001 - Back In Session

Blake breathed deeply as he walked down the crowded hallways yet again. School was back in session for his Junior year of high school. He looked around at all the faces, familiar and new. He smiled and waved as he passed small groups of his friends and thought about all the possibilities for the year.

Blake looked at his reflection as he walked past a trophy case. He was very tall, standing around six foot three, and he had hair that had become blonde over the summer. He wore simple clothes - a yellow t-shirt with camo-print shorts, frayed at the bottom. He had cheap Old Navy black flip-flops on his feet, and accessory-wise he had a simple silver necklace. He stopped to toy with his hair momentarily before continuing on his way.

"Blake, stop walking so fast!" Blake smiled as he heard the voice of his best friend.

"Hey, Spencer!" Blake beamed, slowing his pace so that his friend could catch up. Spencer wasn't short, but considerably shorter compared to Blake. He had short brown hair spiked up in the front and brown eyes. He was wearing a white t-shirt with red sleeves and brown cargo shorts, with tennis shoes to top it all off.

"Where are you off to so fast?" Spencer asked.

"I was headed to lunch," Blake replied. "I knew that you were in there with me and I was anxious to see you."

"I'm flattered," Spencer said, a bit mockingly. "We have the whole last half of the day together, you know."

"Yeah, but it's been an entire summer," Blake explained. "I missed you."

Spencer chuckled. "Let's just get there. I'm hungry."

They continued making their way through the press of people in the hallway, heading towards the cafeteria and discussing their summer vacations.

The cafeteria was in the central part of the school, and had windows serving for walls. Because it was made mostly of glass, it had been deemed "the fishbowl." As the two of them entered the fishbowl, Blake felt another happy smile on his face.

"Robert!"

A short, black haired boy turned to look at him with brown eyes. He was wearing a green t-shirt and silver athletic shorts. "Hey."

"I had almost forgotten that you were starting high school this year!" Blake beamed.

"Yeah," Robert said. He always talked in a quiet mumble.

"Are you having a good first day of high school?" Blake asked cheerily.

"I'm gonna go get in line for some food," Spencer interjected.

"Okay."

"So, how's your day?" Blake reiterated.

Robert shrugged.

"C'mon, tell me about it!" Blake urged, taking a seat at a nearby table. Robert followed, sitting down alongside him.

Robert shrugged again, making an "I don't know" sound he often made.

"Ah, you're no help," Blake sighed, placing his lunch on the table and opening it. He began removing the contents, preparing to put his meal together. He had brought a put-it-together lunch for healthier eating.

"You gonna eat?" Blake said after a minute, though it was garbled by the food in his own mouth.

Robert shrugged again.

Blake rolled his eyes. "You're difficult."

Spencer returned to the table at that moment, setting down his tray. He motioned to Blake's lunch. "I meant to bring my own, but I forgot."

"Tsk, tsk," Blake mimicked reproach.

"Aw, shut up," Spencer said, nudging Blake gently on the shoulder. He took his seat. "Anyway, I'm glad I got in there when I did; that place is a madhouse! If I'd gotten there any later, I would've have been stuck there the whole lunch period."

"Yeah, it's impossible to buy anything here," Blake agreed. "That's why I bring my lunch."

"Hey," Spencer said, suddenly serious, "you see that guy?"

Blake looked to where Spencer was pointing. He saw a shorter boy about Robert's height. He had short brown hair and was wearing a navy American Eagle t-shirt and khaki shorts, with Aéropostale flip-flops.

"Yeah, I see him," Blake replied. "So?"

"He's a new guy," Spencer said.

"We get new kids all the time," Blake muttered nonchalantly. "What's special about him?"

"He's supposed to be really into Duel Monsters," Spencer finished.

"Really?" Blake said, sitting up with a new interest.

"Really," Spencer smiled. "I'm not sure how good he is or how he duels, but supposedly he's got a passion for dueling."

"Well, you know, there's only one way to find out, really," Blake winked, and he stood and made his way toward the new kid, who had sat at an empty table by himself and had begun eating without raising his eyes from his food.

The boy's eyes didn't leave his food, even when Blake sat down across from him. "Hi," Blake said.

No reply.

"Hello?" Blake asked. "My name's Blake."

Still no answer.

Blake leaned forward, resting his chin in his hand. "I came over here because I heard you like Duel Monsters."

The boy's eyes left his food and flashed across Blake before returning to the food.

Blake sat there for a moment, stunned. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

The boy looked up at him. "Why are you here?"

Blake was taken aback. "I told you! I heard you like Duel Monsters!"

"And?"

"And . . . so do I! I figured you might be looking for some people to play with."

The boy's green eyes met Blake's blue eyes, intensity and electricity flaring through them. "I only play with the best."

Blake was again caught off guard, especially with the viscious way the boy had replied.

He went back to eating.
"What's your name?"

"Andrew. Not that it matters."

Blake shook his head. This attitude from Mr. Andrew was already wearing his usually ample patience thin. "Look, do you want to duel?"

"I don't have time to waste. I know that there's a local tournament here in about a month, and I need to be focusing on my deck strategy."

Blake was tired of Andrew, but the call to duel was too much. "Maybe you can test your deck strategy against me?"

"I don't think so."

"Why not? You've never dueled me, seen me duel, or heard about how I duel. It's perfect; a complete unknown!"

"Let's not."

"It'll be a real challenge! I'd bet you don't get that much!"

Andrew sighed. "Why are you so dead set on this?"

"Because I want the challenge of facing someone I've never seen before!" Blake said excitedly.

Andrew smirked mirthlessly. "All right, here is the fact you need to understand: I am the best. Someday soon, people will realize that I am the best. When I win this tournament, I'll get an automatic bid in the Regional Tournament, then it's onto Nationals and, finally, the World Challenge. I'm on the way to the top, and I can't waste my time on cretins like you."

Blake stood up, suppressing his anger. "We've talked enough about this! I challenge you to a duel!"

Andrew looked back at his food, teasing a lump of mashed potatoes with his plastic spoon. He sighed exasperatedly. "I'll duel you on one condition."

"What's that?" Blake asked, content that he'd finally broken through Andrew's defenses.

"The condition is that, once I've beaten you, you'll leave me alone."

Blake sighed. "Fine. If that's what it'll take to get you to duel me, then fine."

"Now," Andrew continued, "will you leave me to eat my lunch in peace?"

"Fine," Blake conceded, standing. "I'll just go back to my friends, but if you wanted, you could come."

"Not interested."

I'm just trying to be nice! Blake thought to himself. Why does he have to be so mean about all this? "It was just a suggestion. I thought you might like to meet some people. You know, make a new friend or two."

Andrew laughed humorlessly. "Oh, please."

"Fine," Blake said, waving his hand dismissively. But, might as well try one last thing. "You know, I'm Vice-President of the Duel Monsters Club here at school."
"Really," Andrew said, not interested.

"Yeah, and my friend over there, Spencer, he's the president."

"I'm really interested," Andrew said dryly, not taking his eyes off his food.

"Well, we're holding re-elections soon, but for now that's the pecking order," Blake continued, oblivious. "We hold elections each year for President and Vice-President, and it's a tournament among all members. It's gonna be in a few weeks, and the winner is President and Vice-President is the runner-up. So that means that Spencer currently and for a few weeks longer is considered the best duelist in school. I thought you might be interested to know that."

"Really . . ." Andrew said, looking up with renewed interest.

"Really," Blake said. "Well, guess I'll see ya."

As Blake walked away, Andrew arose and followed him. Blake returned to Spencer and Robert and began eating before he noticed Andrew standing there.

"Did you need something?" Blake asked, his mouth again full of food.

Andrew pointed to Spencer. "Is spike-head here this Spencer kid you mentioned?"

"Excuse me?" Spencer said. "I'm Spencer. What did you need?"

Andrew stepped forward menacingly. "I challenge you to a duel!"

Spencer jumped a bit. "Are you serious?"

"Doofus here tells me that you're the best," Andrew said, referring to Blake.

Blake thought for a moment. "Wait . . . am I doofus?"

"If you're the best here, then that means that in order to prove my skill I must beat you," Andrew continued.

"I thought you said you were the best around," Blake countered. "If you think that, why do you have to beat Spencer?"

"What I know doesn't alter what people think," Andrew answered. "In order to make people realize that I'm the best, I have to beat the duelist who is considered to be the best."

"That makes sense," Spencer admitted.

"But wait a minute!" Blake interrupted. "I already challenged you to a duel!"

"Oh, please," Andrew scoffed. "See, that's another reason why I need to show myself to be the best: So that every kid and his mom who hears I like Duel Monsters doesn't come calling for me to play them."

"Well . . . too bad!" Blake said. "You already agreed to duel me, so there!"

Andrew sighed dejectedly. "Fine! When do you want to duel me?"

"Today, after school," Blake declared. "Out on the front lawn."

"All right, I'll be there," Andrew said. He pointed to Spencer. "I want to see you there, too. Once I've beaten your crony here, I'm challenging you."

"We'll see who beats who," Blake smiled.

"Whatever," Andrew muttered, and he walked back to his table.

"He's a little . . ." Spencer searched for the correct word.

"Full of himself," Blake finished for him.

"What were you all talking about?" Robert asked.

"What do you mean?" Blake replied.

"What's all this talk about dueling and stuff?"

Spencer and Blake both gaped. "You don't know about dueling?"

"Come here," Blake said, pulling Robert into a hug. "It's okay. We're here to help you."

"Did I . . . do something wrong?" Robert asked.

"Well, I guess not," Blake answered. "But you're definitely missing out!"

"We've gotta make sure that he learns how to duel!" Spencer agreed.

"Yeah," Blake declared. "You know what Robert? I'm gonna make you my protogé!"

"You're . . . what?"
"I'm gonna teach you and train you," Blake explained. "I'm gonna become your teacher, and you will be my student. I'll make you into a tournament-level duelist!"

"Okay . . ."

"Don't worry," Blake smiled. "Dueling's fun, and getting started isn't too hard. It's a tough game, but you can start playing right away."

"Yeah, no sweat," Spencer agreed.

"Come to my duel today after school," Blake told Robert. "You can see a real game in action, and then I'll take you by the local card shop and we can start building you a deck."

Robert nodded.

"All right!" Blake beamed. "I have a duel already! I can't wait!"

-

Blake felt his anticipation rising as Andrew approached.

"I've been waiting all day for this!" Blake called as Andrew assumed his place across from Blake.

"Are you serious?" Andrew retorted. "This is gonna be quick work."

"Come on, give me more credit than that," Blake said.

"If you want my respect, you have to earn it," Andrew scoffed. "And trust me, it ain't gonna happen."

"We'll just see about that!" Blake replied. "Let's duel!"

"Fine by me," Andrew said, activating his duel disc.

Blake activated his own duel disc. "Since I challenged you, you can choose who goes first."

"Very well," Andrew agreed. "I choose to play first."

"Cool."

ANDREW: 4000LP

BLAKE: 4000LP

Andrew drew another card, an evil smirk on his face. "You know why I'm such a good duelist?"

"No," Blake admitted.

"Because I know how to hit my opponent hard and fast," Andrew answered, holding out two cards from his hand. "I have cards like these: I play two Hinotama cards!"

"What do they do?" Blake asked worriedly.

"You're about to find out!" Andrew laughed.

There was a loud roaring noise and several fireballs materialized above Andrew's head. "Uh-oh," Blake muttered.

"Go, Hinotama!" Andrew commanded, and the fireballs rushed forward. They launched across the field and slammed into Blake, engulfing him in flame.

BLAKE: 3000LP

"No way!" Blake grunted through cringed teeth, his clothes smoking from the flames. "I'm down 1000 Life Points already?"

"That's the power of my deck," Andrew smirked. "And to finish my turn, I'll play my Larvas in attack mode!"

A green monster hovering in the air appeared, wielding long, sharp claws at the end of its two purple arms. 800/1000

Blake drew. "He's already removed 1000 of my Life Points and gotten a monster on the field! If I don't do something fast, I'm gonna lose this one!" He looked at his card. "Alright, Andrew, here goes nothing!"