Here's the first real chapter.

Not a prologue or something like that.

Enjoy.

A warrior's efforts

Duel Academy is a dedicated school created by Kagemaru that trains Duelists to a Pro level, so they can ideally enter the Pro League and is owned by Seto Kaiba. It has four main subsidiaries: North Academy, South Academy, East Academy and West Academy.

In order to join the academy, one must pass two tests: The first test is a writing test that sees the mental capacities of the candidate. And the second is a field test, this test is in a form of a duel to see how clever and smart the candidate is, the goal is to defeat the proctor.

Shizuku, now 16, passed the writing test with flying colors.

Outside the doors of the kaiba dome in Domino City.

"Name please" said a girl sitting at the registration kiosk.

"Shizuku Miniwa" answered the girl in front of her.

"And… it's confirmed" replied the woman "Please enter and wait your turn"

"Thank you" said Shizuku as she entered the Kaiba dome.

Inside

Waiting her turn, Shizuku was standing next a blue haired boy, who wiped out sweats from his forehead as he watched the duel.

'Is he nervous?' thought the girl before seeing a brown hair boy entering.

"Wow, look at them go!" he said with excitement.

'Him on the other hand, looks energetic and full of enthusiast' thought the girl as she saw the boy reaction to the duels, even if he saw nothing since he just arrived.

"Shizuku Miniwa, please report to the Duel Field number 2. I repeat, Shizuku Miniwa, please report to the Duel Field number 2" said a voice that was coming from the loudspeaker.

'That's my clue' thought Shizuku as she walked toward the duel field.

'She is so pretty' thought the blue haired boy.

When she arrived at the field, the proctor eyed her and said "You don't look worried"

"And why should I?" she replied.

"Confidence eh?" commented the proctor "Let's see what you can do"

And then both of them activated their duel disks.

"Duel! / Duel"

In the tribunes.

"What do you think of her Chazz" said a boy with glasses.

"I bet that she have weak monsters" replied rudely the boy named Chazz "She probably uses Fairy Type monsters or Spellcasters Type of monsters"

Higher in the tribunes.

"Strange" said a dark blue haired boy "She don't show any sign of fear"

"Why do you say that Zane?" asked a blonde haired girl, offended by the comment of the boy named Zane "Is it because she's a girl?"

Zane shook his head then answered "Normally someone must show signs of fear or confidence, but her" he then narrowed his eyes "She doesn't show any of these emotions. Do you understand now, Alexis?"

The girl named Alexis nodded and focused on the duel.

Back to Shizuku.

Shizuku: 4000

Proctor: 4000

Both of them took five cards.

"You know what they say" said the proctor "Honor to the ladies"

"If you wish" replied Shizuku as she drawn the sixth card "I summon The Warden in Attack Mode" a knight with a long sword appeared in her side of the field

The Warden (Level 4) 2000 / 1500

"I set a card then end my turn" said Shizuku as she placed a card.

"Nice monster you got there" said the proctor as he took his sixth card before grimacing.

Shizuku noticed the reaction of her opponent and said "I bet that you have in your hand two high level monsters, one low level monster, two trap card and one spell card"

Surprised by her deduction skill, he said "How did you know?!"

"I can see them through your sunglasses" pointed Shizuku, making some laugh, but the others were afraid of her observation skill.

"I play the Enraged Battle Ox in defense position" said the proctor as he summoned his monster.

Enraged Battle Ox (Level 4) 1700 / 1000

"I set two cards then end my turn" said the proctor, placing two cards in his Spell, Trap Cards area.

"Draw" said Shizuku while drawing a card from her Deck.

'What kind of monster she will bring out now?' thought the proctor as he saw her face, trying to get a chance to see an emotion.

"I play Pot Of Greed then draw two card" said the girl as she took two cards "I chain with Jar Of Greed and take one more card. Now I activate my Continuous Spell Frontline Calling, it allows me to Special Summon one Warrior Type monster from my hand without any cost"

"What?!" said the proctor with shock.

"I Special Summon The Lawbringer in Attack Mode" said Shizuku as a giant knight in heavy armor and having a halberd appeared in her side of the field.

The Lawbringer (Level 8) 3100 / 3000

"And his Effect allows me to decrease the Attack Points of all your monsters by 1000" said Shizuku.

"What?!"

Enraged Battle Ox (Level 4) 700 / 1000

"Now I tribute my Warden in order to Summon The Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner in Attack Mode" said Shizuku as the knight disappeared and a blue skinned elf appeared.

The Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner (Level 8) 2900 / 3000

"In normal circumstances, a monster of level 8 needs 2 sacrifices" said Shizuku as a dark smirk appeared in her face, sending a chill in the proctor's spine "But the Effect of my Warden makes him count as two when he's sacrificed to summon a Warrior Type monster. And one of my Sylvanas's Effects makes her count as a Warrior Type monster despite being a Zombie Type monster"

'She's a monster' thought the proctor with fear 'she isn't human'

"Now I will activate the second Effect, which allows me to Special Summon 1 monster from the Graveyard" added Shizuku while summoning back her Warden.

The Warden (Level 4) 2000 / 1500

'It does not matter' thought the proctor 'If she decides to Attack, I'll activate my trap Mirror Force and force her to finish her turn'

"Now I play my Spell Card Mind Freeze" she said, still smirking "Now, you can't activate Spell or Trap Cards until the end of the turn"

'I'm done' thought the proctor 'But how did she played me like that?'

"You wonder how I trapped you, right?" asked the girl in front of him "Simple, a good strategist must destabilize his enemy, give him false hope, false informations, spy on him…"

"You aren't human" said the proctor as he took a step back.

"Who cares" said Shizuku "Now, I'll have my Warden taking the first step by destroying your Enraged Battle Ox" the knight plunged his sword inside the Beast-Warrior Type monster before decapitating it "With no defenses now, I can attack you directly" both the remaining monsters attacked the proctor directly.

Shizuku: 4000

Proctor: 0000

"C-congratulation" said the proctor "Welcome to Duel Academy"

"Thank you sir" she said before leaving the Duel Field and returning to her previous spot, strangely everyone gave her the way and didn't looked at her in the eyes 'Cowards' commented mentally Shizuku.

With Alexis and Zane

"What do you think?" asked Alexis.

"She didn't show any mercy on him" answered Zane "Normally, I would applaud that. But now, I'm afraid that there's something dark inside her"

"I think that she's very talented" replied Alexis "No one can manipulate the flow of a battle like that"

"We can agree on that point" said Zane "She's surly the strongest of the academy"

"Really?" asked Alexis, shocked by the fact that this girl can be the strongest in the Duel Academy.

"Nice duel!" said the brown haired boy "Name's Jaden Yuki"

"Shizuku Miniwa, it's nice to meet you" said the Warrior duelist.

"Wanna duel some time?" asked Jaden.

"Sure" replied Shizuku "If you can survive"

"But I must say" said a black haired duelist "I'm impressed by the strategy that you used back there"

"Thank you" replied Shizuku "And you are…?"

"Forgive my rudeness" said the black haired duelist "My name is Bastion Mikawa"

The girl nodded before hearing "How did you get those cards?" asked the blue haired boy "My name's Syrus Truesdale"

"These cards were given to me by my father when I was six" answered Shizuku "My father worked in Industrial Illusions"

"Worked?" asked Bastion with confusion.

"He died when I was 9" answered Shizuku "He was attacked when he was with my mother in a trip"

"I'm… sorry to hear that" apologized Bastion "I shouldn't pry"

"You have done nothing wrong" said Shizuku "You were just curious"

"But still…"

"Jaden Yuki, Please report to the Duel Field number 4. I repeat, Jaden Yuki, Please report to the Duel Field number 4" said again the voice that was coming from the loudspeaker.

"It's go time!" said Jaden "Wish me luck guys!"

"Let me give you an advice" said Shizuku, gaining the attention of the brunette "Don't forget that an opponent who have pride is an opponent who can be easily destabilized"

"Thanks for that piece of advice" said Jaden before walking toward the Duel Field.

"He's going to need it" said Bastion "Look who he's dueling"

When Jaden arrived at the Duel Field, he was greeted by a blonde teacher in blue cloths.

"Alright, test time!" said the teacher with a grin on his face "So son, your name?"

Jaden noticed the teacher and answered "Jaden, Jaden Yuki"

"Well then Mr. Yuki, I'm Dr. Vellian Crowler, department chair of techniques here at Duel Academy" replied the teacher named Vellian Crowler.

"Wow, a department, I had no idea" said Jaden, while scratching the back of his head "From how you were dressed I was thinking you are some kind of weird academy mascot, like a majorette or a cheerleader"

Shizuku giggled and said "I give him a point, I was also intrigued by how he dressed"

'She was so cute when she giggled' thought Syrus.

"Hey you know, now that he mentions it…" said the boy who's sitting next to Chazz, the boy with the glasses.

"This kid got some lip" commented the other boy.

Grunting mentally, Crowler activated his Disk.

"Oh, that's pretty sweet, teach" complimented Jaden "How do I get one of those cool blazers too?"

"A lot of hard work and extremely high marks" answered Crowler 'Of course, you first have to get into Duel Academy. And I intend to make certain that won't be happening'

"Well! I'm ready!" said Jaden with joy.

"Duel!" said both of them.

Jaden: 4000

Crowler: 4000

"Here goes!" said Jaden while drawing a card "Sweet! I'm gonna summon Elemental Hero Avian in Defense Mode"

Elemental Hero Avian (Level 3) 1000 / 1000

"I also throw down a facedown" said Jaden as he placed his card in the Spell and Trap Zone "All right! Get your game on!"

"Yes, very good" replied Crowler as he draws a card "Don't tell me what to do" 'After all, since I'm using my own personal Deck, rather than on of those test ones, I'll be calling all the shots. I'll fail that insolent that insolent little brat and send him home in no time'

"I have a bad feeling about that deck" said Shizuku as she frowned.

"Huh?"

"All right, for this first move, I think I'll start nice and easy" said Crowler as he picked a card from his hand "I choose to play the Spell Card Confiscation"

"What does that card do?" asked Jaden.

"What it does is: allow me to pay 1000 life points for the chance to peak at your hand and toss one of your cards into the Graveyard" answered Crowler as holographic cards appeared in front of him "Oh yes, I remember some of these from back when I was a naïve rookie, now which one shall I banish" he then selected Monster Reborn

Jaden: 4000

Crowler: 3000

"Next I lay two cards facedown on the field, last but not least I'll play Heavy Storm. This Spell Card destroys every other Spell and Trap Card that's out on the field" several wind storms filled the entire area with so much gusts and wind destroying all the Spell and Trap Cards.

"I knew it" said Shizuku with a little venom in her voice "Those aren't cards of a test Deck, but cards of a professional Deck"

"What do you mean?" asked Syrus.

"Heavy Storm is a very powerful card that can change everything" answered Shizuku.

"That's true" nodded Bastion "you can change the tide of a battle with no cost"

"Just like the change of wind in the battle of Chi Bi" said Shizuku "A single breeze brought victory to the forces of Wu and Shu"

"What?" asked Syrus, confused by the information.

"She means that Heavy Storm is really powerful" explained Bastion.

"Did she have to use that comparison?" asked Syrus, annoyed.

"Sorry about that" said Shizuku "It's just that I love history"

"Can we focus on the Duel now?" asked Bastion.

Syrus noticed two gold creatures in the field "Could someone explain to me what happened?"

"The Two trap Cards that Dr. Crowler had on the field are called Statue Of The Wicked" answered Bastion.

"When those Trap Cards are destroyed, they summons one Wicked Token" continued Shizuku "And of course their summoning is considered as Special Summon. So that means that he's going to tribute at least one of them for a strong monster, or the two of them for a high level monster"

Back to Jaden.

"Ready for your next lesson!" said Crowler.

"You bet!" replied Jaden with joy "I can't remember learning was this much fun"

Unhappy with how thing are now, a happy Jaden not ready to give up "Yes, well, I'm quite an excellent teacher thank you. And now, I sacrifice my two Wicked Tokens and summon Ancient Gear Golem"

Ancient Gear Golem (Level 8) 3000 / 3000

Jaden was speechless as the huge mechanical monster made his appearance.

"Now now, I hope that you aren't too scared of my legendary Ancient Gear Golem" said Crowler, hoping to decrease the moral of the boy in front of him.

"No way" replied Jaden "I've always wanted to take one on"

"Stupid" commented Shizuku "Stupid, but brave"

Crawler laughed before launching an attack "Go! Mechanized Melee!"

Avian was destroyed, but…

"Jayden's monster didn't stand a chance" said Syrus with panic in his voice.

"The worst hadn't passed yet" said Shizuku.

"The difference between the Attack Points of the golem and the Defense Points of Jaden's monster will be inflicted to Jaden's Life Points"

Jaden: 2000

Crowler: 3000

"Come on, don't weep" said Crowler as he seen Jaden trembling "This is the top dueling school in the whole country! Some people aren't simply cut… out… for…"

But… Jaden wasn't trembling of fear, but of excitement "Boy! I really want to come to this school now! You really know your stuff, teach!"

'Can't he take a hint?!' thought Crowler with anger and fury 'He will not be allowed to pass this exam! And he certainly won't make a mockery of my Deck'

'Just look at him tremble' thought Jaden 'He must really be impressed by me' he then heard a squeal 'What was that?' he then drawn Winged Kuribo, who winked to Jaden 'I take that as a sign to play ya' he then summoned the creature in Defense Mode.

Winged Kuribo (Level 1) 300 / 200

"That card…" began Shizuku as she tried to remember where she had seen him before "…it's look like he met someone that every duelist will kill to meet"

"What do you mean?" asked Syrus.

"Even if this Card look like the weakest" answered Shizuku "The Effect of this Card can mar it or the low attack"

"I don't understand" complained Syrus.

"Look and you'll understand" replied Shizuku while smirking "I bet that this card is the key to his success"

"Ancient Gear Golem!" declared Crowler "Attack that Kuribo with Mechanized Melee!"

'Sorry Winged Kuribo' thought Jaden as he saw Winged Kuribo being destroyed by the Machine Type monster.

"Check your gear" said Crowler with annoyance "Your life points haven't changed"

"My gear's fine" replied Jaden "On the turn Winged Kuribo is destroyed, I take 0 Damage"

"So that's what you meant by a strong Effect" said Syrus.

"Winged Kuribo can change the tide of a battle" said Shizuku "I know that myself, since I lost some match because of him"

"How about that?" commented Alexis "A technique the doctor didn't know"

"No one can be expected to know every technique Alexis" replied Zane "Especially one as obscure as that"

"Yeah, well that kid sure knew it" added Alexis.

"Fine fine, I guess your lame little monster saved you there" said Crowler.

"Hey. Slow down there teach" complained Jaden "You may have beat him, but that doesn't give you the right to call him lame"

"Oh yes. I forgot how attached you new duelists get to your monsters I'm sorry" replied Crowler with a dark smile.

"Yeah? Well you should be" declared Jaden "Because by attacking my Winged Kuribo, you set off a trap card. One of my favorites too; Heroes Signal. And that brings out my second elemental hero; Elemental Hero Burstinatrix"

Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (Level 3) 1200 / 800

"My turn!" said Jaden while drawing a card "Alright Winged Kuribo, this next one is gonna be for you. Here goes nothing" then Jaden took a card "First off, I'm gonna bring back Avian into my hand with the Spell Card The Warrior Returning Alive. And now, I'm gonna summon him into the field"

Elemental Hero Avian (Level 3) 1000 / 1000

"Oh okay, another amateurish" said Crowler with confidence "But this is good, this is good. Now, would anyone tell me what our little friend-"

"Actually I wasn't done yet" interrupted Jaden "See, I know my two powerful heroes aren't powerful by themselves, but if I can form them together it's another story. And I have just the card to unite them; Polymerization. Join Avian and Burstinatrix. Fusion Summon. There he is, the Elemental Hero Flame Wingman. I hope your Gear Golem is ready for a clash in titans"

Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (Level 6) 2100 / 1200

"So teach, what do you think?" asked Jaden.

"I think you're dueling very well for an amateur" answered Crowler "But next time, try playing a monster that has more Attack Points than what's already out"

"What's he mean?" asked Syrus.

"Flame Wingman has 2100 Attack points" answered Shizuku "And Ancient Gear Golem has 3000. There's no way Flame Wingman can take Ancient Gear Golem out"

"Shame too" commented Bastion "Because when Wingman destroys a monster, that monster's Attack Points are dealt as damage to his owner"

"Wait" said Syrus "You mean that they are deducted right out his life points. Oh, that would have been great for Jaden to turn things around"

"Don't worry little guy" said Shizuku "I'm sure that he have something in mind"

"Alright young scholar, I don't mean to rush you, but I am a busy man" taunted Crowler "Are you done yet?"

"Of course I'm not done yet" answered Jaden "And of course I knew my Wingman had less Attack Points than your Golem. That's why I have this; Skyscraper. Go!"

Buildings began to emerge from the ground, surrounding the field

"With the Golem there, its look like a Kaiju movie" commented Shizuku.

"Really?" sweatdropped Syrus.

"Alright Flame Wingman! Go show those heroics an attack on Ancient Gear Golem!" commended Jaden.

Flame Wingman, who was standing in a top of a building launched himself toward the Machine Type monster.

"Fine with me" said Crowler "Bring him on! This silly little Skysraper field card hasn't lowered my golem's Attack Points!"

"You know what teach?" said Jaden "You're right. This Skyscraper field hasn't lowered your Golem's Attack Points. What it's done is raised my Elemental Hero Wingman by a grand total of 1000!"

"Wait!" yelled Crowler "Time out!"

"Go!" commended Jaden "Skydive Scorcher!"

Covering himself in flames, Flame Wingman flew rapidly toward the Golem.

Jaden: 2000

Crowler: 2900

"It can't be" said Crowler "He was my very best card" then a piece of metal fell on his head.

"And 'cause of my Wingman superpower" explained Jaden "The Attack Points of that Golem are dealt straight to your Life Points. Sweet huh?"

"No way…" Crowler panicked and tried to run as his Ancient Gear Golem fell on him.

Jaden: 2000

Crowler: 0000

"That's the game!" said Jaden "So, I guess I passed the test, huh teach"

"Impossible" mumbled a shocked Crowler "There's no way this delinquent could defeat me!"

"I told you that he would win" said Shizuku 'He's maybe the Lu Bu of this world, someone who can be at the same level as me'

"I bet that you knew the outcome from the moment he summoned Wingman" said Bastion to Shizuku.

"It was more like the moment he played Winged Kuribo" corrected Shizuku.

"It must be something to duel you" said Bastion "I can't wait the day we duel"

"I will accept it anytime" replied Shizuku "Just make sure to be ready" 'Let's see what this school can do'

Here's the new cards:

The Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner / Level 8 / Dark

2900 / 3000

Zombie / Effect

Can be considered as Warrior Type. Choose a monster in the Graveyard and Special summon it with no cost. Can't be affected by the enemy's Effect.

Mind Freeze / Spell Card

Normal Spell

Your opponent can't activate Effects, Spell or Trap Card in the turn where this card is activated.

The Lawbringer / Level 8 / Light

3100 / 3000

Warrior / Effect

Decrease the Attack Points of all the monsters in your opponent's field by 1000.

The Warden / Level 4 / Light

2000 / 1500

Warrior / Effect

Gain 500 Attack Points each time you lose Life Points. Count as 2 tributes when used to summon a Warrior-Type Monster.

What do you think?