Predictions and Observations:
The Ultimate Face-Off II

Adrian's drawing blind for most of this episode. Remember: the Heart of the Cards is no mere plot device, it's a magical phenomenon. The Millennium Items may be gone, but the Heart most certainly is not.

Adrian's fog monsters called us back to the Cloudians he started with. Remember: "When I look at a cloud, I see the world's most powerful force!" Still wondering why, btw, Adrian.

Those were the kind of bubbles we saw in A Greater Porpoise, I'm sure of it! Remember what those bubbles told him: "You can't leave us, Jay!" "Jay, we still need you!" "You have a greater purpose, Jaden!" "Your biggest test has yet to come!" Well... here we are.

Purple-- that means friendly, right? Purple usually means royal, Ojama; I'd say that's more likely the connotation. But it is kind of a friendly shade of it, yeah.

All or nothing-- the only way to duel. Well, Yubel has a point.

A world void of pain and suffering? Adrian? And how does that justify his actions? But if he lied, Yubel would have known and that itself would have been an act of darkness. It must have been true. Asking again, how did Adrian propose to create such a world through ruthlessness such as his sacrificing Echo for Exodia? He could not exist in it, because it's clear to me that he was suffering to some extent over his treatment of her. It reminds me, I'm sorry to say, of the Operative in the Firefly movie, Serenity. He was cunning, ruthless, and absolutely unstoppable because he believed devoutly in creating a world without sin, knowing that he himself would never live there, because he would have no place in it. At the end of the movie, he's introduced to one: a planet on which airborne drugs introduced into the environment to calm the populace caused many to lose the will to live and some to turn savage, mindless with pain. With nothing to believe in, he becomes a figurative phantom, with nothing left to be.
But, Adrian, a world without pain and suffering. Why you, why now, why this one, and why this way? When did Adrian decide to do this? I'm going to start spinning a likely story: When they were accidentally transferred dimensions, Adrian noticed something about the dusty dimension: Other than Yubel and all of her shenanigans, they were fairly peaceful there. Sure, monster hordes, but without the bio-bands, a good duelist could defend himself (or herself) and it would be a nice way to keep in shape. I'd imagine that this world seemed a whole lot easier to make a difference in. Echo mentioned that she didn't want Adrian to come back because he was nothing back in his home dimension, and she wanted everything for him. So, Adrian said to himself sometime before Duel Academy blasted off, 'hey, you know? Why not stick around and change this world instead?' Remember, this is Mister Sneaky here, and also Mister Ego. Why not take on a whole new world instead of dealing with the one you have? So he stayed, but wasn't counting on Yubel doing the same (quite by accident, probably); it was a bit more crowded than he would have liked. So, to keep on Yubel's good side, he toadied to her enough to get the Crusty Arm of Power, while quietly getting ready to turn the tables with Exodia. Which he did. But Adrian was so busy being on top of things, sneaking around making sure he had the power to make a move without being sneaky, that what did he do? Diddly squat, except turn on just about everyone. And that's pretty much Adrian's M.O., too: he sneaks around and plays for both sides, someday hoping to get his moment of power and do what he likes, which aren't bad things per se, but first he needs the power. He lacks the guts to act without it. And note, when Adrian got the power, what did he do? Not make this dimension a better place. Not stomp around with Exodia watering dry fields or planting daisies. He goes for MORE power. Would there ever be enough power for Adrian to feel secure enough to pursue his "dreams"? I assert, no. So what is he waiting for, we ask rhetorically. Unfortunately, people do this all the time. And now I get to giggle for a while imagining
Exodia planting daisies.

Interesting twist. We had all not been expecting that, because it would seem to me that Echo forgave Adrian. Adrian, but not Yubel for harming him. But what is darkness, truly? Echo's anger and pain came out of love, out of her feelings for Adrian. If that's darkness, then how dark was Joey in Battle City for wanting to take down Marik? How dark was Yugi himself, in watching his friends drop like flies because the villain has decided to soften him up first instead of face him head-on? Where does the line fall? Sure, Echo wanted to punch Yubel's lights out and heaven help anyone who got in her way, but does that really add up to a shadow on this person's character? But, in an extremely abstract way, it adds up: when Jaden was the SK, I noticed more than a few similarities between he and Yubel, and began to understand how something seemingly so different from the Jaden we know could be such a fundamental part of him as his duel spirit. The Supreme King was Jaden's dark side, and we all have dark sides; they're the part of us that show up when we hold grudges, when we're afraid of being laughed at or told we're wrong. And in that sense, Echo was certainly in the dark side of herself. Circumstances support that, but they do in Adrian's case, too, and he gave that up. But Echo couldn't have known. So in short, Yubel pulled a cheap trick at the last minute, Adrian's big transformation was in vain, and here we go into the real finale.

We were so close... SO close to having Yubel wimpy and weak against Jaden. Guess it just couldn't be that easy.

Will it ever end? I'm fairly sure that we've gone far beyond Orichalcos at this point, including temporarily losing the main character and most of the other leads: Chazz, Hassleberry, Alexis, Atticus, Jaden (since returned), Jim, Axel, Aster, Zane, Echo, and now Adrian. It's tied now, actually: Orichalcos topped at eleven, and this is actually only at ten. Orichalcos was Pegasus, Yugi, Weevil, Rex, Ironheart, Chris, Alister, Valon, Joey, Mai, Rafael, and Kaiba. Hey, that's twelve. Huh. Wonder whom I kept forgetting to count. Anyway, it's not quite as catastrophic, though it's darn close and getting closer. Come on, Jaden, we need one of those miracles you are so very fond of pulling. We need Jaden, faults and all. Get off it about being the SK, get off it about letting everyone down, stop plotting revenge, and show us the one and only space hero duelist!

You look nervous, Jaden. Knock it off.

Next up is WHOA! Two new episodes: The Power Within I and II!!! Well, I think I know what's running through the head of anyone who's familiar with the movie soundtrack... and the giant glaring gaffe in the chorus is, to me, just rather funny... "And I don't know how/And I don't know when,/All I know: we're gonna win!" And we are. Somehow. 'Til then! -Clio