AJ: -sniff, sniff-…Well…h-here it is…the Final chapter…

Bil: Quit blubbering, ya wuss.

AJ: …B-but…it's the last chapter.

Bil: So what? Life goes on.

AJ: I guess…I'll tell you guys the surprise at the end of the chapter.

Bil: I'm expecting a Barbeque.

AJ: I bet you are.

Chapter 52: Many Partings: Forward To The Pro League!

Judai lay in a bed in the infirmary surrounded by Asuka, Fubuki, Sho, Manjoume, and the rest. It was nearly seven AM, and the duel between Judai and Saiou had ended nearly three days earlier, but Judai had yet to wake up. As everyone thought, Edo was up and about when the group had arrived in the infirmary with Judai and Saiou. He immediately helped Saiou into bed, before helping Judai get situated in his own bed.

About an hour after the duel had ended, Saiou awoke. Edo tended to him, as he needed, before the diviner felt he could maneuver on his own. It seemed that the cause for Saiou's unconsciousness was the ejection of the Light of Ruin from his body, and thus, once his body had rested for a bit, the fortuneteller was fine. Ayukawa, however, wanted to keep him in the infirmary for observation for a few days. She did tell Edo and Saiou that it would be ok for him to leave later that morning. Edo still sat by his bedside, as the diviner's chest slowly rose and fell.

Judai, however, had not awoken. His body was slightly charred due to the amount of electricity that had been poured through his body, but it seemed that there weren't as many burn marks as Ayukawa thought there was going to be.

Judai didn't seem to be in any danger. As a matter of fact, the only problem was that his eyes were shut. There seemed to be no severe injuries of any kind from the duel he had just been in.

"I wish the Drop-out would just wake up," Manjoume wearily yawned, fatigue getting the better of his senses.

Junko and Momoe immediately glared at the boy right in front of his face. "You just be quiet!" Momoe shouted.

"Yeah, Judai helped turn this place back to normal after your craziness!" Junko added.

"What did you do to help!?" Momoe inquired.

"She's right! All you did was convert more and more people into that stupid Society!" Junko screeched.

"I wasn't myse---EEEELFFF!!!" Manjoume had backed up too far from the angry girls. He fell off the bench he was sitting on and to his back, moaning in pain and rubbing the back of his head. The girls, satisfied that Manjoume had been punished enough, turned back to Judai.

Asuka sat beside Judai's bedside, with Fubuki behind her. Sho and Kenzan sat back to back, lightly snoozing on a bench on the other side of Judai's bed. Areka listened to some music via headphones and was reading a magazine on the floor, but she appeared to be out of it, as well. Misawa sat and typed on a laptop, presumably about formulas and the like.

Edo stood up from his spot and walked over to the group. He sighed, sensing the tension in the area, but broke the silence. "So, how is he?" the pro asked.

No one answered right away, instead just staring at Judai. Fubuki finally broke the silence, saying, "He's no different from when we first brought him up here. He's just sleeping. No one knows anything else."

"I see…" Edo sighed. He didn't want to admit it, but he was very grateful towards Judai. His rival Hero-user had saved not only Saiou from the Light of Ruin, but the entire universe. Plus, they still had one final match to discover whose deck was truly greatest and most deserving of the term 'Hero'.

"Ayukawa-sensei says that he'll be fine," Asuka stated, surprising those around her. "We just need for him to wake up." Edo nodded, and went to sit back down by Saiou, reading his book. Asuka watched Judai as he breathed in and out. A random strand of brown hair flew out over Judai's face. Asuka lightly brushed it aside.

Suddenly, Judai made the first response to those around he'd made in some time. His face contorted as if he was in pain or suffering and began to twist and turn. He moaned and groaned as he did so.

"What's wrong with him!?" Asuka hastily asked to no one in particular.

Ayukawa immediately burst into the room and rushed over to Judai's bedside. She checked some gauges and measurements as the others gathered around to check what was going on. She looked worried.

"Ayukawa-sensei, is something wrong?" Asuka inquired concernedly.

"Nothing too major…" the doctor told them. "But he seems to be having a nightmare. By the looks of it, it's rather violent…" She looked anxious as she watched the duelist, who continued to toss and turn ferociously. He gained a pained expression on his face, and cold sweat began to rapidly pour off of him. His breathing hastened.

As the group watched him, they were able to hear one word croak from his throat. "Midori."

Judai opened his eyes as he stood in an enormous arena. It was not like your normal arenas, however. He couldn't see the crowd's faces, as they were all darkened. The only light in the area was that over the duel field he was on.

The duel field looked entirely different, as well. It was gigantic and square, with enough spots for at least ten duelists near the outer area and enough for only two towards the middle.

"This…looks like…back then…" Judai breathed. A monster glided down from the sky in front of him. It was Arch Villain Maleficus. "Maleficus!?" Judai gasped. He looked across the field and noticed one duelist still standing across the field. A monster appeared in a flash of light on his field. It was the Overlord of Dark World, Reign-Beaux. The creature roared a heinous, hell-spawned screech, forcing Judai to cover his ears. The creature thrusted its enormous trident into the ground and caused a fissure underneath Judai's monster. The Arch Villain fell beneath the rocks into the depths of darkness.

"I remember this…" Judai muttered, his eyes widening. He looked to both sides, but saw no one around him. "Midori-oneesan? Midori-oneesan?"

"Judai-dono…" an arrogant, coldhearted voice called from the distance. Judai felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, and cold sweat drip down his face. He forced himself to look forward. The youth looked forward and his eyes widened at what he saw.

The Dark Realm creature had disappeared and in its place stood a humanoid with a striking resemblance to Judai's own Elemental Hero Neos. Judai blinked and shook his head. "No way…it…it can't be…" Judai breathed disbelieving what he saw. "Elemental Hero The Earth!?!?"

"Judai-dono…I told you…I told you I'd give you five years, the same amount of time it had been since we knew each other…" the hatred-filled voice echoed. "Once those five years were up, I told you, I'd come after you. It is for true justice. The justice of the crime of taking away my sister!" The boy raised his head, revealing a pair of darkened glasses and spiky white hair. He wore a black leather vest and black jeans. He bore a red undershirt and black cowboy boots.

"No…Kouyou…I told you…I was…" Judai pleaded hastily. He never knew himself to be so cowardly towards just one individual in his life. This, however, was no ordinary individual. This was the man whom Judai went through Hell with together, the man he considered his best friend for five years

"Five years, Judai-dono," the youngster across from him said, "and now, you will finally pay for your crime…" The hero standing in front of Kouyou began to flare up and ignited two energy swords in front of him. "ELEMENTAL HERO THE EARTH! ATTACK JUDAI DIRECTLY! MAGMA X SLASH!" The hero leapt high into the air and raised his two energy swords. Judai watched in horror as the monster came soaring down towards him, ready to strike.

The hero then brought the two swords down across Judai's chest. The duelist across from him laughed maniacally as the 'X' created by the creature immediately began spurting blood freely. The boy clutched his chest and coughed heavily, spitting up enormous amounts of blood to go along with the sum pouring out from his chest.

"And now," Kouyou stated, causing Judai's head to lift up, "for the finishing touch." Judai felt his heart drop to what was supposed to be the place where his stomach was.

Asuka was standing next to Kouyou, facing Judai's former best friend. Kouyou put his hand to her chin and brought her face towards his into a deep kiss. Judai felt rage build within him. "Kou…Kouyou…" Judai stated through grit teeth.

Kouyou just smirked at the lad as he broke the kiss. Asuka turned and faced Judai with an emotionless expression on her face. The kiss didn't faze her at all.

Suddenly, the still fiery Hero landed behind Asuka. One of its swords was still ignited. Judai instantly knew what he was going to do. "KOUYOU, DON'T INVOLVE HER!!!!" Judai roared. With what little energy he had within him, he picked himself up and rushed forward. The enormous amount of blood loss, however, didn't allow him to go far, as he slipped and fell, his body not allowing him to stand up again. He knew that the Kouyou would not listen to him, due to the psychotic look in his eyes. So, he tried the woman he loved. "ASUKA, GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!!" She seemed to respond to this, and began to shake her head, stumbling away.

"Judai-dono," Kouyou began as his hero grabbed Asuka's neck, not allowing her to move out of range, "Rot In Hell."

Judai's face was contorted in a rage unheralded by mankind. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

At that moment, the hero shoved its sword forward into Asuka's chest. The hero then disengaged his sword, and the blood began to flow freely from Asuka. She stepped forward two steps looking at Judai with a saddened look, tears pouring down her face as a trickle of blood dripped from her mouth. She reached forward with her hand, asking for help, but slipped. She fell into the gorge in the Earth's surface and disappeared into the abyss.

Judai dropped to his knees at the edge of the crevasse and looked down. "ASUKAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!" he screeched at the top of his lungs as tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. His voice seemed to echo from the four corners of the earth. Amidst the scream, he heard the hatred-filled, arrogant laughter of his old friend, Kouyou.

Judai snapped awake and sat up. "KOUYOU!!!!" he immediately shouted, his face twisted into a psychotic rage.

"Judai?" a voice shakily questioned after a moment. Judai blinked and realized that he was not in a duel arena. His face instantly softened as he noticed himself surrounded by rather nervous friends. His breathing became heavy, but not nearly as rapid as it was, and he put his hand to his chest, soon noticing he had his shirt on, and looked down it. No scars or anything that were the result of a cut or slash.

Judai sighed deeply and fell back into his pillow. He panted as if he had been running in a marathon for over twenty-four hours straight. He wiped his face with his hand, to notice that he was covered in a cold sweat. He closed his eyes and desperately tried to calm himself, but to no avail.

"Judai," Asuka bravely stepped forward as she gingerly asked the lad, "are you ok?"

Judai sat up. 'It was a dream,' the duelist mused, looking at Asuka, then at his concerned friends. He put his hand up to his head, 'But…it was so real!' he thought.

Asuka gently put her hand on his shoulder. "Judai…" she softly said. "is there something wrong? You can tell us."

Judai gulped. He wanted to tell them. He wanted so desperately to tell them. But this was something he needed to deal with on his own. He couldn't get them involved, no matter the cost. He forced a smile upon his face and picked his head up. "Absolutely nothing's wrong, Asuka," he managed to blurt out, knowing it was a horrible lie. "J-just a bad dream."

Asuka looked sadly at the boy, but didn't press any further, to which Judai was grateful. He looked at all of them, when he decided to change the subject. "So…how long have I been out?" he asked.

"About three days," Areka answered, causing Judai's eyes to widen and his mouth open slightly.

"THREE DAYS!?!?" he repeated loudly.

"Did I stutter?" she questioned rather quietly.

"She's right," Edo told them, "and I know it's rather short notice, but I'd like to duel with you in front of the school, in our greatest rematch."

"Are you crazy!?" Ayukawa yelled, scaring all around her, including Edo and Saiou, who had awoken from the racket. "He has just been through a rigorous duel and only just now woke up for the first time since then! He has several burn marks, not to mention the ones that were worsened thanks to the previous duels! He has been out for three days, but you're going to make him duel right away!?!?! ARE YOU INSANE!?!?!"

"Ay-Ayukawa-sensei?" Judai meekly inquired. "I…think I'm fine…So, let me duel…"

"That won't be allowed," Samejima stated as he walked into the infirmary.

"Samejima?" everyone questioned.

"Judai," the man began, "you need to set off immediately for the PDL's official site. They open up tonight in Tokyo, and you're scheduled to duel!"

"WHAT!?" Judai screamed. "BUT HOW'D I MAKE IT TO THE PDL!?!?"

"I can understand how you forgot about your prize due to the circumstances," Samejima stated, "but the fact remains that you are now owned for two months by the PDL. Your first duel is tonight, and you have to set off, quickly."

"But…" Judai said.

"Judai," Asuka said, causing Judai to turn around, "we're all rooting for you. Go and make your dreams come true."

Judai looked into the girl's blue eyes, before smiling. "I'll make you all proud."

"Judai," Edo said, "I need to go too. I am scheduled to defend my Duel Title against Kaiser tonight, as well. You can tag along in my boat. Saiou can be your manager, for the time being."

"Manager!?" Judai questioned. "Jeez, this keeps going so fast."

"It's the least I can do for you, Judai," the diviner said, sitting up, "after freeing me and saving the world. Besides, my sister Mizuchi will be there, as well. I invited her to come along."

"Man…I can't believe this is happening…and how quickly it's happening," Judai muttered.

"I know it's short notice, Judai," Samejima stated, "but please, it will give our school so much publicity."

"Don't worry, there's no way I'm passing up this chance," Judai assured him. He leapt out of bed, threw on his jacket, and smiled. "I'll go kick butt and take some names."

"Judai, there's also something else I'd like for you to do, if you're up to it," Samejima told him.

"What is it?"

"No…I'll tell you later after tonight," Samejima said.

"Well, what're you waiting for!?" Fubuki asked.

"Let's get going to the docks!" Areka shouted.

"C'mon Aniki! We don't want you to be late!" Kenzan and Sho screeched in the boy's ear.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Judai shouted. "Man, you people are more excited about this than I am!"

"Just remember," Manjoume told him, "you owe me a beat down in a duel when you get back!"

"You gotta EARN your victories, and I don't see you earning anything against me for a good while!" Judai retorted.

"I'LL SHOW YOU!!!" Manjoume leapt forward and put Judai into an extremely painful-looking arm-lock. "SAY IT!!! SAY IT!!!"

"ALRIGHT!!! UNCLE, UNCLE!!" Judai shouted amidst the laughs of his friends. 'These are my friends. This is my present. I just have to let the past be past, and not think about it anymore,' the boy thought, 'after all, this is what Midori-oneesan would want of me.' He smiled as he watched all his friends following him to Edo's boat, sending him off to his Pro Dueling League debut.

AJ: And…there you have it. Not the greatest of endings, and I know you AxJ lovers are disappointed, but that's where this story ends.

Bil: Thank God. Now, about that surprise…

AJ: Ah, yes, my going away present for my adoring fans.

Bil: And me.

AJ: Yes, of course, and my adoring seventy-year-old swordmaster.

Bil: Thank you. Now, what's the surprise?

AJ: The surprise is…drum roll please….(I'm sure most of you have guessed it by now…)

Bil: …What is it!?!?

AJ: ….It's that…THIS STORY IS ONLY THE BEGINNING!!!!

Bil: WHAT!?!?!?!?

AJ: That is correct! I plan on continuing this story past this chapter! I plan on making a sequel in time, once I plan out some duels!

BIL: GET OVER HERE!!!!!

AJ: ;;;;;; -dashes off- THANK YOU, ALL MY ADORING FANS, AND I PROMISE TO LOSE THIS BAFFOON AND START WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER SOON!!!! UNTIL NEXT TIME!!!

Bil: GET BACK HERE, YOU ASSWIPE!!!!!!