Unlike in the anime, this new duel's gonna be long and hard! At least, I hope so!

Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" shrilled Crowler. Had his voice been more louder, everyone inside the staff room would have gone deaf.

Every teacher, including a special guest which so happens to be Zane Truesdale, were called upon by Sheppard to discuss the issue about the upcoming duel between rivals Duel Academy and North Academy. All Sheppard knew about the upcoming information he received was that North Academy was using a first-year student as their representative, so he declared that their representative should be a first-year as well.

Before anyone else could comment, Crowler was the first to speak up, as well as the first to object.

"The school duel between Duel Academy and North Academy is the biggest match of the year! We can take no chances! So, it's clear that Zane must be our representative!"

"Zane is our best," Sheppard had to agree on that. "But he's a third-year student. North Academy is using a first-year."

"Why would they do that?!"

"Who knows," the Chancellor shrugged. "But, to make things fair, I believe that we should use a first-year student as well. How about you, Zane? What do you think?"

Zane turned to Sheppard and nodded. "I don't mind at all."

Gaining acknowledgement from the Obelisk Blue, Sheppard glanced back to the rest of his staff. "Well then, we have one last question remaining...who will be our representative for the school duel?"

"...I believe we should nominate Jaden Yuki," suggested Zane calmly.

Crowler shrieked while Sheppard looked at Zane strangely and yet, surprised as well. Normally, Zane would leave the school's decisions up to the Chancellor with little question, but to hear him suggesting something, or rather, someone in this rather important discussion means that Zane was rather serious and thought throughly throughout his decision.

"I agree," spoke up Banner, stroking Pharaoh in the head. "Jaden is the Slifer Red's top student and has a record of beating several Obelisk Blues. I believe Jaden does stand a chance against North Academy's representative."

Some of the other teachers murmured amongst themselves about Zane's suggestion. It wasn't that they disliked the idea, but using a Slifer Red against North Academy's top student? In the past, all they've used was Obelisk Blue representatives, but never Ra Yellows or Obelisk Blues. Then again, they have heard reports of a certain brunette Slifer Red taking down Obelisk Blues and Ra Yellows in duels...as well as physical fights, sometimes.

Looking at the Chancellor, Zane recommended once more, "Chancellor, Jaden will do Duel Academy a great deal, I guarantee it."

Considering that she nearly beat him the first time they met, Zane almost instantly recommended Jaden not just for her skilled dueling, but for various reasons. For instance, she holds a kind heart and lends a hand to everyone in need. Giving advice to other duelists, protecting her friends and especially Syrus, and beating up bullies are proof of that, though that last part did get her in detention several times. She also has a keen mind in dueling, as she figures out how to bypass impossible strategies and wins in the end thanks to her trust in her deck. Ever since her loss with Zane, the Obelisk Blue could tell that she's grown stronger immensely and that she seems to be on the level where she could take on North Academy's representative.

"Alright, then! That's that!" announced Sheppard, nodding his head. "Unless someone else has a better idea!"

Crowler was infuriated, to say the least. How could the Chancellor and Zane suggest someone like Jaden Yuki?! Jaden Yuki was nothing more than a weak, lazy, late, and unconsiderable Slifer slacker who needs to be put in his place!

'How is it that every time he does something, it makes me look bad?!' pondered Crowler; his anger rising as he wondered how to change the Chancellor's mind. 'There has got to be someone el-'

"WAIT!" Crowler's face brightened up with a brand new idea at hand. "I have it! Bastion Misawa! He should represent us!"

"Oh?" Recognizing Ra Yellow's top student, Sheppard seemed intrigued by Crowler's decision. "From Ra Yellow?"

"Yes, yes!" Now that he's gotten the Chancellor's attention, Crowler climbed up the meeting table and crawled quickly towards Sheppard until he was right in front of him. "He qualified much better than most of the students in the written exam, plus he's a skilled duelist as well! How about we pin him against Jaden Yuki, and the winner gets to be representative?"

Originally, the plan was to nominate Jaden as representative, but what Crowler said couldn't be ignored either. Bastion Misawa may be on equal terms with Jaden when it comes to dueling, but with knowledge? Nobody wanted to talk about how Jaden's written exam scores were among the lowest in all of Duel Academy history.

"Well, what do you think, Zane?" Sheppard asked the third-year, who nodded.

Zane couldn't help but also consider Crowler's point of view. Skills aren't the only thing that wins a duel, but the knowledge to play your cards right and read your opponent's movements are also important key factors in a duel. Perhaps, in a way, this could be a test for both potential nominees, and the winner would triumph over the other and advance to higher levels while the other still has much to learn.

Later..

"Huh? Me?" Jaden pointed to herself, surprised to hear such news.

Once Banner's class began, he began the announcements for upcoming events and ended with the news everyone desperately wished to hear; the rival battle between North Academy and Duel Academy. Much to everyone's surprise, Banner announced that two candidates, Bastion Misawa and Jaden Yuki, would be dueling each other.

"That's right!" said Banner. "You will duel Bastion, and the victor will represent Duel Academy, in the school duel against North Academy!"

Turning her head to see Bastion a row higher than her, Jaden grinned at him before Bastion smiled back. Looks like the time has arrived for their fated match after all, and an important one at that!

"I look forward to an exciting match from the two of you!"

Once classes ended and mostly everyone left, Syrus and Chumley rushed up to Jaden, who was still excited over the news. "Jaden! I can't believe that you could possibly represent Duel Academy! How awesome is that?!" exclaimed Syrus, feeling happy for his female friend.

Chumley nodded. "Yeah, no Slifer Reds ever been given such an opportunity like that! You'll make Duel Academy history!"

"I know, right? Hope I do my best!~" squealed Jaden before noticing Bastion walking up to her with his arms crossed. "Oh, hey Bastion! Well, may the best man win!"

"Technically, it's best man or woman," corrected Bastion. "And, you mean best deck. Also, I assure you, the best deck will be mine."

"What do you mean?" asked Syrus.

"You see, I've been formulating a new set of cards to defeat you and your Monsters ever since my duel with Chazz," the Ra Yellow prodigy explained. "Since then, I've made tremendous progress so far."

Standing up, Jaden asked, "So, did you complete it?! Did ya?! Did ya?! Did ya?! Did ya?!"

Bastion shook his head, glad to see that at least Jaden was more ecstatic than usual, which wasn't surprising. "No, not yet, but I'm nearly there. I'll have it done by the time our match arrives."

"Well, good luck then!" encouraged Jaden, holding up her fist.

Bastion fist bumped her in response before walking away to strategize more precisely. Now that his duel with Jaden was announced and should be arriving around the week, he was definitely going to have to stay up late a couple of nights and hurry with his research on beating Jaden's deck.

Watching Bastion leave, Syrus and Chumely were still fascinated by Jaden's upcoming duel. "I wonder what kind of new deck Bastion has in store for you?" Wondered Syrus.

"Dunno if you should feel honored or worried about whatever plan he's cooking," started Chumley. "But I think this'll turn out to be one awesome duel!"

"Well, can't let him throw me off! Guess I better improve my deck too!" Said Jaden, determined to win.

That late night, inside the Ra Yellow Dorms...

All of the Ra Yellows were asleep by now, but not one genius by the name of Bastion Misawa. He was calculating equations and researching on Duel Monsters on his computer, still analyzing strategies on defeating the Elemental Hero deck.

"Countless equations...multiple theorems...Still, I haven't solved the problem that is Jaden'so deck..." muttered Bastion as he typed down codes on his keyboard.

The screen showed several images of the Elemental Hero Fusion Monsters, several which Bastion has already witnessed and experienced some effects for himself.

"Flame Wingman...when he destroys a Monster, that Monster's Attack Points are dealted straight towards the owner's Life Points. In order to stop his summoning, I must stop both Avian and Burstinatrix so they can't fuse. Of course even if I do, there's still various other Fusion Monsters Jaden could summon, like Thunder Giant, Wildedge, Tempest, and so much more!"

Leaning back against his chair and giving himself a moment to think, Bastion pondered on how his deck could counterattack. Should he assemble his deck so that his cards could strike back at each Fusion Monster's weaknesses? No, that would leave far too much usage of cards...

"There must be some way to neutralize the threat," mumbled Bastion under his breath. "Some way to cease the summoning...Oh! Of course! That's it!"

He sat up straight and began typing frantically, trying to add more equations on the new idea that popped on his mind. "If this works, then it would effectively seal off any methods for her to Fusion Summon! But at the same time, I'd be at risk too...but that's a price I'm willing to pay!"

A few days later...

"It's time, duelists!" announced Crowler through the microphone. "Time to find out who will represent our illustrious Academy in the school duel?!"

Cheering and howls along with applauding came in all directions inside the Duel Arena. Today may not be about the school duel, but pinning two skilled duelists was as close as they could get right at the moment.

"Nominee from the Ra Yellow Dorms...is Bastion Misawa!" Exclaimed Crowler, pointing towards the Ra Yellow as he stood firmly like a statue filled with pride and confidence. "And our...Slifer...Some kid."

While the cheering continued from both sides, Jaden told Bastion, "We'll, good luck out there!"

"Oh, please. You flatter me," replied Bastion, placing a hand over his heart. "Besides, I don't need luck when I've got knowledge on my side."

"Alright, but I won't be holding back."

Syrus and Chumely sat on the sidelines like everyone else, except Syrus was standing out more than the others since he was holding up a sign that clearly spelled out: JADEN DO YOUR BEST!~

On the other side of the sidelines, the number of yaoi fangirls has increased over time, nearly filling the entire side. Several were cheering for Jaden while others placed a sign that said: BXJ! FOR THE WIN!"

Jaden couldn't help but notice the signs as she waved at the yaoi fangirls. "Bastion, what does BXJ mean?"

It didn't take Bastion long to realize the works of the fangirls before sighing. "...I means Butter times Jam."

"Oh! I love that! But shouldn't it be Peanut Butter and Jelly?"

In the meantime, Zane and Alexis were standing near the railings and on top of the sidelines, witnessing the duel from above.

"Intellect vs Instinct, huh?" Said Zane while Alexis nodded.

"Now, without any further ado, let's start the duel!"

"Get your game on!" Shouted Jaden as she and Bastion activated their duel disks at the same time.

"DUEL!"

- DUEL -

Bastion - 4000 LP

VS

Jaden -4000 LP

"My move!" said Bastion, starting the duel off first. "For my move, I summon Kinetic Soldier in Attack Mode!"

A mechanized humanoid soldier claded in armor with a mini machine gun attached to his soldier saluted once on the field before taking an offensive position.

Kinetic Soldier - (EARTH/Machine) - LV3 - (1350/1800)

"Next, I set one card facedown and end my turn!"

Glancing at his facedown card, Bastion smirked, knowing that he had all the preparations completed. Now, all that was left to do was wait for Jaden to activate her special Polymerization card, and his little surprise for her will be triggered.

"My turn!" said Jaden, drawing her card. "Sweet! I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman to the field in Attack Mode!"

The caped crusader in blue colors appeared in a fury of bubbles surrounding him as he pointed his weapon at Kinetic Soldier.

Elemental Hero Bubbleman - (WATER/Warrior) - LV4 - (800/1200)

"Now for Bubbleman's ability! If he's the only card on my field, I get to draw two extra cards! And next, I activate his favorite weapon, Bubble Blaster! Not only does his Attack Points increase by 800, but if he's destroyed in battle, Bubble Blaster takes the hit for him and damage to me becomes 0!"

Elemental Hero Bubbleman - (WATER/Warrior) - LV4 - (1600/1200)

"Now, I activate Hero's Bond! Since there's a face-up Elemental Hero on the field, I get to Special Summon 2 more Level 4 or below Elemental Heroes from my hand! And I choose both Elemental Heroes Sparkman and Woodsman!"

Flying down onto the field was both a hero of lightning and a monstrous-looking hero with a wood-covered arm and leg; ready to assist in battle.

Elemental Hero Sparkman - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1600/1400)

Elemental Hero Woodsman - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1000/2000)

"She's summoned three Monsters already?!" exclaimed Chumley, amazed by the small army Jaden managed to conjure up in just a short amount of time.

Syrus nodded. "If this works, Jaden will easily destroy Bastion's Monster and take out a large chunk of his Life Points!"

"Up first is Bubbleman! Attack Kinetic Soldier!" ordered Jaden.

Bubbleman kneeled down on one knee before firing his water blaster, sending a speeding blast of water towards Bastion's Monster.

"I don't think so!" shouted Bastion. "I activate Kinetic Soldier's special ability! If he battles a Warrior-Type Monster, then during damage calculation only, he gains 2000 extra Attack and Defense Points!"

"EEEHHH?!"

Kinetic Soldier - (EARTH/Machine) - LV3 - (3350/3800)

The blast managed to hit Kinetic Soldier, but he was completely immune to the attack. Instead, Kinetic Soldier fired his tiny machine gun at his assaulter, Bubbleman, who defended with his Bubble Blaster only for it to be destroyed in the aftermath.

"Because of Bubble Blaster, I take no damage!" reminded Jaden. "I place one card facedown and call it a turn!"

"Because damage calculation is over, Kinetic Soldier's Attack and Defense Points return to normal," spoke Bastion.

Kinetic Soldier - (EARTH/Machine) - LV3 - (1350/1800)

"What an interesting effect...Bastion definitely had things planned out," Alexis voiced her opinion.

Zane couldn't agree more with her statement. "Indeed. From what I've witnessed, a lot of Jaden's Monsters are Warrior-Types, so this is going to be a challenge taking down that Monster Bastion has."

"My draw!" Thinking that now might be a good time for some defense, Bastion proclaimed, "I summon Healing Wave Generator in Defense Mode!"

A mechanical mirror-like Monster appeared on the field, reflecting Jaden and her Monsters.

Healing Wave Generator - (LIGHT/Machine) - LV4 - (800/1600)

"Now, I activate Healing Wave Generator's special ability! Once per turn, I can select another face-up Monster I control and gain Life Points equal to that Monster's Level x 100! The only other Monster I have is Kinetic Soldier, and he's Level 3! So I regain 300 Life Points!"

Healing Wave Generator glowed brightly before moving towards Bastion and reflecting a sort of sunlight down upon his body, healing him with the light it provided.

Bastion - 4300 LP

Jaden - 4000 LP

Now that he was healed, Bastion focused on which of Jaden's Monster to take out first. Bubbleman no longer had his Bubble Blaster, so not only will his Kinetic Soldier be able to destroy him, but he'll be able to deal loads of damage to Jaden's Life Points. On the other hand, Sparkman and Woodsman pose as potential threats as well, especially Woodsman.

"I attack Woodsman with Kinetic Soldier! And thanks to Kinetic Soldier's ability, he'll gain 2000 Attack and Defense Points during damage calculation only!"

Kinetic Soldier - (EARTH/Machine) - LV3 - (3350/3800)

Kinetic pressed a button on his machine gun and proceeded to fire at Woodsman, attempting to penetrate through his wood-like body.

"Not so fast, I activate Hero Barrier!" yelled Jaden, revealing her Trap. "As long as I have an Elemental Hero out on the field, I can negate 1 attack!"

A barrier-like shield formed around Woodsman and deflected the bullets with ease.

"Once again, Kinetic Soldier's original Attack and Defense Points return after damage calculation," said Bastion. "I end my turn."

Kinetic Soldier - (EARTH/Machine) - LV3 - (1350/1800)

"My turn!" said Jaden, drawing her card before smirking. "It's time for Woodsman's ability to activate! Once per turn, during my Standby Phase, I can add one Polymerization from my deck or Graveyard and place it in my hands!"

'Good! She's got all the preparations set!' thought Bastion, nodding. 'Once she triggers that Spell, it'll be all over!'

"Using Clayman from my hand and Sparkman on the field, I activate Polymerization!" announced Jaden, holding up both cards including Polymerization. "I fuse both of them together to create-"

"Not so fast! I play a Trap!" said Bastion, knowing the time has come to activate his Trap. "Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell! All I have to do is discard 1 Spell card from my hand, and your Polymerization card is negated, then destroyed!"

Like he said, the Polymerization card on the field shook slightly before shattering, thus canceling out the Fusion Summoning Jaden initially planned.

"Also, for the remainder of the duel, you can no longer activate Spell cards that are of the same name as Polymerization!"

"Wait, what?! I can't fuse?!" gasped Jaden, shocked. Never before has she encountered a situation like this! This was seriously bad on her side! If she can't fuse, she can't summon out her powerful Fusion Monsters!

The crowd burst into an uproar afterwards. Elemental Heroes' true strength relied on Fusion Monsters, and Bastion took that ability away in an instance! The chances for Bastion's victory has increased, no doubt.

Impressed, Zane couldn't help but smirk. "Looks like we underestimated Bastion. Perhaps he does have what it takes to be representative, after all."

"Oh, cut Jaden some slack," Alexis defended. "I mean, Jaden still has other Monsters she can use. Just because she can't Fusion Summon anymore doesn't mean that she's out of the game."

"True, but Fusion Monsters have always been Jaden's trump cards. I'm interested on how Jaden plans to counterattack. Hmm...this might also be a learning experience for me as well, should I also ever encounter an opponent such as Bastion."

In the Duel Spirit World...

"Damn that Bastion Misawa!" hollered Flame Wingman, pounding his fist on the table inside the meeting table. All other Elemental Heroes and Monsters besides the ones currently on Jaden's side of the field gathered inside their private meeting room. Coincidentally, it resembled the meeting room inside Duel Academy, but much more larger.

"Calm down, Flame Wingman," sighed Burstinatrix, rubbing her temples. Looks like this was one of the times where she, along with the others, have to calm down Flame Wingman's bad temper. Just where did he get his temper from? Oh yeah, from her.

"I won't calm down! Not until I unleash all my anger out on Bastion Misawa from preventing me from protecting Jaden!"

"But you can't, because he's already sealed off Polymerization, which is pretty much the only way to access us Fusion Monsters to the field," reminded Tempest, crossing his arms.

"I'm sure Jaden will figure something out. She always has a game plan in mind," replied Hero Kid #3, patting Flame Wingman on the arm for reassurance.

"And, we'll be there to protect her!" assured Hero Kid #1 confidently. "Now that you geezers are out of the game, we'll protect Jaden instead! And by we, I mean me!"

"..." Avian shook his head and sighed. "You couldn't have held that thought in?"

"Huh?" Looking at all three Hero Kids, a slight glint was seen in Flame Wingman as he slowly stood up in a menacing way.

"I think some extra training is in order...Don't you agree, the three of you?"

"...RUN!" All three Hero Kids pushed anything out of their way and sprinted out of the room as fast as they could. Once Flame Wingman was like that, there's no telling what he'd do to them! In this case, it was torture by training...Enraged Flame Wingman style.

Noticing that Flame Wingman had disappeared, everyone automatically assumed that he flew out of the room in an attempt to catch the three trainees. "I'll make sure he doesn't hurt them too brutally," offered Tempest before taking off after Flame Wingman.

"Why do they antagonize Flame Wingman like that? They know it's only going to get messy!" questioned Ebon Magician Curran, annoyed.

"Kids tend to make mistakes every now and then and annoy adults sometimes," answered Lady Heat gently, kneeling down towards the petite magician.

"Seriously, how has nobody arranged counseling and anger issue classes with Flame Wingman?" wondered Bursinatrix, glancing around the room.

"You're not one to talk, you know," reminded Ocean bravely, pointing to her.

Angered, Burstinatrix's palms burst with fire as she approached Ocean, who started sweating and backing away. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"N-nothing!"

"It better not have been! Or else I'll tell everyone about the Maiden incident!"

"Oh, God, no! Everyone won't let me live it down!"

'What Maiden incident?' everyone else wondered while feeling sympathic towards Ocean.

"Well, fine!" said Jaden before taking another look at her cards. "I guess the best I can do right now is to place all my other Monsters in Defense Mode and end my turn!"

"I expected no less!" Bastion said before drawing. "I play Graceful Charity, letting me draw three cards, then discard two to the Graveyard! Now, I attack! Go, Kinetic Soldier! Attack Woodsman! And like before, he gains 2000 Attack and Defense Points during damage calculation!"

Kinetic Soldier - (EARTH/Machine) - LV3 - (3350/3800)

Jaden couldn't avoid her Monster's destruction as Woodsman was being pelted with multiple bullets to the chest before being destroyed.

Kinetic Soldier - (EARTH/Machine) - LV3 - (1350/1800)

"Now, here comes Healing Wave Generator's effect! I recover 300 Life Points thanks to Kinetic Soldier's Level x 100!" said Bastion as the light shined down on him.

Bastion - 4600 LP

Jaden - 4000 LP

"This is bad! Not only does Bastion's Life Points keep rising, but he also took away the use of Polymerization for good and is only getting stronger!" gasped Syrus.

"I'll end my turn with that, Jaden! Let's see what you can do!"

"Gladly!" said Jaden before drawing her card. "Ooh! Hello! I sacrifice both Bubbleman and Sparkman and call out Elemental Hero Bladedge!"

The hero made of gold jumped onto the field with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at Kinetic Soldier.

Elemental Hero Bladedge - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV7 - (2600/1800)

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn!"

"Uh...Why didn't she attack? Bladedge was obviously much more stronger than Kinetic Soldier!" pointed out Chumley.

"...You're kidding, right?" questioned Syrus, turning to his friend. "Don't you remember? During damage calculation, Kinetic Soldier would have received 2000 Attack and Defense Points, making it stronger than Bladedge!"

"Oh, yeah. Right."

"I draw!" said Bastion. "Now I set one card facedown and activate Healing Wave Generator's effect again, giving myself 300 Life Points!"

Bastion - 4900 LP

Jaden - 4000 LP

"With that done, Kinetic Soldier! Attack Blade-"

"Hold it right there! I activate a Trap, Edge Hammer!" yelled Jaden. "By sacrificing Bladedge, I get to destroy one Monster you control, and then you take damage equal to the Attack Points of the Monster that was destroyed! Obviously, I'm picking Kinetic Soldier, so that means you lose 1350 Life Points!"

Kinetic Soldier grunted before exploding into a million pieces, damaging Bastion's Life Points severely.

Bastion - 3550 LP

Jaden - 4000 LP

"Well, at least I still have some defense left," mumbled Bastion, addressing to his Healing Wave Generator. "Fine, Jaden! You may have beaten Kinetic Soldier, but there's more where that came from! I end my turn!"

"My move!" said Jaden, relieved that the chances of her winning were a little higher now, especially with the card she just drew. "Hey, Bastion? You remember when you said I couldn't activate Polymerization anymore?"

Bastion blinked. "Well, to be more accurate, you can't activate cards with the name 'Polymerization.' Therefore, you can't fuse anymore."

"Oh yeah? Well try this for size! I activate the Field Spell, Fusion Gate!"

"Of course!" cried out Alexis. "Jaden used that card when she first dueled me! I forgot that there was more methods to Fusion Summon!"

"True, but there's a catch when using Fusion Gate," reminded Zane as the field started to expand and take over. "Any Fusion-Material Monsters used for a Fusion Summon while using Fusion Gate are automatically removed from play instead of heading straight to the Graveyard."

Bastion gritted his teeth once he caught word of the card Jaden used. Fusion Gate...that was another obstacle he had to overcome in order to defeat Jaden. Luckily, he had a few cards in his deck to deal with the Field Spell, but he didn't have the necessary cards for now. Just what sort of Fusion Monster will Jaden summon now?

"I'm gonna fuse Elemental Hero Flash and Elemental Hero Clayman!" declared Jaden, showing the two Monsters in her hand. "Using Fusion Gate, I remove my two Monsters and Fusion Summon Elemental Hero The Shining!"

The new hero appeared so brightly, the light forced everyone to cover their eyes until the light died down, revealing the full appearance of the powerful Fusion Monster. He wore pure white armor the color of light with a ring attached to his back and golden spears sticking out of the ring in the sides; revealing his powerful presence in the field.

Elemental Hero The Shining - (LIGHT/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2600/2100)

"I activate The Shining's special ability!" shouted Jaden. "For each of my banished Elemental Hero Monsters, he gains 300 Attack Points each!"

Elemental Hero The Shining - (LIGHT/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (3200/2100)

"Whoa! Never seen that Fusion Monster before!" said Syrus, standing up from his seat out of astonishment.

"Good use of Fusion Gate," commented Zane. "Because of Fusion Gate forcibly removing Fusion-Material Monsters, Jaden took advantage of that and used the ability to strengthen her Fusion Monster. Looks like she has improved."

"Shining, attack that mirror Monster!" ordered Jaden.

The Shining didn't even need to waste a beam blast on the defensive Monster, for he saw it was a waste of power. Instead, he charged in and smashed through Healing Wave Generator, shattering the mirror to bits.

"Woo! I end my turn!" spoke Jaden cheerfully.

Despite the condition he was in, Bastion remained vigilant and calm before drawing his card. "Hmm...time for a new strategy! I play Card Destruction, making both of us discard our entire hand and then draw the same number of cards discarded. Well, just me, of course, since you don't have any cards in your hand."

"What's he planning...?" wondered Alexis out loud.

"Most likely, he's trying to refresh his hand since right now, he's got no cards that can defeat The Shining. At least, for now," theorized Zane. "It'll be tough trying to take down such a fearsome Monster like him."

"Excellent!" said Bastion, smirking. "I have all the necessary cards I need! I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, letting me destroy one Spell or Trap on the field! I choose Fusion Gate!"

A strong wind blew across the playing field, forcing Jaden's Field Spell to slide out of her duel disk.. Since Fusion Gate was out, that meant Jaden could no longer Fusion Summon again.

In the Duel Spirit World...

"Goddamn cheap son of a bitch!" cursed Flame Wingman, once again losing his temper.

"Whoa! Hold your tongue! There are children here!" warned Lady Heat, pointing to some of the younger Monster Jaden possessed. White Magician Pikeru was busy healing the three Hero Kids' injuries while Winged Kuriboh played around with Outstanding Dog Marron and Ebon Magician Curran.

"Damn, and I was so close to being summoned to protect Jaden!"

"Well, we still have Shining. All we have to do is rely on him to protect her," reminded Avian.

"Great, back to square 1," groaned Syrus.

"I still have Shining!" reminded Jaden.

"Not for long! You see, I knew that you'd pull out a very strong Monster eventually, which is why I'll counter with one of my strongest Monsters as well!" said Bastion. "Remember when I played Graceful Charity and Card Destruction earlier?"

"Yeah, so?"

"It wasn't just to gain new cards to formulate new strategies, but also for this moment! I remove from play 1 FIRE and 2 WATER Attribute Monsters from my Graveyard in order to Special Summon Frost and Flame Dragon!"

A two-headed dragon sprang from a black hole that emerged from the ground; one with sharp jaws and icy breath, while the other head was huge and covered in flames. Their bodies were merged together in a scale-like body resembling a large silver cobra.

Frost and Flame Dragon - (WATER/Dragon) - LV6 - (2300/2000)

"That dragon's strong, but no way will it take down Jaden's Shining!" said Chumley confidently.

"I activate my dragon's special ability!" announced Bastion. "Once per turn, by discarding one card, I get to destroy one Monster on your field! The Monster I choose is Elemental Hero The Shining!"

Frost and Flame Dragon wrapped themselves around The Shining, squeezing him tightly before unleashing their elemental breath right in his face, which proved enough to destroy him as Jaden watched out of shock.

"And that was only my dragon's ability," pointed out Bastion. "They've yet to attack, and you're wide open! Frost and Flame Dragon, direct attack!"

Raining down flames and hail from both dragons, Jaden tried enduring the blow as much as she could, yet her Life Points weren't spared.

Bastion - 3550 LP

Jaden - 1700 LP

"Jaden's almost out of Life Points!" cried out Syrus.

"When Elemental Hero The Shining goes to the Graveyard, I can target up to 2 of my banished Elemental Hero Monsters and place them back to my hand! So I return Flash and Clayman to my hand!" told Jaden, revealing her two Hero Monsters.

"Fine, then! I set one more card facedown and I'll end my turn with that!" finished Bastion.

"My go!" said Jaden, who drew her card. "I play Pot of Greed, letting me draw two more cards! YES! Awesome! I move into the Battle Phase!"

"What for?" asked Bastion, surprised. "You've got no Monsters on the field! How will you attack me?"

"With this! I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Frontline Fusion! During my Battle Phase, I can Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster using Monsters from my hand or side of the field! I choose both Clayman and Flash again in order to Fusion Sum-"

"I activate my facedown cards, Fires of Shiranui and Narukami Waterfall!"

Right after Bastion introduced his Trap cards, flames sprang out and burst onto the field, surrounding the field with violent orange and red flares of destruction. Some of the flames were doused out when a large geyser crashed down like lightning from the heavens.

"Are they...Field Spells?" wondered Chumley.

"Don't be ridiculous! You can only activate one Field Spell, remember?" recalled Syrus.

"Now, it's time I explain both of my Continuous Traps!" started Bastion. "Fires of Shiranui prevents both players from sending Monsters they control to the Graveyard except when they're destroyed, As for Narukami Waterfall, neither player can send Monster cards from their hands to the Graveyard! That makes your Fusion Spell utterly useless!"

"Amazing!" gasped Alexis as the crowd murmured among each other and continued cheering out of excitement. "Now, Bastion's blocked every single path Jaden could take to Fusion Summon!"

"I hate to say it, but that was probably Jaden's last line of defense," spoke Zane.

Left with no other choice, Jaden announced, "I set one card facedown and summon Clayman in Defense Mode."

The highest defender Monster Jaden had kneeled in Defense Mode, since it was the best Jaden could conjure up with.

Elemental Hero Clayman - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (800/2000)

"I end my turn!"

"My turn!" Glancing at his cards, Bastion thought, 'If I could, I could activate Frost and Flame Dragon's special ability and discard one card to destroy Clayman. But all the cards I have at the moment at low-leveled Monster cards with low Attack and Defense Points. Plus, thanks to Narukami Waterfall, I can't send any of my Monster cards to the Graveyard. The best I can do right now is attack. But I'm more worried about Jaden's facedown card. Last time, she managed to beat Kinetic Soldier with her Trap, so it's possible that facedown is a card destruction Trap. Well, if that's the case, I'll just summon one of my Monsters in my hand to defend myself.'

"Frost and Flame Dragon! Destroy Clayman!"

The two-headed twin dragon fired their breath blasts onto Clayman, who was overwhelmed by such power, that even his defense couldn't keep up with the weight of the power.

After Clayman was destroyed, Jaden shouted, "You just activated my Trap! Hero Signal! When one Monster on my side of the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard due to battle, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or below Monster from my hand or Deck with Elemental Hero in its name! I choose Elemental Hero Lady Heat and place her in Defense Mode!"

The female Elemental Hero of fire whose powers are practically equivalent to Burstinatrix arrived on the field, kneeling down just like Clayman.

Elemental Hero Lady Heat - (FIRE/Pyro) - LV4 - (1300/1000)

"Then, I'll end my turn," said Bastion.

"My draw!" said Jaden, filled with determination before her eyes widen as she gasped loudly.

"What?! What card did she draw?" wondered Syrus, who was practically on the edge of his seat along with Chumley.

"My guess is...she drew an extremely useful card," spoke Zane.

"What's wrong?" asked Bastion, a little concern about her sudden change of attitude.

Smirking, Jaden gazed at the genius with sparkling eyes. "You may have stopped me from Fusion Summoning on the field and from my hand, but you haven't completely stopped me!"

"W-what?!" Bastion gasped, thinking that he might have miscalculated upon her words. 'C-could it be...? No, it can't be! But, could she actually Fusion Summon from...the Graveyard?! It's not...impossible, but it's the only other way she can Fusion Summon at this point!'

"I activate Fusion Birth!" announced Jaden. "I send 5 cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard. And, if there are any Fusion Material Monsters among them, I can Fusion Summon however many times I want!"

"What?! Then, you're not Fusion Summoning from the hand, field, or Graveyard, but-!"

"Yup! I'm Fusion Summoning from my deck!"

The crowd's cheer rose up a level from hearing Jaden's words. Never before have they seen Fusion Summoning being used with the deck before, so this was going to be an interesting summoning to uphold!

Jaden drew five of her cards, glanced at them, and smirked before placing them in her Graveyard. "Great! I can Fusion Summon twice!"

"Two Fusions?" wondered Alexis out loud.

"First off, two of the Monsters sent to the Graveyard just now were Elemental Heroes Ocean and Avian! I fuse them together to create Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!"

Crashing onto the ground, a pure snow white-colored Hero wearing armored clothing with a cape to represent his own sign of bravery appeared. His surroundings immediantly and literally froze up due to the cold nature he possess.

Elemental Hero Absolute Zero - (WATER/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2500/2000)

"Next, the other two cards sent to my Graveyard were Elemental Heroes Necroshade and Sparkman! I Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Escuridao!"

Appearing out of nowhere, a devilish-looking Monster with twisted-looking, blade-like wings and claws emerged, revealing bloody red eyes that caused shivers down peoples' spines.

Elemental Hero Escuridao - (DARK/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2500/2000)

"Whoa! The white Elemental Hero looks pretty cool!" gasped Chumley. "Though, the dark one gives me the creeps."

"Let's see just how strong these two Fusion Monsters are," muttered Zane, interested in the new Fusion Monsters being called upon. "Their looks are scary-looking, but do their powers back up their frightful appearances?"

"I activate Escuridao's special ability!" said Jaden. "For every Elemental Hero Monster in my Graveyard, she receives 100 extra Attack Points for each one! The five cards I just sent to the Graveyard were all Elemental Heroes, and the ones you sent to my Graveyard earlier will help boost her up! So, in total, there are 11 Elemental Heroes in my Graveyard, so she receives 1100 Attack Points!"

Elemental Hero Escuridao - (DARK/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (3600/2000)

"Absolute Zero! Attack Frost and Flame Dragon!"

Absolute Zero leapt into the air and released a breath of cold air, freezing the twin dragons into solid ice. He pulled his arm back and punched downwards at the top of their heads with all his might. His punch was strong enough to form cracks all over the dragons' body before shattering.

Bastion - 3350 LP

Jaden - 1700 LP

"You're wide open!" shouted Jaden, preparing for the finishing blow. "Escuridao! Finish him off with a direct attack!"

Nodding, Escuridao focuses her powers into the space between her hands; her powers forming into a sphere-like vortex full of darkness. Once she was ready, she thrusted her palms forward and released the sphere, revealing it to be a powerful blast of darkness that blasted Bastion's remaining Life Points away.

Bastion - 0 LP

Jaden - 1700 LP

Winner: Jaden

The crowd awed and yelled excitedly at the outcome of such an amazing battle full of wits and intelligence! Clearly, they've learned a lot from the duel, but what was more exciting was how both duelists, no matter how bad their situation was, always triumphs through with a new, unexpected solution. For starters, Bastion preventing Jaden from Fusion Summoning in almost every area, and Jaden's comebacks even though she was lowest at Life Points at first.

"I guess when it comes to Jaden Yuki, she certainly can be full of surprises," spoke Zane, satisfied with the duel before walking away.

"Maybe...or maybe luck was just on Jaden's side...? Who knows...?" muttered Alexis before smiling. Either way, the duel was done fantastically with many twists that nobody would forget for a while.

Crowler, who had a close up view on watching the duel near the dueling platform, slid down to his knees with a shocked expression. "Doesn't this kid...ever lose?!" First Chazz, then Titan, then the Paradox Brothers, and now this?!

Sheppard, having seen enough of the duel, stood up and raised an arm, announcing, "The winner of this duel is Jaden Yuki! Congratulations! You will now be representing Duel Academy at the school duel!"

"Jaden! You did it!" cheered Syrus, bouncing up towards her with a huge smile on his face.

"Yeah, good job!" Chumley also walked up to her and patted her on the back.

"Indeed," agreed Bastion, moving towards Jaden. "You beat me fair and square, despite all my hard research and calculations on you. I'll create another deck, just for you, Jaden!"

Jaden nodded and gave him her finger signature, winking. "Yup! I look forward to it! Huh?"

Bastion offered her his hand as a sign of respect between two rivals in dueling. "A friendly handshake to end the duel properly, wouldn't you say?"

"Sure!" Jaden casually slapped the hand lightly before shaking it, knowing that another duel between the two tough duelists would come soon enough.

In the Duel Spirit World...

"Yay! Jaden won!" cheered White Magician Pikeru alongside her friends. Thanks to a special TV installed in their world, they would be able to witness Jaden's duels and be there whenever she needed them for dueling. From their perspective, it was a tight spot for Jaden, but it seemed that she managed to pull through in the end.

"Hey, where did Escuridao and Absolute Zero go? They did pretty awesome!" complimented Bubbleman.

"Absolute Zero said he was returning back to his icy cave home in order to hone in his training and meditate," answered Bladedge with his arms crossed. "As for Escuridao...Well, she tends to disappear here and there, but I'm sure she'll ret-"

"Whoa, what? Escuridao is a girl?!" questioned Sparkman, stunned.

"You're...pretty lucky she isn't here to hear you say that," said Tempest. "Last time I asked her that, she...she..."

Just the horrifying memory was enough to send the powerful Fusion Monster into depression, as evident as when he was sitting in the corner with his back turned and a depressed aura filling his surroundings. Not a lot of things fazed Tempest, so it was clearly shocking to see him like this.

The other Monsters sweatdropped and shivered. If Escuridao was tough enough to make Tempest like that...then, she was clearly #1 on the list of Never Enraging Women.

Coincidentally, Flame Wingman was in a similar position as Tempest, only in a different corner of the room. His depression alongside with Tempest was enough to make the individuals inside the room uneased.

Seeing nobody else dealing with it, Lady Heat cleared her throat and approached Flame Wingman cautiously. "Flame Wingman? What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"...I never got the chance to be summoned in Jaden and Bastard's duel..."

"Um...You mean, Jaden and Bastion's duel."

"Exactly."

"...But, doesn't Jaden's happiness matter? I mean, look at the TV right now."

Turning around, Flame Wingman looked up at the TV screen and saw Jaden with a happy grin as she waved her arms to the crowd. "Yeah! I'm the school's representative now!"

Seeing Jaden's brightful attitude, Flame Wingman couldn't help but be influenced by her sunny side. "You're right...As long as Jaden's happy, that's all that matters..."

Alright, finished! I bet you were thinking that I would be copying the entire duel between Bastion and Jaden, but I decided to use some parts with the manga and anime, especially with the whole Cursed Seal of Forbidden Spell! I mean, I guess the duel in the anime was pretty cool, but I found it a little...tad boring, so I mixed it up, my style!

Besides, admit it, you were all waiting for Jaden's manga heroes to take a stand, weren't you?

That said, this might not be the last time I create a brand new duel. I could change a couple of duels in the future, but that all depends on the situation!

Also, Escuridao's design looks pretty cool! I actually thought it was male, until I read in the Wiki that it was female. And you can't blame me, because I know there are people out there who thinks she's a guy, too!

QUICK QUESTION TO EVERYONE! Now that the new heroes were announced, what should their attitude and personality be like? I'll read your reviews and decide what needs to be done, of course!

With that said, read and review and it might be a while before I update again, so stay tune!