I'm back on track with the Yu-Gi-Oh series, hence why it's now time for Cherished Evolution's turn!

Ao3 Story Link: /works/43069185/chapters/160079353

Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own any Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!


"...Huh?"

"I'm sorry, what?!"

Alexis and Elize had been walking together, having finished their last class of the day and were simply chatting and hanging out with each other when they came across something that caught their attention.

In one of the lobbies showed a digital screen that often broadcasted any upcoming Duel Academy events or dueling tips visually to anyone. In this case, the screen revealed an upcoming event specifically for female contestants called the Miss Duel Academy, a beauty pageant in which students could cast their votes on which female student was the most beautiful and the upcoming results would have at least five finalists to be the last few standing before a final voting session between the five could occur. Of course, whoever had the most votes would be declared the winner.

And just why was this event relevant to the current predicament Alexis and Elize were in? Well, they were both in the event...unwillingly and unknowingly.

Featured on the screen were the final five contestants that were to be presented in the final round that would be occurring sometime later in the week. Seika Kohinata, Mindy Hamaguchi, Jasmine Makurada, and...Elize Konami and Alexis Rhodes.

Alexis seemed angry. "Why is my name on there?! I didn't sign up for that dumb event!"

Elize, too, was confused, as she didn't recall even signing up for any event. If anything, she was more occupied with her technical studies to focus on any other events. "Um...What's the Miss Duel Academy event? Because I don't think I signed up for this as well."

"Oh? You two are participating? That's a surprise."

Turning around, both girls saw Bastion, Jaden, and Syrus approaching them; their gazes also glancing up at the announcement event shown on the screen.

Placing her hands on her hips, Alexis shook her head. "Of course not! I didn't sign up for this stupid event! I don't even know how I got up there!"

"Huh? What's the Miss Duel Academy?" asked Jaden, curious.

Both Syrus and Bastion stared at Jaden in shock. "Wha-?! You don't know, Jaden?" exclaimed Syrus. "It's an annual beauty pageant! It's a voting poll that's been going on for about a month now to determine who's truly worthy to be Miss Duel Academy! Basically, it's an event to vote for the most prettiest and popular girl in school! How could you not know about this?"

"Eh...You know I'm not that great with computers, Sy," said Jaden. "Besides, these sort of things don't really interest me."

"Well, you did remember to vote, right?" asked Bastion.

"No."

"Jaden! Really?"

"I told you, I'm not really interested in these sort of things! Besides, one measly little vote taken out isn't going to be the end of the world or anything!"

Elize spoke up, "Wait, but that doesn't really explain why me and Alexis are in the event. Isn't this an event where you have to sign up to participate?"

Bastion nodded. "Yes, only those who sign up and are voted amongst the top five girls in the academy can proceed to the final round. I can only assume that someone signed you and Alexis up."

Alexis groaned, "Ugh! I can already tell who it is!"

Elize was confused herself. "Wait, who signed us up then?"

"Clearly, it was Jasmine and Mindy! Ugh, another one of their attempts to drag me into doing more 'girly' things with them! I swear, the next time I see them, I'm going to-"

"Hey, Alexis! Elize! Oh! And the rest of you are here too!" welcomed Jasmine as she and Mindy headed towards them.

Glaring at her two friends, Alexis stomped over to them. "You two! You better have a pretty good explanation for this!"

Blinking in surprise, Mindy asked, "Uh...What are you talking about, Alexis?"

Pointing to the screen, Alexis said, "The Miss Duel Academy event! You signed me and Elize up without our consent, didn't you?"

Glancing up at where Alexis was pointing to and judging from her words alone, it didn't take much for Mindy and Jasmine to put two and two together. "Oh! That? We actually didn't do anything this time," said Mindy.

Crossing her arms, Alexis continued glaring at them. "I don't believe you! You guys have always been pestering me to doing stuff with you that doesn't involve dueling! Like shopping or nail polishing or stuff like that! Every now and then is fine and all, but that always seems a bit too much when it's done too frequently!"

"Alexis, we actually didn't do anything like signing you up this time!" defended Jasmine. "I mean, me and Mindy did sign up for the Miss Duel Academy event, sure, but we didn't put your name or even Elize's! If we did, well, you're pretty much one of the most popular and beautiful girls in the whole academy! You'd win for sure! We actually want to have a chance of winning this thing!"

Alexis narrowed her eyes and before she could say anything more, Bastion intervened.

"Ah, um-Alexis? Just-Just hold for a moment, shall we? Perhaps your friends are telling the truth? I mean, their logic seem sound for the most part. If they truly are participating in a competition, it wouldn't make sense to bring in more competitors to participate, especially one that might have a clear advantage such as you," Bastion attempted to explain. "What I'm trying to say is, why would they sign you up when they're saying you clearly could win this whole event?"

From Mindy and Jasmine's pleas as well as Bastion's defensive explanation, Alexis had to admit that they had some points. Mindy and Jasmine had been chatting nonstop about partaking in the Miss Duel Academy event ever since it was announced and as much as the two girls loved to involve Alexis in anything romantic or girly-related, the two girls also knew how much Alexis disliked being in things like these, so they probably really didn't sign her up.

Or at the very least, if they did want her in the event, they would have tried harder to persuade her to join in, not violate her trust by going against her back and signing her up.

"Still, I'm kinda surprised someone else signed up Elize," spoke up Mindy. "I mean, no offense Elize, but you aren't exactly as...well, not as pretty as Alexis' level. You're pretty cute-looking, but..."

Elize shook her head. "Oh, no! None taken! Alexis and you and Jasmine are WAY more prettier than I am! But, uh...I do wonder who did sign me up anyways?"

Jaden placed his hands behind his head casually. "Ah, come on! If Alexis and Elize really don't wanna participate, can't they just back out of it? Just talk to a teacher or something and say no?"

Mindy, Jasmine, and Bastion all had awkward expressions planted on their faces. "Yeah...about that..." started off Jasmine.

"According to the rules, once you sign up, you really can't back out," spoke up Bastion. "Even if someone signs you up."

"What?! How is that even a rule?! That's so unfair!" shouted Alexis.

"I-It's been like that for a long time!" said Bastion, holding up his hands. "I didn't write any of those rules down, so I wouldn't know!"

"Can-Can we really not ask a teacher? I-I mean, can't we get Miss Fontaine to help us?" asked Elize.

"Um...Miss Fontaine is actually one of the organizers in the event," Mindy said. "I bet she was part of the rule making as well."

"...What happens if me and Elize aren't at the event when it happens?" Alexis asked.

"H-huh?!" Elize turned to Alexis. "I mean, won't we get in trouble if we just skip? I-I mean, I don't want to participate either, Alexis, but our names are up there, so-"

"It's not like we'll be expelled if we miss this event. So? What about it, guys?"

"Hmm..Well, I'd assume that they might do something if you don't attend," said Bastion. "I'm quite unsure. I haven't heard of anyone that participated that never showed up. Then again, I can't assume whether or not you'll truly be punished if you don't attend."

Elize cringed at the thought of possibly being punished upon not showing up. "I-I don't wanna get in trouble if that's the case! M-Maybe I should actually attend, then! I-I mean, it's not like I'll get in trouble if I lose right? I-I don't mind losing anyways!"

Jaden was confused. "Huh? Then why did you sign up if you don't want to win?"

Alexis facepalmed. "Jaden, haven't you been paying attention? Me and Elize DIDN'T sign up! Someone else signed us up without our permission, and I swear to God, I will find out who did this sooner or later..."

"Sorry, sorry!" apologized Jaden, holding up his hands and not wanting to anger the already-upset Alexis any further. "But man...to think that you managed to get into the finals, both of you! Nice job!"

"I-I still don't get why I was in the finals, though? I mean, Alexis and Mindy and Jasmine are all so much more prettier and beautiful than me," spoke Elize.

"Well, it's possible they just didn't have enough participants. That, or you received points out of pity from people who thought you should at least get 1 point, which only accumulated to having enough points to make it to the final round," theorized Bastion.

"Eh?! I don't even know if that's even worst! Just getting in simply because there wasn't enough people, or just getting pity points!"

Mindy and Jasmine glared at Bastion as they comforted Elize by wrapping their arms around her. "You know, that's pretty much an insensitive and uncalled thing to say, Bastion," spoke up Jasmine. "You probably don't have a girlfriend yet, but I bet any girl would break up with you if you said insensitive stuff like that."

"Yeah, girls who compete and work hard don't like being told they were getting a free pass just out of pity or convenience!" agreed Mindy.

'And yet, I have a pretty good idea that I easily qualified for the finals because of my so-called free pass,' thought Alexis, sweat dropping as she watched Bastion apologize to Elize.

Alexis wasn't oblivious to the fact that she was considered very beautiful within campus. In fact, she did take a little pride in being called the most beautiful duelist in all of Duel Academy, but she took much more pride in being acknowledged as a talented duelist, hence earning her place in Obelisk Blue, and not simply because of the fact that she's a girl. It did seem kind of odd and a bit unfair that all female students attending would automatically be placed in Obelisk Blue, otherwise, she was certain Mindy and Jasmine would be placed in Slifer Red due to their lacking dueling skills.

"Either way, I'm not planning on showing up to the event!" decided Alexis. "You can count on that!"

"But-But what if you get in trouble?" asked Elize.

"I'll deal with it when that happens! God, this is such a waste of time!" Alexis murmured, angrily storming off, leaving her friends behind. "I mean, how do they expect me to arrive at some event I don't even care about? It's not like they'll literally drag me there or anything!"


A few days later...

"Welcome, folks! To the annual Miss Duel Academy Event! Out of our all-student votes, these lovely ladies have made it to be our final nominees!"

On the final day of the Miss Duel Academy event, a stage was set up within Duel Academy grounds in the auditorium for both the audience and the contestants for the Miss Duel Academy event. Standing in front of the stage was a student posing as the announcer for the event.

Right behind him, four spotlights shined down on four of the original five contestants. Mindy Hamaguchi, Jasmine Makurada, Seika Kohinata, and of course, even Elize Konami herself attended.

And yet there was no sign of Alexis anywhere.

Mindy and Jasmine was just as excited as the crowd, giving entice poses as though to make themselves more popular enough to earn more votes. Seika was the only girl far calm and confident, believing that she would triumph most of all in this event.

As for Elize, she looked quite shy and desperately wanting to leave, yet remained still in her spot, gripping her red hat tightly in her hands and hiding her face as not to draw attention. The only reason she attended was because she didn't want to possibly get in trouble for not participating, even if she didn't willingly enter the event of her own free will. Besides that, she glanced around for any sign of Alexis, but no matter what, that girl was nowhere to be found.

Elize thought worriedly, 'Is...Is Alexis really not going to show up? Isn't that like, really really bad? I-I don't want her to get in trouble with the teachers, but...what's going to happen now?'

Meanwhile, Jaden, Syrus, and Bastion were also attending the event as part of the audience, simply to watch and cheer on one of their friends who could potentially become the next Miss Duel Academy. Jaden appeared bored and uninterested in the whole thing but some persuasion from both Syrus and Bastion convinced him that even if the event itself was boring, he should at least attend for his friends' sakes and cheer them on, which he at least agreed to.

"Oh wow, Elize really did show up," commented Jaden.

"Well, I suspect that might be more because she doesn't want to get in trouble for not attending," Bastion said. "Even a child could see that she isn't comfortable being here either.

"Hey, speaking of which, where's Alexis?" wondered Syrus. "I see all the other girls, but she's the only one missing!"

"Hey! Let go! Let go, I say! I don't feel like it! I never asked-!"

As if answering Syrus' question, Alexis soon arrived on the stage, manhandled and dragged by two other students that were part of the Miss Duel Academy Event preparations. It was clear that she truly had no intention of participating, seeing how resistant she was to being forced onstage with the rest of the participants.

Eventually, left with no other option but to stand with the rest, especially due to the event preparers blocking any exits, Alexis sighed and headed further onstage. Though she had nearly "mysteriously" tripped near an annoyed-looking Seika, which she had, fortunately, regained her footing in time before arriving at the end of the lineup of girls.

As soon as another spotlight shined down on Alexis, the announcer pointed the microphone to her. "Miss Rhodes, please tell us how you feel! Excited? Thrilled? Anxious?"

Sighing, Alexis placed a palm over her face. She lowered her head and started to say, "To me, this sort of thing is..."

Suddenly, one of the students, a pageant executive committee member, burst onto the stage, holding a laptop holding the pageant's results. "Wait just a second! There's still a student that hasn't cast his vote!"

"Ooh?!" Seika, one of the female participants, was the first to be regard the announcement with joy. That meant that there was still a chance that she could still be on the top!

"What did you say?!" exclaimed the announcer. "Who didn't vote?!"

"It's a Slifer Red student! Jaden Yuki!"

Everyone was familiar with Jaden, the one Slifer Red student fearless of Dr. Crowler, one of the few students able to defeat Obelisk Blues with ease, and had remarkable dueling skills. Naturally, it didn't take long for every head to turn their direction towards Jaden.

"J-Jaden?! You haven't cast your vote yet?" whispered Syrus hastily.

Crossing his arms, Jaden frowned. "Yeah, I told you! I wasn't interested! Plus, I don't really mess with computers!"

"Please bring Jaden Yuki to the stage."

Immediately, two executive committee students grabbed Jaden by the arms each and started dragging a very confused Jaden up onto the stage.

"Huh?! Hey! Lemme go! I'm really not interested in this!"

Alexis facepalmed once more, shaking her head in disbelief. "Jaden, you're getting funny looks again..."

Elize sweatdropped and awkwardly smiled. "I-I kinda feel bad for Jaden here, though..."

Noting the two girls' familiarity with the one single guy that didn't vote, a horrified realization crossed Seika's mind. 'What?! Is that twerp friends with these two?! If he is, that certainly gives me a disadvantage! He could vote for either one of these two and I would lose!' Gritting her teeth, her face twisted in anger and fury. 'Nobody's going to break my record of being Miss Duel Academy for three years straight! No way will I allow any other girl to stand in my way!'

Similarly, Jasmine and Mindy were thinking nearly the same thing as Seika, but with resigned defeat.

"Aww...out of all the people that didn't vote, Jaden just had to be that one guy?" complained Jasmine. "Well, guess that's that. We all know who he's gonna vote for, and it certainly ain't us."

Mindy nodded. "Yeah, either Elize or Alexis. Though if I had to guess, it might be Alexis. No offense to Elly, though."

"Yeah..."

The announcer turned to Jaden once he stepped on stage and asked, "Now, Jaden Yuki, which one will you pick to be this year's Miss Duel Academy? All five girls surprisingly have the same number of votes, so one more vote from you will guarantee one of these five girls' win!"

Like before, Jaden certainly wasn't interested. "Okay, uh...I'm really not interested in this, so can I just skip this?"

"Every student has voted, so I'm afraid that cannot be allowed. It's all up to your vote. Exempting is out of the question."

"Yeah, excuse me?" called out Alexis, raising her hand. "Can I just forfeit from this whole thing? I didn't even willingly participant in this."

"What-? But your name was clearly on the list and-"

"Yeah, my name was on the list, something that I never SIGNED UP FOR! Someone had put my name in without my permission!" Alexis took a deep breath to calm herself. "Either way, I'm dropping out. There's no penalty for that, right?"

"Er...Um...technically, no, not really..."

Elize perked up upon hearing that and also raised her hand. "U-Um...Excuse me! If it's okay, I'd also like to forfeit, please! I-I didn't-I didn't want to do this either! I think someone put my name in and-Well, I really didn't want to participant! This really isn't my thing, either! I'm sorry!"

Murmurs echoed throughout the auditorium as not just one, but TWO participants were willing to drop out of the Miss Duel Academy event, something that's never been done before. That would mean only three contestants, Mindy, Jasmine, and Seika, remained.

Even though two contestants, specifically the ones with the most highest advantage, were dropping out, Seika still couldn't be satisfied with what was happening. She felt utterly disgraced because this way, it didn't sit right for her and wouldn't be fair and square.

The announcer recalled something, cleared his throat and spoke up. "Oh, wait! This year, a new rule was established! If there's a tie vote between the contestants, then it would all ultimately be decided by one thing: Dueling!"

Complete and utter silence filled the auditorium, but then excited murmurs of agreement coursed all around like a wave. Soon, all of the audience started cheering and chanting, "DUEL! DUEL! DUEL!"

The more the audience chanted for a duel, the more excited they were getting. After all, this was a school meant to teach for dueling, so it was only fitting for the final round to decide the new Miss Duel Academy to ultimately be concluded by dueling. Five contestants, vibing for the Miss Duel Academy title through a mini dueling tournament? Who wouldn't get excited over that?

Apparently, the very same five contestants themselves, for various reasons. Alexis and Elize clearly and vocally expressed their displeasure and no desire to be part of a competition they were forced to participate though Alexis did seem at least mildly intrigued by dueling to prove to be the best, whereas Elize was just neutral about the whole thing, wishing good luck to the others.

Jasmine and Mindy were the ones dreading the worst, mainly because deep down, they knew they weren't very good duelists. If it weren't for the fact that there was a rule stating that all girls automatically had to be in Obelisk Blue, they would definitely have been Slifer Reds from the start. Sure, they knew the basics of dueling and perhaps they had a chance against maybe Elize and hopefully, Seika wasn't too good a duelist, but against Alexis? They would surely lose!

Seika herself wasn't too worried. She herself was confident that she could take on all of the other contestants and that she thought that even though Alexis was both beautiful and tough, she might actually be on equal levels of dueling with her. Little did she know how overconfident she truly was.

Some discussions later and the executive committee members behind the Miss Duel Academy event eventually reached a decision about the event that now turned into a short dueling tournament.

There would be three rounds in first round would consist of two duelists facing each other. The second round would consist of the other three duelists entering a Battle Royale-type duel until only one duelist remained. Then, the third and final round would have the final two duelists against each other.

The duelists were randomly selected of course and soon, the results were displayed on the large screen for all to see.

Round 1: Elize Konami vs Seika Kohinata

Round 2: Alexis Rhodes vs Jasmine Makurada vs Mindy Hamaguchi

Round 3: Round 1 Winner vs Round 2 Winner

"EH?! How is that fair?! We're up against Alexis!" complained Jasmine before Mindy pulled her aside for a swift and quiet chat.

Initially, Elize thought she would actually go up against Alexis in the first round but was a bit relieved that she didn't have to. At least, not right now if she and Alexis were to survive their other rounds. She did glance over at her opponent, who glared maliciously back at her, causing the girl to whirl her head back in fear, unwilling to look back a second time.

"Alright! Now this is what I'm talking about! Dueling would be way more fun than some boring ol' pageant!" cheered Jaden.

"Yes, I suppose a challenge every now and then isn't so bad. Plus it would help in my data collecting," agreed Bastion.

"By the way, which girl are you guys going to cheer for?" wondered Syrus. "I can't decide between Elize or Alexis! But I'm kinda leaning towards Alexis! No offense to Elize, of course!"

Bastion nodded. "If that's the case, then I suppose I should cheer for Elize. I believe Alexis is the more skilled duelist, but I also believe Elize had some potential as well."

"I'm rooting for both of them!" said Jaden eagerly. "I think they'll both do great! Good luck, Alexis and Elize!"

"Now that the results are up and out, let's get on with the first round!" called out the announcer as the two chosen duelist made their way to the center of the auditorium where all of the dueling would take place whereas the rest of the audience remained behind the spectator seats to watch everything.

Elize bowed her head to Seika and offered her a gentle smile. "Hello, Seika! I hope we have a good duel!"

Seika merely glared at her, thinking, 'Ugh, I can tell a weakling when I see one and she's definitely one. Well, this is fine. This just means that I can trample this weakling and face off against Alexis in the final round. And I already know that Alexis can easily triumph in her round!'

"Elize Konami vs Seika Kohinata! Let the duel...BEGIN!"

"DUEL!"

- DUEL -

Elize - 4000 LP

VS

Seika - 4000 LP

Turn 1: Elize

Hand: 6

"O-Okay! It seems I'm going first...My turn!" said Elize, drawing her card. She thought about which card to choose first when Hiita emerged from her card artwork and floated next to her.

Confident and placing her hands on her hips, Hiita grinned. "Hey, Elly! Summon me! I'm ready for combat!"

Elize nodded, always ready to trust her Duel Spirit Monsters whenever needed. "Okay! I set a Monster and a card and end my turn!"

Turn 2: Seika

Hand: 6

"That's it? Alright, my turn!" Seika said, having drawn her card. "Hmm...I think I'll start things off by summoning Black Mamba in Attack Mode!"

Black Mamba, like his name suggests, is a slithery black snake with a curved horn at the top of his head. Just a glance at the otherwise deadly snake would be enough to give anyone the shivers.

Black Mamba - (DARK/Reptile) - LV3 - (1300/1000)

"I now activate the effect of Black Mamba! When he's Normal or Special Summoned, I can target 1 Monster you control, then I can send 1 Reptile-Type from my deck to the Graveyard, so that the targeted Monster's battle position is changed! So, from my deck, I send another Black Mamba to the Graveyard and now your Monster's forced into Attack Mode!"

Hiita, the Monster that Elize had chosen to set as her defensive Monster, appeared upon the Set Monster being flipped over. She had stood up, gripping her staff with both hands with a determined look that had dispersed into surprise at the sudden change. How could she be changed into Attack Mode during the opponent's turn?

Hiita the Fire Charmer - (FIRE/Spellcaster) - LV3 - (500/1500)

'Oh no! Hiita's weaker than Black Mamba in terms of power! She'll be destroyed!' thought Elize, worried. 'Plus, it wouldn't matter if her Flip effect activates because there isn't a FIRE Monster to control!'

"Now! Black Mamba, destroy her Monster!" shouted Seika.

As swift as lightning, Black Mamba sprung towards Hiita and bit her deeply in the shoulder, sinking his poisonous fangs into the weaker Spellcaster's. Hiita gritted her teeth, attempting to endure the pain and instead chose to go out a blaze of glory by immersing her body with fire magic in hopes of at least damaging the Reptile-Type before exploding.

Elize - 3200 LP

"Heh, and before I end my turn, I set a card and activate the Continuous Spell, Swamp of the Dragon Snake!" Seika said. "During each of my End Phases, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Reptile-Type from my deck to your side of the field!"

"What?" asked Elize, surprised. "My side of the field? Not yours?"

"What's she thinking, giving Elize a freebie Monster like that?" wondered Syrus.

"Hmm...Curious. I feel like this is all leading to some sort of strategy of hers," commented Bastion seriously. "Or more like, a trap."

"But how can giving Elize Monsters be leading into a trap?" Jaden asked, glancing at his friend.

"I suppose we'll have to watch to find out."

"Then, before you end your turn, I activate my Continuous Trap, Solemn Wishes!" said Elize. "This increases my Life Points by 500 Points every time I draw a card!"

"Hmph, no matter! Since it's my End Phase, I now Special Summon Poisonous Viper to your field in Attack Mode!" said Seika with a small sinister smirk on her face. "With that, my turn's over!"

A peculiar patterned snake appeared on Elize's side, turning his head to hiss at her, causing Elize to flinch.

Poisonous Viper - (DARK/Reptile) - LV1 - (100/200)

Turn 3: Elize

Hand: 5

"My turn, draw!" said Elize. "And because of Solemn Wishes, I gain 500 Life Points!"

A shower of glittering lights shined down on Elize from above, illuminating her body with a white aura as she received "healing" towards her Life Points.

Elize - 3700 LP

"Now-ack!"

Suddenly, Poisonous Viper shot out from his position and took a bite at Elize's hand, sinking deeply before pulling back and coiling in the same normal position he was in as though nothing had happened.

Elize - 3200 LP

"W-What?! What happened?! Why did Elize suddenly lose Life Points?" exclaimed Syrus.

Seika chuckled. "Oh, experienced my precious Poisonous Viper's effect, have you? In case you haven't figured it out, let me indulge you! His effect makes it so that the card's controller takes 500 Points of Damage during each of your Standby Phases! It doesn't matter if you do try and gain Life Points, my Poisonous Viper will swipe those Life Points away as though they were nothing!"

"W-What?" Elize was in disbelief and glanced down at the Poisonous Viper, who simply glared back at her with no remorse over his actions.

"You may have control over me, but it is my Mistress who calls the shots around here! I won't hesitate to bite you! Hisss!" hissed the Reptile-Type, startling Elize once again.

"Gah! All those Life Points she's gained were lost! It's like she's gained nothing at all!" Syrus complained.

Bastion shook his head. "That's not all. Remember her Swamp of the Dragon Snake's effect? Every time it's her End Phase, she can Special Summon a new Reptile-Type to Elize's field. And I can easily calculate that she'll Special Summon another Poisonous Viper onto Elize's field on her next turn soon enough."

"But then she'll have two of them! Isn't that really bad?" asked Jaden. "Wait, wouldn't she suffer more damage too?"

"Yes, and if she has two of them, that means Elize will suffer 1000 Points of Damage."

Elize wasn't too experienced facing up against opponents that had Burn decks, however minor they may be, but that doesn't mean she was giving up so easily, either.

"Now I summon Ebon Magician Curran in Attack Mode!" said Elize.

A small little girl wearing a black puffy dress that came with a black hat with rabbit ears appeared, wielding a pink whip in her hands as she bore a rather nonchalant but serious expression on her face.

Ebon Magician Curran - (DARK/Spellcaster) - LV2 - (1200/0)

"Awww, how cute!" mocked Seika. "Too bad that she's too weak to handle my Black Mamba!"

"Not yet!" Elize said. "I'm not done yet! I activate from my hand, One-Shot Wand! Now my Curran gains 800 extra Attack Points!"

Curran's pink whip was replaced with a long staff with a crescent-like design at the very top and because of how long and heavy it was, Curran kept tumbling around and struggling to keep it in her palms until the magic of One-Shot Wand minimized it to suit Curran's strength and size, making it miniature and more of a magic wand than a staff, as well as invigorating her with more magical strength.

Ebon Magician Curran - (DARK/Spellcaster) - LV2 - (2000/0)

"Attack now, please!"

Curran focused the elemental attributes of DARK to pulsate within the crystalized crescent and then, once prepared, aimed and shot out a blast of dark magic towards Black Mamba, engulfing the Reptile-Type entirely before his body exploded.

Seika - 3300 LP

"Grrr! I'll make you pay for that!" swore Seika, gritting her teeth. "In fact, I'll start now! I activate my Trap, the Continuous Trap, Viper's Grudge! If a face-up Reptile-Type Monster I control is destroyed by battle or sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Reptile Monster from my deck! I Special Summon Lamia to the field in Attack Mode!"

A scaly turquoise-colored female warrior-like serpent slithered up onto the field, glaring intensely at her owner's enemies and ready to unleash anything to strike fear onto her enemies.

Lamia - (DARK/Reptile) - LV3 - (1300/1500)

"And Lamia's effect activates! When she's Normal or Special Summoned, I can add 1 Level 8 Reptile-Type Monster from my deck to my hand! I choose Evil Dragon Ananta!"

"What sort of Monster is that?" gasped Syrus. "From the sound of things, that can't be good for Elize!"

Bastion nodded. "High leveled Monsters do pose a threat, after all. Take Seto Kaiba's Blue-Eyes for example. I've never heard of that card, but so long as Elize prevents Seika from summoning anymore Monsters, she should be alright."

Jaden snapped his fingers. "Oh, right! She needs like, two Monsters to Tribute Summon, right? But that girl's got none! Elize might have this in the bag!"

"Hmm...perhaps..."

Elize continued her turn. "I'll switch Poisonous Viper in Defense Mode and then end my turn!"

Poisonous Viper glanced back at Elize and hissed, "You think that just because you didn't force me to attack my Mistress, you'll be safe? If you had done so, I would have done worst than bite you the next time your turn comes up next!"

"Hey, quiet!" shouted Curran, whacking Poisonous Viper in the head with her One-Shot Wand. "Don't talk to Elly like that! I would have whipped you into shape if I had my whip now!"

'I-It's fine, you two! Don't worry!' Elize telepathically assured, thinking in her mind towards the two Duel Monster Spirits.

Turn 4: Seika

Hand: 5

"Draw!" Seika said. "I summon Night Sword Serpent to the field in Attack Mode!"

A serpent-like Monster larger than the Lamia in Seika's field emerged, coiling up and glaring at his targets, sizing them up to determine which is the strongest and weakest as he brandished his sword-like horn on his forehead proudly.

Night Sword Serpent - (WATER/Reptile) - LV4 - (500/600)

"Now, by Tributing 1 Reptile-Type Monster on the field, I'm now able to Special Summon a new Monster to the field from my hand! I sacrifice Night Sword Serpent in order to Special Summon Urubonus, the Avatar of Malice to the field!"

From an already frightening-looking serpent to a much more menacing and powerful reptilian, Urubonus possessed a darkish violet-like color scaling across her own body with a golden, sharp crown-like helm depicting its fierce power as well as the end of her tail resembling the sharpness of a trident.

Urubonus, the Avatar of Malice - (DARK/Reptile) - LV5 - (2000/800)

"My beloved Urubonus' effect activates!" cooed Seika. "All Monsters you control loses 300 Attack and Defense Points!"

The frightening glare from Urubonus combined with the lashing threat from a snap of its weaponized tail was enough to make both Poisonous Viper and Ebon Magician Curran startled and shake from fear.

Ebon Magician Curran - (DARK/Spellcaster) - LV2 - (1700/0)

Poisonous Viper - (DARK/Reptile) - LV1 - (0/0)

"I-I dealt with Urubonus' effect before many times, but she's still as scary as always!" admitted Poisonous Viper, coiling back in order to avoid any further attention.

"Oh, but I'm not through yet!" said Seika. "Now, I activate the effect of my Urubonus! By Tributing 1 Monster, all Monsters you currently control loses Attack and Defense Points equal to the original Attack Points of the Monster I would Tribute until the end of this turn! So, I sacrifice Lamia, so that means your Monsters loses 1300 Attack and Defense Points, weakening you to an even more pathetic state than you are now!"

Another fierce glare from Urubonus as well as her snapping her fangs at the two Monsters on Elize's field causes them to freeze in fear, trembling even more to the point where they comically hugged each other despite being enemies themselves.

Ebon Magician Curran - (DARK/Spellcaster) - LV2 - (400/0)

Poisonous Viper - (DARK/Reptile) - LV1 - (0/0)

Shooting a concerned look, Elize telepathically thought, 'Curran? Poisonous Viper? Are you alright?'

"No! I'm a whole lot weaker now! I can't do anything! Dang it!" cried out Curran, frustrated with herself. "And I'm not scared or anything! Yup! T-totally not!"

"And why worry about me? I may be on your side of the field, but I'm always my Mistress' card here and first!" pointed out Poisonous Viper.

'W-Well, even so, as long as you're under my care, I just can't help but care about the rest of you, you know? N-Not to offend you or anything!' Elize thought, trying to reassure the Reptile-Type.

"Urubonus, take down that weakling Curran!" ordered Seika.

Urubonus bore what appears to be a evil-looking smirk before slithering up to Curran in a flash, trailing behind her and wrapping her slim but strong coiling body around her, squeezing the weakened Spellcaster so much that she finally was defeated with an explosion that barely grazed Urubonus.

Elize - 1600 LP

"Curran-!" cried out Elize. "No...Alright, then! I activate One-Shot Wand's secondary effect! If the equipped Monster attacks or was attacked, then after damage calculation, I can choose to destroy One-Shot Wand and then draw a card! And Solemn Wishes' effect activates, giving me 500 more Life Points!"

After Elize drew her card, another shower of sparkles sprinkled onto her, healing her Life Points little by little.

Elize - 2100 LP

"Fine, but it won't do you any good! In fact, I'll end my turn!" said Seika proudly. "And don't forget, because of Swamp of the Dragon Snake, during my End Phase, I get to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Reptile-Type from my deck to your field! And I choose another Poisonous Viper!"

Poisonous Viper - (DARK/Reptile) - LV1 - (100/200)

"And don't forget about my Urubonus' effect! That Viper will automatically lose 300 Attack and Defense Points, making him good for one thing only, and that's at the start of your next turn! And now my turn is officially over!"

Upon being summoned, the first thing that the second Poisonous Viper saw was the nightmare-enduring glare conjured by Urubonus, feeling trembles across his small scaley body. He immediately understood the situation and wisely chose to stay silent, instead just following his Mistress' desires just like his brother.

Poisonous Viper - (DARK/Reptile) - LV1 - (0/0)

Turn 5: Elize

Hand: 5

"I draw!" Elize said. "Solemn Wishes-ACK!"

At the moment Solemn Wishes' 500 Life Points wish rain of healing fell upon Elize once more, the two Poisonous Vipers on her field turned around and bit her in two different spots in sync, dealing a total of 1000 Points of Damage to her. Though, due to Solemn Wishes, it was more like only 500 Points were dealt to her while 500 Life Points were restored.

Elize - 1600 LP

"Elize can't keep this up for any longer!" cried out Syrus. "She's gotta pull out a strong Monster! Doesn't she stand a chance?"

"Hmm...She might survive at least 1 or 2 more turns," theorized Bastion. "Plus, with two Monsters on her field, even if they technically belong to her opponent's, she could perform a Tribute Summon for a high level Monster. She does meet the requirements for such a thing. But, does she have such a Monster to help her out?"

"Hmm...I switch my other Poisonous Viper in Defense Mode and then set 1 Monster on the field and 1 facedown card before I end my turn!" said Elize.

"Oh! Wait! Maybe she does have a chance!" Syrus pointed out. "Look! Maybe she has a Charmer set down?"

"Well, that is one possibility but you forget, Syrus, that her Charmers have very moderate Defense Points," explained Bastion.

Turn 6: Seika

Hand: 4

"My turn!" said Seika. "Alright! I'll attack your facedown Monster with my Urubonus! Now attack!"

Urubonus plunged her fangs right onto the Set Monster as soon as she was close by and as the Set Monster flipped over, revealing herself not to be one of Elize's signature Charmers, but instead Old Vindictive Magician, a Spellcaster-Type whose elderly and physically weak but magically powerful and wise.

Old Vindictive Magician - (DARK/Spellcaster) - LV2 - (450/600)

"Old Vindictive Magician's Flip Effect activates!" said Elize. "She can destroy 1 Monster on your side of the field! And I choose Urubonus!"

Just as Urubonus bit down on the elderly magician, she in turn casted an explosive spell in retaliation, crackling in maniacal laughter as she took down the strong Reptile-Type with her.

"And with Urubonus gone, all of your Monsters' Attack and Defense Points return to normal, not that that matters," growled Seika.

Poisonous Viper - (DARK/Reptile) - LV1 - (100/200) X2

"Yeah! Now Elize can aim for a direct attack next turn!" cheered Syrus.

"Almost, Syrus," corrected Bastion, frowning. "So long as Seika doesn't summon yet another Monster or pull another trick."

"I'm kinda surprised though. I thought that was going to be one of Elize's Charmers for sure!" admitted Jaden.

"As did I, Jaden, but it seems her deck isn't merely based on Charmers alone, but more focused on Spellcasters, though she does have some side Monsters as well, from witnessing some of her earlier duels. Like Gigobyte or Petit Dragon for instance."

"Don't think that just because you destroyed my Urubonus, I'm out of the game just yet!" scowled Seika. "I still haven't gotten my beloved ace Monster out yet! In fact, now's the perfect chance as any to summon Evil Dragon Ananta!"

"Evil Dragon Ananta? Oh boy, from the sound of that name, it doesn't sound good at all!" commented Syrus.

"If I were to guess, I'd say that's the name of that card that Seika added to her hand earlier. The Level 8 Monster card from Lamia's effect," said Bastion. "Elize would need to be careful! More careful than she already is!"

"By banishing all Reptile Monsters I control and in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Evil Dragon Ananta from my hand!" Seika cried out.

Mist pooled around their dueling field, obscuring any sightings about Evil Dragon Ananta. Rather, various roars simultaneously echoed throughout the area before the mist cleared away, revealing a multi-headed reptilian dragon that emerged out from the mist, with all of the heads crowded around the middle "queen" head snake that bore a golden crown that also doubled as a spear-like weapon.

Evil Dragon Ananta - (DARK/Reptile) - LV8 - (?/?)

"Allow me to explain Ananda's special ability! Their Attack and Defense Points becomes the number of Reptiles banished for their Special Summon x 600! And I banished 5, so that makes a total of 3000 Attack and Defense Points!"

Evil Dragon Ananta - (DARK/Reptile) - LV8 - (3000/3000)

"Oh no! Elize won't be able to stand a chance now!" said Syrus, panicking.

"Calm down, Syrus! If you recall, Seika has already used up her Battle Phase, so she can't attack again this turn," reminded Bastion. "Although, next turn is an entirely different story..."

"I'll end my turn for now, and now I activate Ananta's effect!" Seika said. "Once per turn, during my End Phase, I can target 1 card on the field and destroy it! So, I'll get rid of that lousy Solemn Wishes!"

"Before you do that, I activate my facedown card, Gift of the Mystical Elf!" Elize said. "My Life Points increase by 300 for every Monster on the field! There's 3, so my Life Points goes up by 900!"

Elize - 2500 LP

"So what? That changes nothing!" said Seika. "I'm still going to destroy your Solemn Wishes with my Ananta's effect!"

One of Ananta's multiple heads fired a laser at Elize's Solemn Wishes card, destroying it entirely.

"Now without her card, she can't heal when she draws a card!" said Syrus.

"And that's not all!" Seika reminded. "I activate the effect of my Swamp of the Dragon Snake again during my End Phase! I'll Special Summon my third Poisonous Viper out on your field right now!"

Like a flower bud blooming out of the blue, a third Poisonous Viper appeared on Elize's side of the field, making all three of Seika's Poisonous Vipers all lined up in formation for their sole purpose of dealing Effect Damage to Elize when the time came.

Poisonous Viper - (DARK/Reptile) - LV1 - (100/200)

"Wait, if those things deal 500 Points of Damage each," started Jaden, counting his fingers. "That makes it a total of..."

"1500 Points of Damage," said Bastion solemnly. "That means Elize will be dealing with some heavy damage on her next Standby Phase. And without Solemn Wishes, this would make things considerably tougher for her."

Turn 7: Elize

Hand: 4

The moment Elize drew her card and entered her Standby Phase, the three Poisonous Viper triplets turned around and swiftly dispatched their poisonous fangs onto her from three different directions, making her cry out once more in pain.

Elize - 1000 LP

"She's almost out of Life Points!" gasped Syrus and Jaden together. "Elize, don't give up!"

Elize glanced down at her cards and then made her choice. "I...I activate the Spell card, Graceful Charity, drawing three more cards, but discarding 2! Then...Then I activate the Spell, Dwimmered Path! This lets me add 1 Spellcaster Effect Monster in my Graveyard and then add it to my hand! Then, I'll set that Monster! I switch the other Poisonous Viper into Defense Mode and then set two cards facedown before I end my turn!"

Syrus turned to Bastion and Jaden. "Guys! Isn't there any other way for Elize to win?"

"My hope lies in those those two cards that Elize facedown. They may be key to Elize's victory," commented Bastion. "All we can do is hope for the best."

"Cheer up, Sy! Instead of worrying, let's believe in Elize!" assured Jaden, patting his blue-haired friend on the shoulder.

Turn 8: Seika

Hand: 5

"It doesn't matter what you pull now! Whether this turn or next, I win!" declared Seika.

But she took a closer look at Elize's field and thought, 'Hmm...If my Ananta does attack, she could destroy her Monster, but that girl did use that Spell earlier to add a Spellcaster back from the Graveyard. If I had to guess, I'd say it was that Old Vindictive Magician. If I dare attack, that Monster's Flip Effect could destroy my Ananta! So, I won't attack this turn and I'll simply rely on my Monster's End Phase effect! Besides, she's done for next turn, so this'll be easy!'

"I end my turn!" said Seika. "At this moment, I activate Ananta's End Phase effect and destroy your Set Monster!"

"I activate my Trap card!" Elize said quickly. "Desert Sunlight! This Trap changes all of my Monsters into face-up Defense Mode! That also means my Set Monster is forced to flip over face-up!"

As the Set Monster slowly flipped itself over to reveal itself, Seika thought, 'Damnit! That just means Ananta will be destroyed!'

But what was revealed wasn't Old Vinctictive Magician at all. No, the Set Monster was actually Dharc the Dark Charmer, knelt down with his arms crossed in an X-formation with his serious expression.

Dharc the Dark Charmer - (DARK/Spellcaster) - LV3 - (500/1500)

"What?! Damnit, I should have attacked!" cursed Seika.

'Well, even if you did, I would have negated it with my other facedown card, Negate Attack,' thought Elize. "I now activate Dharc's Flip Effect! He can now take control of 1 DARK-Attribute Monster on your field! And I choose your Ananta!"

"What?!"

Raising his staff in the air, Dharc then slammed the end tip against the ground hard enough to shatter a bit of the ground. A dark pulsating energy surged from his staff which radiated with Evil Dragon Ananta. The multi-headed dragon Reptile-Type struggled a bit before eventually succumbing to Dharc's control and heading towards Elize's side, now serving as her Monster.

'Thank you so much, Dharc! I'll take it from here!' Elize thought telepathically to Dharc, who only gave her a nod.

Seika felt sweat trailing down her neck before she smirked confidently. No, Elize was definitely going to lose now that she had her three Poisonous Vipers on her field and that their Effect Damage would be enough to take out the remainder of her Life Points. She can't add anymore Reptile-Types to Elize's field with Swamp of the Dragon Snake because Elize's field was already full but the three Poisonous Vipers should wipe her out.

Turn 9: Elize

Hand: 2

"I draw-"

"And now my three Poisonous Vipers will take out the rest of your Life Points because you can't take 1500 Points of Damage! It's over!" crackled Seika just as the three Reptile-Types sprung at Elize once again.

However, this time, Elize came prepared.

"I activate the effect of Damage Diet in my Graveyard!" she said as a barrier surrounded her. "By banishing it from my Graveyard, all Effect Damage is halved to me for the rest of this turn!"

"If 1500 Points were halved..." started Syrus.

"Then Elize would suffer only 750," said Bastion. "She might actually have a chance now!"

Elize - 250 LP

"Wha-When did you have the time to put that card in your Graveyard?" questioned Seika.

"Damage Diet?" wondered Elize. "Oh! When I used Graceful Charity earlier! I discarded that and Dharc the Dark Charmer! And then I used my Dwimmered Path to bring back Dharc back to my hand!"

Seika clicked her tongue in annoyance. "So I was mistaken when I thought that you had brought back Old Vindictive Magician back to your hand...I'll admit, that was very sneaky of you..."

Elize scratched her cheek in embarrassment. She thought, 'Sneaky...? Well, I wasn't really planning on being stealthy of anything...'

"Elize! Now's your chance! She's wide open for a direct attack!" called out Jaden.

"Yeah! Go, Elize!" cheered Syrus.

Hearing her friends' cheers, Elize nodded, resolving herself to finish the duel now that she has the upper hand.

"I switch Dharc into Attack Mode!" Elize said. "Okay! This is it! Dharc the Dark Charmer! And Evil Dragon Ananta! Attack her directly!"

With master and servant working together, the two DARK-Attributes formed a partnership to take down the one enemy left remaining. Dharc flew up and rode on top of the "queen" head of Ananta before raising up his staff to charge a dark magical blast. The heads along with Dharc's magic combined together before blasting a crashing magical spell of darkness down on Seika, who shrieked from their full force of darkness magical energy.

Seika - 0 LP

Winner: Elize

Seika fell to her knees, punching the ground in frustration as it was evidently clear that she lost. She couldn't believe it! Losing to such a weakling especially in the first round of the dueling tournament meant for the Miss Duel Academy title...it felt utterly humiliating!

Elize only let out a sigh of relief now that the duel was over. Her face burned a little red upon hearing the crowd call out her name and cheer for her just as loudly as her friends did. Elize didn't like being the center of attention mainly because she is a shy person, but she did appreciate being cheered on, moreso from her friends.

Approaching Seika, Elize knelt down a bit and offered her hand. "Here, are you okay? I-I think that was a really great duel-"

Seika merely growled and slapped away her hand, finding her efforts humiliating before standing up and storming off, clearly not in the mood for talking or being cheered up.

Cradling her hand, Elize stood back up, a bit frightened now. She really doesn't want to encounter a really pissed-off Seika now.

Dharc, appearing in spirit form, placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "Elize, don't mind her too much. Just be happy you won the duel. It'll be alright. You did a good job."

'Y-Yeah, you're right...' Elize thought, nodding. 'I wonder how Alexis' duel with Jasmine and Mindy will go...?'

Upon watching Elize's duel with Seika, Alexis had to admit, she was impressed by Elize's growth in dueling. Even if she claims that she wasn't necessarily truly to become a top-notch duelist, it didn't change the fact that her dueling skills have indeed improved, or at least Elize had become a little devious in her playing style. That just meant that Alexis would have to try even harder to beat her when they eventually dueled in the final round.

And how would Alexis know? Simple, she was more than confident that she would win against Jasmine and Mindy, especially considering their dueling skills to be...very lacking.

Once the three girls arrived for the second round of the tournament, the crowd couldn't help but cheer loudly, excited for the Battle Royale round to begin. Everyone already knew Alexis to be very beautiful and powerful in her own way, now how would the other two fare against her?

Elize had made her way to the sidelines, soon finding her way to where Bastion, Jaden, and Syrus were. "H-Hello! I'm back from my duel!"

"Elize! Great job out there! You did awesome!" said Jaden, giving her a high-five.

"Yeah! You did great!" agreed Syrus happily.

"It certainly was a tough duel from my eyes. Even I couldn't predict who would win or not," admitted Bastion, giving her a proud look. "But you pulled through in the end. Excellent work."

Feeling a bit red from the compliments, Elize shook her head. "No, no! I-I mean, I know I did good, but Seika really did good too! She did a really good job dueling too! It's not just me!"

"Awww, Elize! You're just being too modest!" said Jaden, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "But yeah, even that other girl was a good duelist too!"

"Hey, guys! It looks like Alexis' duel is going to start soon!" Syrus pointed out.

Jasminne and Mindy nodded to each other as soon as they activated their duel disks. They had a brief conversation earlier that since they were going to duel off against Alexis, they were actually going to team up with each other to take out Alexis. Afterwards, it would be a duel between the two girls and no hard feelings for the one winner between the two. Sure, they weren't very talented duelists but they trusted each other and thought that would be enough to triumph against Alexis.

Sadly, they were about to experience just how wrongly they clearly underestimated Alexis.

"DUEL!"

- DUEL -

Alexis - 4000 LP

VS

Jasmine - 4000 LP

VS

Mindy - 4000 LP

Turn 1: Alexis

Hand: 6

"My turn, draw!" said Alexis. She thought, 'Maybe I shouldn't go all out with this hand just yet. First, I want to see how capable Jasmine and Mindy are. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to finish things next turn?'

"I summon Cyber Tutu in Attack Mode!"

The ballerina-like warrior danced her way to the field, spinning around several times before stopping and remaining in a composed fighting stance.

Cyber Tutu - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV3 - (1000/800)

"I'll set a card and end my turn!"

Turn 2: Jasmine

Hand: 6

"My turn, draw!" said Jasmine. "Hmm...Okay! I summon Mermaid Knight in Attack Mode!"

A beautiful mermaid wielding a sword and shield swam around the dueling field and readied for battle, strong and imposing.

Mermaid Knight - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (1500/700)

"Mermaid Knight's Attack Points are way higher than Cyber Tutu! I'm going for the initiative! Prepare yourself, Alexis! I attack-"

"Uh, Jasmine? You forgot something," pointed out Alexis. "In a Battle Royale, every player can't attack on their first turn. You're right that she has higher Attack Points, but she can't attack right now."

"...Gah! Alright, fine!" said Jasmine in defeat. "I end my turn!"

'That's it? No facedowns or anything like that?' Alexis thought, narrowing her eyes. 'Alright, let's see how Mindy fares.'

Turn 3: Mindy

Hand: 6

"Here I go!" said Mindy, drawing her card. "I'll go summon my cute, adorable Rescue Cat in Attack Mode!"

A small white furred cat with gray spots wearing a construction hat on not fastened on mewled as she climbed onto the dueling platform, making many people awwwed and cooed over the little cute creature.

Rescue Cat - (EARTH/Beast) - LV4 - (300/100)

"Oooohhh! Isn't she just adorable?!" squealed Mindy. "I end my turn!"

'...Ugh, right. I'll just finish this now,' thought Alexis, sweat dropping and feeling slightly disappointed by her friends' playing styles.

Turn 4: Alexis

Hand: 5

"I draw!" Alexis said. "First, I activate Polymerization, fusing together the Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater in my hand to Fusion Summon Cyber Blader!"

The two elegant and strong female warriors merged together in the swirling portal of colors before a brand new warrior, Alexis' ace Monster, emerged out, dipping her foot against the floor and skating across before stopping to take a stance.

Cyber Blader - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (2100/800)

Both Mindy and Jasmine gulped and glanced at one another worriedly. They knew all about Alexis' ace Monster but didn't anticipate that she would bring it out this early! Now their chances of winning have further diminished!

"I attack, starting with Mermaid Knight!" Alexis shouted, pointing at the Monster she was targeting first. "Go, Cyber Blader!"

Cyber Blader rushed towards Mermaid Knight, who held up her shield in defense. With a slashed arc of the blades on her skates, Cyber Blade knocked aside the shield and then brought her foot down, slashing apart Mermaid Knight in an instant.

Jasmine - 3400 LP

"Now, Cyber Tutu, attack Rescue Cat!"

Cyber Tutu spun around and once she was close enough, would be able to kick the poor kitty, but upon seeing the adorable kitty cat eyes staring pitifully at her, Cyber Tutu paused, hesitating to kick such an innocent creature. Instead, she just gave her a little kick nudge and that was enough to defeat Rescue Cat.

"Noooo! My kitty!" cried out Mindy, also suffering Life Point loss.

Mindy - 3300 LP

"No, it's alright, Mindy!" Jasmine assured. "Alexis can't attack us anymore this turn! After all, she doesn't have anymore Monsters to attack, so we're safe!"

"That's what you think!" Alexis said. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell from my hand, De-Fusion! I'll return Cyber Blader back to the Extra Deck and then Special Summon both Fusion-Materials that were used for her Special Summon! Come back, Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater!"

The two beautiful dancer and skater duo appeared on stage as though preparing a dance performance with their skills and talents, but instead of a dance, it would be towards combat, working together as one.

Etoile Cyber - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1200/1600)

Blade Skater - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1400/1500)

"I'm not finished yet!" Alexis said. "I activate my facedown card, the Quick-Play Spell, Prima Light! I sacrifice Cyber Tutu in order to Special Summon Cyber Prima from my hand!"

The spotlight shined down on Cyber Tutu and she closed her eyes and allowed the light to take her before a brand new Monster took the stage. Graceful, beautiful and most importantly, powerful, this new Monster took center stage in between her other fellow Monsters, Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater, making her debut.

Cyber Prima - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV6 - (2300/1600)

"Now it's time to attack once again!" Alexis called out. "Cyber Prima and Blade Skater! Take down Jasmine!"

Locking arms with each other, the two Monsters danced and spun around like two elegant twisters colliding with one another, and yet joining forces to reach their goals. Displaying their dancing skills with such skill, speed, and accuracy, they reached Jasmine and unleashed a two-hit blow simultaneously, knocking her back.

Jasmine - 0 LP

"Jasmine! No!" gasped Mindy.

Alexis turned her gaze at her. "Mindy, you're next! Etoile Cyber, attack her directly! And when Etoile Cyber attacks you directly, her Attack Points increase by 600! Go!"

Taking leaps across the battlefield, Etoile Cyber grew closer to Mindy's destination and as she did so, she could feel her own power rising with no obstacles in the way. With a twirl and a kick, she kicked Mindy in the stomach with all of her newfound strength.

Etoile Cyber - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1800/1600)

Mindy - 1500 LP

Etoile Cyber - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1200/1600)

"Are you alright?" Mindy called out to Jasmine.

Sighing, Jasmine sat down on her knees. "Yeah, I'm fine...But don't give up yet, Mindy! There's still a chance!"

"Right!"

Alexis said, "I'll end my turn. Hopefully this time, you should have some better luck on your next turn?"

Turn 5: Mindy

Hand: 6

"My turn!" said Mindy, more determined to win for her and Jasmine's sakes. "I summon Outstanding Dog Marron in Defense Mode!"

A small fluffy teddy bear-like dog Monster with a dog collar that spelled M appeared on the dueling field, lapping his tongue and barking once.

Outstanding Dog Marron - (LIGHT/Beast) - LV1 - (100/100)

"Next, um...I'll set three cards facedown and end my turn!" decided Mindy. She thought, 'Okay, so the three cards I laid down won't really do anything against Alexis' Monsters! They're just bluffs! Hopefully that'll buy me some time and not let Alexis attack! If she does, I'm sooo toast!'

Turn 6: Alexis

Hand: 1

'...Right, okay, I can tell those are bluffs. Mindy's getting desperate,' thought Alexis, drawing her card. 'Sorry, Mindy. At least you tried.'

"I activate the Spell card, Heavy Storm!" said Alexis. "This destroys all Spells and Traps on the field!"

Powerful winds weathered the entire dueling field, unaffecting the duelists and their Monsters, but forcing any and all Spells and Traps on the field to be blown away and never seen again. In this case, it was Mindy's three facedowns that were destroyed, not to be used again.

"No! My cards!" cried out Mindy.

"You're done for!" Alexis shouted. "Blade Skater! Take out Outstanding Dog Marron! Then, Etoile Cyber, wipe out the rest of Mindy's Life Points with your special ability!"

Etoile Cyber - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1800/1600)

As fast as lightning, Blade Skater and Etoile Cyber worked in unison to take out their targets. First, Blade Skater struck as painlessly and quickly as possible to Mindy's only remaining Monster and as soon as she did, a powered-up Etoile Cyber leapt in from above to take out Mindy.

Mindy - 0 LP

Winner: Alexis

"Wow! Alexis took those two out like they were nothing!" Syrus gasped, impressed.

"Alexis is as amazing as ever..." said Elize, astonished.

"Hmm...I think she had it easier, though," commented Bastion. "Most girls in this school aren't very talented duelists. In fact, any girl that goes to Duel Academy automatically goes to Obelisk Blue, no matter what."

"What? That's a bit unfair!" complained Syrus. "It's like only the girls get a free pass!"

"Hey, but Alexis and Elize are both good duelists!" pointed out Jaden. "They're really, really strong!"

Elize flustered. "W-Well, I'd say Alexis is way stronger and better than me...I still have a long ways to go!"

Bastion sighed. "I meant MOST girls in Duel Academy aren't very talented. Not ALL of them. But I digress; I'm more interested in the upcoming final duel that's about to take place."

As soon as those words left his mouth, the announcer called out, "And there you have it, folks! Alexis Rhodes is the winner of this three-way Battle Royale! That means that the next and final match will be between Alexis Rhodes and Elize Konami! Who will become this year's newest Miss Duel Academy?!"

Alexis turned around, glancing up at Elize who noticed her gaze in return. While Elize gave a friendly expression back, Alexis returned a serious yet composed expression. This wasn't just some duel between two duelists. This was a duel to prove not only who was the strongest between them, but if they truly possessed the talents and strength to become a truly respectful duelist.

And it would all be proven in their next upcoming duel.


Hey, guys! It's been such a long time, hasn't it? So sorry, but with life and other issues being busy for me, it's hard to keep track!

So, yes, the Miss Duel Academy event was something that happened in the manga, not in the anime or anything, so I decided to put it in here! There were some other participants and originally, Seika and Alexis were in the top two, but I decided to mix things up a bit and change the final five contestants to be in some sort of dueling tournament for the title of Miss Duel Academy!

Originally, I did plan to put all three duels into this chapter, but it was taking too long so I decided to make this a 2-part event! That way, more focus on the Alexis vs Elize duel would be shown next chapter!

Yes, Elize does have other Spellcaster-Type Monsters in her deck besides Charmers and their other low-leveled Familiars like Petit Dragon, Gigabyte, and Meda Bat.

The reason I had Alexis absolutely curb stomp Mindy and Jasmine's duel? Well, in the anime, they haven't really proven themselves to be very smart or strong duelists. Of course, it can be argued that they had only one show partly shown, and to their defense, it was against a Pro Duelist, but still, my impression of them wasn't very high with that duel being one of the reasons. The other reasons are that they're too girly, kinda discriminate against Slifer Reds, and they barely show any action in the anime. I heard in the Tag Force games, they definitely have some better decks, definitely better than what was shown in the anime, but still. I'll try my best and see if I can try and get them more in the fanfic, but it's mostly is focused on Elize since she's the protagonist.

Also, I'm more inspired to do more of this fanfic and my Scaled Piece fanfic than the other fanfics I currently have. It's not that I hate my other fanfics, it's just that I have some more inspiration towards this fanfic and Scaled Piece than the other fanfics, so they might possibly be on hiatus until I get more ideas for them. Sorry for fans that enjoy my other Yu-Gi-Oh fanfics! I'll try and come back as soon as I can, but I'm just going to be more focused on the Tag Force fanfic and Scaled Piece!

By the way, I had something I wanted to ask all of you. Should I continue doing the skits or not? At first, I found them fun because I thought to incorporate them after being inspired by the Tales of games, but nowadays, I don't really have much inspiration or brainpower for the skits. If you guys like and want me to continue the skits or not, I'll post up a voting system in my profile so everyone has a chance to vote. Not sure how long the voting will be for, but I'm guessing until the next chapter is completed.

Read and Review!