Hello readers!

Sorry for the brief hiatus, but things haven't been all that great for me in the last couple of months. I was halfway done with this chapter when I noticed that my dog, a Jack Russel Tarrier named Buddy, wasn't doing so good. He wasn't eating and getting thinner by the day. When my brother and I took him to the vet, we found out that he was suffering from kidney failure. And we unfortunately got him there too late to do anything about it. In fact the vet said he had only a day left at best.

So we had to put him out of his misery.

And what was even worse is that this all happened not long after one of my cats, an orange Tabby named Nacho, also died. He had a brain tumor that made him blind and dangerously clumsy. So I'm sure you can guess what happened next.

But don't worry, both Buddy and Nacho have had long and happy lives before the troubles came around. Both of them died at the age of 15, and my family and I were all there for them in their final moments. We even have their ashes at home in nice tin pots that we can see whenever we want.

And of course there was the issues that the site itself was having for over a month, which killed what little motivation I had to write for a while.

But now I'm back and I'm ready to get back to writing in earnest! So enjoy this latest update for A Nudge Towards Greatness!


Disclaimer: The following is a fan-made fiction. Yu-Gi-Oh! the anime, manga and trading card game are all owned by Konami and the late Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release.

Episode 2: Dueling Just For Fun.


Syrus had just made his way back into the stands when he suddenly found himself surrounded by nearly half of all the applicants in the stadium.

"That was unbelievable!" exclaimed one guy with messy brown hair, dressed in a white dress-up shirt and blue tie. "You took out that Ancient Gear Golem like it was nothing!"

"W-Well I wouldn't say it was that easy-"

"I thought that 'Roid' monsters were suppose to be weak!" said a girl with long red hair tied in a ponytail, dressed in a black/red school uniform with rectangle-rimmed glasses. "But you just proved me wrong! Great work!"

"Uh..Thanks, I think-"

"You kicked some serious butt little dude!" said a Ra Yellow Duelist with a stereotypical surfer-dude voice, who gave Syrus a light punch to his bicep.

Syrus rubbed the spot where he was hit, feeling pretty awkward and overwhelmed by all the attention he was now getting.

"Yo Sy!" Jaden called out, pushing his way through the growing crowd to congratulate his new friend. "That was an awesome comeback! Way to go!"

Syrus blushed heavily and scratched one of his cheeks bashfully. "Y-Yeah. I-I guess it was pretty great, huh?"

"I told ya I had a good feeling about you." Jaden said with a thumbs-up and a friendly wink. "And it looks like I was right."

"Well..You cheering me on definitely helped." Syrus said with a grateful smile. "So thanks for that."

"Hey, don't sweat it man. You still did most of the work." Jaden looked around at the still growing crowd gathering around them. "Looks like you're gonna be the talk of the school at this rate."

"With good reason." Bastion said, joining the pair in the middle of the crowd. "Defeating an opponent like Dr. Crowler is no small feat. So people are going to talk about this duel for some time. Which means that there are going to be more than a few Duelists who will want to test their mettle against yours. Myself included."

"Aw yeah!" the Ra Yellow student shouted in excitement. "That's sounds radical man! I'll totally take you on little dude!"

"Hey hold up!" the guy with the blue tie interjected. "I want to duel him next!"

"Step aside boys!" the redheaded girl with glasses pushed them both away. "This duel is mine!"

Syrus was at a loss for words. After spending most of his life being near invisible due to the enormous shadow his big brother cast, to then suddenly have so many people not only notice him but acknowledge his skills as a Duelist and even want to duel him was jarring to say the least. But he couldn't deny that it also felt pretty good.

"Hold your horses there people!" Jaden said, acting as a barrier between Syrus and the crowd of eager Duelists. "You're all gonna have to take a number! Because I'm gonna duel Syrus first!"

Syrus turned to Jaden in shock. "W-Wait, really?! Like right now?!"

"You bet!" the HERO Duelist said with a wide grin. "Seeing you in action really had me wanting to get my game! And besides, I really wanna find out which out of the two of us is the number one Duelist here! So what do you say pal? You up for it?"

Normally Syrus would rather hesitate to duel anyone, especially after such a hard fought duel just a few minutes prior. But Jaden's sheer enthusiasm was infectious, and the short Duelist could still feel his blood pumping hard with excitement from his earlier victory. So he figured, why not just go with the flow and see where it takes him? "You know what, what heck? Let's take this outside Jaden!" he said with near identical grin to Jaden's.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Jaden cheered. "Race ya to the parking lot!" He ran through the crowd while shouting "FIRST ONE THERE GETS THE FIRST TURN!"

"HEY! YOU HAVE A START! THAT'S CHEATING!" Syrus shouted, giving chase to his taller friend.

"We gotta check this out!" the Ra Yellow student said to the crowd, who all agreed with him and followed the two Duelists.

'This should be interesting.' Bastion thought to himself as he casually followed the crowd, curious to see how all this plays out.

Zane and his lovely lady friends witnessed the whole friendly challenge from the high railings, all with varying degrees of intrigue.

"Sounds like your little brother has gotten pretty popular all of the sudden, huh Zane?" Jazz asked with playful grin.

Zane didn't respond. He was in deep thought as he never took his eyes off his little brother as he chased after that Jaden Yuki kid. The biggest question running through his mind being 'When did Syrus become so strong?'

"Well after defeating Dr. Crowler the way he did, it's little wonder why." Alexis pointed out.

"And it sounds like he's about to duke it out with that cutie Jaden!" Mindy nearly squealed, bouncing in place with excitement like a little kid. "I gotta see this!" And she was off like a shot.

"Wait for us!" Alexis called out, her and Jazz following after their excitable friend.

Zane stood there for moment, contemplating on whether or not he should follow after them. His curiosity over Syrus's sudden increase in skill eventually compelled him to join his female friends. 'Lets see what else you can do, little brother.' he thought as he walked with a calm, yet brisk pace to the stadium parking lot.

Chazz was still in a state of shell-shock from Syrus's unexpected triumph over Crowler. But even he heard Jaden's friendly challenged to the runt. 'It had to be luck that he won! No way that pipsqueak has any real skill as a Duelist!' he told himself as he got up from his seat and made his way to the parking lot.

"Hey Chazz, where ya going?" Tyler asked, him and Ryan following after him with confusion and concern.


(Cue Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Theme Music)

Duel Academy quickly came into view. And Syrus stood alongside his two best friends Jaden and Bastion by the edge of the cliff-side overlooking the ocean. Each young men had a smile on his face. Syrus's grin was wide and hopeful. Jaden was beaming with excitement. And Bastion had a smirk that was calm and confident.

Chilling out with the crew in the schoolyard.

Syrus, Jaden, Bastion, Alexis, Jazz and Mindy all sat together on a grass field, just hanging out and having fun.

Finding trouble, never working too hard.

Crowler stood tall and proud with his Duel Vest armed and ready. And Syrus activated Power Bond in order to Fusion Summon Steam Gyroid.

Back at class, they never taught us this.

A quick cut to a classroom full of students before showing Syrus getting knocked back from a direct attack from Chazz's Chthonian Soldier.

Somethings you gotta learn, hit or miss.

Syrus picked himself off the ground, glaring determinedly at his rival who just smirked back at him arrogantly.

Tough times. Hard climbs.

Zane stared down his little brother with his signature stoic gaze, 5 cards in his Hand and his Cyber End Dragon hovering right behind him ominously. Meanwhile Syrus had an anxious expression on his face as he only had 1 card left in his Hand. And only Cycroid stood between him and Zane's ace monster.

We'll take em on together!

But then Cycroid gave it's Duelist an encouraging bell chime and thumbs-up. And all of Syrus's friends cheered him on from the sidelines.

Right now, LET'S GO!

With his fighting spirit rekindled, Syrus now faced his undefeated big brother with a confident smile and vigorously drew a card from his Deck.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX! Generation next!

Jaden plays Polymerization with an excited grin to fuse Elemental HEROES Avian and Burstinatrix to create Elemental HERO Flame Wingman. Bastion stands with calm smile and his arms crossed as his ace monsters Lava Golem and Water Dragon stood on either side of him, both ready to battle.

Game on! Get your game on!

Jazz and Mindy stood back to back, each of them with a full Hand of monsters from their Decks. Jazz looked to the camera with a warm smile as she revealed her handful of Lightsworn monsters. While at the same Mindy also smiled and revealed her Hand to the camera, only her smile was sinister and her Hand was full of Darklord monsters.

Come on, you better play your cards right!

Chazz smirked as he summoned Armed Dragon LV7, but his smirked turned into a annoyed snarl as the Ojama Brothers also danced merrily around his head. Alexis smiled radiantly as she summoned Cyber Tutu and Cyber Blader, both lovely warriors preformed elegant twirls as they prepared for battle.

Game on! Get your game on!

Syrus, Jaden, Bastion, Alexis, Jazz and Mindy threw their fists together in group fist bump, each of them had a competitive smirk on their face as they declared in unison "May the best Duelist win!"

You'll make the grade and win this fight!

A 12 second montage of monsters showing off what they are capable of plays out as a sick guitar solo plays in the background. Those monsters being Cyber End Dragon, Infernalqueen Archfiend, Ancient Gear Golem, Amazoness Tiger, Vampire Genesis, Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, Gravekeeper's Assailant and Super Vehicroid - Stealth Union.

You'll make the grade somehow!

Syrus stood back up after taking another heavy hit. His Life Points might've been low, but his fighting spirit was at maximum.

YEAH! Yu-Gi-Oh! GX!

Jazz had a beaming grin as she summoned her ace monster, Judgement Dragon. Mindy's smile belonged on a horror movie villain as she summoned her own ace monster, Athena.

Game on! Get your game on!

Bastion took one of his six Decks from his Deck Vest and armed it to his Duel Disk with an excited grin. Jaden enthusiastically commanded his Elemental HERO Bladedge to make a direct attack and finish the duel.

Come on, you better play your card right!

Syrus looked at the camera with a wide smile and threw a challenging fist forward as Duel Academy's main building stood tall and proud behind him.

Come on, and get your game on!

(End Yu-Gi-Oh! GX! Theme Music)


After recovering from his getting his tall, lanky ass kicked, Crowler stormed out of the stadium with Fonda following close behind.

"Never, in all of my years, have I ever been so humiliated!" Crowler fumed, his defeat at Syrus hands wounding his pride something fierce.

"Really?" Fonda questioned with a knowing grin. "Didn't Zane also defeat you in duel when he applied to Duel Academy?"

Crowler nearly tripped over himself at being reminded of that fateful day when he first met Zane Truesdale. He still had nightmares every now and again from how the young prodigy effortlessly crushed him with that fearsome Cyber End Dragon of his.

"T-That was different!" he stammered "You know as well as I do that Zane is a special case. On top of having an extremely powerful Deck, he was Chancellor Shepard's personally protege before he became a student of this school. So it's no wonder why he was able to defeat me so easily and then go on to be the school's top student for the last 2 years."

Fonda nodded in agreement. "Yeah, good point. Still, it seems to me that Syrus has some serious talent of his own if he was able to accomplish the same feat as his brother."

Crowler scowled deeply. The very idea of that boy being considered anywhere near Zane's level infuriated him. "Oh pa-lease. The only reason that runt was able to defeat me was because he was lucky enough to draw a card that Zane had given to him. Power Bond is the only worthwhile card out of that boy's entire Deck. Without it, he's an utter disgrace to the art of dueling."

Fonda was not pleased with Crowler's shallow and elitist views on Syrus's potential as a Duelist. She was about to tell him off when she noticed something interesting in the corner of her eye. She turned her head to get a better look and saw that a crowd of dozens of applicants and academy students were gathered in the parking lot to watch a duel take place, a duel between Jaden Yuki and Syrus Truesdale from the looks of it.

But what-or rather who-really caught her attention was that among the academy students in the crowd was Zane Truesdale himself.

Fonda smiled and said "I think Zane might disagree with you on that doctor."

Crowler gave his younger colleague an incredulous look. "And what on earth would ever give you that idea?!"

She answered by pointing to Zane, who was looking on at the upcoming duel was calm but intrigued expression.

"W-What is Z-Zane doing here?!" Crowler stammered. 'Did he see me lose to that runt?!' he screamed internally at the same time.

"Looks like he's about to see what else his little brother is capable of." Fonda answered. "And I don't know about you, but I also what to see where this goes. Come on." She grabbed her superior by the arm and dragged him over to the crowd of young Duelists, much to Crowler's chagrin.

"HEY, WATCH THE COAT! IT'S MADE FROM EGYPTIAN COTTON!"

With their Decks shuffled and now standing at proper dueling distance away from each other, Jaden and Syrus were ready to spar.

"Alright Sy, get your game on!" Jaden called out with a wide grin as he activated his Duel Disk and drew his Opening Hand.

"Bring it!" Syrus retorted with equal fervor, activating his own Duel Disk and drawing his own Opening Hand.

The two new friend's shouted "Duel!" in unison, and the match began.

Syrus LP: 4000

Jaden LP: 4000

"I'll kick things off, here goes!" Jaden made the first draw of the duel with gusto.

Jaden's Hand: Elemental HERO Avian, Elemental HERO Burstinatrix, Elemental HERO Sparkman, Draining Shield, A Hero Emerges, Dark Factory Of Mass Production.

"Sweet! I'll start by summoning Elemental HERO Avian in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light combined with a whirlwind of feathers, a muscular bird-like man covered in green feathers with clawed hands, red bird talons for feet, a red bird talon gauntlet on his right forearm, green/white shoulder pauldrons and giant white bird wings on his back appeared on the field, ready to fight for justice.

Elemental HERO Avian ATK: 1000

"Then I'll throw down 3 face-downs and call it a turn! Okay Syrus, show me what you've got!"

"Okay then, let's see." Syrus said softly, yet excitedly as he made his first draw.

Syrus's Hand: Patroid, Ambulanceroid, Rescueroid, Limiter Removal, Mystical Space Typhoon, Shield Crush.

'Okay. The only monster I got that can beat Jaden's Avian is Patroid.' he thought, looking over his Hand with a keen eye considered his options carefully. 'And I've got a card that can destroy one of his face-downs. But which one should I take out?...Wait, I know! I should use Patroid effect to-'

"Hey Sy!" Jaden called out, snapping Syrus out of his thoughts. "You got something good planned over there?!"

"Uh, yeah I think so. I summon Patroid in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light, a cartoonish bipedal police car with a police cap on top of it's roof was brought forth to the field of battle.

Patroid ATK: 1200

"And now I activate Patroid's special ability! It allows me to check 1 of my opponents face-down cards once per turn! Patroid, investigate the one of the left!"

The sentient police car went over to Jaden's side of the field and lifted up one of the cards in his backrow, to reveal that it was the Trap Card: Draining Shield.

"Nice use of your monster's effect there Sy." Jaden complimented.

Syrus smiled from the positive reinforcement. "You like that? Well then you're gonna love this. Now I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Draining Shield!"

A cyclone of pure magic blew across the field and destroyed Jaden's Trap Card like it was made out of fragile glass.

"And now, I'm gonna have Patroid attack your Avian!"

"Hold the phone there pal!" Jaden interrupted "You may have just destroyed one of my Traps, but by declaring that attack you triggered another! And it's a sweet one, called: A Hero Emerges! Here's how it works! You now have to pick a random card from my Hand! And if the card you to pick happens to be a monster, then I get to special summon it! So go ahead and pick your poison Syrus!"

Syrus gave the cards in Jaden's Hand a hard stare, thinking very carefully about which one to pick. "I choose..the one in the middle!"

Jaden smirked at his friend's choice. "Nice pick, for me that is! Because the card you choose was my Elemental HERO: Sparkman!"

A flash of light combined with a surge of electricity flared, and from it emerged a man in a blue full body spandex suit with golden armor covering his torso, shoulder, wrists and ankles. Golden lightning patterns traveled along the arms and legs of his suit, he had blade like wings on his back and full visor helmet covering his head.

Elemental HERO Sparkman ATK: 1600

"Woah! Your monsters are so cool Jaden!" Syrus said had stars in his eyes at the sight of the superhero themed monsters.

The compliment warmed Jaden's heart. "Why thank you! And trust me, they don't just look cool. They can also kick some serious butt."

'There's no need for flattery Jaden.' Avian communicated to his Duelist telepathically.

'Aw come on Avian, you know it's true.' Jaden responded playfully, yet sincerely.

"I don't doubt it." Syrus spoke up "But your Avian is still going down! Patroid, attack with Siren Smasher!"

Patroid blared it's police siren as it charged forward to deliver a brutal uppercut to the feathered hero's chin, which was enough to take him out.

Jaden LP: 4000-3800

"Then I'll place 1 card face-down and end my turn. Alright Jay, hit me with your best shot."

Jaden's grin widened a little at Syrus's taunt. 'He's really getting into this.' he thought with great approval.

'It seems that your new friend is discovering what he's truly capable thanks to your encouragement Jaden.' Sparkman telepathically stated.

Jaden chuckled, his blood pumping faster with excitement. 'Well in that case, I thinks it's time to show Sy what we can really do. You ready Sparkman?'

The electric hero nodded, just as eager to battle as his Duelist. 'Always.'

"Okay, you asked for it!" Jaden called out as he made his draw.

Jaden's Hand: Elemental HERO Clayman, Elemental HERO Burstinatrix.

Jaden took a moment to ponder his strategy. 'Hmm..I could summon Burstinatrix so that when Sparkman takes out Patroid I'd have a monster to attack Syrus directly. But I have a feeling that he's got a counterattack waiting in the wings with that face-down of his. So what I should do is add some defense to go with my offense. And I've got just the guy for the job.' With his trademark grin Jaden made his move. "I summon Elemental HERO Clayman in Defense Mode!"

A huge humanoid golem made of rock and clay with a human sized red helmet with white eye slits emerged from the earth, ready to use his large bulk to defend both the innocent and his Duelist.

Elemental HERO Clayman DEF: 2000

"Now get ready Syrus, because here comes the hurt! Sparkman, attack Patroid with Lightning Javelin!"

The electric hero channeled his lightning powers into his hands, molding the electricity into a spear. Once the weapon was ready, he hurled it like Zeus's thunder bolt towards the sentient vehicle with deadeye accuracy. But even with the deadly attack threatening to easily destroy his monster, Syrus wasn't worried. Because he had just the card to turn this battle in his favor ready and waiting.

"Sorry Jaden, but the only that's getting hurt is your Sparkman! Go: Limiter Removal!" he called out, his Quick-Play Spell activating just in the nick of time to double Patroid's strength, allowing it to shrug off Sparkman's attack like it was nothing.

Patroid ATK: 1200-2400

'Uh-oh/Uh-oh!' Jaden and Sparkman thought in unison, both of them well-aware of what was coming next.

While the attack didn't hurt Patroid, it did piss it off. So much so that it unleashed a barrage of police brutality in retaliation, which the electric hero was helpless to defend himself against.

'Sorry Sparkman! My bad!' Jaden called out mentally as his faithful monster was literally pummeled into dust.

'Think nothing of it Jaden.' Sparkman responded cheerfully, in spite of the pounding he just took. 'We'll get him next time!'

Jaden LP: 3800-3000

"Wicked counter!" the HERO Duelist complimented "That's what I'm talking about!"

Syrus beamed at the praise his new friend gave him. "Thanks. I picked up that trick from my duel with Dr. Crowler."

"Well look at you, not even in school yet and you're already learning. You keep this up and you'll be top of the class in no time."

Syrus rubbed the back of his head bashfully, he was still very unused to all the praise he'd been getting today. "Y-You really think so?"

"I know so." Jaden stated with a thumps-up. "But keep in mind that while you may have taken out Sparkman, Limiter Removal's drawback destroys all monsters effected by it at the end of the turn it's used. So I'm gonna finish my turn by playing my last face-down, the Spell Card: Dark Factory Of Mass Production! This allows me to take 2 Normal Monsters that are in my Graveyard and add them back to my Hand, so come on back Sparkman and Avian!"

(Meanwhile In The Crowd)

Nearly everyone in the crowd was enthralled by the duel between the two new friends. And everyone had their own opinions of the skills and strategies on display.

"Looks like one of your new students is applying your techniques already doctor." Fonda said to her effeminate superior with a smile.

"Hmph. It's a basic technique that any Duelist who uses a Machine Deck should know." Crowler said with an unimpressed frown. "The fact that he didn't know about it before only proves the boy's inadequacy as a Duelist."

Fonda sighed dejectedly. "Why do I even bother?"

In another part of the crowd, a familiar trio of lovely Obelisk Blues were also really engaged with the duel between Syrus and Jaden.

"That Jaden kid is pretty good," Alexis said "but it looks like Syrus has got him right where he wants him."

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge there Lex." Jazz advised. "I've researched a lot about the 'Elemental HERO' archetype, and it's got a literal ton of great support cards and some of the best Fusion Monsters in the game today. If Jaden can last long enough to fuse any of his monsters together then he can easily turn this duel around."

"That's assuming Syrus gives him the chance." Mindy add, slightly bouncing in place with excitement. "The little cutie is on fire right now. I can't wait to see what he does next."

Zane silently watched the duel with a keen eye. And the more he watched, the more impressed he was with how well Syrus was playing. Although he could tell that a lot of his little brother's remarkable improvement came from Jaden's influence. It would seem that on top of being talented Duelist in his own right, the ever-cheerful young man had this way of bring out the best in his opponents.

Zane wondered, would the same thing happen to him if he faced Jaden in a duel? Could Jaden be the rival he had been searching for? Or maybe...it could be Syrus?

A very small smile forming on his normally stoic face, he very much looked forward to finding out for himself once this duel was over.

Although Zane wasn't the only one amongst the crowd who was waiting to test his mettle against either of the two new friends. Bastion was already brainstorming strategies and building Decks in his head on how to best combat both Jaden and Syrus.

'An Anti-Machine Deck would be best suited to take on Syrus.' the young genius mused. 'And an Anti-Fusion Deck would be perfect for Jaden. Though I could perhaps combine those two strategies. Yes, that would work splendidly.' A smirk started to form on his lips. He might've just cracked the code on a puzzle that had been on his mind for a long while. 'It might even be the formula I would need to defeat Zane Truesdale. But I need more data and perhaps a chance to see him dueling in action before I can be certain.'

And then there was Chazz, the only one in the crowd besides Crowler who wasn't enjoying the duel.

'I don't get why everyone's so impressed with these losers.' he seethed in his mind, his white-hot glare focused on Syrus. 'Especially that runt. It was a fluke that he won against Crowler, that's all. He just got lucky enough to draw a card that actually made his pathetic 'Roid' monsters worth a damn. Without that Power Bond, he's worth less than the dog shit he scraps off his thrift store bought shoes.'

(Back To The Duel)

With both HERO monsters back in Jaden's Hand his turn ended, and Patroid exploded leaving Syrus's field bare of monsters. But the short Duelist intended to change that. "Alright, my turn!" he called out, making his draw.

Syrus's Hand: Ambulanceroid, Rescueroid, Shield Crush, Graceful Charity.

Syrus smirked, having a very good feeling about this turn based on the cards in his Hand. "I play Shield Crush! This lets me target 1 of my opponent's monsters that's in Defense Mode and destroy it! So say goodbye to Clayman!"

The Spell Card fired a green laser beam that reduced the golem hero to rubble, leaving Jaden wide open. But the HERO Duelist wasn't at all bothered by this, if anything he was more excited than ever. "Sweet move there Sy!"

"Oh trust me Jay, I'm just getting started! Next I play Graceful Charity! Now I can draw 3 cards from my Deck as long as I also discard 2 cards to my Graveyard!"

Syrus's Hand: Ambulanceroid, Rescueroid, Polymerization, Expressroid, Cycroid.

*Chime Chime*

Cycroid let out a cheerful bell chime as it joined it's Duelist's Hand.

'Huh?' Jaden blinked in confusion, looking around for the source of that strange bell sound but found nothing. 'Is someone riding there bike down the hill or something?'

'Oh, good to see ya Cycroid.' Syrus happily greeted his new Duel Spirit. 'Maybe I'll use you later. But for now..' He discarded Ambulanceroid and Rescueroid, knowing full well that they would come back to him with his next move. "Next I summon Expressroid in Attack Mode!"

Expressroid ATK: 400

"And thanks to Expressroid's effect, I can add the 2 cards I just discarded back to my Hand since they were both 'Roid' monsters! Next, I activate the Spell Card: Polymerization! With it I fuse together Ambulanceroid and Rescueroid from my Hand in order to summon, Ambulance Rescueroid in Attack Mode!"

A cartoonish ambulance with blue eyes as it's headlights fused together with a green/white rescue tow truck with green eyes for it's headlights in order to create a red/white hybrid of the two vehicles.

Ambulance Rescueroid ATK: 2400

"Oh boy.." Jaden said softly to himself, now starting to feel a little worried. "This is gonna hurt."

"Now Ambulance Rescueroid and Expressroid, attack Jaden directly!"

With the order given, the two Vehicroids attacked Jaden with a one-two combo strong enough to deal major damage to his Life Points and knock him flat on his back.

Jaden LP: 3000-200

"Yes! That was awesome!" Syrus cheered, feeling really proud of himself by how much he was dominating the duel, which was a first for him. But his good mood quickly faded when he noticed how quiet Jaden was. He was slowly getting back on his feet, his shoulders trembling slightly and his bangs were ominously shielding his eyes from view. "Uh..Jaden, are you okay?" Syrus asked with concern.

Jaden started to tremble more, it almost looked like he was about to cry. But then-

"Hehehehe! HAHAHAHAHA!"

He let out a burst of joyous laughter, his grin wider and brighter than ever before.

"Am I okay?! Are you kidding me?! I'm having the time of my life!"

"Really?" Syrus asked, caught completely off-guard by Jaden's cheery demeanor in spite of how close to defeat he is. "But..I don't get it. How can you be having fun when you're about to lose?"

"Because a game is no fun if there's no challenge Sy!" Jaden stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And the greater the challenge, the better I duel! And the sweeter the victory is when I win! But even if I do lose that just motivates me to play even better next time! And besides, Duel Monsters is just a game. And games are suppose to be fun whether you win or not, right?"

Syrus was blown away by not only Jaden's unwavering confidence and optimism, but also his surprisingly simple wisdom. With how seriously everyone, including himself, takes Duel Monsters nowadays it was easy to forget that at the end of the day it was just a card game. A very awesome card game to be sure, but still just game nonetheless. So to play against a Duelist who played the game just for the pure fun of it was a breath of fresh air that Syrus never knew he needed.

Syrus smiled a little, his mind feeling a bit more open than before. "Yeah..I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right!" Jaden bragged playfully, but then his expression turned surprisingly serious. "But it's only fair to warn you Sy. I'm at my best when I'm backed into a corner. So get ready pal, causes now I'm coming at ya with everything I've got! Here goes something!"

Jaden's Hand: Elemental HERO Bubbleman, Elemental HERO Burstinatrix, Elemental HERO Avian, Elemental HERO Sparkman.

The HERO Duelist smiled when he saw one of his favorite cards joined his Hand. "Sweet! I summon Elemental HERO Bubbleman in Attack Mode!"

In a bright burst of water and bubbles, a muscular man in a blue armored crime fighting suit was summoned. He wore a cowl that resembled Batman's, a flowing white cape, metal water tanks were strapped to his back and he had wrist mounted high-pressure water gun on his right arm. He primed his water gun with a smile, showing that he was ready battle.

Elemental HERO Bubbleman ATK: 800

"Now Bubbleman hates being alone! So if he the only card on my field when I summon him, then I get to draw 2 more cards from my Deck!"

Jaden's Hand: Skyscraper, Pot Of Greed, Elemental HERO Burstinatrix, Elemental HERO Avian, Elemental HERO Sparkman.

Jaden's smile widened. He almost had everything he needed to make one of his best comebacks yet. "Next, I'll play Pot Of Greed!"

Jaden's Hand: Bubble Blaster, Polymerization, Elemental HERO Burstinatrix, Elemental HERO Avian, Elemental HERO Sparkman.

"Perfect." Jaden said, his excitement now at it's peak.

"I think it's about time we finish this Jaden." Burstinatrix spoke out loud with a grin to match her Duelist.

"I couldn't agree more Burstinatrix." Jaden responded softly, even though he knew only he could hear his cards talking to him.

"Huh?" Syrus blinked in confusion. He could've swore he heard a tough, but very feminine voice speak coming from Jaden's Hand.

And what's more, he could make out the faintest image of a beautiful woman with pale ash colored skin, ruby red lips, long dark grey hair with lighter grey tips and a gold helmet with a single curved horn and small jade jewel, fierce green eyes, and absolutely killer body clad in a crimson full body spandex suit. She also had what looked like armored leggings, with an bladed thigh armor piece on her right leg, and arm guards with a similar bladed design along her elbows.

He squinted and adjusted his glasses. 'Am I seeing, and hearing things? Or is Jaden-'

"And now," Jaden called out, unknowingly interrupting Syrus's train of thought "I equip Bubbleman with one of his favorites: Bubble Blaster! This sweet piece of heavy artillery gives Bubbleman an extra 800 ATK!"

The bubble blasting hero smiled as a bazooka with ten gallon jug of water acting as his ammunition materialized right above him. He mounted it over his right shoulder and crouched into a comfortable firing position with practiced ease.

Elemental HERO Bubbleman ATK: 800-1600

"Next, I'm playing a Field Spell, one you'll need a hard hat for! And it's called: Skyscraper!"

In a matter of seconds, most of the entire parking lot was transformed into a small city with towering buildings at night-time, complete with a full moon shining brightly overhead.

"And my Elemental HEROES are right at home here in the big city! Because thanks to Skyscraper, anytime one of them faces a monster in battle with more ATK than them, their ATK increase by 1000!"

"1000?!" Syrus yelped. "That's insane!"

"You got that right! But wait, there's more! Because I'm busting out some fusion action with Polymerization! Now both Elemental HEROES Avain and Burstinatrix in my Hand merge together to create the one, the only, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"

The feather winged hero and the flame throwing heroine soared together into now moonlit sky, locked in an aerial dance that generated a tornado of fire. And from the blazing vortex emerged a new warrior that was equal parts dragon and man. He had green/black scale-like skin, ruby red eyes, his feet were clawed along with his left hand, he had a red dragon's head where his right hand should be, a long dragon tail and one white leathery wing on the left side of his back.

He perched himself on the tip of the tallest spire of the tallest building in Skyscraper's city, the light of the moon giving him a glow that was both imposing and awe-inspiring.

Elemental HERO Flame Wingman ATK: 2100

"...Awesome." was all Syrus could say.

"Yeah, Flame Wingman tends to have that effect on people." Jaden beamed with pride in his favorite monster. "But if you think he's awesome now, wait until you see him in action! But first things first, Bubbleman attack Expressroid with Bombarding Bubble Barrage!"

Bubble aimed his water bazooka at the cartoonish machine, and once he had his target locked he fired a powerful stream of water that hit Expressroid with same force as an RPG, blasting it to pieces.

Syrus LP: 4000-2800

"And now, Flame Wingman attack Ambulance Rescueroid with Skydive Scorcher!"

Elemental HERO Flame Wingman ATK: 2100-3100

With Skyscraper's magic empowering him, Flame Wingman engulfed himself in a fiery aura and flew towards the hybrid machine with the speed of an falcon. And like a giant flaming arrow, it pierced through Ambulance Rescueroid's metal hide and obliterated it.

Syrus LP: 2800-2100

'Okay. No reason to panic.' Syrus told himself nervously. 'I've still got plenty of Life Points left and my turn is coming up. I still have a chance to if I can-'

"Now, I probably know what you're thinking." Jaden said with a cheeky grin. "You're thinking that you still have Life Points left. Well I hate to tell ya this Sy, but that's not case thanks to Flame Wingman's super power. You see, whenever he successfully defeats one of your monsters in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, then the ATK of that defeated monster are dealt as damage to you!"

"NO WAY!" Syrus cried out in disbelief. But Jaden's words were proved correct as Flame Wingman loomed over the short Duelist with the mouth of his dragon hand wide open. Not a second later, the dragon hero blasted Syrus with a mighty inferno.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Syrus screamed through the flames as his Life Points and chances of victory were reduced to ashes.

Syrus LP: 2100-0

Skyscraper and the Elemental HEROES faded away as Jaden winked and struck his signature victory pose. "That's game!"

"I..I lost.." Syrus whimpered, falling to knees in shame. "I was so close..but I still couldn't-" He was snapped out of his funk when he felt Jaden place a supportive hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the HERO Duelist had a smile full of empathy on his face.

"Hey hey, chill out man. Sure you lost, but it was still a great match. Heck, I'm honestly surprised I managed to win. You really had me on the ropes there at the end."

*Chime Chime*

Cycroid added it's own two cents, telling Syrus that he dueled in the best possible way he could and that he should be proud of that.

"Yeah, you tell him." Jaden nodded in agreement.

Syrus looked up at Jaden with shock. "You..you heard it too?"

"I sure did. Although I couldn't really understand what it was saying," he admitted sheepishly "but I get the feeling it was trying to ya that you dueled great and you should feel bad about losing."

*Chime Chime*

Close enough, Cycroid replied in it's bellspeak.

"And I gotta tell ya, it's awesome to know that my new friend can also talk to Duel Spirits!" Jaden beamed, wrapping a friendly arm around Syrus's shoulder.

Syrus tilted his head in confusion. "Duel Spirits?"

Now it was Jaden's turn to be confused. "You never heard of them?"

Syrus shook his head no.

"You've never heard of Duel Spirits yet can speak with them." Zane spoke up, making his way through the crowd towards his little brother. Duel Academy students in the crowd whispered amongst themselves, all of them asking the same question: What was the top student on campus doing here?

"Z-Zane?!" Syrus yelped in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Jaden looked to Syrus curiously. "You know this guy?"

"He's my big brother."

"No fooling."

Zane turned his attention to Jaden. "You can speak with Duel Spirits as well. How very interesting. And to answer your question Syrus, I'm here to see if there was anyone taking the Entrance Exams who had the potential to be my rival. So I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when I find not one, but two promising candidates. One of whom being my own brother."

That statement shock Syrus to the core. Zane thought that he, of all people, had the potential to become his rival? His equal?! Was he dreaming right now? Was Dark Magician Girl gonna show up out of nowhere in a second, kiss him on the lips and then he'd wake up to see none of this ever happened?

"Hey thanks." Jaden asked casually. "Something tells me that's high praise coming from you."

"You'd be correct." Bastion spoke up from the sidelines. "He happens to be the top student at Duel Academy. And he has an undefeated record to boot."

"For real?!" Jaden asked, an excited grin beamed across his face. "Oh man, this is my lucky day! I gotta duel you! Come on, what do ya say Zane?"

Hearing Jaden's challenged snapped Syrus out of his stupor. "WHAT?!"

Zane liked Jaden's forwardness and lack of fear. Far too often do people become too intimidated to by his undefeated status to even consider dueling him, which made it all the more difficult for him to find a decent challenge. And it made him all the more eager to see what this promising rookie can really do.

"I say, let's see what you've got." he said with a barely noticeable smile.

"Sweetness!"

"Jaden, are you crazy?!" Syrus asked incredulously. "Didn't you just hear Bastion! Zane's undefeated! There's no way you could-"

"Hey, just because he's undefeated doesn't make him 'Unbeatable'. Besides, if I'm gonna be the next King Of Games one day then I gotta be better than the best! And the only way to do that is to beat the best!"

Syrus could only watch on in shock as Jaden gave Zane his Deck to shuffle it and Zane responded in kind. And the rest of the crowd of students and applicants weren't faring much better. Nobody could believe that this Jaden kid had the guts to challenge Zane Freaking Truesdale to a duel, let alone Zane accepting his challenge.

"You guys think Jaden has a shot?" Alexis asked her best friends.

"No/Not a chance." Jazz and Mindy answered flatly.

"Yeah I didn't think so either."

'How fortuitous.' Bastion thought, quickly pulling out his notepad out of his right pocket. 'I didn't think I'd get an opportunity to collect data of Zane's playstyle in action so soon. I should think of a way to thank Jaden when this match is over.'

"Hahaha! That Jaden kid is out of his damn mind if he thinks he has any hope of beating Zane!" Tyler said in-between fits of hysterical laughter.

"Hehe, tell me about it!" Ryan added. "And all that talk about being the next King Of Games? Please, we all know that's gonna be you Chazz. Ain't that right?"

Chazz said nothing. In fact he ignore his two lackeys completely. His complete focus was on the upcoming duel between Zane and Jaden. He already knew that outcome, Zane was gonna crush that loser Jaden like a bug, so that wasn't important. What was important was studying Zane's strategies first hand, so that he could find a way to beat them later.

'Everyone has a weakness, even Zane. And once I figure out what is, I'll be the one who finally beats him and becomes the best Duelist in Duel Academy.' he thought with a growing smirk. 'Then, I take my first step to conquering the world.'

Fonda and Crowler were both rather flabbergasted by how things were turning out. What started off as a fun duel in a parking lot between new friends had escalated to Duel Academy's greatest student testing one of those young men to see if he had what it takes to beat him.

"Woah..I did not see this coming." the dueling nurse stated.

"I highly doubt anyone could have seen this coming." said Crowler.

Jaden and Zane now stood facing each other at proper dueling distance in the middle of the parking lot. The Decks both shuffled and ready for action.

"Alright Zane, get your game on!" Jaden called out as he and Zane activated their Duel Disks and drew their Opening Hands.

"Duel!"

Jaden LP: 4000

Zane LP: 4000


(Cue Ending Theme Music: The Moment Of Truth By Survivor)

Syrus sat alone in his dorm late at night. He was arranging his Deck and was deep in thought.

When, you're alone.

You ask, yourself.

He thought about all the defeats, all the setbacks, all the years he spent in Zane's shadow.

What are you searching for?

His melancholy was broken when he heard Cycroid give him an encouraging bell chime. This set him on much more positive train of thought.

Deep, in the night.

A dream, is born.

He thought of Yugi's words of wisdom, all the friends and rivals he made at Duel Academy. He thought of Zane smiling at him with respect and pride.

One that you can't ignore!

With the fire in his heart reignited, Syrus got back to arranging his Deck.

If you think you can find the passion.

And you're ready to take a chance!

Once his Deck was ready, he smiled to Cycroid in thanks, grabbed his Duel Disk and got up from his chair to go outside and do some training.

If you really believe you can make it.

Then the power is in your own hands!

When he opened the door, he saw Jaden waiting for him with his own Deck and Duel Disk ready. Syrus smiled at his best friend who smiled back, both made their way down to the field to get their game on.

It's the moment of truth!

Syrus's Steam Gyroid clashed with Jaden's Elemental HERO Flame Wingman.

You're giving it all!

Alexis's Cyber Blader attacked, and Syrus answered with his Ambulance Rescueroid.

Standing alone!

Syrus summoned Armoroid, and Bastion had his Water Dragon ready and waiting.

Willing to fall!

Jazz called forth her Judgement Dragon, and even though Syrus was terrified to face such a powerful monster he had plan ready to take it down.

If you can do it, get up and prove it!

Get up and show them who you are!

Mindy smiled wickedly as she commanded her Darklord Desire to attack Syrus directly, but he managed to block the attack just in time with Kiteroid's effect.

It's the moment of truth!

Syrus summoned his Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill, and ordered it to destroy Missy's Insect Princess.

It's all on the line!

Chazz laughed manically as his Armed Dragon LV 7's effect destroyed Syrus's Patroid, Gyroid and Jetroid all at the same time.

This is the place!

But Syrus refused to back down. Her refused to let his arrogant rival get the better of him.

This is the time!

He made his draw, and smirked when he saw that now had Power Bond in his Hand. He wasted no time in playing it in order summon his Super Vehicroid - Stealth Union.

You've waited forever, it's now or it's never!

Syrus now stood at the bottom of the dueling arena's staircase. And standing at top, patiently waiting for him was Zane.

Nothing can stop you now!

Taking in a deep breath to steel himself, Syrus took his first step up the staircase. His first step to meeting his big brother as an equal.


Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the song The Moment Of Truth by Survivor. I do however have the right to include it in my story.