Hey everybody! (/Hears group yell back "Hi Doctor Nick!"\) Well, the last few days haven't been too bad. Hmm, I was a bit frustrated Wednesday night I suppose due that I didn't win a duel in playing 2 sets. It's the first time in a very long time that I lost that many times in a row. I partially blame myself though. I got frustrated and lost my concentration, thus allowing me to play sloppy. Plus, the music I was listening two kind of made me not feel energized for the duel, but that's just one of my stupid things I guess. Not to mention, my mate bragged a bit in our second set on the first round. That really irritated me and made me even madder, making me that much sloppier. Finally, my deck wasn't very well shuffled. I drew the same cards each duel, and none were helpful, lol. Still, it was a learning curve. Oh well, I'll figure it out, I guess, lol. Anyways, in the meantime, I did decide to start buying some cards for collection purposes. Don't know why, but I am, lol.
Story wise, things are moving along. I finally finished a part of Another that I couldn't do from work. Also, I've come up with new ideas for MtM, and talked with ardee on some stuff for it. We're moving along, and with any luck, should be able to have something done before too much longer.
Last time, Jaden finished off the duel and won, defeating the nearly undefeatable Yugi. Now the question is, what next?
Wow, the reviews just keep on coming in. Thank you all for them. I still think this story has a chance to out due ToP in number of reviews. If it doesn't, I won't mind, but thanks to everyone who keeps reviewing, that chance is very much alive. I truly thank you all for it.
Now then, let's get to those reviews!
Knives91: Yep, Jaden beat Yugi, although he didn't really pwn him, lol. Thanks for the review.
Ultimate Legendary Master: Thanks. Lol, yeah, it did seem that the duel would go on forever, but I figured it needed to end there. HERO Flash is actually used correctly (saw a GX episode where Jaden pulled that same move). It doesn't limit the monster level, it only says Normal Monster, meaning it could be any of the Normal Type Elemental Heroes, including good old Neos. And yes, it's true, Yugi could have maybe won if he had set Marshmellon face down and done a 1000 in direct damage to Jaden, but it was late in the duel. He took a chance, and the chance backfired. Thanks for the review!
Raymond: Thanks. Hmm, when did the fluctuation happen with his life point meter? I'll have to examine it I suppose, once I get some time, lol. Thank you for your review.
Nathan: LOL! Yes, Jaden is somewhat related to Illidan, only he is his descendant, lol. Yep, the finale finally happened, and true, Yugi probably should have won, but like I said with ULM above, Yugi just took a chance to try and wipe Jaden out. Actually, Jaden did have a chance to set Flute of Summoning Kuriboh. It was his Main Phase 2 when he set it. Magma Neos had returned prior due to Yugi's Turn Jump card. As for Yugi leaving himself wide open, he did and didn't. It was late game, remember. If you were growing more and more desperate to end the duel, wouldn't you try anything you could? Thanks for the review!
x-knight20: Thanks. Yep, the duel ended with a bang, thus putting it to rest. Thanks for the review.
JudaiAsuka-fan: Lol, thanks. Heh, thanks about how I write duels. I try to do lots of descriptions so that anyone who hasn't played the game may actually understand what the card looks like. It gets complicated and difficult sometimes, but it's not too bad I suppose. Thanks for the review!
DuelistBlake1852: LOL! Poor Yami is still stuck in the ground. Sorry about your idol losing. He just had to… Uh, if you try to throttle me, you may pull back a bloody stump. (/Cracks claws and demonstrates by slashing a bottle of hair gel in half.\) Get the point? Yeah, I know, it sucks that Yugi lost, but in a way, I'm kind of proving a point that the next generation of duelists can keep up, if not surpass, the older generation of duelists. I thought about making him set Marshmellon, but eh, I wanted Jaden to win to prove the above point. Very true, I did mess up Dark Magic Curtain when I looked back on it again. That's my fault, but oh well, lol. Cool that you've got 15 chapters out. If I ever get a chance, I'll try to read it. I have so much stuff to do currently that it's hard to read anyone's fics. I spend a lot of time writing on my stuff, then reading through some, then writing some more, and finding time to do other stuff, lol. Thanks for the review!
sirbj: Yep, Jaden came out on top and achieved his goal. Heh, a Zane vs. Kaiba duel would be nice. Lol, the toons are fun to write about. Ah, cool that I didn't really miss you. Lol, I had no idea if I had or not. I'm horrible at remembering names, heh. Thanks for the review!
Alrighty guys, that's it for today. Thank you everyone for your continuous reviews. Your comments are rather helpful, and I am glad when someone points out a mistake, or has a question about how I played some cards. Sometimes to make the story work, I have to bend the rules on cards, but I try to keep true to the OCG rules while occasionally using the anime's effects, lol.
Thank you everyone again for your reviews. I'll be back Monday with yet another chapter, so till then, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Later!
Chapter 82
Smiling, Yugi stepped forward and offered Jaden his hand, saying "Well played Jaden. That was an excellent duel. I can see you are truly a talented duelist."
Rubbing the back of his head, Jaden sheepishly replied "Thanks. You're an awesome duelist too Yugi. I only dreamed about how good you were, but you were far better."
"Thank you Jaden." Yugi kindly remarked. Smiling, he added "You know, only a few duelists have ever beaten me. One other resides on this island other than yourself."
Frowning, Jaden asked "Wait, who is the other?"
"You know him Jaden. After all, you are his descendant." Yugi divulged.
Eyes growing large as pie plates, Jaden exclaimed in complete shock "You mean Illidan beat you too!?"
Nodding, Yugi kindly said "Yes, he did. Earlier today, he beat me in a duel, and long ago he defeated me. He has beaten both me and Yami, even when the two of us were still in one body. He is truly a gifted duelist. I can see it runs in the family."
"I see." Jaden quietly remarked. Smiling great big, he added "I'm going to have to duel him then! I wanna see how strong I truly am!"
Chuckling, Yugi replied "I'm sure he'd love that. For now though, we should get you home. We're only on the beach on the opposite side of the Duel Academy Island, so if you wish to go back alone, you can follow the beach."
Thinking for a moment, Jaden finally said "It's all good. I can make it on my own. After all, you need to get home and see your family. They miss you like crazy."
"Very true." Yugi mumbled. Looking up at the sky, he softly smiled, saying "I've been away from them for far too long."
Patting Yugi on the shoulder, Jaden said "I'm sure you'll make it up to them."
Smiling once more, Yugi turned to Jaden and extended his hand. Putting on a smile as well, Jaden took hold and the two shook.
"Farewell Jaden. I'm sure we'll meet again." Yugi warmly said.
"I know we will." Jaden remarked.
Turning and walking away towards his boat, Yugi mentally said "That boy, he is something truly special. I know one day, he will be the one to end all of this darkness."
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Standing in front of the Slifer Red Dorm, all of the students showed up for the small ceremony to remember Jaden. Candles were lit and surrounding a picture of him. Many of the students had gloomy looks. Some were crying, while others had looks that showed they were brokenhearted over the whole thing.
At the front of the crowd, Illidan and Marie both stood staring at the picture of Jaden. Marie held Illidan's hand, trying hard to help him maintain his calmness.
Glancing at him, Marie saw the brokenness and inner blame for what had happened. "He blames himself for this, I know he does."
Staring at the picture of Jaden's picture, Illidan struggled within his mind over self loathing. "If only I had been stronger... I could have stopped this from happening, and Jaden wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself. Why, why did you do this Jaden!?"
Closing his eyes, Illidan fell to his hands and knees. Tears slowly trickled down his cheeks. In a sobbing whisper, he said "Jaden… Please forgive me for being too weak to save you."
Looking down at Illidan, Marie felt her own heart breaking while tears streamed down her own face. Crouching down, she embraced him from behind, whispering "It's alright love. You did all you could."
"I'm such a fool Marie. I thought I could handle Legato on my own, but I only caused Jaden's own demise! He gave everything he had to save everyone, but he didn't deserve to lose it all! It should have been me that paid this debt, not him!" Illidan angrily muttered lowly.
Squeezing Illidan tighter, Marie harshly replied "NO! Jaden did what he thought he had to do. If not for him, you wouldn't ever get to know your child. Let it go Illidan. Jaden gave up his dreams selflessly and willingly sacrificed everything because he loved us all."
Looking up from the ground at those words, Illidan sniffled and slightly nodded. Seeing this, Marie sadly smiled, saying "He wouldn't want you to suffer Illidan. Jaden did the only thing he knew that could fix things. I have a feeling he knew I couldn't carry on through life alone, even with our child. Because of his sacrifice, he has given us all a chance to live on."
"I know…" Illidan mumbled. "I just wish… I wish he wasn't gone."
Sadly smiling, Marie relaxed her embrace and laid her head on Illidan's back. "I know. I miss him dearly too, but remember what your father told you long ago. Like the phoenix, Jaden is still here. He lives within both of our hearts and memories, and that no one can take away."
Lightly sighing, Illidan wiped his tears away and slowly began to stand up, causing Marie to stand up as well. Turning to face her, Illidan embraced her, mumbling "Thank you."
Breaking the embrace, she nodded, saying "That's why I'm here. For better or worse, remember?"
Softly chuckling, Illidan nodded. "Yes, I remember."
Both turned back to the picture and each sadly sighed. "Things will be quieter without him." Illidan mumbled.
"Hey, what's going on guys?" a voice from the side called out.
Turning to identify the voice, the entire crowd all gasped, with both Illidan and Marie's eyes widening. "No way…" each muttered lowly.
Standing to the side was Jaden with a curious look on his face. "What's up with all the candles, and why is my picture in the middle?"
Breaking into a run, Illidan hugged Jaden, exclaiming "You're really alive!"
Getting free from Illidan's embrace, Jaden smiled. "Yeah, shouldn't I be?"
"But… I thought you sacrificed yourself to the Shadow Realm to free us all!" Illidan was quick to reply.
Putting his right index finger under his chin, Jaden scratched his chin for a moment before saying "Well, I did, sort of. I made a deal with the Sacred Beasts and Egyptian Gods to release everyone. My life for everyone else. I was ready to go when a friend of yours saved me. His name was…"
Frowning, Jaden finally said "Um… Now what was it... Yomi, Yumi, Yamo…"
"Yami?" Illidan guessed.
"That's it! Anyways, right before the Shadows were about to devour me, he stepped in and saved me. He then pulled me back into the world and I met Yugi Moto!"
Smiling, Illidan mumbled in his mind "Yami, thank you."
Continuing on, Jaden added "Me and Yugi dueled, and it was a sweet duel. Once we wrapped up, he told me I was just on the opposite side of the island, and that I could follow the beach back. So I did, and here I am. Now, what's going on?"
Chuckling, Illidan kindly said "This was a memorial service for you. We all thought you were dead."
"Oh…" Jaden whispered. Rubbing the back of his head, he sheepishly said "Well, I'm alive and well now."
Nearly all of the crowd did an anime fall over at the words.
Growling loudly, Chazz walked up to Jaden and jabbed a finger into his chest. "You Slacker, I thought you were dead! You made me cry for nothing!" he uttered in anger with tear stains still on his face.
"I'm sorry Chazz. I didn't know you cared so much." Jaden apologetically said.
"It's not that I cared, it's just I was sad I'd never get to duel you again, that's all!" Chazz quickly remarked. Turning away from Jaden, he began walking away, but let a small smile slip over his face.
"Jaden!" cried a voice. Without warning, Jaden was embraced tightly by a sobbing Alexis.
"I… I thought you were gone forever!" she sobbed out.
Softly smiling, Jaden patted her back and began rubbing small circles. "There, there Alexis, it's alright. I'm back." he sympathetically said.
Looking up at him with puffy eyes, she grabbed a fist full of his uniform and said "Please, don't ever do that again. I… I don't want to lose you again!"
Embracing her back, Jaden warmly said "Don't worry, I won't leave you. I promise."
Releasing his embrace, he then lifted her chin to have her look him in the face. Softly smiling, he stared deeply into her light brown eyes. "I'm sorry I made you worry." he softly said.
The last of her tears spilled out as she laid her head back onto Jaden's chest. "Welcome back." she murmured.
Finally, she moved back and out of the way as both Syrus and Hasselberry both tackled Jaden in a group hug.
"Serge, you did it!" Hasselberry declared.
"Jaden, we knew you'd save us!" Syrus added.
Lightly chuckling, Jaden remarked "Guys, I'm glad to see you're both back!"
Smiling as the students crowded around Jaden, Illidan silently thanked Yami. "Thank you so much my friend."
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Nearly a week after the school had returned to normal, top students started being found in unconscious states once more. It was immediately decided that only one person could be behind it since he was unaccounted for.
Arriving at the Chancellor's office, Illidan and Marie entered to find him seated at his desk with his head in his hands.
"Chancellor?" Illidan asked, unsure if they had come at a bad time.
Looking up, the Chancellor weakly smiled, saying "Good, you came. Sit down."
Nodding, the pair took a seat each and settled.
"You wished to see us?" Illidan asked.
"Yes, I did. It's about the situation." the Chancellor began. "Do you have any leads on who is behind these mysterious attacks?"
Lightly sighing, Illidan nodded, responding with "Yes, we do. I think you know who it is too."
"I was afraid you'd say that." the Chancellor wearily said. "I had hoped that maybe it wasn't Zane, but now I can see it is."
Standing up from his desk and turning to face the window, the Chancellor slowly said "When Zane was younger, I trained him at a small hidden away school. He was my best student and learned about respecting an opponent and his cards."
"He even mimicked me, making me even more proud of him." the Chancellor added a moment later. "Still, he should know better than to do this to others."
"I understand your anger and sadness towards this situation." Illidan calmly said. "I think whatever Legato did to him changed him. I doubt Legato just 'talked' to Zane. I'd say he did something to him, like used his Shadow Powers on him or something."
"We'll be able to return Zane to the way he was, but we have to find him and help him first." Marie added, trying to sympathize with the Chancellor.
"Yes, I wish to return him to his original self, if it still exists." the Chancellor responded after a moment. Turning back around and sitting back down, he said "In the meantime, I wish to know something. You mentioned in your report Illidan that his deck was different, that he had new monsters. What were they?"
Thinking for a moment, Illidan finally said "They had the name Cyberdark in their names."
Slightly gasping, the Chancellor's brow deeply furrowed. "This could be trouble then."
"How so?" Marie asked curiously.
Lightly sighing, the Chancellor slowly said "The cards you just told me about Illidan are from a deck known as the Underworld Deck. It was sealed away at the hidden school where I taught Zane. At that same school, I originally gave Zane his Cyber End Dragon due that the two had connected, thus I thought the card would keep him safe."
Pausing for a moment, the Chancellor added "You see, the Underworld Deck in essence is the yin to the yang of Zane's original deck."
Frowning, Marie asked "What do you mean yin to the yang of his deck?"
"His original deck was pure and light, whereas his new deck, the Underworld one, is one of darkness and evil." Chancellor Shepherd explained.
"Thus making the darkness in his heart stronger." Illidan concluded.
Nodding, the Chancellor replied "Exactly. The Underworld Deck was sealed away not due to it's strength, but due to the power it had over a person's heart. I knew if I gave Zane the Cyber End Dragon, his heart would be guarded, plus he had such a kind personality then. Over time though, he did grow colder and more distant, but the kindness was still there."
Stopping for a moment, the Chancellor's facial expression turned to one of worry. "Now with the Underworld Deck, I fear that the purity and kindness within his heart will completely be engulfed by the darkness."
The room went silent for a moment before Marie said "We promise to find him and fix this. Neither of us will let Zane continue this tirade against the students."
"Who said we?" Illidan asked with a glance towards Marie.
Ignoring it, Marie added "I promise, we'll find a way to bring the old Zane back from the darkness if it's possible."
"Please, do try." the Chancellor downheartedly said.
"We'll do our best sir." Illidan said as he stood.
Marie stood as well and the pair bowed out. Once outside, Illidan heavily sighed, asking "Now what is this about we?"
"It implies both of us. You know, as in two people." Marie calmly said.
"Marie, you aren't going to help me on this one."
Stopping dead in her tracks, Marie let out a strangled growl and glared at Illidan, yelling out "Why not!?"
"You're in no condition to be helping me find Zane." Illidan calmly stated without turning to face her.
"Illidan, for crying out loud, I'm pregnant, not injured!" she exclaimed with great anger rising in her voice.
Sighing, Illidan turned towards her and seriously said "True, but I don't want you hurt by Zane. He's seriously dangerous right now, and he's already hurt so many students. I won't risk you getting hurt or losing your soul."
"I realize that Illidan, but I care about Zane just as much as you do. He's our friend and colleague, and I can't standby and do nothing. I am going to help, whether you want me to or not!" she defiantly shouted.
Lowly growling, Illidan spat back "Marie, this isn't the time for you to be stubborn! I love you dearly, but I won't lose you to Zane due to that stubbornness!"
Glaring at Illidan, Marie fired back "It's not stubbornness or pride Illidan! It's the fact that he's our friend and needs our help! I'd do anything to help him, and I won't let you stop me!"
Breathing hard, Illidan angrily said "You are so stubborn! Can't you see I want to protect you!?"
Calming down a bit, Marie let out a long sigh and slowly said "I know you do, but I can't and won't let Zane stay in darkness. He needs both of us to help him. Please, try to understand that I must help."
Turning away to face the direction towards the dorm, Illidan growled out "Marie, I won't let you help. It's far too dangerous."
With a bit of sorrow in his voice, he added "I'm sorry."
That said, he slowly walked away, leaving Marie alone. Looking at the ground, she sighed. "Why must you always do this to me!?"
After a few moments, she heard something and glanced around. She heard small explosions, followed by screams of pain. "Sounds like a duel." she lowly murmured with concern.
Deciding to take a chance, she began walking in the direction of the noise, hoping to find out what she was hearing.
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After walking into the woods for nearly twenty minutes, Marie finally found the duel and gasped in shock. Before her was Syrus and Zane locked in a Shadow Game.
Rushing faster towards the duel, she heard Zane coldly say "It's been fun little brother, but this duel is over. I play the spell Power Bond, allowing me to form my Cyberdark Dragon (1000/1000)."
On the field, three strange looking creatures that were all made of a dark toned metal began to swirl together. The swirling soon ended and a powerful combination of the three dragons appeared onto the field.
"Now the fun begins, because Power Bond doubles my Cyberdark Dragon's attack points (1000 2 2000/1000)."
The dark dragon instantly roared as it's body glowed with a dark aura, thus increasing it's strength.
"Time for more fun, because I can equip any Dragon Type monster from my Graveyard, but first, I play my trap. I activate Rebirth Judgment, which lets me transform every card in my Graveyard into a Dragon Type monster. Since every card in my Graveyard is now a Dragon, I equip my Cyber End Dragon (4000/2800) to Cyberdark Dragon (2000 4000 6000/1000)!"
A large silver machine dragon with three heads and massive wings instantly appeared onto the field with a mighty roar. The large black metal dragon then surrounded it with wires and it's claw like arms and began draining the large silver dragon's strength. With a mighty roar, the black metal dragon spread it's wings and glared down at Syrus.
"And for the more pain, my dragon's final effect kicks in. He gains 100 attack points per a card in my Graveyard. By my last count, I had forty cards in the Graveyard, meaning 4000 bonus attack points (6000 4000 10000/1000). Game over little brother. Cyberdark Dragon, end this by striking his rust bucket with Darkness Strident Blaze!"
Roaring loudly, the black metal dragon launched a stream of black energy straight for the large machine warrior that stood in front of Syrus, who only stared in shock at the oncoming blast. The blast bore straight through the machine and struck Syrus with tremendous force, making him scream out in pain as he was thrown into the barrier that surrounded the duel. Upon being slammed against the barrier, Syrus screamed even louder than before. After a few minutes, he finally slid off of the barrier and struck the ground with a large thud.
"SYRUS!" Marie screamed out while still running towards him. She finally managed to make it to him just as the barrier had faded and the monster images. Gently, she cradled him in her arms, trying hard to sense if his soul was left, but immediately found it gone.
"Foolish little brother, you were a waste of my time." Zane coldly stated.
Growling loudly, Marie glared up at Zane and set Syrus down. Standing up, she yelled "HOW COULD YOU ZANE!? Syrus worshiped you, but you just destroyed him and took his soul! Haven't you any decency left in you!?"
Smirking darkly, Zane calmly said "No, I don't. It all left when I sent that sniveling fool's soul out of this body."
"What!?" Marie asked in shock. "If you're not Zane, then who are you!?"
Sneering evilly, he remarked "What, has the pharaoh's whore already forgotten me?"
Immediately anger washed over Marie's face as she said "Zell! I should have known that you were still alive! How, how did you survive!? Illidan told me Legato got rid of you."
Darkly chuckling, Zane calmly said "He did, but he seemed to have forgotten about Zane. You see, when this loser lost, Legato tried to talk him into joining. Even after the most convincing story I've ever heard told, Zane failed to agree to help Legato. His loyalty for his friends was far stronger than I thought possible."
Smirking, Zane added "But that didn't stop Legato's plans. He transferred a portion of my soul into Zane, giving me control of him. When I lost, it was true, I lost that portion of my soul in the Shadow Game with Illidan, but Zane lost all of his soul. Legato eventually sent the remainder of my soul to the Shadow Realm too, but I had other plans. I gathered up my soul, and when Zane's was released back into his body, I went back into it also, except with my whole soul."
Laughing evilly, he said "I easily overpowered that weak minded fool and took possession of his body. Now I am the one in control, and will take what is rightfully mine. I shall control this world and do what should have been done ages ago, which is rule rightfully like Shando wanted me to!"
"You're insane." Marie calmly stated. "But I won't let you get away with this. You may have taken Zane's body, but don't get too comfortable."
Pulling Syrus's deck out of his Duel Disk, she sat it in one of his hands and then took his Duel Disk off. She quickly strapped it on and pulled her own deck out and placed it in the deck slot.
"I'm going to kick you out of his body myself. We have a score to settle from our pasts and the present, so come and get some of this!" she boldly challenged.
Laughing manically, Zane doubled over while holding his stomach, saying "You're kidding me! You, the pathetic girl who couldn't protect herself from me, wishes to fight me? This is rich!"
"Afraid to face me when I'm not poisoned?" Marie taunted.
Lightly growling with a touch of anger, Zane quickly shot back "Very well, I'll accept your challenge."
"Good, because when I beat you, you'll leave Zane's body and free everyone's soul that you took from the Shadow Realm." Marie stated.
Sneering, Zane remarked "Very well, but when I win, you will lose all of your memories and become my obedient servant girl. After all, with this younger, more tone body, I shall make you into a true sex slave."
"I wouldn't bet on it." Marie heatedly replied.
"Touch a nerve my dear?" Zane goaded.
Calming herself, Marie smirked, saying "Not at all. Shall we begin?"
"Let's."
Both activated their Duel Disks, which instantly pushed out the bar and shot out the blade like structure. Each drew five cards from their decks and cried out simultaneously "Game on!"