So, here's Chapter 5. This one took me longer to get right. I was torn between a couple ways on how this chapter could go, but I settled on a good in-between. This one's more of a "first day of class" chapter and seeing the boys interact. I'm proud of how this one turned out, so I hope everyone enjoys it.
So now some quick replies to reviews:
pokemonking0924: Thank you so much for the reviews! Joey was kind of an inspiration for Ken and his Samurai kind of followed suit from that idea. He's a showoff, haha. And there are reasons Yubel's around in this version of the story, which I'm looking forward to revealing. And the reason I didn't use the second effect of Grandmaster is I just plain forgot, so I did something fun with that. I was going back and forth on fixing the first chapter and just going with it.
So, without further ado, It's Time to Duel!
"I beg your pardon but are you completely stupid?!" Bastion asked incredulously, Ken in response groaning in fatigue. The two were currently enjoying breakfast in the Ra Yellow cafeteria, both wearing their uniforms. Ken was slumped over his breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast in exhaustion while Bastion had stopped eating his to listen to Ken retell the events of last night. Suffice it to say, Bastion was more than worried about what happened, made worse by Ken's blase attitude in his explanation.
"How was I supposed to know he would try the same trick on both of us?" Ken defended himself as he scarfed down some eggs. "Didn't feel right to leave them in the lurch."
"Be that as it may, you may have a target on your back now." Bastion argued back, giving Ken a look before sighing. "If Raymond is indeed trying to get revenge on you two, I suggest you not give him anything he can use against you."
"You worry too freaking much." Ken waved him off while scarfing down a piece of bacon, Bastion looking thoroughly unimpressed. "I'll be fine, he's just some prefect. I beat him before."
"For now, I'd advise you to stay out of trouble today, if you can." Bastion suggested as he took a bite of his toast, now focusing on his food again. "It is our first day today, after all."
"Yeah, yeah, I know…" Ken sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, a thought crossing his mind. "By the way, does the name Rhodes mean anything to you?"
"By Rhodes, do you mean Alexis Rhodes?" Bastion asked, getting a nod from his friend in affirmation. Bastion began to butter another piece of toast as he gathered his thoughts. "From what I've heard, she's a first year like us, but attended a Duel Prep School, so she didn't have to take the entrance exam. High marks prior and popular with both the boys and girls, but not much more than that off memory." The studious boy explained as he added some eggs to his toast, giving Ken a look. "Why do you ask?"
"I just get the weird feeling like I've heard that name before." Ken explained before taking a swig of his orange juice, his friend nibbling on his own food. "But when I asked, she acted like I was hitting on her."
"Were you hitting on her?"
"No, I wasn't, thank you very much. Besides, I'm not into blondes."
"Duly noted."
"I get the impression you're not convinced." Bastion only gave Ken a wry smirk at that comment. The two alternated between eating and looking over their schedules for the day, familiarizing themselves with where to go and when. As they did, Bastion glanced between his PDA and Ken, who was looking uncomfortable as his eyes were glued to his PDA.
"Something you feel like sharing?" Bastion asked with a curious tone.
"It's nothing." Ken simply answered back, Bastion being gracious enough not to push further. After a few minutes of eating, the two had finished their plates and their juice. Time was ticking and class was calling their names.
"Well, I suggest we get moving." Bastion said as he stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder and picking up his dishes. "Homeroom will start soon; we don't want to be late." Ken didn't get up right away, watching Bastion head over to the kitchen line to drop his dishes off. The boy's eyes just stared at his schedule, dread filling him as he recognized who would be their homeroom teacher.
"Yeah… can't wait."
"So first-years all share the same homeroom, right?" Jaden asked as he and Syrus walked down the hall towards their first class. The two were taking a casual pace towards their classroom, neither of them feeling a great haste to start their school day.
"Yeah, but there's a seating chart from what I heard." Syrus replied, looking up at Jaden. "All the seats are set up by dorms, like Ken said."
"Explains why Chumley's not here." Jaden mused while cradling his head in his arms. "At least it won't be so bad. Ken and Bastion should be in our class too, if that's the case."
"I guess so." Syrus sounded a little bit happier after hearing that. That happiness didn't last long as he felt a pull on his blazer. Jaden had pulled him out of the way from an approaching Chazz and his cronies, the three passing by the Slifers without so much as a glance at them. "So that means we're stuck dealing with Chazz and his pals, too."
"Just ignore 'em, Sy." Jaden said, watching the three walk past them and into the classroom. "We're students, same as them. No matter what anyone else says." Syrus continued to watch them go by, but the apprehension didn't fade.
"Well, fancy meeting you here." The two turned around to see Bastion greeting them with Ken right behind him. While he wore a friendly smile and waved at them, Ken's eyes were firmly on the ground as he walked forward.
"Hey Bastion." Jaden greeted back with a smile before turning to his other acquaintance. "Hey Ken, sleep ok-." Jaden saw that Ken wasn't completely listening, walking past him while still focusing on the ground. "Kay…?" The three of them watched as he walked ahead, the Slifers looking at Bastion in concern. "Is he okay? Looks like he's about to be sick."
"I tried asking him about it, but he won't say." Bastion answered, matching the Slifers' worried expressions as they kept pace with Ken.
"Maybe he's nervous about class?" Syrus suggested, but the three had a feeling that wasn't it.
As the four went inside the classroom, they could see most of the students were already seated. Alexis was sitting in a corner of the highest seat row with two other girls: one with black hair and one with rust red hair. Chazz, meanwhile, was sitting in the center, above the Slifers and Ras with Torimaki and Mototani on each side. The four searched for their seats and got themselves situated in their desks as they waited for the professor to arrive. Idle chatter filled the room as the students entertained themselves before the bell rang. It didn't take long for the sound of footsteps to break through the chatter, catching everyone's attention as the professor came in.
Every student caught sight of the teacher, a woman with tan skin and dark brown hair tied back into a ponytail. Her white coat and her business casual wear gave her a professional look to her students. She carried herself with grace and projected an aura of confidence as she set her notebooks on the main desk in the room. Most of the boys in class were either gasping or grinning while the girls were in awe of the teacher's looks. Ken was the only one who was scowling, keeping his face down at his desk as the woman turned to her class and introduced herself.
"Good morning, class." Rachel projected with a smile, her voice confident and warm. "My name is Rachel Shirogane, your Dueling Fundamentals and Foundations professor and homeroom teacher for this year." She introduced herself, small murmurs spreading through the students about the woman. However, Bastion's eyes went immediately to Ken, the boy now looking like he was ready to bolt the first chance he got. Behind them, Chazz had his eyes set on the Ra as well, his look far less friendly but no less shocked. "I'm looking forward to working with you all this year." One student raised his hand nervously, shaggy black hair and wearing red. "Yes, you have a question?"
"Professor Shiri…" The Slifer student stumbled over her name, but Rachel simply stopped him with her hand.
"I know my last name is a bit of a mouthful, so just call me Professor Rachel, okay?" She said with an understanding smile, the boy blushing as he lowered his hand.
"Professor Rachel, are you new here?" An Obelisk Blue girl asked, Rachel having her undivided attention. "You look way younger than the other teachers here."
"This is actually my first year teaching by myself, but I was a Duel Academy alumni." She answered while adjusting her glasses. "I graduated from the academy two years ago, but my curriculum was focused on teaching from the get-go. So, I'm not much older than all of you." Rachel explained as her eyes rested on a couple of students a little longer than normal while she scanned over the class. "Today, I'll be explaining what is expected in class. The basic gist of the content, rules, assignments, that sort of thing." Rachel started as she grabbed a nearby clipboard and looked at the class with an amused glint in her eye. "But first, attendance." Several small groans were heard from the students while Rachel only smirked. "It's not going to be an everyday occurrence. I just like to put faces with names, so let's glide through this."
And so, Rachel began taking attendance, the students answering back with varying degrees of enthusiasm. The process took some time, considering the number of students in class, but went by at a fast pace. "Brier Selleck?" Another affirmation before she moved to the next name. "Kenji Shirogane?" Some of the students began to whisper to each when they heard Kenji's name, others looking between the two with curious looks. Bastion in particular kept his eye on the boy as he looked up from his desk right at the professor.
"Present." Kenji confirmed before looking back down at his desk, trying to ignore the gossip mill already forming. Rachel kept a neutral look on her face at the curt response but continued on as if nothing happened. Attendance finished and class commenced soon after in relative peace. The guys were hanging off every word while staring at the beauty informing them, the girls doing the same more out of respect and admiration than hormones. Rachel carried herself as if she had been doing this for years despite her inexperience, going over expectations for her class while making every student feel like she was speaking to them alone. Her fumbles in speaking were largely ignored or received some light chuckles, but nothing that broke her stride, speaking to the class with an infectious smile. Before anyone knew it, class had ended when the bell rang, catching everyone's attention.
"Time flew by fast, didn't it?" Rachel mused aloud before looking back at her students. "Well, tomorrow we'll be getting right into the first chapter of our lectures, so make sure you're ready to work." She announced to her students, who were all already in the process of packing up for their next class. She noticed Ken in particular was speeding through gathering his materials and getting ready to bolt for the door. "Mr. Shirogane, mind hanging back for a bit?" The boy in question looked back up at Rachel, his face scrunching in aggravation while students around him started whispering again. His friends, however, looked at him with concern as they stopped at their desks.
"You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up." Ken told them nervously, the look he was giving them told them not to ask questions. The three shrugged and nodded, walking out with the other students, leaving the two Shiroganes alone in the room. Ken slung his bag onto his shoulders and walked over to the professor. When they stood face to face, neither were willing to break the tension that had brewed quickly between them.
"I heard you did very well on your exams, Kenji." Rachel spoke proudly to her student, trying to break the ice. "Ranked fifth, from what I read. Very good score." But Kenji only looked uncomfortable by the praise, refusing to look her in the eye. "How're you settling in?" Rachel asked with a small smile. "Get everything set in your room?"
"Fine enough." Ken answered, his tone terse and to the point. Rachel's smile faded a bit from the short answer, but didn't stop.
"Have you been talking to any other students yet?"
"A couple."
"Meet any girls you like?"
"No." Rachel stared at him, who was now tense and crossing his arms. He refused to meet her eyes still and answer her questions beyond a couple of words. Rachel readjusted her glasses and looked at Ken as if she were apologizing.
"Hey, I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable, okay?" She tried to say in a more understanding tone. "I just wanted to-."
"Look, if this is all leading into a lecture about me behaving or studying or whatever, I already got it." Ken cut Rachel off, his face hard and his tone with some fire in it. The outburst surprised Rachel, but she didn't flinch or look hurt from it. "I know better than to embarrass you, okay? As far as I'm concerned, you're just my homeroom teacher." Rachel's face was passive, not reacting to Ken's venting, only standing there with her hands resting behind her on the desk. With a frustrated huff, the Ra student had already turned around to leave, but Rachel wasn't done yet.
"Why didn't you use Grandmaster's effect during your duel?" Rachel asked simply, stopping Ken dead in his tracks.
"Say what?" The boy asked, sounding dumbfounded by the question as he turned to face Rachel.
"Grandmaster of the Six Samurai. Why didn't you use his effect when you were dueling Mr. Wolfe?" Rachel clarified, the boy's eyes widening as he put two and two together.
"You saw my duel?! Why are you eve-?" Ken was about to shout but stopped himself as he saw the critical look in Rachel's eye. The student seethed a bit and let out a breath before speaking again. "I did use his effect. Twice! Once when I had Zanji and Yaichi out the first time and the other when I summoned my Shogun to win!"
"You did. His first effect." Rachel corrected him, looking him square in the eye and studying his reaction. "Why didn't you use his second effect?" Ken blinked in confusion as Rachel saw his eyes dart back and forth in quiet contemplation. "When Grandmaster of the Six Samurai is destroyed by a card effect, you can take one of your Six Samurai in the Graveyard and add it to your hand."
"When he got popped before…" Ken breathed when he realized what she was talking about, Raymon's Tribute to the Doomed destroying his Grandmaster during his duel. He missed the activation of his monster's second effect. "I knew about his second effect." Ken defended himself with a blush of embarrassment lining his cheeks. "It… it just slipped my mind, okay?"
"You have been practicing with them, right?" Rachel asked, a worried frown on her lips as she crossed her arms. "You need to take advantage of every chance to use your Samurais' swarming abilities if you want to maintain your field advantage." Rachel tried to counsel with a stern tone, but Ken's face bared his teeth in frustration the more she spoke. Her face and tone softened before speaking again. "I know you haven't had this new deck for very long, but-."
"I know what I'm doing, Rei!" This time, Ken did shout. Rachel did flinch from the shout this time but stood her ground. "I don't need you to tell me what I'm doing wrong over and over!"
"It's my job to help you improve, Ken." Rachel rebutted to the Ra student, her voice now biting back a rise in her tone. "Even if it means telling you something you don't want to hear. LIke you said, I'm your teacher now."
"Well, I don't want your help! Not here!" Ken fired back, turning heel towards the exit. "Why don't you help somebody who actually needs it?! I'm sure there's plenty of other kids here who do!" He shouted over his shoulder as he walked out, leaving the woman at her desk as he stormed out. When he finally left, she pinched the bridge of her nose and slowly breathed in and out. Her eyes were closed tight as if she was trying not to yell herself. Ken, meanwhile, was already storming out of the classroom, passing by his friends. He registered that they had waited for him, but was too angry to care. They, however, were already right on his heels as they walked towards their next class.
"You okay?" Syrus asked, almost scared to ask the question. But Ken didn't turn around to look at him or the others, choosing to keep walking and keep his face hidden.
"Yeah, never better." Ken replied, trying his hardest not to let any emotion into his voice.
"You don't sound okay." Jaden added, but Ken didn't entertain that comment with a reply.
"And when were you planning to tell us that you and the home room teacher share the same family name?" Bastion asked carefully, watching Ken bristle at the insinuation.
"I was hoping never." Ken responded, a small growl in his voice.
"Yeah, I saw that on our schedule, but I thought it was some kind of mistake." Syrus thought out loud as he looked back at Bastion.
"Uhh, does somebody wanna fill me in?" Jaden looked between Ken and the others. "Ken, you know Professor Rachel?"
"She's my big sister." Ken finally said before he picked up his pace, leaving behind his friends who had now stopped walking in shock at the revelation.
"Good morning, students." An older gentleman greeted his class with a distinct French accent. The man had pale skin and graying black hair that reached his shoulders, a thin mustache lining his lip while a longer and neatly creased Ra Yellow blazer was worn for the students to see. "I'm Professor Gabriel Sartyr. Head teacher of Ra Yellow and Head of Card and Game Design and Structure here at Duel Academy." Professor Sartyr explained to his students, who were showing varying levels of interest. "Together, we'll be learning how Duel Monsters are created, the artistic design and inspirations behind them, and how you may one day create your own to add to this game." Seats in the class were set up the same, with Obelisks in the back and Slifers at the front. The boys had noticed that Ken wasn't as frustrated as before, choosing to focus on the professor with almost worrying levels of concentration. Jaden in particular was sneaking looks over at Ken, more concerned about his buddy than what Professor Sartyr was saying at the moment.
Seriously, our homeroom teacher's his sister? Jaden thought as he did his best to focus on the professor, but his thoughts were prevailing. And he sounded so angry. Well, more than usual. That's gotta be rough, poor guy. Jaden shook his head, putting his focus back fully on Professor Sartyr. As the man started his lecture and explained more about his class, Jaden felt his eyelids grow heavier from the lack of activity. While the man did seem kind and excited to teach, it didn't help that Jaden remembered that this was a classroom. His old nemesis boredom was beginning to creep up on him again. How can someone with a French accent sound so boring, anyway? Jaden thought, his eyelids instinctually starting to shut at Sartyr's almost hypnotic voice.
"You can at least pretend to pay attention." He heard Yubel whisper in his ear, snapping back to attention towards Sartyr's explanations.
"It's class, are you really that surprised?" Jaden whispered, resting his head in his hand to try and hide his lips moving.
"At this rate, you might get kicked out after all." Yubel groaned, but Jaden didn't respond, spinning a pen in his hands as he did his best to listen. "Something on your mind?"
"Why didn't Ken say anything? Poor guy looked like he wanted to throw a punch." Jaden asked as quietly as he could, concern and confusion seeping through. Thankfully, no one seemed to hear.
"I assume you mean that loud human you've been friendly with?" Yubel guessed, which was met with an unhappy look towards the direction of her voice. "Don't take it personally. We all have our burdens, don't we?" Yubel mused, a hint of understanding in her voice. "It's universal."
"Good point." Jaden relented as he took a look behind his seat. He noticed that Bastion was keeping his attention halfway on Ken and halfway on his teacher during the introductions, concerned thoughts obvious from the look on his face. "At least I'm not the only one worried." Jaden did his best to focus on the Professor's explanation, but his boredom was surely eroding his focus.
Seriously, it's like listening to one of those playlists that help you sleep. Jaden lamented as he did his best to stay awake. Looking over to his side, he noticed Syrus wasn't faring any better than him. Around him, other students seemed either mentally checked out or genuinely interested in the class. The class continued at a snail's pace with Jaden unconsciously tapping his finger in time with the clock's clicking. To his utter gratitude, the bell rang and snapped Jaden out of his trance.
"That's it for today." Sartyr said to the class, who had begun gathering their things. "I promise we'll be getting into more interesting topics tomorrow." He promised with an understanding smile. "Have a great day, everyone." Jaden wasted no time gathering his bag and running to meet the others, who had already left the classroom.
"Finally…" Jaden groaned as he skidded out the room. The others looked at the Slifer, bemused at his relief.
"It was only an introduction class today." Syrus reminded while adjusting his glasses, a strange sort of amazement persistent in his voice. "You still fell asleep?"
"Hey, you were nodding off too." Ken remarked while looking over his PDA, trying to figure out what was their next class. The comment got an embarrassed blush out of Syrus, while Jaden grinned from ear to ear. The other three had been keeping their eye on their friend but hadn't brought up the question they very much wanted answered. He'd tell when he was ready, and he was starting to calm down.
"Hey, I held on for the entire class. I call that a victory." The declaration got groans out of the three, but Jaden didn't seem to mind as he started walking backwards while his friends opted to walk normally. "So does anyone know when free period or lunch is?"
"Jaden, you cannot be serious." Bastion asked deadpanned. "It's only second period."
"Oh, come on… We came here to learn how to duel!" Jaden complained while throwing his hands in the air. "So, we should be dueling! Not reading…"
"This is still a school, Jaden." Syrus explained a little more gently than Bastion did. "We still have to deal with textbooks and homework." That only got a much larger groan out of Jaden, prompting the Ras to turn to each other.
"I'm starting to think he might have something wrong with his brain." Ken muttered to his companion, the two sharing an exasperated look.
"I'm betting on a short attention span." Bastion theorized, Syrus not having the heart to disagree with their gossip. Jaden gave a sarcastic laugh as he continued to walk backwards, not watching where he was going. Syrus was the first to notice that he was about to walk into a student.
"Jaden!" But Jaden wasn't able to stop himself in time, feeling himself bump into someone in front of him and hearing the sound of books hitting the floor. His eyes went wide as he quickly turned around and crouched down to grab them.
"Oh sorry!" The Slifer gave his apology with a nervous laugh, scooping up several books and pens. "Last time I try walking backwards." He apologized again, looking up at who he bumped into. To his mild surprise, a young woman with tan skin and short black hair was looking back at him. Her bangs and the sides of her hair were longer than the back. The girl was wearing the standard Obelisk Blue uniform, but with black leggings down to her boots and several small hoop earrings, one on each earlobe and two on the sides of her ears. Her brown eyes focused on Jaden as he picked up her books for her. Catching Jaden's interest, one of the books that spilled were filled with sketches of monsters. Most of them were smaller or weaker creatures, but the sketches themselves were very well done.
She's pretty good. Jaden thought as he quickly closed the book and finished gathering what she had dropped and stood back up with her books in his arms.
"Oh, it's okay." The girl softly said, waving off his concern. "No harm, no foul." taking back her books from the Slifer with an awkward smile. "Thanks for getting my books though."
"Uh yeah." Jaden did the same, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "No problem." The girl in question was staring at him, making Jaden feel even more uncomfortable. "Uhhh, I got something on my face?"
"Wait, aren't you…" The girl looked at Jaden as recognition set in. "You're that boy who beat Dr. Crowler, right?"
"Jaden Yuki." The boy introduced himself with a big smile, any unease disappearing in an instant as he gave her a casual wave. "Nice to meetcha." That got a relaxed smile out of the girl now that she knew she was right.
"Everyone's talking about you. About how you beat Dr. Crowler with that rare card you have." She mentioned as she got a good look at Jaden and the others, holding the books against her chest. "And those Hero cards too. I haven't seen anyone play an Elemental Hero deck up close before." She commented as her eyes settled on Ken. "And that means you're Kenji Shirogane."
"Guilty." Ken gave a short wave and a lopsided smirk at the girl. "Any good things about me?"
"Mostly." The girl admitted, making Ken frown a bit. "I heard some of the girls bad-mouthing you for beating that Raymond guy." That got a dejected scowl out of Ken, the boy slumping his shoulders in defeat. Syrus was kind enough to give Ken's shoulder a sympathetic pat, but it didn't help much. "But a lot of the Ras and Slifers were saying that your Samurai cards were cool."
"Hey, you're getting famous." Jaden turned to give a cheeky smirk to the Ra.
"That's not the kind of fame I was hoping for, Hero Boy." Ken looked back up to give Jaden the stink eye, but Jaden only grinned brighter at that.
"Hope! Come on, we're gonna be late!" The girl heard a girl's voice call out from around the corner, causing her to turn around slightly and realize that she had been standing there too long.
"I'm coming!" The girl called back out, turning back to Jaden and giving a small wave. "Thanks again. See you in class."
"It seems you two are making names for yourselves already." Bastion commented, eyeing the two minor celebrities.
"You guys are already famous." Syrus added with a hint of amazement.
"Or infamous, depending on who's asking." Ken muttered, noticing the rotten looks the four of them were getting from the passing Obelisk Blue students. Ken noticed that Jaden was still looking in the same direction the girl left from, his arms crossed like he was lost in thought. "Come on, Jaden. We got class." Ken lightly yanked the collar of Jaden's blazer to get his attention. Ken and Bastion walked on by with Syrus waiting for Jaden to start walking. But Jaden couldn't get what happened out of his mind, feeling a bit conflicted.
I guess not all the Obelisks are rude. Or maybe it's just the girls. Jaden joked to himself, smirking a bit as he fell into step with his friends.
"Settle down, students." Dr. Crowler announced, quickly silencing the chatting students who had already sat down for class. "My name is Dr. Vellian Crowler. Head Professor and Department Chair of Techniques here at Duel Academy." He explained, eyeing the students critically, the Reds and Yellows far more than the Blues. "Under my tutelage, we will be going over successful applications of card effects and how to best utilize and expand on successful strategies from Duel Monsters' most successful duelists." Crowler's eyes narrowed as he continued. "I expect all of you to apply yourselves while you're here. I will not tolerate any slacking!"
"Sitting in with you this year will be my teaching aide, Mr. Raymond Wolfe." In the corner of the bottom right row next to Jaden sat Raymond, several notebooks and pens arranged neatly on his desk. The boy gave a charming smile and wave to the others, not saying a word. While some of the girls swooned, the rest of the students met his greeting with disdain or indifference. Ken and Jaden in particular glared back at him while the Obelisk didn't react to the stares.
"Mr. Wolfe is a second year here and is on the fast track to becoming a Duel Academy professor himself after graduation." Crowler explained to the class. "He will be sitting in on my lectures during this year as part of his curriculum, as well as being tested on the material. If you have any questions and I'm not around, ask him. He'll either answer them or bring the question to me, understand?"
Alexis, along with her two friends, was in the back of the room trying to ignore him. A scoff escaped her lips as she heard the gossip among her fellow Obelisks. One had soft, black hair tied into a low ponytail. Her soft brown eyes were scanning the room, landing on each boy in the class for just a second or two before moving on to the next. The other had longer rust red hair and a tense expression on her face. Her gray eyes seemed more focused on her syllabus than on anyone else in the room. One row above them, Hope sat quietly and was twirling a pencil with her fingers, waiting for the lecture to start.
"Now, I'm going to go over how our coursework will be presented for the year before getting into our first chapter. If you'll all turn to page three of your packet?" Alexis had to admit, Crowler seemed slightly more professional than she had heard from Zane about the man. She had to admit, there was a small fire in Crowler's eyes that seemed to have been lit during the duel with Jaden. And it was still there, behind all the ego and makeup.
He's still a pompous bully, though. She thought as her gaze went back to Jaden and Ken, who were sitting relatively near each other, along with Bastion. While Ken and Bastion looked focused and ready for work, Jaden seemed far more relaxed. Syrus, however, looked stiff and nervous, fidgeting quietly in his seat. Still can't believe those four became friends.
"What're you looking at?" The girl with red hair asked, snapping Alexis out of her thoughts.
"It's nothing, Jasmine." Alexis answered, resting her chin on her hand. "Lost in my own head."
"Probably checking out the guys, Jas." The other girl theorized with a mischievous smirk. "Not a bad crop this year." She added with a small giggle, which only got a roll of the eyes from Jasmine.
"Yeah, Mindy. I come all the way out to a Dueling school in the middle of the ocean to gawk at boys." Alexis replied sarcastically, Mindy's smirk turning more bashful at the comment. Above the girls, Chazz and his cronies were staring at Raymond, wishing their glares could burn him alive after what happened last night.
Look at him. Smug little worm. He wouldn't be acting so high and mighty without Crowler watching his back. Chazz mentally spat, sparing one more moment to glare at Raymond before turning to Jaden's side of the room. And I definitely don't need him to put those chumps in their place. Just gotta wait for the right moment. The class carried on with Crowler already getting into the material, a general unease in the room was already beginning to brew.
"Now, can anyone explain to me the three types of cards? How about you, Miss Rhodes?" Crowler asked aloud, addressing Alexis to answer the question. Alexis didn't say anything as she stood up, but her face slipped into something more refined and professional.
"Duel Monster cards can be grouped in Normal Monster Cards, Fusion Monster Cards, Ritual Monster Cards, Effect Monster Cards, Trap Cards and Spell Cards. Trap Cards can be divided into Normal Traps, Counter Traps, and Continuous Traps. Spell Cards can be divided into Normal Spells, Equip Spells, Quick Play Spells, Ritual Spells, and Field Spells."
"Perfect~! Well done, Alexis!" Crowler nearly sang in praise. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from one of my Blue Obelisks."
"Yes, Dr. Crowler." Alexis said with a prim and proper tone before sitting back down. With that question answered, Crowler readjusted himself and scanned the room.
"Hmmm… Now who should we question next…?" Crowler asked out loud before his eyes settled on his next student. "You there, Syrus Truesdale!" Syrus immediately stood at attention, awaiting the question with mild panic.
"Explain to the class what a Field Spell is." Crowler asked, his tone far less welcoming than from a few moments ago.
"Well, a Field Spell is uh… it's a thing…" Syrus did his best to get his words out, but anxiety quickly grabbed hold of him and choked the words before they could come out. The poor boy shook and sweat as he did his best to answer, earning a sympathetic look from Ken.
"Even preschoolers know the answer to this one, Slifer Slacker!" A roar of laughter from most of the Obelisks erupted from the comment, causing Syrus to tense up even more, even blushing in embarrassment. Chazz in particular had a cruel smirk on his face. Alexis, Hope, and strangely Raymond were not laughing, looking almost disgusted by the display. The laughter however, got a more visceral reaction out of Ken.
"Why don't you give the kid a minute to think?!" Ken turned and glared hard at the Obelisk, who turned out to be Torimaki. The class stopped laughing immediately and looked at Ken, who was looking like he was ready to throw a punch.
"What d'you say to me, Reject?" Torimaki drawled, but it only served to make Ken turn almost completely around and snarl.
"I said I'll shove that blue blazer down your throat if you don't stop laughing at him!" Ken shouted again, the mechanical pencil in his hand was now starting to crack from Ken's tightening grip. Torimaki actually flinched at the threat, with Chazz and Mototani tensing up being so close to the target of Ken's anger.
"Mr. Shirogane! That will be your one and only outburst for today!" Crowler yelled, calling the class back into order. Ken looked like he wanted to scream at Crowler, but a hard nudge and look from Bastion said everything. Don't start trouble. Seething, Ken closed his eyes and did his best to breathe. Crowler looked thoroughly annoyed but turned back to Syrus. "Mr. Truesdale, I'm still waiting for my answer." Crowler watched as Syrus started to blush from embarrassment, still unable to get the answer out. While the Ra Yellows were smirking and enjoying the display, Bastion looked at Syrus with a mix of concern and worry.
"Come on, Sy. You got this one." Jaden looked at his friend, a knowing smile on his face.
"I think not, sit down." Crowler completely dismissed the boy, who sat back down in shame. "Now can someone please give me the answer? Preferably someone not wearing red, thank you?" That got another round of laughter out of the Obelisks, Syrus shaking and looking like he was about ready to cry.
"I blew it. I made all the Slifers look bad…" Syrus lamented, but Jaden didn't look perturbed as he looked Crowler right in the eye.
"Ya know something, Teach? You really shouldn't go and make fun of us Slifers like that." Jaden told Crowler with a cocky smirk, who looked almost amused by this. "I mean I'm a Slifer and I beat ya. So when you're making fun of us, you're really making fun of yourself." Crowler quickly became mortified at the comment, biting down on a handkerchief he had pulled from his pocket. Jaden gave a quick peace sign in Syrus's direction, getting a small smile out of the boy. Behind them, Ken let out a chuckle and Hope quickly covered her mouth not to laugh. Alexis looked at the Slifer with an impressed look while Raymond simply raised a brow at this.
"Mr. Yuki! How da-oww!" Crowler was about to chew Jaden out but felt something clip into his neck. Quickly jumping, he slammed his hand down on the spot where he felt the bite, but nothing was there. He then felt the same sensation on the other side of his neck, Crowler again slapping his hand down to catch whatever did that. This process continued for a while, getting laughs out of the entire class this time as the older man stomped, slapped, and screamed. Jaden himself started laughing when he saw Winged Kuriboh trying to nip at Crowler's skin with his claws everywhere he could, a look of righteous fury on his furry face. While he couldn't hurt the professor, he was at least able to give something to think about. Floating right behind Crowler was Yubel, watching the tiny spirit torment the professor with a small smile.
"He's learning."
"That pompous, mummified, jerk weasel!" Ken shouted the second they got out of class and out of earshot of Dr. Crowler. The others had followed a fair distance away to let him vent. "Teachers are supposed to help students, right?! Or is freaking human decency reserved for whoever's wearing Blue?!"
"It's okay, Ken." Syrus said with a defeated tone. "He was right, I should've know-."
"It's not okay, Syrus!" Ken turned back to Syrus, making him jump back. "No one has a right to make you feel like you're worthless!" Syrus was actually taken aback by that, feeling touched that someone would say that.
"Don't listen to them, Syrus." Bastion said while giving the boy a pat on the back. "You're a student, same as everyone else." He added before turning to Jaden with a knowing look, mirroring what he said earlier. "Isn't that right, Jaden?"
"Yeah, words of wisdom, right there." Jaden joked while giving Syrus a playful nudge. A small smile came back to his face from the positive energy. The four of them were too busy joking to notice that someone was walking up from behind them.
"Hey, are you guys alright?" The four heard someone ask. Turning around, they saw Hope standing there with a concerned look in her eye. Mostly reserved for Syrus.
"Yeah, just a bad start today." Syrus answered, blinking a bit that the girl would be worried about him. "I'm feeling a bit better now."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Hope gave her condolences to Syrus, who was now trying to hide his blushing face from everyone. The girl scowled as she remembered what happened. "Seriously, what kind of teacher treats his students like that?"
"Welcome to Duel Academy, right?" Jaden laughed mirthlessly before looking back at the girl. "It's Hope, right?" Jaden asked, surprising the Obelisk. "I heard someone call your name earlier."
"Yup. Hope Sanduval. I'm a first-year like you guys." Hope explained, a smile sliding back onto her face easily. "Say, I don't suppose you have room for one more, do you? It's finally lunch period and I don't have plans."
"It's lunch?" Jaden's eyes shot up as a huge grin grew on his face. Looking up into the sky he cheered. "Finally!" The boys only sweat-dropped at the display, the Ras looking between each other.
"Bastion, I'm starting to agree with you on the whole 'short attention span' thing." Ken admitted to the other Ra, getting a smirk as a response.
"If you want, there's a spot near the card shop that sells sandwiches for everyone to order." Hope invited the boys to eat with her. That put a smile on Jaden's face, being the first to nod his head with the others all agreeing shortly after. The group started to walk through the main building, passing by other students. It didn't take them long to find the line to the sandwich stall, the smell of fresh baked bread and cooked meats filling the air. Clearly it was a popular spot for a lot of students, and it was enough to make Ken and Jaden start drooling. Time passed, orders were taken and sandwiches were received. The five found themselves at a table where they were currently devouring their food.
"Oh man, this is good!" Jaden exclaimed while taking a large bite of his ham sandwich. Ken was right there with him, devouring his own roast beef sandwich.
"What'd I tell you?" Hope laughed as she took a smaller bite of her's. Syrus and Bastion had been more restrained about their eating than Jaden, choosing to savor the taste.
"When you're right, you're right." Bastion mused, looking at the line still formed at the stand. "I'm not surprised that so many students come here now."
"I'm definitely not complaining." Ken swallowed the bite of his sandwich he just took and looked at Bastion.
"This was a great idea!" Syrus exclaimed before taking a sip of his drink.
"What, sandwiches for lunch?"
"Having lunch together." Syrus admitted with an embarrassed blush, to which Jaden ruffled the boy's hair with a smirk and caused Syrus to let out a happy laugh. Lunch passed and so did pleasant conversation between the five of them. But it didn't take long before Bastion checked the time and saw it was time to move along.
"Come on, we should get to our next class." Bastion, ever the diligent one, reminded everyone as he balled the paper from his sandwich up and threw it into the trash can, easily landing the shot.
"Showoff." Jaden laughed at the sight and started to clean up with the others. As he threw away his trash, he turned to Hope, who had just done the same. "Mind if I ask you something?" he asked, stopping the girl from walking along. "Why'd you eat with us, anyway?" Jaden asked the girl, who looked thoughtful at the question. Putting her finger and thumb to her chin, she wondered how to word her answer.
"I was worried." Hope simply said. "And you all seemed nice." Jaden looked at her for a bit and could tell she was being genuine. She was honestly wanting to make sure Syrus was alright. That got a smile out of Jaden.
"Well, you're not so bad yourself, Hope." He grinned, a short laugh coming from Hope at that. It wasn't long before they had to make their way to their next class. This one was with Professor Banner, who was currently sitting happily with Pharaoh curled up in his lap while the students took their seats.
"So, as some of you students know, my name is Professor Lyman Banner." The lanky professor happily greeted while petting the cat in his arms. "I specialize in some of the lesser known tactics and strategies in the world of Duel Monsters." Like before with Professor Sartyr, Jaden began to let boredom take hold, yawning as the teacher spoke. "Some that a few might even consider to be unnatural. Duel alchemy, for example…"
"Oh, by the way, thanks Jaden." Syrus leaned over to Jaden with a genuine smile. Jaden gave a sleepy smile at his friend.
"I don't know what you're talking about, I just spoke my mind." Jaden said, trying to casually deflect the praise but kept the smile on his face. Syrus's smile grew a bit wider but the two noticed that Banner had stopped speaking and was facing them with a serious look. "Though, I think I might have to say something again in a second."
"Syrus?" Banner asked, Syrus standing at attention and waiting for the man to ask his question. "Do me a favor and grab Pharaoh, would you?" That was not what Syrus was expecting.
"Pharaoh?" He asked, blinking and trying to process.
"Unless you are minoring as a scratch post?" Syrus stood confused by the statement until he heard a happy 'meow' and something brush against his leg. Looking down, he saw the fat tabby nuzzling against his leg, earning some good-natured laughs from the rest of the class.
Meanwhile, Crowler was in his office, scribbling down something on a piece of paper. His office was very well-kept and decorated with a flair for the antique. Suits of armor, old bookshelves and a solid-oak desk gave the impression Crowler enjoyed an older aesthetic compared to others.
"How dare that Slifer Slacker Jaden make a mockery of me in front of my class like that." Crowler muttered to himself as he penned his plan. "Well, that's the last mistake he makes at this academy." Crowler muttered to himself as he folded the letter he just wrote into an envelope. He then picked up a mirror with one hand and a tube of lipstick in the other, deftly applying the lipstick before giving the letter a huge kiss to seal it. "Ahh, the big kiss off!" The doctor laughed maniacally at his handiwork.
At the same time, the boys were lined up in the gymnasium for their next period, all wearing Duel Academy sweats and looking nervous. One in particular was currently busy with something else.
"I wonder where Sy is?" Jaden muttered to himself as he looked around for his friend. Behind him, Ken had his arms crossed as he heard Chazz behind him complaining about having to be here. While his first instinct was to yell, he promised Bastion he wouldn't start trouble, so he stayed quiet. Before long, a woman with red hair and a massive strand hanging from her bangs and lavender and white sweats came to greet the boys.
"Hi everyone!" The woman introduced herself loud enough for everyone to hear. "My name is Fonda Fontaine and I'll be your gym instructor for this semester! You ready to sweat?!" Some of the boys began to groan at the thought of gym, others began to drool at the thought of Ms. Fontaine. Ken in particular had a grin on his face signaling he was ready to show off. Their first instruction was to start running laps around the gymnasium. Most of the boys were able to keep a decent pace, Jaden struggling after the first couple laps, while Bastion put up a more valiant effort. It was Ken who was actually gaining a lead on people, running further ahead at a comfortable pace to the frustration of everyone else. By the fifth lap, he had managed to lap everyone, giving a cheeky look to Chazz, who only growled.
"On your left." Ken said before speeding ahead, laughing breathlessly as he heard Chazz scream out. It seemed Ken was in his element here.
Unbeknownst to the boys, Crowler was already sneaking into the boy's locker room, searching for Jaden's locker.
"And now, to plant the bait where Jaden will be sure to find it." Crowler giggled to himself as he opened door after door until he found what he was looking for. "Ahhh, his shoes." Crowler carefully set the letter down on the shoes and grinned as he felt the plan was coming together. The sound of footsteps broke him out of his revelry and prompted him to hightail it out of there. The footsteps came from Syrus, frantically running to make it on time.
"Lousy girl's gym! They should make the sign bigger!" Syrus yelled as he pulled his shoes off. As he opened his locker door, he noticed another pair of red shoes resting inside. "These are Jaden's shoes. Why is he borrowing my locker? Doesn't he-?" As Syrus grabbed Jaden's shoes, he noticed a letter had dropped from them. Noticing the lipstick seal, he gasped. "But this isn't Jaden's!" Catching himself, he looked side to side and quietly slid towards the gap between two lockers to hide himself and read the letter. "Someone wrote me a letter? Wonder what it says?"
Since the moment I first saw you, I've been in love with you.
Meet me tonight behind the girl's dorm.
Endearingly,
"ALEXIS RHODES?!" Syrus stumbled back and fell on his rear at the shock of who sent this letter. "Oh boy, this sure is a lot better than what my mom usually writes me." Thoughts raced through his mind of him and Alexis being together and looking at each other lovingly, surrounded by sparkles and flowers.
"Syrus… Please be mine." He heard her longingly say as a goofy grin grew on his face.
"Oh, I'm yours…"
So that was Chapter 5. Another cooldown and setup chapter this time. I think I'm getting my rhythm on how to set everything up now, separating each episode into two parts. Gives me more time to flesh everyone out, I feel. We got to meet Rachel and add a new face to the mix. I'm looking forward to showing what Hope's deal is. And we'll get to see Alexis's duel in this story too, so look forward to that! I did make a quick edit to Chapter 1 thanks to pokemonking0924 pointing it out in reviews, so it should all make sense now.
Until next time, thank you for reading and following, be good to one another, and get your game on!
