Jaden Yuki was a freshman at Duel Academy, soon to advance to his second year.
As one of the academy's most well-known students, he was infamous among teachers: skipping classes, sleeping through lectures, barging into dorms uninvited, sneaking into restricted zones—"troublemaker" was putting it lightly. But as a Duelist, Jaden was revered. Even as a first-year, he'd made a name for himself, not just in his class, but throughout the entire academy.
He was the only student considered a match for Hikaru Amagi, and in most of his duels, he never lost. He had nearly defeated Dr. Banner and unmasked his secrets, doing better than even Zane Truesdale in that situation.
Now and then, students from the Union Division who wanted to test the Fusion Division would try to take him on. But Jaden's Heroes always made sure they left with their tails between their legs.
And when they ran, Jaden would just flash a carefree grin and say something like, "Man, what a fun duel!"
To those Union kids, that line from Jaden was more terrifying than any glare or threat Hikaru could dish out.
But even someone like Jaden Yuki wasn't immune to trouble.
As Hikaru and his team prepared to return to the human world, Jaden was slowly walking toward the dimensional gate, supporting someone on his shoulder.
"Hang in there, Bastion."
"Sorry, Jaden… I didn't expect a Spirit to go berserk like that," Bastion Misawa said, grimacing. "Even the emergency transporter's been destroyed."
Blood dripped from his forehead—a wound from the Spirit's sudden attack.
"I'm really okay—"
"Don't say that! That blast was meant for me, wasn't it? If it wasn't for you, I'd be the one bleeding."
Jaden cut him off, clearly upset.
"Sorry, Jaden. I failed you," said Avian, lowering his head beside them.
"Jaden… it was my negligence. I'll take things more seriously from now on!" Sparkman added, floating out beside him.
Nearby, Burstinatrix and Bubbleman both apologized, their shame written all over their faces. They hadn't reacted fast enough to the sudden attack. They let Jaden's friend take the hit instead of shielding him.
For Heroes, failing to protect Jaden was unacceptable. Letting a friend take the blow? Unforgivable.
"It's okay, guys," Jaden forced a smile. "The duel was over—who could've expected a Spirit to suddenly snap like that?"
This dimension was a fractured one. He'd come here because he'd heard Bubbleman's Spirit had been spotted. Since he hadn't gone to the [Mountain] dimension with Hikaru, he didn't want to waste the opportunity and had invited Bastion along for the adventure.
Everything had been going smoothly. He'd reunited with Avian, Sparkman, and his recently found Burstinatrix, and had now finally located Bubbleman—his closest partner.
And just when they were celebrating post-duel, chatting with their Spirits…
A Spirit snapped and attacked them.
It caught everyone off-guard. Not even the other Spirits had seen it coming. If Bastion hadn't reacted in time, Jaden might have taken a fatal strike to the chest.
Jaden knew this wasn't a normal incident.
He smiled through it, comforting his friends and Spirits while he helped Bastion walk.
Sparkman wanted to step in and help carry Bastion, but when he caught the fierce determination in Jaden's eyes, he silently retracted his hand and let him be.
Jaden had grown up without friends.
From a young age, he'd lived alone.
No one knew why, but any child who got too close to him would end up injured—some even fell into mysterious comas. Eventually, kids avoided him, and Jaden distanced himself from everyone.
With no one else, he started playing with cards. Designing them. He fell in love with Duels and Monsters—especially Heroes.
Because they were cool. Because they were strong.
He saw them as his friends and dreamed of becoming one himself.
One day, KaibaCorp held a massive event. Only the most popular or promising kids could send their "dreams" to another dimension as a message of goodwill to the Spirits.
That day, little Jaden sent in his hand-drawn cards and dreams of the future. His whole deck, his hopes—all of it.
And somehow… he was chosen.
The luckiest kid in the world.
And after that, the "curse" that had haunted him vanished. No one around him got hurt anymore.
"I'm the luckiest," he told himself again.
Whatever he needed, he always drew it. He had no friends before Duel Academy, but since arriving, he'd made so many—Syrus, Hayato, Chazz, Bastion, Hikaru, Zane, Atticus, Alexis…
He co-founded the Fusion Division with Hikaru. It was fun. It let him duel Zane daily. It gave him chances to show up the Union Division—like a real Hero would.
That was his lucky life.
But—
That luck had thorns.
He bit his lip, his eyes flashing gold.
Through the Shadow Riders arc, he'd felt the cruel pain of Shadow Duels—how real and brutal they were. His duel with Dr. Banner showed how unsure and hesitant he still was. The Union Division never let up unless beaten down.
And Hikaru and Chazz were always whispering, clearly hiding something they didn't want the rest of the team worrying about.
Then came Zane's ordeal… which reminded Jaden of something painful.
No matter how much fun the Fusion Division was… one day, they would part. Like Zane graduating.
What about the other kind of separation?
Not just graduation…
But death.
That Spirit just now—
He was sure.
It had flared with a blinding white light right before going berserk. A glow that seared the eyes like a lightbulb exploding.
Still smiling, Jaden helped Bastion to the portal. After scanning the area one last time, he left that dimension.
He smiled as always—but it was no longer the pure, carefree smile of before.
And as he vanished through the gate…
A faint, whispering voice stirred through the void.
"Jaden… wait for me. I'll find you."