Staying in the Background

by Emblemfan1

Ren Cambell awakes in the GX universe. However, why should he get involved with the plot? Everything's going to be fine anyway if he stays away from the protagonists, right? He's just a background character in this world. He's got a second chance to live his best life. Become a pro duelist, get a girlfriend and get rich off card games. Wait... Who's that other guy? (Self-Insert/OC)

15. Chapter 15

Hey everyone, hope you are all doing alright. Before I begin today, just want to let you know I'm still working on the Discord page. Turns out I've got a whole lot to learn before it's ready. I'll let you all know as soon as it's up.

With that, on with the show.

Update: 1/3/2022 - Changes to Jinzo's dialogue to better explain what happens with Ren.

---

Staying in the Background

Clash of Ideals – Spirit and Monkey

Life is not like an anime. It happens all at once in no particular order. There are similarities between events or coincidences that can't be explained. However, there isn't a singular hero who solves all your problems. People don't wait for the hero's convenience to make a move, and things don't happen on a weekly schedule. You can be taken by surprise so quickly that it leaves your head spinning and your heart thumping so fiercely you can feel it against your chest. You feel sick, cold, anxious and scared all at the same time.

That was how I felt as I looked at Chazz standing victoriously over Logan's prone form, the obelisk's hand pointed towards me and Jaden. His eyes were sharp and focused, a clear goal in front of him and confidence practically oozing from him.

This was not how it was supposed to be. Chazz should have lost this duel, prompting him to leave his pride and Duel Academy behind. He'd go to North Academy and become its top duelist before returning to Duel Academy after losing to Jaden again in the school duel. None of the that was certain now.

Chazz continued to glare at us for a few more seconds before turning on his heel and leaving the duel arena, Crowler hot on his heels. With the two Obelisks gone, Jaden, Syrus and Chumley all ran over to the crestfallen Logan.

"Hey man, are you alright?" Jaden asked.

"Don't feel too bad," Syrus said, gently patting the teen's back. "You were just unlucky this time."
"You couldn't have known he was packing that dragon," Chumley said.

Logan said nothing, his eyes glued to the ground. "I… I Lost…" he mumbled in disbelief. "I'm not supposed to…"

"Hey, it happens sometimes, man," Jaden said. "Don't let it get you down. You just have to get back up and get stronger. Hell, I lost to Zane and Ren the other week. I'm still standing strong." He probably meant for those words to be reassuring. A message to keep going. But when Logan heard those words, his eyes went wide, and his gaze shifted to me. I met his eye but quickly turned away. He continued to stare at me in disbelief as Jaden and Chumley helped him back to his feet.

"Let's get back to the dorm and I'll make ya a grilled cheese. Great comfort food." Together, the four made their way for the door. I followed them out, my head just as low as Logan's. My mind was racing, still trying to work out exactly what had happened. Chazz should not have Light and Darkness Dragon. At least not in the anime timeline. I had already seen that there were some manga influences present in this world, but I had never thought that Chazz would change his entire deck.

What would that mean for the future? Chazz had seemed far more confident now than he did in the anime. And after defeating Logan, he'd probably become a hero among the Obelisks. Logan hadn't exactly done himself any favours by targeting them during the first few weeks of term. Chazz now had no reason I could see to leave. He had everything he wanted now. No doubt his brothers would also shower him with praise, further increasing his reassurance.

But with that said, what other manga plot elements could I expect to see? If I have to end up facing Tragoedia alongside everything else I can expect to haunt me in the future, I'll scream. My attention turned back to Logan, whose head was once again down and seeming more depressed than before. He shouldn't have lost this duel. I couldn't lie and say I wasn't a little angry with him. He couldn't have foreseen Chazz's change in deck. And yet he also shouldn't have let his ego get the better of him. He put far too much faith in his Lightsworns. That was what allowed Chazz to prepare for him. That was what had resulted in this defeat. And I refused to let it happen again.

---

"You have performed excellently, Chazz. Oh, the look on that Slifer's face when he lost was delightful," Crowler cooed as he followed the victorious Obelisk through the corridors. Chazz listened but remained quiet. He was in no mood for Crowler's honey-soaked words when he knew the teacher was only saying them because he had won. If he had lost, he doubted Crowler would even be talking to him. Then again, he did know that Crowler had a grudge against Logan. That probably had something to do with Crowler's praise. "I know we've had our differences recently my boy, but I can see big things in your future."

Chazz stopped at the lift and pressed the button. He waited patiently while Crowler continued to talk, completely unaware that Chazz had blocked him out. When the doors finally opened, Chazz hurriedly stepped in. "This is a victory for all Obelisks Chazz. You should be proud."

"I am."

Chazz hit a button and the lift doors closed in Crowler's face. Now alone, Chazz let out a deep sigh and allowed his posture to relax. He did feel proud. For the first time in a long while, it felt like he had finally taken a step towards his goal. He placed his hand on his deck box and heard a soft coo resonate from the spirit of the dragon within.

"Thank you for your help," he whispered, earning him another affectionate growl. While the battle had been short, it was stressful. Now he just wanted to go back to his room and get some much-needed rest. As the lift came to the ground floor, Chazz stepped off and was about to head back to the dorm when he heard a high pitched, whiny voice in his ear.

"Hey, that was a nice win there. You sure showed that other guy. Where you going now? Can I come?"

---

Hours later, I sat with the Slifers in their dorm cafeteria. We all had a plate in front of us with a piece of grilled cheese on courtesy of Chumley. We were all sitting around one table watching Logan as he slowly poked at his food. The guys had all been trying to make the Lightsworn user feel better to little effect. I had decided to come too, on the chance that I might be able to discuss things with Logan. Although there hadn't been an opportunity so far.

Every now and again, he'd sneak glances at me when he thought I wasn't paying attention before turning away. I suspected he wanted to talk but with Jaden and the others here, we couldn't just talk freely. We had to wait. Thankfully, at the moment, Professor Banner happened to walk through the doors.

"Ah, I wasn't expecting so many people to be in here," he said, giving our small little group a friendly smile. "However, this is quite fortuitous."

"Huh? Is there something you need help with Professor?" Syrus asked.

"Why yes. The restock of food for the dorm has just arrived. Jaden, Syrus, Chumley, would you be so kind as to help me move it to storage?"

The three boys looked from the professor to Logan, unsure whether to leave him alone. However, I wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by. "You guys go. I'll stay here."

"You sure?" Jaden asked.

"Yeah. It'll be quicker with the three of you, right?"

"Alright, we'll be back soon." The three got up and followed Banner back outside. I waited until I could no longer see their shadows in the window before turning to Logan.

"How are you feeling?" I asked quickly. I didn't get an initial reply as Logan took a small nibble of his food. My foot tapped against the ground nervously, my eyes darting to the windows in case one of the others came back.

"How do you think?" he finally said. "I lost to Chazz of all people. The guy who was a spoiled brat. He saw through my every move and lured me into a trap I should have seen through. I feel like shit. How could he have that bloody dragon? I thought this was supposed to be the anime world... If he didn't have that, I would have won."

"Well, the fact stands he did have it and you lost. We have to move on," I said, a little more harshly than I meant to. I could feel my hand shaking beneath the table.

Logan winced, turning his head slightly away from me. "I bet you're pretty pissed with me too. Especially since your precious canon is off the rails."

"Yeah, I am," I admitted. His shoulders sagged and he took another bite of his sandwich. "However, this is probably partially my fault too. Chazz has been going through a lot more losses than he did in canon. His pride has taken way too many hits. Yesterday, I saw him at the card shop buying loads of card packs. I should have known something was wrong then and warned you."

Logan's brow raised. "Did you beat him?" he asked.

"Yeah…"

Logan let out a low groan before sagging onto the table. "Jaden, Chazz… You keep saying you want to be a background character and then you do stuff like that. It's frustrating. You do all the stuff I want to do and do it without even trying to. I don't get it, I really don't. The Lightsworns should be undefeatable at this point in time. What did I do wrong?"

"Well for one, as Chazz so lovingly put it, you've become predictable."

"Huh?"

"Think about it, you spent the first few weeks of the school year taking on Obelisks and humiliating them. However, that also meant they each got a look at your playstyle. And then, they'll go back to their buddies, who you also beat, and compare notes. Slowly but surely, your strategies get unravelled and word spreads about how they can beat you. Have you even changed your deck since coming to the academy?"

"No."

"Have you ever bought any cards from the shop?"

"I didn't think I'd need to…" he mumbled.

"Just how much DP have you built up?"

He fished out his PDA from his pocket and brought up his account before showing it to me. My eyes bugged out. He had so much!

"How have you not spent this?" I practically cried.

"Well, I use it to buy food at the academy so I can save my cash." That would normally be wise, but not when you're at a school dedicated to a game that is constantly evolving.

"Go and buy some new cards!" I pressed. "If you keep on as you are, you're going to start losing a lot more. You want to know how I beat Jaden and Chazz, it's because I'm constantly changing my strategies and cards in response to what happens in a duel. If you want to keep using the Lightsworns, fine, but find something that works well with them and can augment your deck. I mean, that's just common sense."

"I know…" he said dejectedly. I didn't believe he truly understood the repercussions of what was happening. The way he was acting, the way he was talking, it reminded me of a child being scolded who would just say what they thought their lecturer wanted to hear in the hope they'd get to the end faster. I wasn't having any of it.

I slammed my hand against the table, finally getting a proper reaction out of him. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself and listen. I don't know if you've realised this, but things have changed. If Chazz stays at the academy, we have to be prepared for more surprises. Surprises that could very well end up meaning disaster for us."

"You're exaggerating," Logan said. "At most, Chazz just won't go to North Academy and won't duel in the school duel. He'll more than likely still be a key keeper."

"Maybe, but I'm not ready to take that bet. If this has changed, who knows what else will. We both need to get our acts together and have something ready for whatever can be thrown at us."

He looked at me with wide eyes before he looked down at my hands. "You're shaking," he said.

My right hand was indeed trembling against the wood of the table. I used my left hand to hold it and gently ran my thumb against the palm. Still, it shook. "Logan, I'm scared. Up until now, there was a plan. The future was set. We knew what to expect. And now that we can't…" I let that hang in the air, hoping that the unspoken message would get through to Logan. He seemed focused as far as I could see. "I'm not going to tell you what to do. My comments about your deck are just advice. Feel free to take it or not. I just want us both to be ready. Kagemaru and the Shadow Riders, The Society of Light, Yubel, Nightshroud. Like it or not, we are both connected to this now. We need to be prepared."

Logan, to his credit, did look like he was actually thinking about my words. That was a start. He opened his mouth to say something when the door to the cafeteria was once again thrown open and Jaden, Syrus and Chumley strolled back in. "Woo! That was more than I was expecting," Jaden said as he stretched his arms. "We're back! Did we miss much?"

"Not at all," I said, flashing him my false smile. "But now that you're back, it's probably best I head back."

"Really?" Jaden asked a little sullenly.

"Yeah, it's getting late and I don't want to miss curfew. I'll catch you guys soon." I quickly turned back to Logan and whispered, "Think about what I told you, okay?"

After giving the boys another wave, I quickly made my way out of the dorm, almost running into Professor Banner as he was about to enter. "Oh, leaving so soon?" he asked kindly.

"Yes sir," I said, doing my best to sound natural.

"Well, be safe. You never know what kind of danger lurks in the dark." He had said it with a smile but by all intents, it sounded like a threat. Had he heard my conversation with Logan? No, he was with Jaden and the others. But still, the seed of worry was planted. I'd have to remember to be more careful in future.

Banner entered the cafeteria and I turned and began making my way towards the Blue Dorm. Along the way, I took out my PDA and sent a message to Bastion, telling him the result of the duel. Always the punctual person, he quickly sent me a reply, giving his condolences. We spoke for a little longer before Bastion invited me to go to the library and study with him the next day. I didn't see a reason not to and agreed. I also suggested inviting Sadie and Dimitri. There was a small gap in replies at that point. After an unusual few minutes of silence, he finally agreed.

That was weird for him. He'd acted weird earlier as well. Something was up with him. I quickly made a mental note to ask him what was wrong at the library. But that was something better done in person. In the meantime, I sent the invites out to Sadie and Dimitri. Hopefully, things would be a bit more normal tomorrow.

---

"Nice job, Chazz! You really got a victory for the dorm!"

"We totally showed that Slifer the pride of Obelisk."

"It was simple when you think about it. We should have seen it sooner."

"You really showed why those in the blue dorm are the best in the academy."

It went on and on like this as Chazz sat down to eat his dinner. Word of his victory against Logan had spread like wildfire and everyone wanted to come over to congratulate him. Only yesterday, he would have revelled in the attention he was being given. He would have joined in at the poking of the Slifer pride and exaggerated his victory. Now, these peoples' words were hollow and entirely self-serving.

Finally, Chazz had had enough of the pointless talk. Gathering up his plate, he stood up and made his way to the door, leaving the patronising Obelisks behind as they chatted amongst themselves, so absorbed they didn't realise he was gone.

'Idiots. What's this 'we' business? They didn't do anything. This victory was mine, and mine alone.' His anger only grew as he thought about how all the obelisks had been avoiding him, viewing him as weak due to his recent losses. Now they couldn't wait to get back in his good books. The true, two-faced nature of many obelisks on full display. Then again, he had been just like them.

He had foolishly believed that just because he wore a blue coat, he had reached the top, that he was already greatness in the making. So many of those in the blue dorm viewed that coat as a symbol of their superiority and that they deserved all the privilege that came along with the rank. How wrong that was. Chazz could see it now. The blue coat wasn't a reward, it was a shackle. A ball and chain that weighed down a duellist and made them lazy, foolhardy and arrogant.

Most didn't even earn it. They were granted immediate access due to their money or family influence and let it go to their heads. It was an excuse not to try. Now they even claimed his victories as their own since they couldn't win themselves. It was pathetic. Why he had used to value that jacket so highly was beyond him. Of course, all this irritation wasn't exactly fully directed towards his peers. There was also the nuisance floating over his shoulder.

"Wow! Those guys seemed really nice. Are they your friends?" The floating, ethereal yellow gremlin asked as it flew next to his shoulder. It was only as big as his forearm, with his eyes attached to gangly eye stalks and was only wearing a red bikini bottom that was not flattering in any way. This spirit, the spirit of Ojama Yellow, hadn't left him alone since he had ditched Crowler in the lift.

It just kept talking and talking and talking and wouldn't shut up! He did his best to ignore it. He'd tried to get rid of it and had literally tried slapping it away to no effect. It just kept coming back! He didn't even know why it was bothering him! There wasn't even an Ojama Yellow in his deck! The only thing stopping him from screaming at the spirit was that he would seem like a freak because no one else could see or hear the bloody thing.

"Go away," he hissed.

"What was that? Sorry I didn't hear ya. Hey, that food looks delicious! I wish I could have some. Hey, y'know what we should do? Let's have a pizza party! We're celebrating after all."

"'We' aren't celebrating anything. Go away!"

"Ah, don't be like that. Oh, I know what'll cheer you up. Tickle fight!" The spirit began floating around his body, using his stubby little fingers to try and tickle the Obelisk. It did nothing since he was a spirit but it was extremely annoying

"Buzz off!" Chazz cried, his patience at its end.

"Uh…"

Chazz paused, looking to his left to see two other students staring at him strangely. "No, not you… uh…" He quickly turned on his heel and began walking faster towards his room. The moment he got there, he quickly locked the door and took his food to the desk.

"Wow, you seem really stressed, Boss. Let's take some relaxing breaths."

"Go away! Why are you even here? What did I do to deserve this?"

"Oh like you don't know. You put me in your deck after all," The little spirit said, wiggling its behind.

"What? No, I didn't. There's no way I would do that." Quickly, he took out his cards from his deck box and began shuffling through them. "Look! See, not here."

"Yeah I am. Look there!" The Ojama pointed to a certain card that was definitely not him.

"Uh…"

"Not that card. Behind it."

In utter confusion, Chazz reached out to the card, which was a copy of Masked Dragon, and felt something off about the card. It seemed thicker than normal. He rubbed his fingers against the card, and it began to shift. Sure enough, right behind the card was another depicting the little yellow gremlin. The card was sticky, a small stain in the middle of the card. "How did this happen?" Chazz asked in disbelief.

"Well, I don't know, but if I had to guess, it probably had something to do with your eating habits," the Ojama offered helpfully. "The way you handled your food, you probably got some sauce on your fingers or somethin'."

"Well, I'm correcting that mistake right now." Chazz was about to remove the Ojama from his deck when there was a loud crash outside. "What the?" Momentarily forgetting what he was thinking about, the obelisk teen rushed over to the door and threw it open to find another student with long, brown hair and glasses hastily collecting a horde of candles off the floor. It took him a moment, but Chazz recognised the teen as Torrey, the blue dorms student rep. The moment Torrey realised he'd been spotted, he flinched.

"What are you doing?" Chazz growled.

"Uh, I just got back from the student store. I slipped and dropped my candles," Torrey hastily explained.

Chazz couldn't see a reason not to believe him and merely shrugged. "Just make sure you don't leave anything outside my door. I don't want to trip over them." He closed the door without giving Torrey a chance to reply. It was only then that he questioned whether the store sold candles. However, before he could think on it further, his phone beeped, showing text messages from his brothers.

Slade: Heard you won your match. Good work.

Jagger: Make the family proud. You need to reach the top.

Even when they congratulated him, they treated it like a business transaction. It made him feel like one of their employees rather than their brother. It was infuriating. He looked down at the blue coat he was wearing. It felt tight and restrictive now. With a growl, he slipped off the garment and threw it onto the bed before stretching his arms, relishing in the range of movement he now had.

Looking back to the discarded garment that he had once taken so much pride in, he now felt only disgust. Then he heard the low growl he had become familiar with and saw the ethereal white and black wings wrap around him. A small smile on his lips, Chazz reached his hand up and the spirit of Light and Darkness Dragon lowered its head towards it. While they couldn't touch, the gesture was known between them.

"What now?" Chazz asked the dragon.

---

The next morning, I took a small detour on my path to school and stopped by the yellow dorm. Bastion came out a couple of minutes after. His leg was now in a Velcro cast, designed so that he could walk without his crutches. While his movements were slow, it was clear that he was much better off than the days before. He was healing quickly, so his injury couldn't have been as bad as I had initially feared.

"Hello there," he called good-naturedly.

"Bastion Misawa," I said, my voice going deeper on instinct.

"What?" he asked, utterly confused.

"Right, it's not out yet," I murmured to myself, mentally kicking myself for paraphrasing the famous meme from my timeline.

"I didn't catch that either."

"It's nothing. Just trying to be funny. Clearly didn't stick. You ready to go?" I said quickly, trying to move the conversation along.

"Yes, but bear in mind I'll have to take things slowly," he said with a sly smile.

"Just more time to talk then. And besides, who wants to be early for school? How is your leg anyway?" I asked, falling into step alongside.

"It's doing better. Still a bit painful if I do a sharp movement, but I'd say I'm on the mend."

"Good. You wouldn't want to be hurt before the winter holiday."

"Oh yes, it is almost that time of year. Do you have any plans?"

I shrugged. "Not particularly. Go home, see the folks, do homework, that sort of stuff. Yourself?"

"I suspect I'll be the same. Still, it will be nice to spend some time at home. The island is nice, but I am rather missing my family."

"Yeah… I can relate…" My thoughts drifted to my two families, my previous one and my new one. While my new parents were great, I still missed them immensely. Especially around the holidays and with the anniversary of my rebirth coming up. I shook my head, banishing the thoughts. "We still up for that library sesh later?"

"Yes, I feel late-night revision would do us some good, especially with the exams coming up. And you still have to finish your essay for Chancellor Sheppard, right?"

"Uh, don't remind me…" That said, with the Chancellor mentioned, I probably should have taken the time the time to let Logan know Eve had woken up. In fact, I should probably let Alexis know too and warn her about Eve's amnesia. No one needed her going to visit and making the girl panic by asking questions she wouldn't know the answer to. Just more things on the to-do list that was already two miles long. Speaking of which…

"By the way, is everything alright with you?" I said, changing the topic out of the blue.

"Hmm, what do you mean?" Bastion asked, his brows raising.

"It's just that yesterday you were acting a little weird when I mentioned Sadie." His posture immediately tensed, and his head snapped forward, not meeting my eye. There was definitely something up. "Is everything okay between the two of you?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't it be?" he said a little too quickly.

"I don't know, it's just the way you acted. The two of you aren't fighting or anything?"

"What? No, no, no. Nothing like that," he said, finally turning towards me with a panicked expression. "What would make you say that?"

"I don't know, you just seemed to be avoiding talking about her. I just thought-"

"Ren, I promise you it's nothing like that. Please don't worry about it." That did nothing to alleviate my fears. He was still avoiding the issue. But before I could question him further, he clapped his hands together. "Anyway, we should hurry. School will be starting soon after all." Grunting with effort, Bastion picked up the pace, hobbling forward with determination that had me panicking.

"Hey, calm down! You're just going to aggravate your injury."

---

Logan walked alone that morning, having left the Slifer Dorm before the others. He was still feeling down about the previous day and didn't want his bad mood to ruin Jaden and the others' good mood. He had another reason for going out early as well. He wanted to go to the card shop and take Ren's advice. He didn't want to change his deck completely, but some more support for it couldn't hurt.

As he walked, Lumina appeared at his side, floating next to him just above the ground. "Good morning, My Saviour. How are you feeling?"

"Not great Lumina. I suppose you're disappointed in me," he said self loathingly. He hadn't been looking forward to this conversation.

Lumina cocked her head as she looked at him. "Why would I be disappointed?"

"Because I lost the duel."

She shook her head. "That duel was inconsequential. The result meant nothing."

"Meant nothing?" Logan growled. He stopped and rounded on the spirit, his face growing hot. "How can it have meant nothing? I lost the duel! Chazz is still here! I've messed everything up again!"

"That sounds like the influence of The Other," she said. "You are putting more stock in his words."

"Well, maybe Ren is right. I haven't exactly done much good here!" Logan snapped.

"You have suffered a loss, and it has affected your resolve," she said. "You feel that because you have lost, you are unworthy. You are wrong. This loss is may not be what you desired, but time has a way of correcting itself. I know how you hunger for victory, how you wish to fulfil your dream, but this loss is not the end. Stand tall and use it as a lesson. You are still growing. You can not be expected to win every duel. Continue to move forward and a better world will come. As for the concerns of The Other, his view is narrow. The path this world will take is already beginning to change. Do what you feel is right."

She faded away again, leaving Logan once again on his own. He didn't exactly know how to feel about Lumina's words. It sounded like she was trying to reassure him, and yet she was still refraining from telling him anything about a mission she clearly knew about. While he had been ecstatic at first to have his own spirit, he was beginning to feel uneasy. He was becoming more and more certain Lumina had her own agenda. He wanted to trust her, she had sworn to tell him the truth after all, but with everything going on, his faith was shaken.

But she had said one thing that made sense.

"I have to keep moving forward," he murmured to himself as he continued on.

---

Time went by quickly that day, as it always does when you're distracted. I spent my time side-eyeing Bastion as he pretended that I wasn't. I had received a message from Sadie and surprisingly Dimitri saying that they'd both be up for the study session. Had to say I was glad that Dimitri was up for hanging out. It showed he was coming around and opening up again.

Bastion's strange behaviour had me worried though. I didn't want another Dimitri situation where he came to resent me. If I pushed too much with this Sadie issue, I feared that would definitely happen. It left me hesitant to bring up the issue.

In between lessons, the class was abuzz with talk of Chazz's victory over Logan. The Lightsworn user, naturally, was keeping his head down and remained near the front talking with the Slifer Trio. Chazz, strangely, seemed equally as despondent. He was sat near the top with a flock of his followers and other Obelisk students all trying to talk to him, but he seemed unwilling to talk to them, shooing them away as quickly as they converged. He spotted me staring at one point and sent me an aggressive glare that made me shoot my head back around as quickly as I could.

About halfway through the first lesson with Crowler, the Obelisk Head of House caught Jaden trying to nap through his class and gave him lunchtime detention to make up the work he was missing out on, much to the Hero duelist's horror. I felt sorry for the guy, but only a little bit. If you don't want to do the time, don't do the crime.

It was a relief by the time lunch came around, I was more than grateful for the break from the classroom. Bastion and I decided to head to the library early to book one of the study rooms for after school use. The atmosphere between us was still awkward, but we managed to make some idle conversation. That is until something strange began to happen. The lights began to flicker, the corridor rapidly switching from a state of light to pure darkness.

"What on earth is this?" Bastion gasped.

"Maybe the generator is on the flux," I suggested, although I doubted it. Something strange was going on, I could feel it. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and it suddenly felt cold. The students around us could clearly tell something was wrong too, many of them looking around with fearful eyes. Suddenly, we heard the sound of rushing footsteps from down the corridor. I turned just in time as Torrey rounded the corner in a panic, his eyes wide with terror.

"Help me! It's after me!" he screamed before looking over his shoulder. As the lights flickered on, I managed to see that his skin was as white as a sheet. Despite his pleas, Torrey rushed straight past all of us, never stopping from whatever was pursuing him. I turned back down the corridor but saw nothing. The lights went out again and the temperature dropped even further. My canon sense was now screaming. And then I saw it. For a moment as the lights flickered, there was a shadow against the wall. It was tall, with a blocky body and its hand reached out in the direction Torrey had run. It didn't seem like anyone else but me. Everyone else was staring after Torrey. And just like that, the lights came back on in the area we were standing.

"Well… What do you think that was abo- Hey, Ren, what are you doing?"

I didn't have time to listen to Bastion, I was already running in the direction I had seen Torrey go. With my backpack over my shoulder, I felt a bit slower than normal, but I hoped that the adrenaline flowing through my body would make up for it. I knew what was happening, and it was happening far too early. Maybe I was being stupid, but I couldn't stop running. I needed to catch up to Torrey before it was too late.

---

Logan was spending his lunch break outside by the front gate with Syrus and Chumley. It felt a little weird not having Jaden with them, but the pair had invited him to join them and honestly, it had made him happy. Up until now, he had spent the majority of his break periods alone. It felt good to have people to talk to. He was learning a fair bit about the two.

He'd confirmed in this universe that while Chumley's family on his father's side came from Australia and his mother was Japanese. Together they had started a business selling Japanese goods, mainly Sake and then importing them to different countries. Recently though, his father had taken up a hobby of making his own hot sauce, which he was planning on introducing to his company line.

Syrus on the other hand had a more conventional upbringing. When he was young, his brother went abroad to train so he was left mainly on his own. He struggled to make friends, so he spent a lot of his time watching anime, studying and keeping up with the exploits in the duelling circuit. He began to mention an event that happened when he was a child but trailed off. Logan assumed it was the incident with Zane that had initially created Syrus's inferiority complex.

"So, what about you, Logan? What's your family like?" Syrus asked curiously.

"Me? Uh, well my dad's a card designer for Industrial Illusions. He's actually the one who came up with my deck," he said.

"He's a designer?" Chumley asked, suddenly taking a greater interest in the topic.

"Ah, you're so lucky. I bet you got so many cool cards as a kid," Syrus gushed. "The other kids at school must have been so jealous."

"Something like that," Logan said bashfully, rubbing the back of his head. "Truth be told, a lot of them avoided me. I was never the most popular. I've found it hard to… uh… to connect with people." He wasn't sure which life he was talking about now.

"Oh… well you seem alright to us," Syrus chimed.

"Yeah, you're pretty chill," Chumley agreed.

"Thanks…" Well, that made him a little guilty. Especially since a little over a month ago, he'd tried to get Jaden expelled, a mistake he now sorely regretted.

"AHHHH!"

Before they could continue their talk, there was suddenly a high pitch scream from nearby. Logan shot up, his packed lunch spilling over the floor. Something was going down. Ren and Jaden both weren't around. His first instinct was to investigate.

"What was that?" Syrus asked, his voice turning meek.

"It came from over there," Logan said, pointing to the corner of the academy. Without waiting for the others, Logan grabbed his bag and raced off, the concerned cries of Syrus and Chumley in his ear. He rounded the corner to see none other than Alexis and her friend Jasmine (she was the ginger one, right?) standing in shock looking in the direction of the trees. The food they had been eating was discarded on the floor, but he took notice there were three boxes rather than two.

"What happened? Are you guys alright?" he asked as he raced up to them.

"Something just grabbed Mindy!" Jasmine cried near hysterically. "We were eating lunch and then this thing jumped down and took her!"

"It went that way," Alexis said, gesturing towards the woods.

Logan followed her the path of her finger and sure enough, he spotted the brief blur of something moving through the trees. "Got it! I'll go after it!"

"Wait, what?" Alexis cried in disbelief. "You can't go alone."

"Then come along," he said before starting to run in the direction of the leaping beast. Not that he needed to follow. He knew where it was headed.

---

Alexis watched Logan run into the forest in utter disbelief. At that point, Syrus and Chumley had rounded the corner with their own bags messily in their arms.

"What happened? Where's Logan?" Syrus asked, looking around frantically.

"Something grabbed my friend. Logan's chasing it," she told him quickly. She looked around in the hopes Jaden was with them before remembering he was in detention. As much as she didn't like Logan, she couldn't just let him run off into the forest alone. Not only that, Mindy was her friend. If she could help, she would. Clearing her head, she rounded on Jasmine. "Call the campus authority. Tell them what happened."

"Okay," Jasmine said weakly, looking worriedly in the direction Mindy had been taken. She quickly took out her PDA. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to make sure that idiot doesn't get hurt," she said. "Stay here and wait for security. Syrus, Chumley, come with me."

"Why does this always happen to us?" Syrus moaned.

"And why does it always involve running?" Chumley groaned.

Alexis didn't waste time and followed after Logan into the forest, Syrus and Chumley hot on her heels. As she ran, she realised that with Jaden unavailable, she might need someone else to help. Zane would be busy so that left one other option. Taking out her own PDA, she carefully scrolled through the contacts until she found Ren's number. She immediately rang it. However, instead of the ring tone, she was sent straight to voicemail.

Typical. He must have turned off his PDA. Hopefully, he'd check it soon.

"Ren, there's trouble! Something's grabbed Mindy and made off into the forest. Logan's gone after it! We need help! Please call me when you get this!"

---

I chased after Torrey to the far side of the academy, catching up just in time to see him duck into an empty classroom. The flicker of the lights was growing more frequent, and my body was beginning to shiver from the cold. I reached the door and tried to pull it open to no avail. It was locked!

"Torrey! Torrey! Open the door! It's me, Ren! I want to help you! Open the door!" I slammed my fist against the door to no avail. It wouldn't budge. From inside, I heard the sounds of things being thrown around and then there was a scream.

"AAHHHH! HELP!"

I increased my efforts, slamming my entire weight against the door in an effort to get it open. I cast a quick look around. There was no one in this area, meaning I couldn't call for help. I backed up, ready to give it a running charge when the door slowly slid open. I rushed inside and my breath was taken away by what I saw.

Torrey was laid prone at the podium. A tall, otherworldly being standing over him. It was not human, easily standing over 7 feet tall. It wore a green overcoat equipped with green shoulder pads and a spiked collar, bracelets, and a belt. The only area that was even slightly exposed was its head. However, there was no skin, only pinkish muscle tissue with bulging veins. While I couldn't see it as the creature was turned away from me, I knew it was also wearing a green mask with bright red lenses over the eyes and a fanged, mechanical maw. While it stood before me, its body did not seem real, crackling, fading and glitching like an old VHS tape.

Stood before me was the malevolent spirit of the duel monster, Jinzo.

"What do we have here?" It asked, its voice deep, mechanical and demonic, echoing off the walls in such a way that it sounded like it was coming from all around me. "An unexpected fly has been ensnared in my web." The spirit turned towards me; its expression unreadable. "Why have you come here, little one?"

I didn't answer. There was a static in the air that now had all my hair standing on end. My body shook as it instinctually wanted to run from the threat. My experience with Nightshroud came to the front of my mind and suddenly the bravery that had led me to chase after Torrey flooded from me. The only thing keeping me rooted to the spot was what little was left of my sense of will.

Hearing my silence, a deep, monstrous chuckle escaped the cyborg spirit. "Too scared to talk? I have that effect."

"What have you done to Torrey?" I finally managed to say, standing my ground.

"I'm afraid Torrey is feeling a bit drained at the minute. We had a deal." I looked past Jinzo's fizzing form to take a better look at the prone obelisk. His head was turned away from me. His hair was messily spread out across his head and his glasses were on the floor. Again, Jinzo laughed. "He is alive. I have not yet fully claimed our agreement. The fool and his friends believed that they could summon me to grant their wishes. They did not realise my price. I have already claimed his friends. This one managed to escape. Until now that is."

"Why haven't you taken him already?" I asked fearfully.

His head turned to look solely upon me. The lights began to flicker once more, and the atmosphere became even more frigid. "I sensed a much greater power nearby. One… coming from you."

I didn't have time to react. The lights flicked on and Jinzo was suddenly gone. A sense of dread overcame me, and I turned to run. And then the lights went out again, and suddenly the spirit was behind me. Before I could react, Jinzo reached out with its cold hand and grabbed me by the collar, hoisting my struggling form up into the air.

"I can sense it. Your spirit is weak but there is something hidden within you. A darkness of vast proportion," Jinzo said, moving me so that I could see my own reflection in the red tint of his mask's lenses.

"I… I don't know what you are talking about," I gasped, my legs furiously kicking, trying to find the ground beneath them.

"That matters not. I can sense it within you, writhing beneath your soft exterior. And yet... it is not yours to keep. It can be taken. Yes... this will do. You will be more than enough to return me to the living. Prepare yourself. This will hurt." He reached out his free hand and placed it against my head and I instantly felt a shock, like electricity was coursing through me, burning me, draining me.

I screamed in agony, my painful cry mixing with Jinzo's maniacal laughter as he feasted. It was different from my duel with Nightshroud. It felt like something was being ripped away from my very being. Was this it? I had come with the intention of helping Torrey, but I wasn't prepared for the possibility that Jinzo might just attack without provocation. I could feel myself growing weaker whilst Jinzo became stronger. His body that had once seemed ethereal was becoming more corporeal. I was dying, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

"Ren…?" A familiar, fearful voice called.

Just like that, the pain subsided and Jinzo removed his hand and looked towards the newcomer. I could barely keep my eyes open, I felt so tired, but I managed to turn my head. Standing in the doorway, with his eyes wide in shock, was Bastion. He shook as he looked up at the spirit.

'What is he doing here? Did he follow me?'

I reached out my hand towards him in a desperate attempt to warn him. "Run…" I managed to wheeze. The next thing I knew, I was weightless. Jinzo had carelessly tossed me back, a new target in his sights. I hit the wall, and everything went black.

---

"Ren!" Bastion screamed as he watched his best friend hit the wall. His body went limp, unnaturally falling to one side as he fell to the floor, his eyes closed. He wanted to run over and check on him, but this… this monster stood between him and the classroom.

"He still breathes," the monster told him. "His soul was not what I was after. But the power he held was more than I expected. I am almost restored. You on the other hand will only serve as a palate cleanser. However, I am in a good mood, so I will offer you an offer. Your friend will die here today, but you can save yourself. Turn and run. Or face me in a duel. If you win, the power from your friend and souls I have absorbed will be returned. However, your soul will be mine if you lose. Do we have a deal?"

"A… A deal?" Bastion questioned, his eyes darting over to the prone form of Ren. He didn't quite understand what was happening. Before him stood the living depiction of the monster card Jinzo and it claimed that it was going to kill his friend, and by the looks of things, the Obelisk who had been running through the halls.

Nothing in science could explain what he was seeing. There was just no explanation that would justify the strange occurrences around him. He wanted to run and pretend he had never seen this apparition. And then he turned back to Ren. He couldn't leave him. If their situation was reversed, he was certain the Obelisk teen wouldn't run.

"I accept your offer," he managed to say.

There was no change in Jinzo's expression, but a low chuckle escaped him. The lights inside the classroom flickered, and then Jinzo had moved, reappearing at the bottom of the class next to the prone body of the other Obelisk.

"Then let us duel," the spirit challenged.

Before preparing, Bastion quickly hurried over to Ren and pressed his fingers against his neck. There was a pulse, although faint. His breathing was shallow too. He'd have to finish this quickly.

Solemnly, Bastion took off his own backpack and removed his duel disk and attached it to his arm. However, he paused when he thought about what deck he could use. If he truly was facing the spirit of Jinzo, it would be pointless using a deck with a high number of traps. This was undoubtedly the most important match of his life, because it was in fact his life and the life of his friend that were online. As he went through the mental calculations of trying to predict just what he could expect. And as he cracked down on the numbers, only one deck seemed suitable for anything that may come his way.

Reaching into his vest, he removed his water deck, the deck he had made to work together with Ren's. While currently designed for Tag Duels, it was also fully ready for any solo challenge. Slotting the cards into his disk, Bastion took his place at the top of the stairs.

"Let's proceed!" he cried, activating his disk.

"Duel!"

"I shall take the first move," Jinzo declared. He did not use a duel disk, rather, the cards he was using appeared in front of him. Bastion began to feel uneasy that his opponent might be cheating, willing the cards he needed into existence. Of course, there was no evidence to suggest that was the case.

Turn 1: Jinzo – 4000LP – 6 cards in hand – 0 cards on the field

"I shall begin by summoning the Malice Doll of Demise (1600/1700) in attack mode," the apparition began. The card in his hand flipped around and from it emerged a human-sized, demonic wooden puppet. It had shaggy blonde hair and large, fake, purple eyes with a mouth filled with sharp teeth. It wore a grey shirt under purple overalls, and it wielded a large axe in its hand. Bastion grimaced at the sight of the creature. He'd never been that fond of puppets. Nonetheless, Jinzo continued with his move. "I now activate the continuous magic of Ectoplasmer. Now, at the end of each of our turns, we must tribute a face-up monster on our side of the field, and then our opponent will take damage equal to half the tributed monster's attack points."

Bastion grimaced, his eyes wandering to Jinzo's doll. He was well aware of its effect. His opponent had just activated a deadly combo that was capable of taking life points from him at the end of each turn. Not only that, but when his doll was sent to the grave by the effect of a continuous spell, it would revive during the next turn. It was only the first turn and Bastion was already on a countdown. He had to destroy that doll as quickly as possible.

"I end my turn with two facedown cards," Jinzo announced, two cards flashing from his hand down to the field. "And now, the effect of Ectoplasmer takes hold. I tribute Malice Doll of Demise to deal you 800 points of damage."

As the dark spirit spoke, his doll went limp, the ghostly apparition of its soul leaving its body and flying around the field before launching itself at Bastion. As it passed through the Ra, Bastion felt a ghostly chill run through his body and sharp, agonising pain in his abdomen. Not prepared for such a pain, he dropped to his knees, his hands clutching his chest. (Bastion: 3200LP)

"Wha… What was that?" he gasped.

Jinzo let out a menacing chuckle. "That is the cost of a shadow game, child. I'm collecting on our deal. Look at your legs."

Hesitantly, the Ra looked at his body and felt like his heart skipped a beat. His legs were fading, glitching like an old videotape. "Argh! What's happening to me?"

"I told you. I'm collecting on our deal. With each life point lost, I shall consume more of your soul until nothing else remains. It is so satisfying to savour one's meal."

Bastion couldn't feel his legs. He didn't even know how he was standing up straight. Nonetheless, he managed to keep himself from falling. It was hard though. He felt like a piece of his very soul had been torn out. And from so little damage. But he couldn't fall. There was too much riding on this duel.

"It's… It's my turn." He drew his card shakily.

Turn 2: Bastion – 3200LP – 6 cards in hand – 0 cards on the field

His hand offered a fair few possibilities, but with Jinzo's two facedown cards, he was uneasy. He didn't know what state Ren and the other Obelisk were in and he wanted to get them to the infirmary as soon as possible. But first, he had to win this duel.

"I begin by activating the effect of Warrior of Atlantis. By discarding it, I can add the field spell, A Legendary Ocean from my deck to my hand." He was glad to have the card, but he wanted to save it for now. There was a card he was yet to draw, and he didn't want to risk losing such a valuable recourse to a stray MST. "I now activate the spell, Graceful Charity. I draw three and then discard two." He took his cards before discarding a copy of his Water Dragon and a trap he didn't think he'd need or be able to use. "I now summon Oxygeddon (1800/800)." Bastion's monster was a Pteranodon formed almost completely out of swirling green air. It was barely on the field a second before Jinzo began to laugh.

"What's the expression you humans like to use? You've activated my trap card? I activate Torrential Tribute." The trap flipped up and Bastion's eyes went wide with horror. Immediately, a flood of water burst forth, overcoming Bastion's monster, destroying it before it had a chance to make a difference. "So much for your monster."

Bastion growled before taking another card from his hand. "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"How unfortunate. It seems your pain will only continue. My draw."

Turn 3 – Jinzo: 4000LP – 3 cards in hand – 1 continuous spell and 1 facedown card on the field

"Since it is the standby phase, my Doll returns from the grave." The wooden doll dug its way out of the ground, letting out a small giggle as it waved its axe threateningly for Bastion to see.

"I chain with my facedown card, Fossil Excavation. By discarding a card, I can revive Oxygeddon in attack mode!" He discarded a copy of Hydrogeddon and his Oxygeddon retook the field, floating protectively in front of the Ra.

"Unfortunately for you, my doll is not the thing you need to worry about. It will not be here for long. I now tribute Malice Doll of Demise to summon… myself! Jinzo (2400/1500)" The entire room began to flicker even more violently. The large screen embedded in the wall at the front of the class burst to life, showing Jinzo's card before shattering. Arcs of electricity shot out from the empty screen, striking Jinzo's body until it disappeared. He reappeared a few feet forward, but now his body seemed even more solid, arcs of purple electricity cascading down his arms.

"Ah, how I have missed having the ability to feel my fingers," Jinzo said, observing his hand move like it was some kind of foreign object. "I want to enjoy this. I attack your Oxygeddon with cyber energy shock!" He brought his hands and a black, crackling orb formed. He threw it out, the attack striking Bastion's monster head-on, causing a small explosion that sent soot out everywhere. (Bastion: 2600LP)

Bastion let out a cry as it felt like another knife was plunged into him, more of his body fading away up to his waist. It was only then that he realised the only pain he wasn't experiencing was from his ankle. It was like his previous injury never happened. Was this the power of a shadow game, healing his body just enough so that he'd be able to continue with the wretched game?

Due to Jinzo's effect, negating his Fossil Excavation's second effect, Oxygeddon went back to the graveyard rather than being removed from play. A small comfort.

"To add your misfortune, I equip myself with the spell, Amplifier. Now, I no longer have to worry about my own ability." A cybernetic helmet appeared on Jinzo's head, needles sinking in through the device and into the monster's flesh. "Free of my own limitation, I can now activate Call of the Haunted and use it to revive Malice Doll of Demise." For the second time, the doll rose from the ground, its chuckles becoming more ominous. "I end my turn, and so Ectoplasmer activates once again. I tribute my doll and reduce your life points further." Again, the doll went lifeless, its spirit rising from its body and flying over to Bastion, phasing through the teen, much to his discomfort. (Bastion: 1800LP)

Having lost more life points, more of his body was taken. Everything just below his abdomen was now crackling like the screen of an old television set. And yet, despite that, Bastion could only feel puzzled.

"Why did you do that?" Bastion questioned.

"Why did I do what, human?" Jinzo asked, a hint of humour in his mechanical tone.

"Why did you activate Call of the Haunted then? If you had used Amplifier when you initially summoned yourself, you could have done more damage."

Jinzo chuckled once more. "I told you, I wish to savour this meal. It has been so long since my spirit was put into limbo by that frightful king. I have been bored. You are no threat to me, and your fear is delectable. I want to make this last."

Bastion couldn't believe what he was hearing. This spirit was only toying with him. It didn't see him as a threat in the slightest. Would he have acted differently if Ren had been his opponent? Or Jaden? Bastion had been deemed weak. If that was true, then what had all this training been for?

He looked down at his deck, the deck he had worked hard to create in order to support his friend. Had he chosen wrong? Had he allowed sentiment to cloud his judgement? His gaze turned to Ren, whose body was strewn on its side. His friend, who had come looking for him when he was missing, who had included him from the start of the school year, who Bastion had made his rival, who he wanted to overcome.

'No. Nothing I have done has been a mistake,' Bastion thought as he turned back to his opponent with renewed determination. 'If he thinks me weak, then he has sorely underestimated me, and that shall be his downfall.'

"It's my draw!"

---

Logan rushed through the forest, his eyes focused on the tops of the trees where he could vaguely make out the inhuman creature leaping through the trees. He could also hear the shrill cries of the animal's captive. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he was a little excited. Mostly because he knew exactly what was going to happen. This was the Wheeler sub episode!

A chimpanzee decked out with experimental technology that allowed it to duel escaped a secret facility on the island. Originally, Jaden crossed its path and saved it from being taken back to the lab. But with the Slifer away, it looked like Logan would have to fill in. He did find one thing a little strange. As far as he could remember, it was Jasmine who was originally taken in the anime. But then again, who was he to remark on changes?

He continued to run until he exited the forest, coming out into a wide clearing on the far side of the island. It was a wide grassy space leading up to a single, twisted tree that precariously hung over the edge of the island, threatening to topple into the crashing waves below. And Mindy's captor was heading straight for it.

Now out of the trees, Logan could see the decked-out chimpanzee clearly. It was strapped into a mechanical vest and pack with various wires hanging loose like unruly tails. Over its head was a helmet reminiscent of a xenomorph with a bright red visor over its eyes. An academy issue duel disk was on its left arm. The chimp, or Wheeler as Logan knew it to be called, raced over to the tree and gently placed Mindy down upon the bark.

"Let me down! Let me down!" Mindy screamed, banging her fists against Wheeler's pack. That was before she realised the situation she was in. The moment she saw the perilous height she was at, and the dangerous fall she could face if she was a bit too liberal with her wriggling. "Eeee! Don't let me go! Don't let me go! Don't let me go!"

Logan was getting a serious case of déjà vu as he walked up to them, taking deep breaths as he got his breath back. First-line needed to be cool and iconic after all.

"Put her down you damn dirty ape!" he cried, pointing his finger towards the robotic mammal. Wheeler wheeled around, his teeth bared in a snarl as it freed itself from Mindy's grip and moved defensively in front of her. Logan stood his ground, puffing out his chest in a dominant fashion.

Mindy looked out from over the chimp's shoulder. She was exactly as Logan remembered her. Pretty, dark-haired and innocent featured. However, the moment she saw his red coat, her brows furrowed. "Um… who are you?" she called.

"Um… Logan. Logan Evans."

"Didn't you lose to Chazz yesterday?"

His eye twitched. "…Yes…"

"Oh. Did you bring anyone else with you?"

He then remembered that she was also somewhat of a ditz and boy crazy. Maybe Jasmine would have been better. "Would you rather I leave and let the monkey have its way with you?" Mindy looked between Wheeler and him. Back to Wheeler, and then him. "ARE YOU ACTUALLY THINKING ABOUT IT?"

"It's a tough decision!" she cried back, just as noisily. "There might a be a handsome hero nearby!"

Logan was getting dangerously close to just turning around and calling it a day. So far this was going nothing like he had expected it to. Thankfully, at that moment, he heard a rustle in the bushes behind him. Alexis, Syrus and Chumley ran out, the latter two looking completely exhausted.

"Mindy!" Alexis cried in alarm when she saw the predicament her friend was in.

"Is that… is that a monkey with a duel disk?" Syrus asked in between breaths.

"Um, it's a chimpanzee, Sy," Chumley corrected.

"What's the difference?"

"Guys! Focus!" Alexis cried, snapping both Slifers back to attention. "What is going on here?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

Everyone, including Wheeler, turned as three men emerged from the trees. Each of them wore dark suits embroidered with the KaibaCorp logo. The first two men were rather tall, each wearing shades that hid their eyes and wielded yellow and red patterned tranquiliser guns. The final man was rather short and possessed a hunch. His face was almost entirely taken up by a long, dark beard. This was the man who had spoken. His voice was gruff and firm, possessing a commanding quality to it.

"What are students doing here?" the man continued, asking the question more to himself than anyone else. "This is an utter disaster," he continued, shaking his head before looking to his men. "Retrieve Wheeler immediately."

"We can't sir. The girl is in the way," one of the men said, his eye lined down his rifle. "We could hit her."

"Hey, what's going on here?" Logan called out, moving until he was in the suits' line of fire. "Who are you guys, and what's with the robot monkey?"

"Chimpanzee," Chumley called.

"Whatever!"

Logan knew of course what was going on, but he needed the scientists to provide the exposition to the others so that he didn't seem strange for what he wanted to do. "That chimp is called Wheeler, and he belongs to us. We've been training it to become a duelist."

A grin spread across Logan's features. Perfect, they'd just given him the excuse he needed. As the two other suits quickly shushed the older man, Logan turned back to Wheeler. "Well, if it can duel, how about a challenge? If I win, you give back Jasmine."

"I'm Mindy!" the girl cried, her face turning red with anger.

"Mindy then. And if you win, uh, you get to whatever you want."

"Are you crazy?" Alexis called from behind him. "There's no way that animal can actually understand you!"

"DUEL…?"

"Wha?" Alexis gasped in shock. The high, robotic voice that had just called out had come from the machine bearing primate. When it had spoken, the red visor flashed.

"Did that monkey just talk?" Syrus gasped.

"No, that would be ridiculous," the older man cried as if he personally had been insulted. "The helmet is programmed with some key phrases, mainly from the duel monsters' game. We've taught Wheeler to understand basic human language and the helmet is able to read the electronic signals coming from the brain, translating them for people to understand."

"Sir!" one of the grunts admonished.

"Oh right, top-secret," the man said. He may have been a bit senile. Or just really proud of his work. Maybe a bit of both.

Nonetheless, Logan smiled and retrieved his own duel disk from his backpack. "Well, if you understand me, then you'll know what you have to do."

Wheeler looked from Mindy to Logan before nodding its head. Leaving his hostage on the tree, he hopped a few paces forward and came to stand across from Logan, his own duel disk activating.

"DUEL!" he declared with determination.

"That's the spirit!" Logan cried.

"I can't believe this is happening," he heard Alexis groan in disbelief. He ignored her. This was his opportunity to make up the duel with Chazz and show what he was really made of.

"MUST WIN DUEL!" Wheeler cried, beating his chest. "MUST SEE FAMILY!"

Logan paused, lowering his duel disk. "Your family…" he muttered. "Oh yeah… I forgot that was what this was really about."

What was he doing? This behaviour was the exact kind of thing that had gotten him into his mess with Chazz. He'd gone in half-cocked and gotten his ass handed to him, and now the history he knew was messed up. He had no doubts he could defeat Wheeler, but really, what would that accomplish?

It had been such a long time since he had watched the series, and he had been so focused on showing off, he'd forgotten that one of the reasons Wheeler had broken free in the first place was to get back to his family. His gaze turned from the waiting ape back towards the researchers. "You guys are the real bad guys here," he muttered. And just like that, his fighting spirit was gone. At least towards Wheeler.

Spinning on his heel, he turned towards the scientists, goons, whatever they were with his eyes narrowed. "Before I do this, these experiments of yours, are they legal?"

The old man, whoever he was, eyes widened. "Why does that matter?"

"Animal testing like this is a felony, isn't it?"

The man seemed flustered, as did his associates. One of them looked like he was going to raise his gun when Logan took a step in front of Wheeler, once again blocking their line of fire. "That is not something you should concern yourself with. Are you going to help return my property or not?"

"Your property?" Logan growled. "That's chimp is a living thing! You have no right to claim it as your own!"

The scientist did not seem deterred by his sudden sharp tone. "Brave words kid. But you can't exactly stop us. You're only one person."

"That is true," Logan said, reaching into his pocket. "In which case, I have only one thing to say."

"And what is that?" The scientist said, bemused.

"Say cheese." As quickly as he could, Logan pulled out his PDA and took a picture of the three startled men. Just as quickly, he turned and snapped a shot of Wheeler. "If you don't leave now, I'll be sending these pics to the entire academy. I'll show the teachers, the parents, anyone who will listen."

"One kid with a couple of pictures won't do anything," the scientist snapped, although his tone was now more guarded. "Pictures can be faked."

"What about five kids?"

"Huh?"

Snap, snap, snap!

The scientist looked around in disbelief to see that Alexis, Syrus and Chumley had all followed Logan's lead and had their PDAs out, and taken pictures of him and his men. They then turned and took pictures of the poor, confused Wheeler.

"No…" the man gasped.

"The student PDAs are so useful. Great for taking pics and sending them out at large. You work for KaibaCorp, right? It says so on your badge and suit. This could be quite a scandal if it were leaked. Hey, my dad works for Industrial Illusions. They're one of KaibaCorps contributors, aren't they? Or are they still rivals? I'm sure that if my dad were to take these pictures to Mr Pegasus, he'd get a promotion. I'm going to guess you've also got a facility on the island somewhere. I wonder how long it would take to find it? Maybe we should go looking?"

"Don't do that!" the man suddenly shouted; his face sweating bullets.

"We have the evidence now. We know your game, and you've been outmanoeuvred." With each point, he walked closer to the scientist until he was standing over him. "Let. Wheeler. Go."

The bearded man tried to look defiant for one moment before letting out a sigh and lowering his head. "We will need the equipment he is wearing."

"Take it and get off the island," Logan growled. "While I won't post these pictures, I'll still be going to the chancellor. I'm sure he'll have a word or two to say about having you guys on the island with his students at risk."

The man grimaced before turning his head. With a wave of his hand, the other men lowered their weapons. With a satisfied smirk, Logan turned back to the confused Wheeler. "Hey, good news, bud! We're not gonna duel after all! You're going free!"

The chimp turned its head in confusion. "FREE?" he asked, apparently not quite understanding.

"That's right! You're gonna see your family again!"

Wheeler's lips spread to show something that resembled a toothy grin before he let out a powerful cry. "WHEELER GOES FREE! WILL SEE FAMILY!" he jumped up and down victoriously a few times before running back over to Mindy. Effortlessly, he picked the girl up and brought her safely down from the tree before running over to Logan and letting her go in front of him.

She seemed quite confused at first before slowly getting up. "It's over?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yeah. Are you alright?"

Tears began to well up in her eyes before Mindy turned and ran away from Logan, rushing to Alexis's side and wrapping the girl in a hug. "Alexis! It was so awful! He smelt awful!"

"And how did the monkey smell?" Alexis asked gently, returning the hug. However, despite the quip, she looked over to Logan and gave him a nod and the tiniest of smiles. Syrus and Chumley looked proud too, giving him a thumbs up.

A warm feeling crept over Logan as an honest smile spread across his cheeks. However, he couldn't relax just yet. Looking back to Wheeler, he leant down to the chimp's level. "Let's get that crap off you," he said, reaching across and finding the strap keeping the alien-like helmet in place.

After a few minutes, Wheeler was free of all the machinery that was attached to him, the scientists had collected it all and wandered back into the forest/jungle. Logan had no idea if they would really leave the island immediately, but he would definitely make sure the teachers knew they were here. There were still questions, like why KaibaCorp was conducting research like this on an island school, and maybe if he had duelled, he could have gotten more answers, but this way, Wheeler got home to his family quickly.

Logan felt… proud. He'd actually managed to resolve a situation positively for once without consequence. And he'd done it without having to rely on the Lightsworns. It kind of showed him what he was capable of if he thought things through. It was satisfying. He felt somewhat sated.

And he also had blackmail material, so there was that.

Either way, now stripped of the machines, Wheeler sat before the five teenagers and gave them another animalistic grin letting loose a number of happy chirps and grunts.

"Bye Wheeler! Get back to your family safely," Syrus said.

"It was cool meeting you," Chumley added.

"We could always take him back to the red dorm," Logan suggested. "He could be our mascot."

"NO!" the other four cried resoundingly, making Logan flinch.

"I was joking…"

Wheeler gave another few chirps before running off into the bushes, rushing off to find the rest of his family, wherever they may they watched him leave, there was the undeniable sound of sniffing. Logan turned to see Mindy with tears brimming in her eyes.

"Are you crying?"

"No!" she said quickly, wiping her eyes. "I think I'm just allergic to his fur."

"Sure," Logan said, nodding his head.

"That's enough you two. Let's head back. Jas is probably at her wit's end," Alexis said, already walking back towards the trees. As she walked, she looked back over her shoulder. "Oh, and Logan. That was clever, what you did there." That was all she said, but it made Logan grin like an idiot. That is until someone grabbed and pulled on his cheek.

"Ow!" he cried, looking to a pouting Mindy. "What was that for?"

"You were drooling. So not cute." She hurried ahead, falling into step with Alexis and leaving Logan to walk with Syrus and Chumley.

"We really should hurry back. Jasmine's probably raised an alarm," the smaller boy said.

"True," Logan agreed, rubbing his cheek. "But at least the danger is over now."

---

Bastion was in so much danger. Despite his bravado, he was in a terrible position. Jinzo still had all his life points, had summoned himself and had a combo that would deal damage to him at the end of each turn. Meanwhile, Bastion only had a continuous trap on the field which was now useless and only took up space in his spell and trap card zone. Not only that but half his body had been distorted in static! However, with the card he had drawn, he had a chance. And he couldn't let that slip by. Most of the pieces for his equation were collected. He just needed one more for it all to fall into place.

Turn 4: Bastion – 1800LP – 4 cards in hand – 1 continuous trap in play (negated)

"I shall start by activating the field spell, A Legendary Ocean!" As he activated the spell, the classroom rapidly began to fill with water it crashed and swirled until it completely submerged the two combatants, momentarily blinding them both. When they could see again, they found themselves in the underwater ruins of a once-great temple. "With this card in play, water monsters on my hand and field not only lose a level, but they also gain 200 attack and defence points," Bastion explained.

"I am aware," Jinzo growled nonchalantly.

"Very well, then for now I shall set a monster and end my turn."

"That is it?" Jinzo asked, his voice a mixture of arrogance and laughter. "If this is the peak of skill in this world, I shall have my fill."

"Just make your move," Bastion said bravely.

Jinzo cocked his head to the side, gazing up at the Ra in a way that made Bastion feel very unsettled. "Very well. I grow bored with you now anyway."

Turn 5: Jinzo – 4000 LP – 2 cards in hand – 1 monster, 1 continuous spell, 1 continuous trap and 1 equip spell in play

"To begin, since it is the standby phase, Malice Doll returns from the grave." Once more, the wooden doll rose from the grave, its axe as dangerous as ever. "I shall now equip my doll with the spell, Sword of Dark Rites, Raising its attack power by 400." A demonic sword rose up from the earth. Malice Doll of Demise looked at it curiously before discarding its axe and taking hold of the new weapon (1600-2000 ATK).

"Now attack my doll, finish his monster!"

The demonic puppet didn't hesitate. It rushed forward and thrust its sword forward. However, the moment it struck Bastion's set monster, there was a very audible CLANG!

"What?" Jinzo cried in disbelief.

"Unfortunately, my demise will be off the table for now," Bastion said coolly. "For you see, the monster you tried to attack was none other than my Nightmare Penguin(Lv4-3: 900-1100 - 1300 ATK/ 1800 – 2000 DEF)" Bastion's monster flipped to reveal a blue penguin wearing a rather dapper black tuxedo jacket and top hat. That was it. That was the monster. Nonetheless, it held off Malice Doll's attack with its thick feathers. "Now, this monster has quite the ability. Not only does it boost the attack power of all water monsters by a further 200 points, when flipped, it also allows me to return one card from the field to your hand. A card like you Amplifier equip spell!"

"No!"

With Bastion's decree, the helmet Jinzo had been wearing shattered, the particles reforming into a card in the monster's hand. However, the moment the helmet disappeared, Jinzo's physical form disappeared, becoming ethereal once more and crackling like a VHS tape.

"When Amplifier is removed from the field, the monster equipped to it is destroyed," Bastion said, a wry smile on his face as he watched Jinzo squirm in pain. "It would seem I am surviving this turn after all."

"Maybe so, but you have only prolonged your suffering!" Jinzo screeched, his tinted lenses flashing blood red. "I am not so easily destroyed. I pay 800 life points to activate Premature Burial and revive myself! (Jinzo: 3200LP)"

Once more, the spirit's body became corporeal, and it seemed to relax, the pain it felt apparently fading. "And do not believe you are free of Ectoplasmer. I end my turn, and tribute Malice Doll of Demise to continue your suffering!"

The wooden puppet dropped its sword as its body went limp once more, its spirit draining and shooting towards Bastion. As it passed through, Bastion dropped to his knees, his body now distorted all the way up to his shoulders (Bastion: 1000LP).

"This… This isn't over," Bastion gasped as he struggled to push himself back to his feet.

"Maybe so, but unless you can defeat me this turn, next turn Ectoplasmer will end you," Jinzo taunted. It was true, he could tribute himself and wipe out the remainder of his life points immediately. But Bastion couldn't let that stop him.

"You are right. This will end. But for you." Returning to his full height, he raised his duel disk. "It's my draw!"

Turn 6: Bastion – 1000LP – 3 cards in hand – 1 monster, 1 field spell and 1 continuous trap (negated) on the field

"I shall start by activating the spell, Pot of Greed." He drew his two cards and smiled. He now had a couple of options. However, in honour of his friend, who so enjoyed his big finishers, he decided to go with the more theatrical. "My equation is almost complete," he announced. "Now pay attention, because this will get complicated, but before I continue, I need to activate a trap card."

"Impossible! All traps on the field are powerless in my presence!" Jinzo growled.

"On the field, maybe. But the card I'm activating is in the graveyard!" Bastion declared. "I use the effect of the trap, Bonding DHO. I discarded this card at the beginning of the match with Graceful Charity. Quite useful since I can now remove it from play to return the Water Dragon I also discarded back to my hand. Of course, it won't be there for long. But first, I will normal summon Duoterion(Lv 5 – 4: 2000 -2200 – 2400 ATK/1400-1600 DEF)!"

Bastion's new monster resembled a tyrannosaurus made entirely of swirling blue gas. It let out a roar as it took the field. However, Bastion was only getting started. "When Duoterion is summoned, I can revive a certain monster from the grave. Rise again Oxygeddon (1800/800)!" Bastion's green, gaseous dino rose again, letting out a screech. "I now activate the spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon and use it to destroy my own field spell."

"You do what?"

The swirling whirlwind flew across the field, sucking up all the water and ripping apart the ruins. Within moments, the combatants were back in the classroom. With Bastion's spell gone, both Nightmare Penguin and Duoterion depowered. (Lv 3-4: 1300-1100 ATK/1800 DEF) (Lv 4-5: 2400-2200 ATK/ 1600-1400 DEF)

"Why would you do that?" Jinzo demanded, his fist clenched.

"In science, one must always be ready to discard elements that will hinder their work, and while useful, my field spell prevented me from activating this card, Trade-In. I use it to once again discard my level eight Water Dragon and draw two more cards." A Legendary Ocean had reduced his dragon's level to seven. In order to activate his second spell, it needed to be destroyed. And thankfully, his gamble had paid off. "It seems my equation is complete," Bastion said, his voice remarkably calmer now than when the match had first started. "It is time for me to show my work. I now activate the spell card, Bonding D2O! I tribute the Oxygeddon and Duoterion on my field with the second Duoterion in my hand to call forth a new monster from my graveyard. Come forth, Water Dragon (2800-3000 ATK/2600 DEF)!"

A second Duoterion appeared on the field before all three of the monsters disappeared in a whirlwind of gas. Their chemical make-ups blended, becoming a pillar of water that took on a new form. It transformed into a serpentine dragon, completely made of surging water. Bastion's dragon let out a roar, making Jinzo flinch.

"That is… an impressive beast. However, it is not enough to finish me."

"That's where you are wrong," Bastion said, holding up the last card in his hand. "I still have one more card to play, and it's this, Scroll of Bewitchment! When I equip this spell onto a monster, I am able to change that creature's attribute to any of my choosing. So, I will attach it to you and change your attribute to fire!"

Jinzo grimaced as the change occurred. While nothing outwardly changed, Bastion knew that it could probably feel it on the inside. "And now that you are a fire attributed monster, my dragon's effect activates, reducing your own points to zero!"

"No!" Jinzo screamed again fruitlessly. Water Dragon's red eyes glowed before it opened its maw and released a powerful geyser that washed over the spirit, drenching it in water. (2400-0 ATK)

"And now, I switch Nightmare Penguin to attack mode, and have it attack you!" Bastion declared. The fancy penguin stood up and charged, tackling Jinzo in the stomach, once again shattering its solid body and leaving the crackling spirit behind. (Jinzo: 2100 LP)

"Please, stop! I was so close to being revived!" "Jinzo pleased, raising a shaking hand towards the dispassionate Ra.

"A being such as you does not belong in this world," Bastion said, his eyes full of pity as he looked down on the malevolent spirit. "Water Dragon, end this."

The sea serpent obeyed, firing off one more powerful blast of water. The attack struck Jinzo dead centre, flinging the spirit back into the broken lecture screen. Jinzo's pained wails echoed as electricity coursed through the broken appliance and into his very being. His lenses glowed with an intense fury before cracks formed in his very being. Instantly, the spirit shattered, and four trails of light escaped and flew around the room. Two of the trails landed on the floor, transforming into two Obelisk Students Bastion didn't recognise. The other two flowed respectively into Torrey and Ren, the two visibly relaxing. (Jinzo: 0 LP. Bastion Wins)

The Ra remained stock still, waiting for something else to happen until the lights stopped flickering, returning to life and illuminating the classroom. His duel disk deactivated, and Bastion let out a deep breath. He looked down at his body and found that it was solid once more, restored to him.

"It seems, I am the victor," he said tiredly before his legs buckled and he fell unceremoniously to the ground. He took a few more deep breaths, collecting his senses. He felt utterly exhausted, his body drained. He was surprised he could move at all. "So that was the sort of duel you experienced, Ren," he murmured. "It would seem that science cannot explain everything after all… Oh lord! Ren!"

Remembering that his friend had been thrown against a wall and was possibly far more injured than he initially assumed, Bastion scampered to his feet as quickly as he could and hurried over to his friend.

He was still unconscious, but when Bastion placed his fingers to his neck, he found that his pulse was once again steady and stronger than before. Letting out a sigh of relief, he turned to look down at the other Obelisks who had been. They too were unconscious, but he could see their chests rising and falling naturally. However, he couldn't just leave them here. He didn't know what effects the Shadow Game might have had on them, or if there were any other adverse effects.

"I should call the teachers…" he murmured, taking out his PDA.

---

It was dark, the world a swirling void as far as the eye could see. I felt nothing. Not coherent thought played through my head. It was like my entire being was numb.

Suddenly, there was something new. I could make out a figure hiding in the dark. I reached out my hand and tried to call out, but no sound left my lips.

The figure stared at me but made no attempt to communicate. A few moments later, it disappeared, fading into the dark like mist.

And then a cold hand clamped around my neck.

---

"Arghh!"

My eyes shot open, my hand instinctively going for my neck. When I found that it was safe, I let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Just as dream… Thank goodness…"

Where was I? White walls, the smell of disinfectant. Back in the infirmary then. How? The last thing I remembered was Jinzo throttling me and then… and then it was fuzzy. My fists clenched. I had been careless, rushing into something I wasn't prepared for and paying the price. That wasn't like me. I felt like there was something else. Something huge I was forgetting. I rattled my brain to try and remember what happened I heard a rustle from beside me.

"Umm…"

I looked around to find a girl sitting next to my bedside. She was fairly cute and she wore a green hospital gown. Her long brown hair was a little messy and there was an innocence to her. The moment our eyes met, she looked away nervously and began shaking.

"I'm sorry! You were just moaning in your sleep, and I was worried. I thought that If I held your hand, it might ease you but then you woke up. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you!" I recognised the girl furiously apologising. She looked a little thinner, and she lacked an evil scowl, but this was undoubtedly Eve Pechman, Nightshroud's puppet, and my possible fellow reincarnate. Quite the image change from the sadistic temptress I'd duelled.

And it seemed we were finally going to get the chance to talk.

---

I'm back! A couple of days late but still within the week. Got to admit, I'm not the happiest with this chapter. Truth be told, I was a bit ambitious and I didn't feel it paid off. Originally, I was actually going to have Logan duel Wheeler, but I then thought that it would be better for his character development if rather than going straight for violence (a duel) he used his knowledge of the future, and inner Karen, to save Wheeler without having to resort to it. But they're not all going to be winners. I am however happy with the duel with Bastion. This is just the beginning of his journey and I look forward to going into more detail with him in future chapters.

The next chapter is going to be a big one. Not only are Eve and Ren finally going to talk, but I'll be expanding on a few more seeds I've planted along the way.

I know some of you were worried about the Ojama, well please don't fret, I like those guys too and they will work their way into the story in time. I thought that the only reason Ojama Yellow would be in his deck in the anime at that time would be if it accidentally got stuck to another card.

As the Discord page still isn't ready yet, on to reply time:

To Middernacht: Chazz is indeed :) We'll see in time. He's just processing things at this point in time. He's got a lot on his plate still.

To Kismet and Karma: Poor Sadie indeed. She truly has no idea.

To EXECZ: Possibly. Who knows?

To Digmata: Things have indeed been messed up. But Ren does have his hands full, as you can see. Things are changing, some quickly, some slowly.

To Peter Kim: First of all, thanks for coming to defend the story :) Really appreciate that! Thanks for the advice on looking up decks. That'll be useful in future for making decks and strategies. You are also right about how chaotic the decks could be at times. That is half the fun though, haha. Rokket and the Borrel archetypes are tricky due to their reliance on link summoning and their more futuristic designs. They would be hard to fit in but we'll have to see how the story evolves. As for a third deck, we shall see in time. I've got a lot of plans for Ren's decks.

To JustaRandomGuy: Thank you very much! It was a good break. Thanks for the movie suggestion. I'll be sure to give it a watch soon. It sounds really interesting! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! You noticed a fair few things that I'm glad were picked up on. And I'm really glad you liked Light and Darkness Dragon and the duel! I really wanted it to be a shock, even if some people guessed the outcome. On to Pitch time, da da da da! 1: I do love me some Kaiju's. They are a bit of an overpowered archetype for this time period but with the flood of more powerful, retrained cards, it is possible they will show up. 2. Jasmine and Mindy will definitely both be getting some love. I started very basically this chapter but will be expanding with both of them a lot going forward. Love the dialogue by the way! That shows a fantastic amount of character. 3. I would love to do that! His story is fantastic and also part of the reason I was brave enough to write this. Plus, I do love me some references. Just need to find the right place. 4. Funny you should mention Mokuba. That's as much as I can say. Looking forward to your next review!

To Blackdrake: I'm glad I surprised you! I, unfortunately, can't say anything about your predictions as that breaches into spoiler territory. I'm glad you liked Sheppard's characterisation. He will be getting more in time as well. You are absolutely right about his shortcomings so I plan on making more sense of them. Looking forward to your next review!

To E: Oh, who knows about Lumina. She does seem fairly crafty. Logan absolutely did underestimate Chazz and the whole future may just pay for it. Things have changed. Even the most subtle of ripples become waves. In terms of combining anime and manga, I am taking elements of the manga as they provide context and greater character development to some aspects of the anime.

To West: Thank you very much, it's good to be back! Thank you very much for your feedback on Ren's interaction with Dimitri. I agree that it could have gone better. Actually, your review gave me an idea for a bit of future dialogue so thank you for that :) I'm glad you enjoyed the date scene and you have made some really insightful comments on it. I can't say much more than that on that topic though, unfortunately. I'm also happy you like the usage of DP in this world. It's a small thing but essential to world-building as it is effectively a duellist's lifeline for new cards. Once again, love that you pick up on the little things about scenery and character details. Always appreciate it when people pick up on them. Also, very insightful about Ren's win/loss record and his deck building. I'm really happy you picked up on that. Also, thank you very much for your comments on Chazz! I'm really glad you liked his development in this chapter. I have much more planned for him in future. Really looking forward to your next review!

To A Synchron Fan: They have. They very much have. Eve will be getting a bit more focus in coming chapters, yes. Light and Darkness Dragon being in play this early does lead to some interesting possibilities, but the ones I plan to focus on are how they affect Chazz on a personal level, which I'm looking forward to exploring.

To Guest: I'm glad you're happy! We'll see where Chazz's story takes him. I do have multiple plans for him going forward, it's just a matter of natural progression. Thank you! I hope you have a good day too!

To GuestWithIdeas: You don't have to apologise. It's good feedback and I'm looking forward to putting it to the test. Have to say, you've actually given me some ideas for coming chapters! The idea with Zane is fantastic! In terms of Sadie's opinions, I'm sure that can be covered at some point. I really want this to be interconnected and not just focused on Ren and Logan. I'm really glad you liked that insight into Chazz. He will be further developed in the coming future.

Right, I'm off to bed. Got an early start tomorrow.

As always, please leave a fav, a follow and a review with your thoughts. I would love to hear any thoughts on how to improve or what you enjoyed.

You all stay safe out there!