About an hour later, Jaden returned to the dorm looking far more refreshed than when he had left. His hair was still slightly damp from the shower, and a towel hung loosely around his neck as he stepped inside with the relaxed air of someone who had just survived the infamous Slifer Red bathroom line.
"Hey, the bathroom's finally free after that awful line. Maybe you guys should—"
He didn't even finish the sentence before instinct kicked in.
Jaden abruptly ducked.
WOOSH!!!
A thick textbook sliced through the air exactly where his head had been a second earlier and slammed into the wall behind him.
"Whoa! What the—?!"
The scene he stepped into looked less like a dorm room and more like a battlefield.
Mash and Chumley were locked in a full-scale war, hurling anything within arm's reach at each other with reckless enthusiasm. Books, pillows, loose notebooks—nothing was safe.
Chumley grabbed another book from the pile beside his bed and hurled it across the room with surprising force. "Using traps like that is such a cowardly move!" he shouted.
Mash sidestepped the projectile with casual ease, barely even glancing at it.
"THAT IS MY DECK PLAYSTYLE, YOU DUMBFUCK!!!" Mash shot back immediately, grabbing a pillow and whipping it straight at Chumley's face. "Also, why should I listen to the fatass who couldn't even last three turns! Maybe that's why you had to repeat a year!"
The pillow smacked Chumley squarely in the face.
He yanked it away with a furious glare. "Shut up! Anyone who simps over card artwork has zero right to lecture me!"
Without missing a beat, Mash bent down, picked up the same book Chumley had thrown earlier, and pulled his arm back like a pitcher preparing a fastball. "Fatass!"
"Simp!" Chumley mirrored the motion, gripping the pillow like it was a weapon of war.
"Eat this!" They both said at the same time alongside both of them launched their ammunition at the exact same moment. Unfortunately, right in the middle of the projectile's flight path, Jaden stepped forward and threw his hands up at both of them.
"Stop-!"
The pillow slammed directly into his face. The book followed half a second later, its corner clobbering the back of his skull. Both projectiles hit with enough force to make him stumble.
Mash and Chumley instantly froze.
The pillow slowly slid down Jaden's face and dropped to the floor. What it revealed was an expression neither of them particularly wanted to see.
Jaden was glaring at both of them with the kind of quiet fury that made the entire room feel ten degrees colder.
The silence that followed stretched awkwardly.
Finally, Chumley pointed accusingly at Mash. "It's his fault! His deck is cancer!"
Mash instantly snapped back, pointing right at him. "Not my fault you can't handle losing! That's just a skill issue!"
"Shut it, Simp!"
"You too, Fatass!"
The shouting match reignited like someone had just dumped gasoline onto a bonfire. Insults flew back and forth at lightning speed while Jaden stood between them, his head turning left and right as if he were watching the most ridiculous tennis match in existence.
2 minutes later.
Chumley lay face-down across the top bunk with a massive swollen bump rising on the back of his head. Meanwhile, Mash sat on the floor below, rubbing an equally impressive lump on his own skull.
The culprit stood between them.
Jaden crossed his arms and looked down at Mash with a deeply unimpressed expression while slowly shaking his head.
"That's so not cool, man," he said firmly. "And you too, Chumley."
Mash lowered his head, suddenly feeling the weight of guilt settle in his chest.
From above, Chumley let out a low, pained groan.
Jaden glanced around the dorm room, his brow furrowing slightly. "Hey… where's Syrus?"
Chumley rolled onto his back lazily. "Syrus? Oh, he's gonzo. Said he was heading out for some fresh air."
"BZZT! Wrong."
Mash suddenly spoke up, smirking as he lifted a piece of paper and waved it dramatically in front of Jaden's face. A lipstick kiss mark sat squarely in the middle of it.
"Syrus didn't leave for fresh air," Mash said. "He left because of this."
Jaden leaned closer, squinting at the paper. "Wait… is that a love letter? What does that have to do with Syrus?"
"Well, you see, Jay," Mash began, holding the letter up like he was unveiling a grand mystery. "Both Syrus and I found one of these waiting in our lockers after PE."
Jaden blinked slowly.
"…Are you bragging that some girl hit on both you and Syrus?"
"Just listen first!" Mash snapped. "Yeah, it looks like a love letter, and yeah, it reads like one too. But it's actually a trap. A setup. And I'm ninety-nine percent sure Professor Crowler is behind it."
Jaden's eyes widened.
"No way…"
"Oh, but it gets better," Mash continued dramatically, lowering his voice like he was revealing a conspiracy. "At the end of the letter... after all the gushy cringe stuff, it tells the reader to meet her at the Obelisk Girls' Dorm."
He paused for emphasis.
"Tonight."
Jaden's jaw dropped. "That means… Syrus is in trouble!"
He immediately spun around and bolted for the door, only for Mash to grab his wrist before he could take two steps.
"Mash! What are you doing?! Let go!" Jaden protested.
"I know you're worried..." Mash said calmly, holding firm. "But if you run in there right now, you're walking straight into the trap too! That's exactly what that walking Pot of Greed wants! You'll get expelled just like Syrus!"
"Then what should I do?!" he shouted. "Just let Syrus go and get himself expelled?!"
Jaden's frustration flared instantly. "Then what am I supposed to do? Just let Syrus walk into expulsion by himself?!"
Mash released his wrist and took a breath. "Look… you trust me, right?"
Jaden hesitated.
"You trusted what I just told you just now without proof, right?" Mash continued. "Look. I'll explain everything later, but right now I'm asking you to trust me this once just one more time."
Jaden stared at him, lips pressed into a thin line as he thought it over.
"…Alright," he finally said. "Then what's the plan?"
"For now?" Mash shrugged. "Just do nothing. Don't worry, Syrus will be fine."
Jaden's eyes narrowed. "…And why is that?"
Mash met his gaze with the most serious expression he could manage. "Didn't I just say to trust me? Just this once, trust me fully without asking questions, okay?"
Mash and Jaden locked eyes. Mash could feel his heart beating faster the longer the silence stretched.
Then Jaden suddenly cracked a small grin.
"Alright! I trust you, dude," he said. "I know you wouldn't put Syrus in danger or have any ill intent on him. He'll probably be fine, right? Or atleast won't get into any trouble."
"Well..." I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "He might get into a little trouble. But it's the kind of trouble we can handle."
Jaden blinked. "…We?"
Mash shrugged again. "Look man, I already told you to trust me, alright?"
Jaden chuckled and shook his head.
"Yeah. yeah, I know. But you're being ridiculously vague, dude, you know that?" he said. "But whatever. I already decided I'm trusting you, so I'll roll with it."
Mash held up a fist with a grin. "Thanks, man. Appreciate it."
Jaden fist-bumped him back with that signature Jaden smirk. "No problem! Sooo, since we're just sitting around waiting... how about a game?"
Mash eyes lit up. "Like dueling? I'm always up for a duel if you-"
"No," Jaden cut in flatly.
Mash blinked. "...Okay, damn."
Inside his head, Mash felt genuine confusion.
[Wasn't Jaden supposed to jump at any opportunity to duel?]
That was practically his entire personality.
[Then again, maybe even the future King of Duel needed a break sometimes... Maybe.]
[Also, for those of you who didn't watch the anime, if you're wondering why I let Syrus go to the girls' dorm despite the fact that getting caught there means expulsion, don't worry. Syrus ran into Alexis and her two friends. And instead of reporting him, Alexis decided to use him as bait to lure Jaden in for a duel. So yeah, Syrus is fine. Probably.]
[As for Crowler? The Mofo got so caught off guard when it wasn't Jaden who showed up, some random girls spotted him instantly. He barely escaped by diving straight into the sea.]
With that reassuring mental image in mind, Mash turned his attention back to Jaden.
"So," he asked casually, "what game are we playing?"
Jaden's face immediately lit up with enthusiasm. He rushed over to his bag and began rummaging through it with the frantic energy of a kid searching for a long-forgotten Christmas present.
"We're playing this!"
He pulled out a sleek handheld gaming console that looked suspiciously similar to a portable system from Mash's previous life. Jaden waved it proudly before adding, "Syrus has another one in his bag. We usually play fighting games on these."
Before Mash could even respond, Jaden had already grabbed Syrus's bag, dug through it, and tossed a second device across the room.
Mash caught it easily, his curiosity instantly piqued as he examined the device in his hands.
[Wait a second…] he thought, turning it over.
Up until now, he had assumed that Duel Monsters dominated the entertainment industry in this world so completely that little else existed.
Apparently, he had been very wrong.
The back of the device displayed a large, unmistakable logo.
KaibaCorp.
Beneath it, the product name was printed in bold letters.
KAIBA DS.
Mash stared at the logo for a moment before letting out a quiet snort.
[Of course it's Kaiba.]
If there was a profitable market anywhere in the world, Seto Kaiba probably had his fingers wrapped tightly around it. Running the entire entertainment industry alongside Duel Monsters honestly felt completely in character.
Mash smirked as he powered the device on. "Alright then, Jaden," he said. "Let's play."
10 minutes later
Both boys leaned toward their screens, fingers flying across the buttons as they battled in a colorful fighting game that looked suspiciously familiar to Mash.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Jaden protested, leaning closer to his screen in frustration. "Why do you keep throwing that stupid fireball from the edge of the screen?! Be a man and fight me up close!"
Mash didn't even look up from the match.
"Maybe because I'm playing a zoner, Jay," he replied smugly while launching yet another projectile. "Zoning people out from across the screen is literally the whole point of the character. And for the record, this is my first time playing this game! Don't you think I'm doing pretty well?"
In reality, the game was basically a reskinned version of Street Fighter. The character Mash had chosen was essentially a fire-themed version of Guile.
Unfortunately for Jaden, Guile had been Mash's main for years. The outcome of this match had been decided the moment the character select screen appeared.
Just then, a buzzing sound broke through the room.
Jaden's PDA, which had been sitting on the table nearby, lit up with an incoming notification.
"Hey, Jay," Mash said casually without looking away from the screen. "Your PDA's ringing."
Jaden glanced over for a split second and Mash's grin widened immediately.
"Anyway… here's my super."
Jaden's attention snapped back to the screen, but it was already too late. Mash's character unleashed a blazing combo attack that tore through Jaden's remaining health bar like a missile strike.
"Aw man, that's so cheesy!" Jaden groaned as his character collapsed in defeat.
Mash stuck his tongue out triumphantly. "That's payback for earlier."
Jaden crossed his arms, clearly still a little salty about the loss.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he muttered before grabbing his PDA. "Now let's see what this is about."
He tapped the notification, opening a voice message. Both of them leaned closer as the recording began to play.
A distorted voice echoed from the speaker.
"We have your roommate, Syrus. If you want him back, come to the girls' dorm… and bring Mash with you."
The message ended with an ominous silence.
Then a sharp ding sounded inside Mash's mind as a translucent interface appeared in front of him as his Master Duel System activated, automatically opening the Mission tab.
{Missions:}
Survive all four seasons of GX: 0 / 4Reward: 100,000 Credits
[NEW MISSION] Help Jaden save Syrus! — INCOMPLETEReward: 2,000 Credits
[SECRET MISSION] Duel against Jaden and win — COMPLETEReward: 500 Credits
[SECRET MISSION] Duel against Jaden 5 times and win — COMPLETEReward: 1,000 Credits
[SECRET MISSION] Duel against Jaden 10 times and win — COMPLETEReward: 1,500 Credits
[CLAIM ALL] — More missions are coming soon.
Excited didn't even begin to describe what Mash felt in that moment. Just from dueling Jaden repeatedly, he had already earned enough credits to pull thirty card packs.
And now this new mission reward?
That was another thirty packs waiting to be opened.
[Fifty pulls in total…]
Mash could practically see the ultra-rare crafting materials piling up in his future.
Credits: 0 → 3000
"Hey, Mash!"
Jaden's voice snapped him out of his trance.
"Huh? Oh!" Mash blinked and shook his head. "What's up?"
Jaden gave him a suspicious look. "jeez, man… what were you daydreaming about just now? Don't tell me you're still thinking about that girl from the love letter."
Mash rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Oh please. If that girl were even half as elegant, beautiful, and absolutely perfect as my Lovely Labrynth, I'd marry her on the spot. Unfortunately, no one at this academy comes remotely close."
Jaden chuckled at the absurd declaration.
"Well, in that case," he said, standing up, "let's go drag Syrus out of whatever mess he wandered into."
Mash stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles before nodding confidently.
"Let's roll."
The two of them quickly left the dorm and headed straight for the docks near the Slifer Red building. The old wooden pier creaked under their footsteps as they approached one of the small rowing boats tied along the water's edge.
Jaden hopped into the boat first.
Meanwhile, Mash casually picked up the paddles and handed them over.
"Alright, Jaden," he said cheerfully. "Let's move out."
Jaden blinked in confusion. "…You're not going to help row?"
Mash raised both hands innocently.
"With these flimsy twig arms?" he replied with a shrug. "Honestly, it'd probably go faster if you just did it yourself."
Jaden stared at him with a long, tired side-eye then he sighed dramatically and started rowing anyway.
---
After several minutes of steady rowing, the quiet waters around Duel Academy began to shift as a new structure came into view. The dock belonging to the Obelisk Blue Girls' Dorm slowly emerged from the darkness.
Four figures were already waiting there.
Three of them wore the crisp blue uniforms of Obelisk students.
The tallest among them, standing confidently at the front, had long blonde hair that shimmered faintly in the moonlight, Alexis. Beside her stood two other girls: one with short brown hair, Jasmine, whose posture carried a constant edge of irritation, and another with a neat black bob, Mindy, who looked slightly more relaxed but still observant.
And then there was Syrus.
The poor guy looked like he had been dragged straight out of a low-budget hostage scene. His hands were tied together with rope, his glasses sat crooked on his face, and his normally fluffy blue hair had frizzed into an anxious mess. The way his shoulders trembled suggested he was one nervous twitch away from collapsing entirely.
As the boat drifted up to the dock, Mash took one look at the scene and immediately let out a long, impressed whistle.
"Damn, Syrus..." he called out with a grin. "Didn't realize you were into bondage. Three girls too, huh? Whoo... Lucky guy."
"Knock it off, Mash," Jaden muttered with a tired shake of his head.
He looked up at their tied-up friend. "Alright, Sy. Care to explain how you ended up like that?"
Syrus sagged where he stood, his entire body drooping with defeat.
"Well…" he said miserably, "to make a long story short, I'm basically just a big loser."
Before Jaden could respond, Jasmine stepped forward with her arms crossed tightly across her chest, glaring at them with open irritation.
"How about I shorten that story even more?" she snapped. "Your little friend here was trespassing in our dorm."
Jaden slowly turned his head toward Mash with a completely deadpan expression. "Huh. Guess you were right, Mash.
"Hey! Wait a second!" Syrus blurted out in panic, struggling against the ropes. "It's not like that! I came here because-"
"Because of this, right?"
Mash cut him off smoothly, pulling the love letter from his pocket and waving it dramatically for everyone to see.
Syrus gasped.
The three girls did too.
The synchronized reaction was practically music to Mash's ears.
Syrus stared at him in disbelief. "Mash?! You got one too?! Then why didn't you come?!"
Mash shook his head with exaggerated wisdom.
"Well, you see, Sy," he said smugly, "the difference between you and me is that you fell for the bait. Meanwhile, I saw the hook from a mile away."
Syrus visibly deflated, looking like he might actually cry from embarrassment.
Mash turned his attention back toward the girls.
"Oh yeah, quick question. One of you named Jasmine?"
The brown-haired girl hesitated before cautiously stepping forward. "Yeah," she said slowly, clearly unsure where this was going. "That's me."
Mash pointed directly at the letter.
"Then this must be yours," he said, tapping the name written on it. "Says right here: 'From: Jasmine.'"
Jasmine's entire face immediately turned bright red.
"W-What?!" she sputtered while waving both hands frantically in denial. "No! I didn't write that letter!"
Mash shrugged in a deliberately dismissive way that only made her frustration worse.
"Doesn't really matter," he said casually before tilting his head and studying her with a curious look. "Still… quick question. You single?"
Jasmine blinked in shock.
Her face somehow turned even redder than before as her brain struggled to process the sudden shift in conversation.
"I-I... what?! I-Y-yeah! I'm single!" she stammered before narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Why?"
Mash smiled politely.
"Good, Stay that way."
For a moment, Jasmine simply stood there in stunned silence.
Then her brain caught up.
"I'M GOING TO DROWN YOU IN THE OCEAN!" she screamed as she lunged forward in a fury that suggested genuine murderous intent.
Mindy immediately grabbed her arms from behind and struggled to hold her back.
"Whoa, Jasmine! Chill out!" Mindy pleaded while trying to restrain her flailing friend.
"LET GO, MINDY!" Jasmine shrieked, thrashing violently. "HE'S GOING SIX FEET UNDER TONIGHT!"
Behind Mash, Jaden doubled over in the boat while clutching his stomach and laughing uncontrollably.
"Mash, man!" he wheezed between breaths, tears forming in the corners of his eyes from laughing so hard. "I didn't know you were aiming to become king of the clowns too!"
Mash shot him an annoyed glare, clearly unimpressed with the lack of support.
Before the situation could spiral any further into chaos, Alexis suddenly stepped forward and raised her voice.
"Enough!"
Her tone was sharp and commanding, instantly cutting through the noise.
"Just so you know... The moment you two stepped foot here," she continued firmly while folding her arms across her chest, "you technically became trespassers, just like Syrus. Reporting all three of you right now would be handing an easy ticket out of this island."
Mash and Jaden both fell silent at the same time as they looked up at her.
Inside Mash's head, a quiet realization surfaced. [We're still in the boat, though... I want to talk to a lawyer!]
From behind Alexis, Jasmine suddenly shouted again while still struggling against Mindy's grip. "YEAH! Let's get them expelled right NOW!"
Mindy rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Jasmine..." she sighed tiredly, "didn't we agree to follow Alexis's plan?"
Jaden blinked in confusion. "Alexis's plan...?"
"That's right," Alexis stepped forward confidently, a competitive smirk spreading across her face as she crossed her arms. "If you boys want to avoid expulsion, you'll have to defeat me and my friend here in a two-on-two tag duel."
Jaden, Syrus, and Mash all gasped at the same time, their eyes widening at the unexpected challenge.
Alexis's smirk grew slightly as she tilted her head.
"Well?" she asked confidently. "What do you say? Ready to duel, Jaden… Mash?"
For several seconds, no one spoke.
The night wind drifted across the water, the waves lapped quietly against the dock, and the moonlight shimmered across the ocean's surface.
Inside Mash's mind, however, excitement exploded like fireworks.
[Oh... FUCKING HELL YEAH!!!]
His fists clenched automatically as his brain started racing through strategies, trap setups, and all the possible ways his deck could absolutely ruin the opponents standing on that dock.
[Time to show these 2004 decks what modern cards can do! Muehehehehe..!]
Just as that thrill reached its peak, something unexpected caught his attention.
Syrus had sighed.
But it wasn't a nervous sigh.
It was… relieved.
[Huh? Syrus... Why do you suddenly look so relieved? Aren't you supposed to be freaking out right now?]
Mash blinked in confusion as he studied Syrus's expression more closely. The tension that had filled the smaller boy's face earlier had somehow vanished, replaced with something closer to quiet acceptance.
Even the girls seemed to notice the sudden shift.
Just as I was about to question him, Jaden suddenly raised his hand awkwardly, looking hesitant.
Before Mash could question it, Jaden suddenly raised his hand awkwardly.
"Uh… sorry if this sounds rude," Jaden said hesitantly while rubbing the back of his neck and giving the girls a slightly sheepish smile. "But… are you sure you want to tag duel against me and Mash?"
Mash's head snapped toward him so fast it was almost audible.
Inside his mind, a single thought detonated like a bomb.
[JADEN. WHAT!?]
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Hey guys! Author here! and its a new chapter yeeeeeeyyyyy!
AND I HATE IT!
In all honesty, i dont like writing this chapter as im not satisfied about it and after hours of thoughts and today deadline, i just decided to publish it. Though i hope you readers enjoy reading through this mediocre of a chapter, and i know i didnt. anyway, chiao!
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