We here at Next Gen Productions would like to sincerely apologize for the lengthy delay of this chapter. Between busy lives and ample writer's block, what should have only taken a few months has turned into something that took almost a year. We promise the next chapter will be coming out much, MUCH sooner. In the meantime, please enjoy!
~?~
Silence.
A once proud, strong magical city, once brimming with life, once thriving and powerful, now remained in stagnation; in disrepair, empty, silent.
For many years, this place had been abandoned, not so much as the sound of the wind had broken the long, still silence that it had endured.
Then, at long last, it had died.
A girl, no older than 15, slowly walked the stone streets, her footsteps breaking the long enduring silence. It had been a very long time since she had been here, and now she was here again, looking for something. Something important she had long lost...
Her brilliant green eyes, partially hidden under her long white hair, surveyed the tall thatched white buildings, the empty streets, the abandoned relics, trying to uncover the secret that would bring life to this lost world once again.
Darkness crept around the girl, but when she looked up at the sky, the sun still shone brightly, surrounded by nothing but bright blue. So why, then, did it seem as though night had fallen on this forgotten place?
She stopped near a once magnificent fountain, which was now overgrown with vegetation and dry as a bone, and concentrated, her green eyes glowing brightly. Though her eyes had pierced the darkness, returning light to the square once more, her clarity faded, giving way to the night fall once again.
Her objective, only locatable in the light, was now impossible to find among the shroud of darkness. She raised her hand to the sky, and the sun grew larger and brighter, to the point that she saw spots in her eyes even minutes after shielding them from the now magnified sunlight. However, as her vision cleared, allowing her to look upon the city once more, she found that her efforts were for naught; not a single beam of light had been shed upon the city, still trapped in seemingly eternal nightfall.
She tried again, this time the sun shrinking back to its natural size, and rotating slowly, the sky turning a smooth black, dotted with stars, a full moon glowing bright white shining in the sky in the sun's place. Yet still, none of her surroundings changed, the brilliant light of the moon non-existent to the world below it.
No matter her powers, the world around the girl remained unchanged, and as she looked up at the newly summoned moon, feeling weary and defeated, it seemed that even the sky seemed to be swallowed in darkness, as the stars faded one by one, the moon losing its pearly luster, and what little visibility she had both of the sky and of the world around her, until nothing seemed to remain, and terror filled the girl's heart as she closed her eyes tightly before daring a step forward, only to find herself fall into nothingness.
~Duel Academy | Obelisk Blue Girl's Dorm~
Sareena Artima sighed as she awoke, throwing back the sheets and going straight to her desk. Sighing again, she looked at herself in the mirror, a disappointed face looking right back at her, her brilliant green eyes half opened, her long white hair glinting in the morning light.
"Good morning, master." A second face appeared in Sareena's mirror, with eyes and hair matching hers, though rather than donning underwear, an elaborate royal blue cloak trimmed with white over a set of dark robes, her expression more lively than her duelist companion. "Is there something troubling you?" She asked, looking down at the barely dressed girl.
"It's nothing, Arcanite." Sareena shook her head.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Arcanite asked.
"No." Sareena answered simply. "I made it into the spirit world, but there was… something blocking my path, something keeping me from finding it. A blemish of some kind."
"Are you still going to try to find it?"
"No. Right now, I need to be patient. It will come to me… in time."
"I see..." Arcanite mused.
"Um, Sareena?" A young boy's voice asked uncomfortably. "Going to get dressed, are you?"
"Sol, we've gone over this." Sareena rolled her eyes. "You're my spirit, so it's okay if you see me. I trust you."
"But, wrong of me it still is to..." A child wearing black robes with white sun-like crests on its shoulders muttered. His dark orange eyes turned to the desk, laying eyes on Sareena for a moment, but feeling guilty, immediately turned away in embarrassment, his face bright pink.
"Quit being such a wimp, Sol!" another child, this one a girl in white robes with black crescent moon markings giggled. "I'd have thought you'd have been used to our master being a jaybird by now." Her light purple eyes surveyed Sareena's lack of attire with interest.
"A wimp I'm not, Yuna! A pervert you just are!" Sol said defensively.
"Yeah, but at least that I know I am." Luna teased.
"Alright, that's enough, you two." Sareena chuckled lightly, getting up to take out her Obelisk Blue uniform. "Save that kind of energy for the dueling field."
There was a knock at the door as Sareena finished dressing, and she peeked out to see two girls standing outside as though waiting for her.
"Ugh, them already?!" She groaned.
"Hi, Sareena." A red-haired girl greeted her classmate, a blue eye spying through the crack of the door into the room. Sareena, not welcome with this company, slammed the door shut, before returning to her morning routine.
"Human company, I can do without." She sighed, getting her deck together and pulling on her uniform jacket as she was greeted by another knock at her door, which she simply ignored, as she looked at her reflection, thinking for a moment.
"Maybe purple for today..." She mused, her hair shortening a few inches and turning a royal shade of purple.
"Master?" Arcanite spoke up.
"Huh?" Sareena muttered, turning around to face her partner, only to see the same red-haired girl in her place, another girl by her side, this one considerably more shy, with dark blue hair done up in a small side ponytail, her magenta eyes shying away from Sareena's line of sight.
"What do you want?" Sareena sighed.
"Well... we were wondering, if it was alright by you, if we could, ah..." The blue-haired girl muttered.
"Don't mind Sasha here." The redhead shrugged. "Uh, what we wanted to know is if you wanted to go to Jerec's class early with us?"
"And why on earth would I want to do that?" Sareena asked, looking at the girls as if they were the biggest idiots in the world.
"Well... so that we can avoid that crowd you hate so much." The Blue-haired girl, Sasha answered.
"If I wanted to go to class early, I would have done so already." Sareena stated coolly. "Your offer is duly noted, Ms...?"
"Mara." The redhead replied.
"Well, Mara, I have little interest in friends at the moment; studies are my priority, so if you and Ms. Sasha would leave..."
"Uh, yes..." Mara replied awkwardly. "I apologize for disturbing you, Sareena." She and Sasha left, Sareena shutting the door rather firmly behind them.
"Sareena, um... So distant to others, why are you?" Sol asked.
"Yeah, that was pretty cruel." Yuna nodded. "I think those poor girls wanted to be friends."
"I have no use for friends." Sareena said plainly. "Besides, you know how irritating those admirers can get."
"None of us are disputing how much those 'friends' of yours can annoy," said Arcanite. "But that seems no excuse for sanctioning any sort of human companionship."
"I'm a duelist, first and foremost." Sareena stated gruffly. "Friends are of no concern at the moment, and hopefully never will be." She grabbed her things and went to the door. "It's time to go."
However, the moment she opened the door, it was to find dozens of girls from her dorm waiting for her, all of whom loudly clamored for a chance to talk to Sareena as though she were some sort of celebrity.
"I think you should have taken up Mara's offer, Master." Arcanite grinned, suppressing a laugh.
"Save it." Sareena muttered, slinging her bag over her shoulder and pushing through the crowd.
"So Sareena, what did you think of Prof. Rhodes' lecture yesterday?"
"Sareena, do you know what the answer is to #7 on Mr. Lusho's assignment?"
"Hey Sareena, wanna have lunch with me today?"
"What were your thoughts on Jerec's lecture yesterday? I bet you knew all that stuff even before HE did!"
"And this is why I hate human company." Sareena groaned, left with no other choice than to go try as hard as possibly to tune out her annoying slew of adoring fans as she made her way to class, occasionally being forced to answer a few of their questions.
"I found her take on the contents of the Valley of Kings to be rather fascinating, as the contents of the Valley have been shrouded in mystery for millennia, the answer you're looking for is '2400', I can't have lunch with you because I'm preoccupied at that time, and I found little of interest in what Jerec had to say."
"Hey Sareena, how do you change your hair every day?" Sareena groaned yet again, feeling as if she should have expected this; every time she tended to one bombardment of questions, she was only pounded by another!
"Okay, Sareena. See you later!" Oh, the relief that washed over the young Spirit Caller as she heard these words!
"Finally!" She groaned, rubbing her aching temples as she took her seat. Thankfully, most of her fanbase had a different schedule than her, and what remained sat a fair distance away from her. On top of that, their teacher also despised interruptions of any sort in his class, forcing everyone to remain silent when in his room.
Duel Strategy and Theory was one of the more unforgiving classes of Duel Academy, run by Drakma Jerec, the head of Obelisk Blue, and an undefeated elite duelist, and a man who took pleasure in belittling everyone he considers weak, especially the whole of Slifer Red, who he took every opportunity possible to humiliate.
"Now, then..." Jerec spoke, scanning the class for someone to answer his next question. "Kiyoma!"
"Yes?" A black-haired Slifer boy responded, standing upon the call of his name.
"Explain to the class the different classes of Monster Card, and what differentiates them."
"Okay," Kenta Kiyoma nodded. "Uh, there are Normal Monster cards, Effect Monsters, which each have a type of special ability, and there are Fusion Monsters, which are made by sacrificing two or more monsters with the use of Polymerization, and typically utilize features in one way or another of the monsters tributed to summon it."
"He forgot one." Sareena thought, sighing as she knew what was coming next.
"And what of Ritual Monsters?" Jerec spoke up.
"...Ritual?" Kenta blinked. He'd never heard of that monster type.
"Ritual Monsters, yes. I would have expected even the most amateur of duelists would know of Ritual Monsters, ah, but I forgot that I'm not exactly speaking to an 'amateur duelist.'" He paused to give the Obelisks time for a laugh. "Now, moving on..."
Jerec proceeded to recap a duel formula that he had touched on the previous day, though began to take it in a very complex direction that left even the most adept Obelisk Blue in a state of confusion.
"...So then, in this scenario, what would best thwart this stratagem?" Jerec concluded. Sareena sighed as she noticed his draconic yellow eyes once more on the Slifers. "Rhodes?" He pointed directly at a blonde-haired boy near the front. "Which of the five cards in hand could be used to best thwart the effects of Bottomless Trap Hole?"
Zack 'Rhodes' Yuki scanned the board, seeing two spell cards and three monsters provided for the player's hand. Under normal circumstances, he could easily work around such a situation, but with the pressure Jerec was putting him under, it was impossible for him to think straight in such an instance.
"You don't know?" Jerec raised an eyebrow. "Then let's try again, maybe something more on a Slifer's level: What Fusion monster listed would be immune to the effects of Chthonian Polymer?" Again, Zack said nothing.
"Pitiful." Jerec sneered, rolling his eyes.
"Trap Disposal could be used to negate and destroy Bottomless Trap Hole." Sareena spoke up. "However, a more advantageous tactic would be to summon a monster with less than 1500 ATK, preventing the card from being able to activate. Additionally, Gladiator Beast Heraklinos can negate Chthonian Polymer, as well as any other Spell or Trap cards, at the expense of one card in the user's hand."
"Very good, Ms. Artima. I would expect nothing less from an Obelisk Blue." Jerec nodded approvingly. "However, summoning a low level monster would hardly be advantageous; such a weak monster would leave the duelist vulnerable to attack from a stronger one."
"A high level monster would be banished, leaving its summoner vulnerable." Sareena corrected. "Summoning a lower level one would keep the trap from springing at all. It seems that you underestimate low levels of all sorts."
To this, many of the Slifer Reds got to fit in a rare laugh in Jerec's classroom.
"Quiet!" Jerec snapped at his most despised dorm. "Thank you, Ms. Artima, for your input. Now, let us continue where we left off yesterday..."
Sareena smirked at Jerec as she saw a trace of his humiliated scowl linger across his face as he plowed on about his lecture.
"Hm?" Arcanite blinked, spotting a little dark brown furball with bat-like wings bouncing on the unoccupied desk next to Sareena, speaking in muffled purrs.
"Master, I think there's someone who wants to talk to you." She chuckled.
"Huh?" Sareena blinked, her attention now diverted to said furball, as it used its own manner of communication to speak with her. "A Dark-winged Kuriboh?" Her eyes turned to the blonde boy across the room, before returning to the little spirit next to her. "You're Rhodes' spirit, aren't you?"
Dark-Winged Kuriboh nodded, cooing its owner's gratitude to her. "Uh, no problem." Sareena responded. "Just because I'm an Obelisk Blue doesn't mean that I think any of Jerec's condescension is justified." Dark-Winged Kuriboh cheered at this statement, happy that she agreed.
"...Now, the previous turn has ended with the opponent controlling a Chaos Necromancer with 3000 ATK, and three face-downs set in place for defense." Jerec plowed on. "Despite these cards making counterattack impossible, and a monster of this attack power leaving one defenseless, this stratagem is not without a shatterpoint; a single card is enough to potentially topple this ultimate defense. What might that Spell Card be?" Casting a look at the board, Sareena saw a very complex setup of a dueling field, and many students, even Obelisk Blues, completely confused. Though she knew the answer, she had no doubt that Jerec had any intention of asking anyone who did.
"Something tells me that Rhodes might still be in Jerec's crosshairs, Dark Wing." She muttered. "Before you go, tell your partner..." She whispered something to the Kuriboh, who seemed surprised by the answer. "Can you do that?" Dark-Winged Kuriboh nodded, giving a delighted purr as he vanished.
"Rhodes! What spell would serve as this tactic's shatter point?" Jerec called, pointing to Rhodes again. Rhodes stood, opening his mouth nervously, though to be greeted by his little friend, who whispered the answer in his ear. "Any time, Rhodes!" Jerec demanded.
"Soul Release." Rhodes declared. "It's a Spell Card that can banish up to five cards in the opponent's Graveyard. Chaos Necromancer gains 300 ATK for every monster in the Graveyard, so banishing five of them with Soul Release would cut its ATK in half, leaving the opponent open for a counterattack."
"Correct." Jerec grunted, raising an eyebrow suspiciously at the boy.
"That was awfully nice of you, Sareena." Arcanite smiled as the bell rang and her partner left Jerec's classroom. "For someone so uninterested in friends, you were quite a friend to Mr. Rhodes."
"Don't get any funny ideas, Arcanite. I just get tired of Jerec's inflated ego." Sareena rolled her eyes.
"If you say so..." Arcanite grinned, knowing better. "Oh?"
"What?" Sareena blinked.
"It seems you might have a new admirer." Arcanite grinned, repressing a laugh. Sareena turned around to find the blonde Slifer boy from class standing behind her.
"Uh, hi... Sareena, was it?" He spoke up.
"Yes?" Sareena replied, using a tone that asked if there was something the boy wanted. "And you are Mr. Rhodes?"
"Call me Zack." He smiled. "Ah, I wanted to thank you for what you did in class earlier."
"Yeah, that was pretty awesome!" One of Zack's friends said, catching up to them. "I'm Kazu, by the way."
"Most of it was basic knowledge." Sareena said plainly.
"But still, I don't think even most Obelisks could burn Jerec like you did." Another of Zack's friends showed up. "Name's Rakaia, and I'm looking to show Jerec just how wrong he is about Slifers, just like you did in class!"
"I saw your performance in the entrance exams." Sareena commented. "Your Dragon Deck certainly has the potential to topple Jerec's."
"Yeah?" Rakaia smirked. "Awesome!"
"Jerec talks all the time about strategic shatterpoints, but I don't think he realizes just how many are in his own deck." Sareena remarked.
"Yeah, like what?" Rakaia prodded.
"Hey, you can see Duel Spirits too, right?" Zack spoke up. "So, do you have a partner?"
"Three, actually." Sareena replied, all three Spellcasters showing themselves.
"Ah, hello." Arcanite smiled pleasantly, though blushing slightly as she waved. "I'm known as the Sorceress of Light Arcanite, though my master refers to me as Arcanite. You may." Zack's Dark-Winged Kuriboh appeared, smiling and purring a delighted greeting to Arcanite.
"Hey!" Yuna grinned, revealing herself. "I'm Yuna, and the little wimp behind Arcanite's my twin, Sol."
The Slifer boys looked back up at Arcanite, and noticed a little black Spellcaster hiding behind her, like a timid little boy hiding behind his mom.
"Uh... hi." Sol muttered.
"He's not very used to speaking with humans other than Sareena." Arcanite said.
"Neither's Zack." Rakaia smirked. "Or Alex."
"Alex?" Sareena blinked, turning to face the Slifer boys. She didn't pay them very much mind, so judging from their voices, she thought there were only three, but now, she saw there was also a fourth, rather quiet one just behind the others, whose dark blue hair somehow reminded her of Sasha from earlier this morning.
"I'm not shy or anything. I just don't have all that much to say." Alex shrugged.
"Ah." Sareena murmured. "So, anyways..."
"You may not want to admit it, Sareena," Arcanite thought, grinning as she watched her master continue chatting with the Slifer boys. "But you're making good friends. I do hope to see more of this side of you."
"So, I've been meaning to ask." Kazu said as they rounded a corner. "How did you place in the entrance exams?"
"I'm the highest level duelist of the first year. Why?" Sareena stated, honestly wishing she hadn't said such a thing out loud; now these boys would NEVER stop pestering her. However, to her surprise, most of them looked shocked at this news. "What?" She blinked. "Well... you asked."
"Oh! So you're her~!" Kazu exclaimed.
"...I'm sorry?" Sareena said blankly.
"Sanousuke mentioned you on our first day." said Zack, glad that Kenta wasn't with them at the moment.
"Oh... him." Sareena rolled her eyes. "I thought that demeaning Slifers was beneath someone that proud... er, no offense."
"None taken, but there's a bit more to Zack than you might think." Kazu grinned, casting a look at Zack, as if asking for permission.
"What do you mean by that?" Sareena inquired.
"Hey guys, wait up!" a distant voice called before Zack could speak, and all four Slifers sighed as Kenta hurried to catch up with the group. "Sorry, I just happened to meet a few old friends of mine, if you know what I mean." Kenta said, as he tried to catch his breath.
"Really?" Sareena spoke over him, her tone quite venomous. "And would any of them happen to be girls that you might have saw on the first day?" Almost instantly, she recognized the boy that spied on every first year girl their first day. "I was wondering why none of my usual admirers were around." She gritted her teeth.
"Yeah. How did you know that?" Kenta blinked. "But anyway, you're the one who burned Jerec, huh? It's so cool to see an Obelisk Blue who doesn't hate Slifer Red! I'm Kenta, by the way." He extended a hand, only to be left in awkward silence.
"Uh, what's wrong?" Kenta blinked, catching Sareena's glare.
"It's nothing." Sareena said coolly. "That just seems a bold way to greet someone, all things considered."
"...Ehhh, what?" Kenta blinked.
"It's her." Kazu whispered. "The #1 First Year girl."
"So... you're..." Kenta's hand fell to his side as he stared at Sareena incredulously. "Ah! That's right! You're the one who flung her shoe at me!"
"Should I be honored or horrified that you remember me out of the hundreds of girls that I suspect you've 'walked in on'?"
"Hey, it was an accident! Honest!" Kenta reasoned.
"Save it." Sareena sighed, turning away. "I need to go to class. And stop following me! All of you!"
"We have the same class." Zack pointed out.
"Fine." Sareena grumbled.
~Duel Academy Gym | Girl's Locker Room~
"I don't know how else to say it, master..." Arcanite said as she followed her master and the other girls made their way to the girl's locker room.
"Then just say it." Sareena replied plainly, switching her uniform shoes for her athletic wear.
"You have been rather harsh today." said Arcanite. "I understand your disinterest in making friends, but was it not cruel to sanction all five of those boys because of Kenta's... missteps?"
"Yuna, enough of that." Sareena grunted irritably. Yuna, who deeply enjoyed the female form, was spying on the other girls changing in the locker room, giggling with perverted delight, disappointed when her partner told her off. "I'm not the only one in this Academy who can see Duel Spirits, you know." Sareena informed her mischievous spirit seriously.
"But can you blame me?" Yuna shrugged sheepishly. "I mean, just look at the rack on Akari..."
"Right Sareena is, Yuna, in a lot of trouble we could get." Sol cut in. "I mean, what if saw me somebody did...?" He shrunk back into Sareena's deck in frightened awkwardness.
"Honestly, I think someone would notice Yuna long before you, Sol." Sareena sighed, finishing tying her gym shoes.
"I get the feeling you're avoiding my query, master." Arcanite remarked.
"Drop it, Arcanite." said Sareena flatly as she left the locker room. "It's not important."
"On that, I respectfully disagree." But before the Duel spirit could press on any further, the gym instructor raised her voice as she addressed her class.
"Hello, everyone!" The gorgeous blonde lead of the girl's dorm greeted her students. "My name is Clair... Well, you can all call me Ms. Clair! And I will be your gym instructor for today. Now, let's warm up with a 30 minute run!" Such an announcement was greeted with groans from the class. 'Warm-ups' under Clair's teaching were more than exhausting, never mind the rest of gym class.
"It's only 30 minutes. "Sareena rolled her eyes.
"If I catch any of you slacking, it'll be 200 push-ups after class!" Clair stated as she kicked off at inhuman speed.
"Seriously, Kenta?" Kazu sighed. "Don't you think you should just leave her alone for now?"
"She can't stay mad at me forever." Kenta reasoned. "I'm going for it." He pressed on ahead of his friends to catch up to Sareena, who had forgotten about him after about ten minutes of focusing on trying to keep up with her gym instructor. "Hey! Need a gym partner? I'm available!"
"We're not being partnered up today." Sareena stated bluntly. "And even if we were, I can think of about twelve other people I'd rather partner up with." She hurried a good distance ahead of Kenta to escape his presence.
"Must you, master?" Arcanite sighed wearily. "Is there anything more to this than just him seeing you unclothed? Besides, I'm fairly certain that this event was nothing short of an accident." "
"Must we even be discussing this?" Sareena groaned. "If I wanted to talk about that dork, I'd just listen to my admirers go on about him."
"I say yes, we do." Arcanite stated. "I see little justifiable reason to be so vindictive towards this boy."
"It's not just him, it's all of them." said Sareena. "I already have enough problems with those groupie Obelisk girls following me everywhere. It's less that I hate Kenta, and more the fact that THEY do."
"Ah, your regular followers?"
"Exactly. Those two lock eyes, and my mornings go from annoying to intolerable." Sareena nodded, picturing the madness that the girls would ensue just by being in the same room as Kenta.
"I see." Arcanite said interestedly. "So it is a matter of him seeing you disrobed; I only misinterpreted your reasoning."
Sareena gave another sigh. Though she and Arcanite had known each other for so many years, her guardian still seemed to know so little about humans. "Something like that, I guess."
~Duel Academy Gym | Girl's Locker Room~
"Phew!" Many of the Obelisk blues were panting as they returned to the locker room, gym class completed for the day. "Prof. Clair sure knows how to tire you out, right?"
"It's not nearly as exhausting as you make it seem." Sareena said plainly, wiping her brow.
"How'dyou do it, Sareena?" One of her admirers asked. "Clair's like a ninja, but you're somehow able to keep up with her no problem."
"Sometimes, it's better to just act, instead of complaining that you can't." Sareena stated. "Especially when you don't really know that you can't; some things you just do."
"Excellent advice that is." said Sol admiringly.
"I learned that from many years with the three of you." Sareena grinned at Sol.
"I agree. That is really good advice." She froze at these words, Sol, Yuna, and Arcanite all turning awkwardly to face...
"Mara, correct? You heard... 'him' just now?" Sareena blinked, whispering 'him' carefully.
"I didn't know you were a spirit caller, Sareena." said Mara interestedly. "Do you have the mark, too?"
"Eh?!" Sareena gasped, her heart skipping a beat. "The... what? What are you talking about, what mark?"
"A Spiritbringer mark." Mara clarified. "You have one, don't you?"
"Er, no. I don't even know what that means..." Sareena lied, turning away as she changed out of her gym clothes. "Anyway, why are you so insistent on..." The entire locker room went silent as the door burst open, and a lone boy stumbled across the floor. Kenta Kiyoma sat up, eyes widened with terror as for the second time, he gazed upon Sareena's partially undressed form. Every girl in the locker room went completely ballistic, screaming and either running for cover, or finding something to hurl at the intruder.
Hastily putting on her uniform jacket and skirt, Sareena threw both of her shoes into Kenta's face, knocking him back out of the locker room. She followed him outside, grabbing him firmly by the collar before he could run away.
"What do you think you're doing here?!" She growled under her breath.
"I didn't mean...! I got the rooms mixed up!" Kenta insisted.
"Don't lie to me, Kenta Kiyoma!" Sareena stated sharply. "This is the second time that you've seen me undressed, and even if the first time was an accident as you say, I have a very difficult time believing this occurrence was." She gripped his collar tighter. "Do not come anywhere near me again, or I WILL have you expelled." She shoved him away as she released her grip on Kenta. "I have no further patience for you." Her green eyes burned with pure fury, and Kenta swallowed nervously, retreating as fast as he could from the girl's locker room.
"Way to show that sneaky bastard who's boss!" One of the girls cheered as Sareena returned to collect her belongings, sighing as she ignored the praise she received from her classmates.
~Duel Academy Main Building Corridor~
"You know, I remember seeing the slight impression of a boot print on your face on our first day..." Kazu remarked amusedly.
"Is it really that noticeable?" Kenta muttered, knowing that his face had to have been bruised with the beating Sareena had given him a while ago.
"Eh... noticeable is one word for it..." Rakaia smirked, fighting back a laugh.
"It's only to be expected, Kenta." Alex said seriously. Unlike the others, he clearly was not amused with Kenta's situation at all. "Accident or not, you do not disrupt a girl's privacy."
"You know, you sound just like a girl yourself." Kenta grunted indignantly, Alex giving a horrified gasp, clapping a hand to his mouth. "And anyway, like I keep telling everyone, I didn't mean to see her, or any of the other girls undressed! What am I supposed to do?!"
"I think apologizing would be a good start." Zack suggested. "If you just be honest with her, I'm sure she would understand."
Kenta considered Zack's advice, but his stomach dropped like a brick as Sareena's words echoed in his ears: "Don't come anywhere near me, or I WILL have you expelled."
"Can't I do better than that?" He asked. "I mean, she was REALLY mad at me this time..."
"It might seem like a really small thing to do," Alex spoke up, his voice sounding slightly deeper than before. "But a sincere 'I'm sorry' really is the best way to apologize to a girl."
"You seem to know a lot about girls." Kazu grinned. "You're gonna have to teach us one of these days." He eyed Zack mischievously. "Right, 'Zackie?'"
"Kazu, quit that!" Zack flustered. As Rakaia joined in Kazu's teasing, Kenta looked up to see Sareena marching several steps ahead of them. Deciding that now was a better time than any, he hurried ahead of his friends, opening his mouth to call to Sareena, but he felt himself be pushed back by an invisible hand.
"Wha..?" he blinked.
"So sorry I am." Sol told him guiltily. "Very angry Sareena is. Want to be talked to she does not."
A small cry sounded, and a little white dragon with a yellow zero on its chest appeared by Kenta's side, communicating with Sol in little growls.
"A Spirit Caller too, you are?" Sol blinked interestedly at the little dragon, before returning to the matter at hand. "Know your partner is sorry I do. Want to let you speak to her I do, believe me you must. But right now, hear you out she will not."
"But... why not?" Kenta asked, after sorting together Sol's unusual speech pattern.
"Time Sareena needs." Sol sighed. "So easily she will not forgive." He leaned in, hastily whispering, "A girl thing it is."
"Sol?" Sareena called. "Where'd you go?"
"Good to meet you it's been, Zero Dragon." Sol bowed politely. "Coming I am!" He called, catching up with his human partner.
"Whose duel spirit was that you were talking to?" Sareena asked once Sol had returned to her.
"Around its partner wasn't." Sol invented. "Unsure am I."
"I see..." Sareena muttered, not sure that she believed Sol's excuse.
~ Duel Arena Stands~
"So, how is it that you know so much about girls, Alex?" Kenta asked near the end of that day, as he and his friends waited for their turns to be called for their practical duels.
"I have a twin sister, Sasha." Alex answered simply. "I think I saw her with Sareena at one point or another. Anyway, when you have a twin sibling, it's hard not to know just about everything about them growing up, so I know from experience that girls aren't quite so forgiving of things like... well, like what you're in trouble for with Sareena."
"You've had a similar problem?" Kenta asked interestedly. "How did you get Sasha to forgive you, then?"
"I don't think it'll be that easy." Alex sighed, leaning over the guardrail. "Like I said, Sasha and I are twins, we know each other front to back, so little squabbles like that can very easily come and go."
"But regardless." Kenta pressed. "You have managed to successfully get her forgiveness, right? So how'd you do it?"
Alex sighed again, looking through his memories. "When we were about ten, I'd peeked into Sasha's diary." He recounted. "She caught me, and for about three weeks straight, she refused to even look in my general direction, or even speak to me."
"I never really got the whole diary thing." Kazu remarked, shrugging. "Must be a girl thing. So how did you get her to forgive you?"
"At some point, I got tired of her hating me so much, so I took a big chance." Alex recalled. "I barged into her room, and forced her to hear my apology."
"And she forgave you?" Zack blinked, under the impression that such an action would have been so much worse.
"Well... we fought a little more after that, but eventually she listened to reason, yeah." Alex shrugged.
"So... I can't just ask for her to hear me out, then?" Kenta gathered, hoping he found the meaning in Alex's story. "I have to make her understand that I'm sorry?
"Well... something like that, yeah." Alex shrugged.
"Thanks, Alex. You've been a great help." Kenta grinned, leaving the arena.
"Wha...? Kenta, where are you going...?" Kazu called, but Kenta wasn't listening.
"What was that?" Rakaia blinked.
"If I know my cousin..." Kazu sighed. "He's probably planning to do something stupid."
~Obelisk Blue Girl's Dorm~
"You were awesome today, Sareena!"
"Yeah, I didn't even know it was possible to use Spell Cards like that!"
"Do you think you could tutor some time?"
"Rather annoying these girls are. Feel Sareena's pain I do..." Sol muttered. He really couldn't figure out how Sareena could stand listening to so many voices at one time.
"I don't have time for tutoring, no." Sareena stated plainly. "I have my own business to attend to tonight."
Though this was meant to be a polite way of telling them to go away, it wasn't until she came up to the door to her room that her fangirls finally backed off. She ignored every call of goodbye as she slammed the door shut behind her, and flung herself onto her bed in frustration.
"I thought they'd never leave me alone." She groaned, turning over and pushing off her uniform jacket.
"...We're not intruding upon you, are we?" Yuna asked uncertainly.
"You're fine, Yuna. Just don't start any fights with your brother." Sareena chuckled, sitting up and kicking off her shoes. "I just need a little quiet time, that's all; time to relax." She then stripped off her skirt and shirt, Sol turning bright red in the face and turning away from his underwear-clad partner, while Yuna giggled at her twin's uneasiness, Arcanite watching over them cautiously, ensuring her master's comfort wasn't disturbed.
About an hour passed by uneventfully, Sareena largely spending her free time either laying back in her bed or touching on the day's homework. Once she felt she was relaxed enough, she pulled off her underwear, threw on a robe, put together a small basket of bathing supplies and towel, and left her room to use the dorm's bathhouse.
"Aw, why are you choosing NOW to go to the bathhouse?!" Yuna pouted, watching as the sun set in the distance. "Everyone's probably gone by now!"
"You just answered your own question." Sareena replied dully. "I'd rather my bath be a peaceful one." Much to her satisfaction, by the time she had finished washing up, the dorm's hotspring was almost empty as she stepped into the steaming hot water.
"There really is nothing quite as rejuvenating as a hotspring, is there?" Arcanite smiled, donned only in a towel.
"I didn't know spirits could feel water." Sareena said interestedly, submerging her body into the bath. "...Now that I think about it, can you physically feel anything in this plain of reality?" She asked, lifting a hand that passed through Arcanite's body.
"Not really." Arcanite admitted. "But the atmosphere of a hotspring is always an incredibly soothing one, and while I've never physically felt its steaming water before," She skimmed a hand across the water, passing through it in a ghostly manner. "The calming warmth and relaxing atmosphere are enough to make me feel as though I can. I may have never truly bathed in one before, but I think I know how it MIGHT feel."
"That's staggeringly deep." Sareena marveled. "So, can you actually feel this place's warmth? Or were you only speaking metaphorically?" Before Arcanite could answer however, she and Sareena both whirled around as a loud crash echoed through the bathhouse.
"Ah! Um... sorry..." Sasha muttered sheepishly, having slipped and fallen on the bathhouse floor. She covered herself timidly with her hands, even though her towel was still wrapped around her body. "Um... I was just going..." But Sareena could tell by how dry she was that Sasha had only just now entered the bathhouse.
"Don't be silly, stay here for a little while." She said, Sasha blinking curiously at her.
"Um... what?"
"You just got here, didn't you?" said Sareena, trying to act as though she didn't care. "So stay here and soak for a little while."
"O-okay..." Sasha murmured, reluctantly stepping into the bath, all the while eyeing Sareena curiously.
"Where's Mara?"
"She's busy with a bit of last-minute homework." Sasha replied. "She said she'd join me in a few minutes." She seemed as though she wanted to say something, but kept looking away as though she thought better of it.
"Is there something on your mind?" Sareena asked curiously.
"You seem really... different than you were earlier today." Sasha remarked, still appearing as though she'd rather not be in the bath with another person.
"Sorry if I might have been rude with you and Mara before." said Sareena, lying back in a comfortable position. "Right now, all I feel like doing is being relaxed, so as long as you're not pestering me like those other zealous admirers do, I don't mind a little human company."
"'Human Company?'" Sasha repeated under her breath, curious of Sareena's strange choice of words. "Well... ah, anyway, I guess I have to apologize too; I've seen how irritating those admirers can be. Mara and I just wanted to be friends, but I guess we gave you a bad first impression this morning, didn't we?"
"You did, yeah." Sareena shrugged, Sasha staggering back as though she had been shot in the chest.
"Right in the life points!" She thought, wishing that Sareena had been a bit easier on her.
"But, I can respect your intentions. It's just... right now, I'm not looking for friends, or admirers, or any sort of human companionship. I have a very important goal, and I don't want anyone I know to be hurt because of me."
Sasha looked at Sareena, unsure of how she should take such a proclamation, or even what said proclamation meant.
~Slifer Red Dorm~
"Okay, Kenta." said Kazu as he returned to his dorm room drying his hair out with a towel. "Outhouse is all yours!"
"He still hasn't come back yet." Zack informed him.
"Where the hell is he?!" Kazu groaned, throwing the towel aside.
"Hm... this might give us an idea..." said Rakaia, showing the others a note.
"Yep, I'd know Kenta's crappy handwriting anywhere." Kazu sighed, taking the note and reading out loud:
Hey guys!
Sorry to run off in a hurry, but Alex gave me just the initiative I needed. I'm going to the Girl's Dorm, and making Sareena hear me out. I'm not coming back until she's forgiven me.
-Kenta
"And he didn't even have the common sense to get a signed permission form?!" Kazu sighed with exasperation. "What an idiot!"
~Duel Academy Grounds~
Kenta hurried across the Academy island, running across the main pathway that lead to the central building, his apology to Sareena on the brain. He'd never been to or even seen the Girl's Dorm before, in fact for a while, he assumed that it was a part of the same complex as the Obelisk Blue Dorm near by the Academy, but he assumed that finding it wouldn't be a problem, considering the placement on a few of the maps he'd seen.
"Okay, so I just gotta find it, then look for Sareena, apologize to her real quick, and go..." He muttered to himself for possibly the twentieth time. "...Shouldn't be a problem, right...?"
"Huh? Who's there?!" Kenta stopped dead in his tracks as a bright light came around the corner ahead.
"Crap! Campus Security!" He dove out of the road into the bushes in a panic.
"Hm? Oh, it's just you, Greg." The security guard said, coming across another, "Sorry about that, I thought you might have been a student."
"What kind of idiot student would use the main path if they're sneaking out after hours?" The other guard laughed. "Hey, after this, how about we stop by Central, get something to eat?"
"Sounds good. See you then..."
"I guess using the straight-forward way's out of the question then!" Kenta sighed, feeling dumb for being indirectly made fun of. He slipped into the woods far enough that he wouldn't be seen by anyone on the main road.
"I wonder what's with all this security?" He wondered, ducking low so that a passing patrol wouldn't notice him. "I mean, I get that students aren't allowed to wander around after hours, but to have all these guards patrolling the entire Academy seems more than a little over the top..."
Just a short distance away from the main Academy building lay a branch in the path that led to the Obelisk Blue dorms that was even more heavily guarded than the main road, forcing Kenta to dive even deeper into the woods to avoid detection.
"And there's the boy's dorm..." He sighed as he approached the castle-like dormitory of Obelisk Blue, realizing that now as he noticed the many students mingling across the courtyard that he was now in even more danger of being caught here than by any of the security guards patrolling the campus.
"On the plus side..." He thought as he sneaked across the edge of the courtyard. "...The girl's dorm is now probably just a stone's throw away from..." His heart stopped, and his mouth gaped in disbelief as he spotted a vast lake that divided him from his destination. "You have got to be kidding me!" He froze in terror at his impulsive outburst.
"Who said that?" Several of the Obelisks were muttering, looking around for whoever uttered such an outburst.
"Just when I thought this night couldn't get any more disastrous..." Kenta sighed, now hurrying around to the back of the dorm to the lake as quickly as possible.
"Who's that?!" He heard an Obelisk shout. "Is that a Slifer?!"
"Get that slacker!"
"I really hoped that I would never hear that outside of gym class." Kenta groaned, throwing caution and stealth to the wind as he made a rush for the docks, hoping beyond hope that nobody had reported this to Prof. Jerec yet. For all the good that it had done him, Kenta made it to the docks, though wondering if taking the rowboat across was really the best course of action, especially since he heard the voices of students from both sides of the dorm.
"There he is!" he heard one of them whisper.
"What's going on out here?!" Kenta felt himself turn pale as he heard the all too familiar gravelly voice of Drakma Jerec. "Where do you boys think you're going?! Return to your rooms, now! Curfew was ten minutes ago!"
"Sir, we saw a..."
"I don't want to hear excuses, Satou." growled Jerec. "I want you to return to your assigned room, before I find a student more suitable for it! That goes for the rest of you, too."
"Ah, y-yes sir!" The boys retracted apologetically. They hurried inside, Jerec on their coattails, leaving Kenta both surprised and relieved that the vicious head of Obelisk Blue not only didn't notice him, but also saved his neck from his own students.
"I never thought I'd be so grateful to see Jerec of all people." Kenta commented, deciding to circle around the lake on foot, as opposed to taking the boat.
However, as he cast a cautious gaze back at the boy's dorm, a surge of terror coursed through his body as he saw Jerec stop at the entrance, and turn his head unmistakably in Kenta's direction, his draconic yellow eyes glaring directly into his own. Kenta dashed back into the woods in a frenzied rush, hoping beyond hope that Jerec wouldn't send anyone after him, or else pursue him personally.
Almost an hour and half a lap around the lake later, Kenta finally reached the gate into the Girl's dorm, which was locked tightly by a thick padlock and chain, and had sharp spikes at the top, evidently to keep people from sneaking inside.
"If you're going to spike the gate though, you should probably do the same with the rest of the fence." He scoffed, noticing that the top of the fence was lined with a flat bar, and easily climbing over onto the other side. "I should be just about all clear now..." He thought, gazing at a tall, round white building with steam billowing from the top.
~Obelisk Blue Girl's Dorm | Bathhouse~
"There are a bunch of cutie boys in our year, aren't there?" Several girls were giggling as they played around in the hotsprings. "Who's your favorite?"
"Eh... There's something about Sanousuke I adore. He's the best boy of our year, isn't he?"
"Topped only by our own Sareena, of course!"
"I was really hoping everyone was already done with in here by now." Sareena groaned, moving to sit somewhere away from the chattering girls. "They're not even here to bathe, they're just gossiping."
"The bathhouse is a pretty popular place for gossip, apparently." said Mara, setting herself down in the hot bath between Sareena and Sasha.
"Is that so?" Sareena sighed, raising an eyebrow. "So, Mara, earlier today, you said something about 'Spiritbring' and some kind of mark. What was that about?"
"Well, you're obviously a Spirit Caller." Mara replied. "I mean, I can see all three of your spirits, so I just wondered if one of them might have been a Focus."
"What are you talking about?" Sasha blinked, confused by everything that came out of her roommate's mouth.
"You can see all of them?" Sareena asked uncomfortably.
"Don't worry, Sol. You're fine." Mara grinned, as Sol looked terrified that someone other than Sareena knew he was there. "Anyway, yeah. And if someone can have more than just one of them, I've known that to normally be the sign of a potential Spiritbringer... Ah, I see you do have the mark." She added, peering at Sareena's upper chest.
"Must you?" Sareena grunted, pulling her towel up over her shoulders.
"I have one too." Mara assured her. "See?" She lifted her left arm to reveal a black marking like a tattoo under her forearm, though the steam was too thick for Sareena to make out exactly what it looked like. She peeked under her towel, comparing her white marking to Mara's black one curiously.
"Do you even have a Focus, then?" She asked. "I've never seen your duel spirit around." But, their conversation was cut short as they were distracted by the annoyingly loud laughter of nearby gossipers.
"I know he's just a Slifer Red, but you know who I like? Alex!" One of them was saying, making Sasha fidget uncomfortably. "He just seems like he understands girls perfectly."
"Please! Try Van from Ra Yellow. He's an interesting as a duelist, and as a person!"
"What do you think, Sareena?"
"Yeah, Sareena! I bet you've got a special someone you like!"
Much to her discomfort, almost all of the girls in the bathhouse crowded around the corner where Sareena sat, hanging on her every word.
"I know I'm not helping here, but I'm honestly curious myself." Mara admitted sheepishly.
"I've got no interest in boys." Sareena stated flatly, disappointing everyone present.
"C'mon, I know you're a busy girl, but all work and no play, y'know?"
"There's not at least one boy you're interested in?"
"Not particularly, no." Sareena shook her head wearily, pulling up her towel, and standing up to leave. "By the way, everyone, this is a bathhouse. If you're not here to bathe, then leave." She stepped into the changing room, sighing again as she made to take out her robe, but paused, eyeing the entrance to the door leading outside.
As if out of nowhere, a boy walked straight in, bumping into Sareena, his head landing in her chest before he staggered backwards, and to her furious surprise, it was none other than...
"Kenta Kiyoma." She grunted irritably.
"Uh?! S-Sareena?" Kenta blurted in a terrified voice. "What...? Oh, this is the bathhouse, isn't it?" He slapped a hand over his mouth as he realized these were not the best words to use in this situation.
"You. Are. DEAD!" Sareena growled furiously.
Not one to wait around, Kenta dashed out of the bathhouse, many more girls screaming as they saw the boy as he once again threw caution to the wind.
"That's the last straw." Sareena grumbled as she threw on her robe and marched back to her room. "I don't care if that was an accident, I don't even care why he's here, I'm going to kick him out of this Academy one way or another!"
"Came here to apologize he did!" Sol tried to reason as several girls screamed, running past her. "Earlier, begging for your forgiveness he was!"
"I don't care." Sareena said again, slamming her dorm room door shut as she pulled her uniform back on. "The first time was an accident, I get it, and the second time, also at least somewhat forgivable. But now? He came to this dorm on purpose!" She fetched out her duel disk and deck. "He came in here knowing that he's not supposed to be here; it doesn't matter if walking into the bathhouse was an accident, because he shouldn't have even come here in the first place."
"But he only went to such lengths because you refused to listen." Yuna reasoned. "He probably thought this was the only way he could get your attention."
"Yeah? Well..." Sareena glared, marching out the door, her hair turning long and white. "...He certainly does have my attention now."
"Ah, crap! This was such a stupid idea!" Kenta was lamenting as he ran mindlessly around the girl's dorm. He wanted to find his way back to the gate that he came in through, but somehow, he only found himself raising even more chaos. In fact, currently, he was inside the main building of the dorms, running down hallways as more and more girls freaked at the sight of him in their dorm.
"Stop right there!" Kenta ground to a halt as several glaring students stood in the way, their dorm head Clair in the front, her arms crossed seriously. "What's your name? And what do you think you're doing in my dorm?" She demanded.
"Ah..." Kenta muttered. His mind was in a total panic now, and though normally he would have just explained himself, he was in no state to think rationally, and instead of confiding his story to Clair, he simply turned this way and that, looking for a way out of his jam. Acting on impulse, he dove out of a nearby open window, running for dear life to the docks, and to his relief, the gate was wide open, the lock and chain strewn across the ground.
Thinking he was in the clear, he jumped into the only remaining rowboat and paddled away from the girl's dorm as fast as he possibly could. Only when he started to reach about the center of the lake did he stop flailing for dear life and relax. A small white dragon with a number zero on its chest gave a small rumble as it appeared by Kenta's side, apparently just as worn out as he was.
"I'm with ya, Zero." He sighed, leaning back. "I kinda wish I was back at the dorm too." It was only just then that he realized just how tired he was. "But now, I think we can..." His heart skipped a beat as something thudded loudly against the boat. He sat up quickly, and gasped as he saw a second boat parked in front of his, this one carrying someone he thought he had long evaded.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sareena demanded angrily.
"Wha... Sareena?!" Kenta blurted, transfixed as Sareena's flowing white hair glinted slightly in the moonlight. "What happened to your hair?"
"Don't avoid the subject." Sareena said coolly. "What were you thinking, coming here?"
"I was thinking I could convince you to forgive me." Kenta said plainly.
"By intruding upon the privacy of the Obelisk Blue girl's dorm even more than you already have, and disrupting a perfectly comfortable and calm evening?!" Sareena retorted. "What part of breaking in here, going into the bathhouse of all places, and bothering me even more than you already have did you really think was a good idea?"
Kenta went limp for a moment, sighing. It wasn't until Sareena said all of this that he realized just how foolish and impulsive his actions were, and how obvious it was that he would only make things worse.
"So... what to do with you...?" She mused aloud. "I'm half tempted to take you to the Chancellor. But then again, I did hear that you were trespassing in the boy's Blue dorm earlier; maybe Jerec would like to know what 'Slifer Slacker' created tonight's disruption..."
"Duel me!" Kenta shouted, before he even knew what he was saying.
"That's actually a good idea." Sareena said interestedly, tossing a silver duel disk to him without any colored markings.
"And when it's over, you WILL hear my apology, and forgive me for my mistakes." Kenta stated determinedly, strapping the disk to his wrist and fetching out his deck.
"But that's only IF you win." Sareena corrected, rowing her boat out a short distance so that the lake between them served as their battlefield. "If I win, then I'm taking you straight to Jerec tomorrow morning, and you're out of here."
"Fine." Kenta declared, putting on a tough face as he and Sareena activated their duel disks together.
"DUEL!"
Sareena: 4000
Kenta: 4000
"I'll take the first move." Sareena declared, drawing the six cards that would make up her hand. After a moment's pause, she simply said, "I end my turn."
Sareena: 4000
Kenta: 4000
"What was the point of taking the first turn if you didn't do anything?" Kenta asked, baffled as he made his draw. "Well... whatever, I guess. I activate the spell Cost Down. By discarding one card from my hand, any monsters in my hand have their levels decreased by two. So now I'll summon Asura Ape in Attack Mode!" An ungodly growl echoed across the lake as a gigantic red-furred gorilla came to life over the water's surface, with crooked, pointed yellow teeth, livid golden eyes, and six grotesquely muscular arms, two fists planting themselves firmly into the surface it stood upon.
Asura Ape
Level 5 Earth
Beast/Effect
ATK: 2200
"Attack her directly! Primordial Tremor!" The ferocious gorilla bounded madly at Sareena, who didn't bat an eye as the ape launched six powerful punches that shook her boat violently.
Sareena: 4000–1800
"I activate a trap; Empowerment of the Empowered." She stated, discarding the trap from her hand. "Now, I can Special summon any monster from my deck, and place as many Spell Counters on it as the level of the monster that attacked me."
"Spell Counters?" Kenta blinked, as a tiny warlock boy with glowing yellow eyes emerged by Sareena's side, its baggy, oversized hat shrouding its face in shadow.
Enigmage
Level 2 Dark
Spellcaster/Effect
ATK: ?–2500
SC: 5
"Enigmage gains 500 ATK for every Spell Counter placed on it. In addition, Empowerment of the Empowered allows me to deal you the same battle damage you dealt to me." Kenta winched as a mirage of Asura Ape trampled across the field, forcing him to stagger as he was forced back in the boat.
Kenta: 4000–1800
"She hasn't even taken her turn yet, and she's already thrown everything I've thrown right back!" Kenta grinned wildly. "No wonder she's the First Year's number 1!"
"Do you end your turn?" Sareena raised an eyebrow.
"Can't think of a reason not to." Kenta shrugged, grinning as he set a face-down.
"In that case..." Sareena said as she drew. "I activate Enigmage's effect; I reduce Asura Ape's ATK by 1500, at the expense of three Spell Counters."
The shadowy mage gave a mischievous little cackle as he pointed a crooked wooden wand at Asura Ape, three black flames jetting from its tip and burning the gorilla, causing it to howl painfully.
Asura Ape ATK: 2200–700
Enigmage ATK: 2500 – 1000
"Why reduce its attack points though, if it reduces your mage's attack the same amount?" Kenta blinked, unsure of Sareena's tactics.
"What makes you think Enigmage is the one attacking?" Sareena retorted. "I sacrifice Enigmage to summon Wolf Claw Warlock!" Two black flames, similar to the ones burning Asura Ape, shrouded Enigmage, its figure growing until the fires cleared, a tall, strong man standing in the little boy's place, wearing thick wizards robes made of woolen animal hide, a pair of clawed weapons strapped to his wrists
Wolf Claw Warlock
Level 6 Earth
Spellcaster/Effect
ATK: 1200
"Only 200 points difference..."
"If I tribute a monster carrying Spell Counters to summon Wolf Claw, its attack points increase by 500 for each counter that was on that monster." Sareena corrected.
Wolf Claw Warlock ATK: 1200–2200
"Now attack Asura Ape!" She commanded, the warlock locking fists with the six-armed gorilla, only for the beast to snarl and flail dangerously at Sareena's monster in response.
"Asura Ape's effect activates." Kenta grinned. "Whenever it's destroyed by battle, I only take half the damage I normally would." Before its destruction, the ape landed a powerful double-fisted blow to the warlock, destroying it, and throwing one final feeble punch at Sareena.
Kenta & Sareeena: 1800–1050
"And you take the same battle damage that I did."
"Quite impressive." Sareena said admirably. "I'll set two face-downs, and end my turn."
Sareena: 1050
Kenta: 1050
Kenta drew his card. "I'll summon Killer Moth in defense mode!" A humanoid moth creature descended from the sky onto Kenta's side of the field.
Killer Moth
Level 2 Wind
Insect/Effect
DEF: 400
"I'll set a face down, and end my turn."
Sareena: 1050
Kenta: 1050
"He wants me to destroy that monster, doesn't he?" Sareena thought as she glanced at the card she drew. "I activate my face-down card, Twin Summoning: Eclipse. This card allows me to special summon the Twin Mages: Yuna and Sol!" Two very familiar young magicians shone to life at either side of their summoner.
Lunar Apprentice Mage - Yuna
Level 4 Dark
Spellcaster/Effect
ATK: 1300
Solar Apprentice Mage - Sol
Level 4 Light
Spellcaster/Effect
ATK: 800
"Unfortunately, I can't activate either of their effects, or attack the turn I activate this card, so I'll activate the Pitch Black Power Stone I had face-down, and end my turn.
Sareena: 1050
Kenta: 1050
"Thank god she couldn't attack that turn." Kenta sighed, almost certain he was done for this turn. "That buys me some much needed time. I can already tell that's she's going to be tough to beat." He drew his card and grinned, now that he had enough defense to last him through Sareena's coming turn. "I'll summon Magmapede in defense mode." A thick, lumpy stone appeared at Killer Moth's side, which unfurled into a large centipede, igniting into infernal volcanic fire, its pincers clicking threateningly, and Kenta ended his turn.
Magmapede
Level 2 Fire
Insect/Effect
DEF: 900
Sareena: 1050
Kenta: 1050
"Yuna, attack Magmapede!" Sareena commanded, not bothering to look at the card she drew. Yuna thrust her staff at the fiery centipede, bright silvery light erupting from the crescent at its end, destroying Kenta's monster. "And now Sol attacks Killer Moth!" Sol created a sweeping motion with his staff, summoning a stream of searing hot flames, and fired them at Killer Moth, incinerating him.
"I activate my face-down!" Kenta spoke. "Under normal circumstances, when Killer Moth is destroyed by battle, I can summon an Insect-type monster from my deck. But with this spell, Call of the Chimera, I can choose to summon a different type of monster instead; I choose to summon a dragon, so come on out: Zero Dragon!"
"The spirit I met before that is!" said Sol interestedly as a little white dragon took the field.
Zero Dragon
Level 1 Light
Dragon/Effect
ATK: ?
"This is getting interesting." Sareena thought, grinning. "Because of their effects, when they both destroy a monster by battle on the same turn, both Yuna and Sol gain 2 Spell Counters."
Yuna & Sol SC: 2
"So with that, I end my turn."
Sareena: 1050
Kenta: 1050
Kenta drew his card, hoping for a miracle of sort. "This just might work." Kenta smirked as he observed the card in his hand and the cards on the field. "Let's win this, Zero!" Zero Dragon grinned back at its duelist, making a little caw of agreement.
I'll play Illusion of the Nightmare." This card lets me Special Summon Dark Baku to my field. The catch is, it can't attack or use it's effect, and, by the end of this turn, it goes to the graveyard." A very unusual creature appeared on Kenta's side of the field. It had black fur with purple stripes. It had an elephant's trunk, the eyes of a rhinoceros, the tail of an ox, and the paws of a tiger. It let out a very unusual roar.
Dark Baku
Level 5 Dark
Beast/Effect
ATK: 1500
"Now to use Zero Dragon's effect, at the cost of half of my life points-"
Kenta: 1050–525
"-Zero's attack and defense points become equal to that of the strongest monster on the field. In this case, that'd be Dark Baku." The '0' on Zero Dragon's chest started to glow as its shadow started to grow and change shape, eventually taking the shape of the Baku.
Zero Dragon ATK: ?-1500
"Now Zero, attack Yuna! Shadow of Zero!" Zero Dragon shrieked as its shadow jumped at the young sorceress, clawing her across the face creating an explosion. To Kenta's surprise, when the smoke cleared, the Luna was still intact.
Sareena: 1050–850
"What? But how?" Kenta gasped.
"I played Counter Barrier. Sareena explained. At the expense of 3 spell counters, all of my monsters are safe for this turn." The Pitch Black Power Stone on her field shattered, all of its counters used up.
"She has something planned, I can tell." Kenta contemplated, sure that respect for her duel spirits wasn't the only reason she was protecting them so much. "Either way, the next turn's sure to be the last." He looked at his face-down and smirked. "I'll play one last face-down and end my turn."
Sareena: 850
Kenta: 525
Sareena sighed, disappointed as she saw the card that she drew.
"Y'know, it wouldn't hurt to work on your poker face." Kenta teased lightly.
"I was hoping our duel would last a little longer, but it seems that this is the final turn." Sareena said, her green eyes ablaze as she activated the card she pulled. "I activate a Ritual Spell: Arcane Knight Ritual!"
"A ritual spell?" Kenta repeated, thinking the name sounded oddly familiar.
"With this, I can Special Summon a powerful monster from my hand, by sacrificing monsters whose total levels are at least equal to that of the Ritual monster I want to summon." Then, as a marble white monolith emerged from the lake, it hit him: This was the monster type that he missed in Jerec's class earlier today.
"I sacrifice Lunar Apprentice Mage Yuna and Solar Apprentice Mage Sol to call upon my greatest monster: Sorceress of Light, Arcanite!" Yuna and Sol vanished into bright glowing ethereal energy, merging with the monolith, which transformed into a woman dressed in a dark blue clock over white robes, with long, flowing white hair and brilliant green eyes, a magician's staff materializing in her hand.
Sorceress of Light, Arcanite
Level 8 Light
Spellcaster/Ritual/Effect
ATK: ?–4000
SC: 4
"Four Thousand!?" Kenta staggered. "Ritual Monsters are THAT powerful?!"
"Arcanite gains every Spell Counter that was placed on the monsters used to Ritual Summon her, as well as 1000 ATK for each Counter." Sareena stated. "This next attack will end it! Arcanite Sorceress, destroy Zero Dragon! Arcane Flash!" She pointed a fist at Zero Dragon, as though holding an invisible staff, an action that Arcanite mirrored perfectly, as her magic made to destroy Zero Dragon and end the duel."
"I activate Zero Dragon's Effect again!" Kenta intervened. By paying half my life points, Zero's ATK and DEF become those of the strongest monster on the field." Zero Dragon's shadow changed shape again, this time taking a human form that emulated Arcanite's.
Kenta: 525 - 263
Zero Dragon ATK: 1500 - 4000
"Both monsters would be destroyed at this rate." Sareena raised her eyebrows. Both Zero Dragon's and Arcanite's attacks cross-countered, destroying both monsters as expected. She glanced at her hand, but found nothing that could be used right now. "If I had a monster, then I could use summoner's wish: that would allow me to call out another monster from my hand during the battle phase, and win the duel." She thought. "But all I have in my hand right now is Spells, so I'll just have to make do until my next turn.
"Impressive, Kenta Kiyoma!" She called, a grin on her face. "It's been a long time since somebody's ever destroyed Arcanite before! For a Slifer Red, you've given me a challenge like I haven't yet encountered at Duel Academy. It's your move!"
Sareena: 850
Kenta: 263
"Sorry I had to sacrifice you Zero, it won't be in vain. I will win this duel." he thought as he drew his card. "I play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards." he drew his two cards and smirked. "Okay, I'll play one of my face-downs, Call of the Haunted, to bring back Killer Moth." the humanoid moth re-materialized to Kenta's side of the field.
"He's not staying long though because I'll sacrifice him to summon Ariel, the Ocean Sorceress." a beautiful, green tailed mermaid with long red hair and ocean blues eyes appeared on the field. She wore extravagant white robes and wielded a magical staff.
Ariel, the Ocean Sorceress
Lvl 5 Water
Aqua/Effect
ATK: 2200
"Here goes nothing." he thought as he took a deep breath. "Alright Ariel, attack her directly, Oceania Magika!" the mermaid raised her staff, creating a massive ball of water before throwing the orb at Sareena.
"I activate my face-down, Twin Mage Barrier! Both Yuna and Sol in my grave are removed from play, and it not only negates this attack, but it bars your monster from any further attacks!" Yuna and Sol briefly appeared on the field, creating a barrier that shielded Sareena from the attack and reflected it back at Ariel, causing her to recoil.
Kenta sighed. "I end my turn. You're move."
Sareena: 850
Kenta: 263
For the first time since she had come to duel Academy, Sareena felt herself on the brink of defeat; her opponent had a rather strong monster on the field, many of her best cards had been expended, including arguably the best in her deck, and even with her next draw, she had nothing but spell cards to work with, and the cards she had were hardly suitable to turn the tides.
Yet, while she fostered a mild fear of losing, she also felt excitement; she could lose any second, but she was given a great challenge, and win or lose, she was thrilled with the very idea of what the final outcome of this duel could be, because unlike every other 'challenge' she had been faced with for the weeks she had been here, she had no idea how her duel with Kenta Kiyoma could end up!
"Alright, first I activate the spell Book of Moon!" She declared. "Because of this card's effect, all monsters on the field are switched into face-down defense mode." The mermaid Kenta controlled vanished into the card at the foot of his boat, which turned over so the black oval faced up towards the moon. "And then I activate Shield Crush, allowing me to destroy one monster in defense mode." Kenta's monster was blasted into tiny pieces. "And now I..."
"Reverse card open!" Kenta shouted magnificently. "Final Challenge! This can only be activated when there are no other cards on the field; because of its effect, we both discard all cards in our hands, and shuffle our decks." Sareena blinked at him, but discarded the remaining Spells in her hand regardless. "Now, we each excavate our decks, until a monster card is drawn. After that, we each summon the monsters we've drawn, disregarding summoning conditions or levels, and battle. The winner of this battle determines the winner of the duel, regardless of current life points."
Sareena's excitement mounted even further as her duel disk auto-shuffled, and she drew card after card. Three. Four. Five... There! The sixth card she pulled was a monster... a weak monster, but a monster regardless. Kenta himself seemed uncertain of the card he drew, but summoned it regardless.
"Tortoad!" He called, summoning a little blue frog with a large, thick tortoise shell on its torso, at the same time as Sareena called,
Magikitten!" Her monster was a tiny white and black-spotted kitten with an ornate wooden stick held feebly between its paws, one of its eyes bright gold, the other a deep indigo.
Tortoad
Level 3 Water
Beast
ATK: 400
Magikitten
Level 2 Light
Spellcaster/Effect
ATK: 500
Tortoad hopped awkwardly at its opponent, as Magikitten played around with the stick it held, tumbling around adorably, eventually firing an accidental spell at Tortoad, and ending the duel.
Kenta: 263 – 0
Winner: Sareena
"That was a fun last duel." Kenta grinned weakly, feeling as though his boat had just started sinking as he remembered that his place in the Academy was at stake in this duel. Sareena seemed to be shaking as she sat down in her boat, rowing up to Kenta, who flinched as her boat bumped into his.
"So... what would you do with me now?" he asked uncertainly, pausing and waiting in silence for Sareena's answer. He felt taken aback as he saw that Sareena was grinning broadly as she got back up to face him. No, not just grinning...
She burst into amused laughter, looking so happy, Kenta wasn't sure if this was even the same person he met earlier today.
"What is it?" he asked blankly. "I don't...?"
"That duel!" Sareena said, trying to hold herself back from laughter long enough to speak clearly. "I've dueled some of the most promising students in duelist prep schools, bested some of the highest-ranking Obelisk Blues in Duel Academy... but none of them have ever been as unpredictable... as exciting, as FUN, I dare say, as the one that you've given me!"
Kenta just blinked at her for a moment. "Seriously?" He said at last.
Sareena nodded fervently. "I was wrong about you, Kenta; even ignoring your peeping, I thought you were just a fool among promising duelists."
"And now you know I'm just as promising as everyone else?" Kenta grinned.
"No, you're definitely a fool." Sareena smirked.
"Right in the life points!" Kenta groaned.
"But!" Sareena continued, still smiling. "You are a good person, and though friends are the last thing I want, I understand completely why you're friends with so many people."
"Wh...?" Kenta probably had something he wanted to say, but the words were stuck in his throat.
"It's late." She said after a long moment's pause. "Long past curfew. We're both going to be in huge trouble if we don't get back to our dorms soon."
"Oh, right." Kenta muttered. "Hey, before you go," He spoke up, just as Sareena was about to leave. "I just want you to know; I really am sorry about before."
"Yeah, I know." Sareena replied simply.
"And uh... you wanna stop by the Slifer Red dorm tomorrow before class?" Kenta offered.
"Why would I do that?" Sareena blinked.
"Well, Kazu and I are making breakfast." said Kenta. "And besides... we're friends now, aren't we?"
Sareena paused again, looking away for a moment before sitting down in her boat. "See you around." She said simply, working her way back to the girl's dorm, Kenta blinking uncertainly at her.
"So... was that a yes or a no?" He asked himself, turning to Zero Dragon, who simply shrugged as they made their way back to their own dorm.
The mayhem at the girl's dorm had almost completely died down at this point, the inhabitants realizing that their intruder wasn't around anymore, and some wondering if there even was one to begin with.
"Alright, girls, lights out!" Clair was telling them, ushering them all back to their rooms just as Sareena had closed her own door, changing out of her uniform, and dropping like a stone onto her bed. She had no idea how tired she was until she returned from the lake.
She grinned as she turned out the lights, reflecting on the recent duel, and her confrontation with Kenta.
"And besides... we're friends now, aren't we?" He had said.
"Friends, huh?" She smiled, before turning over and going to sleep.
To Be Continued...