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Duel Academy was just as exciting as Jim had hoped it would be.
The weather was consistently nice, and there was no lack of exciting duellists to challenge. He had yet to challenge the main Academy’s best Yuki Judai, or any of his fellow transfer students, and that was a shame. Once they figured out the mystery of the electromagnetic waves and the strange fatigue they caused, they were on the top of his list.
Apart from the strange waves triggering her fight response, the main academy seemed to agree with Karen too. He didn’t think it wouldn’t, but he was sure he couldn’t stay if that was the case. (And on that note, he was going to make it a point to not visit the North Academy without thorough preparations. If half of what Johan said was true it was certainly no place for a crocodile. No matter how exciting it sounded).
They had been at Duel Academy for a few weeks and while he frequently saw Amon and O’Brien around the Blue dorms, Johan was more often than not seen in the Red dorms. Jim figured this didn’t necessarily mean anything, between his antics on the boat and his seeming lack of presence around the dorms, Johan was good at not being seen if he didn’t want to be.
This morning it appeared he was around the Blue Dorms as Jim ran into him after breakfast on his way to class and to see the Principal. They needed to do something about the dis-duels before anyone else got hurt and Jim, along with Johan, O’Brien, Judai, Kenzan, Asuka, and Shou had agreed to meet outside the main building to see the Principal about what they’d found. Between the EM waves and the mass fainting event the others had observed the other night if the teachers didn’t know already, they certainly needed to. And if they did a plan was needed going forward because these duels could not continue.
“Morning,” he greeted with a wave as he came up beside the North Academy duellist. Johan turned around and smiled at him.
“Oh hey,” Johan replied. “You’re feeling better then?”
“Oh yes, much,” Jim answered with a grin. “Are you ready for this meeting?”
“That’s good. And yes. The dis-duels are certainly far more intense then I expected,” Johan replied grimly.
Jim nodded as Karen growled her agreement from behind him. “That’s certainly true.”
They started walking towards the main building. Unbeknownst to Jim, Ruby was wrapped around Johan shoulders. They were not long up the path before Johan broke the silence.
“Your deck is pretty cool, I’d like to see how my Gem Beasts fare against it,” Johan said excitedly, the moment of tension long gone.
“My Paleo deck against your Gem Beasts, once this dis-duel mystery is solved I’ll gladly take you on,” Jim replied equally excited.
Johan nodded with a grin.
“You said you specialised in geology, have you been anywhere like where the Gem Beasts came from?” Johan asked. He paused for a moment and added. “Or do you know where they might be from?”
Jim considered this for a moment as they continued walking.
“The gems the Gem Beasts are from were collected in Ancient Rome yes,” Jim asked.
“Sort of, they came from around the world. They didn’t quite make it to Rome they sank before that,” Johan confirmed.
“Ah. Well let’s see. The Gem Beasts are Ruby, Sapphire. Emerald,” Jim started and trailed off.
“Topaz, Cobalt, Amber, and Amethyst,” Johan finished quickly, reaching up to pat Ruby who trilled happily.
Jim nodded, pausing for another moment.
“I may have. The closest I can think of might be Amber’s origin. I do specialise more in the palaeontology side of geology after all, and amber is fossilised tree resin. Not technically a mineral but it can be considered a gem,” he said with a laugh. Behind him Amber Mammoth appeared, unperturbed by this assessment.
Jim continued. “I don’t know if it’s the exact location, but there are quite a few places in France that contain fossils and some of the oldest cave art in the world. Separate sites of course, but I remember amber being a significant find there.”
Johan was nodding along to what he said, and a look of recognition flashed across his face when Jim mentioned the caves.
“Oh. I think I’ve seen those caves too! I was at a tournament near Montignac and went on a tour there. It was before I got the Gem Beasts so I might have to go back if that’s the case. Amber Mammoth would certainly love it,” Johan replied.
“That would be lovely Johan. Even if it’s not where I’m from I’d love to see it,” Amber Mammoth agreed.
“I’m sure he would. It’s a beautiful site even if it’s not where he’s from,” Jim agreed, echoing the sentiment he didn’t hear. “As for the rest I don’t know if I’ve been where they’re from specifically, there are plenty of places they could be from after all. But I’ve been to some similar sites. Half of the gems the Gem Beasts are come from a similar geological environment actually. How familiar are you with their origins?”
Johan paused for a moment, trying to recall the brief research he had done.
“Not very. I did look it up when I got them, but I didn’t look too far into it,” he said.
Jim nodded.
“Fair enough. If I go to in depth let me know then,” he said, and Johan nodded again.
The rest of the smaller Gem Beasts appeared around them. Topaz Tiger and Cobalt Eagle appeared near Jim with Cobalt Eagle flying above him to perch on Amber Mammoth. Sapphire Pegasus and Amethyst Cat appeared on either side of Johan, and inside his deck Johan felt the interest Emerald Turtle. Like Johan they were paying attention to Jim.
“Ok. Like I said most of the Gem Beasts would come from a similar rock type to each other since precious gems can form in the same kind of environment. Sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and topaz are typically found in granites or pegmatites, which are really coarse felsic rocks. Felsic rocks are the last to crystallise from a melt, so they’re full of weird and wonderful minerals. This is because anything left in the melt has to form a crystal, and these can be the ingredients for precious gems,” Jim explained.
As Jim was explaining Ruby uncurled herself and jumped off to inspect him. Johan smiled at her and continued paying attention.
“I have seen some emeralds in my field work in Australia. There’s a town called Broken Hill near where I’m from that has some gorgeous pegmatites. The minerals in pegmatites can be massive, especially the quartz and feldspar. Though it was rare emeralds were some of the minerals in them and there was some lovely garnet and tourmaline in them too. And some gorgeous sheets of muscovite. Broken Hill is mostly known for its lead-zinc mine, and that’s a slightly different geological environment again,” Jim happily explained, drifting off topic.
“That’s cool,” Johan said as Jim paused. “I don’t think Emerald Turtle is from Australia, I don’t think they were trading with Rome at the time.”
Jim laughed in agreement. Ruby in the meantime had gotten bored and was running back to climb back onto Johan’s shoulder.
“That’s true. And the emerald’s I saw weren’t very big. And the mines he would be from would not only be ancient, but would have had to be trading with the Roman Empire. Would be interesting to look into actually,” Jim agreed, coming back on topic.
“It would be interesting. Our memories of the Ancient World are dim so we’re not sure of our origins ourselves,” Sapphire Pegasus said.
“Sapphire Pegasus agrees with you,” Johan said. Jim nodded, not at all perturbed by this. “He says they don’t remember their origins clearly themselves.”
“I wonder if President Pegasus knows. Speaking of sapphires, did you know that sapphires and rubies are actually the same type of mineral? Their mineral group is corundum and they have almost the same structure. Just a couple of substituted element’s difference between them. Ruby is full of chromium, which makes it red. If I recall correctly sapphire is blue because of titanium,” Jim asked, then explained in a rush.
Johan nodded. “That I did know. Well that Ruby and Sapphire were similar anyway.”
Ruby trilled happily and jumped across to sit on Sapphire Pegasus’s head. They were close to the entrance of the main building now and it seemed that they were the first to arrive. It was early enough that there were only a few students on the path. Cobalt Eagle flew over to the decorative pillars and perched on the one that Jim was leaning against while Topaz Tiger and Amethyst Cat sat on the grass just off the path. Amber Mammoth had disappeared during the trek as the path hadn’t been wide enough for him.
“On that note, I do have one question about your deck though,” Jim said as he settled against the pillar.
Johan grinned. “Oh?”
“Most of the Gem Beasts are obviously associated with a gem or mineral, but Cobalt Eagle is a mystery to me. Cobalt’s not a gem or a mineral. It’s an element. So I wonder what he’s supposed to be,” Jim asked.
“Excuse him! What does he mean by that? Johan!” Cobalt Eagle exclaimed indignantly from above Jim, his feathers fluffing up.
“Oh he doesn’t like that. I don’t think he meant it that way Cobalt,” Johan laughed, raising a hand to pat Cobalt Eagle if he wanted. Which he did not, thank you very much. Instead, he glared at Jim.
“Oh, are they here?” Jim asked as he looked around instinctively but seeing nothing.
“Oh, yes,” Johan said with a laugh. “They appeared when you started talking about their origins. Cobalt Eagle is sitting above you actually.”
Jim looked up, almost looking at Cobalt Eagle. “Ah. Sorry friend. I don’t mean that in a bad way, your name is lovely. But cobalt is an element, a metal. And it isn’t naturally found as a native metal like gold or silver is. There is a mineral called cobaltite, but it’s more of a pink colour than blue. In fact, most cobalt rich minerals are pink.”
“You must be mistaken! This has always been my name” Cobalt Eagle said haughtily.
“Have we been calling you the wrong thing this whole time Eagle?” Topaz Tiger teased, looking up. “Are you even a real eagle?”
“How ridiculous!” Cobalt Eagle exclaimed.
“I don’t doubt you, but Cobalt definitely disagrees,” Johan replied. “That’s weird though, English is not my first language but I though cobalt was blue. Or associated with blue? Isn’t it a pigment or something?”
Jim paused for a moment looking back at Johan, unaware of the commotion above him.
“You’re right, cobalt blue is a pigment and cobalt is synonymous with blue. I was surprised to learn that cobaltite was pink because of that too,” Jim answered.
“Huh. So why are cobalt minerals pink then?” Johan asked.
“I’m not sure why that is. It is a cobalt sulphide so it probably has something to do with the how the crystal is structured,” Jim replied.
“Ah, well there you are he doesn’t know,” Cobalt said smugly.
“I don’t know. I think you’d look good in pink,” Amethyst Cat said calmly, making a show of nonchalantly grooming her paws.
“I was wondering what President Pegasus was thinking when he named Cobalt Eagle, but I guess he must be named after the pigment. That makes sense,” Jim continued, unaware of the comments from the spirit in question.
Cobalt huffed above him. “See, what a ridiculous thought. My name makes as much sense as everyone else’s.”
Johan laughed.
“I’m glad that mystery was solved then, I think you’re right. I did look briefly into their origins when I first got them, but I guess I didn’t notice,” Johan said.
There was moments peace as Cobalt Eagle calmed down and some the remaining Gem Beasts started to disappear thinking that the fun was over. Ruby jumped back onto Johan’s shoulder.
“I am curious what mineral he really is though if that’s not what he’s named after,” Jim continued.
Cobalt Eagle resumed glaring at Jim as Topaz Tiger instantly reappeared.
“Still a mystery it seems Eagle,” Topaz laughed.
Johan poorly tried to conceal a grin.
“Now that you’ve mentioned it, I am curious too. Do you know Cobalt?” he asked, looking up at the Gem Beast.
“This is all I’ve been known as,” he replied stiffly.
Topaz Tiger laughed again as Amethyst Cat and Sapphire Pegasus reappeared where they had been.
Jim paused, waiting for an answer.
“I don’t think he knows,” Johan replied.
“Ah. Well there are several beautiful blue minerals he might be off the top of my head. Tanzanite is one, it is a rare gem found in Tanzania and might fit. But I don’t think that’s it. Tanzanite Eagle doesn’t really sound right and the gem itself is far more vitreous than Cobalt Eagle’s looks,” Jim said.
“Vitreous?” Johan asked.
“Ah, how transparent and glassy it is,” Jim explained.
“Ah,” Johan replied.
Jim looked thoughtful for a moment, trying to recall the exhibition duel. “Can I have a look at his card? Or could you summon his gem. It’s a bit hard to identify a mineral from memory.”
Johan reached for his deck as Cobalt Eagle flew down in front of him.
“Absolutely not Johan! There has been no bigger betrayal then this! How dare you agree!” Cobalt Eagle cried.
“Cobalt, if that is your real name. Let the nice man solve this mystery for you,” Amethyst Cat said also grinning.
Johan paused, his hand hovering over his deck. He was mostly sure that Cobalt Eagle was being dramatic and wasn’t truly upset, but not sure enough to completely disregard him. Jim continued anyway, oblivious to the chaos he had caused.
“Fluorite can be blue, and that is very nice as well. It’s a bit soft to be commonly used as a gemstone but it is gorgeous none the less. Though fluorite is often zoned, and Cobalt Eagle’s gem seem more coherently coloured than that. Quartz isn’t often blue, and when it is its more of a tint, so I don’t think it’s another Ruby-Sapphire situation. Bornite is brassy and is a mix of blue and purple so that’s out. I like that one though. Copper minerals are always so interesting,” Jim listed, thinking back on every blue mineral he had seen or heard of.
“I always knew there was something off about you,” Topaz Tiger teased as Jim was talking.
“Are there any other secrets you’re keeping from us?” Amethyst Cat added still grinning broadly.
“Oh, copper! I know! I know what mineral he is!” Jim shouted happily.
He pulled out his PDA and started typing something into it. Cobalt Eagle was stiffly holding his wings in as Topaz Tiger and Amethyst Cat continued teasing him good naturedly. Johan exchanged a glance with Sapphire Pegasus as neither of them could think of a way to bring peace to this situation beyond letting it play out. His hand was still hovering over his deck, though it seemed that Jim had moved on.
After a quick google search Jim continued.
“Here, azurite. It’s a blue copper carbonate and look at its polished form,” Jim said turned his PDA around to show a picture of a deep blue mineral.
There were a few photos on screen, the first a polished deep blue mineral with a rough cute that while vitreous had an earthy tone to it. Other pictures showed a layered light to dark blue mineral and a dull earthy blue mineral that was needily and clumped together.
“Azurite Eagle! Now that sounds right. And look at this gem,” he pointed to the first picture, “that matches Cobalt’s form pretty well.”
The gem on the screen did resemble Cobalt Eagle’s gem form.
“No! I. No!” Cobalt Eagle spluttered, flying up and landing on the one on the other side of the path.
“Do we need to change your name Eagle?” Emerald Turtle asked slyly as he finally appeared next to Sapphire Pegasus.
“I think we do. Jim seems to know what he’s talking about,” Topaz Tiger said gleefully.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Sapphire Pegasus said as an attempt to keep the peace. “There was a reason for Cobalt to be called what he was, this is just an answer for what gem he might be.”
“I wish I had bought my collection with me. I definitely have some polished azurite and its green counterpart malachite back home. I’ll look into more if you want but looking at these pictures, I’m convinced that’s what he is,” Jim said happily while the Gem Beasts had their conversation.
Johan looked between the Gem Beasts and Jim.
“Oh, I don’t think that’s the issue. You’re probably right and though the others think it’s hilarious Cobalt seems to not like it,” Johan replied.
“Oh, I didn’t mean to make him sad. Copper minerals so vibrant and beautiful! They’re some of my favourites,” Jim replied, looking back up at the pillar where Cobalt Eagle no longer was. “Cobalt Eagle is a great name, I just wanted to figure out what gem you were. Because while it is a lovely name, cobalt is not a mineral.”
“Hmph. I suppose you have a point,” Cobalt Eagle conceded. Topaz Tiger looked delighted at this, so he quickly added, “but this changes nothing.”
Johan relaxed with a smile. “That’s true. And he agrees. I’m glad you could figure it out so quickly.”
“Now hang on agree is a strong term. He may have a point but let me tell you,” Cobalt Eagle started lecturing both Jim and the remaining Gem Beasts, forgetting that of the two humans only Johan could hear him.
“Johan, why is Cobalt Eagle yelling at Jim?” Judai asked as he came up the path with Shou and Kenzan a few moments later.
Johan sighed as Jim laughed. “It’s a long story.”