"Now, Phosphorage! Attack the Tyler Sisters directly!" Bastion cried out as the Elemental Lord unleashed thunder and lightning on the two sisters.
Tyler Sisters: 0 LP
Bastion and Jaden: Winners!
"That was much better than before! You two were rough around the first few times, but you're certainly getting the Tag Duel aspect down fast!" Gloria put a hand on her hip as the monsters faded away from the battlefield.
"I admit," Bastion dusted himself off. "It was a much more arduous task than I imagined. But the results are truly marvelous."
"You're telling me! Even Syrus and I weren't that bad at the beginning!" Jaden placed his hand behind his head and laughed.
"You two were amazing!" Sora smiled from the bench after watching the two duel.
"Hey! I was going to say that!" Syrus' voice cracked a little. So far, the younger Truesdale has been a little... okay, no. Syrus has felt very threatened by Sora. He tags along with Jaden and offers him cheering and moral support. That was his thing! Syrus had one—okay several teenage-life-crisis over his identity slowly being stolen.
At that moment, Dimitri came rushing to the roof of the school. "Hey! Guys!" The Copy-Cat Duelist cried out the rest of the club. "There's a Submarine at the docks!"
"Whoa!? A Submarine!? I've never seen one before!" Jaden's eyes widened with elation.
"Let's go check it out!" Sora threw a fist in the air, and the much more excitable members of the Music Club raced out to see it.
"W-Wait! Jaden!" Syrus screamed as he ran after the others.
With more than half the members gone, the rest decided to also see why there was a Submarine at the Duel Academy docks.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
"Make way, Duel Academy Losers! North Academy is here to win the duel!"
It didn't take long for everyone to realize that the Submarine brought in North Academy Students. There was a divide in the docks between the two schools. A few seconds later, Sheppard walked up to the Chancellor of North Academy and gave the man a hug.
"It's good to see you again, Foster!" Sheppard let go, and the two did a firm handshake.
"Good to see you too, you jolly, old fart. Did you gain weight?" Despite the sharp words, Foster responded just as warmly to Sheppard. "Are you ready to lose this year?"
"Ha! I'd be happier for you since you never win these! But I think you'll find my students to be up to the challenge this year!" Sheppard responded back.
"Oh? Well, let's see your students beat these two! Anderson! Princeton!"
Sheppard and nearly all of Duel Academy widened at that last name. When the North Academy crowd parted, two peopled walked up. At that moment, Winged Kuriboh appeared as well as Honest.
Chazz appeared in front of all of them, wearing a black blazer. Beside him was someone that looked a bit like Jaden, but had this cat-like duel spirit resting on his shoulder.
"Chazz!?" Jaden stepped out of the crowd to see his rival. "You're one of the duelists for North Academy!?"
"That's right, Jaden! After the way Duel Academy treated me, this time, I'll have my revenge!"
The blue-haired teen beside Chazz had his eyes widen with an exclamation. "Wait!? That fella over there is the Jaden guy you've been comparing me to this whole darn time? Come on, Chazzy, he looks nothing like me!"
Jaden happened to be somewhat taken aback from that comment. "What? Chazz, don't tell me your eyesight got worse since you left Duel Academy! That cool guy over there doesn't look anything like me!"
"Thanks for the compliment, man! It's cool to finally meet this Jaden fellow that Chazzy here keeps talking about! I thought he was missing his best friend!"
Jaden seemed to flush and rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "Aww, Chazz, you missed me? I'm flattered!"
"I did not miss you! Stop talking, both of you!" Chazz snapped at the two. "And quit calling me Chazzy!" He pointed out that last sentence to Jesse.
"Wait, you let him call you Chazzy? Wow, Chazz! You buddy up with those guys way faster than with us!" Jaden cried out.
"I did not!" It was getting easy to see Chazz's blood pressure was rising. "Shut up, both of you! You're driving me crazy!"
"By God," Wilona whispered. She put a hand on her head and started to feel a dizzy spell. "There's two of him."
"Aw, come on!?" Alexis complained. "How many doppelgangers and twins are we going to meet? First, it was the Tyler Sisters; then there was Dimitri Copying everyone else every other day; then we had Sora, who looks a lot like Syrus if he was an Obelisk Blue and had a sweet tooth; and finally, there's another guy that acts and looks similar to Jaden!? What next? There's another Wilona out there!?"
No one noticed the green-haired girl turning away and looking at a wall as if it was a confession box in a church.
"Wait a second!" Dimitri, the Copy-cat Duelist, screamed out loud. "What's the point of my gimmick if everyone already has a natural copy of themselves!?"
"Not so funny when someone tries to steal your gimmick, huh!?" Syrus shouted with a little more salt than usual.
"Syrus, calm down." Chumley tried to soothe his roommate.
Before anything else could be said, the two schools were caught by surprise when helicopters and a television crew appeared with a speed that no one expected.
"Hi, Chazz!" "What's going on, little brother?!" In the nearest helicopter, two men in suits shouted out towards Chazz down below.
Chazz's emotions shifted as he looked up. "Slade!? Jager!? Why are you here!?"
"Why else!? We're here to celebrate your dueling victory!" Wilona briefly wondered how everyone could clearly hear each other over at least two helicopters. "You are going to win, right, Chazz?"
Cameras came in closer to everyone, especially the Chancellors and their Representatives. While Jaden started to make a fool of himself on world-wide television, someone watched the two Princeton brothers with narrowed eyes from atop the bridge near the Slifer Red Dorms.
That person was Seika Kohinata.
Zane knew this was a landmine. He knew why the usually mischievous Student Body President was being unusually tense and solemn. But Seika was one of the few close friends he had left, and he loathed the idea of seeing her like this.
"What are you going to do?" He asked as he stood beside her looking down on everyone below.
Seika sighed. "I'll just give my dad a call. I doubt he cares what his favorite cabinet member is up to." Zane didn't miss the venom in her voice.
"Actually, I'm more worried about Chazz. The kid is kinda a brat, but he's not like Slade and Jager. Heck, now that I think about it, you and Atticus might be better brothers. That's a scary thought." Seika joked as she usually did, but she turned on her heel and started to leave.
Zane looked down as Chazz went to walk away with his brothers. Even from up there, he could tell Chazz was tense in a way that didn't make him look comfortable.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
"Shepard, I need to talk to you." Foster caught his friend when the two were alone.
"Something tells me this conversation isn't about the Princeton brothers," The usually cheery Chancellor was solemn.
"I'm afraid it's worse. Do you know about our scaly friend?" Foster spotted Chancellor's eyes widen and continued. "He was possessed by a dark power and almost sacrificed nearby Duel Spirits for some dark ritual."
After taking in that information, Sheppard asked, "Do you know what dark ritual or power possessed our friend?"
"No, but Jesse told me that the Spirit World is in flux like never before. I think... they are coming."
The Chancellor of Duel Academy looked pale. "So soon?! What are the chance they aren't related!?"
"No, even though I wasn't there, I get the feeling The Keeper of the Shrine was about to perform a Summoning. He was trying to summon the ones who answered the Sacred Beasts call... he was summoning a Shadow Rider. I'm sure of it."
Chancellor Sheppard put a hand on a nearby wall to support himself. "... Did you send a report to Mr. Pegasus and Kagemaru?"
"They heard the report. But the ball is in your court, Shepard. They'll gather themselves in the Spirit World first before jumping to the Human World and head here like moths to an industrial sun-light. I don't know how much time we have left."
The older man rubbed his head. His eyes looked like they aged far too fast in such little time.
Foster felt for his friend. However, he had to be pragmatic. "Do you have 8 chosen duelists?"
"As of right now, I only have 5 that comes to mind." Shepard rubbed his head as he admitted that. "Even then, I'd rather they not."
"Unfortunately for us, the fate of two worlds doesn't care about your feelings." Foster sighed. "I can pull some strings to get Jesse and Chazz to come here over for a few months under a transfer program."
"That will only leave one, but that's better than nothing," Shepard spoke up. He looked ahead and coughed into his fist. "We can talk more about this in private. Right now, are we still playing for the usual prize?"
Foster allowed Sheppard to change the subject. He supposed some levity was needed. "This is the year I finally win, Shepard. I can feel it."
"We'll see, old friend. We'll see!"
[Tag force: Heroes and Villains]
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Are you ready for the match of the year!?" A professional hypeman shouted for the crowd as they screamed back at him. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!?"
The entire island screamed louder. "That's the spirit!"
Meanwhile, on the North Academy side, Jesse smiled as he looked around the area. "This is one sweet dueling arena!" The southern-accented duelist didn't realize he said something similar to Jaden when the Slifer Red first saw the school arenas. However, the cat-like spirit on Jesse's shoulder pointed over to Chazz. The usually loud and proud duelist was unusually silent. "Chazz? You alright?"
Chazz looked up to the stand where his brothers were watching. He looked back down and put on his duel disk. "We're going to win this." He said before walking up the arena.
Meanwhile, on the Duel Academy side, Bastion and Jaden had one more discussion.
"With Chazz being one of our opponents, along with the fact that the style of this duel is a-free-for-all tag duel, I've made the necessary changes to my deck," Bastion stated before he saw how out of focus Jaden looked. "Is something wrong, Jaden? I thought you would be excited to duel Chazz again in front of a live world audience this time."
"Well, it's just... it's hard to say..." Jaden didn't have the right to tell Bastion what he saw with Chazz on his way back to the arena. Jaden never saw Chazz in such a pathetic and desperate state. He was looking forward to this duel, but seeing Chazz being forced to win, changed how fun this duel could have been.
Bastion looked at Jaden before sighing and putting a hand on his shoulder. "The twins have told us that in Tag Duel, a partnership is mandatory." Bastion looked at Jaden. "I do not know what is bothering you, but I do know you are in your element when it comes to dueling. You can express how you feel in this duel. You did it in ours."
Jaden started to smile. "Huh. That's not a bad idea, Bastion. Thanks! Now let's win this thing!"
"That's better! Now let's show them Duel Academy is not to be trifled with!"
"I don't know what tricycles have to do with this, but let's go!"
Up in the stands, the Music Club watched Jaden and Bastion take the stage.
"So, I know nearly all the duelists there except Jesse Anderson. Does anyone have an idea of who he is?" Wilona asked.
"We've heard of him," Grace spoke up, to the surprise of the rest of the Club except Sora. "He was famous for winning a tournament held by Maximillion Pegasus that had the prize of a brand new archetype that used actual gems for the cards."
"Whoa!" Chumley exclaimed. "You mean that his cards aren't only rare, but they're priceless too!?"
"Not only that, bros!" The club turned to Belowski inside his astronaut suit. "His cards are all sprits! They be pretty chill, maaannnn." His filtered voice dragged out.
"Spirits?" Mindy raised her brow while those who were sensitive to Duel Spirits froze for a moment. "What do you mean by that?"
"Now!" The Hype man shouted out. "It's time for the duel we've all been waiting for: North Academy versus Duel Academy in a free-for-all tag duel! Let the Duel..."
As he dragged out that last word, all four duelists primed their duel disks and readied their decks.
"BEGIN!"
Jaden: 4000 LP. Bastion: 4000 LP.
VS
Jesse: 4000 LP. Chazz: 4000 LP
"I'll take the first move!" Jesse declared as he drew his card. Everyone in Duel Academy watched closely as they were about to witness the premiere of a rare archetype made by Pegasus himself!
"I summon Cobalt Eagle in defense mode!" Jesse placed a card down. Everyone saw what looked to be a cobalt crystal before it shattered, and a gem-themed eagle landed on the ground.
Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle
[Type: Effect Monster\Sub-Type: Winged Beast\Attribute: WIND\Level: 4\ATK: 1400\DEF: 800]
"Whoa! This stage is huge!" Cobalt Eagle started to talk to the surprise of those that knew about Duel Spirits.
"It's not just that, Cobalt!" Jesse pumped his fist. "Them cameras are playing for the whole world to watch!"
"Yikes! I hate to see how Emerald is gonna react to that nugget."
Jaden blinked and pointed. "Whoa! You have more than one duel spirit!?"
"I've got a deck full of em!" Jesse spoke with a smile before turning to Chazz. "Chazzy has a bunch too!"
"I do not!" Chazz hotly responded before three beings floated nearby him.
"Yeah! We ain't nothing like you fancy gem animals! We're better! Ain't that right, boss?!" Ojama Yellow asked.
"Whoa!? Chazz, since when did you get duel spirits!?" Jaden pointed over to his rival.
"W-What!? They're not there! You don't see them!" Chazz shooed the three away before they disappeared in a puff of air.
"Why was Chazz swatting the air?" Bastion raised his brow. "Was there a fly?" Sadly for Bastion, he was the only one in that tag duel who couldn't hear or see spirits. As such, he was the one lost in conversation for once.
However, Jesse took another card from his hand. "I'll end my turn by throwing a face down."
Turn 2.
Jaden seemed pumped up after seeing their opponent's new deck. "Hey, Bastion, mind if I go first!?" The Ra Yellow nodded, which allowed Jaden to draw his sixth card with an excited smile. "Alright! I summon Elemental Hero Solid Soldier in defense position!"
Elemental HERO Solid Soldier
[Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: EARTH/Level: 4/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1100]
"Now, whenever he's brought to the field, I can special summon one level 4 or lower Hero monster to the field! Think of it like him calling for back up!" When Jaden said this, Solid Soldier raised his hand to the air. "And to back my buddy up, I summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat in defense mode!"
Elemental HERO Lady Heat
[Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Pyro/Attribute: FIRE/Level: 4/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1000]
"I'll put one card face down since we can't attack until the 4th turn!" Even though Jaden said this, he pointed up. "But wait! Before my turn ends, I can activate Lady Heat's ability! She can deal 200 points of effect damage for each hero card in my field!"
"What!?" Chazz and Jesse screamed.
Jaden pointed. "I'm not attacking, but that doesn't mean I can't hurt ya! Lady Heat, deal 400 points of damage to Jesse and Chazz!"
Two pyro balls appeared over Lady Heat's hands before she threw them over to the North Academy Duelists.
Jaden: 4000 LP. Bastion: 4000 LP.
Jesse: 4000→3600 LP. Chazz: 4000→3600 LP
Duel Academy cheered hard at Jaden's move.
"Excellent opening, Jaden!" Bastion gripped his fist.
"Atta boy, Jaden! Way to take first blood!" Chancellor Sheppard threw his fist in the air.
"The duel is just getting started, Sheppard!" Foster snapped back at him. "Chazz it up!" He shouted before the North Academy Students started to cheer as well.
Turn 3: Chazz. Cards: 5.
Chazz began to laugh before pointing in the direction of Jaden and Bastion. "You know what? I'm glad this turned out as a tag duel after all! I get to have revenge on the two duelists that humiliated me in one duel!" Chazz drew his card.
"I summon Alexandrite Dragon in attack mode!" As Chazz slapped down the card on his duel disk, a dragon with gems for scales descended to the field with a roar that forced some to cover their ears.
Alexandrite Dragon
[Type: Normal Monster\Sub-Type: Dragon\Attribute: LIGHT\Level: 4\ATK: 2000\DEF: 100]
"What? Don't tell me you have jeweled cards as well, Chazz?" Bastion lowered his hand as he saw the sparkling dragon.
"Nah that card was just a coincidence! Still, I'm half convinced he's like a cousin to my cards! Ain't that right, Cobalt?" Jesse looked over to his monster.
"Cousins don't try to turn other cousins to fried chicken!" Cobalt Eagle scooted away from the dragon as if guided by past trauma.
Chazz grunted and picked up a card from his hand. "I can't do much else, so I'll put a card and end my turn."
Turn 4: Bastion. Cards: 5.
Bastion drew his card, and when he did, the entire tone of the duel shifted. They were allowed to go all out in attacking now. The set up was over, and the duel will truly begin!
The Ra Yellow Ace was quick to take advantage of this. "I summon Elementsaber Molehu in attack mode!"
Elementsaber Molehu
[Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: DARK/Level: 4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 0]
Chazz had his eyes widen. "Elementsaber? Wait, you have an Elementsaber deck!?"
"You aren't the only one who has a new deck, Chazz!" Bastion responded before pointing over to Jesse's side. "I declare an attack on Cobalt Eagle!" The scythe warrior launched himself with the intent to cleave a bird in two.
"Jesse!?"
"I got your back, Cobalt! I play my trap down: Crystal Intimidation! I can negate one attack against my Crystal Beast monster and special summon another level 4 or lower one from my hand!" At that point, a shield of jewels rose and protected Cobalt Eagle from being cleaved in two. As Molehu jumped back, Jesse placed another card on his duel disk, "I special summon Amythest Cat in attack mode!"
Crystal Beast Amythest Cat
[Type: Effect Monster\Sub-Type: Beast\Attribute: EARTH\Level: 3\ATK: 1200\DEF: 400]
A gorgeous feline hopped to the field alongside Cobalt. "I believe that this is our first tag duel, is it not?" The feline spoke while looking around the area.
"Yeah, it's only the beginning, but things are heating up! And I do hope that's not literal." Cobalt Eagle moved his glances between Lady Heat and Alexandrite Dragon.
Bastion spoke up, not realizing the entrance of a new spirit. "I'll end my turn with one face down."
Turn 5: Jesse. Cards: 3.
Jesse drew his card and reached the ones on his duel disk. "I set Cobalt Eagle to attack mode! Now I know my mama taught me to be a gentleman, but that Lady Heat's got to go! Cobalt Eagle, attack!"
"Oh no, you don't!" Jaden threw his hand. "I reveal my quick-play spell: Flash Fusion! I can Fusion Summon right now with material on my field!" Lady Heat and Solid Soldier flew up into the air.
"Come on out, Nova Master!" In a burst of fire, a powerful monster appeared to the field.
Elemental HERO Nova Master
Type: Fusion/Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: FIRE/Level: 8/ATK: 2600/DEF: 2100]
"Alright, I ain't messing with that!" Cobalt Eagle shouted as he flew back, effectively canceling his attack.
"Oh, there's more!" Jaden gripped his fist. "See when Solid Soldier leaves the field by a spell card, I can target one other Elemental Hero in my graveyard and special summon it back to the field in defense mode!" Jaden pointed as Lady Heat returned to the field.
"Not bad, but you ain't getting out of this that easily!" Jesse looked over to Amythest Cat. "Amythest Cat can cut her attack points in half to attack you directly!"
(1200→600)
"Uh oh!" Jaden cried out as the cat passed his defenses and pounced right for him.
Jaden: 4000→3400 LP. Bastion: 4000 LP.
Jesse: 3600 LP. Chazz: 3600 LP.
"There! And with that, I'll end a turn with a facedown!" Jesse declared as North Academy started to cheer at the first blow from the North Academy Students.
As Jaden shook off the attack, he screamed out, "At the end of the turn, Nova master gets destroyed from the effect of Flash Fusion!" Jaden's Fusion monster left the field.
Turn 6: Jaden. Cards: 3
"Not bad, Jesse!" Jaden drew his card. "But I'm not out of it yet! I play polymerization with Lady Heat and Elemental hero Necroshade in my hand!" The two heroes jumped to the air. However, instead of light, dark sparkles exploded from the fusion. No one could quite see where Jaden's new monster was, but they all noticed Jaden's shadow rising behind him. As it did, it started to stretch and grow until a large, humanoid shadow towered over the Slifer Ace.
Without being disturbed, Jaden motioned to the monster over him, "Meet Elemental HERO Escuridao!"
Elemental HERO Escuridao
Type: Fusion/Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: DARK/Level: 8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000]
"Whoa, that's one creepy monster!" Damon, the former jungle-boy, cried out.
"Didn't know Jaden had a monster like that in his deck!" Grace added along.
"See, Escuridao has a cool effect that allows him to gain 100 attack points for every Hero monster in my graveyard!" Escuridao's tendrils started to form the faces of Jaden's Elemental Heroes. It unnerved nearly all except in the duel. However, Jaden went on. "There's four of them in my graveyard, so Escuridao gains 400 extra attack points!"
(2500→2900)
The point boost automatically made Jaden's monster the strongest on the field.
"Go, Escuridao! Attack Amythest Cat!" Jaden called out as the shadowy hero seemed to defy reality and slid towards Jesse's monsters.
"Did ya forget someone, Jaden?!" Chazz screamed as he pressed a button on his duel disk. "I play my face down: Burst Breath! By tributing a dragon-type monster, I can destroy all monsters on the field whose defense is equal to or less than the tributed's attack points! Alexandrite Dragon has 2000 attack points, which is equal and higher to all other monsters on the field! Go, Alexandrite Dragon, purge the field!"
The dragon started to shine as light started to explode from its maw. The explosion blew away all monsters from the field.
"That move protected Jesse, but now Chazz and he don't have any monsters on the field!" Brie cried out.
However, after the dust settled, everyone was surprised to see two crystals in Jesse's spell and trap card zone.
"Hey, what gives!? I thought Chazz destroyed all monsters!" Jaden cried out.
"All my Crystal beasts monsters have a sweet ability to stay in my spell and trap card zone instead of going to the graveyard!" Jesse exclaimed before looking over to his tag partner and giving him a thumbs-up. "Thanks for protecting my life points, Chazz! I got it from here! I play a continuous trap: Crystal Conclave! With this card, whenever one or more of my monsters are destroyed, I can special summon a Crystal beast right from my deck! I choose Topaz Tiger in attack mode!"
A topaz crystal appeared before transforming into a horned tiger.
Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger
[Type: Effect Monster\Sub-Type: Beast\Attribute: EARTH\Level: 4\ATK: 1600\DEF: 1000]
"I sense powerful foes! Today will be a good day." Topaz roared as he came to the stage.
However, Bastion kept his eye on the two jewels in Jesse's Spell and Trap Card field. The Ra Yellow Ace wondered why the deck did so much to keep Jesse's monsters in his field at the expense of his spell and trap cards?
Jaden seemed to tense. "I'll end my turn there."
Turn 7: Chazz. Cards: 4.
Chazz drew his card and looked over to the field. "I summon Axe Dragonute in attack mode!" Chazz twitched a little as the familiar card descended to greet his opponents.
Axe Dragonute
[Type: Effect Monster\Sub-Type: Dragon\Attribute: DARK\Level: 4\ATK: 2000\DEF: 1200]
"You gotta be kidding me, another 2000 attack-points dragon?!" Jaden cried out as he looked at the creature.
"Oh, it's much worse for you, Slacker!" Chazz spoke up. "In case you haven't realized, you're entire field is empty! Go, Axe Dragonute!"
The smaller dragon gave off a powerful roar as it held its battle axe high and rushed right for Jaden.
"It appears you forgot something this time, Chazz!" Bastion cried out. "I still have my facedown! Behold, Mirror Force!"
"You had Mirror Force!?" Chazz screamed out as the trap card revealed itself.
"We know what this card does, but those few that somehow do not: the card allows me to destroy all face-up attack position monsters on my opponent's field when one of them declares an attack! In this case, I can destroy even Jesse's field!"
The card reflected the impact of Dragontue's attack right back at him and Topaz Tiger.
"Ah, man! Topaz didn't get to even do anything! He's not going to like that," Jesse motioned back to his trap card. "But thanks to Crystal Conclave, I can bring out another Crystal Beast! Come on out, Sapphire Pegasus!"
A new crystal appeared as Topaz formed in the Spell and Trap Card Zone.
Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus
[Type: Effect Monster\Sub-Type: Beast\Attribute: WIND\Level: 4\ATK: 1800\DEF: 1200]
"Jesse, looks like we're working together again!" Sapphire exclaimed.
"You bet, Saph! But it ain't our turn yet."
Chazz gritted his teeth. "I'll play one card face down and end my turn."
Turn 8: Bastion. Cards: 4.
As he drew his card, his eyes widened. "Alright, then. It's time to make my presence known! I send to my graveyard a light and a wind type monster to special summon a mighty monster!" Electricity started to dance around Bastion's card before he slammed it to his duel disk. Thunder boomed, and lightning flashed. Yet everyone saw a silhouette of a strange and powerful warrior.
As the light died down, an armed swordsman appeared on to the field.
"Behold! Elementsaber Lapauila Mana!"
Elementsaber Lapauila Mana
[Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type:Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level:6/ATK:2400/DEF:2100]
"He gains a special effect depending on the attributes of the monsters used to summon him. Since I used a light and a wind monster, he now gains the ability to not be destroyed by battle and card effects!"
"What!?" Foster screamed as most of North Academy was shocked to hear about a practically invincible monster.
"Aha! Go get'em, Bastion!" Chancellor Sheppard screamed out.
"I'm not done!" The Ra Yellow Ace exclaimed as he took another card from his hand. "I play the equip spell: Fairy Meteor Crush! Now then, with Lapauila Mana's abilities, I can safely attack Chazz directly!"
"Not so fast, Bastion!" Chazz spoke up. "You may have an indestructible monster on your side, by I'm going to protect my life points! I play the Quick Summon! This allows me to normal summon at this moment! I bring out Kidmodo Dragon in defense position!"
Kidmodo Dragon
[Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type:Dragon/Attribute: EARTH/Level:3/ATK:100/DEF:200]
A baby dragon appeared on to the field, only to get quickly cut in half by Lapauila's massive thunder blade.
Bastion pointed. "Unfortunately for you, Chazz, your life points aren't protected! My equip spell grants my monster a Pierce Ability! That means the difference between my attack points and your defense points is subtracted from your life points!"
Chazz looked up as Lapauila held out a hand and blasted a shock of thunder at the former Obelisk Blue Student.
Jaden: 3400 LP. Bastion: 4000 LP.
Jesse: 3600 LP. Chazz: 3600→1400 LP.
Slade and Jager grunted after seeing that huge blow. "Alright, Chazz, quit messing around!"
Chazz grunted in pain, but quickly got himself back together. "You're not the only one with tricks, Bastion! Kidmodo Dragon has his ability when he's sent to the graveyard! I'm allowed to summon a dragon-type monster from my hand! Come forth, Dragonic Knight!"
As Chazz slammed the card down, a dragon armed with a sword and a shield towered behind the Princeton Heir.
Dragonic Knight
[Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type:Dragon/Attribute: FIRE/Level:7/ATK:2800/DEF:2300]
"Hey, I just realized!" Jager raised his brow as he looked at the monster. "Those cards are powerful, but that wasn't in the briefcase of cards we got him!"
"What are you saying!? Chazz didn't use our cards we specifically told him to use!?" Slade shouted as the duel continued down below.
"An excellent maneuver, Chazz!" Bastion exclaimed before glancing over to Jaden. "I play one card face down and end my turn!"
Turn 9: Jesse. Cards: 2.
Duel Academy cheered hard after Bastion's turn.
"Wow! Bastion is in top form!" Syrus shouted.
"Yeah! He's pretty much deciding this duel!" Dimitri shouted out.
"I gotta give credit where credit is due, Bastion used the fact he was forgotten as an advantage. When both their opponents were too focused on Jaden, Bastion swooped in and did a major blow while protecting his ally." Sora spoke up as he watched the duel with interest.
Back in the duel, Jesse drew his card. "Well that Mana Card sure is pretty cool, Bastion! It's got the ability to not get destroyed by battle or card effects!"
"Ha! Like that's going to stop us! Do it, Jesse!" Sapphire Pegasus exclaimed.
"Saph, I've got a better idea! I summon Emerald Turtle in attack mode!"
Like others before, a crystal appeared before the animal version of the crystal appeared.
Crystal Beast Emerald Turtle
[Type: Effect Monster\Sub-Type: Aqua\Attribute: WATER\Level: 3\ATK: 600\DEF: 2000]
"Oh no!" The Turtle inside its shell seemed to rattle with anxiety. "There are so many people here!"
Jesse opened his mouth to comment about the cameras, but wisely caught himself and just continued his turn. "I ain't done! I play a spell: M-Force! This gives a Crystal beast card 500 extra attack points, and I give it to Sapphire!"
(1800→2300)
"Now, my monsters are going to attack Jaden directly!" As Jesse cried this out, both of his monsters unleashed a wave of attacks on The Slifer Ace.
Jaden: 3400→500 LP. Bastion: 4000 LP.
Jesse: 3600 LP. Chazz: 1400 LP.
"Haha! Looks like one of your own is almost out of it, Shepard!" Foster whooped when he saw one of the Duel Academy Duelists almost knocked out.
"It's not over yet, Foster!" Although Sheppard said this, he was starting to sweat.
"Why did he go for Jaden!?" Chumley screamed out.
"Why wouldn't he? Bastion has an indestructible monster while Jaden's field is wide open." Gloria pointed out. "Jaden must have had a bad hand if he couldn't protect himself for a while."
"I'll end my turn there!" Jesse exclaimed.
Turn 10: Jaden. Cards: 2.
Jaden, despite being close to getting knocked out, was smiling like a loon. "Now, this is fun! Let's kick it up a notch!" Bastion was quietly happy that Jaden was back into his usual self.
"I play the spell card: Fifth Hope! Usually, I can send 5 Elemental Hero Monsters from my graveyard to my deck and draw two cards! But because my field is empty, I can do 3 cards instead!" Jaden returned his five heroes to his deck while drawing three new cards.
"Sweet! I activate another Polymerization! I'm fusing Wildheart and Bladedge to bring out Elemental Hero Wildedge!"
Elemental HERO Wildedge
Type: Fusion/Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: EARTH/Level: 8/ATK: 2600/DEF: 2300]
"Next, I play the Equip Spell: Hero Cape!" As he put the card down, a cape appeared on the back of Wildedge. "This card can only be equipped to Elemental Hero Monsters! But it's got a sweet ability for them: this will give Wildedge an increase of 800 attack points!" (2600→3400) "And that's not all! Wildedge can attack all of my opponent's monsters!"
"But that means!" Jesse cried out.
"Yep! That means if my attacks connect with Jesse, you're out of the tag duel! Go, Wildedge!" Jaden cried out as the fusion hero made his way towards Jesse's Monsters.
"Well, it's a good thing I saved this card! I play my Conclave's second effect! I can tribute this card, which will allow me to target my Amythest and your Wildedge and make 'em both return to the hand!" Jesse exclaimed as his trap card started to glow.
However, the North Academy side noticed Jaden still had a smile on his face. "That was a sweet move, but seeing as how last round went, I knew you'd try to stop my attack."
"Jaden was the bait!" Everyone turned to Bastion. "And you took it hook-line-and-sinker! I play my counter trap: Wiretap! This will negate the activated trap card, and send it back to your deck!"
"Oh, no!" Jesse cried out as his trap card left the field, and Jaden's Fusion went right for his two monsters!
"Come on, connect!" "No!" People from Duel Academy and North Academy screamed with varying levels of excitement and dread.
Quietly, Chazz bit his lip. As the attack made its way towards Jesse, he seemed conflicted over something. Chazz glanced to his face down before he shouted in what seemed to be agony, and then he screamed, "I play my Quick-Play Spell Card: Over Dragon! If I have a level 8 or higher dragon-type monster on my field, I can target one monster on the field, and it gains half of my dragon's attack points! I give 1400 attack points to Sapphire Pegasus!"(1800→3200)
"That's still not enough to beat Wildedge!" Jaden cried out as Wildedge's attack connected, and he cleaved both Saphhire Pegasus and Emerald Turtle with one massive swing of his blade.
Jaden: 500 LP. Bastion: 4000 LP.
Jesse: 3600→800 LP. Chazz: 1400 LP.
"But it's enough to keep him in the game!" Chazz shouted as the last two crystals ended up filling Jesse's Spell and Trap Card Zones.
"Wildedge hasn't attacked Dragonic Knight yet! Let's give Chazz some attention!" As Jaden exclaimed this, Wildedge attacked and destroyed Dragonic Knight.
Jaden: 500 LP. Bastion: 4000 LP.
Jesse: 800 LP. Chazz: 1400→600 LP.
Chazz was ticked off. He was saving that card incase Jaden attacked him first with Wildedge. Even if he attacked Jesse, he was expecting to use it to destroy Wildedge with Dragonic Knight.
"Chazz!" The former Obelisk Blue turned to Jaden. He wasn't expecting the Slifer Red to throw him a thumbs-up sign. "That was a sweet move! I'm impressed!"
"He's right!" Chazz blinked before looking to Jesse. "You saved my bacon there, partner! Thanks a bunch!"
Chazz found himself confused yet comforted. However, he made the mistake of looking up to the bleachers towards his brothers. Chazz gritted his teeth. "You better not make me regret it! We need to win!" Chazz shouted as he readied himself.
Jaden frowned as he saw Chazz going back to his serious and almost desperate mode. But Bastion was right, the longer this duel goes on, the better chance to help Chazz out of this situation. … He hoped.
"I activate Hero Cape's other ability! When my hero successfully destroys a monster, and by giving up 200 attack points, I can draw 1 card!" (3400→3200) "Next, I play one card face down and activate Mirage of Nightmares! This Continous Spell card allows me to draw four cards on my opponent's turn, but I'll have to discard them when it comes to my turn." Jaden relaxed a little. "I'll end my turn there!"
Turn 11: Chazz. Cards: 1.
Chazz spotted the card he drew. However, Jaden cried out, "Mirage of Nightmare activates, allowing me to draw up to four cards!" As he took the four cards, he pressed a button. "I reveal my facedown, Emergency Provisions! This allows me to tribute other spell and trap cards for 1000 life points!" With that move, Jaden drew four new cards while gaining life points.
Jaden: 500→1500 LP. Bastion: 4000 LP.
Jesse: 800 LP. Chazz: 1400 LP.
Chazz narrowed his eyes as Jaden drew practically a new hand of cards. Instead, he played his card. "I play Pot of Greed!" As he drew two more cards, he looked back at his hand. "I play Over Dragon's effect from the graveyard! By banishing it, I can special summon a level 1 dragon token with 0 attack and defense points!" Chazz took a card out. "I sacrifice my token to tribute summon Darkflare Dragon!"
From behind Princeton, a pillar of dark flames erupted. A fearsome red and black dragon exploded from the pillar, roaring as it was freed from its summon. Its dark red glowing eyes leered right for the two Duel Academy as a ring of flames surrounded it.
Darkflare Dragon
[Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type:Dragon/Attribute: DARK/Level:5/ATK:2400/DEF:1200]
"Now, I banish Axe Dragonute and Alexandrite Dragon from my graveyard to special summon Lightpulsar Dragon!"
From the skies above, a shining pillar of light shot down beside Dark Flare Dragon. The light then
condensed into the form of a massive Dragon that was only slightly bigger than Darkflare Dragon. Speaking of said dragon, this new beast looked to be Darkflare's counterpart. Where Darkflare was black and red, this dragon was white and blue. It had many, thin blue circles of light flying around it.
Darkflare Dragon
[Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type:Dragon/Attribute: LIGHT/Level:6/ATK:2500/DEF:1200]
"Two dragons! I have a bad feeling about this!" Bastion commented.
Chazz only continued with his turn. "Next, I play the Continous Spell: Spirit of Light and Darkness! This card can only be played if I have only two dragons that are lower than level 8, and that both dragons have to be a Light and Dark attribute! It gives my two monsters a 500 attack point boost!"
(2500→3000) (2400→2900)
"That doesn't look good!" Jaden cried out as the two Dragon roared at the surge of new power.
"That's not all!" Chazz gripped his fist. "When these monsters battle, they can negate and nullify the effects the monsters they battle!" He pointed over to Lapuila Mana. "That means your monster is no longer invincible to my dragon's attacks!"
"Great Scott!" Bastion's eyes widened with alarm.
"Darkflare and Lightpulsar! Eliminate Bastion's monster and attack him directly!" The two dragons inhaled a large amount of energy before unleashing a torrential stream right for Bastion and his monster.
"Bastion!" Jaden cried out as Bastion took the direct hits.
Jaden: 1500 LP. Bastion: 4000→500 LP.
Jesse: 800 LP. Chazz: 1400 LP.
"I was getting a little sick and tired of seeing someone with perfect life points," Chazz spoke up. "Now, Spirit Of Light and Darkness has activated another effect when I successfully attack with both monsters. I'm allowed to search my deck and take one level 8 dragon-type to bring to my hand."
Something happened when Chazz picked up his card. Jaden felt a strange presence in the air. Those who could see spirits also felt a strange tension in the air.
"I end my turn!" Chazz declared.
Turn 12: Bastion. Cards: 0
"Now it's Bastion turn to have an empty field. What's he going to do?" Dimitri asked what everyone else was silently thinking.
The Ra Yellow Ace drew his card, and when he did, he quickly played it. "I play the Spell Card: Balance Judgement! Here's how it works, if my opponent controls more cards on the field than I do in my hand, and on my side of the field, I can draw equal to the surplus!" Bastion pointed over to Jesse. "I choose to draw 5 cards due to the five crystals on Jesse's field!"
Bastion drew a full hand. After a glance, he went to work. "I play Graceful Charity! This will allow me to draw three cards and discard two of them!" Bastion's Eyes widened as he spotted the card he drew. "I activate the five Elementsaber effects from my graveyard!" All of Duel Academy started cheering wildly at the call while North Academy stared in confusion at what that meant. "I can change their attributes while they are in the graveyard! And I choose to turn five of my monsters into the earth type! This will allow me to special summon Grandsoil The Elemental Lord!"
Like in his duel with Jaden, the ground shook and a mountain raised behind Bastion. It started to rumble and shake until it started to crack like a crumbling prison. Grandsoil emerged and towered over the entire battlefield.
Grandsoil The Elemental Lord
[Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Beast-Warrior/Attribute: EARTH/Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2200]
Chazz couldn't help but step back at the presence of this new monster. "Okay, Bastion never had this before."
"When Grandsoil is Special Summoned, I'm allowed to special summon a monster from a graveyard!" Bastion made a motion to his grave... before he pointed over to Chazz. "I will take Dragonic Knight!"
Chazz's eyes widened with horror as his card was taken from his graveyard and caught by Bastion.
One of Chazz's dragons roared as it appeared on the opposite side of the field.
"Grandsoil can choose a monster from any graveyard! I choose one of the strongest ones from all 4 graveyards! I'm not done! I play my Field Spell: Palace of the Elemental Lords!" Bastion started to explain what it did and drew a monster from his deck to his hand. "I now play the continuous spell card, Elemental Synchronicity! This spell card allows me to change the attributes of my monsters in my graveyard! By turning them back to normal, my field spell boosts my monster by 1000 attack and defense points!"
Five pillars on Bastion's Field spell started to glow. As it did, Bastion's monsters gained a new
(2800→3800)(2300→3300)
(2800→3800)(2200→3200)
"That's not all! I still have my normal summon! Come forth, Elementsaber Nalu!" As Bastion played the card, a gorgeous armored woman entered to the field.
Elementsaber Nalu
[Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: WATER/Level: 3/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1000]
"Usually, I'd activate her effect when she's summoned. However, as of now, I cannot play it. Instead, she'll gain 1000 points!"
(1500→2500)(1000→2000)
Bastion pointed. "With three monsters on the field, I order Grandsoil and Dragonic Knight to attack Chazz's monsters while Nalu attacks Jesse!"
The three monsters under Bastion's command raced for their targets. If those attacks connected, North Academy would lose the duel!
"Not so fast! I still got this card in my hand!" Jesse flipped up the card in his hand. "Go, Crystal Shield! This card can be activated from the hand if my Spell and Trap card zones are full of Crystal Beast monsters! By discarding this card and a Crystal Beast of my choice—sorry, Emerald—I can end your battle phase before it begins!"
The three monsters were stopped by another crystal barrier protecting Chazz's monsters along with Jesse himself.
Seeing his attack failing, Bastion continued his turn. "I play one card face down and end my turn."
Turn 13: Jesse. Cards: 0
The Crystal Beast Duelist drew his card and looked at his hand. "I play Rare Value! I can draw 2 cards if I have a Crystal Beast monster in my spell and trap card zone! You guys get to choose which one gets sent to the graveyard!"
"I believe at this stage, we should send Amethyst to the Graveyard." Bastion offered. "If he summons her again, we'll both be vulnerable to a direct attack."
"Bastion always has a way with words! We choose Amethyst!" Jaden pointed to the crystal as it went into Jesse's graveyard.
"Alright, now I draw two cards!" Jesse exclaimed as he did so. A smile appeared on his face when he saw the cards. "Well, you ain't the only with a fancy Field Spell! I play Ancient City- Rainbow Ruins!" As Jesse played his card, half of the field started to turn into what looked to be a Roman Colosseum. "Now, I'm gonna have to bring out the big guns! Come on out, Crystal Beast Pearl Reindeer!"
A gorgeous pearl sphere appeared into the field. It cracked brightly before another explosion of light
ended. What came out was a beautiful white and light pink reindeer with impressive and branching out crystal antlers with miniature crystal pearls glittering and hanging all over the antlers like fruits in a tree.
Crystal Beast Pearl Reindeer
[Type: Effect Monster\Sub-Type: Fairy\Attribute: LIGHT\Level: 8\ATK: 2500\DEF: 2000]
"But that's a level 8 monster!" Bastion cried out. "How can you summon that card without a tribute?"
"Funny you should say that! See, my level 7 and higher Crystal Beast cards don't need a Tribute! They can be special summoned by the amount of Crystal Beast cards in my spell and trap zones! Pearl here needs 3 to be special summoned!"
"Ah, Jesse, do explain things beforehand. It's rude to cause undue confusion." Pearl spoke with a soft yet firm voice. It was like a mother correcting her child.
"Sorry, Mam! Won't do it again!" Jesse laughed and rubbed his head, making Bastion raise his brow in confusion. However, Jesse looked back to the field. "See, she has a special ability! Based on the number of other Crystal Beast cards in my graveyard and on the field, Pearl gets a boost of 150 attack and defense points!"
Both Jaden and Bastion gasped at the revelation of the new ability.
"That's right! There's a total of five in my graveyard, so Pearl gains 750 points!" (2500→3250)(2000→2750) "That's just enough attack points to destroy Wildedge! Go, Pearl!" The Reindeer unleashed a beam of multi-colored lights that took out the wild swordsman.
Jaden: 1500→1450 LP. Bastion: 500 LP.
Jesse: 800 LP. Chazz: 1400 LP.
"I'll end ma turn there!" Jesse declared.
Turn 14: Jaden. Cards: 4
Jaden drew his next card. "Alright! I play the card Earth's Heroic Call! This will allow me to send Elemental Hero Ocean and Woodsman from my deck to my graveyard, and then I can special summon Elemental Hero Terra Firma to the field!"
Jaden's rarest hero appeared on to the field as stunningly as it usually did.
Elemental Hero Terra Firma
[Type: Fusion/Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: EARTH/Level: 8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000]
"That's not all!" Jaden continued. "Earth's Heroic Call allows me to banish it from the graveyard to give Terra Firma an extra 1000 points in attack and defense points!" (2500→3500)(2000→3000) "Now for some payback! Go, Terra Firma, attack Pearl Reindeer!" The Elemental Hero rushed and cleaved the Crystal Beast with several energy blades.
Even destroyed, Jesse didn't look deterred. "Thanks to mah field spell, I take half the damage if I have more than 2 Crystal Beast cards in my trap and spell zone!" As he said this, Pearl's body started to appear and fill those zones.
Jaden: 1450 LP. Bastion: 500 LP.
Jesse: 800→675 LP. Chazz: 1400 LP.
"If his field spell halves his damage that means he's going to take longer to take out." Bastion noted.
"Man, Jesse doesn't play around!" Jaden gripped his fist. "I'll end my turn with two face downs!"
Turn 15: Chazz. Cards: 1.
"Now, it's my turn!" Chazz drew his card and picked up the other card in his hand. There was a tension in the air as Chazz took this card. "I sacrifice Lightpulsar and Drakflare to summon this mighty beast!"
The two dragons turned into pure energy of both light and darkness before slamming together. Their combined form started to take shape of a dragon with one an angelic side and a demonic side. As the dragon fully realized, it gave off a roar that gave goosebumps to even those who couldn't sense spirits.
Light And Darkness Dragon
[Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 24000]
Bastion and Jaden noticed a change in Chazz's demeanor. With the appearance of this dragon, it was as if Chazz himself gained a much more powerful presence than before.
"I activate Spirit of Light and Darkness's final effect! If the two dragons are used as a tribute summon for a dragon-type, I can increase the original attack and defense of the dragon type monster by 500!"
(2800→3300)(2400→2900) "I'll put one card face down and end my turn!"
Turn 16: Bastion. Cards: 2.
"I draw!" Bastion felt a strong amount of pressure coming from Chazz's dragon. He could attack Jesse and take him out, but something was warning him that letting Chazz's dragon stay out for too long would be troublesome.
But the idea that Jesse could be taken out right now was too much of an advantage to pass up. His field spell only halved the battle damage, it did not stop nor could it stop one of his 4000 attack point monsters. But then again… Chazz had a face down. Bastion had his face down, but he didn't know what kind of effect Light and Darkness Dragon had. He's never seen a card like that before.
Bastion made his move. "I play three cards face down!" The Ra Yellow shoved his entire hand into his duel disk slot. He looked towards Jesse and his empty field.
"What's the matter, Bastion? Scared?" Chazz spoke up, catching the attention of the Ra yellow Genius. "You should be! With Light and Darkness Dragon on my side, this duel is practically won! Even with your so-called stronger monsters, North Academy has this duel in the bag!"
"Chazz, the fact you're trying to bait me to attack you proves that you have something planned." Bastion looked down at the face down he placed a turn before. He paused for a second before smiling. "But alright, if you're that confident, allow me to prove you wrong once more! Grandsoil, attack Light and Darkness Dragon!"
The giant Elemental Lord raised his fist high with the intent to crush Light and Darkness Dragon.
"I knew it!" Chazz acted fast. "I play Reverse Trap! For this turn, all increases turn into decreases and all decreases turn into increases! Light and Darkness Dragon is unaffected because his original attack and defense points were changed!"
"Chazz, must you be so predictable!?" Bastion pressed a button on his duel disk. "I reveal my trap card from the last turn! Solemn Judgement! By paying half my life points, I can negate the activation of a card!" Bastion: 500→250 LP.
Solemn Judgement fired a beam towards Reverse Trap. However, Chazz pointed towards his dragon. "Light and Darkness Dragon can decrease it's attack and defense points by 500 to negate an effect!"
"It can what!?" Bastion's eyes widened with alarm.
"He can negate your negate!" Chazz exclaimed. "Not only that, with Reverse Trap, instead of losing those 500, he gains another 500 in both his points!"
(3300→3800)(2900→3400)
"All the while, your monster field loses 1000 points instead of gaining them!" Chazz pointed towards Grandsoil, whose menacing aura decreased dramatically.
(3800→1800)(3300→1300)
(3800→1800)(3200→1200)
(2500→500)(2000→0)
Light and Darkness Dragon gathered energy and fired a beam right for Grandsoil's fist. The attack collided and shattered the hand of the mighty Elemental Lord.
Jaden: 1450 LP. Bastion: 500→0 LP.
Jesse: 675 LP. Chazz: 1400 LP.
Bastion was out of the duel. North Academy cheered wildly as the first to fall in the tag duel was Duel Academy.
"Oh no!" Alexis shouted out loud. "Bastion lost in his turn! The next turn is going to be Jesse's!"
"Ah!? Are they going to win!?" Syrus screamed in horror.
With Bastion being knocked out, his turn was officially over. However, his cards remained on his side of the field as the Tag Duel still went on.
Turn 17: Jesse. Cards: 0
Before Jesse's turn truly started, Chazz's Light and Darkness Dragon started to lose attack points since Reverse Trap's effect ended. (3800→2800)(3400→2400)
"I draw! And thanks to my field spell, when I have 4 Crystal Beasts in their crystal forms, I can draw another card by sending Cobalt to the graveyard!" With that, Jesse had two cards in his hand. "I special summon Crystal beast Silver Wolf in attack mode!"
At the call of such a name, a regal-looking silver stone appeared before breaking, much like all Crystal
Beasts before and after it. When the light died down, a silver wolf appeared with sharp fur, a slash
across his left eye, and black onyx claws that sparkled among the glittering snow.
Crystal Beast Silver Wolf
[Type: Effect Monster\Sub-Type: Beast\Attribute: DARK\Level: 7\ATK: 2800\DEF: 800]
"You can special summon him too?!" Jaden's eyes widened.
"Yep! Wolfy here only needs two Crystal Beasts to be in the spell zones for me to call on him. He's a lot quieter than the others, but he's a swell guy for sure!"
After Jesse spoke, Bastion grunted and looked over to Jaden. "I apologize, Jaden, I've made a grave miscalculation that may have caused us the duel."
"Don't sweat it, Bastion! You did great! We're not out of it yet!"
"Are ya sure?" Jesse spoke up. "I still have my normal summon and I'm gonna bring out Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle!"
Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle
[Type: Effect Monster\Sub-Type: Fairy\Attribute: LIGHT\Level: 3\ATK: 300\DEF: 300]
Jaden recognized the creature as the spirit hanging around Jesse's shoulder when they first met. When the little creature appeared, many of the girls started to coo at how adorable the creature looked to them.
"When he's summoned, I can bring all my Crystal Beast monsters that in my zone back to my monster zone! Come on back out, Pearl, Topaz, and Sapphire!" As Ruby began to make his crystal glow, Jesse's entire field filled to the brim with Crystal Beast monsters.
"Alright, we're back!" "This time, I refuse to leave so easily!" "Calm down everyone, let us not get hasty." Sapphire, Topaz, and Pearl spoke out respectively.
Jesse pointed to Pearl. "Pearl's effect activates! With two new Crystal beast monsters on the field, she grows even more powerful than before!" (2500→3550)(2000→3050) "And will ya look at that!? She beats your fusion by another 50 attack points!"
"This is it! I'll finally win!" Foster shouted out with far more excitement a man of his age should. Beside him, Chancellor Sheppard looked to be bitting on his nails.
"Go get'em guys! Pearl, destroy Elemental Hero Terra Firma!" Jesse cried out as Pearl launched another laser right for Jaden's only defense.
However, the Slifer Red Ace was quick to point down. "I play my trap card, Negate Attack!"
"No, you don't, slacker!" Chazz shouted. "Light and Darkness Dragon can negate that trap card from activating by sacrificing another 500 points!" (2800→2300)(2400→1900)
Light and Darkness Dragon shined, and Jaden's trap card started to crack under pressure.
"Jaden!" The brunette turned to Bastion. "I may be out, but my face downs are still in play! Activate the one on the far left!"
"Alright! Come on, Bastion's facedown!" Jaden pointed to the card as it popped up. "What's Chain Strike!?"
"This card can only be activated in a chain link 2 or higher; inflict 400 damage to your opponent times the Chain Link number of this card!" Bastion declared while pointing to Jesse. "This activation is chain Link 3 in response to Chazz's Light and Darkness Dragon! That means Jaden gets to deal 1200 points of damage to our opponents!"
Chains appeared from Bastion's Quick-Play Spell Card. They both slammed Chazz and Jesse.
Jaden: 1450 LP. Bastion: 0 LP.
Jesse: 675→0 LP. Chazz: 1400→200 LP.
"Jesse was taken out!" A North Academy student cried out.
"It seems your field spell doesn't protect you from Effect Damage!" Bastion cried out. "With you losing your life points, your attack is negated and your turn ends as well!"
Turn 18: Jaden. Cards: 2.
Duel Academy was like fans in a concert, screaming their lungs out at the return play.
"Haha! What was that about winning this time, Foster?!" Chancellor Sheppard cried out, regaining his lost enthusiasm while the color in Foster's face drained.
Jaden drew his card. But at that point, Chazz pointed over to Jaden. "You do remember that in Bastion's turn, Grandsoil was destroyed, right? I've heard of the Elemental Lord Decks before. They're rare and powerful, but they come with a cost! If one leaves the field, the user has to skip a battle phase!" Chazz gripped his fist. "With Bastion out, that leaves Grandsoil's effect on you! You can't attack this turn!"
Jaden gritted his teeth while Bastion silently hated how much his mistake was costing them. "You're right about that, Chazz!" The Slifer Red looked to his hand. "I summon Winged Kuriboh in Defense mode!"
"Kuri!" Much like Ruby Carbuncle, the girls started cooing at how adorable the furball was.
However, when Winged Kuriboh and LaD Dragon locked eyes, Jaden and Chazz felt a strange pull towards each other.
"Next, I'll throw down two more facedowns!" Jaden exclaimed.
Turn 19: Chazz. Card's 0.
Chazz drew his card. As he did, he looked up towards the stands where his brothers were. They were glowering towards him. Chazz remembered what was at stake here. His brother's plans... his place with his family... he needed to win this!
The North Academy Representative revealed the card he drew. "I play Card of Sanctity! This will allow all players to draw until they have six cards in their hand!"
Jaden and Chazz did so. However, Chazz looked up towards Jaden and Bastion's side. Bastion still had two facedowns that Jaden could activate, aside from three of his own. LaD Dragon had at the very least 4 negates left. Theoretically, he could only negate four of those 5 face downs, if they aren't linked after his negate.
The cards he drew were good, but how could he beat both Bastion and Jaden at the same time!?
"Chazz!" The black-haired duelist turned to his left and saw Jesse pointing a thumbs-up at him. "My monsters are still on the field! Just like Jaden can use Bastion's face downs, you can use my monsters!" Jesse smiled. "This is a tag duel after all! We're a team!"
A… team?
"Yeah!" The Ojama Brothers appeared beside Chazz. "We got your back, Boss! Just say the word and we'll help ya!"
"You should listen to them, Chazz," Jaden spoke with a calmness that Chazz did not expect. "Don't think about your brothers! Think about this duel! We've all been having a lot of fun with it, and even I can tell you're enjoying it! Play it for yourself! Not because someone told you to win!"
Chazz stared for a second. His eyes wandered over to Jesse's monsters and he realized he could use one of their abilities. He inhaled deeply… then pulled a card out of his hand. "I'm going to activate Silver Wolf's Ability! He can change the battle position of one monster on the field! I choose Winged Kuriboh!"
"Winged Kuriboh is in attack mode!" Beauregard shouted out loud.
"That means he'll take battle damage before his effect kicks in!" Brier shouted with his former Duel Giant conspirator.
"But Jaden only has 1450 Life Points left!" Gloria shouted.
"I think we're going to see another round of chain links," Wilona spoke up. "This time, I have a bloody feeling this is going to be the last turn of the duel."
"Let's see you deal with this... Jaden!" Chazz pointed. "Topaz Tiger attacks Winged Kuriboh! He gains 400 attack points in his battle phase bumping him up to 2000 attack-points!"
"Jaden, my far right card!" Bastion hurriedly yelled as Jaden pointed over to it. "Sakuretsu Armor! The attacking monster is destroyed!"
"Oh no, you don't! LaD Dragon's ability activates!"(2300→1800)(1900→1400) "Sakuretsu Armor is negated!"
"But this card won't be!" Jaden motioned to one of his cards, "Go, Impenetrable Attack! This trap card allows me one of two effects during the battle phase! I choose to negate battle damage for this turn!"
"You think you're safe!? I now play the Quick-Play Spell Card, Forbidden Scripture! If a monster battles an opponent's monster, during damage calculation: negate all other card effects on the field until the end of the Damage Step, also damage calculation for this battle uses each monster's original ATK and DEF!" Chazz placed the card in as the book started to activate.
"Jaden, my middle card!" Jaden acted fast for Bastion. "Go, Windstorm of Etaqua! This will change all the positions of all our opponent's monsters!"
Chazz picked up another card. "I play Forbidden Lance! I target 1 face-up monster on the field; until the End Phase, it loses 800 ATK, but is unaffected by the effects of other spell or trap cards! I choose Crystal Beast Pearl Reindeer!" (3550→2750)
And then all other cards resolved. Nearly all of Chazz and Jesse's monsters turned to defense mode except Pearl.
"That was just one attack, but they played up to five chain links!" Alexis cried out.
"I had trouble keeping up with everything!" Syrus shouted out loud.
"Yeah, it was a little hard to keep track at that point," Sora noted with a little more seriousness than he usually showed. "Still, there's one more attack left. However, Jaden and Bastion also have one more face down each to protect Winged Kuriboh. Chazz's Light and Darkness Dragon has at least 2 more negates."
"Crystal Beast Pearl Reindeer, attack Winged Kuriboh!" Chazz declared the final attack of his turn.
Jaden looked over to Bastion, who nodded once before the Alifer Ace shouted. "I play Bastion's last facedown!"
"It's the quick-play card, Command Silencer! It negates one attack and allows the user to draw one card!" Bastion cried out.
Chazz pointed. "Go, Light and Darkness Dragon! Negate that card!" (1800→1300)(1400→900)
"That means you can't negate this! Go, Hero Barrier! With this trap card, as long as I have an Elemental Hero on the field, I can negate one attack!" Jaden cried out as Elemental Hero Terra Firma stood in front of Winged Kuriboh and cut the beam of Pearl Reindeer in half.
"…" Chazz was silent as the second attack was negated.
His silence made the crowd in Duel Academy go wild.
"They did it! They stopped Jesse and Chazz's attacks!" Syrus cried out. "I was so worried for them!"
"Wait," The Music Club turned to Wilona, who continued to stare at the dueling field. "Misawa and Yuki aren't letting their guard down."
"Aha...ha...ahahahaha!" Chazz started softly before he started to laugh uncontrollably. "I have to admit, you two played well! But it wasn't good enough! I was baiting those face downs all for this! I play the Spell Card, Thunder Crash! I destroy all monsters on the field! For each one destroyed, you take damage equal to the number of monsters multiplied by 300 points!" Chazz motioned to all the monsters on Jesse and Chazz's side.
"Wait! Five monsters equal 1500 points of damage!" Bastion exclaimed.
"I told you two: I'm going to Chazz you up!" By a flash of thunder, all monsters got destroyed in Chazz and Jesse's side. Yet, a crash of thunder then struck both Jaden and Bastion before their area exploded with smoke.
Everyone watched as the dust settled…
Jaden: 1450→ 0 LP. Bastion: 0 LP.
Jesse: 0 LP. Chazz: 200 LP.
North Academy: Winners!
"CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP!" North Academy screamed louder than they had ever before.
"Atta boy, Chazzy!" Jesse ran up and slapped the back of Chazz's back. "We did it! We wo—"
Whatever Jesse was about to say was interrupted when Jagger and Slade, who somehow came across the stadium very quickly, pushed the North Academy Duelist away and turned to Chazz.
"You idiot! What were you thinking by not taking our cards!?" The eldest Princeton Brother exclaimed.
"I didn't need them! I had my deck!" Chazz took a step back. "I don't understand! You guys said to win, and I did!"
"We needed you to have a crushing victory! Not a close one!" Jagger pointed to Chazz. "If it's a close duel, everyone will be paying attention to everyone, not just you! You failure! Even in success, you still find a way to screw things up! You should have taken our cards!"
"If he took your cards, he would have lost for sure!" Slade and Jagger turned over to Jaden who had passionately screamed that out. Behind The Slifer Ace, was the entire Music Club that looked ready to mob the two if they even tried to touch Chazz's hair. "Chazz didn't just win the tag duel, he proved that he could win even with you two stressing him out the entire time! When he was dueling for himself and not you two, he played in a way I've never seen him play before!" Jaden smiled and turned to Chazz. "Seriously, Chazz! If you played like that in any of our past duels, I would have been in serious trouble! That was the first time that I've seen you duel for yourself, and not because of some false ego!"
Chazz was stunned. For months, he hated Jaden Yuki for dethroning him and turning his world upside-down. However, now that he won, he saw Jaden was still the same up-beat idiot that he was even before. Chazz realized that Jaden was just an idiot with a passion and talent for Duel Monsters, not someone out to get him.
This was only cemented when Jaden turned to the crowd, not just North Academy but Duel Academy, and shouted, "What do you guys think!? Did Chazz Get his game on, or what!?"
"CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP!" North Academy and Duel Academy shouted out loud with enough force to reverberate throughout every stone on the island.
The youngest Princeton heir was silently moved by all of this.
"Fine!" Jagger fixed his collar. "Chazz still won! We can work with this in our favor!"
"Are you sure about that, Jaggy?" Everyone turned to see Seika walking up to the two with Zane right behind her. "See, I made a phone call to someone very interested to hear what you two were doing. All the money that this duel made worldwide? It's now going all to charity."
Slade and Jagger paled. "W-What!? How could that happen! We made a contract!"
"Yes," Seika smiled and slightly cutely tilted her head. "I was told the contract was put under the Princeton Industries, and guess who the current CEO is?"
All three Princeton sons' eyes widened before Slade and Jagger's narrowed towards Seika. "You didn't!" The eldest brother exclaimed.
The Student-body president held up a flip phone that was already open. "The CEO of Princeton Industries would like a word with you, Slade.~"
Slade hesitated before he frowned and got the phone. "What do you want!?"
…
…
"That's none of you're business!" The man suddenly shouted.
…
…
Slade seemed to grow angrier the more he heard the person talk. However, he turned over to Chazz and handed him the phone.
"She wants to talk to you." Those listening in besides Seika were surprised. It was a female behind that line?
Chazz took the phone towards his ear. "H-Hey." Chazz began. To the surprise of many, even his spirits, Chazz started to blush with embarrassment. "S-Shut up! I'll call you later, Big Si—BYE!" He seemed to catch himself from completing a word before slamming the flip phone shut and tossing back at Seika.
"We're leaving!" Slade exclaimed without another word before taking his leave. Jagger followed after him but gave one last stink eye to Chazz as they left.
Later, as most of North Academy got into their Submarine, and after it was revealed that Foster won a kiss on the cheek from Dorothy, Chazz stayed behind.
"Hey, I want to return to Duel Academy," Chazz spoke in a quiet but serious tone.
"Is that so?" Foster began before looking to Sheppard. "Very well then, Chazz. If it what you wish. It was a short time, but North Academy does enjoy your presence." The North Academy Chancellor turned over to Jesse. "Anderson, how would you like to stay here for an academic year? Sheppard and I were talking about an exchange program between our two schools."
"Really? Heck, why not! There are a lot more awesome duelists around here!"
"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet, Jesse! The school is filled with amazing duelists! I think you can even find most of them in our club!" Jaden answered for him and the two excitedly discussed possibilities.
"First Sora, now Jesse!? What's my purpose in life!?" Syrus fell to his knees and screamed his woes to the heavens. Sadly for him, nearly everyone but Chummley and Dimitri ignored him.
However, most of North Academy soon left then Chancellor Sheppard turned to Professor Banner. The tall and skinny man with a cat raised a finger up. "Now that you have returned to Duel Academy, Chazz, you'll have to start again as a transfer student along with Jesse. As such, you must start from the bottom: In Slifer Red."
"What!?" Chazz and Jesse screamed for very different reasons.
"Ya mean to tell me that I'll be hanging with Jaden and Chazz in the same dorm!? That's the best!" Jesse shouted out loud.
"Oh yeah! The Red Dorms is awesome, Jesse! There isn't any space in my room, but you and Chazz will get to be roommates, and I can visit ya any time I want!"
Realization hit Chazz like a wrestler performing their signature move on him. He was going to spend the rest of the academy year with two Jadens. "NOOOO!" Chazz fell to his knees much like Syrus did. Only this time, no one tried to soothe him.
And so ended the day with Duel Academy gaining one new student and one returning student.
Chancellor Sheppard couldn't help but frown as he watched Jaden try to introduce Jesse to his friends. They were all just kids… he would very much like them to simply just be kids having fun in their youth.
Tragically, the world was not as kind as he was.
[A/N]
(EDIT: CRAP! Because FF broke, I didn't realize there was something wrong in my chapter!)
Finally! This chapter was a lot longer than I expected it to be, and I expected it to be long!
There's a lot to cover so I'll go over the major points.
-I did a free-for-all tag duel because I wanted to see some potential combos that an official Tag Duel couldn't pull. That and it was easier to have the characters show off their monsters and abilities without sharing a limited field.
-I gave Jesse two new monsters. The reason why I did this is because as of right now, I still want to respect the fact Jesse gets Rainbow Dragon in his main event. That may change in the future, but until then, I'm lending him made up High Level Crystal beast cards to keep his deck strong in this story.
-I let Chazz win because the poor guy needs a win sometimes.
-I did a few more world building for this fic and where Foster and Sheppard have a more personal reason to preventing the Sacred Beasts from being released. That will be explained later. There is also another Subplot with the "Sister" of the Princeton Brothers. That too is going to be planted and saved for later.
-With the North Academy Duel, we've officially hit the middle point of Season 1. That means we're finally getting to the Shadow Riders Arc, and I'm super excited to get into it! I can't wait to show you guys how my version of it is going to go down!
For now, I'll leave you guys with the list of made up cards. I'll see you guys soon!
I'm not going to give up even when the world around me burns. I still believe in trying to make sure other people are fine. I won't give up. I will do my best in these dark and scary times. And I wish you all well.
[Made Up Cards and other non TCG stuff]
*I didn't know that Light and Darkness Dragon MUST negate every card effect, including their owner's. For writing's sake, I will make it optional for the future and make it easier for me writing duels.
Crystal Intimidation: This was a made up card since I found out other Crystal beast cards involve getting Rainbow Dragon directly.
Quick Summon: This came from the Anime.
Hope of The Fifth/Fifth Hope: The TCG has an added ability that allows a player 3 cards instead of two if it's the only card in the hand and on the field. The Anime allows Bubble Man to get 2 cards in an empty field instead of both an empty hand and field, so I decided to change it to a more anime rule.
Over Dragon: I was inspired by cards that increase the attack points, and I wanted a token card for Chazz's tribute summon.
Spirit of Light and Darkness: I thought of making a support card for Light and Darkness Dragon. It's really specific and I thought it would be a cool idea to give Chazz's deck more focus on dragons and Ojamas.
Crystal Shield: Invented to have Jesse Protect himself.
Balance Of Judgement: This is a real card with real effects. It's just it's a trap card and not a spell card. Whoops.
Command Silencer: Anime only card.
