Hello all, I hope you are all doing well. It certainly has been a long time. I hope you are all doing well! It has been wild few months. I now have my course qualification but still have to finish my apprenticeship, I've got a new place and honestly more exhausted than I've been in months.
However, still going strong and never stopped writing. I won't keep you long, but before I begin I want to do a small bit of shameless promotion. One of my closest friends has started writing his own original story. His first chapter is on Wattpad and called Tornwood by zap_tank. He is new to writing and I am sure he would appreciate any feedback that could be offered.
That's it from me. On with the show :)
Staying in the Background
The Big Mokey
"Heads up!"
Dimitri tossed the Kuriboh-themed beach ball towards me with surprising speed. Trudging my way across the sand, I leapt to try and return the spike, only just missing it and getting a face full of the coarse sand.
"Hah, that's another point for us," Dimitri cheered, high-fiving his volleyball partner, who just happened to be Jaden.
"Nice one, dude," the Slifer congratulated, clapping the Ra on the back. "We have 'em on the ropes."
"For a guy who struggles with his duelling strategies, it's amazing how you excel at everything else," I said as I struggled back to my feet. "And this game is tennis with your hands for a racket. I would have thought you'd hate this."
Jaden merely chuckled, rubbing the underside of his nose with his finger. "What can I say? When it's with good friends, even volleyball is fun. Just never tennis. Tennis is bad. Very bad."
"Yeah… good friends," I grumbled, looking past them towards where some of the others were sunbathing. Or in the case of one of them, sulking. It had been a week since the match, and I'd barely said a word to Logan. I just couldn't face him. He tried to send me a message after the duel, saying that he was sorry for not telling me about his duel spirit. However, I couldn't trust him. Not after what happened to Bastion.
The day he got hurt, he said he'd seen a brilliant flash of light that made him trip. I had no doubt that Lumina the Lightsworn Summoner could make a flash like that. How could I work with him again after that?
I hadn't seen Lumina, or any other spirit since. However, I remembered what I heard… what I had been hearing. The steady, continuous beat that I'd been hearing everywhere. Until now, I couldn't remember hearing it, but after seeing Lumina, it had all come rushing back. I had seen enough anime to know what it meant. Something was trying to call out to me. And quite frankly, I didn't want to answer.
I'm so tired of being dragged into the plot, subplot, character arcs and mini-episodes. Just let me live my school life, dammit! I'm supposed to be in the background for crying out loud!
In retrospect, having Buster Blader as my go-to card is probably a bad way to not garner attention.
And then there was Jaden to consider. Jaden must have seen Lumina too that day, I was certain, however, he hadn't talked to me about it so perhaps he didn't know I had seen her too? No… Kuriboh would have pointed it out to him like it did whenever Jaden ran into another person who could see monster spirits. So, there must be another reason. It wasn't like Jaden to be standoffish about that kind of thing.
Had he approached Logan on the matter? If so, then what would they have talked about? It wasn't like I could just ask either!
At that moment, a shadow cast over me, distracting me from my troubled thoughts.
"Have to say, Ren, I thought you'd be better at this," Sadie laughed as she patted my back encouragingly.
"Volleyball isn't my forte," I admitted. Truth be told, I was much more of a contact and winter sports type of guy. In my past life, I loved it whenever I got the opportunity to get on the snow. Kind of hard to do that on a tropical island.
Today was a special day. With Jaden being named the Academy's representative, our little friendship group had decided to have a beach day. And unfortunately, for me, everyone had been invited. Sadie, the Slifer trio, Alexis and her friends, Bastion, Dimitri and even Eve. And Logan. Logan was here too, having been invited by Jaden. Only Zane was missing, but Alexis said he had politely declined the offer.
The sun shining down, and we were all in our swimsuits. I wore a modest pair of blue trunks and a grey shirt to protect my torso from the sun. Jaden sported red trunks and an open, sleeveless hoodie whilst Dimitri was wearing trunks with a purple spellcaster theme. He was the only one out of the three of us who had decided to go shirtless.
Sadie, on the other hand, was stunning. Her hair which was normally up in a ponytail fell freely. She wore a black two-piece bikini with a black sarong tied around her waist. She, like the rest of us, wore a pair of sandals to protect her feet from the scorching sand. Her skin seemed to glisten under the sun that day, although that may just be due to her sunscreen. Again, I was reminded of just how lucky I was to be with her.
The moment we arrived, Dimitri tossed out the idea for a game of beach volleyball to get us warmed up before going into the water. Not wanting to be too close to a certain someone, I quickly agreed to join in. Sadie and more surprisingly Jaden decided to join too while the others went to set up their umbrellas and tarps.
Long story short; I suck at beach volleyball, Dimitri is basically an athlete, Sadie looks great in a sarong, and Jaden likes sports as long as it isn't tennis.
"C'mon man, let's go another round!" Jaden said, pumping his arm. Despite his words, he didn't seem as enthusiastic as normal. I'd go as far as to say he seemed a bit stressed. He kept looking over to the others and then turning away before they could look over.
"You alright there, man?" I asked, finally standing up straight.
"Huh? Me? Yeah. All good," he replied far too quickly.
"Really?" Sadie asked, sharing a knowing look with me. "You keep looking over at the others. We could call a couple of them over and then-"
"No," Jaden interrupted, his face a look of abstract horror. He coughed into his hand. "I mean, look at them, they're having fun. We don't need to spoil it. Syrus is making progress after all." He gestured over to where Syrus was making a sandcastle around Chumley's sleeping form. He was doing a pretty good job, having formed a fairly solid foundation.
"You're avoiding your friends?" Dimitri asked.
"Avoiding? Nah… Just distracting myself. No one tells you being the academy's representative comes with a whole lot of pressure. I've been trying to work on my deck… but…"
"The others keep wanting to 'help'?" I finished, seeing where the conversation was going.
"Yeah…" Jaden sighed. "I appreciate it, but it really doesn't help when you're trying to focus."
"You'll be fine, man," I said. "Just do what you always do. Play your best and have fun. Show everyone what you're made of."
Jaden smiled, nodding his head. "I appreciate it, man. I think I'm gonna stay late tomorrow and do some final checks."
"The match is only a few days away. Are you excited?" Sadie asked.
"Don't you know it," Jaden grinned. "I'm a bit bummed we didn't get to have a rematch though," he said to me.
"I'm sure we'll have our time," I laughed.
Sadie looked between us and shook her head. "You're talking like that should be a big event but you guys can play whenever you want. It is a card game."
"No, no. It doesn't work that way."
"Wait… she's right," Jaden began to say.
"Nah, man, it doesn't work that way," I reiterated.
"But-"
"Shh… it doesn't work that way."
"Uh, okay. I guess it'll be more fun later," Jaden said. He didn't sound convincing.
"Uh huh… well, speaking of plans, Ren, are we still on for tomorrow?" Sadie asked, giving me a nudge.
I couldn't help but grin. "Absolutely. I've been looking forward to this all week."
"You guys got something planned?" Dimitri asked.
"Oh yeah. This one has been way too stressed recently, so we are going on a picnic," Sadie gleamed.
He looked between the two of us and gave an awkward smile. "Wow… that sounds…"
Don't do it, Dimitri. Don't say it. Don't say it, dude. Sadie's already giving you the eye.
"…Nice."
Really believable man. Real believable.
"Thanks, Dimitri. It will be nice," Sadie finally said, seemingly appeased. "I'm making something special just for this."
She'd been promising this all week and, as I had said, I was looking forward to it. Sadie was an amazing cook and often gave me things foods from recipes she was experimenting with. Some were good. Some were great. Some… ahem… occasionally there were some bad ones. But, more often than not, they were alright. But in the last week, she hadn't given me anything to try. I could only assume something good was on its way. She'd certainly been hinting at it.
"What are you guys doing?" Sadie asked.
"I'm just gonna chill," Dimitri said. "I've got a show I want to catch up on."
"I've got to work on my cards," Jaden replied. "The others said they may come around to help." He didn't sound enthusiastic.
"Well, I'm sure something fun will happen," I said. "You'd be surprised what can happen on a lazy afternoon."
"Ugh, they're so lovey-dovey. It's sickening," Jasmine moaned again, turning back towards the ocean with a huff.
"If it annoys you, don't look," Alexis said as she focused on scribbling in her little notebook. She had been writing in it non-stop since the seven of them had sat down.
Bastion had been intermittently looking at his fellow beachgoers as he combed through Professor Eisenstein's new book on the key link between physics and duel monsters. It was quite fascinating. Eisenstein was Bastion's inspiration, both as a duelist and a scientist. Unlike other players who claimed simply to believe in their cards, Eisenstein was able to lay out the game of Duel Monsters in a way that made sense. In a duel, each of his moves is a finely crafted formula made for success. That was duelling in its finest form.
As he looked between the four playing volleyball, he spotted Sadie embracing Ren and he quickly turned his head. He shut his book and directed his attention to the shallows where Mindy was trying to get a dejected Logan to have fun. The Slifer had been rather dejected as of late, taking his tie with Ren quite badly. His performance in class had noticeably decreased as well. From what he'd been hearing in the corridors, a lot of his fellow Slifers seemed to pity him. The Ras and Obelisks were not as kind.
It seemed Mindy had not abandoned him though. She'd been showering him with attention, although while Bastion was sure Logan appreciated it, he outwardly didn't show it. Even now as he and Mindy splashed in the surf, he didn't quite seem all there.
"Ugh," Jasmine huffed as she rose from her towel. "I'm going for a swim. You coming Alexis?" she asked hopefully. Unfortunately, she shook her head.
"Maybe in a bit. Not right now. You have fun though," she said with a smile.
Sadly, Jasmine nodded before turning and making her way to the water. It was just Bastion and Alexis now. At first, they remained silent, Alexis continuing to write whilst Bastion kept reading. Another reason he was thankful for his book was that it kept him from getting into trouble. While both Mindy and Jasmine had opted for cute pink and blue bikinis, Alexis was wearing a rather stunning white one with a silken ice-blue sarong wrap around her legs. While she had initially worn a shirt to hide it, as the heat became too hot to bear, she'd shed it away. She'd kept the sun hat over her head to give her some shade.
Bastion could certainly see why many already viewed her as the school idol. She was beautiful. However…
His eyes involuntarily drifted back to the volleyball game. Just as quickly, he turned away guiltily. Unfortunately, his glance did not go unnoticed.
"Something on your mind?" Alexis asked.
"No… nothing," Bastion said, perhaps a little too quickly.
Alexis cocked her head before turning her head to look back. She looked just in time to see Ren and Sadie celebrate as they won a point against the team of Dimitri and Jaden. It seemed something clicked.
"Oh… I see," she said quietly, her book snapping shut. Bastion's brow furrowed. What a strange reaction.
"Are… are you alright?" he asked.
"Absolutely fine." She paused for a moment before sighing. "Sorry, no… that's not true. Truth is, there is something that has been bothering me lately."
The wheels in Bastion's head whirred. Matters of the heart had never been his forte, but with recent events, he began to make connections that he would not have done before. Again, his eyes were drawn to Sadie.
"I think I know how you feel…" he muttered without meaning to.
"Hmm?" Alexis turned to him in confusion.
"There is… There is something you want to say, but you are worried that doing so may cause… issues." Alexis was silent a moment before finally shaking her head. It seemed Bastion's hypothesis was proving true. However, he needed more data before he could come to a firm conclusion.
"Is it Ren you wish to speak to?" Bastion asked.
Alexis tensed, but once again she nodded her head. "There's something I want to ask him, but… Well… It's complicated."
"If it is complicated, maybe it is best, in this instance, to remain silent?" Bastion asked curiously.
Alexis paused again. Her furrowed brow showed her confliction. In the end, she did not answer, returning to her writing, although her scribbles slowed in pace. Rather than be insulted, Bastion took that to mean she did not feel comfortable talking about her feelings in such a way.
Instead, he focused his efforts on his book, trying to keep his thoughts from lingering away to the girl playing volleyball.
The day was long, the sun stayed high and by the end of the day, our little group was thoroughly tuckered out. After the volleyball game, I decided to have a quick swim to cool off. Jaden being Jaden decided to join me and somehow turned a leisurely swim into a swimming contest. Let me tell you, that kid can swim ridiculously fast. It must be that abundance of energy he has.
Either way, after a couple of hours, and a bit of sunbathing, we packed up to go. We said goodbye to the girls at the beach and we boys walked back to our dorms. I made a point to keep Logan in front of me as he walked and made a passive conversation with Syrus. Jaden hung back in the middle. I noticed he was also casting quick looks over to Logan which worried me.
Jaden must have seen Lumina too that day. I was certain of it. However, he hadn't talked to me about it so perhaps he didn't know I had seen her too? No… Kuriboh would have pointed it out to him like it did whenever Jaden ran into another person who could see monster spirits. So, there must be another reason. It wasn't like Jaden to be standoffish about that kind of thing.
"Fuck! Why is it all such a mess!" I lamented, burying my face into my hands and sinking onto the bed. Things were spiralling. No… they had been spiralling for a long time. A very long time. The canon was in shambles, and I didn't know how to fix it. I just kept hoping that once Chazz was back, things would finally regain some semblance of normal.
What was it Jay Garrick had once said? No matter how hard you try to fix things, it will never be as it was. The present was cracked with me and Logan at the centre. I put most of the blame on him but deep down, I knew I was just as responsible.
And it wasn't like I hadn't kept things from Logan…
But a duel spirit… that was huge… Just how long had he had her? Since the beginning or was it a more recent development?
"How much longer can I keep this up? It was never supposed to be like this…"
Just then, my PDA went off. I fished it out of pocket. It was from Sadie.
"Looking forward to tomorrow xxx".
"Sadie…"
Small things like this… they helped. Helped to remind me that some good had come out of all this as well. Sadie was the one thing I would never regret. I quickly sent her a message back before getting ready for bed. I was looking forward to tomorrow too after all.
"Use my Power Bond."
"That won't do you any good. Hear me out. Des Koala."
"No, you should use my Water Dragon," Bastion added to the list of cards that were being shouted out by Syrus and Chumley. They had all come together to try and help Jaden as he tried to adjust his deck ready for the school duel. 'Trying' being the key word.
Admittedly, Water Dragon probably wasn't the best suggestion for a person using heroes. Bastion had just gotten caught up in the moment. Jaden was being a good sport about it so far, but it was clear he was approaching his wit's end.
There was a fifth member of their little group. Alexis was sat in the seat behind Bastion, being uncharacteristically quiet. While she initially had been a part of the conversation, she'd quickly gone quiet, scribbling away in the same little black book from the previous day. She seemed to be in her own little world. Once again, Bastion felt the urge to pry. Ren was rubbing off on him. Evidence was yet to conclude if it was good or bad.
"Do you not have advice for Jaden?" Bastion asked, biting the bullet.
Alexis's head snapped up. "Hmm? Oh sorry. What were we talking about? How's Jaden's deck going?"
"Well, as well as can be expected," Bastion remarked. "Do you not have any input for him?"
Alexis's eyes flicked over to the Slifer as he tried to ignore the bombardment of Syrus and Chumley's suggestions. "Jaden has this covered. He doesn't need our help. Besides, I think we're being more of a bother than anything."
Bastion looked back at their cohorts before nodding. "It would seem that way. Is he on your mind again?"
Alexis paused briefly before turning to the next page in her notebook. "I have a lot of things on my mind."
"That is avoiding the question," Bastion remarked.
"And that is because the question is my business," Alexis said, her tone possessing an icy edge, that immediately made Bastion realise he had overstepped. However, whatever her intentions were, Bastion knew Ren was involved.
"I am sorry. I did not mean to pry. It is just… I believe that if you have something to say… to someone, maybe you should say it. Otherwise… it can end up… hurting…"
Alexis's eyes widened. It looked like she was about to say something before Jaden suddenly let out a loud cry of frustration.
"No more!" he cried, snatching up both his cards and duel disk. "If I'm ever going to sort out my deck, I need to be alone!"
All the pestering had brought him to breaking point as Jaden made a break for the door, Syrus and Chumley in hot pursuit. Bastion quickly turned back to Alexis.
"We should-"
"Yeah," Alexis agreed, already on her feet.
I went to meet Sadie outside of the girls' dorm. I couldn't go near the actual dorm, so I had to wait for her by the lake. I made sure to arrive early. Today looked like it was going to be good. Even the breeze felt fresher than normal. Was this the power of positivity? Had to say I liked it.
As I waited, my head turned towards the lake, where I had first heard that noise… that beat… all those weeks ago. It had been silent since the duel. For something that had been so persistent, it was strange to have stopped, even if I was glad it had. Had it sensed my rejection somehow?
That… that was for the best…
As I looked out, I briefly regretted the choice to go double denim with my blue jeans and jacket. I made the quick decision to tie the jacket around my waist but that didn't look good either. I put the jacket back on but now the sleeves were creased.
"Ugh… great. Didn't have a fashion sense before, don't have much of one now."
"I think you look fine."
I was snapped out of my thoughts by a tap on the shoulder and a gentle voice in my ear. I turned to find Sadie at my side, a picnic basket under her arm. She wore a simple blue shirt and a long white dress. Her long hair which was normally in a ponytail had been let down.
"I think I prefer what you're wearing," I said with a smile before I caught a whiff of something savoury. "And whatever that amazing smell is."
"Ah, that would be your surprise. And let's face it, you could not pull off a dress," Sadie said with a wide grin, patting the top of the basket with her free hand. "I see you brought the blanket."
"Yep," I said, tapping the black and red tarp I'd borrowed from the Obelisk storeroom. "Ready to go?"
"Absolutely." Sadie reached out and took my arm and we started walking. The plan was to eat on the cliff overlooking the ocean. It had a beautiful view and quite frankly we both could not think of a better spot. At least except the beach but having sand in our sandwiches felt a bit too literal.
As we walked, Sadie gave me a playful nudge. "Hey. Today is gonna be a good day," she said.
"Yeah," I agreed with a smile, lightly tightening my hold on her arm. "A good day."
Only when he could taste the sweet fresh air did Jaden stop running. He loved his friends but right now they were being a nightmare. Like, Etoile Cyber and Des Koala he could kind of understand, but he couldn't use Water Dragon or Power Bond. They didn't wouldn't even work in his deck.
He knew they were just trying to help, but they were only succeeding in making things more confusing. Jaden let out a sigh, shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts. He'd been looking forward to this a week ago. Now there was all this pressure. He needed something to offset the pressure.
"Hey! Wassup?"
Jaden's head snapped towards the unfamiliar voice. There, lying on his side with his head propped in his hand was an Obelisk blue student. He looked towards Jaden with a lazy gaze and a cheerful smile. Jaden couldn't help but notice he was thin. Like, amazingly thin. A duel monster could use him as a toothpick. His skin was also pale as if it hadn't seen the sun in a week. He wore his uniform over his shoulders like a cape, but his clothes were torn. There was a very large rip in his shirt and his trousers had patches. He wore a pair of blue flip-flops on his feet. His hair was also messy, scruffy and unruly mop of dark hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks. Jaden could see he was wearing a duel disk on his left arm, but the metal was dull compared to his own and it didn't look very well maintained.
"Uh, hey," Jaden said, giving a hesitant wave. "What're you doing up here?"
"Just looking at the clouds, man," the stranger replied, his voice very much reminding Jaden of those hippie characters he saw in cartoons. "The real thing just can't be compared. I've got like, this job to do, but I just had to come up here and take them in, yeah? You ever notice that they look like duel monsters?"
Jaden didn't know how to respond to that. "Uh, no, not really."
At that moment, the spirit of Winged Kuriboh emerged, letting out an excited chirp as it drifted a little towards the stranger.
"Kuriboh? What are you doing?" Jaden asked.
"Woah, hey there little dude," the stranger suddenly said, giving a lazy wave towards the spirit.
"Wait, you can see him?" Jaden gasped.
"Sure can. I got a whole bunch of buddies," the Obelisk said happily.
"No way…" Another person who could see monster spirits. Jaden's thoughts were momentarily drawn to Logan and Ren. Jaden had seen Lumina in the duel, but when he'd tried talking to Logan about her, he'd clammed up. Ren, on the other hand, had said he'd seen Lumina during the duel but hadn't been able to see Winged Kuriboh. And now there was this guy. It seemed more and more people were seeing duel monster spirits. Was it a coincidence they'd all met on the island?
"Hey man, what's got you thinking so hard? I can practically see those cogs in your head. Be a bit more mellow, man. Life's all good. For now, anyway," the stranger said, finally standing up.
"And what do you mean by that?" Jaden asked, immediately on guard.
"You're Jaden, right? The name's Belowski. I told you I had a job to do, so I'm gonna be your opponent, man. Bit of a bummer though. I was hoping to enjoy a bit more of this beautiful day but looks like you came to me. Whatever," the teen said, raising his duel disk.
Despite the weirdness, Jaden couldn't help but smile. This was just what he needed. A duel always helped clear his head. Besides, he was interested in why this kid had a 'job' to duel him. He knew a lot of people found his personal philosophy weird, but Jaden truly believed that everything would come out in a duel. It allowed people to be their most true selves.
As if in agreement with his thoughts, Winged Kuriboh gave a determined chirp as Jaden activated his duel disk.
"My opponent, huh? Most of what you said doesn't make sense, but I never turn down a challenge! Get your game on!"
"Whatever."
"DUEL"
"I'll be taking the first move, dude," Belowski said drawing a card.
Turn 1: Belowski - 4000 LP - 6 cards in hand - 0 cards on field
"I'll start by activating the ability of my Zeradias, Herald of Heaven. By giving him a vacay to the graveyard, I can add Sanctuary in the Sky to my hand. With that in hand, I can take this duel to a whole other level of existence."
As Belowski activated the card, the scenery around them changed. Gone was the school and forest overlook, in its place a kingdom stretching out over a field of clouds. "While it looks like the work of the man, this brings zen to my universe as it keeps me from taking any damage from attacks involving a fairy monster."
"Pretty good card," Jaden admitted. "But it will take more than a field spell to stop me."
"Jaden? Are you up here?" a familiar voice called.
Suddenly, Syrus, Chumley, Bastion and Alexis burst out from underneath the clouds. They looked around in shock upon noticing their surroundings.
"What happened to the academy?" Syrus gasped.
"Nothing, this is a field spell," Bastion remarked. "Look, Jaden is duelling that Obelisk."
"He's duelling? It hasn't even been five minutes since he ran from us?" Chumley said.
"That's Jaden for you," Alexis said with a small smile. "But who is he duelling?"
Jaden tuned them out, refocusing on the duel. Belowski's head briefly turned towards his friends before looking back to his cards. He didn't seem too bothered that they'd come across them. "I'll keep then bring balance to my field by normal summoning my Key Mace (400/300)."
The next monster to appear on the field was a tiny fairy in a blue robe. It held a key against his body that was larger than it was.
"This guy may not be the strongest, but he can use that key of his to make some sweet tunes to zone out too."
"Ugh… okay…" Jaden honestly didn't know how to respond to that.
"I'll go ahead and set three face-downs and turn over the tide of this duel to you."
"Well alright then," Jaden said with a grin. "My move!"
"So… how is it?"
"So good," I mumbled through a mouthful of chicken.
"I'm glad you like it but isn't rude to speak with your mouth full?" Sadie teased.
"Not when the food is this good," I replied, swallowing the final morsels of the chicken skewers. "These are delicious. How did you make them?"
"Oh, you know, I just left it to soak in a marinade of teriyaki and soy sauce with some orange zest and lemon juice. No big deal." She said with a shrug, but her grin gave away her pride in the meal.
I let out a satisfied sigh, leaning back on the blanket. Sadie and I had set up our picnic on the hill overlooking the ocean. This was where we'd talked that day after Logan had duelled Harrington. This was one of the few places where we could see the whole island. The breeze was cool and the salty sea air refreshing. It was a perfect day.
I took another bite of the prepared meal. The rice was just right. Fluffy and delicious. However, there was something else to it. The flavour, like the chicken, had a hint of sourness to it.
"What did you do with the rice?"
"Also soaked in the leftover marinade to give it flavour."
"Amazing," I sighed, taking another portion of rice.
The surprise Sadie had prepared was a pair of bento boxes. In it was a selection of delicious food. Although, there were some weird ones.
"What are the sausages supposed to be?" I asked. Sadie had cut up the sausages in an unusual way. I'd seen the stereotypical octopi sausage in anime but the ones in the box were far stouter and had multiple cuts in them that made them look closer to hedgehogs than anything else.
"Yeah, they didn't come out the best. I was trying to make them look like Kuriboh."
"Kuriboh?"
"Hey, it may not seem like me, but I thought it would be funny," Sadie explained. "Although I may have more luck with pastries next time."
"Well… cakes shaped like duel monsters, I'm more than down for that. Let me know if you need a taste tester."
"Oh, I expect you to try them all. It took way too long to get all of these ready with too many disasters. Next time, you are going to face them all with me."
"Yay…"
Why does that fill me with dread?
"Hmm? What's going on over there?" Sadie asked, pointing out towards the academy.
I followed her finger until I spotted what she was looking at. Not too far away, on the exposed path leading between Obelisk and Ra Dorms, there were several members of the Academy's private security team, the Disciplinary Action Squad, forming a large group. They were too far away to see what exactly they were doing, but it was highly unusual to see them grouping like this.
"What's happening now?" I groaned.
Turn 2: Jaden - 4000 LP - 6 cards in hand - 0 cards on the field
As Jaden saw his next card, a smile spread across his lips. "Your field spell may stop you from taking damage, but it's only when it comes to your monsters. If I can get around them, you're free game. I'll start by summoning Elemental Hero Stratos (1800/300)."
Once again, the clouds parted as a blue uniformed warrior burst out into the sky. Unlike Jaden's other winged hero, this one's wings were mechanical and powered by turbines. He wore a helmet and visor over his head that covered his eyes.
"Now this guy is a real team player. You see when he's summoned, I can add an Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand. So, I think I'll add my feathered friend, Avian. Next up, I play Polymerization! I'll fuse the Avian and Burstinatrix in my hand to summon my personal favourite, Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (2100/1200)."
Again, the clouds parted, and Jaden's signature monster flew out, coming to land by the Slifer with his dragon arm primed to fire.
"Ha, that guy is far out," Belowski remarked.
"Well, you should see him attack. Like right now for instance!" Upon command, Flame Wingman took to the air, fire gathering in the maw of his hand.
"I'll have to stop you for a moment. I have a trap. I activate Human-Wave Tactics," Belowski said. "You see, now, during each of the end phases, I can call out another of my monster buddies up to the number you destroyed in the turn."
"Hey, all I'm hearing is that my attack is still going through. Flame Wingman, show 'em what you do best!"
True to his name, the hero let out a torrent of flame that overtook the small fairy. It was gone in a moment.
"Thanks to my field spell, I take no damage, man," Belowski said.
"Battle damage, maybe," Jaden said with a smirk. "But, you see when Wingman destroys a monster, you take damage equal to its attack points."
"Oh?"
Wingman flew down, scrapping his taloned claw against Belowski's duel disk, nearly knocking the boy over. (Belowski:3600 LP)
"And that's not all. I still have Stratos's attack!"
Stratos flew up, his turbines spinning at top speeds whipping up a whirlwind that succeeded in knocking Belowski over. (Belowski: 1800 LP)
"You alright over there?"
"That move was radical, man," Belowski laughed, pushing himself back to his feet. "You got more moves like that?"
"None that I can use right now. I'll just throw a face-down and call it a turn."
"That's cool. Well, since it's your end phase, Human-Wave Tactics allows me to call out a new monster. So, meet my favourite ever monster, Mokey Mokey (300/100)."
In a poof, what could only be described as a tiny, winged marshmallow appeared, letting out a cry of its name. It wasn't impressive in the slightest, but the moment it appeared, everyone behind Jaden suddenly let out a gasp of awe.
"It's so cute!" Alexis remarked, far more jovially than Jaden had ever heard her say.
"It's like a marshmallow!" Bastion said.
"Like a giant pillow," Syrus agreed.
As if to reiterate the point, Chumley let out a loud yawn.
"Huh, you guys alright?" Jaden asked, looking back at them.
"They're just feeling the vibe, you get me?" Belowski interrupted.
"The what?"
"Don't worry about it. Especially since it's my turn now, homie."
Turn 3: Belowski - 1800 LP - Two cards in hand - 1 face-up monster, 1 face-up trap and two face-down cards.
As he drew his next card his grin grew. "Hey, hey, I just drew one of my favs. I activate Mokey Mokey Smackdown."
"A smackdown?" Jaden asked. "What does that do?"
"Oh, you'll see. But first I'm going to summon my Happy Lover (800/500)."
Belowski's new monster was a small, spherical, orange creature with purple feathered wings. A large heart pattern was between its eyes.
"But these little dudes won't be alone because I'm activating the trap, The League of Uniform Nomenclature. This lets me choose one of my monster buds and call out all his friends. You know what they say, what's better than one Mokey Mokey? Three Mokey Mokeys!"
Two more of the animate marshmallows poofed into existence, standing alongside the first Mokey.
The moment they took the field, the effect was immediate. On Jaden's friends at least.
"My my, I do not think I've ever seen a group of fellows so charming," Bastion cried out.
"Mokey Mokey makes everything so chill!" Alexis cooed.
"He makes me feel fuzzy and warm," Syrus agreed.
Chumley rounded out the cries with an epic yawn.
Jaden couldn't believe what he was hearing. He stared mouth agape as his friends went crazy over the small monsters. They didn't even sound like themselves. Well… Chumley did but the others were beginning to sway on their feet. While they sounded happy it looked like they would fall at any moment.
"What is wrong with you guys?" Jaden cried out in frustration.
"Ha ha, there just feeling the moke man," Belowski laughed. "They're becoming more in touch with the universe."
"You're doing this?" Jaden gasped.
"I guess. I don't really get it, but when I duel, my monster bros can't help but spread their vibe."
"Well make them stop!" Jaden growled.
"I told you, I can't stop it," Belowski shrugged. "Chillax, they'll be fine. They just need to sleep it off. Every… everyone is after a nap." Belowski paused, looking off to the side, out past the clouds of the field spell. For a moment, his dopey smile dropped. "Huh, it really has been a long time since I was last out…"
"Huh?"
Belowski's gaze turned back to Jaden and his smile returned. "Do you ever realise how lucky we are to be in a place so beautiful? Kind of makes me sad it's been covered with all these clouds."
"Are you… you alright man?"
"Just savouring the moment," Belowski said. "Times like this you realise just how short life is… and how much you can miss out."
"Hey… he's right…" Jaden heard Alexis say behind him. He turned back to her. While she still seemed to be in a daze, she still possessed the determined look he recognised from when she had set her mind to something. "I've got to go. Where's the door?" She immediately began fondling around in the clouds.
"Alexis, there is no door!" Syrus suddenly chimed. "Can't you see we are in the sky?"
"Alexis, what are you-?" Jaden began to say before Alexis turned back and threw up her arms.
"Got it!" she cried excitedly before disappearing below the cloud layer.
"Alexis, wait!" Bastion shouted, running after the rogue Obelisk, he too disappearing beneath the cloud layer."
"Bastion, Alexis, wait!" Jaden called out in vain. They were already too far away to hear him.
"Wow, they went off quick," Syrus laughed giddily.
Jaden's eyes darted between the swaying Syrus and Chumley to the space in the virtual clouds where Alexis and Bastion had run off too. While it went against his better nature to end a duel prematurely, he knew that following his friends was far more important.
"Guys, we have to go after them!" Jaden pleaded.
"But I wanna see more of Mokey Mokey," Syrus said dopily, gazing off towards the dancing marshmallows.
"There's no point in trying to argue with them, man. They're feeling the moke. If you wanna snap them out of it, you need to keep duelling," Belowski said, bringing Jaden's attention back to him. "Or we could just chill, I'm easy."
Jaden's gaze darted back to the three monsters on Belowski's field. If they were responsible for his friend's current state, he needed to go. However, he couldn't just leave Alexis and Bastion to their own devices. Hmm… there was one possibility.
"Time out, I need to make a call."
"There's more of them now," Sadie remarked, pointing out where more of the Disciplinary Action Squad had emerged. They had been seeing them more frequently, their movements growing more erratic as it took even longer to find whatever it was they were searching for.
"Someone must have done something wrong," I said, turning back to her. "Or maybe they're looking for us. Excessive PDA is against school rules, right?"
"Oh yes, a picnic on a hill. We must be criminals," Sadie laughed. "Whatever will we do?"
"I don't know but I can't imagine a better partner in crime," I said, reaching out and
"Good, you will never see it when I betray you for a lighter sentence," she laughed.
"Oh! You wound me! I thought that we were supposed to support each other," I called out dramatically.
"Alas, one such as myself is not made out for prison time," Sadie explained with equal dramaticism. "I hope you can understand."
"It will be hard, but I'll try."
There was a moment of silence before we both started laughing. As the delighted chuckles died down, I calmed down and turned back to Sadie. "I needed this. Thank you, Sadie."
She smiled and nodded. "I thought so. You've seemed stressed recently."
"Maybe…"
"Do you want to talk about it?"
I paused, choosing my words carefully. After so long, I so desperately wanted to bear my soul to someone, anyone. Maybe not the whole truth, but enough of it.
"Honestly, I'm worried about the future. I've had this plan all set-out. But… more and more, things are becoming obscured. Things have changed in ways I didn't expect and now… I've been feeling a bit lost."
"And what was your plan?"
"Hmm?"
She gazed at me, head cocked and an amused look on his face. "Forgive me Ren, but you don't seem like much of a planner. Maybe you like to think of yourself as one but you are not."
"Is that what you think? So, what does make me then?" I asked curiously.
"Well, from my perspective, you are far too emotional. You may not see it, but you always act with your heart. Like with Dimitri. You could have left him and let him be punished for stealing Yugi's deck. Instead, you helped him. He's still at school because of you."
If things had gone as planned, he would have stayed at the academy anyway.
"Even if it was a tie, you also proved yourself in the duel with Logan."
I found he had been lying to me and ended his ambition.
"And our relationship, was that part of your plan?"
"It's one of the few things I've done right," I said, voicing the final thought.
Sadie brushed her thumb against the back of my hand, smiling sadly. "You've done more than one thing right Ren. Our friends prove that."
"Right… Our friends."
"Ren…" Sadie's words were soft, yet she commanded my attention. "I can tell there's something you're not telling me. Please, talk to me. I want to help."
Please don't look at me like that. Not with those eyes. I'll end up telling you everything. And if you knew the truth…
"Sadie, I…"
Before I could finish, my PDA began to ring, making both of us jump.
"Saved by the bell," Sadie sighed. "Who is it?"
"Jaden. I can ignore it."
"No, no. You may as well answer. Knowing Jaden, he will keep ringing otherwise."
"True enough. Please give me a moment."
Sadie nodded and I answered the call. "Jaden now is really not a good time."
"Sorry, but this is urgent. We've got a problem. It's about Bastion and Alexis!"
"What?"
Jaden told me exactly what happened. How he engaged a boy named Belowski in a duel and how Bastion and the others had been affected by Belowski's powers.
I guess Crowler had ahead with the plot to try and stop Jaden from participating in the school duel. But… that didn't feel right. At least not as things are now.
Jaden then told me that Alexis and Bastion had run away.
"Sorry, I know that it's a bad time, but can you try and find them? I can't leave Syrus and Chumley alone and if I beat this guy, it may snap them out of it."
"Okay, I understand. I'll look for them. Good luck with the duel. Please hurry."
I let out a large sigh as I ended the call and turned back to Sadie. "I'm sorry, but it looks like we have to cut our date short. Bastion and Alexis are in trouble."
"Huh? Are they okay?"
Uh… how to explain duel spirit-afflicted conditions?
"Apparently, they were watching Jaden duel and there was a malfunction with the solid vision system. Bastion and Alexis were affected badly and wandered off. Jaden is looking after Syrus and Chumley but he can't leave them alone."
"A malfunction with the solid vision system? How is that possible?" Sadie asked, already getting to her feet.
"I don't know," I lied. "But what's more important is making sure the others are alright. Hopefully, they are still close to the academy. We should start there."
"That's a good plan," Sadie agreed. "You go ahead. We can't leave all this here. Let's meet up at the academy."
"You sure? I can help."
Sadie shook her head. "If the others are in trouble, don't waste time. We'll meet up at the academy."
"Thanks. I'll ring you if I find anything. And I promise I'll make this up to you."
"I know. Go," she said, hurrying me along.
With one last smile, I turned and began running towards the academy, cursing all my rotten luck.
"Okay, Ren will find them," Jaden said, letting out a sigh. Of course, it did nothing to ease the sense of guilt he felt in having to rely on the obelisk. He should be the one going after Bastion and Alexis. Still, he could help them by finishing this duel as quickly as possible.
Throughout his conversation, the strange boy had been gazing up at the clouds with glossy eyes and a wide grin. It was only when Jaden placed his PDA back in his pocket that the boy turned back to him. "Oh, are you done, bro? You ready to keep going?"
"Always," Jaden growled, raising his disk.
"Sweet. It was my turn, right?" Belowski said, looking out at his field. His three Mokeys and Happy Lover looked back. His field spell also prevented him from taking any damage from battle with Fairy-type monsters, making it hard to deal any damage. He also still had his trap, The League of Uniform Nomenclature and that Mokey Mokey Smackdown spell, whatever that did. Meanwhile, Jaden still had Stratos and Flame Wingman to defend him. Jaden also still had all his life points whilst Belowski was at 1800. Jaden had the clear advantage. And yet Belowski didn't seem phased in the slightest. He was still beaming.
"Alrighty, I think it's time for our monsters to party," Belowski suddenly announced.
"What? But your guys are so much weaker than mine?" Jaden cried.
"Ah, chill. Happy Lover, why don't you show 'im, little dude? Attack Stratos."
With a chirp, the feathered monster flew high and unleashed a beam from the heart-shaped patch on its head. However, it was too weak. The turbines on Stratos's wings span rapidly, unleashing a flurry of wind that turned Happy Lover's attack back on itself. Struck by its own attack, the little monster burst. Of course, due to Belowski's field spell, he took no damage.
However, the moment Happy Lover went boom, Belowski's three Mokey Mokeys began to act erratically, thrashing around and letting out angered cries. Their bodies puffed up and turned crimson.
"Woah, what happened to them?" Jaden asked.
"It's the effect of my Mokey Mokey Smackdown," Belowski explained. "By destroying their friend, you've upset their zen. Now each one grows way stronger."
"By how much."
"Size doesn't matter, man. But they do go up to three thousand big ones."
All three Mokey Mokeys let out an angry puff as they flapped their swollen wings. (300-3000 ATK)
"Three thousand points!" Jaden practically screamed.
"Sucks to be you, bro. Mokey Mokey number one, attack Wingman."
The first of the empowered marshmallows let out a high-pitched scream all directed on Jaden's elemental hero.
"Nice try, but I have a trap! Go, Hero Barrier!"
From Jaden's trap emerged a spinning energy shield that protected Wingman from the first scream. Unfortunately, Belowski had two more.
"Mokey Mokey Dos, finish off that Wingman. Mokey Three, attack Stratos!"
As one, both monsters let out powerful screams. Jaden's monster stood no chance. Clenching their heads in agony, they both shattered. (Jaden: 3100 LP) (Jaden: 1900 LP)
"Those guys are surprisingly tough," Jaden mumbled, barely hearing himself over the ringing in his ears.
"Not just tough, but super strong!" Syrus cheered sleepily. "Three cheers for the glorious Mokeys!"
The only cheers he received were Chumley's snoring.
"Your friend seems to be getting tired," Belowski remarked. "But you though; you got hit by Mokey Mokey full on. Aren't you ready to call it quits?"
"No chance!" Jaden said, a small smirk crossing his features. Even given the stakes, the familiar rush of excitement, that electric feeling that came from working together with his cards. It kept him on the edge.
"Hmm? Fair play. In which case I'll end my turn. That means my Mokey's strength goes back to normal. And thanks to Human-Wave Tactics, I get a new monster. So, I'll summon my Mystic Shine Ball (500/500) in attack mode.
True to its name, Belowski's new monster was a shining ball of white lunar energy. Bright light shone out from its small form making it somewhat hard to see against the clouds of the field spell. At the same time, the three Mokeys returned to their normal colour palette as their anger subsided.
"On to you," Belowski said with a shrug.
Turn 4: Jaden - 1900 LP - Three Cards in hand - 0 cards on the field
"With pleasure!" Jaden said, drawing his next card with a flourish. However, his hand was far from perfect. "I think I'll just set a monster and call it a turn." A horizontal card emerged on his field and Jaden lowered his duel disk, letting out a small sigh.
With a glossy glaze, Belowski drew his next card.
Turn 5: Belowski - 1800 LP - One card in hand - Four face-up monsters, one face-up trap, one continuous spell card, one field spell and one set card on the field.
"That's all you've got?" Belowski asked. "After your first move, I thought you might put up more of a fight. You sure you're not feeling tired?"
"I'm more fired up than ever!" Jaden declared.
"Uh-huh? You are a strange one," Belowski remarked with a shrug. "Either way, not too long now. Best to make this quick. I'll start by activating Monster Reborn. I'll call back my Zeradias, Herald of Heaven (2100/800) to party!"
The clouded floor parted as a green-winged warrior burst into the air. They wore blue trousers and brown boots; a long red cloth was wrapped around its body reaching up to cover its face. He wore a green helmet with red horns and wielded a bident.
"He's a bit more totalitarian than I like but he's chill. This will probably lead to a lot of hurt though so sorry in advance."
"Huh?"
"Zeradias, attack that face down!"
The winged man flew up high before tossing down his weapons, skewering Jaden's set monster. It was briefly revealed to be a cybernetic dog. It let out a howl before disappearing.
"He's strong, but by destroying my Wroughtweiler, I get something back. A Polymerization and elemental hero. So, I'll take back Burstinatrix."
"Cool, but you don't get to summon her to the field. That leaves my little buddies free to rock your world." As he spoke, the three Mokey Mokeys let out a round of high-pitched screams. Jaden was struck three times over. While able to stay on his feet for the first two, the third scream knocked him back. (Jaden: 1600 LP – 1300 LP – 1000 LP)
"Finally, my Mystic Shine Ball will attack directly," Belowski said as his small, shining monster flew over to Jaden. Its glow intensified. While it didn't hurt, it did drain Jaden's points. (Jaden: 500 LP)
"Before I end my turn, I'll activate my face down, Gift of the Mystical Elf. It restores my points by three hundred for every monster chilling on my side of the field. With five bros, I get a fifteen hundred boost."
Mystical energy surrounded Belowski, a white light flowing from his monsters into him. (Belowski: 3200 LP) With his points restored, Belowski turned his attention back to Jaden, who was still on the ground.
"Finally out, huh? I guess that is what I was told to do. Bummer though. For a moment there, I thought I might be able to finish a duel."
"Oh, we're finishing this alright." Grinning, Jaden jumped back to his feet. "No way I'm not seeing something as fun as this to the end."
"Wha-? You're not asleep?" Belowski said in disbelief. "Anyone else would have conked out by now. How are you able to stay so focused?"
"Ha ha, dude, I'm at my best when I'm duelling. No way I'd ever miss a second," Jaden laughed.
"Wow man, you must really love duelling," Belowski said wistfully.
"Yeah, man. Don't you?"
Belowski looked away towards the vast open landscape of his field spell. "I can't remember the last time I finished a duel. Back in my first year, when I started seeing my monster bros, that's when my opponents started zoning out in my duels. It got real bad. So bad people began falling asleep just being around me.
"But then this important old dude came to speak to me. He was able to arrange for me to keep attending lessons and stuff. He and the teachers built me this facility where I'd be safe. The rest of the time, I get to chill in this specially-made paradise. It's pretty sweet. My monster bros and I have had some real deep conversations."
"Hang on, wait a minute. What do you mean? Are you saying the school… locked you away?" Jaden asked in disbelief.
"I wouldn't put it that way. I don't like being a bother and, hey, I have an unlimited smoothy bar. It works out better for everyone."
"Except you. You're missing out on the best times of your life. And what about when you graduate? What happens then."
"Things will work themselves out," Belowski said with a shrug.
"You can't just take that chance though," Jaden remarked. Belowski merely shrugged.
Jaden's hand balled into a fist. However, his anger was not directed towards Belowski. Rather the academy for allowing something like this to happen. First the abandoned dorm, and now Belowski. It seemed the school had many secrets they'd rather keep hidden. Just how many more was he going to stumble across?
He cast a quick back look at his friends. They'd been quiet for a while and thankfully, it seemed that both had fallen asleep. Syrus was rested up against Chumley, both snoring peacefully. Thankfully, this particular secret was not too dangerous. But what about If there was a next time?
He shook his head, refocusing his attention on the duel. "You're not listening now, but maybe you will after this!"
Turn 6: Jaden - 500 LP - five cards in hand - 0 cards on the field
As Jaden drew his next card, his frown turned to a smirk. "Well, how about that? I'll start by activating a little spell called, E-Emergency Call. This lets me add any elemental hero from my deck to my hand. I'll be taking one of my friends; Elemental Hero Bladedge! But I'm not done yet. I now activate Polymerization! With it, I'll fuse both Bladedge and the Wildheart in my hand to summon, Elemental Hero Wildedge (2600/2300)!"
Both of Jaden's monsters emerged before disappearing into the swirling vortex of Jaden's spell. The warrior who emerged resembled Elemental Wildheart, but they wore parts of the gilded armour of Bladedge. They wielded a large, serrated sword and their right gauntlet sported huge silver blades.
"Wildedge is awesome!" Jaden declared. "He's so sharp that he can attack all your monsters!"
Even with the appearance of a powerful monster, Belowski merely scratched his head in confusion. "He's cool and all, but he won't do you much good. If you destroy one of my monsters, my Mokeys' attack points will increase to be above your Wildedge's. And with my Sanctuary field spell, I won't take any damage."
"I'm getting to that. You see, your head has been in the clouds way too long. It's time to bring you back to reality. So, I activate Skyscraper!"
The heavens began to shake as Belowski's temple began to crumble. Bursting through the cloud layer came a multitude of buildings. They grew until they towered far above Jaden and Belowski.
"Oh…" Belowski looked around at his new surroundings before grimacing. "You had to bring in the establishment of the man."
"Hey, I like heroes and they are far better on the street than they are in the sky. You see, here, when an elemental hero battles a monster with more attack points, they become a thousand points stronger! And without your field spell…"
As he spoke, Belowski's Zeradias let out a cry of pain as he faded out of existence. "Without my sanctuary, Zeradias is destroyed," Belowski finished.
"Yep. And it gets worse. You're no longer protected from damage."
"Oh yeah. Bummer."
"You could be a bit more… reactive," Jaden said with a sigh. "Oh well, hopefully, this will bring you back to earth. Wildedge, attack that first Mokey Mokey!"
With a frightening cry, the blade-wielding warrior raised his right gauntlet, firing one of the blades embedded within. They curved around, striking the first Mokey Mokey and slicing it in two. (Belowski: 900LP)
The reaction from the other Mokeys was instant. Seeing their fellow monster sliced to ribbons, they turned red from fury, their attack points bolstering. But it was useless, as their points grew, so did Wildedge's, empowered by the towering buildings around him.
Wildedges raced forward, his blade held high. With a single stroke, the wild warrior cleaved the angry marshmallows in half. For half a second, their eyes bulged in alarm before they both disappeared in a large blast of pink smoke that spread out, engulfing Belowski.
(Belowski: 0 LP – Jaden Wins)
"Why did this have to happen today?" I groaned as I continued towards the yellow dorm. Of all the things to go awry, I did not think it would be the bloody Belowski event. Alexis and Bastion were supposed to be asleep, damn it! Why on earth did they leave the duel?
The way Jaden had described it, the both of them were in some kind of elated state brought on by Belowski's abilities. It was quite likely that if they had stayed where they were, they would have drifted off like Syrus and Chumley. Now who knows what they were doing? If they had gone back to their dorms, that would make this easy and I could laugh about it later…
Yeah…No. No, I definitely won't ever laugh about this.
"I get this is an anime world, but this nonsense shouldn't be happening to me," I seethed. Just as things were going well too. Hopefully, Sadie and I would find the others quickly so we could get back to that picnic.
On the pathways, students who got to enjoy their day off, gave me strange looks as I rushed past. I couldn't stop and ask them about Alexis and Bastion. They were too far away from the academy to have seen them. As the yellow dorm came into view, I rushed up to the doors and began furiously ringing the doorbell. Unfortunately, I no longer had my key card for the dorm, so I had to be let in.
It didn't take long for someone to answer. It was a rather large boy with glasses and short brown hair. Even on a day off, he strangely wore his yellow blazer. I recognised him from class but couldn't recall his name. His expression was sour and his nose pinched. "Hey, what's your problem, dude? What's with the bell spamming?"
"Sorry, I was just wondering if you'd seen Bastion?"
The Ra gave me a weird look before shaking his head. "I haven't seen him come in and I've been here all day. Sorry."
My shoulders sank, a groan escaping me as I shook my head. "Damn. Thanks anyway. Sorry about the bell."
The Ra shrugged. "It's whatever."
"If Bastion comes back, can you get him to message me?" I asked.
"Sure. I take it you tried calling him?"
"First thing I did."
He shrugged again. "Don't know what to tell you then. Hope you find him."
"Thanks. Appreciate it."
I took off again, this time towards the academy. There was a chance that he was roaming around the main academy building. Maybe he still had enough sense to stay close to the school while he was feeling out of it.
As I came to the front of the academy, I just had enough time to notice an explosion near the roof. It looked like Jaden's duel was heating up. He was no doubt enjoying it. Glad someone was having fun.
At that moment, my PDA began to ring and I answered it without thinking. I knew immediately I would regret it.
"Ren!" Came the surprisingly chirpy familiar voice.
"Alexis? Are you alright? Jaden tells me you've wandered off," I said as kindly as possible. A trick I'd always found with an intoxicated happy person was to copy their positive vibes. Make yourself sound just as happy as them and they tend to be more open with you.
"Ren, where are you, man?" Alexis asked, ignoring my question. She sounded strange like she was trying to make an impression of a stereotypical hipster. It reminded me of my former life when my friends would drunk call me in the middle of the night.
"Where am I? Where are you?"
"Looking for you," she replied. "I thought you'd be at the shop. You always seem to be at the shop. It's closed though."
"The shop is closed for restocking. It always closes at this time, remember?"
There was a pause but I could hear shuffling in the background.
"Oh yeaaaahhh."
The way she said it, someone would have thought she'd just made the greatest discovery in the world.
"Are you still at the shop?" I asked.
"Yeah, man. It has such a positive energy here. Hey, do you want to hear about our lord and saviour Mokey Mokey?"
Ugh…
"No. No, I do not. Stay there. I'm just outside. I'll come and-"
"You're outside?"
The line went dead, and I was left staring in disbelief at my PDA. "She hung up on me," I gaped. Damn, I hate spirit magic. If Alexis was like this now, I could only hope she never started drinking. She was acting way too impulsively.
"Okay, if she is on her way down, she'll either take the stairs or the lift. The stairs…are closer to the shop so she'll likely take those," I reasoned with myself. "I can cut her off halfway."
I rushed into the building. As I went, I quickly sent a message to Sadie to let her know I'd found Alexis. Hopefully, she'd run into Bastion when she got here. I hopped the stairs two at a time, nearly tripping a couple of times in the process. About three flights up, I heard the sounds of approaching footsteps clattering against the hard floor.
As I rounded the next block of stairs, I found Alexis standing at the top. Her eyes were misty and her bangs a mess but the moment she saw me a giddy smile spread across her lips.
"Ren… there you are…" she said softly.
"Hey there you. Where's Bastion? Is he with you?"
"Bastion?"
She looked behind her before turning back to me and shrugging. "He was just here…"
"Alexis, I think you need a rest. You look tired," I said, trying to get to the heart of the matter quickly. I quickly made my way up the stairs towards her Whatever effect the magic had on her was growing. She looked like she could fall asleep at any moment. If she were to collapse on the stairs…
"Not yet. I've been trying to talk to you, trying to work up the nerve to say something," Alexis said, descending the stairs.
My nerves were getting the better of me. Alexis's normally pale face was turning rosy. She seemed anxious and she was gripping the hem of her skirt with her right hand. We met in the middle. She was already a little taller than me but now she towered over me, and I had to crane my neck just to look her in the eyes. "You and me, we've been… we've been doing a dance around each other. I've finally had enough."
"Alexis, I…"
"No, Ren, you're going to listen." She leaned forward, her head inches from mine… and punched me in the chest.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"You said you were going to help me!" Alexis said, punching me again. Her punches weren't the strongest but still hurt. If she were in her right mind, I was sure that would be different.
"Help you?"
"Yes! You said we'd go back!"
"Back?"
She made to speak before stopping herself. She looked past me, and then back up the stairs before leaning in close and whispering, "To the Abandoned Dorm."
Just the name of that place made my toes curl. She still wanted to go back. She hadn't mentioned it in so long I had hoped she had forgotten. "Alexis, you know how dangerous that is-"
"You promised. You promised you would help me find my brother," Alexis interrupted, again lightly punching me. "I've been planning this for a long time. I know what we can do." She pulled out a notebook and pushed it into my chest, almost knocking me down the stairs. "I already know the campus patrols. Please, read this. I need… I need your help."
"Alexis, what you are asking-"
"I need to find out what happened to my brother. I'm sorry to ask you this again, especially when you're now with Sadie, but you saw what it was like in there. I can't do this alone…"
I knew I had to say no. Going back to the abandoned dorm was a terrible idea. Not because of the magic though, but because of who had made it their base of operation at this point in time. My mouth opened and closed, trying to form the words, but they failed me. I had never seen Alexis in this state before. She seemed so vulnerable. I could almost hear the snap as my resolve broke.
"Okay… I promise. I really promise."
She smiled, her eyelids drooping. "Thank you… Ren. I knew… I could count on you…"
She fell forward and I caught her, her weight again almost causing me to fall down the stairs. I managed to pull her in close and set her down close to the rails, making sure that she would not fall. Happy that she was safe I looked at the girl and smiled. She finally seemed peaceful, snoring lightly.
"Good to know girls do that too," I mused to myself. I leaned my head back and let out a heavy sigh. "Oh Alexis, what am I going to do with you? I thought Logan was going to kill me but at this rate, it will be you. But you won't stop, will you? That night was Pandora's Box." I turned my attention to the stairs and remembered how high up we were.
"Great… Now how am I going to get you down?"
As the holograms faded, Jaden saw that Belowski was on his back, a wide smile on his face as he stared up towards the cloudy sky. Even though he had lost, it seemed his attitude had not been dampened.
"Woo! Tell you what man, you had my head spinning!" he laughed. "It's been ages since I actually finished a duel. You're something else."
"Thanks. You're not bad yourself. Is it comfy down there?"
"What can I say, this is real. I'm going to enjoy it. Hmm… You know, real clouds are so much prettier than generated ones."
Jaden followed his gaze towards the sky and took a moment to take in the movements and shapes of the fluffy white masses. "Yeah, they are pretty beautiful."
"I'm gonna miss them. It won't long now."
"Hmm?" Jaden looked back at Belowski. The rugged-looking boy still smiled, but it was more wistful. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, I didn't mention it, did I? This morning, the door to my virtual environment just opened. Next thing I know, there's this voice on the intercom thing saying that if I find and duel you, I could have some time to myself. In the end, though, you found me, haha."
Jaden felt like his head was about to start spinning. "Someone wanted you to duel me?" he repeated. "Who?"
"Can't help you there, man. Normally Doctor C is the one who comes to see me. This time no one was around, and all the doors were just unlocked."
"So, you don't know anything? What about my friends?"
"Oh yeah…" Belowski propped himself up, looking over to the blissfully sleeping forms of Syrus and Chumley. "Your friends will be fine my dude. A bit of a nap and they'll probably wake feeling better than before. The other two should be fine too."
"That's good at least." Looking over at his best friends, he breathed a sigh of relief. It's funny, he'd been so annoyed at them earlier today but now that they were quiet, he regretted running from them. They'd only been trying to help after all.
"You're a good one, Jaden," Belowski continued. "I still can't believe how strong you are. My Mokey's had no effect on you. If there were more people like you, maybe I wouldn't have been separated from everyone."
"Can't you just leave? Isn't it illegal or something to hold you?"
"I don't know man, I guess it's just better the way things are. I'm a bother. I've always been a bother. Only skill I ever had was duelling, and I couldn't even get through a duel for years before today."
"You're not a bother," Jaden said, taking a seat next to Belowski. "People are scared of things they don't understand, but they can't keep you against your will. If you want out, then just say so."
"You're a bit too much of an optimist," Belowski laughed.
"Hey, someone has to be around here. Everyone is so serious."
"Tell me about it," Belowski paused, staring out across the island before sitting up. "I do need to go back though. I'm not like you. I can't control my abilities yet. But now… it would be nice to be able to chat with more people without them falling asleep mid-sentence. Sure, I've got my monster bros, but maybe it's time I start chilling with some real people."
"Hey, I've got a few people I could introduce you to. It may take some time, but I think we could all get along."
"Ha, I'd like that. But… bro… I don't think I'll be able to do that."
"Why not?"
"You see those guys? I'm guessing they're here for me." He pointed down towards the front of the academy Jaden saw a mob of green-clothed men that he recognised as campus security. He also spotted the familiar form of Doctor Crowler walking up to talk to them.
"They're going to lock you away again?" Jaden asked, his fists balling in an uncharacteristic surge of rage.
"They have to. This ability I have, I can't control it. No one can be around me safely. It's something I've accepted."
Jaden relaxed, letting out a heavy breath as he looked at the other boy sadly. "But that's not fair."
"Life isn't always fair, man and I'm at peace with that. But today was fun. I think it's time I start working a bit harder at control. Maybe."
"I'll talk to Chancellor Sheppard. He could do something."
"He comes to see me a lot," Belowski admitted. "He's tried to talk to me, but I've never really listened. Maybe I should start."
"Wait, does the chancellor know about duel spirits?" Jaden thought.
"I will admit though, I don't want to go back to being alone again," Belowski continued, interrupting Jaden's train of thought.
Jaden regarded the teen with his heart feeling heavy. "You're scared?"
"Me? Nah."
"You're shaking."
"It's cold up here."
"Uh-huh."
"You don't have to stay here if you don't want to," Belowski said. "You may get in trouble with those security dudes."
"Eh, they don't scare me. Besides, someone needs to give Crowler an earful. Even if it is to help, no one should be left alone."
Belowski looked at Jaden with wide eyes before throwing his head back and laughing. "You're something else, man. You're just going to give yourself more trouble."
"What can I say, I like trouble," Jaden replied, sharing in Belowski's laughter.
The two continued laughing until the security committee came for Belowski. The Obelisk did not fight and accepted it with his normal dopey smile, cracking jokes as men in blocky pink space suits guided him away. Jaden tried to protest with Crowler, but he would not listen, telling him that Belowski's isolation was for the good of the school. However, throughout the conversation, the good doctor did not dare to look towards Belowski or meet Jaden's eye.
As Jaden was left alone on the roof, keeping an eye on the prone forms of Chumley and Syrus. He stared out over the island feeling empty. He wished he could have done more. More to help Belowski. More to make Crowler change his mind.
As the sun began to set and the sky transitioned from cerulean blue to warm orange, the young hero duelist pledged that he would find some way to help Belowski, and anyone else like him. He refused to turn a blind eye ever again.
As she approached the academy, the first thing Sadie heard was the loud cry; "Alexis!"
Sadie rounded the corner to see Bastion staggering out of the academy. Having dregs of her picnic under her arm, she let out a heavy sigh as she approached her friend. "Bastion, there you are. Ren was looking for you," she said as kindly as possible.
Bastion's head snapped round towards her, a wide, near deranged smile. "Sadie! Please, you must help me ascertain where Alexis has gone. I believe she is going to do something unwise."
"It's okay, Bastion. Everything is okay."
Sadie couldn't help but grin. Bastion's movements and actions seemed completely alien to her and yet that caring nature of his remained. His worry about Alexis also fuelled the growing suspicion she had that Bastion had a crush on the Obelisk queen. She's seen the subtle looks Bastion had sent when they were together as a group. There were times she'd be talking with Alexis and catch Bastion out of the corner of her eye looking over.
"Everything is not okay," Bastion emphasized. "Alexis is about to do something foolish. I have to stop her. If she finds Ren-"
"But she is already with Ren. He sent me a text a few minutes ago. He found her," Sadie said, an ominous sense of worry washing over her.
"She is- I can't tell you. But I believe she is going to do something very foolish. The great Moke would not approve."
"Uh-huh… I don't know how to respond to that. But you need to rest now. This whole thing with… um… going on with you right now. I think you need to sleep it off."
"What, sleep it off? No, no. Now is not the time to rest. We must take action. I need to save Ren." He tried to turn and walk back towards the academy, but Sadie quickly stopped him, putting herself in between the Ra and his destination. "It's sweet of you to say that but Ren will be fine. You really care about him, huh?"
"He's my best friend," Bastion said breathlessly.
Smiling, Sadie forced Bastion to stop by keeping him in place. "I'm sure he feels the same. Now, tell me, what is it that Alexis is going to do?"
"I can't tell you," Bastion said, his eyes beginning to droop. "You are the one person I cannot tell."
"What does that mean Bastion? What aren't you telling me?"
Bastion gave a loud yawn before his feet nearly gave out from under him. Thankfully, they were close to the stone effigies of duel monsters. Sadie managed to direct the staggering Bastion over to the one depicting the Vorse Raider. "Sadie, please do not ask me. For your sake…"
His eyes fluttered faster, his head beginning to lull but Sadie could not let him sleep just yet. She gave him a light shake. "Hang on, you can't just fall asleep and leave hanging like that. What do you mean?"
"Well, looks like you found trouble."
Sadie's head snapped around to see Ren exiting the academy, the unconscious form of Alexis draped over his back. "I must have just missed Bastion. I'm more surprised that he made it down all those stairs. I barely managed it with this one. Don't tell her I said this, but Alexis really is he- Have I interrupted something?"
Sadie looked back to Bastion only to find that he had fallen asleep, his chest rising and falling softly, and whatever he was about to say was lost.
"No, not at all," Sadie said. "Is she okay?"
"This one? Yeah, she's fine. Should be better in the morning," he replied confidently.
Sadie looked from Alexis to Ren and asked the question that had crept its way into her head. "Did she say anything to you?"
"Nothing that needs repeating," Ren said, shaking his head. "Just some nonsense about Mokey Mokey. Whatever that malfunction had really scrambled her. Jaden said he'd let the chancellor know though so it shouldn't happen again."
Sadie narrowed her eyes, looking for any fault in his story, but found none. She knew too little about what was going on. So instead, she buried her self-doubt, choosing to believe in the man before her. "So, what are we going to do with these two?"
"How about a swap? You take Alexis and I'll take Bastion. I don't quite think I'll be welcome at the girls' dorm, do you?"
"Eh, maybe not. Bit too male for their liking."
"Oh, you wound me, madam," Ren laughed as he sat Alexis down next to Bastion. "I am sorry about today though. It was supposed to be time for us, and it ended up turning into a fiasco."
"Hey, it wasn't bad. And there was some amazing food."
"It was pretty good," Ren said with a grin. "Thank you for today. It did help."
"I'm glad. In any case, next time you are doing the cooking. Learning that dish alone was a pain," she said with a feigned grimace. In response, Ren reached out and took her hand, squeezing it. His hand was cold, giving Sadie a shiver.
"I'll make sure it is something special."
"You'd better."
The two laughed one more time before finally they parted, both taking with them their respective friend. Ren, Bastion hoisted by the shoulder, made his way towards the yellow dorm whilst Sadie made, in her opinion, the infinitely wiser decision to wait until Alexis was a bit more conscious. Despite everything she had said, she wished that the two had had the day alone to themselves. Maybe then she wouldn't have these doubts.
No, Ren was nothing like him.
Forcing a smile, she turned towards the snoozing Alexis. "C'mon you, it's time to get up. Let's get you home."
It took a little convincing, and a few more Mokey Mokey commentaries that made Sadie want to burn every copy of the card, but eventually she managed to get Alexis back to her door. After some coercion, she managed to get Alexis to unlock her door.
"There we go. You okay?" Sadie asked as brought Alexis into her room. She had to admit, it was very clean. Everything was ordered and structured, all the way down to the boxes of spare cards she kept on her desk.
"Thank you for bringing me back," Alexis slurred, taking a wary step forward. "I… I don't know…"
"Shh… You've had one hell of a day. Let's get you to bed."
"Thank you…"
Sadie guided the younger girl over to the bed and tucked her in, in the same way she had done many times before. She made a mental note to call her mother soon. Alexis didn't change her clothes, she just rested atop the covers.
"You take a rest now. I'll see you tomorrow," Sadie said, moving a strand of loose hair out of her face. To prevent it from tickling her nose.
"You're so kind, Sadie," Alexis mumbled, nestling into her pillow. "Ren is lucky."
"You should tell him that more often," Sadie laughed.
"You're lucky too. Ren is a good guy."
"Yeah he is," Sadie smiled.
"I'm sorry about today. You guys were doing something and because of me it was ruined."
"No, no. It's not your fault. Personally, I blame Jaden. His duel caused this. Me and Ren will have other times."
"You really like him," Alexis said with a fading smile. "I think… I think I'm starting to like him too…"
Alexis drifted, but Sadie froze, her breath hitched and heart tightening. As she looked down upon the sleeping form of the Obelisk Queen, she felt an innate sense of fear that chilled her to the bone.
He regarded the scientist in front of him with cold indifference. He was his top researcher and yet, even now, after many years he still would not meet his eye. He kept his eye on his diagrams and graphs, refusing to look at the man in the tube.
"As you can see, the subject was unaffected by Subject One. Your hypothesis was correct, sir."
"The boy has talent. And so much potential. What of our other acquisition?"
"The resistance suit was recovered, sir. The inhibitor and propulsion systems are being studied now."
The man let out a heavy breath, large bubbles leaving his respirator and floating to the top of his tube. "Then we are almost ready. Soon our war of shadows will begin."