Lily_G
Icy Princess
It was the first day of the new semester and new school year at Duel Academy, a dueling school which existed for a long time but had recently gained massive popularity among young duelists worldwide. Today, helicopters taking students from nearby cities as well as small sized airplanes coming abroad made a landing on the island one after another. New students were told to head to the auditorium and wait for the principal speech. Nevertheless, they arrived rather early and so there were a lot of student lingering around the path leading to the largest building in the middle of the island where the auditorium was located. Some were busy befriending and chitchatting with each other, and there were also duels here and there.
As per the new tradition, each student could wear any clothes their want. However, there were these similarly designed but different colored armbands on most students’ right arm. Some being blue, purple, white or black. There were also those without any armband. Even if some of the new students didn’t know what it symbolized, they would find out soon enough.
Height: 5'3''
Weight: 107 lbs
A light ash blonde girl dressed in blue named Yuko Sazanami was one of the new students who passed the entrance examination just a few days ago. On her right arm was a pure white armband, and if anyone were to use their duel disk’s newly installed Level/Rank identifying function, they would soon find out that her Level was 4.
Having a star count of 4 in a school where you can reach the height of 8 stars might not sounded like a big deal. However, for a freshmen who just entered the Academy, 4 was the highest Level possible for them, signifying their ability to defeat the proctors who had used rather strong test decks. Among a few hundreds newcomers, there were only a dozen of Level 4. And based on past records, it wouldn’t take long for them to strive for new height and obtain more stars.
Yuko walked past a pair of students without armbands who just finished dueling and were now hugging each other.
Due to her introvert nature, Yuko didn’t engage in a conversation with anyone and simply walked straight to the middle of the island. She planned to reach the auditorium early and casually waiting there doing nothing.
“Good day. You are Miss Yuko Sazanami, right?”
Yuko heard a sweet, unfamiliar voice. When she turned around, she found a short girl who was staring at her without hiding any sparkle of interest.
Height: 5'1''
Weight: 94 lbs
Let’s not forget that Yuko is a Japanese, an Asian girl whose average height is significantly lower than westerners. So the fact that this girl with European facial features is even shorter than her is a big surprise. Noticing that she was questioned, the girl gave a quick reply.
“Um… I think yes.”
Upon closer looking, you could say that this girl was like a doll. A shockingly white skin almost to the point of unhealthy. Attractive, well-tended facial features. A soft, wavy brown hair with a shade of purple reflecting the color in her eyes that was as beautiful as the finest amethyst. A gorgeous dress that wasn’t too frilly but managed to express its girlish charm befitting its wearer. Hearing Yuko’s answer, the short girl then moved back one step, held her skirt, and curtsied elegantly.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Velia. Velia Fearon. It would be nice if you can call me Velia, miss Yuko.”
Outside of dueling, Yuko was an awkwardly timid girl who rarely interact with others, and suddenly a stranger came up to her and started using her first name? Normally, she wouldn’t even be able to bring herself to talk to that stranger again. However, there was something strangely alluring about Velia that prevented Yuko from chickening away. Was it that faint scent of flowers coming from that fluttered brown hair? Could it be that unnaturally cute smile that matched too well with that wide and round eyes she kept making? Or was it a strange feeling that made Yuko kept telling herself ‘this girl is harmless, so let’s completely trust her.’?
Either way, Yuko was at a loss. She even tried to curtsy back before realizing that it was probably too cruel to force a western lady to watch those terrible movements she tried to call a curtsy. The oriental girl blushed in shame before bowing.
“I-I-It’s nice to meet you too, Miss Velia.”
Velia simply giggled at that… um… disastrous movement.
“You are definitely interesting. Hey, Yuko! Can I call you just this!? Also how about we have a little duel to get to know each other better?”
“A duel!? Sure thing!! And yes, feel free to call me Yuko! Uh… Ve-Velia!!”
Noticing Yuko’s sudden confidence and enthusiasm, which seemed to be limited to dueling, Velia lips curled up a bit when she nonchalantly added.
“Oh, and since we are both Rank 4… I mean Level 4 students, how about we do it for real and each bet 1 star here?”
“Huh? I don’t know much about that, but I have no prob—“
“Wait a second.”
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 173 lbs
A deep male voice interrupted their conversation. It was a man who was wearing a dignified white jacket and a similar white armband to Yuko. The man named Martin Windsor approached both girls and spoke in a cold, indifferent voice as he shot a sharp glare at Velia.
“Good day, professor Windsor. I’ve heard a lot about you from my sister. You are as—“
“No need to keep up with unnecessary flattery, Miss Fearon. I can imagine everything that woman would say about me.”
Velia mischievously giggled before continuing.
“Being too pessimistic isn’t a good thing, professor. Perhaps she might have fallen in love with you after all these years and started to say sweet things.”
“We both know hell will freeze over before that actually happens. And abusing your sister’s knowledge is also not a good thing, Miss Fearon. Until Miss Sazanami— until all of the first years have heard everything from the principal’s orientation speech, I will have to forbid all of you from conducting an Official Duel.”
“My, quite a protective supervisor aren’t you?”
Yuko who went silent since the moment Martin appeared shifted her gaze between the two. Her brain tried hard to keep up with their conversation. It’s worth noting that neither of those two openly expressed any hostility, and yet even a girl who was bad at communication skills like her couldn’t help but shivered as though she was looking at 2 fierce beasts clashing with each other.
“In other words, if it’s just a friendly duel without any stake, you won’t have any problem right?”
Martin narrowed his eyes, before calmly replied.
“After I have a short discussion with Miss Sazanami.”
“Go ahead.”
—
“Um… Mr. Mar— I mean professor Windsor, what’s the meaning—“
“I don’t mind you using my first name just like that day, Miss Sazanami.”
“U-Uh, no. That’s only because…”
That day… where they first met as an applicant and a substitute proctor in an entrance examination duel. What happened was still fresh in their minds.
Recalling the event which sparked his interest in her, Martin then looked at the girl in front of him.
“What’s your first impression of that girl?”
His sudden question left a puzzled look on Yuko’s face. She then swallowed her own question as she looked at Velia who was standing at a distance and tried to come up with an answer.
“U-uh… Vel- Miss Fearon is sweet, cute, polite, friendly and rather charming. Oh and since she’s a Level 4 student like me, she must be pretty good at dueling too.”
“I would say you at least get the last part right. The rest is simply what she wants you to see, though. You could never be too careful with her.”
Velia Fearon, a professional youth duelist known as the Alluring Flower, and also a younger sister of his fellow instructor. Having known that wretched professor Fearon for years, he was too familiar with that sweet and charming surface and what hidden beneath it. In fact, that girl gave off the exact same vibe as her big sister, which was why she absolutely couldn’t be trusted. On the other hand, her dueling skill was a real deal. Ever since young age, she made her name as an exceptional duelist who had been regularly participating in competitive tournaments held in Europe and had won quite a number of them. Despite her signature deck being a defensive and reactive one, she was the only applicant from her region who could achieve the same feat as Yuko, ending the game as early as her second turn and unquestionably earned 4 stars. And unlike Yuko, she didn’t rely on any unexplained skill or power to do that. Speaking of which.
“Just to be sure, you still remember how to perform a Synchro Summon right?”
“Y-Y-Y-Yes! I clearly remembered how you did it!!”
Stuttering despite talking about a dueling-related topic was not a good sign, and Martin sure didn’t miss both that and how she said “how you did it” despite having done it herself. He picked up 3 cards from his own pocket before placing two of them on the Monster Zone of Yuko’s duel disk and inserted the last one into her Extra Deck slot.
“Then show me.”
“Eh… uh… I tune Level 3 Guitar Gurnards Duonigis with Level 3 Ghost Sister & Spooky Dogwood! Synchro Summon!! Um… what did you put in here again?” (Guitar Gurnards Duonigis) (Ghost Sister & Spooky Dogwood)
“Good question, but if you properly did it then you would have known already.”
“Ehhhhhh!!?”
“Sigh… First, you need to manually remove the monsters you are using as material from the disk and put them into the graveyard, just like when they are destroyed by battle. Then, you have to press this button here to open the extra deck slot. Normally, you will also need to say the monster’s name. But if there’s only one Synchro Monster in your extra deck that match the level of monsters you tuned, then—”
Right after Martin exasperatedly explained and demonstrated, a single card ejected itself from Yuko’s Extra Deck slot. He pushed the card back at the same time that Yuko gracefully said to him.
“Thank you very much! With this newly learned skill now I can easily beat her—“
“No, you can’t. At least not 'easily'."
Martin sighed again as he reached inside his pocket and took out a number of cards. He then placed 2 more monsters on Yuko’s disk, inserted another card into her Extra Deck and put those 2 monsters sent to the GY from the puzzle earlier as well as 2 new cards into her hand.
“With just those resources, try to bring out at least 3 Synchro Monsters. If you can’t do that simple task then forget about that girl and just back off from this duel. You will get crushed.”
After hearing that, there were sparkles of determination in Yuko’s eyes. Escaping from a duel, no matter how strong her opponent was, was something she would never do. The girl throughly read cards she obtained from her teacher, and gave her answer.
“I can do this! First I tune Level 4 Glacial Beast Blizzard Wolf (Glacial Beast Blizzard Wolf) with Level 3 Glacial Beast Polar Penguin! (Glacial Beast Polar Penguin) Synchro Summon!! Level 7 Glacial Beast Iceberg Narwhal!! (Glacial Beast Iceberg Narwhal) Next, I summon Angraecum Umbrella (Angraecum Umbrella) and since my graveyard now has a monster, I activate their effect to discard 1 card and then Special Summon Oyster Meister (Oyster Meister) I just discarded! Now I tune Level 3 Oyster Meister with Level 3 Angraecum Umbrella! Synchro Summon!! Level 6 Coral Dragon!! (Coral Dragon) By going to the graveyard, Oyster Meister leaves behind an Oyster Token! And since Coral Dragon is a Synchro Monster that is also a Tuner, I now tune Level 1 Oyster Token with Level 6 Coral Dragon!”
Martin’s lips slightly raised as his student flawlessly executed the combo. She is a fast learner and a quick-witted girl. At least he was certain of that one thing.
“Synchro Summon!! Level 7 Iceblue Magician!!”
Nodded satisfyingly, Martin then walked away before hearing a shout.
“Thank you very much, professor! Also you forgot your cards!”
“Keep them.”
“Eh?”
“Take them as a token of apology. Back in the entrance duel, I said something I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”
“But you did it so… uh… so that I could do better right? In that case I-I’m not angry—“
Martin turned around the corner and vanished from her sight before she could finish saying that.
—
“Sorry for the long wait, Miss Vel- I mean, Velia!!”
Yuko hurriedly ran back and apologetically bowed. With Martin nowhere to be seen, Velia simply gave her a sweet smile. It’s not a big deal, really. Waiting calmly and patiently for her opponent to slowly walk into their own demise was always her thing.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind that. Why don’t we start having our fun then” She then readied her duel disk, which prompted Yuko to do the same
“”DUEL!!”
- Yuko LP 4000 -
- Velia LP 4000 -
“Since I challenged you, you can have an advantage of going first.”
“Roger that! It’s my turn!!”
Yuko looked at the cards in her hand while pondering about her moves. The crowd started to gather with lines like “Hey look! It’s the Level 4 clash!” or “Look at their armbands! White and black, here comes Synchro vs Xyz!!” thrown around. At the same time, Martin who observed the duel from a distance narrowed his eyes.
That girl…
Considering what he had seen at the National and World when he spectated the youth sections that was held hours or days before his own, going first would greatly benefit Velia and that deck she was proud of. Even if going second would let her draw an additional card and attack first, it totally didn’t worth it.
An act of kindness... no. Looking down on her opponent… her ‘prey’ and wanting to toy with them huh?
“I summon Crystal Girl and activate her effect! Crystal Prophecy!!” (Crystal Girl)
A girl wearing whitish blue clothing appeared. (Level 1, ATK: 200) With a cutely determined voice, she raised her ice staff, causing small crystal to form in the air next to Yuko who already grabbed another card.
“Then, I discard Cartorhyn the Hidden Gem of the Seafront to activate its effect, which allows me to normal summon another WATER monster during this turn!” (Cartorhyn the Hidden Gem of the Seafront)
She looked at the monster in her hand, the card she just received from Martin, and warmly smiled.
“With that, I summon a tuner monster Angraecum Umbrella!”
“Interesting…”
Velia muttered as a pair of little boy and girl appeared along with a white flower serving as their umbrella. (Level 3, ATK 500) The flower then emitted a glowing white light, opening a portal on the ground.
“I discard Fury of the Kairyu-Shin to activate their effect! Love Fragrance! With this, I bring back Cartorhyn from my graveyard!“ (Fury of the Kairyu-Shin)
Fixing her gaze at the white flower without looking at the blue cute turtle-like monster rose from that portal opened earlier, Velia continued. (Level 2, ATK: 500)
“I don’t remember seeing you back in France, but to think you have the top prize that I missed. Ah, seeing how cute and useful it is, I'm quite jealous too .”
France? Top prize? Yuko was confused, but she said nothing that would give herself away as she removed all her monsters from the duel disk just like earlier.
“I tune Level 1 Crystal Girl and Level 2 Cartorhyn the Hidden Gem of the Seafront with Level 3 Angraecum Umbrella! O protector of the sea, become raging torrent that wipe away my foe! Synchro Summon! Level 6, Coral Dragon!!”
“And that’s a winning prize from Germany winter. We certainly walked the same path… I wonder how could we have never met each other?"
Yuko possibly didn’t hear any of that. She watched in awe as the white flower turned into 3 green rings, followed by her other two monsters lining themselves up and turned into 3 stars. As the beam of light faded, an orange sea dragon with sturdy scale and mighty air let out a roar before settling itself in front of Yuko (Level 6, ATK 2400)
“Next, by controlling Coral Dragon, I can special summon Crystal Girl back from the graveyard using her own effect!”
Portal opened on the ground and the girl carrying ice staff jumped back up. (Level 1, ATK 200) The dragon next to it suddenly roared and turned into 6 green rings as its owner announced.
“Since Crystal Girl was summoned by her own effect, she will be banished instead of going to the graveyard! I now tune Level 1 Crystal Girl with Level 6 Coral Dragon! Shimmering snowflakes that are so fragile, now combine together and become the new magic! Synchro Summon!! Come, sage of the unceasing snowfall! Level 7 Iceblue Magician!!”
Despite just summoned it for the first time, or second time if you count that instance where she couldn’t remember, Yuko felt a strange sense of familiarity with this monster. The onlookers gave a loud cheer at the same time that the beam of light faded and the magician dressed in blue emerged from the light. (Level 7, ATK 2500).
“When a Synchro Summoned Coral Dragon is sent to the graveyard, I can draw 1 card. Similarly, while Iceblue Magician that was Synchro Summoned is face-up on the field, any damage I would have taken is reduced by 500 points! Snow Veil!!”
Yuko, now covered in glittering veil made of snowflakes, looked at the last two cards in her hand before sliding one of them into her disk. At the same time, a small crystal floating idly next to her suddenly gave a blue glow and broke into pieces.
“I set 1 card face-down and end my turn! At this moment, Crystal Girl’s Crystal Prophecy that has been activated when she was Summoned will now come true! I get to add Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord from my Deck to my hand!! It’s your turn now!” (Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord)
Velia who was checking cards in Yuko’s graveyard gave out a cute smile before drawing a card from her deck and subsequently playing it.
“Then let’s start. I draw! Hmm, I bet you also have this card too, Yuko! I activate a field spell Chicken Game!!” (Chicken Game)
Field Spell… a Spell with effects that affect both sides. Yuko observed as her surrounding changed into a high cliff which has 2 faces, each behind her and Velia.
“I activate Chicken Game’s effect. By paying 1000 LP, I can draw 1 card!”
The face of the cliff behind Velia moved closer toward her as she drew a card from her deck (Velia LP 4000 —> 3000) So basically if either of our LP reach 0, we will fall off the cliff? Also why would I want to have a card like that? Paying 1000 LP just for a card is totally not worth it.
Seeing Yuko’s confident smug that appeared briefly, which implied that she thought her opponent was running a bad card, Martin couldn’t help but facepalmed from his watching spot. That card was distributed to everyone who managed to reach top 4 of a f*cking World Series each 5 years. A card warranted that prizing spot was definitely far from bad. Looked like he would have to teach her about the importance of the term ‘consistency’ soon.
“Next, I activate the new field spell I just drew, Traptrip Garden!!” (Traptrip Garden)
It’s a common knowledge that if a player were to activate 2 Field Spells, the old one will be sent to the GY and replaced with the new one. The cliff surrounding them changed into a calm and tranquil, yet vibrant and blossoming garden. For some reason, despite standing in the middle of such serene scene, Yuko felt a chill down her spine, as though there were unseen threats lurking around this place. Velia looked at her nervous opponent with an unchanging smile as she snatched a card from her hand.
“How about you give Yuko a proper greeting and make her feel at ease? I summon Traptrix Nepenthes!!” (Traptrix Nepenthes)
A girl with long blonde hair decorated by pink stripes at the tips gave off an innocent and childish air as she appeared and cheerfully waved at Yuko who simply smiled back, unsure how to react to a such a cute monster’s action. (Level 4, ATK 800) Velia looked at her summoned girl, gave her a thumb up and spoke as though talking to a friend.
“Well done. If you could walk to her and pat her head a bit, maybe Yuko will get even better!” “Uh… I don’t think that has anything to do wi—“ “With my Garden’s effect, I can normal summon another monster! Come join us, Traptrix Atrax!!” (Traptrix Atrax)
Another girl who seemed to be much more brave and confident than the first one appeared. She even winked at Yuko before settled down on Velia’s field (Level 4, ATK: 1800). Actually, she hadn’t even settled down and was actually walking toward Yuko’s Iceblue Magician while waving enthusiastically. And when both monsters got close enough.
“Here’s her greeting! I activate Treacherous Trap Hole from my hand!!” (Treacherous Trap Hole)
“She did what!?”
Was an exact words in Yuko’s head but voiced by one of the boys among the crowd that was watching the duel. Unlike most Spells, Trap cards normally cannot be activated from the hand. Instead, they need to be Set onto the field for at least a turn before being usable. But that seemed to not be the case here, as a giant hole had already appeared beneath Iceblue Magician and Atrax, sucking both monsters in.
“While Atrax is on the field, I can activate any “Hole” normal trap card from my hand. Not only that, but you cannot negate the activation and effects of my normal trap cards! Thanks to this effect, I had played Treacherous Trap Hole directly from my hand! By not having any trap cards in my graveyard, its effect let me choose and destroy 2 monsters on the field!!”
“Not so fast! When my WATER attribute Iceblue Magician is about to be destroyed, I can banish Fury of the Kairyu-Shin from my graveyard instead! Your trap card’s activation and effects may not be able to be negated, but I can still negate my monster’s destruction!! Now your Atrax is the only one who will be destroyed!!”
Bright blue bubble suddenly appeared around Iceblue Magician, stopping her from being dragged further into the big hole on the ground. On the other hand, the confident monster girl was eventually pulled into the hole… only for her to jump back up a few seconds later.
“Wha—“
“Hehe. Did you really think I would carelessly destroy my own monster like that? Both Atrax and Nephentes, as well as most other friends in my deck, are unaffected by the effects of “Hole” normal trap cards!”
Which meant that trap card Velia used from her hand practically achieved nothing. Also, why would she used it so early? Yuko thought. If it was her, she would have kept a card like that until there are 2 opponent monsters. Not that it mattered against her Fury of the Kairyu-Shin anyway, but still.
“Your face literally told me what you are thinking, Yuko. And you will now see why! Since I have activated a “Hole” normal trap card, Nephentes will now activate her effect! Alluring Fragrance!!”
The childish monster girl playfully raised her hand and a visual effect of pink scent could be seen.
“With Nephentes’s effect, I special summon Traptrix Pudica from my deck!! Hey! Stop being shy and come out fast!!” (Traptrix Pudica)
Did that girl just bring her younger sister out? Yuko looked at the new girl who has same color but shorter hair than Nepenthes. Their facial features were largely similar, but compared to her supposed older sister, this girl was so timid and shy. She nervously looked around for a while before tripped over nothing and helplessly fell face down. (Level 4, ATK: 900)
Hey, will that girl be alright? Yuko genuinely concerned for her opponent’s monster. Iceblue Magician who seemed to share the same sentiment even slowly walked up to the girlish monster lying on the ground, a move she soon regretted.
Yuko’s eyes suddenly grew wide in shock as a tubular pitcher with sharp teeth rose from the ground beneath her monster without warning. Velia giggled as she gave the explanation.
“When Pudica is special summoned, I can banish 1 special summoned monster my opponent controls! Hypogean Horror!! Don’t worry, you can choose to special summon 1 of your banished monsters back during your next standby phase, assuming you could survive until then that’s it.”
Sensing danger from that terrifying message said in sweet and playful voice, Yuko frowned and immediately acted to defend herself.
“I activate Iceblue Magician’s effect! I choose one attack position monster on the field and switch it to defense position! Diamond Dust!!”
After that panicked shout, the air was filled with glittering ice crystals which then moved to surround Atrax and forced her into a defensive posture after emitting a light blue glow. (Traptrix Atrax ATK: 1800 —> DEF: 1000) Shortly after that, the pitcher closed its mouth, crushing Iceblue Magician and turning her into particles of light. As Yuko was staring at Pudica who lured Iceblue Magician to her own demise, that girl… shot an evil grin at her for a brief moment before turning back to a timid, nervous girl.
This girl… these monsters…
Took her long enough. Professor Martin thought as he observed Yuko’s face who started to see her opponent’s monsters in a different light. On a simple glance, both girls who were dueling seemed to share a tendency of filling their decks with cute monsters. However, Velia’s Traptrix aren’t just cute girls. They are based on carnivorous plants and insects that hunt their preys by luring them into various kind of traps. As monster cards, they fully inherited that trait, using things like charm, beauty and cuteness in order to throw their opponents off guard and mercilessly crush them soon after. An archetype truly befitting the girl named Velia Fearon.
“Since Iceblue Magician is banished, not destroyed, you won’t get to resurrect another monster. Plus, now that she is gone, you no longer have Snow Veil to reduce your damage taken!”
Yuko clenched her fist. It’s as Velia said, her field was now wide open. Fortunately, she still has her trap set and her Iceblue Magician even managed to use her effect and reduced the damage she would have taken by 1800 thanks to Atrax who was now stuck in Defense Position. Even if the sibling of Nepenthes and Pudica were to attack, she would still have—
“Let’s step up our game, shall we? I overlay my Level 4 Nepenthes and Atrax!”
“What!?”
Hearing an unfamiliar word, Yuko let out a shocking voice as Nepenthes and Atrax both giggled and turned into 2 masses of orange energy before shooting up into the air. Then, the galaxy-like portal formed on the ground, right before those energy masses flew down and entered it, causing an explosive burst of light.
“Gorgeous menace that hide in shadows, use your charm to captivate and devour your preys! Xyz Summon!! It’s your turn now, Rank 4 Traptrix Pinguicula!!” (Traptrix Pinguicula)
Emerging from that portal was a pretty girl who gave of dominating aura. Orbiting around her were 2 orange orbs of light. (Rank 4, ATK: 2500, ORU: 2) Xyz Summon… Yuko stared at the newly summoned monster which was displaying unfamiliar parameters like Rank or ORU. Velia still kept going.
“I activate Pinguicula’s effect! Sweet Calling!!”
One of the orbiting orbs flew toward Pinguicula’s raised hand and dissolved. The monster then briefly emitted a bright orange glow as her owner explained.
“By detaching Atrax which was used as Xyz material and is now her overlay unit, Pinguicula let me add a “Traptrix” monster from my Deck to my hand.” (Traptrix Pinguicula ORU: 2 —> 1)
So ORU is shortened from Overlay Unit, which seemed to indicate the number of times Velia’s Xyz monster can use her effect. Yuko silently noted as Velia added Traptrix Myrmeleo to her hand. (Traptrix Myrmeleo)
“Next, I activate Traptrip Garden’s effect! By banishing Pudica on my field, its effect let me special summon Myrmeleo that I searched just now!!”
A new girl with an antlion-like horn gave out a cheerful laughter as she appeared. (Level 4: ATK 1600) Her body then gave out an orange glow, right before a sand pitfall appeared right below Yuko’s only face-down card.
“When Myrmeleo is special summoned, I can activate her effect to destroy your set card! Arenaceous Downfall!!”
“Oh no!”
Yuko cried as her Trap was pulled down into the raging sand hole and shattered into particles of light. Velia who checked the card smirked as she saw Drowning Mirror Force.
“Now you have neither monsters nor traps to protect yourself. I know that this is just a friendly duel, but for it to be this easy, aren’t you holding back too much? Well, I suppose by willingly conceding a victory, you reveal the greatness within yourself, for true strength lies not in dominance but in the benevolence we show to those around us. Isn’t that right, Yuko?”
Like hell it is!! Yuko soundlessly protested as the crowd of audience seemed to believe what Velia said and started to let out a sound of disappointment. She never intended to let that girl win, but it’s just that the gap in skill and prowess displayed so far was just too wide that it turned such a poetic absurdity into a sensible one! Besides, she hadn’t lost yet!!
The short girl smiled and then commanded her monsters.
“Then I’ll accept your kindness! Battle!! Attack Yuko directly, Myrmeleo!!” (Traptrix Myrmeleo ATK: 1600)
The antlion girl let out a determined cry and stuck her claw like garments into the ground before throwing sand at Yuko, who yelled in a high pitched voice.
“Pardon the dirtiness, but it’s still better than getting sucked into a sand pitfall right?”
I want neither of that!! Yuko internally screamed as she tried to shake off sands, even though it was all solid vision and there actually was no sand on her body. (Yuko LP 4000 —> 2400) Then, the monster girl who still had orange orb orbiting around her raised her hand at the same time that her owner declared.
“Finish this, Pinguicula! Allured Slaughtering!!” (Traptrix Pinguicula ATK: 2500)
Vines and tendrils rose from the ground before rushing at Yuko at high speed. Instead of raising her arms to guard herself from that finishing blow, the blue girl confidently smiled.
“At this moment, I discard Glacial Sprite in my hand to make the incoming damage 0!!”
A handtrap!? Velia’s clicked her tongue in face of the first unexpected move from Yuko. All those thorny whips and spears that supposed to finished her opponent off all collided with blue butterflies and vanished. The girl then quickly regained her composure.
“Give in to the fun now? A bit too late but I welcome your decision! I set 2 cards and end my turn!”
Setting the entirety of her remaining hand, Velia who had a confident and enigmatic smile on her face passed a turn to Yuko who still breathed heavily thanks to the excitement of just escaping death.
“My turn! I draw!!”
Yuko shouted and looked at the card she drew, which was a cute Level 1 monster… Great, another card that she added to her Deck because of its cuteness rather than usability, like Aquarion or Wind-Up Shark. The girl cursed herself. Adding a like this to her Deck was fine. Drawing it in a situation where she needed powerful game changer was not. Before she could even think about how to use its effects properly, her opponent’s voice reached her ears.
“During this Standby Phase, due to Pudica’s Hypogean Horror that had been activated last turn, you may now special summon 1 of your banished monsters, Yuko.”
Right now, Yuko had 2 banished monsters, and it was clear which one she was going to choose.
“Thank you, Velia! I special summon Iceblue Magician back!” (Level 7, ATK: 2500)
“No need to say thanks, because I’ll now activate my set Bottomless Trap Hole!! When you summon a monster with 1500 or more ATK, this card let me destroy and banish it!!” (Bottomless Trap Hole)
Yuko widened her eyes as another big hole appeared beneath Iceblue Magician who just returned, threatening to banish her once more.
“Kuh… I activate Iceblue Magician’s effect once again! Pinguicula will now switch to defense position!!”
Small ice crystals filled the air and forced her opponent’s monster into Defense Position, but it didn’t save the user from falling into the bottomless pitfall. (Traptrix Pinguicula ATK: 2500 —> DEF: 300) For some reason, the trap hole remained on the field even though it already finished getting rid of Yuko’s monster. That reason soon became clear to her as her opponent announced.
“At this moment, I activate Pinguicula’s last effect! Endearing Capture!!”
The Xyz Monster let out a enigmatic laughter before vines and botanical tendrils suddenly rose from the ground near her. They briefly aimed for the hole that Iceblue Magician fell down earlier before flying straight into it. The next second, the magician dressed in blue who was now tightly bound by vines was slowly pulled up. She briefly let out a painful cry before turning into an orange energy orb which then flew to Pinguicula and started to orbit around her. (Traptrix Pinguicula ORU: 1 —> 2)
“Since your Iceblue Magician has been banished by a card effect, I can attach her to my monster as an overlay unit! Plus, Pinguicula is immune to trap effects as well as any effects activated by monsters with the same types as her overlay units!! In other words—“
“She is currently unaffected by Plant and Spellcaster monsters’ effects!?”
“Correct! You are quite smart. Now feel free to continue your turn, Yuko!”
Yuko had no cards on her field and two cards left in hand. One of them was that cute Level 1 monster whose ATK was so low it couldn’t even run over Pinguicula in Defense Position. Another was a card she had searched during her last turn, Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord. It’s a card she originally meant to use as a backup plan should Velia somehow managed to deal with Iceblue Magician. In the end, it went as she had expected, but there were also unaccounted parts.
Moulinglacia is a powerful monster with high ATK and strong effect restricted by a rather specific condition to bring him out for free. The condition which Yuko had carefully thought about during her previous turn. However, her opponent also knew that she added this monster to her hand. And based on that girl’s skill, the current situation where Iceblue Magician was held captive as an overlay unit and not in the GY was not something far fetched.
Without Iceblue Magician, Yuko’s GY only had 4 WATER monsters remaining, which meant she couldn’t summon Moulinglacia right now. The girl looked at the other monster, a baby dragon boasting overly cuteness. Its first effect let her discard 1 WATER monster to add another to her hand. However, as far as she remember, there wasn’t any monster whose ATK is higher than Moulinglacia left in her Deck…
Was this as far as she went?
No, absolutely not!!
“I summon Brinegion from my hand!!” (Brinegion)
Yuko shouted. Water splashed in front of her before revealing a petit aquatic dragon who cutely winked and earned a loud chorus of high-pitched squeals from the audiences, particularly girls. (Level 1, ATK 100) Even though she was at a loss before, the girl was now looking at her opponent with a brimming confidence.
“I activate its effect! By sending 1 WATER monster in my hand to the graveyard, I can add a new monster from my Deck to my hand!”
Velia raised her eyebrows as Yuko discarded Moulinglacia from her hand.
“Next, I activate its other effect! By tributing Brinegion, I can special summon this card I just added! Deepsea Invitation!!”
This monster about to be summoned would be immune to effect destruction. Velia pondered as she watched Brinegion turned into a bubble that slowly rose in the air. Judging from the situation, Yuko would choose to bring out a monster under 1000 ATK so that it could attack twice and defeat Pinguicula who was protected by Garden’s effect, rather than a strong monster that couldn’t kill anything. But, regardless of the choice she had made, Velia still held major advantage in term of deck choice. Traptrix was a deck that leaned toward control playstyle specializing in grinding out resources. By surviving this turn, the short girl would have more opportunity to make her play.
The bubble then erupted mid air, emitting a bright blue light as Yuko declared.
“Let your opponent feel the wrath of the sea! I special summon Brinegir!!” (Brinegir)
Heh… Velia quickly scanned through its effect and grinned. Truly the best monster Yuko could have brought out. A light faded, revealing a serpentine dragon whose body was made of seawater. (Level 7, ATK: 1000) The dragon then let out a resounding roar as its owner continued.
“Brinegir’s effect activated! When it is summoned, I can choose 1 WATER monster in my graveyard and add its ATK to Brinegir during this turn! Deepsea Inheritance!!”
A transparent image of Moulinglacia appeared before turning into particles of blue light that were absorbed by Brinegir, raising the latter’s ATK by 2800 (Brinegir ATK 1000 —> 3800)
“Amazing!!”
Velia heard that from onlookers as they looked at Yuko’s monster. 3800 ATK was not the only thing she should be afraid of. Because its original ATK was 1000, that monster could fully take advantage of Brinegion’s effect to attack twice. Fortunately, her set card should allow her to—
The short girl suddenly froze as she looked into the crowd of audience and spotted a familiar face. That person who noticed Velia’s gaze immediately turned around and headed to the direction of the forest.
“Battle! I attack Myrmeleo with Brinegir! Tidal Punisher!!”
The dragon unleashed a water breath at the antlion girl. (Brinegir ATK 3800 —> Traptrix Myrmeleo ATK 1600) Velia then responded with an indifferent tone contrasting her enthusiasm from earlier.
“Due to Traptrip Garden’s effect, once during each turn Myrmeleo won’t be destroyed by battle.”
“But you still take damage!!”
“Ugh!”
Velia let out a cry as she took a heavy damage. (Velia LP: 3000 —> 800) Yuko had a spark of determination in her eyes as she declared her final attack.
“Due to Brinegion’s Deepsea Invitation, Brinegir who has 1000 original ATK can attack twice!! finish this! Tidal Punisher!!”
Velia glanced at her set card before letting out a slightly stifled smile as her Myrmeleo got obliterated by a powerful stream of water. (Velia LP: 800 —> 0)
- Winner: Yuko Sazanami -
The crowd burst into cheers, whistles and applauses at the conclusion of the Level 4 clash between the two dorms. Despite having claimed her first victory she could actually remember, Yuko wasted no time celebrating and hurriedly walked toward her opponent.
“Are you alright, Velia!?”
Noticed that Velia seemed oddly depressing during their last exchange, Yuko’s voice sounded concerning. It didn’t last long though.
“No, of course not! I’m so mad right now! Remember this well, Yuko! I’ll definitely get my revenge!!”
“Ou-ouch! Oww-oww-oww! Pw-eeassee! Stooop!”
In response to her concerning voice, Velia pinched Yuko’s both cheeks and pulled with full strength. Her voice returned to its sweet, yet playful and mischievous tone. After a few minutes had passed, both girls burst into laughter after getting to talk more with each other.
“Attention, Duel Academy students. The principal will begin his speech shortly. All new students are required to present at the auditorium in 15 minutes. 2nd years and 3rd years who have no classes or scheduled duels are also recommended to attend.”
After hearing that announcement, Yuko turned to Velia who was now officially her first friend at this island.
“Let’s go to the auditorium together, Velia!”
The short girl simply gave her a playful and ominous grin.
“Nah, I will pass.”
“Eh?”
“Guess I’ll find some place to nap. Tee-hee.”
“But they just said we are required—“
“You see. My big sister works here, so I’m more or less familiar with what the principal are gonna say anyway. Ah, but you should attend. You don’t want to miss explanation about things like these armbands or this school’s big events right?“
“U- um… yeah.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be seeing you before lunch. Take care then!”
“W-wai—“
Without letting the timid girl finish her sentence, Velia turned around and walked into the direction of the forest.
—
Because most students were gathering at the auditorium, the forest was shrouded in an eerie silence. Rays of sunlight break through the dense foliage, casting golden hues on the forest floor. Velia walked deeper and deeper, until she caught glimpse of a figure standing by a tree.
“My, how peaceful and tranquil. You even made me feel a bit guilty for speaking so loudly and disrupting it you know.”
There was not even a shred of guilt on her face though. The brown haired girl who was standing still turned to Velia and gave her a warm smile. That was… unusual. Remarked Velia.
Height: 5'6''
Weight: 123 lbs
“Is this perhaps your favorite spot, Prodigy?”
“Why yes it is. Also I left that name behind for quite a while now. While we’re here, I’m just an ordinary 2nd year student Asumi Tendou, Miss Fearon.”
Her voice was unbelievably gentle and sweet. Unlike Velia’s carefully fabricated sweetness, it was a kind of voice that express its owner’s genuine soft and friendly nature.
Which made it even more unsettling.
“I don’t know why or when have you changed, but you better stop acting that way. It just doesn’t suit- Yeah, it’s just plain disgusting.”
Velia said in an annoyed tone, not even bothered to wear her friendly mask like she usually did.
“I’m not really acting, but coming from you who have seen how I used to be and is also an expert yourself, that’s kinda understandable. No offense by the way.”
“At least you are still good at pissing me off. I’m glad to know that something hasn’t changed.”
“And you are still cute and lovely. I wish I could have told you this since we first met.”
“Ewww. That’s kinda gross.”
Even with her usual sweet and playful tone of voice, the Xyz girl didn’t hide her hostility. There was just no need for it. The brunette said nothing but simply smiled back. Yeah, it’s just so not like her. Velia recalled their first encounter, at the final round of that grand tournament…
3 years had passed since they first met and then never once came into direct contact with each other again. It might not be short, but it shouldn’t be long enough to turn someone like that into the affable person in front of her right now either.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t apologized to you yet, have I?”
Asumi who seemed to recall the same event suddenly spoke up, which only prompted Velia to snort back.
“What the f*ck are you talking about? Back then you beat me fair and square. If you actually apologize now I’ll get real mad!”
“Beat you fair and square… just like how that Synchro girl defeated you?”
“Hah!? Are you bullying me now!?”
“’By willingly conceding a victory, you reveal the greatness within yourself, for true strength lies not in dominance but in the benevolence we show to those around us’… right? That’s a beautiful line. And to think you actually did it and helped out a timid girl who was unfamiliar with the Academy. Why should I bully a kind girl like that?”
“Pfff. I don’t know what are you talking about. I approached Miss Sazanami because I’m interested in how she beat that White Prince who hadn’t been using a test deck, not because she is a timid girl who needs help. Also, I totally didn’t mean it when I said that ridiculous line. And most importantly, her skill is a real deal.”
“You see, tampering with machines and hacking all kind of networks are my hobbies. You may not know this, but every duels here have their own special ID where informations are recorded after each duel ended, even the friendly ones. And by inputting that ID into this app I’ve written myself, you can check all relevant information… like this.”
Displayed in front of Velia was a holographic duel field with cards like Brinegir and Pinguicula in monster zones facing each other. Asumi skillfully tapped her smartphone screen, and the face-down card that Velia hadn’t activated was now revealed to both girls.
“As expected, you are not someone who would find yourself in such a pinch without any countermeasure. By using this Spiritual Earth Art - Kurogane, you could have gotten rid of attack position Myrmeleo and instead having Atrax in defense position. No matter how high Brinegir’s ATK was, if both of your monsters were in defense position there wouldn’t be much that girl could do.“ (Spiritual Earth Art - Kurogane)
“No one asked for your opinion, o wise Prodigy. Also I could have chickened out just because I was low on resource and didn’t see a chance of winning. Either way, what’s done is done.”
“You aren’t being honest, are you?”
Hearing such snarky comment, Asumi contently smiled as she started walking toward her past acquaintance. When they were close enough, she reached for the short girl’s duel disk, who narrowed her eyes and frowned but didn’t try to pull her left arm away.
“No chance of winning huh… Surely someone like you could have seen this coming.”
The card in Asumi’s hand that she had drawn from the top of Velia’s deck, which hadn’t been shuffled once since the duel ended was Traptrix Dionaea, a card that could resurrect a Level 4 monster and bring out another Xyz boss. (Traptrix Dionaea)
“Ugh… Fine. So what if I let that girl win!? If you think I’m about to do the same right now, you are dead wrong!”
The girl snatched her card back from Asumi and pointed at her face.
“Duel me again, Prodigy of Thunder! Also since we are here, I don’t mind doing an Official Duel and bet anything you want for that star of yours! This time I’ll definitely get my revenge!!”
“Too bad, but I don’t think you can do that.”
“Because you think I’m still as weak and pathetic as that day? Why don’t you see for yourself!”
“That’s not what I meant. Since you seem to be familiar with the rules, you must have known the condition to challenge someone into an Official Duel right?”
“You mean how the challenger must have equal or lower star count than the challenged student? Since you have been here for a while, you should have like 6 or 7 stars already right? Then—“
“Why don’t you try using Identifier?”
A few seconds passed in silent, only to be broken by an ear-piercing voice.
“2 STARS!!? What’s the meaning of this!!?”
“It means that right now I’m just a lowly Level 2 student who never summoned anything from the extra deck and have to stay in Common dorm. If we were to duel right now you would easily—“
“Wait! You can’t be serious!”
Velia interrupted. She finally noticed that there was no armband of any color on Asumi’s right arm.
“That Common can’t even be called a dorm! It’s more like an outhouse with a deck!! Why would you purposely put yourself there!?”
“It‘a quite comfortable though. My room happens to have an empty bed so I’ll gladly let you sleep over anytime.“
“Hmph! The mighty Prodigy of Thunder who had mastered all kinds of summoning methods since age 13 is now a Level 2 student who has to stay in Common? What kind of sick joke is that!?”
“Well, I can assure you that’s not a joke. Still up for a friendly duel?”
—
- Winner: Velia Fearon -
“Congratulations. Now I suppose we’re ev—“
“QUIT FOOLING AROUND!!!”
The Xyz girl screamed from the top of her lungs.
“Duel me again! And use your real deck!!”
“This is my true and only deck, Miss Fearon.”
“Then don’t talk to me ever again! You are no longer worthy enough!!”
Even after being yelled at and showered with hostility the entire time, Asumi’s smile never faded and her voice never lost its calm and gentle tone. There was no sign of anger on her face as she watched Velia walked away without looking back. If anything, she truly understood the intensity and reason behind the short girl’s frustration. However, she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. Using her real deck… using this deck sleeping in her pocket for more than a year now… that’s the only thing that she couldn’t compromise.
—
At the auditorium, almost all of the 1st year students of the Academy as well as a decent amount of upperclassmen could be seen. Soon, the principal of this school would arrive to give a speech…
Clairikins
Edit: Added some missing links.
As per the new tradition, each student could wear any clothes their want. However, there were these similarly designed but different colored armbands on most students’ right arm. Some being blue, purple, white or black. There were also those without any armband. Even if some of the new students didn’t know what it symbolized, they would find out soon enough.
Height: 5'3''
Weight: 107 lbs
A light ash blonde girl dressed in blue named Yuko Sazanami was one of the new students who passed the entrance examination just a few days ago. On her right arm was a pure white armband, and if anyone were to use their duel disk’s newly installed Level/Rank identifying function, they would soon find out that her Level was 4.
Having a star count of 4 in a school where you can reach the height of 8 stars might not sounded like a big deal. However, for a freshmen who just entered the Academy, 4 was the highest Level possible for them, signifying their ability to defeat the proctors who had used rather strong test decks. Among a few hundreds newcomers, there were only a dozen of Level 4. And based on past records, it wouldn’t take long for them to strive for new height and obtain more stars.
Yuko walked past a pair of students without armbands who just finished dueling and were now hugging each other.
Day one of a bright new school day and Claire is just enjoying herself after her absolute struggle of an introductory duel. Of course the academy experts are still unsure of what dorm to put her in; with everyone putting so much love and care into special summoning, of course she stands out amongst the rest.
"Hey, since we're here, wanna duel?" A blonde-haired new student walks up to Claire, duel disk on her arm. "If you don't mind, that is."
Claire smiles at the prospect, pulling out her own disk to ready herself. "Sure!"
- Claire LP 4000 -
- Rei LP 4000 -
Rei goes first, looking through her hand of five cards and biting her lip as she decides on what to do. "I... I'll just set these two cards face-down and end my turn." A monster and a trap card.
"Very well. My turn!" Claire draws a card with plenty of energy, adding it to the five already in her hand. "Huzzah! I'll match your board and raise you a field spell, Extra Net! Now if either of us try to use our extra deck, the other player will get to draw a card."
Rei turns her duel disk to reveal the place where her extra deck is supposed to be: it's empty. "Sorry"
"Ah. Right. Go?" Three cards on the board and it already feels like she misplayed, but she won't let it get to her; that card was dead this duel no matter what anyway.
"Okay" Rei gives a little smile; for once her opponent isn't taking this game super seriously; this is just supposed to be for fun, after all! "I draw! I'll flip my Valkyrie Vierte into attack position and attack your facedown." A blonde lady rides into combat on a white steed, setting her sword to stab into Claire's facedown creature, cutting the card in half and revealing it to have been a Sangan.
"When my Sangan is sent to the graveyard, its effect activates." Claire points out, "I'll grab a Monk Fighter from my deck and put it into my hand." She reveals the card to Rei for a few long seconds before shuffling the rest of her library back. "Carry on~"
"Right. I will activate Vierte's effect, milling 1 card and if it's a normal spell card I get to put it in my hand." Valkyrie Dritte "Aaaand I'll pass."
"Gotcha. Now it's time to show you what I can do!" Claire draws a card. "I'll summon my Monk Fighter!" The grey-haired individual rises from the card, punching a virtual rock to smithereens with its bare fist in a show of strength, although it's still weaker than the Valkyrie. "I'll also set three cards face down, in case you're starting to feel confident." Claire winks, her hand down to just one final card before giving her opponent a bow, "Your move."
Rei is shaking a little; she hasn't been drawing well and now this girl is so confident that she's about to win? "I'll play my Goddess Skuld's Oracle, and since I have a Valkyrie as my only creature I can search for my Goddess Verdande's Guidance and play that, and since I still only have out my sole Valkyrie and I find the final card in the chain: Goddess Urd's Verdict! With all three of them out I can activate all of their abilities."
"First, Goddess Skuld's Oracle allows me to look at the top three cards of your deck and put them back in any order." Claire shows off the top three cards of her deck to Rei, allowing the girl to read through them before setting them back. "Next, my Goddess Verdande's Guidance allows me to name one kind of card and have you reveal the top card of your deck; if it matches, you set the card face down, otherwise it gets added to your hand, and I name-"
"Wait!" Claire holds her hand out before Rei can finish using her card. "I'd like to chain one of my cards" That's right, she knows how to activate a trap card. "Armory Call allows me to search my deck for any equip card and add it to my hand, and then I may equip it to one monster I control."
"Wah-" Rei is stunned from her combo not working properly; it's supposed to work! That's what she was told!
"I'm going to search for a Moon Mirror Shield and equip it to my Monk Fighter if that's good with you. Carry on with your card."
"Um..." Rei is really just taking a guess in the dark here, but she has to try something. "Umm... a trap card?"
Claire slowly pulls the top card of her deck out for the dramatic tension before revealing it to Rei: Gravity Bind. She sets it face down.
"And then I'll use Goddess Urd's Verdict to name Gravity Bind, and I choose your newest face-down card!" Claire removes the card, giving Rei a smile for pulling off her combo. "Oh, and I... um... I..." She looks at Claire's three remaining facedown cards, but the shield alone is cause for concern. "I'll set my Vierte in defense position and end my turn."
"Very good." Claire draws another card, only giving it a brief glance. "I'll go to battle, and I'd like for my Master Monk to strike your Valkyrie!"
"Not so fast!" Rei is really getting into the energy of the duel now, "I'll activate my Loge's Flame. As long as I have a Valkyrie, your creatures need over 2000 attack to declare an attack."
Claire flinches; she doesn't have a creature in her deck that's big enough to get over that, and not that many cards in her deck to get past it either. "It's fine; you can't attack over my Monk as long as it has the Moon Mirror Shield. We're at a stalemate until one of us can get removal."
What follows next are multiple turns consisting of drawing cards, passing the turn, and occasionally discarding a card.
"Yes!" Rei is excited for her latest draw! "Valkyrie's Embrace allows me to tap one of my Valkyries and banish your Monk, allowing my other Valkyries to end this duel-"
Claire activates her Gravity Bind, losing 500LP to put her Moon Mirror Shield on the bottom of her deck.
- Claire 4000 >>> 3500 -
"- my Valkyrie Vierte attacks you directly."
- Claire 3500 >>> 2100 -
Claire is unable to do anything on her next turn, but when Rei tries to swing again, she is able to use her set Waboku to stop her attacks in their tracks, only taking one hit through Rei's Mischief of the Time Goddess
- Claire 2100 >>> 700 -
One final draw. One final chance to turn everything around. "This has been fun. Very long and drawn-out, but still fun. I play Mystical Space Typhoon to remove your Loge's Flame." The trap card is removed and Rei's board is too full for a summon. "I play a second Monk Fighter, equipping it with a Moon Mirror Shield and two copies of Legendary Black Belt." The Monk regains its golden shield, two belts crossing his lower chest in the form of an X as it readies itself for a fight. "If there's nothing else, Rei, I'd like to go to Battle." Rei nods and Claire raises an arm, pointing at one of Rei's defense position Valkyries. "Monk Fighter, strike it down."
The monk runs across the battlefield, knocking the Valkyrie off its horse in one fatal swing.
- Rei 4000 >>> 0 -
By the time the dust settles, Rei is left stumped. "Wait- how did I lose? My creature was in defense position."
Claire walks over to Rei, pulling one of the Black Belt cards out of her duel disk to show her, "Your Valkyrie had over two thousand defense points; two belts was just enough to pull out the victory. Still, that was a really close one, huh? Hi, I'm Claire." She holds a hand out for the other girl
"Rei." the blonde girl answers, not reading the social cue and giving Claire a hug instead.
"Hey, since we're here, wanna duel?" A blonde-haired new student walks up to Claire, duel disk on her arm. "If you don't mind, that is."
Claire smiles at the prospect, pulling out her own disk to ready herself. "Sure!"
- Claire LP 4000 -
- Rei LP 4000 -
Rei goes first, looking through her hand of five cards and biting her lip as she decides on what to do. "I... I'll just set these two cards face-down and end my turn." A monster and a trap card.
"Very well. My turn!" Claire draws a card with plenty of energy, adding it to the five already in her hand. "Huzzah! I'll match your board and raise you a field spell, Extra Net! Now if either of us try to use our extra deck, the other player will get to draw a card."
Rei turns her duel disk to reveal the place where her extra deck is supposed to be: it's empty. "Sorry"
"Ah. Right. Go?" Three cards on the board and it already feels like she misplayed, but she won't let it get to her; that card was dead this duel no matter what anyway.
"Okay" Rei gives a little smile; for once her opponent isn't taking this game super seriously; this is just supposed to be for fun, after all! "I draw! I'll flip my Valkyrie Vierte into attack position and attack your facedown." A blonde lady rides into combat on a white steed, setting her sword to stab into Claire's facedown creature, cutting the card in half and revealing it to have been a Sangan.
"When my Sangan is sent to the graveyard, its effect activates." Claire points out, "I'll grab a Monk Fighter from my deck and put it into my hand." She reveals the card to Rei for a few long seconds before shuffling the rest of her library back. "Carry on~"
"Right. I will activate Vierte's effect, milling 1 card and if it's a normal spell card I get to put it in my hand." Valkyrie Dritte "Aaaand I'll pass."
"Gotcha. Now it's time to show you what I can do!" Claire draws a card. "I'll summon my Monk Fighter!" The grey-haired individual rises from the card, punching a virtual rock to smithereens with its bare fist in a show of strength, although it's still weaker than the Valkyrie. "I'll also set three cards face down, in case you're starting to feel confident." Claire winks, her hand down to just one final card before giving her opponent a bow, "Your move."
Rei is shaking a little; she hasn't been drawing well and now this girl is so confident that she's about to win? "I'll play my Goddess Skuld's Oracle, and since I have a Valkyrie as my only creature I can search for my Goddess Verdande's Guidance and play that, and since I still only have out my sole Valkyrie and I find the final card in the chain: Goddess Urd's Verdict! With all three of them out I can activate all of their abilities."
"First, Goddess Skuld's Oracle allows me to look at the top three cards of your deck and put them back in any order." Claire shows off the top three cards of her deck to Rei, allowing the girl to read through them before setting them back. "Next, my Goddess Verdande's Guidance allows me to name one kind of card and have you reveal the top card of your deck; if it matches, you set the card face down, otherwise it gets added to your hand, and I name-"
"Wait!" Claire holds her hand out before Rei can finish using her card. "I'd like to chain one of my cards" That's right, she knows how to activate a trap card. "Armory Call allows me to search my deck for any equip card and add it to my hand, and then I may equip it to one monster I control."
"Wah-" Rei is stunned from her combo not working properly; it's supposed to work! That's what she was told!
"I'm going to search for a Moon Mirror Shield and equip it to my Monk Fighter if that's good with you. Carry on with your card."
"Um..." Rei is really just taking a guess in the dark here, but she has to try something. "Umm... a trap card?"
Claire slowly pulls the top card of her deck out for the dramatic tension before revealing it to Rei: Gravity Bind. She sets it face down.
"And then I'll use Goddess Urd's Verdict to name Gravity Bind, and I choose your newest face-down card!" Claire removes the card, giving Rei a smile for pulling off her combo. "Oh, and I... um... I..." She looks at Claire's three remaining facedown cards, but the shield alone is cause for concern. "I'll set my Vierte in defense position and end my turn."
"Very good." Claire draws another card, only giving it a brief glance. "I'll go to battle, and I'd like for my Master Monk to strike your Valkyrie!"
"Not so fast!" Rei is really getting into the energy of the duel now, "I'll activate my Loge's Flame. As long as I have a Valkyrie, your creatures need over 2000 attack to declare an attack."
Claire flinches; she doesn't have a creature in her deck that's big enough to get over that, and not that many cards in her deck to get past it either. "It's fine; you can't attack over my Monk as long as it has the Moon Mirror Shield. We're at a stalemate until one of us can get removal."
What follows next are multiple turns consisting of drawing cards, passing the turn, and occasionally discarding a card.
"Yes!" Rei is excited for her latest draw! "Valkyrie's Embrace allows me to tap one of my Valkyries and banish your Monk, allowing my other Valkyries to end this duel-"
Claire activates her Gravity Bind, losing 500LP to put her Moon Mirror Shield on the bottom of her deck.
- Claire 4000 >>> 3500 -
"- my Valkyrie Vierte attacks you directly."
- Claire 3500 >>> 2100 -
Claire is unable to do anything on her next turn, but when Rei tries to swing again, she is able to use her set Waboku to stop her attacks in their tracks, only taking one hit through Rei's Mischief of the Time Goddess
- Claire 2100 >>> 700 -
One final draw. One final chance to turn everything around. "This has been fun. Very long and drawn-out, but still fun. I play Mystical Space Typhoon to remove your Loge's Flame." The trap card is removed and Rei's board is too full for a summon. "I play a second Monk Fighter, equipping it with a Moon Mirror Shield and two copies of Legendary Black Belt." The Monk regains its golden shield, two belts crossing his lower chest in the form of an X as it readies itself for a fight. "If there's nothing else, Rei, I'd like to go to Battle." Rei nods and Claire raises an arm, pointing at one of Rei's defense position Valkyries. "Monk Fighter, strike it down."
The monk runs across the battlefield, knocking the Valkyrie off its horse in one fatal swing.
- Rei 4000 >>> 0 -
By the time the dust settles, Rei is left stumped. "Wait- how did I lose? My creature was in defense position."
Claire walks over to Rei, pulling one of the Black Belt cards out of her duel disk to show her, "Your Valkyrie had over two thousand defense points; two belts was just enough to pull out the victory. Still, that was a really close one, huh? Hi, I'm Claire." She holds a hand out for the other girl
"Rei." the blonde girl answers, not reading the social cue and giving Claire a hug instead.
Due to her introvert nature, Yuko didn’t engage in a conversation with anyone and simply walked straight to the middle of the island. She planned to reach the auditorium early and casually waiting there doing nothing.
“Good day. You are Miss Yuko Sazanami, right?”
Yuko heard a sweet, unfamiliar voice. When she turned around, she found a short girl who was staring at her without hiding any sparkle of interest.
Height: 5'1''
Weight: 94 lbs
Let’s not forget that Yuko is a Japanese, an Asian girl whose average height is significantly lower than westerners. So the fact that this girl with European facial features is even shorter than her is a big surprise. Noticing that she was questioned, the girl gave a quick reply.
“Um… I think yes.”
Upon closer looking, you could say that this girl was like a doll. A shockingly white skin almost to the point of unhealthy. Attractive, well-tended facial features. A soft, wavy brown hair with a shade of purple reflecting the color in her eyes that was as beautiful as the finest amethyst. A gorgeous dress that wasn’t too frilly but managed to express its girlish charm befitting its wearer. Hearing Yuko’s answer, the short girl then moved back one step, held her skirt, and curtsied elegantly.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Velia. Velia Fearon. It would be nice if you can call me Velia, miss Yuko.”
Outside of dueling, Yuko was an awkwardly timid girl who rarely interact with others, and suddenly a stranger came up to her and started using her first name? Normally, she wouldn’t even be able to bring herself to talk to that stranger again. However, there was something strangely alluring about Velia that prevented Yuko from chickening away. Was it that faint scent of flowers coming from that fluttered brown hair? Could it be that unnaturally cute smile that matched too well with that wide and round eyes she kept making? Or was it a strange feeling that made Yuko kept telling herself ‘this girl is harmless, so let’s completely trust her.’?
Either way, Yuko was at a loss. She even tried to curtsy back before realizing that it was probably too cruel to force a western lady to watch those terrible movements she tried to call a curtsy. The oriental girl blushed in shame before bowing.
“I-I-It’s nice to meet you too, Miss Velia.”
Velia simply giggled at that… um… disastrous movement.
“You are definitely interesting. Hey, Yuko! Can I call you just this!? Also how about we have a little duel to get to know each other better?”
“A duel!? Sure thing!! And yes, feel free to call me Yuko! Uh… Ve-Velia!!”
Noticing Yuko’s sudden confidence and enthusiasm, which seemed to be limited to dueling, Velia lips curled up a bit when she nonchalantly added.
“Oh, and since we are both Rank 4… I mean Level 4 students, how about we do it for real and each bet 1 star here?”
“Huh? I don’t know much about that, but I have no prob—“
“Wait a second.”
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 173 lbs
A deep male voice interrupted their conversation. It was a man who was wearing a dignified white jacket and a similar white armband to Yuko. The man named Martin Windsor approached both girls and spoke in a cold, indifferent voice as he shot a sharp glare at Velia.
“Good day, professor Windsor. I’ve heard a lot about you from my sister. You are as—“
“No need to keep up with unnecessary flattery, Miss Fearon. I can imagine everything that woman would say about me.”
Velia mischievously giggled before continuing.
“Being too pessimistic isn’t a good thing, professor. Perhaps she might have fallen in love with you after all these years and started to say sweet things.”
“We both know hell will freeze over before that actually happens. And abusing your sister’s knowledge is also not a good thing, Miss Fearon. Until Miss Sazanami— until all of the first years have heard everything from the principal’s orientation speech, I will have to forbid all of you from conducting an Official Duel.”
“My, quite a protective supervisor aren’t you?”
Yuko who went silent since the moment Martin appeared shifted her gaze between the two. Her brain tried hard to keep up with their conversation. It’s worth noting that neither of those two openly expressed any hostility, and yet even a girl who was bad at communication skills like her couldn’t help but shivered as though she was looking at 2 fierce beasts clashing with each other.
“In other words, if it’s just a friendly duel without any stake, you won’t have any problem right?”
Martin narrowed his eyes, before calmly replied.
“After I have a short discussion with Miss Sazanami.”
“Go ahead.”
—
“Um… Mr. Mar— I mean professor Windsor, what’s the meaning—“
“I don’t mind you using my first name just like that day, Miss Sazanami.”
“U-Uh, no. That’s only because…”
That day… where they first met as an applicant and a substitute proctor in an entrance examination duel. What happened was still fresh in their minds.
In an empty room, a girl could be seen fiddling with her own light ash blonde hair. Just a few hours earlier, this room was filled with almost 2 dozens of eager teenagers, but now it was only her left. Soon, the closed door was opened.
"Applicant no.023. Please come with me and prepare for your examination duel."
“Y-Yes sir!”
Replied nervously, the girl then stood up and followed the male staff out of the room. The duel disk on her left wrist suddenly felt heavier, but it was likely not technical issue but psychological one.
—
Meanwhile, in another room nearby. Two men were speaking to each other. One was wearing the same outfit as the man who went to fetch the girl. Another wore a more distinguished coat signifying his status as a school instructor.
"So from today we have 11 Level 1, 5 Level 2, 3 Level 3 and no Level 4 at all huh. And did you say 3 people failed?"
"Yes sir. Out of those 3, 2 of them failed to reach minimum passing score while the last boy was—"
"Nah, cut it. Look like a pretty bad crop compared to last time."
"I heard test decks were getting a bit stronger. Oh and there is still one applicant left, James is taking her to the arena to duel me as we speak.
"Is that so..."
The man paused before his lip slightly curled up.
"Actually, you can rest now. If it's just one person maybe I can help you out a bit."
"I appreciate it, sir. As for the test deck, you can choose from one of these—"
"Ah, no need for that"
"Eh!? But—"
"Don't worry. I know how to assess students' quality without relying on fixed scoring system. Also..."
He pondered a bit before picking up another deck from his pocket and switched it with the one currently set on his duel disk.
"You think I'm cruel enough to crush an innocent applicant with my real deck? I'm a bit hurt you know."
—
Arriving onto the duel field, the girl found a man in his late twenties waiting for her. He was rather good looking and dignified, but she was probably too nervous to notice any of that.
"Uh... A-A-Applicant No.23 Sazanami Yuko. Pleasure to meet you, mister proctor."
To the nervous girl who bowed and introduced herself politely even without knowing his real status, the man simply gave her a warm smile.
"You can call me Martin. I suppose you have heard the details, but I'll go over it again just in case. Soon, we will be dueling each other and everything will be recorded and scored. Factors like number of turns, monsters summoned, monsters destroyed or damage inflicted will all matter. After we're finished, you will be given a star level ranging from 1 to 3 based on the score, and if you can actually beat me you will become a Level 4 regardless of scores mentioned earlier. I don't think I need to explain our school's star system right?"
"No, sir. I have read about it."
"Very well, shall we begin?"
Martin readied his whitish-silver duel disk. Yuko then did the same with her bright blue one.
""DUEL!!""
- Martin LP 4000 -
- Yuko LP 4000 -
Both of them shouted while drawing 5 cards from their respective decks.
"Lady first."
Actually, applicants were required to go first and he really didn't need to say that, but the nickname White Prince he obtained before graduated wasn't something that only came from his dueling skill anyway.
"T-Thank you very much. Then, my turn!"
Yuko looked at her hand then picked up one of the cards.
"Help me out, Wind-Up Shark!" (Wind-Up Shark)
As its name implied, a cute monster that looked just like a wind-up toy shark appeared in front of Yuko. (Level 4, ATK: 1500) She then proceeded to snatch 2 additional cards from her left hand and placed it on the duel disk.
"If there is a WATER monster on my field, this monster can be special summoned from my hand! I call forth 2 Aquarions!!" (Aquarion)
After Yuko shouted, two puny seahorse-like monsters materialized next to the toy shark. They both blew small and beautiful bubbles before taking defensive stance (Level 1, DEF: 400)
"Both Aquarions have a special effect called Aquatic Support!" the girl announced. Bubbles from earlier lingered on the field and gave all monsters presented a light blue glow. "While on the field, each of them raises the attack of all WATER monsters on my field by 300 points! Since I control two of them, Wind-Up Shark's attack becomes 2100!" (Wind-Up Shark ATK: 1500 —>1800 —> 2100) She then grabbed the final two cards in her hand and inserted them into the disk.
"I set 2 cards and end my turn."
Magnificent.
Martin had been observing Yuko since they started and found a lot of interesting things. Firstly, prior to the duel, this girl presented herself as a timid girl with regularly shaken voice, but once the duel started, she seemed to be more confident. This usually stemmed from a lot of experience or great amount of passion, and either of them was a fine quality in Martin's book.
Then there was her deck. Her first monster made him think of a “Wind-Up” deck which was moderately popular among Xyz students, particularly girls, due to how cute and simple they are. However, it seemed that this applicant’s deck was more of a mishmash that focus on Water synergy and not an archetypal deck. Most of the time, it’s a sign of amateurish, unskilled duelist who just started playing. Nevertheless, this girl seemed to know what she was doing. In her first turn, she had used up all her initial hands and ended up with a board that was both tall and wide, protected by 2 potentially disruptive backrows and still having quite a decent hand count into the next turn if he were to destroy both her Aquarions. Hence, magnificent.
All things considered, the applicant girl could have earned a score worthy of 2 stars if not 3 or 4 against an ordinary proctor with regular test decks. Such a shame, but the opponent in front of her was simply too good for her to easily achieve that.
"It's my turn then. Draw!"
Since he went second, Martin drew an additional card from his deck and subsequently played it.
"I normal summon Speed Inzektron!" (Speed Inzektron)
A mosquito-like robot came flying out of its card while letting out a buzz as if to threaten its opponent. (Level 4, ATK: 1200) the proctor then revealed another card in his hand.
"By controlling a Machine monster, I can special summon this card from my hand! I'll bring out a tuner monster, Speed Striker!!" (Speed Striker)
"Tuner monster…"
In response to Yuko's voice, a humanoid robot with a pair of green glowing eyes appeared. (Level 2, ATK: 900) The newly summoned monster then raised its right arm, pointing at the set cards in the girl’s Spell/Trap zone.
"When this monster is special summoned, I can destroy 1 spell or trap card on the field."
Despite her fine qualities, she still has some room for improvement. Martin thought. Between the two set cards, he could immediately tell which was the better one based on nothing but Yuko's facial expression back when she set them. Following his calm voice, a green laser beam went through one of the face-down cards, revealing a Drowning Mirror Force that would soon be shattered to pieces. (Drowning Mirror Force)
"Quite a powerful trap you have."
"Ugh..."
"And as you have noticed, my Speed Striker is a tuner, which mean I can do something like this! I tune level 4 Speed Inzektron with level 2 Speed Striker!!"
The humanoid robot's body frame suddenly glowed bright green before the monster itself turned into 2 green rings. The mosquito robot then flew through those rings before turning into 4 stars aligned in a straight line. Seeing a confused look on Yuko's face, Martin gave her a light smile and explained.
"By sending a tuner monster and 1 or more non-tuner monsters to the graveyard, I can add up their levels and special summon a certain type of monster with the same level from the extra deck. Yes, this is what known as..."
The beam of light completely enveloped those aligned stars. At the same time, Martin roared.
"Synchro Summon!! Come to my side, Powered Inzektron!!" (Powered Inzektron)
In front of him was a huge and menacing robot that has certain parts resembling insects. (Level 6, ATK: 2500) As Yuko looked at it with her eyes widened, the proctor picked another card from his hand.
"Miss Sazanami, you have done well creating board presence and protecting yourself. However, summoning a lot of monsters is not always a good idea. With Powered Inzektron as target, I activate the spell Self-Destruct Mode! This card allows my Machine monster to attack all monsters you control once each and then inflict damage to both of us equal to its level x 200 each time it destroys a monster" (Self-Destruct Mode)
"It does what!?"
"In addition, it destroys the target at the end of turn and then inflicting its attack point as damage to both of us. A high-risk high-return card if I were to say."
The Synchro Monster's metallic frame then gave a bright red glow as its owner continued explaining.
"However, Powered Inzektron has an effect that prevent itself from being destroyed as well as protecting me from taking any damage during the turn it is summoned. Do you understand what that means?"
Yuko frowned when her brain managed to process that information. Basically, each time that Synchro Monster destroys her monster by battle, both her and Martin will be taking damage equal to its level x 200, which mean 1200. And since it can attack and destroy all monsters on Yuko's field, there will be 3 instances and she will lose 3600 LP from effect damage alone. Furthermore, because of Powered Inzektron's effect, only her will be taking that damage and that monster will also not being destroyed at the end of the turn!!
Actually, she should be grateful for that last part since the monster not being destroyed also meant she was safe from the effect damage that was based on its ATK. Still, the situation was dire.
"Battle! First I will attack that Aquarion!"
The robot raised its gun and mercilessly fired at her little monster. Normally, destroying a Defense Position monster won't cause any damage to its owner, but because of the Spell Self-Destruct Mode's effect, an explosion occurred with a powerful shock wave that forced Yuko to raise her arm to guard herself. (Yuko LP 4000 --> 2800)
"Since it’s being destroyed by battle, Aquarion's another effect which let me draw 1 card and recover 400 LP will be activated! Parting Gift!!"
Yuko shouted as her body was briefly covered in a light blue glow. She then drew a card, which was Mother Grizzly. (Yuko LP 2800 —> 3200) (Mother Grizzly)
"Keep going, Powered Inzektron!"
The remaining Aquarion widened its eyes and tried to run away before being blasted to pieces. Yuko took another shock wave and then drew another card thanks to her monster's effect. The card she just drawn was the last copy of Aquarion. (Yuko LP 3200 —> 2000 —> 2400)
"Now that both Aquarions have left the field, their Aquatic Support are no longer in effect, which means that Wind-Up Shark's ATK is no longer increased!!"
Yuko gritted her teeth. As her opponent said, her only monster's ATK was now reverted back to its original value. (Wind-Up Shark ATK: 2100 —> 1800 —> 1500)
"Finish the job! Powered Termination!!"
Hearing that attack name, the Synchro Monster's metallic frame gave another bright red glow before condensing energy at the rifle tip and then fired a high-powered beam at the poor toy shark. (Powered Inzektron ATK: 2500 —> Wind-Up Shark ATK: 1500) This time, Yuko also took the different in their ATK of 1000 as battle damage in addition to the 1200 effect damage from Self-Destruct Mode.
"Eeeekkkk!!!"
With a damage value of 2200, the shockwave became more intense and the girl couldn't help but screamed as she was being sent flying away. (Yuko LP 2400 —> 200). Martin looked at his remaining 3 cards in his hand. One of which was another Speed Inzektron, and the other two...
"I also set 2 cards and end my turn."
Currently... Level 2, potentially 3. the professor silently graded his future student. If he were to use an official scoring system based on stuffs like damage done to him or number of his monsters being removed by any means, then this girl hadn't even earn a star yet. But because of the power level of his deck compared to those used by regular proctors, even if it's the one he had been using only until he reached Level 5, this was a more reasonable assessment. Also... perhaps if he provoke her a bit during this turn of her, she might be able to give a splendid performance enough to cleanly obtain 3 stars? With a line of thought like that.
“Stand up, Miss Sazanami. Is that all you have got? Based on the scoring criteria of this test, we both know you aren't even a Level 1 student of this school yet. Or are you just another loser who don't even know when to give your best?"
Seeing Yuko's tear that she quickly wiped, even Martin himself knew he went a bit too far with that cold and condescending tone of voice. Well, he was more than ready to apologize to her in person after they returned to school and she officially became 3 stars student as he had hoped. So in order to push her to reach that point, he kept up with his act by suppressing his usual warm and friendly air.
However, it was pointless against unexpected events unfolded after that.
"My turn. Draw."
What...?
Martin questioned his own ears upon hearing that emotionless voice. Just a while ago, he had seen that girl changing attitude from shy and timid to confident thanks to dueling. He knew he could have hurt her with his words and demeanor, but this was just—
Yuko drew a card and then, if her opponent truly believed what he had seen, immediately played it without looking.
"I perform Deep Access." (Deep Access)
Perform? Not activate? Looking at Yuko's face, Martin could tell that something was definitely wrong. There was no hint of anger, sadness, joy, nothing. It's as if she had turned into a human-shaped robot unable to express any emotion. Her monotonous robotic voice continued.
"This card allows me to shuffle any number of WATER monsters in my hand into the deck. Due to this effect, I shuffle Mother Grizzly and Aquarion from my hand into the deck. Then, if you control a monster that was special summoned and have more LP than mine, I can also shuffle Aquarion and Wind-Up Shark from my graveyard into the deck. Next, I draw cards equal to the number of cards I shuffled back using this effect."
Martin's attention was pulled back to the duel as Yuko drew 4 new cards. With a completely different vibe from earlier, the girl started her play.
"I normal summon Aurora Channeler and activating her effect, special summoning Azure Assailant from my hand." (Aurora Channeler) (Azure Assailant)
No effect names now? Martin thought as a blue-haired oriental mage appeared on his opponent's field (Level 4, ATK: 400). She then casted a magic circle for another boy dressed in assassin garments to come out (Level 3, ATK 1400) It was when the professor decided to read their effects thoroughly that he discovered something surprising.
That monster is a Tuner!? But based on that girl’s reaction earlier, she is definitely not familiar with Synchro Summoning! What's the meaning of this!? Questions popped up one after another, and he had no time to look for the answer.
"Due to Azure Assailant's effect, I will target and destroy that set card."
A dagger made of ice stabbed through Martin's set card, destroying his trap Backup Recovery. (Backup Recovery)
"Next, I activate Aquatic Calling. With its effect, I special summon tuner monster Glacial Sprite from my deck." (Aquatic Calling) (Glacial Sprite)
Small snowflakes gathered in the air and form a humanoid shape, revealing a short spirit girl. (Level 2, ATK: 600) Immediately after being Summoned, the monster gave her opponent a cold glare before turning herself into 2 green rings as her owner announced.
“I tune Level 3 Azure Assailant with Level 2 Glacial Sprite to Synchro Summon Level 5 Spirit Sword - Glaziel.“ (Spirit Sword - Glaziel)
Another monster she named hopped through the ring and turned itself into 3 aligned stars. After the beam of light flashed, an angel dressed in white contrasted with bright blue wing appeared. (Level 5, ATK: 1200)
“At this moment, Glacial Sprite’s effect activates, returning itself from the graveyard to my hand.”
Professor Martin quietly observed his opponent's combo. He was certain that Yuko was new to Synchro Summoning, but what he had witnessed made him doubt that statement. Based on its level and lackluster ATK, this Synchro Monster she just brought out is not a boss monster, but more likely to be the one with supporting and recurring effect, which mean that she is going to ladder Synchro into a Level 9 threat, or even worse—
“I activate my face-down card Deepsea Memories. With its effect, I bring back Azure Assailant from the graveyard.” (Deepsea Memories)
Portal opened on the ground before the swift boy that just disappeared earlier quickly made his return. (Level 3, ATK: 1400)
This is bad. Even if he half expected this to happen, he still didn’t want to actually see it. Azure Assailant‘s effect could only be used once while it is face-up on the field. However, because it was just sent to the GY and then brought back again—
“Once angain, Azure Assailant's effect will be activated. I target and destroy Powered Inzektron.”
“Tsk.”
Letting out a voice that slightly expressed his annoyance for the first time in this duel, Martin couldn’t do anything as he watched his giant robot shattered into pieces after being stabbed by an ice dagger. Still using her monotonous voice despite what she had achieved so far, the girl continued without delay.
"I tune Level 3 Azure Assailant with Level 4 Aurora Channeler to Synchro Summon Level 7 Iceblue Magician." (Iceblue Magician)
So she was about to bring out her ace card.
Martin noted as bright light engulfed those aligned stars. Emerged from the light was a blue-themed magician girl whose appearance strangely resembled Yuko herself. (Level 7, ATK: 2500) After being summoned, the monster then emitted a greenish blue aura which her owner explained
“Due to Aurora Channeler’s effect, by using her as material, Iceblue Magician gains 400 ATK.” (Iceblue Magician ATK: 2500 —> 2900)
Is this really the same girl from earlier? Forget Level 3. Even Level 4 students in the Synchro dorm that he was supervising couldn’t fluidly bring out multiple Synchro Monsters while taking full advantage of their own monsters’ effects like this.
“Battle. I attack directly with Glaziel” (Spirit Sword - Glaziel ATK: 1200)
“Oof”
The blue winged angel created a blue energy wave and then launched it at Martin, flying through him at high speed. (Martin LP 4000 --> 2800)
“I attack directly with Iceblue Magician.” (Iceblue Magician ATK: 2900)
She sure is strong. Martin thought to himself as the blue magician raised her short wand, aiming its tip at him. From the verge of losing, this girl made a splendid comeback and almost claimed a victory. Yes, almost.
“I banish Backup Recovery from my graveyard to activate its second effect! When an opponent declares a direct attack, I can resurrect a monster from my graveyard to block it! Be reborn, Speed Inzektron!!” (Level 4, ATK: 1200)
He should have Summoned it in Defense Position just to be extra safe, but something alarmed him and made him played it in Attack Position. An intuition born from skill and experience perhaps, not that it mattered anyway.
“I’m sorry. I take back what I said earlier. You did way better than what I have expected, but this is as far as you go!! When Speed Inzektron is special summoned, it can deal you 600 damage!! Energy drain!!”
The mosquito shot a red beam at Yuko, who didn’t flinch even a bit after receiving such attack head-on and having her LP further dropped (Yuko LP 200 --> 100)
“Huh!?”
It’s not over!? Martin eventually realized a glittering veil made of snowflakes covering his opponent. And of course, it originated from the only monster on the field whom he hadn’t throughly read her effects, the supposed ace card of Sazanami Yuko.
A continuous effect that reduce damage taken!!? He almost cried out loud in disbelief.
Calm down Martin.
The professor took a long deep breath, which was rare considering how skilled and composed he usually was. Yeah, it doesn’t matter how he couldn’t finish her. The moment she destroys his Speed Inzektron on the field, its effect will allow him to Special Summon another copy from his hand, and then it will be able to use Energy Drain one more time. Even if any damage dealt to her will be reduced by 500 points, her LP is currently 100, which means that if she can’t do something about that damage, it’s all over.
Except she could. Martin wasn’t an incompetent duelist. Excluding how he was absorbed in Yuko’s combo and forgot to throughly read the effects of the last monster Summoned, he always paid attention to any known information and possible move from his opponent. So it’s a given for him to realize that there was a Glacial Sprite in his opponent’s hand right now.
By discarding that card, Yuko could nullify a single instance of damage. She would definitely use it against the second Energy Drain. Having pondered all that for a long while, Martin looked at his own set card that Yuko hadn’t destroyed and then shifted his gaze to meet with his opponent’s azure eyes which was currently empty, emotionless.
“Aside from dealing damage, Energy Drain also recover 600 LP for me.”
The instructor informed his opponent as his LP shot up. (Martin LP 2800 --> 3400) Because he now had a monster, the attack aimed at him would be directed to it instead. (Iceblue Magician ATK: 2900 —> Speed Inzektron ATK: 1200) And the moment it was destroyed in battle, his victory would be guaranteed.
“I activate Iceblue Magician’s effect.”
“Yes?”
“By targeting an attack position monster, I can switch it to defense position.”
Martin had a puzzled look as his monster was surrounded by small ice crystals in the air, gave out a light blue glow and took a defensive stance. (Speed Inzektron ATK: 1200 —> DEF: 1100) Did she just reduced damage he would have taken? For what reason—
“Then, I activate Iceblue Sorcery. Its effect allow me to destroy your monster.” (Iceblue Sorcery)
A Quick-play Spell that destroys a defense position monster!!? So this is why!! This is really bad, if she has something like that…
“I activate my continuous trap Cybernetic Energy Blaster!!” (Cybernetic Energy Blaster)
It was a card he planned to use after Speed Inzektron from his hand had been summoned and already having its effect damage nullified by Glacial Sprite in Yuko’s hand. If he had to use this card now, then no matter how hard he struggled…
“With its effect, I can target and destroy 1 machine monster I control to deal its attack point to you as damage!!”
As the whitish blue light from Yuko’s spell approached the mosquito robot, it turned into particles of energy to dodge that attack before condensing into an energy blast and then being shot at the younger duelist.
…it’s pointless. The girl had already won.
“At this moment, I discard Glacial Sprite from my hand to reduce an incoming damage to 0.”
The energy beam collided with numerous blue butterflies suddenly appeared before Yuko, leaving her completely unscathed. She then went on with her attack.
“Since Speed Inzektron has left the field, I now attack you directly with Iceblue Magician. Also, I activate Glaziel’s effect.”
The blue winged angel spread her wings and then gradually disappeared. Manifesting in her place was a deep blue sword stuck in the ground.
“By equipping Glaziel to Iceblue Magician, her attack is increased by 1200 points.”
Iceblue Magician continued her attack, this time by picking up the sword, raising it and then slashing downward to unleash powerful blade waves. (Iceblue Magician ATK: 2900 —> 4100, Martin LP 3400 —> 0)
- Winner: Sazanami Yuko -
“Miss Sazanami!!”
Martin heard James’s anxious and concerned voice, not toward him who fell on his knees after receiving that decisive blow, but to his opponent who, right after emerging victorious, collapsed and fell to the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut.
“Hey! Are you alright?”
Martin got up and also rushed toward the collapsed girl to check on her. A few seconds after that, Yuko slowly opened her eyes. The moment she saw the professor’s face, tears started to run down her cheeks.
“I-I… I’m sorry, Mr. Martin. I’m already giving my best. I already did. B-but—“
“What are you talking about girl, you just beat him!! I mean, he was clearly letting you win, but you definitely have won!!”
Martin listened in silence as James interrupted the girl. How in the world was that defeat where he literally tried everything possible being viewed as ‘letting you win’!!? Sure, he was an instructor of the Academy and the head professor of Synchro dorm. Someone like him losing to an applicant girl while giving it his all was very unlikely, but it did happen…
“Eh!? You let me win. I’m sorry, it seems I’m too nervous and don’t even remember it.”
“Who cares about that now. Congratulations, Miss Sazanami. You are the only Level 4 student of this batch!! You will now join your fellow students as we travel back to the Academy”
“Wait. I didn’t—“
“I’m so glad!! I promise I will try my best at the Duel Academy to not waste this chance you have given me, Mr. Martin!”
“…Both of you really need to listen to what others have to say… whatever.”
As he was about to leave, the professor glanced at the bright blue duel disk on the girl’s left arm.
“By the way, could you lend me your duel disk for a few seconds? I want to check something.”
“S-Sure thing!”
Having gone through Yuko’s field, deck and GY throughly, he had confirmed one thing. All the cards used by her in their duel could be found there. All but that single card that gave him a strange feeling.
He couldn’t find the Spell card Deep Access.
"Applicant no.023. Please come with me and prepare for your examination duel."
“Y-Yes sir!”
Replied nervously, the girl then stood up and followed the male staff out of the room. The duel disk on her left wrist suddenly felt heavier, but it was likely not technical issue but psychological one.
—
Meanwhile, in another room nearby. Two men were speaking to each other. One was wearing the same outfit as the man who went to fetch the girl. Another wore a more distinguished coat signifying his status as a school instructor.
"So from today we have 11 Level 1, 5 Level 2, 3 Level 3 and no Level 4 at all huh. And did you say 3 people failed?"
"Yes sir. Out of those 3, 2 of them failed to reach minimum passing score while the last boy was—"
"Nah, cut it. Look like a pretty bad crop compared to last time."
"I heard test decks were getting a bit stronger. Oh and there is still one applicant left, James is taking her to the arena to duel me as we speak.
"Is that so..."
The man paused before his lip slightly curled up.
"Actually, you can rest now. If it's just one person maybe I can help you out a bit."
"I appreciate it, sir. As for the test deck, you can choose from one of these—"
"Ah, no need for that"
"Eh!? But—"
"Don't worry. I know how to assess students' quality without relying on fixed scoring system. Also..."
He pondered a bit before picking up another deck from his pocket and switched it with the one currently set on his duel disk.
"You think I'm cruel enough to crush an innocent applicant with my real deck? I'm a bit hurt you know."
—
Arriving onto the duel field, the girl found a man in his late twenties waiting for her. He was rather good looking and dignified, but she was probably too nervous to notice any of that.
"Uh... A-A-Applicant No.23 Sazanami Yuko. Pleasure to meet you, mister proctor."
To the nervous girl who bowed and introduced herself politely even without knowing his real status, the man simply gave her a warm smile.
"You can call me Martin. I suppose you have heard the details, but I'll go over it again just in case. Soon, we will be dueling each other and everything will be recorded and scored. Factors like number of turns, monsters summoned, monsters destroyed or damage inflicted will all matter. After we're finished, you will be given a star level ranging from 1 to 3 based on the score, and if you can actually beat me you will become a Level 4 regardless of scores mentioned earlier. I don't think I need to explain our school's star system right?"
"No, sir. I have read about it."
"Very well, shall we begin?"
Martin readied his whitish-silver duel disk. Yuko then did the same with her bright blue one.
""DUEL!!""
- Martin LP 4000 -
- Yuko LP 4000 -
Both of them shouted while drawing 5 cards from their respective decks.
"Lady first."
Actually, applicants were required to go first and he really didn't need to say that, but the nickname White Prince he obtained before graduated wasn't something that only came from his dueling skill anyway.
"T-Thank you very much. Then, my turn!"
Yuko looked at her hand then picked up one of the cards.
"Help me out, Wind-Up Shark!" (Wind-Up Shark)
As its name implied, a cute monster that looked just like a wind-up toy shark appeared in front of Yuko. (Level 4, ATK: 1500) She then proceeded to snatch 2 additional cards from her left hand and placed it on the duel disk.
"If there is a WATER monster on my field, this monster can be special summoned from my hand! I call forth 2 Aquarions!!" (Aquarion)
After Yuko shouted, two puny seahorse-like monsters materialized next to the toy shark. They both blew small and beautiful bubbles before taking defensive stance (Level 1, DEF: 400)
"Both Aquarions have a special effect called Aquatic Support!" the girl announced. Bubbles from earlier lingered on the field and gave all monsters presented a light blue glow. "While on the field, each of them raises the attack of all WATER monsters on my field by 300 points! Since I control two of them, Wind-Up Shark's attack becomes 2100!" (Wind-Up Shark ATK: 1500 —>1800 —> 2100) She then grabbed the final two cards in her hand and inserted them into the disk.
"I set 2 cards and end my turn."
Magnificent.
Martin had been observing Yuko since they started and found a lot of interesting things. Firstly, prior to the duel, this girl presented herself as a timid girl with regularly shaken voice, but once the duel started, she seemed to be more confident. This usually stemmed from a lot of experience or great amount of passion, and either of them was a fine quality in Martin's book.
Then there was her deck. Her first monster made him think of a “Wind-Up” deck which was moderately popular among Xyz students, particularly girls, due to how cute and simple they are. However, it seemed that this applicant’s deck was more of a mishmash that focus on Water synergy and not an archetypal deck. Most of the time, it’s a sign of amateurish, unskilled duelist who just started playing. Nevertheless, this girl seemed to know what she was doing. In her first turn, she had used up all her initial hands and ended up with a board that was both tall and wide, protected by 2 potentially disruptive backrows and still having quite a decent hand count into the next turn if he were to destroy both her Aquarions. Hence, magnificent.
All things considered, the applicant girl could have earned a score worthy of 2 stars if not 3 or 4 against an ordinary proctor with regular test decks. Such a shame, but the opponent in front of her was simply too good for her to easily achieve that.
"It's my turn then. Draw!"
Since he went second, Martin drew an additional card from his deck and subsequently played it.
"I normal summon Speed Inzektron!" (Speed Inzektron)
A mosquito-like robot came flying out of its card while letting out a buzz as if to threaten its opponent. (Level 4, ATK: 1200) the proctor then revealed another card in his hand.
"By controlling a Machine monster, I can special summon this card from my hand! I'll bring out a tuner monster, Speed Striker!!" (Speed Striker)
"Tuner monster…"
In response to Yuko's voice, a humanoid robot with a pair of green glowing eyes appeared. (Level 2, ATK: 900) The newly summoned monster then raised its right arm, pointing at the set cards in the girl’s Spell/Trap zone.
"When this monster is special summoned, I can destroy 1 spell or trap card on the field."
Despite her fine qualities, she still has some room for improvement. Martin thought. Between the two set cards, he could immediately tell which was the better one based on nothing but Yuko's facial expression back when she set them. Following his calm voice, a green laser beam went through one of the face-down cards, revealing a Drowning Mirror Force that would soon be shattered to pieces. (Drowning Mirror Force)
"Quite a powerful trap you have."
"Ugh..."
"And as you have noticed, my Speed Striker is a tuner, which mean I can do something like this! I tune level 4 Speed Inzektron with level 2 Speed Striker!!"
The humanoid robot's body frame suddenly glowed bright green before the monster itself turned into 2 green rings. The mosquito robot then flew through those rings before turning into 4 stars aligned in a straight line. Seeing a confused look on Yuko's face, Martin gave her a light smile and explained.
"By sending a tuner monster and 1 or more non-tuner monsters to the graveyard, I can add up their levels and special summon a certain type of monster with the same level from the extra deck. Yes, this is what known as..."
The beam of light completely enveloped those aligned stars. At the same time, Martin roared.
"Synchro Summon!! Come to my side, Powered Inzektron!!" (Powered Inzektron)
In front of him was a huge and menacing robot that has certain parts resembling insects. (Level 6, ATK: 2500) As Yuko looked at it with her eyes widened, the proctor picked another card from his hand.
"Miss Sazanami, you have done well creating board presence and protecting yourself. However, summoning a lot of monsters is not always a good idea. With Powered Inzektron as target, I activate the spell Self-Destruct Mode! This card allows my Machine monster to attack all monsters you control once each and then inflict damage to both of us equal to its level x 200 each time it destroys a monster" (Self-Destruct Mode)
"It does what!?"
"In addition, it destroys the target at the end of turn and then inflicting its attack point as damage to both of us. A high-risk high-return card if I were to say."
The Synchro Monster's metallic frame then gave a bright red glow as its owner continued explaining.
"However, Powered Inzektron has an effect that prevent itself from being destroyed as well as protecting me from taking any damage during the turn it is summoned. Do you understand what that means?"
Yuko frowned when her brain managed to process that information. Basically, each time that Synchro Monster destroys her monster by battle, both her and Martin will be taking damage equal to its level x 200, which mean 1200. And since it can attack and destroy all monsters on Yuko's field, there will be 3 instances and she will lose 3600 LP from effect damage alone. Furthermore, because of Powered Inzektron's effect, only her will be taking that damage and that monster will also not being destroyed at the end of the turn!!
Actually, she should be grateful for that last part since the monster not being destroyed also meant she was safe from the effect damage that was based on its ATK. Still, the situation was dire.
"Battle! First I will attack that Aquarion!"
The robot raised its gun and mercilessly fired at her little monster. Normally, destroying a Defense Position monster won't cause any damage to its owner, but because of the Spell Self-Destruct Mode's effect, an explosion occurred with a powerful shock wave that forced Yuko to raise her arm to guard herself. (Yuko LP 4000 --> 2800)
"Since it’s being destroyed by battle, Aquarion's another effect which let me draw 1 card and recover 400 LP will be activated! Parting Gift!!"
Yuko shouted as her body was briefly covered in a light blue glow. She then drew a card, which was Mother Grizzly. (Yuko LP 2800 —> 3200) (Mother Grizzly)
"Keep going, Powered Inzektron!"
The remaining Aquarion widened its eyes and tried to run away before being blasted to pieces. Yuko took another shock wave and then drew another card thanks to her monster's effect. The card she just drawn was the last copy of Aquarion. (Yuko LP 3200 —> 2000 —> 2400)
"Now that both Aquarions have left the field, their Aquatic Support are no longer in effect, which means that Wind-Up Shark's ATK is no longer increased!!"
Yuko gritted her teeth. As her opponent said, her only monster's ATK was now reverted back to its original value. (Wind-Up Shark ATK: 2100 —> 1800 —> 1500)
"Finish the job! Powered Termination!!"
Hearing that attack name, the Synchro Monster's metallic frame gave another bright red glow before condensing energy at the rifle tip and then fired a high-powered beam at the poor toy shark. (Powered Inzektron ATK: 2500 —> Wind-Up Shark ATK: 1500) This time, Yuko also took the different in their ATK of 1000 as battle damage in addition to the 1200 effect damage from Self-Destruct Mode.
"Eeeekkkk!!!"
With a damage value of 2200, the shockwave became more intense and the girl couldn't help but screamed as she was being sent flying away. (Yuko LP 2400 —> 200). Martin looked at his remaining 3 cards in his hand. One of which was another Speed Inzektron, and the other two...
"I also set 2 cards and end my turn."
Currently... Level 2, potentially 3. the professor silently graded his future student. If he were to use an official scoring system based on stuffs like damage done to him or number of his monsters being removed by any means, then this girl hadn't even earn a star yet. But because of the power level of his deck compared to those used by regular proctors, even if it's the one he had been using only until he reached Level 5, this was a more reasonable assessment. Also... perhaps if he provoke her a bit during this turn of her, she might be able to give a splendid performance enough to cleanly obtain 3 stars? With a line of thought like that.
“Stand up, Miss Sazanami. Is that all you have got? Based on the scoring criteria of this test, we both know you aren't even a Level 1 student of this school yet. Or are you just another loser who don't even know when to give your best?"
Seeing Yuko's tear that she quickly wiped, even Martin himself knew he went a bit too far with that cold and condescending tone of voice. Well, he was more than ready to apologize to her in person after they returned to school and she officially became 3 stars student as he had hoped. So in order to push her to reach that point, he kept up with his act by suppressing his usual warm and friendly air.
However, it was pointless against unexpected events unfolded after that.
"My turn. Draw."
What...?
Martin questioned his own ears upon hearing that emotionless voice. Just a while ago, he had seen that girl changing attitude from shy and timid to confident thanks to dueling. He knew he could have hurt her with his words and demeanor, but this was just—
Yuko drew a card and then, if her opponent truly believed what he had seen, immediately played it without looking.
"I perform Deep Access." (Deep Access)
Perform? Not activate? Looking at Yuko's face, Martin could tell that something was definitely wrong. There was no hint of anger, sadness, joy, nothing. It's as if she had turned into a human-shaped robot unable to express any emotion. Her monotonous robotic voice continued.
"This card allows me to shuffle any number of WATER monsters in my hand into the deck. Due to this effect, I shuffle Mother Grizzly and Aquarion from my hand into the deck. Then, if you control a monster that was special summoned and have more LP than mine, I can also shuffle Aquarion and Wind-Up Shark from my graveyard into the deck. Next, I draw cards equal to the number of cards I shuffled back using this effect."
Martin's attention was pulled back to the duel as Yuko drew 4 new cards. With a completely different vibe from earlier, the girl started her play.
"I normal summon Aurora Channeler and activating her effect, special summoning Azure Assailant from my hand." (Aurora Channeler) (Azure Assailant)
No effect names now? Martin thought as a blue-haired oriental mage appeared on his opponent's field (Level 4, ATK: 400). She then casted a magic circle for another boy dressed in assassin garments to come out (Level 3, ATK 1400) It was when the professor decided to read their effects thoroughly that he discovered something surprising.
That monster is a Tuner!? But based on that girl’s reaction earlier, she is definitely not familiar with Synchro Summoning! What's the meaning of this!? Questions popped up one after another, and he had no time to look for the answer.
"Due to Azure Assailant's effect, I will target and destroy that set card."
A dagger made of ice stabbed through Martin's set card, destroying his trap Backup Recovery. (Backup Recovery)
"Next, I activate Aquatic Calling. With its effect, I special summon tuner monster Glacial Sprite from my deck." (Aquatic Calling) (Glacial Sprite)
Small snowflakes gathered in the air and form a humanoid shape, revealing a short spirit girl. (Level 2, ATK: 600) Immediately after being Summoned, the monster gave her opponent a cold glare before turning herself into 2 green rings as her owner announced.
“I tune Level 3 Azure Assailant with Level 2 Glacial Sprite to Synchro Summon Level 5 Spirit Sword - Glaziel.“ (Spirit Sword - Glaziel)
Another monster she named hopped through the ring and turned itself into 3 aligned stars. After the beam of light flashed, an angel dressed in white contrasted with bright blue wing appeared. (Level 5, ATK: 1200)
“At this moment, Glacial Sprite’s effect activates, returning itself from the graveyard to my hand.”
Professor Martin quietly observed his opponent's combo. He was certain that Yuko was new to Synchro Summoning, but what he had witnessed made him doubt that statement. Based on its level and lackluster ATK, this Synchro Monster she just brought out is not a boss monster, but more likely to be the one with supporting and recurring effect, which mean that she is going to ladder Synchro into a Level 9 threat, or even worse—
“I activate my face-down card Deepsea Memories. With its effect, I bring back Azure Assailant from the graveyard.” (Deepsea Memories)
Portal opened on the ground before the swift boy that just disappeared earlier quickly made his return. (Level 3, ATK: 1400)
This is bad. Even if he half expected this to happen, he still didn’t want to actually see it. Azure Assailant‘s effect could only be used once while it is face-up on the field. However, because it was just sent to the GY and then brought back again—
“Once angain, Azure Assailant's effect will be activated. I target and destroy Powered Inzektron.”
“Tsk.”
Letting out a voice that slightly expressed his annoyance for the first time in this duel, Martin couldn’t do anything as he watched his giant robot shattered into pieces after being stabbed by an ice dagger. Still using her monotonous voice despite what she had achieved so far, the girl continued without delay.
"I tune Level 3 Azure Assailant with Level 4 Aurora Channeler to Synchro Summon Level 7 Iceblue Magician." (Iceblue Magician)
So she was about to bring out her ace card.
Martin noted as bright light engulfed those aligned stars. Emerged from the light was a blue-themed magician girl whose appearance strangely resembled Yuko herself. (Level 7, ATK: 2500) After being summoned, the monster then emitted a greenish blue aura which her owner explained
“Due to Aurora Channeler’s effect, by using her as material, Iceblue Magician gains 400 ATK.” (Iceblue Magician ATK: 2500 —> 2900)
Is this really the same girl from earlier? Forget Level 3. Even Level 4 students in the Synchro dorm that he was supervising couldn’t fluidly bring out multiple Synchro Monsters while taking full advantage of their own monsters’ effects like this.
“Battle. I attack directly with Glaziel” (Spirit Sword - Glaziel ATK: 1200)
“Oof”
The blue winged angel created a blue energy wave and then launched it at Martin, flying through him at high speed. (Martin LP 4000 --> 2800)
“I attack directly with Iceblue Magician.” (Iceblue Magician ATK: 2900)
She sure is strong. Martin thought to himself as the blue magician raised her short wand, aiming its tip at him. From the verge of losing, this girl made a splendid comeback and almost claimed a victory. Yes, almost.
“I banish Backup Recovery from my graveyard to activate its second effect! When an opponent declares a direct attack, I can resurrect a monster from my graveyard to block it! Be reborn, Speed Inzektron!!” (Level 4, ATK: 1200)
He should have Summoned it in Defense Position just to be extra safe, but something alarmed him and made him played it in Attack Position. An intuition born from skill and experience perhaps, not that it mattered anyway.
“I’m sorry. I take back what I said earlier. You did way better than what I have expected, but this is as far as you go!! When Speed Inzektron is special summoned, it can deal you 600 damage!! Energy drain!!”
The mosquito shot a red beam at Yuko, who didn’t flinch even a bit after receiving such attack head-on and having her LP further dropped (Yuko LP 200 --> 100)
“Huh!?”
It’s not over!? Martin eventually realized a glittering veil made of snowflakes covering his opponent. And of course, it originated from the only monster on the field whom he hadn’t throughly read her effects, the supposed ace card of Sazanami Yuko.
A continuous effect that reduce damage taken!!? He almost cried out loud in disbelief.
Calm down Martin.
The professor took a long deep breath, which was rare considering how skilled and composed he usually was. Yeah, it doesn’t matter how he couldn’t finish her. The moment she destroys his Speed Inzektron on the field, its effect will allow him to Special Summon another copy from his hand, and then it will be able to use Energy Drain one more time. Even if any damage dealt to her will be reduced by 500 points, her LP is currently 100, which means that if she can’t do something about that damage, it’s all over.
Except she could. Martin wasn’t an incompetent duelist. Excluding how he was absorbed in Yuko’s combo and forgot to throughly read the effects of the last monster Summoned, he always paid attention to any known information and possible move from his opponent. So it’s a given for him to realize that there was a Glacial Sprite in his opponent’s hand right now.
By discarding that card, Yuko could nullify a single instance of damage. She would definitely use it against the second Energy Drain. Having pondered all that for a long while, Martin looked at his own set card that Yuko hadn’t destroyed and then shifted his gaze to meet with his opponent’s azure eyes which was currently empty, emotionless.
“Aside from dealing damage, Energy Drain also recover 600 LP for me.”
The instructor informed his opponent as his LP shot up. (Martin LP 2800 --> 3400) Because he now had a monster, the attack aimed at him would be directed to it instead. (Iceblue Magician ATK: 2900 —> Speed Inzektron ATK: 1200) And the moment it was destroyed in battle, his victory would be guaranteed.
“I activate Iceblue Magician’s effect.”
“Yes?”
“By targeting an attack position monster, I can switch it to defense position.”
Martin had a puzzled look as his monster was surrounded by small ice crystals in the air, gave out a light blue glow and took a defensive stance. (Speed Inzektron ATK: 1200 —> DEF: 1100) Did she just reduced damage he would have taken? For what reason—
“Then, I activate Iceblue Sorcery. Its effect allow me to destroy your monster.” (Iceblue Sorcery)
A Quick-play Spell that destroys a defense position monster!!? So this is why!! This is really bad, if she has something like that…
“I activate my continuous trap Cybernetic Energy Blaster!!” (Cybernetic Energy Blaster)
It was a card he planned to use after Speed Inzektron from his hand had been summoned and already having its effect damage nullified by Glacial Sprite in Yuko’s hand. If he had to use this card now, then no matter how hard he struggled…
“With its effect, I can target and destroy 1 machine monster I control to deal its attack point to you as damage!!”
As the whitish blue light from Yuko’s spell approached the mosquito robot, it turned into particles of energy to dodge that attack before condensing into an energy blast and then being shot at the younger duelist.
…it’s pointless. The girl had already won.
“At this moment, I discard Glacial Sprite from my hand to reduce an incoming damage to 0.”
The energy beam collided with numerous blue butterflies suddenly appeared before Yuko, leaving her completely unscathed. She then went on with her attack.
“Since Speed Inzektron has left the field, I now attack you directly with Iceblue Magician. Also, I activate Glaziel’s effect.”
The blue winged angel spread her wings and then gradually disappeared. Manifesting in her place was a deep blue sword stuck in the ground.
“By equipping Glaziel to Iceblue Magician, her attack is increased by 1200 points.”
Iceblue Magician continued her attack, this time by picking up the sword, raising it and then slashing downward to unleash powerful blade waves. (Iceblue Magician ATK: 2900 —> 4100, Martin LP 3400 —> 0)
- Winner: Sazanami Yuko -
“Miss Sazanami!!”
Martin heard James’s anxious and concerned voice, not toward him who fell on his knees after receiving that decisive blow, but to his opponent who, right after emerging victorious, collapsed and fell to the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut.
“Hey! Are you alright?”
Martin got up and also rushed toward the collapsed girl to check on her. A few seconds after that, Yuko slowly opened her eyes. The moment she saw the professor’s face, tears started to run down her cheeks.
“I-I… I’m sorry, Mr. Martin. I’m already giving my best. I already did. B-but—“
“What are you talking about girl, you just beat him!! I mean, he was clearly letting you win, but you definitely have won!!”
Martin listened in silence as James interrupted the girl. How in the world was that defeat where he literally tried everything possible being viewed as ‘letting you win’!!? Sure, he was an instructor of the Academy and the head professor of Synchro dorm. Someone like him losing to an applicant girl while giving it his all was very unlikely, but it did happen…
“Eh!? You let me win. I’m sorry, it seems I’m too nervous and don’t even remember it.”
“Who cares about that now. Congratulations, Miss Sazanami. You are the only Level 4 student of this batch!! You will now join your fellow students as we travel back to the Academy”
“Wait. I didn’t—“
“I’m so glad!! I promise I will try my best at the Duel Academy to not waste this chance you have given me, Mr. Martin!”
“…Both of you really need to listen to what others have to say… whatever.”
As he was about to leave, the professor glanced at the bright blue duel disk on the girl’s left arm.
“By the way, could you lend me your duel disk for a few seconds? I want to check something.”
“S-Sure thing!”
Having gone through Yuko’s field, deck and GY throughly, he had confirmed one thing. All the cards used by her in their duel could be found there. All but that single card that gave him a strange feeling.
He couldn’t find the Spell card Deep Access.
Recalling the event which sparked his interest in her, Martin then looked at the girl in front of him.
“What’s your first impression of that girl?”
His sudden question left a puzzled look on Yuko’s face. She then swallowed her own question as she looked at Velia who was standing at a distance and tried to come up with an answer.
“U-uh… Vel- Miss Fearon is sweet, cute, polite, friendly and rather charming. Oh and since she’s a Level 4 student like me, she must be pretty good at dueling too.”
“I would say you at least get the last part right. The rest is simply what she wants you to see, though. You could never be too careful with her.”
Velia Fearon, a professional youth duelist known as the Alluring Flower, and also a younger sister of his fellow instructor. Having known that wretched professor Fearon for years, he was too familiar with that sweet and charming surface and what hidden beneath it. In fact, that girl gave off the exact same vibe as her big sister, which was why she absolutely couldn’t be trusted. On the other hand, her dueling skill was a real deal. Ever since young age, she made her name as an exceptional duelist who had been regularly participating in competitive tournaments held in Europe and had won quite a number of them. Despite her signature deck being a defensive and reactive one, she was the only applicant from her region who could achieve the same feat as Yuko, ending the game as early as her second turn and unquestionably earned 4 stars. And unlike Yuko, she didn’t rely on any unexplained skill or power to do that. Speaking of which.
“Just to be sure, you still remember how to perform a Synchro Summon right?”
“Y-Y-Y-Yes! I clearly remembered how you did it!!”
Stuttering despite talking about a dueling-related topic was not a good sign, and Martin sure didn’t miss both that and how she said “how you did it” despite having done it herself. He picked up 3 cards from his own pocket before placing two of them on the Monster Zone of Yuko’s duel disk and inserted the last one into her Extra Deck slot.
“Then show me.”
“Eh… uh… I tune Level 3 Guitar Gurnards Duonigis with Level 3 Ghost Sister & Spooky Dogwood! Synchro Summon!! Um… what did you put in here again?” (Guitar Gurnards Duonigis) (Ghost Sister & Spooky Dogwood)
“Good question, but if you properly did it then you would have known already.”
“Ehhhhhh!!?”
“Sigh… First, you need to manually remove the monsters you are using as material from the disk and put them into the graveyard, just like when they are destroyed by battle. Then, you have to press this button here to open the extra deck slot. Normally, you will also need to say the monster’s name. But if there’s only one Synchro Monster in your extra deck that match the level of monsters you tuned, then—”
Right after Martin exasperatedly explained and demonstrated, a single card ejected itself from Yuko’s Extra Deck slot. He pushed the card back at the same time that Yuko gracefully said to him.
“Thank you very much! With this newly learned skill now I can easily beat her—“
“No, you can’t. At least not 'easily'."
Martin sighed again as he reached inside his pocket and took out a number of cards. He then placed 2 more monsters on Yuko’s disk, inserted another card into her Extra Deck and put those 2 monsters sent to the GY from the puzzle earlier as well as 2 new cards into her hand.
“With just those resources, try to bring out at least 3 Synchro Monsters. If you can’t do that simple task then forget about that girl and just back off from this duel. You will get crushed.”
After hearing that, there were sparkles of determination in Yuko’s eyes. Escaping from a duel, no matter how strong her opponent was, was something she would never do. The girl throughly read cards she obtained from her teacher, and gave her answer.
“I can do this! First I tune Level 4 Glacial Beast Blizzard Wolf (Glacial Beast Blizzard Wolf) with Level 3 Glacial Beast Polar Penguin! (Glacial Beast Polar Penguin) Synchro Summon!! Level 7 Glacial Beast Iceberg Narwhal!! (Glacial Beast Iceberg Narwhal) Next, I summon Angraecum Umbrella (Angraecum Umbrella) and since my graveyard now has a monster, I activate their effect to discard 1 card and then Special Summon Oyster Meister (Oyster Meister) I just discarded! Now I tune Level 3 Oyster Meister with Level 3 Angraecum Umbrella! Synchro Summon!! Level 6 Coral Dragon!! (Coral Dragon) By going to the graveyard, Oyster Meister leaves behind an Oyster Token! And since Coral Dragon is a Synchro Monster that is also a Tuner, I now tune Level 1 Oyster Token with Level 6 Coral Dragon!”
Martin’s lips slightly raised as his student flawlessly executed the combo. She is a fast learner and a quick-witted girl. At least he was certain of that one thing.
“Synchro Summon!! Level 7 Iceblue Magician!!”
Nodded satisfyingly, Martin then walked away before hearing a shout.
“Thank you very much, professor! Also you forgot your cards!”
“Keep them.”
“Eh?”
“Take them as a token of apology. Back in the entrance duel, I said something I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”
“But you did it so… uh… so that I could do better right? In that case I-I’m not angry—“
Martin turned around the corner and vanished from her sight before she could finish saying that.
—
“Sorry for the long wait, Miss Vel- I mean, Velia!!”
Yuko hurriedly ran back and apologetically bowed. With Martin nowhere to be seen, Velia simply gave her a sweet smile. It’s not a big deal, really. Waiting calmly and patiently for her opponent to slowly walk into their own demise was always her thing.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind that. Why don’t we start having our fun then” She then readied her duel disk, which prompted Yuko to do the same
“”DUEL!!”
- Yuko LP 4000 -
- Velia LP 4000 -
“Since I challenged you, you can have an advantage of going first.”
“Roger that! It’s my turn!!”
Yuko looked at the cards in her hand while pondering about her moves. The crowd started to gather with lines like “Hey look! It’s the Level 4 clash!” or “Look at their armbands! White and black, here comes Synchro vs Xyz!!” thrown around. At the same time, Martin who observed the duel from a distance narrowed his eyes.
That girl…
Considering what he had seen at the National and World when he spectated the youth sections that was held hours or days before his own, going first would greatly benefit Velia and that deck she was proud of. Even if going second would let her draw an additional card and attack first, it totally didn’t worth it.
An act of kindness... no. Looking down on her opponent… her ‘prey’ and wanting to toy with them huh?
“I summon Crystal Girl and activate her effect! Crystal Prophecy!!” (Crystal Girl)
A girl wearing whitish blue clothing appeared. (Level 1, ATK: 200) With a cutely determined voice, she raised her ice staff, causing small crystal to form in the air next to Yuko who already grabbed another card.
“Then, I discard Cartorhyn the Hidden Gem of the Seafront to activate its effect, which allows me to normal summon another WATER monster during this turn!” (Cartorhyn the Hidden Gem of the Seafront)
She looked at the monster in her hand, the card she just received from Martin, and warmly smiled.
“With that, I summon a tuner monster Angraecum Umbrella!”
“Interesting…”
Velia muttered as a pair of little boy and girl appeared along with a white flower serving as their umbrella. (Level 3, ATK 500) The flower then emitted a glowing white light, opening a portal on the ground.
“I discard Fury of the Kairyu-Shin to activate their effect! Love Fragrance! With this, I bring back Cartorhyn from my graveyard!“ (Fury of the Kairyu-Shin)
Fixing her gaze at the white flower without looking at the blue cute turtle-like monster rose from that portal opened earlier, Velia continued. (Level 2, ATK: 500)
“I don’t remember seeing you back in France, but to think you have the top prize that I missed. Ah, seeing how cute and useful it is, I'm quite jealous too .”
France? Top prize? Yuko was confused, but she said nothing that would give herself away as she removed all her monsters from the duel disk just like earlier.
“I tune Level 1 Crystal Girl and Level 2 Cartorhyn the Hidden Gem of the Seafront with Level 3 Angraecum Umbrella! O protector of the sea, become raging torrent that wipe away my foe! Synchro Summon! Level 6, Coral Dragon!!”
“And that’s a winning prize from Germany winter. We certainly walked the same path… I wonder how could we have never met each other?"
Yuko possibly didn’t hear any of that. She watched in awe as the white flower turned into 3 green rings, followed by her other two monsters lining themselves up and turned into 3 stars. As the beam of light faded, an orange sea dragon with sturdy scale and mighty air let out a roar before settling itself in front of Yuko (Level 6, ATK 2400)
“Next, by controlling Coral Dragon, I can special summon Crystal Girl back from the graveyard using her own effect!”
Portal opened on the ground and the girl carrying ice staff jumped back up. (Level 1, ATK 200) The dragon next to it suddenly roared and turned into 6 green rings as its owner announced.
“Since Crystal Girl was summoned by her own effect, she will be banished instead of going to the graveyard! I now tune Level 1 Crystal Girl with Level 6 Coral Dragon! Shimmering snowflakes that are so fragile, now combine together and become the new magic! Synchro Summon!! Come, sage of the unceasing snowfall! Level 7 Iceblue Magician!!”
Despite just summoned it for the first time, or second time if you count that instance where she couldn’t remember, Yuko felt a strange sense of familiarity with this monster. The onlookers gave a loud cheer at the same time that the beam of light faded and the magician dressed in blue emerged from the light. (Level 7, ATK 2500).
“When a Synchro Summoned Coral Dragon is sent to the graveyard, I can draw 1 card. Similarly, while Iceblue Magician that was Synchro Summoned is face-up on the field, any damage I would have taken is reduced by 500 points! Snow Veil!!”
Yuko, now covered in glittering veil made of snowflakes, looked at the last two cards in her hand before sliding one of them into her disk. At the same time, a small crystal floating idly next to her suddenly gave a blue glow and broke into pieces.
“I set 1 card face-down and end my turn! At this moment, Crystal Girl’s Crystal Prophecy that has been activated when she was Summoned will now come true! I get to add Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord from my Deck to my hand!! It’s your turn now!” (Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord)
Velia who was checking cards in Yuko’s graveyard gave out a cute smile before drawing a card from her deck and subsequently playing it.
“Then let’s start. I draw! Hmm, I bet you also have this card too, Yuko! I activate a field spell Chicken Game!!” (Chicken Game)
Field Spell… a Spell with effects that affect both sides. Yuko observed as her surrounding changed into a high cliff which has 2 faces, each behind her and Velia.
“I activate Chicken Game’s effect. By paying 1000 LP, I can draw 1 card!”
The face of the cliff behind Velia moved closer toward her as she drew a card from her deck (Velia LP 4000 —> 3000) So basically if either of our LP reach 0, we will fall off the cliff? Also why would I want to have a card like that? Paying 1000 LP just for a card is totally not worth it.
Seeing Yuko’s confident smug that appeared briefly, which implied that she thought her opponent was running a bad card, Martin couldn’t help but facepalmed from his watching spot. That card was distributed to everyone who managed to reach top 4 of a f*cking World Series each 5 years. A card warranted that prizing spot was definitely far from bad. Looked like he would have to teach her about the importance of the term ‘consistency’ soon.
“Next, I activate the new field spell I just drew, Traptrip Garden!!” (Traptrip Garden)
It’s a common knowledge that if a player were to activate 2 Field Spells, the old one will be sent to the GY and replaced with the new one. The cliff surrounding them changed into a calm and tranquil, yet vibrant and blossoming garden. For some reason, despite standing in the middle of such serene scene, Yuko felt a chill down her spine, as though there were unseen threats lurking around this place. Velia looked at her nervous opponent with an unchanging smile as she snatched a card from her hand.
“How about you give Yuko a proper greeting and make her feel at ease? I summon Traptrix Nepenthes!!” (Traptrix Nepenthes)
A girl with long blonde hair decorated by pink stripes at the tips gave off an innocent and childish air as she appeared and cheerfully waved at Yuko who simply smiled back, unsure how to react to a such a cute monster’s action. (Level 4, ATK 800) Velia looked at her summoned girl, gave her a thumb up and spoke as though talking to a friend.
“Well done. If you could walk to her and pat her head a bit, maybe Yuko will get even better!” “Uh… I don’t think that has anything to do wi—“ “With my Garden’s effect, I can normal summon another monster! Come join us, Traptrix Atrax!!” (Traptrix Atrax)
Another girl who seemed to be much more brave and confident than the first one appeared. She even winked at Yuko before settled down on Velia’s field (Level 4, ATK: 1800). Actually, she hadn’t even settled down and was actually walking toward Yuko’s Iceblue Magician while waving enthusiastically. And when both monsters got close enough.
“Here’s her greeting! I activate Treacherous Trap Hole from my hand!!” (Treacherous Trap Hole)
“She did what!?”
Was an exact words in Yuko’s head but voiced by one of the boys among the crowd that was watching the duel. Unlike most Spells, Trap cards normally cannot be activated from the hand. Instead, they need to be Set onto the field for at least a turn before being usable. But that seemed to not be the case here, as a giant hole had already appeared beneath Iceblue Magician and Atrax, sucking both monsters in.
“While Atrax is on the field, I can activate any “Hole” normal trap card from my hand. Not only that, but you cannot negate the activation and effects of my normal trap cards! Thanks to this effect, I had played Treacherous Trap Hole directly from my hand! By not having any trap cards in my graveyard, its effect let me choose and destroy 2 monsters on the field!!”
“Not so fast! When my WATER attribute Iceblue Magician is about to be destroyed, I can banish Fury of the Kairyu-Shin from my graveyard instead! Your trap card’s activation and effects may not be able to be negated, but I can still negate my monster’s destruction!! Now your Atrax is the only one who will be destroyed!!”
Bright blue bubble suddenly appeared around Iceblue Magician, stopping her from being dragged further into the big hole on the ground. On the other hand, the confident monster girl was eventually pulled into the hole… only for her to jump back up a few seconds later.
“Wha—“
“Hehe. Did you really think I would carelessly destroy my own monster like that? Both Atrax and Nephentes, as well as most other friends in my deck, are unaffected by the effects of “Hole” normal trap cards!”
Which meant that trap card Velia used from her hand practically achieved nothing. Also, why would she used it so early? Yuko thought. If it was her, she would have kept a card like that until there are 2 opponent monsters. Not that it mattered against her Fury of the Kairyu-Shin anyway, but still.
“Your face literally told me what you are thinking, Yuko. And you will now see why! Since I have activated a “Hole” normal trap card, Nephentes will now activate her effect! Alluring Fragrance!!”
The childish monster girl playfully raised her hand and a visual effect of pink scent could be seen.
“With Nephentes’s effect, I special summon Traptrix Pudica from my deck!! Hey! Stop being shy and come out fast!!” (Traptrix Pudica)
Did that girl just bring her younger sister out? Yuko looked at the new girl who has same color but shorter hair than Nepenthes. Their facial features were largely similar, but compared to her supposed older sister, this girl was so timid and shy. She nervously looked around for a while before tripped over nothing and helplessly fell face down. (Level 4, ATK: 900)
Hey, will that girl be alright? Yuko genuinely concerned for her opponent’s monster. Iceblue Magician who seemed to share the same sentiment even slowly walked up to the girlish monster lying on the ground, a move she soon regretted.
Yuko’s eyes suddenly grew wide in shock as a tubular pitcher with sharp teeth rose from the ground beneath her monster without warning. Velia giggled as she gave the explanation.
“When Pudica is special summoned, I can banish 1 special summoned monster my opponent controls! Hypogean Horror!! Don’t worry, you can choose to special summon 1 of your banished monsters back during your next standby phase, assuming you could survive until then that’s it.”
Sensing danger from that terrifying message said in sweet and playful voice, Yuko frowned and immediately acted to defend herself.
“I activate Iceblue Magician’s effect! I choose one attack position monster on the field and switch it to defense position! Diamond Dust!!”
After that panicked shout, the air was filled with glittering ice crystals which then moved to surround Atrax and forced her into a defensive posture after emitting a light blue glow. (Traptrix Atrax ATK: 1800 —> DEF: 1000) Shortly after that, the pitcher closed its mouth, crushing Iceblue Magician and turning her into particles of light. As Yuko was staring at Pudica who lured Iceblue Magician to her own demise, that girl… shot an evil grin at her for a brief moment before turning back to a timid, nervous girl.
This girl… these monsters…
Took her long enough. Professor Martin thought as he observed Yuko’s face who started to see her opponent’s monsters in a different light. On a simple glance, both girls who were dueling seemed to share a tendency of filling their decks with cute monsters. However, Velia’s Traptrix aren’t just cute girls. They are based on carnivorous plants and insects that hunt their preys by luring them into various kind of traps. As monster cards, they fully inherited that trait, using things like charm, beauty and cuteness in order to throw their opponents off guard and mercilessly crush them soon after. An archetype truly befitting the girl named Velia Fearon.
“Since Iceblue Magician is banished, not destroyed, you won’t get to resurrect another monster. Plus, now that she is gone, you no longer have Snow Veil to reduce your damage taken!”
Yuko clenched her fist. It’s as Velia said, her field was now wide open. Fortunately, she still has her trap set and her Iceblue Magician even managed to use her effect and reduced the damage she would have taken by 1800 thanks to Atrax who was now stuck in Defense Position. Even if the sibling of Nepenthes and Pudica were to attack, she would still have—
“Let’s step up our game, shall we? I overlay my Level 4 Nepenthes and Atrax!”
“What!?”
Hearing an unfamiliar word, Yuko let out a shocking voice as Nepenthes and Atrax both giggled and turned into 2 masses of orange energy before shooting up into the air. Then, the galaxy-like portal formed on the ground, right before those energy masses flew down and entered it, causing an explosive burst of light.
“Gorgeous menace that hide in shadows, use your charm to captivate and devour your preys! Xyz Summon!! It’s your turn now, Rank 4 Traptrix Pinguicula!!” (Traptrix Pinguicula)
Emerging from that portal was a pretty girl who gave of dominating aura. Orbiting around her were 2 orange orbs of light. (Rank 4, ATK: 2500, ORU: 2) Xyz Summon… Yuko stared at the newly summoned monster which was displaying unfamiliar parameters like Rank or ORU. Velia still kept going.
“I activate Pinguicula’s effect! Sweet Calling!!”
One of the orbiting orbs flew toward Pinguicula’s raised hand and dissolved. The monster then briefly emitted a bright orange glow as her owner explained.
“By detaching Atrax which was used as Xyz material and is now her overlay unit, Pinguicula let me add a “Traptrix” monster from my Deck to my hand.” (Traptrix Pinguicula ORU: 2 —> 1)
So ORU is shortened from Overlay Unit, which seemed to indicate the number of times Velia’s Xyz monster can use her effect. Yuko silently noted as Velia added Traptrix Myrmeleo to her hand. (Traptrix Myrmeleo)
“Next, I activate Traptrip Garden’s effect! By banishing Pudica on my field, its effect let me special summon Myrmeleo that I searched just now!!”
A new girl with an antlion-like horn gave out a cheerful laughter as she appeared. (Level 4: ATK 1600) Her body then gave out an orange glow, right before a sand pitfall appeared right below Yuko’s only face-down card.
“When Myrmeleo is special summoned, I can activate her effect to destroy your set card! Arenaceous Downfall!!”
“Oh no!”
Yuko cried as her Trap was pulled down into the raging sand hole and shattered into particles of light. Velia who checked the card smirked as she saw Drowning Mirror Force.
“Now you have neither monsters nor traps to protect yourself. I know that this is just a friendly duel, but for it to be this easy, aren’t you holding back too much? Well, I suppose by willingly conceding a victory, you reveal the greatness within yourself, for true strength lies not in dominance but in the benevolence we show to those around us. Isn’t that right, Yuko?”
Like hell it is!! Yuko soundlessly protested as the crowd of audience seemed to believe what Velia said and started to let out a sound of disappointment. She never intended to let that girl win, but it’s just that the gap in skill and prowess displayed so far was just too wide that it turned such a poetic absurdity into a sensible one! Besides, she hadn’t lost yet!!
The short girl smiled and then commanded her monsters.
“Then I’ll accept your kindness! Battle!! Attack Yuko directly, Myrmeleo!!” (Traptrix Myrmeleo ATK: 1600)
The antlion girl let out a determined cry and stuck her claw like garments into the ground before throwing sand at Yuko, who yelled in a high pitched voice.
“Pardon the dirtiness, but it’s still better than getting sucked into a sand pitfall right?”
I want neither of that!! Yuko internally screamed as she tried to shake off sands, even though it was all solid vision and there actually was no sand on her body. (Yuko LP 4000 —> 2400) Then, the monster girl who still had orange orb orbiting around her raised her hand at the same time that her owner declared.
“Finish this, Pinguicula! Allured Slaughtering!!” (Traptrix Pinguicula ATK: 2500)
Vines and tendrils rose from the ground before rushing at Yuko at high speed. Instead of raising her arms to guard herself from that finishing blow, the blue girl confidently smiled.
“At this moment, I discard Glacial Sprite in my hand to make the incoming damage 0!!”
A handtrap!? Velia’s clicked her tongue in face of the first unexpected move from Yuko. All those thorny whips and spears that supposed to finished her opponent off all collided with blue butterflies and vanished. The girl then quickly regained her composure.
“Give in to the fun now? A bit too late but I welcome your decision! I set 2 cards and end my turn!”
Setting the entirety of her remaining hand, Velia who had a confident and enigmatic smile on her face passed a turn to Yuko who still breathed heavily thanks to the excitement of just escaping death.
“My turn! I draw!!”
Yuko shouted and looked at the card she drew, which was a cute Level 1 monster… Great, another card that she added to her Deck because of its cuteness rather than usability, like Aquarion or Wind-Up Shark. The girl cursed herself. Adding a like this to her Deck was fine. Drawing it in a situation where she needed powerful game changer was not. Before she could even think about how to use its effects properly, her opponent’s voice reached her ears.
“During this Standby Phase, due to Pudica’s Hypogean Horror that had been activated last turn, you may now special summon 1 of your banished monsters, Yuko.”
Right now, Yuko had 2 banished monsters, and it was clear which one she was going to choose.
“Thank you, Velia! I special summon Iceblue Magician back!” (Level 7, ATK: 2500)
“No need to say thanks, because I’ll now activate my set Bottomless Trap Hole!! When you summon a monster with 1500 or more ATK, this card let me destroy and banish it!!” (Bottomless Trap Hole)
Yuko widened her eyes as another big hole appeared beneath Iceblue Magician who just returned, threatening to banish her once more.
“Kuh… I activate Iceblue Magician’s effect once again! Pinguicula will now switch to defense position!!”
Small ice crystals filled the air and forced her opponent’s monster into Defense Position, but it didn’t save the user from falling into the bottomless pitfall. (Traptrix Pinguicula ATK: 2500 —> DEF: 300) For some reason, the trap hole remained on the field even though it already finished getting rid of Yuko’s monster. That reason soon became clear to her as her opponent announced.
“At this moment, I activate Pinguicula’s last effect! Endearing Capture!!”
The Xyz Monster let out a enigmatic laughter before vines and botanical tendrils suddenly rose from the ground near her. They briefly aimed for the hole that Iceblue Magician fell down earlier before flying straight into it. The next second, the magician dressed in blue who was now tightly bound by vines was slowly pulled up. She briefly let out a painful cry before turning into an orange energy orb which then flew to Pinguicula and started to orbit around her. (Traptrix Pinguicula ORU: 1 —> 2)
“Since your Iceblue Magician has been banished by a card effect, I can attach her to my monster as an overlay unit! Plus, Pinguicula is immune to trap effects as well as any effects activated by monsters with the same types as her overlay units!! In other words—“
“She is currently unaffected by Plant and Spellcaster monsters’ effects!?”
“Correct! You are quite smart. Now feel free to continue your turn, Yuko!”
Yuko had no cards on her field and two cards left in hand. One of them was that cute Level 1 monster whose ATK was so low it couldn’t even run over Pinguicula in Defense Position. Another was a card she had searched during her last turn, Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord. It’s a card she originally meant to use as a backup plan should Velia somehow managed to deal with Iceblue Magician. In the end, it went as she had expected, but there were also unaccounted parts.
Moulinglacia is a powerful monster with high ATK and strong effect restricted by a rather specific condition to bring him out for free. The condition which Yuko had carefully thought about during her previous turn. However, her opponent also knew that she added this monster to her hand. And based on that girl’s skill, the current situation where Iceblue Magician was held captive as an overlay unit and not in the GY was not something far fetched.
Without Iceblue Magician, Yuko’s GY only had 4 WATER monsters remaining, which meant she couldn’t summon Moulinglacia right now. The girl looked at the other monster, a baby dragon boasting overly cuteness. Its first effect let her discard 1 WATER monster to add another to her hand. However, as far as she remember, there wasn’t any monster whose ATK is higher than Moulinglacia left in her Deck…
Was this as far as she went?
No, absolutely not!!
“I summon Brinegion from my hand!!” (Brinegion)
Yuko shouted. Water splashed in front of her before revealing a petit aquatic dragon who cutely winked and earned a loud chorus of high-pitched squeals from the audiences, particularly girls. (Level 1, ATK 100) Even though she was at a loss before, the girl was now looking at her opponent with a brimming confidence.
“I activate its effect! By sending 1 WATER monster in my hand to the graveyard, I can add a new monster from my Deck to my hand!”
Velia raised her eyebrows as Yuko discarded Moulinglacia from her hand.
“Next, I activate its other effect! By tributing Brinegion, I can special summon this card I just added! Deepsea Invitation!!”
This monster about to be summoned would be immune to effect destruction. Velia pondered as she watched Brinegion turned into a bubble that slowly rose in the air. Judging from the situation, Yuko would choose to bring out a monster under 1000 ATK so that it could attack twice and defeat Pinguicula who was protected by Garden’s effect, rather than a strong monster that couldn’t kill anything. But, regardless of the choice she had made, Velia still held major advantage in term of deck choice. Traptrix was a deck that leaned toward control playstyle specializing in grinding out resources. By surviving this turn, the short girl would have more opportunity to make her play.
The bubble then erupted mid air, emitting a bright blue light as Yuko declared.
“Let your opponent feel the wrath of the sea! I special summon Brinegir!!” (Brinegir)
Heh… Velia quickly scanned through its effect and grinned. Truly the best monster Yuko could have brought out. A light faded, revealing a serpentine dragon whose body was made of seawater. (Level 7, ATK: 1000) The dragon then let out a resounding roar as its owner continued.
“Brinegir’s effect activated! When it is summoned, I can choose 1 WATER monster in my graveyard and add its ATK to Brinegir during this turn! Deepsea Inheritance!!”
A transparent image of Moulinglacia appeared before turning into particles of blue light that were absorbed by Brinegir, raising the latter’s ATK by 2800 (Brinegir ATK 1000 —> 3800)
“Amazing!!”
Velia heard that from onlookers as they looked at Yuko’s monster. 3800 ATK was not the only thing she should be afraid of. Because its original ATK was 1000, that monster could fully take advantage of Brinegion’s effect to attack twice. Fortunately, her set card should allow her to—
The short girl suddenly froze as she looked into the crowd of audience and spotted a familiar face. That person who noticed Velia’s gaze immediately turned around and headed to the direction of the forest.
“Battle! I attack Myrmeleo with Brinegir! Tidal Punisher!!”
The dragon unleashed a water breath at the antlion girl. (Brinegir ATK 3800 —> Traptrix Myrmeleo ATK 1600) Velia then responded with an indifferent tone contrasting her enthusiasm from earlier.
“Due to Traptrip Garden’s effect, once during each turn Myrmeleo won’t be destroyed by battle.”
“But you still take damage!!”
“Ugh!”
Velia let out a cry as she took a heavy damage. (Velia LP: 3000 —> 800) Yuko had a spark of determination in her eyes as she declared her final attack.
“Due to Brinegion’s Deepsea Invitation, Brinegir who has 1000 original ATK can attack twice!! finish this! Tidal Punisher!!”
Velia glanced at her set card before letting out a slightly stifled smile as her Myrmeleo got obliterated by a powerful stream of water. (Velia LP: 800 —> 0)
- Winner: Yuko Sazanami -
The crowd burst into cheers, whistles and applauses at the conclusion of the Level 4 clash between the two dorms. Despite having claimed her first victory she could actually remember, Yuko wasted no time celebrating and hurriedly walked toward her opponent.
“Are you alright, Velia!?”
Noticed that Velia seemed oddly depressing during their last exchange, Yuko’s voice sounded concerning. It didn’t last long though.
“No, of course not! I’m so mad right now! Remember this well, Yuko! I’ll definitely get my revenge!!”
“Ou-ouch! Oww-oww-oww! Pw-eeassee! Stooop!”
In response to her concerning voice, Velia pinched Yuko’s both cheeks and pulled with full strength. Her voice returned to its sweet, yet playful and mischievous tone. After a few minutes had passed, both girls burst into laughter after getting to talk more with each other.
“Attention, Duel Academy students. The principal will begin his speech shortly. All new students are required to present at the auditorium in 15 minutes. 2nd years and 3rd years who have no classes or scheduled duels are also recommended to attend.”
After hearing that announcement, Yuko turned to Velia who was now officially her first friend at this island.
“Let’s go to the auditorium together, Velia!”
The short girl simply gave her a playful and ominous grin.
“Nah, I will pass.”
“Eh?”
“Guess I’ll find some place to nap. Tee-hee.”
“But they just said we are required—“
“You see. My big sister works here, so I’m more or less familiar with what the principal are gonna say anyway. Ah, but you should attend. You don’t want to miss explanation about things like these armbands or this school’s big events right?“
“U- um… yeah.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be seeing you before lunch. Take care then!”
“W-wai—“
Without letting the timid girl finish her sentence, Velia turned around and walked into the direction of the forest.
—
Because most students were gathering at the auditorium, the forest was shrouded in an eerie silence. Rays of sunlight break through the dense foliage, casting golden hues on the forest floor. Velia walked deeper and deeper, until she caught glimpse of a figure standing by a tree.
“My, how peaceful and tranquil. You even made me feel a bit guilty for speaking so loudly and disrupting it you know.”
There was not even a shred of guilt on her face though. The brown haired girl who was standing still turned to Velia and gave her a warm smile. That was… unusual. Remarked Velia.
Height: 5'6''
Weight: 123 lbs
“Is this perhaps your favorite spot, Prodigy?”
“Why yes it is. Also I left that name behind for quite a while now. While we’re here, I’m just an ordinary 2nd year student Asumi Tendou, Miss Fearon.”
Her voice was unbelievably gentle and sweet. Unlike Velia’s carefully fabricated sweetness, it was a kind of voice that express its owner’s genuine soft and friendly nature.
Which made it even more unsettling.
“I don’t know why or when have you changed, but you better stop acting that way. It just doesn’t suit- Yeah, it’s just plain disgusting.”
Velia said in an annoyed tone, not even bothered to wear her friendly mask like she usually did.
“I’m not really acting, but coming from you who have seen how I used to be and is also an expert yourself, that’s kinda understandable. No offense by the way.”
“At least you are still good at pissing me off. I’m glad to know that something hasn’t changed.”
“And you are still cute and lovely. I wish I could have told you this since we first met.”
“Ewww. That’s kinda gross.”
Even with her usual sweet and playful tone of voice, the Xyz girl didn’t hide her hostility. There was just no need for it. The brunette said nothing but simply smiled back. Yeah, it’s just so not like her. Velia recalled their first encounter, at the final round of that grand tournament…
“And now, our most awaited moment is approaching!!”
The MC said in a low voice, yet the tension in the air couldn’t be higher.
“Here we are in the final round of this intense competition! Both competitors have left no stones unturned in their quest for victory, for they have defeated countless adversaries in this World Youth Championship and are going to show us mind-blowing skills, heart-stopping moments, and jaw-dropping duel!!”
He paused as the cheers in the big arena was getting too loud before promptly went on.
”On the red side, meet the dignified lady whose charm is unrivaled, but be careful or you’ll become another helpless prey before you even notice! Here comes the Alluring Flower, Velia Fearon!!”
Velia, aged 12, walked out of her tunnel with a bright smile before elegantly curtsied and then made a posture that could melt some hearts. After the long cheers and applause had ended, the MC then continued.
“On the blue side, welcome the genius girl who swiftly and mercilessly crushed her opponents with thunderous might! Meet the Prodigy of Thunder, Asumi Tendou!!”
A brown haired girl walked out from the opposite tunnel of Velia’s. She had an indifferent face and paid no mind to the audience as she walked toward the middle of the arena.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Tendou. Or would you prefer your sobriquet? Prodigy sounded rather cool indeed.”
Accompanying that greeting was her usual, well trained air of friendliness. Velia was skilled to the point that she could easily get close to those who suffered some mental trauma and have them be soothed by her presence. However, the girl named Asumi gave no reaction beyond monotonously replying with a stoic face.
“You can give up now. I don’t want to crush a cu— a weak and fragile girl like you, Alluring Flower.”
Velia’s smile went slightly stiff as the MC’s voice suddenly erupted.
“Oooohhh!! Look like the Flower’s sweet charm couldn’t get through!! And now the Prodigy had declared her victory!!! Without further ado, let the final round where we separate the champ from the chump begin!!!”
Both girls readied their duel disks, with Velia having a bit more emotion in her following shout than usual.
“DUEL!!!”
- Velia LP 4000 -
- Asumi LP 4000 -
“Oops, quite a choice of word he used. Since I don’t want to be a chump, look like I can’t show you any mercy!! Any problem with me going first?”
“Do whatever you want. I will still win.”
Velia who was more than slightly pissed off at this point gave out a cute and bright but rather sinister smile as she declared
“Then I’ll start my turn! I activate the spell card Traptantalizing Tune!!” (Traptantalizing Tune)
It was the best opening move in her deck. Velia grinned as she planned her moves that would invite her foul mouthed opponent into her deadly garden.
—
“With this card, I fusion summon Thunder Dragon Titan!” (Thunder Dragon Titan) (Level 10, ATK: 3200)
You are joking right!?
Velia internally screamed. This was turn 4, her opponent’s second turn. And in such a short span of 2 turns—
“Since I special summon a Thunder monster, I activate Thunder Dragon Pristine’s effect to banish your face-down card!” (Thunder Dragon Pristine)
The lightning bolt from the Synchro Monster had gotten rid of her Floodgate Trap Hole that she had drawn too late and left with no chance to use. (Floodgate Trap Hole)
“Battle! I attack your Rafflesia with Thunder Dragon Pristine!” (Thunder Dragon Pristine ATK: 2600 —> Traptrix Rafflesia DEF: 2500) (Traptrix Rafflesia)
“I activate my face-down Alluring Trap Hole!! When Rafflesia is attacked—“ (Alluring Trap Hole)
“I detach Thunder Dragon King’s overlay unit to activate its effect! Your trap’s activation is negated.” (Thunder Dragon King)
You. Are. F*cking. Joking. Right!!?
Velia furiously yelled in her head as lightning bolt from another dragon struck through her last Trap card. Sure, this was the final round of the World Youth Championship and an average duelist could never reach this stage. Even then, this was just too absurd.
“It’s over! I attack you directly with Thunder Dragon King and Thunder Dragon Titan!!” (Thunder Dragon King ATK: 2800) (Thunder Dragon Titan ATK: 3200)
“Kyyyyyaaa!!!”
The younger girl screamed as she was sent flying by the massive power of those two monsters’ attacks. (Velia LP 4000 —> 1200 —> 0)
- Winner: Asumi Tendou -
“Aaaaaaand we have a winner!!! Both duelists gave a magnificent performance, but to think that a 13 years old girl could deploy Fusion, Synchro and Xyz monsters at the same time and even used all their effects flawlessly!! Truly what you would expect from someone called a Prodigy!! If the Youth tournament could be this amazing, then I can’t imagine what the actual World Championship will have to offer tomorrow!!!”
None of the high-spirited noises reached Velia whose tear was running down her cheeks as she lied face-down on the ground. Not the MC’s heated voice. Not the audience’s resounding cheers and applauses. Asumi who was possibly the only one close enough to see those tears turned around without saying anything and walked back into her tunnel.
The MC said in a low voice, yet the tension in the air couldn’t be higher.
“Here we are in the final round of this intense competition! Both competitors have left no stones unturned in their quest for victory, for they have defeated countless adversaries in this World Youth Championship and are going to show us mind-blowing skills, heart-stopping moments, and jaw-dropping duel!!”
He paused as the cheers in the big arena was getting too loud before promptly went on.
”On the red side, meet the dignified lady whose charm is unrivaled, but be careful or you’ll become another helpless prey before you even notice! Here comes the Alluring Flower, Velia Fearon!!”
Velia, aged 12, walked out of her tunnel with a bright smile before elegantly curtsied and then made a posture that could melt some hearts. After the long cheers and applause had ended, the MC then continued.
“On the blue side, welcome the genius girl who swiftly and mercilessly crushed her opponents with thunderous might! Meet the Prodigy of Thunder, Asumi Tendou!!”
A brown haired girl walked out from the opposite tunnel of Velia’s. She had an indifferent face and paid no mind to the audience as she walked toward the middle of the arena.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Tendou. Or would you prefer your sobriquet? Prodigy sounded rather cool indeed.”
Accompanying that greeting was her usual, well trained air of friendliness. Velia was skilled to the point that she could easily get close to those who suffered some mental trauma and have them be soothed by her presence. However, the girl named Asumi gave no reaction beyond monotonously replying with a stoic face.
“You can give up now. I don’t want to crush a cu— a weak and fragile girl like you, Alluring Flower.”
Velia’s smile went slightly stiff as the MC’s voice suddenly erupted.
“Oooohhh!! Look like the Flower’s sweet charm couldn’t get through!! And now the Prodigy had declared her victory!!! Without further ado, let the final round where we separate the champ from the chump begin!!!”
Both girls readied their duel disks, with Velia having a bit more emotion in her following shout than usual.
“DUEL!!!”
- Velia LP 4000 -
- Asumi LP 4000 -
“Oops, quite a choice of word he used. Since I don’t want to be a chump, look like I can’t show you any mercy!! Any problem with me going first?”
“Do whatever you want. I will still win.”
Velia who was more than slightly pissed off at this point gave out a cute and bright but rather sinister smile as she declared
“Then I’ll start my turn! I activate the spell card Traptantalizing Tune!!” (Traptantalizing Tune)
It was the best opening move in her deck. Velia grinned as she planned her moves that would invite her foul mouthed opponent into her deadly garden.
—
“With this card, I fusion summon Thunder Dragon Titan!” (Thunder Dragon Titan) (Level 10, ATK: 3200)
You are joking right!?
Velia internally screamed. This was turn 4, her opponent’s second turn. And in such a short span of 2 turns—
“Since I special summon a Thunder monster, I activate Thunder Dragon Pristine’s effect to banish your face-down card!” (Thunder Dragon Pristine)
The lightning bolt from the Synchro Monster had gotten rid of her Floodgate Trap Hole that she had drawn too late and left with no chance to use. (Floodgate Trap Hole)
“Battle! I attack your Rafflesia with Thunder Dragon Pristine!” (Thunder Dragon Pristine ATK: 2600 —> Traptrix Rafflesia DEF: 2500) (Traptrix Rafflesia)
“I activate my face-down Alluring Trap Hole!! When Rafflesia is attacked—“ (Alluring Trap Hole)
“I detach Thunder Dragon King’s overlay unit to activate its effect! Your trap’s activation is negated.” (Thunder Dragon King)
You. Are. F*cking. Joking. Right!!?
Velia furiously yelled in her head as lightning bolt from another dragon struck through her last Trap card. Sure, this was the final round of the World Youth Championship and an average duelist could never reach this stage. Even then, this was just too absurd.
“It’s over! I attack you directly with Thunder Dragon King and Thunder Dragon Titan!!” (Thunder Dragon King ATK: 2800) (Thunder Dragon Titan ATK: 3200)
“Kyyyyyaaa!!!”
The younger girl screamed as she was sent flying by the massive power of those two monsters’ attacks. (Velia LP 4000 —> 1200 —> 0)
- Winner: Asumi Tendou -
“Aaaaaaand we have a winner!!! Both duelists gave a magnificent performance, but to think that a 13 years old girl could deploy Fusion, Synchro and Xyz monsters at the same time and even used all their effects flawlessly!! Truly what you would expect from someone called a Prodigy!! If the Youth tournament could be this amazing, then I can’t imagine what the actual World Championship will have to offer tomorrow!!!”
None of the high-spirited noises reached Velia whose tear was running down her cheeks as she lied face-down on the ground. Not the MC’s heated voice. Not the audience’s resounding cheers and applauses. Asumi who was possibly the only one close enough to see those tears turned around without saying anything and walked back into her tunnel.
3 years had passed since they first met and then never once came into direct contact with each other again. It might not be short, but it shouldn’t be long enough to turn someone like that into the affable person in front of her right now either.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t apologized to you yet, have I?”
Asumi who seemed to recall the same event suddenly spoke up, which only prompted Velia to snort back.
“What the f*ck are you talking about? Back then you beat me fair and square. If you actually apologize now I’ll get real mad!”
“Beat you fair and square… just like how that Synchro girl defeated you?”
“Hah!? Are you bullying me now!?”
“’By willingly conceding a victory, you reveal the greatness within yourself, for true strength lies not in dominance but in the benevolence we show to those around us’… right? That’s a beautiful line. And to think you actually did it and helped out a timid girl who was unfamiliar with the Academy. Why should I bully a kind girl like that?”
“Pfff. I don’t know what are you talking about. I approached Miss Sazanami because I’m interested in how she beat that White Prince who hadn’t been using a test deck, not because she is a timid girl who needs help. Also, I totally didn’t mean it when I said that ridiculous line. And most importantly, her skill is a real deal.”
“You see, tampering with machines and hacking all kind of networks are my hobbies. You may not know this, but every duels here have their own special ID where informations are recorded after each duel ended, even the friendly ones. And by inputting that ID into this app I’ve written myself, you can check all relevant information… like this.”
Displayed in front of Velia was a holographic duel field with cards like Brinegir and Pinguicula in monster zones facing each other. Asumi skillfully tapped her smartphone screen, and the face-down card that Velia hadn’t activated was now revealed to both girls.
“As expected, you are not someone who would find yourself in such a pinch without any countermeasure. By using this Spiritual Earth Art - Kurogane, you could have gotten rid of attack position Myrmeleo and instead having Atrax in defense position. No matter how high Brinegir’s ATK was, if both of your monsters were in defense position there wouldn’t be much that girl could do.“ (Spiritual Earth Art - Kurogane)
“No one asked for your opinion, o wise Prodigy. Also I could have chickened out just because I was low on resource and didn’t see a chance of winning. Either way, what’s done is done.”
“You aren’t being honest, are you?”
Hearing such snarky comment, Asumi contently smiled as she started walking toward her past acquaintance. When they were close enough, she reached for the short girl’s duel disk, who narrowed her eyes and frowned but didn’t try to pull her left arm away.
“No chance of winning huh… Surely someone like you could have seen this coming.”
The card in Asumi’s hand that she had drawn from the top of Velia’s deck, which hadn’t been shuffled once since the duel ended was Traptrix Dionaea, a card that could resurrect a Level 4 monster and bring out another Xyz boss. (Traptrix Dionaea)
“Ugh… Fine. So what if I let that girl win!? If you think I’m about to do the same right now, you are dead wrong!”
The girl snatched her card back from Asumi and pointed at her face.
“Duel me again, Prodigy of Thunder! Also since we are here, I don’t mind doing an Official Duel and bet anything you want for that star of yours! This time I’ll definitely get my revenge!!”
“Too bad, but I don’t think you can do that.”
“Because you think I’m still as weak and pathetic as that day? Why don’t you see for yourself!”
“That’s not what I meant. Since you seem to be familiar with the rules, you must have known the condition to challenge someone into an Official Duel right?”
“You mean how the challenger must have equal or lower star count than the challenged student? Since you have been here for a while, you should have like 6 or 7 stars already right? Then—“
“Why don’t you try using Identifier?”
A few seconds passed in silent, only to be broken by an ear-piercing voice.
“2 STARS!!? What’s the meaning of this!!?”
“It means that right now I’m just a lowly Level 2 student who never summoned anything from the extra deck and have to stay in Common dorm. If we were to duel right now you would easily—“
“Wait! You can’t be serious!”
Velia interrupted. She finally noticed that there was no armband of any color on Asumi’s right arm.
“That Common can’t even be called a dorm! It’s more like an outhouse with a deck!! Why would you purposely put yourself there!?”
“It‘a quite comfortable though. My room happens to have an empty bed so I’ll gladly let you sleep over anytime.“
“Hmph! The mighty Prodigy of Thunder who had mastered all kinds of summoning methods since age 13 is now a Level 2 student who has to stay in Common? What kind of sick joke is that!?”
“Well, I can assure you that’s not a joke. Still up for a friendly duel?”
—
- Winner: Velia Fearon -
“Congratulations. Now I suppose we’re ev—“
“QUIT FOOLING AROUND!!!”
The Xyz girl screamed from the top of her lungs.
“Duel me again! And use your real deck!!”
“This is my true and only deck, Miss Fearon.”
“Then don’t talk to me ever again! You are no longer worthy enough!!”
Even after being yelled at and showered with hostility the entire time, Asumi’s smile never faded and her voice never lost its calm and gentle tone. There was no sign of anger on her face as she watched Velia walked away without looking back. If anything, she truly understood the intensity and reason behind the short girl’s frustration. However, she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. Using her real deck… using this deck sleeping in her pocket for more than a year now… that’s the only thing that she couldn’t compromise.
—
At the auditorium, almost all of the 1st year students of the Academy as well as a decent amount of upperclassmen could be seen. Soon, the principal of this school would arrive to give a speech…
Clairikins
Edit: Added some missing links.
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