It was early morning before class start in Duel Academy.
Every student in class was chatting with their friends, trading cards for some DP, or were just having a duel so they can polish their skills against eachother. The whole class was filled with buzz.
except for Syrus.
He sat at the very front row with his shoulders slumped and hands folded tensely on the desk. His eyes were fixed downward, not on anything in particular, just… looking down nervously.
"Kuri…?"
A gentle chirp come from Winged Kuriboh who flew beside him, landing lightly on Syrus's desk, the little spirit tilted his head, studying Syrus with worried eyes, then rubbed his fluffy cheek against Syrus's arm.
"Winged Kuriboh...?" Syrus was surprised seeing him but then mustered a weak smile and gave the spirit a soft rub with his hand. "Are you trying to cheer me up…?"
"I'm fine…" Syrus lied "Anyway, what about you? I heard from Jaden you had to rest the whole day yesterday because of… y'know. The abandoned dorm…"
Syrus felt a shiver as he recalled that event and how they all almost died if it weren't for Mash and Jaden.
"Kuri! Boh!" Winged Kuriboh chirped confidently, puffing himself up like a proud guardian.
"I… have no idea what that means," Syrus admitted, "but I'll take it as a 'You're good now.'"
Winged Kuriboh nodded, then turned and flew back toward Jaden and Chumley who is sitting right beside Syrus. The spirit landed on Jaden's desk with a dejected flop.
"Kuri… kuri…" he mumbled, shaking his head at himself.
"What's he saying?" Chumley asked.
Jaden shrugged. "Looks like he tried his best to cheer Sy up… and failed." He glanced toward Syrus, who had already gone back to staring emptily at the front board.
"It's okay, buddy, you tried." Jaden reassured Winged Kuriboh as he gave him a pat.
But then suddenly Jaden felt a hand tap on his shoulder. He then turn around to see Alexis.
"Hey," she said softly. "What's wrong with Syrus? I know he's usually shy and timid and stuff, but today he looks… really down. More than usual."
"Sy…?" Jaden said as he scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well… It's because of yesterday."
---
8 PM — Jaden's Dorm, Last Night
"Sy! Please give me your deck to be upgraded!"
Mash stretched his hand forward dramatically to Syrus, thinking he'll simply hand it over like a donation box.
"WHAT!?" Syrus jolted hard enough to nearly drop his deck. "NO WAY!"
"You said you'll make me a new deck!" Syrus protested loudly, clutching his deck tight to his chest. "And with how many cards you buy from the card shop, why should I give you my deck to be 'upgraded'!?"
"Yeah, dude…" Jaden said from his bunk bed, dangling upside-down. "Don't you already have enough material or whatever to make a new deck for Sy?"
"Well~ you see, Jay-jay~" Lovely leaned toward Syrus with a sly smile. "Making a deck, especially a strong one for little Sy-boy here… is very expensive for my Darling~." (Lie)
"That's right!" Mash cut in immediately. "Which is why I'm gonna use one of my system perks instead! The 'Card Upgrade!'"
He jabbed a finger upward confidently.
"Rather than wasting tons of CP for a single deck... (Lie) I could just upgrade all the Roids in your deck and just add a little bit of SPEED in them!"
"And by upgrading them it wouldn't cost 100 times as much as making a new one!" (Lie)
Lovely gave an approving nod worth a thousand scams.
"So what do you say, Sy...?" Mash leaned in closer, flashing a smug grin. "Do we have a deal...?"
Syrus looks at Mash in the eyes, hesitating as he tightened his grip on his Vehicroid deck like it was the only thing valuable left in him.
"C'mon... Don't you remember our bet...?" Mash whispered poisonously.
Syrus bit his lip, eyes squeezing shut as he made his decision.
---
"And in the end," Jaden finished explaining, "Sy gave Mash his deck."
"Hm…" Alexis tapped her chin thoughtfully. "So basically… Syrus is worried because he doesn't have a deck right now?"
"NO!"
Syrus suddenly spun around, cheeks flushed red. "I'm not worried about not having a deck right now!" he insisted. "I'm just… I'm worried Mash might change or destroy a single card…"
"MAMMA MIA!? YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR DECK, SYRUS TRUESDALE!???"
Dr. Crowler literally appeared out of thin air in front of Syrus's desk with his ugly face now twisted into an ugly angry face.
"D-DR CROWLER!?" Syrus squeaked.
"SYRUS! WHERE. IS. YOUR. DECK!?" Crowler asked, but is just loud enough for the entire class to be able to hear.
"I-it's..." Syrus try to make an excuse and sighed. "It's back in my dorm at the desk..."
"UNACEPTABLE!" Dr Crowler was furious.
"FOR A DUELIST IN DUEL ACADEMY TO NOT BROUGHT HIS DECK TO SCHOOL, IS NO DIFFERENT THAN AN DUELIST WITHOUT THE WORD 'DUEL' IN THE NAME!"
"So… it's just 'ist'?" Jaden asked innocently.
"Yes, FOR IST NOTHING!!!" Dr Crowler shouted. "A DUELIST WITHOUT HIS DECK IS NOTHING! YOU UNDERSTAND, SYRUS TRUESDALE!??"
Crowler slammed both hands on Syrus's desk, launching into a furious speech about a duelist deck. Winged Kuriboh floated behind Jaden like a traumatized balloon.
Alexis, Jaden, Chumley, and Winged Kuriboh can only watched as Syrus get verbally obliterated.
[Poor Syrus.] They all thought.
"Anyway… speaking of Mash… There's something I want to tell him. But it seems he's sick, is he?" Alexis pointed at a empty deck beside Syrus who Mash usually sits on.
"Nope," Jaden replied. "He's pretending to be sick so he can work on Syrus's cards today. So, what did you want to tell him? I'll pass it along."
Alexis hesitated, lowering her voice.
"It's… from Zane."
---
A few hours later, when classes finally ended for the day. The warm orange glow of the setting sun washed over Duel Academy Island.
Jaden, Syrus, and Chumley was walking back toward the Slifer Red dorms. Syrus walked slightly behind the others with his shoulders slumped, and exhaustion written plainly across his face.
"Geez…" Syrus sighed, flexing his arm weakly. "I'm so tired from all that writing… My arm feels like it's gonna fall off…"
Earlier, the moment class had ended, Dr. Crowler had personally sentenced him to write 100 lines of "A duelist without its deck is nothing" across the chalkboard. By the time he finished, his hand had gone numb.
"Cheer up, Sy!" Jaden said, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "At least you're getting a brand-new, super-strong deck from Mash, right?"
"Kuri! Kuri!" Winged Kuriboh chimed in support, fluttering excitedly beside Syrus' head.
"Yeah…" Syrus replied, managing a small smile. "…I just hope it'll be worth it."
Eventually, they stopped in front of Mash's dorm room.
Knock knock!
"I'm sorry, but my Darling~ isn't available right now~" a sweet, sing-song voice called from inside. "So please kindly head to the nearest cliff and jump off it~"
"Miss Labrynth! It's us!" Jaden shouted back.
The door swung open immediately, revealing Lovely Labrynth with a delighted grin on her face because she's been waiting for them
"Oh hey~! It's Jay-jay, Sy-boy, and Chubby~!"
"…Hey," Chumley groaned, already regretting coming.
"DARLING~! They're here~!" Lovely called over her shoulder.
"JUST IN TIME!!!" Mash screamed from inside.
A moment later, Mash came running toward the door only to stop halfway, as he take a breather on his knee, before straightening up and just walking towards the front door.
"Hey guys…" Mash said, sweat visibly dripping down his face. "So… school's already over?"
"You gotta hit the gym, man," Jaden commented flatly.
"NO!" Mash snapped instantly, before turning to Syrus. "Anyway, Sy…"
Mash's expression turned into a confident grin.
"Your new deck is finished."
Jaden's eyes lit up, Chumley gasped and Winged Kuriboh fluttered excitedly hearing this.
"Congrats, Sy!" Jaden gave Syrus an enthusiastic pat on the back. "You're about to get something crazy!"
"Man, I'm jealous," Chumley added. "Mash-built decks are basically illegal with his world cards"
"Kuri! Kuri!" Winged Kuriboh cheered.
"That's great and all, but…" Syrus hesitated, as his worries creeps back in. "Mash… what about my—"
"Here."
Mash pulled a familiar card from his pocket and held it out to Syrus.
{Power Bond}
Syrus' eyes widened.
"Don't worry," Mash said. "I know how important this card is to you."
"Oh, thank god… I thought you changed or destroyed it for material..." Syrus sighed in relief, taking it with shaking hands. "Okay, okay… now just put it back into my deck, then."
Syrus then hands over {Power Bond} back to Mash however...
Mash didn't take it.
"What are you talking about?" Mash said calmly. "You're not gonna be using {Power Bond} in your new deck, Syrus."
Syrus and the others can't believe what Mash said.
"W-wait—what!? Wait a minute! What do you mean by-" Syrus was about to say something, before Mash grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him to his side.
Mash clapped his hands loudly.
"Alright, everyone, listen up! I've got an announcement!"
"Syrus and Jaden's tag duel is scheduled for next Monday!" Mash declared. "That gives us exactly 6 days to prepare!"
Syrus stiffened at the reminder, still thinking he'll be a burden during it.
"And in those 6 days, I am going to teach and train Syrus how to pilot his new deck like a pro! Which means..."
Mash glance around the group.
"Whenever we're free, Syrus and I will be training in MY ROOM and during those sessions, no one is allowed inside or bother us." Mash finished explaining.
He turned to Jaden. "You copy that, Jaden?"
Jaden blinked but it then turned into a grin.
"Ohhhh... So it's like a hardcore training mode!" Jaden laughed as he gives Mash the thumbs up. "Go ahead man, don't need to ask me twice!"
Winged Kuriboh bobbed in agreement.
"Y-you're okay with this, Jay?" Syrus asked, surprised.
"Of course!" Jaden said easily. "If you're gonna level up, you gotta lock in, twin! After all, don't you remember how Mash coach you the other day?"
(IG Notes: Don't mind Jaden saying some modern slangs, you know where he learned it.)
Syrus recalled the other day how Mash coach him and makes him win a duel against Jaden.
"…Yeah," Syrus said quietly with a smile. "You're right."
"ALRIGHT~!" Lovely clapped her hands. "With that settled, how about I teach Winged Kuriboh over here how to possess the Duel Disk hologram~ I need something to do while my Darling~ is training Sy-boy~"
"What!? Even you aren't allowed inside!?" Chumley blurted out.
"Is that even okay?" Jaden added.
"Don't worry about it~" Lovely waved dismissively. "I can always hang out with Lexy and friends~"
Lovely then turned to Winged Kuriboh. "Now, how about you possess a Blue-Eyes hologram and we all play roleplay as we try to defeat you~?"
"Kuri…?"
Winged Kuriboh was imagining himself as the big white dragon and firing off laser beams towards Jaden and the others in a battle to the death, which makes him really excited.
"KURIBOH! KURIBOH!" Winged Kuriboh chirped excitedly.
"Have fun, y'all!" Mash waved as the group started to leave. Syrus waved too, still a little nervous, but smiling.
"Oh! Wait!" Jaden suddenly jogged back. "There's something I gotta tell you."
"Hm?" Mash raised an eyebrow.
"It's a word from Zane that he told to Alexis to told to you, but since you're not at school Alexis told to me to told to you and here I am to told to you what Zane told to Alexis who-"
"GET TO THE POINT." Mash cut him off.
"Uh, so Zane said, that you are a worthy opponent. He congratulate you for being the undefeated duelist and maybe, the strongest in school. He said that duel the other day, even if you weren't respectful, certainly show how capable you are as a duelist, alongside your Lovely Labrynth who he see you show great respect for her as her dueling partner."
Jaden scratched his cheek. "He also said he'll train harder to defeat you one day."
Syrus' eyes widened. "Wow… praise like that from my brother… You must feel pretty proud—"
Mash stared at him flatly.
"Hm." He turned to Jaden. "Alright. Relay something back to him."
"Sure!" Jaden said eagerly. "What is it?"
"I don't care. Fuck off. Kill yourself."
SLAM.
Mash shut the door bluntly.
---
Inside of Mash room, both Syrus and Mash was sitting on the carpeted floor.
Mash sat cross-legged near the center of the room, relaxed as ever. Syrus, on the other hand, sat opposite him with his back stiff and hands resting awkwardly on his knees, like he was waiting to be interrogated.
This was it. No Jaden. No Chumley. No Winged Kuriboh cheering him on. Just him… and Mash.
Syrus swallowed.
Mash broke the silence by placing a deck squarely on the floor between them. The sound of the cards tapping against the carpet made Syrus flinch.
"This," Mash said calmly, "is your main deck."
Syrus stared at it like it might explode.
"The archetype is called..." Mash paused for dramatic effect, then grinned.
"{SPEEDROID}"
Syrus blinked once.
Then twice.
"Oh…" His shoulders loosened just a little. "So that's why you kept saying you were giving my roids some speed… because it's literally called Speedroid… Ha ha."
Mash's expression flattened instantly. "Okay. Shut the fuck up and look at your deck."
Syrus yelped. "S-sorry!"
Syrus chest was pounding loudly as he slowly reached forward. His fingers trembling as he lifted the deck. He hesitated for a moment, and finally... he began to flip the deck then flipping through the monsters, spells and trap cards.
Syrus paused looking at his deck.
"These…" Syrus can't help but smile. "These are… my roids now…?"
Gone were the very cartoonish, clunky, and weak looking vehicle monster like Vehicroids that looked more like toys rather than weapons. Speedroids though...
They were sleek.
Compact.
And designed for SPEED.
Even though they are all basically toys like tops, yo-yo's, etc, unlike Vehicroids 'Vehicles'. They all looked fast. All the toys in Speedroids are turned into this High Speed vehicles designed for racing, like they were meant to hit the fields and never stop moving.
"They look…" Syrus searched for the right word. "More modern. Stronger. Like they actually belong in a real duel."
Mash smirked but said nothing.
Syrus kept flipping, eyes shining brighter with every card. "And they're all Wind monsters too… ha ha!"
"Now you're getting it," Mash replied.
Then Mash reached into his pocket again and pulled out another stack of cards, placing them in front of Syrus.
"And here," he said, "is your extra deck."
"Oh, silly Mash! It's called the Fusion Deck, not the Extra Deck!" He laughed as he picked it up. "Didn't Dr. Crowler tell you that like a hundred times? Ha ha!"
Mash didn't correct him.
Syrus continued, still smiling. "I mean, a Fusion Deck is where you put Fusion monsters. There's nothing 'extra' about—"
Syrus paused as he finally flip and look at his Fusion deck.
The first card he saw wasn't purple.
It was white.
"…What," he whispered.
He flipped another card.
White.
Another.
White.
"WHAT IS THIS!????" Syrus shouted, scrambling backward like the cards had bitten him.
Mash tilted his head innocently. "Hmm? What's wrong~?"
"Huh!?"
"WHAT!?"
Syrus snapped his head up, but they kept flicking back to the cards like he couldn't accept what he was seeing.
"U-uh… Mash…?" he called with his voice shaking.
"Yes?" Mash cant help but smirk seeing his reaction.
"Why," Syrus demanded, clutching the deck to his chest, "WHY IS MY FUSION MONSTER WHITE!?!?"
Mash let the moment breathe.
Then, with a grin far too pleased with itself. "That, my racist Syrus..."
"Is called a Synchro Monster."
Syrus's brain visibly sparked.
"And that," Mash continued, enjoying every second, "is why the Fusion Deck gets renamed into the Extra Deck in the future."
"W… why…?" Syrus said weakly as his brain try to process this 'Forbidden' knowledge
"Because," Mash said simply, "there's a new type of summoning in town."
He leaned forward.
"And it's called Synchro Summoning."
"And since Fusion monsters and Synchro monsters both come from the same place," Mash finished, tapping the cards, "they live together."
"In the Extra Deck."
Mash snapped his fingers. "Get it?"
"Synchro…" Syrus muttered.
Smoke practically puffed out of his ears.
"…Summon…?"
His eyes rolled back.
His body went stiff.
Then Syrus collapsed flat onto the carpet with a dull thud, completely overloaded.
"SYRUUUUUUSSSS!!!" Mash screamed, scrambling toward Syrus as he begin trying to slap him awake.
And so... Syrus Truesdale's brutal, confusing, brain-melting journey to mastering Synchro Summoning had officially begun.
_____
Hey everyone IG here!
Sorry it took so long to make a chapter, I need some time recovering from the shitty test I took.
Anyway I hope you all enjoyed it, and Chiao!
Also please do not search up Speedroid summon animation. It's... useless.
___