Hey, everyone.
By now, I'm sure that you've all seen the news out of Buckingham Palace. Queen Elizabeth II has passed away after a long, and fruitful life. She was Britain's longest reigning monarch and was only surpassed globally by King Louis XIV of France. Though not the authority of her ancestors, she was a central part of British heritage and a loved figure by many. I can only hope that she is reunited with her husband, Prince Philip, who passed away last year.
Queen Elizabeth II
21 April 1926 - 8 September 2022
"While we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again."
Looking out over his motley crew, Yugi was forced to admit that the underwhelming appearance of the Slifer Dorm might have a slight reflection on the inhabitants. Suzuki and Hashi were (somehow) the mismatched stars of the lot. There were also Jiro and Botan to represent the Japanese students. Miguel was from the Philippines and carried a slight accent when he spoke, Zaw from Myanmar, Jun from China, and Steve the American. Yugi had hoped that realising that he was going to be staying on to teach them might inspire some confidence in the group. From the dismayed faces, it appeared that a night of reflection had provided the opposite effect.
Then again, that might be the need for Slifer students to be awake two hours before classes began to have even a hope of arriving on time. Besides Jun's private tea blend and Miguel's religiously non-stimulating water, every face was within sipping distance of caffeine. "Now that everyone's awake," A round of groans met his words. Nobody was awake, they were operating entirely on instinct and habit. "Get me up to speed. Decks, marks, strengths, weaknesses, whatever you think will be useful." Hazy stares met his request. The only situation more aggravating than an early morning was an upbeat teacher. "Hashi, you go first."
"Me?" Even the concentrated bundle of energy was wishing he was back in bed. "Er, I'm Hashi. Hate studying, and love the fried shrimp. One day, I'm going to be"
"Is this necessary?" Cutting across the cheerful midget were the sharp tones of Jiro. Dark hair, a permanently scowled expression, and a chip on his shoulder bigger than the volcano that dominated the island. One look and Yugi knew he would be the easiest student to deal with. "Everybody here is aware of our situation. We are the failures who cannot even succeed in Slifer Red and are getting expelled as soon as the deferral period ends."
"Is that so?" Of the eight students left, Alexis had told him that two planned to drop out early. Jiro was one, leaving the other yet to be determined. "Why don't you go next? Tell me a little about yourself."
"My father named me 'Jiro' for a reason – the second son does not inherit the family." Jiro had been made painfully aware of his position growing up. Becoming a prime Duellist was the best way he could hope to secure his own future. "That is all you need to know."
"Then why didn't you apply for a regular college? Take up a trade? Start a business, work your way up the corporate ladder, become a farmer." Rolling off the list, Yugi felt a bit bad for Jiro as bodies shifted to look at him squirm. Any student would always hate being the centre of attention. "Out of every possible avenue you could take, why pick Duelling?"
"Steve!" Pivoting to the outcast, he slowed his speech. Japanese could learn English a lot easier than English speakers could learn Japanese. "Why study here? Why not another academy?" Yugi knew of four other branches of Duel Academy, each named for a point of the compass. West Academy was the branch of the American continent and it was far easier to reach Mexico than it was a remote island in the Izu chain.
"My father is a foreign service officer in Japan's American embassy." Yugi was stumped as Steve responded more fluently than a few native speakers that he could name. "We applied for a position here on the understanding that it would perfectly align with his appointment. I could remain nearby while still attending the best Duelling institution in the world. Failing a year will render all my efforts useless."
"Very impressive." Few kids that age had to plan out their lives four years at a time. Steve was decidedly realistic about his options. "Most diplomat kids usually have tutors and private boarding schools. What inspired you to choose Duel Academy instead?" In theory, Duel Academy was an equaliser where skill and effort could put anyone on top. In reality, it was as biased towards the rich as anywhere else. Each Duellist was allowed to bring their own decks and those with enough to spend could buy whatever they wanted. Private tutors and diplomatic immunity were as useful as a damp rag.
"Joey Wheeler." Steve squirmed uncomfortably. "He's half American and he's one of the best Duellists in the world. I thought if he could do it, why not me?" That Steve had taken Joey as a role model stunned Yugi for a moment. He knew that people looked up to him and Kaiba but it was the first time someone had opted for Joey when he was physically in the room. "Don't tell him I said that."
"I'll see if I can get you an autograph." Marking Steve as his unofficial favourite student, he looked to the rest of the room as the embarrassed soul tried pleading for him not to make the effort. "Suzuki, what's your story?"
"Mine?" Trailing around behind Hashi, Suzuki had the air of a lost puppy despite being more than a foot taller. "My brother's already working the pro circuits and I've always wanted to be as good as him. I was meant to start last year but I was ill and he graduated before I could join up. I've been getting a lot better but I still get tired a lot."
"Sorry to hear it." If Suzuki was keeping his illness vague, that meant it was entirely his business. Anything long-term was usually slow healing and a pain to deal with. "I'll try to avoid making you all wake up early like this again." Hope flared in the hearts of the group before realising that they still had to deal with the usual sleeplessness being in Slifer Red came with. "Jun, do you like it here?" Yugi's Chinese was sparse but he still knew a few sentences from his schooldays.
"No offence, but your Mandarin is awful." Replying much more fluently, Jun had winced at the poor pronunciation. "I didn't even want to be here. My parents knew I liked to play Duel Monsters and surprised me with an application to study here. I tried explaining that it was just a hobby but they thought I was being humble." Judging from the looks around him, even the other Slifers were unimpressed with a student who was wasting the place of someone who would have killed for the opportunity to attend Duel Academy.
"I'm just really into entomology." Botan had the most boring reason of all of them. "Insects, spiders, you name it. All the cool bugs have already been found and evolution takes too long. I want to get into card design and draw some new ones." Yusei would have hated to know that some of the most unsettling cards in the future could trace back to the young man currently being evaluated by Yugi. He would have been more irritated to learn that Yugi found the motivation as solid as any other.
"Miguel? What have you got?" A chubby Filipino, Miguel likely had some form of ADHD because he managed to cover his life story, three anecdotes, detail an extensive family network, and squeeze in a confusing (yet strangely rude) joke before anyone else could divert the conversation. It was like hearing a dictionary in a blender in a hurricane. "... Good stuff. Zaw?" Last to be mentioned was the man from Myanmar.
"My details are in my file." Yugi gave him a long look. He knew that someone on the island would have been responsible for Jaden's death but he couldn't envision that they would have sent a child to do the job.
"Okay then." Putting it aside, for now, he stood up from the rickety seat and felt it gently collapse behind him. Everything in the dorm felt like it was one bad move away from falling apart and he was going to do his best to make sure these kids weren't next on the list. "My name's Yugi Mutou and I'll be filling in as the head of the dorm. At least some of you are going to think that I won't care because this is only temporary but I'm doing this as a favour to a friend so you can at least trust that I'll stick to my word." Plenty of people, himself included, believed that some teachers were just in it for themselves. His old guidance counsellor had been particularly cruel. "I don't know how things run around here so you'll have to teach me as we go. In exchange, I'll do my best to help all of you. Deal?" Keeping eye contact with each of them for a moment, he noticed again how Zaw was the most detached.
Hashi was starting to get tired of the various surprise appearances Yugi was giving. Between the common room, kitchen, early breakfast and now the showers, his heart were in real danger of giving out. "What are you doing now?" Dressed only in shorts and a shirt, the King of Games was studiously scrubbing at the grout in one shower cubicle.
"Cleaning the showers." He had already cleaned out the heads and wiped down the pipes. The floors were filthy enough to warrant strong bleaching but there was no point doing that until the other cleaning was complete. All the other grime would run off and stick itself on if he did.
"We're not allowed to do that." Suzuki looked nervous with a threadbare towel clutched anxiously in both hands.
"Says who?" Banning students from using the mop might have avoided slippery complications yet banning cleaning altogether was a recipe for disaster.
"There's meant to be a cleaner once a month but they were on holiday the last time and I heard we won't get one since the term finished." Not to mention the time before that had been cut short due to spending more time at the Ra Yellow Dorm, the time before that was cut short by rain and the time before that skipped altogether because the cleaner simply didn't want to go all the way to the Slifer Dorm. Four months without a proper clean and things were on the verge of spreading life in the shower.
"You guys use these showers." For all the disturbing grime, they provided hot water and somewhere to clean. As long as they wore sandals the whole time, they could even stand on the floor. "Then you should clean them. Once a week isn't too much to ask." Nudging a door, he watched it swing open and droop sadly on loose screws. After the cleaning was done, he'd have to educate the students on the basics of DIY. "If anyone tries to get you in trouble, tell me first. I don't care if you have to run from Professor Crowler himself. You shouldn't have to live in these sorts of conditions." Crowler wasn't as derisive of the Slifer Dorm as he once had been, yet nor did he intercede when other factions in Duel Academy committed infractions against it. As far as he was concerned, it didn't exist beyond claiming the surplus on the yearly budget.
"It wasn't so bad when we could use the Academy baths." Hashi might have more cheer than his diminutive size suggested but it also appeared to have pushed out any sort of common sense. Suzuki did his best by kicking his friend on the ankle yet their height difference made it difficult to do surreptitiously. Especially when those piercing eyes turned their way.
"Come again?" Entire generations of students tried to get job positions on Academy Island simply to use their baths. Students the world over – both Duellists and non-Duellists alike – envied the fortunate few who had unlimited access to the bathing facilities. Jaden had mentioned the baths they were so impressive.
"The Blues and Yellows decided that there wasn't any point in closing off the baths so that a few Reds could use them." If mercy had a face, it was probably the opposite of the one Yugi was showing. "They said we could use them at the same time but the entry system doesn't let different dorms in on other's slots. Since they booked up all the slots in advance, we've been using these showers instead."
"And what's the point of these showers?" Having world-class baths for general cleaning may have been a bit far for most people except the entire Academy had been bankrolled by Seto Kaiba and he was only ever in the 'most people' column by biological measures. And that computational business device that occupied his skull would only allow the second set of showers if the total cost was lower than any fines their lack might incur.
"Mostly for washing up after exercise." With damage already done, Suzuki decided to properly contribute to matters by more fully explaining the situation. "I heard from a Yellow that a cleaner used to come by here every week. Then they got a new sauna and the budget had to be cut." Leaving the mouldy showers to fester with any student who tried to clean them risking expulsion for supposedly endangering the others.
"I see." A lot more than most people could. Anything found wanting in the budget went through the 'trickle down' theory of economy – which had never worked, ever in the history of mankind. "Excuse me for a moment." Calmly putting down his scourer, he slowly edged past the duo and closed the door behind him.
"Do you think that he's gone to talk about our showers with" Splintering wood and twisted metal screamed from outside, followed by the sound of colliding surfaces and ringing steel. After a terrified few moments, their terrifying role model appeared back in the doorway with a possible murder weapon in one hand and a look of vengeful satisfaction on his face.
"Try the facilities next door." When they had first met, the three Kings of Games had swapped stories on who had the most arrogant friend. Nobody beat Kaiba but Chazz had won out over Jack for building his own extension to Slifer Dorm – complete with full bathing facilities.
"But... those are meant to be for guests." After Chazz left to join the circuits and Blair Flannigan had been promoted to Obelisk Blue, the additional structure had been locked to Slifer Students. One of Jaden's many interim replacements had briefly claimed the quarters for himself before rotating out at the end of the year and taking the only key.
"Fine. I'm a guest and I like to share." Propping his 'master key' (uncannily disguised as a length of metal pipe) in a corner, Yugi washed the grime from his palms in a sink beside the door. The rusty padlock had proven too resilient for 'concussive maintenance' so he had simply ripped off the entire fitting. "Find something to prop the doors closed with and we'll call it even."
"What are you going to do if someone asks about the door?" Suzuki was a quiet boy who preferred to avoid confrontation wherever possible. He reminded Yugi of himself at a much younger age. "Won't we get in trouble?"
"If anyone does come asking, I'll get the pipe again." While someone in the Duel Academy hierarchy might be trying to force trickle-down economics to starve out the Slifer Dorm, Yugi was fully prepared to use piñata economics and beat it from the wealth hoarders. Those without should receive the most and not those who already had too much. "As soon as everyone's had a turn, I want you two to put together a list of anything else that's broken around here." And his tone made it clear that 'broken' didn't mean 'not working' in this context but rather 'needs fixing'. Yliaster might have been planning to murder Jaden but it looked like life was already doing a good job killing the Slifer Dorm.
Once his students had enjoyed the first real shower they'd had in four months, they gradually reunited in terrified wonder in the cafeteria. In theory, staff were meant to look out for the pupils and the dorm leaders were meant to look out for their particular students above all others. Having anyone rock up and start making an effort shouldn't have been so surprising and they had the numb curiosity of bystanders watching a building collapse and wondering exactly what was going to happen next.
"Right, says here that you've got," Yugi checked his PDA. Every member of Duel Academy received one, typically in dorm colours, with a gold star meant to mark out his position had it not been knocked off at some point. "Basic Tenants of Card Design until..." He scrolled through the list. And kept scrolling. "Next Tuesday?" The next lesson on the list was the same as the first and lasted until the Thursday after that. Yugi didn't need to look further to guess that it had been repeatedly entered to the limits of the system.
"That's Ar...la." Botan shuffled uncomfortably. "The guy before you. He saw my Card Design homework one time. Probably thought it was funny until he found out he's meant to teach the remedial classes." And it had suddenly been his fault for making Arla book all those classes and forcing him to work with such useless students. It had surprised nobody when he simply left and claimed a family emergency, letting him keep his pay while ditching his responsibilities.
"And you said his name was Arla?" A naval fleet could have sailed under Yugi's eyebrow as it pointed to the word hovering unsaid around the ceiling. The Reds had clearly become used to using a more profane title regarding his predecessor and Botan was suffering multiple glares for nearly letting it slip. "Since we're already booked in for today, we'll go over Card Design but I'm clearing the timetable from tomorrow onwards. We can figure out what we're going to do while we have dinner this evening."
There was a strange change occurring in his students. Having Yugi turned up had put them all in mild shock until they grimly realised it was likely a PR stunt for a couple of days. Watching him tear up their timetable and demand replacement ideas for them all to do going forward was starting to cement the idea that he was there for the long haul. Instead of lunging directly for hope, the group had drifted gently into the reeds of mild bemusement as they processed the change in reality. "Right," Slipping his PDA into one pocket, Yugi did a quick headcount of the group. "If everyone's ready, let's get a move on."
Hashi and Miguel held the group up for a few minutes as they donned boots for the uphill trek. Jiro took advantage of the opportunity to gesture Yugi to one side for a quiet word. "Dr Mutou, it might be worth keeping the timetable as it is for a few days."
"Don't worry about all this 'sir' business." Yugi waved away the title as readily as Jaden would have. "Why do you think we should spend so much time on Card Design?"
"It's a core unit of the curriculum." Jiro cared for formality about as much as Yugi didn't and frowned at avoiding titles. "And some of us have low marks as it stands." Failing a single core unit was not technically grounds for expulsion. The faculty would examine the student's records and decide if they needed to retake the unit in the next year, redo the entire year, or (most often happening in the Red dorm) face immediate expulsion.
"Then we'll have to look at where you're struggling and figure out how to move forward." Miguel had only managed to distract himself twice while doing up his shoes and the group was ready to go sooner than expected. "Okay," Stepping outside, Yugi clapped his hands and looked around for a shed. "How do we get to the Academy?"
"How?" Confusion coloured Zaw's Burmese accent. "We walk? How else?"
"All the way?" It was barely a kilometre away with about an extra half in altitude changes. Making the trek was closer to a full hike than a walk to school. "Don't you have golf buggies or bicycles or something?" Surely transportation had been involved with moving the furniture into the dorms at least. Negotiating that many beds down from the central building with manpower alone were tantamount of slavery.
"We get an extra pair of shoes." Apparently, Hashi wasn't playing with a full deck because no ordinary student would sound happy at walking through two pairs of shoes in less than a year. Looking down at his own pair, Yugi gave a heavy sigh and set off after his students.
Even though he was mentally counting how many times they could have cycled to and from the main building as they went, Yugi gradually began to appreciate the exercise for what it was. While the rest of the students probably made use of luxurious gym facilities elsewhere, the Slifer Reds were kept in reasonable fitness by the forced exile back and forth to their dorm. The views were splendid, the air was filled with the scent of the wild jungles growing across the island and the volcano in the centre provided enough heat to keep the temperate climate without overwhelming the inhabitants. There was something that bothered him though. At one point or another, all the students under his care looked around with a look he could only call fear with no indications as to why. When he pushed the question, they gave non-committal answers or simply shrugged and changed the topic. By the time they arrived at the marble lane which lead to the main doors of Duel Academy, each of them was tired, sweaty, and dreadfully awake.
"And this is a daily occurrence?" Yugi stretched his aching muscles as they entered the divine grace of the air-conditioned interior. He couldn't even pretend to be looking forward to a downhill walk back since the terrain had enough dips at raises in it that both journeys would somehow be uphill.
"My father nearly left me in a military academy." Steve Senior had the same approach to parenting as he did politics – distant and more interested in results than the methods. "I'm still not sure that I chose the right option." At least the kids were doing better than he felt. Yugi was in good shape yet not accustomed to endurance marathons. "Come on, it's this way." Taking the lead up a flight of stairs, he led a complicated route along several corridors and past doors to the same elevator which was in the entrance hallway below.
"Why couldn't we just take the lift?" Although his students knew the best ways of getting around, Yugi's legs were definitely feeling the strain of the march from the doors.
"This is better for the body." Zaw piped up from the back. "Helps cool down instead of stopping suddenly and getting exhausted." Despite begrudgingly conceding the point, all Yugi wanted was to sit down and let his legs go floppy for a couple of hours. Instead of the comfy couches that he sought, the opening door revealed a surprisingly professional art studio with the hard stools that forced attention on the work in progress.
Walking over to a cabinet in the corner, the group idly unlocked a scattered set of padlocks and withdrew heavy canvas bundles from the lengthy trays inside as Yugi leaned heavily against a counter and tried not to focus on the burning in his calves. At least he'd finally be shown the reason that his predecessor had arranged weeks of Card Design lessons and Jiro sullenly agreed with the verdict. Works went up across the room and he slowly took them in at turn.
Disproportionate warriors glared down from swords bigger than themselves and burdened by such heavy and overdone armour that nobody would be able to move, let alone fight. Dragons with such teeth and claws and sharp edges that they would spend their entire lives in constant, cutting agony. Plants with so many vines that anything getting too close would simply be tangled up in the mess and lost to the convoluted nightmare. It was every first attempt taken to the inevitable conclusion and finally plastered on easels of tortured imagination. "I see." Much as he wished he hadn't. "And these were given assignments?" Arla was starting to earn the other title his students had assigned him.
"Twenty-eight people in the class, twenty-five types to choose from." Jun shrugged morosely. "Everyone was assigned a Type and the last three got them at random." And having eight people fail was an acceptable margin of loss when it came to the Slifer ranks. They'd been forced into a no-win scenario and left to lose.
Pulling out his PDA again, Yugi stumbled through the menus until he found the documents Dr Crowler had sent him. The emails were fawning instructions on how best to make the most of his stay but the attachments were plain documents outlining the various curriculum boundaries and criteria. "Says here that you need to submit a passing art design and card formula." Neither of which was being expressed in the currently available work. "Can any of you tell me about your card designs?"
"Sure," All the energy in the room could be concentrated into the lively bundle of joy that was Hashi. "Mine's a Level 6 super warrior with 2900 ATK and DEF points and can inflict piercing damage on any monster!" Beyond the unstoppable force, nobody spoke up.
"Level 6?" Though he was unfamiliar with the current trends, Yugi recognised that the numbers were far outside the norm. "And what's the downside?" Hashi looked like he has just been asked to explain why moonbeams caused earthquakes. "Hashi, if you're going to design a card, there have to be limits on it."
"Of course, there's a limit!" A glimmer of hope bloomed in the studio. "It needs to be Tribute Summoned!" And was promptly crushed by the ongoing joy bout.
"Is anyone here besides Hashi," He managed to cut off the third approach in time. "Proud of their work?" Pride can be found in many places. For example, Joey was proud of how many pizzas he could eat without any assistance. However, none of the students in the classroom showed even a hint of pride. "Okay. I want everyone to get a fresh canvas." Looks of alarm spread over the class. Starting a new design this late would make it impossible to finish on time. "Nobody here thinks that they'll pass anyway so I want to see what you can do when you can't fail. One hour," He raised a finger. "I want you to draw whatever you want for one hour and then try to pitch it as a card design."
One hour can produce a lot. Zaw managed to outline a fractured skull of screaming torment, Jiro drew what looked like a jagged lightning bolt but which he explained was a gaping fissure of doom. The one that most drew Yugi's attention was little more than a series of hastily sketched outlines and curves. "It looks like a grasshopper." He recalled that Botan had an interest in entomology. Insects would be an easy way to channel that hobby. "Tell me about it."
"I call it 'Grasschopper' because it cuts through enemy monsters." Deadly scythes were slowly added in at the edges of the front limbs. "It's going to be a Level 5 or 6. A bit strong but not as strong as Hashi's monster was," A tongue was stuck out across the classroom where Yugi pretended not to see. "And I want it to be able to attack multiple enemies, like how a grasshopper can jump around before you notice. But that's probably too much." Taking another look at the design, Yugi tried to see what his student saw.
"There are a few growth-type abilities." Silent Swordsman was such a card, gaining one Level and 500 ATK with each turn it was on the field. Of course, it came with the downside of starting with barely any power and remaining weak for two full turns. "Figure out a way to negate the advantage, make it work to gain it."
Gnawing at the end of his pencil, Botan examined the sketched outline. "I could have a larval stage and... no, that's too much like the Moth series. Or pheromones, give it an Attribute or Type restriction." Yugi said nothing as he watched the train of thought pass through various stops on the way to a destination. "Grasshoppers moult a few times." He looked up and stared right through Yugi without really looking at him. "What about," Botan's gaze slowly came into focus. "Letting it get the ability after it's been on the field for a turn? Like how grasshoppers moult and evolve."
"See?" Clapping a hand on his shoulder, he put the spotlight entirely on Botan. "One hour and he's already got a got basis for a design and a decent sketch to work from. That enthusiasm is what I want you all to have. Figure out what you like, what you want to see in a card and then make it. Except you, Hashi." He frowned slightly. "I want you to consult with Suzuki during your work." Hashi leapt before checking to see if there was a cliff and Suzuki barely shuffled from the safest point he could find without having a panic attack. Their friendship was as inevitable as the tides. "It's a new beginning." He clapped his hands and pointed back to the blank canvases of the future. "Let's get to work."
Draw me a picture with your words in a review.