Turn 2: Polar Opposites – A Rivalry as Natural as Heaven and Hell
Beatrix stood in the middle of her new room in the Obelisk Blue girl's dorm. She was in complete awe of the posh furniture, the fancy chandelier, the king size bed with silken sheets, and the on suite bathroom. It was much better than anything she had ever seen in her life; being the daughter of a lower middle-class family.
She recovered her pack from the ground from which she dropped it from her initial shock, and took her fist steps into this brand new world. The room was large; it easily held the giant bed, desk, elaborate dresser, and card table with plenty of room left. She walked to the dresser, where she found a small electronic device and a letter. She opened the envelope and read the brief message from her headmaster, Amanda Kai, "Welcome to Obelisk Blue Beatrix Sorrowtine! I heard about your story from principal Crowler, it is quite impressive that a first year student of any rank has defeated a legendary duelist like Seto Kaiba. Please change into your uniform, and tour Duel Academy. Don't forget to attend the orientation tonight at eight o'clock. Please be aware of the uniform policy, each student must wear the colours of their dorm. In you closet hangs your tailor made uniform."
Beatrix sighed, releasing the built up excitement that had been bottling up in her since she first arrived in Duel Academy. She proceeded to put the clothes she brought to the academy in the dresser, walked over to the closet, and peered inside. She saw the smart uniform hanging neatly in the center of the closet. A bench ran across the back wall of the closet, and on top of it rested the standard issue duel disk to students of the academy. Underneath the bench are the shoes that go with the outfit.
The single uniform made the already spacious walk-in closet seem much more vacant. Beatrix frowned at this; if only she had the presence of mind to hand her shirts up here! She was not about to move her clothes from one end of the room to the other, so she made the lazy decision to leave her shirts where they were, in the dresser. Since the school advocated the wearing of uniforms, the new Obelisk Blue student decided that she would put the uniform on now. She would be wearing it for the better part of the next three years, so she would have to get used to it sooner or later.
She replaced her brown tank top and red skirt for the white tank top and blue skirt of Obelisk Blue. She honestly felt pretty good in the soft fabric, but something did not feel right about it. It could be because the whole concept of uniforms was foreign to her, or the fact that she wore the same skirt day in and day out for her entire teenage life and she felt unnatural without it. She looked in the mirror, and with a dissatisfied grunt, she made her decision. She needed her old red skirt.
With her red skirt taking the place of the blue skirt of the God of the Obelisk, Beatrix looked in the mirror again. She turned from side to side, looking at herself in the mirror. Despite the fact that it was not in uniform; the red skirt was in the exact same style of the uniform skirt. In fact, the only difference was the colour. She nodded, and promptly exited her room to explore the campus of Duel Academy.
The air outside was fresh, untouched by the pollution of the mainland; Beatrix took a deep breath and enjoyed the feeling. Duel Academy Island practically shone in its splendor, green emanated from both sides as Beatrix walked the forest path to the school building where she would start her adventure. Squirrels crossed Beatrix's path, apparently unshaken by humans like the squirrels in Domino City. She smiled at them, and continued on her way.
Upon reaching the school building, Beatrix could see a large gathering of students. Many Obelisk Blue students were chatting in the middle of the large area in front of the school, Ra Yellow students could be seen standing farther away from the school building; they were talking about Duel Monsters and were trading cards and strategies. Finally, Slifer Red students could be seen on the outskirts of the group. They were all happy to just be in the school, seemingly not caring of the fact that they were on a razor's edge between staying in the school and being expelled.
Standing out from all of the Slifer Red students is a short boy with blond hair in a bowl cut, could be seen trying to intermingle with the students of the other dorms. Beatrix was not yet aware of the feelings that the Obelisk Blues had for the Slifer Reds, but she was going to get her crash course now.
The boy made several attempts to talk with the Re Yellow students, but was turned away at every turn. He huffed, and moved onto the Obelisk Blue, only to get an even worse reception. The first group of blue clothed students roughly shoved him to the side. Beatrix's eyes narrowed when she saw this, and before she could think of how to verbalize her objections to this display, her legs began to take her to her cruel peers.
By the time she got there, the boy in the red blazer had just gotten back on his feet, and began dusting himself off with dignity. Beatrix glared at the offending students, "What are you doing?!" She asks them, her voice filled with contempt.
Of the group of three Obelisk Blue boys, the one in the middle who seemed to be their leader smiled at Beatrix, and told her the sad truth of the situation at Duel Academy, "Just putting this slacker in his place." He says, quite pleasantly to his fellow Obelisk Blue peer, "He thinks that he can just walk around talking to us in Obelisk Blue at his level. He doesn't have the right."
Beatrix had honestly never been this angry before, this kind of behavior was unacceptable by her standards, and it took all of her self-control to keep a level enough head to speak, "And what gives you the right to push him? He's a person just like you and me, and he doesn't deserve such treatment; nobody does!"
The boy on the right sneered at Beatrix, "Don't you understand anything Ms. Snooty? Slifer Slackers don't have the talent like us Obelisk Blues, so we can't be bothered with them."
"If you're sympathizing with him; that only proves what kind of duelist you are. How did you even get to our rank anyway?" The third boy adds.
"She's even got one foot in the Slifer Dorm! Look at her skirt!" The leader adds.
Just then, a powerful voice that demanded respect came from behind the three, "She got into our rank by beating the founder of this school you nitwit."
The boys visibly shivered at the voice, and parted to two ways to let the person through. It was a young girl Beatrix's age, and in the same dorm; she had long dark blue hair, and blood red eyes that seem as if they could pierce into one's soul. She gave off an air of confidence about her that made everyone around her with a weaker spirit cringe. Despite her demeanor, the girl was actually quite frail; her body looked sickly and weak, but this was overshadowed by her powerful gaze and voice.
" C-Candace, how nice to meet you again." Squeaked the second boy's voice.
The leader seemed to keep his composure, but still gave Candace the same greeting, "We are honoured by your presence Miss Candace, but is what you said true? Did she really beat Seto Kaiba?"
"I never lie, now get out my sight you fool, I need to talk to her." Candace tells them.
The boys get out of Candace's presence as soon as they can, they did not want to be picked apart by Candace's glare or the harsh words of the duelist who beat the legendary duelist. Candace gives Beatrix the same gaze that has crushed the spirits of many of the students who graduated with her in the preparatory school, but it does not make it past Beatrix's willful eyes.
Beatrix finally broke the silence, "Thank you for dealing with them, they were such jerks."
Candace's cold demeanor remained unchanged, "I just wanted to talk to you, that's all. I don't really care what happens to this cretin." She says, referring to the Slifer student.
Beatrix was not pleased by this; she thought that she had found a good soul in the blue dorm, but was sadly mistaken, "Well, what do you want to talk about? If the conversation is about anything other than mistreating other people, then I'll join it."
Candace's unmoving eyes suddenly became filled with hate, "Self-righteous moron. How could you ever beat Kaiba?" She asks rhetorically, "Oh, I know! You couldn't, because you didn't!"
If Candace had wanted Beatrix to respond angrily, then she would be disappointed, because Beatrix was a good sport when it came people insulting her, "Please explain your reasoning to me then, because I was there when I beat him, so I kinda have it on good authority that I did defeat Mr. Kaiba."
Candace's eyes returned to their usual steely gaze, "Kaiba did not duel you with all of his force you know." Beatrix held Candace's gaze, apparently not getting the point, "Ask yourself these questions. Did you see the XYZ-Dragon Cannon? Did your monsters succumb to the Crush Card virus? Was unmentionable power unleashed by the Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End? I know for a fact that you didn't. Your victory is pretty well documented; Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, but nothing more! Obelisk Blue is full of people that could beat that! You cannot claim victory on Kaiba, because you did not face him at his best."
Beatrix's eyes began to falter; Candace was right. She may have defeated the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but that was not Seto Kaiba at his full strength. Was Obelisk Blue really full of people who could do what she had stumbled upon? She began to feel bad about herself when a small voice came up from beside her.
"She's jealous." Said the forgotten Slifer Red student, "I can tell. She hides it well, but she really didn't have to question you that much. She's just covering up her own jealousy."
Beatrix's eyes snapped wide open, and Candace growled, "Cretin!" She says, but is unable to think of anything else to say.
Beatrix smiled, "He's right, you are jealous."
Candace's anger began to flare, which caused her to bend over and begin coughing. She was born with an illness that cursed her with a frail body, something she had always detested. It was not fatal, but she could not stain herself too much, or get too emotional, or she would begin to convulse. She quickly regained her composure, and breathed heavily due to all of the coughing. Before Beatrix could ask her if she was alright, the girl stood upright again; her gaze retuning to normal, "I will prove to you that I do not have anything to envy of you. I challenge you to a duel tonight after orientation!"
Beatrix was concerned for Candace, considering that she had begun to cough so suddenly, but when Candace issued the challenge, she knew that she had to accept. Candace was a strong person, and she definitely seemed like a powerful duelist. With such a good challenge in front of her, how could she refuse?
"I accept. I'll see you after the orientation then." Beatrix says with her hand out in front of her, to shake Candace's hand.
Candace's emotionless stare met with Beatrix's genuine eyes, she then looked at her opponent's hand, and ignored it. Candace turned around and walked inside of the school building, where she came from. She was supposed to meet with the headmaster of Obelisk Blue today, and her altercation with Beatrix made her late, but it was worth it. She was going to prove that she had the strength that her body did not allow her. That was why she became a duelist, she felt proud of herself when she dueled, and she had earned herself the moniker of Duel Princess of Domino Prep School. She was going to carry that confidence and power to Duel Academy, and she was going to start her legacy off right by beating the only girl in Duel Academy history to be a legendary duelist.
Beatrix sighed, letting the tension flow out of her body. She had never expected her first day at Duel Academy to be so dramatic. She remembered the Slifer Red boy, and turned to him. No one else seemed to be in the area other than these two, "Exciting day, huh?" Beatrix asked rhetorically, "So, what's your name?"
The boy looked up at Beatrix, "I am Edgar Gein, please call me Gein." He answers.
"I'm Beatrix, nice to meet you." Beatrix says with a smile, "I'm sorry if I interfered, I just hate bullies."
Gein smiled, "It's okay, don't mind people, even if they treat me poorly."
"You are a bigger man than they are. If you ever want to prove yourself to them, just duel them. I can see talent in your eyes."
Gein looked a bit sheepish, "Thank you. I can duel them, but I don't like to duel for things like that. I duel only for fun; it is a game after all."
"Heh, you're right." Beatrix laughs.
Fast friends, Beatrix and Gein continued talking about expectations and hometowns. Gein informed Beatrix that he was from Germany, and shared some information about the country. It soon came to be the time for the dorm orientations to begin, and they had to part ways, "Shall I meet you after the orientation?" Gein asks Beatrix, "I would like to watch your duel with Candace."
Beatrix chuckled, "Of course, if you can make it. We'll duel near here, so look for us here okay?"
Beatrix hurried off to the Obelisk Blue girls' dorm, not wanting to be late for the shindig. As soon as she got there, she was swept up in a sea of motion. Girls in blue blazers were everywhere, grabbing at buffet-style food, and talking amongst themselves. All of these girls seemed to be from rich families, which made Beatrix feel uncomfortable. She was from a lower-middle class family, and everything they were talking about was completely over her head. Instead of talking about things that she had absolutely no knowledge in, Beatrix was one hundred percent content with silently eating her meal.
Despite the fact that this was called an 'orientation', there was no information being shared from the headmaster, or if there was anything, then she did not hear it. Beatrix simply sat bored at the table, and slowly munching on her food while the others talked amongst themselves. Eventually, the boredom got to her, and she began looking around, anxious for the orientation to end so she could get to the real excitement of a duel.
Beatrix spied Candace from the corner of her eye; apparently the emotionless girl was in the same boat. Candace looked in Beatrix's direction and continued on her way out. Beatrix nodded, and followed Candace out of the female dorm. Candace and Beatrix took separate canoes to get across the lake, the short way to get to the Duel Academy school building. Beatrix rowed next to Candace, "Mind if I pick the venue, I have a friend who wants to watch our duel."
Candace remained completely emotionless as she answered, "Having a witness to your defeat is fine by me."
Beatrix huffed, but did not reply. She did not care for Candace's attitude, but she would not let the sickly looking girl get the better of her. Beatrix had a feeling that she would need to keep a level head, because her opponent's aura of strength was so potent that it almost seemed visible. Against an opponent this imposing, Beatrix knew that she would need to give it her all.
Beatrix felt odd walking this far for a duel, but she promised Gein that they would be in front of the school building so he could find them easily enough. She began to feel a bit sheepish, especially since the incomparable Candace was walking beside her. She had no idea what was going on in the mind of her opponent. Was she anxious? Was she annoyed at having to come so far out of her way just for one duel? Beatrix could derive no answers from the blank look on Candace's face; she did not even bat an eye at her opponent and kept her hard gaze on the road ahead of her.
The darkness of the night gave the woods a very different feeling from what Beatrix experienced that morning. She felt a chill run down her spine when she looked at the girl beside her. Candace seemed in her own element in the darkness, her body and demeanor appeared at one with the night. It was then that Beatrix realized the simple truth; this girl was her exact opposite. While Beatrix felt most at peace in the light, Candace seemed more at peace in the dark. Beatrix was respectful of everyone's feelings, while Candace thought nothing of stepping on someone's emotions. This would be more than a simple duel between two students; this would be a clash of opposing elements.
After what felt like an eternity, Beatrix finally caught sight of Gein. It was time for this duel to start, and she was glad that it had finally come. The wait was beginning to get to her, and walking beside Candace in the dead of night did not help matters either. Candace walked a bit ahead of Beatrix, and readied her duel disk. Beatrix did the same, and she began wondering who should go first. A question Candace would answer, "I challenged, so I will start."
Candace draws her sixth card, and looks over her hand, "Dark Lucius levels up by destroying a monster and surviving to the next turn, this is a difficult feat because of his low attack score, and is best as a reactionary monster. I cannot lead with him, but if I plan ahead…" Candace thinks to herself, "I set one monster face-down in defense mode, and cover one card." She says as her two face-down cards shine to life in front of her, "And I'll activate my field spell card, Yami!" A thick dark fog emanates from the forest that surrounded the three duelists, and shrouded the front of Duel Academy in a darkness that even the night could not trump, "I end my turn."
This shroud of dark mist almost hid Candace from Beatrix's sight, but because she was so pale, Beatrix could just make out her face and eyes. Candace's eyes, being darker than her face, but still illuminated by it, seemed to stand out in the darkness. It was very unsettling for Beatrix, who drew her first card of the duel. She could certainly see why the boys who shoved Gein earlier were so frightened of her.
Beatrix looked at her hand cautiously; she knew that Candace's Yami field spell card would weaken most of her monsters by two hundred points, and she could only assume that she used either Spellcasters or Fiends that could take advantage of the new venue. A simultaneous strengthening and weakening strategy; Candace really was a shining example of what was expected of an Obelisk Blue student. Beatrix knew that she would have to match her to walk down this road.
Beatrix draws her sixth card, "I don't like that face-down monster of yours, so I'm going to summon Bountiful Artemis in defense mode." The fairy shines to life in front of Beatrix, but a dark aura surrounds and weakens the creature of light.
Bountiful Artemis ATK 1400 DEF 1500
"My trap card will persuade you to change your mind; Chthonian Direction!" Candace tells Beatrix, "Your monster is switched to attack mode, and if you don't attack this turn, then you take damage equal to your monsters original attack points!"
Beatrix gasps, "Rats, this is a tough decision."
Gein puts his hand on his chin, "If you attack, you have to deal with whatever effect Candace's monster has, something of which she obviously wants you to do. On the other hand, if you choose not to attack, you lose sixteen hundred life. Not an easy decision."
Beatrix expected Candace to laugh at her situation, and had half a mind to expect her to get impatient with how long it took her to make the decision, but neither came to be true. Candace simply stood patiently on her side of the field, her arms crossed, and the same emotionless gaze. Beatrix finally made her decision, and hoped for the best, "I can't take that much damage, I'll attack."
Bountiful Artemis took off; reaching Candace's face-down card within a second. The fairy then raised its arms above the horizontal card, and a ray of light shone down upon it. The card flips face-up, revealing a monster that looked like an organic Lunar Lander.
"Activate the flip effect of Virus of Weakening. Your Bountiful Artemis will now lose five hundred attack points." Candace informs.
Bountiful Artemis ATK 900 DEF 1500
Beatrix cringes, "Gah! What a nasty surprise. I'll end my turn."
Candace's eyebrows lower slightly, showing that she was slightly affected by Beatrix's display, "I summon Dark Lucius LV4 in attack mode."
The dark fog formed itself into the shape of a man, and when the form is complete, a sinister looking demon could be made out in the darkness. Like Candace, its red eyes seemed to glow, and it had a wide evil smile on its face.
Dark Lucius LV4 ATK 1200 DEF 500
"Now, I'll have Dark Lucius attack Bountiful Artemis." Candace said with no tone of emotion in her voice. Dark Lucius LV4 disappears, and reappeared in front of Beatrix's monster. Its evil smile widened, and it launched a punch that pierces through the fairy, and caused it to shatter, "I'll cover a card, and end my turn." A card appears in front of the unmoving Candace.
Beatrix's Life Points: 3700
Candace's Life Points: 4000
Beatrix swiped the top card from her deck, "Skelengel. When Candace attacks you, I'll get your flip effect and draw a card. I could use the extra drawing power; this Yami field spell seems to be draining my luck." Beatrix thought to herself, "I set one monster face-down in defense mode, and end my turn."
Candace's eyes narrowed as she drew her card, "Is this all you are? You haven't made a good move all game." Candace said in her monotone voice.
At that, Candace's monster, Dark Lucius, began to grow larger. Horns began growing out of the Fiend's shoulder blades, and the monster shed its hide in exchange for a tougher, armour-like skin. Beatrix looked on in disgust as the devil metamorphosis took place in front of her. The new monster had a wider and creepier smile that its previous form. The creature, unarmed until now, has a thin sword in its right hand.
Dark Lucius LV6 ATK 1900 DEF 800
Candace points at Beatrix's monster, "Dark Lucius LV6, attack her face-down monster."
Dark Lucius teleports over to the face-down monster on Beatrix's side of the field, and slashes through it with its thin blade. The two halves of the card reveal the monster that Beatrix had set. The skeleton angel begins glowing with a holy power, and Beatrix motions to draw a card from her deck. Then, something happened.
"Don't draw that card. Dark Lucius negates the effect of the monster it destroys." Candace calmly informs her opponent.
Beatrix stopped just as her hand reached her deck, and noticed with horror that her Skelengel's white aura turned black. A cruel laugh echoes from the sinister smile on Dark Lucius' face, as it held its palm over Skelengel's head. Dark Lucius' evil aura corrupted the Fairy's holy aura, which prevented it from using its effect.
A face-down card appeared on Candace's side of the field, "Cover one card, and end my turn."
"Since Dark Lucius LV6 negated an effect, he'll level up again next turn. You'd better destroy Dark Lucius before he can attain his highest level." Gein tells Beatrix.
"Getting help from a Slifer Red, how pathetic. You don't deserve to be in this dorm." Candace said a look of disappointment on her face.
Beatrix was almost inclined to agree with Candace. She honestly would have been happy in any of the dorms, but it was her foolish leadership that got her into this situation. She almost decided to quit the duel, when she remembered Kaiba. Even though he was not dueling at his best, the fact remained that she beat him, and he deserved better than to have the person who bested him to lose confidence like this. She would not let the name of a legendary duelist be sullied like this. She had to take the offensive, and she had the perfect card to do so, "I summon Majestic Mech – Ohka in attack mode!"
Majestic Mech – Ohka ATK 2200 DEF 1200
The heavenly machination shone to life in front of Beatrix, the lion-shaped Fairy settled before Dark Lucius, and lets out a dignified roar. Gein looked at the creature with an odd look on his face. He could not understand how such a powerful monster could be Normal Summoned without sacrifices, "What?" Was all he was able to say.
Beatrix looks over to Gein with a smile on her face, "I can summon him without tributes, but if I do so, he returns to heaven at the end of my turn."
Candace's scowl relaxed, but her usual gaze took its place, showing that she was no longer disgusted with Beatrix, "I still have the advantage on the next turn." She said.
Beatrix looked back to Candace, her eyes suddenly serious, "Yeah, but it's worth it, because you'll have to start leveling Dark Lucius up from scratch!"
Gein's eyes widened, "That's right! Dark Lucius' effect doesn't work if he's revived, and if he can't have his effect, he can't level up!"
Beatrix pointed at Dark Lucius, "Ohka, attack Dark Lucius with Heavenly Blast!"
Majestic Mech – Ohka breathes out a beam of pure light aimed directly at the creature of pure darkness, Dark Lucius. But, just as the beam of light came upon the devil, Candace pressed a button on her duel disk, "Reveal face-down card, Mirror Force! I'll reflect your light right back at you." Candace tells Beatrix evenly.
A transparent barrier covered Candace's side of the field, and when the beam of light hit it, it reflected back at the monster that shot it. The reflected beam of light strikes Majestic Mech – Ohka on the head, causing an explosion that eradicated Beatrix's monster. Beatrix grunted as this happened, "This duel is not over, I'll set a card face-down on the field, and end my turn."
Candace drew her card, and in response, Dark Lucius became enveloped in darkness. Beatrix was relieved that the dark fog hid the undoubtedly gruesome transformation of Dark Lucius LV6. The devil appears shortly after, six sleek bat wings flapping at once, which dispersed the fog that hid it. The devil's skin now looked much more like heavy steel armour. The Fiend's cruel smile replaced by a sinister scowl that displayed its grim intentions. Dark Lucius' sword had also undergone a transformation; it was now a much larger broad sword that could cleave an elephant in twain.
Dark Lucius LV8 ATK 3000 DEF 1100
"Cover a card, and attack player directly." Candace commanded, with no emotion in her voice.
Dark Lucius rose it's sword in the air, and slashed down, making a wave of darkness energy to rush at Beatrix. The girl stared bravely at the incoming blast of powerful energy, she had a plan, and she was glad that Candace had attacked so she could put it into action.
Beatrix waved her hand in front of her, "That triggered by trap, Magic Cylinder! Like you reflected my light, I'll reflect your darkness back at you!"
Two cylinders appeared just as the darkness energy came to Beatrix. One of the cylinders took in the energy, and the other shot it back out at Candace. Candace's eyes did not change as her attack came at her, but she could not help but raise her voice in pain as the realistic hologram hit her.
Beatrix's Life Points: 3700
Candace's Life Points: 1000
Before Beatrix could get too proud of herself, Candace spoke up, "I activate my quick play spell, Chthonian Torment! Because I took effect damage, I can relinquish my next Draw Phase to give you the pain I just experienced!"
Beatrix's eyes widened when she realized that she was about to take that much damage. A dark red energy enveloped her body, and even though these were just holograms, they were hot. Painfully hot. She had no idea how she felt pain from this hologram, but she thought that it must have had something to do with the realism of the holograms.
Beatrix's Life Points: 700
Candace's Life Points: 1000
Beatrix gasped for air after she took that damage, "That was a good move. I thought I took the lead there."
Candace did not seem to acknowledge Beatrix's praise, "Turn end."
Beatrix drew her card, "Voltanis! Am I glad to see you! It's just too bad that I don't have any Fairies to use your effect." Beatrix thought to herself, "I'll set a card face-down, and end my turn."
Candace did not draw her card, because of the effect of Chthonian Torment. She instead shows Beatrix a card, "I activate the spell Chthonian Guard! By removing a Fiend in my graveyard from play, my Dark Lucius LV8 cannot be destroyed this turn!" She said, as she took Dark Lucius LV6 from her Graveyard, and put it in her pocket.
Gein was taken aback by Candace's move, "Woah! With that Chthonian Guard, Candace practically made Beatrix's trap useless!" Gein thought to himself.
"Direct attack on player!" Candace commanded.
Dark Lucius raised its blade again, much like it had done the previous turn. This time, with Chthonian Guard, it was safe from most traps that players would use to stop it. Dark Lucius brought its sword down, unleashing another powerful blast of darkness energy. The energy came back upon Beatrix with more than enough power to defeat her, and with the option of destroying it gone, Beatrix looked to be defeated here and now.
The card on Beatrix's field rose to show Candace what it was, "Activate trap, Negate Attack! Your attack is stopped!"
Gein sighed, "Whew, since Negate Attack doesn't destroy monsters, Beatrix is safe!" He thought.
Beatrix smiled, "Now, since I activated a counter trap, I can Special Summon my favorite monster, Voltanis the Adjudicator!"
A ray of hope shone down from the clouds, and from it descended Beatrix's guardian angel. Voltanis the Adjudicator settled between Dark Lucius and Beatrix, and despite the fact that Dark Lucius was more powerful; Voltanis appeared just as calm as Beatrix was. Candace covered her eyes from the light, but was not worried. This was simply a stall tactic, there was no way Beatrix could defeat Dark Lucius LV8 with Voltanis. Even though the original strength of the two monsters were equal, while Yami was on the field, Dark Lucius gained power while Voltanis the Adjudicator lost power. Candace still had the upper hand.
Voltanis the Adjudicator ATK 2600 DEF 1200
Not being one to gloat, Candace simply said, "Turn end."
Beatrix drew her card, it was exactly the card she needed to win this duel now, "Candace, even though I don't like you very much, it has been an honor to duel you. I activate the spell card Holy Power! This equip spell not only increases Voltanis' attack strength by five hundred, but also its attack can't be lowered!"
A white aura erupted from Voltanis, the heavenly energy filling Beatrix's side of the field. The black fog of the field spell Yami recedes, escaping from the holy power that emanated from Voltanis. Even though Voltanis was now more powerful than Dark Lucius, she was not worried. She remained completely calm, and thought about her next move while Voltanis gained power.
Voltanis the Adjudicator ATK 3300 DEF 1200
Candace remained silent, which made Beatrix feel awkward, because she needed Candace to tell her that even with a power increase, she would not win this turn. Beatrix waited until Candace sighed, and finally spoke up, "When will you continue your turn?"
Beatrix sighed in return, "Fine, I'll make my move." She said, "But even with this power boost, I won't beat you this turn, which is why I have this!" Beatrix said, and showed Candace another spell, "This spell card, Helping Hand From Above, will let me remove one of the Fairies in my Graveyard from play to give Voltanis another attack, although it will only be up to the attack strength of the monster I removed from play. I remove Bountiful Artemis from play, so Voltanis can attack once more with sixteen hundred attack points!"
Gein was impressed; Candace had kept Beatrix under her thumb for the entire length of this duel with many brilliant moves, but all Beatrix needed was one good move of her own to completely turn the tables. With the score the way it was, Beatrix would win the duel! Even though she was faced with her own immanent defeat, Candace did not look any different than she had for the entire length of the duel. She was just as calm and collected as she was the entire time she had been beating Beatrix.
Beatrix pointed at Dark Lucius, the monster that had been plaguing her for the entire duel, "Voltanis, destroy Dark Lucius LV8! Judgment Strike!"
Voltanis raised its staff into the air, streams of light shining from the ornament on the top of the staff. Afterwards, a blue beam of light blasted forth from the staff, and struck Dark Lucius, and causing an explosion that fills Candace's side of the field.
Beatrix's Life Points: 700
Candace's Life Points: 700
Voltanis the Adjudicator ATK 1600 DEF 1400
"Voltanis still has one attack left, so I'll attack directly for the w…" Beatrix says, but is interrupted by Candace.
"I'll take the tie. I activate my trap card Chthonian Blast!" Candace's face-down card rose so that Beatrix could see it, "Since you destroyed Dark Lucius LV8, the weakest monster is destroyed, and we each take half of that monster's attack points. Since your Voltanis is the only monster in play, then it is destroyed, and we each take three thousand, one hundred fifty damage."
Without warning, Voltanis the Adjudicator exploded. A massive explosion that devours both Beatrix and Candace, and so bright that Gein had to cover his eyes. Once the explosion subsided and Gein could see again, he saw that Beatrix was kneeling, and Candace was standing with dignity.
Beatrix's Life Points: 0
Candace's Life Points: 0
"That was a great duel, thank you Candace." Beatrix said genuinely.
Candace did not answer, because she did like the fact that Beatrix had given her a draw. It annoyed her to no end that she had been on top for the entire duel, and Beatrix's final move forced her hand, and Candace needed to play Chthonian Blast. She swore that the next time that they duel, the outcome would be different.
Before anything else could be said, clapping could be heard from behind them. It was the Obelisk Blue Headmaster. He wore a smart blue blazer, much like the ones that the Obelisk Blue boys wore. He had brown hair, and it was neatly combed. His eyes showed a genuine love for all of the students at Duel Academy, and he was impressed by Beatrix and Candace's duel. But, it was after hours, and curfew was a strict rule.
"A very good duel, I am glad to see that our students are so good. It gives me a good feeling for the future." Earole told both Beatrix and Candace, "But you have broken curfew. Candace, Beatrix, I know that you are both first year students, and that you are both enigmas, but that does not excuse you from the rules. Week long detention is your punishment." It was at this point that Gein began sneaking away, not wanting to be punished either, "Edgar Gein, I will tell your headmaster that you have broken curfew as well, and I'll leave the rest up to his good judgment. Now, everyone, please go back to your dorms, and go to sleep. Tomorrow is another day, and you all need to be well rested."
Today's Strongest Card
Chthonian Torment/Quick Play Spell
If you activate this effect, you must skip your next Draw Phase. When you take damage from the effect of a card, inflict the same amount of damage to your opponent's Life Points that you took as a result of that effect.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this chapter! If any of you want to know, my favorite of the character's introduced so far is Candace, she's got a great character flaw and personality, and in my opinion that makes for a great character. To respond to Arashihawk's question; yes I actually do plan to have some of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX characters make obligatory cameos! I can't tell you anything more on the subject, since that would spoil the story. You might notice that I added another feature; this is the strongest card of the turn. I got the idea from the Japanese anime, where after each episode they give you the low down on the key card. I'll choose the strongest card I created, and give you the full description as if it was an actual game card. Have a good one, and I'll write the next chapter as soon as possible.