Predictions and Observations:
The Season in Review

Note: Posted jointly with Future Changes

Reflecting upon the adventure and how it all ties together (man, some of these are pretty interesting retrospective reads…):

Back to Duel: “I’m a bit disheartened that the Powers Who Write Yu-Gi-Oh! have taken away the dynamic of Sheppard and Crowler as head and second-in-command at Duel Academy (I think you’ll agree that Crowler has been seen a good few times working in such a capacity), who quite commonly did not agree and so therefore checked and balanced each other, for the more like-minded pair of Crowler and Bonaparte.”
Well, I’m very relieved that it didn’t last for long. I’m not quite sure if Bonaparte adds much to the team, though.

Sad But Truesdale: “Man, Syrus! That came out of nowhere! What was it that really made him take charge today? Was it that he finally realized the source of his fears? Was it Hassleberry’s relentless encouragement? What was it that caused him to place enough faith in himself that he intentionally gave his Power Bond card away for the duel?” I’m still not entirely sure, but he also leaves Power Bond out of his deck when he’s preparing to take on Zane, because he wants to prove to himself that he’s a match for Zane without it. This has to have been a similar reason, but since his duel with Missy was already a pretty climactic, tough match, I would have thought that Syrus would go for all the firepower he could get. Perhaps it’s that, by giving it away, Syrus is telling himself, and his friends, that he can win without it.

Sad But Truesdale: “Zane would be proud. I think that he’ll be very surprised when he sees his little brother again.” I know they’ll get him back eventually, and even now, Syrus came pretty close to beating him. Zane would be amazed; Syrus has also found that elusive heart of dueling that was so important to Zane.

Sad But Truesdale: “Power Bond again, with a new meaning. Like Jaden said, Syrus can keep it as a souvenir of his bravery, rather than what it was before, which was basically a souvenir of not being good enough. Now that he’s made his own way as a duelist, he can play it with pride.” And it resurfaced as being extremely important in the Tough Love duel, which, need I say, is incredibly fitting and gives me that warm, fuzzy, good-symbolism feeling.

Sad But Truesdale: “Chez Chazz—a nice play on words visually. Is this another step to leveling the playing field on these dorms? It could be that by the time this bunch leaves the school, the three dorms will be equal, just as this bunch has always known they were. It’s like what Chazz said the other day (man, that was SO cool…). What I’m trying to say is, Obelisk isn’t the only Dorm with nice stuff anymore; soon no one will be able to tell the difference between the three!” I note with increased interest now that Chazz has just restored the Obelisk Blue dorm as his prize. You’d think that this would be a step back in the direction of a hopelessly elitist school, but actually this brings the three Dorms closer together: they’re all intact again, and few Obelisks will forget that a Slifer Red was magnanimous enough to win them back their dorm, just as it was. And it’s true that Chazz was; after all, he’d have a grudge against the dorm that laughed him from their ranks. I think that he chose that as his prize because he likes having half the school as his cheer squad and also because he wanted things back to normal.

The Demon: “Why did Phoenix use Heroes?” It’s so hilarious now how immediate a disliking I took to Aster. I would rarely call him by his first name for the first few weeks. My records from that period of time are a bit harder to read, because it takes me an extra second to remember, oh yeah, Phoenix is Aster.

The Demon: “I do think it’s very symbolic, however, that Jaden and Phoenix share a bunch of cards but what they do with them differs greatly. Hang on—could that be symbolic of a discovery in the future that Jaden and Phoenix are—I dunno, like two sides of the same coin? What a disturbing thought.” I suppose, as the two chosen duelists, the two keys, they kinda were.

A New Breed of Hero I: “Bastion seems to be getting his glory back after the whole Tanya thing—I confess, I had missed having an episode in which he played a role that wasn’t either entirely backseat or, well, sad and pathetic. Go, Bastion!” Not for long, unfortunately. Come on, guys! Bastion can be a cool guy and a good duelist if given half a chance!

A New Breed of Hero I: “Anyway, my point is that Aster Phoenix’s greatest weakness may be the fact that he seems to have none; it’s like Sartorius said, that Aster’s pride is both a strength and a weakness…” I hadn’t noticed Aster’s pride being in play in any sort of major way this time ‘round. Then, I wasn’t looking. It’s true that it’s part of his personality, but it was rarely why he dueled *this* year!

A New Breed of Hero II: “What’s the Card? There’s no point in wondering with no inkling or ability to get one whatsoever, so I suppose we’ll just have to keep an eye out for rare cards and wonder idly, what card is Aster looking for? If I had to guess, I’d say it’s closer than he thinks, one way or another.” No… really? Well, it doesn’t get much closer; the entire time, it was held by either his legal guardian or his childhood friend.

Pop Goes the Duel: “I noticed that when Chazz told them to get out, those Slifers and Ras snapped to in a hurry, and they all knew his name. If I had to guess, I’d say Chazz’s duel with Reggie and his climactic duels in the past have made him somewhat popular; he’s the only Duel Academy student with his own cheer! They’ll also know from these duels that he’s no one to be messed with.” This latest feat makes Chazz’s following even larger. I still think that somehow the fact that Chazz is incredibly popular for being himself is going to factor big into this.

I’ve Seen the Light: “Tomorrow: A Greater Porpoise. I’d say we’re about to meet an aquatic mammal. Is a dolphin going to swim up alongside Jaden’s boat and hand him cards he can see or perhaps advise him to head back to the Academy and take a good look at Chazz? Will the Admiral put in an encore appearance? Will the DA kids meet Mako? Will a high-flying Orca leap from the waves and smack Sartorius upside the head as it sails past and down back into the water? We will soon know!” I just really love that passage; maybe it’s the visual of a large aquatic mammal smacking the bad guy upside the head. It would have nothing to do with anything, which would be what makes it funny.

A Greater Porpoise: ““Jaden, the universe is in danger. For in all things there exists neo-space, a balance. Earth and air; light and darkness. Without one, the other cannot survive.” Okay, so now to unravel the complexities of Neo-Space. Has Jaden ever been there before? Hang on—the lights! The lights Jaden went past; didn’t we see them before, when he dueled the Gravekeeper Chief? I have no way of checking, but I seem to remember rainbowy lights. Well, what else? What about the place where Jaden dueled Kaibaman? What about…uhh…nope, that’s about it for events of that nature. Anyway. Apparently only a duel spirit (namely, the Gravekeeper Chief, Winged Kuriboh, and Aquos) can bring a human there. When in Neo-Space, duel spirits are solid, rather than ghostly. Now, is Neo-Space a place, or a state? In the quote above, Aquos said that Neo-Space is in everything, and it means a balance, like that of earth and air or of light and darkness. So I’m going to postulate that Neo-Space is a substance that humans cannot detect in any way, whose properties are thus: the greater quantity there is of Neo-Space concentrated in a given location*, the better a duel spirit can live there (for instance, there’s Neo-Space in everything, allowing duel spirits to exist on Academy Island, but it’s highly concentrated in places where they appear solid, like the places mentioned above); Neo-Space is a balance of opposing forces**, and probably receives its power from such. It’s probable that if Sartorius destroys the balance, Neo-Space will cease to be and therefore so will duel spirits (giving Jaden a similar stake in this to what he had against Kagemaru last time), and so, in time, will everything else, because it also relies on a balance. That’s the best I can really explain it for now.
* Do you suppose that’s how Sartorius destroyed/swatted away the Ojamas yesterday? By eliminating the Neo-Space of the air around Chazz temporarily with a blast of power, forcing them to dissipate?
** Belowski mentioned the “yin and the yang” in his duel with Jaden.”
A thought on the first footnote: since that area was, I seem to recall, very, very bright and shiny and full of Light, the absence of darkness would have, in theory, eliminated any Neo-Space in that area, I guess. And also, when I read “balance of opposing forces” this time around, I thought about dueling itself. I always think of a duel, first and foremost, as a battle of wills. On the surface, it’s two opponents battling, but that competition also creates a connection between them because by trying to outwit each other, they get to know each other. Therefore, what is a duel but a constant push and pull between two opposing forces? In Neo-Space, you could even say that the universe itself is one big duel, and it must be a good one if it’s gone on this long with only small losses, gains, or shifts. That is a *very* weird theory, I’m somewhat astounded that it ever occurred to me, and yes, for the record, as a matter of fact it *is* after midnight after a night spent eating entirely too much candy and playing exciting, bizarre new card games.

No Pain, No Game: No quote, but I’d been thinking about this over the past few days just because I’d been memorizing the leadup to the Tough Love Duel (“Not only will I meet you there, but I’ll bring you back!”). It’s amazing how much this seems to help with doing actual theater onstage. Anyway, I had been considering sort of the inner dialogue of that scene and a couple other lines in that episode and I think I may have some idea of how exactly Zane’s changed (besides the obvious). The trickiest part of that scene, and the scariest, and the most conspicuous when I recite things to myself and others are in the vicinity (ask any of my classmates; they’re used to me muttering to myself by now), is when Zane says, ‘These make the duel more electrifying. Every lifepoint lost is a shock to the system.” Between those two sentences, in fact, as the second one begins, is a flashback to No Pain, No Game when Zane himself gets shocked. The difficult part of reciting this is the abrupt transition between the scream and the second line, and yet retaining the feeling that the former signifies, the reason it’s there. In figuring out the best way to do this, the state of mind if you will, I had realized that these two lines are said with more detachment than the rest of the entire line. It’s meant to be that he *is* remembering his cage match, but with complete lack of emotion. The main point I’m trying to get to, really, also involves a line from later in the duel: “…only victors deserve respect, Sy! As for the losers, they deserve only *pain!* The world is *made* of hurt! You either *get* hurt, or you *control* the hurt, and inflict it upon the weak!” That would explain why it is that Zane cares only about victory: because it’s the only way to deserve anyone’s respect. Before, when he had been losing, Zane went through quite a bit of pain, and in retrospect, with this, he’s essentially saying that he deserved it and now that he’s winning, he can bring some pain of his own. Also, I bring up my point about detachment again, in which the juxtaposition says clearly that, in retrospect, Zane doesn’t care about the pain in the flashback, perhaps because of the point a couple sentences ago, but also because “either you get hurt, or you control the hurt and inflict it upon the weak”, so therefore Zane no longer shows any pain. However, to bring more confusion to this mess, I also quote “It’s funny. After a while, you actually get used to the pain. Eventually, it no longer hurts, Sy. In fact, it begins to make you feel stronger. I don’t think of it as anguish anymore! Now I think of it as the feeling of victory!” So is pain victory, or do only losers deserve pain? This contradiction perhaps suggests that pain means nothing to him; winning is pain, losing is pain, and either way, the pain doesn’t affect him. It seems somehow very defensive, hardly surprising considering all this, that he refuses to let anything affect or hurt him. Must be some weird state of mind or something, because the nerves would still register it; he’s just rewired his brain not to care, or to feel it as something else. Or else it’s power: remember in The Darkness Within—“It’s over, Nightshroud! Your shadow-magic is *nothing* compared to *my* power!” What power is he referring to, I wonder? Then again, might be the Underworld Deck. I’m not really sure why I spend so much time focusing on this one plot-- maybe it’s that it’s a trickier one to wrap my mind around; maybe it’s because it’s a bit closer to home since, at the ripe old age of sixteen, I’m supposed to be thinking about life after school also; maybe it’s because it’s so darn scary that it’s fascinating; maybe it’s because, as a side plot rather than the main bad guy that Jaden has to fight, it could really go just about anywhere before it’s over; or maybe it’s because I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the Truesdale brothers and I’m really hoping that it doesn’t stay like this for too much longer.

Homecoming Duel II: “Aster noticed that with Jaden’s Neo-space card out and with a Neos fusion on the field, he felt a change in his own heart, that he felt like he did when he dueled as a kid and it was still just for fun. That had to be the Neo-space in the cards, and truly, what better effect for Jaden’s dueling to have than to help other love it just as much as he, as they used to before it became about winning, losing, pride, and survival.” Jaden hadn’t played the field spell Neo-Space again until this very episode (the one this post is officially on), and I thought about this paragraph when he did; that good, happy neo-spacian energy against Sartorius and the Light.

Obelisk White? And others: This entire time, I thought that Sartorius’ grand scheme had something to do with duel spirits. I was so sure. Shows what I know. He was looking for strong duelists, strong enough to bend Fate to their will—hey…hang on… Final Duel flashbacks coming; Atem and possibly Yugi kept drawing the cards they needed because the Heart is not a plot device it’s a magical phenomenon, and their will made their draws suit what they needed. Hence, bending Fate to their will. Only the strongest-willed duelists can manage it, the strongest duelists are the ones with heart, and duel spirits attach to duelists like that. I’d assume that Sartorius’ prediction acted as a sort of counterweight, because normally, I bet that Chazz and Aster would have been plenty duelists enough to draw upon the Heart and pull it out, but not with such an opposing force pulling it the other way. Jaden was the guy for that, with Heart and dueling spirit to spare.

Source of Strength: “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 had forgotten this until now, but it’s true: Jaden, Aster, and Hassleberry were all key parts of the battle, and they were the three who took Sartorius down. I’m pretty intrigued, though, by a theory from my pal in Duelist of the Game, that Sartorius dueled and defeated each one of the main Duel Academy characters at one time or another and determined that they were insufficient hosts. Reading this over, I think what the Fool meant was that Sartorius had been gunning for Jaden, but there was another person at Duel Academy who just might make the cut, namely Chazz. I believe the Fool also represents new beginnings, so perhaps the Fool could also be read as the beginning of Duel Academy’s white dorm.

Source of Strength: “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.” Well, I think they’ve redeemed Chazz by now at least; he’s even more of a school hero, he thinks he saved the school, and he just had a couple conversations with Alexis without completely freaking out and babbling. I think it’s safe to say that life is good for Chazz right now, at least until he finds out that while he was busy winning the tournament, Jaden was saving the world.

What a Doll!: “Duel spirits, doll spirits…same diff. I think that this might just be a sign that Duel Monsters isn't the only thing with heart; I believe that anything you put your heart into has a heart of its own, be it the stage, a sport, or even (to be self-referential) a cartoon.” It’s like that quote that I FINALLY found again: “it’s not about the cards. It’s about putting a little of your heart into anything that you care about, you know?”

Schooling the Master: For the record, we’re still waiting for Shroud’s “revenge.”

Schooling the Master: “The Deck of the Underworld, probably named for either its monsters (creepy) or their power (if you thought not being able to walk was bad…).” It doesn’t seem to have been too catastrophically more powerful in terms of monsters and attacks. However, according to Sheppard, if Zane “goes too far” with all this (out of curiosity, how far is “too far”, and is there anything to do besides pray that he takes it easy over the summer?), this power will consume him entirely. Also, Zane mentioned that it’s way more powerful than Atticus’ shadow magic; how this was determined is unclear, except for Atticus’ statement that Nightshroud is “gone for good.”

Schooling the Master: “Could the title of the show center somehow around this tournament? If so, it MUST be big! The last year and a half, if I’m right, has been leading up to this!” I must say, I’m a bit disappointed.

Blinded By the Light I: “The medals determine your GRADE?!?! Talk about a curve!” So, is Chazz the only one moving to the next grade this year?

Don’t Fear the Reaper: “What on Earth is the prize for the Gx Tournament already?!?! Why would Lucien sell his soul for it?!” Wonder what Lucien would have asked for had he won?

Heart of Ice I: Is this issue of Chazz having brainwashed Alexis into the Society going to persist? Do either of them even remember it? Is this going to be a problem?

Tough Love: “It’s so strange, the almost entirely neutral role Aster plays in some of these situations. If I had to guess right now, I’d say that he’s trying to figure out what makes our heroes tick.” My theory hasn’t changed much; I still have no idea why Aster was watching Bastion in magnetic Personality, or why he was goading Zane in this episode. Will we find out later? Will Aster ever actually make friends with anyone at Duel Academy in a friendly kind of way (as opposed to a nasty duel rivalry that lasts about a month and then leaves mutual respect and trust in its wake? Not that I’m not glad that Jaden and Aster are friends by now, but it seems like Aster really sort of avoids bothering to make friends with anyone)?

Tough Love: “The Other Big Question: Who can stop Zane now?! Three guesses, and I’d say they’re Jaden, Jaden, and Jaden. Seriously, I was saying Syrus, but if it’s not him, this looks like a job for the Hero of the Story.” What about Alexis, now that she’s herself again? Somehow, I still think it’s Jaden who’s going to actually finish this, but everyone else who was close to Zane that we’ve known about (and even a few that we didn’t know about until then) has challenged him so far (Sheppard, Atticus, Syrus…), so… well, if I’m right about this at all, good luck, Alexis…you’ll really need it.

The Dark Light: “Ten years ago…? What was happening, besides Aster's dad getting kidnapped, ten years ago?! I'm dying to know! I'm a chronology nut, and all of this vaguery is driving me bats!” Well, actually, that was around the same time (nine if not ten years ago, assuming that you graduate ‘round eighteen) that Zane was training with Sheppard. Hence, some time long after Battle City because of the duel disks (which were first introduced in Battle City and which weren’t popular until some time after).

The Dark Light: “Every major violent upheaval in history, they said. How major? On the scale of World-War-major to fistfight-major, where's the cutoff between magically-stimulated and people being jerks? Was the great big battle in Egypt five-thousand-odd years ago prodded by the Light, then?” Actually, the three Egyptian Gods combined into the “Creator of Light,” who told our heroes that there wouldn’t be any more shadowy evil to fight and whom the GX saga has pretty much proved to be a baldfaced liar with that statement. You don’t think…?

Ultimate Destiny: So DID Aster’s dad’s soul survive that duel or not? Will we ever know?