Chapter 1 - Entrance Exams
Sunlight gently filtered into my room as my alarm clock began to beep. I groaned and shut the alarm clock and opened my phone to check the day. I was quite tired from fixing my deck yesterday which reminded me that today was the entrance exam testing day at the Duel Academy. I grabbed my deck on my desk and placed in to a deck holder before getting prepared to go out. After getting ready I placed my deck into a pocket, grabbed my Kaiba Corp Duel Disk and headed out knowing my parents were already out to work. I stared at my pocket with a stab of guilt because my parents always wanted me to study hard to become a professor but once I got introduced t Duel Monsters, I couldn't help but try my best to become a professional at it. Not to mention the fact that months before the exams I beat up a kid for bullying a group of kids, I literally beat them down. I just hated that kind of stuff, injustices and what not. I got off with a few bruises and cuts but the other kids left with much worse and I wasn't proud of doing it, it was just I couldn't stand kids getting victimized by others. I was almost guaranteed a spot in one of the most prestigious high schools in the region but thanks to the fight they began to reconsider the decision to let me in. Naturally my parents opposed it and then I decided to go try to enter Academia, a compromise between me and my parents because Academia was a prestigious dueling school, any parents will be proud to have their kid enrolled. So there I was in the morning the entrance exams feeling very hopeful to make it in. I grabbed my beat-up helmet out of my closet then I strapped in over my head as I ran outside of my apartment to unchain my bike off the rack. My bike was old but it got its job done well, it moved and could break, what more did I want?
I arrived at the large building where the exams were to take place; it was an old dueling arena where many people gathered to watch professional duelists at their best. I quickly chained my bike next a large amount of others as I saw a figure far off a head coming towards me. It took me a little while to realize who it was but I smiled finally realizing the person, my best friend Ron, a close childhood friend. I waved cheerily at him as he walked over to give me a big hug, not to mention a very tight one, because he did things like that. "Are you ready for this?" I asked as I headed towards the entrance.
"Yeah! We are so getting in the same dorm, probably Ra Yellow because we're not rich enough to become an Obelisk Blue." he answered as he walked besides me.
"I don't know, I feel this strange attraction to Slifer Red."
"Oh you and your low self-esteem."
"It's not low self-esteem, it's just the fact I get unlucky or I don't think enough while I duel."
"You're good at duel puzzles and know enough about Duel Monsters."
"Yeah well... I kind of suck. Anyways let's sign up."
Ron and I headed to the receptionist desk and submitted our names and entered the stadium. In there we saw four dueling fields in the center with hundreds of other prospects and other academy students in the surrounding seats, waiting there and watching the duels. We picked a couple seats and watched someone using his deck to duel a standard testing deck. The deck was obviously a fire deck because I saw a Darkfire Soldier #1 equipped with a Burning Spear. The hologram stood impressively with the fires and everything with a spear instead of the sword depicted on the card. With 2100 ATK I questioned if the much younger duelist could handle it with just a face down monster card. I knew that most times a person would put a face down monster summoned in one turn was when it had high defense meaning that it most likely had 2000, in rare cases 2100 and for one specific card 2700, none the less the tester had the advantage. Once the Dark Fire Soldier charged at it with its new weapon only to meet a strange looking monster with giant hands, a Mind Protector and that had 2200 defense points. The left over damage got reflected to the tester as he gritted his teeth glaring at the blonde haired prospect. 'Ah he's using Psychics. This ought to be interesting.' I thought as I watched the kid draw for his turn.
He lost 500 life points due to Mind Protectors effect bringing his life points down to 1800 compared to the 2300 life points that the tester had. The kid smiled, "I tribute Mind Protector to summon Psychic Emperor! And thanks to his effect, with 4 psychic monsters in the graveyard, he gets 2000 extra ATK bringing his ATK points to 4400. I attack Darkfire Soldier!" the boy commanded as he watched the monster get destroyed and the tester's life points dwindle down to zero.
"Congratulations! You made it into the Duel Academy!" the man said as the Psychic duelist walked off, he looked like a very interesting person to befriend, I hoped that I would be roommates with him judging that he got into my dorm of course. Although I did notice that the boy was saying stuff under his breath and the only think I caught was 'wrong effect' and 'stupid tester' but I ignored it knowing that he probably made a mistake somewhere in the duel.
Then I turned my attention to another duelist facing another tester with no monsters on his field and only 2000 Life Points left while the young duelist himself had a monster on the field with 500 life points. "Judgment Dragon, attack!" he commanded dropping his opponent's life points to zero.
The tester repeated what he said to the duelist with Judgement Dragon, which probably meant he had Lightsworns, a very strong but risky deck type. I gulped as I heard my name get called up so I walked up to the arena and placed my deck into my duel disk and stared at the tester. "Ready? Duel!" he said as he gestured for me to go first.
I drew my first card of the test and looked at the my hand, I had no fusion cards nor fusion gate. I sighed knowing that I had the worst possible luck ever and placed down two cards face down and summoned Elemental Hero Sparkman, one of the strongest heroes and one of my favorite. "I activate Foolish Burial to place a card in the graveyard. My turn ends." I said hoping that my plan would work.
"Good. I activate Umi from my hand! Which-"
"Powers all Fish, Sea Serpent, Thunder, and Aqua type monsters' attack and defense by 200 and lowers the attack and defense of all Machine and Pyro type monsters by 200 on the field. I know. You'll probably summon one of those first types I mentioned. Maybe Warrior of Atlantis to get Legendary Ocean?" I interrupted looking a bit annoyed.
The tester looked even more annoyed and then summoned Giant Red Seasnake. "You were wrong! Now Giant Red Seasnake! Attack Sparkman!" he commanded as I watched the red thing attacked my vulnerable hero.
"That's what you think; I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow to negate that attack." I said watching the strange looking mesh of metal pop out to defend my card.
He growled as he set a card and ended his turn. I drew a card and smiled, I drew Polymerization. "First I normal summon Elemental Hero Bladedge because of the card in my graveyard, Elemental Hero Necroshade. Then I activate Polymerization to summon Elemental Hero Plasma Vice! I discard Elemental Hero Necroshade in my hand to destroy your Giant Red Seasnake. Now I attack directly!" I said expecting a 2600 direct hit damage only he played Mirror Force. It was then I also realized I could have saved Necroshade's effect by fusing Bladedge out of my hand, oh how pressure made me make stupid mistakes.
I groaned as I ended my turn as he drew and summoned Mermaid Knight (1500/700) which gained 200 extra attack points from Umi on field. "I attack with Mermaid Knight!"
Confused I activated Scrap-Iron Scarecrow watching the same scrap metal come out to negate the attack. "Since Umi is on field, Mermaid Knight's effect activates! It can attack again for 1700 damage!" the tester said as I grunted, taking the direct hit.
I gritted my teeth as my Life Points fell [2300/4000]. I drew a card and smiles since I got my second Scrap-Iron Scarecrow. I set it and ended my turn. "Now I summon Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 (1500/1300)! Now it may lose 200 attack points from Umi but its effect activates to attack you directly, now attack!"
I quickly negated both of Mermaid Knight's attacks but took the hit from the Amphibious Bugroth and gritted my teeth as my Life Points [1000/4000] feel further.
His turn ended and I drew a monster card, Elemental Hero Woodsman, which was very helpful in my situation. I put him in face down defense position and ended my turn. He drew a card and he smiled as he equipped Power of Kaishin to Amphibious Bugroth to increase its attack by 300. It attacked my life points directly but I negated it with my Scrap-Iron Scarecrow. Then I blocked Mermaid Knight's first attack to give an illusion that I at least tried to save my monster and fortunately he attacked Woodsman (1000/2000) causing him to lose 300 Life Points [1000/3700] reflected from Woodsman's 2000 defense. Before he ended his turn he set a card then he summoned Levia-Dragon-Daedalus on to the field for no good reason and didn't activate his dangerous effect, his loss. I did wonder why he didn't maybe it was because he was supposed to test me and not beat me completely. I drew my next card and smiled knowing I had just won the duel. "I use Woodsman's effect to bring a Polymerization into my hand. Now I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart. I activate Polymerization to bring in Elemental Hero Gaia! His effect allows me to steal half of Daedalus' attack and give to Gaia bring his attack to 3500 attack!" I exclaimed as the giant powerful hero formed, "And because of this guy's effect he steals half your monster's attack points and adds it to his!"
"That's not enough to help you. I still have a chance at winning." the tester said calmly.
"Yeah you see, you treat me like I'm pretty weak. I know a lot so I activate the card in my hand. Miracle Fusion! This allows me to fuse my removing from play Elemental Heroes, even from my Graveyard! I remove from play Woodsman and Wildheart to summon a second Elemental Hero Gaia who also takes half of your Daedalus' attack again! So now it has only 650 attack and my second Gaia has 2850 attack. You have 3300 life points. Gaia attack!" I said watching my older opponent smile, which made me feel uneasy.
"You should watch your moves next time, I had this face down for a while now. I activate Magic Cylinder to reflect your damage!" he said smiling broadly.
"I've had my face down for quite a while too and no it's not Seven Tools of the Bandit if you're wondering. I activate Royal Decree which negates all activation of traps. So my attack goes through." I said feeling quite proud of myself.
The tester gritted his teeth as he took the 2200 damage [1000/1500] from Gaia crushing his giant Sea Dragon. "Finish him." I commanded as my monster attack to beat the only obstacle between me and attending Duel Academy. Feeling excited I ran over to a surprisingly short line of the other entrees. I awaited patiently to sign my name at the receptionist desk.