Predictions and Observations:
Breaking the Sacred Seal

Pegasus and Sheppard eagerly land outside a location reminiscent of Jesse’s field spell “Ancient City Rainbow Ruins” (wonder why, lol), and, accompanied by a team of Industrial Illusions security, head inside. There, they find that the tablet of the Rainbow Dragon has already been partially excavated, but not by Pegasus’ team. Echo beat them to it, and is essentially holding the tablet hostage with explosives like the ones Adrian used to blow out Viper’s gadgets a little while back. She explains how, time and again, she has seen Adrian, such an amazing individual, put others first and neglect letting himself shine through. Remember the baby brother he was so jealous of? He got sick once, and no doctor could figure out what was wrong. Adrian did, though, and despite his bitterness, he stopped at nothing to find the cure. He swallows his pride, and never stands up for himself. She knows that there is no one more deserving or more fit to rule the whole world. She wants a new life for Adrian, even if it’s entirely in another dimension; if he comes home, things will only ever be the same. Pegasus displays his characteristic perceptiveness and cunning, and with his direction, the security guys manage to get to Echo and wrestle her to the ground before she can press the button.
Meanwhile, Jaden runs through the caverns, searching for Marcel. He is next stopped by Syrus and several other duel ghouls, who summon a bunch of monsters and try to rush him. At the last minute, Winged Kuriboh appears and starts glowing. He stops the monsters for a while, blinds the ghouls, and Jaden runs onward.
Meanwhile, Marcel cuts Adrian a new deal; they’ll duel for the Sacred Beast cards. Adrian summons Cloudian Eye of the Typhoon within his first turn, but Marcel is still doing just fine. Marcel and Adrian echo Echo (lol, fun with puns), as Marcel figures out/convinces Adrian that the reason Adrian really wants this power is to make up for the same thing Echo laments. Then, suddenly, the Sacred Beasts ‘break out’ of their containment and cast a pale shadow of themselves on the field, just enough, says Marcel, to give Adrian a taste of their power. The duel is over, but Adrian discovers that Marcel had been about to complete Exodia; he would have won! Marcel tells him that this duel wasn’t about winning or losing, but about seeing what Adrian was made of. Marcel still offers him the power, if they become allies. Adrian seems tempted…
Meanwhile, Jesse is eager to meet Rainbow Dragon as he, Axel, Jim, Alexis, Blair, Bonaparte, Crowler, Bastion, and maybe a few other students run through the halls of Duel Academy, surrounded by combat-ready Blue Berets. When they’re attacked by ghouls, Blue Berets split off to engage them, but they run out of Berets just in time to encounter a huge crowd of them. Crowler decides to step up, act the adult, and defend his students, and takes on all of them; class is now in session! The rest of them continue on to reach the tennis courts, and are astonished to find a huge contraption. Bastion can’t believe Duel Academy has been hiding the interdimensional duel portal equipment in its tennis court. Bonaparte mentions that they, um, *borrowed* it from KaibaCorp for experimental purposes that he isn’t allowed to talk about. They get it fired up and get in touch with Eisenstein; Jesse gets ready to duel for their end of the connection. Aster explains that they needed a duelist who can generate the energy necessary to make the transfer, a duelist who plays to win, and only that. There was one man who fit the bill, says Aster: Jesse’s dueling Zane Truesdale.

Of course Pegasus is excited. It seems pretty obvious to me that he never gets tired of new cards. I’m sure Sheppard’s line there was meant to accentuate just how much more incredible than anything ever before Rainbow Dragon is, but, knowing Pegasus, I’d say any new Duel-Monsters-related mystery would be exciting, especially when solving it is also a way to help somebody.

The place where the tablet is looks like Ancient City Rainbow Ruins. Is this the Valley of the World, or *was* Trapper making it up? Is it located in Rome? Jesse did say, when Ancient City Rainbow Ruins was in play in Jewel of a Duel II, that they were in Rome. So…they have a field spell that looks just like the location where the tablet is buried, and they know where that location is… the question on everyone’s mind-- *why* was it so hard to find, again?

Short Circuit traps. Okay. That’s what those card-shaped remote-control explosives are called.

“What about the agreement we had? You *owe* me!” The funniest thing. I’d started writing an informal fanfic about what I thought would happen next…
‘“And why, Adrian, do you think I would share this limitless power with you once I have it?”
“Because—“ Adrian sputtered, “Because we had a deal! You owe me!”
“And in a moment, you won’t be in any condition to collect.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed. “What’s *that* supposed to mean?”
“Come now, you’ve never *heard* of the Sacred Beast cards?” Marcel cocked his head. “You *have* heard of the Egyptian Gods, right? You know, they’re named after Duel Academy’s dorms?”’
I just found it funny that a lot of my guesses ended up being right. I can’t believe that they actually called in Zane to duel on the other end of the connection. I thought it was wishful thinking that they would need to call in an old familiar face (I had even wondered if Yugi, Joey, or Kaiba might show up), and even more wishful thinking that they could or would talk Zane into it. After all, my bias is known; I’m a fan of the Truesdale brothers…
‘“What about Zane?” Chancellor Sheppard suggested.
Aster shook his head. “You think he’d show? Besides, they told me Syrus is already under Marcel’s control.” Aster sighed. “As a last resort, I called him anyway, though; I don’t think I’ve ever heard such an evil laugh.”
Sheppard winced.’

What was with Syrus’ hug? That was a bit spooky.

“We’re the grownups. We have to act like it!” Hasn’t mattered so far, ya pair a’ wusses. Still, though, they got there eventually. When Crowler and Bonaparte start stepping up, you know they’re all in this together.

Crowler gets his heroic moments, every couple years. He tends to be a bit martyrish about it, but he still does step up and take a hit for the team. One really has to wonder what’s going through his head the rest of the time, but every couple years he shows what he’s made of. Maybe slightly more often, if you count incidents like, oh, Magna Chum Laude, Dormitory Demolition, and Duel For Hire.

Hold on—Crowler’s not wearing a bio-band, so… what? I mean, Fontaine ended up getting it anyway. But still, Crowler may be somewhat more immune than any student wearing a bio-band would be. Maybe the bio-bands just wear them down faster?

Of course, the big topic to mention is Echo and Adrian! To me, it seems that Adrian’s determination to take care of his little brother anyway is a mark of his character, not a problem. It’s what, besides Adrian’s smarts, makes him deserving. But Echo’s problem is that he never stands up for himself or asks for what he wants. He never even *takes* it, when she feels that if he did, he could do anything. I’d like to point out, Echo, that by never telling him that you’ve noticed this, never trying to do anything about it, you’re doing the very same thing he is. It’s clear that she cares deeply about him, even enough to never see him again if it means a better life for him. But as Adrian has the power to do anything, even rule the world, Echo has the power to help him do so.
I’m trying to pin down the parallels and themes I started seeing between Echo’s narrative and feelings and the duel between Adrian and Marcel. Both spoke of Adrian’s current lack of power. Now, the odd thing is, Adrian has done little but strive for power since we met him. He wanted to take down Viper and gain the power Viper was hiding; he’s playing for both sides so that no matter who wins he gets their power. He is NOT, however, I note, *asking* for it. I mean, he’s definitely asking for it by doing all of this, but he isn’t asking for power. He’s trying to sneak around and take it without directly confronting anything that could bestow him power, only that which he must confront and eliminate to get it. But even that doesn’t fit Echo’s narrative about this brother, when, by keeping to the shadows, Adrian could make it look like an accident, avoid responsibility, and still get what he wanted. If Adrian had treated his home situation as he’s been dealing with things at Duel Academy, he would have left his brother to die. To me, that seems to prove that he actually has come to care about his little brother.
But why not let the brother have the Gecko Financial Group? Echo said it herself that Adrian could do anything, so why not start somewhere else and stop all the bad feelings and rivalry with a kid who looks to be about ten years old? Adrian could find something just as cool and useful to do anywhere. As a competent duelist, Adrian could always go into the Pro League, or win the next big tournament. As a duelist, he’s cunning, charismatic, and has enough presence that he’d probably do well in politics, if we’re going for ruler of the world (Politics, Business, and Duel Monsters, remember, lol). He could establish his own business and work his way up. I’m sure KaibaCorp would have a job for him, especially since I think he and Kaiba would get along very well. With all the spy training, it occurs to me that he could lead archeological expeditions for Industrial Illusions if he wanted to. That could be kinda fun, though I’m not sure how much he’s into digging; he’s got the reflexes and the brains to be the next Dr. Moto. Hey—Adrian could always be a meteorologist or climatologist, or a weatherman. The question isn’t what he’s capable of, but what he chooses.
I realized a weird and scary parallel. It’s a slightly different situation, but there was another who felt that someone close to them was brilliant and wonderful and deserving, if only that person would step up and take power. Echo is to Adrian as Akhnadon is to Seto. (There, I said it.)
But Echo couldn’t press the button. If she could have, she would have before they even had a chance to stop her. She was hesitating.

And also, I’d like to take a moment to give some props to Echo’s voice actress. From experience, that “I’m sorry, Adrian!” did not sound easy.

Adrian summoned his mightiest monster in the first turn. I thought to myself, he’s going to get creamed quickly and far too easily.

*Why* is Adrian trying to destroy the world again? I’m still not quite sure what Adrian’s motives are in all this, besides playing for both sides so that no matter who wins he cleverly avoids any retribution and, of course, a slight possibility of subtle brainwashing by Marcel so Adrian *thinks* he’s being clever while actually he’s in pretty deep crud.

Did the Break the Seal traps/spells (Marcel called them spells, but they were purple) actually break the seal on the Sacred Beasts? Were the cards so called because they would bring the person who played them considerably closer to breaking Exodia’s seal? That calls into question the reason for the episode title.

How did the Sacred Beasts just *suddenly* (and very conveniently) *escape?* Are they sealed or aren’t they? If they can escape whenever they want to, why is Duel Academy not a smoking crater? Why are buildings not crumbling, light not fading, and souls not falling, if they can *escape*?
Unless Marcel released them on purpose, which I’d consider more likely, and it seemed to be on cue with those “Break the Seal” cards.

Come on… are the SB’s going to take that?! ‘My pets’…Honestly!

“I think you’re safe now.” Marcel actually seemed a bit nervous. Why isn’t he sure whether Adrian is safe from his “pets” or not? And why does he care? When the Sacred Beasts “escaped”, he was standing in front of Adrian, either because it was far away from the Sacred Beasts (which he would have little reason to fear, or so he’d like it to seem), or because he *needs* Adrian on his side, for some reason that we don’t yet know, and was worried that Adrian would be in danger from them.

An Exodia duel. There aren’t many. The Heart of the Cards, Stalked By the Rare Hunters, Yugi vs. the Rare Hunter, Burying the Past. I admit that I didn’t even see that coming at all.

Drillroid, Newdoria, Panther Warrior, Leghul, and something else I don’t recognize. Still, four out of five is pretty good. Anyway, the point is that all of these monsters are rather distinctive and symbolistic. Drillroid has only ever been played by Syrus; the only other time EVER that I remember Newdoria being played (let me know if I’m wrong) was by Yami Marik in the Battle City Finals; Panther Warrior has been played mostly by Joey, but also by Atticus in Pop Goes the Duel (the only common thread is big brothers, so that could even be foreshadowing Zane’s appearance); and last I recall seeing a Leghul was when Syrus was dueling against a Leghul in his entrance exam, and other than that it was played by Weevil in On the Wrong Track.

What exactly did Winged Kuriboh *do*? If I had to guess, I’d say that it used its ability to negate battle damage to keep the monsters rushing Jaden from doing any good. But that doesn’t explain the big flash of light.

So, these “experimental purposes” Bonaparte mentioned… does KaibaCorp *know* this equipment was borrowed? What sort of experiments? Doesn’t Duel Academy have enough problems with dimensional rifts already (the Abandoned Dorm, and however they ended up in the Dusty Dimension…)? Was this, perhaps, an attempt to patch them? Since Sheppard has been absent again and Bonaparte said “we”, does Sheppard even know about this? How did Eisenstein know?

Someone called Bonaparte “Chancellor”. Is it really that unlikely Crowler will come back from tangling with the duel ghouls? Or were they just saying, since Sheppard and Crowler aren’t available, Bonaparte has the responsibilities of the Chancellor?

As they opened the dimensional portal, Pharaoh took off. Where to? Has he gone to find Jaden, Adrian, Marcel, or Crowler? Does he have an aversion to interdimensional communication like most cats have an aversion to water? Is he steering clear of Zane?

“The decision here was unanimous”. Who all voted? Eisenstein? Does that mean Sheppard and Pegasus know? Do the techies attaching all those cables have a say?

Step closer and say that, Aster! How could you! “We needed a duelist who would generate enough energy to make this portal big enough. The decision here was unanimous. We realized we had to find someone with a competitive fire unlike any other. We needed somebody that duels to win and *only* win. Someone who duels with passion, ferocity, and fervor. And only one man fit the bill.” ‘Competitive fire unlike any other’, I will certainly grant. ‘duels to win and *only* that’, I will grant, though I’d consider that more of a fault than an asset. How ‘bout a duelist that duels to win, and more? ‘Passion, ferocity, and fervor,’ I will also grant, but not quite. It’s true that Zane duels like he means it, but there’s meaning behind it for him that’s self-destructive. And, Aster, I can name dozens of duelists that are competitive, passionate, and play to win that *aren’t* duelists-turned-psychopaths. You’re saying *you* couldn’t duel with more heart than Zane? Atticus couldn’t, to bring his little sister home? What about Yugi, Joey, or Kaiba? What about Sheppard, for the safety of his school? What about Pegasus, a good duelist in his own right?

Jesse vs. Zane, huh? I can’t say I was expecting that.

The outcome of all of this depends a lot on Zane. I can’t quite define it; he seems to have changed since last we saw him. To say that he duels to win is a bit of a simplification, the way I’ve reckoned it based on his actions and how he came to be this way. This was his version of toughening up to face the real world, and it’s actually a real tragedy. All Zane ever lacked was a bit of confidence when the stakes really soared. He lost his first pro league match (to Aster, by the way), and started losing confidence. He lost ten matches in a row, sinking from the roaring Kaibadome to a crummy basketball court and an opponent whose monster attacks by flashing his underwear, and beyond that. In desperation, he turned to underground dueling, and I have my suspicions about evil magic coming into play here. It seemed all of his honor, respect, and dignity as a duelist, all of his silent but profound love of the game itself, wasn’t enough to save his career. It was such a painful experience to lose time and again, that winning became causing that pain yourself instead. Victory is pain, defeat is pain; “The world is made of hurt! You either *get* hurt, or you *control* the hurt, and inflict it upon the weak!” And then there’s the Underworld Deck. It’s powerful, dangerous, and corrupting; according to Sheppard, if Zane continues the way he’s headed, the deck’s power could consume him completely. That was a year ago, by the way. And speaking of “by the way’s”, this would be the first time Alexis has encountered her old friend since he graduated, long before this transformation; she was a bit busy being brainwashed back when Zane last showed up. How is she taking this? Aster and Hassleberry last saw Zane when he dueled his own little brother and gleefully left him lying on the ground half-dead. Blair had a cute little crush on Zane a few years ago, inspired by his pre-graduate dueling style and his encouragement that brought her to Duel Academy. In the pro league, one of Zane’s opponents was said to be unable to walk for months; Jesse seems to know him by reputation. And *why* does Zane give a darn that they’re trapped there, anyway? Wouldn’t it cause more pain and misery to leave them to starve/get baked in the desert/get trampled by rampaging duel ghouls? Why is Zane suddenly helping us? I’d really like to know. Does he just want a duelist to kick around? Are fewer and fewer people beginning to challenge him because they like their limbs the way they are?

The Big Question (Who Will Win?). Opening guesses? Shall we vote? Will Jesse suffer the fate of Sheppard, Atticus, Syrus, and who knows how many others before him? I said last time that, if the people close to Zane couldn’t pull off bringing him back from the brink, this looks like a job for the Hero, namely Jaden; will the hero’s twin fit the same bill? Will Syrus, ghoul and far away though he is, come into this conflict at all? Will Alexis, either on behalf of Atticus or for her own astonishment at her old friend’s apparent self-destruction? Does Sheppard know about this? How, exactly, will Rainbow Dragon come into this, and will that mean he gets back before this is over and, if he doesn’t know, finds out? Will Pegasus notice anything sinister about Zane’s situation (he’s right in the thick of duel magic in both canons; there is no higher expert!)? How much does Jesse know about Zane’s pro league history or his history with just about every one of Jaden’s crowd? i.e. does he even know that Zane is Syrus’ brother?
I have a million questions, but to get down to business, my conventional scale of duel-guessing is based on four factors: Power, Skill, Plot, and the Heart. Power may or may not be a factor here. I notice the interesting connection that Zane and Jesse both derive power from their decks: Jesse the Crystal Beast Deck, and Zane the Underworld Deck, and that both are uniquely destined for it. I’m reminded suddenly of the quote, “Now, be warned: with great cards comes even greater responsibility…” (Pegasus, a flashback in Trapper Keeper II) By inheriting the Cyber Legacy, Zane has been given a hard road to walk, and it isn’t nearly too late to overcome its hardship. Anyway, in terms of power, Zane may have built his endurance in response to the pain of duels, and in physical power, he may have Jesse beat, but it terms of mystical strength, I’d say Crystal Beasts vs. Cyberdark things is a fairly even matchup. Now that I think of it, *very* even. I think this connection may prove important. And then there’s the fact that they share the same unusual hair color.
Next up is Skill. We know that Jesse has won at least a regional tournament, and that Pegasus considers him right up there with Yugi, Kaiba, Joey, and (this was a long time ago, back when it made no sense…) Aster. Zane won nationals as a junior at Duel Academy, but that was way back when. I’m fairly certain that since he first dueled in the underground, he’s been undefeated, since I’m not even sure how he would take losing, since winning is the only thing tying his world together. He’s been popular in the pro league once again for a while now.
Plot is kind of always the big one. I’m not really sure quite how the transfer works, so its also kind of a hard one to answer. Does one or the other have to win in order to bring them home? What are the stakes? And of course, that’s also a matter of pride or emotion between the combatants (i.e. Joey vs. Kaiba in Battle for the Bronze had the stakes of third place in Battle City, but the real stakes were a matter of pride between Joey and Kaiba; i.e. Syrus challenged Zane in Tough Love in the hope of proving himself against the older brother who always overshadowed him, and also to wake him up and get him back to his normal, friendly self (chatty, no. friendly, I argue, yes.), there weren’t any other stakes besides those, except (har, har) a couple Gx medals), which is a complete unknown. It’s a question of how much Jesse knows, or comes to realize, about this situation; it’s a question of whether either has ever faced the other sometime in the leagues outside school; or how esteemed one or the other is in the dueling world. It’s a question of what Zane’s motives are for agreeing to help.
The Heart is also kind of a tricky one. *I’m* definitely rooting for Jesse, for Zane’s sake as well as Jesse’s own, but the relationships pertaining also make *this* a tricky one. It’s hard to tell until we find out why it matters who wins and who loses.
Another factor, I make special mention here since it’s proven to make or break duels involving Zane, is the support of others that the duelist has available. Jaden’s encouragement kept Syrus from believing his brother when Zane insisted that respect and honor were worthless. In the underground, Zane had no such support, and if he’d had someone to cheer him on, even a little, things might have turned out differently. Jesse is more than supported; Jim, Axel, and Hassleberry all seem to be good friends of his by now, and Alexis, Bastion, Blair, and the others will certainly cheer him on. And of course, “it’s like he has his own personal army ready to back him up whenever he’s on the battlefield.” (Aster, on the Crystal Beasts, Jewel of a Duel II) With the Crystal Beasts around, I’d be surprised if Zane managed to get under Jesse’s skin at all. I’m hopeful.

Hang on…a duel to transfer people between worlds…could it be that the Final Duel had a similar property to it? Is that why it had to be a worthy opponent? If that little idea is true, I think that the losing submits the will of the person being transferred to the other duelist, allowing that transfer to occur. Be that the case, then (oh, crud) Jesse would have to lose to Zane.

“We have to duel like we’re mortal enemies.” Why? When did an energetic duel become two duelists hating each other? Since that’s Zane I’m quoting, I’ll let it go this time, but seriously, the best duels in the canon are competitive friends who keep drawing on their inner strength and heart because they want to keep on going, “Oh, yeah? Watch *this*!” It’s terrible; Duel Monsters is devolving back to pre-Duelist-Kingdom attitudes. Soon, we might even see Weevil at the top of the league again!

In summarizing this, I realize that it’s paralleling Field of Screams. It isn’t often Crowler steps up and plays the hero, and last time it very notably happened was, yes, Field of Screams. I hope the parallels continue into the second part of that; Zane could really, desperately use a realization that he cares more than he thinks he does.

So the next episode (tomorrow; sorry once again that this is out so late) is A Dimensional Duel. That’s all ‘til then, folks! -Clio