One morning, a truck filled with armored men stormed up the stairs.
“Who’s there? No running in the hall… You’ll tear up the floorboards,” Professor Banner asked as he opened the door and saw the men. “T-The Academia Ethics Committee that could scare a crying child into silence? The people whose merest glare means your certain expulsion… What are they doing in my dorm?”
Jaden, Syrus, and Rainbow Dash were sleeping peacefully as the leader of the Ethics Committee knocked on the door. “Open up! Open this door! Open up! Open up!” She yelled.
“What’s going on? So annoying…,” Jaden groaned as he got up.
“If you don’t open this door at once, I’ll blow it open!” She threatened them.
“Blow it open? Blow it open… H-Hey, wait a minute!” Jaden realized what was going on and answered the door.
“Jaden Yuki, Rainbow Dash, and Syrus Trusedale. You’re the ringleader, Jaden Yuki, correct?” The woman asked.
“Huh? Ringleader?” Jaden asked as the others got up.
“I’m going to take you three to the court of inquiry,” She explained as the three looked at each other, confused.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Expelled?!” The three were shocked.
“At dawn this morning, three people, one of whom was Jaden Yuki, entered the closed-off, forbidden special dorm, and wreaked havoc on the interior. We have completed our investigation,” the woman explained. “We also have heard that other individuals from across the other dorm colors may have broken in as well, but their punishment will be less severe seeing as how you three were the reason they were there.”
“Look, we did make a bad decision by going in there, but we were also there to stop some crooks and to help our friends!” Rainbow Dash explained.
“I’ll do anything you ask… Just give me a chance,” Jaden pleaded.
“Then allow me to propose another manner of penalty. It will be a punitive tag-team duel for you and Syrus! Rainbow Dash will get her own separate opponent later,” Crowler decided.
“A punitive tag-team duel?” Jaden asked.
“Precisely… Jaden Yuki and Syrus Truesdale, you two will participate in a duel as a tsag team. If you win this duel, you will be acquitted!”
“A tag-team duel, huh? Sounds interesting.”
“Huh? This isn’t good, Bro…” Syrus was more worried.
“As for me, I’ll take on anyone you throw my way! After all, I’m one of the best duelists here!” Rainbow agreed. However, she then realized something. “How about I duel with Jaden? Syrus can just be let off the hook. We forced him to be there!”
“I'm afraid that you all need to be punished. Headmaster, it appears the accused has given his consent,” Crowler told Shephard.
“Then I suppose it must be done,” Shepherd agreed.
“Lose, and you’ll be expelled! In time, I shall announce your punitive tag-team duel opponent. I already have in mind a special guest for Rainbow Dash to duel against,” Crowler informed the trio.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Chancellor’s office…
“Like I said earlier, I was one of the main people wanting to go into the dorm. So please, just let Syrus go!” Rainbow pleaded.
“I was there as well,” both Alexis and Twilight said as they entered the room.
“I was trying to find out more about the you-know-what and also wanted to prove a point. I also deserve to have to duel someone. Please! Let me duel in Syrus’ place,” Twilight also pleaded.
“They mainly went in there to help me. So please, let me be Jaden’s tag-team partner,” Alexis said. “Besides, it seems like when he’s around, everyone gets a little strange.”
“I truly understand how you feel. But the pairing of Jaden and Syrus was decided by the court of inquiry. You all have your respective punishments. No further discussion,” The Chancellor said.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I can’t do it! We’re gonna lose and be expelled! Rainbow, please trade with me!” Syrus hugged Rainbow when she returned and begged.
“I was gonna do that, really I was. But it looks like the court of inquiry’s decision can’t be changed… I’m sorry, Syrus,” Rainbow apologized. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go meet up with Twilight and Spike.”
As Rainbow left and Syrus didn’t know what to do, Jaden said, “Don’t worry, Syrus. We’ve just gotta win.”
“That’s easy for you to say, Bro. Have you ever fought a tag-team duel?” Syrus asked.
“No. But that’s what makes it interesting.”
“H-Hey, now…”
“If you really want to play my little brother, you should be able to work hard without complaint. I still don’t know much about your deck. Why don’t we start with a duel to see what you can do?”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So, Twilight, what exactly are you trying to do, again?” Rainbow Dash asked her eggheaded friend.
“There is someone here at Duel Academy that is looking to see you and Jaden disappear. After all, those crooks that attacked us couldn’t have come from nowhere,” Twilight began.
“Yeah! And I bet they’re also the ones who sent Syrus that letter and squealed about us going to the abandoned dorm,” Spike added on.
“I think so too. Anyways, I’ve done some asking around and so far no one’s handwriting matches the one in the letter and no one I’ve asked in Obelisk Blue or Ra Yellow seems to have any clue who could have been responsible,” Twilight said.
“So, you want me to go and ask those punks and force the truth out of them if I can?” Rainbow guessed.
“Actually, I was planning to ask if you or Jaden have made any enemies at Duel Academy since you got here,” Twilight revealed.
“Oh. Okay. Well, to be honest, while there are many people that likely don’t like us for being Slifer Red’s I can’t think of any enemies that would want us ruined. Except-,” Rainbow Dash had an idea. “Chazz.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jaden and Syrus got outside to duel close to the ocean, both ready to duel. Meanwhile, Fluttershy had found out about what had happened and decided to cheer both duelist’s on.
“Um, good luck you two,” Fluttershy wished them luck. “I just wish there was more I could do to help.”
“They’ll be fine. I thought he would be depressed over the punitive tag-team duel ruling, but Jaden looks like he’s having fun,” Alexis said as she approached. “Everyone who interacts with Jaden feels inspired by him. I’m sure Syrus will too.”
“Don’t hold back… Don’t treat it as a test of strength. Let’s just enjoy the duel,” Jaden said.
“How can he be having so much fun with this? We’re as good as expelled,” Syrus muttered to himself.
“Did you say something?” Jaden asked.
“N-Nothing…
“Okay, let’s duel!”
“Let’s duel.”
“It’s my turn! Draw! Okay, I summon Elemental HERO Avian in attack position (1000)! Then I set one card on the field and end my turn,” Jaden played.
“My turn. Draw. All right! Patroid’s attack points can beat Bro’s Avian! A good start is half the match!” Syrus then thought of how Jaden would respect him and want him to be his big Bro after this move. “I summon Patroid in attack position (1200)! Okay! Let’s battle! Go Patroid! Signal Attack!”
“I activate my trap card Negate Attack,” Jaden played.
“It’s draining Patroid’s energy!” Syrus cried out.
“So much for his attack,” Fluttershy said as she shook her head. Suddenly, she felt Pharaoh the cat rubbing against her legs and she picked him up and pet him. “Who’s a good boy?”
“This is what I was worried about. As a tag-team partner, Syrus could be a weight around Jaden’s neck,” Alexis brought up her concerns.
“Yeah, but maybe he could still be a good duelist. He just needs to believe he can,” Fluttershy said.
“And here, I though I’d start off so cool…” Syrus muttered to himself.
“Syrus, don’t you look at anything but the monsters’ attack points?” Jaden asked.
“Of course I do!” Syrus countered.
“Patroid has an effect that would have let you check my side of the field. That would’ve let you see that I had Negate Attack out,” Jaden explained.
“Knock it off! I don’t want to hear lectures, just because you’re my big bro!” Syrus yelled.
“What’s wrong, Syrus? You aren’t acting like yourself,” Jaden pointed out, much to Syrus’s shock.
“I’m sorry. I think something’s wrong with me. Even though you’re trying so hard to give me advice…” Syrus said.
“No, I guess it did sound kinda like a lecture,” Jaden admitted. “There’s no hierarchy among duelists. Let’s drop the advice and get serious! It’s my turn! Draw! I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman in attack position (1600). Here I go, Syrus! Sparkman, use Spark Flash on Patroid! Attack Syrus directly, Avian! I set one card and end my turn.”
Jaden
4000
Syrus
2600
“Sheesh. It isn’t nice to get so serious that suddenly, Bro…,” Syrus sheepishly said.
“He’s already lost the will to fight?” Alexis wondered. “Keep going, Syrus!”
Fluttershy, feeling inspired, yelled, “Don’t give up! You may feel powerless, but you can do this! Give it everything and you’ll see that you can be a winner!”
“Fluttershy… Who was said to be a shy and meek individual is cheering me on. She’s right. I can’t give up! It’s my turn!” Syrus yelled.
“Wow, Fluttershy. You can be pretty emotional when you want to be. In fact, it looks like your encouragement has rekindled his will to fight,” Alexis pointed out as Fluttershy blushed.
“Well, I just don’t want him to give up so soon. I see how I am in him and I want him to be better,” Fluttershy explained.
“Well, you can’t really be that bad if you can manage to see so much in your friend,” Alexis commented.
“Draw!” ‘None of the monsters in my hand can beat Bro’s...;’ “I activate the spell card Pot of greed from my hand! I draw two cards from my deck. After the draw, Pot of Greed is destroyed,” Syrus was shocked to see that he drew Power Bond.
‘What’s wrong with Syrus? Did he draw a really good card or something?” Jaden wondered.
“Power Bond is used just like Polymerization. You can Special Summon a Machine-Type Fusion Monster, plus its attack points are doubled. But my big brother said I couldn’t use this card yet, and declared it off-limits,” Syrus said to himself.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
‘Back then, I was still in elementary school, and I was dueling a bully named Gorisuke. He always picked on me, and I finally had a chance to repay him in a duel.’
Syrus
1600
Gorisuke
1900
“I-It’s my turn! Draw!” ‘I drew it! The Power Bond I got from my brother! With this in my hand, the match is mine! Great… IF I use this card to Special Summon Steam Gyroid, its attack points will be doubled, which makes 4400 attack points. Subtracting Gearfried’s 1800… It’ll deal 2600 damage to Gorisuke for a huge victory! I’ll get to make that big bully Gorisuke cry!’
“What’s with you? You drew a pretty good card, huh? You’re such a creep,” Gorisuke mocked.
In response, Syrus laughed. “Gorisuke, in the past, you’ve certainly bullied me and made fun of me. But it is time that the power balance shifted.”
“H-Huh?”
“Falter, flinch, and kneel! You cowardly gorilla!”
“Why, you… If you lose after all that bragging, you’re gonna eat those words!”
“If that happens, I’ll walk a lap around the school on my hands in my underwear.”
“Okay, that’s a promise between men.”
“Now it’s time to make the gorilla cry. Watch this! The killer card my brother gave me-,”
“Wait!” A voice yelled, causing Syrus to fall over comically.
“Who’s getting in my way?” Syrus demanded, only to be shocked to see it was his older brother, Zane.
“Hey, Sorry. If I give you this, could you pretend this duel never happened?” Zane asked.
“Well, I don’t mind quitting. Why did you stop me?! This turn, I was gonna win!” Syrus yelled.
“You aren’t worthy to use that card yet. Until you really have what it takes to be called a duelist, I declare that card off-limits.”
“Why? Why?”
“You really don’t understand? Then look at this card he had set on the field.”
“Spellbinding Circle…”
“As long as this card is on the field, the designated opponent monster cannot attack and cannot switch battle position. A Fusion Monster’s attack points are doubled when Special Summoned by Power Bond. But the attendant risk is that, during your own End Phase, the monster’s original attack points would be dealt to you as damage.” At this, Syrus was starting to cry. “Even if you had Special Summoned Steam Gyroid, not only would its attack have missed, but the risk associated with Power Bond means you would have taken damage equal to its original attack points. You would have lost.” Zane finished as Syrus fell to his knees in tears.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It took some time, but the trio eventually found Chazz Princeton sitting outside of the Obelisk Blue dorm.
“Hey, Chazz!” Rainbow yelled, getting his attention.
“Oh, great! It’s the two scrubs from the dropouts and their nerdy friend. Can you please leave me alone? I’m trying to relax here and I’d rather not have to deal with you right now,” Chazz sneered.
“Look, Chazz. We know it’s you so the sooner you admit it the sooner things will be over it,” Spike said.
“Um, guys? Don’t we only have suspicions?” Twilight asked the other two.
“Admit to what? I’m not a loser! That Jaden just got lucky is all! I’ll prove to him and everyone at this school that I am the best there is, at least in this year!” Chazz suddenly yelled.
“Uh, we didn’t mention your loss to Jaden,” Spike pointed out.
Chazz suddenly looked flustered. “Ignore that comment. Anyways, can you losers hurry up and tell me why you are really here then?”
“We’re here because you have been trying to get Jaden and me expelled since we got here! You challenged him to an illegal match on night one, sent a phony love letter to try to accuse him of being a peeper, and you hired two creeps to try and get rid of us! Admit it, already so we can finally get you kicked out like you deserve!” Rainbow yelled.
All of a sudden, Chazz laughed. “You seriously think I’m trying to expel you, like some sort of supervillain? Look, I don’t like any of you three that much, I’ll admit it. But I haven’t broken the rules since night one nor have I had anything to do with expelling you. So please, just leave me alone to relax before I do my work.”
“Okay, but just to be sure, can I get a sample of your handwriting?” Twilight asked.
“What?” Chazz was confused.
“She wants to compare your handwriting to the phony love letter’s. And please, don’t fake it,” Spike explained.
“Fine. But afterwards can you leave me alone?” After a nod from Twilight, Chazz wrote down his name as a sample of his writing. Looking over it, Twilight realized that Chazz wasn’t the culprit.
“Okay, you’re in the clear, Chazz. But if I find out that you had any connection to these events you will be in trouble, I assure you!” Rainbow Dash warned.
“Whatever. You dropouts likely won’t last much longer anyway. Now, can you leave me alone?” Chazz asked as the trio finally left him alone.
“And it appears as if suspect number one was a bust,” Rainbow growled.
“I know, but there are many other culprits for us to look for. We just need to find them before they can get away,” Spike said as the trio split off for the time being. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I’m not worthy to use this card. Use of this card is still off-limits,” Syrus told himself as he started trembling.
‘What? Now he’s trembling?’ Jaden was confused. “Hey! What’s wrong?”
“I activate a spell card from my hand! Polymerization! Watch me, Bro… This time I’ll pay you back with a Fusion Monster! I fuse Gyrois and Steamroid in my hand, and I Fusion Summon Steam Gyroid (2200 Attack)! Now battle Avian! Hurricane Smoke! I end my turn. Well, Bro? Ready to give up?
Jaden
2800
Syrus
2600
However, Jaden wasn’t ready to give up. In fact, he was laughing. “Now that’s how a duel’s gotta be! Syrus, this is starting to get pretty interesting. Okay! Let’s both get serious!
“R-Right…,” Syrus agreed reluctantly.
“My turn! Draw! Okay! I activate my spell card Polymerization from my hand! Sparkman and Clayman, use your power to bring a new force into being. I summon Elemental HERO Thunder Giant (2400 Attack)!” Jaden played.
As a massive thunderstorm was occurring at the summoning of the monster, Pharaoh jumped out of Fluttershy’s arms.
“Now the battle is decided. Thunder Giant can destroy one monster whose original attack points are lower than its own,” Alexis informed Fluttershy.
“But, that means Syrus will lose!” Fluttershy yelled.
“Vapor Spark! Jaden yelled as his Thunder Giant destroyed Steam Gyroid.
“My favorite card!” Syrus cried out.
“Now I summon Elemental HERO Burstinatrix from my hand (1200 Attack)! I attack you directly! Voltic Thunder! And another direct attack! Burst Fire!” Jaden yelled as Syrus was attacked again, his life points lowering to zero. “Gotcha! Syrus, that was a fun duel!”
“I knew it, I’m no good. There’s no way we can win that tag-team duel,” Syrus moped on the ground.
“What are you talking about? Sure, you got kicked around at the end there, but till then, it could’ve gone either way. When you drew that card, you got this weird expression on your face. Let me see your hand,” Jaden said as he picked up Syrus’s cards. “Huh? Why didn’t you use Power Bond? If you had, you would have doubled your attack points. Steam Gyroid would’ve become a powerful monster with 4400 attack points.”
“I can’t do that!” Syrus countered as he got up. “My brother declared that card off-limits!” Syrus grabbed back his cards. “There’s just no way I can be in a tag team with you, Bro!” Syrus was quick to run off, with Fluttershy and Alexis just looking as he ran off.
After that, the duo went on down to talk with Jaden.
“You usually have so much fun dueling. What happened today? You look so unsatisfied,” Alexis questioned.
“You know… Duels should be fun, right? But when Syrus was dueling he seemed kind of tortured. He had a killer card like Power Bond, but he didn’t use it. Something about his brother putting it off-limits,” Jaden explained as Alexis and Fluttershy looked shocked. “What is it?”
“Syrus does have a real big brother. And he’s at this academy. Among the Obelisk Blue third-years, he’s the top player, Zane Truesdale. People call him the emperor of Duel Academy, the Kaiser,” Alexis explained.
“Just what happened between Syrus and his brother?” Jaden was curious.
“I know. I have a brother back at home that is known for his laziness and can’t believe in himself. I can’t stand to see Syrus potentially end up like that. He has plenty of potential to be a great duelist, just like I have a lot of potential,” Fluttershy agreed.
After a minute of thinking, Jaden said, “Okay! I’ll just have to duel his brother and find out!”
“Me too! I want to be able to help out Syrus!” Fluttershy agreed with a normally unseen courage.
“What? But guys. You heard what I said. Zane Truesdale is the top... “ Alexis tried to protest.
“The top player of the Obelisk Blue third-years. And he has a nickname like the “Kaiser” or something. Things have finally gotten really interesting!” Jaden was psyched up to duel.
“I may not have the most passion when it comes to Duel Monsters, but I agree that we should try and face him and find out the truth,” Fluttershy agreed.
“Jaden, you really are… very interesting. And it seems like our friends are as well,” Alexis said to herself.