"Once again, all Academy applicants who have already passed their duel entrance exam, please report to registration. For those who have failed, better luck next year," A proctor said over the loudspeaker inside of the Kaiba Dome where many young Duelists were dueling to enter the prestigious Duel School.
"And have fun at Duel Monster's community college," A man with yellow hair giggled in his head, happy to think about those that could taint the Academy's good name not being able to enter the school.
Meanwhile, a blue-haired teen named Syrus, meanwhile, was in the middle of one of the school entrance Duels, being attacked directly by a Leghul. "Aw man! I can barely concentrate with all these Academy kids staring at me. Judging me! What I wouldn't give to already be enrolled in the school like them," The teen thought.
"Eeeeeh! Isn't this going to be great, Dipper?! We're about to get away from boring old school forever! We get to have fun playing card games for the next couple of years! We may even get paid to have fun if we do well enough…not like we're gonna do poorly, am I right?" A thirteen year old girl asked her younger twin brother.
"Mabel, can you take things at least a bit more seriously? I mean, we still have Duels to win after all. Now isn't the time to get overconfident," Dipper warned.
"Boo! It's not like we'll lose! We'll get into Duel Academy and have a fun life in the future! What? You scared you're not gonna get into Obelisk Blue?" Mabel teased.
"No, I'm not! Remember, I got one of the highest scores on the written exam while you barely passed," Dipper countered, leaving Mabel to give an insecure look, though she was quick to hide it.
"Pfft! Stupid written test. Well, once we get in, we're not going to have to worry about taking tests anymore," Mabel said.
"Mabel? You do know we'll still have to take-," Dipper tried to say only to be interrupted
"These next few years are going to be all fun! I wonder what adventures we'll have while at Duel Academy? Maybe I'll finally find my people. Or our special someones! Aw, this is gonna be the best three years ever!" Mabel cheered as Dipper playfully rolled his eyes, finding some joy in his sister's optimism even as she was being too overeager.
"Next up is Mabel Pines. Mabel Pines come on down to Duel Court #2," A voice on the intercom called out.
"Well…it's about time I go down there and show everyone that I'm one of the best of my age group for a reason!" Mabel said confidently.
"Mabel…," Dipper tried to interrupt only for the naive and silly girl to walk on down the stairs for her Duel. "Please don't lose…"
As Mabel was about to enter her arena, she was feeling ecstatic. She was feeling on top of the world and like no one in the world could stop her from reaching her dreams!
Eventually, the elevator reached the top and into the arena. Upon getting there, Mabel saw that her opponent was an older woman in an orange and white uniform. "You look so pretty! Great to see that my fellow ladies are able to make it big here!" Mabel complimented the proctor.
"Thanks. The name is Claire. So, you're supposed to be one of the younger students that this year is about to accept? Well, I wish you the best of luck in our Duel," The proctor said kindly.
"Aw, thanks! I hope you don't take it way too easy on me, Claire. Then again, you are facing an amazing Duelist, so there shouldn't be any worries here," Mabel overconfidently noted.
"I wouldn't be too overconfident, miss. Underestimating your opponent can prove to work against a Duelist," The proctor warned.
"So…we gonna Duel now?" Mabel asked the proctor.
"Of course. Ready?" The woman responded.
"Let's Duel!" Both girls yelled at once.
"I'll make the first move. I summon Big Shield Gardna to my field in Defense mode(2600 Defense)! I then play the equip spell Defense Blocker! With it, the equipped monster cannot be switched from Defense mode by a card effect. So, you can't take advantage of my monster's ability to stop me," Claire began.
"Haha…what?" Mabel asked, trying to hide her confusion and nervousness.
"It's simple. Upon being attacked, my Gardna would be switched to Attack mode. This would mean that you could wipe him out with ease with another monster since he only has 100 Attack Points. By equipping him with this card, I've stopped you from being able to do that," Claire explained.
"What?! No fair!" Mabel was annoyed, stomping a foot onto the ground.
"Not really, miss Pines. Your opponents won't always play in such an easy to beat manner. You need to be prepared for all of your opponent's strategies. Like here! I play the spell card Hinotama! With it, I can inflict 500 damage to your Life Points! Feel the burn!" Claire cried out as the fireball hit Mabel, reducing her Life Points (Mabel-3500 LP)! I place two cards facedown and end my turn. It's your move, miss Pines,'" Claire said.
"W-Well….okay! I just need to draw my card and uh…," Mabel nervously drew her card, pulling out a miracle in Fire Princess. "Great! I summon one of my favorite cards, Fire Princess(1300 Attack)! Now, I'll create the circuit that brings joy to everyone! The summoning conditions are one monster! I set my Fire Princess in the Link Arrow and Link Summon, Fire Princess of the Burning Blue Flames(A white skinned and blue dressed lady, with a gold crown and holding a sword with blue flames/ Link 1/1500 Attack/Spellcaster/⬇/When this card is Special Summoned, you can Special Summon a monster next this card's Link Arrow from the graveyard. When you gain Life Points while this card is on the field, you can inflict 600 LP of damage. If this card is linked to Fire Princess, inflict another 400 LP of damage)."
"Not a bad move, summoning a Link monster on your first turn. However, you'll need a much stronger monster if you plan on getting past Big Shield Gardna," Claire reminded.
"Who said that was my goal?" Mabel asked innocently as the proctor smiled. "I play the spell card Dian Keto the Cure Master, which gives me another 1000 Life Points (Mabel-4500 LP). Then, I can deal you damage from Fire Princess by 500 points since I gained Life Points! In addition, Fire Princess of the Burning Blue Flames can deal 1000 damage as well; 600 since I gained Life Points plus an additional 400 LP since she's linked to Fire Princess. So…say goodbye to 1500 Life Points (Claire-2500 LP). Impressive move I just made, huh?"
"Not bad…but don't think you're automatically safe! I play the trap card Doppelganger! With it, when I take damage to a monster's effect, like with your two monsters, I can inflict damage to you equal to the damage I took! So…say goodbye to another 1500 Life Points, kid (Mabel-3000 LP)! See, your opponent can have counter strategies ready to deal with many different situations. You may have thought to deal effect damage since you couldn't deal battle damage, which is a good idea…," Claire said as Mabel nodded to herself. "...But, your opponent likely can have a way to limit the damage or, in this case, inflict damage to you as well."
"Aw, nuts! What am I gonna do now?! I was gonna use my two beautiful princesses to win the Duel!" Mabel groaned, with some of the students falling over upon hearing Mabel admit this.
"Mabel…You really shouldn't tell your opponent information like that!" Dipper shook his head.
"Aw man! I thought for sure I was gonna win this Duel after playing my two Fire Princesses', but now I'm not sure. What do I do?" Mabel worried to herself as she looked over her hand; Solemn Wishes, Darklord Marie, The Forgiving Maiden, and Infected Mail. However, upon seeing Infected Mail, Mabel got an idea. "I play my Continuous Spell Infected Mail! Now, I can select a Level 4 or lower monster I control and let it attack directly this turn in exchange for it going to the graveyard after the attack is through! I choose Fire Princess! Now…go! Attack Claire directly with Crimson Inferno!"
However, Claire looked unconcerned as she countered, "I play my trap card Jar of Greed in order to draw a card. Next, I'll play the effect of the card I drew; Swift Scarecrow! By discarding him to the graveyard when I would take a direct attack, I can negate your attack and end the Battle Phase. Better luck next time, miss."
"What?! Again?! How can I win if you counter my every move?!" Mabel demanded.
"I'm afraid I can't give you an answer to that question. It's an answer a Duelist must come to on their own. Any other moves you'd like to make?" Claire asked.
"I-I play a card facedown and end my turn…," Mabel said sadly.
"Very well…I draw! I play two copies of the spell card Himotama! With them, you take 500 points of damage for each card. So…say goodbye to 1000 Life Points(Mabel-2000 LP). I now play the effect of my Defense Blocker! If I have more than one copy of a spell in my graveyard, I can add them all to my hand, though in exchange I can't play them this round. And of course I'll bring back my Hinotamas! I end my turn. So…what move will you make next, miss?" Claire asked.
"I-I don't know…It doesn't look like I can win…if I don't deal damage I'll lose but if I do deal damage I'll lose…," Mabel was losing hope.
"So…do you surrender then?" Claire asked sadly.
"I…well…I-I…," Mabel uncertainly buffered. However, before she could make her decision, she heard a voice.
"Mabel, don't give up! Look, it may look hopeless right now, but you can still pull out a victory!" Dipper yelled, having called out from higher up.
"Dipper…," Mabel was touched by her brother's words.
"Remember, you wanted to go to this school for months now! You even asked me to help you learn more Dueling information to pass the written test! Don't let that all go to waste! Just take a moment to think! You can do this!" Dipper cried out.
"Very well then…it's time my monsters and I win this Duel!" Mabel yelled.
"So you aren't giving up…Good! Let's see what you'll do to try and stop me," Claire challenged, proud to see that this potential student wasn't giving up so soon.
"We'll win for sure! First…I play the trap card Solemn Wishes! With it…I'll gain 500 LP every time I draw a card! Speaking of which, I draw!" Mabel cried out as she grew a big grin at her draw. First off, I gain 500 LP due to Solemn Wishes (Mabel-2500 LP)! Then…you take a total of 1500 points of damage due to my card effects (Claire-1000 LP)!"
"True…but now Doppelganger deals you the same damage I just took(Mabel-1000 LP)! I hope you have a means to win this turn. Otherwise, there's a good chance that you will lose with your next draw!" Claire challenged.
"Oh, I do! I now play my spell card Polymerization in order to fuse my Darklord Marie and my The Forgiving Maiden in order to fusion summon St. Joan(2800 Attack)!" Mabel Fusion summoned one of her aces.
"So…you have both a Fusion monster and a Link monster? Impressive," Claire smiled warmly.
"St. Joan has more Attack Points than your Big Shield Gardna's defense! So…I can now pull out a win! St. Joan, wipe out her Big Shield Gardna! And Fire Princess…finish this with a direct attack (Claire-0 LP)!" Mabel cried out as her proctor lost her remaining points. "I…I won?" Mabel was in disbelief for a moment before smiling widely. "I won! Oh, thank you so much for the amazing Duel, Miss Claire! I'm in Duel Academy now, right?"
"But of course! You impressed me with your knowledge of multiple summoning methods. Hopefully you'll continue to impress us all," Claire said kindly.
"Well, of course I will! Up top!" Mabel gave the woman a hi five, which caused Claire pain for a second. "Oh, sorry! I high five hard."
As Mabel returned to where her brother was, she was quick to give him a big hug. "Thanks so much, Dipper!"
"Um, thanks?" Dipper was a bit confused for a moment as he tried to break out of the hug. "What for?...Oh! You mean the reassurance during the Duel? Well…it was nothing." Dipper blushed in embarrassment.
"It wasn't nothing! Of course, I coulda won without the encouragement, but I still appreciate the self esteem boost there!" Mabel cockily said as she squeezed harder.
"Mabel? Okay, Mabel? Please! You're kinda hurting me!" Dipper gasped out.
"What? Hugs don't…," Mabel began only to see that Dipper was turning red. "Oh…sorry," Mabel apologized as she finally let go. "Now, it's time for you to show these guys who is the best aside from me! After all, with all your big nerd knowledge, you're bound to pull out a win as well!"
"Well…you have a point. Let's go!" Dipper yelled…only to remember something. "...Once it's my turn to Duel."
"Last call for all academy applicants. If you have not checked in for your exam, please do so now," The man over the loudspeaker said as the people outside were getting ready to pack up and go inside.
"Well ladies, that's it. Mark all the no-shows no shows," the man in charge of checking people in said with a nod.
"Wait! We're no no-shows!" Jaden yelled out as the man and two women looked over to the source of the voice, which turned out to be from the lower level as Jaden climbed up to where the trio were, with Jesse and Luz being not too far behind. "You can count Jaden Yuki, Luz Noceda, and Jesse Anderson as present, thank you!"
"Yup. Sorry to keep ya' waitin'. Our train took a while to get here and we are from out of town," Jesse added on as he reached where Jaden was.
"But don't worry, we're here now! And we got a Duel in so we know we're ready for our Duel exams," Luz noted.
"Well… just so long as we don't lose our grip!" Jaden joked with a laugh.
Having managed to win his duel, Syrus sighed as he watched the last of the entrance duels. Meanwhile, Jaden had just gotten inside and was happy to see that a duel was still in progress. "Wow, look at 'em go!" Jaden cheered as Jesse and Luz followed after her.
"I know! So…who is currently in the lead?" Luz asked.
"Right now, it looks like the examinee is in the lead," Jaden confirmed as she looked over at one of the nearby students, who happened to be Mabel. "Hey miss. How is the Duel going so far?"
"Well, the one hottie is way in the lead, though his opponent is playing the same defensive moves I got pulled on me. Still he'll likely win, seeing as how he's nerdy like my brother," Mabel squeed.
"You have a brother too? Jealous!" Luz said. "So…where is your brother then?"
"Oh, he's also Dueling one court down! Oh! And looks like he'll win too! Go Dipper!" Mabel cheered on her brother, having almost forgotten him due to focusing on Bastion.
Luz looked around a bit and saw one other remaining student, a girl around Luz's age, currently Dueling. "Oh…and who is that?" Luz asked Mabel curiously.
"Well…she's new to me. I'd say she's still cute, though not as much as either of us," Mabel complimented, as Luz blushed.
"So…Do you think that these examinees will win, Jay?" Jesse asked his younger sister.
"Only one way to find out," Jaden said with a grin.
Dipper-1900 LP
Proctor-3000 LP
Dipper currently controlled Speed Warrior in Defense mode(400 Defense) and one facedown while his opponent controlled Mist Archfiend(2400 Attack) and no facedowns.
"Now I'll equip my Mist Archfiend with Fairy Meteor Crush! With it…," The proctor began.
"Let me guess…you can deal piercing damage when the equipped monster attacks?" Dipper guessed.
"Correct, young applicant! Now…Mist Archfiend, take out this applicant's remaining Life Points and end this Duel!"
"Good move…but not enough! I play my trap card Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! With it, I can now negate your attack, meaning my monster and Life Points are safe! The card can even be reset to be used again, though not this turn," Dipper explained.
"Not a bad counter. But…can you commit? I end my turn," The proctor ended his turn.
"It's my move! And I'll start by discarding my Quillbolt Hedgehog in order to summon Quickdraw Synchron(1400 Defense)! Next…I Normal Summon my Junk Synchron(1300 Attack)! And when this guy is successfully summoned, I can revive any Level 2 or lower monster from my graveyard in Defense mode by negating their special abilities! So..say hello to Quillbolt Hedgehog(800 Defense)! Now…it's time to perform a Synchro Summon! I tune Junk Synchron with my Quillbolt Hedgehog! From two come one, and from one will come great power! Watch as they merge their might, combine their courage! To Synchro Summon, Junk Warrior(2300 Attack)!" Dipper summoned his main monster.
"Not bad…but he's still not strong enough to defeat my Archfiend," The proctor pointed out.
"Not now…but he will be! Junk Warrior gains the power of all Level 2 or lower monsters on the field! Since I control Speed Warrior, he gains 900 Attack points (Junk Warrior-2300-3200 Attack)! Then…since I control a Tuner, I can Special Summon Quillbolt Hedgehog to my field from the grave! In exchange, he will be banished upon leaving the field! (Junk Warrior-3200-4000 Attack)" Dipper special summoned another monster.
"So…you can special summon many low level monsters I see…but you do realize that Junk Warrior doesn't have enough power to defeat me alone? Unless…you have something else planned?" The proctor was curious.
"Correct! I tune Quickdraw Synchron with my Quillbolt Hedgehog(Junk Warrior-4000-3200 Attack)! Our thoughts combine to call forth a new power! Now I'm going to rev it up with one of my favorites, Nitro Warrior(2800 Attack)! Now to end this! Junk Warrior…attack and wipe out Mist Archfiend! Scrap Fist (Proctor-2200 LP) Now, Nitro Warrior will attack your directlyl! Attack with Dynamite Crunch!"
The proctor was knocked back as his Life Points hit zero. "Clever, applicant. It's rare to see a Deck rely so heavily on low level cards and be able to pull out a victory. Congrats! And…welcome to the academy!"
"YES! I WO-," Dipper yelled before blushing and saying quieter, "I won…"
Amity Blight-4000 LP
Proctor-4000 LP
The proctor controls no facedowns and Zeman the Ape King (2500 Attack)! While Amity controls Decode Talker(2300 Attack Link-3 ↙⬆↘) and a facedown.
"Now, Zeman the Ape King, attack and wipe out this girl's Decode Talker!" The proctor commanded.
"Not so fast! I play my tr-," Amity began.
"Actually, no you can't. When Zeman attacks, you can't play a spell or trap effect until the battle is over! So…let's continue the attack! Zeman, attack! Cursed Flare(Amity-3800 LP)! I end my turn. To bad you didn't do so great that turn, applicant. But you still have plenty of time to make a comeback. Let's see what you do now…"
"To be honest, that was what I expected to happen, wise proctor. But…as you'll see, my skills are beyond that of the average student. It's my turn! I draw! Since you control a monster while I don't, I can now Special summon my Linkslayer(2000 Attack)! Then, since I have out a Cyberse monster, I can now summon Backup Secretary(1200 Attack)! Finally, I'll summon Cyberse Wizard (1800 Attack)! Now…I'll create the ultimate circuit! The summoning conditions are at least two Cyberse monsters! Link the circuit! I Link Summon Encode Talker(2300 Attack Link-3 ⬆⬇↘)!" Amity summoned another one of her Code Talkers.
"Impressive, young lady. But…you'll need a monster linked to Encode Talker in order to perform what you intend to do," The proctor reminded. "Unless…"
"Unless I plan to bring out another monster? Correct! I play my set Call of the Haunted in order to revive Decode Talker next to Encode Talker's bottom Link(Decode-2300-2800 Attack)! Decode Talker, attack with Decode Destruction (Proctor-3700 LP). Then, I'll follow up with Encode Talker's attack (Prcotor-1400 LP)! Finally…I play the spell card Quick Link!" Amity played a quickplay spell that showed Decode Talker and Stack Reviver glowing with Firewall Dragon in front of them. "With thiis spell, I can perform a Link Summon during the battle! I'll set my two Code Talkers in the Link Arrows! I Link Summon Link 4 Firewall Dragon (2500 Attack Link-4 ⬅⬆⬇➡)! Now, Firewall Dragon! Attack with Tempest Terahertz!" Amity cried out as her monster won the Duel.
"You did very well, miss. I can see how you managed to get tied for the highest score on the written exam," The proctor congratulated, holding out his hand for a handshake.
"Thanks…though I think I could have done better. I mean, I was able to win on turn three, but I could have won sooner if I tried harder," Amity said as she walked away, not shaking his hand.
Everyone was watching the duel with interest, from the teachers to the students, both current and to be. The student Duelist was dressed in white, had 3200 Life Points, and controlled Vorse Raider and a set card. The dueling proctor has 1900 Life Points and controlled two highly defensive monsters, Big Shield Gardna and Gear Golem the Moving Fortress.
"All right, new guy, multiple choice. You got two highly defensive monsters staring you down, blocking off your ability to attack. Do you "A," throw in the towel, "B," beg for mercy, or "C," run home to mama?" The proctor asked the student to be, testing how he would react to this type of situation.
"I'll go with "D." None of the above," The student said as he played Ring of Destruction.
"A trap?" The proctor was surprised, yet impressed.
"Exactly, you see with Ring of Destruction I can destroy any monster on the field that's in Attack mode… and then we both take damage equal to that monster's Attack points!" The student said as he destroyed his Vorse Raider, the students were all cheering over the victory (Proctor-0 LP)(Student-1300 LP).
"Clever move, applicant. Welcome to the academy," The proctor wished the teen luck.
"Thank you, oh, wise proctor," The student thanked with a bow.
Meanwhile, a teen with blue hair and wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform, was sitting with his friends marveling over the duel. "Wow, that guy is pretty good, don't you think, Chazz?" The teen asked.
"Guess the rumors about him being some kind of whiz-kid were true," A brown haired teen noted.
"And that's not even getting into how those other two kids did. They won so quickly, the girl even faster than anyone else all day!"
"I guess we'll have some tough competition at the academy, huh, Chazz?" The brown haired teen in blue asked Chazz.
"He's a punk! All three of them are! We went to duel prep school for the past three years, we're ready for the Academy! These kids don't know what they're gettin' into. But they'll learn… the hard way. The Chazz Princeton way," Chazz gloated.
Back with Jaden and Syrus…
"Wow, that last guy really tore it up!" Jaden was impressed.
"Yeah- Bastion Misawa, they say he got tied with those other two teens for the highest score on the written exam out of all us applicants," Syrus revealed.
"Wow, that guy sounds really smart. I didn't do so great on the exam, but I was able to pass," Jesse said.
"I passed…but that's it…," Luz admitted.
"At least I got a smiley sticker…," Mabel said, with the group looking at her. "What? I did still pass."
"Same here. I just barely passed!" Jaden admitted.
"Yeah, me too. My name's Syrus, by the way. Nice to meet you. I kind of have a thing where I get test anxiety- I don't know how I won my match," Syrus revealed to Jaden.
"So you're in! Congratulations!" Jaden said as she patted Syrus on the back, surprising the blue-haired teen. "We'll be in, too, as soon as we win our duels," Jaden said.
"Wait. You haven't dueled for entry yet?" Syrus asked in concern.
"Not yet!" Jaden confirmed.
"Me neither. We kinda got here a little late, but we're here now," Luz noted
"Why? Is that a problem?" Jesse asked Syrus.
"Afraid so. I think this duel was supposed to be the last one!" Syrus revealed, which shocked Jaden and Jesse.
"Well, that can't be good," Jesse muttered as he shook his head.
"But we were still allowed in! Are you sure?" Luz asked.
"If I remember one of Dipper's nerd rants, the Duel test is done based on the other exam's score. The better you did, the later you Duel," Mabel said.
"So…yeah…you all may have some difficulty," Syrus admitted.
"B-But… this was supposed to be our year, Jesse! What are we gonna say to our dad now?!" Jaden cried out in worry.
At this, Jesse placed a comforting hand on Jaden. "Hey, don't worry Jay. We still got here just in time. I bet we'll still be given a chance to get into this here school," Jesse said to comfort Jaden.
It worked as Jaden smiled. "Thanks, Jesse. We will get into this school. They can't just turn us away after all this."
"Hopefully…the last thing I need is for my mom to be disappointed in my lack of punctuality," Luz muttered.
"Looks like we have a pretty good crop this year," One proctor said as they looked over a list of all the students.
"Yes, indeedy," Another proctor agreed.
Just as a man named Dr. Crowler was about to close his book, the man from outside arrived and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but a few last applicants have arrived to take their exams, Mr. Crowler."
"Did you just call me "Mister?!"" Crowler asked in annoyance.
"Oh, sorry, I'm new here, Mrs.-," The man apologized.
"I have a Ph.D in dueling, I've earned the title Doctor, thank you! Now, tell the truants that they'll just have to come back next year," Dr. Crowler rudely declined.
"Oh, come on, Dr. Crowler, we have time for one more, maybe even more!" One proctor pleaded.
"Yes, let's give these duelists a shot!" Another proctor agreed.
"They were just a little late is all. They would have gotten here sooner if their train wasn't late getting here," A third proctor reasoned.
Suddenly, Dr. Crowler yelled out, "Late is rude! Besides, his test score, and those of his pals, was barely a passing grade. Even if we gave him a shot he wouldn't be worthy of the great Duel Academy."
"But-," One proctor tried to argue.
"I've no time for slackers!" Dr. Crowler growled. Suddenly, Crowler's phone rang and he answered, "Hello? And whom may I ask is-,"
"It's Sheppard," The Chancellor answered.
In an instant, Crowler's sour mood vanished, "Ah, it's Chancellor Shephard."
"I'm just calling to make sure that everything's running smoothly, Crowler. Wouldn't want a repeat of what happened last year. When you cut a third of our student applicants for some ridiculous reason… What was it, calling you Mr. or Mrs.? Whatever. I've heard from some of your fellow teachers that you plan on not giving two potential students a chance. Look, our school is supposed to bring about the best in its students. Just make sure everyone gets a fair shot," Sheppard said.
"O-Oh! A-Absolutely. Goodbye, Chancellor," Crowler said cheerfully as he hung up, before grumbling, "Furry chinned windbag." "Doesn't he realize that there are enough talentless flunkies at this Academy?! But, he's the boss. And if he wants to give these few slackers a duel then fine," Crowler thought to himself. "Pardon, me, but I'll be the opponent of one of these fine gentlemen. I also know who should be given a chance to duel the other one as well."
"So, what test decks will you use against the young men?" One proctor asked as he got out a box of dueling decks.
"Oh, let me handle it," Crowler said as he walked off.