Yay, the chapter is here at last. This would have been up more than a week ago, but I got sick, then I started my new job, and a few other things happened. However, it's here, and it's good stuff. Enjoy!
The Way of the Dreamer
Chapter Five-Set Upon the Frozen Heavens
There was a certain level of excitement amongst the teachers, who had gathered together in one of the various conference rooms set up throughout the school. They had all been called together for an important meeting rather suddenly. So suddenly, in fact, that classes for the remainder of the day had been cancelled for the sake of this meeting. And in the minds of the teachers, if it could force classes out of the schedule for the day, then it obviously was worth going to.
Now they found themselves looking up at the massive video screen ahead of them, upon which was the image of a man nearing middle age. However, despite his obvious age he had a very youthful air about him, so overwhelming that it even found its way into his voice.
"It's rather short notice." Principal Tsuji commented, furrowing his brow. "I mean, we would need to go through and run a systems check on all the arenas, plus the school budget is being currently directed at expanding the dorms for next year when we plan on increasing the school population."
"Nonsense!" the man on the other end of the phone line declared. "There's nothing you can't do with a pocket knife and some duct tape!" The teachers, save Tsuji and Katsu, all giggled at the joke. Turning back to the man on the screen, who continued, his grin still on his face. "But seriously, have no fear. I'll have my technicians there by nightfall. They'll have your arenas up and running before you can say Blue Eyes White Dragon. As for cost, I'll handle that as well. Why, I could even send over a decorator if you'd like. Put up some new wallpaper, maybe some chandeliers..."
"I think it would be a wonderful idea." Kita spoke up, drawing attention to herself. "The students have just started to adapt to school life away from home. No doubt they're feeling overwhelmed, and this would be a way to lighten their spirits."
"Exactly!" the business man beamed. "I like her." At this, Kita began to blush a deep crimson.
"No need to flatter me such, Mr. Pegasus." she squeaked.
"Oh, but I must." the president of Industrial Illusions pressed. "Because my hero, Funny Bunny, never missed a chance to compliment a woman when she deserved it. As such, as his devoted follower, I must do the same!"
"I think we're getting off track." Katsu pointed out, his voice level and collected.
"Oh, you're no fun." Pegasus pouted, his eyes pointed at the head of Ra Yellow, who simply turned his head away. "Anyway, all that aside, I'll see you this weekend. Tootles!" he waved, and with that, the transmission ended.
Sighing, Principal Tsuji turned back to his staff and spread his arms out on either side. "Well, you heard the man. We have five days to get this place presentable."
XXXXXXXXXXX
Less than two hours later, word had spread throughout the school that Industrial Illusions would be hosting the first Duelist Academy Duel Festival that very week. It set an instant tone of excitement for the students, who wanted to show the world what they were made of. Even more importantly, to some at least, it would be a chance for them to have official duels to improve their rank.
The very air about the school had been filled with a new level of energy. Students suddenly found themselves compelled to make changes to their decks that they never altered before. Some began to pour through their textbooks or hound their teachers for advice. And others began to work feverishly to complete assignments for certain classes...
"Class, I've got a new assignment for you." Kita Saira spoke to the first years in the lecture hall. "You've all begun to grasp the concept of how to make your own cards, but here in Card Development 210 you need to be able to make full sets of cards."
Sitting up, Kazuki tried his best to log everything she said away in his memory. He looked around and noticed that many other students who had never shown any interest in class were now listening very intently. He suspected that they planned on coming up with their own cards and planned on trying to impress Pegasus himself when he came on Friday.
Turning back to the lecture, Kazuki felt his body relax to a degree. Of all his classes, this one was perhaps his favorite. He enjoyed creating cards of his own, even if he wouldn't be able to ever use them in a duel. His only regret was that he was sure that, if he could use a deck of his own creation that he would be much stronger.
'Strong enough...to beat Riza, even.' he mentally declared, his insides shaking with both shame and fury. Even though he had been devastated by her Isindath-Supreme Dragon nearly two weeks ago, he could still feel his spirits hanging heavy as a result.
"Now, many of you should recall that at the beginning of the semester you each submitted to me an idea for an original card set of your creation, including an essay explaining the strategies of the deck you would make around that card set, as well as an example of one magic, one trap, and one monster card from the deck. For you first major project, I want you to use the ideas you presented in that assignment and make full decks for them. They will be due next Friday. That gives you ten days." she explained. Then, turning to the board she began to write numbers down in a list format. Once she had one through six up, she turned her attention back to the students.
"Someone give me a basic deck type and strategy." At first only one or two hands reached into the air, but soon others gained confidence and also lifted their arms.
Pointing, Kita called on a young man towards the middle of the room. Lowering his hand, he called out "Warriors are effective swarmers." he stuttered. Nodding, Kita wrote what he had said down next to the number "1". Turning back, she called on another student, this time a girl with bright red hair.
"Wind-themed cards are generally associated with magic and trap destruction of one form or another."
This pattern carried on for a nearly forty minutes, the students listing decks and strategies, the occasional discussion being raised. Reminding the students once more about the project, Kita dismissed the class.
Gathering his books into his hands, Kazuki rose to his feet and turned into the isle to leave the room. Once again he was the last to exit, but it didn't matter to him. That's how it had always been, and he saw little difference to change it. Slipping into the sea of students, he practically ground to a halt, waiting to be carried with the tide.
Looking around, trying to see above the heads of varying heights and hair colors he searched for some hidden path to lead him swiftly out from the major flow of traffic. As he did, he noticed that there was a section of the crowd up ahead that actually seemed to be parting for some reason. As it drew closer, he also noticed that people around him were growing quieter and the subjects of their conversations shifted as they began to speak in hushed whispers.
As he tried to get a better view to see whatever it was that was causing the schism in the crowd, he failed to notice how close the cause had come to him, and so failed to react when the people all around him moved aside. As people scuffled all around his bobbing form, it wasn't long before his feet were tightly surrounded on all sides. Seconds later someone's knee bent forward, tapping his strained knee calf, and that was all that was needed to send Kazuki crashing to the ground with a yelp, his books clapping against the tile floor with a loud snap before sliding several feet forward, nearly finding themselves under a foot.
Seconds later, a dazed Kazuki was lifting his head off of the ground, rubbing a red spot on his face just above his eyes. Wincing in pain, he picked himself up to one knee, failing to notice that everyone's attention had shifted to him as he began to gather the items that had fallen closest to him.
"Here you go." a sweet, feminine voice spoke as the folder that had skidded farthest from him was pushed into his vision.
"Thanks." he gruffly muttered as he grabbed it from the good Samaritan's hands, keeping his eyes downcast as he straightened his items and rose to his feet. "Any idea what everyone was trying to avo-?" he asked, finally lifting his eyes, his words getting lost as he did. Standing directly in front of him was a young woman who had to be at least two years older than him, dressed in an Obelisk Blue uniform, though her's seemed a bit looser than the one Riza had worn, along with a longer skirt. Her hair was dark brunette hair and she had soft grey eyes.
Kazuki simply continued to stare.
Giggling, the girl turned back to her friends and they continued on their way, the students parting out of the way for them, some even bowing to her.
Blinking, Kazuki shook his head to snap himself from his trance as the pack of girls disappeared around a corner. Reaching out to the nearest person, he pulled them close and in a hushed voice demanded something simple: "Who was that?"
"You kidding?" the second year Obelisk Blue boy asked, raising an eyebrow, causing the blue bandana wrapped around his head to shift. After a few moments of Kazuki's eyes remaining fixed on the corner where the girl had vanished, the upper class man decided to state the obvious. "You're not kidding." Kazuki merely shook his head slowly. Sighing, the boy answered, "That was Rangiku Mitsuhoshi. She's the number one duelist here."
At this, Kazuki jerked his head around in surprise, gawking at the boy with the bandana. She was the top ranked duelist at the Academy! His look of shock was met shortly thereafter by a light slap up the back of his head.
"Grow up, kid. She's way out of anyone's league. Besides, it isn't proper to gawk at a girl like that." the blue student reprimanded before walking off, his posture slightly rigid.
Rubbing his head, Kazuki glanced down at his watch and yelped. It was Wednesday, so his Deck Construction class was held in the afternoon, and now he was going to be late!
Taking off in a dash, he tried his best to avoid running people over, taking care to swiftly apologize to those he did run into.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Walking briskly, Eizan worked his way through the halls of Duelist Academy, taking his practiced route. Of course, he quickly realized that he would have to alter said route, due to the fact that he was later than usual. Normally he was walking these halls ten minutes earlier, before the students got out of classes. As a result, he found himself getting tossed and turned by the tide of human bodies.
"Excuse, if you would." he called as he waded from student to student. After getting bumped for what seemed like the millionth time, he found himself stumbling backwards into a wooden door, which began to swing open under the pressure of his weight. Reaching out with his left arm, he managed to catch the handle, using it as an anchor to keep himself from crashing against a wall that had been erected just a few feet beyond the threshold of the door.
Brushing himself off, he turned around, trying to determine where he was. Quickly he discovered that the wall he had nearly crashed into was covered in tile. Seconds later he was startled when he heard what sounded like giggling, and then running water.
Eyes nearly bursting from their sockets, he glanced again at the tile-coated wall, his face flushing rapidly between stark white and burning crimson. "Pink tile? Water? Giggling?" Even as he was starting the action to flee, he saw two shadows coming around the wall. Long before he could grab the handle, the bodies that cast the shadows had come around, followed by a low gasp.
Flushing even more extreme variations of the two previous skin tones, Eizan nervously waved, his breath nearly stopped altogether. Bowing slightly while still trying to find the door handle, he uttered, "My deepest apologies, ladies. I did not mean to intrude into your bathr-" but before he could finish his apology, Professors Miya Masuko and Kita Saira had both shrieked loud enough that Professor Katsu Yoriyoi on the other end of the compound was forced to check his glasses for potential cracks.
"Pervert! Peeping Tom!"
"Ladies, please forgive me!" Eizan called over his shoulder as he dashed through the hallway, seemingly ignoring the students as he worked his way through them.
XXXXXXXXXXX
"Class, today we will be examining a Bounce deck." Eizan declared from his podium. Looking out into the crowd, he frowned when he realized that many of the students were either snickering or giggling. Of course he knew why they were, and his face hung because of it. Rubbing his eye, he decided it would be better to quickly explain and get it over with. "I had a bit of an incident, that I did." he explained, sighing in embarrassment as he traced his new black eye before proceeding with his lesson.
A half hour later he clicked the projector off and turned back to the students. "I'd like to take the remainder of the class time to talk with you about this weekends Duel Festival, that I would. This will be a chance for anyone who wishes to enter into a match against any opponent within their division. These duels will be for all to see, and if you want you may request that a teacher oversee the match if you want to try and improve your rank. There will also be a special exhibition match at the end of the day, that there will be."
"Now, this is an important even for the school, that it most certainly is. Industrial Illusions is sending a number of representatives to oversee this event, since they're sponsoring it. Among those coming will be Maximilian Pegasus himself." As he explained this, Eizan left a minute for the expected gasps of shock and excitement to escape. "As this is the case, please be considerate, and remember that should you choose to duel, you are representing both yourself, as well as myself and the other teachers, that you are. Please, give it your all. Class dismissed."
As one the students began to rise from their seats, the rumbling of books and scuffling feet thundering throughout the room. As they began to file out, Eizan's voice was heard calling, "Kazuki, could you please come here?"
Startled by the sudden request, Kazuki turned one hundred and eighty degrees and approached the stage, where Professor Eizan was waiting with his arms crossed over his chest.
"So, how do you like Professor Yoriyoi's class?" the silver-haired teacher asked, smiling. Taken aback by the seemingly random question, Kazuki had to remind himself that it was this professor who had gotten him into said class in the first place.
"It's fine." he mumbled.
"That's good to hear, that it is." Eizan continued to smile, and then his face became slightly more serious, though he did maintain his bright spirit. "However, that is not the reason I asked you to stay behind. I want to make you an offer, that I would."
"Offer?" Kazuki raised an eyebrow, confused. Hadn't he already received an offer from this teacher when he got involved into Katsu's class? And wasn't it now far too late to enter into any other classes?
"Yes, you see, I've been finding myself slightly overwhelmed with all of my work-I teach the most classes out of any of the faculty, that I do. I have plenty of time for grading papers, true, but there's a great deal of work outside of that, and that is why I would like to speak with you. I want to offer you a job, that I do."
Surprised, Kazuki stared dumbly at the professor. A job? What could he do to make life easier for his teacher?
"I would like to hire you as an assistant who could file things for me, run small errands related to my work, things like that, that I would." Eizan continued to explain, not seeming to notice Kazuki's look of shock.
Still shocked, Kazuki said the only thing he could think of: "I don't know what to say."
"You could accept, that you could." came the response.
"But why me? I'm just a freshman, and I don't have any kind of work experience. Besides," Kazuki mumbled, turning away, trying to find the words he wanted. "I'm not that strong, as either a duelist or a person. I keep on losing duels and..." he let his voice trail off, creating an uneasy silence for a few minutes.
"Kazuki, you don't give yourself enough credit, that you most certainly do not." Eizan reassured, resting an arm on Kazuki's tense shoulder. "First off, just because you lose a duel doesn't make you weak. All it proves is that there are strong opponents out there willing to face you. Not only that, but it shows that you are human, that it does. Secondly, you may be a freshman, but you're also the top student in my class, that you are. Although you scored fifth on my first test, you have scored first on the two we have had since then. You realized your mistakes in the first test and quickly adapted your own learning and response systems in order to improve almost instantaneously. On top of that, you are handling a full schedule, along with an upper level course with one of the strictest teachers this academy has ever had, that you have. I think you are more ideal for this position than any other student I've ever had, that I do."
Smiling weakly, Kazuki took in these words and tried to sort them out. Tapping the now loosened shoulder, Eizan sighed and smiled again. "I'll need you to start work the Monday after the Festival. If you want to back out, please let me know before the weekend gets here."
XXXXXXXXXXX
The level of excitement one could feel in the main stadium of the school was beyond anything anyone there had ever felt before. Rumors concerning who would duel and who would face who had been given plenty of time to fester over the past few days. Bets, regardless of the school rules against it, had been laid, involving everything from rare cards to money to comic books.
Students who had signed up for duels filled the bottom ring of benches, no more than thirty feet away from the arena itself. Some sat calm, meditating in preparation. Others shuffled through their decks, either considering last minute changes or just to try and fight off the anxiety. A few, however, were beyond the comfort that their cards could give them, and were visibly trembling in fear.
Video cameras were being wired all around the room in order to catch every second of the duels. Word was that the event was being broadcast world-wide. Then again, another rumor had been spread that Pegasus had declared that he wanted to the whole event on DVD.
Shrugging, Kazuki remained in his current position in the crowd, hunched forward and his head looking down, resting on his hands, deep in thought. Since there were still a few minutes before the duels began he had decided to do some thinking to pass the time.
He would be shaken from his pondering, though, when a loud blast of up-beat music filled the school stadium, catching everyone unawares. Of course, after a few seconds everyone present was smiling and laughing once again and shifting around in their seats, waving arms in an attempt to dance from their fixed positions. Even some of the younger teachers (Miya Masuto in particular), whether they were scattered throughout the bleachers or in one of the observation boxes set up around the room, were joining in, hopping to their seats and spinning around in circles. Others, on the other hand (such as Katsu Yoriyoi) growled and rolled their eyes.
Less than five minutes later, the song had come to a close, signaling everyone within the stadium to quiet down for the start of the event. Waiting anxiously for the first duel to be declared, the tension quickly mounted to a nearly tangible state...
...and was then quickly shattered by the childish and bemused voice that chuckled over the loud speakers.
"Boys and girls, children of all ages, teachers and faculty, and those of you who remain a mystery," as one, thousands of heads turned to the executive box, which was set up directly across the stadium from where Kazuki was sitting. Standing in a red suit, his platinum hair neatly combed straight down, was one of the wealthiest and well-known men in the world, who also happened to the owner of the youthful voice. "I, Maximilian Pegasus, welcome you to this little event I am hosting here on your island."
"Actually, it's my island." another voice growled, though no one was exactly sure who had spoken. No one else was in the booth with Pegasus, save his two assistants well behind him. Again heads shifted, this time acing Kazuki's direction, only looking upwards of him.
Craning his neck to see, Kazuki saw that a massive video screen built into the wall had switched on, revealing a man who had to be at least fifteen years Pegasus junior. He had brown hair, deep sapphire eyes, and a stern, all-business face.
"Ooo, Kaiba-boy's hit the scene." Pegasus chuckled, causing many to turn back to him, only to have to flip back to Kaiba seconds later as the younger of the two spoke.
"I authorized you to hold this event, not to steal the spotlight from the students. So let's get on with the duels."
"Oh Kaiba-boy, you cut me deep with your harsh demeanor. I only want to lighten the mood. This is supposed to be a day for the kids to kick back, relax, and enjoy the life you never got a chance at." Kaiba was entirely unfazed. Obviously not surprised, Pegasus turned back to the students. "Well, at least I took the time and energy to come here in person."
"I'll be there shortly." Kaiba cut in, this time succeeding in surprising the older man, who's eye twisted up to the screen while the rest of his remained fixed in a stance directed at the students. "I'm currently on my way. I just didn't want you wasting the air time that we're paying for." Kaiba reaffirmed. "Oh, and Pegasus, don't corrupt them."
"Well, maybe a duel will soften your stony heart and melt your icy words." the president of I2 grinned ferally. "And speaking of ice, the first match is quite fitting." At these words a young man from the competitor's circle rose to his feet. He was about Kazuki's height, though he appeared to be a year or two older. He was dressed in an Obelisk Blue uniform, mostly white, proving that he wasn't a first year. His hair was light grey, his bangs spiked downward while a short braid reached down to the base of his neck, and his face serious, though not nearly as intense as Kaiba's.
"Ah, so he figured it out all on his own, just from that." Pegasus smiled, though he seemed to be talking more so to himself. This only lasted a few seconds before he raised his voice again and extended his arm towards the boy, palm open and facing upward. "This is Yue Ryusen."
To Kazuki's surprise, the simple declaration of the young man's name seemed to be enough to excite everyone in the room, resulting in a flurry of excited whispers. Looking around in confusion, Kazuki tapped the shoulder of a young girl with ebony hair in front of him and asked, "Why's everyone so excited?"
The girl stared in shock at him for several seconds before answering. "You're a first year, aren't you?" He nodded. "Yue is the top ranked student in the second year, and he's in the top five for the school as a whole." Eyes widening in surprise, Kazuki turned back to the arena, where the grey-haired boy was shuffling his deck. However, the girl in front of him wasn't finished. "The reason he's so strong is because he's a genius. He actually made every card in his deck. It started as an assignment for a class, but the cards he had made were so impressive that a copy was sent to Pegasus, who made the actual cards. However, he's currently bared from mass producing the cards until Yue graduates, at which time he's been guaranteed a position at I2."
"Amazing." Kazuki breathed while returning his gaze to the arena as Pegasus was announcing the opposing player.
"Now, to face Yue, we have the lovely Rei Iwamoto!" Rising from her seat, a girl with extremely dark blue hair in a Ra Yellow uniform entered the arena, duel disk in place. For a few minutes the two just watched each other, one with an icy stare and the other with a friendly, yet timid smile. However, silence was not something Pegasus could stand.
"Alrighty kids, play nice, and give these people a show worth what they paid, which really wasn't anything. But hey, there's no such thing as a free fortune cookie, right?"
"Um..." the Ra Yellow girl said, pressing her index finger against her lip in though, not quite sure what Pegasus had meant. Shaking his head in what had to be annoyance, Yue reached for his deck. (YLP:4000)(RLP:4000)
"Draw!" he called, pulling six cards all at once. "I set one card face down." he began, the image of a brown card forming at his feet. "Now I sacrifice that face down card to special summon my Ice Lancer (1700/1200) from my deck in attack mode." The horizontal card instantly became covered in several inches of ice and shattered, frozen crystals clattering to the ground, filling the stadium with a sweet chime. To everyone's awe, the crystals then began to gravitate back together, only a few feet farther from Yue than the set card hap been. After a few minutes the tinkling sound faded away as the ice shards ceases to move, having settled into the shape of a man with pale skin in white crystalline armor, clutching a spear made of that same ice in his hands.
"The card that I sacrificed was Repayment of Losses, so I draw one card." Yue continued, returning his hand to six cards. Picking another of his first hand cards, he slapped it down onto another monster zone and a man in blue crystalline armor appeared, this one wielding a double-bladed sword, each end being wide, curved, and single-edged. "This is my Ice Blader (1400/1100), who powers up all Ice monsters on the field by five hundred. Also, he raises his own attack points by one hundred further for every Ice monster in play." he explained as both of his monsters attack points rose dramatically, the first ending at twenty-two hundred and the latter at twenty-one hundred.
"Ice monsters?" Kazuki asked allowed, rubbing his chin in confusion. "I've never heard of that type of monster."
"I told you that he made every card in his deck himself, except for a few extra cards like Repayment of Losses." the girl in front of him snapped, twirling around. "However, unlike most types of extra card families, like Gravekeepers, who rely on having a particular word in their name, these monsters are Ice types in addition to being warriors, spellcasters, dragons, etc."
"Clever." Kazuki muttered, glancing back at the field as Yue ended his turn by setting a card face down.
"My turn." Rei called, drawing. "I summon Ivory Soldier (1700/1000) in attack mode!" A man in pale white armor appeared, a sword in his hand made of the same pale material as his armor. "When summoned, Ivory Soldier destroys one of your cards, so I'll destroy Ice Blader (2100)!" Taking a bone handled dagger from his waist, the warrior threw it full force at the two-ended weapon wielding warrior.
Hundreds of eyes glanced at Yue's set card, expecting some sort of counter maneuver to activate. When the card remained in place, many frowned, watching at his monster was destroyed by the flying projectile. Yue, however, remained completely unaffected by this, even as his other monsters attack points dropped back to seventeen hundred, even with Rei's monster.
"I set one card face down and end my turn." she finished timidly as she placed the card face down, leaving her with four cards in hand.
"My move!" Yue called, the act of his draw slashing through the air. Adding the card to his hand, he chose the card he had drawn the previous turn when he sacrificed Repayment of Losses. "I play Snow Drift. I declare either magic, trap, or monster. You must then set all cards of that type in your hand onto the field. Those cards may not be activated until my next turn. I call magic."
Frowning with confusion, Rei took three of her four cards and set them face down on her field, filling all but one of her magic zones. Smirking, Yue extended his arm over he set card, activating it.
"This trap is Snow Sickle Strike. It destroys all face down cards on your field and deals your one hundred points of damage for each card destroyed." he explained as dozens of large shafts of ice fell from above Rei's field, spearing into her cards.
'Brilliant!' Kazuki said to himself, realizing the deviousness of this combo. 'After she took her turn he knew that she had probably set her traps, so he then forced her to set her magic cards so that way he can get rid of all those threats at once!'
"Activate trap card, Waboku!" Rei called, surprising everyone. "By activating this, you can't deal me battle damage this turn, and I remove one card form the field before your trap card resolves, sparing myself some damage." (RLP:3700)
Setting two cards face down, Yue ended his turn, meaning he now had just two cards in his hand.
Drawing a card, Rei began her turn, giving her the same number of cards in hand as Yue. However, he held the advantage, because he had his two set cards, and she had nothing. "I summon another Ivory Soldier (1700/1000) in attack mode, meaning I get to destroy your Ice Lancer!" she declared as another monster, identical to the one already on her field, appeared. Slashing at the air with his sword, the new warrior released a wave of energy that cut through the air towards Yue's monster.
Kazuki waited anxiously to see how the Obelisk Blue would counter this. At the same time, he noticed that the girls in front of him were bunching up excitedly, seemingly horrified that his monster could be destroyed.
"Freeze!" Yue shouted, and much to everyone's shock, the crescent of energy did just that, stopping in place just feet away from cutting his monster in half. All eyes were now on the Obelisk Blue, who was pointing at the card to his right, which had flipped up. From said card flowed ribbons of frost, which wrapped around the attack, encasing it in ice before shattering into thousands of pieces.
"What was that?" Rei asked, eyeing the trap card wearily.
"My trap card, Freeze, allows me to either negate an attack or card effect so long as I have an ice monster in play. Also, since I played it during your turn, the current phase ends, meaning you may either enter the battle phase, or go on to main phase two."
Leaning forward in interest, Kazuki watched as the deck created by the young man unraveled itself. At the same time, he noticed the girls in front of him relax with relief.
"Fine, I still have twice the number of monsters you do!" Rei shouted, extending her arm towards Yue. "Ivory Soldier number one, attack his Ice Lancer!" With a nervous nod, the man in bone-white armor charged in, sword held high. In response, the man in crystal armor lifted his spear, meeting his foe head-on. They thrust at each other simultaneously, both hitting the mark, causing both fighters to shatter.
"Ivory Soldier, attack Yue's life points directly!"
This time Yue did not allow suspense to build, much to the delight of the two Ra Yellow's in front of Kazuki. "Reveal Ice Break! This quick-play card will destroy one card on your field and deal you damage equal to its level times two hundred!" Underneath the feet of the warrior appeared a slab of ice, which promptly split in half and he fell into the crevasse. At the same time, Rei's life point counter began to trickle down sharply, hit pretty hard by Yue's card's effect. (RLP:2900)
"Turn end." she muttered as she placed her last card into her duel disk.
"You shouldn't play face down cards against me." Yue commented as he glanced at his new card, which he then slapped onto his duel disk. What appeared was another man in armor made entirely of ice, only instead of a triangle-tipped spear, this one held two thin swords. "Go, Snow Soldier (1400/1200) in attack mode. And when summoned, he destroys one face down card on your field."
Crossing his blades to make an x-shape, he slashed down, releasing a similarly shaped blast of light which converted into icicles aimed at Rei's single set card.
"You may be good at blowing away face down cards, but you no doubt also know that they can be chained to your attacks and effects, like this card;" she countered as she activated her card. "Go Dark Wall of Air, protecting me from your attacks for the turn." As she spoke, the card flipped up and a sphere of black wind enveloped her, acting as an effective shield from any attacks Yue may send her way.
Sighing in defeat, Yue passed his turn, and Rei instantly drew her card. However, she stopped as Yue spoke, "Rei, why did you challenge me to this duel?"
Caught off guard, Rei failed to hide her shock and turned her head to the side, trying to keep Yue from seeing her blush. "Well, I...um..."
"I see." Yue concluded, though he did not say anything else for a few minutes. "Very well, come at me with your all. Take those feelings and translate them into your moves. Have your cards carry your feelings!"
Startled by this, Rei, and most of the students in the bleachers -though most were female- looked either at Yue as if he were mad, or with immense spite as they eyed Rei. In the case of the two young women in front of Kazuki, it was the latter.
"That hussie!" they shrieked together, though they were drowned out by the murmurs of confusion and the cheers of others all around them. Kazuki felt his face fall slightly.
Up in one of the larger teachers booths, Eizan chuckled slightly at these words, a bright smile on his face. Next to him, even Katsu's lips were struggling against his will-power in an attempt to grin.
"Well now," Pegasus found himself muttering in a barely audible voice. "That boy has spirit. It seems I was right when I made him those cards."
"My move, Yue!" Rei called as she placed the drawn card into her duel disk. "I play Reinforcement to the Army to search my deck for a level four or lower warrior and add it to my hand." she began, taking her deck from its holster, fanning it out, grabbing the card she wanted, and then returning the stack of cards to its proper place. "Next I summon that monster, White Horned Kaiser (1400/700) in attack mode!"
A man in armor made of the bones of some large creature appeared, the ivory glistening in the arena light. Underneath the armor was a scarlet body suite, while a sapphire cape hung from his shoulders. In his hand he held a long sword, while two shorter swords hung at his waist on either side.
"When summoned, White Horned Kaiser allows me to special summon the keystone of my deck from wherever it may be, except from out of play." She paused for a moment here as her deck scanned itself before ejecting the card she wanted, which she gratefully accepted. "So, from my deck I summon White Horned Dragon (2200/1400) in attack mode!"
The monster that appeared was a large dragon, at least five times the size of Rei. It's scales were a shimmering dark blue, while two massive ivory horns lanced forward from its skull.
Even Yue seemed surprised by the sudden appearance of such a monster, which leered menacingly at his nearly empty field.
"I'm just getting started." Rei called, returning everyone's focus to her. "When summoned, White Horned Dragon removes up to five magic cards in your graveyard from play, but you've only got three. That'll have to do." she explained as the cards popped out of Yue's graveyard and into his hand, from which his promptly pocketed the cards. "My dragon then gets three hundred attack points for every card removed, so now he get's nine hundred more attack points."
As one, the audience gasped as her leviathan's attack points rose, coming to rest at thirty-one hundred. Meanwhile Yue only had a monster with fourteen hundred attack points, and no set cards to back him up.
"And it doesn't end there." Rei called, her dragon stooping low against the ground as the red-robed soldier approached it, shocking the audience when he hopped onto the back of the beasts neck. "White Horned Kaiser can union himself to my White Horned Dragon, boosting its attack by a further three hundred."
"That's very impressive." Yue commented sincerely. "Please, make your attack. I assume that since you have no cards in your hand, and since I have no cards set to stop you, that you will be attacking, yes?"
"Of course, silly." Rei countered, pointing at Yue's lone monster. "White Horned Dragon (3400/1400), attack Snow Soldier!" Rearing back its head, the dragon let loose a blast of shimmering light, which combined with a similar blast from the sword of the dragon's rider, smashing into the ice monster, disintegrating him, and dealing immense damage to Yue's life points, effectively cutting them in half. (YLP:2000)
"You've activated Snow Soldier's abilities!" Yue shouted as the few fragments of holographic ice left by his monster began to glisten with light. "When destroyed, Snow Soldier will normally destroy one face down card on your field, but you don't have any. However, he also summons another Snow Soldier (1400/1200) at the same time." As he finished explaining as another soldier in ice armor, wielding tow swords appeared. "However, once again you don't have any set cards, so his summoning effect is pointless."
"He may be pointless," Rei said, eyeing her dragon. "However, my White Horned Kaiser has another ability. When combined with White Horned Dragon, if they destroy a monster or deal life point damage, I can either destroy a card on your field or two cards from your hand. I'll take out those two cards from your hand, if you don't mind."
Nodding, Yue inserted the cards into his graveyard. When Rei could make no other move, he drew a card, giving him a single card to use. Glancing at the card, his eye widened slightly in surprise. Setting the card down in a magic zone, he ended his turn, a small grin on his face.
"Draw!" Rei called, whipping the card off of her deck. Keeping it in her hand, she turned to the field. "White Horned Dragon, attack his defending Snow Soldier!" she ordered, and in response her joint monsters fired their attack, blasting away Yue's monster, only to have it replaced by the third and final Snow Soldier. "And don't think I didn't notice the way you glanced at that card! I use my monster's special ability to destroy your set card!" Without another word, the set card shattered into thousands of pixels of light.
'That's what he wanted.' Kazuki said to himself, realizing Yue's plan already.
"Wrong choice, Rei." Yue said as he held up the card she had just destroyed. "You just sent another Repayment of Losses to the graveyard, allowing me to draw a card. Had to destroyed my Snow Soldier, you would have eliminated my last defense."
Surprised by these words, Rei let her mouth sag for a moment, blushing slightly. Shaking her head to free herself, she declared "I end my turn."
Drawing two cards, Yue began his turn. "It ends here." he declared, looking up from his two-card hand. This drew a number of confused frowns from the audience, as well as a number of excited chirps from a number of young women. From in front of himself, Kazuki heard a pair of audible sighs, followed by the dazed words "I think I'm in love. Yue, you're so cool!"
"First," the card creating prodigy began, taking the card he had drawn from Repayment of Losses. "I play my field magic card, Frozen Heavens!" The side slot of his duel disk extended outward, allowing him to slip his magic card into it. The entire arena was then covered in ice and snow, a number of colors reflecting from the smooth surface. "This field card boosts the attack points of all ice monsters by five hundred, so Snow Soldier now has nineteen hundred attack points."
"That's not even close to what you would need to beat my monster. So what are you going to do with that card in your hand?" Rei pointed out.
"Simple, I'm going to play Twilight Renewal to draw five new cards." he explained as he pulled the new hand of cards free, fanning them out. "Now I summon Snow Spearman (1900+500/1000) in attack mode!" A man in light, powder-white armor appeared, a long javelin in his fists. "Next I play the magic card, Veil of Snow to special summon an Ice monster from my hand!" he called. "So I'll bring out my strongest monster."
Taking a card from his hand, he slapped it onto a monster zone between his two other monsters. From the iced-over ground emerged a massive serpentine dragon made entirely of flowing ice and water. It's eyes were deep ruby voids, the only noticeable attributes that stuck out from it's otherwise blue and white body, which was coiled tightly so that it fit in the arena.
"Frozen Ice Ring-Hyourinmaru (3000+500/3000)!"
'Amazing monster, but what does it do?' Kazuki asked from his seat, leaning forward as far as he could. In fact, he was leaning so far forward that the girl in front of him whipped her head around, a scowl on his face.
"Hey, back off. I'm trying to watch my Yue-kun finish that tramp off, and I can't enjoy it with your breath on my neck!"
Taken aback, Kazuki pulled his body back, returning his attention to the duel, as Yue was beginning to explain his card's effects, the audience just getting over the shock of the cards appearance.
"Hyourinmaru has a number of effects, and the first one that's going to activate is that he get's one hundred attack points for every ice monster in my graveyard. I have four right now, so he gains four hundred attack points." As he spoke, his monsters attack meter rose to an amazing thirty-nine hundred.
"Now I activate the magic card, Frost Formation, sacrificing my Snow Spearman to do so. This will add the sacrificed monsters attack points and effect to another ice monster on my field." he explained as the spear-wielding monster broke up into a pile of snow flakes that were picked up by a sudden rush of wind, spiraling around the massive ice behemoth.
"Now I'm ready. Frozen Ice Ring-Hyourinmaru (6300), attack White Horned Dragon (3400)!" he commanded. Faster than could be expected of the juggernaut, it uncoiled its body and lunged forward, enveloping the weaker beast, encasing it in ice, which then shattered, effectively destroying it.
"I'm still in this! I can still throw my all against you!" Rei called, clutching her now shivering arms.
"Now you aren't." Yue countered, his tone very even and intense, though at the same time friendly and warm. "The effect of Snow Spearman is that when he battles a monster, damage is dealt in relation to the enemy monsters weaker stat. That means that when Hyrouinmaru attacked, the damage was equal to the difference of my monsters attack and your creatures defense, since White Horned Dragon's defense is lower than its attack." (RLP:0)
Hanging her head in defeat, Rei remained motionless as the holographic field and monsters vanished. As such, she did not notice when Yue approached, placing an arm on her shoulder, and saying something that only she could hear. Lifting her head, she nodded, and in a fit of spontaneity, threw her arms around his neck and embraced him tightly.
"Look at her," Kazuki heard the Ra Yellow directly in front of him mutter as she leaned in close to her friend. "Look at how she glomps my Yue-kun."
"Your Yue-kun?" her friend challenged. "Sorry, but he's mine."
"Wanna bet!" the first one half-shrieked.
"Bring it on, bitch!" the second one barked back, bolting to her feet.
Kazuki tried to ignore the sudden melee occurring directly in front of him, which was not an easy task as the two girls rolled on the small bit of space allotted to them between the two levels of seating, hurling insults all the while.
"Well now, that was one bone-chilling match." Pegasus's voice was suddenly heard, booming over the speakers. "Now, let's not lose any of that momentum and go right on into the next match. Torisuna Miyato and Rodion Michkov, come on down!"
To Be Continued...
Well now, that was exciting. Short, yes, but still exciting. Basically, I wanted to show that Yue is strong. Really, really strong. Plus his deck is quite bitchin', ne?
Also, yes, before anyone asks, his field card and Hyourinmaru do come from Bleach. Basically, Hitsugaya as a whole inspired this ice deck, and so as a tribute to him, I created Hyourinmaru as the strongest monster.
Next Time-Round two of the Duel Academy Duel Festival has begun, and it's time for the headstrong Torisuna to clash with the strong-willed Rodion. But when Torisuna declares his purpose, the duel evolves from a school activity into a grudge match.
Next Time-Raise the Fighting Spirit!
Original Cards-
Yue-Frozen Ice Ring-Hyourinmaru, Frozen Heavens, Frost Formation, Ice Lancer, Ice Sickle Strike, Snow Drift, Snow Soldier, Snow Spearman, Snow Blader, Repayment of Losses (Seeker of the Soul), Twilight Renewal (Seeker of the Soul).
Rei-White Horned Kaiser, Ivory Soldier
Yes, that's right. White Horned Dragon is from the Yu-Gi-Oh R manga, not by me. So if you wanna complain about it being broken, go to those people, although I seriously don't think it's that bad of a card.