Chapter Five: Welcome to Duel Academy

Victor, Jane and Pitt had been waiting only a week since they passed the Duel Academy entrance exam, but it had felt like a month due to their excitement and anticipation. Well, they didn't need to wait any longer. Today was the day they started the school year. The three of them all got up early, and after they grabbed their personal belongings and said goodbye to their parents, they all met up at a local cafe to catch breakfast before they had to go to the airport and fly to Academy Island. They were all so excited, yet they didn't speak atll until they were on the plane and in the air. It was Pitt who broke the silence.

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"HOW MUCH LONGER??"

If it weren't for the seatbelt, Pitt very well may have burst through the top of the plane. All of his energy had been building up, and now it was an explosion of chaos.

"Okay how about now? Are we any closer? SeriouslyhowmuchlongerIcan'twaitany-"

His ramblings were stopped when Victor put a hand over his mouth. "Pitt, buddy, pal... don't make me throw you out of the plane without a parachute."

Jane shook her head in disapproval. "Victor, cut him some slack. All of us are excited, he's just wanting to start the school year as soon as he can."

"The captain said this would be a three hour plane ride, I don't need Pitt to make it feel like eight. If he just can't wait to duel, then we can do a table duel with the trays." Victor retorted.

This kept Pitt appeased for about 2 and a half hours. Finally, the captain made an announcement over the plane intercom. "Attention new duel academy students, we are making our final decent to academy island, please put away any devices and duel cards, and prepare for landing."

The plane landed, and as soon as the cabin door opened, Pitt dashed out so fast that he left behind a smoke trail. However he didn't get too far before running into a pole, rendering him unconcious. Jane and Victor simply shook their heads at his antics, and woke him up by splashing water on his face.

"Before you run off to duel the first person you see, you'll need to go to orientation with us." Said Jane.

Pitt didn't like the idea of having to wait a second longer than he already had. "Why? I already have my jacket, I know which dorm I'm in."

"Oh, yeah? Do you know where your dorm is?" asked Victor.

"And you are forgetting, you don't have a duel disk." Jane reminded Pitt. All of the new students left their Duel Disks behind, because Duel Academy provided all of it's students with the state of the art Model 2 Disk. Realizing he had to go to orientation to get the disk, Pitt relented, and ceased all further shenanigans. The three of them then followed the other new students who had been on their plane, walking for about ten minutes until they got to a large building. It had a banner on it which read 'New Students: ORIENTATION HERE!'. Once inside They saw lines of students all leading to academy staff at tables. The three of them got in line and eventually made it to the front, where they talked to a staff member.

"Names please, quickly!"

Jane gave them their names, and the staff member quiuckly reached under the table and pulled out two paper bags and a PDA. The bags had Jane and Victor's names on them. Before Jane could even speak, the staff member spoke quickly. "These bags have your school uniforms in them, and PDA's. Pitt Toru, since you already have your uniform you just need this PDA. The PDA's will be how you get into your dorms. Changing rooms are to the right, change into your uniforms, and then head down the hall to the orientation room. The headmaster will give a speech in forty minutes and then you'll get your duel disks. Next in line please!"

They grabbed their stuff and exited the line. Pitt looked up excitedly at his friends. "So, are you two ready to see which dorm you're in?"

Victor reached into his bag, and was about to pull out his jacket when Jane stopped him. "Wait. Let's do it at the same time. On three. One...Two...Three!" Victor and Jane pulled out their jackets, and were both disappointed. Not only were neither of their jackets blue, meaning they wouldn't share a dorm with Pitt, both jackets were different colors, so they wouldn't be in the same dorm as eachother either. Victor's jacket was Red, while Jane's was Yellow. While they were only first years, Jane made sure to learn as much about Duel Academy as possible after passing the entrance exam. She learned about how the dorms were based on a ranking system, and told her friends about it. They learned that Obelisk Blue was full of talented students, as well as rich students with connections. Those who showed extreme promise were placed there. Ra Yellow was for those who showed promise, but needed just a bit more training or experience. Slifer Red was the bottom of the barrel, those with poor dueling skills and low expectations were placed there. The hope was that they would work hard and rise up in the rankings. While Jane was able to accept her placement in Ra Yellow, she really thought Victor would be in the same dorm as her. Victor himself was not happy. To be placed in the Red dorm meant they thought he was bottom tier. Jane saw how much it affected him. She knew Victor struggled with his confidence and was worried he would beat himself up over this. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"This isn't a permanent thing Victor. Remember what we talked about. The school gives students an opportunity to advance dorms at the end of the first month. I have no doubt that you'll join me in Ra Yellow then."

Jane's reassurance helped a bit, but it still took Victor some time before he was back to normal. He and Jane went to the changing rooms. Once they were in their uniforms, they joined Pitt and headed to the orientation room. After a bit of waiting, the students all stood up as a giant screen turned on, showing the face of a bald, bearded man in a burgundy jacket.

"Hello first year students! I am Chancellor Shepard, and I'd like to welcome you to Duel Academy. Now as you may have noticed, there are quite a few new students this year, this is my fifth speech of the day, so I'll keep this short. Once you leave thbis room, you'll all be given a Model Two duel disk. The disk has a module attached to it that tracks all duels you have while on campus. Speaking of duels, each duel you have will earn a currency unique to Duel Academy called Duel Points, or DP for short. This DP will be what you use to buy just about anything here. Duel Cards, decorations for your dorm, special priveledges, etcetera. The Duel Tracking Module in your disks will keep track of your win loss record and award DP accordingly. The PDA's you've all received can be used to do many things. For Yellow and Blue dorm students, they can be used as an access key for your dorms, and the amenities attached to them. Everyone can use their PDA's to keep track of their school assignments and Duel Points. You can send both video and text messages to other students. And you can call your family back home as well. Now, feel free to explore the grounds, classes start tommorow. Oh! I almost forgot, your PDA's have maps of the school grounds that you can use to find your dorms. I'm sure you'll find them quite comfortable, depending on how you ranked of course. For those Red and Yellow dorm students not happy with their placement, you will get an opportunity to advance to the next dorm at the end of the month. Now, enjoy your first day!"

The screen turned off, as the doors to the room opened. After getting their Duel Disks ,Victor, Jane and Pitt walked out of the building and out into the schoolyard, where they saw two familiar faces. Jaden Yuki and Syrus Truesdale, both of whom were wearing red jackets. Pitt Ran over and got their attention.

"Jaden, Syrus! Remember us?"

Jaden looked over and smiled. "Oh, hey Pitt, of course we remember you! Jane, you got into Ra, nice. Hey Vic, I see they put you in red hot Slifer Red!"

Victor looked confused. "Jaden, don't you know how the rankings work? Obelisk is at the top, Ra is the middle and Slifer is at the bottom."

Jaden shook his head, his smile never fading. "Meh, I don't really care about that, we all made it here right? That means everyone here has the potential to be among the best duelists in the world!"

Jane smiled. "See Victor? You should take in some of Jaden's positive energy. He has the right idea, you always have the potential to improve."

Victor decided to try to look on the bright side of things, Jane and Jaden were right. Being in Slifer wasn't permanent, and it wasn't the end of the world. He just needed to build himself up and improve his skill.

"Okay, you've convinced me. I'll stop being a Debby Downer."

Pitt smiled. "That's the spirit Vic! Besides, the bright shade of Red matches your blindingly shiny red hair. I wonder if the factory the jacket was made in emitted as much toxic fumes as your hair dye?"

Victor swept Pitt's legs, tripping him. "Still think you're funny, half-pint?"

Pitt laughed his butt off, which answered Victor's question. After they all laughed, they agreed to go look at their dorms. Victor went with Jaden and Syrus, and found their dorms to be a set of cheap looking motel rooms at best. Victor and Syrus were a bit put off by the shabby accomodations, but Jaden being the positive force he is, saw it as roomy and full of personality.

The three of them ended up sharing a room, which had a set of bunk beds, divided into three. It also had a small work desk and a dresser. After getting as settled as they could, Victor got bored and decided to go exploring. Maybe he would find someone who wanted to duel. Upon saying the word 'Duel', Jaden sprung into action.

"If you want to duel, you can duel me! But not here, I saw a wicked awesome place on our way here. Follow me!" Jaden Took off and Victor followed him, Syrus trailing behind them both.

The three of them made their way across campus until they reached a blue building. Inside was a well sized duel arena. Jaden and Syrus were geeking out over the place, and while Victor agreed it was nice, he couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't supposed to be there. Sure enough, three Obelisk Blue students approached them to tell them just that.

Goon 1: "What are you Slifers doing here?

Goon 2: Yeah, this arena is for Obelisk students only. How did you even get in?"

Jaden shrugged. "Sorry, the door was open so we figured it was for everyone."

The third Obelisk smiled nervously. "Ummm... sorry guys, that was me. I forgot to shut the door."

The other two blues looked annoyed. Goon 1: "Dang it Harold, do you ever do anything right?"

Goon 2: "I cant believe they let you in to Obelisk."

Suddenly a voice from the bleachers spoke. "Hold on boys, we should be thanking Harrold. After all, I've been wanting to meet the applicant who beat Dr.Crowler in person, and thanks to Harrold they've saved me the trouble of finding them myself."

All six boys turned and watched as the one from the bleachers walked up to them. "My name is Chazz Princeton, Slifer. And you and I are gonna duel. I want to see for myself if your dueling skills are really all that, or if your victory over Dr.Crowler was just a fluke."Jaden either missed or ignored the somewhat sinister tone in Chazz's voice, the prospect of dueling was enough to get him onboard.

"Alright. My name's Jaden, and these are my friends Syrus and Victor. If you want to duel me, then I'm game!"

Jaden and Chazz both smirked confidently, but before they could even strap on their duel disks, a female Obelisk entered the arena.

"Just what are you all doing?"

They all looked over at her, and Chazz seemed to know her. "Oh, Hi Alexis. I was just about to give this Slifer an official Duel Academy welcome, show him the difference between Slifers and Obelisks."

Alexis responded. "It's time for the Obelisk welcome banquet, stop fooling around and get going."

Chazz could tell there was no arguing with her, so he reluctantly agreed, and sent his two nameless goons ahead while he collected his belongings. He saw Alexis talking to the three Slifers, they were introducing eachother it seemed. The very idea that Slifers were talking to someone like Alexis agitated him. 'These slackers need to be taught their place' he thought. He suddenly came up with an idea. He waited for Alexis to leave, and then got the attention of one of the Slifers.

"Hey, red hair!"

Victor looked at Chazz. "What do you want, I thought you were running off to the banquet like a good lapdog."

Jaden chuckled at Victor's joke, while Chazz snarled. It seemed he picked the right Slifer to teach a lesson to. "What do you say to a duel, right here, right now?"

"I thought you wanted to duel Jaden?" Victor asked.

Chazz smiled maliciously. "I never said I would be the one dueling you, that honor belongs to Harrold."

Harrold, who hadn't left with the others, was taken by surprise. "W-What, me? Why me?"

Chazz looked over at him, annoyed. "Becausse I said so. It's your fault that Slifers got in here anyway. So unless you want me to tell Dr.Crowler, then you'll duel whomever I tell you to."

He then looked back at Victor. "So, what do you say? I'll even sweeten the pot. All Obelisks get a beginning of the year gift of 10,000 DP. If you win, I'll throw in 5,000 DP in addition to whatever you get from the victory by default. So, what do you say?"

Victor took a moment to think, but before he could respond, Jaden spoke up. "Of course he'll duel, Victor is a top-notch duelist from what I've heard. He can take on whoever you throw at him!"

Jaden had clearly been talking to Pitt, who else would boast to such an extent about Victor. While he wanted to tell Jaden not to speak so highly of him, Victor was about to agree to the duel anyway, so no harm done. "What he said, Chazzy, send your lackey, and make sure he's ready to lose." Victor strapped on his duel disk and took his place on his side of the arena.

Chazz looked at Harrold, and motioned for him to go to his spot in the arena. Harold sighed, but complied. Chazz then spoke. "Good. Oh, and I forgot to mention something. Everyone's win/loss records are public, which means I'll know who wins and who losses. So don't either of you think about quiting the duel before it's over. Good luck, Slifer. And Harrold, you better win."

After Chazz walked off, Jaden and Syrus sat in the bleachers. Jaden was eager to see Victor duel.

"Let's Duel!" "Let's Duel!"

Victor LP:4000

Harrold LP:4000

Harrold: "Alright, since this is Obelisk Arena, I'll go first. I summon Rapid-Fire Magician in attack mode! Rapid-Fire Magician,Level 4,DARK,Spellcaster/Effect,ATK:1600,DEF:1200. Now everyone knows you can't attack on the first turn of a duel, but I can still deal out damage. Here's how, I activate the spell Double Summon. Now while the spell doesn't do damage, my Magician's effect does. Every time I activate a normal spell card with him on the field, you take 400 points of damage!." The magician pointed his scepter at Victor, and four multi-colored balls of energy shot out at him, exploding on impact.

"Ack!" Victor LP: 4000-3600

Harrold continued. "Next, I activate my Pot of Greed. I draw two cards, and due to my magician, you take another 400 points of damage."

Victor LP: 3600-3200

"I activate one of the cards I drew, the spell Magical Mallet. This lets me shuffle any number of cards from my hand back into my deck, and then I draw the same number of cards I shuffled in. I shuffle two cards, and then draw two cards, and you take more damage."

Victor LP: 3200-2800

"Alright, now since I activated Double Summon earlier, I summon another monster, Magician's Robe in defense mode." Magician's Robe, Level 2,DARK,Spellcaster/Effect,ATK:700,DEF:2000.

"That's my turn, your move, Slifer."

Victor drew, and then spoke. "I'll admit, that was an impressive combo. But I won't go down easily. I activate the spell Pot of Duality. Here's how it works: I look at the top three cards of my deck, then I add one of them to my hand and shuffle the other two back into my deck. The twist is that you get to see which cards I draw, and which one I add to my hand. Now, let's take a look." As Victor drew the top three cards, large holograms of them were projected onto the field, letting Harrold see them. They were even big enough for Jaden and Syrus to see.

"Here's what I drew: the spell Banner of Courage, the monster Armored Bee, and another monster, my Strong Wind Dragon. I'll add Armored Bee to my hand." Victor added the card to his hand, and shuffled the other two cards back into his deck. Once he did so, the three large holograms faded. "I summon Sonic Duck in attack mode! Sonic Duck,Level 4,WIND,Winged Beast,ATK:1700,DEF:700. Next, I set one card face down. Now Sonic Duck, attack Rapid-Fire Magician!" Sonic Duck crashed into the magician, destroying it.

Harrold LP:4000-3900

"That's my turn. You're up, Obelisk."

Harrold drew a card, and smiled. "I activate another Pot of Greed. Heh, sweet. I end my turn."

Victor was confused, if Harrold was happy with what he drew, why not do anything? Sure, Victor didn't have a monster on the field that could destroy the Magician's Robe, not yet anyway. Still, he wondered what Harrold was planning. "I tribute Sonic Duck to summon 'Alector,Sovereign of Birds' in attack mode. Alector,Sovereign of Birds,Level 6,WIND,Winged Beast/Effect,ATK:2400,DEF:2000. Now, Alector, attack Magician's Robe!"

Harrold held up his hand. "Hold it! I activate the effect of Magician's Robe. During my opponent's turn, I can send one spell from my hand to the graveyard, and in return I can special summon a monster directly from my deck. The Legendary, The Epic, The Super-Powerful... Dark Magician!!"

Dark Magician,Level 7,DARK,Spellcaster,ATK:2500,DEF:2100.

All three Slifers were shocked. The Dark Magician was a legendary rare card. It was famous for being the ace monster of the king of games himself, Yugi Muto!

Victor had to know. "How did you get a card like that?!"

Harold smiled proudly. "My dad works at Industrial Illusions, so Mr.Pegasus lets him get whatever cards he wants. When I told him I wanted the ultimate Spellcaster deck, he got the ultimate cards for it."

Victor was annoyed, but kept dueling. "Alector, follow through on your attack on Magician's Robe!"

While the Robe was destroyed, Dark Magician still loomed over the field, Victor didn't have a monster who was naturally stronger than that. He had two monsters that could beat the magician with their effects, one was his Strong Wind Dragon, but he would need to tribute a dragon monster to make it stronger, and he wasn't sure any monster he put on the field would last that long. His other option was a rather unique card, one he didn't use unless he absolutely had to. But there was more than one way to win a duel, he just had to play smart.

"I end my turn. Your move."

"I draw... So, do you like my Dark Magician?"

Before Victor could answer, Jaden erupted from the bleachers. "Like it? It's amazing! I never thought I'd see one in person, the legendary Dark Magician himself!"

"Um... I'm pretty sure he was asking me, Jaden." said Victor.

"Whoops, sorry. I just get so fired up with duels." Jaden smiled sheepishly.

Harold chuckled "I know, I was so excited when I first got him myself. But I have one monster that's even better than him. The trick is, he can only be summoned by tributing my Dark Magician. So... I'll do just that! I tribute my Dark Magician, in order to bring out... Dark Eradicator Warlock!!" Dark Eradicator Warlock,Level 7,DARK,Spellcaster/Effect,ATK:2500,DEF:2100

"It's attack and defense are equal to the Dark Magician, but it's effect is what's so powerful. It's the same as Rapid-Fire Magician, but instead of 400 damage points, you'll take 1000! Now I activate my spell, Harpie's Feather Duster, it destroys all spell and trap cards you control!"

'Damnit!' Victor had been planning on using his face down to destroy the Warlock. Well, he could at least stave off an attack this turn.

"Hold it! I activate my face down, the quick-play spell Forbidden Lance. I can choose one monster on the field, It loses 800 attack points until the end phase, and in exchange it's unaffected by other spells and traps this turn. Obviously, I choose your Warlock!"

Dark Eradicator Warlock ATK:2500-1700.

Harold growled in frustration, he would have to wait at least one more turn before he could destroy Victor's monster, but that wouldn't save him from taking effect damage.

"Fine, but even though my Feather Duster didn't destroy anything, you still take 1000 points of damage from my Warlock!"

Victor LP:2800-1800

"Your move." Dark Eradicator Warlock ATK:1700-2500

Victor drew a card and smiled. He just might win this afterall. "I activate my Fissure spell, say goodbye to your Warlock!" A hole opened up in the ground, swallowing the Warlock and destroying it.

Harold gasped "No! My best card!"

Victor smiled. "Next I summon Armored Bee, Armored Bee,Level 4,WIND,Insect/Effect,ATK:1600,DEF:12000. Finally, I play my field spell, Rising Air Current! It increases the attack of all WIND attribute monsters by 500, and lowers their defense by 400."

Armored Bee ATK:1600-2100, DEF:1200-800.

Alector, Sovereign of Birds ATK:2400-2900, DEF:2000-1600.

"And with no face downs, your field is wide open, both of my monsters attack you directly!"

"AAAAAAAAHH!!!" Harold LP:3900-0

VICTOR WINS