Yu-Gi-Oh GX - Lovelorn Stalemate (Patreon)

The world of duelists is competitive. Those who wish to be pros need to be the best of the best. To lose with grace, to entertain, or to simply always win. For many just one of those feats are hard to gain, most never reach the status of a pro. For students of Duel Academy with dreams of becoming pros, they see firsthand just what the industry can do. From making people resort to underground duels to forcing people into hiding because of the lack of privacy. The life could be a dream, but also a curse. However, for those that do not even have a taste for this life, they can only yearn for it.

Alexis Rhodes is one such individual. She graduated from the academy at the top of the class among the females. Even with her glowing resumé toward being a pro duelist. She was unable to cut it among the best of the best. Those who cannot do, however, teach. Alexis decided to become a teacher at the academy she had studied at. She did not hate this though, it was her first career choice. Yet she could not help but wonder if she could make it as a pro. Now as a teacher, she sees much has changed over the years and other aspects not so much. One of those is that it was once again Duel Spirits Day at the Academy. Where students and staff dress up as monsters they enjoy if they so choose.

“Class dismissed.” Alexis turns off her digital chalkboard and waves off the students. “Remember to study for trap chains!” The classroom clears out and the young woman sighs sitting down in her chair. Unlike most of the students and staff, she was not dressed up today. She considered dressing up as one of her skater monsters, or even her ritual monsters but decided against it. “I know some of the other teachers don’t mind but; it just doesn’t feel right.” A sulking breath leaves her lips and the woman picks up her bag and exits the classroom. Her heels clack against the hall floor and her eyes gaze out the large windows looking out to the courtyard. “I like teaching.” Brushing some of her dirty blonde hair back behind her ear she steps a bit closer to the window watching some of the kids talk to each other and even start up duels. “Heh… I really do like it. I, I just can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened if I could’ve made it as a pro?” Pulling out the deck from her deck box Alexis quickly spreads the cards in her hand glancing over the different monsters, spells, and traps. “I’ve still been using the same old deck. I never really had anything special like the others. Like Jaden.”

“And GAME!”

BEEEEEP

Alexis’s ears perk upon hearing a distant girl’s enthusiastic gloating. Then a long beep sounds, something she had heard enough. It was the sound of a duel disk reading zero life points. Carefully the teacher peeks down the hall not seeing anyone. “That’s strange I could have swor—” Her eyes shift to the door at her side. Once again to bring in the special day they had brought Yugi Moto’s original deck to the school. Rubbing at the back of her neck Alexis sighs shaking her head. No one was currently supposed to be inside the special showroom, but students always stumble in. Marching herself in she glares at a student currently on his hands and knees their cards thrown about the floor. “Hah, well I wanted to look who entered here without permission.” The boy lowers his head sadly and Alexis takes a knee at his side. “Look I get it, you wanted to have a fun duel… but if another teacher found you, you’d be in serious trouble. Pick up your cards, dust yourself off. And get out of here. Think about how you could win next time.” Alexis reaches for a few of the cards on the ground noticing a large variety of traps. “And here, maybe try and vary up the structure of your deck. Even if you like traps, you need to make sure you have cards to support them.” The student takes the rest of the cards and jolts to his feet. With a sniffle, he gives Alexis a slow nod and quietly leaves the room. “Right…” Alexis lets out an awkward laugh standing back up. The strange thing now is she does not notice a second student.

“Excuse me?”

Shivering in place a soft feminine voice creeps behind Alexis’s shoulder. Quickly she jolts back hand on her deck ready to duel at a moment's notice! “Who ar—” Her voice cuts off and she blinks a few times making sure she is seeing things correctly. The girl in front of her is dressed as Dark Magician Girl. “Huh…? You gotta be kidding me… Look just like the other student you can’t just come in here. You need to wait for the opening hours. So please go back and explore somewhere else. Trust me there’s plenty of other weird things to find on this island.”

The girl tilts her head slowly in question. She looks just like the monster from Yugi Moto’s deck. Staff clenched in hand, long dirty blonde hair, big blue hat. Alexis would normally comment about the overly short skirt though the monster did indeed have a short pink flared-out skirt. Even the odd slightly round knee-high boots look identical. The costume’s too well done from what Alexis can tell.

The girl in question finally speaks again, her voice sounding a bit more mature than Alexis had expected, the girl is at least a teenager if not an adult. “The way you’re talking makes it sound like you can see me a lot better than the last one… strange.” Her eyes wince as if in thought and she steps ever closer to Alexis. “Maybe we both share a bond!?”

The girl’s excitement over the prospect of a shared bond is clear. Alexis has no idea what the strange girl is talking about thought. She even tries to stress her confusion as she responds. “Look. Just get back to class or something alright?” Shaking her head, she is done with the lame excuses. It would be faster to just walk the girl out. “You know what here I’ll help you.” Reaching her hand forward her palm slides through the girl’s shoulder sinking to her chest. “Ah…” Her hand is inside of the girl like the girl is made up of some type of mist. Yet instead of acting alarmed, both women simply sigh. “A duel Spirit?”

The girl nods and gently takes a step away from Alexi’s hand. “That’s right. I’m a duel spirit. One that comes from this deck.” The spirit turns and looks to the deck with longing eyes. “I wonder how Atem is, or how master is, after all these years…”

Alexis knows spirits exist even if she likes to pretend, they do not. She has been to a different world more times than she would like. At the very least the spirit in front of her seemed melancholier than evil. “So… you’re a spirit. I haven’t seen any spirits in years. I only ever was able to when I was brought into the spirit world.”

Dark Magician Girl gives a soft smile and shakes her head. “Heh well… people can see me in general. On days like today, I can even interact with physical things.” Alexis blinks in disbelief, it is Spirit Day sure but she never thought it meant literally. Dark Magician Girl continues trying to explain. “Though, well… mmm how to say it. You can see more of the real me. Maybe because you’ve been to the spirit world before?” Alexis sighs softly hearing the words. Everyone could see the girl, but not everyone could see all sides of her. “I know it’s confusing. But well… most Dual Spirits are not allowed to reveal their original name. Unless the person they’re interacting with has a powerful connection.” A brighter smile on the girl, she twirls her wand in hand and pats her ample bosom. “You may call me Mana. Or well it’s at least the best way to say my name in your language. In the past, I served a powerful Pharoh in Egypt. I trained under a powerful wizard as well! Though…” Her words slowly prattle off, her lips losing their joy. “I wound up becoming a Duel Spirit later in my life. Heh… not that I was that old when I passed. But I wished to still offer my powers to my Pharoh.”

Frowning Alexis has little choice but to believe. The girl is some sort of spirit, so that meant she did not exactly have to follow the students’ rules. “Fine… you’re where you’re supposed to be as far as I know. And you even come with an interesting story… I thought the spirits were their own existence. Not creatures that were alive in the past.” Mana nods in confirmation, Alexis however continues as she turns on her heel toward the door. “Though I’m not sure why you wanted to chat. I don’t have anything to exactly offer. So, I hope you rest well. I’ll lea—”

Sliding in front of the exit Mana shakes her head quickly speaking just as fast. “Wait, wait, wait, it’s not every day I meet someone like you. We must have a connection for a reason! Don’t you wish to know why?” Standing up straight and stern Mana holds her staff up and points it at Alexis. “So come on! Tell me. I don’t need to be a mage to see you’re feeling down! What’s on you’re mind?” Despite the rather exaggerated movements of the mage, Mana still keeps a smile on her lips. The woman is genuine with her concern. “The least I can do is listen… and not like I can exactly expose your secrets.”

Grabbing the chair meant for security Alexis sits down and sighs again. What did she have to lose? It was an excuse to take a small break and vent some frustrations. “Alright fine, if you wanna hear my own story I’ll try and abridge some parts.” Taking a deep breath Alexis quietly thinks just what has been bothering her lately. “I went to this academy as a student. Everyone here wants to become a pro duelist. I was fine with just becoming a teacher. And well, I became a teacher, I’m one now. Still…” Trailing off Alexis closes her eyes thinking of the times she had dueled Jaden or just watched him duel. “I’ve thought more recently… what if I could have become a pro… what if I could have dueled with the best of them? Like Jaden.”

Nodding her head sagely the spunky mage perks up upon hearing Jaden’s name. “Hm, I’ve dueled a Jaden before. Actually, I did it during a spirit day like today. He reminded me of Atem a little… Even though I lost, it was fun to duel him hehe.”

Alexis scoffs raising an eyebrow. “Really? Jaden Yuki? Heh well if anyone was going to duel Spirits on Duel Spirit day it would be him.” A slight smile begins to creep on Alexis's face, but she continues. “Anyway… Jaden. No one knows where he is. He’s been traveling the world. More like a duelist nomad really. He could become a pro easily but decided to take this path. I always kind of wished I could be like him.” Opening her eyes back up Alexis swings one leg over the other resting her hands in her lap. “I don’t know… I think I just wanna be able to duel Jaden again and see if I have what it takes to be a pro. At least try. Though I feel like if I tried I probably wouldn’t come close… there’s just something I’ve always lacked.”

Floating through the air Mana keeps nodding to herself. Twisting around she holds her hand out to Alexis. “Deck?” Alexis takes her deck back out and hands it over to the mage letting her gaze over the cards. “Hmmm… heh. I think it’s just. You don’t really have any monsters that invigorate your spirit. You don’t have a signature. You have some monsters that can combo into each other. But your only real personality in the deck is your figure skating dancers. You need something that stands out. All the pros have something like that right? Even later in life, Yugi Moto ended up using cards like Silent Magician, and later the Dark Magician Girl’s family! Very colorful girls.”

Rolling her eyes Alexis takes the deck back looking over her cards again. “I mean…” Pausing her mind thinks of Jaden with Elemental Heroes, Zane with Cyber Dragons, and Syrus with Roids. “I don’t even have a unique archetype to pull from. Heh… most of my deck is just cards that happen to be female and can work with one another. Still—” Standing back up Alexis tucks her deck back into the box. “This won’t let me find Jaden. I… I just don’t know.”

Mana slowly floats over to Yugi Moto’s deck and opens up the case. Taking out a single card from the deck she floats back to Alexis and holds the card up. Dark Magician Girl is labeled across it. “Then… I’ll find this Jaden for you! Heh… I’ve… I’ve seen this kind of thing before. Maybe because I relate a little. But don’t you like this Jaden too?” Alexis’s cheeks begin to softly blush making Mana respond with a sheepish grin. “Sooo how about a shadow game?” Alexis flinches as she thinks back to the abandoned dorm she dealt with so many years ago. Patting the teacher's shoulder Mana gives a reassuring nod. “It won’t be a shadow game for souls… but I’m a spirit. Jaden’s good with spirits right? I can find him… tell him you got tangled up. We drag him over to Egypt and get him into a duel! You get to prove you have what it takes… and maybe we make the stakes a bit more interesting so you two can keep in better contact. Who knows! Maybe he’ll be happy about all this!”

Frowning again Alexis looks at the floor lost in thought. It is a tempting offer. A way to see Jaden again. Though would he even see her with Yubel in the way? Even if he did what could she do to have him by her side? “A-ah…” Feeling her cheeks start to burn a bright red the teacher shakes her head regaining focus. She can see if she has what it takes to be a pro for real this time! “Alright… how about. How about I get Jaden to become a signature monster of mine? He could become my dueling… partner.” Alexis’s words trail off and Mana rolls her eyes at the lovelorn girl.

“Okay.” Tossing her staff Mana claps her hands and stands back on the floor. “I’ll find this Jaden. And I’ll contact you with the details. Keep that card on hand. That way even when this day ends… I’ll still be able to talk to you. Hehe, we’ll meet again Alexis.”

Several weeks later

Jaden Yuki, is a duelist known well by his peers. A duelist of skill and merit with some special abilities. From Duel Spirits he created himself to a strong spirit that lives inside of him. The young man has many talents but being at school and having the fate of the many lives or even the world on his shoulders; he grew reserved. By the end of his schooling, he found some joy in dueling again, but instead of becoming a formal pro, he decided to travel the world. Dueling whoever he happened to come across and seeing the world at the same time with the spirit in him, Yubel. Currently, the brown spiky-haired young man sits on a bridge in Italy. “Well, another day… I wonder if I can grab an eggwich around here.” Like usual the young man has an energetic tone in his voice. Currently, his energy is not up to code. His stomach growls and he groans standing up from his perch. “Welp, guess we’ll see who’s ready to get there ga—”

“Kew”

Jaden lurches back watching his Winged Kuriboh suddenly pop out from his deck. “Ah geez you scared me, little buddy!” The small fuzz ball looks at Jaden and swirls in place pointing its head across the bridge. “What is it little guy you want me to follow you…? Yubel is something wrong?”

Jaden’s normal brown eyes shift quickly to a yellow and blue color the inner feminine voice of Yubel speaking back at him. “It seems there’s some strong spirit around here. He wants to lead us to it. Sounds like he knows it.”

Across a bridge, through back streets. Jaden follows Winged Kuriboh through it all. If it was one of Kuriboh’s friends it was probably nothing bad so no reason not to humor the little guy. “Man I shoulda grabbed something to eat first…” Stomach still growling Jaden shakes off the hunger pains and finally steps over a tipped-over garbage can looking at a very confused girl sitting in the street. “Oh, man.” Rubbing his eyes and even pinching himself the girl appears real, or at least as real as a spirit can be. Dark Magician Girl waves a hand gingerly at Jaden, while Winged Kuriboh circles her. “Well… I didn’t expect to see the magical girl sweetheart. What brings you out this way?”

Mana laughs nervously rubbing at the back of her neck. Even if Jaden did not know it, she has been looking for him for weeks now. Who knew she would find him by accident? Clearing her throat, she floats over to the young man and points her staff at him. “I’m here for you Jaden Yuki!”

Jaden’s eyes shift color to yellow and blue again a harsher feminine tone now leaving his lips. “Want to rephrase that?”

Shifting back to brown Jaden rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “Come on Yubel, she didn’t mean it like that. Me and you are stuck together tighter than peanut butter and jelly. So don’t worry so much about this stuff alright? Remember what I told you, count Kuriboh or something, calm down.” Yubel huffs from within Jaden and he shrugs, leaving Mana to awkwardly stare at strange behavior. “Oh… Sorry. Yubel’s a spirit like you, but she’s inside m—” Stopping himself midsentence he gestures back toward Mana. “I gotta find a better way to phrase that… anyway, what’s up? Did you need something? Glad to help if I can, but not sure how helpful I could be.”

Trying not to give herself away Mana crosses her arms under her chest attempting to look serious. “Your friend Alexis Rhodes is in trouble!” Jaden’s eyes perk up and so do his ears, she has his attention. “Someone took her out to Egypt to play a shadow game. She didn’t have many options so she asked me to find you no matter what. Someone who could help her. That right?”

Jaden clenches his fist and grits his teeth. “Really this again? I thought I left this behind… but if Lex is in trouble...”

Mana can tell just from the reaction Jaden has some sort of feelings toward the teacher. Even using a little nickname. Mana sadly has no time to wonder over that though more important matters are at hand. Like getting Jaden where he needs to be. “Well… I can show you where to go! But you need to head out right away!”

Not privy to the plan Jaden gives a hardy thumbs up and a just as hardy reply. “You bet! I’ll get going ASAP or you can call me slower than a Clayman!”

His eyes flash again for just a moment. Yubel posing her concerns. “You really think we should go there? It was where most Duel Spirits were first created. If she really got into a shadow game… Well, I know you care about her enough so I suppose nothing I say will phase you.”

A smirk on his face, Jaden gives his belly a pat in response. “Nope, I’m gonna help her out either way. Let’s do this Yubel. And grab some grub on the way!”

Several days later

With Dark Magician Girl as their guide, they travel. Jaden with no idea of the game he is being brought into. And so, with a flight and some days of traveling the desert. He finally makes his way to an old unmarked tomb. The area looked like it had been dug out by archeologists though none were currently on sight.

“Finally!” Stretching out his arms Jaden steps into the tomb entrance feeling the cool air brush past him. “It may be spooky and junk but it sure beats the desert heat. I hope they gave Lex AC down here.”

Rolling her eyes Mana now steps against the ground to Jaden’s surprise. Rather than get more comments and surprised sounds Mana decides it best to explain right away. “This place… has a large amount of spirit energy. I can manifest myself here with a physical body. Just like if it was a special spirit day.”

Walking to the Magician Jaden gives the girl a tap on the shoulder to confirm. “Wow… yeah my hand isn’t going through you now at all. That’s pretty neat! Yubel you think you can manage that?”

The spirit inside of Jaden scoffs rolling her eyes so to speak within the young man. “I don’t know… That spirit seems to have a direct connection to this place. I can’t seem to manifest myself. Though… she’s right that it has some power. A lot of the area we walked through has.”

Walking silently for a time Mana begins to lead Jaden on in more than one way. The tomb no longer works as a means for time travel though her master known as the Dark Magician in the present world still has a variety of items stored in Atem’s tomb. She and Alexis had been setting up their little game for some time in advance, now they just had to get Jaden to fall in place. “Here it is!” Skipping over to a large open room Mana swings her arms out gesturing to the grand scale. The floor is marked like an arena while each side has large stone tablets lining them. “This is where many would traditionally have a shadow game, rooms similar to this at least. Now we jus—”

SLAM

Jaden leaps watching as a plume of dust and sand gets in his face. He coughs and hacks and notices the large slam from the entrance. It is now closed shut with a large stone of some kind acting as the door. “You gotta be kidding me, did I just walk into a booby trap?”

The Spirit inside of Jaden groans at the comment but directs his attention to the center of the arena. “Why hello.” Standing in just a white button blouse and dark blue pencil skirt is Alexis Rhodes. “I see you finally decided to drop in Jaden. It’s been a bit, did you know I’m a teacher now?”

Clack, clack, clack

Alexis’s black heels tap against the stone ground with each step till she looks down at Jaden. She was always taller but the heels make it even more obvious. “You look surprised, would it help if I call you Mr. Yuki.”

Scratching at his chin Jaden’s cheeks begin to blush. Alexis could tell she was making him nervous he even took a few steps back trying to laugh the awkward away. “Ahaha…” Jaden’s eyes look over the room. He is confused for sure and his eyes even shift in color now and again. Sadly for Jaden, the Spirit in him would not help him much. “Alexis.” Jaden clears his throat trying to understand the situation. “Right. You said you wanted to be a teacher before. Glad that worked out. But um… I thought you were in trouble, right?”

Beep

Alexis lifts her arm and her duel disk flickers to life. The blade-like side of the disk then shoots down the length of her forearm opening up fully so she has room for five cards. The disk allowed for monsters to be placed on top, traps, and magic inserted into it, and a slot for field spells on the side. The center circular part hosts the deck and graveyard as well as the calculator for life points and hologram display. With a cocky glare in her eyes, the teacher mocks back. “There’s trouble alright. So get your game on Jaden.”

The floor under both of them glows a faint black and Alexis walks to the left side of the arena patiently waiting. Jaden’s duel disk now flickers on asking at the central console if he wishes to accept the duel. “Hah, come on Lex, is it really like this?” Sighing he pushes accept and his duel disk shoots open as well. Shoving his deck into the deck slot it auto shuffles for him as he walks to the right side of the arena. “But. I gotta say… Yubel’s only getting a weird vibe on the floor under us. What’s your deal, Lex?”

As things were starting properly now Alexis saw no reason to lie further. Under her feet, the floor begins to spew out a blackish-purple mist. It cloaks the arena around them; dense enough that they both no longer see the walls or door. It simply looked like the slab of rock they were standing on was now floating in space. “Well, the shadow game already began as soon as you accepted the duel. So, I can tell you.” Alexis draws five cards from her deck and scans over them. “I’ve wanted to duel you again for a while. This was the only way I knew how to get your attention. And—"

Jaden sighs and draws five cards as well his eyes flickering between their yellow blue color as the mist surrounds the room. “I don’t see how wanting to duel me means putting our souls on the line. What’s this all about? Are we actually going to duel like this? You can stop right now and we can just have a friendly match ya know?”

Shaking her head silently Alexis ponders herself over her actions so far. “You wouldn’t get it if I explained… it’ll be easier to just duel you. But.” Pausing Alexis looks to Mana now sitting in a chair between the both of them as if a judge on a tennis court. “Our souls aren’t what we’re playing for this game. Our lives aren’t in danger. Whoever wins… will become the other’s Duel Spirit.”

Letting the statement set Jaden is unsure how to process it. Alexis can tell he cannot understand. She did not expect him to. It is something she simply feels she has to do. The young man clenches his teeth and he stares back at the so-called teacher with a look only a slacker could give. “Fine, let’s both get our game on then! Your first… so proper now!”

“Let’s Duel!”

Both Alexis and Jaden watch as their duel disks count up their life points. Eight thousand each as per Mana’s instructions. “Alright then, I’ll start things off!” Alexis grabs the middle card of her hand and throws it on the middle monster spot of her duel disk. “I play Cyber Petite Angel in attack mode!” Jaden scoffs to himself looking at the robotic pink ball’s small three hundred attack points. “Don’t let the size fool you. Just like your little fuzz ball Cyber Petite Angel has an effect! When summoned I can add another Cyber Angel or machine ritual from my deck to my hand!” Holding her hand over her deck the desired card pops out from it and she puts it into her hand. “Now I activate the spell machine angel ritual!” Plugging the spell into the trap and magic zone a large ritual alter suddenly forms behind Alexis. “By tributing my Mind of Air from my hand I can now play Cyber Angel Idaten in attack mode!” With a card sent to the graveyard the ritual alter burns with a flame summoning out purple-skinned women with rather revealing black clothing that only covers her privates. “With that, I’ll set a face-down card and end my turn.” Shoving a new card into the magic and trap slot Alexis only has two cards left in her hand. “You’re move Jay.”

Drawing his first card Jaden smirks. Alexis understood the confidence, he probably updated his deck a decent amount while traveling the world. In Alexis’s case she had to have Mana help her make some tweaks. “Well, if you wanted me to play so bad, I’m happy to oblige!” Taking a card from the far left of his hand jaden slaps a monster onto the field in attack position. “Elemental HERO Blazeman! Time to blaze up that power of yours!” Also coming from flames the super hero like monster punches its fist in the air to show its spirit. “When Blazeman takes the field he lets me pick one of two effects. Heh, and I’m going with the second one!” Holding a hand over his deck Elemental HERO Neos pops out and he sends it into the graveyard. The effect makes Blazeman’s attribute and attack points change to mirror Neos. “Now with his attack and attribute, he’s looking like Neos but needs something else. So I activate the spell Hero Mask!” Jaden inserts the spell into his duel disk and then discards yet another Neos into the graveyard from his deck. “I discard Elemental HERO Neos making Blazeman take up the mantel for a hot minute! Hah, get it!”

Alexis rolls her eyes shaking her head in protest. “Jaden I didn’t bring you hear to make horrible puns.”

Rolling his eyes back he sighs. “Geez, can’t blame a guy for tryin to lighten the mood. Well then let's get a little serious instead huh?” Inserting a new card into his magic and trap zone it pops up in front of him with a picture of his elemental HERO Neos flying off into space. “I play the spell card Neos Fusion! Because of Blazeman’s effect, I can only play fusion HERO-type monsters. Well, this card does just that. By sending my Blazeman who’s acting as Neos to the graveyard, and sending Yubel along with him. I can combine the power of the two to make Elemental HERO Neos Kluger!” Eyes flashing yellow and blue Jaden takes the fusion monster from his extra deck and slaps it on his middle monster zone. From a swirl of distorted air above Jaden a gust of wind blows around him. It is no hologram; it blows his jacket and hair about even making Alexis’s hair fly up. Then a pair of demon-like wings shoot from the swirl of energy and with one flap emerges a dark hero. It looks similar to the hero from space with its chrome color and red accents but also has black armor on the wrists, ankles, and torso. The head also has different colored eyes like Jaden currently has. With another flap of the wings connected to its head, the three thousand attack point monster stands firm. “Thanks for stepping up Yubel. Hope you can help me out. Now… Let’s attack that Cyber Angel!”

Alexis groans like when she dealt with rowdy students. With a monster like that it would make more sense to attack her petite angel instead of her ritual monster. She can only assume Jaden thought he was preventing a strategy, instead, he walks right into a trap. “I’m sure my Idaten appreciates the attention but… you activated my trap card, Doble Passe!” Taking the trap from her disk she flips it over and sticks it back in making a spotlight beam down on Idaten. Quickly lurching back the monster avoids Kluger as he attacks, instead, the force of the fist distorts the air and pushes into Alexis dragging her heels back against the ground. Her life points then suddenly flicker down from eight thousand to five thousand.

Surprised by the amount of force Jaden nervously calls to Alexis. “Hey, you okay over there Alexis?! I told Yubel to pull her punches!”

Alexis can feel the rush over her from the impact. She snickers at it even as it feels like the force is bruising her body. Shadow games are supposed to be painful. It did hurt but somehow Jaden was making his monster hold back. She can tell it would have thrown her on her butt normally. “Heh… how nice of you.” Brushing her hair back she holds up her hand toward Jaden. “But I can’t exactly pull my punches like you. So I hope you don’t mind the rest of Doble Passe’s effect!” Idaten stands tall skating against the rock toward Jaden. “After you attack, I deal my monsters damage whom you targeted to you directly!” Idaten swirls as if in dance right in front of Jaden and knees him in the gut making the poor young man slouch over in pain. “Heh, then on my turn I can attack directly again.”

Now in pain, Jaden winces his eyes and slides a card face down. “Y-yeah that hurts. I don’t miss this part for sure! Ah… I play a face-down card and end my turn.” Trying to shrug off the pain Jaden watches as his life points tick down from eight thousand to six thousand four hundred. At the same time, he notices a few stands of his hair brush against his shoulder. “Huh…? Didn’t I just get it cut?”

Alexis chuckles and gestures down at her legs. An almost silvery liquid looks like it is crawling up her legs becoming tights on her body or some type of spandex. “As we lose life points the changes will start to happen. So I hope you play seriously Jay. Mana can tell you the rest… after all, it’s my move!”

Jaden looks around in question. “Who the hecks Mana? Do you mean like magic? What’s it got to do with my hair?” It is not just his hair. Alexis’s eyes look at his sneakers now slowly ungulating like liquid. Jaden realizing it himself bends down to touch them yet that material itself still feels like a shoe. Twisting and turning Jaden watches his sneakers turn to a red boot with black accents going up the ankle. The boots stop at just under the knee. They looked feminine by all accounts and Jaden could not help but notice Kluger chuckling at him. “Oh come on Yubel!” With a huff, Jaden turns his head toward Mana noticing rather quickly his boots and the one the magician girl wears look the same but a different color. “Great we go to the same store huh?”

Spinning her wand around like a microphone Mana clears her throat and walks along the field closer to Jaden’s side. “The duel is already heating up! Our kind teacher has taken a big hit from the start but not without Jaden Yuki stumbling into a new pair of boots! And I must say, his style? On point.” Snickering mischievously the mage steps around Jaden to his right side looking over his shoulder. “Hair ever longer, girly boots, wonder what’s next right? It seems someone’s getting in touch with their feminine side!”

Jaden does his best to hide his cards as Mana invades his personal space. “A little room here lady!” Keeping his distance, he cocks his head up toward Alexis squinting to try and make out differences. “Why not give some of that commentary over there huh? She lost more lift points than me.”

Sighing Mana walks back toward her chair and twirls her staff. “Well. I think you should keep an eye on your life points!” Pointing her staff now to Alexis the mage raises her voice. “Alexis appears to be getting a body suit like many of your hero cards have. Silver too, a homage to Neos perhaps? How daring. Heeled silvery boots, skin-tight silvery tights! A regular Neos Woman wouldn’t you agree?”

Alexis scans over her cards, she has drawn a trap and starts her turn by setting it face down. “I play a face down first Jaden! Don’t let her distract you too much!” Everything Mana was saying was true so far. Jaden was gaining features of a magician girl, while she was taking characteristics of one of Jaden's heroes. Already her legs are completely clad in silver tights. Her skirt was even getting a bit shorter and she seemed to be gaining some extra thigh muscles. Her heels ironically were still there but a little taller, now more like ankle boots connected seamlessly into the tights like they were all one piece of clothing. “I guess Neos is just like that. He’s not wearing clothes…” Mumbling to herself she can only wonder if she is going to end up naked if the changes advance further. Only seconds passed and the silver around her boots and legs felt more like part of her skin. “Well, Jaden.” Raising her voice Alexis slaps down another new monster onto the field. “I switch my Cyber Petite Angel to defense position and now summon Cyber Tutu in attack mode. Then I attack with Cyber Tutu!” Jaden raises an eyebrow looking at his Kluger but Alexis shakes her head holding her hand forward. “With Cyber Tutu’s effect, she can attack you directly because your monsters have higher attack points. And with that Doble Passe’s effect allows Cyber Angel Idaten to do the same. So, both of my cybernetic beauties will attack you for a total of twenty-six hundred attack points!”

The dancers both pummel Jaden one kicking his side the other jabbing at his gut. Luckily even if a shadow game gives the attacks pain his body is resilient. “Gah…” Though it still hurts. Shaking off the damage Jaden watches his life points shoot down to three thousand eight hundred. “Dang Lex… going straight for the throat today. Way, you’re treating me I can tell you became a teacher.”

A sheepish smirk crosses Alexis’s face and she cannot help but retort back. “Well for a slacker like you, sometimes a teacher has to be firm to make the information stick. I end my turn.”

Alexis’s turn over, Jaden begins to feel his chest tighten. Kluger looks back with concern but Jaden dismisses it. “I-I know Yubel. Don’t worry about it I’ll be fine!” Despite saying the words Jaden watches more of his hair hit against his shoulders. Though with such a heavy life point loss it begins to push out even more than before now resting against the middle of his chest. “Come on, you think I got money for a barber?” If that was not bad enough Jaden’s arms began to slim. He is no bodybuilder but even he is not used to having such feminine arms. The sudden change in shape makes him wobble from trying to hold his duel disk up. “So this is under half-life points huh?!

“Jaden…” Yubel currently within Kluger speaks up peeking her head back. “You’re, well you’re not looking like the man I know.”

Jaden had no real way to deny such claims. As Yubel shares her concern Jaden’s legs begin to slim down as well. His cheeks then start to blush feeling a warmth between his legs. “C-come on a duel is not the time for this!”

Alexis chuckles nudging her chin in the feminine boy's direction. “Need me to come over there it looks like you’re having trouble!”

People teasing him helps nothing. Jaden whines his butt growing a size larger pushing tightly into his pants. Wincing his eyes he grabs at the new shapely backside and his knees quiver. Alexis cannot help but start to blush watching the scene unfold but her eyes do not look away. The changes were not done though Jaden’s hair began to change its style and even color. A new silky and clean feeling, a bit of a dirty blonde color spreading from the roots. The hair parts and spreads to match Mana’s hairstyle perfectly though Jaden could not see that himself. Still, Alexis was enjoying the show even as Jaden mutters flustered to himself. “Why did my butt get so big? Ah… I feel all off balance.”

Mana laughs slapping her knee. “Hehe yeah right Jaden looks like a girl for sure!” Turning over in her seat the so-called Dark Magician Girl raises her wand to her mouth. “Ah, centuries of being a spirit does things to a girl. Buuuut now look what we have here! Jaden has taken another step toward feminine wows, and maybe even magic too?”

Raising an eyebrow Jaden is about to speak up but then feels a wand smack his head. “O-ow! Come on really!?” The wand is also black and red to match the boots. The butt of the wand however has a gold swirl at the end of it. It looked like it attached to the bottom but was fastened to the wand somehow. “What is this thing? Is it supposed to be some wand like yours Dark Magician Girl?”

Mana taps the golden butt of her wand and shrugs. “Who me? I don’t know what gave you that idea… it could be any magical girl's wand. Either way, the color fits your new style far more don’t you think?”

Jaden gives a weary laugh and scratches at his now bundle of long hair. Even if he did not have a lot of experience with girls, he could tell he was more feminine. His clothes did not fit well, the boots seemed to fit fine though. His chest was also beginning to feel puffy and soft which was rather uncomfortable under his current shirt. “I gotta get through this a bit faster don’t I?” With a deep breath Jaden grabs at his deck and draws. “My move! Let’s get back into this!”

Alexis quickly flips the card she had set. “Not so fast!” The card lifts and a barrier of monks forms around her. “I activate my trap Hallowed Life Barrier! First I discard a card from my hand and now any damage you cause me becomes zero.”

Jaden sighs and starts his turn by setting a face down. “Well blow the wind out of my sails why don’t you? I start by playing a face down. Heh, I gotta say you got me on the edge of my seat over here. But…” Jaden’s voice trails off as he tries to think of the right words. “Why are you doing all this Alexis? Didn’t you want to be a teacher… you became one. What’s with this whole show you’re putting on? It’s not just to duel me. I’ve been around the world enough to know that.”

The teacher in question thought such questions would come up so she calmly responds. “Leave it to you to keep poking… Does it matter why?”

Jaden sets a monster down. “I play Neo Space Connector in attack mode. Then I use its effect by tributing it. With that, I’m able to have the original Neos stand up.” Elemental HERO Neos emerges from the ashes of the Space Connector, in defense mode. “With your trap… even if I attack with Kluger I won’t get to use their effect to damage you. You put me in a tough spot. So, I’ll end my turn.” Jaden briefly looks over his cards but his eyes stay mostly on Alexis. “Just… a shadow game really? Come on Alexis. Even if that duel spirit is friendly. We’ve dealt with this sort of thing before. You’re smarter than me, so how come you feel the need to do all this? I don’t know if I can hel—”

Alexis draws and glares sharply at Jaden. “You always want to help don’t you?” The card she drew is another trap the same as early Doble Passe. Setting it onto her field she stares at her only card left. Machine Angel Ritual. She got it from Summoning Idaten but wanted to see how Jaden would handle things before showing all her cards. “With my card set what else to do…” Muttering softly to herself she thinks more on Jaden’s words than the duel. What did she really want? The purpose was to see if she could be a pro, but Jaden is right. She did not need to use a shadow game for it. What she is doing now is trying to make Jaden into a card to use for her career. “I…” Clearing her throat she had to at least say something. “I wanna see if I can be a pro. You’re the best duelist I know and this was how I knew to get your attention… If you’re so worried about things just win the duel. You never had an issue beating me before. Heh, I’ve never had a special monster to really fight back against any of you.”

Jaden lets the words sink in. From what Alexis can tell he has his ideas, but his eyes show real concern. “Alexis.” His fist slowly clenches and he looks at his deck. “I’m fine dueling you. But after everything I’ve—we’ve been through. I rather just surrender and start over. Heh, but you’re not giving me much choice with some shadow game that’s changing my body are you?” His eyes slowly linger over to Kluger, to neos, to his graveyard that held Yubel in it. “A special card doesn’t make you a good duelist. It can help. But being a pro is a lot more than just good dueling. You’ve always been a good duelist Lex. And right now, you’re doing a great job.” He scoffs looking over his life points and then to the card in Alexis’s hand. “You’ve worked hard to get where you are Alexis. I’ve always admired people like you who knew what they wanted from life. Heh, guess everyone has those days where they’re unsure though huh?”

A brief wave of guilt washes over Alexis and her eyes stare not at Jaden but at the ritual card in her hand. She had a level six, a level four, and a level two on the field. Another six, an eight, a ten, she could ritual summon a variety if she wished. With Cyber Angel Vrash it is possible to win this turn unless Jaden has something left. “I… Jaden I…” Shaking her head she is starting to wonder just what she is doing herself. “We already started. We can’t stop.”

Mana clears her throat and taps her staff against the ground to gather both player's attention. “Um… excuse me? Ahah… not trying to be evil or anything here; you both know that right? But if your lover's spat is done, Get on with the duel, right? As my Pharoh used to say, for sure, at some point, probably. If the game doesn’t have a victory you want. Simply create a new one.”

“Well.” Jaden smugly nudges his head toward Alexis’s. “You heard the magician! And she’s right. Look I know you’re not trying to hurt me… so let's just have a duel and we’ll get the outcome we want, one way or another.”

A light blush crosses Alexis’s face. “Really you… hah, both of you.” Shaking her head to regain her focus Alexis plays her ritual summon. “Alright. I activate Machine Angel Ritual! I hope you’re ready for this one Jaden!” Alexis takes the three cards from her monster field and sends them to the graveyard. The ritual overhead then lights ablaze and an angel with fairy-like wings emerges from the fire. “By tributing Cyber Angel Idaten, Cyber Tutu, and Cyber Petite Angel. I ritual summon Cyber Angel Vrash! And not to be rash, but her effect activates right away!” Vrash sets down on the stone ground her fairy wings spread. Lifting her four arms to the sky suddenly the air around Kluger distorts and the HERO is smashed to pieces. “Vrash can destroy monsters summoned from the extra deck, and for each destroyed, she does 1000 points of damage to your life points!” Jaden squeezes his eyes shut as the distorted air pushes past him making his body feel like a ton of bricks. “That’s not all I also get an extra attack if I destroyed a monster this way… meaning Jaden. This is game! Attack Neos, then attack Jaden’s life points!”

Jaden coughs watching his life points tick down to two thousand eight hundred. “You gotta be kidding me, these Angel’s aren’t the kind I usually think about.” Feeling the damage Jaden watches the new changes also take hold. His already puffy chest begins to feel hotter. His cheeks began to blush a deep red from the sudden assault of feelings. “Th-this is getting a bit much n-ngh!” Jaden’s voice gets higher and higher as he moans loudly. Alexis and Mana both blush watching as the feminine boy quivers in place. From his puffy chest real breasts now begin to push out making his shirt tighten around him. The nipples get stiff and flick against the fabric making Jaden whine out with a much louder moan. “N-nnnmgh!”

Whistling quietly Mana looks over herself and then Jaden. “Well, I guess you’re getting all the assets aren’t you?”

Ignoring the comment Jaden holds his chest. The breasts got just a tad bigger before he could finally take a breath. To Alexis, it looks like the bosom is about to rip through the poor black shirt. Of course despite the discomforts Jaden still tries to quip. “Well, this is ne—” A choker then clasps around his neck. He coughs from the sudden tightness and his voice tones itself up making it stay at the new higher more feminine pitch. His clothes were starting to change more as well, streaks of pink, black, and red starting to mix. It looks like a lighter pinkish-red skirt is now starting to drape around him. The skirt is similar in style to Dark Magician Girls. It is more of an accessory for her leotard outfit rather than an actual skirt. “S-so…” Clearing his throat Jaden stares off slowly processing the changes. His eyes, however, change in the meantime, now shifting to a solid natural blue instead of Yubel’s or his normal color. “Well… I guess my voice is a girl now too huh? Does it gotta look so much like Dark Magician Girl’s!?” He calls out but both the girls do not answer him. “Really nothing? Not gonna lie I might have good legs, but it’s pretty drafty in this deep underground tomb! So I could do without the leotard if you wanna stop here…”

Rolling her eyes Alexis snaps her fingers and points to Neos. “Stop all your blabbing already! Vrash do it!”

BEEP

Jaden life points do not go down, and Vrash’s attack stalls. Jaden holds a hand under his deck and takes out a new card setting it face up on the field. “Hah, when my Kluger is destroyed I get to summon out NEOS Wiseman!” The new NEOS appears, a similar appearance to Kluger though this one has a dark face like it is a bit more of a monster and less of a hero.

With a huff, Alexis tries her best to ignore the newly summoned three thousand attack point monster and instead still aims for the defensive Neos. “Fine so be it, I’m still taking care of your HERO!”

Vrash’s distorted air shoots into Neos making him explode into a puff of smoke. Though through the smoke a feminine Jaden’s smile shines through along with a beacon in the air with a large H. “You activated my trap, HERO Signal! When you destroy a monster on my field, I can summon a level one to four HERO monster from my hand or deck. And well, my hands a bit empty so let’s bring someone from backstage alright?!” Alexis watches frustrated as a fiery hero once again shoots up from the ground. “That’s right, Blazeman, time to blaze um! And he’ll start his rerun by letting me take a polymerization from my deck!” Taking the new card from his deck Jaden now had a field of two monsters, and he had one face down and now three cards in his hand.

Alexis could feel it, her heart starting to race. This is what it is like to duel a real pro. Jaden pretty much made her turn one he is free to use. “Well… I still have my extra attack with Vrash. So—” Pointing to the new Blazeman Vrash lifts its four hands ready for attack. “Attack! Snuff that flame out for good this time!”

BANG

Vrash’s force of distorted air smacks against a large shield now in front of Blazeman. A smirk on Jaden’s face he casually gestures to the new trap card. “My other trap activates now. Hero Barrier! When you attack one of my HERO’s this shield negates the attack!”

Alexis lowers her head, she was stopped at every turn on her turn. “Alright… I end my turn Jaden.” She finally played one of her big cards. Some of the new cyber ritual monsters that Mana helped her get. She thought it would be enough to swing things in her favor but Jaden seemed to be running the duel when it was not even his turn.

“Now!” With his cute new feminine voice, Jaden draws a card from his deck. Suddenly his eyes flash that yellow and blue color. “Yeah I know Yubel, seems things are turning up now. Sorry about this Lex, but when I game, I get my game on!”  Jaden slaps a new monster onto the field. This time a gust of wind blows as a HERO emerges from the ground. “Come on out Elemental HERO Stratos! And that’s not all, Stratos’s effect activates! He’s got two but I’m gonna be adding a new HERO to my hand from my deck!” Jaden hovers his hand over his deck yet again and a new card pops out. “Now then I hope you got popcorn 'cause this one may take me a while.”

Alexis looks over the field, her Vrash could stop itself from being destroyed, though if Jaden filled his field, it may not matter. “You always did know how to set a stage.”

A confident look on Jaden’s lips he holds out his hand ready to start his chain. “I start by activating Blazeman’s effect to let him have a bit of a mask change if you get me.” Once again Jaden discards a card from his deck changing Blazeman’s attribute, attack, and defense to said card. In this case, Jaden sent the Elemental HERO Liquid Solid to the grave. “That’s not all though, Blazeman makes it so if I use his effect I can only fuse for special summons, but that’s just what I’m gonna do. Blazeman, Stratos, it’s time to bring out the cult favorite! You know um and love um!” Playing his polymerization card onto the field Blazeman and Stratos both merge into one another as a swirling mix.

Alexis squints at the merging almost not believing her eyes as she sees a red dragon arm and a large white wing emerge. “No way… I thought you weren’t using him anymore!”

From his extra deck, Jaden sets down the new monster onto the field beside Neos Wiseman. “Elemental HERO Flame Wingman takes the stage once again! Though, this one got an upgrade. Lex meet Elemental HERO Flame Wingman – Infernal Rage. What can I say, the kids like their comics with a bit of an edge.”

Alexis’s eyes narrow seeing the large card beyond the monster with a rather oversized name. “Quite the name… Newer cards getting more text is a pretty easy way to teach students. Though even I have to say it can look a little silly.”

A slight pout forms on Jaden’s lips but he puts his polymerization into the graveyard and continues. “Look don’t go making fun of him, it’s just a phase. Now let's get back to it alright?! When my boy Flame Wingman comes onto the I can add one favorite card to my hand. So I’m gonna do so.” Taking out the card Jaden sets it right away onto his field. “I then set a face down, and… well it’s time to start things up! Neos Wiseman attack that Vrash!” Alexis was confused, ready to play her trap till Jaden suddenly speaks up. “Because of Wiseman’s effect, he can’t be destroyed by battle, meaning your Vrash is the only one destroyed. But not just that! Neos Wiseman’s effect deals damage to you equal to your monsters attack and regains my life points for the defense it has!”

Alexis was not sure what to do. If she did nothing she would lose. After Vrash is destroyed Flame Wingman could attack her directly. She could also win. By playing Doble Passe she would simply take three thousand damage, but Jaden would lose, as three thousand damage would also be done to him. She stares at the field watching as Neos Wiseman pulls back its fist ready to attack Vrash. “I could finally do it… I could do it right now. It’s so easy isn’t it?” Her hand inches toward her duel disk shaking slightly as it hovers over the trap card she had placed. “As soon as I flip this, Jaden becomes a spirit for me, my own card I can bring into pro duels. I can prove I can be a teacher, a pro duelist. I can do it all. I just need to flip the card.” A variety of thoughts filled Alexis’s head, the game is a shadow game. If she did nothing it would be her turned to some card. Though she did not know Jaden’s hand or all the cards he had played. Is she really winning?

“Hey.” Mana pops up behind Alexis and taps her wand against the girl's shoulder. “You seem a bit tense. Why so gloomy? Worried about all this?”

Alexis bites at her lip looking back at Mana. “I just don’t know if I can do this. I could win right now if I wanted to.”

Mana smiles softly and leans close to Alexis’s ear. “His Stratos… it could have destroyed a spell or trap on the field. He had Blazeman there, but decided to get a hero instead? It didn’t make any sense… his field was already full, it made more sense to get rid of your defenses, With Wiseman he could have taken out your Vrash no matter what… and he has other heroes he could have summon that are stronger.” Mana takes a small step back and shakes her head. “He was playing for real at first. But… he doesn’t wanna hurt you. He doesn’t wanna play this shadow game. I guess you don’t either.” With a soft smile on her lips, Mana slowly walks back to her chair.” Well, you two do what you have to, right? Like I said, make the victory you want.”

“Actually. Haha.” Neos Wiseman stops in his tracks as Jaden eyes the face-down card. Shaking his head he gestures toward Alexis. “How about I end turn there and we’ll see what you do next.

Alexis had already run things through her mind yet Jaden did not attack at all. She still has five thousand life points. Looking at her card it is another ritual card. The different version of it would allow her to use the graveyard as tribute. “Is he really trying to get us a draw?” Muttering softly to herself the teacher could not figure it out. “He could have beat me three times over already… We both could have won already.” Holding up her hand she had to move things along. “Vrash attack Flame Wingman!”

Flame Wingman blows up from the force of compressed air on it and Jaden’s life points drop by another nine hundred points leaving him with just one thousand nine hundred left. “Oh come on Lex you’re really dropping the hurt aren’t ya.” Jaden whines but a smile stays on his face. Even as his clothes twist and turn to a black and red leotard his smile does not change. Flipping the card over on his duel disk he activates a trap. “Now the—” Stumbling a little in place Jaden watches things shrink. Alexis was already tall but she is way taller now. Looking at his legs he got shorter. Besides some items on the clothes and his crotch, he was about as close to being a full girl as he could get without being one. “Well… Normally the guy’s told to pick the girl up but you might need to help me out Lex.”

Rolling her eyes Alexis sighs and points to the trap card now hovering in the air. “Stop your whining already short stuff and just read the card alright?!”

Jaden about to speak up sways in place. The leotard forming from his clothes clings to his breasts making his cheeks flush. Lifting a finger he is then stopped again as his bare shoulders lay exposed. Again the outfit is just like Mana’s only it uses black and red as the main colors. Jaden’s outfit now matches Dark Magician Girls exactly minus the hat. “Well… I think it got it out of its system.”

Dragging her hand across her face Alexis sighs into her palm and glares back at Jaden. “Come on! Read!”

With his usual smirk, Jaden stands proudly in front of the trap. “Favorite Contact Activates! With this trap, I can special summon a hero from my extra deck that has HERO in the name using material from my grave, field, or hand. So I’m gonna take that Flame Wingman you just destroyed along with my buddy Neos to bring out a new spin on another classic!” Taking the card from his extra deck Jaden slams it down beside Neos Wiseman. A sudden bright light then beams through the black mist of the shadow game. A sword cloaked in light breaks through the darkness and a shining hero with metal glowing wings flies down from above. Alexis winces her eyes from how bright it seems. From the green core at its chest to its large gauntlet on its left hand with a shining golden gem. “That’s right Neos and Flame Wingman combined to become Elemental HERO Shining Neos Wingman!

Alexis is surprised yet again, she had seen Shining Flare Wingman several times but never this version. “Amazing, and here I thought you’d stop surprising me. Heh, well I end my turn there. So Show me what the new Neos can do.”

Jaden draws a card into his hand and puts a hand on his hip. “Well if you wanna see you get to.” Nudging his hand to Shining Neo’s the HERO’s sword begins to glow with a brighter light. The gauntlet on its arm then starts to shine with thin green misty lines trailing into it from Jaden’s graveyard. “When Shining Neos Wingman is on the field he gains three hundred attack points for each monster in my graveyard!”

Alexis squints at the text of the card. From a distance, it was hard to tell but it looked like Shining Neos Wingman also could have tried to destroy her trap and monster. Though with Vrash still on the field and two ritual monsters in her graveyard, she could stop at least one of those effects. But that would not bring them closer to the draw. It was funny though Alexis could not help but feel like she was having fun in the duel. Like the puzzle is how to create a draw. She cannot help but muse back at Jaden. “So with your current graveyard that adds an extra one thousand eight hundred points to Shining Neos Wingman’s attack. But that’s only four thousand nine hundred points.”

Opening up the field slot of his duel disk Jaden slaps Neo Space into it and closes the slot. “I activate the field Spell NEO Space! As long as my card has Elemental HERO NEO’s in the title or as part of the material that card gains an extra five hundred attack points!”

Just like that the dark space around them shifts to a colorful space making the shining warrior seem even brighter. Alexis reaches her hand forward hovering it over Doble Passe in anticipation. They had everything they needed now. “Okay Jay, let's do it! I’m ready!”

Jaden thrusts his hand out and his eyes faintly flash that yellow and blue. “Okay Elemental Hero Shining Neos Wingman attack!”

Alexis flips Doble Passe up, the same effect as turns ago. The HERO would attack her directly, but her monster would also immediately attack him. Meaning she would take five thousand four hundred damage directly and Jaden would take three thousand. Leaving them both at Zero. “Doble Passe Activates! So Vrash, put an end to this duel; Angel’s Light!”

Jaden picks up his wand and twirls it around his fingers speaking up with gusto. “You heard the lady Wingman. Let’s end this. Cleaving Justice!”

BOOM

Both had attacked in unison leaving the arena covered in dust. Though the holograms begin to fade. Neo Space fizzles away showing the stone floor, the monsters flick away into the dust. All that’s left is Jaden, Alexis, and Mana in the stone room. Not even the black mist that had been surrounding them was left. “AMAZING!” Mana hops up from her seat clapping eagerly. “Hehe, you both really figured out a way to end in a draw. I can’t believe it. Jaden’s still fun as always even when trying to lose! Hehe just seeing what monster you pull out is a blast.”

Though it is nice someone is excited Jaden still lost his life points. Stepping out from the dust cloud left by the monsters, he was no longer a he. “Well… I guess I expected this.” Dusting off the back of her pink skirt Jaden wearily walks over to Dark Magician girl. The both of them looked like twins in a way. As she gets closer, she notices that they are the same height now. Their skirts, leotards, boots, staff, everything was the same actually besides the colors used. “You really made me look just like you didn’t ya?” Taking a few strands of her new longer hair, it was styled the same as Mana’s as well. Even their bust size was the same. “So… like… how exactly do we undo this sorta thing? Yubel didn’t mention any ideas.”

Mana pokes at her hair and then squints at Jaden’s. “Not exactly. Give it a second.”

Raising an eyebrow Jaden feels the Magician hat wiggle atop her head, and from it, the rest of her hair turns that same dirty blond color like Mana’s. “You gotta be kidding me… you just made me your twin for real now didn’t you?”

Laughing to herself Mana shrugs wiping a tear from her eye. “You could say that, you know the funny thing is my original hair was brown. So you looked more like a mirror a moment ago. Buuut, I guess the blonde look is appealing to plenty so no worries!”

Clack, clack, clack

Out from the dust on Alexis’s side, she too had lost all her lift points. Walking from the mist Mana and Jaden both whistle seeing the new HERO-powered woman in front of them. Alexis’s heels tap against the ground, her now silver suit clinging nicely to her muscle-toned form. Her body is still plenty feminine but she can crush a watermelon between her thighs. Her dirty blonde hair is draped around her but a silver mask covers her face. Though Jaden could still see her greyish-brown eyes under the mask. With her right hand on her hip, she uses the left to press a button at the side of her mask opening it up. It looked like Alexis’s face but had some sort of silvery-like material around it like the suit was part of her body. “Yeah… I know I’m all about women's empowerment but this may be a little much… I’d at least change up the suit a little.” Looking down at herself the breastplate is modest at least. The blue streaks on the suit seemed to be about her rank at Duel Academy years ago. “I mean maybe my students would listen to me better like this… but Mana think you can help us here?”

Taking a few steps back Mana twirls her staff and points toward the both of them. “Well. I think you already have what you need. You ended up with a draw. Meaning you’re both partners to each other. To be partners to each other you need to be able to switch between duel form and a human form. I guess you found an interesting loophole in the shadow game. Benefits, and no costs… well besides not getting to pick your outfit.” Her eyes slowly turn to Jaden. “And well gender…” Clearing her throat she claps her hands and turns around the large stone door opening back up now. “Anyway! It seems like you both will have plenty of time to work out your feelings now. Best of luck.” Starting to walk away Alexis and Jaden both start to chase after her but she turns on her heel holding her palm up to stop them. “Geez, come on I’m not that mean. You can turn back… Jaden’s spirit should be able to help. Channel your spirit energy into your card. Then when one of you uses the other card you can summon each other and transform. You should both be able to swap… well you’ll figure it out.”

Poof

Instead of prattling longer the Magician girl poofs away in a puff of smoke leaving the two new spirit human hybrids to themselves. Alexis is the first to break the awkward silence lifting a card from her side which has Jaden’s new style on it. A Dark Magician Girl card but in Jaden’s color, with Jaden’s new cute face. “I guess it did give us cards… I have yours now.”

Jaden pats at her skirt a few times and finds a card herself from parts unknown. “Wicked.” Looking at the card it had Alexis on it striking a pose like Neos. “Elemental HERO Neo Lex huh? Honestly nice ring to it.”

The energy felt different from before. Alexis felt more at peace somehow. Just standing by Jaden’s side. Even if they got turned into a short girl. “Really… it. It hasn’t been the same without you around. I…” Trailing off she slips the card on top of her deck and sighs. “I didn’t mean to drag you into some forced game.” Biting at her lip she shakes her head. “No, that’s not right either… that’s what I meant for sure. I just… I needed to do something. You can hate me if you want… but I’m just glad we were able to end things like this. You can just go back to how things were”

Brushing her long hair back behind her ear the Jaden Magician girl pats at Alexis’s side “Really stop being so down on yourself. Everyone gets lonely. And I think I speak for everyone here when I say. This a lot less crazy than what some people who want attention would do.” Jaden’s eyes flash Yubel’s usual shine. “Not that there is anything wrong with wanting some attention—” Clearing her throat she tucks the card into her deck as well. “Look… we can turn back. We can help each other out now too. So why don’t we? You wanted to try being a pro and not just a teacher, right? Well, I've been traveling the world enough so why not give it a shot?” Holding out her hand Jaden gives a sheepish smile. “Sooo, how about it? Partners?

Alexis iss not sure what to say. Hearing Jaden say everything with such a feminine and squeaky voice made her sort of want to hug the small cute girl. “Heh… hard to take you seriously like that Jay.” Shaking her head, she grabs Jaden’s hand in her now much larger hand and shakes it. “But fine… let's try and be pros together. Partner. I’ll do things right this time.”

Several months later

Months had passed since that day. Much had changed in the time as well. Alexis was still a teacher, but now also a pro duelist. Jaden is right alongside her. “That’s right the power couple wins again!” It was funny to them both, just how much could change in so little time. Alexis and Jaden stand in a grand arena with a cheering crowd. Both of them in their spirit forms as the duelists they faced have a pair of beeping duel disks from having lost. Dueling together, spending more time together. Somehow they started dating. It was just some casual joke back in school. Though now Alexis was dating Jaden for real. Even when he happened to be a small woman. “That marks victory streak thirty-two for the power couple. Just what will the costumed duo do next!”

The two of them walk from the arena, both of their bodies shimmering with light as they transform back to their normal forms. “Heh, good work out there Jay.” Alexis wipes some sweat from her brow and tosses Jaden a water bottle.

“No problem Lex… though gotta say should I be worried I’ve gotten pretty used to wearing the skirt?” Laughing at himself Jaden chugs some of the water.

“Well.” Leaning back in her seat Alexis sighs contently looking out the window of the arena. “I could always lend you a few of mine if you’re really enjoying it. Heh, you’re forms a bit easier to hide than mine.”

Jaden sighs shaking his head. “I think you and Yubel both are enjoying teasing me a little too much. But hey come on.” Standing back up Jaden holds out his hand to Alexis. “You got a class in a while, right? Let’s head back together.”

A smile parts Alexis’s lips and slips her fingers through Jaden’s holding his hand in hers. With a gentle tug she stands up beside him. “Right. Together.”