Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything designed by their original creator. I do own every character and card I created myself. (If I ever create those.)
A/N: If you're reading this chapter you've also read the first chapter and you might think it's bad. Nevertheless, it will be better. Also, I'm currently rewriting the earlier chapters in order to improve the quality of the story. Please let me know if there's something that should absolutely be fixed.
Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean a boat was sailing to its destination: a small island, away from all civilization. On the boat were around 2000 people, eagerly awaiting their arrival at the island. Some of them had already made this trip before and knew what exactly what was awaiting them. Others had never been on this ship before and were extremely curious as to what the island would look like.
They had been travelling since last night, and since it was rather early, most people weren't awake yet. At least one person was, however. Even though it was rather cold outside, he went outside and stood solely on the deck, unlike the others who prefered to stay inside where it was warmer.
He didn't mind the cold. It was a lot calmer outside than inside, which was enough reason to stay on the deck. He took his own deck out of his jacket and carefully went over each card. These were the cards he would use during his stay on the island, the deck he built and treasured more than anything.
Then, at the edge of the horizon, a small silhouette showed up. As far as he could see, it was the only visible land, and it was the place they were heading to. The place they would live and attend school for an entire year. That island was the European Duel Academy.
Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy
Turn Two: Showdown At Loki's
After the boat docked at the island, the students left the ship one by one until there were standing approximately 2000 on the pier. There, they were divided in two groups. A larger one, consisting of all the students who had been here before and a smaller one, containing all the freshmen at the academy. That last group was forced to go the main building where they would have to listen to a welcoming speech. It was fairly obvious, however, that almost no-one wanted to hear that speech. Instead, they wanted to explore the island they would be spending the rest of the year, check out their dorms and unpack their stuff.
The good thing was that the main building, where they were heading to, was centered in the middle of the island. Therefore, the students were at least able to watch a small part of the island already. What was noticed most among everyone, was the few number of buildings they passed. To be more specific, they didn't see a single building in their entire walk to the main one.
In the end, they did reach the main building. To describe it in one word: it was huge. Then again, it was supposed to be able to house all students at the same time, having rooms for classes, a Duel Arena, a card shop as well as several other accomodations. Its size was only logical, but it didn't take away the fact that it was a lot larger than your average school building.
They walked through a few long halls, with most students looking left and right in order to catch a glimpse of the rooms they would soon see every day. Eventually, they went through a door and came into a large aula, making it look like it was the classroom of a university. Every student sat down on a chair and a screen lit up, revealing the face of a man with maroon hair, who looked like he was slightly older than fourty.
"Good morning. My name is Leon Von Schroeder. As some of you might know, my brother owns this building and this island. However, I'm the principal of this academy. Now my assistants will assign you upon your test results. If they call your name, step forward and they'll explain everything. Furthermore, I hope you'll enjoy your stay at our academy and do your best in all circumstances."
In alphabetical order, the names of every person present were called. Each person was supplied with a uniform corresponding with their dorm (although spare uniforms were placed in their rooms as well), a Duel Disk with colors matching the uniform, a key of their room and a PDA containing necessary information such as their lesson package, a map of the island and a mail account through which other things could be sent. Of course the PDA had other functions as well, but those were the most important ones for now.
Afterwards, when everyone was assigned a dorm and had received their stuff, they were dismissed and free to do whatever they wanted.
After leaving the building, most people went straight to their room. In a matter of moments, they scattered in every possible direction. No matter where you looked, you could always see at least a handful of students going to their dorm. Rick was no different from them. Having equipped his new Duel Disk to his left arm, he was checking the map on his PDA to find out where his dorm was located. The purple uniform and the Duel Disk with the same color gave away he was in Loki Mansion.
Walking for a certain amount of time, he eventually reached Loki Mansion. Although it wasn't as big as the main building, it still was a fairly large one as well. Walking through the front door, he passed a few more halls to eventually reach his room. Seeing how the door wasn't locked, he opened it to see a black-haired guy already packing out his belongings. Rick, however, immediately recognized those weird curls in that haircut.
"Ilian?" he asked.
The black-haired boy turned around, surprised to see a familiar face.
"Rick, what are the odds? I didn't expect you here" Ilian welcomed him. "It looks like we are roommates this year."
"I guess so. Also, it looks like you did win your examination duel as well. Was it hard?"
"Not really. But my examiner didn't use his best deck to face me."
"I see. You still did a great job, though, if you ask me."
Suddenly the door of their room opened and another guy came in the room. He was a lot smaller than Rick and Ilian, and he had rather short, red hair. Moreover, rather than looking at his surroundings, his eyes were fixated on the floor of the room.
"Who are you?" Rick asked. "Are you by any chance our new roommate."
The red-haired boy was surprised by the fact someone asked him something. It was a perfectly logical question, though, but he wasn't really used to talking with strangers.
"My name is Max" he replied.
"Do you also live in this room?" Ilian asked.
"Yeah. I just wished I was a student at Odin Palace." His eyes still didn't look up for a second.
"'Odin Palace'?" Rick and Ilian became confused. Rick remembered the term vaguely. During his examination duel, Professor Helsingborg had briefly mentioned it, but he hadn't explained it at that time.
"You don't realize how everything works, right? Well, let me explain. Just as in the regular Duel Academy, students are assigned in a dorm based on their skills. Odin Palace is the dorm with the best future duelists of Europe. Thor Castle is second ranked and contains quite skilled duelists. And last of all is Loki Mansion. People say this is a dorm for dueling amateurs only."
"How do you know all of this?" Ilian still didn't understand how Max knew of that term.
"It's complicated. I don't want to talk about it."
"In that case, do you want to duel? It might be a good way to learn to know each other."
"No" Rick complained. "We should triangle duel."
"Me…duel?" Max stammered. For the first time since he had entered the room, his eyes met those of Ilian and Rick.
"Why not?" Ilian became enthusiast. "A duel might be the solution of your problem. And besides, it's just fun."
"Sure" Max sighed. He had already comprehended that he wouldn't get out of a duel. Therefore, even though he didn't want to, he still accepted their challenge.
In front of Loki Mansion three duelists stared at each other and looked eagerly. After all, they were now official students at the only academy in Europe to teach people how to duel. Add that this was their first battle since arriving on this island and it made perfect sense there was a lot of tension.
"Since this is a triangle duel, no-one is allowed to attack during their first turn. Cooperation with someone else is allowed, and the duel ends when only one player remains" Ilian explained these rules to his two roommates.
"DUEL" they all shouted in unison.
"I'll go first," Ilian declared. "And I summon Batteryman AA."
A tiny robot was the first creature to appear on the field. It was given orange, metal arms and legs, as well as a head made of the same material and color. It was provided strength through the core of his body; a single small battery.
Batteryman AA: (Lv3, Thunder, ATK 0 DEF 0)
"That card has no attack or defense points" Max exclaimed. He too had noticed the lack of power from Ilian's monster.
"That wouldn't be fair," Ilian responded. "Batteryman AA gets 1000 attack points for each card with the same name in attack mode, including itself."
Tapping into its power source, a lot of strength was given to the robot, giving him enough power to actually engage in a battle.
Batteryman AA: ATK 0 + 1000 = 1000
"Then I activate the magic card Wattcine," Ilian went on. "And I'll finish my turn by setting one card."
Two more cards were shown on Ilian's field. An unknown one, and a permanent spell card.
"It seems I'm next," Max concluded. "I summon Command Knight."
A female warrior entered the battlefield as well. She resembled a soldier from a royal army, given the clothes she was wearing and the purple cape on her back.
Command Knight: (Lv4, Warrior, ATK 1200 DEF 1900)
"And thanks to her effect every Warrior gets a 400 attack point bonus."
Command Knight: ATK 1200 + 400 = 1600
"Then I play the magic card Double Summon. As the card name indicates, I can summon another monster this turn. So I summon another Command Knight."
Another knight, identical to the first one, was summoned. Now that there were two of them, they gave off a feeling they would be able to take on every enemy willing to face them.
"And with two Command Knight's both monsters have 2000 attack points."
Command Knight: ATK 1600 + 400 = 2000
Command Knight: ATK 1200 + 400 + 400 = 2000
"What!" Rick exclaimed. "Two high-attack monsters on your first turn."
"I guess it's something at least" Although he had the upperhand field-wise, he still didn't feel confident.
"Okay, I summon Defender the Magical Knight."
A blue armor with some yellow lines inbetween, a gigantic shield capable of blocking every assault and a sword in his right hand. These were the most obvious traits to describe Rick's monster. He wasn't weak offensively, but his greatest strength was without question his superior defensive ability.
'That card.' With him he can build a powerful defense if he gets the chance Ilian mused.
Defender The Magical Knight: (Lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1600 DEF 2000)
"Now I activate my ace card, the Magical Citadel of Endymion."
In an instant, the three were surrounded by numerous houses, creating a small fairytale-like village. Behind Rick, a giant clock tower could be seen, from which visible spells were sent across the city, further showing how this was impossible to be a real village.
He's using the same strategy as in his duel against Professor Helsingborg.
"I could explain the effects, but instead I set one card and end my turn."
Placing a card in his Duel Disk, Ilian drew a card, starting his turn.
"Then I summon another Batteryman AA. And you know what that means. Now I also have two monsters with 2000 attack points."
Another mechanical creature, identical to the first one, emerged on Ilian's field. Their presence must have triggered something in both robots, because their power doubled in a flash.
Batteryman AA: ATK 1000 + 1000 = 2000
Batteryman AA: ATK 0 + 1000 + 1000 = 2000
Seeing four monsters, all with attacking strength higher than that of his own monster, Rick couldn't help but be impressed. At the same time, however, he also smiled.
"It seems it was a useless effort. Activate trap card, Torrential Tribute."
"That super rare card?" Max shouted.
"Exactly. When a monster is summoned, it destroys every monster on the field."
"No!" Ilian yelled.
A huge tidal wave flooded the entire village, causing Ilian's robots to electrocute themselves and Max's warriors both drowned due to the strong current. When the city finally dried up again, Rick's monster was shielded by a blue barrier, protecting it from the water.
"Why isn't your monster destroyed?" Max asked.
"Because of his ability," Rick explained. "Once per turn, 'Defender' can remove Spell Counters from my cards to prevent destruction from a Spellcaster. And since he gained a Spell Counter when he was summoned, that condition could be fulfilled."
"Clever move" Ilian admitted. "Then I suppose I just end my turn here."
"Then I'll draw" Max said. "And I summon Marauding Captain."
A new warrior appeared in the magical village. Middle-aged and blond-haired, he also wore a traditional armor with a red cape attached to it. His weaponry existed of two identical swords, which he could skillfully wield at the same time.
Marauding Captain: (Lv3, Warrior, ATK 1200 DEF 400)
"If Marauding Captain is normal summoned, I can special summon another monster from my hand so I summon another Marauding Captain."
Just like with the two Command Knights, a second copy of the monster on Max's field was summoned. With two of them on the field, they took a formation in which it was nearly impossible to decide which one should be attacked first.
"And if I control two Marauding Captains, no monster on my field can be attacked. That is because Marauding Captain's effect states that no other Warrior can be chosen as an attack target. However, the two of them share that effect, which makes both of them impossible to attack. Next, I play the magic card, The A. Forces. Now every Warrior I control gets 200 attack points for every Warrior or Spellcaster I control."
Marauding Captain: ATK 1200 + 400 = 1600
Marauding Captain: ATK 1200 + 400 = 1600
Permanent attack increasing and I can't attack them. This doesn't look good Rick thought.
"Marauding Captain, attack Ilian."
Hearing the attacking sign, the left knight dashed forward, attempting to deliver a frontal strike. Before he could hit his target, however, his path was obstructed by one of the orange robots that had been destroyed earlier.
"Not so fast. I activate my face-down Limit Reverse. Now I can special summon a monster from my graveyard with 1000 or less attack points. So return, Batteryman AA."
Batteryman AA: ATK 1000
"Nice try, but my monster is still allowed to attack again, and because he is still stronger I'll just attack your 'Batteryman' instead."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that. I activate Honest from my hand."
A large-winged male fairy appeared behind Batteryman AA, giving him some extra strength to battle the incoming warrior.
"If a light monster I control battles, I can activate Honest from my hand to increase the attack of my monster with an amount equal to that of your monster" Ilian told.
Batteryman AA: ATK 1000 + 1600 = 2600
Using his newfound powers, the orange robot launched a counterattack, piercing the knight's armor with a well-placed lightning bolt.
"My 'Captain'" Max shouted as he watched his monster destroy himself. The second knight, who had been watching the battle eagerly, didn't only lose some fighting spirit. He was also unable to maintain his battle stance, in other words, he was now looking around aimlessly.
LP Max: 8000 – 1000 = 7000
Marauding Captain: ATK 1600 – 200 = 1400
"And that isn't everything," Ilian continued. "If a Thunder monster inflicts battle damage to your Life Points, my Life Points increase with the same amount."
LP Ilian: 8000 + 1000 = 9000
"I'm just the worst duelist at the island" Max sighed. It was only a small amount of damage, but his confidence still took a big hit.
"No you're not," Rick comforted him. "You just made a small mistake. That's all."
"Then I end my turn."
Batteryman AA: ATK 2600 – 1600 = 1000
"Draw" Rick declared.
"I'll summon Breaker the Magical Warrior."
Placing the card in his Duel Disk, a swordsman appeared. Wearing a red armor with some golden touches, he wielded a diamond-shaped shield with a matching pattern, as well as a sword. The intriguing part of the sword was that it gave a strong glow.
Breaker the Magical Warrior: (Lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1600 DEF 1000)
Another one of those cards. Why does he draw everything when he needs it?
"If he is normal summoned, 'Breaker' gets a Spell Counter which increases his attack with 300."
Breaker the Magical Warrior: ATK 1600 + 300 = 1900
"And now, 'Breaker', attack Batteryman AA."
Closing the distance between the crimson-clothed warrior and the orange robot in an instant, the swordsman destroyed the robot's core- in other words, the battery in his middle- with one slash, rendering the mechanical being useless.
LP Ilian: 9000 – 900 = 8100
"Now, 'Defender', attack that Marauding Captain."
The blue-armored knight, too, launched an attack. Blocking the swords of Marauding Captain with his giant shield, he used that moment to penetrate the other's defense and deliver a lethal blow, killing the opposing warrior.
LP Max: 7000 – 200 = 6800
"And now I remove 'Breaker's' Spell Counter to destroy The A. Forces."
Using the power of his glowing sword, the spell card on Max his field shattered in pieces. However, because of the power that was released, the sword didn't glow anymore; it had become a normal sword.
Breaker the Magical Warrior: ATK 1900 – 300 = 1600
"And that ends my turn."
"Not bad, but now it's my turn," Ilian said, drawing a card. "First I activate the magic card Battery Charger. In exchange for 500 Life Points I can summon a Batteryman from my graveyard. So return, Batteryman AA."
LP Ilian: 8100 – 500 = 7600
"What's the goal of summoning this card over and over again?" Max wondered.
"He's necessary for my next monster. Because I will tribute him to summon Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon."
On Ilian's field appeared now a large mechanical monster. It slightly resembled a dragon, having a tail and claws, but in the end it was nothing more than a machine made for the sole purpose of combat. He then took the orange robot in front of him and inserted it in the core of his body, as an extra power source. This caused the dragon to grow at a rapid rate.
Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon: (Lv5, Thunder, ATK 2400 DEF 1000)
"Why is he growing so fast?" Rick worried.
" As I told you before, Batteryman AA was important. By summoning Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon using Batteryman AA as a sacrifice, my monster gains 1000 additional attack points."
"No way!" Rick and Max shouted.
Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon: ATK 2400 + 1000 = 3400
"And now I'll attack…"
Who shall I attack? If I attack Max he'll be almost eliminated and my Life Points will become 11000. However, Rick hasn't received any damage yet and the longer I wait the stronger he gets. That settles it.
"Voltech Dragon, attack 'Defender' with 'Electro Balls'."
Firing a ball of pure electricity at the blue-armored knight, the metal caused the electricity to conduct through the knight's entire body. He somehow survived, but he still took a lot of damage.
LP Rick: 8000 – 1800 = 6200
"Impressive. But do you think you can win with only your dragon?"
"Who knows. Regardless though, my Life Points still increase thanks to Wattcine."
LP Ilian: 7600 + 1800 = 9400
Even though I'm acting like it's nothing, I can't ignore the fact that Ilian is currently in the lead. The combination of that 'Voltech Dragon' along with Wattcine will cause serious trouble if we don't deal with it quickly. Rick concluded.
"And that will do for now. Max, your turn."
Max drew a card. Seeing what he had drawn, his face became almost pale. Taking another card from his hand, he placed it horizontally.
"I…I…I set a monster and end my turn" Max stammered. For some reason, he was unable to think about something else than that one card.
"Then it seems it's my turn. Draw" Rick announced. "I summon Geomancer of the Ice Barrier."
Summoning another creature, Rick's field became slightly crowded. This time, a young female appeared. She was completely dressed in blue, but she had covered her face with a mirror, revealing nothing more than her long brown hair.
Geomancer of the Ice Barrier: (Lv3, Spellcaster, ATK 800 DEF 1200)
"I wouldn't mind explaining the effect of my new monster, but its effect doesn't matter right now because I'll tune my 'Geomancer' into 'Breaker' to synchro summon Arcanite Magician."
Only moments after the young maiden had been summoned, she already turned into three green circles, floating around the red-armored knight. Both Ilian and Max were aware of what would come next; a synchro monster. The warrior along with the circles vanished and on the ground a new circle, containing characters impossible to decipher became visible. In the middle of it, a new wizard showed himself. His clothings were mostly white, along with some purple and a few red touches. More important, though, was the large wand in his left hand.
Arcanite Magician: (Lv7, Spellcaster, ATK 400 DEF 1800)
"Why do you summon such a monster in attack mode? It barely has any attack points" Ilian wondered. No matter how he looked at it, his defense points were far superior compared to its attacking strength.
"When Arcanite Magician is summoned, he gains two Spell Counters. Also, for each Spell Counter he holds, he gains 1000 attack points."
Arcanite Magician: ATK 400 + 1000 * 2 = 2400
At this moment, the yellow orb on top of the wand started to glow, showing the immense power it contained.
"Is that all? He still isn't a match for my dragon" Ilian said. To back that statement up, the mechanical dragon looked down, only to see a magician not even half his size.
"You think so? Arcanite Magician, activate 'Arcanite Explosion'."
The wizard raised his wand, and a strong light made it impossible for either one to see what happened. They could, however, amidst the confusion, hear the sound of an explosion. It took some more moments for everything to become visible again, and when it did, the giant machine on Ilian's field had disappeared.
"Where is my dragon?" Ilian demanded.
"I've just proved you wrong. By removing one Spell Counter on my field, Arcanite Magician can destroy a card on my opponent's field" Rick clarified.
"But your 'Citadel' can hold so many Spell Counters it can erase all our fields" Ilian gasped. He recalled Rick's duel against Professor Helsingborg, in which he stacked the 'Citadel' with an almost endless supply of Spell Counters.
"It is possible, but I ran out of Spell Counters for now, so I activate Spell Power Grasp to give Arcanite Magician another Spell Counter. And that also means his attack goes up to 3400. Also, since I activated a spell card, my 'Citadel' also gains a new Spell Counter"
Arcanite Magician: ATK 2400 + 1000 = 3400
"Next I add another Spell Power Grasp to my hand, which secures me of having enough Spell Counters."
"And I haven't attacked so Arcanite Magician, attack Ilian."
The magician's wand started to glow and fired a light beam in Ilian's direction. Because his field was completely empty now, he was forced to receive the impact of the attack, which caused him to fall on the ground.
LP Ilian: 9400 – 3400 = 6000
"Now 'Defender', attack Max's monster."
The heavily-armored knight marched forward, attacking an unknown foe with his sword. Revealing himself, the opposing monster was a samurai, clad in purple. He tried to block the assault, but he was unable to defend himself, causing his downfall.
"And that ends my turn" Rick declared. Looking at the field, he saw he was in the lead of this duel.
"My turn" Ilian announced.
"I just set a monster and a face-down card."
Two reversed cards, placed behind each other, filled his field. Without doing anything else, he passed his turn.
"My turn" Max said.
"First I summon The Immortal Bushi from the graveyard in defense mode."
"From the graveyard?" Rick asked.
"Exactly. If I don't control any monsters and my graveyard only contains Warrior-type monsters, he can be special summoned from the graveyard during my Standby Phase."
The samurai appeared once again with crossed swords while kneeling on one leg.
The Immortal Bushi: (Lv3, Warrior, ATK 1200 DEF 600)
"Also, I set another monster before ending my turn."
"I see. Then I guess it's my turn. Draw." He then actively drew a card.
"I summon Alchemist of Black Spells in attack mode."
A third mystical creature came out of the 'Citadel' and filled Rick's field. His face was almost completely covered and his clothes were fairly dark. His left hand also contained a large book.
Alchemist of Black Spells: (Lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1200 DEF 1800)
"And as you might've expected, I activate another Spell Power Grasp and give Arcanite Magician another spell counter."
Storing even more energy in that wand, the intensity with which it glowed became even harder. At the same time, the buildings in the village were also supplied with power, making it livelier than before. Moreover, Rick added the last copy of Spell Power Grasp to his hand. He showed the card to Max and Ilian, who both knew that card would spell more trouble for them.
Arcanite Magician: ATK 3400 + 1000 = 4400
"Now I use Arcanite's effect to destroy your face-down card, Ilian."
Using some of the energy stored in the 'Citadel', the white-clothed wizard fired a strong beam at Ilian, targeting the card in his backrow. However, although the shot was properly aimed, it still failed to destroy his target.
"What happened? Why isn't your card destroyed?"
"Because I activated it," Ilian explained. "My Quick Charger allowed me to add 2 level 4 or lower Batteryman from my graveyard to my hand. So now I have my two Batteryman AA back."
"Clever move," Rick smiled. "That makes this duel so much more fun. However, since you activated a magic card, my 'Citadel' gets a Spell Counter. And you know what that means, right? Arcanite Magician, destroy Ilian's monster."
A second shot was fired, this time aiming for Ilian's other card. Unable to avoid this assault, a small, pink battery, slightly resembling a kitten was obliterated at once. A monster called Batteryman Micro-Cell.
"And since there are no traps on the field, you can't stop me. 'Alchemist', attack The Immortal Bushi."
Opening the book in his left hand, the wizard chanted a spell. It was no high-class magic, but the power created with it was more enough to get rid of the armored samurai.
"But I'm not done yet. Defender, attack Ilian directly."
Once more, 'Defender' used his sword to attack. However, this time his opponent was defenseless. Without mercy, Ilian was stabbed right in his chest. The knight retreated shortly after, but Ilian knew the worst had yet to come.
LP Ilian: 6000 – 1600 = 4400
This looks really bad for me. If I'm attacked by Arcanite Magician my Life Points will hit 0. Also, if he would attack Max's monster The Immortal Bushi would come back instead. Where did it go wrong? Ilian panicked for a moment, then accepted he had lost.
"And to finish you off, Arcanite Magician, attack Ilian."
After having heard the signal to attack, the sorcerer used the full extent of his power to launch his strongest spell. He raised his wand, aimed, and hit Ilian instantly. He could only look at his Life Point meter, which decreased at an astonishing speed, only to hit exactly zero. He received the attack, and because of the impact he was unable to keep standing straight.
LP Ilian: 4400 – 4400 = 0
"That was a great duel. It seems I have to practice a lot before I can beat you" Ilian said. He had lost devastatingly, but as he was getting up again, he was also smiling.
"Well, I haven't won yet. I mean, Max has more Life Points than me so…"
"You think that matters? You have a monster with the ability to kill me in the next turn" Max complained. Honestly, he didn't feel he should continue. If he surrendered here and now, it would be over.
"Don't give up now. You can still win."
"Yeah, Max. Rick's right. He hasn't won at all."
Both Ilian and Rick had realized Max's intent. By encouraging him, they might be able to keep the duel going.
"All right. I'll try" Max sighed. He wasn't happy with his decision, but he still let him convince to go on by the other two.
"Okay, back to the duel. I put my 'Alchemist' in defense mode…"
"What!" Max interrupted. "You're not allowed to do that with a monster that attacked in the same turn."
It was one of the most obvious rules in the game, so Max had a good reason to object this move. Regardless, Rick shifted his card horizontally, and the wizard closed his book accordingly, only to take a less offensive stance.
"I know. But thanks to his ability he can change to defense position to give a Spell Counter to a card on my field. And I choose Arcanite Magician."
Arcanite Magician: ATK 4400 + 1000 = 5400
"Now he has over 5000 attack points. That's insane!" Ilian exclaimed.
"Unfortunately, I have to end my turn."
Rick was honestly disappointed, being forced to end his turn, but he still did it anyway.
"Draw" Max said.
No, not this card. Why did I even put it in my deck? Max thought to himself. He tried not to show it, but he was actually stunned by his newly-drawn card.
"I set one card and then I end my turn" he said, still surprised about the he had drawn.
"Draw" Rick started his turn.
"First, I change my 'Alchemist' back to attack mode. Next, I play my last Spell Power Grasp and give Arcanite Magician another Spell Counter."
Arcanite Magician: ATK 5400 + 1000 = 6400
"Then I remove two Spell Counters from my 'Citadel' to destroy your face-down cards.
Arcanite Magician fired two light beams. The first one destroyed a blond-haired girl wearing some worn-out clothes, also known as Warrior Lady of the Wasteland. The second one was stopped by a magical barrier.
"I activate my Threatening Roar. Now you can't attack me this turn."
"Not bad. Then I'll put my 'Alchemist' back in defense mode to give Arcanite Magician a Spell Counter."
Arcanite Magician: ATK 6400 + 1000 = 7400
"And I'll end my turn."
Ilian, meanwhile, was watching the duel become slightly one-sided. No, 'slightly' would be a euphemism. Max with an empty field against a monster with more than 7000 attack points and a mass-destruction effect wasn't slightly one-sided. It couldn't even be called a duel anymore.
"Draw."
Another one of those cards. I'm just not worthy of them. The fact that Max no longer had the will to continue didn't help of course. He was just staring at his feet rather than the field in front of him.
" Since I don't control any monsters, The Immortal Bushi returns from the graveyard again. Then, I just set the card I've drawn. Your turn."
For the second time, Max's purple-armored samurai revived himself. Immortal truly was the correct word to describe that monster. Behind that warrior, a solitary face-down card appeared.
Rick noticed that, Max had been able to build a new line of defense, despite having no proper defense at the start of his turn. Seeing that, he drew a card from his deck, starting his move.
"First, I'll put my 'Alchemist' back in attack mode. Next, he'll attack your 'Immortal Bushi'."
Like before, the Alchemist casted a spell, using the power of that thick book he was still holding and erased him, leaving Max with no monsters.
"And now I'll finish this with Arcanite Magician. 'Arcane Destruction'."
Casting a spell, even stronger than the one that eliminated Ilian, he aimed his wand at the red-haired boy. Taking the full impact of that tremendous attack, Max fell on his back, completely blown away.
LP Max: 6800 – 7400 = 0
Seeing his opponent lying on the grass, Rick deactivated his Duel Disk, and consequently the holograms of his army of magicians and that of the 'Citadel' disappeared.
"You're quite good, Rick" Ilian said. "We should duel again sometime."
Rick just sighed and went to Max.
"You put up a great fight. You sure can duel." Rick extended his arm, in an attempt to help him get up.
"Please don't make fun of me. You know I'm a horrible duelist." He then got up himself, not having taken Rick's hand.
"Not at all. But what was that face-down card you didn't use during my last turn?"
Max took his face-down card and the card in his hand before giving them to Rick.
"Spirit Force and Rose, Warrior Of Revenge!" Rick exclaimed. "Why didn't you use that card?" With Spirit Force he could've blocked my last attack and buy himself another turn, not to mention he could've used its second effect as well.
"You don't get it" Max said. Although he had opened up slightly during their duel, he had reverted back to his earlier state, looking at the ground again.
"Why didn't you use those cards in our duel?" Ilian asked.
"She just says I'm not good enough to use my synchro monsters, or any of those cards."
"Who is 'she'?" Rick became confused. Until now, Max hadn't mentioned anyone, let alone a girl.
"My sister, Emma" Max started. "It's the reason why I came to this school."
"Can you explain it to us?" Ilian asked.
Max hesitated, but since he already knew they would keep asking questions until he told everything, he thought he might as well could them.
"A few years ago, my parents gave me some new cards for my deck. Some of those cards were 'Colossal Fighter', 'Rose, Warrior Of Revenge', and 'Spirit Force'. Of course I was happy with my new cards. So I challenged Emma to a duel. However, she defeated me really bad and told me I wasn't good enough to have such powerful cards at my current level. But in this condition I'll never be able to use this cards."
"Then we're going to help you until you're good enough to use your cards" Rick said.
"No, you can't. If she finds out I'm using my special cards she'll definitely challenge me to a duel and take all my cards away."
"It's quite impossible she finds out while she's at her home" Ilian said.
His reasoning was perfectly logical, but the next sentence surprised both Rick and Ilian.
"Actually, she's a second-year at Odin Palace and even there she's one of the top duelists. I mean, 'that' is the reason I came to this school. So I can defeat her. But now I'm too scared to duel her."
"If that's the case, then I will duel her" Rick declared. Hearing how strong she was, he was interested in facing a powerful duelist like her.
"Don't do it. If she defeats you, you might lose your best cards to her" Max said.
"So be it. If I can help a friend then I'm willing to risk my deck for it."
His face contained an expression, showing how determined he was. Max and Ilian realized this, and decided it was okay for him to duel Emma.
Emma, I don't know who you are, or why you've done this, but I will defeat you. Definitely.
Max: "The day has come Rick will duel my sister."
Rick: "But what happened between you both?"
Ilian: "Who knows? But now you're the one in trouble."
Rick: "What do you mean? It's just a duel."
Max: "She can be really intimidating. And you might lose your best cards."
Ilian: "Also, it seems her ace will be summoned really quickly."
Max: "That might be a real problem. But I don't think Rick realizes it yet."
Ilian: "Next on Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy: 'The Cold-Hearted Venus'."
Rick: "Why do you always say the title of the next episode?"