On a train heading all the way over to Domino City…
"Isn't this exciting, Jesse? We're finally old enough in order to get into Duel Academy! I wonder who we'll face? I wonder what friends we'll make? Oh…I can't wait for us to finally get there!" Jaden, a fifteen-year-old girl with hair that many people, including her friends, have joked resembles a Kuriboh, gushed as she and her adoptive brother were on their way for tryouts.
"I agree, sis. We're all gonna have a great time at Duel Academy when we finally get admitted! I have ta say, though, that the written exam sure was hard. It's kinda a miracle that we managed ta pass it well enough for the lead folks ta let us move on ta the next step for applying," Jesse, the green–haired brother noted.
"Yeah…I know dad told us that we needed to study up to do well for the written exam, but I didn't know we needed to pass. When dad, Julia, and Yusaku tried to tell us that we needed to do well, I thought it was only about dorm color, not a mandatory thing to get into the school. But, on the bright side, all we have to do now is win a simple Duel and we'll be in school!" Jaden said.
"Yep! I wonder who we'll face. Do ya think they'll use one of the big five summoning methods? Cause facing one of them would be fun…provided they don't turn the Duel into a game of solitaire," Jesse good-naturedly joked.
"I know! I love all the summoning methods and all, but as fun as they are, they can make some Duels go by a bit slow. Regardless, we're almost there! By this afternoon, we'll be in Duel Academy!" Jaden cheered.
"Yep! Though we better not jinx it by saying anything that can make our luck go bad," Jesse jokingly warned.
"Come on, Jess. It's not like I said what could possibly go wrong," Jaden joked as the duo realized what was just said.
Almost ironically, the train came to a sudden stop where it was. "Attention all passengers. We're currently experiencing an obstruction in the tracks. A bunch of sheep are currently blocking the way so it may be a while before we continue on our way. Hopefully no one here was needing to get somewhere right away. Sorry for the bad news in case there was someone who needed to get to Domino City quickly. Thanks for the understanding and we apologize for any delays," The conductor apologized.
"¿Hablas en serio ahora?!" A voice yelled as the two teens were about to say something.
"Well…looks like we're gonna be a while, sis," Jaden sighed. "Stupid jinx!"
"I know…but at least we can find a way to pass the time like watching cat or dog videos," Jesse reassured.
"True…or even better we can have a Duel! What better way to pass the time than to play a round?!" Jaden asked.
"Sounds like a plan! What better way to pass the time for the train to continue than playing Duel Monsters and give ourselves some practice?" Jesse asked.
"You're on! Get your game o-!" Jaden cheered.
"Wait. You two are Duelists too?! And you like animals that are cute?! I never would have guessed! Then again, it would be kinda obvious seeing as how you have Duel Disks!" The same voice from earlier cried out, much to the two sibling's confusion. "Lo siento por el arrebato al azar!" The same voice yelled out as the teens looked for the voice. After looking for a minute, they found that there was one other person in their car; a teen with tan skin, wearing a white and blue hoodie shirt, leggings with shorts, and two white loafer shoes. Upon being seen by the siblings, the teen freaked out and apologized with a bow, "Sorry about that, you two! I was just trying to make conversation. If you want you can leave now!"
"Um, hello?" Jaden said.
"Nice to meet you," Jesse greeted kindly.
"Thanks?" The teen looked confused. "Sorry for the outbursts. I just have issues talking with people sometimes. I just say what's on my mind and well…most of the time people just think I'm weird and scoff at me. Then again, I've always thought of things differently than others, with less than stellar results."
"Weird? In what way? You seem fine to me," Jaden reassured.
"Well…my only friends are snakes, I believe that griffons are real and that they cough up spiders, and during a Romeo and Juliet play at my school I used hot dogs to represent the guts when Juliet stabbed herself at the end," The teen explained a bit nervously. As Jaden and Jesse gave weird looks to the teen. "I'll just…sit down and leave you two to your Duel now."
"Sorry about that…," Jesse apologized.
"Luz. Luz Noceda," The teen introduced sadly.
"While I'll admit that is different from what we're used to, it doesn't seem to be that bad. Right, Jaden?" Jesse consoled.
"Of course! You seem to be a very sweet person and I bet you're a very good Duelist as well. So, Luz, do you wanna Duel me?" Jaden asked curiously.
"Well…," Luz looked uncertain.
"Um, sis? I know we both love ta Duel, but maybe we should take this a bit slow first. After all, this is pretty much the first friend we've made our age," Jesse commented.
"Wait. We're friends?!" Luz asked, looking a lot more excited. As the two teens nodded, Luz squeed in excitement. "Yes! I knew I'd finally make some friends at Duel Academy! And, to be honest, I love Duels! In fact, I'm actually pretty good at it. We can Duel…," Luz looked a bit awkward for a moment before saying, "Oh, I didn't ask what your names were."
"The name's Jesse Anderson, and this here is my siblin' Jaden Yuki," Jesse introduced himself.
"Well, it's great to meet you both… a bit weird you have different last names, though," Luz admitted.
"We're adopted siblings, Luz. Though to be fair it's hard to tell sometimes," Jaden noted.
"Well, now that we're introduced to each other, why don't we have that Duel, Jaden?" Luz asked.
"Perfect! Let's get our game on! Let's Duel!" Jaden yelled as both Duelists went to separate sides of the train car. "I'll go first! I'll start by playing Elemental Hero Ocean in Attack mode(1500 Attack)! I'll also play two cards facedown and end my turn. Your move."
"Okay then. Now, it's my turn! I draw! And I'll start by playing Trickstar Festival!" Luz began her turn. "With it, I can now summon two Trickstar Tokens to my field (0 Attack)! I'll continue my turn by creating the circuit that brings light in the lives of people! The summoning conditions are two Trickstar monsters, like my two tokens! I Link Summon! Say hello to my heavy hitting Trickstar Holly Angel(2000 Attack)! Next up, I play my Trickstar Lycoris next to Holly Angel's bottom left link(1600 Attack)! Now, since a monster was summoned next to her link, I'll use my Angel's effect to deal you 200 damage (3800-Jaden LP). But she won't be alone, because now I play the spell card Double Summon! This spell allows me to Normal Summon again! And I'll summon Trickstar Candina(1800 Attack) also next to holly Angel's link, meaning more damage to you(Jaden-3600 LP)! With this lovely lady's help, I can add another Trickstar to my hand and I choose Trickstar Corobane! I play the spell Card Destruction! With it-," Luz began to explain.
"We already know what it does. We both discard our hands and draw a new one based on the number of cards discarded," Jaden bluntly answered.
"Right…so we each discard two cards and draw two cards," Luz said as she discarded Trickstar Corobane and Trickstar Retrieval while Jaden discarded Elemental Hero Woodsman and Miracle Fusion.
"Ahm confused, though. Why play that card after adding Corobane to yer hand? You coulda summoned her or even used her hand trap effect," Jesse pointed out.
"I have to admit it is confusing, but I bet there is a good reason for it. What do ya got, Luz?" Jaden asked.
"Well…for starters, Lycoris's effect will now activate, dealing you 200 points of damage for every card you just drew (Jaden-3200 LP)! Second, Holly Angel's effect will activate, increasing her Attack Points for one turn (Holly Angel-2400 Attack). Finally, I can use the effect of Trickstar Retrieval, adding Corobane back to my hand!" Luz played.
"Now I get it. You did that in order to set up things so that you can deal more damage with Lycoris's effect. Not only that, but you did so while emptying my hand to boot. Pretty sweet move…if a bit long," Jaden noted with a sweatdrop.
"Thank you! Now, my field is set up for victory! Between all the damage my monsters can deal to you from attacks, your Life Points will drop to zero…provided your set cards don't stop me! So, just to be safe, I'll set a card and now…Holly Angel, attack Jaden's Elemental Hero Ocean!" Luz cried out as she attacked (Jaden-2300 LP), creating a cloud of dust from the Trickstar's weapon! "Eeeh! The Duel just started and I'm already about to win!"
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm afraid it won't be that easy! I played my trap Hero Signal! With this sweet trap, I'm now able to special summon Elemental Hero Stratos(1800 Attack)! And since he's been summoned, I can use his ability to add an Elemental Hero from my Deck to my hand. So…I add Elemental Hero Sparkman! And since he wasn't drawn, I don't take damage from Lycoris's effect!" Jaden countered.
"Maybe so…but I can still pull out a win before you can use him! First, since you used a spell or trap card, Candina's effect activates, dealing you 200 points in damage(Jaden-2100 LP)! Then, I'll have Candina attack Stratos!" Luz cried out as both monsters destroyed each other. "Now…time for the beginning of the end! Lycoris will now attack you directly!"
"Not so fast! I play my other trap Negate Attack! With it, the attack is negated and the battle phase will come to an end!" Jaden countered.
"Drat! I was so close to winning! Well…on the bright side, we get to continue this very fun Duel! But…I don't understand. Why not use Negate Attack sooner? You could have saved your Ocean or even Stratos with that card," Luz was confused.
"Simple. I just responded with what my heart said was the best move! Besides, Candina would have been able to deal me more damage if she remained on the field any longer, so why not get rid of her?" Jaden answered.
"Ma sis may not be much of a thinker, but she sure is great at thinking as she goes!" Jesse answered.
"Well…I'll win on my next turn. This turn is over. Your move," Luz ended the turn.
"Okay then…it's my move!" Jaden said as she drew her card.
"Not so fast! First, Lycoris's effect activates, deal you 200 damage (Jaden-1900 LP)! Next, I play my facedown Trickstar Reincarnation! Now, you must banish your hand and draw the same number of cards you just drew! So, draw your four cards now please," Luz played.
"Well…looks like you do play a lot of the same moves that Blue Angel has played in the past. Still, if they work don't fix 'em, I guess," Jaden commented as she drew four cards. "And, before you say it, I take 800 damage from this move due to Lycoris and Holly Angel gains 800 points plus 200 from the other time Lycoris used her effect. Am I right?"
"Um, yes," Luz confirmed as the damage was dealt (Jaden-1100 LP/Holly Angel-3000 Attack). "So, Jaden, you look like you're not doing well. Have any counters for my combos or anything? Holly Angel will be tough to beat, after all. And don't even get me started on Lycoris."
"Well, I have just the fixer to your combo! I start by playing the spell Pot of Greed! And, after drawing my two cards and taking the damage from Lycoris's effect (Jaden-700 LP/Holly Angel 3200 Attack), I'll then play the spell card Miracle Fusion! With it, I can fuse Elemental Hero Woodsman and Elemental Hero Ocean together from my graveyard by banishing them in order to summon Elemental Hero Gaia (2200 Attack)!" Jaden cried out.
"Cool monster, Jaden. But…I'm afraid he isn't enough to take on Trickstar Holly Angel…unless your move is to take out Lycoris?" Luz guessed.
"You're half right! You see, when Gaia is summoned he can halve the power of one of your monsters until the end of the turn (Holly Angel-1600 Attack). Then, Gaia gains that amount in his power(3800 Attack)! Now…I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (1200 Attack)! And…I'll play the field spell Skyscraper! Thanks to this spell, Elemental Hero monsters gain 1000 points when they fight a stronger monster than them during my turn and even during yours if the gap is 1000 points or more!" Jaden played.
"Perfect! Now both of Luz's monsters can be taken out in one fell swoop! You did it again, sis!" Jesse cheered on his sister.
"All in a day's work. Now, Burstinatrix, attack Lycoris! And, thanks to Skyscraper's effect, she gains 1000 points to use for battle (Burstinatrix-2200 Attack)! Let 'em have it!" Jaden cried out.
"Not so fast! I play Corobane's effect! By discarding her, my monster gains power equal to her own attack points (Lycoris-3200 Attack)! Say goodbye to your remaining Life Points!" Luz cried out.
"Good move, but I have a counter! I play Hero Counterhook! With this spell, I can negate a monster's effect that was activated this turn and banish it! Say goodbye to Trickstar Corobane! The battle will now resume! Burstinatrix, destroy Lycoris (Luz-3400 LP)! After this battle, Burstinatrix goes into Defense mode due to Counterhook's effect. And now…Gaia, attack Luz's Holly Angel (Luz-1200 LP)! And with that, I end my turn as Gaia's power goes back down to 2200," Jaden ended her move as she smiled big. "Aw, this Duel is so sweet so far! Facing these brand new Trickstar cards has proven to be a massive and fun challenge!"
"I've also enjoyed this Duel. You've pulled some impressive moves against my Trickstars and have even pushed me into a corner! Hopefully, I can turn things around! My turn! I'll start by playing the spell Pot of Greed in order to draw two new cards! Next, I play the spell Monster Reborn in order to bring back Trickstar Candina(1800 Attack)!" Luz started her turn.
"Are ya sure that was the most optimal move? Ya could have revived Lycoris or Holly Angel with that card. Still, I bet ya have some move up yer sleeve!" Jesse was curious.
"Correct! I now summon Trickstar Rhodode(1400 Attack)! Now…I overlay Trickstar Candina and Trickstar Rhodode in order to build the Overlay Network! With the sick beats of her drums and the spirit of her fans surrounding her, I can bring out a musician capable of some real harmonic percussion concussions! I Xyz Summon! Trickstar Band Percussion Drums(Rank 4/Light/Spellcaster/2000 Defense/2400 Attack/A Green-haired musician with a flowing green dress/suit, large white wings, and having two steel drums hanging in front of her from around her neck./ Once per turn, you can detach an Overlay Unit to inflict 400 LP of damage to your opponent for each monster you control. If this card is linked to a Link Monster, You can double that damage and if this card destroys a monster by battle it can attack once again in a row.)" Luz summoned one of her main monsters.
"Aw, sweet! I knew that there were Trickstar Link monsters before, but I never knew that you had that one newer Xyz monster in your Deck! Where did you get it from, anyway?" Jaden asked all pumped up.
"Well…I went to a convention in the past and was able to meet Pegasus himself at one point. He was a surprisingly cool guy and after seeing my Trickstar Deck, he let me have an advance copy of this card to power it up!" Luz explained.
"Whadda ya know, Jay? This kid ended up meeting our da-er…I mean the president of Industrial Illusions before! Yer really findin' new ways ta surprise us!" Jesse admitted.
"Really?! Well, I'll show you yet another surprise! Now…by using one Overlay Unit…I can inflict 400 points of damage to you for every monster I have out! So…say goodbye to yet another 400 Life Points (Jaden-300 LP)! Eeeh! This is so great! I'm just a few moves away from beating you, Jaden! …Well…maybe not great for you. Now…Percussion Drums will attack your Elemental Hero Gaia (Jaden-100 LP)! And with that, I end my turn," Luz ended the turn.
"It's my draw!" Jaden looked at her hand, seeing that she had drawn Elemental Hero Avian. "Well…looks like I've pulled out a victory! I play the spell card Polymerization! With it, I can fuse the Avain in my hand with the Burstinartrix on my field in order to summon my favorite monster! The flurry of agile wings joins with the burning ferocity of smoldering flames to give birth to a brand new hero! I Fusion Summon! My beloved Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (2100 Attack)!"
"Wow! That sure is one cool looking monster!" Luz looked amazed.
"Cool isn't the word. To be honest, This card just so happens ta be Jaden's best card!" Jesse claimed.
"Really? Are you sure about that? I mean, he is weaker than Gaia in terms of Attack Points," Luz noted in confusion. "Unless…he's your favorite card, isn't he?"
"Uh huh! He's my absolute favorite card ever! And he's gonna win me this Duel! See, with Skyscraper my Flame Wingman will gain 1000 Attack points when he attacks a monster with higher Attack points! Attack, Flame Wingman! Skydive Scorcher (3100 Attack/Luz-500 LP)! Oh, and check this out! When Flame Wingman destroys a monster in battle, he can inflict damage to your Life Points equal to your monster's Attack Points! Infernal Rage!" Jaden cried out as Flame Wingman generated a fire burst from his arm dragon head into Luz's face, reducing Luz's Life Points to zero. "That's game!" Jaden said as she walked on up to Luz, who had fallen onto the ground after losing. "You know, Luz, you may be one of the best opponents my age that I've ever faced. I mean, usually my opponents are a breeze for me to take down, especially during our first Duel. But you? You did a very good job at keeping me on my toes! You should be proud!" Jaden held out her hand as she offered to help the teen up, with neither teen knowing what Luz was thinking.
"Uh…you okay, Luz?" Jesse asked in concern as Luz began to smile.
"That…was…amazing! You know, during the rare times that someone was willing to Duel, I usually came out the winner. This is the first time in a long time that I've lost! But…you know what? The Duel was still fun! I bet we'll be great friends and rivals at Duel Academy…provided I am able to get into the school," Luz cheered as Jaden helped the teen up, Luz blushing humbly at the last part.
"With the skills you showed, you're gonna be getting in there guaranteed! And…yeah! We'll be rivals for sure!" Jaden agreed as the two shook hands.
"Hey! Don't forget about me! Ah bet we can be rivals too! Heck, why don't we have a Duel too?" Jesse offered as he walked up to the duo. However, before Luz could give a response, the intercom of the train rang out…
"Attention, passengers, the obstruction in front of the train is now clear and we're starting back up right now. Apologies for the delay, but we are back to operating conditions! Enjoy the rest of the ride," The conductor said as the train started up again, with the three teens cheering as they looked forward to arriving at the Duel Academy…before Jesse remembered…
"Ya know? We're probably gonna have ta run in order to make it to our Duels on time," Jesse noted.
"Yeah…Estúpido tren," Luz grumbled in frustration.
"Alright! I got my deck, I got my gear, and I got about two minutes to get to the
Duel Monsters entrance exams before they start. And, thanks to Luz here, I know that my Dueling is up to snuff and will get me into Duel Academy for certain!" Jaden said optimistically as the three teens were sprinting over to the Kaibadome.
"Yeah…let's just hope we get there in time. After all, I kinda don't want to tell my mom that I wasted so much time and money trying to get into a school I failed to get into," Luz said with concern.
Jesse noticed the teen's concern and noted, "I understand the concern, but don't worry! We still have time to get there, and we aren't that far off from the Kaibadome!"
"Yeah, and look on the bright side. At least since we're not students yet, they can't throw us in detention hall for being late!" Jaden said with plenty of optimism as she rushed past a bunch of pedestrians.
"Agreed, Jaden!" Jesse said with a nod. "That help ya any, Luz?" Jesse asked aa he turned to see that Luz was giggling.
"Yeah, it did. Thanks for the help," Luz confirmed.
"So, you wanna try to race over the rest of the way to Kaibaland?" Jesse asked his younger adoptive sister and his new friend.
"Well…I'm not exactly a fitness person from back home…but I guess I can give that a try…," Luz reluctantly agreed.
"Of course, bro! This is gonna be a blast! I hope you enjoy seeing my dust from a mile away!" Jaden playfully teased as she took off even faster than before.
Suddenly, Jaden ended up crashing into someone, some of her Duel Monster's cards scattering across the ground. "Ah, Jaden and Jesse. I see that you made a new friend. How are things going with you all?" The man, Yugi Muto, asked.
"Things are goin' great, Yugi! We're on our way to Kaibaland as we speak," Jesse Anderson said.
"Yup! I'm here to try out at the Academy!" Jaden answered as she tried to pick up her cards.
"Y-Y-You're Y-Yugi Muto?! Esto es tan increible! I always wanted to grow into an amazing Duelist and meet you someday, but I never thought it'd be so soon! Can you please give me an autograph on my Duel Disk?!" Luz squued, making Yugi and the other teens look awkward.
After a few moments, Jesse calmed the teen down, saying, "Yeah…maybe tone it down a few dozen notches. Ah mean, Yugi doesn't like being treated like a celebrity all that much."
"Oh…hehe. Sorry," Luz apologized awkwardly before yelling, "I'm so sorry! I never meant to make you feel awkward! I just was happy to meet you, but I didn't think about how you'd feel! So, please! Accept my apology and just go back to talking to my friends!"
The man chuckled good-naturedly as he reached for his own cards in his pocket. "It's okay…I can understand that people can feel awkward and excited to see certain people. So…hopefully you do good and get yourself into the Academy. Good luck."
Having finished picking up her cards, Jaden chuckled before saying, "So, how are you and your friends doing these days? I mean, it's been a while since we've seen you guys."
"Things have been going fine. Tristan and Tea have been doing great, with Tea adding plenty of fire onto the dance floor in New York and Joey has been beating Duelist after Duelist in the Pro League. Julia is out mining for rare gems. I'm here to visit my grandpa myself," Yugi answered.
"Sounds great! Do you guys think you'll have the time to celebrate us gettin' into Duel Academy?" Jesse asked.
"Probably. Hey, Jaden, seeing as how you don't have your own spirit card yet, why don't you take this? Something tells me that it belongs with you," Yugi said as he handed Jaden the card.
"Wow, for real?" Jaden said amazed as Yugi wished him luck before leaving. Quickly, Jaden tried to thank Yugi. "Thank you! I'll, uh, make you proud!" Jaden said with a bow as Yugi responded with a thumbs up.
"Hey, don't forget about me! I plan on also winning and getting into Duel Academy," Jesse bit back good-naturedly.
"I haven't forgot about you, Jesse. I wish you luck as well," Yugi said as he left. At this point, Jaden looked at the card she was given as Luz had finally calmed down.
"You know, I knew that Yugi was a great Duelist, but I never would have expected he would have been such a humble person! I really hope to see him again! So…how did you know him, anyway?" Luz questioned.
"Well…we met him when we were younger. But…it's no big deal, right Jay?" After seeing Jaden obtain a massive grin, Jesse questioned, "Everythin' okay there, Jay?"
"It's just that he's so CUTE!" Jaden squeed in joy as she revealed her Winged Kuriboh.
"I know! He's just the cutest little card ever!" Luz squeed in agreement.
Jaden then looked at her watch and realized she was late for the practical duel exam. "Uh oh! The exam! I can't become the next Queen of Games if I'm late to the games!"
"Yeah, no kiddin'!" Jesse agreed as they both ran for the exam, Jaden pocketing her Winged Kuriboh as he did so.