Predictions and Observations:
(The) Duel Off II

So does this mean that Gerard’s sticking around to find the missing students? Someone should really tell him, namely Jaden, that it’s not safe to go there without any sort of protection against the Shadow Realm. Otherwise he might just become a ‘missing student’ himself. Where else would he possibly look if he’s looking for them, though? I mean we know that they got Shadow-Realmmed probably, right? So how would anyone ever find them? I think we’re talking getting help from a few familiar faces; Yugi probably knows more about the Shadow Realm than anyone, and I’ll bet that the slimy things backed off because that used to be Yugi’s Winged Kuriboh. I don’t think that any bystander in Duel Academy really stands a chance against Shadow Magic, though, except Jaden, who has a pal like Winged Kuriboh, and who doesn’t know anything about the Shadow Realm, as we’ve seen. Then again, it’s been proven in the past that the only one who can release someone from the Shadow Realm is the one who put them there (Yugi was unable to use the Millennium Puzzle to release Grandpa, Kaiba, or Mokuba from Pegasus, nor Mai or Bakura from Yami Marik; this fact was also mentioned in Shadow of a Duel when Yami Bakura says that Syd, Bonz, and Zigor will be trapped there until he decides to let them go), so who would that be in this case and how would anyone ever confront a spontaneous occurrence of the Shadow Realm? I dunno…UNLESS…what if someone we didn’t see has been lurking at Duel Academy and zapping duels with Shadow Magic? Can they *do* that if it’s not their duel? I’ve never seen it happen before…

So now we’ve got another side plot going, or rather an addition to a known one. What makes this show so great is all of these strands coming together. In Duelist Kingdom, for instance, it was the main plot of Yugi saving his grandpa, then there was Joey and Serenity, Kaiba and Mokuba, Kaiba’s shift from enemy to friend and back and back again, Pegasus and the Big Five, Mai’s transformation, Bandit Keith, Bakura and the Millennium Ring… Now, in GX, we have similar strings such as Alexis’ brother and now Gerard, Zane and Syrus, the ongoing Bastion vs. Jaden, Crowler’s continuing plots to get Jaden expelled, Chazz, Jaden and Alexis, Jaden vs. Yugi in the far future… Anyway, yeah, we have plot now!

What’ll Bastion try next? Deck destruction strategies, perhaps, like Kaiba used in A Duel with Destiny or something like what he pulled toward the end of Clash in the Coliseum? That would keep Jaden from having much to fall back on, and if it’s a matter of simply best planned-out strategy Bastion would win undoubtedly. I kept wondering after Bastion destroyed Skyscraper if Jaden was going to think to get around Bastion’s Polymerization ban with his Fusion Gate field spell. Skyscraper gave me the idea to use that.

I wonder if Crowler may try to get Jaden disqualified from competing? I don’t think that Crowler will be rooting against Jaden in the School Duel itself, though. After all, Jaden’s representing Duel Academy, and Crowler is pretty dedicated to the school. I keep in mind that the reason that Crowler tried to keep Jaden from getting in by slamming him in his entrance exam is because Jaden arrived late and was clearly a slacker, and he didn’t want another loafer in his school. Moreover, he doesn’t like Slifers because Duel Academy is a prestigious school, and he thinks that if students are that lousy they don’t belong there, and they’re cluttering the school and bring the average down, so to speak. Crowler dislikes them BECAUSE he has strong school spirit. Therefore, however much he may try to keep Jaden from competing leading up to the match, during the School Duel itself, it will be amusing to watch Crowler have no choice but to root for Jaden. Crowler wanted Zane to compete, so I wonder if he’ll try to somehow pit Zane against Jaden or get Zane to revoke his okay or something. Then, if Crowler has to go through Zane to get to Jaden, his chances will be very slim indeed, because Zane is good sport enough to agree with Sheppard about their putting forth a student of equal standing, and also knows firsthand that Jaden is a good choice. If Crowler tries to trick Zane into something, his chances will be even slimmer, and I would *dare* him to try it. Maybe it’s just because for whatever reason I’ve become a fan of Zane, but I don’t think Crowler stands much of a chance of kicking Jaden out of his post if it’s Zane who would replace him, because you can bet that Zane’ll get to the bottom of it.

Who will North Academy put forth? Well, someone mysterious, by definition. A first-year we already know and similar dueling prodigy, therefore, or North Academy would not have put its reputation in his or her hands. Who could possibly create suspense, if we’re talking plot factor? A familiar face? A duelist from the cradle? Who knows? Don’t answer that.

Tomorrow is- Aack! Reruns?! Okay, we don’t know the name of the next episode because it’s not showing! No fair! It’s only been (counts) eight episodes since they LAST held us in suspense! Eight! It’s not fair! Stupid Cartoon Network! Oh, well. When they *decide* to quit *tormenting* us, I’ll let everyone know what the new episode is. Until then, I’m about to start my ep-guiding GX marathon of doom, when I next gain control of the TV, and I’ll be posting that soon, and the next new episode I will be posting about will be the original Yu-Gi-Oh’s Birth of the Blue-Eyes!! I’m sure I forgot something, but oh well…That’s all, folks!!-Clio