I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Star Wars, or anything related to Disney. If I did, I would be very happy, and I would have a copy of each of the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl artworks. Except for Arkana's-he kind of creeps me out.
Chapter Five: Misadventures
Mana sensed a disturbance in the Force. She was sitting in her seat waiting for Dr. Crowler's class to start when Chazz walked into the room. He started off as his usual arrogant self, but he was soon ridiculed by the other Obelisks. His seat had also been moved next to the Slifers and Ras. What's going on? I thought Chazz was supposed to be the big man of the freshman. Even Crowler threw the proud Obelisk under the bus because he had lost to Jaden on exam day. Crowler announced that Chazz and Bastion would duel the next day. If Chazz lost, the two duelists would switch dorms.
That's too harsh, even for Chazz. For once Mana felt bad for him as he ran out of the classroom and away from the ridicule. Does Uncle Seto know how Dr. Crowler treats his students? Knowing Kaiba though, he would appreciate Crowler pushing the students like this. He did make Obelisk the top dorm because it was the Egyptian God he had in Battle City. In a way, Obelisk was the reason Battle City had happened in the first place.
When class finished, Mana left for the Slifer dorm. I wonder how gym class was for the guys. She spotted Jaden and Syrus talking with a familiar black-haired Ra Yellow student. As she walked closer, she heard Bastion explaining his use of formulas to the two Slifers.
"So do you have a formula for everything, Bastion?" Syrus asked.
"What's up guys?" Mana chimed in.
The three of them jumped at her voice. "How long have you been there?" Jaden asked.
"Just for a couple of minutes," she answered. "I saw you guys talking and came over. All I really understood was something about formulas and science or something."
Bastion smirked at her confusion and decided to show them his dorm room. The Slifers all gasped at the layout. The walls were covered in formulas—Mana couldn't understand how Bastion could make sense of all of this. I guess this is why Bastion got the highest score on the entrance exam. The Ra went on to explain he was running out of room, and since he'd already memorized all the formulas, he needed to paint over them and asked his friends to help.
They got to work covering the walls and ceiling in fresh white paint. Things got out of hand though as Jaden took charge of the ceiling. "Check it out! I'm Michelangelo!" he yelled. "Get it? 'Cause I'm painting on the ceiling—whoa!" The ladder Jaden was standing on wobbled. As he struggled to regain his balance, his paintbrush flew into Syrus's face.
"You do realize this means war, Jay," Syrus's paint-covered face glared at Jaden.
"Now look, Sy, it was an accident!" Jaden shrieked as Syrus picked up his bucket of paint.
"That's enough. Give me that paint." Bastion tried to intervene, but ended receiving Syrus's paint bucket with his face. Jaden burst out laughing at Bastion's dilemma. "Funny, is it?" Bastion said as he plastered the Slifer with his paint rag.
"Seriously, guys?" Mana asked. "We're supposed to put the paint on the walls, not on each other!"
Her protests went unheard as the guys continued into paint-fight each other. Well, carpe diem I guess. Mana flung her paintbrush into the fray and got each of the guys. They retaliated by ganging up on her, and the fight went on. Somehow they managed to finish painting,
When they were finished, Bastion invited them to the Ra dining hall for dinner. As they talked, Bastion revealed he was given the opportunity to become an Obelisk. "Oh yeah, I heard about that," Mana said.
"Really?" the guys looked at her.
"Yeah, the other Obelisks were giving Chazz a hard time about it today, and Dr. Crowler announced it in class. I think you guys had gym class at that time."
"So Chazz is my opponent," Bastion muttered.
"Is that why you were cleaning up your room?" Syrus asked.
"'Cause you're switching dorms?" Jaden added.
Bastion looked nervous and fell silent, which the guys took as confirmation. They went on to congratulate him and compliment his dueling. Jaden recalled seeing him duel at the entrance exams at the same time as Mana. That's why I didn't see him. Mana had been so nervous for her own test that the only other duel she had watched was Jaden's. The guys finished complimenting him and continued to chow down their food.
When they finished eating, the group returned to the Slifer Red dorm. Mana bid good night to the guys as Jaden and Syrus welcomed their house guest. She heard some protest on Chumley's part, but it was hushed when Syrus mentioned they ate at the Ra dining hall. "He can have my bed if he wants," Chumley said. Mana chuckled and went to bed.
Mana was awakened by pounding outside her door. "Oh, not again," she grumbled as she looked out her door. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was just Dorothy and not the Disciplinary Action Squad again. "What's going on?" she asked.
Jaden opened his door and asked the same question. "I was at the docks unloading some goods near the shore, then I saw them . . . cards tossed everywhere!" Dorothy gestured with her hands as she spoke.
Mana ducked back into her room and threw on her uniform. She quickly caught up to the guys at the harbor. Cards floated all over the surface of the water. Jaden and Bastion recognized the cards as Bastion's deck. Bastion blamed himself because he left the deck in the desk he moved to the hallway outside his room. "But who would do this?" Syrus asked.
"Someone who doesn't want you to move to Obelisk," Jaden answered.
"My money's on Chazz," Mana chimed in. "He's the one Bastion's dueling, and I know he can't stand the possibility of being demoted to Ra." They all looked at her. "Wait, did I not mention that earlier?"
"It'll be fine," Bastion insisted. "Let's head to the arena."
They walked to the arena and greeted Chazz and Crowler. Jaden quickly voiced Mana's accusation about Chazz trashing Bastion's deck, but the Obelisk denied doing anything.
"Is that so, Chazz?" Alexis's voice rang out. They turned to see Alexis, Zane, and Atem standing in the doorway. I see Atem and Zane are talking again. Mana thought. "I saw you, Chazz," Alexis continued. "This morning by the harbor, you dumped them in and ran off." Everyone looked at her in awe, even Crowler. "Normally I wouldn't snitch, but you don't mess with someone's deck!"
Everyone quickly turned on Chazz. He insisted they were his own cards he threw into the harbor, but no one believed him. Bastion just pushed for them to move onto the duel. He revealed the trashed deck was just a spare, and he had six different decks under his blazer. Bastion selected one of his decks and they started the duel.
Bastion never lost control of the duel. It seemed he was always ten steps ahead of everyone, especially Chazz. Even though he took massive damage, it was all a part of his calculations. He maneuvered around the effects of Chazz's Chthonian cards, and he took out the Infernal Incinerator with his Water Dragon. Bastion's water deck was the perfect antithesis to Chazz's, and he proved it was his deck that Chazz had dumped—Vorse Raider had a formula written on it that only Bastion could have done. He proved himself worthy of transferring to Obelisk Blue. I guess that brings the number of friends I have in Obelisk to three and a half. Mana still wasn't sure what she thought of Zane, but she didn't hate him anymore.
Part of Mana felt sorry for Chazz as he knelt on the floor in defeat. I wonder why he feels he has to be the best. She remembered her own reasoning for entering the Academy under Tea's name. Being a Muto had all kinds of pressures Mana didn't want. Chazz might be facing similar pressures to do well. Maybe we're not so different after all. Maybe all that arrogance and ego is just a front to hide his anxieties. Something tells me his family and Obelisk friends aren't as understanding as mine.
Before Mana knew what she was doing, she walked over and offered Chazz a hand. "Even though you lost, you still fought a good duel," she said. "And one loss is not the end of the world. You can still bounce back."
Chazz looked surprised before his face returned to its angry sneer. "I don't need pity from a Slifer-slacker!" he yelled before getting to his feet and storming out of the room.
"What was that about?" Jaden asked.
"What were you thinking, Mana" Syrus added.
"I don't know," Mana admitted. "Part of me felt bad for him, like I could understand where he was coming from. I thought maybe if I offered him some encouragement, things could be different."
"Maybe someday he'll appreciate the sentiment," Atem said. "Though not today."
"Anyway, congratulations, Bastion," Mana turned her attention to the victor. "You totally deserve it."
"Yes, but I must decline the invitation to Obelisk Blue," Bastion surprised them all, Crowler especially. "You see, I decided I would only enter Obelisk Blue when I became the best duelist of the freshman class, and, Jaden, I think that duelist is you."
Jaden and Bastion promised to duel each other in the future. Mana watched as the opposites stared each other down and wondered who in the end would come out on top.
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Mana and Jaden were sitting in their spots waiting for another boring lecture when Syrus came running in. "Jaden! Mana! It's awful!" he panted. "Chazz is gone!"
"What?" Mana gasped.
"And that's awful how?" Jaden nonchalantly asked.
Syrus was at a loss for words. "Gee, I don't know. Because he's your big duel rival?"
Jaden's eyes went wide. "You're right! I need my competition!"
"How about because he's a fellow duelist?" Mana insisted. She looked over at Chazz's supposed friends making fun of him now that he was gone. "He's a duelist just like us, and I think what he really needs is a friend. I mean look at those who claimed to be his friends." She pointed to the Obelisks on the other side of the room. "I say we go find him."
Jaden decided to kill two birds with one stone—find Chazz and sneak out of class doing it. They snuck out through a gap in the walls and crawled out of the building through a narrow tunnel. Jaden was the first to exit the tunnel after making sure the coast was clear. Syrus followed, and Mana questioned why they couldn't just use the door. As she tried to crawl out of the tunnel, her foot caught on something. "Guys, I'm stuck," she said, trying not to think about what all could be in the tunnel.
"What?"
"I'm serious; I'm stuck! Now help me out of here or I swear I'll send you both to the Shadow Realm!"
The two guys each took one of her arms and pulled. After a minute she was out, and Mana sighed in relief. "You know, this school does have regular doors," a voice said. The Slifers screamed before noticing the voice belonged to Alexis. She stood with her friends Jasmine and Mindy by the regular doors. Is she learning that from Atem, or is Atem learning that from her? Mana wondered if Atem's friendship with the Obelisk was aiding in his success in sneaking up on her.
Jaden tried lying to the girls why they weren't in class, but Alexis didn't buy it. They were looking for Chazz as well because he was still an Obelisk, and the girls felt they had to stand by him. So the six of them went looking for their missing classmate.
They wander the forest calling for him with no success. Jasmine and Mindy suggested Chazz might have a reason—like picking flowers for Mindy. Jasmine chastised Mindy for being so fickle with the guys she was crushing on.
"Actually, I'm guessing he ran off because he was under so much pressure," Mana admitted her suspicions.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Jasmine asked.
"I mean we don't know Chazz's motivation for becoming a duelist," Mana answered. "I don't know what Chazz's life is like back home, but something tells me his family is pushing him to be a top duelist. Losing a single duel could be the equivalent of being a failure. Those are impossible standards to live up to; I can understand why Chazz would want to run away from all that."
"You seem to have thought an awful lot about this," Alexis said.
"I recognized the look in his eyes after he lost to Bastion," Mana explained, biting her lip as she struggled to find the right words without giving herself away. "A friend of mine comes from a prominent dueling family. She was always worried that every duel she lost was a disgrace to her family, and she had the same look of despair Chazz had when he lost."
"What happened to her?" Syrus asked.
"Her older brother convinced her that she didn't have to be perfect for her family; she just had to be herself. I think that's what Chazz needs to hear right now."
Before they could discuss it further, Alexis spotted movement in the bushes. She pointed it out to the others, and everyone suspected the movement was caused by Chazz and walked closer to the bush.
They were very wrong. Out of the bushes jumped a monkey wearing bizarre equipment on its head, torso, and arm. Mana thought the equipment on the arm looked like a duel disk. That was the closest look she got as the creature whipped around the group and was gone. "That's definitely not Chazz," Mana said.
"Not human either," Syrus added.
Before they could fully figure out exactly what the creature was, three men dressed in suits and carrying some kind of tranquilizer gun startled them yet again. "He's gone," the tallest of them said.
A scream made them realize Jasmine was missing from the party. They spotted her and the monkey in the trees as it ran off carrying her. The other humans gave chase and caught up to them at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. One of the suits tried to shoot him with the gun but couldn't because of Jasmine. Jaden pointed out the duel disk on the arm, and the shortest man with a long, bushy brown beard explained the monkey was a trained duelist named Wheeler.
Mana bit her lip as she tried not to laugh. She gasped for air as she tried to hold it in, but she couldn't. She burst out laughing like a lunatic at the situation.
"Sorry," she gasped in between giggles. "It's just that Seto Kaiba was known for calling Joey Wheeler a dueling monkey, and now right in front of us is a dueling monkey named Wheeler!" Mana doubled over as she continued to laugh. I so have to tell Uncle Joey and Uncle Tristan this. And Uncle Seto too! Knowing Tristan and Kaiba, they'd never let Joey hear the end of it.
The scientist who explained Wheeler the Dueling Monkey was reminded their project was top secret, and they turned away. Jaden offered to duel Wheeler with the reasoning that the monkey would hand over the redhead if Jaden won.
"I don't get how that monkey understands what he's saying," Mindy said.
"Maybe all the training he's had has taught Wheeler how to speak human," Alexis suggested. "Or maybe Jaden's really a monkey." Mana went into a fresh round of giggles at that. "Why is this so funny to you?" Alexis asked her.
"It's just, if you knew my family, you'd get it," Mana hiccupped.
Jaden set the stakes with Wheeler. If Jaden won, Jasmine was free. If Wheeler won, he was set free. Wheeler accepted the terms, and they began their duel. The doctor then explained the helmet on Wheeler's head read his mind and spoke his thoughts. "You know, you sound kind of like my grandpa (1)," Mana said when she finally stopped laughing. The doctor ignored her.
Jaden and Wheeler were pretty evenly matched. Over the course of the duel, the doctor revealed Wheeler was poked, prodded, and punished for his mistakes over the years he'd been with the men. Wheeler's monkey deck managed to take down Jaden's Flame Wingman, and he changed all the monsters on the field to beast types with DNA Surgery.
Before Jaden could make his winning move, the humans noticed a group of other monkeys watching the duel. Jaden figured out and explained that the monkeys were Wheeler's family, which was why he was trying to escape. Wheeler confirmed Jaden's suspicions. Jaden empathized with the monkey, but he still had to save Jasmine, so he summoned Clayman and activated Courageous Charge. By paying a thousand LifePoints, attacking with Clayman would also inflict Clayman's defense points as damage to Wheeler. The attack wiped out the rest of the dueling monkey's LifePoints.
True to his word, Wheeler released Jasmine. She rushed back to her friends and sought comfort for her ordeal.
The suits moved into take Wheeler, but Jaden and Mana blocked their way. Wheeler didn't belong with them, and the Academy students weren't going to let him go back to the lab. The two taller ones shoved past Jaden and Mana and threw a net over Wheeler. "No!" Mana yelled, and a strong gust of wind blew past her and knocked the men over. She dropped to one knee as she felt her energy drain with the wind. The men quickly stood up and wrapped the net tighter around the monkey. "I won't let you take him!"
"Please, you're just some kids," the short doctor said. "Who's going to believe you? Not only will my lab work continue, it will grow larger." He gestured to Wheeler's family. "I'm taking all the monkeys. Your friend won't miss his family. They'll all be in cages with him."
Before the one scientist could shoot his tranquilizer, a beige and brown blur jumped on him and the other scientists before landing on its feet. "Tsk, Tsk, Pharaoh. Naughty kitty," Professor Banner picked up the cat at his feet. The students may not have had enough sway to stop the scientist, but Banner did. He freed Wheeler and the other monkeys, and they ran off into the woods after showing their gratitude for being saved.
Banner then told the students that Chazz was alright. Pharaoh had tracked Chazz to the harbor, but Chazz had already left on the Princeton yacht by the time Banner got there. Mana was disappointed Chazz was gone. I hope he finds what he's looking for. The others were disappointed as well, but they were all convinced Chazz would be back someday. Their disappointment increased when Banner made the six of them make up the work they had missed from cutting class that day as well.
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"So you're staying for winter break too?" Jaden asked as he, Syrus, Chumley, and Mana watched the students heading home.
"Yeah, my mom has a ballet show in New York, so my parents are going to be there for that," Mana answered.
"What about your brother?" Syrus asked. "Don't you want to see him?"
"He's away at school too," Mana skipped the part where Atem was staying on campus too. Tea's ballet show wouldn't be done until after break was over, so Mana and Atem had agreed to stay at Duel Academy while they were gone. All their aunts and uncles were going to, minus Uncle Seto. He still had KaibaCorp to run.
"Well I say we spend the whole break dueling!" Jaden challenged them. "Come on; let's have some fun while we don't have to go to class."
Syrus grinned. "You're on, Jay!"
The first two days of break passed uneventfully. "Man, the campus feels so empty with everyone gone," Jaden commented on their third night.
"I know, I walked around today and only saw a handful of students," Mana said. "I think all the Ras are gone, and the only Obelisk I saw was Atem. He said there were only a few other students left there too. I offered him and the others to come hang out here if they wanted, or the reverse."
"You seem to be really good friends with Atem," Syrus narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. "Is there something between you?"
"Absolutely not!" Mana yelled. She couldn't believe Syrus went there. He's my brother for crying out loud! "Gee, you seem to be really good friends with Alexis? Is there something between you two?"
"Help!" a voice cried. A second later, an Obelisk student collapsed through the door to the Slifer dining room. Mana rushed to help him up. The student, Torrey, was in one of Professor Banner's classes, and he explained that he and his friends had tried to make Duel Spirits come to life. The night before, for some reason, it worked. They did their ritual, and the spirit of Jinzo had responded "Give me three and I'll be free." They had thought it meant cards, so they agreed.
Torrey's two friends vanished, and the first person Torrey had found was Atem Muto. Atem had tried to help him, and he tried to confront the spirit while Torrey escaped. Torrey hadn't been able to find Atem or his friends since then.
Not Atem! Mana was terrified for her brother. Please, let Atem be all right!
"I just know it's going to be me next!" Torrey panicked.
"Hold on," Mana forced herself to appear calm. "If Jinzo needs three souls to survive, and he isn't here yet, that means Atem or one of your friends hasn't been absorbed," she reasoned. "That means one of them is all right." She gulped as she thought of the worst-case scenario. "If all three have been absorbed, then he has no reason to come after you."
The lights went out in the room. They all reasoned what could have caused the black out until Jinzo's voice rang through the room. Mana screamed and grabbed onto Syrus who held on to her. Jinzo appeared, garbed in a long trench coat and hat, and grabbed Torrey. It reminded Mana of what her uncle Seto had told her about the Deck Master of the Big Five member he had fought—Lector. "Let him go!" she yelled.
"We have a deal," Jinzo hissed as he ran off. The Slifers gave chase.
"Well if he's still after Torrey, that means at least one person is still safe," Mana panted as she ran.
"Mana, this way," Dark Magician Girl appeared before the female student. "I can sense Jinzo's presence. We must stop him."
"Guys, follow me!" Mana commanded, leading the way to the power station.
"Oh, why do spirits always have to go where it's spookiest?" Chumley groaned as they ran.
"You will need all your power to stop this spirit," Dark Magician Girl warned. "Remember we are bonded; that means you can use my power. Trust in yourself and your magic."
"But I don't have magic," Mana insisted as the spirit disappeared.
They found Torrey unconscious in the center of the power station. Before they could get to him, the whole station sparked. Jinzo appeared in the electricity. "Let Torrey go," Mana yelled. "Take me as your third sacrifice." She remembered what her spirit friend had said to her. "I'm bonded to the Dark Magician Girl. Surely that'll give you more power than an ordinary student."
"You do emit more power than this one," Jinzo muttered. "I'll accept your offer."
"Two conditions though," Mana said. "First you tell me what happened to the other student who tried to help Torrey. Someone wearing a blue jacket and has spikey black, magenta, and blonde hair. Second condition is we duel. If you win, you get my life energy. If I win, you let Torrey and the other students go."
"A duel?" the spirit hissed. "Very well. I should be able to be sustained by this electrical limbo long enough for a match. As for the human you described, another spirit got him. He offered himself to me in order to save this one, but he vanished before I could absorb him. All I saw was black and gold armor."
Black Luster Soldier? Mana hoped the spirit of her brother's favorite monster had saved him. She shook her head to focus herself and readied her duel disk. Now was not the time to doubt herself. "It's time to duel!" she yelled.
Jinzo took the first move, his cards appearing in front of him like the holograms of the first model of Uncle Seto's duel disk. (2) He summoned Malice Doll of Demise (1600/1700) in attack mode, and then activated the spell Ectoplasmer. Ectoplasmer's effect required each player to sacrifice a monster at the end of their turn and inflict half of that monster's attack points as damage to their opponent. Jinzo sacrificed his Malice Doll and dealt 800 points of damage to Mana.
That spell is going to make things difficult. If I have to sacrifice my monsters every turn, I'll be vulnerable to direct attacks. But maybe. . . . Mana examined the cards in her hand. "I play Summoner Monk (800/1600) in defense mode. And then I'll end my turn with two face-downs.
"You must sacrifice your monster to Ectoplasmer!" Jinzo hissed.
"I don't think so," Mana smirked at her opponent. "Summoner Monk can't be tributed, and since Ectoplasmer requires the monster to be tributed for its effect, I don't have a monster on the field that fills the requirements. You won't get rid of my monsters that easily."
If Mana could see Jinzo's face, she was sure he would grin. "Clever, but it won't help you! I summon Emissary of the Afterlife (1600/600)!" Then he ended his turn and sacrificed his Malice Doll to inflict another 800 points of damage.
Mana's legs began to fade. "Mana!" Jaden yelled.
"What're you doing?" she asked the demented spirit.
"I'm making good on our deal," Jinzo sneered. "I'll take your life energy as you lose your LifePoints."
"Well you'd better be prepared to give that back! My turn!" Mana drew her spell Magical Blast. "I activate the effect of Summoner Monk. By discarding the Magical Blast in my hand, I can special summon a Level 4 monster from my deck. And I choose Magician's Valkyria (1600/1800)." The dark-blonde spellcaster appeared in defense mode, her hook-shaped scepter held in front of her. "Now I tribute my Valkyria to summon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)!" The blonde magician appeared in an explosion of multicolored bubbles.
"Yay! It's Dark Magician Girl!" Syrus looked on with hearts in his eyes.
I forgot he has a card crush on her. Mana rolled her eyes at Syrus's enthusiasm before continuing her move. "And now I equip Dark Magician Girl with Magic Formula!" The spellbook appeared in the magician's hand, raising her attack points by 700. "Go, Dark Magician Girl! Destroy his Emissary! Dark Burning Attack!"
Jinzo laughed as his monster was destroyed and he lost 1100 LifePoints. "Foolish mortal! By sending Emissary to the Graveyard, his special effect is activated! Now each of us can take a normal three-star monster from our decks and add it to our hands."
"No, just you," Mana admitted. "I don't have a monster that fits Emissary's requirements. So I don't get a monster."
"Too bad for you. I choose Thousand-Eyes Idol."
"Well, now I get to use your Ectoplasmer spell against you," Mana kept her combo up. "Sorry, Dark Magician Girl, we'll see you later." Mana ignored the heartache she felt every time her favorite monster went to the Graveyard. "So you take another 1350 points of damage, and I gain 1000 LifePoints because Magic Formula went to the Graveyard." So far, so good. I got him down to 1550 LifePoints, and I still have 3400. If I can just break his Ectoplasmer combo, I can pull this off and save the others.
Jinzo summoned his Malice Doll again and ended his turn by sacrificing it to Ectoplasmer, dropping Mana down to 2600 LifePoints.
Mana drew and activated the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon. "Here's the end to your Ectoplasmer!" she yelled as the spell was destroyed. "Make your move."
The sadistic spirit laughed as he drew. "I summon my Malice Doll of Demise yet again. And now I sacrifice him in order to conjure. . . ," he laughed as he disappeared, "Jinzo (2400/1500)." He reappeared in the midst of the electricity in front of his hand on the field. "And now I can finally destroy that pesky Summoner Monk. Cyber Energy Shock!" The attack left Mana defenseless.
I had a feeling that might happen. So much for using Call of the Haunted to resurrect Dark Magician Girl. Mana grimaced as she assessed the situation. If I don't turn this around, I'm done for. I can't let that happen; I have to win for Atem and the others. Heart of the Cards, please help me! She closed her eyes as she drew. Yes! "I activate the spell card Dark Magic Curtain! By paying half my LifePoints, I can special summon Dark Magician (2500/2100) from my deck." The purple-robed spellcaster famed as being Yugi Muto's most trusted card appeared before Mana. "Destroy Jinzo! Dark Magic Attack!"
Jinzo vanished from the field. Mana saw his spirit move towards Torrey. "Leave him alone!"
"Allow me," the Dark Magician moved in and forced Jinzo away from the fallen Obelisk. Dark Magician? "I promise to protect you and your friends, Mana," she heard the voice come from the spellcaster.
"A spirit?" Jinzo's spirit form asked.
"I did say I was bonded to the Dark Magician Girl," Mana grinned. "I guess that means Dark Magician treats me like his own student. And unlike you, we don't need sacrifices! We're friends first and foremost! And that bond gives us strength!"
Spirit Jinzo returned to his place behind his hand. "I activate Call of the Haunted to raise Jinzo from the Graveyard." Jinzo pulled his vanishing act again and reappeared on the field.
"I play a card face-down and end my turn." Mana braced herself for whatever Jinzo would play.
"I equip Black Pendant and Amplifier to Jinzo," he breathed. "Black Pendant gives me another 500 attack points, and Amplifier allows me to use traps. Now I can destroy your Dark Magician. Cyber Energy Shocker!"
"I don't think so! I activate my face-down card, Enemy Controller!" Thank you so much, Uncle Seto. "Enemy Controller switches the battle position of your monster, so you won't be attacking me this turn."
"Fine, make your move; it'll be your last," Jinzo grumbled.
"You'll regret those words," Mana drew and activated Pot of Greed. "Now I activate the spell Bond Between Teacher and Student! When I have Dark Magician on my field, I can summon Dark Magician Girl from my Graveyard." The spellcaster returned to the field alongside her master. "Next I activate the spell card Dark Magic Attack! Since Dark Magician is on my field, this spell lets him destroy all of your spell and trap cards. And since you're equipped with Amplifier, you'll be destroyed as well." Jinzo vanished from the field again. "And now that you're wide open, my spellcasters are free to attack you directly. Go! Double Dark Magic Attack!"
As the spellcasters' attack hit home, Mana struck a victory pose, a wink while holding a horizontal V with her fingers over her open eye. "And that's game," she declared, taking her best friend's catch phrase.
Before she could celebrate too much, a bright light filled the area. The spirit energy Jinzo had absorbed was released, and it exploded outward, knocking everyone out. When Mana came to, it was dawn and Atem was shaking her awake. "Atem!" she cried and hugged him tight. "I was so worried about you!"
"I tried to take on Jinzo, but he blindsided me. Black Luster Soldier got me out of there, but I had no idea where Jinzo or anyone else had gone. Black Luster Soldier told me you outdueled Jinzo with the Dark Magicians."
They looked over to see all three of the Obelisks back safe and sound. "It looks like it's over," Mana sighed. "But I'm exhausted."
"I'm not surprised; I was beat after that Shadow Game I fought."
"So, we're both seeing spirits now?" Mana asked the obvious.
"Yeah, since the Abandoned Dorm," Atem answered.
"Have any of yours told you about any magical powers?"
"Why?"
The other Slifers started to come to before she could explain. "We'll finish this later," Atem said as he helped his sister to her feet. "Meet me at the waterfall this afternoon. We can talk there."
"Are you guys okay?" the Mutos asked as Slifers got up. They all nodded and went to check on the Obelisks.
"They're all back safe," Banner said.
"Think they'll remember what happened?" Syrus asked.
"It's hard to say," Atem answered. "It might be best if they didn't. Who knows what they went through when Jinzo absorbed them?"
"How about we just let them sleep it off?" Jaden suggested. "I bet their spirits are weary."
Mana elbowed him, "Not funny, Jaden!"
Atem smirked. "Well, I'm sure my uncle Joey would have found it amusing," he said.
"Then his sense of humor needs adjusting," Syrus said. They all walked back to the dorm laughing.
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Mana hid in a tree nearby the waterfall. She still had plenty of time before Atem was supposed to arrive, and since no one else was around, this was the perfect time to pull a flying-tackle attack on him. It had been too long since she had been able to do this—she tried to behave in class, or at least stay out of trouble. Well, serious trouble. And Atem had thought she would be starting things; Mana never thought she would find someone who was as much of a trouble magnet as her. Jaden was probably even more of one.
She suppressed a giggle as she heard footsteps coming towards her. Through the three branches, she spotted her brother's spikey tri-colored hair. Just a little closer.
When Atem was within range of the tree, Mana jumped free and tackled him. The force sent him toppling backwards. The siblings landed in a heap with Mana laughing on top.
"I should have known better," Atem sighed. "How long were you waiting up there?"
"About twenty minutes," Mana replied. "I couldn't pass up the chance to surprise you."
"Anyway, we came to talk about the spirits," the older Muto got to the point and pushed his sister off him.
"Yeah, I've mainly been seeing Dark Magician Girl since we went to the Abandoned Dorm," Mana started, "though Dark Magician did speak to me during my duel with Jinzo."
"And I've seen Black Luster Soldier," Atem added.
"And I know Jaden's been seeing Winged Kuriboh," Mana finished. "Basically all of us who went to the Shadow Realm that night. Though Chumley says he hears the spirits, I think since before then, but he hasn't said anything about seeing them."
"So why us?" her brother asked. "Dad never said anything about seeing spirits in this world other than the Pharaoh. (3)"
"Have you noticed any other unusual powers?" Mana asked.
"Define unusual."
"Dark Magician Girl says I can use her power and that I have magic. I also found a strange book in my room a couple days ago; it looks like some kind of spellbook."
Atem narrowed his eyes as he thought about it. "Dad never mentioned any unusual powers after the Pharaoh left," he reasoned, "but maybe . . . he did mention Uncle Seto being able to read hieroglyphs instinctually because he was connected to ancient Egypt. Following that logic, maybe Dad has some powers he doesn't know about that he passed onto us. And he did say the Pharaoh had practiced some magic with Mahad and Mana also. Maybe that carried over as well."
"I guess that makes as much sense as anything else," Mana pulled out her Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl cards and looked at them. "What all has Black Luster Soldier told you?"
"Not much," Atem admitted as he pulled out his card. "He's pretty much just bailed me out of trouble when I needed it, like at the Abandoned Dorm or with Jinzo."
"Maybe he's your Ka," Mana joked.
Atem rolled his eyes. "Just because we're named after ancient Egyptians doesn't mean we are."
"Lighten up, Prince."
"Anyway, I think you should look into that spellbook and listen to whatever Dark Magician Girl tells you. I have a feeling things are only going to get weirder, and I'm sure we can trust them. They've had our backs long before we were able to talk to them."
"Sure thing, Prince," Mana hugged her brother. "Let's just hope I can get more than half the spells to work if I really can do magic."
"I think if you get any spells to work it'll be more than anyone else can do," Atem chuckled as he returned the hug.
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I hate tennis! Why do we have to play tennis of all things? Mana grumbled as she struggled to hit fast moving felt balls in class. Her partner was getting annoyed with her for continuing to miss her hits. She swung at the ball, and her feet went out from under her and her face went into the field. Tennis really isn't my game.
As her partner helped her to her feet, Mana noticed a commotion in the other courts. Jaden spiked his ball severely out of bounds, and it was heading straight for Alexis. He called a warning, but before she could react, another student swooped in and struck the ball. Its course changed to target an unsuspecting Dr. Crowler. The ball hit Crowler in the face, and he was not a happy camper about it. He's going to find some way to blame this on Jaden. Even though Jaden didn't even hit him with that darn ball. Mana sighed and tried to imagine the punishment Crowler would give her friend this time.
Mana caught up with Jaden after class. "So, how'd it go?" she asked, referring to his meeting with Crowler.
"I have to join the tennis club and do whatever the captain says," Jaden sighed.
"I suppose it could be worse," Mana tried to cheer him up. "How about Syrus and I come along and watch? We can make sure it's entertaining at least."
"For you or me?" Jaden laughed. "Either way, I'll take you up on that offer."
"Great, see you then," Mana promised.
Mana headed to the courts when classes were done. Where is Syrus? He said he'd meet me here. Syrus had not been happy when Mana told him Jaden's predicament. When he finally arrived, he seemed even more frazzled than normal. "Syrus, what's wrong now?" she asked.
"I found out the tennis captain is the guy who really hit Crowler, which is really unfair to Jaden," Syrus exclaimed.
"Sy, I already figured that out," Mana pointed to the guy drilling Jaden on the field. "And I'm not surprised Dr. Crowler decided to punish Jaden for it. That guy's an Obelisk Blue—I want to say his name's Harrington or something—and Dr. Crowler doesn't like Slifers, Jaden in particular. The only thing we can do is suck it up and help Jaden get through this. It's not like he has to join the team permanently; I think it's just for a couple of days."
"If you say so," Syrus turned his attention to the field. A couple minutes later Jasmine and Mindy walked in to watch also.
Harrington drilled Jaden harder and harder. The Slifer held his own, but it was obvious his stamina was no match for the Obelisk. Jaden eventually dropped to his knees to catch his breath. The captain gave him no rest though, and Jaden had to jump back into action. He tried to hit the ball, but he fell over his own feet and landed on his back.
"Come on, Jaden," Harrington grinned. "No pain, no gain. You gotta hustle to build that muscle. You gotta sweat to become a threat. If you don't pick up the pace you won't win the race."
"Okay, I get it," Jaden said as he got to his feet. "You can lay off the sports clichés, I get it; I get it."
"There's no letter 'I' in the word team, Jaden," the captain went on. "That's the very first rule in tennis."
"Really?" the Slifer asked. "Even when you're playing singles?"
Harrington prepared to have Jaden do a thousand forward hands and backhands—Mana assumed it was some tennis terminology. She didn't really understand half of what the captain said; she just knew Jaden was reaching his limit. Syrus and Jasmine agreed Harrington was kind of obsessive; Mindy just wanted him to obsess over her. She really does bounce her crushes around.
After Jaden did ten strokes, he fell to the ground to catch his breath. As he breathed, Alexis picked up the ball and walked over to Jaden. Mindy called a greeting, which drew Harrington's attention. Mana noticed the love-struck look in his eyes. Great, another guy with a crush on Alexis. Mana rolled her eyes as she walked over to Alexis. She knew the Obelisk girl wasn't interested in any guys, but that didn't stop guys from being interested in her. Mana just hoped this guy would pass without incident.
Alexis ignored Harrington and went straight to the fallen Slifer. "Jaden, you won't believe what I just heard," she said.
"What is it?" Mana asked.
"I was on my way here and I ran into Professor Banner. He told me someone spotted Chazz."
"No kidding," Jaden said.
"Where is he?" Mana asked.
"Hey! Time out!" Harrington interrupted their conversation.
"What is your problem?" Mana confronted the tennis captain.
"You can't talk to a first round pick like Alexis!" Harrington ignored Mana and focused on Jaden. "I mean, you can't even return a buggywhip with some top spin! So stay away from my little Obelisk pixie! Just step away from the beautiful girl! You're way out of your league! Do not make me go athletic on you!"
"Dude, chill out!" Mana chastised him. She hated guys who thought they were the best and any girl they want should fall all over them. Mana referred to them as the "Gaston" type. (4) "Alexis isn't yours; she's free to talk to whomever she wants."
"Yeah, we're just talking here," Jaden added before turning his attention back to Alexis. "Now, you were saying, Lex?"
Jaden's habit of calling his friends by some nickname infuriated Harrington even more. "Lex?" he shouted. "What is that? Some kind of pet name? Where'd it come from? What does it mean? What's it short for?"
"Alexis, duh," Mana answered his last question. "Gee, if you really think you're in love with her, you should at least know what her friends call her and not flip out when she talks to them. Geez."
Again, Mana was invisible to the captain. Great, the one time I don't care to be invisible, and I'm completely ignored.
Harrington decided the only way to deal with Jaden was to duel him—with the stakes being the winner becoming Alexis's fiancé. The prize girl was not happy with it. Jaden on the other hand wasn't fazed and just looked forward to dueling instead of whatever tennis training they were doing before. Mana pulled Alexis aside as they guys readied their duel disks. "If you want help shaking either of these guys when this is done, I've got your back," she said.
"Thanks," Alexis focused on the guys. "I might need it."
The other Obelisk girls were excited. "So how do you feel about getting married, Alexis?" Mindy squealed. Mana rolled her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time since she walked into the courts.
"I'm not getting married or engaged," Alexis insisted. "The only reason I haven't walked out is to see if the rumors are true—that Harrington's really as good as Zane and Atem."
"No way this guy's as good as they are," Mana insisted. "He's too full of himself to seriously consider the skill level of his opponent. His arrogance will come back to bite him eventually."
Harrington's arrogance carried into his dueling. Not to mention his love of tennis as well. His tennis-themed cards pummeled Jaden, and his snarky attitude put Jaden down at every opportunity. Good thing Jaden's not easily shaken. The tennis player quickly took the lead in LifePoints, but Jaden managed to even the score with a double direct attack from Avian and Rampart Blaster.
The tennis captain threw dueling to the wayside with his Deuce spell card. LifePoints no longer mattered; the players just had to damage each other twice in a row, but they could only attack with one monster. This is ridiculous. Mana rolled her eyes yet again at the Obelisk. "Am I the only one who never wants to play tennis again after today?" she asked her friends. They were too focused on whether or not Jaden would be able to avoid a second hit from Harrington's Service Ace spell to answer.
Jaden was, and made his own attack on Harrington. Using his Feather Shot spell, Avian was able to attack once for every monster on Jaden's field. The multiple shots of damage left Harrington in the agony of defeat. Mana grinned as the snobby Obelisk was put in his place. He ran out of the courts crying of his supposedly broken heart.
Jaden turned to the rest of his friends. "So, Alexis, guess I'm your fiancé." The other girls and Syrus looked at each other in a mixture of confusion and awe. "So what's fiancé mean anyhow?" And everyone's mood came crashing down. And people say I'm dense? Mana slapped her palm to her forehead.
How Alexis kept a straight face, Mana will never know. "It means friend, at least for now, big guy," she answered. Everyone agreed to leave it at that.
1. The doctor's voice actor in the dub is the same as Grandpa Muto.
2. See the duel Yugi and Kaiba have on top of Pegasus's castle during the first season.
3. Atem and Mana just refer to the spirit of the Puzzle as Pharaoh for distinction from Yugi's son.
4. Mana has spent some time watching Disney movies, plus I thought it was a good description for Harrington.
Thank you for reading!