Predictions and Observations:
Amnael's Endgame II

It’s weird, my first inclination is to summarize Banner’s past and try to fill in the blanks, so here goes: As a young man, Banner was, like Jaden, a duelist with seemingly endless potential and talent. He traveled the world in search of rare and powerful cards. Eventually he, like Pegasus had before, went to Egypt and explored tombs there. One tomb he entered changed his life: he encountered three stone tablets carved with the Sacred Beast monsters. I also suspect that this may be where he found his shadow charm, the book. My reason for this is Banner’s statement that he “paid for this book with his flesh and blood”- as in to find it he lost his original body. So as I was saying, in that same tomb, there lay some sort of curse that ate away at Banner’s body. After trying everything else, he had no choice but to create for himself a homunculus, which in this case means a clone, and seal his spirit into it. I’m not sure if this is what he’s been doing the past few days, or whether he did it before Jaden and the others showed up. During his years at Duel Academy, Banner searched and searched for a duelist as capable as Jaden, to So my guess is that a few days ago Banner knew that he didn’t have much time, and also probably disappeared because the keykeepers had taken out the other six Shadow Riders, and so it was his turn. So a few days ago, Banner slipped away from the Slifer dorm and prepared whatever he needed to take down Jaden and the other keykeepers. This would include some kind of spell to leave the Mark of Amnael at the scenes of disaster; the disguise… I suppose we’ll never know what the “Tree” note meant now… and the arena, etc. Finally, when they came looking for him, he slipped into the Obelisk guys dorm and dueled and defeated Atticus, ransacking the room and lying in wait for Alexis. Once she showed (maybe he knew she would because perhaps she regularly visits her big bro?) and saw the wreckage, he gave up his hiding place and, making sure she saw him run out, led her into the forest, dueled, and defeated her. Next he planted his own (probably unwashed, because Pharaoh had no doubt been looking for him and would be drawn, hopefully at least, to the scent, leaving one more lure) clothes to lead Chazz away from the group and to encounter him as well. I suppose it must have been pure dumb luck that Chazz, rather than Syrus, Jaden, or Chumley, found them, or something I’m not thinking of. Banner dueled and defeated Chazz. It was then time; he had the stakes (the spirit gates were open and he had three of Jaden’s friends, including two people he was pretty close to) to force Jaden to initiate the duel and then to finish it no matter what, even if he discovered the truth. He made sure that Jaden knew that this was the case; the six columns of light signified that not only were the other six gates open, but therefore that Chazz, Alexis, and (he thought at the time) Banner had been taken out.

I noticed that Chazz, Alexis, and Atticus were each imprisoned inside a specific planet rather than a generic one. As far as I could tell, Chazz was locked up inside Mars, a fitting choice considering his general personality and temperament. Alexis was inside the planet Venus, another interestingly fitting choice because she’s the main girl of the series; not only that but she’s known to be very popular and has many admirers. Atticus, though, for no reason I could think of, seems to have been (though his was the hardest to see) enclosed in the planet Jupiter. In addition to being the largest planet, Jupiter is the fifth from the sun and the first of the ‘outer’ planets, beyond the asteroid belt between it and Mars. Though it was previously thought that only Saturn had rings, it turned out that Jupiter also has a thin ring or two. The big red spot on Jupiter’s surface is actually a storm that’s as wide across as three of the planet Earth. Jupiter was named for the head of the roman pantheon of the same name, equivalent to the Greek Zeus. I digress- I was a bit of an astronomy nut as a young child. Anyway, I can’t really think why that would be the planet in which Atticus is trapped as opposed to any other.

Chronology: “Like Pegasus years before” him, Banner was a bit of an archaeologist, and explored tombs in Ancient Egypt. But how many years before? *That* would be a handy bit of information to know…

What does homunculus mean? Earlier Banner played Golden Homunculus, and now homunculus seems to be synonymous with clone. But here’s the definition paraphrased from Dictionary.com:
Homunculus(n): pl. “homunculi”- a miniature, but otherwise entirely formed, human being

The classic dilemma strikes again: Can’t win, can’t lose! And this time, even, it worked for both sides! Jaden could hardly bear to destroy Banner, but had to win for Chazz, Alexis, Atticus, and the world. I noticed how there was leadup to this when Jaden was the one in The Seventh Shadow Rider who really missed Banner, and was worried about him, and liked him.

“Then I won’t duel.” What a thing to hear Jaden say! I nearly fell over!

Is this a shadow game? It must be- how else would they have been transported to space like that? Or Jaden’s cards moving around on their own (like when he returns cards to his hand they appear there on their own). From the look on his face after Burst Return returned Heroes Avion, Clayman, and Bubbleman to his hand, I realized that maybe there’s a couple reasons why shadow games are kinda fun to play (like the self-appearing cards). But I digress; I’m pretty sure, for once, that this is a shadow game.

I note that Chazz is knocked out again when they get brought back.

Banner is a *really* good actor! And I mean phenomenal! He took out three of his own students, almost ended the world, just to train Jaden for this upcoming battle! He also put a great deal of faith in Jaden to win, because I have a feeling that the key bet is irreversible after the duel is over. He would’ve been stuck ending the world as we know it if Jaden hadn’t defeated him. And despite that, he dueled Jaden his hardest and darn near beat him, without once losing the act that he had been Jaden’s foe all along. I was very impressed; I doubt anyone could do that!

Banner’s story about having fixed Jaden’s duels doesn’t hold water anyway. For one thing, Yugi himself recognized Jaden’s potential having barely met him. For another, how could Banner have possibly rigged some of those? How do you rig a duel? The only time we’ve seen it happen was Joey v. Johnson, when Johnson was manipulating the virtual technology. But however, for one, it makes no sense for Banner to have been manipulating Jaden’s duels because, with no Jaden as top duelist, Sheppard would have found some other loser to guard the key instead. It would’ve been “Ahem. Well, *four* best, really, but I needed seven, so…you know…” (modified from Sheppard’s line in Doomsday Duel I)

Yellow Process Citronitas/Kitolinix- No alchemy reference here. All I got were, coincidentally, web pages on this very duel. It’s weird; it sounded more like the second spelling to me, but a lot of pages were using the first. Go figure.

“That’s why you will never be a great duelist! You lack the discipline and strength!” Reminds me of what Chazz said (though I believe I’m right in saying that they were said for entirely different reasons) in School Duel II: “…*that’s* why you’ll never be a champion. Ya see, it takes *discipline* to win. You need to have a sense of duty! You need to have some kinda plan! And I have a plan, and I have a sense of duty! And that’s why I’m going to beat you, Jaden!!…”

Another guy who asked Jaden to join him and forget about Duel Academy, though I have a feeling that with Banner this was another taunt to off-balance and upset Jaden.

Red Process Rubedo- I was right! Yeee!

Jaden handled his moment of doubt very well indeed! I was very proud, and I’m sure Banner was, too. I don’t think I’ve seen any of the legendary duelists get through it that fast. Jaden was wondering if what Banner said was true about all of his duels being fixed, and wondering if he really was just a run-of-the-mill Slifer Red slacker. But, he decided heartwarmingly fast, even if that is the case, I can’t give up now, because the whole world, all of my friends, are counting on me. *That’s* what makes Jaden a great duelist, far more than cards or lifepoints.

Banner’s shadow charm broke- the Millennium symbol on the front shattered partially. Not sure why.

The spirit gates all closed again, even though Jaden’s still the only keykeeper still standing. Why, and if the spirit gates are all closed again, where are the keys? What will the “Eighth” Shadow Rider (for lack of a better name) do?

The Eighth Shadow Rider- the great evil Banner gave his life to prepare them for. Who/What is it? I could go on and on with questions like that. Instead, my prediction is that it’s the guy with the beard and the weird accent that we’ve seen in the shadows in a flashback or two; the guy Sheppard was talking to via videophone in Field of Screams III, and the man who gave Camula her shadow charm in the same episode; and the guy who gave Titan his shadow charm also.

Someone seems to have cleaned up Atticus’ room after Alexis came in earlier to find it ransacked. Then again, that being the Obelisk dorm, I’m not that surprised.

Another shadow charm for Jaden’s collection (but still no skateboard…)—what will they all end up being *for?!* Now he’s got a necklace (Camula), a glove (Tanya), a..umm.. rock (Don Zaloog), a circlet (Abidos III), and a book (Banner).

Pharaoh ate the little light. I suspect that means Banner isn’t really gone from Duel Academy; keep an eye on Pharaoh, because you can bet that he’ll be keeping an eye on them! I remember when Dark Magician Girl kissed Syrus on the cheek and a little light went up from Syrus and followed her spirit away. Maybe it’s sort of the same thing, another little light. Whatever it did, though, it looks like it was none too pleasing to the digestion.

Who’s the new Slifer dorm headmaster going to be?

What about the name Amnael? Was it Banner’s true name? Was it borrowed from a symbol in Banner’s work in alchemy so that he had a false name with which to challenge Jaden? Since Jaden and everyone still called him Banner, so do I. Right now, I’m kinda leaning towards Amnael being a false name, after the alchemical Mark of Amnael. Maybe it was some kind of trademark of Banner’s or meant something special to him. I kinda think that might be the case.

Tomorrow: what the--… Okay, the episode is entitled “Chazz-anova.” Anyone’s guess what that might mean, lol. Something to do with Chazz. ‘Til then, I’m afraid I must utilize what few brain cells I have left at this late hour (sorry about that again) for my English homework. Siiigh… -Clio