Chapter 15: Monkey See, Monkey Duel Part I

The lab was in chaos.

Men in lab coats shouted commands, their voices barely audible over the blaring alarms. "Code red! I repeat, code red!" echoed through the dimly lit halls as armed guards sprinted past. Tranquilizer guns at the ready, their footsteps thundered after a blur of fur.

"The specimen cannot escape!" one man barked, slamming his fist into a control panel as a high-tech surveillance screen blinked with static.

The "specimen" in question—a monkey, equipped with a futuristic helmet and a duel disk—darted through the corridors with inhuman speed, evading the guards. Its sharp eyes locked onto an open vent ahead. It disappeared into the duct system with an agile leap, leaving chaos in its wake.

The next morning at Duel Academy was like any other—until Syrus burst into the classroom, panting and red-faced. "This is awful! Something terrible has happened!" he shouted, doubling over to catch his breath.

Ace Romanov glanced up from his seat, his cold blue-green eyes narrowing. His platinum hair glinted under the sunlight streaming through the window. "Compose yourself, Syrus," he said in his low, accented voice, calm but with a commanding edge. "What happened?"

Syrus straightened up instantly as if hypnotized by Ace's tone. "Ch-Chazz! He's gone!"

Jaden grinned. "And that's bad because…?"

Syrus shot him an incredulous look. "Isn't he your rival?"

"Rival? He's more like comic relief." Jaden chuckled, earning a groan from Syrus.

Ace sighed, glancing subtly toward his duel spirits. Swordsoul of Mo Ye materialized beside him, floating just out of sight of the others.

"He ran away on a boat," she whispered, smirking mischievously. "What a drama queen."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" he muttered under his breath.

The conversation was interrupted by a group of Obelisk Blue boys mocking Chazz loudly.

"Can't handle losing to Bastion and Jaden?" one sneered.

"Not much of an Obelisk, is he?" another chimed in.

Alexis stood abruptly, her sharp gaze cutting through the group. "That's enough. Chazz might be arrogant, but he's still one of us. You wouldn't last a day with the pressure he's under."

Mindy and Jasmine exchanged amused glances. "Wow, Alexis," Jasmine said, leaning closer, "defending Chazz? What's next, organizing a search party?"

"I'm just saying he doesn't deserve to be ridiculed," Alexis retorted.

One of the boys smirked. "You should stay out of this, Alexis. My family could—"

"Shut it," Ace cut in, his voice icy and laced with authority. The boy instantly paled, swallowing his words.

Jaden laughed. "Well, if those guys were my only friends, I'd probably run away too."

Syrus hesitated before speaking, glancing at Ace for approval. Ace gave him a subtle nod, and Syrus spoke up. "I know Chazz has been a pain, but what if he's in trouble? Shouldn't we help him?"

Jaden grinned. "Then let's go find him!"

Ace waved a hand dismissively. "Do as you like." His tone was indifferent, but his sharp eyes flicked toward Syrus, silently permitting him to go.

Ace stayed silent, watching as Alexis grabbed her bag.

"Coming?" she asked him, almost challengingly.

He leaned back in his chair. "No. But don't do anything reckless, and if he's looking to get off this island he should be near the docks."

Jasmine smirked. "You hear that? That's code for 'I care, but I'll never admit it.'"

Ace shot her a sharp glare, but Jasmine only giggled as they left the room.

As she walked out, Ace muttered to Swordsoul of Mo Ye, "Follow them. Let me know if they do anything stupid."

Mo Ye smirked. "Define stupid."

Chaaazz!" Jaden's voice rang through the dense trees, loud enough to scare off any wildlife within a ten-mile radius.

Alexis groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "For the last time, Jaden, shouting isn't going to help!"

Jaden stopped mid-yell and shrugged. "Hey, you never know. Maybe he'll hear me and come running."

"Or maybe you'll attract a bear," Alexis muttered under her breath.

Mindy whispered to Jasmine, "Is this really the best strategy?"

"No, but it's entertaining," Jasmine whispered back, stifling a laugh.

Alexis sighed, shaking her head. "Why did I agree to this?"

Jasmine rolled her eyes, steadying Mindy. "At this rate, the mosquitoes will find Chazz before we do."

Jaden poked a stick into a bush. "What if he's hiding in here?"

The bush rustled, and Jaden yelped as a squirrel darted out, chittering angrily before disappearing into the trees.

Alexis sighed heavily. "This is ridiculous. We don't even know if Chazz is in the forest. For all we know, he's on a yacht somewhere, drinking expensive juice and pouting about his life choices."

Mindy giggled again. "You sound like you're over it, Alexis."

Alexis threw up her hands. "Because I am over it! I didn't sign up to babysit a runaway."

Jasmine nudged her with a smirk. "You know, you'd be in a better mood if Ace came along."

Alexis flushed, glaring at her. "Ace has nothing to do with it!"

"Oh, please," Mindy interrupted. "We've all seen how you two look at each other. If you spent half as much time flirting as you do arguing, you'd be married by now."

Alexis shot them a glare but couldn't hide her blush. "Focus on finding Chazz."

Meanwhile, Ace trailed the group from the trees, his movements swift and silent. He watched with growing exasperation as they stumbled through the forest.

"Idiots," he muttered. "If Chazz wanted to leave the island, he'd head to the docks, not the middle of nowhere."

Mo Ye appeared beside him, giggling. "They're hopeless, aren't they?"

Ace pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why do I care?"

Mo Ye's grin widened. "Because of her."

Ace shot her a glare, but the faint twitch of his lips betrayed him.