KaibaCorp Duel Arena, Domino City

August 25, 2027

3:43 PM

The Duel Arena was flooded with prospective students, creating a noisy, chaotic sea of people. Above the crowds, like an emperor overseeing his domain, Zane Truesdale leaned on the railing of a private observation box, lost in thought.

He did okay. Not terrific, but okay.

Maybe I should leave out the 'not terrific' part; he might take it as condescending.

I'm his big brother. Surely he won't mind if I give him advice?

Like I could ever give advice without sounding condescending.

Maybe I shouldn't say anything at all.

Then I'll come across as uninterested.

He was pulled from his internal debate by the sound of the box's door opening. He turned to see that one of the new students had let herself in, already dressed in her Anubis Blue uniform. Had it been anyone else, he would have been annoyed that she'd interrupted him, but he found he was actually grateful to see his cousin right at the moment.

"Worrying about Syrus again?"

"When did you get here, Alexis? I've been watching the tests all day, and I don't recall seeing you out there."

"I took my test privately a week ago. You know, to avoid publicity?" She looked at him oddly, because of course, he should have known that. He did the same thing two years ago, after all. His stress over Syrus must have been getting to him even more than he thought. Oh, well; at least his cousin's arrival gave him something else to focus on.

"Please tell me you wiped the floor with your proctor."

"Of course." Now she looked offended.

"Good. At least we know your father's money isn't being totally wasted. Everyone I've seen here today has been mediocre at best."

"We can't all be naturally talented. And the whole point of a Duel Academy is to teach mediocre duelists how to become better, right? Of course, taking into account that the one calling them mediocre is the great Zane Wheeler, whose standards are absurdly high."

"You can't call me that here. It's Truesdale, remember?"

"I stand corrected. Zane Truesdale's absurdly high standards." She smirked at him, and he rolled his eyes back at her, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. It wasn't a true smile— he hadn't really smiled since Atticus disappeared— but it was as close as he usually got nowadays.

"So, is Syrus going to use 'Truesdale' too?" So much for focusing on something else.

"Yeah." Though he probably wishes he wasn't. "Dad put his foot down. He doesn't want to have to memorize another new last name just so he can stay in contact with both his sons."

Alexis chuckled at this, as well she should have. Joey Wheeler, Zane's father, was rather infamous for what he called his 'labor-saving endeavors'. Zane's mother usually scoffed that he put more effort into avoiding chores than the chores were actually worth.

"Speaking of aliases, did you register as Rhodes?"

"I can't very well ask people about my brother if I'm pretending he's not my brother, now can I?"

"So you are going to look for him."

"We've been over this, Zane. Wouldn't you go looking for Syrus if he disappeared?"

"Of course I would." That wasn't the point; they weren't talking about him. "But your father owns the Academy and the island it's situated on; plus he's one of the richest men in the world. If even he couldn't find Atticus, then—"

"Then I should just give up? He's your cousin as well as my brother. How could you even think such a thing?"

"I'd give anything to get Atticus back, Lex; that's just it. I looked everywhere, followed every lead. If I— if you— I can't lose you too, don't you understand? You're all I have left." He really hadn't meant to say that last part.

"All you— Zane, don't be ridiculous! You have Syrus and your parents and my parents and Grandma—"

"That's not what I meant and you know it. I was never close with my parents; whatever it was we missed out on when I was a kid was apparently important for the development of a normal relationship, and we can't get those years back now." Why had he said that? He really needed to stop talking before he revealed too much. "My being at Duel Academy has only pushed us further apart. As for Syrus… I don't think there's any way I could have screwed up more with him." He paused for a moment, hoping she wouldn't ask for details. He didn't think he could explain it, not to her. The only person he could have explained it to was gone.

"Atticus was the only person I really felt comfortable with for a long time, you know?" He's never admitted that out loud before. It must be something about the first day of school, dredging up memories and feelings he doesn't want to have.

"Yeah. He's that kind of person." Alexis conspicuously did not speak in the past tense. Zane wished he had as much faith as she did.

The atmosphere in the box was decidedly more subdued now, so the two cousins didn't say anything else for a long while, just watched the duels play out below them.

Outside, at the entrance to the KaibaCorp private Duel Arena, an unassuming car pulled up to the main gate and stopped, its hazards on to let others know it wouldn't be there long.

Because it was a warm, pleasant autumn day, both of the car's windows were rolled down, revealing the driver to be a man wearing a large hat, pulled low over his forehead, and a pair of large sunglasses. This might have seemed suspicious, but considering the sunny weather, any passerby could simply have assumed the man was going to be doing something outside later, after his errand at the Duel Stadium.

In actuality, even if the driver had been planning to do something outside later, that wasn't the reason why he was wearing a hat and sunglasses. No, that was so he wouldn't be mobbed while he was out on this strictly stay-in-the-car errand— dropping his son off at the Duel Academy entrance exams.

Yugi Muto took a deep breath and glanced sideways at his passenger— a teenage boy with dual-toned brown hair that he'd inherited from his mother— and fought the urge to wrap him up in a hug and tell him, once again, how proud he was of him. He'd promised not to cause a scene— all of the emotional goodbyes had already been said back at the house, and his wife hadn't even come with them, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist crying.

In the passenger seat, the potential student was practically vibrating with excitement and anticipation, causing him to fumble with the door handle as he attempted to get out of the car.

"Have you got everything?"

"Yep— I've got my deck, my gear and about," Yuki Muto glanced at the clock on the dashboard, "two minutes to get to the entrance exams. Oh, well; since I'm not a student yet, they can't throw me in detention for being late, right?"

Mr. Muto huffed out a laugh and shook his head in exasperation. "This goes against all of my instincts, you know. I still think you're going to regret waiting so long to leave."

Yuki grinned at him. "You worry too much, Dad. It's all going according to my being-a-regular-duelist plan. Everything's going to work out great."

"Before you go, son," his father stopped him before he could take off, "I have something to give you."

"Really?" Eagerly, Yuki almost stuck his head back inside the car and watched as his father reached into his breast pocket and withdrew—

"A Duel Monsters card!"

"Yep. This card… well, let's just say it was always meant for you."

Yuki took the card and frowned in concentration when he saw the name written across the top. "Wing-ed Curry-bah?" His father let out a disbelieving laugh. He knew that his son had been practicing his clueless act for months, but sometimes he still wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't.

"Winged Kuriboh," he corrected. "It's a one-of-a-kind card. Pegasus and I have been… collaborating on its creation for years. It was finally finished a few weeks ago. I just had to find the right time to give it to you."

"Wow, for real?" Yuki asked, cradling the card in his hand, awe written all over his face. He looked back at his father, his expression (for once) serious. "Thank you, Dad. I'll make you proud." He bowed in thanks.

Mr. Muto smiled softly. "I know you will. Now, get going. You have less than a minute."

"Oh, right! I can't be the next King of Games if I'm late to the games! Haha!" Yuki slid Winged Kuriboh into his deck holder even as he turned around and took off running, raising his other hand to wave in farewell.

The current King of Games sighed heavily as he watched his son, his only child, disappear in the crowds. I know he's going to be alright, he thought, but it's still hard to watch him grow up. Especially since I know he can never be just a "regular duelist". He sighed again, turning off the hazards and pulling back out into traffic. I really, really hope we're doing the right thing…

Yuki knew he would never reach the Duel Arena if he took the zigzagging path up the hill— why, oh why, had Mr. Kaiba built the place so far from the street?— but if he cut through the trees that still covered most of the property, going in a straight line… he could probably make it.

Just as the clock ticked down to zero, he finally heard voices up ahead, saying—

"Mark all the no-shows 'no-shows'—"

"WAIT!" Yuki yelled at the top of his voice, hauling himself up on the guardrail of the parking lot (going around would have taken far too long), "I'm no no-show! You can count Jaden Yuki as present, thank you! Well, just so long as I… don't lose my grip."

With one last effort, he swung himself over the guardrail planted his feet back on solid ground, panting and bracing his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"Well," the suit standing next to the check-in station said, "it would appear we have one more."

...

Checking in, fortunately, went quickly, and then Jaden was walking into the KaibaCorp Duel Arena, finally, as an applicant rather than just the son-of-our-very-important-guest. His face almost hurt from how widely he was grinning.

Whooo… woo. The sudden sound halted him in his tracks. Confused, he looked around for the strange cooing noise, wondering what— or who— could have made it. Strangely, there was nothing and nobody around but him.

Weird, he thought to himself. He might have lingered further, distracted by the strange call, if the familiar roar of an enthusiastic crowd hadn't suddenly erupted from up ahead. Lured by the promise of duels, Jaden took off down the hall at a full sprint, forgetting all about the noise he'd heard.

Inside the arena, Alexis was beginning to agree with her cousin's assessment of the new year's applicants.

"Man, you were right. They are all pretty mediocre."

"Except for Chazz, of course, but don't tell him that. His head's big enough as it is." Alexis snorted in agreement. "He used the name 'Princeton' when he registered." It had taken some of the tension out of Zane, just chatting here casually with her. He was almost smiling again.

"Seriously? I would have thought he wanted everyone to know that he was the son of the great game master, the one and only Duke Devlin."

"It was his mother's idea. Apparently, she was worried that her precious baby might get mobbed to death if people knew who he really was."

"I'll bet Uncle had a few sarcastic comments about that. Especially since Mr. 'Princeton' over there doesn't seem to have gotten the memo." The two of them watched as Chazz Devlin— Princeton, rather; they'd have to get used to that— basked in the glow of praise from his already-forming fan club.

"One thing you can say for him: he has presence and charisma."

"The Devlins always were notorious charmers."

"I don't think my father would have put it quite that way…" Joey Wheeler's first encounter with Uncle Duke had been one of the much asked for stories of their childhood— mostly by Atticus. Atticus could always hold a crowd's attention, too.

"I think that particular case was an exception, but fair point." Alexis's lips twitched in amusement. She turned her attention back to the duel, just in time to catch an impressive combo played by one Bastion Misawa. "That was a pretty good move, don't you think so, Zane?"

"Fairly. He's better than anyone else I've seen all day, anyway." To be honest, Zane's attention wasn't fully on the duel anymore. His gaze kept wandering over to Syrus, who was looking anxiously over his shoulder every two seconds. I wish he'd stop looking so nervous. His duel's over; there's nothing he can do about it now.

"I don't think that's what he's worried about," Alexis replied, alerting Zane to the fact that he'd voiced this wish aloud.

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow to express his confusion.

His cousin smirked at him. "He's waiting for him. You didn't forget that he's the same age as Syrus and I, did you?"

Yeah, actually, in the almost two years since Atticus had disappeared, Zane hadn't kept up much with the news from home. Now that Alexis reminded him, though… he glanced at the clock.

"He sure is cutting it close."

"He's doing it on purpose. He's determined to gain a reputation as a slacker right from the get-go."

This went so against Zane's life philosophy, at first he thought he'd heard wrong. "He's… trying to be late?

"Yep. He figures that if everyone expects less of him from the beginning, they're less likely to put pressure on him— or figure out the truth."

"Seems a bit extreme… but I can understand his feelings." Sort of, anyway. Zane hadn't wanted anyone to know he was the son of a famous pro duelist, a finalist at both Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, but he hadn't purposefully slacked off to avoid attention either.

"Look, here he comes." Zane's attention was redirected by Alexis pointing towards one of the entrances. There, his jacket rumpled and— leaves?— in his hair, was the kid who was more likely to be chased after at Duel Academy than any of them: Yuki Muto, the son of the King of Games himself.

"I see he hasn't changed a bit," Zane remarked dryly.

Jaden spotted his best friend, Syrus Wheeler, almost immediately despite the other boy's lack of stature and quickly wove his way toward him, always keeping at least one eye on the duels happening in the arena below. "Wow, look at 'em go!" he exclaimed before even greeting his friend, practically launching himself into the air to get a better look.

A few moments later, Bastion made his winning move.

"Wow, that last guy really tore it up," Jaden commented, rocking back on his heels and folding his arms across his chest.

"That's Bastion Misawa," Syrus informed him, "they say he got the best score on the written exam out of all of us."

"Cool." Jaden laughed. "I just barely passed." His low written exam grade had been, if he was being truthful, only halfway intentional.

"Yeah, me too," Syrus said, looking depressed. "I hate tests. I can't believe I won my match."

"So, you're in?" Jaden half asked, half exclaimed, slapping the shorter boy on the back so hard he almost lost his balance. "That's great! That means we'll be in together!"

"Yeah…" Syrus managed a smile. He'd always wished he had Jaden's confidence; he never got anxious about anything. Suddenly, something occurred to him. "Uh, Jaden—" thank goodness they'd spent so long practicing; Syrus was sure he would have screwed up and called him by his real name otherwise— "I think you might have cut it too close. This was supposed to be the last match of the day!"

It turned out Syrus almost panicked for nothing. A few minutes later, after they'd met and congratulated Bastion Misawa (and then insulted by calling him second-best), the call "Jaden Yuki, please report to exam field four," came over the intercom.

"Go time! Wish me luck, guys!"

"Hey, wait," Bastion called as Jaden began to descend the stairs, "If I'm the second-best, who's first?"

"Yours truly," Jaden said, pointing his thumb at himself. "I'm the best you'll ever meet!"

Syrus watched enviously as Jaden bounded down to the arena floor, once again silently bemoaning his own lack of self-esteem.

"I hope your friend's really as good as he says he is," Bastion spoke up. "He's going to need to be. Look who he's dueling."

Syrus looked across the arena and gasped in both surprise and horror. Dr. Crowler? Why are they sending the Vice-Chancellor to duel Yuki? Did someone already figure out who he is?! Man, I knew this wasn't going to work!

In his office at Duel Academy, Chancellor Sheppard hung up his phone, knowing Crowler got the message. He wasn't sure what was so important about this 'Jaden Yuki', or how Mr. Kaiba had known the boy was going to be so late, but he had no problem reigning in Crowler's pride once in a while. Fortunately, he had the excuse of last year's debacle to fall back on as to why he'd chosen to call in the first place. The last thing he needed was to give his vice-chancellor any reason to single Mr. Yuki out, not when Mr. Kaiba so clearly wanted the boy left alone.

Looking back, Sheppard really should have known better. Crowler was never one to just let things go.

"Jaden, huh? Wonder where he came up with that." Alexis mused after the announcement was made. They'd all known Yuki was going to use an alias at Duel Academy, but he'd kept it a secret from everyone except his parents, her parents (since her father owned the school, and he didn't dare keep secrets from her mother), and Syrus, who'd begged Yuki to let him in on it so he could get used to the idea and not accidentally call him by his real name.

"With the way his mind works, who knows?" Zane responded.

Murmurs started among the audience as Jaden's opponent took the field, Dr. Crowler's two assistants helping him strap on his dueling vest. Zane rolled his eyes at the display. Dr. Crowler wasn't undeserving of his job— his uncle only ever hired the best— but that didn't make him tolerable. Zane had very little patience for drama.

"Poor Crowler," Alexis said, earning her a disbelieving side glance from her cousin. "He has no idea what he's gotten himself into."

Zane hmm'd. "Maybe. I just hope we get to see that legendary rare monster Crowler has stashed away in that deck of his."

The duel was intense. Just as Zane had hoped, Crowler summoned his Ancient Gear Golem, a mechanical giant that towered over the field— and Jaden.

Another duelist might have been intimidated, but Jaden was having the time of his life. His smile of enjoyment quickly changed to a gasp of surprise, though, when he reached for his deck to draw and heard the same strange cooing he'd heard back in the hall.

Whooo….whoo.

It's that call again. He flipped over his next card and saw— Oh, it's you! Winged Kuriboh stared back at him with its wide, dark eyes. Dad said this card was made especially for me. He grinned. Well, whaddya say, partner? You wanna find out what the two of us can do together?

He wouldn't be sure until later, but at that moment, Jaden could've sworn the picture on the card winked at him.

Um, alright. I'll take that as a yes.

...

A little while later, it was over. Dr. Crowler lay face-down on the arena's floor with a comical look of disbelief, while Jaden waved enthusiastically to the screaming crowd, unable to contain his excitement.

"I told you, Alexis said. "Looks like you owe me one, Zane," she said teasingly, turning to grin at him. Her expression quickly faltered, however, when Zane turned and walked away without a word. Was it something I said?

Elsewhere in the arena, another student in a Blue Anubis uniform stared down at the celebrating Jaden Yuki, scowling fiercely. Tch. Of course.