Disclaimer: I don’t own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Only Melody is mine. This takes place during the late part of season one.
Chapter One- A Surprising Wish
Syrus closed his eyes and let the cool ocean breeze wash over his face. He listened to the sound of the water, the waves as they crashed against the side of where he stood: Zane’s favorite spot on Academy Island. He sighed softly and felt a sense of irony. He loved the feel of the salty breeze and the sound of the waves and yet he couldn’t swim. The only way he would get in the water was the school’s wading pool with an inflation tube. He felt a bit embarrassed about not being able to swim like everyone else and he often wished he could swim.
The trick is to get over my fear of drowning, but that’s easier said than done, Syrus thought as he strode away from where he was and began to stroll along the shore but staying far enough away from the water. I could ask my friends for help. There’s no shame in asking for help. The thing is that I should have learned to swim years ago. He stopped and turned to face the water, wishing that he could swim through it without fear of drowning.
An iridescent shimmer flashed out of the corner of his eye and he turned as it flashed again. Curious, he wandered toward it. The shimmer was actually a slowly flicking fish tail. Its scales were actually a deep emerald green and even from his distance, he could tell that it was beautiful. His eyes moved from the lighter green fins and up the tail before he caught sight of black hair. He gasped when he realized that it was a girl. He rushed over to help, but came to a halt when he saw that the tail took the place of where the girl’s legs should be. Oh my…it’s a mermaid!
He shook himself out of his shock and hurried to the girl’s side who seemed to be about his age. He cradled her upper body before looking from her, to the water, and back again with the realization that she needed to be in the water. He laid her down before standing up and above her head before seizing her under the arms and dragging her to the incoming tide.
The girl moaned softly as Syrus dragged her and he said gently, “It’ll be all right. I won’t hurt you.”
There was a gasp and Syrus glanced down to see pretty soft brown eyes looking up at him with fear. He gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Almost there,” he said, feeling water hit the heels of his shoes. He pulled the mermaid closer until she was able to flip over and pull herself into the shallows. She turned around once safe in the water and smiled at him. “Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome. I’m Syrus, by the way.” He held out a hand.
“I’m Melody,” she replied, taking his hand.
“How did you end up on the beach?”
“The storm last night. I remember surfacing to watch and a huge wave crashing down on me. The next thing I remember is your face.”
“What’s it like being…you know?” He gestured to her tail.
Melody smiled. “It’s nice, but I’d love to be able to walk.” She gazed at Syrus’ legs.
“You wouldn’t want my kind of legs. I mean, I’m short for my age.”
Melody laughed gently. “I would be grateful for any length of legs if it meant I could walk on land.”
“That would be nice. I’d like to be able to swim.”
“You can’t swim?” Melody gasped.
“No. I can use an inflation tube in a pool, but I can’t swim like my friends. I have a fear of drowning. Don’t get me wrong, I love the sea breeze and the sound of waves.”
Melody then clapped her hands and a beaming smile appeared. “Syrus, mermaids can grant one wish to the human who rescues her. If you hadn’t found me, I mostly likely would have died.”
“A wish?” Syrus repeated. “Any kind of wish?”
“Uh-huh. All you have to do is speak the wish aloud and kiss me.”
“Kiss you!?” Syrus briefly blushed at kissing someone he just met.
Melody shrugged. “That’s how it works, I’m afraid.”
Syrus then smiled as the perfect wish came to him. Honestly, Melody had led him to it just by talking. He moved closer to the teen mermaid and crouched down so they were eye level. “I wish to be able to swim as good as you,” he said before he pressed his lips to Melody’s and felt a warmth sweep through him. His wish had been granted.
He felt his legs wobble before he fell face forward into the shallows. He pushed himself up on his hands and craned his neck to see why his legs had collapsed. He blinked rapidly before screaming. His legs were gone and a long brilliant yellow tail were in their place. The lower half rose and fell, splashing water drops in all directions. “What have you done?” he asked in horror.
“Me? It was your wish,” Melody said calmly. “You said you wanted to swim as good as me and since I’m a mermaid, you became a merman.”
“So…I’m a merman from now on?”
“Oh no. Not at all. I was able to manipulate your wish. Anytime you go swimming, you’ll have your tail. The moment you leave the water, you’ll be human. Also, you can be human in the water by focusing on it after changing to a merman.”
Syrus perked up at this and a smile slowly came to his face. “That’s perfect. I can learn to swim with a tail and apply it to my legs later on.”
“That’s a good idea. Plus, you had asked what it’s like being a mermaid. Now you can find out as a merman.” Melody flicked her tail from side to side to move herself backward. Syrus mimicked the motion and he moved forward which made him pleased that he had accomplished moving his tail consciously.
“Good. Very good. Keep doing that and we’ll be in deeper water.”
“Deeper?” Syrus repeated faintly and stopped moving.
“Of course. Once there, we can go under and I can really teach you.”
“Under!?” he squeaked.
Melody took his hand. “You’ll be fine. You’re a merman right now. You can’t drown.”
Syrus smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, you’re right. But I did just become a merman and fears don’t disappear instantly.”
“Fair point.” She released Syrus’ hand and moved backward. Syrus followed her and felt his tail slide off the shallows and into deeper water. He felt himself going under and fought the urge to hold his breath, close his eyes, and thrash to get back to the surface. He slipped under the water, blinked a few times, and gasped. A seemingly endless expanse of blue surrounded him and the life! Below him were schools of different kinds of fish, waving small clumps of kelp were visible, and, as Syrus moved, bubbles appeared and floated away. I never dreamed I would see someplace so beautiful.
“Syrus? What do you think?” Melody asked.
“It’s…breathtaking. Your world is lovely.”
“Thanks. I see you’re not holding your breath.”
“I…had the impulse earlier but I relaxed and fought that urge.”
“Good.” Melody flicked her tail and she swam around Syrus in a circle. The young merman moved his head as she swam. “How do you do that?” he asked.
“Oh, right.” Melody took both of Syrus’ hands and pulled him into a horizontal position. “Now, focus on moving your fins and lower tail.”
Syrus focused and he moved forward a little. He smiled a little before repeating the same flick. I’m swimming, really swimming. He moved forward, his distance increasing as he practiced. Melody showed him how to turn around so he could return home and she promised to meet him there after school the next day for his next lesson.
Chapter Two- Swimming and Dueling
Syrus surfaced, looked around, and saw non one. He moved easily across the surface toward the shore and when he reached the shallows, he used his hands and arms to pull himself out of the water. He looked back as his tail left the water and he saw it unravel into his legs, his clothes returning with them. He climbed onto them with no problem and headed back to Slifer, lost in thought about today’s most recent events. I rescued a mermaid and because I did, I was granted a wish. Yes, becoming a merman wasn’t my intention of wanting to swim, but it worked out. I’ll learn to swim with a tail first and then apply what I learn to my legs. I will have to learn to hold my breath if I choose to dive and move underwater when I’m human. His eyes got a faraway look as he imagined surprising his friends when they next went to the wading pool. Of course, I won’t tell them about Melody or the wish. They wouldn’t believe me and besides, people shouldn’t know that merpeople exist. Naturally, I have to keep the fact that I’m part merman a secret. I should work on changing from merman to human and maybe back again during my next lesson. I can hardly wait for tomorrow.
&&&&
Syrus did not speak of his plans to his friends for a couple of reasons. One was he didn’t need anyone watching out for him or ask why he was going anywhere alone. He knew they cared about him and thus worried about him, but they could be too caring. The second reason why he didn’t tell anyone was because of Melody and his secret, of course. No one is supposed to know that merpeople were real and that Syrus was part of that race whenever he had his tail. So, when school ended for the day, the short Slifer bolted for the meeting spot and saw Melody out in the deep water, waving happily. Syrus smiled happily also as he dropped his bag and plunged into the water before using his tail to swim out to her before both went under the surface.
“Melody, how long were you waiting?” Syrus asked.
“I’ve…been waiting all day,” she admitted.
“All day? So, your parents don’t know where you are?”
Melody dropped her eyes. “They’re not around anymore. They died five years ago when I was ten. I’ve had to take care of myself then as I don’t have any other family.”
“None?” Syrus was stunned. He couldn’t imagine having no family, no parents, or siblings.
“I do have friends so I’m not exactly lonely.”
“Tell me more. Do you live in a village, town, or city?”
“A small city. We have stores, houses, and schools. Speaking of schools, what about yours? I’ve seen some of it from the water and the piers. It looks impressive.”
“It’s called Duel Academy and we learn the finer points of a card game called Duel Monsters. Most of us plan to be professional duelists, though some would rather be designers for the game.”
“You can earn a living by playing a card game?”
“Yeah, but I have a bit of stage fright and I have a big brother who’s in his last years of school here and he’s the top duelist in the school.”
“Wow. That must be stressful; to have to live up to your brother’s reputation.”
“No kidding. Students are placed in one of three dorms based on grades and dueling prowess. I’m in the bottom one and I room with two others. The dorm is far from the school and we have a small beach near the water.”
“I know that beach. Syrus that would be the perfect place to meet. It’s a bit isolated and it’s close to your dorm.”
“It is perfect. Now,” Syrus said, changing the subject. “I’d like to focus on changing to human while in the water. Also to see if I can change back to merman while in the water.”
“Well, obviously you need to be on the surface for that.”
Syrus laughed. “Yeah, of course, but first to warm up.” He twitched and flicked his tail before moving it up and down to prep himself for leg swimming. He suggested the water just beyond the shallows and Melody agreed, saying she would be nearby to help. The two teens swam to the agreed upon spot and surfaced before Syrus closed his eyes and focused on being human. He felt his clothes on his wet skin and promptly began kicking his legs. His kicking started out good, but he started to sink and Melody immediately helped him stay afloat. “Not bad,” she said.
“Yeah, that wasn’t bad at all,” Syrus said. “I don’t usually kick like that to keep above the water.”
“Perhaps, you being a merman is giving you swimming skills that you retain in human form,” Melody suggested.
“So my wish really did work out.” Syrus focused and felt his legs merge together. He smiled. “And I can change back and forth in the water.” He laughed in joy and performed an aerial backflip before splashing underwater, his tail becoming legs in the air and then legs to tail as he went underwater.
Melody smiled in amusement. She liked Syrus’ joy and willingness to open up about himself. He says he has stage fright and that would mean that he’s shy. I’m encountering a sweet and thoughtful guy instead of a shy one. It’s possible that the personality of a merman may rub off on him and give him a bit more confidence. If he’s going to be a professional duelist, he needs to be more confident. She ducked down to show Syrus some tricks and work on his speed. Speed will help improve his legs’ muscles.
Syrus floated underwater, flicking his fins and flexing his tail with a big grin. It was so cool being a merman. I almost wish I could stay down here forever- almost. I know I can’t as I have school, friends, and family. But I also like Melody, even though I only met her yesterday. She’s pretty, nice, and helpful. She granted my wish of me being a good swimmer. I’ve learned to tread water for a little bit and I’ll no doubt get better with more tail practice.
“Hey, Syrus! Race ya!” Melody called and Syrus grinned as he swam over and prepared to race his mentor and friend.
Both surfaced a little later with nothing but the ocean around them. Syrus smiled happily at the sight. He hadn’t won the race, but he had moved fast in the race. “This is a lovely sight,” he said. “I feel at home here.”
Melody giggled. “Of course you do. You’re a merman right now. The water is our one and only home.”
“I also don’t fear it or drowning either. I really don’t know how to thank you.”
“Do you think you could teach me about Duel Monsters? I don’t mean how to play, just about the game.”
“I could do that. Okay, well the point of the game is to reduce your opponent’s score that are called life points to zero and you do that mostly with monster cards. Some have a large amount of what’s called attack points while others don’t. Other monsters have high defense points and others don’t. Players battle their monsters against each other and usually the one with the higher attack points wins and the player of the defeated monster loses life points equal to the difference in attack points. If the monster destroyed is face-down and horizontal which is called defense mode, the owner takes no damage unless the attacking monster has a special ability to inflict damage despite the destroyed monster being in defense mode.” Syrus sighed. “I feel I’m not explaining the game that well.”
“No, you’re not. Let me recap. Players have life points and battle with monsters in either attack or defense mode. Attacking ones battle and the weakest one is defeated and the owner of it loses life points. Defense mode protects the life points unless the attacking monster can inflict damage with a special ability.”
Syrus nodded. “Yeah, you got it. I think I’ll speak of the different types of monsters, saving certain ones at the end as they involve another part of the game.”
“Makes sense,” Melody said. She led Syrus to a cluster of rocks where they could sit and listened to Syrus explain the monsters in greater detail while wishing she could be human and play the game.
Chapter Three- Friends and Styles
“Who wants to hit the Academy wading pool?” Jaden asked two weeks after Syrus saved Melody.
“I could go for it,” Chumley said.
“Yeah,” Syrus chimed in. He had been waiting to go to the wading pool with his friends. He had been testing his ability in order to fully understand it. He found that a shower did not trigger the change but he did change in the wading pool. Fortunately, he had already been bare-chested and was able to change back to human almost immediately. He had practiced swimming with legs at that point and found himself getting better than before. He now felt ready to surprise his friends with his ability to swim.
He stood by the edge of the pool as Jaden and Chumley jumped into the water below. Jaden surfaced and looked up at him. “Sy? I think you forgot something.” He mimed the inner tube he usually saw Syrus use.
Syrus simply smiled before saying, “Look out below!” He executed a perfect dive into the water and felt his legs merge into his tail. He popped up a few feet from his friends and split his tail into legs which he then kicked to stay afloat. He grinned at his friends’ dumbstruck expressions. "Surprise,” he said.
“Whoa, Sy! You’re actually swimming!” Jaden exclaimed with a grin.
“I had decided two weeks ago that I needed to learn and practiced almost every day. I started by floating on my back in the shallow pools and worked my way up from there.”
“It shows,” Jaden said. “Now we can have real races.”
“How about one now?” Syrus asked with a mischievous smile.
“Oh, it is on.” Jaden swam up beside Syrus with a warm gamely smile. “Ready, set…go!” Jaden took off with Syrus easily keeping up.
“You won your first swimming race with legs?” Melody said as she and Syrus sat on the ocean bottom the next day.
Syrus nodded. “Ja was real surprised when I passed him. I have to say that I’m glad I don’t change until my legs hit the water. The dive was so fast that no one saw them change.”
“I’m glad too as it would have led to some uncomfortable and awkward questions.”
“Right. So, ready for learning more about Duel Monsters?”
“Yes. Tell me about your deck’s monsters.”
“Well, they’re machine class monsters and are a series called the ‘roid series which means that all my monsters’ names end in roid.”
“Are all monsters grouped in series?”
“Not all, but it’s easier to build a deck around a certain group. Ja’s deck is comprised of Elemental Heroes and he often plays Fusion ones.”
“Fusion requires that spell card Polymerization, right? You told me about it last week.”
“Uh-huh. There are other spell cards one can use for fusing their monsters. My brother also uses machine monsters and has a fusion spell called Power Bond. It fuses your monsters into the fusion monster you have and doubles its attack points. The drawback is that at the end of your turn, you lose life points equal to your monster’s original attack points.”
Melody winced. “Ouch. Sounds like a card you should play in the endgame.”
“Yeah, it is. Zane often says that knowing how to play a card and knowing when to play it are two different things. I used to not understand the difference but then I understood earlier this year. I have Power Bond in my deck but I don’t use it much as I don’t have many fusion monsters.”
“So, Power Bond is for machine fusion monsters?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You said you room with two classmates. I’m assuming Jaden is one so what kind of deck does your other roommate use?”
“Oh, Chumley’s monsters are mostly koalas but I did give him a kangaroo card a while ago so I guess you could say he has an Australia deck.”
“I wish I could meet them. They sound nice.”
“They are and so are some others I’ve befriended. They live in other dorms and our friendship is unusual as students tend to interact with those in their own dorm.”
“That’s not nice. It shouldn’t matter what dorm you’re in. You’re all humans, after all.”
“I think my duel class is proving that. I’m friends with a real smart guy who is a Ra Yellow student and a pretty girl who’s an Obelisk Blue student.”
“So, this girl is your girlfriend?” Melody asked, afraid of the answer as she had come to really like Syrus. She found him charming and she enjoyed his company.
“Oh no. Honestly, I think Alexis likes Jaden but he’s oblivious to it. He often thinks only of dueling and food.”
Melody giggled. “I hope Alexis and Jaden do get together eventually.”
“I do too. Jaden would be a better boyfriend than Chazz.” Syrus grimaced.
“Who’s Chazz?”
“He’s in my dorm but he’s a spoiled guy. He used to be in Obelisk Blue but constant losses to Ja and Bastion, the smart Ra student, prompted Chazz to transfer to a rival school. Chazz became the top duelist there and was their representative for an annual duel between our schools. As Chazz is a first-year, we chose to use a first-year instead of Zane as a matter of fair play. Jaden and Bastion dueled to decide who would be our representative as all the teachers couldn’t agree and Ja won. So, Ja beat Chazz and Chazz chose to transfer back. Apparently, transfer students are considered new so Chazz has to start out at Slifer Red. Anyway, he’s obsessed with Alexis but she’s in love with dueling despite her crush on Jaden.”
“Well, as this is a dueling school, it makes sense that the students would be focused on dueling.”
“Yes, but we are teenagers and we should do things that teenagers do, like having crushes and fun.”
“Fair point. Do you have a crush on someone, Sy?”
“I was interested in Alexis when school first started, but now I know her more than I did and I just consider her a friend. So, no I don’t or maybe I do only I don’t think I should.” Syrus felt his cheeks burn. He, in truth, found Melody a lovely girl and great company but she was a mermaid and he was a human. He shouldn’t fall for her as he was planning to be a pro duelist like Zane was going to be when he graduated this year. I really like her and we could be a couple if I chose to drop out and live in the sea. But I really want to be a pro.
“Sy?” Melody asked slowly. “Are you saying that you have a crush on me?”
“Yes,” he blurted out. “I know I shouldn’t but I really like you.”
“I really like you too and I also know that I shouldn’t but I can’t help it.”
“What if we were a school couple? After this year, I’ll have two more years here and we could see each other during those years.”
Melody smiled. “A school couple. Yes, that will do and maybe, if we still like each other, we’ll figure out how to continue the relationship beyond school.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Syrus said as they rose from the bottom. They swam toward the beach near Slifer and before Syrus surfaced, Melody took his hands and kissed his cheek. “See you later,” she said.
“Definitely,” he said and headed for the surface with a soft smile on his face.
Chapter Four- Duel Academy Information
Melody frowned as she studied the cards in her hand. Do I play this card or that one? Maybe set that trap? She bit her lip as she fretted over her choices.
Syrus sat across from her on dry land while she sat in the shallows. He waited patiently for her to make her move. He had purchased a couple of structure decks and supplemented them with cards he had that worked with their themes. As it so happened one of the decks was a water theme deck and that was the one Melody chose.
“Okay, I’ll play this monster in attack mode,” Melody finally said, putting down her card on the play mat Syrus had brought. Syrus felt that a duel disk might be too much for Melody to use. Maybe next time, he would show her how it worked.
“Good, good,” Syrus said. “You played an effect monster and I believe you could use it.”
Melody leaned forward to read the text. “If I have a level four or lower water monster in my hand, I could special summon it.” She looked at her hand and smiled. “I special summon this monster in defense mode.” She put the cark on the field. “I’ll set this card face-down and end my turn.”
Syrus nodded in approval at the setup of her field. “Okay, my turn. I draw.” Syrus drew a card, read it, and then consulted his hand. He was dealing with an unfamiliar deck and was learning about it while using it. He regarded Melody’s face-down. It could be a dangerous trap. He looked back at his hand and saw a cool effect one and it was decent in terms of attack points. And it is stronger than Melody’s attack monster. I’ll go for it. “I play a monster in attack mode.”
“Oh, I activate a trap. Torrential Tribute!”
“What?” Syrus gasped. “Melody that gets rid of all monsters on the field, mine and yours.”
Melody put a hand to her mouth. “Oops.”
“Also, my monster’s effect activates. When sent to the graveyard by a spell, trap, or card effect, I get to special summon a monster to the field from my hand.” He put the monster down in attack mode.
“Now, you can attack me directly,” she said.
“Yeah, but this was a practice duel. Let’s talk about your trap card. Torrential Tribute is a good trap, but this is where knowing how to use it and when to play it comes into play. See, if you play it when you have no monsters but your opponent does, then you’ll be able to attack directly on your turn provided your opponent doesn’t have any traps or card effects to stop you.”
“Oh, I see. That would be a good time to use it.”
“There is another strategy for it. Say, you have a monster with the same effect mine did.” Syrus tapped his card that was in the graveyard. “If you played that and then your trap, you get to special summon a different monster and still attack. That would work great if your opponent has strong monsters and they would be wiped out by your trap.”
“Yes, of course. You’re a good teacher, Sy.”
“I wouldn’t say that. I’ve just had a lot of experience and picking things up by watching others as well as my classes at school.”
Melody looked up at the cliff’s edge. “I wish I could attend Duel Academy. It sounds like fun.”
“It’s not easy to get into. First, you have to be at least fifteen. Then, there’s a written test and a practical exam. You have to pass both and based on those scores, you’ll be placed in your dorm. Of course, you do have opportunities to move up to the next dorm if you’re not already in the top dorm.”
“So, you could move up. Which dorm is the next one you could get into?”
“Ra Yellow.”
“No offense, but your dorms have funny names.”
“I suppose so, but in the game there were three cards collectively called the Egyptian God Cards. They were powerful and awesome: Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and The Winged Dragon of Ra. The colors of the dorms reflect the color of the God Card.”
“Oh. Now that makes sense.”
“Yeah.” He looked up at the cliffs. “It would be nice if you could go to school too. I’d probably pay more attention in class. That’s part of why I’m in Slifer. It’s the dorm for the poorest students and by poor, I mean poor grades.”
“Why wouldn’t you pay attention in class? Are they boring?”
“I think some are. I’d rather use the information in a practical use then get lectured about it.”
“Do other dueling schools have different methods of teaching?”
“Maybe, but Duel Academy is the best in the world. I’m lucky to be going here… and I should make more of an effort to pay attention.” Syrus felt somewhat ashamed. Here he was at the best dueling school in the world and he wasn’t holding up the school’s high reputation.
“It’s not too late to start over,” Melody said.
“It kind of is for this year. But I can make more of an effort when school starts after summer break.”
“Yeah. You can and you have all summer to prepare yourself for the new school year and work hard to get to Ra Yellow.”
Syrus nodded. “I suppose I could study hard for the final exams that are coming up. I won’t get promoted but it may showing my professors that I’m starting to get serious. Not to mention that I should live up to Zane’s dueling skills. After all, I chose a machine deck just like him as I look up to him.”
“Do his cards fall in a group too?”
“Yeah. It’s a Cyber Style Deck. His ace monsters is a fusion one called Cyber End Dragon. It has 4,000 attack points and Zane usually uses Power Bond to summon it.”
Melody gasped. “Then, it would have 8,000 points. He must be good to avoid the 4,000 point backlash for using Power Bond.”
“He is and I want to be a better duelist so he can be proud of me.”
“You know the secret to that, right? To make someone proud, you have to believe in yourself and be confident in your abilities.”
“Like I did with swimming. I’m not afraid of the water anymore or drowning.” He sat up straight with a determined look on his face and he clenched a fist. “Yeah. Believe in myself and confident in my dueling. I can do it.”
Melody smiled at this. She loved the way Syrus was becoming surer of himself. She recalled how scared he had been when she had granted his wish and she was first starting to teach him to swim. Gradually, he got better at swimming and, as he did so, his confidence in himself and able to speak up grew as well.
“Melody?” Syrus asked as he gathered the mat and decks. “Do you think we could go exploring?”
She flashed a bright smile. “Yeah, we can. There’s some fascinating caves full of the most unbelievable flowers, shells, or gemstones. I’ve also seen shipwrecks and we could look around on them.”
“Okay.” Syrus put the mat and decks in a bag and stowed it before racing toward the water, his legs margining into his tail and using it to move into deeper water where Melody was now waiting. They shared soft smiles before diving down, their tails- emerald green and bright yellow- surfacing briefly before vanishing from sight and into the depths of the water below.
Chapter Five- Secret Exposed
“Ja, does Sy seem different lately?” asked Chumley, two days before the exams.
“Well, he has been studying for the exams. Really studying,” Jaden said.
“No, I mean he’s been going swimming a lot. I’ve seen him heading to the wading pool a lot.”
As if on cue, Syrus came in, rummaged in his clothes, and pulled out his swimming trunks. “See ya later!” Syrus said as he ran out. Jaden immediately pulled out his own trunks. “I think I’ll ask Sy about why he’s swimming so much.” He headed out and tailed Syrus, staying back enough but still able to keep his friend in sight.
Syrus rushed to the pool. Melody had made him promise to study hard for his exams, but he also wanted to swim. He knew Melody wouldn’t approve of his swimming in the ocean instead of studying so he opted for the pool. It wasn’t as big as the ocean, but it was good enough. He went into the changing room, unaware that Jaden had beaten him there and had already changed clothes. Syrus was soon heading to an isolated pool, still unaware of being followed. He went to a short cliff while Jaden went down to the pool via stone steps. He waded into the water while Syrus executed a dive. Syrus went under and Jaden waited for his friend to surface. When about two minutes had passed, Jaden grew concerned as Syrus couldn’t hold his breath for long. Jaden took a breath, ducked down, and almost gasped. Syrus was swimming underwater, but he had a yellow fishtail instead of legs!
Jaden surfaced, eyes wide with stunned shock. How can Sy have a tail? He’s been swimming with legs all this time…hasn’t he?
“Hey, Ja! Felt like a swim too?” Syrus asked as the boy surfaced, splitting his tail into legs.
Jaden turned to him with that same stunned expression and Syrus tilted his head in concern. “You okay, buddy?”
“You’ve-you’ve got a fishtail,” he sputtered.
“No I don’t,” Syrus said, lifting a leg up.
“Sy, I saw you underwater just now. When did you become half-fish?”
“I’m not half-fish. I’m…part merman,” he said, the last part said softly and reluctantly.
“Part what?”
“Merman. It’s like a mermaid, only a guy instead of a girl.”
“When did that happen?”
“Two weeks before we had that race at the pool. Uh, Ja? Can you keep a secret?”
“Of course I can.”
“I met a mermaid those weeks before our race. She was out of the water and would have died if I hadn’t gotten her to the shallows. She came around a little as I dragged her and she fully woke up once in the water.” Syrus’ eye grew soft. “Her name’s Melody and she revealed that mermaids can grant one wish to the one who saves her life, any wish at all. I wished to swim as good as she can. She realized that the wish would have made me a merman possibly for good and manipulated it so I would become a merman whenever I go swimming but could be human after I change. Melody taught me how to use my tail and improve my speed and tail muscles which translates to my legs.”
“You sound like you’re in love with her,” Jaden commented with a smile.
“I am. She’s my school girlfriend. We’ll see each other while I’m at school and if we still love each other after our last years, we’ll try to find a way to be together.”
“I’m guessing she’s our age.”
“Uh-huh. She’s fifteen and wishes she was human and attending Duel Academy. She’s been encouraging me to study hard so I can be a better duelist.”
“You have become more confident lately.”
“I think some of that came from being a merman. I mean, I’m not afraid of the water anymore or drowning. I’m seeing the world as a place to explore instead of a place to fear.”
Jaden could hardly believe his ears. His shy little friend had changed much in just a few short weeks and all from a wish granted by a mermaid who was his girlfriend. “Sy, do you think I could meet Melody?”
“I think so. I told her about you, Zane, and our friends. She had said she’d like to meet you and Chumley. She also said that you two sound nice from what I said. How about after school on our first day of exams? We’ll head down to the beach below our dorm. That’s where Melody and I usually meet.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Remember, not a word to anyone,” Syrus said as they headed back to the dorm. “I didn’t tell because people shouldn’t know merpeople exist not to mention that I’m part of that group too and besides a lot of people wouldn’t believe me if I did tell.”
“I understand, Sy. I’d have kept it a secret if I was in your place.” And I can’t wait to meet the girl who stole Sy’s heart and in such a short time.
Melody burst through the surface, executed a perfect arc, and splashed back underwater. She popped back up and admired the wide open ocean around her. The ocean was truly a wonderful, beautiful place to live and she was lucky to live in it. Syrus understood that feeling, even though he was really human. A dreamy smile came to her face as she thought of her boyfriend. Sweet, kind, patient Syrus. She couldn’t have met a nicer guy, she just couldn’t have.
And yet, Sy described his friends to me and they sound just as nice. Melody ducked down and started toward Academy Island while recalling who Syrus’ friends were. First there was Jaden whom Syrus had said was his best friend. A guy whose grades were poor but his dueling skills were amazing. Jaden had a knack for drawing the right card when he was on the edge of defeat and was able to use that card to lead him to victory. Melody found that to be remarkable.
Syrus’ other roommate, Chumley, was someone who’d rather eat than duel. He was in his last year at Duel Academy and Melody wondered what he was going to do when he left. Syrus mentioned Chumley’s father running a hot sauce factory but that Chumley didn’t care for hot sauce, whatever that was.
Bastion was a Ra Yellow student and was very smart. Syrus and Jaden had helped him paint his room because Bastion had written mathematical Dueling formulas on the walls and ceiling and had since memorized them. Melody found that strange; to write on the walls when pen and paper would do just as well. Syrus revealed that those formulas were for the purpose of constructing not one, but six different decks! Bastion was someone she truly wanted to meet based on his smarts.
Alexis was an Obelisk Blue and had a thing for Jaden who was oblivious to matters of love. It was just as well as Alexis was dedicated to her studies. She was also dedicated to her older brother, Atticus, who had been found after missing for a year. She didn’t know much about him except that he was the same age as Zane.
Zane was an Obelisk Blue also, Syrus’ brother, and graduating this year. She had been told where he likes to go to think and enjoy the ocean view. It was close to the water and as she came up to the island, she saw a tall boy in a blue and white uniform standing in Zane’s spot. She swam closer and looked up through the water at the mature, handsome face and thought she saw something of Syrus in him. Could he be Zane?
She saw a girl in a blue and white uniform come up to him and Melody surfaced to the side of where the two teens stood but out of sight as she listened to them. The girl said, “So, who’s going to be your opponent at the Graduation Match, Zane?”
“Jaden,” was the calm reply. “I’ve seen him grow as a duelist throughout the year and no doubt he’s gotten better since our first and only duel. He will likely give me the challenge, I desire, Alexis.”
So, those are Zane and Alexis. I can see why Sy was taken by Alexis at first. She’s very pretty. Jaden would be lucky to have Alexis as a girlfriend. Hmm…I didn’t know Zane and Jaden dueled once. I’d be interested to hear about that. Melody ducked back under the water.
Chapter Six- Meeting Melody
Jaden and Syrus dashed down to the beach which was completely deserted. Syrus dashed for the water and Jaden watched Syrus’ legs merged into his tail before the short duelist dived under the water. He swam about, looking for Melody in her usual haunts and found her in the cave where she was living while he was at school. “Melody, hi,” he said as he swam down to her.
“Sy!” she exclaimed. “Exams over already?”
“Well, the ones for today are. I know you want me to study hard for the exams and I have been.”
“So, how did today’s exams go?”
“Good. I didn’t remember all the answers but I knew most of them. I’m sure I got a B, but it might be a borderline A.”
“How do you think Jaden did?”
“Uh, he slept through it.” Syrus’ fins twitched when he recalled that Jaden was waiting for them. “Melody, two days ago I went to the wading pool and-,”
“You were followed and seen as a merman,” Melody interrupted. “I can’t say I didn’t see that coming. So, who was it?”
“Jaden. I had him promise not to tell and he’s keeping it. Actually, he’s at our place, wanting to meet you.”
“He is? Well, let’s not keep him waiting.” Melody sped out of her home with Syrus right behind her.
Jaden sat down, legs pulled up to his chest, and his head on his knees as he stared out at the water. How long would he have to wait? Does she live a ways out and Sy has to swim out there? He blinked as a black spot of color stood out against the blue of the water. It was soon accompanied by a sky blue spot before both moved toward him. He got to his feet when he realized one was Syrus. Then, the other must be… A girl with black hair, brown eyes, and a green tail swam up to the shallows and sat up with a bright smile. “Hi, I’m Melody. I’ve wanted to meet you ever since Sy told me about you and your friends.” She held out a hand.
Jaden grinned back as he took her hand. “Hey, nice to meet you too. I wanted to meet you when Sy said you were his girlfriend.”
Syrus, still a merman, blushed and looked away while Melody giggled at his embarrassment. “I practically fell head over fins for him not long after I granted his wish. He is so sweet.”
“Sy mentioned that you wish you were human and attending Duel Academy.”
“I do and he’s taught me about dueling and we had a practice one for me to have some hands-on experience.” She looked over at Syrus and he looked at her. “I saw Alexis and Zane yesterday and Zane spoke of dueling Jaden once. I’d like to hear about it.”
“There’s…not much to say,” Jaden said with a shrug. “He won, I lost.”
“Aw, come on. There’s a lot more to it than that,” Syrus protested. “You wanted to duel Zane to boost my confidence so we could win our tag duel.”
“Tag duel?” Melody said. “What’s a tag duel?”
“It’s a duel where two duelists team up against two other duelists. You know, two-on-two. It was important for us to win because if we lost, we would have been expelled,” Jaden said.
“No,” Melody gasped. “What did you do to get roped into such a duel?”
“There’s this abandoned dorm on the island,” Syrus replied. “And no one’s allowed to go in there. Someone saw us do that and reported it. It didn’t matter that we were saving Alexis.”
“And why was she there?”
“Because her brother disappeared around there and she was just leaving a rose there and hoping that he was doing well wherever he was.”
“Okay. So, Alexis got into some trouble at a dorm that is forbidden. You went in to save her, someone reported you for trespassing, and you had to win a tag duel to avoid expulsion. Do I have that straight?”
“Yeah,” Jaden said. “After told about our tag duel, I insisted to Syrus that we duel each other. I won, but I saw Power Bond in his hand afterwards. He told me that he had been told by his brother that he wasn’t good enough to use it. At the time, I didn’t know Zane was his brother until Alexis, who had watched our duel, told me. I felt that if I dueled Zane, it would boost Sy’s confidence, especially if I won.”
“Obviously, that backfired.”
“Actually, it did boost my confidence a little bit,” Syrus said. “We won our tag duel obviously as we’re still here and our adventure with the dorm was at the beginning of the year.”
“Anyway, your duel with Zane?” Melody pressed.
“I pitted my Elemental Heroes against his Cyber Dragons. He did play Power Bond to fusion summon Cyber End Dragon. My defense monster didn’t stand a change as Cyber End Dragon can inflict battle damage even though my monster was in defense mode.”
Melody winced. “Yeah, I would think so. Power Bond, from everything I’ve heard, is a real duel-ending card.”
“Yeah, Zane’s hard to beat when he uses that card.”
“Melody, what did Alexis and Zane discuss that made him bring up his duel with Jaden?”
Melody shifted a little. “It sounded like Zane’s going to be in something called the Graduation Match.”
“Not a surprise. Zane’s a good student and the one who is chosen for the Graduation Match gets to choose his or her opponent. It’s the biggest duel of the year as well as the last one of the school year.”
“Is the identity of the opponent a mystery?” Melody asked, afraid she might have ruined the surprise for the boys if it was.
“No. That person is chosen a few days in advance so they can prepare.” Syrus’ eyes widened as a thought came to him. “Melody, did Zane say who his opponent will be? Is it Ja?”
Melody nodded. “Alexis asked and Zane said Jaden. Said something to the effect of wanting a challenged and seeing how much better Jaden’s gotten since their duel.”
Jaden beamed. “He said all that? Sweet. Well, if he wants a challenge, I’ll give him one.”
Melody sighed sadly. “I wish I could see it. It sounds exciting.”
“I can give you a play-by-play afterwards,” Jaden said.
“I could record it on my PDA,” Syrus added.
“That would be great. Both offers. I get the feeling some moves might require some explanation.”
“Yeah. Some moves might be confusing. Sometimes I have to re-think some of the move I see in some duels,” Syrus admitted.
“Sy, you got a great girlfriend,” Jaden said as they walked away after Melody left.
“Yeah, she is. I’m glad you got to meet her. She wasn’t upset that you found out about me being a merman. She said she kind of saw it coming. My being seen with a tail, I mean.”
Jaden looked in the direction of the ocean. “She really wishes to be human and attend school. It’d be nice if she could.”
“It would but the only way that would happen would be if her life was in danger and someone saved her like I did and if they knew of her dream. Then, they could wish for her to be human on land.”
Jaden nodded in agreement. He was sure that the circumstances that had put Melody in her life-threatening situation wasn’t likely to happen again. Yeah, she’s not going to let something threaten her life again. She’ll have to learn about school events from us and watch it on our PDA’s.
Chapter Seven- A Second Wish
Melody surfaced and looked around. It was deserted, just the way she liked it. She found a nice flat rock under the surface and laid back on it. The sun beat down on her through the water’s surface and it felt warm and pleasant to her. She felt herself getting sleepy and she didn’t fight it. Syrus won’t be here for a while yet. Plenty of time for a nap. Her eyes slid shut and she was soon deep asleep as the tide gradually became low tide, trapping the sleeping mermaid in a large tide pool.
Zane strolled along a deserted stretch of beach, mentally testing himself for tomorrow’s last round of exams as well as the Graduation Match. He had shown up at Slifer yesterday and informed Jaden that he would be Zane’s opponent in the match. The brunette showed his usual enthusiasm but also showed intense determination in his eyes. That look convinced Zane that he had made the right choice and would get the challenge he desired.
He had spotted Syrus at the desk with books and papers in front of him when he dropped by. He had seemed to be studying but had paused when Zane came in. It impressed him that Syrus was taking his studies seriously. Indeed, he sensed a change in his brother that he figured had to be confidence. Perhaps Sy just needed this school and Jaden to give him the support to be confident. I hope he continues to be confident as he studies to be a pro like I will soon be.
The sound of frantic splashing caught his attention and he looked ahead to see several tide pools. Some were small or average-sized, but one was a large one and the splashing was coming from it. Mildly curious as to what was in the pool, Zane ventured closer, peered down though the surface, blinked in shock, and backed away. There was a girl in the water, but she had a fishtail instead of legs!
An arm appeared out of the pool followed by another before the girl’s head appeared. She drew in lungful of air before fixing her pleading brown eyes on him. “Please,” she whispered in a trembling voice. “Help me back into the sea. I won’t survive in time for high tide. Please, Zane.”
“How do you know my name?” Zane asked suspiciously.
“I’ll tell you, but please help me.”
Zane came back to the pool and leaned down so Melody could put her arms around his neck while his hands and arms went under the water and he lifted her fully out of the water and hurried to the ocean where he placed her in the deepest part of the shallows. She dipped her body in it but her heard was still visible. A look of blissful relief crossed her face before she said, “Thank you, Zane.”
“You’re welcome, but how do you know me?”
“I know you because I know Syrus. He’s my boyfriend.”
“Syrus? Boyfriend?” Zane repeated, confused.
She nodded. “I’m Melody by the way. I met Sy a few weeks ago when I washed up on a beach after surfacing to view a storm. He helped you like you did and I told him that saving a mermaid’s life erns him a wish, any wish at all. He wished to be able to swim as good as me. I realized that he could have ended up as a merman permanently so I manipulated it so he becomes a merman but only when he’s swimming.
“He became more confident as merpeople are usually confident and he no longer fears the water or drowning.”
“Of course he’s not afraid as he can swim underwater as well as breathe.”
“He can swim with legs as I added that to his wish. He simply focuses on having legs.”
“And you can’t?”
She shook her head. “If I did have legs, I wouldn’t have been in trouble just now or on that beach where I met Syrus.”
“Melody!” a voice called.
“And there he is,” Melody said as she looked to see her boyfriend come into view and was rushing toward them. “We planned to meet here.”
Syrus had been running but came to a sudden stop at seeing Zane with Melody, her tail a little exposed. He looked back and forth between them. “Zane? Melody?” he asked, a little confused.
“It’s all right, Syrus. I was just walking along here and found Melody in a large tide pool.” He pointed to the spot. “Her life was in danger if she did not return to the ocean. A tide pool does not provide enough oxygen and for a mermaid, it puts her in danger of dying before the high tide returns.”
“You saved her life.”
“Yes and I am aware that I earned a wish for my good deed. Melody told me this. The thing is that I have no use for a wish that I can think of right now.” He looked at Melody as a possible idea came to him. “What would you wish for, Melody?”
“Me?” Melody was momentarily surprised before saying, “I would want to be human, at least while on land. Sy’s been teaching me about dueling and I would love to attend Duel Academy.” Her eyes then widened as she caught on to what Zane was suggesting. “Are you thinking of using your wish on me?” she asked.
“I am. I just need to know what I must do.”
“You must speak the wish aloud and kiss me.” She touched her lips.
Zane didn’t react to this explanation. Instead, he knelt down, faced her, and said, “I wish for Melody to be human when she touches dry land and a mermaid when in the water.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers and Melody felt a warmth sweep over her. Zane pulled away and then offered his hands. She took them and allowed Zane to pull her out of the water. When her fins were out, her tail glowed before splitting into legs with a pair of jeans covering them. A pair of slip-on shoes covered her feet and a shirt the same color as her tail appeared on her upper body. Melody stared at her new limbs, hardly believing they were hers. “I’m human, really human,” she said.
Syrus could hardly believe it himself. His girlfriend had legs just as she had dreamed and they seemed to be the average length for a teen girl. He held out his hands and pulled her to her feet once she took his hands. He kept a hold of her hands as she attempted to stay on her feet and stabilize her legs. She attempted her first step and swayed on the leg still on the ground. Zane swiftly got to one side of her.
“Easy,” he said. “Sy, get on her other side.” Syrus did so and Zane added,” Let’s try to head to Slifer.”
“She could stay with Ja and me,” Syrus said and then added to Melody, “Chumley left two days ago and is now working for Industrial Illusions which created Duel Monsters.”
“So, he’s designing cards?” Melody asked with awe in her voice.
“Yeah, he is. Cool, huh?”
“Very cool.”
Zane and Syrus assisted Melody up the cliff’s steps and she stood to stare at the land before her. “It’s better than I imagined.” She looked at the red dorm. “I’m guessing that’s Slifer Red.” She nodded her head at it.
“Yeah and quite a ways from the school.” Syrus pointed in the direction of the school.
“Why so far from the school?” she asked as they headed for Slifer, the boys still supporting her.
“Supposedly to encourage students to improve their skills and grades so they can live closer and in nicer conditions,” Zane explained.
“That doesn’t sound fair,” she protested.
“It’s not, but it’s been this way since the school began and it does produce the results of our school’s students to be the best in the world.”
“And that’s what’s important: A top-notch reputation.”
“Yes and it’s one I hope to live up to when I turn pro.”
Melody fell silent as they had reached a flight of stairs and she concentrated on learning to climb stairs. She was finding it a bit hard to walk on legs, but she was determined to master her legs so that she wouldn’t look ridiculous when she got to exploring the island and attending the upcoming Graduation Match.
Chapter Eight- Land Experiences
They reached the top and up to a door. Syrus opened it and stepped in to conceal Melody as best he could. “Hey, Ja. You won’t believe who’s here.” He stepped aside.
Jaden leaped from his bed to his feet and stared at the girl. “Melody? How? Mermaids can’t become human, can they?”
“We can’t, but if someone were to wish it, then we could.” She looked back at Zane which drew Jaden’s attention to him. “I got trapped in a large tide pool and would have died if Zane hadn’t saved me.”
“Oh,” Jaden said. “I get it. You mentioned your dream to be human, and Zane used his wish on that.”
“Yes,” Zane said. “As long as she is on land, she’ll have legs. Sy suggested she stay here during her time on land.”
“Of course she can stay.” Jaden said. “Hey, now you can watch the Graduation Match!”
“I know and I can’t wait.” She looked at Zane again with gratitude in her eyes. “Zane, I can’t thank you enough for this.”
“You enjoying your time as a human is thanks enough. I also intend to give a thrilling duel.” He left the room, closing the door behind him.
“So, are you going to test to get into Duel Academy next year?” Jaden asked.
“I’d like to.”
“You’d need a last name, though,” Syrus said.
Melody smiled brightly. “I’ve thought about that for at least a year whenever I fantasized about being here and settled on Clearwater.”
“Melody Clearwater,” Syrus said and then smiled. “That’s pretty.”
Melody laid in her bed the next morning while the boys left for school. She wasn’t sleeping; just enjoying the feeling of lying in a human bed. She had practiced climbing the stairs to join her roommates for dinner. She recalled how Syrus had thought she would be repulsed by the fish that was part of their meals, but she surprised him and softly said that eating sea life was normal as some sea creatures eat other sea creatures. The rest of the meal was different and she found that she liked it. She had gotten up the stairs afterwards with a little help from Jaden and Syrus. The ladder on the triple bunk had been another new experience as was the height when she got into bed. She had fallen asleep almost immediately as the mattress and pillow were quite soft.
She eventually roused herself and carefully climbed down the ladder. Being human is so different, she thought as she borrowed a brush to brush her hair. And it’s mostly because of gravity. There’s not much of it in the water. Hmm. Zane’s wish granted me legs on land and being a mermaid when in the water. What would happen if I was standing in a shower? Would I remain human or would I change to a mermaid again? She grabbed a towel and headed for the outhouse shower. She stripped down, stepped into the shower, and turned on the head.
The cold water made her gasp and step back from it. It was way colder than the ocean and she stared at the goose bumps on her arms before she realized that she was still human. Her body had water on it, but she still had legs! Yes! Melody cheered. I won’t change unless I’m completely in the water. She dried off, re-dressed, dropped off the towel, and began to explore the area. She took her time looking at the bridge connecting the land the red dorm was on with the rest of the island. She stood on the path to school to admire the Ra dorm and was in awe of the Obelisk campus as she got closer to the school. She examined the monster markers that lined the path in front of the school before staring up at the school itself. She jumped slightly as a voice said, “What are you doing here, young lady?” Melody turned to see a tall man with long blond hair looking sternly at her.
“I, uh,” she began but was cut off by a calm, voice saying, “She is a guest of mine, Doctor Crowler.” Melody looked behind Crowler to see Zane heading toward them.
“A guest?” Crowler asked, turning to him.
“Yes. She is Syrus’ girlfriend and I invited her here to see him and the Graduation Match. I apologize for not informing anyone.”
“Not at all, Zane. Not at all. Miss…”
“Melody. Melody Clearwater,” Melody supplied.
“Miss Clearwater is welcome to look around.” He turned back to her. “Do you plan to test to get in to Duel Academy next year?”
“Yes, uh, Doctor.”
“Excellent. I hope to see you then.” Crowler walked away.
“Thank you, Zane. I didn’t realize that I was trespassing. I guess.”
“I’m aware of that and I knew my speaking up would help. As you could tell, Crowler worships me.”
“But why?”
“Crowler is head of Obelisk Blue and he favors the Blue students. I’m the top duelist at the school and I’m popular as a result of that.” Zane gave a short chuckle. “After me, Jaden is the top duelist and Crowler doesn’t like him for a few reasons, most of which occurred at the practical entrance exams of which I observed. I hope Crowler comes around and appreciates Jaden’s dueling skills after I leave.”
“Zane’s right,” Jaden admitted at dinner. “Crowler’s not liked me because I was almost disqualified from the practical exams, I kind of insulted him when he introduced himself as he dueled me, and I beat his own deck instead of a test deck. After that, I guess some of my comments in class angered him.”
“Wow. I guess I can see why he doesn’t like you, but I think you’re nice and friendly,” said Melody.
“Absolutely,” Syrus agreed. “Melody, have you tested your wish yet?”
“I did. I used the shower but I didn’t change. I guess I have to go swimming like you do only without the having legs while swimming.”
Syrus grinned. “Then we could see each other over the summer. Maybe I could convince my family to let you stay with us and I’ll help you with the school exams.”
She bit her lip. “I still have much to learn.”
“I’ll help and I’m sure Zane would too when he’s not busy.”
“Syrus, I’m grateful to you and everything we’ve been through since we met.”
Syrus blushed and Jaden said, “How about we go swimming at the pool after my duel with Zane?” Both roommates agreed happily.
&&&&
Melody, clad in a bathing suit, dived off a cliff, her legs becoming a tail once she was completely under. She performed a couple of somersaults as she revel at being in a weightless environment again. She smiled as Syrus plunged into the water, his legs forming a tail too. They both surfaced and went to join Jaden who was submerged to his neck and his head resting up against a rock.
“Jaden, that was an incredible duel,” Melody sighed as she leaned her head on the rock. “I had no idea a duel could be so exciting, but it’s rare for a duel to end in a tie, right?”
“Yeah, it is,” Jaden agreed. “It was so sweet though and I look forward to having a rematch one day.”
“Now I really want to try to get in,” she said.
“You will,” Syrus said. “I’ll practice with you all summer to prepare you for the tests.”
Melody smiled brightly at him. “I’d appreciate that.” Syrus smiled back, a light blush coloring his cheeks. His life had changed for the better the day he met Melody. He had wished to swim as well as her and became a merman in the water, but did learn to swim with legs too. Zane then gave Melody legs on land and now they were going to spend the summer together swimming and dueling.
