Predictions and Observations:
Camaraderie Contest

Ah, nothing like a good duel to teach someone a new trick—I couldn’t spell “camaraderie” before I had to write or type it ten-odd times for my notes, this post, and the rest of my guide!

I don’t know if anyone noticed, but in the very beginning of the episode, one student said to another, “Dude, how can you be failing Spells 101?” Add to the class list along with the classes we heard about in The King of Copycats II and probably elsewhere that doesn’t come to mind.

Was Bastion teasing, or does Syrus actually like liver and onions? Since he was quite obviously worried about Syrus and how little he’d been eating, I’m prepared to say it was genuine and that if Syrus didn’t like liver and onions Bastion would’ve offered him a granola bar or something rather than mention it.

Bastion was being supportive again. However good or bad a duelist he is (we have no idea at this point, safe to say; we haven’t seen him duel since mid-freshman-year), one thing’s for sure: he looks out for his fellow Ras as much as possible. I’m reminded of the last time I noticed this, in The Duel Giant and The King of Copycats I.

Why is Jaden having so much trouble getting back to Slifer? If he *is* as dim as has been mentioned in the past, then I guess he wouldn’t realize that the best way to proceed is go along the shore as closely as possible until he reaches the bridge, the main building, or some other landmark that he *does* know his way back home from. I mean, if he’s lived there a year or so, which he has, he should at least know the route from classes to dorm and back.

We saw some of those red arrows again. Two episodes in a row, it gets a bit old. Yesterday it was hilarious, especially the one in the crowded stadium where it’s impossible to see anyone’s face. But today, the joke had already been told, it felt like. However, I get the feeling that we may see that more often, because now GX has enough back-story that they’ll actually need to do that to remind the average viewer that a given thing in the less-than-recent past occurred.

Syrus and Hassleberry actually brawled? Wow, first time in GX or in a while in the whole canon that I can think of since *that* happened. Unless you count Hassleberry’s buddies taking Syrus’ duel disk and lunch money and running his undies up the flagpole…

Atticus, Atticus, Atticus. When Alexis went to such lengths to rescue him, I think she’d forgotten how annoying he was. If he wants to be a pop star or whatever someday, what’s he doing kickin’ around Duel Academy? Pro duelists are just as famous. Plus, I think he *does* like to duel. One thing I remembered about him today, perhaps just because it seemed so contrasted, was that Atticus was the one who taught Alexis that the most important part of dueling is the reason you have to win the duel.

Show no fear, Syrus told himself, as if it were something someone else had taught him before. It sounds familiar, and not just from the song in Panik Attack (“No matter how you come at me I’ll show no fear!”). I have no way of checking this, but possibly Hassleberry said it in Sad But Truesdale? That would be rather ironic, don’tcha think?

How accurate are Atticus’ analogies? He said that Syrus and Hassleberry both want to sing lead, but right now they’re singing backup. I think he meant that in order to be Jaden’s best friend they have to act like it, and right now neither of them is. Not that there’s anything wrong with singing backup (said the notorious ensemble-queen), but it’s a different part than singing lead; it’s less demanding, for one, and if you make a mistake nobody’ll notice for the most part (though be careful anyway, because someone else might be following your lead for what to do and you won’t know it). Anyone who wants to, pretty much (depending on the director, grr…) can sing backup, and it can be a lot of fun. The advantages of lead, though, are, well for one you get most of the credit and attention, and you get to sing as powerfully as you want, rather than not overpowering the rest of the backup. Both have plusses and minuses is my point, so it’s not entirely accurate for Atticus to say that singing backup is, in effect, inferior; then again, for one like him, it would be, but them’s the breaks of performance that you have to learn to compromise and do your part no matter how small. Anyway, I wanted to make the point also that Atticus’ analogy could, heard right, be *very* fitting, more than he knew. Hassleberry chose to “sing backup” to Syrus as Jaden’s friend because Syrus was willing to do just about anything for Jaden, was so devoted. Moreover, Hassleberry chose to “sing backup” in the sense that it’s not an inferior role to play, but equally as important in its own way. Sure, Syrus may be Jaden’s best friend, but the two of them would really miss Alexis, Hassleberry, Bastion, Chazz, and all of their other friends if they weren’t around. They’re all there to help and be friends, not just Syrus.
Now, as for Atticus’ analogy to Alexis, saying that she dreams of stardom but takes a backseat to him (which earned him a scratch in the face). I can’t understand that. Could he be referring to his status as a major duelist on campus back before the Abandoned Dorm incident (the goopy things, the Shadow Realm, the medallion, the mask, the lava…)? Could she have been somewhat in his shadow her freshman year, before he disappeared? Did she find confidence when he disappeared, similar to how Syrus stepped out of Zane’s shadow once his big brother graduated? Surely Atticus would realize that things are different now, unless he’s referring to something else. In which case, I suppose we may either discover what the heck he’s talking about soon enough, OR never hear about it again. *sigh*

Considering Slifer’s usual cuisine, Jaden has no problem trying to fish a fish out of the lake and eating it raw.

Wasn’t that lake Jaden was swimming in the same one Camula built her castle on back when she was around?

One of the very few duels we’ve seen so far that actually has a canon time of day besides, “Oh, looks like about four-ish…” Thirteen hundred hours is one o’clock P.M., military time, which counts one through twenty-four rather than two counts of twelve hours.

Why was Syrus late? Did he get lost? Was he searching all morning, too? What made this day different than the past few days since Jaden’s been gone? It’s possible that he was more determined than ever to find Jaden so that he could come watch the duel and see how much Syrus cares about him. Or maybe Hassleberry’s challenge made him more determined than ever to find Jaden because if he really was Jaden’s true friend he wouldn’t let him stay lost, and he was trying harder than ever because now it had become a competition, and to find Jaden would be to prove to himself, to Hassleberry, and to Jaden that he meant business in this duel. I’d say maybe he was preparing his deck, because he certainly did seem *very* prepared for Hassleberry, but he could’ve done that back at the Dorm, rather than out in the forest.

“Now I’ve heard it all. Giving out stars?” Kaiba ranked duelists with stars back in Battle City, one through five. Yugi was rated five, Joey one (of *course* it was biased! What did you expect?). Also, though who knows if this counts, there were stars in Duelist Kingdom.

“A duel isn’t over until the last card’s played.” Man, that *does* sound *so* familiar, but I can’t place it. I’ll ask Risa. She thinks it’s Tag Team Trial II. Well, it was most probably in freshman year and it was probably advice specifically to Syrus. Might’ve been Tag Team Trial, Doomsday Duel, A Lying Legend, Duel Monsters Spirit Day, Amnael’s Endgame, Rise of the Sacred Beasts… or any other number of episodes. It’s certainly a Jadenism, and I’ll have to keep my ears out for it. If anyone else knows what Syrus was referring to, please tell me! I’m dying to know!

I don’t think Hassleberry had bad motives or anything. I think that he’s just very competitive and didn’t want to be outdone. But when he saw that Syrus played a faultlessly driven duel, after arriving from searching all morning and night for Jaden and having no food for days—Syrus was practically fainting, but he wouldn’t give in until he had won—, I think that Hassleberry got over that and realized that he could still be Jaden’s friend and Syrus definitely deserved the title of “best friend” more after that.

Other duels this reminded me of:
Mime Control, because of Sy’s awesome cycle of events that drained the last of Hassleberry’s points like Yugi forced Strings to draw until he had no cards.
Fighting for a Friend, because Syrus was almost fainting, but wouldn’t give in.
Shining Friendship, because Hassleberry had the winning card, but chose not to activate it because he decided that his opponent should win instead, just like Mai and her Harpy’s Feather Duster. Some cards just aren’t worth playing, huh, Hassleberry?

Five stars for word choice! There’s just something that stands out about gross similes. I was writing a ballad about Battle City (started back in June and it’s barely started… writer’s block with a vengeance), and I worked so incredibly hard to get my verse just right so I could include a similarly delightful simile of Kaiba’s, who said in The Past is Prologue, that if he threw such a tournament as Battle City, the Rare Hunters would come “like vultures to a carcass.” It was a very hard phrase to rhyme.

Hassleberry’s got dino eyes again. But in my opinion in the wrong places. He showed real compassion and heart in giving Syrus the victory today, but the dino eyes only showed as he summoned his powerful monsters. I think, or had thought, that the dino eyes appeared when he was really showing heart and strength as a duelist, but (and I went back and checked this carefully) his eyes stayed completely normal during the whole sequence where he chose not to activate Jurassic Impact.

Man, what really struck me is how incredibly well Syrus anticipated Hassleberry’s moves. He played Cyber Summon Blaster, and explained its effect, knowing that Hassleberry would think that the last facedown was a card to special-summon a monster, which it was—one that activates when it gets taken off the field! That was such a sweet play! I think both Jaden and Zane would’ve been pretty proud of *that* one!

That was so heart-wrenching, when Syrus hallucinated Jaden running up the path toward him, laughing and cheering the same as ever, even though Syrus last saw Jaden depressed, right before he fainted. I’m reminded, for some reason, of Alister at the end of the duel in Flight of Fear II, when he sees Mokuba and mistakes him for his own little brother, Mikey.

Wherever did Chazz get to? Did he fall off the roof? Is he still up there? Is he on a hunger strike to protest the Slifer Dorm’s food? Is he off trying to convert the rest of the school to the Society of Loonies—uh, I mean—the Society of Light?

Well, that’s about all I can think of. Tomorrow: No Pain, No Game! G’night! -Clio