Chazz
After the last bell of the day rang, Chazz went to the nearest locker room to shower and dress into his casual clothes. He walked out sporting jeans and a black hoodie with the Obelisk Blue Dorm's crest on it. His backpack slung over his left shoulder, Chazz strode to the library and found the most secluded spot to do his homework. However, focusing on it was hard to do with his close Duels against Jaden Yuki still on his mind.
Each math problem he tried to solve was arrested by the thought of how close he was to defeat at the hand of his Winged Kuriboh LV 10. Had the guards not intervened, he would have suffered a humiliating loss in front of his peers. And the match they had in the middle of the night. Even though it was off the record, it dragged on far longer than he would have liked. No matter how powerful the dragons he summoned were, Jaden survived each round and came back stronger.
Chazz would sometimes sit there, chin propped on his fist, as he pondered what sort of tactics he could have used to earn the win. What was it going to take?
Chazz feverishly tapped his pen on his desk. His mind has now completely wandered away from trigonometry.
He checked his watch. When he learned he had been sitting here for hours, Chazz shot up and hastily put away his books, not bothering to finish his last few problems.
He shoved his books into his backpack and zipped it shut. He looked out the window and cursed, seeing the sun was setting behind the ocean.
Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!
His phone, which laid on his desk, buzzed and danced from an incoming text. The caller ID read Raizou.
Chazz unlocked the device to read the text, Yo! Taiyou and Zachary and I are going 2 the Red Phoenix cafe for some grub. U in?
"Figures," he muttered, but decided to accept his friends' offer. After all, he skipped lunch today and needed some food to replenish himself. He texted Raizou back.
Be right there.
Chazz left the library and headed outside to the Obelisk Blue village.
He crossed over a stone bridge that arched over a river. Even though it was getting dark, the athletes from the Duel Academy rowing team were in the glossy black waters below practicing their rowing maneuvers.
Other students were wandering about the village as well, enjoying the cool weather that descended on the island with the sunset. They were all wearing casual clothes, some with books in their arms. Others were laughing, eating snacks and taking selfies. Up on a hill two students were testing out their Black Luster Soldier decks. The clash of steel against steel could be heard all over the village.
He entered the Red Phoenix, a cafe built to look like a pub with its dim lighting. Red velvet covered the seats, and the floor was dark hardwood. Taiyou raised a hand and beckoned Chazz over to a round table with a glass top. Taiyou, Raizou and Zachary sat down around it. They were drinking glasses of iced tea.
"Bout time ya showed up," Raizou said.
"You guys didn't get any food yet?" Chazx asked, adjusting the backpack strap on his shoulder.
"We were waiting for you, so we didn't feel like it was appropriate," Taiyou replied, pushing up his glasses.
Zachary gave him a welcoming nod. "Good to see you. Have a long day?"
"You can say that," Chazz said. He went to the line to get his food. He got a steak, rice and a bread roll for his appetizer. As he carried it back to the table, he glanced at the paper on the table. The page it displayed was a black and white photograph of the Red Arrows team. The girls were posing in front of the banner with their logo on it.
"So this year's Red Arrows team has finally been selected, huh?" Chazz asked as he pulled up a chair to join the table. He set his tray down and picked up the paper.
"Whoa! Alexis joined!?" he gasped, eyes widening as he took a closer look at the picture. Alexis Rhodes stood in the back with her arms around her fellow team members' shoulders.
"She and that friend of hers," Zachary said, cutting his own steak with his fork. "Alice Fenix. She truly is following in her sister's footsteps. When I heard the story of her wetting herself when Boris attacked her, I thought she was weak. But after seeing her defeat Boris and win in stunning fashion during the tryouts, I can see I was wrong."
"Yeah, she's got some skill," said Raizou. "Getting into that team is tough."
"Isn't your girlfriend on the team, Zachary?" Taiyou asked.
"Yes, she is. Madison worked really hard to get on the team, so I know just how tough the selection process is. For Alice to have gotten in and proven herself, I have a feeling she's going to be a fierce Duelist this year."
"Man, you're lucky, Zachary," said Raizou. "The Red Arrows are a squad of the best female players in the school. Just dating one is a huge honor!"
Zachary leaned back into his booth and nodded his head with pride. "Yeeeah, and the fact that Madison is an Obelisk Blue just sweetens the deal."
"Hopefully, I can work up the confidence to ask one out," said Taiyou. "So does Alice hope to fill her sister's shoes? Or is she in the team to escape her shadow and write her own chapter?"
Zachary sniggered. "Who knows? It's too early to tell. Madison says Alice is where she is through sheer dumb luck."
"What do you think, Chazz?" Raizou asked.
Chazz shrugged his shoulders uncaringly as he bit into his roll. "She's got potential, I guess."
Chazz looked out the window. The dome of the Red Arrows arena protruded from the dense jungle canopy far off in the distance. The structure was illuminated by warm, white lights. He guessed the girls were probably in there right now, having practice for their first meet.
"But I'm not interested in Sara Fenix's little sister," he said. "My mind is on the upcoming field exams. Which are like... tomorrow."
Zachary went pale. "T-t-t-tomorrow!?"
"Y-You serious?" Taiyou stuttered, adjusting his glasses.
"If you guys would have been paying more attention to your schedules than trying to impress the Red Arrows you'd have noticed." Chazz chided his friends with a knowing smile. He sliced a piece off his steak. "Do I always have to remind you every time there's something important going on? Man, you guys are hopeless."
Red Crusaders
Deep in the jungle was an old bunker used by the Japanese used during the Second World War. Now abandoned, the jungle had reclaimed it. It was partially buried and concealed by thick foliage and vines. It was the perfect place for Boris and his gang of mischievous Slifers to hang out and plot their mischief.
Inside, they set up a cozy little living space with hammocks, string lights, a table to play cards and count any loot they got from other students, and a lantern hanging from the ceiling. Victor's phone played trap music as they all huddled together around a wooden box with a lantern burning above it. They would usually be laughing, telling jokes, and whatnot, but after having lost to Alice, their morale had dropped considerably.
Boris lay in a hammock, arms folded behind his head, with his legs crossed. He stared at the cracked concrete ceiling, also thinking about how Evan, arguably her worst player on the island, was chosen by the mysterious Priscilla and given cards that aided him in beating his little brother. The Red Crusaders passed around a bag with the last of the beef jerky.
"Any sign of Priscilla?" Victor asked.
"Not a sign," said one of the crusaders. "It's like she doesn't exist."
"Think the rumors are true?" asked another crusader. "Think maybe she's a ghost or a spirit from another dimension."
"That's just crazy talk!" Victor said, rolling his eyes. "Ghosts don't exist, and Priscilla is a person like us. She's around here. And when we find her, we take every card she's got."
"Will it make a difference?" asked a blue-haired crusader with goggles on his forehead. "What good are having rare cards if we don't have the know-how to use them?"
"It will make a HUGE difference!" Victor said. "You saw how powerful they made Evan. All that talk about 'knowing how to use them' is bull crap! The more power you have, the better your chances to win! That's what Boris always taught me."
They all glanced up at Boris, who looked to be sleeping in his hammock. He heard his name mentioned but was too depressed to reply.
"Say," said Victor. "Where are Tony, Grant, and Mike?"
"They quit," said a crusader nearby, fixing his deck. "So did AJ, Tom, and Jonas. After losing to Alice, they started to question if being in this group is worth the effort. And your loss to that loser, Evan sealed the deal."
Victor stood up and sternly folded his arms, looking down at his fellow crusaders with a mean glare that was hardly intimidating considering his age. "Oh, is that so? Well, it just so happens I bricked. I would have beaten Evan despite that setback had our mystery girl not given him powerful cards from her collection. See! That's just proof that adding rare and powerful cards is the key to victory. They turned a loser like Evan into an actual threat. Speaking of which, who among you is up for the task of hunting him down and taking his stuff?"
They all shrugged.
"We had a lot more targets tonight," said a very stout and large crusader with a big red rose and a purple fleece beanie with the Dark Magician Girl in a playful pose stitched to the front. "We were supposed to go after Alice too, you know, for payback for beating the boss the other day. And another group was supposed to scout Jaden Yuki."
"And why haven't you guys gone out and done your tasks?" Victor asked.
They all shrugged again.
"Because there were more of us earlier when you gave us those missions."
Victor rolled his eyes. "Good point. Any of you manage to get a hold of our deserters?"
"I tried contacting Grant," said the blue-haired crusader. "He said forget it. He doesn't want anything to do with our group anymore. He wants to focus on the field exams so he can rank up to Ra Yellow."
"Does anyone want to volunteer?" asked Victor.
They shrugged and turned away.
"Cowards, the lot of you," Victor grumbled. "So that's it? Are you all going to be whining about our defeats?" He stood up on the crate like a conquering hero. "No! No! I say, never let the defeats define who we are! I say, keep moving forward. And we will be rewarded in due time! For too long, we were looked down upon by everyone. Boris has worked hard since his junior division days to make the other dorms fear and respect Slifers. We're not about to undo all that work just because some chicken-summoning girl and a bumbling idiot got lucky!"
"He's right," said the goggle-headed crusader, also standing up. "It was luck! Evan is nothing, and Alice is just another Obelisk Blue pushover! She's only famous around here because her sister is in the Pro Leagues. That doesn't mean she's all that special. She can be beaten like any other player on this island." He turned to face the others. "All right, guys! We have our orders. You two go after Alice! Take those oversized chickens from her and toss them into the sea so she can never use them again!"
The others cheered, pumping their fists into the air and whooping.
"And I'm going after Evan," said the big crusader with the round nose. He smacked his fist into his palm. "I'm gonna make him regret he ever challenged us!"
"And we'll go scout Jaden," said a boy leading the last three members of the group.
"What if he doesn't want to join the Red Crusaders?" asked the goggled crusader.
"Then I play the polka with his spine!" snarled the big guy. "And have a little cookout with his Elemental HEROs." He took out a lighter and menacingly snapped his thumb against it. The flame made his big, round, drooling face appear demonic. The other crusaders laughed, pumping their fists into the air in solidarity and giving one another high fives.
"That's more like it," Victor said, satisfied. "Now, go out and bring glory to this gang and fear to the hearts of Obelisk and Ra Yellow!"
Boris overheard the commotion and snapped out of his daze. He got off the hammock and put his hands into the pockets of his blazer as he approached Victor and his buddies. "Thanks for sticking with us and fighting the fight against those snobs from the higher dorms," he said in a sincere tone. "We Slifers need to stick together if we want those other two dorms to treat us with the respect we deserve."
They all nodded eagerly, all feeling like champions.
Boris clapped a hand on the shoulder of the boy leading the search for Jaden Yuki. "Jaden's the top Slifer in the dorm right now. I want him in the gang. Show him the strength and tenacity we have and impress him so that he will want to be one of us."
"Got it, Boris. I'll beat him and show him the glory and power of the Red Crusaders."
"Get moving then!" Boris said, pointing at the door.
The Slifers cheered and ran out of the bunker with excitement and took off into the dark, misty night.
Alice
Alice hopped up and down on one leg, trying to tie the shoe of her Red Arrows uniform. She was in such a rush to get to practice that she didn't even bother stopping to tie it. The Red Arrows training center was directly up in front of her just up the hill. Already there were students from school flocking to the viewing galleries to watch the Red Arrows train in the big arena.
The bell from the academy's tallest tower chimed in the darkness and echoed throughout the island, signaling that it was seven o'clock, time for the training to start. Alice was late. She was going to get an earful from Alexis for sure.
"Damn it!" Alice said, still hopping and holding her shoe. She wasn't going to get there in time. The bell rang again. It was an awful, mocking sound.
"Oh man!" Alice said as she turned the corner and followed the lit stone path leading the the team-only entrance of the arena.
"Uh, excuse me," said a timid voice.
Alice set her foot down and turned. Syrus Truesdale was approaching her, a meek smile on his face. "Uh, you probably don't know me. But I'm Syrus. Jaden's friend."
"Sure," Alice said.
"You have a really neat uniform," Syrus said as he looked up and down admiring the black, white, and red accents. "It looks really good on you."
"Thanks. Look, I'd love to talk, but I've got training. And I'm running late."
"Oh, of course. I don't wanna keep you long. It's just, uh, Jaden and I saw you taking on Boris the other day and..."
"Wait. You and Jaden saw my duel against Boris?"
"Yeah, we were there."
"Oh..." Alice's cheeks flushed. "What did you think? You know, if you don't mind telling me."
Syrus held up his fist in triumph. "Aww, man! Alice! It was awesome! As a Slifer Red, I can't thank you enough for teaching that bully a lesson! He's been giving us Slifers a bad rep. And there's already enough heat between the dorms what with the tribalism and stuff. So yeah. What I'm saying is, good job. Jaden said he hopes to see you Duel again sometime. He thinks your Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys is really cool."
"Really? Jaden Yuki likes my phoenixes?"
Syrus sighed sadly, seeing Alice's enthusiasm for Jaden. He probably had all the girls fawning over him like that.
"You okay?" Alice asked.
"What?" Syrus said, blushing. "Oh yeah, sure. I'm fine. You said you've got training. I won't keep you."
"Hey, uh, you wouldn't wanna stick around and watch us practice, would you?"
"I'd love to. But I've got a lot of homework to do for Dr. Crowler's class."
Alice laughed. "Oh yeah! Better stay on top of his classes, or you'll have detention for life, too. Listen, it was nice talking with you. Tell Jaden that I appreciate his kind words. I'll have to find a way to thank him for all this."
"No need. But I thought I'd give you something as thanks for getting rid of Boris. Ever since you beat him, he hasn't been up to his usual antics, which is a relief. Some of us came here to learn, not cause trouble."
Alice giggled. "Some people can't help it. That's why there are duelists like Alexis and Jaden to put those creeps in their place."
"And you, too," Syrus added.
"Me? Nah. I just wanted to get my revenge against him for scaring me in the jungle on my first day."
"You may have gotten the best of him that time," Syrus said with a tone of seriousness in his voice, "but he's not the kind of guy who's going to let that slide. Better watch your back, Alice. That guy and his buddies are just the type to try to ambush you."
"Thanks for the warning. I'll be ready for them. Anyways, it was great talking with you, Syrus. But I've gotta go."
"Right. Like I said, I have something for you." He handed her a card protected in a plastic sleeve.
"You didn't have to do this," Alice said. She held it up, examining the monster's features. "It's...Kiteroid?"
"He'll have your back in the toughest situations," Syrus assured.
Alice slipped it into her deck. "Thank you."
"And rest assured I do, too. Uh...and Jaden as well. Heh, heh," Syrus said as he began walking off. "Bye Alice!"
"Later!" Alice said. She was about to enter the locker room but paused when she realized something. "Truesdale?" she wondered. As in Zane Truesdale. "Hey!" Alice called. "Are you..." but he was gone.
"Darn it! I'll catch up with him later." Alice quickly ran through the locker room. All of the other members of her squad were there. Alexis was stretching and limbering up for the routine they would practice.
"Well, it's about time!" Alexis said with a big, teasing smile on her face. "I thought we'd have to start without you."
"Sorry. I know I'm late."
"What kept you?"
"I had to finish my essay on Monster archetypes. You know me. I have to finish my homework."
"But that's not due till the sixth of October," said Alexis.
"Yeah, yeah," said Alice. "But you know me."
Alexis laughed. "It's okay. Come on. Let's sharpen up those dueling skills of yours."
The Red Arrows arena exploded with fierce Duels. Each of the six arenas was occupied and rocked the foundation of the grand coliseum with the roar of the Duel Monsters' attacks.
A Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast charged across the field with an Axe of Despair in the mouth of the lion head. It went head to head with Behemoth the King of a Hundred Battles who roared at his enemy to back down, but the Chimera would not stop.
On another field, a Black Luster Soldier - The Legendary Swordsman was having an intense swordfight with Mekk-Knight Crusadia Avramax. Their incredible swords clashed, creating bring sparks. The girls controlling them activated every set card they had to try and give their monsters the advantage.
"Come on, girl! Five and two," Alexis said to Alice, still licking her wounds after her match against Tina Harding, the daughter of an insanely rich oil tycoon from Texas. Her Transcendosaurus deck was fast and effective, allowing her to Special Summon giant dinosaurs and meta boss monsters such as Borreload Savage Dragon, Baronn de Fleur, and Apollousa Bow of the Goddess, for an unfair amount of negates to block Alice from making the plays she needed to bring her Sacred Phoenixes out.
" I think I had enough for one day," Alice said.
"Come on," Alexis encouraged. "You're bound to run into those guys sooner or later. It happens. The best thing you can do is keep on dueling. Now get your butt back up that arena and duel. It looks like Lace is up on arena 5 alone. Take her on and then we'll go to the cafe."
"Oh, yes. I could use a cookie, " Alice groaned, her arms aching from how long she had been holding her duel disk.
"All right then!" Alexis snapped her fingers and called her teammate down to the ground level. "Lacey, Alice needs an opponent. You game!?"
"Oh, yes! I'll take you on! I've always wanted to take on Sara Fenix's sister."
Alice shoved her Duel Disk back onto her arm and sighed. "Oh boy."
The girls jogged up the stairs and stood across from one another in the arena, looking like gladiators from the Roman times. Above them, a dozen students were watching the matches taking place. Alice took a brief glace at them and gasped when she saw Bishop looking down at her.
He smirked when they made eye contact. "Good luck, Alice!" he called down to her. He bit into an apple and leaned against the glass railing.
"Don't tell me that's Bishop," Alexis said, putting her hand on the back of her neck.
"Yeah...ugh of all the times!" Alice grunted, throwing her head back. She faced Lacey. "Well, whatever. Let's just get this over with."
"Yeah, eyes off the peanut gallery," said Lace. "You focus on the crowd, then you'll start worrying about what they think of you. Which will hinder your ability to play to the best of your abilities."
"Good advice!" Alice said with a nod. She held her arm up.
Lace raised her arm in the same manner.
"DUEL!"
Turn 1
"Shall I go first?" Alice asked.
"Yeah, go on."
"All right. I summon Fire King Avatar Yaksha in attack mode!"
The duel disk's systems whirred and hummed. Then a anthropomorphic tiger in oriental attire with a flaming pole staff appeared, standing proudly before her opponent.
"And that will be it for me," Alice said.
"Say what?" Alexis said confused. "Alice, I sure hope you know what you're doing."
Turn 2
Lace giggled at the simple play Alice made and drew. "All right. Interesting start. I summon Aresenal Summoner in attack mode!"
Following a burst of red light, a cloaked figure materialized on the field. The monster's stats were displayed on a holographic window with the Red Arrows logo on the top, revealing 1600 ATK points.
"Now, I activate Wicked-Breaking Falmberge - Bou!" Lace said, equipping Arsenal Summoner with a giant black greatsword that boosted its power to 2100.
"Attack!" Lace shouted. And the cloaked figure, despite her size, ran across the field with the giant sword. With a mighty yell, Aresenal Summoner slashed Alice's Yaksha in half and dealt 300 damage.
Alice - 3700
Lace - 4000
"I end my turn," Lace said. "Your move, Alice."
Turn 3
"Good move, but not good enough," Alice declared. "I activate my field spell, Fire King Island!"
The projectors hidden all over the performance center transformed the arena into an island at the foot of a massive volcano. Smoke billowed out from its tip. Fire spurted from the earth in the form of small geysers.
"I activate my spell's effect," Alice said. "Since I control no monsters, I can special summon a Fire Winged-Beast monster from my hand." She held up the card above her head: " The sacred flames call on a new birth! Go, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!"
Fire rose up behind Alice in the form of a gigantic pillar of flame. Then the Sacred Phoenix flew down from the clouds with an earth-shaking roar and landed beside Alice, her large, golden wings spreading out.
"Uh oh," said Lace. "I wasn't expecting that."
Alice pointed at Aresenal Summoner, ordering her monster to attack. Phoenix of Nephthys soared towards the opposing monster and burned it to ashes with a fiery breath. The attack dealt 300 damage to Lace. Now both she and Alice were at 3700 Life Points.
"That ends my turn," Alice said.
Alexis smiled at the sight. Something about Alice together with her Sacred Phoenix felt so perfect, like they were two souls bonded together by some divine power.
"Way to go, Alice. Nice move! I had no idea you added Fire King cards to your deck."
Turn 4
"For what good it will do her!" declared Lace. "I activate Shooting Star Bow - Ceal and equip it to Alice's Phoenix!"
A an arrow shot out of nowhere like a shooting star and struck Sacred Phoenix in the chest. She screeched as her ATK went down to 1400.
"Oh no!" Alice cried, looking up at the sight of her Phoenix yelling and flapping its wings feverishly in the air, sending embers flying around.
Lace couldn't help but laugh at her handiwork. She set her hands on her hips confidently. "Now your monster is weak! And I have just the right defense to protect me against it. I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."
Turn 5
Alice regained her composure and stamped her foot on the ground in frustration. She looked back at Lace with anger, her fiery mane whipping over her shoulder. "My Sacred Phoenix may be weak, but's not out. Draw! I summon Fire King Avatar Barong!" she yelled, summoning a flaming lion dressed in warrior monk garbs. "And now I use Fire King Island's effect, destroying a card in my hand so I can add a Fire King Avatar monster to my hand. And then, I'll have Barong attack your face-down monster!"
Barong rushed towards Lace's defense position card with a fiery battle roar. With one slash, he destroyed Lace's monster, but Alice could see the satisfied smile on her face.
"Sacred Phoenix! Attack her Life Points directly!"
Sacred Phoenix screeched, took off into the sky and dived towards Lace. The young woman didn't move or make an effort to escape. Suddenly, what looked like a golden sphere with cute eyeballs appeared in front of her.
"Oh no! Not Sphere Kuriboh!" Alice shouted.
"Yes, that's right," said Lace. "Now your Phoenix is forced to go to defense mode. Wanna try again?"
Alice felt her heart clamp at the sound of Lace's condescending voice. "Grr... I end my turn."
Turn 6
Lace smirked, enjoying every bit of Alice's discomfort. "All right. Draw. It seems like your Phoenix still has some kick to it. How's about I remedy that with another Shooting Star Bow - Ceal."
"NO!"
Another arrow was fired from the bow, striking Phoenix of Nephthys once more. "NO! Not again!" she shouted. "UGH!"
Sacred Phoenix let out another agonizing screech as her power dropped down to 400, rendering her useless.
"Don't lose your cool, Alice," Alexis said. "Remember, your opponents will use that to their advantage to fog up your mind and keep you from making the right moves."
"Right, right. I get it. And I have just what I need to turn this around. All right. I sacrifice Sacred Phoenix and Garong to Tribute Summon Fire King High Avatar Gundarix!"
Alice summoned a giant red bird covered in gold ornaments and colorful feathers with flames adorning his head and the back of his neck like a regal mane. He let out a high-pitched caw, spread out his wings, and let out a blast of fire, making Lace leap back.
The ATK point window displayed 2700 ATK points. Alice then used Fire King Island's effect to destroy a card and add a Fire King card to her hand. Then she commenced with the Battle Phase.
"Attack her face-down monster!" Alice shouted.
The High Avatar and ruler of the Fire King Island created its own sun and fired an orb of intense flames, incinerating her monster.
Turn 7
"Not bad," said Lace. "I set a card face-down. That's...all I can do."
Turn 8
"What you deserve!" said Alice. "I draw! And I'll use Mystical Space Typhoon to shatter that face-down card!" She held up the spell and conjured a twister to destroy Lace's set card.
"Oh man!" Lace moaned.
Alice was now the one sneering. She drew her card wit a defiant flick and tossed her hair over her shoulder with her fingertips. "Now, I summon Fire King Avatar Garunix!" Alice said, summoning the younger form of the High Avatar she had on the field. He appeared to be nothing more than a peacock of red and gold compared to Gundarix, who had wings of pure flames. He flapped them once to get Alice's opponent's attention.
"I now cast the spell, Circle of the Fire Kings!" Alice said, holding up her spell. "Fire King Avatar Garunix will be destroyed and in its place, I can special summon a monster from my graveyard!"
Alexis burst out laughing. "Uh oh!"
Lace, meanwhile, could not hide the panic she was feeling at this new development. She stood there on her toes, bouncing her weight from foot to foot while the Red Arrows behind her were cheering for the defeat of the red-haired firecracker who was on the brink of turning the tables in this match.
"You mean..."
Alice just placed her hands on her hips as a wall of flames erupted beside her and Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys returned, screeching and cawing victoriously. The two giant birds looked at each other and both bowed their heads in reverence to the other.
"Garunix and Sacred Phoenix! End this duel!" Alice shouted.
The two giant firebirds soared up into the air with their wings beating and sending gusts of heated wind everywhere. They launched a double blast of fire towards Lace that made her shout in fear and raise her arms over her head to try and shield herself. But the flames hit her like a train.
The last thing Alice and Alexis heard was a pained cry as her life points reached 0 and she dropped down on one knee, catching her breath as she tried to get back to her feet.
Alexis jumped for joy. "Yeah!"
Bishop finished the last of his apple, dropped it into the trash bin, and then proceeded to walk towards the door. "Not bad," he said. "Not bad at all. Things are getting really interesting around here."
Before he could take a final step, a loud and stern "Ahem!" that reverberated off the walls like thunder made him pause.
He looked down and saw that the action was not yet over. As Lace got down from the arena, a girl with short green hair approached Alice with a proud and arrogant expression that made her eyes twinkle with malice and joy.
"So you're Sara's sister, huh? How about you test your skills against a real opponent?" She looked at Alexis with a nasty glare. "Pfft. You're the one who seems to be the most fanatical for this girl, Rhodes. You'd think you'd have her face opponents with actual skill. Lace? Really? She barely made it on the team."
Alexis slowly folded her arms and took a deep, steady breath. "Madison. Always the pleasant one to be around. Is there something we can do for you?"
"From you two? No. However, I heard a juicy bit of info from some of the girls while I was in the shower. Enora is set to leave this year, thus ending her illustrious chapter with the Red Arrows. But with her gone, that leaves the spot for captain open and I am more than prepared to fill those shoes. That's why I joined. To lead this team into the championships. You can imagine my surprise when I heard Enora mighty be eying her replacement already."
Alice shook her head so fast her ponytail whipped back and forth. "Whoa whoa. That's just a rumor. I wouldn't want the position even if she asked me."
Madison laughed at her. "Good. I shudder to think of what direction this team would go if YOU took charge. We need strong leaders for this team. Not whiny little girls who wet themselves at the slightest bit of danger the way you did when you first got here."
"Auuugh!" Alice threw her head back and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Obelisk the tap-dancing Tormentor, does everyone on this island know about my accident in the forest?! You know, I really didn't ask for any of this! I just thought I'd join this team and prove I can Duel and chase my dream of being a holographic programmer at Kaiba Corp! That's it."
"That may be so," said Madison. "But it still bothers me that Enora would even entertain the possibility that you would take the reigns after she's gone. Well, not if I can do something about it."
Alice placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah? What do you plan to do, Madison? Bring it! I'm not scared of you!"
"Enora is right over there," said Madison. "How's about I get rid of any thoughts she has of you becoming captain of the Red Arrows? Right here and now!"
"You wanna Duel?" Alice said. "Fine! I need another match. My firebirds are just getting warmed up."
"Oh, this is getting good," Bishop said, returning to the rail. "Man, gotta love the fire between these girls. The duels forged from the heat of this kind of drama always wind up being epic. This is why we come to this academy!"
The other spectators felt the tension between the girls. They crowded the railing and leaned in as Madison and Alice jumped into the ring, took out their cards, and started shuffling.
Bishop tapped his finger on the railing, waiting for them to stop shuffling their deck. The automatic doors leading to the rafters above opened, letting in the trio of Jaden, Syrus, and Bastion.
"I told you we shouldn't have waited for him to get out of the bathroom!" Syrus yelled.
"Well, when you have to go, you have to go!" Bastion protested. "Ah, we made it just in time!"
"Good!" Jaden said, finding an empty spot by the glass barricade. He crossed his arms over the chrome rail, getting into a comfortable position to view the match. "I don't wanna miss any of this. Alexis said it would be worth our while!"
Bishop smirked at the sight of them. "Never a dull moment when those three are around," he said to himself.
Down below, Alexis once again took her spot by the side of the arena and observed.
Alice - 4000 LP
Madison - 4000 LP
Alice held her cards and waited for the coin toss. She won, but to everyone's shock, she ended her turn without playing a card.
"Alice!" Alexis yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. "What are you doing?!"
Alice shrugged. "Stupid me, I guess."
Turn 2
"You're either really brave or really stupid!" said Madison. She drew. "But it doesn't matter because this will all end right now!" She slapped down a card. "Since I control no monsters, I can special summon this card from my hand. Go, Kaiser Vorse Raider!"
She summoned an axe-wielding biker warrior with teal skin and a long hair that looked more like a jagged cape than anything else. He was clad in leather and wielded a massive axe with spikes adorning it.
"Oh no!" Alexis gasped. "At 2400 ATK points, he'll shave Alice's Life Points by half!"
"And I'm not done yet," said Madison. "Because now I summon the original Vorse Raider!"
The beast she summoned was the spitting image of its stronger, teal-colored cousin. The monster looked at Alice with eyes burning with savage hunger. His massive teeth gnashed. He was not some domesticated animal, but a true, vicious, killing machine. His ATK was 1900, more than enough to finish what Kaiser Vorse Raider was going to start."
"It's over for you, hotshot!" shouted Madison. "Kaiser Vorce Raider and Vorse Raider! Attack her Life Points directly and end this duel!"
Alice had to take a deep breath and hold it while the two beasts roared and rushed at her with their weapons raised high, ready to bring them down on her.
But she smiled, raised her arms, and then placed a hand on her deck. "You really should've known better than to underestimate your opponents, Madison. Especially since I have a little gift to share."
Out of the sky, a big black glider with cartoony eyeballs swooped in front of Vorse Raider and knocked him back. The savage man-beast grunted and rolled back to Madison's side of the field.
"What in the hell was that!?" shouted Madison. "It looked like a vehicle from Roger Rabbit!"
"You attacked Kiteroid!" said Alice. "During damage calculation, he stops your monster's attack so I'm safe."
"Safe! Not the word I'd use because you've still got my Kaiser Vorse Raider to deal with!"
The Kiteroad sniggered and flew off to the side. "Fine," Alice said. "Then attack me. It makes no difference."
Madison couldn't stop laughing at her confidence. "Go ahead, my monster! Attack Alice!"
Kaiser Vorse Raider screamed a terrifying battle cry as he raced towards Alice, ready to sink his axe into her Life Point box and finish this. He got close enough to smell Alice's scent, but at the last moment, Kiteroid reappeared and once more prevented Kaiser Vorse Raider's attack by ramming it, knocking it into the arena walls and stunning it.
Madison gritted her teeth and was forced to accept her attack was stopped again. "Grrr...what happened!?"
Alice giggled. "Oh, nothing. Just Kiteroid's special ability. I can banish him from the graveyard and stop a second attack."
"Damn you!"
Alexis sighed with relief. "Geez, Alice. Don't scare me like that. I was about to have an accident of my own just now."
"Har, har, har," Alice said.
Up in the viewing rafter, Syrus's face was glowing bright red. "Awww, man. She used the card I gave her."
"Wait, that was something you gave her, Sye?" Jaden asked.
"Ahhhh, yup," Syrus said dreamily.
Turn 3
Alice's drew for turn and smiled. "Oh, yeah! Pot of Greed, baby! That's two more cards for me!" She shook her hips from side to side as she drew her cards.
"Someone's getting confident!" laughed Alexis.
"Oh, I'm just getting started," said Alice. "First, I activate Fissure. Now you have to destroy the monster with the highest ATK points on the field!"
Madison laughed as the card exploded into digital dust. "My Kaiser Vorse Raider. Fine. I have deadlier monsters to finish you off."
"Yeah, I highly doubt you do," Alice said. "I activate the spell Onslaught of the Fire Kings! When you control monsters and I don't, I can Special Summon Fire King High Avatar Gundarix to the field!"
"WHAT!?" Madison shouted. "N-no! No way!"
"YEAH! WAY! Come on out, buddy!"
Once again the Fire King of the High Avatar was summoned with a roar of fire. It flew up into the air and incinerated Vorse Raider with a jet of flames dealing 800 damage to Madison's Life Points. She screamed in rage, shielding herself from the flames dancing and biting all around her.
Madison - 3200 LP
Alice - 4000 LP
"No way!" said Syrus. "Onslaught of the Fire Kings just made that too easy! It's practically unfair. Isn't there any drawback to it's effect?"
Bastion placed his thumb and forefinger on his chin as he looked at the spell in Alice's hand. "Well, if I remember correctly, Onslaught of the Fire Kings negates the Special Summoned monster's effects and destroys it at the end of the turn it was summoned. A heavy price to pay for the ability to summon such a strong monster with ease."
"But if her Gundarix gets destroyed, Alice will be wide open for a direct attack again!" said Syrus.
Alice ended her turn and Gundarix burned up and was reduced to a pile of burning ash by Alice's left flank.
"Oh no. Her Life Points are wide open and Madsion's itching to get back at her for this," said Syrus.
"I wouldn't worry about her, Sye," said Jaden. "Alice knows what she's doing. She trains with Alexis after school, so she's gotta have learned some sweet moves to counter that drawback and maybe even use it to her advantage."
"Go on!" Alice said to Madison. "Your move!"
Turn 4
Madison growled and drew.
Alice smiled and started to laugh. "Hold on!"
The pile of ashes beside Alice burst into a fireball, which quickly took shape, becoming Gundarix again. He took a few moments to shake his feathers clean and then nodded to Alice as if to say, 'Let's do this.'
"What's this!?" Madison cried out. "No way!"
"He's a phoenix," said Alice. "And they always rise from the ashes."
"Awww...crap!" Madison said, her voice teetering from shock and disbelief. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."
Turn 5
"Time to finish this!" said Alice. "Draw! I activate the Ritual Spell, Rebirth of Nephthys! And I will Tribute the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys to Ritual Summon the Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!"
A ring of blue fire appeared behind Alice as her Sacred Phoenix burst into blue and white flames and became a column of fire that coalesced into a larger Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, this one with its body and flames completely made up of cerulean blue fire.
Madison shielded herself as the wind and heat from the column of flame assaulted her. Her eyes grew wide as she gazed upon the larger bird as she rose from the flames and stretched her wings.
"And that's not all! I activate Monster Reborn to bring back the original Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!"
Once again, her golden Phoenix was brought back from the grave with a shrill cry. Madison and the other onlookers watched with awe and disbelief as the bird appeared and started flapping its wings to fly up beside Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys and Fire King High Avatar Gundarix.
"My word!" said Bastion. "Three Phoenixes!"
"Amazing..." Bishop whispered.
Alexis wagged her finger at Madison was standing there with a dumbfounded expression on her face. "Maybe this will teach you not to question Enora's intuition, Madison."
At Alice's command, all three of her phoenixes combined their attacks and formed a violent spiral of blazing red, golden, and cerulean flames that burnt the face-down monster to a crisp and the rest of the flames rocketed straight for Madison.
Madison could only scream as the flames consumed her Life Points."AAAAAUUUUUUGHHHH!" She collapsed onto one knee as red and blue flames flickered and danced around her. Her Life Point counter dropped to zero.
"That's game!" Jaden said. "Alexis was right about coming by to watch her and the team practice."
"You got that right!" Syrus said.
Bastion checked his watch. "Well, we came, they dueled, we watched. Now it's time we head back to Jaden's room and do some homework."
"Aww, man," whined Syrus. "Just one more match."
"Naw, we gotta get this done, Sy," said Jaden. "Let's go. Come on."
The three left the arena and headed out the door. The humid tropical air smacked them in the face the moment they stepped out into the courtyard of the Red Arrows arena. Jaden went for the vending machine and got a water for himself. He tossed Syrus and Bastion a can of soda each and the three of them sat down on the benches to drink.
"Man," Syrus sighed. "I can't believe the field exams are tomorrow. That means we've been here for almost a month. Time sure flies."
"Yeah, no kidding," Jaden said. "This has been one heck of a semester so far."
"Indeed," said Bastion. "So much has happened and we're still just getting started." Bastion's grin faded to a scowl when he saw a group of troublesome students marching up the stone path to the Red Arrows training center. They were a small group of Red Crusaders. Usually, other students would have given them a wide berth but after seeing Alice defeat their leader, it appeared they had grown bold.
Jaden also noticed their approach and glared at them. "Oh, great. Here comes trouble."
"It's those guys," Syrus said. "Why are they here?"
"I dunno, but we should find out," said Jaden. He tossed his empty can of water into a recycling bin and walked out to join the other students in shooing off the Red Crusaders.
"Get lost!" shouted a girl from Ra Yellow. "You have no business here!"
"Yeah, go away!" yelled another.
The Red Crusaders marched on until they stood in front of the arena doors. They stopped and turned around, standing in an orderly line. The leader, the boy with the goggles, took a step forward.
"We're not interested in dealing with you morons," he said. "We want Jaden Yuki. Now a little birdie told us he was here in the Red Arrows arena. Is he around?"
"I'm right here!" Jaden shouted.
The Red Crusaders turned around and saw him approaching. The leader smirked. "So, you're Jaden Yuki. The kid who beat Crowler. You don't look so tough."
"If that's the case, why did you come all the way out here looking for him?" Bastion asked, standing up and walking up to his friend's side.
"Our leader, Boris, is looking for new members to join the Crusaders and aid in the fight against Obelisk Blue."
"Fight?" Jaden said. "What fight? No one is in a fight!?"
"Wake up, idiot!" the boy shouted. "The Obelisk Blues have pushed our dorm around for too long. But we need new members to take them on and show them that the color blue doesn't mean you're good. Soon, Slifer Red is going to be the top dorm in this academy and players like you are proof that Slifer Reds have what it takes to be the best! You beat Crowler, the head professor of the Obelisk Dorm, proving our point. Join us, Jaden Yuki, and help us end this oppression."
"And what if I refuse?"
"Then I'll have no choice but to duel you and force you into our ranks."
Jaden looked at Bastion and Syrus. The three of them nodded at each other. Jaden smiled. "All right. If it's a duel you want, then it's a duel you'll get."
"Good! You lose, and you join the Red Crusaders," said the goggled boy. He took off his backpack and withdrew his duel disk. "Prepare yourself!"
Jaden - 4000 LP
Red Crusader - 4000 LP
"Duel!" both duelists said.
The goggle crusader drew his starting hand as his friends lined up behind him and got comfortable, ready to watch their leader crush the Slifer Ace.
"I'll start things off!" said the boy. "I set a card face-down and summon Wind Effigy in attack mode!" He set a wrinkled card on the blade of his duel disk and summoned a whirlwind with multicolored feathers swirling around it. 1800 ATK points displayed as the wind howled.
"Your move!"
Turn 2
"I draw!" said Jaden. "I set a card face-down and summon the one and only Elemental HERO Sparkman!" He summoned the electrical Elemental HERO who came out in a burst of sparks.
"Yyyyeeo!" he cried out, posing to display his impressive 1600 ATK.
"I'll end my turn there!"
Turn 3
"I draw!" said the goggled boy. "Your golden boy is going down, Jaden Yuki. I summon Wind Prodigy in attack mode!" He smacked a card down on his blade and summoned a boy with blond hair who could conjure wind. He laughed when his 1500 ATK showed up beside him.
The goggled crusader held up a spell. "And now I activate Banner of Courage!" A golden staff rose out of the ground in front of his team and then the brightly-colored banner unrolled with a loud snapping sound.
"Now my monsters get a 300-point ATK boost when they attack! First, I'm going to eliminate your Sparkman! Whirlwind Prodigy! Blow him away! Ripping Whirlwind!"
The Prodigy raised his arms and conjured a tornado that shot across the field and sucked in Sparkman, carrying him higher and higher before the tornado exploded, destroying Sparkman and taking 100 points from Jaden's Life Points.
"Now, Whirlwind Effigy will attack your Life Points directly!"
The whirlwind charged across the field, picking up speed until it was a swirling tornado with Jaden right in the middle of it. Jaden gritted his teeth as the wind cut into his flesh. "Hold on!" he shouted. "I activate Dimensional Prison! This will banish your monster when it attacks me!"
"I don't think so, Jaden! I counter with Trap Jammer, which negates your trap!"
"No way!"
The whirlwind slammed into him and threw him to the ground. Jaden's Life Points dropped to 1900.
Jaden - 1900 LP
Red Crusader - 4000 LP
"Jaden!" Syrus cried.
The goggled boy laughed as Jaden climbed back to his feet. "Had enough, hotshot? You know you don't stand a chance against the Red Crusaders. We have superior strategies and skills. All that's left is for you to join us and help us crush the Obelisk Blues once and for all."
"NEVER!" Jaden shouted. "I'm not about to help you guys become the very thing you're fighting against. Entitlement, narcissism, bullying. Those are the things that forced you to go into your silly war with the Obelisk Blues. If you want to be better than them, you have to do so by dueling with your heart and having fun! Not lying, cheating, or making fun of your opponents just because you got the upper hand. That's not what Duel Monsters is about. We're playing this game to connect with each other and bring out the best in ourselves."
"Here, here!" Bastion said.
"Oh, spare me the bonding crap! What are you, Téa Gardner? This is Duel Monsters! It's a game. It's not a means for you to preach your morals and teach your stupid lessons. Dueling is about winning! And to win, you've got to destroy your opponent in every possible way! Enough chit-chat! Make your move!"
"With pleasure!" Jaden said. "I summon Elemental HERO Burstinatrix!"
He summoned a woman who was engulfed in flames. "YYYAH!" she shouted, flipping with the flames she conjured. The ATK stats beside her displayed 1200.
"And now, I'm going to activate Skyscraper!" The Field Spell slot of Jaden's duel disk opened, and he placed the Field Spell inside, activating it.
The field around them changed, transforming from the sandy training courtyard of the Red Arrows arena to the busy city streets of a city with towering buildings and neon-lined streets.
"And now I set one card face-down. And attack your Wind Effigy with Burstinatrix!"
Jaden's heroine attacked the whirlwind. A fiery blast erupted from Burstinatrix's hand which rocketed across the field and slammed into the whirlwind. There was a large explosion and the whirlwind disappeared. The goggled kid grunted and yelped as flames from the explosion danced around him.
"No way!" he shouted. "That attack took out my Effigy. But how? It had more ATK points!"
"Easy," said Jaden. "When an Elemental HERO attacks a monster whose ATK is higher than theirs and Skyscraper is on the field, my spell increases their ATK by 1000, so Burstinatrix's ATK became 2200 when she destroyed your Effigy."
"Aw, man!" the boy groaned as his Life Points went down by 400.
Jaden - 1900 LP
Red Crusader - 3600
Turn 4
"I draw!" said the boy. "I sacrifice Whirlwind Prodigy so that I can summon Simorgh, Bird of Divinity!" He switched the Prodigy for a large bird with green feathers and golden talons.
The regal bird screeched, stretching its wings and flapping them a couple of times. 2700 ATK points appeared beside it.
"Hold on!" shouted Bastion. "Simorgh is a Level 7 monster! You need to use two monsters as tribute!"
"Nuh-uh!" sneered the goggled boy. "Whirlwind Prodigy can count itself as TWO tributes for the Tribute Summoning of a Wind monster. So you can shove that rulebook back up your ass, Poindexter!"
Bastion held up his fist in anger. "Why you little..."
"Now! I'm gonna make this bird attack Burstinatrix! Go! Blazing Feathers of Regality"
Simorgh flapped his wings and summoned two tornados that caused the palms to sway violently against the dark starry sky.
"Oh no!" Syrus cried out. "If this attack hits, Jaden loses the duel!"
"And don't forget," said the boy, "Banner of Courage increases my monsters ATK by 300 when they attack! Welcome the Red Crusaders, Jaden Yuki!"
"Don't roll out the welcome wagon just yet!" Jaden shouted over the fierce winds. "I activate my trap! Wall of Disruption! It will decrease your bird's ATK by 800! It won't be enough to save Burstinatrix, but it'll keep me going for another turn!"
The tornadoes merged and swallowed up Burstinatrix. The heroine was blown away into a thousand pieces. Jaden's Life Points went down by 900, leaving him with only 1000.
"Yeah! Way to play, Jay!" Syrus cheered.
The crusader laughed. "Good save, but it's not over for you yet! I end my turn and activate Simorgh's effect. We take 1000 damage during the End Phase, however that damage is decreased by 500 for each spell or trap we control! Thanks to your Skyscraper, you will take only 500 damage, but it's enough to reduce your score by half!"
A blast of wind shot out from the beak of the Simorgh and slammed into Jaden, knocking him off his feet and onto his back. His Life Points dropped to 500.
"And I take no damage, seeing as how I have two cards on the field," laughed the goggled kid.
"Yeah! You got him now!" cheered one of the Red Crusaders.
"Go on and finish him already!"
"Way to show them what you got!"
Jaden - 500 LP
Red Crusader - 3600 LP
Turn 5
"My turn!" Jaden said. "I draw!"
"I'll have you know that I'm not afraid of your monsters, Jaden. You can't win this duel!"
Jaden smiled. "Maybe you shouldn't underestimate my monsters, kid. I activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards. And now I activate the spell, Miracle Fusion! This lets me fuse Elemental HERO monsters in my graveyard. And I'm gonna fuse Sparkman and Burstinatrix to Fusion Summon Elemental HERO Sunrise!"
He fused his two monsters together and summoned an even bigger hero with red armor and a blue cape majestically flowing behind him. He had 2500 ATK points.
"And that's not all!" said Jaden. "I summon another Elemental HERO Sparkman to the field!" he summoned his alternate art card, which was Sparkman wearing a darker blue uniform, and summoned it to the field.
"And because my Wall of Disruption reduced your bird's ATK to 1900, he's the perfect target for my Sparkman! Remember, with Skyscraper out, my HEROs get a 1000-point boost when they attack monsters stronger than they are! Also, with Sunrise on the field, my heroes gain 200 ATK for each different attribute on the field. So Sparkman's ATK goes up to 1800 and Sunrise's climbs up to 2700! Now go, Sparkman! Blast that bird with Static Shockwave!"
Sparkman created a ball of electricity that he shot at Simorgh.
"And don't think about activating that face-down!" said Jaden. "Cuz when an Elemental HERO attacks, Sunrise will destroy it!"
Sunrise shot a beam of light from his gauntlet and burned the trap, which was a Mirror Force card.
"OH NO!" the goggled crusader yelled helplessly. He could only watch as Sparkman's Static Shockwave attack slammed into the bird, exploding and reducing it to ashes.
"No!" cried the goggled kid. His Life Points were now at 2700, the same amount as Elemental HERO Sunrise.
"This is game!" Jaden said. "Elemental HERO Sunrise, attack him directly!"
The hero shot forward and swung his mighty fist. He punched the boy hard in the stomach and sent him flying towards his friends. He crashed into them and they comically tumbled away like bowling pins.
The other students laughed as the disgraced Red Crusaders rolled down the sandy hill. They got up and fled into the jungle. A chorus of "Wait up!" "Hey!" and "Come back!" followed them as they disappeared into the trees.
Jaden chuckled as he watched them go. "Looks like they got what they deserved."
"Well played, Jaden," Bastion said. "You were brilliant out there."
"Yeah!" said Syrus. "That was so cool!"
"Thanks, guys," Jaden said. "But I don't think this is over by a longshot."
"You're right," said Bastion. "By denying their invitation and defeating them, you've made yourself their enemy. They will be back, Jaden. And I think you should be prepared for whatever they bring next time."
"Hmph," Jaden said with a nod. "If they ever decide to show up, I'll be ready."