Author's Note: Let us continue onwards.

Chapter Ten: Day of the Duel Review Pt. 2

The crowd watched in tense silence as Ensui thrust out one hand at Mizuki, one finger extended to point directly at her. "Red Eyes Black Dragon(2800/2000), finish it now! INFERNO FIRE BLAST!"

Red Eyes' jaws opened wide, and a powerful fireball erupted from its maw. Mizuki threw up her arms, but that was nothing of a defense against the attack, and it exploded on contact, smothering her in the flames. "I apologize Mizuki, but the flames of darkness, the flames of my Red Eyes cannot be stopped by you. I'll advance back to Obelisk Blue with these flames!"

The smoke cleared, revealing Mizuki lying face down on the ground, smoke rising off her body. As the crowd gasped, Tobias mentally danced for joy, excited to see his rival fallen. 'That bitch has suffered her first defeat, and all thanks to my rigging the match up! How perfect, this deck couldn't get any better!'

Next to him Harrison was smirking, looking coldly down the bridge of his nose at the fallen teenage duelist. 'So, that's the extent of your strength? You're really not worthy of my notice after all.'

And the smoke continued to rise off her fallen body.

Ensui released the breath he had been holding, and then folded his arms over his chest. "It's a pity; she had a lot of potential. But unfortunately for her she was paired with me for this duel, and there was no way she could beat me."

He turned to walk away, shaking his head in disappointment. He didn't like crushing new duelists like that, but it was necessary for him to rise back up to his former position in Obelisk Blue. "I'm sorry Mizuki, sorry that you had to lose like that."

"Who lost?" Ensui and Harrison both stopped walking, shock evident on their faces. Tobias also looked horrified as he watched what was happening. There, on the field, Mizuki was picking herself up off the ground.

Ensui shook his head in awe, shocked that she was even able to stand after the direct attack of his Red Eyes Black Dragon. "But I saw the attack connect, and your face down cards couldn't be activated. So you lost!"

Mizuki grinned weakly, holding up her DD2. "Check again Ensui. Your fire wasn't even to do me in for good, not a chance." (MLP: 1400)

Up in the stands Shiro and Janice, both who had faced her, were laughing. Shiro gave a thumbs up to Mizuki, and the teen lifted her hand for a return thumbs up. "Those guys know. See, when you attacked I just removed Rune Guardian from my grave to reduce the damage to half."

The older duelist frowned, not quite sure he understood. "Rune Guardian? But when did you play that monster?" In just a second he realized, his mind going back to earlier in the duel.

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The former Obelisk Blue flipped around the card he had drawn in the card. "Let me demonstrate the pain that comes with being demoted, the pain of loss. I'll let you experience it as well. Magic card activates, Share the Pain!"

A large serrated knife appeared above Ensui's field, and one appeared above Mizuki's field as well. She grimaced, not liking the look of this at all. "Many people don't know this card, even though it's an old card. Few people use it anymore, but I find it useful. First I select one monster on my field to destroy. Sangan is my choice!"

The knife dropped down, spearing into the brainpan of his demon. It struggled for a minute, its body quivering, and then it exploded into pixels. "Before we move on with Share the Pain's effect I now search my deck for a monster with fifteen hundred or less attack thanks to Sangan's effect."

His duel disk scanned his deck for his chosen card, and when it was located it popped out of the deck, letting him snatch it free. He placed the card into his hand, and then pointed over at Mizuki. "Now, just like me you have to choose a monster on your field and send it to the grave!"

She grimaced, looking at the two horizontal cards that lay on her field. So she had to choose between them? "I select my monster on the right to be sent to the grave!"

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"That monster you sacrificed to Share the Pain, that was your Rune Guardian, wasn't it?" Mizuki nodded, looking quite happy with herself. Ensui on the other hand was shocked, thinking about her foresight. She had been ready the whole time.

Off to the side Harrison had returned to the front row to watch the duel. His lips quirked up into a slight sneer, his eyes focusing through his glasses on the now risen duelist. "So, you're stronger than I gave you credit for. But still, you don't stand a chance against Ensui."

Tobias slammed his fist into the railing, looking furious. "Again that bitch avoids defeat! Damn…but I guess all this means her suffering prolonged. She'll be crushed by Ensui and his dragon's flame!"

Ensui snapped one arm out to his Paladin of Black Dragon(1900/1200), which shimmered and faded away. In its place there was another massive black scaled dragon. "By sacrificing Paladin of Black Dragon I can special summon out another Red Eyes Black Dragon(2800/2000)! End turn!"

Mizuki drew, then placed the card down carefully. "I set a monster in defense mode. Now I end my own turn. Your turn Ensui."

Her opponent snapped up a card, and then smirked at whatever he saw. Slowly he held the card up, looking truly fearsome as he did so. Mizuki saw the card, and read the name out loud. "Polymerization…"

"That's right, Polymerization! And using its power I combine Red Eyes Black Dragon on the field with Meteor Dragon(1800/1600) in my hand to create Meteor Black Dragon(3900/3000)!" A warp formed, and Red Eyes and another dragon merged together into it. What emerged was even bigger than the others, its bulky body surrounded by black flames.

Next he flipped around one of the other cards he had been holding. "Magic card activates, Fusion Recovery! I return a Polymerization from my grave to my hand along with a fusion component which has been used in a fusion. Red Eyes Black Dragon and Polymerization come back!"

Grabbing the only other card in his hand he held the three cards out together, showing them off, one monster on each side of the Polymerization card. "Polymerization! Red Eyes Black Dragon and Summoned Skull(2500/1200)! Be born from the flames of hell, Black Skull Dragon(3600/2500)!"

Another huge form was created, this one with bones covering parts of its body, looking more like a demon than it did look like a dragon. Mizuki grimaced, looking over all of Ensui's monsters. "Four powerful monsters so easily. You're a really powerful duelist."

"That's right, I'm Obelisk Blue regardless of my current uniform! Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon, attack the set monster with Flash Flare Blast!" Brilliant red flames shot out, pouring over the set monster, which appeared briefly as a man in white robes holding a large tome in his hand before being blown away.

"You flipped and destroyed Rune Researcher(400/400), whose flip effect returns two Rune cards from my grave to my hand!" Two cards slid out of her cemetery slot, and she held them up briefly before sliding them into her hand.

"It doesn't matter, I'll finish you this round anyways! Red Eyes Black Dragon, Inferno Fire Blast!" The original dragon opened its jaws wide to unleash its deadly flames upon Mizuki once again. The entire crowd watched with baited breath.

"I'm not going to fall to your beast so easily! Trap card activate, Rune Curse-Lethargy! When a Rune monster is destroyed, your battle phase immediately ends!" Each of the dragon's eyes drifted shut, and the flames died down.

Ensui grimaced at having been denied victory like that. "It doesn't matter, I'll still win. There's no way you can defeat my four deadly dragons, and next turn they'll burn you with their flames. Draw your last card!"

Mizuki let her eyes drift shut for a moment, then snapped them open as she drew swiftly. She began to thread the cards between her fingers, grinning brightly. "Last card you say? I'll burn my hand and crush your monsters in this turn."

"You really think you can accomplish that? Well then, fine. Go ahead and try to quench the flames of my dragons! It won't accomplish anything." Both duelists eyes were filled with fire as they each prepared for the turn.

"I'll start my turn off with Rune Symbol-Fehu! Its effect lets me draw two cards from the top of my deck, bringing me up to five cards!" She drew once, and then a second time, putting her hand at exactly the size she said. Immediately she grabbed one of the drawn cards and held it out.

"Card number two, Rune Symbol-Thurisaz! It destroys Meteor Black Dragon with its effect!" The dragon roared, and then exploded, raining flames down on the field. Ensui grimaced, but still remained confident since she had used up that monster destruction method.

"Card number three, Rune Chant! This lets me pick up a Rune Symbol from my grave, and I choose to grab and activate Rune Symbol-Thurisaz! This time my target is Black Skull Dragon!" Ensui threw up an arm in front of his eyes as his dragon demon exploded, pieces of bone flying right by him.

When the smoke cleared he saw that there was now a monster on Mizuki's field, another white robed man, this one with his hands glowing with flowing runes. "Rune Caster(800/1200) is my monster. And its effect is a once per turn Rune Chant. Guess what that means?"

Her opponent grimaced as a card popped out of her graveyard, and she held it up, once again showing off the now familiar image of her rune symbol. "Rune Symbol-Thurisaz with my target as Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

His key dragon shattered, leaving him with only the metal version on his field, and a weakened one at that. "My monsters still remain; you failed in your prediction!"

"I was going to break your stride this turn, and I did that. Now, in case you thought to attack my weak monster next turn, you've got another thing coming. Rune Symbol-Ingwas prevents you from attacking for three turns." His metal dragon froze in place, its eyes half-way into blinking.

"Since you can't attack me, I'll just set one card face down. Your turn Ensui, better make it a good one." The crowd cheered as she slid her final card into her duel disk, fulfilling her prediction of burning her entire hand in that turn.

"It's my turn, so I draw! Now, magic card go! Dragon Draw lets me draw twice since I've got a dragon in play!" Using the same effect as he had earlier in the duel he drew two times, looking at the cards carefully before coming to a conclusion.

"Even if I can't attack I'll make a build up right now. Metallic Breakdown lets me sacrifice Red Eyes Metal Black Dragon on the field to special summon a Red Eyes Black Dragon(2800/2000) from my hand or deck to the field!" The metal armor shattered, leaving the Red Eyes looking normal.

"That quick-play card is usually for adding another attack for the turn, but it serves a special purpose here as well, one that you'll learn soon. Until I can attack I just set this last card face down." He dropped his hands to his sides, waiting for Mizuki to make her move.

She drew, and picked up a card from her grave. "Well say goodbye to that last monster of yours. Using Rune Caster's effect I've returned this next card. Rune Symbol-Thurisaz! Destroy his last Red Eyes!"

"Not this time, not at all! Reverse trap card opens, Dragon's Honor! This negates one targeting effect on a dragon and lets me draw a card." The energy from Mizuki's magic card faded out, and Ensui drew a new card.

Mizuki glanced at the card she had drawn, and looked worried for a moment, but it quickly passed. "I switch Rune Caster into defense mode and end my turn."

"This turn…this turn…my flames will consume you! Pot of Greed!" He drew two cards, putting him up at three total thanks to the effect of his Dragon's Honor card. He looked at the drawn cards, and his eyes burned with even greater flames.

"This is it, the card I was hoping for! Dark Factory of Mass Production! This magic card lets me pick up two normal monsters from my cemetery and add them to my hand." Ensui placed his hand in front of his graveyard and caught the cards that were spat out.

He held the cards up, revealing two snarling black scaled forms. "I chose the two Red Eyes Black Dragons that you had previously defeated. And now, it's time for me to unleash my deadliest monster against you!"

Up in the stands Janice jerked upright, looking horrified. "No…he's actually going to use that against Mizuki? His ultimate monster…the one that even Cyber End Dragon can't beat!"

The others looked at her in shock, and then looked back to the duel, now fearing for Mizuki. Shiro's hands gripped the chair hard, hoping for the best. "Come on Mizuki, I know you can handle whatever this guy throws at you…"

Harrison folded his arms over the railing, looking smug. "And that's end game. There's no chance of even a Ra Yellow defeating Ensui's best monster. There's no way she can win now."

Tobias looked at the older teen, and then smirked. "Is that so? How perfect, now I can see her get crushed by his power. This is working out just as I expected!"

Back on the field Mizuki looked almost eager as Ensui prepared to unleash his best monster. "Come on, show me your best shot. I'd love to see what your best is and see if I can beat it."

"No, there's no way you can defeat this. Because this is the combined power of the Red Eyes, its ultimate and final evolution, from which there is nothing stronger. One last time I use it, the power of Polymerization!" He snapped around his fusion card and the two Red Eyes he had held, and the two monsters jumped into the swirling vortex with the third dragon on the field.

The energy vortex stayed in place, and then a heavy foot slammed down from it, shaking the entire arena. It was then followed by another, and soon a terrifyingly large form pulled itself free. Standing at least fifty feet in height was a bigger duel monster than Mizuki had ever seen. "What is it?"

Ensui raised one hand up over his head, and then dragon roared, the sheer sound shaking the room. Its body looked like pure obsidian, a black that seemed to soak up the light. It had the same horns on the back of its huge head as the Red Eyes, but a third grew up and swept back from the forehead, almost like a crown. A vast wingspan of black, bonelike wings made it seem even larger. "This…this is it! Black Dragon King(4000/2000)!"

Mizuki gulped, the huge duel monster barely even seeming to notice her. She wouldn't even be a snack to this monster. "What…does it do?"

"It crushes you with its hell flames, that's what. First, it gains four hundred attack points from Darkness Volcano!" The volcano belched up smoke, and the dragon's power began to rise, coming to rest at 4400 attack power.

"Next it gains one hundred attack for every monster with 'black' in its name that's in the cemetery. I have three Red Eyes, the metal form, the two fusions, the chick, the paladin, and a Black Saber Dragon(1850/1400) which I discarded for Paladin's ritual. That means it gains nine hundred attack points!" Again the beast roared its power shooting up to fifty-three hundred, higher than any other monster in the game.

The fifteen year old Ra Yellow took a quick look at her set cards, somewhat reassured that she was safe against the mighty wrath of Ensui's strongest monster. "You look like you're confident. Of course I can't attack because of Ingwas, isn't that right?"

She nodded slowly, not liking the way he was saying it. It didn't sound like he was bothered or worried at all. "Yes, that's right, and it lasts until the end of your next turn."

"Wrong, it ends now. I play Dragon King's Wrath, which works whenever I have a level eight or higher dragon in play. All of your magic and trap cards are destroyed and all floating effects are removed. Black Dragon King, destroy her cards!" The dragon stomped one foot down on the ground and both of Mizuki's set cards shattered like they weren't even there.

"Black Dragon King, attack her Rune Caster with your Black Hell Flames!" The dragon's two meter long head reared back, and then jerked forward, spraying black flames across Mizuki's field, incinerating her monster instantly.

She cried out, nearly falling again as she was assaulted by the heat of the flames. Had it been a direct attack she had no idea what would have happened. "You really are strong…"

"That's right, I am. And like I said at the start of this duel, there's nothing that's going to stop me from returning to my former position in Obelisk Blue. Believe me, there's no way a first year girl, even a talented one, could defeated my Black Dragon King. Go ahead and draw and see if you can, but it won't help." His arms folded over his chest, confident that his dragon had the duel won for him.

Mizuki's green eyes were burning with determination and what looked like joy as she drew. "This duel as been a lot of fun, and even if I lose I won't mind since it's been such a good duel. Of course, losing isn't exactly plan A. Plan A is Rune Symbol-Nauthiz!"

A card slid out of her grave and she caught it, and then threw it down. The familiar form of Rune Caster appeared. "Rune Symbol-Nauthiz lets me add a monster from my deck or cemetery to my hand, so I chose and summoned Rune Caster(800/1200)."

Another card came out of her grave, and she slammed it into her duel disk. "Rune Symbol-Thurisaz! Destroy Black Dragon King!"

Ensui smirked as his dragon stomped a foot against the ground, causing the magic card to shatter. "I can remove a Red Eyes Black Dragon from the grave to negate one of the opponent's effects." Black Dragon King's attack fell to fifty-two hundred.

"Negate effects huh? Well then…how about a special type? Time for a Rune Layout…" She closed her eyes and three cards appeared face down on her field. She started humming, and those who had experienced these effects looked on with interest.

"I've heard of this, and I won't allow it. Black Dragon King, King's Negation!" Again the dragon stomped its massive clawed foot, shaking the ring and shattering all three of Mizuki's cards before they could do anything.

All of Mizuki's friends jerked back in shock, and spoke at the same moment. "He…negated her Rune Layout completely?"

Mizuki opened her eyes, looking disturbed by the implications. "So, a Rune Layout can't beat you is that it? Fine, I guess I'll just have to find another way. One card face down, and end."

Ensui drew, holding the card up so he could see it. 'Red Eyes Darkness Dragon(2400/2000)? Well, that's worthless right now. I guess I'll just burn her monster for now.'

"Black Hell Flames!" For the second time in that duel the hellish black fire of the Black Dragon King was too much for Rune Caster to handle, turning it into ash. Mizuki grimaced, looking at her deck with calculating eyes.

"I end my turn. Admit it Mizuki, there's nothing you can do to stop Black Dragon King. Its attack power and abilities are too great for you to overcome. Surrender and save yourself a deadly direct attack from my ultimate monster, it would be better for you." He shook his head, disappointed that it had come to this.

"Surrender? No way, this is way too interesting to pass on. Let's just see what my deck still has in store for us, right? I'll destroy your Black Dragon King and finish you off, that's for sure. Draw!" She plucked one card off her deck, and spun it around on her fingertips.

"Time for a new card. Rune Symbol-Jera! This card lets me pick up one magic card, trap card, or monster from my grave and add it to my hand. Rune Caster(800/1200) is back again!" The same monster once again appeared on her field in a crouched position.

"Thanks to Rune Caster I'll retrieve and play Rune Symbol-Thurisaz!" Ensui shook his head, looking bored with it. He looked up at his supreme monster and snapped his fingers.

"King's Negation. Stop that card in its tracks." Rune Symbol-Thurisaz blasted apart before its effect could be completed, leaving Mizuki with nothing left in her hand and no way to stop the dragon.

"I guess…if that doesn't work, then I'll end my turn." Ensui sighed and slid the last Red Eyes Black Dragon out of his grave and placed it in his back pocket. It had been a good attempt, but it had failed. All three times.

He drew, and then discarded his card immediately. "I can't kill you quite yet, but that's alright. Black Dragon King lets me discard Inferno Fire Blast to deal you half of the normal damage of the magic card. Inferno Fire Blast!"

A miniature jet of flames shot out of the large black dragon's nostril, scorching Mizuki's flesh. She struggled to keep from dropping to one knee, her body shaking with the effort of it. "Good…shot." (MLP: 200)

"Yes, and if I draw another then your time is up. Black Hell Flames!" For the third and potentially final time in the duel the flames of hell did away with Rune Caster, what was perhaps Mizuki's last chance of winning.

"With your monster gone and you top decking this duel will be over shortly. There's no way you can stop my dragon king. Like I said, you don't want to suffer its direct attack; you'd be unconscious for the rest of the day easy. Go easy on yourself and surrender." Mizuki's head was tilted down, her body shaking from the pain of the Inferno Fire Blast, and Ensui didn't want to do more than that.

"Hehehehe…I've just got to draw a monster to win, since your field is empty. Ensui, it's been fun, but you should know that if you harm a wielder of rune magic then you're bound to be cursed." Ensui's eyes widened as Mizuki's set card flipped over, revealing a trap.

He gulped and looked at his duel disk, releasing his own mistake. 'She knew that Rune Layout wouldn't work…she wanted me to remove my Red Eyes to stop it! She was just getting rid of my dragon's negation ability for this card!'

"You've seen the mistake right? Well, here's the card that's your demise! Rune Curse-Death! When a Rune monster is destroyed in battle this card destroys the monster that did the killing, then it deals that monster's base attack as damage to your life points!" Ensui shouted in horror as his massive dragon was vaporized from the inside out, tossing him nearly off the dueling ring. (ELP: 1800)

Ensui looked at the Red Eyes Darkness Dragon in his hand, then at his blank field. Finally he looked over at Mizuki's blank field and empty hand. "I…I have no choice but to end my turn."

As Mizuki's fingertips came to rest on the top card of her deck, Ensui could feel his heart pounding in his chest. 'The chances of her drawing a monster, or even of drawing a monster strong enough are slim…there's nothing to worry about, right? I'm going back to Obelisk Blue!'

Mizuki drew. "Ensui, it's been a whole lot of fun facing you, and this has been by far the toughest duel I've fought the whole time I've been at Duelist Academy. But all good things must come to an end so…it's over. Rune Centurion(1800/1500) is the method of your defeat!"

A man in white armor with rune symbols etched into it was summoned, standing tall with a heavy sword in one hand and a bow slung over its shoulder. "Rune Centurion, finish it! Centurion Slash!"

The former Obelisk Blue took the blade that slashed across his chest with grace, not flinching even as it drove him back. Not letting himself break even as he could hear the sound of his life points dropping. "Mizuki…you're amazing. I never would have thought I could lose to a first year student or even to a Ra Yellow at all." (ELP: 0)

The holograms faded away, leaving the ring looking normal as ever. Both of them walked up to each other and shook hands, Mizuki smiling up at Ensui. "Like I said, it was a great duel. I learned a lot from it."

"I learned a lot as well. Next time I won't be so confident in the power of one monster. After all, I could have negated Rune Symbol-Jera couldn't I? But since I was certain I knew you were just desperately trying to bring back Thurisaz, I waited. It was…fun." The crowd cheered, Mizuki's friends being particularly loud, cheering on the victory of their good friend.

Harrison closed his eyes, looking supremely amused. "Well now, I hardly expected that outcome. Maybe she is worth my time. She's Obelisk Blue worthy, I'll giver her that."

Tobias raged, slamming his fists repeatedly down on the rail in front of him, looking absolutely furious. "No! My plan should have worked; she should have been smashed underneath his feet! But now she's got the chance to move up to Obelisk Blue, and all because of me!"

Mizuki jumped up and down, waving up at her friends, overjoyed at having won, her face split into a huge grin as she danced around. 'This could be it, I could be going straight on to Obelisk Blue!'

Her jump faltered as the screen above them changed, the names of the next duelists being displayed, meaning that they would have to depart. Mizuki shook Ensui's hand one last time before they parted ways, heading back to their seats.

Curious to see who was next Mizuki looked up at the board, and stopped dead at what she saw there. Two very familiar faces were on opposite sides of each other. "No…no way!"

Right nearby in the front row a familiar voice spoke up, sounding utterly confident. "What a perfect way to cheer me up after seeing you actually win. I'll get to stomp that idiot into the ground once and for all, just like I was hoping would happen to you."

Mizuki turned, and found herself face to face with none other than Tobias and Harrison. Tobias swung himself over the railing and dropped down in front of her, smirking as he brushed by. "I'll be sure to leave a piece of your boy toy left when I'm done with him."

Now there was no denying what the screen above them said. There was no denying exactly who would be facing off against who in the next round of the duel review. There it was in big bold letters.

Tobias Emerlo vs. Shiro Akugi.

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Author's Note: Believe it or not, she won. And now, this next one should be a very interesting duel.

Next Time: Mizuki has defeated a powerful opponent and opened the path to advancement for himself. But now Shiro is going to be put to the test as he faces off against his own demented genius roommate, none other than Tobias Emerlo!

See it all in, Day of the Duel Review Part Three!

Review Response

WolfGeneral: Your spider senses were correct, she hadn't lost. Yes, eye twitching is bad. Since, you know, it's generally a bad and somewhat unnatural thing unless you're in an anime.

Time Mage: Got to hate laundry mats, they charge an arm and a spleen. Because of course if they charged a leg they'd never have repeat visitors.

John: What was that about Mizuki's Rune Deck failing again?

Vyser Adept of Dragons: I'll check them out.

G.O.T. Nick: Not only did Mizuki beat Ensui, but you're also about to get your wish. Tobias versus Shiro.