Chapter 12 – Jaden VS Link

"Draw!" Jaden yelled as he took his standby phase. The duel was still going on, and Jaden thought he was losing himself.

Against Zane, he wasn't doing as bad as he was against Link. Although…somehow, Link had won the duel against Zane. Maybe Link really was too good for his own, but that doesn't mean Jaden was going to give up! Hehe…no way would Jaden think about giving up!

"All right then," Jaden paused, "I play the Field Spell, Skyscraper!"

"Uh-oh…that's not good." Syrus mumbled.

"Why? What is Skay-Sky-Skyscraper?" Zelda pronounced 'skyscraper' wrong by making the 'a' sound lowercase as in wrapper.

"Skyscraper," Zane corrected, "every Hero monster Jaden has, he can plus its ATK by 1000 if the target has more ATK than his monster, and considering Link doesn't have any monsters…"

"Yeah…he's gonna get blasted." Chazz told them.

"Yes, but Link will only lose-" Bastion started.

"Blah, blah, blah! We don't need this you nerd." Chazz insulted.

…silence.

"Well! That was rude!" Alexis told Chazz.

"I agree with you, lil' sis." Atticus shook his head with his yes closed.

"Nobody asked you Atticus, so shut up!" Chazz yelled.

Again, silence. Zelda was so surprised, but everyone else just ignored him.

"Shut don't go up." Hassleberry murmured.

"That's doesn't…" Bastion corrected.

"Alright Jaden, gimme your best shot!"

"You got it, Link! Go Flame Wingman! Attack Link directly!"

Link's 2800 LP just dissolved and became 700. Now hanging on a thread, Link drew his standby phase after Jaden placed two face downs.

'Now he has three down again. What are the chances of him having more than one negate attack?' Link thought, 'that means I'll need a monster with face downs, and things of that sort don't work.'

Luckily for Link, he had that monster that he needed. This helps him, a lot.

"I summon a Poe to the field." (600) Link said calmly, "Let me tell you a little Hylian story Jaden. Poes that used to roam around Hyrule used to destroy everything, despite how little or useless it seemed. Even the Big Poe looked as though he couldn't do a thing. But, the fires in their lanterns are all indestructible, and you know how fire works…"

"Fire destroys everything it touches." Zelda told herself aloud and solemnly.

It made Atticus and Zane snap their heads toward her direction.

"Something wrong?" Zane asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Zelda hesitated to answer for a moment. Zane's touch brought an unwanted memory…from a time ago, that seemed like centuries.

"Zelda…?" Zane called gently.

"I…am fine. Don't worry about me." Zelda looked at Zane and gave him a small smile and turned back to the duel looking solemn again.

"You sure?" Atticus asked.

"Geez…I wish girls would give me that much attention." Hassleberry whispered to Syrus.

"Good luck." Syrus gave him 'a look'.

"Thanks…you just made my day so much better. Now I can be more confident in myself…a little support 'buddy'?" Hassleberry said loudly and sarcastically.

Chazz, knowing him, gave Hassleberry another annoyed look.

"Say good bye to your face downs." Link mentally laughed at himself.

He knew he was horrible right now. Give Jaden a break…really. He hasn't used many spells or anything. Not that he couldn't handle it, and Link knew he wasn't about to go easy on Jaden of all people to go easy on.

"Alright…but I should let you know one of them was a monster…" Jaden smiled.

'He's hiding something. He must've known I was going to do that again.'

Link shrugged the feeling of foolishness off and appointed Poe towards Flame Wingman and destroyed him. Then laid a face down to conclude his turn.

"Great." Jaden said without being sarcastic or anything, "Now I go!" Jaden looked at his hand and the card he just drew.

"Even Greater. I play the card monster reborn, to bring back Elemental Hero Thunder Giant! Also, I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart! Link, you've never heard of Soul Union, have you?" Jaden asked.

Link shook his head negative and listened well.

"Well, it is a trap that is here in my hand, and I'm going to play it. Now Soul Union allows me to pick one monster from my grave, and add their attack points to any Elemental Hero here." Jaden explained.

"I will select Bladedge, who by the way, you destroyed with your Poe, and add his twenty-six hundred points to Wingman's twenty-four hundred."

"Oh my! That's a grand total of 5000!" Bastion realized.

"I would've never have guessed." Chazz rolled his eyes.

"Boy, keep that up and you'll earn a slap in the face." Hassleberry teased.

"Oh yeah? By who?" Chazz crossed his arms.

"Zelda." Zane and Atticus said together.

Alexis, Syrus, Bastion, and Hassleberry laughed at Chazz's stupidity.

"Alright Link, go Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"

Just as Jaden's monster was going for the Poe, a purple smoke surrounded the two monsters and no one could see a thing there.

"What's going on?" Syrus asked shakily.

"It's another Poe ability." Zelda replied.

When the smoke was gone, the Poe was gone, but four Arbiter Poes took its place. Link was still there with his 700 LP as well. "What're you still doing up here?" Jaden asked.

"When a Poe is destroyed, I played this trap." Link held a purple framed card and showed it to Jaden.

"Poe Swap…." Jaden read.

"Exactly. A regular Poe is switched with an Arbiter Poe. And in the process, no damage is taken." Link explained.

"Oh…that makes sense." Jaden mumbled, "But Flame Wingman still has 5000 ATK."

"He sure does…but that isn't going to matter, because this card also ends your turn…if I pay half my life points." (LP- 350)" Next, I play the spell, Element Mastery. So I choose a monster on your side of the field and I get to choose a monster from my deck with the same as its attribute, or element." Link explains.

The example there was, since Jaden had Wildheart, and Wingman, which was a wind, and Earth, Link could pick monsters from his deck and summon them to the field.

"For wind, I play Molgera," (2600 ATK 600 DEF)" as long as I sacrifice a monster on my field." Link told him as an Arbiter Poe desinagrated (sp?).

"And Earth, I play Deku Scrub." Link finished, (200 ATK 1000 DEF).

"Geez…I have a feeling this turn is going to be long." Chazz complained.

"Who knows…?" Syrus trailed off.

"He's right. Link is pretty unpredictable; he could pull off a fast one right under our noses just like that." Alexis explained.

"And now, for my normal summoning. I summon The Twilit Igniter: Fyrus, in ATK mode!" (2200)

"Another Spirit, huh?" Jaden asked.

"Do Hylian Decks often have Spirit Cards?" Tyranno asked Zelda.

"Not mainly, but yes, Hylian Decks have quite a few. Majora is the only one that can stay on the field for more than one turn." Zelda explained.

"Hm…It's like the Hylian Deck bends the rules of Duel Monsters." Bastion observed.

"Now, I sacrifice my Level 8 Spirit Monster, and take out my spell, Twilight Realm."

The whole Duel Arena had turned orange and purple skies with the weird black darkness flying about every which way. It made Link's Molgera grow weaker in Offense, and Jaden's Wildheart and Flame Wingman loose offense.

"What happened to my Heroes?" Jaden asked.

"Twilight Realm: It's a card that brings down every monster's offense unless it is a Twilit Monster, like Fyrus, here." Link's Fyrus then came back with extra ATK points.

"How does it determine how many ATK points the non-twilit monsters loose, and the twilit ones get, and why did Fyrus come back?" Bastion asked.

"The level of all the monsters on the field multiplied by 200. And, if Link sacrifices half of his Life Points, he gets a Twilit Monster back from the graveyard." Zane explained.

"It's amazing how you know so much…" Syrus rolled his eyes slightly.

Zane said nothing back, just looked at the back of Syrus's head.

"…and the non-twilit monsters loose the points equal to the level of my Twilit Igniter multiplied by 100. SO now, Flame Wingman is reduced to 4200 ATK, and Fyrus has 5000, attack Fyrus!" Link pointed.

"Not so fast! I have a trap! I play: NEGATE ATTACK!"

Not under MY vessel!

'Majora!' Link panicked.

Here we go creator!

Majora took control over Link's mind, and played a trap from his hand.

"We play, Oath to Order from our hand!" Majora's voice said.

"We? Where did that voice come from?" Syrus asked nervously.

"…Majora." Zelda replied in horror.

"He took over Link?" Atticus asked a little freaked himself.

"Hn! The only reason I can do this, is because of Fyrus, he's a Twilit Monster, and Twilit Monsters get whatever they want…" Majora explained.

"So, Fyrus, continue." Chazz whispered.

"No way. Jaden has another card facedown." Hassleberry pointed out.

Fyrus destroyed Jaden's Wingman, and then Link commanded Molgera to attack Elemental Hero: Wildheart. After those, Jaden played the spell, Waboku, so no damage was taken upon him at all.

"You sure are a pest!" Majora exclaimed, "We lay a facedown and end our turn."

Fyrus went to the graveyard and Link's side of the field, but Molgera stayed due to the effect of a spell Majora played called The Rod of Seasons. Any monster that was originally supposed to go to the grave stays for another turn instead, so Molgera stayed on the field.

Give me my body back! And my mind! You can't control me Majora!

Link tried to tell Majora. Majora wouldn't listen and continued on with the duel.

"Alright! It's time for a serious change up!" Jaden exclaimed and drew his standby phase.

"Change up? I'm sure he'll turn this whole duel around and win right now." Syrus said.

"Yea, Link didn't even lay a facedown."

A FACEDOWN? I would have thought of that Majora! For an almighty card, you sure are pretty BRAINLESS! Link insulted furiously.

'Well, fine creator. I'll put you back where you belong, and then we'll see who's brainless.' Majora turned back inside Link's mind and because if initial shock of having control of his own body again, Link collapsed.

He gasped sharply for air and bared his long Hylian teeth. What did Majora mean?

"Hey, are you okay?" Jaden asked.

Link took a moment to answer, for he didn't hear him right.

"Yeah…I'm back in control." Link replied.

"Thank goodness…" Zelda sighed in relief and sat back in her chair watching her younger brother get up slowly to his feet.

"First," Jaden started, "I summon O-Oversoul which allows me to pick a hero from my grave and special summon it here to the field!"

Jaden's Elemental Hero Bladedge came back. (2600)

"So I play Battle Change, so I pick any monster on the field to change to DEF, and your Molgera is the one I choose."

"Oh…I see! Jaden's gonna win because of Bladedge's special ability!" Syrus realized.

"Why did Majora do this? Link could've won…" Zelda muttered.

Zane inconsequentially heard Zelda and looked her way. She was looking down and she looked sad.

'I wonder if she's…okay.' Zane thought not realizing he was staring.

A small nudge caught his attention and he turned to Alexis. She didn't say anything just gave him a questioning look, which Zane shrugged off.

"Now, Bladedge, attack! And Because of my hero's special ability, the difference of his attack points and your defense points inflicts damage directly to your life points."

Link lost his first duel against a human…

You could have used the quickplay trap card in your hand that happens to be hiding behind that Majora's Mask card of yours there. If you played me, you could've won. In fact, you can win them all with my power, all you have to do is say 'okay'. Well, Creator?

Link kept his eyes at his feet, he heard Jaden's voice, but didn't care enough to listen at the moment.

"I…" Link said aloud, "will never join you Majora."

Link picked up his head, and the Academy crowd roared at the end of the duel.

"Good duel, Jaden." Link bowed and walked off the stage and outside the building, through the small field and to his Ra Dorm room.

Link set himself comfortably on a seat and gazed at his roommate. Sleeping? Why would this guy be sleeping right now? It was only six PM…Oh well. Link shrugged it off, and shuffled through his deck until he found Majora.

'I outta lock you up somewhere.'

But Creator, your people did that a long time ago, and I managed to escape because of the greedy, power-hungry and worthless humans. Why would you call them friends now, Creator?

Link smirked at Majora's question and thought about the answer truthfully.

"Because they stuck by my side when I didn't need it. That, Majora, is the way a true friend acts. And now, I can say: 'I have great friends, and they're human!' but you know what? Who cares what race they come from? Look at the Zoran and Gorons. They are great friends; exact opposites of Race and not alike at all. It's the same way with Hylians and Humans. We are exact opposites, but I think I'm growing on them." Link explained proudly as he put Majora facedown and the rest of his deck upon it.

Link's own words made him think about an important subject as he crawled into bed that early hour to rest.

'Zane…why do I hate him so?' Link thought as he looked at the ceiling from his top bunk, 'I should…apologize.'

If Zelda could read Link's mind now, she would be so shocked, she might even faint. But…then again; she might be proud.