It was just another usual day at Academia for the students attending the school: lectures to go to, deadlines coming up, and, most importantly, promotion exams.
Every year, students must go through two parts of the exam to obtain a rank-up of their current position, one being the written test and the other being the practical test, where students had to duel three times with different opponents and win at least two of the matches to get a guaranteed rank-up.
This promotion exam was where Yuri first met and dueled Michael.
For Yuri, the whole exam so far had been a breeze. The written portion part was entirely made up of questions on the Ancient Gear archetype cards that a majority of students used in the school, and the most efficient way to defeat an opponent with the cards given to you. There were some questions about Fusion, but he had answered them easily as a fish to water.
The dueling part was hardly enjoyable either. He had easily defeated two Obelisk students who barely had a chance against him and Starve Venom. Still, time had passed since he defeated them with most of the students apparently in their first match now.
Deciding to take a break and spectating any potential prey was the best option for now. It's not like the teachers could do anything after seeing his ruthless and sadistic duel style from the last couple of matches.
That's when his eyes found him, a boy around his age with black hair and silver tips and wearing a plain, long-sleeve red shirt and gray pants...and taking on two Obelisk Blue students at once.
"Are you sure that you aren't over your head, kid? Challenging us to a two-on-one duel?" The girl questioned with a snort, apparently wondering if the request was a joke or not.
"You may be the younger brother of Edo Phoenix, but you aren't anything like him." It was the boy this time, Yuri seeing that he already activated his duel, thinking this was going to be an easy victory.
"Of course! As long as Chrono-sensei and Sanders-sensei agree to allow the conditions," the lone boy added, ignoring the insult that went his way of being compared to his big brother.
They awaited the approval of the two named teachers before commencing the duel. For Sanders, it didn't take any time to give them his approval, wanting to see the potential that Michael possessed. He already did the same for Yuri, and he was granted a prodigy to the art of fusion, defeating his opponents with ease. His other students were also being tested throughout the exams to spot the top soldiers he could train that would become the elite.
On the other hand, Chrono was looking like he was having a panic attack. Unlike Sanders who didn't heed the Professor's warning about Michael's illness, he had. Approving this duel might only cause the poor boy's bronchitis to worsen from the strain of a barrage of attacks on one person.
But one could say he was curious of why the lad wanted to duel two high-rank students at once. Plus, he saw the bored face that Michael had throughout his class; that didn't make him a slacker...it was quite the opposite, to be honest, when he listened throughout the class, answered questions when picked on, and turned in assignments on time.
Now that he thought about it, Michael and Yuri were quite similar in that regard. Besides, what was he to do? Allow his student to finally get the challenge or call it off?
"What are you waiting for?! Give them the permission already!" Apparently, throughout his inner monologue, they had been waiting for him for the past three minutes.
"Alright, then, commence the duel!" He announced. Sanders did have that intimidating effect on people to make them do what he wants.
Activating his duel disk first and practically shivering with excitement, Michael drew his starting hand
Turn 1: Michael
Life Points: 4000
{}: 5
"Alright, I got the first turn." Looking at the cards he currently had in his hand, Michael instantly grinned once he saw his favorite two cards in the same hand. "Hmm... Ok, I summon Cyber Valley in attack mode."
A large metallic serpent suddenly came out onto the field with spikes protruding from its sides, red spheres embedded in between them. The scary thing about the monster was the horrifying face of it, having pitch-black holes for eyes and almost look like rotting purple flesh around the mouth. (Lvl 1/ATK 0/DEF 0/)
"Next, I activate the Spell card, Machine Duplication! This allows me to Special Summon two more Machine-type monsters onto the field from my deck as long as the monster I currently have has 500 or fewer ATK points and the same name."
Two more Cyber Valley monsters appeared on the field right alongside the first one.
"And I end my turn with two cards face down!" Passing it to the two duos he was facing.
Turn 2: Daisuke
Life Point: 4000
{}:6
"I'll start where you left of you little runt! Boku no tann, draw! I summon Antique Gear Hound Dog."
A green mechanical mech appeared on his side field with a underbite showing sharp metal fangs from the mouth.(Lvl 3/Att 1000/Def 1000)
"Now I activate its effect. I can deal you 600 life points of damage! Hound Flame!"
Said Hound opened its mouth revealing a flamethrower from inside the-
"Not so fast! I activate the Continuous Spell card from my hand Cyber Sense Cool down!" The named card flipped into existence.
"I can activate this card during my opponent turn whenever effect damage is about to be dealt. Once effect damage is about to be dealt, I can turn the damage down to zero and activate one of these effects in response; draw a card or gain life points equal to the amount. I choose to draw a card."
"Tch! I can still attack, Antique Gear Hound Dog attack Cyber Valley!"
"And he called me out for my plays last turn..." Michael shook his head at the apparent recklessness of Daisuke.
"Cyber Valley's effect activates when it is being targeted for an attack; I can banish it, end the battle phase, and draw a card."
A golden light washes over the monster before being removed from the field.
Daisuke {}:5
Michael {}:2
Sanders off in the stand could only witness the duel in shock that a mere child has come to the possession of a deck that once been held by the legendary duelist Zane Truesdale. He held numerous lectures throughout Academia about said person's cards that allowed him to Fusion powerful monsters that could easily turn his opponents' cards against themselves, especially his Obelisk students in training that use Antique Gear Decks.
"Chrono, how could you hide such a diamond among the batch of freshmen from me. Look at him, quickly stopping my students on their track," Sanders said as he saw Chinatsu made her move.
"Unlike you Sanders, I care for my students and do not treat them as mere soldiers like you do," he huffed back while receiving a glare from the Obelisk instructor in return.
Turn 3: Chinatsu
Life Points: 4000
{}:6
"Don't worry Daisuke, I'll help pull your weight throughout this duel. Watashi no tann, draw! Let's start with the Spell Card Fusion Conscription! First I target 1 Fusion Monster in my extra deck, and I chose Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog; this lets me add a Fusion Material listed on the card from my Deck to my hand. I add Antique Gear Hound Dog, but it can't be summoned onto the field. That's where this card comes into play! Fusion!" She slammed the card into her duel disk.
"I fuse with the three Antique Gear Hound Dog in my hand. Come forth, Level Seven! Appear! Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!"
Another mechanical dog came on the field, this time larger than its material and three times the amount heads. (Lvl 7/Att 1800/Def 1000)
'I can't do anything as long as those Cyber Valley are on the field. If I attack he'll just end the battle phase and draw another card, but if I don't there will still be two of them on the field.' "Attack the Cyber Valley, Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!"
"Once again Cyber Valley's effects activate, I banish, end the battle phase, and draw a card," Michael repeated the action he once did on Daisuke turn.
"What did you say before? 'Picking up my slack' huh Chinatsu?" Daisuke mocked.
"If you don't shut that mouth of yours Daisuke, I'll shove my fist in there instead!" A malicious aura exuded from her making her even more threatening towards her fellow tag partner.
"If you two love birds are done squabbling, I'd like to get this duel done and over with it!" Michael shouted across at the two. He was no longer his excited self when the duel began, but rather irritated instead that his whole idea was becoming a waste a time.
With the both of them embarrassed from the loud exclamation and the surrounding students snickering at them for being played like a fool, Chinatsu ended her turn.
Chinatsu {}:1
Michael {}:3
Turn 4: Michael
Life Points: 4000
{}:4
"For a pair of Obelisk student who are said to be trained by this school's top instructor when it comes to dueling and strategy, you sure are failing to live up to it. Chronos does a better job at teaching if this is all you can do! Ore no taan, draw!"
"I summon Cyber Ouroboros in Attack Mode."
Another serpentine appeared on the field, but varying from the one alongside it. This one had glowing red eyes and a harpoon-like weapon at the end of its tail. Also, there were two yellow rings on each side past its head where a purple glass case was. (Lvl 2/Att 100/Def 600)
"So what, you can't attack either one of our monsters. That thing's ATK points are a measly 100," Chinatsu stated.
"If you'd learn anything from this duel, that is not what I'm going for. I activate Cyber Valley's secondary effect. By banishing one face-up monster I control, in this case, my Cyber Ouroboros and this card, I draw two more cards. Doing this also triggers Ouroboros' effect, letting me discard a card in my hand to draw another."
Just like that, his last line of defense was completely gone by his own hands.
"Big deal if you restocked your hand. You already wasted your Normal Summon and can no longer stall the Duel. Face it, kid, it's over!" Daisuke continued to belittle his opponent, but continuing to fail to intimidate Michael every single shot he took. Except for this time, a chuckle can be heard.
"You're right, it is over... for you! You're not exactly the brightest banana in the bunch, huh Daisuke? It surprises me that you are an Obelisk Blue in the first place, from the lack skill I keep seeing and the fact that you're wasting your breath trying to trash talk me."
Immediately after hearing that, Daisuke's face turned red from the anger building up inside him. Being criticized by a mere a freshman of all people.
"Besides how can I call myself an Academia student if I didn't know how to Fusion Summon?" Michael pulled out the card that would put an end to all this tiresome farce of a Duel.
'Is that what he was aiming for this entire time? To gather the necessary Materials for a Fusion Summon?!' Sanders thought to himself.
"When my opponent controls a monster, and I don't, I can special summon this card from my hand. Show yourself, Cyber Dragon!" (Lvl 5/Att 2100/Def 1600)
"That monster can easily destroy one of ours. Should have Summoned Double Bite Hound Dog instead of going for Triple, at least that way it couldn't attack." Chinatsu was starting to regret her actions now for not considering the options she had when playing Fusion.
"What to do, what to do?" Michael mused aloud. "I can destroy one of your monsters, but I'm afraid that will still leave the both of you Life Points to continue. So how about I fuse with your monsters instead!"
"Wait, what?! You can't do that!" Daisuke yelled from across the field.
"Oh yes I can! The monster I'm going to Summon allows me to send its Materials from either side of the field, I don't even have to use Fusion! Besides, it's your fault for not taking precautions."
Daisuke and Chinatsu could only watch as their monster turned into orbs of light alongside Michael Cyber Dragon while he chanted.
"Grotesque assembly of machines mash together to barricade the gates of the underworld! Show yourself! Yƫgo Shokan! Level eight! Appear! Chimeratech Fortress Dragon!"
Every monster that Michael had Summoned before were tame compared to the large machine that he Summoned. Its serpent body had multiple opening for each Cyber Dragon head coming out of its length, and eyes that represented aiming reticles to target their enemies. "It attacks points are equal to the sum of its fusion materials times 1000."(Lvl 8/Att 3000/Def 0)
"That's not all though I activate both of my faces down cards! Cybernetic Enhancement A.I. and Limiter Removal! First, the effect of Limiter Removal! Fortress' ATK is doubled!"
(3000-6000)
"6-6000 points," Daisuke stuttered while falling on his rear at the sheer horror that the monster can wipe one of them out in one go.
"Don't worry Daisuke, you won't be going down alone because Cybernetic Enhancement A.I. lets a monster that lists Cyber Dragon as a material to attack equal to the number of Fusion Materials used to Fusion Summon it. That makes three attacks, more than enough for the both of you."
Michael gave a horrifying smile that suited a deranged maniac while tilting his head to add to the madness that was about to lay upon them. The monster's blue eyes suddenly turned red, turning to the pair like it has a mind of its own.
Chinatsu might not look as frightened as Daisuke, but she was sweating bullets and having an inner turmoil of the effects of this guaranteed loss would have on her. If they were alone, it wouldn't be as much of a problem other than bruising her ego for taking a first-year too lightly. But this was in front of her teachers and colleagues...
"Go Chimeratech Fortress Dragon! Evolution Barrage Bastion Burst!"
The blue laser that fired from the Chimeratech's multiple heads engulfed the two duelists in a ray of blinding light. Nothing compared to the pain they now had faced as the only thing escaping from their mouths were the torturous screams of agony.
For everybody else, they had to cover their eyes from the dazzling attack launch on the victims. Once things died down, they witnessed the horror of the two Obelisk Blue students lying on the ground, with parts of their bodies steaming from the devastation unleashed upon then. Looks of horror were written all over their faces...except for Yuri, who was amazed more than anything from witnessing it.
How'd he miss such a powerful opponent that was hiding among the first year as he did? Sure, he'd share the same classes with Michael, but the boy tended to be very quiet a good majority of the time in class unless called upon and away from others.
Well, he was not going to let this perfect opportunity slip away from him, especially under the circumstances of this being a promotion exam. Michael was going to be his third match, and he would make sure of it.
Part 2: Cybers Vs Predator Plants! Emerge, CD CD!
See you next time on Adventures of an Academia Student!
