The True Slifer Red

Chapter 10

-Jaden-

Rubbing his neck with a groan, Jaden walked back to the sponsor dorm alongside his friends who were quite intent on guarding him. Honestly, he was surprised they were even let him walk, let alone do anything besides rest for what time he could, given his expulsion duel was set for tomorrow. "Welcome back Jaden." The smiling face of the chancellor was there to greet them as they approached the building, "Glad to see you out and about."

"Be a lot nicer if I had more time before tomorrow's duel." Jaden grunted, "Nobody even told me who I'm dueling."

"What?" the Chancellor frowned "You were supposed to have been informed some time ago. Bonaparte and the Board arranged for a retired Duel Mercenary to duel you, someone who hasn't done much since Duelist Kingdom. I protested but the Board thinks that his last recorded duels show him at a decent level for this situation."

"A duel Mercenary?" Zane blinked surprised "I didn't think those were around anymore."

"Indeed," Sheppard nodded "his name is PaniK. With the 'K' also capitalized, something he was quite insistent on. Apparently, he was hired by Pegasus back during Duelist Kingdom as one of the famed Eliminators, going into a seeming retirement after losing to Yugi Moto."

"…Isn't that the guy who tried using flamethrowers on his opponent when he started losing?" Jaden sweat dropped as the chancellor revealed what lunatic Bonaparte had hired, remembering his mentor having shared this story from Duelist Kingdom.

"Luckily our school doesn't have those." The chancellor laughed nervously at the rising murderous aura from Jaden's friends "Note to self, ensure no flamethrowers." The man muttered, apparently not realizing he was thinking aloud.

"Anyway sir, at this point I just want to rest up before tomorrow." Jaden sighed as the jolly man nodded in understanding.

"Understandably my boy, let's see you up to your quarters. I've been studying the areas in the basement. They're…not as they were before." Chancellor Sheppard allowed a frown to darken his expression for a moment before the happy grin returned and he led everyone up to Jaden's room.

"What the fuck?!" Jaden felt those words being the first out of his mouth upon seeing the state of his room were warranted, even with his school Chancellor standing next to him. The room was in complete and utter disarray, the whole room having been tossed. He could see the lockbox he kept most of his cards in broken open with most of the cards themselves having been shredded although some were likely missing. He distinctly saw the best cards not in his current deck were gone.

"Someone wants you to lose tomorrow." Zane scowled darkly, "We're lucky you kept your new deck with you in your deck box, along with your shadow game deck."

"The Security Cameras are down." Chancellor Sheppard frowned, pulling them up on his tablet, the cameras in each hallway but admittedly not the bedrooms or bathrooms, "Been down for a couple hours now. The rest of you, go check your own rooms." Jaden's friends quickly scattered, opening up their own doors.

"I'm clean." Zane answered first, being just across the hall.

"Same here!" Syrus piped in.

"Me as well!" Bastion called. Jaden's phone buzzed, Alexis and Missy's rooms untouched too.

"So, it's just mine." Jaden grunted, sitting on his bed with the shredded sheets "Definitely gives more credence to the 'sabotage' idea. My money's on Bonaparte."

"That's a sucker's bet Jaden." Zane rolled his eyes "We all heard the recording from Ms. Fontaine's office, Bonaparte has it out for you for…whatever reason."

"Yes, Miss Fontaine brought that recording to myself and the board as well." Chancellor Sheppard gave them a serious nod, "Given the man's tenure he can't be just dismissed, but there is a push for an investigation. Especially given who exactly your sponsor is Mr. Yuki."

"Covering their asses." Zane summed up, "Either way, might not be best for Jaden to stay here. At least not until his room is repaired."

"I'm aware." The Chancellor pinched the bridge of his nose, grumbling about losing time for his investigation "Mr. Yuki, you can spend the night in one of the visiting guess suites. They're over by my quarters and the card shack."

"By the card shack?" Jaden blinked surprised.

"Do you realize how many times people try to break in there after hours?" the Chancellor snorted even as the girls returned, determined to walk with him to his new temporary room. The walk was exhausting as Jaden was still getting used to moving about after almost two weeks of bed rest in the hospital wing.

"Don't worry Jaden, you got this." Missy gave him a reassuring grin as she and Alexis helped him down in a chair, "And you'll have us rooting for you the whole time."

"Maybe we'll even find a way to get Zane to dress up as a cheerleader." Alexis quipped while Jaden and Missy snorted at the ridiculous mental image.

"I'd rather not have the mental scarring, thank you." Jaden shook his head amused.

"And what if we wore the Cheerleader outfits?" Missy smirked, batting her eyes at him playfully.

"Then I'd be too distracted to win." Jaden didn't even miss a beat as he responded.

"Good answer." Missy grinned before it slipped away, "In all serious though, I believe in you Jaden, please don't lose."

-PaniK-

Chuckling darkly, PaniK looked the new rare cards he'd been given to upgrade his deck "A powerful new deck and the chance to crush that Yugi brat's new 'apprentice'? Oh Bonaparte, you have truly made my day." PaniK chuckled darkly, his wallet gloriously heavy with the rest of the pay he'd gotten, both official from the board and under the table from Bonaparte. "Still pissed off about them denying me my flamethrowers, but at least I don't have to worry about that god card or his machines."

-Jaden-

Scowling, Jaden sorted through the few cards he still had that weren't stolen or destroyed, trying to find something to fill the now open spots in his deck for the rapidly upcoming duel. End of the day, only a few minutes before curfew, and he just now gets notice that the board have forbidden him from using his god card in the expulsion duel as well as the Cyberdarkcards. Slifer was deemed 'too valuable a tool' to use in a punishment duel and the board had received an 'anonymous tip' that he'd stolen his Cyberdarks so he wasn't permitted to use them till he was cleared. It didn't help that they were some of his strongest cards and the frontrunners of his deck. "I've got nothing." Jaden groaned as he gave up, noting that there was still about five minutes before the card shack would close so he could go down there and hope to find something. Shuffling stiffly to the Card Shak just down the hall, Jaden entered, seeing just Ms. Dorothy inside.

"Oh Jaden!" the kind woman hurried over to fret on him, "I heard about what that nasty little toad Bonaparte is doing to you. Ooooooh that slime makes me so mad!"

"Thanks Ms. Dorothy." Jaden smiled at the kind card shack owner "But I kinda need to get some cards for my deck for the duel tomorrow. I was only just informed that I'm forbidden from using Slifer or my Cyberdarks." Again, probably because of Bonaparte.

"Of course, deary." Ms. Dorothy nodded, "You take your time and don't worry about the closing hours, I don't mind staying a bit late if you're having trouble making up your mind." Nodding gratefully to the woman who went back to reading a novel behind the counter, Jadon began to browse the various shelves and cases. Some had individual cards, some had regular packs. The problem with the individual cards in the cases was that they either lacked the kind of power he was looking for or wouldn't have a good synergy with his deck.

"-en." Frowning, Jaden looked around, having sworn he heard a whispery voice just now. Ms. Dorothy seemed completely unaware though. Trusting his gut, Jaden began to walk towards where he's sure the sound came from, moving slow and keeping his ears peeled. "-aden." It came through again, still whispery but stronger and clearer as he apparently moved closer to the source. Getting to a shelf with various new card packs, Jaden heard it again "Jaden, find me." Slowly, he began to flip one by one through the packs, keeping his ears peeled and senses open until his fingers touched the casing of a specific pack and he felt a spark. "You have found me. Open this pack my King, and release my power."

Swallowing, his throat suddenly dry, Jaden walked over to Ms. Dorothy, paying so he could hastily open the pack. The first card right on top stood out to him, the power he could sense and the voice making it clear the card had a duel spirit. "Oh my!" Ms. Dorothy gasped when she saw what he'd gotten "That's quite the card Jaden. What is it that you young people say? The heart of the cards is with you? I'm sure I heard somebody say that once."

"Thanks Ms. Dorothy." Jaden let a wild grin cross his face, glad he finally had that new ace for this deck, "This is just what I needed." Heading back to his suite and adding the new cards to his deck, Jaden got settled into bed before a thought crossed his mind, "Wait…king?"