Yu-Gi-Oh ! GX : Destiny's Dawn

CHAPTER 6

"Hey, wake up!" Konrad was able to hear an echoing voice that got louder and louder. "Hey, wake up, Konami! How long are you planning to sleep for?" Reality smacked him in the head hard as he woke up with a headache and found himself inside his room, laying on his bed. Sitting next to him was Jaden, Syrus and Chumley who all looked rather concerned.

"WAKE-" Jaden shouted before Syrus covered his mouth, "He woke up, Jay! No need to shout!"

"Ack, Sorry!" Jaden apologized before he quieted down. "Oww, My head..! it feels like it's going to split apart…" Konrad complained as he put a hand on his head, he could tell he wasn't hearing his cap as it was on top of the table near him. "What happened, why are you guys here?" He then asked the trio as he started to become more aware of his surroundings.

"Well, you should be the one to answer that question for us," The same familiar British voice spoke as Bastion was also in the room, "When I found you, you were unconscious and your deck was scattered around."

"Yeah, then Bastion called us," Jaden continued. "And well, we dragged you into your room. Sy was kind enough to gather your cards while we brought you to your room."

"I didn't really have a choice; You guys just grabbed Konami and went away, leaving me alone." Syrus stated in a complaining, yet childish tone. "That being said, uhm, I like your Maiden of the Aqua card." He muttered, thinking that he had said that internally only to perk his head up and saw at the others staring at him. "U-Uhm, I meant like the effect, yeah! It has a good one!"

"Awkward…" Chumley commented while Jaden giggled, "No need to hide it, Sy. Everyone knows you like those kinds of cards, it's no big deal."

"Ahem," Bastion blushed, clearing his throat, it seemed like he also had a secret that he was hiding. "A-Anywho, I believe we should return to our main subject; To what caused Konami to lose consciousness, perhaps you'd like to shed some light on that matter?" He asked as the group looked at him.

Konrad put his hand on his chin as he tried his best to remind himself of what happened. "Well.. let me try remembering." He stated before not too long, it dawned back on him. "Ah, now I remember. I lost a duel."

"A duel?" Chumley raised an eyebrow, "Why would losing a duel make you lose consciousness?"

Syrus also decided to follow in on the questioning by asking who Konrad squared off against.

"I didn't know who he was, he never told me his name," Answered Konrad, "Two things for sure, though, One, He's not from this academy. He doesn't wear the same outfit as the students or the teachers, nor did he look like he's from the staff." He raised a finger. Syrus gulped, "What's the second thing?"

"…He's really, really good. Defeated me just as soon as the duel started. I didn't even get to play my second turn and bam; He had already dropped my lifepoints to zero."

Needless to say, the group was shocked at what he had just said. "Wow, that's pretty good." Jaden commented, quite impressed.

"It is. Not often do duels end on their second turn, and that's taking into account the pro league." Bastion added. Still, Chumley was confused as he reiterated his question; How did the duel make Konrad lose consciousness. A question Bastion was all too eager to answer.

"I can answer that," Bastion said, "You see, while dueling on the surface just looks like two people playing cards; In truth, there's far more to it than that. Dueling is, above all: a game of psychology, of trying to overwhelm your opponent's mind. And as I said a while ago, it also trying to gain advantages while also putting your opponent at a disadvantage, it is also a numerical game in that regard." He explained, but he was not done yet.

"I don't really know what to say after this." Syrus spoke, having no idea on how to comment to Bastion's statement. "We should be grateful we learned things, the more you know, I guess." Chumley shrugged. "Yeah, no kidding, but this is pretty interesting." Jaden said with a smile.

"That's pretty much how the situation is in the Pro League. It's commonplace for professionals to be exhausted after a big match, whether they win or lose." Bastion trailed off, before returning to answering Chumley's question. "My reason as to why Konrad lost consciousness after the duel is not because he lost; But that he lost too easily. His opponent was just that superior, shattering every ounce of his confidence. I could be wrong, however."

Konrad, who had listened intently to what was Bastion saying, simply confirmed his theory. "You hit it on the mark, Bastion, you never cease to amaze me with your analyses. I've lost a couple of times before, and sure, it gets you pretty bummed, but I was able to bounce back." He said before he sighed and looked down, with an expression of melancholy visible on his face.

"But never have I lost like this. I hate how I lost so easily, I really, really hate it. Add with the fact that I've been struggling immensely to first get into the academy, then to keep my grades just above not getting kicked out of the school..I'm thinking I'm just not cut out to be here." He stated, looking up at the group who didn't know what to make out of this.

Yet, Jaden had a faint idea what was going on here and he didn't like it in the slightest. "You're not really considering leaving Duel Academy, are you?" He asked in a serious manner, breaking the silence.

"Jay..?" Syrus looked at him, very rare was when he saw Jaden sporting such an expression and it usually meant one thing: This situation was truly serious. Konrad looked up to meet Jaden's steely glare.

"As a matter of fact…I'll probably do that." Konrad replied. "It's obvious, I'm not fit to be here, not fit to be a duelist if things are like this. I'd be just wasting my time."

"And you decided that just after losing in a different way than usual?" Jaden countered. "Big deal, people lose. Sometimes you lose after putting up an admirable duel, sometimes you lose without being able to do anything, that's just how life is."

Konrad started to get a bit annoyed by Jaden, "Well, I haven't seen you lose even once, Jaden."

"I did lose, actually. Zane was the one who handed me my first and only loss ever since I got inside this academy. You weren't around when he did that, so you didn't know about it.. And he also made short work of me, too." Jaden replied, "But you don't see me brooding and complaining, instead, I used it as a chance to learn and grow. And I'm sure Sy here felt the same thing because he was the reason I dueled Zane."

"Yeah, I did feel a bit more confident ever since that, Jay. Thanks again!" Syrus smiled, nodding while Jaden smiled back but that smile was soon wiped out as he looked at Konrad once more.

"I didn't know that, yeah…" Konrad admitted, but he wasn't yet convinced. "And about grades, Konami, let's be honest, your grades are way better than mine." Jaden added, "But I'm still here, I haven't been kicked out. And I don't plan on letting that happen, relax dude, you're doing good."

"Jaden…the reason you're still in this academy despite your grades, is because you're an excellent duelist. Nothing more, nothing less." Was what Konrad answered.

"That's not true, I still have a lot to learn," Jaden said, "Isn't that right, guys….Guys?" He looked around to see Bastion, Syrus and Chumley either lowering their head, or staring away. "Oh come on, you think what he's saying is true?" Jaden asked.

Bastion was the first one to look at him. "No offense, Jaden, but he is right. You don't just beat Crowler, the best professor of this academy and not call yourself an excellent duelist." He stated, "I would even dare to claim that were your grades just remotely average, the academy would have already sent you to play with the big boys in the pro league. You are an exceptional duelist, Jaden, there's very few people like you. Only Zane holds a candle to you here."

"Well, if Zane is that good, why is he still at the academy? Shouldn't he be a pro then?" Asked Jaden, genuinely curious.

"I know Zane, he wouldn't feel like it would be right to just take the easy path," Syrus said. "He wants the time to feel right when he gets inside the pro league." The young boy stated, but there was another reason. A reason he promised Zane to not tell anyone about it, for Zane's sake, and another person's.

"And besides, he's in his last year anyways, so." Chumley stated, there wasn't much he could say that wasn't said before.

"Nevermind all of that!" Jaden said, breaking the subject, "Konami, you're not leaving this island as long as I'm here. I want all of us to make it to the end and I'll make sure that happens. Don't just give up on your dreams because there something went wrong. I know things will end on a good note, I just know."

"Jaden…" Konrad trailed off, he was quite moved by what Jaden said, but still, there were dark clouds looming over him. "Then what do we do, Jaden?" He asked him.

"What do we do? Easy," Jaden said, "We search for that guy you lost to, you duel him again and you beat him. I was thinking I'd do it for you, but then I realized, it would just be best if you did it yourself, you know?"

"Sounds good, Jay!" Syrus pumped his fist while Chumley smiled, "Very licious plan, Jay."

"Indeed," Bastion spoke, agreeing with Jaden, "I suggest you use this occasion to see what is wrong with your deck, Konami, and figure out its flaws. All of us are more than happy to help you, too. So why don't we meet tomorrow at the shop? I'm sure Ms. Dorothy and Sadie have really good packs of cards waiting for us."

"Bastion's right. Whaddaya say?" Jaden asked, his laid back attitude returning. Konrad mulled over what they said. "…I suppose we can try." He answered, with uncertainty but surely recovered some of his confidence.

The door to Konrad's room opened as a new person got inside, it was Hiroto. "You people know how to create a dramatic scene," He said with a smug grin plastered where his mouth was supposed to be, "I was on the verge of crying."

"Ah, it's you!" Jaden looked at him. "I have a name, slifer! It's Hiroto!"

"Are you sure you're not missing something, Hiroto…" Bastion spoke up. "…Taylor?"

Hiroto was shocked to see that Bastion knew of that, "What, how did you-"

"Oh, a little bit of research here and there. Nothing too hard." Bastion replied with a smile.

"Taylor? Now why doesn't that sound similar?" Syrus asked as he began to think. "Easy. Hiroto is the younger brother of Tristan Taylor, who was one of Yugi's friends. Also his manager during the King of Games' brief stint in the pro league." Bastion informed, "That and he's got plenty of top grade pro duelists under him. He's pretty well known in the business, you could say."

"Yugi's manager?! I didn't even know Yugi was in the pro league, haha, that's awesome!" Jaden grinned as he went over to Hiroto, "Say, think you could tell your brother to hire me when I graduate?"

"Argh, screw off! You're too close!" Hiroto said as he pushed Jaden away, "Sheesh, you didn't need to do that." Jaden spoke as he dusted off his shirt.

"So that explains why you seemed to know about the professional dueling world so much and when you told us that things were lined up for you." Syrus said, his eyes wide as he was just processing what he heard. "Why were you hiding that, though?"

"Because I didn't want people harassing me," Hiroto spoke, "Do you know how annoying to have some randos come to you and tell you the same dumb thing every day?"

"Fair enough. I gotta ask another question," Chumley said, "Why are you here? Weren't you sent to the Ra Yellow dorm a few days ago, once a room showed up?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, I'm still packing up my stuff. I'm doing it slowly, is all." Hiroto replied, "Yeah, too slowly, as a matter of fact." Jaden replied.

"Speaking of, Chumley, you have reminded me of something. It wasn't just a room that became vacant; It was plenty of them. The Ra Yellow dorm is pretty much empty now." Bastion spoke, "I find it very strange, did you guys notice it?"

"I know what you're talking about, Bastion," Syrus replied, "Yeah, it seems there's a lot less Obelisk Blue and Ra Yellow students. But the Slifer Red ones barely dropped."

"It's because we're fighters, Sy! Remember what I told you, about how cool the color Red is!" Jaden smiled, not thinking of it strange.

"I'm just saying, things are very strange here, and I would say it very likely has to do with this mysterious duelist Konrad faced." Bastion stated.

"Thanks for being with me again today, Zane." Alexis said as she and Zane were walking until they stopped near the Obelisk Blue girls' dorm.

"No problem, Alexis," Zane replied with a faint smile, "Did you find anything about your brother, yet?"

"Sadly, nothing." Alexis spoke, she was a bit down about it. "I see…Don't worry, I'm here to help you. We'll definitely find where Atticus is." Zane spoke before he paused as he sensed something. Even Alexis was keen enough to pick up the cue. "We're not alone, are we?" She asked.

"Indeed. Show yourself." Zane said to no one before a tall and shadowy figure emerged from behind a wall, revealing itself. A black-haired man, around Zane's age with a black fedora, a brown jacket with a silver tuxedo underneath it, accompanied by black pants and boots. His most obvious feature however was what looked like to be a sophisticated green-colored piece on his right eye; It looked like it was half of a very developed glasses or rather, a vizor, the same kind as in science fiction shows.

"And here I thought I hid myself well," The man said. "Or rather, I picked the wrong targets to hide from, I knew I would not be able to hide from Zane Truesdale."

Zane looked at this man up and down and quickly deduced he wasn't from this academy. "How do you know who I am? You're neither a student nor a teacher here."

"You're correct…But you would be surprised at how many people know you." Answered the man. Alexis crossed her arms, not impressed by this creep. "And who are you, then? It isn't fair to know who Zane is, when he doesn't know who you are, is it?" She asked him.

"Alexis Rhodes, also known as the queen of the academy, do not think I am unaware of you," He said, looking at her, before turning back to Zane. "I'll tell you my name, if you can defeat me in a duel, Zane Truesdale!"

"Hmph." Zane scoffed, "I don't care who you are or why you're here, but I always accept a challenge. So get ready, I'll duel you."

"Ho ho ho ho…You may find this battle to be the first one you'll lose, for I studied your deck intensely and came up with a way to defeat you."

"Well now, this ought to be interesting." Alexis said with a smile and as if she was assured that Zane will win.

Author's notes:

Chapter 6 is here, and with it, the plot is thickening. By the way, I read your guys reviews and I love them, so keep them coming. I've also noticed some questions so I'll try to answer them the best I can.

Q: In your story, can you pair Konrad with Alexis?

A: At the moment, I don't really have in mind any pairing. However, if I see that pairing Alexis with Konrad could make the story a bit more interesting, then sure, I'll try. Be warned though, I'm not the best at making romances scenes.

Q: This is going good. In the first chapter, you only described Konrad's clothing; what is his physical appearance?

A: Thanks for the compliment! Physically, he's more or less the same as Jaden is. Hiroto(if you were wondering) on the other hand is a bit taller and burlier and after reading this chapter you know why.

Q: Which Monster would be Konrad's "Spirit Partner", like Winged Kuriboh to Jaden? Star Boy or Nightmare Penguin?

A: No clue yet, but if Konrad does get a spirit partner, it won't be any of those two because I don't think they would fit well. I intend Konrad to be a deck that evolves over time so, it will be a monster that's always a constant one in his decks.

Q(?): You're writing style is great, but the biggest problem is that you don't seem to know the rules of the game. For instance you can't actually normal summon a monster in face up defense mode. Nor can you use Block Attack like a trap, as it's a normal spell.

A: I appreciate your kind review. Now, I'd like to comment something about the face-up defense mode part- Yes, normally you're not allowed to do that. That is, if we're speaking strictly about the TCG and OCG, the card game in real life. In the anime, it's a different story because characters in the anime series have shown normal summoning monsters in face up defense mode very often, silly as it may be. What's even silier is that they even summoned face down monsters in attack mode, but they stopped that since the Duelist Kingdom arc. This fanfic is a mix of anime and TCG rules, with leaning towards the former. So if there's anything that doesn't really make sense in the TCG, it's because I'm following the anime rules instead, it also extends for the cards' effects. I will try my best to remain consistent, though, so don't worry.

As for the block attack part, well, I didn't intend to play it as a trap card as I know it is a spell card. If I caused any confusion surrounding that part then I deeply apologize.

Like usual, keep the reviews coming and I'll see you guys next chapter.