A/N
Shout-Outs
Weeb that's a Sheep: Yeah, looking back at Chapter 1, Martin does seem to be a bit too Jaden-ish. I'm hoping as I progress, Martin slowly begins to stand on his own two feet as a character. And don't you worry about my other OCs... muahahahaha!
"Ugh... man, this guy talks for a long time..." Crow thought to himself in boredom. He was leaning back in his admittedly rather comfortable auditorium chair, picking at any stray strings he could find on his new yellow blazer. Next to him sat Martin, clad in a similar-colored blazer, who was somehow rapt at attention at the long droning speech being made by their principal, a shaggy-haired man by the name of Kageyama. He'd been talking for what seemed to be decades, and Crow could barely stand it at this point. He turned to Martin. "Hey," he whispered quietly. Martin didn't seem to hear him, so Crow tried again. "Hey!" he whispered a bit louder. Still no response. "What the Hell? Did the dude fall asleep with his eyes open or something?" Fairly annoyed at his friend's lack of attention, Crow proceeded to slug Martin in the shoulder. To his surprise, Martin simply slugged him back, his eyes still glued to their principal.
"I can't believe this guy... how is he still awake? And why is he even bothering to pay attention?" Crow grumbled as he rubbed his now-sore shoulder. "Then again, this isn't the strangest thing about the guy." Crow recalled the entrance exam that was the reason Martin made it into the academy in the first place. More importantly, Crow recalled the fire in Martin's eyes as he dueled the professor. "Dude was willing to go up against an opponent with an entire army of uber-strong monster cards, and he even won. This guy's not a normal duelist." Crow turned back to Martin, and couldn't help but smirk at the childlike glee that radiated off of him as Kageyama spoke. "That's definitely for certain."
Eventually, much to Crow's delight, Kageyama's talk finally ended, and the students were dismissed to wander around the area as they pleased. Some took a trip to the card shop to revise their decks. Others decided to explore the natural beauty that surrounded the academy. Martin and Crow however...
"Crow, buddy, I'm telling you, we're lost!" Martin yelled in exasperation.
"Come on, it's fine, Martin!" Crow replied with confidence. "I've got a photographic memory, and I can assure you that the Ra Yellow dorms are thisaway!"
"Isn't that what you said the last five thisaways?" Martin muttered under his breath.
"P-please... I don't want any trouble..." a quiet, fearful voice interrupted their conversation, and the pair turned their heads sharply towards the source of the noise. A silver-haired girl in a blue blazer was backed up against a small tree, her face one of fear. In front of her were three girls wearing similar blazers. The leader of the three girls seemed to be a green-haired girl, part of her hair sticking up much like an insect's antennae.
The green-haired girl sneered at her cornered prey. "Well, too bad. You've got trouble."
Immediately, Martin stepped in, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Is there a problem here, ladies?" he asked, grabbing everyone's attention.
The green-haired girl smiled at Martin patronizingly. "Oh, nothing that could ever concern a Ra Reject like yourself. Now beat it."
Martin cracked his knuckles menacingly. "If you want to pick on someone, how about picking on me?" By now, the confrontation had gathered the interest of a small crowd, who formed a circle around the two duelists.
"Are you challenging me, the beautiful Lysandra Belladonna, to a duel, you maggot?" The green-haired girl snarled angrily.
"Personally, I'd rather punch you in the nose and be done with it, but I guess a duel works too," Martin retorted.
"Pathetic! I shall crush you underneath my boot like the maggot you are!" The girl snickered evilly, pulling out her duel disk.
"Yeah? Well I, Martin Fisher, am gonna prove that you're nothing but a washup!" Martin shuffled his deck, his gaze never wavering.
By now, whispers had begun to rise amongst the crowd. "Hey, isn't that the guy who beat Dorain?" "Yeah, looks like he's dueling Belladonna! What I heard is she's the richest duelist here!" "The smart money's on the blue one."
The green-haired girl continued to snicker. "Don't you realize the difference between the two of us? I, Lysandra Belladona, am an Obelisk Blue, far more superior than a Ra Yellow such as yourself!"
"How about you shut your trap and prove it then!" Martin snarled, his fingers itching to take this girl down a peg.
"DUEL!" Both students cried out.
Martin: 4000LP
Lysandra: 4000LP
"I'll start this duel off!" Martin cried out. "First off, I'll discard my Warrior of Atlantis card to add A Legendary Ocean to my hand, which I'll now activate!" The area surrounding the duelists soon became surrounded by water, and several ancient stone constructs rose from the ground. "Now, I'll finish off by summoning my Atlantean Dragoons in attack mode!" Out from the depths of the ocean swam a pair of armed fish-knights riding on gold and silver seahorses. Atlantean Dragoons(4/1800/0)-(3/2000/200)
"How delightfully droll..." Lysandra mocked as she drew a card. "I, Lysandra Belladonna, shall start off by summoning Pinch Hopper in attack mode!" A dog-sized green grasshopper bounded onto the field, chittering in an attempt to be menacing. Pinch Hopper(4/1000/1200) "Now he's gonna say hello to your Dragoons!" The grasshopper chirped again, before bounding over to the fish-knights.
"What is she thinking?" Crow thought to himself. "That's not nearly enough attack to take on Martin's monster!" True to his thoughts, the insect was easily cut down by the Dragoons before it could even think about reaching them.
Martin: 4000LP
Lysandra: 3000LP
"And now, Pinch Hopper's effect activates, allowing me, Lysandra Belladonna, to special summon any Insect Monster from my hand! And I choose the mighty Metal Armored Bug! Suddenly, the earth began to rumble as a gigantic semi-truck sized beetle tunneled up from the ground. Its body was sleek and shined like the sun. It let out a horrific shriek as it took the field. Metal Armored Bug(8/2800/1500)
"Holy crap!" Crow gaped. "She's able to pull out such a powerful monster on her first turn?!"
"This is bad..." Martin thought to himself as he took in the titanic beetle. "It already seems that she's pulling out all the stops. Unless I'm able to pull out a good card soon, I'm toast!"
"Now, Metal Armored Bug! Flatten his Dragoons with Ironhide Dozer!" The titanic insect groaned as it charged towards the Dragoons, easily crushing them underneath its massive bulk.
Martin: 3200LP
Lysandra: 3000LP
"Now do you see the difference between us, you miserable grub?" Lysandra sneered. "I, Lysandra Belladonna, end my turn."
"All I see is one gigantic pest that needs squashing, along with that Metal Armored Bug of yours!" Martin shot back. "Now, I draw!" "I need to be able to pull out a powerful monster, but how?" Martin scanned his hand carefully, before pulling out one he could use. "I set one monster facedown, and end my turn."
"Pathetic! I, Lysandra Belladonna, expected more from someone who was so eager to take me on! I draw! Now, I shall summon the mighty Insect Knight in attack mode!" A human-sized cockroach creature armed with a scimitar and shield flew onto the battlefield, bashing the hilt of his blade against his shield. Insect Knight(4/1900/1500) "Now, Insect Knight, cut down his facedown card!" With one skillful sword slash, the humanoid insect cleaved Martin's card in half, revealing it to be a blue-furred grizzly bear.
"You've just destroyed my Mother Grizzly card, allowing me to summon one Water Monster with 1500 or less Attack from my deck in Attack Mode! I choose another Mother Grizzly!" A second bear appeared on the field, standing tall on its hind legs. Mother Grizzly(4/1500/800)-(4/1700/1000)
"It doesn't matter, because now, my Metal Armored Bug will squash your teddy bear with another Ironhide Dozer!" With a second mighty groan, the steel-plated bug charged at the bear, trampling it underneath its bulk.
Martin: 2100LP
Lysandra: 3000LP
"Yeah, but now I can special summon another monster from my deck! Like the ever so lovely Cure Mermaid!" A red scaled blonde mermaid swam in circles around Martin, before blowing the Insect Knight a kiss. The insectoid soldier merely shuffled its feet bashfully. Cure Mermaid(4/1500/800)-(3/1700/1000)
"You're just stalling now!" The green-haired girl complained.
"Well, it's working, isn't it?" Martin retorted. "Anyways, it's my turn! I draw, and now Cure Mermaid's effect activates, and I gain 800 Life Points during the Standby Phase!" The mermaid began to croon sweetly, and a beautiful tune began to echo across the field as Martin was surrounded by a pink aura that began to heal him.
"Wow... It's beautiful..." Crow said dreamily.
"Yeah..." The silver haired girl agreed, almost dancing along. "I wish this song could go on forever..." Those witnessing the duel seemed to agree, as they nodded their heads to the tune. Even the monsters on the field seemed to be swaying to the tune, completely hypnotized.
Martin: 2100LP
Lysandra: 3000LP
"Now, I'll sacrifice my Cure Mermaid-"
"AWWWW!" Everyone groaned in disappointment.
"-to summon my Levia-Dragon Daedalus!" Martin finished.
"OOH!" Everyone perked up at that. With a mighty roar, the legendary sea serpent took the field, coiling itself up like a spring. Levia-Dragon Daedalus(7/2600/1500)-(6/2800/1700)
"Now, my Levia-Dragon's effect activates! By offering up A Legendary Ocean..." The water began to drain from the battlefield, as it was absorbed by the titanic water monster. "He destroys every card on the field! Go, Daedalus! Riptide Rampage!" The water then shot out in all directions, impaling every single card on the field. Levia-Dragon Daedalus(6/2800/1700)-(7/2600/1500) "Now, Daedalus! Attack her directly with Roar of Poseidon!" The mighty serpent roared in acknowledgement, before firing off a devastating beam of energy from its maw.
Martin: 2100LP
Lysandra: 400LP
"Noooooooo! How could I, Lysandra Belladonna, an elite, be losing to a commoner like you?" Lysandra exclaimed dramatically. "Foolish fool! Now that you have your ultimate monster on the field, you've set yourself up for your ultimate demise!" "I draw... oh, dear! I guess I'll just have to set one card facedown, and summon my poor Prickle Fairy in Defense Mode..." From the dirt arose a green-skinned woman with blonde hair and thorny tentacles for arms, dressed in lavish pinks and purples. Upon seeing the titanic beast on Martin's side of the field, she quickly hid herself within a large flower, which closed in on her. Prickle Fairy(4/300/2000) "Now then, I activate the magic card Insect Barrier!" Suddenly, a criss-crossing barrier appeared on her side of the field, sparking with electricity.
"What's that supposed to do?" Martin asked.
"Let me spell out the obvious for you, chum for brains!" Lysandra sneered. "Because of this Insect Barrier card, any and all of your Insect monsters are forbidden from attacking! Gihihihihi!"
Martin scratched his head in confusion. "Wait, so how does that affect me? I don't have any Insect monsters!"
"You just let me worry about that, Ra Reject! I end my turn!"
"Something's not right here... that's obvious enough. However, I can't exactly tell what it is. I guess I just have to test the waters." "I summon Gagagigo in Attack Mode!" A green lizard-human slithered onto the field and punched its fists together in anticipation. Gagagigo(4/1850/1000) "Now, I'll attack once more with Daedalus! Hit that Fairy with another Roar of Posideon!" The beast roared in acknowledgement, before firing off a second stream of energy from its mouth.
"Now for part two of my plan! I activate DNA Surgery!" One of Lysandra's facedown cards revealed itself. Suddenly, all the monsters on Martin's side of the field began to glow, before growing insect parts such as extra limbs and mandibles. The same happened to the Prickle Fairy.
Martin stepped back in horror. "Oh, no!"
"Oh, yes! Now I can change all face-up monsters on the field to one type of my choosing, and guess what? I choose Insect!" Just before the beam made contact with the Prickle Fairy, the shield glowed brightly, and the beam of destruction was cancelled out.
Martin growled angrily, realizing that he'd been set up. "Grr... I end my turn."
"Now, it's my turn! I summon Cross-Sword Beetle in attack mode!" A beetle the size of a large cow took the field, clacking its pincers together menacingly. Cross-Sword Beetle(4/1800/1200) "I end my turn."
"I draw." Martin scanned his hand, desperate to find something that could get him out of this bind. "...I set Gagagigo in defense mode end my turn," he concluded sadly.
"Finally realizing how outmatched you are? Fine by me! I draw!" Lysandra smirked evilly as she saw the card she had picked. "Now, I'll sacrifice my Prickle Fairy to summon the lovely Insect Princess!" As the flower evaporated into thin air, a faint giggling could be heard, making Martin jump. He looked around him, trying to find the source of the sound. His answer soon arrived in the form of a green humanoid with butterfly wings touching gracefully down onto the ground. Insect Princess(5/1900/1200) At the arrival of the creature, Gagagigo suddenly took an attack stance.
"What? Gagagigo was in Defense Mode before!" Martin cried out in shock.
"Don't you know anything, fool? Insect Princess's effect forces any and all Insect Monsters into Attack Position due to her pheromones!" It was true. If one looked closely, they could see a strange pink mist emanating from the Princess's body. And thanks to my DNA Surgery card, you can't defend! Now, oh mighty Insect Princess! Tear his stupid green lizard apart!" The royal insect smiled wickedly, before swiftly flying over to Gagagigo with her maw open wide. Before the lizard-man could even react, Insect Princess had already clamped her teeth around his throat, crushing it. "Now, my Insect Princess's second effect activates! For every Insect Monster she kills, she feeds upon them, growing stronger and stronger for each one she kills! Gihihihi! Now feast, oh lovely Princess!" The princess began to tear apart the fallen Gagagigo's hide with her four hands, stuffing what she could within her mouth. As she did so, she began to glow a sickly green color, and she seemed to be growing in size. Insect Princess(5/1900/1200)-(5/2400/1200) "I end my turn."
Martin: 2050LP
Lysandra: 400LP
"That is just sick, lady! Sick and wrong!" Crow moaned in disgust. The silver-haired girl next to him didn't speak, too preoccupied with trying not to hurl at the grisly scene.
"I think I'm gonna hurl..." Martin groaned as he saw the savage insectoid tear into Gagagigo. "Disgusting monster aside, this is bad! All I can do is try and build up walls to block her assault!" "It's my turn! I summon Mother Grizzly!" A third giant blue bear, now with an extra set of arms and mandibles, took the field. "I... end my turn."
"You really are just a cocky fool! Allow me, Lysandra Belladonna, to crush your last vestiges of hope! I activate Insect Armor with Laser Cannon! Boosting Insect Princess's Attack by 700!" Suddenly, the Insect Princess began to glow, before a menacing looking chest plate appeared on her body, and a large cannon was strapped to her back. Insect Princess(5/2400/1200)-(5/3100/1200) "Now, Insect Princess! Destroy Levia-Dragon Daedalus with Bug Blitz Shot!" Insect Princess got down on all fours, er, sixes, before firing off a laser blast at the giant monster, blowing it to pieces. The Insect Princess then began to feast upon her new meal. Insect Princess(5/3100/1200)-(5/3600/1200)
"Gaagh!" Martin hissed in pain, holding his Duel Disk in front of his face to shield him from the brunt of the blow.
"There goes Martin's best card!" Crow cried out in panic.
Martin: 1550LP
Lysandra: 400LP
"Now, Cross-Sword Beetle, crush his Grizzly with Pincer Blow!" The brown insect jumped high in the air, before clamping down its jaws on the bear, cutting it into four pieces, cutting down Martin's Life Points even further.
Martin: 1250LP
Lysandra: 400LP
"Now, Mother Grizzly's effect activates, and now I'll summon Mermaid Archer from my hand!" A beautiful blue-haired woman armed with a crossbow and perched on a turtle's shell arrived on the field, taking aim directly at Lysandra. She now had an extra pair of arms thanks to the DNA Surgery card. Mermaid Archer(3/1200/200)
"Feh! How pathetic. I end my turn." Lysandra smiled to herself, assured in her victory.
"I'm screwed..." Martin thought to himself. "I don't have any cards strong enough to take on that Princess of hers, and because of that effect of hers, I can't stall anymore! I'm out of tricks..." Martin solemnly laid a hand on his deck, before feeling a familiar cold sensation. He hesitantly drew his card, and looked at his new hand addition. Martin allowed himself a smile. "Well, old buddy, it's good to see you here. You're just the card I need to squash these bugs." "Well, Lysandra, it's been fun dueling you, but now you're all washed up!"
"What?!" Lysandra snarled. Where was this newfound bravado coming from?! "How?!"
"Because thanks to this new card I drew, I'm gonna end this right here and now! I'm kinda disappointed that I wasn't able to bring him forth in my Academy debut, but I guess now's a good a time as any! I sacrifice my Mermaid Archer to bring forth my good friend, Mobius the Frost Monarch!" Suddenly, the battlefield took on a deathly chill as Mermaid Archer was enveloped within a shell of ice. Small cracks began to form along the surface of the shell, before it finally exploded in a shower of ice shards, revealing an entirely new monster. There stood a powerful figure encased in pure white armor, a cape of blue billowing behind it majestically. It stared down its opponents defiantly, arms crossed in front of its chest. Mobius the Frost Monarch(6/2400/1000)
"A Monarch card..." The silver-haired girl said in awe.
"What? I don't get it, what's so special about it?"
"You'll see," she responded cryptically. "That's another rare card he has in his deck, and a powerful one at that. Just how powerful is this boy?"
"What? That's the card that's going to save you?!" Lysandra guffawed. "How? It's not like it stands a chance against my mighty Insect Deck!" She stuck out her arm, slicing the air in front of her. "Observe as it too becomes an Insect! Gihihihi!"
However, instead of turning into an Insect, Mobius merely stuck out both of its arms, his palms glowing with unnaturally cold energy, before two beams of ice shot out of his hands, freezing the DNA Surgery and Insect Barrier cards solid, before they shattered into pieces.
"Gihi?! What trickery is this?!" Lysandra shrieked as she stepped back in horror.
"What? I thought an elite such as yourself would know about a card like Mobius here!" Martin gasped in mock surprise. "However, since I'm feeling generous today, I'll explain it to you, so listen closely! When I Tribute Summon Mobius, his effect allows him to target up to two Spell or Trap Cards on the field, and he destroys them! Neat, isn't it?"
"Alright!" Crow pumped his fists eagerly. "Now with those cards out of the way, Martin's out of that lockdown, meaning that he's free to attack as he pleases!
"Grr... It doesn't matter! My Insect Princess still dwarfs your puny Monarch's power by a factor of 1200!" The green-haired girl pointed out. It was true, Mobius still was too weak to destroy the royal insect.
"That's true," Martin chuckled. "But who said I was targeting your Princess?"
"WHAT?!" Everyone cried out.
"I have a much easier target to take out!" Martin pointed dramatically at the other insect left on the field: Cross-Sword Beetle.
"NO!" Lysandra screeched.
"YES! Now, Mobius, destroy Cross-Sword Beetle with Glacier Crush!" Within a single bound, the armored figure appeared in front of the beetle, his hand glowing with the same familiar energy as earlier, before grabbing the unfortunate insect, freezing it alive. Then, with a quick clench of its mighty grip, the beetle shattered into pieces.
Martin: 1250LP
Lysandra: 0000LP
Soon, the holograms faded away, leaving nothing but two duelists and a wildly applauding audience.
"Did you see that?"
"That was one hell of a comeback!"
"Can't believe I lost ten bucks..."
"Thank you, thank you! You've been a wonderful audience!" Martin showboated, before turning back to the previously haughty girl. "Not bad for not being one of 'the elite,' eh?" He taunted.
"No..." the girl hissed under her breath as she quaked with absolute fury. "NO!" Suddenly, she pointed her finger at Martin in pure unadulterated rage. "YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF ME! I, LYSANDRA BELLADONNA, SWEAR THAT THE NEXT TIME WE MEET, I SHALL DEFEAT YOU!" With that, she turned on her heel, leaving the crowd as she was tailed by her two flunkies.
Martin rubbed the back of his head and smirked as the crowd dispersed. "Some people just can't take a loss well." Martin turned to the silver-haired girl. "You okay?"
The girl nodded shyly. "W-why did you help me?" She queried. "You don't even know me. You didn't even know what you were getting yourself into when you challenged that girl."
Martin smiled proudly. "What can I say? I just have this... instinct."
"Instinct?"
"I just can't help myself. When I see someone in a bad spot, I jump in and help. I can't help myself, honestly. And as for knowing you?" Martin stuck out his hand, his smile widening. "Let's fix that. My name's Martin. What's yours?"
The girl hesitantly shook his hand. "M-my name's Jeanne. Jeanne Adrianne. I honestly don't know how to thank you for standing up for me back there."
"Aw, it's no problem!" Crow interrupted. "We were happy to help!"
"What's this 'we' business, Crow?" Martin snarked. "If I recall correctly, I did all the work."
"But I made a good cheerleader, did I not?" Crow said, batting his eyelashes.
"Yeah. I'll be sure to get you some pom-poms for next time." Martin replied dryly.
"I think I can get a girl's uniform for him!" Jeanne piped up, joining in on the teasing.
"Bah! The both of you! Unappreciative of my work!" Crow cried out dramatically, feigning being insulted. At that, the other two just laughed at their friend.
"Razzinfrazzingoddamnmotherfu-" Professor Dorain screamed at no one in particular as she paced around the teacher's lounge angrily. She had been there for quite some time, ranting angrily in a vain attempt to destress. The mug she had clenched in her grip was dangerously close to shattering. "That boy..." she snarled as she remembered the cocky smile he wore as he dueled her. How he summoned that damned sea serpent, humiliating her in front of an entire audience of students and faculty alike. "I'm going to-"
"-do nothing," a voice from behind her finished.
Professor Dorain turned around in anger. The one who spoke was a woman wearing a similar jacket to hers, albiet in red. She had long brown hair that went all the way down to the small of her back and on her face was a small pair of round spectacles that put her fearful eyes on display. "What do you want, Kitamori?!" Dorain hissed. "I'm in no mood for small talk."
The brunette woman held up her hands in defense. "I'm sorry! I just wanted to prevent you from doing anything rash!"
"What?"
"I-i know that you can get tunnel vision when you get worked up like this, so-"
"Worked up?" Dorain yelled angrily. "Who's worked up?! I'm perfectly calm!" As if to prove her wrong right then and there, the mug finally shattered in her tense grip, and she cut her hand on the ceramic, staining her yellow blazer with coffee. "Son of a-" Dorain hissed as she clutched her hand in pain.
The woman in red shook her head in pity. "This is what I was talking about..." she tsked. She opened a nearby drawer and pulled out a roll of bandages and antiseptic before applying it to her colleague's hand. "You get yourself worked up over the littlest things, and then you end up making the situation worse for you because of your temper. You're already in trouble because of that boy-"
"Wait, what do you mean 'trouble?'" Dorain said as she tilted her head in confusion.
Ms. Kitamori winced. "I wasn't supposed to mention anything," she replied as she hastily finished up wrapping Dorain's hand. "Just forget what I said, Sarah. It's almost time for the welcome dinners, and we both have to get to our dorms quickly." With that, she dashed out of the room, leaving the head of the Ra Yellow Girls Dorm to contemplate the words that were exchanged.
"So this is Ra Yellow, eh?" Martin said as he sized up the building. It was decently sized, not really that big or small. It was mostly a yellow color, with small hints of white as an accent. Defending the gates to the dorms was a large statue of the Class's Guardian Egyptian God, The Winged Dragon of Ra. "I can dig it."
"Yeah! I can see myself getting used to this place if it looks as good on the inside as it does the outside!" Crow concurred
"I just hope Obelisk Blue is as half as nice as this place is," Jeanne nodded.
"Well, I'm glad you folks think so!" A voice from behind them boomed merrily, causing the three to jump. The trio turned to face the source of the voice, a mountain of a man with a magnificent white beard and skin that looked like it had endured some great trials in life. He wore a more formal version of the blazers that Crow and Martin wore, along with a large toothy grin that was plastered across his face. "Welcome to Ra, friends! My name is Professor Sylvan, and I'm the head of the Ra Yellow Boys Dorm!" He chuckled as he turned to Martin and Crow. "Now, if I'm correct, you two are with me! Come on, I'll take your luggage!" Without giving either of the two a chance to object, he hefted their bags over his giant shoulders, before walking into the building, whistling a merry tune.
The Ra Yellow boys turned to the Obelisk Blue girl. "I guess this is goodbye for now," Martin said, beaming.
"Yeah..." Jeanne said sadly. "For now. You'll meet up with me tomorrow, right?" she said hopefully.
"That's the spirit! Of course we will! That's what friends are for!"
Jeanne nodded eagerly. "Thank you! I'll hold you to that promise!" With that, she turned and skipped away from the two boys.
Crow turned to Martin, beaming. "Shall we head inside, my good man?" He offered Martin his elbow.
"Well shall, Mr. Thompson." The two linked arms and walked into the Ra Yellow Dorms, grinning like a pair of idiots.
A/N: It seems that our heroes have made both an ally and an enemy! How will this effect their life at Duel Academy? Who knows!