Welcome to the second chapter of this triple update. In this chapter, we take a slight detour away from Duel Net and back into the real world, where Jacob will be applying for Duel Academy. Now, in this duel school there aren't red, yellow and blue dorms like in GX, but more like in ZEXAL, where the different year students have different uniforms.
In this case, male students wear black long-sleeve shirts or turtle necks, black trousers, and blue jacket with either white, bronze, silver, or gold colored trim during colder months and black collared shirts, black shorts, and a short sleeved blue jacket with similar trim during warmer months. Female students wear a similar design, but exchange black and blue for white and red.
I've talked too long, so go ahead and I'll see you at the bottom of the page.
Chapter 17
"Attention, all registering students!" Jacob, as well as the other 50 or so students, looked up excitedly at the man standing behind the podium. These weren't all the students who were registering for this class as there were approximately 500 applicants and one room could only hold so many students. To be clear, the applicants had all arrived at the Academy prior to 1 pm and they were each divided into separate classrooms. The classrooms were similar to a university's lecture hall, where the seats and desks were arranged in a semi-circle around the teacher's desk.
The students had just finished taking their first exam, which tested their knowledge about Duel Monster cards. Jacob did fairly well, but he was sure he missed some of them because he wasn't familiar with some of the cards or he forgot what their effects said. "Your results have been calculated, but you aren't out of the woods just yet. You will have two more exams after I dismiss you: a timed exam, which will test how you react to a certain situation, followed by a practical exam where you will duel an official with a test deck. So if you will please head to Room 176, we will begin with the timed exams."
The students all got up from their desks excitedly and began to file their way out of the room. Jacob felt where his pocket was and found his deck, right where he put it. He was a little nervous, if he was honest with himself, since he was literally competing for his spot in this Academy. However he still felt confident; after all, he was the winner of the Grand Veil City Tournament.
As he and the other students began to make their way to the room, one student walking next to him asked, "Hey, aren't you Jacob Yudara?" Some of the other students looked at him and Jacob sighed, of course this was inevitable.
"Yes, I am." The students were impressed and congratulated him on his tournament win, although some got a little excited and asked for an autograph. Jacob politely declined, and it wasn't long before they arrived at Room 176.
As they walked in, the students noticed several tables set up in the spacious room. Looking around the room, Jacob saw that there were several small tools and diagrams along the walls that depicted human anatomy. There were also two bookshelves side-by-side that held several textbooks on anatomy, biology, and chemistry. In the back were a group of men and women wearing uniforms, and one of them noticed the group arrive.
"Welcome students," the man said, stepping forward. "As you should know, Duel Academy not only teaches you how to duel, but will also teach you many things you'd learn in a regular school. So it only seems fitting that we use the Biology lab for your timed exams, where you'll have to examine every aspect of the scenario given to you in order to pass."
The others began to move to separate tables, carrying small plastic boxes with them. "Alright, when I call your name, go to your designated instructor and they will present you with a scenario for you to solve. The time to solve each scenario will vary, so best of luck to you all."
There were a total of nine instructors in the room, each of them pulling out Duel Monsters cards, a set of game mats, and a timer. The instructor began to call out names and the students started their timed exams. Some of them finished fairly quickly, but others took a long time and ended up clocking out. When a student finished, a new student was called to take their place and the instructor switched the cards out with new ones. Those that passed were asked to go to the gymnasium for their practical exam, while those that didn't were asked to take a seat in the stands.
"Jacob Yudara," the instructor called out. Jacob stood and the instructor pointed him to an open spot. He sat down in the chair as his instructor set out the cards before him and gave him one card for his hand. The instructor was a man around his mid- to late 20s, with black hair and a beard.
"Alright, here's your scenario: I have 1900 Life Points, while you only have 100. I have no cards in my hand and none in my Spell and Trap card zones. I do, however, have a monster on the field: Gearfired the Swordmaster (ATK/2600). You have one monster on the field, a Giant Rat (ATK/1400), a Trap face-up on your side of the field, and one card in your hand. Your deck is almost out of cards and if you don't defeat me you will not pass the timed exam. You have eight minutes, begin!"
The instructor set and started the timer, and Jacob started by examining the cards in his hand and on his side of the field. Giant Rat, when destroyed, allowed him to summon an EARTH monster with 1500 or less ATK from his Deck.
His trap card was Spirit Barrier, which had an effect that read "As long as a monster(s) remain(s) on your side of the field, battle damage done to the controller of this card becomes 0".
The only card in his hand was Maji-Gire Panda, which gained 500 ATK whenever a Beast-type monster was destroyed.
'I think I see what's going on here,' Jacob thought to himself, 'Maji-Gire is the key to this exam, I have to get his ATK high enough to destroy both his Swordmaster along with the rest of his Life Points. So, let's see what's in the Deck.'
"First, I summon Maji-Gire Panda from my hand (ATK/1000). Next, I attack your Swordmaster with the Giant Rat, and because I have Spirit Barrier I take no battle damage." The instructor nodded as Jacob discarded the card.
"Now, thanks to Giant Rat's ability, I can Special Summon an EARTH monster from my Deck as long as it has 1500 or less ATK." Jacob picked up his very small deck and examined the cards. He only had five cards in his deck: three Hyena monsters and two more Giant Rats. He read the effect of Hyena, which allowed Jacob to Special Summon another Hyena from his deck when it was destroyed.
'Okay, let's see here. Maji-Gire now has 1500 ATK since Giant Rat was destroyed. All of these monsters are Beast-type, so if I get rid of them all that will boost Maji-Gire's ATK up to 4000. Wait, but Gearfried has 2600 ATK, which would only deal 1400 points of damage.' Jacob began to think for another minute before he thought of something. 'I got it, if I don't sacrifice the last Hyena, I can win this. Okay, time to see if it works.'
"I choose to Special Summon Giant Rat (ATK/1400) from my Deck, and since it's still the Battle Phase I can attack with this Giant Rat as well." Jacob discarded the Rat and retrieved another one from his deck, and attacked with it as well. "Now I summon Hyena (ATK/1000) from my deck." Jacob then attacked with it and the one he fetched from his deck, putting out the third and final Hyena.
"Alright, five Beast-type monsters have been destroyed this turn, which means Maji-Gire Panda has a total of 3500 ATK. I attack your Swordmaster with Maji-Gire Panda." The instructor discarded his Swordmaster and reduced his Life Points to 1000. "Now Hyena finishes you off."
The instructor stopped the timer, which had five minutes and two seconds left. "Impressive, you've passed the timed exam. Now make your way to the gymnasium for your practical exam." Jacob stood and thanked the instructor, and began to make his way down to the gym. The signs posted on the walls directed him to where he needed to go, and he soon found the gymnasium. An instructor stood inside the door, and once he noticed him he asked for his name. After telling his name, Jacob was asked to take a seat in the stands until his name was called.
Jacob climbed up the steps and sat down next to a shorter boy, who looked at him a bit nervously. He had brown eyes, short black hair, and a slightly narrow face. He wore a blue shirt under a light blue open vest, black cargo pants with blue pockets, and black tennis shoes. He also wore a necklace with a Yin-Yang symbol tilted to the side and an eye pattern in the center, all surrounded by a square charm.
Jacob noticed he was looking at him and asked, "Hey, you pass your exams too?"
The boy looked away and said, "Uh, I'm not an applicant nor am I student here." Jacob looked at him confused, both because of what he said and how he said it. It was like he was afraid someone would ask him that. "I'm actually home schooled, but I asked my parents and some of the staff here if I could watch the duels."
"Hey, are you okay?" Jacob asked, wanting to see what he seemed so nervous about.
"Uh, it's nothing. I'm just not exactly social, you see?" Jacob nodded in understanding.
"I get it. So do you just watch duels, or do you actually duel?" The boy smiled for once and pulled out a Duel Monsters Deck, but held onto it.
"Yeah, I sometimes duel but it's hard for me since I'm usually too timid to ask for one." Jacob smiled, and his name was called over the intercom.
"Well, that's my cue." Jacob stood and the boy had a look of sudden realization.
"Wait, you're Jacob Yudara? The winner of the Grand Veil City Tournament?"
Jacob turned and nodded, "That's me."
The boy smiled in response and said, "I'll be rooting for you, then." Jacob nodded and made his way to where he'd be taking his practical exam. Once he arrived at the specified arena, he pulled his deck out and was provided with a duel disk and gazer.
"So, you're Jacob Yudara?" His instructor asked from the other side of the field. His instructor had reddish-orange hair that was tied down in a thick ponytail that stopped just below his shoulders. He had green eyes and wore circular lens glasses. Jacob nodded and he could feel many eyes from those in the stands were on him. "Well, it's good to meet the champion of a World Tournament. Too bad about your loss against Kaiba, though, you almost had him."
'Yeah, almost,' Jacob thought to himself.
"Well, let's get started then, shall we? I will be your practical exam instructor and, should you prove victorious, your new Duel Academy teacher, Mr. Samuel Lyon."
"Lyon? Wait, weren't you a Pro Duelist a few years back?"
Mr. Lyon chuckled loudly, "So I was, but don't worry. I'll be using a standard test deck, so you won't have to face my real deck until term begins."
"Then let's duel!"
Lyon: 8000
Jacob: 8000
'Augmented Reality, Vision Link established.'
"I'll start things off," Mr. Lyon said, drawing his first card. "I'll start by summoning The Six Samurai - Nisashi (ATK/1400)."
The twin blade-wielding warrior appeared on the field, but he wasn't done yet. "Now, since I control a face-up Six Samurai monster, I can Special Summon Grandmaster of the Six Samurai (ATK/2100)."
Another warrior appeared on the field, but he was an old man. He had long white hair that reached down past his shoulders, and one eye was covered by an eye patch that seemed to have a robotic eye attached to it. He sat in a chair wearing what looked like armor that the Six Samurai wore, and in his hands he held a single katana. "Next, I'll set one card and end my turn."
Lyon: 8000
Jacob: 8000
Jacob drew and examined his hand. "Alright, since you control a monster and I don't, I can Special Summon Cyber Dragon (ATK/2100) from my hand." The mechanical dragon appeared on the field, and Jacob continued, "Next I summon Alexandrite Dragon (ATK/2000), and equip Cyber Dragon with an Equip Spell, United We Stand!"
As Alexandrite Dragon appeared on the field, an orange stream of light flew from the recently summoned dragon and flew into Cyber Dragon as its ATK spiked (ATK/2100-3700).
"I activate the Trap Card, Fiendish Chain!" Mr. Lyon's face-down flipped up as the card glowed yellow and several chains extended from it and wrapped around Cyber Dragon, which made it roar in defiance. "Fiendish Chain equips to an Effect Monster, making them lose their effects and preventing them from attacking."
"Okay, then Alexandrite Dragon will attack Nisashi!" Alexandrite Dragon inhaled and shot out a ray of light as the jewels in its hide glowed with light, destroying Nisashi and dealing some minor damage. "That ends my turn."
Lyon: 7600
Jacob: 8000
"I activate Reinforcement of the Army, which allows me to add a Level 4 or lower Warrior-type monster from my Deck to my hand. So I'll choose and then Special Summon Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan (ATK/1800)!"
Another warrior appeared on the field, with black armor and a single katana.
"Wait, hold on. Legendary Six? I thought the Six Samurai were just those six?"
Lyon laughed, and said, "Most people would make that observation as well, but if you look past the cards you'll see that some of them will tell a story. And the Six Samurai have one that's all their own. The Six Samurai that you're familiar with-Kamon, Yariza, Zanji, Irou, Yaichi, and Nisashi-weren't always known as the Six Samurai. Before they came around, they had predecessors. Before Kamon, there was Mizuho; Yariza and Kizan; Zanji and Enishi; Yaichi and Shinai; Nisashi and Kageki; and finally, Irou and Shien."
Jacob recognized some of those names, as John used them in his battle when he confronted them. "Of course, you may know those six by different names. For example, Kizan eventually became the Grandmaster of the Six Samurai." Jacob looked between the two and began to see similarities: the armor, the sword, it was mind blowing to see them side-by-side.
"So prepare yourself to meet another member of the Legendary Six. You see I can Special Summon Kizan from my hand when I control a face-up Six Samurai monster, and when I get a second one out he'll gain some extra ATK. So without further ado, meet Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki (ATK/200)!"
Another warrior appeared, this one looking a bit more menacing. His armor covered most of his body, and while he held two swords in his hands he had two more robotic arms on his back that also held a sword in each. "Now then, Kizan gets his power boost since I now control two different Six Samurai monsters (ATK/1800-2100), and Kageki also has two effects that activate.
"First, he allows me to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Six Samurai monster from my hand. I choose Elder of the Six Samurai (ATK/400)." The new monster that appeared was an elderly man that sat in a large carrier box-like what a king or emperor of an ancient civilization would be transported in-except that the carrier was held up by four robotic legs and had two mounted crossbows on the side.
"Kageki's second effect activates when I control a Six Samurai monster with a different name," Lyon continued. "It gives him an additional 1500 ATK (ATK/200-1700)." Kageki roared a battle cry as the robotic arms sprung to life and swung the swords in an impressive fashion.
"Now I'll activate a Spell card, Six Strike - Triple Impact! When I control three or more Six Samurai monsters, I can either destroy all your monsters, face-up Spells and Traps, or face-down Spells and Traps. Kizan, Kageki, and Grandmaster, destroy his monsters!"
The three monsters stood at attention and jumped into the air, drawing their swords and slashing the two dragons as they descended. The two dragons roared as they exploded and the three Samurai retreated back to their side. They waited for the smoke to clear, only to see a large purple dragon in their place.
"When one of my monsters is destroyed by battle or by a card effect, I can Special Summon my Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon (ATK/2200) from my hand, and by the way, he's stronger than the ones you just destroyed." Lyon groaned as he ended his turn, unsure of how he'd be able to turn this around.
Lyon: 7600
Jacob: 8000
Jacob drew his next card. "I summon Axe Dragonute (ATK/2000), and then I attack your Elder with my Interplanetary Dragon while Axe Dragonute attacks Kageki!"
The large dragon shot a stream of purple flames at the Elder while the Dragonute charged at Kageki and struck him with its ax. As Axe Dragonute retreated, he kneeled down into defense mode and Kizan's ATK dropped back to their original point total.
"Alright, now I set one card and end my turn." Jacob announced as he played it.
Lyon: 5500
Jacob: 8000
Lyon drew and said, "Not bad, but don't get cocky. This is just a test deck after all, and it's not even performing at its best. For now, I set one monster, switch Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan into defense, and I'll have my Grandmaster attack your Dragonute."
The holographic card appeared on the field and Kizan kneeled into defense, while the Grandmaster stood from his chair, unsheathed his sword, and charged the defending dragon. His blade cut the monster cleanly in two and it shattered as Lyon's turn ended.
Lyon: 5500
Jacob: 8000
"Thank you," Jacob said, smiling. This made Lyon look at him in surprise as he continued, "Now that Axe Dragonute is in my Graveyard, he can be a much bigger help than when he was on the field. I banish Axe Dragonute and Alexandrite Dragon in order to Special Summon Darkflare Dragon (ATK/2400)!"
The two ghostly images of the two dragons appeared on the field, Alexandrite Dragon appearing brighter than Axe Dragonute was, and they disappeared as a large flame erupted on the field. The dragon that appeared from the flame was mostly black with a red underside. It had four black and violet colored wings, and a single ring of fire swirled around it.
"Interplanetary Dragon, attack Kizan! Darkflare Dragon, attack his Grandmaster!" Both dragons shot out a stream of flames, one purple and the other orange, and both of the face-up Six Samurai monsters were destroyed. "That will end my turn."
Lyon: 5200
Jacob: 8000
Lyon drew his card, but he passed his turn.
Jacob drew next, and found that it was a Spell Card. "I activate Premature Burial!" The equip spell appeared on the field and the ground began to break apart. "By paying 800 Life Points, I'm able to bring back a monster from my Graveyard. Come on back, Cyber Dragon!" The mechanical dragon slid out of the now broken ground and roared in triumph.
"Now Cyber Dragon, attack his face-down!" The dragon roared as it shot a blast of light and electricity at the monster, revealing itself to be Chamberlain of the Six Samurai (DEF/2000).
"Now Interplanetary and Darkflare Dragons attack him directly!" Both dragons roared and made their attacks, the fire washing over Lyon as he cried out. "You alright?" Jacob asked, worried that he had caused some real pain to Mr. Lyon or worse.
He looked fine though, and said, "Just a little caught off guard. Does that end your turn?" Jacob confirmed his turn was over and Lyon drew.
Lyon: 600
Jacob: 7200
Lyon looked at the sole card in his hand and chuckled. "Three monsters against just this one," he said, setting the monster. "Looks like you've won this battle. So why don't you make it official?"
Jacob nodded as he drew his final card. "I summon Nettles (ATK/1200), and then tune it with Cyber Dragon!" The group of plant creatures appeared on the field but soon disappeared as they transformed into two rings that flew around Cyber Dragon. It became outlined in orange as five stars appeared in its body. The outline faded, the stars aligned, and a brilliant beam of light shot through the rings.
"I Synchro Summon Seven Swords Warrior (ATK/2300)!" A large humanoid warrior wearing yellow armor appeared from the light as it faded. The warrior himself held two swords in his hands, had a third one strapped to his back, and four more blades were attached to his shoulders and hips. "Darkflare Dragon, attack his face-down, and Seven Swords Warrior, finish him off!"
The dragon unleashed all the flames it could onto the face-down and once the flames were gone Lyon looked up to see Seven Swords Warrior jump into the air and come down on him with both swords aimed for him. He cried out as the two swords struck him in an 'X' and he fell as Jacob's monsters disappeared.
Lyon: 0
Jacob: 7200
Win: Jacob
Jacob retrieved his deck as he returned the borrowed duel disk and gazer and walked over to Mr. Lyon to make sure he was okay. "Heh, I'm fine. I've always thought those augmented reality systems seemed too realistic. You did very well, Mr. Yudara, I hope to see you in my class this September."
Jacob smiled and one of the instructors called out, "This concludes the final practical exam of the day, all applying students please proceed to the cafeteria to await your results." That was Jacob's cue, and he left as the remaining students began to file out of the stands. Many of them were congratulating him on his duel, and more students than last time were asking for his autograph.
Jacob finally gave in and pulled out a pen he had been carrying with him and began signing index cards, scraps of papers, and notebooks. Once they stopped crowding around him and got their autographs, Jacob began to make his way to the cafeteria with the rest of the students. There were already other applying students as well as parents and other relatives who sat at the tables of the Academy cafeteria.
It took a few minutes of searching, but Jacob eventually found his father, mother, and two sisters sitting at a table when Jillian and Anna began waving and shouting for him. After sitting down at the six person table, his mother asked how his exams went. "I think I missed a couple on the written exam, my timed exam went very well, and I swept through the practical exam." They all congratulated him, and they waited for the results.
After a few minutes of waiting, another instructor arrived and got their attention. "After calculating the final exam scores, we have compiled everyone's scores and ranked them based on their overall scores. As you know, this Duel Academy can only allow a certain amount of students in, so if your student's name is not among the listed applicants who passed, you are dismissed. In an orderly fashion, will the applying students please step forward and claim their scores."
Jacob got up and his family gave him reassuring looks as he went to the line of instructors who sat at a table. Once it came to him he gave them his name and the instructor pulled out a file. "Congratulations, Mr. Yudara. You've ranked 4th amongst your classmates. Welcome to the Academy." Jacob received his file, smiling, and shook the instructor's hand. He went back to his family smiling and showed them the file.
"4th." His family cheered for him as his father looked at their son's placement on the chart, highlighted in orange.
"That is amazing, Jacob. I knew you could do it," his mother said.
"Hey, let's see who got higher than you," Jillian suggested. Jacob took back the chart from his father and looked at number 3.
"Let's see, Adam Kline."
At the number 2 spot he read, "Matt Palumbo."
His eyes drifted to number 1 as he read the next name, and he almost stopped reading the name when he saw it.
'No way,' he thought to himself, staring at the name.
"No way," he audibly said, making his family tense from the suspense.
Suddenly there was a joyous cheer from one of the lower levels and the Yudara family-as well as everyone else in the cafeteria-looked to see a family of five having a cheery celebration. The one who seemed to be the most happy was a girl in the group, who had light blue hair that was tied in a ponytail. The girl looked down at the chart in her hands and seemed to examine the other names on the list.
Her smile began to fade and she began to look around frantically as the others looked at her. Finally she looked up to where Jacob and his family was, and their eyes locked the moment they saw each other.
The entire cafeteria was silent as they looked at each other, almost like a reverse Romeo and Juliet scene.
"Skyler?"
"Jacob?"
Oh, drop the big bomb! Yes, Skyler is going to Jacob's Academy. I will say that there won't be much Academy involvement in a few future arcs, but there will be some points when it switches to Duel Academy. A little fun fact, Adam Kline and Matt Palumbo aren't exactly random names. The first and last names themselves are real-and if you wonder where they came from they are actually names of artists who designed Magic: The Gathering cards-however put together they aren't the names of actual people (if they are, just an apology: it was completely coincidental).
So like I said, this and the next chapter are more so filler, but the next few chapters will introduce more OCs, a few encounters, and at least one chapter dedicated to them just hanging out. I've got big plans for this story, just you wait. You won't have to wait for the next chapter though. Go on ahead, R&R, PM, and I'll see you on the next page.