Chapter 14: Crazy?, wait till you see this.

With the group about to land in Venice within a few minutes Jaden couldn't help but look a bit sad as Alexis noticed it as she asked.

" what's wrong?"

Jaden snapping out of it as he replied.

" here I am on an adventure of a lifetime and I don't have any time to wander around….."

Alexis sighed as she comforted him by saying.

" I know what you mean, so I'll make a promise with you."

Intrigued Jaden asked.

" oh yeah?!, what kind of promise?"

Alexis smiled at him pleasantly.

" next time we're on break from school, we'll set off on a quiet adventure."

At that moment a slow but sudden realization settled in Jaden's mind as he began feeling a bit flustered as he began saying.

" we… what do you mean exactly?, just you and me? Or we as a group….. I don't mind either way….. in fact I'd like it a lot if it means you and me that is….."

Sharing that flustered feeling Alexis quickly changed the subject by asking.

" do we know exactly when and where we're meeting Pegasus? Since Adrian was the one to set it up and all?"

At that jaden admitted he had no idea since he let Adrian take care of the pesky details such as times and dates with Hao doing the same foor the exact same reason as Henry Rhodes the second stepped into the conversation.

" Adrian filled me in before his stand off at the airport, Pegasus will be attending the grand opening of a luxury dueling hotel in Venice for the next three days."

The prospect of a dueling hotel got both Alexis and Jaden excited though they had to remind themselves that this wasn't a leisure visit, to drive the point further home, as soon as the group disembarked from the plane quickly as they headed towards the Gondolas as Jaden asked Hao quietly.

" do you get sea sick?"

Hao replied as follows.

' not that I am aware of, what about you?'

Jaden responded back with.

" same."

The gondola ride to the new luxury hotel began smoothly and quietly as can be as Jaden kept a watchful eye as a precaution with Hao asking midway through the voyage.

' would you mind if I handle the negotiations with Pegasus?'

Smirking to himself.

" well not really but I do know how to schmooze people too you know."

Hao smirked back.

' clearly it shows considering how well you handled your last conversation…'

Jaden laughed sarcastically.

" that's a low blow even for you."

While sharing the same Gondola as Jaden Alexis couldn't help but snicker as she overheard the conversation.

" you do know that talking to yourself is never a good sign."

With that both teens shared a good natured laugh as Jaden stated.

" oh not to worry, I'm getting plenty replies back."

The good natured laughs continued until the group reached their destination as the older Rhodes drew the attention of the remaining group.

" Jaden? What's your approach here?"

Jaden answered as the group entered the new dueling luxury hotel.

" honesty is the best policy right?, besides if I need convincing I'll let Hao handle that part."

At that the usually quiet and stoic Axel Brody cuts to the chase.

" any one knows where exactly we can find Pegasus before our enemies do?"

Jaden replied with.

" simple, where does the creator of dueling spends his time?, wherever a duel is being played and since it's an opening day, let's find the biggest crowd that we can find."

With that the group nodded as they split up into groups of three all searching for Pegasus as Hao pointed out.

'that was a surprisingly logical deduction on your end.'

Jaden at that smirked saying.

" you can make any kind of joke about me, I've heard them all."

Hao in turn smirked back.

'not the point I was making.'

Jaden took the opportunity to ask.

" speaking of pointing, can you point me in the right direction?"

Hao's only response was.

' I can.'

Jaden at this point asked humorously.

" and will you point me in the right direction?"

Hao playfully shrugged until he relented while directing Jaden towards the elevator after he specifically requested it.

' since I know how you think allow me to ask this, what if Pegasus is not holding his exhibition duel on the roof of this establishment?'

As Jaden pressed the button to the top floor he corrected him.

" first it;s the top floor because an audience this big wouldn't fit all on the roof and besides, if he's not there we'll at least have an easier time spotting him ffrom a bird's eye view."

Hao couldn't argue with that logic considering that if he was born and raised in this time period he'd likely think with the same logic mindset. As the two stepped out of the elevator they continued the search for Pegasus as Alexis signaled them.

" did you find him?"

Alexis beamed at him as she stated while giving him a stack of posters, specifically those with the image of Pegasus.

" let me guess? An excuse to get closer to him?"

Alexis scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

" yeah….. I may overdone it just a bit….."

Jaden smiled at her.

" don't worry about it, I really wouldn't have done better."

With that said and done the search continued just as they caught an extravagant duel was wrapping up with Pegasus himself thanking the participants as he instructed them to form a single line, by the time it was Jaden's turn to meet him the older man asked.

" to whom shall I dedicate it for?"

Jaden at that responded as follows.

" from one king to another, my friend the Supreme king of gentle darkened."

Pegasus smirked.

" well that's a new one for sure."

Hao at this point took control.

Noticing the subtle changes in Jaden's demeanor and even eye color Pegasus at that suggested calmly.

" why don't we find a secluded room to talk in?"

With that said and done the two made their way toward a quiet place to talk in as the two entered with Pegasus stating.

" may I offer some refreshments to his highness?"

Hao replied with.

' as much as I would love nothing more than enjoy your hospitality I ventured here for the Evil Heroes cards.'

Pegasus at that stated that he understood as he began making a few phone calls, at the end of those phone calls. While Hao waited for the cards to arrive safely,, going over the new deck Hao eventually said.

' a thousand thanks Pegasus.'

Pegasus at that replied with.

" no thanks are necessary. Just make sure our world's safe."

At this point in time Jaden asked to take over as he said.

" give Chumley my regards."

As Pegasus gave his word Jaden was ready to move on armed with a whole new set of cards, heading outside he was met with Alexis waiting on him.

" are we ready to leave?"

Alexis responded with.

" it will be ready by tomorrow, in the meantime why don't we explore the sites a bit?"

Smiling a little Jaden asked.

" can we start with the hotel's restaurant? I'm starving…."

Alexis stifled a giggle.

" why am I not surprised?"

With that the two headed to the hotel's restaurant as Maximilian Pegasus addressed them.

" feel free to order anything you'd like Jaden boy lunch is on me."

Jaden smiled as he said.

" thanks I owe you one."

As the two bid Pegasus farewell the duo made it to the restaurant where the two of them ordered a light meal Jaden however for some reason was spacing out as he barely touched a plate of fried shrimp as Alexis asked.

" is everything alright there you two?, you're beginning to worry me a little…"

Jaden at that apologized.

" sorry I just had something on my mind….."

Alexis clearly determined to help Jaden asked.

" care to share it with me?"

breathing deeply Jaden got straight to the point.

" how many of Atti's friends went missing in that abandoned dorm?"

Alexis at that sighed as she responded.

" I know he had at least one good friend among them with at least a couple more he considered them acquaintances , why are you asking?"

Jaden answered truthfully.

" something that your mom said about him feeling extremely lonely stuck with me."

Alexis at that continued the conversation with.

" you're probably wondering if that's why Atticus isn't putting much of a fight against Nightshroud am I right?"

Jaden regrettably nodded.

" yeah, that seems about right…."

Before he could say anything else Alexis stopped him saying.

" focus on what needs to happen moving forward, don't get hung up on the past."

At that very moment a sudden chill filled the room as everyone around Alexis and Jaden froze while the two continued to function as normal while a familiar voice spoke up, Atticus in Nightshroud's attire minus the dragon mask.

" you disappoint me little sis…"

Alexis trying not to let his voice get the better of her as she asked.

" oh!?, and how so Atticus?"

Atticus responded calmly but still the anger and vitriol were clearly present.

" he should feel lousy for only saving me while completely forgetting about the remaining students in the abandoned dorms… you remember how it felt being helpless when no one was offering you solace when I went missing right?"

At that Jaden or rather how interrupted.

' so this is what the parasite offered you?, help him feed on people's darkness and in return he will reunite you with your friends?'

Atticus smirked at that remark.

" ha… I actually know better than to trust that snake in the grass…. no, I'm taking over his power to actually do the job that you should've done to begin with… you hero you!"

Hao at that got straight to the chase.

' so what's the purpose of this little visit?'

Atticus returned the gesture in kind.

" I'm issuing a warning, stay out of my way unless you want me to take away your powers to finish the job that you wouldn't."

At that Avion, Burstinatrix and Winged Kurriboh materialized in spirit form to defend Jaden and Hao while the hero duelist simply responded with.

" thanks but there's really no need."

The trio didn't disappear as they still kept their guard up when Jaden spoke.

" you know what Atticus, you're right, I should've thought about the others who disappeared but you forgot one thing yourself."

Atticus gestured him to continue figuring that this is ought to be something good.

" you still had friends in me, Alexis and the rest of the gang, so like a true friend I'll never stop protecting you, even from yourself."

Atticus, at least for a split second was taken aback by that before wearing a neutral expression as he stated before disappearing back into the shadows.

" I guess you've made your decision."

Right after Atticus disappeared Jaden wasted no time as he mentally summoned Yubel.

' I am at your service.'

With that said and done Yubel gave an update report on how things went down as he in turn gave her strict instructions to never let Atticus out of her sights. Just as Yubel acknowledged and disappeared from view Hao addressed Alexis.

' is the plane prepped for take off?'

Alexis's reply was.

" yeah why?"

both Hao and Jaden answered in unison.

' because he's going after a power I wouldn't wish anyone to try and struggle with."

With the two hurrying on out towards the lobby Jaden spoke up.

" speaking off friends, Chazz and the others are just fine and are on their way to meet up with us."

Alexis at that sighed in relief.

" thank goodness for at least that."

Speaking of friends and family even, the group made it in record time back to the airport as the Rhode's family jet was prepped and ready to leave when another private jet, this one owned by the gecko financial group landed and came to a stop a few good yards away as Jim and the rest of the group disembarked as said older teen pointed towards Chazz.

" sorry we're late but this one threw a tantrum about air travel."

Adrian at this backed that statement.

" apparently he has a severe fear of flying."

At that Chazz protested while in the meantime tried to get his bearings together.

" it's an extreme dislike thank you very much…"

Before this conversation could develop further Jaden was the first to greet them.

" you guys made it… great now get on board we have a new destination to get to."

With that the new arrivals made their way to the jet as Chazz's face paled even more than usual when faced with the fought of escaping one metal death trap only to get dragged into another one,, a flying one to make things even worse but before he could protest Jaden and Hao alike pushed him on to the jet.

" hands off, I have feet you know….."

jaden rolled his eyes on the comment with the duo now on the jet as said aircraft began it's pull on to the runway with Henry Rhodes the second behind the controls.

" so where to now?"

Hao replied with.

' keep heading north of here, we don't want to lead our enemies anywhere specific just in case they follow our movements closely."

With that the jet took off while Chazz was either fidgeting in his seat or fighting the urge to make too many trips to the bathroom.

' you were not making light of the fact that you despise flying.'

Chazz at that made himself perfectly clear for Hao.

" I've said it before and I'll say it again, I dislike flying but I'm not afraid of it."

Hao at that asked bluntly.

' so what are you afraid of?'

Scoffing, Chazz replied as follows.

" I'm more afraid of getting stuck in a room with Jaden with no means of escaping."

Hao chuckled as Chazz asked.

" am I missing something here?"

Hao at that simply smirked.

' at least you're not stuck in his mind like I am.'

At this Chazz admitted.

" now that's a scary thought."

With that both teens began smirking as Jaden intervened in the conversation.

" you do realize that I'm right here right?"

The duo in turn ignored Jaden as he sighed in defeat as Hao told himself quietly.

' okay, that is far enough.'

As Hao made it towards the cockpit he knocked on the door before entering as he saw Henry Rhodes the second and a couple more crew members occupying the space as the head captain said.

" have you decided on a destination yet?"

Hao gave them the destination in question and just when he was about to leave said pilot asked him.

" could you stay for a bit? I need to talk to you your majesty."

Hao at that accepted the older man's request graciously. The two struck up a conversation in which Hao gave more information about where they were headed next with the older man thanking both him and Jaden for trying to reach Atticus as eventually Hao was asked.

" what do you intend to do once you defeat this great evil?"

Hao replied honestly.

' I intend on keeping a promise I made to an old friend.'

Henry Rhodes the second at that smirked as he dismissed the hero duelist as Jaden asked.

" say?, need my help with keeping that promise Hao?"

Hao gave a genuine smile.

' what a thoughtful boy you are, I shall consider it.'

With that Hao took his seat as he arrange the new cards he received from Pegasus before taking a cue from the rest of the group, taking a much needed nap since their destination will take 10 hours , more or less. About an hour passed as a shadowy figure materialized next to Hao, a hellish looking creature named Evil hero Malicious Edge.

' may I help you with anything?'

Malicious Edge replied as such.

' I need stimulation…. May I torment the one in all black my liege?'

Hao responded with.

' he can see any of you.'

Malicious Edge commented with intrigue.

' interesting….. and what about the girl?'

Hao at that dropped the playful pretense.

' you so much as touch her and you will find yourself missing an arm.'

Knowing how serious his master could be malicious Edge disappeared as he returned to the deck as Jaden asked.

" what was that all about?, should I be worried?!"

Hao reassured Jaden.

' only if you do not rule over them with an iron fist.'

After hearing that Jaden decided to spend the next few hours trying and learning everything about these Evil Heroes as Hao obliged sparing no detail.

' so does the information puts your mind at ease?'

Jaden answered bluntly.

" not really but at least it's better than being caught with your pants down."

Allowing himself a small laugh Hao stated

' as I said before… rule over them with an iron fist.'

In the meantime within the shadow zone.

' what have you got to report?'

With that the mysterious figure who accompanies Nightshroud stated.

' still no potential new recruits sire'

Nightshroud, deep in thought stated.

' maybe we're looking too far away from home.'

With that both Nightshroud and the mysterious figure disappeared into the shadows as they continued searching for new henchmen after losing most of their force to the Supreme king of gentle darkness.

Back in Domino city, around 00:00 Am

As Nightshroud materialized in the city he concentrated his power causing a few shadow creatures to emerge from his own shadow as said creatures were looking for prey to feed upon as said leader instructed.

' let's not over look Jaden's friends and family.'

Before Nightshroud could do anything else he felt a particular resistance from within as Atticus exclaimed angrily.

" I call the shots here… got it?!….. now you either leave them alone or you let me handle them!…."

Nightshroud at that only scoffed as he pointed out.

' you've put them in countless dangerous positions over the last few days and all of a sudden you become squeamish about hurting them?'

At that Atticus snapped back.

" don't get me wrong, I will accomplish my goals and I will use your powers to do it, but let's face it….."

Humoring him Nightshroud allowed his host to continue.

" your strategy backfired on you spectacularly since you've lost three pawns already….."

Nightshroud couldn't help but agree with that point as he relented control as he stated.

' don't disappoint me.'

Atticus scoffed.

" as if."

With that said and done Atticus gave Nightshroud's creatures the following commands, to feed on the city's dark energy and to bring Jaden's friends and everyone else he considered as having potential for that matter in frontof h im for a little test. As he observed the creatures spread throughout the city's shadows a different kind of observer has decided to disappear from view.

The Truesdale's household, on the outskirts of Domino city.

Syrus Truesdale, Jaden's best friend and all around his adopted younger brother couldn't get to sleep the last few days knowing that the hero duelist was off on another crazy adventure, maybe his craziest yet, while he was left behind feeling useless. As he got towards the kitchen for a glass of water he failed to notice the shadows in his house warping around him as Yubel appeared outside, floating in to protect him by slipping into his body.

' remain calm and listen carefully.'

Syrus was inwardly freaking out however he wasn't in the dark completely with the craziness Jaden got himself involved with as he asked.

" you're Yubel right?…. May I ask why you felt it necessary to invade my body?"

Yubel nodded as she replied, mirroring his demeanor in kind.

' my sincere apologies little one but your life is very much in danger, we must get out of here.'

Not wanting to get into an argument with a duel monster, spirit or otherwise, Syrus ran back to his room, changed quickly and bolted out the door as he stated.

" since I'm choosing to trust you please tell me everything you know."

Yubel obliged him Telling him everything that happened so far with both Jaden and Atticus, with Nightshroud too to some extent while Syrus strapped on his duel disc, slotting his deck, ready to use it at a moment's notice.

" so this Nightshroud character wants to try and use Jay's friends against him so he could psych him out and throw him off his game, is that about right?"

Yubel nodded as she stated.

' you do not seem to be terrified.'

Syrus at that replied back.

" he tried the same trick before you know, trapped me and a good friend of mine in an active volcano…."

Before Yubel could comment on that Syrus asked abruptly.

" I don't usually do this but could I ask you for a favor?"

Yubel quietly nodded.

" since you're already possessing me, could you help me out with my dueling?, the last thing I need is to worry Jay because I lost a duel."

Yubel at that responded bluntly.

' I will help you but I will not fight your battles for you.'

Syrus at that nodded meekly before he walked away from his house. As a few moments passed before he began jogging towards a specific direction.

' where are you headed to?'

Syrus replied Yubel's question without slowing down.

" first I'm heading towards the closest police station I can find and then I'll call for backup just to make sure that nothing will happen to my friends."

Yubel concluded the conversation by saying.

' a sound plan considering the situation we are in at the moment.'

Feeling encouraged Syrus made it in no time to the nearest police station and after convincing the receptionist that he was afraid that he was being stalked by an unknown suspect a police officer allowed him to stay in the precinct for long enough to contact his family as he called his big brother Zane.

' syrus, what is it?'

Syrus at that began to sweat nervously as he would never get used to Zane's deadpan approach and delivery.

" well… I may have gotten myself in over my head with something…"

Zane asked immediately.

' Jaden?!'

Syrus at that elaborated a bit further.

" it involves Atticus as well, I know you're busy but can you come over and pick me up?"

Zane sighing over the phone in a softer tone.

' where are you now?'

Syrus responded with.

" the nearest police station to our house."

At that Syrus heard Zane conclude the conversation with.

" smart thinking on your part little bro."

Zane at that instructed Syrus to wait for him outside the police station near the parking lot as he already made his way towards his current location. Arriving at a record time of 20 minutes Zane greeted his brother by saying.

" get in quickly."

Syrus did as he was told as he entered what for all tense and purposes was a modest two seater Zane wasted no time by saying.

" do your best and tell everything that happened to you, Jaden and the rest of our friends."

As the duo drove around the city keeping themselves mobile to an attack Syrus described the situation as best as he could without being sidetracked as Zane changed directions mid drive.

" so Atticus disappeared yet again only to try and hurt us because Jaden got himself into trouble again."

Syrus at that started to laugh nervously before saying.

" actually there's one thing I haven't got around to mention yet…"

With that Yubel took over as she managed to get the attention of the usually stoic Zane as she recounted her part of the story with Zane responded in a calm but definitely aggressive tone.

" so let me get it straight, you're a duel spirit monster charged with protecting Jaden and this supreme king, yet you took it upon yourself to possess my little brother?"

Yubel replied with.

' indeed I have.'

Zane in turn replied as follows.

" once this danger is over you'll exorcise yourself from my brother's body or else I'll give you hell to pay for, do we have an understanding?"

Yubel at that smirked.

' on my honor as a guardian.'

At this point Syrus asked bluntly.

" so where are we headed?"

Zane didn't mince words as he said the following.

" we're driving around for a while until we find Atticus, if he's out of the picture then the rest should fall easily."

With that said and done the duo continued driving into the night fighting the xreatures Nightshroud summoned while managing to save Jazz and Mindy from being victims to Nightshroud's schemes. It was around 03:00 Am by this point as the two were driving past the Rhode's household as Syrus asked sleepily.

" I sure hope we'll find him here…."

Zane sighed as he said.

" I share your sentiment but we can't let our guard down."

With that the two rang the doorbell to the house however no one was answering it as Syrus struggled to keep his eyes open.

"Syrus, meet me back in the car."

Syrus did what he was told as Zane waited a tad longer before leaving the grounds altogether, as he reached his car he noticed that his little brother fell asleep in the passenger's seat. As Zane made sure that Syrus was comfortable enough Yubel materialized in physical form.

" how long can you maintain this form?"

Yubel replied.

" long enough to keep watch over both of you while you two take a much needed rest."

Zane was about to argue that he had no intention of resting just yet when Yubel countered him.

" you are no good to anyone exhausted, while I am around I will make sure nothing befalls Jaden's friends."

Nodding Zane made himself comfortable in the driver's seatbefore falling into a comfortable sleep as Yubel kept her word.

About seven hours later.

Syrus was the first to wake up as he checked the clock on the dashboard almost freaking out as he read it as 10:10 Am until Yubel approached.

" do not panic your brother is sleeping next to you."

Syrus at that whispered quietly.

" that's why I'm panicking…. Jaden's counting on me to help him, keeping everyone safe and what do I do?!….. literally sleeping on the job…."

Zane stirred a bit as he woke up.

" Syrus you've done the responsible thing, now let's move on."

With that said and done the duo began to drive off before Yubel faded from view as Syrus took a moment for himself to wake up as he stated.

" I may have an idea on where we could find Atticus."

Smirking Zane replied as follows.

" how much will you bet on that we've got the same idea?"

Syrus at that murmured to himself as he fished out his cellphone contacting Jaden.

' hey there little buddy, how's things back home?'

Syrus breathing deeply said in response.

" Atticus made his move, I believe he's targeting people we know as we speak, starting with his family."

Alert, Jaden ended the conversation by saying.

'…. I was afraid of that….. hold on…'

Holding, Syrus eventually was passed over to Alexis as she gave him the exact address her mom was at that moment as he politely hung up before telling Zane.

" I know where he's headed to.."

As Syrus gave Zane the coordinates all he could think of at the moment was.

' god… please don't let us be too late…'

Too late it wasn't since for the last hour or so Nightshroud and the creatures he summoned were feeding off of the anxiety, fears and insecurities that downtown Domino city provided especially since the location was a prime location for feeding, the biggest restaurant under Mariam Rhode's management. As the Truesdale duo made it to the address in question Zane didn't waste any time as he parked near an alley where the shadows were dominant.

" show yourself Atticus I know you're here."

A sarcastic laugh filled the air as said older teen appeared from the shadows in question.

" good for you, what do you want? a cookie?"

Zane replied briskly.

" I want to know why a son would target and terrorize his own mother."

Atticus at this point just full on laughed.

" because I knew it would draw you, though I was hoping to catch little Syrus alone."

Sensing the nervous aura around Syrus Atticus spoke to him in a friendly yet condescending tone.

" hey there little guy, how about you playing the live bait again?, you seem to be good at that."

Zane at that raised his tone in a threatening manner.

" leave him out of this Henry!"

Atticus dropped the friendly tone.

" don't call me that Zane, nobody gets to call me that unless I say so."

Zane at that grinned at Atticus.

" I don't recognize your authority."

With that Zane prepared for a duel as Atticus did the same.

" Syrus, I need you to do something for me."

Syrus at that listened tentiviley.

" make sure that Mariam Rhodes is safe and as far away from both Nightshroud or Atticus while I stay behind to distract them."

Syrus at that mustered all the courage that he could at the moment as he acknowledged Zane's request before sprinting in the direction of the restaurant.

" who said I gave you permission to leave?"

Before Atticus could do anything though Zane summoned a few of his Cyber Dragons to act as a line of defense while Syrus made his escape.

" I call the shots here Henry!"

At that Atticus sighed in disappointment.

" and here I thought I could still consider you as a friend."

Zane shot back.

" you have a funny way of being friendly."

With an intense battle starting in the background Syrus ran as fast as he could into the restaurant looking for Mariam within the crowds of patrons and employees alike, luckily for him said woman noticed him.

" well if it isn't Syrus Truesdale, what can I do for you?"

Syrus politely yet quickly answered.

" we need to talk somewhere privately, it's about Atticus."

mariam thankfully didn't cause him any trouble by doubting him or make him feel like he was crazy but before anything else could happen a massive shockwave rocked the restaurant as it signaled that the biggest fight is yet to begin between the forces of Nightshroud and Jaden's group of friends was about to begin.

Back with Zane and Atticus.

Zane was panting heavily as Atticus summoned his ace monsters on to the battle field.

" run now while you still have a chance."

Zane scoffed.

" and abandon my friends?!… never…"

Next time: The well known secret.