Tears had stained the desk he laid over. Tears that fell due to his friend Osamu being in the hospital due to a duel they had. He wanted to win with his favorite card so badly. A card given to him by his father. A card that was more than just cardboard. It was his friend. She was his friend. His best friend, and he lost before he was able to summon her to the field. He should have been...what was the word his parents used...mature? Yes! He should have been mature about the duel, but he wanted to win so badly!

"Now...Now the kids around the neighborhood won't duel me!" He looked up from the desk, staring at the deck he scattered across him hours ago. His parents weren't home, as usual, so he had no one else to comfort him right now. To tell him that everything would be better after a trip to the hospital to apologize, or to take him out and buy him a few booster packs of Duel Monster cards to make him happy. No, he was all alone, as he normally was.

"Jaden." A soft, comforting voice called out to him. He straightened himself and turned to see a tall, floating girl with long, spiky hair with purple skin. The right side of her hair was silver, whereas the left was purple, and the line between the two were separated by a large, yellow eye with a red iris. She had two colored eyes, with the right being orange and the left being green, and had two large, black wings with talons at the very tip. He didn't know how to describe the shape of her body, but knew that she had beauty within her. Something about her drew him to her, and made her so special to him.

"Yubel..." He stood up and clung to her body with renewed tears. She placed her hands upon his back and began to rub it, enacting a warmth that only she could provide. "Why...Why don't the other kids trust me anymore? Why are they so afraid of me? They wouldn't be afraid if I was Seto Kaiba or Yugi Muto wanting to duel them, but they're terrified! I hate this!"

"Shhh...Shhh...It's okay Jaden. They're simply playing a different game with you." Jaden looked up at her with blurred sight. A different kind of game? Why did it hurt so badly if it was a game then?

"Why...Why play-"

"The game they're playing is to crush your potential as the best duelist in the world. The next King of Games Jaden!" Yubel shouted, making him flinch. This flinch made her widen her eyes and pulled him in for a hug. This was her way of apologizing. A way that he enjoyed feeling each and every time. "They know that you're a smart duelist. They also know that your parents spoil you with cards from across the world, and don't want to lose to you, so they want to make you lose interest in Duel Monsters and hope that you won't ever play them again."

"Those no good losers!" Jaden stomped his foot in anger. Why would they play a mean game like that? He loved duel monsters! He even gave kids cards to help them get into the game, and this was how they repaid him? "Well I simply won't duel them anymore Yubel!" He nodded to himself. "There are plenty of kids in school, and the local park has kids from different schools I can duel against too. They won't keep me from getting my game on!" Yubel smiled at him as she began to rub his back once more.

"That's a good idea honey, but..." Yubel lowered herself to her knees so they were at even eye level. "Do you want to hear a better idea?" Jaden nodded his head. Yubel was one of the smartest people he knew, so any idea she had was worth listening to. "I think you should make those losers duel you and win their cards. Their rarest, the most powerful cards they have, or even a card you like for an effect or its design. There is no need to be picky."

"But...Why would I duel against the people who don't want me to duel anymore? That doesn't make sense." A chuckle escaped her lips, causing him to pout. "What? It doesn't!"

"It's nothing. I forget how young you are my Jaden." A soft sigh came from her. Was she making fun of him again? He wasn't that young! "You would duel them to gain a reputation Jaden. A reputation like the King of Games or what Seto Kaiba have amongst the other kids. A reputation that will make you one of the best duelist in the city, and soon the world. Your goal is to become the best duelist right?"

"Yea! I want to become the next King of Games Yubel! You know that!"

"I know Jaden. I certainly know that, but if we want to become the next King of Games we need to work on your deck, okay?" Jaden nodded, knowing that his deck wasn't much of anything but his favorite cards at the moment. He liked cute cards, such as Beaver Warrior and Yubel, and cool, awesome cards like Elemental Hero Avian, Elemental Hero Burstinatrix, or Yubel. Yubel had introduced him to cards like The Warrior Returning Alive to try making better use of monsters in the graveyard, but he was still learning how to create the perfect deck he would like to use. "So...Do you trust me Jaden?"

"Of course I do Yubel!" He shouted with a furious nod. "You're my best friend!" Yubel smiled and looked at his eyes. He felt a sharp pain in both of his shoulders, and heard distorted cries from behind him. What was happening? Why was he in pain?

"Then...trust me!"

"AAAAHHHHH!"

"AHA!" The teenager known as Jaden Yuki shot up from his bed with sweat dripping from his body. It took a few minutes, but his breathing became regular, and he found his eyes locked on the deck-box that slept on the edge of his dresser. It was the deck that she, Yubel, slept in, and he had no problem leaving her there as he got out of bed and went to take a shower. It didn't matter how far he could go, from the other side of the house or to the other end of the world.

Yubel would always be by his side.

That would never change.

'That dream though...I haven't had it in years.' That dream was when his life had changed for him. His friend, Osamu, was the only person from that time who stayed by his side after he got released from the hospital from that fateful duel. Though they would talk about Duel Monsters and would watch duel videos together, they never dueled one another after that day for a reason Jaden knew, despite it never being said. Osamu was afraid of him, and that helped him and Yubel seek out other duelists who began to spread lies about him. Lies about him being cursed and would always destroy whoever dueled him no matter the outcome of the duel. They weren't true, but they did eventually lead up to the title he was given amongst the community.

The Cursed Duelist. A duelist so powerful that duels came to life. Some said that he was marked by the Egyptian Gods to give them souls so they may become free from Yugi Muto's control. Others said that he bought the deck from a yard sale from an old man with a blind right eye and never saw the old man again. The rumors were silly, and most of them never made sense to him, but they didn't stop him from dueling with an ante against those he dueled. Rare, powerful cards such as the light purple Dark Magician card or Raigeki were only a few of the most powerful cards he had at his disposal form the ante duels he has been playing for years, and he had a feeling that his collection wouldn't stop growing.

That didn't mean that dueling was the only thing he focused on. Due to Yubel wanting him to be the very best human, he excelled in everything he could get his hands on. In terms of his education he topped mathematics, literature, was physically fit enough to last in a street fight without Yubel stepping in, and knew multiple languages. English was his favorite foreign language, but French and Italian had a certain charm he liked about them. He kept up on the world of politics and the most important news articles to seek any opportunity to show the world the power of his and Yubel's trust in one another.

His room was littered with the trophies, ribbons, and other forms of prizes that he collected over the years. His parents, who were still as busy as they were years ago, didn't know anything about the darker side of the duels he played in. They knew of his official duels at tournaments and such, which they were very proud of him, and would reward him with fried shrimp each and every time he won. Yet another reason for him to win those tournaments.

If he didn't win, then Yubel would punish him for not winning in the best ways she knew would work. Most of his key monsters would suddenly disappear, leaving him with only a third of his deck to use, which meant he would have to play with a sub-par deck he always kept on reserve. She would plague him with nightmares of nerve destroying pain like the which he would never wish upon anyone. Nightmares of Osamu dying in front of him. His parents being killed by crowds of angry parents. People beating him for the sake of showing their superiority.

It was only a fraction of what Yubel could actually do to him, and the reason he knew she could do those specific things was because she had already showed him those nightmares on separate occasions. It was why he had to stay the very best amongst the other students. If he didn't, then she would get to "educate" him again. Despite being thankful for all she done for him, it did nothing to stop him from subtly testing the limits between their bond to one another.

For example, when the deck-box was sealed tight, Yubel couldn't leave it as long as her card was in the deck. This allowed him to sleep without her influence and do daily actions without her adding in her opinion. She could send him mental thoughts if the deck-box was on his hip since it was attached to him at that point, but she couldn't interact with the physical world as long as she was in the deck-box. When she was free from it, then the chains were released, and her true power could be used without restraint. Well...without the normal restraints of course. He didn't want to think of...

"Ah, that's right, I need to leave." With a quiet mumble to himself, Jaden stepped out of the shower and looked at himself in the mirror. His brown, shoulder length hair was its normal messy fluff that refused to be tamed by any brush, He was thinner than most guys his age, and his pale skin made him stand out more than he would have liked. He put on the best clothes he could for Yubel's sake (a black short sleeve shirt with spikes that represented the ones upon Yubel's shoulders, and a pair of black and grey pants with spikes along his legs), and quickly brushed his teeth before getting the rest of his stuff ready. With his shoes on, duel disk bound on his left arm, and a small shoulder bag filled with random items prepared, he grabbed his deck-box and opened the seal.

"Good morning to you sunshine..." Yubel appeared in a transparent haze before him with a yawn and a stretch of her figure. Her wings stretched as well, but Jaden had to bend away from her before the right wing clipped his head. "So, my little champion, are you ready to show those examiners what we're made of?" He flicked his nose with his thumb and smirked at her.

"You know I am Yubel. I'm ready to get into Duel Academy and show the world what we're made of on a grand scale!" Everyone in the world knew of Duel Academy, created by Seto Kaiba to ensure that the game Duel Monsters stayed a hit and would prosper for years to come. If you graduated from the school, you were ensured at least several contract offers for promotion across the globe, and that was if you were on the Slifer Red level. The lowest of the low! Who knows what type of recognition could be obtained from graduation if he was a Ra Yellow or an Obelisk Blue?

"So, what are we waiting for?" The two said in unison. With that, Yubel disappeared, allowing Jaden to go downstairs for the lunch he prepared for himself last night, and locked the house before jogging to the examination hall that was being used by Duel Academy for today. It was currently 11:24 A.M., which meant that he would be early to get registered and be able to see what his future competition might be like. Heck, he might even be able to duel against an examiner with a reputation instead of some run of the mill duelist.

'Wait! What is this?' Jaden paused, glancing around the park he stopped in, and inhaled. The amount of duel energy within this park was astronomical! It was enriched by someone who must be a seasoned duelist. Maybe even a tournament winner! The cards within that duelist's deck must be powerful, and the duel itself would be amazing...

'No Jaden.' Yubel's voice cut through his thoughts. Damn, he forgot that she was currently on his hip at the moment. 'You have better things to worry about than someone who might be long gone right now. Plus, think of all the other duelists who will sustain our hunger for duel energy on the island? That will be a feast for kings!'

'Yea Yea...Still, couldn't we at least see who the guy is?'

'No.'

'You're no fun.'

Getting to the examination building early didn't reward him with an early spot for dueling. Apparently there was a long list for duels already lined up, which made no sense to him. He figured that rich kids in the area reserved the opening positions, but didn't care enough to let it ruin his mood. Instead, he sat on one of the bleachers and watched the other candidates duel.

To be honest, most of them weren't even worth his time.

Those who won their duels rather quickly barely put out any duel energy for him and Yubel to passively consume. They used some interesting cards to win, but nothing that struck him as something to claim as his own. There were a series of duels that were pitiful and weren't worth watching in the slightest. If they somehow passed the exam, they would become Slifer Reds for sure. Nothing was note worthy to him. Was everything he heard about from Duel Academy one big lie? Was the school funded by Seto Kaiba a waste of his time?

"Ah, I haven't seen you duel yet." Jaden looked up to see a duelist with short, black hair behind him, and nodded to him. He was one of the few duelists to finish some time ago with a Ring of Destruction to end the duel between him and his examiner. "My name is Bastion Misawa, and you are?"

"Jaden Yuki. You play an interesting style." Bastion snickered as he took a seat next to him. The duel energy he produced was interesting, though what caught Jaden's attention were the two smaller streams of duel energy that flowed from Bastion's waistline.

"Thanks for the compliment, but I assure you that it wasn't my best." As if Bastion could sense the flow of duel energy, he moved his hands to the source of the alternate streams of duel energy, and pulled out two deck boxes. "I didn't know what to expect today, so I brought with me two additional decks with their own personal formulas for success. I'm kinda hoping to test them against some of the duelists from the Academy that are watching the new recruits, such as the Kaiser."

"The Kaiser?" Bastion nudged his shoulder to the left, making Jaden turn to see a tall, pale teen with long, dark blue hair wearing an Obelisk blue uniform. He looked at the duels in boredom, unlike the blonde girl who held an interest. The two seemed to be talking amongst themselves, but Jaden stopped caring for that moments after. The sheer amount of duel energy coming from the Kaiser made Yubel stir from his deck-box, and he couldn't blame her. How delicious that duel energy must be!

"I take you have never heard of the Kaiser Ryo? He is considered to be the elite of the elite duelists at Duel Academy. To be able to duel him you must be able to defeat the best of Duel Academy, and I've heard that the one who runs the Obelisk Blue dorms is picky about who gets to duel those elite. I've also heard that the guy who runs the Obelisk dorm hates Slifer Reds, so if you end up as one, then you should wait until you've risen to the Ra Yellow dorm to start dueling those elite." Jaden returned his attention to Bastion and raised an eyebrow. Was he assuming that he, Jaden Yuki, was going to become a bottom of the barrel Slifer?

"Sounds like you think I'm going to become a Slifer Bastion." Bastion's eyes became extremely wide as he shook his head.

"No, not at all! I mean, I didn't mean to make that assumption!" Bastion coughed into a fist to collect himself. Before he could continue talking a short teen with long, light blue hair that spiked outwards instead of going down, and wore small glasses slumped over a chair next to Jaden. The teen looked exhausted, and Jaden recognized him as one of the duelists who barely won his examination.

"They're not pulling any punches in these examinations are they?" Jaden chuckled at the question, which was matched by Bastion. This seemed to catch the blue haired teen's attention, for he straightened himself and looked at them. "Not to mean that they were too tough! I was caught unaware at the level of decks they would use for the examination is all..."

"No need to freak dude." Jaden replied with a wave of his hand. This stopped the blue haired teen from speaking any further, and made him relax from the looks of it. "I didn't get much of a chance to see what you were playing. Something with machines right?"

"Yea!" The teen smiled and rubbed his duel disk. "I play a Vehicroid deck, though I'm missing some of the key cards to really make it run. Heh, get it, run, because my deck is based on vehicles that-"

"We get it." Jaden and Bastion said at the same time, causing all three of them to snicker. The blue haired teen brought out his right hand to Jaden.

"My name is Syrus. Syrus Truesdale, and you are?"

"Jaden Yuki."

"Bastion Misawa, but did you say your name was Syrus Truesdale?"

Unknowingly to Jaden and the two duelists he was talking with, a small group of teachers were surrounding the one in charge of this examination. He was Dr. Crowler, an individual many couldn't agree on. Some call him Mrs. Crowler due to him wearing his blond hair in a pig-tail, wore crescent earrings, and had lipstick, whereas others think he is the worst teacher due to his strict nature with anyone who wasn't an Obelisk Blue. There were many things said about Dr. Crowler, but students from all three dorms knew of the Dark Age deck known as the Ancient Gears that he used.

"Are we close to finishing this examination up everyone? I don't want to stay near these rifraff any longer than I absolutely must!" One of the teachers, a new assistant teacher if Dr. Crowler remembered the staff meeting clearly, flipped through their clipboard and froze at the last document. "Yes? What is the hold up!" The assistant took a step back and handed him the clipboard.

"The last applicant, number one-one-zero Jaden Yuki, is a local legend in this city Dr. Crowler." This caused him to pause and turned to the assistant. She looked as if she had seen a ghost, or woke up from a nightmare.

"A local legend you say? Can you tell me more about this hotshot?"

"He," the assistant gulped and shook her head, "he is known as the Cursed Duelist due to various reasons sir. He can bring the damage inflicted in duels to life, and is known to duel in unofficial duels with an ante rule in place." Dr. Crowler scoffed at what he was told. The Cursed Duelist? More like some ruffian who probably stole the cards he used to get here. He wouldn't let such people step upon the high class school known as Duel Academy if he could prevent it! As he stood up, one of the other teachers turned to him with a box of test decks they were supplied to use against the applicants.

"Sir? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to duel this last student myself." This statement made the other teachers take a step back in shock and looked at the clipboard that was handed back to the assistant.

"But sir, what about the test decks?"

"I'll handle that myself."

"Sir." This time it was the assistant who spoke up. Dr. Crowler turned to her and saw her stare at him with a lost expression. "Please don't take what I said lightly. One of the kids he hurt was my younger brother, and he hasn't been the same since he woke up in the hospital from that duel he lost. So, please sir... Show no mercy." Dr. Crowler smirked at her.

"I'm a doctor dear. We don't show mercy to our patients!"

"Will applicant number one hundred and ten report to the main duel field? I repeat! Will applicant number one hundred and ten report to the main duel field?" Jaden stood up with a smile upon his face.

"Alright guys, that's my call!" Jaden did a flip to get behind Syrus and Bastion, making the two stare at him with widened eyes. He imagined it wasn't normal for any duelist to be physically fit, but then again when was Jaden Yuki ever normal? "I'll be seeing you two at Duel Academy!" As he walked away, he heard Bastion ask Syrus for his last name again, but that was quickly forgotten since it was now his time to shine! He would be dueling against some examiner and proceed to enter Duel Academy to become the most powerful duelist in the world. The next King of Games!

'Remember Jaden,' Yubel spoke to him, 'Don't use everything at your disposal if you can help it. We want to keep our best plays secret until we absolutely have to use them, and I refuse to be fully displayed to anyone but the best Jaden dearest.'

'I know Yubel...I know.' Jaden, after a few minutes of getting lost, found his way to the dueling field where his examiner seemed to be waiting for him. His examiner was tall with short blond hair that stopped around his eyebrows, but had a long ponytail tied behind him. He wore an Obelisk Blue affiliated uniform with a Duel Coat, a very expensive item which had the duel disk on the front of the body and had sensors to detect when a duelist was ready to start their turn, and had crescent earrings.

To be completely honest, Jaden didn't know if his examiner was really good, or the academy's mascot that they put up against who they thought would be the weakest duelist. The very thought of him, Jaden Yuki, being considered weak annoyed him to the core, and made him want to get started right away. When he got close enough to the examiner, the examiner began to talk.

"Welcome to the arena Jaden Yuki. I was unaware that we had a celebrity amongst the recruits!" This made Jaden stare at the man with interest. Did he do some research on the applicants, or did he just find out through passing? Jaden could hear the other applicants talking amongst each other, and he couldn't help but to smirk at the man in front of him.

"I take it you've heard of me then?"

"Yes," The man nodded, "The...Cursed Duelist was it not?" It was then that he grabbed his deck and slid it into the Duel Coat. A nasty, furious expression came from the examiner. An expression that Jaden had seen hundreds of other times. "I'm appalled that someone like you, a thief and a ruffian, would DARE try and grace Duel Academy with your filth! Stealing cards from other duelists, beating them up if they refuse to duel you, and-"

"Woah, hold the phone there ugly!"

"U-U-UGLY!" The man interrupted with a shout. If Jaden didn't know any better, a bolt of lightning struck the ground behind the man. "I am not ugly!"

"And I'm not a ruffian, a thief, or a bully, but you don't see me shouting like some sissy!"

"You certainly lack manners, and I, Dr. Crowler, will be the one to give you a lesson in how to treat your betters with respect you ruffian!" Jaden activated his duel disk, and a series of disgusting sounds was made, either from the crowd or from his duel disk, as it unfolded itself. The center of the duel disk was blue with the eye of Horus looking straight at Dr. Crowler, who shivered at the sight. The duel disk itself was mostly brown with purple flesh connecting everything together and each card slot, which was in the shape of a bat wing, was separated by talons. With the graveyard being a black void with teeth surrounding it, the deck slot being guarded by two talons, and a red glowing orb near the eye of Horus, some could easily say that Jaden's duel disk was...alive.

"You're so mean doctor." Jaden playfully said as he drew his opening hand, and smiled at Dr. Crowler. "I'll just have to change your view of me...with pain!"

"Lets Duel!"

Jaden: 4000 Dr. Crowler: 4000

"I'll start things off if you don't mind!" With a sixth card in hand, Jaden glanced at Dr. Crowler before activating a card. "I hope you're not too attached to your hand, because I activate the spell card Hand Destruction!" A small, orange samurai wearing silver armor appeared and slashed at the ground around Dr. Crowler, making the man jump away from the swings. Fortunately for him, there was no damage to the field around him.

"Heh, no damage was done to the ground you ruffian. So the rumor about you bringing damage to life is nothing but a hoax!" Jaden picked the two cards he wanted and sent them into his graveyard, showing that he either didn't care for what Dr. Crowler said, or didn't listen to him.

"Each player sends two cards from their hand to the graveyard, then we each draw two cards from the deck. Whenever you're done wasting my time, I'll continue with my turn."

"Ugh!" Dr. Crowler groaned as he picked two cards and forced them into his graveyard. As they drew their new cards, the blond glared at Jaden. "I wasn't attached to anything, and neither will your reputation be attached to you after I make quick work of you!"

"All that bark, but I doubt you can match it with your bite. Regardless, I set a monster and a card before ending my turn."

"Pfh, that's what you call a turn? Some dumped cards and some set cards? You're certainly not that menacing! Draw!" Dr. Crowler drew his card and grinned. "And now I'll start things up by-"

"Actually, I'm activating my trap card Reckless Greed!" A purple card of some greedy man preparing to jump into a treasure chest with a snake slithering through it appeared on Jaden's side. "In exchange of skipping my next two draw phases, I get to draw two cards right now." With two new cards joining Jaden's hand, he waved to his opponent. "You can continue now."

"Why I never! UGH!" Dr. Crowler stomped on the ground before setting two cards. "I now activate Heavy Storm, destroying my two Statue of the Wicked cards!" A giant whirlwind destroyed Dr. Crowler's cards, and in their place two yellow serpents with four red eyes and wore odd jewelery appeared on his side of the field.

2x Wicked Token (Fiend Type/Dark/Level 4/ Atk-1000 Def-1000)

"However, they won't be staying on my side of the field for long as I'll be using them as tributes for my legendary Ancient Gear Golem!" A gigantic, armored humanoid automaton appeared in front of the doctor with an emotionless stare focused on Jaden's set monster.

Ancient Gear Golem (Machine Type/Earth/Level 8/ Atk-3000 Def-3000)

"Now I'll attack your set monster with Mechanized Melee!" Ancient Gear Golem struck the set monster with its gigantic fist, only for hundreds of white bandages to wrap around the mechanized golem with a bandaged figure wearing brown pants to appear amongst them.

Grave Squirmer (Fiend Type/Dark/Level 1/ Atk-0 Def-0)

"Since you destroyed my monster, its effect activates." Jaden calmly responded as he pointed at Ancient Gear Golem. "Since it was destroyed by battle and will be sent to the graveyard, I can target one card on the field, and destroy it. Obviously, my target shall be your Ancient Gear Golem!" Both monsters suddenly disappeared in a swirl of bandages, revealing an empty field to the crowd. This got everyone talking or cheering for one reason or another. Responses that angered Dr. Crowler to the point of his face turning pink.

"E-E-Even so, my Ancient Gear Golem has piercing, which means that you're down to a measly 1000 life points, and I'm no where near finished with my turn!"

Jaden: 1000 Dr. Crowler: 4000

"Before I end my turn I shall activate the powerful spell card known as Monster Reincarnation, allowing me to send a card to the grave in order to bring my Ancient Gear Golem back to my hand!" The mighty golem of technology reappeared by Dr. Crowler's side for a brief moment before disappearing. "In a turn I'll bring back my Ancient Gear monster without any hesitation, so what shall you do now Jaden Yuki? Are you going to hurt me before I defeat you like the ruffian you are?" Dr. Crowler's words made the sense of victory bleak for Jaden from the crowd's perspective. Jaden was sure that, if he was someone watching the duel, they would have little fate in whatever Jaden could do from this point.

Fortunately for him, he knew that this duel was his no matter what.

"Are you done?"

"Grrr, yes!"

"Finally," Jaden said impassively, "since I activated Reckless Greed, I must skip my draw phase, but that is no problem. I'll set two cards and end my turn." Dr. Crowler laughed as he drew his card for the turn. This was the ruffian that obtained the title of Cursed Duelist in this city? This was the scum that frightened the assistant? This boy was nothing compared to him!

"You're nothing but a waste of space Jaden Yuki, and I'll prove that by defeating you here and now!" With a new card in hand, he could proceed further. I'll now activate the spell card known as Double Summon, which allows me to normal summon twice this turn! I summon the ancient technology known as Chronomaly Mayan Machine (Machine Type/Earth/Level 3/ Atk-1500 Def-700), and use it to summon Ancient Gear Golem since it acts as two tributes for Machine Type monsters! Now, Ancient Gear Golem-"

"I activate Call of the Haunted, allowing me to special summon Yubel from my graveyard to the field!" Yubel, his best friend, most trusted person, and guardian, appeared on his side of the field without delay. She smirked at Dr. Crowler as she stood right in front of Jaden, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Yubel (Fiend Type/Dark/Level 10/ Atk-0 Def-0)

"Hahahaha!" Dr. Crowler laughed, as did a small amount of the crowd. Jaden understood why they would laugh. They weren't the first to laugh at the presence of Yubel due to them being...uneducated in how she worked. They would learn though. They would all learn not to underestimate her!

'And Dr. Crowler would be the first to learn this lesson.' "What's so funny you asylum patient?" Silence reigned the room as Jaden's words took time for everyone to digest. Dr. Crowler was the first to get over the pure shock that took him, and anger fueled him to get rid of this punk from his sight. The sudden boom of laughter from most of the audience didn't help his decision either.

"Your weak monster won't help you, especially with its zero attack! Go, my Ancient Gear Golem, show him what a TRUE monster looks like with your mechanized melee!" Jaden did nothing but smirk, an action Yubel mirrored, as she took the punch to her body. In that instant, Dr. Crowler gasped and fell upon his knees with his arms wrapped around his ribcage. The sheer shock of pain Dr. Crowler must have felt pleased Jaden more than it should, but it felt oh so right to see.

"Confused?" Jaden asked as the sound of life points depleting occurred. "Yubel can't be destroyed by battle, nor do I take battle damage with her. While she is in attack position, you take any battle damage I would have taken equal to your monster's attack, and with Ancient Gear Golem having three thousand attack, we're now back on equal footing aren't we?"

Jaden: 1000 Dr. Crowler: 1000

"What...Did you do to me...You barbaric ruffian!"

"I did nothing Dr. Crowler. You can thank yourself for blindly attacking into Yubel like that. Not me. Now then, do you end your turn?" Jaden watched in hidden glee as Dr. Crowler struggled to stand. Though the blond did eventually stand, he looked exhausted and seemed drained of the anger he had moments ago. Was it now replaced by fear, or perhaps caution? What could Dr. Crowler be thinking with Yubel now in front of him?

The possibilities excited him!

"Since you haven't done anything, I assume that it is my turn, and skip my second draw phase, meaning that after this turn I can draw from my deck again. Not that matters since I activate Pot of Greed!" A gigantic green pot with a smiling face on its side appeared, and laughed as Jaden drew two additional cards from his deck. Jaden glanced down at the cards he drew, and simply nodded at the results. "I normal summon Sangan in attack mode, set one card, and end my turn." As the small, three eyed monster appeared on Jaden's side of the field, Yubel picked it up and transformed it into a sphere of duel energy before swallowing it whole. Many disgusted sounds came from the crowd, but Jaden ignored them in preference to keep his attention on Dr. Crowler. The blond glared at Yubel for a moment before facing him.

"In order for your monster to stay on the field, you must tribute a monster each of your turns, don't you?" Jaden smirked as he slid Sangan to his graveyard. At least Dr. Crowler could be smart...at times.

"Correct, but this instance is helpful since Sangan's effect activates, allowing me to add a monster with 1500 or less attack from my deck to my hand before my turn officially ends." Dr. Crowler said nothing as he drew his card, which was the perfect time to activate the card that would seal the doctor's fate this duel. "Since your draw phase is ending and we're entering your standby phase, I can activate the trap card known as Battle Mania!"

"N-No!" Dr. Crowler shouted as an aura of fire consumed Ancient Gear Golem, making it slap its chest in pride. Jaden, who knew what was going to happen, laughed and proceeded to explain what the card did, if only to see the despair form on Dr. Crowler's face.

"All face up monsters you control Dr. Crowler are changed to attack position, and can't change their battle positions this turn. Also, all monsters you currently control must attack this turn, if able. So, Dr. Crowler, can you suddenly not attack, or is this my win?" As Dr. Crowler looked down, Jaden's smirk grew at the sight of a defeated man right before his very eyes. At least, until he realized that Dr. Crowler had slipped a card into his duel disk and the sound of a card activating caught his attention.

"You won't win this duel Jaden Yuki! I activate Dark Hole, which destroys all monsters on the field!"

"Jaden!" Yubel shouted as she and Ancient Gear Golem became consumed by the void. Jaden said nothing as he placed Yubel in the grave, and watched as Dr. Crowler grinned like a madman at him.

"You lose, Jaden Yuki, and here is how you lose! I normal summon my Ancient Gear Knight!"

Ancient Gear Knight (Machine-Gemini Type/Earth/Level 4/ Atk-1800/ Def-500)

A smaller, more soldier-like copy of Ancient Gear Golem appeared, though its right hand was replaced by a jousting spear, and the left arm was a metal shield shaped like a spear. Its spear was pointed at Jaden, and its red eye shined to life seconds after Dr. Crowler made a motion with his right hand.

"Attack him and end this duel my Ancient Gear Knight!" As the mechanical knight charged forward, Jaden pressed a single button, activating the remaining set card he had, and watched in glee as Yubel suddenly appeared in front of him, taking the spear to her chest. Seconds after her appearance, Dr. Crowler grabbed his chest and fell to the ground once again, causing him to never see the card that made him lose the duel.

Limit Reverse.

"Game over." Jaden stated as he watched the holograms of the duel monsters disappear from the field with Yubel being the last of them. With Limit Reverse special summoning Yubel back to his side of the field in attack mode during the battle phase, Dr. Crowler's monster had no choice but to attack it, hence the win. Jaden walked over to the fallen Dr. Crowler, who had his hands pressed against his chest, and bent down to look at him. The small trace of blood seeping from the blond's hands made Jaden and Yubel pleased, but Jaden wanted to torment the man just a bit more. As their eyes met, and fear took over Dr. Crowler, Jaden whispered a single phrase to him.

"See you at Duel Academy professor."

-Author Note-

So, what exactly is this story about? This is a story about the what if of Yubel staying with Jaden after the duel with Osamu instead of being sent into space by the Kaiba Corporation, and continued their relationship for years. Though this Yubel wouldn't be corrupted by the Light of Destruction, would their relationship still be healthy, or twisted? What exactly has bled through from the past to the present other than the random moments that Jaden seems like a normal person? I have quite the bit of this story planned, but who knows what exactly will happen when I actually begin typing the chapters out?

Also, for anyone curious to why Yubel's name is only bold in few instances, this is due to Jaden seeing her as more than just a card. You may take that as you wish at the moment.

Either way, will Jaden become a Slifer Red, or will he become placed in a different dorm? What will happen when he and the others make it to Duel Academy? Will Dr. Crowler sustain any serious injuries from this duel? Find out next time on The Cursed Duelist!