The moment Jaden looked at the card he had drawn, a grin slowly spread across his face.
"Let's go."
Syrus nearly bounced off the edge of the boat in excitement.
"Yes! Jaden finally drew something good!" he cheered, pumping his fist.
Floating nearby, Lovely Labrynth leaned slightly toward Jaden, her crimson eyes glinting with amusement. A teasing smirk tugged at her lips as she folded her arms beneath her chest.
"Oh~? Looks like the deadweight's finally about to do something useful for once~"
Jaden laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "Haha, yeah… you're right, Lovely. Sorry for being such a burden this whole duel."
Lovely immediately narrowed her eyes and wagged a slender finger at him in mock reprimand. "Tsk tsk~ It's Miss Labrynth, Jay-Jay~ Only my Darling gets to call me Lovely~"
Jaden straightened slightly and gave her a playful salute.
"Alright then, Miss Labrynth!"
He then turned toward Mash, who was watching him with his arms crossed and an expression that looked far too satisfied.
"Told you," Mash said confidently. "You've got a superpower."
Jaden blinked. "A superpower?"
"Yeah," Mash continued, pointing casually at him. "Drawing exactly the card you need when things get desperate."
Then he jabbed his finger toward the girls' boat. "And now all you've gotta do is beat the crap outta them and their 7400 Life Points in this one single turn."
Jaden nodded firmly, determination burning in his eyes. "I won't let you down, Mash!"
"Oh, you better not," Mash replied with a chuckle, casually thumbing over his shoulder. "Because if you do... There'll be consequences."
Behind him, Lovely Labrynth was calmly dragging the blade of her massive axe across a silver bar, producing a slow metallic scrape. Her grin was wide, far too wide, and the look in her eyes was downright sadistic.
Jaden swallowed.
A visible chill ran down his spine.
"…Noted."
Meanwhile, on the girls' boat…
Meanwhile, on the girls' boat, the atmosphere had shifted dramatically.
Alexis, Jasmine, and Mindy stared across the silver waters as Jaden stood confidently on the opposing boat, clutching the card he had just drawn like a weapon.
Mindy's voice trembled slightly. "Oh no… What do we do? Jaden definitely drew something good…"
Beside her, Jasmine had practically curled into herself, panic finally breaking through her earlier bravado.
"H-hu-huuu…" she whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's all my fault! If I hadn't attacked, none of this would've happened!"
Alexis gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Jasmine… it's not your fault."
Jasmine suddenly straightened up, her expression snapping from despair to fiery determination.
"You're right!" she declared, clenching her fists. "It's Mash's fault! That smug demon of a duelist! I swear, I'm gonna exorcise and banish him for the good of Duel Academy!"
Alexis simply stared at her, expression completely flat.
[Actually, I'd say it was my fault… but sure. Whatever keeps you going.]
"Listen, Jasmine," Alexis said calmly, her voice regaining its usual composure. "We're going to be fine. We just need to stay calm and think this through."
Her eyes moved back to Jaden.
"There's no way Jaden can wipe out all 7400 of our Life Points in a single turn."
Just as the words left her mouth, another voice drifted across the water like a cold breeze.
"C'mon, girls…"
All three of them froze.
Slowly, they turned their heads.
Mash stood at the edge of his boat, arms folded across his chest, wearing that same maddening smirk that made it look like he was already celebrating the victory.
He casually slung an arm around Jaden's neck and pulled him closer like a proud older brother.
"Give my bro Jaden here some respect, would ya?" Mash said lightly.
His eyes sharpened as his grin widened. "Just because your LP is sky-high, you think you're safe? You think you've earned the luxury of another turn? And maybe even a shot at winning?"
Suddenly, Mash burst into a loud, theatrical laugh that echoed across the water.
"GYA HO HO HO HO HO HO HO!!!"
The girls visibly recoiled from the sheer villain energy radiating from him.
Jaden, still caught in Mash's arm, gave an awkward smile. "Uhh… Mash? You're being crazy again..."
Beside them, Lovely Labrynth clasped her hands together with a proud expression.
"As expected of my handsome Darling~" she purred. "You're like the very personification of Lucifer~!"
Mash grinned and finally released Jaden.
"Now go get 'em, Jaden!"
Before Jaden could react, Mash slapped him squarely on the butt cheeks.
SMACK!
"OW! Mash!!" Jaden yelped, immediately rubbing the sore spot with an annoyed scowl.
Mash only winked in response.
Jaden shook his head and turned back toward the girls' boat. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his posture and let his usual confident grin return.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Alexis! Jasmine!" he called across the water. "Let me show you the trust Mash put in me!"
Alexis flinched. His tone was serious.
But she took a breath, calming herself with logic. [Calm down, Alexis. There's no way Jaden can take all our LP down in one turn no less... He'll probably summon Flame Wingman again, or maybe some other Fusion Monster. We'll take some damage, its inevitable at this point, but we'll still survive.]
…Or so she thought.
Jaden suddenly slapped a card onto his duel disk. "Here I go! First, I'll summon one of the cards Mash gave me!"
A confident grin spread across his face. "Behold the fiery hero who burns with the same flames as Burstinatrix, {Elemental HERO Blazeman}!"
A ring of fire erupted on the field. From within it, a flaming figure leapt forward, red armor glowing, hair blazing like a torch, fists ready to fight fire with fire.
{Elemental HERO Blazeman|4 Star|Fire|Warrior/Effect|ATK: 1200 DEF: 1800}
"Hah!" Jasmine jeered. "That's it? You're summoning a weak 1200 Monster? Its just like you!"
Jaden didn't flinch.
"Blazeman may look weak, but the real power's in his effect!" He raised his arm dramatically. "When Blazeman is summoned, he activates his superpower!"
On cue, Blazeman's hand ignited with flames that swirled around him, forming into a glowing card that hurled toward Jaden.
Jaden caught it with a grin and revealed it to the girls.
"Thanks, Blazeman! His effect lets me add {Polymerization} to my hand!"
The girls all gasped as the fusion spell shimmered in Jaden's hand.
"And that's not all!" Jaden continued. "With the spell card {O – Oversoul}, I can revive a normal Elemental HERO in my graveyard! And I will revive {Elemental HERO Sparkman}!"
A violet flame erupted next to Blazeman, and Sparkman burst onto the field in a flash of lightning. Now two heroes stood side-by-side, ready for fusion.
{Jaden's Field: Blazeman, Sparkman}
Alexis's expression tightened as she studied Jaden's field, her sharp blue eyes flicking between the cards he had already played and the one still resting in his hand. A knot of unease slowly formed in her chest as the pieces started lining up.
[Two monsters… one Polymerization…] she thought, her brows furrowing slightly. [He's definitely going for a Fusion Summon… but which one? It's probably not Flame Wingman as it needs Avian and Burstinatrix. Could it be... A New Fusion Monster!?]
Beside her, Jasmine leaned forward anxiously, her eyes widening as the realization dawned on her. "Oh no… he's going to fuse!"
Mindy, however, folded her arms with exaggerated confidence, rolling her eyes as if the whole situation was being blown out of proportion. "Oh please, Jasmine. Relax. Unless Jaden somehow pulls out a Fusion monster that can search another Fusion card from the deck and then summon something with like… 4000 attack points… we're completely fine."
Alexis and Jasmine slowly turned toward her in perfect sync, both staring at Mindy with identical blank expressions.
[Why… was that so specific?]
The same thought passed through both their minds at the exact same time.
Across the water, Jaden lifted his next card high above his head, his grin practically glowing with excitement. "Now!" he declared, his voice ringing with theatrical energy. "For the moment you've all been waiting for!"
He slammed the card into his Duel Disk with a dramatic flourish.
"I activate the spell card {Polymerization}! As I'll fuse together Blazeman and Sparkman to Fusion Summon…!"
A brilliant flash of light exploded across the field the moment the card activated. The fusion vortex flared so brightly it resembled a miniature sun bursting to life between the boats.
The spectators immediately recoiled.
"KYAAAH! It's so bright!" Jasmine shrieked, throwing an arm over her face while stumbling back.
Mindy squinted and shielded her eyes as well. "Who designs these summoning effects!?"
Even on Mash's boat the sudden radiance was blinding.
"Darling-darling~! I can't see~!" Lovely Labrynth whined dramatically as she waved her arms around. Her hand suddenly latched onto someone nearby. "Darling? Is this you!?"
A nervous voice answered immediately. "Uh… no. That's my hand, Miss Labrynth. I'm Syrus."
"…Tch."
She released him instantly, her expression souring as if she had accidentally grabbed something sticky.
Mash, meanwhile, simply rubbed his temple while squinting at the fusion light, a crooked smirk tugging at his lips. "Man… why does the card I gave him have such an insanely extra entrance?"
(Author Note: Shut the fuck up, Mash. you too.)
Alexis's head snapped toward him the moment she heard that.
[Wait.]
Her eyes widened slightly.
[That was another card Mash gave him!?]
Meanwhile Jaden was already riding the momentum of the moment, completely unfazed by the blinding fusion vortex swirling around him.
"Haha!" he laughed, clearly thrilled. "Mash, this monster you gave me is totally worth the trouble!"
He threw his arm toward the sky with all the dramatic flair of a stage performer.
"Come forth and reveal yourself like the rising sun, {Elemental HERO Sunrise}!"
The vortex burst apart as a radiant figure descended from the heavens.
Crimson armor gleamed beneath the blazing light while a majestic blue cape flowed behind him like a banner in the wind. A brilliant solar emblem burned across his chest as the warrior landed on the silvery field with heroic poise before striking a confident stance.
{Elemental HERO Sunrise|7 Star|Light|Warrior/Fusion/Effect|ATK: 2500 DEF: 1200}
"Whoa…" Syrus whispered in awe, his glasses reflecting the glowing figure. "He looks awesome!"
Lovely Labrynth twirled a lock of her silver hair with a smug little smile. "Well of course he does. Courtesy of my darling~ Naturally."
Mash said nothing. He simply watched Jaden with quiet satisfaction, his grin widening ever so slightly.
[Pfft. Look at you] he thought with amusement. [You look like a kid who just got an early Christmas present.]
Jaden pointed dramatically at his new monster. "And now Sunrise's special superpower activates! He boosts the attack of all my monsters by 200 for each different Attribute monster I control!"
He gestured proudly toward the field. "And since I only control him right now, a LIGHT attribute monster, he gets an extra 200 attack points!"
The solar emblem on Sunrise's chest flared brighter as energy surged through him.
{Elemental HERO Sunrise ATK: 2500 -> 2700}
Jasmine's earlier confidence began melting away as sweat formed along her brow.
Mindy still tried to keep her upbeat expression intact, but the corners of her smile were beginning to twitch nervously.
Alexis remained outwardly calm, though her heartbeat had quickened.
"That's certainly a flashy monster, Jaden," she said evenly. "But 2700 attack points still won't be enough to finish us off."
Jaden simply grinned. "Oh? I'm not attacking yet."
He tapped the edge of Sunrise's card on his Duel Disk.
"Because Sunrise has another superpower when he's summoned, just like Blazeman!"
Alexis felt the tension spike instantly.
"It lets me add {Miracle Fusion} from my deck to my hand!"
Sunrise raised his arm as a glowing orb of sunlight formed in his palm. The orb drifted across the field until it floated directly toward Jaden, and inside its radiant glow the spell card Miracle Fusion shone like a sacred relic.
Jaden caught it with an easy flourish. "Thanks, Sunrise."
Mindy's jaw dropped.
"WHAT!?" she shouted. "A Fusion monster that searches ANOTHER Fusion spell!?"
Jasmine immediately grabbed Mindy by the shoulders and began shaking her violently.
"YOU JINXED US, MINDY!! YOU ABSOLUTELY JINXED IT!"
"I-I-I-I'M S-S-S-SORRY!!" Mindy squeaked as her head snapped back and forth like a ragdoll.
"Knock it off, both of you!" Alexis snapped. "It's not over yet as we can still survive this turn." Alexis said with firm composure, but she clenched her fist and was panicking inside.
Jaden raised the card triumphantly. "Now! I activate {Miracle Fusion}! By removing materials from my field or graveyard, I can fusion summon again!"
He slid it into his Duel Disk. "I banish Blazeman and Sparkman from my Graveyard..." he pointed skyward. "...to fusion summon {Elemental HERO Flame Wingman – Infernal Rage}!"
Everyone froze.
Alexis, Jasmine, Mindy, and Syrus all gasped.
Mash and Lovely? Just stood there, grinning like proud parents at a their kid talent show.
A blazing vortex appeared in the sky. From within, a green and crimson figure descended into the silvery field, Flame Wingman! He landed with a roar, belching a stream of fire across the field with his right crimson dragon arm.
The flames rolled outward like a burning tide.
…And one tongue of fire licked dangerously close to Lovely Labrynth of the Silver Castle.
She slowly turned her head toward the culprit.
Her silver hair swayed gently as her silver eyes narrowed into a cold glare.
"If my effect activates, Darling~" she said sweetly, though the threat beneath her tone was unmistakable, "please choose him to be destroyed."
{Elemental HERO Flame Wingman - Infernal Rage|8 Star|Wind|Warrior/Fusion/Effect|ATK: 2100 DEF: 1200}
Jaden, meanwhile, looked completely unfazed by the minor act of accidental arson. If anything, he seemed even more energized.
"Oh! And don't forget Sunrise's superpower!" he added enthusiastically.
A radiant pulse of energy flared from Sunrise, the sunlight crest on his chest glowing brighter as power surged through the HEROES on Jaden's field.
{Elemental HERO Sunrise ATK: 2500 -> 2900
Elemental HERO Flame Wingman - Infernal Rage ATK: 2100 -> 2500}
On the opposing boat, Alexis stared at the field with narrowed eyes, trying to process what she was seeing. The moment the numbers settled, her expression hardened.
"Hold it right there, Jaden!"
She stepped forward sharply, raising her arms in protest.
"That's Flame Wingman! He's supposed to be Fusion Summoned only by using Avian and Burstinatrix as materials!" she said firmly. "Instead, you used Blazeman and Sparkman to summon him. That summon should be illegal!"
Jaden opened his mouth to respond, but Mash spoke first.
"…Because that isn't Flame Wingman, Alexis."
"HAAAH!?" Jasmine shouted immediately, pointing across the field like a prosecutor presenting evidence. "Are you blind!? That's literally Flame Wingman standing right there!!"
As if on cue, Flame Wingman's dragon arm suddenly coughed out another stray burst of fire.
The blast shot forward and scorched Jaden directly in the face mid-sentence.
When the smoke cleared, his face was completely covered in black soot. "…Cough… great."
"…Okay," Jasmine muttered slowly, "maybe with a slightly bigger arsonist streak."
Mash gave a smirk that oozed confidence. "You know what? Instead of explaining..."
he gestured casually. "How about Jaden just shows you."
Jaden wiped the soot off his face with a sleeve, still grinning. "Alright then! Since Elemental HERO Flame Wingman – Infernal Rage was special summoned, I can activate its superpower!"
Mindy blinked. "Wait!? Flame Wingman has an effect on summon now!?"
"He doesn't," Jaden said cheekily. "This Flame Wingman does!"
He pointed at his monster, who responded with another puff of flame. Thankfully away from Jaden this time.
"Infernal Rage lets me add a card from my deck with 'Favorite' in its name!" he declared proudly as he swiftly pulled a card out of his deck and showed it off. "And I'm choosing one of the cards Mash gave me, {Favorite Hero}!"
Alexis gritted her teeth. "Tch… Another card from Mash?" She glared across the ocean. "How many cards did you even give him, Mash!?"
Mash and Lovely Labrynth exchanged smug looks, then slowly turned toward Alexis with matching sinister smirks.
Mash waved a hand casually. "Oh please, it's not that many. Just four."
Alexis raised an eyebrow. "And would you mind telling us what those four are?"
Lovely scoffed with a toss of her hair. "Pft! Like my Darling~ would ever reveal—"
"Sure!" Jaden interrupted cheerfully. "The four cards Mash gave me are: Elemental HERO Blazeman, Sunrise, Flame Wingman – Infernal Rage, and Favorite Hero!"
Silence.
Mash and Lovely both turned to glare daggers at Jaden, their expressions a perfect match of betrayal and disbelief.
"...What?" Jaden muttered nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Was that supposed to be a secret?"
Mindy tilted her head. "Wait, wait… {Flame Wingman – Infernal Rage}? So just changing the name makes it a different monster?"
"That's right, Mindy! 10 Billion points for you!" Mash replied, pointing dramatically. "Which means now Jaden has access to both normal Flame Wingman and Infernal Rage in his arsenal."
Alexis's breath hitched. Her eyes darted between Jaden's field and Mash, realization dawning like a cold slap to the face.
[No… This duel... It's all been in the palm of Mash's hand… from the very beginning!]
"Wait a second…" Alexis said slowly. "Back at the start, I saw Mash give Jaden three cards. So where did the fourth come from?"
"Oh, that?" Mash shrugged lazily. "That one came from a little bet."
"A bet?" Jasmine raised an eyebrow.
"Yup," Mash smirked. "All Jaden had to do… was survive for three turns against me."
Mindy squinted suspiciously. "...And how many tries did that take?"
Mash sighed dramatically. "Twelve. And that 13th attempt Jaden won, was only because Jaden cheated, he went first and skipped the third turn. Dick move, Jaden."
Jaden gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Mash… But your deck's basically unbeatable once you've got, like, five cards face-down."
The girls were stunned.
Alexis felt her stomach twist. Jaden, the boy who stood toe-to-toe with Chazz, in a full-power duel had been demolished twelve times in 3 turns in a row by Mash. And he seems casual about it!?
[Ah… We're already done for.]
Lovely Labrynth cupped her cheeks, her eyes practically sparkling."Ahh~♡ That look of despair~♡ It's such delicious food for the eyes, don't you think so, Darling~?"
Mash folded his arms and chuckled darkly. "Fu fu fu fu... Couldn't have said it better myself, my love~♡"
The two of them broke into unified, evil laughter.
"HO HO HO HO HO HO~!"
Jaden side-eyed them. "Man... Why are they our friends again?"
Syrus, deadpan. "They're like... a couple straight out of hell."
Mash turned, clapping his hands once. "Anyway! Enough foreplay. Let's wrap this up with a climax, Jaden. Time to go home."
Jaden nodded firmly. "Alright! Now, with Infernal Rage's effect—since I used a Normal Monster as Fusion Material, I can tribute it to—"
Flame Wingman slowly raised its draconic arm...Then blasted itself with a fiery breath, engulfing its own body in a storm of fire. Leaving behind a large lingering flame.
Everyone on both boats flinched.
Even Mash took a half-step back.
[Damn… I didn't know it did that. That was brutal... Like an Harakiri from Mortal Kombat]
Lovely burst into laughter and pointed at the flame, nearly doubling over. "HO HO HO HO, Darling~! Did he just killed himself~!?"
Jaden cleared his throat, blinking awkwardly. "Uh… a-anyway, by doing that, I can now special summon a Level 7 or lower Elemental HERO from my Extra Deck, ignoring its summoning conditions! And the Hero I'll summon is… the original Flame Wingman—!"
"Hold it." Mash slipped on a pair of shiny silver glasses (courtesy of Lovely) and pulled out his PDA with a calculator app open. "Uhm.. Actually, let's say you summon Flame Wingman and do the full combo…" Jaden and Syrus watched as Mash punched in a few numbers. The girls exchanged confused glances.
Mash turned the screen toward Jaden. "See? It won't close it." Then he tossed the glasses into the sea.
"Eh!? Really!?" Jaden looked disappointed. "So what should I summon, then…?"
"How about you go and finish this duel just like in the anime." Mash exclaimed.
Jaden confused. "What? What kind of anime?"
[Ah shit… I can't exactly tell him that in episode three of the GX anime, Jaden finishes Alexis off with Thunder Giant. And he wouldn't even get it because it didn't and will not happen now, Dumbass!]
Mash sighed, leaned in and whispered something into Jaden's ear.
Jaden's eyes lit up with understanding. "Ohh! Got it! You could've just said that from the start!"
He inserted a new card into his Duel Disk."Then I'll summon… {Elemental HERO Thunder Giant}!"
From the blaze left by Infernal Rage's sacrifice, a massive silhouette emerged, golden armor, surging electricity, and a thunderous roar shook the field as the colossal HERO landed with a dramatic flourish.
{Elemental HERO Thunder Giant|6 Star|Light|Warrior/Fusion/Effect|ATK: 2400 -> 2800 DEF: 1500}
"And now, I'll equip him with the spell card Favorite Hero!" Jaden slid the card in, and Thunder Giant was suddenly enveloped by a radiant moon-like glow behind his back.
Jasmine squinted. "What does that card even do?"
"You'll see…" Jaden said, pointing forward. "When I enter the Battle Phase!"
The Duel Disk buzzed as he declared it.
"{Favorite Hero} activates! At the start of my battle phase, I can activate a Field Spell directly from my hand or deck! So I'll activate {Skyscraper}!"
He slammed the card in, and instantly, the field shifted—sky-piercing towers erupted from beneath their feet, stretching toward the heavens.
Mash looked around in awe. [Whoa… Seeing it in person is way cooler than I imagined. Can't wait to see how my {Labrynth Labyrinth} looks when I play it someday...]
"And that's not all!" Jaden grinned wide. "{Favorite Hero}'s other effect kicks in! When there's a field spell active, Thunder Giant will gain ATK equal to its original DEF! And you can't target him with card effects either!"
Thunder Giant let out a mighty roar as lightning surged through his armor, his power escalating.
{Elemental HERO Thunder Giant ATK: 2800 -> 4300}
"But wait, there's more! I play the spell card {H – Heated Heart}! It gives Thunder Giant an extra 500 ATK!"
{Elemental HERO Thunder Giant ATK: 4300 -> 4800}
Mindy's jaw dropped. "No way… He's at nearly fo-"
"HOLY SHIT! HE'S AT FOUR-THOUSAND-FREAKING-EIGHT-HUNDRED!?" Jasmine yelled, nearly pulling her own hair.
Alexis sighed in defeat. "…Looks like this one's yours, Jaden. You and Mash really pulled it off."
Jaden chuckled. "Then let's finish this!"
He pointed dramatically. "Thunder Giant—Voltic Shock!"
Thunder Giant charged his fist and fired a massive lightning beam that slammed into the girls' boat.
"Ugh—!" Alexis and Jasmine grunted as the attack hit.
{Alexis & Jasmine LP: 7400 -> 2600}
Jaden clenched his fist. "And now, to end this duel… Sunrise! Rising Sun Fist!"
Sunrise soared into the sky, glowing with the light of dawn. The sun rose behind him, casting his silhouette in gold. He came crashing down in a blazing punch, an explosion lighting the field.
BOOOOOOM!!
When the smoke cleared… Alexis and Jasmine sat dazed and defeated on their boat.
{Alexis & Jasmine LP: 2600 -> 0}
Jaden points two finger at them and say his catchphrase. "Gotcha! That was a fun duel, Alexis, Jasmine!"