AUTHOR'S NOTE: College can be so cruel. I'm so sorry I took so long to get this up but you shouldn't be disappointed with this chapter.
Chapter Twenty: The School Duel
Dear Diary,
The day has finally come! Today is the school duel! I have to admit it is a bit unnerving to be putting Duel Academy's title on the line but I'm confident in my ability to duel. A week of solid training and a new deck combo is going to be put to the test. But I'm a little worried because last night, we got word that Hyrule Academy wants to duel too.
Being the respectful gentleman that he is, Chancellor Shepherd agreed to this three-way tournament. First Hyrule Academy and North Academy will duel, then I get to duel the winner. But since this is Hyrule Academy we're talking about, they'll win easy. Elder Prime's an administrator of Hyrule Academy and if I know him, he'll have no trouble arranging for North Academy to lose.
"You really think Hyrule Academy will try to pull a fast one on us?" Alexis asked at breakfast.
"I'm positive. As I've seen many times in the past, Elder Prime doesn't like to play fair. He'll win by any means necessary and hurt anyone he can," Lynn told her friends as she poured syrup over her blueberry pancakes.
"Does the IDMA (International Duel Monsters Association) know about his actions?" Mindy asked.
"They can't pin anything on him. His connections to royalty keep him safe, but the moment he slips up, I'll take him down," Lynn assured the Obelisk girl, "He's bound to slip up and I've got a strong feeling today will be the day the elder goes down once and for all." Some of the girls at Lynn's table grinned at their friend's confidence. After breakfast, Lynn reported to the docks to greet the two schools and their headmasters. North Academy was to arrive first in their black submarine. All of their students were male and wore black or brown leather jackets. To Lynn's surprise, Chazz was among them.
"So, Duel Academy picked a god card holder for their rep huh? It won't matter," Chazz said of his opponent.
"Tough talk, but you have to beat Hyrule Academy first before you can duel me," Lynn warned as Elder Prime's airship came into view.
He's here. Lynn thought as the airship began its landing sequence. In minutes, the white blazers of the Hyrule Academy students came into view, Elder Prime in front of them all.
"Ah, Chancellor. How good of you to invite us to your contest," The elder greeted.
Invited indeed. Lynn groaned as the elder made small talk with the head of Duel Academy and a bald man with black sideburns that was North Academy's lead instructor.
"Can you believe this guy? Saying that Shepherd invited him? Man this is guy is so low!" Jaden complained as he walked over to Lynn.
"Don't tell me that! I have to put up with this guy whenever I'm at home!" Lynn replied as the teachers began leading students to Obelisk Arena. Since Lynn was dueling the winner of the first match, she was led back to her dorm room where she couldn't observe her opponents' dueling strategies.
I didn't get to see who was Hyrule Academy's rep. I just hope that she didn't win that right. Lynn thought as she sat in her room patiently waiting for her chance to throw down in the duel.
At the arena, the match between Chazz and Hyrule's rep was well underway. His opponent was a girl about his age. She had crimson hair with two streaks of gold going down the back. Dressed in a Hyrule Academy white blazer, black pants and white boots, they contrasted to her colorful hazel eyes.
"Kylie's got game," Jaden commented as another of Chazz' monsters was destroyed.
"No kidding. The duel's been going on for three turns, and Kylie hasn't lost a single life point!" Syrus commented as Chazz drew another card.
"You're about to be out one monster! I play Armed Dragon Lv. 3 (DEF: 900) in defense mode and then I'll place a facedown to end my turn!" Chazz (LP: 1900) declared as a small orange dragon emerged onto his field. Kylie grinned as she drew.
"You're a sad duelist if you have to rely on defense! I've never played defense and I've won every time! You're no different!" Kylie smirked as she glanced at the two monsters she had in play, a knight bearing light sabers and a maiden who had flames licking across her body (ATK: 1900 / ATK: 800), "Now to end this! I play Neo Flare! For every fire-type neo monster on my field, you take 1000 points of damage!"
"That means I'll lose!" Chazz gasped as Kylie's two monsters opened a space vortex above Chazz. He looked up in time to be bombarded by asteroids, wiping out the rest of the life points.
"No way! He lost!" Jaden gasped as the holograms and smoke vanished to reveal an unconscious Chazz.
"That's gotta hurt," Alexis frowned as one of the teachers ran off to get a hold of Lynn for the next duel.
This girl managed to knock out Chazz in four turns. I just hope Lynn has better luck taking her on than Chazz did. Jaden thought as several North Academy students left carrying the injured Chazz out of the room to the infirmary.
"It's just like Lynn said," Mindy confirmed.
"What did Lynn say?" Syrus asked.
"Hyrule Academy will do anything they can to win," Alexis replied for her friend, "Lynn told us that Hyrule Academy is ruthless in their tactics to win. They'll hurt anyone they can in order to win."
"That's so wrong," Jaden commented.
MINUTES LATER…
Lynn walked into the stadium to the cheers of her fellow Duel Academy students. As she walked towards the battlefield, she glanced at her opponent and gasped.
Kylie? Lynn wondered.
"You look surprised to see me," Kylie grinned. Lynn frowned as she eyed her opponent.
"I'm amazed you're still a student!" Lynn frowned as she put on her duel disk, "The last time I saw you duel, you won by default because your opponent was too exhausted to duel."
"Not my fault that my enemy couldn't get a good nights sleep," Kylie replied as she inserted her shuffled deck into her duel disk, "That's history now, so lets stick to the present and duel!" Lynn nodded as she followed suit and activated her duel disk.
"It's time to duel!" The two rivals declared as their life points reset to 4000.
"And I'll start off with this, my Neo Knight Destra (ATK: 1900) in attack mode!" Kylie began, summoning the knight monster from her duel with Chazz, "And thanks to his special power, I can summon Neo Mage Kisara (ATK: 800) from my hand. Now I'll place a facedown to end my turn." Again, the red-haired mage from Chazz' match appeared on the field.
"Is that all you got? Shame," Lynn said as she drew a card, "Because it won't protect you from what I've got planned! I summon Net Navi Protoman (ATK: 1800) and equip him with the equip spell Step Sword!" The crimson warrior summoned its blade and vanished in a streak of light.
"With Step Sword, he can strike you directly at half of his attack points!" Lynn declared as Protoman appeared behind Kylie and swung (LP: 4000 – 900), "And we'll ditch that sword to activate Protoman's special ability. By sacrificing an equip spell, he can attack again! Destroy Neo Mage Kisara with c-step slice!" Kylie gasped in pain as her mage was crushed under Protoman's sword.
"You royal brat! You'll pay for that!" Kylie swore (LP: 3100 – 1000).
"Sorry, my debt will have to wait! I'll place two facedowns and end my turn," Lynn finished as she reduced her hand to two cards. Kylie drew a card and frowned.
"You've gained some slight skill since I last saw you but I'm going to end this now! I sacrifice Neo Knight Destra in order to summon Neo Prince Ethos (ATK: 2400) in attack mode!" Kylie declared as her knight vanished for a new monster. This new creature wore golden armor and strongly resembled its master. Like Destra, it wielded a golden light saber, which it promptly used to wipe out Protoman.
"My Navi!" Lynn gasped.
"Did you forget Ethos' special ability? Upon being summoned, he destroys one monster on your field. Next I'll activate my facedown trap card, Ethos' Judgment! Since your monster was destroyed by the effect of Ethos, you take damage equal to your destroyed monster's attack points," Kylie explained as Ethos gathered a golden energy ball into his free hand and threw it at Lynn's feet, capturing her in a torrent of gold energy (LP: 4000 – 1800).
"And now that you're open, I'll attack and end this!" Kylie smirked as her royal monster threw his light saber at Lynn.
"She's through! That attack will take Lynn out!" Bastion gasped.
"Lynn!" Alexis, Mindy and Jasmine cried.
"Do something!" Jaden shouted.
"With pleasure! I activate the spell card Life Aura!" Lynn countered, her facedown card activating. Kylie gasped as a glistening white barrier negated Ethos' attack.
"How'd you stop my attack?" Kylie demanded.
"Simple. Life Aura's a spell card that can be activated when I'm attacked by a monster with less than 3000 attack points," Lynn smiled as Kylie set a facedown and ended her turn. Lynn drew a card and activated Pot of Greed to add two more cards to her hand.
"That Life Aura spell will protect Lynn from all attacks for three turns, but unfortunately while that aura is active, she can't attack at all," Zane explained as Lynn studied her hand.
"Now I'll activate Graceful Charity and draw three new cards and discard two, one of which is my Divine Dragon Ragnarok (DEF: 1000) which I'll bring back with Silent Doom!" Lynn continued as her pink dragon emerged, "Now I'll summon my Four Sword Emerald Hero (ATK: 1900) in attack mode!" Kylie frowned as the green clad swordsman emerged next to Lynn's dragon.
"What good are they gonna do? They don't have the attack points to beat Ethos!" Kylie pointed out.
"With this they will! I activate the spell card Double Soul!" Lynn countered, slotting in a spell.
"What's Double Soul?" Jaden wondered.
"It's a fusion card that takes monster fusion to the next level! I can activate this only when all the fusion material monsters necessary for a fusion are out on my field. Now, when my fusion monster makes an appearance, it'll gain 500 attack and defense points for every fusion component in play! So I'll fuse my hero and my dragon to form my Emerald Edgemaster (ATK: 2500 + 1000)!" Lynn explained as her two monsters combined into Lynn's deck headliner.
"That is one powerful swordsman!" Syrus grinned, "He'll take down Ethos easy!"
"If Lynn didn't have Life Aura in play, she could. Remember, it prevents all monsters who have 3000 attack points or less from attacking," Chumley pointed out. It was then he realized what he had said, "Or maybe not! Lynn's swordsman's got over 3000 points! It can attack!"
"Glad you noticed Chumley! Now it's time to show you why my edgemaster is a cut above the rest! Attack Ethos with soul edge slash!" Lynn commanded as her swordsman busted through Lynn's barrier and prepared to swipe through Kylie's prince.
"I don't think so! I activate Royal Lineage! It lets me summon from my deck Neo Princess Kira (ATK: 2000) and her power lets me cancel your attack. But as a cost, you get to draw two cards," Kylie countered as another monster made its appearance onto the field. This monster bore a strong resemblance to Ethos but it wore a long flowing gown and a shining platinum tiara on her head. Lynn quickly snapped off two cards and smirked.
"Well, with my attack cancelled, I'll have to end my turn," Lynn declared. Kylie drew a card and frowned.
"Didn't get anything useful did you?" Lynn inquired.
"Quite the contrary. I activate the spell card Neo Bow! It gives my princess some extra punch. Now she can destroy your Edgemaster no problem!" Kylie smirked as Kira nocked an arrow into her new silver bow and fired it into Lynn's swordsman, destroying it.
"Lastly, I'll summon my Neo Knight Negas (ATK: 1900) who lets me summon Neo Mage Meryl (DEF: 2200)," Kylie finished as a raven-haired couple garbed in the same gold armor as the two royals emerged onto the field, "I outnumber you four to zero. Next turn, your Life Aura fails and then you will too! I hope you got a plan or you're finished!" Lynn drew a fifth card and glanced at the field.
"Oh I have a plan alright. The question is can you handle the power I'm about to unleash on you?" Lynn asked.
"I can take whatever you got!"
"I hope so! Because with no cards in your hand and just four monsters with no useful effects, you're wide open for my newest combo. I first play The Warrior Returning Arrive and add Protoman back to my hand! Next I'll summon him in attack mode (ATK: 1800)," Lynn began, summoning her swordsman.
"What good will he do? I already crushed him once before."
"You're about to find out! I activate the facedown spell card, Delta Ray!" Lynn continued.
"Hey guys, what's Delta Ray do?" Syrus asked.
"I don't know," Jaden replied, "Hey Lynn, care to fill us in?"
"With great pleasure. Delta Ray is a spell I can activate only when Protoman is out on the field and outnumbered at least three to one," Lynn explained, "Now I can destroy all of your monsters!" Kylie gasped at the news as Protoman began to glow a fierce red.
"Go Delta Ray!" Lynn commanded, as Protoman became a red streak of light that cut through all of Kylie's monsters, leaving a glowing red triangle mark in his wake.
"No! My monsters are history!" Kylie screamed.
"That was almost too easy! I can't believe Kylie left herself open like that," Syrus noticed.
"Don't think that move didn't come at a price Syrus. Delta Ray won't let Lynn attack with Protoman this turn," Bastion pointed out.
"Bastion's right, but that's not a problem because Protoman is about to undergo a powerful transformation!" Lynn continued as she slotted in a spell card, "I activate the ritual card, Gift of the Muramasa! By sacrificing Protoman and 2000 life points, I can summon a powerful monster from my hand, deck, or graveyard!" Kylie's eyes went wide in fear as Lynn's life points decreased heavily (LP: 2200 – 2000) and Protoman became absorbed in an orb of black light.
"Now Kylie, say hello to Protoman, Muramasa Style (ATK: 0)!" Lynn introduced as Protoman reappeared, completely transformed. Almost all of his armor had become reinforced with leather straps. Tied on by a black leather belt and matching sheath, was a long, but elegant sword, which he drew and held up in an offensive stance.
"That's your big monster? That thing doesn't have a single attack point to it! And lets not forget your Life Aura! You still can't attack with any monster whose attack points are less than 3000!" Kylie complained.
"Ever hear of a special ability? Muramasa Style Protoman gains attack points during the battle phase. His attack points grow equal to the amount of life points I've lost or spent throughout this entire duel!" Lynn countered as Protoman's sword began to give off a dark aura.
"Lynn started this duel with 4000 life points, lost 1800 in battle then paid 2000 to active her ritual," Lucia counted.
"That's 3800 attack points!" Alexis gasped as Protoman's points rose (ATK: 3800).
"That's enough to pass through Lynn's Life Aura and attack!" Jaden grinned.
"Kylie will lose," Zane finished.
"I'm glad you came here, now I can finally show your teacher just how weak he is by acting through you! Protoman! Finish off Kylie with dark power slash!" Lynn commanded. The students of Hyrule Academy watched in horror as Protoman disappeared in a flash of dark energy and reappeared in front of Kylie. It was over in a split second. Moving at mach speed, Protoman slashed Kylie and sheathed his sword.
"Game over," Lynn smirked as Kylie keeled over in pain. The Duel Academy students cried out in victory as the holograms vanished. In the commentator's box, Elder Prime was throwing a fit.
"Ugh! How could that royal brat best me again?" The elder screeched, causing Shepherd and Dr. Stratton to grin in satisfaction.
"And the winner of the school duel is Duel Academy! Well done!" The chancellor announced, leading to another outcry of Duel Academy students. On the field, Lynn's friends gathered around and hoisted her up onto their shoulders.
"Lynn! Lynn! Lynn!" They cheered as Lynn struck a victory pose. Inside her consciousness, Zelda and Lynn high-fived.
"A most impressive display. Your new deck has proven to be most powerful," Zelda smiled.
"Yeah, nothing's gonna stop us now!" Lynn smiled back.
LATER THAT NIGHT…
"See you tomorrow guys!" Lynn called to her friends. After having achieved victory, Lynn spent the next several hours partying at the Card Shack. Lynn was just leaving and walking down the moonlit trail when a figure in black leapt out of a nearby tree and landed in Lynn's path. The figure was a man with dark brown hair, piercing blue eyes and bore several medals on his black long coat.
"A most excellent display of technique Lynn. You're improving," The figure greeted. Lynn nodded.
"I know. Did my parents see the duel?" Lynn inquired. The figure nodded.
"Yes, they wanted to be here, but…"
"They wouldn't have been able to keep a low profile. I understand. The life of a royal is tough."
"Living outside of the royal fold hasn't been easy has it?" Lynn nodded.
"But I've got some great friends to make up for it."
"Yes, friends are important. You would do well to remember that."
"So what else brings you here?"
"Hm?"
"You didn't just come for the match."
"Perceptive aren't you? Truth is, I found what you asked me to find." The man reached into his jacket and pulled out a handful of Duel Monsters cards.
"Lucia will be pleased to have these back." Lynn smiled as she took the cards and pocketed them.
"I'll return them to her in the morning. Is there anything else you have to say before I go to bed?"
"Just one." The man walked past Lynn but then stopped.
"There is more to this school than meets the eye. It harbors a dark secret but despite my best efforts, I can't find out what. If anything happens, you must be ready. Your four 'masters' may have taught you how to duel, but I'm the one who taught you the art of self-defense. Don't hesitate to use it." Lynn nodded. "I must be going. Remember: Keep your friends close and your heart closer." It was then the man vanished in a flash of white light.
Thank you… Commander Floyd… Lynn thought as she stared at the moon above.
CHAPTER PREVIEW:
Lynn: Jaden, Syrus, Alexis, Professor Banner and Chumley are going on a field trip.
Zane: We would go with them if the Chancellor didn't have a mission for us.
Lucia: A new game system is being set up at the Duel Academy rec center.
Bastion: Duel Monsters VR they call it. A game for the extreme duelist…
Lynn: Wouldn't you know Dr. Crowler would get himself trapped in the game…
Everyone: Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh GX: Legacy of Lynn: Duel Monsters VR
Lynn: I can't believe I have to miss a good field trip for this!
Zane: We have a job to do and we'll need all the help we can get to save Crowler.