Chazz was currently feeling incredibly stifled.
To achieve total financial dominance over the Dueling World, The Princeton Group wanted to spend a fortune to acquire Duel Academy from Seto Kaiba. Using the academy as a starting point, they planned to gradually usurp KaibaCorp's position in the Dueling World.
To this end, Seto Kaiba used a "duel" as a pretext, allowing Chazz's two older brothers to challenge any student of Duel Academy. If they could win the duel, Kaiba would unconditionally hand over the academy to them.
Chazz's two brothers, Slade and Jagger Princeton, chose Chazz as their opponent. Furthermore, to "accommodate" the novice Slade, they established a rule for Chazz: he could not use any monster cards with an attack power of 500 or more.
But as a duelist who preferred high-ATK monsters, Chazz had absolutely no monsters in his deck under 500 ATK except for Ojama Yellow.
Left with no other choice, and following Professor Banner's guidance, Chazz headed toward the legendary junk well where "trash monsters" were discarded.
"This kind of duel..." Chazz felt deeply helpless.
As a member of Duel Academy, he naturally understood the importance of this match. If the academy was seized by his two brothers, no one knew what the future of the Dueling World would become.
However... to go against his own brothers...
"Yo, Chazz."
"Waaaah!" Jaden Yuki's voice suddenly rang out beside Chazz.
Chazz scrambled back several steps in fright, looking at Jaden nervously as he appeared by his side. "You... you bastard, when did you... what do you want with me?"
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Chazz asked with a touch of annoyance.
"Nothing much. Are you planning to head over to that junk well?" Jaden glanced at Chazz. "Preparing a deck to duel your brothers?"
"...Yeah." Chazz didn't think much of it. After all, basically the entire academy knew about this matter. Although Jaden rarely attended class, he must have heard something.
Following behind Jaden, Chazz's heart was filled with complex emotions. "Hey, Jaden..."
"Hmm?" Jaden didn't look back, responding casually.
"You... why exactly do you engage in Shadow Duels?" Chazz clenched his fists, finally asking the question that had been weighing on his mind.
Ever since he learned that Jaden had been fighting Shadow Duels in secret, Chazz's opinion of him had changed somewhat. He didn't understand why a boy who looked the same age as him had to carry such a heavy responsibility. Perhaps if he knew the answer, the weight in his own heart would be lifted...
"Why, you ask..." Jaden mused for a moment and said frankly, "For myself, I suppose."
"For yourself?" Chazz was confused.
"Yeah. Dueling shouldn't have to be for anyone else, right?" Looking at Chazz, Jaden flashed a smile. "Otherwise, why bother enduring such resentment and pain just to insist on playing a game for the sake of others? If you don't want to play cards, then just don't."
"Is that how it is..." Chazz lowered his head, still feeling slightly lost.
"However," Jaden added calmly before Chazz could wrap his head around it, "that was only my initial thought."
Chazz blinked and looked up at Jaden, only to find that Jaden's expression had returned to its usual cold and serious state. His eyes seemed to overflow with an indescribable depth of emotion.
"Now, I'm not just dueling for myself. I'm also dueling for my decks and for the spirits who follow me. For them, I cannot lose, and I will not lose..."
Because The Supreme King never fails!
The figures of various spirits slowly gathered around Jaden. Yubel, Winged Kuriboh, Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit, Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion, and Ghost Reaper & Winter Cherries...
Many spirits surrounded Jaden, gazing at their "Supreme King."
"..."
Chazz's eyes widened as he watched the spirits around Jaden. In that moment, he finally understood that the source of Jaden's strength was his seamless bond with these card spirits.
The Supreme King and the spirits empowered each other. The Supreme King protected the spirits, and the spirits followed his lead. This was the reason Jaden was invincible!
Regaining his composure, Chazz looked at Jaden.
"I believe everyone has their own reason for dueling. Chazz, you duel constantly to become Number One, don't you?"
"..." Chazz didn't deny it. It was true. The reason he worked so hard at the academy was to become its Number One, to become a professional duelist whose name the whole world would remember! He wasn't doing it just to seek his brothers' approval!
"So, what is there to be confused about?" Jaden patted Chazz on the shoulder. "As long as you have the conviction to duel, don't let small things affect you easily. Just do your best in every match. With your strength, even if your deck is full of monsters with 0 ATK, you wouldn't lose to those two brothers of yours."
"Jaden..." Chazz's heart trembled.
For some reason, in that instant, he felt as if the distance between him and Jaden had vanished. He could feel Jaden's persistence and obsession, and Jaden could understand his own pain and struggle.
This... could this be the feeling of having a best friend?
It was completely different from those lackeys who only knew how to flatter him and would avoid him like the plague the moment he lost his status.
"Hmph... sooner or later, I will definitely surpass you, Jaden Yuki." Chazz lowered his head, but the corners of his mouth couldn't stop curling upward.
When he looked up again, Chazz had returned to his usual arrogant, sour face.
"Yeah, I'll be waiting." Jaden nodded with a smile.
Although the two didn't speak further, Chazz felt that the atmosphere between them was no longer as awkward as it once was. In a mutual silence, Jaden and Chazz arrived outside the legendary junk well where cards were discarded.
Looking down into the dry well, the bottom was covered in a dense layer of discarded low-level monster cards.
"This is really unseemly..." Climbing down the rope, Chazz couldn't help but frown at the cards carpeting the ground. "Even if they are trash, to be abandoned like actual garbage..."
"I heard that before you left the academy, you threw your deck into the sea, didn't you?" Jaden glanced at Chazz, unable to resist teasing him.
"That..." Chazz's face turned red, and he grumbled under his breath, unable to find a comeback. "Anyway, I should pick out some cards that can actually be used..."
Chazz muttered to himself as he searched for viable cards at his feet.
As he was looking, two figures gradually emerged from the darkness behind the pair.
"Hey, hey... that guy in the red clothes... couldn't that be Big Brother Jaden?"
"It really is Big Brother Jaden! And the person next to him... there's a familiar feeling coming from him..."
The black spirit and the green spirit looked at each other, their eyes filled with excitement.
"Could it be!"
"Is it our brother?!"
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