[Jaden, LP 4000]
[Aster, LP 6400]
"My turn. Draw." Aster said, pulling a card from the top of his deck.
The moment it touched his hand, Jaden's face-up Spell Card began to glow.
"At this moment, Mirage of Nightmare activates," Jaden said. "I draw until I have four cards in my hand."
He quickly drew and added four cards, fanning them out before looking back up.
Aster didn't react to it, already focused on his own move.
"I activate the Spell, E - Emergency Call. This lets me add an Elemental HERO from my deck to my hand."
He flipped through his deck briefly before pulling out his choice.
"I'll add Sparkman to my hand." Without pausing, he placed the card onto his Duel Disk. "And I summon it."
Electricity sparked across the field as the yellow-and-blue armored HERO appeared, landing firmly in front of him.
[Elemental HERO Sparkman, 1600 ATK]
"Next, I equip Spark Blaster to Sparkman."
A compact, custom-built energy gun formed in Sparkman's grip, cables wrapping around his wrist and forearm.
"I activate Spark Blaster's effect," Aster continued. "I switch your Thunder Giant to Defense Position."
Sparkman raised the blaster and fired. The electrical shot struck Thunder Giant squarely, forcing the larger HERO down onto one knee.
[Elemental HERO Thunder Giant, 1500 DEF]
"Battle," Aster said evenly. "Sparkman, attack Thunder Giant."
Sparkman followed up with another blast, this one stronger and more focused. The impact shattered Thunder Giant, his form dispersing into light.
Jaden watched as his Fusion Monster disappeared, then shifted his attention back to the field.
"I set one card," Aster said, placing his last card face-down. "Turn end."
The card materialized behind Sparkman as Aster folded his arms, waiting.
"My turn. Draw!" Jaden drew, and almost immediately, Mirage of Nightmare began to glow. Without hesitation, he calmly sent four cards from his hand to the Graveyard.
"I'll activate the Spell, Graceful Charity. I draw three cards, then discard two."
He drew quickly, barely glancing at the cards before sending two more to the Graveyard.
"Next, I activate my Trap, Disgraceful Charity!"
One of Jaden's face-down cards flipped open.
"With this, both players can add all cards discarded by a Spell's effect back to their hands!"
The discarded cards immediately rose from Jaden's Graveyard and returned to his hand. In just a moment, his hand went from nearly empty to full.
Aster narrowed his eyes. "…So that's how you're doing it."
"Alright," Jaden continued, unfazed. "I activate the Spell, Double Fusion! By paying 500 Life Points, I can perform two Fusion Summons!"
Two swirling fusion vortexes formed behind him.
[Jaden, LP 4000 -> 3500]
"First, I fuse Bladedge and Necroshade from my hand!"
Both monsters appeared briefly before being pulled into the first vortex.
"Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Escuridao!"
A jet-black HERO emerged, its claws sharp, wings jagged and unnatural.
[Elemental HERO Escuridao, 2500 ATK]
"Then, I fuse Avian and Burstinatrix!"
The two were drawn into the second vortex.
"Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Grandmerge!"
A new HERO landed on the field, sleek, balanced, and clearly familiar. Its design blended Avian and Burstinatrix with hints of Sparkman, Bubbleman, and even Clayman.
[Elemental HERO Grandmerge, 0 ATK]
Grandmerge was printed by Yumi and given to Jaden, since, well, his Aibo has more Normal Elemental HERO in his deck than him, so Grandmerge just fit Jaden more. Besides, later on, Jaden's true ace, Elemental HERO Neos, is also a Normal Monster, making him a perfect material to summon out Grandmerge.
"Grandmerge gains ATK equal to the combined Levels of its Fusion Materials times 300," Jaden said.
Energy crackled around the HERO as its power climbed.
[Elemental HERO Grandmerge, 0 -> 1800 ATK]
"Battle! Grandmerge, attack Sparkman! Union Ray!"
Grandmerge fired a concentrated blast from the device on his wrist, striking Sparkman head-on and destroying him.
[Aster, LP 6400 -> 6200]
"At this moment," Jaden continued, "when Grandmerge destroys a monster by battle, I can Tribute him to Special Summon an Elemental HERO from my Extra Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions!"
Grandmerge began to glow, its body cracking with light.
"Come on out… my favorite HERO! Flame Wingman!"
The light burst outward, and as it faded, Flame Wingman stood firmly on Jaden's field.
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, 2100 ATK]
Aster clenched his teeth. This wasn't just enthusiasm anymore; Jaden's pressure felt real.
"Open the Trap! Destiny Signal!"
Aster's face-down card flipped up, a beam of light shooting skyward and forming a glowing D.
"When a monster I control is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Destiny HERO from my Deck or hand!"
Murmurs spread through the crowd. Destiny HERO cards were practically unheard of.
The Destiny HERO series is currently a one-of-a-kind, similar to the Masked HERO and Vision HERO.
"Destiny HERO…?" Jaden muttered, eyes lighting up with curiosity.
"Come forth! Destiny HERO - Defender!"
A heavy, stone-like HERO appeared, kneeling with both arms crossed in front of Aster.
[Destiny HERO - Defender, 2700 DEF]
"You knew, didn't you?" Celina said quietly, turning toward Yumi.
She still remembers that last night, Yumi went out to meet another HERO user, whom she suspected was Jaden. Until she remembered that the two of them call each other Aibo and AIBO respectively.
And Aster was said to arrive at Duel Academy just last night. Putting the two together, she concluded that the person Yumi went out to meet was no other than Aster Phoenix.
"I don't want to ruin the surprise, plus this is Jaden's challenge; I can't always be present to handle every incident." Yumi didn't even bother trying to deny it.
After all, having stronger allies was one of his original goals to begin with. This is one of the glaring issues with GX, that besides Jaden, the other side characters really didn't have much room to grow, which ended with everything piling on Jaden's shoulders, causing him to get depressed during Season 4.
And even then, his friends didn't understand and kept saying, "You've changed," like he was the problem.
"Fair." Celina didn't argue; instead, she agreed with him.
"Amazing! A new hero!" Instead of looking worried, Jaden cheered. "This is fun, Aster. Our heroes are fighting. Isn't it thrilling?"
Hearing this, Aster clenched his teeth before asking in an irritated voice. "You think this is fun? Don't make me laugh, Jaden."
Jaden blinked. "Huh?"
"There's nothing fun about the fate of heroes who have to fight!" Aster said flatly. "The weight of the crosses that heroes bear... The suffering and hatred they feel... How could you understand it, Jaden!?"
"Suffering and hatred?" Jaden murmurs before his head instantly turns toward his AIBO, but Yumi doesn't give him an answer. Wanting Jaden to discover it on his own.
Turning back, Aster continued, "Those are the strengths that support a hero. People like you who only see heroes as cool and aspirational make me sick."
"What?" Now Jaden was even more confused.
He understood most of what Aster was saying, but that didn't make it less confusing for him.
"I need one... A true hero. So that I can live!" Aster said as the tension in the arena only thickened.
"After this, the gears of destiny begin to turn! So finish with your turn, Jaden Yuki!"
Feeling the shift in tension, Jaden refocuses, now getting serious.
"Alright, Aster, you asked for this!" Jaden said before swinging his arm out toward the black monstrous hero on his field. "Escuridao gains 100 ATK for each Elemental HERO monster in my grave!"
Shadows surged around the dark HERO as the afterimages of nine fallen HEROES appeared.
[Elemental HERO Escuridao, 2500 -> 3400 ATK]
"Go! Escuridao attack Defender!"
The black HERO struck, shattering Defender's guard and destroying him.
"Now Flame Wingman, player direct attack! Flame Shoot!"
The fire blast slammed into Aster.
[Aster, LP 6200 -> 4100]
"I set two cards," Jaden said, placing them down. "Turn end."
"My turn!" Aster said, placing his hand on his deck as a faint white glow coated the top card.
"Draw!"
As he added the card to his hand, Jaden's spell activated once more.
"Mirage of Nightmare's effect," Jaden said quickly. "I draw until I have four cards."
He refilled his hand without hesitation.
Aster didn't react. "Spell card, Fusion Destiny."
Confusion rippled through the spectators. What caught their attention wasn't just the card, it was the fact that Aster had no other cards in his hand or on his field.
"This lets me Fusion Summon a Destiny HERO using monsters from my Deck or hand, including Destiny HERO as material."
A fusion vortex formed behind him as Aster revealed three cards from his Deck.
"The fusion requirement is three Destiny HERO. I choose Dreadmaster, Disk Commander, and Doom Lord."
The three Destiny HERO appeared briefly before being pulled into the vortex.
"Fusion Summon! Destiny HERO - Dominance!"
A massive warrior clad in black metal armor stepped onto the field, a heavy cape flowing behind him as he gripped a greatsword in one hand. His presence felt imposing, less like a symbol of hope, more like something forged for battle.
[Destiny HERO - Dominance, 2900 ATK]
"I activate Dominance's effect," Aster continued. "During my Main Phase, I can look at the top five cards of either player's Deck and rearrange them. I choose my own."
He checked the cards, adjusted their order, and slid them back into his Deck.
"Now, Dominance attacks Flame Wingman."
Dominance charged forward, blade raised.
"Trap card open! Mirror Force!" Jaden activated his face-down card. "When an attack is declared, all Attack Position monsters you control are destroyed!"
Dominance's blade slammed into the glowing barrier, rebounding violently as the armor shattered.
Even so, Aster smirked.
"When Dominance is destroyed, I can target three Level 9 or lower Destiny HERO in my Graveyard and Special Summon them."
His Graveyard began to glow.
"Come on! My heroes!"
First emerged the massive green frame of Dreadmaster.
[Destiny HERO - Dreadmaster, 0 ATK]
Next, Disk Commander stepped forward, its smaller body lined with spinning disks.
[Destiny HERO - Disk Commander, 300 ATK]
And finally, Doom Lord appeared, its presence cold and ominous.
[Destinye HERO - Doom Lord, 600 ATK]
"Disk Commander's effect," Aster said calmly. "When he's Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I draw two cards."
He drew, then continued without pause.
"Dreadmaster's effect activates. When he's Summoned, destroy all monsters I control except Destiny HERO, then Special Summon two Destiny HERO from my Graveyard."
Dreadmaster let out a low roar as energy rippled across the field.
Rising from the Graveyard were Defender and Dominance once again.
[Destiny HERO - Dominance, 2900 ATK]
[Destiny HERO - Defender, 2700 DEF]
In moments, Aster's entire Monster Zone was filled.
"And Dreadmaster's ATK and DEF become the combined ATK and DEF of all face-up Destiny HERO I control."
[Destiny HERO - Dreadmaster, 0 -> 3900 ATK]
"Battle. Dreadmaster, attack Escuridao!"
The massive HERO charged forward.
"Trap card, Hero Barrier!" Jaden flipped another face-down card. "When I control an Elemental HERO, I can negate one of your attacks!"
A barrier formed just in time, stopping Dreadmaster's strike cold.
"Tch." Aster clicked his tongue. "Then Dominance attacks Flame Wingman."
Dominance rushed in again, sword swinging down.
"Lend me your strength, AIBO!" Jaden called out. "Trap card open! Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!"
A scarecrow made entirely of scrap metal appeared between Dominance and Flame Wingman, forcing the attack to stop.
"When an attack is declared, I negate it," Jaden explained. "And instead of sending this card to the Graveyard, it sets itself again."
Aster stared. "…You blocked everything."
"So that's where my Scrap-Iron Scarecrow went!" Yumi said in the stance, if Pharaoh wasn't sitting on his head, Celina wasn't leaning on him, and Rio wasn't holding to his arm, he might have stood up from his seat.
"You said you didn't need it, so I borrowed it." Jaden said sheepishly, even chuckling lightly. "I can give it back after the duel."
"Forget it, just keep it." Yumi ultimately said.
Since stealing cards is a serious offence here. It's better to say that he gave it to Jaden instead of letting Crowler spin the story his way to frame Jaden as some card thief.
It was somewhat his fault that Jaden got his hand on that card anyway, so Yumi decided to use this as payment for borrowing Jaden's past life identity.
"I want one too." Celina said, suddenly squeezing his shoulder a bit too tightly.
Yumi couldn't blame her, since in the current meta, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow is indeed a very useful card to have.
"Sure." Yumi nodded, making one isn't hard with how much Spirit Energy he currently has. And with the Bleaching Light or whatever arc that is about to come, he is bound to harvest even more Spirit Energy.
"Tch. Fine," Aster said. "Then I activate Doom Lord's effect and banish Escuridao."
Doom Lord moved in, its claws brushing Escuridao as the dark HERO vanished from the field.
"Escuridao!" Jaden called out.
"Next, I activate the Continuous Spell, D-Faceoff." Aster set the card. "Turn end."
The spell activated immediately.
"During the End Phase," Aster explained, "we compare the total Levels of all monsters we control. The player with the lower total takes damage equal to the difference times 100."
Aster controlled Level 8 Dreadmaster, Level 4 Defender, Level 3 Doom Lord, Level 1 Disk Commander, and Level 10 Dominance.
Jaden only had Level 6 Flame Wingman.
A nineteen-level difference.
A chain shot from the spell struck Jaden.
[Jaden, LP 3500 -> 1600]
"And since I control a Destiny HERO and have the higher total Level," Aster added, "I choose Dreadmaster. He gains that difference as ATK."
[Destiny HERO - Dreadmaster, 3900 -> 5800 ATK]
Even so, Jaden didn't look shaken. He remembered how far his AIBO had gone for them, and what he'd been told back then, when things started to look hopeless.
"My turn." Jaden placed his hand on his deck and closed his eyes for a moment.
"Draw!"
The card left a clean golden arc as it landed in his hand.
"Mirage of Nightmare's effect," Jaden said calmly. "I have to discard the same number of cards I drew."
He sent four cards from his hand to the Graveyard without hesitation.
"…Defender's continuous effect," Aster added, clearly annoyed. "While he's on the field, you draw one card during your Standby Phase."
Jaden nodded and drew.
"I then banish Take Over 5 from my Graveyard to draw another card," Jaden said. The spell dissolved into golden particles as another card slid into his hand.
He looked at it once before moving.
"I activate the Equip Spell, Favorite Hero! Equipping it to Flame Wingman!"
Jaden placed the card down. A warm golden aura wrapped around Flame Wingman, the hero straightening as power gathered around him.
"Battle," Jaden said. "At the start of my Battle Phase, Favorite Hero lets me activate a Field Spell from my Deck."
He moved another card.
"I activate the Field Spell, Skyscraper."
The arena shifted as tall buildings rose around the field, steel and glass stretching high into the air.
"Favorite Hero's continuous effect," Jaden continued. "While I control a Field Spell, my equipped monster gains ATK equal to its DEF."
Flame Wingman's power surged.
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, 2100 -> 3300 ATK]
"Battle! Flame Wingman, attack Dominance!"
Standing atop the tallest skyscraper, Flame Wingman leapt forward, flames trailing behind him as he descended.
"Flame Shoot!"
The blast struck Dominance head-on, the armored warrior breaking apart under the impact.
"Flame Wingman's effect," Jaden said. "When he destroys a monster by battle, he inflicts damage equal to that monster's original ATK."
Flame Wingman landed near Aster and opened the dragon-shaped arm, releasing a follow-up wave of fire.
[Aster, LP 4100 -> 3700 -> 800]
Aster clicked his tongue. With just one card, Jaden had shifted the flow of the duel. Still, once Jaden ends his turn, D-Faceoff would drain more of Jaden's Life Points and increase Aster's monster's ATK.
And without Dominance, Dreadmaster's power had dropped sharply.
[Destiny HERO - Dreadmaster, 5800 -> 2900 ATK]
"When Flame Wingman destroys Dominance," Jaden continued, "I can send Favorite Hero to the Graveyard and let Flame Wingman attack once more."
The golden aura shattered and faded, causing Aster to widen his eyes in horror.
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, 3300 -> 2100 ATK]
Although still weaker than Dreadmaster, most of Aster's other monsters are in attack position. If Jaden simply attacks one of them, then this duel would be his.
"Flame Wingman, attack Dreadmaster!"
The command stunned the field.
"Skyscraper's effect," Jaden added. "When my Elemental HERO battles a monster with higher ATK, it gains 1000 ATK during damage calculation only."
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, 2100 -> 3100 ATK]
Flame Wingman's attack landed, destroying the green giant.
[Aster, LP 800 -> 600]
The clash echoed through the cityscape. Dreadmaster was overwhelmed, his massive form collapsing as Flame Wingman pushed through.
"I set two cards. Turn end."
Jaden placed the cards down. Immediately, the chain from D-Faceoff lashed out again.
[Jaden, LP 1600 -> 1400]
"JADEN YUKI! ARE YOU MOCKING ME!?" Aster roared, his eyes turning bloodshot as he glared at Jaden.