Wow, WOW! It's been like, a really long time since I last updated, and I wished that I could have gotten back to this more but unfortunately, due to a lot of busy stuff in my life, this was delayed IMMENSELY!
That said, I will be focusing more on this fanfic until season 2 is over, and before you guys ask, yes, technically this chapter is meant to do the finale Sartorius and Jaden duel which is meant to be the finale of season 2, but I still have extras after their duel starting next chapter, so my main focus will be on this chapter before I hiatus this story so that I can focus on my other stories. If not, then I'll most likely be busy from chores or next semester school stuff.
So yeah, I originally planned for this chapter to be The D vs Aster chapter, but we already know how that'll end up. The D loses, Aster gets his Destiny-Hero Plasma card, things explode, and The D dies. Well, in the Japanese version, he dies, but in the American version, he just "disappears," never to be seen again. Well, that's 4Kids for you.
Well, the same result is the same, except I decided to plan things differently. The D does lose and Aster does get his father's card back, but there's no explosion nor any deaths. The D is just knocked out, and as for his fate? Well, you'll have to read the rest of this chapter to find out. Now, let's get back to the story!
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own any Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!
Jaden and her friends remained in place, utterly stunned over witnessing Aster's loss over Sartorius, who revealed his truly devious form upon the revelation of him being possessed by the Light of Destruction. Once the light from the previous duel died down, Aster didn't seem...conscious anymore.
No, there was more to it that that. His complexion had grown pale and thinned, his body weakened, and his silver-grey hair had mysteriously changed into a bland white color. The effects of the aftermath of his loss along with Sartorius' power must have been the cause of Aster's current condition. As he likely had no more strength left, Aster collapsed to his knees.
"Aster!" Jaden hurried to Aster's side, managing to catch him before he could collapse facedown. "Just hang in there, Aster!"
"That's...That's no longer Sartorius in there..." groaned Aster, looking up. Good news was that he was still conscious and thus, alive, but the bad news was that he was still heavily fatigue and still at the risk on the verge of collapse. "It's up to you now, Jaden. Please...defeat the Light of Destruction that's currently taking over Sartorius' body, but more importantly...please return Sartorius...back to his...real...self-!"
With a final grunt of pain, Aster's weakened body was overtaken by an aura of light before turning into sand. His sand-filled body then fell to the floor and vanished completely, much to the shock and horror and Jaden and her friends.
"Aster, NO!" cried out Jaden before angrily glaring at Sartorius, or at least the evil entity possessing him. "Why, you-! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ASTER?!"
Sartorius only laughed and spoke maliciously, "Let's just say that he's...'resting!' But, what happens to him next is up to you!" Pointing to the tall statue of a goddess-like figure, Sartorius's body filled with the white aura from the Light of Destruction as he announced, "Behold! The Major Arcana's Goddess of Judgement!"
Confused, Jaden turned her head towards the direction Sartorius was pointing towards, but her gaze was averted for a moment by a smaller light. That smaller light happened to be one of the keys to the satellite cannon, specifically Aster's key. She must not have noticed it beforehand, but Aster probably dropped it upon his defeat, and now it had floated into one of the open palms of the goddess statue thanks to Sartorius' power.
"What's he trying to pull...?" wondered Jaden. Her curiosity was quickly answered when another bright light appeared in the goddess statue's other open palm. That bright light died down and was replaced by Aster's unconscious body. He was no longer pale, injured, and his hair had regained its normal color possibly thanks to Sartorius' powers having a small side effect of healing his body, but he didn't appear conscious either and was rather vulnerable.
"The arms of the goddess have now formed the Scales of Judgement," explained Sartorius. "Those scales shall be balanced with Aster and the two keys on it! But, there's currently only one key, now is there? In other words, if I were to remove the stopper now, their balance would be stopped, and Aster's life would cease to exist!"
"Uh...what's he talking about?" wondered Syrus, glancing at the distance between Aster's current position and the floor.
Hassleberry followed Syrus' gaze and thought just about the same thing as his blue-haired friend. "Oh, please! Is he planning to drop Aster from up high like that? I mean, it might hurt like hell if Aster fell right now, but it's not like one simple fall is going to kill-"
Suddenly, the floor started shaking, and a section of the floor opened up, revealing a booby trap in the form of a square pool of lava. And, it just so happened that that square pool of lava was right beneath Aster's position.
"...Man, I have GOT to keep my mouth shut."
"This is bad!" cried out Syrus. "If he falls there, Aster will be-!"
"So, what's it going to be, Jaden Yuki?!" called out Sartorius almost too gleefully, anticipating Jaden's response. "The key or Aster's own life? Choose!"
Hassleberry refused to believed that this was happening and quickly turning into a hostage situation. "T-There's no way that that's actual lava! I mean, that's physically impossible! T-That has to be Solid Vision, right?"
Syrus, also refusing to accept the reality of the situation, agreed. "Y-Yeah! Jaden, don't be fooled by this guy! He's probably playing tricks just so he can get your key!"
"No, you're wrong! That's no Solid Vision!"
Turning around, Syrus and Hassleberry saw both Linda half-carrying and half-dragging her prince, Prince Ojin, as they entered into the same room as everyone else, having witnessed what just happened.
"Prince Ojin?! Linda?! What are you two doing here?!" questioned Hassleberry. Before, he and Syrus had grown too worried for Jaden, and Linda, having sensed both boys' distress for their friend's safety, allowed the two to leave her prince to her. That meant that Hassleberry and Syrus were able to catch up to Jaden just as they entered the same room they were standing up and witnesses the last of the duel involving Sartorius and Aster.
"Yeah, and what did you mean by that? There's no way this is real!" shouted Syrus, though even he was starting to feel uncertain about his own thoughts.
Still weakened from his last duel and from recently broken from Sartorius' brainwashing, Prince Ojin glanced up. "T-The light is too strong this time! Sartorius even made the statue come to life with his own powers! Think about it! He's already proven how powerful he is with his unusual powers! It wouldn't be farfetched for him to threaten that young man's life with his powers! In fact, he might just do anything if it means accomplishing his goals!"
Realizing the truth behind the prince's words, as well as the reality of the situation, Syrus's eyes widened. "Then, if we don't get Jaden's key on the scale at the other end-!"
"Yes! That means Aster's life will end here tragically! So, let the judgement commence!" With a snap of his fingers, Sartorius used his powers to remove the stopper on the goddess statue, thus making the scale unbalanced. The hand holding Aster slowly started descending towards the pool of lava below while the other hand with only one key began ascending higher and higher.
"Stop it!" cried out Jaden, panicking. She ripped the key out of her pockets and glanced at it, knowing the consequences should she willingly hand it over.
Knowing what Jaden intended on doing, Prince Ojin called out to her. "Jaden! If you hand over that key, Sartorius will have full control of SORA!"
"And if that happens, the whole world will be destroyed!" Linda pointed out.
"But-!" Jaden glanced back at the goddess statue; her eyes averting between Aster and the other key in her hand. "If I don't, Aster will die! But, if I do, then-!"
Hassleberry gritted his teeth and clenched his teeth, feeling for Jaden and being just as frustrated as her. "Aster's life and the fate of the world are hanging in the balance! Damnit, Aster-! Why'd you have to go and lose?! Because of you, now Jaden's being forced to make a damn choice against her will!"
"Aster's life is important, but we have to think about the lives of everyone on Earth, too!" muttered Syrus before gripping the sides of his hair in frustration. "Gah! What are we supposed to do?!"
From glancing back from the key to her hand, to Aster, along with the being the one to ultimately decide whose life was important based on her choice, Jaden could do nothing but let out a cry. "DAMNIT!"
Her choice was made. She threw the key all the way to the top of the goddess' open palm, where hers and Aster's keys now laid, thus balancing the scales and saving Aster's life. But, at the possible cost of everyone's lives on the planet.
"No!"
"Damnit, Jaden!"
"What were you thinking?!"
Even though he predicted this outcome, Sartorius still couldn't help but call out Jaden on her selfish actions. "Jaden, are you telling me that you care not about the world being led to its destruction? All for one pathetic life?"
"No! I'm going to save Aster!" declared Jaden. "But at the same time, I'm going to save the world, too!"
"Oh? Trying to play hero now, are we?"
"I'm not trying to play anything! I mean what I said! I WILL save Aster and this world!"
Upon hearing Jaden's declaration and seeing her resolve to see things through her way, Sartorius' aura intensified as a surge of power overwhelmed and took control of his body; the Light of Destruction manifesting itself.
"Then, it seems we are both at a clash of wills and conflicts! You seek to save the world but continue keeping the impurity within humans! I, too, aim to restore the world and the universe to a blank state! So that nothing but the purity of light exists! The likes of you cannot comprehend that this is all for a noble cause!"
Before Jaden could retort, Neos' voice boomed inside her head, communicating to her due to their special bond and Jaden's Duel Spirit ability. "Jaden, right now, Sartorius has had his body taken by the will of the Light of Destruction, a being as old as time itself."
"Neos?!" Jaden glanced around, hoping to spot his spiritual form somewhere. "Where are you?"
"I am in Neo Space, but right now, more than ever, you and I must cooperate if we wish to see our homes and the entire universe intact. You see, the source of every conflict lies in the struggle between light and darkness. The Gentle Darkness, nurturer of life, is now on the verge of ruin thanks to the Light of Destruction. One side cannot exist without the either, or the balance will be disrupted. Jaden, you possess the righteous power of darkness to fight against the Light of Destruction."
"But...how do I use this power? I don't understand! I never even knew-!"
"...All will come to you soon. Just trust your instincts, your heart, and the heart of your cards, and victory will be within your grasp."
Although Jaden was still confused by the conflict of light and darkness that Neos vaguely described, even if he already told her the basics, she knew that this wasn't the time to be asking questions. It was the time to act!
"Sartorius!" called out Jaden. "No, the will of the Light of Destruction! Let's duel, you and me! If I win, you're giving up everything! Your ambitions for the world! The satellite! You'll leave humanity alone!"
"What?!" exclaimed Hassleberry.
"She's really going to decide the fate of the world with a duel?!" said Syrus.
Sartorius, or rather the Light of Destruction possessing him, merely laughed out of amusement. "How amusing! You think that I'll just follow your lead, is that it? Well, unfortunately for you, I have no need! After all, you already handed me your key, and with Aster's, I have the complete set to activate and control SORA!"
Jaden was taken aback, having already forgotten the flaw in her plan that was quickly being ripped apart. "Awww, crap baskets!"
"SORA, come to me!" bellowed Sartorius, putting his hands together which were enveloped in a bright ball of light before thrusting his palms forward, sending a curved ray of light towards where the satellite keys were located.
Suddenly, a portal resembling space appeared from the ceiling, sending a multicolored beam straight towards the ray of light. Both rays collided with each other; their equal power deflecting one another and blinding everyone before both rays vanished simultaneously.
Once the light died down, it was revealed that the one that stopped Sartorius and was now currently protecting the keys was Neos. Power embedded within the great Elemental Hero of space as he stood firmly in front of the keys to protect them from the evil being known as the Light of Destruction.
Jaden gasped, clearly happy to see Neos in their time of need. "Neos! Great timing!"
Neos turned his head and gave a curt nod to his owner. "Jaden, I will protect these keys. Your role right now is to defeat Sartorius in a duel and seal away the Light of Destruction that possesses him, for good."
"You really think that I'll abide?!" Once more, Sartorius released another, yet stronger, ray of light, only for Neos to intercept his power with his own. The two rays collided with each other, cancelling each other out and releasing a large explosion.
As soon as the smoke cleared, it was clear to everyone that nothing was going to get done should they continue using force. "Looks like we're dueling after all," commented Jaden.
If Sartorius was annoyed, not even an shred of his annoyance was shown in his gleeful and malicious expression. "Fine, I guess it'll be pointless wasting our powers in a never-ending conflict. After all, this is all part of the fate that I have foreseen. In fact, this'll be like killing two birds with one stone if I defeat you here and now, Jaden! Once you're done, Neos will be finished as well! And then, there'll be nobody left standing in my way!"
Having heard enough, Jaden activated her duel disk. "Well, now you're DEFINITELY never getting those keys! I'm winning this! But...I'm pretty curious about one thing. Why do you want to destroy the world? Just what kind of goal is that?"
Sartorius chuckled. "Because of the urge to destroy! it resides in the hearts of all! And you're no exception to this either, Jaden! Or rather, you are a very, VERY special case!"
"What?"
"What I'm trying to say is that the act of destruction is the fated destiny established for this universe! The moment the universe was created, its fate began to move towards destruction!"
"That's not true!" shouted Jaden. "Aquos told me that the universe was the battlefield for the light and darkness! I thought the light was supposed to be for the good, and darkness for the bad, but it's total reverse here! Plus, without darkness in this case, then there's no balance! Just light!"
"Silly girl! Just like all other humans, you fail to see the good that I'm doing not just for this world, but for the universe as well! You humans may have your own definition of good, and while you portray me as 'evil,' you fail to see the good that I'm doing! In fact, this universe is fated for destruction thanks to the acts of humans, anyways! Thus, it's my job to purify this universe! But, I don't expect you to understand that!"
"...You're right. I don't understand, and I don't think I ever even WANT to understand your sick and twisted mind!" growled Jaden. "But I do know I have to stop you, so get your game on!"
"DUEL!"
- DUEL -
Jaden - 4000 LP
VS
Sartorius - 4000 LP
"Now then, I shall allow you to start us off," offered Sartorius.
It shouldn't matter who starts off the duel, but since Sartorius was allowing Jaden to go first, she knew she had to be extra cautious in this life-or-death duel. "My turn, draw! I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Attack Mode!"
Elemental Hero Bubbleman - (WATER/Warrior) - LV4 - (800/1200)
"Bubbleman's effect activates! When he's Normal, Flip, or Special Summoned to my field, and there are no other cards, I can draw two more cards!" Seeing that one of the drawn cards was a good one that only Bubbleman can use, Jaden decided to utilize it. "I now equip the Spell card, Bubble Blaster onto Bubbleman, raising his Attack Points by 800! Then, I end my turn!"
Elemental Hero Bubbleman - (WATER/Warrior) - LV4 - (1600/1200)
"My turn, draw!" Sartorius drew his card, and no signs of disapproval was shown. In fact, he was rather pleased at what he just drew. "I summon Arcana Force VII - The Chariot!"
Arcana Force VII - The Chariot - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (1700/1700)
The Monster card of The Chariot appeared above said Monster's head and began rotating, and his owner wasn't finished speaking.
"Now, depending on which position my Monster lands on, he'll gain a different effect! Normally, you would shout, 'stop,' but destiny has already been established!"
"Wait, wait, wait! Are you saying that the card will automatically stop at your own command? That's so unfair!" complained Jaden.
"Unfair to you, perhaps, but it just goes to show that I are truly destined for victory! And now, I will predict that the card will stop in the upright position!"
Just as Sartorius predicted, the Monster card of The Chariot came to an abrupt halt while in upright position.
Jaden mentally groaned. "So, this is what all my other friends felt when they were dueling you..."
"Precisely! They never had a chance the moment their fates were sealed! Now let me explain the upright position effect of The Chariot! Should my Chariot destroy your Bubbleman, then he will be Special Summoned to my side of the field! Now, The Chariot! Destroy Bubbleman!"
The Chariot unleashed a barrage of bullet-like blasts at Bubbleman, who could do nothing but defend using his Bubble Blaster, which got destroyed in the process of battle, but kept its wielder intact but weakened.
Elemental Hero Bubbleman - (WATER/Warrior) - LV4 - (800/1200)
"Bubble Blaster's effect makes it so that instead of Bubbleman getting destroyed, it's Bubble Blaster instead! Plus, I take zero damage!"
But, Sartorius still remained both composed and confident. "That is a matter I have foreseen! That grants me the opportunity to activate the Spell card, Divination of Fate! If I was unable to destroy your Monster by battle this turn, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Arcana Force Monster in my hand! I Special Summon Arcana Force VI - The Lovers in Defense Mode!"
Arcana Force VI - The Lovers - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (1600/1600)
"And I shall predict that the position for The Lovers will be...upright!"
As soon as The Lovers was Special Summoned onto the field, and a manifestation of her Monster card appeared, Sartorius stopped the countdown, halting the Monster card in its current position for all to see: upright.
"I shall explain the upright position of The Lovers another time. For now, I believe I will end my turn!"
"My turn!" said Jaden. "I activate the Spell, E - Emergency Call! This lets me add an Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand! I choose Avian! Next, I play the Spell, Double Fusion! By paying 500 Life Points, I get to Fusion Summon twice this turn without the use of a Polymerization card!"
Jaden - 3500 LP
Sartorius - 4000 LP
"Oh? How interesting! That card is quite fitting for you, Jaden!" spoke Sartorius, perking interest.
Confused, Jaden asked, "Huh? How so?" Then, remembering that she was in a life-or-death battle, Jaden shook her head furiously, as though to shake the curiosity out of her head, and snapped at him. "Can it! I don't need to listen to your manipulating words, Light of Destruction!"
"Very well. You can choose not to listen to me if that pleases you. But, you should know that that passion you're displaying is what once allowed me to feel the power of my wheel of fate being set into motion! How shall it fare now, I wonder? But I digress. Go ahead and prove to me whether you are the chosen duelist destined to defeat me!"
"...Fine!" Continuing where she left off, Jaden announced, "I fuse both Avian and Burstinatrix from my hand in order to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"
Elemental Hero Flame Wingman - (WIND/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (2100/1200)
"Next, I fuse the Sparkman in my hand with Flame Wingman to Fusion Summon again! Come forth, Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!"
Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman - (LIGHT/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2500/2100)
"Shining Flare Wingman's effect activates! For every Elemental Hero in my Graveyard, he gains 300 extra Attack Points! There's currently 4, so he gains a total of 1200 extra Attack Points!"
Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman - (LIGHT/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (3700/2100)
"Shining Flare Wingman, destroy his Chariot!"
Spreading his mechanical, enlightened wings, Shining Flare Wingman soared high in the air before sending an emerald-colored pulsing orb of power at The Chariot, destroying him in one fell swoop.
Jaden - 3500 LP
Sartorius - 2000 LP
Jaden was far from finished, though. "And next, his effect allows him to deal damage equal to your destroyed Monster's Attack Points!"
Hovering down and landing in front of Sartorius, Shining Flare Wingman radiated a bright, burning light that drastically shot down a lot of Sartorius' Life Points, all the while Jaden's friends were cheering for Jaden's quick and close victory.
Jaden - 3500 LP
Sartorius - 300 LP
However, instead of feeling despair over a major disadvantage, Sartorius started chuckling...before the fit of chuckles turned into maniacal laughter. "AHAHAHAHAHA! Did I not say that the urge to destroy also lies within you? But more in a special manner? Tell me, Jaden, just how did it feel, sending me down on my knees after that attack just now?"
"Huh? W-well...I felt more confident and pretty good since you're almost out of Life Points, but-"
"Thus, there you go, proving my point. Time and time again, humans have destroyed that which they've created. Nations, civilizations, the arts, and even their relationships with others. And all because destruction is the urge that mankind essentially desires! And it's because of that destructive urge that mankind has unknowingly been sending me here, time and time again! This time, to end the world once and for all and purify this destruction!"
"No! You're wrong!" yelled Jaden.
"Oh? Why else would humans desire such destruction? Simple, because the universe itself is moving towards ruin!"
"Like hell it is!"
"Oh, please! Do continue writhing and growing angrier with me! It'll only make me more powerful when I finally cleanse you! The universe is created, destroyed, and created once more, only to fall into ruin! Such is the cycle it undergoes! That is because this imperfect world must be destroyed, in order for the light to truly shine and create a new path!"
Jaden gritted her teeth, and as much as she wanted to argue back against Sartorius, she knew she would only be wasting her time against a madman like him, or rather, towards the Light of Destruction controlling him. "My turn's not finished! I switch Bubbleman into Defense Mode and then Normal Summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird in Defense Mode!"
Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird - (WIND/Winged Beast) - LV3 - (800/800)
Sartorius didn't need to try hard to notice that Jaden was growing cautious with her recent moves. "You still seem anxious for someone with an overwhelming advantage. Are you that scared of the l-"
"I activate Air Hummingbird's effect!" interrupted Jaden quickly, tired of Sartorius' ramblings and mind games. "For every card you have in your hand, I gain 500 extra Life Points!"
Jaden - 5000 LP
Sartorius - 300 LP
"I end my turn!"
Despite Jaden's huge advantage over him, Sartorius didn't seem concerned over his own disadvantages as he drew his card. "My turn! I activate the Field Spell, Light Barrier! The positioning in which it lands will determine its effects! And with my knowledge of the future in combination with this card, my power over destiny is now near its strongest!"
Soon, the manifestation of the Light Barrier card came to a halt in the upright position. The moment it did, both duelists became surrounded by winds of light before the light formed a circle around them, rising up and spreading out in the area they were in. The moment the barrier of light touched Neos, he could feel his overwhelming power drastically decreasing and being suppressed at a rapid pace, though he tried not to show it at first.
"With Light Barrier in the upright position, that means that all non-Arcana Force Monsters will have their effects negated! That means your Elemental Heroes won't be that effective to you in the field anymore!"
True to Sartorius' word, even Shining Flare Wingman, one of Jaden's most powerful Monsters, felt himself growing weaker now that his power-gaining effect was negated.
Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman - (LIGHT/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2500/2100)
Jaden, concerned for Neos, glanced up and saw his strong form growing transparent as a result of his decreased and suppressed power. "N-Neos?!"
Sartorius explained, "The power of my Light Barrier isn't just in our duel! It even exerts its influence on Duel Spirits!"
Neos wasn't just growing transparent; his entire body was fizzling in and out like a static effect in electronics. "J-Jaden, I won't be able to-! I can't maintain my form while protecting the keys for much long-! Please, you must protect this world, and not allow the Light of Destruction to prevail-!"
Seeking this grand opportunity, Sartorius thrusted his palm forward at where Prince Ojin was, using his powers. "Awaken! Come to me once more, Prince Ojin!"
Prince Ojin didn't even have the chance to resist before his eyes were glossed over and filled with nothing but emptiness. The moment he was brainwashed, it was as though all signs of fatigue vanished, and since he was back under Sartorius' command, he pushed away Linda rather harshly, causing her to crash into Syrus and Hassleberry before the three of them crashed to the ground.
Seeing that his brainwashing worked, Sartorius fired his ray of light towards the keys once more. Mustering up as much power as he had left, Neos attempted to intercept the attack, but his own powers missed, and Sartorius swiftly gained hold of the satellite keys. Because he used up the last of his power, Neos vanished, presumably to recover back in the Spirit World, or rather, in Neo Space.
"Prince Ojin! Take the two keys that reign over fate! Take them and hurry!" Sartorius tossed the satellite keys over to Prince Ojin, who caught them and ran off.
"No!" Syrus was the first to recover and tried to stop Prince Ojin by trying to tackle him. Unfortunately, he missed and Prince Ojin continued rushing his way out.
As much as the group would like to run off after the Prince, at the moment, there was another problem at hand. Now that the weight of the keys were gone on one palm of the goddess statue, that meant that the unconscious Aster was descending down towards the pool of lava at a much faster pace than before.
"Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap!" cussed Hassleberry, hurrying up the stairway railings to reach Aster in time. "Why didn't we try rescuing him during Jaden's duel?! GOD WE"RE STUPID!" Actually, in his mind, he knew that there was likely a chance that Sartorius would have stopped them if they did attempted to rescue Aster, but there was no time to focus on that now. He managed to reach the end of the stairway railings, jumped onto the goddess palm where Aster was, grabbed him, and then successfully landed back to the stairway railings without any harm whatsoever.
"Prince! Wait!" Linda took off after the prince just as Hassleberry returned to Syrus, carrying the unconscious Aster in his arms.
"Truesdale, can you stay here and look after Aster? I'll go after the prince, too!" With no time for arguing, Hassleberry placed Aster down near Syrus and took off after the prince and Linda.
Although Jaden was relieved that Aster was going to be fine, her heart grew with worry and fear now that the situation's worsened. Even if she has a tremendous advantage over Sartorius, it doesn't change the fact that Prince Ojin, once again brainwashed, now ran off with the keys, the battlefield's changed for Sartorius' benefit, and she fears that this will be even more tougher than she imagined.
Sartorius laughed, knowing that his own victory is assured and will come to fruition soon enough. "With those two keys, the laser satellite SORA will destroy Earth and lead it to ruin!"
Meanwhile, Syrus was shaking Aster, trying to get him to wake up. "Aster! Wake up! Wake up!"
Groaning, Aster blinked several times before he was fully awaken. "W-what's happen? The last thing I remember was losing and...God, I don't even remember..."
"Let me bring you up to speed," said Syrus quickly. "You lost to Sartorius, he became even more crazier than he was before, Jaden gave up her own satellite key to save you because Sartorius was threatening your life, and now both of them are on a life-or-death duel to determine the fate of the world. Oh, and somehow, Sartorius possessed Prince Ojin again and had him take the keys and run off, which is why Miss Linda and Hassleberry are after the prince now."
"What?! That idiot-! Urk!" Aster was still slightly weakened from his last duel with Sartorius, being heavily drained of energy and was extremely fatigue, so it was no surprise that Syrus helped him sit up in order for him to relax.
"Hey, take it easy!" urged Syrus.
Taking her attention off the duel for a moment, Jaden thought, 'Hassleberry, it's all up to you to stop the prince! As for me, I'll do everything I can to stop Sartorius!'
"What's wrong? My turn isn't even over yet!" reminded Sartorius. "Now that I've gotten your attention, let's resume the duel, shall we? Now, continuing off, I shall activate the effect of The Lovers! Because she was placed in an upright position, she can be used as 2 sacrifices for the Tribute Summon of a high-leveled Arcana Force Monster! Now, I sacrifice The Lovers to Tribute Summon Arcana Force XXI - The World!"
Arcana Force XXI - The World - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV8 - (3100/3100)
The moment The World appeared, as if on cue, a manifestation of its own Monster card showed up above its head and began rotating. Sartorius, however, came with some surprising news to Jaden regarding about The World and the Light Barrier Field Spell.
"I will activate my Light Barrier's second effect! It enables me to determine if my cards shall be upside down or upright! And naturally, it shall be upright! Now, The World! Destroy Shining Flare Wingman!"
The "eye" part of The World unleashed a powerful laser that blasted Shining Flare Wingman in one blow, thus eliminating Jaden's most strongest Monster on the field.
Jaden - 4400 LP
Sartorius - 300 LP
"My Light Barrier's third effect now activates," announced Sartorius. "When either one of us destroys an opponent's Monster in battle, Light Barrier allows the winner of that battle to restore their Life Points by the amount of original Attack points the destroyed Monster had!"
Jaden - 4400 LP
Sartorius - 2800 LP
"I'll set a card and then end my turn!"
Meanwhile...
"Stop!"
Hassleberry and Linda were still chasing after Prince Ojin, who managed to stop to grab a briefcase that was just as significant as the satellite keys. Hassleberry and Linda just managed to exit outside and were still giving chase when Hassleberry's leg injury caused him to fall, making him grunt in pain as he touched his ankle.
"Are you okay?!" Linda asked, stopping near him. "Did you get that injury from saving Aster earlier? You should rest and let me chase after the prince!"
"What? No, I'll be fine!" assured Hassleberry, getting back up. "Besides, this was an old leg injury! This little thing is nothing compared to the trouble that prince is about to unleash if we don't stop him!"
After a while, Prince Ojin made sure that he was far away from his pursuers deep within the forest before kneeling down and opening the briefcase. Using the satellite keys, he inserted them on the sides of the briefcase, thus activating some sort of machinery within the briefcase and then the activation code to unleash SORA.
The moment Prince Ojin inserted the two satellite keys and began directing its coordinations, the SORA satellite machine up in space responded back by activating, opening up its systems and positioning itself towards a coordinate that the prince was aiming for.
The preparations for SORA as well as the start of the end of the world was drawing near.
Back with Jaden and Sartorius' duel...
As though sensing the activation of the SORA satellite system, Sartorius laughed. "I can feel my power amplifying! In fact, I can predict even further what fate awaits you-"
"Shut up!" snapped Jaden, growing annoyed. "I'm sick of hearing all this fate bullshit! There's no set-stone future in a duel! With this turn, I'm gonna make a miracle happen! Draw!" After drawing her card, Jaden checked her cards to see what new strategy she'll pull out. "I activate my Spell, R - Righteous Justice! Because I control 1 Elemental Hero on my field, I can destroy a Spell/Trap card on your field depending on the number of Heroes I have! Since I have Bubbleman out, I'll destroy that Light Barrier of yours!"
"Oh, Jaden...did I not say that this was all fate? Did you really think this was going to be easy?" chuckled Sartorius. "I activate my Trap, Emperor's Staff! This turn, all cards I control can't be destroyed by your card effects. However, in exchange, you get to draw 1 card! So, draw!"
Growling at how her attempt of destroying Light Barrier failed, Jaden drew her card, revealing it to be H - Heated Heart. "I summon Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin in Defense Mode!"
Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin - (WATER/Warrior) - LV3 - (600/800)
Before Jaden could continue, she noticed Aqua Dolphin winching in pain but still trying to keep himself together. "Aquos! Are you alright?! What's wrong?!"
"I-It's this Light Barrier! So long as it remains intact, I'm unable to release more of my natural powers," stammered Aquos.
"Wait, the same thing happened to Neos! What about Bubbleman and Air Hummingbird?" Jaden glanced at her two other Monsters and noticed that Air Hummingbird was silent, though sweat was pooling down his skin and feathers as he was also struggling just as much as Aquos. Bubbleman, on the other hand, seemed to have some trouble breathing and wasn't in much pain as the other two Neo-Spacians, but the Light Barrier was starting to affect him as well possibly due to being in the same deck as Jaden's.
Sartorius only found amusement in their predicament. "You annoying Neo-Spacians deserved what's coming! The Light Barrier now exerts its influence on the entire universe! You have nowhere to go! Nobody can ever resist the light! Not even Duel Spirits!"
"If what Sartorius is saying is true, about him truly being able to predict the future, then Jaden might not stand a chance..." whimpered Syrus.
"No, there's a logical flaw behind that reasoning," muttered Aster. "If Sartorius can see the future, then he shouldn't need a card like Light Barrier."
"I-I don't understand. What do you mean?"
"Light Barrier has three effects, but while they are powerful, they're also there for insurance. In other words, deep down, the Light of Destruction must truly be afraid of the Neo-Spacians' powers. No...of Jaden's."
With Hassleberry and Linda...
For a while, Hassleberry and Linda were exploring the forest, hoping to find Prince Ojin hiding somewhere. "Jeez, how hard is it to find one single guy with the keys to end the-HEY!"
Finally spotting Prince Ojin working on the controls for the SORA satellite system, Hassleberry charged towards the prince, tackling him to the ground to get him away from the briefcase-like machinery. The two ended up in a short tussle until Hassleberry realized that the device had been knocked away from the prince. Hurrying, Hassleberry grabbed the machinery, raised it high above his head, and threw it down on the ground as hard as he could, completely destroying it and rendering it useless.
"Yes! I did it! I helped save the world! No more world-destroying satellites!" cheered Hassleberry.
Unfortunately, Prince Ojin's mad laughter did not comfort anyone and didn't quite serve as a good sign. "You're too late! Soon, SORA will be setting this planet ablaze! And there's nothing you can do about it!"
Linda gasped and looked at what remained from the broken satellite machinery. "He's right! Once one starts the system, there's nobody that can reverse nor stop it!"
As she said this, the SORA satellite had finished charging up its power using solar power from the sun, thus opening its front. Once it did, it fired a blue laser directly down on Earth, hitting the ocean.
Back with the duel...
"I...end my turn."
Seeing as she couldn't do anything but further raise her defenses against Sartorius, Jaden reluctantly ended her turn, silently swearing to do better on her next turn.
"My turn, draw!" Sartorius chuckled even more darkly upon seeing Aqua Dolphin and Air Hummingbird both agonizing in pain. "Writhe in pain, you pathetic Neo-Spacians! You can blame all of your suffering on your master's frail power over destiny!"
"Jaden! Don't listen to him! None of this is your fault!" spoke Bubbleman.
"T-that's right! We choose our own fates!" grunted Air Hummingbird.
"And, if there's one thing we've learned from being with you these couple of months, Jaden, is that nobody should dictate another's own destiny!" said Aquos, trying to reassure her.
"Enough talk!" snapped Sartorius, using his influence on the Light of Destruction to further increase the pain down on both Neo-Spacians. "The effect of my Light Barrier now activates! The position of my Light Barrier shall be settled during each of my Standby Phases! Should it land upside down, the effects of Light Barrier shall be negated! However, I find that to be highly unlikely because my power over destiny is over maximum! Therefore, I predict that it shall land upright!"
Unfortunately for Jaden, Sartorius' prediction came true when the manifestation card of Light Barrier stopped at the upright position, meaning that Light Barrier would remain intact for the remainder of the turn.
"Just as I predicted! I now summon Arcana Force IV - The Emperor!"
Arcana Force IV - The Emperor - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (1400/1400)
"Due to Light Force's second effect, the position of The Emperor's will be upright! That means all Arcana Force Monsters I control gain 500 extra Attack Points!"
Arcana Force XXI - The World - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV8 - (3600/3100)
Arcana Force IV - The Emperor - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (1900/1400)
"The World, destroy Air Hummingbird!"
With all of its "eyes," The World obliterated Air Hummingbird completely by utilizing several lasers from its "eyes," leaving not a single trace remaining of the feathered Neo-Spacian.
"With Light Barrier's third effect, I now gain Life Points equal to the destroyed Monster's original Attack Points!"
Jaden - 4400 LP
Sartorius - 3600 LP
"The Emperor, take down Bubbleman!"
Extended its robotic arms, The Emperor immoblized Bubbleman entirely before sending a shockwave throughout his body, destroying him.
"And once again, I gain Life Points!"
Jaden - 4400 LP
Sartorius - 4400 LP
"This is bad!" gasped Syrus. "Both their Life Points are tied now!"
"I end my turn! Go ahead and show me how you'll attempt to escape fate this time, Jaden!"
Knowing that despite their Life Points being high, that Jaden has now entered the area of being disadvantageous, she still knew she had to do everything within her power to stop Sartorius. "My turn, draw! ...I set a card and end my turn!" 'Damnit! Is this all I can do?!' she thought, gritting her teeth at her uselessness during that moment.
"My turn, draw!" Once Sartorius' Standby Phase arrived, the manifestation of Light Barrier started rotating until it landed in the upright position, and Sartorius didn't need to explain again that that would mean that Light Barrier would still remain. "I activate the Spell, Cup of Ace!" Upon activation, Cup of Ace rotated until, like Light Barrier, landed upright. "Due to its upright effect, I can draw two more cards! I now activate the Spell, Arcanatic Doomscythe! To activate this card, I must send an Arcana Force Monster from my deck to the Graveyard! I choose Arcana Force VIII - The Strength! I now use The Emperor to attack Aqua Dolphin!"
Using its mechanized arms, The Emperor grabbed hold of Aqua Dolphin, lifting him in the air before delivering a devastating shockwave through the aquatic Duel Spirit, being more painful towards him due to him being an alien sea creature.
"That's all! Thanks to Arcanatic Doomscythe, you take damage equal to the Attack Points of the Monster I just destroyed in battle! Last I checked, Aqua Dolphin had 600 Attack Points, which means you lose that many!"
Blades of light shot out from Arcanatic Doomscythe and slashed through various parts of Jaden's body as she cried out in pain. Because they were holographic and that their life-or-death duel could be very similar or very close to a Shadow Game, the pain was very much real, so any area within Jaden's body that was slashed stayed as bloody gashes, varying from a slash to her shoulder, on her arm, or even on her cheek.
Jaden - 3800 LP
Sartorius - 4400 LP
"Furthermore, due to the effect of my Light Barrier, my Life Points are restored by the amount of Attack Points as your Aqua Dolphin!"
Jaden - 3800 LP
Sartorius - 5000 LP
"But, I am far from finished! I'll-!"
"Not so fast!" shouted Jaden. "I activate my Trap, Hero Signal! When a Monster I control is destroyed, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Elemental Hero from my deck or hand! From my deck, I Special Summon Clayman in Defense Mode!"
Elemental Hero Clayman - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (800/2000)
"Fine. I was originally planning on having The World attack you directly, but your persistence has rewarded you this far! The World, destroy Clayman!"
Lighting up all of its "eyes," The World shot a laser blast at Clayman, obliterating the defensive Monster's defenses.
"And of course, Arcanatic Doomscythe's effect is still active, so you take Clayman's Attack Points as damage to your own Life Points! And with Light Barrier, I gain 800 extra Life Points!"
More blades of light flew towards Jaden and injured her further, giving her more gashes throughout her body. Panting and injured, Jaden fell down to one knee, trying to keep it together.
Jaden - 3000 LP
Sartorius - 5800 LP
"That damage going after Jaden is chipping away at her life!" muttered Aster, noting how severely bloody her injuries were.
Trying to catch her breath and ignoring the pain in her injuries, Jaden mumbled under her breath, "Damn...Sartorius' good! He makes a great comeback from a huge disadvantage from the start of our duel, and now he's got me cornered!"
"Jaden Yuki, you've no way of winning when I am able to foresee destiny completely!" announced Sartorius confidently. "Look! Behold my proof of my predicted success!"
Everyone followed their gazes up at the ceiling where Sartorius was pointing at. The ceiling's imagery changed into something akin to visual effects, but everyone could clearly see the SORA satellite firing a massive laser down at the ocean, where it was trailing from the ocean towards an unknown land.
"SORA is currently in full operation, and soon, it shall set this planet ablaze! Before long, everyone will see the light! That is how far the destruction has gone!"
Seeing the imagery changing to the SORA satellite now laying devastation onto a wide-scale forest, Jaden yelled, "There's no way I'm letting that happen!"
"Oh? Even after all this, you still seek to oppose my wheel of fate? You poor, naive little girl! Your fate was already sealed the moment we dueled! Very well, then! Allow me to show you your fate with the power of foresight!"
Sartorius' eyes flashed, and suddenly, Jaden found herself hypnotized as her mind was taken to what would be the future.
Jaden found herself standing in the middle of a desert, all in her lonesome. The harsh winds nearly blew Jaden down on her back, but she stood her ground and glanced around to see if there were any signs of lifeforms or anything else within the desert.
By constantly looking around, although it was far away, she could identify a very familiar building. In fact, that very familiar building was, no doubt, Duel Academy.
Before Jaden could ponder on where she was and why Duel Academy was stranded in the middle of the desert instead of the usual island it's usually residing in, the sandy grounds began shaking, and she felt something popping out from behind her.
Turning around, Jaden saw a large, shadowy armored figure looming over her, and as a high-pitched scream full of terror left her throat, a thought came back to her.
'Why does it feel...familiar to me?'
"Gah!"
A drop of sweat trailed down her face as Jaden returned back from reality, from the future that Sartorius showed her. It took her a couple of seconds to realize that she was no longer witnessing the vision in the desert and the shadowy figure, but that she was back in the duel between her and Sartorius. She lowered her head; her hair bangs shadowing her expression.
"How was it? Tell me about your future! Did you witness your final moments? Are you wallowing in despair now?" asked Sartorius, eager to know.
"...Wow! That was wicked!" said Jaden, lifting up her head and showing a somewhat excited look on her face.
Shocked, Sartorius demanded, "Have you lost your mind?! I showed you a vision of your future, and you're suddenly so excited?! Just what did you see in your vision?! Or is it because you've lost your sanity after coming face-to-face with your dreadful fate?!"
"Nah, I'm not crazy," said Jaden. "And sure, what I saw was definitely a bad end, but it wasn't me losing to you! If what I saw was your so-called fate, then that means that I didn't lose to you, and that means that this planet is already 'destined' to be saved!"
"What?! How dare you try and use destiny in such a manner like that! You have no right!"
"Wow, that's pot calling the kettle black. Or, at least I think that's how the phrase goes, anyways," muttered Jaden. "But, yeah, even if what I saw was part of my fate, then that just proves one thing for me! Fate can be changed!"
"What utter nonsense! Destiny cannot be altered by the likes of mere humans!"
"Oh? But I'm no mere human, remember? I'm supposed to be one of the chosen ones, right?" Jaden reminded. "And besides, there's no proof that any other human can't alter destiny! With me, all I have to do is trust in my deck since with anyone, each card is like a little hope in itself! What makes dueling interesting is using your own hands to draw those little hopes! And I'm not gonna let you decide my own fate!"
"Insolent girl! Insane and deluded! Just try and prove me wrong, then! I end my turn!"
"Gladly! My turn, draw!" shouted Jaden, drawing her card. "I activate the Spell card, Pot of Greed, letting me draw two more cards! I then activate the Spell, O - Oversoul! With this card, I can Special Summon a Normal Elemental Hero Monster from my Graveyard! I Special Summon Sparkman!"
Elemental Hero Sparkman - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1600/1400)
"Next, I'll play H - Heated Heart on Sparkman, giving him 500 extra Attack Points until the end of this turn!"
Elemental Hero Sparkman - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (2100/1400)
"Go, Sparkman! Attack The Emperor!"
Springing into action, Sparkman flew up in the air and fired pulses of lightning from his hand, shocking The Emperor enough to cause an explosion.
Jaden - 3000 LP
Sartorius - 5600 LP
"And remember, your Light Barrier's effect helps me out, too! So I gain 1400 Life Points since those are the original Attack Points of your Emperor!"
Jaden - 4400 LP
Sartorius - 5600 LP
"Next, I set a card facedown and end my turn!" Jaden giggled, happy to see that she was finally gaining some progress.
Elemental Hero Sparkman - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1600/1400)
"So, what was that you were saying about destiny? 'cause it seems to me that the flow of destiny's starting to change, huh?"
"Hmph. With such makeshift attacks, destiny shall remain unaltered!" declared Sartorius, drawing his card. "Draw! So long as I have Light Barrier, you shall be unable to alter fate! And, as predicted, it shall remain upright once again!"
The manifestation of Light Barrier rotated again, but this time, it was facing upside down, thus activating its reverse effect. That being that the effects of Light Barrier were negated until at least the start of Sartorius' next turn.
"What?!"
"Heh, still think that the flow of destiny's not changing?" taunted Jaden.
Narrowing his eyes, Sartorius kept his cool. 'So, it is true, that Jaden is the chosen duelist destiny to defy and change fate. The very fact that my fate is able to be distorted by Jaden is one of those unfathomable possibilities...However, even if that were the case, on my next turn, Light Barrier will be restored once more, granting me another opportunity to strike back! No, that all depends whether or not I survive this turn!'
"...Heh."
"Is something so funny, you ingrate?!"
Jaden shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, nothing. Just that, I bet you're twisting your head trying to figure out how to get through this turn! I've been thinking, you've been using dueling as a way to prove your destiny, right? But, I think that's such a waste! Just when you started thinking that you can't rely on fate to determine how to duel, you try to figure out how to duel properly! But that's not a bad thing, because it just means that you're starting to enjoy how to duel! So, let's both go all-out and have fun dueling! You just gotta believe in your deck and have fun along the way!"
"Jaden...I know you're trying to convince the psychopath possessing Sartorius to have fun, but I still think that that's pretty stupidly naive of you," Aster muttered.
Although Syrus could agree on a small level, he kept his eyes focused on the duel. "It's alright. We just have to believe in Jaden! I'm sure she'll win!"
"Damn you...Damn you, damn you, DAMN YOU, DAMN YOU, JADEN YUKI! My fate shall NOT be wavered! The World, devastate Sparkman!"
Upon its "eyes" lighting up, The World fired multiple lasers that shot down Sparkman in less than a second, causing Sparkman's burnt body to crash near Jaden and explode.
Jaden - 2900 LP
Sartorius - 5600 LP
"Well, Jaden, I must admit, dueling CAN be somewhat fun!" crackled Sartorius, taking immense pleasure in seeing Jaden suffer.
"I-I activate the Trap, Hero Counterattack! When you destroy an Elemental Hero in battle, you have to choose a random card in my hand! If the card you chose is an Elemental Hero Monster, then, not only will one Monster on your field will be destroyed, but I get to Special Summoned the chosen Elemental Hero from my hand! And guess what? I only have one card!"
Jaden flipped over the only remaining card in her hand: Elemental Hero Neos. It didn't take a talented fortune teller for Sartorius to predict what was going to happen next.
"That's right! You have to choose The World! You have to destroy it! In the meantime, I'll Special Summon Elemental Hero Neos!"
At Jaden's proclamation, The World exploded, and at the same time, Neos was Special Summoned, much more rejuvenated and strengthened than before.
Elemental Hero Neos - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV7 - (2500/2000)
Turning down to Jaden, Neos said, "Jaden! Now's your chance! Seal the Light of Destruction away through your duel! Do that, and we'll be able to use our powers on the laser satellite SORA!"
"Got it, Neos!"
Emitting with the power of the Light of Destruction, Sartorius bellowed, "You're too late! Act however you like, however, you cannot avoid the destruction! I end my turn!"
"Shut up!" yelled Jaden. "I'm letting you have your way! And besides, the duel's not over until the last card's drawn! Draw! And I summon Neo-Spacian Glow Moss!"
Neo-Spacian Glow Moss - (LIGHT/Plant) - LV3 - (300/900)
"Neos! Glow Moss! Contact Fusion! That'll Contact Fuse Elemental Hero Glow Neos!"
Elemental Hero Glow Neos - (LIGHT/Warrior/Fusion) - LV7 - (2500/2000)
"I'm activating Glow Neos' effect! Once per turn, I can have Glow Neos destroy one card you control, and depending on the type of card destroyed, Glow Neos' effect differs! And last I checked, you've only got one card left! Light Barrier! So, Glow Neos, tear apart Light Barrier!"
Forming a ball of blue electricity, Glow Neos fired it at the barrier surrounding the entirety of the duel, and although Light Barrier showed some resistance, eventually, Glow Neos' power proved too much for the barrier before it started to crack and then shattered, thus being completely destroyed.
"The fact he'll get from destroying a Spell card is a direct attack! But then again, it's not like you had Monsters out to protect you in the first place anyways. Go, Glow Neos!"
Glow Neos sprung towards Sartorius and blasted him with a beam of light; ironic because the very same Light of Destruction was damaged by a LIGHT-Attribute Monster with a light-elemental attack.
Jaden - 2900 LP
Sartorius - 3100 LP
"And now, with my turn over, Glow Neos' effect forces him to return back to my Extra Deck!" finished Jaden. "How'd you like them-huh?"
When Jaden realized that Glow Neos wasn't returning back to her Extra Deck, he turned his head back at her. "Jaden, it's all up to you! This duel is all in your hands! I'll stop SORA!"
"Y-Yeah! You've got it!"
Upon hearing the confirmation from his master, Glow Neos flew up towards the ceiling and phased through it, hurrying to initiate his plan.
With Hassleberry...
"No...the satellite's already in orbit!" cried out Linda worriedly, staring up at the sky. "If it's active, it will burn any target on the surface into nothingness!"
The brainwashed Prince Ojin only laughed at the misery and despair surrounding the heroes. "This planet shall become a sea of flames as the world falls to ruin!"
Gritting his teeth and clenching his fist, Hassleberry let out a yell and punched Prince Ojin straight in the stomach. The blow was enough to break the brainwashing spell on the prince as well as render him unconscious as he fell facedown on the grass.
"My prince!" Linda shouted, tending to his knees. "What did you do that for?!"
"Relax! He's fine! Okay, honestly, I did knock him out because he was annoying, but I think my sucker punch broke Sartorius' spell, too," admitted Hassleberry. "Besides, if we kept him brainwashed like that, who knows what'll happen? He might have even tried to stop us from stopping that satellite cannon!"
"You may be right, but still..."
Glancing up at the sky, Hassleberry grew frantic, wondering how he would be able to stop the satellite? Because of him, he slowed them down and due to that, Prince Ojin was able to activate the satellite! Because of him, he just caused more trouble and problems for Jaden, who was already having a difficult time against Sartorius!
The thought of being such a useless soldier to Jaden infuriated Hassleberry. He didn't want to be just useful to her, but he also wanted to make up for the mistakes he did! He didn't care what it was, but he wanted the power to fix all of this! Not just for Jaden's sake, but to save the world from this impeding doom as well!
With Hassleberry's soul burning, it unlocked an inner power within him as his eyes reverted to dinosaur-like slits. Letting out a roar, a powerful aura burst from his human body, manifesting into a T-Rex spirit.
"...WHAT THE ^(*^&(*^?!" That was Hassleberry's first response upon his reaction to seeing himself in a T-Rex body. Technically, the first time was when he was trapped in virtual reality with Syrus, but then again, last time he checked, he was still NOT trapped in that place!
Glow Neos, who was soaring towards space, felt the immense aura emitting from Hassleberry's spirit and flew towards the T-Rex spirit that is Hassleberry. "This is quite surprising...it appears that your inner willpower unlocked the Spirit of the Strength. I ask you to lend me your power, Tyranno Hassleberry. Come to me into space!"
Hassleberry recognized the Duel Spirit as Glow Neos, having dueled Jaden several times after her return to Duel Academy. While he was still baffled over what was happening, he knew that certain questions could be asked later, as he agreed.
"Alright, gotcha! I still have no idea what the hell is going on and how and why I'm like this, but I reckon I can use this new form to take down that satellite cannon! Alright, Glow Neos! Take me with you!"
"Very well, Tyranno Hassleberry! I admire your determination! However, in order for me to take you with me, you must leave behind your physical body! Allow me!" Using his own powers, Glow Neos separated Hassleberry's dinosaur spirit from his human body before the two spirits took off into outer space.
The moment Hassleberry's spirit was split from his human body temporarily, Hassleberry's human body fell down, unwilling to wake without it's spirit.
"Hassleberry?! Are you alright?! Hassleberry!"
While SORA was still firing its laser cannon and unleashing all sorts of devastating destruction across the land, Glow Neos and Hassleberry finally arrived in the midst of outer space.
"There it is! We have to stop it!" called out Glow Neos.
"Already on it! Can't wait to sic my new fangs onto this thing! HYAAAAA!" Roaring out a battle cry, Hassleberry lunged forward, intent on delivering the first blow personally.
Back with Jaden and Sartorius' duel...
"Enough of your games!" growled Sartorius; the aura surrounding him increasing along with his anger. "My turn, draw! Just as I foretold! The future is mine! I summon Arcana Force I - The Magician!"
Arcana Force I - The Magician - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (1100/1100)
Without Light Barrier, Sartorius couldn't freely force whatever reverse or upright effects his Arcana Force Monsters would land on, so he had to rely on the rotation effect. "Stop! Upright!" When The Magician card stopped right where he predicted, Sartorius laughed. "Behold! This is my destiny, and death happens to be your fate! You're nothing more than a puppet with strings now! And now, The Magician! Attack Jaden directly!"
Blinking once, Jaden didn't even notice The Magician suddenly vanishing before feeling his presence right behind her. Just as she was about to turn around, The Magician casted a vortex of fire, searing her back and making her cry out in pain.
Jaden - 1800 LP
Sartorius - 3100 LP
Although the pain literally burnt through the clothing on her back and stung, Jaden refused to back down especially since this was still a life-or-death duel.
"I set two cards facedown and end my turn! AHAHAHA! I shall not allow my wheel of fate to be moved by you!"
"My turn, draw!" shouted Jaden, drawing her card. "I activate the Spell, Hero Flash! By removing from play H - Heated Heart, E - Emergency Call, R - Righteous Justice, and O - Oversoul, in order to Special Summon a Normal Elemental Hero from my deck! Elemental Hero Neos!"
Meanwhile...
The words, "HERO," lit up in the midst of space like a signal, gaining Glow Neos' attention as he and Hassleberry were making their way towards the satellite.
"Is that...?" Understanding the situation, Glow Neos used a portion of his power to manifest the spirit of Neos out of his fusion body. "Neos, Jaden needs your help! The fate of the world depends on it!"
The two Duel Spirits gave each other nods of acknowledgement before they went their literal separate ways, with Glow Neos focusing on the satellite and Neos heading back to assist Jaden in her duel against Sartorius.
Phasing through the ceiling in a bright red light, Neos appeared right in front of Jaden, battle-ready.
Elemental Hero Neos - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV7 - (2500/2000)
"The Magician's effect activates! Whenever a Spell card is activated, his original Attack Points are doubled until the end of this turn!"
Arcana Force I - The Magician - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (2200/1100)
"Even if your Monster is still stronger by 300 Points, it'll barely make a dent to my Life Points! So go ahead and attack!"
"And that's where you're wrong, Sartorius," said Jaden. "You see, with Hero Flash's effect, this turn, all my Normal Elemental Heroes can attack you directly!"
"What?!"
"Neos, attack his Life Points directly!"
Ignoring The Magician, Neos flew up in the air and crash landed right into Sartorius with a sucker punch to his gut, effectively taking out a huge heap of his Life Points.
Jaden - 1800 LP
Sartorius - 600 LP
"Hey, Sartorius! That wheel of fate just moved! I've nabbed a new future with the help of my friends! Not just my human friends, but my Duel Spirits like Neos here!~"
Neos, feeling pride swelling up in his chest from the compliment, nodded earnestly at Jaden's comment.
"So then, I'll end my turn!"
Arcana Force I - The Magician - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (1100/1100)
"Jaden, just a bit more!" called out Syrus.
"Even though he's almost finished, Sartorius still has his trump card," muttered Aster.
Breathing heavily out of exhaustion and anger, Sartorius yelled, "ENOUGH OF YOUR RIDICULE! I will not all you to alter this future of destruction!"
With his declaration, Sartorius' power only flared up immensely, symbolizing the full strength of his power bestowed to him by the Light of Destruction. Although things were alright for Jaden before, now, she knew that things were only going to grow much more difficult than before.
"DRAW!" said Sartorius. "I activate the Spell, Magician's Scales! By sacrificing The Magician, I can add a Spell card from my deck to my hand! I now activate my facedown Trap card, The Material Lord since I now have a Level 4 or lower Arcana Force Monster in my Graveyard! And then, I activate my other facedown, The Spiritual Lord since a Level 5 or 6 Arcana Force Monster is in my Graveyard! In addition, from my hand, I activate the Spell, The Sky Lord, which can be activated when there's a Level 7 or higher Arcana Monster in my Graveyard!"
Aster's eyes widened. "This is bad! Jaden, be very, very careful!"
Three lights of pillars shot up from the ground, all varied in different colors from three different cards that Sartorius just activated: red, blue, and in the middle where Sartorius was basking in, green.
"Jaden, may you realize the foolishness of opposing destiny by experience!" shouted Sartorius. "By sending The Spiritual Lord, The Sky Lord, and The Material Lord to the Graveyard, I can now Special Summon Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler!"
The three colored pillars of light all merged together to be as one before a mechanized entity embedded with the power of the Light of Destruction appeared. Not only did it possess the power of the Light of Destruction, but its power was just as or even more menacing than Sartorius.
Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV10 - (4000/4000)
"T-That's a wicked powerful Monster!" commented Syrus.
Aster nodded. "Yeah. Even I didn't stand a chance against its power."
"Upright!"
The manifestation of The Light Ruler card started rotating above The Light Ruler's head, spinning only once before Sartorius easily predicted the position once the rotation came to a halt.
"And now, I shall use the Light Ruler to attack Neos!"
Two mechanized draconic arms came out of the Light Ruler's body; the draconic jaws powering up large light-elemental energy beams that were fired onto Neos, engulfing both him and Jaden into light.
"T-The light! It's too strong!" cried out Neos, using the remainder of his power as a shield to protect Jaden.
"Neos-! Aaaah!" The powerful light force completely disintegrated Neos and knocked Jaden back.
As both Glow Neos and Hassleberry grew closer and closer towards the satellite, it suddenly reacted to their incoming presences. It suddenly shifted its aim and began to target both Hassleberry and Glow Neos and naturally, being in the proximity of a deadly satellite cannon up close, Hassleberry panicked.
"OH, GOD! IT'S TAKING AIM RIGHT TOWARDS US!"
"Relax," spoke Glow Neos calmly. "Don't lose your calm so easily. When you get up close, use your tail to demolish it."
"R-Roger!"
Both spirits could have hardly predicted the fast powering-up time right before the satellite fired at them in close-range. Thanks to his instincts, Glow Neos shoved Hassleberry out of the way, causing both of them to narrowly avoid being extinguished.
"C-Crap! That thing really did fire!" shrieked Hassleberry, his heart skipping a beat from nearly being fried. He then noticed Glow Neos' body phasing in and out as his power grew weaker. "H-Hey! Are you alright?!"
"M-My body's growing weaker...did something happen to Neos? If our bond is cut off, then-!"
Hassleberry held Glow Neos close to him to protect him just as he glanced up and saw the satellite readjusting its aim towards them. "Gah! That thing's aiming right for us again!"
"Jaden! Are you alright?! JADEN!"
The conclusion from The Light Ruler's latest attack left Jaden heavily injured as she was lying on her back, battered up. That last attack nearly knocked her unconscious if it weren't for her strong willpower as she struggled to get back up.
Jaden - 300 LP
Sartorius - 600 LP
"Oh, god, this is bad!" cried out Syrus.
Aster hissed when he saw Jaden's current state. "Damnit...there's no way she'll be able to duel properly after that. Or, if she even can."
Grinning at the sight of Jaden's battered body, Sartorius continued his turn. "Due to the Light Ruler's upright effect, whenever it destroys a Monster by battle, I can add one card from my Graveyard to my hand! Of course, I'll bring back my Light Barrier! I set one card facedown and end my turn!"
In space...
Once more, the satellite SORA fired another powerful beam at both Hassleberry and Glow Neos. Using the last of his strength, Glow Neos shoved Hassleberry out of the way before giving in to his lack of strength, thus fading away.
And leaving Hassleberry in his dinosaur spirit form alone to deal with SORA.
"Hey! Where'd you go?! How am I supposed to fight off a frickin' satellite with a laser weapon?! Man, out of all the times to wish for laser eyes, now would be a really GREAT TIME!"
No matter how many times she's tried standing back up, Jaden kept falling down due to the extent of her injuries. And each fail only caused her to nearly lose consciousness each and every time.
Sartorius found nothing but pleasurable glee at seeing Jaden attempt to stand up only to fail each time. "Jaden, are you surrendering? But unfortunate for you, there is no such thing as 'surrender' in this duel! The moment you lose this duel, you lose your life as well! And then, at that moment, this world-no, the entire universe shall be basked in the glory that is the light!"
"Jaden! Get up! You have to stand up!" urged Aster.
"It can't be it! Jaden! Please, get up!" pleaded Syrus.
Within Jaden's hidden consciousness...
Despite her friends' pleas, Jaden started to lose consciousness and was slowly giving in to her injuries and the soft temptation of lying down to rest. Suddenly, she heard a strange voice. A voice so foreign, yet oddly familiar to her at the same time.
"So weak. You call yourself a duelist, and yet you can't even handle those injuries? Even I've dealt with worst injuries back in my time!"
Jaden winched from the rough and stern tone coming from the feminine voice. "Hey...who are you?"
"Irrelevant! What's more important is that you get yourself together and get back to that duel! I won't tolerate any excuses! You're still conscious and you still have Life Points in that duel! I refuse to allow my reincarnated self to be this weak!"
"W-what?!"
"...Fine! You know what? Just this once, I'll help you out a bit. I'll suppress the pain from your wounds during the duration of the duel with my powers But, you will have to duel by yourself! I will not forgive any excuses or mistakes!"
"I-I'm still so confused, but I guess I'll take what I can get...?"
Jaden snapped back to reality, and the moment her consciousness was fully awaken, it was as though the pain from her visible injuries had just vanished. That was when Sartorius glanced at Jaden and was immediately immobilized by something that could be described as...
Fear.
As Jaden started to get her, she kept eye contact with Sartorius, but instead of her usual innocent, chocolate-colored eyes, they were golden.
Jaden flinched and blinked; her golden eyes vanishing back to her normal chocolate-colored eyes. But, despite her returning to normal, Sartorius wouldn't forget the immense power behind those golden eyes, as well as a small appetizer of the darkness hidden within Jaden.
"Sartorius! I'm going to change fate with my own hands! My own fate and this universe's!" Jaden declared. "My turn, draw! I activate the Spell, Fifth Hope! I select 5 Elemental Heroes from my Graveyard, put them back into my deck, shuffle, and then draw 2 new cards! Well, 3 in this case because I have no other cards in my hand or on the field! Next, I activate the Field Spell, Neo Space!"
Normally, an array of colors surrounding the duelists would have filled the area by now, but instead, Neo Space transported everyone to the midst of outer space, where Hassleberry in his dinosaur spirit form was facing off against the SORA satellite system. It was only thanks to Neo Space's power that allowed everyone to be able to breath in outer space.
"AHAHAHAA! Behold! This is SORA, my great laser satellite! Even if you managed to defeat me in this duel, you will not be able to stop SORA from turning your planet into a pile of ashes!"
"Like hell that'll happen!" yelled Jaden. "I activate the Spell, Silent Doom, to Special Summon Neos from the Graveyard in Defense Mode!"
Elemental Hero Neos - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV7 - (2500/2000)
"Next, I summon Neo-Spacian Grand Mole!"
Neo-Spacian Grand Mole - (EARTH/Rock) - LV3 - (900/300)
"Here we go! I use Contact Fusion on Neos and Grand Mole to create Elemental Hero Grand Neos!"
Elemental Hero Grand Neos - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV7 - (2500/2000)
"And thanks to the effect of Neo Space, Grand Neos gains an extra 500 Attack Point bonus!"
Elemental Hero Grand Neos - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV7 - (3000/2000)
"It's impossible for your newest Monster to defeat my Light Ruler in his current state!"
"I don't need my Monster to attack your Monster!" shouted Jaden. "In fact, I activate Grand Neos' special ability! Once per turn, he can send one of your Monsters back to your hand!"
"Wha-?!"
Grand Neos activated his drill armament, making it spiral about before he plunged it into the depths of space, creating a large black hole that was starting to suck in Light Ruler.
"Good!" said Aster, nodding in approval. "With this, if Light Ruler is gone-"
"Sartorius will be left wide open for one last, final direct attack!" finished Syrus.
Sartorius only sneered at Jaden. "I activate my Trap, Reversal of Fate! It exchanges the upright and upside down effects of Arcana Force Monsters! That means that my Light Ruler's effect will now be upside down, thus activating its upside down effect! Now, its reverse effect activates! Whenever it becomes the target of a card effect, by lowering its Attack Points by 1000, it'll negate the effect targeting Light Ruler and thus destroy the activated card!"
Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV10 - (3000/4000)
"I've foreseen this entire duel, so I know exactly how to counterattack! Furthermore, you shall draw 1 card, but make it count!"
Once Jaden drew her card, the reverse effect of Light Ruler immediately took effect. The black hole that Grand Neos created disappeared, and Light Ruler fired a beam of light at Grand Neos, obliterating him.
Sartorius laughed. "It would seem this is the end! Indeed, it was foretold that you would not be able to oppose destiny! Just look!" Pointing at SORA, who was charging up for another powerful blast, Sartorius continued. "The Light of Destruction shall lead this world and further beyond the universe into the light, right after destroying everything and leaving not even a single speck of sin! That is the fate established for them!"
"This isn't over! I'm not giving up!" yelled Jaden. "No matter how beaten you are, you get back up with a fearless fighting spirit and then win! That's how the real hero that I looked up as a kid would be! And I'll prove it! I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Reverse of Neos! Come on out, Neos!"
Elemental Hero Neos - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV7 - (2500/2000)
"Sure, I don't have the power of seeing the future, and maybe I don't accept that everything is already pre-determined! But I do know this! Mine and my spirits' wishes are linked as one! Go, Neos! Take out that satellite!"
"Understood!" Neos nodded and flew towards the satellite, stopping right next to Hassleberry, who immediately recognized him as not just one of Jaden's Duel Spirits, but also her ace Monster as well.
"Wha-?! WHAT IS GOING ON?!" exclaimed Hassleberry, finding his head in a bit of a twist. First satellites that could shoot lasers, him turning into some dinosaur spirit, which, in his opinion, was the greatest thing that's ever happened to him, and now Duel Spirits actually existing and fighting alongside him?! If he hadn't already pinched himself earlier, he would have thought this was all some sort of dream or elaborate prank!
"Hassleberry, follow my lead!"
"H-Huh? Gotcha!"
"Ha! You foolish spirits!" laughed Sartorius, seeing the satellite charging for another blast. "it's far too late! Fate is always one step ahead! May all you vanish in the light before this world does!"
The charging point for the satellite suddenly ceased and vanished before a glowing aura similar to the Light of Destruction surrounded SORA. A familiar, female voice cried out, "STOP! I shall now allow you to manipulate my brother's body any longer! From here on, I'm taking control of the satellite!"
"W-Where's this voice coming from?" wondered Syrus.
"Sarina?" gasped Aster, being one of the few people to recognize Sartorius' sister's voice.
"No! It can't be!" growled Sartorius.
"Wait, how did-Wasn't Sarina trapped in virtual reality or something?" wondered Jaden, puzzled.
Suddenly, from the satellite, the spirit of Sarina appeared in an enlarged form for everyone to see as she was using her own powers to stop the satellite. "It was thanks to Kaiba Corp and Solomon Muto that helped me prepare myself for the day that I digitalized myself. Thanks to them, I was able to enter SORA through the satellite's circuitry. Now, brave heroes! Now is the time to finish this once and for all! Strike down the satellite as I'm still able to hold off its power!"
"Let's do this!" shouted Neos, placing a hand on Hassleberry's dinosaur spiritual body to grant him a power boost.
"Alright! I'm gonna wreck it!" Hassleberry charged forward, chomping down on the satellite and taking off a huge chunk of it, thus severely damaging SORA. With his turn next, Neos rushed towards SORA and smashed right through it, thus finishing off the satellite with a large explosion.
"NOOO!" howled Sartorius in despair.
While Neos teleported back to Jaden's side to finish off the duel, Sarina's spirit was still around, though she was about to fade away soon due to the satellite being destroyed. "Jaden, please seal away the Light of Destruction in your duel and rescue my brother from evil's clutches!"
"Yeah! It's a promise!" agreed Jaden before glancing back at Sartorius. "What's wrong, Sartorius? Didn't you see this coming? No, rather, didn't you see this coming, Light of Destruction! No matter what happens now, your plan's foiled! All that's left is to defeat you!"
Sartorius grinned, laughing maliciously. "Oh, Jaden! Surely you haven't forgot? Your Neos is still much more weaker than my Light Ruler! He stands no chance!"
"With Neo Space's effect, Neos gains 500 extra Attack Points!" addressed Jaden.
Elemental Hero Neos - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV7 - (3000/2000)
"So our Monsters' Attack Points are the same! That's still not enough to-!"
"And now, since Neos was brought back using Reverse of Neos, his Attack Points increase by 1000!"
Elemental Hero Neos - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV7 - (4000/2000)
Sartorius' eyes nearly popped out of his head as he quickly made the calculations. Because he had to avoid Grand Neos' effect, he was forced to activate cards that would trigger Light Ruler's upside down effect at a cost of lowering his Attack Points by 1000! Now, his decision is going to come back and bite him since Neos is much more stronger now!
"Neos, now! Attack the Light Ruler!" ordered Jaden.
Empowered by the combination of Neos Space and Reverse of Neos, Neos flew towards the Light Ruler and bisected it with a downwards slash of his arm. A distorted scream came from both Sartorius and the Light of Destruction possessing him as the remainder of his Life Points went down.
Jaden - 300 LP
Sartorius - 0 LP
Winner: Jaden
Upon the result of the duel, the Light of Destruction flew out of Sartorius' body before bursting into multiple little light particles that seemed to resemble a light shower of sorts. It was almost symbolic, and strangely ironic, given they were facing against an enemy of light.
Lying on the ground unconscious was Sartorius, and he appeared to have reverted back to normal, as the Light of Destruction vanished from his body forever. Standing over him was the remnant spirit of his younger sister, Sarina.
"Sartorius? Big brother?"
Hearing his sister's voice, Sartorius started to wake up. "S-Sarina...?"
Sarina nodded. "Yes, it's me, brother! I'm sorry, but in my current state, I won't be able to talk to you much. I hope that we'll meet again..." Having said that, the form that is Sarina disappeared, leaving Sartorius sadden.
Although she was sorry for the original Sartorius, Jaden knew that she had to do what needed to be done. "Neos...Thanks so much! You've saved this planet from destruction!"
Neos shook his head. "No, Jaden. On behalf of the Neo-Spacians, we all thank you for everything you and your friends have done. It was thanks to your efforts that saved this universe, Jaden."
After saying that, Neos disappeared back into Jaden's deck, and everyone returned back inside the White Dorms from outer space, still stunned and taken aback by the crazy chain of events that just occurred.
Some time passed, but after everyone calmed down, they exited the White Dorms, where Hassleberry, Linda, and a tired Prince Ojin met up with them. They all reunited just in time to hear the loud cheers of Chazz's name coursing throughout campus. It was clear that he was the winner of the Genex Tournament.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Hassleberry commented, "The hero who just saved the universe is right here! Plus me as well, since I transformed into a frickin' T-Rex and chomped that satellite!"
"True, but you wouldn't have done it without Jaden's help," reminded Syrus.
"I'm sorry, everyone," apologized Sartorius, being helped up by Aster. "What led me to be possessed by the Light of Destruction was my weak heart and the feelings of envy I held towards others..."
"Hey, no worries! Everything's fine now! All is forgiven!" chirped Jaden cheerfully. "Besides, if it wasn't you, then that Light of Destruction probably would have possessed someone even more dangerous! Let's just be glad that that Light of Destruction's gone from this universe now! And hey, we managed to change destiny, so that's good!"
Sartorius nodded. "yes, you're right. Thank you, Jaden. And thank you, everyone else!"
"No," said Aster, shaking his head. "All this time, I acted nothing more than an immature and selfish brat, only fixated on myself. I couldn't really do anything for you, Sartorius. Plus, there's Sarina..."
Looking up at the sky, Sartorius said, "No, I believe in Sarina. She promised that we'll meet again someday, and I believe her."
Jaden nodded. "Yeah! So do I! I'm sure you two will meet again! Hey wait! You've got all that fortune-telling power, right? Can't you predict when you'll finally be able to meet her?"
Sartorius shook his head, holding a stack of his tarot cards. "Unfortunately, that no longer seems to be the case. It appears that I've lost the ability to predict the future."
A strong wind flew by, causing his tarot cards to scatter and fly away with the wind. Once the tarot cards disappeared from sight, everyone saw a KaibaCorp helicopter flying towards the island, along with Sarina who was riding inside it.
Hope filled up everyone's hearts. It was a typical good ending for everyone. The bad guy is gone, the good guys won, and everyone got to live in the end after all of their hard work. Everything felt like it was going to be okay!
And then Jaden collapsed.
Upon hearing a crash, everyone turned to see Jaden on the ground, curled up and trembling like crazy. Heavy breaths and painful cries escaped from her mouth as she felt every single ounce of pain coming from her pain.
'Oh, god! That's right! That weird voice said that she'll temporarily remove my pain until the end of the duel! How did I forget about that?!' Jaden thought, scratching at her arms.
"Jaden?! Jaden?!"
"Are you alright?! Why do you have so many injuries?!"
"Infirmary! We have to get her somewhere with medical attention!"
A few minutes later, Aster hung up on his phone and was now laying Jaden's head against his lap while leaning against the wall, hoping to make her comfortable. Syrus and Hassleberry were not amused.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" demanded Hassleberry, placing his hands on his hips.
"Can you take your girl crush on Jaden somewhere else right now?" questioned Aster, looking annoyed. "Anyways, I just called the best medical team I know, and they'll be here shortly to help out Jaden."
Syrus turned to Hassleberry and said, "Jaden must have gotten those injuries while dueling Sartorius. It really was a life-risking duel, after all."
Sartorius looked down in shame. "That's right...My actions, even if indirect, only caused more harm to innocents, especially to Jaden...I'm so sorry."
Jaden coughed and tried to sit up, only to be lightly shoved back into Aster's lap by Aster himself. "I-It's totally fine, dude...I told you already; all is forgiven-! Ow, ow, ow!"
"Just lie down and relax, you idiot," said Aster, flickering her in the forehead, finding slight amusement from her "ow" response. "Someone with injuries like yours can't afford to move. You'll have to sit tight and wait for medical help."
"Fine..." pouted Jaden.
"...Thanks, Jaden."
"Huh? What for?"
"For everything," said Aster, turning to her. "I guess, specifically, I'm thanking you for opening my eyes and no longer making me blind to my goals."
Hassleberry and Syrus glanced at each other, confused. "Yeah, you're gonna have to elaborate-"
"Damnit, I'm saying thank you Jaden for helping me realize an alternate solution to taking down The D!"
"...Oh! You mean, your adopted Dad?" wondered Hassleberry.
"Technically, he's his official guardian, but I guess in a way, they are the same," pointed out Syrus.
"Former guardian," spat Aster. "He's actually a criminal who killed my real father and was technically responsible for Sartorius getting possessed by the Light of Destruction in the first place."
"Hey, wait a minute!" said Hassleberry. "When we were on our way to confront Sartorius, there was some guy on the ground that we found along the way! Was that-?!"
Aster nodded. "Yup. That was The D."
"..."
"..."
"...What?"
"You know, when you say, 'that was The D,' a LOT of people could misinterpret that," pointed out Syrus, turning a bit pink.
"Yeah, I thought The D was pretty cool, but after hearing what you had to say, I guess The D really isn't all that great like I thought," said Hassleberry, pausing for a moment to take in what he said. "...Damn, that wording could go wrong in SO many levels."
"Why is he called 'The D' to begin with? Is that even his real name?!"
Aster shook his head. "Actually his real name is Kyle Jables."
"So, why The D?! Damnit, I did it again!"
"Anyways!" coughed out Jaden. "Aster...what did you do with him anyways? You...you didn't kill him, did-"
"As much as I wanted to, no," admitted Aster. "Instead, during our duel, I interrogated him and made him admit a lot of information. He was pretty overconfident in himself, so he had a lot to boast about, which I recorded. I'll turn it over to the police and watch as what I once thought of as a second father go straight to prison for the rest of his life!"
Jaden sighed in relief. "Well, that's good! Ow...Say, Aster? When I get all better, how about we have a duel?"
"Thought you'd never ask. I still have make sure you don't one-up me," said Aster, smirking.
Feeling a bit jealous over Aster and Jaden's conversation, Hassleberry and Syrus decided to intervene. "Hey! Sarge! Duel me first!" demanded Hassleberry.
"No, me! I beat Hassleberry before!" urged Syrus.
"Hey! That was one time! That's it! I'm dueling you to earn the right to duel Jaden!"
"Bring it on! I'm just gonna win like before!"
"That was a fluke! I let you win!"
"Liar!"
"...How do you deal with idiots like them?" wondered Aster, sweatdropping.
"They're not idiots! They're my friends!" said Jaden, pouting.
Aster stared at her. "...I guess I can see where the idiocy came from."
"Hey!"
Besides the fact that they just saved the universe, today just seemed like a normal day for the young heroes.
Happy New Years! Well, I know that it's already been a few days since it's ended, but I just wanted to congratulate everyone for a successful new year and hope that we'll be able to find new, good things this year!
Alright, so despite the final battle of season 2 being done, for this fanfic, season 2 isn't done yet. There's gonna be a couple of filler chapters before season 3 starts, and I'm not starting season 3 until a very long time has passed, so this story will be in hiatus for a while!
What kind of filler chapters will there be? Find out next time on Dragon Ball-er, Gender Generation!
Read and review!