Okay everyone, new story is here!
Just to start, I'm not sure if the next chapter will be up soon. About a week ago, my Nan died of a massive stroke. One day she was in the hospital, the next she had the stroke, and the next she was gone. It was sudden, and, well, it's been a rough time to put it simply.
I'd already had most of this chapter written by that time. It's taken me about a week to come back to this and finish/edit it, and hopefully I'll be up to working on more of this soon after. But, I wanted to let everyone who keeps up with what I write that things might be slow for a bit while...stuff happens.
(Please, also, don't review solely to give condolences. I don't want to seem like I'm saying this to try and get more reviews. I won't turn them away, and I would greatly appreciate them, but I don't want it to come across like I'm using this tragedy for my own gain. If you want to leave a review, I want it to be because of what I've written. I'm now also worrying about sounding like a jerk, or a drama queen, so I'm just going to start the chapter.)
I hope you enjoy this first chapter, and I hope it's enough to keep some of you around.
Duel Academia entrance exams. A busy time for student and academy staff alike. While erstwhile hopefuls duelled steadfast proctors for their place in the esteemed halls of DA, those who were already enrolled watched from the stands. Other staff members also watched, taking notes and overseeing the event.
Those who scored on the low-end of the exam were up first, and soon enough, after several duels, an announcement was made.
"Would Examinee One-Twenty please come down to the duel arena. That's Examinee One-Twenty to the duel arena."
Uzumaki Naruto clutched his deck holder in his hand, grinning down at the duel arena.
It's showtime.
Tenjoin Asuka sighed, resting her head on her hand. She looked down at the duelling students, half wishing she was down there herself. Sure, she spent three years at prep school to guarantee a place at Duel Academia, but she wouldn't have minded proving her worth down there with the others.
Still, it was worth watching them. It would give her an idea as to what her future schoolmates were capable of. It also respected their efforts. It was one thing to go to a school specifically to prepare you for the academy, but it was another to earn your way in through the entrance exam. Asuka could admire a duelist who paves their own way.
Still, there had yet to be anyone all that interes—
Asuka almost slipped off the railing she leant on as the bangs and whizzing of fireworks blasted through the arena. Pushing herself up on the bar, she looked around, wide eyed. "What the heck is going on? Did someone set off fireworks indoors?"
"No," Marufuji Ryo said. He loomed next to her, arms crossed. She followed his gaze to one of the duel fields. "That was a card."
"A card?"
Ryo nodded. "It's a weak card, but it sure can make some noise."
Asuka frowned, leaning forward to get a better look. "What did I miss?" As Ryo filled her in, she kept her gaze on the duel field the fireworks came from.
"Thanks to the effect of my Fireworks trap card, you take 50 points of damage for each card in your hand," said Naruto. His finger was pointing at the sparks in the air, a massive grin on his face.
Proctor LP: 3700
It was the start of the Proctor's turn, and Naruto activated the single card he'd set last turn. The Proctor gave him an incredulous look from behind his visor. "Is that it? You set a single card, and it's a weak card like that?" He shook his head. "I think I can see why your score was so low in the written exam."
Naruto grinned; a quick glance up and around showed everyone he could see watching his duel. Alright! All eyes on me. Just like it should be!
"If that's all you've got, then this shouldn't take long at all! I summon Neo the Magic Swordsman in attack mode."
Neo the Magic Swordsmen: a blonde haired man with a sword, green armour with brown leather gauntlets, and a blue, gold rimmed cape that billowed in a non-existent wind.
Neo the Magic Swordsman: ATK—1700 / DEF—1000
"Neo the Magic Swordsman, attack his life points directly!"
"Can't say that kid made the smartest move," Asuka said, raising an eyebrow. This boy was weird, she decided. He didn't even try to set up a defence. Just a minor trap card that barely did anything. "Could he not do anything at all his first turn? Or is he just that bad?"
Ryo said nothing, watching things proceed as stone-faced as ever.
Naruto gave the charging swordsman a grin. "I activate the effect of a card in my hand; Glitter Bomb! I can activate this trap card from my hand when my opponent declares a direct attack while I control no cards on the field." He inserted the card into his duel disk.
A hologram of the card appeared and a small ball shot out of it, flying into Neo the Magic Swordsman's face. Right before making contact, the ball exploded into a shower of glitter. Neo spluttered, stopping in place to try and rub the glitter out of his eyes.
"What the heck?" The Proctor said, visor slipping down.
"Glitter Bomb stops the attacking monster dead in its tracks. Also, until the next end phase after this turn, your monster loses 300 attack points."
Neo the Magic Swordsman: ATK—1400
Mutters from all around the stadium could be heard. Naruto's grin got even wider. Yeah, that's right. Be amazed by my awesome plays! Just keep those peepers on this duel, cus I'm just getting started.
"Huh, that was actually pretty good," Asuka said. She now stood upright, though she still held onto the rail. "He made himself seem open to lure the Proctor into an attack." A small smile tugged on her lips. "Pretty daring."
Ryo gave a near inaudible hum, but no more.
"I set one card face down and end my turn," the Proctor said.
"My turn," Naruto said, drawing a card. "I summon Ōendan Captain in attack mode."
A young man in a black Japanese school uniform appeared. His jacket was long, like the Obelisk Blue jackets in the stands. He had a red headband around his head, which was half hidden by the black pompadour hairstyle above it. Around his left arm was a red arm band. In his right hand was a flagpole, and attached to it was a red flag with white text on it which read 'Go Go, Let's Go!'.
Ōendan Captain: ATK—1400 / DEF—1100
"Since I control Ōendan Captain, I can special summon Taiko Drummer from my hand in defence mode."
Next to Ōendan Captain was now a woman in a blue tube-sleeved jacket, known as a happi. Around her head was a red headband, and a white belt was wrapped around her waist. In each hand was a drumstick, and in front of her was a taiko drum on a four legged stand. She kneeled behind the drum.
Taiko Drummer: ATK—900 / DEF—1600
"So, what do you think?" Naruto said, waving a hand at his monsters. "Impressed?"
"I'd be more impressed if either of those monsters had more attack points than mine," the Proctor said, deadpan.
"Oh yeah? Then prepare for your jaw to drop. Taiko Drummers effect activates. She can increase one of my monster's attack points by 300 until the end of the turn."
Taiko Drummer started banging out a rhythm on her drum. The sound echoed throughout the building, bouncing off the walls.
Ōendan Captain: ATK—1700
"That guy's cards sure are loud, huh, Manjoume-san?"
"The louder they bark, the weaker their bite," Manjoume Jun said, sneering down at the field. "So far, all this guy's done is make some noise and be a nuisance. What a waste of time."
"If you say so, Manjoume-san."
"I do say so!"
"And now, Ōendan Captain's effect activates," Naruto said, pointing at Ōendan Captain. He had to shout to be heard over the drums. "When a monster on my field gains attack points, Ōendan Captain makes that monster gain an extra 300 on top of that."
Ōendan Captain started waving his flag with both hands, cheering and yelling loud enough to be heard over the drums. "Go, go, let's go! Let's go, let's go!" he chanted, yelling in time with the beating of the drum.
Ōendan Captain: ATK—2000
The Proctor held a hand up to his ear, one eye closed from his wince. "Your cards are stupidly loud, kid."
Naruto smirked, looking around again. As before, all eyes were on his duel. Let's give them a show! "Ōendan Captain, attack Neo the Magic Swordsman!"
Ōendan Captain roared, running forward and lifting his flagpole like a spear. Naruto grinned as the drums made the scene look even more epic in his mind.
The Proctor pushed a button on his duel disk. "I activate my trap card, Reverse Trap. This reverses the attack and defence point changes on the field."
Naruto's eyes widened. "W-Wait, what does that mean?"
"It means that instead of my monster losing attack and yours gaining it, mine gains and yours loses. Your Glitter Bomb reduced my Magic Swordsman's attack by 300, but Reverse Trap makes that a 300 point increase instead!"
Neo the Magic Swordsman: ATK—2000
"And instead of your Ōendan Captain gaining 600 attack points… Well, I don't think I need to explain any further, do I?"
Ōendan Captain: ATK—800
Neo stopped rubbing his eyes. With an intense look of concentration, he gripped his sword and deflected Ōendan Captain's flagpole. As the Captain stumbled, Neo ran him through with his sword. Ōendan Captain shattered into pixels and Taiko Drummer stopped drumming, her eyes wide.
Naruto LP: 2800
"Nice try, kid, but you need to be more aware of your opponent's field," the Proctor said, putting a hand on his waist.
"See, nothing but noise."
"Guess you were right, Manjoume-san."
"That was maybe a little too daring," Asuka said, wincing. In fact, Asuka thought it was pretty reckless. A bit of a waste, too. All of that effort and it was countered so easily. "Hate to say it, but this guy might not make the cut at this rate."
Ryo simply moved his gaze to another duel field to watch his brother duel. He was just in time to see Sho get hit by a giant worm.
Naruto looked around. People were losing interest, looking at other duels. He bit his lip and clenched a fist. Damn it, don't just write me off! "I end my turn."
The Proctor drew a card. "The effect of your Glitter Bomb has now ended, returning Neo the Magic Swordsman's attack points to normal.
Neo rubbed his eyes one last time. They opened, and he sent Naruto a dark, bloodshot glare.
Neo the Magic Swordsman: ATK—1700
"I summon Dark Elf in attack mode."
A robed woman with long, blue hair and dark skin appeared next to Neo the Magic Swordsman.
Dark Elf: ATK—2000 / DEF—800
"Neo the Magic Swordsman, get rid of that two-bit drummer!"
Neo charged forward, sword raised. Taiko Drummer cowered behind her drum, but Neo stabbed straight through it, piercing her in the chest. She shattered with a scream.
"Next, Dark Elf. She requires a cost of 1000 life points for her to attack, but that's a small price to pay," the Proctor said. He smirked, looking down his nose at Naruto. "Besides, you could do with the handicap." A dark aura surrounded the Proctor. It pulsed, then flowed into the space between Dark Elf's extended hands.
Proctor LP: 2700
Naruto narrowed his eyes. He could hear snickers from the few people paying attention, and it made him grit his teeth.
"Dark Elf, attack his life points directly."
Dark Elf's serene expression twisted into a nasty grin. Cackling, she fired an orb of dark energy. The orb slammed into Naruto, and he grit his teeth as black lightning buffeted his form.
Naruto LP: 800
"That kid's finished," Manjoume said. He laughed, head thrown back. "Someone like that has no place at Duel Academia."
Naruto flinched as he heard a loud, derisive laugh somewhere in the crowd. He bowed his head, hair falling over his eyes.
"I end my turn," the Proctor said, looking at his watch. He reckoned he might be able to end his shift early at this rate.
Naruto bit his lip. He glanced through his hair up at the crowd. He couldn't see anybody watching him anymore. Just like always…
"Hey, look at what I drew!"
"Yeah, whatever kid, get out of the way," an adult said, brushing passed a young Naruto. The boy watched as the adult approached one of the two dozen other children he lived with. "Kenta, stop eating glue! And Yoshi, put that down!"
Naruto pouted and approached a woman, tugging on her apron, "Hey—"
"Not now, Naruto, I've got work to do," she said, not even glancing at him.
"Hey—"
"Hey, kid, come on. I don't have all day."
Naruto jerked out of memory lane. He looked up, and saw the Proctor's annoyed face."Stop wasting everyone's time, alright?"
"Naruto, stop wasting my time. Unless you seriously need something, stop bugging me so I can get to work."
Naruto glared. "My turn, draw!" Naruto looked at his hand. Three cards left, leaving him with few options. "I summon Boombox Gardna in defense mode."
Boombox Gardna's appearance was strange. He wore baggy blue jeans that hung off his hips, barely held up by a belt with a silver BG belt buckle. Yet on his torso he wore sleek, red steel plate armour, with small, blue pauldrons on the shoulders. Covering his head was a red hood, with white tassels like a hoodie. He crouched, legs spread wide, next to a giant boombox, which he had one arm slung over. The boombox pulsed as if music was coming from it, with Boombox Gardna bobbing his head to the silent tune.
Boombox Gardna: ATK—500 / DEF—1800
"I end my turn."
"Is that all you can manage, kid?" the Proctor said, shaking his head. "Even after I gave you a handicap. Ah well, I'm not going to complain. This is the third to last duel of my shift, so I'll take it. My turn, draw." He pointed at Boombox Gardna. "Dark Elf, attack Boombox Gardna." The dark aura seeped from him into Dark Elf's hands again.
Proctor LP: 1700
Shrieking with laughter, Dark Elf fired off another dark aura sphere.
Asuka sighed. "Well, he had a decent start, but it looks like it's over. Shame."
Ryo's eyes flickered back to the duel, and his lips twitched at the corners. Briefly; blink and you'd miss it. "Boombox Gardna, huh. Well, maybe not."
Asuka made a confused sound and looked at him. When loud music started playing Asuka looked back, and gave a small smile. "Yeah, maybe."
The Proctor gaped as the dark aura sphere struggled against an invisible force. The sphere pushed, warping the mass of dark energy. Behind the struggle, the boombox pulsed harder and harder, as music now blasted from the device. With one final pulse, the energy dissipated into wisps. Boombox Gardna bobbed his head, snapping his fingers with a quick wave of his hand. The music stopped, but the speakers still pulsed to their inaudible tune.
"What just happened?"
Naruto smirked and pointed at Boombox Gardna. "Once per turn, if Boombox Gardna is attacked by a monster with an original attack higher than Boombox Gardna's defence points, he can negate the attack." He glanced around, and did a small fist pump when he saw people focusing on his duel again. That's right, you don't wanna look away from this epic duel.
The Proctor sneered at him. "Fine, you stopped me this turn, but don't expect that monster to save you next turn," he said. He looked at a card in his hand. Magician's Unite. Neo the Magic Swordsman's original attack is 1700, and next turn this card will make Neo the Magic Swordsman have 3000 attack points, letting it bypass Boombox Gardna's effect. And, he looked at another card, one he just drew, I can equip Neo the Magic Swordsman with Fairy Meteor Crush to deal piercing battle damage. More than enough to finish this kid off.
"Alright, I end my turn."
"My turn," Naruto said, putting a hand on top of his deck. His free hand clenched, and Naruto took a deep breath. To be frank, he knew that the whole duel rested on this next card. His last chance to get into Duel Academy. To prove himself...
"Ha ha ha! You fell for it!" Naruto laughed, pointing at an adult with a bucket on his head.
"Naruto!" the man's voice echoed from the bucket. He grabbed Naruto by the arm and started lecturing. Naruto's grin didn't falter as he listened to the adult scold him...
"Naruto, turn that TV down!" a woman said, poking her head into the recreation room. Naruto snickered, turning down the TV. As soon as the woman pulled her head back, Naruto turned it back up. "Naruto!" Naruto laughed, falling on his back...
Late at night, Naruto snuck to the kitchen for a nighttime snack. He paused as voices came through the kitchen door.
"That Naruto is such a pain," the man said, sounding thoroughly fed up.
"Always being such a nuisance, why can't he make our lives a little easier, huh?" the woman said, breathing out a heavy sigh.
Naruto's hand, flat against the door, clenched into a fist…
I'll prove… Naruto's eyes snapped open. That I'm more than just a nuisance! "My turn, draw! He grinned at what he drew. "Alright! Watch closely, ya jerk, cus this is the kind of play you'll see all the time when I become the King of Duellists!" Naruto's declaration rang through the arena. In the stands, staff, students, and examinees alike reacted to his bold statement.
Manjoume and his companions laughed; Asuka and Ryo raised a brow; Professor Cronos de Medici scoffed and scribbled something down, not even entertaining the idea; and Misawa Daichi stroked his chin, his eyes having yet to move themselves from the duel since it began.
The Proctor stared at him. He clamped a hand over his mouth for a moment. "Y-You want to be the King of Duellists? Seriously, with your skills? Don't make me laugh," he said, looking like he was going to anyway. "Just do whatever it is you've got left so I can go on my break."
"You asked for it! I summon Noise Wyvern in attack mode!"
Noise Wyvern was a draconic looking creature, with wings in place of forelegs. Its body: purple, with black accents on the joints, and its wings had a ripple pattern on the membrane that rippled out from the top. Its tail ended in the shape of a classic musical note. White teeth poked out of its closed mouth, and bright gold eyes glared down at its prey.
Noise Wyvern: ATK—1300 / DEF—1000
"When Noise Wyvern is summoned, it deals 300 points of damage to your life points."
Noise Wyvern opened its jaws and released an ear piercing screech. The speaker in its throat pulsed, and a ripple of sound waves slammed into the Proctor. The Proctor covered his ears with a wince.
Proctor: 1400
Ripping his hands away, the Proctor sneered, one eye closed to fight the oncoming migraine. "Look, you don't need to throw a screaming fit just because you've lost. This is why kids—"
"I'm not done yet," Naruto said, slotting another card into his duel disk. "I play the spell card Rebel Yell. By discarding a card, I can permanently change the battle position of a monster on your side of the field." Rebel Yell appeared as a hologram. The image on the spell card was of a rock star, dressed like a punk, screaming into a microphone stand. Naruto put the last card in his hand in the graveyard. "Dark Elf switches to defence mode!"
Sound waves blasted from Rebel Yell, the sound of a screeching microphone echoing through the stadium. Dark Elf cried out and covered her ears, crouching on the floor.
"Is all you can do make noise, kid?" the Proctor said. He rolled his eyes, wincing as it aggravated his headache. "You've used up all of your cards, and all you've done is be a general nuisance. King of Duelists?" He rubbed his temple, shaking his head. "What a joke."
Naruto smirked, the words slipping off him like water off a duck's back. "I might have used all the cards in my hand, but I still have one card left to play."
"What are you talking about?"
"I activate the effect of a monster in my graveyard. By tributing two monsters on my side of the field, I can special summon the monster from my graveyard that I just discarded."
The Proctor blinked. "A special summon from the graveyard that requires tributes?"
"I tribute Boombox Gardna and Noise Wyvern on my field," Naruto said. Boombox Gardna and Noise Wyvern ignited into white flames. The fires combined together into a flaming mass. "Come on out," the flames molded into shape, and a white fox with nine, red tipped tails appeared in a flash of white. "Nine-Tailed Fox!"
Nine-Tailed Fox also had red feet with wickedly sharp claws. It's white ears had red edges, and a red patch of fur, shaped like a trident, was on its forehead.
Nine-Tailed Fox: ATK—2200 / DEF—2000
The Proctor raised an eyebrow. "Is that it? I was expecting something a little more...well, impressive." He chuckled, raising his hands in a shrug. "Guess you were all talk after all."
Naruto smirked, glancing at Nine-Tailed Fox. "Nine-Tailed Fox has a special effect if it was summoned from the graveyard. If it attacks a defence position monster it can deal piercing battle damage."
The Proctor choked on a breath. "W-Wait a moment…" he looked at Dark Elf. "Dark Elf has 800 defence points, and Nine-Tailed Fox has 2200 attack...WAIT! The difference is 1400! That's…"
Proctor: 1400
"Now would ya look at that," Naruto said. He chuckled, rubbing his nose with a finger. "Thanks for that 'handicap' of yours, Proc."
The Proctor took a step back, holding his hands out. "W-Wait, no way, that wasn't supposed to actually help you! I-I just said that to-to, well, you kno—"
"Nine-Tailed Fox, attack Dark Elf! Spirit Fox Flame!"
Nine-Tailed Fox's tails lit up with white flames, like supernatural candles. Jumping into the air, Nine-Tailed Fox slammed it's tails forward, executing a flip. As it landed on its feet nine orbs of fire flew at Dark Elf. Most of the flames hit Dark Elf, causing her to explode. The remaining orbs flew at the Proctor, who let out a scream as they hit him in the chest.
Proctor: 0
Naruto thrusted a fist forward, grinning like a mad man. "Alright! Take that!"
As the holograms faded away, the Proctor gaped at Naruto. Then, his shoulders slumped; after straightening himself up, he smiled at Naruto. "Well played, candidate. I underestimate you and you made me pay for it. Welcome to Duel Academy."
"Alright!"
"Huh, he actually won?"
"No kidding."
"So, what?" Manjoume said. He sneered down at Naruto. "Beating a test deck doesn't prove anything. Not to mention his Proctor was a cocky idiot."
You can talk, his lackeys thought in sync. They were smarter than to say it aloud, though.
"He won't last a week at Duel Academia," Manjoume said, finality dripping from every word.
"Huh, he won," Asuka said, raising her brows. "I wasn't sure if he would be able to turn it around at the end there."
Ryo hummed. "He was okay. But he's got a long way to go if he wants to attain that goal of his."
"King of Duelists, huh," Asuka said under her breath. "I'd have to agree with you, there. Still, he was sort of interesting."
"That's a word for it," he said, looking at his brother's duel as it came to an end.
Asuka watched the blonde for a moment longer, before moving on to another duel. The low scorers were finishing their tests, and the mid-grade students would soon be duelling.
It was a while before she saw someone quite as daring as her fellow blonde, however.
Every card that Naruto used in that duel, aside from Nine-Tailed Fox (because I love that card, and it fits, dang it!), are cards that I invented for this story. It's my intention to create most of the cards that Naruto will be using in this story. This is to help me write the duels in ways that help me tell the story better, and either using existing cards, or basing cards exclusively on Naruto concepts, limits my creativity and what I can come up with to an extent. I love writing duels, and it is my hope that this will make me enjoy them even more.
I'm trying to keep Naruto as much in character as I can while also keeping in mind that he (spoilers, I guess) originates from this world in this story, and this world is different from the Elemental Nations in almost every way, so some things won't translate. With that in mind, I am trying to keep Naruto as in character as possible, without also making him too obnxious. Let me know if I ever fail at this.
Tell me what you all think about the cards and the chapter. Also, a question. Does anyone care if I remove Chumley/Hayato and Hassleberry/Kenzan? Because they are mostly pointless, and Kenzan is the most annoying character in the show to me, with how he ends every sentence with "saurus" or other dinosaur term. It's really grating. Plus, Dino DNA, need I say more?
Also, by season 3 there is WAY too many characters in this show, and unless I take one or two out, Naruto is just gonna take up even more room. Let me know what you think.
Anyway I've rambled enough now. Let me know what you guys think. You don't have to answer all my questions, or even say anything more than"I like it", or, "I don't like it". I will accept any and all feeback, no matter how short or long it is, so don't be shy to leave a review!
Until next time!