I'm kinda glad that you guys weren't quite raging from the last chapter, but yeah, I did intend for Elly to lose that last duel with Zane. Now then, if you all read my latest Gender Generation fanfic, then you all know what's next for this chapter! I've been anticipating this duel for a LONG, LONG time!

Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own any Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!

Elize knew that things would start to get difficult when she, along with Jaden and Aster, had taken possession of the satellite keys, but she had underestimated just how badly their situation had gotten.

Not that Sartorius was more focused than ever on retrieving back the satellite keys, Elize, Jaden, and Aster were the primary targets in the Society's eyes, so naturally, they were challenged a lot. Jaden probably didn't mind the challenges; hell, he probably loved getting dueled all of the time. Aster didn't really hesitate in wiping them out as quickly as possible, commenting more than once that they were just wastes of time.

As for Elize, it was becoming more of a challenge for her. She's already had to deal with dueling Society members everyday, but now that that level has increased, it was hard to find rest and time to herself along with training with Aster. Some nights, she's forced to sleep only a few hours rather than the minimum 7-8 hours of sleep.

Yawning, Elize wandered around the docks, having finished training with Aster for the day. Hopefully, she'll get something to eat, wash up, and get a good night's rest. She loved dueling, but nothing too extreme like her situation.

"ELIZE!"

"Waah!" Startled, Elize turned around and saw Aster. "Oh! You surprised me!"

"I called your name about 3 times already. You didn't respond, so I had to go up to you."

"S-Sorry, Aster...I guess, I've been out of it lately," admitted Elize sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I've been getting more sleepy and more busy-"

"Stop with that pathetic excuse."

"W-What?"

"Do you really think the Society is going to care whether you're sleepy or not? Quit whining and get over it," spoke Aster coldly. "I've gone through nights without sleep too, but you don't see me complaining. So, get over it. The sooner you get over it, then the sooner you'd get used to this and be more prepared to fight against Sartorius and his cult."

Although Aster's words stung as usual, Elize knew that he was always right. "...You're right. I'm sorry. I won't complain anymore."

"Good. I didn't come all this way to scold you, though," Aster said. "I wanted to tell you something. About your friend, Bastion? Yeah."

It was as though all of the tiredness escaped from Elize as she perked up from the mention of Bastion. "Yeah?! Is he okay?!"

"He's fine...Kinda...I've heard some...weird rumors of him walking around campus naked."

"..."

"..."

"...Um...Come again?"

"Those are just rumors, though," stated Aster. "I have no idea who spread those rumors and why they...specifically said that, but it seems like your friend is okay...physically. Not sure about his mental state, considering he's still in the Society, and if those rumors are true..."

"Do you know where he is right now?" Elize had been wanting a chance to talk to Bastion after all this time. In fact, the last time they even talked at all was when she was helping him arrange his deck, right before his duel with Chazz that caused him to change sides.

"Not really, but if I had to take a guess, I'd say that...he's probably at his own dorms. The Ra Yellow ones, I mean."

"Okay! I'll go check there! Thanks, Aster!" Elize rushed off as soon as she heard the information from Aster. Any signs of exhaustion and fatigue were gone and replaced with a sense of adrenaline to assure that Bastion was okay.

Elize found Bastion about to head inside his dorms, thankfully fully clothed, though in his Society garbs. "Bastion!" she called out, prompting him to turn around. She paused when she saw his eyes were blank, just like in the same state Alexis was. "...Bastion...?"

"...Duel me," spoke Bastion in an emotionless tone.

"Bastion? Are you okay?" Even if he was possessed just like Alexis, Elize still found guilt inside of her, feeling like a big part of his downfall was because of her.

But Bastion didn't respond to her concerns. "Duel me. I wish to challenge my intellect against yours! All for the Society and Master Sartorius! If you win, I will leave you alone! And if I win, you must hand me the satellite key!"

Elize gripped the satellite key wrapped around her neck tightly. Of course, this all came back to the satellite keys. Then again, she had a feeling that she, or at least one of her friends, would have to snap Bastion out of it. Now might be a good opportunity to rid him of the shackles chaining him to the Society, just like all the other members she's faced.

"Okay, Bastion...I'll duel you! And, I promise, I'll get you back!" promised Elize as both she and Bastion activated their duel disks at the same time.

"DUEL!"

- DUEL -

Bastion - 4000 LP

VS

Elize - 4000 LP

"I'll start things off first!" declared Bastion, drawing his card. "I set three cards facedown and then I shall end my turn with that!"

'What's going on...?' thought Elize suspiciously. 'Three unknown facedowns and nothing else? Even I know that that has to be a Trap should I attack. Bastion's real smart, so even he should know this. Only a beginner would fall for an obvious trap, but maybe there's something else planned. I should be very careful.'

"My turn, draw!" said Elize, being extremely cautious. After all, last she recalled, Bastion had a deck for every possible Attribute out there. LIGHT, FIRE, WATER, EARTH, WIND, and DARKNESS. There's no telling which deck he chose! "I summon Maha Vailo in Attack Mode!"

Maha Vailo - (LIGHT/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1550/1400)

"Then, I activate the Spell, Polymerization, and fuse together Raging Eria from my hand and Lyna the Light Charmer in order to Fusion Summon Isis the Ice Charmer in Defense Mode!"

Isis the Ice Charmer - (WATER/Fusion/Spellcaster) - LV6 - (1900/2100)

"Not so fast!" interrupted Bastion. "I activate the Trap, Heavy Storm Duster! I can target up to two Spells/Traps on the field and then destroy them! But in exchange, I can't conduct my Battle Phase this turn, which is fine, considering this is still your turn! A clever move, I dare say!"

"What?!" wondered Elize. "But I don't have any set cards and I already activated Polymeriza-Wait, are you planning on destroying your own two set cards?"

"Precisely!" Bastion shouted as the raging winds blew away his two other facedown cards. "And now, the effects of my destroyed facedowns are now activated! One of them is actually a Monster card called Artifact Caduceus!"

"A Monster card was placed in your Spell and Trap Zone?" wondered Elize, curious. "But...normally, you can't place Monsters in the Spell and Trap Zones unless they're like, really special Trap Monsters, right?"

"Correct," agreed Bastion. "But these are different. They're functioned very differently, but I suspect that you'll understand more the more you experience their true power! Now, come forth, Artifact Caduceus! In Defense Mode!"

Artifact Caduceus - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV5 - (1600/2400)

"And next, my second Artifact Monster! Artifact Moralltach in Attack Mode!"

Artifact Moralltach - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV5 - (2100/1400)

"Whoa...I've never seen these Monsters before," admitted Elize. "They look...ancient. I mean, not old or anything, but ancient in a cool, good way!"

Bastion nodded. "Why, of course. Some lore of the Artifact archetype is that these cards were ancient relics, weapons used by heroes from a long time ago. Greek, medieval, you name it. It would take a while for me to explain the lore, but basically, they're all ancient weapons. Now, shall we proceed?"

"Oh! Okay!"

"Good! Now, I activate Caduceus' effect! During your turn, each time an Artifact Monster is Special Summoned, I get to draw 1 card! And now, it's time for Moralltach's effect! When he's Special Summoned during your turn, I can target a face-up card you control and destroy it! And I choose Isis the Ice Charmer!"

"Isis can't be destroyed by card effects! It's part of her special ability!" countered Elize.

Bastion cursed to himself, having forgotten about Isis' effect. "Fine! But that doesn't change the fact that you can no longer attack me this turn! After all, my Caduceus' defenses are too high, whereas Moralltach is too strong for you to defeat!"

"Alright, I can respect that," agreed Elize. "Then, before I end my turn, I activate another effect of Isis! Once per turn, I can declare either the WATER or LIGHT Attribute, and then, I gain 400 Life Points for each Monster on the field with the same Attribute I just declared! I choose LIGHT, so because Isis counts as a LIGHT Attribute Monster, and you have 2 other LIGHT Attribute Monsters, that makes a total of 3 Monsters! I now gain 1200 extra Life Points!"

Bastion - 4000 LP

Elize - 5200 LP

'She took advantage of my Monsters' LIGHT Attributes to give a boost to her Life Points using her Monster's effect!' thought Bastion. 'Not a bad move, but this just makes Isis more dangerous as well as her potential future Fusion Monsters. I'll have to get rid of her Fusion Monster now!'

"My move!" said Bastion. "I switch Caduceus to Attack Mode! Now, it's time to attack! Caduceus, destroy Maha Vailo!"

The mechanical winged-like staff was wielded by an orange spirit who mustered up magic power at the tip of the staff before sending a magic blast at Maha Vailo, destroying him from such an attack.

Bastion - 4000 LP

Elize - 5150 LP

"Now, Moralltach! Finish off Isis the Ice Charmer!"

A gigantic blue broadsword, wielded by a blue spirit, was swung around before eventually colliding and slashing Isis apart.

Bastion - 4000 LP

Elize - 4950 LP

"I end my turn!"

'Bastion's new Monsters are tough, but I better be careful too while building up strength!' Elize thought. "My turn! I activate the Spell, Fusion Recovery, to add a Polymerization and a Fusion-Material Monster back from my Graveyard and to my hand! I set a Monster and then activate Polymerization! I fuse together Raging Eria with Aussa the Earth Charmer in order to Fusion Summon Forsythia the Forest Charmer!"

Forsythia the Forest Charmer - (EARTH/Fusion/Spellcaster) - LV7 - (2000/1800)

"I now target Forsythia and Moralltach with the Spell, Riryoku! Now, Moralltach's Attack Points are halved and then added to Forsythia until the end of this turn!"

Artifact Moralltach - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV5 - (1050/1400)

Forsythia the Forest Charmer - (EARTH/Fusion/Spellcaster) - LV7 - (3050/1800)

"Forsythia! Please attack Artifact Moralltach!"

Using her powers, Forsythia motioned vines to emerge from within the ground and tangle themselves onto Moralltach; both the weapon and the spirit himself. Both were sucked into the deep, dark abyss deep underground before the ground was covered up by vines, never to be seen again.

Bastion - 2000 LP

Elize - 4950 LP

"I activate the effect of Artifact Labrys from my hand!" shouted Bastion. "When an Artifact Monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Artifact Labrys to the field!"

Artifact Labrys - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV5 - (2300/1000)

Elize knew that another Artifact Monster meant more trouble for her. "I activate the effect of Forsythia! During either of our turns, whenever a Monster is Special Summoned, I can return 1 Spell card from my Graveyard to my hand! And I choose Polymerization! I set a card and end my turn! And at this moment, Forsythia's Attack Points return to normal!"

Forsythia the Forest Charmer - (EARTH/Fusion/Spellcaster) - LV7 - (2000/1800)

'A downside to one of her Fusion Monsters...That might work to my advantage somehow,' thought Bastion, drawing his card. "I draw! I sacrifice Caduceus in order to Tribute Summon Tethys, Goddess of Light!"

Tethys, Goddess of Light - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV5 - (2400/1800)

"Then, from my hand, I activate the Spell, Last Day of Witch! With this card, all face-up Spellcaster-Type Monsters are destroyed!"

"What?!" exclaimed Elize before covering her eyes in time to avoid being blinded by the large flash that caused Forsythia to explode. "Forsythia!"

"Labrys, destroy her facedown Set Monster!" Bastion assumed that her Set Monster was Lyna, the Light Charmer, the Fusion-Material Monster she retrieved using Fusion Recovery last turn, and if his guess was correct, should she activate Lyna's effect next turn, then he would lose one of his Artifact Monsters since they're all LIGHT Attributes!

The violet-colored spirit wielding Artifact Labrys heaved the heavy axe above her head before slashing it down onto her Set Monster, eliminating her with one heavy slash. Elize winched as it was indeed Lyna as her Set Monster and that her defenses were no match against Labyrsu' overwhelming strength.

"Now, Tethys, rain your judgement down onto Elize! Attack her directly!"

Flying up in front of Elize, all Tethys had to do was enter into a prayer-like state; her body illuminating that blinded Elize as her Life Points took a major hit."

Bastion - 2000 LP

Elize - 2550 LP

"I shall end my turn with a card facedown! Your move, Elize!"

Elize nodded. "My turn, draw! I play Pot of Greed, letting me draw two new cards! Now, it's time for a new Fusion Monster!"

'Another one?! I wonder which Charmer Fusion Monster it'll be this time!' wondered Bastion, watching Elize prepare herself.

"I activate Polymerization and fuse together Ranryu and Dark Magician Girl in order to Fusion Summon Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight!"

Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight - (DARK/Dragon/Fusion) - LV7 - (2600/1700)

'I've miscalculated once again!' thought Bastion, taken aback. 'I clearly remember her having only Spellcaster-Type Monsters, especially the Fusion kinds! I didn't anticipate her having a Dragon-Type! One that's even stronger than any of my Monsters!'

"I activate the Equip Spell, Re-Fusion!" declared Elize. "By paying 800 Life Points, I can Special Summon a Fusion Monster from my Graveyard and equip Re-Fusion to it! I choose Forsythia! Please, return!"

Bastion - 2000 LP

Elize - 1750 LP

Forsythia the Forest Charmer - (EARTH/Fusion/Spellcaster) - LV7 - (2000/1800)

"I activate Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight's effect!" said Elize. "Once per turn, I can discard a card, and then, target a face-up card on the field and destroy it! I choose Tethys!"

'If only she picked my facedown card!' thought Bastion, grimacing as his hard-earned Tributed Monster vanished back into the light.

"Now, I attack! Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight! Destroy Artifact Labrys!"

With Ranryu as Dark Magician Girl's dragon steed, he unleashed a single, loud roar as he soared towards Artifact Labrys as Dark Magician Girl unsheathed her weapon. Both her and Artifact Labrys clashed in the skies for a while until Dark Magician Girl was the victor between their conflicts.

Bastion- 1700 LP

Elize - 1750 LP

"Forsythia, attack Bastion directly!"

"I activate the effect of Artifact Vajra from my hand!" shouted Bastion. "When you declare an direct attack, I can Special Summon him from my hand! I choose to do so in Defense Mode!"

Artifact Vajra - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV5 - (1800/1900)

The vines that were intended on spreading towards Bastion instead dragged Vajra down as their new target, leaving Bastion safe.

"I end my turn!"

"My move!" Bastion knew he was in quite a disadvantage now, but perhaps it was time for a new strategy? "I activate the Spell, Card of Sanctity! We draw until we have six cards each! And now, I set three cards facedown and end my turn!"

'More Artifact Monsters?' thought Elize. 'No, not just that. I bet just like earlier, he'll use a Trap to destroy his set cards to summon them. I still don't have the full length of how powerful the Artifact Monsters are, but I should still build up both strength and defense!' "I draw! I activate the Spell, Incantation Mirage! I Special Summon a non-Fusion Material Charmer Monster and a Charmer Monster previously used as a Fusion-Material! I Special Summon Isis the Ice Charmer along with Lyna the Light Charmer!"

Isis the Ice Charmer - (WATER/Fusion/Spellcaster) - LV6 - (1900/2100)

Lyna the Light Charmer - (LIGHT/Spellcaster) - LV3 - (500/1500)

'I could understand Lyna being summoned because she was used as a Fusion-Material Monster, but Isis? ...Of course, she may be a Fusion Monster herself, but she was technically never used as Fusion Material!' thought Bastion. 'Indeed, a clever move!'

"There's more!" said Elize. "Incantation Mirage makes it so neither summoned Monster can ever attack, and their Attack and Defense Points are 0!"

Isis the Ice Charmer - (WATER/Fusion/Spellcaster) - LV6 - (0/0)

Lyna the Light Charmer - (LIGHT/Spellcaster) - LV3 - (0/0)

"And now, for Forsythia's effect!" shouted Elize. "During either of our turns, every time a Monster is Special Summoned, I can return a Spell card from my Graveyard and to my hand! I choose Polymerization!"

'With Forsythia's effect, she could just whip out Polymerization and fuse more and more Monsters! I must stop her from letting that happen!' thought Bastion. "I activate one of my facedown cards, Artifact Sanctum! In the turn I activate this card, I cannot conduct my Battle Phase, but in exchange, I can Special Summon an Artifact Monster from my deck! I choose Artifact Scythe! Come forth!"

Artifact Scythe - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV5 - (2200/900)

"Artifact Scythe's effect activates! Now, if he was Special Summoned during your turn, you cannot Special Summon Monsters from the Extra Deck for the rest of this turn!"

'One of his Artifact Monsters had a really powerful ability like that?! I have to be extremely careful!' Elize thought. "Okay, fine! But your Special Summoning triggered Forsythia's effect! It enabled me to bring back Riryoku!"

'A troublesome setback, but until I've set things up, I can't get rid of her Fusion Monster at the moment!' thought Bastion.

"I attack!" shouted Elize. "Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight! Attack Artifact Scythe, please!"

"Wait just a moment!" cried out Bastion. "I activate my other facedown card, the Quick-Play Spell, Twin Twisters! All I must do is discard 1 card from my hand, and then target up to two Spells/Traps on the field and destroy them! I'll personally get rid of my other two facedown cards!"

'Here it comes! I wonder what other Artifact Monsters he has?' wondered Elize, preparing herself.

"And now, you're wondering what sort of Monsters I summoned this turn? Why, it's quite simple! Behold!" announced Bastion as his two newest Artifact Monsters made their appearances. "Because they were destroyed during your turn and sent to the Graveyard, I was able to summon two new Artifact Monsters! Artifact Achilleshield and Artifact Aegis!"

Artifact Achilleshield - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV5 - (1500/2200)

Artifact Aegis - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV5 - (1200/2500)

"Because they were Special Summoned during my own opponent's turn, I get to activate their abilities! First, Achilleshield! You can't target any Artifact Monsters I control for any attacks for the rest of this turn! And for Aegis' effect, none of my Artifact Monsters can be targeted nor destroyed by your card effects for the rest of this turn!"

'Not only are his Monsters' defenses high, but their effects build an impenetrable defense as well! Judging from them, I can tell that Achilleshield and Aegis are practically a brother-sister duo team!' thought Elize. 'And the worst part is, I don't have too much experience dealing with other opponents utilizing some high-defensive strategies, so I'm in a bit of trouble here!' "I activate Forsythia's effect again, and get back Pot of Greed! I'll end my Battle Phase, but my turn's not done yet!"

'I may have evaded battle for now, but I still must remain cautious. Elize is strong, and still growing, but she still has lots of learning to do when it comes to strategy!' thought Bastion.

"I activate the Spell, Pot of Greed, so that I can draw two more cards! I now activate Isis' effect! I declare the LIGHT Attribute, so now I gain 400 Life Points for each LIGHT Attribute Monster on our fields! In total, there's...5 LIGHT Attribute Monsters on the field, so I gain 2000 extra Life Points!"

Bastion - 1500 LP

Elize - 3750 LP

"Next, I play the Quick-Play Spell, Book of Moon, and target Lyna! Now, she's flipped to facedown Defense Mode!"

'That means that if next turn comes, Elize will definitely activate Lyna's Flip effect and control one of my LIGHT Attribute Monsters! Well, at least I know what I'm going to do next turn,' thought Bastion.

"I set a card and then end my turn!"

"I draw!" said Bastion. "Excellent! I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Artifact Ignition! I target a Spell/Trap on your field and destroy it! I choose that Equip Spell, Re-Fusion!"

"What?!" Elize was unable to stop Re-Fusion from being destroyed, or Forsythia suddenly vanished out of thin air. "When Re-Fusion is destroyed, the equipped Monster, Forsythia, is banished."

"Excellent! And, there's more to Artifact Ignition! Now, I can set an Artifact Monster to my Spell/Trap Zone from my deck as a Spell card! And now, I sacrifice my Artifacts Aegis and Scythe in order to Tribute Summon Athena!"

Athena - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV7 - (2600/800)

"I now activate Athena's effect! Once per turn, I can send a Fairy-Type Monster I control to the Graveyard, to target and Special Summon another Fairy-Type Monster from my Graveyard! Therefore, I sacrifice Achilleshield in order to Special Summon back Artifact Aegis in Defense Mode!"

Artifact Aegis - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV5 - (1200/2500)

"But there's more! Athena's secondary effect! If another Fairy-Type Monster is summoned, I can inflict 600 Points of Damage to you!"

Bastion - 1500 LP

Elize - 3150 LP

"Next, I equip Athena with the Equip Spell, Cestus of Dagla! With it, Athena gains 500 extra Attack Points!"

Athena - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV7 - (3100/800)

"Additionally, if she inflicts Battle Damage to you, I gain Life Points equal to the damage inflicted! I set a card! I activate the Spell, Double Summon, allowing me to Normal Summon again this turn! I summon forth Harvest Angel of Wisdom!"

Harvest Angel of Wisdom - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (1800/1000)

Now, all preparations are set! It's time to attack! Athena, destroy Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight!"

Raising her spear, Athena charged forward as Ranryu unleashed devastating dragon breath blasts at Athena, who dodged or blocked the blasts with her shield. When she got close enough, she slayed both Dark Magician Girl and the dragon she was riding on in one fell swoop.

Bastion - 1500 LP

Elize - 2650 LP

"Now, because of Cestus of Dagla, I gain Life Points equal to the damage inflicted!" reminded Bastion; his body glowing with healing light.

Bastion - 2000 LP

Elize - 2650 LP

"Harvest Angel of Wisdom, strike down her set Monster!"

Having anticipated that Bastion would target her facedown Lyna in order to prevent her from activating her Flip effect, Elize countered, "I activate my facedown, Primordial Shift! If you target one of my Monsters, I can change that target to another Charmer Monster I control! I'll switch your target to Isis the Ice Charmer!"

Harvest Angel of Wisdom summoned forth rays of light that were meant to extinguish Elize's facedown Set Monster, only for the rays of light to divert their attention onto Isis, destroying her upon contact.

Bastion gritted his teeth, knowing that there was nothing more he could do at the moment but end this turn and hope for the best. "...I end my turn."

"My turn, draw!" said Elize.

Bastion stopped her before she could continue her turn. "I activate my Quick-Play Spell, Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy my other facedown card! That card happened to be Artifact Mjollnir, and I Special Summon him in Defense Mode!"

Artifact Mjollnir - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV5 - (1300/1800)

"I activate his special ability! When Special Summoned during your turn, I can target an Artifact Monster in my Graveyard, Special Summon it in Defense Mode, and then I cannot Special Summon any Monsters except for Artifact ones until the end of the next turn! I'll Special Summon Artifact Achilleshield!"

Artifact Achilleshield - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV5 - (1500/2200)

"Achilleshield's effect now activates! Because he was Special Summoned during your turn, you cannot target any Artifact Monsters for attacks this turn! But there's more! Athena's effect! Every time a Fairy-Type Monster has been Special Summoned, you take 600 Points of Damage! So far, this has happened twice, therefore, you lose 1200 Points of Damage!"

Bastion - 2000 LP

Elize - 1450 LP

"E-Even so, I'll still activate Lyna's Flip effect!" declared Elize, Flip Summoning her LIGHT Attribute Spellcaster. "Now, with Lyna's Flip effect, as long as she remains on the field, she can take control of one LIGHT Attribute Monster you control! And I choose Athena!"

With all of her magic power, Lyna released a wave of light that affected Athena, as evident of the glowing white aura surrounding her body as she shielded Lyna, protecting her from any harm to come.

'This could present a problem! But Lyna presents a very clear weakness,' thought Bastion. 'Not only is she in Attack Mode, but her Attack Points are very low, so if I summon an extremely powerful Monster, not only would I be able to destroy her, but I would take back Athena and win the duel! I just need to be patient!'

"I activate from my hand, Polymerization!" shouted Elize. "I fuse together Storming Wynn with Dharc the Dark Charmer in order to Fusion Summon Venefictia the Poison Charmer!"

Venefictia the Poison Charmer - (DARK/Spellcaster/Fusion) - LV7 - (2500/0)

"You do recall that you cannot attack any of my Artifact Monsters this turn?" reminded Bastion.

Elize nodded. "Oh, I remember, but I'm not done yet! Now, I activate the Spell, Riryoku! I target 2 Monsters on the field! I'll halve the Attack Points of Venefictia and add those Attack Points to Athena, which will last until the end of this turn!"

Venefictia the Poison Charmer - (DARK/Spellcaster/Fusion) - LV7 - (1250/0)

Athena - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV7 - (4350/800)

Bastion was taken aback by the sudden change of events; his mind having already calculated and taking in the full repercussions of what was to happen. "This can't be-!"

"Athena, attack! Destroy Harvest Angel of Wisdom! Bring Bastion back to his senses!" ordered Elize, hoping that this might snap Bastion out of his brainwashed delusions.

Athena charged forth as though she was on a fully-powered chariot while Harvest Angel of Wisdom flew up to the skies to give himself an aerial advantage and some distance. Suddenly, Athena pounced off the ground, leaping up to the skies at the same level as Harvest Angel of Wisdom. Her weapon and shield shined brightly under a new light, blinding everyone as she finished off the Monster and ended the duel.

Bastion - 0 LP

Elize - 1450 LP

Winner: Elize

Bastion gripped his head, grunting before letting out a final yell that caused him to fall facedown, going silent afterwards. Panicking, Elize hurried to his side, attempting to help him feel better. The results from the duel, along with the last attack, had finally snapped Bastion out of his possessed state. Any negative thoughts of insecurity and desire to prove himself disappeared completely as he was more concerned about one thing.

The horrendous damage he's done.

Even if he was possessed and it was against his will, even if he didn't mean it, it didn't change the fact that the Society version of him still caused a whole lot of trouble. No, even before that, when he was still Ra Yellow, genius-level Bastion, he still caused trouble, even if a little.

What started his insecurity...was all on him. He wanted people to acknowledge him, and he wanted to show how smart he was, but he took it the wrong direction. He manipulated and tricked one of his friends, Elize, to help him arrange a deck that he told her would be for good use, when really, he planned on using it against the Society of Light. He was so confident that his plan would work, but...it didn't.

Not only did he lost his duel against Chazz, which turned him into a Society member, but he did so using vile, manipulative tactics, and with a selfish desire to gain some attention. What kind of a friend was he?

"I..." With Elize's help, he found himself sitting up on the ground, clutching his forehead as he struggled to remember. His memories while as a Society member were very hazy, but he clearly remembered everything that happened before he became a member. "What have I done...? I...I must have..." He turned his gaze to Elize, though he quickly averted it away in shame. "I'm so sorry, Elize…"

All the stress built up for a long time, along with the strong amount of guilt in her heart, finally caused Elize to burst into tears; her face soaked with unending amounts of tears. "Y-You're sorry? I-I should be the one saying that!" cried out Elize, clenching her fists at her lap. "I...I know you want to say something, but...if it's alright, would itbe okay if I said something first?"

Allowing Elize to say her piece was the least Bastion felt he could do for her, especially after he had used her for his own selfish desire. He nodded, lending a listening ear, as he listened to her speak.

"I...I just-I wanted to apologize-But I know that's not enough-It's my fault-I..."

Everything Elize was saying was just rambling, and she felt her face turn hot with embarrassment. She felt so embarrassed, as she wanted to give a proper apology, but the words just blurted out from her mouth so suddenly. She always felt guilty because even though she blamed Syrus, Jaden, and Hassleberry for what happened to Bastion, she felt that she, herself also shared the blame. She may not have ignored Bastion like her friends have, but she felt like she should have been a better friend regardless.

"Bastion, I..." Elize's voice was shaky, and she couldn't stop her tears, but despite all that, she tried to give him a proper apology. "I am...so...so sorry-I-I feel like the worst person-no, the worst human being in all the world..."

"Elize-"

"I-I should have done more. I should have talked to you more, I should have encouraged you, cheered you on, ANYTHING if it meant that you didn't go to the Society and challenge them. I wish I was smarter, like, maybe smart as you, but not really, like maybe second place compared to you, and if I was, I would have resolved this issue and I would have convinced you to take a different path and-"

"Elize, none of this was your fault," assured Bastion.

"What are you talking about? Of course it is!" shouted Elize. "I-I mean, I still blame Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry for downright ignoring you when you needed it the most, but I'm-I'm still guilty because I didn't put in enough effort to change your mind. You still joined the Society, even if you were brainwashed but I should have tried harder. I should have prevented you from going there to duel them and all I was trying to do was help you gain your confidence back, but I didn't do it the right way, and you still ended up going to their side, and I feel so stupid and guilty that you-"

"Stop. It's alright, Elize," Bastion said, soothing her jumbled up state.

"But, you-what about you wanting respect and to gain-"

"I don't care about that anymore. None of that matters anymore," Bastion replied. "I realized that too late just how insignificant that is compared to the more important things in my life."

"I-I don't...understand..."

"Elize, you...Do you realize just how strong you are?" Bastion asked.

"What? I don't underst-I don't see how this is relevant in any way..."

Bastion continued, despite Elize's confusion. "Elize, you are...you are so much stronger than I am. And I don't just mean that from our duel earlier. I don't remember too much from my memories as a Society member, but I did know that you've worked day after day, trying to convert Society members back to normal, as well as care for them. You've also tried to find ways to help others no matter what even before this whole mess begun, and you even tried your best to help me, someone whose worth isn't well-mentioned. I-I would have never done those things. Help people, yes, but not to the extreme extent you would have. Even now, I can see that you're tired, but regardless of your state, you still tried to help out others, including myself. This...this sort of work-this amount of stress would have broken me, but you? Elize, I am so proud to call you my friend..."

Although Elize was touched and flattered by Bastion's words, she still was more concerned over his own well-being. "T-Thank you, but...what about you, Bastion? Are you going to-No, I mean, are you alright? Are you going to be okay? Are you hurt anywhere? I mean, I-Are you-"

"Elize." Bastion stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm okay. We-We're both okay. We're going to get through this together. As friends. Alright?"

Elize sniffled, wiping away her tears. "Y-Yeah..."

The two of them sat down together and took their time, chatting amongst themselves of what to do next, stopping to apologize to each other again, before continuing and then finally resolving with a plan in mind.

Later...

"...And that's about it. Bastion's back to normal, and he's more than willing to help us out," explained Elize, who helped escort Bastion to Aster so that he could hear both of them out.

Having finished listening to both of them, Aster uncrossed his arms and came to a decision. "...Fine. I guess we could use more allies. And I have to admit, Bastion is extremely smart, so we could use his smarts."

"There's more," stated Bastion. "My memories are a little hazy, but I do remember a bit about the layout inside the white dorm. If I concentrate hard enough, I should be able to eventually remember the entire layout inside the dorms."

"Now that's a surprise, but also extremely useful. Fine, remember all you can, but tomorrow, we'll meet up again and discuss more about this entire situation. I can tell you two are tired, so hurry up and go get some rest," said Aster. "Oh, and Elize?"

"Yes?"

Aster's look was both stern and cold. "Remember what I said before. The Society isn't going to care about your state, whether you're tired or not. Things are only going to get a lot rougher from here on. Get over complaining about your own wants and needs and stay focused on the task at hand."

The reminder of Aster's words from before and even now still hurt Elize, but she still deemed them important. "Yes, you're right. Bastion, how about we go now? ...Bastion?"

Bastion didn't miss the hurt expression on Elize's face when Aster spoke those harsh words towards her. "...Elize, would you mind heading off first? I actually want to talk to Aster real quick."

"O-okay...Then, I'll see you tomorrow, Bastion. Goodnight, Bastion and Aster...As soon as Elize was far from hearing range, Bastion turned to Aster with a stern look of his own. "What was that?"

"What? What I said to her? Harsh, but necessary."

"Elize has bags under her eyes. She's tired and requires rest."

"What she does in her spare time is none of my concern."

"Well, don't you think you're pushing her a bit too far? I thought you guys were allies! Friends!" snapped Bastion. "Friends always look out for each ot-"

"Friends?" Aster scoffed. "What the hell gave you that idea? She's not my friend-hell, at most, she's just an ally to me. And she knows that full well. We're only together to deal with Sartorius, and that's it. After that, I'm leaving this goddamn island and going back to my Pro League life as usual."

"...Even if that's the case, even if you two are nothing more than allies, you still should look out for each other! I know for a fact that Elize would help you if you got sick or something, but-"

"I don't need any support from her other than dealing with enemies that are constantly a hindrance," interrupted Aster. "And I am helping her. I'm training her and look how far she's come. If it weren't for me, she'd never be this strong."

"...What about Jaden and the others?" questioned Bastion. "I know you're not on good terms with them right now, but they're fighting to stop the Society just as much as we all are."

"I refuse to train idiotic morons such as them. You've heard everything they've done from Elize, right? The most idiotic thing they've done so far was not informing us about the whole satellite thing!" snapped Aster.

"I'll admit, that was indeed a stupid thing," agreed Bastion. "But if they're going to help us in this fight, then we need their help, and they need to grow stronger."

"I've already had this argument with Elize. You're not convincing me, either," said Aster. "If you want to train them, be my guest. I heard Elize saying that she couldn't train them herself because she's too busy herself. But, I am willing to train you, too, since you're not an incompetent idiot like your other friends."

Despite Aster's harsh attitude, Bastion knew he should take up Aster by his offer. He might be able to train Jaden and the others, but the most he could do is just give them advice. Aster was much more stronger than he was, so he may be able to get stronger from training under him, just as Elize has gotten stronger from using the same methods as well.

Still, there was the matter of Aster's attitude towards allies. He thought of himself as almighty and expected his allies the same, but Aster was so heavily mistaken. Bastion wouldn't have had the courage to stand up to a Pro Duelist like Aster before, but with Elize subjected under him, he would do anything for his friend.

"Aster, as a duelist, I respect your skills and would agree that you are amongst the toughest duelists in the world," admitted Bastion. "And while I find it a privilege to be trained under you, I also will not allow you to harm Elize. And I'm not just saying this as her friend, but also as a person. Your methods are too harsh and strict, as well as overbearing. If you harm her, I will not hesitate to defend her, no matter which method I'll have to use."

"Hmm...So, you'll accept being trained under me, but you have the galls to threaten me at the same time?" asked Aster, amused. "Interesting...Yeah, I could use more allies with courage like that. Alright, fine. I now have a newfound respect for you, Bastion. Tomorrow at dawn, we'll start our training. Don't be late. Crystal?"

"...Clear."

Skit: Perversion Confusion

"By the way, Bastion," spoke up Elize. "I've been hearing some weird rumors about you lately. Something about you stripping naked and wandering around campus like that? But, those are just rumors, right?"

Bastion's face lit up red as he looked away, scratching his cheek. "Er...Elize? I hate to be a downer, but...that...those rumors are...actually true."

"I-I'm sorry, WHAT?!"

"Earlier today, I witnessed Jaden dueling against one of my role models, Dr. Eisenstein, a famous dueling astrophysicist, and I wished to find him and become his apprentice, so, without thinking, I...may have stripped out of my Society clothes to signify my resignation of the Society to join him."

"...Once again, why?!" wondered Elize; her face pink.

"To be fair, I...wasn't thinking very rationally at the time. That...may have been my most embarrassing and idiotic thing I have ever done in my life," admitted Bastion, hiding his face in shame with his hand.

"I...have no idea what was going on your mind at the time, Bastion."

"Me, neither." Bastion looked up and said, "But, I do remember something else after that event."

"You returned and changed back to your white clothes?"

"Well, yes, that, because at the time, those clothes were the only ones I could wear at the time since I couldn't just wander around naked. In truth, the duel between Dr. Eisenstein and Jaden snapped me out of the whole brainwashing the Society placed on me."

Elize gave Bastion a confused look. "What? No, but you were acting differently when I-"

"When you saw me and right before we dueled. Yes, I remembered how I became that state. I wanted to retrieve my items from my room in the white dorms, but just as I was doing so, Sartorius himself greeted me, and I...I believed he used his brainwashing powers to change me. Forced me to confront you and duel you for the satellite key. I...apologize if I harmed you, Elize."

Elize shook her head. "No, no! You didn't really harm me at all!" '...Not unlike Alexis-Wait, what? Elly, snap out of it! That wasn't Alexis' fault at all! But...it still hurts.' "I'm serious! You really didn't harm me! We're going to get through with this, together! As friends!"

"Friends...yes, I'd like that."

"Starting with the weird sudden urge to go naked!"

"Ugh...you just had to bring that u-Yeah, I suppose we should get rid of that urge before it actually becomes a habit before I know it."

Skit: Confrontations and Conflicts

"Hey, Bastion?"

"Yes, Elize?"

"What...What are we going to do about Jaden and the others?"

Bastion stopped and turned to Elize. "What do you mean? We tell everything we know to them so they'll help us out more. Simple and effective like that!"

"Oh, believe me, I'll do just that, but I'm...not really on good terms with them right now." Elize frowned; a sour look on her face. "Well, it's more like they're not on good terms with me."

Bastion sighed. "I do remember you telling me all they've done. As well as how this whole...splitting conflict begun."

"I know they're not the smartest people around, but I really thought they would have comforted you! Instead-well, you know what happened that day!" said Elize, frustrated. "I know eventually, I'll have to forgive them, but it's really hard to be around them, especially since they've been making screw-ups lately."

"Not informing you about the satellite cannon from the Prince was really bad," agreed Bastion. "And while it may be hard to be around them, I do sincerely think you should hang out with them to re-connect with them."

"But-! What about you? I-"

"Elize, you can't keep using me as n excuse, even if it is a good one," said Bastion. "And, like you, I can't forgive Jaden and the others so easily, either. Maybe I will someday, but not now. And while I can't forgive them now, I do understand the necessity to cooperate. You do too, don't you?"

"...Yeah, I do," agreed Elize. "I've been mainly avoiding them as much as I could, but when I do need to inform them of things, I tend to be very hostile. I suppose I could...be a bit more nicer to them. It's not their fault that the Society of Light came to the island and ruined everything, but it is their fault that our friendship is kinda torn apart."

"Maybe...maybe when this whole mess is over, we can all sit down and talk and then try again. I'm willing to give second chances, Elize. And I know you're the type to do that as well. Will you?"

"...Sitting down and talking is something I can do."

"With that, I can also agree to that. And Elize?"

"Hmm?"

"What I did, manipulating and using you to help me with my deck...I'm sorry."

"Bastion," said Elize. "I don't care about being used. I mean, I was hurt because you promised me before that you wouldn't duel the Society, but right now, I'm just glad to have you back. I just...I don't want you to endanger your own being so recklessly like last time ever again."

Bastion nodded. "Of course. You have my word on that."

"And...Bastion?"

"Yes?"

"You can call me El, or Elly, if you want. I always allow my friends, too."

Finished! Yeah, so I decided to try something different for Bastion's deck this story compared to his Lightsworn deck used in my Gender Generation fanfic! I wanted to try things a bit differently.

So, I found it really unfair what the anime did to Bastion. Oh, don't worry, he'll still go with Dr. Eisenstein as intended, but not right now. Now, he'll join the fight against the Society of Light. He'll still have the intended ending with Dr. Eisenstein, but I decided to change the circumstances for him to do so. I'll be giving him some better treatment in this season along with a few more duels.

So, the reason why I chose the Artifact deck isn't just because it's a LIGHT Attribute deck and that since he was in the Society of LIGHT, it should be expected that he wields a LIGHT deck, but also because of the ancient culture and lore behind the Monsters that Bastion might find it fitting to use as his deck. I hope that I did a good job with the duel. For story purposes, I had Elize win, but I would have let Bastion win if I could do so, but the story must go on!

Now, there's a new ally against the Society of Light! Don't worry, there'll be talks between Elize and Bastion with Jaden and the others, but not immediately. You'll see the results later on!

Read and review!