Chapter 1: New Heirs
Domino City. A beautiful city that housed some of the world's strongest Duelists. Pegasus J. Crawford, owner of Industrial Illusions and creator of Duel Monsters, Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp., Jonouchi Katsuya, the 'Godfather of Games' being only a few of these duelists along with the renowned 'King of Duelists', Yugi Muto.
Our story begins on the streets of Domino City, on a sunny day, where we see two individuals walking together.
The first was a relatively tall young man, probably around his mid to late twenties. His attire consisted of a black sleeveless shirt and leather pants coupled with leather shoes. Around his waist were two belts. One for his pants and the second holding his Deck, which was located near his right back pocket. Around his wrists were a pair of wrist bracelets. He also had a black choker around his neck.
However the mans most striking feature had to be his hair. He has very spiky black hair styled in five large spikes with red tips forming an outline at the end, along with five long crocked, pointy locks which are blond, for a fringe.
The second person was also a male, however unlike the other one, this person was still just a teenager, no older than 15. The boys clothes consisted of black denim jeans and black classic sneakers, coupled with a plain white T-Shirt. Much like the older male, this boy also wore two belts around his waist. However, he had two Decks adorning his secondary belt. His main and his secondary Deck. He also wore two leather bracelets around his arms, one over his left bicep, while the other one was around his right wrist. And around his neck, hung a round pendant made of gold bearing an interesting symbol.
The boy bore a slight resemblance to his older companion, namely the similar hair.
Golden bangs framed the young man's face, while the rest of his hair was raven black in color and spiked up. And while not as crazy as his companions, the boy's hair was also quite wild.
Moving from the hair we come to his face, which wasn't exactly the epitome of manliness. The boy had soft features and fair skin, which one would usually attribute to a girl. But this was indeed a boy. A boy with doll like features.
An interesting feature about the boy was his unusual eye color, which was icy blue. If one didn't look close enough, they'd think the boy was blind. Though that never seemed to be case as he always acted energetically and spontaneous, something blind people wouldn't normally do. Due to this, people never assumed he was blind.
And speaking of energetic and spontaneous, the boy couldn't help the light skip in his step as he walked the streets whistling a merry tune. The older of the two, who was walking at his own pace a slight distance from Shin, raised an eyebrow.
"You seem more excited than usual Shin" he remarked, causing the newly named Shin to glance back at him. "Are you really that happy to go to Duel Academia?"
"Of course!" Shin responded almost immediately. "Just think about all the people I'm gonna duel! Oh, I can't wait to see what the people at Duel Academia are capable of~" he sang, before resuming his whistling.
"Remember Shin, don't let the excitement get to you during your duel. Remember to always analyze your opponents next move. If you give them too much leeway they may end up turning the tables on you"
"Yeah I know, don't worry" Shin waved the older male off. "I've learned my lesson, after all those losses against you guys..." he mumbled with a pout, causing his companion to laugh.
"Then you'd better remember that lesson form now on~" he chuckled, before pointing in front of them. "This is your time to shine."
"Ahh~ We're finally here!" exclaimed Shin, grinning widely whilst staring up at the building in front of them.
A large building known as the Kaiba Dome.
This is where the Duel Academia Entrance Exams were being held. Duelists from all over the country would gather here in order to duel for a chance to enter the prestigious Duel Academia. The Exams actually consisted of two parts: The written exams and the practical exams. Those who managed to pass both exams would get to attend Duel Academia.
Whoever failed here would have to wait another year in order to try again.
"Wow, the Kaiba Dome sure is huge huh~. Seto-chan couldn't possibly be trying to overcompensate for something, right?" said a giggling Shin.
"I would've said it's because of all the large monsters some people use, but who know you may be right"" chuckled the older male, crossing his arms over his chest.
This is something Shin enjoyed doing very much. Taking digs at other people. And Seto Kaiba was his favorite victim, due to his oversized ego.
"Well, this is it Shin. It's your time to show the world what you've got" said the older male, glancing at the young Shin. "Use these three years at Duel Academia to improve yourself and your dueling."
"Don't worry I got this!" Shin grinned and gave his companion a thumbs up. "I'll show everyone what I'm capable of, and become the best Duelist!"
"Oh?" Shin's companion smirked in amusement. "The best Duelist huh? Does that mean you want to claim the title of King of Duelists?" he questioned, looking at Shin with a raised eyebrow.
"You bet" Shin declared, a confident expression on his face. This caused his companion to chuckle.
"Is that so? Then how about this?" he started, looking at Shin challengingly. "If you manage to graduate as the best Duelist in the academy, I'll gladly give you a shot at the title" he grinned, extending his fist toward Shin.
"Heh. Are you sure? You might just lose it" Shin said, pushing his fist against his companions.
"I have no problem with losing it to you. To me, it's just a title with no real meaning to it. There are countless people in this world who could best me in a Duel" the elder one said. "But to you, it's different isn't it?" he asked, receiving a sad nod from Shin.
"It's a promise I vowed keep" he stated, clenching his fist.
He then felt a hand on his shoulder, courtesy of his companion.
"I'm sure you'll keep that promise" he smiled warmly, causing Shin's own smile to appear.
"See you at the top then~" he said, before turning around and beginning to walk toward the dome.
"Before you go" the man called once more, stopping Shin in his tracks. He then reached behind him and grabbed something which he presented to Shin.
"I want you to have these, to help you on your journey" he said, as Shin's eyes opened considerably.
'T-These?!' he exclaimed in his mind, looking back at his companion. "I can't take them! They're your aces! I can do just fine with my own cards!"
"I know you can but I still want you to have them. They never did belong to me in the first place anyway. I just kept them safe in his memory" the man said, smiling sadly as certain memories filled his mind. But it didn't last, as he looked back at Shin. "You two had a lot in common, so I want you to continue the legacy with these cards. At least until you fulfill your promise" he smiled, as Shin still looked a little reluctant.
However, in the end he took the cards with a sigh, placing them in his own deck.
"Very well then. I promise you won't regret entrusting me with them. I'll make you proud!" he stated determined, his usual demeanor returning.
Seeing this, the man smiled.
"I'm sure you will. Besides, your ability to communicate with duel spirits will certainly help you out."
It's true. Shin was one of the few duelists who could actually see, speak to and interact with their Duel Monsters. And he was glad that he had this ability. It was so much easier to increase your Deck's strength when the monsters themselves add their thoughts as well. That is how Shin managed to get this far.
"You're right, that will certainly help. I hasn't failed me yet, after all~" he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
The man only smiled and gave Shin a thumbs up. "That's the attitude Shin. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll make good on your promises. But for now, you should go. It seems they've begun setting everything up. You know what they say 'The early bird get's the worm'. If you get there early you might be able to duel before everyone else so no one will see your monsters and strategies. So go there and show them what you're made of."
Shin, of course, responded by adopting his signature child-like grin and returning the man's thumbs up.
"Of course! Don't worry I'll show them exactly what I'm made of!" answered the excited Shin.. "So with that said and done… Seeya~!"..before running off towards the entrance to the Kaiba Dome, leaving the man in the dust… quite literally.
So after waving the dust away, the man smiled and began leaving.
'Heh. I know you'll certainly do your best Shin. And I'm certain you'll also make new friends there. Speaking of..' then man took out another card from his deck.
The Winged Kuriboh.
'Kuri, Kuri~' the Kuriboh cooed. The man smiled 'Looks like you have found yourself another partner as well huh? Well then, I'd better hurry so I don't miss him. Maybe he and Shin's path will cross in the future. Who knows...' the man smiled and continued down the path, hoping to find the same person Kuriboh felt.
Back with Shin…
After racing up the stairs to the Kaiba Dome, and due to the built up momentum, Shin had to literally skid to a halt. Which was a good thing as he would've crashed right into the stand for the Exams had he not stopped.
The stand itself was occupied by three people. Two girls who were wearing, what looked to be one of the academy's Uniforms, and a man with black hair and wearing a black suit.
'If I remember correctly, based on their uniforms, those girls should be from the Ra Yellow Dorm.' Shin thought with his hands on his knees, while catching his breath.
As Shin was catching his breath, the man and girls were watching him curiously, wondering why he made such an entrance. A thought the black-haired man decided to voice.
"Umm.. Excuse me son, but what are you doing exactly?" asked the man slowly, only to be startled by Shin, suddenly jumping back to his feet and giving a big toothy grin.
"I'm here to take the Duel Academia entrance exam, sir!" Shin exclaimed happily, only to notice the other three staring at him as if he had two heads. This caused Shin to raise an eyebrow. "What's wrong? The exams ARE held here right?" asked Shin. After all he knew for a fact that the Kaiba Dome was where the exams were being held, so why were they looking at him weirdly?
One of the girls snapped out of her staring and responded.
"Yes, the exams are indeed held here. We were just surprised that you arrived so early. The exams don't start for another hour or so." the girl told Shin.
Silence.
Shin didn't say anything, but calmly took his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. And sure enough, the girl was right. Shin was indeed a little over an hour early.
'I feel pretty stupid if I'm honest with myself. Not only did I read the time wrong when we left due to excitement, but I also didn't pay full attention to what he said before leaving.' thought Shin as he remembered 'his' exact words. "It seems they've begun setting everything up." That's right. They've only begun setting everything up. 'Heh. I need to start paying closer attention to what people say, hehe~'. Shin giggled in his mind. However while he was indeed too early, his pent up excitement wouldn't go away just like that, so he concocted a plan. Turning to the other three people currently present, Shin adopted a pout on his features. Something, the two girls lightly blushed at. While the man wasn't affected in the same way, he could still see Shin as something reminiscent of a sad looking puppy. And no one could refuse such a face.
"Mouuu~ But I want to Duel so badly! I can't wait! I am still hyped about meeting new opponents! I can't wait any longer! Isn't there anything you could do? Pleaseee~ Heck, I'd even duel a teacher, as long as I can at least duel someone strong." young Shin pleaded with the man in the suit.
At first, the man would have been opposed to Shin dueling, simply because none of the Duel Proctors were ready to duel just yet. However, since Shin said he would even take on a teacher, he thought of one possible solution. So, turning back to Shin the man was about to speak before Shin himself interrupted him.
"Oh yeah. Almost forgot." Shin said as he pulled out the envelope containing his recommendation. "I am supposed to give this to a teacher or the Principal." he continued as he handed the letter to the man. The man only had to look at the stamp on the envelope, to know it was from Kaiba Corporation, and thus was quite important.
'Well this is certainly convenient.' the man thought as he turned back to Shin.
"Alright son, I think I have a solution for your 'being early' dilemma. But first you'll have to tell us your name."
"My name's Shin! I should be ranked Nr. 2 on your list of examinees!" Shin answered as he regained his upbeat demeanor.
The two girls took out a file and searched through it for a second before showing a list to the man in the black suit. 'Number 2 indeed. Just under Daichi Misawa huh? Kid must be smart.' thought the man after confirming what Shin told them.
"Alright then. Shin, follow me please." the man said as he began walking inside the building. Shin turned to the two girls at the desk, bowed and quickly followed after the black haired man.
It didn't take long for the two to enter a big hall, which contained multiple Duel Fields.
'Looks like they finished setting up the Duel Fields. That's good. Means I won't have to wait that much longer..' thought Shin as he got excited again.
"You wait here, while I go and speak with the Director of Practical Applications. The teacher overseeing these exams." the man told Shin, who just nodded and sat on one of the many chairs in the stands. Seeing this, the man left Shin to his business and went towards the judge stands, where the Duel Proctors finished setting things up. The man approached a person wearing a blue, regal looking outfit complete with gold trimmings and ruffled pink collar, shoulders, upper chest and sleeves.
"Professor Chronos, we have an applicant that arrived here earlier than expected."
The professor turned to face the man with a raised eyebrow. In the process his face was also made visible. Weirdly enough, the professor was wearing lipstick along with some make up on his face and his long blond hair was kept up in a tight ponytail. "This early you say? That is certainly something you don't see often, no ne? It's usually the other way around. But that doesn't matter right now. Where is he anyways?" professor Chronos asked while looking around.
Sure enough he soon spotted Shin, patiently waiting in the stands.
"He's waiting for his Duel sir. Even though he just arrived, he aked if he could have his Duel exam early. He even said he would take on a teacher, if it meant he got to Duel." the man in the suit told Chronos, who turned back surprised.
"He is even willing to take on one of Duel Academia's teachers, just so he can duel? He's either overconfident or really certain of his own skills." Chronos grumbled.
"I actually think it may be the latter, professor Chronos. Considering he had this with him." the man said as he handed Chronos the envelope Shin had with him. Chronos, of course, took it and upon seeing the 'Kaiba Corp.' stamp, he hastily opened up the envelope and began reading the letter inside. He soon opened his eyes wide at the contents... 'A-A recommendation letter..?',only to turn slack jawed when seeing the signature of the one who wrote it. '..written by Seto Kaiba himself?!' Chronos screamed in his mind. He quickly looked back up to Shin, as if to compare him to what the letter described… only to see him playing with his leather bracelets, completely unaware of the world around him. Something that made the professor lightly sweatdrop.
'Either there's more to this boy than meets the eye, or Mister Kaiba is finally losing it.' thought Chronos. But after shaking his head, he quickly composed himself. 'No matter. It just means I'll have to see for myself whether or not this letter speaks truth.'
After putting the letter back in the envelope and resealing it, Chronos quickly stood up and turned towards the others present.
"Please call Signore Shin down to Duel Field #1. I'll be waiting for him there" Chronos told the suited man, as he left the in order to get his equipment ready for the duel.
"B-But, sir! What about the prototype deck that he will be facing?" a random judge asked.
However Chronos was long gone. Seeing this the black haired man simply nodded to himself and went to where Shin was.
Meanwhile in the stands, Shin was now keeping himself busy by sorting through his decks again and again, in order to make sure everything was in order. As he was doing that, he noticed the man in the black suit coming towards him and, anticipating what the man was going to tell him, Shin put his decks back in their holsters, stood up and faced the man with expectation and, barely contained, excitement.
Assuming a formal tone the man spoke.
"Applicant Number 2, Shin. Please proceed to Duel Field #1. A professor is waiting for you there. He will be acting as your Duel Proctor for this Duel, as you are too early and none of the real Proctors are ready just yet. I hope you don't mind if the Duel poses more of challenge now."
Shin, however, smiled and got even more excited.
"Challenge huh? Hehe~ That's exactly what I was hoping for!" Shin said happily while taking off towards the Duel Field, leaving the man in the dust.
-GX-
Soon, Shin found himself in front of the Duel Field, where professor Chronos himself was waiting patiently. Stepping onto the Duel Field, Shin bowed and greeted the professor.
"Hello, sir. My name is Shin. Are you the professor that will be dueling me?"
"Indeed I am, Signore Shin." Professor Chronos answered naturally. "My name is Chronos de Medici, acting Chief General Director of Practical Application at the academy and your Duel Proctor for duration of this Duel. Here are the rules. If you win, then you are accepted at the academy. Should you lose however, you will have to wait until next year in order to apply to Duel Academia again. Is that understood?" seeing Shin nod, Chronos continued "Then without further ado, let's start this Duel shall we? Duel Coat, on!" and the device around the professors torso activated on command.
Shin marveled at the device.
"Wow~ That's a really cool Duel Disk you have there professor~"
"Naturally. All high achieving students are issued such Duel Disks. I'm certain you will get one as well if you work hard enough." Chronos smirked 'That is if you can win.'
Shin, however, only grinned and reached behind him.
"Nah~ I don't need it. It looks like it takes some time to set up before a duel and I can be quite impatient, so having one of those would only get in the way. Besides~ why would I want that big and heavy-looking Duel Disk, when I have THIS." Shin said while pulling something out from behind him.
That something being his own Duel Disk.
'W-What kind of Duel Disk is that? A new model or something? And more importantly, where did he pull it out from?!' professor Chronos was, understandably, surprised.
After all, the Duel Disk Shin just pulled out (where from isn't important right now) wasn't your average Duel Disk or Duel Coat. It was… just the main body. To which a sort of glove was attached.
"U-Um, Signore Shin. How exactly are you going to duel with.. that? It doesn't even have Monster or Magic card Zones." he said pointing towards the main body of Shin's Duel Disk.
"Oh don't worry, sir. This is just it's standby form. See this glove attached to it? This must first be on my hand in order to start the thing up." shin said as he slid his hand into the glove, flexed his fingers to settle the glove properly on his palm, then pointed towards a little arrow next to the screen positioned on top of the Duel Disk's body. And arrow which pointed towards his deck space.
"Then I place my finger on this little arrow here and.." he said placing his finger on the arrow.
And a mere second later a mechanical buzz was heard, after which the screen along with various lines on the Duel Disk's body lit up. After that, from the Graveyard slot, a rectangular piece of metal exited, which then opened backwards, towards Shin's elbow and extended outwards a bit. That, along with another arrow exiting from under the Duel Disk's body, connected through a sliver of transparent material, which then also extended towards Shin's palm. And upon that transparent material. A layer of digital energy was projected. That was where Shin could play his monsters. And as for his Spell and Trap cards, a single slot on the interior side of the Duel Disk, was present. All Shin needed to do was insert the Magic cards he waned into that very slot and the Disk would take it from there. Above that slot were five buttons in order to activate said Magic cards.
Professor Chronos was left staring in awe at the piece of machinery.
Seeing this Shin lightly chuckled. He then reached towards his main Deck, taking it out of its holster and inserting it into the front of the Duel Disk, where the Deck slot was.
"It's only a prototype. The third of it's kind. Seto-chan only gave it to me because I'm going to Duel Academia. He wants me to collect data on performance whatsoever. But even then, it probably won't be released to the public for… quite a while to come. It's still pretty badass though."
Seeing Shin was becoming engrossed in his own world while admiring the Duel Disk, Chronos cleared his throat, thus snapping Shin back to reality.
"Then it's safe to assume that you are now ready for your exam?" seeing Shin nod his head vigorously, Chronos continued "Then with without further ado" He said while both drew their cards.
""Duel!"" the shouted in unison.
-GX-
Around twenty minutes later, students wearing blue uniforms began entering. These were the Duel Academia's 'Elite'. Members of the academy's Obelisk 'Blue' Dorm. They were people who either had connections, or ranked very high in their dueling Prep School.
However, upon entering, two students noticed something on one of the Duel Fields. That was professor Chronos shaking a young boys hand. This surprised the two.
"Isn't that professor Chronos? Who is that boy he's with?" asked one of the two students.
This student, was a girl. A beautiful girl at that. She had long, dark blond hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing the standard sleeveless female Obelisk Blue uniform.
This girl, was Asuka Tenjoin.
"I'm not sure, but considering where we are and the fact that they're shaking hands, I'll take a wild guess and say that they just finished dueling. And that boy won." said her companion.
This time, the student was a male. He has blue hair which is sectioned in three layers and blue eyes, positioned directly beneath the bangs of the layer closest to the face. His attire consisted of the standard male Obelisk Blue uniform with a more pronounced collar, tighter-bound sleeves and pointed rims coming out of the costumes lower back.
This, was Ryo Marufuji. More commonly known as the 'Kaiser'. The top student at Duel Academia.
"The question is, did he win against a prototype deck or against Chronos's REAL deck?" wondered Asuka.
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough, Asuka."
'Yeah I hope. Because if he won against Chronos's real deck, then things will get that much more interesting at the academy.' thought Asuka with a tiny smirk.
Back with Shin~
"Congratulations, Signore Shin. You have won yourself a place at Duel Academia." professor Chronos said as he finished shaking Shin's hand. "You should remain here until the exams officially end. That way you may observe your future competition. Though I don't think it's necessary, if our Duel was anything to go by it."
"Maybe so. But yeah you're right. No point in going home now. Not when the real fun is about to start! Oohh~ I can't wait to see what the other applicants are capable of!" Shin's excitement started shining through again. "Not to mention I can start making new friends! Seeya teach!" Shin said before taking off, leaving yet another person in the dust.
'Why do I get the feeling that I'm not the first or last person to taste this dust..' thought Chronos before following Shin's example and leaving the Field.
However as soon as he was away from prying eyes, a light scowl made it's way onto Chronos's face. 'That boy went easy on me.. I'm certain!' he thought bitterly 'Was he trying to mock me? A teacher at Duel Academia? Or..' he went into deep thought mode.
'..was he trying to gouge out my strength? Did he realize I had a bad hand and wanted to give me a chance to make a come back? Grr.. Darn it. Questions without a certain answer it seems. No matter. I'll find the answer soon enough.'
Pushing those thoughts away, he made his way back to the other Duel Examiners.
Back with Shin, he had now put his Duel Disk away and had made his way up the stairs and back into the stands. There, he noticed that other students have arrived. However these students weren't from Duel Academia. 'Applicants just like me huh? Looks they arrived here a little early as well. They no doubt got here early so to steel their nerves and get used to the environment before stepping out on the Field.' concluded Shin.
As he made his way back he noticed a student with a white uniform and black hair, calmly sorting through his deck and getting his Duel Disk ready. Recognizing the pattern as the same thing he did, Shin approached the boy.
"Hey there!" Shin said happily, while having his signature toothy grin.
"H-Huh? Oh, hello there"
The boy seemed a little startled by Shin's sudden appearance, but managed to greet back properly.
"So, you an Applicant?" seeing the boy nod, Shin continued "Nice! I'm Shin. Nice to meet ya!" Shin said, while extending his hand towards the black haired boy.
"Daichi, Daichi Misawa." the newly named Daichi answered, while grasping Shin's hand and giving him a firm handshake.
"You asked me if I was an Applicant, I take you are one too?" Daichi asked.
"Technically yeah." 'Technically?' thought Misawa curiously, as Shin plopped on the seat next to him.
"Then I hope we both can Duel to our fullest and enter the academy." said Daichi with a smile.
Shin, however only scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Seeing this Misawa raised an eyebrow.
"Hehe~ About that." Shin started "I'm afraid you're alone there. I don't need to take the exam anymore." he grinned.
"Huh? What do you mean? Did you fail your test already? B-But the exams didn't even start!"
As smart as he was, Misawa didn't understand how it was possible to fail the exam before it even began. Shin, only smiled and put those thoughts to rest.
"No I didn't fail. I happened to arrive here a little...quite...OK a lot too early. And no Proctor was ready to duel BUT" Shin made a dramatic pause and continued "The teacher overseeing the exams was kind enough to act as my Duel Proctor. And so I managed to win my way into the academy earlier than every other Applicant."
"Wait! You dueled a teacher?" seeing Shin nod, Misawa opened his eyes wide
"B-But since you got into the academy, that means you -!"
"Won?" finished Shin. Misawa could only wordlessly nod.
"Fufufu~ I did indeed win." Shin started "BUT!" and continued when seeing Misawa's astounded face. "He definitely didn't go all out."
"What do you mean?" asked Misawa confused
"I mean, he didn't go with the intention of winning. Otherwise, the result would've been different. Though I think he got a bad starting hand. Like, really bad. I even drew out the duel, so to give him the chance to bring out his toughest monsters, since I wanted a challenge." Shin pouted 'I hope he didn't take that as me mocking his skills..'
'He wanted a challenge? When already facing a teacher?! Just who is this person?' thought Misawa shocked.
Seemingly snapping out of his stupor, Misawa remembered something.
"W-Wait a second… You said your name was Shin?" seeing Shin nod, he continued "When the written exam results came out, I remember seeing the name 'Shin' right under my own, who ranked Number 2. You wouldn't happen to.." he didn't even need to continue when seeing Shin's smirk. 'I see. Then it's no wonder he was able to win his duel. It's that much more plausible if the teacher did indeed get a bad hand.' Misawa concluded.
"Looks like it's about to start for real." Shin remarked after looking around.
Following his example, Misawa looked around him as well and noticed that by now, almost all Applicants have gathered and were ready to duel. Almost. There were some, like a certain teal haired young man, who were still very nervous. And no sooner had he finished looking around, did a voice resound over the intercom, asking students to proceed to the respective Duel Field.
"Looks like it has started. It won't be long before they call my name." said Misawa
Shin nodded and stood up, Misawa watching with curious eyes.
"Don't worry about it Misawa. I'm sure you can win without too much trouble. Just stay on your toes and keep cool. That should do it. After all~ you might be second best around." Shin said with a smile, while going up the stairs to the upper level of the stands.
Hearing this, confused Misawa. So he decided to ask.
"Wait a second." Shin stopped to hear him out. "What do mean, 'second'? Do you mean to say you're first?" Misawa asked with a raised eyebrow. Shin turning with a grin.
"Who knows~ We'll just have to test it out someday, won't we?" he asked with a hint of excitement. Seeing this, Misawa also grinned, letting his competitive personality show.
"We will indeed."
Hearing his answer, Shin left with a smile still plastered on his face. 'Now then~ Let's observe those Obelisk blue students that are spectating. Besides a select few, like Misawa, those are the students that should be watched for.'
Arriving where the academy's students were, Shin picked out a quiet corner where he wouldn't be noticed, and watched the duels unfold.
'Time to see what these Applicants are capable of' Shin grinned childishly.
-GX-
The Duels went pretty smoothly from there. The duelists would be called down to the Duel Field, the would duel the Proctor and, if they won, would go back to the stands and wait for the exam to finish and if they lost, they would have to go back home with their tail between their legs and wait for another year. Although that wasn't really the case. So far the only ones that left were the ones that couldn't take the pressure and gave up. And even then is was only around five people that left. While the remaining dozens of students went on with their duels.
'Speaking of fairing bad under pressure...' Shin thought while observing a short teal haired teen. 'I don't want to be that guy, but he looks like he's barely holding it together down there. At least if he does win, that means he got potential to become one of the best. Take Yugi for example. He was just like him in the beginning. Fortunately that all changed after meeting Atem. Hmm… does that mean he should also meet someone more confident? I don't think it would be a problem, considering where we're going.'
Taking his eyes away from the teen, Shin's eyes landed on his newest acquaintance.
'Looks like Misawa is doing well. From the looks of it, he got the Proctor on the defensive.
Careful though, Misawa. Push him too far into a corner and you might end up in the same corner yourself.' Shin thought.
A couple minutes passed by and something quite surprising happened. The teal haired teen managed to win, with some difficulty however. 'Looks like I was right. He can do it.' though Shin.
On the other hand, however, Misawa was still dueling. And it looks like the duel will only drag on for longer, since the Proctor managed to build himself and defensive wall, consisting of Defense position monster with over 2500 DEF Points.
'This is exactly what I meant Misawa. He's been backed far enough into a corner to build himself an impenetrable barrier. And since you are in the same corner now, you can no longer back out, only break through.'
Down on the Field, stood the Proctor, Big Shield Gardna and Gear Golem the Moving Fortress defending him. Stood opposite of the Proctor, was Misawa himself, his Vorse Raider in ATK Mode, and one face-down Magic Card on his field.
"No matter how capable you may be, in the face of my Super Defense Deck, you can no longer reduce my Life points." said the Proctor.
'That looks to be the case. But there are actually quite a few way to win for Misawa, though I don't think he...huh?' Shin noticed something.
The Proctor only had 1900 LP left. The exact amount of ATK points that Vorse Raider had.
'A direct Attack with Vorse Raider is all he needs to win. He could summon another Monster to attack Gardna and switch it to attack, but that would still leave him 100 LP. I can't see any way to...!' Shin opened his eyes slightly wider. 'That face-down card! If that's what I think it is, then he will win. Now then, Misawa. Let's see if I was right..' thought Shin with anticipation.
And right he was.
"I activate my Trap Card, Ring of Destruction!" shouted Misawa, as he revealed his Trap card, making Shin grin widely.
'Called it!' cheered Shin in his mind.
"Guh!" the Proctor was surprised, knowing what would happen.
Misawa however, decided to explain nonetheless.
"This card destroys one Monster on the Field, after which both sides take damage equal to the destroyed Monster's ATK."
A collar of sorts, with grenades attached to it, then latched onto Vorse Raider's neck, soon after exploding, destroying the monster and inflicting 1900 points of damage to both players.
This, of course, meant that the Proctors LP dropped all the way to 0, while Misawa still had 1300 LP remaining, signaling Misawa's win.
"The examination duel is over" the Proctor said while deactivating his Duel Disk. "Congratulations, you've won."
"Thank you very much." Misawa said while bowing.
Up in the stands..
"Daichi Misawa, Examinee number 1 is pretty good, isn't he?" said a young man with short blue hair and a curl on the side of his face.
"It was worth coming all this way to see him after hearing the rumors, wasn't it Manjoume -san? Asked a teen with brown spiky hair.
"Nonsense. These entry exam levels are just set at a low level." Manjoume, a teen with spiky black hair, said while leaning backwards onto the seat. "Coming out of the academy for this was such a waste." he added, while looking back down. "The Duel Academia doesn't need to Kings, only one." he said with a smirk.
Shin, managed to catch their little conversation.
'Looks like we found out who the reincarnation of Seto-chan is at the academy, huh?' Shin deadpanned.
Deciding to ignore the three for now, Shin made his way down to the lower stands, in order to congratulate Misawa on his win. However, when making it there, he noticed a new face that he hasn't seen in the stands before.
It was a young boy, probably around Shin's age. He wore a light gray gakuran, which was open and a red T- Shirt underneath. He also wore a backpack. However, what really caught Shin's attention… 'Is that a Kuriboh on his head?!'.. was the boy's hairstyle, which was oddly reminiscent of the tiny brown fur ball. The fact that the boys hair was also brown, didn't help. And it only made Shin have to hold in his laughter even more.
Managing to calm himself, he made his way to the boy, noticing that he was talking to the teal haired examinee from before.
"Number 1's combo was amazing, huh?" the young Kuriboh-haired teen asked.
"Of course it was. That's Misawa-kun, Examinee Number 1, the one who aced the written exam." came the reply from the shorter boy.
"Oh, so that's what your Examinee Number means, huh?"
"You pass depending on your grades on the written portion and the details of your duel." elaborated the teal haired boy.
'You know, I think I'll call them 'Shorty' and 'Kuriboh' for now. For the sake of the audience.' thought Shin, seemingly breaking the Fourth Wall.
"Even though I managed to win my duel, I'm not sure if they'll accept me, being that I'm Examinee Number 119 and all..." 'Shorty' said depressingly.
"Don't sweat it!" the 'Kuriboh' said while patting 'Shorty' on the back, seemingly trying to cheer him up. "If you're lucky enough, you'll pass! I'm Number 110, after all!" said the 'Kuriboh' with a grin.
"You're an Examinee too?" the 'Kuriboh' nodded "But the duel for the 100s already ended with the first group." 'Shorty' said, causing a comical face to appear on the 'Kuriboh'.
'Interesting. I was too early, and he appears to be too late. Opposites attracting perhaps~?' Shin thought amused.
In the Proctor stands…
The Proctors and Judges where talking amongst themselves, as professor Chronos was finishing up some paper, preparing to leave. But, as he stood up, the same black haired man from the entrance approached him, once again.
"I beg your pardon, sir. There's one more examinee that made it to registration at the last minute..." the man said.
"What was he ranked at the written exam?" Chronos asked.
"He's Examinee Number 110."
"He hardly has any sense of readiness if he's coming in at the last minute, no ne? We have no need for a dropout boy at the academy, no ne?" Said Chronos harshly.
"However, he made it one time, to a point. So he does qualify for the duel exam." said one of the Proctors.
"And a train accident is to blame, anyway…" added an elderly Judge.
"Not letting him take it might not be such a good idea, don't you think" asked another.
"Non problema—lema! Non! Non! Non!" Chronos snapped, while shaking his head, scaring the others present.
At the same time, a phone began ringing. Chronos reached into his pocket and answered the phone.
"Yes? Who may I ask is speaking? Oh it's you Mister Principal" Chronos said sweetly.
"I heard there was an Examinee that made it to the exam at the last minute due to a train accident." said the Principal, surprising Chronos. "He may have done poorly on his written exam, but don't deprive him of his chance. Also, I received notice that there was also a student, who had a recommendation letter written by Seto Kaiba himself, is that true?
"Yes, that is true. I have the recommendation here with me."
"That is certainly a new addition to our school. And speaking of addition, please don't fail the Examinee we talked about, simply because he came a little late. Our schools objective is to garner a wide range of talents to train them into well-rounded duelists, after all." the Principal finished.
"Such sharp ears..." Chronos said after taking the phone away from his ear "You sly old dog..." he added with disdain after closing said phone.
'The Duel Academia is an academy for the Dueling Elite's such as Signore Ryo, Signore Manjoume, Signore Asuka and very likely, Signore Shin! Perche?! Why is Principal Samejima backing that dropout boy?'
"I will be dueling that Examinee!" Chronos said while turning to leave.
"P-Please wait!" a judge said, stopping Chronos in his tracks. "Professor Chronos, please take an examination deck. He continued after pulling out a briefcase full of decks.
Chronos merely glanced at it, before turning back and walking out.
"I will be using my own deck!" was the last thing he said, before leaving.
'Again?' thought the judges together.
Back in the stands, Misawa had sat back in his seat quietly, before a wild Kuriboh, I mean, the brown haired boy from before showed up.
"You're one tough customer."
"I guess" Misawa answered politely.
"You may be the second-strongest out of this year's examinees." the 'Kuriboh' said.
Misawa's ears perked up at the statement which, unbeknownst to the 'Kuriboh', he had heard before.
However, just then, a voice called over the intercom.
'Examinee Number 110, Judai Yuki-kun...'
Hearing this, the newly named Judai perked up.
"Alright then, I'm up." he said excitedly.
"Hey you." Misawa called out, making Judai turn his attention to him.
"Why am I Number 2?" he asked curiously.
"Because I'm Number 1." Judai said with a grin, while pointing at himself.
This surprised Misawa. Not because of the statement itself. But because of the individuals who said it. Judai turned and left towards the Field, after which, Misawa gained a barely visible smirk on his face. 'I truly wonder about that statement, "Number 1". You two obviously haven't met yet.' he thought.
Speaking of, said person. Shin, who had heard all of it, reached Misawa and 'Shorty' pretty quickly.
"Congrats on winning Misawa. Did you take my advice to heart?" asked Shin, scaring 'Shorty' and slightly surprising Misawa, who turned back and to answer.
"I did, so thank you for that. Also, you should have been here just now. There was a boy who.." he didn't even have to finish, after seeing the giant grin, plastered on Shin's face. Seeing this, Misawa smiled. "You heard him too, didn't you?"
"That I did. Though now, the question is: 'Who is ranked what?' Who will claim Number 1? Who will get Number 2? And who will have to settle for Number 3? Those are the current question, Misawa-kun. And I for one definitely want to find out." Said Shin, with his grin becoming ever wider.
'Shorty' was confused. 'How did these two know each other?', 'Are they friends?', 'If they are, are both as strong as the other?' were only a few questions that came to 'Shorty's' mind. However he was quickly snapped out of it, when Misawa spoke again..
"I agree." Misawa said, while looking down at the Field, where Judai was currently standing. Following the example, Shin and 'Shorty' looked down as well, however Shin felt eyes on him. So, turning to where he thought the source was, he noticed Asuka. Their eyes met briefly, before she quickly turned to look at the Field. Shin could only raise an eyebrow, but decided to ignore it for now and turned his attention back to the field.
With Asuka and Ryo, moments prior…
Asuka was watching Misawa's duel as it came to an end. He had skills, she gave him that. She then looked at Ryo and noticed he was looking at someone in the stands. Following his line of sight, she noticed Judai and 'Shorty' conversing. Soon enough Misawa appeared and sat down. She noticed them talking until the voice over the intercom called for Judai. This surprised her, as she thought the 100's group was done already. She noticed Judai saying something to Misawa, after which he left. However, as her sights were leaving Misawa and the teal haired boy, she noticed someone else coming towards them. So looking closely, she realized that it as the boy from before. She observed him as he was talking to Misawa, seeing his grin the entire time. She didn't even realize that her eyes never left his face. As is sensing someone was staring, the boy turned his head towards her and their eyes met, breaking her out of her staring. So she quickly looked back onto the field, too flustered at being caught staring to look back at the boy.
Seeing Asuka move so sudden, Ryo raised an eyebrow and asked
"Something wrong, Asuka?"
"No! Nothing's wrong! Look the Duel is about to start." Asuka answered quickly. A little too quick.
'That's out of character...' Ryo thought, but decided to push those thoughts away.
So he followed Asuka's sight and looked onto the Field, where professor Chronos had made his appearance.
-GX-
On the Field, stood professor Chronos, his assistants having just set up his Duel Coat. From the floor, rose Judai himself, having his Duel disk ready and at his surroundings.
"Bon Giorno!" Chronos greeted.
"J-Judai Yuki, sir!" Judai greeted back, after straightening his posture.
"Signore Judai, I am Chronos de Medici, acting Chief General director of Practical Application at the Academia." Chronos said with a formal tone, just like he used before dueling Shin.
"What an honor. To think that the Director of Practical Application would challenge me!" Judai marveled. "I'm sure that means you're expecting a lot out of me!'
This made Chronos gain a big sweatdrop at the back of his head.'If you were Signore Shin, then that statement would have been true. But now… I'm struck speechless...'
In the stands…
"Who'd think Professor Chronos would deal with this personally" the blue haired Obelisk from before, Torimaki, said surprised.
"That Judai fellow must be pretty big, huh?" asked the brown haired one, Mototani.
'I can't believe this!' thought Manjoume through gritted teeth.
In the upper stands…
"I didn't expect professor Chronos to deal with this himself." said Asuka surprised.
"Maybe it's a similar situation, to the student from before?" wondered Ryo.
Nodding, Asuka looked back on the field, but not before taking a quick glance at Shin, who was still looking onto the field.
With Shin…
'So professor Chronos will fight him as well? How ironic indeed. He had to fight me because I was too early and now he has to fight Judai, because he was too late.' Shin thought, slightly amused. 'Hmm~ Nevertheless. I'll at least get to confirm my theory on our duel. Did he draw a bad hand, or was he going easy on me on purpose?'
Back on the Field…
"Duel Coat, on!" Chronos said, activating his Duel Coat.
"That thing is really awesome. Professor, can I buy one of those coats too?" Judai asked, while marveling at the coat.
"All of the high achieving students have one." said Chronos with as smirk. 'Not that it would concern a drop out boy like you. I never will' he added in his mind.
"All right, then. I'll do my best!" Judai said while getting his Duel Disk ready.
""DUEL!"" they shouted in unison, as they drew their cards.
Judai: 4000LP
Chronos: 4000LP
"My turn! I draw!" Judai shouted as he drew his card. Quickly studying his hand, he made his move. "I summon Elemental Hero Avian in DEF Mode!"
The green feathered man materialized and assumed his defensive stance.
Elemental Hero Avian -LV3- (1000/1000)
Chronos merely hums while observing the monster
"Next, I'll set a card face down on the field. My turn is finished!" Judai continued as the card appeared on his field.
"Then it is my turn." Chronos declared as he drew his card. 'A HERO Deck is it? I suppose you could say he's a small town hero, then.' Chronos thought with a smirk. "Allow me to teach you just how broad the world is! From my hand I activate the Spell card, Confiscation!" Chronos declared as the card rose up on the field.
"What? Confiscation?" Judai asked, slightly worried.
"By paying 1000 LP, I can look at my opponents hand, pick one card from it and send it directly to the Graveyard."
Judai's hand was then projected onto the Field, with Chronos looking through it with an amused expression.
"Sure enough, a dropout boy's deck, I see." Chronos chuckled, making Judai and Shin, who had heard what Chronos said, lightly scowl.
'Is he scolding the deck I put my life into?' Judai thought slightly angry.
'That's not something you can say about someone's deck. It's an extension of the duelists soul! Every card has it's use.' Shin thought 'Not to mention…A HERO deck's strength lies in the unity of the heroes. So you haven't seen it's real strength yet, professor Chronos...'
Chronos quickly decided which card would go to the Graveyard.
"I'll send Monster Reborn to the Graveyard!" he said as the card went to the Graveyard. "Then, I'll place two cards face-down on the field. Next, I activate the Magic card, Heavy Storm! This card will destroy all Spell and Trap cards on the entire field!"
As the Spell card activated, strong winds began raging through the field, picking up and destroying Judai's face-down Trap, Draining Shield. It also picked up and destroyed Chronos's two face-down cards, revealing them to be Statue of the Wicked.
Seeing this Judai smiled, thinking the professor made a mistake.
"But Professor, your cards got mixed into it, too!"
Chronos, however, chuckled.
"That's what they call "being a frog in a well." Ribbit, ribbit!" he said while making stereotypical frog noises.
Suddenly, thick purple mist started covering the field, which confused Judai.
"What's this?"
"I special-summon…two Wicked Tokens!" Chronos announced, as the two creatures rose up from the mist, surprising those in the audience.
Back in the stands…
"I don't have a clue as to what happened..." wondered 'Shorty' confused
"Statue of the Wicked is a special Trap that creates Tokens when destroyed. Prof. Chronos destroyed his own Traps to utilize this effect." Misawa elaborated.
"It also means that Chronos now has two monsters on his side of the field. And if I'm remembering correctly, as to what lies within an Ancient Gear Deck…then it also means that he now has two sacrifices ready." Shin deducted, which made 'Shorty' open his eyes wide. 'And it also means that my theory was correct. With those cards, he could've easily ruined my field and won. So he really did get a bad hand, after all…' Shin thought while slightly narrowing his eyes. For Shin, that meant his opponent didn't get to show his true strength. And Shin wanted to face against opponents when they would pose a challenge. A one sided duel like Chronos and Shin's was just boring for young Shin.
In another part of the stands…
"That's no entry exam deck!" Torimaki exclaimed. "It's Chronos's own Dark Ages Deck!"
"He established his own combo and simultaneously quartered off Number 110's Trap!" added Mototani.
"For there to be an examinee that stands a chance against that deck…" Torimaki started
"…Is wishful thinking, huh?" Mototani finished. Unbeknownst to them however… Shin suddenly had to sneeze at that moment.
"I thought that examinee was something special, but I was sorely mistaken" said Manjoume with a chuckle. "Professor Chronos plans on giving that dropout boy's fleeting dreams a thorough stomping on." he added, with his smirk growing.
With Asuka and Ryo…
"I feel sorry for him. It appears Chronos doesn't fancy him" Asuka said while supporting her head on her hand.
"This should be worth seeing." said Ryo, causing Asuka to look at him surprised. "The Dark Ages Deck…thanks to Number 110 here, we might have the honor of seeing it's legendary rare card. Not to mention, the boy from before seems to have won against that deck. Whether by pure luck or actual skill, beating that deck is still definitely possible." Ryo continued. Realizing he was right, Asuka turned her sight back onto the Duel.
Back to the Duel…
"My turn is not over as of yet!" said Chronos.
However, Judai only seemed to get more excited, like a certain someone in the audience.
"Sounds fun! What are you going to show me this time, Professor?"
"Next, I sacrifice my Wicked Tokens…" Chronos started with his eyes closed, the Tokens themselves suddenly catching fire and disappearing. "...to summon my Ancient Gear Golem!" Chronos announced as he raised the Monster card high.
Up in the audience, Manjoume, Daichi and 'Shorty' gasped.
"That's his...legendary rare card…!" Asuka said shocked.
Ryo only watched on with keen eyes.
'Here it comes...That decks supposed Ace…!' Shin watched on, slight excitement taking over.
Back on the Field, Judai could only watch on, wide eyes and mouth slightly agape, as the enormous machine-like soldier rose up, towering over the entire Field.
-GX-
"Awesome! The rumors told me about this thing" Judai said as the smoke from the monsters summoning disappeared.
Ancient Gear Golem -LV8- (3000/3000)
Everyone in the applicant audience was left mouth agape at the monster. Even Misawa and even some students from the academy were left astounded and were watching on with keen eyes.
"Wow! An eight-star monster out of the blue like that!" 'Shorty' exclaimed.
"I did tell you that due to those Statues of The Wicked, he had two monster ready to be sacrificed, didn't I Shorty?" said Shin, after folding his arms and his eyes never leaving the monster, studying it closely. 'So that's Prof. Chronos's Ace monster, huh? A monster that can rival even Blue Eyes… And it's effect makes it even more dangerous.'
"Chronos de Medici has yet to lose once he's summoned that card. I wouldn't have pegged that examinee to have the power to make the Professor take it this seriously." said Ryo
"It can be beat though. You said it yourself right? That boy managed to beat Chronos. Maybe this one can too." Asuka said while turning to look at Shin, only to be surprised when seeing his eyes slightly glowing.
Back on the Field…
"Ohohohoho~" Chronos began laughing "Here I go! Ultimate Pound!"
The gears inside the monsters face began spinning rapidly, after which it raise it's massive hand and went for Avian, who was bracing for the impact. The fist came and Avian was swiftly destroyed.
"Ancient Gear Golem has an ATK of 3000, while Avian only has 1000 DEF! It didn't stand a chance!" shouted 'Shorty'.
'No shit Sherlock. that's how the game works...' thought Shin with a tiny sweatdropped, but quickly focused back on the duel.
"And that's not the worst of it." began Misawa "When that monster attack a DEF monster, whose DEF points are lower the Ancient Gear Golem's attack, then the difference is dealt as damage to the opponent."
"N-No way… then, that monster defies the rules doesn't it?" asked 'Shorty' weakly
"It doesn't, actually. Quite a number of the newer Monsters have an effect, that let's them bypass a DEF monster and still deal damage. Cyber End Dragon, for example, has the same effect." Shin answered
That name seems to have had an effect on 'Shorty', as he had opened his eyes wide, something that Shin caught, but decided not to question.
Back on the Field…
Judai had just received 2000 Points of Damage, thanks to Ancient Gear Golem.
"Ohohohoho~ Already lost your fighting spirit, have you?" Chronos taunted.
However… Judai began laughing. Lifting his face up, it revealed a smiling Judai.
"I'm really touched that...that the General Directing Professor is dueling his hardest against me!"
'What? Just how mistaken is he?' Chronos wondered, completely taken aback. 'I never intended to let a dropout boy like you go through the gates of the prestigious Duel Academia!' he added while gritting his teeth.
'This is where my true power'll get put to the test!' Judai thought with a grin.
As his hand hovered over his deck, he heard the sound of a familiar monster, making Judai wonder who was calling him. As he drew the card, he got his answer.
In the form of Winged Kuriboh.
'It's you from earlier!' Judai thought surprised. 'It couldn't be...' he thought as remembered his encounter with a certain someone. "It wants to stay with you. Consider it a lucky card." he remembered the individual say.
'I see then. You're winged Kuriboh, huh?' to which the Kuriboh winked, making Judai laugh awkwardly.
'Alright! I'll trust in you.' "From my hand, I summon Winged Kuriboh in DEF mode! Then I'll place a card face-down" Judai shouted, as the little furball materialized.
Winged Kuriboh -LV3- (300/200)
'That card! It's his...I see. So Winged Kuriboh found a new partner as well, huh? Poor guy. His cards are leaving him left and right. Quite sad, wouldn't you agree?' He asked with fake hurt, directing it towards his main deck. 'Fufufu~' s soft, female giggling was his only answer.
Smiling, Shin turned back to the duel at hand.
Back the field…
"Blahblahblahblah~"...Chronos was laughing a very retarded laugh. 'The frig was with that laugh…?' thought Shin with a massive sweatdrop. If one looked closely, they would see tiny sweatdrops coming from his deck as well.
"A Winged Kuriboh...you have quite the rare card there, don't you?" asked Chronos after he finished laughing. "However, it is just a low level Monster, is it not? You may have played it in Defense mode, but it will not stave off Ancient Gear Golem's piercing effect! I suppose a smallfry monster befits a smallfry!" Chronos declared. 'I beg to differ...' Shin thought with a smirk, being fully aware of Winged Kuriboh's effect and special LV Card version.
"My turn, no ne?" Chronos asked as the card was ejected "This is the end. Ancient Gear Golem! Use Ultimate Pound on that Winged Kuriboh!" Chronos shouted as he pointed his finger at the Kuriboh.
Of course, the Kuriboh was easily smashed to pieces.
'Sorry, Winged Kuriboh.' Judai apologized.
"Huh? Why aren't your life points decreasing?" asked Chronos perplexed.
"On the turn that Winged Kuriboh is destroyed, all Damage I would've taken is nullified." came Judai's reply, making Chronos grit his teeth again.
"Who'd think that there's a card Professor Chronos doesn't know about?" said a surprised Asuka.
"There are some places that not even a teacher can reach. The Dueling World is boundless" said Ryo wisely.
"Hehe~ And that's why it's interesting." giggled Asuka
"So, that was you small fry monsters special ability?" asked Chronos smugly, making Shin scowl. 'No one talks about one of his cards like that…! I'm starting to see your true colors, Chronos...and I don't like it.' thought Shin angrily. He wouldn't let anyone disrespect his cards and get away with it. And it looks like Judai was on the same wavelength.
"You'll pay for calling a friend, who put his life on the line for me, 'a small fry'!" said Judai.
"Such a smart-alec. Is there a problem with me calling your throw-away monster a "smallfry'?" Chronos asked smugly, yet again, making Shin more and more angry. Fortunately it didn't last as Judai's plan was set into motion.
"There is. Winged Kuriboh's shriek is the signal that will call the monsters in my deck out into action! Trap card, activate! Hero Signal!" Judai shouted, as the face-down was revealed and lit a luminous signal on the ceiling. "From my deck I summon my second Elemental Hero, Burstinatrix!
A wild fire appeared on the field from which Burstinatrix emerged.
Elemental Hero Burtinatrix -LV3- (1200/800)
"My turn! I draw!" said Judai, while drawing his card, which turned out to be Skyscraper. "Winged Kuriboh, I've got a tight hold on all of your encouragement. Just watch me!" he said while looking at his two remaining cards, Polymerization and The Warrior Returning Alive. "And Avian is going to use his unyielding fighting spirit to come back from the dead! I activate, the Warrior Returning Alive! And with it, I bring Avian back from the Graveyard, into my hand and then, I summon him!" Judai said, as Avian took his place back onto the field.
Elemental Hero Avian -LV3- (1000/1000)
"What good will your fragile little comic book heroes do you?" Chronos asked "They're just Normal monsters!" he laughed.
"Avian and Burstinatrix...Normal monsters with low ATK are just their temporary forms." Judai began "You'll be surprised when seeing their true form, Professor." he continued as he readied Polymerization. "I activate, Polymerization! And use it to fuse Avian and Burstinatrix!"
Avian and Burstinatrix jumped into the air, where they turned into particles that merged together. From there, a half-green half-black, one winged monster, with a dragon for a hand, emerged.
"Fusion Summon! My favourite card! Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" Judai announced in Engrish.
Elemental Hero Flame Wingman -LV6- (2100/1200)
This surprised Manjoume, Ryo and Asuka, as well as 'Shorty' and Misawa, to an extent. Shin knew of the Elemental Heroes, so he wasn't surprised and only held a smirk on his face.
'If you did that, then the card you drew earlier must've been Skyscraper, huh?' thought Shin.
"Cool!" shouted an excited 'Shorty'.
"Flame Wingman can only be summoned through a Fusion-Summon. It can deal damage to the opposing player equal to the ATK of the monster it destroys in battle.
'Thanks for explaining to the young viewers at home Misawa..' thought Shin with an awkward smile.
"But even so, Flame Wingman's attack is only 2100. It's still nowhere near Ancient Gear Golem's 3000." said 'Shorty' depressingly.
"Not necessarily." said Shin, bringing the attention of him. "There is one card, that every Elemental Hero Deck should have, that can turn the tides and help Judai win this very turn. And if I'm correct, then the card Judai drew earlier, is that very same card. Which in turn means..." he didn't need to finish, as 'Shorty' did it for him.
"..it means he won?" asked 'Shorty'. To which Shin wordlessly nodded.
"Then that would mean, he truly can be Number 1, right? Misawa asked Shin, who just shrugged, a grin plastered on his face.
"Who knows? I told you, we'd have to duke it out someday to find out." Shin said.
'Shorty' was confused, but decided to focus back on the duel at hand.
Back on the field…
"Allow me to give you a special lecture. Listen up," Chronos began "Your worthless tripe is useless in a Duel! Make sure to keep that in mind. You may have fusion-summoned it, but it's ATK is 2100. It comes well short of my Ancient Gear Golem!" Chronos said, finishing his useless lecture.
"Then allow me to teach you something too, Professor. Heroes have a battle Arena fit just for Heroes!" Judai said as he inserted the card in the Field Spell Zone
'Here it comes…!' Shin thought with anticipation.
"Field Spell, Skyscraper!" Judai called, as giant buildings began rising up, surrounding the players and covering the field, turning it into a miniature city, catching Chronos by surprise. "Okay, the stage is set! Go Flame Wingman! attack Ancient Gear Golem!"
Flame Wingman, who had been perched up on the top of one of the Skyscrapers, dived down, ready to attack his target. Seeing this, Chronos smiled, thinking Judai made a mistake.
"Scherzi! You must be joking! Flame Wingman's ATK doesn't hold a candle to Ancient Gear Golem's!" Chronos declared, while smiling.
"Heroes always win!" Judai said as Wingman landed on the ground, after which he jumped high into the sky. "Skyscraper's effect gives an Elemental Hero, who's battling a monster with higher ATK, an extra 1000 ATK!" Judai said, causing Chronos to panic.
"O, Dio!" He shouted.
"Take this! Sky Scraper Shoot!" Judai declared as Flame Wingman, who by now was very high in the sky, dived down, whilst catching fire and gaining 1000 extra ATK.
Flame Wingman (3000/1200)
Thus, Flame Wingman dived down, directly through Ancient Gear Golem, while Chronos began to truly panic. This made Asuka, Manjoume, Misawa and 'Shorty' open their eyes wide at the explosion that ensued afterwards.
"Mamma Mia! My Ancient Gear Golem…!" He despaired, before a random piece of debris fell on top of his head, effectively shutting him up.
Flame Wingman landet next to it's owner as Judai began explaining it's effect.
"Flame Wingman's effect make you take damage equal to your destroyed monsters ATK, Professor." He said, while saluting Chronos.
"Wha-?!" Chronos didn't even get to finish, as his monster began crumbling and falling on top of him. "N-No! No! No! No!-" was all Chronos could say before becoming buried under the remains of his monster.
Chronos: 0 LP
Winner: Yuki Judai
'All Ancient scrap metal now, fufu~' Shin thought while giggling at the teachers misfortune. 'Serves him right for disrespecting Judai's cards.'
"Gotcha! That sure was a fun duel, Professor!" Judai said, while striking his signature pose.
And with that, the monster, along with the field disappeared, leaving Chronos in a heap on the floor.
"How? How was I beaten by that dropout boy...?" He thought in disbelief, while scowling.
Speaking of disbelief.
Manjoume and his pals, weren't fairing much better, as they too, were in a state of disbelief.
"I can't believe Professor Chronos was beaten by an examinee…!" Manjoume said.
In the top stands…
"He's pretty interesting, isn't he?" Asuka asked with a smile.
However, as she looked, she saw that Ryo was already leaving.
Back with Shin and the others…
"Way to go Number 110!" shouted 'Shorty' happily.
'You might turn out to be a fine Rival, Number 1-kun.' Misawa thought with a smile. 'Then again...' he turned towards Shin, only to see him leaving as well. Misawa did however manage to catch a smile on Shin's face. So he turned back to the field, where Judai was celebrating his win.
"I'll be counting on you from now on, Partner" Judai said with a smile, to which the Kuriboh winked once again.
With Shin…
Roaming around the Kaiba Dome halls, Shin pulled out his main deck.
"Looks like these three years will certainly be interesting. Are you ready for it guys?" Shin asked his companion currently residing in his deck.
'Yeah!' was the answer of multiple disembodied voices.
Hearing this, Shin smiled and went on his way.
'Next stop, Duel Academia. The students better be prepared...because this generation will make waves! I'm certain of it.' thought Shin with a smirk, which turned to a full grin.
And that's a wrap!
I'd like to say a few things.
First off: I'd like to thank everyone that took the time to read this story of mine. I'm pretty new to this whole thing so, please excuse any mistakes I might've made. This is literally my first story of this kind.
Which brings me to my next point: Please do not flame me just yet. I know I might've made some mistakes, but that is where you guys come in. Please point out what mistakes I might've made in the reviews and tell me how to fix them. Also tell me what I should improve and how. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
Next, since I suck at descriptions, there may be people who didn't quite grasp Shin's appearance or how his Duel Disk looks like. Though I'm leaning towards the latter. So just for you (and since I wanted something completely original on my story) I drew the cover Photo, to give you guys a real image of what I envisioned when creating Shin and the Duel Disk.
Also, as I said, this is my first story, so I didn't really know where to start. Because of that I took some inspiration from Ifraid's 'Yu Gi Oh Tag Force Evolution' and Fennikusumaru's 'Kamen Rider GX'. It's why some things may seem similar. I tried to change them up as much as I could so I didn't actually copy them. (And if you guys read this, then I hope you aren't mad.)
So I think that was all I had to say for now.
Again, thank you for watching and until next chapter~!
P.S. please excuse any grammar mistakes I might've made. They happen to slip by sometimes~