Kais: Thank you for reviewing! :) As for the boy, that really is a good question… ;)

Legionstone: Thank you for reviewing! :) I do know having this sort of slow pace can really be boring to some readers, I'm not too fond of it either… However, I needed a few chapters to set up some things that will be important later on in the story. Just writing Serena going to entrance exams without her being at least a bit introduced to the world of Duel Monsters (or knowing more about her character and her relationships with people close to her) wouldn't feel genuine. The most of the story will be through her eyes after all… ;) I'm glad you liked my approach to introducing her to Duel Monsters! :)

Well, I think it's about time I wrote this chapter…. The Entrance Exams!

I only own my OC's!

"Come on, Serena! Let's go play!" A young boy's voice shouted. "Hey, wait up!" A young girl exclaimed. Children's laughter could be heard yet again… Until it was quiet. "Serena?" The boy asked. "Yes?" "You're my best friend." "You're my best friend too." The girl giggled. "We'll be best friends forever, won't we?" He asked slowly. "Yeah, forever!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"SERENA!" My mother's shouting woke me up. I let out a yelp before jumping in my bed, my heart beating incredibly fast. She was standing right in front of me, with hands on her hips. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she was dressed in a green dress. "Mum, you've scared me!" I looked up at her with a frown.

She frowned back at me. "I also prevented you from being late to your entrance exam." She reminded. Wait, what was she talking about?! I quickly looked at the alarm on my night table. My eyes widened once I saw it was nearly nine o'clock!

"CAZZO!" I shouted and jumped out of my bed. If I didn't get out of the house in ten minutes, I would definitely be late!

I raced to the bathroom and grabbed my hairbrush. I immediately started brushing my hair. "Why didn't you hear the alarm?" Mum asked from behind me. I turned around to look at her while still brushing my mess of a hair. "I don't know… I guess I just slept in." I presumed the most obvious.

Mum gave me a look of disapproval. "Professors won't tolerate that at the Academy." She said curtly. I let out a groan. Here she was, pretending I always slept in… But this time, I really had no intention to!

It's been two weeks since my parents and I moved back to Rome. It definitely wasn't easy for me. I would miss my old home, and Sarina and Sartorius… However, they encouraged me to keep going forward. They promised to call me every Saturday so they could hear how I was doing. I would also call them in case I had problems I had to talk about.

Ben had entrance exams at the Domino City yesterday. Apparently, he was accepted into the Duel Academy, and he was quite happy about it. He also managed to run into some idiots that day, including a guy called Chazz Princeton… Whoever that was. The only reason I bothered to listen about him was because Ben had this whole 'hate speech' directed towards the guy. I only remembered his name anyway; I didn't bother with the description.

Apparently, he accidentally stepped on his foot, and the 'Chazz' guy took it to such extremes with shouting at my poor cousin that the security had to come and see what was going on.

Anyway, he was already accepted. He also met some nice people from what I heard. However, I didn't really remember the names… Not that it mattered. He was going to the Duel Academy, and that was most important.

Today was supposed to be the practical part of my exam. The written part was yesterday. As far as I was concerned, it went rather well, especially since Ben told me about the basics only a month and a half ago. Now I just had to win the stupid duel so my hell trip could officially begin. Oh, la gioia…

I dressed into my old school uniform (a blue blazer, blue leggings and a grey skirt) so I would look at least a bit presentable. Seeing there was nothing I could do to actually make my hair look tidy, I quickly opened a night table drawer. I started looking through it in hopes of finding a hair tie.

However, there was no sign of it. I let out another groan in annoyance. World really hated me for hating Duel Monsters so much… I started looking through a box in the drawer. I did find it, but something else caught my attention. There was this bracelet I had never seen before….

My eyebrows furrowed as I took it in my hands and started observing it. It was a string bracelet which had a charm in the center. I looked at the charm better. It seemed to be in a shape of a Duel Monsters card… My eyes widened in surprise.

This was really weird. Why I even had this in my drawer, I had no idea. This was the first time I even saw the bracelet! "Serena, what's taking you so long?" Mum asked while walking into the room, her annoyance as clear as day. "Sorry, Mum, I was just…." I started while looking up.

However, I stopped in confusion. Her eyes were as wide as saucers, and they were looking at what I was holding in my hands. "Where did you get that?" She asked icily. I couldn't help feeling a bit scared at the sudden change in her tone. "I… I found it in my drawer…." I trailed off nervously.

"Give it to me." She held out her hand expectantly. I raised an eyebrow at her in confusion. I honestly didn't understand a thing by now… Why was she getting all worked up over a stupid bracelet?! "Why would you want this kind of stuff?" I gave her a questioning look while lifting the bracelet up. "Serena, give me that bracelet…." Mum started threateningly.

However, before she could finish, Dad called her to come downstairs. She looked at the door before turning her attention back to me. "Before you get out, I want that thing on the table." She said warningly, her eyes not leaving the object in my hands. I frowned but stayed quiet. She then ran out.

I, on the other hand, put the bracelet on my left wrist, right under my long sleeve. Even though I disliked Duel Monsters, there was something about this bracelet that made me want to wear it. I didn't know why; it was that feeling in my gut… Besides, ignoring the stupid charm in the middle of the string, the bracelet looked rather nice. I also probably wanted to wear it because Mum wanted it so badly….

That was actually what puzzled me the most. She was overreacting over a simple bracelet…. The question was why. I looked down at the bracelet yet again. Maybe this could be some sort of a good luck charm for me. I could survive three years of hell thanks to this thing!

However, then I remembered I still had to go to the entrance exam! "Cazzo, I'll be late!" I exclaimed in panic and quickly grabbed the Duel Disk and the Deck Box from my table. Mum and Dad bought me the Duel Disk a few days ago so I could use it at the entrance exam (yes, apparently you had to come with your own, a bit stupid, but again, the whole Duel Monsters idea had no logic…).

I ran out of the room and downstairs, grabbing my shoes along the way. "Serena?" Dad called from the living room. "Yes?" I shouted while putting on the shoes. He came out of the room. "Listen… You still have the bracelet with you?" He asked slowly. I frowned. What the heck was up with those two and that stupid bracelet?!

I moved up the sleeve and lifted up my left arm, showing the bracelet on my wrist. Dad's eyes landed on it before looking back at me. His mouth formed into a straight line for a few seconds. "Do not listen to what your mother had told you. You can keep it." He finally said. "Thanks." I said coldly and opened the door. "Good luck on the exam!" I could hear him shouting. I shouted back 'thanks' before closing them.

I was racing the fastest I could through the city. By the time I was in front of a huge building, I could still some people entering it. Two girls dressed in blue uniforms were sitting by a table and looking at candidates. One of them had long, blond hair and green eyes. The other one had curly, black hair and blue eyes.

When I walked over to the table, the crowd had already dispersed. About time too, since I had only ten minutes until ten o'clock. "Good morning." I greeted the girls with a small smile. Leaving the first impression was the most important thing… Even though that was the last thing I wanted at the moment. What I really wanted was to just run and get out of here.

"Good morning." They greeted back. "Your name?" The blonde one asked. "Serena Accardi." I quickly said. "There it is." The black-haired girl pointed at the paper. "You've brought your Duel Disk?" She looked up at me. I lifted my left arm up to show it to her.

After a few moments, she and the blonde girl looked at each other before nodding. "It's alright, you're allowed to enter." The former smiled. "Have a nice day." I smiled back at them, slowly heading towards the entrance of the building.

Finding the dueling arena wasn't that hard, because directions were written on walls. After about five minutes of going forward, then left, right, and down the hall, I ran through the opened door.

My eyes widened in astonishment. I had to admit, this place was huge! There were about four fields down there, and the arena had a lot of seats. When I looked up, I could see another, upper part of the arena, which was also filled with seats. Wicked…

I walked down, going past some rows. Finally, I sat on a nearby seat. There were so many people in here… That was why I chose the row which had emptiest number of seats. In fact, there was only one person in the row, a few seats away from me.

It was a guy. He was about my age, based on what I could see. The guy was of African descent. He had black hair and light brown eyes. He was also dressed in a school uniform, but he had a golden pendant around his neck.

Apparently, I was staring too long at him because his eyes landed on me. "You know, it's not polite to stare." He said. There was this calm look on his face. His voice was also calm, yet I could also detect a hint of annoyance. Yet, it never overtook the calmness of his voice…

"Sorry." I yelped and quickly looked away. Just leave it to me to stare at other people like an idiot… Wait. Why did I even care about it? I wasn't supposed to care about what others thought!

"Serena Accardi, please report to Field 3. Axel Brodie, please report to the Field 4." A male voice said through the megaphone. My eyes widened and my heart started beating faster the moment he called my name. Why did they have to go by alphabetical order?! I was so frightened at the moment; I just wanted for the ground to swallow and be done with me! I didn't even know how this duel was going to end, and if I didn't win, my parents would only make me try to get in again, and the nightmare would never….

"Are you Serena Accardi?" The voice asked me. I quickly looked to the side to see that guy looking at me with a frown. "Yes, that's me!" I exclaimed. "Then you'd better report to the field. They're waiting." He reminded. "Oh, yes, thanks." I said sheepishly. "That way I could also report to the field, since you're blocking my way." He added with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

My eyes widened in a bit of surprise. "Wait, so you're that Axel guy?" I quickly asked. The guy nodded. "Axel Brodie." He introduced himself calmly. "I'm Serena." I quickly offered my hand to him. He looked at it with a frown. "I know, I've already heard your name." He said simply. "Oh." I looked down, about to put my hand away… Only for Axel to quickly shake it. I looked up in surprise, but shook his hand too.

I then moved out of the way and Axel walked away without another word. "Shoot." I hissed, remembering I had to go down as well. I quickly ran to the Field Number 3.

"Whatever happens, don't panic. You can get out of anything if you stay calm." Ben's words from yesterday's call were echoing in my head. "Good luck tomorrow! Although I do know you'll pass the exam…" Aunt Maria's words were now in my head instead. Even though I had no idea why Aunt was so convinced I was going to pass this thing…

"Serena… You're an awesome duelist. But you tend to overthink things… Just don't think too much about what's going to happen, and don't panic. Duels are supposed to be fun, not to make you stressed!" Suddenly, those words were going right through my mind. It was that boy… Even though I had no idea where those words were coming from, for some reason… They instantly made me feel at ease. It made me feel a lot better.

When I got to the field, I could see a tall man right across. He was dressed in a blue uniform, and he had dark blue hair and dark blue eyes. "Your name?" The examiner asked. "Serena Accardi." I said, getting my Deck Box out of the pocket of my blazer. I then took out the cards and put the box back in my pocket. Right after that, I shuffled the deck for a few seconds and put it in the place on Duel Disk.

"Well, Miss Accardi, let's see if you have what it takes to enter the academy!" The examiner said, taking out his Duel Disk. From what I could see, it was quite different from mine… I quickly nodded. As much as I didn't want to have what it took, I would then have to try again, and that's exactly what I wanted to avoid.

The examiner activated his Duel Disk, and I did so as well. Both of us took out five cards with our right hands.

Examiner: 4000 LP

Me: 4000 LP

"Um… Whose turn is it?" I asked nervously. "Ladies first." The examiner motioned for me to start. "Fine." I said, quickly placing the cards in my right hand. I then drew another card.

Finally, I eyed all of my cards with a frown. I had 'Desert Rose', 'Mystical Space Typhoon', 'Rapid Evolution', 'Mountain Wolf', 'Call of the Haunted' and 'Defensive Mimicry'…. Ben told me I should always have facedowns in case the opponent wanted to attack me. I was going to listen to his words and do so.

"First, I'll summon Desert Rose in Defense Mode." I declared while putting the card on the slot of the Duel Disk. A plant with red flowers, eyes, and parts which looked like arms and legs but were of a plant, appeared on the field in Defense Mode (ATK/DEF:1000/500).

The examiner frowned. "A rather weak monster for defense…. Are you sure you know what you're doing?" He asked. Oh, but I knew… However, I didn't say anything. "I'll put in two facedowns and end my turn." I put facedowns in the back of the Duel Disk just as they appeared on the field.

"My turn." The examiner drew a card. "I'm summoning Marauding Captain in Attack Mode." The monster appeared in Attack Mode (ATK/DEF:1200/400).

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. I had no idea what type of monster this was… Not that I knew much about them anyway! It's just that… Knowing more about that monster would make things easier for me, if I knew its strengths and weaknesses… However, knowing I didn't know much, I would just have to hope for best with what I had.

"When he's summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my hand," The examiner looked up at me with a smirk on his face. Judging by that expression, he was about to give me hell. No one smirked like that without a good reason!

"So, I'll summon X-Saber Pashuul in Defense Mode!" The monster appeared in Defense Mode (ATK/DEF:100/0). My eyebrows furrowed. Zero points? What was the point? There must have been some sort of a catch… "Now go, Marauding Captain, attack the Desert Rose!" The man told his monster.

The Marauding Captain was already flying towards my Desert Rose, getting ready to destroy it… I looked at my monster for a moment, then at facedowns I had. Playing one would definitely save Desert Rose…. However, I decided to save it for later. That way, I wouldn't be able to use its Special Effect!

The monster attacked my Desert Rose, destroying it. "My card's Special Effect activates!" I declared firmly. "When you destroy the Desert Rose, I'm allowed to destroy one card at your field… And I choose the Marauding Captain!" I pointed at the monster. It disappeared in small particles. "I'll put two facedowns and end my turn." The examiner frowned. Two facedowns appeared on the field.

I drew a card. "My monster's Special Effect activates!" The examiner suddenly declared. I looked up in utter surprise. What the heck was this?! "Each time you draw a card, you lose 1000 points." He smirked yet again.

My eyes widened and I let out a growl once I checked my gear. My points were already down to 3000 because of that single move…

Examiner: 4000 LP

Me: 3000 LP

What was I thinking?! Why didn't I use the Desert Rose's effect to destroy that stupid little monster instead?! I even stated how there was some sort of a catch if he had freaking 0 points… Serena, you were an idiot!

"Fine." I looked up. I may have made a mistake, but this thing wasn't over yet. I could hopefully still turn things around if I played the damn cards right. "I activate 'Graceful Charity'!" I lifted the card up. It disappeared after a few moments. "It allows me to draw three cards, and discard two from my hand!" I drew three cards and looked at them, then I discarded two. I didn't exactly get the best cards…

However, I think I knew what to do, at least for this turn. "I'll summon Mountain Wolf in Attack Mode!" I put the card in the slot. A grey wolf howled, appearing in Attack Mode (ATK/DEF:800/1500). "Thanks to its Special Effect, the Mountain Wolf is able to attack you directly." I let a smile appear on my face. "Go, Mountain Wolf, attack him!" I ordered.

The wolf let out a howl before running right towards the examiner. It used its claws to attack him. The examiner let out a yelp. I quickly looked at my gear. His Life Points were down to 3200.

Examiner: 3200 LP

Me: 3000 LP

I let out a sigh. It wasn't much, but at least there was 200 of difference between our Life Points now. "I'll set another facedown, and end my turn." I said, setting another facedown. Still, if I didn't think of something soon, I might as well end up losing this thing…

The examiner drew a card. "I'll play 'Mystical Space Typhoon', to destroy one of your facedowns." He declared. The facedown from earlier appeared, revealing itself to be 'Mystical Space Typhoon'. My 'Call of The Haunted' card I had set up a few moments ago was destroyed. "Cazzo." I muttered under my breath.

"Then I'll summon D.D. Assailant in Attack Mode!" The monster appeared (ATK/DEF:1700/1600). "Now, attack her Mountain Wolf!" Just as the Assailant was about to attack, I smirked. "I activate my Trap Card, 'Rapid Evolution'!" I declared.

The facedown lifted itself up. "Thanks to this card, my monster's immune to any attack for one turn." I explained. The monster attacked my wolf, but it passed right through it. "It saved you this time." The examiner frowned. "I'll end my turn."

I drew another card. "You lose another 1000 Life Points." The man reminded. I frowned.

The Examiner: 3200 LP

Me: 2000 LP

I looked at the monsters on his side of field. That 'Pashuul' thing was the real problem… I remembered it now. Ben told me something about this type of cards… That thing practically couldn't be destroyed by attacking it! If only I had used my Desert Rose in the right way back then…

Suddenly, I could have sworn I heard a howl. "Huh?" I looked around in confusion. "What's that?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing. "What was what?" The examiner raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you hear a howl?" "I didn't hear anything." He frowned.

Suddenly, what seemed to be a spirit of a dingo appeared next to me. I was staring at it in utter surprise. However, I then looked down at the card I had drawn. It was the 'Wetland Dingo'… I had no idea why in the world I could actually see it as a spirit… However, I couldn't summon it now. This was Level 7 monster after all, I needed to sacrifice two monsters…. Thankfully, I knew how to handle that part. I still had my 'Ocean Bacteria' card after all… The real problem was the 'Pashuul' card.

I looked at my hand with cards. I still had 'Defensive Mimicry', 'Wetland Dingo', 'Ocean Bacteria', and 'Mystical Space Typhoon'… Finally, I looked up.

"I activate 'Mystical Space Typhoon', which destroys your facedown." I declared, lifting up the card. The examiner's facedown was destroyed. "Then I'll summon Ocean Bacteria in Defense Mode." I summoned the monster. A white, giant-looking bacteria in shape of cylinder appeared in Defense Mode (ATK/DEF:1200/500). "Mountain Wolf's effect activates, which means he'll attack you directly yet again." I added.

The wolf slashed its claws at the examiner, taking another 800 of his Life Points.

The Examiner: 2600 LP

Me: 2000 LP

"I'll end my turn by setting a facedown." I finished.

The man drew another card. "I'll play 'Reinforcement of The Army', which allows me to add a Level 4 or lower Warrior from deck to my hand." He declared. I resisted the urge to groan. Those two were a real pain already, and now he wanted to summon a third one?!

"I'm summoning Command Knight in Attack Mode (ATK/DEF:1200/1900). Thanks to its Special Effect, other Warrior-Type monsters on my field gain 300 Attack Points!" My eyes widened. This wasn't good….

"Command Knight, attack her Mountain Wolf, and D. D. Assailant, attack her Ocean Bacteria!" He ordered.

Both of the monsters were flying to mine, getting ready to attack… First it was the Command Knight. "I activate 'Defensive Mimicry'!" I shouted, revealing my facedown. "With this card, my wolf gains appearance of your monster, therefore confusing him and stopping him from attacking!" Just as I said those words, Mountain Wolf gained the appearance of the Command Knight.

The real Command Knight stopped and looked at my monster in confusion. However, it retreated back to its side of the field. "Smart move…" The examiner mused. "But my other monster can still destroy your bacteria!" He then reminded. "That's exactly what I'm looking forward too." I smirked, suddenly feeling pleased.

The other monster destroyed my bacteria. "Now that you have destroyed my Ocean Bacteria, two smaller ones appear in its place." I stated. Two smaller bacteria appeared, with ATK/DEF:600/500 points each. "I'll end my turn." He said.

I drew another card. "Another 1000 points." The man reminded me. "Yeah, I know." I frowned.

Examiner: 2600 LP

Me: 1000 LP

I couldn't keep up like this. If I didn't win on this turn, then I'd lose on the next one… I looked at the card I had drawn. If this thing didn't bring me luck, then I'd be done for.

"I activate 'Pot of Greed'!" I declared and lifted up the card. "It allows me to draw two cards." I drew two cards and then smirked. For the first time, I felt like I knew what I was doing. I had him right where I wanted…

"Then, I'll activate Mountain Wolf's Special Effect, which means you'll lose 800 points again." I said. The wolf attacked the examiner.

Examiner: 1800 LP

Me: 1000 LP

"Now, I'll sacrifice those two bacteria to summon Wetland Dingo." I declared just as they disappeared from the field.

The dingo appeared on the field with a howl (ATK/DEF:2400/1800). "Go, Wetland Dingo! Attack his Command Knight!" I declared. The dingo charged right towards the monster and slashed its claws at it. It was destroyed. The man's Life Points fell to 600.

Examiner: 600 LP

Me: 1000 LP

"That still doesn't help you," The examiner frowned. "You'll lose on the next turn." "Except that I'm not done." I smirked. "I activate 'Fair in War'." I lifted up the card in my hand.

"With this card, both us lose the amount of Life Points equal to the lowest amount of Attack Points of a monster on my field." I looked straight at him. "And since my Mountain Wolf has 800 Attack Points…." I trailed off with a smirk.

The man's eyes widened just as the card started shining. An explosion could be heard as both of us lost some of our Life Points.

Examiner: 0 LP

Me: 200 LP

All of the monsters on the field disappeared as smoke cleared. I could even hear cheering coming from some people.

The examiner looked at me from across the field. "Congratulations. You're officially accepted into West Duel Academy." He smiled. "Thank you." I smiled back. While I was still against this idea, for some reason, I couldn't help feeling some sort of excitement. This was the first time I actually won this… And I was pleased that I won. However, that was most probably because my parents wouldn't have to force me to take this exam again… Yes, that was it.

When I got off the Dueling Field, I could see Axel looking at me a few meters away. His arms were folded while he was leaning on a nearby seat with the left leg against it. "Well, congratulations." He said calmly, that frown not leaving his face at all. "Thanks." I smiled. "Did you pass as well?" I then asked curiously. He simply nodded. "Congratulations to you too then!" I grinned. He nodded, not saying anything else.

"I'll see you at the Academy then." He walked away. I was looking after his disappearing form. He sure didn't like talking to other people… I could understand him though. He was just an acquaintance after all, I had no friends…. Nor did I need them.

I looked at the bracelet under my left sleeve. Well, who would have thought? Looks like this thing really did bring me luck!

Letting out a sigh of relief, I ran towards the exit, wanting to call Ben, then Aunt, and Sartorius and Sarina to tell them the 'good' news.

Well…. That's it! Now… Next few chapters will be at the West Duel Academy! I can't wait for upcoming chapters because this is just the beginning! I hope you liked it and until next time! :)