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

64. Laugh Now, Brick Later

Chapter 64: Laugh Now, Brick Later

(Aster Phoenix POV)

"Ergh…" Aster struggled out of bed to take a piss, trying to recall the blurry details of the previous night. The Witchcrafter's drinks had been extremely strong, or maybe that was his inexperience talking. While he had sipped wine and champagne at dinner parties to keep up appearances, his religious beliefs normally discouraged him from drinking alcohol. Especially in the quantities he drank during the previous evening's party. "Good lord, what happened last night?"

After the feast, the Witchcrafters suggested some drinking games to while away the evening, and of course Erin had pushed all of them to match the coven shot for shot. Aster didn't want to be drawn into it, but eventually she convinced him to have "just one drink". Despite his initial misgivings, it was a fun night full of singing and laughter once he got started. Although he couldn't remember how it ended.

Looking over at the other side of the bed he noticed someone else there sleeping. A girl, snoring loudly. Eyes widening, he quickly scampered out of the room. Luckily, his clothes were all on, although he didn't realize this in his panic. Looking around the loft he saw Jesse asleep on a nearby couch. Without hesitation, Aster ran over and shook him awake violently. "Jesse! Jesse, wake up! You have to help me!" Aster whispered loudly - thankfully, the rest of the atrium was empty for now.

"Hmm? Whuzzgoinon?" Jesse blinked rapidly, taking a deep breath as if he were surfacing from water. "Are we under attack?" He guessed. Aster saw that someone had drawn a curly mustache on Jesse's upper lip with black marker while he was asleep. However, his worry overcame his desire to laugh.

"No, no, something much worse. I just woke up with a girl in my room...I swear to the Lord of Light above I don't remember what happened!" Putting his head in his hands, Aster wailed, "I have sinned beyond reproach, laying with a woman outside of marriage!"

Jesse raised his eyebrows, not sure what to think at first. Although he personally didn't mind if Aster slept with someone, he certainly didn't want a drunken mistake to endanger the fragile friendship built between their group and the Witchcrafters. "Well, uh..." He began, but was interrupted by the arrival of Jamie, Erin, and Master Verre.

"What's with the noise? People are trying to sleep here." Jamie yawned lazily like a big cat as the trio descended the staircase.

Erin smiled knowingly at him. "Did you have fun last night?"

Jesse shared a meaningful glance with Aster that said "Let me do the talking." "We were just worried that we overslept." Sadly, Jesse's excuse was rather lame, but it was better than letting Aster blubber.

"My friends, I have some...troubling news." Verre floated by on her cushioned platform. She shared a secretive look with Jamie and Erin before continuing. "You see Aster, the prostitute you took to bed last night...she is pregnant."

Aster's jaw hit the floor. "WHAT?!" He exclaimed while Jesse's face turned ashen.

"Yes, you see we have magical implements that can determine such a thing quite quickly and…congratulations on becoming a father!" Verre shared another look with Jamie and Erin, and the three of them suddenly burst out into uproarious and derisive laughter, Erin and Jamie leaning on each other to keep balance.

"You should see your face!" Erin cackled, barely able to catch her breath.

"Lancaster talked us into it, just a little joke to start the day off right." Verre said smugly. Realizing what was going on, Jesse started laughing as well, causing Aster to grow indignant.

"Wait, so she's not really pregnant….thank the Lord for that I suppose." He grumbled.

Jamie's chuckles subsided but he still grinned impishly. "Well, it's very difficult to get a girl pregnant with only songs and hymns, in my experience."

Aster nodded numbly, catching onto something else Verre said. "Did you say prostitute?!" Slumping against the couch dramatically, Aster muttered, "A whore, a disciple of the Light has lain with a whore!"

"Oh calm down, didn't you hear what I just said?" Jamie replied. "I passed her in the hallway this morning on my way to the bathroom. She said your drunk ass recited poems and verses, all related to the Lord of Light of course, until you passed out. By the way, she wasn't a prostitute either, I just made that part up. She slept in the bed just to make sure you were alright, you were pretty blasted after all."

"Nothing else happened, although if you ask me she seemed pretty smitten with you…" Erin smirked. "Look, you didn't even take your tie off."

"Oh yeah…" Aster frowned deeply, looking down at his still-buttoned shirt.. "You assholes played a joke on me…" He then clapped a hand over his mouth. "I just said a swear word! Hanging around with you sinners is a bad influence, I knew it! Lord forgive me!"

"It's all in good fun, I assure you. Now then, you go wake that Zane fellow and I'll get my girls up and running. Before you continue on your journey, we'll have a nice big breakfast." Verre smiled.

"I'm still not happy about being tricked." Aster pouted.

"Just relax, man. If you take yourself so seriously, people are bound to laugh at you. I'll get you a big glass of chocolate milk, would that help?" Jesse offered.

"It might…" Aster said thoughtfully, still wary but slightly mollified at the prospect

"You know that chocolate milk comes from brown cows, right?" said Jesse.

Aster grumbled, "I know that's not true…", causing the teal-haired boy to laugh further.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist!" Jesse threw his arm around Aster in chummy fashion.

Jamie turned to Verre, his smile dimming. "We appreciate your help, it was a fun time last night. But we'll need to continue on our journey as soon as possible. I don't suppose you could point us in the direction of Yubel's castle? It sounds like there will be more civilization that way. Perhaps Jaden and Sartorius as well."

"Of course, so long as you take care to never mention our names in front of Yubel's army. The last thing we want are those demons at our door. But really, it was our pleasure. You're welcome back any time, and my offer of employment is always on the table." Verre asked, causing Jamie to frown.

"I wouldn't hold my breath on that if I were you. But just in case, is there a way we can stay in contact? I suppose you guys probably don't have phones."

"No, but there is a way we can stay in touch. Jesse, you have duel spirits sworn to you, right?" Verre turned to ask the teal-haired boy before he turned the corner to the kitchen.

"The crystal beasts. Although it's not so much that they're sworn to me, I sorta think of them as family!" He said with a toothy grin.

"It is heartening to hear that humans and spirits can coexist as friends and equals. You can always send Cobalt Eagle or Sapphire Pegasus our way with any messages. We will return them with our responses." Verre suggested. Jamie's eyes narrowed, and Aster could imagine what he was thinking. This idea was predicated on Jesse being the sole arbiter of communications between the humans and the Witchcrafters. If Jesse was separated from the group, or if trust between them eroded….that could be a problem.

"Sure, I could do that! I know it's a lot to ask of you guys, but I'll prove you can count on me!" Jesse said earnestly. Jamie regarded him cautiously.

"Alright...sure. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go get Zane ready." Lancaster said with cool politeness before heading up the stairs again.

"He's not nearly as trusting as Jaden...when the time comes, I will need to fight him. I can't trust that Sartorius will be safe with him around. Luckily, that's a battle I'm sure I can win. But for now, we're all one big happy family." Aster thought.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

(Alexis Rhodes POV)

Speculation was rife and excitement was everywhere as Alexis walked around the tournament grounds. Kaibacorp and Industrial Illusions had built an outdoor amphitheater to accommodate the fans, media, school representatives, families, recruiters, and assorted fans that had come to the island to watch the Genex Tournament unfold. Contractors from across the world had come to build grandstands, booths, concession stands, camping areas, and camera setups to document the games. Although it was a joint effort between the two companies, the logos and banners everywhere reminded Alexis of two rival houses in medieval times, or maybe opposing sporting teams. Kaiba's distaste of Pegasus was well-known, and projects under his supervision were well separated from Pegasus', the white and blue dragon banners visually distinct from the scarlet standards of Industrial Illusions.

The rest of the participants from North, West, South, and East academies had arrived as well, bringing diversity and color to the island. Almost all countries of the world were represented - although the tournament was meant to be an inter-school competition, in practice it was more like the Olympics than anything else. Northmen, clad in brown and black, hailed Chazz as their king, and the constant chants of "CHAZZ IT UP" were starting to wear on her. The Easterners were well-dressed urbanites - the school didn't have uniforms, and each student showed off highly individualistic styles in contrast to the other academies. Alexis was highly conscious of it as she wore her usual Obelisk Blue uniform, albeit with a longer dress skirt that reached to her calves. The Southern Academy students wore casual fits that could stand up to work and strenuous living. Meanwhile, the West Academy students were lined up in perfect order, wearing identical green military fatigues.

Zeppelins and hot air balloons floated high in the sky as she approached the registration booth alongside Bastion and Jasmine. There, each participant was required to submit their cards for compliance with the banlist, as well as to ensure that each deck was within the minimum size limit of forty cards and the maximum of sixty. Each duelist was also only allowed to have fifteen cards in the extra deck and fifteen in the side deck. The side deck rule had been around since the beginning of the game, but it was an adjustment going from having an unlimited fusion deck to an extra deck of fifteen. Once registered, each duelist was not allowed to make any changes to their decklist until the tournament was over.

To Alexis' surprise, it looked like Syrus and Kenzan had already registered, the Ra Yellow boys eating hot dogs by the other Central Academy participants. They gave the Blues a hearty wave. Between all of the schools, there were around a thousand entrants. The preliminaries alone would take an entire day, with many arenas filled as the original thousand would be worn down to eight for the quarterfinals the following day.

Entering the queue, Alexis stood behind a guy wearing a soft brown hat who might have been from South Academy. She turned to make small talk with Bastion and Jasmine only to freeze as she saw a crocodile, an actual crocodile, step past her. Its tail tickled her ankle. The Obelisk trio froze as the animal nuzzled up against the ankle of the guy in front of Alexis.

"Ah, there ya are Shirley! Find anything cool around these parts?" The young man knelt down to gently pet the crocodile as easily as one might a dog. "Run along now girl, you know you're not supposed to be here. I'll catch up with you later." He spoke to the crocodile in a normal tone as if he were talking to a person. Amazingly, the gator understood its directive and shuffled off, causing countless other patrons to freeze up and some to freak out.

"Uh...what the hell was that?" Jasmine voiced what Alexis was thinking, causing the man to turn around. With another start, Alexis saw that one of his eyes was bandaged over, while the other was a placid slate blue.

"Sorry to startle yeh. That's me pet croc, Shirley. Don't worry, she's a good girl. Why, it's been nearly a month since she last ate a person." The clearly Australian guy said, causing their jaws to drop further. "It's a joke, mates! Bloody hell, a guy's gotta do something to ease the pressure around here."

"Well, don't blame us if we're a little skittish. We don't see crocodiles every day around here." said Alexis.

Jim turned so that his good eye was facing her. "'Ello, and what have we here? You know, we don't see girls like you every day where I'm from. The name's Jim, Jim Cook." He said with easy charm, tipping his hat to her.

"I have a boyfriend." Alexis repeated the canned line she had said countless times to guys before, only this time it was actually true. "But I'm sure that crocodile is a good conversation starter with the ladies."

"You bet your arse it is, miss…?"

"Alexis Rhodes. And these are my friends Jasmine Makurada and Bastion Misawa."

"And he's my boyfriend, so don't get any ideas!" Jasmine said aggressively, despite the fact that Jim hadn't shown her any interest at all.

"Wow, tough crowd. I guess that's what I get for trying to pick up girls at a tournament." Jim deflected with self-deprecation, shaking each of their hands.

"Heh, sorry, she's just a bit wound up is all. We're competing in the tournament as well. I guess that's obvious since we're standing in line for registration, but…" Bastion babbled, clearly experiencing some nerves of his own.

"No problem, I understand. Well, may the best duelist win!" Jim said with warm confidence.

"Oh, I will win." A familiar, raspy voice responded behind them. Chazz strutted forward confidently, a horde of sycophants behind him. As he smirked, the three Ojama spirits threw up middle fingers at the competition, although few could see them. More importantly in Alexis' opinion, she could see the spirit of Light and Darkness Dragon flying overhead. She knew that Chazz was going to be even more difficult to deal with now that he had reclaimed his stolen dragon, although he hadn't had the opportunity to summon it in his duel against Aster.

"Well, I admire the confidence mate. You must be Chazz Princeton." Jim recognized with less verve.

"Please, refer to me as The Chazz Princeton. I plan to legally change my name to that once my eighteenth birthday hits. Chazz would be the new middle name, while The would be my first name. My pronouns are 'sire', 'your majesty', and 'your grace', although if you must I will also accept 'my lord'. Be mindful of the fact that you are addressing the future king of games."

"Funny you say that mate, because the last time I saw you duel you lost on live television to that Mackenzie girl. I think I saw you cry after she beat you. She was a fit bird, if I do say so myself. Frankly, I thought the camera should have stayed on her the whole time."

"Agreed." said Bastion, causing Jasmine to glare at him. "Erm, I only meant that it would have been better to see her than to see Chazz! Yes, that's it." He hastily amended.

Chazz sneered. "I got my revenge on her, just as I do on anyone who crosses me. How unfortunate that Lancaster didn't even have the courage to enter the games. He knows that I will crush him when we meet in battle again!"

Alexis' anger rose. "That's not true and you know it!"

"Jamie's the reason you ran away from the island in the first place. You have some nerve saying that when he's not even here to defend himself!" Bastion spoke up on his friend's behalf.

"Actually, I was wondering about him." Jim interjected before Chazz could respond. "I heard that Jamie Lancaster was the top ranked duelist at this school. I also heard that Erin Reid and Jaden Yuki were strong duelists, not to mention Jesse Anderson of North Academy. Seems like a lot of big names aren't competing today. Why is that?"

"Well...I'm sorry, but we can't say. They would have all been glad to compete if they could, but basically...let's just say they had scheduling conflicts and leave it at that." Alexis said hurriedly. Jim looked curious, but said nothing.

"Jesse is no coward, and I won't hear any talk otherwise. He would have beaten David Rabb in that exhibition match if the weakling hadn't surrendered to save face." Now Chazz spoke up in his friend's honor.

"I understand. Well, it's too bad, I would have liked to see them in action. I hear Anderson's got one of those Sacred Beast cards. You know, the rumor is someone from West Academy has Uria, Lord of Searing Flames." Jim said conspiratorially.

Alexis and Bastion shared a glance, each remembering their time as key keepers. "No kidding? Well that's good. Kaiba has been searching for that card a while now. If someone in the tournament uses it, at least we'll know where it is." Alexis mused.

"The question then becomes if they're willing to give it back. Kaiba worked out an arrangement with Jesse, but West Academy are a bunch of hardasses from what I hear." said Chazz, who seemed to have cooled off a bit now that matters of import were being discussed.

"Speak of the devil…" Jasmine saw the West Academy contingent standing to salute their headmaster, causing all eyes to turn that way.

Thelonius Viper was an intimidating presence, his ridiculously trained physique apparent beneath a dark violet uniform. His expression was of someone who had seen real war, not merely the battles between cards and spirits. He was probably six foot four and taller when his ridiculous haircut was accounted for, black locks styled into a sharp point that could take someone's eye out. Behind him marched a black boy with a flat nose and a similarly trained frame in green fatigues. Incongruous to the militaristic image portrayed was a young man casually taking up the rear, his sandy blonde hair casually teased and his posture relaxed in a light red hoodie and jeans. As they marched intently towards the registration booth, a reporter from Domino City crossed their path.

"Professor Viper, could we have a few words please?" The reporter shoved a microphone in the man's face, halting his approach.

"You can have two - fuck and you." Viper growled as he walked past her.

"And no pictures either." The black boy glared, causing the reporter to shrink away like a reproached dog.

"Heh, nice one dad!" The blond snickered, blowing a raspberry at the stunned newswoman.

Viper stopped and looked back at the two boys. "Axel, make sure Pierce gets properly registered and don't let him go off on his own. You know how mischievous he gets. Once that is done, you can return to the rest of the battalion and have them do some standard conditioning drills until it's time for the prelims to start. I'm off to...introduce myself to our esteemed hosts." The West Academy headmaster rumbled.

"Yes, sir." was all Axel said, bowing swiftly.

"Don't worry dad, I'll make you proud! We trained so hard for this! I know I can win!" Pierce grinned with undisciplined enthusiasm.

Viper's strict expression softened, and he rustled the boy's hair fondly. "I know you will, son. Remember your training and do your best. Leave it all out on the field and I have no doubt you'll emerge victorious. Well, unless you come across Axel in the bracket, that is."

At that remark, Viper and Axel shared a small smirk before their expression grew grim again. "Axel, no mercy out there. Trample the weak and hurdle the dead."

"Yes, sir." Axel repeated. Viper nodded once more before taking his leave, presumably to meet Pegasus and Kaiba about something. The two boys then took their spot in line.

"We certainly have a cast of characters on our hands today." Alexis thought before being startled by the sound of Adam Sugihara's voice as he approached them.

"WHAT's good, DuelTube? It's your boy SimplySugihara back at it again with another epic, amazing video. Today people, today we're livestreaming the Genex Tournament and bringing you the most epic reactions to all the action! Make sure to smash that like button and subscribe if you want more of this top-tier content!" Adam walked on by them, not seeming to realize they were there as he toured the festival grounds. "Before we start the video, a quick word from our amazing sponsor, Red-Eyes Energy Drinks! Boost your dueling power with this epic gaming juice! Comes in three flavors, cherry, mango, and dragonfruit - open it up and take a swig, gamers! When ordering online, enter the discount code SUGIHARA for 5% off and a free complementary set of cat-ear headphones for optimal performance!"

"Heh, good. He probably would have wanted an interview if he saw us. Still, he's probably gonna make more money today than any of us…" Adam had passed a million subscribers on his DuelTube channel, but the fact that he had gained so much from merely being present for Jaden and Sartorius' fight still bothered her somewhat. "If I was there, could I have helped Jaden? Could I have saved him somehow? Maybe. But Adam, he used it to enrich himself." Adam may be enterprising and increasingly wealthy, but Alexis wasn't sure she could really trust a man like that. However, she could think no more about it, as it was finally her turn to register.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Unnoticed was one of the representatives from East Academy. Standing at the very end of the line, Adrian observed his surroundings with keen perception. At the center of the fairgrounds was a tall tower erected from steel-reinforced scaffolding painted white and draped with Kaibacorp banners. At three times the height of the stands, it provided a vantage point overlooking the entire scope of the tournament. Up top, Kaiba and Pegasus sat behind tinted glass, no doubt keeping tabs on every little thing happening within their purview. "With this much hubbub going on, it should be easy to sneak off and head for the tunnels beneath the main building. The Exodia pieces should be buried under there if my intel is correct. All I have to do is drop out early in the preliminaries and I should have plenty of time to get in, grab them, and go. With Kaiba here, I'll need to be extra careful. If he catches me, I'm a dead man." Hundreds of plots and schemes were weaving together in this congregation of duelists. Adrian meant for his plot to be successful.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Once registration was complete, an announcement was made for the duelists to gather around the central amphitheatre. Once everyone had arrived, the black glass retracted to reveal Kaiba and Pegasus, as well as the headmasters of the five great academies. Crowler, Viper, and Foster were there, as well as the principals of the East and South academies. The East Academy headmaster, Brian McBluff, was an elderly white-haired Englishman wearing khaki from head to toe and a monocle in his right eye, while the South Academy headmistress, Lizzie Anne-Marie, was a wrinkled Australian woman with long green hair and a tie-dye t-shirt along with flip-flops. Much to Kaiba's irritation, she had insisted on being allowed to vape while observing the duels, frequently sticking the smokeless pen in her mouth in order to get some of that sweet, sweet marijuana. Mokuba and Roland were walking amongst the general populace, keeping tabs from a boots on the ground perspective and communicating discreetly with Seto via encrypted cell phones.

Pegasus handled the talking. "My fine friends, I bid you all a very warm welcome to the first ever Genex Tournament! With all of the changes to this game that we love in the past two years, this event is an effort between Industrial Illusions and Kaibacorp to foster a spirit of international camaraderie and friendly competition! The winning school will receive a secured grant from Industrial Illusions to use for the betterment of their facilities, and the winning student shall receive a generous scholarship for the remainder of their academic careers, not to mention a fantastic item on the resume as you consider your postgraduate options. I'd like to sincerely thank Professor Crowler for hosting this fantastic event, and for all of the other great schools for making the trip out here!" He addressed the throng of young duelists.

As everyone clapped, Alexis thought, "Thanks to everyone for unwittingly providing their duel energy to power our top-secret dimensional gate. That's what Pegasus should be saying." That was the true reason why the tournament had to be held on the island. All of the duel energy expended today would go towards the portal system that would hopefully bring back Jamie, Jaden, and the rest of their friends.

"Now that everyone is registered, we will be spending the rest of the day in the preliminary rounds, until only eight contestants remain. We have randomized the bracket and will continue to keep you updated as the duels progress. We acknowledge this process will take time - between duels, feel free to enjoy the amenities of our fun-filled fairgrounds, courtesy of Kaibaland! Truly, Kaiba-boy's generosity is unparalleled~" Pegasus laid on the smarm thick as Kaiba clearly cursed under his breath.

"Without further adieu, let the games begin!" Pegasus completed his speech with a round of fireworks and confetti as another round of applause was elicited from the audience.

Glazing over to Jasmine and Bastion, Alexis felt a slight smile rise. "Let's do this, you guys! Good luck!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The sun was low and orange in the sky by the time the preliminaries were finished, with the eight finalists standing atop the heap of participants with tired satisfaction. From Central Academy, there was Alexis, Jasmine, and Bastion. While Alexis had faced no one particularly noteworthy in her ascent, she saw a bit of Jasmine's duel with Kenzan, the Six Samurai proving more versatile than the offense-focused dinosaurs.

From West Academy, there was Axel Brodie and Pierce Viper. Jim Cook was the sole representative from South Academy in the finals. Of course Chazz made it to the finals, his northern fan club cheering him raucously every step of the way. Most mysterious of all was the lone Easterner of the group, Adrian Gecko. The bespectacled boy was wearing a cloak for some reason despite the warm weather, and curiously enough he seemed almost disappointed to have made it to the quarterfinals. His grey eyes were calm, laconic, but analytical all the same. Alexis had to wonder what he was thinking about.

"Son of a bitch! I tried to lose early in the prelims, but my opponents were so weak I couldn't have done it without drawing attention to myself!" Adrian internally fumed. If he was too obvious about his ploy, it would have made the teachers suspicious for sure. His best chance came against some pipsqueak named Syrus Truesdale. Adrian was mildly curious at first about facing the brother of the great Kaiser, but was disappointed to find that Syrus didn't hold a candle to Zane's level of skill. If he was strong, then Adrian could have been eliminated without any alarm bells being raised. But even when he misplayed several times to help Syrus out, Adrian still managed to win. It was one of the rare situations where fighting a series of weak opponents was actually a bad thing. Adrian supposed he must have got the soft side of the bracket.

He noticed that Chazz was glaring at him, clearly hoping to provoke a response. The Gecko Financial Group had some dealings with the Princetons on occasion, but Adrian figured that Chazz seemed like the type of guy who enjoyed getting under an opponent's skin more than anything. It was easy to ignore him - the weakest dogs bark the loudest.

Kaiba, Pegasus, and the headmasters had strolled to the main stage, wheeling out a silly-looking device shaped to look like the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. With a start, the kids all recognized where they had seen it before - it was the bingo machine from the Battle City finals! While many of the eliminated participants and spectators had left for the day, a majority stayed behind to see what the matches would look like the next day.

With a smirk, Kaiba explained, "Yes, that's right. It is the same as it was in the battle city tournament. I figure if it ain't broke, don't fix it - it's not like this machine is useful for anything else. You will each receive a number from one to eight, and the Ultimate Bingo Machine of Destiny will determine the order of the fights tomorrow. Unlike in Battle City, we will determine all of the matches at this time, rather than doing it case-by-case."

"Ooh, can I pull the lever, Kaiba-Boy?" Pegasus asked with childish affect.

"...If you must." Kaiba ground out as he numbered off the participants.

"Alright, Bingo Machine Go!" Pegasus smiled as the spheres ran around the inside of the glass container. The first two numbers to be dispensed were seven and five. "Seven and five...the first round of the tournament will be Alexis Rhodes versus Adrian Gecko!" He announced.

Alexis and Adrian regarded each other with guarded expressions. "This guy's hard to read...but a duel will show the truth." Alexis got a creepy vibe from him.

"She's the strongest duelist at Central Academy since Jamie Lancaster is gone. No one will bat an eye if I lose to her. And since it's the first game, I'll have plenty of time to sneak around." Adrian surmised.

"The next two numbers are four and two - Jasmine Makurada and Axel Brodie will fight in the second round!" Pegasus announced.

"A fire duelist...as long as I overwhelm him quickly, I should be fine. Then, I'll face Alexis in the semi-finals!" Jasmine thought excitedly.

Axel looked at Jasmine once, then turned away, his expression utterly unchanged.

"One more go-round…" Pegasus looked vaguely sad this would be his last time pulling the lever. "Six and one, that means it'll be Bastion Misawa and Jim Cook in the third round."

The two men gave each other a respectful nod. "Good luck and have fun, mate." "Same to you."

"That leaves Chazz Princeton and Pierce Viper in the fourth round of the quarterfinals!"

With that, Chazz crossed his arms. "The real duelists aren't even here. Beating these people will be as easy as shooting pork in a barrel. And beyond that, winning this tournament will work wonders for landing me a job in the pro leagues. Standing atop the five great academies...talk about a resume bump!" Any practice would help him develop his skills for when he finally got his revenge on Lancaster. "If I'm lucky, I'll get the chance along the way to destroy that posh shithead Misawa and...Alexis…" He faltered, his feelings for her stormy and uncertain. "What am I doing, this is just a tournament! I will crush her too, and prove that I should have been the strongest in Obelisk Blue all along." But even still, his fervor cooled when he thought of her.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Seto Kaiba POV)

After the students and spectators left, Kaiba and the teachers were the only ones remaining on the grounds. Pegasus approached him. "Let's get a drink, Kaiba boy."

"Yeah, I could use one." He had been tense all day managing the event, but it had been a good way to keep his mind off of worrying about Lancaster and how that mission was going. At any rate, they had already accrued plenty of energy to power the gate for multiple trips from the preliminary duels. Pegasus invited the rest of the headmasters as well, the group of them making their way to Crowler's office for a nightcap.

Falling in step with Viper, Kaiba said, "Congratulations, your son performed well today. I have to admit, I was expecting him to use a reptile deck, but his actual strategy is quite interesting."

Viper regarded him with equally cool politeness. "Thank you, mister Kaiba. He has proven talented, but overly excitable at times. I suppose it will cool with age. I can discipline my students without difficulty, but with family...well, it's always a bit different with family."

"I'll say, I've encountered the same issue trying to teach Mokuba how to duel. He's...passable, but he still has a long way to go." Kaiba shrugged.

"Every student's potential is different. Speaking of which, I've heard very good things about your young apprentice. Lannister, was it?" Viper inquired.

"Jamie Lancaster is his name." Kaiba provided.

"Ah yes, that's it. He must have some skill to warrant such...attention. I would have liked to see how Axel would have fared against him. A shame he couldn't attend. I'm sure whatever pressing matters he had to oversee couldn't afford to be rescheduled." Although the words appeared reasonable enough, Seto could detect a slight aspersion in Viper's tone. "Some might doubt his ability, seeing him shirk from a large tournament such as this. You know how people talk."

"I'm confident Central Academy will have a strong showing. Lancaster is on vacation in Boca Raton at the moment. I recommended several golf courses and...other venues for his enjoyment." Kaiba remarked. "Perhaps there he will find my missing Sacred Beast."

"I'm sure." Viper stewed, fine-tuning his plans silently. "Mister Kaiba, with all due respect I'm not sure you understand the situation you're in. I have certain assets at my disposal which you might find...surprising. We should come to an agreement before continuing, yes?"

As he approached the main entrance to the school, Kaiba turned and said, "While I enjoy subtle threats as much as the next man, I like overt ones even more. So let's make things clear. Your name is Thelonious Viper. You developed the bio-bands. You run a shadowy military academy out of North Africa. You were put on trial for war crimes in your youth, allegations which don't need to be repeated but if they are true...well, I suppose the military tribunal found you innocent. But lie detectors weren't quite as advanced back then either."

As he spoke, Kaiba slowly released a small fraction of his Duel Energy, a silhouette of the white dragon forming behind him. The pressure immobilized Viper, rooting his feet to the ground and exerting tremendous force on every fiber of his body. Even swallowing took immense effort as sweat began to drop down Viper's brow.

"This power...I've never felt this kind of power up close!" was all Viper could think as the sheer weight of Kaiba's energy froze the rest of his mind in primal fear. The very air itself seemed to vibrate. "Oh my god…I'm really going to die!"

"All in all, you can see why I would have a low tolerance for you even standing in my presence, much less presuming to offer me terms. No, you will instead listen to my terms, and fortunately they are quite simple to understand. Any funny business, you're a dead man. You will fall in line or be destroyed. No questions asked. Otherwise, Pierce will join my crew and be on my payroll, after he mourns his father who died in a tragic boating accident. You are officially on notice, and any action taken from this point on is in recognition of that." Kaiba's eyes shone bright blue, clear and cold like a winter sky. "Just because I turned Kaibacorp away from arms dealership does not mean I have forgotten how to wage war. By the way, Lancaster could wipe his ass with your guys, and he would have done so if I did not assign him somewhere his talents were better warranted."

Viper fell to his hands and knees, his breath heaving. By the time he could move again, Kaiba was gone, and the doors were closed. Gasping for breath, Viper ran back to the West Academy camp.

Kaiba arrived at Crowler's office a few minutes after the others. "Kaiba boy, I took the liberty of fixing some White Russians for the group. It's a bit sweeter than your usual taste, but appropriate for a good first day of the tournament, I think." Pegasus cooed, handing Kaiba an amber glass while the other headmasters and Crowler took seats on the couch.

"Yes, something sweet is in order." Kaiba took the drink and strode over to the picture window, briefly catching sight of Viper running back to his camp.

"Oh dear, has Professor Viper gotten lost?" Crowler wondered querously.

"No, he won't be joining us. Wasn't feeling well." Kaiba sipped with satisfaction. "Ooh, that's very sweet indeed."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Alexis Rhodes POV)

She barely slept that night, both out of worry for Jamie and her friends in the dark dimension as well as the usual nerves before a public match. Her research on Adrian Gecko returned a few interesting items. She knew that he normally used Cloudians - she wondered how he could have attained such a high rank with a deck so weak. More interesting was the man's background - formerly an orphan, he had been adopted by the Gecko family, a clan of oil tycoons, for mysterious reasons. It couldn't have been because the parents were infertile, as they went on to birth a boy and two girls. Curiously, Adrian was not the heir to the family estate despite being the oldest - it was to be inherited by his younger adopted brother. Certainly that had to be a source of conflict within the family, and as far as Alexis could find, Adrian was the only duelist of note in the brood.

"He probably craves recognition." That made sense for why he became such an accomplished duelist. But with the dark magic circling around the island, who is to say that he would be satisfied with earthly forms of power? Alexis didn't know the guy, so she couldn't say. Then again, he could just as easily be loyal to the family unquestionably for their adopting him in the first place. Alexis was worried that her first thought was to label him as a schemer. The constant intrigue on the island, especially within Obelisk Blue, was beginning to take its toll on her.

But then, the nature of man was to always desire more - that is why there will always be wars. At least, that was something Jamie had said to her once. Alexis didn't want to agree with the grim sentiment, but could muster no way to refute it.

"People often claim to hunger for the truth, but seldom like the taste when it's served up." That was another one of his little witticisms. She never liked when he brought stuff like that up, regardless of how true it might be.

As the black night sky faded to velvety blue, she decided to rise and walk around the island before the dining hall opened. Once there, she saw Bastion and Jasmine eating separately. "I suppose it must be odd, having to potentially face your significant other in a tournament match." Of course, with the way the bracket was set up, that would only happen if both Bastion and Jasmine made it to grand finals - Alexis doubted that would happen.

Whiling away the spare time over a cup of coffee, she eventually made her way to the grounds, and soon enough it was time for the first match - her fight.

The stands were full to bursting as Bastion, Jasmine, and Jim stood on one side below the arena while Axel and Pierce hung out on the other side. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I welcome you to the quarterfinals of the Genex Tournament! Our first match of the day will be Central Academy's Alexis Rhodes versus East Academy's Adrian Gecko! Please give both of these skilled candidates a hand!"

Applause rang out as they both crossed to the center of the ring to cut each other's decks. "Best of luck." Adrian said neutrally, tersely. Apart from the sense of concealment she felt from his demeanor, she could discern nothing else from his duel energy. He didn't even seem to notice her beauty, which she normally would have appreciated. In this instance, it only served to accentuate how utterly disinterested Adrian appeared regarding this whole affair despite making it to the quarterfinals.

"Yeah, you too." Alexis replied, handing his cards back. When he made no further comment, she added, "Not much of a talker, huh? Well, that's kind of a welcome challenge considering how much everyone likes to run their mouth around here."

Adrian placed his deck back into the disk and glanced at her face. "Just nervous, I guess."

"I can definitely understand." She said somewhat blandly.

With a perceptive look, Adrian said, "It appears we both have other things on our minds besides the match."

"Uh, yeah, maybe." She said, wondering what was on his mind if not the tournament. However, now was certainly not the time or place to ask a near-stranger about such things. Adrian swiftly turned around and walked back to his starting position, cape billowing.

Crowler stood on an extension of the platform, taking on Roland's role from the Battle City tournament. "May the first duel of the day begin! Good luck, Alexis!" As usual, the headmaster made no effort to hide his bias, causing Alexis to chuckle slightly.

Adrian won the roshambo, and elected to go first. "I'll start by setting a card face-down. Then, I'll activate the continuous spell Cloudian Squall. During each of my own standby phases, this card lets me place a fog counter on every face-up monster on the field. From there, I'll normal summon Cloudian - Altus (1300/0) to the field." Adrian's first monster was a puff of yellowish altostratus cloud, somewhat humanoid in appearance with stubby arms, a thick midsection, and a lazy expression. "When this monster is summoned, I can place a fog counter on it for each Cloudian on the field, which is just one of course. Then, I'll end my turn."

"Alright, sure. My move." Alexis was less than impressed. Although she knew the Cloudians couldn't be destroyed by battle, they were fairly weak cards that required ample setup to be even marginally effective. It surprised her that he made it this far with that kid of strategy. "I summon Cyber Egg Angel (200/300) to the field, with its effect allowing me to search a Machine Angel spell from deck to hand." The monster was a digital egg with a shell made of chrome, with two metallic green wings unfurling from the reflective surface.

"Now, I'll activate the spell I just searched for - Machine Angel Absolute Ritual! By sacrificing my level two Cyber Egg Angel along with the level four Blade Skater in my hand, I can ritual summon the level six Cyber Angel Idaten (1600/2000) to the field!" In a flash of blue, the ducky purple dancing girl skated onto the battlefield in a tight black bodysuit. "When this monster is summoned, I can add a ritual spell from my deck or graveyard to my hand." Alexis chose to retrieve Machine Angel Absolute Ritual from the grave.

"Then, I'll activate Machine Angel Absolute Ritual once again. This card lets me ritual summon by shuffling monsters from my graveyard back into the deck! I'll recur Egg Angel and Blade Skater to ritual summon the level six Cyber Angel Benten (1800/1500)!" Wielding sharp aluminium fans, the mechanical demigoddess flipped onto the field.

"Two ritual summons in one turn…Alexis is incredible!" Jasmine gushed in unabashed admiration.

"None can doubt she has earned her position in the Obelisk Force." said Bastion, although this wasn't precisely true - initially, many Blues figured the only reason she was raised so high was due to her relationship with Jamie. However, Alexis was able to swiftly defeat the doubters in a rather enjoyable evening, if you were an observer at least.

"The other fella doesn't look too worried, though." Jim commented, not convinced of anything yet.

"I attack Cloudian Altus!" Alexis declared. Despite her inability to destroy the cloud by battle, she could still swing for some damage. Since Cloudian monsters were destroyed immediately upon switching to defense mode, Adrian had to let them sit in attack mode and absorb strikes. Idaten kicked apart the vapor while Benten sliced at it with her fans, but Altus reformed all the same. (Alexis 4000/Adrian 3200)

"Since I took battle damage, I can activate the trap card Damage Condenser, discarding a card to special summon a monster from my deck with fewer attack points than the damage I took. I'll choose to summon Cloudian - Sheep Cloud (0/0) in defense." A fluffy white puff cloud floated alongside the larger Altus. The monster didn't exactly strike fear into Alexis' heart, although she noted it was one of the few Cloudians that could be played in defense mode. Unsure of his game plan, Alexis set a card face-down and passed.

"During my standby phase, one fog counter is distributed to every face-up monster on the field due to my continuous spell. Then, I can remove three fog counters from both of my monsters as well as your Cyber Angel Idaten to activate the special ability of Cloudian Altus, allowing me to discard a random card from your hand!" Adrian declared, dumping one of Alexis' two remaining cards by taking the counters off of Benten, Idaten, and Sheep Cloud. Luckily, it was one Alexis liked to see in the graveyard.

"I'll switch Cloudian Sheep Cloud to attack position." Before Alexis could guess why he did that, Adrian's strategy became clear with his next card. "Now, I'll cast the magic of Creature Swap, allowing each of us to choose a monster to give to the opponent. Go ahead and take my sheep cloud." Adrian offered unctuously.

"Fine, you can have Idaten." Alexis rolled her eyes, as did her monster as the angel reluctantly switched places. "But why would he want one of my monsters? Man, this guy is hard to pin down!"

"I'll then offer Idaten alongside my Cloudian Altus as tributes in order to summon Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon (3000/1000)!" The normally sunny island skies were obscured by thick, heavy sheets of gray, accompanied by howling winds. Above the heads of each duelist, a single jade eye peered ominously at them from layers of cumulonimbus clouds. Alexis shivered as the eye stared at her, knowing she was in for a large sum of damage.

"Now, I'll attack your Cloudian Sheep Cloud with Eye of the Typhoon!" Adrian's cool expression briefly lapsed into a smirk. "When this card attacks, the battle positions of all monsters are changed, except for Cloudians!"

Alexis gasped as the wind seemed to pierce through her, rattling her bones as she lost a great deal of life points all at once. (Alexis 1000/Adrian 3200)

"When Sheep Cloud is destroyed by battle, I get to summon two Sheep Cloud tokens (0/0) to my side of the field in defense position." Adrian explained as two smaller puffs of white floated on either side of him. "I set a card and end my turn."

"Bloody hell, Adrian turned up the intensity quickly. I guess a storm's like that. You're just going about your business outside when suddenly the wind and rain pick up, and there's nothing you can do about it." commented Jim.

"I don't know, I think Alexis will be fine. All she has to do is get over that big cloud and his life points will be wide open." Jasmine replied, while Bastion intently watched Adrian in particular, his fingers stroking his chin in thought.

On the other side of the ring, Pierce watched the back and forth with great excitement, a big smile on his face. Glazing over, he saw Axel leaning against the wall with crossed arms and a bored expression. "Hey, now this is getting good! Come on Axel, aren't you getting a kick out of this? You'll have to face the winner, ya know?"

Axel shrugged. "This is work, not entertainment. Watch them closely and understand their moves. Ask yourself why they're doing what they're doing, and then you'll know how to beat them down. Your discipline can't falter for a moment."

"Heh, no way Axel, it'll be you and me in the finals." Pierce's smile proved infectious, and Axel couldn't help but do the same, if only for a moment.

Meanwhile, Chazz watched on silently, a pensive expression on his face.

"I shouldn't have underestimated him. He's turned the tables on me in an instant! Is he toying with me?" Alexis thought angrily. "My draw! I'll start by activating the spell card Preparation of Rites, allowing me to search a level seven or lower ritual monster from my deck to my hand. Then, I can return a ritual spell from my graveyard to my hand!"

Seeing her line of play, Adrian was quick to respond. "I flip over my trap, Dimensional Barrier. This card lets me prevent the summoning of a specific monster type for the rest of the turn. I can choose between Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, or Exceed monsters. I think I'll pick Ritual, for understandable reasons I hope." As Adrian explained the card effect, a thin, translucent purple barrier briefly ensconced the two duelists.

"Shoot, he's got me there. Well, his Eye of the Typhoon forces my monsters to change battle positions, so I should switch Benten to attack mode." Alexis thought. "I'll set another card face-down, then I'll attack your other Sheep Cloud token with Benten!" A brief swipe of the fans dissipated the vapor. "I set a card and end my turn."

"Draw. During my standby phase, each of our monsters receives another fog counter. Moving onto the main phase, I'll banish Cloudian Altus from my graveyard in order to special summon Cloudian - Storm Dragon (1000/0) to the field!" Dark blue mist coalesced to form the specter of a dragon, its eyes aglow with lightning. "Once per turn, Storm Dragon's effect allows me to place another fog counter onto a monster. I'll place a counter on itself, meaning there are now four counters on the field."

"And what does that mean?" Alexis asked.

"It means I have everything I need to end this game in one strike. I activate my other trap card, Updraft. By removing all fog counters from the field, I can deal 300 damage for each one for 1200 life points in total!" Adrian adjusted his glasses as Alexis felt gales of slicing wind descend upon her.

"Tch! It's over…" Chazz grumbled.

"No way, not like this!" Jasmine gasped while Bastion remained calm and analytical..

"Nice try, but not quite! In response, I flip over my trap card, Energy-Absorbing Monolith! This lets me convert that effect damage, making it heal me instead!" A black slab of mysterious stone intercepted the wind energy. As the gales passed through it, a shower of blue sparks emerged from the other side, gently raining on Alexis and restoring her life points. (Alexis 2200/Adrian 3200)

Alexis detected a flicker of surprise on Adrian's face, but he oddly didn't seem to care much about his winning play being foiled. "Alright, in that case I'll attack with Eye of the Typhoon." The tornado gusts forced Benten into defense position, which actually saved Alexis from taking further damage. "Then, Storm Dragon will strike directly!" The anthropomorphic cloud let loose a beam of thunder from its maw, knocking Alexis back briefly. (Alexis 1200/Adrian 3200)

"I set a card and pass the turn on to you." Adrian finished his turn.

Recovering quickly, Alexis interjected, "During the end phase, I'll use the quick-play spell Scapegoat, letting me summon four sheep tokens (0/0) to the field!" Lambs of orange, blue, red, and pink floated along, each in defense mode.

"Well, that was a nice play. She's not out of it yet. But why wouldn't she use Scapegat to protect herself from the Storm Dragon attack?" Jim faintly praised, then questioned.

"Alexis is always fine with taking damage if it suits a larger strategy. All four tokens are level one - maybe she needs them for a ritual summon…or a synchro summon." Jasmine grinned.

"I suppose so, but why does it still feel like this Adrian fellow is holding back?" Bastion questioned.

"He's a hard bloke to pin down, that's for sure." Jim idly replied.

"I draw…" Alexis now had just the right opportunity to show off some new cards she had picked up recently. "I'll start by summoning Reese the Ice Mistress (800/800) in attack mode." Alexis' next monster was a ginger-haired girl clad in teal and golden armor, an icicle spear in her hands.

Adrian perked up. "A tuner…"

"That's right, Reese is a level two tuner! And so, by tuning it with my four sheep tokens, I can call out a level six synchro monster!" White and sky blue duel energy surrounded Alexis in an aura as the crowd cheered for a chance to see one of the new summoning types. "Shimmering ice reflects the blue sky! Freezing winds dispel the embers! From the depths of the glacier, I break the first seal! Synchro summon! Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier (2300/1400)!"

The clear day seemed especially bright as the dragon arrived in a rush of cold wind and snow that actually served as a bit of relief on the notoriously hot tropical island. Unfurling sapphic wings, the dragon slithered through the air like a serpent, its entire body as fierce and blue as the winter sky. Its head was shaped like a snowflake, and its breath was cold and misty.

Adrian raised a brow. "A synchro summon…that is interesting. I haven't had many chances to observe one yet."

"Well now you'll get an extensive crash course! My dragon's effect allows me to discard cards from hand, then bounce cards on the field to the hand equal to the amount I discarded. I'll ditch my remaining two cards to return your two Cloudians to the hand!" With a flap of its wings, harsh freezing gales blew away the clouds, a sheet of ice forming on the arena floor.

"And with your field clear, I can attack directly!" Brionac charged a beam of icy energy in its mouth and fired it, this strike smarting a bit more than the one Alexis had to endure from the Storm Dragon a bit earlier. Adrian hissed as he took the brunt of the damage. (Alexis 1200/Adrian 900)

"Nice!" Jasmine cheered.

"No cards left in hand and only one left on the field…it's a precarious position." Bastion advised cautiously.

"Good, I knew she wouldn't go down that easily." Chazz thought.

Alexis ended her turn, and Adrian fought to keep the smirk down as he drew. "Not bad, but nothing to write home about. If this is Central Academy's strength it's no wonder they almost got taken over by those Light cultists. They were fools not to tap into the power of Exodia - it is better served in the hands of someone who can properly exercise it." Considering the cards in hand, Adrian saw Spirit Barrier, the two Cloudians that were bounced to his hand by Brionac's effect, and Magic Cylinder. "I could easily end this with Magic Cylinder. But I think I'm in a position where I can plausibly lose without attracting too much attention."

"I banish Cloudian Sheep Cloud from the graveyard in order to special summon Cloudian Storm Dragon back to the field." Adrian summoned the draconic shape once again. "Then, I'll use its effect to place a fog counter on itself." Alexis' dragon had a fog counter on it from the effect of his continuous Cloudian Squall, but it didn't matter at this point. "I'll set two cards and end my turn."

Alexis smiled. "He's on the defensive…I can win this!" Her next card was the spell Ascending Soul, not helpful at the moment. "I can defeat him right now by attacking his dragon, but he must have a trap card to defend it. I need to bounce back the right card with Brionac." It would come down to a guess.

"I discard a card from my hand in order to use Brionac's effect, returning your left set card to the hand!" A whip of the tail slapped away Adrian's set Spirit Barrier.

"Well, this is the game. If Adrian's other set card isn't useful, then Alexis can end it here." said Jim.

"She's not afraid of risk, for better or worse." replied Bastion.

Alexis struggled with the decision for a moment, but decided to go for it. "Brionac, attack his Storm Dragon!"

As the snow fell upon him, Adrian closed his eyes. "Well, should I activate Magic Cylinder? It would be funny to see the shock on her face. But I suppose we all must sacrifice short-term pleasures in order to achieve our long-term goals."

The snow engulfed him and the duel was over. (Alexis 1200/Adrian 0)

Crowler was exultant. "I declare Alexis Rhodes of Central Academy to be the winner of the first quarterfinal match! I congratulate both duelists for a spirited performance!"

Up in the booth, the headmasters and organizers stood to clap. Headmaster McBluff was noticeably disappointed, while the other principals and Pegasus were smiling in enjoyment of the duel. Kaiba was squinting in suspicion.

Alexis went to shake Adrian's hand. "Good game. You almost had me there a few times!" She said with sportsmanship.

"Right…"Adrian shook her hand quickly and strode from the stage, not looking back once as he left.

"He must be a bit salty I guess…still, I can't shake the feeling there was something off about him." Alexis' thoughts were cut short as Crowler walked over and began mawkishly heaping praise on her. It was a relief to rejoin her friends on the ground floor.

"Beautiful and talented…the whole package!" Jim tipped his hat, causing her to flush a bit.

"I knew you could do it, Lex!" Jasmine gave her a high-five, while Bastion smiled. "Yes, good show."

Chazz glanced over at the celebrating group of friends, feeling faintly jealous. "Hmph, he was weak. Anyone could have won against a piddly deck like that."

"Well, that's that! You ready, Axel?" Pierce enthusiastically asked. Axel nodded. "Always."

Adrian made his way to the edge of the tournament grounds, his eyes set on the volcano. Grabbing his cell phone from his pocket, he clicked on his recent contacts and made a call. "Hey, Echo. Finally that nonsense is over. Get in position and I'll meet you on the north side. It's time for Operation Obliterate to get started in earnest. Yup, yup love you too babe. Buh-bye."

A/N

Hope you all enjoyed.

A Christmas present for all of my good friends! I appreciate your patience. A lot of stuff covered in the chapter so I hope you found at least some of it interesting. We'll see more of Jamie and crew next time, for these few my idea is for one chapter to cover events on the island and the other to be about the spirit world. Our first Alexis duel in a while, I was inspired by the Misawa vs Mackenzie duel in the manga.

I think having Viper's son alive is interesting - Pierce is not an OC per se, he's just a character we didn't see anything of in the anime itself. He's sort of like a more annoying version of Mokuba, however Pierce is much more talented than Mokuba in terms of dueling. I'm not sure if I've said it before, but I can confirm Viper has no affiliation with Yubel in this story. Yubel already has physical form and Viper's son is alive, so they have no reason to make contact. That's not to say Viper is a nice guy, but he is separate from Yubel at the very least. Also, with Kaiba having a more active presence on the island, there's no way Viper could get away with the bio-band plot. I greatly enjoyed having Kaiba shit on him in this chapter nonetheless.

To answer a guest, when it comes to new support I pretty much always just include it in the character's decks without making a big deal out of it unless it has some greater plot significance. I was definitely excited to see some new Predaplant cards. The new cards in general are raw asf. I love including modern cards in the story.

If you guys haven't seen it yet, I recently posted a seperate Yugioh GX story titled "The Shadow's True Master", which is about a timeline in which Supreme King Jaden emerged victorious, and specifically concerns a duel between the Supreme King and Yugi, as well as a duel between Yubel and Kaiba. If you'd like, please check it out! Or not. You don't have to do anything. You're free to do as you please. But you might like it.

Again I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!