Chapter Eight
Tag Duel Cooperation!
The Day Has Finally Come…
Professor Chronos walked down the hall within the Main Academy Building. He tried to ignore the laughs coming from the Osiris Red students he passed. Even so, the sight of their red jackets made him loathe their existence within Duel Academy.
"For Pete's sake!" thought Professor Chronos. "Why must this Duel Academy for the elite accept these dropout boys-no ne?"
An image of Jaden Yuki holding up a V-sign managed to make its way into Professor Chronos's mind. The mere sight or thought of the gender-mistaken girl angered the blonde-haired professor.
"Especially that Jaden Yuki!" Professor Chronos thought, a vein popping out on his forehead.
Professor Chronos stopped in his tracks and tightened his fists as he saw red…and oh, the irony and pun.
"Only expulsion awaits people like that!" exclaimed Professor Chronos.
The Osiris Red students who had once filled the hall now made their way into one of the rooms as Professor Chronos laughed to himself. He tightened his fist and grinned.
"But at last, the moment has arrived," said Professor Chronos.
Having been two and a half weeks since a certain Osiris Red duo had been accused… today was the day of their Punishment Tag Duel. If they lose, they'll be expelled immediately, and if they win…pfft! Professor Chronos had made sure that the latter would NOT happen.
"Just you wait, you wretched Dropout Boy…" said Professor Chronos.
"Professor Chronos," someone called out.
Professor Chronos blinked and turned around to see a fellow Obelisk Blue student…Jun Manjoume, to be specific.
"What is it you want, Signore Manjoume?" asked Professor Chronos.
Manjoume had heard of the Tag Duel during the past few weeks a certain duo was suspended from class. Normally, he wouldn't care or give a damn, but after hearing that Jaden was in it…his interest was piqued. Ever since the Promotion Exam duel, Manjoume held a grudge against the gender-mistaken girl and would love nothing more than to humiliate her in front of many students like she did him.
"Please allow me to fight in Jaden and his friend's Tag Duel," said Manjoume.
Professor Chronos stared at Manjoume.
"Allow you?" asked Professor Chronos.
Manjoume tightened his fist.
"This time, I will lay waste to him with my own hands!" said Manjoume.
"That shall not be necessary!" reassured Professor Chronos.
Manjoume's expression went from serious to perplex.
"Huh?" he said.
Professor Chronos closed his eyes, grinning as he held up his finger.
"I have already invited some powerful duelists that are aptly suited for the tag duel-no ne," Professor Chronos explained, opening his eyes as he stared at Manjoume. "Moreover, you should be more concerned about yourself. At the rate you are at, you will drop down to Ra Yellow!"
Manjoume's breath hitched as Professor Chronos turned around and started to walk away. Manjoume stared at the blonde-haired professor and gritted his teeth. He was not amused with what he was told.
~meanwhile in the Osiris Red Dorms (1) ~
Inside a certain trio's room,
Hayato, on his stomach in his bunk bed, stared down at his roommates as they made their final adjustments to their decks. Jaden sat in the desk chair with leg crossed over the other whilst Shou sat on the floor cross-legged.
"It's finally the day, huh?" said Hayato.
Jaden looked up and smiled.
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it, aren't you, Shou?" Jaden asked, turning her head to Shou.
Shou looked up at Jaden, his expression rather vague. Hayato arched his eyebrow at Jaden.
"That's not what you said yesterday when you wouldn't get off your game because of Red," said Hayato.
Jaden glared at Hayato.
"Shut it, Koala-man!" snapped Jaden. "That Trainer was asking for it! Damn him and his silent dialogue…Teach him to use a Level 88 Pikachu…"
Hayato rolled his eyes.
"Riiight," said Hayato. "Keep telling that to yourself, Yellow…heh."(2)
Jaden sighed and looked at Shou.
"Anyways…I'm really pumped about our very first tag duel," said Jaden. "Aren't you?"
Shou diverted his eyes away from Jaden.
"Yeah…" Shou said, somewhat hesitant.
Jaden looked back down at her cards.
"Even though they said you'll get expelled if you lose this, all you can really think about is enjoying the duel, isn't it?" asked Hayato.
Jaden looked back up at Hayato.
"That's obvious, isn't it?" replied Jaden. "Duels are fun, after all."
"Maybe that's the secret behind your strength…" said Hayato.
Shou stared at Power Bond, remembering the incident that went along with it. He placed the card in his hand, determination in his eyes.
"This time, I'll do it," thought Shou. "As a duelist, as my Onii-san's otouto, and…"
Shou looked up at Jaden as she spoke to Hayato. The words she told him echoed in his head as he remembered how she acted to him running away.
"Quit complaining!" snapped Jaden's voice. "I've made up my mind! You're my partner!"
Shou nodded.
"…for Aniki, who called me her partner, I'll duel honorably," thought Shou.
Shou pushed himself of the ground, his deck in hand. Jaden turned to Shou, noticing the determined look in his eyes as he looked at her.
"Aniki, we'll win for sure, right?" asked Shou.
Jaden uncrossed her legs and stood up from her chair.
"Y-Yeah, no doubt!" Jaden said, placing her deck in her back pocket.
Hayato smiled at his roommates as they made their way to the door.
"I'll be cheering you two on from the spectator's seats," said Hayato.
Jaden and Shou looked at Hayato after putting on their shoes.
"Right!" said Jaden. "We're counting on you!"
"I've got faith in you two'll be coming back here," said Hayato.
Jaden smiled and placed her arm around Shou's shoulder as she held up her fist.
"Yep, we swear we will!" said Jaden.
"We're off now!" Shou said, smiling.
Shou and Jaden looked at each other one last time before they walked out of the room. Hayato watched as they closed the door behind them.
~later in the Duel Field Arena~
The spectator's seat were somewhat filled by students from each of the three dorms. In one of those seats, Ra Yellow member Daichi Misawa occupied one. He had his arms crossed as he stared out at the field, having been waiting like the rest of the students in the room for this day.
"So, it starts at last…" said Daichi.
"A Tag Duel…" said someone.
Daichi blinked and turned his head to see who had spoken to him. It was Asuka.
"Jaden may have said he never been in one before…" Asuka said as she sat down in a seat next to Daichi.
"You're Asuka Tenjoin from Obelisk Blue," said Daichi.
Asuka turned her head to Daichi.
"It seems you have somewhat of a connection to Jaden, as well," said Asuka.
"Right," said Daichi.
Asuka looked back at the duel field.
"It's my fault this happened…" she said. "And he should have been partnered with me. But even so, I have a feeling he'll manage to pull through…"
Manjoume sat in a somewhat secluded section of the spectator's seats with his arms crossed. He was still rather miffed about what Professor Chronos had said. The last thing he wanted to do right now is talk… The sound of faint footsteps caught his attention. He diverted his eyes in the direction the footsteps came from and gasped.
Entering the Duel Field room was none other than Shou and Jaden. Manjoume scowled and forcefully kicked the back of the seat in front of him. This action earned him stares from his groupies, who sat a few seats away from him.
"Wow!" Jaden said as she looked around the arena. "It sure is packed!"
Shou blinked as he stared at the crowd.
"We're dueling in front of such a big crowd?" Shou said questioningly.
Jaden blinked and ruffled Shou's hair as she smiled.
"So let's put some fire into it!" said Jaden.
Jaden stopped and walked away from Shou, leaving the boy's blue hair slightly disheveled. Shou laughed.
"Geez, come on, Aniki…" Shou said as he trailed after Jaden.
Manjoume watched as Jaden and Shou made their way towards the platform. His gaze was focused on Jaden as he tightened his fist, practically shaking with anger.
"Jaden Yuki!" said Manjoume. "I wanted to crush you with my own hands!"
Shou and Jaden walked up the steps that led onto the platform. Jaden turned around and looked around one more time at the crowd, nudging Shou when she spotted something.
"Oh?" Shou said, turning around.
At the top of the seating area, Hayato ran up and gripped the rails as he tried to catch his breath.
"Hayato's here," said Jaden.
"You're right," said Shou.
Hayato wiped his sweat off with his sleeve, breathing heavily from running all the way from the dorms to the duel field arena.
"Thank goodness…I made it just in time…" Hayato said within breaths.
Jaden held her hand up in the air and waved at Hayato.
"Yo!" she called out before turning and walking away towards Professor Chronos.
Shou turned and gasped. Standing by the rails above the spectator's seats with his arms crossed, was his older brother, Ryou. Ryou stared at his younger brother and his friend, his expression stoic.
"Shou…in this duel, show me your merit as a duelist," thought Ryou.
Shou stared at Ryou.
"Onii-san…" Shou thought before he turned and walked over to Jaden. "Just you watch, Onii-san."
Professor Chronos held up his hand in the air.
"Well then, we will now begin this tag duel!" announced Professor Chronos.
The crowd began cheering and applauding. Samejima sat in the front row seats with his elbows propped on top of the rail, both hands under his cheeks for support. Daitokuji sat a few seats in back of Samejima with Pharaoh in his lap.
"So, will they be facing a teacher or an Obelisk Blue student?" Samejima asked Professor Chronos. "Or could you be the one dealing with things again?"
Professor Chronos turned around and smiled nervously as he held his hands out.
"Not quite…" said Professor Chronos. "We are having this duel to deliberate their punishment for breaking school rules by entering the off-limit zone."
Professor Chronos grinned and held up his finger.
"And their opponents must be duelists appropriate for that task," stated Professor Chronos.
Samejima's face sparkled with curiosity and eagerness.
"Mm-hm," said Samejima. "Then…"
"In order to give you impudent ones a thumping…" Professor Chronos said, turning to Jaden and Shou and pointing at them accusingly. "Parmesan cheese…"
Shou and Jaden back up a bit as Professor Chronos pointed at them.
"I have invited some legendary duelists!" said Professor Chronos.
As if on cue, two men dressed in green and orange (respectively), flipping into the air. This surprised Jaden and Shou.
"What?" said Jaden.
Both men made their entrance in a rather entertaining way, earning the attention of everyone in the arena. Shou and Jaden watched with wide eyes, perplexed as to who the men are.
"What?" they both exclaimed.
The men flipped over Jaden and Shou, landing behind them. Shou and Jaden looked back at them, getting a better look at them. Both of the men were bald, roughly the same height, and identical in looks, differing only in the color of their clothes and the kanji on their foreheads. They both stood up, their shoulders against the other's.
"We are the Roaming Guards!" said the man in orange.
"The Meikyuu Brothers!" said the man in green.
A/N Okay, on a side note to tell which brother is which…
Orange = Mei
Green = Kyuu
Okay, that's about it! Back to story!
Jaden and Shou stared at the Meikyuu Brothers in awe.
"Whoa, is this a Hong Kong movie?" asked Jaden.
"Could these people be our opponents?" asked Shou.
Professor Chronos walked behind Shou and Jaden.
"They are legendary duelists known for having fought against the King of Games, Yugi Mutou-no ne," said Professor Chronos.
Shou looked anxiously as the Meikyuu Brothers.
"Against the King of Games?" exclaimed Shou.
Asuka stared at the Meikyuu Brothers, some memories popping up.
"I've heard about them," said Asuka. "They are sibling duelists who gave the King of Games a hard time with their invincible combinations."
Daichi stared at Shou and Jaden.
"Those two don't have a chance against opponents like that," said Daichi.
Manjoume laughed quietly, his anger having been called at seeing Jaden and Shou's opponents.
"This is excellent," Manjoume said, smirking. "Suffer an unsightly defeat in front of all those here, Jaden Yuki."
Hayato stared at his roommates anxiously.
"This can't be…" said Hayato.
Ryou…still stoic.
"We hold no grudge to thee, but…" Mei said, holding up his finger.
"…we're locked in battle for reasons of our own," finished Kyuu.
Mei held out his hand.
"If you cannot defeat us…" said Mei.
Kyuu held out his hand in front of Mei's.
"…your path will remain blocked!" Kyuu finished.
"Now, come and fight us!" they both said.
Shou and Jaden stared nervously at the Meikyuu Brothers. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of their faces as Professor Chronos covered his mouth while he laughed.
"You're scared…" thought Professor Chronos. "You're really scared…"
"This is quite the drastic measure…" said Samejima.
Professor Chronos stopped laughing and looked at Samejima, who was now gripping the platform with his hands as he looked at the Meikyuu Brothers.
"It's really them…" said Samejima. "It's really them…"
Professor Chronos stared nervously at Samejima as he walked over to the principal.
"But, Principal!" said Professor Chronos. "These two need opponents of this caliber!"
Professor Chronos knelt down on one knee and gestured at the Osiris Red duo.
"For one thing, it would be setting a bad example for the other students," Professor Chronos said simply.
Samejima closed his eyes and smiled.
"Interesting," he said. "Then, I'll allow it."
Professor Chronos looked at Samejima, perplexed. Samejima opened his eyes and motioned at a certain Osiris Red.
"For starters, she's into the idea," said Samejima.
Professor Chronos turned and saw Jaden's ecstatic grin as she stared at the Meikyuu brothers.
"This sounds fun!" Jaden said, eyes sparkling with awe. "I can't believe we'll be fighting against legendary duelists who fought against the King of Games!"
Professor Chronos diverted his eyes on Samejima and muttered as he saw the principal's wide smile. The blonde-haired professor stood up and walked over to the duelists.
"Well, right then…" Professor Chronos said, holding his index finger in the air. "Now, both sides, get into position!"
With that said, both the Meikyuu Brothers and Shou and Jaden got onto their respective sides of the platform as the crowd applauded. Samejima got back into his seat, smiling ecstatically as he laughed. Daitokuji adjusted his glasses as Pharaoh meowed.
Jaden looked at Shou and blinked. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Shou's face. He was nervous and Jaden knew it.
"Oh, Shou…" said Jaden.
Jaden took a deep breath and gave Shou a thumbs-up as she smiled at him.
"I'll be counting on you," she said.
Shou looked at Jaden and smiled, laughing a bit. Professor Chronos stood in the middle of the platform as he explained the rules.
"You cannot give advice to your tag partner-na no ne," explained Professor Chronos. "Also, you can treat your partner's field as your own field. Understand-no ne?"
All four duelists had their hands by their decks.
"Each team will share 8000 life points!" said Professor Chronos. "So, then…"
"Duel!" finished the audience.
Jaden & Shou:
LP
8000
Meikyuu Brothers:
LP
8000
Jaden drew her first five cards, Shou and the Meikyuu Brothers did likewise. She looked over at Shou and he nodded, drawing a card from his deck.
"It's my turn!" said Shou. "Draw!"
Shou looked at the card in his hand.
"I summon Gyroid in attack mode!" said Shou.
A blue and white, cartoony helicopter-like monster appeared on the field.
ATK 1000
"It's my turn!" Mei said, reaching for his deck. "Draw! I summon Landmine Spider in attack mode!"
A giant, huge (same word, don't give a damn) brown spider…appeared on the field in attack mode.
ATK 2200
A/N …I don't like spiders. I hate spiders as much as I hate roaches only without the grossed out part! I wanna kill that spider…it's creepy!
Jaden reached for her deck.
"My turn," she said, drawing a card. "Draw!"
Jaden glanced at the card in her hand.
"I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in defense mode!" said Jaden.
Elemental Burstinatrix appeared on the field and flipped before getting into her defensive stance.
DEF 800
"It's my turn," said Kyuu. "Draw! I summon Kaiser Seahorse in attack mode!"
A purple and blue colored armored monster with a spear appeared on the field.
ATK 1700
Shou stared at the Meikyuu Brothers.
"No one can attack on their very first turn," thought Shou. "The next turn's where the battle starts!"
"I activate a Magic card from my hand," said Kyuu.
Shou blinked as Kyuu played the Magic card.
"Sacrifice Doll!" said Kyuu. "This card activates by sacrificing one monster on my field."
Kyuu looked at Mei, who nodded.
"I use Landmine Spider as a sacrifice…" Kyuu said as Landmine Spider disappeared from the field. "…to special-summon a Level-7 monster from my hand! Come forth! Demon Wind God-Hyuga!"
A/N Crap…I don't know how to describe this monster…I'll just place the ATK points! BTW, I don't know if it's Wicked (Wind/Thunder/Water) Lord-(Hyuga/Sanga/Suga) or Demon (Wind/Thunder/Water) Lord-(Hyuga/Sanga/Suga) so yeah…might be some mistakes but I'm trying here, so yeah!
ATK 2400
Asuka and Daichi were awed with Kyuu's first turn and cooperation with Mei.
"He used his tag partner's monster as a sacrifice to call out a powerful monster," said Daichi.
"This kind of cooperation on the first turn…simply amazing," said Asuka.
Ryou watched the duel with his arms crossed, showing no emotion. Kyuu turned to Mei.
"Thank you, elder brother," said Kyuu.
Mei turned to Kyuu and smiled.
"Do not mention it," said Mei. "I would make any sacrifice for you."
"No, I wouldn't feel right if I didn't give you something in return," Kyuu said, playing a card. "The Magic card, Dark Designator! If a monster that I designate is in my opponent's deck, this card can add that card to my opponent's hand! And I designate…Demon Thunder God-Sanga!"
Kyuu pointed at Mei, who laughed and reached for his deck, drawing a card.
"I thank you," said Mei. "Naturally, I have Sanga in my deck."
Mei placed the card in his hand and held it up.
"Allow us…" said Mei.
"…to give you a lesson…" Kyuu said, placing his hand up.
"… in the true essence of tag dueling!" they both said, pointing at Shou and Jaden.
Shou was taken aback and gasped. Jaden just stared at the Meikyuu Brothers.
"U-Unreal…" said Shou. "To think that they summoned such a strong monster in their first turn right off the bat…"
Shou looked at Jaden, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face.
"Aniki?" said Shou.
Jaden blinked and turned to Shou. She smiled and pointed at the Meikyuu Brothers.
"These guys are the legendary duelists they're cracked up to be, all right!" she said with her eyes closed. "But we won't lose, won't we?"
Shou closed his eyes and smiled.
"R-Right!" said Shou. "No, we won't!"
Shou opened his eyes and looked at the Meikyuu Brothers, determination replacing the anxiety in his eyes.
"This is for Aniki, who's putting so much of her faith into me…" Shou thought, diverting his eyes up at Ryou. "And…I'll show my Onii-san just how powerful I am now!"
Shou reached for his deck.
"It's my turn!" he said, drawing a card. "Draw! I summon Steamroid in attack mode!"
Steamroid, the cartoony train-like monster appeared on Shou's side of the field.
ATK 1800
"Next, from my hand, I activate a Magic card!" Shou said, holding up the card. "Polymerization! I fuse Gyroid and Steamroid…to summon Steam Gyroid!"
From the Polymerization vortex, out came Shou's favorite monster in attack mode.
ATK 2200
Shou pointed at the Meikyuu Brothers.
"I haven't overlooked an important fact!" said Shou. "It was the elder of you Meikyuu Brothers that made the sacrifice for Demon Wind God-Hyuga's summoning. And that means there aren't any monsters to defend the elder's field!"
"Shou!" said Jaden.
Shou held up his fist.
"Steam Gyroid, attack the elder Meikyuu directly!" said Shou.
Mei scowled.
"Damn it!" cursed Mei.
Shou directed Steam Gyroid at Mei.
"Go!" said Shou.
Steam Gyroid charged at Mei, whom suddenly grinned.
"Heh!" said Mei. "That will not be happening!"
Mei diverted his eyes on Kyuu, who nodded.
"Demon Wind God-Hyuga's special ability!" said Kyuu. "Reflection Storm Barricade!"
Shou gasped as Demon Wind God-Hyuga appeared in front of Mei, intercepting Steam Gyroid's attack with a wind barricade. Both Meikyuu Brothers smirked.
"Demon Wind God- Hyuga's special effect will reduce damage from an opponent's monster to zero once!" explained Kyuu.
Shou stared wide-eyed at the Meikyuu Brothers as Steam Gyroid returned to his side of the field.
"No way…" said Shou.
Professor Chronos laughed to himself.
"Always count on dropout boys to do things without thinking…" said Professor Chronos. "Your simplistic attacks won't work on those two!"
Samejima had his hands clasped together as he watched the duel eagerly. Shou frowned and looked down. Jaden noticed her roommate's glum expression and smiled reassuringly at him.
"You almost made it, Shou," said Jaden.
Shou blinked and turned his head to Jaden.
"Aniki…" he said.
Jaden grinned and gave Shou a thumbs-up.
"The duel's just begun," said Jaden. "Let's get crazy on 'em."
Shou nodded.
"Right," said Shou. "I set one reversed card on the field to finish my turn."
"It's my turn," Mei said, drawing a card. "Draw."
Mei looked at his hand and switched out card to play it.
"The Magic card, Monster Reborn!" said Mei. "I call forth Landmine Spider from the Graveyard!"
Landmine Spider returned to Mei's side of the field in attack mode.
"Next, I activate a magic card," said Mei. "Sacrifice Doll!"
"Huh?" said Shou. "Again?"
One slightly similar turn later,
After using Landmine Spider as a sacrifice (again), Mei was able to summon Demon Water God-Suga in attack mode.
ATK 2500
And no, he was not done yet…with help from Kyuu, Mei offered Kaiser Seahorse as a sacrifice. Ryou's breath hitched slightly as he watched the duel.
"When summoning a Light-attribute monster, Kaiser Seahorse can be treated as two sacrifices instead of one," Kyuu explained as Kaiser Seahorse disappeared and thunder cracked. "This summons Demon Thunder God-Sanga!"
A torso-like brown and red colored monster appeared on the field.
ATK 2600
Shou gasped.
Meanwhile with Daichi and Asuka,
Daichi stared at the Meikyuu Brothers' monsters, awestruck.
"What a combo…" said Daichi.
Asuka closed her eyes and shook her head.
"No, it's not quite over yet," said Asuka.
Daichi turned to Asuka and his breath hitched. He looked back at the duel where Shou was staring at Sanga, Hyuga, and Suga nervously. Mei laughed.
"That makes all of them…" said Mei.
"Now, we will show you our ultimate monster!" said Kyuu.
Professor Chronos watched the duel closely.
"Ultimate…" Professor Chronos thought, diverting his eyes to his right.
Professor Chronos's jaw dropped when he saw Samejima standing a few inches away from him, watching the duel closely very eagerly. Daitokuji smiled as he continued to watch the duel.
"Principle!" said Professor Chronos. "Please return to your seat!"
"But I wanted to get a closer look too…" Samejima protested.
"No!" said Professor Chronos.
Samejima grumbled and muttered, "Stingy…"
Pharaoh meowed.
"When Demon Water God-Suga, Demon Thunder God-Sanga, and Demon Wind God-Hyuga are all on the field…" Mei said, all three monsters lighting up as he explained. "…by offering all three as sacrifices, I summon Gate Guardian!"
Gate Guardian appeared on the field, looking like a merged combination of all three monsters that had just been sacrificed.
ATK 3750
Shou and Jaden stared at Gate Guardian agape.
"Gate…" Shou gasped out.
"Guardian?" finished Jaden.
"Go, Gate Guardian!" said Mei. "Attack Steam Gyroid!"
Gate Guardian attacked with a wave of water from its lower level, which its mid-level turned into a whirlpool with wind, followed up with electricity from its top-level. All of which was aimed at Steam Gyroid.
"Demon God Shockwave!" exclaimed Mei.
The electrical-charged whirlpool overwhelmed Steam Gyroid and destroyed him, leaving Shou open for the attack. Shou yelled as Gate Guardian's attack hit him with full force.
Jaden & Shou:
LP
6450
"Their decks were built specifically for tag duels," remarked Daichi. "They've left no gaps in it, as would be expected."
"And since they're brothers, they're in total synch with each other," Asuka added.
Shou and Jaden stared at Gate Guardian as it roared.
"Did you see that?" asked Mei.
"This is how we duel!" exclaimed Kyuu.
Shou stared at Gate Guardian in disbelief.
"To think that Steam Gyroid got killed off in mere seconds…" said Shou.
Professor Chronos laughed to himself.
"This is good," he thought. "This is very good. The true essence of tag dueling is to focus your attacks on the weaker of the opponents and defeat them first."
Professor Chronos stared at Jaden and Shou with a devious grin.
"Jaden Yuki is surprisingly persistent, but Shou Marufuji is mentally delicate…" thought Professor Chronos. "And that's where they'll come tumbling down!"
Manjoume had his hands clasped together as he smirked, laughing to himself.
"I knew all I would do is drag Aniki down…" Shou thought as he looked down, frowning.
Shou looked at Jaden and blinked at her ecstatic grin. Jaden stared at Gate Guardian with awe.
"Amazing," said Jaden. "I've never seen this monster before. So, this is the monster that fought against the King of Games, is it?"
Jaden smiled and looked at Shou.
"And we've got the opportunity to fight against it!" said Jaden. "Aren't you just pumped?"
Shou blinked and said, "Huh?"
"I set one reversed card on the field to end my turn," said Mei.
Jaden grinned and reached for her deck.
"All righty, now it's my turn!" said Jaden. "Draw!"
Jaden drew a card and looked at it. She then looked at her hand and picked out a card.
"Okay!" she said, holding the card in her hand. "I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in attack mode!"
The golem-like Elemental Hero appeared on Jaden's side of the field, punching the air a few times.
ATK 800
"Next, I activate a Magic card!" said Jaden. "Polymerization! It'll fuse Burstinatrix and Clayman together!"
Burstinatrix and Clayman both crossed their arms as a light shone on them.
"Come forth, Elemental Hero Rampart Gunner!" said Jaden.
The fusion-monster formed from Burstinatrix and Clayman appeared on the field with a red shield in one hand and a gun-like hand in the other.
ATK 2000
DEF 2500
"Even though you fusion-summoned it, her ATK is 2000 and her DEF is 2500…" said Shou. "That means she's no match for Gate Guardian, Aniki!"
Jaden smiled and held up her fist.
"Rampart Gunner's special effect activates!" said Jaden. "While in defense mode, this monster can attack the opposing player directly!"
The Meikyuu Brothers' eyes widened as Jaden pointed at them.
"What?" they both exclaimed.
"Go, Rampart Gunner!" said Jaden. "Rampart Shot!"
Rampart Gunner shot a missile-like projectile at each Meikyuu Brother that exploded once they made contact with the ground. Jaden smiled as she continued her explanation.
"You'll only get damaged with half of her ATK with this effect, though," said Jaden.
Meikyuu Brothers:
LP
7000
The Meikyuu Brothers both scowled at Jaden as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of their faces.
"You're not too bad," commented Kyuu.
Shou stared at Jaden with awe.
"Incredible!" said Shou. "That's my Aniki!"
Jaden smiled at Shou and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Jaden. "I end my turn."
Shou looked back at the Meikyuu Brothers with determination in his eyes.
"Aniki is amazing," thought Shou. "So, I…So, I…"
Kyuu drew a card and interrupted Shou in his thoughts.
"It's my turn," said Kyuu. "Draw! I activate the Equip Magic, Meteor Strike. I equip it to Gate Guardian! When a monster equipped with this card attacks a monster in defense mode…if it exceeds its DEF, it'll deal damage to the opponent equal to the difference!"
"I won't let that happen!" snapped Shou. "I'm going to be some use to my Aniki! Reverse card, open! Cyclone!"
A cyclone shot out from the card and went directly at Gate Guardian.
"This card destroys one Magic or Trap card on the field!" explained Shou. "You won't be able to use Meteor Strike!"
"I activate a Trap card!" said Mei. "Judgment of Anubis!"
Shou's breath hitched as Mei explained the Trap card's effect.
"By discarding one card in my hand, this card will negate…an opponent's activated card with an effect that destroys Magic or Traps," explained Mei.
Shou's eyes widened as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. Mei discarded a card and the cyclone disappeared.
"In addition, it destroys an opponent's monster and deals that monster's ATK as damage to you!" added Mei.
Rampart Gunner cried out in pain as the effect of Judgment of Anubis destroyed her. Shou and Jaden shielded themselves from the aftermath of Rampart Gunner's destruction. They grunted as their life points took a toll from the attack.
Jaden & Shou:
LP
4450
Mei laughed quietly as Kyuu played a card.
"Then, I summon Defense Wall in defense mode," said Kyuu.
A grey-colored, stone-brick wall monster appeared on the field in a defensive stance.
DEF 2100
"As long as this Defense Wall is on the field in defense mode…all opposing monsters will target this monster for their attacks!" explained Kyuu.
Professor Chronos laughed to himself as Samejima chuckled in amusement. Daichi made an observation and stated it to Asuka.
"For attack, Gate Guardian," said Daichi. "For defending, Defense Wall. They've left absolutely no gaps at all."
Asuka turned her head to Daichi.
"They know the ins-and-outs of tag dueling," said Asuka. "Yet, in comparison…"
"My turn is over," said Kyuu.
Shou reached for his deck.
"My turn…" Shou said, somewhat anxiously. "Draw…"
Shou drew a card and looked at it, frowning after examining it. With not much to do, he played the card.
"I summon Cycroid in defense mode!" said Shou.
An orange-colored, bike-like monster appeared on Shou's side of the field.
DEF 1000
Jaden smiled at Shou.
"I end my turn…" Shou said, looking down. "I'm sorry, Aniki, for bringing you nothing but trouble…I…I…"
"It's my turn!" Mei said, drawing a card. "Draw!"
Without even taking one look at the card, Mei ordered Gate Guardian to attack Cycroid with the same attack it used on Steam Gyroid, destroying him.
"Meteor Strike's effect will now deal Piercing Damage to the player!" said Mei.
Shou shielded himself as Gate Guardian used the electrical-charged whirlpool on him. Shou tried to endure the attack, but after a few seconds, he yelled out. Hayato, Daichi, and Asuka all gasped as they watched Shou fall onto one of his knees.
Jaden & Shou:
LP
1700
"In the face of us brothers…" said Mei.
"…you are no match!" finished Kyuu.
Jaden looked down, her hair covering her eyes. Shou pushed himself up from the ground and looked down. Ryou continued to watch, his expression still stoic.
"So, it was all futile from the start, huh?" said Daichi. "For their first and sudden tag duel, they're way outmatched."
Asuka nodded.
"Yes," said Asuka. "Not only is each duelist's power important for a tag duel…but so are their combinations with their partner. However, an impromptu team does have its limits."
Daichi looked at Jaden and Shou.
"The properties of Jaden and Shou's deck are far too different," said Daichi. "It doesn't seem like they've tuned them for tag teams, either. Is this the end?"
Asuka stared at Jaden.
"Jaden…" she said.
Hayato gripped the rail tightly as he clenched his teeth.
"Jaden…Shou…" thought Hayato. "Didn't you guys promise you'd come back to Osiris Red?"
Hayato grunted.
"Hang in there!" he said.
Manjoume laughed quietly.
"Facing off against these legendary duelists has made you completely helpless, hasn't it, Jaden Yuki?" Manjoume thought, grinning menacingly. "Suffer an unsightly death!"
Manjoume clasped his hands together tightly in anticipation. Taiyou noticed his anticipation.
"Manjoume-san…" said Taiyou.
Manjoume ignored Taiyou, gritting his teeth as he stared at Jaden.
"Ever since he showed up, everything has gone haywire," thought Manjoume. "I've lost Professor Chronos's trust, and I've had my pride trampled upon!"
Professor Chronos snickered.
"This is good," he said to himself. "This is oh-so-good. I would've expected no less from legendary duelists who've gone up against the King of Games-na no ne…"
Professor Chronos grinned.
"This will be finé, the end for those impudent dropout boys!" said Professor Chronos.
Professor Chronos laughed out loud, to which Samejima heard and chuckled. Professor Chronos froze and slowly turned his head to Samejima, who smiled.
"You never know the outcome of a duel until the end, Chronos-kun," said Samejima.
"Yes, I know, Samejima-san," said Professor Chronos. "But wouldn't it be in their best interests to expel them instead of prolonging their suffering any longer?"
Samejima grinned and pointed at someone behind Professor Chronos.
"Even though said duelist hasn't surrendered?" asked Samejima.
Professor Chronos turned, his expression perplexed. His gaze was focused on Jaden, whom was looking down, her eyes covered by her hair. Suddenly, she looked up and opened her eyes, surprising the blonde-haired professor.
"Orange Pekoe!" thought Professor Chronos.
Daitokuji watched Professor Chronos as he petted Pharaoh on the head.
"This is absolutely bonkers!" complained Professor Chronos. "Salted shrimp crackers!"
"My, my…what a grave predicament-nya," said Daitokuji.
Pharaoh meowed loudly in response.
"You think so too, Pharaoh-nya?" asked Daitokuji.
Jaden stared at the Meikyuu Brothers with determination in her eyes. Both brothers noticed the look on her face.
"Hmph…by that look of yours, it seems you still don't plan on quitting, having come so far," said Mei.
"How stubborn…" Kyuu remarked.
Jaden smiled.
"As long as they have cards in their decks, duelists never give up until the very end!" said Jaden. "The King of Games would be the same, wouldn't he?"
The Meikyuu Brothers scowled at Jaden. Wing Kuriboh appeared by Jaden's side.
"Kuri kuri!" said Winged Kuriboh.
Jaden looked at Kuriboh and smiled at him.
"You've got that right!" said Jaden.
Winged Kuriboh disappeared.
"But what about your partner?" asked Mei.
"He seems to have already lost his will to fight…" said Kyuu.
Jaden blinked and turned to Shou, who looked down.
"Shou!" said Jaden.
Shou jolted slightly and looked at Jaden. Jaden smiled at him reassuringly.
"We can still go on, can't we?" asked Jaden.
"Aniki…" said Shou.
Jaden turned to Gate Guardian, her smile never leaving her face.
"Besides, you have a card that can beat that Gate Guardian!" said Jaden.
Shou blinked.
"My turn!" Jaden said, reaching for her deck. "Draw!"
Jaden drew a card and switched it out with one in her hand.
"I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in attack mode!" said Jaden.
Elemental Hero Sparkman appeared on the field, electricity crackling over his body.
ATK 1600
"Next, from my hand, I activate the Equip Magic, Spark Gun!" said Jaden. "And I equip it to Sparkman!"
A gun appeared in Sparkman's right hand.
"This card's effect changes the battle mode of one monster!" Jaden explained, pointing at Gate Guardian afterwards. "I switched Gate Guardian to defense mode!"
Sparkman pulled the trigger and shot an electrical blue energy blast at Gate Guardian. This caused Gate Guardian to switch from attack to defense mode.
DEF 3400
"What's the point in switching it to defense mode?" asked Daichi. "It's just going to go back into attack mode next turn."
"You may have put it in defense mode, but Gate Guardian's DEF is 3400," said Mei. "You two shouldn't be able to beat it."
"Furthermore, if you can't beat my Defense Wall, you cannot lay a finger on any other monster!" said Kyuu.
"I set one reversed card face-down," Jaden said, closing her eyes. "My turn's finished."
Kyuu stared at Jaden for a few moments before reaching for his deck.
"It's my turn," Kyuu said, drawing a card and looking at it. "I place one reversed card face-down to end my turn."
Kyuu looked at Mei.
"Elder brother, the rest is yours," said Kyuu.
Mei nodded.
"Just leave it to me," said Mei. "I'll end this the next turn around."
Shou looked down, anxiety in his eyes.
"I knew I was no good…" Shou thought, looking over at Jaden. "Aniki."
Jaden turned to Shou and blinked.
"Why did you choose me as your partner, Aniki?" asked Shou. "I'm just dragging you down…And if Asuka-san was your partner, none of this would have happened…"
Jaden blinked and smiled at Shou.
"You like dueling, right?" asked Jaden.
Shou looked up at Jaden, perplexed.
"You enjoy yourself when you duel, and you treat all your cards with care," said Jaden. "It's that quality that makes me think you and I are alike."
~flashback~
In the Osiris Red Dorms within one of the rooms,
Pharaoh walked out of a small doorway made for him on a support beam. He meowed and looked down at what lied below him. Dueling each other on one the floor with Hayato watching were Jaden and Shou.
"All righty!" said Jaden. "How's this?"
Jaden flipped over a card, causing Shou to whine.
"Aah!" said Shou. "It's a Trap Hole! Damn it all…"
Shou quickly recovered and grinned at Jaden.
"But I'm not going to lose," he said, picking up a card. "I'll revive it with Call of the Living Dead!"
Jaden frowned.
"Aw crap," said Jaden. "I wasted my Trap!"
Shou laughed.
~end of flashback~
"I managed to make it into this Duel Academy," said Jaden. "And I wanted to duel some more and have some more fun."
Jaden closed her eyes and smiled happily.
"And I want to duel you again, too!" she added.
"Aniki…" said Shou.
Jaden held her fist up.
"But beating these two comes first!" said Jaden. "We can beat them! Let's tear it up!"
Shou stared at Jaden, his eyes starting to shine with unshed tears. He looked away and blinked them away.
"That's right…I decided I wouldn't run away anymore…" thought Shou. "I did it for my Aniki, who picked me as her partner…"
Shou turned and looked at Gate Guardian, the tears in his eyes replaced with newfound determination. Jaden's voice echoed in his head.
"Besides, you have a card that can defeat Gate Guardian!" said Jaden's voice.
Shou blinked and looked at his deck.
~flashback~
In the Osiris Red Dorms within a certain room,
Shou and Hayato were dueling each other while Jaden watched them. Jaden crawled closer to Shou and looked at his hand, blinking as she looked over them. Curled up on the support beam over the trio, was Pharaoh, who meowed loudly.
Shou drew a card when Jaden spotted a certain card in his hand.
"Oh?" said Jaden. "That's perfect!"
Shou turned to Jaden as she pointed at one of his cards.
"I can use this in a combo with my Sparkman!" said Jaden.
Jaden looked at Shou and closed her eyes as she smiled at him.
"So, let me have it," she said.
Shou stared at Jaden perplexed.
"Huh?" exclaimed Shou. "N-No way! Even if you're my Aniki, no means no!"
Hayato and Pharaoh just stared at Shou and Jaden.
"It's a special card!" said Shou.
Jaden latched herself onto Shou's back, her head propped onto his shoulder.
"But, Shou!" she protested.
Hayato smirked.
"It's gonna take assets for him to ever fall for that," remarked Hayato.
Shou and Jaden stared at Hayato, both each reacting to his remark in differently. Shou blushed when he remembered what Hayato meant by 'assets'. Jaden glared at Hayato and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Shut it, Koala-man!" Jaden snapped, turning over to Shou again with a smile. "C'mon, please?"
Shou blinked and shook his head.
"No!" said Shou.
~end of chapter~
"That's right," thought Shou. "As long as I have that card…"
Shou reached for his deck.
"Please, come to me!" Shou thought, his expression determined again. "I want to be in this Academy with my Aniki and the others! There's still stuff I want to do!"
Shou shut his eyes and clenched his teeth as he was about ready to draw. Memories of him and Jaden preparing their becks for the tag duel popped up in mind. One of them included him trying to wake up Jaden during class while Professor Chronos taught to the class (this was before they got suspended for that reason).
Shou's eyes wavered before he opened and drew his card.
"It's my turn!" he exclaimed. "Draw!"
Shou glanced at is card and looked at Jaden, smiling.
"Aniki!" said Shou.
Jaden smiled back at Shou.
"Yeah!" she said, closing her eyes and holding her fist up. "Go get 'em, Shou!"
Shou nodded.
"Mm-hm!" he said, playing a card. "I summon Drillroid in attack mode!"
A monster with drills for hands and giant drill for a nose and continuous tracks for legs popped out of the ground.
ATK 1600
"When this card attacks a monster in defense mode, it destroys that monster!" explained Shou.
The Meikyuu brothers gasped.
"All right!" Jaden said, hold her fist up.
"Go, Drillroid!" said Shou.
Drillroid charged towards Gate Guardian only for Defense Wall to intervene the attack.
"You are so naïve!" said Kyuu.
Drillroid drilled through Defense wall.
Jaden & Shou:
LP
1200
Manjoume snickered.
"Defense Wall may have been destroyed, but Damage Calculations will be applied," said Manjoume.
Both Meikyuu Brothers grinned.
"Such a shame," said Mei.
"Our cooperation is invincible!" said Kyuu. "The Gate Guardian cannot be beat!"
Jaden grinned and laughed.
"There's no monster that can't be beat, you know," said Jaden.
"What?" exclaimed the Meikyuu Brothers.
Jaden looked at Shou and nodded. Shou nodded back and looked at the Meikyuu Brothers.
"I knew that Defense Wall would receive the attack…" Shou explained, smirking as he added, "…but that wasn't what I was really after!"
The Meikyuu Brothers gasped as Shou played a card.
"From my hand, I activate a Magic card!" said Shou. "Shield Crash!"
Shou held his fist up as he explained.
"This card's effect destroys one monster on the field that's in defense mode!" explained Shou.
Jaden looked at Gate Guardian and smirked.
"And guess who's in defense mode!" said Jaden.
Shou nodded.
"I'm destroying…" Shou said, pointing at Gate Guardian. "Gate Guardian!"
Shield Crash shot out a green blast at Gate Guardian, destroying the monster. Mei and Kyuu shielded themselves from the aftermath of the attack. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of their faces.
"To think that our Gate Guardian…" said Mei.
"…was destroyed like that!" finished Kyuu.
Jaden grinned.
"Didn't I tell you?" she asked. "I said there's no monster that can't be destroyed!"
The crowd burst into cheers and applauds. Hayato was one of the many people who cheered on Shou and Jaden.
"They did it!" Hayato said as he clapped. "They did it!"
Ryou just stayed silent as Professor Chronos was astonished.
"This I cannot believe!" denied Professor Chronos. "My back has an itch I must relieve!"
Professor Chronos stared at Shou and Jaden, shocked.
"Those dropout boys defeated these legendary duelists' mightiest monster…?" Professor Chronos said perplexed as he looked at Samejima.
Samejima waved it off.
"It's nothing strange," said Samejima. "After all, they too are students of our Duel Academy."
Daitokuji agreed as he continued to pet Pharaoh on the head.
"Hmm…Marufuji-kun is doing rather well himself-nya," said Daitokuji. "Although, that stunt might have spelled trouble for them-nya."
Pharaoh meowed loudly.
"Don't you think, Pharaoh?" asked Daitokuji.
Shou, after thinking about what Jaden said, blinked and looked at said gender-mistaken girl.
"What about Exodia?" asked Shou.
Jaden looked at Shou and pouted. The way she looked at the moment was, without a doubt adorable, to which half of the male population in the room's (including Manjoume) horror as that thought was resurrected. While said male population killed that thought for the second time (third time for Manjoume), Jaden stuck her tongue out at Shou.
"Let me have my moment!" complained Jaden. "So don't question me!"
Shou blinked and looked down sheepishly.
"Sorry, Aniki…" said Shou.
Jaden sighed and smiled.
"It's okay!" said Jaden.
Daichi and Asuka continued with their discussion, having seen the turn of events.
"Who would've thought they'd beat Gate Guardian?" asked Daichi.
"We figured they didn't refine their decks, but that might have been for the best," said Asuka.
Daichi looked questioningly at Asuka and said, "Huh?"
Asuka smiled and explained.
"They don't have tag team decks like the Meikyuu Brothers," she said. "But with the strong points of each other's decks in mind, they worked in the tandem perfectly."
Daichi looked back at the duel.
"Right," he said.
"I think it's all right for there to be tag teams like that," said Asuka.
Shou inhaled and looked up.
"I place a reversed card face-down and end my turn," Shou said, looking over at Jaden. "Aniki, I…"
Jaden gave Shou a thumbs-up.
"Just leave it to me, Shou," said Jaden.
Shou nodded.
"It seems we've let our guard down a bit," said Mei.
"We never would have thought they would defeat Gate Guardian," said Kyuu.
"However…" they both said.
Shou's breath hitched as he stared perplexedly at the Meikyuu Brothers.
"This is just the beginning of our invincible cooperation," said Mei. "It is my turn. Draw!"
Mei glanced at the card he drew.
"I activate a Magic card from my hand!" said Mei. "Dark Element! This card's effect activates when Gate Guardian is in the Graveyard!"
Shou gasped.
"By paying half our life points…" Mei explained, his and Kyuu's life points depleting from the Magic card's effect.
Meikyuu Brothers:
LP
3500
"…it special-summons the Guardian of Darkness-Dark Guardian from my deck!" Mei continued explaining.
Dark Guardian (A/N I can't describe this guy decently enough for crap if my life depended on it!) appeared on the field in attack mode.
ATK 3800
Daichi and Asuka gasped.
"An ATK of 3800?" exclaimed Daichi.
Ryou…still stoic (A/N And very Mori-like of him…yes, I'm referring to Mori from Ouran High).
Shou's eyes widened.
"No way!" Shou cried out.
"Go, Guardian of Darkness-Dark Guardian!" said Mei. "Attack Drillroid! Dark Shockwave!"
Dark Guardian swung his axe up, readying an attack. Daichi stood up in his seat, his eyes widened.
"This is no good!" said Daichi. "If this connects, Jaden and his friend will lose!"
Asuka stared wide-eyed at Jaden.
"Jaden…" she said.
Hayato gasped, Ryou was stoic (A/N Mori!), and Manjoume grinned…everyone in the room had either the same or different reactions. Dark Guardian swung his axe at Drillroid, sending a flaming blast at him.
"This is the end!" said Mei.
"Reverse card, open!" said Jaden. "Hero Barrier!"
Jaden smiled as she explained.
"This card activates when there's an 'Elemental Hero' monster on the field!" she explained, holding up her fist. "It negates one of my opponent's monster's attacks!"
Shou closed his eyes and shielded himself as a blue-colored energy field blocked off Dark Guardian's attack. The force of the attack was felt by everyone in the arena as they gasped in awe and shock.
Once the attack had disappeared, the Meikyuu Brothers smirked at Jaden and Shou.
"Blocking that attack…" said Mei.
"…was quite a feat!" finished Kyuu. "However, it will be your last!"
"And, to add to that, Dark Guardian is our invincible guardian that cannot be destroyed by way of battle," added Mei.
"So long as our omnipotent Dark Guardian remains, you two have no chance of winning this time!" said Kyuu.
Shou fell onto his knees despondently.
"No way…" thought Shou. "Because I destroyed their Gate Guardian, they called out an even stronger monster."
Professor Chronos snickered.
"This is the difference between their skills!" said Professor Chronos. "They can struggle all they wish, for it's mere futile resistance!"
Samejima stared at the duel in deep thought.
"This is quite the situation," said Samejima.
Shou stared down, his eyes closed as he clenched his teeth.
"Shou…" said Jaden. "Stand up Shou…now."
Shou opened his eyes and looked at Jaden.
"Aniki…" said Shou.
Jaden stared at the Meikyuu brothers, determination in her eyes.
"We're gonna win," stated Jaden. "No matter what happens. You don't get up…I'll take your glasses away."
Shou frowned and got up the ground hesitantly.
"Oh?" said Mei. "You're still going to fight, are you?"
"I admit that their spirit is commendable," said Kyuu.
"My turn is now finished," said Mei.
Jaden reached for a card in her deck.
"My turn," said Jaden. "Draw!"
Jaden looked at the card and held it up.
"I activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed!" said Jaden. "I'll draw two cards, and then activate the Field Magic, Fusion Gate!"
Jaden placed the card in the slot, activating the Field Magic.
"As long as this card's on the field, you can fusion-summon without using Polymerization," explained Jaden. "I'll fuse Elemental Heroes Avian and Bubbleman who are in my hand…with Sparkman on the field…"
Avian, Bubbleman, and Sparkman all leaped into the air and glowed as Fusion Gate took effect, merging the three Elemental Heroes together.
"Come out, Elemental Hero Tempester!" Jaden exclaimed, punching her fist forward.
Elemental Hero Tempester, a monster with body-armor like Sparkman, physiology of Avian, and weapons from Bubbleman appeared on Jaden's side of the field.
ATK 2800
Daichi gasped.
"He's reached this point, but Jaden's still not giving in!" said Daichi.
Asuka rolled her eyes.
"The day Jaden gives up easily will be the day he wears a dress…" said Asuka.
Daichi stared at Asuka perplexed, to whom she just waved it off.
"You'll find out soon enough," said Asuka. "But…even so, he can't beat Gate Guardian."
Asuka stared at Jaden anxiously.
"Jaden…what are you going to do?" she thought.
The Meikyuu Brothers stared at Elemental Hero Tempester.
"A triple Fusion Summon?" said Mei. "But, still…"
"Dark Guardian's ATK is 3800," Kyuu pointed out. "And it cannot be destroyed by way of battle."
Mei looked at Kyuu.
"And yet, what could he be planning?" asked Mei.
Jaden stared at the Meikyuu Brothers seriously.
"I'm planning on this!" Jaden said as she held up a card. "I activate the Field Magic, Skyscraper!"
The field around Jaden glowed before large buildings popped out of the ground.
"The effect raises an 'Elemental Hero' monster's ATK…if its ATK is lower than that of the monster it's attacking!" explained Jaden.
Tempester's ATK went up 1000 points.
ATK: Previously, 2800
Now…3800!
"What?" exclaimed the Meikyuu Brothers.
"Chaos Tempest!" shouted Jaden.
Tempester flew up and charged down at Dark Guardian, punching it straight in the chest.
"They may both have an equal 3800 ATK, but…we told you Dark Guardian cannot be destroyed in battle!" said Mei.
Kyuu held up his fist.
"Your effort was wasted!" said Kyuu.
Jaden turned to Shou, who was shielding himself from the wind created by Tempester's attack.
"Shou, I'm taking your card," said Jaden.
Shou turned to Jaden and blinked.
"Huh?" he said.
Jaden held up her hand as the card on Shou's field glowed.
"Tempester's special effect activates!" Jaden said, smiling and holding up her fist. "By sending a card on the field to the Graveyard, this card won't be destroyed in battle!"
Tempester backed away from Dark Guardian unharmed.
"That was a totally ineffective attack…" Manjoume said, smirking.
Daichi and Asuka gasped.
"Jaden, what are you thinking?" asked Asuka.
Ryou stared at the duel, finally speaking out loud for once.
"Shou, will you answer him back?" asked Ryou.
Shou blinked and looked at Jaden.
"Aniki?" said Shou.
Jaden looked at Shou and closed her eyes as she grinned at him.
"Did you pay close attention there, Shou?" she asked.
Shou nodded.
"Mm-hmm," said Shou.
Jaden nodded and opened her eyes.
"Okay, then!" said Jaden. "I end my turn."
"It's my turn!" said Kyuu. "Draw! Trap card, activate! Single Combat!"
The card on Kyuu's side of the field turned over as he explained the Trap's effect.
"During this turn, each player will do battle with their highest-ATK monster!" explained Kyuu. "With Dark Guardian, I attack Tempester!"
Jaden clenched her teeth as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face. Dark Guardian readied himself for an attack on Tempester.
"Again?" asked Shou. "But no matter how much you try, the end result'll be the same, won't it?"
"Is that so?" said Kyuu.
"Huh?" said Shou.
"Jaden doesn't have any cards on his field he can send to the Graveyard to activate Tempester's special effect," said Asuka.
Daichi stared at the field.
"In order to prevent its destruction…" said Daichi.
Jaden stared at Tempester and Dark Guardian, having come to a conclusion.
"To keep Tempester from being destroyed, I'll send Skyscraper to the Graveyard!" said Jaden.
Skyscraper's card popped out of the Field Magic slot. Shou stared around him as the buildings began to disappear.
"Even if it can't be destroyed now, the damage will run its course!" yelled Kyuu.
Shou and Jaden braced themselves as the attack from Dark Guardian passed through Tempester and hit them.
Jaden & Shou:
LP
200
"I end my turn," said Kyuu.
Both Meikyuu Brothers grinned at Shou and Jaden.
"We applaud you for making it this far," said Mei.
"But now comes your end," said Kyuu.
Jaden looked at Shou and smiled as she held up her fist.
"Keep what just happened in mind," said Jaden.
Shou looked at Jaden.
"Aniki…" said Shou. "Aniki's trying to tell me something…Could it be…?"
Jaden closed her eyes and said, "I'm counting on you, Shou!"
Shou nodded.
"Aniki…" he said, reaching for his deck. "That's right…I have to do this now!"
Everyone anticipated as Shou hesitated to draw from his deck. Jaden looked at him calmly as he looked up at Ryou.
"Onii-san…" thought Shou.
~flashback~
Shou stood in back of Ryou, whom had his arms crossed.
"I'm…taking the Duel Academy's exam," said Shou. "I want to be a duelist, too!"
Ryou looked back at Shou.
"If that's what you wish, I won't stop you," Ryou said, turning around. "The path of a duelist must be made using one's own strength. Are you prepared to do that?"
Shou looked up at Ryou, determination in his eyes. Ryou nodded and turned around before walking away.
~end of flashback~
"I really think so now," thought Shou. "I want to be a duelist just like my Onii-san in this Academy!"
Shou grabbed the first card on top of his deck.
"So, to make that first step, let my card come!" Shou thought, opening his eyes. "It's my turn! Draw!"
Shou drew a card and looked at it. It was Power Bond.
"I offer Drillroid as a sacrifice to summon UFOroid!" said Shou.
Drillroid disappeared and was replaced with a cartoony UFO-like monster.
ATK 1200
"And then, from my hand, I activate a Magic card!" Shou said, holding up the card he finished drawing. "Power Bond!"
Jaden smiled and nodded.
"This card is a Fusion Magic for Machine-types!" said Shou. "Aniki! Here we go!"
"Yeah, go with all you've got!" said Jaden.
Shou pumped his fist into the air.
"It'll fuse together UFOroid and Tempester!" said Shou. "Come forth! UFOroid Fighter!"
Power Bond shot out a blue energy beam at UFOroid and Tempester, combining them together to form UFOroid Fighter.
A/N Basically, just Tempester on a UFO-like scooter…lucky bastard! I want one!
"Its ATK is the total ATK of its two Fusion-Material monsters!" explained Shou.
ATK 4000
"What good is it now?" asked Mei. "Its ATK may be higher by a small fraction, but…"
"…Dark Guardian can't be destroyed by battle!" finished Kyuu.
Shou grinned.
"That I know!" said Shou. "Next, Power Bond's effect activates! It doubles the ATK of the special-summoned Fusion Monster!"
UFOroid Fighter's attack was doubled.
ATK: Previously, 4000
Now…8000!
The Meikyuu Brothers stared agape at UFOroid Fighter's ATK.
"8000?" they both exclaimed.
A/N That's almost over 9000! Yeah…That's joke's kinda old, but whatever!
Shou looked at Jaden and smiled.
"Aniki made me realize through example," said Shou. "Even if a monster can't be destroyed, the damage will pass right through! Fortune Tempest!"
UFOroid Fighter aimed his gun at Dark Guardian, shooting a forceful blast of blue energy. The blast went right through Dark Guardian…and hit the Meikyuu Brothers.
Meikyuu Brothers:
LP
0
Dark Guardian disappeared as both Meikyuu Brothers fell onto their knees despondently. Hayato grinned widely.
"They did it!" shouted Hayato.
Daichi and Asuka were both relieved.
"Thank goodness," said Daichi. "Now, those two can remain at the Academy."
Asuka turned to Daichi and unclasped her hands.
"Even though he'll turn into a tough rival, you're still happy?" asked Asuka.
Daichi turned to Asuka.
"What about you?" he asked.
"I would just feel guilty of they got expelled because of me," answered Asuka. "But I'm glad now."
Manjoume scowled and gritted his teeth as a vein popped out on his forehead. He stood up from his seat and started to make his way out. Taiyou stood up and called out to him.
"Manjoume-san!" said Taiyou.
Professor Chronos stared at Shou and Jaden, shocked as a vein popped out on his forehead.
"This can't be!" said Professor Chronos. "For legendary duelists to lose…"
Professor Chronos jumped back and fell onto the ground rear-first. Daitokuji walked up to Professor Chronos with Pharaoh in his arms. Daitokuji leaned down to Professor Chronos's level.
"Well, my students are quite impressive, aren't they?" asked Daitokuji. "They were amazing-nya."
Pharaoh pushed himself up from Daitokuji's arms and licked Professor Chronos on the cheek. Professor Chronos diverted his eyes to Pharaoh. The blonde-haired professor's eyes widened at the sight of the tabby cat.
"Gah!" yelled Professor Chronos. "A cat! It's a cat!"
Shou and Jaden stared at Professor Chronos as he freaked out.
"On cats I'm not too keen, no!" said Professor Chronos. "Cappuccino!"
Jaden turned to Shou and held up her fist.
"Well, we did it, Shou!" said Jaden. "All thanks to you!"
Shou looked down.
"A-Aniki…I…I…" Shou said, turning away from Jaden as he burst into tears.
As Shou wiped off his tears, Jaden caught him by surprise by placing her arm around his shoulder and pulling him closer to herself. She looked at Samejima with a grin.
"We won," said Jaden. "Fair enough, agreed?"
Professor Chronos gripped Samejima's shoulder as he was shocked. Samejima smiled and nodded.
"You have shown us a fine duel," said Samejima. "Naturally, your expulsions will be dropped."
Jaden pumped her fist into the air as she half-hugged Shou tightly.
"Awright!" she exclaimed, blinking and releasing Shou as she looked over at the Meikyuu Brothers. "Oh, almost forgot."
Jaden winked and pointed two fingers at the Meikyuu Brothers as she grinned.
"Gotcha!" said Jaden. "That sure was a fun duel! Let's do it again, huh?"
"Hmm…if you have that much energy left, allow me to give you some homework," said Samejima.
Jaden's eyes widened as she sweat dropped, a vein popping out on her forehead. Samejima grinned.
"Your expulsions have been dropped this time, but your penalty for entering a restricted area will be different," explained Samejima.
"Right, right, right….different, different…" muttered Professor Chronos.
"You will turn in a thirty-page report on dueling strategies," said Samejima.
Jaden and Shou stared at Samejima, shocked.
"Can you do that?" asked Jaden.
"Keep a stiff upper lip!" said Samejima. "I'll leave you to oversee things, Daitokuji-kun."
Samejima walked away as Daitokuji nodded.
"Yes, sir," said Daitokuji. "Leave it to me-nya!"
Pharaoh meowed loudly as Jaden placed her hands on her head. She groaned loudly as she fell onto her knees despondently.
"No way!" wailed Jaden. "A thirty-page report is torture!"
Shou looked away from Jaden and up at his older brother, Ryou.
"Onii-san…I feel I've made a little progress forward…" Shou thought, looking at Power Bond afterwards. "Just you wait. I'm positive I'll catch up to you!"
Ryou stared at Shou.
"I'm sure we'll do battle one of these days," Ryou thought, giving Shou a small smile before turning and walking away.
Jaden stood up from the ground with a serious expression. Shou stared at her in wonder.
"Okay, let's get back to the dorm," said Jaden. "We're pulling an all-nighter…"
Jaden was about to walk away when Shou exclaimed, "An all-nighter?"
Jaden stared at Shou pleadingly.
"But c'mon!" said Jaden. "Why's this always…ha!"
Jaden snatched Shou's glasses off his face and distanced herself from him. Shou blinked and felt his face for his glasses, when he felt none, he exclaimed and charged after Jaden. Jaden dodged Shou, whose blurry vision gave him less time to react and caused him to fall down. Shou looked up at Jaden.
"Aniki!" complained Shou.
Jaden stuck her tongue out at Shou.
"You want your glasses back…you're coming with me!" said Jaden. "And we're pulling that all-nighter, okay?"
Shou got up from the ground and sighed as he held his hand out.
"Fine…" sighed Shou.
Jaden smiled and placed Shou's glasses on for him. Shou blinked and adjusted his glasses for one hand as Jaden sighed.
"Man…after we won that duel…what a joke…" muttered Jaden.
Jaden started to walk away, to which Shou trailed after. Daichi and Asuka stared at the duo with amusement.
"This is so…what's it called?" asked Jaden. "You know, uh…O-Oh, yeah! So unreasonable, you know!"
Hayato ran down the stair and met up with his roommates. Shou and Hayato pushed Jaden back and forth to the other as the crowd applauded. Pharaoh meowed loudly as Daitokuji chuckled, Asuka and Daichi clapped, and Jaden recovered as she did pointed two fingers and smiled.
"Yay!" said Jaden.
A/N End of chapter. It's 1 AM, almost 2 AM...scratch that, its is. I'm in deep shit if my mom finds out I'm awake, so I would rather not want ANY flames at fricken' all! You know the drill!
(1) I was so tempted to type down toolshed…I've been watching DarkSideIncorporated's Yu-Gi-Oh GX Abridged Series, so can you blame me? It's also because of them that I couldn't take this episode seriously. Half the time, I expected the Meikyuu Brothers to fail at rhyming before getting it together, only to be owned by Shou's rapping skills…yeah…
(2) Reference to WHY I might've updated this chapter late. Pokémon…I'm a fanatic and used to be owner of four Pokémon games, now two due to some jerk jacking my DS and stuff. I have a new DS and Platinum as well as Soul Silver game. I also have all spin-off games minus Shadows of Almia (stolen as well) and Blue Rescue team. Anyways…Red is the ULTIMATE Trainer! Well, in my opinion, so don't argue with me! He DOES have an 88-level Pikachu as well as other Pokémon in the 80's range.
As for Hayato referring Jaden as Yellow…Yellow is a character in the Pokémon Adventures manga series. She is a girl…who dresses up as a boy and even at age 14, she can still pass for a boy. You see my reference? Confused? Go to Serebii, dammit or the bulbapedia! I'm tired right now!
That's about it, I gotta get some sleep so please excuse any mistakes I made!