Chapter Nine- Renewed Friendship

Jaden flinched as 800 of his life points were gone. He looked across the field at Syrus as he said, "Submarineroid's effect puts it in defense mode. I'll also put a card face-down and end my turn."

Syrus watched as Jaden started his next turn. In his opinion, the duel was going well. Both had taken damage but Jaden's life points were still a little too high to bring out Fox Spirit, if he had drawn it. Meanwhile, Syrus' hand had more than enough monsters to play and hold back for his card spirit. I want to summon it first. Please Wolf Spirit. I need you.

"I fusion Avian and Burstinatrix to summon Flame Wingman!" Jaden announced. "Get ready, Syrus. You're about to take the same amount of damage you just gave me! Flame Wingman! Attack!"

Syrus winced as his monster was destroyed and then lost 800 life points due to Flame Wingman's special effect. He was now down to 1,000, 200 points less than Jaden. That's not so bad. This proves I have gotten better.

"I end my turn. You're up."

"Okay. I draw. I play the spell Pot of Greed so I draw two cards." Syrus drew and, to his delight, one was Wolf Spirit! "All right, Ja. I send two monsters in my hand to the graveyard to special summon Wolf Spirit- Courageous!" His monster appeared and howled its arrival. "Attack, Flame Wingman!" Wolf Spirit ran forward and lashed out with its claws, cutting its opponent to shreds and bringing Jaden's life points to 900. "I end my turn," Syrus said.

"My turn. I draw." He drew a card and Syrus could tell that it wasn't Fox Spirit. But the look on his face tells me that it's in his hand. "Now that my life points are below 1,000, I can special summon Fox Spirit- Malicious!" His new ace monster appeared with its own howl. "I activate its special-," he began.

"Not so fast," Syrus cut in. "Wolf Spirit can negate all of the abilities of special summoned monsters! That includes Fox Spirit!"

"What!?" Jaden snarled. "You would dare mess with its sweet abilities!?"

"Yeah. I would and I just did."

"Fine, but my monster's still stronger! Fox Spirit, attack Wolf Spirit!"

"I activate my trap, Draining Shield!" Syrus' life points rose to 4,000 and end the battle phase.

"I gave you that card as I already had one."

"I know and I was right. It did come in handy."

Jaden growled before saying, "I end my turn."

"My turn, then. I draw." Syrus drew a card and looked at it. The outcome of this duel is playing out exactly as I imagined it. Time to save my friend. "I play the equip spell, Full Moon Rising. It gives Wolf Spirit 600 more attack points."

"Their points are equal now!" Jaden gasped.

"Yes. Wolf Spirit, attack."

"What? But, they'll destroy each other!"

"Not quite. I activate Wolf Spirit's other effect. By paying half my life points, Wolf Spirit won't be destroyed and be able to make a second attack!"

Wolf Spirit plowed into Fox Spirit and the latter was destroyed. Wolf Spirit then turned to Jaden and lashed out, taking the last of his life points.

"NO!" Jaden cried as a dark mist rose out of him, his graveyard, and his deck before vanishing into thin air as Jaden went to one knee.

Syrus put his cards away and deactivated his disk before rushing to his friend's side. "Ja?" he asked, hoping that mist was the evil force being expelled.

Jaden looked up, his eyes all brown again. "Sy?" he asked, sounding a little confused. "What happened?"

"You were being a dark, mean half-kitsune, remember?"

Jaden rubbed the side of his head before saying, "Of course. I remember everything since my birthday. Dad must have put some dark magic into Fox Spirit and myself to make me like him. There was a part of me that tried to warn me but I ignored it."

"That's what Zane and Dad think too and why Dad sent Wolf Spirit to me as dueling you was the only way to save you."

"Sy, thanks. I was happier being how I was before I turned dark. I will still play tricks though they will be light-hearted."

"Yeah, I think I'll keep my first barrier up, thanks."

Jaden laughed. "Sy, I won't use my magic on you without your say-so."

"I know, but I like the focus and concentration I get from it."

"I do like seeing you being more confident."

"That's the second-level of my barriers. It's also responsible for the full moon changes, the freedom to change when I want, and the sharper senses, and faster speed."

"That would explain why you're not wearing glasses."

"Right. My vision's perfect now. The thing with the second-level is that the third-level has to be restrained to prevent it from coming out."

"Coming out?" Jaden repeated as he stood up. "Sy, you shouldn't restrain any part of your heritage. You are half-werewolf. Be proud of it."

"And as everyone know I'm half-werewolf, I really shouldn't fight it."

Jaden watched as Syrus closed his eyes and then Syrus' ears changed and moved up into wolf ears and a wolf's tail sprouted behind him. "Wow," Jaden said. "Now, you really look half-werewolf. Very cool."

"Thanks," Syrus said as he opened his eyes. He smiled happily at his friend. "I am so glad you're back to normal."

"Normal as in friendly, light-hearted half-kitsune?"

"Yeah, that kind of normal."

"And I'm glad you're not hiding your heritage."

"Speaking of which, do you think you could stop the spell that's influencing people?"

"Sure." Jaden snapped his fingers and Syrus felt a breeze go by. "Done, but I didn't use a spell to turn everyone against you. That was just me speaking rumors."

"Yeah, but I think the influence spell made it worse because it made people believe whatever you said."

"Well, we'll soon fix that by letting everyone know that those rumors are false."

"Great. Ja, what are you going to do with Fox Spirit?"

"Never use it again, that's for sure."

"Give it to me. I have to give Wolf Spirit and its equip card back to Dad when I go home for the summer. I'll give him Fox Spirit too for safe keeping."

"Sweet." Jaden handed over the card and Syrus put it away. "Sy, how about we be foxes tonight? It'll be like last time."

"My first barrier's up to block your magic. Besides, I would prefer to be a wolf."

"Fair enough." Jaden changed to a fox while Syrus became a wolf. Jaden bared a fox grin. "Now, I'm the small one," he joked.

Syrus grinned back at this and then said, "Let's play, Ja. How about a race first?" Jaden nodded as they struck racing poses before running off into the woods where they celebrated their renewed friendship.