Roses are red,Violets are blue...
It was a peaceful morning at Duel Academ—
"WHOOHOO! YEAH!" Jaden's voice shattered the peaceful scene as he bolted down the dirt path, kicking up dust in his wake.
[Goddammit, Jaden! You ruined my narration!]
Jaden ran with a wide grin plastered on his face and also laughing out wide.
"Ha ha ha, Mash!" he called over his shoulder, breathless from excitement. "You challenged me to a race and yet you collapsed five meters from the dorm! Guess that means I'm getting another free card from you! How sweet!" He laughed triumphantly. "Ha ha ha ha!"
"HMM? Are you so sure, Shmaden Shmuki!?"
A familiar and smug voice echo from behind Jaden sprint
Jaden glanced back mid-sprint "MASH!? I though you were-!" and Jaden jaw practically dislocated.
As he saw, Mash, grinning like a gremlin, while being carried in a princess-style in the arms of Lovely Labrynth, who sprinted gracefully beside Jaden with her usual over-the-top elegance.
"OHOHOHO~! You must be so shocked seeing my darling catching up to you~!" Lovely teased.
Jaden blinked twice with a flat face. "Honestly, I'm more shocked that 'your darling' has zero pride as a man."
"Ugh… critical hit…!" Mash clutched his chest, A single tear building on his eye.
Wiping away the single exaggerated tear of shame, Mash declared, "Either way, Jaden! You're not getting a new card from me that easily! Isn't that right, Lovely?"
"HOHOHO~! Naturally, Darling~! Prepare to eat dust~!"
"Ha ha ha! Of course!" Jaden smirks and picked up speed. "If not, it wouldn't be as fun! Now get your Game on, Miss Labrynth!"
"You too, Jay. If you win~!"
"OHHHHHH!!!" they howled in unison, as both Jaden and Lovely shot forward with all their might, tearing down the dirt road.
"Go, go, Lovely!" Mash cheered from her arms, waving his duel disk like a pom-pom.
As they raced uphill toward Duel Academy, they sped past Miss Dorothy, who was struggling to push her broken-down van up the incline.
"Hold on!" Jaden skidded to a halt from his sprint.
"Hm?" Mash glanced back from the comfort of Lovely's arms. "Lovely, stop!" She obeyed immediately, coming to a graceful halt mid-sprint.
"What's the matter~?" She asked
Mash: Look, It's the scene from episode 4 where Jaden helps a poor old lady pushing her van up this incline.
Mash leaned forward with an excited grin. "Look, it's the scene from Episode 4! Y'know, where Jaden helps a poor old lady push her van up this exact hill."
"Ooooh! So we've already reached Episode 4?" Lovely chimed with a smile.
"Yup." Mash nodded, unable to hide the smirk tugging at his lips.
[Which means I get to see the duel between Jaden and Chazz in person! I can't wait!]
They turned their attention to Jaden, who stood there scratching his head.
"To be a gentleman… or to be on time… and get a new card…" he muttered to himself.
"He he" Mash chuckled, feeling like he'd stumbled upon a hidden dialogue in a game he'd already completed.
"Welp!" Jaden threw up his arms and grinned. "Since I'm never on time anyway, and it's just a card…" He dashed back toward Miss Dorothy. "Never fear, Jaden's here!" he called, placing his hands on the van and starting to push.
"Should we…?" Lovely asked, glancing toward Mash.
"Yeah, we should."Mash hopped down from her arms and jogged over to the van. "Crashin' in, Mash is in!"
"Oh, thank you, boys!" Miss Dorothy beamed. "Helping ol' Miss Dorothy like this, I'll remember it!"
"How about you remember your van extended warranty! Ha ha!" Jaden laughed while pushing. "But, It's our pleasure, Miss Dorothy! Beside me and Mash could skip the gym, Right Mash?"
Mash, on the other hand, was already sweating buckets after just a few seconds of pushing. "Yeah… pleasure…"
"Ha ha ha! Is that so?" Miss Dorothy smiled. "Alright then, on the count of three we'll push! One, two… three!"
They all pushed in unison. Well, tried to. Only Mash's face was turning red as he seems to begin to collapse again. Lovely watched him with a look of pity.
"Darling… I know you're helping… but you're not helping," she said gently.
Mash grunted. "Ugh…!"
She sighed dramatically. "This is why I told you to at least do some light exercise in the mornings, Darling~" Raising her hand, she offered sweetly, "Wanna switch~?"
"Yes." Mash slapped her hand like he was tagging out in a wrestling match, then collapsed on the ground and started to roll back down the incline.
Without missing a beat, Lovely stepped in and caught the van with one hand. "Ho Ho Ho~! A new challenger has arrived~!" she declared with glee.
"Oh?" Miss Dorothy smiled warmly. "If it isn't Mash's pretty girlfriend! Lovely to see you, dear! But… what happened to Mash?"
"You could say he 'Mashed out'!" Jaden quipped with a laugh.
Lovely slowly turned and glared at him with icy disdain.
"...Sorry."
Miss Dorothy cleared her throat. "Alright, let's try and push this again. On the count of three! One, two... Three—"
WHOOSH!
The van suddenly shot up the hill at terrifying speed, leaving Jaden and Miss Dorothy in the dust as Lovely single-handedly pushed the entire vehicle uphill like it was nothing.
From the top of the hill, her voice rang loud and proud. "Hey~ Should I just push this all the way to the Academy~?"
Jaden and Miss Dorothy stood there, flabbergasted.
Miss Dorothy whisper to Jaden, "How did Mash even got a girl like her?"
Jaden just shook his head. "I would say it was 'Luck', but that's not exactly Mash's forte..."
Meanwhile, Mash was still rolling slowly down the hill.
---
Meanwhile in the Class, everyone was busy and focusing on their exam.
Dr Banner was sitting in front of the class on his desk while Pharaoh his chubby orange cat sit on his lap getting brushed by his hand. "You have 45 minute's left to finish your test."
Syrus was sitting on his desk seemingly about to cry, "Ugh... I should've studied for the exam... Why did I follow Mash when he told me I don't need to study."
"Yeah, why didn't you study even just a little, Sy?" came a voice beside him.
Syrus flinched and turned to see Mash and Jaden suddenly seated next to him, both acting like they hadn't just arrived thirty minutes late.
"Mash, Jaden!"
"You know," Jaden said cheerfully, "it wouldn't hurt to study a little even if you flunk. Just sayin'."
"Yeah." Mash leaned back casually in his seat. "Also, I never told you not to study."
"What!? But yesterday, you said I didn't need to study because I had 'a decade of card knowledge' or something!"
Mash leaned toward Jaden and whispered, "See here, Jay. What he doesn't know is that I'm gaslighting him right now."
"You're gaslighting me!?" Syrus overheard.
Mash gulped.
SLAM!
Behind them, Chazz slammed both his palms on his desk, clearly irritated at them three."Hey! Can you three be quiet!? Some of us actually plan about passing this exam!"
"Hey, I always plan to pass," Jaden replied casually. "It just doesn't work out that way."
Mash stretched his arms behind his head. "Yeah, Chazz. Shut yo bi—"
"Mash, Jaden!" Dr. Banner's voice cut in sternly from the front. "Come down here and get your question sheets. There's not much time left!"
Jaden scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin. "Ha ha, right! Be right down, teach!"
"Jay! Grab one for me too!" Mash called after him.
Syrus gave Mash a side glance. "You're always so lazy. It's not like you're actually busy doing anything."
Mash yawned dramatically. "Of course I am. I'm busy breathing."
As Jaden reached the bottom of the stairs to collect the test papers, several students looked up, all clearly unamused by the interruption.
Alexis narrowed her eyes, watching the two of them from her desk.[Thirty minutes late, and they're still joking around. How can they be so laid-back?]
Bastion pushed up his glasses and let out a quiet sigh.[Two of the most talented duelists in the whole school… and yet they never seem to take anything seriously.]
A random Slifer Red student clenched his pen in silent frustration. [I get how Mash defeated Dr. Crowler with that crazy deck of his… but how did Jaden beat him too? Unbelievable!]
Just from a brief conversation, Mash and Jaden had successfully irritated the entire class. As Jaden jogged back up the stairs, he tossed a test paper onto Mash's desk and plopped down next to him.
Mash gave the test a quick glance and sighed. [Fucking grade schoolers ahh questions... Why the hell is everyone thinks that this is hard!?]
He glanced to his right and saw Syrus still trembling over his blank sheet. Mash sighed and put a hand on Syrus's shoulder. When Syrus looked over, Mash leaned in and whispered,
"You can look at my paper, Sy."
---
[30 Minutes later...]
Mash let out a slow sigh. It had been thirty whole minutes of him doing absolutely nothing while both Syrus and Jaden, seated on either side of him, had dozed off to dream land.
"Mash... thanks for the... answer..." Syrus mumbled in his sleep.
Mash can't help but smile, [Cute.]
RRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNGGGGGGG!
The academy bell rang through the class, jolting up the students who were asleep during the test. (Except for these two.)
Dr. Banner stood up at the front, still petting Pharaoh as he carried the fat cat."Now then, class, please place your test papers at the front desk. Time's is up."
[Finally...!]
The once-silent hall erupted into controlled chaos as students rushed to the front to submit their exams. Mash glanced to his left. Then to his right. Jaden and Syrus were still fast asleep. Not even all this commotions seems to budge them.
Mash sighed, [Lazy-ass friends...]
Gathering up all three of their test papers, Mash calmly walked down to the front and added them to the growing stack on Dr. Banner's desk.
"Alright, class," Banner announced, still oddly serene despite the classroom noise. "The written exam is now over. Please walk and don't run just because the new rare cards is here."
"Woah! The new cards are here!" someone shouted.
Instantly, the room erupted. Desks screeched as nearly the entire class stampeded out of the room in a frenzy.
Mash watched them vanish with a blank stare. [Stupid fools...]
He shook his head, hands in his pockets as he strolled leisurely up the stairs.
[Welp, can't blame them for not knowing, that the new rare cards from the new pack will all be bought by Dr. Crowler disguised as a student... And then he will give those rare cards from the packs to Chazz for the upcoming duel against Jaden. Which, I will happily watch with some popcorn.]
As he reached his row again, Mash saw Bastion already woken up Jaden and Syrus from their slumber.
"Hey, Bastion," Mash called out. "Thanks for waking up the sleepyheads for me."
Bastion adjusted his collar. "Yeah, no problem."
"Aw, c'mon, Mash." Jaden stretched his arms with a yawn. "We were just hibernating to pass the time."
Mash plopped onto the desk in front of them with a snort. "Pfft. What are you, a bear?"
Both Jaden and Mash laughed.
Jaden and Mash chuckled.
Syrus blinked and looked around. "...Wait, where is everybody?"
"That's what I was just about to tell you," Bastion said. "The new rare cards are here. And everyone's already at the card shop."
"What!?" Syrus jumped out of his seat. "New cards!? Why didn't anyone tell us!?"
"Because everyone wants to keep the good cards to themselves to use for the upcoming field test," Bastion replied coolly.
[That's the test that will determine if you're getting promoted to a higher dorm or not.] Mash added in his thought.
Syrus turned. "Then why aren't you getting any?"
Bastion crossed his hands. "Please. One flawed card could throw off the entire delicate balance of my deck."
Jaden turned toward Mash. "What about you? Not going for any?"
Mash shook his head. "Nah. My deck's already in a good enough state to be used to beat up everyone. I don't need some overhyped cards in my deck."
[Because I could make them at anytime with my system.]
"Well mine wouldn't mind! Let's go, Jay!"
"You got it!" Jaden grinned.
The two bolted from the classroom, nearly tripping over each other as they sprinted out, leaving Mash and Bastion behind in the now-quiet class.
Mash stretched his arms with a lazy groan. [Now that everyone's gone...]
He reached beneath his desk, pulled out his Duel Disk, strapped it and turn it on, and finally slotted in his favorite card.
With a shimmer of light, the hologram activated.
"Darling~!" came Lovely Labrynth's melodious voice as she materialized and immediately wrapped her arms around him from behind.
She nuzzled into him affectionately. "So, how was the test~?"
"Boring. Easy as hell, like doing a toddlers homework." Mash replied, resting his head back against her shoulder.
"Ohoho~ Is that so~?" She giggled playfully, then she leans her head closer to Mash ears "Then~ Darling... can we do the 'usual', perhaps~?"
"Fu fu fu... Sure." Mash chuckled. "Let's start doing our 'Lovely' business now."
"Ohohoho~! Oh, Darling~!"
"Uhehehehe..! Oh, Lovely~!"
"Ahem."
A voice cut through the moment like a knife. Slowly, Mash and Lovely turned their heads to find Bastion still seated calmly, crossing his arm and watching them with an unamused look.
Bastion raised a brow. "Did you two forget I'm still here?"
Mash froze. [I forgot he was still here!]
"Why the hell are you still here?! Shouldn't you have left by now!?"
Bastion stood. "Well, since the room's quiet, I figured I'd stay and review my strategies for the field test. But now, seeing her here… well, this is fascinating."
Lovely Labrynth can't help but smirk, "Ho~?"
Mash starts sweating. [This is dangerous...]
"Oh, really!?" Mash laughed nervously. "Then sorry to bother your peace. So just continue with your strategy review and we'll just be on our way now...!" He grabbed Lovely's hand and made for the exit—
But Bastion stepped in front of the door.
"This is a golden opportunity," he said, pulling out a notebook and clicking his pen. "To ask a few questions."
Mash scowled. "Sorry, but my Lovely is not doing Q&A now..."
Mash and Bastion has an intense staredown, as Bastion seemed to not budge one bit from the class door. Lovely Labrynth seeing this can't help but get irritated.
"Darling..." Lovely leaned in to Mash and whispered sweetly, "Should I just bash his head until his brains paint the floor~?"
"NO." Mash replied instantly.
Bastion sighed. "This isn't getting us anywhere... so how about this…"
Mash narrowed his eyes. "Hm?"
"300 DP. Per question."
Mash recoiled. "What!? Bastion, are you—"
"400 DP."
"Are you seriously trying to bribe me!?"
"500 DP."
"I can't believe this Bastion, my respect for you has officially gone to the floor. Do you really think I'm the kind of guy who is easily bribe by—"
"One thousand DP."
"Deal."
---
A few minutes later, Bastion sat eagerly beside Lovely Labrynth, notebook open and pen in hand as he fires off questions after questions.
"Yes, I am a Duel Spirit~!" Lovely declared proudly, striking a smug pose. "And the spirit before you just so happens to be the most elegant of them all~!"
"Ooh! I knew Duel Spirits were real!" He immediately scribbled it down.
Just a seat over, Mash leaned back comfortably, his eyes glued to his PDA screen. A notification then blinked at the corner of it.
+1000 DP
He let out a low whistle. "Hehehe… Easiest DP I've ever made." A slow grin spread across his face as he lifted his PDA like a trophy. "I'm rich! GYA HO HO HO HO!" He broke into a full-on, exaggerated villain laugh.
Lovely turned toward Mash with a trace of concern. "Uhm... Bastion... Are you sure it's fine for you to throw away a thousand DP on simple questions?"
"It's fine," Bastion replied casually, not even glancing up. "Most of that DP came from doing homework for Obelisk Blue guys and side hustles with my Ra friends. I've got more DP than I know what to do with."
"Hmm~ Then ask away~" Lovely said with a dramatic swirl of her hand.
"Alright, next question," Bastion said, flipping to a fresh page. "How are you able to talk and move like this? You're supposed to be just a hologram, right?"
"Ho ho ho~ Good question~!" Lovely chimed, "The simple answer is that I've 'possessed the Duel Disk's hologram system and now use it like a costume for people to be able to see and interact with. Because most duel spirits do not possess the hologram system in duels and casuals making them invisible to people who does not have the affinity to see duel spirits."
Mash glanced up briefly. [In truth, most spirits just didn't know it was even possible to possess the Kaibacorp hologram system. Lovely figured it out through sheer force of love for me.]
"Wait," Bastion said, pausing mid-scribble. "You need special affinity just to see Duel Spirits?"
Lovely nodded, brushing a curl of silver hair behind her ear. "Not just to see. Hear, speak, touch, and sometimes even sense their emotions. Without affinity, we might aswell just be winds."
"Interesting, interesting..." he muttered, scribbling more in his notes.
Mash leaned sideways, eyeing him with an amused smirk. "You're really into this supernatural stuff, huh?"
"Who wouldn't be?" Bastion answered, completely straight-faced. "I'm in the academy's Supernatural Duel Club, actually. They've got tons of theories about things like Duel spirits, shadow games and other stuffs. Then there's been ongoing theory that some of them even suspect your ace card is a Duel Spirit. And with this, I can brag about it to them."
"fu fu fu, is that so?" Mash chuckled, [He reminds me of that one occult otaku that got his balls taken.]
For the next several minutes, Bastion peppered Lovely (and occasionally Mash) with question after question about other spirits, how to increase affinity and some stuff about bonding with your cards until eventually, the beeping of his PDA announced the death of his wallet.
"…And that's all my DP can afford," he said sheepishly. "But I'll definitely be back with more questions. And more DP too of course."
"Sure..." Mash grinned, wide and smug, as he checked the amount of DP in his PDA. "It's a pleasure doing business with you."
"Yeah! That was really fun~!" Lovely said with a cheerful smile towards Bastion.
Bastion blinked and blushed a bit at the sight of her expression. But, he quickly composed himself.
"Ahem. Well… I should get going now. Don't want to interrupt whatever… private moment you two were about to have." He waved goodbye and slipped out of the classroom leaving behind Mash and Lovely Labrynth.
Mash and Lovely turned toward each other as their eye locked to each other as if demanding something... exciting.
"Darling~ It's time, is it~♡" she purred.
Mash nodded slowly. "Yeah… Let's do it. Come closer, Lovely…"
She leaned toward him, lips curling into a smile as their body and lips creeps in closer and closer...
Then Mash suddenly pulled a pen and paper from inside his jacket pocket.
"Let's start our Trap Design session for your Silver Castle!"
"Yay~!" Lovely jumped with excitement, "So what devious traps do you have in mind, Darling~?"
Mash tapped the pen against his chin. "hm... I was thinking of a trap where you get locked into a room where you need to play a dance dance machine and get perfect on it if you don't want to get crushed to death by the ceiling in the room."
"Ohohoho~! And while they're dancing for their life, random flaming arrows start flying from the walls! Oh, how perfectly twisted we are, Darling~!"
Lovely struck a smug villainous pose, "O HO HO HO HO HO~!"
Mash threw his head back, laughing with a matching villainous flair. "GYA HO HO HO HO HO!"
Then from behind the classroom door, Bastion is disappointed at what he is seeing, [What a waste of time.]
---
Elsewhere on Duel Academy grounds, Chazz Princeton walked down the hallway with a dark scowl on his face. Followeb by his lackeys, Taiyou and Raizou, who is struggling to walk his pace behind him.
"I swear, Chazz," Taiyou said, trying to catch his breath, "and there this guy that showed up and bought all the new cards!"
"Yeah," Raizou added, rubbing the back of his neck. " So we couldn't getcha single one for you. Sorry…"
"You know what sorry gets me?!" Chazz whipped around, eyes blazing. "NOTHING!"
Taiyou and Raizou flinched on instinct.
"Without those cards, I don't even stand a chance of beating him!"
"You're right. You don't have a chance of beating Jaden Yuki." A voice suddenly echoed from the nearby stairs
Chazz snapped his head toward the source, his eyes narrowing. A tall figure stood at the top of the stairs nearby, wearing a black gakuran and trench coat and a matching cap hid most of his face.
"Who are you?" Chazz scowled.
The figure chuckled. "Just someone who hates Jaden Yuki as much as you do."
Taiyou squinted. "Wait a sec… you're the guy who bought all the cards!"
"Cards? Oh? You mean... these CARDS!?" The stranger swept open his trench coat.
Inside, the entire collection of rare cards from the newest pack were neatly displayed in it, strapped across his trench coat like illegal contraband.
Chazz and his lackeys gasped in unison.
"W-Whoa…" Raizou whispered. "That's what I call card smuggling…"
"Talk about having a card up your sleeve," Taiyou muttered.
The stranger laughed again "Ha ha ha ha ha! What's wrong, Chazz? Don't recognize me?" His hand shot up, grabbing the brim of his cap. "How about now!?"
With a flourish, he tossed aside both the cap and trench coat.
Beneath the disguise stood none other than the most heinous person in Duel Academy.
Chazz recoiled. "Dr. Crowler!?"
"Surprise~!" Crowler sang.
Chazz scowled. "You know, you looked way better covered up."
"Mamma mia!" Crowler flinched.
But he quickly composed himself. "Insult aside, I have a plan, Chazz Princeton. A plan that will make us all look better. Especially after we expose Jaden Yuki for the amateur duelist he truly is!"
He pointed dramatically at Chazz. "I want you to be his opponent in the upcoming field test. And I want you to crush him using these rare cards!"
Chazz blinked, then raised an eyebrow. "Wait... so you're giving me all the rare cards?"
Crowler nodded with an evil grin.
A slow chuckle bubbled from Chazz's throat then erupted into full-blown maniacal laughter. "HA HA HA HA HA! So I get to use them all for myself for the upcoming field test!? Heh… This is perfect!"
Crowler smirked. "So? Are you in?"
Chazz grinned sharply. "Oh, I'm in alright, Dr. Crowler. And in fact, I've got a little proposal of my own. Something like… killing two birds with one stone."
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Hello everyone IG here.
Yeah... this chapter was just a nothingburger, but I hope you still enjoyed it!
Now all I need to do now is plan out the upcoming Duel between Jaden and Chazz so stay tuned! Chiao!
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