The tournament had just wrapped up and I trudged my way back to my temporary room in the Blue Dorm.
My loss in the Genex Tournament was humiliating, and a lesser man would've been destroyed by it.
Just as Chaz and I started our duel, he got Ojama Trio and Ojama Duo in his opening hand, which he had played facedown on his first turn. I didn't even get to summon a monster. And with my field filled, Chazz took his sweet time, waiting until he could wipe me out in a single turn.
Now, don't think I was bitter or anything. That's how things turn out from time to time. You get a bad hand or your opponent shuts you down before you can go. That's why Chaos Emperor Dragon isn't legal anymore.
Still, it was a bummer. A major bummer.
But at least I lost knowing Chazz would go on to duel in the next part of the Genex Tournament, right?
About that.
As I laid in bed, wondering how many faces were in the great duelist in the sky's dice and whether snake eyes have you better or worse luck on your daily luck roll, I got a call.
"Jaden?" Oh, hey, Jesse. You hear about my loss and calling to gloat? "Jaden, you near a TV?"
"Is this about my loss?" I asked.
"You lost?!" Jesse yelled. "Look, I'll be upset about that later. That Dimitri guy's at it again."
Oh, wonderful. What now?
I flipped on the TV that was provided in my room and watched.
Dimitri had gone on a slop show to seek justice, a.k.a sling mud at everyone he didn't like.
"-zz stole the spirit gate keys." That's about where I came in at. "He also started a cult at our school. That idiot Zane came back to the Academy to kidnap a girl. Speaking of girls, Jaden Yuki kept pestering his ex to take him back until he wore her down."
Good to see Dimi wasn't above lying.
"What about Marcel?" The interviewer asked.
"He only got into the tournament because his father works there!" Dimitri said. "From what I heard, he begged his dad to let him in."
As a reminder, Marcel didn't have any faith in his skills.
"And then you have the sponsors of the event, my former promoters." Dimitri said. "Once I won the tournament, I was planning to reveal this, but they've been placing illegal bets on my duels. This is on top of them failing to pay me! They expected me to work overtime and-"
"Dimi, I'm sorry, but we have a guest caller who says he wants to talk to you." The interviewer said.
"Who?" Dimitri asked. "Don't tell me it's Crowler, upset that I'm insulting the students he tied up in the woods."
That was Bonaparte, but please, go on complaining when I've forgiven him for that.
But then, of all the people who came to our… rescue, I guess, I wasn't expecting Adrian Gecko!
"You know what they say about glass houses, Dimi?" Adrian asked. "Well, deck thieves shouldn't try tearing others down either."
"Oh, are you one of those people who think using the same monsters as someone else is 'stealing'?" Dimitri said in a snide tone. "What a loser."
"Didn't you throw a fit about Aster using the same cards as you or something?" Adrian asked. "And I was actually referring to you stealing Yugi Muto's deck."
"You mean that thing Zane the Pain was going on about?" Dimi said, chuckling to hide the pain in his voice.
"I've gotten the statement of countless Duel Academy students who are willing to testify to that." Adrian said.
"Well… Well…" Dimitri was stuck. "I heard you stole a deck too!"
Now, I'm pretty sure Dimitri was just making things up here, but it was true, Adrian did steal Jesse's cards. Which he fessed up to.
"You're right, I did." Adrian said. "That's why I was shocked when East Academy asked me to be their representative and why I turned them down."
Dimitri kind of just sputtered at this and ran out.
"Well, it looks like that's all from Dimi, but, uh…" The now very confused interviewer said. Gotta be honest, I wouldn't know how to follow that up either.
And apparently, neither did Chazz's brothers, because the Duel Academy preliminary part of the tournament was wrapped up in the blink of an eye. There was supposed to be more fanfare, a whole ceremony for the duelists who competed, but, instead, we were rushed onto a plane back home. I barely had time to say goodbye to Hassleberry as he was forced to see us off.
Atticus, Chazz and I got back to our apartment, dropped our belongings off in our rooms and then just sat around in the living room for a bit. Winged Kuriboh and Ojama Yellow watched us from the corner. Even they could tell the heavy cloud that was hanging over all of us.
"So, guess you're excited for the next leg of the tournament, huh, Chazz?" I finally said to break the tension.
"There isn't gonna be another leg, Slacker." Chazz said. "My brothers already decided they're pulling their funding for it."
"What?!" Atticus and I said in unison.
"That moron Dimi, going out there and badmouthing them, and us, has the media hounding them." Chazz said. "So they're planning to stay away from Duel Monsters indefinitely."
"Hey, at least that's good for you, right?" Atticus asked. "Now you don't have to help in their weird world domination plan, right?"
"I already had that figured out." Chazz explained. "I asked this gambler I know to make some bets on the tournament."
"You talking that babyfaced guy?" I asked.
"So, you met him?" Chazz asked. "Well, whatever. I was going to use the money made from the tournament to buy my brothers out."
"Isn't that a little harsh?" Atticus asked.
"Please." Chazz said as he rolled his eyes. "You know The Chazz always has a plan. I was going to hire them back on as janitors."
"As revenge?" I said, chuckling to ease the tension in the room.
"To help them grow." Chazz admitted. "When I struck out on my own, I learnt more than I ever did at those private schools my brothers sent me to. As much as I hate to admit it, Number 1 over there taught me a lot about humility."
As Chazz said this, he pointed to me. Hey, is that an insult?
"I was hoping for Slade and Jagger to learn the same thing." Chazz said. "But that's all down the drain now."
"Wait a second, Chazz." I said. "What about our duel? What would you have done if you lost?"
"I didn't have that guy place a bet on our duel." Chazz said. "I didn't want to duel you with any pressure on either of us."
"Ah, okay." I said, nodding. "So, you didn't think you could beat me."
"Exactly." Chazz said, turning away.
Whoa, hold up a sec. Does that mean Chazz actually meant I was top duelist?
"It's not like any of it matters anymore." Chazz said. "With the Princeton company pulling out, other sponsors of the tournament will probably follow suit."
"Can't Pegasus just fund it out of pocket?" Atticus asked.
"Not likely." Chazz said. "A lot of his own money has gone to funding several new games."
"Wait, you don't mean the rumors are true?!" Atticus asked, clearly knowing more than me.
"Unfortunately." Chazz said, glumly.
"Don't leave me in the dark here, guys." I said. "What rumors?"
Atticus sighed and turned to me, "There's been talk that Maximilian Pegasus is handing his company over to someone. The rumor goes it's because…"
Why do people always pause just before the important part?
"Because he doesn't have long to live." Chazz finished for Atticus.
Oh.
"It has something to do with his eye." Chazz explained. "And since he never had kids, he's giving his company over to Yugi Muto."
"The King of Games himself?!" I asked.
"Why not?" Atticus shrugged. "They're on good terms and Yugi made some games himself."
"This whole thing was supposed to be to find a duelist to take Yugi's place as King of Games." Chazz said. "He was hoping to do right for the next generation or something. But he'll probably just give the title to Joey Wheeler."
"How do you guys know all this?" I asked.
"Connections." Chazz and Atticus said in unison.
Oh. Right. Because they're pretty famous, while I spend my days eating Cheebohs.
After that, things went from bad to worse. We should have just been able to go back to our humdrum lives. But Chazz got cut off by his brothers again, meaning we had to find new places to live.
Why did they cut him off? To save face. And that didn't even work. They'd go bankrupt and have to sell everything to Kaiba Corp within two years. At least they ended up learning humility like Chazz wanted.
Where was I? Oh, right! Apartment hunting.
Money was tight, with Atticus being the only one who had a well paying job. Chazz lost a lot of his cred and I wasn't well known to begin with. So, I was in the bad part of town, looking for apartments or maybe a cheap house, when I stumbled on an abandoned car.
Well, seemingly abandoned. I could see someone lying in it, and worried I was walking into the beginning of a police procedural, I knocked on the door.
The guy inside jolted up and grabbed a bat, before his demeanor softened and he rolled down the window.
"Oh, it's you, Yuki."
Dimitri?! Oh, how the mighty had fallen.
"Dimi, is that you?" I asked.
"Dimi's dead." Dimitri said. "All that's left is Dimitri the loser. What do you want anyway?"
"I was just worried about you, chill." I said.
"How can I chill?" Dimitri said, gripping the baseball bat tighter. "You know how many people want to beat the daylights out of the guy who stole Yugi's deck?"
"Probably around the same amount that wanna beat on Aster for supposedly cheating, or Chazz for starting a cult." I said.
"What's your point?" Dimitri asked.
"Dude, it's hard to feel bad for you when you did this to other people." I said.
"They deserved it though." Dimitri said.
"I can't get a job because everyone thinks I stalked Alexis because of that appearance you went on." I said, as dryly as possible.
Dimitri tried to find a rebuttal but gave up and just hung his head in shame.
"Yeah, well, it's not like I'll ever get another interview again." Dimitri said. "After that last one, I lost everything. I had to sell all my stuff just to afford this car to sleep in and this bat to protect myself. All because I wanted a second chance."
"Maybe we all could use a second chance." I said.
I'm not gonna lie, the worst part of me had taken some joy at seeing Dimitri hiding away in a car, but I still felt bad for him. This really shouldn't have happened.
"Tell you what." I said. "Chazz, Atticus and I are looking for a new place. If we find a house or something, I'll try talking Chazz into giving you the basement."
"I don't need your pity." Dimitri said, before pointing the bat in the direction I'd been heading. "Now get out of here. You don't want to be seen talking to a hasbeen."
That was the last I ever saw Dimitri. If I had to guess, he probably changed his name and moved somewhere else. At least he'd have an easy time with that.
I got back to the apartment with no luck. finding a place.
Atticus was waiting for me when I got there.
"Ah, Jaden, just the guy I wanted to see." Atticus said, wrapping an arm over my shoulder.
"'Sup?" I asked.
"Well, see, it's like this." Atticus said. "I just got a role in Joey Wheeler's biopic. So I'll definitely be fine. But, I was talking to Lexi about it, and she asked what you're gonna do. And, well, I told her you still didn't have a place. She asked me to tell you to give her a call."
"Is this another of your 'Get my sister together with someone to make her a superstar' schemes?" I asked.
"Oh, you worry too much these days." Atticus said. "Where's the Jaden who rolled with the punches?"
"He's still here." I said. "He just knows you."
Somehow, in the time it took from me asking if this was a scheme, to me saying I knew him, Atticus had reached into my pocket, grabbed my cell phone and dialed Alexis' number. Then he shoved the phone into my hands and walked out of the room.
"Atticus!" I yelled.
"Sorry, Jay, just being a good big brother!" Atticus said before he was out of earshot.
"Jaden!" Alexis said from the other end of the phone.
"Oh, uh, Lex, hey, what's up?" I said. "Your brother told me you wanted to talk?"
"Yeah." Alexis said. "I heard what happened. I'm so sorry about all that."
"It's not your fault." I said. "And the guy responsible is probably fighting a chipmunk for dinner."
"What?" Alexis asked.
"Uh, nothing, don't worry about it." I said.
"Well, anyway, I know you need a place to stay." Alexis said. "If you want, you could, y'know, stay with me for a while.'
"At Duel Academy?" I said. "I think only students and employees are allowed there."
"I've already asked Dorothy, and she's up to hiring you anytime." Alexis said. "She could use someone younger than Shepard to carry the boxes in."
Wait, Alexis had already gone to all this trouble?
"You sure about this, Lex?" I asked. "I mean, after that interview…"
"Who cares what a hasbeen said?" Alexis said. "Besides, I enjoyed our time together and… Oh! Fine, make me say it. I was thinking, maybe, if you wanted, we could try it again."
"It?" Man, I'm dumb.
"Our relationship…" Alexis said sheepishly.
"Oh." I said.
"I mean, not that you have to or anything." Alexis quickly said. "It's not like I'll rescind the offer if you don't agr-"
"Lex, chill." I said, with the warmest smile on my face. "I've missed you too. I'm up for giving us a second chance."
And a week later, I was packed and heading back to Duel Academy. When my plane touched down and I stepped out, Alexis was already there, waiting for me.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." I said, with a big dumb smile.
"Welcome home, Jaden." Alexis said, with that big beautiful smile of hers.
So, I didn't get my chance to become King of Games. Ah well. Throughout my life, I've come to learn there are more important things than that. Like finally finding the place you belong after far too long.
Duel Academy.
The school was where I had practically started my life. It's where I met my best friends. It was where I really became a top notch duelist, and I wasn't bad to begin with. And, of course, it was where I met the love of my life.
Author's Note: I started this fanfic series up 10 years ago, and I can honestly say, the past decade of my life has been the worst. So many things happened that I never expected and so much has been lost. Including, to some extent, my zest for this story.
When I decided to remake the Breaking the Hold series, I thought I'd be done in a year or two. Instead, this fanfic has sat dormant for over a year. I won't go into detail why, but my real life hasn't been great lately. It's been my New Year's Resolution for the past three years to finish this fanfic and I failed three years in a row. And at some point this last summer, I realized what was wrong.
Enough beating around the bush. Both Fiore and Reins here were mistakes. I never should have tried remaking the two fanfics from the original series that gave me the most trouble. I consider Competing for Love to be my best work, and it's ashame the two fanfics after that weren't nearly as good as the other three. So, I've decided to just end this fanfic as quickly as possible and write a new story to follow up from Competing for Love.
Yes, you read that right. I'm going to make a new fanfic as a replacement for the last two lackluster fics. I barely have any ideas, but I'll figure something out.
With that said, I didn't want to delete Fiore and Reins. They might not be great, but I know I've looked up plenty of old things from around the web, only to find them gone. Aside from the "Jaden Alone" chapter of Fiore, I don't like these two fanfics, but someone might, and I don't wanna remove them if someone does. So, I decided to give this fanfic an ending before I completely write it away with the next fanfic I do.
In the meantime, before that next fanfic, I'm working on finally re-editing Breaking the Society's Hold, Missing You and Competing for Love. I'm already done Breaking and I should have replaced the old chapters with the edits when you see this. They won't be much, just a couple small changes, plus grammar and spelling mistakes being fixed. So, look out for them and the next fanfic.
I'm honestly sorry about the long wait for a dumb ending. Better things are on the way.