I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or anything created by Kazuki Takahashi. This work of fiction is just for fun.
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Mental talk with Duel Spirits"
"Announcements/ messages"
. . . - flashbacks/ what if's?
Deep in the forest stood the Abandoned Dorm. A place that almost all students avoided. Either because of its eerie appearance or the threat of getting expelled if they got found out due to it being off limits. It was a large run-down building with boards over the windows, vegetation covering its exterior walls and a front door, broken and barely hanging on its hinges. The place did have one visitor though, one who came frequently, Alexis Rhodes. The blond walked through the trees and stopped in front of the fence gate, where on one of the pillars a sign read 'Do not enter'.
She laid a red rose at the base of the gate.
"Be at peace brother, wherever you are..." Alexis prayed.
After she found out where the dorm was, she decided to make it a tradition to come and say a small prayer for her brother's safe return. After staying a few more minutes, she decided it was time to head back before she caught a cold. It was a chilly night, but it was like the air around the rundown dorm was even colder.
During the same time, Jaden, Erina, Syrus and Chumley were sitting in the Slifer meal hall with a deck of cards made of monsters from level 1 to 12. They were telling scary stories to each other, the level of the card they drew determined how scary the story should be. It hadn't been long since the tests, not even a week and this was in a way their post-exam celebration.
"So, as I was walking down a path through the forest underneath a full moon. I arrived at a cavern that seemed... abandoned!" Syrus said in a creepy voice.
"Really?" Erina asked with interest. "What happened next?" Jaden and Chumley nodded as well.
Syrus cleared his throat. "At the deepest end of the cavern, I found a very mysterious lake. I walked towards it very carefully and peered inside. At first, I only saw my own reflection, but a moment later, I saw a very rare and powerful card at the bottom. I reached out to get it, but in the next moment, a hand reached out and grabbed me, pulling me under!" Syrus began flailing his arms with a look of horror. "Ahhh! Not the water! Not the water!"
Jaden gave him an amused look. "Water? Really, Sy?"
"Dirty swamp water then?" Syrus asked. He sighed as Jaden and Erina shook their heads. "Yeah, you're right, only someone wimpier than me would be scared by that story."
"Well, I think we found him." Erina said, laughing and pointing with her thumb to the side.
Jaden looked to where she was pointing only to see Chumley in the corner of the room, trembling in fear. Jaden couldn't help himself and burst into laughter when he saw him.
When they calmed down from their fit, Jaden placed his fingers on the deck. "I hope I get a high level monster." Jaden drew his card and placed it on the table. It was the level 5 Ghost Ship. He sighed. "I was hoping for something higher." He stared at the ceiling, thinking up a story. Low on ideas, he decided to tell something a bit different. "I think I have the perfect story for this. You see, it's about a dream I had when I was little…"
. . .
"Where am I?" A nine year old Jaden asked as he got up from his position on the floor. Looking around him, he saw nothing but endless darkness.
"I have been waiting to meet you for some time." A cold monotone voice that echoed in his ears said, causing Jaden to turn around in panic, only to see a man dressed in black armor with gold accents. It had six spiked tendrils on it, two on each shoulder and two coming up from the back, a long red cloak, with a helmet of the same color as the armor, with the face plate having a purple gem in the middle where his forehead would be.
The man lifted the faceplate up and for the first time since Jaden found himself here, he saw something that emanated light, it was the stranger's eyes. They were golden, but it wasn't the color that made him feel uneasy, something about them felt twisted, wrong, they seemed… dead. Even as he felt all that, he simply couldn't remove his gaze from them.
Finally gaining the courage to speak, he stammered out in a shaky voice. "W-who a-are you?"
The stranger ignored his question and knelt down to be eye level with Jaden. "I've been trying to get a connection ever since your Darkness awoke…" He smirked sinisterly. "You'll be a strong one, good. When the time is right, I will be taking that body of yours." He said in his cold monotone voice.
"Wh-what are you tal-talking about? W-Why do you w-want my body?" Jaden stammered out, fear clearly heard in his voice, even his body was shaking.
"You are the wielder of the Gentle Darkness, one of the most important beings in the universe." The stranger stood up and looked down at Jaden. "We shall meet again when you are ready… Now, wake up." He snapped his fingers.
. . .
"… And I woke up sweating and scared to death." Jaden told them his dream and looked up, only to see both Syrus and Chumley hugging each other and shivering.
Looking at Erina, he saw that she looked a little uneasy. She knew about this dream from before and who the man in the armor was, but it still frightened her to this day. The only solace both of them took is that Hao was locked deep within Jaden's soul and that he can't break free from there. Jaden smiled and rubbed her shoulder, hoping to make her relax a little.
"J-Jaden." Syrus stammered out. "That is not a dream, it's a nightmare."
"Heck, nightmare isn't even right. I almost peed myself from hearing this story." Chumley said, making Syrus scream and jump away from him.
Both Slifer boys sat back down on the table "Did you have a dream like that again?" Syrus asked.
Jaden shook his head. "It was a crazy fever dream so... No, that was the one and only time." He smiled. "Okay, Rina, you're up. Let's see what scary story you can tell us."
She nodded, but before she could draw a card, they heard a creepy laughter from behind them that caused Syrus to fall out of his chair and Chumley to run into the corner again.
Erina and Jaden turned around and saw Professor Banner at the doorway with Pharaoh in his arms. "I also wish to join in on the fright fest." He said with a smile.
"Hi Professor Banner." Erina smiled. "We didn't hear you come in. Some of us are kind of on the edge of our seats, well, were in their seats." She said and pointed at Syrus.
The small boy picked up his chair and sat down, "Well then, Professor, if you want to join us just draw a card and the higher the level, the scarier the story."
Banner put his hand on the deck. "Well, it sounds simple enough. Now, let us see what we got here." Banner took the card and turned it over, it was the level 12 Five-Headed Dragon.
Jaden gasped. "Oh, this one's going to be good!"
"I think I'm going to bed now." Syrus said. Chumley nodded quickly, not even slightly curious what stories Banner could tell. Especially with that creepy smile on his face.
"Ah, but don't you want to hear about the abandoned dorm?" Banner asked with a chuckle.
"Abandoned dorm?" Jaden suddenly got very interested in this.
Banner pulled up a chair and sat down. "Did you know there was actually a fourth dorm on the island?" The teens shook their heads. "Well, there was a fourth dorm, which was reserved for the gifted students who excelled even above Obelisk."
"Really?" Syrus asked.
Banner nodded. "Yes, but it was shut down because several students disappeared there mysteriously."
Syrus and Chumley looked freaked out, while Jaden and Erina were listening very carefully because there might be clues about Atticus there.
"And nobody has any idea what happened to those students?" Jaden asked.
Banner shook his head. "Sadly no, but rumor has it that the disappearances were somehow connected to the ancient Shadow Games."
"That's enough for one night, please." Chumley begged from the corner of the room he was huddled up in.
"Umm… Shadow Games?" Syrus asked.
Banner was about to explain, but Erina beat him to it. "Like the ones from Ancient Egypt. You know, the ones that inspired Pegasus to create Duel Monsters? Although, they used real monsters that were sealed in stone tablets as opposed to the cards we use today."
Banner smiled and nodded. "Yes, it is as you say. But, the ones who participated in these Shadow Games required very special items in order to summon those monsters."
"You mean the Millennium Items, right? And that usually these Shadow Games ended with the loser being banished to the Shadow Realm." Jaden added in.
Banner nodded once again. "Exactly… My, you two certainly have been paying attention in class, haven't you?" He chuckled.
Both Erina and Jaden laughed nervously, avoiding eye contact with their Professor. They haven't really paid much attention in Banner's classes. They pretty much knew all there is about the Shadow Games and Millennium Items from Yugi and the others. Hell, Jaden was pretty much a walking Shadow Game generator if you broke it down and simplified it enough.
"Well, that's what most people say at least." Banner said as he adjusted his glasses. "But, as they say, behind every legend and fantasy lies a grain of truth." Pharaoh purred softly and yawned. "Well, I think that's my cue. Good night, children, and don't stay up late." Banner said and left the room.
Jaden was looking at his hands on the table, deep in thought. If that dorm used to harbor Shadow Games, then there's a chance Atticus might have gotten dragged into them somehow. He had to go there, forbidden or not, his friend's life is on the line! He will ask Yubel to locate it and they will check it out during the night when no one is around to spot them.
Jaden lifted his gaze and looked at Erina, about to ask her to come with him to check it out, but she was already grinning at him. "I know what you're thinking and of course we're going!"
Jaden chuckled at how perceptive she could be. "Alright, it's decided then."
"Huh?" Syrus glanced between the two. "What's decided?" He asked in confusion.
"Well, we're going to check this dorm out tomorrow night, that's what." Jaden revealed.
"What?!" Both Syrus and Chumley cried out.
"Why would you wanna go explore a place like that?" The portly boy asked.
"Because it'll be fun, plus we may find something about Alexis' brother." Jaden said.
Dr. Crowler had been eavesdropping on the whole conversation from outside the dorm. He was just 'conveniently' there. Definitely not spying in hopes to get dirt or an idea on how to get rid of Jaden… definitely not.
"This is it. This is the opportunity I've been waiting for." He said excitedly. "I think it's time for the Shadow Games to return, Millennium Items and all!" He chuckled evilly as he walked away from the Slifer dorm, thinking of just the person to hire for his selfish goal.
In a dark alleyway in Domino City, a duel had just wrapped up. The duelist who'd lost was backing away in fear. "No please! You won, take anything you want! Just please, let me go!"
"What I want?" His opponent, a man dressed in a black trench coat, black hat, a metal mask covering his eyes and a duel vest, held up a golden upside down pyramid with an eye on it. "What I want is your soul!" The trinket began to glow and the man screamed and fell over, his cards scattering the alleyway.
"Rest in peace in the shadows." The masked man approached his opponent to make sure he was down and out. His cellphone rang. "Speak." The person on the other side said something to him. "Duel Academy, tomorrow night… I'll be there." He hung up the phone and smirked. "Another victim to add to for the shadows..."
The next day during class, Jaden was sleeping the day away, even Erina couldn't help herself but doze off as well. The class they had was led by Professor Stein. The man had such a monotonous voice, that he could easily put half the class to sleep with it.
What Jaden was unaware of was that Crowler was peeking in through the door. 'Look at that worthless slacker, sleeping through the class.' He thought angrily. 'But you will soon learn a lesson you won't forget... a lesson on the Shadow Games!'
Alexis was staring out of the window of one of the many hallways of the academy. She had a far-off look as she was deep in thought. Last night's visit to the abandoned dorm had a more negative effect than usual. All kinds of thoughts and memories of her brother were playing through her mind.
She missed her brother dearly. The days that followed after he disappeared had been a difficult time for her and her parents. An emotional mess would put it mildly and if they weren't there for each other, it probably would've been worse.
Also, it definitely didn't help that Jaden was displaying brotherly affection with both Syrus and Erina most of the time. How he mentored and encouraged Syrus to do better reminded her of when she was little and Atticus used to do the same. Or, how he and Erina would bicker, laugh, tease and support each other all the time. The two aren't related in any way, but there was no way you'd assume that at first glance.
The resemblances she drew between them and herself and Atticus were uncanny. She also found out that Jaden had a little sister and she could only imagine the strong kinship between the two of them.
And after getting to know Jaden a bit better, she could easily see how he and Atticus became such good friends. The two were very similar. Both had very charming personalities, had just the right amount of hyperactive tendencies and both, in their unique ways, made everyone around them smile and laugh. Maybe that's why she felt happy around Jaden?
That or maybe it was something else. Something that her brother pretty much declared that will definitely happen the moment she met him, and the scary thing is that he might have been right. She had on multiple occasions caught herself staring at Jaden when he wasn't looking, even Erina had pointed it out to her and thankfully she promised to keep quiet… but in exchange she began teasing her about it.
'I can't deny, he's quite cute. And… maybe there is something more there.' Alexis admitted to herself. She sighed as she watched the ocean waves crash against the rocks.
"Hey."
'Speak of the devil.' She smiled. "Hey." She greeted him back. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Jaden looked out of the window and watched how the waves crashed and sent small droplets of water through the air, they almost glowed from the light that reflected off of them. It was a beautiful sight indeed. "Yeah." He nodded. "Nature is rather pretty. Most people just ignore the little things like this."
Alexis smiled. "I like the little things in life; like friends and family… Those are the most important things to me."
Jaden noticed her tone and glanced at her. She had a despondent look in her eyes and he didn't need to ask why.
"I miss him too." He admitted which caused Alexis to look at him. "Pretty much since the moment we met we created a bond. And I've missed him since he left Domino that winter, but the moment you told me he had disappeared, that feeling seemed to intensify tenfold." He sighed. "I can't even imagine how you must feel."
She nodded. "Yeah, it's been really hard. If my parents and I weren't there for each other it would have been worse."
"You're strong and managed to push through it." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "And hopefully you won't have to endure much more. I'm sure we'll find Atticus soon." He said with a warm smile.
Alexis smiled slightly from the comforting gesture. Jaden always seemed to have a positive outlook on life and it was infectious. Hope just seemed to radiate off of him.
Jaden smiled as he saw that her spirits seemed to be up, but he could still see the sadness that lingered in her eyes. Honestly, that look just didn't suit her and he wanted to fix it somehow. A light went off in his head and Jaden did what he did best. Make people smile.
He grinned slightly. "You know… Atticus told me this adorable story about you."
Alexis' eyes quickly darted to him and now looked concerned. "What did he tell you?" Knowing her brother, it was definitely something embarrassing.
Jaden's grin grew. "How when the both of you were little and were at your grandmother's…" Alexis began to blush from embarrassment, knowing which story her brother had told Jaden. "You really wanted another piece of cheesecake and that the only thing to come to your mind was to do this cute song and dance-"
She quickly elbowed him in the arm. "Okay, that's enough!"
"Why?" Jaden chuckled. "I think it was cute of you. I usually just snuck in the kitchen during the night to get my extra sweets."
Alexis hid her blushing face with her hands. "Of course Atti would embarrass me like that!" But even as she complained, she couldn't help but smile from the memory, and Jaden thinking it was cute made her feel warm inside.
Alexis removed her hands as she got her blush under control and looked at Jaden. "Please tell me he didn't tell you anything else like that?"
Jaden smiled triumphantly. His plan to make her smile worked. "Maybe, maybe not… I'm not telling." He teased.
Alexis elbowled him again. "You're horrible."
He just chuckled. "You say that, but the smile on your face tells me a different story."
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes but was still smiling. "Wanna hang out until our next class?"
Jaden nodded. "Sure." Both of them stared out the window, observing the beauty that surrounded this island. Jaden glanced at her, silently promising that he'd do anything and everything in his power to find and bring back her brother.
Later that night, Crowler was standing at the docks, waiting. After what seemed like an eternity for the good doctor, he heard footsteps approach him. He turned around and saw the man in black standing just a few feet away from him.
"So, are you the one they call the Shadow Duelist?" Crowler asked.
The man smirked. "My opponents call me many things, but most of it is hard to understand through their screams of terror and agony. My clients, however, call me Titan. What's the job?" He asked as a fog surrounded them.
Crowler got a bitter expression on his face as he showed Titan a picture of Jaden. "I want you to take care of a student who is nothing but trouble. I want you to frighten him so badly that he will leave the island and never return. He will be at an abandoned dorm at the end of that forest over there. Are you up for the job?"
"Consider it done. I will banish this student of yours to the Shadow Realm."
Crowler looked after him as he disappeared into the fog and a smile appeared on his face. "Oh well, if you insist, as long as you get rid of that slacker, I don't care what methods you use." Crowler walked away laughing, believing he had finally gotten rid of Jaden once and for all.
At the same time, Jaden and the others were walking through the forest, trying to find the Abandoned Dorm. "Jaden, are you sure you know where you are going?" Syrus asked. They've been walking for half an hour and Jaden seemed to know exactly where the dorm was somehow. But what Syrus and Chumley didn't know was that Jaden wasn't leading them, but in fact, it was Yubel.
"Relax, Syrus, we've been exploring forests and creepy caves for years. We know what we're doing." Erina said. 'Plus it helps to have Duel Spirits guide you.' She glanced up and saw Felgrand flying circles around the forest.
"It could be worse, you know?" Chumley said with a faint smile. "Well, worse for Sy anyway."
"Whaddya mean?" Jaden asked.
"We could find a puddle of dirty water." Chumley said with a chuckle.
"Shut up!" Syrus glared at him. "Don't forget that you were trembling in the corner as well!"
Jaden and Erina shared an amused look. "We're here." Yubel suddenly said before she disappeared. Jaden looked forward and saw the building peeking in between the trees.
They got out of the forest and looked around outside the gate, well actually, Jaden and Erina were looking around while Syrus and Chumley stood in the back out of fear.
As Jaden was looking around with his flashlight, it landed on a single rose in front of the gate. He knelt down to check it out and realized it was fresh. He heard a twig snap which caused Syrus and Chumley to let out a girlish scream. Erina turned around and shone her flashlight in the direction of the sound and saw Alexis emerge from in between the trees.
"Hi, Lex!" Erina waved at her as she turned her flashlight off.
"Alexis? What are you doing here?" Syrus asked her as he regained his composure.
Alexis frowned. "Funny, I was just about to ask you guys the same question."
"Well, we heard about the dorm and wanted to check it out." Jaden explained.
"Come on, haven't you heard about the students disappearing around here?" Alexis asked.
Jaden glanced back at the rose then back at her. "This is where Atticus disappeared, isn't it?"
Alexis sighed. "If you knew that, then why did you come here? They searched everywhere and found nothing. Plus, it's forbidden and if anyone catches you, you'll get expelled or worse, you could disappear as well."
"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Jaden tried to assure her.
"I just… don't want you to disappear as well…" The blond said quietly.
"Remember what I told you after my duel with Chazz the first night?"
Alexis tilted her head slightly, trying to remember what he said. Then her eyes widened slightly. "That you'd help me find Atti."
Jaden nodded. "I meant it, and the first place to look is right there." He gestured to the rundown dorm with his thumb.
"S-should we really go there, Jaden?" Asked a frightened Syrus.
"You two don't have to come." Jaden told the two Slifers before he and Erina began walking towards the dorm.
"Wait up!" Both boys ran after them.
Alexis could only watch in worry as they entered the abandoned dorm. 'I really hope you know what you're doing Jaden and good luck. I hope you find something about Atti.' She was so preoccupied with her thoughts and worry about her friends that she failed to hear the footsteps that approached her from behind.
A shadowy figure put a cloth on her mouth. "Well well, what do we have here? Fine bait for my trap."
That was the last thing Alexis heard as she tried to scream before she lost consciousness.
Back with Jaden and the others, they were walking through the inside of the dorm, exploring. It seemed impossible, but the inside looked even more rundown than the outside. It looked like it was all ready to collapse at any moment.
"T-this place sure is scary!" Syrus said in a shaky voice and Chumley agreed with him.
"Are you kidding?" Jaden chuckled. "With a bit of paint and some cleaning, we could totally move in here!" Erina couldn't help but laugh at the expressions both Slifers gave him. They looked at him as if he was insane for thinking about moving here.
They entered what seemed to be a large common room. Erina was checking out some markings of the Millennium Items on the wall, while Jaden noticed some broken glass on the ground and among the glass was a picture frame. He knelt down and picked it up and when he turned it, worry spread across his features. The picture was of a boy about his age with shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes.
"Atticus…" He whispered.
Erina approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "So that's him, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Don't worry we'll find him." He gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. She didn't personally know Atticus, but knew that he and Jaden were good friends. And losing a friend in such a manner couldn't be easy to deal with.
Jaden smiled and put the picture inside his jacket. 'What happened here? Where are you, Atticus?' He thought in worry as they continued looking around. He could feel it, it was faint, but Shadow Magic was definitely involved here.
At another part of the dorm, Alexis was waking up and found herself tied up inside a coffin. She looked around in a panic and saw Titan standing there. "Hey! Who are you and why are you doing this?!"
Titan laughed evilly. "I'm a Shadow Duelist, and I'm here for that boy with the brown hair and red jacket."
Alexis' eyes widened before she grit her teeth in anger. "Don't you dare touch Jaden!" She growled out.
Titan just laughed mockingly. "Or what?" He asked as he trailed his finger across her cheek, making Alexis flinch. "But don't worry, I'm just going to make him beg for his life."
The man held up some strange trinket and a bright light began to shine from it. Alexis screamed before she lost consciousness once again.
Titan let out a sinister chuckle. "The bait is set… time to show this boy what true terror is."
"What was that?" Syrus asked in a panicked voice as they heard the scream.
"That sounded like Alexis!" Jaden shouted and bolted in the direction he thought her scream came from. The others quickly followed after him until Jaden suddenly stopped. His eyes caught something in the dark room. He bent down and picked up a card from the floor.
"This is Alexis' card!" He gasped, holding her Etoile Cyber. Erina looked worried as she quickly scanned the room with her flashlight until it landed on a doorway leading down to what she presumed was the basement.
"Jay, down this way!"
He didn't respond and just ran full speed down the stairs, taking them three at a time. At the bottom they entered a wide circular room with an eye symbol smack middle on the floor. Jaden immediately felt something wrong about the room.
He felt Yubel appear next to him. "Are you also feeling this?" He asked her.
She nodded. "Yes, be careful, the Shadow Magic here might be dormant, but that doesn't mean it can't awaken at any moment."
Jaden then noticed a tall man dressed in black standing next to a coffin with Alexis inside it. "Alexis! Who are you and what did you do to her?!" Jaden shouted in anger.
The man laughed. "If you wish to save her, you have to defeat me in a Shadow Game!"
Jaden's eyes narrowed as they turned golden for a second. He had tried to sense any trace of Shadow Magic from this guy, but he felt nothing. He stepped forward. "Look, I'm not afraid of dueling you, so let her go!"
"You don't get to make demands here! There has to be something at stake, right?" The man said with a wicked grin on his face.
Jaden clenched his fists and growled. "Jaden, catch!" He turned around just in time to catch a Duel Disk tossed by Erina.
"Alright, let's duel!" He shouted as he strapped the Disk on his arm.
"Foolish boy! The Shadows will dine on your soul tonight!" Titan laughed as he activated his own Duel Disk..
'Boy are you messing with the wrong guy on that one.' Erina thought with a smirk as both players drew their opening hands.
Jaden: 4000
Titan: 4000
"I will start this Shadow Game off." Titan held out his hand as a card flew out of his Vest. "I summon Infernalqueen Archfiend in attack mode!"
A fiendish banshee wearing dark torn up robes appeared on the field, screeching. (ATK: 900/ DEF: 1500)
Titan chuckled. "And now her effect activates! You see, as long as she's on the field, every Archfiend monster I play will gain 1000 attack points, including herself!" Infernalqueen Archfiend got covered in a dark aura as her attack rose. (ATK: 900-1900)
Jaden smirked. "I know how she works. I also know that in order to keep those Archfiend monsters on the field you are forced to pay life points."
Titan just laughed. "Actually, I don't have to do that… with this field spell that is, Pandemonium!" Titan threw the card into the field spell zone. Once it was activated, the field was covered with bone structures, meaty walls, fiendish statues and a pool of molten lava in the middle.
"This is disgusting…" Erina mumbled as she looked around.
"With this field spell I don't have to pay life points in order to keep my Archfiends!" Titan explained with a smirk on his face.
Jaden gritted his teeth knowing that with his field spell there were no disadvantages to his monsters. 'This just got harder…'
"And I know what you're thinking…" Titan pulled out and held up something from his coat. It took everything in Erina and Jaden's willpower to not smack themselves over their foreheads because of what they just saw. Titan was holding a 'golden' upside down pyramid with an emblem of an eye on it. This was known as the Millennium Puzzle, an Egyptian artifact that does not exist anymore, but very few knew that and Titan just happened to meet two of the people who knew. "Your friend's fate is sealed by my Millennium Pendant!" Titan laughed, but soon stopped as the coffin didn't close and sink into the ground as it was supposed to do.
'What's going on?!' He wondered in his mind.
"Something wrong?" Jaden asked, playing stupid. "If you're done, can I go now?" He smirked inwardly as he saw Yubel stand guard next to the coffin after she'd stopped whatever trick Titan was trying to pull.
"Just go!" Titan said as he shook his head, wondering why the coffin didn't sink.
"My turn!" Jaden drew his card.
'Nice.' Jaden smirked as he plucked a card from his hand. "I begin with playing Graceful Charity! Now I can draw three cards, but have to discard two!" Jaden drew his cards and discarded the cost.
Then a ghostly image of a man wearing bony armor with big shoulder pads and sharp claws appeared beside Jaden. "Now, thanks to Elemental HERO Necroshade's effect from my graveyard, I can summon Elemental HERO Bladedge without tributing!"
Jaden slapped the card onto his Disk and on his field appeared a big muscular man clad in gold armor. He had metal wings on his back and long and sharp blades on his forearms. (ATK: 2600/ DEF: 1800)
"Now, attack his Infernalqueen with Power Edge Attack!" The golden hero flew up into the air before he flew towards Titan's monster like a missile. Bladedge went right through Infernalqueen, slicing her to pieces before she exploded.
Titan: 3300
Jaden snagged two cards from his hand and slipped them into his Disk. "I throw down two facedowns and end my turn." He said as two reverse cards appeared in front of his feet.
"Minor set back." Titan calmly said as his card shot out of his Disk. He held up a card. "I play Monster Reborn! With it I bring back my Infernalqueen Archfiend!"
A withered hand burst from the ground and the fiendish queen rose back on the field. (ATK: 900/ DEF: 1500) And thanks to her effect, her power rose. (ATK: 900-1900)
Titan then placed a card on his Disk. "Then, I summon Terrorking Archfiend to the field!" A fiend made out of bones and muscles appeared on the field. (ATK: 2000/ DEF: 1500) His attack rose due to Infernalqueen's effect. (ATK: 2000-3000)
Titan chuckled. "Now you have two Archfiends to deal with." He then jabbed a finger towards Jaden's monster. "Terrorking, destroy Bladedge!" Terrorking's stomach opened and a swarm of locusts flew out towards the gold hero.
Jaden responded quickly. "I flip over my facedown, Mirror Gate!" A portal made out of broken mirrors appeared between Bladedge and the locust swarm. "This trap swaps control of our battling monsters! So Terrorking comes to my side!"
Titan just chuckled. "Such a cheap trick won't work. Terrorking, activate your effect!" Out of the lava pool came out six balls with the numbers one through six on them. Jaden raised his eyebrow in confusion before his eyes widened. "That's right, our monsters' fate will be decided by destiny. If it lands on two or five, your trap is negated and destroyed. So let's see who fate favors, shall we?"
The orb with the number one got covered in flames before the fire began moving to the next orb in a clockwise motion. Jaden knew the odds were in his favor, but it was not impossible to lose this.
The fire stopped on the number... two.
"No way." Jaden gasped in shock as his trap was destroyed.
"Now where were we?" Titan smirked as another locust swarm flew towards Bladedge, the bugs ate away and destroyed him. Jaden shielded himself from the shockwave that went off.
Jaden: 3600
Titan laughed. "And since this is a Shadow Game, you lose more than just life points! You lose yourself!" He held up his 'Millennium Item' and within seconds parts of Jaden's arm and Titan's leg vanished.
"Jaden!" Syrus and Chumley cried out. Erina didn't react however, she suspected that this guy's a sham and the fact Jaden didn't look even a bit worried solidified it.
'Neat trick.' Jaden mused as he flipped over his other facedown. "At least I have this! Hero Signal!" A light shone from the card and displayed the letter 'H' in the sky. "When one of my monsters is destroyed by battle, I can summon an Elemental HERO from my deck!"
Jaden pulled a card from his deck and played it. "And I choose Elemental HERO Woodsman in defense mode!" A green skinned man appeared on the field, kneeling. Wood covered half of his body. (ATK: 1000/ DEF: 2000)
The two spectating Slifers let out a sigh of relief. "You almost gave us a heart attack, Jaden!" Syrus exclaimed.
"Sorry, guys…" Jaden grinned sheepishly.
Titan grit his teeth in irritation due to Woodsman having more defense than his Infernalqueen. "I set a card and end my turn." He said as a card appeared in front of his feet. "Make it count or else you'll be joining the shadows."
Jaden shrugged indifferently. "If you say so. I draw!" Jaden drew. "During my Standby Phase, Woodsman allows me to add a Polymerization from my deck." The card popped out his deck and Jaden added it to his hand.
"I play Monster Reborn and bring back Bladedge!" The gold haro appeared on the field. (ATK: 2600/ DEF: 1800)
Jaden then held up two cards. "I fuse Elemental HERO Wildheart in my hand with Bladedge on my field…" On the field appeared a tanned man with tribal tattoos and a giant sword. Both he and Bladedge got sucked into the vortex. "And now I bring out, Elemental HERO Wildedge!"
Next to Woodsman stood a buff dark skinned male. He wore golden armor on his right leg, left arm and shoulder, as well as a gold helmet. He pulled out a massive sword from his back and readied himself for battle. (ATK: 2600/ DEF: 2300)
Jaden smirked. "Wildedge has a fun effect, he can attack all your monsters!" Titan took a step back in shock. "Wildedge, attack with Infinity Edge Slicer!"
Wildedge let out a sharp battlecry as he charged at Titan's monsters. He first went to Infernalqueen, slicing her in two.
Titan: 2600
With Infernalqueen gone, Terrorking's attack fell down to 2000. Wildedge charged at him and unleashed a lightning fast combo of slices, reducing the fiend to pieces before it blew up.
Titan: 2000
"And now more of you disappears!" Jaden said as more of Titan's body vanished.
"That's fine by me." Titan chuckled as he drew his card. "I activate Graceful Charity!" Titan drew his cards and discarded two that were already in his hand. "I flip over my facedown, Call of the Haunted, bringing back the monster that I just discarded! Skull Archfiend of Lightning!"
On the field appeared a white skeletal demon that had lightning coursing through its body. (ATK: 2500/ DEF: 1200)
Titan laughed as he placed two cards on his Disk. "I set a card and summon my second Infernalqueen Archfiend!" Another fiend in dark robes appeared. (ATK: 900-1900/ DEF: 1500) (ATK: 2500-3500)
"Then, I'll use Stop Defense to switch your Woodsman to attack position!" Titan explained as the forest hero stood up. "Now, Infernalqueen, turn Woodsman to splinters!" The fiend shrieked as she charged and slashed Woodsman with her class, destroying him.
Jaden: 2700
"Skull Archfiend of Lightning, attack with Lightning Strike!" Titan ordered. A bolt of lightning shot out of the fiendish being into the sky before it struck down Wildedge.
Jaden: 1800
"Jaden!" Syrus and Chumley gasped in horror as more of Jaden disappeared.
Titan smirked, satisfied from the two Slifer's horrified faces. But was inwardly shocked from the calm and unimpressed reactions he got from Jaden and Erina. 'What is it with these kids? They should be horrified by what is happening, but they don't even seem to care!'
"Jaden…I think that's enough, or these two might suffer a heart attack." Erina suddenly said, getting tired of this guy's tricks.
"You're no fun…" Jaden sighed… before suddenly chucking a spare card at Titan, breaking his 'Millennium Item'. Titan gasped as his trinket shattered, returning both his and Jaden's bodies.
"Jaden! Your body is back!" Syrus happily exclaimed.
"Never lost it. This guy's a fake! Using hypnosis to make you think this is a Shadow Duel." Jaden said while glaring at Titan. "And you should get your facts straight, there is no Millennium Pendant, that thing you're holding? It's a horrible copy of the Millennium Puzzle!"
Titan took a step backwards as Jaden began to approach him. "Last chance, Titan. Surrender quietly."
"Fat chance!" Titan yelled as he dropped a smoke bomb.
"You're not getting away that easily!" Jaden bolted head on through the thick smoke cloud. Suddenly beams of light began to shine from all directions, piercing through the smoke, before they merged in the middle and the eye rune on the floor began to shine.
"Oh no…" Jaden gasped, looking around him. He could feel the dark powers in this room begin to awaken.
"It seems the Shadows are mad at being mocked by a con." Yubel said as she appeared beside Jaden.
"Makes sense."
Titan backed away in panic. "W-what's happening?" He asked before all of a sudden, a strong wind picked up, swirling the smoke around them like a tornado. "What the-!?"
"Jaden!" Erina screamed as she watched the smoke begin to cover him.
"Stay back!" He warned before he got swallowed by a perfect sphere of darkness.
"What's going on?" Syrus asked Erina. "I thought Jaden said this guy's a fake?"
Erina stared at the black sphere in worry. "He is a fake, but I think that a real Shadow Game started because of the fake one."
"Should… should we try to get in?"
"No." Erina quickly said with a shake of her head. "We can't risk getting trapped inside… All we can do is wait."
Inside the dark sphere, Titan and Jaden were suspended in a void of endless darkness.
Titan was freaking out. "What is this place?!" He demanded, fear filling his voice. "Where am I?!"
"The Shadow Realm!" Jaden scowled. "You messed with and mocked the Shadows. Now they want the both of us!"
At that moment they heard a loud shriek. Both of them turned to see a large mass of black blob-like creatures coming towards them. Titan was soon assaulted by the blobs as they began to cover his body. "Jaden! Help me! Get them off o-" His cry for help was cut off as the blobs began to enter his mouth.
Jaden gagged from the sight. He noticed that the black blobs were approaching him as well. He looked around and saw that he was surrounded. Much to his relief, Yubel and Winged Kuriboh appeared around him and began to scare the blobs away. "Thanks!" Jaden sighed in relief.
"That's what I'm here for, right?" Yubel said with a smile and Kuriboh cooed in agreement.
"What are these things by the way?"
"Shadow fiends… and they will be taking the loser of this duel." She explained.
"Jaden Yuki!"
Jaden looked forward only to see that Titan was no longer covered by the blobs, but he wasn't the same. His voice was twisted and sinister, his eyes were glowing a bright red from behind the mask and large veins were visible on his face.
"The Shadows hunger for a soul and only one of us is leaving here alive!"
Titan raised his Duel Disk as the blobs made a circle around them, making sure that Jaden couldn't escape. All of their previously played monsters appeared on the field between them. "Get ready to lose your soul!"
Jaden grit his teeth. "Fine! I draw!" He drew his card and directly played it. "I summon Elemental HERO Burstinatrix!"
The fire heroine appeared on the field. (ATK: 1200/ DEF: 800)
"I activate Mask Change! With this I send Burstinatrix to the Graveyard and summon a Fire-Type Masked HERO in her place." Jaden explained as a red helmet appeared in Burstinatrix's hands. She placed it over her head and was covered in a bright red light. "Rise up, Masked HERO Goka!"
As the light died down, on Jaden's field stood a man wearing a red and black outfit with big shoulder pads and a mask with a blue visor on it. (ATK: 2200/ DEF: 1800)
"Goka gains 100 attack points for every HERO in my Graveyard and I count six!" The spirits of Necroshade, Bladedge, Wildheart, Woodsman, Wildedge and Burstinatrix appeared behind Goka before they turned into fire and flew inside him. (ATK: 2200-2800)
"But wait, there's more." Jaden smirked. "His second effect is what you should be worried about. Goka can destroy one of your monsters!" Titan took a step back as Goka created a spear of fire and hurled it at Titan's Skull Archfiend. "And here's the real kicker, you take damage equal to half your monster's original attack!"
"My Skull Archfiend's effect activates!" Titan shouted as the six balls returned. "If it stops at one, three or six, your monster's effect is negated and he is destroyed!"
The number one ball lit ablaze and began moving clockwise, slowly moving through the numbers. Jaden was begging for his luck to not fail him this time or he loses this duel. The fire was making its second lap. Going through one… two… three. Titan smirked as it seemed to stop, but gasped as it suddenly moved again, stopping at four!
"NO!" He screamed.
The spear pierced the fiend, making it howl in pain as it exploded. Goka motioned with his fingers and the spear made a sharp turn and drove itself right into Titan's chest, making him scream.
Titan: 750
"When I use this effect, Goka can't attack this turn, so consider yourself lucky." Jaden said as he placed a facedown, ending his turn.
Titan recovered from the pain and drew his card. "I summon Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror!"
On the field appeared a giant skeletal fiend with spikes all over its body. (ATK: 3000/ DEF: 2000)
"Sadly he loses half his power when he is summoned without tributes." Titan revealed. (ATK: 3000-1500/ DEF: 2000-1000) But his attack rose thanks to Infernalqueen. (ATK: 1500-2500)
He let out a sinister laugh. "Now I will seal your fate with his effect!" He pointed directly at Jaden. "I banish Terrorking Archfiend from my graveyard in order to destroy your monster!"
Jaden gasped as the giant fiend lifted his sword and swung at Goka, but Jaden quickly revealed his facedown. "I play Mystik Wok! By tributing Goka, I gain life points equal to his attack!" Goka turned into golden orbs and flew into Jaden.
Jaden: 4600
Titan growled. "No matter! My archfiends are about to show you true horror!"
Jaden braced himself as he was assaulted by a series of scratches and slashes from Titan's monsters. Jaden screamed in agony as he fell to one knee, gasping in pain.
Jaden: 200
"Jaden!" Yubel cried out as she swung her wings to scare off the blobs that began to approach him.
"My Archfiend Emperor gets destroyed during the End Phase when he is summoned without tributing." Titan explained as his giant fiend disappeared. He chuckled. "But I don't think that will be an issue, given how pitiful you look right now."
'Damn, so this is what a Shadow Duel feels like?' Jaden thought to himself as he tried to ignore the pain. He might have experience with Shadow Magic and everything related to the Gentle Darkness, but this was his first time participating in a life threatening Shadow Game.
He slowly rose to his feet. 'I really need a miracle right now…' He drew his card and looked at it. "I play Pot of Greed! This allows me to draw two cards!" Jaden drew his extra cards and smirked. He held up one of them. "I'll use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your facedown!" A tornado shot out of the card and destroyed Titan's Negate Attack.
Jaden then held up his winning card. "I activate the spell card, Miracle Fusion! With this I banish Necroshade and Burstinatrix in order to summon Elemental HERO Escuridao!"
A dark mist swept the field. Out of it came a skinny female, clad in black. She had a three pronged claw on her right hand and long blades on her lower back. (ATK: 2500/ DEF: 2000)
"Escuridao gains 100 attack points for each Elemental HERO in my graveyard. And with four of them, she gains 400 attack points!"
(ATK: 2500-2900)
"Alright, girl, time to end this! Dark Diffusion!" A dark blue orb formed in the hero's claw hand as she took aim. She fired it towards Infernalqueen and it hit her. The orb sucked her inside itself like a black hole before it exploded, knocking Titan on his back.
Titan: 0
"Nooooo!" Titan screamed as he was once again attacked by the horde of blobs. He slowly began to sink into the ground. "Help me!" He pleaded before he disappeared completely.
Jaden just stared at the spot Titan was at before he realized that the blobs were zeroing in on him as well. He looked around and saw a tear appear in the world of void. Jaden quickly rushed towards it and dived right through it.
He managed to escape just in time as the sphere began to implode.
"Get down!" He bellowed as strong winds began to crash around the room. Jaden quickly grabbed the coffin Alexis was in, holding it in place as the room shook violently for a few moments before the sphere disappeared completely.
"Jaden!" Erina rushed over to him. "Are you alright?" He asked in worry.
"Yeah…" He nodded slowly, taking a few deep calming breaths. "Alright, let's leave this place before it crashes down on us." He gently picked up Alexis in his arms and headed for the stairs.
Crowler walked through the hallways of the Abandoned Dorm. "Jaden must be badly beaten and terrified by now!" He laughed. "Come on out, Shadow Duelist, I want to hear every detail! How much did he scream?"
He then noticed a card on the floor and picked it up.
"But this is his Pandemonium card! He wouldn't have left it here unless… he lost?! So Jaden Yuki ruined my plan again?! But, the good thing is, I have a backup plan. One that won't fail."
Jaden and the others had exited the rundown dorm and were waiting for Alexis to wake up. The blond began to stir from the spot Jaden had laid her down on, leaning against a tree. She opened her eyes slowly and saw Jaden kneeling next to her.
He smiled. "Hey there, sleepy head. Had a nice nap?"
"Jaden?" She looked around in confusion. "What… what happened?"
"Well, you got kidnapped by some crazy guy named Titan, I dueled him to save you, got dragged into a Shadow Game, I won… and here we are." Jaden said while listing them with his fingers. Alexis stared at him in shock. He went through all that to save her?
"Oh, here's your card." He handed Alexis her Etoile Cyber. "I also found this…" he pulled out the photograph from his jacket and showed it to her.
Alexis took it and her eyes started to tear up. "Atticus!" She gasped. "This is the first real trace of him I've seen in a long time."
"I'm… sorry I couldn't find anything else…" Jaden said sadly.
But Alexis shook her head and smiled. "Don't be, this is more than what they found before and at least now we know how he disappeared."
"Got dragged into this whole Shadow Game mess." Erina said as she looked at the rising sun.
"The sun's almost up!" Jaden noticed. "We should really get going! See ya!" He gave them a quick wave before all three Slifers began running back their dorm
"Jaden!" He stopped and turned back. "Thank you for finding this and for saving me!" Alexis said with a smile. He gave her his signature smile and a thumbs up before resuming his run.
Erina got a mischievous smile as she and Alexis were walking in the other direction towards their dorm. "You know…" She leaned closer. "He carried you out of there like a princess. It was soo cute!" The moment she heard this, Alexis froze in her tracks as her face got redder than a tomato.
"Rina!" She shouted and ran after the bluenette, who just giggled over how embarrassed she looked.
And there we go, Alexis admits to herself that she might like Jaden!
Hope you guys liked this chapter and thank you to all the new and current people who've shown interest in my story. Love y'all!
I was thinking about giving Titan the better archfiend cards, but decided to save them for his round two.
And yes, Goka is the first of the reworked fusions (I realized that there are more than two fusions that are really bad, so I got a lot of work). Here he is:
Masked HERO Goka/ Fire/ LV: 6
ATK: 2200/ DEF: 1800/Warrior/ Fusion/ Effect:
Must be Special Summoned with "Mask Change" and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways.
•This card gains 100 ATK for each "HERO" monster in your GY.
•Once per turn, during your Main Phase 1: You can target one monster your opponent controls, destroy that target, and if you do, inflict damage equal to half of the destroyed monster's original ATK to your opponent. This card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.
I tried to balance him in a way that he won't overshadow the other fusions by giving him that restriction. Also, the amount of times I wrote Goku instead of Goka was unreal... Please tell me if this is okay balance-wise so I know what to do with the rest of them.
As for what's coming next? Well, Jaden vs Zane and... Erina and Jaden vs The Paradox Brothers in the chapter after that!
Please review and I'll see you all next time!