Michael: Chazz joined what?
Hassleberry: The Society of Light. He's been going on about it since this morning.
Michael: Sartorius must've gotten to him.
Syrus: So what do we do?
Michael: For now, keep an eye on Chazz, but act normal. If he's working for Sartorius now there's no telling what he'll do.
Alexis: How's Jaden?
Michael: He's almost reached his destination. He should be there by sundown.
Meanwhile Sartorius was performing another tarot reading, trying to make sense of why Jaden hadn't fallen under his control when he lost to Aster.
Sartorius: How could Jaden have eluded me? The cards will reveal the answer.
As he shuffled his cards, one of the cards fell onto the floor, but it landed diagonally.
Sartorius: How strange.
He picked up the card and saw it was the Reaper of Souls.
Sartorius: This card represents rebirth when upside down and destruction when right side up, but it landed in neither position. What could this mean?
Just then Aster walked into the man's office.
Aster: We've got a problem.
Sartorius: I do wish you would knock before entering my office. And what would your problem be?
Aster: This.
He pulled out a newspaper, and the front-page story was about Michael's challenge to Aster the night before.
Aster: He's ruining me with this. If I don't do something about this, it could mean the end of my career.
Sartorius: Then I encourage you to duel him. This is perfect. If Aster defeats him, I can turn one of the top ranked pros to my side, not to mention Jaden's most valuable ally. Also, his manager sent this contract for you to sign. I wanted to wait and see what you wanted to do before showing it to you.
Aster: I won't back down from him. If he wants a duel, he'll get it, and I'll get his deck.
He pulled a pen from his pocket and signed the contract without even bothering to read it. That night, Jaden was resting on the boat when it stopped abruptly. He sat up and saw he was just floating in the middle of the ocean.
Jaden: This is the place? Hope you know what you're doing Michael. And I really hope this works. I just wish things could go back to the way they were last year, back when I could see my cards and losing a duel didn't mean losing my mind. If this doesn't work, I'll never duel again, and then who knows what'll happen.
Suddenly there was a bright flash in the sky. Jaden looked up and saw what he thought was a shooting star, but it changed direction and crashed into the water next to his boat, causing him to lose consciousness. When he woke up, he was lying on a beach.
Jaden: Guess I floated back to academy island.
He was proven wrong when he turned to the side and saw what looked like the planet Jupiter.
Jaden: Or not. But if that's Jupiter, then where am I? What even happened? Wait, now I remember, that meteor hit my boat. Wait, that means I must be dead! When Michael gets here, he is so gonna get it.
?: Why do you assume you're dead?
Jaden looked out at the water, but the only thing there were some dolphins jumping around.
Jaden: Who said that?
One of the dolphins swam towards the beach, looking Jaden straight in the face.
Dolphin: I did. Welcome, Jaden Yuki.
Jaden: Huh, talking dolphins in heaven, who knew?
Dolphin: You're not dead. You're on Io, one of Jupiter's moons, in Neo Space.
The dolphin jumped out of the water, revealing he had a humanoid body.
Jaden: That's unexpected.
Dolphin: Perhaps for you, but your arrival is not. My name is Aquos, and we have been waiting for you, Jaden.
Jaden: Why me?
Aquos: Because you are the only one who can help us. You see Jaden, the universe is a gentle world of darkness that nurtures life, but now the universe is threatened by the Light of Destruction. Which is why we have been waiting for you, the one who wields the power of the Gentle Darkness.
Jaden: That part I know. Only problem is, I can't duel.
Aquos: Why not?
Jaden: It's a long story, but to sum it up I got hit by the Light of Destruction, and I can't see my cards anymore.
Just then, a strange space craft came down from the sky and landed on the beach.
Aquos: It looks like we'll have to solve your dueling problem quickly.
Jaden: Who or what is that?
Aquos: An emissary of the light, and it's up to you to face it.
Jaden: Love to, but I don't even have a deck with me, and even if I did, I can't see my cards to duel.
Aquos: You might have more luck with the cards in that device then.
Jaden: What device?
Aquos: Over there.
He pointed to the side, directing Jaden towards a satellite crashed on the beach. Jaden walked up to the satellite and a panel slid off, a capsule rolling out. He opened the capsule and found a deck of cards inside.
Aquos: You can do it Jaden, just remember why you duel.
A hatch on the underside of the ship opened and a strange mechanical being came out of the ship.
Jaden: Alright, time to get my game on!
A duel disk appeared on his arm, fully charged and ready to duel.
Jaden: That's convenient.
Alien: Duel.
Jaden: Let's go!
Jaden: 4000 LP
Alien: 4000 LP
Jaden drew his starting hand, but the cards were blank just like his own deck. He turned back to Aquos, who just nodded reassuringly.
Jaden: Okay, I draw.
He looked at the card he drew and it was blank like the others. Suddenly, it glowed and changed into a card he thought he recognized.
Jaden: Wait a minute. Time out! I need to check something.
He ran to the satellite and brushed off some of the sand, revealing the logo for the Kaiba Corporation.
Jaden: I remember, the contest Kaiba Corp had when I was a little kid.
Flashback
Jaden was looking up at a tv screen watching the Kaiba Corp broadcast.
Kaiba: We at Kaiba Corp are preparing to create new duel cards, but first we need card image submissions from young children. The chosen designs will be turned into cards, placed in a time capsule, and launched into space. For this grand-scale project, to create new duel cards by subjecting them to the tides of the cosmos, we require the unrestricted imaginations of you kids, so give us everything you've got!
Young Jaden: Cool!
Present Jaden: That big dream got me so excited that I designed cards of my own and sent them in.
End Flashback
Jaden: Which means these are the cards I sent in. I don't get the complicated parts, but this is really exciting.
The cards glowed for a moment, and Jaden could clearly see all of them.
Aquos: That's right. The cards you designed were received, then imbued with the breath of the universe we expel, and created new duel monsters. Incidentally, your opponent looks rather mad, so maybe you should return to the duel?
Jaden: Oh yeah, I was so excited, I almost forgot.
Alien: Darkness that smothers the universe. A peaceful ocean of darkness. Dark matter, which sparks life…
Jaden: Sorry, didn't meant to keep you waiting!
Alien: A light which burns all, the expansion of entropy, and then heat death. That will mark the end of the universe!
Jaden: I have no idea what he's talking about… I summon Chrysalis Dolphin in defense mode.
Level 2/Water/Fish
ATK 400/DEF 600
Jaden: I end my turn there.
Alien: Draw. I send two cards in my hand to the graveyard to summon Candelato, the Beast of Light.
Level 12/Light/Beast
ATK & DEF 0
Jaden: Level 12? But it's got no attack points.
Alien: Candelato gains 1000 attack points for every card in my hand. Since I hold three cards, it gains 3000 attack points.
Candelato: 0-3000 ATK
Alien: Candelato cannot attack the turn it is summoned, so I conclude my turn.
Jaden: My turn. I draw! I summon Dandylion in defense mode.
Level 3/Earth/Plant
ATK & DEF 300
Jaden: I remember drawing these two as a kid. They were the kinds of "friends from outer space" I imagined. That's right. In my imagination, I played so many fun games with my friends. But maybe at some point, I forgot the freedom and excitement from those days…
Alien: Have you any other moves to make?
Jaden: Sorry. I end my turn.
Alien: When Candelato is on my field, I must skip my draw phase.
Jaden: So as long as it's out, you can't draw any more cards.
Alien: I need no more cards to defeat you. Candelato attacks Dandylion. Prism Blast.
Candelato opened its mouths and sent a wave of purple energy at Dandylion, destroying it.
Jaden: Big mistake. When Dandylion is destroyed in battle, it leaves behind two fluff tokens on my field.
Level 1/Wind/Plant
ATK & DEF 0
Alien: I end my turn.
Jaden: My move. And first I play Pot of Greed! This lets me draw 2 new cards from my deck. I understand now Aquos. The concept of the deck.
Aquos: That's right Jaden. The unfettered heart you used to create those cards links your universe to ours. Be the bridge between, wielder of the Gentle Darkness.
Jaden: Alright, I play the spell Contact! This card lets me send all Chrysalis monsters on my field to the graveyard to summon the monsters written in their card text. So I send Chrysalis Dolphin to my graveyard to summon Neo Spacian Aqua Dolphin!
Level 3/Water/Warrior
ATK 600/DEF 800
Jaden: At last, the door between our universe and Neo Space has opened, and through that door steps a brand-new hero. I sacrifice my two fluff tokens to summon Neo Space's own hero, Elemental Hero Neos!
Level 7/Light/Warrior
ATK 2500/DEF 2000
Jaden: This is amazing! I haven't been this excited about dueling since I was a kid! It's the best!
Alien: Illogical. Candelato has 3000 attack points, more than your Neos.
Jaden: I guess I'll have to change that. I activate Aqua Dolphin's special ability. By discarding one card, I can look at your hand and pick a monster in it, and if there's a monster on my field with more attack points than it, your monster is destroyed, and you take 500 points of damage. Go, Sonar Wave!
Aqua Dolphin sent a beam of sound waves at the alien's cards, revealing his Different Dimension Dragon, which only had 1200 attack points, causing it to be destroyed.
Alien: 3500 LP
Candelato: 3000-2000 ATK
Jaden: Let's try that again. Go, Sonar Wave!
His monster scanned the alien's hand again, revealing his DD Crazy Beast with 1400 attack points.
Alien: 3000 LP
Candelato: 2000-1000 ATK
Jaden: And as they say, third time's the charm.
Aqua Dolphin revealed the last card in the alien's hand, being a DD Scout Plane, which had 800 attack points.
Alien: 2500 LP
Candelato: 1000-0 ATK
Jaden: Now Neos, attack Candelato with Cosmic Crush!
Neos jumped into the air before delivering a diving punch to Candelato, destroying both it and the robot.
Alien: 0 LP
Winner: Jaden
Jaden: That seemed too easy. I'm guessing there's more?
Aquos: I'm afraid so. But fear not, for we of Neo Space shall fight by your side no matter what.
Jaden: Alright.
Suddenly Jaden felt dizzy, and he collapsed onto the beach. When he woke up, he could see the academy hot spring building in the distance.
Jaden: Was it all a dream? Well, dream or no, it was exactly what I needed.
He then heard a noise and turned around to see two dolphins in the sea behind him. He then looked at his deck and saw the card for Neo Spacian Aqua Dolphin in it.
Jaden: I guess it wasn't a dream after all.
Aquos: Of course not. Your new deck is infused with the power of Neo Space. As long as you have it, I shall be by your side as your ally and your friend.
Jaden: Thanks Aquos, for everything.