"Okay, I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Cyber Dragon and I attack your life points directly."
Atticus pouted when I won again. "Man, Zane you are crazy. Hey if you teach me some better strats' I can give you some surfing lessons."
I gathered up my cards. "No thanks Atticus, I think I'll be fine with me teaching you. Not the other way around. Now hand me your deck." Atticus passed it over to me. I looked through it… Panther Warrior, Perfect Stage clothes, Spotlight, Brown Warrior, Abominable Warrior Lai-Lai, Scapegoat, Monster Reincarnation, Mad Sword beast. Atticus really did have a strange choice of cards. They did go well together however the range of strategies was tightly limited. Atticus looked intently at me. "Well Atticus you do have a good job of getting cards that work together, but you should spread out your combos. Your skills are a bit isolated." I handed the deck back to him. "What do you think I should do, Zane?"
I thought for a moment.
"There are a lot of things you can do, think up new strategies that would work well with your current cards. I'd advise more monsters and that Perfect Stage Clothes Spell has a huge weakness, I advise you to get something that can close that weakness up. If you can't there's only one last resort and that's to start a new deck from scratch but I'm sure you'll be fine." Atticus nodded at my advice. I glanced at my desk clock.
"It's getting really late, you should probably get back to your room Atticus."
Two weeks later…
As role of school representative, I awaited my opponent at the docks. Counselor Sheppard and Crowler waited beside me. I expected a normal boat to be sailing towards us bearing most of North Academy's population. What I got was a giant submarine.
The top surface, I hid my surprise. I guess Crowler and Sheppard did expect their strange entry. What I guess was the school's counselor opened the top and jumped out. He had untidy hair and circular glasses. Crowler and Sheppard exchanged pleasantries. He shook my hand and as he greeted me I'd think he taken a strange addiction to beer or something.
"So you're the famous Zane Truesdale, eh? I'm sure you're a worthy opponent for our top student, Czar." A tough-built duelist about three years older than me jumped out. Some of his friends I assumed that climbed out were of the same build. I wonder if North Academy was a weight-lifting school or a dueling school. I guess I would find out. I shook hands with Czar who decided to use my fingers for stress balls. I frowned at his lack for respect. Czar grinned and in a heavy (Okay, I forgot what type of accent it is so nyah xD) accent, "Oh I'm sure you are a very good duelist to defeat. Aftar all the bigger they are the harder they fall!" The students from North Academy began to crack up. Sheppard seemed upset.
"Hilarious." I said.
We walked to the main duel stadium. Atticus was waiting for me at the arena's entrance and wished me luck. I gave him a thumbs up of appreciation. Czar and me walked to the center and shook hands. I felt my hand being crushed again.
I took my spot and he took his, the crowd was cheering and Czar's savage fans started some cheer I couldn't make out. I drew my five cards.
"Eh, I think it would be nice If ze guest went first. I zummon Lesser Fiend to sacrifice for my Zoa!" A blue fiend appeared on the field. "I'll finish and lay one face-down, scared yet Zane?"
This guy was really starting to annoy me, but respect is respect. He'll pay out of his life points. North Academy cheered at his move while my fans started shouting at them. It was like war or something. "First I play my polymerization to fuse two of my dragons to form Cyber Twin Dragon. Twin Dragon has a special ability that lets me attack twice. I'll use his first move to demolish your Zoa." The first head of my dragon let out a burst of flame.
"Hold on! I activate my trap, Negate Attack! This trap here-"
"I know what it does, very well I'll end by playing my different dimension capsule. Now let me explain things. I search through my deck for one card and remove it from play. In three turns that card is transferred to my hand. Now I end my turn."
A deafening roar filled the room as North Academy screamed their cheers.
"Oh? So you have and oh-so-scary dragon on the field, no? First I play my spell, Metal Morph! It lets me sacrifice my normal Zoa for my Metal Zoa! Say Adios to your dragon!" My Cyber Twin Dragon was destroyed.
Zane- 3800
Czar- 4000
North Academy started screaming again.
"I place two face downs and end my turn!" I drew and it seemed Czar had another thing to say. "Your draw phase has activated my trap, System Shutdown! You and I must get every machine type monster on our field, hand, grave, deck and remove them from play!" I frowned, I guess this guy knew my deck consists of only machine monsters. I silently removed my monsters from play. I didn't see Czar remove his Metal Zoa. "Czar, Metal Zoa is a machine type. If you're not going to remove it from play then hurry up a flip your other trap." Czar growled as if he took my prediction as offense. "Fine, I activate another trap called DNA surgery and I decide to change my Zoa into a dragon!" The crowd behind me booed thinking I was doomed without my machines, I had return from a different dimension in my hand. "If you're done, I'll place a face down and end my turn."
Czar drew. "I play a card called Card Destruction! First we discard our hands and draw the same amount of cards we threw away." I drew a new set of cards. Great there goes my spell.
"I'm not finished, I also activate another spell named Deceiving Treaty! I get 1000 life points and you get to return one spell card from your grave to your hand!" This guy was a total idiot. I returned Return from the Different Dimension to my hand. "But you take 2000 points of damage if it's an equipment card." Not like that matters.
"Too bad it's not an equip spell."
North Academy booed. Gee, it's like they have a grudge against me or something.
"No matter, I attack you with my Metal Zoa directly!"
Zane- 800
Czar- 5000
North Academy started cheering. Sheppard and Atticus were screaming my name. "I think that's enough for this turn." I drew.
"Since three turns are up I move the card I removed from play back to my hand. I'll also play a little spell called Return from the Different Dimension!" A look of pure horror came across Czar's face.
"I see you know how it works, but for the sake of who don't know I'll explain. I split my life points in half and every monster that was removed from play returns to my field! My trusted Cyber Dragons appeared and so did some other monsters I rarely used: Cyber Kirin and Cyber Phoenix.
"So what? They can't defeat my Zoa!"
"In their separate forms they cant, I activate my spell Power bond! This lets me fuse my three Cyber Dragons together to form my Cyber End Dragon!" My favorite monster appeared on the field. "And since he was summoned by power bond his attack points are doubled!" Czar fell back in fear.
"No! That can't be!"
"Cyber End Dragon, destroy Zoa and the rest of his life points!"
A blast filled the stadium and when the smoke cleared, Czar was on his knees. His life points dropped down right on zero. My attack was neither too big nor too little. Perfect.
"And the winner is Zane Truesdale!" Crowler announced. The crowd cheered way louder than North Academy. Atticus ran down to congratulate me. "Zane you were so awesome! The way you wiped him out in just one attack, and he's a third year too!" Sheppard and Crowler ran down the steps. Sheppard lifted my arm in victory and Duel Academy clapped and cheered.
I looked behind me at Czar. North Academy's counselor was scolding him. In the cheering I could barely hear them but I caught something about staying somewhere longer until something else. While trying to figure out what they were saying I didn't notice the crowd gathering in front of me. When I turned around Atticus picked me up and tossed me into the crowd.
"Ah!" I yelled in surprise. Atticus was grinning and waving as the crowd carried me outside tossing me up and down on the way.
"Atticus-I-am-so-go-ing-to-kill-you-now-put-me-down." I yelled between tosses.
In my ears I heard the familiar cheer.
"Kaiser, Kaiser, Kaiser!"
-X-
Yeah I admit I made at least one mistake in the duel. I only caught one but if you find another one just send me a message and I'll try to avoid it later.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next: Banner's yearly field trip for first years.
Atticus: I don't think I'm going to like how that turns out.
Zane: Ditto