It was right after Aster's victory over Zane, and Aster was being swarmed by reporters asking for comment on the duel. "What an impressive win, what's your secret?" one of the reporters asked, and Aster said that winning was easy when you've got destiny on your side.
Another reporter asked why Aster chose to unveil his new deck now, and Aster said he had to. "See, last week I paid a visit to Duel Academy, and get this, there's a student there who copied my deck," Aster informed. Hassleberry asked if they knew who did that, and Alexis told him that Aster was lying, and that he dueled Jaden and lost, and that now he was taking credit for Jaden's deck.
"I guess I can't blame him, I mean who wouldn't want to be just like me? But before this wannabe took all the credit, I had to reveal my deck. You see this student has sort of a following among hardcore dueling fans, and the last thing I need is some prep school punk taking credit for my hard work," Aster said, earning the ire of Jaden's friends.
"Now whether you like me or not, there's one fact that no one out there can dispute: I'm the best, I can't be beat, and to prove it I'm challenging this school boy. You hear me, Jaden? You think your Aster ripoff deck is so great? Prove it by putting it up against my deck," Aster challenged, and Jaden was getting fired up thinking about the duel.
"Aster is calling Jaden a phony? What happened between those two?" Crowler wondered, and Bonaparte was ecstatic to see that his luck may finally be turning around. Back in Aster's manager's office, Aster had just returned to speak with him. "I see you're taking my advice," the man said as he shuffled his tarot deck.
"You were right, I have to beat Jaden. My career is on the line," Aster responded. Aster's manager asked if his client planned on using those cards to face Jaden, and Aster confirmed he was, saying he was going to show Jaden what a real hero looks like. "Your pride as a hero user can't stand it then? Very well. Bring me your deck so I may peer into your future," the man said, holding out his hand.
Aster did as requested and handed his manager his deck. His manager turned to the side and discreetly infused a strange energy into Aster's deck before handing it back to him. Aster asked him what he saw, and his manager told him he did not need to fear Jaden.
That night, Crowler and Bonaparte were at the docks waiting for Aster to arrive. "I'm freezing my croissants off, where's Aster already? He'd better not have stood us up again," Bonaparte stated, and Crowler said that he had lost all feeling below his chin. In the sky, a cargo plane was flying over Duel Academy, carrying Aster inside.
The pilot told Aster they had reached the island before asking him if he was ready, the pro nodding. The pilot opened the cargo door and Aster jumped out on a skysurfing board and began making his way to the academy. On the island, Syrus and Jaden were in Bastion's room, and Bastion was looking up any useful information on Aster.
"According to my research, there isn't a single sport Aster hasn't mastered, and there's more. He has a high IQ as well as a photographic memory," Bastion informed, and Syrus said he also had a photographic memory, as long as he remembers to load the camera film.
Jaden yawned and told them to calm down, as their research on Aster wouldn't do any good if he was the one dueling him. Syrus said they were trying to find a weakness Jaden could exploit, but so far they had nothing. Jaden said he didn't need to find Aster's weakness as he only cared about fighting a fun duel. He then laid back on Bastion's bed and fell asleep.
Meanwhile, a card thief had just broken into the academy card shop and made off with everything on the shelves. He was running from the campus when he heard someone laughing sinisterly. "Stealing from the school card store? I guess human trash like you can be found anywhere," a voice called out.
The thief asked who the person talking to him was, and the man just challenged him to a duel, the thief activating his duel disk. At the docks, Bonaparte and Crowler were still waiting for Aster to arrive when they saw his board float past them. Crowler asked where it came from, but he and Bonaparte didn't have much time to ponder it as an explosion went off in front of the academy building.
The card thief dropped to the ground, frozen in fear while Aster sat on one of the stones in front of the campus building, smiling nonchalantly. "I have a little saying. It goes 'You just can't hide from destiny'," the pro said before ordering his monster to finish the thief off, the man screaming in terror.
Everyone heard the scream and ran to see what was going on, and they arrived just in time to see Aster drop the thief's deck on the ground, noting that the guy didn't have the card he was looking for. Syrus pointed to the thief and asked who he was, Aster telling him he caught the guy robbing the card shop. Bastion and Syrus checked on the man, seeing that he had been rendered unconscious.
Bastion asked Aster what he did, but Aster didn't answer and turned to Jaden, asking him how he'd been. Syrus told Aster to answer Bastion's question, and Jaden told his friend to calm down. "Bonjour Monsieur Phoenix, welcome to our school. I'm Chancellor Bonaparte, and this here is my assistant," Bonaparte said as he gestured to Crowler.
Aster said he wasn't supposed to talk to management, saying that all business goes through his agent as he didn't have time to deal with all the "little people". Bonaparte was insulted by the remark, but Crowler noted it served him right for the assistant remark. Aster said he would see Jaden early for the duel, but that there were no spectators allowed other than his friends.
Bastion asked why he wouldn't allow anyone else to watch, and Aster said that he's a pro, which means people pay to watch him duel, and that he wasn't going to give a free show to a school full of amateurs. "That's not cool, Aster. A lot of the students here look up to you, and you're going to treat them like that? How selfish can you be?" Jaden asked.
Aster just laughed and said he was doing Jaden a kindness as now he wouldn't embarrass himself in front of the whole school when he lost. The next morning, Jaden's friends had entered the arena to watch him duel, with Lily videotaping it using her camera. Syrus asked Lily why she brought her camera, and Lily told him it was to record the duel for Michael since he couldn't be there.
Hassleberry asked them who they were talking about, and they told him how Michael was a friend of theirs who joined the pro leagues after the end of the last school year. "Wait, you mean that Michael Shadows fella? The one who's beaten everyone he's faced so far?" Hassleberry asked, and Chazz gritted his teeth, saying he should've been the one to go pro early.
Jaden pulled his deck out of his pocket, preparing himself for the duel. He assured his monsters they could win, but he was pulled from his pep talk when Jasmine and Mindy began cheering for Aster. Alexis shouted for Jaden to win, and Syrus noted he had never seen Alexis this passionate before. "Not surprising seeing how close the two of them got over the summer," Atticus noted with a wink, earning Alexis' anger.
Atticus admitted he was just being honest, but Alexis put him in a choke hold, forcing Syrus, Hassleberry, and Chazz to pry her off Atticus before she strangled the life out of her brother. They managed to separate the two, Atticus drawing a few deep breaths before apologizing to Alexis, who just scoffed and turned back to the arena.
Meanwhile, one of the men who set up the duel arena pulled out a phone and contacted Aster's manager, saying "Yes Master Sartorius, the match is about to begin." Sartorius noted it was only a matter of time before his society acquired his newest member, because when Jaden lost the duel, he would "see the light".
Jaden and Aster prepared to duel, but Winged Kuriboh appeared and warned Jaden to be careful of Aster. "Don't worry, I won't let my guard down. I know this guy is supposed to be the best, but we beat him once and we can do it again. Trust me, it's all good," Jaden encouraged, and Aster vowed to himself to show Jaden what a real deck of heroes could do.
"Alright, time to loosen your tie, roll up your sleeves, and get your game on!" Jaden challenged, and Aster said he wouldn't even break a sweat, assuring Jaden the victory would be his. Jaden said there was only one way to find out before they both shouted "Let's duel!"
Aster: 4000 LP
Jaden: 4000 LP
"I'll kick things off. This card look familiar? I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in defense mode," Aster declared.
Level 4/Earth/Warrior
ATK 800/DEF 2000
Bastion noted it was strange seeing Jaden face an Elemental Hero deck, and Jaden said Aster pulled a solid opener before drawing, immediately activating his Polymerization card. "I fuse the Elemental Heroes Burstinatrix and Avian that are in my hand to summon the Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" Jaden shouted.
Level 6/Wind/Warrior
ATK 2100/DEF 1200
Jaden ordered Flame Wingman to attack, the winged hero shooting a jet of flames from his dragon arm at Clayman, vaporizing him on the spot. "And due to the Wingman's superpower, you take damage equal to Clayman's attack points," Jaden informed as Aster's life points dropped.
Aster: 3200 LP
"What do you know, seems the pro took the first blow," Chazz stated as Jaden ended his turn. "Lucky shot, but that'll change. I activate the spell card Polymerization, and like you, I'll fuse my Burstinatrix and Avian, but unlike you, I'm combining them to create Elemental Hero Phoenix Enforcer," Aster informed.
Level 6/Fire/Warrior
ATK 2100/DEF 1200
Aster ordered Phoenix Enforcer to attack, his monster firing a multi-colored energy ball that tore straight through Flame Wingman. Hassleberry said that both monsters should've been destroyed, but Bastion pointed out that Phoenix Enforcer can't be destroyed in battle.
Jaden complimented Aster for getting the advantage over him, and Aster said it was only natural as their decks were similar, not equal. "Think of the cards we use as a mirror. They reflect who we are and what motivates our actions. But enough about that for now, it's your move," Aster concluded. Jaden then started his turn and summoned his Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode.
Level 4/Water/Warrior
ATK 800/DEF 1200
"And since there were no other cards on my field when he was summoned, I can draw 2 more from my deck. Next, I play The Warrior Returning Alive, letting me return Avian from my graveyard to my hand. But he won't be there for long, because I'm activating Polymerization to fuse him, Bubbleman, and Sparkman to summon Elemental Hero Tempest in attack mode," Jaden declared.
Level 8/Wind/Warrior
ATK 2800/DEF 2800
"Now attack with Chaos Tempest!" Jaden ordered before Tempest flew up in the air and launched a powerful energy beam from his cannon at Phoenix Enforcer, forcing Aster to cover his eyes.
Aster: 2500 LP
Alexis pointed out that even though Phoenix Enforcer can't be destroyed in battle, Aster still takes damage when it battles. "Not only that, with 2800 attack points, Aster won't overcome Tempest easily," Bastion noted. "Not bad Jaden, I guess I'll have to summon a stronger hero. I activate Polymerization to fuse Phoenix Enforcer with Sparkman to summon Elemental Hero Shining Phoenix Enforcer," Aster declared.
Level 8/Fire/Warrior
ATK 2500/DEF 2100
Aster then informed Jaden that Shining Phoenix Enforcer gains 300 attack points for every Elemental Hero in Aster's graveyard.
Enforcer: 2500-4000 ATK
"Its points went up to 4000?" Jaden marveled, Hasslberry saying that Aster was something to outdo Tempest so easily. "You're way out of your league. Phoenix Enforcer, attack with Shimmer Kick!" Aster shouted as his monster's leg glowed, Phoenix Enforcer giving a diving kick to Tempest, destroying him in one shot.
Jaden: 2800 LP
Aster then placed a card down and ended his turn. "My move, and since I drew Pot of Greed, I can draw two more cards. And now I play Miracle Fusion, and with it, I can banish Sparkman and Flame Wingman from my graveyard to summon Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!" Jaden shouted.
Level 8/Light/Warrior
ATK 2500/DEF 2100
"And since he gains 300 attack points for every hero in my grave, his points go up by 1200."
Wingman: 2500-3700 ATK
"You may have summoned Shining Phoenix Enforcer's counterpart, but he's still weaker than mine," Aster pointed out. "I'm not done yet. I play the equip spell Light Laser! Now when Flare Wingman battles a monster, that monster will get banished after the battle ends. But I still have one more card to use, my Skyscraper field spell. While this card is in play, my Flare Wingman gets 1000 more attack points since your Enforcer is stronger," Jaden explained.
Wingman: 3700-4700 ATK
Jaden ordered Flare Wingman to attack and an energy blade extended from Light Laser, and Flare Wingman slashed Phoenix Enforcer with it, causing him to disappear.
Aster: 1800 LP
"Way to go Jaden!" Alexis encouraged from the stands. "This is what I call a sweet duel. What could be better? I mean heroes going head-to-head, this is the greatest," Jaden said ecstatically, but Aster could barely contain his anger. "You think this is fun? Don't make me laugh!" Aster shouted.
"There's nothing fun about the fate of heroes who have to fight! The weight of the crosses that heroes bear… the suffering and hatred they feel… how could you ever know how that feels?!" he asked furiously. "Suffering and hatred? What are you talking about?" Jaden asked.
"Those things are what support a hero. People like you, who only see heroes as cool and aspirational, people like you make me sick," Aster admonished. "I need the power of the true heroes so I can live! I activate the trap D - Time! Since an Elemental Hero under my control left the field, I can add any number of Destiny Heroes from my deck to my hand, as long as their combined levels are less than or equal to Phoenix Enforcer's level," Aster explained as he added two cards to his hand.
Everyone in the audience was surprised, as none of them had ever heard of the Destiny Heroes. "Of course you haven't, because they were never released publicly. But rather than tell you about them, why don't I show you? I draw! And I play the field spell Clock Tower Prison!" Aster shouted as Skyscraper was destroyed and a massive clock tower appeared behind him.
"This clock marks the beginning of your end Jaden, and there's nothing you can do to stop it," Aster assured as the hands on the clock spun, stopping at 12 o'clock, and a cloaked monster appeared at the top of the tower. "Jaden, meet Destiny Hero – Doom Lord."
Level 3/Dark/Warrior
ATK 600/DEF 800
Jaden was surprised it only had 600 attack points, but Aster said its special ability more than made up for it. "Show him what I mean! Send Flare Wingman packing with Impending Doom Grip!" Aster shouted as Doom Lord leapt down from the clock tower at Flare Wingman and gave him an uppercut, causing him to vanish.
Jaden asked what happened, and Aster explained that with Doom Lord's effect, he could give up his attacks for the turn to send one of his opponent's monsters two turns into the future. "You sent my monster into the future?" Jaden asked, and Aster said that the power of the Destiny Heroes was the ability to control destiny. "I hope you're ready Jaden, because your fate has already been decided, and your future's looking pretty grim," Aster said before laughing.
To be continued...