Main Building, Duel Academy

September 16, 2027

10:22 AM

[Following The Duel Giant 0:00-1:38]

"Those blue-coated ones have no manners," Burstinatrix huffed as the three Anubis Blues hurried away. "Whispering behind people's backs and then just strutting off."

"Don't be too hard on 'em, Burstinatrix," Yuki chastised gently. "They're under a lot of stress right now, thanks to the Duel Giant and everything."

"Duel Giant?" Syrus asked. Yuki turned to his friend, surprised that he hadn't heard of the massive prowler already. Syrus was always primed to receive bad news.

"Yeah. The rumors are all over the school." As Yuki explained the situation to his friend, Dr. Crowler, unseen by the two boys, came stalking down the hall. He looked absolutely livid, and if Jaden and Syrus had seen him coming, they might have taken the chance to run in the opposite direction.

As it was, Dr. Crowler saw them first, and his reaction was… strange, to say the least.

"Oh, Jaden, my boy!" He exclaimed pleasantly, rushing over to greet them.

Syrus stiffened in shock. "He's being nice; something's wrong!"

"How would you like to have no homework for the rest of the year?" Crowler asked.

"No homework?" Jaden repeated. The alarm bells in Syrus's head got louder.

"Yes! You and Syrus both— well, if you help me, that is. So, what do you say?"

Jaden shrugged. "Alright."

"Wait a minute, help him do what?" Syrus demanded.

"Nothing, really," Dr. Crowler was hasty to assure them. "Just going on a kind of… field trip!"

"I love field trips!" said Jaden. Syrus looked at him in disbelief. "So, teach, where's this field trip taking us?"

"All around campus! I need you to duel and identify the fellow having these illegal matches— you know the one; they call him the 'Duel Giant', I believe?"

"Sure, the guy that's kicking your dorm's butt," Jaden laughed. He's lost it, Syrus lamented.

Crowler's smile faded rapidly. "I— I don't keep track of such things. Good luck, Jaden!" and he rushed off.

"Alright," Yuki said cheerfully once Crowler had disappeared from view, "let's find us this 'Duel Giant', shall we?"

"Um, Jaden, is it too late to say that this is a bad idea? I mean, Crowler really doesn't like you."

"I know. That's probably why he set me up to take part in an illegal duel." Syrus blinked at him. "You know, the ante rule?"

"Wha—but—how—uh— why would you agree to do it then?" Syrus spluttered.

"Because how could I turn down no homework, a field trip, and a big duel? Besides, Syrus, this guy is taking away duelists' cards. That's like ripping out a piece of their soul. He needs to be stopped, trust me."

Rarely had Syrus seen Yuki so serious. He sighed. "Oh, okay, I guess you're right… but you can't play with an ante rule. You'll get expelled!"

Yuki shrugged again. "I'll probably have to, to get him to duel me. It's no big deal, Sy."

"No big deal!?" Syrus practically shrieked. "But what if you get caught?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Come on, Sy, whaddaya say? Will you help me? I promise you don't have to participate in any illegal dueling."

Syrus sighed so heavily that his body physically drooped. "Fine. So, how are we gonna find this guy?"

Yuki grinned. "Simple. When nighttime comes, the Elemental HEROs will spread out and search the island, keeping an eye out for any giant duelists. He always comes out around midnight, right? With their help, we'll find him in no time! All we have to do… is…" Yuki trailed off as his eyes suddenly seemed to glaze over.

Oh no. I know that look.

"There's a duel going on nearby!" Yuki exclaimed, before turning on his heel and dashing off.

"Hey, wait up," Syrus called after him in exasperation.

…

A few moments later, the two Osiris Reds slipped into one of the Ra Yellow duel arenas, where an Anubis and a noticeably small Ra were facing off.

"Jaden, if you keep getting distracted by your dueling ESP, we're never going to be able to finish our plan to catch the Duel Giant!"

"Whaddaya mean, 'finish'? It is finished. We spy out the island, wait for him to show up, then challenge him. No problem. Besides, Sy, this looks like a good duel." Syrus shook his head and resignedly turned his attention to the dueling platform. One of these days, Yuki's recklessness is going to catch up with him, and I just hope I'm there to see it.

[The Duel Giant 4:36-8:14]

Afterward, Jaden and Syrus watched as Brier and Beauregard walked off down the hall, hand in hand.

"Jaden, I really don't think that guy's the Duel Giant," Syrus spoke up. "You heard what Bastion said— that big guy's a game designer, not a duelist; it doesn't add up."

Yuki didn't respond to his friend's assessment. He was staring at a spot on the wall, his eyes out of focus.

Ah, Syrus thought. He's listening to one of his monster spirits.

Main Building, Duel Academy

September 16, 2027

11:57 PM

It didn't take long for Syrus to seriously begin to regret agreeing to Yuki's plan. That night found them hanging around outside the entrance to Duel Academy's main building, after curfew, waiting for some invisible monsters to point them in the direction of a giant who was probably going to beat both of them up and steal their best cards.

"Yuki, you really think the giant will show up tonight?"

"Shh," Yuki raised a finger to his lips. "We have to be prepared for the possibility that he'll come here, instead of one of the other spots under surveillance, remember? We have to be quiet, or we'll give ourselves away."

Personally, Syrus doubted the Duel Giant would show up here, right out in the open, to bully some unfortunate Anubis into a duel, but he dreaded getting caught more, so he didn't argue and tried to remain as quiet as possible.

Which was why, seconds later, he nearly jumped three feet in the air when Yuki exclaimed, "Clayman found the giant— that way!" barely giving Syrus time to register in which direction he was pointing before taking off into the woods.

"Wait up," Syrus wailed after him. He seemed to say that a lot around Yuki; maybe it was time he started working out more. Struggling to keep up with his taller friend, he barely had time to breathe out an "'scuse me," as he ran past the fallen Anubis, and it took a few seconds for the older student's face to register. He was one of the duelists in the arena earlier today!

"Hold it!" Jaden demanded just as Syrus finally skidded to a halt by his side, "Caught ya, big guy! Not so quick on your feet, huh?" The massive figure turned around to glare down at them, his entire face, except for his eyes, covered by Anubis Blue uniforms.

"Uh… you know what, Jaden…" Syrus trailed off as his throat seemed to seal shut. He edged over to hide behind his friend, frantically trying to get his vocal cords to work again. "I don't think he really needs to be— I mean, who in their right mind chases a giant?"

"The same guy who's gonna duel him! It's time to throw down!"

…

"…switch my orc from defense to offense!" The Duel Giant rumbled.

"To offense!?" Jaden heard Syrus call out in alarm from the background.

"The only thing offensive here is that monster's face!" Burstinatrix declared, wrinkling her nose.

"Yeah, too bad he didn't wrap a couple of blazers around him," Jaden agreed. "But hey, if he won't do something about it, guess that we'll just have to. Ready guys? I use Polymerization to fuse Elemental HERO Clayman and Burstinatrix! Now, Duel Giant, allow me to introduce… the Elemental HERO Rampart Blaster! And I'll put her in defense mode." He grinned. "But that doesn't mean I can't play her special ability— it blasts your Life Points to the total of half of Rampart's attack points."

The Duel Giant braced himself for the attack, but even though he was able to stand his ground, he wasn't able to stop all of the Anubis Blue blazers he was wearing from flying off. Horrified, Beauregard stood before them, covering his face with his hands.

"Thought so," Jaden said.

"It's him!" Syrus exclaimed. "But I thought he couldn't duel…?"

"He can't," Jaden confirmed. "Hey, why don't you stop the charade!? How about the real Duel Giant comes out now?" For a long moment, it seemed as if Yuki had only been yelling at trees and bushes. But then a small figure, wearing a Ra Yellow blazer and holding a portable radio transmitter, stepped out from behind Beauregard, watching the two Osiris Reds warily.

"So it was him," Necroshade hmm'd. "Your theory was correct, Yuki."

"Brier…?" Syrus asked, stunned. "But…why?" Brier, the small Ra from earlier that day, ignored him.

"How did you know?" he demanded, addressing Jaden.

"Back at the arena, I could tell how mad you were at those Anubis guys for laughing at you. Then, when I saw this big guy was your friend it started coming together."

"But… I lost that duel you saw. Why would you think I could beat all those Anubis Blues?"

"Because I heard that you were a great duelist, only problem was you had stage fright— which you wouldn't have to worry about if you were dueling at night, behind the mask of a mysterious persona."

"Alright," Syrus said, his heart rate finally starting to slow down, "It's over now; just give back the cards and—"

"What do you mean, 'over'!? Nothing's over!" Brier snapped at him. "I won't just go home and be little Brier again. Everyone makes fun of me— they say I'm small, a shrimp! I'm tired of them always laughing at me; don't you get it? That's why I get nervous. I couldn't concentrate. Then I met Beauregard. They teased him too, so we decided to get all of them back, right where it hurt them most!"

"So you used the ante rule," Jaden said.

"And another reason you put on the costume and used the radio," Syrus realized. "So you wouldn't get caught breaking the rules."

"That's right," Brier told them, crossing his arms defiantly. "What are you going to do about it?"

Jaden shrugged. "Tell everyone, I guess. Soon, your secret will be out, and those Anubis Blues you beat will be coming after you for revenge. Not to mention Dr. Crowler, who will have you expelled for breaking school rules. That is… unless you and I continue this duel! Out in the open!"

"Huh!?" Brier sputtered. "Out in the open!?" He blanched hard, but then the small Ra clenched his fists in determination. "Well, I guess you're not giving me any choice! Let's do this! Draw, Beauregard!"

…

The duel was nerve-wracking, but it finally ended in Jaden's victory. "You did it Jaden! You slayed the Duel Giant!" Syrus exclaimed happily. Maybe now he could go to bed?

No, because first, Jaden had to reassure both Ras that he wasn't going to report them. "I only said I'd turn you in so that you'd duel me in the open, not hiding behind Beauregard, and realize that you could."

"What…?" Brier stared at him in disbelief. Jaden smiled softly.

"I know what it's like to be made fun of. Everyone gets a dose of that sometimes." Syrus started. Jaden's been made fun of? But why? By who? And when? "But it doesn't matter how big or small you are. It was a close duel, Brier, and you should be proud, even if you lost." Jaden's grin turned mischievous. "Believe it or not, I know about a guy who once was just like you. He was smaller than everybody and got picked on a lot. He was really shy, so he never did anything about it, and never stood up for himself. He was always alone and isolated because he was different. You know what happened to him?"

"What?" Beauregard asked, leaning forward in fascination.

"He became the most famous duelist and game designer in the whole world! He became the King of Games."

Brier snorted. "You're making that up. There's no way the King of Games ever had stage fright."

Jaden laughed. "You wouldn't think so, but like my Mom always says, you should watch his "speech" at the first KaibaCorp World Championship. You can— it's on tape."

"Okay, maybe that's true, but how would you know about the King of Games getting picked on at school?"

"Because of this," Jaden said, opening the Graveyard slot on his Duel Disk. He withdrew a photograph that had been cut to the size of a card and handed it to Brier. "He told me himself, to encourage me whenever I got picked on."

Beauregard leaned down to get a good look at the photo, and even Syrus stepped closer to see what it was. It was Uncle Yugi— the King of Games himself— smiling at the camera, Aunt Téa's arms around his waist as she leaned against him. In his arms was a much younger Jaden, grinning and pointing at the camera.

"That's… that's you!" Brier stammered out, his mouth hanging open in shock. "You're—"

"The name's Yuki Muto," Yuki admitted, sticking out his hand. "Nice to officially meet you. I figure since I'm going to be keeping your secret, I can trust you to keep mine."

"Of course," Beauregard nodded.

"But… if you're the son of the King of Games…" Brier hesitated, "…do you know how he got over being picked on all the time? How'd he gain the confidence to become the greatest duelist in the world?"

"He didn't do it alone," Yuki admitted. "He had my mom and a bunch of great friends to support him, to stand by his side through everything." He gave another one of his soft smiles. "You two are really lucky to have each other."

Brier returned the smile and got to his feet. "Thank you," he said sincerely, "Not just for showing me I can play well in front of others, but for trusting us with your secret. That's kind of a big deal." He handed the photo back to the Osiris. "I'll remember your story the next time I have to duel in front of an audience."

"I'm glad," Yuki grinned, putting the photo away. "I just hope it's not against me." Brier laughed. "Now get out of here. It's past curfew you know."

Now, he remembers, Syrus thought petulantly.

Brier waved over his shoulder as took off into the trees. "Thanks, Jaden! We'll make good!"

"Hey, wait up!" Beauregard called after his friend, his heavier build slowing him down. Syrus blinked.

Huh. I wonder if it's a sidekick thing?

What was most definitely not a sidekick thing was doing all your best friend's extra homework assignments, given to them by an irate professor whose plan to have them expelled had failed yet again, no matter how much Yuki pleaded.