Author's Note: Like last time, this chapter will also feature two duels. This was not intentional, but hey, what can you do? Also, Chaos Emperor Dragon's name shall instead be treated as Chaos Luster Dragon for intensive reasons. Anyway, this chapter will introduce Nizone's sister, so hopefully that will turn out well. As always, hope you enjoy.

Update:

As of August 2nd, 2012, this chapter has been updated. Hopefully now it will be more enjoyable for all you readers

YuGiOh GX: Spirits UnBound

Chapter 3: Exam Finals, Jin faces his opponent!


Ryouu returned to the stands where his friends were eagerly awaiting him. When he arrived, they all discussed their own duels.

Nizone had won with the power of his Rasengan based fire deck. The power of the deck allowed him to win in very few turns. Misui bragged about how she did even better; she used a powerful water deck to deliver an effective OTK.

Ryouu felt somewhat shy about his duel. He took the longest to win his duel and was also the only one to suffer any damage. But he didn't let his friends know it; instead he focused on about the powerful combo he used to end the duel.

While the trio were conversing over the duels and their written exam, the rest of the applicants were finishing their duels. In fact, there were only about four duels left, all in the final phases.

After another half hour or so, it was Jin's turn to step to the plate.

The young Slifer Red made his way to the dueling arena; thanks to Baken, he was hyped and ready to duel.

But as the boy stood at the field, he saw an image that significantly dropped his morale; his opponent.

The boy made his way to the duel field opposite Jin, stone cold expression on his face. He wore a skin tight military vest and cargo pants. His hair was spiky but still slicked back, and he had a ridiculously long ponytail. Most of his hair was a midnight purple but parts of his hair were green-ish streaks. His eyes were also a crystal black color.

Jin shivered with doubt as he watched his opponent approach. "My name is Hakoda, and I will be your opponent" the applicant stated as he drew his starting hand, not waiting on Jin to draw as he began his turn.


Up at the stands…

"That's one rough looking duelist, yeah" Nizone muttered to no one in particular. Misui and Ryouu silently nodded. A few meters away from them, a particular blonde haired second year Ra Yellow began to root for his friend, catching the trio off guard.

"You can do it Jin! Don't let this guy intimidate you, show him your stuff!"


Back on the duel field…

Hakoda stared at the six cards for but a moment, meticulously forming a strategy. "I'll activate the spell card Luster Charge which will allow me add a particular monster to my hand. I shall then summon that monster" the crystal eyed boy stated as he played the card that he'd just added to his hand. "Arise, Luster Dragon!"

Then an impressive sapphire dragon appeared on the field, its 1900 attack points making it a force to be reckoned with.

"Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn".

Jin summoned up the morale he came into the duel with and drew the top six cards of his deck.

"Because I do not have any monsters in the graveyard, I can summon my Rune Warrior (Atk: 1000)" then a pudgy white clad swordsman appeared on the field, his sword about the size of a large knife.

Hakoda stared on in with apprehension at the thought of the monster that stood before him. 'No one would intentionally use such a weak monster to defend against something as powerful as my Luster Dragon…"

"Now I'll use my normal summon to call out Winged Alabaster" Jin finished. Then a dark bat-humanoid appeared on the field next to the Rune Warrior (Atk: 1200). "I end my turn" Jin said confidently.

Hakoda drew, and then stared at the field cautiously. 'I'm not sure what kind of game this kid is playing, but I'll take the bait'.

"I'll play my Ancient Rules spell card so now I can summon a level 5 or higher normal monster without a tribute for this turn. And I have just the monster in mind" then a giant emerald dragon appeared next to the sapphire one. This one was even more massive, and also more beautiful.

"I summon the Luster Dragon #2" the dragon let out a powerful roar as it established itself as the strongest monster on the field (Atk: 2400).

"Now I'll have my two monsters attack yours" the dragons both attacked Jin's defending monsters, but Alabaster faded into the darkness, avoiding the emerald dragon's attack.

"Sorry but my Alabaster cannot be destroyed if there is a LIGHT monster on the field, or if a LIGHT monster has already been destroyed this turn" Jin stated hesitantly, even as his life points dropped to 1900.

Hakoda cringed. 'Darn' he though. 'That means that monster will be around another turn. What is he planning?'

"I end my turn" the applicant declared.

Jin wordlessly snatched the top card from his deck before glancing at it. "Hah, now I can steal the lead" the Slifer said semi-confidently as he played the card he just drew.

"The spell card Twilight Appraisal lets me remove the LIGHT monster in my graveyard from play to increase the power of the DARK monster on the field" and as Rune Warrior was placed in Jin's back pocket, Alabaster was shrouded in a white aura that jumped his power to 2200.

"But it doesn't end yet. I equip my monster with Black Pendant to power him up by another 500" and as the unholy necklace appeared around the winged fiend's neck, his attack points further increased to 2700, effectively making him the strongest monster on the field.

"Now attack his Luster Dragon #2 with Shadow Storm!" but as he witnessed the disappointed look on his opponent's face, he immediately wished he could've withdrew the attack.

"Fool. This isn't just a contest to see who can bring about the most powerful monster" the crystal eyed boy stated with disapproval hinted in his voice. Then as the shadows neared his monster, he flipped over his face down trap card.

"It's called Luster Purge and can only be activated when you declare an attack against one of my 'Luster' monsters. First I must discard a card from my hand" which he promptly did. "I can now negate your attack and remove the attacking monster from play. Unfortunately for you, this card's effect cannot be negated!"

Then, much to Jin's horror, the emerald dragon fired a pulsating blast that ripped through the shadows and smashed into Alabaster, turning him into little more than a shower off pixels. Due to the effect of Black Pendant, Hakoda lost a negligible amount of life points (3500).

Jin stood there looking mortified. He'd constructed his deck very poorly, and because of that, had little he could do. "I'll set a monster facedown and a spell or trap. That'll end my turn."

But even as Hakoda drew his card, he wasn't buying into Jin's bluff. "You made an amateur mistake; it's not hard to figure out why you are in the lowest ranked dorm in the school. Pity, compared to your colleagues, you seem completely insignificant."

As Jin frowned, and Baken yelled out a few unsightly words, Hakoda continued his turn.

"I'll start by activating Graceful Charity. With this spell card, I can draw three new cards at the cost of discarding two." True to his word, Hakoda slid the top three cards off his deck. After rearranging his hand, he chose two cards and placed them in his graveyard slot.

"Now this is where the duel gets fun. One of the cards I discarded was the ever-reliable Magician of Faith (300/400). I would also like to mention that the monster I discarded to activate Luster Purge was the equally famous Old Vindictive Magician (450/600)."

"Okay… What's the point of telling me this?"

Hakoda closed his eyes and tilted his head to the floor. Jin was not sure if this was insulting or not, but he was willing to bet it was. His face scrunched in annoyance.

"You yourself use a deck that balances the forces of light and dark, and yet you fail to realize the setup I have created? Fine, allow me to demonstrate."

Suddenly, a large amount of pixels began to gather in front of the young crystal eyed applicant. They began to take the shape of a giant monstrous being, dwarfing both other Luster Dragons. It was clearly a dragon, larger than any other that had been on the field so far. It had muscular human-like arms, and a long giraffe-like neck. It had powerful, bestial hind legs, and a terrifying maw. Its wings were just as dynamic as any other portion of its majestic body. Its scales were an emerald green, lined with solid gold trim. It was truly a wonderful sight to behold (Atk: 3000/Def: 2500).

As Jin stared at the towering beast, he managed to squeeze out a sentence between chattering teeth.

"Wha… What the heck is that thing?!"

"This is the engine of your destruction. It's the almighty Chaos Luster Dragon- Envoy of the End, and it can only be summoned by removing one light and one dark monster from my grave…" Then Luster Dragon #2 effortlessly destroyed Jin's facedown monster with one swipe of its mighty tail.

Hakoda gave Jin that same disapproving frown. "I wanted to see more skill than what you've shown me so far. Needless to say I am disgusted" then he lifted his hand and directed his index finger directly towards his Slifer Red opponent.

"Wait…" Jin uttered, his head tilted down so that his eyes were overshadowed by his purple bangs. A sense of shame could be detected in his voice as he spoke.

"Give me one more turn to prove myself. You've obviously shown that you have the skill to be in this facility…" and as the boy spoke, bangs still covering his face, his voice began to rattle as he tried to hold down his emotions.

"So let me prove I deserve to be here!" Jin screamed as he lifted his head up, revealing much stronger scarlet eyes. Much more demanding scarlet eyes…

Hakoda was so taken aback by the change in the young man's demeanor (and so was Baken for that matter) that he couldn't help but give in to his demands.

Jin understood by Hakoda's body language alone that he was sparing him, so he quickly pulled the top card off his deck and gave it a hard stare, 'perfect…'

"I'll show you power" Jin said in a much more demanding voice. Gone was the fragility that he once spoke was. It was almost as if he was a completely different person.

"I'll discard my LIGHT attribute Sickle Fairy to use its effect and decrease your Chaos Luster Dragon's attack points by 1000" and as he sent the card to the grave, a transparent angel placed restricting chains on the dragon, decreasing its points to a less impressive 2000.

Hakoda nodded in approval.

Then Jin depressed a button on his duel disk, activating the facedown card from the previous turn. "I activate my Reflux Index trap card. It can only be activated when a LIGHT or DARK monster is discarded to the grave to activate an effect. I can then discard another monster of the same attribute to replay the active effect. I'll use another Sickle Fairy" then another copy of Sickle Fairy slid from the boy's deck. He immediately placed it in the graveyard, and Chaos Luster Dragon's attack points dropped to a measly 1000.

"I'm much more impressed now that you've decided to take this duel seriously" Hakoda acknowledged. Jin merely nodded and continued his turn.

"The best part is only just beginning. I can feel it" he interjected as he placed another card on his duel disk.

"This spell card, Twilight Solstice will remove one LIGHT and DARK monster from my grave and return them to my deck. Then I can draw two more cards" and his facedown monster from the previous turn and a copy of Sickle Fairy were promptly returned. Then he drew two more cards, one of which was immediately abandoned for the other.

'I knew you could do it Jin' Baken thought proudly as he watched his best friend put on a show. 'Now show them how you get down!'

A few seats away, the trio were also watching the duel. Both Ryouu and Misui were completely taken aback from Jin's sudden change in demeanor. Only Nizone was maintaining his composure. And as per usual, he had a mischievous grin on his face.

"The kid's got spunk, yeah!"

Even the chancellor was enjoying the duel. His familiar smile was present on his face. He was glad that Hakoda was such a powerful duelist, and even more pleased that Jin was breaking out of his shell.

His smile grew even larger as he enjoyed the show.


Back at the duel field…

"This is the card I've been waiting for. The card that can win this duel for me" Jin said coolly as he placed it on the field, after removing the last two monsters in his grave. Hakoda stared in bewilderment at the new monster.

"Not only does this monster match yours, but in Chaos Luster Dragon's weakened condition, my monster surpasses it!" then a majestic armored man appeared on the field. He carried around a shield that matched his Greco-Roman armor, and a sword that was only suitable for the world's finest swordsmen. "Meet my Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!"

"Hakoda, if this monster destroys one of your monsters in battle, he can attack again" and much to Hakoda's horror, Jin demonstrated his monster's effect through actual battle. The Soldier cocked his sword back, and lunged at Chaos Luster Dragon, chopping its head clean off and dealing a mighty blow to Hakoda's life points (1500).

Then the warrior did a midair summersault and brought its sword down directly on Luster Dragon's skull, obliterating it instantly and nearing his opponent's life points to the zero mark (400).

"Now my monster has just enough attack points to end this duel with this next attack" Jin taunted with the unfamiliar smirk on his face. Hakoda on the other hand seemed to be in a daze. He couldn't believe that was about to lose a duel that he had complete control over one mere turn ago, and to that monster no less. It seemed like the type of last-minute heroics you see in a comic book. But this was no comic, this was real. It was his life!

'Dammit this cannot be! I cannot fail this…'

Then Jin ushered in what was sure to be the final words of the duel "Black Luster Soldier, destroy Luster Dragon #2 and end this duel" and with that, the soldier, sword still in the cranium of the slain dragon, flung his shield at the emerald beast, decapitating it. But Hakoda received no damage.

"That was too close" the crystal eyed boy said as he discarded a card from his hand.

"The last card in my hand was Battle Innuendo. Now because you destroyed my monsters, your battle phase is ended without me losing anymore life points."

Jin smirked at his now defensive opponent and set a card face down to end his turn.

Hakoda started his turn, he discarded the final card he held and drew five new cards. "Because Twilight Renewal was the only card in my hand, I got to draw 5 new ones". Then he drew his sixth.

Hakoda then smiled. Not at the cards he held in his hand, but at the duel itself. Both Hakoda and Jin used cards that focused on LIGHT and DARK based monsters, and both of them had an Envoy card. Hakoda appreciated facing such a capable opponent, especial one so similar to himself.

"Your monster is powerful, Jin. But it won't be able to break through my defenses. I summon my Shield Prison Unit in defense position (0/1000)" then a giant bubble appeared on the field. Another smaller bubble then rose from the ground, Chaos Luster Dragon in the center of it. The smaller bubble joined with the larger bubble and kept the dragon inside of it all (0/4000).

"When this monster is summoned to the field, I can equip a Luster monster from my grave and equip it to him. His power boost is relative to that monster's attack points."

Then he placed one card face down on the field and ended his turn.

Jin drew, giving him but a single card in hand. "This card is of no use to me" then he turned his sights on his prized monster. "I shall active my Soldier's final effect and remove your monster from play, even though I must relinquish his attack for the turn" but this statement caused Hakoda to smirk.

As the bubble was destroyed from the Swordsman's cut, the Dragon was set free on the field (3000/2500). Because you destroyed him outside of battle, his equipped monster was allowed to return to the field.

"Now we both have an even field, but that cannot due" and with Hakoda's words, his dragon began glowing brighter and brighter until… It exploded, wiping out all the cards on the field and in both players' hands.

It seemed rather obvious that Hakoda was in the middle of a game-winning strategy, so Jin decided to put a damper on his plans.

"Sorry Hakoda, but before you destroy my face down, I'll activate it. It's a trap card known as Twilight Duel, and the way it works is… Well basically we both draw until we get a monster, and whoever's is strongest is the one that will be summoned to the field. All other cards will be discarded; all other effects disregarded".

Hakoda was truly excited. That meant his Dragons effect wouldn't take away the rest of his opponent's life points. It may have seemed ridiculous for Jin to have set that trap when he did, but it certainly just saved him.

Hakoda was the first to claim a monster. It was a large green machine shaped like a cross between a fighter jet and a giant fan. Needless to say, it was a very awkward looking monster. Surprisingly though, it boasted an impressive 2400 attack points. That meant his opponent would have to pull out a real heavy hitter if he wanted to win.

The winner of the duel would be determined by this last draw. If Jin didn't draw a more powerful monster, his opponent would attack him directly and end it. But if he drew something stronger, then his opponent would adversely be opened to direct damage.

After 7 times of drawing either a spell or trap, he finally drew a monster, but unfortunately…

Unfortunately for Hakoda, it was the 2500 Atk point Solstice of Dark Magician.

Hakoda staggered as the black and white clothed version of the Dark Magician appeared on the field, his own monster fading away.

With one command from its master, the Magician blasted Hakoda and the rest of his life points, finally ending the duel.

The holograms faded away as both duelists returned to their typical demeanor, Jin thoroughly impressed with his win.

In the distance, Baken could vaguely be heard with cheering his friend on.


Later on that day…

It had been well past an hour after Jin's duel with Hakoda, and all of the applicants were finding out their scores. Keiko failed her duel exam for only using a single strategy and not having enough flexibility. She marched out of the facility incoherently mumbling something about broken rules.

Thanks to a good word from Mr. Ikora, Ryouu scored the same amount of points as his friend Nizone. Misui on the other hand happened to score higher than both boys. And of course this was something she would not let them forget any time soon. Ryouu and Nizone were more focused on which of the two deserved the higher score though. Misui didn't mind. She had the rest of the year to brag.

Baken's opponent was flunked under the status of no defense other than a strong offense. He didn't seem disappointed though, just said better luck next time.

And finally, among others, was Hakoda. It was apparent that Hakoda had been preparing for this day, his test scores were a testament to that. And combined with his impressive duel, he easily made it into Ra Yellow. He even seemed like a likely candidate to be bumped into Obelisk Blue.

Yep, everyone knew where they sat with the academy; that is except one.

"Where is that annoying sister of mine?" Nizone blared angrily. He hadn't seen her all day and was beginning to wonder if she was in trouble. After several minutes if his mindless ranting (and friends trying to console him), he received his answer.

Chancellor Yuki was standing in the middle of the auditorium, microphone in hand. "Well hello all of my past and future students" he began. "Tonight I have one more treat for all of you. It will be the last contested duel of the entire week, so I hope you enjoy it" Nizone stopped his ranted to see who the two competitors were.

"Our first competitor" the chancellor continued, "was the number one rookie of the previous year" he continued, making many of the academy students cheer with delight at seeing one of their best competing. "The infamous 'Dragon Tamer' of Obelisk Blue… Cloud Shenju!"

Then a boy walked out on the field, spiky, flowing orange hair, and a face that was made for movies. Cloud was undoubtedly one of the most popular students at the academy; his blue blazer seemingly defying gravity as he made his way to the duel field.

"And his challenger, an applicant that promises to duel like no other. She brags that she'll be the next Kaiser of the school, one day replacing Kesado… Nazonei Uzumaki!"

Nizone fell over anime style at this announcement. 'That ratty little bit…'

Nazonei showed up on the stage opposite Cloud. Even though they were twins, it was very hard to tell Nizone and Nazonei were related at all.

She had long flowing locks that were a dark blonde, almost red color. And where Nizone's vibrant blue eyes stood, Nazonei had pearly white orbs. She was also a much more petite being than her twin. And where Nizone stood nearly 5'10, Nazonei was barely 5'2. She wore a cerulean blue skin tight jumpsuit, but the top was hanging off, the sleeves wrapped safely around her waist. To complete her outfit, she wore a white and pink tank top and pink gloves.

"And for all you spectators out there, if Nazonei wins this duel, she will not only be admitted into Duel Academy, but she will automatically be placed in Obelisk Blue." Most of the crowd had little faith in her, "Cloud will stomp her out!"

Nizone was fuming. "I just knew she would up and do something like this!"

NLP: 4000/CLP: 4000

With a smile on her face, Nazonei drew the top six cards from her deck; Cloud five. She was quick to engage in her turn. "Hidden Armory lets me take one equip spell from my deck and add it to my hand" she exclaimed cheerfully as she discarded the top card due to her card's adverse effect.

"Now I'll place one card face down. With that, I'll end my turn."

Nizone bit his lip. "There can only be one card she would be digging for. This Cloud dude better watch himself, yeah…"

Cloud drew from his deck, also wasting no time in employing his move. "I summon Spear Dragon"

Then the first monster appeared on the field. It was relatively small, about the size of a child. Its scales were a dull blue color; it's underbelly more of a beige tint than anything else. Its wings were mere extensions of its rather fragile-looking arms, though the things were tattered and unhealthy. As worn down as they were, it would come as no surprise if the dragon was no longer able to achieve flight. But its most noticeable feature was its elongated, spear like nose, hence its name (1900/0).

Cloud placed another card onto the field. "Because I have a Dragon type monster on the field, I can use the spell card Giant Stomp to destroy your face down and deal to you 500 points of damage"

Spear Dragon flew down and skewered Nazonei's face down. But even as her life points dropped to 3500, she held an upbeat smile on her face.

"That card was my Dummy Marker trap, and since it was destroyed, I get to draw a card!"

Cloud just looked on with distaste. "A bluff, huh? Guess you didn't have any real cards to protect you. Maybe your next turn will do you better. Spear Dragon, attack her directly." The dragon darted through the air, spear first. But before the mighty dragon could cause any damage, Nazonei discarded a card from her hand.

Then a small brown furball appeared, taking the blow that was meant for Nazonei. "I discard Kuriboh (300/200) so I won't take any damage!" Cloud just stared at the girl with an unamused look on his face. "Your bait was actually a distraction" he uttered in recognition. Then he place one card face down and ended his turn.

Nazonei promptly drew, causing Nizone to cringe. He knew fairly well that she was about to employ the main strategy of her deck.

"I'll summon one of my favorite monsters, Lil' Windblade Glider!" and as Nazonei placed the card on her monster zone, her first monster appeared on the field.

It was a small boy dressed in elaborate green armor. Under such armor was a plain wait skin-tight suit. Aside from that, the elaborate monster also had detached wings floating behind his person (400/1500).

"Next, I'll equip him with spell card Rasengan!" as the young boy held out his hand, a spiraling ball of pure energy was created, hovering just over his palm. "Now whenever my monster attacks, the monster he battles will automatically be destroyed (considered destroyed by battle), and neither of us will take damage."

Then the young warrior leapt at the much more powerful dragon and slammed the powerful blast dead into the dragon's chest.

The impact was amazing, causing the entire stadium to road from the force.

The dragon was destroyed instantly.

Cloud looked on with amusement.

"If I understand this correctly, then that equip card only works when your monster attacks; so if I attack it, then you'll lose your monster, and your Rasengan" the Dragon Tamer stated informatively.

"True…" Nazonei carried on mischievously, "but when Lil' Windblade Glider destroys a monster, you are forced to discard an amount of cards equal to that monsters level… That means your whole hand!"

But Cloud also swung into an unexpected attitude. He began to clap.

"Nice move Uzumaki-san, you were able to destroy my field and deplete my hand" the boy ushered as he placed his hand into his graveyard pile.

Then two cards popped out of his deck, and one from his graveyard, which he took. "But don't think I wasn't prepared" the boy all but roared as his demeanor attitude to its nature, aggressive ways. "First off, one of the cards in my hand was Repayment of the Losses, which allows me to draw one card because it was sent directly to the graveyard. Then" he continued as a new monster appeared on the field. This monster was a tall man covered in yellow armor with dragon designs. He carried around a flute as his weapon (1400/800).

This monster is 'A- Assembler: Dragon Knight'. He is automatically summoned to the field if he's sent to the grave from my hand. Then Cloud's facedown card flipped up. Now I active Phoenix Rising, so since my dragon was destroyed, I can summon my other card, 'O- Overkill: dragon Knight'" and at that, a green armored warrior appeared, wearing savage gauntlets that had large extended claws protruding from them (1800/600).

Then the two monsters powered up (1900) and (2300). "Thanks to Outrage's effect, all Dragon Knights gain 500 attack points.

As Nazonei placed a facedown to end her turn, Cloud drew to start his. Then a small smirk spread across the young duelist's visage.

"First off, United Structure will allow me to summon a Warrior monster from my hand since I have one on my field" then another one of his Dragon Warriors appeared on the field. This one had red armor, and carried around a whip. He was easily distinguished as the leader of the bunch. His attack points soared as he was powered up by Outrage (3000/1800).

"This is D- Destiny: Dragon Knight and as long as he's on the field, my other Dragon Knights' effects are double (O: 2800) (A: 2400).

'Oh no, that meant Outrage was now juicing out 1000 attack points!'

"But Assembler also has an effect. Once per turn, I can summon a Dragon Knight from my deck, but thanks to Destiny, I can instead call out my remaining two" then an orange and a blue variation of the Warriors appeared on the field. Meet 'R- Rage: Dragon Knight (2600/1000)' and 'G- Gravity: Dragon Knight (2500/1200)'.

The crowd began to cheer for their previous 1st year champ. In only one of his own turns, he'd managed to summon out all five of his signature monsters. And because he had not yet normal summoned, they knew what was about to come next.

"Cloud!" they all chanted loudly.

"Cloud!"

"Cloud!"

"Cloud!"

Nazonei herself stared at the boy's army with a nervous smile. She wasn't quite sure if she would be able to survive this turn and turn the duel around.

A vicious grin caught onto Cloud's face. "The crowd wants more. So let's give them more!" and with that, he played the last card in his hand. "Because I haven't normal summoned this turn, I can send all five of my Dragon Knights to the graveyard to summon my ultimate monster." Then a giant off a monster appeared on the field. Like the Dragon Knights, it wore elaborate purple and black armor shaped like a dragon. From its chest plate protruded the head of a dragon, its maw opened as if it were about to launch a fire blast. And in its hand was a giant dual edged blade, much larger than even Buster Blader's (3600/3300).

Nazonei, although fearful of the new beast, was curious as to why he sent five monsters to the graveyard to summon this one out. It was powerful for sure, but together, those five weaker monsters could've won him the duel. Everything was straightened up as Cloud explained his monster's effect.

"My almighty DRAGO- Doom Bringer can attack three times a turn" Nazonei's eyes almost bulged out of her head as she heard this.

Then the Dragon/swordsman flew at the small Wind monster with blinding speed, cleaving it in two before most people even realized it began its attack. But instead of the usual burst off pixels that follows a monster's destruction, the little warrior disappeared in a poof of smoke only to be replaced by another rapidly approaching Glider, Rasengan in hand and fully intent on destroying the beast. "I activated my Clone Barrage trap card" Nazonei spoke confidently as her facedown flipped face up.

"It allows me to send the monster you declared an attack on to the grave so I can summon another copy from my deck. Then that copy is equipped with a Rasengan and your attacking monster is destroyed" she was pleased with her explanation, but soon lost hope as she saw the smirk on Cloud's face.

His monster easily caught Lil' Windblade Glider by the hand and threw him back to Nazonei's side of the field.

"Sorry Uzumaki-san, but because all five of my Dragon Knights are in my grave, my DRAGO won't be affected by any of your tricks!"

"Fine, I'll place my monster in defense" she issued. "It doesn't matter" Cloud mocked. "My monster still has two attacks left; he can wipe out your monster and your life points! He also inflicts piercing damage"

Then the ferocious dragon lunged at the defending monster, destroying it with a shoulder black. "Now DRAGO, end this" then the chest plate began to gather energy into the dragon's mouth. After a few moments of gathering, it shot a powerful beam of searing hot energy that completely engulfed the young girl.

Everyone cheered Cloud on as his monster returned to his side of the field. But as the dust settled, Nazonei was still standing, albeit very wobbly (N: 1400). "Sorry to disappoint, but I removed the Necro Guardna in graveyard (from the effect of Hidden Armory) from play to keep my life points safe. I'm still in the game!"

Cloud looked back at his opponent; obviously he was impressed that she'd been lucky enough to send that monster to her graveyard. "Fine Uzumaki-san, I shall just finish you off next time. Now take your turn" the Dragon Tamer ordered.

Nazonei wordlessly drew her card, activating Magical Mallet to reshuffle her hand into her deck for fresh new cards. Her eyes lit up with hope as she saw the cards she drew. She summoned her wind type warrior, HurriKid to the field (1600/1300). This monster was just an average boy surrounded by gale force winds. "Now I pay 500 life points to take Rasengan from my deck and equip it to HurriKid (N: 900)" then the boy held the familiar attack in his palm.

"Didn't you learn? That stupid card won't save you from my monster! It's useless!"

Nazonei just ignored her opponent and continued with her turn. "Now I play Element Empowerment. This will give my Rasengan an added effect based on the element that my monster is" then the small ball grew in size and took the form of a giant swirling shuriken.

"Because my monster is a WIND type, it changes my monster's original Atk points to 3000 while he attacks, gives him the ability to attack all monsters on your field at the same time, and causes piercing damage" Cloud just stared doubtfully. Her monster was still too weak after all.

"Not done yet. I activate HurriKid's effect and remove a copy of him from my deck to increase his Atk points by 1000 for the remainder of the turn" and as the crowd watched with astounded faces, the hurricane kid charged at the dragon, his 4000 Atk points making him the strongest monster on the field.

Cloud just smirked as his monster launched another blast from its chest plate, completely incinerating the boy before he even had a change to hit the RasenShuriken.

"Sorry Uzumaki-san, but because I have all the Dragon Knights in my grave, my monster returns the battling monster's points to their original stats. Nazonei cringed as her life points dropped to a pitiful 300.

Nizone couldn't help but feel bad for his twin. He'd never seen her get so thoroughly dominated, and didn't like it at all. 'Come on sissy, you've just gotta win. I'm not going to the Academy without you…'

"I'll set a card and end with Swords of Revealing Light. Now you won't be able to attack for three turns".

Cloud laughed aloud as he drew his card. My monster is unaffected by such card effects, I already told you that!" then the large beast bounced from sword to sword, hell bent on taking out the female duelist. As he slashed at her, three familiar maidens stood between his sword and the young girl. Waboku was activated.

"Heh, your distraction was actually baited, and I fell for it. Again. Fine Uzumaki-san, but I promise your next turn will be your last".

Nazonei chuckled at Cloud's repeated mistake. Then she gathered up the energy to draw from her deck. "Pot of Greed allows me to draw twice" she pulled off the top two cards in her hand and formulated a strategy in her head.

"I'll cast the powers of Monster Reborn" she said with the familiar smile on her face as HurriKid reappeared on the field. Then she removed her final copy, causing her monster's Atk points to once again rise to 2600. Now I shall remove my RasenShuriken in the grave from play to return all the cards in your grave to your deck. Now you take 1000 points of damage"

Cloud was shocked as he instantly realized he no longer had the protection of his Dragon Knights on his DRAGO. (C: 3000)

"Now to end this… I equip HurriKid with Oodama Rasengan" then HurriKid held out his hand as a huge version of the original Rasengan appeared in it (Atk: 3600). "This will increase his Atk points by 1000. Not only that, but it also gives him the ability to deal you damage equal to the attack of every monster he destroys in battle. This is game over" was the last words off the duel.

Then HurriKid and DRAGO collided, destroying them both. But from the dust and debris flew the giant ball of swirling energy. It slammed dead into Cloud's chest, completely depleting his life points.

The crowd was in a complete uproar; they couldn't believe Cloud was defeated by an applicant.

"And Nazonei has won" Chancellor Yuki yelled loudly, increasing the already exploding excitement factor. Then he turned to the girl and congratulated her. "Welcome to Obelisk Blue young lady".

Nazonei smiled one last time as she fell over, exhausted from her duel. But before she hit the floor, Nizone caught her.

"Come on sis, let's go get you a seat."


And that's the end of chapter 3! I thank Snibbity Dibbity for his Twilight Renewal and his Repayment of the Losses. Neither of those cards were of my own creation. Anyway, Nazonei has officially established herself as the number 1 rookie of the year. Next time, the gang arrives at the Academy and all get settled in to their respective dorms. Each of them go to classes, make new friends, and maybe even a few rivals. But who is this? A Slifer Red, what purpose could he have concerning the gang?

Next time on YuGiOh GX: Spirits UnBound, Chapter 4: Arrival to Duel Academy!

Nizone: Oh here we go. It's always something with you Nazonei, yeah!

Nazonei: I can't help. People just like me more ;-P

As always, please Read and Review. It will be greatly appreciated!

Update:

And there is the end to chapter 3. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. I look forward to hearing what you have to say, and constructive criticism is always welcomed.

This is Rizengan01 signing out