was considering his next move a lot more carefully now. Mixeroid's fusion summoning effect couldn't be used since he only had two Vehicroids in the graveyard. Was there something else he could fuse?

"I activate Mixeroid's effect! By sacrificing a machine monster on the field, I can special a summon a Roid monster from my deck, as long as it's not wind attribute." Although this effect was random as all hell, Syrus had a good target for it. "By offering up Mixeroid, I can summon Armoroid (2700/2000) from my deck!"

In place of the cement truck came a mechanical behemoth, a Transformer/Gundam style battle robot made out of airplane parts. It towered over everything else in the vicinity, at least two hundred and fifty feet tall. Since it wasn't tribute summoned, its effect wouldn't pop off, but it didn't matter.

"Sorry hun, but I've still got a face-down left to play! I activate Dark Renewal!" Two dark crimson coffins rose from the ground as Mana spoke. "When you summon a monster while I control a spellcaster, I can send one of my monsters and your summoned monster to the grave!" Both Magician's Valkyria and Armoroid were swallowed up by the coffins and sent underground.

This move had the purpose of getting rid of both a weak monster on her side and a strong one on Syrus' side. And it wasn't over. "Then, I can special summon a dark spellcaster from my deck! I choose another Dark Magician!" Twin Dark Magicians were now on the field, and Syrus had no monsters. He still had his normal summon though.

"Alright, that's fine…let's see, I play my Foolish Burial to send a Submarineroid from deck to grave. Then, I'll activate my face-down Call of the Haunted to summon Mixeroid back to the field." The mixer returned, staring down three powerful magicians.

"Is he crazy? Why wouldn't he summon back Armoroid?" Mindy wondered.

"Wait…one, two, three, four." I counted under my breath.

"Huh?" Erin looked at me as I counted.

"Just watch. That Mixeroid has a second effect." I quickly recounted.

"Now, I'll use Mixeroid's ability to fusion summon!" Syrus' glasses gleamed in very anime-like fashion. "By paying half of my life points, I can banish any number of machines from my grave to summon a Roid fusion monster with the same level as the number of those banished cards!" As Syrus spoke, the cement mixer began to turn. (Syrus 900/Mana 950)

"Woah, these effects are getting really complicated." Jasmine raised an eyebrow. Oh, just wait until Synchros and Exceeds come to the game, assuming that happens soon in this universe.

"I banish four from the graveyard and the Mixeroid on the field in order to fusion summon Pair Cycroid (1600/1200)!" The crowd expected some kind of epic boss monster to hit the board, and instead they got a purple tandem bike with cartoon eyes on the handlebars.

"You've gotta be kidding me…no offense, but Syrus doesn't exactly have the most badass monsters, does he?" Erin facepalmed.

"The Armoroid looks cool, too bad it got dumpstered right away." Mindy bantered.

"It's no Cyber End Dragon, but it's gonna get the job done. Watch this effect." I gestured to the game.

"Umm…that's cute, but I don't see how that's gonna beat my Dark Magicians. You really should have summoned back Armoroid." Mana's sweet voice sounded a bit annoying now – didn't she realize what Pair Cycroid did?

"Like I said, I'm not the same scared little kid I used to be. Well, I'm still scared of spiders…and exams…and heights….and Doctor Crowler…" Syrus' heroic speech was rather subverted by his honesty.

"Don't forget bats." Zane helpfully supplied.

"Oh yeah, and bats. But I'm not scared of playing a card game, and that's what really matters in this world! Pair Cycroid, attack her directly!" The bike pedaled effortlessly through the Dark Magicians and the Dark Magician girl.

"What, no way!" Mana yelped.

"This hot rod can attack directly regardless of how many monsters you have! Now, let's cross the finish line!" The tandem bicycle left Mana in the dust and gave Syrus the W. (Syrus 900/Mana 0)

The crowd was extremely displeased at this turn of events. "Boo, you suck Truesdale!" "We still love you Dark Magician Girl!" "Dark Magician Girl, please bear my children!" "Truesdale sucks eggs!" and so on. I may or may not have joined in on one of these chants, although I was actually glad that Syrus won. It would be good for his self-confidence, if not his popularity.

"Aw, thanks for cheering me on, everyone! I had such a fun time! And thanks for giving me such a great duel, Syrus! You're a real sweetheart!" She blew him a kiss, and Syrus was literally pinching himself as if to ensure that this wasn't a dream.

Then, the Dark Magician Girl looked at me, and gave a wink. "She can probably see you." I said to Sonata.

"Are you sure? Maybe she just likes you. You should see if you have any classes with her!" Sonata teased.

"I already know that she's a duel spirit." I said to take the wind out of her sails.

"Oh. Well, don't tell your friend that. He looks like he's on cloud 15000 right about now. Anyways, I think I'm gonna go talk to some of the other duel spirits around here. I'll catch you tonight, Jamie-kun." Sonata bid farewell.

"Be careful not to let Jaden or Chumley see you." I warned seriously. She just rolled her eyes and departed, flying through the air.

Across the field, I saw that many fans and admirers of the Dark Magician Girl were approaching her. She politely excused herself from the throng and "went to the bathroom" which probably meant that she was outta here. That girl would make a nice urban legend for the students, as I doubted that any of the students fathomed her true nature as a duel spirit.

We congratulated Syrus on his victory, but he was obsessed with looking for the Dark Magician Girl. "Did any of you guys see where she went?" He asked frantically.

None of us did, and Syrus comforted himself by saying that he would surely see her around later in the day. However, he never saw her again that day, and as the sun went down. As the stars came out, the Slifer Red dorm held an outdoor dance party which most of the school attended. I danced and socialized with my friends for a good deal of the night, forgetting my troubles for the time being. As I escaped the crowd to refill my drink however, I noticed Syrus sitting despondently near a bonfire started earlier by some Ra Yellows. My mind was hazy at this point, but I still felt obligated to see how he was doing.

"Did you ever find her, bud?" I hiccupped, handing Syrus a drink. He took it without hesitation.

"Nope." Syrus answered sadly. "Mana…who is she? There's no way someone like her would ever go to this school. I would have noticed her."

In my inebriated state, I had to consider my words extremely carefully so that I didn't spill any beans. "Dunno. Maybe she just traveled here for the festival." In a way, that was true. "In a way, from a certain point of view, from a certain perspective…anything except the undiluted truth, right?"

"You don't think that maybe…she was the real Dark Magician Girl?" Syrus said as we both watched the flame flicker into the sky.

"Anything is possible in this world." I responded.

"Doesn't matter all that much. I'm just glad she came. I sure had a lot of fun today." Syrus flushed. "Thank you, Dark Magician Girl."

Then, I saw particles of duel energy gather and coalesce into the form of the Dark Magician Girl, who stood between Syrus and I. She looked at me briefly and held her index finger to her mouth. "I hope you don't mind keeping quiet, Lancaster."

"Why?" Without knowing how, my thoughts were transmitted nonverbally.

She leaned over to Syrus and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I had fun too, Syrus. Thanks for the great duel! We'll meet again one day, I'm sure of it." Then she looked at me one last time. "That's why." Mana laughed musically one more time before disappearing again, off to who knows where.

Syrus touched the part of his cheek were he, on some level, felt the kiss. "N-no way, that had to be a dream…you're not pranking me, are you Lancaster!?" His joy suddenly turned to accusation.

"I have no clue what you're on about. What exactly had to be a dream?" I grinned. Seeing him this happy was rare.

"Oh, uh…it's nothing. I think I should probably go to bed before I hallucinate some more" He meekly turned away. I shrugged and looked at the fire some more. Before Syrus could depart however, Jaden sat beside us, looking a bit frustrated

"Where have you been all day?" I asked, emptying my can and putting another one in Jaden's hand.

"Thanks." He said nonchalantly. "I was just looking around the island for a good duel."

"Did you find one?" I leaned back into the lawn chair.

"Nope, but I found something weird over at the harbor. An ancient Egyptian river barge with oars and everything. Looked like it was stolen straight out of a museum, but somehow someone managed to sail it to this island. The closest populated places to here are Japan and Hawaii. Can't imagine either of those places having any boats like that, don't ya think?" Jaden's explanation left me flabbergasted.

"Certainly nothing seaworthy, maybe a museum piece like you said. Is it still there?" I stood up waveringly.

"Yeah, it is. I don't know what the dockworkers are gonna do about it. I'm guessing a boat like that doesn't have a permit. The fact that something like that actually managed to sail here from across the sea just doesn't make sense." Jaden reasoned. I figured that Winged Kuriboh probably figured this out earlier and Jaden was just parroting what his duel spirit had said earlier.

"Barring any supernatural bullshit of course. Good thing we don't know any people who have ill-defined magical powers." I slurred my words slightly.

Jaden looked confused. "Huh? Sure we do, Jamie. The Shadow Riders fit that definition exactly."

"That was sarcasm, Jaden."

"No, that was you. Your name is Jamie, not sarcasm."

I glared at him, unsure if he was fucking with me or not. Eh, probably not. Taking a long sigh, I said, "Well, for the time being, we'll have to assume that a Shadow Rider is on the island. Man, I'm really not in the right state for this, and neither are most of the others, I'm sure."

"Oh yeah, you guys have been partying all day. Well, not to worry! The hero of justice is here to save the day!" Indulging in a bit of self-aggrandizement, he pointed a thumb at himself, sporting a cheeky grin. And yet, when I thought of how exhausted Jaden's been looking lately, it was hard to feel completely confident.

"Right. Well, if they want to duel, they would've attacked during the festival. As it is, they're probably biding their time. We'll discuss a search of the island with Professor Crowler tomorrow." I set my drink down.

"Let the others have their fun for tonight. Syrus in particular is in a good mood, and I don't want to spoil it." These people were kids, and they deserved to have some fun.

"Hey, far be it from me to bring the mood down! Now where is Syrus anyways?" Jaden grinned.

"Oh…" I turned and noticed that he wasn't next to me anymore. "Probably just milling around. You know he's not the type for dancing anyways."

Jaden nodded his thanks and went looking for his roommate. I resolved to go to bed, as I was probably going to need a good night's sleep if the worst-case scenario happens tomorrow. I was probably worrying too much. If the Shadow Riders continue their attacks as they always do, then we will most likely just have to deal with one of them at a time. If they continue doing that, then there shouldn't be that many issues…

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Kagemaru POV)

"Sir, we are due to land in Tokyo in thirty minutes. After that, we have a transport arranged that will take us to Academy Island. We will be there within the day and attack as a unit." Zaloog reported as he began to guide their small jet plane to its descent.

"So, this was an airplane, you said? Interesting devices….if you asked me if flying machines would become commonplace in the future, I would have said you were crazed." A slender brown-skinned man commented. He was adorned in ancient Egyptian finery, the very picture of a pharaoh. "My men are already on the island. We should have little trouble with the harbor guards."

"Silence, Abidos. Now is not the time for such inane observations. Focus your mind and body on the coming battles." A bulky man in a black trenchcoat and a derby hat growled from the back of the small passenger section. He wore a silver mask that covered his eyes and nose.

Inside his tank, Kagemaru muttered, "Titan is correct. Time in the dark depths has made you more rational, it seems." He barbed.

"Six months, to be precise. Master." Titan hastily added to the end of his sentence.

"Ah yes, six long months. Tell me, was endlessly regenerating only to be devoured by the darkness a pleasant sensation?" Kagemaru's words had unusual energy to them…it was as though bit by bit, his youth was returning to him.

Titan was coldly enraged. "No."

"It will happen again if you lose."

"I know. If I fail again, any punishment I receive is deserved." Titan bowed his head in deference.

"Don't say that. Death is a horrible thing, a horror beyond horrors. We will not suffer that horror. We will live forever and become legends, all of us. But in order to gain precious life, we must take life away. Are you all prepared to do that?" Kagemaru demanded. Of course they all responded in the affirmative – they all owed their lives to Kagemaru, and would serve him in every endeavor he asked of them.

"I can feel it…the power in these cards. A power that transcends dimensions. A power that can fight death itself." And when he thought of death, Kagemaru thought of two boys. Jamie Lancaster, who destroyed Camula without a whit of remorse using strange cards, and Jaden Yuki, who had the dark powers unfathomable lurking beneath the façade of a smiling adolescent. Demons, the both of them.

"What shall be done with the teachers, sir?" Zaloog asked hesitantly.

"Most will die. Crowler's ambition may prove useful if allied to our vision. The rest are irrelevant, in the truest sense of the word."

"And Sheppard?" Titan growled.

"To be killed. Unlike Seto Kaiba, we will have no need for puppets. He will be tossed aside."

"Seto Kaiba houses dark forces and gives them space to grow, believing he can hone those forces to serve his own ends. He is a monster too, albeit a very human one. No, their deaths are necessary…they're right." The would-be immortal rationalized.

"The invasion begins tomorrow."

A/N

Hope you all enjoyed.

Right off the bat, let's get one thing straight: I am not trying to diss or insult people who read or write Naruto/DxD fanfics. It's just banter. I mean I'm writing a Yugioh GX SI, I'm perfectly aware that I'm not really in any position to talk shit. It's just a joke – shouldn't have to say it, but you know how people are.

Other than that, I thought I'd give Syrus a little limelight/character development this chapter and a nice win over the Dark Magician Girl. I like to diss Syrus quite a bit, but I assure you it's not out of maliciousness. There are few characters I actually dislike in this series and Syrus is not one of them, he's actually decently well written. This chapter is very much the calm before the storm, as the end of the chapter implied. Unlike in canon, the remaining Shadow Riders are mounting a joint assault, and plan to catch the key keepers off guard. I'm excited to write the final battles of this arc! Next chapter should out a bit earlier than this one, as my job gets pretty busy at the beginning of April specifically. It's a pleasure writing this story and I don't plan to stop until it is finished. Thanks to you all for your continued readership and support – can't say it enough! Catch you on the flippity-flip!