Academy Island Jungle
There was a stone road on the mountains that was built next to a waterfall that was popular for its scenic views and cozy cliffside cafes. But at night, everyone was told to take cover, since the road was stalked by troublemakers looking to snag rare cards from other students. Unfortunately for two girls from Ra Yellow, they left their favorite cafe very late. There was no one on the road except for them. It was lit by the silver light of the moon and the iron lamps that were built along the stone barrier wall. They were ambushed as soon as they reached the bridge by the waterfall. They held each other's hands and screamed as they were surrounded by the Red Crusader gang. They wore red scarves over their heads and red-lensed goggles to conceal their faces during every hunt.
At once, the girls were challenged to a duel and forced to surrender their binders of rare cards. Boris sniggered from the shadows as he watched his boys surround them. "Don't worry, girls," he cooed. "We'll make this easy on you. You two will go up against our newest recruit. Beat him, and you're free to go."
Their newest recruit stepped up.
Evan. And this time he was ready for a fight.
He had help from the gang before they went off on their nightly raids. His deck was thinned out so only the best cards remained. It was still bad all things considered, but it was much, much, better than the brick he was carrying around before. Finally, after so many days of watching his toughest and most skilled peers taking on multiple opponents at once, he was finally getting his moment. The girls from Ra Yellow stood no chance. Ironic, considering they were Duel Academy Honors Students; he could tell by the fancy uniforms they wore with the shoulder capes and the yellow beret with the gold and white emblem of the honors society.
Evan sneered as he completed his Zoa combo, transforming Zoa into Metalzoa and using Monster Reborn to bring back the original. He pummeled them both all throughout the match with them. Now he was coming in for the kill.
Ra Yellow Student 1 - 800 LP
Ra Yellow Student 2 - 1100 LP
"You two are pathetic!" he said. "You're honors students. Aren't you supposed to be the best students on campus? I can see now all those decorations and fancy badges you wear are nothing but show. You losers aren't skilled at all. All right, that's enough punishment for now but next time I'm really going to give you two a walloping. I set one card face-down and end my turn. Come on girls. Hurry up and summon some food for my Zoa monsters!"
"I summon Ceremonial Bell in defense mode!" said the first girl.
"And I summon Dancing Fairy in defense mode!" said the second.
Evan and the Red Crusaders laughed.
"Is that all you got!" teased a crusader. "A bell and a little fairy! They stand no chance against our boy's Zoa."
Boris nodded. "You got this brother! Show them who's boss!"
Evan couldn't believe it. For once in his life, he was being accepted. "With pleasure, boys! I activate the trap card, Metorain! Now when my monsters attack a Defense Position monster, the difference between my monster's ATK points and your pathetic monster's DEF points are dealt to your Life Points as damage!"
The girls held each other for dear life and screamed, bracing for the attack that was coming their way. Metalzoa ran down the bridge and tore Ceremonial Bell like it was paper with his claws. He then ran for the girl who summoned it. She screamed, trembling in horror at the metallic fiend. Metalzoa swiped her with his claw, the Solid Vision Hologram was real, thereby sending her spinning through the air and landing on the ground with a thud. Her LP counter trickled down to 0.
"No!" her partner cried. She turned in time to see the regular Zoa rip her Dancing Fairy to shreds. Zoa stood up on his hind legs and blasted her with his Glimmerstrike attack. A glittery green X made of light slammed into her and knocked her down to the ground. The fright she had combined with the impact knocked her out.
"Wake...wake up," the girl's partner. She and her friend were surrounded by grinning, chuckling, Red Crusaders. They ripped their backpacks and deck cases right off their bodies and took their dueling decks out of their disks. They tossed their belongings on the ground as they searched for cards.
"I found her binder!" said Evan. It was a small and thin one sadly, the size of a diary. The other girl didn't have much on her either. After looting what they could, they took off.
"You can have that one girl's binder," said Boris as they walked into the jungle back to their dorm. "A trophy to celebrate your first successful hunt. So what did you think?"
"Hmph, these two didn't provide much of a challenge. They were just sad. I thirst for stronger foes."
Boris laughed. "You idiot, don't get too full of yourself. You challenged big game before and you lost. You're going to need a lot of rare and powerful cards to get revenge on all those guys who beat you. Jaden, Bastion, Chazz, and Alice."
"She didn't beat me, but I'd like to get her back for slapping me across the face and telling everyone about what happened. It was just an accident. She overreacted."
"Exactly, you don't need to take that crap. But for now, you need to celebrate the fact that you just made two of Duel Academy's brightest change their attitude towards us. They'll know better than to mess with Slifers after what you did to them. And this is just the beginning, my friend. It's just the beginning."
Slifer Red Coastal Bungalows - Jaden's Room
"Jaden...Jaden…" Syrus tried his hardest to wake his friend up. Nothing. Jaden was sound asleep and snoring loudly. Drool oozed out of the side of his mouth, forming a huge dark spot on his pillow.
Syrus had the window open to let in a fresh breeze, and he hoped the loud sound of the waves would help wake him up. The seagulls flying around out there sure woke Chumley up. He growled and commanded Syrus to shut the window now before he got out of bed to throw him out of it.
"But we have to get to class!" Syrus shouted to wake Jaden up. "What in the world was he doing last night anyway?"
"He was up all night fixing up his deck or something," Chumley replied, rubbing his hands over his beady eyes.
"Why would he do that?"
"What the hell do I care? Just shut that damn window before there's trouble."
"Jaden!" Syrus tried shaking him awake. "Jaden, come on." Syrus grew fed up. He was a nice guy, but even his patience had its limits. He went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. He poured it over Jaden's face. Jaden gurgled and raised his head up, knocking it against one of the metal bars above him.
"Ouch! What gives?" he cried out, rubbing his forehead.
"We need to get to class, Jaden. We don't wanna be late for Duel Alchemy."
"Duel Alchemy? I don't know what's the point. Professor Banner is a nice guy and all, but in the world would alchemy serve me as the King of Games?"
"You really believe you're going to be the next King of Games, don't you?"
"Yeah, you bet."
Chumley sighed. "Well, if you wanna be the next King of Games, there are a lot of guys you have to beat around here. Chazz is one of them. And don't forget that hotshot, Zane. There's also some guy in our ranks with a Red-Eyes deck that's got the attention of the higher-ups, even Crowler shows him respect."
"Who's he?" Syrus asked.
"Don't know, I don't go out there much. All I know is that he's dating that girl, Trix."
"You mean the girl with the Dragunity deck?" Syrus sighed sadly and hung his head. "Aww, she's taken. Just my luck."
Jaden laughed, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Hey, don't feel bad, Sy. I'm sure there are plenty of fish in the sea. But, uh, do you know anything about this Red-Eyes player?"
Syrus shook his head and shrugged. "Not a thing. This is a surprise to me. I didn't think there was anybody in our dorm who could even get Crowler's respect. I guess the only way you can find out anything about this guy is to look for Trix."
"All right, sounds good to me. She should be in the dorm down below, right?"
"Good luck getting in there," said Chumley. "The Slifer Girls' dorm is like a fortress. And that dog of theirs, Huon, ain't no playful puppy. And they're on high alert right now. As I was on my way to the john, I overheard some guys saying that a group of pervs snuck into the girl's dorm to spy on them in the shower. I guess that's why Huon was making all that racket last night."
"Yeah," Syrus said looking at Jaden. "I also heard Huon barking last night like crazy. That must have been him chasing them away."
"Who'd be low enough to do a thing like that?" Jaden said getting serious. "Man, that's just wrong on so many levels."
Chumley scoffed. "Aw, come on, Jaden. Like you never wanted to see a girl naked before."
Jaden went red and chuckled nervously. "Well, uh, I guess but, not like that."
Chumley yawned and rolled over to the side, lifting his blanket over his shoulder. "Yeah, right. You two better get going now. It's almost that time."
Jaden went to the bathroom to change and wash up. Then he and Syrus had a quick bite to eat at one of the cafes along the way and took the train to the academy. Syrus looked out the window to view the jungle whooshing by outside, wondering what today would bring him. Of course, with a friend like Jaden, there was no telling what. It seemed like there was never a dull day with him by your side.
"Oh my god," said a girl from Obelisk Blue. "Did you hear what happened to Cindy and Jenny last night?"
"I did. Ambushed by those Red Crusader jerks. And Campus Security just stands by and say's they'll look into it. Yeah right, that's just BS for they're going to do nothing. I can't believe these thugs get to run around and treat other students like this."
"That's why I'm wary about being around Slifers. Those low-ranked inbreds don't have the skill to get better so they just steal."
"Hmph," Jaden said, looking away. It was disheartening to know there was a gang of fellow Slifers out there hurting others and stealing their cards. Every day they went unpunished meant more hate for the Red Dorm.
"Hey, Jay," said Syrus. "You're serious about taking on that Red-Eyes player, right?"
Jaden finished eating the last of his sweet bun before answering. "Yeah," he answered with his mouth full, "he sounds like just the kind of opponent I'm looking for, Sy."
"Yeah, I was afraid of that. Well, don't you think you should see what he's like first of all? I mean, what if you barge in there and he trounces you. Didn't you once say that you must always come prepared? Well, scouting your opponent's deck is one way of preparing to go against them."
"I guess, but decks change all the time, Syrus. People are always switching things up, which is great! It totally makes things fun."
"I wish I had your confidence," Syrus replied rather glum. He looked out the window again and sighed. "I really don't think I belong here."
"What makes you say that?"
"Nevermind. Just don't expect me to be dueling any time soon. I just...I'm not ready yet."
"Come on, Syrus, don't be like that. You're starting to bum me out, too."
The magnet train began to slow down and stopped at the central academy station. Syrus nervously drank a long gulp of water to wake himself up and prepare mentally for the long day ahead.
The Blue Road
"No! No!" shouted a Ra Yellow student. Raigeki came down from the sky and zapped his Sword Hunter and D.D Warrior Lady. The boy from Ra Yellow fell to the ground, babbling as he stared down Metalzoa and Zoa. "Just take my cards! I'm sorry! I won't talk smack about Slifers again!"
"Damn right you won't! Now get ready to fork over your binder."
"But, I don't have a binder! I only have this deck I created from scratch."
"Then I'll be taking that instead. I saw that a few of your cards were starlight rares, so your deck will make a fine prize. Zoa! Metalzoa! Attack his Life Points directly!"
"Noooooo!"
The two monsters pummeled him, beating him down to the ground. The safety of the hologram's AI kicked in, stopping the monsters before they caused too much damage. The boy tried to crawl away but Zach jumped out of the bushes and pinned him to the ground.
"You're not going anywhere!" he said. "Come on, guys!"
The other crusaders came out of their hiding places and looted his deck before taking off into the jungle. As Evan dashed through the dense vegetation, a horrible feeling sunk into the pit of his stomach. The boy's pitiful grunts and his cries for mercy were haunting his memory, playing on loop every passing second.
The feeling of triumph he felt momentarily was now washed away, chilling him from the waist down with the bitter sensation of regret and remorse.
Duel Academy - Gymnasium
Around midday, the sky was getting terribly cloudy. The wind was howling and the waves grew restless. Small raindrops dotted the windows and a flash of lightning could be seen. Jaden came out of the locker rooms wearing a black shirt and black shorts accented with red. Yup, he was all set for his first session of gym class. Clearly, this was not something he was looking forward to. He didn't want to run, or do exercises, or play ball. He just wanted to get his cards out and duel.
Their instructor told them to run laps around the track and off they went. Jaden had no trouble keeping up with the others. He approached two Obelisk Blue students up front who were talking about the Red-Eyes student from Slifer Red. Apparently, he defeated someone from their dorm a few hours ago.
"He completely destroyed Marcus," said the Obelisk with glasses. "I thought he could finally show him who's boss, but it looks like I was wrong. It didn't even look like he was trying."
"Meh," said the red-haired Obelisk. "Marcus wasn't all that good anyway. I always knew he truly belonged in the Ra Yellow dorm. The only reason why he's in Blue with us is because of his father and his connections."
"Hah. Isn't that why you're in the dorm, too?"
"No way. My dad may know people in Kaiba Corp, but they never would have helped me if I didn't have the skills to get in. Do you have any clue who this Red-Eyes duelist from Slifer is?"
"Not a thing. He came in with the other rookies, so I guess that's why I kinda overlooked him coming in. Apparently his skills are so impressive that even Crowler's wetting his pants for him. I heard from Chazz that the doctor's even pulling recommendations out his ass to get him to come to Obelisk Blue with us."
"I don't get it. If he's so skilled, what's he doing in the Red dorm?"
"He's a skilled duelist, but his scores are bottom of the barrel low. If it wasn't for the fact that he knows how to run those Red-Eyes Black Dragon cards, he wouldn't have even made it to the academy in the first place."
"Things aren't looking good for our dorm, man. First that Slifer slacker, Jaden Yuki, beats the headteacher of our dorm and now we got more Reds beating Blues. I'm telling you, except for Chazz, Elizabeth, and Zane, this year's Obelisk class is the pits."
"Aww, come on! What about that girl, Alice Fenix? She gave the leader of the Red Crusaders a walloping the other day. And I heard from the girls that she's going to join the Red Arrows."
"She's still a rookie. Beginner's luck is what it was. I could have taken on Boris. And I seriously doubt she'll join the team. They're really picky about who gets in, you know that. Alice doesn't stand a chance at her tryouts."
Jaden was quite intrigued by this. Even though he was getting worn out after four long laps around the stadium, he couldn't help but form a smile knowing that everyone knew about Boris being taken down. That guy and the other duel gangs made him and the rest of the Reds look really bad, worsening their already meager reputation. He had a mind to beat Boris himself ever since he learned what a bully he was. And Alice seemed like a fun opponent to duel against. After seeing her defeat Boris with her Sacred Phoenix monsters, he developed an itch to take her on himself.
As the students continued running their laps, Dr. Crowler dashed from hallway to hallway at lightning speed. He approached the boy's locker room, silently chuckling with that horrible wide grin of his. He checked his left and right, making sure nobody was around. The coast was clear, and he snuck into the locker room. His face folded in displeasure. It smelled horribly of Blade body spray in there. Did these guys really think poisoning the air with that garbage was going to get a flock of girls to come storming into the locker room? There were a few guys showering, but their drapes were closed shut and they were loudly singing a crude song.
Dr. Crowler looked around and spotted Jaden's boots conveniently placed in an open locker.
"Perfect," Crowler cackled, rubbing his hands together. He took the letter out from a compartment in his coat and placed it on top of his boots. Once the deed was done, he hurried outside just in time before Syrus barged into the locker room, his face red with embarrassment.
"Damn, girls' locker room! Why couldn't they make the signs bigger?" He whimpered. There was a small bump on his head from when a girl tossed her Duel Disk at him to scare him out. It barely missed him, but the edge still cocked him though. It stung awfully, but not as much as the embarrassment of walking into the girl's locker room. He sauntered towards his locker and opened the door.
"Huh? Oh, Jaden's boots. Guess he's still borrowing my locker." He was upset that Jaden didn't seal the door tight with its lock. He left it inside irresponsibly. But his frustrations were soon quelled when he saw the letter on top of the boots.
"What's this?" Syrus wondered, holding the letter. He saw the lipstick stain on the front and went red. "A love letter!" He started reading it aloud. The girl who sent him this note was passionately in love with him. The erotic language and descriptions of his body made him shiver. And the way he made her feel sent a chill down his spine. And the girl who left him the note was…
"ALEXIS RHODES!" Syrus cried out before falling backward over the wooden bench behind him. "Oh, man! This...this has to be the best day of my life."
He looked at the letter again.
"Wow, she wants me to meet her at the Obelisk Blue Girls' dorm on Friday night. Th-th-that's tomorrow!" He skimmed under the PS. "Oh, wow! She even gave me a map for me to sneak into the dorm to meet her. Oh, boy! I can't wait!"
He heard the shower stalls turn off. Then he recognized one of the voices of the guys inside the stall. It was Seth.
"Uh oh! The Red Crusaders!" Syrus quickly changed and dashed out of the locker room before they came out.
Seth and a few other members of the gang walked out, not caring that they were going to miss their session of gym. They didn't care about it too much, not unless Professor Fontaine was the one teaching it. And unfortunately, she wasn't.
"After we get the stash from Evan, let's head back to the cave. I need a smoke."
"Uh, guys," a timid voice said from behind the tiled wall. It was Evan.
"So, there he is," Seth said, putting a towel over his neck. He crossed his arms and gave a nod. "So, did you get the stuff?"
"I can't believe you made me do this," Evan said, handing him a burlap sack Boris gave him last night. It was filled with items he stole from the girls' locker room.
"What did you get?" Seth asked, looking through the bag.
Evan gulped, hoping the stuff he stole from the girls would be enough to impress his new friends. "Uh, let's see. I got a watch from that girl Alyssa, two unopened booster packs from some chick with short hair, I forget her name...Oh yeah! Madison. Next, I swiped a Dragunity card belonging to Trix and something I know you might like, Seth. I managed to snatch a pair of panties belonging to that girl with blue hair and the pink bows — what's her name...Ah, Kami!"
"Nice..." Seth said with a sick nod.
Evan formed a confident grin. "I thought you'd like that. And I also took a ruby ring from that girl with pink hair. Wisteria, right? I would have looked for stuff in Jasmine and Mindy's locker, but that dumbass, Syrus, burst into the locker room and almost blew my cover."
"Augh, man I hate Syrus," Seth said, closing the bag. "I assume you didn't get anything from Alexis either."
"Are you kidding? I have to be a hacker to unlock that device she keeps to secure her locker. I didn't even have time to look at the manufacturer, all the girls went into a frenzy and started attacking Syrus to scare him out."
"Well, you managed to get something," Seth said.
"What are you going to do with their stuff?"
"None of your business. All right, since you got three things, you get three cards from my binder. However, since you didn't get Alexis, Jasmine, and Mindy's rare items, you can only choose from my normal rare collection."
"What? But...but that's so unfair! Do you know what I had to do to get in there?" He pointed at a gash on his cheek that he got when he dove out the window. "I told you, the girls went into a panic when Syrus ran in. He ruined everything! And I told you, Alexis's locker is sealed tight. There's no getting inside."
"Well, you had a job and unfortunately, you didn't have the skills to bust into our three main targets. We're looking for talented individuals to join the gang. Still, you managed to get some good loot from the others. For that, you get three normal rares and you're lucky to get that! Everyone knows that at least one of these guys is better than anything in that vanilla deck of yours. Now, are you going to choose what you want? Or are you going to pass and quit?"
Evan sighed sadly. "I'll take them."
Seth went to his locker to get his backpack. He took the binder out and laid it on the wooden aisle bench. Evan felt greed welling up his throat at the first fifty pages of Seth's binders. There were golden cards, shiny cards, all shimmering in every foil imaginable. But then he got to the back pages where the cards were common rare, notable from the silver letters on the top.
Evan chose Karate Man, Tenkabito Shien, and a trap called Reinforcements.
By the time class ended, a storm had struck the island. Even though it was early in the afternoon, the skies had darkened so much that all the lights in the academy had to be turned on. But the students were safe and warm inside the academy, many of them flocked to the arenas to watch friendly matches. A small group of friends even started a small tournament, which got the attention of a few students who wanted to participate.
"Man, look at all this action!" Jaden said running towards a railing on the second floor of the arena. A giant crystal chandelier hung from above, washing everything in a warm and regal glow. A giant glass water wall was on the west side of the arena. The water flowing from it formed rivers, which separated each of the ten playing fields. It was the most incredible thing Jaden had ever seen in his whole life.
"Isn't this amazing!" Jaden cried out. He sniffed the air. "Aww, nice! They've got food! They're serving food down there, Sy. Check it out!"
"I see it, I see it," Syrus said, rubbing his stomach. "Man, I could go for a hot dog right about now. Wow, this place is like a palace. Ha! Sure beats that Obelisk Blue arena, huh?"
"Yeah, what in the hell were those guys on about! This is so much better! Everyone regardless of their dorm is here to play and have fun! This is the environment I've been craving, Syrus. This is just fantastic."
"I wonder if all that stuff about the dorm rivalries were just stories," Syrus said looking around. "It seems like everyone here has disregarded their colors and just wants to play."
"Well, I guess it would be wrong to single out everyone here just because of the actions of a few like that guy Boris. Man, I wonder who to duel first!"
"You won't have any trouble there, Jay. You're the guy who beat Crowler. Everybody's going to want to duel you. Hey, look, there she is Jay. Trix!"
Jaden scanned the dueling arenas below and then spotted the fiery red-head Syrus was talking about. She was about to start a duel against a purple-haired girl from Slifer Red named Jewels.
"I summon Dragunity Militum!" Trix called out. "Then activate the effect of my Dragunity Arma Mystletainn! By sending Militum to the graveyard, I can special summon it to the field!"
She summoned a big yellow armored dragon equipped with a broad longsword colored white and black. The dragon let out steam from between its teeth and let out a snarl like an alligator.
ATK/2100 DEF/1500
"I end my turn."
Turn 2
Jewels gulped nervously. "Wow, he sure looks strong. Let's see what I can do. I set a card face-down and summon Trance Archfiend in attack mode. I end my turn. I think…" She checked her hand for more options. "Yeah, that's all for me."
Turn 3
"My turn. I summon Dragunity Phalanx! Next, I activate the spell, Dragunity Mastery! Now, I equip Dragunity Phalanx with Dragunity Arma Leyvaten from my hand. Now with Mastery's effect, my monsters equipped with Dragunity cards get a 500 point boost. Now, I attack your Trance Archfiend with Arma Mystletainn and attack!"
"Still a rookie," Jaden said with a shake of his head. "She still has a lot to learn."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I saw that Dragunity Phalanx in her hand. I don't know why she didn't summon him first, she could have used him to use as a tribute for Arma Leyvaten instead. Had she done that, she could have pulled off some sweet combos."
Syrus nodded, feeling a little better knowing he wasn't the only one prone to making mistakes. "Oh, I see. I'm glad I'm not the only one who makes mistakes."
"Hey, it happens to all of us," Jaden said chucking and ruffling Syrus's hair.
Turn 4
"My turn! I summon Whiptail Crow in attack mode and destroy your Dragunity Phalanx!"
"And would you look at that," said Jaden. "Nothing in her back row to protect her monsters."
"Wow, you'd think you'd lay a trap or something to protect your monsters."
"She can't," Jaden said with a chuckle. "She doesn't have any in her hand. I'm willing to bet her deck doesn't have all that much, to begin with."
Turn 5
"I summon Dragunity Legionnaire!" shouted Trix. "And I'll use his special ability to equip him with Dragunity Phalanx! Now, I use Legionnaire's second ability. I can pop Phalanx and destroy one monster you control!"
"Oh no!" Jewels cried.
The falcon-headed Dragunity Legionnaire spread his green wings and flapped them rapidly to create hurricane-force winds that shredded Whiptail Crow, leaving Jewels wide open. Legionnaire and Arma Mystletainn doubled teamed her, reducing her Life Points to 0.
Jaden was pumped. "Hey, she was able to turn it around. Man, she makes a few mistakes and still ends up winning. Man, now I've got to duel her." He dashed away to get to the arenas.
"Jaden wait!" Syrus called out. Jaden was already going down the steps. "Oh, man. Wait up!"
Jaden was already at the bottom of the steps by the time Syrus got halfway down. He ran for the girl who was shuffling her deck, ready for another round with one of her friends. But even where he was, Syrus could see the girl was more than happy to see Jaden. Of course, she was. Who wouldn't be happy to be challenged by the kid who beat Dr. Crowler and his legendary Ancient Gear Golem.
Trix shook his hand once Syrus made it to the side of the arena. Wow. That was very quick, Syrus thought. It made him feel bad about his own confidence. Here was Jaden, running around making friends and being so accepted. And Syrus. Well, he had Jaden as a best friend, he supposed. Perhaps Chumley counted...maybe not. All he knew was that he would never have the guts to walk up to a girl as pretty as Trix and ask her to duel. Hell, he'd even be afraid just to ask her a simple question.
"I'd be more than happy to play against you, Jaden," Trix said. "I've been looking forward to this since the Duel Dome."
"This is gonna be sweet!" Jaden said running to his side of the field. "You ready, Trix?"
Trix shuffled her deck and placed it inside her duel disk. "Yes. Are you?"
"Let's see what you've got, Trix!"
"All right, you go first, Jaden. You are the celebrity after all."
Jaden laughed. "Aww, come on. I'm nothing like that."
Trix giggled at his modesty. "Well, you're nothing short of a household name around here, Jaden. That was no simple thing you did back there. You took down a Duel Academy professor and his ultimate monster. I don't think even Aster Phoenix could have done it better. You're the kid to beat around here, my dude. Oh, listen to me prattle. You probably want to get this game started. All right, how about you go first."
Jaden nodded. "Okay, Trix. It's time to get your game on!"
In a restaurant on the third floor, Alice and Alexis sat down at a table with a bright red umbrella at the center and lit with two candles in round glass holders. Fortunately for them, their table was right beside a railing covered with vines that overlooked the arenas below.
"Alexis, it's that boy Jaden," Alice said pointing at the duel below.
Alexis took her jacket off and loosened her tie before looking over. "Whoa. Seems like he's conveniently around when you are in the area, huh? We're in luck, they just started a duel. Say, wanna head down there when we're done eating? I want to see your Sacred Phoenixes again."
"Oh, of course. Mindy challenged me to a match earlier today. You'll get your chance to see them."
Jasmine and Mindy came by with trays of food. They sat down and looked over the railing, quickly spotting Jaden.
"Oh, wow. If it isn't that disrespectful Slifer," Mindy said. "Can you believe what he said to Professor Crowler the other day?"
Jasmine frowned. "Yeah, he's got some nerve talking to him like that. That stupid slacker. Wouldn't you agree, Alice?"
"Well, Crowler hasn't been all that much of a gentleman to me. Sara said he would be a nice guy once you got to know him, but it looks like he's the same as everybody else. They all want me to be like Sara. And if I don't meet that category, I get shit on."
"Language!" barked Alexis, wagging her finger at Alice. "Come on now, Alice. I thought you were better than that."
Mindy handed Alice a chocolate chip cookie wrapped in plastic, hoping the treat would cheer her up. "Well, she is only one of the greatest female duelists since Mai Valentine. She and Mai are the only two women in history to ever hold the world championship title in the pro leagues. And you're her little sister. Naturally, everyone wants you to be like here. Speaking of which, do you think I can get her autograph?"
Alice sighed and rubbed her temples. "Not likely."
Jasmine was still upset about Jaden's outburst. "Hello, we were talking about Jaden here. I mean who the hell does he think he is? I'm pretty sure he only beat Crowler through sheer dumb luck. What do you think, Alexis? Come on, I know even you feel Jaden was out of line yesterday."
Alexis smiled, watching as Jaden finished shuffling his deck. "I think it was kind of cool. Not a lot of guys have the backbone to stand up to Dr. Crowler."
Jasmine raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious, Alexis? Him? No way."
Mindy laughed and leaned next to her. "Well, he could be. If he can back up all that talk."
Alexis pressed her finger against her lip. "Shhh, they're about to start."
"My money's on Trix," Jasmine said, unwrapping her sandwich. "Jaden doesn't stand a chance."
Trix 4000 LP
Jaden 4000 LP
Turn 1
Jaden drew his opening hand. "All right. Not bad if I do say so myself. I use Polymerization!" He held up the card. "Now, I fuse together Elemental HERO Avian and Burstinatrix to create Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"
Every student watching the match cried out and applauded as though a rock star had just entered the stadium. Elemental HERO Flame Wingman burst out of a pillar of fire and stopped in midair so his stats could be displayed.
Elemental HERO Flame Wingman
ATK/2100 DEF/ 1200
"I end my turn. Your move."
Alice beamed and clapped her hands. "Flame Wingman. Oh, boy, I don't think that girl has any idea what she's up against. That's the monster that took down Crowler's golem."
Alexis disagreed by shaking her head. "I don't know, Alice. I've heard a lot of good things about Trix. She makes her mistakes, yes, but boy does she know how to fix them."
Turn 2
"Okay, Jaden. Not bad. Now it's my turn. I play Graceful Charity. I draw three cards and discard two as payment. Next, I summon Dragunity Senatus!"
A humanoid with a regal bird's head appeared in front of her. It was dressed in decorative clothes and carried a golden staff with a lime green jewel at the center. It spread four wings, white as snow, and let out a call like a raven.
Dragunity Senatus
ATK.1800 DEF/ 600
"Now, I activate Dragunity Senatus's effect. I discard a Dragunity card from my hand and then I can equip him with a Dragon-Type Dragunity Tuner monster from my deck. I choose Dragunity Couse!"
Dragunity Senatus took flight and waited for a dragon with a sword-shaped head to appear underneath him. He sat down on the dragon's neck, shrieking victoriously. But then, Senatus dismounted the dragon. Trix activated Couse's effect, which allowed her to special summon the little creature if it was used as an equip spell.
"I've been waiting eagerly for this, Jaden. Time to show you what my Dragunity cards can do. First, I'm going to Tune together Dragunity Couse and Senatus! Synchro Summon! Come on out, Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana!"
Senatus's robes started forming into thick and decorative armor and he traded his staff for an extremely long javelin. The dragon he was riding was armored in scarlet outlined with gold and it had a green jewel at the center.
Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana
ATK/1900 DEF/1200
Alice gasped. "Oh, Synchro Monsters!"
"Remember how they work?" Alexis asked.
"Yes. I believe you need a Tuner monster in order to summon them. And their level plus the monster used to sync with has to be equal to the level of the monster you intend to Synchro Summon, right?"
"That's right. And I have a feeling Trix isn't done yet."
"Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana's effect activates! I can equip him with a Dragunity monster in my graveyard. Come on out, Dragunity Couse. Now, I'm going to Synchro Summon again."
"Again?" Jaden said.
Syrus's toes curled inside his shoes. "Be careful, Jay."
"I will Tune Dragunity Couse with Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana! And create Dragunity Knight - Barcha!"
The dragon grew longer and its armor turned green; the membranes on its wing turned purple, fading into black at the bottom. Likewise, the winged-beast riding the dragon had his armor changed as well into green and black. His special ability allowed Trix to add as many Dragunity cards in her graveyard to the beast as equip spells. Again, she chose Couse, and special summoned him with his effect. Now she had what she needed for one more Synchro Summon. The dragon became even longer and bigger and its body armor turned to gold and it grew ten wings!
"All right, Jaden. Meet Dragunity Knight - Ascalon!"
Dragunity Knight - Ascalon
ATK/3300 DEF/3200
"Oh my goodness!" Alice cried.
Alexis rested her chin on her palm. "See, I told you not to underestimate her. Not even the legendary Flame Wingman can stand a chance against that creature. Just look at that thing."
"Now, Jaden. I used Ascalon's effect."
"Does he get to transform into another awesome dragon, Trix?"
Trix chuckled. "No, man. That's it. And I think you should be happy about that. Now, I use Dragunity Knight Ascalon's effect. By banishing a Dragunity monster in my graveyard, I get to banish one of your monsters."
Jaden's smile faded. "That's not good!"
Ascalon summoned a portal with his hand that appeared over Flame Wingman. He tried his best to escape its pull, but it was no use. He got sucked in and was banished from the game. What's worse, Jaden was wide open for an attack.
"Now, Jaden, I attack you directly!"
Ascalon jumped off his golden dragon and lept towards Jaden, holding up his lance to skewer him through the heart.
Jaden crossed his arms over his face to shield himself from the attack. He screamed loudly and was knocked backward. He landed on his back; his body billowing steam.
Trix 4000 LP
Jaden 700 LP
"Wow, you're really good," Jaden said standing up. He rubbed his stomach and started to laugh. "Man, I really love it here. The action, the excitement, even some of the trash-talking. Man, this is paradise!"
"Well, I guess I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Trix said, placing her hand on her hip. "You surprise me, Jaden. It's not every day I meet a duelist who's happy no matter how grim the situation."
"Are you kidding? How can I be upset now? This is one amazing duel, and we're just getting started. I guess now it's time for me to get my game on, huh? I draw!"
Turn 3
"I draw two cards with Pot of Greed. Now, I summon Keeper of Dragon Magic!"
The blue armored knight jumped out of a mythical white crest that formed over Jaden's head.
"My monster's ability activates. I discard a card and I get to add Polymerization to my hand. Next, Keeper of Dragon Magic's second ability kicks in. From my extra deck, I reveal Elemental HERO Tempest! Now, I can choose one of the materials used to make him and special summon it to the field in defense mode."
Keeper of Dragon Magic started spinning his staff around until he created a blue glyph. Jaden pumped his fist in excitement. If this worked, he was going to turn this duel around for sure.
"Keeper of Dragon Magic! Bring back Elemental HERO Avian!"
The Keeper stopped spinning his staff and then Avian appeared next to him.
"All right. Now, I use Polymerization, fusing together Elemental HERO Avian and Clayman. Appear! Elemental HERO Gaia!"
Jaden summoned a giant in black armor covered with red glowing orbs and he had two massive hammers for hands that doubled as missile launchers. He aimed his left launcher at the air.
"What's he doing?" Trix asked.
"Gaia's special ability activates! He can cut your monster's attack points in half!"
Gaia launched a barrage of missiles in the air. The missiles whistled as they flew up in an arch and then rained down on top of Dragunity Knight Ascalon, dropping his attack points to 1650.
"And it gets better," said Jaden. "Now those points will get added to Gaia's attack points."
"What!?"
Jaden gave his signature salute and winked. "This is game! Keeper of Dragonic Magic, attack her monster."
Keeper of Dragonic Magic threw his spear at Ascalon, striking him through the heart. The knight shattered to pieces, followed by the golden dragon it once rode.
"And now, Elemental HERO Gaia will attack you directly!'"
"OH NOOOO!" Trix shouted. She was showered with missiles and fell flat on her back.
"Aww, that's too bad," said Alexis. "She didn't activate Ascalon's special ability."
"What do you mean?" Alice asked.
"When Dragunity Knight -Ascalon gets destroyed in battle, he allows Trix to summon another Dragunity Synchro monster from the graveyard. I'm sure one of them could have greatly helped her out."
Alice snapped her fingers. "Oh, you're right. Her Dragunity Knight - Barcha could have been the perfect creature to save her. When it attacks or is attacked, Trix could have banished a Dragunity monster and raised Barcha's attack points equal to the banished monster's attack points."
"That's right. If there's a Dragunity Primus in the graveyard somewhere, it could have raised Ascalon's attack to four thousand, which would have been more than enough to beat Jaden's Elemental HERO Gaia. Also, she could have equipped Couse to Barcha to make another Ascalon if she has one. And something in my gut tells me she has her copies."
"Poor thing. She has so much potential."
Alexis picked up her glass of soda and sipped on the straw. "Yeah, she could be a great duelist if she just read the cards more carefully."
Just then, the person Jaden had been waiting for arrived. Just like the rumors, he was a Slifer Red student like him. He was a handsome young man, well-built, diamond jaw, and angelic blue eyes. He had short, wavy, blond hair, covering the left part of his face with a long bang. Around his neck was a round ruby encased in black steel hanging from a black string. Jasmine and Mindy held their hands together and swooned, as they usually did when a hot guy was around.
"It's him!" Jasmine cried. "Kyros Metaxas! The hottest Slifer Red in school."
"I'd be more than happy to demote myself just to be with him," Mindy said, melting on the inside.
"Pfft," Alexis scoffed. "You can forget it, girl. His heart belongs to Trix."
"Awwww," both girls said in dismay.
Kyros walked up the steps to the arena where his girlfriend stood anxiously as though she were a child about to get scorned by her parents. He smiled and kissed her hand. "Well, well, well. Looks like you forgot what Ascalon does again, eh Trixy?"
Trix gasped, slapping her hand on her cheek. "Oh, shoot! I could have used his effect to summon a Dragunity monster from my graveyard."
Jaden scratched the back of his head. "Really? What would that have done?"
Kyros held out his hand. "Let me see the cards in your GY, babe." Trix took them out of her duel disk and showed them to him. "Ah, I thought so. Take a look here, Jaden. This is Dragunity Knight- Barcha. If Trix had been paying more attention to the text, she would have been able to summon him after your Keeper destroyed it. And when Barcha gets attacked, Trix can banish a Dragunity from the graveyard and increase Barcha's attack equal to the attack points of the monster she banished. And check this bad boy out. Dragunity Primus Pilus."
Syrus gasped. "Whoa! Jaden, if Trix had pulled that off, she could have raised her knight's attack to four thousand. You could have lost."
"I don't think so," Jaden said confidently.
Kyros laughed. "Come on, man. You had no monsters out and had a handful of Life Points left. My girlfriend would have taken you out."
"Not after I set these face-down," Jaden said holding up two cards. Flute of Summoning Kuriboh and Transcendent Wings.
"Oh my!" Trix said. "He could have used that combo to summon Winged Kuriboh Level 10. That would have destroyed me...Oh!"
Kyros grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close, sliding his hand up her thigh as he brushed kisses down her neck. "And you remember what the terms of our deal was, right? For every loss you get, that's one less date we go on."
"Aww, you jerk," Trix said kissing his cheek.
"Whoa," Syrus said, his face turning crimson.
Kyros and Trix laughed at his expression, Jaden as well. Kyros shook Jaden's hand at once. "Well, Jaden, it seems you're true to your reputation. You've got some mad skills. I mean even the Blues are jealous of you."
"Thanks. They said you're pretty good, too. Which reminds me. I've been itching for a match against you. What do you say?"
"I'll have to do a rain check on that one, Jaden. I've already got a match scheduled for right now. Some Obelisk Blue named Zachary. Apparently, he's been talking smack about me since the first day of school and I've had enough."
"So why don't you do something about it?" said the aforementioned Blue. Zachary (NPC from Duel Links) walked up to the arena and made a face of disgust when he saw nothing by Slifer Reds in front of him. "Oh, this is just disgusting. Look at you plebians tarnishing this regal institution. If Dr. Crowler was in charge, he'd make sure that only the best of the best reign supreme around here. There would be no Slifer Red or Ra Yellow."
Jaden's smile faded. "Someone's full of himself."
Zachary scoffed then put his hands on his hips. "Ah, you must be the Slifer Red student who beat Dr. Crowler. Judai? Juno? What was your name again? Bah, it matters not. It takes more than just luck to make it far in this school."
Trix glared at him. His voice just rang with pretentiousness and she could smell his fancy cologne from where she was, which was about six feet away from where he stood. "His name is Jaden! And for your information, he didn't defeat Crowler with luck. He won that duel because he's the better duelist."
Zachary let out the most generic, obnoxious laugh any of them had ever heard. "The better duelist? Really? He's nothing! as are the rest of you. Kyros. Don't think because Dr. Crowler sucks up to you that you're any better than these Slifer Red rejects. Your skills may be enough to impress the teachers here, but everyone knows the real rulers of this school is Obelisk Blue. So long as you're wearing red, you're nothing!"
"You are such an asshole!" shouted Trix. "Kyros got his training from none other than Joey Wheeler. Hello, rank third duelist in the world. Runner up in the Duelist Kingdom Tournament and Battle City finalist."
"Joey Wheeler is nothing but a washed-up old has-been! What do I care if he's been trained by him? I mean, I'd be impressed if it was Kaiba or Yugi Muto. Pfft, but a third-rate duelist like Joey Wheeler? Give me a break."
Kyros stepped forward. "That's enough, Zachary. You want to make fun of me, that's fine. But when you talk bad about Joey Wheeler, we've got a problem."
Zachary laughed. "How could anyone possibly defend someone the likes of him?"
"The man practically saved my life. He's been like a father to me. I wouldn't be where I am right now had it not been for him teaching me the game. No, Joey Wheeler isn't in the same tier as Yugi Muto or Seto Kaiba, but he's more of a duelist than you'll ever be. YOU HEAR ME!"
"Well, then, let's get started. Show me the skills Joey Wheeler has taught you, loser!"
Trix kissed Kyros for good luck and patted his cheek telling him to calm down before she, Jaden, and Syrus cleared the arena for their duel.
Kyros LP 4000
Zachary LP 4000
Turn 1
"I'll start first!" shouted Kyros. "I activate the spell, Red-Eyes Fusion. With this card, I can send the proper fusion materials to my graveyard and summon the mighty Meteor Black Comet Dragon!"
A meteor fell from the sky and crashed into the field, creating a dust cloud. Flames rose out of the ground and formed into the fiery dragon from the deep reaches of space.
Meteor Black Comet Dragon
ATK/3500 DEF/2000
"Now, I will use my dragon's effect. I send a Red-Eyes monster from my deck to the graveyard and I can inflict damage to your Life Points equal to its attack points. The monster I discarded is Red-Eyes Black Dragon, now you take 1200 points of damage!"
Meteor Black Comet Dragon summoned a rain of fire and reduced Zachary's Life Points to 2800.
"How dare you!" he shouted.
"Ha!" Trix pointed and laughed at him. "It's not even your turn and Kyros has brought you down to almost half your Life Points!"
Zachary snarled and pointed at her. "Shut up!"
His outburst made Kyros laugh. "Already losing your cool, Zachary? Too bad. I now use the spell, Red-Eyes Insight! I send a Red-Eyes monster to my graveyard and add a Red-Eyes spell or trap to my hand. Finally, I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
Turn 2
"I draw!" said Zachary. "You had one lucky shot, but don't let that get to your head, you Slifer slacker! I use the spell, Terraforming!"
"And I will use this moment to activate my trap card, Return of the Red-Eyes!"
Zachary paused. "What's this?"
"When I control a Red-Eyes monster, this card can allow me to special summon a normal monster in my graveyard! Come on out, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!"
BOOM! A black dragon with red flaming wings burst out fo the ground and roared. It spread its wings and created a frightening display of fire to scare Zachary into surrendering. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. He was nervous but was quite confident he could take the dragon down.
Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon
ATK/2400 DEF/2000
"Are you blind?" Zachary shouted. "You have no Red-Eyes monster out and that dragon you summoned is an effect monster."
"No, you just don't know shit about the Red-Eyes archetype. First, Meteor Black Comet Dragon is treated like a Red-Eyes monster. And Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon is treated as a normal monster while he's in my hand or in the graveyard."
"No matter. Summon all the dragons you want, it will do you no good against my horde of the undead. Watch as I transport us to the homeworld of all zombies. Zombie World!"
The arena digitized and soon Jaden and the others found themselves in a wide field with dead trees and dried rivers full of mud and flies. A castle ruin was perched on a cliff in the distance in front of the moon. Wolves howled in the distance and the moan of the undead sounded like the wind. Trix pointed at Kyros's dragons. Their bodies were decaying. The flesh was slowly melting off the bone and large black flies flew around them.
"What's happened to them?" Syrus asked nervously.
"This ain't no pretty spell card, Sy," Jaden said. "Zombie World turns all of Kyros's monsters on the field and in the graveyard into Zombie-types."
Zachary laughed again, getting on Trix's nerves. "Are you scared? You should be. Nothing will prepare you for what's ahead.
"Well, I can bolster up my dragons with this card. Red-Eyes Fang with Chain! Now my dragon can make two attacks. I give it to Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!"
"Do whatever you like, boy! It will not stop my zombies. Now, I use Foolish Burial and send Glow-Up Bloom to the graveyard. Now, its effect activates. It allows me to summon Doomking Balderdroch!"
Lightning flashed and a loud clap of thunder rocked the world. A fissure opened in front of him and from it rose a serpent-shaped zombie warlord who used the skulls of giants and a dragon as armor.
Doomking Balderdroch
ATK/2800 DEF/2000
"And it will only get worse for you, slacker! I now summon Shiranui Solitaire and I'll use his effect to..."
"Hold on! I activate my Red-Eyes Fang with Chain. I send it to the graveyard and then I can take control of your Doomking!"
"NO!"
Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon animated the chain to wrap itself around the undead monster and dragged it to the spell/trap zone to be used as an equip spell, making Flare Metal Dragon's attack equal to the Doomking's.
"Argh! I've had enough of your tricks! You are not smarter than me, fool! I will prove you are nothing but trash! With Solitaire's effect, I call upon Uni-Zombie! Now, I use his effect to send Mezuki from my deck to the graveyard and when that happens, Mezkuki can let me resurrect a monster. Rise, Solitaire! Now, I will Tune Uni-Zombie (LV 3) and Shiranui (LV 4). Synchro Summon! Say hello to my own Red-Eyes! The Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon!"
A wall of blue flames burst in front of Zachary and then they formed into a black, armored dragon, who was cloaked with the blue fire like it was decoration.
Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon
ATK/2400 DEF/2000
"My mighty beast will now gain 100 attack points for each Zombie on the field and in the graveyard!"
(ATK/2400 → 3200)
"Good God!" shouted Trix. "He's so strong now."
"I see you're impressed. You know, Trix, I've heard a lot of good things about you. They say you have great potential. I can help you reach the top. Your boy is no good. So why don't you hit me up?"
"I think I'll pass."
"Man, the nerve of that guy!" said Jaden.
Zachary laughed again. "Well, I'm sure you'll be impressed and accept my offer when I beat this slacker. Now, Necro Dragon, attack his Black Flare Dragon!"
Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon reared up its head and shot out a stream of blue fire that melted Kyros's dragon to the bone. Then the bones formed behind the Necro Dragon and the skin, or what was left of it, reformed over the bones.
"Whoa, what's going on?" Jaden asked.
"He's the Red-Eyes Necro Dragon," Zachary happily answered. "He's a dragon with the power of necromancy, meaning he can bring monsters back from the dead and forces them to obey him. Your Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon is now mine! Your turn. Let's see what you can do. Oh, and since my Doomking is back in my graveyard, the Necro Dragon's attack increases by another hundred points."
(ATK 3300)
"I end my turn. Can you top my moves, Kyros?"
Zachary 2800 LP
Kyros 3600 LP
Turn 3
"I draw!"
Zachary held up his hand. "And now I activate the effect of my Doomking! He'll come back to my field in defense mode."
"And my Return of the Red-Eyes activates! I bring back Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon
ATK/2400 DEF/2000
Zachary looked at the creature and shook his head. "He sure has seen better days hasn't he?"
"Yeah, but don't think because he's a rotting corpse that he's any weaker. I use the spell, Cards of the Red Stone. I send Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my hand to the graveyard and add two cards to my hand. Next, I send another Red-Eyes from my deck to the Graveyard. Now, I use the effect of my Black Metal Dragon! This card can be used as an equip spell. I will give it to my Meteor Black Comet Dragon increasing his attack points by 600 points."
(ATK/3500 → 4100)
"Now, I sacrifice my Red-Eyes Black Dragon and summon Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon!"
A strange-looking Red-Eyes Black Dragon soared from a dark dimension flew out of a dark portal and flew around the field twice before landing next to Kyros.
Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon
ATK/2400 DEF/2000
"Alternative Black Dragon!" Zachary babbled. "What is this? It's a Red-Eyes swarm!"
"You're damn right it is, Zachary. Now, Meteor Black Comet Dragon, attack his Doomking!"
Zachary waited for the smoke to clear. He chuckled confidently and shrugged. "Fine. I don't need him. The Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon allows me to take one of your Red-Eyes Black Dragons from the graveyard! And now his attack points are 3600! Keep adding those Red-Eyes cards, Kyros! It will only make my dragon stronger!"
"Oh yeah? Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon! Attack his dragon and destroy yourself!"
"What? Why would he do that?" Syrus shouted. "Come on, Kyros! Don't lose your cool."
Too late. The dragon attacked and then both it and Necro Dragon were enveloped by a thick cloud of smoke after the arena was blasted by a deafening explosion.
"He's lost it!" Syrus grunted, removing his palms from his ears.
"I don't think so, Sy," Jaden said. "I think Kyros has a plan."
"Yeah, but it cost him a lot of his Life Points."
Kyros 2400 LP
"My Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon's effect activates! If it was destroyed by battle, I can special summon a Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my graveyard and double its attack points."
"DOUBLE!" Zachary shouted. "NO!"
The Red-Eyes Black Dragon rose out of the ground and blasted the Necro Dragon, silencing him at last.
"MY DRAGON!"
Zachary 1600 LP
"You dare hurt me!?"
"I've only just begun! I now summon The Black Stone of Legend. Now, I tribute it to summon a Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my deck!"
"More of those worthless creatures! I will squash them all one by one, mark my words!"
"Well, now's your time to do it. I end my turn."
Zachary 1600 LP
Kyros 2400 LP
Turn 4
Zachary activated his Doomking's effect to revive it and Kyros chained by using Return of the Red-Eyes to bring back Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon. Zachary then summoned a monster called Gozuki sending Mezuki to the grave, which activated his effect, allowing Zachary to summon Uni-Zombie. He performed a Synchro Summon and the Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon returned.
(ATK 4000)
He attacked the Flare Metal Dragon decreasing Kyros's Life Points to 1200. He then took control of Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon. He sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "I end my turn."
That was the best he could do. Kyros's Red-Eyes was still stronger. Once it destroyed the Necro Dragon, Meteor Black Comet Dragon unleashed its fury and reduced Zachary's Life Points to 0. The defeated Obelisk said nothing and left the arena at once.
Jaden clapped. "Sweet! That's game! Nice work, Kyros. I sure can't wait to duel you."
"Thanks. I can't wait to play against you sometime, Jaden."
Trix ran up the steps and jumped on Kyros, wrapping her legs around him and kissing him. Syrus blushed and looked away. "All right, all right, get a room you two."
Jasmine sighed sadly in the eatery up above. "Some girls get all the luck."
"Yeah..." Mindy swooned. "How romantic. Hey, Alice. Are you ever going to find your special someone?"
Alice shook her head. "Unless the guy's name is Aster Phoenix, I really don't think so. Besides, I care more about my studies than being with a guy." She looked down at Kyros and smiled. "No matter how charming they are."
"I know," Jasmine said, stretching her neck over the rail to get a better view of the arenas below. "Damn, Kyros has such a nice butt."
"Ugh," Alexis groaned. "Come on. Let's get out of here before Jasmine drools all over the place."
Another day had gone by. By nightfall, the storm had passed and the students were on their way home. For Alice, this would be a very sleepless night. Tomorrow was her tryouts for the Red Arrows. It wasn't something she planned on doing, but she realized that maybe if she played a little competitively with the team, her mother would ease up on forcing her to become a professional duelist like Sara.
This was her only chance. If she blew it, she would have no other choice but to fill Sara's shoes and leave her dreams of being a Kaiba Corp programmer behind.