Era of Spirits and Shadows Chapter 19 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter for Era of Spirits and Shadows! Classes, card shop, tests, friends, Deck building, assignments, and all the things that make up student life at Duel Academy continue as the year rolls along. It’s getting close to the first break for students where some will head home, while others stay on the island.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 19 – Student Life

The normal routines for Duel Academy continued on as the days passed by on the island. The days were beginning to get shorter and cooler as the last of summer faded away and autumn began to set in. Soon enough the first break for students would be upon the Academy but, for now, classes continued.

“Now, if six plus ‘x’ squared is equal to ‘y’ squared…” Professor Wade, the Mathematics teacher, spoke loud enough for his class to hear as he taught them Algebra.

Jaden was barely staying awake, only maintaining his hold on the waking world by copying the notes and problems on the board.

Drake was doing the same but looked like he wanted to beat his head against the desk. “When am I ever going to use Algebra in a Duel?” He grumbled like the teenager he was. “Higher Math is out to get me, I swear.”

“It’s not so hard.” Bastion said from Drake’s left as he’d not only copied the current problem on the board down but solved it as well. “Once you understand the basic equations you’ll improve. I’m more than willing to help you study when the class moves on to quadratics and polynomials as well.” He offered with a smile.

Drake let his head thump against the desk, not wanting to deal with even more complex math.

“Haaah~” Jaden yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. “I’m with Drake on this, Bastion. Beyond basic Math, how is this going to help us with Dueling? I doubt there’s ever going to be a Series or Archetype of cards focused on Algebra or Calculus.”

“Perhaps not,” Bastion admitted as he began copying down the next example problem from the board. “But it never hurts to learn, and calculating statistics and probability has allowed me to fine-tune my Decks for optimal play.”

Drake sighed as he pulled his head from the desk and began copying the new problem on the board. He ignored the amused giggles he heard from his girlfriends in the row behind him.

Mindy and Jasmine found Drake’s dislike of higher Math quite amusing, even though neither of them could say they enjoyed it either. Duel Monsters didn’t really require any higher Math beyond multiplication and division, most of the game actually only required the most basic addition and subtraction, in fact. However, as a school, Duel Academy was still required to provide a top-notch education to maintain their various certifications as an institute of learning.

“Jaden.” Alexis said just loud enough to make Jaden’s drooping body sit up again as he’d been about to doze off. “Class is almost over.” She assured her new boyfriend, giving him a little smile when he looked over his shoulder at her.

“Thanks, Alexis.” Jaden gave her a small grin in return before he looked forward and started copying the notes and problems on the board again.

When the bell rang several minutes later, both Drake and Jaden were among the first students to stand up and gather their things to leave.

-Lunch-

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Jaden cheered as he ate his food in the Canteen with his friends.

Alexis had a little grin on her lips as she spoke up. “It’s not going to run away, Jaden.”

Jaden slowed down a little with a smile. “But it’s good stuff.”

“Mine’s better.” Drake said with a smirk.

Bastion chuckled slightly. “I’ll have to try yours to compare.”

“It’s better.” Jasmine said while shooting Drake a smile.

Mindy winked at Drake cutely. “We might be a little biased though.”

“A little?” Alexis raised a single delicate eyebrow at her two best friends.

“Just a little.” Jasmine and Mindy said in unison, before catching each other’s eyes and laughing a bit.

Chumley stopped at the table the three Ra’s and three Obelisk’s were sitting at with a sheepish grin and his lunch tray in his hands. “Uh, would you guys mind if I had lunch with you?”

Jaden scooted over a bit, putting him even closer to Alexis, and gave Chumley a smile. “Sure thing, dude.”

“Just because we got promoted doesn’t mean we’re going to ignore you or treat you differently.” Drake assured their former roommate.

“Thanks guys.” Chumley smiled at his two pals as he sat next to Jaden.

Jaden looked around the Canteen for a second before looking at Chumley. “Where’s Syrus? You two hang around together pretty often, right?”

Chumley looked thoughtful for a second before leaning forward a bit and speaking lowly. “Well, ever since Drake dueled Zane in front of the Slifer Dorms that day…he’s occasionally been stopping by to take Syrus somewhere.” He told the group as they all leaned in to hear him. “Syrus says that they’re just talking…and Zane apologized to him for something, he didn’t tell me what, but I don’t want to dig into their family business, you know?”

Alexis let out a small sigh, but a little smile crossed her lips a moment later. “Well, I’m glad that Zane’s realized he made a mistake. It’s also totally like him to not show his feelings to others.” She also knew that Zane was most likely taking Syrus to the end of the harbor near the lighthouse on Duel Academy Island, as it was a fairly remote place that most people didn’t go to.

“A man has to know when to own up to his mistakes.” Drake said with a short nod.

Bastion hummed in agreement, not wanting to speculate too much on another person’s family affairs.

“So those two are probably having lunch together right now.” Jasmine said with a thoughtful look on her face.

“You think Zane is giving Syrus any tips on Dueling? They both play Machine Decks, after all.” Mindy remarked before taking another bite of her lunch.

Chumley swallowed his current mouthful of food and took a drink before he replied. “I think he might be. Syrus’s Dueling has improved a bit…but that might just be from his confidence improving. After the first time Zane took him off to talk, he came back and looked like a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders.”

“Syrus is the Slifer that plays the Vehicroid Archetype, correct?” Bastion had at least vague knowledge of most of the students in their year…not to mention more in-depth Deck knowledge on the highest-ranking students of the Academy.

“Yeah, that’s him.” Drake confirmed with a quick nod. “Glad to see the two are working out their differences as brothers.”

Jasmine hummed thoughtfully for a moment. “The Vehicroids aren’t exactly a great Archetype…but if Syrus learns a bit from Zane, he could probably end up being an interesting opponent.”

“He’s been winning more Duels among the Slifers recently.” Chumley said after finishing off his lunch. “Aside from increasing his rank in the dorm, he’s been saving up his DP too.”

“Maybe he’s looking to buy a specific card for his Deck?” Jaden guessed; he certainly had a few HERO cards that he would like to order as soon as he saved up the DP for them.

-Duel Academy Island ~ Harbor-

“What’s this?” Zane asked Syrus as his little brother handed him a small box with a simple, blue gift ribbon on it.

Syrus rubbed the back of his head. “It’s a gift… A birthday gift. I didn’t get you anything when it was actually your birthday before school started.”

Zane felt a small pang in his chest at that. It was entirely his fault that Syrus had lost confidence in himself and retreated into a shell of insecurity. The fact that his own little brother couldn’t bring himself to face him long enough to even offer him a ‘Happy Birthday’ was something that Zane realized wasn’t normal. ‘How did I not realize what I’d done for this long?’ He nearly cursed himself in his mind, but didn’t let it show on his face. “Thank you, Syrus.” Zane said, giving his younger brother a small smile as he accepted the box.

“No problem… I hope you like it.” Syrus said with a smile of his own.

Zane opened the box and sitting inside amongst simple white tissue paper was a Spell card. “What’s this?” He picked the card up from the box and looked it over.

Evolution Burst

If you control "Cyber Dragon": Target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy that target. "Cyber Dragon" cannot attack the turn you activate this card.

The card art featured Cyber Dragon unleashing a burning white plasma from its jaws and covering something outside of the frame of the picture.

“I was pretty sure you already had the Spell card ‘Super Strident Blaze’ in your Deck, since Cyber End Dragon is your favorite card.” Syrus said as he looked off to the side and mumbled under his breath about how he ‘Couldn’t afford it anyway’. “But I wasn’t sure if you had this one since it’s just as new and pretty rare too.”

“Thank you, Syrus.” Zane gave his brother a little smile for the gift. “And I’d been planning to get a copy of this card for my Deck, but hadn’t gotten around to it just yet.” That brought a bright smile to Syrus’s face, one that only grew brighter as Zane pulled his Deck from the deck box on his belt and added the ‘Evolution Burst’ to the stack of cards.

Once Zane had returned his Deck to his deck box, the Truesdale brothers sat down to enjoy lunch together. Slowly, but surely, the two were rebuilding their bond as siblings and it made them both happy as they mended their strained relationship.

-Deck Synergy Class ~ Afternoon-

Professor Black stood at the front of the room in his black and silver Duel Blazer, his long, wild white hair cascading down his back as always. “Now, who can tell me why you may not run three copies of a good card in your Deck, even if it’s part of the Archetype you play?”

A few hands went up and Professor Black took a second before choosing one. “Mr. Huffington.” He was honestly surprised to see Chumley actively participating in class given how rare it was.

“You might need to make space in your Deck for another card from the Archetype that’s equally as important to the overall strategy of the Archetype as a whole.” Chumley said with some confidence as he stood up to answer.

Next to him, Syrus was giving his buddy an encouraging smile.

“Correct, Mr. Huffington!” Professor Black smiled at Chumley. “Limiting yourself to running two copies of certain staple cards for your Deck frees up space in your Deck list for other necessary cards.” He looked around the room with a grin as he saw how into his lessons his students were. “And who can tell me what kinds of cards you may want to run two copies of and why?”

More hands went up than the first time.

“Miss Rhodes!” Professor Black pointed at Alexis.

Alexis stood up as she answered. “Cards colloquially called ‘starters’ and ‘extenders’ that facilitate the beginning of plays and the continuation of combos during your turn are often played at two or three copies per Deck. One well-known starter is Armageddon Knight for DARK Attribute Decks, which allows you to send one DARK Attribute Monster from your Deck to your graveyard, potentially activating a graveyard effect immediately. One of the earliest extenders is the classic Monster Reborn which, if used in conjunction with Armageddon Knight, can Special Summon the DARK Monster sent to the graveyard by Armageddon Knight’s effect to the field, which could activate said Monster’s effect on the field as well, further extending the combo and getting the most out of the same monster in a single turn.”

Professor Black smiled brightly at Alexis. “Correct, Miss Rhodes, thank you for your thorough answer! Excellent work!” He brought up the card Armageddon Knight on the large screen up front and even a couple of cards that could extend from its effect so that his students could see what Alexis had mentioned.

Alexis accepted the praise with a small nod as she sat back down. Jaden gave her a grin and Alexis smiled at him warmly.

“As a single Deck can have up to sixty cards, why do we as Duelists often limit ourselves to the minimum Deck size of forty cards?” Professor Black was on a roll now and his students were participating in the lesson fervently now. It was a true sign of how good of a teacher he was. “Mr. Misawa?” He picked out Bastion from the crowd of raised hands.

“Probability, sir.” Bastion answered promptly. “The fewer cards in a Deck, the higher percentage chance there is for a Duelist is to draw the cards they need to facilitate their strategy. It’s why cards that allow one to draw extra cards are so popular and often considered staples in Decks; they considerably increase a Deck’s consistency.”

“That’s correct, Mr. Misawa!” Professor Black nodded to the genius. “Getting to the right cards in your Deck is a matter of synergy, probability, and just plain luck.” He chuckled along with a few of the other students at the simple truth that luck played a not so small part in any Duel. “But who can tell me a reason that a Duelist might choose to use a fifty-card or sixty-card Deck?”

Less hands went up this time around as a few of the students seemed unsure of themselves.

“Miss Hamaguchi?” Professor Black called on Mindy as she still had her hand raised.

Mindy stood up with a grin. “A larger Deck can be used to facilitate strategies involving the milling of your own cards, or both your cards and your opponent’s cards. One of the most famous cards to facilitate running a Deck larger than forty cards is ‘That Grass Looks Greener’ which, as long as you have more cards in your Deck than your opponent, let’s you mill cards into your graveyard until you have the same number of cards remaining in your Deck as your opponent. This would, most likely, immediately activate multiple graveyard effects to start combos and potentially floodgate your opponent, swarm your field with Monsters, and could possibly break your opponent’s board all in a single turn.”

“Very good answer, Miss Hamaguchi!” Professor Black nodded as he brought up ‘That Grass Looks Greener’ on the large screen. “One of the many strategies used with Zombie Decks which thrive by using the graveyard involves this Trap card. The Skull Servant/Wight Archetype can especially benefit from running this card in a fifty or sixty-card Deck.” He brought up examples of the Skull Servant and Wight cards on the screen to show the effects and how milling ten or more cards could allow a Duelist to summon a ‘King of the Skull Servants’ with an absurdly high ATK on their very first turn.

A hand raised into the air and Professor Black pointed to the student. “Yes, Mr. Erishi?”

“Isn’t a card like that only good in a sixty-card Deck, sir? If you mill your Deck too much, you’ll lose by the Deck Out Rule.” The Ra Yellow student said.

“Good question, Mr. Erishi!” Professor Black nodded to the young man. “Indeed, the Mill Strategy has been used to great effect in the past. Decks that prioritize drawing a large number of cards or milling their own cards are much more susceptible to a good Mill Strategy. Lightsworn is one such Archetype that mills its own cards, and if precautions aren’t taken to prevent Deck Out, then the Lightsworn Duelist could find themselves losing a Duel they had all but won.” Professor Black chuckled as he recalled a memory from his time on the Professional Duelist Circuit. “I once saw an Insect Duelist use the Monster ‘Needle Worm’ to mill the last five cards from a Lightsworn Duelist’s Deck and then immediately end their turn. Even though the Lightsworn Duelist still had over 6,000 Life Points, they lost the instant they couldn’t draw for their next turn.”

Several students were taking notes now as they considered the new information they’d learned.

-Card Shop ~ After Classes-

Drake, Jaden, Alexis, Jasmine, Mindy, and Bastion were looking through the cards on display as well as the multitudes of packs on the shelves.

They weren’t the only students there, of course, the afternoons were always the prime time to find students in the card shack buying packs and singles to increase the power and synergy of their Decks, or to collect more cards for experiments with Side Deck options or the construction of another Deck with an entirely new Archetype. The Drawbread was as popular as always too, many students hoping to draw the Golden Eggwich for the free rare card that would come with it. Sadie kept a close watch on the Drawbread cart just to make sure no one was digging through it to try and find the one-of-a-kind sandwich illegitimately.

“Are you gonna take a shot at the Drawbread with us, Bastion?” Jaden asked his buddy with a grin.

Bastion shook his head. “Not today. I’m currently looking for a few specific cards and the odds of drawing one of them from the Drawbread are astronomically low.”

“Suit yourself!” Mindy chirped as she paid Sadie the 100 DP it cost and pulled a sandwich from the pile. “Let’s see…” She looked at the card that was attached to the wrapped sandwich.

Fateful Hour

Target one monster that cannot be Normal Summoned/Set in either GY; Special Summon it.

“Not too bad.” Mindy hummed as she looked at the card art which showed ‘Yoko, the Graceful Mayakashi’ and ‘Shiranui Skillsaga Supremacy’ facing off against each other. “I don’t have a lot of targets for this in my Deck though…but it also let’s me target my opponent’s graveyard too.”

“My turn.” Jasmine stepped up after paying for a draw.

Mindy moved aside with a smile as she unwrapped her sandwich. “Good luck, Jazz.”

“Good luck.” Drake wished his girlfriend luck as she reached into the pile of sandwiches.

Jasmine pulled out a sandwich and looked at the card first. “Prime Material Falcon?”

Prime Material Falcon – Level 5 – WIND – Winged-Beast/Effect – 2200ATK/800DEF

When an Effect Monster's effect to destroy a Spell or Trap Card(s) on the field is activated, you can send 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard to negate its activation and destroy the card.

“It’s a WIND Winged-Beast, it’s rare…” Jasmine moved the card a little to show off the holographic of the card. “But it doesn’t quite mesh well with my Harpie Deck.” She playfully pouted at the card she’d gotten.

Drake hugged Jasmine from behind. “Better?”

Jasmine grinned. “A little longer.”

“Sure.” Drake agreed as he held her.

Mindy cooed a little at the scene of her boyfriend and girlfriend being cute together. “Gonna make me jealous~” She teased playfully.

“After you, Alexis.” Jaden offered Alexis the next turn with a smile.

Alexis returned his smile with her own. “Thank you, Jaden.” She reached into the pile of Drawbread and pulled one for herself. “What is it today?” She flipped the wrapped sandwich over to look at the card attached to it.

Wall of Thorns

When a Plant-Type monster you control is targeted for an attack: Destroy all Attack Position monsters your opponent controls.

“This could be good for a trade.” Alexis said as she looked at the Trap Card. “It’s a Plant-Type Mirror Force.” She was fairly certain one of the other Obelisk girls played a Plant Deck.

While the girls all enjoyed their sandwiches, Drake and Jaden played a quick round of rock-paper-scissors to decide who went next.

“Rock…”

“Paper…”

“Scissors…”

“Shoot!”

Jaden threw paper while Drake threw scissors.

“Yes!” Drake pumped his fist once.

“Well damn…” Jaden chuckled at his loss. “You’re up, dude!”

Drake paid Sadie the 100 DP and stepped up to the cart. He reached into the pile of sandwiches and grabbed the first one that his palm touched. “What did I pull this time?” He saw the green Spell card and a smile broke out on his face when he saw which one it was.

Dragon Nails

Equip only to a DARK monster. It gains 600 ATK, also it cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects. If this card is sent to the GY because the equipped monster was destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: You can Special Summon that monster, and if you do, equip this card to it, but banish this card when it leaves the field. You can only use this effect of "Dragon Nails" once per turn.

“I’ve been looking for one of these!” Drake beamed at the card. It was known that the old Regional Champion: Rex Raptor had used this particular card back during the Duelist Kingdom Tournament years ago. But copies of this rare card were hard to come by as there hadn’t been a reprint of it to lower the rarity. “I wonder…” Drake unwrapped his sandwich and grinned as an almost golden glow was revealed. “I guess I get to taste the Golden Eggwich this time.” He showed it to Jaden with a laugh.

“Aww, man… I really wanted another one of those.” Jaden sighed at not getting another taste of the best Drawbread that Duel Academy had to offer.

Drake took his first bite of the Golden Eggwich and his eyes widened in surprise. ‘That’s amazing! What to they put in this thing to make it taste so good?! It’s just an egg sandwich…isn’t it?’ Able to cook he might be, even pretty good at it, but he couldn’t identify what was giving the Golden Eggwich its profound taste.

“Drake~” Jasmine sing-songed as she and Mindy got closer to their boyfriend.

“Share with us?” Mindy asked with a cute little smile on her lips.

“Ahhh…” Drake went with it as he brought the Golden Eggwich up to Jasmine’s lips.

Jasmine, cheeks quickly turning red as everyone could see them, took a bite from the Golden Eggwich, right in the same spot as Drake had, sealing an indirect kiss. “Mmm!” She placed one hand against her cheek. “That’s…” She swallowed the bite. “…amazing.”

Mindy leaned forward, “Ahhh…” And took a bite from the same spot on the Eggwich, getting her own indirect kiss from both Jasmine and Drake. “Wow…” She chewed the bite with sparkles in her eyes.

Jaden stepped up to the Drawbread cart and wound his right arm a couple times. “Well, the Golden Eggwich might be gone, but I’ll still get the best one I can!” He buried his hand in the pile and pulled out a wrapped sandwich. Flipping the sandwich over, Jaden looked at the card he’d gotten.

The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh

Take 1 "Kuriboh" or 1 "Winged Kuriboh" from your Deck, and either add it to your hand or Special Summon it.

“Hey!” Jaden smiled at the Spell card.

“Kuri! Kuri!” Winged Kuriboh seemed excited by the card that was in Jaden’s hand.

‘You like that, partner?’ Jaen asked his Ka with a smile on his face. He quickly added the card to his Deck and the feeling of joy from Winged Kuriboh flooded Jaden through their bond. “Not bad, kinda rare too.” He unwrapped his sandwich and took a bite. “Mm! That’s a really good Curry Bread!”

Once everyone finished their snack, they all decided to spend a bit of their DP to buy some packs and open them together at one of the many tables in the Card Shop.

“Nothing in this one.” Jasmine sighed as she set the stack of cards down on the table. Harpie support was rumored to be coming sometime next year, but until then she might be out of luck.

Alexis was much the same with her pack. “None of these will work with my Cyber Lady or Cyber Angel Decks.”

“Hmm, maybe for a trade?” Mindy looked at the Spell card ‘Spiral Spear Strike’ and set it to one side. “Surely there’s someone on this island that plays a ‘Gaia the Fierce Knight’ or ‘Gaia the Dragon Champion’ Deck.”

Jaden shook his head once. “I didn’t get any HERO cards in this pack.” He set them aside in a growing pile of cards none of them could use.

Drake had his head on the table and multiple opened packs around him. “I used up all of my luck on the Drawbread…” He mumbled out as he hadn’t gotten a single card he could use from any of his packs.

“Well, statistically, the likelihood of drawing a card of Super Rare, Ultra Rare, or higher rarity is rather low.” Bastion said, trying to reassure his friend that a few dud packs weren’t indicative of his luck forever. “You could buy an entire box with twenty-four packs in it and not get such rare cards.”

“I know.” Drake sighed as he sat up properly. “Looks like we’re going to have another shipment for the old man.”

Everyone, except Jaden, looked at Drake curiously.

“Oh, right, didn’t tell you all about them.” Drake chuckled as he explained about the family-run shop not too far from his home and how they helped kids from poorer financial situations buy cards and build Decks of their own, all from donated used cards that others sent them.

“That’s so nice.” Mindy smiled at the idea of a small shop that helped kids be able to afford to make a Duel Monsters Deck for cheap.

Jasmine agreed with a smile of her own. “That’s a good shop, for sure. Everyone should be given the chance to play the game.”

“You never know where the next prodigy or champion will come from.” Alexis said with a grin. “Someone that started with a simple Deck made from common cards could rise up through the ranks and eventually take the world by storm.”

“I’d love to duel someone like that!” Jaden had bright eyes that burned with challenge at the mere thought of facing such a Duelist.

Bastion chuckled at his friends. “Well then, we should facilitate the rise of such a potential champion and send these cards off to that shop, shouldn’t we?”

The pile of cards that the six students couldn’t use themselves were quickly gathered up and taken to be mailed out.

-Late Afternoon-

Drake walked hand-in-hand with Mindy and Jasmine along the beach. No one was around to disturb them given the somewhat chilly air, so the three were free to enjoy their peaceful walk together, just enjoying the sun as it began to set.

“Such a romantic.” Jasmine said with a soft grin on her lips as she laid her head on Drake’s shoulder.

“Mhmm~” Mindy agreed as she mimicked Jasmine on Drake’s opposite side. “Our boyfriend is so sweet.”

Drake chuckled a little. “I do my best.”

The white sand left footprints behind as the throuple continued down the length of the beach, just enjoying their closeness.

Elsewhere, Jaden and Alexis were enjoying a little stroll of their own.

The new couple were walking through the forest, taking in the leaves that had begun to change color. They walked hand-in-hand, slowly, contentment surrounding them both as they enjoyed their growing feelings for each other.

“This is nice, Jaden.” Alexis said, lightly squeezing his hand in hers.

“It’s pretty.” Jaden agreed as a few leaves fell from the trees as a gentle breeze blew through. “Not as pretty as you though.”

Alexis laughed softly. “Where did you get that from?”

Jaden smiled at her warmly. “A movie.”

The two laughed together as they continued on their stroll through the woods. No one was around to bother them, and they could just be together as they talked and shared more of about their lives, telling each other about their families and their childhoods.

-End Chapter-

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SO. MUCH. FLUFFY!!!

Enjoy the warm and fuzzy of our adorable pairings!

A nice time of school life and domestic bliss. Hanging out with friends, card hunting, Drawbread, classes, so much of Duel Academy that isn’t life-threatening, or magical, or anything dangerous.

But we all know THAT won’t last long!

Our Duelists better enjoy their downtime while they have it!

The first break from school heralds the arrival of something dangerous, called forth from the shadows by three fools that didn’t understand what they were messing with!

How will the next encounter with the shadows on the spiritual hotspot that is Duel Academy Island play out this time around?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!