State of the Meta

by Yung Warrior

A self-insert in which a competitive player from 2016 finds himself warped into the world of GX. Between adjusting his deck to make up for the inverted power creep, making grades, and saving the world, there's much to do, but all good players know how to adapt to their circumstances. SI-OC, 1st Person POV.

73. Black Thunder, White Blizzard

State of the Meta Chapter 73: Black Thunder, White Blizzard

THUD - a pair of heavy black boots stepped upon the arena floor.

CLACK - opposite them, two blue flats touched down in the corner across.

Chazz Princeton and Alexis Rhodes stood face to face unblinkingly. Despite the roar of the stadium crowd around them, with onlookers gathered from the five great academies along with numerous scouts from the media and the pro leagues, a gulf of silence seemed to hang between the two duelists, an unspoken weight.

Both of them knew that this tournament wasn't what really mattered. It was only a facade to fuel doctor Eisenstein's gateway between dimensions, so their friends might come home from the dark dimension with the wayward Jaden and Sartorius alive and whole. Beyond that, they felt the wicked aura of Adrian Gecko at the far reaches of the island, his already considerable power augmented by something ancient and primordial that had been sealed beneath the island. And yet, despite what lurked on the horizon, both were committed to see this out to the end.

"I'd go and stop Adrian right now, but the gate needs a little more duel energy to reach its maximum power…" Alexis fretted. Her efforts would be crucial to see the safe return of her friends, and her lover, Jamie…the memory of his deft touch and the sly, piercing gaze of his green eyes reliably caused her heartbeat to quicken. She worried for Jaden as well, a dear friend who had shown her how fun dueling could be…the idea of something bad happening to them weighed heavily on her mind.

"Tch, I should finish this fast so I can crush that Gecko beneath my heel." Chazz's thoughts were not so different from his adversary's, and he too dwelled upon the voyagers in the spirit realm, though he was primarily concerned with the welfare of his roommate and best friend Jesse. Even though his hackles were raised over the mysterious motives of the Cloudian duelist, Chazz's overweening pride drowned out all other concerns as usual.

"The following contest is a best of one duel for the Genex Tournament championship finals!" Pegasus crooned up in the announcer's booth. "The winner of this match will obtain a scholarship of 10,000 DP, internship opportunities with Industrial Illusions, and the title of King, or Queen, of the five duel academies!" Turning, Pegasus continued, "Representing North Academy, he is the black thunderbolt, the furious armed dragon, he is "the" Chazz Princeton!"

"CHAZZ IT UP!" The northmen roared while Chazz soaked it all in, a smirk sprouting on his lips.

"And his opponent, representing Central Academy, the ice queen of Obelisk Blue, the second seat of the Obelisk Force, and one of the seven keepers of the sacred spirit keys, Alexis Rhodes!" Alexis' cheers were much louder, as she was much more popular than Chazz apart from his contingent of supporters in the north. Her expression was cold, strict and strong, and her skin was so pale as to blend in with the white fabric of her uniform. From below, she was cheered on loudest by her fellow Obelisk Blues Bastion Misawa and Jasmine Makurada, as well as Jim Cook of South Academy. Mindy was there as well, but her grey eyes flit between Alexis and Chazz in muted conflict.

"Do you have any idea how long I have looked forward to this?" Chazz asked as they cut each other's decks. He tilted his head to one side with a lopsided leer, cracking his neck in anticipation.

"Don't lose focus. We both have bigger problems than this." Alexis scolded him as she finished shuffling his deck. "All we need to do is generate enough duel energy to power the doctor's machine. Once that's finished, we should track down Adrian."

Chazz worked his jaw. "Always so concerned with the big picture, eh ice queen? If you knew the lengths I have gone, the tireless hours I've trained, you wouldn't dismiss me so readily. I have more than enough power to put you away quickly, and then go take care of Adrian. Worm is a more fitting surname for the likes of him than Gecko." Chazz's gaze was intense. A storm of emotions whirling through his eyes, longing interspersed with resentment, spite mixing with covetousness.

They took their places in the ring, both vaguely hearing the bell ring as they drew their starting hands. Alexis' icy expression cracked a bit. "I have to admit, even though there's a lot on my mind…I'm going to enjoy knocking you down a peg, Chazz."

"Heh, that's the spirit…I want to see how much you can take…I want us to get lost together in this moment, and I want you to focus on me!" Chazz won the coin toss and elected to go first. "I'll start off with Ojamatch! This spell will discard Ojamagic from my hand to add an Ojama and an Armed Dragon from my deck!" Chazz was already starting off at a blistering pace, having no intentions of holding back on Alexis.

"And when Ojamagic is discarded, its effect will add the three Ojamas from my deck to my hand." The three little gremlins were normally a trifling annoyance in Alexis' eyes and in most other duelists' as well. But she knew that Chazz had a special bond with them, and in his hands even those weaklings could topple kings and queens.

"From there…I'll set one card face-down before activating Card Destruction! Both of us pitch our hands and draw new ones!" This benefitted Chazz much more since he was discarding six cards while Alexis was discarding only five. Alexis frowned. All of her initial stratagems went up in smoke with Chazz's early disruption.

"And that's not all. One of the cards I discarded was Ojama Pink (0/1000)! When it hits the grave, both of us will draw one card and discard another. Not only that, but one of your monster zones is locked down until the end of the next turn!" A pair of red, flower-patterned panties floated from the sky onto Alexis' field, signaling that her center-left monster zone was occupied. She curled her nose in disgust, but had to laugh a little as well.

Chazz's aura caused lightning bolts to briefly flash across the vast blue sky of the island. "I'll then play the spell Ojamassimilation! By banishing Ojama Green, Yellow and Black from my graveyard, I can summon three light machines from my deck!" With a crashing, thunderous sound, the would-be king in the north stormed the field with X-Head Cannon (1800/1500), Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600) and Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300).

"This might be difficult for you to hear, but Ojamassimilation is not once per turn, Lex." Chazz taunted her with the old nickname as he activated his second copy of the spell from his hand. "By banishing Ojama Pink and Ojama Red from the grave, I can also play V-Tiger Jet (1600/1800) and W-Wing Catapult (1300/1500)!" Flying high, the multicolored mechs assumed formation, all five of them able to mix and match with each other like toys.

"Merge together, my monsters!" Chazz commanded, raising a fist skyward as the yellow and blue machines combined to form VW-Tiger Catapult (2000/2100), while the classic blue, red and citrine models fused into XYZ-Dragon Cannon (2800/2400). The creatures whirred with dizzying speed and destructive power, and it was hard for Alexis to keep up.

"Finally, assume your ultimate form! VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon (3000/2800)!" Alexis was in awe as the mecha towered over her, blotting out the sun and giving half of the stadium audience an unexpected bout of shade. Although she was impressed at how smoothly Chazz brought out the unwieldy fusion monster, it was some relief that VWXYZ's effect could only be used on Chazz's turn, not hers. Nonetheless, she was reminded of when Chazz first used the union monsters in the proctored duel against Jaden at the beginning of their freshman year. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. At that time, Chazz benefitted from Crowler's chicanery, and the professor gave Chazz the rare cards for free. But since then, he had made them his own, and somehow made them fit in alongside the other members of his motley crew.

"Don't assume this is all I've got!" Chazz bellowed, as if sensing and repudiating her reflective thoughts. "I'll flip over the card I set earlier - Monster Reborn! This will revive another of the monsters I discarded earlier. Rise, Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 (2800/1000)!"

Black clouds spotted the sky as lightning heralded the arrival of Chazz's other boss monster, or at least a step towards it. The dragon had a black and red hide that was mostly covered with silver, sharp steel, curved blades sticking out of its forearms and hind legs. A crackling orb of yellow static charged between its talons. "Don't get too used to him either…my Armed Dragons can evolve in a flash! By discarding a card in my hand, I can tribute the level seven Armed Dragon to call forth its final form, the Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 (3000/2000)!"

With a piercing howl, the steely beast grew in size until it rivaled the stature of VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon, both monsters leering down at Alexis from her left and right. Unfurling its wings, lightning crackled in the Armed Dragon's webbed frame. At the end of its tail, an orb of pulsating static was encased in rings of barbed iron. "The card I sent was Armed Dragon Thunder LV3. When its sent to the grave, I can draw another card." Chazz continued.

Immediately, the black-haired islander-turned-northman revealed his drawn card. "I'll use Advance Draw, sacrificing my Dragon Catapult Cannon to draw two more cards!" Just like that, his gigantic machine was tossed aside as if Chazz was an easily bored child putting away a plaything. "Then, I'll use the graveyard effect of Ojamassimilation, banishing it to shuffle my Ojamas Yellow, Green and Black into the deck before drawing one more card."

"And now…black lightning, course between the mind of the south and the heart of the north! Arrive with the wind and thunder and bridge the gap between man's device and nature's fury! By banishing VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon and Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 from my graveyard, I can summon one of my most powerful monsters - Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon (3500/3000)!"

The ensuing monster was a gnarled, awkward, and unorthodox creation, and yet undeniably brimming with raw force as the Armed Dragon was outfitted with the mechanical implements of the five union monsters brought together for its summon. It flew in the sky while the Armed Dragon LV10 remained grounded, seemingly enclosing Alexis in a cage of steel and lightning. "I'll set five cards…your move." Chazz grinned, the northern contingent of the crowd applauding at their number one student's advanced plays.

"Great scott…Chazz is at an even higher level than he was against me." Bastion gaped in wonder. "He's completely different than he was when he went to school here. I can't believe how powerful the north has made him." His thoughts briefly dwelled on Chazz's well-known and deep hatred of Jamie and Jaden. If Chazz could defeat Alexis, the second seat of the Obelisk Force, then perhaps his barking claims about surpassing Central Academy's best were not so empty after all.

"Don't sell yourself short, Bastion. We've all come a long way since then. Alexis has too. And she's not gonna surrender just because Chazz had a good first turn." Jasmine replied, while Mindy was conspicuously silent as her eyes rested on Chazz. The man was normally full of insecurities and neuroses, and yet on the battlefield all of that vanished, and in its place was a confident champion, albeit one who only mostly lived up to his boasts.

And yet, Alexis was as elegant and stately as ever, so still it was as if her very blood was frozen, all of her sweetness and kindness similarly shed in the flow of battle. "My draw…" She paused, rightly assuming that Chazz had some shenanigans planned in the standby phase.

Sure enough, he did. "In the standby phase, I'll activate Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon's quick effect! By banishing my Ojama Knight from the extra deck, I can banish every single card on your field and in your graveyard!" Chazz noted that a few of the cards in Alexis' grave had effects, and wanted to preemptively get rid of them.

"Then, I'll flip over one of my traps, Ojama Trio!" Alexis was startled at the sight of three Ojama Tokens (0/1000) jumping out of nowhere and leering at her, their tongues wagging. The irksome creatures took up three more of her monster zones, leaving Alexis with just one open zone to use.

"Shit, he's trying to block me off." Alexis thought, although this wasn't all that much of a surprise given what she knew of Chazz's tactics. She came prepared and felt more annoyance than worry.

"I'll start by activating the field spell Ritual Sanctuary!" The coliseum was transformed into a chapel, red carpet unfurling beneath the two duelist's feet while organs and bells sounded behind Alexis at the altar. The audience was now sitting in wooden pews, astounded at the reach of solid vision technology. However, the marital scene would not last long.

Chazz momentarily blushed as he imagined himself and Alexis at that altar in a black suit and white dress, but he quickly wiped that image from his mind. "In response, I'll chain my continuous trap, Ojama Pajama. This will let me add an Ojama card from my deck or grave to my hand, then discard a card. I'll discard Ojamagic, allowing me to add the three Ojamas to my hand from the deck once more!" He quickly gathered his duel spirits to his side once more.

"Get ready, Ojama Yellow! I'm gonna discard you to use my Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's ability! By discarding a card during your turn, I can target and destroy a card on the field!" Chazz bid with a swipe of his thin, pale arm.

"I'm on it, boss!" Ojama Yellow cheerfully obeyed, acting as a lightning rod and conductor for the Armed Dragon, its peals of lightning ripping apart the church remorselessly until once more they were returned to the hard tile floors of the ring.

However, this is exactly what Alexis was hoping for, and she smiled coldly. "Thanks for that, Chazz. Since you used a monster effect during my main phase, I can use Triple Tactics Talent to draw two cards!"

Peering over her options carefully, Alexis ventured forth with her first monster, a blue-haired sprite wielding a staff of solid ice. "I'll normal summon Crystal Girl (200/100)! Using its effect, I can add a level five or higher water monster from my deck to my hand at the end phase."

Chazz sneered. "Congratulations, you've played right into my hand! Reveal continuous trap card, Sour Scheduling - Red Vinegar Vamoose!" Chazz declared while some members of the audience snickered at the card's name. "I can activate this since you summoned Crystal Girl in the same column as it. It returns your Crystal Girl to the hand, then blocks off all other zones in its column! Now, all five of your monster zones are locked!" The black-haired northman cackled, thinking his victory now assured, especially since Alexis used up her normal summon.

Nonetheless, she remained calm. "In that case, I'll just have to throw out these gifts you've given me. I play Dark Hole to destroy all monsters on the field!" The Ojamas let out cries of terror as they were sucked into the abyss that spawned at the center of the field. Chazz's dragon and machine were threatened to be sucked in as well, but Chazz responded fast. "My Armed Dragons are protected due to Ojama Pajama. All I have to do is banish Ojama Yellow or any other Ojama card from my hand, field or grave first!" Once again, Ojama Yellow came in handy for Chazz as it shielded his mighty steel behemoths from the Dark Hole.

Alexis winced suddenly, noticing her life points dropping. "Oh yeah, those Ojama tokens deal 300 damage apiece every time they're destroyed…" She muttered, although it was worth it to clear her field up to summon her own monsters. (Alexis 3100/Chazz 4000)

"Then, I play Fusion Deployment! By revealing Cyber Blader in my extra deck, I can special summon one of its fusion materials from my deck to the field! Dance, Blade Skater (1400/1500)!" Gliding onto the field, the monster was a bald woman clad in a lavender bodysuit, curved scimitars on her forearms.

With a smooth twist of her fingerless gloved hand, Alexis revealed her follow-up. "Polymerization will fuse the Blade Skater on the field with the Etoile Cyber in my hand! Wow the crowd, Cyber Blader (2100/800)!" Chazz rolled his eyes, expecting her to summon her usual ace monster. Even though Alexis wasn't as keen on fusion summoning as many of her contemporaries, she always held a soft spot for Cyber Blader going back to her childhood. The dancer's long blue hair whipped in the wind as it skated across the battlefield to Alexis' side.

"Really, you're still using that old card?" Chazz probed.

"It's a classic!" She protested. "Since you control two monsters, my Cyber Blader's attack points are doubled to 4200!" Alexis smiled. "I'll move to battle. Cyber Blader, take out his Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon!" Leaping into the air, Cyber Blader rose above the misshapen chimera's head before gracefully diving downwards, dragging its heel to neatly bisect the fusion monster. Chazz skid back as he took his first damage of the match, cursing the ease by which she dismantled the creature that took so much effort to summon. (Alexis 3100/Chazz 3300)

However, now that Alexis' opponent only had one monster left on the field, Cyber Blader dropped back down to 2100 attack points, leaving it vulnerable to the Armed Dragon's assault next turn. Looking at the remaining cards in her hand, Alexis quickly developed a plan. "I'll continue with the quick-play spell Dimension Explosion! By returning Cyber Blader to the extra deck, both of us can target two banished monsters to summon!" Giving her master a grateful nod, the skating star exited stage left.

"In that case, I'll return my Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 and VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon to the field!" Chazz declared boldly, only for Alexis to wag her finger at him.

"Ah, but I also chain my other quick-play spell, Pot of Acquisitiveness. This lets me shuffle three banished monsters back into their owner's decks, and then I can draw a card. I'll return your banished Armed Dragon Thunder LV7, VWXYZ, along with my Cyber Angel Benten you banished with your Catapult Cannon's effect. Not only do I get to draw a card, but your monsters aren't summoned at all since they're back in your extra deck!" Alexis' strident explanation caused Chazz to fume.

"So I summon nothing while you get two of your monsters back?!" He snarled.

"Exactly. And the monsters you banished earlier aren't anything to mess around with! Return to the field, Ice Master (2500/2000) and White Night Dragon (3000/2500)!" On one side of the Obelisk Blue appeared a vicious, fluid sculpture that could almost be confused for the Blue-Eyes itself, its movements jerky as if animated in stop-motion. On her other side was a masked blonde monarch, her scepter composed of ice with a snowflake pattern at its head. Although her monsters were intimidating in their own right, Chazz's Armed Dragon couldn't be destroyed by battle, so Alexis went on to the second main phase.

"Alright, I'll activate Ice Master's effect, allowing me to place an Ice Counter on your Armed Dragon. Then, by sacrificing Ice Master, I can destroy all monsters with Ice Counters!" With a wave of her hand, Alexis and the Ice Master sent gales of freezing wind and heaps of snow upon Chazz's monster, smothering its electric energy and holding it in place with thick sheets of ice. After a particularly harsh gale of wind, the newly constructed ice sculpture shattered, leaving Chazz's field empty while Alexis still held the White Night Dragon on her side.

"That's it for me, Chazz…" Alexis trailed off. At the end of her turn, the ice queen of Obelisk Blue supplemented her hand with the delayed search of Crystal Girl. Similarly, one of her monster zones was freed up at the end phase as Ojama Pink's effect elapsed. Her turn got similar adulation from the islanders in the audience, as she was able to mount a counterattack against Chazz's opening moves. "Tell me, is this battle as you imagined it would be?" She figured he had envisioned it often, with his obsessive personality and ill-hidden attraction to her. But Alexis doubted he thought it would go quite like this.

To her surprise however, Chazz maintained his cool. Despite his earlier words about focus, his attention seemed divided as his grey eyes seemed to stare at something far off every once in a while. Alexis knew why. Chazz was likely keeping tabs on Adrian, whose duel energy was much more powerful now than it was earlier that day. Since they were tied up with the tournament, Alexis figured that Kaiba, Pegasus and the rest of the onsite staff on the island could handle whatever the sneaky East Academy representative was planning, but somehow he had gotten access to a source of vast power. Alexis had no idea what it could be, as the Sacred Beasts were already unsealed. It was another of the island's hidden secrets, and indeed the place always seemed to have more mysteries in store for her.

Chazz sensed it too, and she could tell it bothered him. "Chazz, are you…?"

He huffed before returning his attention to the present moment. "Of course I do. We'll handle it later." Chazz seemed to start after realizing he said the word 'we'. "But if you think I'm surrendering in an official tournament match, you don't understand me. Even if we are just dueling the dimensional gate for the others to come back…it means more to me than that. I won't be reduced to a hamster on a wheel. I'm a duelist who fights to the bitter end."

"I'm fighting my hardest too, believe me." Alexis smiled a bit. "I can't wait until they come back." She thought of Jaden's smile, and the feel of Jamie's lips on her skin.

For a moment, Chazz softened as he seemed to think of good times spent with Jesse. "Indeed…" the referee startled Chazz out of his drifting thoughts, and he hastily drew his next card. "But right now, there's just you and me! Block out everything else!" He grit his teeth. "I'll banish my second Ojamassimilation, returning my banished Ojama Red, Pink and Yellow into the deck, shuffle, then draw one."

"Then, I'll use my Ojama Pajama's effect, adding Ojama Pink to my hand again before discarding it! This will force us to draw a card, then discard!" Chazz began again, locking up one of Alexis' monster zones once more with Ojama Pink's lingering effect.

"Then, I'll activate the graveyard effect of a trap I discarded earlier - Ojama Duo! This will let me summon two Ojamas from the deck. I'll play Ojama Yellow (0/1000) and Ojama Blue (0/1000) in attack mode!" Chazz declared, the two creatures barging onto the field with their customary crudeness. Alexis noted that he chose to summon the weak monsters in attack mode.

"Polymerization, merge together the Ojama Yellow on the field with the Ojama Black and Ojama Green in my hand! Fuse and form Ojama King (0/3000)!" The ruler belly-flopped onto the field, its massive white egg-shaped body causing the ground to briefly reverberate. Its eyes leered at Alexis through wriggling stalks, and it stamped three of the monster zones on her duel disk with red lettering that said 'occupied'. "He'll lock off three more of your monster zones, leaving you with just one!" Chazz jeered.

"And since you summoned your Ojamas in attack mode, that must mean…?" Alexis could guess what her adversary's next card was.

"Hmph, you might see it coming, but that doesn't mean you can stop it! I play the field spell Ojama Country!" The radiant, silver coliseum was replaced by the uncanny and odd-looking home village of the Ojamas, the homesteads misshapen and oddly round, giving Alexis the creeps. "While this field is in play and I control an Ojama, the attack and defense points of all monsters on the field are switched!" Chazz boasted as his Ojama Blue and Ojama King suddenly rose in strength, while Alexis' White Night Dragon fell from 3000 to 2500 ATK.

"And now that you're in my domain, there's nothing stopping me from enacting my will upon my subjects! Witness my final ascent from prince to king! Ojama King, attack and destroy White Night Dragon!" With a hefty belly flop, Chazz's egg-like monarch turned Alexis' monster into crushed ice. (Alexis 2600/Chazz 3300)

"Urgh…darn it, Chazz!" Alexis flinched. All the while though, Alexis' focus was diverted from the task at hand as she felt the dark, forbidden undercurrents of duel energy emanating from across the island, beneath the dormant volcano. Adrian was up to something, and had access to far more power than he had displayed against her in the quarterfinals. And Alexis worried that his intentions were anything but good for her and her friends. Not for the first time, she wished Jamie or Jaden were here, but they weren't, and there was no telling if or when they would return.

Noticing that her thoughts were somewhere else, Chazz barked, "Hey! Don't look away! Ojama Blue, you're up next!" With his opponent's field clear, Chazz followed up with a direct attack from Ojama Blue, the beady-eyed beast striking Alexis in the gut with a double drop kick that sent her reeling. (Alexis 1600/Chazz 3300)

Recovering quickly from the attack, Alexis regained the wind in her lungs and called out, "Wait! Chazz, I know you sensed that just now. It's Adrian, like you said earlier. He's up to something, and his aura feels completely different now!"

Chazz scowled, his dark eyes askance as he directed his senses towards the volcano as well. To Alexis' surprise though, his expression gradually became smug once more. "Yes, it's as I thought. That scheming worm Adrian assumed that if the Sacred Beasts were once sealed beneath the island, other forces must be as well. And yet, his power has not increased nearly as much as I initially feared. Whatever old relic he found down there is no concern to duelists like ourselves."

"You're wrong…I feel something deeper there." Alexis furrowed her brow. The energy she sensed felt ancient…primordial, something that dated back to the beginning of Duel Monsters itself, long before the dark spirits that roamed the earth were shelled within the constructs of cards. Suddenly, an image took form in her mind. "Could it be…Exodia? I feel…"

"Enough with your feelings!" Chazz snarled. "The meta has evolved since the likes of Exodia had their heyday. The future belongs to us alone. Think about it….our generation has fought and won against the likes of the Shadow Riders without even breaking a sweat. Jesse and I sealed away that Nightshroud nonsense into a card, and I smacked down Reggie Mackenzie even when she was empowered by that crab-looking demon, whatever its name was. And when the time came to go to war against cosmic horrors in the Light of Destruction, we emerged victorious there too! We'll do the same to this Adrian punk whenever he decides to show his face!" Chazz was heating himself up into a furor. "Where the fuck is your duelist's pride?"

"Huh?" Alexis wondered if Chazz was sensing the same aura she was, and if he really believed what he was saying, given his penchant for using arrogant bluster to hide his true feelings. Nevertheless, in the heat of the moment, at the grand finals of this tournament in front of hundreds of in-person spectators and thousands more on television, Alexis found that she did have a bit of duelist's pride in her after all. "Well, it's not like I'm going to surrender to you, either…" She resumed a fighting stance.

"Then stop stalling and make your move!" Chazz ended his turn with a set card.

"I will!" Alexis drew fiercely. "I activate Trade-In, discarding my level eight Ice Queen to draw two more cards!" After that, she immediately revealed one of her drawn cards. "Then, I'll use Pot of Avarice, shuffling back my Blade Skater, Etoile Cyber, White Night Dragon, Ice Master and Ice Queen to draw two cards!" Smiling, her white-blue energy flared before using her third draw card. "And from there, I'll play the Merciful Machine Angel spell, tributing the Cyber Angel Benten in my hand to draw two cards again!" With that, Alexis' hand was almost fully replenished. "Not only that, but when Cyber Angel Benten is tributed, I can add a Light Fairy monster from my deck to my hand." This let her grab another Cyber Angel on top of everything else.

"Whatever, having a bunch of cards doesn't matter when they don't do anything." Chazz got back into the contest, ramping up the trash talk because they were in front of a crowd.

"That's rich coming from a guy who plays Ojamas." Alexis smirked, causing the crowd to wolf-whistle in response. "I summon Cyber Petit Angel (300/200), using its effect to add Machine Angel Ritual to my hand, which is the final piece I need for a ritual summon!"

The air resounded with the clashing noise of gears turning against the drone of heavenly light from above, the crackling of flames in the forge between them. "With Machine Angel Ritual, I offer Cyber Petit Angel on the field and Cyber Angel Izana in my hand as sacrifices! Illuminate the world with your eternal power, Cyber Angel Vrash (3000/2000)!"

With mechanical wings stretching out to either side of the stands, Alexis' strongest ritual monster took the stage, its slight pink frame ringed with a halo of bronze metal, four arms unfolding outwards like flower petals as it looked down upon Chazz. "I told you I was gonna end this quickly, Chazz. When Vrash hits the field, her effect wipes out all of your monsters that were summoned from the extra deck, and you take 1000 damage for each one!"

"No, not like this, boss!" Ojama King reached out for Chazz's hand, causing Chazz to double take, as his monster seemed to think that he was really going to die from this rather than just go to the graveyard. However, his confusion gave way to shock as Chazz too felt the burning, ethereal light of Vrash's presence. (Alexis 1600/Chazz 2300)

"And since Vrash's first effect resolved successfully, it can attack twice this turn. You had a good run, Chazz, but it's time to put this little feud to bed so we can focus on what's really important." Alexis said. Crowler held one of the measurement tools in his hands, and she heard it beep, signaling the gate had finally reached full strength with the summon of her Cyber Angel Vrash.. Their friends could come home from the spirit realm now, thanks to the power harvested during the tournament. Even if Alexis lost the duel, it wouldn't matter much to her, as she could take solace in knowing she had played a key role in allowing her friends and lover to come home. But it certainly didn't look like she was going to lose now. "Vrash, attack Ojama Blue!"

Vrash's attack and defense points were switched due to Ojama Country, but the high-level angel was still more than strong enough to swat aside Chazz's blue pest and send him skidding across the arena floor with a gravelly snarl, dealing one thousand damage. (Alexis 1600/Chazz 1300)

"This will end it! Use your second attack, Vrash!" Firing a volley of bright white arrows formed from energy, Vrash sent them towards Chazz with a wave of her hand, aiming to finish the match. However, to the surprise of Alexis and the entire crowd, the bulging eyes and portly body of Ojama Red absorbed the arrows, their tips briefly sticking out of it like a pincushion before the monster was destroyed.

"I'm not just gonna roll over like that, Alexis! I used my trap card, Level Resist Wall. Since my Ojama Blue was destroyed by battle, this trap lets me summon monsters from the deck that equal its total level stars. With Ojama Blue being level two, I can bring out the level two Ojama Red (0/1000) in defense mode to take your attack." Chazz slowly struggled to his feet, breathing hard after the near fall. "And since Ojama Blue was destroyed, I can add another Ojama card from my deck to my hand."

"You've always been a tough one to put down, I guess. I'd almost admire it…that stubbornness can be a good thing when it's directed towards a good cause. And yet, you hardly ever seem to find a good cause." Alexis frowned, although at least her Cyber Angel's attack points returned to their original value since there were no longer any Ojamas on the field…or so she thought.

"You'll recall that I saved your brother's life. Unless you don't consider that a good cause. Tell me, does he ever leave the damned hospital wing these days, or is he too busy trying to woo Fontaine even now?" Chazz bit back, causing Alexis to sharply breathe in to avoid losing her cool. It was the truth, although she suspected Chazz saved Atticus from Nightshroud and the Society of Light's encroachments mainly to spite the expectations of others rather than out of any moral compulsion. Jesse was there as well that day…doing the right thing was likely his idea in the first place.

"Are you gonna hold that over my head the rest of our lives? Congratulations, you did one good thing in your life once. Want a cookie?" She wondered with equivalent sarcasm.

"No. Once I beat you today, I'll hold that over your head instead. In the end phase, I'll flip over my other trap card, Three In One!" Chazz revealed. "This lets me summon three normal monsters from my graveyard since you have more cards in your hand and on your field than me! Return to the field, my Ojamas!" Green, Black and Yellow sprung onto the field accompanied by a farting noise, the three nuisances able to serve as defense, synchro material, or tribute fodder. However, Chazz was low on resources, which gave Alexis some comfort, even as the dark presence of Adrian lurking at the edges of her consciousness disturbed her.

"My move!" Chazz drew, his own duel energy seeming to draw in on him, harnessing and focusing. "I'll banish my Three In One trap from the graveyard to use its effect. This lets me add a very specific spell from my deck…one that mentions three of my Ojamas! Go, Ojama Delta Hurricane!"

Ojama Black floated upwards to one side of Chazz while Green took the other side. On the ground, Ojama Yellow raised his hands, the three creatures forming a triangle. As they took their places, the space between them whirred with ever-quickening wind and lightning until the three of them fired off a charged energy blast, a furious typhoon that was far beyond their normal capabilities and had the power to wipe away every card on Alexis' field.

"No way! I chain Vrash's effect, shuffling back Cyber Angel Izana in my graveyard to negate your spell!" With immense concentration, Cyber Angel Vrash harnessed energy into one of her wings, and it became golden with charged power. Vrash swatted aside the blast with blistering effort, sending the gales spiralling upwards and causing a wall of wind to unfurl over the stadium audience. This resulted in many spilled buckets of popcorn and bottles of soda and water, but otherwise none were harmed.

Alexis felt her forearm tingle as if she had deflected the attack herself, feeling an odd connection to the monster on her field despite the lack of shadow magic at play. It was as if the intensity of the clash between her and Chazz had drawn the latent magic to the surface that always dwelled just beneath this card game.

"Tch, worth a shot anyways. Luckily, these little eyesores are good for something, even if that ploy failed. I sacrifice Ojama Black and Ojama Green!" There was no doubt what Chazz was tribute summoning, the two beasts going up in plumes of black and white smoke while Ojama Yellow was left on the field. One half of the audience found themselves illuminated in harsh sunlight while the other was bathed in cool, relieving shadows. "This will end it at last…the history between us, and any doubt that I have been and always will be superior to Obelisk Blue! Come forth, Light and Darkness Dragon (2800/2400)!"

The mighty beast roared, angelic tones offset by demonic growls as it bared its fangs at Alexis. "And since Ojama Yellow is still on my field alongside Ojama Country, the attack and defense points of our monsters are switched. Your Cyber Angel Vrash remains at 2000 while my dragon has 2400! Vanish with Dark Baptism!" Chazz cackled, his monster unleashing a torrent of violet flames from its mouth upon Alexis' field, dealing 400 damage.

Alexis clenched her teeth as the flames licked at her, but her monster stood strong, able to withstand Chazz's second strike this turn. "By banishing Machine Angel Ritual from my grave, I can protect Cyber Angel Vrash!" (Alexis 1200/Chazz 1300)

Chazz knew that the attack wouldn't be completely successful, but he had to break through her defenses at some point. "So be it. I switch Ojama Yellow to defense mode and end my turn." His duel spirit obeyed with a grin that matched its master. Light and Darkness Dragon stood tall, able to negate the activation of any and all effects once per chain. Even with the card's weaknesses well-known, it was still a force to be reckoned with. And with Ojama Country switching the stats of all monsters, slaying the dragon would be even more of a challenge. The crowd was tense as a drawn bowstring as both duelists appeared evenly matched.

Alexis found herself pinned down, Light and Darkness Dragon immobilizing her with its oppressive negation ability. "I'll set a card face-down and switch my Cyber Angel Vrash to defense mode. Back to you." Vrash could wall off any monster with 3000 or less ATK, but only while Chazz maintained his Ojama Country field spell and another Ojama on the field. If he had a way to get one of his own cards off the field, she would be in big trouble. Luckily, Chazz was also paralyzed by the dragon's indiscriminate judgment, and his own cards would be negated automatically without his input.

However, Chazz's next card soon proved her assumptions faulty. "My turn! I play the spell Super Rejuvenation…however, Light and Darkness Dragon will chain to negate it, allowing me to use the spell I really want on chain link 3. Dragon's Light and Darkness!" The interplaying light and shadows emanating from the monster briefly faded before resurging with greater force. "This card increases my dragon's attack points by 200 for each level star it has! Since my dragon is a level eight monster, it first gains 1600 attack points, then loses 500 to negate my Super Rejuvenation." However, that still left it at 3400 ATK points in total, more than enough to blast through Alexis' defense. Chazz switched Ojama Yellow to attack mode.

"Light and Darkness Dragon, wipe out her Cyber Angel with shining sublimation!" The harsh light of Chazz's dragon outshine Vrash's, and on his third try he finally wiped out Alexis' boss monster and left her field clear of monsters. "Ojama Yellow, attack directly!"

"You got it, boss!" The duel spirit said gladly before delivering Alexis a backhanded slap, which seemingly caused the air to exit the stadium for a moment as the audience reeled from the disrespect. Chazz received invigorated boos from the audience shortly afterwards from all except for his brothers and North Academy. (Alexis 200/Chazz 1300)

"Chazz fights like a starving dog." Slade grudgingly admitted to an assenting nod from Jagger. "The North gave him a grit far beyond what he had before."

"Indeed. Perhaps there is wisdom in keeping him on a longer leash after all. Even if he loses this, our clan will still see good press from him making runner-up in such a large tournament, not to mention the winnings will take some of the burden off of his tuition for us." Jagger mused. "Let's see how this unfolds."

"My turn!" Alexis' cheek was red from where Ojama Yellow slapped it, marring her normally porcelain, smooth face. She found herself fired up immensely from Chazz's crudeness, but kept her mind on the true threat. "Damn it, Chazz! The longer this goes on, the more Adrian and Viper can do as they please! I don't think I can win this turn…but I can put him in a corner!"

"I'll start my turn with Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Ojama Country!" She smirked before raising a palm and sending a gust of wind across the field, a tornado poised to rip through the humble Ojama village. However, Light and Darkness Dragon quickly dispelled the winds with its aura, the momentary gap just enough to allow Alexis to chain another card. "On chain link 3, I reveal my face-down trap, Call of the Haunted! This will allow me to bring back my Cyber Angel Vrash in attack mode!"

"Shit!" Chazz realized he was about to lose as he had his weak Ojama Yellow still in attack position. "I chain my last remaining trap, Destruct Potion! This will destroy my Ojama Yellow and boost my life points by its attack points!"

"Oof, that tastes bad, boss…." Ojama Yellow wasn't happy to drink the poison from the vile pink chalice that appeared in front of him, but he did it anyways to help the cause. (Alexis 200/Chazz 2300)

Vrash returned to the field in a burst of radiance. With Chazz's dragon down to 2900 attack points and Vrash at her full 3000 now that an Ojama was no longer on the field, Alexis had just enough strength to stay in the fight. "Vrash, take out his Light and Darkness Dragon!" Unfurling six pairs of arms, Alexis' angel tore it to shreds with precise beams of holy light, sending the black-haired rogue skidding back. (Alexis 200/Chazz 2200)

Although the loss of his spirit partner was significant, Chazz was quick to rebound as he scrambled to his feet. "When Light and Darkness Dragon is destroyed, all other cards on my field go with it." Ojama Country faded away, and they both could see and hear the stadium audience on the island more clearly. "Then, I can revive a monster! Return, Armed Dragon Thunder LV10!"

Just like that, one fierce dragon was replaced with another, this one equal in strength to Alexis' Cyber Angel as they stared each other down. Alexis silently ended her turn. Unlike her usual composed demeanor, she found an angry smile rising on her lips. "Jamie smiles in a tough battle as well." She recalled with fondness, and a brief pang of yearning sparked in her, but only for a moment as she refocused. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else she could do for now. If Chazz had another monster to play, it would all be over. But his resources were highly depleted alongside hers…it would come down to his next draw.

"My turn…" Chazz looked disappointed. "I enter the battle phase, attacking your Vrash with Armed Dragon Thunder! Begone with the thunderclap!" Vrash had become Chazz's personal punching bag as he struck it down again and again. His monster's thick arms locked with Alexis' angel, the fairy able to match the dragon's raw strength by imbuing her form with duel energy. However, the Armed Dragon followed up with a surge of electric power that snaked across its muscular limbs, the lightning frying Alexis' monster for good. Although they shared the same battle power, Armed Dragon's special ability rendered it indestructible by battle. "I set a card and end my turn…"

They both breathed hard. The air chilled around Alexis as her white-blue aura surged forward. "You can do this, Lex!" Jasmine cheered alongside Bastion and Jim, while Mindy was more reserved, seeming conflicted between the two duelists on the stage. Behind them, the entirety of Obelisk Blue sat in the stands, united behind her. Alexis realized that it was mainly Jamie's efforts that had united the notoriously fractious dorm, but he was gone, and seemed far from their minds as they roused for her specifically.

Why was it in the nature of duelists to always fight? The card game demanded a winner and loser, yes, but was that really the end all, be all of everything? She dwelled on it as she faced down Chazz, who held so much resentment and bitterness in his heart and seemed to feel that winning was the only way to soothe those wounds. But was he right? If she won, would Chazz be imprisoned in his own misery forever?

"Face it, Alexis. This is over. I'll overwhelm you next turn." Chazz's expression was stony and firm. For a moment, it looked as though he was fighting to hold back the cruel words on the tip of his tongue, but he said them anyway. "How does it feel, to come so far only to fail when it matters most? You deserve this…you've never had to struggle like I have. You're a lioness, I'm a hyena. I've had to fight for my place at the table, while you were given that blue coat of honor. That's the real truth. The hard truth! And you can tell it's true because it hurts to hear. Because you can't even admit it to yourself. People like you and Jaden Yuki and Jamie Lancaster just get handed the best of everything as a matter of course, and you think you earned it! But you didn't. You were privileged this whole time. I know it because I used to be the same way, until you and your friends cast me out of this place and I had to forge my own path in this life. It was a blessing in disguise…because that path has led me here, where I can finally rub your nose in the mud I've crawled through! Winter has come for Duel Academy!" Chazz threw his arms up, and the roars of the northmen were at his back. And with his powerful dragon on the field alongside a mysterious set card, his boasts did not appear so airy this time.

Alexis had let him vent on many occasions, but her patience had run out this time. "You talk about your experience with loss. Believe me, I've known loss, and it wasn't losing a card game." She thought of Atticus and how sure his death had felt for years, and how miraculous his return was. "Freshman year, I wore one of the spirit keys and put my life on the line for everyone, not just on this island, but for everyone on this planet. And I chose to do that because I didn't want to see anyone lose a brother like I did, or a sister, or a friend!"

Even Chazz looked surprised to see the fire coming from the normally placid ice queen. "I know you had your struggles, Chazz. But so did I. So did Jamie, and Jaden, and Bastion, and every other person on this island, and in these stands!" She gestured to the stadium around them. "But you know what we did? We picked ourselves up and kept going, without pointing the finger at everyone else. You might be angry, but that doesn't make you special! The world doesn't revolve around you. So if you want to be angry forever, that's your choice. But that doesn't mean I'm just gonna let you do whatever you want! I'm a duelist too, and I'm gonna win this!" Alexis' eyes were like two chips of ice as the wind raised her blonde hair skyward. Chazz shrunk in on himself at her verbal backlash, shocked to hear this come from Alexis.

"I draw!" A polar gale whipped up around her. "I activate Pot of Desires, banishing the top ten cards of my deck to draw two new ones!" Although her resources were running low, there were no other options with the Armed Dragon bearing down on her. "You talk about how you've left this island behind for the cold domain of the North…let's see if you can withstand the true winter, Chazz! I summon Hexa Spirit of the Ice Barrier (400/200)!" The ensuing monster was a small blue salamander, but it was only a harbinger of what was to come. "I'll use its effect, sending Mirror Mage of the Ice Barrier from my deck to the grave. Hexa Spirit then copies its level, changing from level one to level two!"

The hexagonal snowflake rune of the Ice Barrier appeared behind Alexis, its glittering light casting her in silhouette. "When Mirror Mage of the Ice Barrier is sent to the graveyard, I can add another Ice Barrier card from my deck to hand." On a roll, she picked up speed. "Then, as I control another Ice Barrier, I can summon Speaker for the Ice Barriers (1000/1800)!"

Alongside the salamander was a slight, blue-haired girl clad in heavy furs. She comically sweat in the island heat, but gave the Hexa Spirit a nuzzle all the same. "And now…I'll tune the level two Hexa Spirit with the level four Speaker! I synchro summon Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier (2300/1400)!" Although the white, icy dragon served her well in ending the duel against Adrian earlier, it wouldn't be enough this time since Alexis didn't have enough cards in her hand. "I'll follow up with Freezing Chains of the Ice Barrier, bringing back my Mirror Mage of the Ice Barrier (1000/400)!" This monster was also dressed poorly for the island's weather, sweltering under heavy blue robes and long black hair tied into a ponytail.

"And since I control an Ice Barrier monster, I can banish Speaker for the Ice Barriers from my grave, summoning a level one Ice Barrier Token (0/0)!" Alexis felt cool and refreshed as a small snowflake hovered near her head. "Finally, I'll use Brionac's effect, discarding my last card to return your Armed Dragon to the hand!" Alexis had to be careful not to attempt to destroy Armed Dragon Thunder while Chazz had his Ojama Pajama continuous trap lurking in the back, which could protect him if needed from destruction, but not being returned to the hand. Although Chazz reeled from the removal of his monster, the one that represented his independence from the island and his brothers, the dragon that he had earned in the frigid tundra of North Academy through his own merit, he still had one set card remaining, and Alexis knew better than to underestimate it.

"Damn!" Chazz cursed. "No, not like this! I worked so hard…I won't…!"

"Finally…I tune the level two Mirror Mage, the level one Ice Barrier Token, and the level six Brionac to break the third seal of the glacier, and release the wicked dragon locked within…face the true winter, Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier (2700/2000)!" Bursting forth from ancient glyphs, the resulting synchro monster was a triple-headed dragon, similar in size and stature to Seto Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, with pearlescent white scales and glowing yellow eyes. Opaline spikes ridged along its tail, and harsh, and the freezing gales alongside it drowned out all other sound.

Thrusting a hand out, Alexis cried, "Trishula's three heads will banish one card on your hand, field, and graveyard!" With a vicious peal of subzero air, Trishula swatted aside Chazz's remaining set card, the Pinpoint Guard trap. That card could have revived one of Chazz's Ojamas while making it indestructible by battle, which would have saved Chazz for another turn. But now, his field was wiped away completely, and a white flash of snow from Trishula ended the game. (Alexis 200/Chazz 0)

Just as quickly as it arrived, the blizzard ceased, and the bright sun beat down upon the island once again as summer returned. Trishula raised its heads skyward and let loose a roar of victory while Alexis raised her fist. "Here is your winner, and the new inter-school champion, Alexis Rhodes, queen of the five great duel academies!" Pegasus sounded off on the microphone while Crowler was beside himself, nearly moved to tears by the performance of one of his star pupils. All of Central Academy went to their feet, with Alexis being one of the most popular students in her class. But none cheered louder than the Obelisk Force, seeing firsthand that their efforts in training had paid off on the grand stage.

Crowler raised Alexis' hand skyward before presenting her with an envelope…sealed with his distinctive lipstick. "Your scholarship certificate is in here, miss Rhodes. An admirable performance. You have done us all proud today." The silly man said sincerely, and Alexis felt a surge of pride. Her parents had come to watch, and they applauded in the front row of the stands. This was the greatest accomplishment of her career so far. It would have been better if her brother was out of the hospital, or if Jamie was here, or if the pallor of Adrian's schemes wasn't weighing on her mind. But circumstances were never ideal, and she relished the moment anyways.

Chazz had approached her quietly, causing Alexis to startle. She was even more surprised when Chazz took her wrist and raised her arm in the air, resulting in renewed cheers from the crowd. "You beat me fair and square…" He admitted. "You didn't deserve this…but you did earn it." To her surprise, his eyes were watery, likely in frustration at himself. "I was being an dickhead back there…sorry."

Alexis looked at him sidelong while fireworks went off in the sky, celebrating the end of the tournament. "Hey, it's alright. I think it was good for both of us. Now, we can face the wars to come with the air clear between us. And someday, we'll duel again, my friend." Chazz froze as she gave him a brief hug. "Let's start over, ok?"

Chazz's face was red as a tomato, but he had little time to respond as he saw Slade and Jagger descending the stands and heading his way while the other students, onlookers and media presence milled through the arena floor. "I need to go deal with them…you'd better start heading towards the volcano. Take the others with you. I'll link up with you later." He rasped before walking off to greet his brothers, who looked furious.

A pang of sympathy ran through Alexis, but she quickly refocused. Swiftly making her way to the floor, she was mobbed by the other Obelisk Blues along with Jim, who lifted her up in the sky. "The queen, the queen, the queen!" They bellowed, and she briefly reveled in their unbridled adulation. When they finally set her down, Alexis sought out Bastion, Jasmine and Jim. "Hey, you guys. There'll be time to party later. I want to go see what Adrian is up to."

"You really are cold as ice, aren't you? Just won the biggest tournament of your life and it's onto the next thing." Jim remarked with a flirtatious eye.

"Well, when the next thing involves yet another weird guy trying to harness demonic powers, yes. Try to keep up Jim, I know you're new to this world-saving thing." She smirked.

"Oh, I'll be right behind you." The archeologist grinned.

"We're right behind you, Lex. We're both healed up and ready to go." Jasmine squeezed Bastion's hand, who nodded in silent assent.

"Then let's go!" They managed to slip away from the crowd and ran towards the volcano, hoping to stop Adrian and the Americans before they could escape...and hopefully determine their true goals in the process.

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(Seto Kaiba POV)

The CEO burst through the treeline and made his way to the shore, where he finally found Viper, Pierce, Axel and the other troops of West Academy. Their fleet was mobilized and they were beating a hasty retreat. Not for the first time, Kaiba wished he had kept a closer eye on them, but his own arrogance caused things to fall out of his control...again. But he would not rest until Uria was back in his grasp and he could determine what exactly Viper's game was.

"VIPER! Come and face me, coward!" Kaiba bellowed, the headmaster giving him the runaround for some time now. This had the opposite effect, however, and Kaiba snarled as he saw Viper and his son Pierce giving him a jaunty wave from one of the retreating lifeboats. There was only one figure remaining on the coastline, and Kaiba soon recognized him to be Axel, who turned to face him with a grim determination, as if he was facing the gallows.

"Shit, I need to get my men after them." Kaiba reached for his phone, only for the cracking sound of a gunshot to give him pause. Axel's duel disk was pointed in the air, smoke unfurling from its barrel as it assumed its firearm-mode.

"Seto Kaiba, my mission is to cover the headmaster's escape, and the escape of my comrades...face me in a duel!" Axel declared, his normally stoic persona giving way to rage like lava bubbling up beneath black igneous rock.

Realizing that the soldier wasn't giving him much of a choice, Kaiba smirked. "Heh, well I could use some stress relief. And since you already have Uria, I'll just take it from you after I'm finished having my way with you..." He smoothly turned on his duel disk. "How sad, that your own leader left you to the wolves." He eyed one remaining lifeboat tied to the docks, but he was intent on making sure Axel didn't rejoin his countrymen.

"That's the way of a soldier. I knew the risks, and I knew I would be asked to do something like this someday. I know what I signed up for...and I'm not afraid of you!" Axel said fiercely, transitioning his gun to its duel disk form. "Let's duel!"

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(Aster Phoenix POV)

He had broken off from the rest of the group. Aster was following a hunch, a twisting feeling in his gut that he desperately hoped wasn't based in reality...but he was committed to facing the hard truth from now on, and this would be a hard one to confront, he could just tell.

Easily blasting his way past the prison guards, he descended into the dungeons, searching cell to cell for the one he sought. He could still sense that familiar energy...how could he forget, after the man had raised him and been his best friend, older brother and father figure all in one? With steadfast loyalty, Aster ran through the labyrinthine dungeons of Yubel's enormous castle, the structure raised so high and delving so low it was like a miniature city all its own. Finally, he came across the object of his long search, the friend he had crossed dimensions for.

Sartorius laid upon the straw floors of the cell, his frame thin and his energy weak. The sight filled Aster with a deep rage, but he was able to set that to the side for now, carving the prison bars open with his white duel energy before kneeling down. "Sartorius...Sartorius, can you hear me? It's me, Aster..." The destiny hero duelist turned him over gingerly. With a sharp intake of breath, he saw Sartorius' face had been cut and bruised all over, one of his eyelids swollen and puce. His long blue hair was stringy and caked in dirt, unbathed for who knows how long at this point. And yet, a glimmer of light returned to Sartorius' pale eyes as he drank in Aster's appearence.

"Aster...my boy..." They embraced, and Aster wanted to hold him tight and never let him go, but he didn't want to apply too much force at this time. Gently, and with great control of his otherwise destructive duel energy, Aster shaped and directed it towards creation and nourishment, his touch imbuing Sartorius with a share of his own power. Aster would have given it all if he could, but he needed to keep most of it in the event of another battle.

"Here, just take it in, Sartorius...listen, it's going to be ok now. I'm here to free you and take you home." He said, sorrow creeping into his voice.

Sartorius clung to him tightly. "My angel...Aster, you're my guardian angel, here to answer my prayers. How on earth did you find me? I had almost lost all hope." With a glint, Sartorius brushed the silver hairs on Aster's chin. "And when did you get a beard...?"

"Its a long story. There will be time for it later." The silver-haired man remained laser-focused as always. "I gave you some duel energy...I know its not enough, but can you walk?"

Slowly, but surely, they rose, Aster keeping an arm around his mentor to keep him steady. "Yes, I can move for now...I can make it out of this hell, as long as you are by my side." Sartorius said reverently. "Aster, I'm so sorry for everything I did...little by little, the light of destruction poisoned my mind...I know there's no way I can make up for it, but thank you so much for rescuing me."

"I know, and I forgive you. How could I not, after all you've done for me?" Looking over his injuries attentively, Aster's expression darkened. "Who did this to you, Sartorius?"

The man's eyes went wide with fear, a deep, primal thing greater even than the fear of death. "Yubel...torture, months of torture..." He shuddered as he spoke the name. "She is here, in this castle...Aster, you must not seek revenge for my sake, it will only ensure that even worse happens to you!" He pleaded.

Aster's eyes narrowed with hate. "No. I've had enough. When I was a child, I could only watch, powerless, as my parents were taken from me. But times have changed, and I'm not that boy anymore." White energy swelled up around him. "I almost lost you too...I'm tired of being a victim. I won't stand by and let this go unpunished. I won't! Not when I have the power to change things! That's what a hero does!"

More than anyone, Sartorius knew there was no changing Aster's mind once he was set on something. Inwardly, he was proud of the boys' courage. "Then, I'll stand behind you. I can do that much at least."

Aster and Sartorius made their way up and out of the prison, towards the light above.

A/N

Hope you guys enjoyed. Thank you for your time. Wanted to go back to the dark dimension but this ended up being long enough I think. Pls wish me luck, I am testing for a big certification for work coming up. We'll catch up with Jamie and Jaden next time, this chapter ended up being big enough.