Hey, guys! So, I think I already mentioned, but there's going to be changes and combinations in this fanfiction between the anime and manga versions. That means that I'm probably not going to do Episode 3 of the GX version. The whole Jaden vs Alexis duel will have to be replaced with something else. On the other hand, that means that that duel episode will be replaced with something else! What is it? You'll have to read to find out!
Ao3 story link: /works/42939888/chapters/134664433
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own any Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!
It was a dark and stormy night in the midst of a large city called Skyscraper City, mainly known for having various skyscraper buildings surrounding the city. On top of the tallest skyscraper building, the main and most important building amidst Skyscraper City, were two figures dueling each other.
One figure revealed to be a Duel Monster called Worm Prince, an enemy against the Elemental Heroes sworn to protect Skyscraper City. The other figure facing against Worm Prince was actually Jaden, dressed in a red heroine costume consisting of a red and white outfit completed with a red cape and red mask. She was dueling against Worm Prince to stop his conquest of Skyscraper City, being a representative of the Elemental Heroes. As a matter of fact, she appeared to be winning.
"I attack using Elemental Hero Burstinatrix! Burst Fire!" commanded Jaden. Burstinatrix unleashed a volley of fireballs at Worm Prince, incinerating him and leaving him barely alive upon his defeat.
Worm Prince - 0 LP
Winner: Jaden
As the duel ended and all other remaining cards on the field vanished, Worm Prince, with the last of his breath laughed mockingly and told Jaden, "You may have won this round, hero, but...what you failed to notice is that I have planted bombs all over this building! You do not have any time to make your escape! After all, the saying goes, if I go down, you go down with me! Ahahahahaha!"
As Worm Prince laid there, dying and turning into a pile of ashes, Jaden felt the entire building trembling and the sound of explosions nearly rupturing her ears. Like the Worm Prince said, it wouldn't take long for the explosives to engulf the building, which meant that Jaden needed to escape another way.
Fortunately, with so many skyscraper buildings nearby, Jaden had a plan of escape.
As if on cue, Jaden leapt off the building just as the final of the explosives reached the rooftop, reaching the rooftop of another building. But it wasn't over yet. It was as though time was slowing down as Jaden used supernatural parkour skills to leap onto rooftop to rooftop, displaying great speed, agility, and skill as she made her way down to safety from building to building, eventually reaching her superhero team, the Elemental Heroes.
Praising Jaden for her well-earned victory against Worm Prince and her impressive escape from the explosives, the Elemental Heroes raised Jaden up in the air and even was crowd surfing her while chanting her name.
"Jaden! Jaden! Jaden! Jaden! Jaden! Jaden-"
"Jaden, Jaden! JADEN!"
Startled, Jaden finally woke up from her exciting, superhero dream, all sprawled out on her bed. She had been sleeping without a care in the world when she woke up, only for her vision to become rather blurry for a couple of seconds upon waking up. Even though she was living in a luxurious bedroom all by herself, she still couldn't get used to all of the ridiculous amount of BLUE all across her bedroom.
"Jaden!"
Snapping her head to the side, Jaden saw that it was Burstinatrix, one of her Duel Spirits that she frequently converse with thanks to her ability to communicate with the Duel Spirits in her deck.
"Bursty? Mmm...Morning...what time is it?"
Annoyed, Burstinatrix pointed to Jaden's clock and answered, "You're going to be late for class! Actually, isn't today the day where you take your promotion exams? You have to get up and hurry!"
"Huh...?" Jaden glanced over at her clock and her eyes nearly popped out upon seeing the time. "Oh, CRAP! I'm gonna be late!"
Jaden hurried out of bed and rushed to get dressed and ready for class. Today was the day of the promotion exams, where students take some writing and dueling exams to see if they get promoted up a dorm or get demoted, depending on their grades and high skills. In short, it was basically like exams taken in middle or high schools, only it involved dueling.
Given that Jaden was already an Obelisk Blue student, should there be a chance that she fails both the writing and dueling exams, it was unknown whether she would actually demoted or not, given that there weren't any female students in any of the other colored dorms. Then again, if she did fail, the most damage that could have been done to her would be having low grades. Jaden had more confidence accomplishing her dueling exams than any writing exams, as anything studious wasn't really her forte.
Left with no choice but to skip breakfast, Jaden hurried as fast as she could to race towards the main Duel Academy building, where the first part of the promotion exams were taking place. Even though she knew she was late, if she hurried, there might be some time to finish her test, even though she hates the written portion.
Along her way, she couldn't help but notice a woman in her mid-thirties or early forties trying to push a heavy van up a sandy and rocky slope along the path. The woman looked like she was having a hard time, since she was just only one person and her face was flustered red with sweat.
Jaden screeched to a halt, glancing back and forth between the Duel Academy main building or the woman having difficulty pushing the van. Between getting to class in time for the written exams or stopping to help the struggling woman...it took a split second for Jaden to make her choice.
"Man! I'm such a sucker for things like this!" complained Jaden to herself before running back to aid the woman. "I'll help you, ma'am!" Grabbing ahold of the van, Jaden pushed the back with all of her strength. The small van was much, much heavier than she thought! Seriously, what was inside, rocks?
The woman appreciated Jaden's help, but couldn't properly speak to her due to pushing the heavy van. "T-thank you! But won't you be late for class today? Don't you have a test?"
"Who cares if I'm late? I couldn't leave a helpless lady in trouble!"
"Oh! You're such a sweet young girl!" praised the woman, smiling. "I'll remember this!"
Grinning, Jaden helped the woman push the van even further up, knowing that it would take a while to make it all the way to a flat slope since they were practically taking a hill slope. Even if she were to be late for her written exams, in Jaden's heart, she knew helping the woman was more important.
In class...
The entire classroom was fully concentrated and writing in their written exams, filled with so much silence, one could even hear a tiny pin drop. They were completely focused on their written exams, determined to pass or at least get a high enough grade.
Laying his head on the desk, Syrus had fallen asleep during his written exam, mumbling things quietly. "Trap cards...played during enemy's turn...can't be used on your first turn...Spells...Rituals...Mmm..."
"Ahem!"
"Ah!" Realizing that he fell asleep, Syrus woke up and saw Jaden standing right besides him. "W-What happened?!"
"I just arrived and I found you asleep! Come on, don't waste all that studying by sleeping through the test!"
"Y-Yeah, you're totally right, Jaden! Sorry..."
"Hey! Would you keep it down?!" snapped Chazz, veins popping from his forehead in frustration as he stood up from his seat and glared down at the two. "Some of us plan to pass this test!"
Frowning, Jaden faced the Obelisk Blue, deciding to talk back. "Get bent, Chazz! You no good, money-hogging, card-loving, big-headed, egocentric, small-tempered, Ojama humping, butt-munching asshole! Even I haven't started my exam yet, and there isn't a lot of time to-"
With a chirpy tone, Professor Banner announced, "Your test is now almost over."
"GOD DAMNIT!"
Some people were a little irritated at how loud and rude Jaden was, interrupting them in the middle of an important exam. But it didn't matter now, since the written exam was over and some other people were just finishing up the last of their questions.
'You've got so much talent,' Bastion thought, watching as Jaden was rushing down to where Banner was and seemingly begging for some more time for her written exam. 'Why don't you take things more seriously, Jaden? If only she applied herself, she could be an even greater duelist!'
Meanwhile, Crowler, who had cracked open the doors a little, had witnessed everything, quietly snickering to himself. 'So, it's no surprise that Jaden Yuki practically self-destructs on the written exam! Let's see how she fares against the practical exam portion!'
"Alright, class! The written exam is now over! The practical exam will take place at 2 PM in the gym! So please, walk, do not run, to get in line for today's rare cards."
"They're here?!"
"Oh, dear..."
Like a stampede of wild animals, the class rushed out of the classroom, yelling and screaming as they were shoving each other, racing to get to the card shop first. The new cards were said to be extremely rare, so it'd be useful to have such rare and powerful cards in their decks for the practical exam today. That, and because they just want new cards to beat other people.
Chazz was one of the only people left behind in the classroom. He didn't seem particularly interested in the new cards since he was just sitting down, looking over and checking out if his exam answers on his papers were correct or not.
"Chazz! Chazz!" cried out one of his Obelisk Blue friends.
"The new cards are here!"
"So go fetch," said Chazz, still busy checking over his work.
While Chazz's friends rushed out of the classroom in a hurry, Bastion was busy trying to wake up Syrus and Jaden, shaking them repeatedly. Apparently, Syrus had fallen asleep first after finishing his exam, too exhausted from overstudying the past couple of days, and Jaden had hurriedly skimmed through her exam before falling asleep next to Syrus. Both were asleep like they didn't have a care in the world and since the entire classroom was already empty except for them, Bastion already felt awkward enough but decided to take time out of his schedule to wake up his friends.
"Hey, wake up, you two! The test has already ended!"
"Aaah!" Finally roused from his slumber, Syrus shot up from his seat, not realizing his arm was wrapped around Jaden's shoulders. Animated tears streamed down his cheeks as he sighed in depression. "Aww, I flunked, didn't I? I'm a complete failure! What was the point of all that studying?"
Jaden yawned, fluttering her eyes as she, too, was starting to wake up. From her point of view, the entire classroom was empty, so the test must be over. It was such a relief to her, because the written exam was so hard and boring!
Reaching her arm out, Jaden gently patted Syrus's blue hair, granting him a sleepy smile. "Don't sweat it...The real test is the practical in the afternoon. Oh? Why is your arm wrapped around me, Sy?"
"Eep!"
Syrus pulled back, clutching his arm like he had set it on fire as a blush formed on his face. He couldn't believe it! He touched a girl's shoulders for the first time of his life! If Bastion weren't here to witness this, he'd feel like the luckiest guy in the planet! Unfortunately, since he was the only witness besides Jaden, Syrus felt dumb and embarrassed.
"N-Nothing, Jay! But...where did everyone go?"
"That's what I was trying to tell you," spoke up Bastion. "The new rare cards arrived today and everyone's at the card shop."
If Syrus was still half-asleep, he immediately woke up entirely when Bastion revealed what was happening. "WHAT?! New cards?! How come nobody told us?!" exclaimed Syrus, wide-eyed. He seriously could use a new card or two to help with his deck, especially for the practical field test today!
"Because everyone wants the best cards for themselves to use for the upcoming field test," explained Bastion calmly. "They want to buff up their decks since they don't know who they're facing, after all."
"So, why aren't you getting some?"
"I don't need any new cards. I have faith in my current deck. Besides, one error card, and my deck's delicate balance could be thrown off."
"Mine wouldn't!" said Syrus before turning to Jaden. "Come on, Jay! We gotta hurry!"
"So, let's go!" Jaden couldn't agree more with her cute little buddy. "I'm super curious now! I've just gotta see what kinds of cards they have! Thanks for the tip, Bastion! Let's go, Syrus!"
"Okay!"
Being as energetic as the other students, Jaden hustled up the stairs with Syrus running after her, calling out for her name as he tried to keep up with her speed. Bastion watched as the two left before getting out his deck and examining them just to make sure he was prepared.
Meanwhile, at the card shop entrance...
"Open up! Open up!"
"Give me new cards!"
"Show us the rare cards already!"
"Open the damn door!"
"When is it open?!"
"Come on! Hurry up!"
The students were banging their fists and yelling impatiently at the one thing that blocked their way into the card shop: A steel door.
Specifically, it was an overhead huge steel door that was completely shut from top to bottom, as well as the only entrance inside the card shop. Still, that didn't stop the students' impatience as they continued to try barging their way inside.
Outside, jeeps screeched to a stop before men in black uniforms wielding batons jumped out of them. Those very same men charged inside the school in a formal manner, marching like soldiers in a line as the students stopped and watched them surrounding them.
"Who are they?!"
"Guards! Guards!"
"It's the F.B.I.!"
"No, the CSI!"
"What are they doing here?!"
The guards quickly stepped aside, lining up into two separate sides opposite of one another as a man in a navy white uniform walked down the lane, carrying a black suitcase.
"Oh, children!" The Navy man announced, showing off the suitcase. "Looking for these?"
Cheering and wooing, the students began applauding for the arrival of the new cards and made way for their new savior as a token of their thanks. The man lifted up the huge steel door with ease before bending his body over to enter the card shop.
"There might even be a naked Dark Magician Girl in here," teased the man, eager to see the happy looks of the young students. The students gasped in joy, and alreadym perverted thoughts clouded through most of the male students' minds.
While the overhead door was slowly lifting uo, the students were becoming more enthusiastic about getting the new cards. Just what sort of cards will there be? Powerful Trap cards like Mirror Force? Spellcasters like the Dark Magician? Or perhaps even Warrior-Types like Buster Blader? New kinds of Fusion Monsters? Strong Dragon-Types? Oh boy, the tension was just too much!
However, their hopes shattered when the suitcase was already opened, revealing the insides already empty with a small note saying: ALL SOLD OUT.
"You've gotta be kidding me!"
"Aww no! Someone took them all!"
"What's going on?"
"Hey, where'd they all go?"
"You know the rules! First come, first serve!" said the counter girl, gesturing to a strange figure in a black cloak. "And he was the one who took them all."
"WHAT?!" The students glared at the cloaked figure, seething with frustration and wanting to complain. This guy managed to get all of the rare cards before them? How dare he?! He probably wasn't even a student, judging from the way he looked!
"Yes, that's right! I was first, so I took them all!" bragged the cloaked figure, sneering without shame.
Some of the students complained to the counter girl. "Come on! Isn't there any more rare cards? Any spares?"
"I'm sorry, but this generic hooded man took them all."
"What, you mean Crowler?"
Panicking at how his cover was quickly blown, Crowler tried to defend himself. "I'm not Crowler! M-My name is Joe! ...Joe Everyman! Yes..." After an awkward short silence, Crowler continued to brag, "And anyways, I already paid for all of them, so you can't have any! Ha!"
Outraged, the students started to voice their complaints loudly, yet couldn't change the outcome of what happened no matter how much they yelled.
"That's cheating!"
"Hey!"
"You selfish jerk!"
"You can't do that!"
"You suck! Asshole!"
"Boo!"
"That's not fair!"
"Come on, Syrus! Let's hurry up and-whoa!"
Stopping abruptly in front of the card shop, Syrus and Jaden saw that the card shop was completely deserted. The card shelves were already gone and so were the overcrowding amount of students, who were supposed to be here. The only person remaining was the counter girl.
"Where is everyone?" wondered Syrus before gasping in horrifying realization. "If everyone's gone, then that means...!"
"Did they run out of cards already?!" exclaimed both Syrus and Jaden before deciding to rush towards the counter, a glimmer of hope shining inside of them, hoping that there might be some cards remaining.
"Excuse me, counter girl?" called Jaden, catching her attention. "You still have some cards left, right?"
"Of course we have some left. Just regular cards, though." The counter girl placed a small green pack on the counter, which didn't contain many cards. "Here ya go! This is all that's left."
"Only one?!"
"I'm done for!" whined Syrus, growing more and more anxious and worried. "What should we do, Jaden?! I bombed the written test so bad and now I'm gonna flunk my duel test because I can't upgrade my deck! I was really hoping to build up my deck for the practical!"
Jaden gave him an assuring grin. "So take the pack, Sy."
Syrus gasped, a bit stunned by her small sacrifice. "Really? You'd give me the last pack they have?"
"Yeah, it's cool!"
"But, today's a really important test!" reminded Syrus, growing more unease and concerned about Jaden's current situation. "I mean, what if...what if you fail?"
Jaden smiled, ruffling Syrus' soft hair with her tender fingers, and man was it soft! It was almost like cotton candy! Blue cotton candy, to be exact! "No way, Sy! I may flunk there and then, but I never fail!"
"Jaden..."
Syrus was touched by Jaden's words; a bit of tears whelming up in his eyes. Never have he felt this way before! He's never been treated with such kindness before, especially from a girl! All girls usually admire his older brother simply for his status and skills. But Jaden was different, even though some of her antics were...odd.
"Hold on a moment, please!"
Walking up to the counter, a big-boned woman wearing the same uniform as the counter girl arrived with a polite look on her face. Her brown hair was tied in a French braid and she had small glasses on with some wrinkles on her face, indicating how old she was.
Jaden instantly realized it was the same lady she helped out earlier this morning.
"Oh! You're the lady from before!"
"Hey, don't call me lady! Call me Dorothy! You can also call me Miss Dorothy as well!" the older woman introduced herself.
"So, you work here at the school store, Miss Dorothy?" asked Jaden.
"Oh, I don't work here! I owe here! Cool, huh?"
"How do you know her, Jay?" asked Syrus, curious to know what was going on.
Jaden scratched her cheek sheepishly. "Yeah, we sorta met. Well, I was kinda helping her out with a van this morning and lost track of time!"
Dorothy cleared her throat loudly. "Anyways, I've got something for you! Just call it a thank-you for helping me! Now, I know that we're out of cards, but I did stash a few! For polite young students like yourself!" With a smile, Dorothy handed over a green pack to Jaden, deciding to repay her previous kindness with the free card pack.
"Sweet! We both got packs!" Jaden said, happily taking the free pack before ripping it open. She looked at the cards one by one, knowing that these cards weren't half-bad.
Syrus quickly brought his own pack with some money before tearing the pack and taking a good look at his cards. They had some useful effects and they might help improve his deck.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Startled, Syrus dropped his cards and covered his ears. He glanced at Jaden, who had been the one who screamed with a joyful look on her face. "Why'd you scream, Jaden?! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"But I can't help it! This artwork of Winged Kuriboh is just so CUTE AND COOL! EEEEEEKKKK!"
'Well, if there's one thing that Jaden can't resist, it's cute things,' Syrus thought, sweatdropping as Jaden continued fangirling over one of the newest cards she received. 'I kinda feel bad for Winged Kuriboh...Well, I would be if he was a real thing, but still...'
Meanwhile, in the Duel Spirit World...
Winged Kuriboh released a cute sneeze, sniffling afterwards. He was in a garden, playing Hide-and-Seek with the three Hero Kids since the other Elemental Heroes had other important business to take care of.
While trying to find a place to hide, possibly amongst the flowers, Winged Kuriboh felt something...odd. Like something warm was sprouting up inside of him, as evident of the grand light that emerged and engulfed his small body. Eventually, the light died down and vanished, but Winged Kuriboh knew that deep down, something had happened.
That he obtained a newfound power that's yet to be awakened.
"Hey! I see him!"
"Get him!"
"Yeah! Trio Tackle Attack!"
Forgetting about the game he was participating in, Winged Kuriboh yelped from being spotted by the troublesome trio. Every time they played this game, the Hero Kids would always try tackling him to practice apprehending criminals by tackling them down. He didn't know why he was always their target though.
Oh, right. Last time they did this to the other members, they were punished harshly. When they had done it to Avian, he had increased their pushups and pullups by about 1000. Bubbleman's punishment was too many swimming exercises. Sparkman's involved a 30 page essay about what they did was wrong and what were Bubbleman's best heroic traits. As for some of the more fiery heroes like Burstinatrix, well...the HQ was nearly burned down a few times.
"Kuri! Kuri!" The little Fairy-Type Monster frantically tried to fly away as fast as he could, trying to avoid the triplets. All thoughts of his newfound power had vanished from his mind, focused only on escaping.
"And then this guy shows up and stole all of the new rare cards!" said one of the Obelisk Blues as he and his friend followed after Chazz in an empty hallway, talking about the previous event from before. "And I mean, every one!"
"So, we couldn't get ya any, Chazz. Sorry."
"You know what's sorry? You guys, that's what!" Chazz said, who stopped walking to turn to his fellow friends. "But it doesn't matter! There's no point in integrating new cards for a mere monthly test. Besides, nobody in Obelisk Blue could beat me anyway."
"But what if your opponent was Jaden Yuki?"
Scowling, Chazz and his friends saw a cloaked man, the very same one who bought all the rare cards. The Obelisk Blues, save for Chazz, gritted the teeth, recognizing who the so-called figure was.
"Hey! That's the guy who took the cards!" pointed out one of the Obelisk Blues.
"I wonder who that guy is?"
"Huh?" Chazz peered his eyes before rolling them. "Oh, it's just Crowler."
"W-What? I mean, no it's not!" sputtered the cloaked man.
"Yes it is!"
"I'm not Crowler!"
"Oh, come on! How many other feminine weirdos do we actually know besides you, Crowler?"
At Duelist Kingdom...
Pegasus was sipping some juice in a wine glass, reading some cartoon comics while having lunch. Ah, it was such a perfect day once more! He had lots of free time after his hard work, plus he was enjoying it by reading cartoons!
"Ooh! I just love cartoons in the late mornings! They're just so thrilling! Almost as thrilling as...ooh...Kaiba boy...!"
In Egypt...
"Marik, just take your medicine!" urged Ishizu, trying to catch Marik, who was sneezing all over the place.
"Never! I am Marik Ishtar! I do not demand medicine, for medicine is the bane of all goodness! I *Achoo* will not take medicine!"
"Fine!" Crowler threw off his cloak and hat, revealing his true self to the three Obelisk Blues.
"You know, you look better covered up!" insulted Chazz.
Crowler fell anime-style, but quickly regained himself. No matter, he'll allow Chazz's insult to go by, just this once. Simply because he's a rich and quite powerful Obelisk Blue, as it should be for the rest of his Obelisk Blue students!
"Yes, well, I have a plan to make all of us look better, and make Jaden Yuki look like the low-rank duelist she really is! After all, drop-outs like her must be crushed, posthaste, by elites such as yourself!" Crowler pointed to Chazz and demanded, "I want you to be his opponent for the practical test and use all the rare cards I bought!"
"But the practical test is conducted amongst members from the same dorm!" reminded Chazz. "And it's completely randomized! What are the chances that Jaden will be my opponent?"
"Just leave that to me! It'll be quite simple for me to arrange some changes here and there! All you'll need are these rare cards and the fact that Jaden Yuki will learn just how rare elites, such as we, really are!" Crowler bragged proudly before bursting into a fit of maniacal laughter.
Finally, Crowler's sought out revenge against Jaden Yuki would be established, and this would only be step 1 of his revenge plot! He had full confidence in Chazz's dueling skills to utterly crush Jaden, especially since he knows that Chazz has beaten Jaden before in a duel. After all, if he did it before, it would be easy for him to defeat her once again!
Later, during the practical exam...
"Huh?! This is a surprise! I'm dueling Chazz?! Again?"
Jaden was surprised that her opponent was Chazz, but then again, this was randomly selected between members from the same dorm. The way the practical exam was functioned was that opponents facing each other are those from the same dorm. Of course, opponents cannot choose their own opponents. only that they were going to dueling members from their own dorm, such as a Slifer Red versus a Slifer Red, for example. It would be extremely bad luck if a strong third-year were to face a youngling first-year from the same dorm, bad luck for the first-year, that is.
"That's right, Jaden!" sneered Crowler, walking up between both her and Chazz. "You shouldn't look so shocked, seeing as this is completely randomized amongst the same dorm, after all! But, there is a catch for the exams today! Anybody who fails both the practical and written exams will be demoted one rank down! Of course, those who fail the practical exam but pass the written exam won't be demoted, but they won't be promoted, either! Same thing if you fail the written exam, but pass the practical exam! That was an official decision made by the academy!"
Because Crowler's shrill voice echoed throughout the entire auditorium, his announcement was made loud and clear to everyone present. Loud complaints and cries coursed around the area as everyone wasn't aware of this sudden rule change! That meant that anything could go, depending on the results of either exam! People still in the practical exams were beginning to look worried, whereas some who already took their exams either sighed in relief or fell to their knees in despair.
Already finished with their field tests, Bastion and Syrus were in the sidelines, watching Chazz and Jaden's practical exam about to begin along with many others. With the stakes so high and announced, all of them were excited to see what could happen. Of course, many people were rooting for Chazz, knowing how tough he is. On the other hand, Jaden Yuki was a pretty tough duelist too, having defeated Crowler, so this was going to be tough deciding who wins and who loses.
'I've got a bad feeling about this,' thought Syrus, concerned for Jaden. There was a high possibility of Jaden having failed her written exam and if she were to lose the practical exam, she could get demoted! The guilty feeling of not giving his own share of new cards to Jaden was gnawing at him. Jaden could have used his new cards more than him, even if they did help him pass his practical exam!
Bastion was frowning, knowing that never before has the school allowed such a rule change. He thought, 'This is clearly a trap. But, if Jaden loses, she'll be in the same dorm as me. ...If my calculations are correct that she also failed the written exam.'
"Alright! Sounds great!" agreed Jaden. "I want to duel all kinds of people! I want to accept all challenges, no matter what! So, get your game on, Chazz!"
Chazz was more than ready to take down Jaden once again. "Okay! We'll settle things from last time! I already beat you once, let's see if I can do that again!"
Both duelists readied themselves by placing their decks inside their duel disks swiftly and activating them, all while Crowler ran away for space and to get a better view of the duel.
"DUEL!"
- DUEL -
Jaden - 4000 LP
VS
Chazz - 4000 LP
Turn 1: Jaden
Hand: 6
"I'll go first!"
Jaden quickly drew her card, and much to her joy, the first card she drew was Winged Kuriboh. 'Winged Kuriboh! I feel so much better with you right close to me already!' she thought before focusing back on the duel. "I summon Elemental Hero Woodsman in Defense Mode!"
Elemental Hero Woodsman - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1000/2000)
"I end my turn!"
Chazz recalled that during their last duel, Jaden managed to summon Woodsman, a key material for the powerful Fusion Monster, Terra Firma. Even so, after such an experience, Chazz was even more prepared than before, especially with his rare cards he obtained from Crowler.
"Don't think that you still think you still have a chance even with high defense, Jaden! It'll take more than defense to beat me! Draw!"
Turn 2: Chazz
Hand: 6
Chazz drew his card and his chances of victory increased once he saw the card he drew. 'One of the rare cards Crowler gave me! Appreciate it, Crowler!' Chazz thought. "I activate my Spell card, Magical Mallet!"
"What's that?" asked Jaden.
"A redo! All the cards in my hand that I don't want, I put back in my deck, then I shuffle and redraw an equal number of new cards! Pretty cool, don't cha think?"
Syrus gasped, watching Chazz drawing four new cards as per the effect of Magical Mallet. "How?! A rare card on the first draw?!"
"And a very dangerous one at that," added Bastion. "By removing unneeded cards from his hand and replacing them with new ones, he increases the possibility of getting good cards for his hand."
"But that's not even the best part! I can also put my Magical Mallet back in my deck! By doing so, if I draw it again, which I just did, I can play it again and again!" Having said that, Chazz did draw Magical Mallet, showing it to Jaden, and then activating its effect once more before placing Magical Mallet and some other cards back into his deck before shuffling and redrawing once more to obtain the cards he wanted.
Upon drawing the cards he wanted, Chazz scowled a bit. One of the cards he wanted was his Light and Darkness Dragon card, his absolute ace in his deck, but no matter how much he used Magical Mallet's effect, he just couldn't seem to draw it. Well, he still had other good cards to play, so using Light and Darkness Dragon wasn't really necessary.
Still, it would be sweet to use the very same Monster that spelled her defeat like last time.
"First off, I set two cards facedown! Then, I summon Armored Dragon to the field!"
Armored Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV4 - (1900/1400)
"I end my turn!" After announcing the end of his turn, Chazz thought, 'Now, show me, Jaden! Bring him out already! Bring out Terra Firma once more!'
Turn 3: Jaden
Hand: 6
"Draw!" After drawing her card, once on her Standby Phase, Jaden said, "I activate Woodsman's effect! Once per turn, during my Standby Phase, I can add 1 Polymerization from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand! Now I activate Polymerization to fuse Woodsman and the Elemental Hero Ocean from my hand! Come on out, Elemental Hero Terra Firma!"
With the earthly powers firmed within Woodsman along with the aquatic powers within Ocean, the two Elemental Heroes merged together as their powers started to take shape in the form of a single entity. An entity that represents the planet Earth itself, known primitively for the vast lands and oceans it has.
Elemental Hero Terra Firma - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2500/2000)
Gasps and murmurs exploded throughout the crowd upon witnessing Terra Firma for the first time ever. Many duelist fans recognized Terra Firma because he was essentially tone of the most recognized and powerful one-of-a-kind card of famous three-time world champion Koyo Hibiki. Many wondered how Jaden actually got her hands on such a card or if there actually was a second copy?
Despite Terra Firma's appearance, Chazz wouldn't allow Jaden to prevail.
"I activate my facedown card, the Quick-Play Spell, De-Fusion!" shouted Chazz. "Now I get to target 1 Fusion Monster on the field and then your Fusion-Material Monsters are returned back onto the field! So say goodbye to your Terra Firma! Like hell I'll let you actually use him!"
In a flash, Terra Firma lit up into a large orb of light before two beings, Elemental Heroes Ocean and Woodsman, returned back to the field, both in Attack Mode. Groans and loud complaints echoed across the auditorium as everyone wanted to see Terra Firma in action since it could have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them.
Elemental Hero Woodsman - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1000/2000)
Elemental Hero Ocean - (WATER/Warrior) - LV4 - (1500/1200)
Chazz gritted his teeth in annoyance. Honestly, he didn't want to deal with Terra Firma this way! He really wanted to bring out Light and Darkness Dragon out to challenge Terra Firma once more but he couldn't search for his prized ace anywhere! Thus, he was forced to resort to simply leaving Terra Firma out of the way. There was a part of Chazz that was congratulating him for getting rid of a potential threat so easily, but deep down, there was another part, the competitive side of him, that was just as whiny as the rest of the crowd and wanted a challenge facing off against Terra Firma, even without Light and Darkness Dragon.
Jaden wasn't really angry, just impressed and a bit upset over what happened. "Awww! I really wanted to use that guy against you again, Chazz! Oh, well! That just means I get to summon out my cute little Elemental Hero Knospe to the field!"
Elemental Hero Knospe - (EARTH/Plant) - LV3 - (600/1000)
"Ha! What good will that weakling do to me anyways?" scoffed Chazz.
"I'm glad you asked! Well, Knospe can attack you directly! Go!" shouted Jaden.
Knospe raised one of her bud-covered palms and uncovered it to unleash a barrage of glowing yellow seeds at a high velocity. Chazz covered his face with his arms to endure the barrage as his Life Points took a hit.
Chazz - 3400 LP
"So what? It's just a little bit of damage! Nothing to fret about!" said Chazz, brushing aside dust from his sleeve as though brushing off the attack like it was nothing.
"Knospe has another effect!" Jaden said. "Each time she deals Battle Damage, she gains 100 Attack Points, but loses 100 Defense Points!"
Elemental Hero Knospe - (EARTH/Plant) - LV3 - (700/900)
"I end my turn!"
"You know, I was worried for a second that Jaden might be in bigger trouble than she is right now, but perhaps she stands at least a little bit of a chance now," said Bastion.
"Huh?" wondered Syrus. "Why do you say that, Bastion?"
"Terra Firma was a big surprise for me just as much as it was for everyone else. I thought for certain that with that Monster, Jaden's chances of victory would drastically increase. However, since he's gone, Jaden now has three Monsters, one who would now attack Chazz directly. Chazz only has one facedown card that I was certain he was going to play to defend himself, but I was wrong. Now, even if Chazz has the most strongest Monster on the field, he's up against Jaden's three Monsters. If Jaden has a higher-leveled Monster in her hand next turn, she might be able to sacrifice two of her Monsters and turn the field around."
"Oh, I get it! So basically, Jaden just needs to hold out for a bit longer!" Syrus said, relieved. "Go, Jaden! You can do this!"
Turn 4: Chazz
Hand: 2
"Draw!" said Chazz, clicking his tongue when he didn't draw the Light and Darkness Dragon card that he wanted. "Damn! Fine, I attack Woodsman with my Armored Dragon!"
Armored Dragon swoop towards Woodsman, slashing at the half-wood, half-man-like Elemental Hero and tearing apart the wooden parts which destroyed Woodsman.
Jaden - 3100 LP
"I don't get it, why not take out Ocean instead? He's way stronger than Woodsman," wondered Syrus.
Bastion nodded. "True, but you forget something. Next turn, Jaden could have switched Woodsman to Defense Mode, whose defenses are far more superior than Armored Dragon's Attack Points. Plus, there is that Polymerization effect that Woodsman has. If Woodsman had survived this turn, then Jaden could have used Woodsman's effect on her turn to conjure up another Polymerization to fuse another Elemental Hero."
"I activate my Quick-Play Spell card!" announced Chazz. "Dragon's Charge! When my Dragon-Type destroys a Monster, I can draw 1 card, and if that card's a Dragon, I can Normal Summon it!" After drawing a card, Chazz's expression contorted into frustration, and yet he played his card. "I sacrifice my Armored Dragon to Tribute Summon Lightpulsar Dragon!"
Lightpulsar Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV6 - (2500/1500)
Chazz contemplated on which one to target next. Knospe was an annoying menace that would target Chazz's Life Points directly if not dealt with soon, but Chazz didn't want any chances of Jaden Fusion Summoning Terra Firma again, even if he got rid of Woodsman, one of the required Fusion-Materials for Terra Firma. He needed to take out Ocean for no chances of Terra Firma appearing again.
"Lightpulsar Dragon!" shouted Chazz. "Take out Elemental Hero Ocean!"
With a beam of light pulsating within Lightpulsar Dragon's jaws, he unleashed a devastating light-shattering blow onto Ocean, obliterating him.
Jaden - 2100 LP
Watching the whole duel in amusement, Crowler and Chancellor Sheppard were enjoying the predicament since they were observing from an upper room with glass windows. Although, Crowler was more excited, seeing Jaden slowly losing.
"Did you see that, Chancellor? Did ya, did ya, did ya, did ya?" repeated Crowler, leaning close to the glass windows.
"Did you see that, Jaden? Did ya, did ya, did ya, did ya-"
"I'm dueling you, you fruitcake!" shouted Jaden to Chazz, annoyed at his constant ranting.
"Well, there's no need for that! But, whatever! I end my turn!" declared Chazz.
"Waaaah! Jaden's in serious trouble now!" cried out Syrus. "She can't possibly rely on Knospe now! Even if she deals damage to Chazz's Life Points now, it won't be much effective!"
"True, but we should trust that Jaden's got a plan," said Bastion, glancing over to Jaden's side.
Turn 5: Jaden
Hand: 5
"Draw!" Jaden nodded and said, "Sweet! I drew Polymerization and you know what that means, Chazz! I'm fusing together Elemental Heroes Knospe and Necroshade in order to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Gaia!"
Necroshade faded away into the darkness of his shadows while Knospe twirled around to transform into a bud, seeping down underground and out of sight. Erupting from underground was the fully dark-armored Elemental Hero born from the dark depths underground.
Elemental Hero Gaia - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (2200/2600)
"Gaia's effect activate! When he's Fusion Summoned, I can target one Monster you control, halve that Monster's Attack Points, and then Gaia gains that same amount of Attack Points!"
A loud mechanical sound creaked as Gaia lifted up his arm before smashing it down and shoving it deep underground. A ray of light burst within Lightpulsar Dragon's area, draining him of power while Gaia absorbed said power.
Lightpulsar Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV6 - (1250/1500)
Elemental Hero Gaia - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (3450/2600)
"Well, he's no Terra Firma, but Gaia should be a powerful foe to take down Chazz's Monster," commented Bastion, certain that Jaden would win against Chazz's Monster now.
"Go! Gaia! Crush his Monster!" shouted Jaden.
"Not so fast, Jaden! Prepare to face my facedown card!" countered Chazz. "The Trap, Dragon's Endurance! When my Dragon-Type's been attacked, I can halve his Attack Points in order to protect him from being destroyed! Plus, as a bonus, it negates all damage to me!"
It was too late to recall Gaia's attack as he sent a wave of stalagmites towards the weakened Lightpular Dragon's path. A barrier of light shielded Lightpular Dragon from being destroyed, though had vastly drained the Dragon-Type more of his strength in the process.
Lightpulsar Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV6 - (250/1500)
Chazz gritted his teeth in increasing anger. Sure, he protected his only Monster from being destroyed, but that wasn't the reason for his anger. 'Damnit!' he thought. 'I wanted to use this Trap to protect Light and Darkness Dragon in case Jaden found some way to destroy them! But I couldn't even bring them out! Why?!'
"Aww! I was sure I had you this time! Oh, well! Now, I end my turn!" whined Jaden. "Oh, and Gaia's effect activates! During the End Phase, his Attack Points are returned to normal, and so does your Dragon's!"
Elemental Hero Gaia - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (2200/2600)
Lightpulsar Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV6 - (1500/1500)
"Jaden still has a chance of winning," said Bastion. "Sure, she was unable to take down Chazz's Monster, but Lightpular Dragon is much weaker now."
"Yeah! Just a bit more, Jaden! You've got this!" Syrus cheered.
Turn 6: Chazz
Hand: 2
"Draw!" Upon drawing again, Chazz's frustration only grew and he had to stop himself from slamming his own drawn card to the ground out of anger. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. It wouldn't do good to lose his cool now. Besides, it wasn't all bad.
He did draw an excellent card after all.
"I sacrifice my Lightpular Dragon to bring out an even stronger Monster! Meet Darkflare Dragon!"
Darkflare Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV5 - (2400/1200)
"Darkflare Dragon, take down her Gaia! Now!"
Like his name, Darkflare Dragon allowed a swirling vortex of fire and darkness surge within the depths of his jaws before releasing it in an explosive beam of darkness and fire, completely incinerating Gaia until he was nothing but ashes.
Jaden - 1900 LP
"I'll set a card and then I end my turn!" said Chazz. 'Yes! Finally, I'm back in the game! But it would be a whole lot better if I finished her off with Light and Darkness Dragon! Damnit, why can't I bring them out already?!'
Turn 7: Jaden
Hand: 4
"Draw!" said Jaden. "Alrighty! I activate Nercroshade's effect from my Graveyard! Only once, while Necroshade is in my Graveyard, I can Normal Summon 1 Elemental Hero without Tributing! From my hand, I summon Elemental Hero Bladedge!"
Elemental Hero Bladedge - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV7 - (2600/1800)
"Bladedge! Take down his Darkflare Dragon!"
With his golden arm blades glistening from his own heroic light, Bladedge swoop towards Darkflare Dragon, engaging the dragon in an aerial fight before finishing off the Dragon-Type with a dual slashing move.
Chazz - 3200 LP
"I end my turn!"
Turn 8: Chazz
Hand: 1
"Draw!" After drawing, a smirk formed on his face as victory was now reassured in his favor. Sure, he might need to make a few sacrifices, but the merits were worth it! "I activate my Trap, Lifeline from the Graveyard! I can select 2 Monsters in my Graveyard, then I get to Special Summon them by paying 100 Life Points times their combined Levels! I choose Armored Dragon and Darkflare Dragon! Their combined Levels are 9, so I lose 900 Life Points, but that's a small price to pay!"
Chazz - 2300 LP
Armored Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV4 - (1900/1400)
Darkflare Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV5 - (2400/1200)
"What's he up to?" wondered Syrus.
"Hmm...Two Monsters on his field must mean he's either planning on sacrificing them for a high-leveled Tribute Summon, or possibly Fusion Summoning them," said Bastion. "But if it's the latter, I can't possibly fathom which Monster he'll be Fusion Summoning!"
"Now, time for my trump card! My ace in my deck!" announced Chazz. "I activate the Spell, Draconic Tactics! By Tributing two Dragon-Types on my field, I get to Special Summon 1 Level 8 Dragon Monster from my deck! It seems my ace wants a second round, so come on out, Light and Darkness Dragon!"
Both Armored Dragon and Darkflare Dragon disappeared in their respective elements; Armored Dragon vanishing in a flash like light, whereas Darkflare Dragon faded away into a pool of darkness. Light and darkness, two opposing elements, forcibly fused as one akin to a Fusion Summoning, took the form of the two elements into one dragon.
Light and Darkness Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV8 - (2800/2400)
Cheers erupted through the crowd of students as Chazz's well-known ace Monster appeared on the playing field. Every time Chazz managed to summon his ace Monster, it was guaranteed that victory would be his to claim. Only elites such as Zane Truesdale could face against a beast in equal terms, though such a duel has yet to be, perhaps foretold in the future?
Either way, everyone assumed that Light and Darkness Dragon would be Jaden's end.
Assumed.
"Sweet! Round 2 with that ace of yours? I'm ready whenever you are, Chazz!" challenged Jaden, unafraid. In fact, she was rather excited and determined to take her revenge from last time.
"Heh! Be careful what you wish for, Jaden!" said Chazz cockily. "Light and Darkness Dragon! Destroy her Monster!"
Unlike other times where their attacks would be powerful and flashy, Light and Darkness Dragon simply sent a simple flare's breath of light and darkness elements at Bladedge, destroying him in one hit with a minor explosion. But that was all.
Although Jaden was excited to face off against Light and Darkness Dragon, her excitement slightly diminished after witnessing the lack of effort the ace Monster had done to her Monster. Sure, it was a downer that one of her toughest Monsters was out, but more importantly, what was with Light and Darkness Dragon?
They looked...tired and sad.
Jaden - 1700 LP
Chazz didn't seem to notice the downed demeanor of his ace Dragon, instead boasting strong and proudly over the fact that he not only managed to summon his ace Monster, but was turning the duel towards his own favor now.
"Ha! You like that, Jaden? Now you'll feel the wrath of my Dragon once more in this duel! I end my turn!"
Turn 9: Jaden
Hand: 4
"Draw!" Jaden said. "I activate the Spell, A Hero Lives! Now, by paying half of my Life Points, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Elemental Hero from my deck!"
"Ha! As if I'm letting you take control of any sort of advantage now!" said Chazz. "I activate Light and Darkness Dragon's effect! They can negate the activation of a card, but in exchange, they lose 500 Attack and Defense Points!"
Light and Darkness Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV8 - (2300/1900)
Jaden knew that was going to be a problem, but the one weakness Chazz's ace Monster did have was their reduction in Attack and Defense Points. Perhaps she could take advantage of that, despite it meaning that the activation of her cards would be negated.
"I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Defense Mode!"
Elemental Hero Bubbleman - (WATER/Warrior) - LV4 - (800/1200)
"And when Bubbleman's the only card on my field, i can draw 2 more cards from my deck!"
"Not so fast, Jaden!" said Chazz. "I'm activating Light and Darkness Dragon's other ability as well! When they're face-up on the field, all Monster effects are negated! And the best part? I don't even have to sacrifice Attack and Defense Points only when it comes to Monster effects!"
"What?! That's so confusing! Isn't he supposed to do that? Negate effects in exchange for losing more Attack and Defense Points?" wondered Syrus, confused.
Bastion shook his head. "No, let me clarify with you, Syrus. Light and Darkness Dragon's effects makes it so that all Monster effects are negated, yes. However, it's different when it comes to Spells and Traps. Chazz can negate the activation of either Spells or Traps, but in exchange, that's when Light and Darkness Dragon loses 500 Attack and Defense Points. That 500 Point loss doesn't matter only to Monster effects."
"Oh, I see! And I bet Jaden was hoping to reduce more of that Monster's Attack Points by activating Bubbleman's effect? But she probably didn't know until now, right?" asked Syrus.
Bastion nodded. "Precisely. So now, Jaden will have a lot to deal with when it comes to Chazz's ace Monster."
Jaden said, "Now, I set a card and end my turn!"
Turn 10: Chazz
Hand: 1
"Draw!" If Chazz was filled with more confidence than before, than a large amount of overconfidence flooded within when he grinned widely in a malicious fashion. "I activate the Spell, Dragon's Wrath! When a Dragon-Type I control attacks now, I can inflict Piercing Damage this turn! Go, Light and Darkness Dragon! Attack!"
"I activate my Trap, Elemental Recharge!" shouted Jaden. "I gain 1000 more Life Points for every Elemental Hero I control!"
"Do you need a repeated lesson, Jaden? I told you, by lowering Light and Darkness Dragon's Attack and Defense Points, I can negate the activation of any Spell or Trap cards you throw at me!" reminded Chazz.
Jaden's Trap card made a few sparkles before stopping, showcasing that it was no longer a usable card on the field while an intangible veil wrapped itself around Light and Darkness Dragon to decrease their offense and defense.
Light and Darkness Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV8 - (1800/1400)
A simplistic fireball was unleashed by Light and Darkness Dragon, destroying Bubbleman in one go. But it was that action that finally had Jaden look up and see just how...Light and Darkness Dragon didn't seem fully in fighting form, despite being summoned.
Jaden - 600 LP
"I end my turn!" said Chazz. "Face it, Jaden! You're hopeless now! I summoned one of the most powerful Monster in the game! And there's nothing - NOTHING - to do to stop me, Jaden!"
Turn 11: Jaden
Hand: 2
"Draw!" said Jaden. She glanced at her hand and figured, it might as well be as good as time as any to summon her own precious partner. "I summon my cute Winged Kuriboh in Defense Mode!"
Winged Kuriboh - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV1 - (300/200)
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHH!~"
"SO CUTE!~"
"OH MY GOD!~"
"WINGED KURIBOH!~"
"SQUEEEEEEAAAAALLLLLL!~"
The moment Winged Kuriboh came to play, almost all of the girls, including Jaden, started screaming and squealing with joy, sending various comments to the cute Winged Kuriboh. In fact, they were so loud, everyone else had to cover their ears, even Chazz. Upon recalling that Winged Kuriboh was part of why Crowler failed to defeat Jaden, his disbelief quickly turned into anger.
"I-but-you-! SCREW YOU, JADEN!"
Grinning, Jaden said, "I set a card and end my turn!"
Chazz smirked. "All done, huh? Good! Because now, I can cook that Kuriboh, and I like mine well-done! There's about to be a fried furball on the field, loser!"
Jaden gasped, then glared at him. "Okay, you can screw me over, you can insult me, you can even take my cute plushies, but no one, and I mean, NO ONE, talks that way or even THINKS about frying little Winged Kuriboh! Besides, you don't scare me!"
"No big deal! I don't have to! That's my dragon's job!"
Turn 12: Chazz
Hand: 1
After drawing his card, Chazz was ready for the initiative. "Go, Light and Darkness Dragon! Attack!"
"I activate my facedown card! The Trap card, Negate Attack!"
"Yeah, right! I'm not letting you stop my dragon's attack! I activate Light and Darkness Dragon's effect!" countered Chazz. "By sacrificing 500 of their Attack and Defense Points, it negates the activation of your card!"
Light and Darkness Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV8 - (1300/900)
Light and Darkness Dragon didn't stop their assault as soon as Negate Attack's effect was no longer in play, though they did cast Winged Kuriboh a sadden momentary glance before swinging their claws down to attack.
"Ha! I end my turn!" said Chazz.
Turn 13: Jaden
Hand: 1
Jaden knew that if she didn't draw a good card, with how empty her field was and how many Life Points remaining, she was done for, so she drew and prayed for a miracle.
While it wasn't exactly a miracle, it was perhaps the start to turn things around.
"I summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat!"
Elemental Hero Lady Heat - (FIRE/Pyro) - LV4 - (1300/1000)
Bastion gasped. "So that's what Jaden's strategy was! Clever!"
"What? I don't get it!" said Syrus.
"Take a look on the field, Syrus. Specifically Light and Darkness Dragon. It was really powerful at the start, but Jaden kept throwing Spells and Traps at it, purposely decreasing their Attack and Defense Points to the point where we are right now."
Syrus' eyes widened. "You're right! It's a lot weaker now! Chazz and Jaden's Monsters have the same Attack Points! Does that mean Jaden might make both of their Monsters attack each other now?"
Bastion shook his head. "Too risky. Even if Jaden attacks now, she'll be left with no Monster. Even worst, if next turn comes and Chazz draws a Monster, it'll be all over for Jaden. It's best simply to stay on the defensive for now."
Chazz couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe how careless he's gotten! He was so focused on taking down Jaden, making sure that she doesn't gain any advantage, that he neglected to check the state of his Light and Darkness Dragon, who had gotten weaker compared to when they were first summoned, all prime and powerful! Fortunately, Jaden couldn't attack with her current Monster or else his ace Monster would have been wiped out!
"I end my turn!" said Jaden. She thought, 'Normally, I would have used Lady Heat's effect, but thanks to Light and Darkness Dragon, I can't use my Monster effects! I guess I'll have to make do for now!'
Turn 14: Chazz
Hand: 2
Chazz was hoping for a strong Monster, something to summon to take out Lady Heat, but none of his current cards would do. If he was going to win against Jaden, he needed to be extremely careful now!
"God...damnit! I end my turn!"
Turn 15: Jaden
Hand: 1
"Draw! Sweet!" said Jaden. "I activate the Spell, Fifth Hope! By selecting 5 Elemental Heroes from my Graveyard, I can shuffle them back into my deck, and then draw two more cards! Now, I activate the Continuous Spell, Kishido Spirit! With this, Monsters on my side of the field can't be destroyed in battle if our Monsters' Attack Points are the same! Now, attack, Lady Heat!"
Chazz grunted in frustration, thinking, 'Goddamnit! What should I do?! If Jaden attacks, only her Monster will remain intact! But if I negate that Spell using my Monster, their Attack and Defense Points will decrease, which will only make Jaden's Monster the more stronger one! Damnit, I...I...!'
Left with no choice, Chazz had to watch as Lady Heat unleashed a powerfully, large fireball that engulfed the weakened Light and Darkness Dragon, all while there was slight backlash at Lady Heat, though she seemed mainly unaffected by the end of their little bout.
"I end my turn!" said Jaden. "And now, there's Lady Heat's ability! During each of my End Phases, you get hit 200 Points of Damage for every Elemental Hero I control! Well, I only have 1, but still, that's enough to deal some damage to you!"
Lady Heat sent wisps of fireballs towards Chazz, making him grunt as he tried to defend himself with his arms.
Chazz - 2100 LP
"I set a card and end my turn!"
Turn 16: Chazz
Hand: 3
"Draw!" said Chazz. "I activate the Spell, Spark of the Light Dragon! By sending 2 Dragons from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon 1 LIGHT Attribute Dragon-Type from my deck! And I choose Artbrave Dragon!"
Artbrave Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV7 - (2400/2000)
"If this hits, Jaden's done for!" cried out Bastion.
"Go, Artbrave Dragon! Destroy her Lady Heat and end this duel once and for all!" shouted Chazz.
"I activate my Trap, Hero Barrier!" defended Jaden. "As long as I have an Elemental Hero on my field, I can negate 1 attack from you!"
Afterwards, a tornado-like barrier surging with electricity manifested in front of Lady Heat, protecting her from the light-elemental fire breath that erupted from Artbrave Dragon's jaws.
"Fine! You may have saved yourself this turn, but next turn, you're finished!" Chazz said. "I end my turn!"
Turn 17: Jaden
Hand: 2
"My turn!" said Jaden. "Alright! I activate Polymerization! By fusing my Lady Heat on the field with my Burstinatrix in my hand, I can Fusion Summon my Elemental Hero Nova Master!"
Two Elemental Heroes, both consisting from the fire element, transformed into two flames brimming with the light of power before coming together; their fire burning bright as the sun. As a result, their fused souls formed the ultimate, strongest bearer of fire within the Elemental Heroes: Elemental Hero Nova Master.
Elemental Hero Nova Master - (FIRE/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2600/2100)
"Nova Master! Take down Artbrave Dragon!" ordered Jaden.
With palms blazing with two fireballs, Nova Master merged the two fireballs together as one upon clasping his palms together before releasing a devastatingly, powerful burst of flames that engulfed the dragon in a clash of power.
Chazz - 1900 LP
'She destroyed my Dragon! Damnit!' thought Chazz before realizing something. 'Heh, no matter! Once my turn comes, I can just use Artbrave Dragon's effect from the Graveyard and summon another dragon! With the right combination with my cards, I'll turn things around!'
"I activate Nova Master's effect!" said Jaden. "If he destroys an opponent's Monster, I can draw 1 card! Draw! Awesome! I activate the Quick-Play Spell, De-Fusion! That means I can defuse Nova Master and return back his Fusion-Material Monsters, Lady Heat and Burstinatrix!"
Elemental Hero Lady Heat - (FIRE/Pyro) - LV4 - (1300/1000)
Elemental Hero Burstinatrix - (FIRE/Warrior) - LV3 - (1200/800)
Chazz's expression contorted into shock when he realized what was going to happen next. "W-Wait-!"
"Now! Both attack Chazz directly!"
Just like Nova Master, both ladies of fire forged a fireball each and combined their attack strength as one to unleash a powerful blast of fire at Chazz, sending him crashing to the ground in defeat.
Chazz - 0 LP
Winner: Jaden
Stunned silence filled the entire auditorium. But what was accompanied after that was gasps and cheers from all around.
Astonished, Syrus's surprised look changed to a happy one as he cheered with the crowd. "Jaden did it! Jaden won!" he cried out happily, jumping up and down for his best friend.
Crowler's jaw dropped as he sputtered, "T-That's impossible! Not with all the rare cards I've given to Chazz! T-This simply can't be!"
Turning to Crowler, Sheppard seemed a little confused."Rare cards? What exactly are you talking about, Crowler?"
Crowler shrieked, completely forgetting that Sheppard was right next to him. "N-Nothing! I-I have to go grade some tests!"
"Thank you! Thank you!" Jaden gladly took in all the cheers from the audience as she was bowing her head over and over. She turned to the depressed Chazz and pointed her middle and index finger at him, winking. "That's game! We should duel again sometime, Chazz!"
Growling, Chazz glanced up at Jaden. "Oh, we will!"
"Jay! Jaden!"
Looking back, Jaden saw her two friends, Bastion and Syrus, running up to her. They were congratulating her, cheering her on and even patting her on the back for such a good duel. What made Jaden even happier than winning her duel wasn't the mere applause and cheering from the crowd, but from her friends.
Chazz, on the other hand, had no one cheering him on. Even when the cheering stopped and everyone left the auditorium once the exams were over, he was all alone. Did he have anyone waiting for him? Any friends? Fans? No, just him alone.
Oh, there were the Obelisk Blues cheering for him during the duel, but afterwards? Nothing. Nobody was on his side, not even his so-called lackeys that constantly followed him around. He wasn't stupid, he knew full well that they were only "friends" because of his rich background, his connections, his dueling expertise, etc.
Scrambling through his deck, Chazz came across his prized ace, Light and Darkness Dragon. Lately, for some reason, Light and Darkness Dragon's connection to him had felt...almost faded. Chazz always felt he had a special connection with this particular dragon ever since he obtained it when he was young.
Nowadays? It just felt like they were nothing more than strangers. Whenever Chazz would draw, he always hoped it was his ace card that he draw, but it never came to that. The only way he could obtain his ace Monster back into his hands is by forcibly doing so, such as through a Spell card's effect and such. But the more time passed, even Chazz could feel Light and Darkness Dragon's reluctance to be summoned.
'Why?' thought Chazz, forcing himself to stand back up on his own two feet. 'Why won't you greet me warmly like you used to? I'm...I'm becoming strong! I'm trying to prove my place here at Duel Academy! Today's duel was just...just a fluke! I swear, I'll get stronger so just...just...!'
But nothing. Even with his pleas from the bottom of his heart, nothing changed between him and Light and Darkness Dragon. Deep down, Chazz knew that even if he were to become the strongest in the world, that still wouldn't connect him back to Light and Darkness Dragon.
Little did Chazz know, with the way he is right now, there was no way Light and Darkness Dragon could connect to such an duelist like him.
It's been such a long time, but I gotta say, I'm back and kicking off this new year with a new chapter! So, yeah, I did added a couple of changes, but also combining the manga and anime versions a bit.
First off, I did add in the exam rule that if a student fails both the written and practical exams, they get demoted down a rank, like if an Obelisk Blue failed, he would be demoted to a Ra Yellow. But, if a student fails only one of the two exams, then they won't get promoted, but they won't get demoted either, like a Ra Yellow passed the written exam, but failed the practical, so he wouldn't advance nor get demoted. However, passing both exams would guarantee a rank up, like a Slifer Red advancing into Ra Yellow if he passed the written and practical exams. That's the rule I personally added.
A reason why I added that rule is because, in this fanfic, Jaden isn't really an Slifer Red, just an Obelisk Blue. Crowler probably hoped to demote her from Obelisk Blue to Ra Yellow as punishment for humiliating him when they met during the entrance exams. Arranging the duels between her and Chazz wasn't as difficult as it was in the anime because both duelists were already in Obelisk Blue.
Also, I had to change parts of the original duel to my own liking. Originally, I wanted to end the duel with Winged Kuriboh and Transcendent Wings, but Jaden was still going up against Light and Darkness Dragon, whose effects would be difficult against the combo of Winged Kuriboh and Transcendent Wings. Instead, I added a bit of karma in the end. Since Chazz used De-Fusion to "defeat" Terra Firma, Jaden used her own De-Fusion to separate her previous Fusion Monster, Nova Master, to use her Fusion Material Monsters to finish off Chazz.
And yes, I did add parts of the GX Abridged here.
In case you were wondering why Light and Darkness Dragon was acting very abnormal here, it's because they're growing more reluctant of Chazz being their master. This is because Chazz was growing more arrogant, less respectful towards others, and more power-hungry. They're sadden by the way their owner has changed so much and doesn't really want to do anything with his duels that'll lead to more arrogance. Chazz will realize the reason why his ace Monster is acting this way later on, as it'll also serve as character development for him and a better way for him to connect with his Duel Spirit powers.
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