Well, it's been two weeks approximately but I got this chapter up. My updates will probably still be a bit slow since I found another plot hole that I gotta work out for Season 3 and I'm also working on my other stories (especially my Yu-Gi-Oh fic that's not posted, Allegiance, which I am rewriting the first chapter of and my YGO/HP fic that I'm also rewriting…plus school and all that but I'll try to get the next chapter up by next week.
Thank you to DisneyOUATgirl1437, decode9, DanelerH, Team5dsforever, Lightclaw's Shadow, iloveyugiohGX93, Kamen Rider Dragon Knight, Sorcerer of the Stories, EndlessNight025, 1993 and bobmanv2.0 for reviewing the last chapter.
Thank you to EndlessNight025 for being an awesome beta-reader. Credit for the duel goes to her as usual.
Here is the next chapter and I hope that you enjoy it. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
8
The Light Strikes
Almost as soon as the duel between Aster Phoenix and Zane Truesdale ended, Aster was cornered by the press in an interview that was aired live in front of the entire school. One of the reporter's stepped forward, holding out a microphone to the pro.
"What an impressive victory, Mr. Phoenix," the reporter said.
"He certainly is strong, but it was destined that I would win," Aster said calmly.
"This time, you used your prized Hero deck out there. What made you decide to reveal your deck today?" the reporter asked.
"There is a duelist at Duel Academy that I enrolled in who uses a Hero deck like me," Aster replied.
"Is he talking about you, Sarge?" Hassleberry asked.
"Probably," Raiden said, narrowing his eyes.
"I was originally the faster one to make the Hero deck, but in all the craziness, this duelist became famous. The other day, I heard a story about how that duelist was on par with Kaiser Truesdale. In which case, if I were to win against Truesdale, it would then turn out that I'm the stronger one. That is why I used this opportunity to display my deck."
"So he's saying that he used Zane as a guinea pig?" Bastion said.
"Still, there is probably someone among my fans who still finds it imperfect, as well," Aster went on. "So, I want to announce that I will borrow the place to challenge the duelist who is using the similar Hero deck: Jaden Yuki."
"Jaden Yuki, I plan on traveling to Duel Academy tomorrow. When I do, we'll settle once and for all, which of us is more worthy of using the Heroes," Aster said.
Jaden's eyes narrowed.
"Jay, do you think you can beat him again?" Syrus asked.
"It won't be easy, especially if he's using his real deck," Alexis said, glancing at Jaden who was watching Aster with determined eyes.
"I'm sure Judai will be fine," Raiden said.
"I'm looking forward to it," Jaden said. "I've been wanting a rematch against Aster anyway."
"Well, good luck either way, Jay," Kasumi said.
With Crowler and Bonaparte, Crowler was surprised. Aster is coming here for a duel? he thought.
"A duel between Aster Phoenix and Jaden Yuki?" Bonaparte said, looking excited. "This can definitely be used to my advantage."
Conway frowned at them. What is he planning? he wondered silently.
. . .
In Sartorius's white room, the white-cloaked man was shuffling his tarot cards when Aster walked into the room.
"Are you going?" Sartorius asked.
"As much as I'd like to, I can't afford to be taking detours," Aster said. "I'll go all over the world and find them as soon as possible."
"You mustn't hurry, for the doors of destiny will always open," Sartorius replied. He picked up one card and then placed it facedown on the table. "Aster, are you using those cards?"
"That is my intention. I will show Jaden Yuki the true Heroes," Aster replied calmly.
"You're saying you don't approve of his pride in his Heroes," Sartorius said and cast a sidelong glance at the silverette. "In that case, I will look at the fighting spirit and future that dwell within your deck."
Aster stepped forward and placed his deck in his manager's hands. Sartorius took it and turned away from Aster so that the silverette couldn't see his eyes glow white and dark tendrils of light engulfed the deck briefly before fading. He then held out the deck back to Aster.
"How is my destiny?" Aster asked, taking the deck.
"It seems that I didn't need to foretell it."
Aster closed his eyes and smiled. He then opened them and added, "What of Hikari?"
Sartorius looked through his tarot cards again and then flipping over one of them, revealing it to be the Temperance card, though it was in reverse position. Interesting. As of right now, this card indicates that something is out of balance, in conflict, and therefore creating stress or tension. I will need to test her to see if she is like Jaden Yuki or not.
"Speak to her and see if she will be willing to duel Kasumi Yuki after your duel against Jaden," Sartorius said calmly.
"I'll ask her, but why?" Aster asked.
"I wish to test Hikari Suzuki's strength, and who better than against one of the best female duelists in Duel Academy?" Sartorius said calmly.
Aster nodded. "All right. I'll be back soon," he said and left the room.
. . .
Back at Duel Academy, Crowler and Bonaparte were waiting for Aster's arrival at the docks. Unfortunately, they hadn't brought any jackets with them and it was rather cold outside, so they were both shivering.
"W...When is he supposed to b...be here?" Crowler wondered.
"H...He better n...not stand us up again," Bonaparte said.
. . .
In the air, a plane was flying through the air and, jumping out, was Aster Phoenix, who was air-surfing, shouting in glee as he weaved through the air on the board, heading toward Academy Island in the distance.
. . .
In Bastion's room in the Yellow Dorm, he, Jaden, Raiden, Syrus and Bastion were hanging out in the room. Bastion was on the computer, looking through various articles and images about Aster Phoenix.
"Let's see. Aster Phoenix. His hobbies are surfing, skydiving, and skiing and he excels at those sports," Bastion said, bring up pictures portraying Aster doing the aforementioned activities. He paused. "So this guy already has two PhDs through skipping grades?"
Raiden whistled. "Sounds like a prodigy to me," he said.
"He also has a photographic memory," Bastion mused.
"I wish I had a photographic memory," Syrus murmured.
"You ain't the only one," Raiden said.
Jaden snorted where he sat cross-legged on Bastion's bed, going through his cards. "I'm convinced you do have a photographic memory, Rai," he said.
Raiden smiled at his brother. "I'm actually just good at remembering things," he said. "Unlike someone I know." He ducked to avoid the pillow Jaden threw at him.
"Why are you looking into Aster anyway? I'm the one dueling him," Jaden said, shuffling his deck.
'It maybe help to know a bit more about him,' Yubel pointed out, materializing in spirit form next to the bed. 'Any weaknesses that can be found could greatly help.'
Raiden nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Aster is a good duelist, and a Pro at that," he pointed out.
Jaden shrugged. "I really don't care if I win or lose, you guys," he said. "So long as nothing is on the line this time."
Raiden moved over to sit down beside Jaden and curled his arm around the younger boy's shoulders while Syrus exchanged a glance with Bastion, but neither said anything.
Jaden yawned. "I should get some sleep," he mused.
"Have you been getting any sleep, Judai?" Raiden asked.
"Some," Jaden said.
'And, by that, he means one or two hours,' Yubel said dryly.
Jaden glowered at the fiend spirit floating next to him. "It was more than just two hours, Yubel. Not my fault these fucking nightmares won't leave me alone," he muttered irritably. He hated those nightmares almost as much as he hated the anxiety attacks he occasionally got ever since everything went down with Kaage Naka during the summer.
"Have you talked them over with Dr. Nakamura?" Raiden said.
Jaden shrugged. "Some of them," he said.
Well, it's better than when he first started seeing Dr. Nakamura, Raiden thought.
. . .
In the main building, a card thief was helping himself to some card packs. He was in the middle of leaving the main building when a maniacal laugh echoed around him. "Stealing cards from the store," the voice said. "That's the scum that exists among people everywhere."
"Who's there?" the thief shouted.
"Why don't you repent for that crime of yours with a duel?" the voice said, coming from a dark figure in a red cape with a white mask over its face.
The thief activated his duel disk and prepared for battle.
Within a few minutes, a loud explosion caused the entire island to shake as Aster, sitting nonchalantly on one of the stone structures in front of the main building, scoffed at the thief who was knocked to the ground by the force of the explosion that took out his monster.
"I see you don't know when to give up," Aster said with a smirk. "Your destiny has already been decided." The dark monster leapt into the sky and attacked and a scream erupted from the thief's lips.
The thief was left unconscious and sprawled on the ground as Aster searched through his deck.
Elsewhere, Bonaparte and Crowler were running from the docks toward the source of the explosion, wondering what on Earth was happening.
Coming from the Ra Dorm, Jaden, Syrus, Bastion and Raiden were also running toward the source of the explosion, also wondering what had caused it.
Aster scoffed as he tossed the cards onto the thief. "How could someone like you be carrying that card?" he said. "Well, you'll get to chill in prison."
That was when everyone else arrived.
"It's Aster," Raiden said, surprised.
"How did you get here?" Bonaparte wondered aloud.
Syrus then spotted the man lying sprawled on the ground. "Huh? Who's he?"
"Some scum that tried to steal cards from the store," Aster said calmly. "You don't need to worry about him."
Syrus had gone to the man's side along with Bastion while Raiden remained at his brother's side. "How awful," Syrus said. "He's completely unconscious."
"What the hell did you do to him?" Raiden asked, narrowing his eyes.
Aster didn't respond. He simply gazed at Jaden. "Jaden, it's been a while, hasn't it? Ready to settle things?"
Bonaparte moved forward. "I have a great idea, Monsieur Phoenix," he said. "We'll have the survival of the Red dorm riding on this duel."
"Wait, what?" Crowler said, surprised.
"If you're trying to utilize my dueling," Aster said calmly, "you'll have to become my sponsor."
"Sponsor?"
"Of course, with your salary, it would be a pointless discussion, wouldn't it?"
Bonaparte growled, clenching his hands.
"Oh calm down. He speaks the truth, after all," Crowler pointed out.
"I'll be waiting for you first thing in the morning in the Duel Arena," Aster said as he started to walk past Jaden. "However, aside from your friends, we'll do this without an unnecessary gallery."
"So you don't want any of your fans to watch?" Raiden asked.
"To me, this is a duel that won't be anything special," Aster said. "A pro doesn't recklessly show off his skills."
Jaden narrowed his eyes. "Fine then," he agreed and Aster walked off without another word, prompting Crowler and Bonaparte to dash after him.
. . .
The following morning, the gang was gathered in the Duel Arena, ready to watch the duel between Jaden and Aster. Raiden and Kasumi were seated side by side with Chazz and Arina on Kasumi's other side and Hikari and Alexis seated in front of them along with Kyle, Celina, and Syrus. Behind them sat Bastion and Hassleberry.
Jaden was making sure his duel disk was secured around his arm as he made his way toward the duel platform while trying to push away the bad feeling that was going through him. Something wasn't right but Jaden couldn't figure out what was causing that feeling.
'I sense it, too. Something isn't right about this whole duel. You must be careful, Judai,' Yubel said, materializing in spirit form behind Jaden.
'Yes, be careful and don't lose,' Haou said.
Jaden paused. Wait, you actually sound...concerned, Haou, he thought.
'I also have a bad feeling about this whole duel,' Haou said simply.
"It's starting," Alexis said softly, silently wishing her boyfriend good luck.
"He's going to win," Hassleberry said firmly.
Jaden glanced at his deck and then at Yubel, who was floating at his side. "We can do this," he said.
Jasmine and Mindy started shouting towards Aster as the silverete made his way onto the duel platform, waving briefly at the two girls who giggled. Alexis sweatdropped while the rest of the gang just sighed and shook their heads, used to those two girls' antics.
"Those two," Alexis said with a sigh.
Bonaparte put a microphone to his lips and said, "We will now hold a duel between Jaden Yuki and Aster Phoenix."
Under his breath, Crowler murmured, "You must do your best, Jaden Yuki."
. . .
In the white room, Sartorius was speaking on the phone to one of his followers, who was watching the duel. "Yes, Master Sartorius," the follower said.
"It is starting then, is it? Though, I already know the outcome," Sartorius said with his eyes closed. He opened them and smiled, "Jaden Yuki. Now he is to become one of us, as well. And Aster Phoenix will experience this duel and rise to new heights."
. . .
Aster and Jaden each inserted their decks into their duel disks, but Yubel immediately noticed something was off about Aster's deck. The feeling that surrounded it and that...oddly familiar energy that seemed to come off it in smoky tendrils...
No! 'Haou, do you see that?' Yubel hissed quietly to Haou.
'I see it. Should we tell Jaden?' Haou said grimly.
'I believe that we should. Judai?' Yubel began.
Jaden glanced at Yubel. "What is it, Yubel?" he asked quietly.
'You must not go through with this duel,' Yubel said quickly.
"What?" Jaden frowned. "Yubel, you know I don't back down from a challenge, period. I can't just forfeit this duel."
'You know it is very rare for me to agree with Yubel, Jaden, but even I am saying that it would be best if you didn't go through with it,' Haou said.
"What is going on?" Jaden asked quietly. "Why do you sound so afraid?"
'Judai, I believe that Aster is being used by the Light of Destruction,' Yubel said gravely.
The Light of Destruction? Jaden repeated silently, stunned to hear that one of the greatest enemies his past-life self has ever faced was possibly in control of his current opponent. He had learned about the Light of Destruction over the course of the summer because Yubel had been worried that the Light would strike soon. She said that the Light had the uncanny ability to strike when the one destined to fight against it was at his weakest after the Gentle Darkness power awakened, or showed signs of awakening as it usually did when the one destined to use it was a teenager, if not earlier. And since Jaden was rather emotionally unbalanced, thanks to the anxiety he had been experiencing due to the events of the summer, she believed it was likely that the Light would strike then. Are you sure?
'I can't be completely sure until the Champion reveals himself. The Light is very subtle and will likely hide in plain sight, just as it did in the past,' Yubel said quietly.
While Jaden was talking with Yubel and Yubel was briefly explaining why she was afraid, Aster frowned. What is Sartorius fussing about with a duelist like this? he thought.
"Let's get started," Aster called.
Jaden turned his attention to Aster and nodded in agreement. "Let's," he said.
"Duel!" they both declared as they drew their opening hands.
Jaden: 8000
Aster: 8000
Yubel, I'll be careful, okay? If it really is that, then I'm going to have to face it sooner or later. And I have Haou if anything goes wrong, he thought.
Yubel sighed. 'Judai...' she whispered.
I'll be fine, Yubel, Jaden assured her. We don't even know if Aster really is being controlled by the Light or not, not for sure, anyway.
'I suppose you're right,' Yubel said, though it was obvious she didn't believe that.
"I'll go first," Aster said, drawing his sixth card and then placing it on his duel disk. "I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode and place this facedown and end with that."
The dark clay warrior appeared on the field before crossing its great arms in front of him (A: 800/D: 2000).
"So he really does use a genuine Hero deck," Bastion said.
Hikari shook her head. "No, this is just the tip of the iceberg," she said.
"My turn, then," Jaden said, drawing a card and then placing it on his duel disk. "I summon Elemental Hero Stratos in Attack Mode." A blue armored warrior with fans in its metallic wings appeared on the field (A: 1800/D: 300). "And when he's summoned, I can add a Hero monster from my deck to my hand and I'll go with Burstinatrix." He retrieved the card before holding up another one.
"Next, I activate Dark Fusion and use it to fuse Elemental Heroes Avian and Burstinatrix in my hand in order to Fusion Summon Evil Hero Inferno Wing in Attack Mode."
Avian and Burstinatrix appeared before they joined together, fusing to create the female fiend with the large dark-blue wings, spiky green hair and V-shaped blue visor over her eyes as well as cruel smirk on her lips (A: 2100/D: 1200).
Aster narrowed his eyes. That same Evil Hero monster that he used in our last duel. I've never heard of those cards before, he thought.
"Now, I activate Fusion Weapon and equip it onto Inferno Wing, increasing her Attack and Defense by 1500," Jaden added and Inferno Wing was suddenly wielding a red-blaster like weapon (A: 2100-3600/D" 1200-2700).
"Inferno Wing, attack Clayman, and, as I'm sure you remember, whenever she attacks a monster in Defense Mode, you get dealt piercing damage," Jaden said. Inferno Wing smirked as she unleashed a blast of blue fire that enveloped Clayman, destroying him.
Jaden: 8000
Aster: 6400
"And since she destroyed a monster by battle, you get dealt damage equal to Clayman's Defense," Jaden added.
"I'll chain that effect by activating my facedown Hero Signal to Special Summon Elemental Hero Woodsman in Defense Mode," Aster said, revealing his facedown and his warrior with the branch for an arm appeared on the field before kneeling down (A: 1000/D: 2000) and then Aster was bathed in blue flames from Inferno Wing.
Jaden: 8000
Aster: 4400
"I end my turn with that," Jaden said.
"Wow, he got Aster down to almost half his Life Points," Syrus said.
"Duel's not over yet though," Hikari said.
"My turn, I draw," Aster said, drawing a card. "And I activate Woodsman's effect to add one Polymerization from my Deck to my hand." He retrieved the card and added, "And now I activate it to fuse Woodsman with Wildheart and Burstinatrix in my hand in order to Fusion Summon Vision Hero Trinity in Attack Mode." The three aforementioned E-Heroes leapt into the swirling vortex that had appeared and was replaced by the large red-armored Vision Hero (A: 2500/D: 2000).
"Also," Aster went on, "during the turn that Vision Hero Trinity is summoned, its Attack is doubled and it can attack three times during each Battle Phase, though it can't attack you directly, so you should count yourself lucky there." Trinity's attack jumped up as its effect activated (A: 2500-5000).
"5000? Oh boy," Syrus said worriedly.
"At least it can't attack me directly," Jaden mused, "otherwise I would've lost this turn."
"Trinity, take out that Inferno Wing," Aster ordered and Trinity shot forward before plowing a fist into Inferno Wing, destroying her
Jaden: 6600
Aster: 4400
"Now, Trinity, use your second attack to get rid of Stratos," Aster added. Trinity again jumped forward and slammed a fist into Stratos, shattering him.
Jaden: 3400
Aster: 4400
"Not bad, Aster," Jaden said as Aster signaled the end of his turn and Trinity's Attack returned to normal (A: 5000-2500).
Aster closed his eyes and smirked. "You should know," he said, opening his eyes, "you don't have a chance at winning this duel."
Jaden blinked. "What?"
"That's because there's something significantly different between you and I, even though we're both Hero-users," Aster went on.
Jaden frowned. "A difference between me and you? What are you talking about?" he asked.
Aster closed his eyes again. "You'll understand it soon enough," he said. "It's your turn."
Jaden frowned but didn't respond as he drew a card. "I activate my own Polymerization to fuse Elemental Heroes Bladedge and Knospe in order to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Gaia in Attack Mode," he said. The golden armored warrior and the little plant monster fused to create a large dark-armored warrior with blasters on its gauntlets (A: 2200/D: 2600).
"And when Gaia is summoned, its effect activates, cutting Trinity's Attack in half and increasing its own attack by the same amount," Jaden added.
Aster narrowed his eyes as Trinity weakened (A: 2500-1250) and Gaia's strength jumped up (A: 2200-3450).
"Now, Gaia, take out Trinity," Jaden ordered. Gaia jumped forward and slammed his fist into Trinity, throwing him clear off the field and then he shattered.
Jaden: 3400
Aster: 2200
"And I end my turn with that," Jaden said and Gaia's Attack returned to normal (A: 3450-2200).
"He's doing well so far," Raiden noted. "Though it could still be anyone's game."
"Especially since Aster isn't taking this duel seriously yet," Hikari said.
"What do you mean?" Hassleberry asked.
"I mean he hasn't brought out his true Heroes yet but I get the feeling it won't be long before he does," Hikari replied.
"I have to admit, this is getting to be a fun duel," Jaden commented.
"My turn," Aster said, drawing a card.
"I have to admit, this is getting to be a fun duel," Jaden commented
Aster paused in drawing his card and narrowed his eyes. "Fun? You think this is fun?" he repeated incredulously.
"Well, yeah, why? I mean dueling is supposed to be fun," Jaden said. And I prefer it when it's fun and not life or death, he thought.
Aster scoffed. "I've got news for you. Dueling isn't about having fun, at least not for me," he said. "Someone like you wouldn't know about that."
Jaden narrowed his eyes. "You'd be surprised, Aster," he said. "To me, dueling is supposed to be about having fun, but that doesn't mean I've never been in situations when dueling was about more than that. It can be about fun, it can be about vengeance, it can even be about life and death..." He trailed off, his mind going back to his duel against Kaage, and the reasons why the psychopath did what he did.
The gang who knew about what happened over the course of the summer looked at each other, knowing full well what Jaden was referring to. They knew about Kaage Naka and his goal to use dueling to get his vengeance on Jaden, even if he did use other alternatives when dueling failed. He had done it because, through dueling, he could make Jaden suffer a fate worse than death.
"I prefer it when it's just about having fun," Jaden said.
Aster narrowed his eyes. "Dueling is about more than just fun for me. Whatever it is you believe, I believe in fighting for justice and revenge. If you want to continue to believe that then that's your own business. But I chose my Hero cards for a reason; they're my life and mean everything to me! I was destined to build this deck and I'm about to show you why. I am about to unleash a new breed of heroes known as the Destiny Heroes. It's time to open your eyes to the true power of the Elemental Heroes. A secret society of heroes never released to the public by Industrial Illusions known as the D-Series."
Aster held up the hand. "I activate Destiny Draw and, by discarding a Destiny Hero in my hand, I can draw two cards." He did so before adding, "And I also activate the Field Spell Clock Tower Prison!" Rising from the ground around the two of them was a large stone wall with a giant clock tower rising up behind Aster.
Wonder what that does, Jaden thought.
"And next why don't I show you what I mean. I summon Destiny Hero – Doom Lord in Attack Mode," Aster declared, placing the card on his duel disk. Appearing on top of the tower was a black armored warrior with a torn red cape draped around its shoulders (A: 600/D: 800).
"And next, I activate Doom Lord's effect," Aster added and Gaia suddenly vanished.
"What happened?" Jaden asked confused.
"He was sent to the future. He'll come back in two turns, though I can't declare an attack his turn 'cause I activated this effect," Aster said. "But I'm not done yet. Now I remove the Destiny Hero – Malicious in my Graveyard from play in order to Special Summon Destiny Hero – Malicious from my Deck to the field in Attack Mode." A tanned muscular warrior with dark-black wings appeared on the field (A: 800/D: 800).
"And next I place two cards facedown and end my turn," Aster added and two vertical facedowns appeared at his feet.
"My turn, I draw," Jaden said, drawing a card.
"Hold it. You should know that my Clock Tower Prison activates," Aster said as the clock's hands started spinning until it reached 3:00.
"I wonder what that does," Raiden mused.
"Who knows," Kasumi said.
"I do, and it won't be a good thing for Jaden if he doesn't win soon," Hikari said gravely, knowing full well the effect of Clock Tower Prison. Hikari, being one of Aster's closest friends, was the only one that had dueled against Aster's Destiny Hero deck.
"What happens?" Hassleberry asked.
Hikari didn't answer.
'It's obvious that Clock Tower Prison is setting up for something, something big, possibly,' Yubel said quietly to Jaden. 'You'd best keep that in mind, Judai.'
'It might be best if you just get rid of that stupid Field Spell as soon as you can,' Haou added.
"I summon Elemental Hero Heat in Attack Mode and he gains 200 Attack for every Elemental Hero I control," Jaden said and his fiery-armored warrior appeared on the field (A: 1600-1800/D: 1200).
I don't have anything to get rid of it right now, but I think you might be right. Wow, I don't say that often, huh? he thought.
'No, no you don't,' Yubel said, amused. 'But then Haou is rarely right about something.'
'Hey!' Haou growled irritably.
"Heat, attack Doom Lord," Jaden ordered.
"Hold it. I activate D – Counter, since a Destiny Hero I control is being targeted for an attack, this card destroys the attack monster," Aster said, revealing his facedown.
Jaden scowled as Heat shattered before it could attack.
"I end my turn," he said. Can't do much else. I have no cards in my hand, he thought.
"I draw," Aster said, drawing a card. "And I activate Pot of Greed." He drew two more cards before adding, "And now I summon Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude in Attack Mode." In a burst of shadowy fog, a warrior with diamonds jutting out of its shoulders appeared on the field (A: 1400/D: 1600).
"And next I activate Diamond Dude's effect to reveal the top card of my deck. If it's a Normal Spell, I can activate its effect during my next turn," Aster said, drawing a card and turning it around to reveal it as Lightning Vortex before placing it in the Graveyard slot.
"Now, I'll have all my monsters attack you directly," Aster added.
Doom Lord, Malicious and Diamond Dude all attacked Jaden directly, knocking out another large chunk of his Life Points and sending him to the ground.
Jaden: 600
Aster: 2200
"Ouch," Raiden said with a wince. "Aster has the advantage now."
Syrus looked worried. "Jaden's down to his last 600 Life Points," he said.
"Jaden's still in this though," Kasumi said firmly.
"I place this facedown and end my turn," Aster said, inserting a card into his duel disk as Jaden pushed himself to his feet.
"I draw," Jaden said, feeling a bit frustrated, before he glanced at the card he drew.
"Clock Tower Prison activates," Aster said as the hands moved until it read 6:00.
"All right. Now, since Elemental Hero Bubbleman is the only card in my hand, I can Special Summon him," Jaden said, placing the card on his duel disk and his blue-armored water hero appeared on the field (A: 800/D: 1200). "And when he's summoned while I have no other cards on my side of the field, I can draw two cards." He did so before adding, "And I activate Spellbook Inside the Pot so that we each draw three cards."
He and Aster drew three cards and Aster smirked. Looks like your end is coming soon, Jaden, he thought.
"I also activate Fusion Recovery to add Elemental Hero Bladedge and Polymerization form my Graveyard to my hand," Jaden added and retrieved said cards. "Next, I activate Polymerization to fuse Bladedge with Bubbleman in order to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Absolute Zero in Attack Mode." Bladedge and Bubbleman fused together to create the blue-and-white armored warrior (A: 2500/D: 2000).
"Absolute Zero, attack Doom Lord," Jaden ordered.
Aster pressed a button on his duel disk. "I activate D-Shield and equip it to Doom Lord. This switches Doom Lord to Defense Mode and, due to D-Shield's effect, he can't be destroyed in battle," he said and Doom Lord knelt down and Absolute Zero's attack passed through him.
"I activate D-Fusion to split Absolute Zero back into Bladedge and Bubbleman," Jaden said, inserting the card and the golden armored warrior (A: 2600/D: 1800) and the blue armored warrior (A: 800/D: 1200). "And since Absolute Zero has left the field, all of your monsters are destroyed." Ice crawled across the field, freezing all of Aster's monsters and they shattered into shards of ice.
"If Jaden attacks with Bladedge, he'll win!" Syrus cheered.
"A nice move," Raiden said with a nod.
"Good job, Jaden," Alexis said with a smile.
"Now, Bladedge, end this duel. Attack Aster directly," Jaden ordered.
"I activate my facedown, D-Fortune, and remove Destiny Hero – Doom Lord from play to end the Battle Phase," Aster said, revealing his facedown and pocketing a card and Bladedge's attack stopped.
"I place this facedown and end my turn," Jaden said, inserting a card into his duel disk while Haou muttered in frustration in the back of Jaden's mind.
"My turn," Aster said, drawing a card. "And Doom Lord's effect activates, returning Elemental Hero Gaia to your field." The large dark warrior returned to the field (A: 2200/D: 2600).
"And next, due to the effect of Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude, I can now activate the effect of Lightning Vortex," Aster added.
"Wait, you can do that even though Diamond Dude's not on the field anymore?" Jaden asked.
Aster nodded as bolts of lightning rained down from the side, crashing into Jaden's monsters, destroying them all and conjuring up a giant cloud of smoke.
"Next, I activate Graceful Charity," Aster added and drew three cards before discarding two. "I also activate Premature Burial and pay 800 Life Points to Special Summon Destiny Hero – Dasher in Attack Mode." From the Graveyard rose a black-armored warrior with wheels on his feet (A: 2100/D: 1000).
Jaden: 600
Aster: 1400
"Dasher, end this, attack Jaden directly," Aster ordered.
"Go Negate Attack," Jaden said, revealing his facedown.
"So you survived this turn," Aster said as Dasher's attack was stopped. "I use my Normal Summon to summon Destiny Hero – Dread Servant in Defense Mode." A warrior in dark gray armor with a black cloak, a shield on one arm and a staff in the other appeared on the field (A: 400/D: 700). "And when he is summoned, Clock Tower Prison gains a Clock Counter. It looks like you might be running out of time." The hands on the clock turned until it read 9:00.
"And then I place this facedown and end my turn," said Aster and a vertical facedown appeared at his feet. "This is your last move. Best make it count."
"You sure are confident, Aster," Jaden said, drawing a card.
Aster smirked. "Time is on my side. Speaking of that, looks like our time has come complete circle," he said as the hands on the clock moved to land on the 12 once again and the air around them seemed to blur.
"What is so significant about that clock?" Kasumi asked, glancing at her sister.
"If Jaden doesn't end this duel right now then you'll find out," Hikari replied. "And it won't be good for Jaden if he does."
Alexis frowned. "Jaden..." she murmured.
Jaden pressed his lips together. He didn't know what that Clock Tower Prison thing did. "Since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Evil Hero Infernal Prodigy in Attack Mode," he said and a dark-red and black fiend appeared on the field (A: 300/D: 600). "And next, I tribute him in order to summon Evil Hero Malicious Edge in Attack Mode." Infernal Prodigy vanished and was replaced by the vicious-looking dark-blue fiend that was covered in spikes (A: 2600/D: 1800).
"A Level 7 monster with one tribute?" Aster raised an eyebrow.
"If you control monsters, I can summon him with only one tribute," Jaden explained. "Plus, he can inflict piercing damage. Go, Malicious Edge, attack Dread Servant!"
'Judai, wait," Yubel began, having figured out something wasn't right. However, Malicious Edge was already in motion and Jaden couldn't call off the attack now. The monsters claws sank into Dread Servant and destroyed him, conjuring up a large cloud of smoke.
When it cleared, however, everyone was surprised to see that Aster remained unscathed and his Life Points hadn't been touched.
"Wait, what?" Jaden blinked, confused.
"It's all thanks to my Field Spell's effect," Aster said, gesturing to the clock tower. "When it has four counters on it, I do not take any Battle Damage. Plus, since you destroyed Dread Servant, his second effect activates, letting me destroy one Spell or Trap card on my field but I'll chain that effect by activating my facedown Destiny Signal to Special Summon Destiny Hero – Dunker in Attack Mode." A dark-blue haired warrior in black armor appeared on the field (A: 1200/D: 1700). "And next, the card I destroy using Dread Servant's effect is Clock Tower Prison!"
"What?" Jaden said, surprised.
"What?" everyone in the audience, except Hikari, exclaimed as Clock Tower Prison started to crack and then shattered.
"Now that Clock Tower Prison has been destroyed, its final effect is unlocked, releasing the monster inside. Come out, Destiny Hero – Dreadmaster!" Aster declared. From the rubble of the prison, a muscular man emerged. He had long hair and a metal mask over his face as well as broken chains hanging from his wrists and his ankles with dark-blue shorts ripped off at the knee (A: ?/D: ?).
"Now that he's out, I can activate his effects," Aster said. "And his first effect is that I can summon two more Destiny Heroes from my Graveyard, and I choose Diamond Dude and Malicious." The diamond-clad warrior (A: 1400/D: 1600) and the black-cloaked warrior (A: 800/D: 800) returned to the field.
"And if you're worried about the undetermined Attack and Defense of Dreadmaster, it becomes the combined total Attack of all my other Destiny Heroes on the field," Aster added.
Jaden's eyes widened briefly while the rest of the gang gasped in surprise as Dreadmaster powered up (A: ?-5500/D: ?-5500).
Jaden glanced at his hand. "I end my turn and, during my End Phase the final effect of Infernal Prodigy activates, allowing me to draw one card," he said and drew a card, smiling when he saw Winged Kuriboh. It didn't matter though, he knew this duel was over.
Aster drew a card and turned to Jaden. "You may have some decent skills, Jaden, but I have something you don't; a purpose, a reason to duel besides having fun."
"Well, we're all ears, Aster," Jaden said.
Aster opened his eyes and fixed Jaden with a cool hard stare. "I duel to bring justice to people who think they're above the law," he said. His expression softened a bit as he added, "My father was a card designer who worked for Pegasus. He was my hero."
Jaden had a feeling something bad happened. "What happened?" he asked.
"He was killed by someone who wanted to steal his cards!" Aster said angrily.
"That's awful," Jaden said softly and then realization hit him. "Did he...?"
"Yes," Aster admitted. "He created the Destiny Heroes. The last cards he ever made. My father taught me that justice would prevail, but it's a lie. The authorities haven't found his killer. That's why I duel, in honor of my father. I use the Destiny Heroes for bringing down the criminals. I will find the person responsible for taking my father away from me. I'll know him as soon as I find him because he'll have another Destiny Hero card, the one he stole from my dad. Whoever has it will regret the day they were born."
"Aster, I'm sure your dad created those cards not to be used as tools for revenge," Jaden said.
"Stay out of this, Jaden," Aster said coolly. "It's time I ended this duel. Dreadmaster, take him out."
Dreadmaster seemed to glow a deep purple as the monster jumped in front of Malicious Edge and dealt a giant slap across him, causing him to explode into golden pixels.
Jaden: 0
Aster: 1400 WINNER
'Judai!' Yubel shrieked, for only she noticed the wave of dark light that shot through Malicious Edge to crash into Jaden, causing his eyes to widen as he staggered backwards.
"You cannot hide from destiny," Aster said coolly and walked off.
"Jaden lost," Syrus whispered.
"Jaden," Alexis said quietly.
Jaden fell to his knees. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. He didn't know why, but he knew something was wrong. The cards in his deck had gone flying out as he collapsed, blank, white, pieces of paper to his own eyes.
"Jaden!" the group exclaimed when they saw Jaden collapse.
Raiden was out of his seat and heading toward the stairs with Kasumi and Chazz right behind him and the rest of their friends hurrying after them. Raiden reached the duel platform first and jumped onto it, rushing to his brother's side.
"Judai," he whispered as he held his unconscious brother in his arms before he looked up at Yubel, who was hovering anxiously next to him. "What happened?"
'I...I don't...know...exactly,' Yubel said.
Jaden stirred and blinked up at Raiden. "Rai?" he whispered.
"I'm here," Raiden said softly.
"My...my cards...Yubel..." Jaden whispered.
"Shh, it's okay, Kasumi has your deck and Yubel's right here," Raiden assured his brother as Kasumi and Chazz finished gathering Jaden's cards together.
"Can't see 'em..." Jaden said softly. "Can't see 'em...my cards...Yubel...Winged Kuriboh...none of them. I can't...can't see 'em."
Raiden glanced toward Kasumi, who shook her head. "The cards are fine and we both can still see Yubel," she said quietly.
"C'mon, let's get him to the infirmary," Chazz suggested.
Raiden nodded and gently lifted his brother into his arms before the gang hurried out of the main dueling arena and toward the infirmary, all except one.
Hikari watched them go before she turned and dashed off in the direction Aster had gone.
. . .
"Aster!" Hikari called, coming to a halt next to the silverette when he stopped at the sound of her call.
He turned to face her. "Hikari," he greeted her simply.
"What the hell? Why are you just walking away when you just knocked Jaden into a stupor like that?" Hikari demanded. "Do you think your father would be proud of that?"
Aster didn't respond, though he did stiffen. "He's fine. Is it my fault that he can't handle a loss?" he asked rhetorically.
Why am I friends with you again? Hikari wondered silently. "Still but whatever. So you weren't even going to say bye to an old friend either?" she asked.
"I have business to attend to, Hikari," Aster said.
"Finding your father's murderer," Hikari said. "You know, Jaden might be right. Using your father's cards to get revenge...I don't think he would have wanted that."
Aster narrowed his eyes. "You didn't know him, Hikari but still. We've been friends for years. You, of all people, should know just how much I desire to see justice done for what happened to my father," he said.
"Perhaps, you're going about this the wrong way."
Aster didn't respond. Instead, he said, "Sartorius wants you to duel someone again."
Hikari blinked at the sudden change of subject but decided that there was no point in further pursuing the previous subject. "Why?" she said.
"He didn't say. Perhaps he wants to further test your skills to see if you could become another protégé, but he wants you to go against the second best female duelist at this school," Aster said. "He wants you to duel Kasumi Yuki."
Hikari pressed her lips together thoughtfully. "Well, I have been wanting to duel her since I found out about her new deck. All right, I guess I can do that, though I still don't see why," she said.
"I wouldn't mind sharing my manager with you, Hikari," Aster said calmly. "And if Sartorius wants you to become one of his protégés, I say go for it. I should get going now. See you, Hikari." Without another word, the silverette walked away, leaving the golden-blonde haired girl watching him go with a confused but somewhat thoughtful look on her face.
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: well, that was chapter 8. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter
Bakura: Aster is a real jackass. Can I…? (Pulls out quiver of flaming arrows and bow)
Blaze: well, since I don't really like him right now…just don't kill him
Bakura: (grins and notches flaming arrow before smirking at Aster)
Aster: I should run, shouldn't I?
Jesse: I would
Aster: (takes off running)
Bakura: (chases after Aster, firing flaming arrows at him)
Blaze: well, I hope that you enjoy this chapter. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.