A New Duelist Legend

by AngelOfBlades

The Assault on Duel Academy: As East Duel Academy is under siege from the forces of the dark, unexpected heroes my rise... and fall. The games are over. The war has begun.

7. Little Winguard

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX

A/N: A couple of notes. First, as I stated in Chapter 5, Izumi Kojima, along with most of the cards in her deck, were created by Time Mage for my use. Once again, thank you, Time Mage. Also, the other deck used in this chapter is mostly original cards as well, except those were made by me. Said other deck was inspired by the deck of a certain duelist in one of Seeker of the Soul's fics. Figure out whose and, well, you figured it out. Last but not least, I used the Japanese names of some of the cards in this chapter. Now, enough blathering! On with the fic!

Yu-Gi-Oh GX - A New Duelist Legend

Chapter Seven - Little Winguard

"D-minus...?" Rita sighed.

Rita Anzem was depressed. This was the fourth test in a row that she had bombed.

"I still don't get it, Rita." Tsukanna said from her seat next to her roommate, "I know that you know this stuff. It's easy."

"Tsukanna," Rita replied. "You think everything's easy."

"Yeah, well, for me it is." Tsukanna replied, "But that doesn't change the fact that in our duels, you've shown a lot more competence then you do on tests."

Rita sighed again. "I don't know why..." Rita replied, "I just... freeze up."

Tsukanna sighed. "We've got to do something about your confidence, Rita. Well, we can work on it more tonight..." She paused. "Oh, wait, no we can't."

Rita flinched. "W-why n-not?" She stuttered.

Tsukanna rubbed her forehead. "Calm down, Rita," She said to the mousy girl, "I just have a class tonight."

Rita blinked. "I didn't know they had classes at night..."

Tsukanna smirked. "Just this one. It's a special class called Art of Dueling 103."

Rita touched her chin with her finger and thought for a second. "I think I remember hearing Ms. Kojima mention that class."

"That's not surprising," Tsukanna replied, "She teaches it."

"Besides," Tsukanna continued, "The class ends at 8:30. We'll still have some time before lights-out."

Rita smiled. "Alright. Have fun, Tsukanna."

"Yeah," Tsukanna responded with a smirk, "I think I will."

At 5:30, A small hand reached out and knocked on the door marked 'Ms. Izumi Kojima, School Psychologist' "Come in." A voice called from inside.

Rita opened the door and walked in, greeting the room's sole occupant. "Hello Ms. Kojima."

"Hello, Rita." Izumi said as she spun her swivel chair around to face her guest, "Make yourself comfortable." Rita complied, sitting down on Izumi's couch and fidgeting.

"So," Izumi asked, "How was today's test?"

"Horrible." Rita replied, "D-minus."

"I'm sorry." Izumi replied.

Rita sighed. "It's not your fault. It's just... I don't know... every time I try to show what I can do in front of someone, or even on a test, my mind just blanks."

Izumi looked at Rita for a second. "Do you have any idea why?" She asked.

Rita just sighed again. "Not really..."

Izumi tapped her chin. "Do you think maybe you're afraid of failing in front of others?"

"I don't know... maybe." Rita replied.

"Well," Izumi said, "How about we try and find out?"

An hour later, Rita had said her goodbyes and left Izumi alone with her thoughts. "Hmmm..." She thought to herself, "How can I help that girl...?" Izumi sat in her chair for a few minutes, before a proverbial lightbulb went off in her head. "I think that will work..." She opened her student files to a specific page. "I just need a little help." On that page was the grinning face of Tsukanna Kanshisha.

Later that day, around 7:00, Tsukanna walked into the normally empty classroom where Art of Dueling was being taught.

"It seems our last student has arrived." Izumi said from the room's podium.

Tsukanna sat in a seat, along with the other 20-odd students attending the class. Izumi stood behind the podium and started her introduction. "This is not a run-of-the-mill dueling class," Izumi began, "This is a very special class. Although one facet of it will teach you about your cards," Izumi continued, walking around the podium, "The far more useful aspect of this class will teach you about both you and your opponent. Only by understanding your own weaknesses and your opponent's strengths can you hope to prevail in the most difficult of situations. Now," She finished, "Let's begin."

An hour and a half later, the students shuffled out of the classroom, their heads full of things about dueling they had never even considered before. Tsukanna was about to leave as well, when Izumi called out to her. "Tsukanna, could you please come here for a moment?"

"Sure." Tsukanna called back as she walked to the podium, "What's up?"

"You're Rita Anzem's roommate, right?" Izumi asked.

"Yeah..." Tsukanna replied, unsure of what her teacher really wanted.

"I assume you know I'm the school psychologist?" Izumi continued.

Tsukanna nodded.

"And I also assume you know that Rita has an appointment three days a week with me?"

Tsukanna nodded again. "Where are you going with this?"

"Right to the point, I see." Izumi replied before continuing, "I believe I've found a way to help Rita with her confidence problems."

Tsukanna's ears perked up. "I'm listening."

"Well..." Izumi said, "I think the root of her problems is a considerably elevated fear of failing in front of others, especially those she thinks will mock her for failing."

Tsukanna nodded, understanding.

"So," Izumi continued, "I've arranged for her to duel me in the last of the exhibition duels being held on Friday."

Tsukanna's eyes narrowed. "I've never seen you duel," She began, "But somehow, I doubt Rita has enough skill to beat you. Based on what you just said, wouldn't losing in front of a crowd be exactly the opposite of what's good for her?"

"Well," Izumi responded, "That is a valid point. However, what I'm trying to show Rita is that she doesn't need to fear failing like she does. Even if she loses, she'll still be a better duelist then she was at the beginning of the duel."

Tsukanna thought for a second before nodding. She then looked Izumi straight in the eye. "What does this have to do with me?"

"Well..." Izumi began, before explaining her plan to Tsukanna. As she finished, Tsukanna was stone-faced.

"Alright," Tsukanna replied, "I'll do it, but only if you're sure it will help."

"I'm sure."

Two days later, Rita walked into Izumi's office for her Friday appointment. "Hello Ms. Kojima." She said as she walked in.

"Hello, Rita." Izumi replied, "And don't sit down just yet."

Rita blinked. "Why not?"

"Because," Izumi replied, "We're doing something different today."

"Like what?" Rita asked.

"Follow me." Izumi replied, walking out of the room, a confused Rita following her.

About five minutes later, Izumi and Rita came to a large pair of double doors. "Why are we here?" Rita asked.

"You'll see in a second." Izumi replied, as the doors opened.

The two of them walked into a dueling arena, the stands crowded with most of Duel Academy, just as the announcer was saying, "...and the last of today's exhibition duels, Izumi Kojima versus Rita Anzem!"

"W-what's he talking about, Ms. Kojima?" Rita stuttered.

"Simple," Izumi replied, "We're going to duel."

"W-what? Why?"

"Because you need to learn something." Izumi said attaching a Duel Disc to her arm, "Defeat isn't anything you need to fear. Now," She finished, "Pick up your Disc and duel me!"

Rita took a deep breath, picked up another disc, inserted her deck, and attached it to her own arm. "A-alright..."

The two duelist's life points clicked up to max, and they both drew their first five cards, signaling the start of the duel.

ILP: 8000

RLP: 8000

"Hey Tsukanna," Jaden, who was sitting with Syrus and Chumley up in the stands, said "Isn't that your roommate?"

"Yep." Tsukanna replied.

"And she's dueling a teacher?" Asked Chumley, a rather obese boy with his hair up in a pair of small balls, who was Jaden's other roommate, asked, "That's pretty lishus."

"Yeeaah. 'Lishus'." Tsukanna replied, "Exactly the word I would have used. But, regardless," She continued, turning to Jaden, "I think you'll like her deck, Jaden."

"Why's that?" Jaden asked.

Tsukanna smirked. "You'll see."

"I-I'll go first, okay?" Rita said questioningly.

Izumi nodded.

Rita took another deep breath. "Okay. I draw." She pulled a card off the top of her deck and added it to her hand. "Now," She continued, her voice still unsteady, "I have no monsters in my hand." She briefly flashed her hand, and Izumi could see they were all green and purple bordered - no monsters.

"Why did you show me?" Izumi asked, "You don't need to, and really shouldn't."

"So I could activate the effect of a monster in my deck." Rita responded. "It's effect allows me to instantly add it to my hand." Rita's disc scanned her deck for a moment, and then a card popped out.

"Hmmm..." Izumi thought to herself, "There are very few monsters with an ability like that... I suppose I'll find out what it is soon."

"Now," Rita continued, "I can activate another of my monster's special abilities. If I have no monsters on my field, I can instantly play it from my hand! I summon Young Hero in attack mode!" The monster that appeared on Rita's field was... unimpressive. To say the least. It was a normal-looking brown-haired teenager dressed in a blue Japanese high school uniform. The only thing the slightest bit unusual about him was a bulky blue and white watch on his right wrist. He just stood there. (0/0)

Virtually everyone the entire arena simultaneously facevaulted. Even Izumi sweatdropped. "Ummm... it probably wasn't the wisest play to put a monster with zero attack points in attack mode."

"Maybe..." Rita replied. "I end... oh, wait." Rita slipped two cards into her disc, and two facedowns appeared behind Young Hero. "Almost forgot. I play two facedown cards, and then I end my turn."

Up in the stands, Jaden, Syrus and Chumley were just getting up from their facevaults. Syrus rubbed his head. "That's... not a very impressive monster."

"Yeah," Jaden said, turning to Tsukanna, "Why'd you think I'd like her deck, anyway?"

Tsukanna just kept smirking. "You'll see."

"Alright, my draw." Izumi said as she took a card off her deck. She examined it, along with her other cards, and formulated a plan. "I know I've heard of that card before..." She thought to herself, "But I have no clue what it does. I'll have to be careful."

"Let's begin!" Izumi called, "First, I active the Spell card Faithful Prayers. This allows me to special summon any level four or lower Fairy-type monster from my deck. I choose Earth, Angel of Soul, in attack mode!" There was a flash of white light and some heavenly chanting on Izumi's field, and when they subsided, a figure with light blur skin had appeared. He had green hair and white wings, and was dressed in a short white robe. His eyes shone with divine radiance. (1900/0)

"Earth has a powerful effect," Izumi said, gesturing to her monster, "Whenever he destroys a monster in battle, you take damage equal to 300 times the level of the monster he destroyed."

"W-well..." Rita replied, "Young Hero is level 3, so that would be 900 damage."

Izumi nodded. "And, since I special summoned him with Faithful Prayers, I now normal-summon Uranus, Angel of Benevolence in attack mode as well!" The monster which appeared next to Earth was a female, with dark pink skin, white hair and white wings. She was also wearing a short robe. She was carrying a golden staff, which had a small orb, colored to resemble a planet, for a head. (1700/0)

"When Uranus battles a monster, I get to draw a card." Izumi continued. "And I soon will. Uranus, Angel of Benevolence, attack..."

"W-wait!" Rita said. "When there's a monster on your field, Young Hero's effect activates." She nodded to her monster. "Do your thing." Young Hero nodded back to her, then raised his watch and pressed down on the face. He was surrounded by blue light, which, after a few seconds, solidified. Now the high-schooler was dressed in white metal gloves, boots, belt and shoulder armor. He was wearing a blue spandex with a white stripe down the center of the torso and on the inside of the legs. He had a white gem in a blue metal fixture on the center of his chest, and was also wearing a cape which was blue on the inside and white on the outside. Completing his new ensemble was a white and blue helmet with a black visor. He struck a heroic pose. (0/0)–(1600/1600)

Izumi, as well as the entire audience, (sans Tsukanna) were dumbstruck. Rita smiled. "This is the real power of Young Hero. The greater the challenge he faces, the stronger his resolve to defeat it. As long as you have a monster on your field, His base attack and defense scores are set equal to 400 times the level of your highest level monster."

"Wow!" Jaden yelled, "You were right, Tsukanna, I do like her deck!"

Tsukanna smirked wider. "Told ya."

"Yeah, I agree with Jaden." Chumley said, "That's a totally lishus monster. Not as cool a my koalas, though."

"We'll see what you think later." Tsukanna replied, "Rita's just getting started."

"Hmmm..." Izumi said, "While that is impressive, both my monsters are still stronger. Uranus, Angel of Benevolence, attack Young Hero!"

"I-I activate both my traps!" Rita called, "The first is Staunch Defender! This will force all your monsters to attack my Young Hero!"

"Alright..." Said Izumi, "I don't see the point, though."

"This is the point!" Rita called back, "My other trap is called Heroic Savior!" Until the end phase of this turn, it increases my Young Hero's attack by 100 times the level of your strongest monster. Also, when he destroys a monster this turn, I gain it's attack as life points!" Izumi's eyes widened as Young Hero was surrounded by a white aura, making it's attack shoot up past either of her monsters. (1600/1600)–(2000/2000)

"Young Hero, counterattack and destroy her angels!" Young Hero nodded, and sprang forward. He shattered Uranus with a spinning kick, then dispatched Earth with a blue energy beam he fired from one of his hands. His foes vanquished, he flashed for a moment, returning to his previous highschool attire. (2000/2000)–(0/0)

ILP: 7600

RLP: 11600

Izumi frowned as Rita's life points shot up past the 10000-point mark. "It seems the first round goes to you."

"T-thanks..." Rita said, blushing.

"Well, regardless," Izumi said, "I draw a card from Uranus' effect." She took a card off the top of her deck and immediately set it on her field. "I play one facedown, then end my turn."

"A-alright..." Rita drew a card from her deck and added it to her hand. "I'll play two cards facedown again." She slid the cards into her disc, and two new facedowns took the place of the ones she had used last turn.

"Well..." She continued, "There's not much of a point in attacking, seeing as how my monster has zero attack points, so I'll just end my turn."

Izumi nodded and slipped a card off her deck. "Defensive traps will be less useful, Because she won't attack unless I have a monster out." She thought, "So I'll need to change strategy."

Izumi selected two more cards from her hand, and placed the first on her disc. "I summon Guardian of Heaven in defense mode." Another angel appeared on Izumi's field, crouching behind a massive silver shield. This angel was wearing silver armor anda silver helmet, his wings extending through holes in the armor. (0/2100)

"D-don't forget," Rita said, "Since you have a monster on your field, YoungHero's effect activates." Young Hero once again pressed the face of his watch, the blue light springing up and solidifying into his costume. He struck another pose. (0/0)–(1600/1600)

"Well," Izumi replied, "His attack points are to low to pierce my Guardian's defense, and it's still my turn anyway. I set another card facedown, and then it's your turn." A second facedown appeared behind Izumi's guardian, next to the one Izumi set last turn.

"O-okay... I draw, then." Rita said, taking a card off the top of her deck. Her eyes lit up. "Perfect!"

Izumi examined her clinically. "It seems her draw was good. Let's see what she can do with it."

"A-alright, here I go!" Rita said, sliding a card into her disk. "I activate the spell card Bank Robbery!"

"Bank Robbery?" Izumi said, confused. "That doesn't seem too heroic..."

"Just watch." Rita replied. A large building with a sign that read 'First National Bank' appeared behind Rita. A loud alarm rang, and the bank exploded. Out of the smoke of the explosion ran four men wearing black ski masks, each one carrying a large money bag. They took refuge on Izumi's field, and Young Hero clenched his fists and seemed on the verge of attacking without Rita's orders. (0/1000)x4

"What on earth is going on...?" Izumi asked.

"Well..." Rita replied, "Bank Robbery special summons one Bank Robber token on each empty space of your field. Whenever a Bank Robber token is destroyed in battle, the stolen money gets returned, so I draw two cards."

"I see..." Izumi responded.

"Of course, Bank Robbers are good at escaping." Rita continued, "So any tokens I haven't destroyed are removed from the play at the end of my turn, and I either discard a card or, if I can't, pay 500 life points for each one."

Izumi's eyes narrowed. "That move will cost more then it gets you..."

"Maybe..." Rita said. "But I've already done it. So, Young Hero, attack one of those Bank Robbers!" Young Hero lunged forward, and Izumi hit an activation switch on her disc. "I activate Mirror Force!" A silvery shield appeared in front of the charging Young Hero, ready to destroy him.

"I have a trap also!" Rita called back, "Unshakeable Resolve! This trap costs me 1000 life points, then negates the activation of one spell, trap or monster effect that affects my Young Hero and destroys the card it originated from!" The charging Young Hero glowed blue and slammed through the shield in front of him, resuming his charge at one of the Bank Robbers.

ILP: 7600

RLP: 10600

"Now, I'll overcome the drawback of Bank Robbery with this card!" Rita said, "I activate a Quick-Play Spell: Anti-Minion Fighting Tactics!" Young Hero's helmet chattered several times, relaying information to him. He smirked and changed his stance. (1600/1600)–(1200/1200)

"You decreased his stats?" Izumi asked, "Why?"

"T-that's what happens when I activate this card." Rita replied, "It decreases the attack and defense of Young Hero by 100 times the level of the highest level monster on your field. In return," she continued, "Whenever he destroys a level three or lower monster this turn, he can immediately attack another level three or lower monster."

"And those tokens are level one, so you can attack all of them!" Izumi finished.

"Right!" Rita replied, "Young Hero..."

"I'll activate Guardian of Heaven's special effect!" Izumi yelled as she placed one of her cards in her discard slot. "By discarding half of my hand, rounded down, I can instantly end your battle phase!" Guardian of Heaven's shield pulsed, and a white dome pushed Young Hero away from Izumi's field.

Rita blanched. "I-I guess I'll play a facedown, then end my turn..." Her facedown card appeared, and Young Hero shifted back to his normal combat stance. (1200/1200)–(1600/1600)

"Don't forget those Bank Robbers." Izumi said. The four monsters snickered at Young Hero, then ran off Izumi's field and vanished.

"And now, I discard..." Rita said with a sigh. She placed the remaining card in her hand into her graveyard slot. "Of course..." She continued, "Since I could only discard one card, I now take 1500 points of damage."

ILP: 7600

RLP: 9100

"My turn, then." Izumi said, drawing a card. She smiled at it. "Now, Rita, watch closely as I show you true dueling." She selected a card from her hand and placed it on her disc. "I first activate Pot of Greed." The omnipresent grinning jar appeared, and Izumi pulled two more cards off of her deck.

"Now, it begins with this!" She called, "I activate the Spell Card Ascension! This card allows me to tribute one fairy-type monster on my field to either summon one fairy-type of a higher level or two of an equal or lower level! I choose the second effect!" Guardian of Heaven rose into the air and transformed into a large sphere of light. The sphere split into two smaller spheres, both of which settled on Izumi's field and took on humanoid shape.

"The first monster I summoned with this effect is Venus, Angel of Creation!" Izumi continued. The first ball of light had taken the shape of a long-haired woman in a green and white dress. She had white wings, and three shining orbs surrounded her. (1600/0)

"The second," Izumi said, "Is Pluto, Angel of Humility!" The second ball of light formed another female angel, this time with dark purple skin and long white hair. Her wings were again white, and she was wearing a pure white dress. She seemed to be praying, her eyes closed. (1500/0)

"Pluto has a very potent effect," Izumi explained, "Granting each fairy-type monster on the field a bonus of 100 attack points times their level." Both Venus and Pluto were surrounded by silvery light, further increasing both their attack points by 400. (1600/0)–(2000/0), (1500/0)–(1900/0)

"But that's hardly the end of my turn." Izumi said, "I now activate Venus' effect, which allows me to pay 500 life points to summon a Holy Shine Sphere from my hand or deck. I'll pay 1500 life points to summon three." Three of the spheres surrounding Venus flashed, and three identical shining balls appeared on Izumi's field. They also received a power boost from Pluto. (500/500)x3–(700/500)x3

ILP: 6100

RLP: 9100

"Next," Izumi said, "I sacrifice two Holy Shine Spheres to summon one of the strongest monsters in my deck! Solis, Angel of Eternity, arise!" The two of the glowing balls vanished, and in their place appeared something truly extraordinary. The male angel which appeared was easily fifteen feet tall. His hair and six wings were golden, and he was dressed in a simple sleeveless white robe. The look on his face was serene, and he was surrounded by dozens of constantly moving spheres, each like a miniature sun. (2700/2700)–(3500/2700)

The entire audience was in awe. "What a monster!" Jaden said. "I'd love to duel against her!" Behind Jaden, Tsukanna frowned. "She's a lot more skilled then I thought. I may have to alter my original plan slightly..."

Back on the field, Rita gulped. "3500 attack... I can't win against that..." Her hand inched towards her deck, to press the hidden button which signaled her surrender.

"Rita!"

"Huh?" Rita thought, "Who... Young Hero...?"

In front of her, Rita's monster nodded. "Don't forget, Rita, no matter how strong the opponent, there's always a way to win!"

"That's right!" Rita thought, "My facedowns!"

"Don't forget my monster's special ability!" Rita said out loud, "Now, Young Hero gains attack points!" Young Hero stared at Solis, clenching his fists as his resolve to win grew higher. (1600/1600)–(3200/3200)

"Your monster's special ability is potent," Izumi replied, "But Solis is more potent still! Solis, Angel of Eternity, attack Young Hero with Thousand Suns!" Solis nodded, the spheres that surrounded him spinning faster and launching at Young Hero.

"I activate my trap!" Rita yelled, "Righteous Defense! This trap will switch My Young Hero into defense mode, then increase his defense by 200 times the level of your highest level monster!" Rita's trap flipped up, and Young Hero began to crouch in defense mode.

"Your trap would do that," Izumi replied, "But I activate my own trap, Wrath of Heaven! By sacrificing or discarding a fairy-type monster," She pointed to her final Holy Shine Sphere, which vanished in a flash of light, "I can negate and destroy any magic or trap card!" A blast of white lightning shot from the sky and shattered Rita's trap.

"Now, Solis completes his attack!" Izumi finished. Solis' spheres slammed repeatedly into Young Hero, who held out for a few seconds before shattering.

ILP: 5900

RLP: 9000

"Now, you're open to attack by my other monsters!" Izumi called.

"Not for long," Rita called back, "Because I activate my other facedown, A Hero Never Dies!" The trap flipped up, and, in a flash of light, Young Hero reappeared on the field, giving Solis a small salute. (0/0)–(3200/3200)

"As you probably guessed," Rita said, "A Hero Never Dies brings Young Hero back from the graveyard."

"And all my other monsters are too weak to destroy him..." Izumi replied. "Very well. I'll activate Solis' ability." She slid a card in her hand into her graveyard. "By discarding a card in my hand, I can either special summon a fairy-type monster from my graveyard, or return a magic/trap card in my graveyard to my hand. I choose the latter effect." A card popped out of Izumi's graveyard, and she set it, along with another card from her hand, onto her field. "I'll set two cards facedown, and my turn ends."

Up above the stands, Tsukanna lowered her perpetually gloved left hand and opened her eyes. "That went well." She said to herself, "I believe my work here is done." Whistling, Tsukanna walked out a nearby exit.

Back in the arena, Rita drew her card. "One of those facedowns is a no-brainer," she thought to herself, "It's the one I'm sure she returned with Solis, Mirror Force." She smirked, and looked at the card she drew. "This gives me plenty of options."

"Alright," Rita called, "Time to counter-attack!" She placed the card she drew onto her disc. "I activate Using Your Wits!" Young Hero began scratching his chin, and seemed to be sizing up Solis.

"This spell will give me exactly what I need." Rita continued, "Because, as long as I have Young Hero on my field, I draw one card per level of the highest level monster on your field... And with Solis in play, that's eight!"

Izumi gasped.

Rita smirked and drew eight times. "This is perfect!" She raised her eyes. "The only downside to this card is, unless I destroy the highest level monster on your field this turn, I have to discard once for each card I drew." She smirked again. "But that won't be a problem. I activate another of the cards I drew, Hero's Triumph!" On her field, Young Hero snapped his fingers, then smirked at Solis.

"By forfeiting my battle phase this turn," Rita said, "Young Hero can instantly destroy any monster on your field!" Izumi's eyes widened as Young Hero charged at the larger Solis. Solis launched several of his spheres, but Young Hero dodged them all. He jumped on Solis' shoulder, using it as a springboard to fly into the air. Solis spun just in time to catch Young Hero's double-handed photon beam in the chest, which shattered him instantly.

"Not only that," Rita finished, "But he also deals you 200 points of damage per level of the destroyed monster." Young Hero landed in front of Izumi and punched her in the stomach, staggering her. His strongest foe vanquished, his attack points fell once again. (3200/3200)–(1600/1600)

ILP: 4500

RLP: 9000

Izumi frowned and activated one of her facedowns. "I activate Last Hope. When a monster is destroyed, I can use this to raise my life points by the destroyed monster's attack points." Solis' shards transformed into white light, which flowed into Izumi and brought her life points close to what they were at the duel's start.

ILP: 7900

RLP: 9000

Rita frowned. "I set three facedowns, then end my turn." Rita slid three cards into her disc, leaving her with four in her hand.

Izumi drew, looked at her card, and smirked. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

"Alright!" Izumi called, flipping open her field slot, "With this card, I'll completely shut down your strategy! I activate the field spell Sanctuary in the Sky!" Izumi slid the card into her disc, and the whole arena changed. Instead of standing in a high tech duel arena, Izumi, Rita and the entire audience appeared to be in a celestial palace. Every surface was white or gold, and the entire place felt like it was singing. The angels on Izumi's field sighed, happy to be home.

"As long as my Sanctuary is on the field," Izumi said, "All battle damage to the controller of a fairy-type monster from a battle involving a fairy-type monster is reduced to zero. Since your monster only has attack power when there's a monster on my field and all my monsters are fairies, you can't damage me through battle."

Rita started shaking. "She's right... I, I can't win..." Once again, her hand inched towards her deck, and towards surrender. This time, however, she stopped of her own volition. "NO! I won't give up!"

Izumi blinked. "What?"

"I said," Rita repeated, "I won't give up! I'll find a way to destroy your Sanctuary and win this duel!"

Izumi smiled. "Ifcan, by all means, do so. On your turn, of course, because I'm not done with mine!" She smirked and activated her other set card.. "I now activate the card I brought back with Solis' effect: Ascension!"

Rita blinked. "So she didn't bring back Mirror Force?"

"Now," Izumi continued, "I sacrifice Venus to summon two fairy monsters of equal or lesser level!" Venus transformed into a ball of light, which split into two smaller balls, both of which settled on her field.

"First, Priest of Zerato!" Izumi called. The monster which appeared from the first ball looked almost identical to Warrior of Zera, except instead of being bare-chested below his armor, he wore a white robe. He also carried an angel-wing tipped staff instead of a sword. (1400/0)–(1800/0)

"Second, Mercury, Angel of Wisdom!" The second monster was a turquoise-skinned angel with wings of a similar color. He wore a black robe and carried a book in one hand. He crouched defensively. (0/1700)–(400/1700)

"Mercury's effect," Izumi continued, "Allows me to draw one card during my standby phase if I had no cards during the end phase of my last turn. As for Priest of Zerato..." Izumi smirked. "I'll just show you."

Priest of Zerato slammed the butt of his staff into the ground and was consumed with divine light. "When Sanctuary in the Sky in on the field," Izumi began, "I can tribute Priest of Zerato so summon a certain monster from my hand, deck or graveyard. Now, arise, mightiest of angels, Archangel Zerato!" Another massive angel appeared, this one with light purple skin. He wore a light blue helmet, and had blue-tinted wings. He wore a red scarf and was wearing a blue loincloth. He held a divinely glowing sword in one hand. Like the other angels, Pluto's prayers increased his strength. (2800/2300)–(3600/2300)

On the other side of the field, Young Hero smirked and tensed up as another powerful opponent was presented to him. (1600/1600)–(3200/3200)

"Fortunately for you," Izumi said, "I have no hand, so I can't use his effect to destroy all of your monsters by discarding a light attribute monster, but he's still stronger then your hero." She glanced at Rita's facedowns. "However, I'll hold off attacking for this turn."

Rita frowned. "Rats. She didn't attack. Most of my traps require Young Hero to be in play, and, since she'll draw two cards next turn, there's a good chance she'll draw a light attribute monster. I'll have to destroy Zerato now."

"My draw, then." Rita said, pulling a card off of her deck. She smiled. "Perfect. Now, I'll get rid of Zerato! I activate an equip spell: Photon Beam Upgrade!" A slot clicked open on each of Young Hero's gauntlets, and a small cartridge sild into each slot. Young Hero smirked and fired off a test blast from his newly upgraded gauntlets. (3200/3200)–(4000/4000)

Izumi's eyes widened. "What?"

Rita smirked. "Photon Beam Upgrade increases Young Hero's power by an additional 100 times the level of your highest level monster. Meaning he's strong enough to take down Five God Dragon, were one placed in front of him!"

Izumi blanched.

"Young Hero, attack! Destroy Archangel Zerato!" This time, Young Hero didn't even bother moving. He just powered up a two-handed photon blast and shot it directly at Zerato. The archangel tried to deflect the beam with his sword, but it shattered first the sword, then Zerato.

ILP: 7500

RLP: 9000

Rita smiled. "I'm winning!" She thought, before saying, "I end my turn."

Izumi nodded. "I draw one card, then another from Mercury's effect." She drew twice, then looked at the cards. "Before I play either of these," She said, "I'll activate the effect of one of my monsters."

Rita blinked. "But neither of your monsters have activated effects..."

"The monster whose effect I'm activating is in my graveyard." Izumi replied, her graveyard spitting out a card. "Priest of Zerato!" She slid the card into her removed from play slot. "By removing a Priest of Zerato in my graveyard from the game, I can special summon an Archangel Zerato in my graveyard back to the field!" An incorporeal version of Priest of Zerato appeared on Izumi's field. It disappeared in a pillar of light, once again revealing the towering form of Archangel Zerato. His power was again increased by Pluto's effect. (2800/2300)–(3600/2300)

"Zerato returns!" Izumi called, "And, I bet you can guess what one of the cards in my hand is."

Rita gulped. "A... light monster card?"

"Exactly!" Izumi slid a card from her hand into the graveyard. "Archangel Zerato, destroy her monster! Divine Wave!" Zerato's Sword pulsed with holy energy, and he swung it. A wave of white light consumed Rita's field, knocking her off her feet. When the light subsided, Young Hero was nowhere to be seen. Rita looked on the verge of tears. "Young Hero..."

"Now that you defenses are down, I attack you life points directly!" Izumi yelled. "Archangel Zerato and Pluto, Angel of Humility, attack!" Pluto opened her eyes, and a pair of divine energy beams shot out. At the same time, Zerato swung his sword, creating a focused blade of energy. The two attacks converged, and sent the already down girl sprawling.

ILP: 7500

RLP: 3500

Rita didn't stand up. "I've already lost..." she thought, "Young Hero's gone, I'm out more then half my life points and am facing down a monster that not only has enough attack points to wipe me out on his next hit, but can also destroy everything on my field just by discarding a monster... I should just surrender..."

"Hey!" A voice in her head called, "I'm not gone!"

"Young Hero?" Rita thought, "But... how..."

"I'm not gone..." Young Hero replied, "I'm just dead. An easy enough thing to fix."

"How are you talking?"

"Oh. that." Young Hero replied, "Well, every monster has a spirit. Most just can't express it. Neither could I, until today."

"So how can you now?"

Young Hero shrugged. "I dunno."

If Rita had been standing, she would have facevaulted.

"Sorry." Young Hero said, "But, anyway, that's not why I'm here. You can still win this!"

"How? That Zerato is to powerful!"

"Eh, I can take 'em." Young Hero replied.

"He already beat you once!"

"Who cares?" Young Hero said, "Look, we share a bond. I know why you based your deck around me. You admired my confidence, you wished you could have a fraction of it." Young Hero smirked. "Well, I'll let you in on a secret. You do. You only need to remember that. As for the rest... just have faith."

"Besides," He finished, "What could one more draw hurt?"

"Rita Anzem, if you do not make a move in the next ten seconds, you will forfeit."

Izumi sighed at the judge's ruling. "It's over. I guess I pushed her to hard..." She looked around the stadium. "And where's Tsukanna? She's supposed to give Rita a confidence boost at a critical time, and this qualifies!"

"Rita Anzem," The judge said, "If you do not make a move in the next five seconds, you will forfeit." The crowd was beginning to get restless, and random shouts of "Call the match!" And "She's lost, already!" Were starting.

"I'm here!" Rita said, getting unsteadily to her feet, "Sorry.."

Izumi blinked in surprise. "I guess I underestimated her..."

"Are you done with your turn?" Rita asked.

Izumi nodded.

"Then I draw!" Rita pulled a card off her deck. She smiled. "Exactly what I needed." She slid the card into her disc. "I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Young Hero!" For the third time that duel, Young Hero appeared on Rita's field. He smirked at Zerato, and Rita heard a faint voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like "Told you so." (0/0)–(3200/3200)

"Now, I activate Makeshift Planning!" Rita slid a second card from her hand into her disc. "I can only activate this card when Young Hero is in play," Rita continued, and Young Hero stared at Zerato, apparently racking his brain for a way to defeat the more powerful monster. "This card lets me discard any number if cards from my hand, as well as any number of spell/trap cards on my field." She said, sliding her three card hand and the three cards on her field into her graveyard. "In return, I can draw the same number of cards from my deck." She pulled six cards off of her deck, smirking as she saw them.

"I'll set five cards facedown, then end my turn." Rita slid almost her entire new hand into her disc, and the five cards appeared behind Young Hero, who looked happy to have the backup.

Izumi drew her two cards. "Whatever you have there, it won't stop Zerato." She discarded a card in her hand. "Archangel Zerato, Divine Wave!" Zerato once again charged his sword with holy energy and began to cover Rita's field with a wave of light.

"I activate Heroic Sacrifice!" Rita called, her trap flipping up, "I can activate this whenever Young Hero is destroyed, and it destroys all monsters on the field!" This time, instead of vanishing in the onrushing holy wave, Young Hero let out a massive blast of blue energy which covered the entire field. When the blast subsided, Zerato, Pluto and Mercury were nowhere to be seen.

"Now, I activate another facedown! A Hero Never Dies!" Rita smiled. "I'm sure you remember this card." Once again, Young Hero reappeared on Rita's field, although devoid of his costume. (0/0)

Izumi frowned. "I suppose I must simply set one card on the field, then end my turn."

"Alright, I draw." Rita smirked. "This is the card that will end the duel!"

"If it can, I invite you to do so." Izumi replied.

"Alright!" Rita called, "I activate Striking the Heart of the Evil! Until the end of my turn, for all purposes involving card effects, the opposing player is considered to be a monster, with one level for every thousand life points, rounded down." Young Hero activated his costume, and he pointed directly at Izumi, seeming to be making a declaration to defeat her. (0/0)–(2800/2800)

Izumi was silent.

"Now, I activate the card I just drew! It's called Faith in Yourself! First, I play 1000 life points." As Rita played the card, her life points fell.

ILP: 7500

RLP: 2500

"Next," Rita continued. "I may pay any number of 1000 life pint increments. I'll pay two, so 2000 life points." Rita life point counter clicked down to triple digits, and blue energy flowed from her to Young Hero.

ILP: 7500

RLP: 500

"And what was the point of sacrificing so many life points?" Izumi asked.

"Simple." Rita replied, "For each increment of 1000 life points I payed, Young Hero gets an extra attack this turn!"

Izumi's eyes widened.

"And, just to make it a sure deal," Rita continued, "I'll activate one of my traps, Heroic Blitz. It increases Young Hero's power by 100 times the level of your highest monster, in this case you, for a total of 700. Also, you can't activate any traps in response to Young Hero's attack this turn." Another energy aura surrounded Young Hero, further increasing his drive to win. (2800/2800)–(3500/3500)

"Now, Young Hero!" Rita called, "Triple direct attack! Finish the duel!" As Young Hero charged forward at breakneck speed, Izumi calmly activated her set card.

"I active my Quick-Play Spell, Angel's Mirror of Blessings." A large, angelic mirror appeared in front of Young Hero, who simply kicked through it, resuming his charge. "This card negates one of your three attacks." Young Hero reached Izumi kicking her once in the side, then punching her in the sternum, dropping her life points considerably.

ILP: 2000

RLP: 500

Rita blinked. "You should have fewer life points then that!"

Izumi smiled. "My Angel's Mirror of Blessings also grants me 1500 life points."

Rita pouted. "I've still got the advantage. I end my turn." Young Hero's costume vanished in a flash of light, and he snapped his fingers, irritated at not finishing Izumi. (3500/3500)–(0/0)

Izumi slipped a card off of her deck, looked at it, and smiled. "You've dueled well, Rita, but it's time to end this."

Rita smirked. "Prove it."

"Very well." Izumi replied. "I activate the spell card Angel's Return. This allows me to special summon any angel from my Graveyard to the field."

Rita gasped. "She'll use it to get back Solis or Zerato... but without a power boost, Young Hero can beat either!"

"I special summon Saturn, Angel of Judgement." The monster Izumi summoned was neither Solis nor Zerato. It was an angel with blue wings and several blue tattoos. She wore a blue helmet, along with a white and blue dress. (2400/0)

As Izumi's monster appeared on the field, Young Hero activated his costume again, bursting with confidence and resolve. (0/0)–(2400/2400)

"When did that monster go into your graveyard?" Rita asked.

"It was one of the two I discarded to use Zerato's effect." Izumi replied.

"Well, our two monsters are evenly matched, so you can't win with that!" Rita said.

"Yes, I can." Izumi replied. "Like all of my angels, Saturn has an effect. I can activate it As long as Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, and my life points are higher then yours."

"Okay..." Rita said.

"Now I activate Saturn's effect! I tribute her to do you direct damage equal to the difference in our life points!"

Rita gasped. "No!"

"Saturn, Thunder of Judgement!" Saturn's body burst into light, which shot into the sky, then rocketed down towards Rita in the form of a thunderbolt, blasting her off of her feet and knocking out the last of her life points.

ILP: 2000

RLP: 0

As the holograms shut off, Young Hero turned to Rita and she heard, "Good job..." whispered in her thoughts.

"Thank you." Rita silently replied.

Izumi walked over to Rita and pulled her onto her feet. "As I said at the beginning, losing is no big thing to fear. Look around you." She pointed to the cheering crowd. "They're hardly mocking you, now are they?"

"I-I guess not..." Rita replied unsteadily. Now that the duel was over, her shyness was back in full force.

Izumi smiled. "Come with me, I have something I want to give you."

About twenty minutes later, they arrived in Izumi's room at the Slifer Girl's dorm. "What's here?" Rita asked as they went in.

"My cards." Izumi replied. She opened a piece of wardrobe-looking furniture, in inside were hundreds of cards on shelves.

"Wow..." Rita said.

"I used to be part-owner of a card shop." Izumi said, "And I still have some connections there, so getting rare cards isn't a huge problem for me." She began to flip through the cards. "The card I'm going to give you is one I've had for a long time, though. Ah, here it is." She handed the card to Rita. "It goes perfectly with that Young Hero of yours."

"I can really have this?" Rita said, looking at the card.

Izumi nodded.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Rita yelled. "I'm going to go show Tsukanna right now!"

Izumi's eyes narrowed. "I need to find her first, and I think I know where she is..."

A few minutes later, Izumi arrived in the nearly empty cafeteria. As she had suspected, Tsukanna was sitting at one of the tables, working on something. She looked up. "Hey, Teach. Something up?"

Izumi's frowned. "Where were you when Rita needed you today?"

"Rita didn't need my help." Tsukanna replied, "She needed to find her own strength. Otherwise it wouldn't have stuck."

Izumi's face softened. "Still..."

"Besides," Tsukanna continued, "She came through just fine on her own. Isn't that right, teach?"

Izumi nodded, and Tsukanna gathered up her work. "I'm gonna go congratulate Rita. Later."

Izumi nodded, and Tsukanna walked off. "Something about her," Izumi said, "Just doesn't feel right..."

New Cards: ...Screw it. For this chapter, I'll just list them. If you want full descriptions, tell me with a review or PM and I'll email them to you.

Made by Me: Young Hero, Heroic Savior, Bank Robbery, Unshakeable Resolve, Anti-Minion Fighting Tactics, Righteous Defense, A Hero Never Dies, Using Your Wits, Hero's Triumph, Photon Beam Upgrade, Makeshift Planning, Heroic Sacrifice, Striking the Heart of the Evil, Faith in Yourself, Heroic Blitz

Made by Time Mage: Faithful Prayers, Earth - Angel of Soul, Uranus - Angel of Benevolence, Guardian of Heaven, Ascension, Pluto - Angel of Humility, Solis - Angel of Eternity, Priest of Zerato, Angel's Mirror of Blessings, Angel's Return.

Changes: None

Next Time: Alexis tells Zane about her duel with Tsukanna, and saying Zane is interested would be an understatement. In the dead of night, Zane confronts Tsukanna, and offers her a deal: They duel, and if he wins, she tells him whatever he wants to know. But what if she wins...? Don't miss "The Eye of Truth"!