Baseball Field, Duel Academy
October 7, 2027
10:23 AM
The headmaster of the Anubis Blue dorm had merely wanted to have a quiet walk to himself, where he could rant and rave in peace. Unfortunately, that particular day he just happened to take said walk on the track around the baseball field.
"He humiliates me in front of the entire school… he tricks me into falling into my own trap… then he severely injures me and suffers barely any consequences for it! I must find a way to get rid of—OOOF! AAAHHH!" His ranting was cut off abruptly as he was sent stumbling into a pile of gym supplies by a baseball hitting him square in the eye.
The boxes of baseball bats— because of course, tennis season was over; it was baseball season now— promptly all fell on his head and buried him beneath them.
"Uh, heads up!" Crowler shoved the boxes off himself in time to see someone far too familiar running in his direction.
"YOU! Well, of course!" Crowler screamed in rage at Jaden, clutching his left eye (and his right one had just finished healing, too!) "Who else could cause such intense pain?!"
"Sorry…?" Jaden offered weakly. He was totally screwed this time. "It was—"
"My fault!" A voice called out from behind him. "I was the one who hit the ball!" Jaden resisted the urge to sigh. It was certainly nice of Bastion to take the blame, but he doubted the Ra Yellow would be able to prevent Crowler from pinning it all on him anyway. "Dr. Crowler, accept my apologies—"
"Bastion! No, no, no, no! No apologies necessary! I've been meaning to have my contacts refitted for ages; now I have the perfect excuse." The Anubis Headmaster smiled reassuringly. Neither Jaden nor Syrus could believe what they were hearing.
"Huh?"
"Wha…?"
Dr. Crowler whirled on them, scowling. "All right, you two, you've caused enough trouble, now shoo! Shoo, shoo!"
"Fine. But that was foul, Bastion! Bye!" Jaden called over his shoulder at the Ra as he and Syrus booked it. No point in sticking around long enough for Crowler to come up with another scheme to expel them.
Bastion would have called back to his classmates, but Dr. Crowler was already talking again. "Never mind those two— Osiris layabouts. If you want my advice, Bastion, you'll start consorting with those more your class. Well, have a good day my boy."
"Um, thank you?" Bastion returned, a bit perplexed.
…
Despite Dr. Crowler's advice, Bastion had no interest in "consorting with those more his class." The one he wanted to consort with was Jaden Yuki. The boy was an enigma, a puzzle, and Bastion would need more data if he wanted to solve it. Naturally, the best way to observe Jaden would be to spend time in his company.
So, in the locker room, after gym had ended, he approached the Osiris red. "Good game today, Yuki. I can't remember the last time someone offered me such a challenge." Jaden's face lit up with a grin.
"Same to you, Bastion. I've never been more determined to improve my batter's score. I will strike you out next time, just you wait!"
Bastion smirked. "We'll see. In the meantime, I was wondering if you and Syrus would like to come over to Ra Yellow this afternoon, to hang out? I could give you a tour of the place, so you can see where you'll be living in the future."
"Who said anything about living in Ra Yellow? Is Professor Dean going to kick us out or something?" Bastion made a mental note. Another incident of cluelessness. But is it genuine, or an act?
"No, I meant that with the potential you demonstrate, you'll likely be moving up in the world soon. I have no doubt that both you and Syrus will become Ra Yellows sooner rather than later."
"A Ra Yellow? Me?" Syrus murmured in disbelief. Jaden threw back his head and laughed.
"Wow, thanks, bro. I didn't know you had so much confidence in us. Sure, we'd love to hang out!"
"Excellent. Meet me in the Ra courtyard after classes end. I'll be waiting for you out there." He was about to turn to leave when Syrus called out,
"Wait, are you sure we're allowed?"
"Of course, as long as you're my guests. See you in a few hours." Bastion exited the locker room and headed towards the library. He had another study period right after Phys-ed and intended to use it to prepare for Jaden's visit. He rounded a corner and—
"Oh, excuse me, Dr. Crowler." Bastion fought not to react. Crowler, with the extra frills on his uniform and the special eye-patch bandage he must have gotten from the health center, looked as if he'd just stepped off a Pirates of the Caribbean movie set.
"Bastion, my boy, just the person I wanted to see! Do you have a moment?"
"Of course, professor. What do you need?"
Bastion sincerely hoped it wasn't too important. Keeping a straight face was going to require most of his mental focus.
Ra Yellow Dorm, Duel Academy
October 7, 2027
6:02 PM
The afternoon Bastion spent with Jaden and Syrus was most informative. He'd carefully selected topics of conversation and activities to see how Jaden would respond to each one. For example, his explanation of how he thought about dueling in terms of probability and calculations, as well as showing off his formulas, had garnered curious interest and respect from the other boy. Clearly, he was smart enough to understand what Bastion was talking about— the Ra had casually thrown in a few complicated terms to make sure, and he knew for a fact Jaden hadn't been faking his understanding— not with the way he'd explained them to Syrus.
Secondly, he'd asked both Osiris reds to help with repainting the walls of his dorm room. It was a very forward move, to ask for so much physical labor from such new friends, but Jaden had agreed easily, taking to the task with his usual enthusiasm. Of course, Bastion couldn't be sure if Jaden spilling the paint on Syrus and subsequently starting a paint war had been an accident or not. On the one hand, repainting the room took twice as long. On the other, it had made it more fun. There was also the possibility Jaden had done it as his own test— to see how Bastion would react to having paint thrown in his face.
Or it could be that he was reading way too much into a simple accident.
The third test came at dinner time. Bastion invited Jaden and Syrus to eat with him at the Ra Yellow cafeteria to see what they would do. He wasn't surprised when Jaden maintained his easy-going, carefree attitude, showing no more manners in an unfamiliar place than he would have at his own dinner table. Several other Ras looked over in disgust as he chewed loudly and with his mouth open, sometimes even talking at the same time and spewing crumbs across the table, but Jaden was either oblivious or he didn't care.
"I don't think I've ever had such a good time painting. Hey, you're all right, Bastion."
"Yeah," Syrus agreed, "and so is Ra Yellow's food."
"Oh, you flatter us," Bastion said politely. "But I'm sure it's not that much better than Osiris's." He set the main course— lobster tonight— in front of them. Syrus's and Jaden's eyeballs almost popped out of their respective heads.
"Trust me, the closest we get to lobster is the smell at low tide," Jaden joked.
"Speaking of bottom dwellers," Syrus spoke up while Jaden dug in, "What did Dr. Crowler want to talk to you about back at the gym?"
"Oh, um…" For one of the rare times in his life, Bastion stuttered. He couldn't repeat what Crowler had actually said, of course. He had been raised with more manners than that.
"You know, Mr. Misawa, a duelist of your caliber will have very little trouble getting into Anubis Blue— perhaps even by next semester. I would be lying to you, though, to say that it's only about skill. Unfortunately, politics, like with most things, do come into it. Certain things are and aren't accepted if you know what I mean."
Bastion had understood, all right. Getting into Anubis Blue was as much about whom you knew as what. There was a reason why Osiris reds were so shunned by the other two dorms. No one wanted their reputation stained.
Bastion Misawa, however, was not interested in appearances or how things "should" be. He was interested in truth, in science and facts, and the fact was that he trusted his skills to speak for themselves. "…actually, he just wanted to encourage me to test to become an Anubis… in next week's Quad exams. If I were to accept, he'd set up a duel with an Anubis, and if I won, it'd be an automatic move up."
Crowler in reality hadn't mentioned anything about Quad finals, but such a scenario was possible. It happened rarely, but occasionally, if a professor was especially impressed with a student's performance, they'd arrange such a test at the midterm.
"Are you serious?"
"Is that why you were cleaning up your room?"
"'Cause you're switching dorms?"
"Well, actually—"
"Well, you deserve it. Congrats, Bastion."
"Again, you flatter me. But I—"
"I saw you duel during the entrance exams," Jaden continued as if he hadn't heard Bastion speak. "You kicked Professor Dean's butt! You'll totally pass Crowler's test and become an Anubis Blue."
"Jaden," Syrus hissed under his breath, "I think Bastion was trying to tell us something…?" Bastion gave the smaller Osiris a grateful look.
"Thank you. As I was saying, I declined his offer. I've always considered myself a good judge of my own skills, and I'm not quite ready to become an Anubis just yet."
Jaden blinked in surprise. "Oh. Well, to each his own." He shrugged and went back to eating, this time joined by Syrus, while Bastion studied him thoughtfully.
Jaden really doesn't seem to care what other people think of him. In fact, I think it likely that he puts a lot of effort into making sure he doesn't get caught up in that kind of thing— politics, as Dr. Crowler put it.
Osiris Red Dorm, Duel Academy
October 14, 2027
5:56 AM
The end of their first week of friendship with Bastion, unfortunately, did bring midterm exams with it, and Syrus soon dissolved into a complete wreck. Despite Yuki's reassurances that he was doing fine and that he should be proud that he had made it through a full quarter, Syrus was convinced that the lack of any disasters so far merely meant one was imminent— so, of course, there was no way he was going to pass his exams.
"I have to ace my exams today…or I'll be stuck wearing this red blazer forever. Not that there's anything wrong with red— I mean, Osiris the Sky Dragon is red— but I want to be in Ra Yellow…I have to ace my exams today…" Syrus was so exhausted from studying that he'd begun talking to keep himself awake, babbling about anything that came to mind. "Osiris is red… Ra is yellow…AHHHH!" Syrus jumped at the sudden ringing that filled the room, banging his knee on the underside of his desk.
"Ow…" he said weakly, too tired to manage much more of a verbal complaint. It was just the alarm clock. And of course, Yuki sleeps right through it. Syrus staggered out of his chair and over to the bed, looking down enviously at his sleeping friend. How can he be so relaxed when there's so much at stake?
"Yuki, wake up," he slurred, reaching out to shake the other boy's shoulder. "If you miss these tests you'll never advance to the next dorm!"
"Wrong, 'cause I played a trap!" Yuki cried, flinging out his arm and catching Syrus in the chest, sending him flying across the room. Syrus lay on his back and stared dazedly up at the ceiling. Why can't he ever be dreaming in defense mode when I try and wake him up?
Yuki, meanwhile, rolled out of bed and stretched, giving a large yawn before greeting his roommate. "Morning, Sy. Sleep well?"
"Not exactly," Syrus said, picking himself up, "Considering I technically didn't sleep at all last night."
Yuki stared at him. "You didn't sleep at all? Not even a little bit?"
Syrus shrugged. "Well… I think I may have dozed off a bit around two…?"
"All right, that's it." Yuki grasped his friend's shoulder and steered him towards the bunks. "You're going to sleep. Right now."
"But, Jay, the tests—"
"Aren't for a few hours yet. You need sleep, Sy. Believe me, I know. You rest. I'll make breakfast and get your clean uniform for you. When it's time for class all you'll have to do is throw it on, chow down, and go."
"Ok… thanks…" Syrus's body hit the mattress and he sank into blissful slumber.
…
Yuki was true to his word. It was hard to get out of bed after only three hours of shut-eye, but Syrus didn't have to do much other than put his clean pants on. Yuki shoved him into his jacket, then placed a spoonful of eggs in his mouth and told him to chew while he got Syrus's feet into his sneakers. Before Syrus knew it, he was stumbling out the door with just enough time to get to class.
"Yuki?" he asked sleepily.
"I'll be right behind you, Sy," the taller boy said cheerfully. "Get going!"
Syrus glanced at the clock. "Ok. I'll save you a seat. Hurry!"
Unfortunately, it was quite possible Yuki didn't know the meaning of "hurry", because class had already started by the time he sprinted down the path from the Osiris dorm, devouring an egg sandwich he'd made for himself.
Main Building, Duel Academy
October 14, 2027
10:15 AM
Chazz was doing his best to focus, but it was nearly impossible with the noise coming from a few rows below him. Syrus Wheeler had been slumped over his desk, asleep, when Jaden had sauntered in, no less than fifteen minutes late, and greeted his friend with one of those infuriating little quips— "I didn't know this was an oral exam, Syrus."
Shut up, Chazz willed in his mind, clenching his pencil so tightly it creaked. Jaden didn't get the message.
"Maybe next time, going to sleep would be better than staying up all night studying."
"You're here," Syrus cried shrilly.
"You two want to keep it down?" Chazz snapped, jumping to his feet. "Some of us plan to pass this test."
Jaden turned to him with a pout. "Hey, I always plan on passing; it just doesn't always work out that way."
"Oh, Jaden," Professor Dean called out, sounding a little too casual, "Why don't you come down here and get your exam?" Chazz was sure that if they'd been able to see Professor Dean's eyes behind those sunglasses (seriously, did he ever take them off?), they would have been glinting with steel.
Apparently, even the clueless idiot realized this and hastened to the front of the room to pick up his paper. "Be there in a jiff!"
Predictably, once he was back in his seat and tried to truly use his brain, the slacker (and also his stupid sidekick, because staying up all night was moronic) fell fast asleep.
One and a half hours later…
"Say, you two may want to give some serious thought to waking up."
Syrus shot out of his seat, heart pounding with alarm. "Oh, I flunked, didn't I? I'm a complete failure."
"Sy, if they were grading on melodrama, you'd get an A," Jaden replied without even raising his head.
"Hey, where'd everyone go?" Syrus asked, having just realized the room was empty except for him, Jaden, and Bastion.
"The written exam is over," Bastion told him, gesturing to his watch. "Everyone's at lunch. Field tests start right after."
"So… why aren't you in the cafeteria too?"
"Because I stayed behind to wake the both of you up. You won't get the best lunch, not with everyone else having already stampeded through, but you should eat something. The Field Tests are stressful enough without adding hunger into the mix. Scientific fact."
"Gosh, thanks Bastion. That was really nice of you." Syrus turned to Jaden, grabbing him by the shoulder and shaking him hard. "Jaden, wake up! Or else you're going to miss out on all the food!"
The taller Osiris perked up immediately. "Food?"
Bastion couldn't help it— he laughed. "Yes, that's right: food. If we hurry, we might still be able to scrape together three reasonably good meals from whatever's left." He needn't have bothered with the extra encouragement; both Osiris reds were already halfway to the classroom door.
Unfortunately, the general cafeteria was in absolute chaos, full of ravenous students who had forgotten to eat properly during frantic frenzies of studying, and Bastion soon found himself separated from his two friends. Figuring he could always find them later after they had sat down and were stationary, he turned toward the food stations to pick out his lunch, but was stopped when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder.
"Bastion, my boy, might I have a word?" The Ra Yellow's stomach sank. It was Dr. Crowler. The man had been relentless over the past week, seeking Bastion out for small "talks" over tea or lunch, claiming an interest in Bastion's advancement to Anubis Blue. However, as his fashion sense clearly showed, Crowler was not a subtle man, and it had quickly become obvious that what he was truly after was information about Jaden Yuki, as well as persuading Bastion that the Osiris was beneath him, not worth his time. It was more than a little irritating. Plastering a smile on his face, Bastion turned toward Anubis's headmaster.
"Actually, Professor, I was just about to get my lunch—"
"No worries, no trouble at all my dear boy. Follow me!" Dr. Crowler turned on his heel and strode out of the cafeteria, clearly expecting Bastion to follow him. For a moment the Ra considered making a run for it, but that just meant their next encounter would be all the more awkward, and so, heaving a great sigh, he reluctantly trailed after him.
Dr. Crowler took him upstairs, to where the teachers' lounges and offices were, and into a large room that rather resembled a buffet restaurant, food lining the walls while round tables dotted the rest of the space. "Help yourself to whatever you like. The special today is herb-marinated chicken."
It took all of Bastion's proper English manners to avoid gaping. Crowler had just invited him to eat in the Professor's dining room. Feeling rather jumpy from surprise and apprehension, managed to serve himself a small helping of chicken and rice and hurried over to where Crowler had sat down at a corner table, away from the room's other occupants. For once, he was eager to be near the man, just in case anyone felt like questioning his presence there.
"Go ahead and eat, and I'll tell you why I asked you up here," Crowler began enthusiastically. Bastion forced himself to go through the mechanical motions of putting food in his mouth, even though he could barely taste it for his nerves. "As we've been discussing for the past week, Bastion, I think you have the greatest potential out of all the new arrivals here at Duel Academy. I've been so impressed that I've taken it upon myself to personally track your progress, and in doing so I've noticed something interesting."
"Oh?" Bastion asked, face carefully blank.
"Yes. All of your cards are relatively common. Not that there's anything wrong with common cards, of course— all duelists, even myself at one time, long ago, start out with common cards while we're learning the basics. However, as we advance, we begin to gather rarer cards to personalize our styles, and I think you have already far surpassed that level. You have all the knowledge, skill, and finesse of a fine-tuned duelist, and you deserve cards that reflect these qualities. Which is why…" Crowler reached under his seat and retrieved a silver briefcase, slamming it onto the table with a dramatic flourish and making Bastion's dishes rattle. "… I have taken the liberty of selecting some of the rarest cards Duel Academy has in its vaults and gathering them for your perusal."
He opened the briefcase and spun it around to show off its contents, and Bastion had to fight the urge to reach for them. He was sorely tempted, of course— what serious duelist wouldn't be?— but being in the presence of some of the rarest cards in the game was tainted by the spirit in which they'd been offered. Bastion knew exactly why Crowler was offering him these cards, and he could guess why it was today of all days. The man was obsessed with humiliating Jaden— would expel him if he could— and had no qualms about playing fast and loose with the rules to accomplish his goal.
It explained why they were tucked away in this corner, where no one could overhear. It wasn't so unusual for a professor to offer a rare card from the vaults to one whom they felt was a deserving student, but a whole briefcase full? And on testing day no less?
Bastion studied the cards, then looked up to face Dr. Crowler, choosing his words carefully. "Thank you for the offer, Dr. Crowler, truly. It is an honor to be so singled out. I can't tell you how thrilled I am that an expert such as yourself noticed my strategies and was impressed by them. I work very hard to craft every move I make into a winning one. Ironically, it is for this reason that I feel I am unable to accept this incredibly generous gift. One errant card and my deck's delicate balance would be entirely thrown off." He gave his best sheepish smile.
For a brief moment, Crowler looked like he had just sucked on a lemon, but then his expression smoothed out and he continued in a wheedling tone, "I'm sure you're just being modest. An accomplished duelist like yourself should have no trouble integrating new cards and strategies into their deck at the drop of a hat. Come, now; I spent a great deal of time selecting these for you."
Bastion seriously doubted that. "Really, Professor, it wouldn't be right." Although he was keeping his voice level and his expression affable, inside the Ra Yellow was panicking just a little. What could he say to get Dr. Crowler to back down? Suddenly, he was struck by inspiration. "But of course, you already know that. Why else would you use such a test?"
Crowler's eye twitched. "Test?"
"Yes. That is what's going on here, isn't it? You're testing my ethical convictions as a duelist. I guess I should have expected something like this from one so… dedicated to the future of the game as you are, Dr. Crowler." Flattery could go both ways. "So tell me, did I pass?"
At that moment, the Anubis Headmaster seriously reminded Bastion of a teapot that was about to start whistling— he could almost see steam coming out of the man's head. But there was only one graceful way out of this now, and Crowler knew it.
"Of course, my boy," he said, somehow managing a proud smile. "You're absolutely right. I do this test with at least one student every time quarter exams roll around. You're the first to have guessed it, though. With a mind as sharp and analytical as yours, I'm sure you'll go far in the dueling world." He offered his hand and Bastion took it, accepting the handshake for what it was: you win this round. "And when that day comes, I will be proud to have been a part of your journey. Now, run along. The lunch hour is almost over."
Quickly wiping his hands on his napkin, Bastion got to his feet and gave Dr. Crowler a respectful bow before turning on his heel and exiting the faculty's dining room as quickly as he could without being too obvious. That had been close. Hopefully, Crowler had gotten the message this time— Bastion didn't want any part of his scheming machinations.
Main Dueling Arena, Duel Academy
October 14, 2027
1:03 PM
Having rushed through their respective lunches, Jaden and Syrus headed to the testing duel arena, swept along with the crowd of other students who'd either taken too long to eat or were unfortunate enough to have been shoved to the back of the line. Jaden (as usual) was bouncing with excitement at the prospect of a duel, and Syrus (also as usual) was wringing his hands anxiously for the same reason.
"I don't understand how you can be so calm about this," Syrus fretted. "You slept through the written test, too. I mean, what if…"
"What if what?" Jaden asked, seeming genuinely confused.
"You fail?"
Jaden laughed. He actually laughed! "No way, Sy. I may flunk now and then, but I never fail."
Syrus scowled. Trust Yuki to be the least reassuring person ever in a high-stakes scenario.
They entered the arena, picked up their test assignment cards (that showed which arena they would be tested in and at what time) at the entrance, and went to take their seats. "Whoa!" Jaden almost immediately sprang back to his feet. "My test is in the first round. I better get down there. See ya later, Sy!"
"What? Oh. Well, good luck… Jaden." The other boy was already gone. Syrus clenched his fists in his jacket uniform and tried not to start hyperventilating. It's going to be fine it's going to be fine it's going to be fine…
…
"Bastion? You're my field test opponent?" Jaden asked in surprise. Bastion was just as caught off guard.
"This is where I was told to show up, yes." He glanced down at the card in his hand. "Must be a mix-up."
"Oh, it's no mix-up, I assure you." Both boys turned to see none other than Dr. Crowler walking towards them, looking far too smug in Bastion's opinion. His eyes narrowed. "Since you always talk such a big game, Jaden, I pulled some strings for you to make sure you got the challenge you deserve. So congratulations, you'll be dueling one of the top-ranked duelists not only in your class, but also in the entire Ra Yellow dorm. It's a true honor. Only a few students are ever given this opportunity at first Quad exams. Should you defeat Mr. Misawa, you'll move automatically into the Ra dorm. Aren't you going to thank me?"
Bastion gritted his teeth in irritation. He should have known there was more to the offer of rare cards than a simple bribe. He may have taken a knight, but Crowler was going after the queen. He'd set this up with the hope that Bastion would beat Jaden and cause him to fail out. He had to know that Jaden's written exam scores would never make up for a failure at the field test as well. This is clearly a trap. Only a cavalier fool would agree to it. Jaden didn't request this opportunity; he has every right to turn it down.
"I'll do it!"
Bastion gaped from across the field. He'd been almost— almost— sure that Jaden's foolishness was all an act, but then how could he agree to this? Was it possible he didn't realize what it meant? Or was he so confident that he could beat Bastion that he'd risk flunking out? To be honest, if that was the case, the Ra was a little miffed. Jaden had seen him duel, had complimented him, even. It would have been nice for him to seem at least a little bit concerned about facing him with such high stakes.
"All right, Bastion, get your game on!" With no reason to refuse the match (and maybe just a bit eager to appease his wounded pride) Bastion prepared to duel. He'd been hoping for more time to finalize his strategy against the Osiris, but it hadn't strictly been necessary. He could do this.
Dr. Crowler scurried off the field like the rat he was, muttering about "in front of the whole school" and "everyone watching." Bastion resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"Here we go!" Jaden said cheerfully. "Good luck, pal."
Bastion smirked at him. He had to admit, it was hard to remain annoyed when faced with Jaden's endless enthusiasm. "I appreciate the sentiment. But with the deck I've prepared, I don't need luck."
Jaden just grinned. "Yeah, we'll see about that."
As the duel progressed, Chancellor Sheppard, watching from the stands, couldn't help but be impressed with the first-year Osiris. Of course, he knew that Crowler's manipulation of the match-ups wasn't due to actual interest in seeing Jaden advance, but that didn't mean he couldn't take the opportunity to observe the boy's dueling for himself.
"He's quite a duelist, that one," he commented to his companion.
"Jaden's certainly one of my more impressive students," Professor Dean agreed. "Though I have no doubt that if the others would apply themselves more, the obvious gap between their skills would narrow considerably."
"Hmm." The chancellor took a moment to consider that before his attention was drawn back toward Dr. Crowler, who appeared to be having a small seizure down on the arena floor.
…
Syrus watched the duel with rapt attention as he waited his turn— anything to keep his mind off his own match. Now Bastion has three monsters… and a strange smirk, he worried to himself.
His worry turned out to be well-founded; with his three monsters, Bastion was able to summon his Water Dragon. "Incredible," Syrus muttered. He had enough trouble keeping dueling straight, let alone chemistry on top of it. "How's Jaden gonna take down that thing? His Sparkman doesn't have nearly enough attack points."
…
Across the arena, the Osiris headmaster agreed with him. "This'll be tough, even for Yuki." Chancellor Sheppard nodded absently, noting with relief that Dr. Crowler seemed to have calmed down considerably.
…
Syrus might have been worried, but Jaden hardly was. He had several possible Fusions in his Extra Deck that could outmatch Water Dragon. "I may not know as much chemistry as you do," he told Bastion, "but I still know how to whip up a storm. Avian and Bubbleman, get ready… to merge and create… the one and only Elemental HERO Tempest! After all, all it takes to make a hurricane is some wind and water!"
"I don't think so, Jaden," Bastion cut him off. Stunned, the Osiris could do nothing but watch as his main strategy was rendered useless by a single trap. Up in the stands, Syrus's worry returned full force.
…
Dr. Crowler was practically shaking with excitement. "That's it, Bastion, show this Osiris outcast who's boss! Show him he doesn't belong at our most illustrious Academy!"
Nearby, another observer hissed and backed away from the eccentric professor.
…
Despite having no access to his Fusions, Jaden wasn't giving up.
"Oh, and then if I sacrifice Bubbleman while he's in defense mode, I'm allowed to summon any monster with Elemental HERO in its name from my hand. And guess what, Bastion? That's exactly what I'm gonna do! Bubbleman, move over for… Elemental HERO Necroshade!"
There were gasps from the audience as Necroshade took the field, and Jaden belatedly realized he hadn't brought the DARK HERO out very much since arriving at Duel Academy.
Don't fret, young master, Necroshade sent through their bond, I come when I'm needed, but otherwise, I prefer to stick to the shadows.
"Hmm. A new one," Bastion observed, tilting his head to the side. "Well, he won't make much of an impression."
…
"It's been a while since I've seen that one," Zane, who had just joined Alexis after winning his own exam duel, commented from the stands.
"Yeah. But can he match up against Bastion's Water Dragon?" his cousin wondered.
A few rows below them, Syrus was thinking the same thing. "Ah, Jaden, what are you doing? Necroshade only has 1600 attack points! That's not enough to beat that Water Dragon!" He was practically biting his nails.
Jaden, of course, couldn't hear his friends' commentary, but he addressed their concerns quickly enough. "You might be thinking Necroshade's no match for your monster, but he is— when I use this." He flipped around the card he held in his hand, revealing a spell. "Game On!"
Bastion blinked at him. "What—?"
"This is a card I won as a prize in a card-design contest," Jaden grinned. "They only made a hundred of them based on my design." Murmurs broke out across the arena— would Jaden be allowed to use a card of his own design?
It turned out that yes, he could— the duel disk accepted "Game On!" like it would any other spell. "As long as this card is in effect, the ATK of all Elemental HERO monsters on the field is doubled!" Necroshade's points soared to 3200, and Clayman's to 1600. "Go, Necroshade— attack Water Dragon with Dark Shadow Slash!"
The DARK Elemental HERO seemed to vanish from the field, only to reappear moments later in Water Dragon's shadow, leaping for the beast's throat from underneath. The dragon shattered, and Bastion grunted as his Life Points dropped to 1100.
The Ra Yellow straightened up, frowning fiercely. "Well, unfortunately for you Jaden, my dragon has a rather unique special effect. When it's destroyed, I can summon one Oxygeddon and two Hydrogeddons from my Graveyard. Next I use a trap card— Last Magnet— which activates whenever one of my monsters is destroyed. Then, it equips onto the monster that was responsible for the destruction and causes it to lose 800 attack points." Necroshade grunted as the magnet took hold of him, dropping his boosted points down to 2400.
Jaden growled in frustration. "Yeah, well Clayman can still clobber at peak performance— especially with Game On! still in effect. Now, attack Oxygeddon with Clay Clobberer!" The defense position monster vanished from the field as quickly as it had arrived, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats.
"Oh, wow!"
"They just keep going."
"Back and forth—"
"This is an awesome duel!"
Syrus's knee was bouncing like a jackhammer as he watched. And it's not slowing down.
…
With his next move, Bastion ritual summoned his Litmus Doom Swordsman, using it to attack and destroy the weakened Necroshade, dropping Jaden's points to 1200. He didn't stop there, though, further weakening the Osiris when Hyozanryu destroyed Clayman. With his Life Points now at a measly 600 and with no monsters out, things weren't looking good for Jaden.
They got even worse when Bastion activated "A Winged Beat of Giant Dragon" and destroyed "Game On!". The audience all seemed to agree that it was over.
The Osiris, however, was unperturbed. After complimenting Bastion on the amount of fun he'd had, he began his next turn, drawing a card.
"…I'm ending this now! Here goes. All my Elemental HEROs may be in my Graveyard, but not for long. I activate Monster Reborn and bring back… Elemental HERO Burstinatrix!" The female HERO materialized on the field, a vicious gleam in her eye. "Burstinatrix, take out that swordsman!"
"I activate the trap Spirit Barrier," Bastion countered. "Now, not only do my Litmus Doom Swordsman's attack points go back up to 3000, but I no longer take any battle damage."
Jaen just grinned wider. "Not when I activate this— R- Righteous Justice— from my hand. Since I control one Elemental HERO, I can destroy one spell or trap on the field. So your Spirit Barrier is history, and your Swordsman's attack points drop back to zero." Bastion gasped as his last line of defense shattered. "Go, Burstfire!"
Litmus Doom Swordsman brought his swords up to defend himself, but they melted almost instantly facing Burstinatrix's flames, and the rest of him was quick to follow. Without any defense, all 1200 of Burstinatrix's points slammed into Bastion, whose own 1100 collapsed to zero in response.
And just like that, Jaden claimed victory.
Syrus's knees were shaking and his jacket was damp with sweat as he stumbled out of the stands and raced to Jaden's side. The duel was over, and his friend, despite having been stripped of his best strategy, had been victorious. "Jaden! You did it!"
"That was well played, Jaden." Syrus jumped as Chancellor Sheppard's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Very rarely has an Osiris dueled a Ra during these exams, and not only did you hold your own, but you won! Your courage in the face of overwhelming odds is inspiring. It is with great pride that I grant you your promotion to Ra Yellow. Congratulations!" The arena erupted with cheers, mostly from the Osiris red students.
Syrus's blood ran cold. Ra Yellow? He'd known his friend wouldn't stay in Osiris for long, not with his skills, but he'd still hoped… If Jaden moved to Ra Yellow, he would be all alone. He couldn't handle that, he couldn't.
"Good show, Jaden," Bastion praised him, crossing the testing field to offer him his hand. "Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Ra Yellow dorm. You beat me fair and square; you deserve it." He smiled slyly. "Rather, you beat this deck, but you can be assured there will be another."
Jaden tilted his head in confusion. "Another deck?"
"Yes. I've been watching you for some time, Jaden, and I believe you're the number one duelist in the freshman class. I have a lot of work to do before I duel you again. Many formulas to write, theorems to solve, equations to balance— the next time we meet, I plan to be ready. And it seems it will be far easier for me to observe your strategies now, seeing as we'll be in the same dorm."
"Smart move," Jaden said, grinning and accepting the offered hand, "but I don't think I'm going to accept the Chancellor's promotion."
Syrus's heart leaped into his throat. Please, please don't let him be hearing things…
Bastion raised his eyebrows. "No?"
"Nah." Jaden dropped his arm around Syrus's shoulders. "Without Syrus, it just wouldn't feel like home. I'm gonna wait for him so we can move up together."
For a moment, Bastion merely studied him, with narrowed eyes and a tilted head, but then he broke out into a smile. "You know Jaden, you truly are a man of rare quality. I look forward to welcoming you both, then. And don't worry; in the meantime, I'll fill my dorm room walls with new strategies, and then we'll duel again. Just be prepared for it to turn out like that ballgame— you know, when I struck you out?"
Before Jaden could respond to that, Syrus finally found his voice. "Oh, really?" He threw himself at his friend and buried his face in his shoulder, all of the stress he'd been dealing with for the past 24 hours catching up with him. "I'd thought I'd lost you forever! I'm never letting go of you again."
"It's okay, Syrus, chill out." Jaden chuckled awkwardly, glancing at Bastion. "I think Sy needs some fresh air. Catch you later, Bastion!" He called over his shoulder as he practically hauled Syrus out of the arena.
"Indeed," the Ra murmured to himself, watching the two friends make their exit.
In this universe, there are six regular Elemental HEROs, one for each element. Each of them can fuse with one of their five teammates to create a Fusion Monster with the same element, resulting in thirty total Fusions. Tempest is originally a fusion of three monsters, but if I included every possible combination not only of two monsters but also of three, the total number to keep track of would be ridiculous. Therefore, I removed this possibility and so Tempest is a Fusion of only Avian and Bubbleman.
Bladedge was transformed into a Fusion (an EARTH fusion of Clayman and Necroshade) because there isn't an official one to meet this requirement.
Because Elemental HERO Clayman fills the spot of the EARTH Elemental HERO, Elemental HERO Wildheart and all its support cards have been removed from this universe. If I were to keep all the Elemental HEROs, again, the number of theoretical Fusions would be ridiculous.
Elemental HERO Fusion Monsters in this universe:
Tempest (WIND Avian & Bubbleman)
Flame Wingman (WIND Avian & Burstinatrix)
Stratos (WIND Avian & Clayman)
Storm (WIND Avian & Necroshade)
Great Tornado (WIND Avian & Sparkman)
Mariner (WATER Bubbleman & Avian)
Steam Healer (WATER Bubbleman & Burstinatrix)
Terra Firma (WATER Bubbleman & Clayman)
Liquid Soldier (WATER Bubbleman & Necroshade)
Grandmerge (WATER Bubbleman & Sparkman)
Phoenix Enforcer (FIRE Burstinatrix & Avian)
Blazeman (FIRE Burstinatrix & Bubbleman)
Core (FIRE Burstinatrix & Clayman)
Inferno (FIRE Burstinatrix & Necroshade)
Nova Master (FIRE Burstinatrix & Sparkman)
Solid Soldier (EARTH Clayman & Avian)
Mudballman (EARTH Clayman & Bubbleman)
Rampart Blaster (EARTH Clayman & Burstinatrix)
Bladedge (EARTH Clayman & Necroshade)
Gaia (EARTH Clayman & Sparkman)
Escuridao (DARK Necroshade & Avian)
Chaos (DARK Necroshade & Bubbleman)
Shadow Mist (DARK Necroshade & Burstinatrix)
Necroid Gardna (DARK Necroshade & Clayman)
Darkbright (DARK Necroshade & Sparkman)
Shining (LIGHT Sparkman & Avian)
Voltic (LIGHT Sparkman & Bubbleman)
Sunrise (LIGHT Sparkman & Burstinatrix)
Thunder Giant (LIGHT Sparkman & Clayman)
Plasma Vice (LIGHT Sparkman & Necroshade)