Chapter XLIX: Graduation Part I
Hello again, dear readers and welcome back to this at times disturbing alternate timeline. We're glad to see you're all still reading and reviewing after all this time and to the reviewer identifying him/herself as yonnie in his/her review of Halloween Hysterics, Jim Cook did not dress in drag. We only had Jaden, Jesse, Chazz, Syrus and Atticus do that honor. Now, we imagine you all have been waiting for our version of the graduation from Duel Academy!
A few authors' notes before we begin… We took inspiration from the canon graduation scenes in which Dr. Crowler actually cries as he addresses the students, so we made our own version of that. Further, Peach has taken inspiration from real life for an interaction between the instructors. At the university from which she graduated, the professors always lay bets for how long the graduation ceremony will go, so that's something she added in for the Duel Academy teachers to do. Thanks for your attention, and now to do the disclaimer, Jaden Yuki!
Jaden comes onstage: Okay, Peach and Ani wanted me to tell you that they don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, but they do own their OCs, non-established characters, their storylines and of course, this version of the Yugi-verse. Peach and Ani also want to mention that they directly quoted a scene from Star Trek: First Contact in Annie's graduation speech. And wow… I actually graduated and made it to the ceremony! Yay! Thanks! Jaden does back flips offstage.
The next morning, the academy was extremely active. In the Echo family suite in Obelisk Blue, Rachel was racing around in the walk-in closet. "Echo, have you seen my blue heels?" she asked her daughter.
Echo sighed; her mother was always like this when it came to special events. "In their shoebox in the corner, Mom," she answered simply.
Rachel grinned sheepishly as she found said shoebox. "Thanks, honey. And you look wonderful," she smiled, clad in a simple sleeveless blue calf-length dress. She was also wearing sapphire earrings and a simple silver chain necklace.
Echo blushed a little, but smiled. "Thanks, Mom. You look great too." She was wearing an indigo halter-top dress that billowed out around her knees. Around her neck hung the locket that Adrian had mentioned all those weeks ago, and her hair fell in black waves down her back.
"I wonder how Adrian's doing with Sid..?"
And in Sid and Adrian's room... "Sid, c'mon, we have to get that dress shirt on you," Adrian said to his little brother as they pulled on their dress wear.
Sid, however, was resisting a bit. The little boy pouted, arms crossed over his chest. He didn't mind polo shirts, but he hated dress shirts like any other boy his age. "I don't want to wear it, Adrian!"
Adrian sighed, smiling. "Kiddo... do you think I like dress shirts?"
Sid held his pout. "I don't know... do you?"
"Not particularly... and we don't have to wear this stuff forever," the young man reminded his little brother.
"Just get all this stuff on, and we'll be out of it later, okay?"
Sid frowned. "Are you sure I won't have to wear it for long?"
Adrian reached his hand out, solemnly extending his pinky. "I pinky swear..."
Sid seemed to consider this, but then linked his pinky with his brother's. "Okay..."
GXGXGXGXGXGX
At 9 AM, most of the academy was assembled in the main building's auditorium. "Testing, 1, 2, 3," Annie stated into a microphone while looking into the camera. "Hiro, can you hear me over there?" she asked, signaling to Bastion's dad in the infirmary.
Hiro nodded. "Yes, we can hear you just fine, Annie. And the visuals are working correctly as well."
"Great! Okay, all systems are go!" the teen girl grinned, giving a thumbs up to Professor Stein on stage.
The teacher tapped the microphone on stage. "Testing, 1, 2, 3. Can you hear me?"
Unfortunately, someone had turned up the volume on that particular microphone and there was a high-pitched whine. "OW!" the dark-haired girl yelped, turning it down. "Who turned this up?!"
Syrus sweat-dropped. "Uh... is that what this dial does?" he asked sheepishly.
"Yes, honey," she groaned softly, shaking her head to get rid of the ringing.
"Sorry..." He quickly turned it back down, and Stein's second test was successful.
The test concluded and the young couple headed down to the room where the students were putting on their robes and getting their caps adjusted or fit. "Okay, Chazz, hold still," Scout was saying as she held some bobby pins. "There. All set," she concluded as his hat now was in perfect position.
"Thanks, Mom," the young man grinned.
Atticus chuckled. "You should have seen what happened last night, Mom! It popped right off!"
Aster sighed, laughing, as Darla Truesdale made last-minute adjustments to his hat. "Yeah. It bounced about three feet up..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know," Chazz groaned again.
"Oh, these boys of ours, huh, Darla?" Scout asked with a smile.
Darla laughed as she finished. "You can say that again, Scout. There you go, Aster. All done."
"Thanks, Darla. Hey, is Zane here?"
She nodded, smiling. "Of course. He had to go use the restroom... He wouldn't miss his brother's graduation."
"Great! Well, he can join us at the party!" Aster stated eagerly. He and Zane might be rivals in the dueling arena, but outside of it, they were definitely friends.
Over a little way from the Truesdales and the Rhodes family, a small pretty woman with amber eyes and dark hair helped Axel with his cap and gown. "Honey, I am so proud of you," Kassidy Brody smiled. "And I know Daddy and Asher are too, even though they aren't here..."
"Thanks, Mama," Axel said with a slight, wistful smile. His brother, of course, had died when Axel was six, and it was only a few short years before that his father had died in a training exercise. But today was not a day to dwell in grief; it was a day to feel joy at accomplishments and know that the people he loved would be proud of him. "Jim, man, get over here and bring your mom!" he shouted out to his best friend and a small woman with raven hair and big blue eyes.
Jim grinned and walked over, his usual hat replaced by a cap. His mother, Terry Cook, was slightly shorter than her son but held the same strong aura about her. Unfortunately, Jim's father, Dave Cook, was unable to come. He was busy tailing a group of poachers on the Australian outback; ranger being his occupation. "G'day, you must be Axel. Right?" she greeted cheerfully.
"Yes, ma'am. You must be Mrs. Cook. Pleased to meet you," Axel smiled, shaking her hand.
"And I'm Kassidy, Axel's mom. He's told me so much about Jim," Kassidy smiled, her amber eyes shining with amusement. "The boys have been inseparable this whole year, Terry..." And then Kassidy reached up to pet Shirley, and hesitated. "May I pet your crocodile, Jim, sweetie?"
Yes, even in his graduation gown, Jim had attached Shirley to his back. He wouldn't walk the line without his lifelong companion. "Certainly, Mrs. Brody."
"Shirley's very friendly. She rarely tries to bite anyone unless she's provoked," Terry explained.
And so Kassidy reached up and petted the large crocodile on the snout. "A pleasure to meet you at last, Shirley. And Jim, please call me Kassidy, honey," she grinned.
Shirley growled out a greeting, and Jim nodded. "All right, Kassidy."
"And Axel, you can call me Terry, all right?" his mother added, smiling.
"Of course. Thanks, Terry," Axel grinned.
In another part of the room, Jesse Anderson found himself being figuratively attacked by his family. Okay, it wasn't an attack, but it felt like he was being mobbed. "Son, I am so dang proud of you, I am goin' to bust my shirt!" Hugh Anderson, Jesse's father, grinned. He had brown hair and blue-green eyes, but was built like a football player. He had played the game in high school, but had gotten into a manufacturing job in his first year of college. It had made him stronger, and even now, as he managed the factory in which he worked, he maintained his physique. "I know we should be at North Academy, but I like the locale better!"
"Whatever school you happen to be gettin' your diploma at doesn't matter much to me, honey. I just have to try not to cry when you walk down that line!" Sue Anderson, Jesse's mother, added. She had green eyes and the same hair as her son, except longer and pulled into a ponytail. Her physique was slender, but it was obvious that she had some meat on her bones. Like quite a few Southern mothers, she had decided early on to focus on her family rather than getting a job.
"Little bro," Jesse's big brother, Joe, grinned, a dead ringer for his father, except for a more delicate nose and chin like his mother, "you are doin' the family proud... And I'm cheerin', you know!"
"Me too! I wanna cheer for big brother!" Jesse's seven-year-old sister, Milly, added with a cute smile. She looked exactly like her mother, but was even more petite and paler due to some health issues.
Jesse laughed, grinning happily and glad for the reunion with his family. "Thanks, Ma, Pa, big bro, little sis! You guys are the greatest! But, uh, you can let go of me now..." They'd had him in a death grip the whole time.
"Well, I won't have you in a death grip, but I will hug you, Jesse," said a merry alto feminine voice. It belonged to a young woman with raven hair and blue eyes. Something about her suggested that she was Alexis's twin, but she definitely wasn't. She was clad in black pants and a raspberry pink shirt with light cap sleeves.
Jesse flushed, but held his grin as he went to her. "Willow! Wow, you look prettier than a tulip in springtime," he exclaimed, hugging her gleefully. The teen had missed his girlfriend dearly, even if they kept in touch through phone, email, and videophone.
"Well, I missed you, too, Jess... It's no fun without you and your spirit buddies around," she answered. "And I missed you cheering me on when I did my curling matches."
He pulled away to give her a quick peck on the cheek. "I missed watching you play, Icy Will..."
Ruby appeared on Willow's shoulder, rubbing her cheek against the girl's. "Bi bi bii!!"
"Well, hello, Ruby? You've been missing Canada, eh?" the girl asked reaching to scratch behind Ruby's ears.
The spirit cooed happily and nodded, tail swaying back and forth in content. Jesse sighed. "I've been missin' home too. But soon I'll be able to come back and be with everyone again."
"Well, we'll be glad to have you home, son... but we understand you bein' delayed," Hugh sighed, ruffling his middle child's hair. "You want to see your friends get married and you want to see that one friend of yours get better..."
Jesse nodded. "Yeah, Pa. I wanna be here to help him get better, and I wanna be at their wedding when it happens."
Sue smiled. "That's the little gentleman we raised. Always worrying about everyone else."
"Well... I can wait a little longer," Willow sighed, smiling, "but today is about you, Jesse..."
GXGXGXGXGXGX
The parents and families soon raced to the auditorium to get in their seats, and in the room, Dr. Crowler got the students' attention. "He's going to give a speech," Annie whispered to Violet.
"I wonder what he's going to say," she whispered back, curious.
"You okay?"
"Huh?"
"I was just asking if you're okay," Annie repeated.
"I'm fine." Violet answered, looking away. Why did Annie have to ask that out of the blue? It only made her uncomfortable.
"Just checking," the other girl whispered, squeezing Violet's hand. She knew everything was taking its toll and wanted to check.
But then Dr. Crowler began. "Attention, everyone. I just wanted to say a few words before you head to the auditorium. In the past few years, I have learned from you as I hope you have learned from me. Three years ago in August, I dueled a young man who came late to the practical dueling exams. I went up against him, thinking that he wouldn't last, but then I found otherwise. This Slifer slacker taught me about myself... and reminded me why I was meant to be a teacher... And then there were the students around him... Each of you in this room... You have meant so much..." And Vellian Crowler's voice broke as he started to cry.
Jaden broke free from the crowd and ran up to hug his professor. "It's okay, Dr. Crowler... it's okay..." And one by one, the students came up and joined the hug, until both teacher and Slifer were surrounded. Some of the students were crying too, and it was one giant, comforting group hug.
Dr. Crowler relaxed into it. "Thank you... all of you," he managed to say finally. "It has been an honor to watch all of you grow... And I'll watch all of you with interest." He pulled himself together and helped them all line up.
Jaden, stand toward the end of the huge line, grinned at Dr. Crowler when he came to the end of the line. "Just remember, teach, you still have me and my friends for a few more months..."
And Dr. Crowler grinned back, "Just my luck, Slacker!"
"Great... here we go," Annie groaned, hating that they had to stand in alphabetical order. Fortunately, she was near Violet and Tyson.
Violet grinned at her best friend. "Like elementary school all over again, eh, Annie?"
"And junior high," Annie groaned again, "but at least I'm not going to pass out this time..."
"Nope. And Bobby isn't here to moon the crowd when I get my diploma," Violet replied happily.
Tyson's eyes widened. "He did WHAT?!" he yelped, causing several heads to turn.
Violet blushed a bit. "Tyson, calm down! Sheesh... he did that when I graduated from elementary school and moved on to middle school. He was reckless at that age... er, more so than he is now."
"Sorry... that just... Sam Hill! What did your mama do after that?"
"Oh, she wasn't happy. And neither was Dad. Let's just say he couldn't sit right for a few days and was grounded for twice as long."
"Wow... Well, let's hope nothing like that happens today," Annie said, sweat-dropping. And then they were moving toward the auditorium.
And down the line, Chazz whispered to his brother, "Do you have it?"
Atticus grinned and gave a thumbs-up to his brother. "Of course! You think I'd forget something so important?" he whispered back.
"Good...Think Mom'll kill us?"
"I hope not... it'd suck to die after graduation..." Chazz couldn't help but chuckle, glad his sister didn't seem to be paying attention.
GXGXGXGXGXGX
The group of young adults made their way into the auditorium and to their seats as the familiar Pomp and Circumstance played. They sat down in their seats at the end of the song and Chancellor Shepherd said, "You may be seated. Welcome, parents, faculty, alumni and students to the graduation of Duel Academy's 11th senior class, the class of 2019. We are proud of all of you today as you take a step into the real world. Some of you will undoubtedly go onto college, while others will go straight to the Pro League. Some of you will become the designers of future cards and games, while someone among you may become the next King of Games. You don't know what the future holds for you, but it is not to be feared. It is to be embraced..."
In a seat with the other students, among them, the lost students who should have been part of the class of 2017, Yusuke Fujiwara smiled. "Yeah... you're right, sir," he murmured.
"But today, everyone, is a day for reflection and some fun! So enjoy the next few hours..." Up on the faculty platform, Fonda whispered to Don, "My bet is placed. 2 hours and 15 minutes. What's yours?" Fonda was referring to the betting pool that the faculty had for how long graduation would actually take. In theory, graduation should last about 2 and a half hours. But depending on the speaker and what students did, it could be a longer or shorter graduation.
"Two and a half, at least," Don answered, smirking. He had taught at this school long enough to know that the ceremony usually went over by around thirty minutes.
Fonda smiled knowingly. "You might win... Ben guessed 2 hours, 45 minutes..."
"Well, if his speech runs over..."
"We'll see..."
The first person to speak was Annie Hanson, standing in for Bastion and also doing her job as salutatorian. "Alex... Think she'll be okay?" Kathy Hanson whispered, seeing how pale their daughter was. Sure, she knew Annie wasn't prone to fainting anymore; that didn't stop her from worrying, however.
Alex took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "She'll be just fine, Kath. She's just nervous, that's all. And it's understandable..."
And in the infirmary, Bastion tried to take a deep breath, but couldn't. "Come on, Annie," he panted, "you can do this..."
"Honey, she'll do fine," Katai soothed her son.
"Yes, I'm certain she's been practicing. It's normal for one to be nervous for something like this," Hiro added reassuringly.
And on the podium, Anne Charlotte Hanson laid her notes down and began. "Parents, faculty, administrators, and honored guests... Today, I'm giving a speech in place of a dear friend... a brother... Bastion Misawa should be standing here right now, as the class of 2019's valedictorian. But instead, he's in the infirmary. I wish I could say that things like this are abnormal at this school, but it's not. I'd like to start with an equation Bastion wrote for the past three years of our lives here." She gestured to the view screen which changed to reveal a very simple equation... challenges + chaos + logic x friends + experience + love = real life.
"We've all learned in the past three years by facing challenges with logic and dealing with chaos as well. We have gained friends, experience and love along the way. Some of us have learned what the love of siblings can bring us if we didn't know already, or it's strengthened our bonds with our siblings and given us new ones. We have learned to love our friends, our enemies and we've let friendship turn to love without knowing it. Through movie nights, impromptu parties, eating contests and standing up for each other, we've gotten more than a taste of what real life really is. Some of us have faced life-threatening situations and survived. And when we got through it, we found we might be weak physically, but our spirits were stronger.
"We face a future that we can't be sure of, but we know that our friends are with us and are part of the equation to solve our problems. And our friends are around us, seen and unseen. We can't ever forget that. We also can't forget that we are only human as we race toward the future. Someone once said, 'Don't try to be a great man; just be a man, and let history make the judgments.' We are called upon to be the best we can be. And that's all we can be. Thank you very much," she concluded, stepping down from the podium.
The crowd gave a roaring applause, Annie's friends and family even standing as they clapped. Everyone considered the speech to be excellent as it described the past three years very well. In the infirmary, Bastion smiled. "She... did it," he stated softly.
Hiro was smiling too. "It was a wonderful speech. As expected from someone like her."
"She combined it, Dad," Bastion stated. "She promised she'd use some of my speech... She used the equation and even the Star Trek quote... I'm so glad..."
Katai was smiling too. "You'll have to read your draft to us, Bastion..."
"Yes, I'm sure your friends would like to hear it as well," Hiro added happily.
"Yeah... They all helped with it, in some fashion, after all," the young man sighed sleepily. Back at the auditorium, a rock group from Domino, the very popular Different Dimension Warp, came up onstage. "HELLO DUEL ACADEMY CLASS OF 2019!" Josh Mayakawa, the lead singer called out.
"Atticus," Chazz whispered, "I think now's the time!"
Atticus grinned. "Definitely!" He pulled out the deflated beach ball, and quickly began blowing it up. By the time the band was a few seconds into their first song, the ball was completely filled with air. "Here it goes!" Atticus stated excitedly, throwing the ball into the air.
And soon the graduates were hitting the ball all over the place. Alan Haverbrook started laughing. "Honey, it's a Stones concert!"
"Except there's only one. If I remember, you brought five to our last Stones concert!" Barbara responded, laughing as well.
The ball flew toward the Haverbrooks and little Haylee hit it back to the graduates. "Mommy! I hit the ball!!" she squealed as the band launched into a second song entitled "Harpy Storm."
Barbara grinned. "Yes, you did, sweetie! And that was a very good hit."
"Ha! I'll show you how to really hit it, Haylee!" Bobby stated as the ball flew their way again a minute later. However, the ball missed his hand entirely and instead bounced off his face, flying back over the crowd. In fact, Bobby's hit was so good, it went to the faculty platform and hit Vellian Crowler in the face. He fell backward onto the platform.
Barbara gasped. "Bobby!!"
"HA!! I can't wait to tell Violet that one was from me!" the young adult crowed proudly, even if he'd just been hit in the face by a beach ball.
And somewhere else in the crowd, Violet sighed beside her best friend. "My Bobby senses are tingling. I blame him for that," she muttered, referring to the ball hitting Crowler.
"Oh, boy," Annie sighed, laughing as Dr. Crowler got up and uncharacteristically gave the crowd a thumbs-up and took his seat. "And Dr. Crowler took that very well," Annie added, a little bit surprised.
Violet giggled. "Well, he's changed a lot. Now, if this had been our first year..."
"Yeah...he would've blamed Jaden... Good thing he did in our first year... Jay never would've done what he did..."
"But I still think he and Alexis would have gotten together."
Annie smiled thoughtfully. "Maybe he would have. But he would've taken longer... Oh well... it's his speech next. Alexis said he's really nervous... I just hope he doesn't take the advice to picture everyone in their underwear."
Violet face-palmed. "If he does... he'll do more laughing than talking..."
"Yeah... or he'll hide behind the podium if he pictures himself in his underwear," the dark-haired girl added.
Tyson, hearing the conversation said, "I told the Sarge to talk to his monsters and watch them."
Violet looked over at him in surprise. "Wow, Tyson... that's actually the perfect idea for Jaden!"
Tyson shrugged and chuckled. "I just know the Sarge too well. And he asked Private Syrus too, and Syrus said the same thing..."
"Well, Violet's right. He'll be calmer with the monsters to watch," Annie agreed.
The last song finished, and Different Dimension Warp cleared the stage to a standing ovation. And toward the back of the graduates, Jaden Kiyo Yuki swallowed. 'Oh, crap!' he thought. 'I have to go when Professor Stein introduces me!'
Said teacher stepped forward to the podium, and waited until the crowd had calmed down. "The staff of Duel Academy would like to thank Different Dimension Warp for coming to play at our class of 2019 graduation. And now, would Mr. Jaden Yuki come on-stage to give a speech as the top duelist of his class."
Poor Jaden was already half-way down the aisle to the stage when Stein finished. He walked the rest of the way up onto the platform, looking very pale. "Sis, he doesn't look too good," Chazz whispered to his sister.
Alexis frowned worriedly. "I know... I hope he'll be okay..."
"C'mon, Jay-Jay, you can do this," Jayda murmured from her seat.
Hisoka gripped her hand. "He'll do fine, Jayda."
'Yubel?' Jaden sent, feeling very nervous. 'Elemental Heroes? Neo-Spacians? Winged Kuriboh?' Each of the monsters appeared to him as he called out to them.
"You can do this, Jaden. Just focus your attention on us. Imagine that it's just us you're talking to," Yubel soothed, knowing that her friend was nervous.
"Yes, Jaden, we're all here," Neos added kindly. Winged Kuriboh decided to flutter over to the Slifer and sit on his shoulder. The young man, with the presence of his monster family was now able to face his human friends and family. He stood straight and headed to the podium, full of confidence.
"Winged Kuriboh," Annie whispered to Violet, pointing.
Violet nodded. "I see him. Looks like Jay remembered Tyson and Sy's advice," she whispered back, smiling.
"Yeah." Jaden laid down his notes and grinned. "Hey, everybody! I know that's not the way these speeches are normally done, but well, my fiancée reminded me that I need to be me when I'm giving a speech." He took a breath. "So that means I tell you a bit about my three years here and what that time has taught me. When I started here, I was a pretty lousy student. I just made it into school on my entrance exams and then I was late for my practical exams. But then I dueled a teacher. He wasn't sure I'd do well, but I beat him. Now, you might think that was the best part of my first Duel Academy experience, but actually, that day, I made the first friends I'd had since I was seven. The first friend I met that day was a huge brown ball of fur with little angel wings and green paws. That was the day I started seeing duel spirits again. And then I met my best human guy friend, Syrus Truesdale. When I was seven, I stopped being able to see my duel spirit friends, and I lost all my human friends. But on that day, almost three years ago, I started getting something I'd lost back. I had friends again... friends who wouldn't ditch me. So the first thing I learned here was how strong friendship could be."
Syrus smiled broadly. So far Jaden's speech was going great, and he felt joy at Jaden's acknowledgement of him. Hearing that he'd made Jaden so much happier made him happier too.
"The second thing I learned was that people aren't always as they seem at first. There's a guy in the crowd here who seemed... well, he kinda was a jerk at the start of the school year, but I didn't know why. But then I found out a lot about him... All he wanted was what I had in my mom and dad. He wanted a family that loved him. That guy became my fiancée's younger brother. And once we all got past his anger, Chazz was a great guy."
Chazz, sitting in his seat, grinned. "Thanks, Slacker."
"I learned that from all my friends," Jaden continued. "Nobody's quite what you think they are when you meet them. We all wear masks, especially in high school. We try to be what we think is the best thing to be. Some of us try to be ultra popular by being comedians, the ultra-cool cheerleaders, the tough guys or girls... or we realize we're supposed to be ourselves. It's the being ourselves that's the most important thing. And that's something we all need to remember. Now the third thing I learned was that sometimes life is going to throw you some crazy things...I've had some crazy duels in the past three years. I've dueled students, teachers, super villains and... Oh yeah, I've even dueled Death. Yes, everyone, the story about the Deathly Hallows just might be true!"
Everyone chuckled in the audience at that one. When the laughter died down, Jaden continued, "Anyway, those duels were absolutely crazy and... the truth is I might've gotten tired of dueling, but I didn't. I know things will work out eventually. So anyway... I have had an awesome three years in high school and to all of you who are still coming up, remember that your real friends will be there for you, and you just have to go with the flow of life! Thank you, everybody!" the young man finished.
The entire crowd stood, giving the once-Slifer a roaring round of applause. No one cheered louder than his friends and family, though. A lot of people in the crowd hadn't thought Jaden had it in him to give such a great speech.
Jaden's closest friends clapped until their hands were tingling. "That was amazing," Annie stated.
"Wow... NICE JOB, SARGE!" Tyson shouted as Jaden made his way off the stage with a huge smile on his face.
"Yeah! GO JADEN!!" Violet yelled, grinning.
"That was great, Jaden!" Syrus called as his best friend passed his row.
Jaden stopped and pulled Syrus into a hug. "How did I know that was going to happen?" Zane Truesdale sighed, laughing as he sat with his mother and father.
"It's Jaden," Will answered calmly.
Darla nodded, smiling happily. "He's a second brother to Syrus. They're closer than just friends by now..." Syrus grinned happily and hugged Jaden back.
"Thanks, bro," Jaden said softly as he hugged Sy.
"No problem, bro. You did awesome," Syrus whispered back truthfully.
"Thanks," the other boy answered, releasing. "See you when we've graduated..." With that, he headed back to his seat.
After Jaden took his seat, everyone took looks at their programs. "Hmmm... they didn't say... who the special speaker is," Bastion said, looking at his program. "That's odd..."
And in the auditorium, the students looked at each other in shock. "We don't know who the speaker is," Annie murmured.
"That means it's gonna be someone really, really good or really, really bad," Violet replied seriously.
And then Chancellor Shepherd came to the podium. "Well, everyone, as you can see, there is no name in the special speaker section of your program. That is because we had to conduct this in the utmost secrecy. This person we selected is well-known to all of you. He is one of the four co-founders of this school, and is a legendary duelist. He was the champion of Duelist Kingdom, Battle City and the Kaiba Corporation Grand Championship..."
"Oh my gosh," Annie muttered as it dawned on the crowd.
"It's gonna be Yugi!" Violet whispered loudly, excitement obvious in every student there.
"Yeah! Sam Hill!" Tyson gasped, looking down at his fiancée, grinning excitedly.
"This should be good!" Rosa added, grinning as well.
"You know him best as the King of Games... And so, without further delay, I am pleased to introduce Yugi Muto, the King of Games!" Shepherd finished. And then, the room figuratively exploded. Applause filled the room, along with shouts, cheers, and whistles. One couldn't even hear themselves think with how loud it was.
Even the usually calm Aster Phoenix was whooping as Yugi stepped onto the stage. He waved to the audience and headed up to the podium. A hush fell over the room as he straightened the microphone. "Um... Hi," he grinned. "Hi, class of 2019! I'm glad to be here at your graduation..."
In the crowd, a few students yelled, "WE LOVE YOU, YUGI!"
He grinned and waved. "Anyway, I've gotten to know a lot of you in the past few years. Some of you, I remember seeing your pictures or actually seeing you. You were bright-eyed little kids, excited to duel or trying to figure out what you wanted to be. And now here you are, graduating from high school." He looked around at the smiling, eager faces. "You've heard great advice from two of your classmates today. In fact, I'm not going to repeat what they said. What I will say is this: Go into the world with your friends at your side. No matter what comes your way, with your friends at your side, you will weather the storm. And don't be afraid to tell them your troubles. They will be there. So class of 2019, I am honored to speak to you today and see you through to the next chapter in your lives. Thank you!" Yugi stepped away and bowed slightly. And as predicted, the school and guests again burst into a standing ovation. The King of Games stepped off the stage and sat down next to his wife. "Did I do okay, Tea?"
Tea smiled and took his hand. "You did great, Yugi. They aren't just applauding like that because of your fame, you know."
"Remember how nervous I was at the Grand Championship when Mokuba asked me to say something?" he asked her, smiling slightly at the memory. He'd been at KaibaLand Anaheim and scared out of his wits that he had to give an impromptu speech opening the Grand Championship.
She laughed a little. "Yeah, I remember. You did fine back then, too. You've gained confidence over the years, though... and that's good."
"Yeah... Atem mentioned when he found himself back in Egypt, he said, 'Um... hi,' to the crowd. He actually said he was glad they didn't have 24-hour media back then..." Yugi couldn't help but chuckle at that. "He'd seen how world leaders are treated if they're the slightest bit unsure, even on the first day... I understood that."
"Well, luckily they considered him to be a god, so... I doubt they'd try anything. And he was a good leader," Tea replied with a nod.
"Yeah, he was," Yugi answered softly.
"Daddy, how much longer?" Little Yugi whispered.
"Yeah, Dad...how long?" Temmy echoed his twin brother.
"Just a little longer, boys. And sit like Lil and Sophie..." The two Muto girls were staring up at the stage, waiting for the graduates.
"And now," Chancellor Shepherd said after reading the letters of congratulations from the state governor, two senators and the President of the United States, "Class of 2019, you are receiving your diplomas! Aaron Abraxas Aaronsen!" he called out as a boy with red hair came up to receive his diploma.
"Here we go," Chazz muttered.
"I'm glad I'm not that guy. His initials would be AAA in an arcade game... it's practically anonymous," Atticus whispered.
Alexis sighed. "Somehow I was expecting a different reason coming out of your mouth..."
And then the names came to the first of their group. "Jesse Rhett Anderson!"
"YEAH JESSE!"
Jesse grinned as he stood, giving the victory sign to his friends and family as he headed up to the stage. When he got his diploma, he held it up in the air triumphantly before heading back to his seat.
A few more names were read and then... "Axel Powell Brody!"
"All right, Axel!" Kassidy shouted.
"HOO-AH!" Tyson added eagerly. Axel sauntered across the stage and got his diploma, smiling slightly. He saluted Professor Viper, who saluted back, and then headed back to his seat.
Jim, nearby, gave his friend a grin and a thumbs-up. "Great job, mate."
"Thanks, man. Your turn in a couple of minutes," Axel grinned as he sauntered to his seat.
A few more B names were read and then moved into the Cs. "Mindy Rachel Carrington!" Mindy raced up and got her diploma, giggling. She blew a kiss to Chazz and headed down to her place.
After a few more C's... "James Irwin Cook!"
Shirley, in her carrier, growled softly as if to say, "It's okay... I'm right here with you." Jim smiled; he'd never do something so important without his best friend. He stood, heading up to the stage to take his diploma. He was the only teen who had an animal companion during the ceremony.
Everybody in his group of friends, his best friend, his best friend's mother, and his own mother began cheering, "AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE! OI OI OI!!!" the cheer of Jim's homeland. Jim blinked in surprise, but then grinned and held up his diploma in response. He never thought he'd be hearing that just for him as he headed back down to his seat.
A few more names were read and then... "Jasmine Marie Fairbanks!" Jasmine headed up to the stage and got her diploma, looking down to the crowd and one particular young man.
"I love you, Atty," she mouthed softly.
Atticus grinned and gave a thumbs-up, mouthing "I love you, Jazzy!" back to her. "GO JAZZY!!" he then cheered audibly. She grinned happily, wishing she could be with him as she headed back to her seat.
And as is the case with most graduations, more names were read. "Adrian Benjamin Gecko!" And then Adrian strode up to the stage, grinning.
"GO BIG BROTHER!!!" Sid shouted eagerly from his seat.
Echo couldn't resist but join in. "Hooray Adrian!"
"GOOD JOB, SWEETIE!" Rachel added. Adrian couldn't help but blush and took his seat.
And then it was to the H's. "Violet... it's us!" Annie muttered. She looked like a frightened kitten.
Violet sent her friend a confident grin. "I know! Isn't it exciting?!"
"Exciting... maybe... Oh, I'm nervous!" Annie admitted.
"Private Annie, it's all right," Tyson tried. The girl's blue eyes still were very fearful.
"Annie, chill. You're just going up, grabbing it, and coming back down," Violet soothed, sweat-dropping.
"I'm just worried about tripping..." And then she got up and had to follow the person in front of her and then...
"Anne Charlotte Hanson!" The golden tassels signifying her status as a student graduating with high honors flapped around her neck as she walked across the stage, dazzled a little by the lights. She shook Chancellor Shepherd's hand, took the diploma from Doctor Crowler, and headed back down the stage.
And then it was Tyson's turn. Today, instead of the bandanna, he wore his mortarboard cap on his head as he headed up to the stage. "Tyson Schwarzkopf Hassleberry!"
"THAT'S MY BOY!" Lily and Dean shouted at the tops of their lungs.
"GO TYSON!!" most of their group yelled.
"Hooray for Ty-Ty!" Rosa shouted in Spanish from her seat. Tyson gave his fiancée a grin and headed back down to his seat.
Behind him was Violet. "Violet Angeline Haverbrook!"
In the infirmary, Bastion pumped his fist. "Violet, love, you rock!" he tried to shout, but it came out hoarse.
Violet grinned and bounded up the stairs onto stage, and for a moment it looked like she might tackle-hug the chancellor and teacher. But she stopped short and enthusiastically shook Shepherd's hand, taking the diploma from Crowler and holding it high. As Violet's friends and family cheered, she held up the rocker's signature hand sign and then headed down to her seat.
"YAY SISSA!" Haylee crowed.
"Ha, she actually did it," Bobby muttered, receiving a prompt smack to the head from his mother. "Ow!! I mean, uh, GO VIOLET!!"
"The rivalry will never die," Alan sighed, sweat-dropping.
Barbara's brow twitched. "That may be, but as long as I'm around they'll at least respect each other."
"Yeah, honey... that's true."
More names were read and then Chancellor Shepherd cleared his throat. "I hope I get this right... Rosadina Terelino Jimenez-Rodriguez!"
"YEAH ROSA!" Tyson whooped, along with his family and all of their friends.
Rosa sweat-dropped when the chancellor said her long name, but felt better when her fiancé and the others cheered her on. She walked up onto stage and gladly shook his hand, taking her diploma. Before she headed back down to her seat, she knew she had to do something. "VIVA LA DUEL ACADEMY!"
Everyone cheered at that. The names went on and then in the middle of the M's a huge view screen came on. "Can you hear us okay in the infirmary, Dr. and Mrs. Misawa?" Chancellor Shepherd asked.
Hiro nodded. "Yes. We can hear you just fine, Chancellor."
"Okay, sweetie, this is all you need to do," Katai said, helping her son sit up. Bastion nodded. And for the benefit of the crowd, Chancellor Shepherd explained briefly about Bastion's illness.
And then, he stated, "Graduating valedictorian, Bastion William Misawa!" Bastion with the cap on his head, gave everyone a thumbs up. And Dr. Nakamura handed him his diploma. And for what seemed like the millionth time today, the crowd stood, clapped and cheered.
"YOU'RE THE BEST, BASTION-BABY!!" Violet cheered, using her natural loud voice to shout over the applause and shouting.
Bastion heard and answered audibly, "You are, darling..." The crowd of course, "aww'd."
"That is so sweet," Annie sighed happily. "Violet... he's great."
Violet blushed bright red; after all, that was a lot of people. She giggled a little and looked lovingly at her fiancé. "I know..."
Now that Bastion's part was done, the live camera showing him in his room was shut off. "I did it," the young man sighed tiredly as he sank back against his pillows.
Hiro was smiling ear-to-ear, though it was hidden by his mask. "You did, son... Your mother and I are so proud of you..."
"Thank you, Dad," Bastion murmured sleepily.
Katai gently removed the graduation cap and brushed his bangs as he fell asleep. "He did it, Hiro... our boy graduated..."
Hiro had to remove his glasses to brush away a tear or two, tears of pure joy. "I know, darling... he made it..."
Back in the auditorium a few more M names were read, then Ns, Os and finally, Ps. And then... "Aster Edward Phoenix!" Several of Aster's fan girls squealed as he strutted across the stage, took his diploma and did the Moonwalk.
"Show off," Zane muttered, laughing a little.
Darla sweat-dropped. "Now, Zane... if I recall, you were rather proud when you received your diploma." The teen hadn't gone as far as Aster, but he had certainly strutted on and off the stage like the proudest of peacocks.
"Mom... I didn't do the Moonwalk," Zane groaned, "and I tied in my graduation duel... Though I think Jaden threw that duel..."
"No, you didn't do the Moonwalk. And as for that duel, you did wonderfully, honey," Darla replied, patting her son's hand and giving him a smile.
"Thanks, Mom..."
"A few more letters and it's Sy's turn," Will smiled.
"Yes, it is. I just hope I don't cry..." Darla had cried when Zane had walked up to receive his diploma.
"I brought Kleenex, Darla, don't worry," Will soothed. But Darla would not be the only mother crying today.
The chancellor moved smoothly through the Ps and Qs and came to the Rs. And then he paused before saying, "Alexis Harper Rhodes, Atticus Lee Rhodes and Charles Xavier Rhodes..."
The siblings looked at each other and as one moved on stage. "What's going on?" Chazz whispered.
Both his brother and sister shrugged, just as confused as he was. "Well, whatever it is, we're gonna find out," Atticus whispered back.
Andrew Shepherd smiled kindly at the three siblings. "This is the first set of siblings like this to graduate from Duel Academy. Atticus should have graduated from this school two years ago, but due to strange circumstances, he could not. He returned to us when his sister was a freshman... And then last summer, the Rhodes siblings increased by one when Charles Xavier Princeton, known best to our school as Chazz was adopted by Jack and Scout Rhodes. These three have had a hard journey together and that is why they must graduate together," he concluded. He and Doctor Crowler gave the three Rhodes kids their diplomas. "Congratulations," the teachers murmured.
Up in the seats, Scout was crying happily. Jack kept his arm around her, handing her some tissues. "It's okay, Scout."
Alexis smirked. "Well, we're graduates, bros."
Atticus grinned broadly and wrapped an arm around each of his siblings. "Yeah! And you know what? I don't mind graduating a few years late if it means I get to graduate with my little brother and sister!"
Chazz couldn't talk; his throat was so tight with emotion. But arm in arm, the three stepped off the stage to thunderous applause. "We did it," he said over the cheers when the knot went out of his throat.
"We did, bro!" Atty answered, smacking the other lightly on the back.
They sat down together, happy, as Chancellor Shepherd moved on to the other Rs, then to the Ss. And then... "Syrus Aiden Truesdale!"
"I LOVE YOU, HONEY!" Annie yelled over the cheers.
Syrus blushed slightly as he stood and headed to the stage. Darla started bawling by the time he reached it, unable to hold the tears of happiness back. The short teen shook Chancellor Shepherd's hands and accepted the diploma from Dr. Crowler, turning to head back with a broad smile.
And then Zane in the hush of the crowd shouted, "Good job, Sy! I'm proud of you!"
Syrus froze for a moment, eyes wide with surprise. He almost couldn't believe he'd truly heard those words coming from his big brother. An overwhelming happiness filled him, as it seemed he'd finally done what every younger sibling wanted to do. Make their older brother/sister proud of them. He found himself so glad by this that tears brimmed his eyes, broad smile growing even more. "Zane… big brother... thank you!!"
Zane had to wipe away a tear himself and feeling a little choked up, he gave his brother a thumbs-up. Annie got up from her seat as Sy came down from the platform. "It's okay," she whispered, handing him tissues.
"Th-thanks, Annie," he whispered back. Syrus gladly took the tissues and quickly took his seat, the warmth from Zane's statement staying with him. Annie had to go back to her seat, and was smiling at the gift her future brother-in-law had given her husband to be.
There were only a few students with Us and Vs in their names and a few Ws. There were no Xs and it was onto the Ys. And then... "Jaden Kiyo Yuki!"
Among the loudest cheers were his parents. "GO HONEY!" Jayda shouted, whistling as well.
"YOU DID IT, SON!" Hisoka yelled, clapping louder than anyone.
Alexis cheered almost deafeningly from her seat. "HOORAY FOR JADEN!!"
"YAY SLACKER!" Chazz whooped, and all of the gang had their own good wish expressions.
And then Jaden stopped on the stage after getting his diploma. He grinned wickedly and unzipped his graduation robe. "Oh, no!" Annie groaned.
"Oh, no!" Tyson yelped.
"Oh no!" Aster sighed.
"OH YEAH!!!" As if the statement in itself wasn't already funny, the fact that four different people had shouted it at once only added to the hilarity. Violet, Atticus, Bobby Haverbrook, and Alexis were the culprits, both surprisingly and not surprisingly.
The room exploded in laughter, especially when Jaden revealed his Kool-Aid Man t-shirt over his blazer. "OH YEAH!" he whooped triumphantly. The teachers' jaws had all dropped, anticipating that they had been about to see all of Jaden Yuki that there was to see.
"That was... unexpected," Jean-Louis Bonaparte stated to a very stunned Ben Stein.
Ben sighed and rubbed his temples with a hand. "Expect the unexpected with these students, Jean. Expect the unexpected..."
"Yes... school will be dull without them..."
Jaden trotted off-stage to wild applause as his mother sat laughing softly. "Oh, my goodness..."
Hisoka sighed. "Thank goodness that wasn't a repeat of church..."
"Yeah, he's not so cute anymore..."
Jaden was the last Y student and after four Z students, Chancellor Shepherd smiled. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present the class of 2019!" With that said, all of the students in the room stood from their seats and cheered. Caps were tossed high into the air, and quite a few of the brand spanking new graduates who had worn clothes under their robes slipped out of them.
So everyone graduated and no one died. Next time, we join the gang for their graduation party! So tune in next time for "Graduation Part II!" Thank you!