I stretched my back as I looked over the stadium from the topmost stands, it had been sectioned into four parts, four mini arenas with four duels going on at the same time. The already enrolled prep-school kids were watching the arena with great interest to pick out candidates of interest. Essentially this was an exam for who would go to Ra-yellow and Slifer-red. Funny how objectively the most broken card ever shown in the Anime was second in the rankings for the dorms.

No, that was not even the funny part, the funny part was that all three of the God cards were shit in the TCG and the OCG but here? I did not have a counter for them. They would break my spine without even a bit of effort. Well, that is if I ever faced them.

/Applicant Nanomi, Nanomi, please report…/ I had to give the proctors one thing, they were efficient, and they went through applicants quickly. Well not that it was hard, beatdown decks, stall decks, and boss-focused decks were the norm and the proctors were using very similar stuff.

With the format being what it was i.e four thousand life points and no ban list, you would think someone would make a burn deck. But well, that was good for me.

I sighed as I glanced at my watch. I was going to be one of the last applicants to be tested, I had taken my time with my theory paper, stalling and waiting until Bastion finished his. I did not want to stand out and my whole goal was to be just behind Bastion, so, I made silly mistakes on what amounted to be a middle school paper. As a medical student, it pissed me off to make such stupid mistakes on my Biology paper but you gotta do what you gotta do.

/Applicant Mira Heylel, please report to arena three, Applicant Mira Heylel…/

"Finally," I grumbled as I made my way down to the ground to the sounds of 'good luck' and 'all the best' from behind me. I did not know any of them and none of them knew each other but this was a gesture that had developed in the stands halfway through the third hour.

On the field, I was greeted by the entrance to arenas, ignoring one, two and four, I shuffled into three. Inside I was greeted by a well-light room with two unguarded elevators, well platforms that were pushed up by a hydraulic press but let's not get technical here,

The proctor was already on one of the platforms he asked, "Mira Heylel?" I gave the man a nod as I stepped onto the elevator and waited.

He turned to one of the assistants that were there and said, "Go."

And the elevators started moving. Taking us up as the steel plates over the top of our heads parted, to the audience it looked like we had emerged from the floor of the arena but truthfully we had just been lifted to the second floor of a two-story building.

"Introduce yourself," He said, I nodded to the man, "Mira Heylel. Let's have a good duel."

"Mira Heylel? Ah, shame you know? You came third in the written test, just three marks from the first," He said. I nodded, "Silly mistakes I hope," He shrugged, he didn't know.

"Alright, time to duel!" He shouted, I was a bit caught off guard by the amount of energy in that, this was the first time I was in a duel after all.

"Let's!" I tried to match him but it mostly came out as a shriek, damn this high-pitched voice of mine.

Proctor-4000

Mira-4000

"To kick this show off, I will go first! Draw!" He said as we both drew cards from our disks, both our hands sliding out five and him taking an extra one for he was going first.

"Alright, I T-set and end my turn," A monster in defence and a card in the back row. No information, no point in thinking.

"I draw," This time I did not shout as my gaze washed over my hand, [Mystic Tomato, [Manju, [Harpy's FD, [Black illusion ritual, [Mirror Force, [Solemn Judgement]. It was like my hand was telling me to go make Relinquished this turn but not now, first let him build his back row, pop it with FD and then go.

"Right back at you sir, I T-set," I said as I placed [Mystic tomato] face down, and set [Solemn Judgement.]

I did not set mirror force in case he had removal and kept Manju back because I could just summon Relinquished next turn.

"Playing it safe, are we? Well, no matter, I sacrifice my set monster, [Giant soldier of stone, and tribute summon [Summoned Skull]! And he attacks your face-down card!" Good for him, I did not proc Judgement, because why would I destroy my [Relinquished]'s food?

Its attack comes to the tomato as a torrent of devastating lightning, I shouted this was going to be the play of the game after all, "You attacked my face-down monster card, [Mystic tomato]. It means I can special summon a dark 1500 atk or lower monster from my deck! And I choose Witch of the Black Forest in attack mode!"

This was tiring, "So? You choose to summon a monster in attack mode against my [Summoned Skull]?" I mean I don't have a choice but okay, I nodded.

"Brave! Let's see where it leads you! I set three face-down and end my turn." He said as three cards appeared in his back row. Good thing I have Harpy's FD.

I drew my next card and giggled, [Chaos Emperor Dragon, I could end this game on the back of its burn and attack alone but no, I will keep my trump a secret for as long as possible. As I placed it behind the cards I already had in my hands, I felt a sense of wrongness. This card wanted to be used, and since I knew duel spirits existed that was probably not me going insane.

I was going to have to placate it, but not now, after the duel, "I summon [Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands] in face-up attack position, which allows me to add a ritual card from my deck to my hand and I choose [Relinquished]. Next, I activate [Harpy's Feather Duster, blowing up your entire back row!" I watched as the proctor's face morphed from a smile to an 'oh-fuck' face. As his entire back row of traps went into the grave, [Mirror Force, [Kunai with Chain, [two Calls of the haunted]!

He was giving me a resigned look, he knew what was coming and I smiled at him, "Then I activate [Black illusion ritual] the offering is [Witch]! And since I sent a [Witch] to the Grave, she gives me another [Manju]. But more importantly, I get to summon [Relinquished] in attack! And [Relinquished] devours [Summoned Skull]! Now all-out attack!"

Proctor-4000-2500-1400=100

"Now I set my last card and end my turn," He nodes and continues, "As they say, a duel is not over till the last card is played! I draw! And what a draw it is! I play—" I cut him off as I raise my trap card, "[Solemn Judgement]! Your card goes to the grave!" It was a [Dark hole]. Good fucking God.

Mira-4000-2000=2000

He stands still and stares, "Well, I end my turn."

I drew a card and did not even announce it, "[Relinquished] end it."

Proctor-100-2500=-2400

"Good job! Welcome to the Academy Mira," I bow to the man and say, "Thank you."

The platforms start to resend into the ground as the duel disk closes and I pull my cards out of it, reholstering them.

I turn to the proctor, "What do you think I will get?"

His hands reach his chin as he scratches his beard, "Obelisk. Most definitely." Not good, I did not want to be in the house that was targeted by the cult, I wanted to be in Ra. It was safe and sound there. I mean Bastion got into Ra, come on he aced the written test, came first and had more life points than me at the end of his duel. If he was in yellow material, I was most definitely yellow material.

I nodded and walked down the elevator, the PA system buzzing to life calling out to someone else as I tuned it out, fishing my headphones from my pocket for my portable mp3 player and plunging them in.

I walked up the stands, intending to go to my original place as I heard clapping and murmurs from the surroundings. Soon I was greeted by the sight of two teens wrapped in obelisk dresses. One was blonde and one had blue hair, probably the designated love interest that lost to a duel spirit and Kaiser who would go edgy after his loss.

I tried to ignore the two who stood at the entrance to the topmost level and brush past them but the blonde stopped me with an arm on my shoulder. Alright, I will talk.

"Hello," I said as I pulled down my earphones, "I am Alexis, this is Zane," She introduced them.

"Mira Heylel," I said and waited, what did they want? Came to give me their congrats?

"That was an amazing Duel. You didn't even give him a chance," I nodded, and Zane added from the side, "But you have no respect for your cards," I shrugged, "I played them, I made use of them. What do you mean by, 'respecting' the cards if not that?" Aren't you a good friend, I just have to piss you off enough that you use your influence to make sure I don't go blue.

"You use them, you don't play them. You threw away cards like water, you didn't even blink as you lost your Mystic Tomato…" I cut him off—I could not be bothered about this bullshit—and dug out [Mystic Tomato] from my deck and showed him it, "Read the effect," I said, he shot me a glare, and while he was right, fuck him for trying to ruin my social standing and we were not even in the school yet.

"I know the effect—" Again I cut him off, "Read the effect!" He turned around, "Do not chicken out Kaiser. I am sure the lord of the Cyber Dragons is not a crybaby." The provocations worked as he turned and read it out, "When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 DARK monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck, in face-up Attack Position. Happy?"

"Now tell me what I did wrong by playing it as fodder?" I had already attracted a few eyes at this point mostly from the blue guys, I was antagonising them by challenging their king but that was good too it would mean more people would come to compete with me, and that translated to more Duel points.

"Tell me if someone were to rip your card right now what would you do?" Huh? Unless you ripped something expensive, I don't particularly care, "I would report them to the relevant authorities and probably ask that you buy me a new copy."

"Then the answer is obvious about how much you care, isn't it?" I gave him the most unimpressed look I could manage, "You would rather I get into a fight over it? Come on dude we don't live in a world where might makes right," We do, "We live in a world of law and order," Bull fucking shit, "And, I am not strong enough to beat someone down anyway," something to rectify later.

"I never suggested that but if your reaction to the loss of a card is that much? You really don't appreciate them. And you could have won the turn you drew your second card couldn't you? But you kept it back, you suppressed it." Jesus Christ, dude how did you know? Yeah if I had used [Manju] as ritual fodder and then banished Manju and Tomato to summon [Chaos, [Harpy's FD] to blow up the back row, [Relinquished] eats [Skull] and I attack for the game. A perfect 4k life points win, or I could not use the [H'sFD] and just use [Chaos]'s effect and attack I would have a 3k life point win. But really, no thank you.

"But why would I reveal my trump card?" A genuine question if I have ever asked one, his lips lifted into a smile, "To be a leader one must never—" I cut him off before he could finish, "Perfect then, I don't want to be a leader," I turned to walk away, "You have all the qualities, so why won't you?" His voice prompted me to turn but I did not and just walked away, "Find someone else," Were my last words to the man.

—————————————————————

"Really? What was the point of all that Zane?" Alexis asked as they leaned on the overhang watching the last match of the day of one candidate called Bastion.

"I am graduating. I want to find someone to whom I could entrust the academy. I have looked after it for the last two years. I will be a pro soon and I have no hope for the second year, but many freshmen including you show talent. The ability to take the helm." He stopped as he watched Bastion duel the proctor down. An intelligent guy, another candidate.

As the duel wrapped up, his eyes turned back to Alexis before wondering to Mira who was also watching the duel from the other side of the stadium, "She? She is the picture of what I wanted, pragmatic, and intelligent, case in point: managing to fight off being put on the spot, she could have ended the game on her first turn, but she held back. She is very skilled. I just hope that she learns to care for others. Otherwise, she will just become a hindrance to others, something that people who want power will try to get rid of."

Alexis nodded, she looked the part of a leader really, she had that presence, long black hair swaying with every step, tall and curved in all the spots boys liked, and her red eyes. If she changed out her utterly casual look for something more formal she could easily silence others with a look. And she was not all looks either, she debated with Zane on equal ground and did not care who watched, not many can do that.

"What about that Bastion kid?" She asked, pointing to the duel that had just ended, "He has potential. It is a disappointment that Mira doesn't care about her cards," Zane said but no real disappointment reflected on his face. He could not like a duellist like Mira, because he knows that ever since he started to wholeheartedly believe in his cards, they have never failed him. And they never will.

The PA system rang again, /Any applicants that have yet to give their exam, please report…/

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[A/N: Feedback on the duel would be appreciated. I wanted to write it well but I could not find words to accurately catch the energy the characters had when playing.

Thank you for reading and I am sure we are clear on Mira's character right?]