In Sarina's cave, she and Chazz were waiting for Frost and Thunder to arrive, but only Frost arrived, carrying Hassleberry and Syrus, whom he dumped on the floor. "Yo, Blaze! T-Bone!" Frost shouted, and two more men appeared, one of them appearing from out of a pillar of fire while the other sprung up out of the ground itself.
Frost told them to take Hassleberry and Syrus to Kaiba Land, and Blaze asked why Frost didn't do it himself, but Frost just shot him a look that indicated he wasn't in the mood. "Fine. I get no respect. Let's just go T-Bone," Blaze said before he and his compatriot grabbed the unconscious duelists.
"Someone explain to me why we're lugging two dorks to a theme park?" Chazz asked, and Frost said they were using them as bait for Jaden, and that he would take Jaden down when he came looking for them. "And how do you expect to defeat Jaden when you were barely able to defeat his friends? It seems I placed too much faith in you and Thunder, and you both shall pay the price," Sarina said as her eyes glowed.
The mirror from the cards she gave Frost and Thunder appeared above them, trapping them both. Meanwhile at the Society of Light's hotel, Jaden had arrived, quite angry. "Miranda, get Sartorius down here now!" Jaden ordered, but Miranda told him that no one saw Sartorius without an appointment. "Your guy told me he was taking Hassleberry and Syrus to Sartorius' sister, and I want to know where they are!" Jaden shouted.
Just then, Chazz stepped out of a limo and walked up to Jaden, telling him that if he wanted to save Hassleberry and Syrus, he was to go to Kaiba Land tomorrow. Chazz told the others to throw Jaden out, telling him that separate arrangements had been made for those not in the Society.
Back in Sarina's cave, Blaze and T-Bone returned, and when they did, Sarina tossed them the cards containing Frost and Thunder. "I have no use for the two of you anymore, so now I shall retake the power I gave you, leaving you as normal humans, unless you wish to meet the same fate as your cohorts?" Sarina asked as the same mirror appeared above them.
T-Bone wasn't too pleased with either option and grabbed Blaze, saying "Peace out, yo," before disappearing through the ground. Sarina decided not to bother with them, as she knew she could go after them any time she wished. Down at the riverfront, the Slifer dorm was having to sleep in tents, Jaden's remaining friends staying with him. "This trip turned out to be a disaster," Jaden lamented, and Alexis assured him it wasn't his fault.
"Alexis is right. Sartorius probably would've tried something no matter where we went Jaden," Michael assured as he tended one of the campfires. "What's important is that we make sure we're ready to save Syrus and Hassleberry tomorrow," Lily added, and Jaden conceded they all had a point.
"Hey kids," Solomon said as he strolled up, a few bags in his hand. "Mr Moto. What brings you out here?" Jaden asked, and Solomon said he wanted to thank them for helping him earlier, and that he brought some hamburgers for the whole group. Everyone thanked him for his generosity before they began passing the food around, helping to raise everyone's spirits.
"I'm sorry about your friends, but I'm sure it'll work out. Besides, things like this happened to Yugi quite a few times," Solomon reassured. Aster watched on from his trailer, noting the other Slifers didn't have a care in the world. Meanwhile, Blaze and T-Bone were walking along the river, trying to figure out how to get back in Sarina's good graces.
"Yo, maybe if we beat that Jaden kid, Sarina will give us some props, you know what I'm sayin'?" T-Bone suggested, and Blaze said that was a good idea except for one problem, they didn't know what Jaden looked like. They began to mope about their imminent fate, but Jaden saw them, walking up to them and asking if they were okay.
Blaze said the answer should be obvious, and Jaden invited them back to their campsite for some food. Blaze and T-Bone accepted, and soon they were eating around one of the campfires. Blaze thanked them for the burgers, and T-Bone asked if they were from Duel Academy.
Jaden asked how they knew that, and Blaze said it was obvious since Jaden was wearing a Slifer jacket, telling them they tried to enroll before, but failed the test. "It is a fierce competition to get in. Everyone here is a chosen duelist who passed the test," Solomon said, catching Blaze's attention.
"Chosen duelist, huh? Alright then, let's put you to the test," he said before tossing his wrapper in the fire, causing it to flare up a bit. Bastion said they were all very good duelists, but Blaze said not to mock them. Bastion apologized, and Blaze assured them they were the best duelists in Domino City.
Jaden said if that was true, he had to duel them, and T-Bone just smiled. "Yo, I'm down, but we be illin' homeboy," he said, and Jaden said that while he didn't understand, he would be more than happy to duel him. The two moved over to the side to duel, and Blaze told T-Bone to show no mercy, T-Bone saying Jaden was toast.
"Give me a break, you don't think you're a rapper, do you?" Jaden asked, and T-Bone asked Jaden what his name was, but when he heard Jaden say his name, he and Blaze couldn't believe it. Unbeknownst to them, Sarina was watching the scene unfold from her cave, but she thought T-Bone might need a little help, sending a mirror to imprison Blaze and leaving behind his Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch card, which fell into T-Bone's deck.
"There, now your deck is complete, so feel free to fight to your heart's content," Sarina said, but when T-Bone tried to argue, Sarina asked if he was that unconfident about his power. "This isn't true right? Do you really work for Sarina?" Jaden asked, but T-Bone didn't answer and just activated his duel disk, Jaden following suit.
Jaden: 4000 LP
T-Bone: 4000 LP
"Check it dawg, T-Bone is in the house, so look out. I be callin' Mine Golem in attack mode," T-Bone declared.
Level 3/Earth/Rock
ATK 1000/DEF 1900
"I also be layin' down a spell card: Guidance to Ore. Last, I'm layin' flat a couple of face-downs," he finished. "Is that all? You're all talk, so sit back and watch how it's done. I draw! And I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in attack mode!" Jaden shouted.
Level 4/Light/Warrior
ATK 1600/DEF 1400
"Now, take out his Mine Golem!" Jaden ordered before Sparkman fired a blast of electricity from his palm at Mine Golem, destroying it.
T-Bone: 3400 LP
"My boy ain't gonna split yet, at least not without a fight. When Golem hits the graveyard because of a battle, you get smoked for 500," T-Bone explained as the dust that was left behind from his Golem was blown at Jaden.
Jaden: 3500 LP
"And if you think that's fly, then check out my Guidance to Ore. Whenever one of my rock homeboys gets crushed, I can get the same player from my deck, yo," T-Bone informed as another Mine Golem appeared on his field. "Now eyes on my trap card, Minefield Eruption. This bad boy takes you for a thousand points for every Mine Golem that I got. After that, I lose my Golem, but it's worth it, dawg," T-Bone continued as his Mine Golem exploded while a pillar of fire sprung up under Jaden.
Jaden: 2500 LP
"Rewind and replay, because Guidance to Ore brings out another Golem," T-Bone said as another Golem appeared on his field. "He may talk ridiculous, but his dueling isn't half bad. In one turn, he's taken away almost half of Jaden's life points," Michael noted as Jaden ended his turn. "A'ight homes, let's do this. I be playin' Pot of Greed, so I get two more cards. Next, I'll kick Golem to the curb, so give it up for Granmarg the Rock Monarch," T-Bone declared.
Level 6/Earth/Rock
ATK 2400/DEF 1000
"And that activates his special ability. When Granmarg is tribute summoned, his special ability blows a face-down card right off the field, yo," T-Bone informed, but Jaden said since he didn't have any set cards, he'd have to destroy his own card, but T-Bone said that was what he had in mind as Granmarg crushed his set card with his fist. "Check it, my face-down was Dormant Volcano, and when it blows, you take the hit and lose 300 life points," he explained as another column of fire shot up under Jaden.
Jaden: 2200 LP
"By the way, my volcano has another phat ability. During my next standby phase, we can both choose a fire attribute monster in our deck and add it to our hand, but first, the Rock is keepin' it real, so look out," T-Bone warned as Granmarg slammed his fist into Sparkman, crushing him with ease.
Jaden: 1400 LP
"I'm outs, so it's your turn, jelly roll, now step up," T-Bone taunted, but Jaden was feeling conflicted. "You know, this would've been a really fun duel, but you kidnapped my friends, and I want to know why!" Jaden demanded, but T-Bone said this duel wasn't about his friends.
"If I don't get mad props right now, then I'm done. This duel's about survival," T-Bone informed, and when Jaden asked him what he was talking about, T-Bone said he was talking about his power. "If I don't win, Sarina's gonna take it away, yo," T-Bone lamented.
Jaden told T-Bone he should trust himself because no one could take that away from him. "Now, on with the duel. And I play Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode!" Jaden declared.
Level 4/Water/Warrior
ATK 800/DEF 1200
"And now I activate his special ability. When there are no other cards on my field when Bubbleman is summoned, I can draw two cards from my deck. Next, I activate O - Oversoul to bring back my Sparkman, and then I'll use Polymerization to fuse him, Bubbleman, and Avian into Elemental Hero Tempest!"
Level 8/Wind/Warrior
ATK 2800/DEF 2800
"And next, I equip Tempest with Element Sword, so whenever he battles a monster that has a different attribute than him, he gains an extra 800 attack points," Jaden explained.
Tempest: 2800-3600 ATK
Jaden ordered Tempest to attack, and his monster flew at Granmarg before slashing with Element Saber, cutting him in two.
T-Bone: 2200 LP
"Yo, you forgot my spell card. Get up in here Granmarg," T-Bone said as a second copy of his monster appeared on the field. Jaden then set a card face-down and ended his turn. "Guess what cuz, my move. Remember my Dormant Volcano? Well now due its effect, we can both add a fire monster from our decks to our hands," T-Bone reminded as he added Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch to his hand while Jaden added Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab to his hand.
"Next, I activate the spell Lightning Crash. Now I can add a thunder monster from my deck to my hand, and I choose Zaborg the Thunder Monarch. Then, I'll lay this card face-down and sacrifice my Granmarg to summon a new one, which means his effect activates, destroying my set card," T-Bone said as Granmarg smashed it.
"Now peep this, the card I just destroyed was Dowsing Point, so now I can choose any monster in my deck that I want and add it to my hand, and I choose Mobius the Frost Monarch," T-Bone said, Jaden saying it was impressive he got so many monsters in one turn.
"Thanks for the props, but I'm not through yet. I play my Shadow Moon spell. To activate it, I have to send four monsters that are all level five or higher and have different attributes from each other to the graveyard, but then I get to activate the Blue Moon field spell from my deck, so I send Zaborg, Mobius, Thestalos, and Granmarg to the graveyard so the original gangster monster can take the stage. Give it up for Demiurge Ema!" T-Bone shouted.
Level 8/Light/Fairy
ATK 3300/DEF 2000
"And now my Blue Moon activates its effect, turning a face-up spell or trap on both of our fields into Hommunculus Tokens, so I'll change my Guidance to Ore and your Element Saber," T-Bone explained as two monsters appeared on his and Jaden's fields in defense mode.
Level 2/Light/Fairy
ATK 0/DEF 800
"While Hommunculus Tokens are on the field, they're treated as continuous spells and can't be used for a tribute summon, but that's not all, because Demiurge Ema gains 800 attack points for every Hommunculus Token that's on the field."
Ema: 3300-4900 ATK
"Light's out J-dawg. Demiurge Ema, put this fool on ice!" T-Bone ordered as his monster fired a blast of electricity at Tempest. "Not so fast, I activate my Half Shield trap card! This card halves the battle damage, and then by sacrificing the Hommunculus Token on my field, Tempest won't be destroyed by your attack," Jaden explained as Tempest crossed its arms and braced itself against the attack.
Jaden: 350 LP
Ema: 4900-4100 ATK
"You got nothin'," T-Bone insulted, but Jaden said he still had life points left. "Don't you get it J-dawg? I ain't just some chump, I've been given the power to duel anyone, yo," T-Bone said, but Jaden asked him why he wouldn't want to duel with his own strength. "Real dueling is about thinking on your feet and trusting yourself, but when you start relying on someone else to help you win, then you've never really won anything," Jaden said, and Solomon was reminded of Yugi. "My move. And I activate Spell Books from the Pot, so we both draw three cards. Next, I activate De-Fusion, so Tempest goes back to my extra deck and I can bring back Sparkman, Avian, and Bubbleman to my field," Jaden explained.
Avian
Level 3/Wind/Warrior
ATK 1000/DEF 1000
"And next, I sacrifice Bubbleman, Sparkman, and Avian to summon The Wicked Avatar!"
Level 10/Divine/Divine-Beast
ATK ?-4101/DEF ?-4101
"Next, I activate Fake Hero to special summon Elemental Hero Neos from my hand in attack mode!"
Level 7/Light/Warrior
ATK 2500/DEF 2000
"And now, I join Neos and The Wicked Avatar with contact fusion. Introducing, Wicked Hero Morphing Neos!" Jaden shouted as Neos and Avatar merged, Neos' body turning jet-black.
Level 10/Divine/Warrior
ATK 2500/DEF 2000
"And due to Morphing Neos' special ability, he gains the attack points and effects of the strongest monster on the field other than himself," Jaden explained as Neos' back rippled before expanding into a dark version of Demiurge Ema's upper body.
Wicked Neos: 2500-7400 ATK
"Next, I activate my Common Soul continuous spell. First, I choose a monster on either of our fields, and I choose Neos. Next, I can summon a Neo-Spacian monster from my hand to the same side of the field as the monster I targeted with Common Soul, so come on out Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab!"
Level 3/Fire/Insect
ATK 500/DEF 500
"And due to Flare Scarab's special ability, he gains 400 attack points for every spell or trap on your field, and you currently have two."
Scarab: 500-1300 ATK
"And due to Common Soul's other effect, the monster that was targeted by it gains the attack points of the Neo-Spacian summoned through its effect, so Neos gains 1300 attack points."
Neos: 7400-8700 ATK
"No way! He's got over 8 grand?!" T-Bone exclaimed, and Jaden ordered Neos to attack, the hero delivering a swift blow to Ema and destroying it.
T-Bone: 0 LP
Winner: Jaden
T-Bone dropped to his knees in defeat as the holograms faded and the sun began to rise. "Hey T-Bone, sometimes losing a duel can be a good thing," Jaden said as he approached his opponent. "I know it may sound weird, but think of it this way: now you can start over. You can find the dueling power inside yourself," Jaden encouraged, but T-Bone said he didn't have it in him.
"If you keep telling yourself that you're weak, that's how you'll always be. Come on, try believing in yourself," Jaden said, and T-Bone smiled. "Word. I've still got game," T-Bone said, and Jaden told him he could call him for a rematch anytime. "Next time, it'll be an even better match," Jaden said, but before T-Bone could accept, one of Sarina's mirrors appeared above him.
"Oh no. Sarina, don't be hatin'!" T-Bone pleaded, but his cries fell on deaf ears as he was absorbed into the mirror. After the mirror vanished, several more appeared in the air above them before the surfaces flashed and Sarina appeared inside them. "I thought he was worthless, but that was an entertaining duel nevertheless," Sarina said as her eyes locked onto Jaden.
"Jaden, I can see why my brother is so intrigued by you," she continued. Jaden asked if she was Sartorius' sister, and two of the mirrors flashed before showing Hassleberry and Syrus in strange mechanical pods. Jaden called out for them, and Sarina told him that she'd be waiting for him and Aster at Kaibaland. Aster asked why he was going, and Sarina said it was his destiny. The mirrors vanished, and Jaden vowed to make her pay for this.