Chapter 57: Why is this place so empty? - 11
***
Gojo was surprised to receive an early morning call from Kaiba himself. Despite his initial anxiety, the conversation flowed smoothly. Kaiba just wanted to know Gojo's thoughts about Aster's challenge.
Upon hearing this, Gojo could no longer ignore Aster's challenge. Initially, he didn't want to accept it—it seemed like a hassle, and he still wanted to play around with his recently acquired toys (Kaiba Corp AI and programs). But now, with Kaiba's direct call asking him personally, everything changed. Which meant—Which meant!
He has to duel against Aster tomorrow.
Of course, Gojo replied confidently, assuring Kaiba that Aster was not on his level. He also reassured him that his life on the island was fine. He wouldn't dare complain to Kaiba about his stay—after all, he had no money to his name. Not that it mattered, but Kaiba is still considered the richest person on the planet, and having a connection with him was something Gojo couldn't discard.
Meanwhile, Dark Magician Girl squealed with excitement as she rolled around on the bed, scrolling through Gojo's phone. She had been engrossed in reading the glowing comments about her beloved "hubby" in his latest video. Just then, Gojo's phone chimed with a text notification from Zane.
Surprised, her eyes gleamed with sparkling eyes. After all, text messages were still a big deal—something that never failed to thrill Dark Magician Girl, due to her lack of experience with smartphones.
Gojo, hearing the notification, reached over and gently took his phone and read the text message. Dark Magician Girl leaned over his shoulder to read alongside him, reluctant to part with his latest new phone.
It was a message from Zane, informing him that Aster was the 'vigilante hero' featured in the newspaper for taking down criminals and spouting weird lines about Destiny.
"Now this should be a surprise… But why am I not surprised" Gojo laughed out loud and handed the phone back to Dark Magician Girl.
***
Before the duel, Aster meets with Sartorius, who has been guiding and manipulating him. Sartorius is a mysterious and influential figure with his own hidden agenda.
During their conversation, Sartorius emphasizes the talk of destiny of the upcoming duel and then asks Aster if he is truly planning to use his Elemental Heroes against Jaden. Which he confidently answers yes to and to show Jaden what a true hero deck looks like.
Aster responds with unwavering confidence, affirming that he indeed plans to use Elemental Heroes. He intends to show Jaden what a true Hero deck looks like. This decision appears to stem from a sense of pride and a desire to prove the superiority of his own strategy and skills. Sartorius, however, thinks it's just an issue of pride and is not overly concerned.
As the conversation progresses, Sartorius asks Aster for his deck. He wants to use his magic powers to gauge the future and gain insights into the duel's outcome, highlighting his belief in destiny and his desire to control and foresee events. After using his powers, Aster asks about his destiny, but Sartorius only states that the outcome was predetermined just as Aster thought.
However, Sartorius didn't use his power to just predict his future, what he did was added a little touch to his Aster's deck. Unbeknownst to Aster, this alteration will brainwash his defeated opponents, bringing them under Sartorius' command. These brainwashed duelists will then spread Sartorius' influence, brainwashing others in turn.
When Sartorius shifts the conversation to Gojo, asking Aster how he feels about facing him, Aster hesitates. After a brief pause, he admits that he would have to go all out, acknowledging the challenge Gojo represents. This moment of hesitation reveals a rare glimpse of uncertainty in Aster, contrasting with his earlier confidence about facing Jaden.
They watch clips of Gojo Satoru dueling at Duel Academy, facing off against Shadow Riders and other duelists. These clips showcase Gojo's unique dueling style, which even Aster finds difficult to handle. Unlike traditional duelists who focus on specific types of decks, Gojo prioritizes absolute efficiency. His strategy revolves around drawing more cards and interrupting his opponents if he goes first. If he goes second, he obliterates everything on the field and goes for the finishing move. There was no in between with Gojo—he either dominated from the start or annihilated his way to victory.
For any duelist at the academy who challenged Gojo, there was no such thing as setting up for the next turn. Facing Gojo was a complete nightmare, and the only person who lasted the longest was surprisingly Alexis. Despite her holding the most L against Gojo in the academy, she managed to hold her own against him for five and a half turns.
***
Back in the present, the sky was dark as Aster made his way to Academy Island through unconventional means — snowboarding in the sky while skydiving.
Meanwhile, Jaden was crashing at Bastion's place with Syrus. Yawning, Jaden lounged around as Syrus and Bastion huddled over the computer, attempting to uncover any weaknesses Aster might have. Instead, they stumbled upon a wealth of trivial information about Aster's background: skipping grades, holding two doctorate degrees, and an impressive collection of gold medals from various sports activities.
That was when the whole academy heard a mini explosion.
~
"What the fuck was that?" Gojo's eyebrow raised in surprise as his attention snapped to a sudden noise. Dark Magician Girl, who moments ago had been passionately going up and down on him, froze and also turned towards the source of the sound. Before she could react, Gojo swiftly pinned her down, reversing their positions.
Holding her wrist while mounted on top of her, he kissed her on the lips and nibbled her neck. Naturally, as Dark Magician Girl for who she is, her instinct was to check out the source of the sound and help anyone who might be in danger. However, she couldn't resist Gojo, especially when he was the one preventing her from leaving. She even found it incredibly hot how Gojo was taking charge.
"It's nothing serious, just some duel," Gojo reassured her in a murmur. His six eyes gave him a clear view of what was going on outside, and he could see Jaden and the others already heading to the scene. That was all Dark Magician Girl needed to hear before she locked her legs behind Gojo's back, hugging him tightly and continuing where they left off.
Gojo was about to perform a white splash inside her and he was not planning on being left on edge. 'Besides, Jaden and his gang could handle whatever was going on, right?'
***
The next day, at the duel stadium.
"It's too damn early in the mornniiiinnnng!!" Gojo complained, sitting in the stands with Alexis, Bastion, Chazz, Tyranno, and Syrus.
Chancellor Crowler and Vice Chancellor Jean were directing men around the podium, performing final checks.
The stadium was mostly empty except for us... and Jasmine and Mindy, who were on the other side, cheering for Aster Phoenix. I hadn't spoken to them for a while, so when I caught their eye from our side, they waved at me. In response, I flipped them off.
He is going to my opponent next and yet you girls are cheering for him? Of course they deserve the middle finger.
Jasmine and Mindy immediately started cussing from afar, but I didn't bother reacting. Alexis, sitting beside me, pinched my thigh, silently reprimanding me for disrespecting her friends, though she had a slight blush on her face as well.
"And why the heck are you blushing?" Gojo noticed.
Alexis turned her head away, trying to hide her embarrassment. "It's just... having two of my idols dueling against each other today. It's really exciting, okay?"
"Why am I not your only idol," Gojo muttered to himself.
To Alexis, this was an incredible moment. Having two number one pro duelists on the academy island where she was enrolled was beyond anything she had ever expected. To top it all off, they were going to duel against each other today. This was like a duelgasm to her—It was a bit weird, like Kaiba's obsession with his Blue-Eyes White Dragon… or dragon fetish.
Dark Magician Girl and Arahime were circling around the ceiling of the stadium, watching from above with expectant eyes. Oh, and they were playing tag with Winged Kuriboh too.
In the center of the stadium, Jaden stood on the podium, facing Aster.
Looking at his deck loaded inside his duel disk, he hyped himself up.
***
"Then," Jean declared, his voice ringing clear across the arena, "the duel between Jaden Yuki and Aster Phoenix will commence."
"Give it everything you've got, Jaden," Crowler muttered quietly.
"They are starting…" Alexis murmured, her hands clasped in a prayer-like gesture.
"Yeah, bro is definitely going to win," Tyranno eagerly said.
As the duel commenced, a worker lingered behind and quietly dialed a number. I couldn't help but notice, despite my attempt not to, my keen vision catching every detail.
Winged Kuriboh wriggled out of Arahime's grip and darted toward Jaden, clearly trying to communicate something important.
Simultaneously, Dark Magician Girl flew towards me and gestured towards Aster's deck.
[Hubby, I might be wrong, but there's something dark about Aster's deck. I sensed it faintly, but I'm not sure.] Dark Magician Girl appeared before me, her expression filled with concern.
[Cool. I didn't sense anything, and here I thought I was more sensitive than you. Anyway, it shouldn't be a big issue if it's faint. We can handle it. Jaden is fine too with the shadow charm medallion.] Gojo shrugged nonchalantly.
However, what they fail to account is that this power is supernatural, backed by the light of destruction, it is completely different from magic and dark magic. Naturally, Duel Monster spirits wouldn't typically sense it. Even Gojo Satoru was unable to detect it. The activation and effects of this were conditional, integrated into the deck to trigger when the opponent suffered defeat.
Jaden and Aster were deep immersed in their discussion about their upcoming match, each determined to prove themselves as the superior hero user.
"Honestly, I couldn't care less. Just get on with it already," Gojo said, resting his chin in his hands while Dark Magician Girl perched on his shoulder in her spirit form.
"Duel!" both Jaden and Aster declared simultaneously, their duel disks activating with a hum.
4000 LP x2
***
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone