Sorry for the long delay, everyone! I was highly focused on the anniversary one-shot I finished writing a while ago. It's called "Digimon 5D's – Dark Chaos" and it's available on my profile, so go and check it out.
This idea was a suggestion by my French friend, CitrusUnshiu, to write a chapter about Aki's struggles in Duel Academy to fit in there once again. Credits and kudos to you, mon ami!
I'm going to add some characters from the spin-off manga and I'm sure some of you will be delighted to see them. :)
The chapter begins in Aki's point of view.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 41: Fresh Start in Duel Academy
I sat in a classroom in Duel Academy attending the biology class. The biology was interesting and today's theme was about different kinds of flowers. I was writing down notes while listening to the teacher. At one point, I looked out the window to enjoy the view. The trees on the school grounds had slowly shifted the color of their leaves from green to orange and red due to the early October days.
It felt a bit surreal that a few months ago I was a complete different human being than I was today. I thought back at the time I used to be the Black Rose Witch, a soldier of the Arcadia Movement, who got manipulated by Sayer. At that point, I felt safe by being "controlled" and not having to think of anything or even care if I hurt people. I didn't think of the consequences back then, but I guess a tiny part of me never wanted to hurt people, especially the innocents. The case with Randsborg in the Fortune Cup was a different case; he tried bringing out the worst of me with his hurtful comments and therefore he had deserved to taste my psychic powers.
It was kinda the same with Estelle, but she was different compared to that wannabe knight. The way she tried to approach me and how she held out her hand to me frightened me at first. No one, besides Sayer, had ever done that before, not even my parents since the day I received the Mark of the Dragon that was the source of my psychic powers. Estelle accepted me from the get-go and, despite refusing to take her hand, she never gave up on me. She helped me break through the shell I was trapped in and she reunited me with my family.
She was the first one who saw me for who I was and not as my former alter ego. Even at the time when we encountered each other in the Daimon Area, one day before the Fortune Cup, she didn't seem scared when she tried to approach me.
I felt a chill run down my spine when I recalled the Shadow Duel with Misty in the Satellite. If it hadn't been for Yusei, Sayer might have taken me back to the Arcadia Movement and I would have become a mindless slave and soldier as part of his army of psychic Duelists. I was relieved that my life had returned to normal and I was happy with my family and friends. They were all irreplaceable and I never wanted to lose them.
The school bell rang, meaning the class was over. I picked up my books and pencil case before leaving the classroom, heading to my locker. While I was walking down the corridors, I could hear the soft mumbles of whispering around me. I sighed inwardly, knowing I still had a bad reputation in the high school part of the Duel Academy, especially since many remembered my Duels at the Fortune Cup.
Only a few people in the whole building of Duel Academy knew I had control over my psychic powers and I no longer went all chaotic during Duels. Many feared me and they hid it by gossiping and spreading bad rumors about me. Back when I was a teenager and was in the seventh grade, I used to ignore them, even though their words hurt a lot back then. Now… It didn't hurt as much as before anymore. I could go around from one person to another and tell them the rumors were wrong, but that could trigger them to bully me even more. It wasn't worth it.
I opened my locker and put away my books before grabbing my Duel Disk. The next class was Duel P.E., which I was looking forward to. After all, Dueling was my favorite hobby and I was considering of becoming a full-time Duelist after graduation.
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"Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis, destroy Tripwire Beast!" I shouted.
My Cluster Amaryllis fired several seeds at Tripwire Beast, causing the Monster to cry out in pain before shattering into pieces. That attack was more than enough to defeat my opponent.
Aki: 2300 LP
Shigure: 800 LP – 0 LP
"The winner is Aki!" Ms. Hikari called as our Duel Disks deactivated, causing the holograms of the Solid Vision to disappear.
I walked over to Shigure as he looked down at the ground. He snapped his head up when he noticed I was coming. I stopped in front of him and held out my hand for a handshake. "Thank you for a good Duel."
"Whatever", Shigure rolled his eyes before grabbing my hand.
I held back a soft grunt when I felt him squeeze me before he let go and walked away with a scowl. I sighed inwardly at his behavior while getting the feeling I had hurt his male pride by winning against him. Shigure used to be the best Duelist in my grade and now I had defeated him.
"Next up, Tanaka Sakura and Yagami Makoto!" Ms. Hikari called.
I walked back to the group of girls as Sakura headed to the Duel field. She had long cherry blossom hair tied up in a ponytail with a light blue ribbon, green eyes, and pale skin. She was around my height and had a sweet little smile.
"Good job, Aki", Sakura smiled as she jogged past me.
I stopped in my tracks and turned around to watch her. Did she just compliment me? I hadn't heard that from a schoolmate since I transferred to Duel Academy besides Leo and Luna. It made me smile a bit as I walked back to the girls, but they scooted away from me, leaving me alone. I didn't mind that. I was used to get the cold shoulder from people. Instead, I put all my attention on the remaining Duels to analyze the other Duelists' Decks and strategies.
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The school day was finally over. I put away the books I needed for homework in my briefcase before leaving the main building. I had homework for the physics class, but that was sadly one of my weak subjects. However, I had a nice teacher who probably could spare some time from his other work to help me study.
I looked up when I saw a familiar purple coat with white flower patterns. The figure was standing next to a black limousine with the twins. The long brown hair told me who it was and it made me happy.
"Estelle!" I shouted.
Said woman looked up from the twins and turned to me with a smile as I jogged over to them. "Hi, Aki. I had a feeling we would bump into each other."
"I didn't expect you to visit the Duel Academy", I said when I joined the group. "What are you doing here?" I noticed the brunette held a brown briefcase in her hand.
"Estelle just told us she's gonna go on Turbo Duel classes!" Leo answered excitedly. "She's gonna get a license to drive a Duel Runner and Turbo Duel legally!"
"Really? I didn't expect that", I confessed, surprised by the news.
"Well… After debating on the matter, I realized I don't always want to rely on others just to get a ride to a place and then to another", Estelle explained while she scratched the back of the head. "I don't want to cause too much trouble for them, especially Shinji."
"Who's Shinji?" I asked.
"Goodwin's limousine chauffeur", Estelle replied, throwing a thumb over her shoulder. "By the way, he said he can drive you guys home or wherever you want to."
"That's nice of him", Luna smiled softly.
Estelle nodded before she checked her smartphone. "I'm sorry, guys, but I have to go now, or else I'll be late. I'll see you later, though."
"Yeah!" the twins nodded simultaneously.
"Good luck, Estelle", I told her.
The twins and I watched the brunette jogging to the main building of Duel Academy before we got into the limousine to get a ride. My thoughts traveled to Estelle and her trying to get a license to drive a Duel Runner… I had never driven a Duel Runner before, but I couldn't help but be a bit curious. Perhaps I should apply to the course and get my license when I become a 12th grader. For now, I just wanted to adapt to the Duel Academy and catch up with the studying.
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It had been a couple of days since the brief encounter with Estelle and her applying to the Turbo Duel exam. From what I've heard, she often spent time with Yusei on the weekends to ask him about Duel Runners and how they worked, so she had a basic knowledge about the vehicles.
Goodwin had also made a huge announcement that New Domino City was going to host the first World Racing Grand Prix next summer. With that announcement came the new rules of Speed World 2 and new Speed Spells, and that threw everything off among the Turbo Duelists. The twins, Estelle, and I got to watch Yusei, Jack, and Crow practicing with the new rules on one of the Turbo Duel courses that had been built in New Domino City recently. With those new rules and many possibilities for improvement in Turbo Dueling, more courses were getting built in New Domino City.
I kinda wished at that time that my school year was going to improve as well, and my wish actually soon came true.
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I opened my locker to put away my books and grabbed the lunch box Mom had prepared for me. It was lunch break, so students were either hurrying to the café for food or they had their own lunch boxes prepared. I shut the locker and thought I should head to the bench I found in an empty corner outside on the school grounds to eat by myself.
"Um… Aki?" a soft and timid voice spoke up behind me.
I turned around and stood face to face with Sakura, the same girl who complimented me the other day. She acted a bit shy and looked aside while holding a lunch box wrapped in a dark red cloth with light pink flower petal pattern.
"You're…Tanaka Sakura from the Duel P.E. class, right?" I asked to be certain.
Sakura snapped her head up first in shock before her lips turned into a big smile. "You remember my name!"
"Of course I do", I smiled softly. "Do you need something?"
"Well, uh…", Sakura hesitated at first before swallowing loudly. "Is it okay to eat lunch with you?"
That came as a surprise for me. No one had ever asked me if they wanted to eat lunch with me. It threw me off guard a bit, but I recovered fast and gave the girl a small smile.
"Yes", I nodded. "I actually know a nice spot where we can eat. Want to join me?"
"Is it really okay?" Sakura smiled brightly.
"Yeah", I smiled.
"Oh, looks like your wish came true, Sakura", a new voice spoke up.
Another girl walked over to us, but at the first glance I thought she was a young man. She was a bit taller than me and Sakura, had slight tanned skin, very short raven black hair, and hazel eyes. She had the tomboy aura around her that reminded me briefly of Estelle's aura when I met her the first time.
But I couldn't help but feel like I've seen this girl before.
"Yes, Mei!" Sakura smiled widely. "I'm so glad to get close to my idol!"
"I-Idol?" I stuttered a bit, surprised.
Mei chuckled softly. "Sakura wouldn't shut up about you and the Duels at the Fortune Cup. While the Solid Visions were extremely realistic due to your powers, they never really scared us." She gave me a soft and warm look. "I was never really scared of you when we were in the seventh grade together."
Some old memories were slowly coming back to me, but they were still a bit hazy due to my old self who tried to build a wall around me. "Were we…in the same class at that time?"
Mei nodded, "My name is Nakamura Mei. I used to have very long hair back then, so that's probably why you might not recognize me."
I started remembering some of my old classmates when I was transferred to the Duel Academy the first time. There was one girl in my class with very long black hair. I think she used to be neutral around me; she never gossiped behind my back, but she never tried to approach me.
"I think I remember you now", I confessed. "You weren't one of the many kids who bullied me behind my back."
"That's correct", Mei nodded. "I didn't like it how everyone was talking rubbish behind you, but I didn't know how to deescalate things back then. I did try to reach you, but you had this wall around you that bounced me back. It was very hard to approach you, but now you're totally different than you used to. Your wall is gone and it's easy to approach you."
"In other words, we'd like to be your friends", Sakura smiled.
Friends… That word used to be so foreign to me, but after spending such a long time with the Signers and Estelle and so many other people who accepted me for who I was, it didn't scare me anymore. Besides, I was older and wiser now and I could tell Sakura and Mei were sincere with their words.
"I'd love to be friends with you too", I smiled.
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A couple of days had passed since Sakura, Mei, and I became friends and spent a lot of time together in the Duel Academy, both in classes we had together and during lunch breaks. We often ate together outside, whenever the weather was nice and sunny, by that bench I found in front of a flower bed with all kinds of flowers. I got to learn about their Decks and what kind of Monsters they preferred to use most of the time and other friendship details, but nothing too personal. They were both nice and asked me different questions, but they never went too into details into my past, which I was thankful for. I didn't really want to rip up the old wounds.
Today was another pretty day, so we ate lunch by the flower bed again. It was quiet and peaceful until a loud laughter disrupted our lunch break. We looked up from our lunch boxes and were greeted by a group of girls, but one of them stood out the most. She was as tall as me, but she had long and curly blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. She was wearing the school uniform while she had a light blue collapsible fan in her right hand.
"Izayoi Akiza, the infamous Black Rose Witch", the blonde began with a vicious smile which she hid with the fan. "Sitting here and eating lunch while thinking you can live a normal life?"
She looked familiar, but I couldn't connect the dots together yet. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"
"Who am I?!" the blonde girl growled as she looked close to crunch the fan in her hand. "Don't tell me you've never heard about the heir of the Kobayakawa Inc.!"
"Who is she…?" I whispered to Sakura and Mei.
"That's Kobayakawa Ran …", Mei replied. "She's the daughter and only heir of the Kobayakawa Inc.…"
"She's a very rich girl and she's in the twelfth grade…", Sakura added. "The girls behind her are her fan club…"
"She's also known as the Bee Queen…", Mei explained. "You actually Dueled her once in the seventh grade and beat her hard…very hard."
"Don't you girls have better manners than this?!" Ran snarled. "Whispering in front of the one who's talking to you!"
The fan club agreed with her, almost singing like a choir.
"I'm sorry, Kobayakawa", I apologized and put aside my lunch box before I stood up from the bench. "Did you need something?"
"Oh, yes, I do need something", Ran grinned satisfyingly before pointing her fan at me. "I need my revenge after you humiliated me back when I was in the eighth grade! I challenge you on a Duel!"
I had a feeling it would go down like this. "I'm sorry, but I don't think it's possible right now. We're at school and-"
"I know the rules very well!" Ran growled. "The students aren't allowed to Duel in Duel Academy besides the Duel P.E. and other events! Therefore, we'll Duel this weekend, so we both get to prepare for it. How does that sound? Will you accept my challenge or will you run away with your tail between your legs, Witch?"
"Duel! Duel! Duel!" the fan club chanted simultaneously.
This sounded like someone who didn't see me as the new Izayoi Aki and just saw me as my old alter ego, Black Rose Witch, and she wanted to humiliate me just for mere fun.
"I accept", I nodded.
"Good. I had a feeling you would", Ran smiled darkly. "I'll give you the details about the time and place of our Duel. Don't be late or else I'll count it as a walkover and it'll be my win." She turned around while unfolding her fan to cover her chin and mouth. "Until then, Black Rose Witch."
With that said and done, she left me and my friends with a loud and spoiled princess-like laughter while her loyal fan club followed her, trying to laugh in the same way she did.
"Are you sure about this, Aki?" Sakura asked worriedly. "Ran is a very strong Duelist, especially with her insect Deck."
"I think I'll be fine", I told her before I sat down on the bench again. "Insects and plants kinda work together, so it shouldn't be any problems."
"Still, you better prepare your Deck to try resisting her Battlewasp Deck", Mei said. "They sting hard and I mean diamond-hard."
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Once school was over, I went straight to the garage to tell my friends about the upcoming Duel. Everyone was there, including Estelle, so I didn't have to repeat myself twice. When I told them the name of my opponent, Jack almost choked on his coffee.
"Kobayakawa Ran?! Are you kidding me?!" he exclaimed while coughing, trying to clear his throat.
"You know her, Jack?" Crow questioned.
"Of course I know her! Goodwin tried to set me up with her to improve my image as the King of Games one year after I left the Satellite!" Jack revealed before slamming his cup of coffee on the desk next to him. "I hated her the moment I laid my eyes on her and rejected the 'fiancée' image immediately! She's just a spoiled brat who only thinks about herself and her blasted insects!"
"Who is this Kobayakawa Ran anyway?" Leo asked. "The name sounds familiar, but it doesn't ring any bells."
Estelle was helping Yusei with his Duel Runner by giving him the correct tools, but she moved her attention to her smartphone. "Hold on, let me check…" We waited a few seconds before she continued talking. "Okay, I got something. Kobayakawa Inc. is one of the biggest and wealthiest industries that specialize in saving every single species of insects on Earth. One of their major programs initiated in 2015 when reports revealed how the bees were slowly going extinct." She grew silent as she raised an eyebrow. "That's pretty accurate to the timeline in my dimension when reports said the bees were going extinct…"
"Really?" Luna said.
"Yeah", Estelle nodded slowly. "What a weird coincidence…"
"My friends at school, Sakura and Mei, said Ran uses a Deck based on an archetype known as Battlewasp", I explained.
"Battlewasp? I've never heard of that archetype before", Yusei commented while wiping his oily hands with a cloth.
Estelle scrolled on her smartphone. "Battlewasp is a new archetype that was created six years ago. The Kobayakawa Inc. got the honor to test the prototype cards before releasing the real ones one year later. The Incorporation bought all rights to own the archetype and now it's in the hands of the heir, Kobayakawa Ran."
"I remember seeing those wasps in a Duel once", Jack glanced at Crow. "They're like the Blackwings you use, Crow."
"Seriously?" the Blackwing Duelist said, surprised.
"They've got similar effects that allows one to Special summon one Battlewasp after another", Jack explained. "And their other effects can cause huge damage within a short period of time. Those little flies fit perfectly for someone like Ran!"
"What will you do, Aki?" Luna asked. "Are you really going to Duel her?"
"Well, I can't go against my words now that I've accepted the Duel", I shrugged lightly. "Ran did warn that if I don't show up by the time of the Duel, she'll count it as a walkover and the win will go straight to her."
"Does she hold a vendetta against you, Aki?" Yusei questioned as he looked over Estelle's shoulder to check the data on her smartphone.
"Yes. I Dueled her back when I was in the seventh grade, before I joined the Movement, and humiliated her by defeating her", I shook my head. "She kept calling me Black Rose Witch multiple times to mock me, but her words didn't faze me."
"In other words, she's one of the students who sees you as your old self and wants to prove you're still the same dangerous psychic Duelist by mocking you with this Duel", Estelle concluded before noticing how close Yusei was to her and took one small step away with a hint of pink on her pale cheeks.
I nodded as answer before I picked up my Deck to look at it. "I've got faith in my Deck. If the Battlewasps are more or less the same as the Blackwings, then I've got the perfect partner to practice with before the real Duel. But only if you got time for it, Crow."
"I'm pretty much free right now, if you want to Duel and learn more about my Blackwings", Crow grinned gently.
"Really? That would be a big help. Thank you", I smiled.
"No problems! Just grab a Duel Disk and let's Duel!"
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As you probably have figured it out by now, Sakura, Mei, and Kobayakawa Ran are based on the spin-off manga side characters. Ran was the only one among the trio that had a full name, so I used Google to find some surnames for Sakura and Mei's last names. And with the description of their appearance, I tried to come up with something since there aren't any official notes about their hair and eye colors.
The next chapter is going to be the Duel between Aki and Ran, so expect some high-quality action. ;)
