The True Slifer Red

Chapter 5

-Jaden-

Reaching Chancellor Sheppard's office, Jaden knocked, Yugi standing calmly at his side helping to ease his nerves.

"Enter." Kaiba's blunt cold voice made Jaden gulp as he pushed open the door, seeing Kaiba, the Chancellor, and Zane awaiting them. Kaiba had on a flawless blank poker face, Zane looked confused, and Chancellor Sheppard looked the most concerned of the lot.

"Good, you're here." Kaiba huffed as Yugi closed the door "Now, Chancellor, I want to know what was with your reaction to those cards the kid used?"

"I…" Sheppard sighed, glancing around as if afraid of eavesdroppers "I assume he is aware of duel spirits as you and Mr. Moto are?"

"Yeah, I can see spirits." Jaden nodded, somewhat surprised that the Chancellor could.

"It's tied to the legacy of dueling that I have passed onto Zane." Sheppard poured himself some tea, seemingly needing it to calm his nerves, "The Cyber School, focused on the Cyber Dragons that I gave to Zane when he was my student so many years ago. But, as with many things, there was a darker secret. The Cyberdark dragons, also called the 'Deck of the Underworld'."

"The cards Jaden used." Kaiba nodded, sending an appraising glance at Jaden's deck.

"Indeed. They possess powerful and, more importantly, violent duel spirits. Ones known to drain the life force of their users who tried to earn their allegiance." Sheppard frowned as he sipped at his drink, "I kept them hidden away. Locked in a box within the walls of the Monastery where the Cyber School trains its successors. That said, I want to know how you got your hands on them."

"They sought me out." Jaden answers honestly, "When Yugi took me to his grandpa's shop there was a box of extra card packs that he let me open to try and make a deck. The Cyberdark cards were all in a black nameless pack that neither of the Moto's remembered seeing before."

"Their Duel Spirits wanted you to find them?" Zane sat forward, looking bewildered "Why?"

"Don't know." Jaden admitted, "They don't either. They said they felt something drawing them to leave the Monastery and to wait where I found them. They said they could tell I was the one meant to use them in battle but that's it."

"Were you worried he'd stolen them?" Yugi asked with narrowed eyes at the Chancellor who gulped, whistling nervously.

"To be fair, the cards were supposed to be sealed away in a Tibetan Monastery." Zane shrugged before giving Jaden an appraising eye, a wild grin breaking his usually stoic mask, "Although I have to say, I look forward to the end of the year."

"Uh…why?" Jaden blinked in confusion.

"At the end of every year at Duel Academy, the top graduating student is allowed to challenge anyone they want on the island." Zane explained, "I look forward to pitting my Cyber Dragons against their dark twins then."

"…I need to set up my game." Jaden gulped nervously, Yugi patting his shoulder while Kaiba smirked in amusement.

"Before I forget, there's something I wanted to ask you about sir." Jaden refocused on the Chancellor, "Why is Alexis so afraid of the Sponsored Dorm?"

-Missy-

Filling up her plate for the special after party that was being thrown for the various sponsored students and their mentors, Missy let out a sigh of relief when she finally saw Weevil Underwood leaving. A quick check confirmed that here deck, and all its cards, were still there.

"Gotta say kid, that's one hell of a sigh just there." Mai Valentine commented as she refilled her cup.

"I'm just glad that little creep Weevil is gone." Missy made a disgusted face at the pint-sized criminal who had been named as her Mentor, "I think he only agreed to 'Mentor' me in the hopes of getting his hands on my cards."

"Sounds like him." Joey Wheeler sighed in frustration, "Can't believe that little creep managed to stay out of prison."

"He probably has a good lawyer." Missy grunted, "But it's good to see you again sir."

"Again huh?" Mai Valentine gave her boyfriend a questioning raised eyebrow.

"I thought that was you." Wheeler nodded before looking towards the beautiful blonde "And I met her when she was a kid. Some other brats were bullying her for liking insect monsters, and I told em off. Told Missy here to keep going for her dreams and even gave her that Insect Queen."

"You gave her the Queen?" Syrus Truesdale looked stunned, "Why? It's such a powerful card."

"Yeah, but its real strength can only really show in an insect deck." Wheeler shrugged, "I gave back the cards I got from Mako Tsunami to him after Duelist Kingdom for the same reason. Only one I really kept was Jinzo, as it worked with my playstyle really well."

"It's one of several strong insects in my deck now." Missy nodded with a proud grin, "Underwood gave all insect duelists a bad name. I plan to fix that."

"Atta girl." Mai gave her a nod as the door opened, letting the Chancellor in along with Jaden, Zane, and their mentors.

"Are you alright Jaden?" Syrus asked nervously as her latest opponent and his mentor made his way over, Zane sticking to the corner like she'd always seen him do at various Obelisk functions.

"Yeah, just nervous." The usually bombastic brunette sent a nervous glance at a very smug Zane "Excited too but also pretty nervous."

"Huh, why?" Missy blinked, confused at Jaden's change of attitude and Zane's odd behavior.

"…Zane stated that he plans to challenge me for the end of the year duel." Jaden admitted, "To pit his Cyber Dragons against my Cyberdark Dragons."

"Surprising, I would have thought you'd be thrilled." The Ra, Bastion, blinked in surprise as he joined them, his own Mentor having departed.

"If it was about to happen now, then I would be." Jaden mock whined while the King of Games snickered "But it's gonna be at the end of the year! Now I'm gonna be overthinking it till then, and the suspense is gonna kill me!"

"Dibs on your cards if it you die." Alexis deadpanned as she nibbled a cookie.

"Rude Lex…rude." Jaden sulked even if he seemed to be calming down.

"Still, Jaden against Zane." Missy smirked, sending Zane a wink which went ignored "That'll be quite the sight."