Duel Academy Down Under: The South Academy
Chapter 1: The First Morning
Biddly-beep-beep! Biddly-beep-beep! Biddly-beep-beep!
Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.
"Good morning Melbourne! It's a beautiful sunny Friday morning, and it is 7 o'clock! You're listening to The Mixed Breakfast, with Dave and…"
"Wake up! Wake up! Wake uuuup!"
Biddly-beep-beep! Biddly-beep-beep! Biddly-beep-beep!
The shrill, staccato beep bounced around the small, darkened room, reflecting off the various pieces of furniture lined up around the light blue walls. And in the middle of the room, the formless shape hidden under a thick, fluffy blanket shifted slightly, then stopped.
Then a hand lashed out and struck down on the bedside table, the resounding clap mingling with the final shrill beep as the alarm clock cut out.
The hand shifted around a little, groping in the shadows that the weak sunrise had yet to pierce, moving in an aimless fashion that suggested that despite being hidden under the covers and unable to see the table, the owner of the bed knew exactly where everything on the table was. The hand grasped a silvery case, snapping open the clasp at the front, and reached in to snare a set of glasses. Having found what it was after, that sure hand shot back under the covers, and there was a rustle of movement as the newly-awakened slipped the glasses on.
The figure in the bed began to rise, propping itself up, and letting the quilt slide down. Messy dark brown hair emerged first, rumpled and dishevelled, followed by a small feminine face that appeared to be all gaping mouth and teeth. As the yawn subsided, the woman glanced at the alarm clock.
5:30.
Shaking her head at the early alarm she'd decided to set last night, the woman slid out of her small bed, stretching her arms and yawning again. She wandered absent-mindedly over to the curtains covering her window and drew them back, to let in more light. The room lightened a shade, the feeble rays of the gradually rising sun doing their best to expose the room for what it was.
The woman tugged at her t-shirt as she wandered over to the redwood vanity unit near the door, glancing briefly at her messy appearance, before pulling open the draws to grab some undergarments. They were lined up neatly and carefully inside the draws, and when she opened more draws to get some pants and a shirt, they too were neatly folded and tucked away. Having grabbed her clothes, the woman, exposed by the strengthening sun to be in her late teens or early twenties, glanced back around her room.
The room was very neat, containing a small amount of furniture, the bare essentials for student life. There was a small desk with a computer on it, as well as a stack of CDs and some workbooks tucked into shelves above the desk. This desk sat opposite the small single bed, which the woman wandered over to and began to tidy up, fixing the sheets. There was also a wardrobe next to the vanity unit, and a bookshelf crammed with binders.
Having fixed the sheets, the woman wandered back to the vanity unit to casually fix her hair a little before she showered. The strengthening sunlight gleamed off the hair, exposing it as far more reddish-brown than it looked in poor lighting. She toyed with it idly, pushing it back behind her ears and grabbing a hairband to keep it back after her shower.
Scouting the room once more before heading to the shower, the woman noticed a wayward binder that she'd left sitting on the computer desk last night as she'd worked on her various decks. She reached over to grab it, her eyes flicking over the text she printed carefully on each binder, the one mentioning that if the binder were to be found, it was to be returned to Susannah Buchanan. Susannah leaned over to the bookshelf and slid the binder back into it, then strode out of the room, heading to the bathroom.
First she'd shower, and then eat breakfast. Then she'd check back over her decks, make sure nothing was amiss, and head out to the Academy early, taking into account the traffic conditions around the city in the middle of the morning. Normally she wouldn't want to arrive at the Academy so early. But normally it wasn't the day of the practical entrance exams, and Susannah wanted to be sure she was ready for it. Of course, she'd been prepping for the exams for months, so the deck-check was merely part of her habitual nature. Susannah's chosen deck had been ready for weeks, and today was the day she intended to use it to its full capacity.
Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.
Chloe groaned and tossed back the sheets, bolting upright immediately and glancing at her vibrating phone as it clattered on the bench. That meant it was half past six and time to get out of bed.
She slung herself out of her bed, squinting against the early-morning sunlight that streamed directly through her window. Waving her hand idly at the insistent rays, she snapped open her phone, to check for messages.
None.
Shrugging, Chloe stifled a yawn as she wandered out of her room, running her hand through her long blonde hair. Being so straight, there were very few knots to take care of, but it was pure habit for her. Her first stop as she wandered around the house was the kitchen, grabbing a green apple and rubbing it against her pyjama top. Taking a bite of it, she slipped on her slippers, having left them lying around in the living room. She slipped past Natalie's door, noting that it was still firmly shut, meaning that as usual Nat wasn't up yet.
"Natalie! Get up! You gotta get ready!" she hollered, banging her fist firmly on the door.
A series of muffled and slurred curses informed Chloe that she'd done her job, and so she wandered down the hall to their door, opening it and glancing up and down the larger hallway, to see if any of the inhabitants of the other apartments in the building had dropped off anyone's mail. None had, so she wandered downstairs in her pyjamas unselfconsciously, to fetch her mail and her neighbours' as well.
When she returned with her mail, Natalie was slouched in the kitchen, munching on some cereal. Chloe dropped the mail on the table and then glanced around for the cereal.
Not on the table.
Not on the breakfast bar.
She snapped open the pantry and glanced inside.
Not there.
Chloe bit her lip, turned around, and looked up at the shelf above the breakfast bar.
There it was.
Chloe moaned and poked Nat in the back, then pointed up at the cereal, which was clearly just out of her reach. That was one of Nat's most annoying habits. She found the fact that Chloe was fairly small very amusing.
"Nat! I don't feel like messing around today, okay? I gotta go meet Luke in a short while, so we can go sign up for the entrance exam together," Chloe explained as Natalie snickered and stood up to grab the cereal box.
"Oh, meeting Lucas huh? So you guys dating now?" Nat teased, already knowing the response.
Chloe rolled her eyes as she took the box from Nat, ignoring her grin.
"Best friends, Nat, best friends. Besides, Luke isn't hot for freckles, so I suppose I'm out of luck, huh?" she responded, pouring the cereal into a bowl.
"Good morning Melbourne! It's a beautiful sunny Friday morning, and it is 7 o'clock! You're listening to The Mixed Breakfast, with Dave and…"
Lucas jerked, caught by surprise by the radio snapping on, despite it having happened at the same time every weekday for five years. He looked around, and realised he'd fallen asleep in his chair again. The computer was still humming, and the large number of links from the Duel Monsters Wiki he'd opened were still there. Sitting on the desk were a spread of cards, left-over from his fine tuning last night.
Unfortunately, his deck was still nowhere near ready, which meant only one thing…
"Lukey-boy! Up and at 'em! The big day, huh?" called his dad as he burst into the room. He took one glance at Lucas and smiled at the boy's tired look. His hair was sticking up everywhere, and there was an imprint on the boy's left cheek from where he'd slept against the chair.
"C'mon! Get up, we'll go over the old deck once more, hey?" Lucas's father stated, clapping his hand together.
"This is great. My son, taking up my old deck. You'll be great Lucas! Now, up!"
Lucas moaned, and hefted himself out of his chair easily, rubbing his bare chest. With his Mirage Knight deck still only half constructed, it appeared he was going to have to fall back on his father's championship deck. Still…
"Dad, later, okay? I want to go for my run first, so I can shower, yeah?"
Lucas grabbed a tank top and slipped it on. He also grabbed a cap, and slid it onto his head, tucking his sandy brown hair into it.
Lucas headed into the kitchen behind his dad, snaring his water bottle and filling it. He took a swig of the water, and then strode into the hallway to slip on his runners. He hit the street and began to jog.
As he jogged, Lucas thought over his situation. His father was Ben Collins, who had been the state champion of Victoria a decade or more ago, highly talented and skilled. However, he had given it up, citing the time it took away from his family as the reason he left the circuit. Since then, he'd remained interested in Duel Monsters, and had done his best to foster that same interest within Lucas.
The catch of it all was that Lucas really didn't care that much for the game.
Though he had mentioned this fact to his father before, the encouragements for it continued to come. He'd eventually given up telling his father roughly two years back, after the divorce went through and the father-son time was cut down substantially. He preferred spending time with his father if he was happy, and arguing about how he hated Duel Monsters was never good for generating that environment.
Lucas swung down a side street, breathing evenly and calmly, though deeply, as sweat trickled down his brow. He paused for a moment to take a drink, and pressed his hand against the dark stain that had bloomed on the front of his shirt, the sweat soaking through.
Once he felt the cool liquid settle properly in his stomach, Lucas took off once more, musing about what to do with his dilemma. It was true, South Academy was a Duelling School, but still, it offered a lot more than that, so maybe it would be okay as long as he took on enough other subjects that he preferred.
"Wake up! Wake up! Wake uuuup!"
"Gyah.. beedit. Fuggov."
"But you have to GET UP!"
There was a jerking motion, and then a thump as the careless young lady rolled off the couch and landed firmly on the ground.
"Ouch. Okay… thank god for carpeting."
Pulling herself into a sitting position on the ground, the woman placed a hand against her head, feeling the unpleasant throbbing of a major hangover banging through her head. She groggily swiped at her eyes and glanced at the younger girl who stood in front of her.
"Izzy! It's nine o'clock already! You'll be late for the exam!" her sister cried.
Izzy blinked stupidly, the thought trawling through her sluggish mind, battling through the aftereffects of the alcohol she'd consumed last night. Suddenly her eyes flew open.
"Oh crap!"
Izzy jumped up and immediately regretted it, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder to steady herself. She looked down at herself, noting that she was only wearing her underwear. Her clothes from last night were crumpled near the lounge, and there were a few empty cans there as well.
Grabbing her clothes, Izzy dashed to the nearest mirror and checked her reflection. She looked like hell. Her blonde hair, though quite short, was still horribly messy, and at this time of the day and in her condition the purple streaks splashed liberally throughout it did nothing to enhance her beauty.
Izzy headed towards the bathroom, already pulling off her bra as she stepped inside and glanced at the clock. She was really going to have to quickstep if she wanted to get to the Academy on time.
She spun the taps in the shower, adjusting the temperature until it was quite hot, and stepped in, letting it loosen her muscles. Unfortunately it was also making her drowsy, and slightly ill as well. She spun the hot tap all the way off and the water hit her like a blast of ice, making her shriek. Her own shriek cut into her hangover like a knife, making her double over and hunch on the floor.
"Ugh… never again…"
Izzy finished off her shower and ran to her room to do her makeup and work out which clothes to wear. That took her some time, as she swapped her outfits repeatedly in front of her mirror, studying her own curvy figure to see which outfit was right for today.
Eventually, she settled on a black miniskirt, as well as a black spaghetti strap top, and a red belt, as well as red arm warmers and red sneakers. A pair of black leather fingerless gloves completed the look. She glanced at her phone, and decided she wouldn't have time for breakfast. Not that her stomach could handle it, anyway.
She glanced around for her shoulder bag, which had everything she needed for today. It didn't appear to be in her room.
"Jess! Have you seen my bag? The blue shoulder bag?" she called as she stuck her head out of her room.
Jess emerged from the kitchen, a piece of toast in her hand, and shook her head.
"No, sorry… why?"
Izzy frowned as she tried to think of where it could be. Where could it be?
Then it hit her.
"Oh… damn it! I took it to Katie's last night, I wanted her to check my deck for me cause it wasn't very good… and I left it there!"
This revelation sent Izzy into a spiral of panic. She checked her watch again. There wouldn't be enough time to get to Kate's before she had to be at the Academy.
Okay, just be calm. Be cool. Think about this.
Huh, easier said than done when there's a percussion band playing the drums in your skull…
Izzy flopped down into an armchair, deep in thought.
I did well on the theory sections I had to do… and they were impressed by my port folio. And since I want to be a card designer rather than a duelist… what did they say? That it wasn't so important to be great at duelling, as long as you knew the basics of how to play competitively, so you could design for that style of play?
So… maybe it's not too important. Maybe I don't have to duel… but I can't do that. Too much risk there.
Izzy checked her watch once more and stood up, heading for the door.
I guess I'll just have to stop by a shop and pick up a structure deck to use or something. Probably more cohesive than my own deck anyway.
As she mused on her decision, Izzy called out to Jess that she was leaving, slammed the door shut, and ran down the street, once more checking her watch, hoping against hope that she wouldn't miss the next bus.
She did.
"Can I help you, dearie?"
Izzy shot a glance at the middle-aged woman behind the counter, and turned back to the depressingly small selection of cards and decks that were on display. Then she turned back to the shopwoman.
"You don't have any structure decks at all? There are only starter decks out here," Izzy explained as she held one up, the label declaring that it was 'Featuring the E-HERO cards used by Juudai Yuuki!'.
When the woman shook her head, Izzy's heart sank and she pulled out her wallet, disheartened. She glanced in it, noting that she could afford two started decks, or one and a few booster packs. So which would be easier to mix and match into a useful deck?
She pondered for a moment, shifting from one foot to the other as she toyed with her necklace. One hand shot up to brush a purple lock out of her eyes, and she flicked her hand slightly so she could see her watch. There simply wasn't time to hang around here, the signup was really soon!
In the end, Izzy grabbed two starter decks, and placed her money on the counter. The lady glanced at her purchases and smiled softly.
"Just getting into the game, dearie?"
"Yeah, you could say something like that."
"Okay, well, have a lovely day," the shop lady offered sweetly, as Izzy rushed outside, to catch the next bus to the Academy.
She managed to get on just before the bus took off, and flung herself into a seat in the back. It was a half hour to the Academy from here by car, so by bus it would take a bit longer. Hopefully long enough to make some sort of deck from what she had.
Izzy got to work.
Lucas stepped out of the car, and waved to his father.
"You make me proud, Lucas! You're the son of a champion. Never forget that. That thought will get you through anything. Just believe in the deck, it was my companion and now it's yours!"
Lucas listened to his dad's advice, nodded softly, and then slouched towards the entrance to the Academy. He was wearing skate shoes, torn jeans and a loose shirt, and his hair was styled in a semi-messy surfie look.
He pulled his phone out and checked it for messages, noting that Chloe had instructed him to meet her near the sign-in area. So Luke headed for the main duelling arena, following the paper signs that had been put up to direct the potential students of the Academy.
As he wandered through the campus, Lucas took in his surroundings, thinking about the Academy.
While Central Academy, the most famous academy, was for people between 14 and 18, the Australian Government had taken a much firmer stance on education, requiring all students to complete regular schooling until at least 16, and thus South Academy was more like a college or university than a duel school. It was very large, and taught a wide array of subjects. In essence it was really much like a regional university with a duel academy added on. This way, people could study diverse subjects. After all, card games weren't everything in life.
That was the avenue that Lucas planned to go down, doing Police Studies and Psychology as well as enough card-based subjects to keep his father happy. His desire was to become a beat cop, working on the streets. Of course, his father was sure he'd become the next regional champion. Somehow, Lucas didn't find that future too appealing.
As he mused, Lucas approached the large arena building, not really paying attention to how modern it looked, all sleek and shiny, with lots of exposed metal and lots of dark glass. There were plenty of people milling around just outside the building, hanging around in groups, or near the small stalls that had been set up to sell refreshments and last-minute card shopping.
Lucas deftly dodged through the crowds, occasionally gently shoving people aside to get to the doors. They were electronic, and slid open with a whir. Inside, the lobby was even more crowded than outside. There appeared to be people of all ages and all branches of life, conversing and getting to know each other. He glanced around with his keen eyes, trying to locate Chloe. He scanned the area quickly, and soon spotted a slim, short figure with blonde hair falling to the middle of her back. That had to be Chloe.
He approached her, and as he neared, he saw it was definitely her, so he called out her name and waved to her. She saw him, waved enthusiastically, and hurried over to him. As she approached, Lucas noted that aside from the short sleeved shirt and small shorts, she was wearing her Duel Belt System. She was far more enthusiastic about the game than he, and so had purchased the gaming system not long ago.
The belt was large and obvious, made of sleek, chrome-coated metal and was divided into five segments that served as the play zones, with a large rectangular buckle that held a slot at the top for Field Spell cards. The front of the buckle was mostly smooth, interrupted only by several indentations that were the same colour as the rest of the belt. Buttons of some kind, though Lucas had no idea what they were for. Each of the individual play zone segments was framed by chrome like the rest of the belt, though the actual face of the segments were black scanner panels. These segments also had slots in their tops for Spell and Trap cards.
On her right forearm, just near her wrist, Chloe wore the Deck Module, a circular unit with a segment cut out at the front where the deck was to be inserted. The top of the module was a circular touch screen that displayed the duel's vital information, as well as all the data about her side of the field. The rear of the disk had a removable segment that you could store an Extra Deck inside.
On her left forearm was a longer module, shaped more like an elongated oval than a disc. The front end held a slot for the Graveyard, and the rear end a slot for the cards that would be removed from play. Another screen, larger than the main one, graced this module, as well as a slot to link it up to a laptop or phone for mobile internet connection. There was a small flip-out keypad as well, so it was quite a multi-purpose system.
Overall, the system looked far more visually balanced out than a Duel Disk system, and was designed for more ubiquitous usage amongst fans of advanced technology. Duel Belts were still a relatively new phenomenon, and as Chloe approached Lucas glanced around to see if anyone else had one. There were a small number of Duel Belts, but a much larger number of Duel Disks and Duel Coats, as well as an array of other more obscure or uncommon duelling systems. Still, only about half of the people here had any form of duelling system, as the Academy was providing Duel Disks for the testing day.
"Hey, Lucas!"
Chloe hugged him, shifting her arms to avoid crushing her forearm modules against each other. Lucas smiled and hugged her back quickly, patting her on the shoulder. He let go after a moment, and Chloe took this as her cue to release him as well.
She looked over him, ascertaining his state today. There was a noted flicker of distaste in her eyes as she noticed his ripped jeans, but she didn't mention it, instead opting to focus more on other things.
"So… did you get it done in time?"
Lucas shook his head stiffly.
"No, not really. I'll have to use Dad's deck. I was considering mixing and matching the decks, but I'm a little worried about interfering with how this deck runs. I may not like it, but it's a regional championship deck, so I assume it runs pretty smoothly."
Chloe considered this for a moment, and then nodded her head, grabbing his arm.
"Yeah, fair enough. Let's go sign up, okay?"
Without even waiting for his response, she started to drag Lucas towards the desk, and he obligingly followed at a fairly quick pace. In fact, they were moving so quickly that when Chloe stopped suddenly, Lucas crashed into her and fell backwards, landing on his rear.
He stood up, rubbing his bruised buttocks, and looked over Chloe's head to see why she'd stopped. In front of her he saw a man with olive skin and dark black hair, slicked back in such an arrogant way that Lucas would have recognised him from a mile away.
"Hi Anton," Lucas ground through his teeth. Anton's eyes flicked briefly over to Lucas's face.
Anton was a figure from Chloe's past. An ex-boyfriend in fact, who had not taken the news of the break up well. There had been some incidents in the past that Lucas knew meant Chloe absolutely hated Anton, and to a degree feared him as well.
"Hey Chloe, how are you?"
Anton's focus was entirely on Chloe once more, and he'd put on a large smirk for her benefit. However, Chloe hadn't returned the favour, preferring to study her own shoes for the time being.
"Aren't gonna say hi to an old boyfriend? That's just bitchy, Chloe."
There was a drawn out silence, and Lucas willed Chloe not to say anything, not to buckle under Anton's domineering presence.
"… Hi, Anton," Chloe muttered softly.
Anton's smile somehow stretched even wider, as he derived pleasure from seeing Chloe squirm around him. He reached out and patted her on the shoulder. Chloe pulled back slightly, a reflex action that Anton seemed to ignore, though the fact that his grin now seemed to stretch from ear to ear indicated he'd noticed it.
"Still hanging out with old Lukey, I see. Dating him yet?"
Again, silence stretched out between them. It was heavy and painful, and Lucas found he couldn't stand it any more. He grabbed Chloe by the wrist and pulled her off to the side.
"C'mon Chloe, we'd better sign up."
Without looking back, Chloe and Lucas headed over to the sign-up desk and lined up. Anton watched for a moment, before melting back into the crowd.
Izzy glanced at her watch as she ran straight onto the campus grounds. It was almost 10:30, which was exactly when the attendance sign-ups would close so the exams could begin promptly at 11.
She ran through a courtyard, heading towards the Arena, darting in between the crowd, which was getting bigger as she approached the arena. She was still thinking about her new, hastily-built deck, hoping against hope that it would do. She was wrapped up in her thoughts, and so didn't see the odd young man who was chatting to a group of other people in her path.
The resultant collision happened so quickly that before she was even aware of it, Izzy was sprawled on the ground, tangled up with the man. She looked at him for a moment, taking in how his hair appeared to be in dreadlocks. But on closer inspection, as she untangled herself from him, she realised that those dreadlocks were actually pieces of flexible pipe, strips of metal and all sorts of other long thin pieces of industrial junk that could give the impression of futuristic junk-styled dreadlocks. Obviously it had worked, given her immediate impressions.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching at all! I'm so sorry!"
The man looked up at her, his smooth, thin, almost effeminate face studying her own. She noted that despite his skin being so smooth and young-looking, he had to be at least 25.
He chuckled, a soft, warm-hearted laugh that sounded earnest, and not the least bit offended. He held his hand out to her, and she grabbed it, hauling him up to his feet.
"That's okay. Just be a little more careful next time…" he looked at her questioningly.
She stared blankly back at him. What was he looking at her like that for?
"Your name?"
The soft-spoken enquiry cut into her thoughts, and she gave herself a mental slap. Of course that was why he was looking at her strangely.
"Uh, Isabella. But I hate it, so call me Izzy."
As she introduced herself, her eyes focused lower than his strange hairstyle, now picking out his clothes. She had an eye for fashion, and the guy sure seemed to have one too. He was wearing a high-collar white shirt with a large red necktie, a cravat almost. Over the shirt he wore a black vest, which the tie was tucked into. The entire effect of the clothing would not have been out of place in the mid 1800s to early 1900s, and if Izzy had to guess, she'd say that was the entire point, to contrast the chaotic and industrial nature of the hair. It was a clash of eras, in a fashion package. There was a word for the style, but Izzy had no idea what it might be. Something long.
The man nodded, and then offered his hand once more, this time for a handshake.
"Lovely name. I'm Philippe Lemaine. Pleasure to meet you," he added charmingly.
Izzy flushed slightly, but then remembered she still had to sign up.
"Oh crap! Philippe, so sorry, again, it was awesome to meet you, but I gotta go sign up now, kay?"
She pointed towards the door once more, and when he nodded and turned back to the group he'd been talking with, she strode towards the door, to finish signing up.
The door slid open with ease and she stepped in.
"I can't believe you just ran into that guy."
The voice caught her off guard. It was a woman's voice, young and fresh, and seemed quite stern.
Izzy swung around, to see a girl with reddish brown hair that fell straight to her shoulders, but was tucked back behind her ears. The girl also wore a pair of oval glasses, surrounded by a red frame that seemed to go well with her hair colour.
Izzy had no idea what to say, and expressed her opinion that way.
"What?"
"That guy. Do you realise that you just knocked over the Kaiser of the Academy?"
Again, Izzy looked puzzled, but this time impatience was mixed into her features.
"Look, I don't have time-"
"Walk and talk, you can manage that, right?"
"Uhm… I guess…"
As they headed towards the sign-up desk, the girl beside Izzy continued to talk to her, taking on almost lecturing tones.
"Yeah, he's the Kaiser, the best of the Academy. He came today to interact with first-year students. Philippe is an incredible duelist."
"How so?" asked Izzy as they lined up, a hint of amusement as well as bemusement mixed through her voice.
"Well, he's probably going to be the next King of Games, or so I've heard. I mean, there was Yugi, and then there was Juudai after Yugi retired. The smart money says Philippe Lemaine will be the next to take that title," the girl stated matter-of-factly.
"Whoa. Hold on a moment, hate to stop your little fanspeech there, but I don't even know who you are."
The girl looked at Izzy blankly for a moment, then nodded.
"True. I don't know yours either. I guess I'm a bit worried about the entrance exam, so I'm talking a lot more about nothing than I normally-"
"Your name?"
"Oh, of course. Susannah Buchanan. You?"
"Isabella White. But I hate that name. So you can call me Izzy."
The younger woman pondered this for a moment, then shook her head.
"No, I'm not a fan of nicknames. Isabella is a wonderful name."
Izzy felt an urge to reply sharply, but at that moment the student in front of her stepped away from the desk and she stepped up to fill in her details.
As she filled them in, she noticed that Susannah was still talking, and also noticed that despite the lecturing tones, there was definitely a nervous edge. Izzy had no idea what she was talking about though.
"Uh, yeah. Susannah. Look, we'll be bestest friends forever if you just kept quiet a bit, okay?"
Susannah shot a dirty look at her, then looked around the room. She seemed to spot something, and tapped Izzy on the shoulder.
"Hey, Isabella?"
"Yes, what?" Izzy replied, rather sharply.
"Did you want to talk to Philippe some more? He's just over there, talking to some other entrants. I think he'd be fascinating to speak to."
Izzy looked over her shoulder, at where Philippe was. His hair made him incredibly easy to spot. He was only ten or so meters away, talking to a surfie boy and a girl who was wearing the new Duel Belt System. She watched him speak for a moment, marvelling at how even from this distance, unable to hear him over the noise of all the students, she was able to tell that he was speaking in good cheer, giving them encouraging words and advice.
"Yeah, okay. Let's go speak to him."
Izzy and Susannah wandered over idly, and hung near by Philippe and the others, listening in and making it obvious they were waiting to speak to him.
"Oh, hey there Izzy. These two are Chloe and Lucas."
Philippe quickly introduced them, making Izzy blush as he introduced her as the girl who knocked him off his feet and caused him to see stars.
"We were just talking about Chloe's deck. It's pretty fascinating. What do you run, anyway, Izzy?" he asked casually.
"Erm…"
Izzy was mortified. Philippe was the Kaiser of the whole Academy. She couldn't show him the deck she'd slapped together on the bus. Not a chance.
"I'm actually here to become a card designer, not a duelist, so, yeah. My deck's not really important."
Philippe nodded appreciatively.
"A designer? That's excellent. The more designers we get, the greater diversity of ideas, and that can only be good for the game," he concluded. His brow furrowed slightly.
"Still, despite not being as important as for those who are attempting to become real duelists, this entrance duel is still important. Want me to take a quick look at your deck?"
Izzy hesitated, somewhat embarrassed.
"Do it!" whispered Susannah in her ear. "He's the Kaiser, remember? Any advice from him is pure gold!"
Izzy reluctantly handed over her deck to Philippe after another short moment, silencing the pokes that she was receiving in the back from Susannah.
Chloe, Susannah and Lucas chatted quietly while Philippe flicked through the deck, and Izzy joined in as well, idly chatting about various things, occasionally shooting glances at Philippe.
"It's not very good. I lost my actual deck yesterday, and so I just bought some Starter Decks and combined them together to make this one while I was on the bus today," Izzy explained apologetically when Philippe was done.
Philippe smiled at this, and pulled a deckbox out of his pocket.
"That's okay. I brought a stash of spare cards with me today, to give to players who needed a bit of extra power in their deck, and I can see you definitely need it, after such unfortunate circumstances."
He searched around for a bit, before procuring five cards. He held them out to Izzy, who took them gratefully.
"I could probably make a much better deck for you, using what's there as well as a significant number of my spares, but then it wouldn't be your deck, and you wouldn't be making it in off your own skill. So I'm lending you a helping hand with these five cards, but I'm not going to play this duel for you by altering your deck significantly."
He finished up his explanation, then shrugged.
"Anyway, those five cards should be more than enough for you to win. You might have to play smart to get them all though."
Philippe glanced at his watch, and then looked at the four standing in front of him.
"Anyway, I'd better get going. Exams will start soon, and I'll be up in the box, watching them all. Full readouts of what each player has in their hand, things like that. I'll be running through what I'd do in a situation and comparing it with what they do. I need to know if there's anyone around who will be good competition for me, right?"
He laughed at his own comment, and waved to the others as he weaved away through the crowds.
"Wow, so I guess this is it," announced Lucas.
"Yeah. I can't wait!" declared Chloe confidently.
Izzy and Susannah said nothing, but while Izzy felt horrible at the though of having to duel in a competitive scene with her rubbish deck, Susannah felt confident about her own deck, despite being a little nervous.
A crackle echoed through the arena lobby as the P.A. system snapped to life, and a commanding voice emerged.
"Attention everybody! The entrance exam duels are about to begin! Names will be announced six at a time, and those named shall enter the arena. Duel Disks are set out just inside for those who require them. Now…"
The doors leading into the main section of the arena swung open.
"The exams begin!"