Chapter 4: Ragnarok, Reciprocation, and Respect

There was much commotion as the fifty-six unlucky competitors shuffled out of the main arena and into the bleachers where they would observe the rest of the tournament. There was a group of seats partitioned from the public where the duelists who had already been defeated could view the rest of the matches at no extra charge. Kaiba's generosity surprised all; he could be quite magnanimous when he wanted to be.

Jim gave Alexis a friendly hug to congratulate her on progressing in the tournament. At this point, Chazz was so irrationally enraged that he was beginning to get a headache. As soon as he got a chance, he was going to see whether the concessions counter sold Advil.

"Now, will the eight quarterfinalists please make their way to the central dais?" Roland intoned again. The eight finalists stepped up to the raised platform and got a look at each together.

Chazz took in the appearances of his rivals. Himself, Alexis, Jaden, and Adrian made up the half that he could recognize. There was a vaguely familiar man in a yellow and blue striped shirt, messy black hair, and amused blue eyes. He was conversing casually with another man of about the same age who had long russet hair tied into a ponytail. That man wore a rather pedestrian sweater and slacks, contrasting with his rebellious, vaguely punk haircut.

The last two finalists stood aloof from the others. One of them was a teenager who appeared to be a year younger than the Duel Academy students. He had long white hair, a black longcoat, and dark jeans, giving him the appearance of a rock star trapped in a younger body.

The last finalist was curious in that he was staring directly at Chazz with what could only be construed as contempt. He was an older boy with tan skin, close-cropped dark hair, and brown eyes. He wore a white t-shirt and khaki pants. His arms were tightly crossed, and his lips were clenched together. Absentmindedly, Chazz wondered what the guy's problem was. Before he could give the matter further thought, Roland spoke again.

"The order of the matches was decided based on lottery. The matchups are completely randomized. The bracket will proceed as follows;

In the first match, Jaden Yuki will be dueling Haruto Tenma." Jaden looked over at the white-haired man and smiled. Tenma did not return it, a deadly serious expression on his face.

"In the second match, I am pleased to announce that the younger brother of Mr. Seto Kaiba, Mokuba, will be facing former Grand Championship finalist Leon Von Schroder!"

This announcement was met with wild applause from the audience and utter bafflement from the other finalists. The man in the yellow striped shirt waved at the crowd, as did his purple-haired friend.

"No way…I had no idea Mokuba Kaiba dueled competitively!" Adrian voiced everyone's shock.

"Yes, this is awesome!" Jaden nearly jumped for joy. "I wonder if he's as good as his brother!"

"Are you kidding me? If he's even half as good as his brother, we hardly stand a chance!" Chazz said, surprisingly dour in the face of this new challenge. "Maybe so, but we'll never know unless we try!" Jaden responded blithely.

"Leon Von Schroder is no slouch either- he won the first Grand Championship when he was only a child. He was even capable of challenging Yugi Motou himself!" Alexis said quickly, showing her nearly encyclopediac knowledge of dueling history.

"Ooh, I bet he's strong too! This day is just getting better and better!" Jaden gushed with excitement, much to the exasperation of his friends.

From his seat, Seto Kaiba looked up his brother with pride. As the years had gone on and Mokuba had grown up, Seto could no longer devote as much time to Duel Monsters tournaments. Having to look after a tremendously large multi-billion dollar company put a crimp in his spare time, needless to say. Instead, he had begun teaching Mokuba the nuances of the game. This would be his brother's first major tournament, and he expected a good showing. After all, he was taught by the best.

"The third match will be Adrian Gecko against Alexis Rhodes." said Roland. Alexis and Adrian looked at each other at the same time. Alexis' gaze was fierce, while Adrian's was casually amused. Alexis found herself rather anxious to wipe that smug look off of his face.

"The fourth round will have Chazz Princeton dueling Joshua Torres." The dark-skinned boy, who Chazz now knew as Torres, looked fiercely excited to duel Chazz.

"Mr. Yuki and Mr. Tenma will now make their way to the center of the arena for the first match while the remaining duelists while wait in the atrium. There will be refreshments as well as a view of the game currently going on."

Chazz and Alexis wished Jaden good luck before making their way to the waiting area. Behind marble pillars were a collection of cushy chairs to view the duels as well as a table of complimentary soda cans, water bottles, and sandwiches.

Chazz grabbed some food for Alexis and himself. She took the sandwich while rolling her eyes at his puffed-up display of chivalry. Adrian hovered by them, a fact that bothered them both. They tried to ignore the presence of the others to focus on supporting Jaden.

"Hey, Princeton!" An enraged voice called. Chazz slowly turned around, realizing he still hadn't gotten any Advil yet.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you, you son of a bitch!" Joshua Torres yelled, his coarse language shocking everyone else in the room. He angrily placed a hand on Chazz's shoulder, turning him around completely.

"I realize that you're talking to me. My only question is what the hell you're talking about. Also, you appear to have accidentally placed your dirty hand on my shoulder." Chazz said waspishly.

"How dare you? Do you really not recognize me? I'm Joshua Torres of the Torres Tobacco Company!" The bellicose young man roared.

"Is that so? I'm afraid I've never sampled any of your products. Don't take it personally. Smoking's not for everyone-" Chazz's tepid sarcasm greatly contrasted Torres' rage.

"Don't bullshit me! You know damn well why I'm pissed at you, Princeton!" Torres screamed.

Chazz tensed when his surname was brought up. "Oh great…what happened?" He asked, a note of concern laced in with exasperation. It appeared he was going to be cleaning up yet another of his brother's messes.

"The Princeton family is responsible for sending my father's tabacco company out of business. Last year, a E-Cigarette store opened nationwide that was funded by Slade Princeton! You're the reason my dad's looking for a job right now, you bastard!"

Alexis suddenly stood up and faced Torres, fury evident in her face. "Look, Chazz hasn't had anything to do with his brothers for almost a year and a half! It's old news! Besides, Chazz has nothing to do with your business anyways, we're not even old enough to buy cigarettes!" She, outstandingly, managed to keep her voice somewhat restrained, despite the severity of her words.

Despite the fact that everything Alexis had just said was entirely truthful, Torres' anger was not quelled in the least. He spat to the side, scoffing. His mocking eyes turned back to Chazz. "Need your girlfriend to fight your battles for you, Princeton? That's fucking pathetic…"

Chazz wasn't even angry; all of this guy's grievances against him were completely invalid. He probably just needed someone to be mad at; having your own father's company be run out of business was a stressful experience. Besides, Chazz was sure he could beat this joker in a duel.

"Just wait until our duel. We'll settle this then." Was all Chazz said in response. Torres sneered at him one last time before moving to the other side of the room to watch the duel.

"Punk…who talks to me like that, anyway?" Chazz grumbled as he sat down. "Just about everyone, these days…." Alexis thought with an inward cringe. "No one, Chazz, that guy was just crazy, you'll beat him for sure…" was what she said outwardly, rubbing Chazz's shoulders with one hand.

"Torres thinks Chazz and I are together. That should amuse me, but it doesn't for some reason…I guess I feel bad for Chazz…he really gets no respect whatsoever…" These thoughts tumbled through her head.

Adrian sauntered over to Chazz and Alexis. "Chazz, I didn't know that you had a falling out with your brothers. Such a matter was never publicized, for obvious reasons I'm sure."

Chazz sighed. "Right. They wanted me to do some things. I didn't want to do those things."

Adrian smirked. "I can imagine. The lifestyles of the rich and famous aren't for everyone, I suppose. Some are simply not cut out for the constant struggle for relevance…"

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "What does your family do?"

"The Gecko family deals in petroleum and other industrial technology. The Princeton's have held business with them in the past." Chazz interjected.

"Correct. In fact, the family is doing better than ever this year. The main reason I entered this tournament was to extend my clan's influence in the dueling circles. You see, we hope to do business with Kaiba Corp in the future." Adrian commented.

Alexis frowned; the idea of dueling purely for the love of money and power was repugnant to her. Were such cynical measures truly needed to succeed in this world? Was this the world that Chazz had lived in for so long? It was no wonder the guy had such issues.

"I think the duel is starting soon. Your friend Jaden is quite interesting. I've never met such a successful duelist with such a blithe attitude." Adrian said.

"Jaden is…unique, that's for sure." Alexis sighed, at last finding some humor in the conversation.

As they spoke, a curious change was occurring in the environment. The sky was darkening unnaturally, constellations brightly dotting the sky despite the fact that it was high noon.

"Huh, did the preliminaries really take that long? It's already nighttime." Jaden wondered, as oblivious as ever.

"It's just a hologram, I think…" Haruto murmured, his heavy bangs obscuring his eyes from view. Both duelists were enraptured by the change- despite the darkness being purely artificial, there was something undeniably atmospheric and beautiful about it.

"During the duels, the Kaiba Corp holographic projector canopies will present new environments. This is partially for the spectators to avoid sunburn, but it is also for aesthetic effect." Kaiba announced from his seat. The audience had no complaints, finding the darkened atmosphere exciting.

The Slifer Red duelist looked at the starry sky one more time before he began shuffling his deck. He stood across from Haruto, who was doing the same. After they were finished, they placed their cards in their duel disks and shook hands.

"Hey man, good luck." Jaden grinned, his friendly nature shining through. Haruto nodded silently at him and turned about-face, walking to his side of the arena. "Man, he looks like someone just kicked his dog…" Jaden thought with a chuckle.

"I still can't believe my brother let a Tenma compete in his tournament." Mokuba spoke confidentially to Leon.

"The sins of the family should not be visited on the child. Haruto wasn't even born when that nasty business with Yako went down. Hey, if Seto let me compete, there's no reason why Haruto couldn't." Leon rationally commented.

"I saw Gekko earlier today. What a nice guy!' Mokuba smiled. "I know, right? Couldn't believe how cool he was." Leon added.

Meanwhile, Seto Kaiba viewed the match from above with amusement. "Haruto Tenma…I wonder if he's got a better attitude than his father. And that Yuki kid seems familiar too…I wonder if I've ever met him before. I feel like I should recognize him."

Jaden and Haruto drew their five cards. A quick rock-paper-scissors decided that Haruto would go first. The silent boy drew a card to signal the beginning of his turn.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the first duel of the quarterfinals begin!" Roland announced. The audience watched with full attention.

"I shall set one monster face-down as well as two other cards. That shall end my turn." Haruto spoke up for the first time that day; his voice was calm, quiet, and somewhat raspy.

Jaden drew. "Alright pal, here I come! I summon Elemental Hero Neos Alius (1900/1300)." Jaden's first monster was a small warrior that looked like a chibi-fied Elemental Hero Neos. The monster was illuminated from below by the holographic projectors so that everyone had a clear view of it.

"Now, I'll attack your monster!" Jaden called. Neos Alius rushed forward with a chop. Haruto's monster was revealed to be a Dandylion (300/300), which was a leonine creature made from plants.

"Cool, I have that card too!" Jaden said. "In that case, you'll know that I get two tokens when it's destroyed." Haruto responded coldly. As he spoke, two fluffy dandelion flowers sprouted on his side of the field, each with zero attack and defense points.

"He must be planning to sacrifice those tokens for something next turn." Alexis commented. Adrian smirked; he knew what Haruto was about to summon.

"Ok, I set two cards face-down and end my turn!" Jaden said. Haruto drew, and he wore a small grin as he made his next move.

"I activate my face-down trap card, Zoma the Spirit (1800/500). This trap card acts as a monster that I can summon to my field." Zoma the Spirit was a creepy, undead dragon, its haggard breath and purple skin highly unsettling to some of the frailer members of the audience.

"It's all good, my Neos is still stronger!" Jaden reminded.

Ignoring him, Haruto continued. "I do not intend on attacking with my Zoma. I plan to use it as a sacrifice. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Wicked Gods?"

"What? That guy has a Wicked God? Those cards are super expensive!" Chazz nearly shouted in surprise.

"For real. They weren't even released to the public until a few months ago. Something tells me Haruto got his particular copies of the Wicked Gods straight from his uncle." Mokuba made conversation with the Duel Academy group for the first time.

"Indeed. Frankly, I'm surprised Industrial Illusions released them at all, considering the fiasco that happened eleven years ago with them." Adrian commented, but did not elaborate.

"What do you mean?" Alexis asked.

Mokuba raised his hand to tell the story. After formally introducing himself to everyone else, he began recanting the event.

"You see, eleven years ago, Haruto's crazy uncle Yako tried to take over Kaiba Corp. He was under the impression that his mentor, Maximillion Pegasus, was killed by Yugi Moto. Yeah, I don't get it either. The guy was a total nutcase, but he was an amazing duelist. He even managed to beat my brother." Mokuba explained.

"Crazy! What happened then?" Alexis gasped. "Yugi beat him, but it was one of the closest games I've ever seen him play. If Haruto is half as good as his uncle, then your friend is in for a rough game." Mokuba said.

"Jaden's been in a few tough games of his own, he'll be fine." Chazz said, offhand.

"Oh really? We'll see just how good your friend is soon enough." Adrian said snidely.

"Can't say I've heard of a Wicked God. Sounds ominous." Jaden said with a shrug.

"Oh, they are quite ominous, I assure you. But then, you'll see that for yourself soon enough. I sacrifice my two Fluff tokens and my Zoma!" Haruto shouted. His monsters disappeared in matching pillars of yellow light, rising towards the black heavens.

"I call forth The Wicked Dreadroot (4000/4000)!" The Wicked God came forth from a portal of purple shadows, and it was a highly intimidating creature indeed. Over sixty feet tall, it towered above the coliseum walls. It was green-skinned titan, decorated with bones and skulls. It's arms were a terrible shade of black, and just one of its jagged teeth were as large as Jaden was.

"Yeah, your friend's pretty much screwed." Adrian said with a grim laugh. Alexis shot him a withering glare.

"Now that my Wicked God is on the field, all of your monsters lose half of their attack and defense points." Haruto coldly intoned.

"What's the point of that? Your monster already has 4000 attack points, it's not like I'm going to try and battle over that." Jaden pointed out.

"Silence! My Wicked Dreadroot will attack your Neos Alius now!" Haruto cried. The evil deity thrust its titanic fist forth and struck the smaller Hero with a thunderous crack. (Jaden 950/Haruto 4000)

However, when the dust cleared, Neos Alius still stood, surrounded by a golden halo of energy. "I activate my trap, Hero Ring. When an Elemental Hero with 1900 or less attack points is about to destroyed by battle, this trap prevents its destruction." Jaden explained. "So that means my Neos is still around!"

"Yes, I can see that." Haruto muttered. Jaden's friendly personality was grating his nerves. "I'll end my turn there. Good luck, Yuki. You'll need it."

Jaden drew, completely unconcerned. He knew he could find a way to win. "I summon Neo-Spacian Air-Hummingbird (800/500)!" The red bird appeared again, its goofy appearance giving the audience a giggle.

"My hummingbird's effect lets me gain 500 points for every card in your hand, and I count three!" Jaden said, gaining back a good chunk of life. (Jaden 2450/Haruto 4000)

"Is he going to fuse again? I doubt that would help him, but I should be careful anyways." Haruto thought, inheriting the cautious nature of his father, Gekko.

"Now, I set a card and end my turn." Jaden announced anticlimactically.

Haruto sweatdropped. "He must be trying to lure me into a trap…This guy is a shrewd strategist!"

"Man, I'm hungry…I wonder if that new movie with Scarlett Lawrence is any good. She's a good actress, but I don't know if I like the director…" Jaden's mind wandered.

"You think that you're being coy, but I can see right through your plans!" Haruto declared. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon! This card lets me destroy one of your spells or traps!"

Jaden gulped. He had two cards face-down- a Mystical Space Typhoon of his own, and a Mirror Force that could destroy Haruto's God monster. The entire game depended on what card Haruto decided to destroy.

"I'll destroy the card on your left!" Haruto declared. Jaden sighed in relief; it was his own Mystical Space Typhoon that was destroyed. "Looks like you were unlucky this time, bro!" Jaden said cockily.

"Damn!" Haruto cursed. "Fine, I'll attack with my Wicked Dreadroot anyways! This duel is finished!" The emerald titan reared back a punch yet again, this one promising Jaden a swift departure from the tournament if he did not act. The crowd reached a fever pitch.

"No, is Jaden really about to lose to this punk?" Chazz wondered, indignant. Alexis averted her eyes, for she could not look. Adrian was looking more smug than ever.

"I activate Mirror Force, destroying all attacking monsters on your field!" Jaden's words were damning- Haruto could only watch as his mighty God Card shattered apart like pieces of glass.

The audience deflated like a balloon. There were disappointed that such a rare card would so unceremoniously destroyed by a staple like Mirror Force. Some even went so far as to denigrate Jaden, booing him.

"Poor Jaden, the crowd's turned against him again." Alexis chuckled, fondly recalling the time when he dueled a Dark Magician Girl cosplayer on Duel Monsters Spirit Day at school. The cosplayer was so charming that nearly every red-blooded male (and quite a few females) cheered against Jaden. This time, it seemed as though it was merely the fickle nature of the audience at work.

"A sly move. One that I wouldn't have expected." Adrian said.

"No kidding. You would figure that Haruto would pack some spell and trap protection for his Wicked Gods, but I guess he didn't." Leon added.

"The kid's a rookie. He probably hasn't worked out the fine details for his deck yet. This duel will serve as valuable experience, whether he wins or loses." Mokuba said with the air of a veteran.

"Impressive, but that's not all I've got, I assure you. Now, I set a defensive monster. That's all." Haruto, amazingly, managed to retain his composure, despite the devastating setback he was forced to endure.

Jaden drew and prepared to attack. "First, I'll use my Air Hummingbird's effect. You have one card in hand, so I gain an extra 500 points!" (Jaden 2950/Haruto 3200)

"I activate Polymerization, fusing my Neos Alius on the field with the Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in my hand! This lets me summon Elemental Hero Nova Master (2300/2000)!"

Flames rose into the air, the sparks trailing off into the night sky like a campfire. From the fire emerged a hulking warrior clad in bright red-orange armor. "How do you like that? I'm just getting warmed up!" Jaden said facetiously.

"That was the worst pun I've ever heard in my life." Haruto replied drily. "If that was the worst, you really need to hear more bad puns. Nova Master, let's fire it up!" Jaden said, adding fuel to the fires of Haruto's annoyance.

Nova Master's fist was encased in flame, and it tore through Haruto's defending Mystical Elf (800/2000) with ease. "The best part is that when my Nova Master destroys a monster, I get to draw an extra card! Now, Air Hummingbird will attack you directly!"

The cartoonish avian pecked at Haruto, depleting his life points. (Jaden 2450/Haruto 3200)

"That should be all for my turn." Jaden said, crossing his arms triumphantly. The fire from his Elemental Hero cast a warm glow around his body- his brown eyes were tinted with flecks of gold from the light. Haruto looked practically desolate in comparison. His grey eyes shone in the dark night like gaslights as he plotted his next move.

"This match is far from over, I assure you. Now, I end my turn." The Tenma heir said coldly.

Chazz surveyed the match with a veritable whirlwind of emotions. On one hand, he would rather Jaden win this duel so that he could face him later on. Part of him even wanted Jaden to win just out of friendly support. At the same time, seeing the Slifer Red duelist so successful never failed to irk him.

"You've always been like this…always coasting to victory without even a drop of sweat on your forehead as you do so! Well, this time is going to be different! I'm going to defeat you this time, Yuki!" He felt his thoughts grow angrier and angrier, so he stopped fulminating while he still could.

Alexis seemed to notice the subtle furling of his brow, the intensity in his eyes. "Is something bothering you?" She asked, casting him a sidelong glance. "No. I just think that Tenma kid has something up his sleeve." Chazz lied easily.

"As for you, Alexis…you will be mine. I will not live as the plaything of destiny! It's time for me to take control of my life!" His thoughts became intense again, and he chose to focus on the duel as a distraction.

"Bad draw, huh? That sucks, man. I've been there, but I'm afraid I can't easy on you, you're way too good. I'll use my Air Hummingbird's effect to gain 1000 life points." (Jaden 3950/Haruto 3200)

"Now, Nova Master attacks you directly!" Jaden called, and Haruto was bathed in flames from the Elemental Hero's assault. Strangely, he did not seemed bothered at all by this. (Jaden 3950/Haruto 900)

Haruto smirked. "You made a grave mistake, Yuki. You attacked me directly while I had no cards on the field."

"Well yeah, that's the obvious course of action." Jaden replied cheekily.

"Silence! You have activated the effect of Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness (2700/2500) in my hand. When I am attacked when no cards are on my field, I can summon this card from my hand." As Haruto spoke, a warrior wearing menacing black and silver armor emerged from the night.

"And that's not all! When this effect is activated, I can summon an Emissary Token with the same amount of attack and defense points as the monster you attacked me with!" A female paladin joined Tenma's field, holding a shiny silver blade in her lithe hands. (2300/2300)

"Oh, shoot." Jaden chuckled. "Guess I have no choice but to end my turn, then."

"Right." Haruto sniffed. After drawing his next card, an unmistakable, genuine smile graced his lips for the first time all game.

"Finally having fun?" Jaden ventured. "Yeah, I am. And I think it's time you find out why! I activate the spell card The Monarchs Storm Forth! This allows me to use one of your monsters as tribute fodder! And I choose your Nova Master!" Haruto shouted.

"He must have another Wicked God!" Mokuba said with raised eyebrows. "Right, that should give him three sacrifices!" Alexis commented.

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Must they always point out the obvious?"

"Now, I sacrifice my Gorz monsters, as well as your Nova Master!" Haruto yelled. "I call forth the second of my Wicked Gods, The Wicked Avatar (?/?)!"

Jaden cringed as he watched his monster disappear. After the sacrifices, nothing could be seen for a moment. Jaden, looking around for Tenma's monster, finally looked skywards.

The stars had been completely blotted out. A enormous sphere of black upon black descended like a meteor from the heavens themselves. Jaden, as well as the audience, were deeply unnerved by the sight of the shapeless mass of darkness.

"The Wicked Avatar is rather different than Dreadroot," Haruto explained. "It takes the shape of whatever the strongest monster on the field is. At the moment, that would be your Air Hummingbird."

The shifting blackness finally settled on a form, one that could be scarcely seen by the crowd. Now that's Jaden's Nova Master was gone, the night had returned with a vengeance. Many of the spectators held out their cellphones to better view the action.

The Wicked Avatar had become a jet-black recolor of Jaden's red bird, a dark mirror. "The Wicked Avatar gains the attack and defense of your monster plus 100. This way, it is always the strongest monster on the field, no matter what. There is no monster in the game that can defeat it in battle." Haruto boasted.

"Well, that's no good." Jaden, as usual, comically underreacted to the desperate situation.

"No, it's not. Now, I think it's time I take that annoying bird out of the picture. Attack!" Tenma shouted. Jaden's Neo-Spacian ironically suffered a death by pecking. Once Jaden sent his hummingbird to the graveyard, The Wicked Avatar reverted to a constantly squirming, a shadow-drenched mass waiting to take its next form. (Jaden 3850/Haruto 900)

"I'll end my turn. Keep in mind that the summon of my Avatar prevents you from activating any spells or traps until the end of your next turn!" Haruto explained, feeling as though his victory was assured.

Jaden grinned again. "Whatever. I draw!" As he considered his next move, he realized that the best course of action was to do nothing at all. With no other monsters on the field, The Wicked Avatar had no attack or defense points.

"I'll end my turn." Jaden said, allowing himself to grow cocky. Haruto ticked in aggravation. "It certainly didn't take Yuki long to figure out my monster's weakness…"

Haruto did not draw a monster; if he did, he could have won the duel that very turn, but such is the luck of the draw. "I…end my turn." He said in resignation. There was no way victory could escape him; he was the wielder of the Wicked Gods!

Jaden drew. "Alright, let's go! I activate the spell card Miracle Fusion! This type of fusion lets me combine Elemental Heroes in my graveyard by banishing them from play! Now, by banishing Elemental Hero Neos Alius and Elemental Hero Nova Master, I can create a new Hero!"

A piercing beam of light broke through Kaiba's holographic night, and daytime returned to the arena. The audience was temporarily blinded by the sudden burst of brightness. The Wicked Avatar itself shrunk away from the sunlight.

"I summon Elemental Hero The Shining (2600/2300)!" Seemingly from the sun itself descended a hero of the light. The male warrior wore a bodysuit of white armor, with blades of golden steel attached to its elbows.

Instantly, The Wicked Avatar took the shape of its adversary, becoming a distorted, dark mirror of Jaden's Hero. It wore jet black armor with silver blades, and held 100 extra attack points.

"It's no use, Yuki! You cannot defeat The Wicked Avatar in battle!" Haruto boasted.

"Actually, I can. You see, your Wicked God can only copy the original attack of my Hero. If I increase The Shining's attack points, I can surpass your Wicked Avatar! Elemental Hero The Shining gains 300 attack points for every Hero I have removed from play. Since there is two, it gains 600 attack points!" Jaden explained as his Hero's attack points rose to 3300.

"And now, since it's the only card in my hand, I can special summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200)!" Jaden's goofy blue warrior took the field in a storm of bubbles.

"I-impossible…" Haruto lamented. "I never imagined someone could defeat one of the Wicked Gods, let alone two…"

"Shining and Bubbleman, attack!" Jaden roared. With a ball of bright white energy, The Wicked Avatar was completely obliterated by Jaden's hero. (Jaden 3850/Haruto 400)

A final blast of water from Bubbleman sealed the match. The audience exploded as the winner of the first round was decided. (Jaden 3850/Haruto 0)

"Nice job, Jaden!" Alexis cheered her friend's victory. Chazz clapped out of respect, as did Mokuba and Leon. Torres and Adrian could only gape in shock at the outcome of the match. "This kid is one to watch for…" They both thought nearly simultaneously.

Jaden met Haruto halfway across the arena, where the shook hands once again. "Good match, man." Jaden complimented.

"Thank you, Yuki. I know now that these Wicked Gods are not invincible. I'll be better prepared for our rematch this way." The cold man had finally made a somewhat friendly remark.

"I'll be waiting!" Jaden said with a wink. Haruto nodded. "I'm gonna go talk to my dad now, but I'll be watching the rest of the tourney, so don't mess up!"

"I won't, I'm planning to win it all!" Jaden responded in kind before making his way back to the waiting area. Alexis gave him a quick hug while Chazz fist-bumped him.

"Impressive, Jaden Yuki. Most impressive." Adrian said mysteriously. "Uh, thanks. So, who's up now? I wanna know who I'm playing next." The Slifer Red duelist asked, curious.

"Looks like we're up." Mokuba said, tapping Leon's shoulder. "I hope you're ready to get whipped again, Schroder."

"As if, Kaiba." Leon responded calmly, strapping his duel disk to his elbow. "Wow, I get to see Seto Kaiba's younger brother in action! Awesome!" Jaden gushed, still filled with adrenaline from his recent duel.

"Indeed, and you'll see that the talent runs in the family." Mokuba declared confidently as he exited the waiting area with Leon.

End Chapter 4

Featured Card: The Wicked Avatar (Level 10 Dark-Attribute Fiend) (? ATK/? DEF)

This card cannot be Special Summoned. This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set except by tributing three monsters. Your opponent cannot activate Spell or Trap cards until the end of the second turn after this card is Summoned. The ATK and DEF of this card are each 100 points higher than the highest face-up monster's original ATK on the field (except The Wicked Avatar)

A/N

Greetings lovely readers, and thank you for your continued interest in the story!

This chapter marks the first time I've ever incorporated the use of original characters in a fanfic. I'm normally averse to the concept, but I felt it appropriate here.

Haruto Tenma serves as a link between GX and the manga side-story Yugioh R. Haruto is the son of one of Yugi's primary allies during that side story, and his uncle is the main villain of that side story. Haruto here uses the Wicked Gods, which were designed by Pegasus and Yako to be evil counterparts of the Egyptian Gods. If you guys haven't read Yugioh R, I would encourage it. It's well-written stuff, and it gives Joey Wheeler (one of the best characters in the franchise) some victories, so that's a plus.

Joshua Torres has no canon relationships, but in his characterization, he is much like Ziegfried von Schroder- a smaller business tycoon whose livelihood was ruined by the family of the main character's rival.

Speaking of which, we are introduced to older incarnations of Mokuba and Leon here! I always thought it was strange that Mokuba never dueled in the series proper, considering his brother is obviously very skilled at the game. Here, Mokuba's unique talents will be showcased, as will Leon's. You'll recall Leon coming from the Grand Championship filler saga front he original series.

The next chapter features the quarterfinal match with Mokuba facing off against Leon. As always, leave a review if it pleases you!