Main Building, Duel Academy
November 22, 2027
1:39 PM
[Following The Duel Off, Part 1 1:42-1:54]
Chancellor Sheppard resisted the urge to plug his ears. Somehow, Vellian Crowler always ended up shouting at Duel Academy's board meetings, no matter what the topic. It was entirely unconscious— the man ended up shouting in most conversations— but it still would have been nice if his cochleae could have a break. "Zane is our best, but he's been our representative for the past two years. In the spirit of fairness, it seems only right to give someone else a turn— perhaps a second-year student, like Zane was when he first participated in the school duel."
"I understand the need for fairness, of course I do, but the school duel is too important to take such a risk. We should stick with the strategy that's made us the winner two years in a row."
The chancellor concentrated on breathing deeply through his nose without calling too much attention to himself. Honestly, sometimes he'd like to grab the other man by the shoulders and— bad chancellor. No thoughts of violence towards your colleagues. "It's also important to consider the fact that North Academy has had the chance to observe and analyze Zane's skills twice now. It might be to our advantage to take them by surprise this year."
"I agree Chancellor." Zane, who had been standing quietly to Sheppard's left, spoke up. "It would be embarrassing if we lost because we've become too predictable."
Relieved— Crowler couldn't continue arguing that Zane should duel if even the young man himself didn't think it was a good idea— the Chancellor let out a small chuckle. "Well then, the only question is who our new rep should be. Any—" He was cut off by a loud knock at the door, rendered pointless when it immediately swung open and granted entry to a tall, willowy woman quite fashionably dressed, with a pair of sunglasses on her head and a designer purse dangling from her hand.
"Forgive me, I couldn't help overhearing," the woman said, shutting the door behind her, "and I think I know exactly the student you're looking for."
The entire board of directors blinked at her. Sheppard could see Crowler bristling like a porcupine about to release its quills and hastily asked, "Excuse me, madam, but this is a closed meeting. Might I ask who you—"
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I'm not used to people not recognizing me on sight," the woman laughed. "I'm Vivian Devlin, wife of Duke Devlin, game designer and owner of the Black Clown Gaming company, formerly Vivian Wong, accomplished model, actress, and martial arts/Duel Monsters champion. A pleasure to meet you all." She beamed at them.
"Ah, I see." And he did. He could guess what the woman was doing here, and what she was about to propose. She wasn't the first celebrity parent he'd had to deal with, though she was the first who'd insisted on her son not even using his real name while on campus, "for security reasons." Before he could come up with a way to get rid of her, Crowler had already scrambled to her side, practically vaulting over the table in the process.
"Vivian Wong, of course! The Duel Monsters champion of all continental Asia! It is an honor to have you here. Please, take my seat." He ushered her into the chair at the foot of the table, pulling it out for her with a sweeping gesture. Great. There'd be no getting rid of her now. "Now what can we do for you, Madam?"
"I've come to discuss my son's progress. I've been getting the most distressing reports lately, that he's been losing duels and dropping in his grades. I can assure you, that's not normal for my Chazz. Something must be interfering in his work, and I've come to find out what it is."
"Chazz!? As in Chazz Princeton!? He's your son!?"
Sheppard quickly jumped in while the Anubis Headmaster was still gawking. "I'm sure Dr. Crowler would be happy to discuss Chazz's progress as soon as our meeting is over, Mrs. Devlin, but right now we have business to attend to—"
"Oh, of course I realize that. Like I said, I couldn't help but overhear—" the Chancellor very much doubted that "—and I think my Chazz is just perfect for this school duel of yours. Of course, this is only his first year at your Academy, but he's always been advanced beyond his peers. Really, I don't think you'll find anyone better."
"I'm sure you're right," Sheppard said graciously, "but it really wouldn't be fair to put that kind of pressure on a first-year student."
"Oh, but Chazz does marvelously under pressure. He always has. And besides, it would do wonders for his grades. Being given such an honor is sure to motivate him to do better in his classes. I'm sure he's been feeling under-appreciated lately, and that's why he hasn't been doing as well. It's what I came to talk to you about."
Chancellor Sheppard was running out of ideas fast. Fortunately, at that moment, Zane decided to speak up again. "Actually, Chancellor, I was going to suggest a first-year student myself: Jaden Yuki."
Crowler made a strange noise in the background.
"Jaden Yuki?" Mrs. Devlin's nose wrinkled in distaste. "Surely you can't be serious— Zane, was it? I've heard from my son that he's a lazy and disrespectful student, not at all the kind of young man you'd want to represent you at such an important event."
"It was quite recent, so I understand if you haven't heard, Mrs. Devlin," Zane said calmly, "but Jaden managed to beat Chazz in a duel."
The former champion's face turned red as she spluttered, "No, he didn't! At least not fairly. As I said, I just know something's been upsetting my Chazz lately. He never would have lost otherwise." She turned her ire on the board members, glaring at each of them in turn. "I'm beginning to become seriously concerned about the environment here if such upstanding students as my son aren't able to thrive as they're meant to."
"If I may say something," Professor Dean spoke up, "Jaden is one of my students, and I have to say that he does have great natural talent. I don't know nearly as much about Chazz of course, seeing as he's a member of Dr. Crowler's dorm." All eyes in the room turned toward the Anubis headmaster.
"Chazz was— is the most promising student of all my first year Anubis Blues," the blonde man admitted, "and he has been… acting out of character lately. As I see it, it's entirely possible Mrs. Devlin is right. I'll have to speak to the boy, of course, and see what I can do to help him through whatever he's dealing with." He paused, briefly, before plunging on, "I absolutely must protest, however, against using Jaden as our representative in the school duel. The boy is, as Mrs. Devlin says, lazy and disrespectful, not to mention an Osiris Red. What will North Academy think if we send such a student out to meet their best?"
"Chancellor," Zane interjected, "Jaden will make Duel Academy proud; trust me."
From his position behind Mrs. Devlin, Crowler turned an odd shade of purple. "Wait, I have it! We should have a duel off, between Chazz and Jaden. Whichever of them wins can be our representative. It is, after all, only fair, if Chazz has been having a hard time lately."
Sheppard glanced at Zane, hoping the boy would have another counterargument, but the Anubis merely humphed and turned away. Oh, well. These kinds of decisions were technically his job, anyway. "All right, a duel off it is then."
Three hours later…
"For real?" Jaden asked, pointing towards himself and blinking owlishly.
"For real," Professor Dean confirmed. "You will duel Chazz, and the winner will be this year's representative in the school duel against North Academy."
"Oh." Jaden glanced around the room, hoping to catch Chazz's eye, but he didn't see the black-haired freshman anywhere. He must have decided to skip again; he hadn't attended any of Professor Dean's classes since his loss to Jaden a little over two weeks ago. As much as Jaden would have liked to remain oblivious, he just knew it was because Duel Mechanics was the only class they shared. Chazz was avoiding him.
"It should be an exciting match-up. Now, everyone please take out your textbooks and turn to…"
Chazz's Room, Anubis Blue Dorm
November 22, 2027
4:40 PM
Chazz, blissfully unaware of his mother's meddling, was currently sprawled out on his luxurious full-sized bed, organizing the cards he'd gathered from the weakling well. There were far too many for only a single deck, but that wasn't a big problem— duelists often kept at least twice that amount, switching various combos in and out. What was a big problem were the three gremlins, who had been yapping in his ear non-stop with the pretext of "helping".
He was just about to snap and yell at them to shut up when there was a loud, enthusiastic knock at the door, frightening them into scattering. Despite this, Chazz was not pleased at the interruption.
"This had better be an emergenc—" He stopped dead, struck dumb by the horrific sight before him.
"Chazz, my darling!" And she was in the room and engulfing him in a hug before he could even process what he was seeing.
"M—Mom?" he gasped out, partly from shock and partly from the vice grip around his diaphragm. "Wha— what are you doing here?"
"Why else? To celebrate your big dueling victory!" she finally released him to spread her arms wide, as if to say ta-da!.
"Duel— what dueling victory?"
"Why against Yuki Muto, of course." Quickly losing interest in her son, Mrs. Devlin began looking around the room, no doubt running a critical eye over the "luxury furniture, media set-up, and limited but tasteful decorations" that'd been advertised in the brochure. Finally, she took a seat on the couch, opened her purse, and looked at him expectantly.
Chazz was utterly dumbfounded. He knew his mother always had to get her way, but he'd never seen her so brazenly in denial before.
"I lost to Yuki, Mom. He won. There is no victory to celebrate. Now I'd appreciate it if you'd let me get back to—"
"Well of course there's no victory to celebrate yet," Mrs. Devlin exclaimed, whipping out a compact and dabbing at her nose. "Your rematch is scheduled for the day after tomorrow."
"Rematch!? What rematch!?"
"The one I arranged for you dear. It's only fair. After all, clearly, you've been off your game lately— there's no way you would have lost otherwise— but with Mummy dearest here to support you, we can easily resolve any issues you may have been struggling with." Ah, there was the woman he'd grown up with.
His mother let out a long-suffering sigh. "This is why I was reluctant to send you to a boarding school, no matter how stellar its reputation…"
Chazz could only stare as his mother went on and on about the struggles of being a good mother and all the hard choices she'd had to make. It was a familiar speech he'd heard dozens of times before, but this was the first time he was realizing just how manipulative it was. Did she honestly believe that she'd ever made a choice solely for her son's benefit? Did she realize how false she sounded right now?
Suddenly furious, Chazz opened his mouth to tell his mother exactly what he thought of her "support" when there was another knock at the door. Scowling, Chazz stormed over and yanked it open, ready to unleash his wrath on whatever unfortunate soul had decided to disturb him— only to once again be left gaping in shock as a TV crew swept into the room.
"Ah, you found us. Excellent." Mrs. Devlin put away her eyelash curler and got up to greet the newcomers.
"That's it! Beautiful! Just act natural!" A man with a headset instructed as the crew spread out around Chazz's room. "Vivian, darling, you're as lovely as ever!"
"All right, a little more to the right… perfect! This'll make great footage to put in the documentary they're gonna make when you become famous!"
"What's going on here!?" Chazz demanded, finally finding his voice. The man who'd greeted his mother turned to him, smiling just a tad too wide.
"I think you mean when are ya goin' on, and the answer is prime time, baby. This duel's gonna be broadcast worldwide!"
Chazz turned furiously on his mother. "You set up a worldwide broadcast!? For a duel you didn't even ask if I wanted to take part in!?"
"I didn't need to ask, dear; I knew you'd jump at the chance to redeem yourself." There was an edge to his mother's voice now, one that Chazz knew well. It said he'd better not argue with her, or he wouldn't like the consequences.
For a moment Chazz's fury still simmered, just beneath the surface, waiting to be released, but then it was gone, draining out of him down the well-worn path he'd formed over the years, having learned a long time ago it was better not to fight.
"You're right. Of course, you're right."
"I always am, dear. That's what mothers are for! Now, take a look at what I've brought you." Mrs. Devlin reached back inside her purse and removed a black card box, but not a standard issue one; no, this one was high-security with an electronic lock sealing it shut. Chazz's mouth went dry. So, his mother was going to make the same play that Dr. Crowler had.
"The cards in this box are the most expensive out there. I spent a lot of time and money gathering them for you, so I look forward to seeing you play them on the field." His mother winked at him. "A great duelist should always have great cards, don't you think?" She pressed the container into his hand, forcing his fingers to wrap around it. "I know you'll make me proud, son."
Main Building, Duel Academy
November 22, 2027
5:31 PM
As soon as class was dismissed, Syrus was up and rushing to his friend's side. "All right, Jaden!" He cheered, "You might actually be in the school duel!"
"Indeed," Bastion walked over to join them as well, though at a much more reserved pace. "No Osiris has ever been chosen as the academy's representative before. You'd make Duel Academy history."
Jaden chuckled awkwardly. "It would be sweet, I'm not saying it wouldn't, but… I really don't want to have to duel Chazz again so soon, especially not with such high stakes."
Syrus blinked at him. "Why not?"
"You remember those things he said at our last duel. I think I need to talk to him, not duel him. At least not like this. If I go through with this duel now, it will just give Chazz more reason to hate me."
"Why? It's not like you asked to duel him again," Syrus pointed out, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Perhaps not, but that won't matter to Chazz, not with the state he's in," Bastion mused. "His pride has been seriously wounded. He's fragile, sensitive. The logic of it will be irrelevant in view of his feelings. He'll feel attacked no matter how he's presented with the idea."
"Oh. I guess that makes sense. But what can we do about it? You can't refuse to duel, Jaden." Syrus pointed out anxiously.
"Who says I can't?"
"Even if you did, I'm not sure it would make things better. Thanks to your recent win against Chazz, everyone knows you won't be backing down out of fear of a loss. It'll be seen as you pitying him, and that might be even worse as far as he's concerned," Bastion said.
Jaden groaned in frustration. "Well then what am I supposed to do?"
Main Building, Duel Academy
November 24, 2027
9:12 AM
By the time the day of his duel-off with Chazz arrived, Yuki wasn't any closer to an answer to his question. As was his habit, he tried to cover up his apprehension with cheerfulness, though his faked mood quickly exploded into a very real frenzied whirlwind of various emotions when he was informed about the worldwide broadcast.
"Me on TV? My face beamed across the world? In full color!? In full stereo!? I just hope no one recognizes me from all those press releases when I was a baby— before Mom and Dad decided to live the quieter life, that is.
"Man, if I'd known about this earlier, I would've combed my hair. I might've even washed it. I probably would've even showered!"
"You know if you made a habit of showering more often, you wouldn't find yourself taken off guard like this," Bubbleman commented sagely. (The WATER Elemental HERO was a staunch supporter of bathing in all its forms.)
Yuki shot an exaggerated look of horror at the monster just before darting into the men's room, but before he could reach the showers, he was brought up short by the sound of a familiar voice.
"Man up, Chazz. Man up!"
Huh? Yuki quickly ducked into the shadows before daring a peek into the locker area, hoping that Chazz hadn't heard him arrive.
"You have to show her that you're good enough. That you're worthy of all the work she put into making you the best."
Despite his determination to remain unseen and unheard, Yuki almost yelped in surprise when a second, unseen voice put in, "Uh, far be it from me to interrupt, uh… whatever this is, boss, but in my experience, family members shouldn't have to prove that they're worthy of each other's support. I mean, my brothers and I all support each other no matter what—"
"Well that's just great for you, isn't it!" Chazz roared, turning on the floating ball of light that had appeared hovering over his shoulder. "But it doesn't work that way for me. I have to be the best, to win and keep winning, over and over, because if I don't—" He cut himself off, swallowing hard. "There isn't anything else for me," he continued, his shouting reduced to a mere rasp. Horrified, Yuki watched the other boy fall to his knees. "Losing… is unthinkable. I can't let my parents down like that. It's my duty."
Backing away, the Osiris could barely think over the roaring in his ears. Had Uncle Duke and Aunt Viv really made Chazz believe that? That if he wasn't the best, he was letting them down? Failing? That couldn't be—
Wait, hold on— had that been a Duel Spirit Chazz was talking to!? As in, it had spoken and he had responded? Since when could Chazz see spirits? Yuki was about to march back in and demand answers, but at that moment the loudspeaker crackled overhead, announcing that the Duel Off would be starting in half an hour, reminding him of why he'd come here in the first place. As quietly as he could, he snuck away from Chazz and took off jogging once more. He'd have to find another bathroom to freshen up in.
"His priorities are not exactly where they should be, are they?" Sparkman mused to his fellow Elemental HEROs as they drifted along after their master.
"He's still young," Avian argued. "He'll learn as he goes."
"But how many people will be hurt in the process?" Burstinatrix wondered.
Main Building, Duel Academy
November 24, 2027
9:45 AM
"Attention, students. Welcome to the face-down between our two top first-year students, which will decide who will be representing Duel Academy in the annual School Duel. Dr. Crowler, introduce the duelists!"
"With pleasure, Chancellor Sheppard. After all, these are two duelists that I know personally, and personally, I just adore them! Now first, from the Osiris Red Dorm, introducing Jaden Yucky! What's that? Oh, Yuki, Yuki! And his opponent—"
"Get off the stage." The cheering from the audience almost immediately died down as Dr. Crowler turned to Chazz in shock. "I'll introduce myself, scrub."
"I beg your pardon!? Scrubs don't have Ph.D.s in dueling! You— ahg!" Jaden bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the look on Dr. Crowler's face when the man realized he'd successfully wrapped the microphone cord around his legs— several times. "Although knot tying might have been a better major," the Anubis headmaster mumbled as he hopped awkwardly around the stage. "Or rather untying— oof!"
Jaden raced over to the edge of the platform, peering down at Crowler's sprawled form. The professor could only stare up at him, dazed. "Maybe you oughta go cordless next time," he suggested.
"Maybe you just oughta be quiet," Chazz snapped. "It's Chazz Princeton's turn now. But then, I don't really need an introduction. After all, everybody here knows who I am." (Jaden was unnerved to hear not an insignificant amount of jeering coming from the stands. Was Chazz really that disliked?)
His opponent, however, was unfazed by the boos and hisses from the crowd. He merely raised his chin higher and somehow, even from his considerably lower elevation on the dueling platform, managed to look down his nose at every one of them. "And I'm here to do one thing and one thing only— Chazz it up! It's go-time, Jaden. Let's see what you've got."
"With pleasure!"
"No, the pleasure's going to be all mine— because you're going down!"
"Duel!"
"For my first move, I'm going to summon a monster with some bite. Masked Dragon!"
…
"Go, Jaden!" Syrus cheered. "You can do it!"
Leaning forward from his seat behind Alexis, Zane murmured into his cousin's ear, "So, do you think Chazz will have learned enough from their last match to win this time?" he asked.
The blonde snorted. "It isn't about him learning anything. It's about what advantages his mother manages to give him." Zane had, of course, told her about "Aunt Viv's" inconvenient appearance.
The older Anubis raised an eyebrow. "You think she'll try to interfere?"
His cousin shot him a look. "You think she won't?"
"Fair enough."
…
Up in Chancellor Sheppard's own private viewing box, Vivian Devlin scowled in annoyance. How dare those little brats mock her son like that! They'd change their tune, she knew, once he'd won the duel, but still! Hadn't their mothers ever taught them proper respect!?
…
Below, in the stands, Chancellor Sheppard narrowed his eyes as Armed Dragon LV3 took the field. It was one of the rarest cards in the world, with only six known copies existing. He shot a glance up towards his private booth (he hadn't been going to stay and share it with that woman, no siree), his lips turned downward. Vivian Devlin certainly seemed like the type of woman to try and give her son an unfair advantage…
…
"Heh heh. Is that the best you've got, Jaden?" Chazz taunted after Armed Dragon LV5 had tossed the Osiris through the air and then dropped him in a moaning heap.
"For the next TV broadcast, I think I'd like to arrange to have a stuntman," Jaden joked as he got to his feet. Chazz scowled at him. "That was a nice shot, Chazz, but was it your best?"
"What are you talking about?"
"It's just… every time we duel you seem to have a completely new deck, with a completely new strategy. I was just wondering if maybe you were switching a lot, trying to find one that could guarantee you'd win."
"So what if I am?" Chazz snapped. What right did this smart-aleck brat have to judge him?
"Because there is no such thing, Chazz, that's why. Duelists aren't supposed to choose their deck based on how powerful it is. They're supposed to choose the cards that they feel the strongest connection with— like maybe that one you were talking to in the bathroom earlier."
A ripple of laughter went around the stadium, and Chazz could feel his face heating up. Not for the first time, he cursed his pale complexion. "You shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!"
Jaden's face fell, apparently realizing how his last comment had sounded. "I didn't mean—"
Dr. Crowler, having finally untangled his legs, chose that moment to get back to his feet. "I'm okay! Thank you for your concern though."
"Whatever," Chazz muttered. "I'm placing one card face down and ending my turn."
…
For one of the few times in his life, Yuki Muto was fully aware of how badly he'd just screwed up. His attempt to connect with Chazz had instead turned into a lecture followed by unintentionally revealing that he'd eavesdropped on a breakdown the Anubis had thought he'd been having in private. Some peacemaker he turned out to be.
Despite his failure to make amends, Yuki was determined to continue with the duel. He had Polymerization now, along with the chance for a comeback.
"…fuse Elemental HERO Avian with Bubbleman to create… wait for it… Elemental HERO Tempest!"
…
Tempest didn't last long. Chazz's next move forced him to use De-Fusion to bring Bubbleman and Avian back and then followed up by sending Avian to the graveyard. Good thing he'd brought them back in defense position, or he might've lost Life Points he didn't have to spare.
…
With Armed Dragon LV 7 on the field, a rising tide of murmuring was sweeping over the crowd. Exclamations of awe and surprise echoed throughout the arena. Chancellor Sheppard's eyes were almost bugging out of his head, and Vivian was smirking smugly from her private booth. Let's see Tèa's little darling beat that.
…
The only one who wasn't shocked, awed, or smug was Jaden himself, much to Chazz's annoyance. "Thanks? You're pitiful, Yuki. Jumping up and down like some fool, never taking anything seriously— that's why you'll never be a champion. You see, it takes discipline to win. You need to have a sense of duty, an important reason to duel. I do it to honor all the people who worked so hard to get me here. I bet you've never thought about another person except yourself in your entire life. That's why I'm going to beat you, Jaden Yuki; that's why I'll always be better than you!"
For one brief moment, Yuki hesitated, but he'd already revealed he'd been eavesdropping earlier, so how much more damage could he really do?
"Better than me, or good enough for your parents?"
Chazz reeled back as if he'd been struck. "Wha—what?"
"I heard you earlier. About how you have to win to prove to your parents that you're worth something. But Chazz, that's not what dueling is about, and it's certainly not what family's about. You take care of the people you love because you want to, not to indebt them to you. The same thing's true for dueling— you don't do it because of what dueling can get you; you do it for the sheer joy of the game." Jaden turned slightly so he was addressing the arena at large instead of just Chazz. "That's why it's more important for a duelist to play honorably than it is for them to win. Sure, Chazz may have had his fair share of losses, but he's always been true to himself and put everything he's got into every match, and that's what really matters. I think a few of you should try to be more like him!"
Yuki turned back to his opponent, only to find Chazz gaping at him with his mouth open. Noticing his rival's attention, the Anubis snapped his mouth shut and glared halfheartedly. "Save your cheerleading for someone who needs it. Take your turn and make it quick!"
"All right." Jaden drew his next card. "I'll call up Wroughtweiler in defense mode."
…
It was a good thing he did, too, because after Chazz activated Armed Dragon LV 7's special ability, wiping both Wroughtweiler and Bubbleman off the field, it was only because of the canine monster's special ability that he had any chance left at all.
"…it lets me bring Polymerization and an Elemental HERO to my hand."
"As if it'll matter, you Osiris outcast! This duel's over! It's time for you to say your goodbyes."
…
Chancellor Sheppard was feeling a bit irritated. Technically, Mrs. Devlin giving her son special rare and powerful cards to win a duel wasn't against the rules, per se, but it wasn't exactly fair, either. And when it came to deciding who should represent Duel Academy at the School Duel, things really should be fair. So the question was, should he try to do anything about it?
Oh, his job could be annoying sometimes.
…
[Following The School Duel, Part 2 2:02-5:07]
Syrus had been a nervous wreck throughout the entire match, and only once Armed Dragon LV 7 had been taken off the field did he feel his heart begin to slow back down to normal levels. "Way to play! Now follow through and take it to Chazz's Life Points!"
"You got it, Sy! I summon Elemental HERO Necroshade! And now, attack Chazz directly!"
For the second time during the duel, one of the participants was sent flying across the platform, landing hard. Chazz, the wind knocked out of him, struggled to breathe as his Life Points dropped to 2000.
…
Up above, Mrs. Devlin pursed her lips in annoyance. "Get up, Chazz. You can't lose to Yuki Muto. Not again. Not after I gave you some of the best cards in the world. Get up!"
…
Chazz couldn't hear his mother's actual words, but it hardly mattered. Her voice had been playing on repeat in the back of his mind ever since the duel started. I expect you to make the most of the opportunities we've given you. You should be the best in the school. You'll be the next King of Games someday, I have no doubt. Don't squander all the chances we've given you by failing, Chazz.
"I can't— I won't fail. It's not an option."
"Whoever told you that's lying, Chazz. Failure is always an option. In fact, in life, it's pretty much a guarantee."
"That must be real easy to say since you always get everything you want handed to you on a silver platter!" Chazz snarled back. "You don't know what it's like to have to work hard to stay afloat, to not be a disgrace."
Yuki had the gall to look upset at Chazz's accusation. "A few losses doesn't make you a disgrace, Chazz. There's no dishonor in losing if you try your honest best. And don't tell me I can say that because I've never failed; of course I have. I can't remember the last time I got an A in anything but dueling. You're way smarter than me when it comes to history and math and all that boring book stuff, on top of being a great duelist. I wish I could make you believe that."
Chazz was torn between laughing or screaming in rage. In his indecision, what came out was closer to the sound a strangled duck might make. "I'd believe it a lot more if you hadn't already made it abundantly clear how much you despise me."
"What are you talking about?" Yuki asked, looking genuinely flabbergasted. "I've never despised you!"
"Oh, yeah? Then how come I never got invited to play with the rest of you guys at all the New Year's parties? How come you'd rather have had a battle royale than invite me to duel so you'd have an even number? No, you decided I wasn't good enough for your little group and made everyone else shun me, too. Well, guess what? I didn't need your friendship. I've made it just fine on my own!"
"If you wanted to join in, why didn't you just say so?" Yuki demanded. "I always thought you didn't want to play with us. That you were happier staying with the grown-ups."
"Why on earth would you think that?"
"Well, because… you never said otherwise!"
Chazz stared at his arch-nemesis. Was it possible that the resentment he'd harbored all these years was the result of childish ignorance rather than deliberate malice? Oh, who was he kidding, of course it was. This was Yuki Muto he was dealing with. The guy practically defined obliviousness.
He suddenly wanted to laugh. Hadn't he been saying all along that Yuki was selfish? The guy was so used to simply going after what he wanted that he couldn't fathom someone who would hold themselves back, waiting to be invited in. The only person who'd thought it was a snub was Chazz himself.
And the other day, hadn't he realized that what he thought about himself mattered far more than what others did when it came to his self-worth? He no longer cared what Topher, Conklin, or any of the other Anubis Blue snobs thought of him because he'd decided their definitions of "worthy" meant nothing to him.
So of course, it turned out that the only reason Chazz had felt excluded from Yuki's group was because of how he thought about himself, not because of how Yuki did. The realization left Chazz feeling strangely empowered… and exhausted. All of his rage, all of the bitterness and hurt, evaporated into nothing, leaving him suddenly empty. How was he supposed to feel now? "I… I'm not exactly sure what to say."
Yuki grinned at him. "Say you'll finish this duel, 'cause I wasn't kidding before— it's the most fun I've had in ages! And I'm about to pull off a sweet move that'll make it even more memorable. Let's duel!"
"What do you think we've been doing?" Chazz asked sarcastically, feeling his lips twitch upwards involuntarily as the audience broke out laughing. Yuki's smile widened.
"Necroshade! Attack that Armed Dragon! Dark Shadow Slash!"
…
The duel took on a different tone after Chazz's revelation. He still let the sarcasm and comebacks fly, but there was a much more playful edge to them now— he even threw a smirk over his shoulder at Chancellor Sheppard as he made a joke at the man's expense. It was… it was exhilarating. (Why did so many emotional words begin with e?) He hadn't dueled like this, just for the thrill of it, in years. Probably not since before he'd been carted off to his first boarding school. He didn't even feel silly when he threw Yuki's catchphrase back at him.
"I suppose it's my turn to 'get my game on' Jaden— and sadly, that means that yours is about to get turned off."
"That's it, baby! The whole world's watchin' you shine!"
Well, that put a bit of a damper on his good mood. "Don't interrupt!" He snapped at the cameraman. "I'm trying to have an important duel with my arch-rival here! Next, I'll throw down the equip spell card Armed Changer. Now, simply by discarding another equip-spell from my hand to the Graveyard, I can activate this baby— and equip it to my dragon! Now Armed Dragon attack! Dragon Driller!" Yuki threw up a hand to shield himself as Necroshade was destroyed, leaving his Life Points at a measly 400.
"And now Armed Changer's effect activates. See, when he takes down a monster in battle, it lets me bring a monster back from my grave to my hand, just so long as it doesn't have more attack points than the monster it destroyed. I think I'll bring back Masked Dragon, but he won't be around for long because now I'm going to use Armed Dragon LV 7's special ability! Now, trounce those triplets! Serrated sonic discs!" The crowd gasped in both dismay and awe as all three of Jaden's Hero Kids were destroyed. "Want to surrender before I embarrass you on national TV? Oh, wait, I already did." He smirked.
"Jaden! Don't give up!" Chancellor Sheppard yelled from the stands, showing that cluelessness wasn't a condition limited to adults.
"Who's giving up?" Jaden responded with a grin. "I mean, I'm having way too much fun to 'give up'. After all, that's what dueling's all about. Win or lose, if you have fun you win every time."
"Gag me," Chazz said, sticking his tongue out in an exaggerated fashion. "Just take your turn. Prove you're worthy of being my arch-rival."
"Oh, I'll prove it all right! I play… The Warrior Returning Alive!"
…
"Nooo!" Chazz cried dramatically as his Life Points dropped to zero. "Curse you, Jaden Yuki!"
When Chazz gave no sign that he was joking, Jaden stepped hesitantly forward, worrying that he'd gone and ruined everything again. "Chazz? You okay?"
"Okay? Please," the other boy snorted, dusting off his blue jacket. "It'll take more than a defeat from you to keep the Chazz down. Well played." He offered his hand.
Yuki took it, grinning so wide he actually felt his jaw crack. "You too! We should do it again sometime. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun! And, for what it's worth…" He forced himself to be as serious as possible, "I'm really sorry that I hurt you when we were kids. I had no idea that it bothered you so much."
"Well, that's nothing new," Chazz smirked. "You don't seem to have much idea about anything, huh, slacker?"
"Anything except dueling, of course! Didn't I just beat you?"
"CHARLES JUN[1] DEVLIN!" Every head in the stadium turned to stare as the tall, willowy form of Vivian Devlin stormed into the arena, her face livid. Whispers immediately erupted among the audience. Wasn't that the Vivian Wong, who'd married the owner of the Black Crown? Had she just called Chazz Devlin?
"You get away from him!" It wasn't clear exactly which duelist the former model was talking to, but it didn't matter because the next thing Chazz knew, his mother had his arm in a vice grip and was dragging him away from his opponent, shoving him behind her while she glared daggers at Yuki— as well as Alexis, Syrus, Zane, and Bastion, who'd all rushed to the arena floor to congratulate their friend.
Mrs. Devlin's face was flushed, her eyes bright with anger. "That's it. I'm taking you out of this school. It's clearly been detrimental to—"
Something inside Chazz snapped. "Detrimental!?" He yanked his arm away from his mother, glaring furiously. "You wanna know what's been detrimental, Mom? Being sent off to boarding schools so you wouldn't have to deal with me. Being told what my future was going to be, instead of getting to decide for myself. The constant guilt and manipulation about how much you've sacrificed for me— well guess what!? I never asked for any of it! I don't want to be the next King of Games, I don't want to have to constantly fight to stay on top; I want to duel because I like it, and that's it!"
Vivian Devlin stared at her son with wide eyes. "Chazz, please—"
"Please what? Stop shouting? Afraid I'll embarrass you on national TV?"
His mother stiffened in anger. "Of course not! I had then cut the feed as soon as it looked like you were going to lose— which you did. Chazz, how could you?"
"How could he not, with you breathing down his neck all the time?"
Mrs. Devlin whirled on Yuki, practically spitting with rage. "You stay out of this!'
"No. Not while my friend is hurting. Yeah, that's right. I said friend. Because I've always considered Chazz to be a friend, even when I haven't been a very good one to him." The two rivals locked eyes for a moment before Yuki turned back to Mrs. Devlin. "And good friends stand up for each other. He said he just wants to duel for the fun of it, and as his mother, you of all people should be willing to accept that!"
The former model worked her mouth soundlessly, her fury apparently clenching up her throat. "You—"
"Vivian!" Whatever she'd been about to say was cut off as another voice joined the argument. The entire stadium turned to stare at the new arrival marching into the arena, green eyes glaring daggers at Chazz's mother. "What in the world do you think you're doing!?"
Mrs. Devlin, clearly taken aback, stammered out, "Duke, darling, I —"
"I'm in the middle of the first vacation I've had in months when I get a call asking me to confirm payment for a prime-time television spot, of all things. When I asked them what the TV spot was for, imagine my surprise when they told me my wife had arranged it, so the world could see my son's debut on the professional dueling stage." Duke Devlin pointed accusingly at his spouse. "You've gone too far this time, Vivian. He's fourteen, for crying out loud!"
Mrs. Devlin bristled indignantly. "I am doing what's best for our son—"
"No, you're trying to live vicariously through our son, to make up for your insecurities."
"How dare you—"
"How dare I? How dare you use our son as a pawn in getting even for a stupid, decades-old, imaginary—"
"Ok-ay, sir, madam," Chancellor Sheppard was breathing a bit heavily, having vaulted himself over the first few rows of seats and dashed across the arena to reach them, "I think it's clear this little argument isn't going to be resolved quickly. Might I interest you in one of our conference rooms, lavishly furnished to ensure comfort during such long debates as the two of you seem interested in?"
Chazz had never heard anyone say "you're embarrassing everyone," said so politely before.
Nevertheless, the Chancellor's meaning seemed to have gotten through, because his parents both turned bright red in mortification and quickly murmured their assent. Giving Yuki and the others a brief nod of farewell, Chazz quickly fell into step beside them as they made to leave.
"Seeing as how you've just revealed my true identity in front of the entire school, I think I'll come along. You know, for security reasons." He couldn't help but feel a little bit smug at the look of horror that stole across his mother's face.
"Oh, no! Duke, we have to—"
"No need to worry, ma'am," Chancellor Sheppard was hasty to assure her, "we have some of the best security in the world. If you come along with me I can radio for some of our guards to meet us on the way."
"Yes… yes, that sounds like a good idea. Are your doors and windows bulletproof? Because you can never know if…"
Chazz drowned out the familiar tones of his mother's fretting and took the opportunity to look back at the audience, most of whom were watching him leave with gaping mouths. By chance, he happened to catch the eyes of Topher and Conklin, both of whom looked utterly gobsmacked. Chazz smirked and waved saucily at them.
Yeah, didn't know I had famous parents, did you? Bet you regret your shortsightedness now.
…
Back on the dueling platform, Yuki was surrounded by his friends congratulating him.
"Not only on your victory, but on managing to mend a few fences as well," Bastion praised, patting him on the back.
"I know. I think Chazz and I are really going to be able to start afresh." Which is awesome, 'cause I really wanna know about that Duel Spirit he's got following him around.
Dr. Crowler, meanwhile, had slumped back down to the arena floor, sitting among coils of microphone cord. "I can't believe it. That red-jacketed reject is representing us. Representing me."
"All right! School duel, get your game on, 'cause here I come!"
1. Chazz was named after Charles, Prince of Wales, the most famous future king (worldwide) at the time of his birth in 2013, as well as his maternal grandfather Jun Wong. Represented by the Chinese character 君, it is pronounced "Chuyn" and means "king, ruler".