[Mash POV]
Hey! its me Mash again!
I had finally finished cleaning up my personal dorm room. The place had been a complete disaster—those two brothers clearly never even considered tidying up. The air had been thick with dust, and I had to shove a mountain of trash into a bag: plastic bottles, food wrappers, and even a single, sock with white slime(?) at the end of it. Disgusting.
After stuffing the oversized trash bag, I dragged it over to the Slifer Red trash disposal, tossing it inside with a relieved sigh.
Mash rubbed away the sweat on his forehead. "Fuh... now that that's done, let's tour around the Duel Academy."
After walking for a few minutes, I arrived at the main Academy building. Honestly, the place looked more like an ultra-expensive university than a school for playing card games. The halls stretched on, lined with blue marble floors, pristine green walls and sometimes the wall would be made of glass that overlooked the island. However, I quickly noticed that everywhere I walked, there were tons of restricted-access doors marked "Staff Only."
In just a few steps, I had already passed like three of them. Man, for a school this big, the amount of places a student can actually go is probably like, 20% at best. I figured most of those doors led to maintenance rooms. after all, with the high-tech systems running throughout the Academy, someguy probably does the handling and repairs.
As I wandered through, exploring the Academy, a few Obelisk Blue students pointed at me, "Hey, look! a wild Slifer sludge seems to appeared!" and then they all bursted into laughter
I rolled my eyes. [Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the blatant class discrimination here? It was probably mostly because I was a Slifer Red, but seriously, did these idiots not know that I had demolished Crowler during the entrance exam? To the point where he cried to surrender?]
I could easily challenge them to a duel and make them regret ever Lovely Lock their asshole until it was gaping wide! but honestly, I had better things to do. Exploring the Academy and getting a feel for the layout was way more important.
I continue exploring some more, while also looking at my personal PDA. Its really helpful as not only can it be use for communication, but it have a built in map of the whole entire school! (So i dont get lost.) I explored and found some interesting locations of the Duel academy, like the many classes: Duel theory, Duel history, Duel alchemy???
I also looked inside the Duel library filled with lots of books about dueling and the Duel Monster game in general. there is also, the Card shop of the academy where you can buy cards using DP.
[Damn! I only have like 20 DP... i probably got it from beating those 2 idiots, and a single pack here cost 150 DP while the specific single cards that is on display can be around 50 to 300 depending on rarity or usage rate]
And after more exploring, i found a door large indoor field, [wow, even this school have normal school facility too]. until i stumble upon a literal full baseball field, tennis field, and some other specific sports field. [So, wait… you come here to learn how to duel, but you can also become an athlete if you want? that's so freaking cool!]
And after a few more walking, I checked my PDA again and realized I was close to the Obelisk Blue Dorm's Dueling Arena. As its name suggest, its a personal arena where you can duel. Though if you have a duel disk, which the whole students in the academy have, you can basically duel anywhere-anytime. So i dont really get the jist of it.
I looked at the arena's corridor going into the duel arena, I spoted Jaden and Syrus talking to a familiar blonde Obelisk girl... [Wait a second-thats Alexis! Alexis Rhodes! Ah, this must be that scene from the anime, where Jaden meets Chazz Princeton. If i remember, those two were about to have a full-blown duel after Chazz's mocking, until Alexis shows up, and drove Chazz and his goons off to their obelisk welcome dinner.]
A small grin crept onto my face as I waved, calling out, "Jaden--! Syrus--!"
The two turned toward me, and even Alexis glanced my way. Stepping out into the Obelisk Blue Duel Arena, I took a moment to take in the sight.
The place was insane!
A massive dueling platform sat in the center, surrounded by spectator seats that wrapped around the entire arena. The sheer scale of the place was overwhelming. It felt more like an esports stadium than a school facility.
Syrus looked up at me shyly but still managed a small smile. "Hello, Mash."
I grinned. "Syrus-boy! What's good?" I reached out my hand and dabbed with him, making him chuckle.
I then turned toward Jaden and fistbump him, Jaden's voice perked up. "Oh hey, Mash! Where have you been?"
I stretched my arms behind my head casually, as I glance at the two. "Just getting a feel for the Academy. What about you two? Why are you two here?"
Syrus rubbed the back of his head. "Uhm… Jaden here said that he sensed some kind of dueling action, i followed him and so here we are."
Jaden took a deep breath, closing his eyes dramatically. "It's in the air, Syrus. Can't you just smell it?"
I wheezed. "What are you? A dog?"
That was all it took for the three of us to burst into laughter. As we cracked up, I noticed Alexis standing nearby, watching us with an amused smile.
Then, she finally spoke. "So… you must be Mash."
I turned my head toward her and tilted it slightly, pretending not to recognize her. "Yup. And who are you?"
[Holy moly. Now that I see Alexis in real life, she definitely looks pretty. Unfortunately, she's six feet under my Lovely Labrynth if we're going on a 'which is prettier' competition. (No bias here.)]
Alexis chuckled lightly. "Ah, yes. Let me introduce myself. My name is Alexis—Alexis Rhodes. its nice to meet you and your friends."
Jaden, with his MC confidence, flashed a grin. "Nice to meet you too, Alexis! My name is Jaden, Jaden Yuki."
Syrus, still a bit nervous, stuttered out his introduction. "U-U-Uhmm… Syrus Truesdale! Nice to meet you!"
I crossed my arms and smirked. "Wow! An Obelisk student being all friendly to us Slifers? That's pretty rare sight, isn't it?"
Alexis rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Not all Obelisks are like that. Those guys are probably just jerks."
I shrugged. "Eh, it's no big deal. After all, Jaden and I could probably beat them easily."
Jaden crossed his arms confidently. "Yup! And besides, I can beat them in one turn!"
I shot him a competitive smirk. "Ha! Jaden, if you can beat them in one turn, then I can beat them on their first turn!"
Jaden gasped, pointing dramatically. "What?! If that's the case, then I can beat them before they even play!"
This MC just pulled out something straight out of his asscrack! "No fair! That's cheating!"
Syrus sighed, shaking his head. "You two really are confident, alright…"
The three of us laughed, and even Alexis giggled at our antics.
"Anyway, Mash," she said, making me, Jaden, and Syrus fall silent. "I saw your duel against Professor Crowler during the practical exam. And I've got to say… your Lovely Labrynth ace monster is both beautiful and terrifying... Is she a rare card, perchance?"
For a split second, I tensed up. A hot blonde was complimenting my deck. (LOVELY LABRYNTH IS EVEN HOTTER!)
I quickly snapped out of it and gave her a smirk. "Thanks for the compliment. Yeah, you could say that my Lovely cards are one of a kind." Then, regaining my confidence, I declared, "After all, I'm going to be the King of Games in the future!"
aden's head snapped toward me. "What—?! You're aiming to be King of Games too!? That means…"
I grinned provocatively. "That's right, Jaden! From now on, we're officially rivals!" Crossing my arms, I leaned in slightly. "Tell me, are you scared?"
Jaden's smirk widened. "Of course not! In fact, right now, I'm itching for a duel!" He activated his Duel Disk, sliding his deck into the compartment. "Let's see which one of us deserves the title of King of Games!"
I grinned, "Fine, bring it on!" I also activated my duel disk and slotted my deck in it, "Let's settle this early on! I'll show your HEROes a Lovely surprise!"
Me & Jaden: "DUEL-!"
"Hold it right there!"
Alexis's sharp voice cut through the air, stopping both of us in our tracks. "The Slifer's welcome dinner is about to start soon, and you guys don't want to miss it because of a duel."
Syrus quickly pulled out his PDA, checking the time. "She's right! Jaden, Mash, we need to hurry before we get late!"
My eyes widened. "Oh shit, for real?! If that's the case, Jaden, let's bounce!"
Jaden blinked before realization hit him. "Ah, yeah! Thanks, Alexis, for the heads-up. Now move, move, move!"
And with that, the three of us bolted out of the Obelisk arena at full speed. Alexis looked at us with a small smile, [Alexis: Mash and Jaden... Looks like this generations of first year's will be interesting.]
----
At the Slifer's Red dorms cafeteria. I sat at a table with Jaden and Syrus as we were handed our Food on a metal tray.
[WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS???!!!!]
I said in my mind as I stared at the tray of our so called "welcome dinner", A small bowl of white rice, a bowl of miso soup with a few tofu cubes, four tiny grilled fish, and for dessert some chopped-up pickled vegetables.
[In the anime, the Obelisk and Ra students got a full-course meal with high-end lobster, steak, and fancy drinks. Meanwhile, we Slifers get... scraps? This meal was probably caught by some random fisherman on the island this morning!]
I groaned, burying my face in my hand and muttering under my breath. "Ugh… maybe I should've answered more questions right on that test…"
Syrus looked over at me. "Huh? What did you say?"
"N-Nothing!" I shot back quickly. Luckily, he didn't seem to catch it.
And then a man stepped through the curtain door. Tall, with long black hair, rectangle glasses, and narrow eyes that barely showed his pupils. In his arms, he held a fat orange cat.
Professor Banner smiled warmly. "Hello, children. Let me introduce myself. My name is Professor Banner. Now, before we eat, I'd like each of you to say a little something about yourse-"
Jaden: "Mmm! This stuff's good!"
Mash: "Yeah! It might look like a poor man's dinner, but it's great!"
Jaden and I completely ignored the introduction and went straight to devouring our food. Syrus, on the other hand, looked at us in worriedly.
"H-Hey! You're supposed to introduce yourselves first!"
[Oh, shut up, Syrus.] In the anime, Jaden the MC did the same thing, and no one cared. Might as well follow his lead.
Professor Banner just chuckled. "Ha ha ha! Well, since some of us don't feel like waiting… let's just eat!"
--
Back at my dorm, alone, I lay down on the mattress at the very top of the three-decker bed. With a sigh, I opened my mission tab and stared at {Shoo away the guards}.
[How the hell am I supposed to fend off three adult guards... with this child body of mine? It's literally impossible!]
Groaning, I pulled out my PDA to check the time, its 9:34 PM. If I recall correctly, this mission is linked to the upcoming midnight duel at the Obelisk Arena. In the anime, around this time, Jaden received a video message from Chazz challenging him to a duel, betting their best cards.
Unfortunately, just as the duel was heating up, three guards stormed in and stopped it. No winner was decided.
[Though, if the duel hadn't been interrupted, Jaden would've won. As the king of topdecking, he drew Monster Reborn, revived Flame Wingman, and clapped Chazz for game.]
Welp, guess it's my job to make sure those guards don't do their job. Somehow.
For now, I just had to wait until midnight. Then, I'd sneak out of my dorm and head to the Obelisk Arena.
After two and a half grueling hours of waiting, I finally slipped out of my dorm.
Getting out of Slifer Red was stupidly easy, there weren't even any guards. From there, I made my way through Duel Academy, entering the main building and heading toward the Obelisk Blue Arena's entrance corridor. Peeking inside, I spotted Jaden and Chazz locked in their duel, with Syrus and Alexis watching from the sidelines.
I clenched my fist. "Damn, i would die to see Jaden and Chazz duel right in front of my eyes. but… I have a mission. And that mission means I get to pull 10 packs from the Master Pack for materials. Alright, Let's do this-"
Then I froze. My body stiffened as cold sweat dripped down my face.
[Fuck! I didn't even come up with a plan while waiting! I spent the whole time staring at Lovely Labrynth instead!!]
My mind raced. [what the hell should i do?!!! should i just... go right up to their face? No, i would just get punished.. But maybe i can challenge them for a duel? Since thats how every world ending conlict is solved in this world... No! What if they take me by force... I cant risk it...
Argh!! what should i do..!!! THINK DAMMIT!]
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
A smooth, seductive voice whispered into my ear. "Aww... Darling, you look so distressed. I don't like seeing my darling in distress~"
I turned my head-
My eyes nearly popped out of my skull.
My jaw hit the floor.
Standing beside me, striking a smug anime pose, dressed in a fancy all white and silver gown, was Lovely Labrynth herself!
I literally screamed internally. [LOVELY LABRYNTH!!!????]
Lovely Labrynth placed a hand on her hip, and chin on the back of her hand, posing all smugly. "Ho ho ho~ That's right, my darling! Behold, your Lovely Labrynth in the flesh! Well, not exactly in the flesh, considering I'm a spirit right now…"
I blinked. "Huh, spirit...? Wait a second—you're a Duel Spirit!? And since I can see you, that means you're my personal Duel Spirit! That means you can materialize yourself at will beside me! And that also mean..."
Lovely Labrynth clapped her hands together, cutting me off with a teasing grin. "Darling~ The mission."
"Oh, right." I cleared my throat. "We'll come back to this. Anyway, our mission right now is to fend off three guards from interrupting the duel inside the Obelisk Arena. But the question is... how?"
Lovely Labrynth struck a smug anime pose, placing a hand on her chest. "Oh please, darling~ All the answers to that question lie in your deck." She pointed elegantly at my deck.
"my... deck?" I took out my deck from my pocket, staring at it in confusion.
Lovely Labrynth extended her hand dramatically. "Now, darling~ Give me your {Trap Hole} from your deck."
Although still confused i shuffle through my cards and handed her the trap hole card.
Lovely Labrynth took the card, and then gives me a playful wink. "Now, watch me, darling~! Hurah!"
then... She just threw the Trap Hole card onto the blue marble ground in front of us.
I raised an eyebrow, stepping forward to pick the card up. "That was a great show, honey, but for real, what did that even do?"
Lovely Labrynth smirked. "You don't get it, don'tcha, darling~? It may noy look like it, but, right now, the floor you're standing on... is a literal {Trap Hole}!"
The second those words registered in my brain, I leaped back like a cat touching water. Lovely Labrynth burst into laughter. I just stared at her blankly.
"Ha ha ha! Oh, darling~ Just like a Trap Card, I can activate it whenever I want. After all, I am the ruler of the Labrynth Labyrinth." Her smile widened into something sinister. "And I'll give you a word about that place... 'You either die from the thousands of traps there or get trapped for all eternity wandering that silvery hell.'"
I shuddered. "As expected of the Silver Queen of Traps! You also kinda remind me of that golden—"
Lovely Labrynth's playful demeanor immediately turned sour. She crossed her arms, pouting as she looked away with a huff. "That yellow old fart can kiss his undead soldiers' asses for all I care!"
Then, just as quickly, she turned back to me with a mischievous grin. "Enough about that! How about we set up more traps?"
i nodded, as i give her 2 trap cards from my deck for her to set up. and after finally setting everything up, we hide in a corner and waited for the guards.
it didnt take long to hear heavy footsteps of the 3 guards patrolling.
[3rd POV]
It was the dead of night at Duel Academy. Three guards patrolled the empty halls, just in case if there were some students sneaking off to duel at this ungodly hour.
Guard 1 let out a long, exhausted yawn. "Ugh… I really hate night shifts."
Guard 2 nodded sluggishly. "Yeah... I'd much rather be sleeping right now..."
Guard 3 stretched, rolling his shoulders. "Yup. Besides, it's not like anything interesting ever happ—WOOOOOAHHHHH!!!"
Before he could finish, the marble floor beneath his feet vanished, replaced by a gaping wide hole. With a startled yelp, Guard 3 plummeted straight down.
The remaining two guards froze, eyes wide in horror.
"What the hell!?" Guard 2 shouted. "Why is there a giant hole in the middle of the hall!?"
"You're right! We need to report this i'll go and—WAAAAAUGH!" Guard 1 didn't even finish his sentence before the floor beneath him opened up like a trapdoor from the {Trap Dustshoot} card.
Without warning, he was yanked down into the dark depths, vanishing in an instant.
Guard 2, now the only one left standing, took several cautious steps back, panic creeping into his voice. "Wh-what the hell is going on!?" As if answering his question, the ground beneath him shimmered.
Click.
A circular hatch materialized directly beneath his feet, it also looked like it was about to explode because of some pressure from its inside.
Guard 2 looked down. "Ah... fu-"
BOOM.
The round hatch literally exploded and he was rocketed straight up, before his head smashed into the ceiling, getting stuck like a nail hammered into a board. His body hung limp, unconscious.
[Mash POV]
I watched the whole thing unfold, sweat dripping down my face. "Hey, Lovely… isn't this kind of overkill?"
Lovely Labrynth giggled behind her hand, looking thoroughly pleased with herself. "Oh, darling~ do you have a better idea?" She winked. "Besides, shouldn't you be going now~?"
I sighed, shaking my head. "Alright then! Thanks a lot, my love! I'll be heading off to-"
Just as I turned, Lovely Labrynth grabbed my wrist, her face red hot. "Just one more thing before you go~"
Before I could react, she leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.
BOOM!
My brain shutdowns, My mind went pink, My face got red, red blood pouring down my nose, and my body started trembling uncontrollably.
Lovely Labrynth smirked mischievously, tilting her head. "Oho~ I love that reaction. But c'mon, darling—compose yourself!"
With just that one command, my body instantly relaxed, as if some kind of reset button had been pressed. I hurriedly wiped my nosebleed, still flustered.
"S-Sorry about that!" I hurriedly wiped my nosebleed, still flustered. "Alright then! I'm off!"
With that, I turned and sprinted toward the entrance of the Obelisk Arena.
[3rd POV]
rewind a few seconds...
The dimly lit hallway of Duel Academy was eerily silent, save for the distant thuds of 2 heavy thing crashing down, followed by a loud BOOM.
Syrus gulped, his entire body trembling. His eyes darted toward the direction of the corridor. "H-Hey… what happened to those guards…?"
Alexis crossed her arms, trying to keep her cool, but even she looked uneasy. "Whatever happened to them… it definitely didn't sound good."
Jaden blinked, tilting his head. "It almost sounded like… two guys falling into a hole and one guy getting blown sky-high!" (Author note: Holy shit MC intuition]
Taiyou took a step back, visibly rattled. "H-Hey, Chazz… let's get out of here!"
Raizou nodded rapidly. "Yeah! From the sound of it, it's probably something worse than the guards…"
Chazz, however, didn't budge. He narrowed his eyes, silencing them with a glare. "Shut up. Can't you hear it? Something's coming."
A tense silence filled the hallway. Then-
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of quick, approaching footsteps echoed through the corridor. The group stiffened, eyes locked onto the shadows ahead. A figure emmerged, and it was a young man in a red Slifer uniform, black hair swaying slightly under the dim lights.
Jaden, Syrus, and Alexis immediately recognized him. "MASH!?"
Chazz's eyes widened slightly. [Mash... I remember that name! He's that other kid who beat Crowler with that annoying Lovely Lock technique!]
Mash stopped in front of them, flashing a cocky grin and holding up a V-sign.
"Haha! Hello, surprised to see me?"
Alexis took a step forward, her expression unreadable. "Mash! What are you doing here?"
Mash smirked, hands in his pockets. "Me? Oh, nothing much. Just took care of some guards who were about to ruin my rival's duel. Nothing special."
Syrus paled. "I… I think you did more than just 'taking care' of them…"
Jaden, completely unfazed, grinned. "Thanks a lot, Mash! I really appreciate it! Now, Chazz, let's continue our duel!"
Chazz scoffed, flipping his hair back. "Tch. Our duel is over, Slifer Sludge."
[Mash: NANI!?]
Chazz crossed his arms, sounding smug. "We already put our cards back into the deck, and the duel disks don't have a feature that lets us forcefully continue a match once it's canceled. Don't you even read the manual? As expected of you, slacker."
[Mash: then... what was all that effort for-]
Ding! A soft chime can be heard in Mash head before a pop up notification of the system appear before him.
{You have completed the mission {Shoo away the guards!} Please claim your reward.}
[Mash: ...Nevermind]
Jaden, frustrated, clenched his fists. "So what!? Can't we just restart our duel!? Our match isn't over!"
Chazz, looking unimpressed, smirked. "Yeah, it is. I've seen enough of your 'skills.' You're just a sorry excuse for a duelist. Beating Professor Crowler? That was just a fluke."
Jaden's eyes burned with anger. His fists trembled. "You… coward!"
Chazz turned his back. "And besides, I can finish you off any other day. But right now…" His gaze shifted toward Mash. "It seems a new challenger has arrived." He smirked. "How about it, Mash? You up for a duel?"
Mash let out a loud, exhausted yawn. "Goodbye." Without another word, he turned a 180° and started walking toward the Obelisk Arena corridor. "It's probably like… fuckin, 1 AM right now," he muttered. "After all the crap I just did, I'd rather get some sleep."
Chazz, however, wasn't done. He attempting to provoke him. "Ha! As expected of a Slifer Slacker! Running away like cowards!"
Mash lazily waved him off and then flipping him the middle finger. "Yeah, yeah. Say what you want, I don't give a fuck. I'm tired. Just go ahead and continue your duel with Jaden. I'm going to bed."
He stepped closer to the corridor, fully intent on leaving this asscrap behind, Until-
Chazz scoffed, voice dripping with arrogance, his last attempt at trying to provoke. "Yeah, right. After all, your Ugly Labrynth is probably no match for me."
Mash froze mid-step.
A dark, sinister aura began to seep out of his body, spreading like a slow-burning fire fueled not from fear, but rage.
Chazz smirked. "Oh? Did I hit a nerve?" His voice turned mocking. "I'll say this personally, but your Lovely Labrynth ace?" He grinned maliciously. "SHE LOOKED LIKE ABSOLUTE SHIT! right guys?"
Taiyou immediately followed up. "Yeah! Ugly Labrynth! Ugly Labrynth!"
Raizou laughed. "My mom probably looks prettier than your Lovely Labrynth! She's so ugly!"
A suffocating silence filled the hall. Mash didn't move. His eyes, previously half-lidded with exhaustion, widened dangerously.
Then, in a slow, deliberate motion... He turned back.
The air around him grew heavy. A pressure, thick like suffocating heat, made Taiyou and Raizou shudder. Chazz took a single step back, sweat forming on his temple.
Mash glared at him.
He raised a hand, pointing directly at Chazz. "You…" His voice, dripping with venom, came out in a low, menacing tone.
"I challenge you to a duel."
______________________________________________________________________________________________
HELLO IM GOOD HERE! FUCKING HELL ITS A FUCKING LONG ASS CHAPTER WITH 4000 WORDS!!!! AND ALSO WHEN I PUBLISH THIS, ITS LITERALLY EXACTLY 3 AM!!!! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
hello, its me again after i calmed down. anyway, the reason why this chapter is so long its because i purposely made it so that the next chapter will focus about dueling. also im very sorry about not uploading yesterday, i gotten a little busy and also because this chapter way too fucking long.
anyway, enough of my rant. thank you for reading this chapter and i hope you enjoy it. im really sorry if i make some mistakes or errors