Sophomore Year NEW CHAPTER- NEW UPDATE DAY CHANGE
¤ (Many Months Later, End of the School Year) ¤
Well it was an extremely eventful beginning of the year, and then it got boring, we had a lot of duels with normal students; none to exciting to report. It turned out that once you've beaten a duelist on a level you have to challenge then next level so we couldn't challenge all the teachers, just one. Jaden and I both one, and Jaden left yesterday to get his last one so he can finally challenge Professor Nans.
I was sitting out the dock with Kate next to me, "Mommy is daddy coming home soon?"
I smiled and looked at her. "What do you think we're doing here? He's coming sometime soon."
"Alexis, Kate, what's up?" I voice said from behind me.
"Atticus, haven't seen you in a few weeks; what you up to?" I asked my brother.
"Not much, I was trying to find you. You've got a message from mom and dad." He said handing me the letter.
"Want me to read it out loud?" I asked.
"Nah, I've read it before." He responded.
--
Dear Alexis and Atticus as well as Jaden and Kate:
Your mother and I are going to be out of town for the next two months on a mission's report for our company. You're free to throw a party at the house for all your friends to celebrate the end of the year. I hope you have a good time, the number of our hotel room is 158; it's a large suite in the Boxington Suite Hotel. The number is 1-885-5858 extension 158. I hope you all have a good time and good job at school. I can't wait to see you all when we come back.
Signed,
You're Father
---
"Then I've got to get invitations out." I said smiling at Kate. "Jaden is going to be happy about this."
"I can't believe I'm a senior." Atticus said.
"Yep, you are. What's the time?"
"3, man, don't we have exams for the rest of the week." Atticus asked.
"Yeah we do but Jaden should be back by now." I looked out at the ocean. I ran back to my dorm, and wondered what could have happened. I checked the messages on my palm pilot to make sure he hadn't left another message.
I ran in the door, and Jaden was sitting at my desk. "Hey Alexis, why are you so tired?" He asked.
"I was wondering why you hadn't returned yet,"
"I did, what are you talking about; oh yeah, I came home last night, I slept in and forgot to tell ya, sorry." Jaden said rubbing his head.
"You should really remember that," I said sighing.
"So why did you need to find me?" He asked.
"My parents said I could throw a party at the house in celebration of the fact that school's out."
"That's sweet, who you inviting?" He asked.
"I haven't started a list yet, but let's get started."
"Syrus, Kari, TK, Zane, Lisa, ME, Chumsley, Danny, Chazz, Jane, Sebastian, Marcelo Mimi, and Tai are all people we want to invite, anyone else you can think of?" Jaden asked.
"Do you have this list in your head or something?" I asked.
"Yeah, everyone I consider friends." I sighed.
"Yep, that would be it." I responded.
"So how are you two doing?"
"I'm excited."
"So am I, it's the end of the year, and we finally get to go home."
"It's not going to be much of a break, Lex. I mean we will have tons of duels to complete and such, will the all the stars we both have to receive." Jaden says.
"Can I see it?" I asked.
"See what?" He responded.
"Your star after beating that guy."
"Oh yeah, Maumee," He responded. He held out a star in his hand.
"That's great, good job."
"You get yours?" He asked me.
"Yep, it was easy, Crowler was an easy pick."
"Mine was too, what level do you think will be a challenge?" He asked.
"I don't know with our skills maybe level like 20."
"Man, that's a lot of duels; can't I just walk up to them first?" He asked.
"No Jaden, even you and I had to abide by the rules." I responded.
"Man that makes everything a lot more boring. I wish I found someone worthy of my skills." Jaden said pouting.
"I'm sure that our challenge against Professor Nans will give you the challenge you need, that will occupy your mind for a good amount of time."
"Good idea, let's go." He grabbed my arm and pulled me through all of the campus until we arrived at his room. Jaden haste fully knocked on the door.
The door was opened. "Hello Jaden, Alexis, what brings you to my room?" He asked us.
"I challenge you to a duel." Professor Nans looked confused.
"Stars?" We both pointed to the stars pinned on the neck of our jackets. "Very well, I'm happy to take both of your challenges."
"Great, ready?" Jaden asks.
"I'll meet you down at the stadium, alright?" He asked. We both nodded.
"Okay Alexis, are you ready for this?" Jaden asked me.
"Yeah I am, are you?"
"When am I not ready to duel?" Jaden responded.
"Jaden, we're here too." Sebastian yelled for us.
"Thanks for the support guys, it's appreciated." Jaden said.
"Hi," I said to them, up in the stands was Sebastian, Syrus, Chazz, Zane, Danny and Lisa.
"Calm down Alexis, it's nothing big." Lisa warned me.
"Thanks, I will." I responded.
"Alexis, be careful and think everything through, don't give him any room to attack." Zane advised.
"Thanks, I got it." I answered.
Jaden and I were waiting for him. Then I watched as Jaden seemed to be talking to his duel monsters again.
"Am I going first or are you?" I asked.
"Ladies first," Jaden said.
"Are you sure you wouldn't rather go first, so you don't see his cards before you duel?"
"I guess you're right, can I?"
"Sure," I answered.
"Thanks Lexy," He replied.
"You're welcome," I answered.
After a few minutes the duel was on, and Jaden was pulling out everything, and he seemed to be having a great time, and I'm glad that this happened.
Jaden was just hit by a large attack, and slid across the ground and crashed into me. "Jaden, you there?" I helped Jaden to his feet.
"Alexis, what happened?" You were just attacked, come on Jaden; get yourself together. You're falling apart." I told him.
"It's not as easy as I thought; I'm going to give it my all."
"This is someone that no one else has challenged and you wanted to go easy on him, Jaden." I said sighing.
"I usually wouldn't but I wanted to see how well my old deck would stand against him." I have a few of the others, but not as many." I sighed more.
"Trust in your deck, the heart of the cards, never forget, and get out there, full force." I said encouraging him.
"Thanks Lex, I will win." He said and he came back into it with so much more strength, it was amazing and inspiring.
It was a long duel and Jaden was really having a hard time, and he was really pushing himself, and he was really beaten up pretty bad even though he still had a few life points left. It was a fight and Jaden was sadly losing.
"What's wrong with Jaden, Alexis?" Syrus asked.
"I don't know either, Jaden what ever is bothering you, snap out of it." I yelled to him.
"I'm trying Alexis, I really am."
"You know what kind of person would you be if you waited for a challenge like this your entire life, then lose?"
"A pretty pathetic one,"
"Exactly, now go and show me that you aren't pathetic." I responded.
"Thanks Lex, I'm going to do exactly that." He responded.
The duel was over minutes after that but Jaden was badly beaten up, with a few times sliding across the floor that happens. "You ready to go Alexis? Or are you chickening out?"
Everyone was waiting for my answer to not try but I wasn't stupid. "No way, I'm prepared plus, Jaden and I are two different people with different strategies, and nothing would prepare me better than this duel."
I won after twenty minutes but, I was so tired, I just collapsed right next to Jaden on a chair in the lounge. "You did great." He told me.
"Thanks,"
"I can't believe that he was that good; and that you didn't have a hard time with him." Jaden said.
"The amazing thing isn't that at all. You and I have two completely different and opposite ways of dueling. It seemed that in this particular duel, that my way of dueling gave me an advantage over yours."
"But how?"
"I don't know, how does Kate get extremely close to beating you, it's just ability."
"Oh, of course it is." Jaden said. "Well good job," He said to me.
"Good job too you to Jaden."
"I'd like to congratulate both of you on a wonderful match; and here are your stars, this is the first star in the intermediate level. Ten more before you can actually be a leader of a group."
"Cool, that's what we should do, isn't it Lex?" He asked me.
"That sounds good; we can both get jobs here."
"That's the plan," Jaden said.
"Not much of a plan, you two should be able to accomplish that by the end of your senior year." P. Nans told us.
"Yeah but it's something to work toward this summer and next year, right?" Jaden asked.
"Exactly, and then you guys can work here and have a whole life here, and your basis of life is dueling and each other." P. Nans told us.
"When has it not been?" I asked.
"Really, I can't think of a time." Jaden said.
"That was a rhetorical question Jaden." I told him.
"What does that mean again, Lexy?" He asked.
"It means a question you really don't need to answer." I responded.
"Then why ask?"
"I don't know, to entertain you,"
"That's not the smartest thing you've done, Lex." He said laughing. "Oh yeah, and I have my article for the last newspaper."
"Great, let me read it." I said taking the paper from him.
Sophomore Year: Jaden Yuki
My sophomore year was a year that was filled with interesting events, and places as well as people and duels. I joined the NDL or National Dueling League with my girlfriend, Alexis. I won 6 stars from dueling Lisa Penn, Zane Truesdale, Astor Phoenix, Maumee Lakes, and Professor Larks and now to get my first intermediate level star I beat Professor Nans. It was a real challenge, all my duels were that's why Alexis and I entered the Pro Leagues to challenge ourselves and that's what we got. Alexis and I traveled a lot this year along with our adopted daughter, Kate. We adopted her from Kaiba Corp's Kitchen. I enjoyed this year a lot more than last year because it was adventurous and challenging and there was a lot more to do and it was just all over better; I can't believe the great duelists that were waiting for me to duel from day one. Your sophomore year is one that you're sure to enjoy and have a lot of advantages. I can't wait for my senior, it will be even better.
Keep Dueling,
Jaden Yuki
"Good Job Jaden, would you like to read mine?"
"Yeah Lex, this should be good." He said.
The Sophomore Life: Alexis Rhodes
Sophomore means a second year student and it literary means wise-fool. In most 4 year schools, this is your second of four years so you're the wisest of the fools, the fools relating to the freshman. In DA, it means those who aren't at the end of their schooling but they have experience to help out the younger students. This year I don't know how many freshman I helped out, but I tired while I was at school. Jaden and I were constantly attending duels, parties, seminars and had family relations to take care of as well as we had to go to school. This year was extremely busy, and I guess that's what it is. Sophomore year is a preparation year for being a senior. Freshman year is getting use to the school, the classes and how everything goes. Sophomore year introduces you to how it is as a normal student, neither top class or bottom. It's a bunch of students who are in the middle. They've gone through the introductory year, but are not yet ready to be the leaders, they need another year, their sophomore year. Any student will tell you their favorite year, but mine is probably not being a freshman, or a senior, but I'm not sure. I'll tell you next year but I'm not one for leading, I follow the plan, and that's what I'll do next year.
Have a Good Year,
Alexis Rhodes
"That's really good, but will you check out mine?" Danny said, after hearing Jaden read mine out loud. We were sitting in the middle of the auditorium reading ours; of course someone would hear it.
What I Learned: Danny Rivnoff
When I came to DA (Duelists' Academy) I expected it to be dueling 24-7. Though all the classes are based on dueling, there isn't a lot of dueling in class, the classes thanks to Alexis Rhodes and the others at the newspaper staff had now set up the classes by level of skill, not year or group. The groups are set up by level too now, which is an improvement from where we started. As a freshman, I expected to be picked on, and to not easily make friends but it was easy. The students here are really friendly and generous and you can easily make friends with them; well most of them. The dorms are very clean and well kept, and they are very enjoyable to relax and hang out in. I really enjoyed watching the duels, learning about dueling and the over all DA experience and I hope next year's freshman will too.
See You Next Year,
Danny Rivnoff
"I like it, don't you Alexis?" Jaden asked.
"Yeah, it's really good, and heart felt; excellent." I told him.
"Thanks for everything this year, you two." Danny said.
"Oh, you're welcome." I responded.
"Hey can I duel you?" Jaden asked.
"Why?" He asked.
"Because it's my parting duel,"
"What?" He asked.
"Let me explain, at the end of the year the student with the best scores on the exam gets to pick who they duel, this year the exam is not physical, it's a one on one random duel, the winner is the one who wins the most duels in the allowed time period." I explained.
"That's cool, sure Jaden; but don't you have to do the exam, first?" He asked.
"Jaden, you get cockier every day." I said sighing.
"I know but I am extremely good, and plus, I know that they wouldn't put as head, if I wasn't the best, right."
"True, just don't get cocky." I warned him.
"I won't, promise Lex." He responded.
"Good, then I'll let you guys make plans for the big duel." I said walking off with Kate.
I waited outside the door to listen to their comments. "With her compliments like that, no wonder you're cocky."
"Yeah, she's very supportive." Jaden said.
"You should duel her for you last duel."
"Nope, I'm dueling her for the senior duel, plus, I'm giving her a chance to improve further before next year; I've beaten her before but she's improving a lot." He said
I AM NOW UPDATING JADEN AND I (2) ON THURSDAYS BECAUSE IT IS EASIER FOR ME TO DO. ALL MY STORIES ARE CHANGING UPDATE DAYS, NOT JUST THIS ONE.