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Warm Welcome

"Now, Darren Fudo will take to arena four for his Duel Academy entrance exam! I hope the audience is ready for a duel for the history books!" The announcer chimed excitedly through the megahorn.

Darren shook his head. He hated it when people regarded him as some famous legend, just because of his father's actions in the past. He knew he would be the centre of attention if he attended Duel Academy, but if he wanted to be the best, he would have to work his way there. Even though everyone was expecting Darren to be an amazing duelist, even this entrance exam intimidated him. He swallowed and walked slowly up to the podium above his duel arena. The proctor opposite him smiled and waved.

"This is an honour," the proctor chuckled. "My name is Henry and I will be testing you."

"Awesome. Since I'm the challenger, I start, right?" Darren asked.

"If that is your choice, then let's begin." Henry nodded.

Darren loaded his deck in to his custom red duel disk and pressed the 'on' switch beneath the main orb. The disk lit up and the monster card zones swung out, attaching and making a clicking noise to let it's user know that it is secure. Darren then drew five cards as Henry did, before drawing another for his turn.

Darren: 8000

Henry: 8000

"I discard Quillbolt Hedgehog from my hand to the graveyard in order to special summon The Tricky!" Darren announced eagerly.

The Tricky (Level 5 / ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1200)

A magician in a magnificent costume came out from the card, spinning in the air and flourishing it's blue cape as it rose up out of the arena. The Tricky pirouetted in the air, showing off to the crowd, who cheered. Then, the trickster descended down in to the arena.

"Next, I'll summon Flare Resonator!" Darren cried as a small grey creature in purple robes burst out of the flame that sparked upon the card being placed.

Flare Resonator (Level 3 / ATK: 300 / DEF: 1300)

"That's not all! Because I tune my Flare Resonator to The Tricky in order to synchro summon my Stardust Dragon!"

The crowd broke out in to whispers as the audience found out Stardust Dragon had indeed been passed on from father to son. No doubt, it would be nostalgic for many of the teachers, seeing the card 10 years after the last time it was used. Flare Resonator shrieked and split in to three green rings as The Tricky became five stars, one representing each of it's levels. The stars dispered before entering the tunnel that the rings created. The stars aligned and a bright light shone as a glimmering white dragon appeared out of the beautiful display.

Stardust Dragon (Level 8 / ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000)

"Due to Flare Resonators effect, Stardust Dragon gains 300 ATK points!" Darren explained.

Stardust Dragon: ATK: 2500 - 2800

With three cards gone from Darren's hand (Flare Resonator, The Tricky, Quillbolt Hedgehog), he had another three remaining. The audience anticipated another move in excitement, expecting the best from the son of Yusei Fudo. However, there wasn't much more to be done. Stardust Dragon turned it's head to look at it's new owner and roared. Darren smiled.

"I end my turn with a face-down card," Darren placed one spell or trap face-down and finished his turn, only to be deafened by the cheers of the other students.

"Very impressive Darren. It's unfortunate that I'm going to have to win this duel," Henry laughed. "I draw, and activate Card Destruction!"

Darren placed the last two cards in his hand in the graveyard. They were Dandylion and Junk Synchron. Due to Dandylion being discarded, two fluff tokens appeared on Darren's side of the field, one on either side of the towering Stardust Dragon.

Fluff Token (Level: 1 / ATK: 0 / DEF: 0)

Fluff Token (Level: 1 / ATK: 0 / DEF: 0)

"Interesting. Unfortunately for you, I discarded two Laval Cannoneers, and a Laval Judgment Lord. Because of this, I can special summon Laval Coatl to the field using it's effect!" Henry informed his opponent.

Laval Coatl (Level: 2 / ATK: 1300 / DEF: 700)

A small yellow pterodactyl emerged from the ground and swooped in to the air, screeching and flying in circles around the place it was summoned. Darren smirked, it hardly looked menacing with Stardust Dragon on the field.

"Now if I summon Laval Lancelord without a tribute, it's usually destroyed during the end phase, however, it won't be around for long!" Henry hinted at his plan as a bulky stone creature rose out of the floor and spun the spear it wielded around in it's hands.

Laval Lancelord (Level: 6 / ATK: 2100 / DEF: 200)

"I'm tuning my two Laval's together in order to synchro summon Blood Mefist!" Henry shouted, and the audience clapped.

Similar to what happened when Darren summoned Stardust Dragon, a combination of rings and stars fused together and a ghoulish magician with pale skin and wearing a tattered cape. He cackled like a witch as he glided down to face Stardust Dragon.

Blood Mefist (Level: 8 / ATK: 2800 / DEF: 1300)

"Oh no... That thing has the same attack points as my Stardust Dragon..." Darren shook his head, scared.

"Now, I use Forbidden Chalice on your Stardust Dragon! That means it gains 400 attack points, but it's effect is negated," Henry grinned.

"What's he planning..." Darren wondered aloud.

Stardust Dragon: ATK: 2800 - 3200

"Now, I discard Dandylion to use Lightning Vortex!" Henry roared as two fluff tokens appeared either side of his Blood Mefist.

Fluff Token (Level: 1 / ATK: 0 / DEF: 0)

Fluff Token (Level: 1 / ATK: 0 / DEF: 0)

"I activate my face-down card! My Body As A Shield!" Darren yelled as his spell card was revealed to his enemy.

The lightning that was streaking towards the beautiful dragon that took up most of the field, swerved and instead struck Darren in the chest. The fifteen year old staggered backwards, clutching his stomach. He winced as his life points dropped as the cost of his card.

Darren: 6500

Henry: 8000

"You saved your dragon. Welldone." Henry complimented.

"Thanks," Darren sighed in relief. "You only have two cards left in your hand. What are you going to do?"

"Use one, and it's Blood Mefist's favourite jewel, the Black Pendant!" Henry shouted as he equipped his spell card to the synchro monster.

Blood Mefist: ATK: 2800 - 3300

"Now, Blood Mefist, destroy his Stardust Dragon!" Henry ordered.

"No!" Darren cried.

The magician waved his wand and his cape fluttered as if a strong wind had just picked up. Stardust Dragon was pulled in to a fierce hurricane and roared in agony as it shattered in to pieces. Darren's ace was already gone.

Darren: 6400

Henry: 8000

"My turn, I draw!" Darren announced dramatically.

"The effect of my Blood Mefist activates! You recieve 300 points of damage for every card you control, and that's your two Fluff Tokens!" Henry laughed as his monster performed a minor spell to decrease Darren's life points.

Darren: 5800

Henry: 8000

"Man, his life points are still untouched..." Darren constructed a strategy, looking over his cards. "I summon Synchron Explorer!"

Synchron Explorer (Level: 2 / ATK: 0 / DEF: 700)

A weak little robot jumped up, glad to finally be summoned. With it's effect, Junk Synchron was special summoned to the graveyard. The orange warrior rose out of a scrapheap, punching in the air. The fluff tokens looked to each other, Darren's monsters knew what they needed to do.

Junk Synchron (Level: 3 / ATK: 1300 / DEF: 500)

The two tokens became two stars, and Synchron Explorer was released in to two too. Junk Synchron jumped up high in the air and broke up in to three rings. They all merged together, to summon a monster that no one expected to see.

"You've seen my dad's ace, now it's time to see mum's!" Darren howled. "Rise, Black Rose Dragon!"

Black Rose Dragon (Level: 7 / ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1800)

Another dragon appeared. It was black, and rose petals bloomed out of it's body. It screeched at Blood Mefist as it was summoned and it's special effect activated, meaning it could completely nuke the field.

"I use Black Rose Dragon's effect to destroy every card on the field!" Darren boasted.

"No!" Henry screamed as the audience broke out in to madness.

The petals detached from Black Rose Dragon's body and dispersed, attacking every card on the field. Blood Mefist was ripped apart by the razor sharp roses, and Black Pendant cracked, before shattering apart.

"Black Pendant deals 500 points of damage when it's destroyed!" Henry said.

Darren: 5300

Henry: 8000

"I think it's time for you to take some damage now," Darren glared. "I use Monster Reborn to special summon Stardust Dragon back to the field!"

As the glorious dragon returned, the crowd cheered and laughed. Stardust Dragon roared and scratched at the air with it's mighty claws, before stretching it's magnificent wings. It shined like the stars of the night sky and bared it's beautiful pristine white teeth.

Stardust Dragon (Level: 8 / ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000)

"That's it," Henry frowned in determination. "I must say, you're parents, Yusei and Akiza would be proud."

"Everyone will soon see that I'm not just carbon copies of them. I have my own playing style. It might not come out in this duel, but soon it will," Darren assured his new-found rival. "I attack directly with Stardust Dragon."

A white ball of energy formed inside the dragons mouth, before it was blasted out in the form of a sparkling stream. Henry braced himself as the attack hit, knocking him back on to his ass. He brushed dirt off of his clothes before standing back up, blocking out the sounds of the audience's uproar.

Darren: 5300

Henry: 5500

"I draw for my turn," Henry remarked. "I special summon a second Laval Coatl!"

The yellow pterodactyl swooped up, ready for another tuning.

Laval Coatl (Level: 2 / ATK: 1300 / DEF: 700)

"Next, I'll use my monster reborn to special summon Kayenn, the Master Magma Blacksmith!" Henry said. "Next, I tune my monsters together!"

The stars twirled together inside the two rings, which slowly closed. Then, a long figure slithered out from the green portal. It was red and yellow, made of molten rock. It skidded it's claws along the ground before swooping up and spewing out mini fireballs.

Lavalval Dragon (Level: 5 / ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1100)

"Now, I'm using it's effect. I return my two Laval Cannoneers from my graveyard to the deck in order to return your Stardust Dragon to the extra deck!" Henry smiled deviously.

"No! Stardust!" Darren called out to his beast as it slowly vanished.

"Now, I remove Kayenn, the Master Magma Blacksmith in my graveyard from play, to increase Lavalval Dragon's attack points by 400!" Henry gloated.

Lavalval Dragon: ATK: 2000 - 2400

"Now, avenge me! Attack directly!" Henry cooed.

The monster opened it's mouth so wide, Darren thought it's jaw would break. A blast of magma came pouring out of the dragon's mouth, aimed right at Darren. It hit it's target with accuracy, as Darren was knocked off his feet and lay smoking on the podium.

Darren: 2900

Henry: 5500

"I'm handing over to you now. Good luck, Kiddo." Henry sneered.

"I'm not going to let you win this," Darren shook his head and drew his card. "I activate, The Warrior Returning Alive, to put Junk Synchron back in my hand! Now, I summon Marauding Captain in attack mode!"

A warrior appeared. He swung his sword in mid-air, before activating his effect. It allowed Junk Synchron to be special summoned from Darren's hand to the field. Henry squinted at Darren's two fairly weak monsters and wondering what his plans were.

"I use the effect of my Quillbolt Hedgehog in the graveyard, special summoning it to the field!" Darren said, as a little brown hedgehog burst out of a scrapheap.

Quillbolt Hedgehog (Level: 2 / ATK: 800 / DEF: 800)

"I tune my three monsters together, to summon Junk Destroyer!" Darren sneered.

Out of the rings came a monster in metal, black armour. It had two extra arms and four blades emerging from it's back, and towered over even Lavalval Dragon, snarling at it's rival in battle. It was a clash of the titans.

Junk Destroyer (Level: 8 / ATK: 2600 / DEF: 2500)

"Junk Destroyer's effect activates, since I used two synchro material monsters to summon it, I can destroy your dragon!" Darren informed Henry.

"Oh crap," Henry cursed as the spirit of Quillbolt Hedgehog dragged Lavalval Dragon down in to the grave.

"Now, Junk Destroyer, attack directly!" Darren punched the air as the blades on the warrior's back detached and struck Henry in the stomach.

Darren: 2900

Henry: 2900

"We're neck and neck," Henry smiled.

"This is a good duel," Darren admitted.

"Let's finish it. I draw!" Henry shouted with determination.

"I use Pot of Greed (I am going to allow Pot of Greed in my story to be an unbanned card, in order to allow me to make better use of the cards in each characters deck. I apologise if this affects anyone's opinion of the story.) to draw 2 cards from my deck," Henry drew again. "Now, I use Mausoleum of the Emperor! I pay 2000 life points to summon Laval Judgment Lord!"

Darren: 2900

Henry: 900

Out of the lava that circulated through the field, a giant man appeared. He had a red cape and was wearing some kind of armour. Heat radiated from his hands as he turned to look at Junk Destroyer directly. Darren gulped.

Laval Judgment Lord (Level: 7 / ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1800)

In an instant, the lord destroyed Junk Destroyer, melting it with a fire that seemed hotter than the sun itself. Darren felt a spurt of lava hit his leg and he stumbled back, startled by the burn.

Darren: 2800

Henry: 900

"It's my turn, and I'll set a monster in face-down defence mode, before ending my turn!" Darren said, as a face-down horizontal card appeared on the field.

"It's not enough, I'm about to finish this," Henry stated confidently. "I summon Laval Gunner!"

A man with two mini cannons on each wrist burst out of a puddle of magma and joined Laval Judgement Lord's side. It's cannons powered up as it's special effect activated. Meaning he could send the top five cards of his deck to the graveyard. They included: three Laval Miller, Double Summon and UFO Turtle.

Laval Gunner (Level: 4 / ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800)

"Damn. You'll be safe this turn. However, Laval Gunner does get a 200 attack point increase for every Laval monster milled to the graveyard, and that's three!" Henry said excitedly.

Laval Gunner: ATK: 1200 - 1800

"Now, Laval Gunner, attack his face-down monster!" Henry snarled.

"You just flipped my morphing jar, meaning we discard our hands, if we have any, and then draw five cards!" Darren declared.

"It's still destroyed though, which lets my Lord attack directly!" Henry said eagerly.

"No…" Darren looked down at the ground in failure before the lava hit.

Darren: 100

Henry: 900

"I'll just set a spell or trap face-down, then I'm done." Henry smiled.

"And so am I if I can't pull off a miracle…" Darren shuddered as he drew his sixth card.

"Got anything there?" Henry chuckled.

"I use Card Destruction! Meaning we get fresh new cards to replace our current ones!" Darren said, discarding Glow-Up Bulb, Marauding Captain, Junk Servant, Junk Forward, Shard of Greed.

"You do know the combo you could have done? You could have used Junk Forward's effect to special summon it, then special summoned Junk Forward with his effect, then normal summoned Marauding Captain and used Captain's effect to special summon Glow-Up Bulb. Then you've got more than enough for a synchro." Henry teased.

"I've got other plans. I use Stardust Shimmer! I remove from play The Tricky and Flare Resonator from my graveyard to special summon back my Stardust Dragon!" Darren smiled as the dragon returned, stretching it's wings.

"That thing again? Too late, too little attack points." Henry sighed.

"I use Glow-Up Bulbs effect in my graveyard to special summoning it by sending the top card of my deck to the graveyard," Darren talked his opponent through his plan and ditched Quickdraw Synchron from the top of the deck. "Now, Boost Warrior can be special summoned if I control a tuner!"

A small plant and a warrior in a purple robe both rose out of the ground, they knew Darren's plan and were ready to play their part in it.

Boost Warrior (Level: 1 / ATK: 300 / DEF: 200)

Glow-Up Bulb (Level: 1 / ATK: 100 / DEF: 100)

"I tune together my bulb and my warrior to synchro summon Formula Synchron!" Darren announced as a car zoomed out of the rings that Glow-Up Bulb formed, before driving in circles around Henry's monsters and skidding to a halt at Stardust Dragon's feet. "I can draw when he's summoned. But he's not sticking around for long. I tune my Formula Synchron to my Stardust Dragon to synchro summon Shooting Star Dragon!"

Formula Synchron drove in to Stardust Dragon's chest and it roared as the two glowed brightly. The audience screamed in awe as both of Darren's synchro monsters combined, meaning that this was an Accel Synchro Summon. Out of the rings that formed, an armored dragon swooped through the stadium, roaring and flapping it's massive wings.

Shooting Star Dragon (Level: 10 / ATK: 3300 / DEF: 2500)

"Now, using it's effect I show the top five cards of my deck. Let's see… Creation Resonator, Clock Resonator, Polymerization, Force Resonator, Junk Blader. Now, since three of those were tuners, my Shooting Star Dragon can attack three times!" Darren shouted. "Now, destroy his monsters!"

Laval Gunner pelted the dragon with balls of fire but to no avail. Soon, it was scooped up and sent flying through the air before shattering. Henry screamed as his Laval Judgement Lord exploded and he was sent tumbling off of his podium. Henry clung to the railings of his podium, hanging on for his life as his life points depleted. As the smoke cleared it was shown that Henry had tried to use Mirror Force, however Shooting Star Dragon's other effect had negated it. It was over.

"I win! I got in to Duel Academy!" Darren screamed as the crowd roared.

Darren: 100

Henry: 0

"Darren Fudo, please come and collect your Slifer Red Jacket." The announcer called.

"Slifer Red? That stinks!" Darren whined.

"Well, you did finish with only 100 life points," Henry laughed, picking himself up.

"Thanks for the excellent duel. Guess I'll see you around?" Darren said.

"See you around," Henry winked.

NEXT TIME

DARREN GETS A TASTE OF LUXURY WHEN THE OBELISK BLUES INVITE HIM TO THE WELCOME FESTIVAL IN THEIR DORM, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THE STUDENTS AT DUEL ACADEMY MIGHT NOT BE AS NICE AS HE THOUGHT. ON THE OTHER HAND, SOME PEOPLE TRY TO BE A LITTLE TOO FRIENDLY WITH THE SON OF THE FAMOUS DUELISTS, YUSEI FUDO AND AKIZA IZINSKI. Coming: 9/12/11

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