Going Pro

Chapter 20: Pressures and a Reminder

The North Academy first year students were running laps around campus. It was the first day of the last school term this year and they had gym first thing in the morning instead of the end of the day like last term. Jesse liked this schedule. As long as they got plenty of time to shower afterwards, working out in the morning always seemed to put his day in motion a little easier. Overall he liked gym classes no matter when they were held.

Jesse saw Sean up ahead and sped up a little to catch up. "Hey," Jesse said.

"You seem to be in a good mood," Sean noted.

"I guess so," Jesse said. "I spent most of break at my desk, so it feels good to just run for a while." The event he had to go to in Japan ended up being really lame in his opinion, which his cabin mates already knew. All he did was sit and listen to a seminar, watch couple duels as a part of a show, and then nearly get mauled by prospective, but desperate agents. Actually, he learned they weren't desperate for work or anything, just that when they learned he was attending, they jumped at the chance to try and represent him. Jesse wasn't so sure he wanted an agent like that.

"That's right, I didn't see you much when you got back from Japan, what were you doing anyway?" Sean asked.

"I was researching Roman artifacts, history, myths, and legends, including that of Julius Caesar," Jesse said. "Just trying to learn more about my cards and I hoped to find a hint about the Rainbow Dragon."

"Wouldn't Industrial Illusions already have all that information?" Sean asked.

"I bet they do, but I thought I should know as much about the subject as I can," Jesse explained.

"At least your break sounds productive," Sean said. "I feel like I slept most of my break away when I wasn't playing Duel World Four. I beat it by the way, so I can finally buy Five."

"That still sounds good to me," Jesse laughed.

"Ray barely slept at all because he was playing an online game with his friends from back home," Sean said. "With the time zone difference, he mostly just napped during the day so he could play with them online at night here."

"I guess it was a pretty uneventful break for everyone," Jesse said.

"Better than having a crazy one, if you ask me," Sean commented.

Jesse nodded and they kept running laps for a while. As they started to catch up with Ray, they noticed he was still sleepy and only kind of jogging. It was unusual for him, but that's what happens when someone's sleep schedule is off.

"Wow Ray, are you going to run and sleep at the same time?" Jesse joked.

Ray blinked at first. "That'd be awesome," he grinned.

"Did I tell you about my care package?" Sean asked him.

"No? When did you get it?" Ray asked.

"I got it yesterday, my family sent treats and other things I needed, even my hair dye," Sean explained.

"Because you totally need hair dye," Ray said sarcastically.

"Of course I do, my grow-out looks ridiculous!" Sean complained. "Not all of us can naturally have cool color," he said and then added, "Jesse."

"What?" Jesse pouted. "I never asked for blue hair, and I always thought blond would be good on me."

"Heh, can you imagine Jesse with blond hair?" Ray laughed.

"Maybe you should try it," Sean suggested.

"If I hate it, I can't dye my hair back to the right shade of blue very easily," Jesse argued.

"Buy a wig," Sean said simply. Jesse laughed it off.

When they finished jogging, they went to the weight room and spotted each other on the bench press and assisted in sets of sit-ups.

"Man, I can't believe how out of shape I feel after not exercising during break," Ray complained while lying on the floor.

Sean was leaning against the wall as he drank from his water bottle. "Same here," he agreed.

Jesse chose not to admit he actually ran a little in the mornings, if only a lap around campus. He did it to make sure he didn't sleep in too late and because he had too much energy otherwise and wouldn't be able to focus on his independent studies. "I'm going to head back and start getting ready for class," Jesse said.

When class began and he received his syllabi, his jaw nearly dropped as he read over the coursework for the term. It already looked like it was going to be a lot more work than last term. He felt like he was barely keeping up as it was. At least there appeared to be more practical dueling exercises. Jesse learned through the rumor tree during his classes that day that their coursework was becoming more intense because their field of study was becoming too popular, therefore they were weeding out students who couldn't handle it. He also heard it had to do with North Academy's less than reputable win record against other schools, which had harder coursework in comparison. Jesse wasn't sure how much to believe of any of those theories.

When Jesse returned to his cabin, he found the other first year boys cleaning up the common room and setting out study material. "What's going on?" Jesse asked.

"We are getting ready to start a study group, want to join?" Ray asked.

"Sure, but on the first day of the term?" Jesse asked.

Evan placed a pile of text books on the table before answering. "You saw the syllabus right?" Jesse nodded so Evan continued. "Sean had the idea that we should use all of our best study resources as soon as we can so we can get ahead of the game and hopefully keep up easier, none of us want to fall behind or risk getting kicked out of school if we can't make the cut."

"Seems like I wasn't the only one nervous about that," Jesse said. "But that sounds like a good idea, I'd rather start out strong instead of panicking at the end of the term when finals roll around again."

"AH! Don't talk about finals right now! I just want to survive midterms first!" Ray exclaimed.

Jesse laughed nervously. "I'll get some drinks ready," he said and moved to the kitchen.


The next day Jesse learned nearly all of the other cabins were implementing similar strategies. With the help of their friends, they would surely survive the term. Even the senior students were joining forces to ensure they at least don't flop in their final run of high school. Because of this, Jesse didn't see Daniel much since he was always at the other cabins with the other seniors.

For now most of them feared burning out.

"Tonight everyone should read pages one-hundred fifty-five through two-hundred thirty-six for tomorrow," the instructor said near the end of class. Many groans sounded throughout the room. "I know, I know," he tried to console. "I know it's a lot in one night on top of your other coursework, but please hang in there and try to stay focused."

One student raised their hand. "Why is there suddenly so much extra work?"

Jesse noted the teacher seemed stressed out too. It was a lot of work of him as well. He probably had to redo all his lecture material and test structures. "North Academy isn't the only school falling behind in academic coursework, hopefully the curriculum will find a balance by next term."

"You're killin' us, Teach'," another student complained.

"I have to read eighty pages in another class, do fourteen pages of a workbook, and complete four lessons on the server, tonight!" Yet another student complained.

"I'll see what I can do at the staff meeting," the teacher said. "For now, you should get a head start on all that work, please be patient. Class dismissed."

Jesse went to the simulation lab first to power through the server lessons. At least they weren't terribly time consuming, despite requiring more problem-solving. It helped he was naturally good at them. He jogged back to his cabin as soon as he was done.

"Good, everyone's back," Sean said as Jesse stepped inside.

"What?" Jesse blinked.

"Starting now, everyone should take a thirty minute break to just chill out. Don't study or do any chores and just do whatever is relaxing and we'll all meet back here to work on the assignment book," Sean explained.

"I'll set a timer," Ray said.

"Did something happen?" Jesse asked.

"No, nothing, we just have to make sure we take care of our mental health, which means taking some time to unravel some stress," Sean explained.

"That's a good idea," Jesse said. "I'll be back soon," he waved as he headed to his room.

When he returned to his room, he flopped onto his bed and kicked off his shoes and then let out a deep sigh. He felt Amethyst Cat next to him already. Ruby Carbuncle was just above his head on his pillow. Relaxing peace and quiet was a good way to de-stress for a bit. He kind of wanted to do some recreational reading, but didn't have anything to read at the moment, nor did he want to waste his thirty minutes of free-time searching for something on the computer or library website and then not even get to start reading it. He didn't have any new magazines or comic books either.

The air was still and he allowed his mind to wander and churn through thoughts set aside earlier so he could focus on his tasks at the time. One thought that kept coming back to him in recent months was how spirits exist in this world and why only some people could interact with them. There had to be some reason, some meaning to it. If only there was someone brilliant enough to conduct research and provide an answer, even an educated guess would satisfy him.

To his understanding, the Crystal Beasts first memories were of Earth. In fact, their lives' before Jesse came to them were pretty much a blur, because they were asleep for so long. They knew they were waiting for him though. Apparently that was the only clear thought they needed to be happy with their fate. They didn't need answers. Maybe they didn't want any. They were happy with him and that's what mattered. Jesse thought it wasn't a bad mindset to have. Be happy for the good things, no matter how long you had to wait or what you had to endure. He wasn't naturally prone to think that way, but he thought it was a good lesson every now and then.

Amethyst Cat growled and Jesse opened his eyes. She was standing over him protectively. "What's wrong?"

"This presence…" she nearly hissed.

Topaz Tiger's ear twitched. "She's right, there's something wrong…"

"Everyone lay low for a minute," Jesse said and their spirits faded to the deck in his chest pocket.

He went to the window and found it was still closed and locked like he had left it. There was no one outside. In fact, there was really no one outside. The campus looked empty without a student in sight.

The memory of finding his cards thrown into the blizzard that day flashed in his mind and he grew tense. He had written that incident off as a prank on the new guy, but something was telling him to remember that day and be wary. Whatever just happened, he would use it as a reminder to stay on guard at all times. There was no telling what could happen when spirits were involved. He already encountered too many weirdos seeking them out for their own greedy reasons. The notion nearly made him physically sick to think about.

Jesse kind of wished he was out there, in the world, stopping those people and finding Tom's Jerry Beans Man spirit friend. He didn't forget that day or the promise he made. Every day he spent here getting stronger and more knowledgeable, he knew those bad guys were still out there, causing more pain to both spirits and their human friends. Those people were not going to wait until Jesse graduated. Jesse had to remind himself that becoming a strong professional duelist was his best bet at taking some of these guys down. The stronger he gets and the more known his beasts become, the more likely he will be attacked directly by someone seeking out the precious jewels. He would be ready for that day. It was risky to act as bait, but as long as it kept others safer and him as the target instead, then it would be worth it.

A knock at the door made him jump and his heart race. "Jesse, we're going to get ready to work in the common room now," Sean said through the door.

"Okay, thanks," Jesse said and began to collect his classwork material.

He wondered if there was something he could do. Deep down, he knew this place was where he was meant to be right now, but what about his promise? Not only his promise to Tom, but the one he made to himself. He wondered if there was anyone else like him out there. Was someone helping the spirits that are being hunted and stopping those trappers? He hoped so. Just thinking about Tom, and others who were likely in his position, made Jesse uneasy. He wanted to help them more than anything.

Jesse's classmates noticed he was distant while they studied. He wasn't participating as much in the discussions nor writing many answers in the workbook sitting before him. In fact, his expression was grim.

"Jesse," Sean started to get his attention.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

Jesse blinked at the question. "Um yeah, I was just thinking about something, sorry, what question are we on?"

"Thirteen," Sean answered.

"Oh…" Jesse had to flip the page of his book. He had only written anything for the first three questions. "Guess I was really spacing out," he laughed it off and put on a smile. He refocused himself on his schoolwork and was able to keep up for the rest of the evening.


The next morning, something unexpected happened. Jesse was called to the Chancellor's office in the main building. He couldn't think of why he was asked to see him so suddenly as he ventured across the campus. When Jesse knocked on the door, Chancellor Foster opened the door.

"I am sure you are wondering why I called you here," Foster began. "This morning I received this video message from Pegasus, take a look," he said and turned a computer monitor so Jesse could see it and then hit play.

"This message is for Jesse Anderson, due to the time differences between us, I decided sending this message would be more convenient," Pegasus explained. "I am hosting a dueling event in Las Vegas in a few days and one of the competitors just dropped out of the competition because he will be unable to leave the hospital for reasons I cannot disclose at this time, therefore, with Chancellor Foster's permission I would like to borrow Mr. Anderson to take his place in this event. I will send a copy of the event information and a summary of the contract should you both decide accept my request. I hope your studies are going well, good day gentlemen," he finished and the monitor turned black.

Jesse was excited at first, but he then remembered how heavy the coursework became. "He said it would take place in just a few days, so that means this weekend, right?" Jesse asked.

Foster opened the file with the event information. "Yes, the event is on Saturday, and he would like to have you picked up and on your way on Friday."

Jesse nodded and thought about it.

"I will grant permission for your missing any classes if you choose to attend," Foster said. "I highly recommend it."

"Then I would like to go," Jesse said. He knew he would surely have a ton of homework to catch up on when the weekend is over, but he knew he shouldn't pass up this opportunity.

"Represent North Academy and Mr. Pegasus well," Foster said.

"Sure thing," Jesse nodded. "I won't let you down."

When Jesse finally got outside, he leapt for joy. It sounded as if this event would actually have him dueling, unlike the seminar he had to attend over break. No matter if won or lost, something like this would be a lot more fun than studying in his dorm room.

"Las Vegas, huh?" He needed to look up exactly where that was. He knew it was in Nevada, which was next to California, but he couldn't remember where that city was located exactly.

Jesse returned to class for the rest of the morning and met up with his friends during lunch in the cafeteria. There was some discussion about class and media as usual. Jesse didn't have anything to add to the conversation today.

"Earth to Jesse," Ray said and poked his shoulder to get his attention.

"Yeah?" Jesse asked.

"Did you get in trouble with Foster?" Ray asked.

"No, why?"

"You've been pretty quiet since you came back from that meeting this morning."

"Oh that," Jesse chuckled. "There was a message from Mr. Pegasus about a dueling event he wants me to attend this weekend to fill in for someone else, so it nothing bad, really."

"You said just the weekend?" Sean clarified.

"Yes, I won't miss any classes, which is good, I don't think I'd be able to keep up if I miss too much," Jesse laughed.

"Now that you mention it, I hope none of us get sick," Ray said.

"If one of us gets sick, the whole cabin will get sick…" Sean sighed. "But with campus so self-contained, there aren't many opportunities for germs and viruses to get in."

"Unless someone leaves and comes back…" Ray eyed Jesse suspiciously.

Jesse laughed nervously. They were right about that. "Don't worry, I'll make sure I'm extra clean before I get back."

"Good," Sean said.

"Anyway, I still have a couple days to get ready for that," Jesse said and quickly finished eating.

Even though he had found a steady routine for his classes and study, he still found the time to prepare for his trip over the course of the rest of the week. Sacrificing only a little bit of sleep by going to sleep later than normal, he managed to work ahead in some of his classes by following the syllabus. Since he was one of the few students at North Academy actually following the Pro League track, he focused on getting ahead in that material and in some reading for class. Some things would not be taught until he was actually in class, so all that had to wait until then and afterwards he would work on it with his study group.

When Friday arrived, Jesse felt prepared. He was rushing through most of the week, but he was ready. For the plane ride, he even brought along some schoolwork in case he felt up to working on it. These trips were already feeling like a normal part of his life. Visiting places he had never been to before to duel felt right. If he was anxious at all, it had more to do with when he would get to eat during the trip and how many snack bars he should pack.

- - - - - - - - Super Awesome Line - - - - - - - -

Author's Note:

Next time, Las Vegas!

I just realized that when Sean's hair grows out, the colors are kind of reversed of Jaden's. Sean would have orange tips with brown roots. I probably should have thought of that sooner.

Fun fact: Ray and Sean's friendship just kind of happened on its own while writing this story. I didn't originally draft for them to be together all of the time, but it turned out that way.