The tryouts for the Red Arrows were on after school. Alexis said if she made it on the team, they would go celebrating in North Point, the tourist beachside town on the other side of the island where they would find a club to hang out in called The Tomb. She was a little concerned about that earlier because she didn't have anything to wear to such a place.
Thankfully, Alexis told her there was a shopping mall there where she could pick out her dress. It was going to be a night she would never ever forget. If she beat her opponent at the tryouts, that is.
Alice looked at the planner in her PDA, which she had protected with a custom leather cover. School was almost over, but she was just so tired. She barely got any sleep last night on the count of her preparing for so many duels that were going to take place today. One of them was the duel in Professor Hawkins's history class. She was up for hours studying that astronomical chart, memorizing which Guardian Star was stronger than the other and so on. And she was trying to create fusion combinations to give her an even greater edge against her opponent.
So far she got Flower Wolf, Stone Dragon, Queen of the Autumn Leaves, and Flame Cerberus. Fusion in this version of Duel Monsters was quite strange. Polymerization wasn't needed. You just needed to have the right combination of cards to make the fusion possible. For example, Flame Cerberus could be created by fusing together a fire monster and a beast monster. So long as the ATK points of those monsters didn't exceed Flame Cerberus's attack points of 2100. That rule applied to all the other fusion monsters. If the monster was stronger than the monster you were hoping to summon, the fusion didn't work.
Alice learned that the hard way when she dueled against Alexis the other day. She accidentally tossed aside her Black Dragon Jungle King for a Stone Ghost. She tried to make a Stone Dragon, who had a defense of 2300, something that could safeguard her Life Points against the Gaia the Fierce Knight Alexis summoned. But Black Dragon Jungle King had 2100 attack points and Stone Dragon only had 2000. In short, Black Dragon Jungle King was just too strong to fuse into a Stone Dragon.
So far, her favorite and most powerful fusion was Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, a mighty beast with 2800 ATK points who could plow down through almost anything in the ancient format. However, Alexis had her way of getting strong cards.
Thanks to her connections in a school club called the Forbidden Memories Guild, she acquired powerhouses like Cosmo Queen (ATK 2900), Meteor B. Dragon (ATK 3500), Black Skull Dragon (ATK 3200), and worst of all...Gate Guardian, with an attack power of 3750. Her deck had so many strong cards, that Professor Hawkins personally asked her not to use them during the lessons.
The weather didn't improve after the final bell of the day rang. The storm wasn't as violent as it was the day before but the rain kept on pouring.
"Just my luck," Alice sighed, standing outside the entrance of the school. "Does the sun ever shine in this place?"
She opened her umbrella and began to march to a nearby cafe by the road to the girl's dorm get some coffee and a slice of pie.
As she exited the school, she saw a group of concerned students crowding around a CAMP-SEC guard with a black beret and sunglasses with an interface on the lenses displaying windows, pie charts, and graphs of information.
"But there are students out there robbing us!" shouted a girl from Obelisk Blue.
"Yeah, we know who runs the gang."
"Not my problem," said the guard, standing stiff, looking from left to right robotically as he clutched his tactical rifle.
"Not your problem!" shouted a boy from Ra Yellow. "How can it be not your problem!? You are supposed to serve and protect us no matter how big or small the problem is."
"Pfft. Yeah, and the problem is small."
"But they're stealing things from us."
"They challenged you guys to a duel with your cards on the line. There's nothing against the school rules that says kids can't put their cards on the line. Face it losers, you lost the game (haha!), so your stuff is forfeit to the winner."
"This isn't fair! They force us to duel!"
"And you could have run away. But you didn't. Man, don't you dorks like to brag about how weak the Slifer Red students are? You're supposed to be the best in the school. You want your cards back, go after them yourselves. This is a school where disputes between students are settled with duels. So go out there and duel! I'm paid to protect the campus and the students from pirates and raiders not guard your precious trading cards. We're not wasting our time with your silly altercations. Now get outta my face!"
"Wow," Alice said, she walked away shaking her head. It was no wonder the duel gangs could run around the island doing as they pleased.
She approached the cafe once the line shortened. The cafe was a little green shack with a giant coffee cup on the red-tiled roof. The servers were nice and warm inside and the students in line were kept safe from the rain thanks to a green and white awning. Alice continued looking at her schedule. There was a lot to do and she wanted to get some sleep, especially before tonight. Alexis was starting to grow into a very good friend; she didn't want to let her down, and she was looking forward to visiting North Point.
Alice sighed, but she figured if the tryouts didn't take too long, she could take the train back to the girl's dorm, have three hours to rest, then shower to wake herself up. It was a steep agenda, but she thought she could pull it off.
Standing by a black chain guardrail were two boys from Ra Yellow. They looked at Alice, gawking at her and looking at every curve on her body. There was a duel nearby, and she turned her attention away from the two jerks to watch it. The duel had a Slifer named Christian against a boy from Ra named Lucas.
"I'll start first," said Lucas. "Watch out. I summon Overdrive in attack mode!" He summoned a military jeep with 1600 ATK points. "Next, I use Double Summon, which lets me summon Oni-Tank T-34."
His next monster was a tank with a red demon's face. It's 1400 ATK points displayed over its main cannon.
"And I set a card face-down."
"My turn," said Christian. He looked at his hand and turned around to face his fans. He howled and they howled back. "I use the ritual spell, Synthesis Spell! Now, I tribute my two Silver Fangs and summon the mighty Lycanthrope!"
A full moon rose above Christian. From the ground emerged a horrible monster. Its fur was dark gray and it had gray leathery abs and pectoral muscles at the front. It had wiring coiled all over its body and it wore blue, torn, shorts; no doubt a relic of the man it once was. It had glowing yellow eyes and sharp teeth. Its fangs were infused with adamantium steel, making them awesome weapons.
The holographic screens displayed a devastating 2400 ATK points.
"But that's not all. I activate Premature Burial. By paying 800 of my Life Points, I bring back one of the Silver Fangs from my graveyard. This will activate the effect of my Phantom Pal."
He summoned a cute, white, wolf puppy with round brown eyes. ATK/ 500
"When I bring back a Beast-Type monster from my Graveyard, my little friend can special summon itself to the field."
"My little friend is no ordinary puppy, either. He's a Tuner. And I will use him and my Silver Fang to Synchro Summon Celestial Wolf Lord, Blue Sirius!"
"OOOH!" the crowd cheered when his ace monster arrived. He was a bipedal wolf with royal blue fur, wearing spiked platinum armor. His chestplate looked like a monster's face with glowing blue eyes. Both his hands were inside gauntlets shaped to look like metallic wolf's head that could growl and howl. They both had glowing red-eyes and snorted steam.
His ATK was 2400 as well, just like his Lyncanthrope. He commanded his monster to attack, but Lucas was prepared.
"I use Negate Attack, canceling out your battle phase."
"Very well," said Christian. "I end my turn."
"My turn!" Lucas said, drawing his card. "I sacrifice Overdrive and Oni Tank T-34 to summon my rarest monster. Fiendish Engine Omega, with a power of 2700!"
He summoned a giant robot that towered over the arena. It had six exhaust ports on its back spewing out noxious, purple smoke. It was red and white in color and bore sharp blades on its forearms.
"ATTACK! Destroy his Celestial Wolf Lord, Blue Sirius!"
Fiendish Engine Omega slashed the wolf across the chest with his left blade. It exploded, dealing 300 points of damage to Christian.
"Surrender, 'Lone Wolf', Fiendish Engine Omega is my strongest card. Nothing you can do can beat him."
Christian smirked. "I already have. I summon Aloof Lupine!"
He summoned a giant wolf with brown and white fur and a majestic mane.
"Now, I use Alpha's How!"
Aloof Lupin howled and summoned a clone of itself.
"This lets me summon a token with the same level and points as a Beast Monster of my choosing. Now, I Overlay them both to summon the mighty, Diamond Dire Wolf!"
The wolf he summoned was colossal. It was like a giant diamond crafter to look like a wolf and enchanted with life. Its ATK points read 2000.
"Is that it?" Lucas sneered. "Your puny puppy can't stand up to my Engine."
"He's not battling your monster. My Lycanthrope is. Go!"
"Are you stupid or something? He's still stronger than your..."
Lycanthrope slashed Fiendish Engine Omega over a hundred times in two seconds flat. The machine fell to pieces and exploded, dealing 2100 points of damage to Lucas's Life Points.
"What happened?" Lucas cried. "You must have cheated! My Fiendish Engine Omega was the strongest monster on the field!"
"When you attacked and destroyed my Celestial Wolf Lord, Blue Sirius, his effect activated. Sirius's ghost drains your monster of 2400 ATK points. So your machine had a puny 300 points."
"NO!" Lucas shouted.
"And my Lycanthrope's ability kicks in. For every Normal monster in my graveyard, he deals 200 points of damage to your Life Points."
Lycanthrope slashed Lucas twice, knocking him backward on his back.
"Finally, Diamond Dire Wolf will end you! Go! Diamond Claw!"
The wolf slashed Lucas with such force, it sent him flying across the arena. His Life Points went to 0. The students watching gave a round of applause for Christian and for Lucas.
Christian shuffled his deck and scoffed. "That will teach you for copying my work. You fucking loser." He turned and walked away.
"Look at this fine little lady," said one of the Ra Yellow boys. "She looks a little parched. Hey, girl, want me to buy you a drink?"
"Ha! I don't think so, Andre. Not if I buy it first. Damn, man. You always go after the pretty ones and leave the ugly ones for the rest of us."
The boy from Ra scoffed and slide his hand down his periwinkle hair. "What? I can't help it if women find me captivating. She's also out of your league. She's the girl who beat Boris, the leader of the Red Crusaders. A girl like her would be a waste for someone like you."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Stop complaining. Besides, there are plenty of girls for you to choose on this island."
Alice looked around nervously as she waited in line and tugged the hem of her skirt down just in case. Uh...hello. I'm right here, she thought. These guys clearly had no sense of chivalry at all, which was odd considering many of their groups had the name Knight in it.
She heard Jasmine calling her name and looked around to find her. She was sitting with Alexis, Mindy, and three Obelisk Blue girls named Alyssa, Kami, and Wisteria. They were saving a seat for her. Alice gave a thumbs up to show that she saw and would join them soon.
As she approached the grated window to order her food, she noticed a tall and well-built boy from Slifer Red leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and one foot on the wall. His hair was short with a few long bangs hanging over his face. His skin was sunkissed, which revealed he probably went to the beach a lot.
His eyes were the most brilliant shade of green, mixed with blue around the iris. The boy's blazer was tied around his waist and the sleeves of his dress shirt were up revealing very toned arms. His tie was hanging loose and he wore a belt with two carbon fiber deck cases that had a gold trident insignia on the front. One case kept his deck and the other had rare cards he would us to trade. Also hanging from the belt was a chain with looked like multiple crowns with a fleur-de-lis at the end.
He was staring at her, examining her very thoroughly. She noticed his eyes slowly going down, and she knew that he was checking out her legs. No doubt he was hoping for an unfriendly wind to pass by and lift it to give him a generous view. Alice quickly looked away and focused on the menu hanging above the window, which she read more than a dozen times already.
Curiously, she looked back at the boy. He was still looking at her. It was creepy, she thought, but he was so handsome that deep down she would rather deal with his awkward stares than the verbal harassment from the boys from Ra Yellow, not to say she enjoyed being looked at him. Enough was enough.
"What are you looking at?" Alice asked.
"Hmm, not much of a talker I see," he said. "Or are you just waiting for me to kiss your boots because you're a princess from Obelisk Blue?"
"Or I'm dead tired and I want to have a coffee before class, but I can't because you're in my fucking way."
"Coffee, eh? I'd love to join you, but there's something I want to know. And I'd like to know now if you don't mind. A precaution just in case you're so tired that you can't tell the difference between me and the coffee shop sign beside you."
Alice shrugged and moved her head from side to side to show she was listening. The boy chuckled, admiring her wild, red hair. It looked unkempt, but the Slifer didn't seem to mind. He found her beautiful this way.
"Wow. Your hair. It's so long it needs its own zip code. It's wild...like a lion's hair."
Alice giggled. "It makes me feel like a lion," she said brushing her fiery mane with her fingertips. "I rather like it."
The boy smiled and gave a complimentary nod. "You're not the only one. And that blue bow of yours just goes along well with the color of your hair. So, tell me, princess, are you used to having people comment about you that way? Or do you usually just brush it off and move on?"
Alice rolled her eyes. "Aww, I'm sorry, sweetie, are you looking for someone to give you some attention, too?"
The boy's eyes widened. "Sweetie?" He laughed. "No way, those assholes could only wish they had the balls to catcall me the way they have. They're wasted on Blue Dragon, some weed from the mountains. They've been drooling after every pair of legs that walked by them since dawn. They were so high they even catcalled Chazz Princeton a little while ago. I'm just waiting around for Campus Security to come by and make a scene with these two jerks."
He gazed at Alice again and smiled. "But I must say, they're right to admire you." He tilted his head to the right. "Your ass looks really big. Tell me, do you squat?"
Alice couldn't believe he would ask her something like that. "Excuse me?"
The boy chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry, I have a thing for physically fit girls; redheads the most. I find you rather darling. You look like you exercise a lot. Do you?"
"So what if I do?"
Again, the boy chuckled. "Forgive me. I hung around a lot of party girls back home. I keep forgetting that not all girls are like them. Nah, you look like someone with class. Take care and stay away from those kinds of guys."
"Oh, I will. Now, why don't you follow your own advice and give me a wide berth as well? Augh, and make it a very wide berth; I can smell the Broadsword body spray from here."
The smile never left him. "Actually, I was just on my way. But for some odd reason, I can't help but want to stick around and mess around with you some more. Maybe you'd help a guy out if you're not busy."
"Sorry, I'm busy."
"I'll make it worth your while."
"Your absence is all the reward I need."
"Now you're what I call a woman," said the Slifer. He put his hands into his pockets. "If you ever feel the need to look me up, the name's Bishop."
Alice sighed. "Very well, Bishop. What would you have me do?"
Bishop looked at her and spit out his gum. "Hold on. I can't help but shake the feeling that you don't trust Slifers. Do you?"
"So far they haven't given me any reason to."
"Not all of us are like that sweetheart. Slifers are pretty good folk once you get to know us and put the tribalism aside."
Alice stopped and pursed her lips. She ordered her food and began to walk off. "You know what? I think not, Bishop. I have no interest in your company. Goodbye."
Bishop laughed as she walked away. "No problem, princess, give it some time. I usually hang around the lighthouse during sundown. If you encounter a stiff staring off into nothingness, that's Zane. See you around. I hope."
Alice looked over her shoulder and gave him a wink. Deep down, she was actually looking forward to seeing him again, just not out in public. He was terribly obnoxious, but there was some kind of charm to him that she rather enjoyed. And not to mention he was really hot for a Slifer. She sighed and joined her friends at their table.
Alexis smiled gave Alice a friendly pat on the back as she sat down. The rain was coming down in short drops and the sun was coming out, its bright light warmed the island from the chill of the storm.
"Damn," Alexis said, holding her hand over her eyes. "That is bright as all hell."
Kami wagged her finger at her. "Bad language! We are ladies of Obelisk Blue. So please refrain from those kinds of words."
Alexis sighed, thankful that the branches of the willow tree they sat under were starting to provide them with some shade. Yellow string lights with orange paper lanterns hung over them, giving the place a warm, friendly atmosphere.
"Oh, Alice, I see you've met Bishop," Jasmine said, digging around through her salad.
Kami shivered. "Why do most of the good-looking guys belong in Slifer?" she swooned.
"Because they lack manners or sense of personal space," Alice said shaking her head. She unwrapped her chocolate chip cookie and took a bite. She looked over her shoulder to see if he was still there. He wasn't. He must have moved on as she made her way to the table. "Good riddance," she said.
Alyssa (Duel Links NPC) giggled. "Yeah, right? A real charmer. So you're the girl who beat Boris the other day, huh? You're our hero. Ever since you and Chazz stood up to him, he and the other duel gangs have stayed far away from our side of the island."
"You have my utmost respect for that," said the pink-haired Wisteria. "But what If he comes back?"
"He won't," said Kami, a girl with long dark blue hair and two lilac bows on either side of her head. "Not so long as we have her and Chazz looking after us."
"Hey, don't forget Zane," said Alexis. The girls looked at her with teasing looks on their faces. "What?" she said after a long and awkward pause.
"Of course, we wouldn't forget your buddy Zane, Alexis," Mindy teased. "Why do you get so defensive when someone forgets to mention him?"
Alexis's face turned pink. "Girls, don't do this again. We're just friends. And I like it that way. Stop insinuating things, will you? It's so juvenile."
They all burst out laughing. If there was one thing Jasmine and the others loved doing, it was pressing Alexis's buttons. And nothing got her worked up faster than teasing her about her close friendship with Zane. She followed him around school and during sundown the two of them were spotted standing together under the lighthouse.
Alice took something out of her backpack. "I want to show you guys something," she said. The object she held looked like a flat black tablet. She placed it in the center of the table and used an app she created on her phone to activate it. Soon, holographic butterflies that looked like they were made of light burst from out of the tablet like a geyser and flew all around them.
"Oh my goodness!" Kami cried, trying to catch them. "Alice! You made this?"
"Uh-huh," said Alice. "What do you guys think?"
"Not bad," Alexis said holding out her finger. One of the holographic butterflies landed on it and flapped its wings slowly. "I mean, the textures are a little pixelated when you look at them up close but overall this is exquisite work, Alice. I'm impressed. Did your mom teach you how to make this?"
"Just the basics. But I learned everything else by reading books and taking some cheap online courses. It's really simple once you get the hang of it. The binary was a pain in the ass though."
"Ugh, I hate binary," Kami scoffed.
"I don't even know what it is and I hate it," said Alyssa. "Wow, this is gorgeous. Now I know why you want to be a hologram designer at Kaiba Corp, Alice. I wish you luck."
"Textures or not," said Jasmine, "this is nothing short of beautiful. They look so real."
"Well, back to Bishop," said Mindy. "Alice. What do you think of him?"
"Must we really go back to that?" Alice asked with a heavy sigh. She tapped her app and the holograms turned off.
Alexis giggled and shook her head. "Believe me, Alice, when it comes to boys, Jasmine and Mindy will go on and on and on."
"I can't help it," said Mindy. "Alice seemed so interested in him. Most girls would give the guy lots of space, but you let him talk to you. Why's that?"
"Who cares? I think he needs to keep his distance from you, Alice," Evan said approaching their table. "Listen, we need to talk."
Alice shut her eyes and turned her head. "We have nothing to talk about, Evan. I have no desire to speak with you."
Jasmine frowned. "Well, well, well. What do you want, pervert?"
Evan looked at her in disdain. "I don't know what she told you, but it was an accident."
Alice flushed into a deep shade of crimson. "Judging by that stupid look you had on your face, I can tell you were really enjoying that accident."
"Come on, Alice, I said I was sorry."
"Get lost, Slifer," Kami said with a wave of her hand. "We don't need you polluting our space."
"Watch it!" Evan said. "I may be a Slifer now, but just you wait. I'm going to grow to be something big around here."
"Yeah, the head janitor," sniggered Wisteria.
"Ha! You wish! You're looking at a future card designer for Industrial Illusions! So show me some respect!"
"Is that what you want to do?" Alexis asked. "Can you draw at all?"
"Well...no...I guess, no. But I can cook up some cool monsters and sweet effects. Get this!" he sat down on a vacant chair in between Kami and Jasmine. Both girls could smell the stench of the swamps perfuming both his blazer and his shoes and scooted away. "What if I created a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon fusion monster?"
"Say what?" Alexis said.
Alice squeezed her eyes shut and exhaled to let out her frustration. "You mean a hybrid of the Red-Eyes, Galaxy-Eyes, and the Blue-Eyes?"
"Yeah! And it will have 4000 attack points!"
"It's nothing my dragon can't handle," Jasmine said, holding up her Gold-Rare Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand.
Evan scoffed. "I think not. Your Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand will wind up being food for my dragon. See, at the cost of some Life Points, my hybrid beast can gain 1000 attack points for every dragon on the field and in the graveyard. No other card can do that, right?"
"Ahem," Alyssa said. She popped open the deck case strapped to her thigh with a flick of her fingers and took her cards out. She flipped through them and showed Evan her ace. "This is Buster Blader the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman. He can gain 1000 attack points for every dragon on the field and in the graveyard. Also, dragon-type monsters you control are forced into defense mode and their effects are negated."
"Okay, sure, but he's still not as strong as my hybrid. My beast is going to be up there in the Meta, you just wait!"
Alexis slapped her palm on her forehead. "Uh, no. Your mess of a monster will never stand up to Alyssa's Dragon Destroyer Swordsman."
"Right," said Alyssa, feeling quite irritated that Evan believed her monsters couldn't stand up to his fake beast. "First off, your dragon's weakness is that there have to be dragons on the field and in the graveyard. What if your opponent doesn't have those types of monsters? Also, you have to pay Life Points to increase his attack, which is really, really, bad. Buster Blader just gains the bonus with no payment. And has this guy to back him up." She held up the card. "He's called Buster Dragon."
"Ha. More food for my dragon."
"You're not listening. Buster Dragon can turn everything on the field into a dragon-type monster, putting them all at the mercy of the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman's effect. And he can inflict piercing damage, meaning he can deal damage to your Life Points even if your monsters are in defense mode."
"Uh..."
Jasmine smirked. "Yeah, and your dragon has no protection from effects. He's just a generic as hell beat stick. When my Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand is summoned to the field, I can banish your hybrid and have Felgrand's attack increase by the level of your monster times one hundred. So whose dragon is food now, Evan."
Evan scoffed. "Well, it still has its bugs, but I can fix that." He then grew impatient. "You know what? Whatever. I think it's a good boss monster. You girls just think you're all that just because you swarm the field and perform OTK combos that you're good. Well sorry to break it to you, ladies, dueling like that is not skill."
"Excuse me!" snapped Alexis. "You can't even win one duel and you're going to lecture us about skill!"
Evan took a strip of bacon from Mindy's plate ("Hey!"). "You guys find cheap ways to play the game. You always want to end it as fast as you can. That's not skill. That's just cheap."
"Can I punch this guy?" said Alexis. "That's how the game is played now. Sorry to break it to you, Evan, but we're not in the Duelist Kingdom Era anymore. If you want to grow and become a good duelist, you need to accept that."
"I don't need complicated combos to show I'm a good duelist. You're all just jealous because I can cook up cool monsters. Your Divine Dragon and your Buster Blader Destroyer aren't good boss monsters."
"Oh, that's it!" Jasmine said, standing up. "Take that back!"
"What in the hell would you know what a good boss monster is?" said Alice.
Evan shrugged. "Something that's not your giant red chicken, Nepheet, that's for sure."
"Her name is Nephthys! And she's a Phoenix!"
"There's also one major issue," said Alyssa. "One you totally can't seem to grasp. The fusion monster requires a Blue-Eyes White Dragon as material to create the hybrid. When last I checked, Seto Kaiba is the only one in the world who has the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."
"Awwwww," Evan groaned sinking into his seat. He stood up and then pushed their plates aside, knocking their lunch to the ground.
"Security!" shouted Alyssa.
"Oh, you're going to need them!" said Evan. "I challenge all you girls to a duel!"
"You can't do that," said a cold voice that sent shivers down Evan's spine. "Now is not the time for these ladies to be playing games."
Evan slowly turned, hoping that the person behind him wasn't who he thought it was. He saw the deep blue eyes of Zane Truesdale, striking him down like a bolt of lightning.
"Hey, Zane," Alexis said cheerfully.
Alice blushed. "Oh...so that's the number one student in the academy."
Zane crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Alice. "Shouldn't you be heading to the gymnasium, Fenix? I believe the Red Arrows are waiting for you."
Alice wasted no time packing her things. "Uh, right. Of course. I'll be on my way then." She picked up her things slowly because she wanted to see Zane trounce this fool.
Zane nodded in response then looked back at Alyssa, Kami, and Wisteria. "And you three, the swim team is having its meeting. I thought you would be there by now."
"Right," said Wisteria. "Come on, girls. Let's get this cleaned up go."
Then Zane looked at Evan. "As for you, I believe you owe these ladies some lunch."
"This doesn't concern you, Zane!" Evan said, trying to keep calm and cool. He looked back at Alice. "And you. Who is he to order you around like that? Who is he to tell you girls what to do? What are they, Zane? Your harem or something."
Zane narrowed his eyes. "Come again?"
"Uh oh," Alexis whispered.
Zane walked closer to Evan. "A harem? Were I that beastly and inconsiderate," he said coldly. "They're my friends. I'm just reminding them that they have places they need to be and they don't have time to be slumming against a Slifer."
"Then how about you and me go one on one?" Evan said, confidently holding up his deck. "I've got loads of new cards in my deck and they're itching to take you down!"
Alexis stood up. "Uh, Evan, no. This is Zane. The Kaiser of the Academy. He's the number one student in school for a reason. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."
"Enough, Alexis," Zane said. "If he wants to duel, he can duel. That's his right. After all, this isn't anything official, so he doesn't have to fill out a request form. I have a little time left before I hit the gym."
"Go easy on him, Zane," said Mindy.
Evan and Zane got into positions and began the match.
Evan 4000 LP
Zane 4000 LP
"I'll let you go first, Evan," said Zane.
"Ha, you're too kind. Watch this. Maybe I can teach you something, Zane. I set a card face-down and summon Gene-Warped Warwolf in attack mode!"
ATK/2000 DEF/100
"An interesting opening move," said Zane. "Now, I summon Cyber Dragon!"
He placed the card down on his holographic blade. Then a serpent-like machine slithered from out of a portal of bright light and coiled behind Zane.
ATK/2100 DEF/1600
"Hey, you're cheating!" Evan shouted. "You can't summon higher-level monsters on your first turn!"
"You clearly don't know much about this game if you believe that. Anyways, I can special summon Cyber Dragon because it's my first turn. Now, I use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face-down card!"
A twister of green wind stretched out of Zane's card and smashed the face-down Evan played. But he laughed. A whirlwind of ice and snow appeared where the card one stood.
What was that? Alexis thought.
Evan smiled. I was hoping you'd do that, Zane!
"Now, Cyber Dragon, attack Gene-Warped Warwolf! Strident Blast!"
Cyber Dragon opened its mouth and fired a yellow laser beam at the wolf. It growled and burned to ashes in mere seconds.
Evan 3900 LP
Zane then used a spell called Different Dimension Capsule. He placed a card into a sarcophagus that came out of the ground and in two turns he could use it. Evan was confident he could take Zane down before then.
Once Zane ended his turn, Evan shouted, "Arise, Silver Sentinel!"
Zane grunted as a warrior dressed warmly in winter clothing and wielding a silver engraved sniper rifle appeared on the field.
Alice was confused. "Hold on, it's still Zane's end phase. How did Evan summon that?"
"It's called Silver Sentinel," said Evan. "He's no ordinary monster. I can set him face-down like a spell or trap. And during the end phase of the turn that he's destroyed, I can special summon him to the field. Then I get to target one of your cards and destroy it. And I aim for your Cyber Dragon."
Silver Sentinel aimed his rifle and fired, hitting Cyber Dragon in the eye. The dragon roared and exploded.
"No way!" cried Alyssa. "Evan took down Zane's Cyber Dragon?"
Alexis was at a loss for words. "Wow," she finally said in a whisper. "A monster that can be set like a spell or trap card. He knew Zane was going to pop it somehow. Where did he get a card like that?"
"Not bad, kid," said Zane.
"Really?" Evan said. "Well, if you thought that was impressive, wait till you see what I do next. I summon one of the many rare and powerful cards I acquired this week. Comrade Swordsman of Landstar!"
His creature was a small warrior with a wide sword. He was colored pink and had two antennae coming out of his feather hat. He looked like he came out of a toybox.
ATK/500 DEF/1200
Alyssa laughed. "Seriously? Is that one of the new rare cards he was threatening Zane with? Oh, man. I'd hate to see his weaker monsters."
"Don't make fun of him yet," said Alice. "Comrade Swordsman of Landstar is a Tuner."
Wisteria scoffed. "Come on, Evan doesn't know how to use a Tuner...does he?"
"This is for calling me weak!" said Evan. He paused and chuckled in embarrassment. "Uh, Zane. I can Synchro Summon if the levels of the monsters I'm using are equal to the level of the Synchro monster I want to summon, right?"
Zane grinned. "That's it. You got it. Fire away and show me what you've got."
"Gee, thanks," Evan said. "All right. I tune Comrade Swordsman of Landstar with Silver Sentinel. Synchro Summon. Samurai Destroyer!"
Evan held his breath. The monsters merged together with the power of the stars and then turned into a giant robot that had the appearance of a samurai warrior.
ATK/2600 DEF/1400
"I did it!" Evan said in disbelief. "I actually did it! I'm a professional! All right, Samurai Destroyer, attack Zane's Life Points directly!"
The robotic samurai drew his tall sword from the sheath on his back. He held it close to his face and his red eyes flashed. Samurai Warrior jumped up high and slammed the blade on the ground, creating a crescent-shaped blue beam that sped towards Zane and slammed into him. But Zane didn't move. He stood there as still as a statue, taking the hit like it was nothing.
Evan was bothered by how cool and collected Zane was. It was a sign that he had been through many difficult duels, meaning that this match probably meant nothing to him.
"Uh...you know...you could at least flinch or...something."
Zane 1400 LP
Evan 3900 LP
"Not bad, Evan, not bad at all," Zane said at last. "You've got what it takes to be something around here. It seems like you know how to use your cards. That's a lot more than I can say about a certain someone that I know. You've got some hidden potential inside of you, Evan. But sadly, it won't be enough to win this match. I discard a light monster to special summon, Galaxy Soldier! Now I activate the effect of the Light monster I discarded. Cyber Dragon Hertz! This card lets me add a Cyber Dragon card to my hand. Now, I'll discard it to the graveyard to summon another Galaxy Soldier. Now, I'll Overlay them both to Xyz Summon, Cyber Dragon Nova!"
The dragons jumped up and flew into a portal in the ground. The portal flashed and sparked. Suddenly a new mechanical dragon rose out of it and roared as it spread its wings, which were lit up with orange circuit board patterns.
ATK/2100 DEF/1600
"Xyz Summon!" Evan said with a stutter. "Oh man, I was just getting used to Synchro Summoning."
"But I'm not done yet. I'll remove an Xyz Material from my Cyber Dragon Nova to resurrect one of my Cyber Dragons from the graveyard."
The ground shook and then BOOM! The Cyber Dragon returned to the field.
"Oh no, he's back!" cried Evan.
"And it's going to get worse," said Zane. "Now, I Overlay Cyber Dragon Nova to Xyz Summon Cyber Dragon Infinity!"
The dragon vanished into another portal. And then arose a longer, darker, and meaner-looking dragon. He was jet black with gold spikes and was glowing with red cybernetic patterns. He was over a mile long and was as tall as a skyscraper.
ATK/2100 DEF/1600
"And now for my Cyber Dragon Infinity's special ability," said Zane. "He gains an additional 200 attack points for each Xyz Material attached to it, which will raise him up to 2500. Now I summon Cyber Dragon Core! Don't let this little guy fool you. When he's out on the field, his name is treated as Cyber Dragon. Which brings me to this next card. Machine Duplication! Now, I special summon the final Cyber Dragon from my deck!"
"Yeah, Zane!" cheered Jasmine.
"I warned him," Alexis said with a sigh. "Evan never stood a chance."
Zane held up his next card. I now use Monster Reborn to bring back the Cyber Dragon you destroyed earlier with your Silver Sentinel. Now, I've got all three Cyber Dragons out. But they won't be around for long...in present form. I activate the spell, Power Bond! Now I fuse together my three Cyber Dragon to create...the Cyber End Dragon!"
Evan didn't like the sound of that. The dragon Zane created with all three beasts was colossal in size. He had never seen anything like it. Its wingspan was long, only dwarfed by the Cyber Dragon Infinity. The dragon's body was made of brilliant chrome that shined brightly in the afternoon sun.
ATK/4000 DEF/2800
"Thanks to my Power Bond spell, my Cyber End Dragon's attack gets doubled."
"Doubled!" shouted Evan.
ATK/8000
"But I'm not through with you yet, Evan. This is what you deserve for stooping low. If you want to act like a thug, you're going to get punished like one. I use the spell, Limiter Removal, which doubles the attack points of all machine monsters I control!
Cyber Dragon Infinity ATK/5000
Cyber End Dragon ATK/16000
The dragons attacked him mercilessly. They completely atomized his Samurai Destroyer and then wiped out the rest of his Life Points. Evan was sent flying halfway across the grass and landed on the dirt path on his back.
"You'll never be good unless you duel with honor and respect," said Zane. "You have potential, so do yourself a favor and unlock it. The right way. Stop being so brash and impatient. I see you hanging a lot with Boris, too. You should know better than that."
"So does that mean he's a Red Crusader!" said Alexis.
"N-no!" barked Evan. "I'm not a..."
"Maybe you are, maybe you aren't," Zane pressed on. "I'm not here to accuse you of anything. I will say that being around scum like him is going to get you nowhere. If he's set on making you join his gang, don't."
Evan stood up. "Sh-shut up!" he said. "I don't need your advice. The only reason I could stand toe-to-toe with the likes of you is because of Boris. They may be a bunch of bullies, but they can't help it. Especially not towards people who treat us like scum just because of the color of our jackets."
Alice grimaced at those words.
"If people like the Red Crusaders exist, it's your faults! We wanted to come here to have fun and learn how to play like you. But you make fun of us and humiliate us. You treat us like lesser beings and it's not fair. It's been nothing but a nightmare coming to this school. But I won't be stuck in this red jacket forever. I'll get more rare cards. I'll get better. And when I do, I'm taking you down, and then I'll become the rank one duelist in school. You'll see. Just you wait!"
He hobbled away.
"I look forward to that match," Zane said. Evan stopped. He grunted and kept walking away. Zane shrugged and looked at Alice. "So you're Alice."
"Y-yes."
Alexis giggled, patting her hand. "Take it easy, Alice. He won't bite."
"I heard about what you did to Boris. Nice work. I can see why you've been personally selected to join the Red Arrows. Enora always did have a sixth sense for talent. Speaking of which, I believe she's waiting for you."
Alice gasped. "Oh, shoot!" Alice gathered her things and ate the last chunk of her cookie. "Thank you for reminding me. Bye, guys."
"Just a heads up," said Zane. "Those aren't going to be ordinary duels you'll be playing. They're going to push you to your limits. So stay strong. And good luck."
Alice didn't know what Zane meant by that. But she nodded once as a way of saying thank you. She put on her backpack and darted down the road to the dome where Enora told her to meet, wondering what in the world this team had in store for her.