The crowd was abuzz for the last Graduation Duel of the day between Theresa and Chloe especially since it was a rematch from their clash at Battle City, unbeknownst to them however there were three people in the Main Duel Arena who weren't meant to be there.
"Man, this bites!" Jared groaned as he leaned on the railing, he, Marie and Drew were in a balcony area that was out of the way but still offered them a good view of the action. "I'd rather have a front row seat!"
"As much as I'd like to be as close to Chloe as possible, remember, we're not students here and the front row seats are reserved for students, Drew used to be a student here, but he got expelled." Marie said as she glanced over at Drew. "And the less said about the lengths we had to go to, so we could sneak him in, the better."
"Don't remind me." Drew sighed in response as he turned to the short teenager. "At least the half pint here was able to fit in the vents…..."
"HALF…..." Marie nearly yelled out and Jared quickly covered her mouth with his hand.
"Marie, I know your short stature, your non-existent boobs and the fact that you got dealt a bad hand genetically in general is a sore spot." Jared whispered to her and Marie growled in response. "And I also know that I'm not helping by pointing that out, but you said so yourself, we're not supposed to be here."
"We got lucky, no one heard Marie." Drew added as Jared removed his hand from Marie's mouth whilst she gave the two boys death glares. "And if they did, the probably just thought it was their imagination."
"And as long as you don't call me a half pint again we won't have to worry about that." Marie growled before leaning on the railing. "Now in the meantime, let's do what we snuck off to the island to do and watch two hot chicks go at it!"
"You realize that you could've just watched porn if you wanted to see that, right?" Jared asked, and Marie glared at him. "Shutting up!"
"Welcome back to the final graduation duel!" Martin announced, and the crowd cheered as the spotlight shone upon Chloe and Theresa. "Many people have been waiting for this rematch since these two got back from Battle City, it was for that reason why I avoided pairing them up in Duel Theory but it's the moment you've been waiting for as Ra Yellow's Chloe Richardson takes on Obelisk Blue's Theresa Daniels for Theresa's right to graduate!"
"I can already tell that your getting nervous Chloe." Theresa commented as she shuffled her deck and shorter girl did likewise. "Don't be, I know we'll put on a great duel!"
"That's not what I'm worried about." Chloe responded with a grin as the two girls finished shuffling their decks, put them in the deck holder and activated their duel disks. "What I'm worried about is you being the only student to not graduate today!"
"Fighting words, I like it, in fact I'll let you go first." Theresa commented with a chuckle and Chloe nodded in agreement with that idea. "We're ready when you are Martin!"
"Begin!" Martin called out as they drew their opening hands and Chloe looked over hers.
"Two Silent Magicians and no sign of Level 4, not bad but not terrible either." Chloe thought before deciding on a play. "I activate Trade In! By discarding one Level 8 monster from my hand I can draw two cards." Chloe announced before discarding Silent Magician Level 8 and drawing her two cards. "That's a bit better!" Chloe thought before picking up three cards. "I set one card facedown, a monster in defense mode and I end my turn by activating Arcane Barrier!"
"If that facedown monster isn't Apprentice Magician I'll be surprised." Theresa thought as she drew her card and looked over her hand. "I set one monster in defense mode and two cards facedown." Theresa announced as her three facedown cards appeared on the field. "That ends my turn."
"Well, so much for my classic Apprentice Magician/Arcane Barrier combo." Chloe thought as she drew her card, she looked at the card in question and quickly played it. "About time someone went on the attack! I summon Gemini Elf!" Chloe announced as the twin elves appeared on the field with a twirl (4/1900/900). "Gemini Elf, attack her facedown monster!" Chloe commanded, and the elves fired their twin blasts at the monster…only for it to bounce off. "Let me guess, Beginning Knight?"
"You got it." Theresa nodded in response as the rookie knight revealed itself (4/500/2000). "And that's first blood to me." Theresa added as Chloe's life-points dropped to 7900.
"It's not how you start, its how you finish, and right now I'm finishing my turn." Chloe responded, and Theresa nodded before drawing her card.
"Gemini Elf's a good monster but its outdated, pretty sure its older than most of the cards in my deck, shouldn't be to hard to attack over it." Theresa thought before looking at her drawn card. "I activate Allure of Darkness!" Theresa announced before drawing two cards and pocketing a third. "Through his effect, I normal summon Charging Gaia, the Fierce Knight without tribute!" Theresa added before playing the card and the monster made famous by Yugi Motuh appeared on the field (7/2300/2100). "However, since I did summon him without a tribute his attack drops to 1900." Theresa explained as Gaia's attack was reduced.
"But that also means you can't attack over my elves!" Chloe responded with a grin as she folded her arms. "You may have a lot more experience than me Theresa, but I know you can't attack Gemini Elf without destroying your own monster!"
"Maybe not on his own." Theresa responded with a grin as she held up the second card she had just drawn. "But that's what Spell Cards are for! I activate my Spell Card Forbidden Chalice and I target my knight!" Theresa announced, and Chloe's eyes widened when the knight's horse doubled over in pain from drinking from the chalice. "And judging from the look on your face you know what this means, not only is Charging Gaia's attack returned to normal but for the rest of the turn he gains four hundred attack points!" Theresa added as Charging Gaia's attack went up to 2700. "What was that you said about your monster? Charging Gaia, attack Gemini Elf!" Theresa commanded, and the knight charged into battle…...
"Even with the increased attack points, he won't be able to! I activate my Trap Card Interdimensional Matter Transporter!" Chloe announced as her facedown card flipped up and the elves vanished from the field seconds before the knight's lance could skewer them. "They'll be safe from your knight's attacks for the rest of the turn." Chloe added as she patted the jeans pocket that she was keeping Gemini Elf in. "But I still have another monster you can target!"
"And since a replay has occurred, I'll do just that!" Theresa responded before pointing to Chloe's facedown monster. "Charging Gaia, attack her facedown monster!" Theresa commanded, and the knight changed course and skewered Chloe's facedown Apprentice Magician (2/400/800) destroying it. "I had a feeling that was your set monster once you activated Arcane Barrier!"
"Why mess with what works?" Chloe asked as Arcane Barrier got its first counter and she started inputting commands into her duel disk and once the monster she wanted was ejected she set it. "I would invite you to attack with your other monster, but I get the feeling that we both know that you know better than to leave a monster like Beginning Knight on the field in attack mode!"
"And you'd be right." Theresa nodded in response before looking over her hand. "I end my turn which means our cards' effects were off." Theresa added as Charging Gaia's attack dropped back down to 1900 and Gemini Elf returned to the field prompting Chloe to draw her card.
"I saved my life-points from further damage for now but unless I draw something good I won't be able to keep this up for long." Chloe thought as she glanced up at Charging Gaia. "At the moment Theresa's monsters attack points are tied with Gemini Elf's but that's not what I'm worried about, if she tributes that thing she can add a Black Luster Soldier card to her hand and knowing that deck, it'll just be a matter of time before Theresa gets something like Super Soldier on the field." Chloe thought before looking over her hand. "Huh, how many cards do I have in my hand?"
"She's taking a long time to make a move, either she doesn't have anything good or she does and she's just wondering if she can use it yet." Theresa thought as she glanced over at Chloe.
"I tribute Gemini Elf to bring out something that can take out your knight!" Chloe announced as the two elves disappeared from the field. "And if I have enough cards in my hand, your Black Luster Soldiers! I summon Silent Magician in attack mode!" Chloe announced as the teenaged version of Silent Magician appeared on the field (4/1000/1000). "At the moment, I have two cards in my hand giving her an extra thousand attack points." Chloe added as Silent Magician's attack went up to 2000. "But why stop there! I flip summon my second Apprentice Magician!"
"Had a feeling she would summon a second one." Theresa thought as the young blonde magician appeared on the field and Arcane Barrier gained a second counter. "And that's bad news for me."
"Next I activate Arcane Barrier's effect sending it and Apprentice Magician to the graveyard, so I can draw two more cards!" Chloe announced as her magician and the spell card disappeared from the field and she drew two cards causing Silent Magician's attack to go up to 3000. "I'll save this card in case Theresa gets passed Silent Magician." Chloe thought as she looked at the second card she had drawn and pointed to Charging Gaia. "Silent Magician, attack her knight!" Chloe commanded, and the magician pointed her staff at the knight…...
"Anyone tell your monster that it's rude to point? Besides, two can play at that game!" Theresa responded as her own facedown card flipped up. "I activate my own Interdimensional Matter Transporter which means my knight's gone for the rest of the turn." Theresa added as Charging Gaia disappeared from the field. "And like when you pulled that trick on me, you have a new target."
"At least with your weaker knight gone, I won't have to worry about your Black Luster Soldiers for now!" Chloe responded before pointing to Beginning Knight. "Silent Magician, attack Beginning Knight!" Chloe commanded, and the magician pointed her staff at the younger knight before destroying him. "I'll just have to get to your stronger knight next turn."
"We'll see about that." Theresa responded as Chloe looked over her hand. "Are you done?"
"Yeah, I'm done." Chloe responded and once Charging Gaia returned to the field Theresa drew her card.
"She has the field advantage for now, we'll see how long that lasts." Theresa thought before looking at her drawn card. "I set one card facedown and a monster in defense mode!" Theresa announced as the two facedown cards appeared on the field. "And I end my turn!"
"If you had told me that I'd have Theresa on the ropes during her graduation duel back when I got accepted into the school, I would've called you crazy." Chloe thought as she glanced over at Theresa's side of the field when she realized something. "Wait, she left Charging Gaia in attack mode?! What's she thinking? Especially since my Silent Magician just got stronger!" Chloe thought as Silent Magician's attack increased to 3500. "Well I'm not about to complain, especially if it gives me the early lead." Chloe decided before pointing to Charging Gaia. "Silent Magician, pick up where you left off last turn and attack Charging Gaia!" Chloe commanded, and her magician started charging her staff. "You shouldn't have left your monster in attack mode Theresa, even I knew not to make that mistake when I first joined this school!" Chloe added with a grin on her face.
"Who said it was a mistake?" Theresa asked causing the grin on Chloe's face to disappear. "I wanted you to attack my monster Chloe and you fell for my trap hook, line and sinker! I activate my facedown card Chaos Burst!" Theresa announced as her facedown card flipped up. "Since you just declared an attack this trap card lets me tribute one monster I control and destroy the attacking monster!" Theresa added, and Chloe's eyes widened as Charging Gaia charged at Silent Magician just as she fired a beam of light at him striking him in the chest, seconds later Gaia skewered the magician on his lance destroying her before he succumbed to his injuries. "And as a bonus, you take one thousand points of damage." Theresa added, and Chloe grunted as her life-points dropped to 6900. "And this in turn activates Charging Gaia's other effect!"
"And my Silent Magician's!" Chloe responded before the two girls started inputting commands into their duel disks. "I sent Silent Magician Level 8 to the graveyard, so I could use Trade In earlier, but I'll make do with Silent Magician Level 4!" Chloe announced as the youngest version of her ace monster appeared on the field in defense mode (4/1000/1000). "Even though she'll gain five hundred attack points once Theresa conducts her draw phase there's still plenty of monsters that can attack over Silent Magician Level 4 when she's at her weakest, better to play it safe with my life-points being in bad shape."
"That's fair enough but we'll see how long she stays on the field." Theresa responded before retrieving the card she was looking for and adding it to her hand. "Are you done?"
"I set one card facedown and end my turn." Chloe announced, and Theresa drew her card causing Silent Magician Level 4 to gain her first counter and first five hundred attack points.
"Normally I'm opposed to helping your pint-sized powerhouse get any stronger but just this one, I'm making an exception." Theresa commented before she played a card. "I activate Heaven's Lost Property!" Theresa announced and both girls drew three cards before discarding two causing Silent Magian Level 4 to gain a counter. "Not what I was hoping for, but it'll do nicely." Theresa thought before playing a card. "I summon Super Soldier Soul in attack mode!" Theresa played the card and a new monster appeared on the field, on the surface it looked like the armor the Black Luster Soldiers wore but it had no wearer and seemed to be moving on its own (1/0/0).
"Theresa, there are faster ways to lose than leaving a monster with zero attack points in attack mode, you know, that right?" Chloe asked with a confused look on her face and Theresa chuckled.
"You said it yourself Chloe, I have a lot more experience than you." Theresa responded before holding up a card. "But I do have my reasons for summoning this monster in attack mode, I activate the effect of Super Soldier Soul! By sending one Black Luster Soldier monster to my graveyard I can have it become a Black Luster Soldier until your end phase, attack points, name and all!" Theresa explained before showing the monster to be Black Luster Soldier – Sacred Soldier and sending it to the graveyard causing the armor to take on the appearance of having a Black Luster Soldier in it. "Don't worry, he doesn't get the effect of the other Black Luster Soldiers, but three thousand attack points isn't anything to sneeze at! Super Soldier Soul, attack Silent Magician Level 4!" Theresa commanded, and the armor charged towards the young magician…
"Guess again Theresa." Chloe responded as the trap card she had just set flipped up. "You are right, three thousand attack points isn't anything to sneeze at but when it's reflected back at you? Well, I'll just let Dimension Wall do the talking for me!" Chloe added, and Theresa's eyes widened as Super Soldier Soul's sword bounced off a forcefield causing it to fly out of its hands and graze Theresa bringing her life-points down to 5000. "So much for your lead."
"Well played." Theresa conceded as her monster returned to her side of the field and retrieved its sword. "And to think, you turned the card that secured my place in the Battle City Finals against me."
"Huh?" Chloe blinked before remembering that. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that." Chloe admitted with a nervous laugh before frowning. "Still, I came into this duel with the mindset that I was going to make up for the mistake that cost me my spot in the Battle City Finals and if anything, I'd say that this was a step in the right direction!"
"Maybe but whilst you have taken the lead, you still have a long way to go." Theresa responded with a nod before looking over her hand. "I end my turn." Theresa announced, and Chloe drew her card.
"Theresa's monster is powerful but it's only strong as long as she has Black Luster Soldiers to discard, otherwise? It's a sitting duck." Chloe thought before looking at her drawn card. "Or maybe I don't have to wait that long." Chloe thought before switching Silent Magician Level 4 to attack mode. "I switch Silent Magician Level 4 to attack mode and end my turn."
"Wait, what?!" Theresa thought with a confused look on her face as Super Soldier Soul's attack and appearance returned to normal and Theresa drew her card causing Silent Magician to gain another counter. "What's she playing at? Yes, Super Soldier Soul's effect is only good for the rest of the turn but it's not like I'm low on Black Luster Soldier cards." Theresa thought before looking at her drawn card. "And speaking of…." Theresa thought before picking up the card she had drawn. "I activate the effect of Super Soldier Soul!"
"Not this time!" Chloe interrupted her before she quickly discarded a card. "I negate Super Soldier Soul's effect by discarding Effect Veiler from my hand!"
"Okay, now her move makes sense." Theresa thought before returning the card to her hand. "But I'm not about to leave Super Soldier Soul a sitting duck either." Theresa thought before switching Super Soldier Soul to defense mode. "I switch Super Soldier Soul to defense mode and end my turn." Theresa announced as the armor crouched down and Chloe drew her card.
"I'd better destroy that monster before she gets a chance to draw enough Black Luster Soldier Cards to wipe out my life-points with it." Chloe thought before glancing at her drawn card. "This could help me get Silent Magician Level 8 back into my deck, but I need both of my Silent Magician cards in my graveyard for it to work and Silent Magician Level 4 is the best monster I have right now!" Chloe thought before pointing to Super Soldier Soul. "Silent Magician Level 4, attack Super Soldier Soul!" Chloe commanded, and the magician pointed her staff at the suit of armor before disintegrating it with a blast. "At least I don't have to worry about that thing anymore!"
"Instead you can worry about what's coming next!" Theresa responded, and Chloe looked at her with a confused look on her face. "Super Soldier Soul has another effect, but I won't be activating it just yet."
"Suit yourself but at this rate I'll wipe out your life-points before you can summon anything else, I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Chloe announced as she set the card down and Theresa drew her card causing Silent Magician Level 4's attack to increase to 3000.
"Chloe has a point, even with Silent Magician Level 8 in her graveyard she still has plenty of other powerful monsters and right now it appears that Silent Magician Level 4 is the best one she has access too." Theresa thought as she glanced over at Chloe's side of the field. "But still, no monster's unbeatable and if I can get Silent Magician Level off the field I'll be on the road to recovery in no time." Theresa thought before looking at her drawn card and playing it. "I activate Spellbook inside the Pot!"
"Three extra cards and letting my Silent Magician reach her full power?" Chloe asked skeptically as the two girls drew three cards and Silent Magician Level 4 reached her full power. "Not complaining but that's being a little to generous, why don't you play a card that returns Silent Magician Level 8 to my deck whilst you're at it?"
"Even if I had access to a card like that, I wouldn't play it." Theresa responded before looking at her three new cards and grinning. "Next I activate the second effect of Super Soldier Soul from my graveyard." Theresa announced as she retrieved the monster from her graveyard. "If this monster is in my graveyard I banish it to add Beginning Knight or Evening Twilight Knight from my deck to my hand, I chose to add Evening Twilight Knight!"
"Add all the cards you want." Chloe said dismissively as Theresa added the monster to her hand. "It won't help you against my…." Chloe trailed off before it hit her. "Unless you have the ability to summon one of your Ritual Monsters!"
"That and so much more!" Theresa responded before playing a card. "First I activate the Ritual Spell Card Super Soldier Ritual! I use this to send Evening Twilight Knight and Beginning Knight to my graveyard to Ritual Summon Black Luster Soldier – Super Soldier!" Theresa played the card and the two rookie knights, which included a knight in a silver colored version of the regular Black Luster Soldier armor (4/500/2000) appeared on the field briefly before being sucked into a portal and from it emerged Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier ready for battle (8/3000/2500).
"Well, at least it can't get any worse." Chloe said with a nervous chuckle and Theresa grinned.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that Chloe!" Theresa said before retrieving the two monsters she just sent to the graveyard from it. "Remember the Black Luster Soldier I was THIS close to sending to my graveyard last turn? Well, he's the kind of soldier that requires me to banish one dark and one light type monster from my graveyard!" Theresa explained as she pocketed the two cards and Chloe's eyes widened once it hit her. "That's right Chloe, I summon Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning!"
"Oh, shit!" Chloe cussed out loud as the infamous warrior type monster appeared on the field ready to strike (8/3000/2500).
"Sorry Chloe, you've fought well but this duel's over! First I use Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning's effect to banish Silent Magician Level 4 from the field." Theresa added as the soldier leapt into the air before striking down Silent Magician Level 4 banishing it. "Fortunately for you, Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning can't attack the same turn he used that effect, unfortunately for you that leaves Super Soldier free to attack as many times as he wishes! Super Soldier, attack her life-points directly!" Theresa commanded, and the soldier charged into battle….
"I activate my trap card Birthright!" Chloe announced as her facedown card flipped up. "And I use it to bring back Gemini Elf in attack mode!" Chloe added as the twin elves returned to the field and promptly turned to Chloe with looks that screamed "you're kidding, right?!". "It's risky but maybe Theresa doesn't know her monster's effects that well yet, she didn't debut this deck until the match between her and Brandon and Latoya and Louella…."
"Nice try Chloe but I know my monster's effect like the back of my hand!" Theresa responded before pointing to the elves. "And either way, you would've lost three thousand life-points! Black Luster Soldier – Super Soldier, attack her elves!" Theresa commanded, and the soldier struck down both elves bringing Chloe's life-points down to 2900. "And since I ritual summoned him using Beginning Knight he shares Envoy of the Beginning's effects, like the one that allows me to attack again after destroying a monster, Black Luster Soldier – Super Soldier, finish her!"
"I activate my facedown card Rainbow Life!" Chloe announced as the trap card flipped up and Theresa's eyes widened as Chloe discarded the card causing the strike to increase her life-points up to 5900 rather than reduce them to zero. "Like it or not Theresa, I will not go down that easy! Just ask Lance!" Chloe added with a confident look on her face…which quickly turned into an embarrassed look when she heard the other students laughing. "I was referring to the duel I had against him to get into Ra Yellow, not the first time we've had sex, which still hasn't happened!"
"Chloe, you just made things worse for me!" Lance called out from behind her as Chloe blushed an even deeper shade of red. "Now everyone's going to be calling me Obelisk Blue Balls!"
"I knew what you meant, just watch your phrasing next time." Theresa responded with a chuckle before looking over her hand. "I'm done for now." Theresa added and once Chloe got over her embarrassment she drew her card.
"Okay, now that that's behind me, let's work on trying to turn this around." Chloe thought before looking at her hand. "And thanks to Theresa's Spellbook inside the Pot and my draw I have the cards I need to do just that!" Chloe thought before playing a card. "I summon Magical Exemplar!" Chloe announced as her dark haired spellcaster appeared on the field (4/1700/1400). "Next I activate Reinforcement of the Army!"
"If Chloe isn't setting up for a Synchro Summon I'll be surprised." Theresa thought as two green orbs started floating around Magical Exemplar and Chloe started inputting commands into her duel disk and retrieved the card she was looking for. "I'm not worried, even if she does summon Colossal Fighter she has no warriors in her graveyard and neither do I, and if she summons Arvanite Magician using his effect twice will just leave her open to an attack from even my weakest monster!"
"Next I activate Double Summon! If I have to explain what this card does to you then I'd be tempted to question why you were selected for graduation." Chloe admitted, and Theresa nodded in response as two more orbs appeared around Magical Exemplar's head. "And for my second normal summon, I'm bringing out Marauding Captain!" Chloe announced as she played the card and the brunette captain in silver armor appeared on the field (3/1200/400). "I use his effect to Special Summon Clear Effector!"
"If she's leaving Marauding Captain in attack mode then she just made an even bigger mistake." Theresa thought as the young spellcaster with even longer hair than Chloe appeared on the field (2/0/900). "If I can bring back Super Soldier after her turn's finished she'll be in big trouble."
"I don't know how long I have left so I'd better make this quick." Chloe thought as one of the orbs vanished. "I activate Magical Exemplar's Effect! I use it to Special Summon Effect Veiler from the graveyard!" Chloe announced as the young, green haired Spellcaster appeared on the field (1/0/0). "I tune Effect Veiler with Magical Exemplar and Clear Effector!" Chloe announced as the three female spellcasters leapt into the air for the Synchro Summon. "To Synchro Summon Arcanite Magician!" Chloe announced as she played the card and once the bright flash faded Arcanite Magician appeared on the field (7/400/1400). "Martin, how much time do I have left?"
"That move took two minutes." Martin responded, and Chloe nodded as the two orbs appeared around Arcanite Magician boosting his attack points up to 2400.
"In that case, I'd better make this count!" Chloe responded as she pointed to Arcanite Magician. "First, I draw a card thanks to Clear Effector's effect!" Chloe announced as she drew a card, looked at it and added it to her hand. "Next I activate Arcanite Magician's effect, I give up his two spell counters to destroy your Black Luster Soldiers!" Chloe announced as the two orbs disappeared and Arcanite Magician cast his spell destroying the two soldiers.
"I activate Black Luster Soldier – Super Soldier's effect which I use to Special Summon Charging Gaia, the Fierce Knight from my graveyard." Theresa explained as her monster returned to the field. "So, what are you going to do now Chloe? You weakened your own monster to destroy my two monsters and now you have one monster that neither of your two monsters can compete with!"
"That question's an easy one to answer." Chloe responded as she played a card. "I activate Miracle Synchro Fusion! I fuse Arcanite Magician on the field with Magical Exemplar in my graveyard to Fusion Summon Supreme Arcanite Magician!" Chloe announced as she played the cards and the female Spellcaster briefly returned to the field only to be sucked into the fusion portal with Arcanite Magician and seconds later the upgraded version of Arcanite Magician appeared on the field (10/1400/2800). "And like Arcanite Magician he gains two Spell Counters and two thousand attack points!" Chloe added as Supreme Arcanite Magician's attack went up to 3400 as the two orbs surrounded him. "Supreme Arcanite Magician, attack Charging Gaia!" Chloe commanded and the spellcaster pointed his staff at Charging Gaia before firing a beam of light at him destroying him and bringing Theresa's life-points down to 3900.
"Chloe's played well, but I'm not losing this duel." Theresa thought as she braced herself. "Even if I have to fight back from 50 life-points like Chloe did in her duel against Cameron and Jessica!"
"Marauding Captain, attack her life-points directly!" Chloe commanded, and the captain charged towards Theresa before slashing her with his swords bringing her life-points down to 2700. "I can't believe it! I've almost beat Theresa! And if my deck cooperates with me next turn I could definitely finish her off!" Chloe thought before picking up the card she had drawn with Clear Effector. "I set one card facedown and end my turn." Chloe announced, and Theresa drew her card. "Martin, what was the official time on that turn?"
"Four minutes and 20 seconds, any longer and I would've ended your turn after you attacked with Marauding Captain." Martin responded, and Chloe nodded as Theresa drew her card.
"Good, at least I barely avoided repeating Lance's mistake." Chloe thought as Theresa looked over her hand.
"I activate Pot of Acquisitiveness! With this Spell Card I can take my three banished monsters, shuffle them into my deck and draw one card." Theresa explained without paying much attention to Chloe's facial expression, otherwise she would've noticed the dumbfounded look on the shorter girl's face as she shuffled the three cards back into her deck and drew one card, when she finally looked up and saw the look on Chloe's face Theresa sweat-dropped. "Don't look at me, I'm still wondering where Sophia Pegasus comes up with half of these Pot of Greed variations' names!"
"And I'm still waiting for Pot of Avarice to come off the ban list but that's beside the point." Chloe responded as she folded her arms and Theresa nodded in agreement. "Draw anything good?"
"You could say that." Theresa responded before playing a card. "I summon Armageddon Knight!" Theresa played the card and the dark-haired knight appeared on the field ready for battle (4/1400/1200). "He's no match for Arcanite Magician but the same can't be said for Marauding Captain!" Theresa added before resolving Armageddon Knight's effect by sending a monster from her deck to the graveyard. "Armageddon Knight, attack Marauding Captain!" Theresa commanded, and the knight charged into battle…
"Nice try Theresa but you're not getting to my captain that easy." Chloe responded as her facedown card flipped up. "I activate Negate Attack!" Chloe announced as the knight's attack bounced off the invisible forcefield.
"Fine, I guess I'll have to get to your captain next turn." Theresa responded before picking up the card she had drawn with Pot of Acquisitiveness alongside another. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Theresa announced, and Chloe drew her card.
"Perfect! I've got this match won!" Chloe thought with a grin before quickly playing her card. "I activate The Warrior Returning Alive! And I use it to retrieve the monster I discarded for Rainbow Life's effect earlier!" Chloe announced before retrieving the card and adding it to her hand. "Next I remove Reinforcement of the Army from play, so I can Special Summon Spell Striker!" Chloe announced as she pocketed the card and the small cartoonish warrior appeared on the field ready for battle (3/600/600). "And for my normal summon, I'm bringing out Jutte Fighter!"
"If Chloe isn't planning to bring Colossal Fighter with those three warriors I'll eat my duel disk." Theresa thought as the small, Japanese warrior wearing glasses, a kimono and a large barrel on his back appeared on the field. "Good news is that she isn't using Torapart to Synchro Summon him, otherwise I would've lost the duel."
"I think you've already figured out what my game plan is, so I'll cut to the chase." Chloe commented before pointing to Jutte Fighter. "I tune Jutte Fighter with Marauding Captain and Spell Striker!" Chloe announced as the three warrior type monsters leapt into the air for the Synchro Summon and seconds later Theresa's suspicions were confirmed as Colossal Fighter appeared on the field (8/2800/1000). "Thanks to my Synchro Summon I now have three warriors in my graveyard, but I'm willing to bet that you have a lot more."
"I've got five so not a lot more." Theresa corrected her before holding up the five monsters. "Three Black Luster Soldiers, Charging Gaia and the monster I just discarded for Armageddon Knight's effect!" Theresa added as Colossal Fighter's attack went up to 3600.
"Which means I'm about to finally beat you in a duel!" Chloe responded before pointing to Arcanite Magician. "But first, I'll use Supreme Arcanite Magician's effect to take out your last line of defense!" Chloe announced as the spellcaster casted a spell at Armageddon Knight destroying it and raising Colossal Fighter's attack to 3700 whilst lowering Supreme Arcanite Magician's down to 2400. "I could use Supreme Arcanite Magician's effect to destroy her facedown cards as well, but I only have enough Spell Counters left for one and I don't have the means to add another to him, I'd much rather destroy both to be on the safe side and my copy of Mystical Space Typhoon is somewhere in my deck!" Chloe thought before pointing to Colossal Fighter. "Colossal Fighter, finish her!" Chloe commanded, and Colossal Fighter charged into battle ready to deliver the final blow…...
"You really should've destroyed one of my trap cards Chloe, because now you're paying the price!" Theresa responded as her facedown card flipped up. "Otherwise you could've destroyed Mirror Force!" Theresa added, and Chloe's eyes widened as the infamous trap card sprung up causing Colossal Fighter's fist to collide with the mirror instead destroying him whilst another shard pierced Supreme Arcanite Magician's heart destroying him. "And since Colossal Fighter wasn't destroyed by battle you can't bring him back!"
"I know but I still have other ways of winning this duel Theresa." Chloe responded with a frown before looking over her hand. "And if I had any way of bringing them out I would, but instead I'll activate the Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension!" Chloe announced as she played her spell card. "With this I'll shuffle Silent Magician Level 4 and Level 8 back into my deck." Chloe added as she took her two ace monsters and shuffled them into her deck. "That ends my turn." Chloe announced, and Theresa drew her card.
"Good news is, I took care of her two heaviest hitters in one hit, bad news? She has her heaviest hitter back in her deck and if she can draw the right cards I might not be graduating today." Theresa thought before looking at her drawn card. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn." Theresa announced as her facedown card appeared on the field and Chloe drew her card.
"I was wondering when I'd draw this card, not my best monster but it'll do for now." Chloe thought before discarding a card. "By discarding a card, I can Special Summon Apprentice Illusion Magician from my hand!" Chloe played the card and a new monster appeared on the field, as the name suggested it seemed to be a grown-up version of Apprentice Magician wearing a much skimpier version of the robes she wore when she was younger but carrying the same staff (6/2000/1700). "And by Special Summoning her I activate her other effect which allows me to search out a Dark Magician monster from my deck and add it to my hand."
"She must've added that monster after the tournament finals." Theresa thought as Chloe retrieved the monster she was looking for and added it to her hand. "And now I have Dark Magician to worry about as well as her Silent Magicians, great!"
"Apprentice Illusion Magician, attack her defense monster!" Chloe commanded, and the magician pointed her staff at the facedown monster, revealed to be Magician of Faith (2/200/300) which was quickly destroyed. "First Brandon and now you?"
"Hey, if it works, why not?" Theresa shrugged as she added her spell card from her graveyard to her hand. "Besides, you've been running a copy since Magician of Faith came off the ban list."
"True." Chloe admitted before looking over her hand. "It's your move!" Chloe announced, and Theresa drew her card.
"I won't keep you in suspense, I play the card I retrieved from my graveyard with Magician of Faith!" Theresa announced as she played the card. "Spellbook inside the Pot!" Theresa added, and Chloe nodded as they drew three cards, however when Chloe saw two of the cards her eyes lit up.
"Silent Magician Level 4 and Level Up!" Chloe thought as she looked over her hand. "And a way to get Dark Magician on the field, my first win over Theresa is so close that I can taste it!"
"Judging from the way her eyes just lit up, I'm in trouble." Theresa thought as she looked over her cards. "I guess she'll never get good at poker faces, oh well!" Theresa thought before playing a card. "Since you control a monster and I don't, I can Special Summon Lord Gaia, the Fierce Knight!" Theresa played the card and, yet another variation of the famous monster Gaia the Fierce Knight appeared on the field, but this time Gaia was riding a majestic looking gold dragon in red armor (7/2300/2100).
"Just how many different versions of Gaia the Fierce Knight has I2 come out with?!" Chloe wondered out loud and Theresa shrugged.
"More than I care to count but if I where you, I'd be more worried about your monster." Theresa responded before pointing to Apprentice Illusion Magician. "Lord Gaia, attack Apprentice Illusion Magician!" Theresa commanded, and the dragon took flight before charging at Chloe's monster….
"I force Lord Gaia to move to defense mode by banishing A/D Changer from my graveyard!" Chloe announced as she pocketed the monster and the strange ogre appeared on the field before holding up the red flag causing Lord Gaia to crouch down. "And if your wondering, A/D Changer was the card I discarded for Apprentice Illusion Magician's effect!"
"You'll run out of ways to protect your life-points and your monsters eventually, I end my turn." Theresa announced, and Chloe drew her card.
"Okay, here goes." Chloe thought before playing a card. "First I activate Magical Dimension! I tribute Apprentice Illusion Magician to Special Summon Dark Magician!" Chloe announced as Apprentice Illusion Magician disappeared from the field and in her place stood the magician who was Yugi Motuh's most famous monster by far (7/2500/2100). "And thanks to Magical Dimension's other effect, Lord Gaia is destroyed."
"Not that it matters but when you Special Summon a monster with higher attack points than Lord Gaia he gains seven hundred attack points." Theresa explained as Lord Gaia's attack went up to 3000 seconds before it was destroyed. "Is that it?"
"Nope, for my normal summon I bring out Silent Magician Level 4!" Chloe announced as the young spellcaster returned to the field. "But she isn't sticking around! I activate Level Up!" Chloe announced, and Theresa's eyes widened as the young Spellcaster started glowing and growing until she reached her strongest form, Silent Magician Level 8 (8/3500/1000) and much like what happened during the tournament finals Silent Magician Level 8 nodded respectfully towards Theresa when she realized who she was facing. "This is it Theresa." Chloe said with a deep breath before pointing to Theresa. "I'm finally going to beat you! I only regret that it means that you won't graduate! Silent Magician, finish it!"
"I have no regrets Chloe." Theresa responded as Silent Magician started charging up her staff. "Because I'm not the one losing this duel! I activate my facedown card Dimension Wall!" Theresa activated her Trap Card and Chloe's eyes widened as the blast was reflected at her bringing her life-points down to zero.
"The winner of the match is Theresa Daniels, which means she joins Evan Grant, the Kaiba siblings and Brandon Thomas in the graduation ceremony this afternoon." Martin announced, and the crowd cheered as Chloe dropped to one knee and the holograms disappeared. "That is, it for today's graduation duels, I expect to see you all at the main hall in two hours for the graduation ceremony which will close off the school year."
"Even with all the improvements I've made as a duelist, I still can't beat her." Chloe sighed to herself as she looked over her hand. "I can't even blame my old habit of forgetting to set a trap this time, I had no traps I could set!"
"Thanks for the great duel Chloe." Theresa thanked her as she walked over, and Chloe looked up. "How are you feeling?"
"Disappointed that I couldn't get the job done again." Chloe sighed as she looked down at her deck, she drew the card that she would've drawn if the duel had continued and shook my head. "You've got to be kidding me!"
"Huh?" Theresa asked, and Chloe showed her the card. "Mystical Space Typhoon, if you had drawn that during the duel you would've beaten me!"
"Yeah and it was literally the next card in my deck." Chloe responded with a nod before standing up. "Still, as frustrated as I am for never beating you during your time in Duel Academy, I am happy for you." Chloe added, and Theresa grinned at that. "Just remember to come back for my graduation duel so I can return the favor."
"You've got a deal." Theresa nodded as the others approached them. "I'll talk to you later Chloe, I have to go get ready for the graduation ceremony." Theresa said, and Chloe nodded as Theresa walked off.
*two hours later*
In the time since the last Graduation Duel of the day the students had all packed their things for the return trip on the ship to take them back home or to the next stop on their travels back home, before that however all the students were gathered in the main hall with the graduating students sitting on the stage on seats that had been laid out for them with a podium in the middle where Martin was getting ready to speak.
"Students, the time has come for the end of the summer term, this past year has had its ups and its downs with several students being hospitalized and two students being assaulted but I can assure you that after the summer break things will change for the better, we will be accepting new applicants over the summer and once you all return you should see some new faces at the school, for now though I will hand it over to the head of the graduation class Theresa Daniels who has a speech of her own prepared."
Martin stepped aside, and Theresa stepped up to the podium with the speech ready, she had been preparing it for the past two hours and spent most of the first hour proofreading it until she was happy with it.
"My fellow students, earlier this year I represented you all in the Battle City Tournament and now I get ready to make my leap into the Pro-League for real alongside my boyfriend Brandon and the other graduating students, these have been trying times for all of us but I can assure you that things will improve once Summer Break ends and you all return to the school, I wish I could return with you and be reminded of happier times at this academy but the only time I'll be allowed to do that is when its visitor day."
Theresa took a deep breath before continuing.
"To all the friends I've made and all the students I've helped in Ra Yellow and Osiris Red, don't let go of your dreams, as tough as things can get in a school environment we all joined this school for one reason, to get better at Duel Monsters and prepare for our careers in duel monsters and the fact that I shared a semi-final spot in the Battle City Tournament with someone who was an Osiris Red student at the time and is currently in Ra Yellow proves that nothing's impossible if you set your mind to it and who knows? Maybe one day in the future I'll be defending the Battle City Crown against one of you, follow your dreams and never give up, that's the only real advice that I could give you at this point."
The crowd cheered as Theresa stepped down from the podium and Martin stepped up again.
"Well said Theresa, to the rest of you, I wish you all a fantastic summer break and I hope that you don't neglect your dueling skills over the next few months because the standard for new students will be even higher than it was when we last accepted applicants, until then, I bid you farewell, the assembly is dismissed."
The crowd cheered before departing from the main hall but, as with the last graduation duel, there were three people watching from the sidelines.
"I've lost count of how many times I heard Martin make that same speech whenever duel academy broke up, either for the holidays or for Summer Break." Drew muttered under his breath as he, alongside Marie and Jared, watched the departing students from the rafters. "You'd think he'd change up his speech occasionally, granted this speech was a bit different due to everything that's happened over the past year but still!"
"That's not important." Jared responded as the last of the students, namely the graduating class, left the auditorium. "What is important, is how we're going to get down from here? We had to climb in through the roof and someone closed the hatch!"
"I said I was sorry!" Drew protested and Marie put her hands up to shut them up.
"Look, we're in enough trouble with the bosses for sneaking off like this in the first place, I'm not about to call them asking for help and besides, it's not like Drew couldn't open it again." Marie said as she walked over to the spot underneath the hatch. "Besides, we need to get on the boat the students will be using."
"Wait, what? What happened to the speedboat we used to get here?" Jared asked, and Marie glanced up. "Don't tell me you sent it back so that you could spend some quality time with Chloe?"
"Yes, I sent it back and no, that's not the reason." Marie responded as she rolled her eyes. "The reason is that security will be extra tight at the docks as they load the students onto the ship and it'll be a safer bet to sneak aboard whilst the guards are preoccupied." Marie said before pointing to the hatch. "Which will be a moot point if we don't put our asses in gear and since Drew's easily the tallest out of the three of us….."
"Say no more." Drew sighed as Marie stepped aside to let him open the hatch. "You do realize that we're risking falling to our deaths by doing this, right?"
"Less talking, more opening!" Marie snapped at him and Drew grumbled under his breath as he worked away at the hatch.