Thunder boomed as raindrops fell with no gaps between them. Yet, as Wilona removed her raincoat and entered through the Kaiba Dome gates, a smile emerged from the teen in what felt like months. She took out her cellphone and started to type in a number.
"There she is! Wilona!"
Yet she stopped and looked ahead as two familiar colors, blue and yellow, ran up to greet her in the entrance.
"Misawa. Rhodes!" The two girls gave a quick hug before Wilona nodded at the Ra Yellow. "So you both received mail from Chancellor Crowler?"
"It appears it was only the three of us. Unless there are more of us coming?" Bastion turned to Alexis.
"I called Jaden and Chazz. Jaden didn't get one, which isn't a surprise since Crowler hates him. But Chazz didn't get an invite. He was very vocal about not receiving one." That was the nicer way of saying that he didn't scream for two minutes before trying and failing to play it cool.
"I can think of some similarities between the three of us, but not why they'd chose us over the others." Wilona folded her arms.
"Ahh! Magnifique!" The trio turned to see the new Chancellor Crowler walking over to them with a stout and small man they had never seen before. "My sublime students have arrived at last! We can now begin! Bonaparte, be a good Vice-Chancellor and move our star pupils accordingly."
"These are the students you chose?" It was the first time the three met the new Vice-Chancellor, and it took them more willpower than they realized not to say that he embodied the words: Napolean Complex. The man who looked like he needed a stool for daily activities eyed the three in front of him while rubbing his chin. "There's potential with the girls. The guy's too bland but at least not a trouble maker."
The three in question looked at each other.
"Chosen for what?" Wilona spoke after a shared second of confusion between them.
Crowler quickly subdued an escaped giggle that signaled his excitement. "Now-now! Don't spoil the surprise! We have much to do today! You three brought your decks, right?" He didn't wait for an answer as he turned on his heel with a suppressed squeal. "We're ready to get started!"
As the two went ahead, the three second-years looked at each other.
"Well," Bastion started to walk after the other employees. "So much for expecting a normal school year."
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" If Crowler's ego wasn't big enough, the giant screen behind him only magnified the ambitious glint in his eyes. "Thank you all for coming to this year's Duel Academy Tryouts! As you all know, Duel Academy is a forerunner in today's Dueling World! We help shape the ever-growing future by teaching the next generation all the tools necessary to break new boundaries and reach new heights!"
The crowd ate it up as cameras continued to flash while newcomers stood up straighter than before. Those who worked and studied under Crowler had more mundane expressions. As for those Crowler cherry-picked? Alexis sighed, Bastion rolled his eyes, and Wilona shook her head with a tired smile.
Crowler stepped forward, posing dramatically as he threw a hand to point into the air above him. "As such, even we in Duel Academy must evolve with our students! That is why for this year's tryouts, we are officially hosting a tournament-style exam!"
That caught everyone's attention, even those already in Duel Academy.
Crowds gasped in shock while cameras intensified at the new Chancellor's bold claim.
Crowler practically glowed under the spotlight at that moment. "That's right~! For the first time in Duel Academy history, we will have our applicants duel each other for the right to enter our school! One of you will fight for the right to be ranked first among the freshmen!"
"Hold on a tick," Wilona spoke up for only her friends while Crowler went on. "That still doesn't explain why we're here."
"And the reward for the rising star of our school?" Crowler grinned before he pointed dramatically...
...Towards Bastion, Wilona, and Alexis.
"The top three of this year's batch will face the top duelists of last year's Freshmen!" He exclaimed as all screens and cameras turned over to the students. Crowler went on as the three of them stared blankly forward. "Each person you see is the top of their dorm. Do well, and you can be on their level of skill and expertise! So duel! Duel like there's no tomorrow!"
When the crowd started to cheer at Crowler's grandstanding, Bastion found his words first among the three. "Did he call us the top duelists?"
"I think he means grades?" Alexis still felt befuddled after hearing the reason why they got called. "But that doesn't explain why Chazz didn't get invited. He also got high grades."
"But isn't he technically a Slifer Red still?" Wilona thought out loud as the crowd started to get ready for the event. "But then why the bloody hell am I here?!"
"That was more of the management's request than ours." The three looked back to see Bonaparte standing on a higher platform to make him look bigger than he wanted to be. "These tourney people thought it would be fun to include all dorms, and Chancellor chose you three because, for the entire year straight, all of you were the top of your dorms without changing." He looked back at Wilona specifically. "Despite wearing the color red, you definitely belong in blue. In fact, he's planning to promote you very soon!"
"Promote?" Wilona repeated out loud. "But I chose to stay in Red because..."
Bonaparte spoke up when the green-haired girl trailed off. "You're a straight-A student who works multiple shifts around the school; trust me, girl. Getting you a free scholarship is easy at this point."
Before more could be said, the vice-chancellor heard someone calling him. "Alright, I'll be going. But you three better get ready too! You'll be representing the new age of Duel Academy!"
As soon as he left, another attendant asked the three students to head towards the dueling fields. Wilona was silent as she tugged on her Slifer Red jacket.
First, all the money she could need, and now she would be allowed in the Yellow or Blue Dorms without charge.
She could finally be rid of so many problems that the Slifer Red Dorms had, which were not limited to leaky rooves, smelly bathrooms, not sound-proof walls, loud neighbors, and that's not even mentioning the personal problems her 'friends' caused.
Huh.
So why did she not want to leave?
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
There was and always will be a luck-of-the-draw when it comes to tournament brackets. A pair might be the top-seeded among the freshmen but pitted against each other in the very first opening. Similarly, the worst of the group might go farther by getting easier opponents. As such, Crowler did have enough insight to keep the instructors watching over the duels. If certain duelists did well enough, they wouldn't lose their chance of entering the school. It also went the other way; if by some chance that someone fluked their way to the top 100 out of 500+ applicants, they could still be sent to Slifer Red if different judges and overseers agree that they're terrible.
Wilona, Alexis, and Bastion all had to sit through dozens of duels comparing notes of who should be in which dorm by the duels and the data from their test results. Even though they did enjoy seeing new decks, they also saw people botching victories and their own combos. As such, the three ended up talking more about their summers and catching up in-between or during the duels.
"And that's how Gorg got us banned from the all-you-can-eat buffet in our town." Alexis narrowed her eyes after finishing another tale from her summer.
"Well," Bastion coughed into his hand while Wilona also shared an equally unreadable but understanding look. "Have you ever figured out as to why the Dark Scorpions were living with you?"
"I've been racking my brain about that all summer, Bastion. I just want to go to Duel Academy and forget those guys for a bit." Alexis watched as the other duel ended before speaking up once more. "I can't believe Crowler sprang this on us." Alexis sighed. The three did notice the next duel was a Syncro Deck versus a Fusion User. But other than that, the two applicants were making a lot of misplays.
"You sound upset," Wilona watched as the new duelist pair came in. After calling the new duel to start, she sat back behind the table all three of them shared.
"I don't think it's over the fact that Chancellor Crowler did this," Bastion held the device that streamed the data of the applicant's test results. "It's more accurate to say that being called the strongest duelist when you are not feels more like a farce." Even to the logical Bastion, the idea that he was the best due to a technicality irked him to no end.
"A bit wordy, but yeah, I want to be the real best Duelist in the school." No one said much after Alexis as they focused more on the duel. It didn't take long before this next duel ended in favor of a Syncro Duelist.
Wilona looked over Bastion's notes afterward. "If it makes you feel any better, you two are amazing duelists in your own right, so it's not unwarranted. In fact, Rhodes, aren't you the best female Duelist now that Seika graduated?"
Alexis paused for a second after hearing that. But a smile rose on her face. "Well, actually, there might be another person who could be considered the best female in the school. Come to think of it: I've never dueled her."
Bastion and Wilona looked up from the notes before realization dawned on the green-haired girl what Rhodes was implying.
"I don't have any interest in being the best or whatnot." Wilona gave a small smile and returned the competitive look back at Alexis. "However, we never did finish our football game, did we? I wouldn't mind settling our tiebreaker in a duel."
Bastion coughed into his hand, making the other two turn their attention to the clipboard he had. "I admit seeing the two of you duel against each other would interest everyone we know, myself included, but we do have to report back for this duel."
The two calmed down before they helped look over the notes. "So what do we put the guy who just lost?" Alexis asked.
"Considering who was in Slifer Red in our year," Wilona did have a good grasp of how everyone aside from her group of friends played. "I'd place him in Ra Yellow. He did have some potential during the 4th turn."
The three agreed before the next round came up. Again, the duelists didn't catch their eyes, but Wilona did notice that Bastion seemed disturbed in some way. She thought about it for a moment before realizing something: Alexis may feel better now, but Bastion?
"Misawa," Wilona began as she watched the duel between two Xyz users. "How about you? I imagine you've got new equations and decks galore with these two new summoning mechanics. I wouldn't be surprised if you somehow found a way to combine all three."
"I have been skirting around that theory of making a deck between Fusion, Syncro, and XYZ. But the resources to pull something like that off have to be unbelievably precise. Sadly, I've yet to find a deck that can pull off something like that properly." A smile appeared on the Ra Yellow's face. "Be that as it may, I improved my Elemental Sabers deck. And I have done something quite interesting with it."
"Really?" Alexis turned away from the Duel. "Like what, Bastion?"
Wilona felt glad that Bastion now felt more relaxed than before. The proud smile on his face only shined at the praise from his crush. "I don't want to spoil the surprise. But while all three summoning methods are tricky, I found more success with something else." As soon as he said the words, Bastion eyed the dueling arena with a mix of hunger, anticipation, and curiosity. "In fact, I've been meaning to test out my newest deck. It appears I should thank Dr. Crowler for arranging this after all."
"I'm looking forward to seeing it." Alexis saw the time on Bastion's PDA. "So, how long do we have to keep watching these?"
The Ra Yellow pressed on a few screens before he looked back up. "We're in luck. It's the round before the Quarter-Finals, so we're already down to the last 16 duelists." Bastion showed the digital tablet to the two girls. "According to this, the next match we have to watch is between Diago Sorano and," The Ra Yellow raised his brow. "Pardon, I don't quite know how to pronounce that second name: Blair Flannigan?"
When Bastion looked back up, he noticed that both girls had a look of alarm in their eyes.
The Obelisk Blue and Slifer Red shared a look. "You don't think?" Wilona started.
"I think it is! But wait, I thought she was too young to enter this year!" The blonde looked as if she couldn't believe what she was saying.
"Am I missing something?" Bastion looked back and forth between the two.
"Ah. You weren't there for that," The green-haired girl looked to the confused Ra Yellow. "TLDR: she faked her way to Duel Academy before promising to return officially."
"Dare I ask why?" Bastion wondered why someone would fake their way in only to come in later.
"It's... an awkward story, Bastion." Alexis struggled to find the words. Neither girl wanted to talk about her entire reason for infiltrating the school in the first place was to find her "prince charming". Wilona, in particular, started to recall that Blaire changed the new object of her ardor from the stoic Zane Truesdale to the person she had—begrudgingly—come to grow fond of.
Before the green-haired girl could fight her treacherous mind over the thought of a rival in something as stupid as romance, the next duelists entered the ring. Bastion saw the two girls look over towards who he assumed was this infamous Blaire.
The girl in question looked to be a budding beauty. The girl with long flowing hair and shining eyes looked over to the instructor area before they widened with her smile.
"Alexis! Wilona!" Blaire waved over to the two girls.
"It is her." The Slifer Red girl felt happy to see the girl. Yep. Happy. Whatever other feelings she had were lies, slander, and absolutely did not exist. Still, those happy feelings were genuine as the light purple-eyed girl waved back.
Blaire nodded once before looking over to Daigo. The male duelist seemed curious about the interaction he had just seen. "You know the best of the second-years?"
The former and soon-to-be Slifer Red girl took position on the other end of the field. "I met one of them but learned a lot from the other!"
"Ahh, I'm kinda jealous. You know the best in Duel Academy? But that doesn't mean you're going to win this duel!" He took a stance on his side of the field, reading his duel disk but not activating it.
Blaire also took a stance as she raised her duel disk.
Seeing both contestants were ready, Bastion stood up from the desk. "Alright! If we're so eager! Let the duel begin!"
As soon as he exclaimed this, both participants primed their duel disks.
They both yelled, "Let's Duel!"
Blair: 4000 LP
Daigo: 4000 LP
Turn 1.
"I go first!" Daigo stole the first turn as he drew his card. He smiled as he saw what card he drew. "I summon this bad boy in attack mode, Horus the Black Flame Dragon!" When he placed the card on the field, a creature appeared that looked more bird than a dragon. However, the regality of the creature's eyes would make even lesser dragons cower before it.
Horus The Black Flame Dragon. (4) [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: FIRE/Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200]
"I'll put one card facedown," Daigo did so. "And I'll end my turn there."
Turn 2: Blair. Cards: 5.
"A Horus Level deck?" Bastion commented as Blair drew her card. "It is nice to see some familiar cards before the wish."
Alexis looked to Wilona. "Didn't you have those cards too?"
"Only up to level 6, and I dropped it after a while. It didn't mesh as well as I wanted to in my deck." Wilona looked back to the duel. Blair looked ready to start her turn. "Still, something feels off."
Blair took a card out from her starting hand. "Looks like it's time to impress my friends! And I'm going to do so with the power of the romantic stars!" Alexis and Wilona supposed that a year was not long enough to put a dent in the girl's personality. "I summon Satellarknight Vega in attack mode!"
"Wait, what?" Alexis said while Wilona quietly agreed as they heard the name. They did not recognize that name from Blair's Maiden in Love deck, nor did they think it was from the same archetype as a cluster of small stars formed together into a woman who embodied the power of the celestial bodies.
Satellarknight Vega [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1600]
Blair swung her arm out. "Now I activate her effect! I can summon another Tellarknight from my hand! I choose Satellarknight Deneb!"
Satellarknight Deneb [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1000]
A new warrior appeared, similar but styled differently than that of Vega. As Deneb appeared, the new knight used their staff by raising it to the air and making it and Blair's deck glow. The dark-haired girl started to explain. "Deneb's effect activates when summoned! I can add one Tellarknight monster from my deck to my hand!" Blair did so before looking to the field. "And I'm not done! When I have a SatellerKnight on the field, I can Special Summon SatellarKnight Canis Minor in defense mode!"
A bundle of stars and space in the shape of a puppy arrived wearing armor similar to that of the other Satellarknights. It barked as it hopped around the two before stopping in the field it got summoned in.
Satellarknight Canis Minor [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Beast-Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 2/ATK: 500/DEF: 500]
"When there's another Satellarknight on the field, Canis Minor can mirror their level! I choose Vega's level!" Blair cried out. (Level 2→4)
"Three level fours..." Alexis breathed as she and the other two recognized what that implied.
Blair smiled as she pointed her hand up. "I set the overlay network!" She exclaimed as her three creatures turned to light while a galaxy started to form above her. "Stars collide and combine to create a new defender of light, stars, and love!" As she finished the chant, the galaxy exploded. As the light show died down, a celestial warrior swung his blade and readied his shield as three orbs of light orbited around the monster. "XYZ summon! Stellarknight Delteros!"
Stellarknight Delteros [Type: XYZ/Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Rank: 4/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100]
"Let me guess," Bastion continued to stare at the monster on the field. "She never had this deck before the wish."
"Yep." "It was far from this one." Alexis and Wilona responded respectively.
But Blair had momentum on her side, and she did not hesitate to use it. "I activate Delteros' special ability! By removing one material, I can destroy one card on the field." The girl pointed towards the only monster on Daigo's side. "So say goodbye to your poorly named dragon!"
Delteros absorbed a material light into his blade before it began to shine. The giant of a warrior held his blade high with intent to strike down the level monster.
"You know what?" Daigo started. "I agree! It is time to say goodbye... and say hello to a better monster! Go, Black Purification!"
As Delteros fired a laser beam from the blade, an inferno of black fire rose and protected Horus.
"I can activate this trap card if my opponent special summons a monster from the Extra Deck! By tributing my current Horus, I'm allowed to special summon the next level from my hand and ignore its summoning conditions! Come on out, Horus Level 6!"
Horus The Black Flame Dragon. (6) [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: FIRE/Level: 6/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1600]
Something shot upward out from the inferno shield. As the flames died down, Horus unleashed both his wingspan and a roar, revealing that he evolved within the protective shield of his flames.
Even with the effect missing, the Satellarknight duelist "My monster is still stronger! Delteros, attack!" As Blair declared this, the titan of the stars rushed towards Horus up in the air.
"My trap card does more than summon! It also protects Horus and prevents him from being destroyed in battle!" Daigo cried out.
Blair noticed what he said immediately. "But it doesn't protect your life points!"
Delteros slammed his blade down at the level monster. However, Horus shielded itself with one of its wings. Although the dragon evaded destruction, the blow of the clash sent a shockwave that Daigo took the brunt of.
Blair: 4000 LP
Daigo: 4000 → 3800 LP
"I end my turn with a facedown!" Blair shouted as Delteros landed near the duelist.
Turn 3: Daigo. Cards: 4.
Daigo grunted as he looked over to Delteros.
"A monster that can destroy any card on the field multiple times? If Daigo doesn't get rid of it, Blair may flat out win this with little effort." Bastion noted out loud.
"I have to admit that this is a much more threatening deck than her Maiden of Love deck." Alexis agreed. "I wonder what happened to it."
While Alexis and Bastion kept their eyes on Blair, Wilona felt the need to turn to Daigo. As she watched the duelist, she noticed the way he clenched his fist harder with a fire in his eyes.
"Huh." The sound escaped her lips as Daigo picked up his next card.
As Daigo looked at his hand, his eyes widened. He looked back up to the field, and Horus started to roar. It was almost as if the monster was saying it was ready for the next part. Daigo nodded before he looked back to the field and showed them the card he drew. "I play the spell card, Black Hole! This card destroys all monsters on the field!"
"You're destroying your own monsters!?" Blair cried out.
Daigo placed the card on his duel disk, and it didn't take long for a black orb to appear in the center of the field. As science always said, even light couldn't escape black holes. So even the Satellarknights, who were made of stars, couldn't escape this gravitational pull. Try as Delteros might, he eventually fell by the power of the Spell Card. However, everyone noticed that Horus didn't need to resist the black hole.
"Right," Wilona unfolded her arms. "Horus level 6 is immune to all spell cards, even to cards like Black Hole and Raigeki."
Blair, seeing her field wide open, pointed forward. "Delteros has an ability when he leaves the field and gets sent to the graveyard! I can special summon a Tellarknight monster from my deck!" Daigo gasped as he didn't know the monster had an effect like that. "I choose to special summon Satellarknight Alsham in defense mode!"
Satellarknight Alsham [Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1800]
A smaller Satellarknight appeared on the battlefield wielding a bow. Yet, his small form betrayed the determination in his eyes. Blair shouted out, "When Alsham is special or normal summoned, I can deal 1000 life points to my opponent!"
"You've got to be kidding me?!" Daigo cried out before Alsham readied his bow and fired a bolt of light right at the Horus user.
Blair: 4000 LP
Daigo: 3800 → 2800 LP
After the attack connected, Bastion put a hand on his chin. "An impressive play. Even when losing a strong monster, she was able to set up her defenses again and counterattack."
"I remember Horus decks used to be so fearsome. It's scary how these new cards hold up." Alexis agreed.
Back in the duel, Daigo grunted as he stood back up. "I'll have Horus attack that monster!"
The dragon in question screeched then unleashed black fire down on the archer. It didn't take a second before the lone monster shattered into pieces.
"I'll end my turn!" Daigo then looked up to his monster. "Now, because Horus destroyed a monster by battle, I can send this card to the grave to special summon Horus level 8!"
As before, the level monster started to grow. In a pulse of black fire, Horus evolved, stronger than before.
Horus The Black Flame Dragon. (8) [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: FIRE/Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 1800]
"With Horus Level 8 out, Blair can no longer use spell cards." Alexis leaned forward.
"I don't recall her using a spell card so far. She might not need it as much as other decks." Bastion folded his arms and leaned back into his seat.
Wilona looked back at Daigo. The green-haired girl couldn't explain it, but something felt off about Daigo's monster, perhaps even his deck.
Turn 4. Blair. Cards: 3.
"If you think I'm afraid of overcooked chicken, then you're in for a disappointing time!" Blair cried out before she drew her next card. "I summon Satellarknight Altair!"
As she exclaimed this, a familiar constellation appeared before it formed into a warrior who looked as if he led the vanguard of the archetype.
Satellarknight Altair [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1300]
A smile appeared on the black-haired girl's face, one that looked a little flushed for some reason. "Meet Altair! Even death cannot separate him from the love of his life! I activate his ability which allows him to bring back a Satellarknight from the grave and bring it back to the field! And he's going to choose the one who he was promised to, Vega!"
Altair placed his hand on the ground before floating back upward. As he did, it looked as if he was lifting someone by the hand. It didn't take long before the light he held turned back into Vega.
Satellarknight Vega [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1600]
"Are you alright, my love?" Altair sounded like every male lead in a romantic movie as he held the other monster close.
"I am with you by my side," Vega leaned into his chest as she said this.
"So," Bastion blinked several times and fought the urge to rub his eyes. "Are they spirits?"
"I think they are?" Alexis didn't know what she was looking at. "Suddenly, I'm starting to recall why Jaden seemed so off in his duel with her a year ago."
"The more things change, the more they stay the same, don't they?" Wilona looked over and raised her brow at the sight. "Hold on a tick. I think Blair might not be the only one with Spirit Monsters."
Alexis and Bastion turned over to see Daigo, who just stared in confusion. But then they noticed Horus also looked animated and just as confused as his duelist. Horus then gave a small squawk that made Daig shake his head. "Uh? Hey? Are you going to continue?"
The three second-year students couldn't believe that the two duelists before them both had Duel Spirits. Blair, who seemed to sigh romantically at her two monsters, looked back down and remembered what she was doing. "Oh! Right! With Vega back, I can activate her trigger summon ability, and special summon another Satellarknight! I choose Satellarknight Procyon!"
Unlike the others before them, the Satellarknight that appeared before them looked much younger than the others so far.
Satellarknight Procyon [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 4/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1200]
"He has an ability that I won't use this time!" Blair swiped her hand as everyone saw she had 3 level 4 monsters on the field again. "Now, it's time to set the Overlay Network!"
The familiar galaxy appeared overhead. Procyon flew first into the galaxy before Vega and Altair followed after together. "Through the unity of the stars, constellations shine bright! Come forth, the grand pillar of the Satellarknights! XYZ summon!"
Much like Delteros, another titan of the stars appeared in the duel. This one exuded an aura of power than majesty when Delteros appeared. This titan rose behind Blair, standing to its full height before summoning a shield of triangles and a blade of light.
"Stellarknight Triverr!" Blair smiled as the new star titan turned its helm towards Horus.
Stellarknight Triverr [Type: XYZ/Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Rank: 4/ATK: 2100/DEF: 2500]
Daigo narrowed his eyes. He noticed that this new monster couldn't match Horus in points, so its effect had to be devastating if it was weaker than Delteros.
"Triverr prevents me from special summoning monsters except for Tellarknights! In exchange, he has the powerful ability he can activate only when he's Xyz summoned! I can send all other cards back to the owner's hands!"
"WhAT!?" Daigo tried to prepare for the worst, but even he wasn't expecting—
"A full-board clear!?" Bastion—with sweat pouring down his face— slammed his hands on the table as he stood up in shock. It wasn't just him; Wilona stared in disbelief while Alexis physically covered her mouth as she gasped. How could they not be shocked? That was one of the most devastating abilities in the game. Not only that, this full clear wasn't even destruction-based, so his trap was useless.
Blair pointed upward. "Triverr, Celestial Supernova!"
Triverr's lone eye shined bright before it pointed its shield and unleashed a wave of energy that returned all cards on the field back to their respective owners, even if there was only one other card on the field. Blair capitalized on her opponent's stunned state by pointing back to her monster. "I now activate Triverr's main effect! By releasing one of his materials, I can send one random card from your hand to the graveyard!" Triverr's lone eye shined after absorbing an orbiting orb, and Daigo's left most card glowed red. The opposing duelist looked horrified at the card marked but picked it up and sent it to his graveyard pile. The brief moment before it went in showed everyone that it was Horus Level 8.
"That's gotta sting." Alexis winced at the thought of not only getting a boss monster back to the hand but also being unlucky enough to get hit by a discard effect.
"And with Horus gone, the spell seal is gone! I give Tiver the equip spell, Stellarknight Alpha!" As Blair placed the card into her duel disk slot, a unique binding formed around Triverr. "This gives him a 500 point boost to his attack and defense!"
(ATK: 2100 → 2600/DEF: 2500 → 3000)
"Sadly for Daigo, this next part will only compound that sting," Wilona responded to Alexis as they realized Daigo had an empty field.
"Triverr, attack! Starbolt Slash!" Blair cried out before the second titan swiped his blade, unleashing an energy slash at the Horus user. Daigo braced himself but felt the wave push him further than he wanted to, causing him to stagger forward and drop to his knees.
Blair: 4000 LP
Daigo: 2800 → 200 LP
"This is a very one-sided duel. I wasn't expecting this Blair to be so skilled!" Bastion marveled at the way this duel had been going so far.
Alexis couldn't help but agree. She wondered what would have happened if Blair had this deck in Duel Academy instead of her Maiden in Love deck. She wasn't sure Jaden would win if he almost lost to her beforehand. In the meantime, Wilona kept her eyes... on the other duelist.
Daigo was down, but only Wilona saw him gripping his hands tighter. His body trembled before it stopped. The black-haired young man held eyes that burned in a way tsunamis couldn't hope to put out.
Turn 5: Daigo. Cards: 3.
Daigo lowered his head before he put his hand on top of his deck. "I... will keep my promise." He drew his card, and the three students saw Horus' spirit form appear behind Daigo. The opposing duelist looked at his hand before a slow smile formed on his face. He looked at Triverr with that same defiant smile. "Right, let's go! Horus!"
Alexis, Bastion, and Wilona watched Horus' spirit unleash its full wingspan with a fierce battle screech.
Wilona found herself smiling. "One-sided duel? I do not think that will be the case from here on out."
Daigo showed the card he drew. "I play the Spell Card, Cycle of Black Flame! This will allow me to ignore Horus Level 8's summoning condition and place him on to the field in attack mode!"
A tornado of black flame obscured the Duel Spirit behind Daigo. A pair of eyes flashed behind the storm before it exploded, revealing the level monster returning to the field in all its glory.
Horus The Black Flame Dragon. (8) [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: FIRE/Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 1800]
"The price for this is that I can no longer activate his effects, but I'm not going to need it for this! I summon the tuner monster, Galaxy Serpent in defense mode!"
A small, seahorse-like creature floated towards Horus as it appeared on the field.
Galaxy Serpent [Type: Normal/Tuner/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 2/ATK: 1000/DEF: 0]
"A tuner!? At this moment!?" Blair gasped as she and the others knew what this meant. A level 2 tuner with a level 8 monster? It only meant one thing: a level 10 synchro monster was about to appear.
"Next," Daigo started to move, making everyone anticipate what was about to happen. "I now activate the spell card, Level Devouring! If I have Horus Level 8 on my field, I must sacrifice one level 3 or lower monster, and then Horus gains attack points equal to the sacrificed monster's attack! Horus, you know what you have to do!"
Horus roared before it swallowed up the tuner monster in one fell swoop. When finished, an aura started to wrap around the level monster. (ATK: 3000 → 4000)
The shock of Horus eating the tuner monster passed over those watching. "Wait, he didn't Synchro Summon!?" Alexis asked in a way that even she couldn't believe what was coming out of her mouth.
Daigo pointed forward. "Horus, destroy her Triverr!" As if responding to the soul of its duelist, Horus gathered energy before unleashing a laser of concentrated black fire at the massive titan. Even a warrior of the stars couldn't handle the black flames of that level.
Blair: 4000 → 2600 LP
Daigo: 200 LP
"There's more!" Daigo shouted. "Level Devouring allows Horus to attack an extra amount of times equal to the level of the monster sacrificed! Galaxy Serpent was level two, so Horus can attack two more times!"
"But Blair has no more monsters on the field! When the attack connects, that means!" Bastion couldn't finish as Horus started to gather energy in its maw once more.
Daigo punched forward and screamed with his soul. "Finish it!"
Yet, Blair stood her ground before swinging her hand free hand outward. "Triverr has one last ability! If he's destroyed while he still has material, I can special summon a monster: this time from the graveyard!" Even with an attack about to strike, Blair moved fast. "I choose to bring back Satellarknight Ashlam!"
Satellarknight Alsham [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1800]
The familiar archer arrived back into the field in defense mode.
"I said that Horus can attack two more times! That won't stop us!" Daigo shouted before Horus unleashed his next beam for the returning warrior.
Blair pointed forward. "Looks like you forgot what ability he has! Alsham can deal 1000 points of damage when he's summoned!"
Daigo's eyes widened as he recalled the ability of the monster. "What!? No!"
Before the attack connected, Alsham primed his bow and launched an arrow that sped past Horus's beam. The arrow exploded before it reached Daigo, forcing the Horus duelist to shield his eyes and drop his cards.
Blair: 2600 LP
Daigo: 200 → 0 LP
As his points hit zero, Daigo fell again, but he slammed his fist on the ground. "Dang it!"
However, he inhaled deeply, picked up his cards, and walked up to meet up with Blair in the center of the dueling field.
"You win. Dang, you were really good out there." Although he sounded bitter, it was easy to tell it was more towards himself than his opponent.
"To be honest, you almost had me at that last turn," Blair admitted with a laugh. She didn't say that she almost forgot about Triverr's ability when she heard about Horus' multiple attacks. Come to think of it: something else was bothering her about that turn. "So hey? You had a tuner, so why didn't you Synchro Summon?"
"Ah? Well," Daigo rubbed the back of his head before he broke eye contact. He inhaled and exhaled before taking out his Horus card. "It's stupid."
"I have seen stupid," The two duelists looked over as Wilona, and the others, walked up to them. "That? Let me admit idiots have their moments when they look cool. I am curious as to why you didn't perform a summoning when you had the chance."
Daigo looked to the four around him. It seemed like he didn't notice, but Horus appeared behind him once more, nodding to him as if to keep going.
"I..." Daigo gulped. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon... is my favorite card! I always thought he was cool! I worked so hard to get him and build a deck around him!" As excited as he was, the look on his face started to change. "Then everyone started to use these new Synchro and XYZ decks... they all just laughed at me when I told them I was still using Level monsters. But I believed I could win with Horus, so I went out to prove that we could win without those new cards! ... You can see how that turned out."
"The top 16 out of hundreds of students using said cards?" Bastion folded his arms. "Your dedication to your favorite monster is mesmerizing. I'd want you in my dorm if I didn't know you'd already be a shoo-in for Obelisk Blue."
"As an Obelisk Blue?" Alexis motioned to herself. "We could use more people like you who love their cards than parade around with inflated egos. You'd be a great addition to our dorm."
"And you almost beat me! That was pretty good!" Blair smiled at Daigo, which may or may not have made his heart skip a beat. "But seriously, it was the most fun I had in a duel yet here. We should do more when we get into Duel Academy!"
Now that everything settled down, Wilona remembered something that bothered her. "Speaking off, Flannigan. I didn't know you were applying here. I thought for sure you'd have to wait two more years at least."
"What? Don't you remember, master? I told you guys that I'd return next year! The lowest age allowed for girls in Duel Academy is 13, not 14."
Alexis noticed the discrepancy very quickly. "You were 12? I thought you were 10!?"
Wilona noticed another word Blair just said. "Did... you call me master?"
"I was 12!" Blair made her voice high-pitch as a knee-jerk reaction before coughing into her hand and looking to Wilona. "And of course, master! I was captivated by the way everyone in Slifer Red listened to your every word! That confidence and command! I've read princesses just like that before, and they're equally charming as their princes! And maybe you can even help me get together with Jaden!~"
The green-haired girl was so glad that no one noticed her mouth twitching at the way Blair swooned after saying the name of her friend.
Yes, "friend", absolutely nothing more. How dare you think otherwise.
Before more could be said, Everyone heard Crowler's voice playing out through the speakers. "And with that, the semi-semi finals are done! Great job to everyone involved! We will now go through a thirty-minute recess before we set up the last remaining duels!"
Alexis, Bastion, and Wilona heard beeping and picked up their PDAs. "Looks like we have to do something before we can go on break. We'll pick up with you two later. Good luck, Flannigan."
"Bye, master! And I'll win this whole thing for love!" She exclaimed before running back into where the others applicants would be.
"Huh," Alexis waited until the two applicants were out of earshot. "Blair told me that she was 10 before she left. Did the wish age her up somehow?"
"Did it? Are you sure she didn't simply look young?" Bastion started to flush before he coughed into his hand. "I don't want to sound inappropriate but isn't that what puberty...?"
"I don't know. But I don't think she'd lie to us about her age when we caught her the first time. What about you, Wilona? ... Wilona?"
"Huh?" The green-haired girl turned to the blonde after watching where Blair left. "Ah, apologies. I was simply... distracted. What were we on about?"
"That's," Bastion raised his brow as he tried to find the words. "Unlike you. What has you distracted?"
"... W-We have two duelists who both had spirits, did we not? I'm wondering if there are more to come? And they didn't quite seem to notice their spirits." Wilona pulled down her hat as she said this.
"I do wonder about that. But perhaps it's a topic for another time, we still have some papers to sign before our up-and-coming duel, and I would like to make a few tweaks to my deck. So we should hurry along." Bastion agreed as he started to walk ahead.
Alexis, being more sympathetic to her friend, felt something off. "Wilona? Are you sure you're alright?"
"I am perfectly normal. Yes, nothing to worry about. At all." Wilona shook her head after those quick sentences. "I'll be catching up with Misawa now."
Wilona fought the urge to sigh as she knew Alexis still kept her eyes on her. She felt this undying need to punch a certain brunette for causing her this much grief. Would that be unfair? Perhaps.
Luckily, she'd probably just let off some steam in whoever she had to duel by the end of the tournament.
Suddenly, Wilona turned towards the stands. She didn't know why she did, but it felt like someone was watching her. However, the more she looked, the more she couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.
As Wilona left with Alexis, a figure stepped out from the shadows of the hallway, where they disappeared from Wilona's sight.
"That girl," A dark brunette young teen with a golden tiara and golden rings around the two side locks of her hair, stared at the Slifer Red girl that walked with the blonde from Obelisk Blue. "Why does she feel so familiar?"
{Author Notes}
I'd like to begin by thanking everyone for almost 200 Favorites and 200+ Follows! Whoo! That's a pretty big accomplishment here in Yugioh GX, especially since it was around chapter 25 when I had like only 100 for each. That's such a huge boost of follows and favorites in a shortened amount of time! Seriously, thanks for the support and fanart for this story! (Special shout out to Notapollo712 on Instagram and witchymagnolia here in Fanfiction. Thanks for the amazing artwork both of you have done!)
So welcome to my take on season 2! Crowler starts off the season by making this year's applicant's test into a tournament! I thought it would be fun, and everyone likes tournament arcs, right?
... Why do I suddenly have this overwhelming feeling that I'm forgetting something? Nah, probably not important.
GX Tournament later this season: ...
Anyway, we start off with the return of Blair Flannigan! Blair came up after brainstorming fun ideas and the want to include more female duelists in this story, so I took several risks and went all in with some changes such as bumping up her age and changing up her deck. Let's just say that she and Wilona are going to be the best of "Friends". Plus, I think she'll be a fun character to write. Oh! And you're all wondering why I changed her deck? Well, it's a combination of two reasons: I didn't like the idea of Maiden of Love's playstyle. (But she's not completely gone) And as much as I would have liked to give her the Lightsworn deck Duel Links gave her, I felt like it wouldn't fit her theme of love. I eventually settled on Satellarknights because it's kinda an in-between of Blair's theme of love/romance along with a decent deck with the pace of my story's game.
Daigo was pretty interesting because I originally planned for him to get curb stomped by the anime loli (He did still, but hey!). But the more I wrote his duel, the more it didn't fit for me. I scrapped the beginning of the duel two times before I found something I liked. I always loved the idea of playing the decks that I love more than the meta, even if I lose more often than I do not. And since I was still making Daigo use a Horus deck in a world with extra deck summoning is all the rage, it hit me. What if I wrote the guy to be like a player who plays what he loves, not what is strong? Minus the plot armor. (Sorry, Jaden.) I ended up liking what I wrote a lot.
And a mystery character? Ooo. I wonder who it is? It's not an OC, I promise. But this person is relatively obscure in Yugioh Lore. Though, I bet there will be some of you who can guess who it is by the few descriptions of this girl.
I hope you all enjoy this mini-tournament arc; it shouldn't be too long. We haven't begun with the stuff in Duel Academy yet. So I'm looking forward to the ideas I have if I can pull them off.
Good luck out there, and thanks for reading!
{Altered/Made-up Cards}
Edit: You have got to be kidding me. There's rulings on the Level Monsters!? Ugh. Once more, thanks for Kurimaster13 for correcting my TCG/OCG mistakes. Apparently, there's some kind of special tick with monsters that have only one way of being special summoned. The play I made could work... if Horus wasn't bounced back to the hand. So it practically erases the invisible rule that it had to be summoned by its own effect first before it can be summoned from the graveyard. My god, everyday this whole school dedicated to dueling feels more and more appropriate each dang day.
Satellerknight Canis Minor: I know other cards help reach Tellarknights reach their rank 4's easier, but I didn't want to use Tellarknight Vatlamyus yet because it didn't quite fit the theme I was going for with Blair.
Black Purification: a Horus card I made up to help the Level monster keep up with Powercreep.
Cycle of the Black Flame: I wanted to originally use Level Modulation, but that card wouldn't work because it makes the opponent draw two while preventing the revived monster from attacking or activating its effect. Sadly, it's a bad card for the meta I made in this story, so I used a different one.
Level Devouring: I made this card to help out with Horus without needing to special summon from the extra deck.
Look, I try to follow TCG, I really do. But seriously? It's weirdly conflicting how the balance of the game works with creative liberties. I am genuinely trying to make duels where everyone isn't a total jobber, but dear god almighty. The cards and ideas I have just do not agree with each other. That Seika and Zane one was a nightmare to write.
But enough of me whining. Good luck out there; I mean it. Believe it or not, I'm also cheering you on.
