Chapter 10: Remember Love
The sixth day of the tournament had so far been uneventful. No other member of the Four Witches had come after Jaden. One thing had been bothering Jaden all day, and that was the idea that Tamao was behind the Four Witches and the mess with the Orichalcos. It occurred to him though that he didn’t know too much about what had been going on with Tamao since the incident with the Wicked Gods. Jaden had heard that Tamao had become student council president of Miator, but beyond that he knew nothing. So he decided to go ask Chikaru if she knew of any change in Tamao’s behavior.
That afternoon Jaden encountered Chikaru out in the field behind Lilum having tea. Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome were with her.
“Hey girls.” Jaden greeted as he walked over to the four Lilum students.
“Oh, hello Jaden.” Chikaru greeted with her usual warm smile. “What brings you here.”
“Well, I came to ask you about Tamao.” Jaden explained. “I’d like to know if you’ve noticed anything different about her since the last time I was here.”
“This is about the Four Witches, isn’t it?” Chikaru assumed.
“That and a few other things.” Jaden confirmed. “I just can’t quite believe that Tamao could be behind it all.”
“You probably would if you’d seen how she’s acted in her role as student council president.” Chikaru said as her expression became serious. “She may act all sweet and innocent, but she’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Tamao has become quite cunning and manipulative, and she’s done things behind the backs of the other presidents and the Etolie. Not too long before you got here, Tamao told the head mistress that the finals for the tournament would be held in Miator’s stadium before Shion, the Etolie, and I agreed to it. You wouldn’t believe the stress she’s caused poor Shion.”
“That just doesn’t sound like the Tamao I remember.” Jaden said sounding a little surprised. “When did you notice that she had changed?”
“Well, I guess I noticed something when she started running for the position of president.” Chikaru said after thinking about it for a moment. “But at the time I thought it was just her trying to move on from her break up with Nagisa. Is there something you know that we don’t Jaden?”
“Actually there is, and I may as well tell you about it.” Jaden told her with a serious expression.
Before Jaden could begin telling the girls about the threat of the Orichalcos, another girl suddenly showed up. Jaden could tell from the girl’s uniform that she was another Lilum student, and she had violet eyes and light-blue hair done in a braided ponytail. A sad expression was on the girl’s face.
“Oh, hi Hitomi.” Kizuna greeted the girl.
“You know her?” Jaden asked Kizuna.
“Sort of.” Kizuna answered. “Remon and I run into her every now and then. She’s very nice.”
“So what brings you here Hitomi?” Remon asked the girl.
Hitomi ignored her and walked up to Jaden.
“Are you Jaden Yuki?” Hitomi asked somewhat hesitantly.
“That’s me.” Jaden confirmed. “Is there something wrong?”
“Please…” Hitomi began to beg as tears started to well up in her eyes. “You have to save Saki!”
At this point Hitomi broke down in tears. Chikaru got her to sit down on the blanket that she and the others were having tea on. After a few minutes Hitomi had calmed down enough to explain what was going on.
“I’m sorry about breaking down like that.” Hitomi said as she wiped away the last of her tears. “It’s just that I’ve been a complete wreck these past few weeks.”
“What exactly is the problem?” Jaden asked with a look of concern.
“It’s my girlfriend, Saki.” Hitomi explained. “She’s changed.”
“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.” Kizuna interrupted.
“She goes to Miator.” Hitomi told them.
“Seriously?” both Kizuna and Remon said together with a look of surprise.
“What’s the big deal?” Jaden asked. “Is it forbidden for students to date girls from other schools?”
“It certainly is not!” Chikaru interjected. “Although it is a little unheard of, and can sadly cause tension because of the rivalry between our three schools.”
“I met Saki when I first came to the island.” Hitomi continued. “I was out taking a walk and lost track of time. Before I knew it, it had gotten dark, and even with the full moon in the sky I couldn’t find my way back to the dorms. But then I ran into Saki out by the lake. She told me she was there to watch the moon. And after I explained that I had gotten lost, Saki helped me back to the dorms. We became friends after that, and after awhile our friendship became something more.”
“You said that Saki had changed though.” Chikaru interrupted. “What do you mean by that?”
“I guess it began not long after that new student council took over Miator.” Hitomi began. “At first there weren’t any problems, but soon I started seeing Saki less and less. And when I did see her she seemed tired, and also frustrated. There were a few times when she just snapped at me for no reason. And then a few weeks ago… Saki told me that she wanted nothing more to do with me, that I was holding her back from becoming a champion and I should get lost.”
Hitomi broke down again at this point. It was a few more minutes before she could continue.
“She, she even threw out the card I had given her.” Hitomi said as she wiped away the new tears and pulled out a card from her pocket.
Jaden took a look at the card. It was a monster card that he was somewhat familiar with.
“Maiden of the Moonlight?” Jaden asked after examining the card.
“It sort of reminded me of Saki on the night we met.” Hitomi explained. “I know it’s not a very powerful card, but Saki used it in a duel whenever she could. She had once told me that it was a precious gift that I had given her. But now she thinks of it as trash, like she thinks I am.”
“That’s terrible!” Kizuna exclaimed as Hitomi tried to hold back more tears. “But what do you expect Jaden to do about it?”
“I was there when you destroyed that demon that had come to the island.” Hitomi told Jaden, referring to his battle with the combined form of the Wicked Gods. “I don’t know who else to turn to. Please, you have to bring Saki back to the way she was!”
“What are you going to do?” Yubel asked Jaden as she appeared next to him. “I know that we’ve helped couples on this island out before, but this problem might not be something we can do anything about.”
Jaden knew that Yubel had a point. He couldn’t do much of anything to change Saki back to her old self if a dark supernatural force wasn’t corrupting her. But then again maybe she was if the darkness of the Orichalcos was spreading over Miator. And even if there wasn’t Jaden felt that he had to try and help in some way.
“Okay, I’ll do what I can.” Jaden told Hitomi. “Let’s go find Saki.”
After about an hour of searching the island, the group finally found Saki. She was a somewhat tall girl with long dark-blue hair and striking emerald eyes. Her Miator uniform gave her a somewhat regal appearance. Saki was standing over a Spica student that she had just defeated; a cold expression was on her face.
“You lost, now get out of my sight!” Saki commanded her defeated opponent.
The Spica student shot a glare at Saki as she got up before leaving. Just as Saki was about to leave and search for another opponent, Jaden and the others quickly came towards her.
“Saki!” Hitomi called, getting the Miator student’s attention.
“Oh, it you. What do you want?” Saki coldly asked.
“Here.” Hitomi said as she cautiously offered the Maiden of the Moonlight card to Saki. “Remember what this card meant to you? I’m sure it still means something, just as I’m sure you still love me.”
“Get that thing out of my face!” Saki spat as she slapped Hitomi’s hand away, knocking the card to the ground. “It’s as useless to me as you are. I don’t need you or that card holding me back.”
“But Saki…” Hitomi began as tears began to well up in her eyes again.
“Get out of here!” Saki shouted as she slapped Hitomi in the face. “I told you that it’s over between us, so leave and don’t ever come near me again!”
“That’s enough!” Jaden interrupted as he walked over and picked the Maiden of the Moonlight card off the ground.
“Who the hell are you?” Saki demanded.
“Jaden Yuki.” The wandering pro duelist answered simply as he narrowed his eyes at Saki. “And I don’t like what you’re doing to Hitomi. Can’t you see that she loves you?”
“I don’t need love.” Saki coldly declared. “All love does is distract people. I need to throw away all useless things if I’m to become a champion.”
“You sound like Mika.” Jaden told her as he remembered his duel with the witch who wielded the Dark Orc of the West.
“Well she’s right.” Saki retorted. “I’ve learned through hard training that a duelist must stand alone in order to become strong.”
“Hey Hitomi, mind if I borrow your card for a few minutes?” Jaden asked after a moment, not once taking his eyes off of Saki.
“Uh, sure.” Hitomi said sounding a little surprised.
“What do you intend to do?” Saki asked Jaden.
“I’m going to beat you with this card and remind you that a duelist’s true strength comes from their friends and loved ones.” Jaden proclaimed as he slipped the Maiden of the Moonlight card into his deck.
“Are you challenging me?” Saki asked with a raised eyebrow.
“What does it look like?” Jaden stated, as the answer was obvious.
“A challenge from the great Jaden Yuki.” Saki said as a small smirk began to form on her face. “I saw you defeat that duelist Yako Tenma and his Wicked Gods last year, and I have to admit that a challenge from you intrigues me. How many points do you have?”
“Thirty.” Jaden answered.
“That’s the same amount that I have.” Saki informed him. “If I defeat you I’ll not only be closer to the finals, but I’ll have knocked you out of the tournament at the same time. Alright, I’ll take you on.”
Back on the sidelines as Chikaru and the others were preparing to watch the duel when Clive suddenly showed up.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the lovely Ms. Chikaru.” Clive greeted in a suave manner. “What you brings you out all the way here?”
“Oh, you’re Jaden’s friend Clive.” Chikaru observed after noticing the duelist’s arrival. “This isn’t really a good time to chat. Jaden is just about to duel.”
“So I see.” Clive responded as he noticed Jaden and Saki about to face off. “Well then, I hope you don’t mind if I join you and your friends in watching the legendary Fusion Master in action.”
Meanwhile, both Jaden and Saki activated their duel disks, and with their life points set at 4000, the duel began.
“I’m going first!” Jaden declared as he drew his first card. “I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode and end my turn!”
Jaden’s stone armored hero appeared on the field in a crouched position. Saki drew her first card.
“For my first move I’m going to give Clayman a little present.” Saki announced. “I equip Clayman with Shooting Star Bow-Ceal!”
A silvery bow and arrow appeared in Clayman’s large right hand. A look of confusion formed on Jaden’s face.
“Can Saki even do that?” a confused Kizuna asked.
“There’s no rule against it.” Chikaru answered. “A player can place an Equip Spell card on either his or her own monster, or a monster belonging to their opponent. But the card itself goes in the owner’s Spell and Trap Zone. What I can’t understand is why Saki would do such a move. It would make sense if the card had a very negative effect, but all Shooting Star Bow has done is reduce Clayman’s ATK points to zero. It does nothing to its DEF points.”
“I understand why she did that.” Clive interrupted. “The Fusion Master better be on his toes for this duel.”
“Now because I have Shooting Star Bow on my side of the field, I can summon Guardian Ceal!” Saki announced.
Appearing on Saki’s side of the field in a burst of flames was a green humanoid dragon-like creature clad in fiery red armor.
“I knew it.” Striker said with a smug look. “That girl Saki plays a Guardian deck.”
“Guardian?” Remon asked with a raised eyebrow.
“An old but powerful group of monsters that need certain Equip Spell cards on the field in order to be played.” Striker explained. “Each Guardian has a specific weapon that’s needed to summon them to the field. Think of them as the protector spirits that reside in those weapons.”
“Now I equip Ceal with Rod of Silence-Kay’est!” Saki announced back in the duel.
Appearing on the field next to Ceal was a sapphire colored rod that resembled a jellyfish encased in a pillar of ice. Ceal slammed his fist into the pillar and took the rod in his hand.
“Is Saki going to summon another one of those Guardian things?” Kizuna asked in a worried tone.
“Not unless Saki can Special Summon it.” Chikaru explained. “There must be another reason that she equipped Ceal with that card.”
“I activate Ceal’s effect and send Rod of Silence to the Graveyard to destroy Clayman!” Saki announced.
The rod in Ceal’s hand turned into a large fireball. Ceal threw the fireball at Clayman, destroying the armored hero with a small explosion.
“Ceal, attack Jaden directly!” Saki commanded. “Shooting Star Arrow!”
The silver bow and arrow once held by Clayman materialized in Ceal’s hands. Ceal fired a flaming arrow at Jaden. The attack hit and reduced Jaden’s life points to 2300.
“I set one card on the field and end my turn!” Saki announced. Jaden drew his next card.
“I activate Polymerization and fuse Elelmental Hero Avian with Elemental Hero Burstinatrix to summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!” Jaden announced. The green hero with the red dragonhead arm appeared on the field. “Flame Wingman, attack Guardian Ceal with Flame Shoot!”
Flame Wingman aimed his dragonhead arm and shot a fireball at the Guardian monster.
“I activate my Trap, Widespread Ruin!” Saki announced. “This card destroys my opponent’s monster with the highest ATK, which in this case is your Flame Wingman!”
Before the fireball attack could hit, a devastating inferno washed over the field and incinerated Flame Wingman. The hero was reduced to ashes.
“I lay down two facedowns and end my turn!” Jaden announced. Saki drew her next card, and a smile appeared on her face when she looked at it.
“I’m going to bring this duel to an end right here and now!” Saki declared. “I equip Ceal with Celestial Sword-Eatos!”
An ornate sword suddenly fell from the sky and stuck into the ground next to Ceal. Ceal drew the sword from the ground with his right hand. A shocked expression appeared on Jaden’s face. Back on the sidelines Chikaru and Clive looked just as shocked.
“No way!” Clive exclaimed as he took off his sunglasses to make sure that he wasn’t seeing things. “She couldn’t have that monster.”
“What monster is that?” Remon asked.
“Among the Guardian monsters is a monster that stands above all the others.” Chikaru explained. “A Guardian with incredible power. But the card is so rare that very few duelists have it.”
“I’ve heard of one guy who has that card.” Clive interjected. “A real muscular guy if I remember the stories right. I don’t remember his name off the top of my head; I think it starts with an R. But he’s a pretty strong duelist, and he’s one of the few people in the world who has that card.”
“And now because I have Celestial Sword-Eatos on my field and no monsters in my Graveyard, I Special Summon Guardian Eatos!” Saki announced.
A ray of light suddenly shined onto the field, and descending from the sky was a woman with blond hair and white angelic wings wearing a Native American style dress and a large headdress in the shape of an eagle head.
“So she really does have it.” Clive said as he beheld the arrival of Eatos. “The legendary Guardian monster. This girl Saki must have some amazing luck.”
“It’s not luck.” Hitomi spoke up. “Saki once told me that when she found Guardian Eatos, it felt like the card had chosen her.”
Back in the duel, Jaden could sense that the monster his opponent had summoned was not a normal one. He could also see a somewhat sad expression on Eatos’s face.
“This could be a problem.” Yubel said as she appeared behind Jaden. “A monster like that is usually very protective of its wielder. We could be in for a rough fight.”
“Do you seen the look on Eatos’s face?” Jaden asked Yubel. “It’s like she’s in pain.”
“You’re right.” Yubel agreed. “If I had to guess, I’d say that Eatos doesn’t like what Saki has become anymore than Hitomi does.”
“Now I play the Spell card, Taylor of the Fickle!” Saki announced. “This let’s me switch Celestial Sword from Ceal to Eatos!”
The sword glowed with a faint green aura and flew from Ceal’s hand to Eatos’s.
“Now I activate the effect of Guardian Eatos!” Saki announced. “I send Celestial Sword to the Graveyard and remove Elemental Hero Avian, Elemental Hero Burstinatrix, and Elemental Hero Flame Wingman from your Graveyard!”
Eatos raised her sword into the air. The sword shattered, and the three monsters that Saki had named suddenly appeared above the field in spirit form.
“The ATK of the monsters removed get added to the ATK of Eatos until the end of my turn.” Saki explained. “Which means her ATK rises from 2500 to 6800.”
The three monsters that had been removed from Jaden’s Graveyard turned into white light and were drawn to Eatos’s right hand and became a spear.
“Eatos, attack Jaden Yuki directly!” Saki commanded. “Guardian’s Judgment!”
“I activate my Trap, Negate Attack!” Jaden announced just as Eatos threw the spear of light.
As soon as the spear was thrown it was sucked into a small vortex that appeared in front of Jaden. Chikaru and the others watching on the sidelines breathed a sigh of relief.
“Fine, you survive for this round, but on my next turn your dead.” Saki declared in an irritated tone. “I end my turn!”
“Wow, that was close.” Remon said as she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Jaden bought himself a little time.” Chikaru stated. “The effect of Guardian Eatos only works if the opponent has a lot of monsters in the Graveyard. Right now Jaden only has one.”
“True, but his life points are lower than Eatos’s ATK points.” Clive pointed out. “And there’s still the effect of Guardian Ceal, which can destroy a monster by sacrificing and Equip card. It’s a pretty tight spot he’s in.”
Jaden drew his next card. It was the card that he borrowed from Hitomi before the duel began, and he hoped it would be enough to end the duel and bring Saki to her senses.
“I summon Maiden of the Moonlight in Attack Mode!” Jaden announced as he placed the card in his duel disk.
Appearing on the field was a woman with pale skin, brown hair that ended just above her shoulders, ad white angelic wings wearing a white dress.
“You gotta be kidding me!” Clive exclaimed. “The Fusion Master expects to defend himself against the legendary Guardian monster with a wimpy card like that?”
“Hey, don’t insult Hitomi’s card!” Kizuna angrily told Clive, startling the pro duelist.
“Yeah, that card is a precious gift that Hitomi gave Saki, and now Jaden is using it to try and get her back!” Remon added.
“Wait, who’s Hitomi? Did I miss something before coming here?” Clive asked, feeling like he had just committed a crime.
“You missed plenty, so just be quiet and watch.” Chikaru told him.
“You’re fighting me with that piece of trash?” Saki asked coldly.
“This card represents the love that you and Hitomi have for each other.” Jaden told her. “Hitomi told me that you used this card in a duel every chance you had. It may not be the strongest card, but it still meant a lot to you because it was a gift from her.”
“That card and Hitomi have been holding me back.” Saki retorted. “I don’t need such useless things in my life. Now are you done with your turn or not?”
Jaden noticed the look in Saki’s eyes as she said those words. Her eyes looked as if they were filled with pain. It was as if she didn’t mean what she had just said.
“…I end my turn.” Jaden finally announced. Saki drew her next card.
“I activate Card of Sanctity, which lets us both draw until we have six cards in our hands.” Saki announced.
“This could be real bad.” Clive stated on the sidelines. “That girl Saki is bound to draw an Equip card, and if she does it’s all over.”
“…Well, it seems I didn’t draw any Equip cards.” Saki stated as she looked at her hand. “But it doesn’t matter. All you have is that weak Maiden of the Moonlight that you and Hitomi keep throwing in my face. Eatos, destroy that pathetic card!”
A shocked expression appeared on Eatos’s face with that command. The Guardian monster looked back at Saki to see if she was serious. At the same time a shocked and somewhat frightened expression appeared on the Maiden of the Moonlight’s face
“You heard me, kill her!” Saki commanded Eatos.
Eatos gritted her teeth and turned her attention back to the battlefield. She raised her right arm and another spear of light formed in her hand. With a loud cry Eatos threw the spear.
“I activate my Trap, Justi-Break!” Jaden announced. “When a Normal Monster on my side of the field is targeted for an attack, all monsters on the field except for Normal Monsters are destroyed!”
Maiden of the Moonlight quickly raised her right arm and shot a bolt of yellow lightning into the air. Three bolts of lightning came down and not only destroyed the spear, but Eatos and Ceal as well. As sad expression appeared on the Maiden’s face as she watched Eatos be destroyed.
“When used in the right way, even weak cards can win a duel.” Jaden told Saki. “There was a time when you remembered that, and I think down you still do.”
“…So you think you’ve won because you destroyed Eatos?” Saki asked in a low voice. “Well your nightmare is just beginning.”
With those words a hand suddenly burst up from the ground, startling Jaden and those who were watching. On the sidelines Kagome started squeezing her teddy bear even tighter. Another hand burst up from the ground, and the rest of the creature soon followed. It looked similar to Eatos, but was far darker looking. Much of her body was wrapped in bandages. Brown rusty armor adorned her upper torso and wrists. Her once white angelic wings had become black, and her hair had turned brown and stringy. On her face she wore a sinister white mask in red eyes.
“What is that thing?” Kizuna asked in a frightened tone.
“I can’t be!” Clive exclaimed as the color drained from his face. “That monster is Guardian Dreadscythe!”
“I’ve never heard of that card.” Chikaru told Clive.
“Only a few duelists have.” Clive replied. “Most consider it a myth because it was said to have been used in only one duel, a duel that some people don’t think even happened. You remember I mentioned that guy who also used Guardian Eatos? Well in that duel he used Dreadscythe too. And it’s said that the card is practically indestructible.”
“Guardian Dreadscythe is summoned when Guardian Eatos is destroyed.” Saki explained back in the duel. “And when she’s summoned I can equip her with Reaper Scythe-Dreadscythe from my deck, which I do so now!”
A large rusty scythe dropped from the sky and was caught by Dreadscythe.
“Reaper Scythe gives Dreadscythe 500 ATK for each monster in my Graveyard, and right now there are two, so her ATK is 3500.” Saki explained. “Not only that, but if you try to destroy Dreadscythe in any way I have to discard a card to prevent it. And most of the cards in my hand are monsters, so all you’d end up doing is make Dreadscythe even more powerful.”
“If Saki only had one or two cards in her hand, Jaden could probably destroy Dreadscythe pretty easily.” Chikaru pointed out on the sidelines. “But right now she has six. I’m not sure how Jaden can get out of this.”
“There was only one duelist who was able to destroy Guardian Dreadscythe.” Clive said with a grave expression. “And that was Yugi Muto himself.”
“I get it now, like that card you’re willing to throw away everything to become a champion, even the things that are the most important.” Jaden observed.
“That’s right, I don’t care who I have to step over or what ties I have to cut!” Saki confirmed with a slightly insane smile. “I’ll do whatever it takes to become a champion! And I’m going to start by taking you down! Dreadscythe, slaughter Maiden of the Moonlight with Reaper Slash!”
Dreadscythe charged at Maiden of the Moonlight and relentlessly cut her in half. Jaden’s life points fell to 300.
“I end my turn.” Saki announced. Back on the sidelines Hitomi fell to her knees on the verge of tears once again.
“She’s really gone.” Hitomi said with a tone of helplessness. “The Saki I know and love is gone, and after what I’ve just seen I don’t think anything can bring her back, not even Jaden.”
Jaden heard Hitomi’s cries from the sidelines and felt that she was right. The look in Saki’s eyes had changed from pain to madness. It seemed to Jaden that there was little hope of bringing Saki back to the person she was. The only thing left was to end the duel. Jaden knew that there were other ways to get rid of Dreadscythe other than destroying her, and one of those ways was in his hand. His hand contained Elemental Hero Neos, Neo-Spacian Grand Mole, Fake Hero, and Contact Out. With those four cards Jaden could return Dreadscythe to Saki’s hand and deliver two devastating attacks that could end the duel. The other two cards in Jaden’s hand were Elemental Hero Sparkman and Swing of Memories, but they were of no help in that situation. With his course of action decided, Jaden drew his next card, and was surprised to find that it was The Eye of Timaeus.
“Do not give up hope Jaden Yuki.” Timaeus said as he appeared next to Jaden in his knight form. “There is still a chance we can bring this girl back to her senses.”
“What do you mean?” Jaden asked.
“One of the reasons for this girl’s behavior is Guardian Dreadscythe.” Timaeus explained. “That card was created by the Orichalcos.”
“Wait, back up.” Yubel chimed in. “How is Dreadscythe related to the Orichalcos?”
“Back when King Dartz was trying to revive the Great Leviathan, he sent three warriors to eliminate the Nameless Pharaoh, Seto Kaiba, and Joey Wheeler.” Timaeus explained. “The duelist sent after the Pharaoh used Guardian Eatos. But when Dartz gave that man the power of the Orichalcos, Eatos was twisted into the creature you now face.”
“I get it, so Dreadscythe is Eatos’s dark side.” Yubel observed. “And now the card is driving Saki nuts.”
“That is correct.” Timaeus confirmed. “And now the darkness of the Orichalcos has infected this girl and twisted Eatos yet again.”
“Okay, so how do save Saki from this darkness?” Jaden asked.
“The answer lies with Maiden of the Moonlight.” Timaeus explained. “The heart of that card contains the desire to return Saki to the person she once was. The power of my dragon form can bring that desire out and turn it into a power that can banish the darkness.”
“Okay, we’ll give it a shot.” Jaden said as a smile of hope came to his face. “For my first move I activate Swing of Memories and summon Maiden of the Moonlight back to the field!”
Maiden of the Moonlight appeared back on Jaden’s side of the field.
“Why waist your time bringing back that sorry excuse for a card?” Saki asked with an arrogant grin.
“Because this is the card that’s going to remind you of the person you were! And now I play The Eye of Timaeus!” Jaden announced. Timaeus roared onto the field in his dragon form. “Now I combine Timaeus with Maiden of the Moonlight to create Lunar Wing Dragon!”
Timaeus roared again and turned into a green energy force that entered the Maiden of the Moonlight’s left eye, causing her to inhale sharply. The Maiden’s wings then expanded and folded around her like a cocoon. The wings glowed with a brilliant white light and expanded to three times their size. The wings unfolded to reveal a large but slender dragon with silver scales and eyes like sapphires. Smaller white-feathered wings were on the sides of its head. On its torso it wore glittering gold armor, and on its head a golden faceplate with a clear gemstone adorning the forehead.
“And now to get rid of Guardian Dreadscythe’s evil!” Jaden declared. “I activate Lunar Wing Dragon’s effect! Moon Crystal Purification!”
Lunar Wing Dragon fired a beam of white light from the crystal on its forehead. The beam his Dreadscythe and caused the dark guardian in blue flames. When the flames cleared Guardian Eatos was standing in Dreadscythe’s place.
“What the…? Eatos!” a confused Saki exclaimed. Eatos gave Saki a sad glance before going over to Jaden’s side of the battlefield. “Wait, what’s going on? What are you doing Eatos?”
“Once per turn Lunar Wing Dragon can remove a Dark Attribute monster controlled by my opponent.” Jaden explained. “And if the monster removed was summoned by the destruction of a specific monster, in this case Guardian Eatos, I can summon that monster to my side of the field. In other words I just changed Eatos back to who she was before she was warped by darkness.”
“Impossible!” a shocked Saki exclaimed. “Does this mean… I’m going to lose?”
“Even if you do become a champion, it means nothing at the end of the day if you throw away everyone and everything you care about to get there.” Jaden told Saki. “In the end all you have is nothing, and nothing is what you have right now. Lunar Wing Dragon has 2600 ATK, and when added to Eatos’s 2500 ATK, that’s more than enough to finish you off.”
“But, but…” Saki stuttered.
“Eatos, attack Saki directly!” Jaden commanded. “Guardian’s Judgment!”
Eatos raised her arm and threw a spear of light at Saki. Saki’s life points dropped to 1500.
“Finish it Lunar Wing Dragon!” Jaden commanded. “Moon Healing Escalation!”
Lunar Wing Dragon reared back its head and shot a beam of white light at Saki. Saki screamed as the beam hit her and her life points dropped to zero. A defeated Saki dropped to her knees as the two monsters that had beaten her vanished. At the same time the Guardian Dreadscythe and Reaper Scythe-Dreadscythe cards fluttered to the ground and burst into flames. The number on Jaden’s point counter doubled to sixty. At the same time the number on Saki’s point counter dropped to zero and beeped, signaling that she was out of the tournament.
“What have I done?” Saki asked herself, though it was in a voice that was loud enough for the others to hear. “I gave up everything, and in the end I still lost.”
“What made you think that you have to give up everything to become a strong duelist?” Jaden asked.
“It was the girl you mentioned earlier, Mika of the Four Witches.” Saki answered. “I guess it began when the new student council took over. The first thing they did was to disband the old clubs and start new ones. Because club activities at Miator are mandatory, we were all assigned to new clubs based on records of our abilities. I was placed in Mika’s advanced dueling club.
“At first I welcomed the challenge it offered, but it soon turned ugly. We were forced to duel into the late hours of the night, and all the time Mika judged our performance. Those of us who she thought were weak she dueled herself to teach us a lesson, and for some reason I had become her favorite target. She put me in what she called an intense training program where I was forced to duel her at the beginning and end of every club meeting, as well as a few times out of class. I started sleeping and eating less as a result, and no matter how hard I tried I lost every duel I had with Mika.
“Mika kept telling me that the reason I kept losing to her was because my relationship with Hitomi was holding me back and making me weak. Of course in the beginning I refused to believe that, but as time went on I started to second guess myself. Then one night a few weeks ago, something happened that broke my resolve completely…”
* * *
On the night in question out behind Miator, Saki was dueling Mika yet again. And just as before Saki was on the losing end of the duel. A few turns had passed and Mika had summoned the Dark Orc of the West.
“Finish this maggot off Dark Orc!” Mika commanded. “Soul Breaker Club!”
The Dark Orc charged at Saki and hit her to the ground with its club. The attack had reduced Saki’s life points to zero. Saki coughed as she tried to get to her feet.
“Okay, that was a little better.” Mika said with a confident smirk. “But you’re still letting your attachment to that weak card hold you back. Still, I like that look in your eyes. It’s a look that says you want to kill me. Hold on to that feeling.”
“Well, it sounds like you’re making progress.” A voice suddenly chimed in, causing both Mika and Saki to turn and see Tamao approaching them.
“Lady Tamao, what are you doing here?” a surprised Mika asked.
“I’m just out for a walk.” Tamao explained. “The meeting with the student council presidents of Spica and Lilum ran a little long and I needed to stretch my legs. So, is this the girl you were telling me about a few nights ago?”
“That’s her, the girl with the Guardian deck.” Mika confirmed. “She even has the rare Guardian Eatos in her deck, and yet she’s a wimp.”
“Eatos, eh?” Tamao said looking a little surprised. “You should’ve told me that sooner Mika. That way I could’ve helped you with this matter.”
“Lady Tamao?” Mika said with a look of confusion.
Tamao raised her right hand and the Orichalcos stone on her ring began to glow with an eerie green light, as did her eyes. Saki suddenly felt a wave of nausea wash over her. Unbeknownst to Saki, Eatos appeared behind her in spirit form and then screamed and fell to the ground. A moment later Dreadscythe rose up in Eatos’s place. Then in a flash of green light the Guardian Dreadscythe and Reaper Scythe cards appeared in Tamao’s hand.
“These are for you.” Tamao said as she offered the cards to Saki. “They were once used by someone else who had been chosen by Eatos, but he threw them away. It’s a shame really, as they had given him great power. But now they can be yours. Take them, and you will be able to unlock your true potential. You’ve gone as far as Mika’s training can take you. These cards will take you to the next level as a duelist. Go on, take them.”
Saki hesitantly took the cards from Tamao. When she did she felt a wave of power rush over her. It suddenly became clear to Saki what she thought she needed to do to get to the top.
“You look tired.” Tamao told Saki. “Why don’t you go back to your room and rest?”
Saki nodded and headed for the dorms. Meanwhile Mika was scratching her head in confusion.
“Uh, Lady Tamao, what was that I about?” Mika asked.
“Oh, just something that might help speed up out plans a little faster.” Tamao answered with a smile that was far too innocent.
* * *
“…After that night I made the worst mistake of my life.” Saki said sadly she finished her tale. “I broke up with Hitomi and threw away the card she had given me, the card that had given me strength in all the duels I had fought before this horrible year. At the time I thought I was doing what I needed to become a champion duelist, but I can see now that I was a fool.”
Jaden walked up to Saki and held out the Maiden of the Moonlight card to her.
“It’s not too late you know.” Jaden told her with a reassuring smile. “Hitomi still loves you. She was the one who asked me to come here to try and bring you back to your real self.”
Saki took back the card with a surprised look on her face. She couldn’t believe that Hitomi still cared for her after the way she had treated her.
“Saki… do you still love me?” Hitomi asked as she stepped forward.
“Of course I do.” Saki said tearfully. “Breaking up with you was the worst mistake I ever made, and I’m sorry. So will you… still have me?”
Hitomi answered Saki’s question by tackling her to the ground with a hug. Both girls were crying tears of joy.
“Well, this has been a weird afternoon.” Clive commented, interrupting the tender moment. “I’m going back to guest house. Later Fusion Master.”
Jaden turned his eyes back to the tender scene before him and saw that Eatos and Maiden of the Moonlight appeared before him in spirit form. The two Duel Monsters flashed him a smile before vanishing.
* * *
A few minutes later, Jaden was at Lilum waiting by the door to the student council room. After what seemed like twenty minutes Chikaru emerged from the room.
“Well we talked about it for awhile, and Saki has decided to transfer to Lilum.” Chikaru informed Jaden.
“Students here can change to one of the other schools on the island?” Jaden asked.
“Of course they can.” Chikaru answered. “It’s just something that doesn’t happen very often. But in this case we decided that it would be best for Saki.”
“The laid back atmosphere around here will do her good I think.” Jaden commented. “Plus this way she’ll be closer to Hitomi.”
“And on that note, Saki will also be moving into Hitomi’s room at the dorms.” Chikaru added. “Hitomi has never had a roommate, and I thought this would be helpful for both of them.”
“Well, I’m glad this all turned out well.” Jaden said as he stretched his arms a little.
“Me too.” Chikaru agreed. “…So Jaden, what is it that’s happening here on the island. I know from Saki’s story that there’s something dark going on at Miator, and I know you know the truth.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s time I told you about this mess with the Orichalcos.” Jaden sighed.
