Duel Academy, Academy Island

October 18, 2027

8:04 AM

Those who accused Jaden Yuki of being unreliable would, unfortunately for them, be drawing conclusions based on incomplete information. True, the boy was always late to class, but how many students could be said to always be exactly ten minutes late, as if it had been meticulously planned in advance? The simple fact of the matter is that teachers only notice when students are late, not how late. Yuki knew this, and it was something he relied upon when furthering his "slacker" reputation.

If one had been paying attention, they would have noticed that exactly five minutes before the first class of the day, Jaden came jogging up the path that ran between the main campus and the Osiris Red dorm, as regular as you please— and it was a fortunate reality that he did for one particular person on this particular morning.

Jaden was on his way to class, as per usual, contemplating how particularly delicious breakfast had been that morning and making a note to compliment Professor Dean on it later, when he noticed a dark blue van stalled on the road— and not just anywhere on the road, but right in the middle of the steepest incline it had to boast of. Struggling to push the van the rest of the way up the hill was a stout woman wearing a pink shirt and blue coveralls who looked vaguely familiar. Despite all of her straining, the van had yet to budge.

Jaden jogged past her a good way before skidding to a halt (it would never do for people to think he was anything less than clueless) and turning back around to come to her aid.

"Never fear, Jaden's here!" he greeted her cheerfully, taking a position on the van's other side and digging his feet into the ground as he got ready to push.

"Oh, thank you," the woman said in relief. She looked him up and down. "You must be from the Auto Club."

"Don't let the red jacket fool you," Jaden joked right back. "I'm just your average good-deed dude."

She laughed. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm—" she was cut off by the van suddenly sliding backward, nearly taking her with it. Jaden braced it with his body, using his leg muscles like his Uncle Joey had taught him. (Well, that had been in case he ever got into a street fight, but the principle was the same.) The van stopped its downward slide and both of them sighed in relief.

"Thank you, again," the woman gasped, sweat running down her forehead.

"My pleasure," Jaden grinned. "Now I can skip the gym!" He laughed at his own joke and was delighted when the woman joined in with a chuckle of her own.

"Such a nice young man," she returned as they began slowly crawling upwards. "I'll remember this."

"How about next time you just remember that extended warranty?"

Trading jokes and barbs back and forth made the work light and easy, and Jaden made a note to visit this lady frequently in the future. There weren't many on Academy Island who appreciated his humor so thoroughly.

Duel Shack, Academy Island

October 19, 2027

12:43 PM

There came a time in every life of a duelist when they decided their strategy— and therefore their deck— needed an upgrade. Like any serious duelist, Yuki Muto approached such a process seriously and with considerate thought. So, it was after several days of researching, analyzing, and thinking (all things he was capable of, thank you very much) that he headed over to the card shack to see what he could find.

His father had said Winged Kuriboh had been made especially for him, which meant there probably weren't any support cards specific to it, but that didn't mean there weren't any at all that he could use. Most of the ones he already had were specific to the Elemental HEROs, which was hindering him somewhat in his strategy. He needed something to work with LIGHT attribute monsters, he'd decided. It would fit with the rest of his deck, since it was based on the six elements, but also give him more flexibility with Winged Kuriboh, which he sorely needed, especially since he'd come to rely on the little guy so much.

Finally, he reached the Card Shack and pushed the door open, smiling at the old-timey bell that rang when he did so. It was a nice, homey touch— it set it apart from the rest of Duel Academy with all its new technology and modern design.

"Hey, there…Sadie," he greeted the counter girl with the name pinned to her uniform, "I'm looking for LIGHT attribute support cards. Any idea where I might find 'em?"

The girl blinked in surprise, either not used to being addressed by her name or not used to people searching for LIGHT support cards. Or maybe she just wasn't accustomed to people talking to her at all, but that seemed unlikely considering she was in customer service. "Um… yeah, they're over by the window," she pointed to the right, "shelves 1 and 2."

"Great. Thanks!" Yuki sauntered over to the place she had indicated and began browsing. There were… a lot of choices. Carefully and meticulously, he studied each one, considering its pros and cons. As time went on he grew more and more despondent. Plenty of these cards were great, but none of them were jumping out at him. As far as his deck and Winged Kuriboh were concerned, one was very much like another.

Finally, he had to give up. Sadie, sitting on a stool and reading a magazine, started when he walked back toward the counter. "Find what you were looking for?

Jaden shook his head. "Nah. Guess I'm just too picky," he laughed, though it was pretty obviously forced.

"I'm sorry," Sadie said sympathetically. "So many students come in here and snatch up whatever's the most powerful or the most rare or the most expensive— it's not often we get careful strategists like yourself."

"Who says I'm a careful strategist?" Jaden asked, teasing. "Like I said, maybe I'm just picky."

Sadie rolled her eyes. "In my experience, it's the pickiest of duelists who are the best strategists. They know what they're looking for and why. There's no other reason to stand for an hour and a half in one spot looking at the same cards over and over again."

"An hour and a half?" Jaden asked in surprise, looking over his shoulder at the clock hanging above the Shack's entrance.

"Yep. And you didn't even notice how much time had passed, you were so focused. You're a strategist, all right."

"All right, you caught me. But do me a favor and don't tell anyone, okay? I have a reputation to uphold!" Now Sadie raised an eyebrow at him, but she shrugged nonetheless.

"What's there to tell? I don't even know your name."

"Ah! I haven't introduced myself! Jaden Yuki, pleased to meet you," he stuck out a hand for her to shake. This seemed to amuse her.

"Well, then, Jaden, I'm Sadie. The pleasure is all mine," she took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"You seem to know a lot about duelists and their card-buying habits," Jaden commented, leaning on the counter. "Have you worked here long?"

"This is my fifth year on Academy Island. I came over to help my Aunt after graduating Secondary school. She—"

Sadie was interrupted by the slamming of a door from somewhere in the back and a cheery, familiar voice calling out, "Sadie, could you help me with these boxes, please?"

"Aaaand that's her now. Excuse me." Jaden waved her off and listened curiously to the sounds of boxes being carted in and storage space being rearranged to make room for them. It was a familiar sound to him; he'd often helped his great-grandfather with unloading, unpacking, and sorting through new merchandise that arrived at the Kame Game shop. Those were some of his favorite memories, in fact. It'd been a while, though, since Grandpa Muto had to close the shop due to his age. He simply couldn't keep up anymore, and the store didn't bring in enough revenue to justify keeping it going. It wasn't as if they'd needed the money, either, since Yuki's father's games were so popular.

He felt awkward, hanging around waiting for Sadie to come back, but it seemed rather rude to just up and disappear without saying goodbye, especially since she'd been cut off in the middle of her sentence. Finally she reappeared, this time in the company of—

"Yoo-hoo! Auto Club!" It was the woman whose van he'd helped push up the hill earlier that morning.

"Oh, hey. You work here too?"

"Oh, no, I don't work here; I own here." She winked at him. "Cool, huh?"

"As the artic," Jaden returned, grinning.

Sadie glanced between the two of them, both her eyebrows raised now. "Jaden Yuki, this is my Aunt Dorothy, who owns the Card Shack. But I see you two already know each other. Might a curious niece inquire how?" This pointed question was directed at Ms. Dorothy, but Jaden couldn't help but joke,

"I think it was the carburetor."

Ms. Dorothy burst out laughing. "Quite the wit, this one has," she told Sadie, jerking her thumb in Jaden's direction. She turned back to the 'one' in question. "Tell you what, as a thank you for helping me this morning, whatever you came in for is free of charge. On the house." Jaden opened his mouth to explain that he hadn't found anything to purchase, and even if he had, he couldn't accept such a generous gift, but Ms. Dorothy cut him off before he could. "I don't want to hear any arguing young man. The youth need to respect their elders, and if I say you shall have your order free of charge, then you'll have it free of charge."

"That's really nice of you, Ms. Dorothy—"

"Miss, dear. I've never been married and am not ashamed to admit it."

"Right, Miss Dorothy then. But the thing is, I didn't find what I was looking for today, so I actually don't have an order to be free of charge."

"Didn't find what you were looking for? At the Card Shack? Well, we'll fix that. Tell me what you need, Auto Club, and I'll track it down for you."

Jaden protested that Miss Dorothy really didn't need to do that— especially not for free— but she wouldn't hear of it. Then he tried explaining that he didn't even know what he was searching for, exactly, so how could she hope to find it?

Miss Dorothy was unmoved.

So, finally, Jaden gave in and explained about having a new addition to his deck that didn't really fit with his usual theme (he left out the made-just-for-him part; that would have raised too many questions) and that he was searching for support cards for it. Miss Dorothy listened attentively and nodded thoughtfully when he had finished. "Wait right here. I think I have just the thing." She disappeared back into the storage area, sounds of rummaging and boxes being knocked about following soon after. Eventually there was a triumphant "Ah-ha!" and she returned with a beaming smile and an unopened card packet in her hand.

"Here you go. I always keep back a few special cards from the shelves to give to nice, polite students like you. Owner's prerogative, you know. I think this is just what you're looking for— you'll be able to put it to good use. When you're not fixing cars, that is." She threw him another wink.

Hesitantly (he didn't know how was going to let Miss Dorothy down when the card turned out to not be what he was hoping for) Jaden took the card packet and carefully tore it open. "Transcendent Wings?" he murmured, and almost immediately jumped out of his skin when he heard an excited "Ooooooohh!" from his deck.

Winged Kuriboh?

Ooooooohh! The small monster crowed again, and for one split second, Yuki could have sworn he saw one of Kuriboh's little paws reaching for the card.

You like this one?

Kuri! Kuri!

"Alright…" Out loud, he read its details. "Send 1 face-up or face-down Level 1 LIGHT attribute monster you control and 2 cards from your hand to the Graveyard; Special Summon 1 Level 10 LIGHT attribute monster from your hand or Deck…wow, that's pretty sweet." He looked up and gave Miss Dorothy and Sadie his biggest grin. "This is great. Thank you." He bowed in gratitude. "How much do I owe you?"

"Oh, don't you try to pull a fast one on me, young man. I said you'd get your order today free of charge, and I meant it. Now you go on and get back to studying. I want that card to be used as part of a truly spectacular strategy when the time comes."

Osiris Red Dorm, Duel Academy

October 22, 2027

7:08 PM

Bastion had found himself becoming genuinely fond of Jaden's company (as well as that of Syrus, since the two boys always seemed to be together) as he continued his research. The three of them had become good friends ever since the midterms and found time almost every day to hang out together. Most of the time it was to either duel or eat (which were Jaden's top two favorite activities) but this time Bastion found himself also staying over at the Osiris dorm for his subject's third favorite occupation— sleeping.

Jaden was clueless about many things, but hospitality was not one of them. Both his mother and grandmother had drilled the proper etiquette into his head from a young age, and so he knew that, having been invited into Bastion's home for a meal, it was only right to invite him back for the same. True, the quality of the food was poor in comparison, but he could hardly be blamed for that.

Fortunately, his assessment of Bastion's character had been right, and the other boy didn't mind at all that Osiris wasn't nearly as luxurious as Ra. "I am honored to be here," he insisted every time Syrus apologized for something. "It's not that bad, really. Though I must say, it is rather insulting to Osiris the Sky Dragon. I believe the official ranking of the Egyptian deities is Ra, then Osiris, and finally Anubis at the bottom, but Seto Kaiba seems to think otherwise."

"Who?" Jaden asked.

Syrus's head dropped to the table. "Oh, come on, Jaden! Seto Kaiba's the guy who created Duel Academy! He's also a really famous pro duelist— you know, the owner of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons!?"

"Oh, yeah," Jaden laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Guess I forgot."

Bastion ducked his head so they wouldn't see his smile. Gotcha. "Well, I'd better be off now, if I want to make it back before curfew," he said, having composed himself, and got to his feet.

Syrus glanced at his watch. "Aw, man! You'll have to sprint— you've only got five—four!—minutes!"

"Actually, you might not have to leave at all," Jaden suggested. "We have an extra bunk in our room. You could just crash here for the night."

"Crashing for the night" soon turned into a full-blown sleep-over, Jaden's enthusiasm sweeping them all along.

"Man, this is great. Syrus and I haven't had a real sleepover in ages," he chattered, dragging his mattress off his bunk and onto the floor. "We'll all sleep on the floor and have some pick-up duels and then play some Duel Monsters trivia." He jumped up onto the lower bunk in order to reach into the upper one, hauling the extra mattress down. After laying it next to his own, however, it quickly became clear that Syrus's mattress wasn't going to fit.

"Hmm. Maybe if we scrunch ours up a little bit—"

"Forget it, Jaden. I'll just sleep in my bunk like usual. It's not like I'll be too far away to hear you or anything. And it's not like I enjoy having you roll over on top of me, either." This last part was muttered under Syrus's breath, and Bastion was rather sure he hadn't been supposed to hear it. Evidently, Syrus did not have the same happy memories of sleepovers that Jaden did.

The three of them took turns using the bathroom— Bastion didn't have any toiletries with him, but considering that Syrus's mother had sent him with about a dozen extra of everything, that was no problem— and the rather amazing thing about Duel Academy uniforms was that they were made out of soft, stretchy fabric (minus the jacket, which was a bit sturdier) and could double as pajamas. It wasn't long before both Jaden and Bastion were out cold on the floor.

Syrus leaned over the edge of his bunk and watched them snoring away together, almost in tandem. Yuki might have been oblivious, but Syrus had gotten picked on enough in middle school to know how to read other people's intentions, and Bastion's presence was setting off all kinds of alarm bells in his head. It had been obvious that the other Osiris Reds weren't thrilled about having a Ra Yellow in their midst either, if the long side glances and whispered mutterings were anything to go by. It made Syrus feel incredibly jumpy.

On top of that, he couldn't shake the feeling that Bastion wanted something from them. The other boy had been nothing but friendly, but still, there was something off. Something in the calculated way Syrus would sometimes catch him studying Yuki, or when he would ask a question that seemed far too casual to actually be casual.

Geez, Syrus, get a grip! The smaller boy fisted both hands in his unruly hair. You're starting to not make sense even to yourself!

Duel Academy, Academy Island

October 23, 3027

5:24 AM

The next morning found the three boys strolling along together towards the Ra Yellow dorm, Jaden having insisted on escorting Bastion home despite the ridiculously early hour.

"Really, there is no need," the Ra had tried to protest. "It's not as if I don't know my own way back. And you need all the sleep you can get, if your classroom naps are anything to go by."

"Nah—" Jaden had been cut off by his own yawn "'m good. Let's go!" Bastion had been up at 5 a.m.— earlier, Syrus had been sure, than Jaden had ever been up in his life—clearly planning on slipping away back to his own room as quickly as possible to avoid taking advantage of Jaden's hospitality. It had been a valiant effort, but ultimately a futile one, and even Syrus had been roped into the impromptu morning walk. As he knew all too well, Jaden was one of those people who was almost impossible to say no to.

"Hey, what's going on down there?" Jaden's question pulled Syrus out of his own drowsy thoughts.

"Looks like they're unloading supplies from the mainland," Bastion observed. "There are a few edible plants that grow here— the volcanic soil makes the land incredibly fertile— but most things that we need for our day-to-day lives have to be shipped in."

Jaden looked rather dumbfounded, as though this fact had never occurred to him, but suddenly he brightened with enthusiasm. "Like the cards that they sell at the Card Shack!"

Syrus rolled his eyes. "Not everything has to do with dueling, Jaden—"

"No, look— Miss Dorothy and Sadie are down there! Hey, guys!" And he was off, jogging down towards the ship and waving excitedly. Syrus half-expected him to trip head-over-heels and go rolling down the hill like a cartoon.

"Jaden knows the Card Shack lady?" Bastion asked, sounding intrigued.

Syrus shot him a suspicious look, but it was almost immediately ruined by a large yawn. "Yeah. He met her and her niece when he went to buy a card. Is that so unusual?" Perhaps, in his early-morning not-quite-awake stupor, he'd said that more harshly than he meant to, because Bastion looked taken aback.

"Well, it might be considered—" Syrus never got to find out what Bastion was going to say, because that was the moment Jaden stumbled and fell flat on his face. Fortunately, as a staff member of Duel Academy, Miss Dorothy always kept a fully stocked first-aid kit in her (now fixed) van.

Main Building, Duel Academy

October 25, 2027

12:37 PM

A few days later, at lunch hour, Bastion was standing with a group of students watching a duel that was occurring in front of the Card Shack— although "watching" was perhaps an inaccurate term, as his thoughts were focused mainly on Jaden Yuki. Actually, he mused, "Jaden Yuki" probably wasn't even the boy's real name. He wondered if Syrus also used a pseudonym… if he did, that meant his brother Zane did, too. Idly Bastion calculated the odds of how many others might be in the same situation. There were plenty of famous people who might send their children to Duel Academy after all.

Bastion had finally deemed his data conclusive enough after his sleepover at the Osiris dorm— and the subsequent meeting of Miss Dorothy— to begin his analysis. He had finally finished last night, and he was 98.6% sure that he'd figured out the enigma of "Jaden Yuki." His fellow freshman was clearly intelligent, and yet seemed clueless. He could clearly be disciplined, and yet chose to give the appearance of slovenliness (Jaden's well-timed lateness had not been lost on Bastion). There was only one feasible answer, really. Of course, there were always margins of error, the possibility that the more unlikely circumstances were actually the case, but Bastion wouldn't bet on it.

"Hey, what's up?"

Bastion was pulled from his thoughts as the subject of them jogged up to stand beside him. "Nothing much, Jaden; just a little lunchtime tussle."

"A duel?" Jaden sounded vaguely surprised, strangely, as if he hadn't expected a duel to happen at a place called Duel Academy. "Who's throwin' down?" Bastion rattled off the names of the opponents, watching Jaden's face closely. True, he'd already concluded his analysis, but 98.6% was still only 98.6%.

"It's a high-stakes duel," he continued, casually as he could. "See over there?" he gestured with his chin to the postures hanging up on the lunchroom wall. "Yugi Muto's deck is going on tour, and the first stop is Duel Academy. As you can imagine—"

"The original King of Games deck!? To see it with my very own eyes!?"

"Yes," Bastion couldn't hold back entirely on his amusement. "As you can imagine, what with the deck's history—"

"All it's been through," Jaden interrupted, awe in his voice, as if he wasn't even aware that Bastion was speaking. "The deck he took with him to Duelist Kingdom, where he defeated Pegasus, the guy who invented Duel Monsters. And of course there's Battle City, where he used it to beat Seto Kaiba, and Marik."

"I'm well aware," Bastion said drily. "In addition to his incredible strategic mastery, the deck is also the one he used when playing with the Egyptian deities, something few decks in the world can come close to boasting. Unsurprisingly, those three dragons will not be going on tour with the deck, but it will include all the other classics."

"This is the neatest thing ever!" Jaden crowed, leaving Bastion once again wondering if he'd listened to a word he'd said. "So, did you get your ticket?"

"Yes, I did," Bastion nodded. "I planned my arrival at the Card Shack for the optimum time so I could purchase it with minimal hassles and delays. Others, however, were not so prepared. Hence, the duel." He nodded again to indicate the current match.

"Oh, so they're dueling for a ticket to see Yugi's deck?"

"Not just any ticket, the last ticket. Whoever wins gets it— a worthy prize indeed." Bastion paused, watching Jaden for any signs of disappointment or dismay that he wouldn't be able to see the deck, since he was only just finding out (presumably) about the tour now. But the Osiris just nodded absently in agreement with Bastion's statement, now focused entirely on the duel. Interesting, Bastion thought.

…

Later that night, Dr. Crowler waved goodbye to the two security guards he'd dismissed, barely able to contain his glee. "Yes, goodnight, goodnight," he said as they walked off, any impatience he might have been feeling completely drowned out by anticipation. "Quite a good night." He started down the hallway that led to the exhibition room, fingering the key to the door in his hand. "After all, how many evenings can one say they are in the presence of greatness?" He slid the key into the lock and turned it. "The greatness of the world's most famous dueling deck!" He threw open the doors with a flourish, eagerly licking his lips, only to stop dead as two pairs of eyes, one round with surprise and the other narrow with suspicion, turned to land on him.

"You know, I didn't know he was a doctor."

"I didn't know he was a dude." Bastion paused, pondering this rather bizarre dialogue, before dismissing it and peering carefully around the corner. He'd told Jaden the truth— he had purchased a ticket— but that didn't mean he wouldn't like a private sneak peek, either. Especially since the excitement had been keeping him from falling asleep.

The coast looked clear. He was about to step into the hallway when he heard another pair of footsteps approaching. Quickly he crouched down in the shadows, barely daring to breathe.

He wasn't exactly surprised, per se, when it was Jaden who came into view, but he was a bit puzzled. There wasn't any part of his theory that explained the other boy's presence here… unless he just really was that enamored with the King of Games deck, which was certainly possible. Jaden turned down another hallway, the one that led to the exhibition room, and Bastion hastened to follow.

Peering around another corner, he watched as Jaden reached the double doors… and raised his fist to knock? There was a voice on the other side of the door, apparently beckoning Jaden to enter because he opened the door and slipped inside. There was some sort of exclamation— Bastion was too far away to hear— and then a steady stream of voices. Jaden was in there talking with someone.

Bastion's stomach did a flip-flop. Was it possible…? Here was a chance for him to confirm his theory, or at least discover a few new, crucial facts. Dare he risk it? Bastion's manners had always been impeccable, but this time his desire for knowledge won out. Silently, he crept forward, until he was close enough to press his ear against the gap between the doors.

"…organized this whole thing, you know— mentioned Duel Academy was going to be the first stop, I seized the chance. Since I was going to have to deliver the deck anyway, it wasn't exactly difficult to just change the time and place. Kaiba grumbled, of course, but what else is new?" Bastion almost stopped breathing. Was that…? It couldn't be… the King of Games himself!?

Jaden's familiar laugh floated through the door next. "Mr. Kaiba always was a sourpuss. I used to try and convince Alexis to get me a picture of him smiling, but she never would."

"You should have asked Mokuba. I'm sure he has a few."

"Huh. So, how's everything at home? Is Grandpa doing okay? How are Mom and Baba?"

"Your mother's fine, aside from missing you, and Baba's been keeping as busy as ever running her business. Grandpa's about the same; he's keeping up his streak of no hospital visits, so there hasn't been as much cause to worry lately. Actually, things have almost been too quiet since you've gone."

"Ha! Well, I'm sure Mom at least is enjoying it. She always used to complain about how loud I was."

"With good reason! But, still, I'm sure she'd welcome the noise now if it meant you were back at home. She— we— still think of you as our little baby boy."

"Oh, c'mon, Dad—"

Bastion nearly choked on air. He could not have heard what he just heard. His mind scrambled to come up with some other explanation, but there wasn't one. And it wasn't as if it contradicted his theory— it made perfect sense considering all the evidence he'd collected. But he never would have guessed— Bastion's brain ground to a halt as an old memory suddenly resurfaced. Oh, he was an idiot.

The conversation in the exhibition room, meanwhile, had moved on. "…hang out with Alexis, sometimes, too— this one time, she dueled the captain of the tennis team after he was a total jerk to her— it was epic! And Chazz is around, of course, being his usual anti-social self. But I've also made some new friends— Brier and Beauregard are these two Ra Yellows who were stealing cards from some Anubis Blues who bullied them— long story— and then there's this other Ra named Bastion Misawa who's been hanging out with us a lot. He's—"

Bastion hastily took a step back from the door, heart leaping into his throat. Listening in on private conversations was one thing, but listening to a private conversation that was about yourself was quite another. Relationships could get destroyed that way, and although he hadn't started out wanting to make friends with Jaden and Syrus, he found that now he didn't want to lose them. He'd already breached Jaden's trust enough by uncovering his secret, which he had clearly very much wanted to stay hidden. Sighing, the Ra was about to turn back and head home— he still had his ticket to see Yugi's deck, after all— when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?"

Yuki had been in the middle of describing his midterm duel with Bastion, carefully glossing over Dr. Crowler's inexplicable antagonism toward him, when the double doors to the display room suddenly swung open again, revealing two very familiar figures.

"Kaiba!"

"Bastion?"

Mr. Kaiba hauled a very nervous-looking Bastion Misawa into the room, gripping him by the collar of his yellow uniform. Yuki tried to catch his friend's eye, but the other freshman seemed determined to avoid his gaze.

"Kaiba, what on earth are you doing?" Mr. Muto demanded.

"I caught this one eavesdropping," Mr. Kaiba snarled. "You can't tell me that's not suspicious."

"He probably just wanted to get an early look at the deck, just like that teacher earlier," his rival said impatiently.

"What teacher?" Yuki asked curiously.

"The headmaster of the Anubis Blue Dorm." Mr. Kaiba scowled fiercely. "I should have him fired— I won't have any Kaiba employees acting so unprofessionally."

"Dr. Crowler tried to sneak in here?" Yuki grinned widely. "Ha! That's hilarious! I knew he was a fan at heart."

His father, meanwhile, had resorted to pinching the bridge of his nose to stay calm— a habit he'd picked up quite quickly once he'd started working with Kaiba on a regular basis. "Kaiba, please let the boy go. It won't do any good if rumors get out about how you manhandle your own students." With obvious reluctance, the taller man did as he was asked, and Bastion wasted no time in taking a few steps away from him.

"I should have you expelled," the CEO threatened. "Sneaking around in the middle of the night trying to gain access to restricted areas is a good way to get yourself killed, boy."

"Oh come on, Mr. Kaiba, you can't expel Bastion!" Yuki exclaimed. "He's the second-best duelist in the freshman class! If you expel him, there won't be anyone around to give me a real challenge!"

Some of Mr. Kaiba's hostility faded. "You know this boy, Yuki?"

"Sure do. He's a friend of mine." Yuki grabbed his father's arm and tugged him forward. "Dad, this is Bastion Misawa, the Ra Yellow I was telling you about."

Yugi Muto, wearing a strange expression that looked stuck somewhere between amused, baffled, and embarrassed, offered his hand to the still-flabbergasted freshman. "Pleased to meet you, Bastion. I'm Yugi Muto, Yuki's father." He glanced over to his son as if to confirm it was all right to say so out loud.

"Don't worry, Dad. Bastion's a good guy. I'm sure he won't tell anyone. Right, Bastion?"

The Ra, who was still limply holding onto Mr. Muto's hand with a rather dazed expression, quickly jumped back to his senses. "What? Oh, yes, of course. Your secret is safe with me Jaden— er, Yuki. I understand why you wouldn't want that sort of thing getting out. And, erm, I'm pleased to meet you as well, sir. It's an honor." This last was addressed at the King of Games.

Mr. Muto gave a light shudder, prompting Bastion to finally drop his hand. "Please, don't call me sir. I get enough of that from KaibaCorp's employees."

Mr. Kaiba bristled at that. "It's only proper for—" Mr. Muto held up his hand.

"Yes, Kaiba, I know; you've explained it enough times. I'm just not as used to it as you are, that's all."

"Sorry I didn't tell you the truth, Bastion." The Ra managed to tear his gaze away from the legends in front of him to focus on Yuki, who for once was being completely serious. "It's just… people always act differently around me when they find out, and I didn't want any special treatment— from anyone. I want to just be a regular student— have fun and go to parties and stuff— and earn my own way as a duelist. You understand?"

"I already told you I did. There's no reason to apologize. Actually, I owe you something an apology myself. These past few weeks—" Bastion paused, hesitating, but forced himself to plow on "—I've been studying you. Gathering data about your behavior and thinking processes. I didn't expect us to become such good friends, and I'd like it if we could continue to be so, but I understand if you'd rather keep your distance, uh, considering."

Yuki broke out into a huge grin. "Don't be silly Bastion. Of course we can still be friends!" He laughed. "I never knew I was fascinating enough that someone would want to study me. So, what'd you discover, anyway?"

Breathing out a silent sigh of relief, Bastion gave a sly grin, quickly slipping into analyst mode. "I'm not sure you'll believe me."

"Come on, try me."

"Alright. I knew from when we first met there was something unusual about you. You claimed to have done poorly on the written exam, and yet you excelled at your field test, despite the odds being stacked against you. This is a constant dichotomy of your behavior: sometimes you show genuine intelligence, but most of the time you present a face of cluelessness and struggling academically. There are only a few logical reasons for a person to behave this way; either they suffer from some sort of mental disability, are very anxious, or wish to divert attention— or certain kinds of attention— away from themselves. I concluded you don't show the signs of any disability or anxiety, which only left the third option. Since the attention you were trying to prevent from getting turned on you seemed mostly to be positive in nature, I could only conclude that you come from that unique class of people who suffer from an excessive amount of such scrutiny: the rich and famous. Although I will admit, I did not suspect that your father was the King of Games himself."

Bastion glanced over to Mr. Muto only to find the famous duelist staring at him in open astonishment. He looked back at his classmate to see a similar look on his face. It was easy to tell they were related, seeing them side by side like that, he thought.

Yuki, unsurprisingly, was the first to recover. "Geez, Bastion. And I thought I was putting on such a good act too."

"Oh, I have no doubt you fool the majority of people," Bastion was quick to assure him, "but I made a point to spend more time with you than most. A tip for the future though: don't overdo the cluelessness. Claiming ignorance of Seto Kaiba's identity is bound to raise a few eyebrows, especially at a school he owns."

Yugi Muto turned to his only child in utter perplexity. "You pretended you didn't know Kaiba?"

"I got carried away!" Yuki defended himself.

"Oh, I don't doubt it." Mr. Muto pinched the bridge of his nose again. On second thought, perhaps it wasn't his closer association with Kaiba that had given rise to that particular habit.

Bastion hesitated for a moment, then continued, "I also must confess I had a bit of inside information— though I didn't realize it until just now. I don't suppose your father's ever mentioned the name Bakura to you…?" he looked back over at the older Muto.

The famous duelist snapped his fingers. "Bastion Misawa. I knew I recognized your name! You're Bakura and Maisie's boy, aren't you?"

"Adopted, but yes," Bastion nodded.

"Yes, they write about you in their letters all the time. They said they knew your parents before they passed away…?"

"In a car accident, yes," Bastion nodded. "I was ten at the time. Bakura and Maisie[1] took me in. The Japanese community in London is rather small, you see, and they figured it would be to my advantage not to have to deal with culture shock on top of everything else."

"Yes, Bakura mentioned that," Yugi nodded. "You and he have that in common, right? You're half Japanese, half English, as well?"

"That's right. Like me, he spent his childhood in London and only came to Japan as a teenager, and he also lost a parent at a young age. It was helpful, to have someone who understood what I was going through. Both he and Maisie have been very good to me."

"I'm glad to hear it. How are they doing? Tèa and I only receive a letter every few months…"

The next half hour was spent asking and answering questions about each others' families, during which Mr. Kaiba disappeared (he'd arranged to meet with his daughter and nephews elsewhere, though he didn't feel the need to share that information) before Bastion started yawning.

"I'd better get back. You didn't come here to see me, after all, and I've taken too much time away from you already." He paused, then added, "I'm sorry for eavesdropping. It was terribly rude of me."

"Forget about it," Yuki waved his apology away. "After all, if you hadn't eavesdropped, you and my dad never would have met!"

Mr. Muto nodded. "It was good to meet you, Bastion. Please, tell Bakura and Maisie I said hello."

"Of course." Bastion gave a small bow before exiting the room, finally leaving father and son alone.

"So," Mr. Muto turned to Yuki. "Anything else you want to tell me?"

"Oh, yeah! You know the Card Shack they have here? Well, it's owned by this really neat lady named Miss Dorothy, and she gave me this card…"

Exhibit Room, Duel Academy

October 26, 2027

9:24 AM

The next day, at the exhibit, Bastion, Yuki, and Syrus stood together, watching the students oooh and awe at the cards behind the glass.

"I suppose this feels strange to you," Bastion commented, glancing at Yuki.

"A bit. But I also got used to this sort of thing years ago, so I don't let it bother me."

"I'm just glad I finally know what you were up to," Syrus confessed. "You were giving me the jitters with all your observing, you know."

"Again, I apologize. That was not my intention."

Syrus sighed heavily. "It's fine. Just don't do it again, alright?"

Bastion smirked. "Why? Do you have a big secret to hide as well?" Syrus turned to him in absolute horror, and Bastion burst out laughing. "Don't worry, Syrus. I'm not going to start following you around and eavesdropping on your every conversation. Your secrets are yours to keep and I've learned my lesson. I do hope one day we'll be able to be friends."

Syrus allowed himself to relax at Bastion's words. "Yeah, okay. I think I'd like that too."

Yuki watched his two friends reach a truce with each other with a small smile on his face. He was glad it seemed like they were going to be able to get along. He wondered if he should introduce Alexis to Bastion, too. His first real friend he'd made at Duel Academy, one he'd felt safe enough to confess his secret too, and it turned out the guy had a secret of his own. What were the odds? He glanced around the room again, wondering how many of his other fellow students might have a secret identity.

1. Mayumi