To students in the Slifer and Ra dorms, the promotion exams were serious events to participate in. Not only did the exams provide an easy route to advance to a new dorm, but the advancement would be added to their resume. The build up of the resume mattered for every student who wanted to have an impressive resume when they left the academy. The details within those files would be what clients sought from the graduating class of not just Duel Academy, but from every institution in the world. Why pick a graduate who never advanced from Slifer Red when the graduate before him started in Slifer, advanced to Ra Yellow, and only had a five percent loss record from duelists from the Obelisk dorm from the duration of his advancement. Why pick a duelist who only used Beast affiliated decks when a student who had a balanced knowledge of every type and attribute would be best for a teaching position?

Maybe this was just how he saw the importance of these exams. Though the exam were useless to him, seeing as there was nothing above Obelisk to advance to, Jaden did not ignore the small signs the other students whispered over last two weeks. The newest shipment of cards, some of which would have unreleased boosters that the academy would get first crack at, would arrive today if Seiko was correct. It was thanks to his growing friendship with Seiko (as well as spending some DP just to have a reason to see her without Yubel making a fuss) that not only did Seiko tell him of the shipment, but he earned the right to help run the shop for the first few hours. The manager (Dorthy if he remembered her name correctly) needed an extra hand since one of her coworkers called in sick at the last minute.

'I must find a way to thank Seiko for convincing Dorthy to let me help.'

'The only reason you are even helping is due to how you are being paid Jaden.'

'Hey, when someone is given first crack at whatever cards they want, you take the opportunity. Not many card shops would do that in the city, and those that did normally weighed the packs before giving the scraps away to the temps.' A familiar sigh caught his attention, making Jaden glance over to see Seiko walk in with a hand covering her mouth. A yawn barely escaped from her palm, though the bags under her eyes did not hide how tired she must be. Behind her was Dorthy, an older woman whose friendly personality made her popular with all but a few Obelisk students who didn't care for her attitude.

"Good morning Jaden. I'm glad you could help us on such short notice. Again I am sorry to be asking you of this." Jaden smiled as he watched Dorthy walk to one of the sealed doors that required a code to open. Within seconds the sealed door hissed open, revealing brown shipping boxes with official Kaiba Corp. security tape surrounding each box. Seiko walked past him with her PDA in hand, hovering over the bar-code on one of the boxes until a loud 'beep' was heard. This happened for several minutes, leaving him with nothing to do but glance around the shop and the surrounding area until he was needed. As he waited the sound of footsteps caught his attention, causing him to stiffen his body and began to focus on where the footsteps could be originating from.

"Ah, Jaden, what a pleasant surprise to see you here. Helping out the store this morning are you?" The sight of Dr. Crowler walking towards the shop with a cocky grin upon his features made Jaden want to roll his eyes at the man. Were it not for the fact that he wanted the first crack at booster packs, Jaden would have lashed out with a sarcastic remark or something similar that fit the situation. That begged the question of why Crowler was treating Jaden normally instead of the hesitant, annoyed manner he normally went with.

"Yes sir," he began with a nod, "I was asked to assist with the morning sales due to the sudden shipment of booster sets." Crowler let out a high-pitched laugh that matched the glee in his eyes. Was there something wrong with this man?

"Well not to worry young man, I am here to help you, as well as every Obelisk student, out today for the promotion exams. While I know that you...might not have anything to worry about..." Crowler glanced down at his chest, as if he expected for his chest to suddenly collapse. A thought that Jaden might have considered doing if this man did not get to the point quickly.

"What do you mean by that Dr. Crowler?" Dorthy walked up to the counter with an open case of sealed booster boxes peaking out for all to see. The sight of Dorthy caused Crowler to turn and his smile grew immensely at the sight of her. Or, more specifically the card products she held.

"Ah Dorthy, my dear! I was hoping I could pick up my pre-orders now before the shop opened. I would not want to keep the students busy if I were to pick up everything while they were, ah, shopping." Dorthy, a woman who is known for being friendly to everyone on the island, looked annoyed at Crowler. What was he missing from the conversation?

"Now Crowler you know what the Chancellor said about you trying to buy all of the booster boxes we are getting today. It is wrong-"

"I know I know! Chancellor Sheppard told me himself after all." Crowler muttered with a scowl. That look was quickly replaced with one of his signature wide smiles as he pulled out his own PDA. With a quick press of a button, a list of different names, DP points, and short summaries rolled across the screen. "But I am not just picking up my own pre-order. I am also paying, and picking up the pre-orders for the following accounts. You will find that everything has been approved by the Chancellor and is in order."

"W-What do you mean?" Dorthy grabbed the PDA, though a tug on Jaden's shoulder caused him to see Seiko tilt her head to the side. With a subtle nod Jaden followed Seiko to the opposite side of the shop without glancing behind. This side of the shop had shelves containing protein bars, junk food, drinks of a wide variety, and microwavable foods to buy. Though why she wanted him away from Dorthy and Crowler was lost on him.

"Sorry about that." Seiko opened the fridge and tossed him a chilled iced coffee bottle. Muttering thanks, Jaden took a sip as he watched Seiko chug a can of soda without a care in the world. She tossed it in the trash, taking a glance behind him. Was the situation that bad? "Crowler has this habit of buying products before they even reach the shop through 'pre-orders'," Seiko spat out the word as if she tasted something rotten, "and has used students to help buy products as well. Dorthy went to the Chancellor about this problem several times, but as you can see the issue keeps on happening."

"Any idea what he even does with the cards?"

"No clue." Seiko shrugged, taking a moment to glance around Jaden again. Seemingly satisfied with whatever she saw, she grabbed another soda and took a quick sip. "About four cases of each booster set is reserved for the academy to do with however they please. I am sure they are used for prizes and modifying test decks for every examination. Two cases of each set are reserved for the Duel Alchemy course, which leaves the shop two cases to work with for every set. The rest are based around pre-orders from faculty, students, and graduates who make use of their alumni status."

"So either way the shop, and by extension the Academy, are making their profits, especially since booster sets can tank in value once the entire list gets released and the value of cards become known, yet in exchange Dr. Crowler leaves little supply for the other students. With the Chancellor essentially backing this action, there is little anyone can do that would not create an investigation for the faculty, making everyone suffer in the long run." Seiko shook her head before taking another sip of her soda. A loud 'bang' made Jaden look up to see students were beginning to line up to the closed doors of the shop. Students that looked to be either hungry for the newest cards to pull or for the snacks the shop served in the morning. The students, much to his expectations, were mostly either Slifer or Ra affiliated, though he spotted a splotch of Obelisk near the front.

Ah, surprise surprise, he wanted to say to himself. Alexis, his first 'friend' from the Obelisk dorm if the rumors about him were correct, was near the front doors with a bored expression on her face. Though he kept his distance from her through the use of keeping Syrus occupied by tutoring him (the poor kid needed so much help it made him wonder how he built his deck, let alone passed the initial tests), Alexis did everything she could to involve herself with his little circle of 'friends' to better understand him. Oh, Jaden did not believe her when she told him that she merely wanted to 'befriend more students outside of her dorm' like Bastion and Syrus did. He was certain that she wanted to keep eyes on him to see how he acted around others, especially after their duel.

A duel he would repay twice over.

"Thanks for waiting you two." Dorthy, whose wrinkled skin seemed to sink several inches with her eyes losing the shine they had minutes ago, waved them over to her portion of the counter. Though Dr. Crowler was no where to be seen, Jaden could see that most of the boxes that once stood tall were now gone. Well, all but a single sealed case with a second case already open and put on the shelves. Though he doubted Dorthy and Seiko knew of what they were doing, but they were releasing negative dueling energy that tasted so good to him. So good that it nearly made him want to make the situation worse somehow.

'But I have better things to do instead of stirring the pot. I can get my fill on duel energy later on.' "I take it Dr. Crowler took the pre-orders he was requested to pick up?" Rather than answer, Dorthy whispered something to Seiko, causing her eyes to become frozen in paralysis for a moment. A moment that, once she nodded, instantly focused on walking to the shop doors. Dorthy, instead of walking to the register or telling him anything, grabbed his hand and made him walk to a hidden room he had not noticed before. The door, which was revealed once Dorthy placed a hand on a dull green scan panel, one that looked as if the bulb died quite some time ago, slid away to reveal shelves of deck boxes and glass panels with cards. Cards that not only were highly sought after, but were filled to the brim with duel energy.

"Due to Dr. Crowler taking so much of our stock from the pre-orders I cannot give you packs like I initially offered. Instead, I am offering you something just as valuable I hope. The lost and found of Duel Academy. A place that not many know about on the island. One could even say that it is a hidden treasure for those worthy of it." Dorthy waved her hand inwards, signaling for Jaden to come into the room. Oddly enough Jaden had no trouble keeping calm as he entered the room that generated endless amounts of duel energy. He could feel these cards desperately wanted to be used, be it for trading fodder or in a deck, and made themselves known as best as possible. Some of the single cards and deck boxes were worn out, clearly seeing better days in comparison to the mint condition cards that overwhelmed the area.

"Something odd is happening in this room." Yubel appeared before him with her gaze piercing through the haze of duel energy that seemed to suddenly cloud the room. Her very presence distorted the energy for just a moment, making it twist in spirals before flowing into her body. "These cards, from the cocky to the wimps, are all calling out to you."

'Wouldn't these cards be doing that simply to have the opportunity to get played once again?'

"No." Yubel waved her hand around, making the duel energy churn towards her extended hand. As she did this it became apparent that a different duel energy source became exposed to him. Merely feeling this energy made his body step forward towards the source. It made him feel reminiscent of his duel with Alexis, dueling without Yubel influencing him or his style of dueling brought out something strange from him. Something he could not describe without feeling as if he betrayed Yubel for feeling something without her. It made him feel...

Something he wished he could recall when he felt like this before.

"Its strong, whatever it is." Yubel's comment brought his attention to an ashen deck box that had seen better days. Dented plastic surrounded the box, showing age that made him wonder how long the deck box stayed hidden for, yet had dull gold spirals that surrounded a vertical oval that felt empty. Was something supposed to go into the oval? Though he could not question the sheer energy that came from the deck box, making him wonder how something this abnormal could be hidden among the common sensations he felt when he came across duel energy (most of which being lacking), he saw no slit to open the box.

"I see you found our Millennium Puzzle." Jaden turned to see Dorthy smiling at the ashen deck box. A light, fluffy chuckle left the woman as she picked it up. "Well, what we at the shop have nicknamed this little thing. We have not found any way to open it, yet the Chancellor never came around to pick it up to send it to Kaiba Corp like he said he would."

"How long ago was that?"

"Too long to remember." Dorthy shrugged before placing the deck box back on its shelf. "The weirdest thing though. No one can remember if a duelist on the island ever used this unique of a deck box through their time here. Something about it certainly makes it feel alive though." Walking past him, Dorthy began talking about various memories she had of lost cards and decks that might be useful to a duelist such as him. Her words, though meaningful, were lost to him as the duel energy produced by the duel spirits were calling out to him. Their intent flowing into him as flashes of memories from the monster's perspectives shadowed his vision. Nothing caught his interest until, like a whirlpool dragging him beneath into a world unlike his own, Jaden found himself looking at a being which orange spiked hair slashing at him with a ridiculous energy sword. Something split from him, swirling into a mass of energy before a spike of warmth caught his attention. The vision gave way for the ashen deck box looking at him with a nauseating purple eye that widened at him with familiarity that he felt, despite never seeing the box before today.

"Still interested in the box I see?" Yubel's words made Jaden realize that she didn't see the eye from the deck box. Was she immune to it, or vice versa? The eye looked at him with hope, glee perhaps at their eye contact? Picking up the deck box, Jaden felt his duel energy start to wrap around the ashen box, almost comforting it from its isolation as he looked at Dorthy, who smiled at him.

"Some mysteries are just too tantalizing to walk away from aren't they?" A small laugh escaped her lips before she reached for a stack of cards and placed them in a basic plastic deck box. Tossing them at him, he realized that she just gave him possibly two hundred cards at least! "Now lets get out of here and start helping out the students to become the best duelists they can be!"

The cool breeze welcomed Jaden from the exhausting work he accomplished with Dorthy and Seiko. Correction, the exhausting work of being polite to his fellow students. He was sure that a third of the students came to the shop just to take a picture of him being sociable and in the shop uniform for a change. Not that Dorthy and Seiko didn't take advantage of those chatty students and got them to buy products anyway. Out of all the cards he saw fly off the shelves today, none of them could make him lose sight of the ashen deck box that was now his. The Millennium Puzzle of Duel Academy, an impressive title to be sure.

A weird sight caught his attention as he opened the Obelisk Blue dorm to enter. Students, mostly males he noticed, lined tables that Dr. Crowler set up with him directing cards going to specific students. The seniors were talking to the younger students with decks spread across to be worked on. Some students seemed to watch from the safe distance of the couches or dining areas, but they too looked as if they wanted to be part of the action. Dr. Crowler noticed his entrance and whispered something to one of the seniors before walking over to him.

"Ah Jaden! A quick word if I may?" Dr. Crowler gestured for them to walk away from the chaos that took most of the room and found themselves standing in a nearby hallway. "I won't mince words with you Jaden. I know that you don't need to have your deck worked on, or probably need to look through the cards at the table. However, I feel that I need to explain to you a tradition of the Obelisk Blue dorm not many people know about. During one's graduating year, any cards they no longer need are placed in my care to be offered to the next generation of Obelisk Blues to have a higher likelihood of winning their matches. Their duel spirit flows through these cards, guiding them to the duelist that needs their experiences most. Obelisk the Tormentor might be a devastating Divine-Beast, but its greatest effect needs a well-timed strike to be executed properly, and that is what this tradition is."

A tradition of helping students improve their decks with old, unwanted cards? These were Obelisk students after all, so 'unwanted cards' were most likely stronger than most of the cards Ra or Slifers had access to. This did make him wonder something though.

"So the pre-orders you picked up were part of this tradition then?"

"Ah," Dr. Crowler clapped his hands with a Cheshire grin, "very perceptive of you! A few of those boxes were for students that paid for them, but most of them were divided into prizes and into analysis for possible archetype cores for students who desire to change their deck into something new. It isn't easy due to some booster sets not having an archetype at all, but what can you do?"

"How long is this work shop going for?" Dr. Crowler looked at him with curious eyes, making him a pinch uncomfortable and tempted him to let Yubel at him for a moment. "It would be stupid of me to let a moment like this pass by. Are the cards separated by type and attribute?" Jaden found himself being surprised at how organized Dr. Crowler had his workshop. Themes to the left, support spells and traps directly behind said themes, generic good staples in the middle of the table, and the 'rubbish' to the right of everything. Rubbish to Dr. Crowler were cards with little payoff or vanillas that did nothing for the duelist other than a high attack stat. A few of his fellow Obelisks asked for his advice for Dark attribute questions. Surprising, but not unexpected since he made himself more approachable today than he did ever before.

By the time the workshop was over dinner was being called for service. The seniors took the time to clean with the staff while Dr. Crowler led the other students into the dining hall. Alexis, Zane, and Chazz were not part of the dinner, making him wonder if something happened to them while he was at the workshop. He didn't have time to ponder the thought as Dr. Crowler called for everyone's attention.

"Thank you Obelisks for taking the time to allow your dorm to help strengthen not just your deck to new heights. No, the workshop is a long standing tradition to help Obelisks by fueling them with the duel energy, the experience and wisdom, from not just the seniors who participated today, but from the previous owners of the cards that are now integrated into your decks. They graduated from Obelisk with high marks, and through what they left behind it is our hope that their experiences, battles, and perseverance will guide you to new heights! Remember these words and study your decks for tomorrow will be the promotion exams and each Slifer and Ra will be seeking you out to hopefully take your place in our dorm!

"Normally we keep the duels between our own houses, yet our Chancellor decided to allow for students from the other dorms to challenge the Obelisks and see if they measure up to Obelisk standards. The written portion of the exam will be at standard time, so do not be late; but most of all, do NOT forget your deck and always be aware of whatever your opponent is trying to pull. We Obelisks will still have our normal exam matches, which have been sent to your PDA already, so be prepared to show the other dorms why it is unwise to mess with the best!" A round of applause started dinner for most of the students. For Jaden, on the other hand, he pulled out his PDA and found the match listing Dr. Crowler spoke of. Most of the matches weren't interesting save for Alexis' match, though his own was one that could either be a bore or a vicious match.

Jaden Yuki VS Chazz Princeton