Chapter Seventy-Three
73
Plenty Of Fish In The Sea
"Couldn't this have waited til morning!?" Jaden asked under heavy breaths as he followed suit behind the Ra student.
"No!" Bastion declared, calling out for Tania once again.
"Wait up...!" Syrus groaned leading the rest of the group behind him...Because once Bastion all but kidnapped Jaden, he thought it wise to grab for go for back up, dragging along Connar, who in turn dragged along Princeton with her.
It's not like either of them were sleeping anyway.
"We though you could use some support~" said Alexis, grinning toward Jaden who nodded to her in his gratitude. The foliage rustled and the sounds of a beast came through-
"Ah- it's her!" said Bastion as the Amazon's tiger leapt through the brush with Tania riding amongst the back of the beast like the whore of Babylon-
"Can't you take a hint?" she said dismissively, leering down at the love stricken fool, "I already dumped you...remember?"
"He wants a rematch!" Jaden declared.
"Hmph...well, he can't have one." Tania scoffed, "But...you seem quite brave~"
"I do!?" Jaden giggled, he seemed almost flustered by that comment, "Ahh- But- I'm here for my friend!"
"Well- he can't have one." said Tania, "I duel you- or there's no duel."
"I never back down from a challenge!" said Jaden, "I'll do it for Bastion!"
Well...that's just Jaden, isn't it?
Connar chuckled to herself as she watched the brunette from his backside.
Passionate, modest at times...but always loyal...
Her expression twitched softly as the twinge of a familiar bitter sweet pain tigged at her heart, looking at the back of his head as she replaces him in her mind...with the image of someone else she knew some time ago...before she shipped off to start school here...
It was just the past summer since she last saw him...so the pain still remained bittersweet in her heart. Chazz couldn't help but take notice of the change in her composure...wondering what it could be that weighed on her mind at a time like this...
They moved in and crowded a small croup section of the stadium to look down on the match that was soon about to take place.
"You know the rules." said Tania holding out two decks, "If you lose this duel, you lose your spirit key, and- single status. Meaning you move here into this battle arena with me, and become my husband forever more!"
"I sure hope that Jaden knows what he's doing..." Chazz mumbled.
"Why, would you rather it be you down there in his place?" Connar mumbled as she folded her arms, "Are you mad about it or something? Jealous maybe?"
"What!?" Chazz huffed, "You've got to be kidding me, you think I want a shot at being a husband to a crazy woman!? Have you lost it!?"
"Hmph.." Connar scoffed and and hooked on leg over the other, kicking it irritably as she puffed her cheeks.
"Hey seriously- what gives with the attitude..." he mumbles.
Wow...Chazz really is an idiot...
Alexis sighed to herself.
"You bet I know the rules." Said Jaden in response to the Shadow Rider before him, "And when I'm done- Bastion will know you don't have to be in love to duel with passion!"
"What do you say we start this, hun?" Tania smirked.
"LET'S DUEL!"
Tania: 4000
Jaden: 4000
"All right Tania, Get your Game on!" Said Jaden, swiping the first move for himself, "I Summon Elemental Hero Avian- in Defense mode!" he stated.
Elemental Hero Avian
ATK: 1000
DEF: 1000
"That's your move?" Tania scoffed as she took her draw, "Well I have a monster that will clip your Avaian's wongs!" she stated, "I Summon Amazoness Paladin!"
Amazoness Paladin
ATK: 1700
DEF: 300
"And while Paladin's on the firled, she gains and extra 100 points for every single monster out with Amazoness in its name!"
Amazoness Paladin
ATK:1700- 1800
DEF: 300
"And I activate this spell- known as Amazoness Charm!" she states, "With this, all of your monsters in defense mode are now switched to attack mode- and they each gain 200 points!"
"I don't get it..." Said , who decided to join them as well next to Professor Banner, "Why would she play a card that increases Jaden's power?"
"For the thrill of it..." Bastion said Softly, "The Passion..."
"So are we enjoying ourselves so far~?" Tania cooed, "Not getting distracted I hope."
"Nothing distracts me from Dueling!" said Jaden, "Didn't you know?"
"Well maybe THIS will make you reconsider!" she declared, "The Card- Amazoness Arena!" she called out, "When this card activates...we both gain 600 life points! And it's not just distracting...but captivating~" she hums as a giant cage surrounded them.
Tania: 4000- 4600
Jaden: 4600- 4600
"Wow, she must be really desperate to find a husband if she's gotta use a cage..." said Chazz, "Am I right Connar?" He nudged her playfully, but even his poorly landed joke couldn't get a rise from her...now he was getting concerned.
Seriously, what the hell!?
"See...Amazoness Arena is a Sacred Arena..." said Tania, "In here, you don't just fight with your monsters...but with your soul."
"And... how do I do that?" asked Jaden.
"Oh, you'll find out!" said Tania, "But first- Amazoness Paladin attacks your Avian!" she roars sending her monster into battle. In an elegant dance, blade in hand, the paladin sliced clean through Jaden's only defense- shaving 600 life points off his record.
Tania: 4600
Jaden: 4600- 4000
Jaden grunts in response.
"Now you'll see the power of my arena!" she huffs, "After our monsters are all done- your soul can battle mine!" she states, "If you sacrifice 100 of your life points- you take away 100 of mine!"
"Watch out, Jaden!" Alexis whispered softly.
"I guess I should warn you..." said Jaden with a chuckle, "I don't ever hit girls."
"And you shouldn't~" Tania hums, "But this isn't a fight between us- you see, it's like I said, our souls will clash."
"If you say so." Jaden hums.
His life points drop by another 100 points, and a manifested reflection of his being took to the field...mirrored by her own-
and the two brawl- with Jaden's "soul" taking the hit.
Tania: 4600- 4500
Jaden: 4000- 3900
"Jaden!" cried Syrus
"Come on!" said Chumley, "This is embarassing for all of us guys!"
Needless to say, it's not like his spirit certainly didn't fight back-
"That's not a bad left hook..." Tania chuckled.
"What the!?" Chazz blinked, "She complimented his attack!?"
"Isn't she great?" Bastion hummed.
"Oh you like that!?" Jaden laughed, "Then you're gonna love this!" he took his draw once her turn ended, and began his combo, "I activate Polymerization- to fusion summon, Elemental Hero: Thunder Giant!"
Elemental Hero: Thunder Giant
ATK: 2400
DEF: 1500
"Nice move." said Chazz
"Really nice move!" Alexis agreed, "That Thunder Giant's special ability can take out a monster with less attack power on the turn it was summoned!"
"I guess this is good bye Paladin!" said Jaden.
"Impressive!"
"I'm not done!" he states, "Now my Thunder Giant Attacks you directly!"
Tania growled, before she got blown away by a ball of lectricity, striking her down by 2400.
Tania: 4500- 2100
Jaden: 3900
"Tania? Are you all right?"
The woman chuckled as she slowly rose herself up from the ground...
"Not bad Jaden...you're my type of guy...~" she coos.
"Uhh...Bastion..." Banner speaks up softly, "I think Tania is falling for Jaden..."
"Of course not!" the boy chimes, "She would never leave me~"
"All right it's MY turn!" Tania huff, "First I put down a face down! Then i Summon Amozoness Swords Woman in attack mode!"
Amazoness Swords Woman
ATK: 1500
DEF: 1600
"And Finally I'll use Amazoness Call to rip apart your fused monster!" she declared, "Now let's Fight! Attack Clayman with Amazoness Slash Attack!"
the stone, whose attack power was originally 800 once he came apart from his fused form- crumbled apart at the blade, Bringing down Jaden's lifepoints by 700.
Tania: 2100
Jaden: 3900-3200
"And now, thanks to my Amazoness Arena- It's time that WE had a rematch!"
Tania: 2100- 2000
Jaden: 3200- 3100
"You know..." Jaden pants, "I used to think hitting like a girl...was actually a bad thing!"
"Oh it's a bad thing all right~ For you!" Tania chimes.
"All right, it's my move!" said Jade, "I summon Elemental Hero: Burstinatrix in attack mode!"
Elemental Hero: Burstinatrix
ATK:1200
DEF: 800
"And now Spark Man! Attack Amazoness Swords Woman!"
Elemental Hero: Spark Man
ATK: 1600
DEF: 1400
"Not so fast!" said Tania, "I've got my trap~ Amazoness Archers!"
"Woah..." Jaden gulped as Tania chuckled.
"It's a rare card, and I can only use it when you make the mistake of attacking on a field that only has Amazoness monsters on it." she explains, "Once you do- all of your monsters lose 600 attack points!"
Elemental Hero: Burstinatrix
ATK: 1200- 600
DEF: 800
Elemental Hero: Sparkman
ATK: 1600-1000
DEF: 1400
"Not too shabby for a girl, huh?" she hums.
"No, not too shabby at all!" said Jaden, "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up!" He went on with his attack, despite knowing the damage he would take.
Tania: 2000
Jaden: 3100- 2600
"And now...let's have ourselves round three!" he declared, activating the effect of the Arena once again.
Tania: 2000-1900
Jaden: 2600- 2500
"Hold on, now Jaden's gonna use the soul attack?" Alexis questioned
"What is he trying to prove?" asked Banner.
"I don't know..." said Alexis, "But I have never seen Jaden Duel with so much zeal before!"
"That's passion for ya..." Connar chuckled.
"Yes...he's dueling with Passion." said Bastion, "And without being in love!"
Thanks to the effects of her trap, Tania was able to pull all of Jaden's monsters into fighting, which ment Burstinatrix went down too.
"You want it!? Then you're gonna get it!" he declared- ready to take the fall
Tania: 1900
Jaden: 2500- 1600
"Well...that cost me some points..." he pants, "But hey- it's worth it to rumble!"
And again their souls clashed. The duel went on with their strikes...eventually the two panting duelists were down into the low thousands...
Tania having 1400 points remaining...jaden down to 1100...
It was a close match...but she was still ahead.
Tania: 1400
Jaden: 1100
"Next I'll throw down a couple of face downs- and activate a spell card called The Warrior Returning Alive!"
Using its spell effect to return his Clayman in the grave back into his hand.
"My turn!" claimed Tania, "And...I'll summon a card called Amazoness Tiger!"
Amazoness Tiger
ATK: 1100
DEF: 1500
"As you can see, she's not very little- this kitty gains 400 attack for every Amazoness monster I have...she just loves company~"
Amazoness Tiger
ATK: 1100-1900
DEF:1500
"I don't blame her." said Crowler, "Look how powerful she got!"
"How about we try not to sound so impressed, okay!?" Alexis huffed.
"Now, Amazoness Swords Woman- Attack Jaden directly!"
"HOLD ON!" Jaden cried out, "I play: A Hero Emerges! And here's how it works-" he went on, "You draw a random card from my hand, and if it's a monster? I get to summon it to the field!" he hummed, "How's that for some company for your cat?"
"But you only have one card left!"
Which means the only choice she had was Elemental Hero Clayman, which Jaden put out in defense mode.
Elemental Hero: Clayman
ATK:800
DEF: 2000
Well, that saved his life points- at least from the BIGGER blow..."
"I'm sorry but Swordswoman's special ability transfers all battle damage to you~" she coos, "So you'll probably wanna duck now..."
"What!?"
Well..it became clear enough when the recoil hit. Dropping his lifpoints by another 500.
Tania: 1400
Jaden: 1100-600
"Guess it's...time to put up my dukes!" he grunts.
"But Jaden..." Alexis called out.
"He hardly has any life points left..." said Zane, who had also came to watch the show along with the rest of the group that was dragged along doe this whole display.
"LET'S GO!" he huffed.
Tania: 1400- 1300
Jaden: 600-500
And they brawled again-
Jaden left with 400 and Tania with 1200.
"What is he doing!?" the group would mumble amongst themselves.
"If this keeps up...Jaden is going to lose." said Syrus.
"Perhaps he's fallen under Tania's spell..." said Zane, "The same spell that caused Bastion to lose..."
"It's no spell, Zane!" Bastion argued, "It's love as true as the pure driven snow~ right Tania?"
"Yeah yeah...whatever, lover boy." The woman dismissed him taking her turn back into her hands, "Now let's get back to bussiness!" she declared. She sent her tiger into battle, knowing Clayman's defense would withstand it- for no other reason other than to make use of her Arena once again- and again.
Tania: 1100- 900
Jaden: 400- 200
"He's still in there..." Connar said softly.
"...Barely." said Chazz.
"For now..." agreed Zane.
"Next- I'll activate the spell, Amazoness Trainer, to seal your fate!"
Amazoness Tiger
ATK: 1900- 2300
DEF: 1500
"Uh-oh...looks like Jaden is in some really deep trouble here..." Connar said softly.
"Since she played that Amazoness Trainer Card...If that tiger is unable to defeat its target during this round- the Trainer card instills a tactical advantage of an extra 400 attack points for another attack." Zane explained.
"Uhm...okay so..could...someone elaborate on that?" Connar asks curiously as she tries to make sense of what was stated.
"Yeah, in English this time? Thanks." said Chazz.
"I'm afraid...that if that tiger attacks Jaden again... then this duel is finished." said Banner.
"Yes...Jaden will lose." Crowler hummed, "And we'll lose him as a student because he will have to marry Tania~"
"Don't say that!" huffed Alexis.
"...What's the hold up?" Jaden pants out as he regains his composure from their earlier brawl.
"Oh you know hun- just enjoying the moment~" Tania purrs, "After all it will be our anniversary-" and with that, she declares one more attack-
"Not yet!" said Jaden, "I play a trap! Clay Charge!" he declares, "Here's how it works...if you attack Clayman when I use this trap card- not only do both of our monsters bite the dust- but you take 800 points of demage!" he claimed.
Tania: 900-100
Jaden: 200
"Hey! I'm just liking this all out Duel!" grinned Jaden.
"You know I think I'm liking it too." said Syrus, "Non-stop action.
"Which is exactly what I think Jaden is going for..." said Zane, "Beat her at her own game."
"I guess...unless he's trying to impress her." said Chazz, "Who knows, maybe this Tania girl is Jaden's type?"
"Why don't you shut it, Chazz!" Alexis huffed, "No way would Jaden date something like that thing!" she declared.
And to add emphasis on Alexis's feelings that Connar knew all too well, the pinkette shot him a glance with daggers in her blue eyes, as cold as ice- to which Chazz immediately yielded...after all...he was out numbered here by girls...and no one else was certainly going to step in to save him.
"And let'snot forget this is about more than just marriage! Jaden needs a mericle draw here or Tania is going to get another Spirit Gate Key." she explained, "Not to mention Bastion is going to spend the rest of his life in some lame-ass love limbo- there's a lot riding on Jaden's shoulders this move!"
"You fought well, Jaden." Tania said softly, "But my Swordswoman WILL beat you- rememer her special effect makes it so that you take all damage dealt to her- you can't win~"
"With one card, I can!" Jaden declared, "And I just drew it! GO! Elemental Hero Wildheart in Attack Mode!"
Elemental Hero: Wildheart
ATK: 1500
DEF:1600
The two monsters shared the same attack points...so the effect she held, had no effect on him! With Mutual destruction- Jaden tapped into the use of the gate...one last time.
"Well..." Jaden pants, "I guess that's game." he grinned, "Let me know if you ever want a rematch~"
"No rematch." said Tania, "I joined the Shadow Riders in order to find a Duelist who would be worthy of being my husband...but I have discovered that I am not worthy...to be with someone strong as you..."
"Tania?"
As the morning light took to the sky, bringing about the soft blues and yellows of a new day, the woman, known as Tania retreats back into what would be her truest form...
"A...tiger?" Connar whispers softly.
"Boy Bastion...you sure know how to pick'em!" Chazz teased.
"Don't worry buddy- there's plenty of Fish in the sea." said Jaden.
"Yes... but not too many tigers." said Bastion, "Thank God for that..."
XXXXX
"So that's my story for the day." Connar chuckled in amusement as she hung around the abandoned dorm, calling upon the blue haired spirit once more. She had made a habit of coming back to this place...and checking in on him. for whatever reason...she just knew she was drawn to him...though she was never without protection, as Kaibaman and Dark Magician Girl both played their role in keeping her safe. But ever since Kira had given her a helping hand with the second Shadow Rider...she didn't really feel as threatened by him anymore. Though she still had no idea what his purpose was...
"You know...I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss love across realms." the boy said softly as he sat on the back of a sheet covered chair, listening to Connar tell her strange love story...
"Love after all...is a powerful emotion...so much so that it transcends transcends time...so why not dimensions too?" he chuckled.
"You sound like you're speaking as someone who has experience, Kira." Connar chuckled, "Could it be you're in love with someone across the veil?"
"Hmm..." the boy smiled, "Suppose you could say that~"
"Well...either way...I guess I better be heading back now." Connar said softly, "After all we still have Shadow Riders to defeat...and I need to be able to focus to see if I can find them...before they find us."
"Very well." Kira says softly, "But do be careful...they only get stronger from here..."
"Thanks for the encouragement." Connar chuckled,"Well...until next time..."
The sliferess left ahead, but Kaibaman stayed behind, watching her go, mulling in silence.
"You're not going with her?" the boy question.
"You know, Kira..." Kaibaman says softly, "At this point...you may as well just tell her..."
the boy twinges a bit. That suggestion seemed to sting him...his eyes narrowing sadly as he sighs.
"I just...don't want to overwhelm her..." he says softly, "It was a pretty traumatic experience...for both of us." he stated, "And I'm afraid if I don't ease into the truth...I'll trigger her back to a mental state of...instability..." he sighs.
"So you will just remain silent then?" asked Kaibaman, "And just hope that remembers her own dear older brother...and just...be okay?"
Kira chuckled awkwardly...
"Well...when you say it like that...it sounds rather hopeless, you know?" he sighs, "Look...just keep taking care of her, okay? Like you promised me you would."
"Of course, Kira." Kaibaman sighs, "But still...she will need to know the truth...sooner rather than later."
"You're right..." Kira said softly, "And she will...but until then?" His eyes shift over to the duel spirit, his former partner in life, "...Make sure to keep my little sister safe, okay?" he says softly, "...Even from me...should it become...nessasary..."
Kaiba man sighs...his fists clench with a frustration that dwindles from being in a helpless state.
"Understood..." he said softly...and faded away into nothing.
To be Continued...