As much as I love Mr. Banner's backstory in Yugioh GX, one of the things that confused me was why he bothered following Jaden at the end, despite the fact they had little to no contact after Banner's death, aside from the first and a bit of the fourth season. I mean yes, it was explained why there was little to no contact, but it still bugged me why Mr. Banner wouldn't want to crossover. I decided to add a bit to Professor Banner to explain a bit of why he never crossovered and why he is going to follow Jaylin later on. Review please!
"I am Mr. Barnaparte, aka Napoleon Barnaparte! I will be your substitute teacher for the week!" The substitute teacher announced, who was short for his age, a bit chubby. "Any questions?"
"I do. Why are you coseplaying as a French dictator?" A student from Ra Yellow asked, chuckling.
"You. Out!" Mr. Barnaparte shouted at the student.
"You're kidding right?"
"This face says otherwise. Out, and you get a 0 for the day!"
The student left as Mr. Barnaparte glared at the classroom, asking, "anyone else care to join the club of delinquent students?"
The door burst open with a very tired and sweaty Jaylin Yuki. She was huffing and puffing so hard that she could hardly speak.
"Tardiness will not be tolerated, Miss..." Mr. Barnaparte shouted, looking at the list of student names.
"Yuki... and... I've got this..." Jaylin said, giving out a small note to the substitute.
Mr. Barnaparte took it, glaring at it before his eyebrows rose. He said, "scratch that. Tardiness will not be tolerated, unless with an excuse from a teacher or Chancellor. Please take your seat, Miss Yuki."
"Thank you," Jaylin said, then slumped into the chair, still tired from all the running.
"Where's Professor Banner?" Chazz asked.
"He's sick. Don't know- actually, Miss Yuki, what is the professor sick with, since you were with him?" Mr. Barnaparte asked.
"I can't... really say what it is..." Jaylin replied, still catching her breath. "But... he's hurting all over."
"I see. Thank you," Mr. Barnaparte nodded. "Now, let's continue our class!"
Jaylin's friends gathered around during lunch. Jaylin wasn't sure what was wrong with Professor Banner. He only hinted that he was hurting all over and was bedridden. He claimed that this happened sometimes and he just needed rest and he'd be better. Though, he needed the week off until then. Jaylin was cooking food for him until then, using the kitchen from the Slifer Red Cafeteria.
"This seems a bit serious for him to take an entire week off. The last time I was sick like that was when I had the strep throat," Chazz said.
"It is. He's very cheerful, so I'm sure he'll be fine, but I'm still kinda worried for him," Jaylin replied with a sad smile.
"You don't seem too worried, though," Carl said.
"Well, I'm also trying to control my emotions too. Ronda will tell you, our emotions fuel our dark powers. We try keeping them under control by changing our emotions," Jaylin explained.
"It's hard to do. Jaylin is better at it than me, but I suppose when you've had your powers and used them since kindergarten, it makes a difference," Ronda said.
"Cooking for him is going to put a lot of stress on you. Are you sure you're up for the task?" Alexis asked worriedly.
"I'm fine! Besides, doing this is the only way for me to control my emotions better. It takes things off my mind. Always has," Jaylin explained.
"If you say so."
"If you want to, I could help," Ronda offered.
"Same here," Carl offered as well.
"Thanks, but I've got it. No need to worry," Jaylin promised. She had to be by herself to cook, because it was the only time she could ever be alone to collect herself.
Speaking of lunch, Jaylin had brought lunch to Professor Banner, using lunch time as an exception for her not cooking, since she had class. She did try to convince Professor Banner that she didn't mind, but he knew that she was trying to find a way to get out of class and refused. She brought the tray to the teacher's campus where Professor Banner slept in, unlocking and opening the door, since Jaylin was given a key to keep the professor from having to get up and get the door.
Jaylin walked into the room where she saw Professor Banner slowly opening his eyes, then smiling. He was covered in blankets, but the skin that did show, there were peels and blisters shown on his face.
"I brought you your food," Jaylin said quietly, setting the food tray on the night stand. "How you feeling?"
Professor Banner smiled, nodding his head, replying in a hoarse voice, "it is good."
Jaylin frowned, replying, "the sound of your voice... it's..."
"I will be fine... in a week," the Professor replied painfully. It seemed very painful for him to even talk, let alone move his lips. Jaylin began seeing blisters around his lips, though they'd be hard to see at first glance.
"You're scaring me," Jaylin almost whispered. She felt her powers trying to escape from her. "I have to go."
Jaylin began running, but not before, "Jaylin..." Jaylin stopped, cringing at the flappy sound of her teacher's voice. "Don't be scared... it scares me."
Jaylin took a deep breath, whispering, "sorry" before running off.
Once Jaylin was gone, Professor Banner sat himself up, slowing picking up the bowl of soup and slowly swallowing it, feeling the pain as the cold soup swallowed down his throat. The pain of getting up, even eating a bowl of soup was eating him away. This was the reason why he made that deal with Nightshroud in the first place. He couldn't take the pain. This stupid disease was eating him and this very week was a reminder of it. Now, he would have to continue this contract by suffering this week. He had to... but...
Jaylin couldn't sleep that night. There was too much of what she saw orbiting her mind. Those blisters looked so painful and cringeworthy. Ms. Dorthey claimed that Professor Banner always looks like that during the week he's sick. She thinks that maybe his body can't take small sicknesses or something. Though, Jaylin knew that sickness wasn't a normal one. She saw how painful it was for the professor to talk. She could imagine it being hard for Professor Banner to eat too.
Jaylin decided checking on Professor Banner would be the only way to ease her mind. It was pass curfew, but she had to clear her mind. She had to. If not, her powers were going to go haywire. She had to get herself under control and secluding herself wasn't going to cut it.
Sneaking out of the dorm, Jaylin slowly snuck into the teacher's dorms, carefully unlocking the door to not wake the professor. Being that she gave her sick teacher food, she was allowed to go inside anytime she wanted. Of course, curfew was a different story, since there were teachers nearby to check on the sick professor and Jaylin's wellbeing went first. Though, Jaylin sometimes broke the rules, if she found it to be important enough.
Jaylin peeked into the room. While the professor wasn't tossing and turning, she could tell her teacher was having trouble sleeping. Her eyes began to glow and Professor Banner began feeling numbness all around his body. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Jaylin, who was trying to hide herself, but her glowing eyes gave her away.
"You should not be here," Professor Banner spoke softly. Jaylin said nothing, her face stoned. "Come here and give me your hands."
Jaylin slowly came and took a hold of Professor Banner's hands, which she noticed were very clammy, more so than normal. Suddenly, she felt that certain emotion she felt from her friends, who touch her after playing a Shadow Game. This emotion strained the darkness inside Jaylin like it was doing now. This emotion called love. Jaylin's eyes changed back to its normal brown.
"Go back to your room," Professor Banner ordered quietly as Jaylin nodded and left.
It would be another painful night for Professor Banner and, the entire time, he kept asking himself, 'why did I strain the darkness that kept me from the pain?'
The next morning, Jaylin didn't feel any darkness from Professor Banner. She checked and, sure enough, the professor was nowhere to be found. She used her darkness to search the island. She couldn't find traces of the darkness Professor Banner always held, but there seemed to be a new and stronger darkness on the island. Jaylin narrowed her eyes, walking on her way toward where this new darkness was located.
"Jaylin, where you going? Class will start soon?" Carl called.
"Professor Banner's missing. I'm going to look for him," Jaylin replied before disappearing into the forest.
"But shouldn't we- Jaylin!" Carl called.
"Carl, there's a new darkness this way. It's very close to home," Ronda told Carl. "It might be Nightshroud, but it doesn't feel like Nightshroud."
"Let the Chancellor know, I'll follow Jaylin," Carl replied, running after her roommate and friend.
Carl ran into the forest, following where Jaylin was running to. She ran inside a cave at the foot of the volcano. Carl went after Jaylin, following the light her friend had from her flashlight. She was walking deep into the cave, following where she felt this new darkness. It wasn't long before she spotted light deep inside the cave. She knew this was where this new darkness was located.
Walking deeper, Jaylin felt some sort of unease in her stomach. There was something about this darkness that was different. It wasn't Nightshroud's, far from that. It felt... familiar? It was as if she felt this before, but it was stronger now. She couldn't pinpoint it exactly. Jaylin felt so confused and conflicted.
It was only when she reached the other side of the cave did she find the owner of this new darkness. He was wearing a brown cloak of some kind and showed small red eyes that felt so familiar, at least the shape of them. Jaylin didn't know how to respond and just stood there, staring at this stranger. She could see strands of white hair hanging from the hood. It took Jaylin a while to realize why this darkness felt familiar and why she felt conflicted.
"Professor Banner," Jaylin whispered. "How did..."
"It was supposed to stop at the end of the week, but... I broke the contract. I felt I cannot take anymore of this pain, even a week of it. This is my true form," Professor Banner replied, his voice still slightly hoarse, but not as flappy as before. Jaylin still felt conflicted and confused.
"I believe you want this, yes?" Professor Banner asked, showing a small scroll with a seal that was the eye of Horus. The eighth Shadow Charm.
"The last Shadow Charm, you're..." Jaylin said, her body trembling slightly.
"Was. I told you, I broke the contract."
"You were the spy."
"Yes. I challenge you to our last Shadow Game, but it will not be training this time. This forest will be our battle ground. You must fight for this scroll. Once it's ripped out of my person, you win the game. Though, I win, if I can throw you into the ocean. The loser suffers a penalty game," Professor Banner said. By this time Carl had finally caught up, gasping at who the identity of this stranger Jaylin felt was.
"What penalty game?" Jaylin asked, glaring with golden eyes glowing.
"You have seen what I have that scares you so. Do you want to know why I lost my job at Industrial Illusions?" Professor Banner asked as Jaylin kept her composer. "The doctor said I suffered from a disease called Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis or T.E.N. It was during the time I was having bladder infection and taking medication for it. I realized that this medication was the cause of this disease. I began working at Duel Academy, but the blisters and pain grew and not even makeup could get rid of them. Nightshroud promised to get rid of this disease, if I worked for him, but it cost me a week like this as a reminder. As long as I carry this scroll and seal the souls of the of those that are inside the Abandoned Dorm or enter inside. I also must perform his duties, then I would no longer suffer."
"What made you decide to break that contract?"
"The pain was too much this time, I suppose. Though, if I give it to another person, I no longer will have to suffer from it at any time, not even a week. Nightshroud wants to find some way of weakening his greatest opponent. This disease would surly cripple her, wouldn't it?" Professor Banner smirked as Jaylin glared.
"You're sick!"
"I have nothing left to lose. I lost everything, after losing my job. This is all I have. You must accept this challenge or you will suffer the penalty game and instantly lose."
"I accept!" Jaylin cried, vengeance and anger building up in her.
"Let's begin."