As soon as Wilona stepped off the boat, she breathed in the homey yet energetic air of Duel Academy.

"Ah! Master!" Wilona turned to the right to see Blair waving at her. As expected, she wore her Slifer Red uniform differently than most. But Wilona noticed the girl behind Blair, Sera. Rather, what caught her attention was a bright yellow uniform for Ra Yellow.

"I assumed you would join Obelisk Blue, Abraxas." Wilona eyed the girl but had to admit the color yellow suited her well.

The girl crossed her hand over her chest. "I asked to join Ra Yellow. I did not feel comfortable in the Blue Dorms."

"Why didn't you tell me!? We could have been spending time in the Red Dorms together!" Blair looked at her new friend.

"Apologies. But Ra Yellow had caught my attention for a while, and I wished to enroll in it."

Blair looked upset... as much as a puppy could get. She pouted at the thought of not being able to spend more time with Sera. But instead of feeling intimidated or guilty, Wilona found it adorable.

As for Sera, Wilona had a bad feeling about her ever since their duel. Not that she distrusted the nice girl, but those odd flashes Wilona saw after they connected bothered the Slifer Red. She would have to ask Honest for help about that later.

"So, I believe I can show you both around before assembly begins. Would you like that?"

"Of course, master!" Wilona supposed she should stop Blair from calling her that... if she didn't secretly like how it sounded.

Issues aside, Wilona spoke up. "We'll start with the main building," Her eyes brightened as she recalled something. "If either of you are interested, I am founder and president of the Music Club in Duel Academy."

"Really!?" Blair gasped with excitement in her eyes while Sera looked interested.

"I'll show you where we loiter about."

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

Because they were in different dorms, Sera parted from the two when it was almost time for the welcoming party.

"The Red Dorms leaves much to be desired, but it's at the very least lively," Wilona told Blair. "In our first year, Professor Banner..."

Blair noticed Wilona trailing off. The girl seemed nostalgic after saying the name.

"Apologies, I was simply wondering who would be our new Dorm Headmaster." She said before the two girls saw the crowd of Slifer Reds.

All of a sudden, Wilona found herself looking across the boys in red.

"Wilona!" The green-haired girl turned to the voice and saw Syrus running up to them. The shorter teen stopped when he reached her. "It's me, Syrus! I bet you didn't recognize me because I'm growing a beard!"

Blair squinted her eyes to find a single hair on the teen's chin but stopped when Wilona gave a sign to drop it.

Syrus opened his eyes from beaming with pride and spotted Blair. "Who's the new girl?"

"Truesdale, this is Blair. Remember? The whole... girl dressed a guy?"

Syrus' mind played the flashes of a girl stealing his brother's deck early in the year. "Wait, you're that same girl!?" The teal-haired boy pointed to Blair.

"Nice to meet you again, brother of Zane!"

"It's Syrus!" The poor brother of Zane was in for a long year if he was being treated like Bastion.

Wilona smiled before looking around and spotting another familiar face heading their way. "Ah, Princeton. Always a pleasure to see your scowl."

"Can it, witch!" The Princeton Heir snarled. "I'm outta here the minute the Promotion Exams come in."

As everyone waited a little longer, Wilona had to address the lack of 'elephant' in the room. "Where's Yuki?"

"I swore he was with me on the helicopter." Syrus looked behind him.

"Who cares about that Slifer Slacker?" Chazz unknowingly got the ire of the newest Slifer Red girl. "Let's get going. Everyone's already going to meet this new Headmaster. Let's hope it isn't some zombie waiting to get the jump on us."

As the group walked in, Blair only stood there confused. "What did you mean by zombie? Guys? ...Guys!?"

It didn't take long for everyone to get seated in the cafeteria.

No one knew who the new Headmaster of Slifer Red would be. However, no one expected the new head to be a gorgeous woman with long hair and fierce eyes.

"Hello, everyone. I am Midori Hibiki. Chancellor Crowler has asked us to greet all of you before heading towards the Main Building later today." Her words were polite, but they didn't detract from her presence. In fact, her eyes only narrowed into a glare in everyone's general direction. "That being said, I'm not a fan of your current state of affairs. You may be the lowest among the entire school in academics and dueling, but that is absolutely no reason to falter in your studies. Under my management, I intend to make all of you dutiful and respectful students. There will be absolutely no horseplay, no troublemaking, and no slacking off."

Besides Wilona and Chazz, every other Slifer Red was frozen in fear to even gulp. As for the two, Wilona and Chazz had this odd sense of familiarity after hearing the woman's name.

After waiting for a second, The new Slifer Red Headmaster asked, "Do I make myself clear?"

Her answer came in the form of the cafeteria door sliding open and making a slamming noise.

"Hey, Slifer People! Are you already ready for another great year!? Let's start the party!" Jaden Yuki whooped as he threw his hand up. "So why don't we kick things off with a duel!? Huh?! Huh!? Come on, guys, why are ya all looking at me like that?"

Besides Jaden, the only sound in the deathly silent room was Wilona exhaling through her nose.

"... Mr. Yuki."

The new headmaster's voice made Jaden turn. However, instead of fear and anxiety, Jaden's smile only grew as he ran up and...

...

...

Well, it was still silent in the Slifer Dorms, but now for an entirely different reason.

Many people had trouble processing how Jaden dropped his bags to hug the scary woman as if she was family. "Mimi! It's great to see you!"

"Mi...mi?" Blair repeated in a whisper, but she may as well have shouted in a megaphone as everyone else heard her.

The first reaction of this "Mimi" was to grab the head of the brunette and grip hard.

"Mr. Yuki. Thank you for volunteering to fix the walls and repainting the entire dorms. And for the rest of the school year, you will address me as Ms. Hibiki."

Wilona's eyes widened as she remembered that name. Jaden always talked about his idol, Koyo Hibiki. And a woman with the same name appears that he knows personally? That implied one thing.

However, the beautiful woman turned her gaze towards the rest of the dorm. "Would anyone else like to join him?" Without waiting, she started to drag the whining brunette out the back exit. "Good. Dismissed."

"I miss Professor Banner!" Syrus whined as the woman left. "I mean—sure—he was an evil sorcerer who was going to sacrifice us for eternal life, but he was so much nicer!"

"About time you slackers got a teacher you deserve." Chazz huffed. He seemed to be the only one who enjoyed someone giving Jaden punishment.

"Mi...mi?" Poor Blair seemed confused. She didn't know how Jaden seemed close with such a mature woman.

Wilona, on the other hand, started to follow after the two. With everyone lamenting and trying to eat from that poor reception, the green-haired girl opened the back door in time to hear Jaden gasping from being released.

"What's the big idea, Mimi!?"

"It's Ms. Hibiki, Jaden. I'm your Headmaster now. You have to take my job and your position seriously." Her tone was strict, but it sounded more like a mother scolding her young than the finality of a while ago.

"Aww! Come on! We haven't seen each other in a while, and ya can't even say hello?"

"Why do you two never take things seriously?" A sigh escaped her as the Slifer Headmaster put a hand on her face. However, Ms. Hibiki lowered her hand and turned towards Wilona, who was caught off guard by how well she spotted her. "Looks like someone volunteered to help you repaint the dorms."

Wilona opened the door, surprising Midori as she didn't expect a girl to walk through. Let alone the girl Chancellor Crowler personally asked to promote as soon as possible. "Well, knowing Yuki, I imagine him struggling with paint rollers in general."

"A what now?" Said brunette raised his brow.

Sometimes Wilona wished she was wrong in her assumptions. Yet she turned and smiled at Midori Hibiki. "It's an honor to meet the sister of Koyo Hibiki."

That made the woman more surprised than she already was. "How did you know my brother was Koyo?" The world champion was private to the point most reporters had trouble finding out what the guy ate even before his duels. She had no idea how this girl knew about Koyo having a sister.

Wilona motioned to Jaden. "Seeing how his number 1 fan talks non-stop about him, I put two and two together when I heard your name and his reaction."

"You make it sound like you didn't like me talking about his World Championship Debut!"

"It started to lose its charm around the fifth time you explained it."

"That's impossible! It's just as good as Battle City!"

The older woman watched the two's back and forth before realizing how familiar the two were with each other. "Ms. Konami, how do you know Jaden?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jaden pointed a thumb at the girl with purple-colored eyes. "She's my girlfriend."

"..." If her mind was a computer, Ms. Midori Hibiki's brain would've had a catastrophic system failure. She's always known Jaden Yuki as a kid obsessed over Duel Monsters and being oblivious to anything else. So how in the nine circles of hell did he get a girlfriend!? (Before she even went on a first date—)

Wilona found the need to explain the only way she knew how. "Yuki, please explain who Alexis Rhodes, the top of Obelisk Blue, is to you?"

"She's my fiancée?"

Whatever coherence Ms. Hibiki had left caught what Jaden just said again. She choked on all the questions that were trying to come out of her mouth.

Wilona kept going. "Please explain what both that and girlfriend mean to you?"

"Is something wrong, Wilona? A fiancée is a special friend, while a girlfriend is a friend that's a girl! You know this!"

"What." Ms. Hibiki wished she had something more eloquent to say. However, it wasn't meant to be.

"Yeah, Wilona, what's wrong? It's not like you to not know these things!"

"No, not to her!" Midori did her best to lower her rising voice. "Do you not know what those words mean!?"

"But I already said—"

"It's not that!" Midori inhaled to calm herself down. "Both of you: start painting the back walls. I expect everything to be done before the second opening ceremony."

"What!? You were serious about that!?" Unfortunately for the best in Duel Academy, Ms. Hibiki left him with a giggling Wilona. With his old friend leaving, the brunette turned to his newer friend. "And why are you laughing?"

"Not even ten minutes into the school year, and you have detention. I am simply amazed, Yuki." That, and she missed the excitement the teen brought into her life.

There was no way she'd ever tell him that.

"You got it too!"

"Yes, because if I hadn't, you'd make a mess of yourself with the paint and other tools."

"Hey, I can totally paint the back side of the red dorms!" Jaden huffed. "In fact, let's make it a race! The first to paint their half of the dorms wins!"

And Jaden went off, running towards the opposite side of the Slifer Red Dorms.

Wilona simply waited where she stood and leaned back on the wall.

Less than five seconds later, Jaden came back, rubbing the back of his head.

"S-So, where's the paint and brushes?"

Wilona shook her head with a smile. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss this place."

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

"Ah, Dimitri, I still see you're around. How was your summer?" Bastion was cordial to the Copy Cat duelist considering he was the only returning Ra Yellow from last year. He missed Beauregard and Brier.

"I am a new man, Bastion!" The thief puffed his chest. "You're looking at the new and improved Copycat Duelist!"

"Improved in what way, specifically?" Bastion raised his brow.

Dimitri posed before he smiled with a thumbs up one would see in anime. "My ability to sneak around without anyone ever seeing me has improved tenfold since we last met! Now, no deck list can hide from me!"

...

It took a while, but Bastion clicked his tongue. He put his hand on Dimitri's shoulder and gave a stare that bore into the copycat's soul. "Dimitri, I am glad you gave up your life of thievery, but now you are crossing a line that thieves dare not go."

"W-Why are you so serious about this? I thought you'd be happy?"

"How can I be happy if someone I know becomes a stalker?"

"I am not a stalker!" Dimitri defended himself.

The two Ra Yellow boys heard the sound of a thud. They turned to see a pale teen struggling with his case. Seeing how neither recognized the boy, Bastion assumed he was new. He went towards the pale teen and started to pick up dropped clothes. "Here, let me help."

"Thanks."

"It's no harm. I'm Bastion Misawa; welcome to the Ra Yellow Dorms."

The sickly-looking teen smiled in a way that seemed like it was the first time in a long time. "Thank you. I'm Marcel Bonaparte."

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

"What!? But I just got here!" Reginald Van Howell III was not having a good first day. "How could I be demoted to Ra Yellow!? My father will hear about this!"

Although Crowler would usually falter at the threat of an influential family, he remained calm and folded his arms. "Mr. Howell, I wouldn't have done this had your father not told me this himself."

"W-What?"

"It seems he's heard about your two embarrassing "losses". He's dissatisfied by your performance and wishes to cut you off as a lesson." Crowler raised his hand to stop the teen's growing panic. "Luckily, I was able to convince your father that the people you have lost to are some of the school's best duelists, so your losses were not your fault. I also worked a compromise with him to keep you within the blue dorms and in your family's grace."

Reginald supposed it could be worse, but he gripped his fists with determination and asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"I'm setting you up in a duel with Chazz Princeton." Crowler smiled as this could not have fit better. Aside from Wilona, he planned to get Chazz Princeton back into the blue dorms, furthering his agenda of destroying the Red Dorms.

"Princeton!"

What Crowler did not plan was the utter rancor coming out of Reginald.

"Err..." Crowler fixed his collar. "Do you two know each other?!"

Reginald left without even saying a word. Yet his mind focused on the one person who would be his opponent. Anger and frustration stirred within the mind of the young man. It was so much that it attracted the attention of...

"Mr. Howell, are you alright?"

Normally, no voice would be able to reach the spiky-haired brunette. But this was an exception.

"Headmaster Kumar?"

"Please, call me Sartorius." The lanky and pale man put a hand across his chest. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with the Chancellor."

Reginald scoffed. "It's nothing."

"You're not fooling anyone with that tone. How about a fortune?"

The word made Reginald stop in his tracks before turning around. "Fortune?"

"Yes, I do some fortune telling here and there. From time to time, it helped my good friend, Aster."

Reginald remembered the fanfare when the New Obelisk Blue Headmaster introduced himself. It didn't take long for people to recognize the mysterious man to be Aster Phoenix's manager. And if he was giving advice that helped an amazing pro like Phoenix, maybe it could help him!

A fire lit in Reginald's soul. "Yes! Please help me! I want Princeton to pay for what he's done to me!"

Reginald gripped his fist and looked at it. Sartorius watched the young man stew in his brooding. However, he quickly felt something and turned his head to a corner beyond Reginald.

Sartorius Kumar narrowed his eyes. He would have to be cautious moving in these dorms.

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

Everyone noticed the proud look on Princeton's face when Ms. Hibiki told him he was going to be in the year's first exhibition duel. But only Wilona spotted the raven-haired teen's eyes widening when he heard who he was dueling.

"Hey, Jaden!" A Slifer Red student slid open the door. "There's some guy here that wants to duel the best in the school and thinks it's you!"

"The best, huh? But I never say no to a duel!" Jaden ran off to meet this new challenger, yet Chazz got up and went in the opposite direction.

The monarch duelist quietly followed after Princeton instead of running after the rest.

Chazz opened his cellphone and placed a call. "... H-Hey. It's me..."

"Aww, if it isn't my little Chazzeroo." A female voice from the other end teased.

"Sh-Shut it." The young man flushed before he shook his head. "I need a favor. What's the Howell family doing right now?"

"The Howell family? The normal, I suppose. They did come out of helping several campaigning tours. What's this about?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Reginald is here, and I'm dueling him. But something about this doesn't feel right..." The feeling unsettled the raven-haired young man. However, it felt oddly familiar to him in a way he both recognized and loathed. He now had a different question. "How are our brothers?"

A solemn silence fell over the other end of the phone. "Now that you've brought this up, they've been unusually quiet. Almost... under the radar. Do you think they're still attempting their world domination plan?"

"Oh, I'm sure they were just joking when they told me they'd be back after I sent them packing." Chazz would rather not think back to when he dueled his brother.

"I'll keep an eye out for them. And be careful out there, Chazz."

"Thanks," Chazz ended the call before sighing. "How much did you hear, witch?" He turned towards a tree to see Wilona standing beside it.

"Only your side of the conversation. I wasn't aware that you knew Mr. Howell the 3rd."

Chazz folded his arms before turning to look at the sea. "He was basically my Syrus."

Using their friend's name as a verb aside, Wilona raised her brow at the thought of someone looking up to Chazz... before realizing how much Reginald acted like the Dragon-Ojama Duelist.

While it made an alarming amount of sense, it also brought up a number of questions. "What? If that's true then why...?"

Chazz answered for her. "I made a choice. Politics or our friendship, I chose politics."

Wilona decided not to press further. A light show in the form of Terra Firma appeared not too far from where they were.

"Well, let's go. I wanna see which loser thinks that slacker is the best in school." Without another word, Chazz left for the duel.

Wilona exhaled deeply before following after the dragon and Ojama Duelist.

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

"So, who's Chazz dueling again?" Jaden asked as everyone crowded the main arena.

"His name is Reginald Von Howell III," Alexis did her best to remain neutral. "He's basically like a Chazz-wannabe."

"I had a hypothesis of them dueling, but never so early as the school's first exhibition match of the year." Bastion folded his arms.

Wilona was silent as Dr. Crowler explained the usual rules to those dueling. Neither seemed to be listening as their stares said more than whatever trash talk could ever convey.

"Huh," Gloria raised her brow. "Do they know each other?"

"What makes you say that?" Syrus looked towards the blonde twin.

"They've both been giving each other the stink eye. And it's definitely not the type that comes from someone you don't know." Sora took out his sucker before side-eyeing someone in their group. "Not to mention, Ms. Prez, you've been quieter than usual."

"...Despite Princeton's lifestyle, don't think he hasn't had his own hardships," Wilona said nothing more as the two primed their duel disks.

"Let's Duel!"

Reginald: 4000 LP

Chazz: 4000 LP

Turn 1.

Chazz drew his card first. "I summon Axe Dragonute in attack mode!"

Axe Dragonute [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: DARK/Level: 4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1200]

"I know dragons are powerful, but a 2000 attack monster already?" Blair asked aloud.

Others that knew him explained how the spiky-haired teen was an excellent duelist who could bring out the best within the type of monsters. Where as most other students recklessly relied on the power of dragons, Chazz mastered and evolved their powers.

"I end my turn there." Chazz relaxed his arm.

Turn 2: Reginald. Cards: 5.

"One lousy monster? You're underestimating me!" Regi screamed as he ripped the top card off his deck. "I summon Noble Knight Iyvanne in attack mode!"

Noble Knight Iyvanne. [Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF:1600]

A new Noble Knight took the field. This one wore green and looked more adventurous than the previous knights. Yet Regi continued on.

"I equip Noble Arms Caliburn to Iyvanne! Caliburn gives a 500 point boost to Iyvanne's attack points!" (ATK: 1700→2200) "Next, I activate Caliburn's effect to give me an extra 500 life points!"

Reginald: 4000→4500 LP

Chazz: 4000 LP

"Big deal, your life points went up by a few points, so what?" Chazz kept his composure.

"Then how about I take a few out of yours!? I activate Iyvanne's special effect! When he's equipped with a Noble Arms, I can special summon his trusty lion as a token with 1000 points!"

The Noble Knight raised his blade and gave a war cry. A lion appeared from the sky, adorned in battle armor, and unleashed a roar strong enough to cause a shockwave. [Type:Token/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 4/ATK: 1000/DEF:1000]

"But that's not all! As long as Iyvanne has a Noble Arms, all other Noble Knight monsters, even my token, get a 500-point boost!" (1000→1500) Reginald pointed forward. "Iyvanne! Take down his pathetic dragon!"

The Royal Knight dashed forward with Caliburn reclined back. The Dragonute attempted to bring his axe down on the knight. While it had power, it couldn't hit the knight as he circled back and unleashed a powerful slash on the dragon.

Reginald: 4500 LP

Chazz: 4000 →3800 LP

"I'm not done! My token still has his attack!" Reginald pointed forward as the lion pounced on the black-clad duelist.

Chazz held his duel disk out to avoid being chewed out by the holographic creature, but its weight caused him to stagger.

Reginald: 4500 LP

Chazz: 3800 →2300 LP

"Ha!" Reginald took a card from his hand. "I put a facedown and activate my field spell, Noble Knights of the Round Table!" As he slotted the second card, the arena started to change. The area turned into a place only told in stories passed down generations. Behind Reginald, the famed Round Table stood with Camelot's banner for everyone to see.

"During my end phase, I activate my Field Spell's effect! I have multiple, but for now, if I have 3 or more different Noble Knight cards with different names in my grave or field, I can send one Noble Knight from my deck to the grave! I choose Black Laundsallyn!"

"Are you done yet?" Chazz asked, unimpressed even as he was already nearing half his starting life points.

Reginald gritted his teeth as he saw this. "Y-You...! Even now... you're looking down on me! Just like before! ... Or is it that you've always thought so little of me, even back then!?"

Chazz remained silent.

"So, they have met before?" Syrus spoke up.

"I mean, I guess rich people know each other?" Dimitri shrugged his shoulders.

"Something is amiss," Everyone but Wilona turned to Bastion. "When I dueled him, Reginald didn't seethe even half as much when he lost."

"Yeah, even Chazz is being unusual." Alexis looked back at the duel. "There's bad blood between those two. Wilona, do you know something?"

The girl seemed to hesitate before speaking up. "According to Princeton, Howell III was the Truesdale to his Yuki."

"Wait what?!" The smallest one among them took some offense to that. "What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Regi used to look up to Chazz?" Jaden, of all people, figured out what that meant. "So, why all the bad blood now?"

"I didn't ask. But I have a nasty feeling it's coming out this duel."

Turn 3: Chazz. Cards: 5.

Chazz drew his next card before he showed it to those watching him. "I drew Lappis Dragon! If this card is added from the deck to my hand, and after revealing it, I can special summon it at the price of being banished when it leaves the field."

A gorgeous, snake-like creature circled into the field. It looked similar to Bastion's Water Dragon.

Lappis Dragon [Type: Effect Monster/Tuner/Sub-Type: Sea Serpent/Attribute: WATER/Level: 5/ATK: 0/DEF: 2600]

But Chazz continued his turn. "I send Arkbrave Dragon from my hand to the grave to special summon Pile Armed Dragon!"

The dragon that came out was edgy in that every part of it looked armed with blades and drills. Yet, it didn't detract from the devastating power it exuded.

Pile Armed Dragon [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: WIND/Level: 7/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1000]

"I'm not scared of your overgrown lizards!" Regi gripped his fist, but sweat began to pour down his head.

Chazz remained stoic as he picked up another card from his hand. "I banish both Arkbrave, a light monster, and Axe Dragonute, a dark monster, from my graveyard to special summon Darkflare Dragon!"

A pillar of dark fire exploded behind Chazz before it condensed into the familiar dark dragon the black-clad duelist used before.

Darkflare Dragon [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: DARK/Level: 5/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1200]

"I now use my normal summon for Masked Dragon!" Regi was starting to regret what he said, seeing as how Chazz set up his board.

This latest dragon didn't look like much, but no one paid much attention with how Pile and Darkflare crowded the field.

Masked Dragon [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: Fire/Level: 3/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1100]

"Aww, man! I really wish I was dueling Chazz and those monsters right now!" Jaden pumped himself up. "We gotta duel later this school year!"

"Look at you, Boss! You're in top form today!" The Ojama brothers appeared floating beside Chazz. "... Boss?"

Yet Chazz only kept his eyes on Regi. "In case you didn't know, Regi, but Lappis Dragon is a Tuner!"

"What?! No way! Y-You can... can...!?"

"Synchro Summon? It's basic math, Regi!" Chazz pointed to two monsters. "Lappis Dragon! Masked Dragon! Let's show this poser how it's done!"

Lapis Dragon circled around Masked Dragon, their bodies turning into light before dark lightning started to strike around the two forming together.

[3 + 5= 8]

"From the gap between light and darkness comes an emperor that knows no equal! Synchro Summon! Eclipse the field, Chaos Ruler, The Chaotic Magical Dragon!"

All of Chazz's dragons beforehand, even the weak ones, held power that even the bravest duelist had problems facing. The new one Chazz summoned was something that ruled over fear and courage.

Chaos Ruler, The Chaotic Magical Dragon [Type: Synchro/Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: Dark/Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500]

Chazz threw his hand up. "Chaos Ruler can excavate the top 5 cards of my deck! Among them, I pick one light or dark monster to add while the rest go to my grave!" The dragon duelist did so. Afterward, he glared at Regi. "I now enter my battle phase!"

"If all these attacks go through, Chazz will win the duel right then and there!" Bastion cried out.

"I play my trap card, Damage Diet!" Reginald pressed a button on his duel disk. "This card halves the battle damage that I take this turn!"

"But it's not going to stop this! Darkflare, start us off! Destroy his knight!"

The fire dragon sped in and ended the warrior with a swipe of black flames.

Reginald: 4500 → 4400 LP

Chazz: 2300 LP

The black-clad duelist pointed to the lion. "Without your knight, your token loses 500 attack points!"

"He would, but see, Caliburn can re-equip itself to a warrior monster after it gets sent to the graveyard! So his points don't change!" The lion rushed in to pick up the blade of its fallen friend.

A shame it meant nothing to Chazz's remaining dragons.

"Pile Armed Dragon, drill through his feline!" The bladed dragon swung its tail with the speed of a whip, smashing the creature into the ground and turning it into holographic dust.

Reginald: 4400 → 3750 LP

Chazz: 2300 LP

Regi's field was wide open to Chazz's new Synchro monster. But Regi didn't see that.

Instead, his mind flashed back to years ago when a different dragon stood over him.

Two images overlapped before him. The present: where a stoic Chazz pointed at him about to declare an attack. The second, the past: where a younger Princeton turned away as he commanded Dragonic Knight to end the duel.

("Dragonic Knight... end it quick.") "Chaos Ruler, attack directly!"

The attacks both made contact with Regi, causing him to scream both times and fall from the intensity.

Reginald: 3750 → 2250 LP

Chazz: 2300 LP

"I end my turn," Chazz said as all three of his dragons roared after destroying Regi's defenses.

Turn 4: Reginald. Cards: 2.

However, the entire crowd cheered at Chazz's display of power. He was previously seen as the best among the freshmen until his journey to North Academy pushed his skills and drive to a level that only two students left in the school could match, and both were in Slifer Red with him.

Regi's mind played back to what felt like a lifetime ago when it was only two years. The crowd cheered and applauded the monster that destroyed his dreams before while ruining his life in duel academy now.

"You... you... liar!" Regi screamed to the ground before he got back up. "Is this how you get your sick kicks?! You have to ruin my life again!?"

The crowd stopped cheering as they heard Regi's cries. Murmurs and questions passed to everyone at what he meant.

"Uh, Boss?" Ojama Green and the others looked to Chazz. "What's he talking about? What did he mean by again?"

Chazz remained silent.

"Master, do you know what Chazz means by that?" Blair turned to her senior.

Wilona only shook her head. She wondered what caused both of them to act the way they did.

Back at the duel, Reginald drew his next card. "I play the spell card, Spell Books from the Pot! We both draw 3 cards! ... I now Summon Noble Knight Medraut in attack mode!

Noble Knight Medraut. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF:1000]

"I equip him with Noble Arms of Destiny! Now, Medraut's effect activates! When he has an Equip Spell, he gains a level, his attribute changes, and he can special summon a Noble Knight from my deck to the field in defense position! I choose Borz!"

Noble Knight Borz. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 900]

Alexis recognized Medraut as one of the monsters Wilona fought in her initiation test. She wasn't aware of this Borz monster.

"When Medraut activates this effect, he has to destroy the equip spell! But it's a moot point when we know it'll return and re-equip itself to him!" The Noble Knight duelist went on. "I now equip him with Noble Arms - Gallatin! Borz has a similar effect to Medraut! He gains a level and an attribute change to Dark! I can also activate Borz's other effect!" Reginald fished his deck for three cards and placed them on his duel disk.

Three Equip cards revealed themselves over the field.

"I pick three Noble Knight Arms cards," The cards then flipped and shuffled between the three of them. "And you have to randomly choose which one goes to my hand while the rest go to the graveyard!"

Chazz pointed towards the card floating at his left. It didn't take long before Regi added it to his hand.

"Now, I have two level five monsters! That means I can set the Overlay Network!"

Everyone tensed as Regi cried out these words. A galaxy appeared overhead before the two knights of the Round Table turned into lights and flew into the collection of stars.

"Behold he who made legends! Watch as he wields power that stories will carry till the end of time! Xyz Summon!" The galaxy exploded, revealing a regal warrior adorned in armor forged from countless battles. "Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus!"

Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus [Type: XYZ/Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Rank: 5/ATK: 2200/DEF: 2200]

"Don't forget! When Gallatin and Destiny are destroyed, they re-equip themselves to a new Noble Knight! That means King Artorigus gains them instead!" (ATK: 2200 → 3200)

Regi threw his hand out. "And that's not all! Artorigus can choose three Noble Arms with different names in my graveyard and equip them to him!"

"Whoa! That means he gets the equip cards that Chazz didn't choose!" Jaden cried out.

"I choose Noble Arms - Caliburn, Carnwennan, and Rhongomiant!" (ATK: 3200 → 3700)

Caliburn was the sword, but others got confused when they saw a dagger and a spear added to the warrior's person.

"I activate Caliburn! So I regain 500 life points!"

Reginald: 2250 → 2750 LP

Chazz: 2300 LP

"Now, I activate Rohogomiant's ability! He allows Artorigus to attack all monsters on my opponent's side of the field!"

"That means Reginald wins the moment he goes into the battle phase." Alexis' eyes widened as she heard the effect of the spear.

"He's dueling much better than he did in initiation." Blair put a hand near her mouth.

"He did reach second place. And perhaps we should have given him more benefit to his skills." Bastion picked a notebook up and started writing new notes for Reginald.

The Howell heir swiped his hand, "Artorigus, slay all those dragons!"

The champion monster raised his blades as the spear behind him sent energy into them. Brimming with power, Artorigus unleashed a wave of energy that consumed Chazz's dragons and reached the duelist himself.

Everyone shielded themselves as the attack exploded.

Regi waited for one second but saw no sign of movement. A combination of both a gasp and laughter escaped him. "I-I did it! I defeated Princeton! Fina..!" His elation stopped in his tracks as he saw a silhouette from the clearing smoke.

It wasn't human. When more smoke cleared, everyone saw, in place of where Chazz once was, there was a dome comprised of what looked to be armored wings.

The wings unfurled, revealing a black armored dragon with Chazz unscathed.

"I can discard Shield-Wing Dragon from my hand to the grave. Afterward, I take no battle damage for the rest of the turn." Chazz showed and sent the card to the grave. "I picked this Light monster with Chaos Ruler's effect."

Regi fumed as his attack did next to nothing. "Fine! I activate Carnwennan's effect! In the End Phase, I can half your life points!"

The dagger attached to the king's hip glowed before that same energy pushed Chazz down.

Reginald: 2750 LP

Chazz: 2300 → 1150 LP

"I end my turn there! And since all my spell and trap slots are full, I'll send one monster from my deck to my grave!" Frustration was the only thing Reginald felt as he said that. He wanted the duel, not his turn, to end.

Turn 5: Chazz. Cards: 3.

Chazz continued to be silent as he drew his next card. "I play Polymerization!"

"Blast!" Everyone turned to Bastion. "Apologizes. I was not expecting Chazz to figure out a deck using Fusion and Synchro before me."

Chazz went on. "I fuse Ojama Black with Ojama Yellow!"

"We're on, bro!" Yellow called to his brother as they flew in together.

The black-clad duelist pointed forward. "I Fusion summon Ojama Knight in attack mode!"

"Huzzah!" The cartoon-ish monster appeared, posturing not unlike Regi's monsters before him. "Tis, I! The knight of... Why am I in attack mode!?"

Ojama Knight. [Type: Fusion/Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Beast/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 5/ATK: 0/DEF: 2500]

Over on the Obelisk Blue side, Sartorius watched the duel from above the stands.

"I wasn't expecting you to come." The pale man smiled before turning to his friend. "Are you here to socialize with your other classmates?"

"Haha. Real funny." Although many would assume otherwise by the tone of his voice, Aster relaxed around the one person he trusted. "I had nothing better to do right now."

The Pro Duelist eyed the duel and took in all of the information. "Huh. That guy with the fusion looks like the better duelist."

"Oh?" Sartorius mused aloud. "What makes you say that? He did play a monster with 0 attack points against another monster with nearly 4000 attack points and 5 powerful equip cards."

"Come on, Sartorius, you know as well as I that he's got this entire duel under control. I thought you said that he needed your help?"

"No, I'm afraid the one I lent help to is the one with the XYZ monster."

"Ouch." Aster perfected his poker face after years of being on the pro circuit. That is why it was a big deal that it almost broke after hearing that. "Then this turn is not going to be pretty for him."

Chazz picked up another card from his hand. "I play my field spell, Ojama Country!"

Chazz's half of the field started to change. Instead of the noble and regal area of Regi's field, a sillier and homely town appeared around the black-clad duelist.

"My field spell has two effects. One is useless right now, so I'll use its passive effect! When an Ojama is on the field, all original attack points and defense points switch!"

People gasped as they heard the effect of the field spell.

(ATK: 0 → 2500/DEF: 2500 → 0)

"Aha ha!" The Ojama Knight yelled before looking over to his opponent. "Hey, wait! Why didn't his points change!?"

"Because I said original points. Artorigus has the same numbers on both sides, so nothing changed when Ojama Country swapped the points."

"This was your big comeback!?" Regi laughed as he felt relief at the move. "My monster is still stronger than yours! You must be some kind of idiot!"

"Hold thy tongue!" Ojama Knight yelled out. "Insult us as much as you like, but say nothing ill to our lord boss, Chazz Princeton! He is worthy of the pride he wields!"

For the first time in the duel, Chazz softened at the words of his monster.

"Shut up, you stupid hologram!" Reginald snapped back at the fusion. "I don't know how you're talking, but you won't be when my next turn comes along!"

"I now activate Chaos Ruler's effect from my grave! I banish Darkflare and Shield-Wing dragon to bring him back to the field!"

Chazz brought his duel disk up as it glowed with black and white light. Soon, the familiar dragon returned. And even though it was the second time it appeared, people were still in awe of its presence.

Chaos Ruler, The Chaotic Magical Dragon [Type: Synchro/Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: Dark/Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500] (ATK: 3000 → 2500/DEF: 2500 → 3000)

"That's not going to do anything either! You even weakened that dragon!" Despite his sound logic, Reginald couldn't help but take two steps back at the dragon's return.

"Ojama Knight!" Chazz punched forward, making Regi look back in surprise. "Attack his king! Show him real chivalry!"

"For the Chazz!" Ojama Knight let loose a war cry as he rushed against the powerful XYZ monster.

The black-clad duelist snatched the last card in his hand and slammed it into a duel disk slot. "I play the Battle Trap, Instant Disqualification! I can activate this trap card from the hand if I have lower life points than my opponent! If my opponent has a boost in their attack points, this trap card forces those points to drop to 0!"

"No!?" Regi gasped as he saw his King fall to the ground, weakened by the trap card. (ATK: 3700 → 0) "I activate Carnwennan's second ability! I can half the damage I take for the rest of the turn!"

Everyone watched as Ojama Knight overpowered the king of knights himself. "Have at thee! I shall Chazz you up!" With a swipe of his blade, Ojama Knight sent the king through his own Round Table.

Reginald: 2750 → 1500 LP

Chazz: 1150 LP

"Because of Noble Arms of Destiny, Artorigus isn't destroyed!" Yet, Reginald looked over to Chaos Ruler as it looked ready to strike.

Still, Regi knew about Artorigus' ability to summon a Noble Knight monster from his graveyard, allowing him some protection and resource.

"Instant Disqualification has a second effect! Instead of being destroyed, the affected monster gets returned to the hand if it's destroyed by battle! Or, in your case, back to the extra deck!"

"It has a bounce effect!?" Regi's eyes widened in disbelief.

Chazz looked towards Chaos Ruler. "Attack! Twilight's Gleam!"

The Synchro unleashed a laser beam that slashed the downed king, shattering the remains of the round table and destroying all of Regi's equip cards.

Reginald: 1500 → 250 LP

Chazz: 1150 LP

Everyone became silent.

"Chazz... Chazz it up. Chazz it up! CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP!" The crowd hyped themselves up after the stellar display of skill from the Princeton Heir.

"Huh," Aster found himself interested in the duel before him. "I heard that the best duelist in the school was tied between two people. Was he the other guy?"

"I heard those rumors too, but some said it was a girl." Sartorius kept his eyes on the duel even when Aster raised his brow at him. "Yet, I have a feeling that my help with Regi is about to come in."

At that, Aster folded his arms and frowned. "I'm still peeved that you let him borrow one of those cards. I put a lot of work into finding them!"

"Again, I apologize Aster, but I believe he can use it better than letting it collect dust."

Meanwhile, Reginald couldn't believe it. Here he was fighting for his future, and everyone was against him? He had been doing more than his best every day, and it still wasn't enough?

That... that wasn't fair. It was never fair!

And all of this started... because Reginald trusted him.

The Princeton Family were nothing but sharks that only aimed to be at the top of everything. At a young age, Regi heard the warnings from everyone else. Still, he befriended Chazz; he thought he was nothing like the stories.

The moment he opened up to him was the moment Chazz betrayed him. He would never forget that tournament...

It was beyond infuriating! Even now, with his entire family backing on the line—no—his future in his family on the line, Princeton was there to ruin everything again!

He wanted power. He needed power!

... Wait a second. That card Headmaster Sartorius gave him... yes... to finally take down that monster, he would need that card...

Turn 6: Reginald. Cards: 3.

Regi held the card on top of his deck. His heartbeat slowed down while his mind felt numb from the rising stress. He needed that card...

He drew the card slowly and saw what he had picked up...

...

"Ah...haha...hahahahahaha!" The crowd's chanting died when they heard the maniacal laughter coming from the Obelisk Blue.

Regi put the card in his hand before picking up a different one. "First, I play Dian Keto the Cure Master! I gain 1000 life points! Then, I play instant Fusion! By paying 1000 life points, I can special summon a fusion monster from my extra deck, but it can't attack, and it's destroyed during the end phase!"

Reginald: 250 → 1250 → 250 LP

Chazz: 1150 LP

"He has a fusion monster? Can he also use two summoning methods?" Blair asked aloud.

"No," Everyone turned to Jaden, who sat up straight in his seat. "Something isn't right about that."

"I-I agree with Jaden," Bastion felt an odd pressure in the air. "This doesn't feel like a part of his deck at all."

Back in the duel, Regin pointed to the monster entering his side of the field. "The monster I summon is Lyrilusc - Independent Nightingale!"

Lyrilusc - Independent Nightingale [Type: Fusion/Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Winged-Beast/Attribute: WIND/Level: 1/ATK: 1000/DEF: 0] (ATK: 1000 → 0/DEF: 0 → 1000)

As soon as the monster appeared, many were confused. There looked to be nothing that matched this harpy-like to the Noble Knight deck.

Reginald ripped the card he drew out of his hand. "I sacrifice this monster to bring out the Tyrant Neptune!"

Tyrant Neptune. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Reptile/Attribute: WATER/Level: 10/ATK: 0/DEF: 0]

"The what?" Chazz didn't recognize the name of the monster. However, he wasn't expecting a cross between a gator and the grim reaper to appear on the field wielding a scythe bigger than its already large frame.

Reginald pointed forward, his hand trembling in excitement and sadistic pleasure. "Tyrant Neptune's effect activates! I can target one effect monster used for tribute, and this card becomes the target's name and gains their effects! I choose Lyrilusc!"

(Tyrant Neptune.) Lyrilusc - Independent Nightingale [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Reptile/Attribute: WATER/Level: 10/ATK: 0/DEF: 0] (ATK: 0 → 1000/DEF: 0)

"Now, I activate Lyrilusc's effect! It gains 500 attack points multiplied by its level! Since it's now a level 10 monster...!"

(ATK: 1000 → 6000)

"What madness is this!?" Ojama knight stepped back as he saw Tyrant Neptune's face change into that of Lyrilusc.

Reginald laughed. "Lyilusc also has a passive effect where it's unaffected by all other card effects!" His smile grew as he saw Chazz finally break his poker face. "That's not even the best part! Lyrilusc could inflict effect damage equal to the level of this card multiplied by 500!"

"But that's—?!"

"5000 life points! Go, Tyrant Neptune, purge the field!"

The monster in Reginald's field lit its scythe ablaze with black flame. With a single swipe, it sent a slash beam that only grew the more distance it traveled.

Ojama Knight raised his shield and stood in front of Chazz while Chaos Ruler covered itself over the two.

However, it was not enough as the attack smashed into the two monsters with a deafening boom.

As the dust settled, Chazz knelt on the floor, beaten and... wait... was he in real pain just now?

Reginald: 250 LP

Chazz: 1150 → 0 LP

As the holograms started to fade, only one thing rose from the result of the duel: Reginald's laughter.

"I did it!" He said between gasps of air. "I finally did it! I win at last!"

"Of course he did," Aster fought the urge to roll his eyes. "He used one of my dad's cards. I still don't feel comfortable lending one of them to a random... Sartorius?"

Aster looked on but saw no sign of his manager and friend.

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

"Chazz! Are you alright!?" Jaden and the others ran towards Chazz, who cradled his duel disk arm.

"I'm fine. I wasn't expecting that last combo." Chazz looked down to the floor. "This is annoying. Looks like I'll have to get back to blue the normal way then."

"Princeton," Wilona's voice forced the teen to stop walking. "What happened between you and Howell?"

Chazz remained silent. The darkness of the halls obscured his eyes from everyone there. He finally moved his head up. "That's a story for another time. All you guys need to know was that I chose the wrong thing at the wrong time. Regi paid the price for my mistake. It's not his fault that... the poor guy is probably worse off than me."

With a grunt, Chazz started walking toward the nurse's office.

"I'm curious about that story." Sora removed his sucker.

"If you do search it up, Perse, do not tell me about it." Wilona folded her arms. "I'd rather hear it from Princeton himself."

"Alright, Prez. I'll leave it alone then." Sora put the sucker back in his mouth. "Still... The Tyrant Neptune? Why does that sound familiar?"

"That's not just me? Yeah, it does sound familiar!" Jaden pointed to himself.

Wilona also felt the same way. Yet, for the life of her, she wondered why her subconscious was pointing back to Kaiba Land?

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

"Excellently done, Reginald." Sartorius Kumar told his student. "I've heard Chancellor Crowler is already calling your father about the good news. You will be staying in Obelisk Blue after all."

"I owe it all to you, Master Sartorius. The card and advice you lent me were invaluable. If there is anything that I can do to repay you?"

A smirk twitched the corner of Sartorius' lips. "Well, now that you mention it. I was thinking of some changes in the Blue Dorms... I'm thinking of adding a new sub-section to the Blue Dorms, think of it as elite after-school program. And I'd like you to join and try out a new uniform."

"I would be honored to do so, Headmaster Sartorius!" Regi spoke with reverence on his lips. After what he did for him, he'd more than likely jump off a cliff if the man asked.

"Thank you, Reginald. Send me your sizes later so I can have it tailored."

The student bowed before making his way back to his dorm.

With him gone, the one behind Sartorius walked out into the open.

"What were you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm building our forces." Sartorius turned to the figure. "And don't stand in the darkness; it doesn't suit us."

Said figure walked into the light to reveal... another... Sartorius?

"That's not what I meant." The second(?) Sartorius narrowed his eyes. "What's this about conscripting students?"

"As I said, I'm building our forces."

"I didn't know you meant like this!" The second Sartorius shouted. "You said we needed to save the universe! Why are you brainwashing children to help us!? That's going too far!"

"I'm not brainwashing anymore. You made that clear to me to stop doing that. Yet, we still need help, so it's not too hard to gather followers a different way." The first Sartorius narrowed his eyes. "And second, I tried to keep our promise, but don't you feel it? Something messing with your and my ability to control the future here. Or rather, someone. We have to start building our forces now before things get out of hand." The first Sartorius stepped forward, causing the second one to flinch. "You know what is at stake if we fail."

"I am aware." The second Sartorius spoke while gripping his fist. "Fine, but stop taking my form. It's unnerving."

"Alright. Alright," The first and apparently fake Sartorius started to fade. "I'm only taking this form until one of my other hosts arrives. Remember, Kumar, this is for the salvation of the Universe."

As the fake one burst into light, the energy quickly flew into the true Sartorius.

The lanky man sighed, his face looking as if he aged an entire year in that one moment. "... This partnership is getting worse by the day."

[Author Notes]

Okay, so we start season 2 proper! I thought about writing Jaden VS Aster, but I didn't know what to add to it other than more focus on Terra Firma.

I'm also introducing Midori Hibiki from the manga! I always thought it was cool that she was like an older sister to Jaden. Their dynamic looks fun, and since Slifer Red didn't have a Headmaster anymore, it looked like a great time to give them the Manga one as a replacement. So it's still technically canon!

The past few chapters with Regi were to build up to this Duel with Chazz. I loved Chazz in both the Manga and Anime. I loved his personality in the Anime while adoring his skill in the manga. This is why the Chazz in this story has the best of both: he's goofy outside of a duel but is tougher than Jaden is pre-Neo Space. Because of how I wrote him, I didn't want him to get brainwashed into Sartorius' puppet for season two.

That left me with a problem as to who would even take Chazz's place to upturn the blue dorms?

(Looks at the Chazz wannabe that appeared in only one episode.)

Hey... wait a second...

So yeah, I completely reworked Reginald's character in this story.

Speaking of rework, I also made some "slight" changes to Sartorius. I'm building the ground work now, but I hope you enjoy my take on the character!

This chapter was hard to write, but at the same time it was also exciting to do so. Hopefully, you all enjoyed it.

Anyway, I'll see ya'll soon! Good luck out there and thanks for reading!

[Made up and altered cards]

Spell Books in the Pot- (Manga only card) Okay, I'm starting to think this is becoming my Pot of Greed. But it's so good at giving both players more resources without going overboard, as with Card of Sanctity.

Carnwennan and Rhongomiant: I wanted more Noble Arms cards since the real ones didn't fit what I wanted for the duel. Thanks, Google, for showing me these Welsh Arthurian weapons.

Shield-Wing Dragon: just to protect Chazz from being insta-wiped.

Instant Disqualification: So, a funny story: I wanted Ojama Country to outdo the Noble Knights XYZ monsters. Thanks to Edo Pro, it told me that I couldn't do that. So, the combo idea of Ojamas overpowering the knights was a no-go.