Episode(s): 21 -22
"For real?" asked Jaden as he pointed to himself.
"That's right. You will duel Bastion, and the victor will represent Duel Academy in the school duel against North Academy," said Professor Banner. Jaden just turned to smile at Bastion. "I look forward to an exciting match!"
'Being that its Jaden, I know it will be,' thought Rose to herself.
~The Day of the Duel ~
"It's time, duelist, to find out who will represent our most illustrious academy in the annual school duel!" said Crowler as he stood in the middle of the arena.
"Introducing first, from the Ra dorms, Bastion Misawa!" introduced Crowler as Bastion stood to his right. Everyone cheered.
"And then from Slifer, some kid," said Crowler as he was forced to introduce Jaden. No one cheered except for Syrus and Chumley.
'Its funny since they were all cheering him when he and Syrus went against the Paradox brothers,' thought Rose with a sweat drop.
"It'll be instinct versus intelligence here," said Zane as he came to stand next to Rose and Alexis.
"I guess, who cares," said Alexis, shocking the other two.
"Alexis?" said Rose.
"I mean, yeah!" said Alexis, trying to fake happiness. Zane and Rose just looked at each other.
"Now! Without any further ado!" said Crowler.
"Get your game on!" said Jaden.
"Let's duel!" said the two boys.
'I wonder what's wrong with Alexis,' thought Rose as she looked at her friend. 'Zane obviously doesn't know, so what happened.'
"Alright! First move," said Bastion as he drew a card. "I summon Carboneddon in defense mode! That's all for now."
"A brand-new deck, and Carboneddon is all you can bust out?" asked Jaden with a smile. "Whatever works for ya!"
"Don't get overconfident," said Rose as she watched.
"Now," said Jaden as he drew a card. "I play Burstinatrix in attack mode!"
"Off to a good start there," said Bastion.
"Yeah, sure am! And I got news for ya, it only gets better! Burstinatrix, attack! Nest I'll throw down a face-down and call it a turn."
"You don't waste any time. I like that," said Bastion as he drew a card. "I'm going to summon Oxygeddon in attack mode! And now, Oxygeddon, attack!"
"Think again! I got a trap," said Jaden as he revealed his facedown card. "Hero Barrier! With this card, if I have an Elemental Hero on the field, I can negate your monster's attack once! Sorry Bastion, but Burstinatrix isn't busted just yet!"
"Well-played, Jaden. Put of course, I'd expect no less. I'll go ahead and place this face down. And that's all."
"Alright then. I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in attack mode!" said Jaden as said monster appeared. "And I activate the equip spell Spark Blaster and equip it on Sparkman! Now I can change the battle mode of any monster on the field and the one I have set in Sparkman's sights is Oxygeddon! Now he has to switch into defense mode! And now Burstinatrix can take him out! Go Magma Comet!"
"Whoops! Looks like someone has forgotten their chemistry, no?" said Bastion with a smirk. "See, fire and oxygen, they don't mix Jaden. So, when Oxygeddon is destroyed in battle by a pyro-type monster, it doesn't just take a toll on my life points, but on yours as well!"
"Sweet move," said Jaden as both his and Bastion's life points went down to 3,200. "Your monster's ability cost us both there! But I'd do it all over again, know why? 'Cause now your field is empty, which means my Sparkman can attack you directly!
"Hey Zane," asked Rose.
"Yeah," said Zane as he looked at the shorter girl.
"I was wondering, I know you went to some meeting where they were going to pick the duelist, but who picked who? Could you guys not decide?"
"I nominated Jaden, Crowler nominated Bastion."
"Ahh! That explains why he's freaking out down there," said Rose as she looked toward Dr. Crowler, causing the other two to look. Jaden had reduced Bastion's life points to just 1,600.
"It can't be helped," said Zane after he sighed.
"You'd think he'd learn by now," said Alexis with a sweat drop.
"To much makeup is effecting his thinking process," said Rose in a serious voice, causing the other two to chuckle.
"hey, sorry there Bastion," said Jaden with a smile. "Guess it's back to the drawing board if you wanna beat my deck!"
"No, Jaden, I think not. You see, I've already beaten it. Now, it's simply a matter of showing all of my work. Now then, let's get back into the fray, shall we?
"It's my turn," said Bastion as he drew a card. "And I'm going to summon Hydrogeddon in attack mode! Now, Hydrogeddon, attack Burstinatrix!"
This lowered Jaden's life points to 2,800.
"Next I'll activate Hydrogeddon's ability!" said Bastion with a smirk. "You see, whenever he destroys a monster in battle, it allows me to summon another Hydrogeddon. And I happen to have one right here in my deck! And now I'll play an equip spell from my hand Living Fossil! I can now summon one monster from my graveyard so long as I equip it with this. And the monster I'll bring back is Oxygeddon! Rise again old friend!
"Of course, Fossil lowers his attack points and cancels his special ability, but it's worth it."
"Already?" asked Rose as she had an idea of what Bastion was going to summon.
"Now it gets good," said Bastion with a smirk. "I activate the spell card: Bonding H2O! See Jaden, when I bond two Hydrogeddons and one Oxygeddon, they do the exact same thing that two-hydrogen bonded with one oxygen do. They become water, or in this case, the all-powerful Water Dragon!"
"That's not good," said Jaden.
"Now he looks a little too happy," commented Zane about Crowler.
"It's really creepy," said Alexis.
"How do they allow him around children?" asked Rose.
"I've been asking myself that since I started going here," said Zane, shocking the two girls.
'That's bad,' thought both girls.
"It's your move now, Jaden," said Bastion.
"Well, Bastion, it's like they always say, when the goin' gets tough, the tough get goin'!" said Jaden as he drew a card. "So here I go! Sweet! Alright, you got one of your best monsters out, so allow me to summon on up one of mine! Now I may not know as much chemistry as you do, but I can still mix it up. Avian and Bubbleman, get ready to merge with Sparkman to create the one and only Elemental Hero Tempest! Alrightie. Fuse!"
"I don't think so, Jaden," said Bastion with a smirk. "Go! Trap card, Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell! Now, by discarding one spell card from my hand, I can negate your spell card and destroy it! And you can no longer use the card that was destroyed by this effect for the remainder of the duel."
"Wait! I can't use Polymerization anymore?" asked Jaden in shock.
"I'm afraid not, which essentially means you can't use any of your fusion monsters anymore, either. No Flame Wingman, no Thunder Giant, none of them," said Bastion as he smirked. "Compute it any which way you like, but the answer will always come out the same. This duel's over. You can't win."
Jaden simply played Avian in defense mode.
"Face it Jaden, with your fusion monsters neutralized and my Water Dragon about to strike, you and your monsters are about to be all washed up!
"No way, Bastion got rid of polymerization," said Alexis in shock.
"Let's see how Jaden measures up," said Zane as he looked at the duel, only to sigh.
"He's creeping me out," said Rose as she looked at what Zane sighed about.
"Just ignore him, that's what I've been doing since I've started here," said Zane.
'Come on, Jaden,' thought Rose.
"Fight back," said Alexis.
"Well, perhaps we underestimated Bastion," said Zane with a smile. "He's been playing this like a pro. After all, with just one card, he's all but disarmed Jaden's deck.
"Come on, he's just taken away Jaden's ability to use fusion monsters, that's all," said Alexis aggressively.
"But that's how Jaden wins all his duels," said Rose.
"My go! And I'm gonna switch Sparkman to defense mode! And I'll leave it at that," said Jaden.
"Not much to do when you've been stripped of the ability to use your favorite monsters, eh, Jaden?" asked Bastion with a smug look.
"Wrong! There's loads to do," said Jaden with a smile. "Like findin' a new plan. It'll be tough, but I'm up for it! And then, Bastion, it'll be all the sweeter when I win!"
"Yes, when you win. Well, we have nothing if not our dreams, I suppose, however farfetched, Now then, let's get on with this duel, shall we Jaden?" said Bastion as he drew a card.
"Jaden is definitely confident," said Zane with a smirk.
"He's got a plan," said Alexis.
"More like he's going to wing it till he has something," laughed Rose with a fond smile.
"I play the Mathematician in attack mode," said Bastion as he played his card.
"Well, I'm not surprised," giggled Rose.
"That's his duel spirt, for sure," said Alexis as she giggled.
"You see, when this is summoned, I must send one card from my deck to the grave," said Bastion. "But then, if Mathematician happens to be destroyed in battle I can take a card from my deck and add it to my hand. Of course, none of that is very pressing right this moment, what with my Water Dragon about to surge into action!"
Sparkman was attacked and destroyed, leaving Jaden with one monster.
"And now, Mathematician attacks your hero Avian! Number Cruncher!"
"Jaden," said Rose as she looked on.
"Well, my turn's done, Jaden. So," said Bastion with a smirk, "if you still plan on beating me feel free to go ahead and do your worst."
"You bet I will!" said Jaden with a smile. "Cuz my duel's just starting!"
"Is it?"
"Yep. Ya see, we're different! You make all your moves at home! I do mine on the field!"
"Hmm," hummed Alexis.
"Alright, where were we?" said Jaden as he drew a card. "First, I'm gonna summon Hero Bubbleman in attack mode! Now when I summon Bubbleman, if I have no other cards out, that's a good thing! Know why? Cuz it means I can draw two cards! And one of 'em I'll play right now! The equip spell Bubble Blaster! This lets Bubbleman gain 800 attack points! And now, Bubbleman attack!"
This attack brought down Bastion's life points to 1,500.
"Well played, but since you destroyed Mathematician, his ability activates allowing me to draw one card," said Bastion as he drew a card.
"Yeah, yeah, but it's still my turn, and I'm gonna throw down two face downs! Next, I'm gonna play the spell card Mirage of Nightmare! And then I'll call it a turn! See, I'm no one trick pony! Ya take away my fusion monsters, and, well, I''' just come right back at ya with somethin' else! Cuz, it's not about the fusion', Bastion, it's about the monster, and mine are still rarin' to go!"
"I'm sure," said Bastion with his eyes closed. "But the fact of the matter is, Jaden, your most powerful monsters are not. When will you accept that dueling is nothing more than a numbers game? A number game that I have calculated effectively, and you have not. Your defeat is imminent, Jaden. Now, my draw!"
"And with it, the effect a' my spell Mirage of Nightmare activates!" called out Jaden. "Cuz a' this card's effect, durin' your standby phase, I'm allowed to draw and keep drawin' till I have four cards! And now I'll reveal my facedown card! Emergency Provisions! Now, allow me to explain how it works, Bastion. By sending one spell or trap on my field to the grave I gain a thousand life points. So, adios Mirage of Nightmare!
"Do you think Jaden can make it?" asked Zane.
"Looks like he might," said Rose as Jaden's life points went up to 3,800.
"Quite impressive," said Zane after watching Jaden. "He switched his strategy and is still playing well."
"Yeah, but can he keep it up?" asked Alexis as she leaned on the railing.
"You're simply postponing the inevitable, you're deck's a problem that's already been solved," said Bastion.
"You're wrong!" cried Jaden.
"Perhaps this will convince you then, I activate the spell card Pot of Greed from my hand! Due to its effect, I draw two cards. Furthermore, there are now ten cards stacked above Carboneddon in the graveyard. But he can handle the pressure, in fact, he thrives on it. Because now, due to the immense gravitational force on Carboneddon, he changes into diamond! And that lets me activate his special effect! By removing this card from play, I can now summon Hyozanryu, The Dimond Dragon!
"Now, Hyozanryu attack Bubbleman! Diamond Devastator!"
"Whoopsie Bastion, when a monster with Bubble Blaster is beaten in battle, it's the blaster that gets destroyed not the monster," said Jaden.
"But now that your blaster's gone, what will protect him from The Water Dragon?!" said Bastion with a smirk. "Tidal Blast!"
The attack knocked Jaden's life points to 1,800.
"Go trap card!" said Jaden as he protected himself. "Hero Signal! This activates when one of my monsters is destroyed! Now, Bastion, I can summon a monster with elemental hero in its name from my deck or from my hand! And I choose Elemental Hero Clayman!"
"My, you just won't give up, will you, Jaden?" said Bastion with a smile. "You certainly are one stubborn duelist."
"Thanks, Bastion," replied Jaden with a smile. "At least, I think that, that was a compliment."
"I'll end my turn with a face down," said Bastion as he put a card facedown.
"Here goes!" said Jaden a she drew a card. "I activate the spell The Warrior Returning Alive! With this card's effect, I can take one warrior-type monster from my grave and add it straight to my hand. And I'll pick Bubbleman and summon him to the field! Then I activate the spell card: Bubble Shuffle! With this, I can change Bubbleman and one of your monsters from attack mode to defense mode!
"Oh, and then if I sacrifice Bubbleman while he's in defense mode? I'm allowed to summon any monster with Elemental Hero in its name from my hand. And guess what, Bastion?! That's exactly what I'm gonna do! Bubbleman, move over from Elemental Hero Bladedge!"
"Those fusion monsters may be Jaden's best," started Zane as he looked at the monster Jaden has summoned, "but that thing is a close second."
"And this should be a close matchup!" said Rose in excitement. 'You've got this Jaden.'
"Field spell Skyscraper!" said Jaden as he played the card. "Now when a monster with Elemental Hero in its name battles if it has less attack points than your monster it gains a thousand attack points. So, go, Bladedge! Attack Water Dragon with Slice and Dice attack! "
Bladedge attack Water Dragon, much to a lot of people's shock.
"Now Bladedge's ability activates! See, if he attacks a monster in defense mode and has more attack points than your monster's defense points, well then, the difference is dealt directly to you as damage!" said Jaden.
"He got Bastion's life points down to 500!" said Alexis.
"Don't rule Bastion out yet," said Zane.
"Well, my dragon has a special ability, too," said Bastion as he glared at Jaden. "For you see, Jaden, when Water Dragon's destroyed, I can summon one Oxygeddon and two Hydrogeddons from my graveyard! Next, I activate a trap card! Last Magnet! This activates whenever one of my Monsters is destroyed. Then, it equips onto the monster that was responsible for the destruction and causes it to lose 800 attack points!"
"Yeah, well Clayman can still clobber at peak performance!" yelled Jaden, "'Specially with Skyscraper still out on the field! Now, attack Oxygeddon with Clay Clobberer!"
"Good show, Jaden," said Bastion with a smirk as he got ready to grab a card.
"I do what I can," said Jaden with a smirk of his own.
"Alright, it's my turn," Bastion said as he drew a card. "From my hand, I activate the spell Litmus Doom Ritual! Now, from my field and hand, I must sacrifice a total of eight stars worth of monsters, and then I can summon Litmus Doom Swordsman!"
"Hmm," hummed Rose as she watched 'What is he up to?'
"Doom Swordsman isn't affected by traps nor can he be destroyed in battle. Essentially, he's invincible. Also, when there happens to be a trap card out on the field, just as Last Magnet is right now, his attack and defense points become 3,000!"
"Shit," said Jaden.
"So now, Litmus Doom Swordsman give Blade Edge a taste of your steel! Said Bastion as his monster attacked, knocking Jaden's life points to 1,600.
"Well done, now, Hyozanryu, make me just as proud and attack Clayman! Diamond Devastator!"
Everyone watched as Jaden's life points went down to 1,300.
"There's more," said Bastion as he grabbed a card from his hand, "next, I play from my hand, the mighty spell card: A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon! Now, by returning one level five or above dragon type monster on my field back to my hand, all spell and trap cards on the field are destroyed! Which means Skyscraper is now demolished! Finally, I'll end with a face down."
"He took out Skyscraper," said Rose in shock. "He really planned for everything."
"I thought you were friends with him, wouldn't you know that?" asked Alexis.
"Yeah, but I wasn't there for his planning of Jaden. It's amazing what he's come up with!" said Rose in aww.
"Well I'll tell you Bastion, I don't think I've ever had a more fun duel!" said Jaden with excitement.
"Glad you think so!" yelled Syrus in response.
"Look! There's Syrus and Chumley!" said Rose with a smile, causing Alexis to laugh and Zane to chuckle.
"I've enjoyed it as well, Jaden, and will continue to," said Bastion. "Especially when I beat you!"
"Actually, I'm ending this now," said Jaden as he drew a card. "Sweetness, I'm gonna summon a new Elemental Hero! And here he is: Elemental Hero Wildheart!"
"New one?" said Bastion with a smirk, "Well, he won't make mush of an impression! I'm activating a trap! Spirit Barrier! Now, as long as I have a monster on the field, Spirit Barrier will change any battle damage to zero!"
"Nuh-uh! Traps don't work on Wildheart!" said Jaden, sounding like a child.
"Is that so? Well, I suppose it's a good thing that they still work on my Swordsman then. Remember, when a trap card is out, his attack points go up."
"Not good," said Syrus.
"Nah, it's all good," said Jaden with a smile, "cuz I play Cyclone Boomerang! And I'll equip this spell card on Wildheart, raising his attack points by 500!"
"So, what, he's still short a thousand," said Syrus in despair.
"What gives?" asked Chumley.
"You'll see what gives when this boomerang makes its return trip!" said Jaden as his monster attacked, only for it not to work and his monster was destroyed, bring his life points to 300. "Perfect, now I play Bomerang's effect! See, when this card and the monster equipped with it are sent to the graveyard, all spell and trap cards are automatically destroyed. And then, for everyone destroyed, you take 500 points of damage!"
"He won!" said Rose with a smile.
"I guess when it comes to Jaden Yuki, Bastion miscalculated," said Zane as he walked away.
"I guess, or maybe some strategies you just can't calculate," said Alexis.
"Or more like Jaden is full of surprises," laughed Rose as she started to walk toward the stage.
"And the winner is Jaden Yuki!" said Chancaler Shepard, "Well done! You will be Duel Academy's representative at the school duel."
"Way to play, Jay," said Syrus as he and Chumley got to the field.
"Good job," said Chumley.
"Indeed," said Bastion as he walked to Jaden, Rose next to him as she had made it to the field. "You beat me fair and square, Jaden. Rather, you beat this deck, but you can be assured that there will be another."
"And another duel I hope!" said Jaden with a smile as the two shock hands.
"Good job Jaden," said Rose as she walked to stand next to Jaden.
"Thanks Rose," said Jaden as he smiled at her. She smiled at him and then kissed his cheek. Jaden went red while the other three laughed and the audience cheered.
"Alright, School duel, get your game on, 'cuz here I come!" yelled Jaden as everyone cheered.