Chapter 4
Train to Casper
The three of them made it to the train station quickly enough without the cops chasing them. Hopefully, no one would recognize them here. The three of them leaned against a wall to catch their breath.
"I don't think...I've ever run...so fast...in my life," Pearl gasped.
"Here I thought...I was...in shape," Justin said, half gasping himself. Jaden smiled, took a deep breath and let it out. They were safe, now they just had to get on a train. Of course, Jaden had no idea which train or how Axel was going to send him their tickets. After pondering this for a brief moment, he pulled out his phone and called.
"Hello," Axel said on the other end.
"It's me," Jaden said. "We're at the train station, and in need of those tickets. How do you plan on getting them to us?"
"Don't worry, I've already planned this all out," Axel said, reminding Jaden that this was a man who didn't do anything unless he knew his every option. It was something that Jaden admired, but not a quality that he shared. "The train station uses an electronic system in the purchase of train tickets," Axel continued. "I've already hacked into the security cameras." Jaden turned and spotted on of the cameras following him. He smiled and waved.
"So, what do you want me to do?" he asked.
"Go to one of the systems," Axel instructed. Jaden did as he was told, intrigued by the device in front of him.
"Alright," Jaden said. "What now?"
"Just stand there and look busy while I do my thing," Axel said. Jaden did and watched as the various buttons began to light up. Jaden did his best to follow them with his hand, but Axel could move faster than he could. Just a few moments later, two tickets slid out of a little slot and Jaden claimed them.
"I got them," Jaden said.
"Alright, Pharaoh will have to go in a kennel, but the trip will only be about seven hours," Axel said. "He should be fine. Give me a call when you get there."
"Will do," Jaden said. "Thanks" With that, he hung up and headed back to where Justin and Pearl were resting against the wall. Both of them stood up when they saw him approaching.
"I got the tickets," he said. "Pearl, it's time for us to go." Pearl looked slightly shocked, but it cleared as she turned to Justin.
"I wish you could come with us," she said.
"Hey, I have to stay here and watch Benny," Justin said. "You need to go. Jaden is going to teach you how to control your powers so that when you can come back, you and I can have a no holds duel!" Pearl grinned at her friend's enthusiasm. It soon faded as she realized it might be a long time before she could see him again. Justin noticed and smiled.
"We'll see each other again," he said. "There's no doubt about that."
"You think so?" Pearl asked with a small tear in her eye. Justin nodded and gave her a hug.
"I'll be waiting for you," he whispered. Pearl returned the hug and stepped behind Jaden. The two boys looked at each other and clasped hands.
"You take care of her," Justin said.
"Count on it," Jaden said. "I'll bring her back safe and sound."
"You'd better," Justin said with a smile. Jaden smiled too. He really liked this boy, he seemed like a kind hearted person and Jaden knew that there weren't too many of those around anymore.
"Bye," Justin said.
"Catch ya later," Jaden said. With that, Pearl and Jaden hurried to get a kennel for Pharaoh while Justin turned around and headed home.
Pharaoh wasn't too found about being stuck into a small confined space, but finally climbed in and Jaden watched as he was wheeled away with a lot of luggage. Jaden and Pearl had opted to keep their bags as they were small and easily stored by their feet. Axel had gotten them first class tickets, so the two of them climbed into the right car and took their seats at the table with their seat numbers. They sat across from each other as the train departed for Casper Wyoming.
As the train started slowly down the tracks, Jaden glanced out the window and spotted a few cops begin to trickle in. He grinned and sat back so that his face was no longer visible from the window.
"That was close," he said.
"Indeed it was," Yubel agreed. "Hopefully, we'll have a quieter time in Casper."
"I doubt it. Whenever we get into something like this, it never calms down until we win," Jaden said. "And we will win."
"Do you really think you can help me control my powers?" Pearl asked suddenly, drawing Jaden out of his thoughts. Jaden looked across the table at her. She was gazing out the window with a sad, longing look in her eyes. Jaden knew it'd be difficult for her to be away from her family and friends, but this was just as important. Jaden quickly glanced around the train car to see who else was there. Only a few people, most of them sleeping or with computers and headphones in. They could talk freely.
"First of all, Pearl, I can't control them for you," Jaden said. "However, I can teach you how to bring them under control. Let's try something simple. Pick one of your low level monsters. Preferably a small one. Let's not try and destroy the train before we get to Casper." Jaden had said it with a smile, but he was serious. If either of them summoned a monster too big in the little train car, it could be hazardous. Naturally, Jaden chose Winged Kuriboh. Pearl chose her own card and nodded.
"This is a simple enough exercise, all you have to do is place your card on the table and call out its spirit," Jaden said. Both of them did just that. Winged Kuriboh appeared as a spirit and was greeted by an orange armadillo that Pearl summoned. Kuriboh was slightly shocked and hid behind Jaden's shoulder. Pearl chuckled.
"Don't worry, he won't bite," she said. "This is Gem-Armadillo, I just call him Agate."
"Why would you name him a gate?" Jaden asked. Pearl placed a hand to her head. This boy's naivety never ceased to amaze her.
"It's one word," Pearl explained. "Agate is a type of gemstone, specifically related to quartz that comes in a fiery orange color. It was used by the Egyptians three thousand years ago."
"Okay, but my question still stands," Jaden said. "Why did you name him?"
"Because, I didn't feel right calling him Gem or Armadillo," Pearl said. "Also, I couldn't name him after any of the other gems I have in my deck, so I had to find a better name that wasn't taken. Agate seemed to fit him perfectly. I did that with a few of my cards."
"I'd like to meet them," Jaden said. Pearl smiled and pulled out three more cards; an elephant, a turtle and…something that wasn't an animal, but looked more like a very small and triangular magician. Pearl passed Jaden the elephant first. His card name was Gem-Elephant and he looked like a normal elephant, only he had red tusks and red kneecaps as well as feet and various other red crystals along his trunk, back and stomach.
"I call him Andesine," Pearl said. "It's a bright red gemstone with a mystery that surrounds it. No one really knows where it came from. It's a harder gemstone, so I thought that it would be perfect to describe my Gem-Elephant." Jaden smiled and passed the card back.
Pearl passed him the next card, Gem-Turtle, a strong defensive monster with a pure green crystal shell, with spots of green crystal on his head and legs. Jaden thought this one reminded him of Emerald turtle.
"I call him Diopside," Pearl said. "It's a relatively new gem and not very popular yet. The myth behind it though, I found interesting. Some people believe that it fell from the tree of life at the beginning of time and could renew life. It's also associated with peace and tranquility and used during sleep to ensure sweet dreams. Diopside is my lucky card."
"With a crystal like that, I'm not surprised," Jaden said. Agate made a cooing sound as Jaden passed back the card. Pearl then passed him the last of the cards, the magician that almost resembled a top with a hat. He had a light blue crystal right in his chest.
"That one is Gem-Merchant," Pearl explained. "I prefer calling him Apatite."
"That's a cool name," Jaden said. "Makes me hungry."
"You wouldn't believe the kind of apatite this guy has," Pearl agreed. "Apatite is actually a very rare and unknown stone with absolutely no lore or anything. Really, I named him Apatite because it often comes in a light blue color, and he has a major apatite." Jaden passed him back.
"Why don't we practice some more?" Jaden asked. Pearl looked at him questioningly.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, originally, I was going to have you make Agate come to life as practice, but I really want to meet your cards now, so let's have a pick up duel and use our powers to make the spirits appear instead. That way, you get to practice, no one gets hurt, and I get to meet your cards."
"The triple win, huh," Pearl said. "I guess I can't deny that. But I don't have a playing mat."
"Don't worry, I always carry an extra mat with me, just in case," Jaden said. With that, Jaden pulled out two pick-up mats and passed one to Pearl. They set up fast and then handed each other their decks to be shuffled. Jaden noticed that when he passed Pearl back her deck, she gave it a kiss, something that Jaden didn't quite understand, but didn't stop to question it either. They both drew five cards and gazed intently at the other.
"Duel," they said together.
"Get your game on, Pearl," Jaden said. "I'll take the first move."
"Show me how it's done," Pearl agreed. She was smiling and Jaden smiled too. He had learned that Pearl took everything to heart, if she didn't believe she could win, she wouldn't try, if she lost her friends, she wouldn't stay and so on. If this duel could teach her to smile, then it would all be worth it.
"Alright, I draw," Jaden said. "I think I'll start with Sparkman in attack mode." A little spirit of Sparkman appeared above the card. ATK – 1600, DEF – 1400. "And I'll end with two facedown cards. Your move." Pearl smiled and drew her card.
"Indeed it is, and I'll begin with setting one monster in facedown defense position," Pearl said. "And I'll set this for later. I now dispense to you."
"Alright, I draw," Jaden said. He eyed Pearl's face down monster with curiosity. There were few people who still placed their monsters in facedown defensive position, and those who did usually used flip effects or were bating their opponent in to attack and lose. Of course, Jaden couldn't just do nothing, but if he did decide to attack, he'd have to use a monster with higher attack to try and get a victory. He gazed at his hand for a moment and his eyes landed on his favorite spell card.
"I'll activate my polymerization spell card," Jaden said. "With this, I'll fuse Sparkman with Necroshade to create Elemental Hero Dark Bright!" ATK – 2000, DEF – 1000. "Now, Darkbright, attack Pearl's facedown monster! Go dark flash!" The little spirit of Darkbright shot at Pearl's facedown, which Pearl flipped face up to reveal a knight in blue armor.
"You've just attack Gem-Knight Sapphire," Pearl said. Gem-Knight Sapphire: ATK – 0, DEF – 2100. "Go Sapphire Surge!" Jaden took a hundred points of damage and Darkbright retreated.
"You can't defeat a knight so easily, Jaden," Pearl said. "Sapphire doesn't speak, but his control of water is more than enough to protect me."
"Not bad," Jaden said. "I'll end my turn, and because I have, Darkbright switches to defense mode."
"Thank you, I'll draw," Pearl said. "Remember Garnet, cause he certainly hasn't forgotten you, and now he wants to come out and play." The red armoured knight took the field in attack mode. ATK – 1900, DEF – 0. "And now to attack. Garnet, Flaming Iron Fist!"
"Gladly," Garnet said.
"Sorry, but I have a problem with this," Jaden said. "I activate my trap, Draining Shield. Not only does it negate your attack, but also raises my life points by your monster's attack points!" As Garnet retreated to stand by Sapphire, Jaden's life points increased to 5800.
"I'll set two cards and end my turn," Pearl said. Garnet's attack returned to normal. Garnet: ATK – 1900.
"My turn then," Jaden said as he drew a card. "By the way, how's this practice for you?"
"Actually really good," Pearl said. "I have to concentrate to keep both my monsters spirits visible. This was a good idea. Plus, I believe that duelling is a good way to bond with friends."
"You and me both, sister," Jaden said. "Now, I don't have anything to summon this turn, but I can still attack, so I change Darkbright to attack mode and I'll have him attack Garnet!"
"I won't let you!" Pearl said. "I activate my trap card Compulsory Evacuation Device!" Jaden looked slightly alarmed.
"What does that do?" he asked.
"Simple, I pick one monster on my field and return it to my hand," Pearl said. "Garnet, return to me." She picked up Garnet's card and Darkbright's attack passed over, unable to do any damage.
"You seem to really like that card," Jaden observed. "Let me guess, card crush?"
"I guess you could say that, but it also works the other way too," Pearl said. "Garnet was the first Gem-Knight who talked to me. He introduced me to all the cards in my deck and he's the one who's been trying to help me control my powers. He does it because he likes me and along the way, I started to really like him."
"I don't blame you," Jaden said. "He's a really great card. All your cards are. Anyway, I'll set a card and end my turn, so Darkbright switches to defense mode again."
"Then it's my turn," Pearl said. She drew a card and seemed slightly surprised. "Guess what Jaden; you'll get to see some of my more powerful cards during this duel. I activate Gem-Knight Fusion!"
"Say what?" Jaden asked.
"I've never heard of that card before," Yubel agreed.
"It's a special fusion card meant specifically for Gem-Knight fusion summons. With this I'll fuse Garnet and Gem-Knight Sardonyx to create Gem-Knight Ruby!" Pearl said. The knight who appeared before Jaden was also dressed in red armour with a violet cap and a red axe. ATK – 2500, DEF – 1300.
"Fierce monster," Jaden commented.
"You're about to find that out first hand," Pearl said. "When this guy attacks a monster in defense mode, you still take damage equal to the difference between our monster's points. So, let's get rid of your Darkbright. Ruby attack, Blazing Ruby Axe!"
"As you command," Ruby said, and struck down Darkbright in a single blow. Jaden took fifteen hundred points of damage, bringing him back down to 4300 life points, but the force of his attack and Pearl's untrained powers caused a small wind that blew their cards across the table and onto the floor, ending the game before it could be decided.
"Powerful monster," Jaden said. Pearl looked slightly guilty.
"Sorry," she said.
"Hey, it's alright," Jaden said. "We'll have to do this again sometime to decide a winner, but for now, we'll call it a draw." Pearl picked up her Gem-Knight Ruby and a small spirit appeared out of the card.
"Sorry, milady," he said. "Perhaps more practice would do us both good."
"Agreed, Ruby," Pearl said. "Thanks for your help." The spirit of Ruby bowed and disappeared. Jaden smiled and picked up another card, it was Gem-Knight Fusion. There was something familiar about the picture on the card, but he shrugged it off and passed the card to Pearl.
The two of them finished gathering their cards and sat back down across from each other. They sat in silence for about half an hour happily, despite the outcome of the duel. Jaden had to admit that Pearl's deck was pretty cool. A deck of knights with the power of the gems. It kind of reminded Jaden about Jesse and his deck. Both used crystal based decks and both decks were only loyal to one duellist, yet there was something about Pearl's deck that was different from Jesse's, something that Jaden couldn't quite put his finger on.
An image of her Gem-Knight Fusion spell card flashed before his memory. Something was familiar about that one card, yet his memory wouldn't tell him what it was. He shrugged it off figuring he'd remember it at some later point. There was something else that he was curious about that he could find the answer to.
"So Pearl, I'm curious," Jaden said. "How exactly did you and Justin meet?" Pearl seemed sort of surprised by the question, but her whole body seemed to relax, or maybe she was just lost in memory. Either way, she seemed almost sad as she spoke.
"It's not a day I like to remember," Pearl admitted. "It wasn't the greatest of first impressions, but Justin didn't seem to care and saw right through me to who I really was without me having to correct myself. We were in middle school, specifically grade eight. Everyone at school knew about my ability and feared me, or mocked me because of it. It got really bad. I became so desperate for relief that I actually considered killing myself. Until that day came…"
(Flashback)
Tears rolled down Pearl's cheek and sparkled in the mocking sun as a group of bullies cornered her. They were outside behind the school and Pearl was afraid. Their name calling and laughter were driving her mad, but if she tried to get them to go away, would she hurt them?
"Freak!"
"You don't belong here!"
"Psycho!"
"What are you going to do?!"
"Come on, duellist; give it your best shot!"
"Monster!"
This last insult especially hit home. Pearl closed her eyes and wished it all away; the insults, the bullies, even her own life. Unable to take it anymore, she activated her duel disk and summoned Familiar Knight: ATK – 1200, DEF – 1400.
"Stay away from her!" Familiar Knight demanded, slicing his sword through the crowd and into the ground. The bullies ran in fear as he slashed again.
"Don't hurt them," Pearl said softly. Despite the noise and her soft voice, Familiar Knight heard her and let up his attack as all the bullies ran as far away as possible. Pearl crouched against the school wall as Familiar Knight returned and knelt in front of the little girl.
"Are you alright, milady?" he asked.
"I can't do this anymore, Familiar," Pearl said in tears. "I don't want to go through this anymore!" Familiar Knight sighed, indicating a sad look behind his hidden face.
"I know, Pearl, but you have to stay strong," he said. "It will pass."
"I'm sorry, but I can't believe that," Pearl said. Before Familiar Knight could object, Pearl removed his card and placed it back in her deck causing him to disappear. She then place her duel disk in her backpack and pulled out a small pocket knife that she'd started carrying around with her for a month.
"He's right you know," said a boy with brown hair coming around the corner. "You can't just run away from your problems." Pearl backed away from this boy and then ran into the forest. She didn't stop until she reached the large creek near the back of the property. She turned around and waited to see if the boy had followed her, but couldn't see him. Pearl turned back to the creek and pulled the knife part away from safety cover, placing the sharp end to her wrist.
"This is where it ends," she thought. "The creek will run red with my own blood and my life will become a part of the water."
"Killing yourself doesn't solve anything," the boy said, startling Pearl. She turned around to see the dark haired boy standing just a few feet away. "All it does is create more problems in the world."
"Why do you care?" Pearl said. "I'm a monster, I deserve to die!"
"Did they tell you that?" the boy asked taking another step towards her. Pearl shuffled back a step. "You shouldn't believe anything they say. When people are scared, they say things they don't necessarily mean," he continued.
"Why aren't you scared of me?" Pearl asked. "Why don't you think I'm a monster?"
"Well for one, you're far too pretty to be a monster," the boy said. Pearl's eyes widened and the knife moved further away from her wrist.
"Pretty?" she asked.
"Ya, you're pretty, and your talent is pretty too," the boy said, daring another step.
"A talent?" Pearl asked. Anger and hurt had returned to her voice. "It's a curse, one I want to be rid of!"
"I know it seems like that," the boy said. "But even a curse can be used for good. I believe that you can do it." Pearl looked away.
"If you were to kill yourself right now, the world would've lost a beautiful gem, one that could shine despite its impurities. Pearl, don't do this. Someone somewhere will need your gift someday, and who knows what could happen to them if you die right now," the boy said. Pearl looked up.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"My name is Justin," the boy said. "I'm the one who wants to be your knight." Pearl seemed surprised.
"My knight?" she asked. She looked away as tears started to flow again.
"Familiar Knight believes in you, and so do I," Justin said. He was now right in front of her and held out a hand for the knife. Pearl looked into his green eyes and saw that they were honest and sparkled with kindness. Pearl placed the knife in his hand and watched as he closed it up. Pearl cried then, cried so hard that she fell to the ground. Justin never left her for the entire time that she cried, but held her tightly as though he were trying to protect her from all the cares and fears of the world. Neither of them made it to anymore classes that day.
(End of Flashback)
Jaden and Pearl held each other's gaze for a moment as Jaden let the story sink in. This girl had been close to the edge and been brought back by Justin, a very understanding and caring boy who saw the good in everyone.
"For the rest of the year, Justin never left my side for as long as he could. He'd walk to my house to pick me up, sit beside me in every class and walk me home again," Pearl said. "I felt like he wanted to make sure that I got completely out of the dark hole I'd fallen into before he left me alone. But even after we finished eighth grade, he would still follow the same routine. It was a habit now, one that neither of us wanted to break." Pearl pulled something out of her pocket and placed it on the table. Jaden realized it was the pocket knife she'd tried to kill herself with.
"He gave it back to me at the end of eighth grade," Pearl said. "I kept it to always remind me of why I made the decision to trust him. In our walks together, we'd always pass a card shop, and one day there was a white haired man in a red suit giving the store owner a deck to sell. I realized immediately that the deck was full of good monster spirits. Later, Justin ended up buying me the deck and it's the deck I still use. I guess that's kind of where we're at now. Justin became more than just my knight, in a way, he became my prince." Pearl was blushing now and Jaden realized how strong their bond was.
"Pearl," Jaden said. Pearl looked up at the seriousness in his eyes, but there was also happiness. "You made the right decision. I'm glad I got to meet you." Pearl fell asleep not too long after this, leaving Jaden to watch the country fly by and think about what pearl had told him.
"She came so close to the edge and was pulled back by Justin," he thought. "She really does sound like me."
"The question now is; are you going to tell her the truth about yourself?" Yubel asked. Jaden looked at Pearl's sleeping form and made his decision.
"One day I will, but only when I know she's ready," Jaden said. "Her story was sad, mine is dark and that's a burden I won't let her bear just yet." Jaden returned to gazing out the window.
"Four hours left before we reach Casper," he said. "I hate train rides."
Sorry to have ended the duel the way I did. I can't reveal everything about Pearl's deck just yet. Besides, they'll have a real duel either in the next chapter or the chapter after...I'm not quite sure how it's going to turn out yet. Anyway, critics are always welcome, hope you enjoyed chapter 4 and please be patient for chapter 5. Thanks for all the great comments on the last chapter. :);)