A Studious Duel
Sunset High School is sitting quietly as class was in session. The reason for its name is the fact that the colors of the walls are Red, Yellow, and Orange. In a History Class sat a boy by the name of Ryan Santos. He was 16 and a junior. He had black hair, and green eyes, looking bored. He was in the school uniform which consisted of a red jacket, bearing the School's emblem on the back, which consists of a sun setting. It also included orange pants.
The bell had just ringed and the students were getting ready to leave. "That will be all class. And remember, the test on Arcadius is tomorrow." The teacher, said which resulted in the groans of many students, Ryan included. Ryan walked out of the room, a depressed look on his face. "Why the long face, Ryan?" a female voice sounded. Ryan turned to see his best friend, who is also the smartest girl in school, Elena Summers. She was the same age as Ryan and had long red hair. She also had blue eyes framed by her yellow glasses. She was in the female school uniform, which is like the male uniform, only it was a long orange skirt instead of orange pants.
"Hey, Elena. It's just that blasted test tomorrow. told me that if I flunk this one, I'm going to be held back." Ryan said. He wasn't a failing student, mind you. It's just that he's not as good in History as he is in other subjects. He can't find anything exciting about it. "Well, do you want to use my notes to help you study?" Elena offered, worried about her friend. "Thanks, but I have already written down everything that was given. It's just that I never seem to remember things on tests like this. I normally think of the different games I played as I get more pressure put on me." Ryan said.
Elena thought of this for a moment. Then she snapped her fingers. "I got it! Do you still have your Duel Disk from when you were still a kid?" She asked. "Yeah. I figured I would only sell it when it becomes too small for me." Ryan said. "Perfect. After you finish dinner, meet me by the river and bring your Duel Disk and Notes on Arcadius." Elena said before turning and taking off. "Wait! What's the plan?" Ryan shouted. "You'll know at the river!" Elena shouted before disappearing into a corner.
"What does that girl have going on in her head now?" Ryan thought, before shrugging and heading home. He decided to have dinner a little early after changing out of his uniform. He was now wearing a black shirt under a white jacket. He had grey pants, and his black and white running shoes. He was given the Title 'Card Sultan'. He had this title because not only has he won every local tournament involving Card Games, but he could speak Arabic fluently.
He went upstairs and got his Yu-Gi-Oh Deck. He looked through his deck, making sure he had everything ready for whatever Elena had in mind. "This new deck ought to keep Elena guessing." He thought. He also decided to do a bit of studying before he left. "I may fail regardless of what I do, but I can at least try and study." He thought as he ate. His dinner consisted of a microwave pizza, and a cup of Sierra Mist. When he checked the clock after some time passed, it read 17:25. "Might as well get this over with. Mom and Dad won't be home until 9, but I'll leave a note just in case." Ryan said before writing down a note and leaving it on the fridge.
He grabbed his Academy Duel Disk, which he had modified to actually make holograms, and put it on his left arm. The only people in town that have such Duel Disks are him and Elena. He placed his Deck in, grabbed his backpack, and headed over to the river, which was five minutes away by bus. When he arrived, the sun was about to set and Elena was standing there, waiting for him. She too had changed out of her uniform. She was now wearing a bright red shirt, black jeans, and white sneakers. She also had her Battle City Duel Disk on her left arm.
She noticed Ryan approaching and smiled brightly. "Glad you decided to come after all." She said. "Right. Well shall we begin?" Ryan said. "Did you study on the way here?" Elena asked. Ryan looked at her, confused. "Yeah, I did. I also studied a bit before I left home." He said. "Perfect. Then we can start right away." Elena said, rushing to get into position. Confused, Ryan just got into position. "To make things interesting, let's start with double the normal amount." Elena said which surprised Ryan. "She never wanted to set certain rules before." Ryan thought, but nodded anyway. They activated their Duel Disks and drew their five card Hands. "Let's Duel!" They shouted, their Life point meter starting at 16000.
"You can start." Elena said. "Here goes. I draw!" Ryan said, drawing. "Quick question. What years did Arcadius be born and die?" Elena said. Ryan raised an eyebrow. "What's she up to?" He thought. "Hurry and answer!" Elena shouted. "He was born in 377 AD and died 408 AD!" Ryan shouted. He barely caught a tone that went ding! It was like what you hear in game shows. Elena nodded at that. "Correct, your move." She said, smiling. Ryan just stared at her, dazed. "I swear that girl is more confusing then the Cheshire Cat." He thought before checking his hand.
"I'll place two cards face down." He said. As he placed the cards in the slots, two gigantic versions of those cards appeared, the details facing the ground. "Now I'll place a monster in Defense mode." Ryan said as another card appeared facing the ground. This one however, was sideways.
"I'll end my turn there." Ryan said. "Then it's my move!" Elena said, drawing a card. "Quick, ask me a question on Arcadius!" Elena shouted. Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Um… who was Arcadius' father?" He asked. He then heard the sound of ticking. "Arcadius' father was known as Theodosius the Great." Elena said. The ding went off again. Ryan noticed he couldn't hear the ticking anymore. "That's weird." Ryan thought.
"Now, I summon Breaker, the Magical Warrior!" Elena shouted as she placed a card on her Duel Disk. In a flash of light, the warrior appeared. It was wearing red and yellow armor, a purple cape, and held a sword and matching shield with a purple gem in it. It had 1600 Attack Points, 1000 Defense Points and was Level 4. "When Breaker is summoned, he gets a Spell Counter. And for each Spell Counter he has, he gets 300 Attack Points." Elena said. Breaker's Shield glow a Purple color as his Attack Points went up to 1900.
"Now by removing that Spell Counter, I can destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards." Elena said. Breaker aimed his shield on the card on Ryan's left. It flipped up to reveal a card called 'Defense Draw' before shattering into pixels. Elena groaned in frustration as Breaker's Attack Points went back to normal. "Great. I just wasted a Spell Counter. Oh well, I'll just have to take a chance." She thought. "Breaker, attack that facedown!" She shouted as Breaker charged in.
The face down flipped up to reveal some form of a skeleton. It was wearing a dark red cloak, a white mask with green eyes, and held a white scepter with a purple jewel at the tip. It had 600 Attack Points, 700 Defense Points and was Level 3. It was sliced in half before shattering into pixels. "I activate Hero Signal!" Ryan shouted as he flipped his face down card up. "Thanks to you destroying a monster, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or less Elemental 'HERO' Monster from my deck. But first I chain it with Phantom Magician's effect." He said as the Graveyard Zone of his Duel Disk shined.
"When this Magician is taken down, I can Special Summon a 'HERO' monster in Defense Mode. As long as it has 1000 or less Attack that is. And I choose Elemental HERO Woodsman!" He shouted as his monster appeared. Like the name suggests, he was a man that appeared to be made of wood. He had 1000 Attack, 2000 Defense and was Level 4. "And now with Hero Signal, I summon Elemental HERO Stratos!" Ryan shouted as his monster appeared.
This Hero had bright blue skin and wore a white helmet with a blue visor. He also had white turbine wings attached to a blue armored vest. He had 1800 Attack, 300 Defense, and was a Level 4. "Stratos' effect gives me two options when he's summoned. I pick the second option to bring a HERO to my hand. And I choose Elemental HERO Neos." Ryan said as he picked said card from his deck. "So you're using a HERO Deck." Elena said. She looked at her hand, and then at the field.
She picked two cards from her hand and placed it in her duel disk. "I set two cards face down and end my turn." Elena said as the cards appeared. "Okay, my turn!" Ryan said as he drew. "Who tried to marry his daughter off to Arcadius and why?" Elena asked. Ryan just looked at her confused. "Um, Rufinus tried to do it to gain more power." Ryan said. There was a buzzer. "Sorry, you were right on the person but wrong on the motive. Rufinus was trying to cement his given power by marrying off his daughter." Elena said. Ryan noticed his Life Point meter had gone down to 15000. "What's going on?" He asked.
"You see, I set this duel up for a reason. Since you only seem to think of your games while pressure is on you, you can focus on this duel. Each turn, we quiz each other. A computer shows the correct answer if either an answer is given or time to answer is up. If you're right, the duel continues, but if you're wrong, you lose 1000 life points." Elena explained. Ryan widened his eyes. "That's why you challenged me to a duel with double the normal amount of Life Points." He said in realization.
Elena nodded her head. "Now, let's continue." Elena said. "Uh, right. On my Standby Phase, thanks to Woodsman, I add 'Polymerization' my hand." Ryan said, picking up said card. Then he placed it on his Duel Disk. "Now I'm activating it. And with it, I merge Stratos and the Bubbleman in my hand." He said. A new monster appeared. This one was wearing light blue armor over a blue skintight suit. He appeared to have diving tanks on his back, and a nozzle on his wrist.
The two HEROs jumped into a vortex. "I Fusion Summon Elemental HERO Absolute Zero!" Ryan shouted as a new HERO appeared from the vortex. This one was wearing pure white armor, like it was made out of snow. A white cape flurried like a blizzard from the back. This was a Level 8 Monster with 2500 Attack and 2000 Defense. "I activate my face down card, DNA Surgery!" Elena shouted, revealing her face down.
"Now I say a monster type, and all monsters are treated like that type as long as this card is in play. And I choose Spellcasters!" She shouted. Woodsman and Absolute Zero changed drastically. Woodsman now looked like a magician with armor made out off wood and held a wooden staff. Absolute Zero looked like a wizard in a white robe. He held a pure white staff with a crystal shaped like a snowflake at the tip.
"What's she up to?" Ryan thought. He decided to worry about it later. "Absolute Zero, attack Breaker with Blizzard Wave!" He shouted. Absolute Zero pointed his staff at Breaker, and charged energy. "I activate Magician's Circle!" Elena shouted, flipping her other face own. Ryan widened his eyes. "That's why you used DNA Surgery! You needed a Spellcaster to attack!" Ryan shouted. "You guessed it. Now we both can Special Summon a Spellcaster with 2000 or less Attack Points in Attack Mode. And I choose to Special Summon a favorite of mine. Come forth, Dark Magician Girl!" Elena shouted.
A new monster appeared and this one was female. She had long blonde hair, pink eyes, and was wearing light blue and pink armor, each piece having an orange crystal on it. She had a small pink cape attached to her back. She held a short blue staff with a golden tip. She was a Level 6 Monster with 2000 Attack and 1700 Defense.
Ryan grunted in frustration. "I got no choice. I Special Summon another Phantom Magician." He said as another Phantom Magician appeared. "I'm taking a risk by not destroying Dark Magician Girl, but I need to close the gap of Life points." He thought. "Absolute Zero, finish off Breaker!" He shouted as Absolute Zero launched his attack. It destroyed Breaker and Elena's Life Points went down to 15100.
"Now I place two cards face down, and end my turn." Ryan said, the cards appearing. The only card he has in his hand now was Neos. "My turn." Elena said, drawing. "What is Arcadius' wife's name?" Ryan asked. "Aelita Eudoxia." Elena said immediately, not knowing her grammar error. She heard the buzzer. "What?!" She shouted as her Life Points became 14100. The answer showed Aelia, not Aelita. "Looks like even you're wrong sometimes." Ryan said, chuckling.
"You like that, don't you?" Elena muttered, placing a card in her Duel Disk. "I activate Sage's Stone. I can only activate this if I have 'Dark Magician Girl' on the field. With this, I summon the headliner of all Spellcasters, Dark Magician!" She shouted. A new monster appeared. This one was a tall male. He was dressed in a purple robe, matching his hair, which was hidden, and his eyes. He had a long green staff. Dark Magician is a Level 7 Monster with 2500 Attack, and 2100 Defense.
"Uh-oh!" Ryan shouted. "Uh-oh is right! Dark Magician, attack Woodsman with Dark Magic Attack!" Elena shouted. Dark Magician launched a purple orb of energy. "I activate my face down, Scrap Iron Scarecrow!" Ryan shouted, flipping his card face up. A scarecrow made out of metal appeared and blocked the attack. "And as you know, not only does this card block an attack, it also sets right back down." Ryan said.
Elena growled a bit. But then she smirked. "But now you can't reactivate it. So Dark Magician Girl can take out your Phantom Magician no problem! Go Dark Burning Attack!" She shouted as Dark Magician Girl launched a spell at said Magician. Elena thought she had got him, but a blue energy shield blocked the attack. "What?" Elena asked. She looked at Ryan and saw a card flipped face up.
"You may have changed my HEROs' types, but not their names, meaning I could still use my Hero Barrier. This card stops an attack if I have an Elemental HERO out." He explained as the card vanished. Elena growled a bit, being outsmarted like that. She took two cards from her hand. "I place two cards face down and end my turn." She said.
"My turn." Ryan said, drawing. "True or False: Arcadius was made co-Augustus not long after he was born." Elena said. "True, but it was a ceremonial title due to his young age." Ryan said. The ding went off. "Now Woodsman's effect gives me back 'Polymerization'." He said, taking the card. "Now I switch Phantom Magician to Defense Mode, and summon Elemental HERO Heat!" He shouted, noting the changes to his HERO. Heat now looked like a Magician in flame themed robes. He is a Level 4 Monster with 1600 Attack and 1200 Defense.
"Now for each Elemental HERO I have out, Heat gains 200 Attack, including himself." Ryan said as Heat's Attack went to 2200. "Now I activate Polymerization! And with it, I merge Absolute Zero with Neos!" He shouted as the two went through the vortex. "Come forth, Elemental HERO The Shining!" He shouted as a new HERO appears. The effects of DNA Surgery took effect.
The Shining now resembles the Dark Magician, except Shining's robe is white and the staff is yellow. There was also a red crystal imbedded in the robe. Shining is a Level 8 monster with 2600 Attack and 2100 Defense. "Now Absolute Zero's effect activates." Ryan says as a Spirit of Absolute Zero in his normal form appeared. "When he goes, so do all of your monsters!" He shouts as the spirit launched a wind. It froze the two Magicians before they shattered.
"Now go Shining! Attack Elena directly with Ray of Light!" Ryan shouted. Shining launched a yellow beam. "I activate Magic Cylinder!" Elena shouted, flipping one of her face downs. All of a sudden, two Cylinders appeared, one of them absorbing the beam. "Here's what happens. Not only does my card stop your attack, but it also gives you Damage equal to your monster's Attack Points."
As Elena said that, the beam came out of the other cylinder and hit Ryan. "Yikes!" He shouted as his life points went down to 12400. "Oh well. Go Heat! Attack with Nova Blaze!" He shouted as Heat launched a flame. "I activate Call of the Haunted!" Elena said, flipping her card up.
"With it, Dark Magician, returns to the field!" She shouted as the Magician reappears. Luckily for Ryan, he could call off his attack. "Perfect. Not only did I fail to land a hit on her Life Points, but now I'm wide open to an attack. I can only hope that my Scrap Iron Scarecrow can hold." He thought. "Turn end." Ryan said. "Then my move!" Elena said, drawing. "Who ruled the western half of the Empire while Arcadius ruled the east?" Ryan said. "Honorius Flavius, Arcadius' younger brother." Elena said. The ding went off and the duel continued.
"I activate Monster Reborn!" She shouted as her card appeared. "With this card, I summon back Dark Magician Girl!" She said as the Mage appeared once more. "But neither she nor her teacher will be here for long. I sacrifice them both to Special Summon my ace, Sorcerer of Dark Magic!" Elena shouted as her Sorcerer appeared.
This monster resembled Dark Magician, but this one had black robes instead of purple. And the staff is different. It was a long, black staff, with light green claws gripping a light blue crystal. Upon closer inspection, one could see the blonde hair and blue eyes. Sorcerer of Dark Magic is a Level 9 Monster with 3200 Attack and 2800 Defense.
"Oh, great! Now my Scarecrow is useless." Ryan said. "That's right. Now Sorcerer, destroy The Shining with Mystic Scepter Blast!" Elena shouted. The Sorcerer launched a purple orb of energy. It hit The Shining and destroyed it. Ryan grunted as his Life Points went down to 11800. "And since you don't have any banished HEROs, The Shining's effect is useless. Not to mention Heat's attack goes down." Elena said as Heat's attack lowered to 2000.
"I'll end my turn there by playing one card face down. It's your turn." Elena said. Ryan sighed a bit. "Okay. It's my turn." Ryan said as he drew. He checked it. His eyes widened. "This might be just what I need to turn this duel around." He thought. "What is Arcadius often quoted as?" Elena asked. "The first Byzantine ruler." Ryan said, careful to pronounce it. The ding went off. "Now Woodsman gives me back Polymerization." He said, grabbing said card.
"I activate Fifth Hope!" He shouted, putting the card in his Duel Disk. "This card works like Pot of Avarice, except I can only use it if I have at least 5 'Elemental HEROs'. And by returning those 5 to the Deck, I can shuffle it, and then draw 2 cards." Ryan said as he did so. The monsters returned were Neos, Bubbleman, Stratos, Absolute Zero, and The Shining.
Ryan smiled at the cards he drew. "Perfect. I activate Super Polymerization!" Ryan shouted, making Elena gasp in shock. "By sending one card from my hand to the grave, I can fuse monsters on both sides of the field. I merge Elemental HERO Heat with Sorcerer of Dark Magic!" He shouted as the monsters were both absorbed by the vortex after he discarded his Polymerization. "I Fusion Summon Elemental HERO Escuridao!" He shouted as his new monster appeared.
With DNA Surgery in effect, Escuridao was a Magician as well. He was pitch-black, like a shadow. He was a Level 8 monster with 2500 Attack and 2000 Defense. "This monster gets 100 extra Attack for each Elemental 'HERO' in the graveyard." Ryan said as Escuridao's attack became 2600. "And now I sacrifice Phantom Magician and Woodsman to summon one of the most famous of HEROs, Elemental HERO Neos!" Ryan shouted as Phantom and Woodman vanished.
This hero only went through one change, having a white staff with a blue jewel at the tip. Neos more or less looked the same. He was a tall alien like hero in a white bodysuit. It had black cloth under some parts of the suit, and there was some red lining. He also had a blue jewel centered in his chest. Neos was a Level 7 monster with 2500 Attack and 2000 defense. Escuridao's Attack also went up to 2700. "Now go my HEROs. Attack Elena with Shadow Shock and Cosmic Crush!" Ryan shouted as his monsters launched their attacks. "I activate Miniaturize! This card decreases your Escuridao's Attack by 1000." Elena said as Escuridao's Attack became 1700. But the attacks still hit and Elena tried to shield herself as her Life Points went down to 9900.
"I end my turn there." Ryan said. Elena was about to draw. "Hey Elena." Ryan said making her look at him. "How about we end this duel in an interesting way? The first person whose Life Points go down below half our starting Life Points loses." He said. Elena pondered on this. "Okay. It's a deal, but if I win, you do realize you'll lose your title, 'Card Sultan'." She said. "Then I won't lose." Ryan said. Elena smiled as she drew. "True or false: Arcadius was an effective leader." Ryan said. "False. His rule changed nothing." Elena said as the ding went off.
Elena looked at her card and smiled. "This is it." Elena whispered. "I place one card facedown. That ends my turn." She said. "Even if he gets a powerful monster on the field, my Mirror Force will stop him and leave him wide open." She thought. "It's my turn." Ryan said, drawing. "And personally, I think Arcadius was effective, just not in that era." He said which confused Elena. "After all, if it weren't for him, I may not have had such a fun duel." He said which Elena smiled at.
"What death did Arcadius face?" Elena asked Ryan. "He was killed?" Ryan guessed. The buzzer went off. As Ryan's Life Points fell to 10800, the answer revealed that Arcadius died a natural death. "Oh well." Ryan said looking at the card he drew. His eyes widened at the card then looked at Elena's facedown. "I end my turn. No way am I getting ahead of myself." Ryan said, which shocked Elena. "My…turn." Elena deadpanned, drawing. "At what age was Arcadius' son named Augustus?" Ryan asked. "Age one." Elena said.
"I activate The Dark Door. With this, we can only attack once." Elena said. A door surrounded by shadows appeared between Ryan and Elena. "My turn is over." Elena said. Ryan then looked at his deck. "It all comes down to this turn. Let's hope I get what I need." Ryan thought. "It's my turn!" He said, drawing. "Who did Arcadius' government die to?" Elena asked which made Ryan cringe. "Great. That was the one thing I didn't study on." He thought. "I guess it fell to Rufinus." Ryan said. The buzzer went off.
"The right answer was the praetorian prefect Anthemius." Elena said as Ryan's Life Points went to 9800. Elena smirked. "Perfect. Now if he attacks, I'll just have to draw the right card next turn, and end the duel." She thought. Ryan looked at the card he drew, then looked at the other in his hand. He smirked. "It's over Elena. I summon Elemental HERO Wildheart!" He shouted. His new HERO appeared.
It was a man wearing a white loincloth around his waist. He also had bandages around his wrists, a shark tooth necklace around his neck and had red makings on his chest and shoulders. His black hair was in a ponytail, and he had a large sword in his right hand. He is a Level 4 Warrior with 1500 Attack and 1600 Defense. Elena looked at Wildheart confused. "Why isn't he affected by DNA Surgery?" She asked. "Because no Trap Card can affect him." Ryan said which made Elena stare at him in shock. "Then Mirror Force is useless against him." She thought but snapped out of it.
"No matter, thanks to my Dark Door Spell, you can only attack with one monster, meaning I'll still have enough Life Points to make it." She said, referring to her 9900 Life Points. "But I just drew the card I needed to win this duel. I play Gift of the Martyr!" Ryan said, activating his Spell Card. "You see, by tributing a monster, I can give that many Attack points to another monster. So by Sacrificing Neos, I give his attack to Wildheart!" Ryan said. Neos turned into a spirit and entered Wildheart's body, increasing his attack to 4000.
"4000 Attack points?!" Elena shouted. "And that's more than enough to end this duel. So go Wildheart! Finish this duel with Wild Spirit Sword Slash!" Ryan shouted. Wildheart charged in with his sword at the ready. He struck Elena, depleting her Life Points to 5900. Normally, the duel would continue, but thanks to the last minute conditions, the duel is over, and Ryan had won.
Elena fell on her butt, exhausted as the holograms vanished. "Looks like you win again." She said. "Yeah, and thanks to the duel, I am probably going to pass the test tomorrow." Ryan said. "Whoever said that games were distracting needs to look at our duel." Elena joked. The two laughed. Later on, the day of the test came and it turned out to be a paragraph essay, so it was easy for Ryan to look back on the duel.
"Arcadius Flavius, the son of Theodosius the Great, was born in Spain 377 AD. He was made co-Augustus in 383 AD, but it was an honorary title at first. His rule was something you would see in movies. A man by the name of Rufinus wanted the power of Augustus. Another man, Stilicho, took advantage of this and made the empire weak. It wasn't long until Arcadius fell out of power. Some may say he was an ineffective leader, but maybe they're wrong. It may not have had an effect in the past, but that doesn't mean nothing would happen in the future. If I were to have a say, I would state that the effect of Arcadius has yet to come." Ryan thought, writing it down.
Afterwards, the results came back, Ryan looked on his grade. It was an A-. "Yes! I aced it!" He shouted. "I'm impressed, Mr. Santos. Tell me, how did you come up with such an elaborate essay with so few facts?" Ms. Winters asked. "Let's just say…" Ryan trailed, looking at Elena. "I have a great study partner." He finished, grateful to his friend for not only helping him pass, but giving him such a great duel.