Disclaimer: Even if I owned GX, I would've lost the license by now.

Author's Note: Whoo boy, where do I start?

Summer of 2022 was bizarre, to say the least. This was meant to come out on August 31st, 2022, but around the 11th, I decided to put things on hold for a bit and try out some more, uh, professional things. I'd been bitten by the writing bug, what can I say?

Anyway, as always, I'm sorry this is so late. Hopefully I won't have to say that again.

So, here's the situation.

Zane collapsed due to his heart shutting down. He was quickly rushed to the infirmary where the medical team quickly got to work reviving him.

Atticus and I waited outside the room in silence, while Chazz talked to the doctors. Eventually, he left the room.

"Well?" I asked.

"He's alive." Chazz said.

The three of us all breathed sighs of relief.

"Are we allowed to go see him?" Atticus asked.

Chazz shook his head.

"He's still not conscious." Chazz said. "And they want to avoid agitating him further if he does wake up."

I might not be the biggest fan of Chazz's brothers, but they had a good medical unit on call. Because of the shock, the tournament was called for the day. Marcel and my duel was rescheduled for the next day and near immediately after that, whoever won would be dueling Chazz.

Normally, I'd be raring to go, pushing for my duel sooner. But seeing Zane nearly die… Well, there's things that even get to me.

I stumbled around the school for a while, trying to figure out some way to kill time. It was still way too early for me to hit the sack yet. And that's it. There was no other reason.

So as I tried to decide between helping Miss Dorothy and Former Chancellor Sheppard at the card shack, and finding the third year students to give them an idea for the senior prank, I just happened to walk in the direction of the classrooms. And out walks...

"Hey, Jaden!" Alexis said, with a smile.

"Oh, hey, Lex." I said. "What's up?"

"Oh, you know, the usual." Alexis said.

Yeah, if I ever skip small talk, this is why.

"You need me to talk to anyone?" I asked, pointing a thumb at the classrooms.

"I'm fine." Alexis said. "Sorry about last night. It was just a lot."

"No worries, man." I said, shrugging. "It was nice getting to talk like old times."

"You enjoyed my sadness?" Alexis asked, leaning closer to my face.

"Uh, no, that's not what I…" Good. Stammer. That makes you seem cool.

"I'm just messing with you, Jaden." Alexis said, chuckling. "I love that I can still get your goat."

"I never made a Goat Neo-Spacian." I said.

The two of us looked at each other for a second, then burst out laughing.

"Thanks, Lex." I said. "I needed that."

"I could tell." Alexis said. "The great Jaden Yuki looking all down and dour? That's a rare sight."

Was it really that obvious?

"It's just what happened earlier." I said. "Did you hear?"

Alexis nodded.

"Zane crashed the tournament, then collapsed." Alexis said. "Is he okay?"

"If Chazz was telling the truth." I said.

"That's a relief." Lex said with a sigh. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone, even if Zane did become a creep."

"It really makes me wonder how such a good duelist can end up like that." I said. "Even when he kidnapped you, he was in better health than this."

"I know." Alexis said, leaning against the wall. "Even after everything that's happened, I still want to think of him as that guy who comforted me by the lighthouse all those nights."

As those heavy thoughts hung in the air, a loud rumbling broke the silence. And for once, it wasn't my stomach.

"Sorry." Alexis said, blushing. "I haven't eaten in hours."

"Wanna go grab a bite?" I asked.

"Sure!" Alexis said, excitedly.

The plan had been to get one of those high quality meals they give the teachers (I'm kidding, Alexis had food she could prepare in her room), but we passed by the card shop and Miss Dorothy needed help restocking, so we ended up eating there after giving her a hand.

In the end, it was just some rice balls and an eggwich each, but it was the best meal I'd had in a long time.

"That was the best meal I've had in a long time." I said, patting my- Wait, don't repeat me, Past Me!

"Please tell me you've been eating well." Alexis said, as we walked through the halls.

Uh, does pizza, ice cream and Cheebohs count?

"As well as I usually do." I said. "But being able to sit down and enjoy a good meal with a friend? It's been awhile."

"What about my brother and Chazz?" Alexis asked. "You live with them, don't you?"

"They're never around." I said, making it sound like it was no big deal. Which it wasn't. "Chazz is always at his business meetings and Atticus is usually away working on movies or whatever. I practically live alone. And I don't even have to pay the bills."

I laughed at that last part. Lex, however, didn't.

"Do you at least get good sleep?" Alexis asked.

"I usually sleep from 5 to 5." I said.

"AM to PM?" Alexis asked.

"You know me so well." I said.

"Jaden, stop joking." Alexis said. "Before you left the Academy, you were straightening out your act."

"I had to." I said. "I had classes to get to, if I wanted to graduate. Plus roommates who nagged me."

The sad part is, I genuinely believed that at the time.

"Look, I have to go grade today's tests and prepare for tomorrow's tests, but just promise me you'll take better care of yourself, okay, Jaden?" Alexis asked.

"You know I try my best." I said, in that dismissive way of mine.

Alexis wasn't having it and grabbed my face, forcing me to stare into her beau- brown eyes. I meant brown.

"Promise me." Alexis said.

She broke right through my defenses with that.

"I promise." I said.

Without saying anything else, Alexis gave me her warm smile and walked off. Okay, maybe she said something, but I didn't catch it.

"See ya tomorrow, Lex!" I called out, once my senses returned to me.

She was already gone by the time I said that.

I returned to the guest room that was assigned to me. I didn't feel too tired, but as soon as I hit the mattress, I was out. The day's events had been way too much for me.

I ended up sleeping the night through. Of course, I felt out of place when I got up. I could sleep in one of those fancy Obelisk rooms every day until I turned 100, and still not get used to it.

I grabbed a quick breakfast, then went back to my room and got my deck and the Compact Duel Disk that Harrington had given me and made my way to the arena.

I found I arrived too early, so I decided to take a nice little walk around the island.

Breathing in that air made me feel right at home again.

It was like the events of the previous day hadn't happened. For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace.

Uh, I mean, like… y'know, the tournament had my nerves going, y'know? Yeah.

Anyway, I eventually got back to the arena. And while I had been early, now I was a little late. Remind me not to get up early again. It doesn't work out for me.

Although, I wasn't the only one who was late. Marcel, who, I remind you, was supposed to be my opponent, hadn't shown up either.

"Yo, Atticus, what's up?" I asked, walking over to the stage.

"I'm not entirely sure, but it seems like Marcel has locked himself in his room and refuses to come out." Atticus said.

"The kid makes Syrus look like me. Self Esteem, I swear." I said.

Then my phone went off.

"Uh… hello?" I asked, answering it.

"Jaden, it's Blair." Came a voice from the other end.

"Blair?" I asked back.

"Look, I'm going to coax Marcel out, but I need a little more time." Blair said. "Buy me some, will ya?"

"Sure thing." I said.

"You're still a sweetheart!" Blair said, before hanging up.

"Sweetheart?!" I shouted at the phone.

Y'know, I only just realized, I never gave Blair my number. I'll need to find out how she got it one of these days.

I explained the call to Atticus, and he was immediately on board with the plan.

"Ladies and gentlemen, sorry for the delay, but we have a special presentation before the duel starts!" Atticus shouted into his microphone.

I jumped on stage and began posing with the Compact Duel Disk.

"Jaden here has asked to tell us about his new Duel Disk!" Atticus said.

Atticus handed me the microphone and I immediately went off with an impromptu ad. Again, thanks for the calendar, Bastion.

"Do you guys ever get tired of lugging around those old Duel Disks?" I asked. "I know I sure did! But now, I've got this baby!"

I held the Compact Duel Disk up for everyone to see.

"The Compact Duel Disk!" I said. "Not only is it lighter to carry than the older models, but it looks cool, and it cuts down on wrist strain!"

"But where do you put the cards?" Atticus asked, helping me out.

"I'm glad you asked." I said.

I inserted my deck, and the card slots shot out.

"Just place your deck in, and the zones pop out, while also giving you your graveyard!" I said.

"So cool!" Atticus said, as dramatically as he could.

"You can carry it wherever you want!" I said. "Put it in your backpack or purse! No more lugging around your Duel Disk!"

I saw Blair walking up, dragging Marcel behind her, and quickly finished up my infomercial.

"The Compact Duel Disk!" I said. "Coming soon from Rosewood Sporting Goods!"

This actually seemed to interest people. Great!

Blair pushed Marcel on to the stage and immediately blocked his exit.

"Ah! Now we have both our duelists!" Atticus said. "If they're both ready, let's get this duel started!"

"But, I…" Marcel started.

Marcel looked back and saw Blair giving him a thumbs up. Marcel gulped and took his spot across from me.

"Here's some info on our competitors for the day!" Atticus said. "Marcel is the French National Champion! Using a dueling style most call unorthodox, he's won his way into the hearts of millions! Most call it unorthodox, but I call it courageous!"

That was Marcel's introduction. Mine?

"Jaden Yuki is an up-and-coming star! Despite not much being known about this kid, he's been rising through the ranks fast enough to get a spot in this tournament!"

Why did mine seem more… pitiable?

Well, either way, Marcel and I activated our Duel Disks.

"You wanna go first, bud?" I asked.

"Uh, al-alright…" Marcel said, fumbling nervously with his cards.

Y'know, some people say "You haven't changed at all" and mean it in a sweet way. Unfortunately, Marcel was one of those guys who should've changed, even if only slightly.

"I summon Mystic Tomato in Defense Mode." Marcel said, sounding as nervous as he looked. "And that's all."

A 1000 Defense Point tomato? And yet, my duels with him back in my third year started pretty similarly.

"Looks like we'll have some fried tomatoes!" I said. "I summon Burstinatrix in Attack Mode!"

Burstinatrix appeared and threw a fire blast at Mystic Tomato, roasting it to smithereens. Then, another Tomato took its place.

"When Mystic Tomato is destroyed, Marcel can summon a Dark Monster from his deck, as long as it has 1500 or less Attack Points!" Atticus explained in Marcel's place.

"Well, since that Tomato's got more points than Burstinatrix, I better lay down a facedown." I said.

A card appeared between me and Burstinatrix.

"Your turn, Marcel!" I said, trying to sound extra friendly to help his nerves.

"I, um…" Marcel gulped. "I summon Witch of the Black Forest in Defense Mode. Then I switch my Mystic Tomato to Attack Mode and, uh… attack Burstinatrix."

Mystic Tomato leapt towards Burstinatrix, who fired back with a blast of fire. Unfortunately, the Tomato ate the fire blast and ended up looking more like a Jack-o'-lantern as it rammed Butstinatrix, shattering her. Since it had 1400 Points, my Life Points dropped to 3800.

"And Marcel takes first blood!" Atticus cheered.

"Maybe, but I'm not out yet!" I said. "Go, Hero Signal!"

A signal flashed in the sky, and Wildheart leapt to the field, ready for battle.

"Now what will Marcel do?!" Atticus shouted.

The answer was play a facedown and end his turn with a small nod.

I drew Sparkman and summoned him right away.

"Alright, Marcel, here we come!" I said. "Wildheart, you know your way around a forest! Go slay that Witch!"

"C'mon, Marcel, you've got this!" Blair shouted from the sidelines.

"I a-activate my trap card." Marcel said.

"Ooh, Spiritual Dark Art - Greed!" Atticus said. "Marcel can destroy a Dark Monster and draw two cards!"

Witch of the Black Forest was skewered by several needles and shattered, while Marcel drew two cards.

"What a clever move!" Atticus said. "Since his Witch was sent to the grave, Marcel can now add a monster from his deck to his hand, as long as it has 1500 or less Defense Points!"

Marcel added a card from his deck to his hand.

"Well, if that's done." I said. "Sparkman, attack Mystic Tomato!"

Sparkman shot a blast of electricity at Mystic Tomato, and destroyed it. Marcel's Life Points dropped to 3800.

"Funny, I didn't know you COULD shock a tomato." I said. Marcel still didn't react. Okay.

Wildheart destroyed the replacement Tomato and Marcel lost another 100 Life Points.

"I, uh, I summon Sangan." Marcel said.

Look, I'm not one for bad mouthing cards, but these were pretty garden variety monsters. The combo of Witch of the Black Forest and Spiritual Art Greed was something, but other than that, this wasn't looking like the kind of deck run by a National Champion.

"Well, that's it for me." I said. "You're up, Marcel!"

Without saying a word, Marcel switched Sangan into Defense Mode and activated Different Dimension Capsule.

"This lets Marcel remove a card from his deck that he gets to add back to his hand in two turns!" Atticus explained for the audience.

I was dueling Marcel here, right? Because the way things had been going, I felt like I was dueling Atticus.

Marcel set another facedown without a word.

"You gotta announce these things, Marcel!" Blair said.

"I, uh, I think I'll summon Mad Reloader." Marcel said.

That's more like it!

A demonic beast that looked like Raviel's baby cousin appeared on the field, covering itself with its arms. Okay, this was a different monster, but it still had 0 Attack Points.

"I end my turn." Marcel said.

I drew a card and, with a little hesitation, Marcel activated his facedown.

"Oh! The Crush Card Virus!" Atticus said. "I'm sure we all know what that one does, but on the off chance you haven't seen any of Seto Kaiba's duels in awhile, here's a recap! Marcel destroys one of his monsters with 1000 or less Attack Points, and all of the monsters on Jaden's field and hand with 1500 Attack Points or more are destroyed! And it sticks around for the next three turns!"

Sangan shattered and a mist floated over to my field. Sparkman fell to his knees, clutching his throat, while Wildheart, immune to traps, looked on in shock. Sparkman shattered, while I was forced to discard Neos from my hand. Marcel then pulled another card from his deck.

"Another great combo by Marcel!" Atticus said, pumping his fist in the air.

Something about this strategy seemed familiar, and it wasn't from dueling Marcel in the past. Like something I'd heard of before.

Wait! There's no way!

The "unorthodox" "courageous" strategy. His otherwise strange plays. The fact our previous duels weren't eventful. The first turn win?!

"I summon Aqua Dolphin in Attack Mode!" I said. "Then I activate his effect! I get to look at your hand and, if it has a monster that's weaker than one of mine, I can destroy it and you lose 500 Life Points!"

I discarded a card and Marcel turned his hand to me.

Yup! Just like I expected, and I'm sure many of you have caught on too.

Marcel had two pieces of Exodia in his hand.

"No way!" I said.

"You didn't know Marcel used an Exodia deck?" Atticus asked.

"No!" I said.

"Getting all five pieces in his hand on the first turn of the French National Finals caused a major uproar in the dueling world." Atticus explained. "How did you not know?"

Look, I was really busy that week, trying to invent a new way of going to the bathroom. …Wow, my life was trash.

I chose one of the pieces and destroyed it, then discarded another card and destroyed the second piece. Marcel lost 1000 Life Points total, dropping to 2800.

Still, even I knew Exodia players had ways of returning those pieces to their hands, so I wasn't out of the woods yet.

"Okay, now, Aqua Dolphin!" I said. "Attack Mad Reloader!"

Aqua Dolphin let out a shriek, causing Mad Reloader to grab its ears, before shattering.

"When Mad Reloader is destroyed, Marcel can send two of the cards in his hand to the graveyard to draw two more from his deck." Atticus narrated exactly what Marcel was doing.

"Now, Wildheart, attack directly!" I said.

Wildheart struck Marcel, dropping his Life Points to 1300.

"So, this is how you became French Champion!" I said. "Impressive, Marcel!"

"It was pure luck." Marcel said, looking down. "I don't deserve to be here."

"Huh?!" I said.

I was the guy who had, for lack of better terms, bought his way in. If either of us didn't deserve to be here, it was me.

"Oh, c'mon!" I said. "You're a champion, buddy! You can do this!"

Marcel just gulped and drew a card. That's when the card he put in the Different Dimension Capsule returned to his hand.

"So, what is it?" I asked. "Another Exodia piece? I can't tell you how exciting it is to finally get to face down an Exodia deck!"

"Not… precisely." Marcel said.

Despite what Marcel said, the monster he summoned was Exodia's right leg. He DID have a piece. Wait… why did he summon it?

"Come on, Marcel, you gotta give a speech if you're using this thing!" Blair said, now standing by the dueling stage.

"W-With monsters such as you…" Marcel started.

"Not that kind of speech!" Blair said. "A summoning speech!"

"I, uh…" Marcel said, before nodding. "Bre-Break free of the shackles that have held you back and storm forth to show the world what you're truly capable of!"

As Marcel chanted, something began forming on the leg.

"I call to you!" Marcel said. "The Legendary Exodia Incarnate!"

And as he said that, a smaller version of Exodia stood in front of me. I say smaller, but that's just compared to the regular Exodia. This one still made things like Cyber End Dragon look small.

"Exodia Incarnate gets 1000 Points for each Exodia piece in Marcel's graveyard." Blair said.

"And since he had to sacrifice the leg to summon this behemoth, that makes three!" Atticus said.

The crowd went wild. Marcel, however, seemed to shrink further into himself.

"Ex-Exodia, attack Aqua Dolphin." Marcel said.

Three pieces in the grave meant 3000 Attack Points. With Aqua Dolphin only having 600 Attack Points… Yuh-oh!

Aqua Dolphin was blasted away in a second and my Life Points fell to 1700.

"Marcel has nearly evened the score!" Atticus cheered.

"I'll, uh, set a facedown." Marcel said.

"Unfortunately, to keep Exodia Incarnate, Marcel must add a piece of Exodia from his graveyard to his hand!" Atticus said.

Marcel took one of the pieces from his graveyard and added it to his hand.

Before I could even make a move, Marcel activated his facedown.

"Obliterate!" Atticus announced. "Marcel can send an Exodia piece from his deck or hand to the graveyard and return a monster to Jaden's hand!"

Marcel discarded the card he had just gotten back from the graveyard and bounced Wildheart back to my hand.

This kid was good. I know I hadn't given him credit in the past, but he really has the skills of a champion!

There wasn't much I could do to overcome Exodia Incarnate with that Crush Card in play, and even if I played on the defensive, he'd eventually get all the pieces he needed in his hand.

The problem, of course, was his attitude. How did he even enter that tournament like this?

"I summon Bubbleman!" I said. "And when he's summoned out on his own, I can draw two cards."

Not that it'd help much at the time. I needed some way to destroy Exodia Incarnate ASAP. But all I could do was delay a defeat for now.

"I lay down a facedown and call it a turn." I said.

"You've got this, Marcel!" Blair said. "You just need to deal him damage and you win!" Blair said.

"I… Yes!" Marcel said. "I attack Bubbleman with Exodia Incarnate!"

"I activate Hero's Guard!" I said. "If you attack one of my Hero monsters this turn, it isn't destroyed. And if I remove a Hero from my graveyard, I can cut the damage in half!"

Bubbleman took the brunt of the attack, while Burstinatrix appeared behind him and blocked most of the attack from hitting me. Still, my Life Points dropped to 600.

"After that, I can draw a card." I said, drawing a card from my deck.

"I end my turn." Marcel said, returning a piece of Exodia to his hand.

Marcel was definitely doing better now. It couldn't just be because he was winning, right?

"I switch Bubbleman to Defense Mode." I said, as Bubbleman crossed his arms across his chest. "Then I summon Wildheart in Defense too!"

Now he wouldn't have a chance to hit my Life Points. But, just in case…

"I'll play one more facedown and end my turn." I said.

"I use the effect of my Obliterate." Marcel said.

"You gotta shout it, Marcel!" Blair said.

"Obliterate!" That was… better. "I discard a piece of Exodia and return Bubbleman to your hand."

Bubbleman turned into a light and went back to my hand.

"Next, I use Card Destruction." Marcel said.

"First a Kaiba classic, now one of Yugi's!" Atticus said. "Jaden and Marcel have to discard every card in their hands and draw the same number of cards!"

That makes sense for an Exodia deck, but what was he hoping for?

"With another piece in my hand, I use Obliterate! again." Marcel said.

Not good.

Wildheart, like Bubbleman, was sent back to my hand. And now, with four pieces of Exodia in his grave, Marcel's monster had 4000 Attack Points.

Exodia Incarnate was ready to blast away the last few bits of my Life Points, when I activated my facedown.

"Flute of Summoning Kuriboh!" I called out dramatically. "This lets me summon my pal Winged Kuriboh from my deck!"

Winged Kuriboh took the attack, then flew on to my shoulder.

"Thanks, Kuriboh." I said.

Marcel's turn ended, and he added another Exodia piece back to his hand.

Let's take stock. I just barely survived that last turn and I was facing down a 3000 Attack Point monster with one more turn of Crush Card to wait out. Things didn't look good for me, and…

This! This is exactly what I loved about dueling! That uncertainty about how I'm gonna win!

Still, it seemed like Marcel was having trouble getting into the groove. Then again, whenever Blair cheered him on, he got a lot more serious.

Then it hit me.

"Hang on a sec, Marcel." I said. "I think we just found a way to deal with those self confidence issues of yours."

"My… self confidence?" Marcel asked.

"Yeah." I said, nodding. "Like, calling your entrance into this tournament a fluke."

"But it was…" Marcel started.

"Let me guess, Blair was cheering you on during that French Tournament, huh?" I asked.

"Uh…" Marcel stammered.

I knew it.

"You're not a bad duelist, bud." I said. "You just need the right inspiration. And that'd be Blair."

"Blair?" Marcel repeated.

"Yep!" I said. "A teacher of mine once asked me what my reason to duel was. He was a pretentious snot who just wanted to make himself seem deeper, but he might not have been completely off the mark. Some people need something, or someone to inspire them. A reason to duel. And Blair's your reason. She's your… your… Hey, Atticus!"

"Uh, yeah, Jay?" Atticus asked.

"Remember that ninja movie you worked on as an extra?" I asked. "The one where you had your face covered?"

"Uh, yeah." Atticus said. "Where are you going with this?"

"What did the director call Jean-Claude Magnum?" I asked. "His singer or something?"

"Oh!" Atticus said. "His muse."

"Yeah! His music!" I was an idiot. "Blair's yours, Marcel."

Marcel looked shocked by this. Like I pointed out a truth he'd known but never addressed.

In the meantime, I had to figure out a strategy. I know, I'm scared too.

Alright, Yuki, think. If you summon a monster, he'll just use Obliterate! to send it back to your hand. Then you'll get attacked with 3000 points of Exodia's wrath.

But… what if I don't summon a monster?

Yes! That could work!

"I set two cards facedown!" I said. "Your move, Marcel!"

Marcel drew his card and gulped.

"He's just trying to psych you out, Marcel!" Blair yelled encouragingly. "Remember, Exodia Incarnate is immune to effects."

"R-Right." Marcel said. "Yeah! I'll attack directly with Exodia!"

"I activate my facedown!" I said.

"But Exodia is unaffected by other effects!" Blair said.

"I already knew that." I said. "And I knew if I used this sooner, Marcel would've boosted Exodia's attack with Obliterate! That's why I waited until now to summon Neos back from the grave with Call of the Haunted!"

Neos appeared in front of me. Part 1, done.

Because the number of monsters on my field changed, Marcel got to do a replay.

"I still have a chance." Marcel said. "Exodia Incarnate, attack Neos with Incarnated Rage!"

Exodia Incarnate fired a blast from his hands, only for it to be swatted away by Neos.

"Huh?!" Marcel and Blair said together.

As the dust cleared, Sparkman's spirit could be seen by Neos' side.

"I activated my other facedown, Soul Union!" I explained. "This lets me add the Attack Points of a Hero in my grave to a Hero on the field!"

Neos' points rose to 4100, then Neos fired his own attack at Exodia Incarnate. Exodia may have incarnated, but that just let Neos take him down!

Marcel's Life Points dropped to 200. All I had to do was attack next turn and I'd w-

"No!" Marcel shouted, shocking everyone. "I won't... I won't lose with her watching me!"

Marcel's newfound bout of confidence came with a facedown, followed by Monster Reincarnation.

"I can discard one card and bring a monster back to my hand!" Marcel said, flashing Sangan as he pulled it from the graveyard. "And since I didn't summon anything this turn, I'll bring him back out now!"

Sangan took the field in Defense Mode. Neos could take him out easily, but I had a feeling I already knew Marcel's facedown.

"I end my turn." Marcel said.

As soon as I drew a card, Marcel activated his facedown, confirming my suspicion.

"I activate my Backup Soldiers!" Marcel said. "This allows me to bring three Normal Monsters back to my hand!"

Yep, just like I thought.

"Marcel may have just won this duel for himself, ladies and gentlemen!" Atticus announced. "He still had a piece of Exodia in his hand from Exodia Incarnate's effect, and he just added the other three back to his hand! If Jaden attacks Sangan, he gets to add a monster to his hand directly from his deck, and I think we all know exactly which one he'll choose! What will Jaden do?"

What'll I do? Easy.

"You're not the only one recovering monsters, Marcel." I said. "Monster Reborn!"

Aquos returned to the field, and with him, his effect!

Marcel's eyes widened in shock, as Blair sighed by the sidelines.

"You remember Aqua Dolphin's effect, right?" I asked.

"Yeah…" Marcel said, dejectedly.

I felt bad, but at this point, the duel was decided. Aqua Dolphin's effect activated, I discarded a card and chose a piece of Exodia in Marcel's hand. It was destroyed and Marcel's Life Points fell to 0.

Marcel dropped to his knees.

"I failed her…" Marcel said, before turning to Blair. "My apologies, Blair."

"Huh?!" Blair said, obviously shocked. "What are you apologizing to me for?"

"You had so much faith in me, yet I let you down." Marcel said.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself." I said, walking over to Marcel and holding out a hand.

Marcel took my hand and I pulled him to his feet.

"That was a great duel!" I said. "You almost had me at the end. If I hadn't drawn Monster Reborn, who knows what would've happened?"

"But, I didn't…" Marcel started.

Aw, no. I'm not having any more of this.

"Look, buddy, you nearly beat me just now." I said. "And now, you've discovered your reason for dueling, right? So, next time we duel, I'm sure you'll be even more of a challenge."

"Uh… right." Marcel said with a nod.

Blair walked on stage and placed a reassuring hand on Marcel's shoulder.

"He's right." Blair said, then turned to me. "You're speaking from experience, after all."

"What're you talking about?" I asked. "Dueling comes naturally to me! I don't need a reason."

Blair smirked and said, "That's not what I'm talking about."

She didn't need to say anything else. I'd realized it the previous night.

"And the winner is Jaden Yuki!" Atticus finally announced.

The crowd cheered and gave a round of applause. This seemed to brighten Marcel's mood.

Me, on the other hand? I caught Alexis peeking in from one of the entrances and flashing me a thumbs up. I shot her one back.

Yeah. Dueling came naturally to me. But taking care of myself? That's what I needed inspiration for.

Author's Note: Not only do I always end up slacking off on writing these, but I always forget to credit my friend WarMixedSoul for looking over the duel.

So, I finally decided to sit down and get this chapter out for Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, I was also hoping to have finally sat down and edited the mistakes, and a few other things out of at least Breaking the Society's Hold. Hopefully I can get that done later the night this is posted. If not, hopefully soon.

I'm going to start working on this again, guys. Regular updates should come soon.

Y'know, despite my best efforts, I can't get Obliterate to go up with the proper three exclamation points.