It was mealtime at the Slifer Dorm, but the food wasn't what everyone was expecting. There was a single small fish on everyone's plate with a small serving of rice and tofu. Chazz asked why the food was so basic, as the meals at the dorm had improved once their budget was restored, and Professor Drake apologized, saying emergency repairs had to be made to the dorm, and they had to take from the food budget for the repairs, so the food would be worse for the rest of the month.
"Well, I suppose there's no point in complaining then. Wait, does anyone else smell that?" Bastion asked, and the others said they could smell it as well, and whatever it was, it smelled delicious. "Attention Slifer Students! Soup, as they say, is on!" a man shouted from outside. Everyone went out to see what was going on and saw a man wearing an apron, a cape, and a mask fashioned from a paper bag stirring a large pot.
Syrus commented they found someone who dressed weirder than Chazz, and Chazz asked what was going on. "My name is Don Simon, here to dazzle your digestive tracts and tantalize your taste buds," the man informed. Syrus asked if they could eat the food he was making, and Hassleberry told him to get in line.
"Smells good, no? I use only the finest ingredients whenever I create my famous curry. However, if you wish to taste it, you must first defeat me in a duel. However, should you lose this duel, Seniors Hassleberry, Truesdale, and Misawa, you will all return to Ra Yellow," Don Simon challenged. Hassleberry asked how the man knew their names, and Bastion asked why he wanted them to leave the red dorm.
Syrus said it didn't matter why he wanted them to leave because they promised to protect the red dorm while Jaden was gone. Meanwhile, Bonaparte was standing off to the side watching the scene unfold. "Très bien. I like his style, except for the paper bag. Once he moves those three out of the red dorm, it'll be that much easier for me to get rid of it," he said to himself.
"You can't accept this duel Hassleberry. If you lose, who will be left to defend the dorm?" Alexis asked as she walked up to the group. "Sorry ma'am, but I never shy away from battle. I accept this challenge," Hassleberry said as he turned to the chef, but Alexis told him he had better not lose, the tone of her voice showing she meant it.
"Students, spectators, food lovers of all ages, I hope you brought your appetites, for I am serving a large portion of defeat," Don Simon said as he shuffled his deck. "A mystery chef versus a sergeant wannabe," Syrus noted, Alexis adding that it was just another day at school at this point. "Alright soldier, time for combat. Remember, when I win, it's chow time," Hassleberry reminded, but his opponent said then when he lost, he'd taste nothing but defeat.
Simon: 4000 LP
Hassleberry: 4000 LP
"I shall take the first move. I draw! First, I summon Carrotman in defense mode," Don Simon declared.
Level 3/Earth/Plant
ATK 800/DEF 900
"And now I play the continuous spell Curry Pot. While this card is in play, all monsters that would be sent to the grave are added to the pot instead," he explained, Bastion wondering if he meant they would be banished, Alexis noting he must be cooking something up. Don Simon said he'd simmer for a while, Hassleberry guessing that meant he was ending his turn. "Alright then, I'm gonna turn up the heat by summoning Black Stego in attack mode," he declared.
Level 4/Earth/Dinosaur
ATK 1200/DEF 2000
Hassleberry ordered his monster to attack, and Black Stego charged at Carrotman, slamming it with its tail and turning it into carrot slices which fell into the curry pot. "I'll place this card face-down and end my turn," Hassleberry finished. "You're quite the assistant chef. You've just added the first ingredient to my curry surprise," Don Simon informed, but Hassleberry just scoffed.
"Come on. Vegetable men and curry bowls? Are you a duelist or a short-order cook?" Hassleberry asked. "A cook? Please, I am a culinary connoisseur. A guru of the gastronomic arts, the captain of first-class cuisine," Don Simon exclaimed, Bastion saying he forgot "leader of the loonies." "Now serving. I draw! And I summon Potatoman in attack mode," Don Simon declared.
Level 3/Earth/Plant
ATK 900/DEF 800
Hassleberry asked Don Simon if all his monsters were edible, and Don Simon confirmed they were, but that they were better with a little spice, activating a spell called Red Pepper Spice. A red dust cloud blew through the area, causing Black Stego to start panting. Hassleberry asked his monster what was wrong, and Don Simon informed him that Red Pepper Spice raised his monster's attack points by 300 and lowered Black Stego's by the same amount, but only until the end of that turn.
Potatoman: 900-1200 ATK
Black Stego: 1200-900 ATK
"Now show him what a root vegetable can do with Spud Smash!" Don Simon ordered as his monster ran forward and tried to punch Black Stego, but it batted the monster away with its tail. Don Simon asked what happened, and Hassleberry explained it was Black Stego's defense instinct. "Whenever he's attacked when he's in attack mode, he switches himself to defense, and with 2000 defense points, your Potato can't touch him," Hassleberry informed.
Simon: 3200 LP
"Very well. I play Spell Spice Cinnamon. This card causes both our monsters to change battle modes, so my Potatoman goes into defense and your dino goes into attack. Next, I'll place a card face-down and end my turn, which means the effect of my Red Pepper Spice wears off," Don Simon said.
"Cinnamon on taters? Where did you learn to cook?" Hassleberry asked, and Don Simon told Hassleberry not to insult his cooking, as his cinnamon spuds were actually very popular. "Alright, fess up pops, it's time to lose the paper bag. Who are you and why are you here?" Hassleberry asked, but his opponent refused to take off his mask. "Fine, I'll unmask ya soon enough anyway. My draw! Alright, I retire my Stego so my Dark Driceratops can report for duty," Hassleberry declared.
Level 6/Earth/Dinosaur
ATK 2400/DEF 1500
"Now attack with Jurassic Jolt!" he ordered as his monster roared, sending a barrage of sonic waves that cut Potatoman into pieces. "And due to my monster's special ability, even though your monster was in defense mode, it still deals damage to ya," Hassleberry informed.
Simon: 1600 LP
"I activate the trap Counter Spice Cumin. Since you destroyed my Potatomon in battle, I can summon a level 4 or lower monster from my hand in attack mode, such as my Onionman!" Don Simon declared.
Level 4/Earth/Plant
ATK 1200/DEF 1200
"A trap for a trap. I play Hunting Instinct! Since you special summoned a monster, I can special summon a dino from my hand, so Black Tyranno, front and center!" Hassleberry shouted.
Level 7/Earth/Dinosaur
ATK 2600/DEF 1800
"Now mince that onion. Forward march!" he ordered as Black Tyranno charged forward and stomped on Onionman, turning him into slivers that fell into the curry pot.
Simon: 200 LP
The shock from Black Tyranno's attack caused Don Simon's mask to fall off, revealing his identity to everyone. "Well played senior Hassleberry. It is true ladies and gentlemen, the chef is out of the bag, and now my identity is revealed," Don Simon said, but no one recognized him at first. "Wait a minute, Professor Sartyr?" Professor Drake as he stepped forward.
"Wait, wouldn't that make him the headmaster of the Ra Dorm?" Bastion asked, and Sartyr confirmed he was the Ra headmaster. "What do I have to do, become headmaster like Crowler? Or disappear like Banner? I've been working at this school since day one and still no respect. I was there last year at Bastion's welcome dinner, I have attended every graduation ceremony, including last spring's, and not to mention all of those tedious staff meetings," the teacher lamented, and Drake reminded him they had a meeting that Thursday.
"Oh, thank you. Now where was I? Right, no matter how hard I tried to be a good headmaster, I walk these halls unnoticed, so I decided to try something different," Sartyr said as he picked up his mask. "Like cooking wearing a paper bag? Clearly, you need attention. But why'd you challenge me to this crazy duel?" Hassleberry asked, and Sartyr said it was because everyone had left him.
"Have you even visited the Ra Yellow Dorm lately? All my best students have either graduated to Obelisk Blue or choose to spend all their time at Slifer Red. Sure, yellow isn't the best dorm, but you didn't have to leave," Sartyr lamented, and Bastion said that now the duel was making some sense.
"I thought if I prepared some delicious food, you might come back to Ra. The mask just gave the whole thing a touch of flare. Well, now the truth is out, so let's all head back," Sartyr said, but Hassleberry said they weren't leaving. "Why? Sure it's a lot nicer than it was last year, but at Ra Yellow you'll be surrounded by duelists at your level, instead of being dragged down by the bums in red," Sartyr admonished.
"Say what you want about the Red Dorm, but I made a promise to my best friend that I'd make sure nothing happened to this place, and I keep my promises," Hassleberry responded. Chazz said Jaden was probably never coming back, and Syrus said he had only been gone a day, but Chazz corrected him, saying it had been two days.
"Very well. If you won't come back by choice, then I'll bring you back by force, or rather, Don Simon will!" Sartyr said as he put his mask back on. Hassleberry said they knew who he was, so there was no point to the mask, but Sartyr said he always stayed in character when he dueled. Hassleberry told him to bring it, but Sartyr said he would bring it, but to the table.
"You see, due to the effect of Curry Pot, when Carrotman, Potatoman, and Onionman have all been banished, I can banish all monsters on the field, and then from my hand or deck, I can summon Curry Fiend Roo!" he shouted as Hassleberry's monsters turned into giant pieces of meat and flew into the curry pot, and a giant monster appeared on Don Simon's field.
Level 8/Fire/Fiend
ATK 0/DEF 0
Hassleberry was surprised Sartyr went to so much trouble for a monster with no attack points, but Sartyr said that wasn't the case. "Curry Fiend Roo gains 200 attack points for every spice card in my graveyard, and 300 more for every banished monster," he explained.
Roo: 0-2400 ATK
"Not good. I'll place a card face-down and end my turn," Hassleberry finished. "It's my turn. I draw. And thanks to my Pot of Greed, I can draw two more. Now I play Spell Spice Caraway. This card takes away 200 of your life points and adds them to mine," Sartyr explained.
Hassleberry: 3800 LP
Simon: 400 LP
Roo: 2400-2600 ATK
"And because you can never over-season, I play Mix Spice Garamasala. This card lets me add three spice cards from my deck to my hand."
Roo: 2600-2800 ATK
"If he plays three more spice cards, his monster will gain 600 more attack points, which means this duel comes down to what cards he picks," Bastion noted. "I choose these three cards. I activate one Red Pepper Spice and two Spell Spice Caraways, so my fiend gains 300 attack points, you lose 400 life points, and I gain that same amount," Sartyr informed.
Roo: 2800-3100 ATK
Hassleberry: 3400 LP
Simon: 800 LP
"And don't forget, the more ingredients in my grave, the stronger my Curry Fiend gets."
Roo: 3100-3700 ATK
"I've gotta think of something. I can't let my best friend down," Hassleberry thought to himself, and as though Syrus could read minds, he shouted that Jaden was his best friend. "Is that boy psychic or does he just have good instincts? Wait, instinct!" Hassleberry thought to himself as he remembered his trap card.
"I play the Survival Instinct trap card! With it, I can banish any number of dinos from my hand or graveyard, and then for every monster I banished, I gain 500 life points. I'll banish the Element Saurus and Hyper Hammerhead in my hand to gain 1000 life points."
Hassleberry: 4400 LP
Bastion pointed out that with two more banished monsters, Curry Fiend Roo gains 600 more attack points, but Drake pointed out Hassleberry still had enough life points to take the hit.
Roo: 3700-4300 ATK
"Very well. Go Curry Fiend Roo, Montezuma's Revenge!" Sartyr shouted as his monster dipped the spoon in its hand into the soup boat that served as its head before throwing some of the liquid inside at Hassleberry.
Hassleberry: 100 LP
Sartyr ended his turn and the effect of Red Pepper Spice wore off.
Roo: 4300-4000 ATK
"Don't you see that living in the red dorm has weakened you? Your dueling is predictable and your friends are pathetic," Sartyr admonished, but Hassleberry disagreed. "You need to take that bag off your head and open your eyes pops, because I've learned more than you think. Dueling's not about dorms, it's about heart, and making sure you cover your best bud's back, even when he's gone," Hassleberry said as he thought about Jaden.
"No matter what you think, I'm a red, and let me tell you, if you think dueling is about luring people away from where they belong with a sad story and sack full of spices, then you're even more pitiful than I thought," he continued, and Sartyr said he might be more moved if Hassleberry wasn't losing before telling him to make his final move.
"Alright then. Like my pal Jaden says, just when you think you know how a duel is gonna end, one draw can change everything," Hassleberry said before he started his turn and saw he drew the exact card he needed. "And it looks like he was right. I summon Tyranno Infinity in attack mode!"
Level 4/Earth/Dinosaur
ATK ?/DEF 0
"My Tyranno's attack is equal to the number of my banished dinos times 1000, and I've got five banished."
Tyranno: ?-5000 ATK
"This can't be. My glorious feast, ruined," Sartyr lamented. "You know, there's something I've been wanting to say all day, so here goes. Bon appetite!" Hassleberry shouted, and on those words, Tyranno Infinity ran forward and bit down on Curry Fiend Roo, destroying him. "I'd like to order a hot plate of victory, and as for your life points, I'll take 'em to go," Hassleberry said as Sartyr's life points dropped.
Simon: 0 LP
Winner: Hassleberry
Sartyr said he would be alone forever, but Hassleberry said he was wrong. "We didn't leave because of you. We left to be closer to our friends, but we'll be back," he assured, and Sartyr was glad to hear it. "You mean you'll visit me? Maybe stay for dinner, and dessert? I will cook up whatever you like, let's set up an evening next week," he suggested, but Hassleberry suggested they eat now.
Soon, everyone was eating Sartyr's curry, and they couldn't get enough of it. Bastion said it was a little too spicy for his taste, but it was still great. "Hey pops, we gotta do this again. How about tomorrow at the same time?" Hassleberry asked, and Sartyr said he would be delighted. "It's a shame Jaden isn't here. He loves spicy food," Syrus said, and Alexis said they just had to hope Jaden was okay, wherever he was.