Wow, it's been like, about 3 months since I last updated this! I am so sorry, but I have been busy with life and school and stuff! That said, I'm so HAPPY that so many people agree with me about Bastion's poor treatment in the last episode! I want to try and make him more relevant, but...with how the anime treated him, that's gonna be difficult.

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

Things escalated to worst ever since Bastion's recruitment into the Society of Light. It wasn't just the fact that more and more students were joining the Society of Light, but also that Zane, who had become a Pro Duelist, had...greatly changed.

No longer was he the respectable, coolheaded, calm duelist that he was after graduating. Ever since his loss with Aster Phoenix, he's been gaining more losses within the Pro League world, experiencing firsthand the pain of losing and how difficult it was to survive in such a world, and it drove him so much, he eventually resorted to illegal underground dueling, which led him to suddenly change into a malicious, cruel, and merciless person who won all of his duels afterwards with a ruthless attitude, causing both fear and respect within the dueling world.

There was very little Jaden and her friends could do about their situation. Yes, they were somewhat associated with Aster with the whole Society of Light issue, but nothing big was currently going on other than more recruitments. One good thing was that the Society of Light wasn't targeting any Slifer Reds due to them thinking that they were all weak and that they strove for more stronger duelists; the only exceptional Slifer Red being Jaden.

Another issue was the whole situation with Bastion a little while ago. Jaden and her friends still felt immense guilt with their nonchalant treatment towards Bastion, not paying attention to his woes, and as a result, he deliberately allowed himself to lose and become a Society of Light member. It was Aster who called them out on this that opened their eyes to their wrongdoings, as well as the fact that they weren't taking the Society of Light issue very seriously.

Syrus and Hassleberry tried to ignore Aster's harsh words, but eventually, even they thought that they were wrong. Jaden, who wasn't used to such criticism as well as not used to letting a friend down, was...somewhat depressed. She still hung out with her friends and had fun dueling, but she knew what she did to Bastion was wrong. He was asking for help, for advice, and all she did was just shrug it off like it was nothing when it really wasn't.

Aster was right; the Society of Light was getting worse, but what could they do? It was only a few duelists versus an army of brainwashed students, so it was clear who would be the victor. As much as Jaden wanted to take down the Society of Light and Sartorius for what they did to her friends, she couldn't think of a good plan to take them down. Defeat and return a brainwashed student back to normal? They'd be back as a member within the hour.

Things did brighten up a bit one day when every single student was ordered to enter the auditorium for an important assembly.

After everyone gathered in the auditorium, they pondered on what the announcement was going to be about. Some wondered if Crowler was resigning, others thought there was going to be a huge change in the curriculum.

Entering the auditorium, alongside with a displeased Crowler and Bonaparte, was Chancellor Sheppard, who was greeted with cheers and applause from various students.

"It's been a while, my fellow students!" welcomed Sheppard. "For those of you who don't know me, I was the original Chancellor of this academy before I relinquished my position temporarily to Dr. Crowler right there, who also happened to hire a Vice-Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor Bonaparte. While I was away, there appears to be several changes, such as the rise of a new White dorm I've been hearing about."

Bonaparte and Crowler winched, knowing that they'll have to explain the reasoning behind the White dorm and the Society of Light once the assembly was over. They knew they were in for it now. If they didn't tell the truth themselves, one of the other students might babble about it to Sheppard, and that would be even worse for them if they lied.

"Well, I suppose the changes won't bee such a problem," continued Sheppard. "More importantly, I have come today with a wonderful present for everyone."

As expected, everyone's reactions were positive and filled with excitement as they wondered what the present was going to be about. Even Jaden, who had been depressed before about Bastion before, had slightly lightened up at the thought of the present being grand.

"I wonder what present it'll be?" pondered Jaden. "It looks like he's gone all over the world, so if he giving us some kind of souvenir?"

"Could be! Maybe it's food?" suggested Syrus.

"Nah, it's gotta be a dinosaur fossil!" said Hassleberry excitedly. "I bet it's a super rare one!"

"Pfft! Only you would think it's a gift like that, bones-for-brains!"

"What? What's wrong with such an awesome present like that?"

"Quiet yourselves this instant!" yelled Bonaparte, silencing all of the mumbling amongst the audience, as well as secretly trying to win the Chancellor's favor by trying to support him during his announcement.

"My present to you all is...THIS!" Snapping his fingers, the screen behind Sheppard popped up and revealed a symbolic logo, GX. "Dueling to determine the number one amongst the world's next generation! I now declare the commencement of the first-ever 'Genex Tournament!' All students in Duel Academy are qualified to enter this tournament! Also welcomed to this tournament are representatives from other dueling schools such as North Academy, as well as duelists in the Pro League who wish to participate! This will be a tournament open to both amateurs and Pros alike!"

"Awesome! So, we get to duel against Pros?! What an awesome opportunity!" cheered Jaden.

'If that's the case, then maybe my brother will participate, too!' thought Syrus.

"The entire island will serve as your duel arena, and all participants will receive these qualifying medals, the Genex Medallions!" explained Sheppard, presenting one to show to the audience. "Here are the rules!

1. Participants are obligated to duel at least once a day!

2. They are unable to decline the first duel they're challenged to!

3. Once the winner of that duel is declared, they will obtain all of the medals the loser has!

4. The final two medal holders will compete in the finals.

The best veteran duelists I have chosen during my travels around the world will arrive here shortly, and I have faith that all of you have the potential to beat them. So, I wish for all of you to do your best so that the first-ever prize winner hails from our academy! We will have a very special prize prepared for the victor!"

"Aw, yeah! Leave it all to me! I'll definitely be the winner!" said Jaden happily. "That prize is mine!"

"Uh...Jaden? Remember the last time you won something big? Like in the duel between you and North Academy?" reminded Syrus. "The prize that time was a kiss from Miss Dorothy, so the prize might be the same this time."

The thought of receiving a kiss from Miss Dorothy was enough to make Jaden want to barf in disgust. Still, there was also a chance that the prize wasn't the kiss, so perhaps it might be something else?

After the assembly was over and everyone was released after receiving their one Genex Medellion, many duelists gathered in the halls and chatted about the Genex Tournament. Many were worried due to their low skills in dueling, and some others such as the Obelisk Blues, were confident in winning their duels in the tournament, yet were just as worried as the low ranking duelists due to Pro Duelists participating in such a grand tournament.

"So, what kind of Pro Duelists do you think will be attending?"

"If it's something this big, then lots of really strong Pro Duelists will come! Maybe even Zane!"

"Yeah, he'd finish me off in less than a second if I had to duel him!"

"What about his brother?"

"Yeah! He's a wimp! I'm definitely taking him out first!"

Meanwhile, Jaden and her friends, along with Aster had gathered together to discuss what the other students were talking about; the Genex Tournament.

"So, whoever gets all of the medallions wins, right?" said Syrus. "I bet it'll really be tiresome, dueling so many duelists every day until the last one's standing!"

"If that's the case, then just duel a weak opponent each day and wait for someone with lots of medals to come out, then take them once you win," replied Aster. "That's the basic idea, anyways. The last one standing gets all the medallions anyways."

"Oh, okay! I also heard a rumor that the number of medals you get affects your grade, though."

"Yeah, that doesn't really concern me."

"Either way, it's harsh survival!" said Hassleberry. "This competition's basically every man, and woman, for themselves! A dog-eat-dog world!"

"Well, whatever! I'm all fired up!" said Jaden excitedly. "Anyone wanna have a go at me first?"

"No, thanks!" both Hassleberry and Syrus cried out, stepping back from her. They knew full well how tough Jaden was, and knew they had no chance against her. They didn't want to lose in the first day against her, after all.

"I don't have time standing around, watching you idiots bicker," said Aster, who started walking away. "I'll be watching how things develop for now. You naïve idiots can continue on with your little games and excitement over this tournament, but for me, I've got more serious work to do other than fooling around like you guys always do."

Taking offense to that, Hassleberry shouted, "Hey, is this because of what happened before when Bastion joined the Society of Light? I thought we've passed that!"

"Wow. Just, wow," said Aster sarcastically, turning around to face them. "You guys are proving more to be more idiotic disappointments every day. Last time we talked, how have you guys approached the whole Society of Light problem?"

"Well...We...kinda spied on their dorm a couple of times," admitted Jaden somewhat timidly. "We didn't see much, and they didn't seem to have any plans."

"And?"

"That...was kinda it. We didn't really learn anything, though."

"Just like the failures you are," spat out Aster harshly. "You couldn't save your friend when you had lots of opportunities to do so before, you're failing to uphold Sabrina's wishes, and now, you suck at gathering information. You guys have to be the most immature, stupid failures I've ever met. Pathetic, especially you, Jaden. Then again, I shouldn't expect anything better from you from my last impression of you. How frickin' stupid can you be?"

"Hey! Lay off!" shouted Syrus as he and Hassleberry moved in to defend Jaden, who had her head down.

Aster scoffed. "Whatever. She's not a little kid, okay? Maybe, if you two didn't treat her like she's some fragile little princess, she'd understand something as simple as COMMON SENSE, like how idiotic and childish she's being, not taking this whole situation a lot more seriously and thinking that everything will be alright if she defeats the big bad guys at the end of the day!"

"Hey, you can't order us around!" said Hassleberry. "We know perfectly well the situation! The Society of Light are bad guys! They manipulate and brainwash people! All we gotta do is just defeat them in duels, and they'll return to normal!"

"You defeat them, and the other members will just defeat them and return those guys back to their ranks," said Aster. "Trust me, I've tried. It never WORKS. They're persistent, like cockroaches."

"So, what? All we gotta do is defeat Sartorius, and we win! Game over for the bad guys!"

"Once again, you're proving your naivety to me. You can't just up and go duel Sartorius just like that," said Aster. "Besides, last time I checked, you were personally defeated by Sartorius himself, remember? Now, I'm still skeptical of the fact that your dinosaur bone in your body saved you from being brainwashed, but since you're not wearing white and talking all about the light, I'd have to say you've got only one use in this fight. Even if you lose again, you won't be brainwashed. But that's the ONLY reason you're useful."

Hassleberry tried to think of a rebuttal, but couldn't think of one. "S-So what? Anyways, Jaden's the strongest out of all of us! Hell, she even beat you! If she can beat you, she can beat Sartorius!"

"Being strong and being logical are two different things," argued Aster before shaking his head. "You-You think you guys are heroes in all this? You're not. You guys are nothing. Just wannabe heroes that still think this is all some big game. The only reason you guys have survived this long is due to coincidence and luck. But that's it. Sure, you've got skills, but you're wasting them as long as you think this is all some big game where there are no consequences whatsoever. Try thinking that after you lose and become one of Sartorius many puppets."

"And where are you going?" asked Syrus, watching him leave.

"I've got more important things to do than stand around and argue with a bunch of numbskulls that can't distinguish between a game and reality."

After Aster left, Syrus and Hassleberry glanced at Jaden worriedly, seeing her with her head down and suddenly quiet, which was completely unlike her. "J-Jaden?" wondered Syrus.

"I..." Looking up, Jaden could only offer a weak smile to them. "I'm alright, really! I just...want some time alone, alright?" She walked away hastily before Syrus and Hassleberry could attempt to comfort her, leaving the two unsure what to do.

While Aster's words were harsh and spoke the truth, both Syrus and Hassleberry still couldn't help but feel angry towards Aster. After all, he not only rudely insulted them, but Jaden as well, even if he was speaking from the heart truthfully. Then again, they knew in their current state, they couldn't beat Sartorius and had to rely on Jaden, which wasn't fair since they thought they should be the ones protecting her, not the other way around.

To focus their mind off what had happened, Hassleberry turned to Syrus and tried to change the subject back to the Genex Tournament. "Y-You know, I think I'm gonna go for the weakest duelist around! You!"

"M-Me?! Hey, last time I checked, I beat you and got the official role of Jaden's boyfriend!" shouted Syrus.

"I thought we both agreed not to take up that role and allow Jaden to decide whose worthy of being her lover!" argued Hassleberry. "Alexis convinced us, remember?"

"Oh, yeah-WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PEOPLE AROUND ME?!" It was just now that Syrus realized he was now staring in the face of death, in the form of so many duelists participating in the Genex Tournament who wish to take out the weakest duelist first.

Him.

Syrus screamed like a girl and ran away towards another direction with practically an army of students chasing after him, determined to take out the weakest link, first.

Hours later...

In the harbor, which was one of Jaden's favorite fishing spots, Jaden herself was huddled up; her knees pushed up against her chest as she tried to contain herself. Ever since the last confrontation with Aster, Jaden had excused herself so she could find a private place, undisturbed, to cry.

What was even more shocking was that for the first time, she didn't want to duel. At least, for the time being.

Clearly, she was upset and hurt by Aster's harsh words. They struck her heart mercilessly and fatally in a way that she'll never forget them. It hurt way more than the times she got injured in Shadow Duels. They just...hurt a lot.

Now, she had already been insulted before during her first year for being a "weak, Slifer Red," but she proved all those wrong with her skills and was even offered a couple of times to be promoted to Ra Yellow, but had turned down each time. Those insults were minor, and she had proved herself the better duelist than her oppressors, but now? Aster's words weren't directed towards her being a Slifer Red or anything of the sort, but he was rebutting her for actions and attitude, saying she was childish, stupid, naïve.

The worst part? Everything he said...was absolutely correct.

Everything Jaden focused on was all about having fun, and not the serious situation like the Society of Light. There were times for minor investigations, but none of the results were any use to her or her friends. While she was fooling around, the Society of Light had grown more powerful, and she had this hidden belief that if she dueled, and most of the time, she did win, everything would be okay. It worked for last year, so why not this year?

But this year's events were different. The Shadow Riders were an evil organization, but they never worked together, which was one of their major flaws that led to their downfall. Had they all come together as one, perhaps Jaden and her friends would have never stood a chance, and the world of dueling would have ceased long ago. Plus, it was somewhat pointless if Kagemaru was going to come out and take all of the keys magically anyways.

This year though, the enemy, which is the majority of the Society of Light, was more fierce, more organized, and not only did they have strength in numbers, but their dueling skills have significantly increased when they entered the Society of Light. Even Alexis, Chazz, and...especially, Bastion, were wrapped up in the cultist organization's schemes.

Chazz and Alexis, Jaden knew she couldn't do anything for them. But in Bastion's case? She had a chance. She should have noticed something was amiss with him when he started saying he wanted the Society of Light to accept him, but instead of comforting him and giving him the help he needed as a true friend would, she, Hassleberry, and Syrus just ignored his needs and went about their fishing adventures. Sure, they weren't that close, but Jaden still valued him as a friend. If she hadn't neglected him and simply took time out of her free schedule to talk to him, maybe-No, he DEFINITELY wouldn't be wrapped up in a cult full of brainwashed victims.

Aster was completely right. Everything he said hurt and upset her just as badly as the time when she lost her ability to communicate with Duel Spirits, but even so, they spoke the truth. What was even worse was that...She had no idea how to fix the issue.

Like Aster said, being strong and being logical were two different things. She was strong, but she lacked a lot in the brains department. She just went along with instincts in duels and relied on luck and her draws. She truly didn't know how to uphold Sabrina's wishes, stop the Society of Light, and stop Sartorius. Even now, she didn't know if she was even strong enough to take on Sartorius in her state.

She didn't know anything.

"Jaden!"

Hearing Hassleberry and Syrus' voices, Jaden wiped away her tears and sniffled a bit to clear her nose before patting her cheeks to get herself focused. It would be no good if they saw her teary expression. If so, they would just blame everything on Aster, and she didn't want that at all. If all else fails, she'll have to probably resort to Plan B; blame onions.

"H-Hey, guys!" said Jaden, trying to sound cheery as usual as they ran up to her. "How've you been?"

"Great! Since running away won't do any good, I started off by taking down a freshman Red!" commented Syrus, showing his Genex Medallion.

"For me, it was a second year Ra Yellow!" Hassleberry bragged, revealing his own Genex Medallion.

"Hey, why do you have to show off against me?"

"You know why. Why? You wanna duke it out with me?"

"'Ahahaha...I can turn down a second challenge now. See, I'm tired for today."

Paying no more heed to Syrus' excuses, Hassleberry turned to Jaden and asked, "Say, how many did you get, Jaden?"

"Well...I didn't get any yet," chuckled Jaden. "Man, this sucks! I was hoping to take on some big Pro Leaguer as my first opponent in my first-ever big tournament, but I've been...sitting here waiting, and NOBODY'S shown up!"

"Yeah, sure looks like it."

"I wonder if they're really coming?" wondered Syrus.

As though clarifying their suspicions, the sounds of a helicopter caught their attention before they glanced up and saw a helicopter-like plane slowly descending and landing on a helipad on top of one of the warehouses, very close to where Jaden and her friends were at.

Using a transporter to carry them upwards, Jaden and her friends wanted to see the first arrivals to Duel Academy, hoping they were Pro Leaguers.

"Riding in a private plane's gotta mean this guy's some rich duelist," said Hassleberry.

"Oh! Hey, guys! Look there!" said Syrus, pointing to the crest at the end of the plane's tail. "It's the royal crest of the Misgarth Kingdom!"

"Uh...Kingdom?"

"Jaden, haven't you seen the news lately? It's a small, isolated country, but recently, they launched 'SORA,' which is a laser satellite that's rumored to burn the world down!"

"What?! Why haven't any of the countries intervene?! Isn't that like, a huge problem to the world?" wondered Hassleberry.

"Nobody knows. I do know one thing about the prince, though. Apparently, he's a huge fan of Duel Monsters, and it was stated on TV that he passed the test to be a Pro!"

"Wait, the first Pro Leaguer here...is a prince?" asked Hassleberry, surprised.

"Awesome! My first duel, and it'll be against a really strong duelist who's also a prince!" cheered Jaden before rushing towards the plane, where a prince-like figure being escorted by several bodyguards in black and a female secretary was coming out from the entrance. "Hey! I wanna duel you!"

Spotting Jaden, Prince Ojin then informed his bodyguards, "Hold on. She appears to be one of the challengers on this island."

"Hey! You should definitely du-"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Sartorius appeared, zapping Jaden with a strange energy after touching her shoulder, temporarily paralyzing her. "Greetings, Prince Ojin. Welcome to Duel Academy. I offer my sincere apologies for what was about to transpire, but rest assured that you will not be facing a...child in your first duel. Instead, I offer myself to be your opponent."

Snapping out of her paralysis, Jaden angrily asked, "Hey, who decided that?! I was here first!"

"The heavens."

"Uh...what?"

"Let's just say it was He who reigns over the heavens."

"...At least he didn't say destiny this time."

Approaching the prince, Sartorius bowed his head in respect. "Prince Ojin, I humbly request that you duel me. It would truly be an honor dueling you, O noble prince of the Misgarth Kingdom."

Running up besides him, Jaden protested, "Hey, like I said, I was here first! I'm dueling him first!"

Glancing between the two, Ojin asked, "Which one of you possesses the Destiny deck?"

"Huh? The Destiny Heroes?"

"That would be me, my Prince. I possess them," replied Sartorius.

Giving a curt nod, Ojin made his decision. "Then, you shall be my dueling opponent."

"I am most honored and grateful, Your Highness."

"Eh?! That's not fair! Besides, isn't Aster the one with the Destiny Heroes?!"

Despite Jaden's complaints, it was already agreeable between Ojin and Sartorius that they would duel each other first. Everyone gathered around the duel to get a front view of the duel, and even Alexis and Chazz arrived to witness their master duel the prince.

"Wait!" Hearing the loud voice, everyone turned and saw Bastion on top of the warehouse, calling out as loud as he could. "Challenge me, Master Sartorius!"

"Be quiet!" snapped Alexis. "Master Sartorius' first opponent has already been decided! So shut your nagging mouth if you want to watch the duel!" It was bad enough that he was annoying, flaying around his intelligence back when he was a Ra Yellow, but somehow, he was even worse with his idolism towards Sartorius ever since joining the Society of Light.

Bastion's face fell with a hurt expression. "But...I won so many medallions, so I thought he'd at least take a look and be impressed enough to duel me..."

"Those are just medals you took from weaklings on your level, aren't they?" called out Chazz. "Any weakling can get them just as easily as you, dumbass!"

"Besides, Sartorius' opponent is a Pro Duelist, an entirely different level than you! It'll be a hundred years before you can even catch up to the level of a Pro!" yelled Alexis.

"But...But...! I just… wanted to be acknowledged..." pouted Bastion, turning away.

Jaden couldn't think of anything to say to Bastion, as she was still filled with guilt over what happened the last time they met. She knew then that she was an awful friend to Bastion, even now for not standing up for him. It seems his problems for attentions were eating him even after he joined the Society of Light.

"I happen to be a very busy prince, so I'll obliterate you in an instant!" declared Ojin.

"Very well," said Sartorius. "Even I'm foreseeing that this duel will end before my turn arrives."

"Wait, is that even possible? Winning a duel before your own turn comes?" wondered Jaden.

"No way!" said Syrus.

"So, Sartorius is admitting his own defeat then!" said Hassleberry smugly.

"Also, I have an interesting proposition, Prince Ojin," suggested Sartorius. "I wager that if I lose, I shall hand you the Destiny Heroes deck. However, should I win, I wish to have that satellite I've heard so much about."

"What would he want with that thing?" muttered Jaden, confused.

"Uh...a satellite with the power to burn the world? What crazed man wouldn't want power like that?" said Syrus.

"Nah, Sartorius is nuts, but I don't think he'd be nuts to destroy the entire planet!" said Hassleberry confidently. "The Prince will take him out, no sweat!"

"Sartorius can't lose!" mumbled Alexis worriedly.

"He won't. We just have to trust him," stated Chazz firmly. "He must have a plan!"

"I can see the future, and I predict this duel will end before my turn!" declared Sartorius with calm confidence in his words.

Ojin couldn't agree more. "Of course. It doesn't take a fortune teller to see that."

"DUEL!"

- DUEL -

Ojin - 4000 LP

VS

Sartorius - 4000 LP

"Shall we begin with my turn?" asked Ojin.

Sartorius nodded. "By all means."

"Draw! I'll start by activating the Spell card, Pot of Greed! This lets me draw two more cards! Next, I'll play the Spell, Cost Down! By discarding a card in my hand, I get to downgrade all the Monster cards in my hand by 2 levels until the end of this turn! Because of that, I'm able to summon the Level 5 Satellite Cannon normally!"

It wasn't a Monster that normally would appear on the playing field but high up in space, hence the name, "Satellite."

Satellite Cannon - (LIGHT/Machine) - LV5 - (0/0)

"Though my kingdom is a small nation, it's a country that stands as leader to the world! My Satellite Cannon symbolizes exactly that!" boasted Ojin proudly. "Even in reality, my kingdom's laser satellite SORA is orbiting in space, allowing me to immediately rule the world! If any enemies dare to invade my country, they'll feel the full wrath of SORA itself as it'll fire hellfire upon them!"

The confirmation that SORA was not only a satellite, but also a deadly cannon that poses a huge threat shocked everyone as they could just imagine how much power the satellite could possess.

"How awe-inspiring," said Sartorius, impressed. "I had been hoping to acquire such a power myself."

"Oh, but that is but the start," chuckled Ojin, "I activate the Spell card, Charge! Now, my Satellite Cannon gains 2000 Attack Points!"

Satellite Cannon - (LIGHT/Machine) - LV5 - (2000/0)

"Hey, he's not half-bad!" praised Jaden. "At first, I was a little worried because his Monster didn't have any Attack Points but he proved me wrong!"

"Still, he can't attack on the first turn," reminded Hassleberry.

"Do you really think he'll be able to defeat Sartorius before his turn comes?" questioned Syrus.

"Well," started Bastion, surprising everyone with his sudden appearance. "It's quite possible."

"Now, I activate the Spell, Mischief of the Time Goddess!" announced Ojin. "This Quick-Play Spell skips a turn, so it becomes my Battle Phase now!"

"Wait, if that's true, then Sartorius' turn was skipped!" exclaimed Jaden.

"You're kidding!" gasped Chazz, appalled.

"With this my preparations are in order," said Ojin. "I now activate the Quick-Play Spell, Limiter Removal! It doubles the Attack Points of all Machine-Type Monsters I control until the end of this turn, but in exchange, the Machine-Type Monsters are all destroyed at that point! Then again, there won't be a turn for you!"

Satellite Cannon - (LIGHT/Machine) - LV5 - (4000/0)

"With a direct attack from that, Sartorius' Life Points will drop to 0!" exclaimed Bastion, horrified.

"Whoa..." gasped Jaden. "It's a One-Turn Kill for sure..."

"Master Sartorius can't lose! He promised the prince cards he doesn't have!" muttered Chazz.

"That's right!" realized Alexis. "He was bluffing! What will happen to the Society of Light, then?"

"Don't take this too personally!" chuckled Ojin. "It isn't that you're weak. It's that I'm too STRONG! Satellite Cannon, fire!"

Positioning itself from afar, the Satellite Cannon began charging a beam before unleasing it after targeting Sartorius, seeminingly making a direct hit and blowing wind and smoke all around.

Thinking he defeated his first opponent easily, Ojin smirked. "I suppose this might be what others call, 'fate.'" Much to his shock, he was just as stunned as the others to discover Sartorius had survived without a single Life Point taken from him. "You survived?! That's impossible!"

"By discarding Arcana Force XIV - Temperance, I'm able to reduce one instance of Battle Damage to 0," explained Sartorius. "Destiny is quite easy to alter, no? I told you this duel would end before my turn!"

"Yes, you told me that! So, what?"

"What I didn't tell you is who would win. Now, I believe it's still your turn. My turn has yet to arrive even once. However it would be rude of me to take anymore of your time, my dear prince. Allow me to end this duel without waiting for my own turn."

Gritting his teeth in frustration that his One-Turn Kill strategy failed, Ojin knew he had to resort to another strategy. "You may have foiled my One-Turn Kill through my Satellite Cannon combo, but this is far from over! I summon my Satellite Base in Defense Mode!"

Satellite Base - (LIGHT/Machine) - LV4 - (0/0)

"Not only does my Satellite Base gain 1000 Defense Points during each of my End Phases, but it also can't be destroyed in battle by Level 5 or lower Monsters on the field. I plan to use my Satellite Base to stall for time while I rebuild my forces in the meantime! By the way, it appears your prediction was wrong!"

"I'm afraid I have to disagree," said Sartorius. "When you summon a Monster, I can send the Spell, Intervention of Fate from my hand to the Graveyard to activate a Normal Spell card from my hand. Remember, technically, this is still your turn. I play the Spell, Ace of Sword."

"And what does that card do?" asked Ojin.

"My Prince, this is your destiny," explained Sartorius as the Ace of Sword Spell card began rotating above his head. "Now, simply choose when it should stop."

"...Stop there!"

At Ojin's command, the Ace of Sword card came to a stop right side up and frontal for all to see.

"Ace of Sword's upright effect will inflict damage equal to the Attack Points of one Monster I choose to my opponent!" said Sartorius. "I choose that Satellite Cannon you love so much. The one with 4000 Attack Points!"

At Sartorius' announced decision, the Satellite Cannon changed targets towards its owner before firing its main cannon, shooting a devastating beam that the prince couldn't avoid as it wiped out his Life Points in one blast.

Ojin - 0 LP

Sartorius - 4000 LP

Winner: Sartorius

"He won...in one turn!" gasped Jaden, astonished.

"Not quite!" stated Bastion. "Sartorius never had a turn, so this was really...a Zero-Turn Kill."

"A Zero-Turn Kill...that's even more impressive than a One-Turn Kill..."

Accompanied by Alexis and Chazz, Sartorius approached Ojin, who was starting to recover from his loss. "My prize, if you please."

"You attained victory before my turn had finished...Simply impressive!" said Ojin, standing up. "Very well! A bargain's a bargain!"

Just as he was about to grab the briefcase that was handcuffed to his secretary for safe keeping, his secretary pulled her arm back, thinking it was a terrible idea. "Please stop, my Prince! These are SORA's control switches! You're making a huge risk just giving these away to a stranger!"

"Stop!" ordered Ojin, having unlocked the handcuffs. "He won, fair and square, and I've always been a man of my word!" He proceeded to hand the briefcase over to Sartorius. "Just as I said, it's all yours."

"Thank you for keeping your word, Your Highness," thanked Sartorius, bowing his head. Though he was respectful towards his opponent, he hid his malicious grin as he had great plans with the SORA satellite.

Jaden was both impressed, yet worried after witnessing Sartorius' duel. Yes, it was a lot of fun seeing him duel, and to end it all in a Zero-Turn Kill, but that just goes to show how terrifying Sartorius is even without his fortunetelling powers. Without them, his dueling skills make up for them.

Just how was she going to stop someone who can even perform the impossible feat; a Zero-Turn Kill?

Skit: Growth Spurt

It was clear as day that Jaden's Duel Spirits were understandably furious at Aster for not only speaking such harsh words that not only seemed directed to Jaden's friends, but mostly towards Jaden. And what was even worse was that Aster caused Jaden to cry, and anyone who made their master cry was unforgivable in their eyes.

"We have to do something about that Aster Phoenix guy!" spat Flame Wingman.

"Uh...We can't because we're in alliance with the Destiny Heroes, thus we can't harm him," reminded Bubbleman. "This goes two ways, anyways. If we do harm him, then by default, the Destiny Heroes will harm Jaden."

"Nobody wants that. Look, I can say for everyone that we don't appreciate seeing Jaden cry, but if we hurt Aster, then our own actions will only hurt Jaden in the end," said Rampart Blaster.

"We can handle surviving a beatdown from the other team, but Jaden paying for our actions is not the way to go," added Woodsman.

"Tch! Then, what are we supposed to do?!" wondered Flame Wingman, slamming his fist against the table. "We can't just let him get away with what he said to sweet little-"

"Actually, we can," stated Burstinatrix, crossing her arms. "I don't like seeing Jaden cry either, and as much as I want to burn Aster Phoenix to the ground, you have to admit...he's right."

"You're siding with him?!" growling Thunder Giant. "We may be in an alliance with the Destiny Heroes, but-"

"This isn't about taking sides, though," stated Escuridao. "This is about reason. He's right. For too long, we've been babying Jaden, and she's grown a special place in each of our hearts. However, like all other humans, it was only a matter of time until she grew up. Last year was child's play compared to what she's going to have to face this year. Although Aster Phoenix's words were harsh, they spoke truth. She and her friends had to see reality, even if it hurt."

There were a few protests and complaints, mainly from the side that cherished Jaden the most. "But he hurt her and even made her cry-"

"And she's going to be more hurt and cry even more if the Light of Destruction gets their way!" snapped Ocean. "We all knew this was coming. She can't be babied anymore. Sure, she's grown up, but she still retains that childish motion that everything will be fine through fun duels. The duels that will come aren't going to be fun, and she's going to have to learn that the hard way. Hell, Aster Phoenix's words may have placed an impact on her words and I can see from the look in her eyes that she's starting to consider them."

"She's still just a young girl!" shouted Flame Wingman. "She's still young! She shouldn't have to deal with any of this! She should be out there, hanging out with female friends and enjoying dueling to the fullest!"

"Not while the Society of Light are still out there," pointed out Flare Scarab. "You know one of the main problems Jaden has with her naivety? It's that certain people refuse to allow her to grow out of it. Mainly you people. In a way, you guys are what's making Jaden cry."

"I would never make Jaden cry! She needs to stay away from evil strangers, avoid any signs of danger, never get a boyfriend until she's around 30 or somewhere higher, and-"

"Flame Wingman," stated Burstinatrix sharply; her tone silencing everyone in the meeting room. "You...Your behavior... If you keep this up, then you'll be acting just like...Yubel."

Chaos erupted from both sides as several Duel Monsters scrambled to avoid any sort of violence. It took three Fusion Monsters to pin down Flame Wingman from suddenly throwing himself towards Burstinatrix, and some defensive-type Monsters moved to shield Burstinatrix just in case.

"YOU! WE AGREED TO NEVER SPEAK OF THAT-"

"Whoa, who's Yubel?"

"I dunno, but whoever he or she or they are, it was enough to rouse-"

"ENOUGH!" hollered Neos. "Burstinatrix, provoking someone is never good. Flame Wingman, acting out of anger is not only childish, but your actions could be catastrophic. Control your tempers, both of you. That counts double for you, Flame Wingman. Now, I don't know what this Yubel is, but I can wager a guess and say that's a sensitive topic. Therefore, we won't talk about this Yubel for the time being. Instead, the both of you are going to apologize to each other right now. You'll both calm down, apologize, then we'll all take a breather and continue this meeting afterwards. Are. We. Clear?"

Burstinatrix and Flame Wingman glared at each other before sighing. They could never truly stay mad with one another for long, reluctantly agreeing to forgive each other as they stated their apologies.

"Flame...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to compare you to-"

"No, no...You're right. We're not done talking about that comparison, but how about we talk about that a different time?"

"Agreed."

After everyone had calmed and settled down, they resumed the Duel Monsters' meeting, but it felt there was so much tension in the air, one could slice it through the air with a butter knife.

Finally done! Sorry about the wait guys, but I hope you all enjoyed this! There will be a couple few filler chapters consisting of the Genex Tournament, which I swear, it's added more to the GX logo of the show, but yeah! Read and review!