Alright everyone! It's time to finish my little introduction. Man, I feel like the intro to Kingdom Hearts 2 before the real dance starts because of how its been going. In my life, I had a birthday and a vacation. My family wanted me to enjoy the time, and I can't blame them. Little by little, I've been working on this and I finally got it out! This will set the stage for the next chapter, to which anyone has watched the 4th season will know when they see it!
Also, let me stress this fact. I will not be taking any OCs as of now. If I need to, I'll will make the statement known. Also, I want to go in with my own ideas as well considering I know what I can get out of them.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.
Chapter 8: Had Enough
After the latest duels were done, we were now at the Slifer Common Room where Jaden and Claudio were about to interrogated by Allyson, Melody, Reyna, Syrus, Alexis, and Kenji. The Hero Duelists in question were sitting on the couch with the six interrogators standing in front of them, and everyone was not happy.
"You know why we all brought you two here, right?" Melody asked.
"Yeah," Claudio nodded with a sad smile. "We've been neglecting all of our friends, especially after Miss Belmonte's dueling tests."
"We also want to address what happened after you two returned from the 12 Dimensions." Allyson noted.
"We've told you that we had to find each other and beat the threat that caused the distortions," Jaden replied. "It's over."
"Would that happened to be Yubel and Tragoedia?" Reyna asked. "Because from what I've heard from Allyson and Melody, I don't think you've dealt with the problem."
The boys looked confused until Alexis said, "You two have their cards, don't you?"
Claudio sighed, "That's what this is about?" He then nudged Jaden as they pulled out their decks.
The six interrogators gasped as they saw the Hero Duelist pull out Yubel and Tragoedia respectively.
"So, you do have them!?" Syrus asked, not believing his eyes.
"Why would you keep those monsters!?" Melody shouted angrily. "After everything they've done to us... to you two!?"
"Because they're pretty much dead now," Jaden abruptly replied, causing silence.
"Dead?" Kenji gasped. "You mean you two..."
"That's right, Kenji," Claudio said with a sad smile, waving the card, "Trageodia's no longer a threat. In that duel with all your lives on the line, I had to kill him. Right now, this card is just like many others..."
"And with Yubel," Jaden added. "I took the Light of Destruction, which made her into that manipulative monster, and purged it from her body by using Super Polymerization against her. And it's not exactly like Sartorius' and Jason's case where they were able to recover after months of exposure while Yubel had years. Aster told me what happened to the D. She's pretty much out of it."
Staring at the looks on the boys' faces, the six of them saw how conflicted they looked when they explained the fates of Yubel and Tragoedia.
"You didn't want to end them," Kenji spoke up. "You found out about something about their past that was too heart-wrenching... And your pasts as well... But with everything that happened, you had to silence the threat. Everything that happened was irreversible."
Everyone looked to the Ninja Duelist with confusion.
"What do you mean, Kenji?" Alexis asked.
"There were reasons why Yubel and Tragoedia were attached to Jaden and Claudio," Kenji figured. "It had to be more than just childhood cards; given the lore of some Duel Monster cards, it had to be relating to the past..." He then looked to the Hero Duelists. "They showed you something during their duels, didn't they?"
Jaden sighed and nodded, "Yeah..."
"That's right," Claudio added, he then gripped his hands into fists.
"They were your spirit partners in the past," Reyna figured. She then gasped, remembering how close Yubel was to Jaden and took down anyone that made him cry after his duels.
"We'll tell you the summary of what happened?" Claudio stated. "With me, Trageodia still went on and on about how much he wanted to hurt me for abandoning him. How when he and Yubel united the 12 Dimensions with Super Polymerization and having the Pick of Destiny, he was going to become a God of the new world. He was going to hurt me for all eternity. When I was able to push back, one of his cards caused a look back in Trageodia's history." He then looked up to everyone, "I'm the reincarnation of the Drowned Emperor, whose people were dragged into the Sea of Black Tears by the enemy. With their dying gasps, they all reformed into the monster known as Trageodia."
Everyone looked shocked at the explanation, while Jaden nodded as he was told before.
"Tragoedia told the past Emperor that he would build him an army and help him to control his darkness," Claudio continued. "And then, when the time was right, the Emperor would kill him to harness the power he stored up and stand on his own."
He then looked at Melody with tears in his eyes. Everyone gasped again and saw that the tears were black, remembering that he was in the Sea of Black Tears.
"I had to carry on that promise, after figuring everything out." He continued, and surprisingly not sobbing, "And yet, after everything he's done to you, you kept saying how much you were glad he's gone. How could I tell you after that? How could I explain that the Monster Spirit you hated, happened to be the most important figure in my life? Not to mention, you've seen what the aftermath looks like after seeing my tears?"
Seeing this, Allyson had to look at Jaden as he prepared to tell his side.
"Yubel was still obsessed with me," Jaden began. "She relished every time we've hurt each other in that duel, until I put aside all that to fight her. Wanting to unite the dimensions for her and me to exist forever. In my past, I was the boy who grew up to be Supreme King. Yubel was my best friend and she volunteered to become a monster that would protect me until I came of age. She sacrificed her own body to become my protector. My past life promised her his love would only belong to her after all that. The Light of Destruction, the very thing she was supposed to fight, became the thing that corrupted her. Now she can rest easy, knowing that she won't have to worry about it." In an afterthought, he added, 'In my soul...'
Claudio then spoke again, "You guys understand why we hid this? We're trying to make sure none of you will go through this mess again. All because we were selfish in wanting to save Allyson and Jesse on our own. We understand how angry you guys are for us hiding what happened, but... Think about it... It may be one of you guys next that whatever enemy would have us face. What if they make it so irreversible that you can't return to your old selves? What if we have to kill you to save you?"
"It hurts if it comes to that," Jaden growled. "We caused so much pain and you all got caught up in our problems. That's why we left after those duels; letting them enjoy their accomplishments. In fact, you know we're part of the problem that had the Overseas Teachers and Miss Belmonte getting many of the Obelisks demoted and some of you being promoted. That, of course, means we brought Viper here and the Bio-Bands fuel Yubel and Tragoedia's return."
"And yet, you had the sense to talk to me about my problems," Kenji stated, coming forward and patting Hero Duelists on the shoulders. "Hell, I was conscious the whole time during my possession in the Society of Light and I could have put you all through the wringer. Then, my plot to use Obelisk the Tormentor led to me hurting many of our friends and being possessed by the Egyptian God himself. Alexis, and the two of you were part of the reason why I was able to cope with it."
Claudio sighed, "You didn't have to kill someone through misguided anger. You were careful..."
Alexis then stepped up, "Still, you've got to stop blaming yourself. You two are our friends! Allyson and Melody are worried about you two not being truly happy. Sure, it's great that you're taking school seriously, Jaden. And Claudio's taking care of the negatives on his music, but aren't you two letting it get to you? Remember when dueling used to be fun for you guys?"
"All we're saying is that you two need to stop hiding from everyone," Syrus stated. "Not only that, you've have the teachers worried about you. Professor Sojourner and Sartyr felt sad when they thought you weren't coming back, and even after your duels against them."
Jaden looked at Syrus with a hard look that made the Machine Duelist step back a little, "Then, I hope you guys stay safe."
Claudio then looked at Melody, "Because the next time this mess happens again, we're going to fight."
The Hero Duelists then left out the room, leaving everyone looking disheartened at the once upbeat duelists' determination.
"Well, looks like Plan B will be in effect." Kenji sighed. "I'll make sure to find out what they are fighting. Otherwise, they wouldn't be like this and graduate happy."
"Yeah," Alexis added as she patted her boyfriend on the shoulder. "I hope anything you find out will help us."
"Especially if they think we can't handle whatever they're fighting," Melody sighed with anger. "They forgot that we had a handle in fighting anything that threatened the island or our homes. Not to mention, I can take care of myself just in case something does go down!"
Allyson just looked down, thinking about her boyfriend's problems. Sure, she was angry, but she kind of understood how he felt.
Reyna sat down next to her and offered her a friendly arm to wrap around her shoulders, "Don't worry, we'll make sure to get the old Jaden back. I understand he had to grow up from just fighting duels for his own enjoyment, but this isn't the way."
The next day, Etna was in her office after another day of classes and training Hassleberry and Mikoto in FIRE Monsters. She was going over the process of the current students and saw that it was working out. All the strongest players were being moved into Obelisks, and in the cases of some losing the duels yet surviving the challenges she put out, they were able to win their next duels.
She then sighed seeing the list of people that had been demoted from the higher dorms. Etna wondered how Crowler was competent enough to stay as an Obelisk Headmaster when all he did was encourage the hazing of the lower-ranked dorms. Thanks to Roxanne's and Matthias' work in battling the Obelisks, who were still obvious that the two were skilled beyond a student duelist, she found more duelists to challenge and got them in the proper dorms.
The Laval Duelist had to admit, she felt that Seto Kaiba's naming of the three dorms did play a factor. During the Battle City Tournament, Kaiba held Obelisk and Yugi Moto eventually held Slifer and both were going after the Winged Dragon of Ra, which had more destructive effects than the other God Cards. Whoever spread the word, probably thought that being Obelisks put them on par with Seto Kaiba himself. But knowing his abilities as a Duelist, they had to be deluding themselves.
Finally, she thought about Jaden and Claudio. She would love to put them at Obelisk Blue. Jaden's problem would be that he still missed a lot of work, despite all the current work that helped him balance his grades. Claudio easily made up the work from his second year and went on to near-Valedictorian status in his grades. Still, she would respect their decision in staying their current dorms. But she would place them in the Obelisk Dorm before the year was over.
But she frowned as she remembered several conversations from her star duelists plus the duelists she confided in her search for worthy students for being promoted. After hearing about Nightshroud and Brightveil, the latter that was stopped last year by the Hero Duelists, she couldn't help but think when that threat was coming. Seto Kaiba may not believe such things, despite the events months prior, but twice the island was threatened by supernatural forces that could have spread towards the world. She figured that Jaden and Claudio couldn't fight this alone despite how they wanted to be them alone. She hoped that her and Kaiba's plan of cultivating the best duelists would produce results...
*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*
The Vice-Chancellor looked up from her work when she heard her door being knocked.
"Come in," She said, prompting the door to open and reveal Kenji Yuuyami and Alexis Rhodes. "How can I help you two?"
"We have a problem," The Cyber Angel Duelist said with a sigh. "One of the girls from my dorm is starting to protest your teachings. She heard from one of our meetings and started to alienate Kenji and I from the rest of the Obelisks."
Etna sighed, "I thought it may happen one of these days. They think I'm out to get the entire Obelisk Dorm demoted. Who's the student?"
"Flora Ivy," Kenji replied. "She's the niece of our recently deceased botany teacher, Cassandra Ivy."
The Vice-Chancellor heard of the teachers that sided with Viper to get revenge on Jaden and Claudio for 'mocking' their life's work with their own lifestyles. She remembered that Cassandra Ivy wanted Claudio dead to preserve nature's survival. She frowned that she was no better than an eco-terrorist in the making, ultimately meeting her end during Viper's siege of Duel Academy. Etna read the file on Flora and frowned again at seeing that she was one of the Obelisk that WASN'T slated for any demotions. Giving her the conclusion...
"She's just lashing out," Etna replied. "She lost a family member that taught here and seeing the changes I brought that saw many Obelisk being demoted and new ones being brought in, it's shaken her."
"Right," Alexis nodded, "I was surprised to hear about hers and Mr. Stein's deaths, but they shouldn't have gone after Jaden and Claudio the way they did."
"Still, it's no excuse trying to act this way." The Vice-Chancellor stated. "However, I must ask you to handle this on your own. If I'm involved, it'll just complicate things even further and see that you are all excommunicated."
Alexis and Kenji nodded as they bowed to their Vice-Chancellor and left the room.
Etna then looked back at her work and sighed as she thought about upcoming events. "This is getting complicated..."
The Obelisk duo walked out the main building and headed towards the Obelisk Dorms, talking amongst themselves...
"Man, it's not getting any better," Kenji sighed, "First all the things we found out about Jaden and Claudio, now the both of us being hassled by the other Obelisks?"
"Remember that Atticus and the others are still with us," Alexis assured him. "You know that they don't hold anything against us."
"That's true," the Ninja duelist said, "But then they may suffer for just associating with us." He then smirked. "At least, we got friends that'll watch our backs."
"Something that Jaden and Claudio need to re-learn apparently," the Cyber Angel Duelist stated. "We understand that they have to fight, but they don't understand that we'll get targeted along the way regardless of the enemy."
"One step at a time," the Ninja said. "First, let's focus on our problems. Then, I can get to work on trailing the boys. I can think of this as training until I face my sensei."
Alexis smiled, "Can't accuse you of trying to stay positive."
Unfortunately, once they reached the paths that led to the Obelisk Dorms, Alexis and Kenji were faced with a road block. Many Obelisks were staring daggers at two, including the Slifers that got demoted from their status. In front of them, was the girl in question, Flora Ivy. She had red, wavy hair down to her shoulders, bright yellow eyes that glared at the two, and wore the standard Obelisk Blue Girls' uniform.
"I figured you would be trying to come back after your little 'briefing' from your new boss," Flora scoffed. "So, who else is getting axed from the Obelisks?"
"It isn't like that," Alexis frowned.
"Well, we can say it isn't you, O Queen of the Obelisks," Flora stated in a mocking tone. "Then again, you always had the best treatment. Answering the easiest questions, a wealthy family, and having many boys eating out of the palm of your hand." She then nodded her head at Kenji. "But I can see you decided to keep one as a lapdog..."
Kenji chuckled, "Wow, you really want to push this."
"Then there's you, Mr. Ninja," Flora continued, "All the hassle you gave us when we were in that other world."
"Oh, right," Kenji replied. "You wanted get into building to satisfy your stomach, completely forgetting about the Zombie Duelists overwhelming you. You're welcome for me saving you, by the way..."
"Shove it, Kenji," Torimaki shouted. "You're the reason why most of the guys were demoted. Do you know what it's like being a Slifer Red? Being looked at as a loser!?"
"You wouldn't know," Raizou added with anger, "After all, you have immunity from the new Vice-Chancellor as well!"
"Given that you trashed Chazz and Syrus for the same reason you put yourselves, it speaks for itself why you're there," Alexis countered.
"What's going on here!?"
The crowd of angry students were broken by the appearance of Atticus, Syrus, Lily, Allen, Jethro, Kurogasa, Blair, Jasmine, Mindy, Bradshaw, and Kairi.
"And therein lies the heart of it," Flora smirked, "Since you two were called upon by the Vice-Chancellor, you had the privilege of putting your friends at the top and dropping those who got there without handouts." She then pointed out to Jasmine and Mindy, "You know girls, Alexis told the Vice-Chancellor that you two should be demoted. How your dueling skills diminished... How do you feel that your best friend sold you out just to stay at Obelisk?"
Everyone saw how Alexis was starting to get angry at Flora trying to twist the words against her friends. She was about to defend herself when...
"That's because we needed that push!" Jasmine shouted back, causing Alexis and Flora to gasp. "Sure, it was upsetting that Alexis told us we needed improvement."
"That's right," Mindy added as she and Jasmine stood by Alexis. "From how she knew us, we Jasmine and I really needed to show we had to skill to be called Obelisk Blues." She then looked to Alexis. "We became better because of it."
"Then again, you should have seen our last duels," Jasmine glared at Flora. "We were able to show how that handicap duel against Alexis made us into better duelists. In fact, I was jealous of duelists like her and you but still admired your strength. But if this how you act, then we don't want any part of it."
Alexis smiled at her two friends' words.
"Also," Allen spoke up. "The Obelisk Blues did need work out the most. Most of us got in by having other credentials, including monetary influence to be accepted. Otherwise, Ra Yellow's the top of the food chain!"
"And if you haven't been realizing," Jethro noted. "Some of us Obelisks were Slifers before this whole thing started! I should have been in Obelisk within the first few weeks I arrived but being in that dorm humbled me! I would have been like you stuck-up jerks that worry about your money and rare cards that were easy to acquire!"
"Exactly," Bradshaw noted. "Kairi and I were sent to Obelisk through our connections with Alister and Erika. Still, our first duels were rough!"
"And because of those rough duels, we got better to be accepting of the name Obelisk Blue!" Kairi added.
"And if you think more on it," Atticus stepped up next, "It's best to work your way up rather then being placed at the top. Because of that, people avoid you and don't give out the challenges since you're the best! Zane would be the perfect example!"
Blair sighed, "Yet he didn't get the proper help and thought it was all about shutting the opponent out and hurting them before he'd get hurt."
"Looks like all of you shouldn't be so quick to judge," Kurogasa scoffed. "All of us needed to get better, and this is what we've got."
Still, the angry mob was not standing down. All they saw now was a bunch of traitors on the wrong side.
Flora then threw down the gauntlet, "Well, we've had enough! You wanted to rat out the other Obelisks and see them suffer to save your own skins. But now it's your turn! I challenge you one of you to a duel! I win, you stay away from the Obelisk Dorms." She then pointed to the ten others.
"Is this how Obelisk Blue is this whole time?" Syrus gasped. "And to think, Zane was one of the prided duelists here..."
"This is insane," Alexis sighed.
"Well, she really isn't giving us a choice," Kenji stated as he pointed out everyone goading them on or giving them harsh words. "Sure, we could walk away... But then, we'll be agreeing that we're in just in it to stay Obelisks ourselves." He then pulled out his duel disk from his blazer and strapped onto his arm. "So, I'll accept your challenge. Only to show how wrong you are about us."
Flora and Kenji activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands.
DUEL!
Kenji: 8000
Flora: 8000
"Beat that ninja nerd down!"
"Show him how a real Obelisk Blue fights!"
"Make him wish he'd never ratted on us!"
Flora smiled, "Looks like the hearts of true Obelisks are with me. I'll begin, Kenji!" She then drew her sixth card and smiled at her hand. "Good! I'll summon Aromage Jasmine in attack mode!" A gentle breeze blew, summoning a young girl with light purple hair and wore purple tunic and blue leggings. She carried a small staff with a lantern at the top. (2/100/1900) "Next, I activate the Field Spell, Aroma Garden!"
Once the card was inserted into her Field Slot, the area around them was now a field of flowers underneath a sunny day.
"Well, she is like her aunt," Alexis noted. "Wanting to build flowers everywhere..."
"With this Field Spell, while I have an Aroma Monster on the field, I gain 500 Life Points!" Flora announced as a wonderful scent blew through the garden, surrounding the Obelisk Girl.
Kenji: 8000
Flora: 8500
"Also, all Monsters I control gain 500 ATK and DEF until the end of your next turn!" She continued as Jasmine breathed in the scent, making her stronger. (2/100-600/1900-2400) "With this, now I can do two things! Once per turn, when I gain Life Points, Jasmine allows me to draw a card!" She drew her next card. "Also, while my Life Points are higher than yours, she lets me Normal Summon another Aroma monster. And, I'll choose Aromage Rosemary!"
Rising from the flowers, a young girl with light blue hair and dressed in a black, schoolgirl uniform appeared. She carried a herder's staff with a scented candle on top. (4/1800-2300/700-1200)
"I then set two cards to end my turn." She concluded as two set cards appeared behind her monsters. "Now, let's see what you have traitor!"
Hearing the angry mob's cries, Atticus spoke up. "So quick to judge. Hope you have something in store for them, Kenji."
"My turn," Kenji announced, drawing his sixth card.
"Now I activate my facedown cards," Flora interrupted, revealing her Set cards, both being Traps. "The Continuous Traps, Solemn Wishes and Humid Winds! Everyone knows about the first, but I can use the latter card to pay 1000 Life Points to add an Aroma Monsters from my deck to my hand! I'll select Aromage Canaga!"
A red aura surrounded her, translating the payment.
Kenji: 8000
Flora: 7500
"But that's not all!" She continued, "Since my Life Points are now lower than yours, I gain 500 Life Points from that same Trap!" Humid Winds blew a soft breeze, increasing her Life Points.
Kenji: 8000
Flora: 8000
"Doing so, activates the effects of Rosemary and Jasmine!" She smirked. "I can draw a card from Jasmine and have Rosemary switch Jasmine into defense mode! But that also triggers Solemn Wishes when I gain 500 Life Points for the card drawn!"
The Aromages unleashed their scented candles upon the field, letting Jasmine sit down and Flora drawing her card, causing Solemn Wishes to rain healing water upon her.
Kenji: 8000
Flora: 8500
"Right back where she started," Bradshaw stated. "She's not Obelisk for nothing. Shame she's going on to slander Alexis and Kenji..."
Kenji then overlooked his hand and nodded, "Nice opening move. Let me show you mine! I summon Ninja Scorpion!" In a flash of fire and darkness, a ninja wearing a garb of orange and black appeared. (4/1900/1200)
"Next, I'll play the Quick Play Spell Shadow Clone to bring out Ninja Sub-Zero from my deck!" Soon, Scorpion went through a series of hand signs before his shadow grew into another ninja, this one clad in blue and black. (4/1800/1200) "I'll use Sub-Zero's effect to freeze Rosemary until the end of your next turn!"
Sub-Zero gathered ice into his hands and thrust them at Rosemary, freezing her in place.
"Then, I'll have Scorpion's effect! I can attack you directly with half of his ATK!" Kenji announced as Scorpion faded into darkness. But before Flora could react, she was struck in the back by a chop. She could only glare as Scorpion flipped back to his master's side.
Kenji: 8000
Flora: 7550
"I'll then end with a facedown card of my own, ending your effect of monsters and Field Spell." He concluded as he inserted a card behind Scorpion, causing the breeze around the garden to stop. (4/2300-1800/1200-700), (2/600-100/2400-1900)
"It's not going to be enough," Kairi noted. "Flora will have more Life Points starting her next turn."
"And her Aromage monsters will have the advantage due to their effects," Jethro figured. "So, she'll have a control theme to it..."
"And I'll get back to it," Flora announced, drawing her next card and activating Solemn Wishes.
Kenji: 8000
Flora: 8050
"And that activates my Aromage Monsters' second effects! I'll draw a card from Jasmine and for Rosemary, and I'll switch Scorpion to defense mode!" She drew another card, activating Solemn Wishes and Rosemary's scented candles caused Scorpion to kneel.
Kenji: 8000
Flora: 8550
"Now, since you've stopped Rosemary I'll sacrifice her and summon my Aromage Bergamot!" Rosemary vanished into the garden and brought out a fierce-looking woman. She had long, dark-red hair and wore a miko outfit with the same color as her hair. She wielded a long staff with two prongs and a scented candle between them. (6/2400/1800) "Next, I'll activate Monster Reborn! Rosemary, return!"
The angelic ankh brightened over the garden, bringing back the light blue-haired girl from the dead. (4/1800/700)
"Then, I'll use the free Normal Summon to bring out Cananga!" She continued as a young girl with short, brown hair clad in brown dress appeared. (3/1400/1000) "While she's on the field, your Monsters lose 500 ATK and DEF since my Life Points are higher!"
Kenji gasped as the new Aromage littered his sided with scent candles, making his ninja weak from its scent. (4/1900-1400/1200-700), (4/1800-1300/1200-700)
"That's going to be trouble," Allen noted.
"And it's about to get worse," Kurogasa said as he pointed to the Field Spell glowing.
"I'll use Aroma Garden's effect to gain 500 Life Points and increase my monsters' ATK and DEF by 500!" Flora announced as the Field Spell unleashed its breezy scent, empowering her and her monsters. (4/1800-2300/700-1200), (2/100-600/1900-2400), (6/2400-2900/1800-2300), (3/1400-1900/1000-1500)
Kenji: 8000
Flora: 9050
"Also, when I gain Life Points Bergamot gains 1000 ATK and DEF until the end of your next turn!" She grinned as Bergamot's candle grew bigger. (6/2900-3900/2300-3300) "And, Cananga returns your Set Card to your hand!" One of the scented candles on Kenji's field was on his Set card, causing it to vanish back into his hand. "Battle! Bergamot attacks your Sub-Zero!"
Bergamot dashed across the field and struck the ice ninja with her staff, shattering him to pixels.
Kenji: 4800
Flora: 9050
"Cananga, attack Scorpion!" She continued, "And while I have more Life Points than you, Bergamot allows my Plant-Type Monsters to inflict piercing battle damage!" Canaga snapped her fingers, causing the scented candles' flames to strike down the weakened undead ninja, sending him to the underworld.
Kenji: 4200
Flora: 9050
"Rosemary, attack Kenji directly!" The last Aromage floated across the field and struck Kenji with her staff, making him stagger.
Kenji: 1900
Flora: 9050
Flora's followers cheered at the early advantage and clamored for more.
"Kenji!" Alexis cried.
"Damn, one more attack and he's done," Atticus growled.
"I'll then set two cards facedown." Flora concluded with a smirk. 'This ends here, Kenji! One of my facedown cards is Dried Winds! I can pay a lot of Life Points to shut down your Monsters! I know you can Special Summon frequently, but with the perfect strategy, you won't win! Serves you right for selling out the Obelisks!'
Regaining his composure, Kenji let out a sigh, "Well, that was fun. But it was necessary to see what you can do! Now for my offensive!"
Flora scoffed, "What can you do now? I've just crippled you into a corner!"
"Meaning, I'll just have to press on forward! My turn," the Ninja announced, drawing his next card. "First, I'll activate the Spell Bait Doll! Since you've obviously have a Trap set for me, I'll see to your card on my right!"
Flora growled as she saw her Dried Winds Trap revealed.
"I see now!" Kenji smirked, "There could have been a time I'd Special Summon a lot, but I'd have to suffer with this Trap's effect! I'd have lost everything by you paying Life Points equal to our gap. Bait Doll reshuffles back into my deck after use." He took his Spell card and let the disk auto shuffle. "Second, I'll play my Spell Spirtualism to bounce your remaining Set card back to your hand! Eye for eye from Cananga!"
A white flame erupted underneath Flora's hidden card, making her place it back into her hand.
"Now, the field is safe! I activate the Spell Trap Pause to negate your Trap Cards and draw one card for each card affected!" Kenji continued as Flora's three cards turned grey, prompting him to draw three cards. "Good! Now, I activate Ninja Summoning Art! I can fuse Monster cards from my hand and field to Fusion Summon a Ninja Monster! I'll fuse Ninja Inuzuka and Ninja Dog Akamaru!"
He fanned out the three cards from his hand, bringing out a young man wearing a grey, hooded coat and pants with feral features along with a small, white furry dog. The boy did a complex hand sign, prompting both him and the dog to erupt into a white, smoke-filled fusion vortex.
Kenji chanted.
"Two kindred spirits of the beast mimicry! Combine your chakra and unleash your inner monster! Ninja Fusion! Howl twice! Ninja Twin-Headed Beast Inamaru!"
*HOWL!*
A beastly howl erupted from the vortex, unleashing a giant, two-headed dog stomped down on the field. It growled at the Aromages, causing all but Bergamot to shudder in fear. (8/2800-2300/2300-1800)
"Haven't seen one of his Fusion Summons in a while," Lily smiled.
"He'll need something else to take down Bergamot's 3900 ATK," Jasmine noted.
"Next, I activate Card of Demise!" Kenji continued, drawing his five cards, "Then, I'll discard one card to activate Inamaru's effect! It allows me to attack twice with him this Battle Phase!"
"You're still short on ATK!" Flora stated.
"Then watch as I perform a Synchro Summon from the graveyard!" the Ninja Duelist announced.
Everyone gasped at his declaration.
"How can you do that!?"
"That should be illegal!"
Alexis then realized it, "Wait, one of his Synchro Monsters can do that!"
Kenji smiled and nodded, "Thanks to effect of Noob Saibot from the Extra Deck, I can do this by using a Level 3 Tuner Monster and Ninja Sub-Zero in my graveyard!"
"You discarded the Tuner Monster!" Atticus cheered.
"Exactly!" Kenji stated as the spirits of both Ninja Sub-Zero and Foreign Shinobi appeared. The Tuner became three green rings while surrounding Sub-Zero, who became four glowing stars. A white energy erupted as Kenji dead.
"He who was destroyed by false pretense! Take on a new form and take revenge on your killer! Phantom Synchro! Be resurrected! Wraith Ninja Noob Saibot!"
Rising from the ground, another ninja dressed in pitch black appeared. His eyes carried a darkness in them that also struck fear into the Aromages. (7/2550-2050/2150-1650)
"Now I activate Noob Saibot's effect! I can have him negate the effect of one of your Monsters and have him gain it until the end of the turn. I choose to negate Cananga's effect! Meaning my monsters regain their power!"
The Synchro Ninja created a duplicate of himself behind Cananga, having it drain the Aromage of her color before going back to its shadow. (7/2050-2550/1650-2150), (8/2300-2800/1800-2300)
"Fine, not like you have any Plant monsters!" Flora stated. "Remember, as long as I have Plant-Type Monster, I'll have the advantage!"
"Then, I'll guess I will gain new allies!" Kenji grinned as he activated another Spell. "I use the Spell, Synchro from the Different Dimension! With this card, I can perform another Synchro Summon using Monsters that were Banished! In return, I have to place them at the bottom of my deck!"
A portal in the ground to reveal Ninja Sub-Zero and Foreign Shinobi before they began the Synchro Process once more, letting Kenji chant.
"Demoness of the Ninja Clan! Appear before me and control my enemies! Synchro Summon! Arise! Assistant Ninja Demoness – Tiana!"
The light of the summoning faded, creating a beautiful, demon woman with sapphire-blue eyes and pointed ears. Her long, blue hair was tied into ponytails that went down to her thighs and was clad in a black leotard and purple kunoichi top that left little to the imagination. She grinned seductively and struck an alluring pose. (7/2800/2100)
"Ah!" Tiana sighed happily as she stretched out her arms, "Finally, I can come out to play again! And I can continue to show my worth to my sweet Master!"
Kenji shook his head, 'Tiana, focus! We're here for a duel and I need your help.'
He still had the problem how attached his new Synchro Monster was to him, constantly butting heads with Alexis. Who by the way, was wary of what the Ninja Demoness was going to do to seduce her boyfriend. Thankfully, Kenji never reciprocated the advances.
"Anyway," The Ninja duelist said as he discarded one card from his hand and activated another, "By discarding one card, I play the Trap Booster Spell Card! It allows me to activate a Trap Card from my hand! You're a well-known duelist, Flora. So, I was fortunate enough to place this card into my deck!" He then revealed a Continuous Trap Card that caused Flora to gasp.
"No!" She shouted.
"Bad Reaction to Simochi activates!" Kenji announced as the Continuous Trap appeared next to him, emitting a purple glow. "Now every time you gain Life Points, it'll decrease instead!"
Flora growled, "It would make sense for a Ninja like yourself to try some tricks! Another reason why you're a traitor!"
"Oh, so it's not having the foresight of putting in a vital Trap to take down my opponents when they are in dire need of a Life Point gain?" Kenji groaned, hearing the complaints from the opposite party, "It's accusations like that will show everyone why this needs to happen. Instead of putting all the effort of excommunicating me and Alexis from Obelisk Blue, you could have something to improve your dueling! And since you're a Senior like Alexis and I, you should be better than this."
"Having that Trap will give Kenji the advantage," Kurogasa stated. "It'll be a matter of time for him to gain the lead."
"First, I'll attack with Tiana!" the Ninja duelist announced, "Destroy Rosemary with Stealth Strike!"
Tiana giggled as she vanished in a puff of smoke, putting the Aromages on alert. Suddenly, Rosemary gasped as she felt the kunai in her back and then shattering into pixels.
Kenji: 1900
Flora: 8650
Flora growled, 'Oh great, now my cards are going to backfire on me!'
Kenji nodded, as if reading her thoughts, "That's right, the effect of your Aroma Garden activates! Since an Aroma Monster is destroyed by battle, you'll gain 1000 Life Points! But Bad Reaction to Simochi turns it into damage!" The Trap Card started the poison the air around Flora's side of the field, causing her Life Points to burn away.
Kenji: 1900
Flora: 7650
"Next, Tiana's effect activates!" He continued, "Whenever a Ninja Monster destroys your Monsters in battle, she allows me to Summon the Monster I destroyed to my side of the field! Come to me, Rosemary!"
Tiana then pulled out a pink crystal ball, absorbing Rosemary's remains. She then threw it over to Kenji's side and caused the Aromage to appear opposite Flora. (4/1800/700)
"Now I'll send Rosemary to attack Cananga!" He shouted, causing everyone to gasp.
"Rosemary's still weaker!" Allen noted. But it was too late as Rosemary went for a frontal assault yet was easily blocked by Cananga. The brown-haired Aromage struck her former ally with her staff, shattering her to pixels.
Kenji: 1800
Flora: 7650
Kenji then smiled, "Since I controlled Rosemary at that time, I gain 1000 Life Points since the Plant Monster was destroyed!"
Aroma Garden sent another wafting breeze around Kenji, having him heal from the punishment he endured.
Kenji: 2800
Flora: 7650
"Next, I'll have Inamaru attack both Jasmine and Cananga! Go, Howling Crush!" The two Aromages screamed as the giant dog slammed them to the ground with his paws, shattering them to pixels. Tiana then created another Crystal Ball, absorbing the pixels.
Kenji: 2800
Flora: 6750
"Not only do I gain those two cards, but you lose 2000 Life Points due to our cards activating!" Kenji stated as Tiana recreated Jasmine and Cananga, both in defense mode. (2/100/1900), (3/1400/1000)
Then Bad Reaction to Simochi poison the air once more to damage Flora.
Kenji: 2800
Flora: 4750
"Now I set one card facedown and activate Aroma Garden's effect! I gain 500 Life Points and all my monsters gain 500 ATK and DEF!"
Aroma Garden's scent filled Kenji and his side of the field with a soothing aura that empowered them all.
Kenji: 3300
Flora: 4750
(7/2800-3300/2100-2600), (8/2800-3300/2300-2800), (7/2550-3050/2150-2650), (2/100-600/1900-2400), (3/1400-1900/1000)
"Then, I can use Jasmine's effect to draw a card and Cananga's effect to return Dried Winds to your hand!" He continued as he drew his next card and the brown-haired Aromage used her ability to bounce the named Continuous Trap back to Flora's hand. "And now that I'm done, Bergamot loses its advantage!"
Bergamot frowned at the loss of her power, plus the betrayal of her comrades. (6/3900-2400/3300-1800)
"It's my move!" Flora growled, drawing her next card. "Stealing my monsters, you'll pay for this!"
Kenji then pointed at Flora, "Don't forget that your Traps are now active, and Solemn Wishes will make you lose 500 Life Points with Bad Reaction to Simochi in effect!" He called out as the rain from Solemn Wishes harmed the Aromage duelist.
Kenji: 3300
Flora: 4250
"Yet, my Life Points are still higher!" Flora stated as played a Spell card, "I activate Magic Planter and chain it with Serial Spell! I'll discard the rest of my hand to duplicate the effect of Magic Planter! Meaning, I can send two Trap Cards to graveyard and draw four cards!"
Solemn Wishes and Dried Winds melted into the garden, letting her draw four cards.
"Now I summon the Tuner Monster, Aromaseraphy Angelica!" She continued as a small fairy in a white dress and stained-glass wings appeared. (1/0/0)
"She's going to Synchro Summon!" Jasmine and Mindy realized.
"Then, I tune the Level 6 Bergamot with the Level 1 Angelica!" Flora announced as Angelica became a Tuning Ring that surrounding Bergamot, who became six glowing stars. "I Synchro Summon the Level 7 Aromaseraphy Bergamot!"
Bergamot returned to the field, but this time she had Angelica's wings attached to her back. (7/2700/1800)
"My Life Points are still higher, you know?" Flora sneered. "So, the effect of Bergamot means she gains 1000 ATK and DEF instead of waiting for my Life Points to increase!" Bergamot's new wings glowed and absorbed the sun's light energy. (7/2700-3700/1800-2800) "I attack Tiana! Looks like you won't be taking any more of my Monsters!"
Bergamot flew towards Tiana, who gasped at her eventual defeat...
Kenji then revealed his facedown card, "I activate the Trap Card, Shift! I can switch the target of your attack to Cananga!" Tiana smiled as she flew into the Trap Card, causing it to spin around and brought Cananga to the front line. Bergamot's strike couldn't stop and struck down another of her comrades to pixels. "And with Aroma Garden in effect, I gain 1000 Life Points for the Plant Monster leaving my field!"
Kenji: 4300
Flora: 4250
"And since my Life Points are higher than yours, Bergamot loses her advantage!" The burning aura around the Synchro Monster faded away. (7/3700-2700/2800-1800)
"I place two cards facedown!" Flora concluded, causing Kenji's monsters' stats to return to normal as well.
"My move!" Kenji announced drawing his next card. 'I could try to end this now, but those cards will spell big trouble if I try something. Better play it safe...' He then announced, "I place one card facedown and activate Aroma Garden's effect to end my turn!"
Another calming breeze surrounded his field, empowering all on his side. (7/2800-3300/2100-2600), (8/2800-3300/2300-2800), (7/2550-3050/2150-2650), (2/100-600/1900-2400).
Kenji: 4800
Flora: 4250
"My move!" Flora announced, drawing her next card. She then smirked. "Good! I activate the Megamorph equip Spell! I'll have to use it on my Bergamot!"
Kairi sighed, "Of course! She would have cards that would take advantage of the current scores. Since she mostly had higher Life Points, she could have weakened her opponent's monsters. But now, she can double Bergamot's original ATK!"
The Aromaseraphy monster felt her power spike, letting her smirk like her mistress. (7/2700-5400/1800)
"Then, I summon Lonefire Blossom!" Flora continued as she brought out a bright red, bomb-like flower from the garden. (3/500/1400) "It's effect activates! I can now tribute a Plant-Type Monster to Special Summon a Plant-Type Monster from my deck!"
The Blossom exploded into many seeds.
"Now grow! Chirubime, Princess of the Autumn Leaves in defense mode!" She cried out as the seeds sprout and grew into a large tree with autumn leaves. On top was a woman wearing a green, leaf-like leotard and autumn leaves in her head. (8/1800/2800) "Now to battle! I attack your Noob Saibot with Bergamot!"
The Plant Synchro absorbed the sun's rays and reflected it onto the shadow ninja, burning him to cinders. The light still reflected onto Kenji, causing him to block with his Duel Disk.
Kenji: 1950
Flora: 2750
"I've regained the lead!" Flora grinned as her followers cheered.
"But now Megamorph cuts your monster's ATK in half!" Kenji stated as the runes of the Spell weakened Bergamot. (7/5400-2700-1350/1800)
"But that also means my monster gains 1000 ATK and DEF!" Flora countered as Bergamot's innate power activated. (7/1350-2350/1800-2800) "I end my turn, and with my Princess of the Autumn Leaves out, you cannot touch my other Plant-Types!"
"Then I'll get rid of her," Kenji announces, drawing his next card. "I activate the Equip Spell Fuhma Shuriken! I equip it to Inamaru, giving him 700 ATK!" A blue aura surrounded the Fusion Monster, giving it strength. (8/2800-3500/2800) "I then discard one more card to allow him to attack twice! Inamaru, attack her Princess first!"
The twin-headed ninja dog let out a giant roar, blowing the Plant Princess out of her roots and into the sky.
Flora smirked, "Chirubime's effect activates! I can Special Summon another Plant-Type Monster from my deck!" She then revealed another card, "I choose another Plant Princess, Marina, Princess of Sunflowers!"
From the remains of the roots, it grew into another tree filled with Sunflowers with another woman sprouting from the largest flower. She had a purple leotard and a headdress made from another sunflower. (8/2800/1600)
"Good, but Tiana's still on the field." Kenji reminded her. "She will Special Summon your other Princess to my field!" The Ninja Demoness summoned another crystal ball and let it grow into the fallen Princess of Autumn Leaves. (8/1800/2800) "Now I attack your Bergamot! Continue your attack, Inamaru!"
"Yes!" the Aromage duelist shouted, revealing her facedown card, "I activate the Trap, Wall of Thorns! Since I have only Plant-Type Monsters on my field, I can destroy your Attack Position Monsters!"
The Sunflower Princess giggled as she raised her hands to the sky, causing a thorny barrier to grow in front of her.
"Oh no, that would leave everything but that Princess on the field," Bradshaw cried.
"You underestimate me," Kenji stated, revealing his own facedown card, "I activate my Trap Card, Ninjutsu Art of Trap Sealing! Since I have a Ninja on my field, I can negate the effect of your Trap Card!"
Tiana went to work again, making a string of hand signs that caused the Wall of Thorns to vanish. Bergamot gasped as the Ninja Dog crashed into her, shattering into pixels.
Kenji: 1950
Flora: 1600
"Ha!" Flora shouted, "The effect of Marina activates! I can destroy one of your cards! I destroy your Dog and send away that nuisance!" The Sunflower Princess cackled as she grabbed the giant dog with her roots. She then sunk the struggling beast into her garden.
"But you lose 700 ATK due to my Shuriken's other effect!" Kenji said as shuriken rained from the sky, striking the Obelisk Girl.
Kenji: 1950
Flora: 1600
"I end my turn." He concluded.
"Wait a minute," Jethro noted, "Why didn't Kenji use Aroma Garden's effect? He still had Aromage Jasmine on his side of the field!
"He's right," Jasmine realized, "It's not like him to make a mistake like that!"
Flora grinned, drawing her next card. "Big mistake that you didn't use my Field Spell; now I can end this! I summon Rose Paladin in attack mode!" In a flurry of roses, a tall, woman appeared wearing a silver headdress, halter top, and petal skirt appeared brandishing her lance. (4/1800/200) "And then I attack your Ninja Demoness!"
Everyone frowned at seeing Rose Paladin rushing across the field and striking Tiana, only to be quickly countered with a roundhouse kick to the ground.
Kenji: 1750
Flora: 600
"Marina's effect activates destroying that bimbo!" the Aromage duelist continued as the Sunflower Princess grew more roots to surround the surprised Synchro Ninja. "Now you won't be able to take my monsters!"
Kenji then glared back at the Obelisk Girl, "Actually, not!"
"What!?" The roots sunk back into ground, but there was no Tiana!
"Yoo-hoo!"
Everyone looked to the sky and saw Tiana descending to the field. "My Master saved me again!" She said happily.
"The card I discarded with Inamaru's effect was called Stealth Retreat!" Kenji stated, revealing the Trap he removed from his graveyard, "I can Banish this card from my graveyard, when my Ninja could be destroyed by card effect! Now, you're going to pay for badmouthing my cards!"
Flora flinched at the tone of voice as Kenji drew his next card.
"Now I will use the effect of Aroma Garden since Jasmine is still on my side of the field!" He continued as the breeze calmed him and his monsters. (7/2800-3300/2100-2600), (2/100-600/1900-2400)
Kenji: 2250
Flora: 600
"This is the end!" Kenji announced as Jasmine stood up while Tiana landed next to her, planning to strike. "I switch Jasmine to attack mode and attack with Tiana against your Sunflower Princess!"
Tiana shouted a battle cry while giving a sharp kick to the Plant Princesses' head, knocking her down towards her mistress, who swiftly jumped out the way.
Kenji: 2250
Flora: 100
"Jasmine, end this!" the Ninja duelist continued, letting the Aroma take a candle jar and throw it at the unsuspecting Obelisk Girl. The jar shattered, leaving its aroma wafting around Flora and drained the rest of the Life Points.
Kenji: 2250, Winner
Flora: 0
Alexis, Atticus and their friends cheered for Kenji's victory as the holograms vanished. Tiana stayed behind as a spirit, leaving only those who knew about Duel Spirits being able to see her.
"I believe that ends all of that," Kenji stated as he deactivated his duel disk, addressing Flora and her followers, "No matter what you believe, or what you've heard, I'm not against any of you. If you all were so lacking in your ability as Obelisk Blues, the Chancellor and the faculty wouldn't have resorted to this method. They asked us who improved and who needed to improve, and we answered to the best of our ability. Not to mention, Obelisk Blue was lax in its ways thinking we are the elite instead of proving it time and time again."
"Instead, all of you just kept hazing the lower dorms," Alexis said, stepping up. "And if you think about it, what has Obelisk Blue done the past three years? All of us have lost at least once to the lower dorms! Many of you didn't learn your lesson and held a grudge against the ones who beaten you, going out of your way to humiliate them to repair your damaged pride. Some of us, saw the potential the lower dorms held and gave them the respect they deserved."
She then pointed to the people behind her, "And they realized their shortcomings over the three years and shown that they've grown from them! If they can do it, you all can, too!"
The Obelisks and demoted Slifers frowned at hearing the words of Alexis and Kenji.
"It still doesn't excuse you of selling us out," Flora growled as she stood up. "You practically sped up the process by giving names, instead of letting the people affected enjoy their last year. But no, you'll have to live that we'll never see you as prided Obelisk Blues."
Kenji growled as the followers back her words up.
"Pathetic," the ninja duelist stated. "Are you all that hooked up on money and status to get want you want in life? Then, watch as everything that you try to cling onto will eventually fall. I have no more reason to talk to any of you." He then walked away with a huff.
"Kenji, wait!" Alexis shouted.
Atticus sighed, "It's okay," He told his sister, "He's just angry and sad at the fact that this is what Obelisk led to." He then looked to all the protesters and shook his head. "Let's go everyone; let's go see the rest of our friends."
"Good idea," Syrus replied as the rest of the Obelisks left. "First Jaden's and Claudio's breakdown, now this... It's getting rough to end this year..."
Flora smirked seeing her work done, knowing that the snitches were done away with. But then she frowned as she looked at her deck.
'I still can't believe that he defeated me!' She thought in anger, 'All because he was able to pick apart my cards by using that Trap! Or... this deck wasn't strong enough... I've beaten many duelists with this deck that Aunt Cassandra trained me with before she died, but to think a traitor got the best of me!?'
She couldn't see it, but a darkness was now building up within her cards and starting to spread into the other Obelisks and fallen Slifers, all having the same mindset. If they were really the top duelists, how did they fail? Why were they being singled out to be demoted? Why did the Vice-Chancellor want to change things?
Pretty soon, their decks started to leak with darkness...
I've done it! Sorry for the wait, but now it will come faster! It's time to go into the territory that everyone's familiar with... Of course, if you watched the 4th season...
I finally got some the problematic with Jaden and Claudio, wanting to talk about their problem without talking about Yubel's true fate and have them say something that will 'satisfy' the people that care.
The highlight of the chapter is Kenji and his long-awaited return in a match against an Obelisk. Her name was going to be Ivy but had to change it since I had a teacher last story with the same last name, so I made her a relative. Read up on the Aromages and added Plant Princesses a bit to have some skill to show what happens when she can't gain Life Points.
Next time: Many students cannot duel around the campus? Is it the Duel Disks? Is it the cards? Or is it the darkness that all but a few cannot see? Mysterious people come to Duel Academy during this, with many questions needed to be answered.
Please Review! Later!