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

28. A Deadly Beauty, A Sharp Lesson

Chapter 28: A Deadly Beauty, A Sharp Lesson

(Chazz Princeton POV)

The plane ride was dreadful slow. It was a comfortable ride at least, a private jet commissioned by the Princeton brothers specifically for their younger brother's excursion to San Francisco. Chazz was given multiple earfuls about how important it was to make a strong first impression and properly display the Princeton fortune to full effect. Yes, it was so important, the most important thing in the world to them. The private jet was a part of that, but if a journey is sufficiently long, any plane ride starts to get…shitty.

Chazz had his arms crossed and his eyes closed, attempting to take a nap despite the fact that he was well rested and anything but drowsy. If it made the time go faster, he would try anything. Another reason he hated long travel was that it forced him to be alone with his thoughts, and he had choice but to reflect on his regrets and the paths not taken. The Ojamas were blessedly quiet for once, so that was something.

"We're beginning our descent towards San Francisco International, with an expected touchdown in thirty minutes. Please prepare your belongings, misters Princeton and Anderson." The pilot, one of Slade's men, said calmly over the intercom.

"Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit! We're finally here!" Jesse immediately rose from his slumber with a joyous expression.

Much to Chazz's dismay, Jesse's "Westaboo" phase was reaching its zenith. He was dressed in a teal button-down shirt tucked into pale jeans, with a big silver Texas Longhorn belt buckle. He also wore brown leather boots with spurs and a huge ten-gallon cowboy hat that was knocked off of his head every time he entered a doorway.

"I will pay you any amount of money to never say that again." Chazz said quickly.

"Say what? That we're finally here?" Jesse said impishly.

"….You know what, yes. Never say that again." Chazz ceded.

Jesse laughed heartily. "Whatever you say, boss."

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Soon after landing, Chazz and Jesse made their way to their rental car, which of course was a pickup. And of course it was a fucking Ford as well. Chazz did not have his driver's license, while Jesse got his the month before, so the would-be cowboy was the one to drive…and unfortunately, the one who controlled the radio by extension.

"~Chillin' on a dirt road, laid back swervin' like I'm George Jones…Smoke rollin' out the window, an ice cold beer sittin' in the console.~" Jesse sung along with the radio.

"What is with Americans and their fixation on beer?" Chazz thought snidely – nearly every song on the country station referenced it in some way, shape, or form. But any disdain he had for country music was held in reserve for the time being – they had a duel to win, and he knew next to nothing about their opponents and the cards they might play.

His brothers pulled up what information they could on David Rabb and Reggie Mackenzie, but Chazz didn't even know which of the two he would be facing, so he did his own research on them both. He doubted Jesse even knew their names, but he was not so glib.

They were said to be adopted siblings, though they looked so similar they might as well have been related. Both of them shared strong, tall frames with Aryan features in the hair and eyes. They seemed to favor militaristic clothing as well – needless to say, a dozen Nazi jokes sprung to Chazz's lips the moment he saw their pictures.

They were also the top two students at the American Duel Academy, Mackenzie earning the title "Venus" and her brother "Jupiter" for their feats in the dueling pits. Chazz had to admit that Mackenzie was incredibly beautiful. He always had a thing for blondes, but most thoughts of romance inevitably brought him back to Alexis Rhodes, like a coin circling a drain. He hardly knew her, and he knew for a fact that she found him repulsive, but it was hard for Chazz to get her off his mind. If he ever saw Alexis again, he vowed to tell her how he felt, just so that he wouldn't have the regret hanging over him. He tended to rehearse what he would say to her, but tried not to.

"Doesn't matter now." He would always tell himself before he got too lost down the road of what-ifs.

"You say something?" Jesse briefly rested his voice from singing to ask.

Chazz raised his eyebrows, not realizing that he said it aloud this time. "No." Looking around, he noticed that they were crossing the famous Golden Gate Bridge, red beams standing out starkly against the blue sky. It was ten in the morning, so traffic was actually not as horrible as it usually was, though crossing the bridge was still a pain in the ass to be sure.

The two Northern boys thought the heat of the San Francisco Bay a sharp contrast to the frozen North. Chazz found it distastefully reminiscent of the Central Academy Island, while Jesse simply wasn't used to such weather. It was a subtle, yet pervading sign that they were out of their element, strangers in a strange land. At this point, the boys were so parched that they would gladly drink a Dasani. Yeah, it was that bad.

But eventually, they reached their destination. The American Duel Academy was…depressingly efficient. There was little in the way of flair or style in the architecture, each building on campus a glass cube or in some cases a steel tower. Everything was relatively clean, which was impressive considering that they were in such a heavily populated urban area. But the environment had little character – the buildings and streets told no stories, they were just steel and concrete. The students walked by in fashionable urban clothing and acceptable hairstyles – Jesse's wild teal mop and huge cowboy hat, along with Chazz's black hedge stood out like sore thumbs.

Neither of them could put words to the feeling, but there was something…cold about it all. And it wasn't the type of cold they were used to, it was a cold that chilled the heart and dulled the mind.

Silently, they made their way to the main administration building. Unlike the Central and North Duel Academies, which were contained within a single large structure, the American Duel Academy had several buildings for dormitories, classrooms, and offices spread out amongst a well-kept, too-green lawn, with concrete walkways leading the eye to each building.

Something about the place made Chazz suspicious, but at this point, his blood boiled for a fight, and he wasn't gonna leave until he got the one he was promised. Jesse had the same feeling, but due to his tendency to believe the best of people, he tried to suppress his unease.

As soon as the boys walked into the atrium of the main administration office, they were greeted with a somewhat nonplussed look by the receptionist. Jesse's hat was too tall for the doorway, so he had to take it off and put it back on again once he got inside.

"Erm…can I help you two gentlemen with something?" The receptionist, a heavyset woman with a black bob haircut, said slowly.

"Yes, we're the two emissaries from North Academy, here for the exhibition match with your students?" Chazz said, his voice lilting up at the end of the statement so as to denote a question.

She looked sardonically between the two of them in a way that annoyed Chazz greatly before she asked, "May I see some identification?"

Chazz frowned before retrieving his student ID card from his pocket, Jesse doing the same. She looked them over thoroughly before finally saying begrudgingly, "I see. Please wait here and enjoy a refreshment while I call down a staff member. They will escort you to the arena."

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The staff member who took them to the stadium was a janitor, who walked them over while pushing a cart with various cleaning supplies and tools inside. Chazz was certain that this was meant to be an insult – first the receptionist's suspicion of them, and now the fact that a janitor was their escort.

The place was already packed by the time they got there, which made him wonder if they were late – perhaps his brothers were "accidentally" given the wrong starting time, so that they might look like fools. Chazz hated Slade and Jagger, but he understood that such slights against the family could not be taken lightly, if that's what was going on.

The arena was built in a similar style as Candlestick Park, which was apparently a stadium that this city's football team played in, but on a smaller scale. Chazz didn't really give a shit about sports, but he did find the place suitably impressive in its own right.

To their surprise, they found Headmaster Foster in the parking lot, happening upon him by pure accident. "Boys! What auspicious luck! I was able to get out of a conference I had today, so your brothers were kind enough to fly me out to the event. I would have contacted you earlier, but you know, airplanes." He said goofily.

"Hey, it's no problem, chief! Good to see a familiar face." Jesse replied. Between the two of them, Jesse was the face of the operation, as he actually had social skills and a considerable amount of patience with which to wield them. Chazz was usually fine to let Jesse do the talking when it came to the pleasantries. This time, however, a quick question occurred to him.

"Are my brothers here, then?"

Foster looked a bit surprised that he actually spoke up, but quickly answered with a shake of the head. "No, they appeared to be quite busy when I last spoke with them. But they send their regards and wish you both the best of luck."

Chazz said nothing to the surely sweetened words. Foster spoke consolingly, but Chazz actually thought it was a good thing that they weren't here today. "I don't want them knowing everything about what my deck can do, considering I mean to defeat them one day."

The next hour slipped away like sand through their fingers, Foster grabbing his seat while Chazz and Jesse sat in an open hallway, waiting for the cue to step out into the spotlight. Neither of them could believe that the day was finally here, but these were the moments Chazz lived for – it was time to fight!

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to a very special exhibition match honoring the end of the 2005 school year! Today, we are very pleased to welcome Chazz Princeton and Jesse Anderson of North Academy, who have traveled here today to face our champions! Let's give them a warm welcome!" An overly-chipper announcer blared through the mic.

Chazz expected some booing or jeering from the almost totally American audience, but his surprise they just got a half-hearted smattering of applause, with a few faint taunts thrown in.

"And on behalf of our great school, allow me to introduce our very own deadly duo, Reggie Mackenzie and David Rabb!"

This time was different – the audience cheered loud and long. Clearly, Mackenzie and David were very popular amongst their peers, and it wasn't difficult for Chazz to imagine why. The two were not only beautiful people and clearly skilled duelists, but they held themselves with an easy, natural confidence that couldn't be imitated. They appeared angelic, in other words.

"But looks aren't everything." Chazz relished the thought of marring their damnably perfect appearances.

"So here you are at last! I have awaited this battle for quite some time. The name's Chazz of clan Princeton, and I am the most powerful duelist of all the five great duel academies! Remember that name!" He boasted. There's no way they were going to get a rise of him - no, he much preferred the idea of provoking them to a rage while he remained cool and composed.

"Erm, hello. I'm Jesse Anderson. Sorry about him." The Crystal Beast user said meekly, gesturing to Chazz with a self-deprecating chuckle.

The blonde siblings remained silent. Their identical blue eyes met for a moment, and in that moment they seemed to share a secret joke. Subtle, soft laughter escaped from both of their lips at the same time.

"You're laughing…why is that? This is not a joke!" Predictably, Chazz flew off the handle at the first sign of a slight, despite his earlier claims about staying calm and collected. However, the announcer interrupted before the black-clad duelist could go on another self-absorbed rant.

"The exhibition match will proceed as follows. Miss Mackenzie will face the challenger Princeton on the west side of the arena while Mister Rabb will duel the challenger Anderson on the east side. Both duels will occur simultaneously, but it bears repeating that this is not a tag match! Neither duelist is permitted to help or talk to the other while the games are proceeding. With that being said, each duelist will now take their places accordingly!"

The four challengers did as they were bid. "Good luck, man." Jesse said to Chazz, smiling hopefully.

"Hmph! Same to you." Chazz replied haughtily before turning sharply to his side of the large, flat arena. David and Mackenzie simply nodded at each other before taking their places as well. Chazz and Mackenzie were now well out of Jesse and David's earshot.

The King in the North found himself eye to eye with the beautiful blonde. "Prepare to be Chazzed on, lady!"

She looked very unamused. "Tell me, are all of you Central Academy duelists so full of yourselves? Are the Lion of Obelisk and the Kaiser like you? These ridiculous nicknames are really too much. Do all Obelisk Blues brag as a way of hiding their incompetence, or is that more of a 'you' thing?" Mackenzie insulted clinically. The insult was manifold, but the most infuriating part of it was how she referred to him as a Central Academy duelist. He wasn't! Chazz didn't want anything to do with that damned island.

"You take that back! You'll regret saying that! I am far superior to any duelist from Central Academy, and what's more, I am a true Northerner!" Chazz snarled.

"…So it's more of a 'you' thing, huh?" She asked, the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" He roared.

"I grow tired of bandying about words. The audience wants a good fight, and I want something from you as well." She said cryptically.

Something about that statement seemed odd to Chazz, but he was focused on dueling, so he paid it little mind. "Hah, the only thing you'll be getting from me is a taste of defeat. And be warned – I'm not going easy you just because you're a woman."

"Funny – I was about to say the same thing." She replied smoothly.

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"Aw man, he walked right into that one." Jesse said with an embarrassed laugh. Turns out they weren't so out of earshot as Chazz thought.

David Rabb watched the back and forth between Chazz and Mackenzie with a strange gleam in his eye. Was it amusement, or something else?

"Indeed. Your friend seems like an angry person." David said blandly.

"Yeah, he's a bit of a grumpy guy, but he's not so bad once you get to know him!" Jesse said in chummy fashion. "But we should focus on our own match. Let's have a good game!"

"Hm," David looked appraisingly at Jesse's outfit. "They call you the Jewel of the North around the American dueling circuit. The only duelist who can use the Crystal Beast cards, or so I've heard."

"Hehe, yup, that's me-"Jesse began, but was interrupted.

"Personally, I think Brokeback Mountain would be a more apt moniker, all things considered." David finished coldly.

Instantly, Jesse's friendly demeanor evaporated as comprehension dawned. "So, that's how it's gonna be, huh?" This guy's attitude reminded Jesse of Chazz's brothers, and that was enough to piss him off.

David smirked, seeing that he successfully touched a nerve. "Don't worry, this is just a sideshow to the main event. Once we have what he require from your esteemed king, you'll be free to go back to your frozen wastes…."

"What is he talking about?" Jesse wondered, but he had little time to think on it. The four duelists activated their duel disks, and the game was afoot.

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After a quick round of rock-paper-scissors, Mackenzie got the first turn. The crowd cheered her on as she drew her first card. "I shall T-set." She said, placing a monster and an unknown spell or trap face-down. "That will be all."

"Hmph." Chazz drew his first card, his black trenchcoat fluttering in the wind as a thousand eyes stared down at him. "Such defenses aren't enough against me! I summon Lancer Lindwurm (1800/1200)!" Chazz's first monster was a small, green-scaled dragon with golden armor adorning its midsection. In its claws was a double-sided silver spear.

"This monster can inflict piercing damage whenever it attacks a defensive monster! Now strike, Lancer Lindwurm!" The dragon rushed towards Mackenzie's monster. Chazz half-expected a trap, but none came. The spear ran through her Shining Angel (1400/800) successfully, and Chazz was able to deal some damage as a result of his monster's effect. The strike was remarkably violent for a hologram – the lance bloodily impaled the angel and pinned him to the ground before the digital image shattered apart. The audience loved it, whooping wildly despite the fact that their champion was on the losing end of the exchange. (Chazz 4000/Mackenzie 3000)

"A fairy deck, eh?" Chazz raised an eyebrow. He rarely faced those. Fairies were tricky cards, many of their effects revolving around the successful use of counter traps. They also had the ability to summon high level monsters quickly and easily. In this way, they were the natural counterpart to Beasts, which revolved around low-level swarming and direct battling. Many types of monsters in the game were direct foils to one another – Spellcasters and Dragons, Pyros and Aquas, Warriors and Fiends. It was part of the reason Chazz kept his deck diverse – it helped him avoid hard counters.

"When Shining Angel is destroyed, I can summon a light monster with 1500 attack points or less from my deck in attack mode. I choose another Shining Angel." An identical cherub descended to the field in a soft tower of light. Despite taking damage, Mackenzie looked totally unfazed, with not a hair out of place.

"Fine, I end my turn." Chazz said quickly. He didn't have any good-face-downs, and was prepared to lose his dragon next turn if needs be.

Mackenzie recognized this, and felt comfortable investing in a tribute summon. "My draw. I sacrifice Shining Angel to summon Tethys, Goddess of Light (2400/1800)!" A radiant, angelic woman with long white hair and enormous feathered wins descended from on high. Much like Chazz's dragon, she too wore gold armor, although it was more polished and clean in comparison.

"Tethys attacks your Lancer Lindwurm!" Charging a holy beam of radiation between her palms, the angel blasted Chazz's dragon into nothingness with minimal effort. Chazz grunted and lifted his arms to shield his eyes from the blinding light. (Chazz 3400/Mackenzie 3000)

Chazz was perturbed at how easily she turned the tables on him, but that was something he could do too. Mackenzie paused for a moment before ending her turn.

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Jesse won the first turn, going for the unorthodox play of choosing scissors. "Let's do this, guys!" the Crystal Beast spirits were all behind him, ready for battle.

"I'll start by summoning Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (1800/1200) in attack mode!" A white unicorn with golden wings arrived at Jesse's side, its horn carved from blue gemstone. "When he's summoned, I can place a Crystal Beast directly from my deck into my spell and trap zone."

"So it's true, the beasts can be used as continuous spells as well as monsters…" David commented idly as a dark blue prism appeared next to Jesse's foot.

"That's right! I choose to put Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle in my spell zone. Then, I'll set another card and end my turn." Jesse finished.

"I see…but those cards don't really do anything while they're in your spell zone, apart from looking pretty. Am I wrong?" David probed as he took his first draw.

"They do a lot more than that, pal. Just wait and see." Jesse countered.

"We'll see indeed. I'll start by summoning Machina Gearframe (1800/0) in attack mode!" David's first monster was a slim android with bright orange framing, a color similar to a traffic cone. "When this monster is summoned, I can add a Machina card from deck to hand. Then, I play Frontline Base, a spell which lets me special summon one union monster from my hand once per turn!"

"Union monsters…" Jesse murmured with a smile. He had plenty of experience facing those. Chazz used the VWXYZ series against him frequently during their practice matches. "Let's see what you've got!"

"I'll special summon Machina Peacekeeper (500/400)!" This monster was a rather cute, Wall-E looking gadget with a bright red coat of paint and tricycle treads.

"You seem to know of Union monsters, so my next move should come as little surprise." The Machina Peacekeeper began to transform and merge with the Gearframe, its wheels attaching to the bottom of the Gearframe's feet. "I'll attach the peacekeeper to the Gearframe!"

"That didn't give him any extra attack points…why did he bother?" Jesse wondered.

"Now, I'll attack your Sapphire Pegasus with Machina Gearframe!" The two monsters had identical attack points, so it would follow that borh would be destroyed. However, David could simply destroy the union monster attached to his monster in order to save the Gearframe, while Jesse could do little but send the Pegasus to his spell zone. Using its tough hooves, the Pegasus dismantled the attachments on the Gearframe. Meanwhile, the machine was letting loose a volley of piston-powered punches that ultimately got the best of the winged stallion. As it was destroyed, a round, clear blue crystal formed in Jesse's backrow.

"You see, it's actually a good thing my Union monster was destroyed. When Machina Peacekeeper leaves the field, I can add another Union monster from my deck to my hand!" David speedily grabbed another card, bolstering his hand advantage. "I set a card and end my turn.

"His deck has surprising speed." Jesse admitted mentally. "But he's not the only one accumulating advantage."

"My go!" Jesse could feel himself getting into the flow of the fight. He wasn't a battle maniac like Chazz, but Jesse loved a good duel nonetheless…even against a douchebag like this guy.

David was feeling the same thing – his blood was up, and this game was starting to feel a bit boring, a bit toothless, a bit bloodless. The urges were coming back, and he didn't really care that an audience of nearly two thousand was watching them.

"I activate the spell Rare Value! You get to choose which of my crystals to send the graveyard, but after that, I get to draw two cards." It was a strong card – Crystal Beasts didn't have bad searching power.

David took an annoyed sigh. "Send the Pegasus." He said tersely.

Jesse did so, and drew two new cards. "Woah!" He let out, seeing that Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, was one of the cards he drew. "There it is. Guess we might see what this thing can do in a real fight."

David didn't miss the change in Jesse's demeanor. "What did he just draw? He doesn't necessarily look excited…he almost looks a little apprehensive. Good…I want to taste some fear."

Slowly, dark black tendrils began coiling around the dueling field, unbeknownst to the general audience.

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"Heh….looks like we're both getting a challenging fight. Good!" Chazz thought. Inwardly, he was cheering for his fellow Northman. Although Jesse had some annoying habits (like his recent obsession with country music for one thing), he was a good man and a true friend. Chazz hoped that the both of them could win some glory today.

Then, he saw the shadows growing in number, midnight smoke rising inexplicably around David Rabb's body. "What the hell is going on? Is that a card effect?" He wondered.

"Contestant Princeton, please continue your turn!" The announcer sharply reminded him. Chazz huffed and drew his card. Mackenzie was also stealing glances at the other side of the arena, but as usual, Chazz couldn't discern what she was thinking.

"I have to focus on the battle in front of me for now. But something tells me I should finish this quick!" Chazz thought with mounting unease. "I summon Armed Dragon LV 3 (1200/900) in attack mode!" Chazz's puny, orange dragon was not to be underestimated – everyone here knew its potential. "Then, I'll set a card face-down and end my turn!"

"Ah, this little song and dance." Mackenzie was almost starting to look bored, but soon enough her expression resumed its placid and icy countenance. Emotions only seemed to flicker on her face for moments at a time.

"Try and stop my dragon's evolution if you can!" Chazz smirked, even as he inwardly worried about Jesse.

She just rolled her eyes. "I drew a Fairy type monster, so Tethys' effect activates, allowing me to draw one more card so long as I reveal the monster drawn."

The card was revealed to be Hecatrice. "Then, I will discard Hecatrice to use its special ability, which lets me add a continuous spell called Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen to my hand." A golden dagger briefly materialized before disappearing just as fast.

"Finally, I shall summon Gellenduo (1700/0) to the field." Two extremely cute little chibi creatures appeared, each having wide baby blue eyes and a halo surrounding their waists. One was pink, the other light green.

"I'm shaking in my boots." Chazz drawled. As usual though, she just ignored him.

"Tethys, attack the Armed Dragon." Another holy light beamed down at Chazz's monster, threatening to smite it.

"Not so fast! I activate Negate Attack!" The common counter trap served its purpose once again, stopping Reggie's battle phase. A flicker of annoyance crossed her features, but it passed just as quickly as everything else did. She ended her turn with a mocking bow.

"Is that really your best shot? Because I'm just getting started! During my turn, my Armed Dragon evolves to level 5 (2400/1700)!" Sure enough, the dragon began to grow in size, its orange coloring gradually shifting to red as the spiky armor it had grew more polished and refined. It grew a comical belly, but the glare it held in its dark eyes was anything but.

"And I'm not done! I activate Level Up, a spell which lets me upgrade the Armed Dragon once more, to Armed Dragon Level 7 (2800/1000)!" The dragongrew larger still, now towering over the two duelists by nearly a dozen meters. The crowd loved the spectacle as the dragon's armor shone sterling silver and its blades sharpened further. Now sporting black and red scales underneath shining metal plate, the dragon was now truly a force to be reckoned with.

Chazz didn't have anything in his hand he could discard for the Armed Dragon's effect, but he didn't need it. "Armed Dragon, attack Tethys with serrated sonic disks!" The beast let loose two sharp light green blades of wind from its forearms, the two razors cleaving apart the angel violently and brutally. (Chazz 3400/Mackenzie 2600)

Mackenzie threw her arms up to defend from the sudden burst of wind, her blonde hair fiercely rippling in the gale. The Gellenduo was destroyed as well – it couldn't be destroyed by battle normally, but the drawback was that it destroyed itself whenever Mackenzie took damage. The little fairies didn't look cut out for the battlefield, and sure enough they didn't last very long.

Despite the fact that he held the advantage, Chazz looked a bit unnerved. "Tch, I've seen storefront mannequins show more emotion than this. It's starting to piss me off how you're pretending like nothing's happening..."

"You surprise me, Princeton. I didn't expect you to push me this far. Few other than my brother have managed this much against me. Tell me, does Jaden Yuki possess this kind of strength?" she asked calmly. Her hair was ruffled, and she had a few signs of wear from the battle, but her expression was perpetually ice cold.

Chazz didn't expect to hear Jaden's name. Why was she curious about him? "Don't be absurd. He may have defeated me in the past, but those days are long gone. I'm stronger than him, the Kaiser, Jamie Lancaster, the whole lot of them!" He roared pridefully.

"Is that so? Well then, I suppose none of you are really all that special, then. Hard to believe that you were the one chosen by the Light and Darkness Dragon spirit." Mackenzie replied.

"What did you say?!" Chazz hissed. How could she know about that? Before he could register the meaning of those words, she was already beginning her move.

"But none of that will matter soon, for that card will belong to me by the day's end. Someone as crude as you will doubtless be unable to appreciate the sublime beauty of my next card. Now, meet the messengers of the gods! I activate Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen!"

Their side of the arena was covered in crimson drapes as Greek-style marble pillars rose around them. Roses sprouted from the concrete, stray petals floating lazily in the open air. Chazz could only gape as he pondered the meaning of her earlier words. Suddenly, entering this exhibition match seemed like a really bad idea.

But he would never admit this aloud. "A pleasant change of scenery." He snarked, even as his uncertainty festered.

"When I have no monsters on my side of the field, this hallowed hall allows me to summon a Fairy monster from my hand for no cost." Mackenzie explained.

"From what I've seen, your damn fairies aren't fit for battle, so forgive me if I'm not frightened." Chazz never missed an opportunity to run his mouth – little did he know his words would backfire only moments later.

"I summon the legendary planet, Splendid Venus (2800/2400)!" In the center of the hall, a beam of light shone down from the heavens themselves, and in that beam was a golden goddess. From head to toe, the angel was impossibly radiant, almost too bright to look at. Four wings spread from her back, and the fairy had a certain inhuman beauty to it that Chazz found simultaneously rapturous and disquieting.

"A legendary planet, huh? Let's see what kind of power it's got!" He clenched his fist defiantly, even as alarms were ringing nonstop in his head.

"Be careful, little prince – a duelist lost in rage can be a fragile thing…"

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"What's the meaning of this?!" Jesse asked forcefully. Could the audience not see what he was seeing? Why did a dark aura now surround his opponent? The vicious gleam in David's eye did nothing to assuage Jesse's growing discomfort either. Suddenly, entering this exhibition match seemed like a really bad idea.

"Heheh…don't worry about it, Brokeback Mountain. I just want to make this game a little more interesting. Have you ever heard of a shadow game?" David's voice was darker now, more guttural than before.

"Ohhhhhh gosh damn it." Jesse gulped. The Crystal Beast spirits were about two seconds away from turning tail and running. Jesse couldn't rightly blame them, in all honesty. But he had the fierce pride of a duelist, and he wasn't going to let those words intimidate him.

"It's still my turn! I activate the spell Rainbow Bridge, which lets me add one Crystal spell or trap from deck to hand!" Jesse quickly thumbed through his deck until he found the necessary card. "I better finish this fast! I summon Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger (1600/1000)!"

A fearsome white tiger slinked onto the field, its predator body coiled menacingly. It had pale yellow gems ensconced in its fur, and a sharp silver horn protruded from its forehead.

"Then, I'll play the spell I just added to my hand, Crystal Promise! This lets me release the hidden power in one of my gemstones, and summon the Crystal Beast back from the spell zone!" As Jesse spoke, powerful and layered blue waves seeped from the cobalt stone next to him. A web of fractures broke out amongst the surface of the stone, and it broke a second later, releasing a handsome brown-feathered hawk with dark blue jewels in its wings.

"Meet Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle (1400/800)!" Jesse now had two monsters on his side of the field.

"And how do you plan on getting by my Gearframe?" Rabb asked arrogantly, not figuring that one of the Crystal Beasts had effects that would be useful in this kind of situation.

"Pretty easily, considering that Topaz Tiger gets 400 attack points when it attacks!" On cue, the tiger pounced, a golden aura surrounding it as its attack points rose to 2000. Rabb frowned, but otherwise betrayed little emotion as his machine was torn apart limb from limb. (Jesse 4000/David 3800)

"Now, attack him directly, Cobalt Eagle!" With a piercing keel, the feathered predator swooped downwards and made a swipe at David with its talons. (Jesse 4000/David 2400)

The crowd enjoyed the back and forth before, but now they were starting to get pissed. The Northerners were beginning to push back their champions, and if their best students were capable of being defeated by North Academy, what did that say about them? The north had been a joke for so long that many of the American students underestimated Chazz and Jesse – their rather ridiculous appearances didn't help matters, with Chazz being his usual all-black, edgy self and Jesse going through his cowboy phae. Now though, there was no cause for laughter amongst the audience.

David and Mackenzie were forced to acknowledge their opponents weren't pushovers. It was time to get serious. Jesse ended his turn with a face-down, and not a moment afterwards, David snapped the next card off the top of his deck.

"That's an impressive assortment of zoo animals, twink. I wonder how they'll handle some real firepower! I'll start by summoning Double Coston (1700/1600)!" In contrast with the rest of his deck's overall theme, David's next monster was some sort of weird purple slime monster with two heads and an impish expression on both of them.

"Man, that card doesn't fit with your machine aesthetic at all!" Jesse said with faux outrage, having always had an eye for style.

"That may be true, but it fits exceedingly well with my "kick your ass" aesthetic!' The audience groaned at the overwhelming lameness of that line, and David was forced to pause for a moment. "Erm, anyways, I'll now play the spell Double Summon!"

"And that Double Coston counts as two tributes, I'm guessing…" Jesse surmised with grit teeth.

"That's right!" David exclaimed with a wild gleam in his eye as his monster began to disappear into the ether. One of his eyes was covered by the slanted angle of his hat's brim, while the other was crazed and yet scarily focused, like a chimpanzee about to rip something apart.

"You can have your little jewels and gemstones – I have the power of an entire planet at my command! Come forth, The Big Saturn (2800/2200)!" The crowd roared its approval at this latest summon. The sounds and smells of rocket fuel permeated the air, and a moment later an enormous silver robot materialized onto the field. True to its name, it was very big, with a spherical main body about the size of six pickup trucks stacked on top of each other. Twin boosters were attached to its back, shooting out a never-ending stream of flame. A halo made of hard light surrounded its body, and it had two clenched fists that were easily twice as tall and wide as Jesse.

"Woah…a legendary planet?!" Jesse exclaimed in shock. He looked over to the other dueling field and saw that Chazz was facing down a similarly large monster, although his was an angel of some sort while Jesse's was a machine. The two legendary planets towered over them while standing side-by-side. One was a golden, warm gift bestowed from the gods while the other was a silver and cold testament to mankind's ingenuity. They seemed to be natural foes, but today they were united in their mission to defeat North Academy.

David cackled wildly for a moment before realizing where he was and regaining control. "Take this! Saturn, destroy his Cobalt Eagle!" It was no contest – the enormous engine crushed Jesse's hawk like a man would an insect. What's more, Jesse felt the wind knocked out of his lungs simultaneously. (Jesse 2600/David 2400)

Jesse gaped like a fish as he tried to breathe again, a cobalt stone reforming in his spell zone. David looked quite pleased, despite the fact that he still had less life points. But the Big Saturn was so massive, Jesse wouldn't have felt comfortable with a million life points.

His seafoam eyes flickered to the Sacred Beast in his hand. "I may not have much choice but to use this… I don't know where this card came from, and I might draw some unwelcome attention if I do use it. But this guy is nuttier than squirrel shit and I really don't want to know what happens if I lose here!"

XxXXxXxxxXXXX

Chazz bristled at Mackenzie's remark. "Rage is only a piece of my power. I got this good as a duelist because I worked hard at it!" He despised it when people assumed he was only skilled because his money allowed him to buy good cards. Strategy, resource management, and the fundamentals of the game couldn't be obtained by anything other than experience.

"How sad to work so hard for so little. All is inferior before my Splendid Venus. You see, when it's on the field, all non-fairy type monsters lose 500 attack and defense points. Furthermore, my spell and trap effects can no longer be negated." As Mackenzie spoke, Chazz felt the light grow hotter and more intense. His Armed Dragon whined as its metal armor grew uncomfortably hot, its attack points reduced to 2300.

"And now, I'll play Monster Reborn to summon Tethys from the graveyard." A blue Egyptian ankh briefly shimmered on the field as Mackenzie's minor goddess returned to the field in a blinding radiance. Chazz couldn't believe how quickly things had spiraled out of his control.

Not giving Chazz a moment to breathe, she continued, "Attack with holy feather shot!" A rain of pure white arrows rained down from the angel's wings, turning the Armed Dragon into a pincushion. (Chazz 2900/Mackenzie 2600)

"And now, Tethys will attack you directly!" This time, Chazz felt the angel's golden beam of light up close and personal – it struck him on the chest and knocked him on his rear. He tumbled ungracefully for a moment while the crowd laughed derisively at him. He hastily tried to get to his feet, only to trip over his own feet in his haste. The crowd laughed further, and Chazz could feel hot lava boiling in his veins. "Hey Princeton, you're a creampuff!" One bold student jeered.

"Fuck them all." He thought viciously after he finally righted himself. The sudden reversal was telling – he felt as if she was finally showing her true strength. "Surely she hasn't been toying with me this entire time! That attack hurt…it actually hurt! But why?" (Chazz 500/Mackenzie 2600)

"How quickly bravado goes out the window when you're flat on your ass." Mackenzie would have looked like a doll if not for the languid smirk that was slowly working tis way up her heart-shaped face, and the mechanical way her eyes slowly raked up and down his form. She was truly gorgeous, and that only made Chazz more pissed off. He felt a raw venom rise in his throat like bile as the pressure began to make itself apparent. A loss here would be nearly as horrible as if he lost to Jaden all those months ago. Where would he be if he lost to the red hero that day? Would he still be a northman, or an islander, or even a Princeton? Or would he be something else? The uncertainty was unbearable, and Chazz always lived in fear of the future. He wasn't sure if his brothers were physically in the crowd or not, but he could still feel their eyes on him at all times, crawling over him like roaches…

So he focused on the present, the here and now, and let his anger fuel him like kerosene to a flame. Or lightning…

"She'll regret playing around with me!" His next draw was quite literally a windfall – it could even be seen in the card's artwork. "I play Card of Sanctity!"

Without even consciously thinking, Chazz could perceive his next combo coming together as he added cards to his hand. To his left were the Ojama spirits, to his right was the Light and Darkness Dragon. "Ready to go, boys?"

The dragon simply roared in approval, looking all badass, while the Ojamas began performing the Macarena, looking decidedly not-badass. Chazz couldn't help but feel as though he drew better cards when he really placed his trust in his spirit partners.

"Oh? You must have drawn something useful. You'll have to forgive me, it's hard to tell when you have the same sneer on your face all the time." Mackenzie roasted, not noticing that the exact same words could easily apply to herself.

"Heh…you might want to check the weather in Valhalla, because it looks like a storm is forming! I activate Lightning Vortex! Bu discarding a card, I can destroy all-face up monsters on your field!" It was just what he needed to regain field control, and a useful card besides, being the weaker counterpart of the currently banned Raigeki.

The effervescent sunlight of Valhalla was suddenly darkened by oncoming storm clouds. Soon enough, the sky was a dark, somber grey, with arcs of electricity coursing amongst the clouds.

"Now, begone with the thunderclap!" Chazz raised his hand before swinging it down, and with it came a deluge of lightning upon Mackenzie's field.

Yet again, a flicker of shock passed across Mackenzie's face as her two angels, including the so-called Legendary Planet were zapped like bugs by Chazz's spell. The sky lightened quickly thereafter, and her bare field was the only sign the storm happened at all. "And that's not all!" Chazz continued. "The card I discarded was Ojamagic. When it's sent to the graveyard, I can add the three Ojama brothers from my deck to my hand!" He added Black, Yellow, and Green, fortifying his already strong hand.

"Now here comes the fun part! I play Polymerization to fuse the three Ojamas together!" The three brothers each popped into existence with a distinctive "BOINK" sound before joining hands like synchronized swimmers. The crowd chuckled, and Mackenzie looked less than impressed, but Chazz pressed on. "Form Ojama King (0/3000)!"

The brothers began spinning wildly before rising in the air like a frisebee, their individual forms eventually disappearing in a halo of light. A moment later, a gigantic egg-shaped gremlin rocketed downwards in a piledriver, wearing a garish red superhero cape and a similarly colored speedo. It had those weird eye-antennae that Ojama Yellow had, and its mouth and teeth were hideously large. All in all, it was a thoroughly weird and bizarre creature, the complete opposite of Mackenzie's beautiful angels. Indeed, her nose crinkled at the very sight of this so-called king.

"He may not have any attack points, but even the weakest of cards become strong when I'm the one using them! When Ojama King is summoned, I can render three of your monster zones unusable!" Chazz explained. Mackenzie saw a red light blink on her duel disk in three of her monster zones, signaling that they were off-limits. It was very annoying, which was fitting as being annoying is what the Ojamas do best.

"And now, I'll play the spell card Tri-Wight! This lets me summon three level two or lower normal monsters from the graveyard! You get three guesses what they are, and the first two don't count." The three Ojamas used as materials for the fusion summon each took the field in defense mode, their knees bent. Ojama Green blew a raspberry at Mackenzie.

"It matters little if there are four gnats or four hundred, you still have no way of damaging me." Mackenzie pointed out.

"Did I say I was done? Because now I'll sacrifice Ojamas Green and Black!" The two little fiends disappeared into vapor, creating two pillars of white and black light.

"Behold, the totality and duality of all things! A true dragon with the powers of night and day! Light and Darkness Dragon (2800/2400)!" Two of Chazz's ace monsters were on the field now, the two-toned dragon flying above the Ojama King. The dark half of its body was thrown in sharp relief by the long lighting of the room, and Mackenzie looked upon it with desire.

XxXxXXXxXxXXxxxX

"Looks like he's finally summoned it…" Jesse grinned, chancing a look over at Chazz's field. "His position is looking good...wonder if his opponent is as batshit crazy as mine."

David ended his turn after attacking. He had a face-down and the Big Saturn on his side of the field. Jesse had little choice but to play defensively for the moment, as he had no way of overcoming the Big Saturn. Crystal Beasts had some useful effects, but they had notoriously low battle powers.

"I switch Topaz Tiger to defense mode, then I set another monster and a face-down." Jesse allowed a note of resignation into his voice so that David would think him defeated. The Crystal Beast duelist was a kind soul, but he was certainly capable of some cunning on the dueling field.

David seemed to fall for it hook, line, and sinker. "Hahaha, it's only a matter of time now! I summon Machina Sniper (1800/800)!" A bipedal robot with light brown plating and some sort of futuristic bolt action rifle mounted over its shoulder appeared.

"Let's go tiger hunting!" Without delay, the sniper took aim at the prone Topaz Tiger and fired off a shot, felling the beast instantly. "Aw, no!" Jesse feigned distress, despite the fact that David was playing right into his hand.

"And now, the Big Saturn attacks your set monster!" In a second, the rocket fist crossed the distance between the duelist and crushed Jesse's monster, which was Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth (1700/600). Now, Jesse had three gems – Cobalt, Topaz, and Amber – in his spell zone, three continuous spells.

"Ha! You were bragging so much about those crystals of yours, but it looks like they're just taking up space if you ask me! Forget about matching my strength in battle, at this rate you won't have room for spell and trap cards! Admit it Anderson, you're beat!" David cackled.

To the American's great surprise, Jesse started laughing along with him. "I'll admit this – you are a pretty good duelist. My Crystal Beasts alone just can't match the raw attack power of your machines. But I got something that might."

Although he didn't stop chuckling, some curiosity crept into David's tone nonetheless. "Oh? Well, let us see it then. The audience wants to see battle, so give it to them!"

"As you say." Jesse drew his next card. "This better work!" Blue, gold, and orange power began emanating from the three gems, colored smoke rising in the air like incense. "You're in for a show today – a power not seen for hundreds of years!"

The gems exploded, shards of precious mineral flying across the dueling field. Once more, the skies darkened and thunder rolled across cumulonimbus clouds. "By sending three continuous spells from my field to the graveyard, I can summon a creature in a class of its own! A sacred beast!"

Thunder struck directly behind Jesse, casting his figure into silhouette. "The North may be covered in ice, but our duelists are like lightning. We strike hard and fast, before our opponents know what's coming! Come out, Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (4000/4000)!"

The sacred beast was like a skeletal, demonic version of the Winged Dragon of Ra. Thin, fleshy fabric covered the gaps in its translucent, bony wings, and its carapace was sharp and angular. Its coloring was a sickly yellow. Far from the beauty and grace of Jesse's other monsters, this beast looked ugly and cruel, a pale imitation of a true god.

All traces of humor left David's face immediately like dust being swallowed up by a vacuum. The crowd was dead silent. "What the…no way, an Egyptian god?!"

"Not quite, but it's powerful enough that you won't be able to tell the difference." Jesse said with ground teeth. The beast's power was wild, force extending out in ever conceivable direction. He knew instinctively that if he lost control, this monster could cause massive destruction. But this was the only way to win. "I need to end this now!"

"Hamon, attack the Big Saturn with phantasmal thunder!" With a piercing screech, the faux-god shot a torrent of violent electricity at David's machine, overloading its circuits and causing it to explode from the inside – the Legendary planet had no way of competing against power like this, and in seconds chunks of shrapnel were flying in the air, the holograms dissipating whilst airborne. David gasped as the effects of the duel of darkness were turned against him. Now he was the one moaning in pain as the thunder burned him. (Jesse 2600/David 1200)

"And that's not all! When Hamon destroys a monster, you take an additional 1000 points of damage!" As his sacred beast began to charge up another lightning blast however, David sputtered in fear and anger. "What sort of power is this?"

"This is for your little Brokeback Mountain comment earlier!" Hamon loosed a bolt directly at David's chest, knocking him to the ground ignominiously. (Jesse 2600/David 200)

Jesse kept alert as David stumbled to his feet. The blond looked upon him with a new expression – was it respect, a healthy fear? Jesse didn't like to scare people. He would prefer that duels be clean and fun games between friends, and a way to strengthen his bond with his cards. But this fellow didn't seem to feel the same way, judging by what he had expressed up to this point.

"How could a duelist fight like that and expect to win? His fear-based tactics might work against someone who knows his reputation and gets psyched out because of it, but not me. My bonds are way too strong to be cut down by a man like this!" Jesse thought with firming resolve.

"I see it now…behind your stupid cowboy outfit and goofy attitude, you're pretty dangerous. But I won't be caught off guard again." David said dangerously, staring down Hamon with a calculating expression.

XxXxXXxXxXxxXXxX

Briefly taking the measure of his friend's duel, Chazz eyed Mackenzie sharkishly. "You worried? Your brother's getting his ass kicked."

Mackenzie merely smiled back with cold politeness. "So it appears. But a sharp lesson might do him some good. His blood gets up in duels like these…it dulls his focus and makes him get carried away. He's rather like you in that respect." Chazz snarled, but she paid it no mind and continued, "This bears repeating; it is truly difficult to believe that such a beautiful dragon could find its way into your hands." Her words carried a hidden threat that Chazz did not miss.

"Well you better get used to the idea, because it's not leaving anytime soon! I've had enough, it's time to end this duel! Light and Darkness Dragon, attack her directly! Dark Baptism!" A black and white sphere of energy fired from the dragon's maw directly at Mackenzie. She stared it down unblinkingly, her hair fluttering every which way in the ensuing gale.

"Activate reverse card, Waboku! This card negates all damage and prevents my monsters from being destroyed for the rest of the turn." A transparent blue energy shield began to form around her body.

"Actually, it does nothing because my dragon negates it!" At the cost of losing some of its attack power, the dragon was able to break through the shield and continue its attack. However, Mac was far from done.

"I chain my other trap card, Call of the Haunted! This allows me to bring back Splendid Venus! And since it's chained to your dragon's effect, you can't negate it!" Chazz cursed as the golden angel reappeared on her side of the field, stopping his dragon's progress and forcing him to call off his attack.

"Damn it! To think she figured out the dragon's weakness so easily…" Chazz grunted.

"We all learned it the day you faced Jaden Yuki in the School Duel last winter. Your dragon is powerful, but its indiscriminate effect is a crippling weakness. My Splendid Venus is also a rather splendid counter to it. Now that it's back on the field, my own spell and traps cannot be negated, while yours will still be stopped by your own dragon's effect." She summarized.

"She's had my number this whole time…I can't believe this! There has to be a way to win somehow!" He thought doggedly. "Gah….I end there."

"Good. I think it's time to end this, don't you think?" She drew. "I activate Enemy Controller, allowing me to switch the battle position of one of your monsters. And again, this effect cannot be negated since Splendid Venus is on the field. I believe I will choose to switch your Ojama King, which has zero attack points, to attack mode."

Chazz could only watch helplessly as his fusion monster rose to its pudgy feet, a big open target, an egg to crack. Chazz gazed numbly, his arms falling limply to his side as the duel suddenly was ended. White noise crashed in his ears like waves on a shore – he didn't even hear her call the attack that finished it. He just saw a blinding flash of light that cleared his field, and then it was over. (Chazz 0/Mackenzie 2600)

"Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that the first of the two duels has reached its conclusion! Reggie Mackenzie has successfully defeated the northern challenger Chazz Princeton! Congratulations to both duelists for a hard-fought match!" The announcer called, the audience hearing little of the dialogue between the two duelists on stage. Neither of them were mic'd up or anything, so the crowd just saw ordinary people dueling. They had no idea what was transpiring just beyond their field of vision.

Chazz was no longer angry – he just felt empty, and exhausted. Despite the fact that this was just an exhibition match, he knew that there would be hell to pay for this later with his brothers. He had no doubt that his stock was falling all over again. How long would it take for the Northmen to turn against him, just like the Obelisks did? This felt just like the day he lost to Jamie Lancaster, back when he still wore that accursed blue uniform. The humiliation was like a wound reopened. His messy black hair hung over his eyes as he gave Mackenzie the perfunctory handshake expected of him. In reality, he would have rather struck her, but he held that dark urge back, barely.

The Ojamas were spouting something at him, but he wordlessly banished them away for the time being. He was in no mood for their stupid bullshit. In his jeans pocket, he already heard his phone began to vibrate, but made no move to answer it. Mechanically, he turned away from the stage and walked towards the entryway to watch the remainder of Jesse's duel from the shadows. Letting out a deep breath of resignation, he slumped against the wall and brushed his hair out of his eyes. His coal grey eyes focused dully on his friend's duel. Something felt amiss, but he couldn't put his finger on what.

XxXXXxXXXxxXXXxxXX

"Aw man, he's not gonna be happy about that." Jesse muttered, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "His opponent must have been pretty strong. I guess that's why she's number one at this school though." The teal-haired boy saw David exchange a meaningful nod with his sibling, who descended from the arena to mass cheers from the student body. He heard their lips move and the faint sound of lowered voices, but he could not discern the words shared between them. He probably didn't want to know, if he was honest.

David was given a warning by the announcer for speaking with his sister, however briefly he did so. Jesse didn't really mind it – David either had the cards he needed to mount a defense or he didn't. That wouldn't change just because Mackenzie spoke maybe a dozen words to him, would it? Something about those two just gave him a weird vibe.

David drew his next card, and made a ponderous performance of looking over the few cards in his hand. It was so clearly exaggerated that Jesse felt somewhat insulted. More and more, he felt like he was an actor on a stage, and he didn't know his lines, the plot of the play, or the roles of the other actors.

"Oh no! There's nothing I can do against your all-powerful sacred beast! I'm afraid that I simply have no choice but to surrender! A well-fought game, sir." David said with faux-gallantry, and the audience let out a collective deflated sigh.

Jesse was baffled now. "What? No way, you shouldn't surrender. A duel's not over until the last card is played. Come on, let's play this out!" He implored. Jesse disliked surrendering, even in cases where it was expedient. He preferred to have the satisfaction of dealing the final blow and seeing the game to its conclusion.

"Truly, you have bested me today. Congratulations." David said, and the announcer made the call as he put his hand on his deck. The dark energy that was beginning to gather around them was drawn back to David's mysterious earring, like water to a drain. (Jesse 2600/David 0)

With a contented look on his face, David strode across the dueling arena and made to shake Jesse's hand. Jesse had no choice but to take it, and found that David's grip was strong – unnaturally strong. Under the brim of his hat, Jesse saw the man's blue irises flash with malice as his own hand was being crushed.

"Well done. We played our parts well and made for a good sideshow." David spoke as if they were sharing some inside joke, but Jesse didn't get it.

"The hell are you talking about?" The crystal beast user said, his voice devoid of its normal joviality.

"Just for future reference, remember that our business has nothing to do with you. In fact, if you don't dabble in our affairs, you may find yourself enjoying certain…externalities. Safe travels, Jesse Anderson." David's tone was somewhere between affable and demonic, and Jesse felt a trace of fear again. Suddenly, the American turned about-face and left to join his sister, who was being interviewed by a few local bloggers and dueling magazine writers.

Jesse walked away with the victory feeling wholly unsatisfied. "Man, what a weird day. If I never see that guy again, it'll be too soon." He muttered as he made his way to the challenger's entryway. Students were filing out of the stadium, and Jesse decided to use the bathroom before finding Chazz. When he did, nearly everyone had left already. His black-haired friend gave him a hard look, which Jesse expected.

"Hey man, from what I saw, it was a hard fought game. You win some, you lose some, right? Just learn what you can from this and you'll come out the other side stronger." Jesse said hopefully, trying to rouse his friend from his doldrums.

Chazz only shook his head. "Never mind that. Light and Darkness Dragon is gone."

Jesse gaped in disbelief. "How? I saw you summon it, it was with you just a few minutes ago!"

"I can't communicate with the spirit anymore, I can no longer hear it. I looked through my deck a minute ago and the card was gone. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but those two had something to do with it." He said, low with anger.

"Yeah, that David guy had some sort of dark power, the ability to cause real pain during a duel. It seemed to stem from his earring, the same kind that the girl Mackenzie was wearing." Jesse explained in turn. Slowly, they were piecing it together.

"Mackenzie had her eye on my dragon the whole time. Somehow, she could have used some power like that to steal it. One thing's for sure; those two aren't ordinary duelists. They might not even be fucking human. And you want to know what the best part is?" Chazz asked sarcastically.

Before Jesse could reply, Chazz answered his own question. "Their father is the headmaster of this academy."

Jesse knew that Chazz would go to the ends of the earth to get his dragon back. And he knew that somehow, someway, he was coming along for the ride. But how could they do so when they didn't even know the full extent of what they were up against? Jesse could sense something deep and dark bubbling up from beneath the surface, threatening to swallow them whole if they disturbed it.

In order to retrieve the dragon, they would have to stare back into that abyss.

A/N

Hope you all enjoyed.

Something a little different this time around, as we catch up with Chazz's plotline, which is drawing heavily from the GX manga. In order to better understand what's going on here, I highly recommend readers check out the manga, it's a fairly short read at sixty-four chapters. I've been incorporating elements of it into the story since jump street, but this particular storyline is very manga-centric.

The manga itself is sort of an AU to the GX anime, very similar to the Dragon Ball Super or Cowboy Bebop manga if you guys have read those. It uses most of the same characters, but there's an original plotline and the personalities of the characters are different as well. I wouldn't say the manga is better than the anime, but it's got great artwork and some interesting concepts. Here are a few of my thoughts on the manga.

PROS

- Chazz, Atticus, and Syrus' characterizations (Atticus is actually a good duelist! Imagine my shock!)

- Plotline ties back to Ancient Egypt and the original series.

- Very nice artwork and original character designs.

- The characters are a lot more strategy-focused and the duels are generally well thought-out.

- The card designs are all very good, specifically Tragodeia, the Legendary Planets, and Light and Darkness Dragon.

- Misawa is treated slightly better (he actually gets a few W's and his deck is sick), although his characterization is bland.

- Masked Heroes and Vision Heroes are awesome.

CONS

- There is a general lack of character moments, leading to most of the cast feeling a bit bland and underdeveloped. The storytelling is almost too economical, and rushes into duels too quickly at the expense of hype/buildup.

- The treatment of the foreign exchange students (Jesse, Axel, Adrian, and especially Jim) is appalling. All four are great characters in the anime and they are basically one-note minor antagonists in the manga. The fact that Jesse uses a fucking insect deck is inexcusable. Jim being evil is completely inexcusable. None of them get a fifth of the characterization and depth they get in the anime.

- The story is way too focused on tournaments. Nearly all of the series is taken up by two tournament story arcs. Then again, this could be said of the original series as well if you discount filler. I like tournaments, and they're a Yugioh staple, but having two back to back and having them take up a vast majority of panel time gets to be a bit tiresome.

- Alexis gets no solo wins and loses a lot, which makes her position as an Obelisk Blue highly questionable. She also tends to lose in rather humiliating fashion. I mean for fuck's sake.

- The main villain's plan is needlessly complex.

But anyways, the manga is an interesting read if you like Yugioh at all, so I endorse checking it out if you haven't. Not sure how many people have read it.

Apart from that, readers may notice that the Chazz/Mackenzie duel plays out similarly to a certain Dragon Ball fight, what with an arrogant rival character facing off against a cool, collected blonde woman. Chazz's ego causes him to bite off more than he can chew a lot of the time, although you can be sure that he will seek revenge on Mackenzie for both defeating him and stealing his dragon, which she did using the mysterious power in her earring. We'll find out more about that later. I find Chazz to be an interesting POV character, because he's not exactly a "good guy", and he's prone to a lot of self-pity and cockiness, but there is that grain of respectability to be found in his struggle, I think.

I will also put up Chazz and Jesse's character mixes in my profile shortly after posting this, so check that out if you'd like.

Next time, we will catch up with Jamie and Bastion as they apply for their summer internships at KaibaCorp! Seto Kaiba makes his glorious return next time. And once again, thank you for reading and your continued support.