The last thing Kaito remembered was the blaring honk of a truck and the suffocating crunch of metal. One moment, he had been on his way home from a local card shop, a new Blue-Eyes White Dragon card glinting in its pristine sleeve. The next, darkness. Cold, suffocating, and final.
So when he opened his eyes to find himself in a lavish dorm room decorated in hues of blue and silver, he thought he was dreaming. But dreams didn't come with the weight of nostalgia or the clarity of pain.
"Where... am I?" he murmured, sitting up.
A mirror across the room revealed a younger reflection than he remembered—sharper eyes, a leaner frame, and striking silver-blue hair that shimmered in the morning sun. He was no longer the high school senior from Tokyo. He was someone else.
The door creaked open.
"Rise and shine, newbie," a tall Obelisk Blue student greeted. "Orientation starts in thirty. Dean Crowler doesn't tolerate tardiness."
"Orientation?"
"You really hit your head or something? Duel Academy! You know, Kaiba Corp?"
Kaito's blood turned to ice.
Duel Academy. Kaiba Corp. Blue dorms.
This was the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.
Orientation was held in the grand main hall of Duel Academy, its high ceiling lined with holographic projectors showcasing legendary duel monsters. Kaito kept his head low, absorbing everything. He saw Jaden Yuki enter, yawning with that same carefree grin he remembered from the anime.
"Jaden..."
It was surreal. The real Jaden. Not pixels on a screen.
"Welcome, new students," Dr. Crowler announced from the podium, his voice nasally and imperious. "You are the future of Dueling! Whether you end up as Slifer slackers or Obelisk elites, your performance will decide your worth."
Kaito's fingers brushed the deck in his coat pocket. It was still there. He had checked three times already. Blue-Eyes White Dragon. His favorite card since childhood.
When the orientation ended, students were split into dorms. Obelisk Blue students were led to a coastal cliffside mansion. Kaito found himself in a room he somehow already felt familiar with.
"Kaito Shirogane," he read off the dorm listing. That was his name now.
He had been reborn.
Later that evening, Kaito stood on the academy's dueling platform, gazing out over the ocean. He needed to make sense of things.
"A duel might help," he said quietly.
As if summoned by fate, footsteps echoed behind him.
"Yo! You lookin' to duel?"
Jaden Yuki.
Kaito turned. "I suppose I am."
Jaden grinned. "Cool! I'm Jaden Yuki, by the way."
"Kaito Shirogane. Obelisk Blue."
"Let's make this a good one!"
The duel disks activated with a hiss, projecting the life point counters.
Jaden Yuki - 4000 LP
Kaito Shirogane - 4000 LP
"I'll start!" Jaden drew. "I summon Elemental HERO Avian in attack mode, and set one card. Turn end!"
Kaito drew his first card, his heart racing.
"My turn. I summon The White Stone of Legend. Then I activate Trade-In, discarding Blue-Eyes White Dragon to draw two."
Jaden blinked. "Wait... Blue-Eyes?"
"Next, I activate Return of the Dragon Lords, special summoning Blue-Eyes from the graveyard."
The air shimmered as the majestic dragon emerged, its roar echoing across the platform.
"Woah... now that's a monster."
"Battle. Blue-Eyes, destroy Avian!"
Jaden's monster exploded into shards of light.
Jaden Yuki - 2600 LP
"I set one card and end my turn."
Jaden drew. "Alright, you got power, but let's see how you handle fusion! I play Polymerization to fuse Burstinatrix and Avian from my hand into Flame Wingman!"
Flame Wingman landed with a dramatic pose.
"Flame Wingman attacks White Stone!"
The little dragon was incinerated.
Kaito Shirogane - 3100 LP
"And Flame Wingman's effect burns you for the destroyed monster's attack points!"
Kaito Shirogane - 2900 LP
"I set a card and end."
Kaito smirked. "I activate Silver's Cry to bring back another Blue-Eyes!"
The second dragon soared beside the first.
"Then I summon Maiden with Eyes of Blue. Battle! First Blue-Eyes attacks Flame Wingman!"
Both monsters clashed and Jaden braced himself as his monster shattered.
Jaden Yuki - 1900 LP
"Second Blue-Eyes attacks directly!"
Jaden Yuki - 100 LP
"And finally, Maiden attacks!"
Maiden lunged forward, ending the duel.
Jaden Yuki - 0 LP
Kaito exhaled.
"Man... you're really good," Jaden said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That Blue-Eyes deck is scary."
"Thanks," Kaito replied, offering a hand. "You're not bad either."
Jaden took it. "This year's gonna be fun."
As they walked back to the dorms, Kaito looked up at the stars.
He had no idea how or why he was here. But if he had a second chance at life—a life with Duel Monsters and dragons and destiny...
He wouldn't waste it.
Not this time.