Wow! 18 reviews, 28 favorites, and 25 followers. To be honest, that's more than I expected for the entire story. I thought I'd be lucky to hit just ten favorites. It's pretty flattering, so thank you all.

sUbSoNiCSoundwave: Let's hope. Well, in canon, I'm going to progressively reveal more and more of his monsters, so you probably won't see Black Dragon Archfiend for a while. Thanks for the review.

Shane Kor: Thank you. And thanks for the review.

ShadowlordZane: Yes. Thank you for the review.

EndlessNight025: Again, thanks for pointing that. That's a relief. I was worried some people might not like that. Yeah. I mean, I saw Chazz's room, and who wouldn't want that? Thank you for the review.

Above the Winter Moonlight: I'm glad you did. I thought it was kind of awkward. That's good to hear. Yeah, I was kind of tired of every OC not wanting to be in Obelisk. Who wouldn't want all that fancy crap? Thank you for the review

SuperNeos2: I guess I just assumed it was free, which, now that I think about it, was kind of stupid of me. Thank you for the review.

sandshrew master: Not in this story, but I will in Season 2. It will only be temporary, though. Thank you for the review.

loki0191: Neither do I. A big, nice bed, a large TV, a private bathroom. Honestly, who wouldn't want that. The new Red-Eyes monsters are really the whole reason I started this story. I'll try not to. Yeah, I'm not a fan of fan-made cards. Sometimes they're really cool, and sometimes they're necessary, but other times, they're just... Anyway, thank you for the reviews.

Guest: I'll try to be faster in the future, but, well, don't hold me to that. Thank you for the review.

Before I begin, you should probably all know that I've sort of completely changed Alexis' Deck. I have nothing against her canon Deck, I just don't think it's enough what with the life point boost and how few monsters she has, so I gave her a different archetype. One that I hope you guys will like.

"Duel Monster cards can be grouped into Normal Monster cards, Fusion Monster cards, Ritual Monster cards, Effect Monster cards, Trap cards, and Spell cards. Trap cards can be divided into Normal Traps, Counter Traps, and Continuous Traps. Spell cards can be separated into Normal Spells, Continuous Spells, Equip Spells, Quick-Play Spells, Ritual Spells, and Field Spells." Alexis Rhodes said, succinctly and without having to pause to think about it even once.

Dr. Crowler clapped his hands together and smiled, "Perfect! Well done, Alexis! Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from one of my Obelisks." he said pompously.

Oh, god, I'm so bored. A certain redhead thought to himself, his glazed over eyes staring off into space. I know it's only the first day, but honestly, anyone who duels knows all the categories of monster, spell, and trap cards. Otherwise, they wouldn't be here!

"It's just the basics." Alexis said modestly.

"Hm. Now who should we question next?" Crowler muttered to himself, his face turning into a mixture of disdain and slight glee as his gaze turned to the Slifer Red students. "You! Syrus Truesdale."

"Uh!" Syrus yelped, standing up.

Crowler smirked unpleasantly, "Explain to the class what a field Spell is."

Lance rolled his eyes, What a simple question. he thought to himself, only for his gaze to turn incredulous as Syrus stuttered and failed to provide an answer. How do you not know what a field Spell is? I mean, yeah, they're not exactly as common as the other types of Spell cards, but they're not that rare. Lance scratched his chin. Maybe he's just nervous?He does seem to have a lot of confidence issues...

The redhead turned his eyes back to Crowler and frowned, Hmph. I'd bet my Red-Eyes – well not really – that Crowler only picked him because he knew he didn't know the answer. What a pompous ass.

"Even little kids know the answer to this one, ya Slifer Slacker!" one of Chazz's lackeys called out derisively, causing a bunch of Obelisk and Ra students to burst out laughing.

"No! I know this! It's, uh..." Syrus trailed off, getting more and more embarrassed by the second.

Lance hummed, I think he really is just too nervous. He swept his eyes over all the laughing students, his gaze becoming disdainful. Idiots.

Jaden turned to his smaller friend, smiling encouragingly, "Relax, Sy. You totally got this."

"I think not. Sit down." Crowler said smugly, the blue-haired boy sitting down and lowering his head in shame. "Now, would someone please give me the actual answer. Preferably somebody not wearing red, if you please." he muttered haughtily, causing more students to laugh.

Lance sneered, Asshole.

"I blew it." Syrus muttered in shame. "I made all the Slifers look bad."

Jaden seemed to take offense at Crowler's comment, "You know something, teach? You really shouldn't go and make fun of us Slifers like that." he began, his usual smile still on his face.

Crowler blinked, "Hrm?"

"I mean, I'm a Slifer and I beat you. So, when you make fun of us, you're really making fun of yourself." he continued happily, scratching his head.

Crowler sputtered and his face turned purple with anger as Jaden gave the peace sign to the smiling Slifers around him.

Lance smirked, How does it feel to be embarrassed in front of so many people? Not fun, is it? Honestly, Lance had no respect for Crowler's imperious attitude, and his picking on Slifers. He could already tell this would be a regular thing, and honestly, a Professor should be more professional than this. He supposed Crowler could turn out to be the best teacher of dueling in the world and his classes would be fun and riveting, but somehow, he doubted that.

That's it! I will not tolerate this slacker at my school for another second. Crowler thought angrily, biting his handkerchief. I'll see to it that he's taken down!

"How dare that Slifer Slacker, Jaden, make a mockery of me in front of my class like that!" Crowler raged quietly in his office, writing something on a piece of paper. "It'll be the last mistake he makes at this Academy."

Crowler folded up the paper and put it into an envelope. He then put on some red lipstick – that he had on-hand already for some reason – and sealed it with a kiss.

"Ah! The big kiss-off!" he voiced, cackling loudly.

Later on, Crowler snuck into the boy's locker room during P.E. and quickly found Jaden's locker, setting the letter on his shoes with an ugly grin.

Lance was standing with the other boys in the gym, waiting for their P.E. instructor. He looked down at his clothes, idly wondering why the gym uniform was a semi-thick, long-sleeved jacket, and a pair of equally thick pants, instead of just a T-Shirt and a pair of shorts. Seems like they'd all overheat pretty quickly in these uniforms, but, whatever, he didn't make the rules.

"I wonder where Syrus is." the redhead heard Jaden mutter from somewhere in front of him.

Soon, the woman that Lance recognized as the one that had greeted his group when he had arrived at Duel Academy stood in front of the assembled boys, wearing a female version of the boys' uniform.

"Hi everyone!" she greeted cheerfully. "My name is Fonda Fontaine, and I'll be your gym instructor for this semester. You ready to sweat?"

Lance raised an eyebrow, "That won't take long in these uniforms."

Fontaine turned to him, smiling, "And what's your name?"

"Uh, Lance, Professor."

Fontaine clapped her hands together, "Well, Lance, thank you for volunteering for our first activity!"

Lance blinked before slumping his shoulders as the boys around him snickered, "Ah, crap."

Meanwhile, Syrus rushed into the boys locker room, "Lousy girls' gym! They should make the sign bigger!" he lamented, hopping on one foot to take his shoe off.

He opened his locker, and crouched down, "These are Jaden's. I guess he's still borrowing my locker." he murmured, grabbing his friend's shoes and pulling them out, causing a letter to fall from its place atop them.

Syrus blinked, picked it up, gasping as he noticed the kiss mark on it, "C-Could this be...?" The blue-haired boy glanced around swiftly before going to stand between some lockers for more privacy, even though there was no one else in the locker room.

He opened the letter, reading it aloud, "Since the moment I've laid eyes of you, I've been... in love with you?" he yelped incredulously. "Meet me tonight behind the girls' dorm. Love, Alexis Rhodes?!" he shouted, so shocked that he stumbled back and fell on his butt. "I-I got a love letter from Alexis Rhodes!" he muttered dumbfounded, imagining him and Alexis in love together, which caused a goofy grin to grow on his face. "Oh, I'm yours."

Later that night, Lance lay in his bed, lost in thought as he stared at the ceiling. Aw, man, I didn't get to Duel today at all. Bummer.

"Lance." a voice called out, cutting through the pleasant silence.

Said boy jerked up, grasping at his chest before turning to the one who spoke, "Jeez, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Standing in his room, transparent but with an ethereal glow around him, was Lord of the Red.

"What is it?" Lance asked, glaring at Lord.

Lord pursed his lips, "..."

The redhead's glare softened and gradually went away when he saw how troubled Lord looked, "What's wrong?"

The Duel Monster spirit was silent for a moment before speaking, "...There is something on this island that troubles me. It feels... dark. Evil. And very powerful." he said lowly.

Lance's eyes widened. Lord had never come to him like this before. "Where?"

"I am not sure of the exact location. Its presence pervades the entire island." the Dragon-man said.

"...Should I start panicking?" Lance grinned, only half-joking.

Lord smiled slightly, shaking his head, "It is dormant for now. Sealed away, I think."

Lance relaxed, plopping back down onto his bed, "So, it's not really anything to worry about, then?"

Lord hesitated, "I supposed for now, you shouldn't worry about it. It was just something I thought I should tell you." he answered slowly.

"That's a relief. Hopefully, it's nothing." Lance said, resting his arms behind his head. He really didn't want his first year at Duel Academy to be interrupted by anything odd or... supernatural. "Anything else?"

Lord thought for a moment, "Yes, actually. Black Dragon Archfiend would like to know when you're going to use him next. He's getting impatient."

Lance's response was deadpan, "Tell him I will use him when he stops trying to fry my opponents."

"I'll be sure to let him know." Lord smiled, obviously amused, before vanishing.

Lance sighed, "I really hope nothing crazy happens this year."

Meanwhile, behind the Obelisk Blue Girls' bathhouse, Crowler, clad in an unfortunately tight black bodysuit was sneaking from bush to bush.

He cackled quietly, "This is just behind the Girls' Dorm's bathhouse! Thanks to that faux love letter I wrote, that dropout boy will show up here looking for Alexis, but all he'll find is trouble instead. Once he arrives, I'll snap a picture of him. That will be irrefutable proof of a perverted little boy peeping into the ladies' baths, and then he'll be expelled! Farewell, Jaden." he laughed.

Meanwhile, inside the bathhouse:

"It looks like none of the boys who enrolled this year are any good." one of the girls, Jasmine, said. "Especially that Jaden kid. Can you believe what he said to Dr. Crowler? He's got some nerve talking to a professor like that. Total disrespect! Right, Alexis?"

Alexis was smiling as she rubbed her face with a warm, damp towel, "Actually, I thought it was kind of cool." she said before abruptly turning around with a slight scowl on her face.

Jasmine looked shocked, "What?! Him? Cool?!"

The girl next to her looked over, "He could be. If he had the talent to back up that talk maybe." she said snidely.

I think he just might. Alexis thought to herself. Still, I won't know until I Duel him myself.

Crowler poked his head out of the bushes, humming to himself and looking around before he ducked back into the bushes when he heard footsteps nearby, grinning nastily as he caught sight of somebody.

"Come, Jaden! Right into my trap like the dropout boy you are!" he whispered to himself gleefully.

"Should be around here..." the boy muttered to himself, smiling. To Crowler's shock, however, the boy wasn't Jaden, but Syrus, instead.

The Professor shot out the bushes, "What is this? Why is that stammering nitwit here?" he exclaimed loudly.

A girl gasped, "Who's there?" she looked around before catching sight of him. "A peeper!" she yelled, causing the few girls nearby to catch sight of him as well.

"Pervert!"

"Oh, no!" he said, covering his face. "If this keeps up, I could be fired!" he said before turning around and running away, only to slip and fall into the lake with a splash.

Unfortunately for the clueless Syrus, he was soon surrounded and restrained by at least a dozen girls, "Ow, ow! What's the...!"

Mindy and Jasmine stood in front of him, clad in only towels and scowling down at him, "No place left for you to run, perv!" Jasmine said harshly as the small boy looked up at them.

"A love letter from Alexis?! You've got to be kidding!" Mindy said, obviously very amused by even the idea that Alexis would send a love letter to someone like Syrus.

Even though his hands were tied together, Syrus smiled and winked, "That's right! Ask her."

Jasmine scoffed, "What an idiot. There's no way that Alexis, the Queen of Obelisk Blue, would write a love letter to a Slifer Red like you!"

"But it's true! It said 'I'll wait for you behind the girls dorm.' I even have it right here." the blue-haired boy said defiantly, pulling it out of his pocket.

Jasmine snatched it from him, pulling out the letter from the envelope and unfolding it. Alexis and Mindy both leaned closer to read it with her, the former almost instantly scowling.

"I wouldn't write such idiotic words." Alexis said in annoyance.

"Sorry, Syrus, but I think someone is yanking your chain here." Mindy said smugly.

Syrus furrowed his brow, "H-Huh? Who would do that...?"

"Hey, this is addressed to Jaden Yuki." Jasmine spoke.

"Jaden? No way." Syrus said in disbelief.

Jasmine frowned and turned the letter towards him, where he could clearly see Jaden's name, "Yes way."

"I can't believe you were lured by some fake love letter and came here without even thinking about the consequences." Jasmine said derisively.

"C-Consequences?" Syrus squeaked, confused.

Jasmine rolled her eyes, "Peeping in the girls' bathhouse gets you automatically expelled."

Syrus paled, "N-No way!"

Jasmine turned to her friends, "Let's report this to the Academy."

"But I didn't peek! I swear." Syrus shouted, panicked.

"Girls! Just what is going on down there?" the voice of Fonda Fontaine called from above them.

"Down!" Alexis whispered to her friends before all Mindy and Jasmine practically sat on Syrus to hide him from view while Alexis stood in front of him to block Fontaine's view of him.

"Alright, what's going on?" Fontaine asked sternly.

Syrus was twitching underneath them, "You guys are heavy." he grunted pathetically.

"I beg your pardon?" Jasmine whispered angrily, glaring down at him.

"Just keep quiet." Mindy said sharply.

"Sorry, Ms. Fontaine. We'll be sure to be more quiet." Alexis said apologetically.

"I should hope so! It's nearly midnight." Fontaine replied snappishly, before turning to leave.

As soon as she was out of sight, Mindy and Jasmine got off of Syrus and turned to Alexis. "So what now?" the former asked.

"I'll tell you what now, girls. I have a little plan in mind. Someone intended on luring Jaden Yuki here using my name to set him up as a pervert, probably to have him expelled. Isn't that interesting?" Alexis said, smirking. "I say we use Syrus here as bait to find out what we were wondering about before. Just how good Jaden really is, and I think I know just how we can get him to show us his best."

Jaden was currently playing some sort of video game on a hand-held system when his PDA rang, indicating he had a new message. He picked it up and the message began to play. Oddly, there was no video, and the voice was extremely distorted.

"We have your roommate, Syrus." the voice said. "If you want him back, come to the girls' dorm now. Alone."

Jaden sighed, "Oh, Syrus."

In the lake, near the girls' dorm, Crowler poked his head out of the water, scowling, "You try to expel one kid and the entire world turns against you." he muttered, annoyed. The sound of something hitting the water caused him to turn and spot Jaden rowing a boat, evidently headed towards the girls' dorm.

"You're a little late." Crowler snarked.

As soon as Jaden arrived at the girls' dorm, he immediately spotted Syrus, with his hands bound, surrounded by three girls.

"Hi, Jaden." Syrus said in a defeated tone of voice.

"Hey, Sy. So, what exactly is going on here?" Jaden asked.

Syrus sighed, "Well, to make a long story short, I'm basically a big loser."

"You're friend was peeping into the girls' bathhouse." Jasmine spoke up.

Jaden blinked in surprise, "Is that true, Sy?"

"I said I didn't peep!" Syrus shouted.

"If the Academy finds out about this, he'll definitely get expelled." Mindy said, looking at Jaden with a smirk, "And now that you're here, Jaden, you'll be lumped in with him, and get the same punishment."

Alexis turned to Jaden, "That's right. So, if you don't want us to turn you in for this whole 'peeping incident', then you're going to have to win your freedom by beating me in a Duel right now." she declared, smirking confidently.

"But I'm telling you, I didn't peep!" Syrus insisted.

"Don't worry, Sy. I won't let that happen." Jaden said confidently, punching his fist into the palm of his other hand. "Now, let's Duel!"

"I hope you know what you're doing, Jaden." Syrus said anxiously, sitting on a small boat. Jaden was standing up in front of him, his Duel Disk at the ready. Opposite of their boat was Alexis, Mindy, and Jasmine, the former also with her Duel Disk at the ready.

Unbeknownst to any of them, Dr. Crowler was floating gently in the water nearby, "Well, well, well. A Slifer versus an Obelisk. Put him in his place, Alexis!"

"Well, Jaden, you'll be the first person I face with my new Deck!" Alexis declared. "Here I go!"

"I'm honored." Jaden smiled, both of them drawing five cards. "Bring it!"

"DUEL!"

Alexis: 8000
Jaden: 8000

Jaden smirked, "Get your game on, Alexis!"

"I'll go first! Draw!" Alexis announced.

Turn 1 – Alexis

She considered her hand for a moment before making her move. "I'll set one monster in defense mode, and end my turn with two face down cards."

Turn 2 – Jaden

"Time to throw down!" Jaden declared, drawing a card.

"First, I'll summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in attack mode!"

Arcs of lightning gathered on Jaden's side of the field as a man in blue and yellow armor appeared with a battle cry.

Elemental Hero Sparkman – Light/Warrior/Normal/LV4 – 1600 ATK/1400 DEF

Jaden thrust his arm out, "Next, I'll attack your face down monster with Sparkman! Static Shockwave!"

Sparkman thrust his hand forward, sending several arcs of lightning towards Alexis' face down monster, which flipped face up in response, revealing it to be a dark purple, mechanical looking hedgehog, which was apparently held up by several luminescent purple strings.

Shaddoll Hedgehog – Dark/Spellcaster/Flip/Effect/LV3 – 800 ATK/200 DEF

The small hedgehog gave a high-pitched cry as Sparkman's lightning obliterated it.

Alexis smirked, "When Shaddoll Hedgehog is flipped face up, I can add one Shaddoll Spell or Trap card from my Deck to my hand." she informed him, taking a card from her Deck. "And I pick Shaddoll Fusion!"

Jaden frowned, "I'll throw down a face down and end my turn."

Turn 3 – Alexis

"My turn. Draw! Now, I activate the Spell Card, Shaddoll Fusion!" she declared, holding up the card for Jaden to see. "I combine Shaddoll Beast and Armageddon Knight in my hand to Fusion Summon... El Shaddoll Winda!"

Shaddoll Beast and Armageddon Knight appeared on the field briefly, surrounded by an orange and purple vortex. The vortex sucked the two monsters in, fusing the two together to produce Alexis new monster.

A doll-like woman with green hair an purple clothes appeared on the field, holding a long staff and riding on what appeared to be a purple, mechanical-looking dragon, which also seemed to be manipulated by the same luminescent purple strings that Shaddoll Hedgehog was.

El Shaddoll Winda – Dark/Spellcaster/Fusion/Effect/LV5 – 2200 ATK/800 DEF

"That's not all!" Alexis declared, thrusting her arm out with a smirk. "When Shaddoll Beast is sent to the graveyard as a result of a card effect, I get to draw one card." she explained, and her smirk widened when she saw what it was. "And I think I'll activate the card I just drew, the Equip Spell known as Fusion Weapon! This card can only be equipped to a Level 6 or lower Fusion type monster, but that monster gains 1500 attack and defense points!"

Winda's staff and part of its right arm was replaced by a small trident that sparked with electricity.

El Shaddoll Winda – 2200 ATK » 3700 ATK/800 DEF » 2300 DEF

"3-3700 attack points?" Syrus squeaked.

"Uh oh..." Jaden muttered, grimacing.

Alexis smirked again, "Uh-oh is right, Jaden, because now I attack your Elemental Hero Sparkman with El Shaddoll Winda! Go! Trident Shock!"

Winda pointed its trident arm at Sparkman and let loose several arcs of lightning, aiming to obliterate its enemy.

"I activate my Trap Card, Invincible Hero!" Jaden cried out. "Thanks to this card, my monster can't be destroyed by battle this turn."

"That may be so, but you still take damage!" Alexis retorted.

As the arcs of lightning reached the Hero, he crossed his arms, barely standing up to the attack. However, the lightning continued on towards Jaden, who cried out as it took a good chunk of his life points with it.

Alexis: 8000
Jaden: 5900

Mindy and Jasmine cheered, "Way to go, Alexis. I knew this kid beating Dr. Crowler was just luck." the latter said smugly.

Nearby, said man grinned widely, That's right, Alexis. Crush him!

Jaden grunted, "Well, I'll be happy to prove you wrong."

"We'll see about that." Alexis said with a smile. "Anyway, I think I'll end my turn with that."

Turn 4 – Jaden

"Then it's my move. Draw!" Jaden announced, smiling when he saw what card he drew. "I activate the Spell Card, Polymerization! So, I'll fuse Elemental Hero Sparkman on my field with Elemental Hero Clayman in my hand to Fusion Summon... Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!"

Elemental Hero Clayman appeared on the field, and both him and Sparkman were quickly sucked into a purple and orange vortex. Rumbling clouds appeared overhead, bolts of lightning striking all around the field before one struck down in front of Jaden, revealing a massive man outfitted in gold and blue armor.

Elemental Hero Thunder Giant – Light/Warrior/Fusion/Effect/LV6 – 2400 ATK/1500 DEF

Jaden smiled, "Thunder Giant has a special effect, too. When he's summoned, I can destroy one monster on the field whose original attack points are less than his!" he revealed.

Alexis blinked, "Original attack points?"

The Kuriboh-head's smiled turned into a smirk, "That's right. Thunder Giant's attack points are 2400, and Winda's original attack points are only 2200, so your monster will be destroyed! Go, Thunder Giant! Static Blast!"

Elemental Hero Thunder Giant gave a cry as lightning erupted between its palms before it hurled the lightning at Winda like a javelin, causing a large explosion on contact.

Mindy gasped, "Oh no!"

"I can't believe this!" Jasmine cursed.

Syrus cheered, "Way to play, Jay!"

Jaden grinned and gave him the peace sign before turning back to his opponent, "So, how was that, Alexis?"

"Not enough."

Jaden blinked, "Huh?"

When the smoke cleared, staring ahead blankly without any sign of being attacked at all was El Shaddoll Winda.

"But how!?" Syrus yelped as Mindy and Jasmine cheered. Jaden looked at Alexis for an explanation.

She smirked, "You see, Jaden, El Shaddoll Winda cannot be destroyed by my opponent's card effects. If you want to defeat her, you're just going to have to summon a monster with more than 3700 attack points. Nice try, though."

Jaden grimaced, growling lowly.

"B-but how is he supposed to summon a monster that powerful?" Syrus stuttered.

"That's just it..." Mindy began, smirking smugly.

"He's not!" Jasmine finished.

"Don't worry, Syrus. It's not over yet." Jaden assured the other boy. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

Turn 5 – Alexis

"My turn, draw! Now, El Shaddoll Winda, destroy Elemental Hero Thunder Giant! Trident Shock!" she ordered without even looking at the card she drew.

As the arcs of lightning Winda fired at Thunder Giant reached him, Jaden acted, "I activate my face down card, a Quick-Play Spell known as De-Fusion! With this card, I can send one Fusion monster on my field back to my Extra Deck and Special Summon both monsters used for its Fusion from my graveyard to my field! So, I'll send Thunder Giant back to my Extra Deck to summon Elemental Hero Sparkman and Elemental Hero Clayman to my field, both in defense mode!"

Elemental Hero Thunder Giant disappeared, replaced my both Elemental Hero Sparkman and Elemental Hero Clayman, both of whom crossed their arms and knelt.

Elemental Hero Sparkman – Light/Warrior/Normal/LV4 – 1600 ATK/1400 DEF

Elemental Hero Clayman – Earth/Warrior/Normal/LV4 – 800 ATK/2000 DEF

"Fine then. I'll just attack Sparkman with Winda instead!" Alexis retorted, the arcs of lightning shifting to hit Sparkman. "And that's not all! I activate my Trap, Meteorain! This turn, my monsters can inflict piercing damage!" she revealed.

"What!?" Jaden yelped as his monster was annihilated by several arcs of electricity. Jaden cried out as the lightning continued on to take out a hefty portion of his life points.

Alexis: 8000
Jaden: 3600

Alexis crossed her arms, "I have to say, I'm kind of disappointed. I expected a better Duel out of you, but I guess you defeating Dr. Crowler was just luck." she said, frowning.

Jasmine shrugged, smiling condescendingly, "Well, what can you expect when a low-life Slifer Slacker challenges an Obelisk Blue?"

This comment actually riled Syrus up, "Hey, you take that back! Jaden's a great Duelist!"

"It sure doesn't look like it from where I'm sitting." Mindy said meanly.

Syrus was about to retort, but a chuckle from Jaden stopped him, "Oh, man, Alexis. You really are one tough Duelist!"

Alexis closed her eyes, smirking, "That's sweet. Too bad I have to crush you. I place one card face down and end my turn."

Turn 6 – Jaden

"Alright. Here goes something! Draw!" Jaden cried ardently. "Sweet! I play Spellbook Inside the Pot, which lets both of us draw three cards." he informed her, both of them drawing three cards. "Now, I'll activate the Field Spell, Fusion Gate! This cards allows both of us to Fusion Summon without Polymerization! Except the monsters used as material are banished instead of being sent to the graveyard. So now, I'll fuse Elemental Hero Clayman on my field with Elemental Hero Heat in my hand to Fusion Summon... Elemental Hero Gaia!"

A giant, lumbering creature in what appeared to be black, steel-plate armor erupted from the ground with a guttural roar.

Elemental Hero Gaia – Earth/Warrior/Fusion/Effect/LV6 – 2200 ATK/600 DEF

Alexis quirked an eyebrow, "And what's that weak monster going to do?"

Jaden smirked confidently, "Don't worry, he won't be weak for long, 'cause now I activate his effect! When he's summoned, I choose a monster on your side of the field and its attack points are cut in half and those points are added to Gaia!"

"What?" the Queen of Obelisk Blue gasped.

"And of course I'm going to pick the only one I can, El Shaddoll Winda!" Jaden declared, clenching his fist in let out a groan as its attack points were drained from it.

El Shaddoll Winda – 3700 ATK » 1850 ATK

Elemental Hero Gaia – 2200 ATK » 4050 ATK

"Now, I attack El Shaddoll Winda with Elemental Hero Gaia! Continental Hammer!" Jaden ordered. Gaia lumbered over to the much smaller Winda, who only stared at the giant creature with no emotion, and raised its massive arm. But before it could complete its attack, Jaden spoke up again. "But I'm not done! Now, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Battle Fusion! With this card, until the end of the Damage Step, if a Fusion Monster of mine attacks an opponent's monster, my monster gains attack points equal to the monster it's attacking, which is 1850!"

Elemental Hero Gaia – 4050 ATK » 5900 ATK

Syrus cheered, "Alright, Jaden!"

Alexis cursed as her monster was obliterated, the shockwave from the attack almost enough to knock over her boat, and also causing her to cry out loudly as she lost over half of her life points in one hit.

Alexis: 3950
Jaden: 3600

"How was that, Alexis?" Jaden smiled as Battle Fusion's effect ended and Gaia's attack points went down.

Elemental Hero Gaia – 5900 ATK » 4050 ATK

Alexis chuckled slightly as she straightened up, looking back at the Slifer Red with a smirk, "That... was more like it. However, when El Shaddoll Winda is sent to the graveyard, I can add one Shaddoll Spell or Trap card from my graveyard to my hand, and I pick Shaddoll Fusion!"

"Wow... That card's never gone for long, huh?" Jaden mused.

Alexis smirked again, "Nope. That's the way it works."

"Well, I'll throw down two face downs and end my turn. And since my turn ends, Gaia's attack points go back to normal."

Elemental Hero Gaia – 4050 ATK » 2200 ATK

Turn 7 – Alexis

"My turn! Draw! I play Dark World Dealings! With this card, we both draw one card and then discard one card." she explained. Since Jaden had no cards in his hand, he simply discarded the one he drew. "The monster I discarded was Shaddoll Dragon, and when it's sent to the graveyard as the result of a card effect, I can pick one Spell or Trap Card on the field and destroy it! And I choose the face down card on the left."

The card she picked flipped up, revealing itself to be Mirror Force, and Jaden grimaced as it shattered into a thousand pixels.

"Mirror Force, huh? That could have been troublesome." Alexis commented, smiling. "Now, I activate Shaddoll Fusion! You already know what this card does, but what you don't know is that if my opponent controls a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, I can fuse monsters from my Deck instead of my hand or field!" she revealed, thrusting her arm out grandly.

Jaden's eyes widened, "Fusing from the Deck?!"

"That's right!" the Queen confirmed. "So, I'll fuse Tribe-Infecting Virus and another copy of Shaddoll Dragon in my Deck to Fusion Summon... El Shaddoll Anoyatyllis!"

Shaddoll Dragon and Tribe-Infecting Virus appeared on the field before they were sucked into an orange and purple vortex, which soon vanished to make way for Alexis' new monster. Which turned out to be doll-like woman surrounded by those same luminescent purple strings, humming as she settled.

El Shaddoll Anoyatyllis – Water/Fiend/Fusion/Effect/LV9 – 2700 ATK/2000 DEF

"And since Shaddoll Dragon was sent to the graveyard by a card effect, his effect activates, allowing me to destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field, and I think I'll get rid of Fusion Gate before it can become more of a problem." Alexis announced and Jaden frowned as Fusion Gate was destroyed. "And since that's out of the way, El Shaddoll Anoyatyllis, attack! Wipe out Elemental Hero Gaia!"

Anoyatyllis hummed as she raised her arms above her head, launching dozens upon dozens of needles of water at Gaia.

"Not so fast!" Jaden interrupted. "I activate my Trap Card, Negate Attack! With this card, I can negate the attack of my opponent's monster and end the Battle Phase."

"Hm. So you save your monster this turn, but what now? You have no Spell or Trap Cards on the field, one monster weaker than my own, and an empty hand. Do you still think you can win like this?" she questioned him, silently ending her turn with a face down card.

Jasmine scoffed, "Of course not!"

Mindy agreed, smiling, "There's no way he could turn this around now!"

Nearby, Dr. Crowler was nearly vibrating with glee, Oh, this is wonderful! Alexis will show that Slifer Slacker his place, and soon he'll be out of my hair forever! Hahahaha!

Turn 8 – Jaden

Syrus slumped down in the boat, depressed, "They're right..."

"Hey, Sy, don't lose faith so quickly. It's not over until the last card is played! My move, draw!" he took a look at the card in his hand and grinned widely, turning it around to show Alexis, "What was that you were saying about my hand being empty?"

Alexis took a look at the card, "Tsk."

The Kuriboh-head grinned cheekily, "I activate Card of Sanctity! With this, we both Draw until we have six cards in our hands! And it's just what I needed!"

Alexis narrowed her eyes, "What's that?"

"First, I'll summon Elemental Hero Wildheart in attack mode." Jaden began.

A heavily muscled, dark-skinned man with a giant sword strapped to his back appeared on the field with a battle cry.

Elemental Hero Wildheart – Earth/Warrior/Effect/LV4 – 1500 ATK/1600 DEF

Alexis narrowed her eyes, wondering why he'd summon a monster with such low attack points in this situation, especially since he put it in attack mode.

"I activate Polymerization! So, I'll fuse Elemental Hero Woodsman, and Elemental Hero Ocean in my hand to Fusion Summon... Elemental Hero Terra Firma!" Jaden continued fervently.

Woodsman and Ocean fused together to create a large man-like being with predominantly white armor, with some blue parts on its head and shoulders, and a red crystal-like object in its chest.

Elemental Hero Terra Firma – Earth/Warrior/Fusion/Effect/LV8 – 2500 ATK/2000 DEF

"That monster may be stronger than Gaia, but it still doesn't have enough attack points to defeat Anoyatyllis." Alexis pointed out.

Jaden smirked, "Not yet, maybe. But Terra Firma has a pretty sweet effect. You see, by sacrificing one Elemental Hero monster on the field, Terra Firma gains that monster's attack points until the end of my turn."

Alexis gasped, "What?!"

"So, I'll sacrifice Elemental Hero Wildheart and have Terra Firma gain its attack points!" the Slifer continued. Wildheart closed his eyes and gently dissipated, its essence flowing into Terra Firma.

Elemental Hero Terra Firma – 2500 ATK » 4000 ATK

"4000 attack points." Alexis muttered, gritting her teeth since she knew there was nothing she could do to prevent what was about to happen.

Jaden thrust his arm out, "Yep, but I'm not done yet!"

The blonde girl blinked, "What do you mean?"

Jaden smirked, "You see, Terra Firma's effect can be activated any number of times each turn, so I activate it once again!"

"No way!"

"Yes way! So now I'll sacrifice Elemental Hero Gaia to boost Terra Firma's attack points once again!" Jaden yelled out as Gaia dissipated in the same manner as Wildheart and its essence was absorbed by Terra Firma.

Elemental Hero Terra Firma – 4000 ATK » 6200 ATK

"6200 attack points." Jasmine gasped.

"Alexis!" Mindy cried out worriedly.

Alexis just gritted her teeth and braced for the impact.

Jaden thrust his arm out, "Now, Elemental Hero Terra Firma, attack! Terra Force!"

A massive sphere of orange energy appeared between Terra Firma's spread palms, and he grunted before throwing the sphere of burning energy at El Shaddoll Anoyatyllis with a loud battle cry. Anoyatyllis tried futilely to fend off the attack, and cried in pain as it was incinerated. Alexis grunted as her life points took another huge hit.

Alexis: 450
Jaden: 3600

"Oh, no..." Mindy and Jasmine muttered.

"Alright, Jay!" Syrus cheered jubilantly. "Now, we're home free!"

Jaden turned and grinned at Syrus, giving him the peace sign, "Yup!"

"Hey, now," Alexis interjected. "Wasn't it you who said the Duel isn't over until the last card is played? Don't count me out just yet. And by the way, since El Shaddoll Anoyatyllis was sent to the graveyard, I can pick one Shaddoll Spell or Trap Card and add it to my hand, and I pick Shaddoll Fusion!"

Syrus groaned, "That card is really wearing out its welcome."

"That's for sure." Jaden agreed as Alexis just smiled in amusement. "Anyway, I'll toss out a face down and end my turn, which means Terra Firma's attack points go back to normal."

Elemental Hero Terra Firma – 6200 ATK » 2500 ATK

Turn 9 – Alexis

"My turn, draw!" Alexis announced. Hm... I could summon Construct, but... I'd rather deal some damage to him. And I have just the card to do it. she thought to herself, smiling as she looked at the card she just drew, Battle Fusion. Let's give him a taste of his own medicine!

"I activate Shaddoll Fusion! By now, you know what this card does, so I'll just go ahead and fuse Shaddoll Beast in my hand with the Inari Fire in my deck to Fusion Summon... El Shaddoll Grysta!" she cried passionately.

Inari Fire appeared alongside Shaddoll Beast on the field before they were fused together. An explosion of fire erupted on the field, briefly lightning up the night sky, and from it appeared a creature clad in red, rock armor with what appeared to be two large winged made entirely of flames.

El Shaddoll Grysta – Fire/Rock/Fusion/Effect/LV7 – 2450 ATK/1950 DEF

Before Jaden could even comment on her monster, Alexis continued, "Since Shaddoll Beast was sent to the Graveyeard because of a Card Effect, I get to draw one card. Now, El Shaddoll Grysta, attack Elemental Hero Terra Firma. Burn that thing to ashes!"

Jaden blinked in confusion as Grysta rushed towards Terra Firma, who was preparing for the coming exchange, "But why would you do that? Terra Firma's attack is fifty points higher than Grysta's."

"Recognize this card?" Alexis asked rhetorically, smirking as she held up Battle Fusion. Jaden gasped. "That's right! I activate Battle Fusion. So now my Grysta gains attack points equal to your Terra Firma until the end of the Damage Step!"

"Alright, Alexis!" Mindy and Jasmine whooped in joy as Grysta's attack rose.

El Shaddoll Grysta – 2450 ATK » 4950 ATK

"Oh, no, Jaden!" Syrus whimpered.

Grysta cried out in triumph as its power increased exponentially, and Terra Firma cried out in pain as Grysta's flames engulfed and destroyed it. Jaden stumbled as the shockwave hit his boat, but he barely managed to keep his footing.

Alexis: 450
Jaden: 1150

"I'll play one card face down and end my turn there." Alexis announced.

Turn 10 – Jaden

"My turn, draw!" Jaden began.

Go ahead and try to fuse again, Jaden. Alexis thought to herself, smiling ever so slightly. Grysta's effect will destroy whichever monster you try to bring out, and you'll be left wide open.

"I summon Elemental Hero Bladedge in attack mode!" the brunette Slifer declared.

A man either made of pure gold, or simply covered in gold-plate armor appeared on Jaden's field, staring intently at Grysta with its shining green eyes.

Elemental Hero Bladedge – Earth/Warrior/Effect/LV7 – 2600 ATK/1800 DEF

"Hey, what gives!" Jasmine yelled out indignantly. "That monster is Level 7! You need to tribute two monsters to summon that!"

Mindy nodded in agreement, "Are you so panicked about your impending expulsion that you forgot that little rule?"

Jaden smirked, "I didn't forget anything. See, once, while Elemental Hero Necroshade is in my graveyard, I can Normal Summon one Level 5 or higher Elemental Hero monster without tributing!" he revealed.

The blonde Queen of Obelisk Blue narrowed her eyes as Mindy and Jasmine cried out in disbelief, and Syrus cheered, "But how did you get Necroshade into your graveyard." she demanded. "I didn't send it there."

"Actually, you did. Necroshade was the card I drew and discarded with Dark World Dealings." he retorted, smiling slyly.

I see. And Bladedge has more attack points than Grysta, so this round will go to him. But... Alexis smirked, looking down at her hand, On my next turn, all he'll have left is Bladedge, and with only one card in his hand, and only one face down card – which I'll be sure to get rid of first thing – I'll win.

"Now," Jaden continued. "I activate my Trap Card, Edge Hammer!"

Alexis' eyes widened, "What?!"

Jaden smiled, "I can only activate this card when Elemental Hero Bladedge is on the field. Now, by sacrificing him, I can destroy one monster on my opponent's side of the field, and you take damage equal to that monster's attack points! How sweet is that?"

Bladedge pulled back his arm, his newly acquired hammer clenched tightly in its fist. Suddenly, it shifted its weight and hurled the hammer with all the force it could muster, its body disintegrating as a result of this.

The high-speed hammer made contact and immediately obliterated El Shaddoll Grysta in a large, fiery explosion before continuing on towards Alexis, poised to take the last of her life points.

She smirked.

"I activate my Trap Card, Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment!" Alexis called out, a small girl in white appearing in front of her and erecting a magical barrier around her.

"What's that?" Jaden questioned curiously.

Alexis' smirk widened, "With this, Jaden, any effect damage I would take this turn is reduced to zero." she revealed as Edge Hammer bounced harmlessly off of the magical barrier.

Alexis: 450
Jaden: 1150

Alexis shook her head, "I hope you haven't unpacked your bags already, Jaden. You have nothing on your field and only one card in your hand. You can't possibly win." she said confidently as Syrus become even more depressed. "And just like the others, since El Shaddoll Grysta was sent to the graveyard, I can add one Shaddoll Spell or Trap to my hand, and of course I'm going to pick Shaddoll Fusion once again!"

Jaden disregarded that last part, "I may only have one card in my hand... but that's the only card I need! Now, I activate Monster Reborn. We all know what this card does, and I'm using it to bring back someone you might remember. Return to the field, Elemental Hero Bladedge!" Jaden cried out fervidly, clenching his hand into a fist as Bladedge returned to the field with a cry of triumph.

Elemental Hero Bladedge – Earth/Warrior/Effect/LV7 – 2600 ATK/1800 DEF

Jaden thrust his arm out, smiling widely, "Battle! Elemental Hero Bladedge, attack her directly and finish what you started. Power Edge Attack!"

Bladedge let out a fierce battle cry and rushed towards Alexis, intent on wiping away the last of her life points with the razor sharp blades protruding from his elbows.

"Alright!" Syrus cheered.

"Oh no!" Mindy cried.

"She's defenseless!" Jasmine added concerned.

Alexis thrust her arm out, "Not quite! I activate my Trap Card, Shaddoll Core!" she announced, finally activating the face down card she had set on the field so many turns ago.

"What's that?" Jaden frowned.

Alexis smirked, "This is a special kind of Trap Card, Jaden. When this card is activated, I can Special Summon it as an Effect Monster. I wanted to save this for later, but it seems I have no choice. So, come forth, Shaddoll Core! I summon you in defense mode!"

Shaddoll Core – Dark/Spellcaster/Effect/Trap/LV9 – 1450 ATK/1950 DEF

Jaden chuckled, "Sorry to have to break it to you, Alexis, but that's not going to save you."

Alexis furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "What are you talking about? Shaddoll Core's in defense mode. The only way you'd be able to win here is if..." she trailed off before gasping. "It can't be!"

Jaden grinned, "That's right! When Elemental Hero Bladedge attacks a defense position monster, he inflicts piercing damage!"

"But that means..."

"You've lost! Go, Bladedge! Finish her!" Jaden ordered his monster.

Elemental Hero Bladedge was only too happy to comply, slicing Shaddoll Core in half before moving onto Alexis, who stared up at him fearfully and cried out as he slashed his holographic blades through her chest.

Alexis: 0
Jaden: 1150

Jaden winked and pointed at Alexis, "And that's game!"

Syrus shot up and just about squeezed the life out of Jaden with how hard he was hugging the taller boy, "You did it, Jaden! Now we're not going to be expelled!"

"I don't believe this." Jasmine muttered dumbfounded.

"Alexis lost?" Mindy said disbelievingly.

Alexis sucked in a breath and crossed her arms, smiling slightly, "That's what it looks like."

Jaden raised an eyebrow, "A deal's a deal, right? I won, so we get off free."

Alexis put her hand on her him, "Don't worry. I'll keep our agreement. We won't tell anyone about anything that happened here tonight."

Jasmine growled, "Well, if you ask me, I think we should turn both of them in right now. He only won by a fluke, anyway!" she yelled.

"Well, it's a good thing I didn't ask you then!" Alexis said harshly.

Jasmine jerked in surprise, "Alexis...?"

The Queen sighed, "A loss is a loss. Don't be such a poor sport about it. He beat me fair and square and that's all there is to it."

"No, there's more to it than that." Jaden interjected, causing the girls to look at him. "Yeah... you're strong."

Alexis blinked before smiling, "Well, I did just put this Deck together. I'm not making excuses or anything, but I hope you'll be up for a rematch when I work out all the rough edges."

"Anytime." Jaden grinned before he began rowing the boat back towards the shore. "Later!"

Even if I did win, I don't think I could have turned those two in. Alexis thought to herself. That guy is getting more and more interesting.

Nearby, Dr. Crowler growled loudly to himself, "Grr. Lucky brat! He escaped this time, but I'll still find a way to expel him!"

So, I hope you liked Alexis' new Deck. It was really tough to write, but hopefully I didn't butcher it too badly. Anyway, I actually thought about having her win, but, you know, Jaden kind of needs to stay at the Academy. Hopefully that Duel was better than last chapter's. I thought about skipping this duel because Lance wasn't a part of it, but Jaden is a main character, and Alexis duels so little as it is, I don't think it would have been very fair to her.

And, yes, Lance has Duel Spirits. It's not just Lord of the Red. He can bring out the spirit of any Dragon-type monster with a few exceptions. But it's just Dragon-types. Nothing else. (Sucks for you, Lightning Lord!) He's also sort of an extremely limited Psychic duelist. Unlike the Psychic duelists in 5Ds, Sayer and Akiza, where they could sort of control it with any sort of monster, his only happen when he's really angry or otherwise emotional, and it only applies to Dragon-type monsters. And since he's usually a pretty laid-back guy, it doesn't usually happen. BUT! The stronger the monster, the more easy it is for it to become tangible, which is why he doesn't use Black Dragon Archfiend a lot. I know some people won't like this, but it was my plan from the beginning, so...

You know, I kind of wonder what would have happened if Jaden had actually gotten that letter instead of Syrus. To be honest, I don't think he would have gone, but who knows?

Oh, and by the way, I know Black Dragon Archfiend's official English name is Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, but I kind of hate it, so I'm just going to keep using Black Dragon Archfiend.

Until Next Time!