A challenge to a duel is made and accepted. (Flaming)

Syrus draws a card he'd rather not see. (Frozen)

Jaden finds a card that makes him feel the same way. (Prisoner)

this one's a bit of an experience! i wanted to combine three of the prompts into one overarching, coherent story, but hopefully in a way where they kinda stand apart on their own, too? a little? it was fun and interesting! definitely liked it! hope you enjoy, though!

this is my formal complaint to tv tokyo about how season 3 was great, love season 3, but some aspects of it are not great and this is a take on one of those aspects and how it could be, like, better? yeah. most of this is season 3 but it transitions into season 3 later and it should be noticeable when that transition is? i'm hoping.

Duels never failed to get Jaden fired up.

Especially when it was someone else asking him to duel, and especially when he was dueling one of his pals, duels were full of surprises and excitement. So when it was Syrus asking Jaden to duel him, it didn't get much cooler than that.

"…As long as you don't mind," Syrus had quickly backpedaled. "I want to see how my deck's doing, and if I've gotten any better. If you can't, or you don't want to, I totally understand…"

"Of course I'll duel you, Sy!" Jaden had laughed. "But I'm warning you, I'm not holding back."

"That's what I'm hoping for," Syrus had responded. "You better give it your all!"

So Jaden was really, really fired up over this duel. Syrus had a lot of talent and potential, and he trusted his cards, he just needed confidence. With that, Syrus could really give Jaden a run for his money. A run for his cards? Something like that.

Syrus gave him the first move, anyway. Jaden couldn't wait to see where Syrus took this duel.

As for himself, Jaden started out on the offensive. Not that he could attack on his first turn, but with Burstinatrix on the field he was prepared for it on his next turn. Plus, for a good measure, a Hero Barrier to keep her on the field. With Avian in his hand, if he had a good draw next turn…

Meanwhile, Syrus went for defense with his Vehicroids.

"You're not gonna play defense the whole time, are you?" Jaden taunted.

"I'll strike when the time's right," Syrus returned.

Jaden's next draw wasn't quite what he was hoping for, but Sparkman wasn't bad. Sparkman could help deal some damage and cover for Burstinatrix, at least. Put some pressure on. He didn't want to wait too long to see what Syrus was up to.

Syrus' next turn gave him what he needed to start striking back: a Vehicroid whose ability let it overpower both of Jaden's heroes. Jaden, however, still had his barrier ready, keeping him safe for the rest of the turn.

This draw was crucial. If Jaden got what he needed, he was still in this, but if not, he'd have to switch to defending. He drew.

It was here.

Polymerization went into effect, and Jaden was able to bring out Flame Wingman.

At the sane time, Syrus made a move of his own, sending Sparkman to the graveyard.

Flame Wingman took care of the lone Vehicroid on Syrus' field, but it wasn't enough to end the duel. Which meant there was time for Syrus to make a comeback. Jaden grinned once his turn was over. He knew Syrus had more in him, and he was hoping to see it. He didn't want this duel to end just yet, this was way too much fun. He was practically burning with excitement.

Syrus' luck in duels had a way of freezing him in his tracks.

This duel was no exception. The card in his hand, the card he just drew, was the last thing he wanted to see. It always stopped him like this. He might as well be frozen in a block of ice, with all the good he could do in this duel now. He felt like it, too. He felt cold to the core, and after a few seconds he had to remind himself to breathe.

Power Bond. It was always Power Bond. Why did it always have to be Power Bond? Why did he keep putting it in his deck? Why did his luck keep making him draw it? Most of his duels were so short that statistically, he shouldn't be seeing it nearly as often as he did. Though, maybe he'd put up a better fight if he didn't see this card every time.

The card was off limits. Zane made that clear, and Syrus still wasn't ready to use it yet. He might not ever be ready at this rate.

"Yo, Sy? Earth to Sy?" Jaden called out. Syrus blinked. Jaden had been trying to get his attention for at least ten seconds now, he'd just realized. "You okay, buddy?"

Syrus looked over his hand. Nothing was going to turn this situation around, Jaden was going to win in the next turn anyway. Silently, he pushed a button on his duel disk. After a second, it deactivated. He surrendered.

"Whoa, Syrus, talk to me here, something's wrong." Jaden ran across what was formerly the duel field to reach him. "What happened?"

"I drew Power Bond," Syrus told him.

Jaden frowned.

"I don't know why I have it in my deck, when I still can't use it, I guess it's just… Zane gave me the card, you know?" Syrus asked. "And we barely talk now, so it's like… it reminds me of the good times. But Zane's the one who said I can't use it, too. So it hurts."

"Right. It reminds you of that, too. And ever since, you've had confidence issues, right?" Jaden replied. "And you're definitely a lot more confident than you used to be, but whenever you see the card and it reminds you of that, it can't be helpful."

"Yeah." Syrus nodded. "But I don't think I could bring myself to take it out of my deck, either. I wish I could just… keep it there without feeling so bad."

Jaden looked out towards the water surrounding the island. "…Before I came here, I didn't have a lot of friends."

Syrus blinked at that. "Really? That just seems…wrong. Like, you shouldn't be the type of person to be without friends." Jaden had been making friends at Duel Academy so easily, even during the entrance exam. He'd gravitated attention pretty quickly and made friends in such unexpected places. Even Chazz, despite what he might say, tolerated Jaden better than he did most people. It didn't feel right for Jaden to be alone.

But, Jaden nodded. "Not always," he clarified. I remember having some friends way back, when I was really little. But everyone started pulling away at some point. I think it was around when I learned to duel. No one wanted to play with me anymore. I don't even remember why. And I guess because of the timing, I always figured it must've been because of dueling, so I almost didn't even try to come here. If dueling pushed people away from me… I guess I almost decided it wouldn't be worth if to come here if I couldn't even make friends while I was here. And I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to make any."

Jaden, worried about something, was another picture that felt wrong in Syrus' mind. Well, Jaden worried about the little things here and there for sure. Like detention and tests and Dr. Crowler getting on his case for overdue assignments. And Jaden worried whenever something might happen to his friends, and he definitely worried for his friends. But Jaden worrying about something so personal and confident was strange. He was always so cheerful and confident, it shouldn't be right. Jaden shouldn't have to worry about something like that. He deserved not to, he was a great friend.

"Well, everyone you knew before we started here that decided not to be your friend is missing out," Syrus declared. "You're one of the best friends I've ever had, Jay. I'm glad you decided to go to school here, I don't know what I would be doing if you hadn't."

"I'm glad you think so." Jaden shot him a smile. "I think it's working out. But, I struggled so much with whether this was worth it, and if I was worth it, and Power Bond probably makes you feel something like that. So, don't worry. I'm glad you're here, too. I'll be honest, Sy, I'm not sure what I'd do if you weren't here, either. You belong here and you deserve to be here, you're good and you have a lot of potential. So forget Zane. If he thinks you're not good enough, we'll prove to him you are. And we'll prove it to you, too."

"That sounds good and all Jay, but I don't know how to do that. It's not like I haven't been trying."

"Well, two brains are better than one, right?" Jaden asked. "And we can probably get other people to help, too. Bastion might be able to help, and maybe Alexis. Maybe you just have to tackle the problem of Power Bond from a different angle. Don't worry, Sy. We'll figure it out and get through it together."

…

Syrus had run into a duel spirit in Dark World who realized he'd been put under a curse and was able to remove it. And once that curse was removed, Syrus then felt like he was thinking clearly for the first time since they'd arrived here.

That curse was tampering with emotions, amplifying some while suppressing others, it'd been explained to him. And those feelings were definitely affecting how he was thinking, because now he couldn't believe he'd ever thought about turning his back on Jaden.

Yeah, he remembered what he saw. But there had to be a good reason. It was probably a difficult situation. Syrus couldn't not give the benefit of the doubt here.

If there was one thing Syrus knew, it was that he wouldn't be where he was today without Jaden (well, literally as well as figuratively, but he was choosing to focus on the latter.) Jaden had always been there for him, helped him grow like no one else had been able to, not even Zane. Syrus never would've worked up the courage to use Power Bond without him, heck, Syrus probably would've left Duel Academy his first year if Jaden hadn't been there. He owed Jaden a lot, and never could come close to repaying the favor…until now.

Jaden had become warped by his own desperation and guilt. Syrus knew that what Jaden was doing now, as the Supreme King, that wasn't Jaden's fault. Jaden needed to be stopped, of course, but he needed help. And the amount of people left who could help him were dwindling, most of them sent to the stars. Aster and Zane were buying them time. Axel was giving him the ability to focus on what he needed to do.

He and Jaden were best friends. If anyone could help Jaden, it was Syrus.

Axel activated his duel disk, ready to duel the Supreme King. Syrus squeezed the Eye of Orichalcum in his hand. Maybe he wouldn't be able to do any of this alone, but together they all stood a chance.

And as the duel progressed and Axel wore the Supreme King down, Syrus was able to reach Jaden's mind.

His mindscape…felt wrong for Jaden. It should feel happy and safe, like Jaden deserved, not so cold and empty and alone. Mirrors surrounded Jaden, reflecting his mistakes, reflecting his guilt, reflecting all sorts of emotionally-charged thoughts. Syrus couldn't read most of them, but he could get a general idea. Jaden was blaming himself for everything, for dragging his friends into his problems only for them to get hurt.

And Jaden was in the middle of it all, dragged down in his circle of blame and guilt, unaware of everything else. Including Syrus.

Syrus sat down next to him. He looked up at one of the mirrors, currently displaying Axel's duel.

"Zane was always sure I had potential," Syrus said. "Before I lost my confidence, I was really good, apparently. But he recently told me that I always took dueling too far. I never considered my opponent, and I used to be really cocky. He never thought I'd lose so much confidence over the Power Bond incident. I just needed to change my perspective, and my attitude was becoming bad for not just my opponents, but me too. I don't even remember any of it, it was so long ago. But if I hadn't reacted the way I did, maybe things would've gotten a lot worse."

He glanced over at Jaden. "It's not your fault. I know it's not. If there was a choice, you never would've let it turn out that way."

"…There was a choice," Jaden mumbled. "It should've been me, not them."

Syrus…hadn't actually expected Jaden to respond. But he didn't let it faze him. "That's not a choice," he corrected. "That's not your fault. You tried your best, I'm sure they know that.

"You're practically holding yourself prisoner over what you've done, what you're doing. You're holding yourself back, hoping it won't be as bad if you do. But the rest of this, it's not you. I won't blame you for it. None of us will. It'll be okay, Jay."

"But it's the only way," Jaden muttered. "It's the only way to stop them, I couldn't… I never would've won. I never would've saved everyone."

"Maybe not on your own," Syrus agreed. "But try looking at it from a different angle. You're not alone, Jay. I'm not turning my back on you, not now and never again. And I'm not the only one. I don't know what happened with your friends from before Duel Academy, but we're not going to abandon you. Never."

Jaden actually moves at that, and looked over at Syrus. Syrus gently grabbed Jaden's shoulder.

"We'll find a way," Syrus promised. "We'll figure it out, and we'll do it together."

"…Together," Jaden agreed.

And the Supreme King was pulled back, and Jaden could start to regain himself again.