The Student in Red

Volume 1 - The Scarlet Newbie Saga

Chapter 1 - New Island Arrival

"So, wait. I'm being put in Slifer just because you're out of yellow jackets?" Konami, a new student at Duel Academy, who was also labeled as a transfer due to his late entry, was annoyed at the information given to him by the large man sitting behind a desk in front of him.

Chancellor Sheppard, possibly the most important man in Duel Academy gave a shrug and a small chuckle at the young man. "It's nothing to worry about." He reassured with an almost jolly smile. "I have a feeling you'll like the Slifer dorm, give it some time. Besides, if you're so insistent on being in Ra, I'll inform you when our next shipment of uniforms come in."

Konami thought for a moment, gave a sigh, and then grabbed the box which held his new uniform. "It's fine." He said before putting on a small grin. "Besides, I've been told I look better in red, anyway." Then, almost as if to give example, he thumbed the red hat that sat upon his head.

The chancellor gave a small chuckle at this. "Good to hear. Now, then. I want you to find the nearest restroom and change into your uniform." He motioned towards the box in the young man's hands. "And then head off to class. You should still have some time before class actually starts." Giving a nod, the young man walked off. "Oh, and one more thing." He called out, getting the boy's attention. The chancellor gave off a smile. "Welcome to Duel Academy."

Konami looked at the schedule he was given. One odd thing he noticed was that there were only four teachers listed for him, despite the fact classes were eight hours a day and six days a week. A majority of the days listed also only had one name, the name of some doctor on it, and he had said doctor every day.

Looking at the list of classes, he didn't know whether to laugh or be appalled at just the odd classes that were listed. While the doctor guy was said to teach Duel Fundamentals, and possibly more advanced classes for upperclassmen, his other three listed classes were Physical Education, Alternative Science, and...Art? Shaking his head, he decided it was best to just find the classroom.

It took the young man a moment, but he managed to find his way. He fingered the collar of the light gray shirt he wore underneath the red jacket as he walked down the halls, feeling strangely nervous. 'It'll be fine.' He told himself, shaking his head. 'I go in, and worst thing that happens is the professor introduces me in front of everyone. Not so bad.'

As if on cue, he heard a high-pitched, mischievous voice speak to him. "Or you're asked to introduce yourself, choke, end up saying something stupid, or nothing, and not only become a laughingstock, but also lose any chance of getting a girl here."

This was a regular occurrence for him. For as long as he could remember, he has been able to hear the voices, and even see the spirits if they let him, of Duel Monsters. He speaks to the spirits of his decks almost daily.

Konami shook his head. 'Really, Mace? Is that what you think's gonna happen?' He let out a sigh. Mace – the Dark half of the Key Mace brothers – was always giving him grief.

"It's a chance." He said nonchalantly. "Besides, even you have to admit, being in the lowest rank? Some people would be expecting that."

"Then Konami will just have to prove them wrong." A second voice spoke up, this one confident and deep, yet still obviously feminine. "He's more than capable of doing so. Now, if you two are done, our destination's ahead."

Konami blinked out of his concentration, and saw himself closing in on a pair of important looking doors, a figure can be seen just inside through the small glass windows. 'Thanks, Dark Elf.' He thought before ending the conversation and entering the room.

What he saw in the classroom surprised him greatly. The room itself was large, like one you'd expect in some sort of university, with rows of seats leading down to a platform at the bottom, most likely where the professor would stand. Yes, the room was massive, impressive, and had surprisingly few students despite the time being close to 7:30 in the morning.

Yet Konami's surprise came not from the room, but the figure he saw before, whom was now in front of him, back facing the young man. Long blond hair, frilly blue coat, and almost ridiculously tall, this...person was unexpected by the young man.

The person gave a giggle. Konami heard more than just one spirit laughing inside his head because of the figure standing in front of him. "There's a new student coming in today." Despite the tone and accent, the person's voice sounded unmistakably male, erupting even more laughter from the spirits. "A Ra Yellow, and with impressive scores..." He sounded almost gleeful. "I might be able to get rid of him once and for all...!" This was followed by a bit of laughter from the odd man himself.

Not wanting to watch this odd man monologue about him anymore, Konami cleared his throat. "Um...excuse me?" He attempted at getting the man's attention.

He whipped around, looking at the boy in horror, before twisting his face into one of rage. "Just how long have you been standing there?!"

"Long enough." Konami heard the amused voice of Dark Elf.

After a short moment to calm down, he cleared his own throat and spoke. "My name is Vellian Crowler, but do refer to me as 'Dr. Crowler'. I'm also the top professor at this academy, and headmaster of the Obelisk dorm." He paused for a moment before speaking again, with no small hint of pride and a tad bit of amusement in his voice. "Feel free to brag to your friends about what a wonderful and high-ranked professor you have teaching you."

'I'll be sure to do that.' Konami deadpanned in his thoughts.

The doctor pulled out some papers from his jacket and studied them for a second. "You must be the transfer student, Konami Takahashi, yes?" The young man simply nodded, which he returned. "It says here that you're supposed to be in Ra...?" The way he trailed off, along with the pointed looked he gave, all but demanded an explanation.

"Out of jackets." He said simply. "The Chancellor did say he'd allow me to go to Ra when they get new uniforms shipped in." He added, seeing the less-than-mild glare he received from his first casual response.

"Ah, I see." He muttered, seemingly at some sort of relief. At that moment, two students barged in the room, both Slifers, one with hair looking oddly similar to a Kuriboh, the other being nearly half his height with spiked blue hair.

Immediately, the taller one began shouting something of winning a race. Konami gave a wince, wanting to cover his ears at the volume. As he did, he heard Dark Elf question if there were any blue uniforms left.

"Silence!" The odd doctor exclaimed at the two. "Quiet down or you'll be put in detention again!" Dr. Crowler seemed to either be a strict guy, or simply held a grudge. But, it immediately shut them up. The doctor then turned back to Konami, an almost crocodile-like grin on his face. "Mr. Takahashi, do not end up a slacker like those two." The grudge theory seemed most accurate.

More students began to slowly trickle into the room, so the professor pulled Konami aside, getting them both out of the students' way.

"Now, then." He continued from his earlier lecture. "The week goes like this. Monday through Saturday, you'll have class, eight AM sharp! Sundays are your days off, so be sure to use them wisely. Even though you're a bit behind due to your late arrival, you should be fine if you work hard." He nodded to himself. "It's almost time for class. I'll let you choose a seat from what's available. But, since we have some time before class begins..." He motioned to the rows of seats. Despite being maybe half-full, the room still looked rather large and empty. "You should interact with the other students. It's always easier to go through new things with friends, so try to make one or two!" And with that, he gave Konami a slight push, further urging him to do so.

Konami slowly walked down the rows, greeting the occasional student who greeted him. So far, everyone seemed friendly, but no one really caught his eye just yet. It didn't help that an occasional Obelisk would taunt him as he passed.

The young man considered on just making friends later. At least, he was, until he was roughly yanked by his arm, being force to sit in one of the seats.

"Who the hell...?" His voice stopped when he saw his 'attacker'. "Oh." Konami said in recognition. "You're the loud guy from before." Said guy looked embarrassed, giving off a small apology.

"Sorry about Jaden." The small boy say, popping up from behind the newly identified Jaden. "He can be a bit rude sometimes."

"Geez, I said I was sorry." The Slifer huffed. "Anyway, I'm Jaden Yuki, top duelist of the freshman class!" He pointed his thumb at the smaller boy. "And that's Syrus." He extended his hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet ya!"

Konami shook his hand, though with less enthusiasm than the other teen. "Konami. Konami Takahashi." He let out a smirk. "So. Top freshman duelist?" He questioned.

"Yep!" He said with a grin. "Doesn't matter how tough the opponent is, I plan to beat 'em! You're looking at the next King of Games!" Konami was somewhat impressed. This guy was confident, but not overly arrogant. It's as though he truly believes he can always win if he tried to.

"I'm pretty good too, you know." The red-capped teen spoke. "In fact, if not for the lack of uniforms, I'd be in Ra now." He decided a little bragging never hurt.

"Who cares about rank?" Jaden said dismissively. "All that matters is how ya play. Being a Slifer just means I have to prove myself more."

"Wow." Dark Elf spoke appearing next to him for a moment. "Despite how idiotic he seems, that was strangely profound." She let out a giggle. "It'll probably be the smartest thing we hear from him, though."

'This guy sure is something else.' Konami couldn't help but agree. He noticed Jaden glancing behind him. 'Can he see her?' Before he could ask, the voice of Dr. Crowler seemed to echo through the room.

"Alright, students!" He exclaimed, making his way to the bottom platform. "Sit down, it's time for class."

Konami took notes as the eccentric professor seemed to prattle on with the lesson. Despite the class just returning from lunch, he continued as though he had never stopped. His next sentence, however, gave Konami a bad feeling.

"There are some lessons which can only be learned through practical means." The moment Dr. Crowler said this, Konami knew what he meant. A duel. And chances were, as the new guy, he'd be the one dueling.

He hated how right he was. He fought the urge to groan as he stepped onto the duel field mere moments later, the rest of the class had their eyes locked onto him as Crowler chose a suitable opponent.

"You can't be scared." Dark Elf deadpanned.

'No, but it is nerve-wracking, dueling in front of everyone.' Konami admitted. 'Any and all mistakes aren't going to be overlooked. Doesn't help that I only got one deck with me.'

"Then don't make mistakes." She responded, humor in her voice.

'Gee, thanks.' He sarcastically thought. That's when he noticed the opponent that was chosen for him. A Ra-Yellow student. He had wild, light-brown hair that seemed to spike randomly. Aside from that, he seemed rather plain.

"Even though it's a demonstration duel, I'm still looking forward to playing against you." The Ra said politely before grinning. "I won't hold back because you're new."

"I've missed what? A week?" Konami scoffed, though it was probably more than just a week he had missed. He let out a grin too. "I won't hold back either." Dr. Crowler spoke up, preventing further banter between the two.

"As I have said before, there are some lessons that can only be learned practically." The professor announced to the crowd of students. "So, as our two duelists go at it, keep an eye on the varies types of cards used, and see if you can learn anything." Konami felt that last remark was directed to someone specific.

Up in the crowd, the transfer Slifer seemed to have gotten quite a bit attention.

"Who's the new guy?"

"Must be special if he's being used as an example on his first day."

"He's just a Slifer Slacker, don't worry about him."

"They put him against a Ra, though."

Several conversations similar were happening all around due to this abnormality. Jaden and Syrus were looking at him with varying degrees of interest.

"Can't wait to see what the new guy can do!" Jaden said, excitement laced in his voice. Syrus would have responded, but was interrupted.

"You know him?" Alexis Rhodes, Queen of Obelisk, asked the two Slifers as she approached them.

"Not really." Jaden admitted. "We just met a few hours ago. But, I'm always psyched to have a new duel partner!" Syrus and Alexis simply sighed before the three returned their gazes to the duel field, various thoughts going through their heads.

"Konami Takahashi! Pipin Nekoyama! Are you ready?" Dr. Crowler called out, drawing all attention to the duel. Without speaking, both duelists activated their duel disks. "Begin!"

As both duelists stared each other down, their life points flashed 4000, indicating the start.

DUEL

Pipin Nekoyama – 4000

Konami Takahashi – 4000

"I'll let you go first." Pipin said, a hint of a smirk in his voice.

"If you say so." Konami shrugged, deciding not to argue. "Draw!"

TURN ONE – KONAMI TAKAHASHI

Raising a brow at the cards in his hand, he fought back a smirk. "I place one monster face down, as well as three cards face down before ending my turn."

"Not bad." Pipin complimented. "But it takes more than simple defense to win a duel. Now it's my turn, draw!"

TURN TWO – PIPIN NEKOYAMA

"Alright!" He smirked. "First off, I summon Monk Fighter, in Attack Mode!" As he placed the card down, a human-looking man with silver hair and an orange martial arts uniform appeared on the field.

Monk Fighter – Earth/Rock – LV3 – 1300/1000

"Next I equip him with a spell! Legendary Black Belt!" Placing the card down, a black belt wrapped around Monk Fighter's waist.

"No power increase?" Konami asked, raising a brow in mild confusion.

"Don't need it. Should I destroy a monster of yours, you take damage equal to it's defense. Now, I think I'll place one more card face down, before attacking your face down monster!" Monk Fighter leaped toward the face down monster. Konami let out a smirk.

"There goes my trap card! Magic Cylinder!" Two cylinders appeared on the field, Monk Fighter charged in one, exiting the other and attacking Pipin. The Ra simply grunted in annoyance.

Pipin Nekoyama – 2700

Konami Takahashi – 4000

"Not bad, not bad." Pipin said. "I'm getting rather excited." He admitted. "I end my turn."

"If you insist." Konami said. "My draw!"

TURN THREE – KONAMI TAKAHASHI

"Not so fast!" Pipin spoke out. "I activate a trap of my own, Rock Bombardment!" The Ra duelist then picked up and searched his deck. "I send one Rock-type monster to the graveyard," He plucked a card and did just that. "and deal 500 points of damage to you!"

Konami winced as a virtual boulder was launched at him, but more out of annoyance than anything else.

Pipin Nekoyama – 2700

Konami Takahashi – 3500

"If you'll let me have my turn now." Konami grumbled. He took a look at the cards in his hand and field before smirking. "You know." He called out to the Ra. "It's been fun, but I'll have to end this now."

This caused more commotion from the students watching.

"It's only the third turn, how can he win?"

"He's bluffing!"

"He does seem to know what he's doing. Plus there's those two face downs."

The Slifer duo and their female Obelisk companion were having mixed thoughts.

"He's being a little overconfident, isn't he?" Syrus asked.

"I don't know." Alexis responded. "I've seen people win on their first turn. It's rare, but it is possible."

"But that's so boring!" Jaden pouted. "The best duels are long and drawn out! The adrenaline rush that comes with not knowing if you win or lose...!" Jaden was visibly shaking with excitement as he trailed off. "Still though," He said, calming down a notch. "He can pull it off. I can tell that he's an awesome duelist."

Resisting the urge to sneeze back on the duel field, Konami started his turn. "First!" He exclaimed. "I flip summon, Cobra Jar!" Turning to face up Attack Mode was a small jar. A long, green snake slowly began to slither out.

Cobra Jar – Earth/Reptile – LV2 – 600/300

"And when he's Flip Summoned, I can Special Summon a Poisonous Snake Token onto the field!" A second green snake slithered completely out of the jar, coiling up next to Cobra Jar.

Poisonous Snake Token – Earth/Reptile – LV3 – 1200/1200

"Neither of these are going to be on the field for long, though. I sacrifice both my Cobra Jar and my Snake Token!" Both monsters vanished into particles of energy, energy that began to grow into the shape of a giant creature. "Though your deeds were wicked, your intentions were pure, though redemption is lost, salvation is nigh! Tribute Summon! Gogiga Gagagigo!"

A large red and golden reptile was summoned onto the field. The reptilian titan let out a loud roar, surprising several students, even scaring some of them.

Gogiga Gagagigo – Water/Reptile – LV8 – 2950/2800

"Wh-where'd you get a normal monster with such high attack?!" Pipen asked, stunned by the creature.

"Got it in a card pack." He shrugged. It was the honest truth. "I'm not done yet, though. I activate my other two trap cards, both being the Trap Monster, Embodiment of Apophis!" Two demonic-looking snake warriors appeared onto the field.

Embodiment of Apophis – Earth/Reptile – LV4 – 1600/1800

"Now, Embodiments of Apophis, attack him and his Monk Fighter!" One of the Trap Monster slashed at the Rock-type. The hit was successful, Monk Fighter was destroyed. However, no Life Points were lost.

"Care to explain?" Konami asked, the second Embodiment attacking directly.

Pipin Nekoyama – 1100

Konami Takahashi – 3500

"Any damage done to me in a battle with Monk Fighter is reduced to zero." He said with a pained grunt.

"I see." Konami said with a nod. "Alright, then. Last attack. Gogiga Gagagigo! Use your Power of the Damned!" The reptilian titan gave a nod, before a black aura covered his fist. Throwing his punch, the gigantic holographic arm punched right through Pipin, ending the duel.

Pipin Nekoyama – 0

Konami Takahashi – 3500

DUEL END

The entire crowd was speechless. How could they not? This new student – this new Slifer pretty much had the duel won from the first turn.

Konami walked over to his opponent. The Ra looked stunned, but also impressed.

"You're good." Pipin said simply, extending his hand.

"Thanks." Konami responded just as simply, accepting the handshake.

"There you have it!" Dr. Crowler spoke out. "A splendid duel between two splendid duelists. I hope you have all learned a thing or two from this. Now, it's back to class!" He ended on a cheerful note.

As the students followed their professor to the classroom, Jaden, Syrus, and Alexis found the transfer Slifer.

"Those were some sweet moves, Konami!" Jaden praised.

"Thanks." The capped student said with a shrug. "I'm not exactly happy, being put in the spotlight so quickly."

"It is odd." The only girl in the group spoke up. "Crowler usually hates Slifers – with a passion." Konami simply shook his head.

"Probably because I was meant to be wearing yellow." He explained for the girl. "They ran out of uniforms, and simply demoted me."

"I see." She said simply. "I'm Alexis, by the way."

"Konami." He responded. "Of course, with my name being broadcasted, you probably knew that." He gave a sigh as the other three let out a laugh. The students shortly after reentered the classroom. Heading back to his seat, Konami noticed that one of the Obelisk students seemed to be glaring at him.

The rest of class was rather boring, most evident by how his new Slifer friends were both asleep next to him. Today's main lesson, an in-depth explanation of various types of usable cards, was rather easy for the newest Slifer. In addition to receiving extra credit from his duel (Pipin got a similar reward, he noticed), he managed to finish up his homework before class even ended. When class did end, only Syrus of the sleeping duo seemed to have woken, and looked desperate to wake up Jaden.

"C'mon! Wake up!" The boy all but shouted. This was met with some mumbled slurring, vaguely sounding like making a move in a duel. Konami's ears perked up when Jaden mentioned the words 'Thunder Giant' in his mumbling.

'I've heard of those cards.' Konami thought to himself. 'Elemental Heroes. Easy to use, but difficult to master. This guy's more interesting than I thought if that's his strategy.' He was interrupted from his musings by Dr. Crowler, walking up to where he sat.

"Hello again, Konami." The professor spoke. After he received a nod from the transfer Slifer, he 'casually' slammed his fist on the desk, effectively waking up the sleeping Slifer.

"Monster Reborn!" Jaden shot up like a bullet, shouting whatever move he was about to make in his dream.

"Pay attention, you two, and make yourselves useful for once." The blond doctor spoke harshly. Syrus seemed to be shaking behind Jaden, while the latter himself was seemed to still be waking up. "Konami here is in your dorm for the time being. Can I trust that you'll-"

"Show him around? You got it!" Jaden interrupted excitedly, much to the doctor's annoyance. Grabbing the wrist of the red-capped Slifer, he proceeded to drag him out of the room, shouting at Syrus to 'hurry up' behind him.

After Syrus managed to catch up, the three of them made the surprisingly short trip back to the Slifer Red dorm. When they approached it, Konami simply stared at it, blank expression on his face.

"This. This is our dorm?" He asked, disbelief in his voice. "This is where we'll live for the next three years, assuming none of us rank up?"

"Yup!" Jaden responded cheerfully, completely ignoring the transfer's attitude. "You're gonna love it here. The people are great, the food is delicious, and the whole place is just awesome!"

"What he means." Syrus spoke up, sounding slightly exasperated. "Is that it's not bad. You get used to it, sooner or later."

"Great, now you can spend your days here in a toolshed." The voice of Mace piped up sarcastically.

"It's only until he advances up in rank." Dark Elf reminded.

"Knowing him, he's not gonna bother with the dorm upgrade until either his bed or his ceiling break." Mace sighed.

"Anyway." Jaden spoke, forcing Konami back to reality. "Now that we're here, let's duel!" He even had his duel disk out and ready, just how duel-ready he was momentarily stunned Konami.

"Now, now, Jaden." A calm voice approached, lightly scolding the teen. Stepping out from one of the dorm rooms was a man with long black hair, longs bangs around his face, wearing a simple outfit, consisting of a shirt, tie, and black pants. On his face were a pair of glasses and a gentle smile.

"Konami just got here." He continued. "I'll lead him up to his room, you'll have plenty of time to duel tomorrow." He put on a grin. "Not everyone can duel all day every day, Jaden.

Jaden pouted for a moment. "Alright." He forfeited. He then turned to Konami, once again looking excited. "But don't forget, you owe me a duel, New Guy, and soon!" With that, the other two students left to their own room, the man turned to Konami.

"My name is Professor Lyman Banner, headmaster of Slifer as well as the one teaching alchemy to the students." After introducing himself, he motioned Konami to follow as he began to walk to the dorm. Heading up the stairs, the two stopped at a certain door, oddly enough, just next to the one Konami noticed Jaden entering.

"204: Konami Takahashi." The red-capped Slifer read the nameplate beside the door. Underneath his name were two empty spaces. "I'm living alone?" He questioned.

"For the moment." The professor spoke before grinning. "This is the most common dorm for students, so you might have roommates in no time!" He gave a small nod. "I'll leave you to it. Unless you don't plan on switching when the uniforms arrive, I'd suggest not unpacking too much." With a wave, the man left.

'Guess he heard about that.' Konami thought to himself. The newest Slifer immediately opened the door after that thought, the hinges giving small squeaks in the process. The room itself was simple. Somewhat spacious, three-man bunkbed, a bookshelf, a small table, a desk with a computer, and a television. Konami pulled his deck out of his pocket, placing it on the desk.

"You guys have been pretty chatty today." He spoke with humor in his voice. After speaking, several translucent figures began to fade into his room.

"Well, with today being such an interesting day, could you blame us?" Dark Elf was the first one to speak. Dark Elf was a tanned woman with indigo hair, an aqua dress with a gold lining at the top, with a similar gold lining as a headpiece.

Two small fairy-like creatures, both dressed as jesters popped up on his shoulders. They were Key and Mace, individually named due to their similarly named cards. Key, also known as Key Mace #1 was dressed in yellow and blue, while holding a key roughly as big as he was. Mace, Key Mace #2 donned the red and pink version of their outfit while holding a scepter.

"That duel earlier was quite impressive. Good job." Key added on to Dark Elf's comment.

"Not to mention that there's also been quite a few weirdos in the last few hours." Mace piped up as well. "The clown, loudmouth, and munchkin, just to name the ones we met."

"Not the other professor?" Key asked in his usual quiet voice.

"Nah, he seems fine. Plus, now I'm extra curious about his alchemy class!" Mace had an extremely excited look on his face.

"Last time I let you watch anime with me." Konami sighed, adjusting his hat slightly. Giving a small yawn, he glanced at his two bags and a suitcase on the bottom bunk of the bed. Shrugging, he moved them onto the desk chair before laying down onto the bed.

"You're not unpacking?" A voice asked in confusion. He turned and saw the spirit of the card White Dolphin, wearing a befuddled expression.

"All I packed were my decks, some clothes, and basic things, like my toothbrush." He said before shrugging. "I can unpack it when I need it."

"Going to bed so soon?" The Fish-type monster questioned.

"I'm tired." He said simply. "Been a long trip getting here, and it took everything I had not to doze off next to the others."

"Not to mention he knows that I'll give him hell for sleeping in class." Dark Elf piped up with a smirk. Seemingly satisfied, the dolphin nodded before fading back out, the majority of the others following his example.

"Alright, then." Konami said before closing his eyes and relaxing onto the bed. "Wake me up when something happens." After that, he covered his face with his hat.

"Sleep well." Konami almost immediately fell asleep after those words left Dark Elf's lips.

Konami woke up with a start some time later, accidentally hitting his head on the bed above him. What woke him up was a loud knocking on his door, immediately followed by a familiar voice yelling his name. Grumbling and ignoring the giggles of his female spirits, he answered the door.

"Jaden." The red-capped Slifer greeted simply, only to once again be grabbed by the wrist and dragged away by the other teen.

"Glad you're awake!" He said in his usual chipper tone. "Someone forgot to tell ya, dinner's at seven, plus it's first come first serve!" Glancing at his watch, he noticed it was just five minutes before the scheduled time.

"Thanks." Konami said, a bit embarrassed at his previous annoyance with him.

"It's fine. No one should miss dinner, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy!" As he finished his sentence, they entered the Slifer dorm cafeteria. Jaden looked down at the long line of students, but cheered right back up before getting the two of them in line, even letting Konami go in front of him.

Konami's meal was about as lackluster as he'd expect, from what he's seen of the dorm. A plate with fish and rice, and a second plate of... "Is this fried shrimp?" He asked Jaden. He was sitting next to Jaden at the somewhat small dining table they were at, while in front of them was Syrus and some larger guy Konami hadn't met yet.

"You bet!" Jaden said as he swallowed a bite of food. "You don't know how lucky you are! First day being fried shrimp day!" He glanced around, noticing most of the other students pretty much ignoring everything else for the shrimp. Even Syrus in front of him, who seemed to be saving it for last, was almost drooling as his eyes never left that plate.

"Fried shrimp day is once a month." The larger student spoke up. "And, to be honest, it's without a doubt the best food in the dorm." His eyes widened before chuckling for a moment. "Sorry." He spoke again, reaching towards Konami with a large hand. "I'm Chumley, Chumley Huffington."

This time it was Konami's turn to go wide eyed. "You mean, from the Huffingtons?" He asked, shaking his hand.

"You've heard of him?" Syrus asked, for once looking off his plate.

"Well, my father was a champion duelist." Chumely said with a shrug. This got Jaden's attention, but Konami spoke out before he could respond.

"No, no, no." Konami shook his head. "That's not why I know you guys. We simply buy your products all the time back home." He let out a grin. "The hot sauce you guys make is just awesome. Plus, my uncle has a soft spot for your sake."

Syrus shuddered, obviously not a fan of either of those things. Turning back to his plate he gasped. "Where's my shrimp?!"

As Syrus panicked, Konami immediately turned to the most energetic of the group. "Found 'em." He deadpanned as he saw a piece still half in Jaden's mouth. With a sigh, before the small Slifer could freak out more, Konami silently pushed his own shrimp in front of him. Not wanting to be in such a high-strung situation about food, Konami simply began to eat his previously untouched food.

He heard a surprisingly teary 'thank you' from the smallest of the group before conversation began to die out in preference of eating their meals.

Well, for the most part.

Jaden, obviously not caring for the silence kept questioning the newest Slifer, both trying to start conversation as well as get to know him better.

"So." He asked in between mouthfuls. "You use Reptile cards?"

"Sort of." Konami responded. "Admittedly, it's one of my preferred strategies."

"Preferred strategies?" Syrus echoed.

"I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." Konami said with a smirk, not opting to say any more.

"Aw, now I'm even more excited!" Jaden pouted. But, deciding to wait until they actually duel to see more of his deck, he decided to ask something else. "I've been wondering. Where'd you get that hat?"

"Duel Academy merchandise is fairly common." He said a tad slowly. "I found it in a nearby shop a few weeks before I left. Before this, I wore a black one."

"Do you always wear hats?" Chumley piped up. "I thought this place was like other schools when it came to dress code." Konami responded with a deadpan expression.

"I think I'll be fine." He bit back a sarcastic response that he had about a certain professor. "And yes, I have. In addition to shade and style, they also make me distinguishable."

"You need a hat to get noticed?" The larger Slifer asked, both humor and surprise in his voice.

"I have a surprisingly ordinary face." As if to prove it, he lifted up the brim, his green eyes looking at the other three before lowering back down. He shrugged after a moment. "Anyway." He said with a pause. "I haven't been here for the beginning of the year. Mind filling me in on what happened?" Jaden was all too happy to inform him after dinner.

Surprisingly to Konami, he didn't get much of an introduction from Banner during dinner. A simple 'welcome our new student' and 'I hope you get along well' after dinner was just about it. He might have been offended, but decided it wasn't really worth it, plus Dark Elf was more than annoyed for him.

As it turned out, despite Jaden's eagerness to tell the story, not much happened. The biggest thing to happen was that Jaden made a rival out of an Obelisk blue. Then again, it's only been a few weeks since the year began, so it made some sense.

"Hey Konami?" Jaden piped up as they sat in the trio's room, hanging out after dinner. Syrus and Chumley seemed to be working on their decks, leaving the other two alone for the moment. "Can you see duel spirits?" He asked, curiosity on his face. "Like, my Winged Kuriboh?" As if to prove a point, the monster mentioned appeared beside the teen, floating around him as he studied Konami.

"Yeah. So I'm guessing you did see her earlier?" He questioned as Dark Elf appeared beside him.

"Yup." He said with a grin. "Can you see others?"

"Aside from my own spirits and your Winged Kuriboh, no." The transfer sighed.

"How many do you have?" Jaden asked, a tad bit of surprise on his face.

"A few." He said after a moment of counting. "It really depends on the spirit. If they like me, or find me worthy, or something, they talk to me. I've probably met more than most people, though." He admitted. "I have quite a few cards."

"I can't wait to duel you tomorrow!" Jaden exclaimed, excited. "The duel earlier got me excited, I wanna see more of how you play."

"I'll try to give you a show, Jay." The transfer said with a chuckle. "Though I'm worried. I doubt being so duel obsessed is healthy."

"That's Jaden for ya." Syrus piped up, he and Chumely deciding to join the conversation. "Always ready to duel. No matter who or where."

"I can't be the next King of Games if I'm picky!" Jaden said with a smirk.

Konami heard Dark Elf sigh as he let out another chuckle. "Well, it's been fun, but I'm going to bed."

"It's only 9:30." Chumley spoke with a raised brow.

"I need sleep." Was all he said before getting up. He yawned, giving the guys a tired, "night." before heading back to his room.

He was actually pretty excited for tomorrow. Despite how childish the thought was, he was looking forward to whatever adventures he'd have on the island, and, for the first time in awhile, fell asleep with a smile on his face.

In the next chapter:

"Syrus!" The red-capped Slifer sighed in exasperation. "When I said you'd find a girlfriend, I didn't expect you to search so proactively!" Despite being tied up, Syrus began struggling, looking as though he wanted to kill Konami. He struggled even more so as he saw the amused smirk on his face.

Omake #1 - A Tour of Ra:

Konami was actually quite surprised at how cool Pipin was, despite being a being only a background character. The two of them were discussing simple things - what home was like, favorite cards, etc. He noticed, however, how Pipin seemed to perk up when Konami mentioned that he was only in Slifer due to some wardrobe mishap.

"Wait, so you're a Yellow?" The Ra questioned. He grinned when Konami nodded in affirmative. "Let's go then!" He proclaimed, grabbing Konami's wrist before proceeding to drag him away.

"And we're going where?" The red-capped Slifer asked, annoyed at the constant dragging he'd been subjugated to.

"Well, you'll be with us, right?" The teen responded. Before Konami could answer, he continued. "Well, of you're gonna be a Ra, you'll need to know the layabou-" He paused.

"What's...oh." What Konami saw made sense to the sudden halt in his would-be tour guide. For some reason there were dozens of Obelisk Blue female students hanging about the Ra dorm, all of them looking on edge, as if searching for something.

"Damn." Pipin muttered darkly to the Slifer. "They're here for me again."

"Again?!"

"I'd love to show you around..." He glanced at the horde of girls, somehow none having seen them yet. "I need to take these girls on my own."

Konami didn't know whether to cry with jealousy, or simply hate his yellow friend.

"You!" He called out to a passing Ra student. "Come here for a sec." As he approached, he looked nothing special to the red-capped Slifer. Roughly average height and straight, black hair.

"You required something?" The student asked, surprisingly with a British accent of all things.

"Yeah, can you-" He was interrupted by the squealing of over 20 girls. "ShowmyfriendaroundRaokaybye!" After those fast-spoken words, he proceeded to run off, the horde chasing after him.

"Well." The Ra student spoke up after a moment of silence. "That was entirely unexpected." He shook his head before extending his hand with a smile. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is-" He stopped as he heard the soft sound of footsteps, and watched as Konami simply left.

"Why does that always happen?" The Ra muttered with a frown. "Oh well, I needed to work out that new theory anyway."

First chapter, done. Hoping I did well, for I'm planning on making this one of my main stories. I'm hoping it's decent, but, if not, I'm not too concerned, I know it'll get better later on. I'll also try to be a couple chapters ahead in my writing. Should I get writer's block, I'll hopefully still have a chapter or two to publish.

This will be more than just a novelization of the Tag Force Series, and more than just a 'Konami in the anime' fic. I have several unique plot points in mind already, now all I have to do is write up to those points.

One thing I'd like to point out is that what I'm trying to do is not make Konami as omnipotent and overpowered as he's sometimes portrayed. He'll be strong, he'll have skill, and he'll know more about card effects than most (at least more than the less-than-scholarly Jaden and Syrus), but he's not invincible. His easy win from earlier was from a lucky starting hand and some decent skill and strategy, not all wins will be that easy or quick, and he won't always win.

This will be a minor crossover. It won't be anything major. In fact, it'll barely even be mentioned for awhile. Should everything work as planned though...expect one of the story's plotlines to involve a crossover.

Hope you enjoyed, next chapter should be up soon.