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?
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, my PC broke down and it took like 3 weeks to get it fixed, so the speed of which I write was slower. (Writing on a phone is very uncomfortable.) Add preparing for the holidays and yeah... But on the bright side, I'm on holiday leave, so I'll have a lot more free time and I might be able to squeeze in the next chapter this month.
Anyhow, enjoy and I'll see you at the bottom!
It was late during the night, when a bright light illuminated the forest near the main academy building. The source of the light was a duel that was just ending.
The loser of the duel was an Obelisk Blue boy, who was sent flying on his back from the force the attack created, scattering his cards all over the grass. A shadow loomed over the boy, frightening him to no end.
"I'll be taking this." The mysterious figure said in a deep voice as it picked up a card from the grass. "You're lucky that it's only a card you're losing tonight." The figure was dressed… oddly. From the sheer size and deep voice of the person, it was obviously a male. His outfit was a strange combination of jackets that belong to the Obelisk Blue dorm. They were even wrapped around his face, covering it completely, with the exception of a small slit for his eyes.
The Obelisk boy had a look of terror as the figure turned around and left, a deep laughter escaping his lips as he left the boy to tremble in fear.
'This is bad! Really, really bad. What am I to do? This Duel Giant is making a mockery of me and my Obelisk boys!' Doctor Crowler was stressed over this news. Some unknown duelist is beating all of his students. 'And worst of all he's breaking the rules and using the ante rule! Oh Chancellor Sheppard will have my head if he finds out…' He needed to stop this ruffian. Now! But how would he accomplish this task?
The good doctor stopped in his tracks, an evil grin spreading across his lips when he saw who walked out of the card shack. "Jaden Yuki! Of course!"
Jaden exited the card shack with a satisfied smile on his face and a small box in his hand. He had just found the perfect gift for Erina. It was her birthday in a few weeks and he was struggling with gift ideas because the only things he could get here on the island were cards and some other weird merchandise… Kaiba needs to put a mall here. But, he managed to find the most ridiculous thing among all the junk that he was sure Erina would love.
"Jaden, what's wrong?" Yubel asked as she appeared next to him. Her ward seemed troubled for some reason, despite finding the perfect gift for his best friend.
He sighed slightly. "It's just… Harrington made things awkward now…" She could feel the frustration coming from him.
"That tennis brat? What did he do that's bothering you so much?" She asked. It was the day after their confrontation at the courts, so she didn't know what Jaden was talking about exactly.
"His whole stupid fiance thing messed up my plans to tell Alexis how I feel about her…"
Yubel blinked a few times, wondering if she heard right. "I don't get it? What does that have to do with you confessing?"
"Really, Yubel?" Jaden gave her an odd look. "It would be weird if I confess now after all that talk about marriage and weddings, you know?"
"Sometimes I forget you're still a teen." She shook her head in amusement. "I'd say that things are more favorable for you now. The seed has been planted for you and all you have to do is take action." She shrugged. "But you do what you think is right. You'd know this kind of thing better than me. I come from a different time and a different world, where the social norms were quite different." In the end it didn't really matter to Yubel if Jaden did it now or later when yesterday's incident would be mostly forgotten.
"Oh, Jaden, my boy!"
Jaden stopped and turned around to see Dr. Crowler approach him. "He's uncharacteristically nice." Yubel remarked.
"How would you like to have no homework for the rest of the year?" Crowler cheerily offered.
"No homework?" His eyes widened.
"Yes! Well… if you help me that is. So, what do you say?"
"Jaden this reeks of trouble." Yubel scowled.
"First you gotta tell me what you need help with, Teach." Jaden said. "You don't expect me to agree without knowing what I'm getting myself into, right?"
"But of course not, you're smarter than that." Crowler shook his head. "Here's the deal; I need you to find and identify this Duel Giant fellow who's been having illegal duels around campus. He's been dueling the students from the Blue dorm with the ante rule and taking their cards. So, will you help me?"
Jaden hummed, pretending to think for a bit. "Nope!" He answered simply, shocking the good doctor.
"W-What? B-But why?!"
Jaden stuffed his hands in his pockets and grinned. "Because, Teach. It seems he's only after students from your dorm. So it sounds like your problem and honestly, most of the people in there could use a reality check." He turned around and walked away. "Good luck though!"
Crowler stared at him, mouth agape from shock. "He… He refused… I'm so dead!" He pulled his hair in frustration.
"That was unusually cruel of you." Yubel cackled. "I didn't think you'd refuse given how you feel about people getting their cards forcefully taken from them."
Jaden smiled slightly. "I refused his offer. It doesn't mean I won't try and find this guy later on, but I want Crowler to freak out a bit more before that." He noticed Erina in the distance, happily skipping over towards him with a big grin on her face. "What's gotten you so excited?" Jaden chuckled.
The bluenette bounced to a stop in front of him. "You know how my birthday is coming up, right?" Jaden nodded. "Well, I'll spare you the trouble of finding me a gift if you help me find this Duel Giant that everyone is talking about."
"Geez, first Crowler and now you too?" Jaden asked in disbelief and then sighed. "And here I was hoping that Crowler would pull that ponytail out from stress… Fine I'll help you, but… are you sure you don't want a gift? I already got one and I'm sure you'll love it."
He blinked in confusion when Erina just extended her hand with her palm open. "You have it on you, don't you? Now come on! Gimme!" She urged when she noticed that Jaden was just staring at her.
"Why are you like this?" Jaden sighed, giving into her demand. She always did this… the last gift he managed to give on her birthday was five years ago. "Happy early seventeenth birthday, my big blue idiot." He said with a grin as he placed a small plastic ring box in her hand.
Erina eyed the box curiously before opening it. She burst into a giggling fit the moment she saw what was inside. "Oh my God! Where'd you find this?!" She said in between giggles. Inside the box was a stainless steel ring with a very detailed ornament on top resembling the generation one Duel Disk. It was tacky, yes, but she had a soft spot for things like this. "I love it!" She slipped it on her index finger and enveloped Jaden in a tight hug. "Thanks!"
"You're very welcome." Jaden hugged her back.
"Now, let's catch ourselves a Giant!" She declared as they separated.
"So how are we gonna find this guy?" Jaden asked as they began to walk down the hallway.
"Well from what Felgrand has seen when he flies around the island at night, he only duels during the late hours and duels the Obelisk students exclusively." Erina explained. "That means that we'll have to avoid campus security when we go looking…."
Jaden nodded along. "And since he duels only Obelisk students, that's perfect." He smirked. "I did promise you the next one, right?"
The bluenette scoffed. "Please, even if you didn't, I'd still be taking this one. I have a promise to fulfil, remember?" She smiled at him.
"Of course…" Jaden chuckled and shook his head as they were nearing the Duel Arena. "You know, I never expected that one random duel to lead to our rivalry."
"Yeah..." Erina smiled fondly at the memory. It was back when they were little kids and aunt Tea babysat her a lot.
It was a couple of months after she met Jaden and she had been constantly pestering him to duel her after she accidentally stumbled upon his Duel Monsters deck. She really wanted to duel him for two reasons; Jaden always kept to himself in his room when she was over so she wanted to play with him; and the fact that she wanted to cheer him up because he always looked sad.
Jaden always refused which she completely understood, but only when she matured a bit and found out everything that had happened to him. He had lost his parents and was struggling a lot with everything, so it surprised her that he actually agreed one time. She still doesn't know if he did it out of annoyance so she'd leave him alone after or he actually wanted to play, but she didn't care because what she got out of it was something she'd treasure her whole life.
. . .
"I attack your Dark Blade with my Felgrand Dragon and bring down your life points to 600!" The then seven year old Erina declared smugly. Back then her hair was her natural brown color and was tied up into two pigtails, but she was showing off her favorite color even then in the form of a comfortable blue dress.
She and Jaden were sitting on the living room floor at the Muto household where Tea was babysitting the young Kaiba. They were playing tabletop due to Tea banning Duel Disks being used in the house because of Joey's shenanigans where he somehow broke the coffee table with the Solid Vision holograms.
Erina was feeling confident about the duel, she was leading in both life points and card advantage, though she had to admit that Jaden was good. Her dad was one of the best and had taught her all about the game, and while Jaden was self taught, he was surprisingly keeping up with her. They were going back and forth from the very beginning, but now she had the edge!
"Heh, I don't think you can turn this around, Jaden!" She grinned excitedly. This was so much fun and was worth the constant bugging to finally get him to duel… Although, she couldn't tell if he was having as much fun as she did. Jaden's face was still just as blank as it usually was. She didn't know why he was like this. Her mom just told her that uncle Yugi and aunt Tea had adopted Jaden, and that she should be more gentle and patient with him if he refuses to play with her.
Her eyes fell on the board. She had 3400 life points and a Felgrand Dragon with 3800 attack points! No way Jaden could destroy it! While he had 200 life points and the only card on his field was this weird Continuous Spell called Dimensional Fissure that banishes all monsters that are sent to the graveyard. Why would he play something like that?
She looked at her hand, the two cards she had were a perfect counter to his spell. If Jaden somehow manages to destroy her dragon, she can bring it back to the Graveyard with Burial from a Different Dimension and revive it with Monster Reborn. She had this in the bag!
She watched as Jaden drew his card silently. "I activate the spell card Card of Sanctity. Now we both draw until we have six cards in our hands." Jaden drew five cards and Erina drew four.
She grinned when she saw what she drew. There's no way Jaden could win now!
Jaden placed a card in his spell and trap zone. "I play Soul Release, with it I'll banish five cards from my Graveyard again." Erina blinked in confusion as she watched Jaden remove Monster Reborn, Pot of Greed, Soul Release, Big Shield Gardna and Mirror Force from his Graveyard.
'There he did it again! He picked his Graveyard over mine… What is he doing?' She wondered.
She watched as Jaden took another card from his hand and placed it in his Monster Zone. "I now summon Gren Maju Da Eiza to my field in attack position." The card illustrated a gross demonic creature. It was red with an exposed ribcage, wings and a tail in place of its legs. (ATK: ?/ DEF: ?)
"Huh? Why are it's stats undefined?" Erina asked in confusion.
"That's because the attack and defense of Gren Maju equal the number of banished cards I have times 400." Jaden quietly explained. "I have eighteen banished cards so that makes his attack 7200."
"W-Wait, that-!" Erina stammered.
"I attack your Felgrand Dragon and deal 3400 points of damage. Bringing your life points to zero."
Erina: 0
"I… I lost?" The young Kaiba stared at the board in disbelief. This was Jaden's plan from the beginning! She felt annoyed. Jaden played her like a fool! How could he beat her? She was a Kaiba! Her dad taught her how to play! There's-
Her inner tantrum was halted when an unfamiliar sound graced her ears. It was…
Laughter?
But the only ones in the living room were her and… Her head snapped upwards so quickly a crack was heard and her eyes widened like saucers at what she saw. Jaden was the one laughing! He never laughs!
"You should've seen your face!" He giggled as he wiped the tears that formed at the corner of his eyes. "You looked so silly!" He kept on giggling.
"You're laughing!" Erina said in amazement. "I've never seen you smile let alone laugh!"
Jaden's laughter died down as he realized it as well. "Huh… I guess so." He grinned at her. "Thanks! That was a really fun duel! And… uhm…" Jaden looked down shyly. "Sorry for not playing with you when you're over."
"It's okay. Mom said I should be more patient and give you space. So don't worry!" She smiled. "We can play more now, right?"
Jaden looked up in surprise. "You wanna play again?"
"Yeah!" She nodded excitedly. "You're really good and… I want to play as much as possible with my new friend!"
'Friend?' Jaden grinned like an idiot, he couldn't help himself. He finally got a friend! "Yeah!" He mirrored her excitement. "Let's play more!"
Erina grinned and they began to set up for another game. "Just so you know, I'm going to win this time!" She said confidently.
"Sure you will." Jaden waved her off.
"Hey! Don't underestimate me!" Erina pouted. "You won just one duel!"
"Okay, okay, I won't." Jaden smiled. "But I'm still better than you."
The young Kaiba's eyebrow twitched in anger. "Well not for long you won't be!" She challenged. Her anger quickly turned to confusion when Jaden's eyes widened slightly and he looked off to the side.
"Jaden?" She tried to get his attention.
She watched as Jaden nodded slightly and turned back to her. "Hey, wanna make a promise?"
She blinked in surprise, wondering what was going on with him. "What promise do you want to make?" She asked.
"To always grow and have fun dueling each other."
Erina smiled and extended her pinky finger to him with a smile. "Can I add to that promise?"
"Sure…" Jaden extended and wrapped his pinky around hers.
"Let's always be friends and become the best duelists in the world!"
Jaden had an awestruck look and it seemed like his eyes sparkled. "Yes! Let's always be friends!" He grinned.
Erina smiled widely. "And have as much fun as possible on our way to the top!"
. . .
"We were quite the energetic and dumb kids, huh?" Erina smiled.
Jaden snorted. "Were?"
"You know what I mean, asshole." She elbowed him in the ribs.
"Ow!" He winced, but had a grin on his face. "That day was also when I realized that you have the biggest sweet tooth on the planet."
"Oh, I know you're not the one talking!" She scoffed. "I'm not about to take criticism from someone who has an unhealthy addiction to fried shrimp!"
"Hey!" Jaden looked offended. "That's not true!"
"Really, Jay?" Erina deadpanned. "If it were up to you, you'd be eating fried shrimp for every meal of the day."
Jaden lifted a finger and opened his mouth, ready to argue back, but found himself at a loss. "Damn…" She was right, so he dropped it.
Erina just smirked smugly in victory as they entered the Duel Arena.
"Hey, there's a duel going." Jaden said.
Up on the stage was an Obelisk guy dueling against a Ra student. The Ra yellow was about as short as Syrus and had dark green hair that reached to about his neck. The duo noticed that he looked anxious for some reason, so they looked at the field to see how the duel was playing out.
Obelisk: 200
Ra: 300
The Ra kid was leading in life points and it seemed he had the stronger monster on the field. He had this strange rhinoceros beast that had a green turtle shell on its back. (ATK: 1400/ DEF: 1200)
While the Obelisk had a Marauding Captain on the field who was weaker, but he also had a facedown card on his back row. (ATK: 1200/ DEF: 400)
"Huh, he's on the lead, so why does he look so afraid?" Erina questioned to which Jaden shrugged.
"Dunno… maybe he's worried he can't wrap up the game?" He guessed.
"That can't be it." Yubel appeared between the teens. "I checked his hand and he has all the cards he needs to win. So all he needs to do is play them."
"Hey, come on! I'd like to go home already!" The Obelisk who was dueling shouted in irritation.
"Yeah, we don't have all day, shorty!" One of the Obelisk guy's friends shouted as well.
"Aww, look at him! He's about to cry!" Another laughed mockingly.
"Not cool…" Erina muttered as she glared at them and Jaden nodded in agreement.
"I… I attack with my Mad Sword Beast!" The Ra suddenly called, shocking and confusing Jaden and Erina.
The Obelisk smirked as the beast charged forward. "I activate my facedown card, Reinforcements! It gives my Marauding Captain an extra 500 attack points!" The Marauding Captain got enveloped in a fiery aura. (ATK: 1200-1700) He charged forward and with a quick slice of his sword, he split the beast in two.
Ra: 0
"Damn, he had it in the bag." Erina looked disappointed.
"Yeah… Why'd he throw the duel?" Jaden wondered.
"Because he has stage fright, Jaden."
The two teens turned to the side to see Bastion and Syrus walking over to them.
"Hey, Bas!" Jaden greeted. "You know this kid?"
The genius nodded. "Yes, his name is Brier and he's one of the brightest duelists of the Ra dorm. Unfortunately, he suffers from stage fright and that really hinders him when he duels in public."
"That's unfortunate." Erina commented when she saw Brier walk up to a Ra student who was massive in size. He was like a giant compared to Brier, hell, he was a giant even compared to them. "Hey, who's that?"
"Oh, that's Beauregard." Bastion informed.
Jaden and Erina eyed him suspiciously. "Jaden, do you think there's a chance?"
He nodded. "Yeah, and it's more than a chance."
"What are you two talking about?" Syrus asked.
"Hey, Bas, could Beauregard be the Duel Giant that's terrorizing the Obelisk students by any chance?" Jaden asked.
Bastion laughed. "That's ridiculous, Jaden. Beauregard is more of a game designer than a duelist. And besides, he doesn't have the heart to do something like what the Duel Giant is doing." He explained. "Wait, why are you asking about him?"
"Please tell me you aren't trying to find him?" Syrus asked in worry. There's no way his friends were that insane, right?
"Sure we are, Sy." Erina smirked. "We can't let him get away with taking people's cards now, can we? And as much as these snobs deserve to be put in their place, taking their cards is too cruel in my opinion."
"How is it too cruel?" Syrus asked as he stared in confusion.
"Here's the thing, Sy." Jaden began. "Erina and I share the same philosophy. A deck is a duelist's soul and stealing cards from their decks is like stealing a part of them. It's just wrong."
"An interesting belief…" Bastion mused. "But what if the people that got their cards stolen don't share it?"
"It doesn't matter." Erina said. "That's just how we see it. Plus I'm sure they'll want their cards back regardless if they share our belief or not."
"Shoot!" Jaden suddenly said as he looked at his PDA. He turned to Erina. "We should get going. We'll be late for class and we're on the other side of the building."
"Oh, right. Bye, guys!" Erina waved as they bolted out of the arena.
It was the late hours of the night when Jaden and Erina met up in front of the academy. They have managed to avoid security flawlessly and we're about to begin their search for the Giant when they heard a rustling sound coming from the nearby bushes.
"Who's there!" Jaden shone a flashlight on the bush. "Come out, now!"
"Wait! Guys, it's me!" They heard Syrus' panicked voice from the bush and the small Slifer walked out.
"Sy? What are you doing here?" Erina asked in surprise.
"I… uhm, wanted to help you, guys." He replied nervously.
The two looked at each other and shrugged. Syrus tagging along will slow them down a bit. They were going to use their Duel Spirits to search for the Giant and just go straight to him, but now they actually had to search as well or at least pretend to be searching.
"Sure, why not?" Jaden finally said. "The more the merrier."
"Yeah!" Erina smirked. "And you'll get to see me pummel this guy into the ground!"
Syrus smiled and they entered the forest next to the academy. They were taking it slower, so they didn't go in too deep in case they had to go in the other direction.
A little while later, Jaden noticed Winged Kuriboh float over to him. "Hey, buddy, any luck?" He smiled at his spirit companion.
The fluffball cooed excitedly that he had found the Giant, but at the same time a loud scream was heard in the distance.
"I think we found him!" Erina said and they ran towards the direction of the scream.
They entered a small clearing where an Obelisk boy was sitting on the ground with a defeated look on his face. "My best card…"
"Hey!" Erina shouted, startling the boy. "Where'd he go?"
"T-That way…" The boy pointed deeper into the forest and the group broke into a sprint.
'Wait… that guy was in the arena today.' Jaden realized.
"Stop right there!" Erina suddenly yelled. The two Slifers stopped next to her and saw a hulking figure wrapped in Blue jackets in front of them.
"So you're the Duel Giant?" Erina asked. "Gotta say I expected something scarier than an ugly Halloween costume."
The Giant grunted indifferently to her comment.
"I know how you work, so I'm waging my Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand in this duel. What do you say?"
"I accept." The Giant replied in a deep voice and activated his Duel Disk.
"Good." Erina smirked and activated her Disk.
"Let's duel!"
Erina: 4000
Duel Giant: 4000
"I'll start this off!" The Giant said as he drew his card. "I summon Giant Orc in attack mode!" A fat yet muscular orc appeared on the field, wielding a big bone like a club. (ATK: 2200/ DEF: 0)
"And I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." A reversed card appeared in front of the Giant's feet.
"My turn! I draw!" Erina drew her card. 'Giant Orc… when he attacks he switches to defense mode… I need to look out for traps that manipulate battle positions.' She took a card from her hand and held it up. "I activate Hand Destruction! Now we both have to discard two cards from our hands and draw two new ones!" Both players did just that, although a bit begrudgingly in the Giant's case.
"That's a good start for her." Syrus commented.
"Yeah." Jaden nodded with a smirk. "She always comments on how I have lucky draws, but she's just as lucky as me."
"What do you mean?" The small Slifer asked.
"Her opening hands always have at least one way she can mill cards to the Graveyard."
"Huh… I never noticed that."
Erina plucked a card from her hand. "I banish White Dragon Wyverburster from my Graveyard and summon Chaos Valkyria in defense mode!" In a flash of light, a pale skinned woman appeared on the field. She had short pink hair with ornamented hairpins in it, purple armor with scales and feathers decorating it and a pair or razor sharp metal wings. (ATK: 1800/ 1050)
"I set a card and end my turn." The bluenette said as she slipped the card in her Disk. 'Come on, show me more.'
"That's it?" A worried Syrus asked.
"Calm down, Sy. Erina is just feeling him out." Jaden assured.
"I draw!" The Giant drew and looked at the card. "I summon Goblin Elite Attack Force!" A team of four heavy plate armored goblins appeared on the field, standing at attention with their swords drawn. (ATK: 2200/ DEF: 1500)
He plucked a card from his hand. "And then, I'll use Stop Defense to switch your Chaos Valkyria to attack mode!" Erina's monster was forced to stand up.
"Giant Orc, attack Chaos Valkyria!" The Orc swung the massive bone and clobbered the Valkyrie, destroying her.
Erina: 3600
"Now your Giant Orc switches to defense mode!" Erina said as the orc knelt down on one knee and crossed his arms.
"Yes, but you're wide open for a direct attack! Go, Goblin Elite Attack Force!" The group of goblins charged at the now defenceless Kaiba.
"Oh man, this is gonna hurt…" Syrus moaned, while Jaden looked unbothered.
"I'll have to stop you right there!" Erina's facedown flipped over. "Defense Draw! This reduces the battle damage I take from your attack to zero and I get to draw a card!" The sword swings' from the goblins' misses and they retreated back to the Duel Giant's field. "And since you attacked your Goblin Elite Attack Force switches do defense!"
The goblin knights all sat on the ground, out of breath.
"Alright, my turn!" The bluenette drew her card and her eyes widened when she saw what she drew.
"This is gonna get interesting." Jaden grinned at her expression..
She took another card from her hand and held it up. "I begin with the spell card, Foolish Burial! With it I send Chaos Sorcerer from my deck to the Graveyard!" The card popped out of her deck and she sent it to the Graveyard. Erina then grabbed the card she drew in the beginning of the turn. "I banish Chaos Sorcerer and Divine Dragon Felgrand from my Graveyard!"
"She banished her ace monster?!" Syrus gasped.
Erina slapped the card atop her Disk and blue lightning began to crackle behind her. "I summon The Chaos Creator!" A flash of light blinded them for a moment and a Titan made out of dark purple metal appeared behind her, looming over the field, with a pair of metal wings coming out of his back. (ATK: 2300/ 3000)
"W-what is that thing?" The Duel Giant asked.
"I think this guy puts Gaia to shame." Yubel said in awe.
Jaden nodded. "Yeah, our friendly giant just got outclassed."
"I activate Chaos Creator's effect! I can target three of my banished monsters with different names!" She took White Dragon Wyverburster, Chaos Sorcerer and Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand from her pocket. "I special summon one of them and place the rest at the bottom of my deck!" She placed the first two in her deck. "Arise, Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!" The golden dragon appeared on the field with a deafening roar that shook the trees around them and created a strong gust of wind. (ATK: 2800/ DEF: 2800)
The wind was so strong, that it blew away all the jackets that the Duel Giant had wrapped around himself and revealed who was underneath.
"Gotcha!" Erina smirked.
"Beauregard?!" Syrus gasped.
"Oh no…" The Giant Ra backed up.
"You can come out as well, Brier!" Jaden yelled and out came Brier from behind the rock Beauregard stood in front of. Both he and Beauregard had an earpiece on their heads.
"Huh? Brier as well?" Syrus was getting confused. How did Jaden and Erina know they were the Giant?
"So!" Erina's smirk disappeared, her features morphing into a scowl. "Why don't you boys explain yourselves?"
Beauregard looked reluctant, but Brier decided to tell them. "We were tired of getting picked on. The Blues always mocked us, laughed at us for numerous reasons… and all the names they kept calling us!" He explained. "So we decided to strike back! Right where it would hurt the most!"
Syrus felt sympathy for them, they were just like him… the only difference was that they were trying to do something about their mistreatment.
"Really? THAT'S it?!" Erina glared at them. They were causing so much pain for such a petty reason. 'All those poor Duel Spirits… separated from their owners…'
Beauregard backed up. "What do you mean 'that's it'?" But Brier decided to keep going. "Do you expect us to just keep quiet and take it like doormats?! If that's the case then you're a rich kid snob just like the rest of them!"
Erina grit her teeth at the insult shot at her.
'Brier, you're poking the dragon, both metaphorically and literally.' Jaden thought nervously and looked up at the dragon, who pretty much mirrored his master's mood right now.
"There are other ways to do this!" Erian snapped. "We are at a school! The teachers and staff are here for that exact reason! To help us! To nurture us into better people! The answer to bullying is never more of the same! All you are doing is creating a repeating cycle of hate! Have you thought about that?!" She yelled. "Have you thought even for a second how your actions would impact the people around you? Obviously you haven't otherwise you wouldn't be doing this!"
Brier backed up in fear. "All we wanted was to teach them a lesson-"
"That's not good enough!" The bluenette snapped back. "I hate people who think they're justified to bully others just because they themselves got bullied! And especially when they are cowardly hiding behind a mask!" She took a deep breath, cooling down a bit. "You're still just children who lash out because they got their feelings hurt, so there's no way you would understand how the world works, but I'll teach you right now. If you don't fight back right now and win this duel, I'm bringing you both to Sheppard and you can kiss your educations goodbye!"
The two Ras looked terrified. "Looks like we don't have a choice…" Brier jumped onto the rock so he'd be able to see Beauregard's hand better.
"H-Hey, Jay…" Syrus stammered, he felt a bit scared by Erina's outburst. "Jay?" The small Slifer turned to his friend when he got no response again only to see him staring at the field with a serious expression on his face. It looked like both of them had taken this personally.
"Chaos Creator! Attack Giant Orc with Chaos Sphere!" The titan formed a ball of purple and orange energy in his hands and was about to throw it, but Brier responded before that could happen.
"I reveal our facedown, Zero Gravity! Now all monsters on the field change their battle positions!" The power ball disappeared and the Titan went down on one knee, folding his arms over his chest, Felgrand did the same, curling up and folding his wings in front of him. Brier's monsters did the opposite, standing up and ready to battle once again.
"I end my turn." Erina scowled.
"I draw!" Beauregard drew his card and showed it along with his hand to Brier.
The small Ra nodded. "I tribute both our Giant Orc and Goblin Elite Attack Force to summon the Red Ogre!" The two monsters were replaced by a tall muscular ogre with red skin, wielding a spiked metal club.(ATK: 2800/ DEF: 2100)
"And now his effect activates! I can send any number of cards from our hand to the Graveyard and then return that many cards from the field to hand!" Beauregard nodded and discarded two cards from his hand. "Now both of your cards return to your hand!" The ogre roared as both of Erina's monsters disappeared from the field.
"Red Ogre, attack her directly!" Brier commanded and the ogre charged forward. Erina raised her hands in defense as the ogre hit her.
Erina: 800
"In case you forgot, your Felgrand is still up for grabs!" Brier taunted.
The bluenette lowered her hands. "You done?" She asked harshly and Brier nodded. "Good. This duel is over." She declared as she drew her card.
"W-What?" The tiny Ra gasped. "But, you have no monsters on the field and you can't summon the ones in your hand!"
"I activate Chaos Space!" Erina held up the card. "Here's how it works; I send one Light or Dark monster from my hand to the Graveyard, then I add a monster with the opposite attribute from the one I discarded; and that cannot be Normal Summoned or Set from my deck." She explained. "I discard my Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand, a light monster, and add Chaos Sorcerer to my hand!"
"O-Okay, then what?" Brier asked nervously.
"Then…" Erina plucked a card from her hand. "Felgrand is revived with Return of the Dragon Lords!" The earth behind her split open and the golden dragon flew out, landing behind her. (ATK: 2800/ DEF: 2800)
"And now his effect activates! I banish your Red Ogre from the field and Felgrand gains 700 attack and defense points! One hundred for each level your Ogre possessed!" The Divine Dragon leaped forward, grabbing the ogre with his mouth and eating him. (ATK: 2800-3500/ DEF: 2800-3500)
"You're still 500 points short of ending the duel!" Brier pointed out, to which Erina just smirked.
"Am I?" She asked before grabbing two cards from her hand, inserting one of them and holding up the other. "Do you know what this is?"
Brier squinted, trying to recognize the card. "No way!" He gasped.
"That's right…" She inserted the card as well. "Stamping Destruction! This card allows me to destroy one spell or trap card on the field as long as I control a dragon… and you take 500 points of damage as an added bonus!"
Felgrand stomped on the facedown card, unleashing a shockwave that hit Brier and Beauregard.
Duel Giant: 3500
"Guess what?" Erina grinned. "Felgrand can now end this! Go, Divine God Burst!" The golden dragon unleashed a bright stream of golden fire, engulfing the two Ras and ending the duel.
Duel Giant: 0
Both Ras fell on all fours. "She beat us… we're gonna get expelled…" Brier said sadly.
"No, not we…" Beauregard shook his head. He sat up and looked at Erina who approached them. "Please, just turn me in! Forget Brier, act like he was never a part of this!" He pleaded to her.
"Beauregard?" Brier gasped.
The giant Ra looked down at his friend. "I've always been a loner and I'm not gonna let them expel you for showing me what it means to have a friend. After all, didn't we always promise to stand up for each other?" He sighed. "You're the best duelist I've ever seen. I won't let them kick you out of here."
"But what about you?" Brier argued. "And your dream of being a game designer? You can't just give up on it!"
Beauregard put on a brave face and smiled. "Not all dreams come true."
"Beauregard…" The small Ra began to tear up.
Erina's expression softened at the heartfelt moment in front of her. She understood them completely and she really couldn't blame them for what they did. Plus the fact that both of them were willing to take the blame for the other reminded her of someone… she glanced to the side as Jaden stopped next to her. Both of them always stood up for each other since the day they became friends and they promised to always become better, at first they only meant as duelists, but then it transferred to everything else. So there's no way she could turn them in without giving them a chance to fix things.
She sighed. "I'm not turning either of you in."
"You're not?" Both Ras exclaimed in shock.
"Nope." She shook her head and smiled. "Believe it or not, I know what it's like to be made fun of and bullied… All of us here know that feeling. So, we're cool… And hey! You dueled pretty good for a guy with stage fright."
"Y-You're right!" Brier's eyes widened in realization. "I guess I can do it."
She nodded. "Of course you can. Just remember to return all the cards you took, okay?" He nodded. "Good. Now get going before security catches you."
"Right." Both Brier and Beauregard ran off into the forest.
Jaden smiled at her. "You know… I was getting nervous at one point that you were actually gonna turn them in."
"I thought about it." Erina shrugged before she went off back towards the academy building. "But I changed my mind."
"Sure you did." Jaden grinned and followed after her, with Syrus right behind him.
"So… both of you have been bullied before?" The small Slifer asked.
"Yup." The HERO duelist nodded.
"Don't look so surprised, Sy." Erina chuckled. "No matter who you are, you're not safe from the cruelty of some people."
"The main reason Erina was bullied was well… me." Jaden revealed.
"You?!" Syrus' eyes widened in surprise.
"Yeah." He nodded. "The more 'elite' kids at school were making fun of her for hanging out with me all the time, a 'nobody' as they described me."
"That's horrible!" Syrus looked sad. "Making fun of someone just because they are friends with someone they don't like… How'd you deal with it?" He asked the bluenette.
"I ignored them as much as I could." She shrugged. "I never really cared what they said and Jaden was always next to me to make sure I didn't do something stupid…" She looked a bit embarrassed at the end.
Syrus nodded, satisfied with the answer. It made sense, the less you interact with them the less fuel they have to bully you with. "What about you, Jay?"
"I'd… rather not get into it right now." He said reluctantly. "I'd like to end the night on a high note."
"Right, sorry…" Syrus apologized. "Well, I just wanna say… I really appreciate that you guys are my friends and I'll always think highly of you no matter what." He said shyly yet truthfully.
"Same thing here, Sy." Jaden said and Erina agreed with him. "Now, let's get going before we get in trouble." They decided to separate once they exited the forest, each going to their dorm, ending a rather odd adventure.
It was the next day after the Duel Giant encounter. Both Brier and Beauregard had made well on their promise and returned all the cards they had taken. Currently, we find Syrus running after Jaden and Erina through the hallways of the main Academy building, seemingly in a hurry to get somewhere. "Guys, wait up! My legs aren't as long as yours!" Syrus yelled as he tried to keep pace with them.
"We can't!" Jaden said as he looked behind him. "It's sandwich day!"
The group arrived at the shack, where a bunch of students were crowding around a deep bin filled to the top with sandwiches, all wrapped up in blue bags with the Duel Academy logo on them. The three of them ran up to the bin and looked inside.
"Oh, yeah! I love it when this day comes!" Jaden exclaimed as he rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Don't you guys agree?"
"Totally!" Erina grinned. "All these flavor combinations and none of them are labeled!"
Syrus sweatdropped at how weirdly excited the two were. "I don't get you guys sometimes… Why do you even like this so much? There's a chance that the sandwich you get tastes horrible, you know that, right?"
"Yeah, but that's what makes it a fun challenge!" Erina said, sporting a wide grin.
"There's also the chance we could pull the golden eggwich!" Jaden revealed. "It comes from a magical rooster that lays golden eggs!"
"Jaden, roosters don't lay eggs…" Syrus deadpanned.
"Nor do chickens lay golden eggs, but here we are." Erina shrugged. "But the only problem here is that there is only one eggwich, so you have to be really careful when choosing."
"Ok…" Syrus nodded slowly. "I get why Jaden's into this, but why do you like it Erina?"
"Well… I like strange flavor combos and if I pull the eggwich I'll be able to rub it in Jaden's face all day!" She explained with a grin. "A delicious sandwich and a sweet victory? How can I not like it!"
"Yeah, yeah, enough chit-chat." Jaden said, getting impatient. He really wanted to pull that eggwich. "Alright, one... two... three!" Both he and Erina shoved their hands inside the bin, pulling out a sandwich, opening it and taking a bite.
Their reactions were completely different. Erina hummed with a delighted look on her face, while Jaden looked absolutely disgusted as he dropped his sandwich on the ground. "Mmm, white cheese and blueberry jam." Erina revealed and took another bite.
Syrus nodded and looked at Jaden. "So… Not it, Jay?" He asked even though he knew the answer.
Jaden sank to the floor and sighed. "Grilled tongue…"
Syrus winced. "Yeah, that doesn't sound very pleasant." He then got a teasing smile and laughed. "It seems like your miracle draws don't work on sandwiches like they do with cards, huh?"
"Better a bad draw here than during a duel, right?"
They turned to see Alexis holding two sandwiches in her hands, neither of which were the eggwich.
"Hey, Lex." Erina greeted as she continued to eat her sandwich.
"You are into this too…?" Syrus muttered to himself. It seemed that he was the only one not interested in this sandwich.
Jaden stood up and faced the blond. "Oh, I get it." He took a step forward. "You found the eggwich and kept it so you can have lunch with me, didn't you?"
Alexis blushed instantly. "T-That's not true!" She blurted out. "I-I was only practicing my drawing skills, that's all!" Although the idea of having lunch together wasn't a bad one. She wished she thought of that.
Erina grinned slightly at how flustered Alexis got, while Jaden kept on teasing her. "Sure you were..."
"I was!" She yelled.
"You don't have to lie, Lex." He edged closer to her.
"I'm not!" Her blush deepened and she tried to hide her face behind the sandwiches.
"I'm afraid she's right, Jaden." They saw Miss Dorothy come up to them. "For the past couple of weeks, nobody has been able to draw the eggwich."
Everyone gasped. "Really?"
Miss Dorothy nodded. "Yes, someone must be sneaking in after hours and taking it."
Erina looked back at the bin. "But, why would someone break in just to steal a sandwich? That's kinda unfair to the others as well…" She turned back and saw the look in Jaden's eyes. "Here we go…" She sighed.
"Alright, let's catch ourselves a thief!" Jaden declared.
"How are we gonna do that?" Syrus asked.
"By keeping an eye on the shop after it closes." The HERO duelist said.
"Really, Jaden? Just because you want a sandwich?" Erina sighed. "Why am I even surprised? Alright, I'm in."
"I'll tag along too." Alexis said, glad that Jaden's attention was somewhere else now. 'Maybe this thief will have a lead about my brother…'
"The shop closes around eight." Dorothy said with a smile. "You can stop by then."
"Sounds like a plan!" Jaden said and ran off. "See you guys then!"
"Wait up!" Syrus ran after him.
"You're not going with them?" Alexis asked Erina, seeing as she just stood there, happily eating her sandwich.
"Nah." She shook her head. "Gotta let him do his thing. So, wanna hang out till tonight?"
"Sure." The blond smiled. "See you tonight, Miss Dorothy!" The Obelisk girls took off.
"Bye, kids!"
The gang were hanging out in Miss Dorothy's office at the card shack and everyone was kind off doing their own thing. Jaden and Erina were playing some game with a normal deck of cards, while Syrus watched them. Alexis was reading a book on her latest homework assignment and lastly, Chumley was sitting on the table, drawing something in a sketchbook.
"I pick… this one!" Jaden said as he plucked a card from Erina's hand and put it in the pile on the table. "High card! Yes!"
"Damn it!" Erina slammed her hand on the table and gave her best friend a chilling glare. "I'm getting sick and tired of you winning every game that involves cards!"
Jaden just laughed at her angry reaction and shrugged, while Syrus was impressed over his victory. "Picking cards, drawing cards… amazing!" He exclaimed. "It's like you have some special power to draw cards, Jay!"
"Why thank you!" Jaden said proudly to annoy his best friend further, who chucked a card at him in an attempt to hit him in the eye.
"So, guys…" Chumley looked up from his sketchbook now that their game was over. "When this sandwich thief comes around, you think he'll have something on him?"
"Chumley, the guy steals egg sandwiches not grilled cheese." Jaden sighed. "Tell him, Alexis."
"It's true, Chum." She nodded, not taking her eyes off her book.
Erina chuckled at the disappointed look on the portly boy's face when the drawing in his book caught her eye. "Hey, whatcha drawing, Chum?" She grabbed the book to take a better look at it. It was a drawing of a big muscular koala with black fur, a white mustache and an angry look in its red eyes. "Wow, this is pretty cool. I didn't know you could draw, Chumley. You're really good at it."
"Ah…" Chumley gave her a sheepish look as he scratched his cheek. He wasn't used to praise like this, or any type of compliments for that matter. "Thanks, it means a lot that you think it's good." He smiled. "It's my dream to design cards one day. It's actually why I came to Duel Academy since I need the degree to do it. And the reason why none of you guys know about it is that I used to get bullied for it before. All my classmates mocked me for it, saying that it's a stupid dream or that I only want to do it because I can't duel… and I wasn't sure how you guys would react."
They all gave Chumley a sympathetic look. "Well, they can all go screw themselves for making fun of your dream." Erina said. "There's nothing wrong with pursuing your dream, no matter what it is… be it something small or grandiose. If it makes you happy then it's always worth it if you ask me."
Chumley got a bit teary-eyed. "You really think so?"
"Absolutely!" The bluenette nodded. "And hey!" She pointed at Jaden. "Jaden here was quite the artist when he was younger! So much so that his mom thought that that would be his career in the future. If he can, so can you, Chumley."
"Really?" The two Slifers gasped.
"Jaden used to draw?" Alexis finally looked up from her book, finding this quite interesting.
Jaden blushed slightly. "Don't put me in the spotlight like that, Rina…" He grumbled.
"Do you still draw? Do you have any tips or some of your art with you?" Chumley asked excitedly.
Jaden smiled at how enthusiastic his friend suddenly got. It's like a switch had flipped inside him. "Easy, Chum. I don't draw much anymore… in fact I haven't picked up a brush in about five years. I kinda grew out of it, I guess." He shrugged. "But when I did it was a lot of fun… and a way for me to …express myself in a way."
Alexis' expression saddened when she noticed that Jaden got a bit tense near the end. 'He probably really enjoyed it… before the accident happened and then it became the only way for him to express his feelings after that…' She guessed and judging by Jaden's reluctance right now, she might be right.
"But, hey, I actually found my old sketchbook in my luggage. I'm guessing that my little sister snuck it in before I left home. I'm more than happy to show it to you if you want?" Jaden offered in an attempt to lighten his mood a bit.
"Oh, totally!" The portly boy nodded. "I bet you have some licious drawings in there!"
"Who wants some stakeout snacks?" Miss Dorothy came into the office with a plate filled with pastries.
"Is it grilled cheese?" Chumley asked hopefully until he saw what was on the tray. "Aww, what are those?"
"You have a serious addiction problem, Chumley…" Erina shook her head in dismay.
"Well, it looks tasty to me." Syrus said as he looked hungrily at the tray.
"Thank you." Miss Dorothy felt flattered. "Now, there are three flavor fillings here: chocolate, strawberry and lemon custard."
"Chocolate!" Erina exclaimed in childlike glee. "Which ones are the chocolate ones?" She asked with a starry-eyed look.
"It's these-"
"Hold on…" Jaden interrupted. "How about we draw for which pastry we want?"
"Like drawing cards?" Chumley asked.
"I might not have your luck with drawing cards, Jay." Erina said. "But nothing can stop me when it comes to sweets! You're on!"
Jaden grinned at her, always up to the challenge. "Alright, I'm looking for strawberry!"
"Go for it, Jaden!" Alexis encouraged.
The HERO duelist reached out for one in the middle and took a bite out of it. "Strawberry!"
"And on your first try too." Syrus added. "Way to go!"
Erina looked seriously at the tray, trying to decide which one had chocolate as if it was a life or death situation. Silently, she reached out for the one furthest from her and took a bite out of it. She squealed in satisfaction when the flavor invaded her taste buds.
"Well, I think we can guess what she got." Alexis laughed as she picked one herself, hoping for the lemon custard one. "Hey, I was right." She said happily as she revealed the yellow filling in her pastry.
Everyone was having a good time when they heard a loud metallic thud inside the shop.
"He's here!" Alexis whispered. "Hide!"
Miss Dorothy turned off the lights and hid under the desk. Alexis and Erina hid inside the lockers, Jaden hid behind some shelves, while Syrus and Chumley hid under the table. More noise was made outside as everyone got out of their hiding spots and peered through the on way window.
"It's the thief." Jaden whispered. They saw the sliding doors to the shop being lifted by someone with a lot of muscles, and he wasn't having a hard time doing that.
"Damn…" Erina whispered at the display of strength as the person crawled under the door and went over to the sandwich bin. "Alright, let's go!" She burst through the door and flipped the lights on.
"Drop the sandwich you thief!" Jaden yelled at the guy. He was very muscular with long black hair and only wearing a pair of torn up pants.
The guy yelled like Tarzan, jumped on the bin and rolled out the shop, breaking the door.
"This was not what I was expecting here!" Erina said.
"Talk later, we need to catch this guy!" Jaden said as he ran out the hole in the door.
Jaden and the others were running after the Tarzan lookalike who tried to confuse and disorient them by swinging on the vines. Their chase led the group to a waterfall, where the jungle boy was already halfway up.
"Damn, who is this guy?" Jaden wondered.
"Damon!" The jungle man stopped in shock as he heard Miss Dorothy's voice.
"You know him?" Erina asked.
"Take your time, please." Chumley begged as he tried to catch his breath. "I need to rest."
"Yes, I know him!" She said, looking up at the jungle man. "And he knows better than to steal!" The man slipped on a rock and fell into the water below. Once he resurfaced, Miss Dorothy got a better look at him. "My, you've really changed."
"Yes I change, I change for better!" Damon said.
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me…" Erina ran her hand through her face. She didn't really hear what she thought she did, right?
"Not your grammar obviously." Alexis muttered, cringing just a bit. "So, Miss Dorothy, how do you know him?"
"From school, he used to be an Obelisk Blue." She revealed.
"Boy, they really had a chill dress code back then, huh?" Jaden said. "Either that or he's really reinvented himself…"
"No, he was different last year." She shook her head. "One day he just vanished. Damon always visited me at the card shack, especially on sandwich day. But he was always bad at picking them."
"Are you sure he's the same guy?" Syrus asked. "Cuz, he seems to be able to pick only the good ones."
Damon laughed. "I not same person, I new person now. I live in nature, I hone my skill."
"Yup… this is really happening." Erina sighed in defeat. "So, why'd you leave?"
"When in Obelisk, I good with tests, but bad at drawing right cards." He explained. "I work hard, but no luck. My bad luck ruin me each time! But as I watch nature, like waves crash back and forth... it hit me!"
"A rock?" Erina guessed. It wasn't a dictionary for sure.
"No!" Damon shook his head. "Like I know what come next in wave, I realize now! I know what came next in cards too! Must simply be in tune with nature, this why I live and train with nature! I got very good, but one way to know, the eggwiches! I take right one, this why I take them these past weeks, not because I thief!"
"We understand." Dorothy said with tears in her eyes.
"Can I throw a rock at him?" Erina asked in annoyance, only to get elbowed in the sides by Alexis.
"Well I don't get it." Jaden stated. "Look, don't get me wrong, I get that you like the eggwiches, but so do a lot of other people including me. So let's duel! If I win, you stop swiping them during the night and if you win, they're all yours!"
Damon smirked. "Fine, but I expert drawer! No way you can beat me!"
"Hey, I'm pretty good myself." Jaden replied.
"It's true." Syrus nodded.
"Best I know." Chumley added.
"It's unbelievable really." Alexis nodded.
"Yup, it's his super power." Erina smirked.
Damon pulled out a Duel Disk from behind a rock and strapped it on. "Then we see who better drawer!"
Jaden smirked as he inserted his deck into his Disk, sparking it to life. "Sounds fun… Now, get your game on!"
Jaden: 4000
Damon: 4000
"I'll start off!" Jaden drew his card. "I summon Elemental HERO Wildheart in attack mode!" The tribal man appeared on the field with an intimidating expression on his face. (ATK: 1500/ DEF: 1600)
"They look like long lost cousins." Erina mused. "No offense to Wildheart of course."
Jaden scanned his hand, wondering if he should do anything else. 'I kinda wanna see what he plays with his so-called perfect draw.' In the end he decided to wait. "I'll end my turn here."
"Just as trees sway to and fro, I know what will come!" Damon drew his card and chuckled at what he saw. "Nature taught me well. I play card facedown, then I play card I just drew, Drawler!" Damon yelled like Tarzan as a big ape-looking stone steamroller appeared in the field. (ATK: ?/ DEF: ?)
"Undefined?" Syrus asked in worry.
"Now, for every card in hand I return to deck, Drawler gain 500 attack and defense points." The jungle boy explained and held up his hand. "I have four and I return them all!" Drawler glowed as his stats rose. (ATK: 2000/ DEF: 2000)
"That's a weird move…" Erina scratched her head in confusion. With all his talk about the perfect draw, she expected Damon to play a First Turn Kill type deck not… whatever this is?
Jaden was equally confused, having completely different expectations from Damon's deck.
Damon pointed at Wildheart. "Drawler, attack wild man with Stone Roll Wrecker!" The stone monster growled as it charged forward and flattened Wildheart in a very cartoonish manner.
Jaden's LP: 3500
"When monster in attack get flattened by Drawler, it go to bottom of deck instead of Graveyard!" Damon explained and Jaden placed his card at the bottom of his deck. "My turn end."
"I draw!" Jaden drew his card, but felt a bit disappointed. He expected something like Exodia from Damon, not this. He shook his head, he'll try to enjoy this duel to the fullest anyway. Jaden plucked a card from his hand and slapped it atop his Disk. "Come on out, Elemental HERO Bubbleman!" The trusty water hero appeared on the field, standing proudly. (ATK: 800/ DEF: 1200) "And when he's the only monster on my field, I get to draw two cards!" Jaden drew his extra cards.
He was about to make his move when Yubel appeared beside him. "You know your overconfidence will get the better of you one day, right?"
"Aw come on…" Jaden groaned inwardly. "You can't tell me you aren't disappointed as well? How else am I supposed to have fun here?"
"Never said I wasn't. I'm just speaking my mind here." She smirked before disappearing. "Now get this over with and try not to draw it out."
Jaden sighed before taking two cards from his hand. "Next up, I'll fuse together Bubbleman with Avian from my hand to summon Elemental HERO Mariner!" The two heroes fused together to form a new hero. One with greenish skin and long jet black hair. This hero had a blue and gold mask with red round eyes on it. He was mostly naked except for a pair of finned blue boots and a blue speedo. To finish off his look, his forearms were wrapped in chains with an anchor attached to the end of each one. (ATK: 1400/ DEF: 1000)
"He weak! Drawler stronger!" Damon pointed out.
"I hate to say it, but he's right." Syrus said. "What is Jaden thinking?"
"Just watch, Sy." Erina smiled.
"Sure, but you're not safe from him." Jaden slipped a card into his Disk and a facedown appeared in front of his feet. "Mariner can attack you directly when I have a facedown card on my field! Anchors Aweigh, Mariner!" Damon gasped as Mariner jumped over Drawler. The water hero swung with his arms, launching the anchors wrapped around his arms straight at Damon. One hitting the ground in front of him, the other hitting his Duel Disk and knocking him to the ground.
Damon's LP: 2600
"Yes, Jaden's in the lead!" Syrus cheered.
"Sweet move, huh?" Jaden smirked. "With that I end my turn."
Damon got up from the ground. 'He draw good for man with shirt and haircut.' He thought, looking at Jaden. 'But he no match for nature!'
"I activate trap!" Damon's facedown flipped up. "Miracle Draw! This how work; before I take card from deck, I announce what card I think I draw and if I right, you take 1000 points of damage. And if I wrong, I take damage."
This took everyone by surprise. "So… he's just guessing what card he's gonna draw?" Syrus asked, unsure if he heard right.
"I guess…" Chumley shrugged. "That's what he said."
"Well, that's a long shot if you ask me." Alexis mused.
Erina nodded. "I agree, him guessing right without manipulating what card is on top of his deck is slim to none."
"You think I won't guess, right?" Damon asked Jaden.
Jaden shrugged. "You might… and you might not, right?"
"No might! Snow no might melt, it melt!" Damon closed his eyes, a look of intense concentration on his face.
"What is he doing?" Syrus whispered to the others.
"I believe he's thinking on what card to say?" Alexis replied.
"He's not thinking." Erina said, confusing the blond. "He said he's in tune with nature, remember? So he's… feeling the flow… I think?"
"You're just as lost as the rest of us." The blond shook her head in amusement.
"Card will be Card Loan!" Damon suddenly shouted and drew his card. He smirked and showed them the card. It was Card Loan.
"No way!" Syrus gasped. "He guessed right?"
"He totally did!" Chumley said, getting creeped out.
"Yup, it's official, this guy's freaking me out." Alexis said.
"Ditto!" Erina nodded.
"Now you lose 1000 life points!" Damon declared. Jaden grunted as a yellow aura surrounded him for a few seconds.
Jaden: 2500
Damon inserted the card into his Disk. "Next, I activate Card Loan. You gain 1000 life points and I lose 1000 life points, but I get to draw card from deck!" He drew. "But at end of turn I must return card to deck."
Jaden: 3500
Damon: 1600
"I don't get it." Syrus said. "He did all that just to draw one card?"
"It's a really stupid play." Erina commented. "You lose life points just to draw a card you can't even keep? It's idiotic."
Alexis nodded. "Yeah, so it better be a good one."
Damon looked at his card and smiled. "I like!" He inserted it into his Disk. "I activate Dropper, a spell card!" Now you draw card and I guess. If I right, all cards in your hand and field go back to deck!"
Jaden drew his card and held it up with its back to Damon.
The jungle boy closed his eyes again, concentrating.
"There's no way he can guess right again." Syrus said.
Alexis nodded. "Guessing his own cards is one thing, but there's no way he can guess Jaden's. He doesn't know what cards he runs in his deck."
Damon opened his eyes. "Card is Reinforcements of the Army!" He called out.
Jaden's eyes widened. "Wow, would you look at that?" He flipped the card over and everyone gasped. "You were right."
"What the hell?! What are the odds of that!?" Erina gasped as Jaden shuffled all his cards back into his deck and Mariner back into his Extra Deck.
"This is gonna hurt…" Syrus cringed.
"Jaden…" Alexis whispered worriedly.
"Drawler!" Damon pointed at Jaden. "Attack with Stone Roll Wrecker!" Drawler rushed at Jaden, but instead of flattening him, it went through him.
Jaden's LP: 1500
Damon took Card Loan and placed it back into his deck. "My turn end now."
"My turn!" Jaden drew his card, hoping for something good. "I activate Graceful Charity! This allows me to draw three cards, but I have to discard two of them." He drew his extra cards. Jaden had to suppress the smirk that was trying to spread across his lips as he discarded two of the cards. "I set a card and call it a turn."
"He didn't draw a monster?" Syrus gasped.
"Not licious…" Chumley shook his head. "All Damon has to do is attack and it's over… goodbye eggwiches."
"Is it over?"
Everyone turned to Miss Dorothy, who they had forgotten was even there. "No it's not over." Syrus shook his head.
'This it. Just like I know leaves wilt and grow, I know next card.' Damon thought as he looked at Jaden's field. 'With facedown there only one card that can help me. With it I crush Jaden.' He closed his eyes and concentrated. 'Come Mystical Space Typhoon… give me Mystical Space Typhoon!'
"Next draw will be Mystical Space Typhoon!" Damon declared and drew his next card. His face turned to one of shock when he saw what he drew. The Normal Monster Doron. "Oh no! I wrong!"
"He got it wrong?" Chumley couldn't believe it as Damon grunted from the damage he took.
Damon: 600
"Yes!" Erina cheered. 'Only one person here can manipulate fate like that and it ain't you jungle boy.'
"It no matter! You still defenseless! Drawler attack!"
The others looked worried as the monster charged forward, but Jaden just stood there with a confident smirk on his face… Then everyone gasped when a male figure clad in red and grey armor, and long white hair that was tied at the bottom appeared in front of Jaden and blocked the attack.
"What happen?" Damon gasped.
"The effect of Necro Gardna happened." Jaden simply said as he took the card out of his Graveyard. "When he's in the Graveyard I can banish him and block one of your attacks."
"But… when did that get in there?" Syrus asked.
"Graceful Charity, Sy." Erina answered. "It was one of the cards he sent to the Graveyard."
"Seriously…" Alexis sighed with a hand over her chest. "Jaden's gonna give me a heart attack."
"I summon Doron in defense mode." Damon placed the card on his Disk and an odd looking creature appeared. It looked like a mummy who got scorched by fire. (ATK: 900/ DEF: 500)
Damon growled. "So I guess wrong, it no matter! You have 1500 points and no monster. I end my turn and just like season end, I end you!"
"Alright that's enough, Damon." Jaden sighed. "Enough with this weird nature talk and fake voice."
"Fake voice?"
"Dude, you spent a year out here." Jaden pointed out. "You weren't a baby raised by wolves or something… Time to get real, Damon. If drawing cards was as predictable as the snow melting, then you wouldn't have guessed wrong just now!" He continued. "Drawing is about trusting your gut and being in tune with yourself. But even then you won't always be right. That's what makes it so much fun, you can never be sure what you get! You can only hope to get the game changing card just like I am right now!"
Erina smiled slightly. 'Well at least he didn't start using uncle Yugi's heart of the cards speech.'
"So here's my miracle draw, Damon! Pot of Greed!" Jaden drew his card and directly slipped it into his Disk without looking.
Everyone was shocked when the all too familiar grinning pot appeared on the field. "Show off." Yubel smirked as Jaden drew his extra cards.
"This is the final turn! I summon Elemental HERO Solid Soldier!" The silver armored hero appeared on the field. (ATK: 1300/ DEF: 1100) "And when he's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a HERO monster from my hand! So join the fight Elemental HERO Sparkman!" He appeared next to Solid Soldier in a flash of lightning. (ATK: 1600/ DEF: 1400)
"Your monsters still weaker than Drawler!" Damon argued.
"True…" Jaden smirked. "But they won't be with the help of my facedown." His reversed card flipped up, revealing…
"You set Polymerization?" The jungle boy gasped.
"Yup, and with it I'm summoning the hero that shines bright no matter the darkness! Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO The Shining!" A bright light shone on the field for a few moments, revealing the hero who illuminated the dark forest around them. (ATK: 2600/ DEF: 2100)
"Go! Optical Storm!" The hero flew up in the air and rained down a barrage of light bullets towards Drawler, destroying him and causing an explosion.
Damon LP: 0
"He won!" Syrus and Chumley cheered.
"Now that's what I call a draw." Alexis muttered.
"You haven't seen anything yet." Erina smirked and went to give her best friend a high-five.
Damon fell to his knees. "I lose?" He slammed his fist in the ground. "I can't believe it! Why did I lose? I trained out here for a whole year!"
Jaden walked up to him and smiled. "You finally decided to talk like a normal person, huh?"
"Huh? I uh… no get… what you…"
"Hey, it's okay Damon." Jaden extended his arm. "Just because you lived out here doesn't mean you have to act and talk like a caveman."
"Really, you mean it?" Jaden nodded his head. Damon took his hand and pulled himself up, laughing. "Great, because I could really use a shower and a haircut."
Miss Dorothy came up to him. "And a shirt." She added, near tears.
She wasn't the only one though. Damon was on the verge of crying himself. He rubbed his eyes quickly. "Well… I was thinking. All that vine swinging got me pretty ripped, soo…"
"Damon. A shirt!" Miss Dorothy repeated firmly.
"Okay…" Damon sighed as he and Miss Dorothy hugged and everyone shared a laugh.
Now that everything was resolved, the gang decided it was time to call it a night and to leave those two to catch up.
"So…" Erina broke the silence. "Where do we rank this little adventure?"
"Oh definitely second." Syrus said. "It's weirder than the Duel Giant that's for sure and I don't think we'll encounter anything like the abandoned dorm again."
"I don't know… Jinzo is a good candidate to take the top spot." Jaden argued.
"Jinzo?" Chumley asked. "Why is a card at the top?"
"Oh right, we never told you." Erina scratched her cheek. "Me and Jaden had a run in with a Duel Spirit trying to kidnap a few Obelisk boys before Christmas."
"You what?!" Syrus yelped. "Well, I'm glad I missed that one out."
"Yeah… I hate ghosts." Chumley agreed with his small friend.
"Well either way, I think the abandoned dorm will always take first place, especially in Alexis' ranking, right Alexis?" Syrus chuckled, but noticed that he didn't get a response from her. In fact she hadn't said a thing since the duel ended and just had this faraway look on her face.
Erina took note of this and elbowed Jaden. "Ow, what was that for?" He irritably asked and she silently motioned with her head towards the blond. "I was gonna do it even without the elbowing…" He whispered.
The bluenette silently and purposefully grabbed the two boys by the collars and slowed down, leaving Jaden and Alexis alone.
"What's wrong, Lex?" Jaden asked.
"Oh… uhm, it's nothing…" The blond tried to put on a convincing smile, but Jaden knew better.
"You know you can talk to me, right? Now come on, what's on your mind?" He gently prodded.
"Well, I just… I hoped that there might be a chance that Damon would know something about my brother, but I should've known better…" Alexis said, wiping a stray tear from her eye.
"Hey now…" Jaden grabbed her hand and squeezed it in reassurance. "I know you're desperate to find him and that it frustrates you that we haven't found much since earlier this year. We'll find him, just don't lose hope okay?" His lips upturned into his trademark grin. "Although you have to agree that it's silly to think that a Tarzan wannabe stealing egg sandwiches might be connected."
Alexis' cheeks turned a few shades darker. Jaden was right and she did feel rather foolish right now, but nonetheless she smiled for him. "Thanks. You sure know your way with words." She said, trying to ignore the electric-like feeling on her skin from Jaden's touch.
His grin widened. "What can I say? It's the Yuki charm at work."
"Sure it is." Alexis rolled her eyes. They fell into a comfortable silence and she realized that they were still holding hands. 'Should I…?' She shook her head slightly, deciding to leave it be and indulge in this wonderful feeling. It felt nice to hold hands together, although she wondered if Jaden was feeling the same way as her.
At the back the two Slifers looked rather confused at what was going on, but Erina was trying hard not to grin like an idiot. She bit her thumb in an attempt to stop smiling, but it barely worked. 'God, you two are just way too cute! Just confess to each other, please! You're pretty much a couple already without even realizing it!'
A week later, Jaden and Erina entered the card shack for another go at the eggwich. This time at least it was definitely there. They saw that Alexis and surprisingly Syrus were there digging through the bin.
"Has anyone gotten the eggwich yet?" Jaden asked Miss Dorothy.
She smiled and shook her head. "No, not yet! Even Damon didn't get it when he came earlier, so good luck you two!"
Jaden and Erina smiled at each other before reaching onto the bin, only to hear…
"Yes, I found it! The eggwich is mine!"
Both looked up to see Alexis with the eggwich in her hands, smiling triumphantly at it.
"Hey, Alexis, let's trade!" Jaden offered as he went up to her. "I got something that looks like tuna, but green."
Alexis kept the sandwich away from him and stuck out her tongue. "Nope! Finders keepers!" She playfully waved it at him before running off.
"Wait! How about we split?" Jaden asked as he chased after her.
"In your dreams!" The blonde giggled as she ran from Jaden through the hallways.
And that's this chapter done!
As I said, I'll see if I can put up the next chapter this month, but I'm not promising anything. Oh and next up is my favorite filler episode in GX... Blair!
See you all next time and stay safe!