Chapter 5: Classes Begin
Academy Island…
Ra-Yellow Dorm…
Kolt hummed excitedly as he tied the laces of his boots. His first classes at Duel Academy were going to start today. It felt odd actually being excited about going to school or even being up so early for it, but at the same time, he didn't mind it. This was a school he'd gladly get up to go to.
That being said, he was more excited about the classes concerning Duel Monsters and PE than any of the other classes. But those aside, he just couldn't wait to start the day as he grabbed onto his deck and placed it in his holster on his belt.
"Never know when I may need it." Kolt thought as he exited his room.
He also grabbed his PDA so he could take notes during class. The last thing he wanted was to forget the content of a lesson. With everything he needed in hand, Kolt exited his room into the empty and silent hallway.
It was a little odd seeing it like that as the previous day it was filled with his fellow first years creating a lot of noise as they moved into their new rooms. Kolt was sure that it wouldn't be this silent and empty all the time as it would probably only be like this early in the morning, just as it was now.
It wasn't until he began heading to the front of the dorms that he began to see some fellow Ra's who had gotten up at the same time he did. Most of them seemed to be his seniors who were attending Duel Academy for the second or third year, and very few were first years like Kolt himself.
When he stole glances at his seniors, he saw that they were giving him and the other first years odd looks. It wasn't mean looks or anything that would indicate any ill intent; it was more as if they were sizing them up as if they were trying to determine how strong they were.
Kolt wondered if he would be doing the same when he was in his second and third years. Since he still had a long way to go before worrying about that, Kolt decided to save that thought for later as he went to the dorm's cafeteria to get his complimentary breakfast.
Thanks to his scholarship, he was able to receive a free breakfast and dinner at the cafeteria, which saved him some money when it came to food. But that still left lunch for him to worry about, so he'd have to find a way to get food for that besides just simple, instant ramen.
"I wonder if there's a cooking class or club I could take?" Kolt thought as he entered the cafeteria.
Once there, he quickly got his food, which consisted of a small bowl of cereal, an apple, and a bagel. Not the most glamorous meal, but Kolt was happy to have it as he slowly dug in. Normally, he'd eat his breakfast fast, but after eating so much the night prior, he needed to take things slow.
Just the thought of how much he ate last night made Kolt a little nauseous, making him promise himself that he would never do that again. When he began to eat, many of his fellow Ra Yellow students flowed into the cafeteria, meaning everyone was starting to wake up.
Of those walking into the cafeteria, he didn't recognize most as he hadn't interacted with many other students other than those he got to know beforehand and on the boat. It just reminded him of how many people were attending this school and how lucky he was to be there.
"It's good to see I'm not the only early riser here," Bastion commented, appearing next to Kolt.
"Oh, good morning, Bastion." Kolt greeted, giving his fellow Ra a small wave.
"When did you get here? I didn't see you come in?" Kolt inquired, surprised that Bastion had managed to enter the cafeteria without him noticing.
"I came in soon after you did. My food just took a little more time to finish." Bastion answered, placing his tray down on the table, allowing Kolt to see the large pancakes on them.
"Ah, that makes sense," Kolt replied, realizing that he had just grabbed his meal and went to sit down without looking at who else was around.
"I guess I should continue waking up early so I don't have to wait in line if everyone gets stuff like that." Kolt chuckled, taking a look at the growing line.
"You don't get up early normally?" Bastion asked as Kolt shook his head.
"I'm not normally such an early riser. I woke up so early today because I'm a little excited for school to begin." Kolt chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Man, that sounds weird to say," Kolt noted, realizing what he had just said.
"Not much a fan of school normally, I take it?" Bastion asked as Kolt shrugged.
"No more than the average person. Though I am excited to see what Duel Acadamy has to offer." Kolt answered with a wide smile.
"You and I both." Bastion nodded before the two ate their breakfast.
"So what got you up so early?" Kolt asked, curious about why Bastion was up.
"I always get up fairly early for some exercise and drawing practice. A good duelist can't let a minute of their day go to waste." Bastion explained as Kolt looked at him perplexed.
"I guess that makes sense. Sounds a bit tiring, though." Kolt commented, imagining what Bastion was doing earlier.
"By the way, have you figured out what rooms your classes are in?" Kolt asked, remembering his conversation with Bastion the previous night.
"Yes, I've got my class list. Though I still don't know where the classrooms are located in the building." Bastion answered, taking out his PDA.
"Well, it looks like we've got a lot of similar classes. I've got a good idea of how to get to them. Thankfully, they gave us a map to help." Kolt commented, glancing at Bastion's PDA.
"Indeed. I'll have to have you lead the way then, if you don't mind." Bastion requested as Kolt nodded.
"Sure thing," Kolt smirked, happy to oblige.
When the two finished eating their breakfast, they cleaned up their trays and placed them above the trash cans before making their way outside. Once outside, Kolt took a deep breath of the morning sea air.
"I'm not going to get tired of the sea air. Or the view." Kolt smirked, looking out at the ocean.
"Neither will I. It is quite exquisite." Bastion agreed, also enjoying the view.
"Say, have you unboxed your new Duel Disk yet?" Kolt inquired as the two began to walk down the path toward Duel Academy.
"Between unpacking and doing calculations to improve the deck I used during my examination, I'm afraid I neglected to take a look," Bastion explained as Kolt looked at him surprised.
"I hope you didn't do that all night," Kolt commented, remembering how Bastion had actually taken to writing on the walls of his dorm room.
"Of course not. Sleep is vital. If I did get enough, I wouldn't be able to perform well in class or in my dueling." Bastion assured, noting the importance of getting proper sleep.
"Well, that's good to hear. Then again, too much sleep isn't good either because you might oversleep and miss class. Here's hoping that Jaden won't have that problem in school." Kolt replied, remembering that Jaden seemed to oversleep a lot.
"Indeed." Bastion nodded as the dirt path below them turned into a fine stone path.
Standing before them down the path was the main building of Duel Academy that towered over them. Kolt stared at it, still in awe at seeing it in person. It was far bigger than he had originally imagined, and now he was able to come and go as he pleased.
As he looked at the building, he wondered how long it had taken to build it. After all, being on the base of a dormant volcano probably had its complications. That, along with the permits to build it in the first place, probably took a while.
He only wished they used the time it took to build the place to make the classrooms and halls more distinct so one wouldn't get lost easily in them. Then again, Kolt was sure that after a while, he'd be able to get through the halls of Duel Academy with no issue.
"With a building so big, you have to wonder what they're filling it with," Kolt commented, having only visited the classes and rooms he needed to know the day prior.
"Other than making future pro duelists, Duel Academy also teaches game-making, science, acting, and more, so I doubt there's any wasted space," Bastion noted as the two entered the building.
"Huh, good point. Now I'm interested in seeing every nook and cranny of the school." Kolt chuckled before pulling out his PDA.
"First class of the day is Dueling 101 in room 103," Kolt noted before pocketing his PDA.
"That's up on the second floor. I visited it yesterday when I was looking around." Kolt explained, pointing up the stairs.
Kolt led the way as they walked up the stairs to the second floor. Once there, he and Bastion were met with a surprising sight. That sight was a large crowd of first years moving about the second floor like a raging river.
The two watched as the crowd of fellow first-years scrambled to find their classes. It seemed this crowd was made up of those who had neglected to tour the campus the day prior and find their classes. At least Kolt assumed that was the case, as it was the only explanation for why it was like this.
Of course, it could very well be that there were first and second years in the mix, but seeing many older-looking students stand around and wait for the crowd to dissipate made Kolt a little more certain of his theory.
"So uh…I guess we should wait out the crowd." Kolt suggested moving over to the side to make room for anyone brave enough to enter the crowd.
"That would be the best option at the moment." Bastion agreed, not wanting to attempt to move through the crowd.
The boys waited for a few minutes, but the crowd didn't seem to get any better. In fact, it got worse as other first-years passed them and entered the crowd. It seemed that the crowd would die down anytime soon.
"Should we just…brave the storm?" Kolt suggested with a sigh.
"At this point, it would probably be for the best. I don't like it, but we'd have to run to class by the time it dies down." Bastion replied as an exasperated sigh caught his and Kolt's attention.
"Geez, those seniors weren't kidding when they warned me about the First Year Stampede," Lailah murmured as she and Nia walked up the stairs, stopping just below Bastion and Kolt.
"Oh. Good morning." Kolt greeted giving them a small wave before realizing that Lailah and Nia were walking together.
"Did you two come here together?" Kolt asked, looking between the two girls who had arrived at the same time.
"Oh yeah. Lailah came over to the Ra Dorm and met me there." Nia explained as Lailah smiled, looking happy.
"It is only natural for friends to walk to school together," Lailah beamed, showing how elated she was to say that.
"What was that you said? The First Year Stampede?" Bastion inquired, curious about what Lailah had said earlier.
"Oh, some of the second and third years in my dorm warned me about it. Apparently, every year, a majority of the first years spend the first day either unpacking or messing about with their new duel disks instead of looking for where their classes are." Lailah began as she gestured to the crowd.
"So this ends up happening where everyone pushes against one another to find their classes. Some try to find them all at once, while others just want to find their first period. But I was told it would be like this all day." Lailah finished before stepping in front of Kolt and Bastion.
"But I don't intend on waiting for these idiots to figure out where they need to go like this," Lailah muttered as she stopped at the top of the steps.
"Uh…what are you do…" Kolt began, confused at what Lailah was doing, before being interrupted as Lailah screamed out.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Lailah shouted with such force and volume everyone ceased to move at that moment and looked her way, shocked.
"Did I stutter?" Lailah questioned, glaring at the crowd, causing them to move out of Lailah's way, creating a path.
"There. Problem solved." Lailah smiled, stepping through the crowd, with Nia quickly following.
"A…I…I have no words." Kolt murmured as Bastion nodded.
"That was quite the impressive display, and if we don't want to be stuck here again, I suggest we follow her," Bastion noted as he quickly followed Lailah.
"Yeah, good point," Kolt replied as he did the same.
The two sped after Lailah and Nia, who were already moving through the crowd as they parted in fear of Lailah. Though the girl wasn't fully aware of how intimidating she was, it seemed that she was still able to make full use of it when necessary. Kolt just hoped she didn't use that on him.
"So, do you guys also have Dueling 101 for your first period?" Nia asked, glancing back to look at Kolt and Bastion.
"Indeed, we do. We were heading over there before being stopped by the large crowd." Bastion nodded as Lailah chuckled.
"Which means I get another chance to get even," Lailah smirked, stealing a glance at Kolt.
"Why do I feel like that won't be ending anytime soon?" Kolt wondered as he spotted the classroom they needed.
"Here we are, just up ahead." Kolt pointed out, gesturing to the room ahead.
"Oh good, not too far from the stairs. This shouldn't be too hard to find every morning." Bastion commented as the four stopped in front of the door.
"That's true. But just wait for the other classes." Kolt replied, remembering how much trouble he had had finding the other classes he had the previous day.
"Are they all that hard to find?" Bastion inquired, curious.
"They were yesterday, but I'm sure it won't be as bad today. As long as the crowd isn't this big." Kolt responded, taking one last glance at the crowd behind him.
"From what I heard, it's not going to get easier with this crowd anytime soon," Lailah commented, causing Kolt to deadpan as she turned to Nia.
"Hey, Nia, want to sit together?" Lailah asked as Nia gave a small nod.
"Sure." Nia agreed as the two entered the room.
"Glad they're still on good terms. I'd hate for them to be at odds." Kolt smiled while Bastion nodded.
"True, though it was really just Lailah being in a bad mood." Bastion reminded as Kolt shuddered, remembering how Lailah was on the ship.
"Good point," Kolt replied as he and Bastion entered the classroom.
The interior of the room was just as he remembered it from yesterday, though this time, it was, of course, filled with other students who had already taken their seats. Most of the students were Obelisk Blue with a few Ra Yellow's down below, but absolutely no Slifers had arrived.
On the adjacent wall, there was a large screen that displayed the seating chart for the entire class. From what Kolt could tell, it was open seating, allowing him to sit anywhere he wanted, but he could only do so in the section provided to his dorm. The bottom rows were reserved for Slifer Reds, while the middle rows were for Ra's like Kolt, and the very top was for Obelisk Blue.
"They separate dorms even in class?" Kolt blurted as Bastion tilted his head.
"It seems they take the dorm rankings very seriously. I just hope that there won't be any problems hearing the teacher from where we sit." Bastion noted, rubbing his chin.
"Is…is it too late for me to change dorms?" Lailah cried, looking up at the screen.
"I finally made a friend and can't sit next to her in class!" Lailah wailed, falling to her knees as Nia gently patted her on the back.
"You don't have to be so dramatic, Lailah. It's not the end of the world," Nia assured as Lailah returned to her feet.
"I know. I was just really excited." Lailah replied, wiping away her tears.
"You could just sit behind her, you know. It might not be the same, but it's better than nothing, right?" Kolt suggested, catching Lailah's attention.
"Yeah, I guess," Lailah murmured, still seemingly sad about the situation.
The four then moved down and took their seats, with Lailah sitting at the bottom of the Obelisk Blue section and Nia sitting at the top of Ra Yellows. Then Kolt and Bastion sat at the center of the Ra Yellow section and waited for the rest of their classmates to arrive and class to begin.
"The classrooms are quite smaller than I imagined," Bastion commented as he looked around the room.
"Now that you mention it, I guess it is. I didn't really make note of that yesterday. Probably because I was too distracted by how all the classrooms looked the same." Kolt replied, rubbing his chin.
The classroom itself was by no means small, but it was no bigger than an average college classroom. With how big the school was and with how many students attended it, one would think that they would need to make larger classrooms.
"I guess it would explain the large volume of classrooms if they used them to split up classes into more manageable sizes." Kolt theorized as Bastion nodded.
"That would explain it. I couldn't imagine being able to nurture duelists in such large classes." Bastion agreed, finding Kolt's idea sound as the seats around them filled with other Ra Yellows.
"Got to imagine how many teachers must work here. Wonder who we're getting." Kolt noted as the first Slifers began to enter the classroom.
"It's about time we see some Slifers get here. Guess they were part of the First Year Stampede." Kolt remarked, looking for two familiar faces in the Slifer crowd.
"Unfortunately, they are known as the worst dorm for a reason." Bastion pointed out as Kolt turned and faced the front of the classroom.
"I guess," Kolt acquiesced, placing his head in his hand.
"Still, you'd think there'd be some who tried a bit harder," Kolt commented, a little surprised that most, if not all, the Slifers were just coming in.
"Oh well, it's only the first day of classes." Kolt sighed as the seats around them began to fill up.
As more and more students filled the seats, Kolt began to feel a little concerned as he still hadn't seen any sign of Jaden or Syrus. The two Slifers were cutting it close as class was about to begin, and being late on the first day is anything but good. It wasn't until just before the bell rang that Jaden and Syrus arrived in the class.
"Thank god we just made it!" Syrus cried, nearly falling to his knees.
"See, Sy, I told you we wouldn't be late," Jaden smirked, patting Syrus on the back.
"We nearly were! All because we overslept." Syrus complained as he slowly trudged down the stairs.
"Well, it's not like we're going to be up so late every night." Jaden laughed as he followed Syrus.
"Jaden, don't say that so loud." Syrus insisted, looking nervous.
"Oh, sorry!" Jaden chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
Kolt gave the two a small wave as they passed his row before taking the remaining seats at the front of the class. Once they sat down, a door down by the front opened, and their teacher entered the room.
"No way, isn't that…?" Kolt gasped as he and Bastion leaned forward in shock at who it was.
"Greetings first years, and welcome to Duel Academy!" Crowler announced, taking center stage in the front of the room.
"I am Vellian Crowler, your teacher for Dueling 101, but you shall refer to me as Doctor Crowler. Do I make myself clear?" Crowler questioned, looking around the room before his eyes landed on a beaming Jaden.
The sight of the smiling boy made the man scowl as he remembered his embarrassing loss to the boy during the entrance examination. He was going to make sure that he was kicked out of Duel Academy, even if it was the last thing he did.
"I'll be your guide through the art of dueling. I expect nothing but the best from most of you and nothing good from many others." Crowler stated, glancing at the Slifers in front of him.
"But by the end of your stay here at Duel Academy, I'll make sure that those still here will be some of the best of the best there is in the dueling world," Crowler added as many students whispered to one another.
Kolt didn't listen to whatever those around him were saying as he was more interested in what Crowler was going to say next. After all, he was going to be his teacher for his stay at Duel Academy, so it was important to pay attention.
However, he slowly began to notice that Jaden wasn't in the same mindset as he looked like he was beginning to fall asleep at the very front. He must have been up really late if he was falling asleep again.
"Today is the first day. Normally, I would just give you the syllabus and explain the class, but I'd like to do something different. I'm going to test your current knowledge of Duel Monsters." Crowler declared as the screen behind him changed.
"So let's start things off simple. Who here can tell me how one can summon the monster Mirage Knight?" Crowler inquired as an image of the monster appeared behind him while he scanned the room.
Kolt racked his brain, trying to remember how the monster was summoned, but he was beaten to the punch as many Obelisks and some Ras raised their hands. One of them was Bastion, who had sprung his hand up the fastest, gaining Crowler's attention.
"Yes, Mr. Misawa, is it? Do you have the answer?" Crowler asked as Bastion stood up.
"Indeed, Doctor Crowler. To summon Mirage Knight, one must first fusion summon the monster Dark Flare Knight and have it be destroyed by battle. Only then can Mirage Knight be summoned through Dark Flare Knight's effect." Bastion explained, making Crowler smile.
"Good to see we have at least one capable student. But let's see if we have any more." Crowler snickered as the screen changed.
"Now, can anyone tell me which effect activates first if both cards are triggered one after another?" Crowler asked as the screen displayed two cards.
Those two cards were Royal Decree and Dust Tornado. Alongside those cards were numbers, with the number one being placed on Dust Tornado and the number two being placed on Royal Decree. Surrounding those numbers was a circle of chains.
"That must be indicated when they were activated. In which case…" Kolt thought as he sprung his hand up, only to be beaten to the punch by an obelisk girl above him.
"Yes, Miss Rhodes? What's your answer?" Crowler requested as Kolt and many others turned to look at the Obelisk girl.
"Royal Decree would activate first, negating Dust Tornado from resolving its effect because it activated second. If it were the other way around, then Dust Tornado would resolve first." Alexis answered before sitting down.
"Very good, Miss Rhodes well down. It's not surprising to see an Obelisk do well. Can't say the same for the Slifers." Crowler commented, looking down at the Slifers, who hadn't had one member raise their hand.
"But how about an easy one that maybe everyone could answer." Crowler chuckled as the screen changed.
"Which one of these monsters has the most attack points?" Crowler inquired, gesturing to the screen behind him.
On it, three monsters appeared, one after the other. Those monsters were Black Skull Dragon, Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, and Black Luster Soldier, all of whom had their attack points covered. Unlike before, nearly everyone in the room raised their hand, ready to answer.
"Well, at least this one is getting answers from everyone. But I don't know who to pick." Crowler sighed, looking through the students.
"How about you," Crowler suggested, pointing toward a Slifer.
"Um. The monster with the most attack points is Black Skull Dragon, sir." The Slifer answered, making Crowler laugh.
"Incorrect! The monster here with the most attack points is Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth." Crowler stated, confusing the Slifer.
"B-But doesn't it only have twenty-six hundred attack points?" The Slifer questioned as an Obelisk laughed above him.
"You're thinking of normal Great Moth slacker!" The Obelisk laughed as the two Obelisks next to him joined him.
"You tell him, Chazz." One of them chuckled as the other looked down at the Slifer.
"Way to do your homework, slacker!" He cackled as Kolt turned to look at them.
The main Obelisk in question, Chazz, was around the same height as he was, with large, spikey black hair. He leaned back in his seat, looking smugly down at the dejected Slifer who had sat back down. Kolt scowled, not liking the Obelisk's attitude one bit, and Crowler's reaction didn't help.
"Indeed, Mr. Princeton! Great Moth is the one with twenty-six hundred attack points while Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth has thirty-five hundred," Crowler smirked, looking up at Chazz.
"It's good to see Obelisks helping correct the errors of Slifers," Crowler added as if to inflate the Obelisk egos while simultaneously putting down the Slifers.
"But I think that's enough for now. I've got a good read at your knowledge for now." Crowler noted, turning off the screen.
"However, that difference in knowledge will mean nothing because once you're done with your journey here at this school, every one of you left will be able to answer these questions easily!" Crowler declared as he walked along the front of the classroom.
"In this class, we will be doing dueling puzzles, archetype research, practice duels, and more, so you better be ready!" Crowler snickered, making Kolt hum.
"Well, this class will definitely be interesting," Kolt noted as Crowler continued his lecture, going over what they could expect this semester.
The rest of the class seemed to go in a flash, though, and before Kolt knew it, the bell rang, ending the class. No sooner did many students immediately stand up and run toward the door to start round 2 of the First Year Stampede. Meanwhile, those like Kolt and Bastion stayed behind, not wanting to be swept up in the madness. Then there was Jaden, who had fallen completely asleep.
"How late did you guys stay up?" Kolt inquired as he, Bastion, and Syrus stood over Jaden.
"Pretty late, but I somehow feel like that's unrelated to this," Syrus murmured as he shook Jaden by the shoulders.
"Come on! You have to wake up, Jay! We have to get to the second period!" Syrus insisted as Jaden slowly began to stir.
"Eh, wha…oh, is class over?" Jaden asked while sitting up.
"Yeah, you slept through it." Kolt pointed out as Jaden laughed.
"Really? Oh well." Jaden replied before standing up.
"Guess it's time to head to the next class then," Jaden smirked, acting as if nothing was wrong.
"A-Are you not concerned about sleeping through class?" Syrus questioned as Jaden shrugged.
"It's no big deal, Sy. I mean, not much happens during the first day." Jaden pointed out as he stretched his arms.
"Well, that's not…inaccurate," Kolt noted, feeling Jaden was missing the point.
"But hey, it's cool that we all share the same first class! What do you guys have next?" Jaden inquired, eager to hear their answer.
"I've got Dueling Sciences next," Bastion answered, looking at his PDA.
"I have Literature," Kolt reported, showing off his schedule before turning to Bastion and helping him open up the map.
"Ah, bummer. Sy and I have Algebra next." Jaden sighed, looking disheartened at the thought of going to math.
"Well, maybe we'll have another shared class later on." Kolt pointed out as he pocketed his PDA.
"We should probably head out before the crowd gets too bad," Kolt suggested, looking up at the exit where he could hear the frantic footsteps of those who were scrambling to find their next class.
Since Lailah had already left to escort Nia to her next class, there was no one to clear a path for them like before, which meant getting to their next class would be a little more difficult. So their best chance of getting through the crowd quickly would be to leave now.
"He's got a point, Jay. I mean, it was still pretty bad even when we got to class." Syrus noted as Jaden nodded.
"Fair enough. We don't want to risk being late again." Jaden laughed before moving toward the exit.
"What did you guys do last night that kept you up so late?" Bastion inquired, curious about the reason the two Slifers were so late.
"Hehe. Let's just say I had a good test run with our new duel disks." Jaden smirked, causing Syrus to shudder as Kolt and Bastion looked at him surprised.
"You had a duel?!" Kolt gasped, running up the stairs to catch up with Jaden.
"After hours, no less," Bastion commented, further intrigued as Syrus looked panicked.
"Jaden, we'll get in trouble if that gets out." Syrus reminded nervously.
"He's right. If the faculty find out you snuck out for a duel after curfew, you'll be reprimanded," Bastion informed as Kolt turned to face him.
"I don't think that's helping." Kolt pointed out as Bastion glanced at the panicking Syrus and nodded.
"Right, well, that is IF they find out." Bastion corrected, hoping to calm Syrus down.
"And we're certainly not going to tell them," Kolt added, giving Syrus a reassuring smile.
"Yeah, there's nothing to worry about, Sy." Jaden agreed as Syrus turned toward Jaden.
"There is Jay! You dueled an Obelisk after hours. What if they used it against us?!" Sryus questioned as Jaden sweatdropped.
"But they'd get in trouble, too." Jaden pointed out, shocking Syrus.
"Oh, right," Syrus murmured as the four stopped at the top of the stairs.
"You dueled an Obelisk?" Kolt gasped, looking at Jaden, surprised.
"That's right, and you won't believe how it ended!" Jaden exclaimed, only for the noise of the First Year Stampede to bring their attention to the crowd-filled corridor.
"Well, I'll tell you all about it later. We should probably get going first." Jaden replied as Bastion nodded.
"Indeed, as interesting as this tale of yours is, we don't want to be late for our next class." Bastion agreed as Kolt sighed.
"Yeah, I guess," Kolt murmured, a little disappointed, before looking at the crowd determined.
"Catch you guys later." Kolt waved as he squeezed into the large crowd.
Navigating through the crowd was far worse than Kolt had initially imagined. He was relentlessly bumped into by other students as they ran through the halls of the school, looking for their next class. Just being in the crowd for a moment made Kolt glad he found his classes the day before.
It also made him wish he could have Lailah around to scare off the crowd again. Either way, Kolt needed to brave this storm if he wanted to get to his next class on time. But as he pushed through the crowd, Kolt struggled to keep balance before eventually tripping over.
As Kolt fell, he reflexively grabbed onto the nearest thing he could to stabilize himself before immediately realizing the foolishness of the action. After all, he was in the middle of a crowd, so the only thing he could grab onto was another student.
"Ah, crap." Kolt cursed as he accidentally pulled the other student down with him.
"What's the big deal, you Ra Punk!?" The Student questioned, angry at Kolt for pulling him down, not that Kolt could blame him.
"Sorry, I lost my balance." Kolt apologized as he turned around to see who he had pulled down with him.
What he saw was the Obelisk Blue, who had made fun of the Slifer during class. If Kolt remembered correctly, his name was Chazz, and the boy didn't look happy. Then again Kolt wouldn't be happy either if he was suddenly pulled to the ground.
"Oh, you lost your balance, did ya? Well, maybe next time you fall, do it so that you drag another Ra Punk or Slifer with you!" Chazz hissed, grabbing Kolt's collar and pushing him back down.
"Geeze, what's with these losers from lower dorms bugging me?" Chazz muttered as he stood up and adjusted his uniform.
"Yeah, first it was that Slifer yesterday, and now a Ra. It's like they don't know who you are." One of Chazz's friends noted as Kolt raised a brow at the mention of a Slifer.
"Well, I don't know who he is, so…" Kolt pointed out, causing Chazz to grit his teeth.
"Then remember this! The name's Chazz Princeton, and I'm going to be the next King of Games!" Chazz declared, surprising Kolt.
"Man, you must have some confidence if you're ready to declare that already. Maybe the same amount as Jaden." Kolt commented, causing Chazz to grit his teeth.
"Just wait! Both you and that Slacker will see how right I am!" Chazz shouted before pushing into the crowd.
"What was that supposed to mea…" Kolt wondered before remembering the duel Jaden mentioned about earlier.
One where he faced an Obelisk.
"There's no way, right?" Kolt wondered as he looked over at the disappearing Chazz.
The two other Obelisk Blues quickly followed Chazz, leaving Kolt on the floor to question the events that had just transpired. While he did feel bad for pulling Chazz down, he wasn't happy with how he acted.
Then again, after seeing his conduct in class and how he put down the Slifer, Kolt doubted he would get along with the boy, so he decided he wouldn't let it bother him. After picking himself up and getting out of the way of the stampede, Kolt took a small breath before continuing on his way.
"Let's just hope that is the worst this crowd will get." Kolt sighed as he squeezed through his fellow students.
Hours Later…
"Ugh….that crowd is just hell," Kolt muttered as he slumped onto the table he and Bastion sat at.
"Yes, but thankfully, the crowd seems to have died down." Bastion pointed out as he looked at the diminished crowd in the hall next to them.
Currently, the two were sitting in the cafeteria attached to the main building for their lunch break. Several classes had passed since Dueling 101, and of course, during their travels, they had to contend with the mess that is the First Year Stampede, which made things difficult. But as Bastion pointed out, things were starting to die down.
"Thank god for that! I thought it was bad at first, but I just couldn't keep up. I don't know how the second and third years deal with it." Kolt sighed, remembering all the seniors he saw navigating around all the first years.
"Experience and stratagem, I would have to guess," Bastion suggested as Kolt sat up.
"I guess that's something I have to think about when we come back next year." Kolt chuckled, thinking of the years to come.
"Indeed." Bastion nodded as he pulled out his PDA.
"But we should start thinking of how we will get to our next class first," Bastion advised, looking at the map.
"Good point. We have Alchemy together next, right?" Kolt inquired, looking at his schedule.
"That we do. Though, I'm still perplexed by what this class will entail." Bastion murmured, rubbing his chin.
"Maybe it's just chemistry with a weird name," Kolt suggested, trying to come up with a logical explanation.
"I doubt it, as that's part of the year two curriculum." Bastion pointed out, showing Kolt on his PDA.
"Huh…then I'm stumped," Kolt replied, unable to think of any other possibility for such a class.
"I mean, it's not something taught in normal schools, nor is it a dueling-related class from what I can tell. So I can only wonder what it's about." Kolt noted as he looked around the cafeteria.
"You know, now that I think about it, Duel Academy doesn't feel quite how I imagined it. I always expected it to be different from normal schools, but it's different for completely unrelated reasons." Kolt sighed as he leaned back in his chair.
"Hm, true things aren't as one might first expect when entering the school. But it certainly makes things interesting, doesn't it?" Bastion inquired as Kolt nodded.
"That's true. Though there is a lot less dueling than I expected. But I guess I can just chalk that up to it being the first day." Kolt replied as he unhooked his deck holster from his belt.
"Guess I should have left my deck in my room." Kolt chuckled as Bastion shook his head.
"No, quite the opposite. A duelist should always have his deck on him no matter what." Bastion asserted as Kolt put his holster back on his belt.
"I can't argue with that. Though that being said…" Kolt replied, looking at Basiton's belt.
"Where's your deck?" Kolt inquired, gesturing toward Bastion's belt.
"Oh, I have them right here," Bastion answered, patting his chest.
"Really, you keep them….wait…you mean all six of your decks are under your jacket?!" Kolt questioned, looking at Bastion's uniform, trying to see the outline of his decks.
"Indeed, I use some cables and a small cover to keep the outline of the decks hidden," Bastion explained as he opened his jacket and showed Kolt his decks.
"Interesting, but doesn't it make your uniform uncomfortable?" Kolt asked, wondering how Bastion could wear his uniform like that.
"Not at all. In fact, I've done this with most of my uniforms even before coming here to Duel Academy, so after a lot of trial and error, I managed to make a good one." Bastion explained as Kolt looked at him, impressed.
"Wow, I couldn't even begin to think about how to do that. I'm decent with sewing, but I don't think I'm good enough to accomplish that." Kolt commented, wondering how Bastion accomplished it.
"You sew?" Bastion inquired as Kolt nodded.
"A little. Just enough to fix clothes that might tear or break." Kolt answered as Bastion put his jacket back into place, concealing his decks as Kolt placed his own deck on his belt.
"Comes in handy more often than you might think," Kolt noted as he pulled out his small sewing kit he carried around with him.
"I have no doubt." Bastion agreed as Kolt put away his sewing kit.
"Back on the topic of dueling, I think I might have met Jaden's opponent in his duel last night," Kolt stated, thinking back on his encounter with Chazz.
"Truly, how do you figure?" Bastion inquired, curious about how Kolt found that out.
"Well, he didn't seem to like me mentioning Jaden. That and one of his friends mentioned a Slifer bugging him the other day." Kolt explained as Bastion nodded.
"That would make sense, but it's best if he were to explain it himself," Bastion noted, gesturing over to the entrance where Jaden and Syrus were.
"About time they got here. Wonder if they got lost or stuck in the crowd." Kolt chuckled as he waved over at the two.
"Looks like you guys beat us here again!" Jaden laughed as he and Syrus approached the two Ras.
"That's probably because they don't fall asleep during class, Jay." Syrus pointed out, causing both Bastion and Kolt to sweatdrop as Jaden laughed.
"Sorry, I just can't help it sometimes." Jaden chuckled as he sat down.
"Do you even sleep at night at all?" Kolt inquired, wondering how or why Jaden had slept so much.
"Of course," Jaden smirked, seeing no problem with his sleeping habit.
"You say that, but even Chumely managed to wake up on time this morning," Syrus commented as Kolt raised a brow.
"Who's Chumely?" Kolt asked, curious about the unfamiliar name.
"He's our roommate," Syrus answered, surprising Kolt.
"You guys have to share rooms at the Slifer dorm?" Kolt gasped, confusing Jaden and Syrus.
"Yeah, of course." Jaden nodded, not understanding why Kolt was so surprised.
"Do you guys not share rooms?" Syrus inquired as Bastion and Kolt shared a look.
"No, not at all," Kolt answered, shaking his head.
"We all have separate rooms," Bastion added, causing Syrus to sulk.
"We really did end up in the worse dorm, didn't we?" Syrus murmured, sliding down in his chair.
"Don't be like that, Syrus. You're just in Slifer now. There's plenty of opportunity to rise up the ranks." Kolt pointed out, cheering up Syrus if only a little.
"Yeah, plus we Slifers can still duel. I mean, I proved that last night, didn't I?" Jaden laughed, catching Kolt and Bastion's attention.
"I guess, but you never got to finish that duel." Syrus reminded as Jaden shrugged.
"You never finished the duel?" Kolt gasped, looking at Jaden, surprised.
"Nope! Campus security nearly caught us, so we had to bail. It's a shame, too, since I just drew the card I needed to win." Jaden explained with a calmness that seemed to ooze naivety.
"I am starting to see why Syrus was so nervous about this," Kolt commented as Syrus shot up from his chair.
"Thank you! You see, Jaden! I'm not overreacting!" Syrus cheered, crying tears of joy.
"I feel like you may be overreacting now, Syrus. People are starting to stare." Bastion noted, causing Syrus to blush in embarrassment when he noticed the gazes of their fellow students.
"Well, anyway, at least I'm not the only one who thinks we were cutting it close." Syrus sighed as Jaden shrugged.
"So, how did the duel go? Even though you never finished the duel, it must have been going one way or the other, right?" Bastion inquired as Jaden smirked.
"Oh, I would've won," Jaden smirked, oozing with his usual confidence.
"Really? Against an Obelisk Blue?" Bastion asked as Jaden nodded.
"Oh yeah. The duel was difficult at first, but that just made it all the more fun!" Jaden exclaimed as Kolt hummed.
"Just who was your opponent, Jaden? It wouldn't happen to be that Obelisk Chazz from our Dueling 101 class?" Kolt questioned, shocking Jaden.
"Yeah, it was. How'd you know?" Jaden gasped, surprised at how Kolt knew.
"I accidentally pulled him down when I lost my footing in the crowd. He mentioned something about a Slifer bugging him yesterday." Kolt explained, making Jaden chuckle.
"Well, I guess you could say that. But technically, it was him who challenged me to the duel last night." Jaden pointed out, showing Bastion and Kolt the message Chazz had sent him.
"By the way he talked about it, he seemed to see you only as a nuisance. Just how close was this duel?" Kolt asked as Syrus spoke up.
"It was down to the last draw, and Chazz was winning. But when Jaden drew his next card, he would've turned the duel around." Syrus explained as Jaden nodded.
"How about you take us through what happened." Bastion requested, tired of being only half-informed.
The next few minutes were spent with Jaden and Sryus explaining the events of the night prior to them. Both were impressed by how the duel went and how Jaden composed himself, making how it ended all the more interesting.
"Aw, man, I wish I was there to see it!" Kolt smirked, running through the duel in his head.
"Indeed, it sounds very intriguing." Bastion nodded as Jaden laughed.
"Yeah, I just wish I could have finished the duel." Jaden sighed as Kolt perked up.
"Why not just challenge him to another duel?" Kolt suggested as Jaden and Syrus looked at him, confused.
"But he's an Obelisk, and Jaden's a Slifer! He can't challenge him!" Syrus reminded as Kolt tilted his head.
"Yeah, he can, Syrus. There's no rule against a student from another dorm from challenging another." Kolt reported shocking Syrus and Jaden.
"All you need to do is just fill out a challenge form and submit it through the school. It won't guarantee a duel, but if he accepts, you'll have your rematch." Kolt explained, making Jaden beam in excitement.
"Wait, where did you learn that?" Syrus questioned, curious about how Kolt knew that.
"They talked about it in Dueling 101. Don't tell me you fell asleep, too?" Kolt responded, surprised that Syrus didn't know.
"I didn't get much sleep last night." Syrus pouted, looking down as Kolt gave him a pat on his shoulder.
"Either way, this is sweet! As soon as classes are done, I'm going to submit a challenge!" Jaden exclaimed, jumping out of his seat.
"Are you sure about that, Jaden?" Syrus inquired as Jaden rubbed his nose.
"You bet. I mean, what's the worst that can happen?" Jaden answered, beaming ear to ear.
"Jaden makes a good point. The worst he can say is no." Bastion agreed as Jaden sat back down.
"Yeah, so there's nothing to worry about, Sy." Jaden insisted, giving his friend a thumbs up.
"Well, there is our next mystery class. We still have no idea what this Alchemy class is about." Syrus pointed out causing both Kolt and Bastion to raise a brow.
"You have Alchemy next as well?" Bastion asked, catching the two Slifer's attention.
"We do, though Syrus and I can't figure out what it's about," Jaden answered, scratching his chin.
"Neither could we. It's a mystery." Kolt replied as he leaned his head in his hand.
"Guess we'll just have to wait for class to begin to find out." Syrus groaned while leaning back in his chair.
"Well, hopefully, it will be interesting." Bastion mused as Jaden nodded.
Alchemy Class…
"Well, Bastion, I'd say this is certainly….interesting," Kolt commented as he looked down at the front of the class.
Standing at the front of the class was the headmaster of the Slifer Red dorm, Lyman Banner, who was giving a very odd lecture. One would easily mistake his lecture for a chemistry one, just as Kolt had previously predicted with the test tubes and beakers in front of the teacher, but the contents of the lecture were anything but chemistry.
Instead of what one might expect, he talked about things like the fusion of elements and transmutation to create one thing out of nothing. It also delved into topics of myth and legends, some of which were fairly interesting as Banner heavily implied that those myths had a deep connection to Duel Monsters.
Kolt always knew that these myths heavily influenced many of the cards in Duel Monsters. After all, his ace monster held the name of a mythical bird. But Banner was hinting that the monsters they used all came from ancient times and that with the use of alchemy, one could harness their power.
"Yes…interesting indeed." Bastion agreed, still processing Banner's lecture as the professor poured various liquids into a flask on his lab table below.
"Now, see here what happens when you combine just the right ingredients into the mixture. Something amazing will happen!" Banner explained as his mixture began to smoke before exploding in his face.
"Or it could explode in one's face…" Banner chuckled, brushing the broken flask into a trash can as a hand shot up.
"Yes, Miss Flare," Banner called, pointing at Lailah, who stood up from her seat.
"I'm sorry, professor, but I have to ask. What does this have to do with Duel Monsters besides theory?" Lailah questioned, getting a lot of nods from many around the room.
"A very good question, Ms. Flare. I suppose I got a little too wrapped up in my lecture." Banner laughed as he walked in front of his lab table.
"You see, Alchemy is the basis of everything, even in Duel Monsters. Just as there are mixtures that work or, in better terms, a combo, there are ones that don't and will explode in your face!" Banner exclaimed, gaining a few small laughs from the class.
"Take Mr. Yuki's fusions, for example," Banner noted as he gestured toward a sleeping Jaden.
"He takes two monsters of different elements and makes a whole new monster whose power vastly overshadows the two materials. Of which I'm sure Mr. Yuki would agree with if he were awake right now." Banner explained, getting more chuckles from the class.
"You could say that a duel is just one big alchemy experiment, and after doing so many, you'll know what works." Banner continued as he began to mix the same mixture that exploded in his face.
"And what does not. Leading to success." Banner finished as he poured a new ingredient in, causing his mixture to stabilize.
"So perhaps during this class, you'll learn something about both alchemy and Duel Monsters." Banner smiled, getting a smile from Lailah as she sat down, satisfied.
"Hm, he makes a good point there." Bastion nodded as Kolt turned toward him.
"Why do I feel that's only because you think the same way but with equations," Kolt commented as Bastion shrugged.
"Is that a bad thing?" Bastion inquired as Kolt tapped his chin.
"Nope," Kolt replied with a smirk on his face.
"Still, this class will be an odd one, and besides the metaphor to Duel Monsters, I can't see how we'll use this in the future," Kolt noted as he watched Banner return to his lecture.
"It feels unnatural for me to say, but I have to agree," Bastion sighed, almost shivering when saying that.
As Kolt continued to listen to Banner's lecture, he wondered what the exams would be like for this class. He had a fairly good idea with others as they were basically the same as those he had in middle school, save Dueling 101.
But even with Dueling 101, he had a pretty good idea of what to expect from exams since Doctor Crowler explained them very thoroughly. With Alchemy, he didn't know what to expect or even what was important to write down as a note to prepare himself.
That would make it hard for him to prepare for future exams, especially since he was having trouble wrapping his head around this topic. Looking back at Bastion, he saw his fellow Ra writing detailed notes on everything Banner said.
If anything, he could always ask Bastion for tips on what to look for since he seemed to be having an easier time with this. Taking a quick look around, Kolt saw how others in the class were fairing, which seemed to vary from dorm to dorm.
The Slifers, excluding Jaden who was sleeping, seemed to be struggling the most, as many had their faces buried in their notebooks. Meanwhile, Kolt's fellow Ras seemed to be handling themselves better, but there seemed to be many who were still struggling.
But most surprisingly were the Obelisks, who ranged from studying very seriously to those who weren't paying attention in the slightest. It almost made it obvious who got in through merit and those who got in through money.
When Kolt looked at Lailah, he saw that she was taking notes diligently and surprisingly getting help from Nia, who sat in front of her. Kolt found it nice to see that she was defying what everyone was expecting of her when he met her on the boat.
The next Obelisk to catch his eye was a blonde-haired girl, who he recalled being in his Dueling 101 class. If he remembered, her last name was Rhodes, and she seemed to be putting the most work out of the Obelisks he could see.
It was good to see not all Obelisks were those who lazed around and looked down on others like a certain other Obelisk he knew. Though then again, he seemed to look down on others more than laze around.
Turning his attention back to the front of the class, he returned to listening to Banner's lecture. Though he was still a little perplexed and confused about what Banner was talking about, he decided to listen as best he could and write down what he felt was important.
Later…
The remaining classes went by in a flash until finally, they were all over, letting everyone out for the day. Thankfully, since classes were over, it marked the end of the First Year Stampede, leaving the hallways safe to travel through normally.
"Man walking through the halls is a way different experience when there isn't someone bumping into you every second. It makes me appreciate an open hallway it a little more." Kolt commented, stretching out his arms.
"Yeah, when Syrus and I were moving around, it got hard to keep track of one another." Jaden agreed as he put his arms behind his head.
Currently, the two were traveling alone toward the academy card shop to fill out a challenge form for Jaden. Bastion and Syrus both had something to do at the dorms, so Kolt decided to accompany Jaden and give him a hand in applying for it.
"Thanks again for helping out Kolt. I'd probably have some trouble with this alone." Jaden thanked as Kolt let out a small chuckle.
"Well, you did sleep through the explanation, so I can't blame you there," Kolt replied, knowing anyone would need some help if they were in Jaden's shoes.
"Still, I'm already pumped for my rematch with Chazz," Jaden smirked as he imagined his rematch with Chazz.
"I wouldn't get too ahead of yourself there, Jaden. After all, Chazz needs to accept the challenge in the first place." Kolt pointed out as the two entered the card shop.
Much to Kolt's surprise, the card shop was far more quaint than the rest of the academy. The room itself seemed to be the smallest one he'd seen in the building yet. Though the shelves were still lined with top-of-the-line cards and packs with some normal ones scattered around.
It felt more like a local card shop you'd find in a small town than one you'd find in the top dueling school in the world. That wasn't bad, though, as it felt more inviting than most other facilities in the school.
Well, it'd be more inviting if it were for how crowded the store was currently. With classes now over and students now enthralled with Duel Academy, it made sense that they would flood the card shop to get new cards.
Throughout the aisle, students grabbed back after pack and even booster boxes, making it hard to pass through. Even the counter was so crowded you couldn't see who was working the registers. Thankfully, neither Kolt nor Jaden were there to buy new cards but to fill out a challenge form.
"So, uh, where's the challenge form?" Jaden inquired, looking around the crowd.
"I believe Doctor Crowler said it was somewhere over here," Kolt answered, remembering the instructions given during Dueling 101.
They did have to weave through some of the crowd, but eventually, they managed to grab onto a challenge form and make it out. With the challenge form in hand, the two made their way to somewhere a little more isolated to fill it out.
"Huh, this is a bit complicated," Jaden murmured as he scratched his head in confusion.
"There does seem to be a little more stuff on here than I'd say is necessary, but I wouldn't say that it's that complicated," Kolt commented, taking a peak at the document in Jaden's hands.
"I think you can just fill out whatever for these bits, but you should really think about where and when you want this duel to happen," Kolt advised as Jaden nodded.
"You think it'll be too much to ask for the Obelisk duel field?" Jaden asked as Kolt tapped his chin.
"I'd be safe and not put that on the request. Don't want to push your luck." Kolt answered, knowing that asking for too much might get the challenge rejected.
"Good point. Though I'd like to duel there again, I'm fine with a duel anywhere." Jaden replied as he wrote down a standard dueling field on campus.
"But man, who'd think you'd have to do so much just to get a duel at school," Jaden commented as he twirled his pen in his hand.
"I think this is just for duels that the school officially recognizes or ways to challenge others you're not close to," Kolt noted as Jaden finished up.
"Alright! All done!" Jaden smirked as he stood up.
"So now what?" Jaden inquired as Kolt pointed toward the registers.
"We have to hand it to one of the clerks," Kolt answered as both turned and looked at the large crowd and line that was in their way.
"We're going to be waiting for a while." Kolt sighed as both he and Jaden deflated a little.
"Aw, man." Jaden cried as he and Kolt walked to the back of the line.
"I'm sure Bastion and Syrus will be glad to know they missed this," Kolt murmured as Jaden shrugged.
"Well, I don't think anyone could have guessed this would happen." Jaden pointed out as someone walked up behind him.
"No one save our seniors," Lailah stated as Jaden nodded.
"Yeah, no one save our…ah!" Jaden cried out as both he and Kolt turned around and saw Lailah there with a piece of paper in hand.
"What are you doing here, Lailah?" Kolt inquired, surprised at the girl's sudden appearance.
"Is there a problem with me being here?" Lailah questioned, glaring at Kolt.
"No! Not at all!" Kolt quickly responded, hoping to avoid another misunderstanding.
"I'm just surprised to see you here. Especially alone." Kolt added as he looked around to see any sign of Nia.
"Yeah, well, Nia said she wanted to finish unpacking since she couldn't finish yesterday when she locked herself out of her room, so I came here myself to fill out one of these," Lailah explained, holding out a challenge form much like Jaden's.
"Aw sweet, you're challenging someone too!" Jaden smirked as he showed off his own challenge form.
"That's right. I figured if I made an official challenge, then he can't ignore it!" Lailah exclaimed, looking excited as Kolt raised a brow.
"Who are you challenging?" Kolt inquired as curious as to whom Lailah was challenging.
In response, Lailah spun her form around and showed Kolt its contents so he could see for himself. After a quick scan of the document, he let out a loud sigh when he saw who she was challenging.
"You know you don't have to go through all of this just to get a rematch with me," Kolt murmured after seeing his own name on the form.
"But this way, you can't run away." Lailah pointed out, causing Kolt to sweatdrop.
"Why do I feel like your opinion of me isn't getting any better?" Kolt wondered only for Lailah to ignore his words.
"So, who are you challenging?" Lailah asked, turning toward Jaden.
"I'm dueling Chazz from our Dueling 101 class!" Jaden answered as a disgusted frown appeared on her face.
"Oh, you're challenging Chazz?" Lailah muttered, looking annoyed and confusing Jaden as he looked toward Kolt, who shrugged.
"Is something wrong with that?" Kolt questioned equally as confused as Jaden was.
"No, it's just…don't be so surprised if he blows off your challenge," Lailah advised as Jaden tilted his head.
"Why's that?" Jaden asked, wondering why Lailah thought so.
"He's the kind of guy who won't take anyone he sees as below him seriously. He'll probably just toss your challenge out." Lailah explained as Kolt raised a brow.
"How do you know that?" Kolt inquired, surprised at Lailah's insight.
"His parents and my mother made us spend a lot of time together as kids, so I've known him for a while. He's always been like that…for the most part." Lailah responded as Kolt remembered her saying something about a family acquaintance she was forced to interact with on the boat.
"Huh…" Jaden hummed, looking at the challenge form in his hands.
"Oh well, that doesn't mean I can't try!" Jaden exclaimed, surprising Lailah.
"Suit yourself." Lailah shrugged as the three moved forward.
When they eventually made their way up to the front, they saw that there was only one clerk at the register, which probably caused the large backlog. But with them now being at the front, all Jaden needed to do was hand over his form. With their task completed, the two said their goodbyes to Lailah before making their way to the front of the school.
"Man, I thought we were done with crowds today." Kolt sighed while he rubbed his shoulder.
"At least it wasn't as bad as earlier." Jaden pointed out, looking unfazed.
"Fair enough." Kolt nodded as the two exited the main building and walked down the walkway.
"You know, it still feels weird thinking that this was the first day of school. It feels really weird being…excited being here." Kolt laughed, still amused by his excitement about being at school again.
"I get the feeling. I'm not normally excited about going to school like I do here at Duel Academy." Jaden exclaimed as Kolt tilted his head.
"It's a surprise you fall asleep so much, then," Kolt noted as Jaden let out a nervous chuckle.
"Yeah, I have a little problem with that," Jaden replied as Kolt shrugged.
"As long as your grades stay up, I'm sure no one will mind, though," Kolt reassured, making Jaden smirk.
"Plus, if I get my game on well enough, I'm sure they'll give me top marks!" Jaden exclaimed, rubbing under his nose.
"That would help." Kolt nodded before turning toward Jaden.
"But I'd avoid having any more midnight duels in the future. The last thing you need is to get caught." Kolt advised as Jaden smiled.
"Hey, you can't stop a guy from dueling!" Jaden laughed, beaming ear to ear as Kolt shook his head.
"Guess there's no stopping you," Kolt smirked as the two walked down the main path.
"Still, today has been an interesting day. Though I was surprised that there wasn't any kind of duel." Kolt added as Jaden crossed his arms.
"Huh, yeah. Got to wonder how many dueling we'll actually be doing for school." Jaden agreed, tilting his head.
"Well, there's the stuff we'll inevitably do for Dueling 101, but beyond that, I can't imagine much else beyond exams." Kolt theorized before stopping.
"But I guess that just means we'll have to find our own duels!" Kolt declared as Jaden smirked.
"Heck yeah!" Jaden exulted, throwing his hand up toward Kolt, who quickly returned the high-five.
"Hey, if you're interested, let's have a duel right now!" Jaden suggested as Kolt shook his head.
"I'd love to, but we have some homework we got assigned." Kolt reminded, surprising Jaden.
"We have homework?!" Jaden gasped, caught off guard by the fact.
"Yeah, you might want to consult Syrus on that." Kolt laughed as Jaden sulked.
"Good point." Jaden nodded as he slowly slumped off.
"But hey, if it makes you feel better, I'll duel you anytime!" Kolt insisted, causing Jaden to cheer up.
"Sweet! I'll take you up on that offer sometime!" Jaden smirked before turning around.
"See you tomorrow, Kolt!" Jaden waved as he ran off to the Slifer Red Dorm.
"Yep, see you then!" Kolt called as he watched Jaden run off as Kolt slowly began walking back to his own dorm.
"Man, what a day. Things were certainly exciting." Kolt chuckled as he looked at the outstretching sea.
"Though I wouldn't mind it being a little less exciting tomorrow." Kolt sighed, hoping he didn't have to deal with any more large crowds.
Author's Note:
Whew finally got this chapter done! Sorry for the long wait, guys (by god, nearly a year!), but I wanted to get chapters for my other stories ahead of this one before I worked on it. The way I make updates is through a cycle of my stories, but seeing as how long I keep taking, I think I'm going to try changing it up so I can update my stories more in the future.
Then, of course, this chapter was a little experiment to see if I could write a long chapter without any action/dueling. Honestly, I think I did fairly well, though I did miss writing for a duel lol. Funny enough, this chapter ended up longer than I initially intended, but I don't think that's a bad thing as it worked.
So, for anyone curious about the timeline right now, this chapter is set at the morning/day after Jaden and Chazz's midnight duel. That means it's between episodes 2 and 3 and I think I'll have a chapter or two before covering episode three and especially episode 4. That way, I can write some stuff for classes just for some variety.
Plus, Kolt hasn't met/interacted with much of the core cast as much as I'd like, so it would be nice to write some more about that, especially since he just met Chazz and has only seen Alexis from afar. Either way, it'll be fun coming up with scenarios and duels for that, so look forward to it!
Now, onto the reviews:
Gambrella – Glad you like the pacing I'm setting on, and hopefully, I can keep it on a good pace, lol. Happy to hear you like my OCs, too, and I'll most definitely use some characters from the games someday, if just to fill out some duels. While I would make more OCs, that would mean making more decks for them, lol.
The next major conflict hasn't come yet, but it'll come soon! It's not anything too big (Yet), but it'll be very fun. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Astlexis – Don't worry about it. I should be sorry for how long it took me to make this chapter lol. Glad to hear that you like Lailah, too! I've been thinking about her character a lot, and it's good to see she's liked also. You were spot on for who she was referring to, lol, and I can't wait to show Chazz and Lailah interacting in the future.
Yeah, I hate when there's an OC who tries to do that, especially if it's by force (Well, that's dependent on how much of an asshole the bully is, I guess, but I digress), especially since it was clear that it was a misunderstanding. Nia still has her story to tell but that will have to wait for another chapter. Huh, that was an interesting coincidence lol, or maybe someone at Konami does read this XD.
Martin – Yeah, it'll take some time for her, lol. As for actual episodes, yes, we will, though there are some that obviously can't be shown since Kolt will sometimes not be there for them, just like with Jaden's duel with Chazz.
Plus, since there's only one episode between this chapter and the exams, I want to fill out that time a little more since that has to be like a month or two into the semester. But after that there's going to be a little more story with the main show/episodes.
Well, that's all I have today. I'll see you guys in the next chapter, which will hopefully not take nearly a year, lol!