I know I said that multi-part episodes will have chronological flashbacks, but for this duel, I'm just gonna tell stories about Giran. Deal with it. Oh man, these flashbacks are the hardest things to write. Without them, I'd probably pump out like 3 chapters a day, but they will prove to be very important later on. A HUGE clue about the demon will be revealed in these next two flashbacks, so if you want to know, read the flashbacks closely.

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Giran and Senem were psyched for the first day of high school. Over the summer, Giran and Senem had devised an amazing plan so that Senem could finally ask Seya Curia out, and the two friends thought it might actually work.

On the first day of school, a new student was introduced. He looked kinda like Senem, but with blonde hair. He was also taller, but it seemed as if he weighed about the same. The teacher introduced him as Renin Kruar.

Senem felt himself shaking. He had really only dueled once in the academy before, which was his practical exam. Could he actually beat Drio? He should have lost to Ciroh, but was saved by the demon. Actually, he would've lost every one of his duels without the demon. Did he actually need the demon? Should he let it have its killing spree so that he wasn't humiliated? No. The demon was probably playing games with his mind. He could, and would, beat Drio.

"Pay attention, Senem. I'm going to summon another Marauding Captain and Gearfried the Iron Knight. Then I'll play The A. Forces, which increases each monster's attack points by 800 because I have 4 warriors on the field."

Senem calculated the new attacks. The Marauding Captains had 2000 each, Gearfried had 2600 (oh crap), and Mystic Swordsman had 1700.

"Now I play my Heavy Storm spell."

"Why would you want to destroy your face downs and your A. Forces?"

"These face downs?" Drio held up two spells, which Senem identified as Amplifier, which could only be applied to Jinzo, and Umi, which wouldn't help Drio's warriors at all. "They are known among us experienced duelists as decoys. I put you into a false state of safety, figuring I wouldn't want to destroy my face downs, so you throw down a card like Waboku, (Senem really did have Waboku) and let it be destroyed."

Ciroh chuckled. "Ah, the decoy, one of Drio's trademarks."

Ria wasn't fazed. "Senem can still win."

Ciroh disagreed. "He's in a pretty bad spot. With that Mystic Swordsman's effect, Drio will have his other 3 warriors able to attack directly. Luckily A. Forces was destroyed, but Senem would still lose 4200 LP."

"I know he can do it!"

Surynia repeated an earlier statement. "Crushing on Senem?"

"NO!!!"

Senem stood dumbfounded. "That was an amazing move. But what about your A. Forces?"

"No need for it. You lose this turn anyway. Mystic Swordsman attacks first."

"Don't you think he's a bit weak, especially for my Moai Interceptor Cannons?"

"He would be, without his effect. It lets me automatically destroy any face down defense monster."

"Oh. Smart move."

"Now then, my three other warriors attack you directly. I'm kinda upset that I didn't meet the demon though."

Ciroh sighed. "It's over. I really thought Senem had a chance, too."

The smoke around Senem cleared very dramatically. Surprisingly, Senem was smiling. His LP counter flashed 800.

Drio was shocked. "How the hell are you still dueling? You lost 4200 LP."

"You're right. I did lose 4200 LP. But if I can indeed subtract, 5000 – 4200 is 800."

"That's nice. I'm sorry to say, though, that you start with 4000 LP."

"Do you think a duel disk knows how to cheat?"

"I guess not."

"Let me explain basic duel theory, Drio. When you play a card called Emergency Provisions, you can gain 1000 LP. That would put me at 5000 LP. Do you get it now?"

"Yes, Senem. I'm not dense."

"Just making sure, buddy."

Ria laughed. "That was an extremely roundabout way to explain that."

Ciroh and Surynia nodded and chuckled.

"Now then, in my End Phase, I can summon Mystic Swordsman LV 4 to replace LV 2. You can go, but you still have a lot of ground to make up."

Senem: 800

Drio: 4000

To be continued…

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This duel is far from done. Remember, stay tuned to look for clues about the demon's appearance.

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