This chapter will be combining both Episodes 93 and 94, and this upcoming duel is one of my favorites ever in the series! I may or may not add or change some things up during the duel, but we all know what's gonna happen during the duel, yeah?
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own any Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!
"Sartorius!" A hazy image of Sabrina was shown through Sartorius' laptop screen as the leader of the Society of Light clenched the armrests of his chair, internally in conflict. "Your mind is being controlled! This isn't you! WAKE UP!"
Sartorius, or whoever was possessing him, popped open his eyes as he stood up and loudly proclaimed, "LIGHT! MORE LIGHT! THE WORLD SHALL BE FLOODED WITH LIGHT!"
He grunted as the real Sartorius momentarily took back his body, slamming his palms against the white-clothed table while trying to regain full control of himself. "No...What am I saying...? If that happens...then the world will be...the world will be...!"
The false Sartorius, or better known as the Light of Destruction, overpowered Sartorius and chuckled maliciously to himself, staring at his own reflection in front of a mirror. "SILENCE! With the power of my light, I'll ensure victory and will vanquish all kinds of darkness everywhere!" He glanced down to see Sabrina's sorrowful and worried expression, finding it irritating. "You dare continue to get in my way of flooding the world with light?! If you continue to intervene, then I'll see to it that you permanently get deleted! BEGONE!"
The laptop screen went blank, and Sartorius could finally concentrate on his rising power as he was starting to permanently gain more control of his human host's body. He could feel more of his influence and power increasing as time passed and less more resistance from the original soul that used to contain the human host he was using.
Suddenly, a beam of light burst out from the White Dorms, aiming straight high towards the skies and dissipating any clouds in its way.
Meanwhile, Jaden was sleeping soundly in her dorm room along with Syrus and Hassleberry. The beam of light shined through the dorm room windows and woke up Jaden, who was surprised and confused as to what was happening while her friends remained soundly asleep.
"Jaden Yuki." To Jaden's shock, standing right in front of her door was Sartorius, and before she could react, Sartorius walked towards her and handed her a small black case. "I don't have much time, so I cannot give you a proper explanation. And no matter what anyone says or does to you, you must not hand this key to anyone."
To ensure that Jaden follows through with his order and that she doesn't make any mistakes doing so, Sartorius activated one of his mysterious powers, making eye-contact with Jaden firsthand. He mind controlled her to properly follow his order of never giving the key to anyone else before vanishing, leaving Jaden all by her lonesome.
Bright and early at dawn, Aster had just woken up and the first thing he spotted upon exiting his private yacht was the sight of a beam of light soaring high in the sky.
"What in the...?"
"Aster." Aster finally noticed Sartorius standing near the yacht and was immediately on guard, planning to use his martial arts on Sartorius should he attempt something dangerous. "That beam of light is a Light of Misfortune that will bring about the end of all living beings. I know you cannot trust me, but you must take and protect this key with your life in order to save the world."
Sartorius handed Aster a small black case similarly to the one he handed Jaden before, giving Aster a sincere expression while Aster glanced back in confusion, though he knew that Sartorius was being sincere about this. Sartorius suddenly vanished, leaving Aster alone with the small black case.
"W-What just happened?" wondered Aster, looking around. "Why was Sartorius here just now...?" He opened the small black case, picking up what appears to be a strange-looking key. "And what is this key?"
Later, at Chazz's dorm house...
"EEEEHH?! Sartorius appeared in your room last night?!" exclaimed Syrus.
"Okay, that sounds super creepy when you put it that way," Chazz added, disgust evident in his expression. "A grown-ass man in a young teenage girl's room? Yeah, my opinion of him was already low, but this just takes it to a whole new level."
"Actually, I heard he was 17," pointed out Jaden.
"Are you serious?! He looks nothing like 17!"
"Is that really important?!" shouted Hassleberry, enraged. "How dare that creepy pervert sneak into the room Jaden and I are sharing?! And how come we didn't wake up to it? We would have stopped that guy's molestation!"
"To be fair, all Sartorius did was give me some weird black case," said Jaden, holding up a strange key. "All that was in it was some key."
"The room you're sharing?! I was in it too, you know!" reminded Syrus.
"Both of you, shut up or I'm gonna kick you outta my place!" snapped Chazz. "Anyways, Jaden, do you have any idea what that key's for?"
"To open something, of course!"
"...I know that, dumbass! All keys open something, but just what exactly does it open?"
"Oh! ...Then, I have no idea."
"It may be an important key holding the fate of the world, Jaden," spoke Aster, having entered Chazz's dorm house and entering their conversation.
"Wha-?! How'd you get in?!" shouted Chazz.
"You should really lock your doors if you don't want any intruders in," advised Aster before turning to Jaden, holding up his own key.
"Aster! You've got one, too?" wondered Jaden. "What does it all mean?"
"I don't know either," admitted Aster. "But I have a feeling that both you and I are obligated to protect these keys with care. So, keep them safe and never entrust them to anyone else, because I think that these keys have some sort of special meaning."
Jaden and her friends nodded, knowing that Aster's word must be taken seriously, as well as the protection of the special and important keys that they were entrusted with.
Later, while Jaden, Hassleberry, and Syrus were walking together within the hallways of the Duel Academy building, chatting amongst themselves about getting some grub, they found themselves encountering Alexis, who was waiting for them, though with a blank stare in her eyes.
"So, you finally came." Alexis walked towards Jaden, demanding in a clear tone, "I came for the key."
"The key...? Wait, why do you know about it?" asked Jaden suspiciously.
"Because Master Sartorius told me about it. He also told me to get it back from you."
"What? That literally makes no sense," Jaden said, confused. "Sartorius gave me the key out of his own free will. Why would he want it back now?"
"It really isn't my business. All I do is obey Master Sartorius' commands. If you continue to refuse, then I propose we duel."
"A duel?"
"Yes, that's right. You love duels too, don't you? Therefore, I propose something. If you win, I will stop persuading you to give up the key. But, if I win, you must hand over the key to me so that I can give it back to Master Sartorius. All for the light."
"So, a duel to conclude...whatever this is?" wondered Syrus.
"Yeah, I'm more confused than ever," admitted Hassleberry.
Jaden couldn't have agreed more with her friends. "Yeah, I'm confused, too! Alexis, just what's going on?"
"It's useless, Jaden," said Atticus, who happened to eavesdrop on their conversation. "Your words won't reach Alexis now. In fact, this isn't her right now."
"Atticus! What are you talking about?"
"I mean, she's being manipulated by Sartorius. And the worst part? If you don't duel her and win, then she'll be like this for the rest of her life. Sartorius is capable of doing such cruel things to people, and this is no exception."
"Are you serious?!" shouted Jaden, furious at the forceful state Alexis is in. "Who would do such a horrible thing to innocents?! Ugh, okay! Then, let's duel, Alexis! I'll definitely wake you up from whatever brainwashing you've got!"
"Then, let's meet up at the Duel Arena tonight, where I will mercilessly crush you with everything I've got," decided Alexis, turning around and walking away.
After she left, the group got together near the stairs to discuss their next course of action: Jaden's upcoming duel with Alexis.
"I dunno about you guys, but if there's one thing I'm good at, it's dueling!" assured Jaden confidently, looking at her deck with brimming hope. "Atticus, you can trust that I'll do everything I can to bring back Alexis!"
"Look, not that I doubt you or anything, Jay," started Syrus. "But isn't there like, a chance YOU could get brainwashed if you lose?"
"Truesdale!" snapped Hassleberry, appalled at his line of thinking. "This is Jaden we're talking about! Have more faith in her!"
"No matter what happens, I always duel seriously!" said Jaden.
"Yeah...seriously..." said Hassleberry and Syrus, glancing at each other and knowing full well that that wasn't true. It was well-known that Jaden loved dueling for fun, so what she stated just now completely contradicted her true desires within dueling.
"Anyways, because Alexis was acting a bit more different than she usually is, I think she'll come up with a few new moves and combos," stated Syrus.
"You should be prepared for anything," advised Hassleberry.
"Will you not let me join in the fight as well?" asked Atticus.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Jaden wondered. "You're not dueling Alexis, remember?"
"No, I know. But you should add this card to your deck," advised Atticus, handing Jaden a card called, "Swing of Memories." "This card is very memorable towards Alexis. When she sees that card, she'll remember our childhood days and return to normal!~
"Really?! Awww, that's so sweet! Like a fairy tale ending!"
"Hmph! It does fit like a fairy tale ending, but in the end, that's just fantasy! She needs a wake-up call to reality!" boasted Chazz, stepping out from behind the pillars and making his grand appearance. "And I'll be the one to help out as well!"
"You? Help out?" questioned Jaden.
Hassleberry stepped in. "Hey, you have no right to talk like that!"
"Yeah, that's right!" agreed Syrus. "How could a guy like you, who was the one who dragged Alexis into the Society of Light in the first place, even say such words!"
"W-What are you talking about?!" sputtered Chazz. "I have no reason to do that to Alexis!"
"Wait..." said Jaden. "Do you seriously not remember anything?"
"Seriously, what are you all talking about?"
"Chazz, you really did duel Alexis while you were brainwashed in the Society of Light! You dueled her and you beat her!"
"He did more than that!" stated Hassleberry. "He utterly crushed her! So merciless!"
"Wait, are you serious?! That really did happened?!" asked Chazz, appalled.
"You were such a bully, Chazz!" Hassleberry commented.
"That's right!" said Syrus. "Bully! Demon! Manipulator!"
"How can that be?! I wouldn't harm anyone!" shouted Chazz, still taken aback. "...At least, not people I respect and like! Atticus! Back me up here, man! Tell them it's all a lie!"
"No, everything they've been saying is true," replied Atticus, crossing his arms. "Even if you were brainwashed, I can't forgive you for driving my cute little sister psychologically into a corner. Oh, Alexis..."
If even Atticus was telling the truth, then Chazz knew that he really screwed up big time, even if he was brainwashed. Chazz may not remember a lot during his time with the Society of Light, but deep down, he knew he caused some major damage and played a big part in forcibly recruiting other students into joining.
Depressed, Chazz sat down with his head down, almost in a bowing position. "This is bad...if that's the truth, then how could I...? To do such a thing..."
"Er...It's alright, Chazzy!" assured Jaden, feeling sorry for him and knowing how deeply regretful he is. "And to be fair, everyone, he was brainwashed, so I don't think he would force Alexis into joining if he wasn't brainwashed."
"Y-Yeah! That's right!" said Chazz, standing back up as though Jaden's words were his second wind. "In fact, here! Take this! I'll help you out by giving you one of my signature cards! ...So? Think that just one look at my card, she'll be-"
"Chazz, this is just one of your Monster cards, Ojama Black."
"Wait, seriously?!" Hassleberry glared at Chazz. "You give her one of your weakest Monsters? Are you trying to make her lose?!"
"Yeah! Besides, if she puts that card in her deck, it'll completely unbalance her deck!" said Syrus.
"Chazz…" started Atticus. "I thought you were trying to help, but this was so far, one of the most stupidest and disappointment decisions you've made."
"You know what? Fine!" Chazz snatched the Ojama Black card back from Jaden's hand and stuffed the card back into his pocket. "I try to be civil and help out and all you guys do is give me shit!"
"No, don't be like that, Chazzy!" pouted Jaden. "It's just...I do appreciate your efforts, really! But-"
Chazz sighed. "I know. I guess that really was a shitty card to give you. But I don't know exactly which card will help wake up Alexis!"
"Well, how about this? You can help by cheering me on in the Duel Arena! That way, you'll be supporting me in the sidelines!" said Jaden.
"That's not helping at all! I'll practically be a cheerleader, then!"
"I mean, you've been a cheerleader before."
"When?!"
"Uh...when you saw me duel Zane at the end of last year? Chumley when he dueled against Crowler? When I dueled Kagemaru last year? When-"
"Okay, okay! You've made your point! I was cheering you on during those times," said Chazz. "Alright, I guess for now, that's the best I can do, especially since some people don't appreciate me helping my help!" He says this while glaring at the boys.
That night...
Within the time agreed upon, both female duelists met face-to-face on the dueling platform inside the Duel Arena, where on side of the indoor stadium was occupied by members of the Society of Light, whereas the other side consisted of Jaden's friends.
"Did you bring the key?" asked Alexis.
Taking the key out of her pocket, Jaden held it up for Alexis to see. "Yup. It's right here."
"You better keep it safe for when I win. I must prove myself even further for Master Sartorius!"
"Alexis, just wait a little bit longer! I'll wake you up during this duel just like how I woke up Chazz!"
"Ready?"
"Bring it on!"
"DUEL!"
- DUEL -
Alexis - 4000 LP
VS
Jaden - 4000 LP
"My turn, draw!" said Alexis. "I summon Snow Fairy to the field in Attack Mode!"
Snow Fairy - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (1100/700)
"And when she's out on the field, you cannot activate Spell cards from the hand. Furthermore, Spell cards must be Set one turn before activating."
"What?!"
Alexis chuckled darkly. "Now, you can't easily gain access to any of your Fusion Monsters now. I set one card facedown and end my turn."
"Yeah, that's not Alexis' original deck," said Atticus. "I've never even seen her with that kind of Monster before, and I've helped build her deck when she was little!"
"If I had to wager a guess, I'd say that Sartorius gave her that deck to beat Jaden," guessed Chazz.
"It's okay, though! The duel's just started!" assured Syrus. "Jaden will get through, just like she always has! Whenever her friends are in danger, she'll always go all-out to save them!"
"My turn, draw!" said Jaden. "I summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat in Attack Mode!'
Elemental Hero Lady Heat - (FIRE/Pyro) - LV4 - (1300/1000)
"Now, I attack Snow Fairy with Lady H-"
"I don't think so! I'll protect my Snow Fairy with Negate Attack!" shouted Alexis, revealing her facedown card. "Now you can no longer attack for the rest of this turn, and my Snow Fairy is safe!"
"Tch! So close..." muttered Jaden. "Okay, I set one card facedown and end my turn! And at this moment, Lady Heat's ability activates! At the end of every one of my End Phases, she deals 200 Points of Damage to you for every Elemental Hero I control!"
Alexis - 3800 LP
Jaden - 4000 LP
"Gh! Nothing but a minority! Now, I draw!" Alexis said, drawing her card. "I activate the Continuous Spell, White Night Fort!"
Upon the activation of such a card, the entire Duel Arena began shaking as pillars of ice shot upwards around Alexis' side of the field. Soon, the dueling platform, the grounds below the Duel Arena, and even the sideline stands began being engulfed by a wave of ice, lowering the temperature in the air by a very low frigid degree. The Society of Light members began to rise up, affected by the cold condition as evident of their seats turning frozen and their cold breaths seen from their quivering lips.
"Be quiet! We're dueling!" Alexis snapped at her fellow Society members. "Bear with it until we're done!"
"So cold!~" cried out Jaden, breathing heavily into her palms and rubbing them together for warmth. "Just what kind of effect is this?!"
"Now, because of White Night Fort, neither player can activate Traps on their opponent's turn," explained Alexis.
"Ehhh?!" Jaden glanced down at her facedown card and thought, 'Well, unless Lady Heat gets destroyed this turn, I won't really have much of a need for my Call of the Haunted Trap card, but still! Being unable to use Trap cards during Alexis' turn? That's so unfair!'
Alexis smirked, as though knowing what Jaden had in store for her facedown card. "I was aware that your Set card was a Trap card. The light sees everything! Now, I summon Illusion Ice Sculpture!"
Illusion Ice Sculpture - (LIGHT/Rock) - LV1 - (0/0)
"What kind of Monster is it this time?" wondered Jaden out loud.
To answer her question, Alexis answered, "As long as Illusion Ice Sculpture is out on the field, you can't attack any other Monster. In addition, I can select one other Monster I control, and Illusion Ice Sculpture will gain the same amount of Attack and Defense Points as the same original amount that my selected Monster has. And I choose Snow Fairy!"
Illusion Ice Sculpture - (LIGHT/Rock) - LV1 - (1100/700)
"But I'm far from done! I then equip Illusion Ice Sculpture with Black Pendant, increasing its Attack Points by 500 more!"
Illusion Ice Sculpture - (LIGHT/Rock) - LV1 - (1600/700)
"Illusion Ice Sculpture, take out her Lady Heat!"
After absorbing Snow Fairy's own power, Illusion Ice Sculpture had transformed into a replica copy of Snow Fairy and took to the skies, firing a beam of ice at Lady Heat. Lady Heat was then encased from head to toe in ice before shattering into a million pieces.
Alexis - 3800 LP
Jaden - 3700 LP
"I'm not done yet! I move my second attack to be a direct attack towards you, Jaden!"
Mirroring Illusion Ice Sculpture's attack, Snow Fairy also flew upwards and fired a beam of ice at Jaden, surrounding her with icy winds that not only dealt at her Life Points, but also worsening and lowering her body heat condition.
Alexis - 3800 LP
Jaden - 2600 LP
"Freeze, both your heart and body!" laughed Alexis coldly. "I end my turn!"
It was at that moment that Jaden truly knew that the Alexis she was dueling was not the Alexis she knew. The real Alexis would never laugh so sadistically at other people's wounds, and now, the Slifer Red was even more determined to bring back the true Alexis no matter what. "My turn, draw! I summon Elemental Hero Heat in Attack Mode!"
Elemental Hero Heat - (FIRE/Pyro) - LV4 - (1600/1200)
"Next, I activate the Continuous Trap, Call of the Haunted, to bring back Lady Heat!"
Elemental Hero Lady Heat - (FIRE/Pyro) - LV4 - (1300/1000)
"And now, I activate Heat's ability! For every Elemental Hero out on my field, including him, he gains 200 extra Attack Points! There's 2 Elemental Heroes out, so he gains 400 extra Attack Points!"
Elemental Hero Heat - (FIRE/Pyro) - LV4 - (2000/1200)
"Heat! Melt down Illusion Ice Sculpture!"
Heat released a heavy heat wave surrounding Illusion Ice Sculpture, forcing it to return to its true form while its ice form began melting into a huge puddle of heated water. Heat showed mercy by ending its pain by punching through the weakened ice form with a blazing fist.
Alexis - 3400 LP
Jaden - 2600 LP
"I won't let you get the upper hand on me!" shouted Alexis. "I activate Black Pendant's effect! If it's sent from the field to the Graveyard, you get hit with 500 Points of Damage!"
Alexis - 3400 LP
Jaden - 2100 LP
Jaden grunted in pain. "E-Even so, I'm not giving up! Now, Lady Heat, destroy her Snow Fairy next!"
Charging up fire from within, Lady Heat conjured up enough fire to form a fireball before throwing it at Snow Fairy, making a direct hit at her before she was destroyed.
Alexis - 3200 LP
Jaden - 2100 LP
Jaden stared down at the card she drew this turn; Swing of Memories, the special card that Atticus gave her that he said was memorable to both him and Alexis. 'Now that Snow Fairy's gone, I can activate this card from my hand, but I don't think it's quite the right time yet, so I'll set it for now, just in case.' "I set a card and end my turn! And now, Lady Heat's effect activates, but since there's another Elemental Hero out on the field, you get dealt 400 Points of Damage!"
Alexis - 2800 LP
Jaden - 2100 LP
"Alexis, next turn gets hotter!"
Alexis merely chuckled maliciously. "Resorting to fire puns in an 'ice' duel now? How much more pathetic could you be? Regardless of what you say, my heart won't shake! It's beyond frozen! Everything I do now is for the light!"
"ALEXIS!" Announcing loudly at the top of his lung, Atticus rose from his seat for all to witness. "I believe that soon, when you see a certain card, you'll be able to remember your beloved older brother's feelings! Can you not hear my pleas, crying out for the real Alexis to come back? I believe in you, so hurry and return to the dear, sweet Alexis I know and love!"
"...I hear nothing. The only thing reaching me now is the sound of Master Sartorius' voice," spoke Alexis coldly. "Besides, if anything, all I hear is the sound of a buzzing insect, just begging me to squash him under my heel."
"Gah?!" His pride wounded from being compared to a bug, Atticus fell down from his seat while Chazz, Hassleberry, and Syrus only glanced at him in sympathy, sweatdropping.
"My turn, draw!" continued Alexis. "I activate the Spell, Icicle Sacrifice! By sacrificing one Monster Zone so that it becomes unusable for the rest of this turn, I can Special Summon an Icicle Token onto my field!"
Icicle Token - (WATER/Aqua/Token) - LV1 - (0/0)
"Now, I sacrifice this Token in order to Tribute Summon the Level 7 White Night Queen!"
"Wait, a Level 7 Monster?" wondered Syrus. "But, don't you normally need 2 sacrifices in order for that to work?"
"Not necessarily," explained Atticus, getting back on his seat. "Icicle Token counts as two Tributes for a Tribute Summon."
White Night Queen - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV7 - (2100/800)
"Once per turn, White Night Queen's effect makes it so she can destroy 1 Set card on the field. I select your facedown card!"
White Night Queen merely swung her arm, and an icy wind blew apart Jaden's facedown card, Swing of Memories, rendering it destroyed and useless.
"ALEXIS! WHY?!" sobbed Atticus, heartbroken that she would mercilessly destroy the one card that connected the two of them together.
"White Night Queen, attack! Destroy Lady Heat, now!" ordered Alexis.
Now White Night Queen turned her attention onto Lady Heat and didn't show any hesitation in wiping clean the weaker of Jaden's Monsters, though in a more cold-hearted, brutal attack.
Alexis - 2800 LP
Jaden - 1300 LP
"And, with your Lady Heat gone, your Elemental Hero Heat's Attack Points get lower!"
Elemental Hero Heat - (FIRE/Pyro) - LV4 - (1800/1200)
Jaden fell onto one knee, shivering from White Night Queen's latest attack reaching not just her Lady Heat, but her in extension. "C-C-cold! So cold!"
Alexis chuckled. "Just give up. Your suffering doesn't fit well with the light at all. If you rest even a bit, I'll let you taste even more pain. I set a card and end my turn."
As she was breathing, even Jaden was starting to notice the cold getting to her, as she could see her cold breath. The duel was getting even more harder and colder with each turn passed, and Jaden felt like she wasn't getting anywhere with Alexis despite having a few successes here and there. If she doesn't figure out a way to turn the old Alexis back soon, it'll be disastrous!
'Every time I get hit with damage, I get hit with cold!' Jaden thought, shivering as she hugged herself for warmth.
Alexis reminded her, "I may not have Snow Fairy right now, but I'll get her back eventually! Next, due to White Night Fort's effect, Trap cards can't be activated during the opponent's turn. And with White Night Queen, I can destroy any Set cards. With my latest combo, I'm certain your deck is sealed."
'Calm down...I'm lucky that her Snow Fairy isn't even here right now, and while she has the advantage, I can still turn this around!' thought Jaden. "My turn, draw! I activate Graceful Charity and draw three new cards but discard two! Now I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman!"
Elemental Hero Sparkman - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1600/1400)
"Next, I equip Sparkman with the Equip Spell, Spark Blaster! Now I can change the battle position of any Monster on the field for up to three times! And now, I change White Night Queen to Defense Mode!"
Sparkman aimed his Spark Blaster at White Night Queen and fired an electrical ray at her, forcing her down on her knees in Defense Mode, much to Alexis' irk.
"Now, Sparkman! Attack White Night Queen!"
Alexis smirked. "I activate my facedown card, the Quick-Play Spell, Book of Moon! This forces your Monster to change into facedown Defense Mode!"
The illuminating power of Book of Moon spread its pages wide before shining down on Sparkman just as he was about to attack. He was forcibly flipped facedown in Defense Mode, and because he was flipped facedown, his Equip Spell, Spark Blaster, was destroyed.
"Damnit!" cursed Jaden. 'At least he's in Defense Mode, so I guess I'm kinda safe. Plus, his Defense Points aren't that bad, either. The only other problem is Heat since he's in Attack Mode! What am I gonna do?' "I end my turn!"
"My turn, draw!" Alexis said. "I summon Snow Fairy in Attack Mode!"
Snow Fairy - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (1100/700)
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" complained Jaden.
Alexis merely smirked at her misfortune. "With this, you're back at a disadvantage again. Now, White Night Queen! Destroy her Heat!"
Alexis - 2800 LP
Jaden - 1000 LP
White Night Queen, with a flap of her cape, unleashed a blizzard-like attack, freezing Jaden's Elemental Hero Heat before he shattered.
"Now, Snow Fairy, attack her Set Monster!"
Snow Fairy fired her ice-like powers at her facedown Monster, which happened to be Sparkman.
"Jaden!" Jaden's friends shouted from the sidelines, seeing her tremble more from the increasing cold taking over her body and the fact that she was almost out of Life Points.
"I end my turn," replied Alexis.
'There's no doubt that the Alexis I'm facing isn't really her right now,' thought Jaden, glaring back at the cold smile formed on Alexis' face. 'These icy cold attacks combined with her cold determination...Right now, I can only protect myself!' "My turn, draw! I summon Dandylion to the field in Defense Mode!"
Dandylion - (EARTH/Plant) - LV3 - (300/300)
"I...end my turn."
"Feels like you have to make those moves," said Alexis, amused. "But I wonder if you can protect yourself. I'll gradually make the most of this! My turn, draw! I summon Cold Sleeper in Attack Mode!"
Cold Sleeper - (WATER/Machine) - LV4 - (1100/800)
"Cold Sleeper, attack Dandylion now!"
Cold Sleeper opened its hatch, and a sudden rush of icy wind blew over and froze Dandylion before he, too, was destroyed.
"Because of Dandylion's effect, when he's destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon 2 Fluff Tokens to the field in Defense Mode!"
Fluff Token - (WIND/Plant) - LV1 - (0/0) X2
"You're only buying time. What can you do?" questioned Alexis.
"So what?" called back Jaden. "Until the last moment, it isn't known what will happen in a duel! Not until the last card is drawn! That's what I always believe in!"
"In that case, I'll crush that belief. White Night Queen! Snow Fairy! Both of you destroy the last of her Fluff Tokens!"
At their master's command, both female Monsters released a large blizzard that easily overwhelmed the weak Fluff Tokens, freezing them instantly before they shattered just like the rest of their victims.
"I'll end my turn for now."
"Oh, man! It's like we're reaching the climax of this duel!" panted Jaden, her excitement rising at the sudden turn of events for her during the duel. "This duel's getting interesting!"
"Oh? You still say that despite the fact that you're clearly losing?" questioned Alexis, amused.
"What are you saying, Alexis? This way, a duel should be more fun! You should know that, too!" said Jaden. "My turn, draw! Alright! I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix!"
Elemental Hero Burstinatrix - (FIRE/Warrior) - LV3 - (1200/800)
"Burstinatrix, attack Snow Fairy! Burstfire!"
Burstinatrix conjured up a large fireball, raising it high above her head before shooting it at Snow Fairy, destroying her.
Alexis - 2700 LP
Jaden - 1000 LP
"Great! Snow Fairy is gone!" cheered Syrus.
"And with her gone, Jaden can now reuse Spell cards!" said Hassleberry.
"Still, she can't let down her guard yet," reminded Atticus. "There's still more obstacles Jaden has to face before defeating my sister, after all."
"I now activate the Quick-Play Spell from my hand, Frontline Fusion!" said Jaden. "Now, during my Battle Phase, I can Fusion Summon a Monster using Monsters in my hand or field! I fuse Burstinatrix on the field with the Clayman in my hand in order to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster in Defense Mode!"
Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (2000/2500)
"Fusion Summoning during the Battle Phase...?! Shit, she can technically do that because she destroy my Snow Fairy!" grumbled Alexis.
"I now activate Rampart Blaster's effect!" continued Jaden. "When she's in face-up Defense Mode, she can attack you directly, but only after halving her Attack Points during damage calculation only."
Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (1000/2500)
"Attack Alexis directly!"
Rampart Blaster bent down even further and took aim before firing a miniature missile at Alexis; the missile exploding upon making contact with Alexis, causing her to slide back from the impact.
Alexis - 1700 LP
Jaden - 1000 LP
"Yeah! I did it! I'm one step closer to freeing Alexis!"
"Oh? Are you sure about that?" said Alexis. "Due to Cold Sleeper's effect, when a Monster I control is destroyed, I can Special Summon it back at the end of my Battle Phase, at the cost of giving up one of my unused Monster Zones for the rest of this duel. In the other words, Snow Fairy will be revived here and now!"
"Damnit!"
"Now I activate Cold Sleeper's effect! Be revived, Snow Fairy!"
Snow Fairy - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (1100/700)
"You're in luck, Jaden, because I placed Snow Fairy in Defense Mode! And the Monster Special Summoned from Cold Sleeper's effect can never change her battle position!"
"I set two cards facedown and end my turn!" decided Jaden.
"I draw!" said Alexis. "Trying to make me play the guessing game, are we? Fine, I activate White Night Queen's effect and destroy that left Set card you have right there!"
White Night Queen easily swept away the chosen Set card with a single cold breeze, revealing it to be Scapegoat.
"Now, I sacrifice both Cold Sleeper and White Night Queen in order to Tribute Summon White Night Dragon!" announced Alexis.
White Night Dragon - (WATER/Dragon) - LV8 - (3000/2500)
"Awesome! So that's probably your ace Monster, huh?" said Jaden, impressed.
"Now, I equip the Spell, White Veil to my White Night Dragon!" continued Alexis.
"That card!" gasped Jaden, recognizing it.
"I remember that card!" said Syrus.
"Yeah, that's right!" Hassleberry said. "It's the same card Chazz used when he dueled Alexis!"
"This really isn't good for Jaden at all," stated Atticus. "Because White Night Dragon has an effect that'll destroy any and all Traps and Spells targeting it. And when White Night Veil to a Monster when it attacks, all Spells and Traps Alexis' opponent controls is negated and destroyed."
Chazz turned back to the duel. "In other words, any and all of Jaden's set cards are useless? That's a pretty powerful combo."
Alexis giggled maliciously. "Surrender to the power of the light. Battle! White Night Dragon, destroy her Fusion Monster!"
White Night Dragon opened its jaws and unleashed a heavy storm of hail and ice onto Rampart Blaster, annihilating her.
"I end my turn. Oh, and let me tell you something. Aiming for Snow Fairy is useless. Thanks to White Night Dragon, one Spell or Trap card on my field, the attack can be redirected towards him. Well? What do you think?"
"Alexis, I haven't given up!" called out Jaden. "Didn't I tell you? It's not over until the last card's drawn!"
Amused, Alexis accepted her challenge. "Then, I'll see you till your last struggle."
"My turn, draw!" Jaden drew her card and quickly formulated a plan. "I remove from play two cards from my Graveyard in order to Special Summon Spell Striker!"
Spell Striker - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV3 - (600/200)
"Next up, I summon Armor Breaker!"
Armor Breaker - (EARTH/Warrior/Union) - LV3 - (800/800)
"I now activate Armor Breaker's effect! I equip him onto Spell Striker!"
Armor Breaker leapt up in the air, somersaulting until he transformed into a hammer for Spell Striker to wield.
"Spell Striker also has the special ability of attacking you directly! Now, attack her directly, Spell Striker!"
Alexis yelled in pain when Spell Striker bypassed her Monsters and slammed her hard with his Armor Breaker hammer, reducing her Life Points.
Alexis - 1100 LP
Jaden - 1000 LP
"Hehehe!~ And there's more! Armor Breaker's effect is that when he's equipped to a Monster that dealt Battle Damage to you, he can help destroy 1 Equip Spell card on the field! And I choose White Veil!"
Spell Striker raised his Armor Breaker hammer and smashed it down the ground as hard as he could, causing a large tremor that escalated up to Alexis' side of the field, where the White Veil enveloping all over White Night Dragon had vanished.
"I set two cards facedown and end my turn!"
Forced to discard White Veil to the Graveyard, Alexis angrily glared at Jaden. "My sacred White Veil...how dare you?! Prepare yourself, Jaden! I draw! White Night Dragon, attack Spell Striker, now!"
"Because of Armor Breaker's effect, if Spell Striker gets destroyed, then Armor Breaker gets destroyed instead of Spell Striker!"
Spell Striker defended himself using Armor Breaker just as the heavy, icy winds blew over him. Armor Breaker protected him but in exchange, was destroyed, which left only Spell Striker as Jaden's remaining Monster.
"I end my turn."
"Jeez, I don't know who's scarier! The angry Alexis we're seeing right now, or the coldhearted one from before!" commented Hassleberry.
"Well, an angry Alexis is more similar to the real Alexis, and although she's scarier, it's proof that there's still some part of her that's coming back!" said Atticus.
"But, Jaden has a huge disadvantage. If this keeps up, Alexis will never return to normal," said Chazz.
"No, this is Jaden we're talking about. She'll think of something!"
"Man, you're real good, Alexis! Looks like you've still got some fire left in you!" Jaden commented.
Alexis smirked. "You might rely on your defense for now, but I'll overcome that soon enough!"
"I won't give up until the very end!" promised Jaden. "My turn, draw! I summon Elemental Hero Flash in Defense Mode!"
Elemental Hero Flash - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1100/600)
"Then, I use Spell Striker to attack White Night Dragon!"
"WHAT?!" Jaden's friends yelled from the sidelines.
"Wha-?!" Even Alexis was taken aback, but took a second to compose herself as she smirked. "If you want to lose so badly, fine! White Night Dragon, retaliate!"
White Night Dragon easily froze Spell Striker in an instant, but despite her only Monster being destroyed, Jaden took no damage.
"Before you ask, let me explain!" said Jaden. "Spell Striker's effect makes it so I take no Battle Damage involving him!"
"Then, what was the point of that whole attack?! You just wasted away your only Monster!" pointed out Alexis.
"This! I activate my Trap card, Hero Signal! When a Monster on my field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Monster from my hand or deck that has Elemental Hero in its name! I Special Summon Elemental Hero Stratos in Attack Mode!"
Elemental Hero Stratos - (WIND/Warrior) - LV4 - (1800/300)
"And when Stratos is Normal or Special Summoned, I can activate one of his effects! And one of his effects is that I can destroy Spells/Traps up to the number of Elemental Heroes I control except for Stratos! I control 1, so I destroy your only remaining Spell on the field, White Night Fort!"
Alexis gritted her teeth as the icy arena melted away into nothing, leaving her with no Set cards or any other Spells/Traps on her field. She instantly knew Jaden's next course of action. She was going to try and destroy her Snow Fairy, and without anymore Traps or Spells, she can't use White Night Dragon's effect to redirect the attack to her Dragon-Type!
"Now, I use Stratos to destroy Snow Fairy!"
Stratos charged up his fist with whirling winds before plunging it deep within Snow Fairy's abdomen, defeating her in one blow.
"I now activate my other Trap card, Hero Ring! This card is treated like an Equip Spell, and I equip it onto Stratos! Now, Monsters with 1900 or more Attack Points can't target Stratos anymore! I end my turn!"
"Tch! My turn!" said Alexis, drawing her card. "Since I can't attack Stratos, I'll go for Flash! White Night Dragon, attack!"
White Night Dragon swooped down and chomped on Flash with his icy jaws, roaring in success afterwards.
But, Jaden wasn't done. "I activate Flash's effect! When he's destroyed in battle, I can banish him and three different Elemental Heroes in my Graveyard in order to add a Normal Spell card from my Graveyard back to my hand! I'll banish him along with Clayman, Burstinatrix, and Rampart Blaster in order to add Swing of Memories to my hand!"
"Yeah! She got it back!" cheered Atticus happily.
"Fine. I end my turn."
"My turn, draw!" Jaden said. "I summon Elemental Hero Blazeman in Attack Mode!"
Elemental Hero Blazeman - (FIRE/Warrior) - LV4 - (1200/1800)
"Now, I activate his effect! When he's Normal or Special Summoned, I get to add a Polymerization from my deck to my hand! Next, I activate the Spell, Swing of Memories!"
"That card-! Gh-!" grunted Alexis, clutching her head. "It...means nothing to me!"
Atticus wasn't the only one who noticed the slight change to Alexis' personality. "Jaden was almost there! My card really did mean something to us! Awwwww! I feel so happy!"
"With Swing of Memories, I can Special Summon 1 Normal Monster from my Graveyard, but it's destroyed at the end of this turn," explained Jaden. "I Special Summon Elemental Hero Neos to the field!"
Elemental Hero Neos - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV7 - (2500/2000)
"Neos?! When did you put him in your Graveyard?!" questioned Alexis.
"Earlier today, I activated Graceful Charity, letting me put Neos to the Graveyard," replied Jaden. "And a good thing I did, too! Now, I activate Polymerization! I fuse Neos with Blazeman in order to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Sunrise!"
Elemental Hero Sunrise - (LIGHT/Warrior/Fusion) - LV7 - (2500/1200)
"Even though that's a powerful Monster, he's still not enough to defeat my White Night Dragon! Give up already!" yelled Alexis.
"No!" shouted back Jaden. "Because now I activate Sunrise's effect! When he's Special Summoned, I get to add Miracle Fusion from my deck to my hand! And now, I activate Miracle Fusion, removing from play Sparkman in my Graveyard with Stratos on my field! I Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Great Tornado!"
Elemental Hero Great Tornado - (WIND/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2800/2200)
"Then, I activate Sunrise's effect! Monsters I control gains 200 extra Attack Points for each different Attribute I control! I control both WIND and LIGHT Attribute Monsters, so both my Monsters gain 400 extra Attack Points!"
Elemental Hero Sunrise - (LIGHT/Warrior/Fusion) - LV7 - (2900/1200)
Elemental Hero Great Tornado - (WIND/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (3200/2200)
"But that's not all! When Great Tornado is Fusion Summoned, your Monsters has their Attack and Defense Points halved!"
White Night Dragon - (WATER/Dragon) - LV8 - (1500/1250)
"Two powerful Fusion Monsters with very powerful effects that instantly turned the tides of this turn!" praised Atticus. "Press on, Jaden!"
"Are you scared, Alexis? You aren't much at all!" taunted Jaden.
"What did you say?!"
"Quite frankly, only the you controlled by Sartorius now is kind of boring, don't you think?" sighed Jaden, shrugging her shoulders. "Uncool, you know?"
"Boring...uncool...me...?!" Alexis began shaking out of anger before finally snapping. "SHUT UP! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TALK!"
"And you have no right to be so cold to others unfairly!" snapped back Jaden. "Listen, Alexis! Whether it be a white night or whatever, every night has its daybreak! The sun will still climb high! So cut it out and open your eyes!"
"Impossible! Who I am right now is the true me! There's no need for me to open my eyes!"
Both Jaden and Alexis glared at each other with fierce determination in their eyes; the tension in the air rising and lowering in different sides. On Jaden's side, the air rose with the hope of a new sun, while on Alexis' side, the air was thickly cold with no intention of shattering the ice surrounding Alexis' heart.
"Then, you leave me no choice but to use force! Battle!"
"Come at me!"
"Elemental Hero Sunrise! Attack White Night Dragon! Go! Set Alexis' frozen heart free! Uprising Sunlight!"
Like the sun rising up bright and early at dawn, Elemental Hero Sunrise soared up in the air before letting loose a beacon of light rivaling that of the sun, illuminating the entire area and covering White Night Dragon completely as the ice surrounding the Dragon-Type started not to shatter, but to melt into water, and then to nothingness.
Alexis let out a painful scream as the last shackles to her frozen heart broke apart, melting her frozen heart and returning her back to her original state.
Alexis - 0 LP
Jaden - 1000 LP
Winner: Jaden
Once the duel ended, the Society of Light members began to rise one at a time, knowing that one of their lieutenants had now lost and could no longer see the light.
"Do you think Alexis is okay?" wondered Chazz, concerned.
"It's fine. Look at her face," assured Atticus.
Walking up to Alexis, who had fallen asleep with a peaceful look on her face, Jaden then knelt down and called out to her. "Alexis! Wake up!~ Or else I'll get a marker and draw kitty whiskers all over you!~"
Alexis groaned, waking up and sitting up. "You better not...Oww….my head..."
"Here, are you okay?" asked Jaden, offering her hand.
"Yeah, I'm fine now, I guess." Alexis took her hand and was helped up by Jaden just as the rest of Jaden's friends hurried from the sidelines and up to the dueling platform to check up on the two.
Things were alright for now, but Jaden knew this was far from over. Sartorius sending Alexis, the brainwashed version of her, to take back the mysterious key, was only one of Sartorius' first attempts and a major clue as to what exactly the key was for. Therefore, Jaden knew she had to be prepared, along with Aster.
Finished! I loved this two-part episode so much, I was like, super majorly focused on it, which is how I got a really fast update with it! Hopefully, it'll be the same with Cherished Evolution! So, I've got a few things to say about this two-part duel episode!
First off, what the heck was with Chazz's deal with his chosen card for Jaden? Ojama Black? Really? That really didn't help out, even if he originally was played in Defense Mode. I know he wasn't smart when it came to his feelings for Alexis getting in the way, but he should have been smarter with that! And no, Ojama Green and Ojama Yellow as alternate choices weren't going to help, either! The only major difference between those three cards was just their color, but that's it! Chazz should have chosen a different card, and because of his dumb decision in the anime, I chose not to let him put Ojama Black in Jaden's deck for this duel.
Second, what the heck, anime?! Jaden didn't get to play Swing of Memories in the original duel! If that was supposed to be a card symbolizing Atticus and Alexis' bond with each other, Jaden should have had a chance to play it! Granted, it was because of White Night Queen's effect that he couldn't play it, but he should have! That's why I made the version in this chapter make her play the card to Special Summon Neos! It was perfect! And yes, I know that technically, Jaden did sorta use the card when he removed it along with Ojama Black from play in order to Special Summon Spell Striker, but Jaden still should have played it on the field!
Third, I don't get why the others are downgrading Chazz this episode. It made me mad. Sure, Chazz is a jerk at times, but they shouldn't have blamed him for something beyond his control. He was brainwashed, for crying out loud, as in, no control of his actions, especially since he can't remember them! In reality, he really would have never forced Alexis to join the Society of Light. It was only his brainwashed version that made her join that organization, but Jaden and the others are too stupid to acknowledge that.
Fourth, I did some research, and apparently, Alexis represents the Sun Arcana, and I'm not sure what that symbolizes, but it's further hinted when brainwashed Alexis visited Sartorius just as he flipped over the Sun Arcana card, a reference to her Arcana. I thought it would be quite fitting for the duel to end with Elemental Hero Sunrise, since it's in his name? A hero rising up with the sun and illuminating the night! And no, not like Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman! I thought this was more fitting than just Flare Neos just burning through the ice surrounding Alexis' heart, even if it was also a symbolic moment to break through her Ice Queen persona.
Fifth, yeah, I didn't make Alexis use the White Blizzard card as intended, because, come on, it's obvious it's a plot point card. Dealing 600 Points of Damage every time her Monster destroys one of Jaden's Monsters? And it even originally ended with him having 100 Life Points left at the end of the duel! Come on, it was obvious that it was leading to a typical Yu-Gi-Oh tradition. When the protagonist has very few Life Points left, he draws a super awesome card that'll help him out of a bind and win the duel. I was pretty annoyed by that, so I changed things up a bit for more proper playing.
And finally, my favorite part in this duel was during the final showdown between Alexis and Jaden! Like, during the Flare Neos vs White Night Dragon part, and I LOVE that Japanese ost that played with it, "Impossible Victory!" That has got to be my most favorite GX ost ever! Plus, the dialogue in the Japanese version is so much better than the English version!
Okay, with that said, read and review!