A Hero's Future

Travelling the world after his infamous duel with Yugi Muto, Jaden Yuki had been enjoying every moment. He had seen many things. Yubel and Dr. Banner had been keeping him company, along with Pharaoh. Jaden had been able to meet many duelists and non-duelists alike who had mystical powers like himself.

For a long time, Jaden had forgotten what it felt like to enjoy a duel. The adrenaline of the draw. The anticipation of the opponent's next move. The excitement of seeing a never-before seen monster. At one point, he lost it all. He had dueled with a friend, Jesse Anderson, who had been stuck in an alternate dimension. Jaden felt incredibly responsible, so he did everything he could to get him back.

He lost himself in the process.

He was so desperate to save Jesse that he left his friends behind, and eventually morphed into another side of himself he had never seen. Eventually, with the help of his friends, he found his way back to himself. But there was a special someone who really gave him a push in the right direction.

Alexis Rhodes.

Jaden didn't fully comprehend why he was thinking about her quite a bit. Actually, Jaden didn't comprehend a lot of things, which Yubel constantly made fun of him for. However, Jaden knew that the next time he ran into Alexis he would definitely have to figure it out. Jaden wasn't the type of person to not dwell too much on past events. Whenever he was confused, he always turned to his greatest strength and passion, dueling.

The North American Dueling Circuit had invited Jaden for a special exhibition tournament specifically for top-tier duelists. Jaden was especially excited because he knew that Syrus Truesdale, Zane Truesdale, Aster Phoenix, and Chazz Princeton were all going to be there. His treasured people and some of the world's most skilled duelists. Jaden was unusually excited, however. He couldn't quite place it, but he felt like something monumental was going to happen if he went to North America.

Boarding the first plane he could take, Jaden made his was over to North America, excited for the possibilities that awaited him. While he was on the flight, it was one of the few places where Jaden could not duel. In the past, this would have frustrated Jaden greatly, however, now he cherished this downtime. Jaden started to think of the people he was going to see and what he was going to say to his old friends once he saw them. However, his heart skipped a beat when he thought of a certain blonde duelist.

Whenever Jaden thought of Alexis, he was always bombarded with a mixture of emotions. Subconsciously, Jaden had to partially credit Alexis for helping him regain her passion. He remembers it vividly. They were chosen as a pair during their final year at Duel Academy for a tournament at the school. This was right after Jaden had come back from the alternate dimension, so he was still a little "rough around the edges," so to speak. Jaden and Alexis easily climbed their way through the rankings and won the tournament. However, during the duels, Jaden constantly disregarded Alexis' cards and feelings. Jaden smiled to himself as he remembered how passionate Alexis was, even when she was upset. For reasons not yet known to Jaden, Alexis always had a bold effect on his heart.

Alexis mentioned to Jaden during the final duel of the tournament that he "wasn't enjoying himself" like he usually did. After pondering this thought, he realized that she was right. From that day, he sought to enjoy duels as much as he could. Nevertheless, there was still one moment that stuck out to Jaden. After the duel, Alexis was waiting for Jaden by his dorm. They talked briefly and it seemed as if Alexis wanted to say something, but she chose not to. They agreed to be rivals forever and Jaden ran off to his room shortly after. When he got to his room, Yubel appeared and said something to Jaden that he hasn't forgotten to this very day:

"Jaden, for some reason that I can't figure out, that girl is special. I'm not happy about it, but I have an interesting feeling about her."

The plane had finally landed in North America, New York to be specific. Jaden was jerked out of his thoughts as the plane landed on the runway. Excited to see what this city would bring, Jaden sprinted down the aisles and out the plane to his future. After exploring the city, Jaden was itching for a duel against the North American opponents. He had heard that they were strong, but he wanted to test their strength for himself. Finding himself on Times Square, Jaden finally discovered an opponent who would challenge him greatly.

The duel had commenced between Jaden and his opponent and it was not an easy bout. Jaden had been pushed into tight situations numerous times throughout the duel, but he still managed to hold on. Using multiple new strategies that he had been implementing, Jaden had been able to strategically summon Elemental Hero Neos, guaranteeing him the victory in the duel.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Jaden, there was someone who was watching him, waiting for him to finish his duel so they could talk with him. Seeing that Jaden had taken the victory, the individual made their way towards the two duelists. Unconsciously increasing the pace at which they approached Jaden and his opponent, it turned into a full on sprint. Luckily for Jaden, he managed to see the person coming fast enough to prepare himself for what happened next.

He was embraced intimately by someone who he hadn't seen in quite some time.

"Still using Elemental Hero Neos Jaden? I don't think I've seen a duel with you in the past few years where you haven't used him."

"Alexis…"

Jaden's heart skipped a beat when he removed himself from Alexis' embrace and looked at her for the first time in years. He knew that the next few days would be some of the most challenging days he's faced in a long time.

-Fin

A/N: Hey guys! I know it's not the best, but bear with me as I try and figure out how I'm going to navigate this story! I really enjoy the cliff-hanger endings. I promise I won't abuse them too much more!