CHAPTER 8: An Unexpected Challenge
Saturday
Time 23:00
Red Hat had started walking along the cliff near the Slifer red dormitory, arriving near the lighthouse. He stood there doing nothing, with the cold night air reaching him, deep in thought. "It doesn't matter who I dueled against, I always managed to win. But none of them managed to rekindle that flame inside me. Only one person succeeded, only he managed to make me feel so alive after so much time, only Jaden is able to give me that emotion that I didn't feel from a long time ago." Red Hat thought.
Just thinking back to his duel with Jaden, his hand clenched harder with emotion, that fire inside him flared up, he couldn't stop from smile for that kind of excitement.
But he didn't want to constantly ask Jaden to duel with him, Jaden always acted like a friend with him if he would ask him constantly to duel he thought that this would only create problems between them. "It's strange that now I care about having friends." It was her thought, as she recalled her recent change as a smile formed on her face. " Before coming here the only goal I set for myself was to become strong to be a professional duelist. "But since I met him in a certain way I felt happy like a long time ago...". At that moment the expression on his face darkened, the memories of the past came back once again, however much he tried to bury the past, he couldn't, in the end his memories always managed to resurface. Red Hat shook his head slightly to try to regain some lucidity. " No, I'm done with my past. By now I don't care about those memories anymore. " He thought as he decided to go back to his dormitory.
Several days had passed since that Duel Giant story. He began to duel as much as he could, most of them were always Obelisk blue who were looking for him, some to show him that he wasn't the great duelist he believed, but they failed. He also dueled with two Obelisk blue girls, Jasmine and Mindy, the friends of Alexis, needless to say they had disappointed him. He even dueled with some of the Ra yellows, except Bastion.
After a few seconds two people approached him. "It's a surprise to find you here."
Red Hat turned to see who it was to realize it was Alexis. But she wasn't alone, she was with the boy she had seen with her when there was the duel between Bastion and Chazz.
"I don't find anything strange about being near my dorm." Red Hat replied without showing interest in the couple.
"I mean, it's weird to see you here, instead of furiously dueling Obelisks like you usually do." Alexis pointed out.
"Let's just say I wanted to take a breather for now since no one I've dueled against was anything special. With the exception of Jaden, he's the only one I've dueled against who pushed me to give it my all." He explained Red Hat.
" Yes, it's true, Jaden is phenomenal in duels, but many others think this. But the same thing certainly cannot be said about you. People say about you that you are very aggressive and for this reason they say to stay away from you." Alexis said without getting Red Hat attention. But then something occurred to her that might interest him to know. "Now that I think about it, I don't think you know this. But before you came to Duel Academy, Jaden almost got expelled, but he got away with a duel."
Just as she had thought, the last thing she said in fact caught his attention.
"Are you serious?" Upon hearing this, Red Hat esteem for Jaden soared even more, though hearing this story he couldn't help but laugh. "Something like that doesn't surprise me anymore. Now that I know him I know that Jaden always gets away with it, in any situarion."
At that point, Zane broke into the conversation between the two. "So you'd be Red Hat, the Slifer red that goes around shooting down Obelisk blues, we finally meet in person." Zane greeted, trying to be as cordial as possible.
"The one and only."
"Can I ask you a question? When you are with Jaden it seems to me that you are a person who tries to help him, while when you have an Obelisk in front of you it seems that you become full of anger and resentment. Why do you care so much about him?" Zane asked him.
"Because he's my friend and also because I owe him. Jaden was the only one after a long time to make me feel again that passion for dueling that I haven't felt in a long time." Red Hat replied, leaving out the parts of his past.
"Trying to be around someone you consider a friend is something I can understand. But the way you duel and act with others in anger trying to humiliate is not okay.What reason can push you to behave like this. " Zane said looking at Red Hat with a serious expression.
"I see no reason to answer you." Red Hat replied.
Zane was somewhat annoyed by this part of his demeanor. " I've seen some of your duels, Especially the duel you had with Jaden after you got to the Academy, and yes, I have to admit you have a lot more skills than most of the Obelisk blues. But you are one who doesn't respect your opponent at all. "
"Now listen carefully! I have no idea who you are or who you think you are, but I don't need a morality lesson. This is my way of dueling, if you don't like it, it's your problem." Red Hat replied angry before leaving.
"Wait!" Alexis yelled to stop him. "You always say you want to find someone to give you a real challenge right? Well, you need look no further, because he has already dueled Jaden and managed to win."
Hearing Alexis words that this boy managed to defeat Jaden, all of Red Hat attention was focused on Zane. Only at the last second did it occur to him that he had heard this story before when he dueled against Harrington, he understood who the person in front of him was.
"So you're Zane? Syrus older brother who defeated Jaden?" Red hat asked Zane.
"Wait? Did you already know that?" Alexis asked in amazement.
"Syrus told me about it the time I dueled Harrington." Red Hat clarified. "If you can beat Jaden you have to be very strong, that makes things interesting for me. How about you show me your skills here and now. " Red Hat said defiantly.
"While I'm interested in your abilities, other than that this would seem like what it takes with someone like you, I don't see the need to duel against you." Zane explained.
"So, you decline my challenge?" Red Hat asked in a disappointed tone.
"At least for now, take the opportunity to get stronger if you want to have any hope against me." Zane replied.
"Since we're not going anywhere, I might as well leave, see you." Red Hat said walking away leaving Zane and Alexis alone.
A few seconds after Red Hat had gone Alexis decided to turn to Zane. " In my opinion you should have dueled him, you would have taught him a lesson, so maybe he would stop behaving in that obnoxious way. "
"No, it's not yet the time for the two of us to challenge each other." Zane answered blankly.
" If you say so, then what do you think?" Alexis asked.
" Nothing new from what it seems to me. He is wild like an animal and lacks respect to his opponent. But as I said his dueling skills are not to be taken lightly." Zane replied.
"I see what you mean, I think the same." Alexis replied. But she kept thinking that she wasn't happy with how things are going with Red Hat. "Anyway, if Zane doesn't solve this situation then I'll take care of it."
After this short speech the two remain silent at the lighthouse.
Sunday
Time 7:00
Red Hat awoke early the next morning, still disappointed that Zane refused to duel him. He kept wondering in his mind how strong Zane can be since he managed to beat Jaden. " Maybe today I'll go to the shop to see if I can find some new cards that I can use. But first, better go to breakfast. " Red Hat thought as he left his room to go to the cafeteria.
Arrived, he found Jaden with Syrus and Chumley finishing their breakfast. "Hey, Red Hat, come sit with us. Breakfast Is almost over, but I've saved you something." Jaden said.
"It's almost over because you ate almost everything, but how hungry can you be." Syrus said.
Red Hat laughed at this scene. "We're talking about Jaden, Syrus. There's nothing surprising about his appetite." Red Hat said as he sat next to Jaden, starting his breakfast.
"Hey, Red Hat, would you like to duel me today." Jaden asked. "I wanted to ask Bastion and Alexis if they wanted to join but they said they were busy."
"Thanks for the offer Jaden, but maybe another time." Red Hat replied. The three had a surprised expression on their faces, because he would never refuse a duel with Jaden. "I want to go to the shop to see if I can find some new cards, but I'm not in the mood today." He smiled at his friends not to worry them.
"Blimey, that happened to make you refuse even a duel with Jaden?" Syrus asked rather curiously.
"Yeah, don't keep us on our toes." Chumley added.
" I met Zane and Alexis near the lighthouse, and I challenged Zane to a duel." Red Hat revealed.
Jaden hearing the news was choking on the food he was eating until he coughed, he began to drink in a hurry. Syru and Chumley were the ones most shocked by the news which dropped the chopsticks to eat, their mouths sank so low it looked as if they had stretched.
"When did this happen?" Syrus asked, still shocked.
"It all happened last night." Red Hat replied.
It was Jaden who spoke next. "Blimey, it's great that you're about to challenge Zane. You're both formidable duelists." Jaden commented positively.
"Thanks for the compliment, but there will be no duel, Zane has refused my challenge." Red Hat revealed.
"What!? Why didn't he accept!?" Jaden asked.
" I don't know either Jaden. But I was disappointed that he didn't want to duel me."
Seeing his friend a little disappointed, Jaden tried to console him. " Don't get upset for this, man, it doesn't matter if Zane didn't want to duel with you, also because I'm sure you would have beaten him. "
" Thanks for the compliment Jaden." Red Hat replied.
"I grant you, you are a brave person. The only other person happy to face Zane was Jaden. You and he are very similar, in fact you are both crazy." Chumley commented.
"I have a bad feeling about this story." Syrus thought.
As soon as they finished breakfast, they left the dormitory to go to the Academy shop to buy some new cards.
Time 8:00
Arriving at the shop, Syrus and Chumley sat at nearby tables, while Red Hat and Jaden went to the counter where Doroty and Sadie were.
"Good morning guys." Greeted Dorothy.
"Hello, Miss Dorothy." Jaden greeted in response.
"Good morning." Red Hat replied.
"What can I do for you today?" She asked.
"Do you happen to have any new boxes or booster packs?" Red Hat asked to her.
"Yes, a new box just arrived, along with some supplies for the old boxes." Dorothy explained.
"So I'll take all the new box, I'll take some of the replenished card packs as well." Red Hat asked.
"Sure. Sadie, could you please pick them up."
"Yeah, sure." Sadie walked off to get everything the boy asked for. After a while she came back and left everything on the counter. " That's 15000 duel points in all."
"I'll pay for both." Red Hat said as he held out his PDA.
"What? Come on, Red Hat, you don't have to pay for me too." Jaden said.
"It's not a problem for me. Anyway, I don't come to the shop very often, I come here only sometimes to buy packs of cards or sandwiches, and then I have enough duel points." He answered his friend.
Jaden smiled at his friend offer.
Sadie took the boy's PDA, she couldn't believe how many duel points he racked up. "Over 150000 duel points? How did he get that many in such a short time? Wait, this guy said he can beat the Obelisk blue, it's not surprising then that he has that many." Sadie thought.
"Here you go, take it." Sadie said, as Red Hat and Jaden took what they asked for.
"Thank you very much, come back and visit us." She greeted Dorothy.
"Thank you very much Miss Dorothy." Both boys thanked.
"Hey, guys. Look what we have here." Jaden said as he and Red Hat showed Syrus and Chumley everything they'd taken.
"Wow, and a lot of stuff." Syrus said in surprise.
"It must have cost you a lot." Chumley commented.
"Actually, Red Hat paid for everything." Jaden said pointing precisely to him.
" I told you, it's not a problem for me. In any case, I still have many duel points left." Red Hat said as he showed his PDA to friends.
"What?! Do you have 150000 duel points?!" Syrus said in shock.
"It doesn't surprise me, he got all those points from his duels against the Obelisk blues." Chumley said, also a little shocked as Syrus.
"What are we waiting for? Let's open the packets and see what cards come out." Jaden said, eager to open the packs of cards.
The small group began to open every pack of cards they had in hand. Jaden and his friends seemed happy with the cards they get, while Red Hat wasn't entirely happy.
"Did you find something that interests you, Red Hat?" Jaden asked curiously.
"Not entirely." He answered not happy, as he examined the papers that might interest him. " I'm still missing a few cards if I want to finish the new decks I'm working on. "
"Are you building a new decks? Great, what did you do it on?" Jaden asked, not holding back his curiosity.
"It's still too early to show it, as I said they are not ready yet." He explained.
"Hey, look what I got." Syrus said, drawing attention to him. "White Mage Pikeru. She's adorable, isn't he?"
"It's not that you find the card very useful, if you ask me." Red Hat spoke up.
"Hey, don't say those things." Syrus is a little pissed at the comment.
"He just said his opinion, don't get so mad." Chumley defended his friend.
Red Hat was a little annoyed by their thinking. But a hand that rested on his shoulder took him out of his thoughts, he turned to see Jaden smiling at him. "Now calm down, remember that each one thinks in her own way about duels and this is what makes them fun." Jaden said trying to calm down his friend.
" Maybe I'm a little tense because of the this story with Zane. After all, he didn't even give me a specific reason for refusing my challenge."
"Red Hat, I think you shouldn't try to challenge my brother. Zane is the best duelist in the entire academy, no one has been able to defeat him, not even Jaden has been able to." Syrus said.
"I can't do it what you say, Syrus. My goal is to become a pro duelist, what better way than by challenging the strongest. Only in this way can one become better duelists." Red Hat replied, who was a little annoyed by the fact that Syrus thought he wouldn't stand a chance against his brother.
"Ah, I wish Zane had accepted your challenge. It would have been an amazing duel to watch." Jaden said, also disappointed that there will be no duel.
After a few seconds of silence, Red Hat suggested something. "How about we finish opening the packs of cards in my room, I have some cards that I keep in reserve there."
" It's fine for me." Jaden said with Syrus and Chumley nodding in agreement.
With that said, Slifer's group decided to head back to their dorm to finish opening their remaining packets of cards.
Time 9:00
The gang had returned to the Slifer red dormitory. They all entered room 204. Upon entering his room, Red Hat took from a drawer of his desk several boxes containing all the cards he had.
"Man, how many cards do you have?" Jaden asked amazed.
"They are all cards that I got before coming to the academy, I keep them just in case, even if I buy the cards at the shop." He explained.
They resumed opening packs of cards, in the last few Red Hat stopped at some that had caught his attention.
"Have you found any cards that can be useful to you?" Jaden asked him.
"Perhaps, these here." Red Hat replied, showing his friend some cards that had come out.
"Wow, if you play them right you'd gain a huge advantage in a duel." Jaden commented.
"The problem is using them at the right time if you don't know what cards your opponent has." Red Hat explained.
While everyone was discussing possible combinations with the new cards at their disposal, Red Hat had started modifying his chaos deck, as well as working on the other decks he was working on with advice from everyone.
They had been working on the bridges all day and hadn't realized it was night. After a few seconds, Red Hat's PDA started shaking for a message arrived. Red Hat read the message, he didn't say who he was from, but told him to be on the cliff near the Slifer dormitory.
Time 20:00
Red Hat and Jaden followed by Syrus and Chumley arrived at their destination. Once they arrived, they found themselves in front of Alexis, who seemed to be waiting for them with her arms crossed, with her duel disk on her arm at the ready.
" Alexis, it was you who sent Red Hat the message?" Jaden asked confused by her presence.
" Yes it was me, I can tell you I have my reasons for doing it." Alexis said before turning her eyes to Red Hat. "Red Hat, now you will duel me."
"What!?" Jaden, Syru and Chumley said in surprise, while Red Hat didn't seem so surprised.
"What's going on here? Is there a party going on and I wasn't invited?" said another voice.
Everyone turned in the direction of the voice, and to their surprise the owner of that voice was Bastion.
"Bastion? Are you here too?" Jaden asked, surprised by his friend's presence.
"Well, actually, I came for a walk after working on formulas to perfect my decks, but finding myself here in the middle of this discussion is a coincidence." Bastion explained. "But what's going on here?"
"Long story short, Alexis brought Red Hat here because she wants to challenge him to a duel." Syrus explained.
" Now I understand." Bastion answered.
"Now that the situation is cleared up, get ready Red Hat, I'm going to teach you a lesson in respect." Alexis states.
"It won't be the challenge I expected, but I never back down from a duel." Red Hat replied.
"I'll make you regret these words!" Alexis shouted in anger.
"Wait!" Said a voice interrupting the two as they prepare for their duel. They turned to see Bastion stepping next to Alexis and Red Hat. "Do you mind if I join you two."
Everyone was a bit surprised as well as silent at Bastion request.
"Wait a minute Bastion!" Alexis stopped him. " I was the one who challenged Red Hat, you have nothing to do with this story. "
"I know this, and I apologize. But ever since I saw him duel I've been intrigued by his abilities, so much so that I want to test him to find a formula to defeat him." Bastion replied.
"Why worry which one of you is going to challenge him, why don't we have a tag duel." Jaden offered. " Red Hat and I will be a team, while Alexis and Bastion will be the opponents. " Jaden said excitedly.
"I don't think that's the case Jaden." Red Hat replied placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.
" But why? "
"Well, after all, this story started because of me, so it seems appropriate that I take care of it." Red Hat replied.
"Man, are you sure about this?" Jaden asked him.
"Believe me, I'm sure of it." Red Hat replied with a nod of his head.
"If so, then give it your best shot," Jaden encouraged.
"You can count on it." Red Hat replied.
"Okay, given how things are going, we might as well get Bastion to participate." Alexis answered resigning herself to how this situation were going.
"Well, how does it work then?" Jaden asked to figure out how the challenge would go.
"Well, since Bastion has now joined, he and I will take on Red Hat one at a time." Alexis explained.
"So who's first?" Red Hat asked.
"Alexis, I know I'm asking a lot today, but please let me go first." Bastion asked Alexis.
"Okay, you go first." Alexis agreed.
"Thank you." Bastion thanked him before he and Red Hat went to their sides of the field to prepare for the duel. "I may not have a formula for beating you, but that doesn't mean I'm going to back down."
"Then let's do it Bastion." Red Hat said inserting the deck into the duel disk slot.
" For this duel I will use my deck of darkness. " Bastio said, also activating the duel disk.
DUEL
Red Hat: 8000 LP
Bastion: 8000 LP
" I go first. I draw!" Red Hat draws.
Hand 6
" I summon Green Gadget in attack mode. (Atk: 1400 – Def: 600) When this monster is summoned, I can add a Red Gadget from the deck to my hand." Red Hat explained as he added the card to his hand. " I set one card facedown and end my turn. " Red Hat ends his turn.
Hand 5
"Very good, then, it's my turn now. I draw." Bastion draws.
Hand 6
" First I'll get rid of your face down card right now. I use the Quick-Play spell Mystical Space Typhoon!" Strong gusts of wind slammed into Red Hat face-down card, which was Bottomless Trap Hole.
"Great play, getting rid of the cards I have left on the field as protection and a great move to start with." Red Hat praised Bastion.
"Thanks for the compliment, now let's continue. I activate Graceful Charity! Now I draw three cards, then I discard two." Bastion drew his cards to then insert two of them into the duel disk's graveyard slot. " Well, the first phase of my victory formula is almost complete. And I prove it to you by playing Monster Reborn! Now I summon the monster I just discarded, so I special summon Invader of Darkness! (Atk: 2900 – Def:2500) "A demon-like monster in a long black cloak had appeared on Bastion's side of the field. "And while Invader of Darkness is on the field, you can't activate Quick-Play spell cards. Since I specially summoned Invader of Darkness I can still do a normal summon. Then I summon Mad Dog of Darkness in attack mode. (Atk: 1900 – Def: 1400) Now Mad Dog of Darkness attacks your Green Gadget!" Bastion yelled, as his monster charged at Red Hat's monster slashing it with its claws.
Red Hat: 8000 – 7500 LP
"Now Invader of Darkness, attack Red Hat directly!" Bastion shouted, as his monster rushed at Red Hat to strike him with its claw.
Red Hat: 7500 – 4600 LP
"Blimey, Red Hat is in trouble." Syrus said.
" Not licious." Chumley added agreeing with Syrus.
"Guys, relax. I bet Red Hat already has a plan in mind." He reassured Jaden.
" Now I set a card facedown and end my turn. " Bastion ends his turn.
Hand 2
" It's my turn. I draw!" Red Hat draws.
Hand 6
" I summon Red Gadget in attack mode. (Atk: 1300 – Def: 1500) And like the monster from before, it also makes me add a Gadget monster from the deck to my hand, Yellow Gadget to be exact. Now I set a card face down and end my turn. Your move Bastion. " Red Hat ends his turn.
Hand 5
"Is that all? If he doesn't play better than that he'll lose to Bastion even before he duels with Alexis." Syrus said.
"Who knows, maybe he got a bad hand?" Chumley suggested.
"I wouldn't be sure." Jaden said confusing his friends.
Meanwhile, Alexis was silently watching every move of the duel. " Jaden is right, Red Hat is not a person who randomly thinks about his moves. " She thought.
" Seeing how he's played so far, I can tell that this deck he's using is focused a part on Gadget monsters, they're not very strong monsters, but their effects to search the other monsters in the deck can be problematic.But even if it manages to summon a stronger monster I still have Mirror Force that I set face down last turn. " Bastion thought.
"It's my turn. I draw!" Bastion draws.
Hand 3
"I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Then I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior. (Atk: 1600 – Def: 1000) And as you well know, when this monster is normal summoned, I can place a spell counter on it and make it gain 300 attack points. (Atk: 1600 – 1900 – Def: 1000) But I wouldn't worry about it, because I use the effect of Breaker the Magical Warrior! By removing the spell counter on it, I can target a spell or trap on the field and destroy it! And I think I will destroy your face down card! " Bastion pointed.
"Before you destroy it, I activate my face down card!" Red Hat interrupted him. "Threatening Roar! This turn you can't declare an attack." He explained as he activated his face down, before it was destroyed by effect of monster of Bastion.
" In this case I end my turn. " Bastion ends his turn.
Hand 3
" Alright, it's my turn. I draw! " Red Hat draws.
Hand 6
" I activate a spell card. Graceful Charity. I draw three cards then discards two. (discards Snatch Steal and Solemn Judgment) I set a monster facedown, I switch Red Gadget in defense position than I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Red Hat ends his turn.
Hand 3
"He's playing a lot on the defensive. Is he up to something?" Bastion thought. "It's my turn. I draw!" Bastion draws.
Hand 4
"I don't know what his face down cards are, I don't usually like to play this way, but I'll have to take some risks." Bastion thought in his mind. " I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. (Atk: 1800 – Def: 700) "Now Breaker the Magical Warrior, will attack Red Gadget!"
"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen! I activate a trap! Threatening Roar! You can't declare an attack this turn!" Red Hat replied.
"I can't do anything now. I end my turn." Bastion ends his turn.
Hand 3
"Before you end your turn, I activate my face down card! Stronghold the Moving Fortress! I can special summon this card in defense position as an Effect Monster. (Atk: 0 – Def: 2000)" A large metal giant with gears and pipes from which steam was issuing appeared on the Red Hat side of the field.
"Now it's my turn. I draw!" Red Hat draws.
Hand 4
"Now I have everything I need to win this duel." Red Hat said.
"What?!" They all exclaimed surprised by his words.
"Do you think he's bluffing?" Syrus asked.
"Probably maybe." Chumley added.
"I don't think he's bluffing." Jaden answered with an enthusiastic smile to see how Red Hat thought he was going to win the duel.
Meanwhile, Alexis was now watching the duel with greater attention for what Red Hat just said.
"Okay, then show me what you've got." Bastion replied.
"As you like. I'll get rid of your monsters first, I play a spell card. Raigeki! With this I destroy all you face up monsters! A shower of lightning fell from the sky hitting all of Bastion's monsters causing them to explode. "Then I switch Red Gadget into attack mode. I flip summon my facedown monster, Yellow Gadget in attack mode! (Atk: 1200 – Def: 1200) Next I play Monster Reborn to special summon Green Gadget from my graveyard. (Atk: 1400 – Def: 600) Now that Invader of Darkness is gone, I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face down card." The typhoon of winds destroyed Bastion's card, revealing it to everyone that it was Mirror Force. "Then I switch Stronghold the Moving Fortress into attack mode."
"Why did he do that? That card has zero attack points." Syrus said.
"I don't understand either." Chumley added.
"You should take a better look guys." He recommended Jaden to his friends who were confused by his words. Stronghold the Moving Fortress (Atk: 3000 – Def: 2000) Stronghold the Moving Fortress attack points increased, when the other three gadget monsters attached to him on his chest gears.
"How did he manage to make that monster have 3000 attack points when it didn't even have any before?!" Syrus asked confused.
" It's the effect of Stronghold the Moving Fortress." Alexis said trying to explain it to Syrus and Chumley. " When you have Green Gadget, Red Gadget and Yellow Gadget on the field together with Stronghold the Moving Fortress, its attack points increase by 3000."
"Yours is a remarkable move." Bastion praised him. "But even with all your monsters you won't be able to take away all my life points." Bastion has clarified. "And when my turn comes I will destroy all your monsters with Lightning Vortex in my hand." Bastion mused as he looked at the cards in his hand.
"I know very well that the attack points my monsters have are not enough to beat you. At least I'm not yet." Red Hat said confusing everyone with his last statement. "I activate the quick play spell, Limiter Removal! To double the attack points of all my machine-type monsters. (Atk: 3000 – 6000 – Def: 2000) (Atk: 1400 – 2800 – Def: 600) (Atk: 1300 – 2600 – Def: 1500) (Atk: 1200 – 2400 – Def: 1200) Now my four monsters will attack you directly! " At that command, the three Gadget monsters detached from Stronghold's gears to strike Bastion, while the trap monster punched him, the impact of the attack raised a curtain of dust.
Bastion: 8000 – 5200 – 2600 – 200 – 0 LP
As soon as the holograms of the monsters disappeared, Bastion dropped to one knee in exhaustion.
"Good duel, Red Hat." Jaden said happy for his friend' victory as he put his right arm around Red Hat to drag him close.
"You were outstanding." Syrus complimented.
"Yeah, you did just what I would have done." Chumley added.
"Thanks guys." He thanked his friends for the compliments.
"You beat me fair and square Red Hat." Bastio complimented Red Hat and extended his hand to Red Hat.
"Thanks for the duel Bastion." He thanked Red Hat as he too reached out to shake Bastion's in what felt like a respectful handshake.
"But don't think it ends here. You may have won against this deck, but after today I can assure you that I will perfect my deck formula to beat you." Bastion said.
"The same goes for me. I assure you that next time we face each other my deck will be even stronger than today." Red Hat replied. "Until then, until the next duel."
After this gesture of respect between Red Hat and Bastion, Alexis approached the group addressing precisely the slifer. "Hey, Red Hat, now it's my turn to duel you, and don't think I'll be an easy match." Alexis stated.
Red Hat now turned to Alexis. "Here I am, I'm ready." At that point everyone resumed their positions as before, only where Bastion had been now was Alexis.
"I hope you are stronger than the other Obelisk blues." Red Hat asked, as he slipped another deck into the duel disk.
Hearing those words, the expression on Alexis' face was frowning. "I heard you dueled again in the same way against the Obelisk blues, including Jasmine and Mindy. You know what, it's this character you have that I don't like. But that's why we're here, I'll teach you a lesson."
Both activated their duel disks.
DUEL
Red Hat: 8000 LP
Alexis: 8000 LP
"I'll go first. I draw!" Red Hat draws.
Hand 6
"I activate Graceful Charity! I draw three cards than I discards two. (discards Jinzo and Treeborn Frog) " Red Ha inspected the cards he now had in his hand, but he didn't get exactly the cards he wanted. "The move I'm about to make will cost me a few life points, I just have to wait for the next turn." He thought. "I end my turn." Red Hat ends his turn.
Hand 6
Everyone was somewhat confused by his play. "He's gone mad. Why didn't he leave even one monster on the field to defend himself?" Syrus asked.
"Perhaps there is a hidden strategy behind this move." Bastion guessed.
"Yes Syrus, Bastion is right. You know how Red Hat plays." Chumley said to his friend.
"But why didn't he play a single card? Maybe he wants to lure me into a trap? If there's one thing I've learned from his duels it's that Red Hat never leaves his moves at random. I'll have to be very careful." thought Alexis. "My turn. I draw!" Alexis draws.
Hand 6
"I summon Command Knight in attack position (Atk: 1200 – Def: 1900). As long as this monster is on the field, all Warrior-Type monsters I control gain 400 attack points (Atk: 1200 – 1600 – Def: 1900) Since you haven't left monsters to defend you, I'm taking advantage of it right away. Now Command Knight attack you directly!" The woman in knight's armor drew her sword, before charging at Red Hat to hit him with her sword.
Red Hat: 8000 – 6400 LP
"I set two cards face down and end my turn." Alexis ends the turn.
Hand 3
"It was a silly move to be defenseless for your life points." Alexis pointed out.
Red Hat just shrugged his shoulders at her comment. "It's my turn. I draw!"
Hand 7
"Since I have no spells or traps on the field in my standby phase, I can specially summon Treeborn Frog from the graveyard. (Atk: 100 – Def: 100) " A frog with wings and a halo appeared on Red Hat side. " But he won't be here much longer, because now I tribute Treeborn Frog to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch! (Atk: 2400 – Def: 1000) "
"Monarchs? Isn't that the same deck as before?" Alexis asked in surprise.
"He had another deck with him then?" Bastion wondered.
"Sweet monster. This must be the other deck Red Hat was working on." Jaden said.
"Even if he plays with a different deck than before, I still have the cards face down to protect me." thought Alexis.
"If you think your facedown cards will protect you, you are very mistaken." Red Hat said, making Alexis jump, while the others were confused by his words. "Mobius effect activates. When this card is Tribute Summoned, I can destroy up to two Spell or Trap Cards on the field. This means your set cards are destroyed!" Mobius created a snowstorm that froze Alexis cards to crumble.
"No, now I have no more protections!" Alexis declared.
"Now Mobius, attack Command Knights! Strike with Ice Storm!" Mobius hurls a flurry of ice spears at the opposing monster.
Alexis: 8000 – 7200 LP
"Great comeback, Red Hat!" shouted Jaden.
"A wise move. He took care of destroying Alexis face-down cards first and then attacked her safely. An optimal move." Bastion commented.
"He's also doing it against Alexis." Syrus said.
"If he continues like this he will win this duel too." Chumley said.
"I set a card facedown and end my turn." Red Hat ends his turn.
Hand 5
"Well, then it's my turn. I draw!" Alexis draws.
Hand 4
"I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Then I play the spell card Smashing Ground! With this I destroy the face up monster on your field with the highest defense points. Since you only have Mobius in the field, he'll be the one to be destroyed." Alexis said. "Now I play the spell Reinforcement of the Army. With this, I can add a level 4 or lower warrior monster from the deck to my hand. My choose is Etoile Cyber." Alexis explained as she added the card to her hand. "Now I summon Etoile Cyber in attack mode. (Atk: 1200 – Def: 1600) Now Etoile Cyber, attack Red Hat directly! And when Etoile Cyber attack diretcly, it gains 500 attack points only during the damage step. (Atk: 1200 – 1700 – Def: 1600) " Etoile Cyber sprinted towards Red Hat before delivering a kick to his chest.
Red Hat: 6400 – 4700 LP
"I set a card face down and end my turn." Alexis ends her turn with a smirk on her face.
Hand 2
"A nice move, especially with the removal of my monster and the searcher card." Red Hat paid Alexis a compliment, which she completely ignored.
"Oh, well, now it's my turn. I draw!" Red Hat draws.
Hand 6
"I set a monster facedown, than I set a card facedown and end my turn." Red Hat ends his turn.
Hand 4
"Is that all? You're not taking me seriously!" Alexis commented in an angry tone.
Red Hat just shrugged and fell silent at Alexis comment.
"Ok, I'm tired of talking. I'll teach you a lesson in humility by winning this duel!" Alexis said as she draw the card.
Hand 3
"I activate another Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Now I'll play Polymerization. I fuse Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater in my hand together to fusion summon Cyber Blader! (Atk: 2100 – Def: 800) "
"I respond activating my trap card! Bottomless Trap Hole! Since you summoned a monster with more of 1500 attack points your monster is destroyed and then banished." Red Hat explained as a large hole opened up under the feet of Alexis monster.
"You will not! From my hand I activate the quick spell card De-Fusion. My fusion monster returns to my extra deck but in exchange I can Special Summon the fusion material monsters from the graveyard onto the field." Alexis fusion monster split into the two monsters used to summon it.
"Move worth noting. I have to say you impressed me a little Alexis. You sure are way better than the other Obelisks." Red Hat complimented Alexis.
"You know what, keep your comments to yourself." Alexis replied, even more angry at Red Hat's words.
"Sorry go ahead then."
"As you like, remember that it was you who asked for it." Alexis answered with a determined expression. "I activate the field spell card Fusion Gate! Now I can fusion summon without polymerization by banishing the fusion materials. I fuse Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater to fusion summon again Cyber Blader!"
"Give me your best shot."
"I'll settle you right away, Cyber Blader attack his set monster with Whirlwind Rage!" Spinning around quickly, Cyber Blader got closer and closer to Red Hat facedown monster which was revealed to be Dandylion, before kicking it and completely annihilating it.
"When Dandylion is sent to the graveyard, I special summon two fluff tokens in defense position. (Atk: 0 – Def: 0) " Red Hat Explained.
"Doing so activates Cyber Blader's effect. Its effect changes based on the number of monsters on your field. Having two of them makes Cyber Blader attack points double. (Atk: 2100 – 4200 – Def: 800) " Alexis explained. "With this, I end my turn."
Hand 0
"Oh man, now Red Hat has to deal with a monster that has 4200 attack points." Syrus pointed out.
"Things have taken a bad turn for him." Chumley added.
"Red Hat has to be very careful now. He has to find a way to destroy Alexis' monster but he has to be careful of its effects." Bastion said.
Syrus could see that Jaden hadn't said anything, he was just watching the duel with a smile on his face. "Jaden, aren't you worried about Red Hat?" Syrus asked him.
"Not at all, Syrus." Jaden answered leaving his friends confused by his answer.
"How can you not be?" Chumley asked him.
"Because I know Red Hat. I know he won't give up, and he'll find a way to win the duel." Jaden explained.
Hearing Jaden explanation, Syrus and Chumley calmed down and went back to watching the duel.
"It's my turn. I draw!" Red Hat draws.
Hand 5
"I know Cyber Blader other effects well. With 1 monster on my field it can't be destroyed in battle. With 3 monsters my card effects are canceled. I bet the last effect is the one he would like to use, she thinks to put me in difficulty with this. But I've already figured out what to do." Red Hat thought. "I end my turn." Red Hat ends his turn.
Hand 5
"Very well then. I draw!" Alexis draws.
Hand 1
"I summon D.D. Warrior Lady in attack mode! (AtK: 1500 – Def: 1600) Now Cyber Bladers and D.D. Warrior Lady will attack your two fluff tokens!" Cyber Blader hits one of the fluff tokens with a powerful kick, while D.D. Warrior Lady struck with sword slash.
"Since there are no more two monsters on my field, Cyber Blader attack points return to normal." Red Hat pointed out.
"I knew this. I end my turn. (Atk: 4200 – 2100 – Def: 800) " Alexis ends her turn.
Hand 0
"My turn. I draw!" Red Hat draws.
Hand 6
"I set a monster facedown and end my turn." Red Hat ends the turn, with him he was staring at the ground, with his hat covering his face.
Hand 5
"Let's close this story. I draw!" Alexis draws.
Hand 1
"I'm going straight to the battle phase." Alexis stated.
Red Hat still kept his head down.
"Let this teach you a lesson for being so conceited." Alexis said, not feeling sorry for him. "D.D. Warrior Lady Attacks Her Facedown Monster!"
The monster rushed towards the monster of Red Hat to strike him. At that moment, however, he raised his head slowly, when you could see the whole face, everyone saw that he was smiling. Everyone was confused as to why he was smiling at that moment, except Jaden.
"But why are you smiling?" Alexis asked confused.
"I'll tell you right away. You fought this duel very well, much better than any other I've faced, but you forgot one important thing." Red Hat said, leaving Alexis confused by his words.
"What does he mean to say?" Syrus asked confused.
"Yeah, I don't understand what he's referring to either." Chumley said.
"Think about it guys. You're not forgetting anything?" Jaden questioned his friends.
Bastion was trying to figure out what Red Hat meant. "But what was he referring to?" He kept thinking about it for a few seconds. "Wait? Now I understand!" Bastion has realized.
Alexis tried to figure out what Red at meant by his words, before focusing on the face down card that he hadn't used yet, at which point she understood. "Oh no!"
"You finally understand." Red Hat replied. "I activate my face down card! Go Mirror Force!" The attack of D.D. Warrior Lady was stopped by a mirrored wall which reflected the attack destroying all her monsters.
"I can't believe it. I fell into his trap." Alexis said heartbroken. "I end my turn."
Hand 1
"It's my turn. I draw!" Red Hat draws.
Hand 6
"Since I have no spells or traps on the field in my standby phase, I can special summon another time Treeborn Frog from the graveyard. (Atk: 100 – Def: 100) I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Now i flip my facedown monster, Magician of Faith. (Atk: 300 – Def: 400) I use his flip effect to recover Pot of Greed from my graveyard and add to my hand, I use it right away to draw two cards." As he drew his cards, he was smiling.
"Here we are!" Jaden exclaimed excited.
Now I tribute Magician of Faith to summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch! (Atk: 2400 – Def: 1000) Now te effect of Testalos activate! When he is tribute summoned, you have to discards a random card from our hand, than if it was a monster card you take a damage equal to its original level x100!" Red Hat explained, as Alexis discarded the only card in her hand which was Mind on Air. Thestalos created a fireball in his hand which he hurled at Alexis.
Alexis: 7200 – 6600 LP
"Now I banish Jinzo and Magician of Faith to special summon Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning! (Atk: 3000 – Def: 2500) " The Chaos Warrior appeared on the Red Hat side of the field ready to fight.
"What!? I can't believe it! Red Hat has such a powerful card!?" Bastion exclaimed in surprise.
"Believe it instead." Chumley told him.
"We too found it incredible that he had that card." Syrus added.
"That's ace monsterof Red Hat. And with that monster who won the duel against me." Jaden revealed.
"What!? Red Hat defeated you!?" Bastion asked completely shocked by the revelation.
"Yeah. But it was one of the best duels I've ever had even though I lost." Jaden answered happily.
Alexis seemed in a trance when she saw Red Hat monster. The first time she had seen him in the duel against Jaden, but now she had him in front of her. It took her a few seconds to recover her composure. "Even if you summoned a chaos monster, your monsters they don't have enough points to finish me off this turn."
"That's why I play this card now. I'll play the equip spell Megamorph! I equip it to Thestalos, thanks to it while my life points are lower than yours the equipped monster attack is dobuled! (Atk: 2400 – 4800 – Def: 1000) Thestalos attack her with Firestorm!" Thestalos generated powerful flames which he shooted against Alexis.
Alexis: 6600 – 1800 LP
"With this attack the duel is over! Black Luster Soldier attack her! Chaos Sword Slash!" Black Luster Soldier charges and slash Alexis.
Alexis: 1800 – 0 LP
"Yeah, you're great Red Hat." Jaden cheered.
"It's crazy, I can't believe what I saw." Syrus said in shock.
"There are two of us, Syrus." Chumley agreed.
"I am completely blown away by what I saw today." Bastion said.
Alexis was sitting on the ground, exhausted from the duel.
Red Hat then approached Alexis. Her face frowned immediately expecting a criticism that humiliated her from him like all the other times. "If you have something to say, just tell me now."
"Alexis, I..." the Slifer began, while those present listened attentively to the conversation, ready to intervene since they knew what character Red Hat had. "I was wrong to say negative things about you. You are an excellent duelist who works hard and is committed to the end. I'm sorry for the things I said about you." Hearing those words left Alexis dumbfounded, even those present were amazed by this change of attitude from Red Hat.
After a few seconds, Alexis regained her composure and the expression on her face had softened a bit, it was less harsh than before. "You may have won today, but don't think that next time it will end the same way."
"We'll see about that." Red Hat replied.
"You were phenomenal Red Hat!" Jaden yelled as he wrapped his arm around Red Hat. At that point the others also closed in on him.
"Yes, you are right, you are very strong." Syrus complimented.
"You did just what I would have done in your case." Chumley said.
"You have skills beyond the ordinary Red Hat, better than even the best students of the Academy." Bastion said.
"Yes it's true, despite your behavior you are one of the strongest." Alexis admitted.
"Well Red Hat, this might not have been the duel against Zane you wanted, but I bet you had a good time nonetheless." Jaden said.
"Yes indeed you are right Jaden. Bastion and Alexis are good duelists." Red Hat replied. "They're better than the ones I've dueled with so far yes I'll admit that. But They weren't able to ignite that flame inside me during the duel like you did Jaden." thought Red Hat.
"It was a good duel. How about dueling me now?" A voice interrupted them.
Everyone was surprised by this voice, they looked around to understand where it came from or who was speaking. "But who is there?" Red Hat asked.
At that point everyone began to hear footsteps approaching them. After a few seconds, a hidden person came out of the cliff wall and no one could believe who they had.
"What are you doing here…Zane?" Red Hat asked seeing him.
Here is the new chapter. For Bastion deck I used his deck with the dark attribute he had in Tag Force 1. One thing that always bothered me about the Bastion series was that he didn't use the other decks he had, so in this chapter I did so that he used it. At the beginning I wanted to put the duel with Alexis since she couldn't stand the behavior that Red Hat had towards the other Obelisk blues, For this reason the way she challenged Red Hat is inspired as in episode 3 A Duel In Love. But I thought about it and added Bastion as well, since watching the series, he was interested in Jaden's abilities in his duels, I thought that he might also be interested in Red Hat's abilities and then end up in a duel between the two. Although at the end of their duels Red Hat didn't have a bad idea about them, just to prove that he has not only a bad side, but also a good one. Although I can tell you that against the other Obelisk students he will behave as usual and put them back in their place. As for the decks that Red Hat has used, the one with the Gadgets I gave him as a suggestion from D.J. Scales, while the Monarchs deck and another one who suggested me LoliSupremeKing thanks again for the help you gave me with the deck problem. Well that's it for this chapter, the next one will have the duel between Red Hat and Zane. Let me know what you think in the comments below the page.