The Ra Yellows and the Slifer Reds were playing a baseball game in the arena, and Jaden was up to bat.
Slifer 1: Come on Jaden! We need a homer!
Syrus: Jay! Keep your eye on the ball!
Jaden: That could be tough. After all, the ball's gonna be going over the rafters. He'll score, then he will, and then I will. We'll have a six-run lead.
Bastion: Hold on! Sorry, I was rebuilding my deck and lost track of time.
Ra 1: Can you throw?
Bastion: Sure.
Ra 1: Good, 'cause we need a fresh arm. Pitcher change!
Jaden: This is no written exam Bastion. I hope you know what you're doing.
Bastion: Trust me, I've done all the calculations. Now get ready for some heat Jaden, because this one's coming in red-hot.
He pitched the ball and it whizzed right past Jaden.
Umpire: Strike one!
Bastion proceeded to score two more strikes against Jaden, costing the Slifers their third out.
Jaden: Nuts!
The teams switched sides and Jaden went to pitch for the Slifers, scoring two outs, but then wound up walking 3 batters.
Syrus: Time! Jaden, what's going on? You got two outs and then walked the last 3 players.
Jaden: Yeah, pretty slick, huh?
Syrus: What do you mean?
Jaden: How else would I get a chance to pitch Bastion?
Syrus: What?! You mean you walked all those guys just so you could get even with Bastion?
Jaden: No. I don't wanna just get even, I wanna get ahead. You hear that Bastion? You're going down!
Bastion: Down the base paths perhaps. Now give me your best shot Jaden. I don't want any excuses when I wallop it out of the ballpark. That is if you manage to get the ball over the plate that is.
Jaden: Game on!
Bastion: Game over soon.
Meanwhile, Maxwell was walking through the arena.
Maxwell: Chazz couldn't beat Michael, Titan couldn't beat him, the Paradox Brothers couldn't beat him! I need to find someone who can beat-
He didn't get a chance to finish as a baseball came out of nowhere and knocked him into a pile of equipment.
Jaden: Uh, heads up.
Maxwell removed himself from the pile and Jaden and Syrus froze on the spot when they saw him.
Maxwell: You! Of course, who else could cause such intense pain?!
I spite of his anger, he was seemingly unaware that the baseball was stuck in his left eye.
Syrus: Now that's keeping your eye on the ball.
Jaden: Sorry, it was-
Bastion: My fault! I was the one who hit the ball.
Maxwell: Bastion? Of course, here I was struggling to find a new protégé and here it strikes me right in the face. I just wish it hadn't been literally.
Bastion: Dr. Maxwell, please accept my apologies.
In spite of his apology, inwardly he was somewhat enjoying this after his conversation with Michael.
Maxwell: No, no, no, no! I've been meaning to have my contacts refitted for ages, and now I have the perfect excuse. Alright you two, you've caused enough trouble, now make like a drum and beat it!
Jaden: Fine, but that was foul ball Bastion.
Bastion: Never mind those two. It's time you start consorting with those more your class don't you think? It's time you start consorting with me.
Later on, Dr. Maxwell's class was in session. Chazz sat down.
Chazz: Yo, iced tea.
Obelisk 1: Get it yourself.
Chazz: What was that?
Obelisk 2: Doesn't he know?
Obelisk 1: Guess not.
Chazz: Know what?
Obelisk 3: Chazz, where do you think you're sitting?
Chazz: My seat.
Obelisk 3: Sorry, but that's not your seat anymore, now move.
Chazz: What are you talking about? Of course this is my seat, it says so right here.
Obelisk 3: Sorry Chazz, but you were moved over there.
Chazz: This is all wrong. I don't belong over there with those losers in Ra. Dr. Maxwell, tell them this is all a mistake. Tell them I belong up here!
Maxwell: But you don't, and you haven't since you lost to Jaden Yuki in the promotional exams. Tomorrow you will duel Bastion Misawa, and if you lose, the two of you will switch dorms.
Chazz: You mean I'd become a Ra Yellow duelist?!
Maxwell: Very good, now if you could only duel as well as you listen.
Everyone in class started to laugh at Chazz, prompting him to run from the classroom.
Chazz: I won't be a Ra!
Meanwhile, Jaden and Syrus were walking with Bastion back to the Ra Dorm.
Jaden: Okay, maybe it wasn't a foul Bastion.
Syrus: Jaden, over the centerfield fence usually isn't.
Bastion: Look, I play like I duel, with formulas.
He showed them his bat, which had numerous equations written on it.
Bastion: I find that science, statistics, geometry, they play a role in everything we do in life.
Jaden: Wow, I never looked at it that way.
Syrus: So do you have a formula for everything Bastion?
Bastion laughed and led them inside to his dorm room.
Bastion: Here we are.
Jaden: And where is that?
Bastion: My lab, workshop, and dorm room. That area is for equations relating to traps, that area for spells, and that's, well you get the idea. Most of these I've memorized, and as you can see, I'm running out of room, so-
Jaden: So what?
Bastion: So, mind helping?
A few minutes later, the three of them were painting over the writing on the walls and ceiling, and Jaden was on a ladder painting over the ceiling.
Jaden: Check it out, I'm Michelangelo. Get it, because I'm painting on the ceiling.
He lost his balance and dropped his paint brush on Syrus, covering his face in white paint.
Syrus: You do realize this means war Jay.
Jaden: Sy, it was an accident, I swear.
He went into a panic when he saw Syrus pick up a paint bucket.
Bastion: That's enough, now give me that paint.
Syrus attempted to throw the bucket on Jaden, who managed to avoid the paint, which resulted in Bastion getting covered instead. Jaden looked at Bastion and busted out laughing.
Bastion: Funny is it?
He smacked Jaden in the face with a paint-soaked rag, covering him in paint as well. Jaden, Bastion, and Syrus then started jabbing paint brushes at each other. After having their fun, they finished painting the room and cleaned the paint off themselves. Bastion took them to the Ra meal hall to thank them for their help.
Jaden: I don't think I've ever had such a good time painting. You're a great guy Bastion.
Syrus: Yeah, and so is Ra Yellow's food.
Ra: You flatter us. But I'm sure it's not that much better than Slifer's.
He walked up with a plate of lobster and sat down.
Jaden: Trust me, the closest we get to lobster is our dorm cat's breath.
Syrus: Speaking of bottom-dwellers, what were you talking to Maxwell about back at the game?
Bastion: Actually, he wants me to test to be an Obelisk.
Jaden: Are you serious?
Syrus: Is that why you were cleaning up your room? Because you're switching dorms?
Jaden: Well you deserve it, congrats Bastion.
Bastion: You flatter me.
Jaden: You're great Bastion. I saw you duel at the entrance exams, you kicked that duel proctor's butt.
The sun went down and Chazz was having a conversation with his brothers over video chat in his room.
Jagger: Got it Chazz?
Chazz: Yeah.
Jagger: I can't hear you.
Chazz: I said yes, I understand.
Slade: Well, you had better. The Princeton Brothers have a plan. Your brother and I are following through with our ends of it.
Jagger: And you had better be following through with yours Chazz. Come on, just think of it little bro, the world of politics, finance, and duel monsters. If we control them all, then we will control the entire world. So be the best, the future of the Princeton family depends on it, it depends on you.
The call ended and Chazz was left with his thoughts.
Chazz: Be the best? How can I be the best with lucky punks like Jaden and Michael running around?
He stared out his window and saw Bastion walking away from the Ra dorm with Jaden and Syrus.
Chazz: What's this? Bastion's heading to the Slifer dorm for tonight?
In Jaden's dorm, he and Bastion were fast asleep and snoring away.
Chumley: Hey Syrus, what's the Ra doing here?
Syrus: He painted his room today, so we let him crash here.
Chumley: But Syrus, he's a Ra Yellow. What if he wakes up and wants to duel one of us, or make fun of one of us? How do you know we can trust him?
Syrus: Relax Chumley, he's cool. He even let me and Jaden eat at the Ra meal hall.
Chumley: Oh, well good night then.
The morning arrived and found Dorothy from the campus card shop banging on Jaden's door.
Dorothy: Jaden!
Jaden: What's wrong Ms. Dorothy?
Dorothy: I was at the docks unloading some goods near the shore, and that's when I saw them: cards thrown into the water!
Bastion, Jaden, and Syrus ran to the docks and saw the cards Dorothy told them about.
Syrus: That's Ring of Destruction and Vorse Raider.
Jaden: Bastion, these are all your cards.
Bastion: This is my fault. This deck was in the desk we moved into the hallway when we were painting yesterday.
Syrus: Who would do something like this?
Jaden: Someone who doesn't want Bastion to advance to Obelisk Blue. I mean this was your deck and it's totally ruined. What are you gonna do Bastion? Your promotion exam is in less than an hour.
Timeskip
Bastion, Jaden, and Syrus were running into the duel arena.
Maxwell: Bastion, you've made it. Oh, and I see you've brought some friends.
Chazz: Hope you duel better than the company you keep.
Jaden: Wait, Chazz is your opponent? Then I bet he's the one who tossed your cards.
Maxwell: Pardon?
Chazz: I don't know what he's talking about Dr. Maxwell, I didn't do a thing.
Alexis: Oh, is that so?
she, Zane, Michael, and Lily walked into the arena.
Michael: Alexis and I saw you by the water this morning Chazz. You dumped them in and ran off.
Alexis: I normally wouldn't snitch, but you don't mess with someone's deck.
Jaden: Yeah, no joke. That's low Chazz, even for you.
Chazz: Who's to say I wasn't throwing away my own cards? I guess Bastion and I just have similar decks, that's all.
Jaden: Liar.
Chazz: No one calls me a liar! And no one calls me a thief!
Bastion: Fine, let's just have our duel.
Jaden: But how? You don't have your deck anymore.
Michael: Bastion, you're welcome to borrow my deck if you need.
Bastion: While I appreciate the offer Michael, that won't be necessary. A good duelist always has a spare deck, or a few in my case.
He opened his jacket to reveal six deck boxes strapped to his chest.
Chazz: Fine. It doesn't matter how many decks you have, you'll be burned by my flames of malice!
Bastion: You're just a problem to be solved Chazz. A theorem to be cracked. You're finished!
Chazz: So bring it on.
Both: "Duel!"
Bastion: 4000 LP
Chazz: 4000 LP
Chazz: Hope you're ready. Cause here comes the hurt. I summon Chthonian Soldier in attack mode.
Level 4/Dark/Warrior
ATK 1200/DEF 1400
Lily: That's the same monster he used against Michael at the welcome dinner.
Chazz: I place one card face-down and that'll do it for now.
Bastion: Oh, will it now?
Jaden: Sounds like Bastion has a plan.
Bastion: I summon Hydrogeddon in attack mode.
Level 4/Water/Dinosaur
ATK 1600/DEF 1000
Bastion: Now attack Chthonian Soldier with Hydro Gust!
Chazz: 3600 LP
Bastion: 3600 LP
Syrus: Wait, why did Bastion's life points go down?
Michael: Chthonian Soldier's special ability inflicts damage to your opponent equal to the damage its controller receives when it's destroyed in battle, which would deter most duelists from attacking it, but considering the special ability of Bastion's monster,
Bastion: I activate Hydrogeddon's special ability. You see Chazz, when Hydrogeddon destroys a monster in battle, I'm allowed to summon another one directly from my deck, and since it's still my battle phase, I'll have it wage a direct attack on your life points.
Chazz: 2000 LP
Chazz: You'll pay for that. It's my move, and I play the trap card Call of the Haunted. With it, I can summon Chthonian Soldier back from my graveyard. Next, I play the Inferno Reckless Summon spell card.
Alexis: He's using the same moves he did on Michael at the welcome dinner.
Chazz: But this time I'm throwing something new in the mix: the Chthonian Alliance spell card, and with it, one of my soldiers gains 800 attack points for every monster on the field with the same name as him.
Soldier: 1200-3600 ATK
Chazz: Now attack!
His monster slashed his blade right through one of Bastion's monsters, destroying it in an instant.
Bastion: 1600 LP
Michael: Chazz has taken the lead.
Bastion: Good show. But it will be short lived. Rise Oxygeddon!
Level 4/Wind/Dinosaur
ATK 1800/DEF 800
Bastion: Now Oxygeddon, attack his weaker Soldier with Vapor Stream!
Chazz: 1400 LP
Bastion: 1000 LP
Bastion: I'm not through yet, Hydrogeddon, attack his remaining 1200 attack point Chthonian Soldier!
Chazz: 1000 LP
Bastion: 600 LP
Syrus: Why does Bastion keep attacking? He's only hurting himself.
Jaden: Na, he's fine.
Zane: Bastion's playing smart.
Michael: If Bastion had left the weaker soldiers on the field, then the one with the Chthonian Alliance spell card would still have 3600 attack points, but by removing the two other soldiers, he's reduced its attack by 1600 points, which will give him a much easier time beating it.
Soldier: 3600-2000 ATK
Bastion: Lastly, I place a face-down card and end my turn.
Chazz: It's my move. And I sacrifice my Chthonian Soldier and all the cards in my hand in order to summon the Infernal Incinerator!
Jaden: That's not good.
Level 6/Fire/Fiend
ATK 2800/DEF 1800
Chazz: Better break out your calculator, because if you can't find a formula to beat this guy this turn, you're toast!
Incinerator: 2800-3400 ATK
Syrus: Why did its attack points go up?
Lily: Infernal Incinerator is a bit of an all or nothing card. Its special ability gives it 200 more attack points for every monster your opponent controls, but reduces its own attack power by 500 for every monster you control other than itself.
Chazz: Now Infernal Incinerator, attack with Firestorm Blast!
Bastion: I play the trap Amorphous Barrier! When I have three or more monsters, I can play this card and end your battle phase!
Chazz: So what? One turn, that's all it buys you, and then this duel is mine.
Bastion: Wrong Chazz, because you won't be taking another turn. I play the spell card Bonding – H2O and sacrifice my monsters in order to summon Water Dragon!
Level 8/Water/Sea Serpent
ATK 2800/DEF 2600
Bastion's monster sent a tidal wave towards Infernal Incinerator, completely soaking it.
Incinerator: 3400-0 ATK
Jaden: What?! Its attack points became 0?
Michael: Due to Water Dragon's special ability, while it's on the field, the attack of all pyro type and fire attribute monsters become 0.
Bastion: Now Water Dragon, attack with Tidal Blast!
His monster shot a powerful stream of water at Infernal Incinerator, destroying it and knocking Chazz off the stage.
Chazz: 0 LP
Bastion: A well-played duel Chazz. But not well enough.
Chazz: Pure luck. You drew a lucky card and stumbled into the win.
Bastion: Wrong Chazz. What you said at the start of the duel caught my attention. You said I would be "burned in the flames of malice". This lead me to believe that your deck would consist of fire attribute monsters, which this deck is specifically designed to counter. Even if I hadn't played Water Dragon, you would've lost the duel one way or another. Deny it if you want, just like you denied throwing my deck into the ocean.
Chazz: Prove it.
Bastion: Well, if you insist. I fished this card out of the water, and there's a complex equation written on it. I suppose you could've written it, but then the math would've probably been wrong, and it isn't. Chazz, you stole, lied, cheated, and lost. You deserve to be demoted.
Chazz: This can't be.
Maxwell: Bastion Misawa. Congratulations, and welcome to Obelisk Blue.
Michael: Well done Bastion. It'll be a pleasure to have you around the dorm.
Zane: Agreed.
Bastion: Thank you all, but I'm afraid I must decline your offer Dr. Maxwell.
Maxwell: What? But what for?
Bastion: When I first arrived at the academy, I decided I would only enter Obelisk Blue when I became the number one duelist in the freshman class. Jaden and Michael, out of all the new freshman, I think the both of you are the best.
Jaden: Hey thanks. Does that mean you wanna settle things right here?
Bastion: Sorry Jaden, but not now.
Jaden: Why not?
Bastion: Because I'm not prepared. You and Michael are amazing duelists, and I plan to be ready for you.
Michael: Well, I'll be waiting for you Bastion, and I look forward to that day.
Jaden: Same here.
Bastion: Until then.