Predictions and Observations:
Source of Strength

I didn’t see *that* coming! I confess it, I didn’t! Hassleberry would have to have been one of the least suspicious with regard to hidden powers; maybe it’s because he’s an up-front kinda dude, but I didn’t suspect a thing about this hidden strength. I thought he was just another guy, except for the dino eyes, which could’ve been a symbolic kinda thing.

So Sartorius has actually spelled it straight out here: the Fool represents Jaden, the Prince Aster, and the Strength represents Hassleberry. Why did he read the Fool in I’ve Seen the Light with regard to Chazz? I think it’s possible that that signifies that another “Jaden” could be found at Duel Academy, namely Chazz. He said that, basically, Jaden, Aster, and Hassleberry are an integral part of his plan, of the saga really, because he’s already spoken of Jaden this way before and asked in the same line, “but will he stand with me, or just get in my way?”

I feel like laughing, “the answers for *every*thing are at Duel Academy!”

What was the significance of Hassleberry’s dino monsters in his dream? Meaning, what was it about them that woke him up so violently that he fell off the bunk bed? Did they perhaps warn him of Sartorius’ presence?

Hassleberry mentioned Sartorius’ thinking aloud there, and I’d like to note that Hassleberry did the exact same thing when he first met Jaden and flashbacked to his life so far, etc.

Why did Hassleberry asking if Sartorius was “the guy Chazz always yaps about” make Sartorius nervous? He asked what Hassleberry was insinuating, which means, basically, implying without saying straight out, and connotatively (connotation: how we think of it, for example the word “uttered” and the word “said” mean the same thing, but are usually used differently because they have a different sort of “feeling”) negative, usually referring to something about someone. Was Sartorius asking if Hassleberry was implying he already knew Sartorius’ game, or *innocently* asking with indignation, are you suggesting there’s some connection between me and your recently-become-resident-loonies?

Yay! Someone finally noticed and said it out loud! Jaden, Hassleberry, and everyone have finally realized that Chazz and Alexis and a good half the school aren’t wearing white because it looks pretty!

I’m a bit miffed on Chazz’s behalf; usually he *isn’t* the school’s resident loony and I like him when he’s just Chazz. Therefore, I feel like, in this, Chazz was too easily tossed aside—he doesn’t play a major role in how this all plays out; Sartorius was able to manipulate him like a marionette the night he was captured (which, for the record, was probably due in no small part to the fact that Chazz was worried and unsettled by Jaden’s affliction, though he’d never admit it). Perhaps that was why Chazz’s card was the Hanged Man, because after a while we would start to believe that of Chazz, which is unfair. I’ve been reminded, contrarily, of the fact that the Hanged Man also represents sacrifice, and I think that Chazz has certainly been sacrificed a bit as a character to cheer for for the sake of the plot. In Chazz’s defense, I’d like to remind everyone that he had game, and he’ll have it again once our heroes get him and Lex out of Sartorius’ clutches.

Pharaoh the cat seems to be very good at telling who’s bad news for Jaden and everybody.

“But I *will* ask your friends to leave the group.” Need I note that he’s still making it sound like a school club or something? Mainly I was reminded of Lorenzo; you’ll ask them to leave the group, but will you also tell them to refuse? And more importantly, you’ll ask them to leave the Society, but will they be returned to Duel Academy, whole and unharmed, and as they were? Or will you ask them to leave the group in a *different* manner? What can I say? I don’t trust this guy (wonder why?) and it’s a moot point since he won but that was so ambiguous I whiffed trouble in that line.

Bastion doesn’t seem the type to scarf candy. I guess you never can tell.

I keep wondering if Aster wants a piece of Sartorius. When they come face-to-face again, will there be a confrontation? Aster does seem sure now that Sartorius was playing him, more sure than before.

Has anyone else noticed that all of Hassleberry’s duels except for one have occurred in the exact same place on campus at more or less the exact same time of day? A Hassleberry Hounding was in a different place, by that really shallow river, but Curry Worries, Camaraderie Contest, and now Source of Strength have all occurred in front of the Slifer Dorm in the early afternoon. Go figure.

I can’t figure out why Sartorius bothered with a duel disk rather than use a table like he did in his duel with Chazz. Did he expect it to be that much more difficult to psyche Chazz out and so pulled a First Duel except with magical powers? It can’t have been because it was more important that he defeat Chazz; if he had lost to Hassleberry right here, supposedly, he would have lost Chazz as a follower anyway. Was it simply that the tactic of using the table had far more effect on Chazz than it did on Hassleberry, for whom he used a different strategy that I can’t seem to identify? Was it because Jaden and the others were there to support Hassleberry and help debunk any sort of trickery (or lack thereof or whatever, considering that Sartorius assured Chazz that he *never* resorts to trickery) if Sartorius tried it, while Chazz was alone except for the Ojamas, whom he didn’t heed, and far more vulnerable.

Primeval methods

The Tarot Section (naturally)!

The first article about this, regarding facing danger unafraid and the like, the girl and the lion, kind of rang true for today’s episode in which Hassleberry boldly challenged Sartorius, even though he might have ended up like Chazz and Alexis, or even knowing that he wouldn’t although we didn’t know that. I’m reminded of Sad But Truesdale, in which he helped Syrus find in himself the power to step up. This would be another nice card for Jaden, who once said with regard to being in the sights of the Sacred Beasts themselves, “What more could any kid want?”
The Fool: let’s review…
The Fool, described by Sartorius as the wanderer, the pilgrim. He said
that it said that there is another who shared Jaden's gift (namely
Chazz), though his soul was much weaker. –Predictions, I’ve Seen the Light
" The Fool is the first card of the Tarot and is generally unnumbered,
or numbered zero. The Fool is at the start of our journey and is the
initiator. Seen by many as the innocent, he has an eagerness and
freshness about him. He is young and carefree, entering the World
without preconceptions.
The Fool trusts in life and expects his path to be a happy and
rewarding one. There is faith in the gods to see him through and a
complete absence of fear.
Sometimes the Fool is seen as too carefree - certainly a good dose of
other people's more negative reality could damage him. However, for as
long as the Fool has faith in his own purity and innocence, others
will not be able to take advantage.
This is the child within. This is how we were before the many
experiences of life forced us to build up so many walls. The Fool does
not shade himself from the light - here we are born and from here we
walk the path. It's time to jump off the cliff..."
-http://www.angelpaths.com/majors/fool.html
" The Fool is a joyous and exciting card - combining both perfect trust
and self reliance.
As the very first card in the Tarot deck, it marks the moment upon
which we embark on a new phase in our spiritual journey.
When we explore new terrain, we are bound sometimes to encounter
danger or challenge. The Fool's energy gives us the power and
self-confidence to move through challenges with an open heart, to
recognise friends and to gather experiences to us as the true
treasures that they are.
Innocence is a devalued quality these days. We forget that to approach
life with eyes that are new each morning reveals to us more of life's
mystery than anything else. We cannot substitute the sheer growth
permitted by trust and innocence with cynicism nor prior knowledge.
So, on a day ruled by the Fool, we need to lift our hearts upwards and
open them to the richness and beauty of life. We need to regard
ourselves as travelling through a land of wonderment and joy. We need
to encourage excitement and exhilaration, and to look constantly for
that which is new and bright and hopeful in every step we take.
We also need to trust to the life process, and to remember that, by
and large, the gods have no need of our suffering, and every need of
our joy, laughter and celebration."
-http://www.angelpaths.com/majors/fool2.html
Upright: New beginnings, new adventures, new opportunities, unlimited
possibilities, pleasure, passion, thoughtlessness, rashness
Reverse: A bad decision, indecision, apathy, hesitation, a faulty choice
-http://www.themysticeye.com/info/tarotcardm.htm
I was very curious as to what this card meant to Sartorius. I'll start
by saying at first that this card's description reminds me far more of
Jaden as we first knew him: a Slifer freshman, the lowest of low and
inexperienced of naïve, who loved dueling, who loved just being there,
more than anything else in the world. That's what quickly established
him as one of the best duelists on campus, the fact that there was
nothing he would rather do than be right there on the field, getting
his game on, win or lose. –Predictions, I’ve Seen the Light

Still haven’t found the Prince.

Ace of Wand
“ The Ace of Wands begins the explosion of energy which runs throughout the Suit of Wands. Here we see massive out-rushing power, high levels of force, the beginning of whatever the Will desires.
When this card appears in a reading it often signifies the beginning of new life - whether as in pregnancy, or to represent the beginning of a whole new phase in life…
When the card comes up to indicate a new phase in life, there will often be other cards surrounding it which indicate the area that will be most affected by the new force.
This is a good card for healing energies, indicating high levels of vitality and vigour. This effect is much strengthened if the Sun also appears in the reading. It also indicates a period in life where we can forge forward toward our goals, having sufficient stamina and enthusiasm to follow through effectively.
It's worth bearing in mind, though, that this is a very raw energy - potent and powerful, but somewhat reckless and headstrong. Make sure that you don't get carried away with new projects, rushing heedlessly into something you have not considered thoroughly enough.”
- http://www.angelpaths.com/wands/wands1.html
“ This is a wonderful high-energy card, promising big breakthroughs and real progress. Expect a day ruled by this card to be full of pleasant and unexpected surprises, nice twists of fates, and quirky happenings.
This is a day to be filled up with the wonder and energy of life, a time when you'll find it easy to sail through your work, clear your commitments and really get on top of things.
For a special few of us, there will be major steps forward into new areas of life - big changes which lead us toward our heartfelt hopes and dreams. There will be bounty and fortune for some of us.
For others, healing will be the most important matter at hand. Intractable and troublesome illness will fall away, or we will locate new ways of dealing with health matters.
This will be a bright fresh happy day. Make sure you enjoy every minute of it!!
Affirmation: My life is filled with abundance and joyful happenstance.”
- http://www.angelpaths.com/wands/wands12.html
In the game, this trap card gives the duelist lifepoints equal to the combined attack points of monsters destroyed that turn, and upside-down it detracts those points directly from the opponent’s lifepoints. That fits; raw energy, either to heal or to blast.

Ten of Swords:
" The Lord of Ruin is another of those dive-for-shelter cards that most
people hate to see coming up in a reading. And certainly sometimes the
card will presage a painful, even devastating event.
But this is not the underlying tenet of the Lord of Ruin. It's the end
result of failing to engage with the true message it brings.
You see, the 10 of Swords is about the power in our own minds. The end
result of our thoughts, beliefs and aspirations. If we have believed
in our worthiness to achieve and attain; if we have struggled to reach
the highest limits of our own current spiritual potential; if we have
lived in an ethical and fair manner, we will inevitably have attracted
joy, happiness and success into our lives.
If, on the other hand, we have fallen short of our best; believed in
our weakness and therefore empowered that belief; if we have given in
to negative and harmful thoughts, we will inevitably attract to us
sadness, distrust and a reason to fear.
And then the Lord of Ruin walks in. We make so many of the events that
happen in our lives...and we pay too little attention to ensuring that
we make only good things for ourselves. I have never believed that we
can eliminate painful and testing times entirely - we learn so well,
when we do things the hard way, to give up hurting to learn. But I
know, beyond a shadow of doubt, that we can reduce their frequency.
Most often, the 10 of Swords should be interpreted as an unexpected,
shocking and traumatic upheaval. But it's worth looking for clues
about how you might be able to lessen the impact. If you find cards
like the 9 of Cups or the 8 of Swords, then it's probably better to
give the dust time to settle before making an assessment. Things often
look a lot worse than they really are. With the 8 of Wands or the 5 of
Disks, you might feel that clear communication would resolve difficulties.
When the card comes up with Adjustment/Justice it often points to
legal matters. With the Tower the problem is caused by an outside
influence (but this could be one of those nasty spiritual jolts that
life sometimes gives us when we're stagnating or fearful) and you then
need to look for other cards indicating who or where. With Death, the
10 of Swords takes on its saddest aspect, indicating sudden endings.
This card has the major function of reminding us that what we think
today creates tomorrow. And yesterday created today. We could do worse
for ourselves than to do the best we can at the time."
- http://www.angelpaths.com/swords/swords10.html
" As I said in my first examination of this card, the Lord of Ruin is
much more about what we invite into our lives with negative and
unhelpful thought patterns, than it is about outside events. When we
pay close attention to the things we wish ourselves, ensuring that our
thoughts are as bright as possible, we attract goodness and positive
energy into life.
If, on the other hand, we are careless in examining what we think,
feel, desire and dream of….allowing ourselves to slide into habits
that diminish us, living more by fear than by love…..then we draw bad
things into life.
The trickiest bit about this positive thinking business is that its
effects project into the future…and we are strongly affected by our
experience of the present. If things seem to be going wrong, life is
heavy and difficult, we tend to have negative reactions to things.
Unfortunately, though, having those negative reactions in the present
condemns us to further difficulties in the future.
So you can see it is essential to somehow break out of the downward
spiral. Positive thinking is a habit. So is negative thinking. And, as
with all habits, it can be very awkward to change the pattern.
Constant vigilance is required. We need to monitor our thoughts and
feelings VERY carefully. And as soon as we discover that we are
starting to think dark thoughts we need to pounce, snatching that
thought up and determining where it has come from.
This applies as much to our deepest inner responses as it does to our
responses to external stimuli. Life is always throwing the curve ball
at you, just to see if you can catch it. And harmonising yourself with
the rhythm of life is - beside being the greatest reward of all - a
very big challenge.
It does help, though, to try to interpret events in terms of your own
reactions……this gives you a good reason to watch yourself carefully in
the present. Try this - find something that you currently feel
unhappy, frustrated, shocked, hurt about….. Take a good look at the
overview of this…..try to separate the differing elements of the problem.
Now, carefully go back over the last few months (or years) looking for
something in your own actions, thoughts, feelings that seems connected
with this unhappy situation. And take a hard look at how your
thoughtforms might have created it.
And whilst going through this process remember….rule number 1 is to
refuse to be judgmental, guilty or angry with yourself. Do that and a
while down the line something will happen as a result of treating
yourself badly. Rule number 2 is to accept what you find, do what you
need to do to mend it, and then enjoy the sense of positive energy
that comes from treating yourself and life with love and respect.
One interesting point is that once you get the hang of locating which
impulse created which event, you become much more expert at catching
things fast. The manifestation of your thought or whatever also speeds
up…..this has the excellent effect of making sure that you correct a
thing before it causes maximum damage!!!"
- http://www.angelpaths.com/swords/swords102.html
Upright: Dexterity, grace, diplomacy, understanding, an upsetting message
Reverse: A cunning person, an imposture, ill health, unexpected events
- http://www.themysticeye.com/info/tarotcardm.htm
Its mention of inviting “bad destiny” as it were resonates with Jaden’s assertion that Hassleberry needs to have self-confidence and not listen to Sartorius’ mind games. You make your own destiny in this card, by the choices you make of doing the right thing, etc. Hassleberry could have chosen to listen to Sartorius and ended the duel right there, or he chose to fight on.

Arcana Force 1—probably the, uh, Magician or Magus, because the other two (below) tally with their number in the Major Arcana. Why else would they be called “Arcana Force”, if this has nothing to do with a certain rare hunter?
“ The Magician is normally numbered one and is sometimes called the Magus. The Magician is usually depicted as a powerful adept, a master of the four elements. He is able to shift events in his favour - to make the World change around him according to his Will.
He is highly skilled, highly powerful and hence a highly dynamic and charismatic figure. He is that part of us which we harness to control our own lives. When we are the Magician we make what we want happen.
However, you can be sure that we receive exactly what we ask for - "be careful what you pray for, you might just get it"! The Magician knows where to throw the pebble into the pool of the Universe in order to get exactly the ripples he wants. If we choose happiness and joy and put our Will behind them, that is what we can achieve.”
- http://www.angelpaths.com/majors/magus.html
That fits that spells power him up, then.

Pentacle of Ace (spell):
“ The Ace of Disks marks, on the everyday level, the start of a new project, which is likely to be successful. So it will come up to show a new job, or a new business venture. Usually this will be the sort of project that seems to continuously keep on growing, with each level of attainment producing - almost of itself - the next step in the journey.
Sometimes the Ace will come up to indicate a sudden change of material fortune, or a windfall - though either of these would have to be quite substantial to invoke the Ace. Aces are always big influences, marking the beginning of something new and important. So if we see the card coming up to represent a sudden input of funds, expect this to cause major changes in the querent's life.
On a more spiritual level, this card relates to the Earth, and to the appreciation of Nature. It might mark a period where we draw closer to environmental issues, or where we engage in a period of study, contemplation and alignment with Earth forces.
One thing that we often miss, when considering spiritual development, is the way that each development grows out of the last. Anyone who has been involved in the search for spiritual truth will already have experienced the weirdly coincidental manner in which spiritual opportunities and teachers present themselves at the relevant stage in our growth.
There's a saying - 'The right teacher only appears when the student is ready'. It is as though we grow spiritually from the inside, the same way that trees do. And in so doing, maybe we develop inner rings - just like a tree's trunk. The outer ring, just under the bark could not exist without all of the others it encircles.
We're basically the same. The topic that we are exploring today has grown from all of the earlier topics we have looked into. Our experience is formed in layers, each of which is inter-dependent with the earlier ones. The Ace of Disks relates very closely with this method of human development - it shows us the way we grow. And warns us against trying to skip any of the stages!”

Arcana Force 7, The Chariot:
We’ve seen the Chariot before; it represents victory, remember? It fits, then, that one of its abilities is that it follows the victory as it were and goes to the player who just won a battle against it, namely the opponent, when destroyed.

Arcana Force 8, (The) Strength:
Yup, already mentioned it, and it—hang on, it’s *not* the eighth of the Arcana- it’s the eleventh! Huh. Chazz’s Hangman, by the way, would have been Arcana Force 12.

“Guess again, pal—Dinos aren’t extinct! They live on, inside *me!*” What a line to remember!

Actually, it wasn’t only Hassleberry’s themed deck that helped him guess the next monster in his deck; he had dinos and winged beasts, which means that he *did* predict it. I wonder if he could tell, if he had that bond with his cards, or if it was just taking a gamble with it weighed in his favor?

Aster really believes that Sartorius knows the future? I’d expect him to be a bit more skeptical with regard to anything about Sartorius these days.

Sartorius’ saying, “I would listen if I were you” reminded me of Dartz when he told of the fall of Atlantis, etc: Kaiba was bored with listening to him monologue (to use a term from The Incredibles), and Dartz advised him to pay attention, considering that his past directly affects their future.

The illusion of free will—a commonly reflected-upon phenomenon that I probably shouldn’t go into in any philosophical sense except for to what extent this is true in Yu-Gi-Oh! May I simply say that that’s the thorn in the side with regard to belief in destiny—on the one hand, if you think you’re destined to do great things, to help people, good for you. On the other hand if you think you’re doomed to failure you pretty much are ‘cause you’re not going to try and change that because it’s impossible. Either way, say I, that’s all in your head, and the thing about destiny is that it already knows what’s in your head and what will be in your head and therefore what your head will motivate you to do. The Millennium Necklace, for instance, affects what you think the future holds, therefore affecting what the future *does* hold so that it holds what it’s supposed to, as it were. Therefore we *do* have free will, but on a higher plane that our minds can’t comprehend, where time is as clearly visible as depth or height, what choices we’ve made can already be found because there is no past nor future because all of it is laid out. That’s the way I think it kinda works in this world at least, and to some extent in ours, but who knows, really.

I have a feeling that Jaden’s answer to Sartorius’ claim that destiny condemns someone to lose or win, that you need to have self-confidence to lose or win, is a theme that will resurface again.

Hang on—Sartorius contradicted himself; first he said that destiny can’t be changed, blah, blah, blah, then he says that one misstep can change everything like a stack of dominoes getting knocked over. Which is it, huh, O Villain of the Semester?

I’m not really sure what, but there was some strange symbolism in the duel ending with Sartorius attacking Hassleberry’s symbolistic Tarot monster, the Strength, with Hassleberry’s own dinosaur.

Did Hassleberry know the whole time that he was safe from Sartorius’ power, or was this a new discovery for him regarding his right leg?

Sartorius put the whammy on Jaden and the others so strongly that Jaden, who is basically impervious to Sartorius’ ability to see the future, couldn’t move? Wow. Didn’t know he could do *that.*

“He’s gotta be making this up.” “No- I saw it in a cartoon once.” The Powers-Who-Write like their little dramatic irony. That almost ranks up there with Joey’s line in Face Off III, the *essence* of dramatic irony: “Yeah, keep foolin’ yourself, Kaiba! Yugi’s *twice* the man you’ll ever be!”

My first reaction to seeing Sartorius welcomed into the Freshman class at Duel Academy is that they’ll let just about anyone into Duel Academy, won’t they? It’s shamelessly easy for anyone who wants to infiltrate the Academy to just become a student, and yet remember how the actual students strove to get accepted in in The Next King of Games? Kind of ironic, really, that they welcome the bad guy in with open arms and present so many hoops for normal, average, applicant students to jump through every year.

Wonder which Dorm Sartorius will be in? Could it possibly be the one that worships him?

That’s about it, even though I’d like to write more. My Spanish project from Sam Hill (to use a Hassleberry phrase, ‘tis the day…) is due this Friday and I’m toast unless I get to work translating stuff *now!* So, same time tomorrow, for Happily Never After (if it’s not Alexis and Chazz, which it probably isn’t, then what is it?)! -Clio