Coral: This would be an embarrassing chapter for a certain duelist.

Aki: Why?

Coral: You'll see. For those of you who will wonder what the clothes look like, for the first one, it's what female gymnastics in the Olympics wear. As for the other two after it, go onto Youtube and search Seiten Galaxy Cross. Go to the video that has a picture of two girls, one pink-haired and the other blue-haired, with blue sleeves and a shooting star as the background. The video is also two minutes and eleven seconds.

Aki: Not good at thinking up your own clothes huh?

Coral: Just idol and performer's clothes. Oh, and before I forget, you may have noticed from the title that this is the rank-up duel, however I am not doing a Bastion vs. Chazz duel. And yes I know the characters' English version name. Sorry to those who wanted to see that duel. Also, I seem to have realized that I never did a disclaimer for this story. Better late than never. I don't own Yugioh GX. I own Kohaku Fiore and the Circus Freak deck. A5L owns Alejandro Nagase and Generalhyna owns Arabella Rosalina. I own some cards in Arabella Rosalina's deck. Now then, everybody. Without further ado... ENJOY~!

Aki: And here I thought you stopped doing that loud voice thing.


Normal dialogue

Life Points/Monster stats

*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*

Attacks/Effects

'thoughts'

Language other than Japanese (this is English sub after all)


It's been a couple of days since Judai and Shou's Punishment Duel. Since then, things were basically back to normal for them and Kohaku. Unless if you count the different treatment she's been getting. After finding out that she was a girl, all the students, Obelisks included, had been treating her as though she was an Obelisk herself. Either it was because of her gender or that she had almost died. Either way, it was hard for her to be herself. The only people who didn't treat her differently were, of course, Judai and the rest.

"Send it flying, Judai~!" cheered the Osiris. Currently the Reds were up against the female Blues in baseball in gym class. Surprisingly, the girls were just as atheletic as the boys plus Kohaku. Speaking of, due to how uneven the amount of boys and girls were, she had to swap out to even up the numbers.

"Big Bro, we're counting on you!" Shou shouted.

"All right! Leave it to me!" Judai replied. "If I fire another one, add one... two... three runs, and I'll have this all settled!"

Kohaku sighed, looking back at the scoreboard. "Time out! Pause the game!" she called.

"Kohaku? What's wrong?" Asuka asked her teammate.

"Pitcher change. Let me pitch."

"Are you sure?" the current pitcher, Arabella Rosaline, or Bella for short, asked.

Kohaku met Bella yesterday. That time, the former was on her way to the academy's card shop. She got a message earlier on her Duel Pilot saying there was a package for her there. Around the time she was walking there, several students rushed to the shop as well. She had assumed it was for some rare cards. Little did she know, it was actually for a sandwich. It wasn't just any sandwich; it was the Golden Eggwich, a highly desirable food among the students. Each day they would try and get one from a box filled with other drawbreads. They're all wrapped the same and used the same kind of thick bun, it wasn't easy to tell which was the Golden Eggwich. Bella was also one of the people who wanted to get it but...


*FLASHBACK*

"Out of the way!" Kohaku turned and saw Bella running to her at full speed. Without any time to react, the two crashed, sending the Osiris female with the Obelisk female back several feet. They eventually skidded to a stop, Kohaku on her back with Bella on top of her. Now, because of the former's clothes, if it wasn't for the fact that everyone already knew about her being a girl, it would've caused a horrible misunderstanding for the performer.

"AH! S-Sorry!" Bella quickly moved away, mistook her for a he. After taking a better look, she noticed that the he was Kohaku. "Oh, it's only you."

"You made it sound like you know me when I don't know you," Kohaku said. "Why is the world spinning?"

"Sorry about that. My name is Arabella Rosalina. But you can call me Bella."

Kohaku got up, fully recovered from the hit. "Isn't that a girl's name?" she asked, since Bella was in a boy's Obelisk uniform.

"I know I'm wearing male Obelisk uniform, but I'm really a girl."

"Oh, so kind of like me. Well, nice to meet you, Bella. I'm Fiore Kohaku."

"Yeah, I know," Bella said in English. "Glad that you're better."

"Thanks. Don't know how either. My friend told me what happened since I somehow forgot what my Punishment Duel was like and he and all my other friends were really surprised that I recovered so fast!"

"Amnesia? That wasn't suppose to happen, was it?" Although she whispered the question, Kohaku got confused as to why she asked that and what she meant by it.

"I suppose it's because she's human," came a voice. Appearing next to her was a faint image of a white guy with a ninja headband and multiple piercings on his face and three spike piercings in each ear, wearing a black robe.

"A Duel Monster spirit?!" Kohaku gasped.

"Huh?" Both the spirit and his duelist turned to her.

"You can see him?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, because I have one too." The moment Kohaku gave her explanation, Time Space Magician revealed himself.

"A pleasure to meet another like my lady," he said, bowing.

"Whoa! No way!" It was then the two got to know each other and became friends.


*END OF FLASHBACK*

"Leave it to me, Bella~" Kohaku assured.

"Okay. Kohaku's pitching now!" Bella tossed the ball and glove to the temporary teammate.

"So you've finally show up, Kohaku. But still, I'm going to drive your pitch all the way there!" Judai challenged.

"Then how about a bet? If you can hit my pitch and strike me out, I'll do what you say for three days!" Kohaku betted.

"In that case, if you can strike me out and you hit my pitch, I'll do the same for that exact amount!" he accepted.

"Don't come crying to me, Judai!"

"Same should be said to you!"

"Judai! Be careful!" Alex warned.

"Don't worry!" the 'Elemental Hero' duelist waved off the warning.

Things got heated up between the current batter and pitcher.

"Here goes! Beast Hunter!" Kohaku pitched a fastball. Said ball, though, didn't seem like a fastball, not with how it just sped past Judai and went in the catcher's glove. And all within a couple of seconds.

"..."

"..."

"... HUH?!" Both the Reds and the female Blues gasped at what had happened, even Judai was shocked, excluding Alex.

"W-W-What just happened?!" Shou questioned.

"I was watching some Animer Circus's old performances, and one of them included Kohaku throwing a ball at lightning speed. And the video was a few years back," Alex announced.

"You said this now?!" most of his teammates questioned.

"Ready to give up, Judai?" Kohaku asked.

"What? I said I'll hit your pitch!" Judai stayed in his position and got ready to bat.

"That was your last chance, Judai. Be prepared!" Kohaku pitched again. This time Judai swung, but he missed. The male Osiris got into a more comfortable batting position and seemed more ready to hit the ball.

Kohaku lowered her head, casting a shadow over hear eyes as she concentrated on her next pitch. Once ready, she tightened the grip on the baseball and pitched. Judai swung his bat and hit it. Well, he hit the ball, but it SOMEHOW broke the bat and in the catcher's glove, forcing the poor girl back a couple feet. The two teams, minus Kohaku, replayed what had happened in their heads.

"..."

"..."

"... WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" they all yelled in disbelief.

"I believe that's strikeout, Judai~!" Kohaku spoke.

The brunette stood, dumbfounded at the event that had occurred.

It was now the girls' turn to bat. Judai was the one pitching this time. So far he got two girls out, but as for three other girls, he let them walk a base.

"Time out!" Shou, who was catcher for Osiris, called. "Big Bro, what are you doing? You got two outs, but you let three walk for no good reason!"

"Hahaha. I let them walk on purpose," he replied.

"Huh?"

"Why?" the Reds around him asked.

"Judai! That's sexual harassment!" Junko called from one of the bases.

"No, it's not like that. If I didn't, we wouldn't get to Kohaku," the pitching duelist corrected.

"Huh?! Big Bro, don't tell me you're actually going along with Kohaku's bet!" Shou cried.

"I am. Besides, I gotta get back at her!" Judai looked at the current batter. "Kohaku! This time, I will strike you out!"

"I'd like to see you try, Judai~" the 'Circus Freak' duelist challenged. "The moment you pitch that ball, it will get sent flying out of here!"

"Let's duel!"

"Come, hero-boy!"

Both duelists were all fired up, hot red aura can be seen radiating off them.

"Kohaku! You can do it!" Momoe cheered from a base she was at.

"Hit a nice one!" Asuka supported.

"Leave it to me!" Kohaku shouted back.

"Here it is, Kohaku! Take this! I'm a Hero!" Judai pitched the ball. Unfortunately for him, Kohaku batted it hard and out of the field.

As the girls ran to finish the homerun their temporary teammate hit, they heard a crash from the direction the ball went. Of course, it sounded too big to be the ball itself, which meant that Kohaku would be paying someone's doctor for their injury.

Judai and Shou ran to the direction of the crash.

"Sorry about that!" Judai apologized to the person who was hit. The person got out from the mess he/she made, revealed him/herself to be the one person both Red students didn't wish to see.

"AHH! You again! The dropout boy- na no ne!" Chronos shouted, his left eye covered by the baseball that Kohaku hit.

"Aah! We're sorry!" Shou apologized, as he and Judai got on their knees, ready for any kind of scolding that will be heard.

"A-Are you all right, Professor?" Judai asked.

"Sorry! I was the one who hit the ball!" Kohaku confessed, not wanting her two friends accused for what she did.

Chronos looked up and slightly freaked out at seeing Kohaku. "S-Signora Kohaku!" He then had a face of realization, as he jumped onto his feet and looked away from the group. "Signora Kohaku defeated a Ghoul and had defeated many Obelisk Blues- na no ne. In addition to have her accept my forgiveness, I could also use her to replace Manjoume..."

"You do realize we can hear you, right?" said girl spoke. Chronos flinched at her words. "And am I going to foot your doctor's bill?"

"Non! Non! Non! Non!" the ex-Headmaster spun around and declined. "The academy is tolerant towards trusting duelists such as yourself. Instead-" Before he could say anymore, he noticed Judai and Shou trying to listen in on the conversation. "This has nothing to do with you two! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Sashisuse-shoo!"

Both boys fled. "We're sorry!"

Chronos turned to Kohaku, ball now dropped to show his now black eye. "So, Signora Kohaku, despite the interference, there will be a condition in place of my doctor's fee. And that is..."


*LATER*

"Oi! Drink and message! Over here!" Manjoume ordered as he lounged on his seat.

"What's with him?" an Obelisk asked one of his friends.

"What's the matter?"

"What is he thinking? Who does he think he is?" one of those friends wondered out loud.

"Hey, damn it!" Manjoume called, demanding an answer to his question.

"Manjoume, where do you think you're sitting?" another Obelisk asked, walking up to him.

"Where?"

"This isn't your seat anymore, you know. So move it."

"What are you talking about?! My name's right here on this se-" Manjoume looked at his table where his name tag should've been and saw it gone. "It's gone!"

"Of course it is. You were moved right over there." The Obelisk talking to him pointed at his new assigned seat.

"What was that? A seat change?" Manjoume looked at his new seat, which was a the right side of the room, around the corner. "And in that corner to boot?! Professor Chronos! What is the meaning of this?! Why was I moved to that seat?!"

The still-black-eyed professor was walking to his desk. "Why? Because you, Signore, lost to an Osiris Red student. And that is not all. Signore, tomorrow, you must duel with Osiris Red's Fiore Kohaku with a dorm change at stake!"

"That doesn't make any sense! If I lose, I'll be demoted to Ra Yellow?"

"Now now, take your seat- your own seat." Manjoume could hear giggles from his classmates. Enraged from the humiliation, he dashed out of class.

Alex, Kohaku, and Bella, who happened to have the same class as him, were also in the room. Unlike everyone else, they didn't join in on the laugh.

"You're getting a chance to be promoted to Ra Yellow?" the female Obelisk asked the entertainer.

"Yeah."

"I thought you weren't one who'd accept special treatment," Alex recalled.

"Chronos also wanted to make this his way of saying sorry for almost making me die."

"Signora! You said you'd forgive me!" Chronos happened to overhear.

"I do forgive you. That's why I agreed to the duel. And why you agreed to the other thing."

"Other thing?" her friends repeated.

"Oh right... Signore Alex. Along with Signora Kohaku, you will also be dueling with an Obelisk Blue tomorrow for a dorm change."

"I thought I told you about me and special treatments," the Light and Darkness duelist said to his friend.

"You did, but I didn't want to go up a rank without you. After all, we're not just friends; we're rivals. And how can you be my number one rival if you stay below me?" Kohaku asked.

"I won't accept special treatments."

"Hmm? Don't tell me... You're admitting you're weaker than me?"

Apparently that got his attention. "What did you say?"

"You're not stronger than me, are you? Then again, I always win every duel against you, so maybe you aren't a worthy rival." This got them both to bash their heads, having another rivalry, or to others 'married-couple', moments.

"I dare you to repeat that after I win that duel."

"I'd like to see you try and beat an Obelisk."

"Have you forgotten that I have?"

"Okay, maybe you can, in Tag Teams!"

"Are you implying that I can't on my own?!"

"I am indeed!"

"As much as I don't want to bother a lover's quarrel, I'd like you both to be silent during class," Chronos spoke.

"WE'RE NOT LOVERS!" they both yelled at his face, making him jump and land on his butt.

"Sure act like one," Bella muttered in English.

They heard and understood what she muttered and turned to her with a pair of scary faces. "WHAT?!"

"N-N-Nothing!"


*LATER*

"So Kohaku, what's your first order?" Judai asked. Being a man of his word, he's starting his first day of the three-day slave deal.

"Ah. So many things," Kohaku spoke with a smirk.

"Yet another side we've never seen," Shou said to Alex and Bella, the latter who wanted to join in on the event.

"Didn't think she was this evil," the Obelisk said.

"You think this is evil, you should've seen when she was training Judai and Shou. That was menacing," Alex told her. Shou got chills from the memory of the so-called training.

"Oooh! I know~!" came Kohaku's voice.

"W-What? Why don't I like this?" followed Judai's scared tone.


The group all got into Kohaku's room, all waiting for Judai to come out of the bathroom in her room.

"Come on Judai~" the owner of the room called.

"Do I have to?" the 'Elemental Hero' duelist growled.

"I need to see if it will fit me."

Reluctantly, the door opened and revealed Judai... in a red gymnastic outfit and orange frilly skirt. Seeing him like that brought laughs to his friends.

"Yeah... Laugh it off..." the unfortunate boy muttered, gritting his teeth.

"Smile~" Bella took out her Duel Pilot and set it on camera, taking a photo of Judai in his condition.

"OI! Don't take my pictures!" he screamed.

"Kohaku! You in here?!" came Hayato's voice from outside the room.

"Hayato! Whatever you do, don't-!" Just when Judai was about to tell his koala-face friend not to open the door, the door was opened, revealing not only Hayato, but Asuka and Misawa as well. The three of them stood in shock at Judai's... 'choice of clothing'. Silence filled the room, only to be broken by laughter from the newcomers.

"J-Judai... What are you... haha... wearing...?" Asuka managed to ask.

"Looks like... gymnastics clothes..." Misawa managed to answer.

"Judai, I never thought you were into skirts," Hayato joked, causing more laughs, with the rest of the gang, minus the 'Elemental Hero' duelist, joining in.

"Sure... Laugh..." Judai gritted his teeth.

"But why are you in that?" Misawa asked, calming down... Until he looked at Judai again.

"Can I change back?!" Judai asked his 'temporary master'.

"Hmmm... Nope," was the answer.

"You made him wear that?" Asuka asked, trying to avoid looking at Judai so she won't laugh to death.

"It was the bet they made, remember?" Bella reminded her fellow female blue.

"He really went with it?"

"Why is he in that if he isn't?"

"I guess." Asuka took an accidental peek and tried to hide her laugh.

"Okay, I guess fun's over for now," Kohaku spoke.

"Thank you!" Judai shouted, completely grateful.

"Now I would like you to try one of these for me." Kohaku took out a pair of blue, strapless, sexy dresses.

One was quite revealing, only covering the chest and upper back, revealing the stomach and lower back, as well as extermely short shorts, revealing the legs. There were blue frills below the chest pads and sparkling blue ribbons on the back of the shorts. It also came with long blue sleeves with pink silks on each end. As for the other dress, it was similar to the first one, only less revealing and, instead of shorts, had a short pink skirt.

Just imagining Judai in them was enough for his friends to explode in another laughter.

"So~? Which one~?" Kohaku teasingly asked.

The 'Elemental Hero' duelist gritted his teeth. "... The one with the shorts..." The 'Circus Freak' duelist handed him the asked dress. Judai went back into the bathroom. "By the way, what were you and Professor Chronos talking about?"

"Now that he mentioned it, you two were walking about something," Shou recalled.

"You mean you didn't hear?" Alex asked.

"Well, not all news spread like wildfire on the island," Bella reasoned.

"I guess so. Apparently, Kohaku's going to have a Promotion Duel."

"Really?!" Judai slammed the door open, revealing him in his... unexpected pony undies... All the girls turned away from the sight.

"And now I have another reason as to why you have to try on those clothes..." Kohaku said, covering her eyes.

Judai, realizing his mistake, blushed and immediately closed the door and resumed changing.

"That was... something..." Misawa spoke in the embarrassing silence.

"You girls can turn around and uncover your eyes now," Alex assured.

The three females did so out of relief. "So, as Alex was saying, I am going to have a Promotion Duel. Alex will too," Kohaku explained.

"Really?" Asuka asked.

"It was actually Kohaku's condition if she accepts the Promotion Duel," Bella explained.

"Condition?"

"That Promotion Duel is also Professor Chronos' way of saying sorry for having me duel against a former Ghoul and almost die in that duel," the female Osiris explained.

"But I thought he was relieved of his position as Headmaster," Shou said.

"He's getting permission from Professor Ayukawa to host the duel."

"Well, if it's his way of saying sorry, I guess it can't be helped," Hayato said.

"I should tell my Headmaster about this then, because knowing you and Alex, you're both sure to pass with flying colors," Misawa said.

"Think again," the Light and Darkness user corrected. "We're both going up against Obelisk Blues for our Promotion Duel."

"WHAT?!" the whole group, minus Bella and Kohaku, shouted, Judai slamming the door open, revealing him in the dress that he had to wear.

Silence filled the room once more, only to be broken by laughter again.

"J-J-Judai... T-That looks... too good on you...!" Kohaku laughed.

"Say cheese~" Bella took more pictures.

"Don't take my pictures, damn it!" Judai screeched, trying to block the camera flashes.

"You want to wear the other one? Or stay out here and have Bella take more pics?" his 'master' asked with a smirk.

"You're evil..."

"No, I'm a performer." Judai took the other dress and went back in the bathroom.

"Still, Obelisk Blues? And you're both Osiris Reds, going to be Ra Yellows," Shou pointed out. "They should might as well just put you both in Obelisk Blue when you win."

"It can't be helped. Besides, last time I remember, Judai dueled Manjoume and beat him, giving him the promotion to be in Ra Yellow, which he declined," Alex recalled.

"That's true," Hayato agreed.

"Speaking of, just so happens that my opponent is Manjoume," Kohaku confessed.

"Really?" Asuka asked.

"Good luck. He's actually strong," Judai warned in the bathroom. "If it wasn't for Winged Kuriboh, I would've lost." To Kohaku, Bella, and Hayato, they both heard something that sounded like 'Kuri Kuri'.

"Thanks, Judai," the soon-to-be Ra Yellow duo thanked.

"By the way, Kohaku, why are you having me try on these clothes?"

"Now that he mentioned it, aren't those the clothes your dad sent the other day?" Bella asked.

"Yeah. They are," the 'Circus Freak' duelist answered.

"But why?"

"He sent a letter with the package, saying something about a performance coming up soon."

"HUH?! Animer Circus is going to be here?!" Shou shouted.

"No way!" Asuka gasped.

"Are you serious?!" Alex questioned.

"He didn't say that he'll be coming, but that's a possibility. And even if he is coming, he didn't really say when. It could be days, weeks or months from now. So I'm guessing he sent those in case he got too busy and forget about them. Still, it'd be nice if they come soon. I've been wondering how everyone's doing since the disbandment. Even if it's one performance, it'll be more than enough time for us to be together again." All of Kohaku's friends smiled at those words, easily telling how much she's looking forward to the meeting more than any of them. "Judai, you done yet?"

"Do I have to do this?!" And so they continued on with their day.


*LATER (A LOT OF LATERS AREN'T THERE?)*

"You sure it's okay for me to stay with you in your room tonight, Bella?" Kohaku asked. After trying on another dress... Apparently Judai suddenly had a rash attack from it, causing him to move around and cause a huge mess in Kohaku's room. Most of the mess was cleaned up, all that was left was the bunk bed. Due to how late it was and Kohaku and Alex need to get up early in the morning for their Promotion Duel, though, there weren't any time to fix the beds. Luckily, Bella offered Kohaku to stay over for the night.

"Of course I'm sure," the new female friend answered.

"It's late and you need all the energy for your duel in the morning," Asuka pointed out.

"I suppose so." Kohaku stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong?"

"I strangely feel like I forgot something," the Entertainment Duelist answered.

"What would you have forgotten?" Bella asked.

"I don't know. I put those performer's clothes back in the drawers, I grabbed my deck and duel disk in case I woke up late and have no time to go back to my dorm. I even brought my pajamas... Why do I have this feeling like I forgot something?"

"It's probably your imagination if you don't remember," Asuka guessed.

"Probably."


*THE NEXT DAY*

Both Kohaku and Bella woke up early the next morning. They had breakfast and were on their way to the stadium for Kohaku and Alex's duel. On their way, they met up with Judai, Shou, Hayato and Alex, all soaking wet and running towards them.

"Kohaku! It's terrible!" Judai shouted.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Your cards... They got washed up!" Shou explained, as he and the other male reds took out wet cards, revealing them all to be her Circus Freak deck.

"What?!" the two girls gasped.

"But I thought you have your deck!" Bella said.

"I should," Kohaku replied. She took her opened her deck box from her deck holder on her belt. It had a deck, but when Kohaku took it out... "This... isn't my Circus Freak deck..."

"Now what do we do?!" Hayato asked.

"We don't have the time to dry these cards!" Alex exclaimed.

"I guess I'll have to duel with this one then," the performer decided.

"Are you sure? Do you know how to use it?" Judai asked.

"Don't worry about it." With that, Kohaku continued on to the stadium, her friends following her.


They got to the duel stadium. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, there was an audience, all waiting for the duel to start.

"What's going on?" Kohaku asked.

"I guess everyone wants to see the school's entertainer get promoted to Ra Yellow," Hayato guessed.

"That they do," came Misawa's voice. The group turned and saw him not far from them in the audience. "The news spread about the duel, and a lot of people really want to see Kohaku go up a rank."

"Whoa. You're even more popular than Big Bro," Shou complimented the female Osiris.

"She is indeed. In fact, ever since Kohaku revealed her true gender, there was even a fan club dedicated for her."

"Now that's unexpected. And she hasn't been here that long," Hayato spoke in shock.

"Looks like you're the real number two, Number One," the Ra Yellow said to Judai.

"Not unless I beat her in a duel," the Elemental Hero duelist retorted.

"Don't forget this is still day two of that bet," the Circus Freak duelist reminded, having Judai cringed at the reminder.

"Signora Kohaku. I see you've arrived," came Chronos' voice.

Next to him on the field were Eri and Manjoume. "I thought you ran with your tail between your legs."

"Manjoume! I see. So that's how it is!" Judai exclaimed, grasping the situation. "You were the one who threw away Kohaku's cards!"

"What did you say?!" Chronos gasped.

"Excuse me?!" Eri followed.

They weren't the only one. Every student in the stadium were also shocked, not believing that an Obelisk Blue would be that low when it comes to dueling with a dorm change at stake. Well, the male Obelisks were infuriated that someone of their rank made their dorm look bad.

"What are you falsely accusing me of, Judai?" Manjoume asked in an innocent tone. "Why would I-?"

"I wonder if it was a false accusation," came Asuka's voice. The group turned and saw...

"Asuka, Kaiser Ryo..." Judai identified.

"I happened to see it," Asuka continued. "I saw you, Manjoume-kun, tossed Kohaku's cards into the sea." Everyone was in deeper shock at the truth being spoken.

"That was a dirty move, Manjoume! So you really did do it!" Judai snarled.

"Shut it! I threw away some of my own cards! Or was there a name or something written on those cards?" the black-haired Obelisk lied.

"Sounds like a bunch of baloney if you ask me," came a female. They turned to the source and saw a female Obelisk Blue with a scar on her cheek with her arms crossed. "If anything, you're just making excuses so you can stay in Obelisk. What's the matter? Scared of losing your pride when you lose to another dropout like you did the first time?"

"What was that?! You have no proof that those cards were her's! Like I said, I threw away my own cards!"

Judai couldn't believe his ears. "Manjoume!"

"It's okay, Judai," Kohaku calmed her friend..

"But-!"

"You're going to take responsibility for accusing me of being a thief," Manjoume interrupted. "What do you say to the loser of this duel getting expelled?" He asked Chronos.

"That's totally unreasonable! Now that Kohaku lost her cards, she-!" Judai was interrupted by a karate-chop to his head. "K-Kohaku?!"

"It'll be okay, Judai. Even if we are friends, you worry too much about me," Kohaku said in a carefree tone.

"How can you be carefree at a time like this?!" all her friends demanded.

"Anyway, Professor Chronos, who'll be Alex's opponent?"

"Don't change the subject!"

"Though I would like to know myself," the Light and Darkness duelist muttered.

"I'm glad you asked. You see, Signore Alejandro, you'll be facing Obelisk Blue's Signora Arabella Rosalina! And they will be the first to duel!"

"HUH?!" the two duelists gasped in shock.

"Wait a second! You said nothing about me dueling Alex!" Bella told him.

"The match-up was just made," Chronos explained.

"That's unreasonable!"

"Yeah! Besides, since it was just made, she might not have her deck! I'm not going up a rank because of that!" Alex agreed and added.

"I actually do have my deck." Bella took out a deck.

"You can borrow my Duel Disk then," Kohaku offered.

"Thank you. So, can we duel? Or are you scared of losing to an Obelisk girl?"

"I'm not scared! Let's go!" Alex and Bella both got into position.

"Well this is something. My best friend is going up against my new friend, whose deck I don't know yet, and I don't know who to cheer for," Kohaku spoke.

"I think I know how you feel," Shou said, recalling the day of the promotion exam.

Alex and Bella both drew their starting hand. "DUEL!"

Alex: 4000 LP
Bella: 4000 LP

"Ladies first! Draw!" Bella drew her sixth card. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto in attack mode!" A boy with blonde spiky hair in a jumpsuit appeared on her field.

Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 ATK/800 DEF

"Yosh! Looks like it's my turn to start!" the monster exclaimed in a carefree tone.

'Looks like she wasn't kidding when she said that all her monsters have a spirit,' Kohaku thought.

"Calm down, Naruto. I set two cards face-down and end my turn," Bella ended.

"My turn. Draw!" Alex drew his sixth card. "If you're going to have out a ninja, then so will I. I summon Ninja Master Sasuke!" An armored ninja wearing a mask, green robe and equipped with two daggers appeared on his field.

Ninja Master Sasuke: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1800 ATK/1000 DEF

"I attack your monster with Sasuke! Ninja Strike!" Alex's ninja went in to attack Naruto.

"I activate Naruto's monster effect! When targeted for an attack, I discard one card from my hand to negate this card's destruction and Special Summon a Shadow Clone Token! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Bella countered, sending one of her remaining three cards from her hand to the grave. As she did so, Naruto somehow withstood the attack and pushed his opponent back. Afterwards, he summoned a clone of himself in Defense Mode.

Shadow Clone Token: Level 2/WIND/Warrior/700 ATK/400 DEF

Alex: 4000 LP
Bella: 3600 LP

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn," Alex ended.

"My turn. Before I draw, I activate my trap card, Call of the Living Dead! This brings back Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sakura, whom I discarded using Naruto's effect, from the graveyard!" A pink-haired girl wearing a red robe appeared on the field.

Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sakura: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1200 ATK/1700 DEF

"Hey there, Sakura!" Naruto greeted.

"Hi." The female ninja just gave him the cold shoulder.

"Eh hehehe... Anyway, draw!" Bella drew her next card. "During my standby Phase, I activate Sakura's effect. She gives me 900 Life Points during each Standby Phase while she's on the field. Mystical Palm Technique." The female ninja went over to her owner and healed her.

Alex: 4000 LP
Bella: 4500 LP

"Feel better?" Sakura asked, finishing her healing.

"Much better. Thanks," the Obelisk replied. "Now next, I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sasuke with them!" A boy with black spiky hair wearing a blue shirt and white pants and sandals appeared on the field with them.

Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sasuke: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1600 ATK/1000 DEF

"Not you again," Naruto complained.

"Quit complaining. Besides, it's not like it can be helped," Sasuke said.

"He's right, Naruto," Sakura supported.

"Next I activate the Magic Card, Sensei and Student! This card activates if I have three 'Konohagakure Shinobi' monsters on the same team! I Special Summon from my hand or deck one 'Konohagakure Shinobi' monster with a different name but on the same team as them. Come forth, Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Kakashi!" This time, an adult ninja whose face is mostly covered appeared, filling up all the Monster Zone.

Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Kakashi: Level 6/LIGHT/Warrior/2300 ATK/1900 DEF

"Well, looks like a full house," the new monster stated.

"Battle! I attack Ninja Master Sasuke with Kakashi! Chidori!" The level-6 monster charged lightning in his fist, bringing it down on Alex's monster.

Alex: 3500 LP
Bella: 4500 LP

"I activate my Trap Card! Rope of Life! By discarding my whole hand, I can bring back 1 monster that was sent to the Graveyard by battle! Then that monster's ATK points increases by 800!" Alex's ninja came back on the field.

Ninja Master Sasuke: 1800 + 800 = 2600 ATK

"I end my turn," Bella finished.

"My turn!" Alex drew his next card. "Ninja Master Sasuke! Attack Kakashi! Ninja Strike!" The revived monster once again battled the monster that destroyed it.

Alex: 3500 LP
Bella: 4200 LP

"You're too naive!" Bella shouted.

"What?!"

"Kakashi's monster effect! After Damage Calculation, even if this card leaves the field, the monster that battles it is also destroyed! Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang!" Before Kakashi leaves the field, he summoned a hound mad of lightning and made it attack Ninja Master Sasuke.

"No way!" Alex gasped at the result of the battle.

"Whoa! Even thought he's destroyed, Bella just took Sasuke down with Kakashi!" Judai gasped.

"That's the way of the ninja," Misawa spoke. "Even in their moments of death, they carry out their mission and complete it."

"Now what will you do, Alex?" Bella asked.

"I summon D.D. Warrior Lady in Defense Mode and end my turn!" Alex ended, summoning his female warrior.

D.D. Warrior Lady: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1500 ATK/1600 DEF

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "Sakura's special ability activates! Mystical Palm Technique!" Sakura once again gave Bella Life Points.

Alex: 3500 LP
Bella: 5100 LP

"Now Bella's Life Points is over 5000," Shou announced.

"At this rate, Alex will lose," Hayato said in a worried tone.

"I activate Sasuke's monster effect! Once per turn, he can copy one monster's effect on my opponent's side of the field!" Bella exclaimed.

"But that would mean-!" Alex spoke, knowing her plan.

"Sasuke! Copy D.D. Warrior Lady! Sharingan!" The black-haired ninja's black eyes went red as he copied Alex's lone monster's effect. "Battle! Sasuke attacks D.D. Warrior Lady! Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Sasuke blew a huge fireball at the female warrior, who withstood the attack. "After Damage Calculation, Sasuke's monster effect! The monster it battles is banished, along with Sasuke!" The fire engulfed the two Warrior-types, removing them from play.

"This is bad! Alex will lose most of his Life Points!" Shou cried out.

"Alex! Hang in there!" Judai called.

"I end my turn," was Bella's next move. This brought confusion to everyone around her, except a few who knew the reason.

"Hey, what's wrong?!" "Why didn't you attack?!" "You could've beat him!" some blues demanded.

"I don't want to end the duel so early. Besides, if anything, I want to go up, against one of your dragons!" Bella told Alex.

"So that's why. Okay, I'll have at least one of them out soon enough!" Alex assured. "My turn, draw! I activate Painful Choice! I reveal five cards from my deck. You get to choose which of the five I can add to my hand while the rest goes to the Graveyard!" Alex revealed Dark Armed Dragon, Lightray Diabolos, Darkflare Dragon, Lightpulsar Dragon and White Horn Dragon.

"Hmm... This is hard to choose..."

"Choose that one! The one that looks like a dragon in a black spiky armor!" Naruto called.

"You crazy? That blue one in silver armor looks gorgeous~" Sakura chose. "Besides, look at its level! The blue one needs one tribute while the one you want needs two, I bet."

"How do you know?! Besides, I want to fight it!"

"No way! And look at its power! You'll feel its punch for the whole week!"

"Heads it's Naruto's choice, tails it's Sakura's choice," Bella muttered, taking out a coin. She flipped it and caught it, revealing it to be heads. "Looks like it's Dark Armed Dragon!"

"Then to my hand he goes!" Alex sent the rest of his cards to the grave. "And you know, I should thank you. Because in my Graveyard are Darkflare Dragon, Double Coston, and White Horn Dragon. All three are DARK-Attribute. And when there are exactly three DARK monsters in my Grave, Dark Armed Dragon gets Special Summoned from my hand!"

"What?!" his opponent and her monsters gasped, as one of his strongest monsters appeared before them.

Dark Armed Dragon: Level 7/DARK/Dragon/2800 ATK/1000 DEF

"Naruto! Why did you have to challenge that thing?!" Sakura demanded.

"Finally! A challenge!" the blonde boy ignored her.

"Bella! Next time Naruto wants something, don't give him what he wants!"

"G-Got it..." the Obelisk replied in a whispered tone.

'Poor Bella,' Kohaku thought, being the one of the very few who knows what was really happening.

'Glad I'm not in her shoes,' Judai also thought, being the other of the very few.

"I activate Dark Armed Dragon's monster effect! Once per turn, by banishing a DARK monster in my Graveyard, I destroy one card you control! Dark Armed Breaker!" The big dragon shot out its spikes at Naruto, destroying him.

"Well, he got what he wanted..." Sakura said.

"And now, I'll have Dark Armed Dragon attack Sakura! Dark Armed Destroyer!" The dragon threw a fearsome punch at the pink-haired ninja.

"I activate my Trap Card, Substitute!" Bella countered. "When a 'Shinobi' monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can Special Summon this card as a monster and redirect the attack to this card!" Appearing in front of Sakura is a dummy made of wood.

Substitute: Level 1/EARTH/Warrior/0 ATK/2000 DEF

Apparently, it didn't stay long enough, for it got destroyed by Alex's dragon.

"I end my turn."

"My turn. Draw! And Sakura's monster effect activates! Mystical Palm Technique!"

Alex: 3500 LP
Bella: 6000 LP

"I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10 Ino in Attack Mode!" A blonde female ninja in purple ninja clothes appeared next to Sakura and Naruto's Shadow Clone.

Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10 Ino: Level 4/WATER/Warrior/1000 ATK/800 DEF

"Now I activate her effect! By discarding one card from my hand to the graveyard, I can take control of one monster my opponent controls!"

"Come over here, you dragon!" Ino ordered, taking control over the Dark Armed Dragon.

"But if she does that, then Alex is a goner and he won't go to Ra Yellow!" Shou shouted, as Alex's only monster got swapped over to the other side.

"I end my turn."

"Or not," Hayato added, as Bella ended her turn.

Many of the Obelisk Blues are starting to dislike Bella's way of dueling. Most of them shouted that she should've just finished Alex. Little did they know, Bella knew better than to attack directly.

"What's wrong, Bella? You scared to attack? Or are you scared of revealing your true colors?!" came the female Obelisk that badmouthed Manjoume. Everyone was silent at her words. "I bet that's why. I was wondering how it is that you get along so well with some people on this island, but now I know why. You didn't tell them, did you? You witch!"

"Hey! Who are you to call Bella a witch?!" Judai scolded. "Besides, she said it herself! She wants the duel to go on as long as she possibly can! She wants to enjoy the duel, not rush it!"

"If only you know. Haven't you noticed this wretched scar on my cheek? This is all because of that witch! We were dueling and I was close to winning until she revealed who she really is! She might not be one of them at that time, but there's no doubt that she's child of a Ghoul!"

Silence engulfed the whole room.

"W-What are you saying? I'm not-"

"Don't try to deny it, freak! The evidence is right here on my face!" the Obelisk interrupted Bella. "You think just because you're in a different school you can fit right in with everyone else? Think again! As long as you're alive, fitting in is-!"

"SHUT UP!" Kohaku yelled. "So what if she has powers?! It's not her fault she was born with them! And at least she's not using them to hurt anyone right now! Or are you just so blind that you think what happened once can always happen?!"

"What do you know?! Besides, it's not just me; everywhere she does, it's disaster after disaster!"

"Then why aren't there any disaster right now?"

"Please, don't tell me you forgot about that Punishment Duel of yours?"

"That was more than a week ago! I met Bella a couple of days ago! You can't just blame her for something she didn't do or meant to do! At least, unlike you, she has a heart! If she is a witch, she should've just beat Alex and kill him instead of not attacking him directly!"

"Just why are you covering her anyway?!"

"Because she's my friend! And she's also like a sister to me!... In fact she reminds me of my late sister..." Silence once again filled the stadium, as the students all remember the one certain incident in Kohaku's duel against Pandora.

"Kohaku..." Alex spoke out of sympathy. He shook his head and got back to the duel. "My-!" He stopped, seeing tears trailing down Bella's cheeks. "Hey! You okay?"

"Y-Yeah... Just got something in my eyes," she lied, wiping away her tears. "Resume your turn!"

"Got it. My turn! Draw!" Alex drew his next card. "I summon Kaiser Seahorse!" His sea-serpent type monster appeared on his field.

Kaiser Seahorse: Level 4/LIGHT/Sea-Serpent/1700 ATK/1650 DEF

"I end my turn!"

"My turn!" Bella drew her next card. "With Sakura's effect, I gain more Life Points! Mystical Palm Technique!"

Alex: 3500 LP
Bella: 6900 LP

"And now, I attack Kaiser Seahorse with Dark Armed Dragon! Dark Armed Destroyer!" Alex's dragon prepared to swing its fist down on his monster.

"Trap Card open! Holy Barrier- Mirror Force!" the Osiris countered. His card summoned a force field that, not only protected his monster, but also destroyed all of Bella's, minus the Defense Position Shadow Clone Token.

"All right!" Shou cheered.

"Talk about a turnaround!" Hayato happily stated.

"To think that you had that set. I'm actually glad you did," Bella said.

"It's not like I'm going to let myself die. And how about you stop holding back?" Bella got confused at Alex's request. "Since I'm dueling against someone who can cause some real damage, I can't call myself Kohaku's rival if that person doesn't give it their all against me."

"You... You don't mind if I actually hurt you?"

"Nope. At least, not unless you mean to."

"... Okay then. You better prepare yourself next turn! I end my turn with a face-down!" the ninja duelist ended.

"My turn! Draw!" Alex smirked at the card he drew. "I release Kaiser Dragon as two tributes! To Advance Summon! Appear from the rift between light and darkness! Light and Darkness Dragon!" His ace monster emerged from Kaiser Seahorse's destroyed particles.

Light and Darkness Dragon: Level 8/LIGHT/Dragon/2800 ATK/2400 DEF

"Light and Darkness Dragon! Attack that token! Shining Breath!" The two-attributed monster let out its dragon breath at the fake Naruto, destroying it. "I end my turn!"

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her card. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10 Shikamaru in Attack Mode!" A boy with black hair pulled up in a ponytail appeared on her field.

Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10 Shikamaru: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/500 ATK/1000 DEF

"And now I activate Shikamaru's monster effect! By discarding one DARK attribute monster, I can take control of one monster my opponent controls! Mind Body Disturbance Technique!" Bella discarded her last card to the Graveyard, having her monster take control of another one of Alex's dragons.

"That won't happen! Light and Darkness Dragon's special ability! When a card effect activates, by paying 500 ATK and DEF, I can negate that effect! Dark Baptism!" The two-colored dragon let out its dark aura at the ninja, cancelling out its effect.

Light and Darkness Dragon: 2800 - 500 = 2300 ATK/2400 - 500 = 1900 DEF

"That's just great..." the ninja mumbled.

"I guess I shouldn't have done that," the ninja duelist said, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment.

"You got that right," Alex said with a smirk. "You end your turn."

"Yeah."

"Then I draw." Alex drew his next card. "I summon Gaia, the Mid-Knight Sun!" A black knight with a black spear on a white horse with a black helmet on its head appeared on the field.

Gaia, the Polar Knight: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1600 ATK/1200 DEF

"Light and Darkness Dragon attacks Shikamaru! Shining Breath!" The dragon once again let out its breath attack on the ninja.

Alex: 3500 LP
Bella: 5100 LP

"Gaia attacks the player directly! Black Lance!" The knight's horse charged towards Bella, as its owner stabbed his lance at her.

Alex: 3500 LP
Bella: 3500 LP

"I end my turn."

"My turn!" Bella got prepared to draw her next card.

'This is bad. Because of Light and Darkness Dragon's effect, no matter what I use, it'll just be negated. And with that much ATK and DEF, it'll be over for me before- Wait! That's it!' Bella looked at the card in her hand. 'I hope that card comes to me. Please... Come!'

"Draw!" She drew her card. "I activate Shinobi Vengeance! If I have a 'Konohagakure Shinobi' in my Graveyard, I special summon from my hand or deck a 'Konohagahure Shinobi' monster whose team number is the same as the one in my Graveyard. I used up my Team 7s, but I still have Team 10."

"Light and Darkness Dragon's monster effect! I negate your monster's effect by paying 500 of its ATK and DEF! Dark Baptism!" Alex countered.

"That's what I wanted to happen! I activate the Instant Magic, Tailed Beast Changer!"

"What's that?"

"Tailed Beast Changer is an Instant Magic that activates when Naruto is on the field or in the graveyard! By banishing him, I can call out the demon that resides within him! Come! Tailed Beast, Kurama!" Bella took a card from her Extra Deck and summoned a fox-like monster with nine-tails.

Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: Level 9/FIRE/Beast/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

"Great. Because Light and Darkness Dragon's effect is already activated for Shinobi Vengeance, it can't cancel out Tailed Beast Changer," Alex said, as his dragon negated said card's effect.

Light and Darkness Dragon: 2300 - 500 = 1800 ATK/1900 - 500 = 1400 DEF

"Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama! Attack Light and Darkness Dragon with Nine-Tails Beam!" The nine-tailed fox shot a powerful beam at Alex's dragon, obliterating it.

Alex: 2300 LP
Bella: 3500 LP

"This is bad. Alex's ace monster got destroyed," Shou said in a worried tone.

"Is this it?" Hayato asked.

"What are you saying? The duel's just begun," Judai said with confidence.

"Why are you making it sound like you're the one dueling, Big Bro?" the '-roid' duelist asked.

"Well, it's Judai we're talking about," Asuka replied in an obvious tone.

"Still want to keep going?" Bella asked.

"You bet! My turn. Draw!" Alex excitedly answered, drawing his next card. "I set one card face-down and switch Gaia to Defense Mode! I end my turn!"

"I draw! Kurama attacks Gaia! Nine-Tails Beam! And when he attacks a Defense Position monster with DEF lower than its ATK, it deals piercing damage to my opponent!" The fox once again let out a beam attack at Alex's monster, destroying it. The beam didn't stop there, for it made its way towards the opposing duelist. Alex moved to the side to avoid it, only to see the floor it hit have a new hole in it.

Alex: 500 LP
Bella: 3500 LP

This frightened the audience, for they now know that everything the Obelisk said about Bella was true.

"... This is what I wanted to avoid," the psychic duelist muttered.

"You done?" her opponent asked, catching her by surprise.

"Uh... Yeah..."

"Then it's my turn!" Alex drew his next card. "I activate Pot of Greed! I draw two cards from my deck." He drew two more cards. "Next I activate my trap card, Convening of Light! By discarding all cards in my hand to the Graveyard, I add LIGHT monsters from my Graveyard to my hand. I have two cards, so I'll add two LIGHT monsters to my hand." He exchanged his cards. "Next by banishing Gaia the Polar Knight and Kaiser Seahorse from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Lightpulsar Dragon from my hand!" A blue dragon in shining silver armor with blue lights shining around it appeared on his field.

Lightpulsar Dragon: Level 6/LIGHT/Dragon/2500 ATK/1500 DEF

"I end my turn."

"No way. He's giving up?" Shou asked, sad for his friend.

"I wonder..." Kohaku muttered. "That monster card in his hand..."

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "Sorry Alex, but this is the end! Kurama! End this duel with Nine-Tails Beam!" Kurama once again let out a beam attack, ending the duel.

"That won't happen!" Alex declared. "From my hand, I activate Honest's monster effect! If a LIGHT monster I control is battling an opponent's monster, by sending this card to the Graveyard, the LIGHT monster I control gains ATK equal to the opponent's monster!"

"What?"

"Give Lightpulsar Dragon some boost, Honest! Pulsing Light!" An angel arrived and granted the dragon more power.

Lightpulsar Dragon: 2500 + 3000 = 5500 ATK

"Now turn it around, Lightpulsar! Pulsing Light Beam!" The dragon sent a beam of its own from the blue crystal on its chest, deflecting the fox's beam and obliterating it, causing smoke to rise.

Alex: 500 LP
Bella: 1000 LP

The crowd went a bit wild at the turnaround, mostly the reds.

"Nice one!" Shou cheered.

"Just a direct attack and it'll be over!" Hayato also cheered.

"No. It's not over yet," Misawa spoke in a serious tone.

"He's right," Ryo agreed. "Take a good look." They all looked at the smoke covering Bella's field and saw that Kurama was still alive.

"But how?!" Alex asked.

"My trap card, Miracle's Wake. If a monster I control is destroy by battle, I can always bring it back," Bella explained.

"Damn it. And here I thought I would win it."

"It's not going to be that easy. Since Honest's effect didn't end, I'll have to end my turn."

"It's at this moment that Honest's effect is over." Lightpulsar Dragon returned to its normal size.

Lightpulsar Dragon: 5500 - 3000 = 2500 ATK

"And now it's my turn to play!" Alex closed his eyes, silently praying for the card he wanted at this moment.

'Please... Come... COME!'

"My turn! DRAW!" Alex drew his card. "All right! Things are about to get wild around here! From my hand, I summon Gaia, the Mid-Knight Sun!" A LIGHT version of Gaia the Polar Knight appeared next to Lightpulsar Dragon.

Gaia, the Mid-Knight Sun: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1600 ATK/1200 DEF

"Now I activate his effect! Once per turn, by banishing a DARK monster from my Graveyard, I can give one monster on my field 500 more ATK points!"

"Say what?!" Bella gasped.

"If he gives that power to Lightpulsar Dragon, he'll not only destroy both his dragon and Kurama..."

"He can also win this duel with Gaia," Ryo calmly finished for Asuka.

"I banish Gaia, the Polar Knight! White Booster!" The LIGHT-attribute Gaia granted its partner a little more boost.

Lightpulsar Dragon: 2500 + 500 = 3000 ATK

"Battle! I attack Kurama with Lightpulsar Dragon! Pulsing Light Beam!" Both the dragon and the fox released their beam attacks, only for the two attacks to cross each other, hitting their targets. "Finish this! Mid-Knight Sun! White Lance!" The white knight's black horse charged at the opposing duelist, its owner ending the duel once and for all.

Alex: 500 LP
Bella: 0000 LP

WINNER: ALEX!

"I accept defeat," Bella said, as Alex's knight faded away.

At that point, people were all cheering for Alex. Not for his victory, however, but for beating the 'witch'.

"BE QUIET!" Alex and Kohaku shouted in unison, silencing the crowd.

"Are you all bozos or just gullible?!" Alex demanded.

"She may be a psychic duelist, but she's still human!" Kohaku shouted. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that it's not what's on the outside, but what's on the inside that counts?!"

"Who cares if she has some powers? She's still one of us! She's a human and a duelist! She has feelings like the rest of us!"

"Obelisk Blues who used money and connections to get themselves in that level as well as brag about how they're 'stronger' than everyone else are bad enough, but to think that everyone else are also like that! This makes me frustrated enough to keep me from smiling! Enough to make me remember the pain of losing my sister who was accused of murder during a duel! All because she has powers like Bella, and wasn't given a chance to explain herself!"

People were silent at the memory. Seems that the duel with Pandora really hit them hard.

"Why...?" began Bella. "Why go this far for me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Alex asked back. "We're friends right?"

That was enough to have Bella break down in tears.

"You guys... The first people to accept me for these powers besides my aunt and uncle..." Bella said, wiping away her tears. Alex and Kohaku both comforted her.

"Blah blah blah. Just get off the field and watch a real Obelisk duel," Manjoume spoke, ruining the mood.

"Way to kill the mood," Kohaku said in English. Alex guided Bella off the field.

"Get ready to be expelled! I'll char all your hopes into cinders with these flames of malice!" the male Obelisk declared.

"Just try it!"

'Even though I have no idea what deck my dad sent me,' the 'Circus Freak' duelist thought, for she didn't have any time to look at the cards her father sent her that were with the costumes he sent.

"DUEL!"

Manjoume: 4000 LP
Kohaku: 4000 LP

"I'll go first and draw!" Manjoume insisted, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Hell Soldier in Attack Mode!" A heavily-armored soldier appeared with a large sword in hand.

Hell Soldier: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/1200 ATK/1400 DEF

"I place one card face-down to end my turn!"

"My turn. Draw!" She took one look at the cards in her hand and one that she drew. She let out a gasp at the cards before her. "No way... I never thought..."

Judai noticed tears forming in her eyes. "Are you okay, Kohaku?"

"Y-Yeah... Just not believing the cards my dad sent... To think he actually did care..." Kohaku wiped away her tears. "I summon Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki in Attack Mode!" A blonde girl in a school uniform of some kind appeared on her field.

Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1300 ATK/1000 DEF

"A school girl?" Misawa asked.

"Anyone seen a card like that before?" Asuka also asked.

"Hibiki... Is that you?" the performer asked in a whispered tone.

The monster turned. At first, Kohaku thought it was just a monster hologram, when the female monster gave her a thumbs-up and smiled.

"He did keep you guys after all... That's a relief." She brought her attention back to the duel. "Hibiki's monster effect! Once summoned, I can add one 'Relic Weapon' card from my deck to my hand. I add Relic Weapon, Glove! And equip it to Hibiki!" Kohaku immediately activated the card she just drew. "Hibiki, if you can please."

A pendant of some kind appeared in Hibiki's hand. "Got it! Balwisyall nescel Gungnir Tron~" Hibiki sang. All of a sudden, her clothes changed and she donned a white and orange battle uniform with a white scarf around her neck.

"What the-?! What just happened?!" Manjoume demanded.

"Relic Weapon, Glove happened. It can only be equipped to Hibiki and allows her to transform into her combat clothes, as well as giving her 500 ATK boost."

Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: 1300 + 500 = 1800 ATK

"I attack Hell Soldier with Hibiki! Power-Up Punch!" Hibiki's armored fist seemed to have enlarged itself, powering up the strength for a hard punch. She threw her fist down at Hell Soldier, destroying it.

"At this moment, Hell Soldier's special ability activates! It will deal all Battle Damage received by the player straight to the opponent as well!" Manjoume exclaimed.

Just as Hibiki destroyed the soldier, the sword it had went into the air and down at Kohaku, blade first.

Manjoume: 3400 LP
Kohaku: 3400 LP

"Kohaku!" her friends called.

"Are you okay, Kohaku?!" Hibiki asked.

"I'm fine..." Kohaku answered. She then whispered to her monster, "Though I didn't expect you to talk."

"Koharu created me after all. And everyone else in that deck. In fact, she created most of the cards that are in there. And of course, as her twin, you have the same power she does. Of course I'm able to speak with you. Me and everyone else in there."

Kohaku let out a soft sigh of relief. "That makes me even more happy." She looked back at her opponent. "I end my turn with two cards face-down!"

"My turn!" Manjoume drew. "Now I activate the Trap Card, Call of the Living Dead! With this card I can Special Summon a monster back from the Graveyard! The one I choose is this! Be reborn, Hell Soldier!" The Warrior-type monster came back. "Next I activate the Magic Card, Hell Reckless Summoning! This Special Summons Monsters identical to a monster on our fields from our hand, deck and Graveyard! All in Attack Mode!" Manjoume summoned two more Hell Soldiers, while Kohaku didn't summon any more monster.

"What's with Kohaku?" Hayato wondered.

"It's possible that... She only has one Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki in her deck," Alex guessed.

"What?! But-!"

"It's okay, Shou," Judai interrupted his friends worry. "Even if she isn't using 'Circus Freaks', Kohaku will be fine."

"Besides, no matter how many Hell Soldiers he gets together, their ATK power is 1200 each," Asuka pointed out.

"Manjoume must have some sort of plan in store," Ryo guessed.

Manjoume overheard him. "Precisely, Kaiser. And it is I who will succeed you in Obelisk Blue! I activate the Equip Magic, Hell Alliance! This increases the ATK points of the equipped monster by 800 points for each monster with the same name as it. The ATK of my equipped Hell Soldier is-"

"3600," Kohaku answered in a carefree tone, which annoyed her opponent for many reasons.

Hell Soldier: 1200 + 800 + 800 + 800 = 3600 ATK

"Go! Hell Soldier!" The powered-up monster attacked Hibiki.

"I activate the continuous trap card! Relic Weapon Protector! This prevents monsters equipped with 'Relic Weapon' Equip cards from being destroyed by battle!"

"However, you still take damage!" Hell Soldier swung his sword down at Hibiki, who tried to block it with a punch, only to be forced back.

Manjoume: 3400 LP
Kohaku: 1600 LP

"Kohaku!" Shou called out.

"This is bad. Her Life Points are now at 1600," Misawa said. "And furthermore, with Hell Soldier's effect..."

"Kohaku, you better not lose!" Alex warned.

"Don't worry. I won't. Draw." Kohaku drew her next card. "I summon Ichavial Relic User, Chris in Attack Mode!" A white-haired school girl appeared on the field next to Hibiki.

Ichavial Relic User, Chris: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1300 ATK/1000 DEF

"Chris-chan~!" Hibiki slam-hugged Chris.

"Hey! We're in a middle of a battle here!" the new summoned monster reminded.

"I know~"

"Then get off!"

'I see some things never change...' Kohaku thought.

"Chris's monster effect activates! When summoned, I add a 'Relic Weapon' card to my hand. I add Relic Weapon, Gun!" She added the Equip Magic to her hand. "Battle! Hibiki attacks Hell Soldier! Power-Up Punch!" The armored girl attacked one of the unequipped soldier and destroyed him.

"However, when Hell Soldier is destroyed, all damage I take will be forced onto you, too!" Manjoume said, as both players took damage.

Manjoume: 2800 LP
Kohaku: 1000 LP

"Chris attacks your other Hell Solder!" The school girl kicked the soldier where guys didn't like to get hit, making the male audience to look away in slight fear, destroying the monster.

Manjoume: 2700 LP
Kohaku: 900 LP

"Your monsters aren't the only ones that can deal effect damage!"

"What did you say?" Manjoume demanded.

"Chris' monster effect! When she destroys a monster by battle, my opponent takes 100 damage times the level of the destroyed monster! Hell Soldier's level is 4, so that's 400 points of damage!" Chris dashed towards Manjoume, giving him a nasty slap.

Manjoume: 2300 LP
Kohaku: 900 LP

"She can try all she wants, but it's her own Life Points that are getting reduced!" Shou worried.

"No, it's just fine," Judai said.

"Judai's right. The ATK of the Hell Soldier with the Equip Magic is 3600. It can't be defeated unless you summon a considerable powerful monster. But look," Ryo explained to his brother, as the remaining soldier shrunk.

Hell Soldier: 3600 - 800 - 800 = 2000 ATK

"I get it now! With less Hell Soldiers, its ATK has gone down!" the '-roid' duelist realized.

"And since Kohaku has her Relic Weapon Protector on the field, it'll protect her monsters from destruction!" Hayato added.

"Only those equipped with 'Relic Weapon' cards. But you're right, since Kohaku added a 'Relic Weapon' Equip Magic to her hand, if she equips it to Ichaival Relic User, Chris, her monsters are practically indestructible," Asuka agreed.

"She also has more monsters than Manjoume. At this rate, Kohaku will have a chance," Misawa observed.

"I equip Chris with Relic Weapon, Gun! Chris! It's your turn!"

"Got it!" A red pendant appeared in the white-haired girl's hand. "Killiter Ichaival Tron~" Chris sang. Like Hibiki, she transformed in her red combat clothes, a pair of red crossbows in her hands.

Ichaival Relic User, Chris: 1300 + 500 = 1800 ATK

"I end my turn," Kohaku ended.

"My turn!" Manjoume drew his next card. "Fiore! Your petty tricks won't work on me anymore! I sacrifice Hell Soldier and my entire hand to summon Blazing Demon - Hell Burner! Come forth, Hell Burner!" A ball of fire surrounds his soldier as he let out a laugh, confident that he'll win.

"What?!" Kohaku's friends gasped.

"Blazing Demon?!" Bella gasped.

The ball of fire exploded, revealing Manjoume's new monster.

Blazing Demon - Hell Burner: Level 6/FIRE/Fiend/2800 ATK/1800 DEF

"What now, Fiore? My Hell Burner is a high-level monster. And what's more, for every one of my opponent's monsters, its ATK goes up by 200! There are two monsters on your field, so Hell Burner's ATK goes up by 400!"

Blazing Demon - Hell Burner: 2800 + 400 = 3200 ATK

"An ATK of 3200?! No matter what monster she shields herself with, Kohaku's Life Points will go down to 0!" Judai exclaimed.

"Go! Be burned by my flamers of malice and begone from this academy, Fiore!" Hell Burner breathed out hungry flames towards Hibiki.

"I activate my Trap card, Symphogear Caller! This card only activates if my opponent declares an attack. I Special Summon a 'Relic User' monster from my deck and redirect the attack to that monster! Protect me, Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa!" A school girl with long blue hair appeared in Defense Mode, taking the hit for Hibiki.

Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 ATK/1000 DEF

"Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki cried.

"Idiot! Kohaku wouldn't do that unless she has something to bring her back!" Chris scolded.

"She's right, Hibiki," their duelist whispered. She then raised her voice. "And since Tsubasa was summoned, I can add a 'Relic Weapon' card to my hand from my deck. I add Relic Weapon, Sword!"

"All right! She protected herself!" Alex cheered.

"And got an extra card to boot!" Bella also cheered.

"Damn your persistent tricks! However, your end will no doubt come on my next turn."

Kohaku let out a smirk. "I wonder about that."

"What?!"

"It's time for the Grand Finale~!" Kohaku declared. "Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello, everybody~! Finally, after all this damage taking, it's time to reveal the true power of the 'Relic' deck!" The crowd all went wild at the declaration, her Osiris friends included.

"Go for it, Kohaku!" Judai shouted.

"My turn!" Kohaku drew her next card. "I activate Reincarnation of the Monster! By discarding one card from my hand, I can add a monster card from my Graveyard to my hand! I discard Gungnir Relic User, Kanade for Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa! Next I summon her!" The blue-haired girl returned to the field.

"You came back!" Hibiki happily said.

"Was there any doubt?" Tsubasa asked.

"I knew Kohaku was up to something," Chris bragged.

"I won't activate her summon effect, however, she has another effect," their duelist continued. "As long as Gungnir Relic User, Kanade is in my Graveyard, she gains half of Kanade's original ATK and DEF. Which means she gains 1000 more ATK and 500 more DEF!"

Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa: 1400 + 1000 = 2400 ATK/1000 + 500 = 1500 DEF

"Next I equip Tsubasa with Relic Weapon Sword!" their duelist continued.

Like the other two Equip Magics, a red pendant fell into Tsubasa's hand. "Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron~" Like the other two girls, Tsubasa changed into her blue combat clothes, with a sword in hand.

Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa: 2400 + 500 = 2900 ATK

"Have you forgotten? Because you summoned another monster, my Hell Burner gains more power!" Manjoume reminded.

Blazing Demon - Hell Burner: 3200 + 200 = 3400 ATK

"And no matter what you do, my Hell Burner will prevail!"

"You really don't know how shows work," Kohaku mocked. "An entertainer never does tricks for nothing. From my hand I activate my Magic Card, Swan Song! This card can only activates if I have a 'Relic User' monster on my field and have less than 1000 Life Points. I can double the ATK and DEF of all 'Relic User' monsters on my field!"

"If Tsubasa's ATK is doubled, it'll be 5800 ATK!" Hayato calculated.

"She'll win!" Shou said.

"Next is Hibiki's monster effect! All 'Relic User' monsters are unaffected by Swan Song!" Her Osiris' friends all did an anime-fall at that announced effect.

"What was the point of that?" Bella dared to ask.

"It was for this! If Swan Song was activated, Hibiki's ATK becomes twice the total ATK of all 'Relic User' monsters on the field!"

"What?!"

"Girls, hit it~!" Kohaku ordered.

"Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal
Emustolronzen fine el balal zillz
Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal
Emustolronzen fine el balal zillz~"

As soon as the three female monsters finished singing, they began to glow bright and rainbow color. The color was then transferred to Hibiki, as well as all the power that the Magic Card granted.

Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: 1800 x 2 + 1800 x 2 + 2900 x 2 = 13000 ATK

"An ATK of over 10000?!" Manjoume gasped in complete shock.

"Go! Hibiki! Swan Song Tri Burst!" Hibiki set her two wrist guards together on her right wrist and sent a vast tornado of rainbow light at the monster before them, ending the duel.

Manjoume: 0000 LP
Kohaku: 900 LP

WINNER: KOHAKU!

The crowd cheered at her victory.

"Manjoume, as a duelist, you-"

"Shut up!" Manjoume interrupted Kohaku. "You just happened to have luck on your side! Last I remember, you never used that deck or had it!"

"I may have used this deck for the first time, however, that doesn't mean I don't know how it's used. After all, what kind of sister would I be if I don't know my younger twin's cards and dueling strategies?"

Everyone was shocked at the news.

"Wait, the deck your dad gave... was your sister's?" Bella asked.

"And one-of-a-kind. Most of the cards in this deck were all her drawings that won a Duel Monster Drawing contest years back, before she died. By the time she won, it was too late..." She didn't need to say anymore for them to know that her twin died the day her deck was created. "Which is exactly why I asked Pegasus that day to never create any copies of these cards, to honor her. And also, Manjoume, the cards that were thrown into the ocean are, without a doubt, mine."

"How would you know?" her fallen opponent demanded.

"Because Pegasus told me that copies of the 'Circus Freak' cards would be in public a couple months after I transferred to this school. It hasn't been a month yet, which means there are only one of each cards in my Circus Freak deck in the world. Manjoume, those who don't respect their opponents don't have what it takes to be a duelist!" He slumped over, not believing that he had lost again.

"Will Kohaku and Alex both see me in the middle of the field?" Eri requested, as she walked up to the middle of the stadium. The two duelists approached her. "You both dueled remarkably well. If I have the power to, I could just promote the two of you to Obelisk Blue. But, rules are rules. Congratulations. You are both Ra Yellows!"

The audience applauded for them, all congratulating them for the promotion.

"We did it, Alex!" Kohaku cheered.

"You got that right, Kohaku!" Alex agreed.

"Congratulations you two," Misawa spoke, walking to them. "Allow me to be the first Ra Yellow to welcome you two to our dorm." He held out both his hands, each for a hand shake that the two former Osiris Reds accepted.

Bella then come up to them. "You were both amazing, even though I lost to one of you!"

"You weren't bad yourself. Those ninjas of yours are dangerous foes," Alex complimented back.

Kohaku wrapped her arms around both their necks. "I think this should call for a celebration!" Her friends cheered in agreement.