State of the Meta

by Yung Warrior

A self-insert in which a competitive player from 2016 finds himself warped into the world of GX. Between adjusting his deck to make up for the inverted power creep, making grades, and saving the world, there's much to do, but all good players know how to adapt to their circumstances. SI-OC, 1st Person POV

25. Looking Without Seeing

Chapter 25: Looking Without Seeing

(Alexis Rhodes POV)

Alexis considered herself a remarkably patient person. She aspired to be a teacher after finishing up with school, a career path that required enough patience to deal with children for most of the day, which was a tremendous amount. She also had the wherewithal to handle an academic career at one of the finest boarding schools in the world while also dealing with potential threats to her and her friends' lives in the form of the Shadow Riders. On top of that, one of those Shadow Riders happened to be her long-lost brother whose body was possessed by a demon. To say that she was a stoic person capable of handling burdens would be more than accurate.

But if there was one thing that Alexis had no tolerance for in this world, it was bullshit. She was no-nonsense and focused, having little patience for the frivolity that other girls her age reveled in. Some would call her boring or prudish for this, but that was how Alexis got to the top of the class, and she didn't intend to change her ways any time soon.

Yes, she hated bullshit of any grade, variety, or quantity. And Abidos was currently full of it. The pharaoh, who for so long has been exalted in the history books as a shining example of dueling prowess, was in reality a narcissistic novice with only scraps of skill. In another circumstance, she might have some more sympathy for the fallen pharaoh, but she could not while her brother still laid comatose in that damn hospital bed with no cure to his condition apparent.

"I understand that this must be a difficult revelation to come to." Alexis mustered up what patience she could. "But surely now you can see that this fight is pointless. It would do us both well if you surrendered." She figured that this gambit would probably fail, but felt it was worth a try nonetheless.

"No!" Abidos stood once more, and a new fire burned in his eyes. "I may not be the god I thought I was, but I am still a duelist, and a duelist has his pride. Defeat me if you can!" His servants, despite surely knowing that they would be punished for their duplicity if their master won, still held formation out of duty.

"Fine! Take your turn and we'll finish this!" Alexis responded in kind.

"Yes, we shall. During your end phase, I can activate The Third Sarcophagus from my deck!" The final layer was added to the ornate burial mound.

"And now…" Abidos drew his next card. "With all three Sarcophagi on the field, I can summon the Spirit of the Pharaoh (2500/2000)!" From the golden coffin emerged a reanimated suit of ceremonial armor, moving of its own accord. Symbols of Horus, Osiris, and Anubis adorned its orange-gold accouterments, a teal scepter in its ethereal hand.

"And when this monster is summoned, I can resurrect up to four level two or lower zombies from the graveyard. Return to me, Pharaoh's Servant and Pharaonic Protector!" The two smaller mummies crawled up from the earth, ready to serve their lord's bidding.

Alexis briefly wondered the point of this effect, but wondered no longer as she saw Abidos' next card. "I activate the spell Thousand Energy!" The pharaoh exclaimed. Suddenly, a violent red aura engulfed his two weaker monsters, boosting their attack points up to 1900 each.

"My level two monsters are boosted tremendously, but at the cost of this new power, they are destroyed at the end of the turn. But at this point, there is no use holding anything back! First, Spirit of the Pharaoh attacks Cyber Angel Benten!" The indigo-eyed foe roared, having little to lose.

"Reverse card open, Hallowed Life Barrier!" A shimmering blue barrier coalesced around Alexis' body, bright as the summer sky. "By discarding a card from my hand, all damage I take this turn becomes zero."

Abidos' monsters cut down her monsters with their newly augmented force – her Benten and Manju were no match. However, her life points remained untouched even still. Furthermore, the card she sent to the graveyard was no great loss.

"That was a good move." Far removed from his earlier arrogance, now Abidos seemed to be enjoying the game as a beginner would, unencumbered by the shackles of his reputation. As he ended his turn, his two weaker vanilla monsters slowly disintegrated, overwhelmed by the Thousand Energy.

"Thank you." Alexis said, nonplussed by this change in attitude. "Why are you being so polite all of the sudden?"

"Well, I see this as my first true game of Duel Monsters – I have no cause to be arrogant, and will instead learn as much as I can from this encounter. But be warned – victory is still what I seek." The humbled Shadow Rider remarked.

Alexis wasn't sure that this wasn't some kind of trick, so she decided to continue dueling as normal. Part of her hoped that this change was genuine though.

"Very well, then. It's funny – I wish to be a teacher one day." She carefully revealed.

"Is that so? Well, then, I suppose I am your first student. Show me the dueling prowess of the modern day!" Abidos beckoned.

"As you wish!" Against her will, Alexis felt herself start to have a little fun. The headache was starting to go away. "I draw!"

Right as she was getting into her groove, it was time to end things. She had all the necessary pieces now. "Once more, I will show you the truest form of ritual summoning! I activate Machine Angel Absolute Ritual!"

Behind Alexis, a grey forge arose from nothingness, the hologram seeming so real. Cauldrons bubbled and assembly lines whirred as a new monster was being created.

"This allows me to ritual summon a Cyber Angel using Fairy or Warrior monsters from my graveyard. By shuffling them back into the deck, I can treat them as tributes! The only catch is that the levels have to equal exactly the level of the monster I want to summon, but that's not a problem! I shuffle Benten and Cyber Petit Angel back into the deck!" A holy flame shined from within the forge, sending blinding beams of light skyward. From a simmering cauldron leapt a new creature.

"I summon Cyber Angel Dakini (2700/2400)!" It was an android in the shape of a woman, having unusual blue skin and six arms, each adorned with a different weapon. Blades and lances danced as the mechanical angel stared down Abidos' monster.

Future and past stood juxtaposed for a moment as the sun broke over the roof of the Obelisk Blue girls dorm, glinting off of Dakini's plating while shining through the ghostly form of the Spirit of the Pharaoh.

"This is the light that will pave the road to the future! Dakini's effect activates! When it's summoned, you must send a monster of your choice to the graveyard." Alexis' words were heavy with purpose.

Abidos sighed in grudging acceptance. "Very well…" He only one monster on the field, the Spirit of the Pharaoh – the Spirit dematerialized into thin air, a fading memory of a false past.

Now that the field was clear, there was only one thing to do. "Cyber Angel Dakini, end this duel!" With a swift, clean swipe, Alexis' monster struck down Abidos III. (Alexis 4000/Abidos 0)

Abidos' indigo eyes met Alexis' hazel ones. To her surprise, she saw neither anger nor wounded pride in those eyes. "Your strength is genuine, girl. I may have been bested today, but I now see that an honest defeat is better than a false victory. For showing me this, I thank you. From this day forward, I will walk the path of a true duelist."

"First time an arrogant prick has ever thanked me after defeating him." Alexis noted wryly. "In every defeat is a lesson. Believe me, I lost a lot before I started to get half-decent at this game." She chuckled, thinking of all the times Atticus and Zane outplayed her when they were little kids. She hated losing to them at the time, but in retrospect it gave her something to strive for. She had become a better duelist and person because of it.

Lost in memories, Alexis was startled when Abidos suddenly took her hand. Shocked at the gentleness of his touch, Alexis made to speak, but Abidos beat her to the punch.

"The duel energy tying me to this world has expired…I will have no choice but to return to the afterlife soon. You should come with me!" He offered sincerely, causing Alexis to be taken aback.

"Now I know what you're thinking, but you have my word that you will not be serving wench or anything of the sort. You will live as a queen, no, a goddess. Songs would be sung of your beauty and power! I could give you anything you desire – pleasure beyond your dreams. Just come with me and teach me the ways of modern dueling!" He practically begged – Alexis could tell that every word was genuine.

For a moment, she imagined what such a (after)life would entail. Alexis could see it now – she was reclining on a river boat, wearing fresh white linens, and being fed grapes by attractive bronze manservants. It would be paradise, and all she'd have to do is…leave everything behind.

She thought of her brother Atticus and her duty towards him. And for a moment, she thought of a certain pair of emerald green eyes…no, there was no way she could ever accept this offer, not in a million years.

"I'm sorry, but my place, my life, is here on this Earth. I have family and friends who would grieve for me, and I could never leave them behind for the sake of personal gain." She answered gracefully.

"You would truly take this life, with all of its unnecessary suffering and misery, over infinite delights and joys?" Abidos said incredulously, as if he did not anticipate the possibility of her rejecting his offer.

"I already told you my answer. This is my home." Alexis said firmly, before her features softened. "But perhaps one day, after I die, our paths will cross again."

"I see…you know, not everyone would make the same choice. Many would drop their earthly ties in a heartbeat if it meant an eternity of pleasure. You are quite humble, Alexis Rhodes." Abidos did not push further, standing up and letting go of her hand. "I will tell them your name when I return…"

Alexis found this quite romantic, but was able to steel herself. She was never a girl so easily moved by fantasy and luxury. But still, she was curious. "Who will you tell?" She asked.

"The other pharaohs, of course." Abidos' answer was simple, and yet Alexis found it meaningful due to her knowledge of history. She vowed to thank Professor Drummond the next time she saw him.

"Wow…you mean…even him?" She muttered as golden rays of light shone down on Abidos and his servants. Slowly, they began to rise into the air, towards the sky and the great beyond.

"Yes, even him." Abidos said. Alexis saw a doorway in the sky open, in which dozens of the ancient pharaohs stood.

In the center of the crowd was a man with multicolored spiky hair, in colors of black, red, and blond. Around his neck was a pendant built from puzzle pieces, with the eye of Horus in the center.

For the most fleeting of moments, Alexis met the man's eyes. They were a darker purple than Abidos, and they were deep with wisdom and knowledge, centuries worth. And there was power there too, beyond her imagination – indeed, Alexis suddenly felt very small.

"Fare thee well." Abidos bid her one last time, and the door to the past closed. Particles of light fell from the sky, surreal like the sight of fireflies at midday.

"They were all true…the stories I heard as a child…" Alexis felt silly coming to this realization now. Ever since the battle with Jinzo, she knew that the game of Duel Monsters had a deep history. But it had never felt so real, so intense as it did in that moment.

Because the pharaoh she had just laid eyes upon looked exactly like Yugi Moto.

"I'm going back to sleep…. I'm still not sure that isn't a dream." She thought with a chuckle, quietly returning to her bedroom for a nap. "There's no way the others will believe this."

"But then, you always liked fantasy stories…didn't you, Atticus?"

XxXxxxXxxXxXxXxXxXxx

In his hospital bed where he had lain for so long, Atticus Rhodes opened his eyes. He was awake at last.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Zane Truesdale POV)

The iron taste of blood filled his senses, the Shadow Game endlessly assaulting his senses at every turn.

"Well? I asked you a question, Kaiser." Titan spat the title sarcastically. "I want to know – if your ideals are true, then why am I winning? This is one shameful fucking performance for the academy's top student, it truly is."

"Urgh…I'm not finished yet!" Zane protested, rising to his feet. A few flecks of crimson dotted his white uniform – it was sure to stain at this rate, but this was the least of Zane's worries.

"My draw!" Zane calmed down as best he could and began to consider his strategy moving forward. "I activate Cyber Repair Plant! When a light machine is in the graveyard, I can add another light machine from deck to hand." Zane pulled another Cyber Dragon.

"I summon Cyber Dragon!" Zane summoned the second copy.

"Bit of a one-trick pony, aren't we?" Titan barbed.

"Just because you can see my move doesn't mean you can stop it! I cast the spell Evolution Burst! With a Cyber Dragon on the field, this lets me target one card and destroy it. You Archfiend Emperor is going back to hell!" The Cyber Dragon quickly slithered through the air until it arrived in front of the gigantic fiend's face. Without preamble, Zane's dragon unleashed a stream of blue photons that engulfed the fiend and destroyed it.

Titan looked a bit shaken for the first time all game. Zane continued, "But now, my Cyber Dragon cannot attack this turn. I set a monster and one face-down to end."

"Hmph." Titan drew. "So your light has not completely faded yet…it is no matter. I draw." The masked man did not look perturbed, despite the fact that his presumably ace monster was destroyed in one shot. "First, I shall play Card of Sanctity to replenish my hand."

"I activate the Ritual of the Matador! By sending the Archfiend Giant from my hand as a sacrifice, I can ritual summon Archfiend Matador (0/0)!" From a pillar of crimson liquid emerged a demon in a teal carapace. It was humanoid, but with unusually long arms in which it held a bloodred, fleshy cape of sorts.

Zane didn't recognize this card either, but he was growing more adaptable as time went on. "Zero attack points…doubtless it has a powerful effect." He thought.

"Now, my Archfiend Cavalry will attack your face-down monster! Go, blood spear!" The red demon horseman galloped towards Zane's field, taking a swipe at the Kaiser's face-down.

It was revealed to be Cyber Phoenix (1200/1600) for a brief moment before the demon's spear ripped it apart. This was find for Zane, though. "When Cyber Phoenix is destroyed, I can draw a card." He muttered, still unsure of the Archfiend Matador's abilities.

"Hmm. I see…" Titan murmured back in kind. "Well, I think that is time to play this game by my rules." Zane felt an ominous chill.

"Enjoy a glimpse of what is to come, for now we truly begin the duel of darkness! I play the field spell, Dark Arena!"

Zane could do nothing as the sun was blotted out and eclipsed by a darkness more complete than the night's – it was a black upon black. A dome of darkness surrounded both duelists, and Zane now felt completely and utterly alone. Titan, on the other hand, seemed relieved at the change in surroundings, as though the light was painful for him.

"I must confess, this is much more comfortable for me…you see, I have grown sensitive to the light. Of course, anyone would after eight long months of suffocating darkness. Eight long months of being devoured over and over again by demons…it's enough to make any man a little uncomfortable!" Titan began to cackle, before bringing himself under control again.

"But the darkness looks upon us men equally. While this field spell is active, we each select the targets of our opponent's attacks. And all monsters must attack if they are able."

Zane was able to grasp this well enough. If he played it smart, this effect could actually benefit him as well. But he was sure that Titan knew the card well, and was good at battling in this dark place.

The Kaiser strained his eyes, but they couldn't seem to adjust to the darkness. "I-I draw…" He stumbled momentarily before catching himself. Titan let out a scoff, signaling that he saw the slip-up.

"He must want me to attack the Matador." Zane surmised. Matador- a bullfighter, although the word killer would be a more literal translation. He could tell from its appearance what the monster's effect would be.

"My monsters will attack, only to be swept aside or worse." He thought, gazing upon the fiend's cape, which was seemingly made up of pulsing red tissue. "But if I enter the battle phase, I will have no choice but to attack, and he will be able to direct my strikes where he wishes."

In a way, it was a perfect counter to his deck. Trying to defeat Zane Truesdale in a battle of brute force was as futile as debating the wind – the Cyber Style was designed to be swift, overwhelming, and forceful. But Titan's cards were focused on controlling the flow of battle, and parrying his attacks directly back at him. It was the only true way to battle against the Kaiser, but most students couldn't figure this out – either from arrogance or stupidity, most of the time.

"Ironic – you exalt strength, and your cards rely on reflecting my own power back at me." Zane was familiar with a strategy like this, to an extent. Jamie Lancaster used a style somewhat similar, employing many powerful traps as well as stall cards like Marshmallon.

"So you have deduced. But just because you can see my move doesn't mean you can stop it." Titan said drolly, throwing Zane's own words back at him. "And power can take multiple forms – there are many roads to victory, and the ability to achieve victory is power, is it not? It's an intoxicating thing…hard to resist, in many ways."

"Hmph. Your mind games won't work on me!" Zane ticked. Talking to this man was a mistake. Zane couldn't let any more poisonous words into his head! "I draw."

"C'mon, Truesdale, think!" He pressured himself. But the darkness and the pain clouded his mind. And furthermore, Zane was not used to being cornered like this. The card he drew was welcome though – it reminded him of a friend.

"I set a card and end my turn." Zane said simply. By skipping the battle phase, he was able to avoid attacking the Matador. He knew that attacking that monster could spell defeat.

Titan grumbled, seemingly expecting that Zane would recklessly attack. "You adapt more quickly than I would have expected. But still, you must attack if you want to win." Titan said coldly.

"Just take your turn." Zane bit out. Talking took precious energy – energy which was seemingly always being sapped away in this hellscape. There was a dark humor in it all – that the game of Duel Monsters was being perverted in such a way.

Titan did not draw a good card. "I will also set a card and end my turn."

Zane knew that he had to spring his trap now. "During your end phase, I play the trap card Ring of Destruction!"

The collar of explosives circled through the sheets of darkness, landing on the Archfiend Matador's neck precisely.

"You might want to take a look at your Matador! It appears someone has fixed him with a new collar!" Zane grinned, reiterating Jamie's trash talk to him during their very first match. With a beep, the ring exploded, albeit harmlessly due to the fact that Titan's monster had zero attack points. Still, getting it off the field was a huge swing in momentum.

Zane felt lucky that move went off – a sudden reversal might be able to get the win, like an arm wrestling match. "My draw! I summon Cyber Dragon Drei (1800/800) in attack mode!" A smaller cyber dragon, more pointed in shape with orange eyes instead of blue, took the field, its mechanical veins dully lighting up the dark.

"And now, I do believe I'm ready to enter the battle phase. Too bad your Dark Arena's effect doesn't matter when you only have one monster to attack! Go, Cyber Dragon, attack the Archfiend Cavalry!"

"Shit!" Titan cursed ungracefully as a blue laser sliced through his horseman. (Zane 1200/Titan 3400)

"Cyber Dragon Drei, launch a direct attack!" The smaller dragon fired a series of hot orange bolts in staccato rhythm at Titan, singing his clothes and sending him flying back. (Zane 1200/Titan 1600)

Zane panted with effort, glad that he had finally hit Titan where it hurt. The masked man hissed in agony as spires of smoke rose from where the Cyber Dragon had shot him. Zane felt a savage pleasure rise within him at the sight of his enemy in pain.

"Good…the bastard deserves it after what he's done, what he plans to do…" The thought slithered slowly through Zane's mind. He would have liked to wonder where such a vicious impulse came from, to be shocked by his own thoughts…but they weren't shocking in the slightest. This cruelty had always lurked within.

"Was I only honorable in sunshine days, when things were easy? Are the principles I was raised on only burdens in the end? Would I truly be a better duelist if I discarded them and embraced the singular virtue of power?" This wasn't the first time Zane had considered these questions – they plagued him when he was alone, when his mind was undistracted with the diversions and duties of day-to-day living. In the end, little came of dwelling on the subject, because he had little reason to change his ways before now, when his life was on the line.

"But what good are principles if I die here and now? Could I live with the person I would become?" He had to choose a path, and soon – Titan was rising to his feet, and Zane could hear demonic voices beckoning from the shadows.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Atticus Rhodes POV)

Atticus silently walked through the hospital wing, which was eerily silent. At the sound of the alarms, most of the doctors and nurses locked down their wards and hid, following the protocol for when an invader was in the building. However, Atticus' minder was gone. Red hair, long legs, the whole package. She was super hot, but Atticus couldn't remember her name. She was a teacher at this school too…this is a school, right? It all seemed so familiar…

He didn't know where he was going, but something carried his feet forward regardless.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxXxx

(Zane Truesdale POV)

"Well, if you believe that strength is the only thing that determines a true duelist, then what do we make of this? You're lying on the floor, Titan. Even by your own logic, you're a loser." Zane normally felt himself above such taunts, but the taste of blood sharpened his tongue.

But Titan only chuckled, rising to his feet. "The duel isn't over until the last card is played." It was a phrase Jaden was fond of – just hearing the words from Titan's mouth was a perversion in Zane's view. All in all, it amazed the Kaiser just how much disgust he felt for the man in front of him.

"Just make your damn move." Zane spat.

"Oh, I will." Titan drew. "And I'll start by playing another Allure of Darkness!" He drew two and banished a dark monster once more. "Then, I shall play Preparation of Rites, letting me add a level seven or lower ritual monster from deck to hand. Then, I can add a ritual spell from the graveyard to my hand." Zane saw him add back the ritual of the Matador. "Does he plan to summon the Matador again?" Zane wondered, hoping he would draw into another method of monster removal.

However, Zane's assumption was incorrect. "I activate the Ritual Spell Card, Advanced Ritual Art! This lets me ritual summon a monster using normal monsters from my deck as a sacrifice!" A light blue pillar, similar to the Cyber Dragon's Evolution Burst in color, shot up from the ground behind Titan. Zane cried out as his eyes were overwhelmed by the sudden, blinding light.

"By sending Summoned Skull from my deck to the graveyard, I can summon the creature that will bring about your end. It is fitting, that a monster used often by the King of Games will bring about the Kaiser's end, don't you think?!" Titan cackled.

"What do you mean?!" Zane demanded.

"It's not exactly the same, but its mere image will suffice! I summon Advent Summoned Skull (2500/1200)!"

The creature that emerged from the blue light bore great resemblance to the Summoned Skull formerly used by Yugi Moto back in his early dueling days – it was a fearsome and tall demon with a white, bony carapace and violet skin. But the difference lied in the blue lightning that coursed around the demon's body, crackling menacingly.

"A ritual Summoned Skull…" Zane once again found himself out of his depth.

"Master Kagemaru is a generous man, to have blessed me with a more powerful version of my favorite card." Titan said appreciatively. "I know not where he got such powerful cards, but I can tell that this is only a taste of an entire new world of power…"

"I will defeat everything you throw my way. Every thing." Zane's determination was absolute.

"That statement will be put to the test soon enough. This monster cannot be destroyed by the attacks or effects of non-ritual monsters. I assume you play ritual monsters, right Kaiser?" Titan explained.

Zane didn't play ritual monsters, they both knew this. But the Obelisk Blue student could still draw into a spell or trap that could destroy it. This new variant of Summoned Skull was strong, but far from unbeatable. He tried to remember this as lightning sparked at the demon's fingertips.

"Advent Summoned Skull, attack Cyber Dragon Drei with lightning strike!" The demon shot out bolts of blue electricity at Zane's smaller dragon form its fingers.

Zane's eyes adjusted to the new source of light well enough, and he quickly responded. "I use the effect of your Dark Arena to direct our attack at Cyber Dragon!"

In the shadows, Zane's dragons switched places, the stronger of the two shielding the weaker from the lightning bolts. Cyber Dragon exploded, sending Zane flying backwards. (Zane 800/Titan 1600)

"Argh!" Zane landed on his side awkwardly, and pain began to linger there.

"You've put up a decent fight, considering that you've been fighting in the dark. If you're lucky, perhaps you will be strong enough to rise from the dark pits as well. Then, we would be brothers." Titan laughed with sick humor.

"I have a brother." Zane muttered.

"If you'd like, I can send him to join you in hell. I always try to honor a man's dying request – unless that request is to spare his life, of course." Titan replied with a smile.

That did it. That was the final straw. Zane pounded his fist on the ground. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" He roared – it was the first time he had raised his voice in many years. Titan ceased smiling immediately.

"You disgust me, Titan! You attacked one of my teachers, a woman I admire! You not only threaten the life of my comatose best friend, but now you threaten the life of my younger brother! And to top it all off, you spit on my principles and call me weak! You smile and toy with me, using a deck you didn't build and power you don't deserve! NO MORE!" Zane screamed.

"Fuck honor. Fuck respect. And FUCK. YOU!" The Kaiser drew his next card as Titan gaped in shock.

"What the hell are you looking at!?" Zane growled, but in a moment he felt an unknown force grab his arm, preventing him from looking at the card he had drawn.

"What?!" Zane snapped his head to the right to look upon who or what had restrained him.

His rage-filled blue eyes met the brown irises of Atticus Rhodes.

"Atticus…what are you doing here?" Zane's anger was momentarily replaced by sheer confusion. Why was Atticus up and about, and why did he hold Zane back now?

"I remember you…" Atticus muttered. "Zane…"

"He's awake, and has regained some clarity! How is his willpower this strong?" Titan was dumbfounded.

"Atticus let go of me! How did you wake up?" Zane said forcefully.

"I can feel it coming back to me…the fog is so deep. But I know that this isn't the Zane Truesdale I knew." Atticus' voice was strangely blank, as though even his distinctive vocal inflections were forgotten. "This isn't who my best friend is."

The words cut Zane to the core. But was this truly Atticus? Alexis described his actions and words during their duel as those of a demon. Was this a cruel illusion created by Titan to destabilize him further? No, the masked man looked as confused as he was.

"Are you Zane Truesdale?" Atticus wasn't asking the question sarcastically or judgmentally – he saw Zane's behavior, and it wasn't congruent with the fragmented memories he had of his best friend. All the same, Zane found the question piercing.

"Can I really be brought so low by the likes of him?" Brought back from the brink of an animalistic rage, Zane once again grappled with doubt.

"Who are you?" Atticus wasn't in his right mind, and he continued to speak the same question over and over. "Do you know Zane Truesdale?"

"Enough of this foolishness. Make your move so I can destroy you and Atticus." Titan snarled – now he was the impatient one.

"I want to destroy him. I want to break him into a thousand pieces and unleash the full extent of my rage." Zane thought. "No one would ever know about it. Atticus won't remember this. I could open the cage and let the beast free."

"But I won't."

For as long as he could remember, Zane had always been setting an example. At first it was for Syrus – a boy he could never relate to, as much as it pained him. He did not share Syrus' love for trains and cars, nor his enjoyment of harem anime and light novels. Zane had never lacked for courage, so it was hard for him to understand Syrus' constant worrying. But he tried anyways, by being the stoic, aloof big brother. He failed to teach and be a mentor to Syrus, so Zane hoped that he could serve as a barrier, a wall for Syrus to surpass.

It was much the same when he first arrived at Duel Academy. Almost immediately he had risen in the ranks of the Obelisk Blue dorm. Zane went to prep school, which helped him slightly towards landing in Obelisk Blue as a freshman. A great deal more of it had to do with the fact that he defeated his entrance exam proctor in a single turn. Within a few weeks, he had brought all of his rivals in Obelisk Blue to heel, and was known as the undisputed best duelist on the island by the end of his first month as a student.

Thus, he earned the nickname, "Kaiser", and was seen as an untouchable, perfect duelist to aspire to. In that sense, he was a role model to his peers on the island as well.

What would they all think if he gave in to his base instincts now? What would Syrus think? Once he went down the dark path, Zane knew that he wouldn't be able to go back – he would rely on his anger and rage more and more until it defined him in totality. He would be letting them all down if he uncaged the beast now.

Zane remembered his duels against Jamie, and how much fun he had during them. The freshman had a prodigious talent, one not dissimilar to his own as a freshman. "If I choose the way of darkness here, how can I ever hope to face him?"

There had to be a way to win without giving into the anger. Taking a deep breath, Zane calmed down as much as he could and gently shook Atticus' arm off of him. Atticus, still in a daze, hesitantly took a few steps back, looking between Zane and Titan with confusion.

"Just a little longer, old friend…" Zane said, the hot coals of his anger cooled by childhood memories of him and Atticus playing together. He hoped that things could be like the old days once Atticus regained his memories, but he was getting ahead of himself.

"Well? Has looking upon that vegetable granted you some revelation?" Titan taunted. "Or have you finally become acquainted with your true self?"

Zane looked at his opponent placidly. "I won't be like you. I'll never be like you."

"I activate my own Card of Sanctity!" Zane was able to draw five cards off the spell's effect, and as he drew, he imagined Atticus, Alexis, Syrus, Jaden, and Jamie each giving him a card, placing their trust in him.

"You'll never be like me? So you turn your back on strength?" Titan responded, drawing some cards of his own.

"Not at all. I will always grow stronger, for my bonds are my strength! First, I activate Cybernetic Fusion Support! By halving my life points, I can banish monsters from my hand, field, or grave for the fusion summon of a machine monster this turn." (Zane 400/Titan 1600)

"And this bond is the strongest of all! I play Power Bond!" The Cyber Dragon Drei on the field was fused with the two Cyber Dragons Zane had in his graveyard, bringing together the Cyber End Dragon (4000/2800). The three-headed hydra casually blasted the darkness away, and the midmorning sun cast its rays down at Zane, Atticus, and Titan both.

"Oh god, natural light!' Titan seemed to shrivel in the sunlight, as did his Summoned Skull.

"Your Summoned Skull can only be destroyed in battle by Ritual monsters…but that doesn't matter a whole lot when you're going to take 5500 points of damage right now!" Zane clenched his fist before thrusting his hand forward. "And with only one monster on your field, Dark Arena doesn't matter anymore either. You don't matter anymore. This attack will light the way to my future!"

"No, this is impossible!" Titan cried.

"Boring and generic last words…how fitting. Cyber End Dragon, attack with triple evolution burst!" Zane's ace monster unleashed a triangular beam of energy that pierced through the Advent Summoned Skull and hit Titan square in the chest. (Zane 400/Titan 0)

Their cards faded, signaling the game's end. Zane stood proudly in victory for a moment before he felt the tiredness and fatigue catch up to him, hitting him all at once like a freight train. He let out a heavy sigh that he didn't even know he was holding in before dropping one knee, and then finally deciding to just lay on his back.

"No! I won't go back there, you hear me!? I will not!" Zane dimly heard Titan shouting at the top of his lungs. Tilting his head up, the Kaiser saw his adversary surrounded by shapeless masses of dark energy, the waves slowly enclosing around him.

Titan met eyes with Zane (or at least Zane thought he did, it was difficult to tell since Titan was wearing a mask), and silently begged for a reprieve. But there was nothing Zane could do. Even if he could, Zane wouldn't have saved him besides. The man deserved his fate.

The Kaiser watched dispassionately as the shadows swallowed him back into the abyss. Eventually, his screams died out and were swallowed by the din of the darkness, until there was no sound at all, and everything had returned to normal.

Zane stared at the spot where Titan had been, a thousand thoughts flying through his mind, until a hand on his shoulder brought him out of his reverie.

"Atticus!" Zane's eyes widened. "Did it work? Do you remember?"

Atticus closed his eyes and gave a wide smile. "Mm-hmm! How's it going, Zane? It sure is good to be back!"

"He doesn't know. He doesn't know about how close I came to becoming a monster. He doesn't know how he saved me today." Zane wanted to thank him, but couldn't.

And deep inside, the rage still festered.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxxX

(Jamie Lancaster (My) POV

"There, I end my turn." I grumbled as Britney Spears vocals set the stage to our epic battle with the big bad villain. The fact that we were playing a game to decide the fate of an entire island and possibly the planet was absurd enough, but this was just insane. Not for the first time, I wondered whether I was acclimating to the craziness of this universe, or if I was already insane beforehand. The idea that I might die was not terribly distressing – I was living a lie, and my entire existence here was an aberration of nature. But the thought that the people of this island, who were honestly pursuing their lives, might be snuffed out prematurely was intolerable. To prevent that, I would fight anyone. Was this the thought process of a hero? Who knows – the winners apply the labels of hero and villain anyways.

Kagemaru drew. "Appearances can be deceiving…I know better than to overlook your Melodious Divas. I activate the spell Allure of Darkness, allowing me to draw two cards as long as I banish a Dark monster from my hand afterwards."

"Then, I shall summon Predaplant Spinodionaea (1800/0)!" A green dinosaur with a venus flytrap sprouting from its back appeared in a pillar of violet light. It, like the other Predaplant monsters, was an unseemly mixture of plant and animal.

"Do you know what that thing does?" Jaden asked quickly.

I did, but to explain would be unwieldy. "He'll tell us shortly. Is your face-down useful?"

"Well, I thought so, but I might a bit out of my depth here, hehe." Jaden scratched his head sheepishly.

"We'll be fine. Just follow your instincts." I said. Jaden would be far from useless in this match, despite his vastly underpowered hero deck – if Kagemaru was focused on me, then Jaden could potentially run disruption and catch him by surprise. At least, that was my hope.

"When this monster is summoned, I can target one of your monsters and place a Predator Counter upon it. I choose the Bloom Diva." A green cocklebur with spots of red suddenly flew from the Spino's maw and latched onto my Bloom Diva's leg, causing her to stop singing and cry out in pain. As much I claimed to despise my Diva's unfitting pop music, hearing them in pain was enraging on a whole new level.

"As long as a monster has a predator counter becomes level one so long as it is on the field." Kagemaru briefly exposited. "And then, I shall activate another one of Starving Venom's effects. Once per turn, I can target a level five or higher monster on your field. Then, Starving Venom takes its name and gains its effects for a turn!"

Simply by focusing on it, the dragon was able to temporarily absorb the Flame Wingman's effect. Now, if it destroyed a monster, Kagemaru would be able to burn us for the destroyed monster's attack points.

"Attack!" The huge violet dragon let out a stream of toxins towards Jaden's monster, but the Slifer was ready.

"I activate Hero Barrier! This negates your attack!" An electric barrier materialized between the virulent venom and the Flame Wingman, burning away the toxic chemicals and leaving an acrid stench in the air. This place was beginning to smell like complete shit all around, to be perfectly frank.

Jaden plugged his nose. "Merciful Ra, that's nasty! You sure went overboard with this whole Shadow Game thing, Kage!"

"What's the matter, key keeper? Are you unable to handle the smell of battle?" Kagemaru seemed to realize that was a cheesy thing to say even as the words were leaving his mouth. After an awkward pause, he said, "I end my turn."

"My move!" Jaden began. "I play E-Emergency Call, letting me add a Hero from deck to hand! Then, I set a monster and a face-down card." The Slifer paused for a moment before continuing. "Ok, I attack your Predaplant Spinodio…thing with Flame Wingman! Go, infernal rage!"

Jaden's go-to fusion unleashed a torrent of flame towards the plant raptor. "I activate my face-down Book of Moon to flip your monster to face-down position." Kagemaru said, bored. Jaden's attack was unceremoniously halted.

"Are you alright with losing your wingman?' I asked him.

"Looks like I'm gonna lose him next turn anyways. Why?"

"Attack the dragon with my Bloom Diva."

Jaden weighed the option briefly before nodding. "Alright, I attack Starving Venom Fusion Dragon with Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!"

Despite the pain in her leg, my Diva was still able to attack unimpeded. She flew up to face the imposing dragon directly before unleashing a wave of sound at it. The voice of Britney Spears overwhelmed the dragon's eardrums and caused it to disintegrate, Infinity War style.

"And after she attacks a specially summoned monster, that monster is destroyed, and you take damage equal to its attack points!" The Venom Dragon was completely destroyed by the diva, and Kagemaru was sent flying onto his back by the force of my fusion monster's attack. (Jaden 4000/Jamie 4000/Kagemaru 5200)

"Grr…damn it! This may be more difficult than I anticipated…" Kagemaru tanked the hit and quickly returned to his feet. "But my dragon has an effect when it is destroyed as well! All Special Summoned monsters are taken down with it!"

A cloud of poison erupted where the dragon used to be, quickly corroding and destroying Elemental Hero Flame Wingman. Bloom Diva began to sing again, her voice creating a barrier around her that kept the toxins at bay. Her effect prevented her from being destroyed by card effects.

"Hell yeah, that was a nice move! We took out a huge threat and dealt a lot of damage! A few more attacks like that and we've got this in the bag! I had no idea those Divas had that much power!" Jaden cheered, but each of his words sounded like a jinx to me. I doubted we'd seen the last of that dragon, and my Diva still had a predator counter on her.

Kagemaru wiped away blood from his mouth, the red liquid serving as a reminder that he was not immortal yet. "I expected power of this level…it is unbecoming to give you hope like this. It is time to end this. And once am I finished, your darkness will be destroyed root and stem!"

Jaden and I steeled our expressions as Kagemaru took his next turn.

XxXxXxXxxXXxxXXx

(? POV)

Unbeknownst to any of the three duelists, their battle was not an entirely private affair. In the shadow of the palm trees rested a fiendish creature of dark origin. Most of its body was composed of a single large eyeball with yellow sclera, while small claws and wings extending from that focal point.

It was a Meda Bat (800/400), a duel spirit so weak that its only real uses were as a scout and an observer. And that's exactly what it was doing – staying out of the way and relaying the battle to its masters. It was doubtful that Jaden, Jamie, or Kagemaru would see the bat, especially considering their heightened focus on the duel.

Across space and time and dimensions, the Meda Bat acted as a television channel, showing every detail of the battle to a shadowy audience.

In a different dimension, five duel spirits watched the battle between the Hero, the Lion, and the Immortal with great interest. They each sat a round table in a dark chamber. At the center of the table was a crystal ball, which served as a medium between the watchers and the Meda Bat. The light from the sphere casted weak shadows across the room, barely rendering the features of the watchers visible.

"Oho! It appears the boys have dealt a heavy blow to Kagemaru! Now the game should get a bit more interesting." A devious-looking man with shocking red hair snickered. His eyes glimmered like rubies, and runic tattoos adorned his body. He wore a plain mauve tunic, a pair of grey trousers, and a dagger at his side.

Around him sat a motley crew. There was another vaguely human figure with light blue skin wearing black and violet mage's robes, his jester-esque boots resting upon the table as he leaned back in his chair.

"Hehehe…indeed, a most amusing battle." Said the Duel Spirit of Chaos Sorcerer mockingly.

The third watcher was a fairly tall figure dressed in knight's armor. Every inch of his figure was covered in steel plate, showing not an inch of skin. The knight's species was assumed to be human, but no one had ever seen him take off the armor, so they could not sure. His helmet was a cold metal mask, showing no trace of emotion.

"…" And what's more, the knight was quiet and taciturn, only speaking when absolutely necessary. Even the others at the table could only guess at the knight's true feelings and intentions. This was the Duel Spirit of Blade Knight.

The fourth one at the table was a spirit that Jamie Lancaster would find all too familiar, for it was the Duel Spirit of Jinzo, the same one who tried to regain his body at the beginning of the school year. The cyborg had been banished to this dark realm by the Lion of Obelisk after his failed attempt at taking over the body of a Duel Academy student.

Jinzo was enraged that Lancaster had managed to defeat him without even using his real deck. He seethed silently, watching the game with a cold, angry focus.

The fifth and final spirit was leaning back, and thus in shadow. Only a pair of eyes could be seen gazing out of the darkness – one a burning orange, and the other an electric teal.

"Of all the pitiful humans that the king had to team up with, of course it had to be the fucking lion…" Its voice was filled with demonic hatred. "To think that this wretch feels comfortable standing alongside the king in battle – what a sick joke! If he had any wits about him, Jamie Lancaster would bow on his knees and beg for the king's favor." The monster's voice was an odd thing. It had two layers, one voice sounding like a spoiled little girl while the other resembled the deep baritone of a grown man. Both tones on top of each created a profoundly unsettling cadence, but the other spirits at the table seemed to be used to it.

"And yet, it would appear that the Lancaster boy has inflicted first blood…mayhaps he is more powerful than we give him credit for." Mister Volcano said casually.

"Silence!" The two-layered voice shrieked. "He is arrogant and weak. The Lancaster boy is filled with the power of the Gentle Darkness, but he fails to understand its significance. That power should only belong to the king! Anyone else who has it is an impostor."

"This is true – the boy does have a dark aura about him. What I am more curious about is Kagemaru. It appears he has made an alliance with an ancient and powerful duel spirit, one which I have never heard of before. He claims to have the ultimate fusion summoning – it may be that he is more of a threat than the lion." Chaos Sorcerer speculated.

"That is what we mean to find out. Either the lion or Kagemaru will die this day, which is fortunate for us. If the two of them teamed up, then I doubt any of us could defeat them." Jinzo said frankly.

"Do you deny my power, android?!" The shadowy demon screeched. "Do you believe I am unable to protect my king?!"

"That was not my meaning, master!" Jinzo apologized hastily as Yubel emerged from the shadows. They were a study in dichotomies – half of their hair was a shocking shade of purple, while the other half was white as snow. On the left side of Yubel's body was a female breast, on the right a male pectoral. Their hands were purple and scaled like a dragon's, and a huge third eye was situated on their forehead.

Jinzo cowered in fear before Yubel, completely abandoning any pretense of dignity or courage. His eyes were aimed firmly at the floor, his head bowed in deference.

"Please, I swear I meant no disrespect, I have nothing but the highest esteem for –"

Yubel flicked their left hand, and suddenly Jinzo was writhing on the ground. His shrieks of pain were punctuated by the sounds of circuits frying and his voice modulator crackling. "AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!"

Mister Volcano and Chaos Sorcerer seemed wholly unbothered by the sight of Jinzo in agony, but Blade Knight turned away in discomfort and disgust at the display of cruelty. The armor-clad one did not seem overly pleased with his compatriots in general – it was clear that his involvement in this partnership came at the expense of his personal tastes.

"Good." Yubel answered softly. "Never forget that the only reason you continue to exist is at my pleasure, Jinzo."

"Anyways, once the time is right, I can kill the both of these interlopers in one fell swoop. I mean to see them both headless before the sun sets, although there would be a certain satisfaction to burning them alive as well." They said casually as Jinzo grew silent and curled up in the fetal position.

"My mental ink with Jaden has grown strong – I believe that I can act through him now. And I will prove that the bond of pain is the strongest of all. It is absolute."

"That would certainly make the game more interesting as well." Mister Volcano chimed in. "Taking over the red boy's mind, I mean."

"I should like to get my hands on Kagemaru's deck. That sort of power would make us completely unstoppable." Chaos Sorcerer rubbed his hands together in conspiratorial fashion.

"No." Yubel said forcefully. "That deck will be mine. Monsters of that power should be used to protect the king, and I am best served to do that."

Blade Knight glanced at Yubel, the hermaphrodite noticing his movement immediately. "And Blade Knight here will take the lion's Divas for his own, as we agreed." Yubel said unctuously.

"As we agreed." Blade Knight said tersely, mistrust evident in his tone. The two of them shared a meaningful look before returning to the match. The others grew silent and turned to their attention back to the game as well.

"Soon, my love, we will be together forever…" Yubel would frequently mutter under their breath like a prayer. "Forever…forever…forever…."

Jinzo continued to whimper on the floor for a long time.

A/N

Hope you all enjoyed.

As I'm sure you can tell, I really like writing Zane, he's probably my favorite character in GX. In this chapter, we find him at the crossroads between his childhood ideals and the path of the Hell Kaiser. The reason that he has been confronted with this choice earlier than in canon is because his Shadow Rider opponent really challenged him this time. In canon he had Camula beat hands-down, only losing because of the old hostage dilemma with Syrus. Here, Titan had a ton of modern cards that pushed Zane to his absolute limits, and his life was on the line.

In the end, Zane chose honor, but this choice is not final, as the end of this chapter hopefully indicated. Atticus brought him back from the brink – on his own, Zane would've descended into darkness. What do you think will happen to Zane in the future? He's definitely got big things ahead of him!

On other fronts, we see Alexis getting saddled with cleanup crew. Hopefully you guys found the Abidos fight somewhat interesting, I tried my damndest to make it so, even relying on a fanservicy cameo. It's interesting to consider how Alexis handled the situation compared to Jaden, anyways.

Meanwhile, the J-boys (good god, that's a horrible nickname, I should delete this) continue to face Kagemaru and appear to have the upper hand. Of course, we all know what happens in Yugioh when a character appears to have the upper hand. And to top it all off, we have some observers looking to do more than just observe. Jaden, Jamie, and Kagemaru might have company on their hands before long. Next chapter will be devoted to that battle.

And on a lighter note, I would like to extend my thanks once again for your readership, I recently saw that this story has the third most follows in the entire GX archive! I don't do this for the sake of popularity, never have, never will. But to think that this story has been around for ten months and it's gotten this far…I'm truly thankful.

By the way, and I can't believe I never brought this up before, my name on Duel Links is ObeliskLion. If anyone wants to add me, feel free! I work a lot, but I like to log on for a bit at the end of the day, and I will gladly duel anyone who wishes to do so.