It was right after Aster's victory over Zane, and he was being swarmed by reporters asking for comment on the duel.
Reporter: What an impressive win, what's your secret?
Aster: Like I tell my fans, winning duels is a piece of cake when destiny's got your back.
Reporter: Now why don't you tell us about this new deck of yours?
Aster: Well there's a reason I unveiled it today. See last week I paid a visit to Duel Academy, and get this, there's a student there who totally copied my deck.
Jaden: What?!
Hassleberry: Any idea who did that?
Alexis: He's lying. He dueled Jaden and lost, and now he's taking credit for Jaden's deck.
Aster: I guess I can't blame him, I mean who wouldn't want to be just like me? But before this wannabe took all the credit, I had to reveal my deck. You see this student, who shall remain nameless, has sort of a following among hardcore dueling fans, and the last thing I need is some prep school punk taking credit for my hard work.
Bastion: That settles it, I officially can't stand this bloke.
Aster: Now whether you like me or not, there's one fact that no one out there can dispute: I'm the best, I can't be beat, and to prove it I'm challenging this school boy. I won't tell you his name, but it rhymes with Schmaden Schmuki. Hear me Schmaden? You know who you are, you card thief. You think your Aster ripoff deck is so great? Prove it by putting it up against my deck.
Jaden: It's on Aster.
Crowler: Aster is calling Jaden a phony? What happened between those two?
Bonaparte: Aster will beat the pantaloons off Jaden, which means one less slacker in my way.
Syrus: You already beat him once Jaden.
Alexis: But now he's got his real deck.
Bastion: A deck he stole from Jaden and is claiming as his own.
Jaden: This is just the challenge I've been looking for. Time to get my rematch on.
Back in Aster's manager's office, Aster had just returned to speak with him.
Manager: Wise choice.
Aster: You were right, I have to beat Jaden. My career is on the line.
Manager: Glad you agree, but dueling Jaden wasn't my idea, it was decreed by fate.
Aster: That may be true, but we both know that fate's already chosen me to be the best.
Manager: Your pride serves as both a strength and a weakness. Now bring me your deck. I'd like to peer through the doors of destiny.
Aster did as requested and handed his manager his deck. His manager turned to the side and discreetly infused a strange energy into Aster's deck before handing it back to him.
Aster: So what did you see?
Manager: It seems you already knew the future.
Aster: Then you don't have to wish me luck.
That night, Crowler and Bonaparte were at the docks waiting for Aster to arrive.
Bonaparte: I'm freezing my croissants off, where's Aster already? He'd better not have stood us up again.
Crowler: All I know is that I've lost all feeling below my chin.
In the sky, a cargo plane was flying over Duel Academy.
Pilot: We've reached our target Mr. Phoenix, are you ready?
Aster: Yep.
The pilot opened the cargo door and Aster jumped out on a skysurfing board and began making his way to the academy.
Aster: Duel Academy, here I come.
On the island, Syrus and Jaden were in Bastion's room, and Bastion was looking up any useful information on Aster.
Bastion: According to my research, there isn't a single sport Aster hasn't mastered, and there's more. He has a high IQ as well as a photographic memory.
Syrus: I have a photographic memory too, well when I remember to load the film at least.
Jaden: *yawn* Would you guys chill out? If you wanna do some research, I have some homework that needs finishing. Otherwise, cool it with the spy mission.
Syrus: This is important Jaden. Bastion's trying to figure out what Aster's weakness is. And so far he doesn't have one.
Jaden: Syrus, you're my best bud, but you're taking all the fun out of this bro. *yawn* You gotta love these Ra Yellow beds.
Meanwhile, a card thief had just broken into the academy card shop and made off with everything on the shelves. He was running form the campus when he heard someone laughing sinisterly.
Thief: Who's there?
?: What's your rush, tough guy? Now that you've stolen those cards, don't you wanna use them?
Thief: What do you want?
?: I'm just looking for a friendly duel.
The thief engaged his duel disk and faced the mystery person. At the docks, Bonaparte and Crowler were still waiting for Aster to arrive when they saw his board float past them.
Crowler: Where did that come from?
Just then there was an explosion in front of the academy and the card thief fell onto the ground.
Aster: I have a little saying. It goes "You just can't hide from destiny".
Thief: No, wait! Ahhhhh!
Everyone heard the scream and ran to see what was going on. They arrived just in time to see Aster drop the stolen cards on the ground.
Aster: I caught this guy robbing your card store.
Syrus: It looks like you knocked him out cold.
Bastion: What did you do to him?
Aster: Jaden, how've you been?
Syrus: Hey, Bastion asked you a question.
Jaden: Yeah, now fess up.
Aster: Hey, save it for our duel.
Bonaparte: Bonjour Monsieur Phoenix, welcome to our school. I'm Chancellor Bonaparte, and this here is my assistant.
Crowler: I beg your pardon?
Aster: Sorry, but I'm not supposed to talk to management. All business goes through my agent.
Bonaparte: Your agent?
Aster: Yeah. Guys like me don't have time to deal with all the little people.
Crowler: Serves you right for that assistant remark Bonaparte.
Aster: I'll see you bright and early for our duel Jaden. By the way, other than your friends, there are no spectators allowed.
Bastion: Why not?
Aster: I'm a pro, which means people pay to watch me duel. There's no way I'm giving a free show to a bunch of amateurs.
Jaden: That's not cool, Aster. A lot of the students here look up to you, and you're going to treat them like that? How selfish can you be?
Aster: Call me what you want, but at least this way you won't embarrass yourself in front of the whole school when you lose.
Jaden: We'll see about that Aster.
The next morning, Jaden's friends had entered the arena to watch him duel, with Lily videotaping it using her camera.
Syrus: What'd you bring your camera for?
Lily: I brought it to record Jaden's duel for Michael since he's not here.
Hassleberry: Who's Michael?
Alexis: He's a friend of ours from last year. He joined the pro leagues this year.
Hassleberry: Wait, you mean that Michael Shadows fella? The one who's whooped the butts of everyone he's faced so far?
Chazz: If anyone should've gone pro early it should've been the Chazz.
Bastion: They're about to start.
Jaden pulled his deck out of his pocket, preparing himself for the duel.
Jaden: I know we can win you guys.
Jasmine & Mindy: We love Aster, yes we do! We love Aster, how 'bout you?
Alexis: Come on Jaden, show him what for!
Syrus: Wow, I don't think I've ever seen you fired up before.
Atticus: Not surprising seeing how close the two of them got over the summer.
Alexis: Atticus!
Atticus: What, I'm just being hon- ghak!
Everyone scrambled to pry Alexis off of Atticus before she strangled the life out of him. They managed to get her off of him to allow Atticus to breathe again.
Bonaparte: Alright, help me welcome Aster Phoenix, the biggest star of our time.
Crowler: With an ego to match.
One of the men who set up the duel arena pulled out a phone and contacted Aster's manager.
Man: Yes Master Sartorius, the match is about to begin.
Sartorius: Then it's only a matter of time before we acquire our newest member, Jaden Yuki. For when he loses this duel, young Jaden will see the light. Everyone does eventually.
Jaden and Aster prepared to duel, but Winged Kuriboh appeared and warned Jaden to be careful of Aster.
Jaden: Don't worry, I won't let my guard down. I know this guy is supposed to be the best, but we beat him once and we can do it again. Trust me, it's all good.
Aster: I'll show him what a deck of real heroes can do.
Jaden: Alright, time to loosen your tie, roll up your sleeves, and get your game on!
Aster: Please, I won't even break a sweat. You're going down man.
Jaden: Well, there's only one way to find out.
Both: Let's do this!
Aster: 4000 LP
Jaden: 4000 LP
Aster: I'll kick things off. This card look familiar? Elemental Hero Clayman in defense mode.
Level 4/Earth/Warrior
ATK 800/DEF 2000
Aster: Alright, I'll let you off the hook for now.
Bastion: How ironic. Now Jaden has to fight against some of his favorite monsters.
Jaden: Pretty sweet opening move, but watch this. I activate Polymerization!
Syrus: Alright, it's time for some fusion action.
Hassleberry: Now he can order a higher-rankin' monster to the field.
Jaden: I fuse the Elemental Heroes Burstinatrix and Avian that are in my hand to summon the Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!
Level 6/Wind/Warrior
ATK 2100/DEF 1200
Jaden: Now Flame Wingman, attack with Infernal Rage!
Wingman shot a jet of flames from his dragon arm at Clayman, vaporizing him on the spot.
Jaden: And due to the Wingman's superpower, you take damage equal to Clayman's attack points.
Aster: 3200 LP
Chazz: What do you know, seems the pro took the first blow.
Jaden: I end my turn.
Aster: Lucky shot, but that'll change. Guess what I just drew.
Jaden: How should I know?
Aster: Simple, you just played the same thing: Polymerization.
Bastion: Here it comes.
Aster: Like you I'm fusing Burstinatrix and Avian, but unlike you I'm combining them to create Elemental Hero Phoenix Enforcer.
Level 6/Fire/Warrior
ATK 2100/DEF 1200
Jaden: I was hoping to see him. This is so cool.
Aster: How's this for cool? Phoenix Enforcer, attack Flame Wingman!
Enforcer fired a multi-colored energy ball that tore straight through Flame Wingman.
Hassleberry: Wait, that should've been a draw.
Bastion: One small technicality: Phoenix Enforcer can't be destroyed by battle.
Jaden: Way to one-up me.
Aster: What'd you expect? Our decks are similar, not equal.
Jaden: Huh?
Aster: Think of the cards we use as a mirror. They reflect who we are and what motivates our actions.
Jaden: Do you have to get so deep?
Aster: I rest my case. The point is, my deck's better.
Jaden: We'll see about that. I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode.
Level 4/Water/Warrior
ATK 800/DEF 1200
Jaden: And since there were no other cards on my field when he was summoned, I can draw 2 more from my deck. And next I play The Warrior Returning Alive, letting me return Avian from my graveyard to my hand. But he won't be there for long, because I'm activating Polymerization to fuse him, Bubbleman, and Sparkman to summon Elemental Hero Tempest in attack mode.
Level 8/Wind/Warrior
ATK & DEF 2800
Jaden: Now attack with Chaos Tempest!
Tempest flew up in the air and launched a powerful energy beam from his cannon at Phoenix Enforcer, forcing Aster to cover his eyes.
Aster: 2500 LP
Alexis: Aster's monster may be invincible, but the same can't be said for his life points.
Bastion: Don't start celebrating just yet. This duel still has quite a ways to go.
Aster: Back to me. Well, here's a card we haven't seen in a while: Polymerization.
Syrus: Oh man, that card's only fun when Jaden plays it.
Aster: I fuse Phoenix Enforcer and Sparkman to summon Elemental Hero Shining Phoenix Enforcer!
Level 8/Fire/Warrior
ATK 2500/DEF 2100
Aster: And thanks to his special ability, he gains 300 attack points for every hero monster in my graveyard.
Enforcer: 2500-4000 ATK
Jaden: That's a whole lotta hero.
Hassleberry: That bad boy's gonna be all over Jaden like flies on a cow pie.
Aster: You're way out of your league. Phoenix Enforcer, attack with Shimmer Kick!
His monster's leg glowed, and he gave a diving kick to Tempest, destroying him in one shot.
Jaden: 2800 LP
Aster: I'll put this card face-down and call it a turn.
Jaden: Not bad, but get this. I activate Pot of Greed, so I draw 2 more cards. And now I play Miracle Fusion! With it, I can banish Sparkman and Flame Wingman from my graveyard to summon Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!
Level 8/Light/Warrior
ATK 2500/DEF 2100
Jaden: And since he gains 300 attack points for every hero in my grave, his points go up by 1200 points.
Wingman: 2500-3700 ATK
Aster: Are you done? I was hoping that after that big production that you'd play a monster that could actually accomplish something, but no, you spent 20 minutes summoning a monster that's weaker than mine.
Jaden: I'm not done yet. I play the equip spell Light Laser! Now when Flare Wingman battles a monster, that monster will get banished after the battle ends.
Chazz: Not bad slacker, not bad at all.
Bastion: Indeed. Now Jaden can dispatch Aster's Phoenix Enforcer.
Jaden: Now I play the field spell Skyscraper. While this card is in play, my Flare Wingman gets 1000 more attack points since your Enforcer is stronger.
Wingman: 3700-4700 ATK
Jaden: Now attack Phoenix Enforcer!
An energy blade extended from Light Laser, Flare Wingman slashing Phoenix Enforcer with it and causing him to disappear.
Aster: 1800 LP
Alexis: Awesome. Who's the pro duelist now?
Syrus: Jaden is.
Jaden: This is what I call a sweet duel. What could be better? I mean heroes going head-to-head, it's so cool.
Aster: What's with you? You think this is all just a big joke? Well, I've got news for you joy boy, dueling isn't about having fun, at least not for me. But someone like you would never understand that. I duel for justice, and revenge.
Jaden: Revenge?
Aster: I chose my hero cards for a reason, and punks like you who use them just because you think they look cool make me sick.
Jaden: Chill out.
Aster: Look these cards are my life. They're everything to me, so you chill out.
Jaden: I'm always chill.
Aster: Whatever. I told you you wouldn't get it. I was destined to build this deck, and here's proof. I play the trap D – Time! You allowed me to activate this trap when you banished my Phoenix Enforcer, and since you did, I can take Destiny Hero monsters from my deck and add them to my hand as long as their combined levels are less than or equal to the level of the Elemental Hero that left the field.
Jaden: Destiny Heroes?
Chazz: What heroes?
Hassleberry: Destiny, son. They already said it twice.
Syrus: What are they Bastion?
Bastion: I don't know. I've never heard of them before.
Aster: Of course you haven't, because they were never released publicly. But rather than tell you about them, why don't I show you? I draw! And I play the field spell Clock Tower Prison!
Skyscraper was destroyed and a massive clock tower appeared behind Aster.
Aster: This clock marks the beginning of your end Jaden, and there's nothing you can do to stop it.
The hands on the clock spun, stopping at 12 'o clock, and a cloaked monster appeared at the top of the tower.
Aster: Jaden, meet Destiny Hero – Doom Lord.
Level 3/Dark/Warrior
ATK 600/DEF 800
Jaden: It only has 600 attack points?
Aster: But his special ability is pretty powerful. Show him what I mean! Send Flare Wingman packing with Impending Doom Grip!
Doom Lord leapt down from the clock tower at Flare Wingman and gave him an uppercut, causing him to vanish.
Jaden: What just happened?
Aster: I activated Doom Lord's special ability. By not attacking this turn, he can send your monster two rounds into the future.
Jaden: That doesn't even make sense.
Aster: Maybe to you, but you've got a lot to learn about destiny. And unfortunately for you, right now I'm controlling yours, and your future's looking pretty grim.
To be continued...