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

66. Operation: Obliterate

Chapter 66 - Operation: Obliterate

(Jaden Yuki POV)

As he slept feverishly, waves of childhood memories long lost flooded his consciousness - tidal waves of raw, untempered emotion and passion potent as any drug. While Jaden could not know the significance of the visions at first, realization dawned over time as he was able to tie things together. Ten years ago, that's when it happened…

"Alright, I'll flip over Call of the Haunted to summon back Ryu Kokki (2400/2000) from the graveyard. I'll then attack your Flame Wingman for 300 damage." Jaden's babysitter Osamu placed the trading card on the dining room table where they were playing cards. A seventeen-year old high schooler with ashy black hair and an even-keeled temperament, Osamu was the Yuki family's go-to sitter when Jaden's parents had to travel for work.

It was an ordinary weekday afternoon for the pair. After completing their homework, Jaden and Osamu went outside to shoot some hoops for a while. However, once the clouds rolled in and it started raining, they went back into the house to play Jaden's favorite game: Duel Monsters. Osamu wasn't that invested in dueling, finding it a bit dorky to say the least, but he didn't mind playing with Jaden since the eight-year old was a surprisingly good sport for his age.

Holding his cards in hand close to his wool sweater, Osamu nodded and said, "That's it for my turn. Your move, Jay."

Jaden's backwards red baseball cap bobbed up and down like a shark's fin as he glanced from his hand to the game board. Try as he might, he had no way of outing Osamu's powerful zombie. "Alright Osamu, let's get our game on! I summon Yubel to the field!" He placed the level ten fiend down despite not having any monsters to tribute or any other way of special summoning the card.

Narrowing his eyes, Osamu peered over Yubel. "Jaden, this monster has ten level stars, so you need to offer two monsters as sacrifices. Since you don't have any, you can't summon Yubel."

Jaden's mouth hung agape as he realized the truth, but didn't want to believe it. "Aww, but, but Yubel's like my favorite card!" He exclaimed breathlessly as his emotional state went parabolic.

Pursing his lips in a flat line, Osamu shrugged and said, "Sorry buddy, it's just the rules of the game. Do you have another card you can play? If not, I'll attack with Ryu Kokki next turn and secure the victory."

Jaden felt tears brim as he looked at the one other card in his hand: Emergency Provisions, which was useless without any other spells or traps in his control. Sighing, he had no choice but to accept defeat. Despite being upset, Jaden refused to cry or pout. "Man, that really sucks big time! Oh well, on to the next game!" He bounced back quickly.

They went on to play several more games, with Yubel being a dead card in Jaden's hand each time, although the young boy was able to win a few rounds regardless. After a while, they saw Jaden's father pull up in the driveway, and it was time for Osamu to go home. "Thanks for playing with me, Osamu! You're such a good pal!" Jaden grinned widely.

Osamu leaned down and ruffled Jaden's hair with a smile. "You're a good pal too, Jay." Glancing over at the cards strewn about the table, he added, "Make sure to clean those up. By the way, if you don't mind me asking, why do you keep playing that Yubel card? It doesn't really synergize with your elemental heroes, and it's really not a very strong card considering how difficult it is to summon. Even if you were able to bring it out, I could quickly dispatch it with a common spell like Fissure."

Jaden knew this, but couldn't bring himself to cut the card from his deck for some reason. "I don't know. It's just my favorite, I guess." He said, a bit glum.

"Well, to each their own. If you still want to play it, that's on you. Personally, I've always found that card a bit creepy. If you want to make it at Duel Academy like you say, you might have to make some changes. Success requires sacrifice." There was no point in sugarcoating it. Duel Academy, especially the Central district run by Seto Kaiba, was a notoriously competitive institution that only accepted the most prodigious of talents. Even the low-ranked Slifer Reds had dueling knowledge far beyond the average player on the street. "But I think you can make it, Jaden."

With another small smile, Osamu walked out the door and briefly spoke to Jaden's father. Jason Yuki was a software engineer with a perpetually staid, almost bored demeanor, although he was known to light up in the presence of his only son Jaden. After a short exchange of pleasantries and payment, Osamu took his leave and Jaden rushed to give his dad a hug. Seeing Jaden's smile could get Jason through any number of twelve-hour workdays.

Unbeknownst to Jaden, Yubel heard every word Osamu said. And she worried that eventually, Jaden would take Osamu's words to heart, and he would toss her aside.

Something needed to be done about this situation. And Yubel had an effective solution in mind.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

When Jaden woke up the following morning, it was as if he hadn't gotten any rest at all. Indeed, he felt exhausted, as if he had been running all night. When he woke up, Jaden noticed he was wearing a hoodie, pants, and sneakers, despite the fact that he had fallen asleep wearing his Elemental Hero pajama onesie like usual. A cold sweat stuck to his skin, and the bottoms of his shoes had dirt and leaves on them. "Huh, I must have sleepwalked again." Jaden muttered. The doctor gave him sedatives to keep him from doing that, but they seemed to grow less effective with time, even as Jaden took dosages meant for adults. Thinking little of it, he jumped in the shower and got ready for school. He had breakfast with his dad, who would drop him off on his way to work.

They found Osamu's mutilated corpse strung up above the elementary school's front doors, bricks stained a rusty red from where the blood had seeped out. His hands and feet had been nailed to the building, his face frozen in a rictus of grisly, primal fear as his throat was cut to the bone.

The Domino City police had surrounded the crime scene, but they hadn't been able to take him down yet. The sight burned into Jaden's retina before his father could cover his eyes. The grown man could barely contain his nausea as he pulled over and rolled down the window to talk to the cops. They told him school was called off for the day. While his dad spoke to the officer, Jaden stared at his butchered babysitter, frozen in shock and…remorse?

They turned around and went home. "I…I'm sorry, son, I need to get to the office. Big presentation today. Please wait here and I'll have your mom pick you up, ok? Everything's gonna be alright, Jaden. I love you." Jason hugged his boy tight, but had to leave quickly, and Jaden was all alone in the big, empty house.

Jaden had no idea what to do. Play with his action figures? Start up a video game? His friend was dead, murdered by someone. As he wondered who could have done it, Jaden felt an odd, creeping guilt rise within him. But why? His hands were clean…he would never have done that to his friend.

"It's alright, Jaden. You don't need him because you have me. You'll always have me."

Jaden curled up in the corner of his dark bedroom and stared at the Yubel card until his mother came to pick him up.

XxXxXxXxXxXXxX

It was months later he saw the advertisement on television. "Send in your submissions, kids!" Seto Kaiba declared bombastically. "Because I figure if there's extraterrestrial life out there, let's teach them how to duel!"

Kaiba had been garnering much attention, most of it derisive, in the media for his recent obsession with sending Duel Monsters cards into space as a way of potentially contacting alien races. While journalists speculated about the quality and quantity of drugs the eccentric CEO was taking to fund such a venture, others actually were sending cards just to see what would happen. Of course, no one was going to part with a valuable card, so most of the entries were of useless level five vanillas, or underpowered spells and traps from the game's early years such as Sparks.

Thus, it was easy for Yubel to stand out when Jaden sent the card in the mail. Although he lacked the knowledge to articulate why, a part of him knew there was something connecting Yubel to the bizarre lapses in memory and social ostracization Jaden was experiencing. His parents, both workaholics, hardly noticed…but Jaden had no friends to his name by the time he was ten. Every time he would invite over a playmate for a game of Duel Monsters, some misfortune seemed to befall them afterwards. One ended up comatose for months, another went mute and to Jaden's knowledge never spoke again. Sooner or later, Jaden gained an accursed reputation. All the while, he would sleep to the sound of Yubel's voice. "I am all you need…"

He sent her away, and saw Kaiba send her into the depths of outer space on a rocket ship. Soon afterwards, Kaiba lost interest in space, as it had only ever been a childish phase for him. Thus, no follow-up inquiries had ever been conducted regarding Yubel's location, and everyone seemed to forget about it, including Jaden himself. His parents had moved to Domino City, and he finished out his middle school days as a reasonably normal transfer student before applying to Duel Academy. His parents were supportive of his desire to be a duelist, and indeed were kind and loving towards him on most fronts. The only time Jaden's father ever raised his voice with him was when Jaden forgot to take his medication. Since then, he had diligently taken his pills twice a week. Take your pills, son, they always told him. However, he could never remember what exactly they were for. His parents claimed they were to help something called "ADHD", but Jaden knew another child at school with ADHD, and his pills looked entirely different from Jaden's. Still, he kept taking them due to his parent's insistence. Could it be that they were for something else?

It was this memory, and more, that came flooding when he first saw Yubel again. And when Jaden Yuki woke again, he felt neither rest nor refreshment. Rather, the weight of a thousand burdens suddenly crashed upon him to the extent he could scarcely move. It was only then that he understood how carefree, how frivolous his existence up to this point had been. Even in the heat of battle against fierce rivals and deadly enemies, he lived like a child with a smile on his face. It was only now, when the steel shackles of duty tightened around his neck, that he could appreciate the feeling of freedom.

Where could he go from here? The Supreme King was meant to rule over all duel monsters…he couldn't go back to the relatively carefree life of a student, could he? "I just don't know what to do…"

"Ah, you're awake."

The familiar voice startled Jaden out of his reverie. He sat up in bed to greet the individual standing in his doorway, the air tickling his bare chest. Outside, two Wolf Axewielder guards flanked a young man in silver knight's armor. With his helmet on, Jaden could not see the man's expression as he turned to the two beast-warriors. "Leave us."

The wolves did so, and the knight strode in confidently, opening the shades so some light would shine through. Closing the door, he pulled up a chair without asking Jaden for permission to sit. "I understand you are confused and frightened. I was the same way when I first awakened in this hellscape. But there is hope. Both of us will return to our homes again someday. I will tell you everything I know, Jaden."

Recognizing the voice, Jaden's eyes widened. "Jamie, is that you?"

The knight shed his helmet, and the face of Jamie Lancaster looked upon him. But it was not the Jamie that Jaden knew. He could see it in his face, in the eyes. Though they were the same shade of green, this Jamie's gaze was haunted by horrors, and by rage. A deep rage that could move mountains. "Yes…and no. Please allow me to explain while we have the chance. Once Yubel returns, she'll want to take up all of your time."

"Where is Yubel now?" Jaden asked, the disorientation too much to bear.

The knight's expression pinched. "Oh, just indulging in her favorite pastime."

"Sartorius…where is Sartorius?" Jaden pressed on despite Jamie's oblique answer.

The armored knight looked downward, appearing highly uncomfortable. "He is with Yubel."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Yubel's smile widened as blood blossomed where the whip struck.

"You see, Sartorius, the darkness will always win. It is everywhere, all around you. It is behind every corner, every nook and cranny. When you walk in the midday sun, the darkness pools around your feet. The brighter the light, the bolder the shadow. All of your life's works have only served to help Jaden realize his potential. And now that you have served your purpose, you will die by my hand. But only after knowing suffering beyond hell."

Each sentence was punctuated with another strike from the lash. Sartorius was shackled to the wall, his torso raw from the protracted torture. After recoiling from the whip, his head hung down limply, eyes closed. It was always midnight here, in this dark dungeon. But inside, he found light, and took solace.

The only light from the outside in his new world would come with Yubel's frequent arrivals - a fiery lantern in one hand, various implements in the other. Today it was the whip, yesterday a club, the day before her bare claws. He would often awaken on his bed of straw to find Yubel standing over him, a wide smile on her face. Her penumbral wings would envelop him as she laid only the barest sustenance before his bed of straw. The bread was old and dry, the water lukewarm, but he would gulp it down all the same. She would patiently watch him, heterochromatic gaze never leaving him as he did so. Then, she would have her fun for an hour or two before growing bored and leaving.

"This is a misunderstanding." He ground out with as much dignity as he could muster. "Allow me to speak to Jaden, I'm certain he would not approve of this."

"Oh, he will. Soon, Jaden will start seeing things my way. You know what I think?" Yubel strode forward and glared at Sartorius, grabbing a chunk of his hair and pulling his face up to look him in the eye. "I think Jaden is better off without you. I will never allow someone so steeped in the Light of Destruction anywhere near my sweet boy. The threat you pose is too great. Even with most of the light energy inside you gone, I'm willing to bet you still possess some ability to influence draws. How else would you have defeated Seto Kaiba? No, too great a risk. Once I work on him a little, Jaden will approve of your annihilation."

Even in the face of overwhelming bodily pain, Sartorius' gaze was one of defiance as looked upon his abuser. "Aster will come for me…I can sense his power. He will rescue me, and he will kill you all!" The prophet spat at Yubel's feet, earning him another round of lashings.

"Oh? Can you sense the energy of Aster Phoenix in this realm?" Yubel looked genuinely confused for a moment, then curious. If Aster could find a way to transcend dimensions in a rescue mission, that meant other humans could as well. "Perhaps Yugi is here as well…this time I will kill him for sure. Or, Ra willing, perhaps the one who wears Jamie Lancaster's face has come with him…thank you so much for that information." Yubel leaned in and took Sartorius' lips with her own, relishing the iron taste on them.

Sartorius was aghast, both from what Yubel just did and from the realization of his error. "No, please don't hurt Aster, he's innocent! It was I who led him down this path, let me take responsibility!"

"Oh, on the contrary, for being such a good boy I think I'll give you a day off tomorrow. If you have any other intel to share, by all means do so!" Yubel cackled as tears welled in Sartorius' eyes. "Aw, don't cry! You'll be with your friend again soon enough." Continuing to laugh, she undid Sartorius' chains. He crumpled to the floor, lacking the strength to fight Yubel no matter how fervently he wished to do so.

"Do you know what awaits you in the afterlife, Sartorius?" Yubel leaned down and whispered to him.

He whispered, "God, the true god awaits me. He will reward me for this earthly suffering."

Yubel shook her head, although Sartorius could not see it as he lay face-down on the stone. "No. The worms await you, false prophet. I can hear them hungering beneath the dirt even now." Yubel then left, locking the door as she whistled a tune.

The guilt Sartorius felt was worse than anything Yubel had done to him.

XxXxXxXxXXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Bastion Misawa POV)

After a kiss for luck from Jasmine, Bastion buttoned up his new blue blazer and ascended to the arena floor. While he was as confident in his abilities as he reasonably could be, he would need to draw the right cards in order to counteract Jim Cook's Fossil deck. Bastion had no way of preparing for every conceivable matchup in the tournament, as he was required to submit a decklist prior to registration. However, he was able to do some standard background research on his opponent the previous evening, and from there he could identify which cards in his deck could best counter Jim's. Jasmine did the same research at his insistence - unfortunately, Axel's surprise unveiling of Uria had undone their planning.

"Good luck, Bastion! Don't forget, you're representing the blues now! Make us proud!" Alexis half-cheered, half-challenged.

Bastion tightly smiled back. "Based on the data I've observed thus far, I predict the finals will be a battle between Obelisks, Alexis."

Chazz scoffed. "I hope you win as well, Misawa. It'll be way more fun beating your ass next round rather than Jim's. He's just too nice a guy, you know?" He clapped his hands mockingly.

"It remains to be seen whose arse shall be beaten, Chazz. My current calculations predict my chances of defeating you to be well over eighty percent." Bastion's attempt at trash talk caused Alexis to hastily stifle a snort. The mathematician had difficulty understanding Chazz's erratic, frankly irrational behavior. One moment, it seemed like he wanted to reach out and make some sort of peace with his former classmates. The next moment, he would make tiresome claims of superiority. How exhausting, to be motivated by flits of passion!

"If it's not a hundred percent, you're not safe!" Chazz's predictable response was accompanied with a wide smile as Bastion turned his back and scaled the stairs.

Still, the man had a point - there was always a margin for error, and the time was now to determine the validity of his inputs. While Jim seemed a decent chap, Bastion had no doubt the niceties would end once battle began. In order to be the first ranked student at South Academy, Jim probably shouldered enormous pressures like Jamie did on the island. Unlike Jamie, whose passions bestirred themselves readily, Jim appeared calm and easygoing. Somehow, that seemed even more imposing to Bastion.

"Let the third round of the quarterfinals begin! Bastion Misawa of Central Academy versus Jim Cook of the South!" Crowler announced.

Jim activated his duel disk, a custom beige model in the shape of a boomerang, and tipped his hat to Bastion. The Aussie had lost the roshambo and would be taking the first turn. "Just between you and me, I got a bad feeling in me gut…there's gonna be some real fights today, I can tell. So let's have fun while we can, yeah?"

"Yeah…" Bastion nodded nervously, having had the same notion. There was too much uncertainty in the air. Between Adrian's mysterious movements, the emergence of the third sacred beast, and the lack of Duel Academy's most powerful fighters, Bastion could feel the uneasiness building towards a surely unpleasant conclusion. "Although do be warned, my idea of having fun is winning games."

"So is mine! My draw!" Jim's eye roved over his starting hand. "I'll start by summoning Shell Knight (0/2000)!" Jim's first monster was an assemblage of grey seashells fashioned into a suit of armor. Immediately, it bent to one knee. "When this monster is normal summoned, it switches to defense mode and I can deal 500 points of damage!" Bastion flinched as a volley of sharp driftwood holographically passed through him. (Bastion 3500/Jim 4000)

"Then, I'll set two and pass." Jim finished. He did not prefer going first usually, but he would make the best of it.

"Draw!" Bastion was beginning to see a path to victory already. "Come forth, Uni-Zombie (1300/0)!" The monster was a pair of siamese twins. Conjoined at the hip, one of the zombies was fat, tall and blue-skinned, while the other was short, emaciated and green of flesh. Their appearance should have been disquieting, but the zombie's jolly demeanor made it somewhat comical instead.

"Ah, so Bastion's playing zombies, huh? I thought he might go with magnet warriors." Alexis commented - Bastion's flexibility made him an unpredictable opponent.

"He decided zombies would allow him an array of favorable matchups. There's a certain field spell that can disrupt a lot of decks. We might see it soon." Jasmine proudly crossed her arms.

Chazz frowned. "What do you see in Bastion anyways? The guy's a boring nerd if ever there was one." The remark caused Jasmine to initially bristle. However, she was ultimately able to keep her cool.

Smirking at Chazz, the redhead replied, "Bastion is methodical, precise and very thorough in everything he does." Alexis snorted in amusement while Chazz fumed.

"Jasmine, you shouldn't say stuff like that!" Alexis faux-admonished between giggles.

"That's what I get for asking, I guess…" Chazz clenched his teeth. "Hey, you two haven't forgotten about Adrian, have you?" He clumsily attempted to change the subject. "Have you warned your superiors about him?"

"Don't worry about it. You have a game up next, focus up." Alexis dismissed him with a wave. As a matter of fact, she had informed Crowler about the suspicions Chazz brought up, but didn't feel like validating him by confirming it.

"Now, I'll activate Uni-Zombie's effect, sending a zombie-type monster from my deck to the graveyard in order to increase its level from three to four. The card I'll send is Necroworld Banshee." Bastion rifled through his deck and quickly pitched the monster, a pale ghost girl surrounded by the blue flames of smaller spirits.

His eye widening in recognition, Jim reacted. "I flip over my quick-play spell, Called by the Grave. This will banish that Necroworld Banshee of yours from the graveyard and negate its effects in the process." The archaeologist was focused and decisive now, a far cry from his easygoing demeanor outside the ring.

"Drat!" Bastion moved the monster from his grave ruefully. On her phone, Alexis pulled up what the monster did. Upon seeing the effect, she realized what Bastion's strategy was.

"That's right." Jasmine caught on. "If Bastion can successfully resolve the Zombie World field spell, he can win. But Jim knows that too."

"Sorry mate, but the graveyard is where I work best. Your zombies are playing in my domain!" Jim indulged in a little banter.

"In any problem, there's more than one way to arrive at the right answer. I cast the spell card Ready Fusion, paying 1000 life points in order to summon a level six or lower fusion monster directly to the field. The only catch is that it has to be a normal monster. I play the Great Mammoth of Goldfine (2200/1800)!" From the earth emerged an auric skeleton, its tusks gleaming in the sunlight. (Bastion 2500/Jim 4000)

"Now, I tune the level four Uni-Zombie with the level six Mammoth!" The forms of the undead creatures dissipated into pure duel energy. Unlike the typical white and green rings that characterized the synchro summon typically, the field was engulfed in violet smoke, dark indigo circles stacking atop each other as the gaseous cloud turned bright and fiery. "Legendary undead beast, slay your rival and subsume his powers into your own. Surpass your previous limits and take our place as ruler of the netherworld! I synchro summon Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon Lord (2800/2400)!"

The smoke gave way to sparking, crackling flame. In the haze, it appeared briefly as though Bastion had summoned Joey Wheeler's ace monster, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. But this was different, stronger but utterly lacking the original creature's grace and beauty. Its misshapen, burned flesh was accentuated by golden armor and a hardened charcoal carapace. Out of every pore leaked blue fire of a seemingly ethereal consistency, too light and controlled to be totally natural.

"I never saw your brother play Red-Eyes cards like this." Chazz observed.

"Yeah, I'm not sure what the deal is. There are other zombie Red-Eyes monsters, but I only started seeing them around after the blast." Alexis mused.

"Red-Eyes, attack and destroy the Shell Knight!" Bastion commanded, the great undead beast firing a stream of azure flame from its maw at Jim's monster. It melted down almost immediately.

"Not a problem. When Shell Knight is destroyed, I can add a level eight rock monster from my deck to my hand." Jim rolled with the strike as Bastion set a card and ended his turn. Drawing, Jim smiled and immediately revealed his next card. "I play Foolish Burial, a spell letting me send a monster from my deck to the grave!" Jim showed the sent card in his graveyard. "And the monster I sent is Weathering Solder, a rock-type whose effect activates when he touches the cemetery. I can add the spell card Fossil Fusion to my hand from the deck."

Bastion's frown deepened. "So, either he'll fusion summon, or he'll play the monster he just searched off of Shell Knight. Either way, I should be fine."

Suddenly, spires of stone rose from the arena floor, enriching the two duelists. On Jim's side, a pile of rough-hewn brown boulders coalesced together, animating to form a golem whose sheer size was enough to shade the dueling field from the sun overhead. "By banishing Shell Knight and Weathering Soldier from my graveyard, I can call on Gaia Plate the Earth Giant (2800/1000)!" Jim's duel energy flared in a sky-blue burst as his stone statue faced down the Red-Eyes Zombie. "Now, I attack!"

As the earth giant reared back a fist, Red-Eyes appeared ready to meet it with an even counterstrike of blue fire. However, as the golem's fist bore down on its enemy, the zombie seemed to freeze in fear, taking the strike and causing Bastion to take a significant amount of damage. (Bastion 1100/Jim 4000)

"Sorry mate, but any monster that battles with Gaia Plate gets its stats cut in half! Beauty, isn't she? You're running pretty low on life points there, lad! Hopefully you've got something in the bag there or else I'm deadset for the semis!" Jim said breezily as Bastion was briefly pushed back by the unexpectedly strong attack.

Pierce and Axel stood off to the other side of the ring, each keenly evaluating the matchup. At Axel's behest, Pierce decided to keep his mouth shut and save his comments for after the game was over. He had his upcoming fight against Chazz to consider as well. Alexis, Jasmine, and even Chazz had grown withdrawn as well, the atmosphere growing tense as they each wondered whether Bastion really had something in mind.

Doing his best to stay calm, Bastion drew slowly. "Alright, let's try this! The spell, Pot of Acquisitiveness! This card lets me shuffle three banished monsters back into the deck, and from there I can draw a card."

"But he's only got one banished monster. Unless…" Alexis caught on. Jim put back his banished Shell Knight and Weathering Soldier while Bastion reclaimed his own Necroworld Banshee. Both shuffled, and Bastion plucked another card from the top of the pile. Not looking too happy with his draw, the third-seat Obelisk pressed on anyway.

"By banishing a zombie from my graveyard, I can summon Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon Lord back to the field!" Removing Goldfine from play allowed Bastion to bring back his new boss monster, although he still couldn't beat over the Gaia Plate. "I set another card and end my turn there."

"Come on, he's got to be able to do more than that!" Alexis worried. Surprisingly, Jasmine had the cooler head between the pair for once.

"Bastion's just being patient. Watch this." The ginger pointed up to the platform, where Jim's golem began eroding, its form destabilizing and turning to sand before vanishing completely. Alexis was confused, but Jim explained for the benefit of the audience as well as her.

"Gaia Plate demands a cost to stay on the field. Every one of my standby phases, I need to banish a rock from my graveyard or else my monster's dead as disco. Unfortunately, without a rock in the grave, I need to chuck Gaia Plate underground." Jim shrugged. "Fortunately, that's right where I want him! I activate my next spell, Specimen Inspection! This card requires me to have Fossil Fusion in my hand. From there, I need to discard another monster from my hand." Jim sent the monster Flint Cragger to the grave. "Then, I can declare a type and level, and if you have a monster that matches my selection in your deck, you have to send it straight to the graveyard."

Bastion frowned. "He knows what cards I'm playing since a few turns have passed…he must have been holding onto that card from the beginning, waiting to see what sort of strategy I was on!"

Jim pointed a calloused finger at his adversary. "I declare a level eight zombie! Do you have something like that in your deck, Bastion?"

Of course Bastion did. Every zombie deck worth its salt played the powerful boss monster Doomking Balerdroch. And in this case, the card was worth much more in the graveyard than it was in his deck, so Bastion gladly pitched it. And since it was the only card in his deck that fit Jim's stated requirements, Bastion had little choice in the matter anyways.

"Now, I have the materials I need to dig up a fossil from the grave! I activate Fossil Fusion, banishing the Flint Cragger in my graveyard and the Doomking Balerdroch in yours!" Jim raised an open palm as the skeleton of Bastion's zombie and the bones of his rock monster swirled together in the open air, twisting and bending in order to manifest the framework of an entirely different creature altogether.

"Fusing from the opponent's graveyard!?" Pierce gasped in shock.

"Yeah, and he can fuse into different monsters depending on what's in your graveyard. If you see him in the semis, that's one thing to keep in mind." Axel responded, folding his arms tightly as he observed the fusion process. Chazz and the duel academy students weren't shocked by the display, as they were already aware of Jamie's Invocation spell which allowed him to fuse from the opponent's graveyard.

"I'd like to ask the audience to bid a friendly g'day to my Fossil Dragon Skullgios (3500/0)!" Clasping his hands together, Jim summoned forth waves of amber duel energy to bring forth the powerful fusion monster, an animated Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton who moved with surprising speed and dexterity.

"Actually, that card is not a dragon, it's a rock-type. Plus, it's clearly the skeleton of a dinosaur, not a dragon." Bastion felt the need to point out as the audience collectively facepalmed at his pedantic tendencies.

"Well-spotted, mate." Jim sarcastically replied. "Did you also notice it's got 3500 attack points, plus the protection of my Fossil Fusion spell, allowing it immunity from being targeted by monster effects? That seems like the more important part."

"I did notice, and numbers don't always decide a battle." Bastion responded.

"Actually, in this game they often do. And my Skullgios will prove it when I attack your Red-Eyes Zombie!"

"Bastion's fine, this will only deal 700 damage." Jasmine assured. However, she and the rest of the audience were surprised when once again Bastion's zombie seemed to grow intimidated by the oncoming strike of Jim's rock monster. "Wait, another battle trick? No way!"

"When Skullgios attacks, the attack and defense values of your monster are switched!" Jim declared triumphantly. "Your Red-Eyes has 2400 defense compared to 2800 attack. That alone would decide the game, but Skullgios has an additional effect, allowing me to double any battle damage inflicted from fighting another monster! This is the end, mate!"

"Oh, I don't think so. I reveal my set quick-play spell, Zombie Power Struggle! This card boosts the attack strength of my monster by 1000!" While it wouldn't be enough to save the zombie from destruction, it would allow Bastion to survive the turn, taking only 200 damage instead of the 2200 he would have lost otherwise. (Bastion 900/Jim 4000)

Struggling to recover from the glancing blow, Bastion ground out, "I banish Uni-Zombie from the grave in order to revive Red-Eyes…" As the once-proud dragon stitched itself back together from another beating, Jim stood complacent. He knew Bastion would not be able to swing over his Skullgios, and the lingering effect of Fossil Fusion gave him protection from monster effects. The next strike would finally wear Bastion down, he was certain.

Up in the headmaster's box, Viper turned to heckle Kaiba once again. "My oh my, it appears poor Misawa can't catch a break down there. Isn't he supposed to be your third-ranked student?" Turning to the South Academy headmistress, Viper inclined his head respectfully, his pointy haircut nearly taking her eye out. "My regards, Headmaster Marie. Judging by your student's performance, you must run a fine program indeed. Really, this is quite enjoyable!"

Marie gave no indication she heard him as she popped gummy bears and yawned lazily. Kaiba was more confused than annoyed at the trash talk. "Where is this sudden bravado coming from?" The white dragon wondered not for the first time. He was certain that Viper would be on his best behavior after the show of force the previous evening. And yet, he seemed more and more confident by the moment. Glancing towards Pegasus, Kaiba saw the fop was just as puzzled as he was. "There's no way he could be receiving any messages without my knowledge…" Kaiba had every telecommunications line on the island monitored closely. "Could it be that he's just excited to watch his son play?" The idea made Seto feel strange and uncomfortable, having no desire to father children himself. What woman on Earth could compare to the beauty of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon anyways? As much as he and Ishizu enjoyed each other's company, she would never forsake the clan by marrying him.

Turning his mind away from the odd feelings, Seto once again tried to understand what Viper's scheme was, but could discern nothing. "I suppose I should check on what Adrian Gecko is doing…" He remembered Lancaster's warning, and found himself wishing the young warrior was at his right hand once again.

On the arena floor, Bastion drew a deep breath, and his next card. Seeing the pieces come together, he hastily hid a smile. "For my first move, I'll activate the effect of Zombie Power Struggle in my graveyard, shuffling my banished Doomking Balerdroch into the deck in order to set itself onto the field." Bastion was able to recycle the quick-play spell once this way - after he used it again, it would be banished. And since Jim knew about the spell this time, he wasn't likely to play into it.

However, that was not why Bastion placed it back on the field. "Now, I activate my spell, Forbidden Droplet! By sending any number of cards from my hand or field to the graveyard, I can halve the attack points of monsters on the field equal to the number of cards sent, negating their effects for the turn as well! By sending my set Zombie Power Struggle, I'll cripple your Skullgios!" As the tyrannosaur was doused in a shower of holy water, its bones seemed to grow hollow and brittle.

"Now, I'll summon a monster we're both familiar with - Necroworld Banshee (1800/200)!" The pale waif was stronger than she appeared, certainly strong enough to surpass the weakened fossil. "Attack!"

The girl's expression suddenly contorted into a monstrous, horrific mortis as she let loose a keening wail and rushed at Jim's monster. Panicking, Jim was quick to flip over his trap. "I play Sakuretsu Armor to destroy it!" Although Skullgios was a goner anyways, Jim wanted to avoid taking damage. From the earth, a jagged storm of armor scales ripped through Bastion's zombie, dissipating it into an eerie mist. Through the pallor, the Red-Eyes descended upon Skullgios with great speed, shattering the skeleton with a swipe of its tail. (Bastion 900/Jim 2950)

Grunting, Jim quickly recovered and called upon an effect in his grave. "When a Fossil monster is destroyed, I can add Fossil Fusion back to my hand!" He had plenty of creatures in his extra deck that could close out the game even with the damn Red-Eyes still on the field.

"That won't help much. The Fossil monsters all require at least one rock type material to be summoned, isn't that right? If so, then tell me how you're going to summon anything when every monster on the field and in our graveyards is a zombie! I call upon Necroworld Banshee's effect, banishing her from the graveyard in order to cast the field spell Zombie World directly from the deck!" Finally, Bastion could accomplish what he wanted to do initially, setting up Zombie World in order to disrupt the opponent's plays. Bastion decided to play Zombies in the tournament because he perceived many of his opponent's strategies would require possessing certain types of monsters. Chazz had cards that only worked on dragons, and Alexis had cards that only supported warriors and fairies. But under the effect of his Zombie World field spell, all monsters became zombies, and thus all of their carefully selected support cards became useless.

"I end my turn there." Bastion smiled, feeling the walls close in on his adversary. Jim sweat under the pressure, realizing the shift in momentum that had occurred.

"I set a monster and end my turn." The Aussie grimaced after drawing, unable to use his Fossil Fusion with Zombie World up.

The atmosphere in the ring was taut, with the audience staying largely silent as they wondered if an upset was imminent. Bastion drew wordlessly. "Now, I call upon Gozuki (1700/800)!" One of Bastion's favorite cards, the muscular bull yokai wielded a hefty hammer and a strong effect. "With its special ability, I can send a zombie from my deck directly to the graveyard." Bastion sent the Doomking Balerdroch that was shuffled back into his deck from Zombie Power Struggle. The card was getting moved around quite a lot, despite never hitting the field. "Not yet, anyways." Bastion thought with assured confidence.

"Now, I'll attack your face-down with Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon Lord! Destroy the set monster with Infernal Fire Blast!" The rain of azure fire seemed to strike true, but Jim didn't seem worried.

"My Fossil Dyna Pachychephalo's effect triggers when it's flipped up, allowing me to destroy all specially summoned monsters on the field! Your Red-Eyes is going down under for the last bloody time!" The hard-headed dinosaur bravely charged through the waves of fire with heavy tread, the blue flames charring its bones as it trampled forward. With a heave, the fossil ripped through the zombie dragon with a tackle before the flames finally reduced it to ash.

Bastion couldn't help but be impressed how many times Jim was able to destroy his strongest monster over and over. However, he was not one to place over-importance on boss monsters like some of his classmates. "My Gozuki was summoned normally, so he can still survive…and attack!" The hammer strike knocked the wind out of Jim before Bastion set a card and ended his turn. (Bastion 900/Jim 1250)

"I'm not finished yet!" Jim would need to get a good draw, but there was still a chance he could strike back next turn if he could get rid of Zombie World. Unfortunately for him, he would not get the opportunity, for Bastion had revealed the trap card he had set last turn - Call of the Haunted. Straddling the thin line between death and life, Red-Eyes returned to the field with renewed vigor, its skull seeming to smile at Jim somehow.

"Drat…well-played, you got me." Jim tipped his hat.

"And well-played on your end. Let's sit down and have a cup of tea, lad." Where the first duel of the finals had ended in ice, this would be the second duel in a row to conclude in a blaze of glory as Red-Eyes' flames engulfed Jim. (Bastion 900/Jim 0)

While Chazz and Alexis seemed surprised that Bastion actually won, Jasmine only nodded her head. "Yup, that's Bastion…nothing dramatic, just patience and discipline. That's why he's going to go all the way!"

Chazz scoffed. "We shall see…" Straining to look over the other side of the arena, the Northman's charcoal gaze settled on Pierce, impatient to tear into the enemy.

"The winner of the third round is Bastion Misawa of Central Academy, and may I say congratulations to both players for a great showing of sportsmanship!" Crowler ironically praised the respect the boys showed for each other. Meanwhile, Crowler himself was a notoriously sore loser, a fact that was not lost on Kaiba and Pegasus, who both chuckled softly at the comment. Viper stewed at the sight of another Central Academy student winning.

"Pardon me gentlemen, I require use of the latrines." Viper left his seat and began to descend the tower.

"Don't take too long, your boy is up next." Kaiba said idly, not even looking at Viper as the man departed. Once he was out of earshot, Kaiba spoke into his white jacket's lapel, where a microphone was hidden. "Mokuba, he's moving. Keep your eyes open."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXX

(Adrian Gecko POV)

He weaved and dashed through the foliage, knowing that every moment was crucial if the operation was to be successful. Adrian was certain he was being tracked from the instant he set foot on the island and possibly long before. Of course, they prepared for this - it was only natural that Seto Kaiba would take a more active role in security and defense after the various supernatural occurrences that seemed to plague the island day and night. Still, Adrian was confident that his team could break in and achieve their goal.

To capture the five pieces of Exodia.

Weevil Underwood did the dueling world a favor and tossed the original copies into the sea. While publically his name was dragged through the mud for stealing and destroying the Exodia cards, behind closed doors his actions were lauded by the majority of competitive players. In an honor-based society, no one would dare outwardly celebrate such cowardly and deceptive means, but that didn't mean anyone shed a tear over the removal of Exodia. No one liked playing against Exodia, as even back in the game's infancy there were plenty of stall cards that frustrated conventional strategies.

And now that the blast had brought thousands of new cards into the world, it was only natural some of the old would return as well. Adrian had long been interested in acquiring the power of the Forbidden One for himself. However, it was only after participating in the battle against the forces of the Society of Light that he heard the demon god's energy call to him from beneath the island's volcano. After that, it was only a matter of gathering a team and capitalizing on an opportunity to return to the island. Unfortunately, he had been preoccupied by fights with brainwashed Ra Yellow students, and unable to pursue Exodia during that time.

To seek the power now was to risk everything. The powers of Yugi and Kaiba were unassailable against normal duelists, and their strength would crush him easily if he didn't get Exodia first. But with Exodia in his hands…then, godhood would not be so far away.

"Are you near the landing zone? I am distracting Kaiba as much as possible, but he's not giving me much breathing room." Professor Viper's hushed voice came through Adrian's watch.

"I'm five minutes from the rendezvous point. We should be on schedule. We'll call once the job is complete, don't risk blowing your cover." Adrian tersely cut off Viper, who hung up immediately. The East Academy student prepared to make another call.

"Echo, I'm closing in. Prepare the boarding party, I'll link up with you at the entry point." Adrian wheezed into his wristwatch, growing winded from running several miles across the island's varied terrain.

"Are you being followed? Our colleagues are concerned with the possibility of being recognized." His lover's velvet voice filtered through the static-riddled connection.

"I can't tell, but I think the tournament has them suitably distracted. Just be ready, I'll be there in a few minutes." Bounding over a gnarled tree root, Adrian finally emerged from the suffocating forest onto the northern shoreline, standing in the shadow of the volcano. Seeing boats and ferries not far out at sea, Adrian ducked back into the treeline and moved within its cover. Finally, he was at the base of the crag, a small alcove providing cover from any vessels possibly under Kaiba's control.

On schedule, the submarine was parked inside. Most of the crew would remain stationed inside in the event he needed to make a quick getaway. Outside was Echo, his longtime aide. A tall woman with a severe military haircut, her icy blue eyes could cut most men down to size with only a glare. Those eyes softened upon seeing him, for although she had served the Gecko family out of duty, she served Adrian out of love.

"Adrian." She gazed upon him fondly. "I have your gear set out along with some food and water. Is it to your liking?" She gestured to the spelunking equipment, her deep voice lilting upwards as if she were hoping he would find fault with her efforts and deliver punishment appropriately. However, he was calm as always.

"Thank you, Echo." He smiled before catching the eye of the other two duelists who would be accompanying them in the retrieval. "David, Mackenzie. I'm glad to see you two could make it."

On the other side of the submarine were David Rabb and Reggie Mackenzie, their blond hair and pale faces a striking contrast to their black bodysuits. Rabb's expression was smug as ever, while Mackenzie's was focused and cold. "Did you have fun playing cards while the rest of us did the real work?" David prodded.

Adrian placidly regarded them, ignoring David's comment. "I was worried when you went dark after losing to Chazz Princeton, Mackenzie."

Mackenzie tensed at the mention of the Northman's name. She had changed her hair, the golden locks now short and spiked-up. "My father was not pleased when he learned of my defeat." She gestured to a faded pink scar running up and down the left side of her face and over her eye, her once-angelic beauty marred by her sire's displeasure. "But it does not matter, I have already gathered enough of the dragon's duel energy, now all I need is the Kuriboh. Still, I do hope to see little Chazz again soon. Every moment he continues to draw breath is a moment too long, in my opinion."

"He is currently getting ready to duel Viper's son, believe it or not." Adrian replied. "So you might get your chance. Viper is playing his part well, bluffing Kaiba with the Sacred Beast nonsense. By getting him to focus on Axel and Uria, we'll be able to take him by surprise quite easily." He had finished donning his climbing gear and was hastily scarfing down the protein bar Echo had brought for him.

"The arrogant prick will probably piss himself when he sees we have Exodia…I hear he fell into a coma when Yugi pulled that fifth piece on him." David chuckled.

"Did you happen to see his intern there? Jamie Lancaster?" Mackenzie's eyes glimmered with desire, although desire for what Adrian could not discern.

"No, I'm afraid not. Perhaps he's on the hunt for Jaden Yuki at his master's behest, like so many people are these days…" Adrian speculated while Echo nodded in agreement.

"How very unfortunate. I was hoping for a chance to play with him…some other time, perhaps. Now, let's make this fast. I want Operation: Obliterate to be a great success." Mackenzie sighed before they made for the top of the volcano.

A/N

Hope you all enjoyed and thanks as always for your patience in waiting for the new chapter. I was going to include the next duel of the tournament, Chazz vs Pierce, but it ended up being long enough. No Jamie and crew in this chapter but we'll see a lot of them next time. Yes, Viper, Adrian, the Tragodeia crew are all in cahoots, although how much Axel and Pierce are in on it remains to be seen. Jamie and friends' mission has been complicated immensely as Jaden finds himself conflicted and confused. I hope the scene with Yubel and Sartorius wasn't too extreme, if it was I'm sure I'll hear about it in great length and vitriol haha. Something tells me Aster will not be too happy if he finds out how Sartorius has been treated.

Regarding the duel, I have no doubt in canon that Jim would roll Bastion with ease, after all Jim was able to pressure Supreme King Jaden. I believe Jim in canon could beat Viper and S2 Jaden. He also might be able to beat Sartorius if the Eye of Orichalcum negates Sartorius' fate manipulation, but who knows? However, in this story not only is Bastion a lot stronger, but stuff like matchups are far more important. If Jim was able to use Fossil Fusion on that final turn, it could have gone the other way, but Zombie World happened to work extremely effectively against his deck. Jim also prevailed against Misawa in the manga so we know he would win there. I like Jim, he's a neat character and I don't dislike him just because he lost here.

As always thank you for reading and I hope to see you all again soon!