AN: Hey there, welcome to this story. This is my first time writing on a different genre of literature, so I decided to give it a shot. This story will contain spoilers for the show, so please be advised.
Yu-Gi-Oh has always been a huge part of my childhood with all its themes and storytelling—that and the fantastic effects the show loves to throw around.
The existence of Light and Dark in GX's story is a fascinating concept, each with its own philosophical beliefs and powers. So why not expand upon this? You guys will see what I mean when I develop the story further.
Any constructive criticism is much obliged; after all, I am experimenting with this genre of writing, but I wish to tell a story through the GX universe. If there is an issue with the characters, their behaviors, the duels, or general plot, please let me know. I would love to read them and fix the story if needed.
Thanks for reading.
A sunny morning...
I sighed and scowled in the sun's general direction, trying to escape its grating, piercing light.
Some would say the nice weather would be a great way to start the day.
The cicadas chirp their hearts out, the feeling of the sun gracing your skin, and the odd nostalgic feeling of good things to come...
But for me, it usually isn't.
Especially since I'm trying to get somewhere on time.
As I continued walking toward my destination, I heard the sounds of cars honking, salarymen shuffling to get to their transportation, and rowdy kids shouting joyfully on their way to school.
Still it's not that bad, though.
My morning could be worse, though.
At least I'm not running and dodging oncoming pedestrians in a rush to somewhere.
Or bump into someone that would give me trouble.
Huh, maybe the sun's lifting my mood.
Once I was out of the sun's glare, I checked the time on my watch.
For example, I am not running late.
I have plenty of time until the exams start...
But I would rather get out of bed a little earlier than now.
Especially since I'm not the best at getting to new and different places.
If I get lost too many times, then I'm pretty much going to be arriving late for the exams.
With something like this being a once-a-lifetime prospect, there's no way I will let this slip past me.
Still... my timing could have been better.
How I even got to this rather normal predicament was my fault.
Instead of getting ready for the day like any other person with a strict schedule, I wrote about something that hadn't happened to me for a long time in my journal.
Like an idiot.
I always had a bad habit of writing about weird or mundane things in my journal and losing track of time, with the topic being the former.
Fortunately, I managed to get out of bed properly because my neighbor knocked on my door to wish me good luck on the exams.
I can't thank Ms. Hibiki enough.
With a silent prayer, I renewed my focus on walking to the exam location.
Now, what's this about exams?
Simple, I'm going to carve out a future in one of the prestigious academies around.
Central Academy, otherwise known as Duel Academia.
Or Duel Academy.
Yeah, the owner of that school made naming the school odd for some reason.
I have repeatedly heard that his school is one of the best around, with facilities being equipped with state-of-the-art tech, as well as being a tropical paradise.
This school can give me something I have always wanted.
Opportunities.
My mind rushed with the endless possibilities of attending and graduating from such a school.
Since this school was more challenging to get into, I was sure it would look good on my resume.
There was no doubt that my intentions were not the purest.
I mean, I'm pretty sure there are a bunch of people that have similar intentions anyway.
With the school's brochure at hand, I took a cursory glance at the various pictures and descriptions offered by it.
There were three dorms, technically four, in the academy, and it mostly depended on how well each applicant scored in their exams.
Obelisk Blue is at the top of the student body, but that was pretty much reserved for the guys more well-off than I was in every single aspect or those who went to some fancy prep school.
On the other hand, Ra Yellow was in the middle of the pack, those who did well in the exams but lacked the connections, money, power, and whatnot from the Blues and didn't go to prep school.
And that leaves Slifer Red, with them being at the bottom of the totem pole and having some lackluster or questionable dormitories and facilities, with statistics of those dropping out of Red being quite worrisome.
Given how eccentric the owner is, I needed to pass two exams.
Like any traditional high school, it has a written exam that needs to be completed to be considered for enrollment, which I had extensively studied for beforehand.
My grades are pretty average, so the written exam wasn't anything too difficult.
At least, I hope I didn't flunk it...
But the second exam is where things get a little murky.
For some reason, this high school proctors a sort of dueling exam.
Not fencing or having those western showdowns from way back when.
But dueling, as in playing a game of Duel Monsters against the school's teachers.
Then again, that's to be expected from the world-renowned CEO of Kaibacorp, Seto Kaiba, who is pushing the game to all corners of life.
I groaned and readjusted my backpack, mostly because of the duel disk I carried around.
Carrying the ancient Kaibacorp Mass Production Disk didn't play nicely with some of the items I was carrying on my person.
Oh man, I hope this disk doesn't ruin my journal or anything.
I didn't have the flamboyant touch to carry around the disk whenever I went, and the very thought of it made me shiver.
This disk was something that I brought recently, so I don't have any experience with playing with it.
With my tight funds, I had to buy a beat-up model from some pawn shop.
I had to charge it for a couple of days because the battery or something internal was fried, but fortunately, it can keep up for just a few duels... I think.
Besides, I don't think I can stomach running around with a disk on my arm, dueling students left and right like some shonen manga or something.
With one last shiver from that horrifying thought, I put my backpack back on.
Not that I mind playing Duel Monsters again; I played the game a lot as a kid, always switching out cards and strategies and beating all the other kids in the neighborhood.
But now?
Not so much.
I mean, how will knowing what Luminous Spark does help with basic geometry and history?
Wait...
There's probably some guy out there that would somehow use Riemann's theorem to build their deck and strategies.
Either way, balancing my part-time job, my studies, housework, and various other necessities doesn't leave me much time to play Duel Monsters.
Besides, most of the people that I used to play with are busy with their own lives.
And some of them are...
...
I shook my head from the increasingly depressive, cloudy thoughts and walked faster.
Let's not think about that for now...
I wonder why I had such a strange morning.
For a brief moment, I let my mind wander to what had happened earlier in the day.
The world I awoke in felt empty.
It was devoid of all life but was eerily peaceful.
There wasn't any light or darkness but this mind-numbing sensation of nothingness.
It felt like this was an ideal world for some people.
Where am I?
I tried to touch my arms and legs, but they felt as if they were incorporeal.
This...
This doesn't feel right.
Why is my body like this?!
I looked down and saw the possible reason why.
My body was translucent, and I was able to see through them.
It was there that I realized I was dreaming.
Wait a minute...!
I glanced at the world I woke up in, not caring about the atmosphere.
Alright, looks like I'm lucid dreaming!
If so, I can do whatever I want here, right?
This space is a blank canvas, and I would very much like to use it.
I mean, this vibe I'm getting in this place is too surreal for my tastes, so I think I'm going to change it up a bit.
So let's see here, what should I think of?
Maybe something on the-!
But before I could think of anything to conjure up, nothing perverted; I swear, my body welled up a debilitating paralyzing sensation.
What the...?
This feeling felt oddly familiar for some reason, but I had no idea why.
I kneeled over as the sensation quickly lost its confusing familiarity, delivering a painful feeling to every nerve in my body, causing me to hold my arms against my midsection.
However, the pain disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving me perplexed.
That felt... painful.
It reminds me of my younger years too.
Where I...
No, that doesn't matter here.
What's going on?!
When I looked up, from a distance, I saw an... entity?
There was nothing I could put into words that can describe what I saw.
It felt as if I was looking at nothing but, at the same time, something.
My mind simply couldn't comprehend what it saw.
Is this... some sort of ghost?
An apparition?
No, it's neither of those things.
What is that...?
"So..." The entity spoke, with a cacophony of voices echoing them. "You have finally reached the crossroads of your life. The moment you had been waiting for."
The entity's voice sounded solemn and calm but was simultaneously so harsh and cutting.
I wanted to shout at it, ask who it was or why I was there, but I couldn't form any words whatsoever.
It felt as if I didn't have a mouth, to begin with.
This has to be a nightmare...
Wait, what if I pinch myself?
And so, I tried doing that, but I felt no pain.
Right, I forgot my body is translucent for some reason.
Worth a shot.
Out of the nothingness, the entity finally formed into something tangible I could see.
A gray serpentine-like figure, with many limbs behind him, slowly strode to me as if it was flying.
Their robes looked ancient and alien, a color comparable to silver shining in the moonlight, with a hood covering their facial features.
Along with their robes, they had some strange glitch effect, as if it was affected by cassette degradation, flickering in and out of existence.
The grim reaper...?
There is something off about that... thing.
It's obviously not something out of the light but at the same time...
It's not something from the dark.
Why do I feel like I know it from somewhere...?
"We wish to see you find ambition in that garden of spirits and find a sense of purpose to suit the final judgment better." The entity proclaimed. "Will the light blind you from the path? With their promises of hope, glory, and prosperity? Or will the darkness envelop you instead? Believing in bringing peace through the subjugation of hope and despair?"
I sensed no malicious intent from the being as if it only was here to deliver a message.
A message that, for some reason, rang some bells in my head.
The entity's many arms melded into two and gently clamped them before me as if smiling at me, relishing the idea that I didn't understand it.
"Let us see. Give us the ideals we yearned for so long, A certainty in an unruly and chaotic reality." The entity requested as it began to walk toward me. "Know this... Without finality, there is no salvation. Without salvation, there exists chaos. Chaos breeds struggles. Struggles breed sacrifices. And sacrifices ultimately lead to death."
The entity leaned in, forcing me to look into the empty void.
"Our answer lies ahead. All you need to do is prove it."
I awoke on my futon, drenched in my own sweat.
My breathing was heavy and unsteady, and I clutched my chest as I tried to stabilize it.
Where am I?!
My eyes frantically searched where I was, and I was greeted with the familiar sightings of my apartment or rather, my bedroom.
Yep, this must be home.
There's no apartment that fits the bill of being lonely, homely, and depressing rolled into one neat package.
I collapsed over my futon and let out an exhausted sigh, with the dream not doing me any favors for my sleep schedule.
That dream...
I haven't had that sort of dream in a long time.
Maybe I should consider that to be a nightmare since I don't remember anything...
But my body can't stop shaking from the fear I felt...
I pursed my lips into a defeated frown.
Why in the world did I have that again?
I thought I was finally free from that feeling.
But it turns out nothing had changed.
As usual.
I got up from my futon and groped around for my journal.
Guess I'll just write about it here.
My pen scribbled onto the journal I had kept for most of my life, intent on writing down the experiences I had while dreaming.
But most of the time, I use it like a memo or as a means to write down dumb ideas.
Now that I think about it, there was something odd about that nightmare.
As if it was trying to tell me something.
But what?
I tried to ponder over the meaning of the nightmare but to no avail.
My mind kept on going on an endless loop of trying to figure out what had happened.
And because of that, I was wasting precious time on one of the most important days of my life.
*Knock Knock*
The gentle knocking on my door snapped me out of it as I stood up to answer the door.
Aw, come on, today's a Saturday, right?
I was hoping I could catch up on some sleep...
Oh well.
I opened the door and saw a smiling middle-aged lady behind it.
"Ah, Kazuhiro! Good to see you awake! I was worried that you were going to oversleep! Especially on a day as important as this!" The middle-aged lady greeted me with warm eyes.
This is Ms. Hibiki, my neighbor and a good friend of mine's mother.
She helped me every once in a while since I was living alone.
There were times that I thanked the stars for her kindness, intuitiveness, and presence, especially when I first moved in.
She taught me everything about housekeeping, cooking, laundry, and various other things.
I am always grateful to her and could never thank her enough.
Were it not for her, I would be far worse off now.
"Oversleep? For wha-?" I questioned before stopping myself.
Wait...
Today's a big day, right?
But what was it...?
...
...
...
Oh.
"Y-Yeah! Why would I oversleep on a day like this, huh?" I nervously sputtered, now realizing the gravity of the situation.
She gave me a simple frown.
"Kazzy... You shouldn't forget that today is the day of your exams." She reprimanded, like an experienced mother. "Doesn't your exam start at 9:30? It's good that you have plenty of time before it starts."
Yeah, there's no point in hiding anything from her.
"I know, I know..." I mumbled as I started to get my usual school uniform out. "I always have this bad habit of not being able to fall asleep before a big exam and then forgetting it later. And it doesn't help that I'm trying to enter Central Academy."
She entered my one-room apartment and began fixing something up.
I was about to say she didn't have to, but she cut me off disapprovingly as if saying not to bother.
"My daughter has the same problem, too, so I understand how you're feeling, Kazzy. Poor girl would fall asleep, and nothing would wake her up. I worry about her..." She reminisced as she began flipping the pans.
I entered my bathroom and washed up before changing into my school uniform.
Yep, the same old face I grew up with.
As usual, I looked like any average teen.
Slightly messy black hair, somewhat fair skin, dark brown eyes, and barely above average height for a fifteen-year-old.
I was the definition of generic, and that suited me just fine.
There wasn't much to mull over it, so I decided to focus on what Ms. Hibiki said.
Ms. Hibiki sure does miss her daughter, especially since I seem to emulate her behavior.
It's been a while since I had last seen her, so I hope she's doing well.
When I exited the bathroom, breakfast was served to me on the small coffee table.
Yup, this is better than anything I can whip up in a couple of minutes.
I smiled at my friendly neighbor and gave her a curt bow before sitting down.
"Thank you for the food, Ms. Hibiki."
She gave me a kind smile back as I sat down.
"A growing boy like you should have something to eat before leaving. I had a feeling you would go without having breakfast." She noted, to which I bashfully looked away. "How else will you give it your all?"
Well, she definitely isn't wrong.
"Yeah, yeah... you're right." I jokingly droned as I began scarfing down the food. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and stuff."
Ms. Hibiki gave me an affirmative nod.
"That's right! I can't count how many times my little girl would have aced an exam if she did eat breakfast!"
How can anyone miss Ms. Hibiki's breakfast?!
Seriously, this is amazing!
"Yeah, you can say that again."
We continued to chat as I ate breakfast, enjoying each other's company.
Once I was done eating, I stood up to clean my plate, only for her to swipe it away from me.
But before I could say anything, she pointed to my backpack and disk, obviously indicating that I hadn't finished packing.
"Go and take care of that. I'll handle this."
I slumped my shoulder and moved over to my backpack.
"Yes, ma'am..." I defeatedly muttered as I finished packing.
Some basic items were inside my bag: my journal, sensitive electronics, toothpaste, toothbrushes, a deck, and a duel disk.
Two of those things don't belong in an ordinary backpack...
I already sent my luggage to the testing center, which wasn't much to begin with, meaning they were ready to be shipped out to that island or given back to me in case I failed.
"OK! I think I'm done packing! I double-checked too!" I cheerily jumped, feeling oddly excited for the journey ahead.
But despite this, I couldn't stem the depressive feeling of what would happen if I failed the dueling exam.
Ms. Hibiki had already long finished cleaning my dishes for me, so she was waiting by my door.
I got my shoes on and walked up to her.
"Are you sure?" She asked cocking her head, almost prompting me to check for the third time. "My son gets so excited sometimes that he always forgets something important."
I gave her a sure nod.
"Yes, I'm sure, Ms. Hibiki. I didn't have much to pack anyway."
With that, I got my shoes on and opened the door for the both of us, exiting my lame one-room apartment.
As I locked the door, I heard my neighbor let out a gloomy sigh, to which I slowly turned around.
"Another one leaves the nest..." She mournfully whispered before giving me a small smile. "Hold still, now. You have some bedhead."
She raised her hand and patted my head.
In an instant, I felt like a kid again, my mind being flooded with memories of times when I got my head gently patted.
How long has it been since I got my head patted...?
This feeling in my heart...
I didn't know how to react, so I kept quiet.
"There. Now you can show those proctors who's ready!"
Once she was done, I raised my head and saw that she was struggling not to frown, giving me a bright but fake grin.
She's seeing me off like this...
How can I thank her?
What do I do?
I decided to follow my gut instincts for this situation.
And so, I gave her a genuine hug.
She was surprised to the least and returned the hug back.
"Thank you, Ms. Hibiki, for taking care of me for a while. I really, really am grateful for your hospitality." I slowly started to say, speaking from my heart.
I pulled away and gave her a deep bow, showing my sincerity and respect, before gradually coming back up.
"You're welcome, Kazuyuki. I can tell that you went through a lot before moving here, so the least I can do is help you. You're a good boy, Kazuyuki. Don't let the world bring down your heart."
So... She knew.
I mean, a 15-year-old kid moving into a single-room apartment by himself does seem weird, huh?
"Heheh, I won't. Besides, I'm sure not letting a single duel stop me from enrolling in the one greatest school out there. But if it just so happens that I-"
"Stop." Ms. Hibiki cut me off. "Don't think like that. You put a lot of effort into studying for your exams, so I know you'll make it in."
Her scolding was enough to straighten me up.
It's true...
I pulled all-nighters trying to get the material so I could pass the written exam.
So what's a duel compared to a whole day of studying?
"You're right, sorry..." I apologized before looking at my watch.
There's plenty of time, but I should get going.
"Well, I'm off then, Ms. Hibiki. I'll give you a call once I get the results." I followed up, now walking off in the general direction of the exams. "Goodbye, Ms. Hibiki!
She gave me a wave as I started to walk.
"Bye, Kazzy! Be sure to write to me regularly!"
And that leads me back to the current time...
I finally arrived at the exam center with plenty of time before the exams concluded.
The location was Kaibacorp's Headquarters, a tall glass building somehow not classified as a skyscraper with a red circle covering its roof.
And unsurprisingly, there were statues of the famous Blue-Eyes White Dragon around the building, replacing the need for gargoyles.
I wonder why he loves that card so much that he makes everything Blue-Eyes...
Blue-Eyes coffee, Blue-Eyes merchandise, Blue-Eyes jets... the list goes on.
I had passed through the gates of the building, and past the entrance, I saw a small line of both students and cars leading to the massive white dome, with students showing their enrollment papers and whatnot to the guards.
Whoa...!
This dome must be one of the many Kaiba Domes that dot the planet.
It's impressive that Kaibacorp sources this much money for a card game.
My eyes wandered to the many attendees, who all looked anxious about the exam.
I recognized some middle school students ahead of me, but given how I was a recluse during that period of my life, I doubted they would recognize me.
Some of these guys scoff at playing Duel Monsters, but here they are.
Once I was up, I showed the guards my papers which he checked.
"You'll want to go straight up this route. Once you make it to the facility, please have your deck out so it can be checked." The guard professionally stated.
Checked?
What, like having counterfeit cards or something?
"Got it, thank you."
With that, I went up the path, which began to get steeper and steeper, with the vehicles traversing the road easily.
The heck?
Why is this path so steep?!
It was good that I kept myself fit enough not to be too winded from the hike.
Having a job that relies on moving around a lot sure does help with this...
Jeez, if I had a car, this would be a lot easier!
If I had to guess, maybe Kaiba wants to sort out those that don't have the will or money to get to the top.
And given his exploit over the years, that doesn't sound surprising.
Once I got to the top of the steep path, I saw another line of students who were all holding out their decks, so I did the same.
I rummaged through my backpack and pulled out my deck, which was held by a single rubber band wrapped around it.
The physical quality of my cards was nothing to note as there was the usual wear and tear from repeated use, something I couldn't amend with sleeves due to the lack of funds.
But I could at least be proud that I didn't crease my cards or have slight tears on them.
I looked at the bottom of my deck and saw a nostalgic card looking right at me.
Chaos Emperor Dragon-
Nah, it's just Pot of Greed.
Even people that live under a rock heard of Chaos Emperor Dragon and how it has been making waves, even if they don't play the card game.
A rare and powerful card that only a handful of people have.
Despite this, I smiled fondly at the card that would set up my plays when I was younger.
"Uh... Helloooo?" A female voice called out, clearly uninterested but at the same time irate. "You here for the exams?"
In front of me was a student with short blonde hair wearing the academy's Obelisk Blue uniform with a slight tint of pink in the white colors.
I felt my face threatening to catch some heat, so I hurriedly nodded and tried to get my papers out.
"Y-Yes, ma'am. Here's my enrollment paper confirmation." I handed it, to which she rolled her eyes and took my paper.
"Don't call me that. It makes me sound old." She scanned before looking for my name in a large stack of papers.
Off to a great start me...
Way to go.
"Kazuyuki Sora, eh? Ah, there you are." She remarked as she crossed my name with a highlighter. "The exams are about to start, so you can enter once we check your deck. You mind?"
Should I ask why they need to check my deck?
"Yeah, here you go," I replied as she took my deck. "Is there a reason you need to check besides counterfeit cards?"
She handed my deck to her long brown-haired colleague before arching a brow.
"Uhhh, yeah? We have a ban list of cards that can't be played." She answered with a tone that made me feel like an idiot. "What do the pro players call it? Something about the meta helps keep the competitive scene interesting and fair."
That makes sense...
Kaibacorp has already made Duel Monsters a game with its own meta and strategies, similar to some video games I heard of.
And not to mention, with how big the official tournaments are around here, a lot of money is poured into keeping the scene running at its best.
"Besides, even if you sneak in fake cards, your duel disk won't be able to play them. Kaibacorp patched that problem years ago during the Rare Hunter craze." The student with brown hair answered before handing me my deck. "You're good. You got a lot of old cards in there, but none of them are in the Forbidden list, luckily."
I took my deck and nodded.
"Thanks," I said as I waited for the blonde student to finish writing up something.
The brown-haired student smirked and crossed her arms, which caught my attention.
"You're using a lot of old and rare cards in that deck of yours. Pretty much ancient, hehe. Is it your older sibling's or your dad's deck?" She sharply commented. "Some of the cards are straight up worse compared to what we have nowadays, y'know."
The inconsiderate tone and smug attitude very nearly pushed me to my boiling point, especially since it was a topic I was not particularly eager to talk about.
But I kept it under wraps, just for a moment.
Just go in and take the exam, don't let them get to you, me.
To answer her possibly rhetorical question, all I did was shrug.
The short, blonde-haired student had finally finished writing up and looked up at me but not before giving a side-eye to her colleague.
"Alright, knock it off, don't give the rookie any problems." She reprimanded before putting down her pen. "Since you handed in your luggage beforehand, they'll be sent straight to the academy once you pass your exam. If you happen to fail your exam, the proctor will tell you which room you'll need to go to pick it up. And if you pass, wait for all exams to conclude, and the proctors will escort you out to transport. Capiche?"
I gave a quick nod.
"Yes, I understand."
She motioned me to go inside with her head.
"Go on in, and good luck."
I gave her a sharp but polite nod and walked right in.
And with that, I finally entered the giant dome's atrium.
Here we go...
This is the place that will determine my future for the better...
Or worse.
As I continued walking toward the exam room, I was taken aback by how massive the structure was on the inside.
Sure, the dome was visible in some satellite images of the city, but in person, it threatened to give some form of agoraphobia.
I finally entered the exam and was stunned by the many holograms the Duel Monsters cards showed.
There were monsters that I recognized, such as Big Shield Gardna, La Ginn, and Mystical Elf.
That's so cool!
Has technology really gotten that far?!
But there was a lot that I didn't recognize, which worried me.
Will my deck be enough to deal with those new monsters?
And not to mention how rusty I am with Duel Monsters...
The last time I dueled was years ago!
I walked over to the topmost row and sat down, marveling at the many holograms and special effects being projected, like seeing a Big Shield Gardna bracing for an attack and then putting his shield down to rest or seeing a Monster Reborn reviving a monster with its shimmering light.
Upon closer inspection of the facility, rows and rows of seats encircled a large, walled-off space split into four different arenas.
It looks like that's where the exam will be.
People sitting high up will have a front-row seat in the action.
And also the people over there.
On the other side of the stands lays attendees lounging and chatting with each other, with a majority of them wearing the Obelisk Blue colors.
So I'm guessing that's where those prep schools and rich kids go to, huh?
But on my side, attendees were making last-minute changes to their decks, putting their disks on, or simply watching the ongoing duels with complete focus.
Seeing them panicking or waiting around for their exams made me strangely feel at home.
Turns out there are some people that are like me, seeking out a future.
"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?" I heard a male voice ask with a rather strange accent.
I turned to my left and saw a guy with slicked-back black hair that ran smoothly towards the back of his head, wearing a prim, proper white school gakuran.
Huh, I'm surprised he isn't sitting there with the rest of the rich kids...
I shook my head and put my backpack down from the seat he wanted to sit down at.
"No, of course not." I offered. "Have a seat."
He sat down with me and gave me a polite smile.
"Thank you." He curtly replied as he began to rummage into his bag.
I figured he would go into his bag to fetch his dueling disk and deck, but instead...
It turns out there was one person who simply didn't do either of those things, instead opting to open a book and read.
His book was titled "Calculus and Dueling, The Perfect Duo."
...
What the heck?
He noticed that I was gawking at his book and chuckled.
"Sorry, I had forgotten to introduce myself. I was so excited to use these theorems for my deck." He apologized while offering his hand. "Bastion Misawa, a fellow test-taker like yourself, pleased to meet you."
I took his hand and shook it.
"Likewise. Kazuyuki Sora. An aspiring freshman, hoping to make something out of himself."
So there is a guy who actually uses calculus and geometry in a duel!
But this guy doesn't seem bad at all...
I shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
"Hmm, aren't we all?" He rhetorically asked with goodwill whilst crossing his arms. "This very moment of our lives may be one of their most important."
My lips let out a nervous chuckle whether I liked it or not.
"Tell me about it; the opportunities this school will give are unparalleled. It may as well be the crossroads of our lives, helping us find ambition and a sense of purpose. A wealth of knowledge and wisdom that very well be lost if we happen to fail."
Uggggh... I'm doing it again!
When I'm super nervous, I have a really bad tendency to ramble on like this!
He must think that I'm sort of a freak now, right?
Man... I should really fix this part of me...
I glanced at him to gauge his reaction and saw that he was genuinely interested.
In fact, there was a fire in his eyes that I didn't see before.
"My word... A fellow philosopher! I assume you are familiar with Socrates and his works? Who would have thought that I would meet someone familiar with the methodology of the olden days?!"
Philosopher?
Alright, that's a bit of a stretch...
And it looks like a switch has opened up in him.
I waved my hand to show him I knew so-so.
"Familiar enough that I know the Socrates method, and he advocates for true understanding and wisdom." I played along, not wanting to crush the fire in his eyes.
Wait, this is no time to nerd out here!
Alright, maybe a little... but still.
I should at least try to regain some of my old instincts back.
"Kazuyuki Sora, please report to quadrant 4, Kazuyuki Sora, please report to quadrant 4."
Looks like I won't be getting them back anytime soon...
I couldn't help but feel crestfallen over the impending test.
Misawa noticed that I was feeling nervous about my exam.
"Best of luck with your exams. I wish to discuss some philosophy afterward, if you don't mind, that is."
It would be easy to assume that he was being a jerk with what he said, but something about him showed he was genuine.
Besides, he wants me to pass...
I smiled at him and nodded.
"You too, thank you."
With my duel disk and deck at hand, I slowly descended the stairs.
As I went down them, I tried to put on the ancient disk onto my arm, but I couldn't figure out how.
After all, I never wore one before.
Come on...
This shouldn't be too hard to put on- oh, there we go.
Fortunately, as I got to the end of the staircase, I could put it on, so I slid my deck in.
Despite being a pain to carry in my bag, the disk wasn't heavy but lightweight and stylish.
Here goes nothing!
I pushed the door open and entered the exam room.
On the other side of the room was the proctor, armed with the latest duel disk and checking on a small handheld device.
He wasn't dressed in anything too outlandish or flamboyant, dressed in a purplish school uniform, a blimp-like hairstyle, a trimmed beard, and huge aviators.
If anything, he looked like the generic teacher that would like to blend into the background of any school meeting.
With a stylus, he poked at the screen and put the device away.
"Kazuyuki Sora, correct? According to the school's records, you did well in the written exam. My name is Hiroshi Tanaka, the academy's head biochemistry professor. I'll be your examiner for the practical exam."
Wait, I did well in the written exam?
Alright!
"Understood. Are there any rules or regulations that I need to follow?" I asked, still somewhat nervous.
He shook his head.
"Other than the standard Duel Monsters rules and test takers going first, no, there isn't. Are you ready to begin?" He asked, giving me a moment to gather my will.
Am I?
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath.
Well, it's now or never, me!
"Yes, I am!" I answered.
With a curt nod, he activated his duel disk.
"Very well! Duel!"
(Kazuyuki 4000/Examiner 4000, 40 cards left.)
Wait, they yell duel when a game starts?
Should I start doing that?
I activated mine as well, praying that the disk wouldn't break down on me.
OK...
Slow and steady me, slow and steady.
We both drew five cards and in an instant, I felt nostalgic.
This...
This is a good hand!
Ah, wait, it's the draw phase!
I drew one card and heard an amused grunt coming from the examiner.
My eyes rose to him, and he shook his head.
"Sorry, sorry. The students here usually announce every move they make, even something as mundane as drawing a card; heh, emulating the pro leagues. It's a... change of pace to see someone who doesn't do that."
I rubbed the back of my head, unsure of how to take what he said as a compliment or insult.
"Should I start announcing my moves then?" I questioned.
He waved his hand towards me.
"Never done it before, huh? Go for it; it might be fun." He grinned in a friendly manner.
Yep, this guy is definitely a teacher, not that is a bad thing, mind you.
Just like a Hibiki.
I shrugged and gave it a try.
"Uh... OK. I'll set a monster and put two facedowns. I'll end my turn there."
In front of me were the three cards I had set, each card being half the size of an average Joe.
This is so much cooler than playing analog...
I thought I would fumble with my cards and drop them, but that wasn't the case.
Huh, wow...
That wasn't so bad.
In fact, that was a little exciting!
The examiner gave another amused grunt at my play, happy I had given it a shot.
"A solid start, kid. My turn, I draw!" He remarked as he drew a card. "I summon Giant Rat (1400/1450) in attack mode!"
There wasn't much to write on Giant Rat, as it was simply a giant... rat, but it looked vicious enough to tear my facedown up.
"I attack your facedown card! Go Giant Rat, attack with Rumbling Rodent Ravager!"
Wait, they have names for each attack?
The rat charged forward with speed that would make any housewife faint and swiped at the facedown.
However, when the facedown was revealed to be the Wall of Illusion (1000/1850), the rat became confused by the miasmic wall and pounced on it anyway, allowing it to counterattack with a dark energy beam.
The light propelled the rat and flew toward the examiner, colliding with him in the process, or at least looking like it did and producing a dust cloud.
It was customary to gloat, cheer, or react in any way, but I was concerned for the examiner.
Is... Is he OK?
Wait, did I actually hurt him?!
The dust cleared, showing that the examiner was alright, as he had shielded himself from the counterattack, with his life points gauge dropping in the process.
(Kazuyuki 4000/Examiner 3550, 34 cards left.)
Phew...
It looks like I won't get booted from the exam room.
"Ah, so it's like that, huh? Your Wall pushed my Rat back to my hand... so far, so good." The examiner mused. "I'll set one card facedown and end my turn!"
Now's my chance!
"Wait, before you end, I activate one of my facedowns, Mystical Space Typhoon, and destroy your back row!"
Uh...
How do I do that?
The examiner cocked his head as he awaited for my card to reveal itself, but nothing happened.
Do I flick my arm or something?
When I made that move, the card finally activated.
The card flipped up and glowed bright energy, which began to swirl into a blueish typhoon, targetting the card by encroaching over it and destroying it with a crackle of lightning.
When the storm had cleared, the examiner was crossing his arm and nodding approvingly.
"I had a feeling you were green with that duel disk, but it looks like you're figuring it out. Still, if you have any questions, feel free to speak up."
The examiner's amiable attitude over my learning experience encouraged me to press on.
"Yes, sir! Now, I will draw a card." I declared, drawing one from my deck. "Hmm, I'll set another card and activate Gravekeeper's Servant! With that, end my turn."
The card projected a weather stone monument with an ethereal glow, surrounded by an aura of mysticism.
I know I can go for the offensive, but I'm better off using my Wall of Illusion in the defense position.
"Interesting, you must be running a mill deck... Very well! It's my turn, and I draw!"
So that's what it's called?
A mill deck...?
The examiner drew and looked somewhat pleased as he smiled at the card.
"I'll summon Gene-Warped Werewolf (2000/100) in attack mode!" The examiner boomed, with the card revealing a werewolf, muscular and feral in appearance with an ominous glowing aura. "But that's not all; with it, I activate the equip-spell card, Big Bang Shot. This card lets me inflict piercing damage while raising my monster's attack points by 400!"
The ominous glowing aura from the Werewolf became sharper and became a more visible crimson color.
He's definitely ready to rip my cards asunder!
"Werewolf, attack his Wall of Illusion!"
Before the monster could launch his attack, the stone monument from my Gravekeeper's Servant glowed brighter, forcing the examiner's disk to take one card from his deck and discard it to his graveyard.
The monster let out a deafening roar as it rose through the air and pounced toward my card.
My Wall attempted to confuse with its dark psychic energy, only for it to be completely cut down and break through it, imploding the Wall.
The preceding explosion of energy caused me to guard against the boom and breeze.
(Kazuyuki 3450/Examiner 3550, 33 cards left.)
That... was awesome!
No wonder Duel Monsters are such a hot topic!
The energy residue from the Wall collected and formed one final beam, arcing in the air and pushing back the Werewolf to its owner's hand.
I was taken aback by the examiner's strategy and chuckled to myself.
"You attacked my Wall because you knew of your equip spell's other effect. Isn't that right?" I asked the examiner.
He nodded and gave me an impressed smirk.
"Yes, Werewolf would've been banished by my Big Bang, but since your Wall pushed it back to my hand, it's safe and sound. Good work." He explained as if patting me on the back. "I'll set a card and end my turn."
That was a bit of a setback, but I still have a facedown and a set card.
Just need to keep my cool.
"OK, I draw a card and..."
I looked at what I drew and was greeted by an old friend.
Looks like it's time to go on the offensive!
"... summon La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp! (1800/1000) I also reveal my facedown monster, Needle Worm! (750/600) When Needle Worm is flipped up, you must send the first five cards from your deck to the graveyard!"
The worm wiggled about and scuttled to the examiner's deck, shrinking in size and burrowing itself within before springing out and forcing the deck to discard its cards.
(Examiner 3550, 28 cards left.)
With the stoic green genie and purple worm insectoid on my side, I was ready to start my next move.
"La Jinn, attack him directly, with uh... um..."
I didn't quite have an attack name for my monster.
What do I say?!
I'm getting into the groove of things, and saying to attack directly only sounds lame...
"Mystical Blast, maybe?" The examiner offered.
That works.
"Yeah! With Mystical Blast!" I ordered, causing the genie to snap his fingers, creating a fan of energy orbs swirling about and targeting the examiner.
It's a gamble since he has a set card, but I got something to protect me in case I need it.
"Not so fast! I activate the trap card, Sakuretsu Armor!" He countered, flipping up the card.
Aw, crapbaskets!
The card revealed not a set of armor but a translucent force field that caught the energy orbs in its tracks, protecting the examiner before pulsing a shockwave directed at my La Jinn, staggering it.
Afterward, the force field pulsed another shockwave, one as large as a high tide, completely engulfing La Jinn, effectively destroying him.
Seeing my trusty card La Jinn overtaken by that trap slightly angered me, but I quickly stemmed it with the thought process of this "just being a game."
Still, I don't like seeing ol' reliable being taken down like that.
"I still have another monster up! Needle Worm, attack!"
This time I didn't want to think of a name, as I wanted some form of retribution for my fallen card.
The worm wiggled and slithered about but jumped through the examiner.
(Kazuyuki 3450/Examiner 2800, 28 cards left.)
"I set one card and end my turn," I concluded.
That didn't really help me feel better, but at least I did some damage.
Besides, I have plenty of tricks in case I need to play defensively.
"A mill deck with some offensive, eh? You're doing well so far, so keep it up. My turn, I draw!" The examiner announced as he drew and placed the card to the side of his hand. "I'll summon my Werewolf again in attack mode! Go and attack Needle Worm with Feral Fang Assault!"
Feral Fang Assault?
Man, that sounds so cool.
Like before, the monument from Gravekeeper glowed brightly, and the Werewolf pounced once again and drew close to squashing the bug, but I had just the thing to make him regret it.
"I don't think so! I activate Book of Moon! With this card, I flip Needle Worm facedown!" I countered the large blue book opening and flipping through the many pages, casting ancient runes to flip the card.
The examiner gritted his teeth as the worm flipped back up again and was finally destroyed into bits.
Despite this, an afterimage of the deceased worm burrowed into the examiner's deck with its spike and fished out five cards again.
(Examiner 2800, 21 cards left.)
"Well played. Using Needle Worm's effect one more time. I'll end my turn."
This isn't good...
I'm almost defensiveness now.
There's no way I'm going to lose now!
The future ahead is close to me, and I will do whatever it takes to get it!
Come on...
I need something to turn the tables!
With my fingers on the top card, I took in a deep breath and let it out.
"My turn! I draw."
The card I got was Morphing Jar, the perfect card to switch things up a bit.
Pairing this with Card Destruction is going to hurt his deck a lot...
Good thing I have both.
"I put another monster facedown and set the last card in my hand, ending my turn."
The examiner put his hand on his hip and readjusted his glasses.
"Quite the defense you have there, but let's keep it moving. I draw!"
He pursed his lips, which most likely meant it wasn't that good of a draw.
"Werewolf, attack his facedown!"
Once more, the monster jumped high into the air and pounced onto my facedown.
But before it could connect, I activated my set card.
"I activate my trap! Negate Attack!" I retaliated, sending his monster back to his field, sulking all the while.
That's my last set card...
"Another trap? It looks like you're running out of resources. Until then, I'll wait. I end my turn."
I don't have another trap, but I got more plans ready!
Without announcing my draw, I saw what I drew.
Alright!
This will work nicely!
With the cogs in my head turning, I carried out my plan.
"I set a monster and flip my facedown card!"
My Morphing Jar was revealed with its piercing wide eye and sneaky grin.
"Oh, no..." The examiner muttered as he saw the jar starting to move erratically.
The jar glowed and shook before bursting wide open, sending out magical energy to each other's disks.
The examiner lost his hand from the energy, which then transformed into a new hand.
I, on the other hand, just drew five cards.
(Examiner 2800, 14 cards left.)
The renewed hand gave me just the cards I needed to win the duel.
"Alright! After that, I set down two cards and activate Card Destruction from the field!"
An incorporeal hand reached out from the spell card and sent an energy blast to the examiner's deck again while I discarded three cards to draw three more.
(Examiner 2800, 9 cards left.)
Jeez, even though these cards affect both of us, it seems like they do more psychological damage to them.
"So, you had taken ten cards away from my deck in one move... But it will take more than that to deck me out!"
I took another look at the cards given to us by the spell, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw.
But at the same time, an odd, shocking sensation went down my neck, which caused me to rub my neck from the pain.
"Uggh..." I groaned as the strange sensation passed over me.
As I tried to focus, I noticed someone staring at me, other than the teacher.
I looked up and noticed two figures looking at my duel, but I couldn't tell who they were.
It must be those Obelisk Blues.
Weird, I think one of them is glaring at me.
Man, having people look at my duel amps up the pressure...
"Mr. Sora, please proceed with your turn." The proctor requested over the speaker.
This had caused the somewhat stoic examiner to take off his shades and fold them against his uniform, showing his brown eyes to me.
"Oh? Looks like you drew something good. Let's see it!"
Note to self, if I have the option to take this guy's class, then I definitely reserve it first.
It's nice seeing a teacher being encouraging for once.
Anyway...
I examined the card I drew and thought carefully about what to do, the pain below my nape now starting to weaken.
This is... something I haven't done before!
Let's try it!
"I'm not done yet! From my hand, I activate Magical Stone Excavation! I discard two cards from my hand to bring back Card Destruction from my graveyard back to my hand!"
With the card back in my hand, I immediately activated it again.
"Once again, here's Card Destruction!"
The incorporeal hand once more sent out another beam to the examiner, the same effect occurring again.
(Examiner 2800, 4 cards left.)
After the spell finished, I let out a sigh.
There's a good chance that he will want to take down my Gravekeeper, so luckily, I have a spell that protects it.
I think I heard that Kaiba used this card before, and well...
This card was one of the first cards I ever got.
"From the field, I play one more spell, Magic Reflector! This lets me put a counter on a spell card, protecting it once. With that, I end my turn."
The examiner was somewhat shocked by the turn of events but quickly regained his composure.
In fact, he began to clap at the move I made.
"Impressive work, Mr. Sora. You managed to make me lose fifteen cards in one turn. But the duel isn't over just yet!"
I prepared myself for whatever move he had next.
He placed his hand on his slim deck and drew.
"Let's end this! I draw!" The brown-eyed examiner yelled. "To start things off, I activate Heavy Storm from my hand!"
Before I could react, the spell card blew out immense gusts of wind that caused both our back rows to explode from the damage, effectively wiping it out, save for Gravekeeper's Servant, which remained perfectly intact.
Damn it!
There goes my defense...!
"Next, I play Brain Control and take your Morphing Jar!" (Kazuyuki 3450/Examiner 2000, 4 cards left.) He shouted as a red beam pulled my monster to his side. "Next, I sacrifice your monster to summon Giga Gagagigo! (2450/1500)
My Morphing Jar spun around as it started to become a tribute before disintegrating into pieces, forming a new card.
The new card summoned a large, humanoid reptilian creature heavily armored with steel and enough spikes protruding from it to make a certain one-eyed assassin blush.
"I think it's time we wrap this exam up! I activate Axe of Despair and equip it to Giga Gagagigo! (2450-3450/1500) He exclaimed, allowing the reptile to wield a massive two-handed axe. "Now, Genewolf, attack his facedown!"
Once more, the monument from my continuous spell glowed brightly, prompting his disk to discard one card to the graveyard.
This is it...
Let's hope this discards enough cards.
The werewolf creature jumped and smashed my remaining facedown for the umpteenth time.
My facedown was... Needle Worm again!
Like before, the afterimage of the worm burrowed into his deck and drew out the remaining cards.
Although it was difficult to see, the examiner sighed and relaxed.
Wait, was it not enough?!
My heart sank when I realized this was over for me.
I have come so far...
And this is how it ends.
"Looks like Gigaga- ahem, sorry, try saying that three times over. Giga Gagagigo can't attack." The examiner stated.
What?
"I don't understand. Why can't he attack?" I asked. "You should be able to finish me off, right?"
He shook his head.
"Nope, apparently not. I decked out, so I can't attack unless I have cards in my deck or anything that would destroy your Gravekeeper."
So that means...!
"We can't exactly surrender a duel, so... I'll end my turn." He shrugged.
That's... that's it then!
Despite it being my turn, this was possibly the most pointless draw I had done in a long time.
"I draw and end my turn."
And I knew it was rude that I was smiling, but I couldn't help myself as I was so very close.
The teacher smiled back as well, putting his hand over his deck, only to see it had been emptied.
(Examiner 2000, 0 cards left.)
(Kazuyuki Wins.)
The holograms shut down once it was game, so I let myself finally relax.
"Hmm, I wish we could duel with my real deck. Using these exam decks really limits how fun duels can be."
...
So I wasn't dueling at his best?!
Nooo waaaay!
If that's the case, then I would most likely have lost!
"Oh well. That's all for your exam. If I had a say in the manner, you could qualify for Obelisk Blue with your fancy playback there, but unfortunately, you don't meet the prerequisites. Nevertheless, good work Mr. Sora. You have quite the potential."
The prerequisites are going to "college" and a "silver spoon," right?
In that case, I think I'll manage not going to that dorm.
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate the opportunity you have given me. Also, thank you for showing me how to duel."
He raised an eyebrow at this.
"Showing you? Do you mean telegraphing your phases and announcing them? Don't sweat it, Rookie. You'll need those skills to please the audience in the pro leagues. In any case, welcome to Ra Yellow. I look forward to teaching you in one of my classes."
Rookie, huh?
I kinda like that name.
I gave him a curt nod of respect.
"Yeah, I would like that. Take care, professor."
He gave me one last smile before I exited the room and returned to my seat.
As I ascended the steps, I noticed that Bastion wasn't there, meaning he was taking his exam.
I deactivated my disk and placed it back in my backpack once again.
The back of my neck wasn't doing me any favors as I tried rubbing the pain away.
One of the reasons why I don't duel as much is because of those weird jolts hitting my body.
They happen when I am about to pull off something big, and it lingers for a while after.
It feels like I had done these plays before, a long time ago somewhere, but I can't place my finger on it.
Never mind that... must be a coincidence.
As a kid, I would ignore them and go on my merry way, but after not experiencing them for a while, it's... aching.
My journal was still in my bag, so I picked up where I left off from the morning and began writing about what had happened so far.
I didn't know how long had passed when I began writing, but I did take a peek or two at the duels occurring in the test rooms.
For example, I saw a kid(?) with turquoise-colored hair being harassed by Leghul or Bastion using Ring of Destruction to end the duel.
I saw Bastion going up the steps in the corner of my eye.
He didn't seem worse for wear and sat down next to me, crossing his arms as he looked on from here.
"Hey. I saw your play with Ring of Destruction and Vorse Raider. Quick and clean." I complimented, to which he turned with a smirk.
It's a bit of an unfair move to call it quits there with that trap card, but then again, I'm using what they call a mill deck.
"Yes, thank you." He simply said before turning his head to the duels below.
I focused my gaze on my journal before I heard him clear his throat, causing me to turn back to him.
"Your strategy of milling cards from the deck is... unorthodox. I haven't quite seen much success myself, but seeing what you did made me reevaluate its effectiveness." He started to say before a spark ignited within him. "Do tell me what algorithms you used for your deck! Perhaps theorems? What equations did you use to get to that conclusion?!"
Uh...
Does he really think I actually use advanced mathematics on deck building and strategies?
Is it because I mentioned philosophy and stuff?
"What like Riemann's theorems or Linear regression? Come on, I-" I jokingly suggested before getting cut off.
He snapped his fingers as if he was close to a breakthrough.
"What an ingenious idea! Using those algorithms must be a surefire way to obtain the best outcome!" He exclaimed before pulling a notebook from who knows where. "These may be the key to building the perfect deck!"
Hmm, I think this is going to lead to some sad conclusion when he realizes they don't work.
I think.
"I was only joking, Misawa." I interrupted, which made him stop in his tracks.
I couldn't help but feel remorseful for breaking his stride.
"Err, sorry. I didn't mean to." I apologized before deciding to try and cheer him up. "If it's any compensation, I could tell you how I built my deck."
Not that it's that much of a deal, but if it helps...
I leaned back against my seat and reminisced about my younger days.
Before I could get another word out, the crowd seemed to go wild for some reason.
The both of us saw why the commotion was happening and saw a guy with brown two-toned hair attacking what looked to be a winged man against some gear monster.
Once the winged man flew into the sky and dived into the monster, the professor was engulfed in smoke, effectively ending the duel with one attack.
It was there that I realized that the world of Duel Monsters had a lot to offer besides just playing for fun.
The feeling of deck building as I saw from Bastion, the unleashing of a lesser-known part of me from the professor's duel, and seeing such a beautiful display meant...
I have a lot to learn.
AN: Thanks for making it to the end of this chapter. I hope I could keep some of you interested in the story. I tried not to spoil things about the story I wish to tell, so I may come back and remove some parts here and there.
Again, I would love to read constructive criticism, so anything that can help me improve is much appreciated.