Jaden was still trying to find his way back to the main campus when he stumbled onto a pile of magazines.
Jaden: This has to be a good sign, right? I mean who leaves magazines in the middle of nowhere?
He checked them and saw they were from before Zane lost to Aster.
Jaden: Man, Aster really did a number on Zane during that duel. Eh, I'm sure he's bounced back and has been winning all his duels since I left.
Meanwhile, Syrus was sitting in the Slifer Dorm reading the most recent issue of Duel Magazine, which revealed the truth of Zane's performance in the leagues.
Syrus: Rising Star Zane Truesdale continues losing streak, falling to the minor leagues. I hope you're doing okay, Zane.
Hassleberry: Man, I've never seen him so down.
Bastion: I'd be depressed if my brother hit rock bottom like Zane.
Chazz: And if Zane were my brother, I'd change my name. But there's still hope for him. Salvation lies in the Society of Light. Care to join?
Before Bastion and Hassleberry could refuse, Alexis walked up and smacked Chazz upside the head before she went in and took the magazine away from Syrus.
Alexis: Don't worry Sy. I'm sure Zane will bounce back. After all, if we don't believe in him, who will?
Bastion: She's right.
Hassleberry: Yeah. Besides, his opponent tonight is a joke, so he'll win for sure. If not, I guess his career really is over.
That night, the few spectators in the arena were mocking Zane as he was losing to his lowest ranked opponent yet.
Pro: Magical Scientist, attack directly!
Zane: 0 LP
Jean: Yet another loss for Zane Truesdale. I think it's safe to say that his career is officially over.
Zane exited the arena with his head angled to the floor as the spectators jeered at him, telling him he should just quit already. He began walking through the halls to leave, remembering the conversation he had with his sponsor.
Flashback
Sponsor: I'm sorry Zane, but I'm afraid my company can't afford to back a failure. I'm terminating your contract.
Zane: I understand.
End Flashback
Zane: How could this be happening?
?: Quite a duel Mr. Truesdale.
Zane turned to face the person who spoke and saw a man wearing a black cloak and a top hat.
?: In fact, I heard it may have been your last one.
Zane: Who's saying that?
?: Various members of the press, but hey, who reads the papers or watches TV these days?
Zane: Look pal, if you know what's good for you, beat it.
?: My apologies, allow me to start over. My name is Mr. Shroud, and I represent someone who wants to help you achieve greatness again.
Zane: And who is that?
Shroud: My client wishes to remain anonymous for now, but the question is, are you in?
Zane: What did you have in mind?
Shroud: Well for starters, we're gonna have to work our way from the bottom and build you back up. Tell me, have you ever heard of the underground dueling circuit?
Zane: Where duelists are thrown into a cage to fight like animals? No thanks.
Shroud: I know it has a bad reputation, but believe me, the underground circuit has its advantages. If you want to salvage your career, I suggest you reconsider.
Zane: Alright, I'll do it.
Shroud: Excellent.
The next night, Shroud led Zane to an old building, the two entering the basement of the building, numerous spectators in masks seated at tables around a large metal cage.
Announcer: Attention spectators. Tonight's duel will be a steel cage match, no holds barred and no means of escape. First up, we have the undefeated cage match king with 20 straight victories, Mad Dog!
A large burly man covered in scars walked into the arena.
Announcer: And his opponent, former pro league star, Zane Truesdale.
Zane: So this is an underground duel? Doesn't seem so bad.
Pairs of men entered the ring and strapped metal clamps to Zane and Mad Dog.
Shroud: Don't mind those. They just make the duel a bit more electrifying. By the way, you can't leave the cage until one of you wins the duel.
Mad Dog: Let's get started, pro league loser. Just remember, down here no one cares who you are.
Announcer: It's show time!
Zane: Let's get this over with.
Both: Duel!
Mad Dog: 4000 LP
Zane: 4000 LP
Mad Dog: I'll go first. I summon Acid Slime in defense mode.
Level 3/Water/Aqua
ATK 800/DEF 1000
Mad Dog: I'll set one card face-down and end my turn.
Zane: My move. I'll place one card face-down and activate Different Dimension Capsule, so I select one card in my deck and banish it, and then in two turns, I can add that card to my hand. Next, I special summon Cyber Dragon in attack mode!
Level 5/Light/Machine
ATK 2100/DEF 1600
Mad Dog: So that's your famous Cyber Dragon?
Zane: When Acid Slime is destroyed in battle, it deals 800 points of damage to me.
Mad Dog: Feeling scared? You should be. I play the trap Last Machine Acid Virus! By sacrificing my water attribute Acid Slime, this trap activates, destroying all machine type monsters on your field, in your hand, and that you draw for the next three turns, so Cyber Dragon is destroyed.
Cyber Dragon turned to rust before it exploded.
Mad Dog: One more thing, you take 500 points of damage for every card destroyed by this effect.
The clamps on Zane flashed for a moment before they delivered a powerful electric shock to his body.
Zane: 3500 LP
Zane: What was that?
Shroud: In an underground duel, every time you lose life points, the electrodes give an electric shock to your body. Makes the duel more interesting, wouldn't you say?
Zane: This is twisted Shroud, and I won't be a part of it. Let me out of here now!
Shroud: Really Zane? After all, isn't this what you wanted? A sold-out arena and people watching you in excitement. Besides, where else can you duel right now? If you can't make it here, then you can't really make it anywhere, can you? So I suggest you fight for all you're worth.
Zane: Fine, make your move.
Mad Dog: I draw. First, I play the spell Contingency Fee. You have to draw until you have six cards in your hand, but then I gain 1000 life points for every card you draw. Since you're only holding three, draw three more.
Mad Dog: 7000 LP
Mad Dog: Since the effect of my Acid Virus is still in play, I get to check all the cards you draw, so let me see them.
Zane: There are no monsters.
Mad Dog: Pity. Let's try again. I activate Card Destruction, so we both discard our entire hands and draw equal to the numbers of cards we discarded, so I draw 3, and you draw 6.
Zane drew his cards and revealed them, showing his Cyber Kirin, Cyber Phoenix, Cyber Barrier Dragon, and Cyber Laser Dragon.
Mad Dog: The effect of Acid Virus activates, destroying your monsters and dealing you 2000 points of damage!
Zane: 1500 LP
Mad Dog: Next, I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 more cards. And now I summon Clone Slime in defense mode.
Level 2/Water/Aqua
ATK & DEF 0
Mad Dog: Lastly, I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn.
Zane: My move… I draw. At this point, Acid Virus only works on cards I draw. I play Future Fusion! I send my two Cyber Dragons from my deck to my graveyard, which means I can fuse them to summon Cyber Twin Dragon.
Mad Dog: I don't think so. I play the counter trap Jammer Slime! By sending a slime monster from my hand to the graveyard, I can negate and destroy your spell card, so you aren't summoning anything.
A ball of slime launched from his trap, destroying Future Fusion.
Mad Dog: And since the card I discarded was Draw Slime, I can draw a card from my deck.
Zane: Grrr.
Mad Dog: If you want to summon a monster so badly, I guess I can give you a hand.
Zane: What?
Mad Dog: I play the trap Despised Reality. Now you can choose whether or not you want to summon a level 4 or lower monster from your deck. If you do, I can draw 2 cards, but if you don't, I lose 1000 life points at the end of this turn.
Zane: I know I can win if I can bring out Cyber End. I summon Proto-Cyber Dragon from my deck in attack mode!
Level 3/Light/Machine
ATK 1100/DEF 600
Zane: As long as this card is face-up on my field, its name is treated as Cyber Dragon.
Mad Dog: Since you chose to summon a monster, I draw 2 cards.
Zane: Proto-Cyber, attack Clone Slime!
Mad Dog: Bad move. When Clone Slime is attacked, I can send it to the graveyard to summon another slime monster from my graveyard, and then you have to attack that monster. I send Clone Slime to the graveyard to summon Acid Slime in defense mode!
Zane: No!
Mad Dog: Don't forget, when Acid Slime is destroyed in battle, you take 800 points of damage.
Proto-Cyber Dragon launched a beam of energy at Acid Slime, causing the monster to burst, splashing Zane and burning part of his uniform.
Zane: 700 LP
Zane: I end my turn.
Mad Dog: My move. I play the spell Slime Base! This card lets me special summon a slime monster from my hand, so I summon Multiple Slime in attack mode!
Level 6/Water/Aqua
ATK 1500/DEF 2000
Mad Dog: Attack Proto-Cyber Dragon!
His monster fired a ball of slime that covered Proto-Cyber before destroying it.
Zane: 300 LP
Mad Dog: I set two cards face-down and end my turn.
Shroud: This is it Zane. Nowhere to go from here but up.
Zane: Or out. I'm done Shroud, now open that door!
Shroud: The only way out is to win Zane. I believe I made that clear.
Zane: I can't. If I draw a machine monster, I lose. But if I don't draw a monster, his Multiple Slime can attack me directly and finish me. I've just been trying to duel the way I always have, but-
Shroud: Well then, maybe it's time to change how you duel.
Zane: But, I've always respected my opponent.
Shroud: And what has that gotten you? Your career is finished, and you're all alone.
Zane: No.
Shroud: Do it Zane. Show him and the world what you can really do.
Mad Dog: Just get on with it.
Zane: Fine. I draw! Since it's my second standby phase, the card I banished with my Different Dimension Capsule returns to my hand. Next, I play Cybernetic Fusion Support. By paying half my life points, I can banish materials from my hand, field, or graveyard to fusion summon this turn.
Zane: 150 LP
Zane: And now I activate Power Bond. I banish the three Cyber Dragons in my grave to summon Cyber End Dragon!
Level 10/Light/Machine
ATK 4000/DEF 2800
Zane: Due to Power Bond's effect, its attack doubles.
Cyber End: 4000-8000 ATK
Zane: Of course, at the end of this turn, I'll take damage equal to Cyber End's original attack points. But I won't have to worry about that, because I'm finishing you now!
Mad Dog: Nice try, but I play the trap Slime Ball! This trap will destroy Cyber End Dragon and increase my life points by his attack points.
Mad Dog: 15000 LP
Mad Dog: Looks like I'll win this duel after all.
Zane: No. I won't lose! No matter what it takes, I will win! I play the continuous trap Call of the Haunted! With it, I summon Proto-Cyber Dragon from my graveyard in attack mode. Now, I play the spell Overload Fusion! This card lets me summon a machine type fusion monster by banishing materials from my field or graveyard, and I choose my Chimeratech Overdragon!
Mad Dog: What?!
Zane: To summon this monster, I need Cyber Dragon and at least one other machine type monster. I banish Proto-Cyber from my field and every monster in my graveyard to summon Chimeratech Overdragon!
Level 9/Dark/Machine
ATK & DEF ?
Zane: The attack and defense of this monster are equal to the number of its fusion materials I used to summon it times 800, and I used 6 monsters as material.
Overdragon: ?-4800 ATK
Mad Dog: 4800 attack points?
Zane: Chimeratech Overdragon, destroy Multiple Slime! Evolution Result Burst!
Mad Dog: 11700 LP
Mad Dog: When Multiple Slime is destroyed, it summons three slime tokens in attack mode.
Level 1/Water/Aqua
ATK & DEF 500
Mad Dog: And now I activate my face-down Trap Trip, which will return Last Machine Acid Virus to my hand.
Zane: I'll admit that card's given me some trouble this duel, which is why I won't be letting you activate it again. You see, Overdragon can attack a number of times each turn up to the number of monsters I fused to summon it, meaning it can attack 5 more times! Go, Quintuple Evolution Result Burst!
Five of Overdragon's heads charged energy in their mouths before firing it on Mad Dog, rendering him unconscious and tearing the cage wall behind him wide open.
Mad Dog: 0 LP
Winner: Zane
Shroud: It's done. Zane has been reborn.
One of the spectators, someone wearing a black mask that covered their entire face, clapped their hands and walked towards the cage.
?: Well done.
Zane: I take it you're my anonymous benefactor?
?: Indeed. Although you know me as someone else.
He pulled his mask off, revealing his face to Zane.
Zane: Michael? Is that really you?
Michael: Yeah.
Zane: But why?
Michael: The time has come Zane. The Light has arrived, and we need all the help we can get.
Zane: But why set this up? I don't get it.
Michael: You had lost your way after losing to Aster, and when I heard that the Society of Light had set their sights on you, I knew I had to get to you first. And as for why the duel, respecting our opponents isn't something we can afford to do. We have to hit them with everything we've got. For now, return to the pro leagues. I'll contact you when we're ready for the next stage.
The next day, Zane had returned to the pros and was tearing up the league.
Jean: And it's a flawless victory for Zane Truesdale! I'm telling you folks; this pro is dueling like a man possessed! Could the secret to his success be his edgy new wardrobe? All I know is Zane Truesdale is back on top!
Syrus: I know my brother, and he would never duel like that. Whoever he is, he's not Zane.
So yeah, when I was writing this chapter, I decided pretty immediately I would use original version of Mad Dog's character and not the dub version. Sorry if you were expecting it, but I could not stand to write that ridiculous persona.