HEADS UP, PEOPLE! This chapter will be the start of a turning point to changing season 2! Well, actually, last chapter, when Elize saved Bastion and he joined her team, that was sorta the starting point, but this chapter is guaranteed to change something! You'll know soon enough!

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

"You really have improved immensely since the last I saw you duel, Elize! Well, not counting the one where you dueled me," praised Bastion as he and Elize were walking side-by-side, traversing across the forests of Duel Academy. "I suppose all that training you went through with Aster has truly paid off!"

Elize hid her embarrassed face by lowering her head and pulling down on her red cap. "Y-You're giving me too much praise...It's nothing that a Pro Duelist can't handle..."

"Elize, you're being too modest again," Bastion lightly scolded before sighing. "Then again, that trait's not always a bad thing..."

Ever since returning back to normal prior to a few days ago, Bastion's worked harder than he's ever done in his entire life to make up for all the trouble he's caused and to try and catch up to Aster, or at the very least, Elize's level. Bastion had some struggles with Aster's harsh and strict duel training, but he was starting to catch up and get used to the harshness, and it helped that Elize was trying to soothe things out and assist him in doing so.

News of Bastion's return eventually reached the ears of Jaden and the others, but Bastion, while still mad at Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry, showed no hatred or hostility towards them; only slight awkwardness and a tendency to avoid them, as he wasn't quite ready to confront them. Alexis, Chazz, and Atticus, on the other hand, he happily greeted due to the fact that they hadn't a clue of the situation between him and the others, and because Chazz was heavily brainwashed during that time, so Bastion didn't blame him, either.

While Bastion was no longer a participant of the Genex Tournament, he still assisted Elize in taking out and returning as many Society members as possible, thus greatly reducing the amount of work Elize normally had to go through each time. In a way, they had each other's backs and it became a lot easier for Elize to duel Society members who were after her satellite key, especially when up against bigger groups of the members. This way, Elize and Bastion spent a lot of time Tag Teaming with each other and learning more about each other's strategies, decks, and improving their skills.

Now, Bastion was accompanying Elize and had bear witness to her winning yet another Genex duel with another student. The two of them were about to exit the forest when they heard an explosion and a loud scream. Glancing at each other before worriedly, the two headed off towards the direction of the explosion and scream before coming across a shocking scene right before them.

Aster was standing before an unconscious duelist, examining through the cards of a deck. Judging from the situation alone, it appears that Aster had easily defeated the duelist, with the unfortunate side-effect being that the defeated duelist was laid unconscious and injured from the explosion. To Elize and Bastion's further shock, they witnessed Aster throwing the cards away aggressively before turning around with a clenched fist, not caring about the duelist he injured nor his cards that he threw away like they were nothing.

'I have to keep searching!' Aster thought. 'The missing Destiny card is out there somewhere! It was stolen the night my Father disappeared! And when I find it, I'll know who took him from me!'

"Aster! What is the meaning of this?!" demanded Bastion, stomping forward.

Aster finally noticed Bastion and Elize and said, "Oh, it's you two. Nothing to see here. I just finished a duel and that's that."

"That's that?! Aster, you did more than that! We saw you toss that duelist's cards like nothing!" accused Bastion angrily. "Aster, why were even going through that duelist's deck anyways? Ante Duels are still forbidden at Duel Academy, especially during the tournament, after all!"

"First of all, I'm no longer a participant," corrected Aster. "Secondly, it's none of your business what I do with my opponent. All I'm searching is just one card, and that's that."

"What card?! What trouble could come from just looking for one card?"

Aster's words snapped Elize's mind to a sudden realization. "...You're still looking for that missing Destiny card your Father left you, aren't you, Aster?"

"What?" Bastion turned to Elize, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Elize explained, "If I remember correctly, when you first won against Jaden, you mentioned to him that you were using the Destiny Heroes to find the person who kidnapped your Father and to bring justice to evildoers, right? And that the only lead you had towards the kidnapper was that they possibly held the only Destiny Hero card you didn't have, right?"

Aster nodded. "That's right. You remembered. I have to find that Destiny card no matter what! The one who took it is possibly a participant in this tournament! I just have a hunch!"

"...So, the rumors were true," gasped Bastion. "I can't believe it! How could you?!"

"Bastion?" Now it was Elize's turn to look at her enraged friend. "What's going on?"

Bastion took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm down his anger enough to try and explain in a calm manner. "Aster...I've heard rumors of him going around and dueling opponents during the tournament, and him continuing to do so even after giving up his position as a participant."

"Okay...but we all dueled opponents during the tournament. What's the difference now?"

"It's fine if he dueled his opponents normally...but his dueling style towards them was very aggressive and even to the blinking point where he injured them, enough for necessary medical need!" shouted Bastion, glaring at Aster. "Not only does he delivers his opponents wounds, but he also has the nerve to take their decks as rewards for winning and then tossing them as though they're nothing! Cards are to be respected, you know!"

"Hmph. It's not like those decks mattered to me anyways," Aster scoffed, crossing his arms and looking away. "If I really wanted to, I would have taken those decks for myself, but I didn't, so those worthless scrubs should be grateful that I didn't."

"Worthless scrubs?! How dare you talk down to the innocent people YOU harmed?!"

Horrified about learning all this new information and that they were all true, Elize cried out, "That's not the point, Aster! How could you go around hurting people like that? You don't care about the Ante Duel rule at Duel Academy? Fine! You wanted to see if they had that Destiny card you've been searching for? Okay! But that doesn't mean you can go around and hurt people-"

"Ugh, shut up, both of you!" snapped Aster. "What I'm doing is my own business and mine alone! This whole mess is my responsibility, not for you two to suddenly barge in like nothing's happened! Finding the Destiny card is my own destiny alone! So just stay out of my way!"

"Aster!" called out Elize, trying to reach out for him as he rushed off. However, a hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Bastion?"

"Let him go, Elize," advised Bastion, shaking his head. Though, he was still angrily glaring at Aster's back. "I suspect that we ALL need some time to cool our heads and think things through."

Elize glanced back at Aster's retreating figure slowly fading away the further he was before nodding. "O-Okay...We should go help that duelist, then! Should we take him to the infirmary or call for help?"

"Hold on, I'll call for help," assured Bastion, pressing on the numbers of his PDA as Elize continued glancing back at Aster's figure with worry.

Meanwhile, at Industrial Illusions...

"Thanks for coming on such short notice, Chancellor," thanked Pegasus, shaking Duel Academy's Chancellor in a welcoming manner before the two gentlemen took their respective seats inside Pegasus' office. "Your website was down, and I needed an update on what was happening in the GX Tournament. So, tell me, how are things progressing?"

"Not as well as we had hoped," admitted Sheppard.

"I take it that the ultimate Destiny card hasn't surfaced yet? I was sure that this tournament would bring it out."

"Yes, well, there's still time, I supposed," Sheppard sighed exhaustedly. "Now, I hope I'm not speaking out of turn, but what's so special about this Destiny card?"

"It was developed 10 years ago by one of my employees," explained Pegasus. "However, before the card was released, it was stolen, and it never resurfaced again."

This bit of news surprised Sheppard. "Who would steal a card?"

"No one's sure, but my scientific team has come up with a theory."

Having said that, Pegasus pressed a button on his remote, and with just one click, Pegasus' office windows were completely covered by the window blinds, darkening the room for some privacy before a projection of a astral white hole appeared. Pegasus stood up from his seat and proceeded to reveal mind-blowing information that could change things.

"On the day this card was created, my scientists discovered a strange, astronomical phenomenon. This 'white hole,' as they call it, seem to be emitting light waves across the universe! Think of it as the opposite of a black hole; whereas a black hole absorbs energy, this white hole brings out energy, almost like celestial volcano, erupting with light. And, like molten lava, this light was dangerous. Officially, we decided to call it the Light of Destruction."

The projection changed when the white hole erupted, in a sense, spreading light all across the screen before fading away, replacing by an astronomical imagery afterwards.

"It began to tip the balance between light and dark in the universe! And, as its strength grew, so too did its insatiable hunger for power!"

Sheppard, still stunned by this new brand of information, asked, "So, wait...Are you saying...that this 'light' developed a mind of its own?"

"That would appear to be the case," answered Pegasus. "And when the energy reached Earth, it then searched for a host. A person or thing in which to inhabit. We believe that it chose to dwell within that Destiny card! Of course, it gets worst! This isn't the first time that Earth has been invaded by light!"

With another click of his remote, Pegasus replaced the astral projection with more projections of historical events, mainly based on tragic, historical events such as war and diseases.

"In fact, times of turmoil and natural disasters can be traced to-"

"Hold on!" interrupted Sheppard. "So, this energy-"

"Yes." Pegasus predicted what Sheppard was going to ask and resumed his explanation. "It triggers destruction! Just look at our historical timeline! Every major battle that ever took place and every power-hungry dictator that ever tried to take over the world surfaced at a time when these light pulses crossed paths with the Earth!"

"Yes...But what does that have to do with this card?" wondered Sheppard just as Pegasus turned off the projection and made the window blinds automatically open, pouring in light back into the room.

"I ask myself the same thing," admitted Pegasus, placing a blank card facedown to demonstrate his next point. "Now, as you know, Duel Monsters is no ordinary game. It has ties to ancient, mystical energies."

"You mean...this light from outer space is using a card to destroy the world?"

"Yes, precisely! Just when the card was being finalized, it was hit with a pulse of light," answered Pegasus, raising up his blank card to signify that it was the missing Destiny card and the Light's host. "At that moment, the objects fused together! That Destiny card is controlled by the Light, and most likely, the person who holds the card!"

"Oh, no! Does your team have any other clues?" wondered Sheppard. "What about that employee of yours that designed the card? Where is he now?"

"He's gone," replied Pegasus. "When the card was taken, he disappeared along with it! So, whoever took it knew that that Destiny card was powerful!"

"Hold on!" Sheppard gasped, coming to a realization. "Was it Aster Phoenix's father?"

"It was!"

With all of the pieces coming together, Sheppard knew he had a better understanding of the situation. "Of course! That would explain why Aster's been behaving so strangely ever since the tournament began. Ever time that boy wins a duel, he demands that the loser hands over his deck. He's looking for his father's card! What he doesn't realize is that whoever has it is under the control of an evil force!"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Sheppard's eyes showed signs of sorrow and guilt as he continued muttered, "Aster is blinded by vengeance, and at this point, all he knows is that if he locates this missing Destiny card-"

"He'll find his father," finished Pegasus, understanding where Sheppard was coming from.

"Perhaps...but at what cost?"

That night...

"Bastion...I'm still worried about Aster," admitted Elize, walking through the forests once more with Bastion right by her side. "I know he's not your most favorite person right now, but I still want to do everything I can to help him...just not by hurting people."

Bastion scratched his head. "I can understand what you mean, Elize, but the way he's trying to find his own sense of justice right now is...wrong. You have to know that at least, right?"

Elize nodded. "Anything that involves hurting innocent people is wrong! But...I know Aster long enough to know that he's probably not going to listen to either you or me. He's persistent, and he'll probably continue what he's doing until he gets what he wants."

"That's..." Bastion wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he kept silent as they kept walking, up until they spotted Aster surrounded by so many injured and unconscious duelists with loads of cards scattered everywhere.

'I don't get it!' thought Aster. 'I've checked almost every deck in the tournament! And still no Destiny card!'

"Aster! Stop right there!"

Aster turned and saw his two trainees walking towards him and placed a hand on his forehead, annoyed. "Ugh...What do you two want? As you can see, I'm busy."

"Aster, why are you going so far as to hurt others?" asked Elize. "I get that you're trying to find that missing Destiny card, but this can't be the way to do things!"

"If these weaklings don't want to get hurt, they should have become more stronger duelists, then!" snapped Aster. "Why are you two getting in my way anyways?! This has nothing to do with you!"

"And your reckless search for a single card as well as your father has nothing to do with the Society!" argued Bastion. "I thought we all banded together to accomplish one goal: Defeating the Society of Light! Your search has no connection to any of this whatsoever!"

"U-Um...Actually, it might have," Elize said, raising her hand meekly.

"What are you talking about?"

"Bastion, you weren't there at the time, but...Well, Aster, you remembered the time when you, me, and Jaden went to that virtual reality simulation to rescue Hassleberry and Syrus, right?"

Aster crossed his arms. "Correction: You and Jaden went there to rescue your friend. I, on the other hand, went there for myself, for my own destiny!"

"...Wow, you really are a selfish bastard, aren't you?" growled Bastion.

"G-Guys! Focus!" Elize stepped in, trying to prevent the two from practically tearing each others' throats apart. "A-Anyways, Sarina did mention something, remember? That her brother, which is Sartorius, in case you forgot, was a fortune teller at the time and that he used his services on a customer. That customer gave him some card as payment, and that everything changed afterwards."

"What?! So, that card...Is it possibly the Destiny card?!" exclaimed Aster, recalling Sarina's conversation from long ago.

"I...I don't know," admitted Elize. "But Sarina did say that the card vanished afterwards. I don't know anything beyond that, but it's possible that Sartorius knows more about it and-Aster, where are you going?"

The moment Elize spoke of the possibility that Sartorius may have been involved, Aster had taken off, having gotten the information he thought may lead to his Father's whereabouts.

"If I had to take a guess, I'd say he's trying to find Sartorius, so by that extent, that means the White Dorms," said Bastion.

Elize glanced at Bastion before running off after Aster. "Aster, wait! Bastion, can you please call the medics to help the other duelists! I'm sorry for leaving this up to you! Aster!"

"Eli-Damnit, alright!" Bastion, though worried for Elize, decided to trust her to try and stop Aster as he decided to make another call to Duel Academy's medic team using his PDA.

Judging by how lightning was rumbling in the skies, Elize deduced that there might be a bit of a thunderstorm tonight as she hurried onto the trail leading to the White Dorms. She arrived in time to see Aster charging through the open doors of the White Dorms, bellowing angrily in a loud voice.

"Sartorius! It was YOU! I know it! Now get down here and tell me where my Father is, you hear me?!"

Getting a closer look from the front entrance of the White Dorms, Elize saw two other Society members holding back Aster, preventing him from venturing further to disturb Sartorius.

"Get lost!"

"He's got nothing left to say to you!"

With their strength, the two Society members began pushing back a struggling Aster, or rather, forcibly dragging him towards the way he came from. Knowing that she didn't have the physical strength to overpower the other Society members watching, since they would intervene if she were to help Aster, Elize just stayed put and watched, worried.

"Let me GO! I HAVE TO SEE HIM!" yelled Aster before being thrown out the door. "Hey, wait!" The doors slammed shut and locked as Aster stood back up and hurried to the doors, banging his fists against them in an effort to enter back. "Open up! Let me in!"

"Aster! Aster, stop! Stop it!" shouted Elize, placing a hand on his shoulder and trying to convince him to stop. "We can't enter! There's no point, so-"

"Out of my way!" Aster shoved Elize back, forcing her on her behind as Aster continued yelling and slamming his fists against the doors. Eventually, he exhausted his strength and slid down to his knees in exasperated defeat. "You...You can't hide forever...! Damnit...DAMNIT!"

Elize only stayed silent, staying by Aster's side as he was lamenting in sorrow and anger. A few minutes of silence passed afterwards, and Elize, hesitant to reach out and touch his shoulder, stayed her hand and gently asked, "Aster...? Are you okay...?"

"Does it look like I'm fine?" snapped Aster, glaring at her. "You're asking me if I'm fuckin' fine?!"

"I-No-I...I'm sorry. You're right, you're not fin-I...Things aren't okay now..."

Aster slammed his fist at the door one last time for last measure. "Damnit...damnit...!"

Just then, Bastion came running up to them, sensing that something had already happened. "Elize! I managed to call the medics, and I suspect they're still treating the injured duelists as we speak! ...May I inquire what happened here?"

Before Elize could say anything, both she and Bastion noticed Aster silently getting up and leaving. Before they could ask him where he was heading, Aster sensed that they were going to ask him that before holding a hand up to stop them. "I need some time to myself. Leave me alone."

Bastion opened his mouth to protest, but Elize stopped him, shaking her head and taking him away from Aster and the White Dorms to talk privately to him. "Aster tried to barge in the White Dorms but the other Society members stopped him. For once, I'm...kinda glad they stepped in and stopped him from doing something reckless."

"I...suppose you're right," agreed Bastion. "This...what a mess we're in."

"I didn't...I didn't mean for Aster to rush off like that. I wasn't encouraging his reckless behavior, but I didn't make things easier by spouting out what I just said," spoke Elize sadly.

"No, Elize. None of that was your fault. It was Aster's own decision to run off and act reckless, not yours," defended Bastion. "Besides, I have a feeling that he was eventually going to piece together the information you said, whether it was by your words or not."

"...Bastion, I'm really worried for Aster now," admitted Elize. "The way he is now, he's not only going to hurt more people, but himself, too. I saw how exhausted and stressed he was! What...what are we going to do?"

"I'll be honest with you, Elize, I fear with the way things are, they'll only get far worst than anything better," admitted Bastion grimly. "Things cannot get possibly anymore worst-"

Suddenly, the sound of crashing lightning kicked in, and rain heavily fell onto the entirety of Duel Academy, including both Bastion and Elize.

"Uh...you were saying?"

Hurriedly, Bastion took off his Ra Yellow jacket, covered Elize over it, and gestured her along as they ran across the rain, hoping to find the closest warmth and shelter. "Back to the Yellow Dorms! It's the closest dorm there!"

The next day...

"Thank you for letting me spend the night here, Bastion. I really appreciate it," thanked Elize, helping Bastion pick up some notes off the floor.

"You're welcome, though you didn't have to help me clean up my mess," said Bastion, though thankful that she did.

"No, it's alright. It's the least I can do after you helped me last night!"

The two of them had finished up cleaning up the slight mess made when Bastion opened the windows for fresh air, only for the strong winds from the aftermath of last night's storm to scatter his notes around his room. In no time at all, the two of them cleaned things up and prepared themselves in time to watch the World Championship Title Match on Bastion's TV.

"Thought this day would never come! For the first time in a decade, The D will defend his world championship title!"

"They really should have thought the title name some more. The innuendos that could have come from just the title alone..." muttered Bastion, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Innuendos? What's wrong with the title?" wondered Elize. It didn't take long for Bastion to explain the sexual innuendos implicating The D's title, causing Elize to become flustered. "O-Oh...why is his name like that, then?"

"According to my research on The D-Ugh, I can never get used to calling him that. Anyways, The D stands for The Destiny, or The Duelist. In some works, he's also called The DD, which stands for The Destiny Duelist," explained Bastion. "Of course, his real name isn't actually The D. It's Kyle Jables."

"Oh, that's a far normal-sounding name than...you know," commented Elize.

"I concur. What's even more interesting is that he's the foster father of Aster. Yes, Aster Phoenix, the same one helping us train. The D is Aster's foster father and legal guardian."

Elize blinked in surprise. "Really? But...I guess that would kinda make sense. I mean, didn't Aster say that his father was missing?"

"Yes, missing...or dead."

"Wh-what?"

Before Elize could question about Bastion's line of thinking, the announcer loudly proclaimed, "For an entire decade, The D has reigned supreme! But as you all know, folks, that could all change today at the Kaiba Dome!"

With the announcer finishing for now, Elize turned to Bastion, "Hold on, what exactly did you mean earlier?"

"It's just like I said. I suspect that Aster Phoenix's father has already passed away. How long, I'm not quite sure, but I suspect he's long gone and that Aster is on a fool's errand," explained Bastion. "Even if he manages to find the culprit, he'll probably never see his father again."

"What makes you so sure?"

"The possibilities of his father being alive are extremely low. I've done my research and my research has shown me that his father used to be a card designer working at Industrial Illusions. Aster claims his father was kidnapped, and my guess was that he was kidnapped for his skills."

"You mean, the kidnapper wanted Aster's father for his card designing skills? To possibly and illegally make cards?" wondered Elize.

Bastion nodded. "Yes, well, that's my theory on it, anyways. But, if that were the case, then why kidnap Aster's father instead of Aster himself?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I were the kidnapper, and if I would want to obtain cards illegally that would make me powerful, I would have held Aster hostage instead of the father. Or better yet, kidnap both the son and father duo and threaten Aster's life. And yet, nothing's happened. I've researched any usage of illegal card cases that's happened in the past decade, but none of them connect to Aster or the incident that happened to him," replied Bastion.

"Maybe the kidnapper was threatening Aster's life, but just from a far distance," said Elize.

"If that were the case, wouldn't it be easier to kidnap Aster as well? He was a small child 10 years ago, after all. Not much one can do from a far distance. So far, there was no connection of any illegal card dealings involving Aster or that incident, so it's safe to assume that Aster's father was killed in his captivity," Bastion said.

"Are you going to explain this to Aster himself? He may not be happy to hear what you have to say," admitted Elize.

"Perhaps not. I don't plan on explaining my theories to him unless necessary," Bastion informed. "But I still suspect that his father is already long gone, and if Aster were to believe that...well, I fear there's another good reason to keep silent about all this."

"What do you mean? Do you mean to say that Aster might-"

"Yes, out of vengeance, he will likely attempt to kill the kidnapper to avenge his father himself. He's already willing to harm innocents as well as toss away cards disrespectfully, so what's stopping him from attempted murder?"

"..." Elize found that she didn't have an answer to that, so she just remained silent and uncertain.

"We're approaching game time and this capacity crowd is on their feet!"

"...So, why did The D decide to adopt Aster?" wondered Elize, turning to Bastion for answers.

"Simple," said Bastion. "Apparently, The D is said to have been old friends with Aster's father, so possibly in honor of him, The D decided to adopt Aster as his adopted son."

"You know, I've never once heard of The D before until today."

Bastion narrowed his eyes at her. "I've heard that you don't really keep up a lot with the Pro League News. Like, you really don't know a lot about Pro Leaguers."

"Not true. I know there's famous duelists like Joey Wheeler, Yugi Muto, Seto-"

"Everyone already knows about them. They're all above a level beyond Pro Leaguers! The best of the best! Just how many Pro Leaguers do you know? Or do you simply not know at all?"

"I know a few! In fact, your information isn't entirely accurate!" Elize said. "I've been following news on a few of my favorite world-famous duelists! For example, one of my most favorites are Raphael and a woman named Sherry LeBlanc! Their duels always amazed me!"

That surprised Bastion. "Oh, I've heard of the US national champion, but I've never heard of Sherry LeBlanc. If I have the time, I'll have to check her out later. But you must really be huge fans of them if you're this excited, Elize."

"I am! I'm so inspired by them!~"

Bastion noticed the scenery in the TV screen changing and noticed that the duel was about to begin. "Hang on. We can save that conversation another time. It appears that the duel is about to start."

"This duel is almost underway, and it's certainly clear who the crowd's favorite is! The World Champion, The D! But first, the challenger! Coming to us from Mount Polio Prison, and boasting an IQ of 202, it's Doctor Collector!"

The show lights shined down onto Doctor Collector, a prisoner restrained by a straitjacket, and was currently being disliked and booed by the audience. For preparation for the duel, and to show off his massive strength, Doctor Collector broke free of his straitjacket, frightening the audience, especially whose booing at him.

"It's alright, folks! We're under tight security, and everyone is perfectly safe!"

"So, who is Doctor Collector? He looks like someone who came out of prison," commented Elize.

Bastion nodded. "He's an intelligent duelist who's a criminal serving a life sentence in jail. Apparently, he's so intelligent, the FBI even enlists his help in solving crimes. A pity that such a brilliant mind such as him would resort to crimes. If he wasn't a criminal, I'd probably would have been one of his fans."

"And now, the moment you've been waiting for! He's been ruling the duels for over a decade as a World League Champion! I give you...The D!"

Spotlight diverged solely onto the famous Pro Leaguer, The D, who stood confidently with an air of respect and politeness, something that fans of his admired and watched in awe.

After the introductions towards both duelists, the Championship Duel started, much to everyone's excitement. In the end, it looked like Doctor Collector had a lot of advantages due to his Spellcaster-Types and the other cards he's played on the field, but then something unexpected and horrifying happened. Elize and Bastion watched and sensed something ominous when they saw a strange, light malicious force emitting from The D's body; his hair spiked up and his eyes so terrifyingly red as he played his ultimate card, which shined a bright light inside the dome and caused the television signal to be lost, causing static to fill Bastion's TV screen.

"B-Bastion, did you see-?"

"I know." Bastion's face turned stern. "Whatever happened just now wasn't simply some random broadcast suddenly being lost. That broadcast was lost due to that...that thing. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't human. Actually, whatever it was took possession of The D pretty quickly. That white light evil spirit and the red eyes were a pretty-dead giveaway."

"I think that malicious spirit has something to do with the Society of Light," theorized Elize. "Don't you remember what it, the D, or whoever said that said? He wanted Doctor Collector to 'see the light.' Isn't that phrase a bit too familiar?"

Bastion nodded. "You're right! All Society members have said that! Even me! Well, while I was still in the Society, anyways."

"We have to tell Aster about this! That something's definitely wrong with The D!" said Elize. "How did Sartorius get ahold of him anyways?"

"It's definitely strange..." Bastion frowned. "If The D is truly a part of the Society of Light, then wouldn't he have joined the brethren at Duel Academy? Something's not right here..."

Elize stood up. "For now, we should go find Aster! He should be around Duel Academy somewhere!"

"Hold on, Elize. This Championship Match was broadcast live, and millions of people around the world have seen it. It's very likely that Aster, too, has seen it."

"Well, I guess that'll make things a bit easier to explain," said Elize. "But...what was that mysterious card that The D was going to play? He called it his...'ultimate card.'"

Bastion closed his eyes and began to concentrate, trying to bring all of the facts together in his mind. 'Hmm...his ultimate card? Whatever card he played, it must have caused a massive mess back in the Kaiba Dome if the broadcast was cut off like that...But wait, Aster mentioned that he was trying to find someone with the ultimate Destiny card...Wait, it couldn't be-!'

Bastion rushed to his computer and turned it on, frantically typing something and going through several search tabs to find something. Elize wanted to know what was up, but knew better than to disturb Bastion when he was working extremely hard right now. She decided to stay silent and wait for him to finish whatever was important. The only sounds in the now-silent room were the sound of keys being typed down rapidly every second, almost like the ticking from a clock.

Finally, Bastion finished whatever he needed to research on the Internet, though he was pale-faced in the end. "No...If I'm correct...But, even if I have very little evidence..." Bastion looked at Elize and told her, "Elize, is there any way you can contact Aster? Do you have his phone number or-or something?"

Elize shook her head. "No. The only way I could contact him was through meeting him through our training schedules. We normally meet to train or to discuss how to deal with the Society. But, our next training should be...in about an hour, so we can talk to him, then."

"Perfect!" Bastion said. "Elize, I know you're confused, but I promise, all will come to fruition once I explain everything to Aster. I only ask that you wait."

"O-Oh, of course!"

The two later headed towards the docks, where in the scheduled time, Aster was supposed to meet them. Sure enough, he was there, waiting for them, but then he said, "Sorry, but it looks like we're going to have to cancel our training for today."

"What's wrong?" asked Elize.

"Something came up. I have to meet with someone tonight, so you two don't have to worry about the rest of today," replied Aster.

"Let me guess, you're going to meet with your foster father, The D, correct?" guessed Bastion.

"How-?" Aster then chuckled. "Right, I forgot. You're the smart one in the team. Good job doing your research."

"Aster, there's something we have to tell you," started Elize, only to be interrupted as Aster scoffed and placed a hand in front of her face to make her stop.

"Look, I already told you, what happened last night is my own personal problem! It's none of your business, so leave it alone!"

Bastion stepped in. "Aster, we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about The D, your foster father."

Aster sighed and said, "Fine, but if you want me to get autographs for you guys, you can forget it. I'm not your errand boy."

"No, this is something else entirely," said Bastion. "Aster, I do hate to bring up horrible memories, but I do have something...very important to tell you that may involve your father's kidnapper."

That perked Aster's interest. "Go on..."

"I did some research and deducing, and found out that The D's real name is Kyle Jables."

"Obviously, Anyone who looks up online can figure that out," said Aster.

Bastion continued, "But, according to my research, Kyle Jables was amongst the worst Pro Leaguers in record, possibly even the lowest of the low. Haven't you ever wondered why he was able to rise to the top?"

"Hard work, training, and tons of dueling experience, obviously," Aster answered.

Bastion nodded. "True, but here lies the problem. Kyle Jables, also more known as The D, was a very weak Pro Leaguer, but somehow, just when he was close to losing it all, he suddenly makes a huge comeback and, in so little time, becomes the newest Pro League Champion. Isn't that a little suspicious for someone like him to make an effective and swift comeback like that? It would have taken months of training, more experience, and such to reach the level of a Pro League Champion."

Aster shrugged. "Well, perhaps he was a little lucky, or maybe he had been secretly training. What's your point?"

"My point is, someone couldn't have made it so quickly like that so easily. It's a low possibility that The D was strong to begin with and had been holding back his strength, because if he was truly strong from the beginning, he would have transcended as Champion earlier. Either he's been cheating or-"

"Hold up! I'm not going to stand by and let you accuse him of cheating!" shouted Aster.

"Aster, I wasn't done," spoke Bastion calmly. "Besides, what I'm speaking of is just a possibility. Either The D's been cheating his way all the way to the top, or...he obtained some mysterious, strong power that aided him in his duels and allowed him to win easily."

"Mysterious, strong power?" wondered Aster, puzzled.

"Aster, I'm certain that you must have watched The D's Title Match today. That means you had to have seen that mysterious and evil light entity that caused The D to behave aggressively and differently. That, and the red eyes should have been a dead giveaway that something was wrong."

Aster thought back on the duel right before the broadcast was cut off. He did recall The D acting strangely...almost malignant-like, especially with that strange light spirit that he thought was his eyes deceiving him until Bastion pointed that out. Bastion was right; the red eyes were kind of a dead giveaway as well.

"So? Maybe something was wrong with his eyes earlier?" 'That's probably something I'll ask D later.'

"Aster, you can't possibly dismiss this. An evil presence occurred before the broadcast was cut off and you know it."

"Hey, if I recall, you said that you had information on my father's kidnapper, so spill it!" reminded Aster.

"I'm getting there," Bastion said. "Elize reminded you that Sartorius was given a card as payment for offering his fortune telling services to a strange customer, but then that card vanished. I think that that very card was the missing Destiny card you've been searching for."

"I thought as much!" Aster growled. "Well? Have you found out the person who took it? And where the Destiny card is?"

"I do have a hunch...but first, let me tell you something about that malignant-like attitude that took over The D earlier today. He did mention something involving 'the light,' which is a phrase that every Society member has stated so far, which leads me to believe that somehow, Sartorius has made contact with The D and influenced him!"

"No! That can't be! The D is strong! He couldn't be beaten by Sartorius!" gasped Aster.

"That's just a possibility. I have no other explanation for The D, given the circumstances he's in. But, there's even more troubling news. Aster. I've looked up records of The D involving his past, and it took some time, but I found nothing. And that's the problem."

"What are you talking about, Bastion?" wondered Elize. "How is nothing the problem?"

"Aster, I learned that The D adopted you as a favor and in honor of your kidnapped father, correct?" asked Bastion, receiving a nod from him. "But no matter how much I searched, there was no records or even a little shred of proof that your father and The D had interacted whatsoever."

"Maybe their friendship was private? Does the Internet or record books show everyone's private lives?" questioned Aster.

"That's not what I mean. Aster, you're a famous Pro Duelist, and so is The D. Naturally, everyone would want to know every inch of information from the both of you, especially fans. And fans should have found proof of the connections between your father and The D and posted it online, but so far, nothing. Not even a little photo or a short summary. Even a little bit of proof would have had me dismiss my suspicions towards The D, but nothing."

Aster frowned. "Bastion, what are you getting at?"

"Aster...with all the information I've gathered up...I think the D's the one who killed your father."

A sudden, tense silence coursed between all three, and nobody even dared to speak another word for the first several moments. Perhaps the tension would have lessen should Bastion had placed "kidnapped" instead of "killed," but it was too late. Bastion meant what he meant in a firm tone, meaning that what he spoke of was a serious accusation.

At last, Aster spoke, with seething rage within his voice.

"You are so full of shit, Bastion."

Bastion flinched, before regaining his composure. "I was...expecting you to be mad, but your reaction still surprised me."

"You think my foster father, The D, killed my father?"

"Given the recent circumstances and the information, I do believe it's a possibility, yes."

"Wait," spoke up Elize, raising her hand. "Excuse me, but wasn't Aster's father...kidnapped? I'm sorry, Bastion, but I'm still trying to wind my head around the possibility of Aster's father being either kidnapped or killed."

"As I said before, there's a high possibility of him being dead, Elize. But-"

"Shut up!" snapped Aster. "You don't know anything! You're just basing this all on assumptions, aren't you?! The D would-HE COULD NEVER HAVE KILLED MY FATHER!"

"Aster, you're just saying that because of your emotional ties with The D."

"And there's one more thing!" snapped Aster. "My father is NOT DEAD! He can't be! He disappeared the night he was kidnapped!"

"Yes, he was still alive before and he was kidnapped, but I have reason to believe that after he was kidnapped, after an unspecified amount of time, he was ki-"

"I'm not hearing anymore of this!"

Bastion added in, "And after all you've been through, it's not hard to imagine-"

"I've heard enough! You've already wasted too much of my time!" scowled Aster. "I came here out of my own kindness to tell you that our lessons are cancelled for today, but now, I realized that I need to take it a step further. I'm not going to train you anymore, Bastion. You can deal with the Society in your own way. You can choose to deal with them with Jaden and the others, but no longer with me!"

"...I pity you."

"What?"

"You heard me. Even if I'm wrong about The D being the killer or kidnapper, or whatever, you're wasting on something as useless and wrong as revenge, and now, you're attempting to harm others to not only get information, but because you think it's your right. Oh, sure, you'll harm vigilantes, but recently, you've been harming innocents as well to get what you want, no matter the consequences. You make me sick."

"You don't a damn thing about me! What I've been through-!"

"You're right," agreed Bastion sternly. "I don't. I don't know what it's like losing a parent, and I don't know what it's like seeking revenge. And frankly, I don't think I ever WANT to know. You're just a child throwing a tantrum and so lost in the past, that you don't even see that your own actions are hurting others, whether they're good or bad."

"...And you, Elize?" Aster asked, turning to Elize.

"H-Huh? What?"

"What do you think of all this? Do you feel the same as Bastion? That my father was kidnapped by The D-"

"Killed!"

"YOU'RE NOT A PART OF THIS ANYMORE!" Aster snapped at Bastion before reverting back to Elize. "What do you think? And you better speak the truth!"

"I..." Elize feared telling him the truth, as she disliked heavy and loud criticism, but knew he probably needed to hear this. "Aster, there has to be a better way to settle your past than just...revenge! I don't know whether or not The D really was behind the incident that happened with your father, and I know you don't believe what Bastion's told you. But, you need to ask yourself, is this really the right thing? Are you sure you're doing the right thing? Are you just doing this for your father, or for yourself?"

"...I've made my decision long ago. That's all I need to decide."

Having said that, Aster boarded his yacht and sailed off in mere seconds, sailing further and further away from Duel Academy towards the location his foster father informed him of.

Despite what happened, Elize was terrified and even more worried for Aster. "B-Bastion...I'm scared...w-what should we do...? I want to follow after him, at least watch him and keep him safe...but..."

"Yes, I, too, cannot shake this feeling that something terrible is going to happen, and that Aster will possibly make a grave mistake," admitted Bastion. "...We have no choice. It's time to make a phone call to the Chancellor. Hopefully, he'll come up with a proper solution."

Several hours later, at night...

During the trip to The D's large, private yacht, Aster had taken time to calm himself and cool his mind, and yet, anger still lingered inside of him. How dare those two insinuate and accuse of The D of kidnapping-no, killing his father? And even going so far as to try and stop his attempts at revenge! It was his own right! It was for his father! He wanted to deliver justice to his kidnapper!

Upon arriving at The D's yacht, Aster climbed aborad the larger yacht and made his way towards the main halls inside the ship, entering through some double doors. A little suspicious and curious as to why the lighting of the rooms were dark, Aster called out, "Hello? You in here, D?"

"Aster, my boy...You and I don't get any quality time together anymore," spoke up The D, who was standing in the far end of the other side of the main halls.

Ecstatic to see his foster father after so long, Aster asked, "So, what happened? Did you win today?"

"Oh, right. You missed the ending," chuckled The D, stepping forward. His figure was only seen through the moonlight; the moonlight's source coming from above in the large glass skylight window on the ceiling."Are you sure you want to know the details?"

"Yeah, of course! Did he lose?"

"'Did he lose?' Aster, no duelist in the world can defeat me."

"How'd you win?"

What The D said next shocked Aster as the champion himself gave a rather...malicious chuckle. "I used my ultimate card on him, and well...Doctor Collector ended up being dead afterwards. Well, that, or he died from being engulfed from the flames that came from my attack, but either way, he's dead."

"W-What...?!" Aster was left stunned, that he didn't noticed the double doors behind him shutting until he heard the sounds of the doors shutting and light dimming even further in the room. "Hey! What's the deal?!"

The D smirked. "Only one way out. The door behind me. I'm afraid the other exits are sealed."

"What do you want? Tell me!" demanded Aster, now suspicious and worried about The D.

"It's not what I want, Aster...It's what the light wants that matters. And I'm afraid that the light wants YOU, Aster. And they've accepted my method of settling things with a duel, just between you and me. It's also what you also wanted ever since you were a child, remember? You wanted to snatch the championship title from me, which is why you trained and dueled to the best of your abilities. Well, today might be your lucky day, or rather, your unlucky day," explained The D. "But you needn't be afraid. Once you see the light, you'll be free, my boy."

"From what?"

"From the sadness it'll take you to 'see' your father," replied The D, holding up a single card between his fingers. "I believe you've been searching for a certain Destiny card? The ultimate Destiny card? Well, it just so happens that right between my fingers, this is my own ultimate card. I think you can guess what I'm trying to say."

Aster's eyes widened, taking a step back as he was filled with denial. "No, it couldn't be...! You couldn't have-!"

"Yes, that's right, Aster...The person who took your father away from you, and killed him..." The D then flipped over his ultimate card, revealing to be the ultimate Destiny card Aster had been searching for: Destiny Hero - Plasma. "IT WAS ME!"

The shocking truth caused Aster to back away in horror and shock until his back collided with the sealed double doors. Trying to keep himself calm and steady, Aster couldn't stop replaying the horrifying confession delivered to him just moments ago. "You...The D...You...No, no it couldn't be..."

"So, now you know the truth," said The D confidently.

"Why...?" Aster's eyes glared angrily and with betrayal towards one of the few people he trusted. "You snake...how could you?!"

"Oh, please. You mean, how could I not? I needed to have that card, and a certain someone was in my way."

Aster knew full well who he was referring to. "My father..."

"I thought this was what you wanted? You wanted to find your father's killer, and well, tonight, your wish was granted. And all it took was for a single murder and for you to become one of the top duelists in the world to get this far. And anyways, all of this was caused by you, Aster."

"W-What?! Me?! How could I-?!"

"How could you have caused all of this?" chuckled The D. "Well, it happened while you were a child. It was the first time we met, and I'm not talking about when I offered to adopt you. No, I'm talking about way back then, but you probably don't remember it. Allow me to jog your memory. Like many others, I wanted to become a Pro Duelist, but soon, I started losing duels, and I started having the reputation of the worst of the worst Pro Duelists. I was at the end of my rope when all of a sudden, a picture showing the ultimate Destiny card came flying into my hands all because a familiar little boy had accidentally let go of the paper when the wind was blowing."

Aster's eyes widened. "Wait, was that little boy-?"

"Yes, Aster. You. We only chatted for a little while, but I learned from you that the paper I was holding contained details about the ultimate Destiny card and that your father, a famous card designer, was creating such a powerful card. I knew it was a grand opportunity for me to steal it! That night, I attempted to do so, but your father caught me, and then, you could say that I sold my soul to the devil, or rather, to the 'light.' After that, I figured that your father could be of some use to me, so I took him with me."

"So...he's still alive?" Aster wondered in a hopeful voice.

But, The D didn't hesitate to crush his hopes right before him. "No, he's dead. He's been dead for about a decade now. With the most powerful card in my fingertips, I became the most powerful Pro Duelist in the League. Then, we officially met. But, you had no idea that 2 weeks earlier, you led me straight to my lucky charm."

"Hold on! If that's true, then why did you adopt me?" asked Aster.

"It's simple," replied The D. "That case caused far too much attention that I had expected, and besides, the police would never have expected a generous man like me. And it worked. Thank you so much, son."

Aster gritted his teeth. "I'm not your son, you imposter!"

The D seemed unfazed by this. "It hardly matters. You unknowingly helped me out so much. You helped keep the cops off my trail, and I filled you with false hopes about your old man. Oh, and false love. Let's not forget that."

"...Where is he?"

"Hmm?"

Aster yelled, "You know who I'm talking about! WHERE IS MY FATHER! WHERE IS THE MAN YOU KIDNAPPED?!"

The D shook his head. "Oh, Aster, Aster, Aster...How long are you going to deny the truth? Your father is long gone. As in, dead. As in, gone to hell. He's no longer alive because he's already dead by my hands!"

"You're...you're lying!"

"I'm confessing everything to you since there's no point keeping things a secret anymore. What's the point of lying now?"

Aster's breath hitched before he formed his hands into fists. The information he's been trying to deny, along with the information that he's been trying to process, all started to add up and combine into one as he slowly started to accept the reality of what's happening.

Aster was still wondering about one more thing as he mustered whatever emotional strength he had remaining to question The D. "Why...did you kill my father? You said you had use for him, so why kill him?"

"Oh, believe me, it was never my intention to," replied The D. "I had plans for him. In fact, I was holding him captive somewhere secret and hidden, and in order to get him to cooperate and help me create new, powerful cards that would have made me unstoppable even to the King of Games himself, I was going to kidnap you."

"Me?"

"Yes, think about it. If I had kidnapped you and held you in a life-threatening position, your father would have no choice but to comply. Of course, this all took place before I decided to adopt you. Just when I declared my intentions to kidnap you to get your father to cooperate, I guess you could say that your father...snapped. It was probably due to fatherly love, or perhaps he had been slowly and carefully cutting away his bonds, but he managed to break free of his ropes and attacked me! Your father put up quite the fight, and to defend myself, I...had to put an end to him."

"You...monster..."

The D appeared unfazed by Aster's offensive remark. "Like I said, I didn't want to kill him. He just forced my hand. It was such a shame, though. All of the cards he could have created...just for me to grow more and more stronger-"

"My father's cards aren't meant to give YOU strength!" yelled Aster. "My father's 10 times-no, 100 times the man you'll ever be!"

"If I still had a heart, it'd be broken. But, I don't feel anything," replied The D, placing a hand over his "heart."

Clenching his fists until they were white as snow, Aster gritted his teeth. "Bastion was right all along..." he muttered under his breath. "That man...no, that murderous monster really did kidnap and kill my father..."

"Now, I believe that's enough talk between us," spoke The D, activating his duel disk. "You wanted to avenge your old man, right? Bring justice to me and all that? Well, now's your chance for revenge. Don't hold back! Use everything you have against me if you want to LIVE!"

More than ready, Aster's eyes flared with unnatural vengeance and hatred as he swiftly activated his duel disk. "YOU'RE DEAD!"

"DUEL!"

- DUEL -

Aster - 4000 LP

VS

The D - 4000 LP

Meanwhile...

"...You've got to be kidding me."

Elize and Bastion were sitting together in the back seat of one of Duel Academy's helicopters, staring at Sheppard in shock after he finished his explanation about the true nature of the Light of Destruction, its origins, and how much havoc it's caused throughout the millions of years.

"You're saying...that this Light of Destruction is the cause of pretty much the definition of war?" wondered Elize, stunned.

"Forgive me, Chancellor Sheppard, but as a young man pursuing science, facts, and non-fiction, I find that rather hard to believe," apologized Bastion, though he was still in awe. "The Earth's notorious diseases, wars, and so forth...all caused by one single entity called the Light of Destruction, created by a white hole? While I acknowledge the white hole's existence, it's very difficult to believe that just one entity caused so much...destruction. Even if what you claim is true, surely not everything is the Light of Destruction's fault."

"You mean, that the Light of Destruction isn't entirely to blame for wars, diseases, destructions, and all that?"

Bastion nodded. "Yes, at most, dictators or any corrupted world leaders could have been inspired, not taken over, mind you, by the Light of Destruction! This...this is illogical!"

"I understand where the two of you are coming from," sighed Sheppard. "And I understand that this is crazy and difficult to learn. Even I am at odds with this information that Mr. Pegasus has informed me of. But, believe me when I say, that out of upmost seriousness, that this is indeed the truth behind the Light of Destruction."

When Elize and Bastion managed to make contact with Sheppard upon reaching his office and coming across Crowler and Bonaparte for Sheppard's contact information, they told him everything about Aster's intentions, his actions, and their theories about The D before requesting for help. Almost immediately, Sheppard agreed to aid them in the form of a helicopter, which should be faster than a regular boat to reach The D's private yacht. After they boarded and headed towards the exact destination, Sheppard took the opportunity to explain his findings to both Elize and Bastion, finding them more than trustworthy to use the important information against the Society of Light and the Light of Destruction.

Sheppard continued, "It's a good thing you contacted me about Aster. I, too, have heard of his recent actions. This path of vengeance...will not do anything, not even completely satisfy Aster. We must reach him and stop him before it's too late!"

"Hold on," said Elize. "I agree that we should find and talk to Aster, but we're not completely certain if The D is responsible for Aster's incident 10 years ago. We don't really have that much proof, after all."

"But for now, he's a suspect, and if possible, we'll ask The D some questions of our own," replied Bastion. "If he's innocent, good for Aster. However, if he truly was the one who stole the Destiny card and killed Aster's father, he has a lot to answer for, as well as answering some questions."

"Hey!" called out the helicopter pilot. "I see a large yacht up ahead! We're getting close!"

Everyone looked out the window and saw a large yacht the size of about a cruise ship, and right below the large yacht was a much smaller yacht, which both Bastion and Elize recognized as Aster's private yacht.

"That's definitely Aster's! I recognize that yacht anywhere!" Elize exclaimed before getting back to her seat and folding her hands in front of her. Closing her eyes, Elize concentrated on her Duel Spirit abilities. 'Wynn! Lyna! Could you two please help me?"

Upon hearing her call for help, the two female Spellcaster-Type Duel Spirits appeared before her. "Yes, Elly? What's wrong?" asked Lyna.

'I need you two to search around that large yacht and find Aster, please! I need to track down and locate his specific area within the yacht!'

"Alright, we'll be right back, Elize!" agreed Wynn before she and Lyna took off. Elize meditated and concentrated on her power, though because it took a lot of concentration and power, and would leave the user very weary, Elize doesn't often use this ability even though it is handy.

Soon, the two Duel Spirits arrived back in time for the helicopter to be hovering above the large yacht, trying to find a good place to land. "Elly! Aster and a strange man is dueling within the main halls of the ship! But the strange man is emitting an ominous and dangerous aura! It's possible that it's the Light of Destruction!" cried out Lyna. "We nearly got destroyed by the Light of Destruction when we almost got too close, though! Our power isn't enough to surpass such an evil force!"

'Thank you, Lyna and Wynn! Good job! I think we'll be able to take things from here!' Elize telepathically thought to her two Duel Spirits. 'Get some rest, please!'

Snapping out of her meditative state, Elize glanced at Sheppard and Bastion. "I found out something through my Duel Spirits! Aster and some man are dueling in the main halls!"

"A man? It's probably the D!" said Bastion.

"There's more! My Duel Spirits suspect that the strange man is very ominous and that he's possibly possessed by the Light of Destruction!"

Taken aback, Sheppard muttered, "So, the pieces are coming together...It must be The D that's responsible for-!" He clasped the seat of the pilot and ordered, "Get us closer, now! To the main deck section!"

"Right, sir!"

"How are we going to stop them?" wondered Bastion.

Sheppard looked at both Bastion and Elize, clasping them both by the shoulders as he said, "Alright, you two. I do have a plan but it requires both your cooperation and teamwork. If we pull this right, then we should be able to get out of this safely. We don't have much time, so I'll make this quick..."

Aster - 200 LP

The D - 2000 LP

Aster panted heavily to himself; blood trailing down from an injury on his forehead, forcing him to close one eye as his clothes were slightly torn and bloody from being forced to endure assaults from the one Destiny Monster now under the possession of The D.

Destiny Hero - Plasma.

Not only did Plasma absorb his Dogma, but Aster also learned of Plasma's special ability to be given the special abilities of the Monster he absorbs, meaning that Aster suffered Dogma's effect during his turn. Not only that, but he was also on the losing end of the duel, despite learning more about Plasma's abilities and The D gaining more and more of an advantage. If he doesn't think of something soon, he'll lose more than his life; his opportunity for revenge!

Luckily for him, he still has Clock Tower Prison out, so if he played his cards right, then he'll be the one to gain the upper hand in this duel! 'Just two more turns, and I'll have a chance to win this!' thought Aster.

"Hey, sport," called out The D. "You still clingin' to false hope?"

Aster merely growled, trying to ignore The D's taunting as he tried to focus, despite the blood loss, injuries, and stressed and exhausted body.

"Just like before, right, kid? Dreaming that your Dad would come home, when he's been dead for years? And what did that get you? A lifetime of pain."

"Stop it!"

"Fortunately, I'll be ending that soon! You failed again!" The D proclaimed. "I activate the Spell, Drain Time!"

To Aster's shock, his Clock Tower Prison instantly froze in a heartbeat, signaling to him that something was wrong.

"Here's how it works! As long as I control Plasma, I can select any single phase in a turn, and both of us must skip that phase of that choice! I choose Standby Phase, which means you can't activate that Clock Tower Prison's effect that you admire so much! Now, Plasma! Attack his Doom Lord now!"

"Not so fast!" shouted Aster. "I activate my Counter Trap card, D - Counter! D - Counter destroys any Monster that tries to attack one of my Destiny Heroes-Huh?!"

Seeing the destruction of D - Counter brought an even more evil grin on The D's face. "My mistake...Sorry! I should have told you that Spells and Traps can't affect Plasma, either!"

Protected by a barrier of blood, Plasma then continued his assault on Doom Lord, destroying him in a way that resulted in a big explosion. "Gh-! Come on! I can't harm him with Spell, Traps, or any special effects?!" growled Aster. "What can I do?!"

"That's the whole point. You can't do a thing. And since your father created this card, you have him to thank," chuckled The D. "How ironic. The man you're avenging is actually helping me destroy you! I set a card and end my turn!"

"My turn!" yelled Aster. "Damnit...not good enough! I set two cards and end my turn!"

"That's the only thing you can do?" questioned The D, unimpressed. "Pathetic! Honestly! Aren't you glad your father's not here to see you disgrace yourself? Then again, maybe he is...And after this, you'll be together again! PLASMA! FINISH HIM-!"

Suddenly, from above the skylight window on the ceiling, something crashed and landed right in the middle of the main hall floors; two canisters that suddenly hissed out different colored gases that also acted as smokescreens and filled the entire main hall in seconds.

"What the-?!" Shocked, Aster squinted his eyes and peered forward to try and not lose sight of The D. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of breathing in the two gases, and seconds afterwards, he passed out, lying facedown on the ground.

The two canisters that were suddenly dropped from quite literally the sky, were two canisters filled with different gases, though none were lethal or harmful. The first canister was a fog-like smokescreen whose entire purpose is nothing but providing cover and a wide distraction. The second canister was quite different, as while it does provide a smokescreen effect, it was, in actuality, a canister filled with anesthetic gas, so if one were to inhale or breath in the gas, they'd be knocked out in no time.

Quickly after the canisters were thrown, the gases were spread around and filled the halls, and Aster was knocked out, the duel ended with no victor nor loser, and soon, multiple things came crashing down from the skylight window. They weren't canisters, just random junk, but it was irrelevant as to what junk they were, as the purpose of the random junk was to completely shatter and destroy the skylight window for what was coming next.

Next, a rope ladder from above fell down, and emerging from the helicopter, climbing down the rope ladder, and getting aboard the main halls of the ship-like yacht, were Bastion and Elize. To protect themselves from the anesthetic gas, they wore gas masks covering their entire faces and nodded to each other as the next step of their plan was a success.

They had little time, but they formulated a plan with Sheppard as to what to do. If they saw Aster in any sort of danger, they were to interrupt the duel by throwing down two canisters of different gases that Duel Academy kept for emergencies like keeping intruders out or arresting them, and luckily, the helicopter had plenty of supplies. Next, they were to use the distraction as a way to retrieve Aster, and once they did so, they would send a signal after boarding the rope ladder, signaling the helicopter to fly away.

Any normal man would have succumbed to the effects of the anesthesia, but unfortunately, The D was no ordinary man.

The Light of Destruction had possessed his body the moment The D himself was also rendered unconscious by the anesthesia, enraged over the interruption of their duel-no, the EXTERMINATION OF A CHOSEN ONE! It was seen even further when its malicious light spirit grew in size and power, much to Bastion and Elize's horror.

"YOU-! YOU DARE TO GET IN MY WAY! YOU SHALL SUFFER AND DIE FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS!"

"Bastion! Get behind me!" Elize shouted before clasping her hands together and closing her eyes, focusing on her powers. As the Light of Destruction's spirit swiped at her, it was blocked by a barrier protecting her, courtesy of her calling her Duel Spirits to focus their power on creating a protective barrier to protect their mistress. Elize normally doesn't get the opportunity to use this power to call on her friends to provide their power to protect, but it is also draining and she knew that the Light of Destruction's power was immense. She could only hold onto the barrier for a short while before it broke and left her exhausted and vulnerable.

Meanwhile, Bastion decided to take the chance to try and find Aster while Elize was protecting them and keeping the Light of Destruction occupied. He quickly found Aster unconscious on the floor and carried him over his shoulder, running back to Elize. "I've got Aster! We can go now!"

"Okay! Let's hurry!" Knowing that her Duel Spirits would follow right behind her, Elize ceased her concentration and joined Bastion by having the two of them grab onto the rope ladder in one hand each. With her other hand, Elize took out a flashlight that she found in the helicopter and aimed the light at the sky, clicking it on and off a few times to create the signal that they were finished.

Immediately, the helicopter took off along with the rope ladder, prompting Bastion and Elize to hold a tight and firm grip on the rope ladder as they found themselves in mid-air. Bastion had a harder time due to carrying a person's weight on his shoulder, but he managed to endure as Sheppard was helping the two students by pulling up the rope ladder to help them.

The last thing any of them heard from The D's private yacht was his, or rather, the Light of Destruction's, indignant roar of frustration over its plans being foiled.

Later, back on Duel Academy...

"No, no, NO! DAMNIT! WHY?! WHY DID YOU DO THIS?!"

Aster was seen yelling at both Elize and Bastion, pissed off and frustrated at the two for ruining everything for him by interrupting his duel. The two of them had tried to explain everything to Aster ever since he woke up, but during their explanation, Aster had quickly deduced the rest and was now in the procedure of yelling at them.

"What were you two even doing there?! That was my fight! MINE! You had no right to interfere!"

"We had to! You were in danger! We saw you were injured during that duel of yours and we had to step in!" said Elize.

Bastion nodded. "Yes, your condition before wasn't too critical, but you were heavily wounded, nonetheless. Even if you had won that duel, you had no medical assistance anywhere, and you seemed to be losing, so we had to step in."

"But why would you do that?! Why?! You fucked everything up! I was still in the middle of that duel! I was still trying to figure out Plasma's weaknesses! I was still trying to carry out my revenge!" Aster continued to holler before seething internally even further. "Get out of my way so I can go back to The D and finish this!"

"Go back?" questioned Bastion. "Aster, you were on the blink of defeat and you were, and still are, heavily injured! And, despite all that, you still want to go back?!"

"YES!"

Bastion and Elize glanced at each other worriedly, even more concerned for Aster and reluctant on allowing him to leave. After they had rescued him, they managed to climb aboard the helicopter with help from Sheppard. Using the emergency medical kit within the helicopter, they patched up Aster's wounds as much as they could, and while it would stop the blood loss and infection of his wounds, he still needed to see a doctor, which is why they hurried back to Duel Academy as fast as they could. After landing in a safe spot, Aster had woken up, and Sheppard was talking with the pilot and trying to contact the medical team for Aster.

After all that's happened, Bastion and Elize's bond only solidified due to the teamwork and trust they demonstrated to each other, so they had reached a mutual agreement and blocked Aster's path.

"We won't let you go."

Aster gritted his teeth, both in further frustration and from enduring his injuries. If he were in such a heavy condition, he would have dealt them physically. After all, he was a black belts in martial arts. As he was in no condition for a quick physical assault, he stayed his hand and instead activated his duel disk.

"DUEL ME!"

"You can't be serious, Aster!" cried out Elize. "You're in no further condition to-!"

"SHUT UP! I AM GETTING TO THE D, NO MATTER WHAT! GET OUT OF MY WAY, OR YOU'LL REGRET IT!"

Elize knew that not only was Aster in no condition to do anything, but that he was growing angrier and angrier by the second. Perhaps the best way to calm him down and settle things as peacefully as possible was to duel him.

Then, Bastion stepped forward and held up a hand in front of Elize. "Don't worry, Elize. I'll handle Aster. Aster, you wish to leave for The D? Then, how about this? I win, you stay here, but if you win, you're free to do as you pleased."

"Fine!" spat Aster, activating his duel disk as everyone scattered for distance. "Let's settle this, then!"

"Wait! You can't!"

"DUEL!" both opponents yelled, starting the duel off.

And this ends in a cliffhanger! Yeah, I get that cliffhangers suck sometimes, but they can also add in tensions and levels of uncertainty, kinda like in scary movies!

Yeah, I decided that if I'm going to use Bastion for the rest of this season arc, I'll be making him useful. After all, he seems really smart, so I had him become an even smarter detective than Chazz and take the initiative. He's not afraid of facing nor standing up to Aster, and since next chapter, we'll see a duel between them, I have a question for all of you.

I have plans for Bastion's DARK Attribute deck, and yes, I will be going through each of Bastion's unused elemental decks since the anime only showed his WATER and EARTH-Attribute decks. Therefore, the question is, should I use a FIRE or WIND deck for Bastion this upcoming duel? The votes will ultimately make the final decision, and it'll be rather easy to figure out what Attribute deck he used when you read the duel next chapter!

By the way, IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! I was thinking that Jaden x Elize might not be a good idea since they act more towards siblings at each other. I was thinking, maybe this should be an Aster x OC (Elize) fanfic!

Of course, I don't want to make it so that Elize is the damsel in distress and that she needs help and at the end, the hero always gets the kiss and stuff like that! No, way! I don't want such cliché stuff like that happening in my fanfics! And Elize will not be kissing Aster to break free of his revenge! I'm not doing that dumb stuff! Anyways, I was trying to decide on Aster x OC, but I want to hear your guys' opinions about all of this in the reviews or PMs or something!

Originally, I did plan to start an official duel in this chapter, but I changed my mind! It should be for the next chapter, so stay tune and hit your alarms for this fanfic or something.

Read and review!