Going Pro
Chapter 11: My Bonds
When Jesse had returned home with the Crystal Beasts, he didn't even get to unpack before he was called up by Maximillian Pegasus himself and asked to go to America for another tournament so Pegasus could finally witness the Crystal Beasts in action. When Jesse was informed that he would be flown there on a private jet and would even stay at Pegasus's mansion, he couldn't refuse.
Jesse only got two days to prepare. He had to tell his mother, his teachers, his friend, then deposit his prize money before he forgot about it again, and then pack up.
Everything happened so fast. He was only in America for two days where he came in third place with his brand new deck. Then he was flown off to Korea for another two days where he came in second. After that, he was immediately flown back to America, but this time to the East Coast where he won first place in the tournament.
After each event, he was swarmed by people trying to get him to sign contracts and do other events. He turned them all down politely and managed to escape each time. The last time he almost didn't make it, but Pegasus came just in time to tell them that he was already sponsoring Jesse himself. All Jesse had to do outside of dueling was a few interviews and get his picture taken here and there for whatever magazine or website.
Before he knew it, the fastest and craziest week of his life had ended and he was finally able to return home with three more paychecks in his pocket. He hadn't even looked at them yet, but each envelope had the Industrial Illusions trademark seal on them with his name printed on the front center.
The first thing Jesse did when he got home was crash on his bed, fully dressed and windows open with light pouring in. He was exhausted. While he loved dueling and meeting all those great duelists from around the world, he wasn't sure if he liked the idea of going on tour much. He wasn't even called a rookie duelist once in the past week. It was probably because he kept placing so high and was backed by the creator of Duel Monsters himself.
This had to be a dream. It was all too surreal. Everything was happening too fast.
"Ruby-bii!" a familiar voice squeaked out to him. "Bi-bi-bi?" Jesse felt something poke his face. "Bi-bi?"
"I'm awake…" Jesse said as he turned and cracked an eye open. It was already dark. He hadn't meant to sleep all day. "Ruby? Ruby Carbuncle?" Jesse quietly called out.
Some vehicle headlights passed through his window and lit up the wall. Jesse sat up and looked outside to see if it was his mother. It was, but she wasn't returning home in her own car. She was getting out of somebody's truck, but Jesse couldn't see who was driving due to the darkness and a gun rack in the back obscured the person. Though there weren't any guns on the tack, it still blocked his view.
Jesse could hear his mother laughing loudly as he got up and headed to the kitchen. He was able to hear her voice more clearly in there. She was probably on a date or out with a friend, so he wasn't concerned. It wasn't even that late yet. He decided he should eat something so he put on some water for instant noodles. He briefly mused to himself about what he was eating despite the large sum of money currently in his pocket awaiting to be deposited.
Jesse's thoughts completely halted when an unknown man's laughter sent a chill down Jesse's spine. The Crystal Beast spirits were alerted to Jesse's apprehension. Amethyst Cat and Topaz Tiger appeared and growled quietly.
"What's wrong?" Topaz Tiger asked while the other feline bared her teeth expectantly when they heard the engine of the truck roar as it started up and then rumble as it drove away.
"It's fine, I was just surprised…" Jesse sounded unconvinced. He didn't know to make of it, but tried to ignore it. The spirits trusted his words and disappeared again. Jesse told himself it was normal for children to be wary of their parent's love-interests. Still, Jesse didn't have to urge to spy and see what kind of man it was, and only wanted the man to go away.
"Hey," Jesse greeted and his mother laughed uncharacteristically. "Mom?"
"My adorable baby, when did you get home?" she asked as she hugged him. He noticed she smelled like alcohol. He also noticed he was officially taller than her as well.
"Earlier today, I thought you were at work so I sent you a text," he said. "Who was that guy? He your boyfriend?" he asked.
His mother laughed again and kissed his cheek. "Aw, you don't have to worry about me!"
"Mom, you're drunk," Jesse deadpanned. "Is this why you didn't drive home yourself?" he frowned.
"Oh no-no-no-no, I didn't drive, my new friend did, he's very nice don't you think?" she continued to ramble as she started opening cabinets and taking out boxes to put on the counter. "There's nothing to eat…" she pouted. There were in fact plenty of things in the kitchen, but she appeared to be set on being a downer after that laugh fest.
"Drink some water," Jesse tried. She needed to get her head back. "And where's your car?"
"It broke down a few days ago," she said. "It's has to stay in the shop until I can afford to repair it." She continued to look through cabinets. "I was supposed to go to the store…" she pouted. "I'm a failure…" she began to whimper.
Jesse sighed. This wasn't the first time this happened, but it's not like it was a common occurrence either. "Mom, go to bed, you're drunk," he urged.
"No, your mother doesn't get drunk, what kind of mother would I be?" she waved her hand at him.
"You need to go to bed," Jesse said again.
"Why?"
"Because it's late and your work schedule says you're working tomorrow," he said. "Come on," he said and pushed his mother towards her room. "I'll even bring you something to eat and some water, you need to drink some before you go to sleep."
"Where did you learn that? Have you been drinking?" his mother accused.
Jesse's eyebrow twitched. "You taught me that, remember?"
"What?" his mother snickered.
After another couple minutes, Jesse got her into her bedroom and gave her a glass of water before leaving her alone to sleep it off.
"Does that happen often?" Amethysts Cat asked as she appeared when Jesse reentered the kitchen.
"Not really, though it's happened a few times now," he answered. "Don't worry about it, she's home and safe, and that's all that matters," he said.
Jesse was eating his ramen noodles when his cell phone buzzed. It was a text from Julia stating that she scanned her notes from the classes they have together. He replied with thanks and put his phone down so he could continue eating.
As he sat at the table, he noticed some papers and saw enough of them to spark his interest and look closer. One of the papers was the quote to get his mother's car fixed. He got an idea. It was a nice one too. He had all that prize money he had no idea what to do with, so he figured he could just buy his mother a new car. Maybe just give her some money to get it fixed. He didn't think he made enough to quit her job, but it would help her out. There really wasn't anything he wanted for himself at this point, so at least this way he wouldn't feel bad by saving it while his mother was struggling. With that thought in mind, if was going to spend so much of it on his mother, he should also find a gift for his friend, Julia, as a thank you for sharing her notes with him.
Jesse cleaned up his dishes and yawned. He would browse for a car tomorrow. After locking up the house and turning out the lights, he got settled in his room again. This time he changed into proper sleep attire, but still didn't unpack his bag.
He also got another idea. One he actually thought of on the plane ride back home. "I think we should go to Rome someday," Jesse said as he watched his spirits move around his room.
Ruby Carbuncle was on his lap with her front feet on the window as she looked outside, but she turned to look at him with her head tilted to the side. "Bii?" Jesse understood her question.
"Because you guys were supposed to be from there, or go there, right? I want you see it," Jesse said with his eyes closed. The memories of his dreams flashed in his mind.
"We're here to serve you, Jesse, not the other way around," Topaz Tiger said.
Jesse shook his head. "You're my family now, so it's not all about what I want, you know."
Amethyst Cat laid her head on Jesse's chest and Ruby Carbuncle laid down above his shoulder. "Would you pet me, Jesse?" the large pink feline requested.
Jesse chuckled and looked at her. "Of course," he smiled as he stroked her head. Her ears flattened out as she closed her eyes with a smile. His hand slid down over her ear until he reached her chin to rub there. He wasn't able to feel her fur, but he could still feel a warm sensation. When his hand moved back to the top of her head, his hand passed through her. "Wha…?"
"It's okay, Jesse, you're power is not limitless," Amethyst Cat said before she stepped onto the bed and she laid down at his feet.
"What does that mean?" Jesse asked.
"As you might have noticed, we are not often solid," Sapphire Pegasus began. "And even then, we are solid only to you, but it takes a lot more of your spirit or 'duel' energy to make us solid, normally you have plenty of this energy to let us appear whenever we choose, but not only are you exhausted, but you're still young and inexperienced to let us always choose when to be solid."
"I didn't know anything about that, how are you using my energy in the first place, I don't feel any different," Jesse asked.
"We would never use so much or carelessly make you weak," Amethyst Cat defended.
"You'll be back to normal by morning," Emerald Tortoise assured.
Jesse blinked. "I guess I'll learn more about it as I go, huh?" He then yawned and shut his eyes again. "Night guys," he said. Some of the spirits returned to their cards while some remained in his room with him. His bedroom wasn't big enough for all of them to hang around comfortably, but it appeared only a few felt the need to remain with him just to sleep.
Morning came quickly and Jesse was woken by his new alarm clock, Ruby Carbuncle. "Bi-bi-bi-bi!" she would say into his ear until he woke up and turned over.
"Ruby, it's Sunday, I don't have to go to school today…" he whined.
"Ruby-bi-bi…"
"I know…" he groaned. He had a lot to do today. Over the last week of running around the world, he would tell Ruby about things he had to remember to do when he got home. She was taking on the duty to remind him pretty seriously.
He started to doze before she chirped in his ear again.
"I'm getting up…" He managed to sit up and Amethyst Cat immediately rubbed her face against his as she purred happily. She was already rather attached to him. Jesse couldn't help but smile at her joyful attitude. "Alright, down girl," he chuckled. She smiled at him as she faded back to her card.
After washing up, Jesse simply wore the clothes had been wearing because they were ready. The clothes he wore for dueling were very comfortable, so he liked wearing them. He found his mother hadn't awakened yet, but got started on his day. After he ate, he headed out into town.
Banks weren't open on the weekends, so he couldn't deposit his checks quite yet, but he had enough money to get Julia's thank you gift. As he started down a street, he decided he could just wander until he found a store or shop that might have something. However, he found he didn't have to do that when Ruby Carbuncle jumped out in front of him and led the way.
"I wonder what she might like?" Jesse wondered aloud.
"Your mother?" Sapphire Pegasus guessed, appearing and walking beside him.
Jesse shook his head. "My friend, Julia, is sharing her notes from school with me since I've missed all week, that's really generous of her, so I want to get her something in return," he explained.
"What kind of girl is she?" Amber Mammoth asked.
Jesse thought as he continued to follow Ruby Carbuncle. "The quiet type, I guess. We haven't really been friends all the long, so I guess I still don't know a ton about her."
"She likes to eat, right?" Amber Mammoth asked.
"What do human girls like to eat?" Topaz Tiger wondered.
"Apples? Or carrots, perhaps?" Sapphire Pegasus offered.
Jesse chuckled at that. "I think you guys might be onto something…" Jesse said as he found himself approaching a bakery. Luckily, it was open so he got a fruit pie.
Then he sent her a couple messages asking if it was okay to stop by her house so he could give her something. She responded quickly stating that she would be waiting for him and to come by any time. With that, he started off towards her house. He gave himself plenty of time to get lost and wander around until he could find the correct street. Good thing he was in no rush.
"I hope she likes this pie," Jesse said. "I didn't realize that I don't actually know her that well, we hang out at school and she's really nice, but that's about it. Guess I should start asking her more questions," he mused with a chuckle. "I think I've asked all you more questions than I've asked her."
"We asked you a lot of questions too," Cobalt Eagle said.
Jesse fondly remembered that first night after he received the Crystal Beasts. He stayed up all night just talking to them in his hotel room, which resulted in him sleeping on the train on the way back. In just over a week, he thought it was almost crazy that he already couldn't imagine his life without them.
"We have been watching you carefully over the last week, Jesse, we want to learn everything about you," Sapphire Pegasus explained
Jesse smiled at that. "I know." He felt the same way about them.
Jesse figured it wasn't unusual for him not to think of asking his friend personal questions. Even his own mother hadn't asked him a single question about his life in some time. When he told her about leaving for America, she told him to have fun and bring back a souvenir. While it was nice to have so much freedom, he thought she should show a little concern. He went halfway across the world to a foreign country by himself, and most parents would at least ask for more details about why and where exactly he was going. It was times like this that he remembered how distant he had grown from his family.
"I think you've already found that there isn't a lot to learn," Jesse mused, and the spirits chuckled with him. "I'm easily distracted by cool bugs, have no sense of direction, can't cook, don't have many close friends, and I like to duel, that's pretty much it."
"We have learned much more than that, Jesse," Sapphire Pegasus stated.
"You have a gentle heart," Amethyst Cat said.
"You have a taste for adventure," Cobalt Eagle added.
"You're not a picky eater," Amber Mammoth mused.
"Your bravery is matched by your sense of responsibility," Topaz Tiger said.
"You're always looking out for everyone," Emerald Turtle added.
"Ruby-bi-bi," Ruby chirped on his shoulder.
Jesse smiled and scratched the back of his head bashfully. "You guys…"
Throughout the entire conversation, not a single pedestrian was around, so there was no one to look at him weird when it appeared he was talking to nobody.
"Oh, we're here already," Jesse said when he recognized the house. What luck! "Alright guys, I think you should stay in the deck while I visit," he said.
"No problem," Sapphire Pegasus said as the whole team faded.
Jesse approached the door to knock and Julia answered moments later. "You got here fast," she said after she let him inside.
"Guess I was closer than I thought I was, I walked here too," he said and presented her with the bag that was holding the boxed pie. "I got you this since you are sharing your notes with me," he grinned.
"Oh really? Thanks," she said as she took it. "But you really didn't have to."
"I wanted to, really, it's no problem," he assured. "So do you have those notes?"
Julia nodded and led him into the nearby kitchen. It hadn't changed at all from when he was last here. She put the pie on the counter and picked up a short stack of papers that there held together with a binder clip. "I used a scanner to copy them, so hopefully you can read my handwriting alright," she said.
He looked at the papers and flipped through it a bit. The papers were arranged by subject and in order by date. "This will be great, thanks a ton," he grinned.
"So how were the tournaments?" she asked as she opened up the pie. "Ooo, this looks good," she smiled.
"It was crazy, so much happened really fast, but the duels were awesome," Jesse explained. "My new deck is really making a name for itself."
"The Crystal Beast deck?"
"Yep, and I wanted to get a lot done today before school tomorrow, so I haven't even unpacked yet, that's why I'm still wearing my dueling clothes," he said.
"Yeah, you look kind of funny," she teased and lifted his sleeve and arm by the ruffled cuff. "Looks good too though," she said.
"They're really comfortable," he chuckled. "Way more than the school uniform," he smirked.
Julia made a face. "I would hope so," she then laughed a little herself. "Pie?" she said as she lifted two plates, each with a slice.
"Sure," he nodded.
The visit was short and pleasant. He showed Julia his new deck and tried to get her to play with him, but she wasn't up for it. After a little chatting about what he missed at school, he was on his way. He told her about his idea to find his mother a new car and she said it sounded like a really generous idea, and if that was how he wanted to spend his prize money, he had every right to do that.
First he had to go back home and research what was for sale. He didn't know much about cars, so now was going to be a good time to learn. Jesse also remembered that he should probably learn to drive at some point. He just needs to sign up for a traffic course to get his learner's permit first.
He took his time going back to his bike, which he left on the edge of town. However, he seemed to have some trouble finding it again. Did he take a wrong turn already? He wasn't sure. Something else felt off too. It put him a little on edge. He felt like he should be watching over his shoulder.
His bike had to be close by. Ruby Carbuncle hadn't jumped out to take the lead again. Not that she should have to. However, the presence of the spirits in his deck felt dormant. He wondered if they were sleeping, if spirits slept, or perhaps just laying low. There were many windows around, so it probably for the best so Jesse didn't look like a crazy person by talking to invisible spirits.
As he walked along a brick path he thought he recognized, Jesse saw a tiny duel spirit floating all by itself looking lost and trying to find its way.
"Jerry Beans Man?" It was a low level plant-type monster with somewhat high attack points, but no defense points. "Why is a duel spirit out here?"
Jesse watched the spirit pass through an archway and chased after it. He wasn't just going to ignore the little guy, he had to help. As soon as he looked through the archway, he was shocked to see a child laying on the ground surrounded by scattered Duel Monster cards.
He rushed to help. First he rolled the boy over and checked if he was breathing. He was. That was a relief at least. It appeared he was just knocked out from a nasty duel. Jesse then lifted the boy into a sitting position and propped him up by the shoulders and he tried to wake him.
The boy groaned as he came to, but started to fade again.
"Are you alright? What on Earth happened?" Jesse asked.
The boy looked up at him. "M-my Jerry Beans Man… my Jerry Beans Man card was stolen."
Jesse could hardly believe it. Why in the world would a level three common card be stolen?
"He just made me duel him, and out of nowhere, he said he'd being up the ante rule if I lost…" the boy explained.
"What did he look like?" Jesse questioned.
The boy answered right away. "He was big and scary, but I still dueled him, I mean, Jerry Beans Man's a really close friend to me!"
Jesse understood what must have happened. Jerry Beans Man was used for an ante. No wonder the spirit looked so confused and worried. It was being taken from his friend, his partner. "Yeah, Jerry Beans Man thinks of you as a friend too," Jesse assured. "I saw it earlier, Jerry Beans Man's spirit wanted me to come help you."
"Jerry Beans Man's spirit?" the kid repeated, but not in disbelief.
"You might not be able to see them, but spirits do exist. If you just believe in it, I'm sure your Jerry Beans Man will come back to you." Jesse watched the boy's face light up with his words. When the boy nodded in understanding, Jesse nodded back.
Jesse didn't know that people who couldn't see spirits could have bonds with them. He remembered the friends he had lost over the years, and how it felt to lose those bonds. There was no way that kid could get his card back himself, not from a card thief like that. Jesse told himself that he had to find the man that stole the card from a child. The bonds between people and spirits should be protected.
"I'll find him," Jesse said.
"My Jerry Beans Man? His spirit?" the kid asked.
Jesse nodded. "And the man that stole him. I don't know how long it will take, but I will, someday, and then I'll bring Jerry Beans Man back to you, okay?"
"Thank you."
Jesse helped the kid stand up. "By the way, I'm Jesse,"
"I'm Tom," he said.
Jesse helped Tom pick up the scattered cards. He figured that the card thief was long gone by now, and was sure to tell Tom this, but he also told Tom that if that thief was after spirits, then he was bound to run into him someday, because of his own spiritual connections.
After a bit, Jesse was on his way. He had no idea he was being watched.
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Author's Note:
Somehow my timeline got messed up and Jesse's first encounter with the spirit trapper was supposed to happen before he got the crystal beasts. For some reason I placed it after in my outline. I would go back and fix it, but I noticed too late. Grr. Looks like some other timelines and translations don't specify or have it listed after though, so I suppose it doesn't really matter in the end.
I also almost forgot where I was supposed to be going this arc and nearly wrote myself into a corner by taking the story in a whole different direction with another arc! Good thing I have such a detailed outline to keep me on track. Outlines are very helpful, fellow writers.
