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Chapter 2 - Ripple Effect

April 3, 2005

Over a month has passed since the entrance exam. Nothing important has happened, Ichiban's, or rather, my bullies failed their exam while I passed. When they found out, they of course claimed I cheated, but they shut their mouths after losing to me in a duel. After that, they kept their distance, resorting to glares and murmurs to get a rise out of me.

Speaking of which, I have only used the Elemental HERO deck since the exam. As of now, I haven't had a reason to use the other decks. Don't get me wrong, I have been tempted to use them, but I've been too scared to do so. Only the Elemental HEROES and Cyberdragons have been seen in this world so far, and the Cyberdarks are a hidden secret. Until I know why I've been sent to this world, I need to try my best to not use those decks.

Right now, I'm on the helicopter heading towards Duel Academy. The first day of school begins tomorrow, and I'm not used to the Japanese school system. Back on topic, but I need to keep my head down and not draw any attention to myself. Luckily, there isn't anyone from the main cast on this helicopter. I just need to remember to stay in the background.

Ichiban looked up from his journal and out the window, the helicopter was close to the island, he could see it on the horizon. Capping his pen, the reincarnated teen closed his journal and put it and his writing utensil into the inner pocket of his jacket. He knew it was risky to have it, let alone write his thoughts about being reincarnated into a fictional world, but he felt that if he didn't, he'd probably go mad.

He still couldn't believe it, yet here he was, on a helicopter to an island where he'll spend the next three years of his life. An island that was a mere work of fiction over a month ago, along with a world that was created from a man who thought, "What if a children's card game was used to solve and create all the problems in the world?"

Of course, he meant no disrespect to the late great Kazuki Takahashi. Ichiban just always thought how weird it was for the people of an entire planet to use a card game for everything. Especially when it came down to the more crazy things like dimension travel in Arc-V or evil AI's in VRAINS. And to think, card games on motorcycles doesn't seem to be the most insane thing Duel Monsters has been used for.

'Thank Ra and the executive producer I'm not in red.' Ichiban thought to himself as he stared down at his yellow uniform.

After arriving on the island, Ichiban and the rest of the first year students were assigned their dorms. That includes receiving their uniforms, academy issued duel disks, and their PDA. After a brief speech from Chancellor Sheppard, they were allowed to explore the island.

The reincarnated teen took a quick stroll to his dorm, and noted how large the academy was. Obviously, there were many places that were only shown for a mere episode or two, but none of it really showed how large the academy really was. Luckily his PDA came with a built in map, or else he would've gotten lost.

Back on topic, Ichiban was lucky enough to score well enough to be in Ra Yellow, though it really shouldn't be too surprising as Slifer Red is considered to be below the bottom of the barrel. He really thanked the Egyptian Gods when he learned his room was nowhere near Bastion's, or any noticeable Ra Yellow (Not that he could remember any at the top of his head).

Now after settling into his room, Ichiban stood in front of a mirror and took a look at his outfit. He's wearing a Ra Yellow jacket with a black t-shirt underneath, tucked into a pair of dark blue jeans. A brown belt is wrapped around his waist with a deck holster on his side, his Elemental HERO deck already placed inside of it. His glasses are gone, replaced with contacts, and his hair is now tied in a short ponytail, with a few bangs framing his face.

"Don't get too comfortable, nor too content with staying in the background, the others grow tired of waiting." Spoke Phoenix Enforcer, appearing behind the teen, causing him to jump in shock.

"What the what?!" Ichiban cried, before turning around and pointing at the Duel Spirit. "You haven't appeared since the day we met, and now you decide to give me a heart attack?!"

"My apologies, Ichiban, but I've come to inform you of the others." Explained Phoenix Enforcer, before lifting a hand and causing the closet door to slide open, before three decks hidden inside flew out and hovered before them.

"While they may not say it, they hunger for battle." The Elemental HERO explained, "Construct is silent, so her voice is non-existent, yet her intent is easily felt."

As he spoke, one of the three decks glowed white, before a card was seemingly pulled out by an invisible force. It then turned to face the reincarnated duelist, revealing itself to be El Shaddoll Construct.

"Albion is patient, but even he has his limits. He craves battle, and his hunger grows each passing day."

The second deck glowed a fiery red, and a single card shot out and turned to face the student, revealing itself to be Albion the Branded Dragon.

"Cyberdark Dragon… he has been silent, no thoughts or desire, yet he craves for carnage the most. Be wary of him, I'm afraid of what he could do if given the chance."

Finally the third deck glowed purple before a card slowly was pulled out, and revealed itself to be Cyberdark Dragon.

"What happens if I don't use them? Better yet, why am I here?!" Ichiban asked, before yelling at the Duel Spirit.

"I cannot say."

"Can't or won't?"

"… Both."

Ichiban opened his mouth to argue, but closed it before taking in a deep breath and slowly exhaling. As much as he wanted to, he knew yelling at the spirit would get him nowhere. Not to mention the attention he could draw if he actually did. Instead he took a moment to calm himself before speaking again.

"Just… Just leave." Ichiban said with a sigh, waving off the Duel Spirit, who looked like he wanted to say something.

Without saying a word, Phoenix Enforcer levitated the three decks onto the nearby desk and disappeared. Ichiban then sat on his bed, holding his head in his hands as tears began to fall down his face. Part of him was excited to be living a fantasy, being able to live in one of his favorite animes from when he was a kid, the other part was scared.

Scared to know why his spirit partner refused to tell him why he was brought here. Scared to know what would happen if he were to not use the other decks. Scared to know if anyone else was brought with him.

An hour had passed since Ichiban's meeting with Phoenix Enforcer, and after a quick existential crisis, decided to explore the island. Obviously he avoided the main building and Slifer Red dorm, and settled for exploring the rest of the academy. Passing by the island's lake, he took a quick glance at the docks before returning to his walk.

Only to immediately stop and double take at who was standing at the end of the dock. There is a person on the shorter side, barely standing at 5' tall, a standard Ra Yellow jacket and boots with gray pants ending at the ankles. Their hair is hidden beneath a large hat, with the ends of an orange bandanna sticking out from the back.

'Oh fuck, that's Blair Flannigan… OH FUCK, THAT'S BLAIR FLANNIGAN!' Ichiban thought as he began to mentally panic at the sight of the disguised girl.

The reincarnated teen quickly turned around and began to walk away while thoughts ran through his head at rapid speeds. Why was she here? She wasn't supposed to show up until episode 20. Not to mention she was supposed to be in Slifer Red, not Ra Yellow. Not to mention that she looked… bigger than her original counterpart. Was she now older somehow? She was 11 years old in the original series (8.5 years in the English Dub) but now looked to be fifteen or so.

'She's looking at the Obelisk Blue Boy's Dorm, no doubt thinking about Zane.' Ichiban thought to himself, turning his head back to take a glance back at the disguised girl. 'She shouldn't be here yet… and now there's someone else to avoid.'

Later that night, Ichiban is sitting at his desk, his four decks in front of him. Scattered around him are dozens of Duel Monster cards he purchased before arriving at the academy. He may not want to use the decks, but he may as well be ready for when he has to. The reincarnated duelist bought a wide variety of booster packs, and is waiting for the opportunity to buy more of them with 'rare cards' at the card shop.

Come to find out, the Academy ran on a point based system, similar to that of the games, though only a more simple one. Each first year student started with 15000 Duel points, DP for short, and when dueling, students would ante 1500 points each. The winner of the duel would keep their points and the ones their opponent bet. Though it's not mandatory for anyone to ante DP for every duel. It reminded Ichiban of the Beypoints from Beyblade Metal Fusion.

Even a student's grades affect their DP. Every week, one would gain more points on how good they're doing academically, sort of like an allowance. D's get 200 points, C's get 400 points, B's get 600 points, A's get 800 points, and S's get 1000 points. Those who fall below a D get no points, and only get weekly DP when their grades improve or they win duels against other students. Seto Kaiba may have an ego greater than Joey's creepy chin, but he's surprisingly fair when coming up with this system for his academy.

(A/N: I based it off of the Japanese academic grading system, in case some of you were wondering about this.)

Duel Points were the only real form of currency at Duel Academy, being used to buy necessities like soap and clothes, but also booster packs at the card shop. Standard packs with regular cards being 100 points, packs with uncommon cards are 500 points, and ones with rare cards being 1000 points each. Luckily there's a rule that students could only buy 5 packs per day so one student doesn't buy the entirety of the store in one go.

(A/N: All of this isn't really necessary for the story, this was just me overthinking how things worked at Duel Academy.)

'Cards like Draining Shield, Wall of Disruption, and Mirror Force are good traps in any deck.' Ichiban thought as he placed the three cards neatly into a pile of cards.

Currently, the student was organizing the cards he bought into separate piles to figure out which ones worked better with his decks. Of course, there were cards that worked in any of them, so they were in a separate stack. While this wasn't an easy task, it was necessary to make sure his decks were ready for whatever the academy would throw at him.

Ichiban then let out a yawn as he stretched his arms, leaning back in his chair as he did. Turning his head, the teen took note of the time on his clock, '11:32 PM' it read. Rubbing his eyes, he stood up from his desk and yawned once more.

"It's late, I should get some sleep." Ichiban muttered as he passed by his window, only to pause and backpettle a few steps. "Is that…?"

Thanks to his room being on the front end of the dorm, his window gave him a clear view of the doorway. From his vantage point, he saw Blair sneaking out of the dorm and into the night. The reincarnated teen began to panic at the sight of this, until he began to feel light headed. Before he could support himself, Ichiban fell unconscious, landing on the floor with a thud.

He laid on the floor for a few minutes until his hand twitched. With a few awkward movements, Ichiban pushed himself off the ground. Though there was something different about him. His panicked expression was calm, and his deep blue eyes were a different color, now being a fiery orange.

Blair Flannigan came to Duel Academy for one reason and one reason alone: to confess her love to Zane Truesdale, the top ranked student at the Academy. In order to do that, she disguised herself as a boy and entered the academy as a male student. After arriving earlier today, she tried to sneak into the Obelisk Blue dorm to find Zane's room. Unfortunately, she was caught by a student in the dorm, but managed to escape.

As if she wasn't unfortunate enough today, the Obelisk Blue student sent her an ultimatum: Duel him, or he'll report 'him' to the Disciplinary Action Squad. Blair was thanking the God Cards that her identity was still a secret. The disguised girl trekked through the island, making sure to avoid the guards on her way to the Obelisk Blue arena where the duel was to take place.

(A/N: Just so there's no confusion, characters who don't know her true gender will refer to her as a boy, while those who know, you readers and I, will refer to her as a girl.)

Sneaking into the building, she was met with the sight of an older Obelisk Student that challenged her arguing with three different Obelisk Blues (the leader of them having wild spiky black hair), as a kuriboh haired Slifer tried to diffuse the situation while a shorter blue haired boy watched. Things escalated when her challenger grabbed one of the Obelisk Blues by the jacket and tossed him to the side.

"I don't care if you're a Princeton, a Kaiba, or even the King of Games!" The Obelisk Student said as he glared down at the teen. "Here at Duel Academy, you're just a no named first year. You might've been something at prep school, but here you're less than dirt until you prove yourself as a duelist."

"Hey! Can't we all just get along?" The kuriboh haired Slifer asked as he stepped between the group of Obelisk Blue students. "After all, we're all here to duel."

"The only ones dueling here is me and him!" The Obelisk Blue stated as he pointed a finger at Blair, causing everyone to turn their heads towards the disguised girl.

"Picking a fight with a Ra Reject?" The black haired Obelisk sneered, causing his two goons to laugh.

"Says the one whining about not being able to duel a Slifer." The older boy retorted, causing the other Blues to shut their mouths. "Now, I believe you and I had some business to attend to."

Before Blair could reply, the sound of whistling filled the arena. It was faint, and only she could hear it, but soon it became louder for everyone to hear it. It sounded eerie and hollow, yet at the same time, soothing and comforting. Everyone froze as the whistling grew nearer and nearer, until a fog began to seep into the arena from the darkened hallway. Blair, who was the closest to the hallway, felt her heart drop as she saw who was whistling.

The whistler is a tall person with a muscular build, and his outfit consists of a black knee-length tailcoat, a high-necked waistcoat with silver accents, cinched black pants held up by a bandolier-like belt, black winklepickers boots and a pair of black gloves. Sitting atop of its head is a black, broad-brimmed leather cavalier's hat, folded on the left side, topped with a fluffy black plume and a white hatband wrapped around the base. Around his neck is a tethered white scarf that seemed to move through non-existent wind.

Though what unnerved her the most was his face, or rather, the mask covering the entirety of his head. It's a shiny silver mask resembling a skull, with large almost bug-like black eyes. It has a grill like mouth, with black plates on either side of it to give it the appearance of a jaw, and matching ones on the center of the face acting like a nasal cavity.

Strapped to his left forearm is a customized Academia Duel Disk. Instead of the plain silvery white color scheme, this one is pitch black with a silver trim.

Blair took a step back as the person walked past her, chills going down her spine as the whistling filled her ears. The feuding students looked unnerved at the sight of him, with the shorter Slifer hiding behind the taller one, and the two Obelisk goons doing the same to the black haired one. The person finally stopped whistling as he stood at the opposite end of the arena.

"Sorry for frightening you all." He said, taking off his hat and revealing a stylized S-shaped crack that started from the top of the mask and ended between its eyes. "I felt the winds of change blow through the academy, and I wanted to see where it led me."

"You… who are you?" The older Obelisk Blue asked. "You don't look like a student? What are you doing here? And what's with the costume?"

"My name… is Requiem, and I'm just a passing through duelist. Remember that." The masked person said as he raised his hat and put it back on.

"A duelist? So you're looking for a duel then." The black haired Obelisk said as he activated his disk, only for Requiem to raise a hand.

"No, dueling someone like you, who only duels to satisfy their own fragile ego, would leave a bad taste in my mouth." Requiem said, causing the student to grit his teeth in anger.

"Fragile ego?!" The student cried before pointing a finger at the masked man. "Listen up, skull head! No one insults Chazz Princeton and gets away with it!"

"And I told you, first year!" The older student said as he placed his arm in front of his junior. "The only ones dueling here tonight is me and the pipsqueak!"

"You… What is your reason for dueling tonight?" Requiem said, turning his attention from Chazz to the older student. "Why is your anger pointed towards the boy?"

"If you want to know then listen up! My name's Kiba Tatsuma, a second year Obelisk Blue student! And earlier today, I found him-" The newly named Kiba said as he then pointed to Blair, "Sneaking through our dorm earlier today, and he ran like a coward instead of facing the consequences! So unless he wants to get kicked off the island, he needs to duel me!"

"You have the drive of a dragon, young Kiba. Very well, if you insist." Requiem said, clearly intrigued by the Obelisk student. "Arrogant one, you may duel me and the small one alongside young Kiba in a tag duel."

"I could care less about dueling you, arrogant one, but I respect the drive of young Kiba. So to satisfy my hunger, and to honor his challenge, this shall be a tag duel." Requiem stated as he activated his duel disk.

"Wait! Don't I get a say in this?!" Blair shouted, not expecting anything like this to happen.

""""No!"""" Nearly everyone shouted, causing the disguised girl to jump in shock.

Kiba wanted his duel against her. Chazz wanted to beat Requiem for insulting him. The kuriboh haired boy was here for a duel, but was more excited to see the tag duel. The short Slifer Student looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. As for the Obelisk Blue goons… no one cared what they thought.

A few moments later, Kiba and Chazz stood at the opposite end of the arena while Blair and Requiem stood together at the other end. The taller Slifer student looked excited for the match while the shorter one looked nervous. The duelists readied themselves, drawing five cards before shouting,

""""Duel!""""

Kiba/Chazz: 8000

Blair/Requiem: 8000

Turn 1 Start

"I'll go first." Kiba said as he drew a sixth card. "And play the Spell Card Double Summon! Now I'll summon Masked Dragon in defense mode and Armed Dragon LV3 in attack mode!"

Masked Dragon (ATK 1400/DEF 1100/Dragon/Fire/Lv3)

Armed Dragon LV3 (ATK 1200/DEF 900/Dragon/Wind/Lv3)

"Now I'll set one card face down and end my turn." Kiba said as he slid a card into his spell/trap zone.

Turn 1 End

Turn 2 Start

"Alright, I'll draw!" Blair stated as she drew her sixth card. "Now get ready to fall in love with Maiden in Love!"

Maiden in Love (ATK 400/DEF 300/Spellcaster/Light/Lv2)

"Wow, what a cute card." The short Slifer said with a blush on his face, causing the two Obelisk Goons to give him a strange look before taking a step away from him, clearly disturbed by what they heard.

"I'll then set one card face down and end my turn."

Turn 2 End

Turn 3 Start

"Amateaurs, now let me show you how a real duelist plays." Chazz said as he took the top card of his deck. "I summon Reborn Zombie in defense mode!"

Reborn Zombie (ATK 1000/DEF 1600/Zombie/Dark/Lv4)

"And I'll also throw a card face down." Chazz said, inserting a card into his duel disk and ending his turn.

Turn 3 End

Turn 4 Start

"Then it's my turn." Requiem said as he took the top card of his deck. "I'll activate the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face down card, arrogant one."

Putting the card into the spell/trap zone, Chazz could only watch as a tornado came from above and destroyed his card, which revealed itself to be Chthonian Polymer. The Obelisk student grit his teeth in annoyance as he placed it into his graveyard.

"Now I activate the spell card Branded Fusion!" Requiem said as he activated a card with two dragons circling each other.

""Branded what?!"" Chazz and Kiba both shouted, neither one knowing the name of the card, but could take a guess on what it did.

"Right off the bat with a fusion summon! Man, I wish I was dueling too." The kuriboh haired Slifer said, eager to see what the masked duelist would do.

"Now I can fusion summon one fusion monster that mentions 'Fallen of Albaz' as material by using monsters from my hand, field, or deck." Requiem said as he slid out his deck and pulled out two cards.

"Fusion summoning from his deck? I don't even think my brother could do that!" The short Slifer shouted.

"Now by sending Fallen of Albaz and White Dragon Wyverburster from my deck to the grave, I can fusion summon this!" Requiem said as the two monsters appeared before quickly disappearing. "A soul of darkness and body of light, I call upon the dragon of promised victory! Burn the world! Albion the Branded Dragon!"

Everyone watched as a cloud of smoke enveloped Requiem's monster zone, before some took a step back after seeing a pair of glowing orange eyes. The students braced themselves as the smoke suddenly blew away, revealing a large western dragon with fiery red scales. The students could only watch as the monster opened its mouth and released a loud and powerful roar that shook the arena.

Albion the Branded Dragon (ATK 2500/DEF 2000/Dragon/Dark/Lv8)

"Now the effect of my dragon activates! When its fusion summoned, I can fusion summon a level 8 or lower fusion monster by banishing materials from my hand, field, and/or graveyard!" Requiem said as he took a card from his hand and from his graveyard.

"Now by banishing Fallen of Albaz and Albion the Shrouded Dragon, I can summon this!" Requiem shouted as a ring of fire appeared next to his monster. "Burning rage and chimeric flesh merge into one! Roar! Brigrand the Glory Dragon!"

From the portal, a large dragon-like monster appeared. It has a muscular body with brown skin, black fur, and large wings that look to be made of flames. It opened its mouth and released a powerful roar, matching the one released by Albion a few moments ago.

Brigrand the Glory Dragon (ATK 2500/DEF 2000/Beast/Dark/Lv8)

"A fusion monster… that fusion summons monsters? I've never heard of a card like that before." Kiba muttered, sweat forming at his brow as he looked at the powerful monsters before him.

"What a sweet monster! Now I really want to duel him!" The taller Slifer said, his eyes full of wonder at the duel.

"I don't know, Jaden. This duel has some strong duelists." The short Slifer commented.

"Yeah, but that's what makes it exciting, Syrus." Jaden replied with a smile on his face. "What could be better than testing your skills against strong duelists?"

"You should listen to Syrus, Jaden." A new voice said, causing the two Silfer's to look behind them.

The speaker turned out to be a beautiful girl their age, with long dark blonde hair and hazel colored eyes. She's wearing the standard Obelisk Blue female uniform, which for some reason, has a very short skirt. Her arrival turned the heads of nearly everyone there, except for Requiem and Kiba.

"Alexis?!" The male students asked, with the duelists turning their attention to her before going back to the duel.

"I knew I'd find you two and Chazz here, but I wasn't expecting to see these three." Alexis said, referring to Blair, Kiba, and Requiem.

"You know them?" asked Syrus.

"Kiba Tatsuma, he was considered one of the best first year students last year. Blair Flannigan, he ranked in the top 10 students this year during the entrance exams." Alexis said, before turning her attention to the masked duelist. "But I have no clue who he is."

"He calls himself Requiem, so with the skull mask, it sounds like he's got a spirit theme going on." Jaden commented.

"Whoever he is, he's good. Summoning two powerful monsters on his first turn." Alexis said with Syrus nodding in agreement.

"Now I set two cards face down to end my turn." Requiem said as he slid the cards into his spell/trap zone.

Turn 4 End

Turn 5 Start

"Back to me." Kiba said as he drew a card from his deck. "Now the effect of my Armed Dragon activates! I can send it to the graveyard to special summon Armed Dragon LV5 from my deck."

The small dragon exploded into pixels, before it was replaced by a large fat dragon with red and black scales that was covered in silver spikes. It let out a roar, but it wasn't as loud as the ones released by Albion or Brigrand.

Armed Dragon LV5 (ATK 2400/DEF 1700/Dragon/Wind/Lv5)

"Hold on! I activate my trap, There Can Only Be One!" Requiem said as the card flipped over. "Now each of us can only control one monster of each type. If we have more than one, then those would have to be sent to the graveyard."

"Then that means I'll have to send my Masked Dragon to the grave." Kiba said as he took the card off the duel disk, causing its hologram to explode into pixels.

"Wait a second! Then what about your dragons?" Chazz interrupted. "Don't think you can cheat against us, skull head."

"They may be called dragons, but only Albion is one. Brigrand is a Beast type monster, arrogant one." Requiem explained, causing Chazz's mouth to open in shock.

"THEN WHY IS IT CALLED A DRAGON IF IT'S A BEAST MONSTER?!" Chazz yelled as he pointed at the aforementioned card.

"I did not name my cards, arrogant one." Requiem simply said.

"Ok, moving on from his freakout, I activate my dragon's effect! I can send one monster from my hand to the grave, and destroy one monster my opponent controls whose ATK is less than or equal to the discarded monster." Kiba said as he slid a card into the grave.

"So by sending Luster Dragon #2 to the grave, I can destroy one monster with 2400 or lower ATK points, and there's only one that fits the bill." Kiba said as he pointed to Maiden in Love. "Destroy her! Shrapnel Blast!"

The spikes that covered the dragon were launched into the air like rockets, and turned around to rain down onto the monster. Before it could hit her, a large wing came between her and the projectiles, shielding her from them. Much to everyone's shock, it was Brigrand who protected the maiden from Kiba's monster.

"What the? Why'd it hit it instead?" Kiba asked, astonished at what he had just witnessed.

"Because while my dragon stands, no other monster on our side of the field can be targeted with monster effects." Requiem explained, with the hologram of Maiden in Love looking at Brigrand with a blush on her face.

"You may have stopped its effect, but not its attack!" Kiba said as he pointed at the Spellcaster type monster. "Attack with Armed Buster!"

The Wind attribute monster reared its arms back and spun them in a buzz saw fashion. As they spun, its arms were shrouded in red energy. With one final spin, it slammed its arms onto Maiden in Love. Doing so caused a large explosion that shrouded the arena in smoke, and created a massive shockwave.

As the smoke cleared, it revealed Requiem standing in front of Blair, shielding her from the explosion and shockwave. Not only that, but Maiden in Love was still on the field, and the pair's Life Points haven't gone down. To top it off, one of the face down cards was flipped up, revealing it to be a trap card.

"Are you alright, small one?" Requiem asked without turning back to look at his partner, who nodded her head.

"I activated my trap card, Spirit Barrier! So long as there's a monster on our field, we take no battle damage." Blair explained, before pointing at Armed Dragon, who has a pink heart on its chest. "And as long as my maiden is in attack mode, she'll live to love another day. Not only that, the monster that attacked her gets a Maiden Counter."

"Maiden Counter? What's that?" Kiba wondered.

Turn 5 End

Turn 6 Start

"I'll show you!" Blair said as she drew a card. "I activate the equip spell Happy Marriage and equip it to Maiden in Love!"

From Blair's Spell/Trap Zone, a card with wedding bells appeared. With a ring of the bells, the yellow dress that Maiden in Love was wearing turned into a wedding dress and veil, much to the surprise of Kiba and Chazz.

"Now I can target one monster and my maiden gains ATK equal to the targeted monster." Blair explained as she turned to her partner's side of the field. "And I choose Brigrand the Glory Dragon."

(A/N: Before anyone says anything, in the anime, you can use cards that specifically say to target your opponent on your partner in tag duels. Like with Jaden and Syrus' duel with Para and Dox when Dark Designator was used.)

Maiden in Love (ATK 2900/DEF 300/Spellcaster/Light/Lv2)

"She's almost as strong as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon now!" Jaden said in amazement.

"Only she's a lot prettier." Syrus said, earning a weird look from Alexis and the two Obelisk Goons.

"Now attack his dragon! Lovely Kiss!" Blair said, causing her monster to kiss her fingertips, before blowing a pink heart towards the level five monster.

The heart stopped in front of the dragon, who was confused by it. The Wind-Attribute monster began to poke it a few times, only for it to literally blow up in its face, destroying it and dealing battle damage to Kiba and Chazz.

Kiba/Chazz: 8000 LP - 500 = 7500 LP

"I activate my facedown card, Call of the Haunted!" Kiba said as his card flipped up. "And I'll use it to bring back Armed Dragon LV5 in defense mode!"

From the Spell/Trap Zone, a tombstone appeared onto the field. Moments later, a fist punched through the ground before Kiba's monster quite literally pulled itself out of the grave.

Armed Dragon LV5 (ATK 2400/DEF 1700/Dragon/Wind/Lv5)

Turn 6 End

Turn 7 Start

"My move!" Chazz said, taking a card from his deck before smirking. "I activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards from my deck!"

"Now I'll summon Chthonian Soldier in attack mode!" Chazz said as he slid the card onto his duel disk. "Now attack Maiden in Love."

Chthonian Soldier (ATK 1200/DEF 1400/Warrior/Dark/Lv4)

The soldier charged and swung its sword at the maiden, who kissed her finger tips and blew a heart at her attacker. This destroyed the opposing monster, sending its sword into the air and damaging Kiba and Chazz.

Kiba/Chazz: 7500 LP - 1700 = 5800 LP

"Now Chthonian Soldier's effect activates! When it's destroyed by battle, you take damage equal to the damage we took." Chazz explained, pointing up at his monster's sword.

Blair's eyes widened at the sight of it, before she braced herself as it flew through the air and sliced her, causing the girl to fall to her knees. Since it was effect damage, Spirit Barrier could not stop it.

Blair/Requiem: 8000 LP - 1700 = 6300 LP

"Now I activate the spell card Chthonian Blast!" Chazz said as he slid the card into his spell/trap zone. "Because a monster I control was destroyed by battle, I can target one monster you control and destroy it, and then you take damage equal to half of its ATK points."

Knowing what monster Chazz would pick, Blair could only watch as her Maiden in Love was destroyed in an explosion. With her monster destroyed, it also meant that Happy Marriage was destroyed as well.

Blair/Requiem: 6300 LP - 1450 = 4850 LP

(A/N: Again, I know Chthonian Blast is a trap card with a totally different effect in real life, but in the anime it's a spell card with this effect. Also it doesn't say to take damage equal to half of the targeted monster's original ATK, so I'm assuming it means current ATK)

Turn 7 End

Turn 8 Start

"Now it's my turn!" Requiem said as he drew a card. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!"

"Now I activate Branded Bond from my hand!" Requiem said as the card appeared in his spell/trap zone. "Now I can special summon one of my Fallen of Albaz from my hand, GY, or that is banished."

Fallen of Albaz (ATK 1800/DEF 0/Dragon/Dark/Lv4)

"Next I'll equip Albion with Fairy Meteor Crush!" Requiem said as his dragon glowed as the card appeared behind it. "Now attack Armed Dragon LV5! But not before I activate this, the spell card Battle Fusion!"

Albion the Branded Dragon (ATK 4900/DEF 2000/Dragon/Dark/Lv8)

"Now my dragon gains ATK equal to the ATK of the monster it's battling!" Requiem said as his dragon released a blast of fire at the weaker monster. "Destroy it with Branded Blaze!"

Armed Dragon attempted to push back the fireball, but it proved too much for it to handle, destroying it and dealing a large amount of damage to Requiem's opponents.

Kiba/Chazz: 5800 LP - 3200 = 2600 LP

"Now Brigrand! Attack with Glorious Blast!"

Kiba/Chazz: 2600 LP - 2500 = 100 LP

"Fallen of Albaz! Finish this!"

The humanoid monster clasped its hands together before separating them, forming a ball of black fire. It then raised its hands into the air, the ball of flames becoming massive. The monster jumped into the air and threw the attack at the opposing duelists, creating an explosion and depleting them of their life points.

Kiba/Chazz: 100 LP - 1800 = -1700 LP

Blair/Requiem: Win

Seeing the Obelisk student's life points drop to zero caused Blair to cheer in celebration, and Requiem simply gave her a thumbs up. Meanwhile Chazz fell to his knees in shock. He was there to beat a Slifer slime, but got utterly defeated by a Ra reject and a masked wearing weirdo. Kiba on the other hand looked at his two opponents and nodded his head, as if understanding something.

Everyone else either cheered at the outcome of the duel, or were in disbelief. Except for Alexis, that is. She turned her head to the hallway behind her, hearing multiple loud footsteps getting closer, meaning only one thing.

"Uh, guys? We got company!" Alexis said, getting everyone's attention. "Campus security. If they find us all in here, we'll get seriously busted."

"Why? I mean, we're all students here." Jaden asked, looking confused and shocked at what he heard.

"The rules say no off hour arena duels." Alexis explained, pulling the campus handbook out from her skirt pocket. "Chazz and Kiba both know that, but let me guess, they didn't tell you guys."

As Chazz's goons were urging him to leave, Kiba left on his own. Meanwhile Jaden was complaining that he didn't get a turn to duel, and it took Syrus begging to get him to leave with Alexis. Blair followed them, and looked back for Requiem, only to be shocked to find him already gone.

After saying goodbye to Jaden, Syrus, and Alexis, Blair walked through the island on her way to the dorm. Her head filled with questions about what happened tonight. The main, and biggest question, was about the mysterious masked duelist: Requiem. As she passed through the forest, the girl stopped as she noticed a strange fog beginning to consume the area.

Before she could even say anything, a familiar whistle was heard, cutting through the silent night like a hot knife through butter. Looking to her left, her eyes widened upon seeing Requiem walk out of the forest. The masked duelist proceeded to take off his hat and held it against his chest, and gave the girl a bow.

"I am sorry for my sudden disappearance, small one." Spoke Requiem as he stood back up, but not putting on his hat. "I wanted to speak with you in private, but I ran into Young Kiba on my way here."

From the fog next to Requiem, the second year student walked into view. Dread filled the girl at the sight of the Obelisk Blue. She expected him to go back on their deal, but instead he gave her a smile.

"That was some duel! It might not have gone the way I wanted, but it was fun." Laughed Kiba, much to Blair's shock. "I even pieced together why you were in our dorm."

"Those cards you used were meant to confess your feelings towards someone in the dorm." Began the Obelisk Blue student. "And if I had to guess… you have feelings for Zane."

Blair's face turned bright red upon being found out, steam threatening to come out of her ears like a kettle. She never expected to be found like this, especially on her first day on the island.

"I'll admit, I never thought I'd see a guy have feelings for him. Usually it's all the girls who like his looks or his skill as a duelist."

Hearing that, Blair froze upon realizing that Kiba may have found out about her intentions, but he didn't figure out her true gender. Luckily, her more important secret was safe for another day.

"I won't interfere with your quest for his heart, but I'll be rooting for you. Maybe you'll be the one to break that facade of his. Later!" With that being said, the second year walked deeper into the forest, but turned around and called out. "And Requiem! Next time we meet, I'll be looking forward to a rematch!"

Requiem and Blair watched as the Obelisk Blue ran off into the night, leaving them alone in the forest.

"His heart is in the right place, but he seems half-boiled." Requiem chuckled, "He didn't even realize you're a girl."

"I guess. I really thought he-eeeeeeeeeeehhh?!" Blair said, before panicking after processing what the masked duelist said. "You know I'm a girl?!"

"I could tell from a glance that you were no young man, but a fair maiden. However, that is your secret to keep." Requiem said, much to the girl's relief. "What I did want to talk to you about was our duel."

"Our duel? What about it?" asked the disguised girl.

"I understand those cards are meant to express your love for Zane, but you would've lost to Young Kiba had I not dueled alongside you." Explained the masked duelist.

Blair wanted to argue, but deep down, she knew he was right. Kiba's Armed Dragon LV5 would've destroyed her Maiden in Love, and she would've been defenseless to stop it. And if Kiba followed through with his ultimatum, she would've been reported and expelled from the school.

"I'm not telling you to abandon your deck, but I think it's best you expand upon it. I believe you have the making of a great duelist, you just need a gentle push in the right direction." Explained Requiem, putting back on his hat as he did. "May we meet again, my fair lady."

Whistling his haunting yet soothing tune, Requiem disappeared into the forest, the fog thickening enough to block her view of him. Soon the fog cleared away, and the masked duelist was nowhere to be seen.

Back in the Ra Yellow dorm, Ichiban's room filled with fog before Requiem appeared inside the room. Pulling out a blank card from within his deck, the masked duelist's entire outfit and duel disk transformed into particles and absorbed within the card. In mere moments, the blank card transformed into a duel monster card with the name 'Requiem', and an image of the masked duelist printed onto it.

Beneath the suit was Ichiban, only he looked different. His blue eyes were now a burning orange, with a matching streak in his hair.

"Worororo, I had some fun tonight." Spoke not Ichiban, but the duel spirit possessing him, Albion.

"You had your fun, Albion" Spoke Phoenix Enforcer as he appeared behind the possessed duelist. "Now give Ichiban back his body"

With a huff, Albion laid on the bed and crossed his arms behind his head. The possessed body began to glow with an orange light, before a ball of that same light left Ichiban, his eyes and hair returning to normal. Unfortunately, Ichiban was still unconscious, so it looked like he was still sleeping. Albion, now in his true duel spirit form, appeared inside of the room.

"With that suit on, we now have a way to have fun, and without putting Ichiban in the spotlight." Laughed the Dragon Monster. "So long as we keep his body and spirit safe, we can do as we please."

"So you say, but what does that mean for Ichiban?" Asked the Elemental HERO, "With you I know you only want to sustain your lust for battle, but I cannot say the same for Construct or Cyberdark Dragon."

"Then you better hope your little contestant grows strong for when that day comes." The Branded Dragon said before disappearing, leaving Phoenix Enforcer alone.

BOOM! Scene! And before anyone asks, yes I know I forgot about the effect of Giant Rat in the last chapter, I just didn't feel like fixing it. Plus, it was against the examiner, and wouldn't have changed anything in the duel.

So did you all expect Blair to show up? No? Well the chapter is named "Ripple Effect", so who knows what else changed…

Anyways! Expect to see some more of Kiba in the future. He started off as a one off character for this chapter, but I plan to use him more later down the line as a stand-in for the second year students; considering we only ever know the ones in Jaden's year, plus Zane and Atticus.

As for Requiem, expect to see more of him too. Whether Ichiban will be in control or not remains unseen…

Remember to leave a review or PM me if you have any questions. This has been Draak D. Sol, and I'll see you all next time.