(Chapter 2: Duel on the Seas! Beasts VS Dragons?)
Both Kurisutaru and Naiga waited in anticipation of their results. Would they make it in to the Academy? It had been three weeks since their exams, but they had so far received no word.
Though at around 10 AM on one Friday morning, that was about to change.
"Kuri-chan, wake up." A familiar voice said.
Kurisutaru opened her eyes and noticed the envelope sat next to her on her pillow. She picked it up, opened it and started to read.
"Dear Keshiro Kurisutaru."
"Well done in your entrance exams, you have been selected from among the many applicants to attend Duel Academia. There is a ticket enclosed that will allow you to board the luxury cruiser departing from Domino City Harbour. Make sure to get there as quickly as possible, as the last ship to the island will be leaving at 1 PM on the 25th of this month."
Kurisutaru's eyes widened as she read the letter. "This is..... I'm in!" She cheerfully replied.
"That's great Kuri-chan, I got in too. But we've got about half an hour to get to the train station to get on the train for Domino City. It's the 25th today. " Naiga informed her. Kurisutaru's eyes widened.
"....Get out. I need to get ready. I'll be as quick as I can!" Kurisutaru replied.
Naiga quickly exited her room and he could hear her rushing around in her room.
"Hey Naiga-kun, why'd you leave it so late to come get me?" Kurisutaru asked as she continued to get dressed.
"Looks like both of us slept in this morning. But Dad always reads my mail when I don't get up and when he saw the letter from Duel Academia, he came straight upstairs and drop-kicked me out of bed. Idiot almost broke my neck..." Naiga answered.
"Hey, if he hadn't we'd both miss the boat to the island." Kurisutaru replied as she exited her room with a bag over her shoulder.
The front door is kicked open and Kurisutaru and Naiga dash towards the train station.
The two of them got to the train station and it was crowded with early morning commuters. They had to dodge around people.
They eventually got to the stand where their train would depart from but it had already closed its doors and was pulling out of the station.
"Oh no!" Kurisutaru cried.
"I have an idea, you go hide and dive onto the train as soon as the conductor walks past you!" Naiga told her.
Kurisutaru quickly found herself a hiding place and waited for her chance.
Meanwhile Naiga had a cunning plan. He knew that trains have "Automatic Stop" buttons on them, so he hit one and dove behind a pillar.
As expected, the train came to a grinding halt.
All the doors opened and the conductor stepped off the train to make some checks before he can let the train set off again.
The conductor walked down the platform and past Kurisutaru, so she makes her move and dove onto the train.
A few minutes later the doors close and the train started moving but Naiga is nowhere to be seen.
Kurisutaru looks out the door window up the platform looking for Naiga but couldn't see him. A hand rests on her shoulder, she turned around quickly and Naiga is standing there.
"Where were you?" Kurisutaru asked
"Right behind you." Naiga replied. "When I ducked behind the pillar I followed it round to you, and then got onto the train with you." He explained.
Kurisutaru noticed a graze on Naiga's knee. "How did you do that?" She questioned.
"I tripped over a soda can while I was getting us on this train." Naiga said.
"Silly you!" Kurisutaru laughed.
(At Domino City Harbour, later....)
Kurisutaru and Naiga walked into the harbour, seeing that it was lively with a lot of people.
"Students and their families I guess. You see the ship anywhere?" Naiga asked.
Kurisutaru looked around. She saw kids of around their age that were lining up to get onto one of the larger ships. "So that's the luxury cruiser we're heading to the Academy on..." She said in awe.
(On the ship, about an hour later...)
The two of them had got onto the ship without trouble. After having a little look around the boat's facilities, the two of them headed to the cafeteria, as the two of them were fairly hungry.
"I just think it stinks that we don't know our dorms until we get to the island." Naiga commented as the two of them sat down.
"I don't think it matters where we start, because we can move around the dorms during our time at the Academy." Kurisutaru replied.
"You make a good point, Keshiro-chan." A voice said. Both Kurisutaru and Naiga looked up to see Rianu standing there.
Naiga's right eye twitched. "And who the hell are you?" He asked.
"Naiga-kun, this is the student I was telling you about, Takahara Rianu." Kurisutaru answered.
Rianu nodded. "It's good to see that you made it in." He replied. "When I watched your duel I had no doubt you would." He added.
"You were watching our duels?" Naiga questioned.
"A few of the second and third year students came along to check out the new competition, that's all." Rianu replied. "Though I didn't personally see your duel." He added to Naiga.
"From how long I've known Naiga-kun, he was playing at his best then. He was even using a deck that he'd never even told me about." Kurisutaru said.
"Well, I spent three days building it. I didn't expect it to lose there." Naiga told her.
"Well, how about a duel? I want to see how this deck of yours works." Rianu asked.
"With you? Now?" Naiga questioned.
"Meet me on the top deck in fifteen minutes. I need to go get my Duel Disk." Rianu replied, before walking off.
(Ship's Top Deck, Fifteen Minutes Later....)
Naiga ran up to the top deck, searching for Rianu. Kurisutaru hadn't joined him because she wanted to take another look around the ship and get to know a few more of the students before reaching the island.
Although while looking for him, Naiga accidently ran into someone. Both he and the guy fell to the floor. As Naiga looked up, he saw Kai there.
"Seriously, how clumsy can one person be?" Kai questioned with a glare.
Naiga jumped back to his feet. "Can't stop, I have a duel to go to." He said as he ran off.
"Hey, I'm not finished with you, come back here....you baka!" Kai shouted.
On one of the duelling arenas, Rianu is awaiting his opponent to arrive.
Then Naiga comes running up the stairs out of breath, trips over the top step and falls flat on his face.
"I see you made it and were quite serious about accepting my challenge to duel me." Rianu said.
"Of course I am, I've got to get my first win in the academy somehow." Naiga told him as he got up.
"Nicely put, but don't expect to get your first win from me." Rianu replied, before activating his Duel Disk and drawing his opening hand. (Rianu LP: 4000).
Naiga did the same, then looked up at Rianu. "Go first, Senpai." He spoke. (Naiga LP: 4000)
"DUEL!"
Rianu drew his sixth card, before quickly looking at his hand. "I set two cards face-down, and then summon Spear Dragon in attack mode." He said as he set the three cards into his Duel Disk, then the blue scaled dragon appeared in front of him. (1900/0). "I end my turn." He finished.
"My turn, Draw!" Naiga called out as he drew, before looking at his hand. "I activate Foolish Burial! This card lets me send one monster in my deck to the graveyard." He explained as he took his deck out of its slot, then searched through. After finding what he wanted he reshuffled and held the card up to Rianu. "Forest Guardian - Green Baboon is my choice." He said before placing it in his graveyard.
'A Beast deck. Hmm...' Rianu thought.
"I then set a card face down and summon my Angry Ape in Attack Mode." Naiga continued, as his monster appeared in front of him. "While on the field, my Ape must attack in every battle phase. So he'll attack your Spear Dragon!" He ordered. (2000/1000). Naiga's Angry Ape dashed across the field and punched the Spear Dragon, making it instantly shatter. (Rianu LP: 3900). "Turn End." He finished.
Rianu drew. "I summon Mirage Dragon." He said as the yellow dragon formed on his field. "I'll also play the Quickplay Magic, Shrink! It cuts the attack of one monster on the field in half. I choose your Angry Ape." He declared as he pointed to the ape, it shrank down to half its size. (1000/1000). "Mirage Dragon will attack him. Mirage Crash!" He added as his monster threw its head back, before firing a rainbow coloured blast of energy from its mouth.
"I activate..." Naiga replied, but found his card wasn't flipping up. "Hey, what gives?" He questioned as the Mirage Dragon's attack slammed into his Ape and destroyed it. (Naiga LP: 3400)
"It's simple. While Mirage Dragon is on the field, you can't activate traps during my Battle Phase." Rianu answered.
"But since you destroyed my Ape, I can now activate the effect of Forest Guardian - Green Baboon. I pay 1000 Life Points to special summon him from my Graveyard to the field!" Naiga explained as the huge baboon appeared on his field in front of him. (2600/1800). (Naiga LP: 2400)
"That's fine. I set a card, and then end my turn." Rianu finished,
"My Turn, Draw!" Naiga began. "I summon Sage Chiron!" He said as a centaur wielding a staff appeared on his field. (1800/1000). "Once per turn, I can discard a Magic card, to destroy one of your Magic or Traps. I discard Hundred Beasts Stampede to destroy the card on the right!" He told him as he discarded the card to his graveyard, then his monster's staff glowed before it fired a blast of energy that struck the face down card, shattering it.
"My trap was Declaration of God." Rianu replied as he discarded it.
'Declaration of God? Why didn't he activate it to negate Chiron's summon?' Naiga wondered. "Okay, Sage Chiron will attack the Mirage Dragon!" He ordered. His monster fired another shot of energy, this time at Rianu's dragon. The attack connected, destroying it. (Rianu LP: 3700). "And Green Baboon will attack directly!" He added.
"Reverse Card Open! Reactive Armour!" Rianu called out as his trap flipped up. Naiga's Green Baboon was instantly destroyed.
"I pay another 1000 Life Points to resummon him from the graveyard!" Naiga replied as his Baboon reappeared. (Naiga LP: 1400) "You just wasted your Trap, Rianu-senpai." He added. "Direct Attack!" He ordered once again. Naiga's Green Baboon punched him straight in the chest, sending him to the floor. (Rianu LP: 1100). "I end my turn there." He finished.
"Your Green Baboon is quite the deadly card, but he'll be your downfall. You aren't using him properly." Rianu told him as he got up. He then drew his next card.
This annoyed Naiga. "Huh?! It's because of him I have the lead!" He replied.
"Let me show you. I activate the Magic Card, Pot of Greed, letting me draw twice!" Rianu said as he discarded the Pot of Greed card, then drew two extra cards, bringing his hand up to 3. "I then activate Lightning Vortex. By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy all of your face-up monsters!" He explained, before lightning rained down on Naiga's field, destroying both of his monsters as Rianu discarded a card..
"Green Baboon returns!" Naiga replied, his baboon once again appeared on his field. (Naiga's LP: 400).
Rianu shook his head with a sigh. "Idiot." He spoke, before looking straight at Naiga. "This duel ends here. I summon Masked Dragon in attack mode." He said as his red and grey dragon appeared in front of him (1400/1100). "I also play my Reverse Card, Cry of the Living Dead!" He added as his trap flipped up. "I use it to summon the monster I discarded with Lightning Vortex, Bomber Dragon!" He explained as a dark coloured dragon holding a bomb appeared on his field. (1000/0).
"But both of your monsters are weaker than mine and you have no more cards in your hand." Naiga looked confused at Rianu's move.
"Bomber Dragon, attack the Green Baboon! Dynamite Crush!" Rianu ordered.
"But you'll lose the duel. Green Baboon is much stronger-" Naiga was cut off by the Bomber Dragon colliding with his baboon, and both of them exploding. "What just happened? Why didn't you take damage?" He asked.
"Bomber Dragon's effect stops battle damage from his attack during my turn, and a monster that destroys him in battle is also destroyed." Rianu answered, showing Naiga his Duel Disk's life point meter. It hadn't changed, it was still 1100. "And with only 400 Life Points left, you're unable to revive your baboon again. Masked Dragon, direct attack!" He ordered, and his other dragon leapt forward and rammed into Naiga, sending him to the floor. (Naiga LP: 0).
The holograms vanished as Rianu walked over to his opponent. "You're good." Naiga commented.
"You haven't had any time at the Academy yet, but you'll become better during the year, if you listen to your teachers." Rianu replied, before offering his hand to his downed opponent.
Naiga took it and Rianu helped him to his feet. "Thanks." He said.
Both of them got off the duelling ring, before Rianu spoke again. "You never mentioned your name."
"I'm Shobuko Naiga." Naiga replied as Kurisutaru walked up to the two of them. "Hey Kuri-chan." He said to her.
"I'm heading back to my room for the remainder of the trip. I'll see both of you later." Rianu spoke, before walking off.
"You have no idea who you just duelled, have you?" Kurisutaru asked.
"Oh, you were watching?" Naiga questioned.
Kurisutaru nodded. "I talked to a few of the second and third year students, and I found out that Rianu-san is ranked 4th in the entire school." She informed him.
Naiga hung his head. "I never stood a chance, did I?" He replied.
"It's like he said, you'll get better during the year. Don't worry about it Naiga-kun." Kurisutaru told him, patting him on the back.
(End of Chapter)
Kuri: We're at the Academy!
Naiga(annoyed): I got roomed where? And with who?
Kuri: It'll be fine Naiga-kun.
Naiga (still annoyed): That Kai guy is going to get on my nerves.
Both: Next! Episode 3: Arrival at Duel Academia!
Naiga: Whoa! What's with that monster?!
