Hey, guys, how y'all doing? Sorry for being absent for the last couple of months. Had some very "fun" (painful) health issues, but that's all been dealt with and I'm slowly getting back into it!
Now I wanna clear some things up; the reason I added Sunchros and custom cards is very simple.
I wanna have fun writing the duels.
Some characters either have abysmal cards (Syrus) or have only a handful of cards that are actually playable (Alexis), which makes things boring when I have to use the same 5 cards every time or have to scale back the duel to accommodate the character's bad deck. So this is the solution to it.
Enough of me blabbering! Enjoy the read!
It was a calm morning, eerily calm given the events of the previous night. It would make you think that no one noticed what had happened, but… it didn't go unnoticed. A dark figure walked through the hallways of the Abandoned Dorm, making their way to the study on the second floor. A pair of shoes stopped in front of a silver mask with a strange golden eye symbol on it.
"My, my~" The person laughed as they reached for the mask and picked it up. "How the mighty have fallen!" They mocked, voice full of amusement as they flipped the mask over in their hand. "Your arrogance has finally caught up with you! Oh, how happy it makes me to know you're rotting in a hell of your own making." The person laughed, happy to rid themselves of the high and mighty attitude. "But it does make me wonder… Who managed to get the upper hand against you?" They wondered for a moment before shrugging, turning around and leaving through a dark portal.
"She will be upset with you, you do realize that, right?" Yubel voiced her concern as she floated beside Jaden. The boy in question left his dorm earlier than he should have and was on his way back to the Abandoned Dorm with the plan to explore it alone before Alexis showed up. He only saw a glint from it last night, but he was positive that there was something on the ground where Titan blew himself up.
"Yeah… I'm willing to take that risk." The brunet sighed sadly, hoping she wouldn't hate him for this. They had gotten closer in his eyes and he'd hate to ruin it, but he couldn't risk something like last night happening again. 'Last night was fun.' He recalled suddenly, subconsciously smiling as he remembered her smile.
"You're blushing." Yubel pointed out to him, cackling when he frantically felt his cheeks.
"S-Shut up!" He mumbled as he reached the front gate. "Good to know it didn't completely collapse…" He was about to enter, but was stopped in his tracks when he heard the most annoying voice to ever grace his ears.
"Well, well, well! It seems it's true when they say the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime!" He turned to see Crowler accompanied by two members of Campus Security behind him. "Might I ask what you're doing here, Slacker?"
"Uh, I'm out on a stroll?" Jaden scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Really, now?" The doctor skeptically raised an eyebrow. "All the way out here?"
"Yeah? I like nature." He shrugged, scowling. "What, is it forbidden for a 'Slifer' to go out for a walk?"
"Of course it isn't, what nonsense are you spouting?" Crowler huffed before smiling. "I'm just following up on a hunch. You wouldn't happen to know what occurred here last night, would you?"
"No," The brunet shook his head, feeling uneasy with the looks he was receiving. "I was at the party last night. What's so special about this place, teach?" He laughed, rubbing the back of his head.
"Enough with this charade, Slacker. I know this was your doing!" He shouted angrily as he pointed at the giant hole in the building. "Campus Security received a report that a student was running out of the forest right after the explosion occurred. And given that you appeared at the party looking like you were rolling in the mud with pigs, you are a prime suspect!" He smugly explained, while the teen was looking off in boredom.
"Huh?" Jaden blinked back into reality, scratching his ear. "Did you say something?" He asked, angering Crowler to no end.
"Why you…!" He seethed. "You're under arrest for trespassing and destroying Campus property!" The doctor shouted as the two officers with him grabbed Jaden.
A half hour later, Jaden was sitting in a dark room surrounded by monitors. On them were all of the Dorm Headmasters, the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, a few other teachers and the head of Campus Security.
"Expulsion?" The teen exclaimed in surprise. "For what?!"
"You have trespassed into the Abandoned Dorm." The lady, who was the Head of security, flatly told him. "And if that wasn't enough for you, you destroyed a part of the building, which, mind you, could've caused the entire thing to collapse!"
"I agree!" Crowler agreed all too cheerily. "He should be expelled! There's no room for a delinquent like him here!" He shouted, causing some of the teachers to talk amongst themselves.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Jaden frowned and stood up. "Where's your proof here? All you're doing is throwing accusations at me!"
"You'll hate to hear it, but he has a point, Doctor." Miss Fontaine agreed with the teen. The woman was annoyed that she had to cancel her morning pilates class for this. "You haven't provided one solid piece of evidence to support your claim."
"I have an anonymous claim that a student has seen him flee the forest minutes after the explosion!"
"Yes, anonymous," Banner pointed out, chuckling to himself. "Even a blind person can claim that he'd seen something if he wanted to, no?" He argued, causing Crowler to grit his teeth in anger. His plan was going sideways.
"Alright, then how do you explain the state of his clothes last night?"
"That could be attributed to many other things." Banner continued his defense. He has a good feeling for every single one of his students. He was sure Jaden would never do the thing Crowler was accusing him of. "Could it be that all your claims are fake, Doctor, and that the reason you're doing this is to get back at Jaden for beating you during the Entrance Exams?"
'Bingo!' The brunet in question barely managed to contain his laughter as Crowler's face grew redder than his Headmaster's tie.
"How dare you?!" The Doctor slammed his fists on the table in anger.
"Hey, settle down!" Chancellor Sheppard finally butted in, trying to silence Crowler as he began spouting something about his integrity as a teacher.
Jaden was extremely amused. This was better than a TV drama! 'Thank god I managed to rail Crowler up before he could spot Alexis…' He thought to himself. It was brief, but for a moment he had managed to spot the blonde hiding behind a tree.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!"
He heard commotion outside the room. The officer outside was arguing with someone. 'Bout time.' The brunet chuckled to himself.
"Move! Or I'll kick your ass before you could scream for help!" The door suddenly swung open and Erina stormed in.
"You can't be in here!" A security guard ran after her and almost grabbed her, but the icy glare he received when the bluenette snapped her head back, made him jerk his arm away.
"All I have to say is that you aren't worth the money and you'll be gone within an hour, got that? Now, leave!" She thundered as the guard scurried away and closed the door behind him. "What the hell's going on here?!" She demanded at the teachers who were staring in shock.
"Uhm… Miss Kaiba," Sheppard gained her attention, "we're conducting an investigation on Jaden since-"
"I know why he's here!" Erina interrupted him. "I just wanna know since when is it okay to punish someone based on the bogus accusations of some idiot with a fragile ego!"
"How DARE y-!"
"Can it, clown!" The bluenette shut the Doctor up. "Do you want me to make a phone call and tell a certain someone about the gross abuse of power and mistreatment of students here?" She threatened Crowler, who went as pale as a ghost.
"Now, now," Sheppard nervously chuckled. "There's no reason to go that far." He couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement at the way the young Kaiba conducted herself, a chip off the old block, if you will. "I'm sure we can sort this out without involving your father… What can we do to make things right?"
Erina took a moment to ponder this, turning to Jaden for a moment and just stared at him.
"What?" The brunet asked, puzzled before she turned back to the Chancellor.
"I want a tag duel. Me and Jaden versus whoever you can find, just make sure they're good." She said before smirking. "And to make it fun for everyone, if Jaden and I happen to lose… you can freely expel us~ Thank you for your time." She shrugged and turned to leave, grabbing her best friend, dragging him out of the room.
"What was that?" Jaden asked as he was dragged through the hallways.
"What," Erina snorted. "You don't appreciate the save?" She asked rhetorically as she let go of his arm.
"No, of course I do, it's just…" the brunet scratched his head in confusion. "What was that about getting expelled if we lose?"
"Come on, this is Crowler we're dealing with," she rolled her eyes, "if we put something like expulsion on the line, he'll surely do his damndest to find the strongest duelists to face us just so he would get rid of you."
"Ooooh…!" Jaden nodded rapidly. "Right, right… good point. Sooo… should we go over some tag duel cards we could use after class or are we just gonna wing it again?"
"Eh," Erina shrugged, "I highly doubt we'll need to prep that much, but if there's something ridiculous we could abuse, I'm down. It's not like we'll be facing anybody worth that much effort."
"Probably," the brunet laughed out loud at her arrogant yet bored tone as they both continued silently towards their first class of the day.
"Jaden!" The two teens turned around to see Alexis run up to him. "Is everything alright? What did Chancellor Sheppard say?" She frantically asked, hoping that the worst outcome wouldn't come true.
"Calm down," Jaden chuckled, "I'm not getting expelled if that's what you're wondering." He said, causing her to sigh in relief.
"I was near the dorm when you were taken by Campus Security." She revealed to him. "S-sorry, for not intervening, maybe I could've-"
"No, it's fine," Jaden shook his head, interrupting her. "It's better like this anyways."
"What do you mean?" The blonde tilted her head.
"Well," the brunet chuckled sheepishly. "I'm a troublemaker, I'm used to being blamed for everything! While you," he playfully flicked her forehead, "should keep being the prim and proper student everyone thinks you are."
"Yo, Jay, we should get going," Erina suddenly said, reminding the two that she was still there, "we got ten minutes before class starts."
"Y-yeah," the blonde nodded in agreement, thankful for the save. "Don't you have class on the other side of the Academy?" She chuckled, hoping her face wasn't as red as she felt it was.
"Oh, right!" Jaden chuckled awkwardly. "See ya later, Lex?" He waved goodbye, leaving the slightly embarrassed girl as they all went to their respective classes.
The bluenette kept staring at him, studying his face. She found their interaction fascinating.
"What?" He asked her, creeped out.
"Noothing~" She faced forward, letting out a short giggle. "You have something on your face!" She snickered as Jaden began wiping his face frantically.
"And you didn't tell me?!"
'Ah~ I'm so gonna be a third wheel!' She weirdly enough hoped it would be the case.
Yo Sy!
Forgot to ask ya
Can you get me some packs too?
Yeah, sure
I was wondering how to pay you back for today
Which ones do you want?
Whaaa?!
Nah
There's no need for that!
I'll pay ya back later tonight
Get me the 5 from the new ones thx!
Syrus sent out a quick reply before pocketing his phone and continuing towards the card shop that was on the other side of town. He had spent the better part of the afternoon practicing his dueling with Jaden, who was more than happy to help him.
And after the numerous hours of teaching, Jaden had come to the conclusion that Syrus desperately needed a deck upgrade. So here he was on his way to get some packs and maybe some singles if they weren't too outrageously priced.
"Hi, how can I help ya?" The heavy set woman at the front greeted him with the friendliest smile he'd ever seen on someone.
"H-hello…! Uhm… I'd like to get 10 packs from the latest set, thanks."
"The newest one?" The clerk nodded to herself as she searched under the counter, but realized they were out. "Ah. Sorry, dear, let me get a new box from the back." She said with a smile as she disappeared into the storage room.
"Man, did you hear the rumor? This is big!" Syrus overheard a pair of Ra students of them was clearly excited to tell his friend whatever this rumor was about. "Erina Kaiba is up for expulsion!"
"What?!" Both Syrus and the other Ra exclaimed.
"Yeah, apparently that Slifer friend of hers got caught trespassing in the Abandoned Dorm, and she stuck her neck out for him." The Ra explained. "And apparently she demanded that they tag duel and if they lose, they'll be expelled!"
"Wow! That's insane!" His friend laughed.
"Yeah, and word is, Doctor Crowler is searching for real pro duelists to face them!"
"Damn, he's gonna drag her down with him, then!"
Syrus stood there in shock, Jaden was gonna get expelled? And instead of preparing for this duel, he spent all day helping him? Why didn't he tell him?
"Here you go! Take your pick!" The clerk lady cheerily opened the box.
"Oh… Uhm…?" The teen took a moment to decide, taking five packs from each side of the box. "I'll take these." Syrus bought the packs and went on his way back towards the Red Dorm.
Syrus was so absorbed into his thoughts that he wasn't paying attention where he was going. "Umpf!" He grunted as he collided with someone, falling on his rear. "S-sorry about that! I wasn't paying… attention…" He trailed off upon seeing who he bumped into.
"Syrus…" Zane coldly stared at him.
"Damn, that doesn't work either…" Jaden sighed, putting away a few cards he had out.
"Looks like we won't be making any infinite loops anymore, huh?" Erina chuckled in amusement beside him. The two teens were in Jaden's dorm room, seeing if there were any tag duel cards they could use.
"Yeah…" The brunet's shoulders slumped in disappointment. "I guess our decks have reached a point where we can't exploit each other's resources." He mused, with the bluenette agreeing with him.
"Weeell~ at least we can still hang out now," she leaned on the desk, head propped on her hand as she grinned at the teen. "So~ Alexis, huh?" She wiggled her eyebrows.
"What?!" Jaden's head snapped up from his cards. "Uh…" he cleared his throat, "What about Alexis?" He asked cluelessly, but Erina could read him like a book.
"Oh, don't play dumb with me!" She giggled, enjoying how uncomfortable he looked. "I've seen you look~ Although, I'm not surprised. She's kind, smart, very passionate about dueling, plus she's hot as hell. Huh… She checks all your boxes, doesn't she?" Erina realized suddenly. 'What is this, a shoujo manga?'
"W-wha-" Jaden stumbled over his words, his face mirroring his jacket. "What are you on about?! I don't like her like that!" He argued loudly.
"Uhuh…" But the young Kaiba was not buying it. "Okay, since I don't want us to go around in circles, I'll provide you with two points that prove you are wrong and in denial." He raised one finger. "One, you've been flirting with her a little after you met."
"That's not-"
"Hub, hub! I'm talking right now!" She stopped him from interrupting. "And two," She raised another finger. "You have the tendency of being a sarcastic little shit that makes snide remarks, even with people you barely know, and you haven't been that way with her."
Jaden opened his mouth, ready to argue, but he quickly closed it. She had a point there. "Even if I did like her that way, which I don't," he doubled down, causing Erina to roll her eyes. "I can't really think about that yet."
"Oh, no!" She frowned, slamming her hand on the desk. "We're not doing this again! Jaden, you can't pause your life just because of some stupid destined battle!" She argued, raising her voice slightly. "You don't even know when it will happen! It could be a month, a year, or maybe ten before it happens! Hell, you can be pushing eighty even before the time comes!"
"You heard from Yubel's firsthand experience what it could do to get the upper hand." He reminded her. "I just don't want to drag those close to me into this. I don't want them to get hurt."
"You'll drag me in." Erina countered sharply. She wasn't having any of this.
"That's different!"
"How?!"
"You willingly agreed!"
"Yeah, because after hearing all of Yubel's stories about it, I wasn't about to let you face something like that alone! It was my choice, and everyone else who's around us will get to decide, too, when the time comes." Her expression softened. "I just… I just want you to experience life to its fullest without regretting it later. That's why I was never on board with your choice to hold yourself back."
"I…" Jaden stammered, genuinely feeling touched by her concern. "Okay… how about this? I'll… think about it." He offered.
Erina just stared at him for a few moments before sighing. "It's as good as I'll get for now… Fine…" She relented, satisfied to a degree by the answer. Stowing it away for now, the bluenette decided that it was time for something fun. "Hey, I was thinking maybe we could get the whole group and go kara-"
The door swung open as a teary-eyed Syrus barged inside, pulling out his suitcase from under the bed.
"Syrus…?" Erina gasped as she saw his face.
"Sy! Hey, hey, hey…" Jaden grabbed him by the shoulders. "What's up, pal?" He asked as he turned him around so he'd be facing them. "What's going on, man? What happened?"
"I-I-I…"
"Take a deep breath, okay?" Erina placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
"I was on my way here from the card shop when… when I ran into Zane…" Syrus hiccupped, trying to keep his voice steady. "He… w-wasn't very happy that I've decided to stay, so…"
"Okay, that's enough." Jaden stopped him after noticing he was getting upset again. "How can your brother be so heartless?!"
"Brother?" Erina repeated to herself. Surprised by this info.
"He's supposed to be there for you, not actively beating you down till there's nothing left!" The brunet grit his teeth in anger. "That's it! Sy, I'm gonna duel your brother!"
"What?!" Syrus' shocked response came instantly. "Jaden, are you crazy?! You're gonna lose! My brother hasn't lost a duel in his life!"
"Sy, he's treating you horribly." Jaden frowned. "That's not how a big brother should act. I wanna show you that there's nothing you should be afraid of when you stand up to him."
"Yeah," Erina grinned as she leaned on his shoulder. "Friends support each other, right? You can trust him with this."
"I-I still don't know about this…" Syrus was still concerned. He didn't want Jaden's spirit to be crushed by his brother.
"Oh, but, how are you gonna convince him to duel you?" The bluenette asked. It wasn't like he could corner him and force him to duel.
"Ah, I already got that covered!" He grinned as he pulled out his phone and dialed up someone. "Hey, Lex! What's up? …Ah, perfect! You see, can you do me a favor? I wanna duel Zane… No, I haven't lost my mind… Look, I'll explain later, just can you ask him, please?" He pleaded, which was followed by a long pause on the other side before she answered. "Yes! You're awesome! Okay, see ya later!" He hung up and turned to see Erina staring at him with a raised eyebrow.
"What? Apparently Zane is friends with Atticus."
"Do you have her on speed dial?" She asked, failing to conceal her amusement.
"Shut up!"
Alexis was having a stroll across the docks, last night's events still weighed on her mind. The cultish markings that littered that rundown dormitory to that crazed maniac that tried to kill them after he dueled her. It all disturbed her greatly.
"What had Atti gotten himself into?" She thought aloud. This whole situation was so out of her field of knowledge, but thankfully she had Jaden to rely on for support. He looked like he had some sort of idea on what was going on there. 'I need to ask him more about it later.' Because right now, she had to achieve what could only be compared to climbing a mountain.
She made her way towards the lighthouse, where she could make out Zane looking over the ocean in the distance.
"You really like this place, huh?" The blonde joked as she approached him.
"How'd your search go?" Zane asked as he kept his eyes on the sea, ignoring the comment.
"Didn't really find anything about his disappearance," she shook her head, "but, it's definitely connected with the Abandoned Dorm. Jaden and I are certain of it."
"Jaden? So he's helping you out, huh?"
"Yup," Alexis nodded with a small smile on her face, "and speaking of Jaden… he's out to get you."
"Figures…" Zane sighed in annoyance. "So, what? He intends to teach me how to act like a big brother, is that it?" He asked, crossing his arms.
'You'd definitely benefit from it, that's for sure.' Alexis thought to herself before shaking her head. "No, actually, he wants to duel you."
The blonde blinked in surprise, Zane's face displayed actual emotion. He looked interested. Could it be that Atticus had told him about their duel?
"The beach."
"Huh?"
"In an hour…" He turned to walk away. "If he wants a duel so badly, tell him to come to the beach in an hour." He said before leaving.
"J-Jaden, I still think it's a bad idea!" Syrus argued once again. They've been going at it for the last twenty or so minutes.
"It'll be fiiine~" Jaden waved him off, sporting a grin on his face. He was sure he'd get his duel. Apparently, Atticus and Zane are friends, and he and Alexis have been in contact since her brother's disappearance.
"Bu-but, my brother is undefeated! Aren't you worried about losing?"
"Come on, Syrus," Erina sighed, getting annoyed. "It's just a duel, it's not like his life depends on it!" She couldn't understand what's the big deal?
"But-"
A knock on the door interrupted him. "Jaden, you there?" They heard Alexis on the other side.
"Hey!" Jaden enthusiastically greeted her as he opened the door. He looked like an excited puppy, waiting to receive a treat.
"If you had a tail, it would be spinning like a helicopter blade!" Erina giggled as she watched him.
Alexis laughed as well. "You'll be taking off then, because I got you your duel."
"Thanks a bunch, Lex!" Jaden exclaimed happily as he hugged Alexis and spun her around once. He put her down and sprinted out of the door… before coming back in as he realized he didn't know where he's going. "Uhm… where is he?"
"The-the beach…" The blonde stammered out, blushing up a storm from the sudden hug.
"Thanks!"
'Oh. My. God. It's actually gonna happen!' Erina thought to herself as she observed the blonde. There was definitely something hiding there, and she'd make sure to pull it out. "Come on," she grabbed her hand, "we don't wanna miss this!"
A few minutes later, Jaden was standing on the beach with Zane across from him and the others spectating from the side. The tension in the air was thick, the teen glared at the older Truesdale.
"Before we start, I have one thing to say to you." Jaden spoke over the silence. "Zane, you absolutely disgust me with the way you've treated your little brother, and you will apologize to him when I beat you."
Zane just shrugged indifferently. "Whatever… Just make sure to give me a challenge." He said as they both drew their opening hands.
"Let's duel!"
Jaden: 8000
Zane: 8000
"Here I come!" Jaden drew his card, starting the duel. "I summon Masked HERO Fountain, in defense mode!" A surge of water erupted from the ground, leaving the HERO on the field. (ATK: 1000/ DEF: 1400) "And I'll use his effect to check the top card of my deck!" He picked up the card and looked at it. "Since it wasn't a Masked HERO card, I send it to the graveyard!" He discarded Elemental HERO Necroshade.
"I throw down a facedown and end my turn!"
"That's it?" Zane grunted as he drew his card. He sounded disappointed. "Since I don't have any monsters on the field and you do… I special summon Cyber Dragon!" A mechanical wyrm appeared behind him, roaring. (ATK: 2100/ DEF: 1600)
"I'll be getting rid of that facedown." The older Truesdale played Mystical Space Typhoon, blowing one of Jaden's facedowns away.
"Getting right to it, huh?" Jaden smirked.
"Then, I summon Cyber Dragon Vier!" Another robotic wyrm appeared on the field, this one covered in purple neon lights. (ATK: 1100/ DEF: 1600) "Cyber Dragon Vier gives all of my Cyber Dragons 500 attack and defense!" The dragons let out a mechanical roar. (ATK: 2100-2600/ DEF: 2100) (ATK: 1100-1600/ DEF: 2100)
"Cyber Dragon Vier, attack Fountain! Gauss Blaze!" Zane commanded, causing his monster to unleash a blast of purple plasma energy that destroyed the HERO.
"Now, you're wide open! Attack, Cyber Dragon! Evolution Burst!" The wyrm unleashed a powerful plasma burst that hit Jaden directly
Jaden: 5400
'I told you Zane was good…' Syrus watched in worry as Jaden was already on the losing side.
"Lastly," Zane took a card from his hand and played it, causing a strange coffin to appear on the field. "I activate Different Dimensional Capsule. This spell allows me to banish any card from my deck, and then during my second Standby Phase, I get to add it to my hand." He explained as he looked through his deck, taking a card out and putting it in his pocket. A hologram of a card entered the coffin before it sank below the ground.
"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that that's the best card in your deck." Jaden smirked, scratching his nose. "I can't wait to see what it is."
"With that, I end my turn." Zane grunted. "Now, show me your best, Jaden!"
"Careful what you wish for!" The energetic Slifer drew his card. "I summon Elemental HERO Blazeman!" The hero appeared on the field, flaming beads dangling behind him. (ATK: 1200/ DEF: 1800) "And thanks to his effect, I add Polymerization to my hand!"
"He's gonna go for a Fusion Summon, right?" Alexis questioned, thinking of which monster would help Jaden here.
"No," Erina shook her head. "Well… it's not quite a Fusion Summon." She corrected herself.
"I activate Mask Change!" Blazeman was enveloped in scorching flames. "Transform, Masked HERO Infernal Saber!" The flames subsided, revealing a tall man clad in red and black armor. Two war banners rested on his back, and two empty scabbards on his belt. He resembled a futuristic samurai. (ATK: 2500/ DEF: 1900)
"I haven't seen that one before." The blonde noted.
"Me neither," Syrus nodded. "He looks tough!"
"Yeah, this one's the heavy hitter." The bluenette smirked.
"I activate his effect!" Jaden got right to it. "I get to destroy one monster on your field and burn you for an amount equal to its original attack!" He explained as the HERO reached for the empty scabbards and pulled out two swords made out of flames.
The warrior sliced the air twice, sending a flaming 'X' towards Zane's Cyber Dragon, engulfing it in flames before it blew up.
Zane: 5900
"And now for the other one!" The teen cheekily grinned. "Saber, attack! Blazing Whiplash!" The HERO charged forward, leaving a trail of fire behind him as he appeared behind the wyrm, delivering a hundred quick slices to it before it went up in flames.
Zane: 5000
"Wow," Alexis exclaimed. "Jaden retaliated with just as much force!"
"Looks like your brother isn't as untouchable as you thought, huh, Sy?" Erina sneered, while Syrus just stared in awe.
"You're up, Zane!" The Slifer said, inserting a card into his Duel Disk.
The Obelisk smirked slightly, glad that this wouldn't be a two turn deal. "I draw!" He drew his card and played it. "I play Card of Demise!" He drew his extra cards and took one of them. "Appear, Cyber Dragon Core!" The mechanical exoskeleton of a wyrm appeared on the field, wires dangling from its body. (ATK: 400/ DEF: 1500)
"This card allows me to add any Spell or Trap from my deck that has 'Cyber' in its name!" He explained as a card popped out of his deck. "I'll be adding Cyber Revsystem to my hand, and I'll be playing it!" Zane declared as a Cyber Dragon suddenly appeared on the field. (ATK: 2100/ DEF: 1600)
"What the-?!" Jaden exclaimed.
"This card allows me to summon a Cyber Dragon from either my hand or graveyard." He explained as he took another card from his hand. "Now, I fuse my two Cyber Dragons together!" Electricity sparked around the field as the two dragons were sucked onto a vortex. "Appear, Cyber Twin Dragon!"
A mechanical roar was heard as the new monster appeared behind Zane. It was a two-headed robotic wyrm that towered over the field. (ATK: 2800/ DEF: 2100)
Erina nodded her head, she was impressed, but only a little bit. Zane definitely knew what he was doing. It looked like he had a plan for everything. 'Finally, someone who knows how to play!'
"Next, I'll use the effect of Attachment Cybern in my hand and equip it to my Twin Dragon!" A golden robotic dragon appeared, wrapping itself around Zane's dragon, giving it a pair of golden wings.
"Attachment Cybern gives my monster an extra 600 attack points!" He explained. (ATK: 2800-3400) "And here's what's special about my Twin Dragon, Jaden. He can attack twice!" Zane pointed at Jaden's monster. "Which means trouble for you! Twin Dragon, attack with Double Strident Blaze!" He commanded. The twin dragon roared as it unleashed a stream of blue fire from both its mouths. The first blast hit the HERO, but the second one was blocked by a wall of flames.
Jaden: 4500
"What's going on?" Syrus asked. "Why's the second attack being blocked?"
"Because of Jaden's Masked HERO!" Alexis realized.
"Yup," Erina nodded, "when Infernal Saber is destroyed, he allows Jaden to destroy one card on the field." She explained as the wall of flames engulfed and destroyed Zane's monster.
"Not bad." Zane oddly praised. "But, I do wonder… Is this your own skill, or are the Masked HEROES what make you good?" He questioned as his graveyard began to glow and Cyber Twin Dragon returned to the field. (ATK: 2800/ DEF: 2100)
"Whoa!"
"How'd he come back?" Jaden asked as he took a step back.
"With the help of Attachment Cybern." Zane held the card up. "When it's sent to the graveyard while it was equipped to a monster, it allows me to summon a machine or dragon 'Cyber' monster from my graveyard." He explained. "And since my Twin Dragon is technically a new monster, it can attack twice, again!"
"Heh~ So you knew what was gonna happen?" Jaden chuckled, getting fired up. "But, I was prepared as well!" He activated his facedown. "Hero Signal! Appear, Elemental HERO Stratos!" The winged HERO appeared on the field, kneeling in defense position. (ATK: 1800/ DEF: 300) "And I'll be adding Elemental HERO Bladedge to my hand thanks to his effect!"
"Clever," The elder Truesdale smirked. "But you'll still take one attack head on! Attack, Double Strident Blaze!" The dragon fired of two blasts, one hitting and destroying Stratos, and the other hitting Jaden directly.
Jaden: 1700
"I place my last cards facedown and end my turn." Two cards appeared in front of his feet.
"I draw!" Jaden drew his card. "I summon Elemental HERO Bubbleman!" A man clad in a dark blue bodysuit and light blue armor appeared. White cape fluttering behind him. (ATK: 800/ DEF: 1200)
"Bubbleman has a sweet effect! You see, when he's the only monster on my field when he's summoned, I get to draw two cards!" He explained as he drew his cards. "Next up, I activate Polymerization! I'll be fusing Bubbleman with Bladedge from my hand! Come on out, Elemental HERO Absolute Zero!" Icicles formed around the field as the HERO appeared. (ATK: 2500/ DEF: 2000)
"Now, attack Cyber Twin Dragon, Zero!" Jaden ordered instantly, causing the HERO to charge forward.
"I don't think so!" Zane hastily flipped over one of his facedowns. "Draining Shield! This trap negates your monster's attack and I gain life points equal to its attack!" He explained, but his eyes widened as he saw Jaden's smirk.
"Gotcha!" He chuckled while playing a card from his hand. "De-Fusion! I split Absolute Zero back into Bubbleman and Bladedge!" The ice HERO disappeared as the aforementioned HEROES appeared once again. (ATK: 2600/ DEF: 1800) (ATK: 800/ DEF: 1200)
"Huh? I don't get it?" Syrus scratched his head, confused as to why Jaden would summon a monster only to get rid of it.
"Pay attention to the field, Sy." Erina pointed at the field, which was steadily being engulfed in ice.
"Absolute Zero's effect activates even if he's returned to the Extra Deck." The Slifer grinned as he pointed at Zane's monster. "And since he disappeared before your trap could resolve, you don't get the life points! Freezing Nova!" Jaden shouted as the blizzard intensified, freezing the mechanical dragon before it shattered.
"Zane's wide open!" Syrus exclaimed.
"Wait!" Alexis' eyes widened. "That… that was Jaden's plan! He wanted to pressure Zane into using his defensive cards! He always planned to defuse his HERO!"
"Yup!" Jaden grinned at her, before turning back to Zane. "And now you're wide open! Let's go, guys!" The two heroes charged forward, one unleashing a jetstream of water, while the other delivered two slashes to the Obelisk.
Zane: 1600
"Jaden evened out the playing field again!" The blonde smiled.
"I doubt your brother will be able to recover again." Erina said to Syrus, who couldn't believe what was happening. Was Jaden actually about to beat his brother?
"I throw down a facedown and call it a turn!" A card appeared in front of the Slifer's feet. "Alright, Zane, gimme your best shot!"
"My best? Alright, you got it…" Zane drew his card and smiled as the capsule rose from the dirt.
"Oh no…" Syrus knew what was about to happen.
"It's been two turns since I activated my Different Dimension Capsule, and now I add the card I removed earlier to my hand." Zane pulled the card out of his pocket and placed it in his hand. He then looked straight at him. "You played well, but not well enough, Jaden."
"Just give me everything you got, Zane! I'm ready for it!"
"Of course you are, Jaden." A small smile spread across his lips. "You gave me a very good and fun duel. You don't just play the cards in your deck, you know the extent of their potential and use them at opportune moments." He glanced briefly at Syrus, then back at Jaden. "That's what makes you a good duelist."
Jaden caught on to what Zane was doing, but still… "Just because you give me a complement, doesn't mean my opinion of you will change."
Zane shrugged in response as he played the card he just drew. "I activate Cybernetic Fusion Support! By paying half my life points, I can use my graveyard for the Fusion Summon of a machine monster!"
Zane: 800
"You wanted my best? Here it is! I play Power Bond!" Electricity surged through the field as the three different Cyber Dragons appeared on the field. "I banish Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Core and Cyber Dragon Vier from my graveyard to summon my ultimate monster! Appear, Cyber End Dragon!"
Everyone watched in amazement as a giant pillar of blue light appeared behind Zane. Two massive metal wings emerged as the light died down, revealing the rest of the dragon, three different heads attached to the same body, all roaring angrily. (ATK: 4000/ DEF: 2800)
"So that's Zane's ace monster, huh?" Erina asked no one in particular.
Zane continued his turn. "And thanks to Power Bond's magic, my dragon's attack points get doubled!" (ATK: 4000-8000)
"8000 attack points?!" Jaden gasped. "No way!"
"If this goes through, Jaden is done for…" Alexis said.
"Hang in there, Jay!" Erina yelled. "If you survive this turn, Power Bond's downside will kick in and backfire on him!"
"That's right." Alexis nodded. "At the end of the turn Power Bond is used, the one who played it takes damage equal to the summoned monster's original attack!"
'Yeah, but that won't matter if you play it right.' Syrus thought. 'And Zane never misplays!'
"Prepare yourself, Jaden," Zane shouted, "because this is the end! Cyber End Dragon, attack Absolute Zero with Super Strident Blaze!"
Jaden watched as the three headed dragon unleashed streams of blue fire from each of its heads. He couldn't help but grin as he pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate my trap card! Edge Hammer!" A giant hammer appeared in Bladedge's hands. "This card allows me to destroy one monster you control by tributing Bladedge, then you'll be taking that monster's attack as damage!"
"With that Jaden wins!" Syrus gasped.
"Clever move…" Zane smirked. "If it wasn't for this that is…" Zane pointed to his facedown card. Jaden's eyes widened as it flipped over. "Wiretap negates your trap and shuffles it back into your deck!"
Jaden watched as his trap fizzled and disappeared from the field. The blue flames connected with his hero, obliterating him and engulfing him as well. Jaden stood tall with his head held high as his life points dwindled away.
Jaden: 0
"I can't believe it… he lost…" Alexis said in surprise.
Erina was the most surprised out of all of them. It wasn't easy to take Jaden down given his unusual dueling style, but apparently, it happens sometimes.
"I might've lost the duel, Zane, but you are the true loser here." Jaden wasn't phased by the fact that he lost. He knew his streak would end sooner or later. He proved his point, he could see it got to Syrus. That's all that mattered.
Zane said nothing as he turned away, turning his head and meeting his brother's eyes. He smiled slightly before turning away and walking off.
Alexis followed after him, but not before waving goodbye to the others. "So… what do you think?" She asked him, curious about what he would say.
"He's good." Zane replied. "Seems Atticus was right about him."
"Atti told you about Jaden?" The blonde questioned in surprise, to which he nodded.
"Talked my ear off about how he's better than me." He grumbled out, causing her to smile.
Jaden watched them leave, before turning to Syrus, who was still staring with wide eyes. "See, Sy? It isn't scary to stand up to him." He smiled at him, but noticed the judgmental stare from Erina.
She shook her head when he saw his cheeky grin. "Why do I even…?" She sighed before ruffling the small Slifer's hair. "If you need help with anything, don't be afraid to ask, okay, Sy?"
"R-right!" Syrus nodded, a resolute look in his eyes. "And you two better not get expelled, you got that?!"
"Pfff~" The bluenette snorted. "Please, Syrus, do you know who you're talking to? We're an unbeatable duo!" She huffed, head held high. "Of course, that's if lover boy here doesn't get distracted!"
"L-Lover boy?!" Jaden stammered, face as red as his jacket. "W-what the hell are you talking about?!"
"Oh don't give me that!" She grinned mischievously as she grabbed him so he wouldn't run. "I can just smell it! Love is in the air tonight~"
"No! You're just sick in the head!" Jaden yelled, causing the bluenette to double over in laughter.
Not sure how the ruling would work with Cyber Twin, but for the fun of it, it'll work as it did here.
Anyways, that's it for this chapter. See ya next time!