Staying in the Background
Early Days – Combination Calculations
I flopped onto the bed, utterly jet-lagged. My new yellow blazer was resting on the chair by the desk. I should be happy right now. I should be looking forward to beginning my new life at the academy, but instead, I was panicking. It had completely ruined the welcome meal. Professor Sartyr, the dorm head, had cooked up a fantastic feast filled with delicious meats, pristine salads and what I'm told was his own recipe of fruit punch. But my thoughts weighed too heavily to sate my appetite. Something Dimitri had been grateful for as he nicked the food off my plate. The only good thing was that I'd managed to keep my distance from Bastion, who had been invited to sit with Sartyr so they could celebrate his achievement as the highest scoring student on the written side of the exam.
As soon as the feast ended, I quickly headed off to my room. The way the Ra dorm was structured was that there were five floors, and each was split up into different sections of accommodation. Freshmen were on the bottom floors, sophomores in the middle and seniors on top.
Thankfully, everyone had their own room. When I had first entered mine, I was hit by a wave of nostalgia for how much it looked like any other standard university accommodation. I had my own bed and working space as well as a small bookcase and an academy issued laptop for my coursework. There was even an en suite shower. The only downside is that I shared a bathroom with everyone in my section. I guess a toilet was too much to include in the rooms. Then again, maybe it was the school's way to try and push students to strive for blue. So they could have their own damn toilet. Nah, that was stupid.
No, I was still hung up on the end of the entrance exam and the aberration that had happened during it.
"Logan Evans," I whispered the name like a curse, remembering what had happened when I'd gone to collect my belongings back at the Kaiba Dome.
I'd just picked up my uniform and PDA when I spotted my fellow reincarnate speaking to one of the clerks handing out uniforms. It seemed the clerk was a little distressed. Thankfully, I was just close enough to make out the conversation.
"But I don't see why you wouldn't want to be in Obelisk Blue. With your exam scores, you are more than qualified. The facilities are much better," the clerk had said. But the teen merely shook his head.
"I don't doubt it, but I'd rather work my way up from the Slifer Dorm. If I am to reach the halls of Obelisk, it will be through my duelling." He sounded quite polite. His smile was fairly disarming as well.
Still, the clerk tried to persist. "But this is unheard of. I can understand being upset for not being in the top rank, but to want to be at the bottom…"
"What is going on here?" Both people whipped around to see an irritated Dr Crowler glaring at them. "We don't have all day. We need to get a move on to the academy."
"I'm sorry Dr Crowler," the clerk began. "This student says he doesn't want to be in the blue dorm."
Crowler's eye twitched. That must have been particularly irksome for him as he was the blue dorm's Head of House. "Oh? And who would dare turn down such a-ah!" It was clear Crowler hadn't noticed the teen who was causing the hold up was in fact his last opponent. "Logan Evans? Why on earth wouldn't you want to be in the blue dorm?" he asked, his voice somewhat gravelly.
"I think I could do more good in the red dorm, sir. I merely wish to prove my skills before joining the ranks of Obelisk," the teen replied just as cordially as ever. His words made me want to vomit.
Crowler however ate it up. His frown turned into a joyous grin. "A Slifer, hmm. Well, I'm sure that can be arranged. I'll have the paperwork drawn up immediately." He turned to the surprised clerk and pointed to the open boxes behind them. "Get him a red blazer. If he wishes to earn his colours, he will get his chance." The clerk quickly complied, supplying Logan with his new uniform and PDA. The teen gave a grateful bow to both Crowler and the Clerk before making his way towards the buses.
I'd wanted to talk to Logan there and then, but I missed my opportunity when I missed him on the buses. I hadn't seen him since.
It had been obvious that the reason Crowler had allowed Logan to be housed in the red dorm was that he thought it would be easier to get back at him for embarrassing him in their duel, much like he had, or would do, with Jaden in the series proper.
Logan's motives had been a bit more of a mystery to me though. If he really had reincarnated into this world like me, he would know just how dingy it was to live in the red dorm, which was essentially just an overblown shack. He was a fool to turn down the Obelisk dorm. If the anime had shown anything about the blue dorms, it was that their occupants lived a life of luxury.
No, there was something else. After thinking about it on the flight over, I'd come to one simple conclusion. He was there to stay close to Jaden. At the beginning of the series, all the events happen around the Slifer trio. If what I suspected was true and Logan wanted to interpose himself into the events of the show, living in the same dorm as Jaden, Syrus and Chumley would be his best bet.
Speaking of which, considering it was the first night, I wondered if that meant Jaden had already met Alexis and Chazz. Actually, looking at the time, the hero duellist should be having his first duel with the Princeton heir right about now. A thought suddenly struck me. What if Logan had already intervened? What if he had taken Jaden's place in the duel? Chazz had targeted Jaden in canon due to Crowler's defeat. It wasn't implausible that he would target Logan as well. They say the flap of a butterfly's wing can vastly affect the future. Who knows what path the future would take now that Logan was also running around with future knowledge?
I'd sworn to stay out of it, he most likely had made no such vow.
"Grr… it's already falling apart," I groaned, nursing my oncoming headache with the palms of my hands. I looked towards the open curtains to see that the moon was shining beautifully out in the night sky, making the world seem so much calmer than it really was. It was truly captivating.
Deciding I had better things to do than worry about what may or may not be happening, I decided to head outside and get some fresh air. Hopefully, it would help me clear the cobwebs out of my head. Throwing on a pair of sweats and a coat, I headed out.
The dorm was mostly quiet as I left my room. I could hear the quiet ramblings of my floormates getting to know each other as they discussed topics such as their favourite cards and cute girls they'd already seen around the academy. I slipped past it all, making my way outside where I took in deep breathes of the fresh island air. When I looked up, I could see the clear night sky, filled with hundreds upon thousands of stars. I was never one for astrology in my old life, but it might be something to pick up here. The gentle swish of the breeze was so calming like all my worries were being swept away. In the distance, I could make out the gentle waves of the ocean, the night sky reflecting on its surface and casting a mesmerizing image of an unending horizon.
For the first time since the exam, I allowed myself to relax. It was just me and the night sky. Of course, that was all ruined when I heard the door behind me open.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was not expecting anyone else to be out here."
That British accent. Oh shit.
I wheeled around to see none other than Bastion Misawa to be standing before me. He had changed out of his uniform in favour of a dark coat and some jeans. His momentary surprise in seeing me was quickly replaced by a welcoming smile. "I just came out to get some air. I hope you don't mind if I join you?"
"Uh… no. Go ahead," I said uneasily, turning back towards the sea and trying to seem as unsociable as possible.
He came forward until he was standing side by side with me. We stood there in silence for a little while. I didn't know how Bastion found it but for me, it was extremely uncomfortable. This guy was someone I knew intimately and yet not at all. I should have gone inside the moment I saw him and yet to my surprise, I'd remained rooted to the spot. There were so many things I wanted to ask him. And yet because of his status as a main character, I knew I shouldn't get involved. And yet, I just couldn't bring myself to go back inside.
"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" Bastion suddenly said, once again taking me by surprise.
"Uh, yes, it is," I replied dumbly.
"I've always put my trust in science to explain things, but I find that sometimes it is just as nice to stand back and take everything in. Help me gain new perspectives and such," he said. His words were strangely passionate for being a man so dedicated to the scientific method. When he noticed my silence, Bastion gave a small, nervous laugh. "Sorry, it seems I got a little lost in my thoughts. It's nice to meet you. I'm Bastion Misawa," he said, offering me his hand.
"Ren Cambell," I replied, accepting the handshake. His grip was strong. I suppose it fits into his gentlemanly demeanour. "I saw your exam. You're a pretty good duellist."
"I could say the same about you," he replied. "I must say, there were a few people talking about you during the meal."
"Oh, they were, were they?" I grimaced. The last thing I wanted was attention.
"Oh yes," Bastion continued. "It's not often someone comes across a person with a Buster Blader."
"I've had that card for years," I said. It seemed Buster Blader was rarer than I thought. How had that not come up in the last ten years?
"That would explain it then," Bastion said with a sly smile. "Buster Blader's rarity increased when the King of Games began using him in Battle City. In fact, most of the high-level monsters he has used have gained a lot of popularity. It is near impossible now to find a copy of Dark Magician or Gandora the Dragon of Destruction."
"You don't say." I'll admit, it was interesting to hear more about the history of this world. It also explained why it had been so hard finding certain cards for my deck.
"I'll admit, there was another reason I came out," Bastion said.
"Oh?" Why was I suddenly feeling worried?
"You see, I've got my own goals at this academy. But I've decided that before I improve my rank, I need to ensure I am the best duellist in our year."
"I'm pretty sure you already have that covered," I said, hoping false flattery would deviate this conversation from where I sensed it was going. "You scored the highest scores in our year, right?"
"Joint highest. Logan Evans also achieved the same score as me," Bastion replied with a hint of irritation.
Son of a bitch. That guy was just desperate to be a Gary Stu. He even overshadowed Bastion's achievement that helped him to stand out. I definitely needed to have words with him.
"As I was saying though," Bastion continued, "I wish to best the top duellists in our year. From what I have seen so far, that's Jaden Yuki, Logan Evans, and you."
Uh oh. Uh oh. Need to stop this right now!
"I'm nothing special," I said, waving off the praise. "I just got lucky in my exam."
"Oh, I don't think so," Bastion said wryly. "You have skill. That is plain to see. I merely wish to pit myself against you. To see who the top Ra freshmen is if nothing else."
"I assure you it's you."
Bastion merely smirked. "We'll see. How about we have a duel tomorrow? The academy is granting students a free day to get to know each other before lessons start. It would be the perfect opportunity to test our strengths. You have no plans I'm assuming?"
"Well… No… But…"
"Excellent," Bastion cried, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "Let's meet up here tomorrow at… hmm… shall we say 12pm? I've got training exercises in the morning so that would be more beneficial."
My mind was numb. Maybe it was the jet lag or the mental shock from finding out there was someone else who had reincarnated here, but I nodded my head.
Bastion's grin grew. "Very well. I'll see you tomorrow then." Clapping my shoulder once more, the resident genius made his way back inside, leaving me outside to ponder just how I'd gotten myself into this mess.
"Damnit!" I cried out into the wind. Shaking my head, I went inside too. If I was gonna duel, I needed to prep my deck. Caden had shown just how powerful the people of this world could be when using even simple cards. My current cards weren't going to cut it.
"You don't have to come with me, you know," I said to Dimitri as I shuffled through my cards for a final time. The copycat duellist had come over early that morning to check on me after my early retirement the night before, bless him. He invited me to explore the island but when I told him about my scheduled (forced upon) duel with Bastion, he'd taken an interest.
"Are you kidding me? This is my chance to get a look at Misawa in action. I bet he's got all kinds of in genius strategies," he laughed as he riffed through a volume Rosario + Vampire I had brought with me to the island. Yeah, I was a fan of the series. It started off a bit too fan servicey for my tastes at the start but would get to be a lot better in the coming years as Tsukune matured. Damn, I'd missed that series these ten years.
"Did you know he scored joint top in the freshmen year on the written exam?" Dimitri continued.
"Yes. I've heard," I groaned, double-checking I'd put in my extra Masked Dragon and my copy of Lancer Dragonute. "It's going to be a tough match."
"Yeah, no kidding. I reckon you've got a chance though."
"Just a chance?" I said, turning to him with my brow raised.
"Well, the numbers aren't in your favour grade-wise," Dimitri replied, pulling off a fairly decent impression of Bastion.
"Numbers aren't everything," I said before pulling my cards together and slotting them back into my deck box. I still wasn't exactly happy with them. When I'd originally built my deck, I had designed it with the mindset of not sticking out. I was fairly certain I could handle any of the other students at the academy. But the big players… well we'd find out. "I think I'm about ready." I looked at my PDA. It was almost twelve. Bastion would be waiting. "We should head out. No time like the present I guess."
"You don't sound too excited. C'mon man, this will be your first duel of the semester. This could set the tone for all your duels." He was trying to cheer me up, but he only added to my worries.
In all honesty, I was excited. Bastion was good at the game. He prepared for everything. He was so prepared he had a deck of each attribute prepared for any situation. I couldn't help but wonder which he was going employ against my dragons. I'd tried to prepare the best I could, but I only knew about his water deck and his earth deck from the show. Not to mention his decks in the games constantly changed. I couldn't help but feel vastly unprepared. Still, Dimitri was trying to be a good friend. Couldn't fault him for that.
He held up his hand for a high five which I gladly accepted. It was weird to think about, but he really was my first friend at the academy. I suppose I could have done worse. It could have been Damon the card drawing ape-man.
"You're right, I should be more excited. C'mon, I've got a game to win." Bastion may have challenged me, but I'd be the one walking away with the win. I'd been thinking about it all night, but I saw no reason why I couldn't duel against Bastion and come out on top. His aim was to defeat the strongest among the first years. That was Jaden, not me.
In the anime, Bastion never moved up to Obelisk Blue, meaning, as sad as it was, he never accomplished his goals. But hey, he decided to pursue love in the series. Gotta give him props for that. Either way, I could afford to have some fun in this duel and still maintain my position as a background character. Everyone loses now and then, right? I was challenged. I'm going to rise to it.
I took my new academy duel disk from the cupboard. It was a lot more streamlined than the mass-produced version and I'd noticed it was also easier to reach the spell and trap card zones. Despite the fact it looked heavier, the material it was made from was incredibly lightweight. I suppose that's Kaiba Corp tech for you.
After fastening it to my arm and me and Dimitri headed out. We'd both decided to wear our Ra uniforms for this. We wanted to check out the academy interior later and were told we needed to wear our uniforms when inside the facility.
Bastion was indeed waiting for us by the door. He too had adorned his uniform for the duel. Whether it was because he was also going to the academy after or just preferred it, I didn't know. I noticed he already had his duel disk on with cards inside. When he saw Dimitri, his eyes widened ever so slightly. "Good afternoon, I see you've brought a friend along," he said, giving us a small wave.
"Yeah, I hope that's alright."
"Of course. The more the merrier," he replied with a smile before turning to the spiky-haired teen. "I'm Bastion Misawa, it's good to meet you."
"Dimitri Kagurazaka, it's good to meet you too." The two shook hands before Bastion turned to me. "If you don't mind, I've found a spot by the cliff nearby that would give us some privacy. I hope you don't mind if we have our little contest there?"
"I'm game," I said. "Lead the way."
"Of course. This way, gents."
Where we were going wasn't far from the yellow dorm. Bastion initially took us down the path that would have led us to the red accommodation. However, quickly pulled a sharp left. We descended a hill before coming to a cliffside overlooking the ocean with a small, narrow path that led to a platform of rocks below.
Have to say, it was a pretty nice spot. It took me a moment but I recognised it as the place where Bastion would come to practice his drawing each morning. Across the way, I spotted the academy's harbour where shipments carrying food for the islanders and new card packs would be transported. The air was crisp and the overpowering scent of saltwater wafting in with the wind. I could see myself coming here a lot in future.
"So, are you ready?" Bastion asked, breaking me from my thoughts.
"Bring it on!" I cried.
After a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, which Bastion won and elected to go first, we took our places across from each other and activated our disks in unison.
"DUEL!" we cried together. (Ren: 4000LP/Bastion 4000 LP)
Bastion took his sixth card and took a moment to look at his cards before smiling. "So many options, but I believe this will be the optimal move. I summon my Sabersaurus (1900/500) in attack mode!"
On Bastion's field appeared a large, brown triceratops-like monster. Its tail and tusks possessed sharp blades, just begging to skewer its opponent. The moment is fully materialised, the beast began to angrily stomp its feet as it brown scales turned blood red.
'That's an earth attribute monster,' I mused. He must be using his earth deck. And with those high attack points, it was clear he was wary of my dragons.
"Now," Bastion continued, "I'll activate the continuous spell, Heart of the Underdog. Now during each of my draw phases, if I draw a normal monster, I can draw again. And I can continue until I fail to do so." The spell appeared face up next to Bastion. I could see why the card reminded Yugi of Joey Wheeler. The guy in the artwork did look a little like him. Bastion took one more look at his hand before giving a happy hum. "With that, I think I'll end with one face down card. It is your move."
I added my sixth card to my hand before pausing to take a look at the field. Bastion was clearly looking to search for something with Heart of the Underdog in play. Whatever it was had to play into a larger strategy. To Bastion, duelling was presented as a formula to crack. He'd worked out how to counter Chazz in the anime in a single night. He must have watched my duel in the exam and decided this deck was the best thing to countermine. The safest thing to do then was play in a way he couldn't predict.
"Okay then, I think I'll set a monster and play two face downs," I said as my cards appeared before me. "From there, I'll play the spell, Reasoning! With this, you declare a level, and then I draw cards until I pull a monster. If it's the level you said, it goes to the graveyard. If not, I get to summon it."
I took a little joy as Bastion's brow furrowed. Undoubtedly, he was trying to calculate the ratio of possible monsters I had. "I see you are pulling a similar trick to your exam," he said. "I assume you are searching for your Buster Blader. That would be rather problematic to my stratagem. I choose level seven."
"Seven it is!" I drew twice, pitching a Summoner's Art and a copy of Emblem of the Dragon Destroyer to the grave before drawing a monster. "Sorry Bastion, close but no cigar. It's the level six, Luster Dragon #2 (2400/1400)!" On my field appeared a large green dragon, easily twice the size of Bastion's dinosaur. Large crystals were growing out of his legs and arms, making my beast look like it was shimmering.
"That is quite the beast," Bastion remarked, looking at my dragon in awe.
"Thank you. Just wait until you see him in action. Actually, don't wait. Luster Dragon, attack that dino!" To the side, I heard Dimitri give a cheer as my dragon took to the air and opened its maw and unleashed a torrent of blue flame towards the prone Sabersaurus.
"I'll have to wait a little longer I'm afraid," Bastion said. "Reveal facedown! Sakuretsu Armor! When I activate this card, your attacking monster is destroyed."
I silently cursed as a silvery material wrapped itself around Bastion's monster, protecting it from harm. Once my dragon's flames were cut, spikes suddenly flew from the armour, skewering my monster all over its body and making it give out a shrill cry of pain before being reducing it to pixels.
"I was careless," I groaned as I sent the card to the graveyard slot.
"You took a risk, something I am not willing to do," Bastion interjected. "During your duel with Professor Caden, I saw how you preferred to use your monsters' high attack power to deal damage quickly. It wasn't a leap to assume you would do the same here."
His explanation irked me. Bastion was a nice guy off the field but when it came to battle, he did come off as a bit of a know-it-all. And very proud too. He'd pay the price for his hubris one day when it came to facing opponents like Jaden and Tania. For now, though, I was his opponent, and I had played right into his hand.
"I end my turn," I growled.
"Too bad, Ren!" Dimitri called from the sidelines. "You'll get him next time!"
"Your friend is very supportive," Bastion said, looking over to the cheering teen.
"Yeah, it's nice to have someone watching my back," I replied, casting a side glance over.
"If only everyone were so lucky." Bastion's words seemed a little whimsical to me. Like there was something more that he wasn't saying. But before I could try and figure out what it was, he turned back to me, his usual smile back in place. "On with the duel then. I believe it was my turn."
As he drew, he turned to card to me to show a copy of the card Insect Knight. "Since this is a normal monster, Heart of the Underdog allows me to draw again. Ah, excellent, Alpha the Magnet Warrior. I draw again." This time he drew Pot of Avarice, so his Underdog's effect didn't activate again. "With that done, I'll summon the Insect Knight (1900 / 1500) I just drew."
Bastion's new monster was a humanoid cockroach wielding a sword and a buckler shield. I'd go into more detail, but I was honestly worried I might vomit. Words cannot describe the ugliness of this holographic monster. Kaiba's technology had empathised all of its worst qualities from the hair on its mandibles to the nervous twitch in its eye as it glared at me.
"That thing is repulsive," I gagged. However, despite his high-powered monsters, I was more worried about what was in his hand. He had drawn Alpha the Magnet Warrior. If his earth deck was similar to his anime deck, I had a fairly good idea of what he was searching for now. And it was not looking good for me.
"True," Bastion admitted, again breaking me from my thoughts. "But what it lacks in looks it more than makes up for in attack points. But first, as I am much more cautious than you, I believe I'll use my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy one of your face downs. The one on the right." For the second time in the space of two duels, a blue-toned tornado ripped through my field, destroying my Spellbinding Circle.
"What does everyone have against my facedown cards," I groaned. "They didn't do anything to anyone."
"And they never will," Bastion said a little smugly. "Now, I'll test the waters by having my knight attack your only defence." The Ra prodigy's abomination sprung forward, slicing through my set card.
Just as I wanted.
The moment its sword struck, it was suddenly engulfed in something pink and squishy.
"What?" Bastion gasped as his knight struggled to free itself from my monster.
"All that talk about being careful and you didn't even consider my monster was a trap itself?" I asked, feeling rather proud of my deception. Bastion had been poking fun at my plays. It felt good now the shoe was on the other foot. "I'm sure you know but that card is called Marshmallon (300/500). It can't be destroyed in battle, and when attacked while face down, you take 1000 points of damage."
At that moment, Bastion's knight finally managed to free itself of Marshmallon. However, in its struggle, it had accidentally thrown my monster at its master. Marshmallon flew into Bastion, opening its more to reveal rows of sharp teeth and bi the Ra prodigy on his arm. (Bastion LP:3000) With its job done, my monster cutely hopped back over to my side of the field and took its place in front of me. Once again, Dimitri let out a cheer, but my focus was on Bastion, who seemed more amused than anything else.
"I'll admit that move was pretty crafty." Bastion applauded. "You must have realised that I'd go after your face down cards."
"Honestly, no," I said with a laugh. "I just prefer to cover my bases."
"I see. So, you are the type of player who believes in having an equal defence and offence. I'll remember that in future. For now, I will end there."
"Then it's my turn to take a go!"
I drew my card and immediately activated it. "I play Pot of Greed!" Hey, it may be banned in future but while I have it, I'm going to exploit the hell out of it. I drew two more cards and felt the winds of change begin to blow.
"I'll start by activating my second facedown, Embodiment of Apophis! This trap becomes a monster on my field. But it won't be staying there for long. Because I'm tributing it to summon a new monster!" Dark clouds began to form overhead and the boom of thunder echoed over our little game. From my trap card, a snake being with dark skin and a snake-like body appeared, but it quickly disappeared as the crack of lightning lit up the sky.
"I call on the Summoned Skull (2500/1200)!" A single bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, striking the space next to my Marshmallon. After the blinding flash, my new beast was a tall demon, its body a horrid mix of bone and raw, purplish flesh. As it opened its bony max, a horrid squeal left it. Leathery, bat-like wings extended from its back, adding to its overall imposing visage.
"By Jove, another rare card!" Bastion cried, his calm façade broken in the face of my monster. "Just how many do you have?"
"I've been collecting for ten years, Bastion. Never underestimate the tenacity of a child with Christmas money." This card had NOT been cheap. In this time period, the Summoned Skull was still considered one of the more powerful vanilla cards in the game. In my time, it had become intertwined with the Red-Eyes archetype due to the three times Black Skull Dragon was summoned in the original anime. But now, in this moment, it got the respect it so rightly deserved.
"Battle!" I declared, my fiend raising a hand crackling with electricity in anticipation. "Your knight has overstayed its welcome. Take it out!"
Summoned Skull let out another withering cry before bolts of lightning shot out from its claw tips. Bastion's knight stood no chance and was reduced to ash with a painful scream. (Bastion: 2400 LP)
As Bastion's points reduced, I couldn't believe my luck. I was winning against one of the main characters! This was like a dream come true. Sure, I'd bested Bastion many times in video games, but this was different. There was something about seeing your opponent, reading their emotions as they made their moves, as you countered them… it was unlike anything I'd experienced back in my old life. My life points were still full too, lord knows how. If I hadn't drawn Marshmallon on the first turn, I would probably have even fewer life points than Bastion. Of course, the teen genius was far from finished.
Much to his credit though, Bastion had regained his composure after my attack. "That was a good move. But if I may take my turn?"
"Impatient, are we?" I said with a snicker. "I'll set a card and hand it over to you."
"Very well then. My draw." I noticed Bastion seemed slightly dissatisfied with his latest draw. Since Heart of the Underdog didn't activate, I took it he'd either drawn a spell or trap. He looked towards the field and then back to his own hand, seemingly evaluating his options. "Hmm… you have put me in quite a spot. I must admit, this duel has proceeded differently than I had initially calculated. But then, there comes a time in every experiment where you leave things to chance." He flashed me a confident smirk. "I believe this is one of those times."
'Did he just call this duel an experiment?' I thought, feeling a little, how you would say, irked.
"I'll start by setting a card face down and then I'll summon Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1600) in attack mode." On Bastion's field appeared a small, child-like robot with a large magnet attached to its head and two smaller magnets on its hands. "Now that I've lessened my hand, I'll play Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw until we have six cards."
Bastion drew three cards while I drew four. Card of Sanctity was a dangerous card. While it allowed you to refill your hand, your opponent did as well. He had obviously been worried about what I would draw from such a move but it appeared from the smile on his face, he was much happier with his cards than I was with mine.
"With this, I believe my winning formula is now in hand," he boasted, standing just a little taller.
"Of course it is," I groaned, slumping.
"Now, I'll tribute the magnet warrior on my field with the Alpha and Gamma magnet warriors in my hand to call forth this deck's mightiest beast! Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3850)! " Two more robots suddenly appeared on Bastion's field. One green and humanoid, holding a sword and shield, and the other pink and rotund, possessing long iron wings.
Suddenly, the three deconstructed themselves, their individual parts fitting back together to form one, powerful, new monster. True to the sum of its parts, Valkyrion had the body and sword of Alpha the Magnet Warrior; the wings, feet, and helmet of Gamma the Magnet Warrior; and the gold part of its helmet had attached to it the magnet horns of Beta the Magnet Warrior. It truly was impressive.
The powerful robot hovered a little off the ground in front of the student genius, its sword held ready to do some real damage.
"That card is so cool!" I gushed. I'd always tried to summon Valkyrion in the games but always failed because my opponent either destroyed one of the three magnet warriors, or the game ended before all the parts could come together.
"Indeed, it is. As you can also see, it is more powerful than your Summoned Skull," Bastion pointed out coolly.
"True, but you still have to break the impenetrable defence that is Marshmallon," I rebuked.
"Also true," he replied, with the hint of a smile. "Thankfully, I drew this. I activate Snatch Steal! With this, I take control of your Marshmallon!"
A large plaid bag suddenly fell from the sky, snatching up my small marshmallow before unceremoniously dumping the confused looking creature onto Bastion's side of a field. Just like that, my defence was working for the enemy.
"Oh, crap."
"Though crass, you are right to be afraid. Battle! Valkyrion, attack his Summoned Skull!"
With twin cries, our monster took to the air and traded blows. Unfortunately, with his stronger attack points, Bastion's monster prevailed, impaling my fiend on its blade. As my Skull exploded into pixels, I let out a sharp cry of pain as my life points dropped. (Ren: 3000 LP)
"And one successful assault deserves another. Sabersaurus, attack with skewering stampede!" Bastion's first monster let out an enraged cry as it finally got to charge forward, running me down and leaving me trampled. (Ren: 1100 LP) To the side, I heard Dimitri wince in sympathy as I laid out, sprawled on the floor.
It was strange, the monster was holographic and yet I still felt the discomfort of being attacked. Was it my duel disk? I had always found it weird how the characters on the shows fell or winced from holographic assaults. Maybe it was one of the traits of solid vision technology. You didn't exactly feel the hit but at the same time, you didn't come out completely unscathed.
As Bastion's dino returned to his field, I pushed myself up. Across the field, Marshmallon shot me a look of sympathy. Very emotive of it. I cracked my neck and looked Bastion plain in the eyes. "I've still got life points Bastion. I thought that was your winning formula."
"All in due time, my friend. It would seem your last facedown was a bluff. So, for now, I'll set this and end my turn there."
It occurred to me that at the start of the series, whenever he appeared, he was always rather cool-headed and calculating. It wasn't until later in the year that he started overreacting to everything. I knew it was the writer choice in the show to make him more of a comic relief character, but I suppose an in-universe reason would be that Jaden and the other Slifers' laid-back attitudes grew on him. I was actually glad I was facing him now. He was much more down to earth. Well, as far as a teenage genius could be anyway.
"You know Bastion, I've actually really enjoyed this," I said honestly. "You're a really good duellist. Every moment of this has been a blast."
The teen genius's eyes momentarily widened before he took on a softer expression. "I too have enjoyed this. You've really pushed me to bring out my best. I suppose I should thank you."
"You're welcome," I said with a smile. "I suppose I should thank you too for refilling my hand. It would have been hard to come back from this with only two cards."
"Oh, you still think you can win? From all accounts, you are completely outmatched."
"Is that so?" I asked with a grin. "I'll show you just what I can do."
'I can't do a fucking thing!'
I was speaking bravely but my mouth was cashing cheques I couldn't pay. My hand was utter dog shite. Only one card was decent and even then, it wouldn't help with the field as it was. Plus, Bastion's last facedown was clearly the one he was banking on to win him the game. The 'winning formula crap' had given him away. He was fully expecting me to pull out a monster that could take out his Valkyrion and had a card ready for it. His other facedown was Pot of Avarice, which he'd set to get more cards from Card of Sanctity.
How was I in a protagonist situation? Again? One turn left. Cards against the wall. One draw. Fuck me, I'm supposed to be a background character, dammit! Yes, I'd enjoyed the duel, but I didn't think I'd win it going in. And now here I am, desperate to try and steal victory from the jaws of defeat.
My mind wandered back to when I threw the match at the Junior Tournament to avoid a prep school. That had been an easy decision. I didn't know my opponent; I didn't care about his opinion. But Bastion was one of my childhood heroes. And he had pulled everything out of his deck to defeat me seriously. It felt wrong not to do the same.
Fine, this was my last duel against a protagonist. After this, I avoid them. Say no to everything offered. But before I start my life as a duelling hermit, I'm going out with a bang!
"My draw!" I cried, snapping the card from my disk.
"Took you long enough!" Dimitri called. "What took you so long?"
I chose to ignore him. Figures when I inner monologue, everyone notices the time passing.
I took a look at the card I drew and felt a grin spread over my face. "Firstly, I'll take the 1000 life points Snatch Steal gives me for nicking my monster." A calming aura washed over me as my points bolstered (Ren: 2100 LP) "Now, I'll set a card. Then I'll activate the card I drew, Card Destruction! We both discard our hands and then draw the same number of cards we released." I sent my hand to the graveyard and drew five new cards. Not to steal Bastion's line, but in those cards, I found my 'winning formula'.
"Get something good?" Bastion asked, his confident demeanour diminished. Since he'd used up his hand on the last go, he got nothing new.
"You better believe it," I said. "I play Foolish Burial, to send Buster Blader from my deck to the graveyard. But he won't be there for long. I play the plot arm- ahem, spell card, Monster Reborn! Come back Buster Blader (2600/2300)!"
My ace monster burst through the ground, pushing aside dirt and muck to stand alongside me on my side of the field. Confidently, he pointed his sword at Valkyrion challengingly.
"That was a good move Ren, but I'm afraid my monster is still stronger," Bastion said, seemingly still confident in his victory.
"And I'm afraid I'm not done with my move. I summon the Summoner Monk (800/1600)!" A blue-skinned old man appeared on my field, draped in a purple robe. Twin trails of white hair fell from beneath his hood. "Once this guy is summoned, he immediately turns to defence mode. But I'm more interested in his second effect. By discarding a spell from my hand, I can summon a level four monster from my deck." I pitched my own copy of Card of Sanctity as my monster began chanting, a magic circle forming at his feet. "I summon, the Mirage Dragon (1600/600)!"
From the circle emerged a long-bodied yellow dragon with a scythe-like tail and a blue mane of hair around its head. The moment it took the field, Bastion paled, looking down towards his face down.
"From your expression, I take it you know my dragon's effect," I said.
"During the battle phase, I won't be able to activate my traps," Bastion growled.
"Yep. And now for the matter of that pesky attack point difference. I'll activate my first face down, DNA Surgery! It allows me to change the type of every monster on the field into anything I want. And I choose dragons!"
All at once, the monsters on the field began to morph and change. Leathery wings burst from the back of my Buster Blader and Summoner Monk and Bastion's Sabersaurus. Meanwhile, Marshmallon and Valkyrion both grew scales and gained a pointed snout.
"Oh no."
"Oh yes!" I cried, doing my best David Tennant impression. "Buster Blader's effect activates, allowing him to gain 500 attack points for every dragon on your side of the field. With three, that's 1500!" My warrior let out a heated cry as the blue jewels on his sword began to glow. (4100 ATK)
"But I'm not done just yet," I cried. "I reveal my second card. The equip spell, United We Stand! This gives my Blader another 800 points for every monster on my field." The glow of my monster's sword grew brighter as a golden aura flowed from my other monster into him. (6500 ATK)
"6500 points!" Bastion gasped in shock, involuntarily taking a step back.
"It's over," I declared, thrusting my hand forward. "Go, Buster Blader! Attack Valkyrion with Destruction Sword Flash!"
With a flap of his new wings, my blader took to the air, meeting Bastion's monster head-on. Just as before, the two traded blows with their swords, sparks flying and the clash of steel ringing across the cliff tops. However, with a sideways slash, Buster Blader shattered Valkyrion's sword before landing the finishing blow, plunging his own blade deep into the monster's chest.
Valkyrion let out a solemn cry, before bursting into flame. Bastion watched helplessly as his monster, and his life points fell into non-existence. (Bastion: 0 LP. Ren Wins)
As the holograms faded, I walked over to Bastion and offered my hand. "That was a good game. Thanks for a great duel."
While Bastion initially looked disappointed, he quickly shook it away and smiled sincerely, taking my hand in his own. "You as well. It is not often my calculations are off. I was not expecting you to have monsters in your deck other than dragons."
"Hey, I'm not a one-trick pony. I appreciate all monsters, no matter their type," I said, breaking away.
"So, it would seem. It appears I'll have to adjust my strategy for next time we duel."
"Er… sure." Not happening. I quit duelling main characters. Going cold turkey. It was probably inevitable I'd run into Bastion being in the same dorm, but there was very little chance of me running into any others outside of class.
"Woah! That duel was sweet! You guys are awesome!"
For the second time in two days, I froze.
Creakily, I turned my head to the left. It seemed my game with Bastion had attracted some onlookers. Seemingly having joined Dimitri when we weren't looking were two teens wearing Slifer red uniforms. A wild Jaden Yuki and Syrus Truesdale had appeared. The former was looking at both Bastion and me in awe, his Kuriboh-like hair blowing in the breeze whilst Syrus was fighting with his own long and shaggy blue hair to stop it from blowing in his face.
'WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING HERE?!' I internally screamed.
"Ah, Jaden, when did you arrive?" Bastion asked calmly, less taken aback than I was.
"Sy and I were checking out the academy when we spotted those storm clouds and lightning. We figured a duel was going down and came to check it out," the Slifer teen explained cheerily, walking over and turning to me. "You have some sweet moves! I'd love to throw down with you sometime. Oh, I'm Jaden by the way. Jaden Yuki."
"Ren Cambell," I said tiredly, shaking his hand. His grip was a little loose, but he pulled my arm up and down like a bloody jackhammer. He certainly had a lot of energy.
"So how about it, either of you guys up for another duel," Jaden continued, his head constantly looking between us expectantly.
"I'm afraid I'm not quite ready to duel you yet, Jaden," Bastion said as politely as he could. "It appears I've got to take my earth deck back to the drawing board too. I was unhappy."
"Oh, that's cool. Perhaps you then, Ren?"
'Hell no! Remember your promise,' my conscience told me.
"Sorry, but I promised Dimitri we'd check out the academy after the duel," I said, extremely grateful to have my fellow Ra with me.
"Ah, c'mon! Please? I've gotta have a go against your Buster Blader!" Jaden asked, his eyes wide and innocent, like a child begging for an extra cookie with dessert.
"Jaden, they're busy! You can duel him another time," Syrus, the voice of reason, said as he too came over along with Dimitri. "Oh, I'm Syrus by the way. It's nice to meet you."
"You too," I said, beaming at him. At that moment, Syrus had become my favourite character.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right…" Jaden groaned, looking a little crestfallen. However, his optimism quickly shone through once more. "You said you were going to check out the academy, right? We'll go with you."
'Oh no, no, no, no, no! Background characters do not interact with the protagonist. We just need to politely decline and then head in the opposite direction,' my inner voice spoke up again. I was just about to put words to these thoughts when Dimitri opened his big mouth.
"Sure, it'll be better with more people," he said cheerily, matching Jaden's energy.
'Dimitri! How could you betray me?'
"Yeah!" the hero user cheered. "Let's go then! I can't wait to see what this place has in store!" As one, he and Dimitri raced back up the cliff, leaving me, Syrus and Bastion behind.
"Sorry about that," the bluenette said, turning back to me and bowing. "We didn't mean to intrude on your plans."
"No, it's fine," I said resignedly. "I suppose there isn't really much of a choice now anyway. Hey Bastion, do you want to come too?"
The teen genius looked at me wide-eyed. It appeared he hadn't been expecting an invitation. "You're okay with me coming with you?" he asked. It seemed when it came to anything other than duelling or his calculation, he could easily be surprised.
"Well, it would be rude not to at this point after saying all that in front of you," I said, rubbing the back of my head. "C'mon, we'd best catch up with them before we lose them."
"Yeah," Syrus cheered, his mood a bit chipper now that he'd cleared things up with us. The three of us made our way back up the cliff, finding the other two jogging on the spot waiting for us.
"So where to first?" I asked as we all headed off.
For the rest of the day, the five of us went around the island. Unsurprisingly, the place was so big we were unable to see it all, however, we did manage to hit up the hot springs and main academy building. The former was definitely a place I would visit often. It looked fantastic in the anime, and I couldn't wait to soak in the hot waters.
Now, while I had no plans to hang out with them again, I'll admit that Jaden and Syrus were pretty fun to hang out with. Jaden's unending positivity was delightful in its own way and managed to keep us all in high spirits. Meanwhile, Syrus was down to earth enough that I managed to have an actual conversation with him that wasn't related to duelling. A much welcome change.
At one point Jaden began regaling us with the tale of his 'almost' defeat of Chazz Princeton. It seemed their midnight confrontation had gone off without a hitch. I was somewhat disappointed I'd missed it. I'll admit that I wanted a close up look of the Flame Wingman. However, soon, the conversation turned to the dorm situation.
We had stopped by the Ra dorm for lunch, inviting Jaden and Syrus inside for some food. They were overjoyed by the food the cafeteria supplied, Syrus particularly grateful for the meal of average food. "Oh, I can't believe you guys are going to get to eat this every day! The stuff at the Slifer dorm is awful! Our welcome meal was just a grilled sardine, rice and some soup! I have no idea how Jaden or Logan managed to be satisfied with it."
My ears pricked at the mention of my fellow reincarnatee. Now that I thought about it, why wasn't he here with Jaden and Syrus? Had he not become friends with them? No, Syrus wouldn't have mentioned him otherwise.
"Logan? As in Logan Evans? The guy who also beat that Crowler guy?" I probed, leaning forward.
"Yeah, that's him," Syrus confirmed. "He actually wanted to be placed in the Slifer Dorms, can you believe it? Said he wants to earn his way up. I think he was pretty stupid not to go straight for Obelisk."
"He's definitely got the skill for it," Jaden chimed in, although it was hard to understand him with his mouth full. After swallowing, the hero duellist continued. "Crowler was tough. To be able to beat him in one turn is insane!"
"You haven't duelled him then?" Bastion inquired.
"Not yet," Jaden replied. "Although I'm going to keep trying. I've got to take on his Judgement Dragon!"
"You already challenged him?" I asked.
"Yeah, but he said he was busy," Jaden said disappointedly. "The guy seems like a good dude though. We should definitely all get together at some point."
His optimism was nice but frankly, I wanted to try and find out more about the guy before confronting him, let alone hang out with him. "Why isn't he here with you guys?" I asked.
"He's still busy," Syrus said. "His roommates said they didn't see him this morning."
"Oh, I see. The guy must have decided to explore on his own."
After that, the chat descended into more mundane things like what we thought classes were going to be like. By the sounds of things, we were all going to be in the same class for the foreseeable future. However, my mind was elsewhere.
'Just what the hell is he doing?'
"So, are you looking forward to classes?" Zane asked Alexis as the two of them made their way over to the main academy building. Alexis wanted to get a start on some of her curriculum and Zane, having nothing to do, had decided to accompany her.
"As much as anyone is, I suppose," she replied somewhat distantly. The truth was she actually wanted to get her mind off the entrance exam duels. Seeing Ren Cambell had brought up some bad memories and she wanted to distract herself from them. She was grateful for Zane's company. Since the two of them were going to the academy, they were both wearing their white and blue lined uniforms.
"You'll pass Crowler's class with no issues," he stated in his own no-nonsense type of way. His words seemed cold, but Alexis knew he was trying to encourage her. She liked spending time with him. He had somewhat taken over for Atticus after he…
She shook her head. No more bad thoughts. She didn't need them right now.
It was at that moment that Alexis noticed Zane had stopped in the middle of the path, his gaze narrowed and focused on something up ahead. The Obelisk queen looked down the path to see none other than the Entrance Exams other surprise upset, Logan Evens, standing in the road. Unlike them, he was wearing a white shirt, jeans and a black leather jacket. His eyes darted between the two of them, briefly lingering on her, much to her discomfort, before focusing on Zane.
"What is it freshman," Zane said, his posture immediately adopting the stoic outlook he had cultivated the last three years.
Smirking, Logan took a step forward and pointed straight at the Kaiser of the academy.
"Zane Truesdale! I challenge you to a duel!"
So yeah, Ren has already run into trouble pursuing his life as a background character as Bastion forces him into a duel and Jaden and Syrus find them. Also, what is Logan up to? Find out next time.
Just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. It is really appreciated! I've decided that I'm going to be splitting chapters up into light novel style volumes. As these are Ren's early days at the academy, I'm going to be focusing on the early episode close up from the anime, although, with Ren and Logan involved, you can expect nothing to go as you would expect.
For anyone who is interested, Bastion's deck, with the exception of Card of Sanctity, was based on his first deck from Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force. Such a good game, oh the nostalgia.
Once again, thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed already. If you haven't already, please don't forget to fav, follow and leave some thoughts as I would love to know what you guys are enjoying and what can be improved upon. See you next time :)