Author's Note: Aww man I noticed some errors with Life Point calculations in Chapter 5. Well onto the Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX.
Anyway this continues the transitional arc that leads to where we need to go. Basically somewhat like a montage.
…
"Hey, Naota, are you okay?" Haley asked in concern.
"I'm fine," Naota responded. "That duel was pretty fun. I love these new cards. Maybe I should stop playing defensively and attack more often." He said aloud. 'Maybe I should even use the Starlights as my main deck… no, I'm not good enough. I don't deserve to use them. That one time was a special exception. But still, I guess I don't need to play so defensively after all.'
Haley grinned. "You were pretty impressive in this duel. There were times when I thought for sure I'd lose. I'm surprised you're not a Ra Yellow at least."
They shook hands as students around them continued their own duels.
…
Two boys smiled as they pulled their Obelisk blue uniforms tightly over their bodies. "So much has changed these past few years at the academy," one boy said to the other. "Girls don't automatically get into Obelisk Blue anymore, new buildings show up all the time, and now we even have some normal classes. Sometimes it seems like a completely different place."
The second boy grinned. "Yeah, this place sure has changed, but the people are still the same. We're still a bunch of idiots clutching onto hopeless dreams."
"So, Sammy."
"Yes, Robert?"
"Feel like taking on our targets in a tag team duel?"
…
Emi sighed as she flipped through the school's duel records. 'I have a complete list of every duel that's happened for the past ten years. I should be able to figure something out.'
She examined everything carefully. 'Daisuke, Hiroaki, Fumiko, Sousuke, Amber,' she went through the names in her head as she looked through the records. 'Okay, it looks like Fumiko dueled with Sousuke not too long ago. If my calculations are correct, than members of the Organization do not often duel each other unless required by the school. So Fumiko is a recent recruit.'
She sighed as she continued looking through everything.
…
"Bye," Naota waved to Haley as he walked away.
The sun hung low in the sky. The afternoon heat sent sweat dripping down Naota's face. 'Looks like I only have two starchips left. I need to be careful.' He could taste the heat in his mouth. "I need water," he moaned.
Kanashimi to Chikara
Naota quickly answered his cell phone. "Hi Hikaru."
"Hey Naota where are you? I wanted to meet up with you really quick." Hikaru said over the phone.
"I have no clue where I am to tell you the truth," Naota sighed. "Wait, I think I can see you, turn around," he waved his arm frantically.
"Oh, I see you," Hikaru said as she hung up.
…
Nayuta smiled as she presented her ten star chips to the teacher waiting outside the Duel Dome.
"Congratulations Ms. Amachi," said the teacher. "I wish you good luck in the finals."
"Thanks," she said as she bowed her head. "I just hope my friends can make it here as well." She quickly peered inside the building to see if she could find any of her friends. "Ryou!" She exclaimed. "Well, I should have known you'd be here."
She hugged her friend, causing him to blush. "So how are you doing?"
"I'm doing well," Ryou told her. "But something's bothering me. H-have you heard the rumors?"
"What rumors?" Nayuta asked dully. "There are always rumors flying around. You'll need to be more specific."
"Well, I hear some students talking. They said that most of the Pros have been wiped out by a student from this school." Ryou shook with displeasure. It was intimidating to think there was someone that good here at the school.
"Are you serious? I know that some of the better students here are supposed to be able to go head to head against the pros, but to wipe them out? And why would you do that in the first place? It'd be much quicker to duel the students!"
"I-I think it's someone trying to make a statement. Like, look out everyone, I'm so good I can take on Pros. You don't stand a chance. They could be part of the organization, trying to cause anxiety."
…
Sammy and Robert smiled as they watched Hikaru and Naota from afar. "Those two don't realize what they're in for, do they?" Sammy laughed. "We just need to swoop in and win their stars."
"And we'll all be one step closer to finding Skeith."
Robert let out a lazy yawn as he reflected on the steps that led him here.
'It as always my dream to be a card designer for Industrial Illusions. I loved making my own cards when I was a kid. I thought for sure I'd be able to get a job with them.'
"You okay, Robert?"
He nodded. 'But I didn't realize how many tests you had to pass to prove your skill. I bombed the practice exam. Fourteen percent! How could I get so low?'
He shook his head. "I can't let that bother me. Aiko-sama said that if I obeyed her orders everything would go well."
…
"Another one?" Gasped the nurse. "That's the fifth student to collapse today. What's going on here?"
…
"So how many stars do you have?" Hikaru questioned quizzically.
"I only have two," he answered in shame. "I was up to six but I lost."
"Oh too bad. I have eight." Hikaru smiled. "Don't worry there's still some time."
"Oh, so you two have a total of ten star chips?" Asked a voice. "How perfect! It's the same with us." He stood next to a friend. An Obelisk Blue uniform covered his body while his friend wore a Ra Yellow outfit. They both had short brown hair in a similar messy style. "My name is Sammy. This is my partner Robert. How would you two like to engage us in a Tag Team Duel? The two of us will wager five chips each and you two wager everything you have."
"Deal!" Hikaru answered eagerly.
"Hikaru. You'll be risking way more than me." Naota protested.
"Risking? Hah, there's no risk here." Hikaru shuffled her deck. "Game Start!"
…
Sammy sighed as the memories came.
"Mommy," do you think I can really be a card designer one day?" Sammy asked his mother.
She gazed at him with a warm and gentle smile. "Of course. You're so creative. One day I'm sure you'll be making some of the best cards in the game. Just be sure to send me some so I can show off to all my friends."
He snapped out of his memories and focused on the duel. "I summon Lord of Crimson Wight in attack mode." (2400/0) A scary looking ghoul rose from the ground. It moaned in agony as it clawed its way to the surface. Naota could almost swear he smelled the foul odor of rotting flesh mixed in with the scent of fresh Earth.
The creature wore tattered robes over its rotting blue skin. A white eye popped from the left socket, while the right socket served as a home for a family of worms. Long white hair poked out of his head and fell forward into no interpretable hairstyle. "At the end of each of my turns, he sends the top card of my deck to my grave and at the start of every turn he sends the bottom card of my grave to the bottom of my deck. Now, he may seem powerful, but there's a catch. He loses 500 attack and defense points for every Spell in my graveyard. Currently there aren't any, so I set a card and end my turn."
His Duel Disk shot a card off the top of his deck. He smiled and slipped it away.
"Watashi no turn!" Naota said with a goofy grin. "Draw!" He glanced at his hand like a child examining the presents beneath a tree on Christmas morning. They all looked good but which was best? "I summon Scarecrow of the Nightingale." (1200/400) A scarecrow hopped onto Naota's field. He wore a blue cape and a matching rimless top hat. Three tiny birds rested on his shoulder. "When this card is in attack mode, I can Special Summon a Moonlight Nightingale from my hand. (400/400) One of the nightingales flew off the scarecrow and began resting peacefully on the ground. "I set one card and end my turn."
Robert drew a card. "I summon Luckless Rabbit in attack mode." (700/700) When he's summoned, all players must flip a coin. If they call it wrong, they take 1000 points of damage. I call heads."
"Tails," Sammy answered.
"Heads," Hikaru replied.
"Heads," Naota gulped.
The coins materialized on the field and hurled themselves through the air.
Heads, heads, tails, tails."
Three large explosions rocked the arena.
Sammy and Robert 7000
Naota and Hikaru: 6000
"Next I activate a spell card known as Double Summon. This way I can summon another one." (700/700) "Call it," he instructed. A second bunny joined the first.
"Heads!" They all said in unison.
The only one to get a heads was Robert.
Sammy and Robert 6000
Naota and Hikaru: 4000
"Now I release my two rabbits to Special Summon the Unlucky Gambler." (2000/2000) A man in a black tuxedo appeared. "Once per turn I can discard a card to activate the same effect.
It wasn't long before two large explosions rocked the place again.
Sammy and Robert 5000
Naota and Hikaru: 3000
"I'm sorry, Hikaru," Naota apologized.
"Hah, don't be. This is just the kind of handicap we need to make the duel more exciting!"
"I end my move," Robert announced.
Hikaru's hand size went up by one. "I hate using this card. It's so embarrassing. I summon Maho Shoujo-Hikaru!" (500/500) Her card looked nothing like her though. She had short red hair and wore a pink Sailor Fuku. "When she's Special Summoned I get to shuffle as many cards from my hand into my deck as I want. Then I draw new cards for each one." She fused her deck and hand and drew five new cards. "Much better. I set one card facedown and end my turn."
Sammy drew. "Before my monster's effect activates, I use Call of the Haunted to Special Summon the monster in my grave. Return from the land of the damned. I call thee, Lord of Azure White." A new monster tore through the Earth. Had it not been for the recolored outfit, he'd look the same as the last. (2700/0) "I'll have him attack your Hikaru."
The zombie moaned as it slowly trudged toward the young schoolgirl.
Hikaru smiled. "Naota, you know what to do."
The young boy held out his hand. "I activate my trap card, DNA Donation. First, I choose one monster on the field and switch its type to another of my choosing. So your monster becomes a Spellcaster. Now, whenever it attacks a monster of that same type, it loses half of its attack points."
Sammy watched his monster's attack drop to 1450. "Still not helping," he taunted.
"Go, Magician's Circle. This card can only be activated when a Spellcaster declares an attack. All players get to Special Summon a Spellcaster from their deck as long as it has less than 2000 attack."
'I hate playing her in attack mode,' Naota thought. "Come on out, Mystical Elf." (800/2000)
"I play Injection Fairy Lily." (400/1500) Robert laughed as his monster appeared.
"I don't have any," Sammy growled.
"So I'll bring out Maho Shoujo- Shizune." (1500/0) "On the turn she's Special Summoned; all other monsters have their attack reduced to 0." A dark haired girl appeared and raised her staff toward the heavens. Magic hummed as a dark aura surrounded the monsters.
"Grr," Sammy whined. "I end my turn. That means both monsters send a card to my grave." Both of the creatures saw a loss of 500 attack points.
(1800/0) and (2200/0)
"DRAW!"
…
"Hey Sammy, want to come to a party tonight?" Robert asked.
"No thanks, I'm studying hard for that test tomorrow. They say that I2 recruiters will be getting to take a look at our tests soon. This might be my nig chance to impress the company and jump start my career."
…
"I switch my Elf to defense mode and summon another Nightingale from my hand. Now, since my scarecrow's effect can be used once per turn I'll Special Summon another Nightingale and then switch him to defense mode." Naota gazed proudly at the three birds on his field. 'They may not seem much wall wise, but they've got a powerful effect together.'
"I set one card and end my turn."
"I'm using Pot of Greed to draw two cards," Robert explained. "Next I discard one card for my Gambler's effect."
"Heads," they all agreed. Nobody wished to bother with the complexities of predicting luck.
Only Naota's coin landed tails. BOOM! Another explosion knocked him to the ground.
Naota and Hikaru: 2000
Sammy and Robert: 6000
"At this rate it won't be much longer until we're in the finals, Sammy." Robert grinned. "I activate Monster Reborn to bring back the card I got rid of. Say hello to my favorite card. The Unlucky Fairy. You see. Her effect activates whenever I have to pay Life Points. She lets me flip a coin. If its heads, then she gains one half of what I paid as an attack." The card looked like a blonde angel wearing a fancy party dress. (2600/1800) "Go, Injection Fairy Lily, attack Maho Shoujo- Hikaru! And I pay 2000 Life Points to raise her attack by 3000!"
(3400/1500) The winged fairy flew toward Maho Shoujo Hikaru, riding her needle like a witch's broom.
"Scrap Iron Scarecrow!" Naota commanded. His favorite trap rose from the ground and held of the fairy.
"Now I flip a coin." Robert watched as the coin soared through the sky and came up a heads. "Oh it looks like I'm having an ironically lucky day today. She gains 1000 attack points until the end of the turn." (3600/1800) "Attack her Maho Shoujo-Hikaru."
The angel grabbed a deck of playing cards and began throwing cards through the air like shuriken.
"Once per turn I can use my other Scarecrow's other effect," Naota explained. "By releasing one Nightingale I can negate an attack." One of the Nightingales burst into light and knocked into the Angel's stomach, disorienting her long enough to halt the attack.
"Well, fine, I'll just have my Gambler fight the old fashioned way."
The tuxedoed mad grabbed a pair of dice and threw them at Hikaru's Hikaru, shattering the hologram in an instant.
Naota and Hikaru: 500
Sammy and Robert: 6000
"Your turn."
Hikaru drew a card. "Okay Naota, thanks for helping me make it through that onslaught. First I normal summon Magician's Valkyria in attack mode." (1600/1800) "And I activate Magician's Unite. I pick one of my Spellcasters, in this case Valkyria, and raise her attack to 3000. Now I activate Familiar Summoning. I Special Summon a beast from my deck with less attack than a Spellcaster I control. So I can bring out Mosaic Manticore! (2800/2500) She smiled. "Now I activate Familiar's Oath. "I can choose one Beast on my field and raise its attack by 1000 for each Spellcaster on the field. The downside being that Spellcasters can't attack this turn."
The Manticore's attack rose. (4800/2500) "Next I use my final card, Gift of the Martyr! I send Valkyria to the grave to raise Manticore's attack by her own." (7800/2500)
The girl grinned.
"Dammit I forfeit," Sammy fell to his knees as he tossed the star chips to Naota. "I can't take this anymore." He suddenly ran off, sobbing loudly.
"Sammy, wait up!" Robert growled. He turned to Naota and Hikaru quickly. "Take your stupid chips," he said as he tossed them the stars they had won. He quickly chased after his friend.
Naota watched in shock. "Are you okay?' he called out. There was no response.
…
"I-I'm tired of it all!" Sammy cried. "I thought I was supposed to be good at this, but I'm not."
"Don't worry, everyone has their troubled times. You just need to relax a little. I promise, just, just relax okay. It'll all get better soon. That's what the Organization promised us."
Author's Note: Another below average chapter, I hope I can get back into the swing of things with the finals.