The True Slifer Red
Chapter 9
-Jaden-
"This is absurd!" the irate voice of Nurse Fontaine woke Jaden from his slumber, the sudden pulse of pain from his recovering body making sure he didn't return to that state, "He is here recovering after a serious injury and you do this?!"
"Miss Fontaine, I would suggest that you calm yourself." The slimy voice of Bonaparte, assistant to the vice chancellor, carried in from the next room, "That young man broke a serious rule we have on Campus and so he has to be punished. Chancellor Sheppard already agreed to the punishment."
"A duel where he's expelled if he loses?! He was seriously injured trying to rescue two kidnapped girls from a wanted duel mercenary!"
"I found no sign of this 'Titan'." Jaden could hear the smug undertones in the man's voice, "So I'm afraid that defense won't be enough to get this hoodlum out of his rightfully earned punishment."
"Get out of here you slimy little rat!" Nurse Fontaine Snarled, "And know I'll be reporting this to the board."
"Good luck with that." Bonaparte laughed as he left.
"Fat little bastard." Nurse Fontaine grumbled before he saw his door opening, her eyes widening as they locked with his own. "Jaden! I didn't realize you were awake." She hurried over to check his vitals as he lay in the bed.
"What was that about?" Jaden asked, trying to sit up before gulping when the nurse gave him a glare for the attempt.
"Bonaparte is having you punished for being in the basement of the Sponsor dorm against restrictions. He's having you do a punishment duel and if you lose, then you're expelled." Nurse Fontaine snorted with outraged disgust.
"Can you send my friends here?" Jaden coughed before taking a glass of water from the nurse along with his medicine, "They know where my cards are, and I need to tune up my deck."
"Tune up?" Nurse Fontaine asked surprised, checking the pill cup for stragglers as she took it back.
"Bonaparte is actively out to get me. I need to make sure my deck is as perfect as I can make it so he doesn't win." Jaden groaned, feeling the pain killers in the medicine kick in as his body started going numb, "I'll need new tricks and combinations to win the duel."
"I'll have them come." Nurse Fontaine promised, "You just rest up young man."
"I don't suppose I have much of a choice?" Jaden sighed as the nurse smirked in amusement.
"No, no you don't." the happy nurse giggled before leaning over, "Also, by the way young man, you might want to clean that lipstick off before your friends come." Eyes wide, Jaden grabbed a mirror from his bedside table to clean said color off while the Nurse laughed and walked out of the room to send his friends a message to come.
"Guess I didn't imagine that." Jaden muttered to himself while blushing, trying not to think about how often he saw the same color on a specific bug duelist's face…and failing.
-Bonaparte-
Chuckling to himself, the assistant to the vice councilor flipped through the records he kept of various dueling mercenaries. "Going to report me?" he asked aloud, his tone condescending as he thought back to that uppity nurse and her paltry threats. He may have only recently been transferred to duel academy central but with all his years at the other academies he had tenure, so she had no chance of getting rid of him so easily.
"The Paradox brothers?" he considered for a moment before shaking his head sadly, he had wanted to drag more of the hooligan's friends into this, but he had to play his cards carefully to even get the punishment duel set. And now that he had the chancellor's signature, he knew that the man couldn't rescind the punishment unless serious proof was levied to disprove the allegations.
It was all so very easy. Bring it to the man's attention first thing in the morning before the man had his morning coffee, and just say that a student had been found trespassing in highly restricted areas without saying who. Suggest a duel to earn the chance to avoid expulsion, and the man easily signed off.
"Now I just need to find someone to duel this insolent little cur!" Bonaparte snarled, eyes blazing as he went back to the files with renewed vigor. On his desk rested a picture of Bonaparte with his sister and his nephew, one that was hurt by that the unnatural presence of Jaden Yuki before its parents died.
"I won't let you corrupt this academy any further you little demon." Bonaparte spat.
-Jaden-
"Alright, let's get busy." Bastion smiled eagerly, cracking his knuckles as they looked at the stacks of his cards, ready to organize this.
"You sure about this Jay?" Alexis leaned forward, smirking at him playfully as the entirety of the Sponsored students got settled in his room, apart from Chazz, were there, "If we do this then you'll have to deal with us knowing all the tricks of your new deck."
"I suppose you'll need that little handicap on me to pose a challenge." Jaden shot back with a grin, never missing a beat.
"You are so lucky you're already injured." Alexis growled playfully while the others laughed, even Zane cracked a hint of a smile.
"You know Jay, if you like I could help you build a bug deck." Missy batted her eyelashes at him with an amused grin, "Think you can handle being a loyal knight to the insect queen?"
"Or I could formulate you a scientific deck, mathematically geared to win." Bastion offered.
"Come on boys, you all know my deck would fit Jaden better." Alexis protested.
"Or he could stick to the dragons he's already shown he works well with." Zane deadpanned.
"Let's just get started guys." Jaden grunted, forcing himself to sit up, "I need to upgrade this deck and do it fast so I can figure out all the combinations and strategies. I still don't even know why but Bonaparte is out for my blood."
"You think he was the one behind the intruder, what did you say his name was, Titan?" Zane asked, his voice as cold as always yet now it was more a cold rage, not apathy.
"I don't have proof, but I wouldn't be surprised." Jaden scowled, "He was so eager to get me expelled and with how he was talking to Miss Fontaine earlier? I can't think of who else it would be."
"We can try to contact your sponsor." Zane grunted, "Mine too. They should know about a mercenary getting onto campus and being covered up like this."
"But first, the deck." Jaden reached out and selected the first card for it, grinning dangerously, this would be fun.
