An alarm clock went off, followed by a crunching noise.
"Fucking alarm clocks," Naruto mumbled with narrowed eyes and a fist clenched. He swung his legs over and got out of his bed. A quick stretch popped the knots in his body and a tired sigh escaped Naruto. "Where can a guy get a decent cup of coffee?" His mind was still a mess from the conversation last night.
"Midori Hibiki..." Naruto said quietly. A former Pro-Duelist turned teacher. A master of duel strategies. A person with an agenda that was all her own.
Naruto looked at Midori harshly.
"How do you know that? No one knows about my connection to Seto Kaiba! Or my Underground Dueling!" Naruto whispered.
"You didn't think you were the only one sent here to keep an eye on the Academy, did you?" Midori replied cheekily. "Mr. Kaiba just wanted another agent here in case things got a little... Hectic."
"Let's get something straight here! I'm not his protege! I'm here to do a job!" Naruto snapped with a finger pointed at Midori.
"I know you have your reasons just like I have my own. I only want us to be on the same page from here on out," Midori explained honestly.
"And those reasons would be?"
"For me to know and for you to find out Naruto."
"Women," Naruto muttered as he finished getting dressed. The school uniform wasn't bad but he would kill for some orange.
"Grr." Kidmondo floated around his head, and Naruto smiled at the duel spirit. The small dragon sensed his duelist's annoyance and tried to brighten his spirits.
"Thanks, Kidmondo," Naruto said as he threw his jacket on. "I'll worry about Hibiki later. Right now I need to get to class."
"Who are you talking to Naruto?" Syrus asked with a yawn as he slowly woke up.
"Hmm, just a friend, Sy," Naruto said. "Yah, know you look like you didn't get enough sleep last night, buddy."
Sy immediately became more awake, and a nervous look entered his eyes. "Oh, you know, just nervous for the first day and all."
"Right... And this has nothing to do with you, Jade, and Blair sneaking out last night?"
"Eep!" Syrus squeaked.
"Busted..." Chumley said from his bunk with a laugh. Was it wrong to enjoy Syrus's struggle? Probably, but Chumley hadn't been invited last night either so he would enjoy it anyway.
"Look, I can explain!" Syrus said nervously.
"Easy Syrus, I'm not mad," Naruto replied. "I'm more curious than anything." It had to be something important for both Blair and Syrus to follow Jade last night.
"Oh..." Syrus mumbled, surprised. He had honestly expected more of an argument from his fellow Slifer. "So you're not gonna be mad that Jade dueled Chazz last night?"
"Jade, did what?" Now it was Naruto and Chumley's turn to look surprised. Syrus chuckled sheepishly, and Naruto appeared down at the smaller Slifer.
"Start talking, Sy..." Naruto said, and Syrus began to explain the events of last night.
The feeling of someone nudging her shoulder woke Jade from her sleep. The busty brunette was greeted by the sight of Blair standing over her. Blair, already in her uniform, stared at her expectingly.
"C'mon Jade, you've got to get up! We have homeroom in thirty minutes." Blair said, and Jade turned over, closing her eyes.
"Five more minutes..." Jade mumbled sleepily.
"That's what you said five minutes ago!" Blair reminded.
Jade let out a groan before sitting up her red night shirt straining against her bust. A tick mark appeared on Blair as she glanced down at her own breasts.
'That is totally not fair!' The smaller teen thought to herself sadly. While Blair was in no way ashamed of her body, it was hard to catch a boy's attention when girls like Jade and Alexis surrounded you.
"Ugh, fine, I'm up," Jade sighed and began to get ready.
"So are you gonna tell Naruto about your duel with Chazz?" Blair asked.
"If I know Syrus, he's probably already told," Jade said with a laugh. "And if he doesn't, then I don't know." Jade was still slightly peeved with her fellow Slifer. Naruto had, in her opinion, disrespected someone that she was particularly close with and that didn't sit well with Jade. That was why she hadn't invited him to watch her duel last night.
As Jade finished getting ready, Blair glanced at the time on her PDA. "Hurry up, Jade, we're going to be late!"
"I'm hurrying as fast I can," Jade replied, throwing on her jacket. She grabbed her deck and followed Blair out the door. "So do we know who our homeroom teacher is?"
"Don't you pay attention to anything?" Blair asked sarcastically. "We have Ms. Hibiki for homeroom and Archetypes, followed up with Crowler for Duel Strategies."
"Sweet! Ms. Midori first thing in the morning. I could do without Crowler, though." Jade said with a shudder.
"Agreed. But after Crowler, we have gym class with Miss Fontaine, so that kinda makes up for it!" Blair exclaimed.
"We better get going then! I need breakfast before class starts!" Jade cheered.
"Welcome, everyone. Please take your seats." Midori said as the freshman class took their seats. Naruto sat next to Syrus with a disgruntled look on his face. "As many of you know, this will be your homeroom class. For those who don't know who I am, my name is Midori Hibiki. I will be your homeroom teacher for the next year and teach Dueling Archetypes. Do any of you have any questions before class begins?"
A yellow sleeve shot up, and Midori pointed to the student. "Yes, Mr. Misawa?"
"Ms. Hibiki, are you by any chance related to Kiyo Hibiki?" Bastion asked with a curious gaze.
"Why yes I am! Kiyo was my younger brother and one of the finest duelists out there." Midori answered fondly. A sad look entered her eye before Midori seemed to shake it off. "But I'm not here to talk about Kiyo. I'm here to teach. So can anyone tell me what an archetype is?" Several hands were raised and Midori scanned the room before settling on Alexis. "Ms. Rhodes."
Alexis stood up and gave her answer. "Archetypes are groups of cards that are related to each other and are supported by spell and trap cards."
"Very good, Ms. Rhodes and to take your answer a step further, most cards in an archetype have a series of anti-support opposing them. Can anyone name me archetypes? Midori scanned the room again before spotting a bored Naruto. "Mr. Uzumai."
Naruto glanced at Midori and with a sigh. "How about Jade's HEROs for one," Naruto replied.
"Excellent answer, Mr. Uzumak. I would have also taken your Blue-Eyes as an answer." Midori said with a critical eye before returning her focus to the class.
'What are you playing at?' Naruto thought as Midori explained more details about archetypes. 'It's gonna be a long day...'
The day continued, and Naruto found himself surprised that he had actually enjoyed most of it. Seto Kaiba and Duel Academy had some of the best instructors in the world to teach.
Ms. Hibiki might have had her own agenda at the school, but the woman was also one hell of a teacher. Her intro to Archetypes had him actually rethinking about his deck and what cards he should add. She also treated everyone fairly. Obelisks weren't given special treatment. They had a class with Crowler next, who taught Duel Strategies. The man was a pompous jackass, but even Naruto would admit he could teach. Now they were in what was soon becoming Naruto's favorite class.
"Hello, everyone! My name is Prof. Fontaine!" Fonda Fontaine, a stunning woman in her late twenties wearing a variation of the Obelisk Female uniform, greeted them. She had red hair and a rather alluring figure. "I will be in charge of keeping you in tip-top shape while you attend Duel Academy."
'I'll give Kaiba this. He sure knows how to hire people!' Naruto thought. He wasn't the only one with the less than innocent thoughts. Numerous male students had slight lecherous gazes, and Naruto snapped himself to attention. Martha would be smacking him upside his head for thoughts like that.
Prof. Fontaine started them out with a simple mile run and Naruto took the opportunity to talk with Jade. The brunette had avoided him all day and Naruto wanted to know why.
"Psst! Jade, why didn't you tell me you were dueling Chazz last night?" Naruto asked.
Jade glanced at Naruto before focusing on her run and giving Naruto the cold shoulder
"Whoa, what's with the coldness?" Naruto inquired, confused.
"You were rude to Ms. Midori, so I'm not talking to you until you apologize!" Jade replied indifferently. As much as she liked Naruto, Ms. Midori was one of her heroes. and she wouldn't stand by and let her be insulted like that.
"That wasn't my..." Naruto started to say before stopping and thinking about yesterday. A sigh escaped him. Okay so maybe he was a bit rude, but he didn't like people trying to get things he didn't agree with. "I see your point, and I'll try to apologize."
"Good!" Jade said with a smile and sprinted ahead, giving Naruto a rather enticing view.
'God I might have hung out with Old Man Jiriaya one too many times...' Naruto thought as a roar echoed throughout his mind. 'Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up you lizard...'
A shout of alarm caught Naruto's attention, and his eyes shifted over to see Syrus surrounded by two Obelisk students. They were Chazz's lackeys, Taiyou, and Raizou, but their leader was nowhere in sight.
"Look at the little Slifer struggle to keep up!" Taiyou mocked.
"It must be hard being this pathetic!" Raizou added with a sneer. Syrus looked at the ground as the blues. "I can't believe you share any DNA with Zane!"
A cold fury surged through Naruto, and his partner was in silent agreement. The blonde Slifer slowly approached the two Obelisk from behind, grabbed Raizou by the shoulder, and sent the Obelisk to the ground with one sweep of his leg.
"Oww... Why you-" Raizou shouted
"You know I really hate bullies," Naruto started to say with a fierce glare that stopped Taiyou from speaking. "I hate that some people feel the need to make people feel bad about themselves. So I'll give you shitheads one warning." Naruto growled. "Stay away from Syrus. In fact, stay away from any Slifers or I'll knock you to your ass again!"
"You'll pay for this!" Raizou snarled.
"Really? That's the best you got? Pfft! I guess you blues have more money than brain cells for that brilliant comeback!" Naruto taunted, not intimidated in the slightest. And why would he be? These guys had nothing on Martha. "Get lost!" Taiyou helped Raizou up and they both took off in a huff. Naruto turned to Syrus with a concerned look. "You okay Sy?"
"Yeah I'm okay..." Syrus glumly replied. "Thanks for the help, Nar."
"Don't mention it, man," Naruto said. "C'mon let's go finish our run."
The one thing Naruto loved to do as much as dueling was exploring and the island had plenty of places to explore. Naruto had already checked the beach and the forest. The next place he wanted to see was the volcano. Most people would find that strange as most normal people wouldn't want to get that close to an active volcano, but Naruto was far from normal. One of his dragons was drawn to it, and he wanted to know why.
"Earth to Naruto!"
"Hmm." Naruto's distracted eyes focused on Blair as she tried to get his attention by waving her hand in front of his face. "Oh hey, Blair."
"Where were you just now? Banner ended class five minutes ago." Blair said.
"Oh?" Naruto looked at the empty classroom in realization. He hadn't even noticed his classmate leaving he was so lost in his thoughts.
"I know Banner kinda drones on about dueling history, but I didn't think he was that boring." Blair joked.
Prof. Banner taught two classes today. The first was Intro to Dueling where he would give them a situation, and they would need to figure out a duel puzzle. The thin teacher had admitted that he was subbing for the actual teacher who was away at the moment. The second class was Duel History, a class that explored the history of duel monsters from the ancient past into the modern day. Banner was so far one of his favorite teachers. He was a jolly man passionate about Ancient Egypt, lost dynasties, and mysteries throughout time.
"Just a lot on my mind today." Between thinking about Midori's plan and his dragon's urging, Naruto had been distracted. He would talk to Midori later. The first thing he would do was quell his fiery beast before he became too loud.
"Let's go already!" Blair said impatiently.
"Alright, alright!" Naruto laughed. He had to give Blair this. The girl was fire and energy wrapped in a petite package.
"So, have you apologized to Prof. Hibiki yet?" Blair asked as they walked through the school. Naruto's face became grumpy, and Blair had her answer: "I'll take that as a no. You know Jade isn't talking to you until you apologize."
"I'll apologize as soon as I- Whoa!" Naruto had been so distracted by talking to Blair that he accidentally ran into someone.
"You have got to pay more attention where you're walking Naruto," Blair said dryly with a giggle.
"Yeah, yeah..." Naruto grumbled as he reached down and helped the person up. As he helped her up, Naruto got a good look at who he accidentally ran into. She was a startling beauty with dark burgundy hair and two elbow-length bangs that framed her pale face. Although she wore the standard Obelisk girl's uniform, Naruto thought she would look even better in red. The outfit strained against her bountiful frame. A startled look filled her deep brown eyes, and Naruto almost got lost in them.
'I'll be damned. What is with this island and beautiful woman?' Naruto said with wide eyes. First, there was Alexis, then Jade. Hell, even Blair was cute for a shrimp.
"I'm sorry about that." Naruto apologized as he helped her stand. "Shortstack over here had me distracted."
"Hey, who are you calling short?" Blair angrily called out with a tick mark.
"It's okay..." The girl replied shyly.
"You're not hurt or anything?" Naruto asked with some worry.
"No..."
"Good! Then I'll catch you around. C'mon Blair."
"You still need to apologize to Prof. Hibiki!" Blair reminded.
"I'm working on it!" Naruto shot back comically.
The girl watched as the strange duo walked away, blushing crimson and looking at him with realization.
"Naruto?"
A knocking at her door caught Midori's attention and she was in for a mild surprise upon opening the door.
"Naruto Uzumaki, you were the last person I expected to come knocking at my door. And what the hell happened to you?" The blonde Slifer was covered in dirt and sweat. Naruto looked like he had run a marathon.
"Hey, Prof. Hibiki..." Naruto mumbled lowly with a disgruntled look. "It's nothing just went hiking for a few hours..."
"Enough with the Professor crap. It's just us, and since we technically work together," Midori said with a wave before gaining a sly look. "You can call me Midori or even Midori-chan!" The older girl teased with a wink.
"Right... I'll just think think about that. Anyway, a certain bigmouth might have pointed out that I was rather... Rude the other day."
"Rude? That's one way to put it." Midori nodded. "This certain bigmouth wouldn't happen to be my little sister, would it?"
"... Maybe."
"Ha! I knew it! You have a crush on Jade, don't you?"
"I'm rethinking that apology!"
"Nope, too late! I've already accepted it. And I'll keep your little crush a secret." Midori said with a grin.
"You're the devil, aren't you?" Naruto grumbled with a sigh.
"I prefer to think of myself as a fallen angel," Midori replied cheekily.
"Yeah, yeah..." Naruto said as he gained a harder look. "Have you heard anything from Kaiba?"
"Total radio silence," Midori answered. "To be fair, it's not like a whole lot has happened yet. The school year has just started after all."
"I know it's just..." Naruto muttered in contemplation. "I just figured I would hear from him by now."
"Mr. Kaiba will contact you when he needs to," Midori said. "So for now try to take advantage of the fact that you're attending the greatest dueling school in the world."
"I'll keep that in mind," Naruto responded dryly as he headed for the door. Learning was the least of his concerns.
"Naruto!" Midori called out before Naruto left. " I hope we can work together to protect the island."
Naruto looked back at Midori with narrowed eyes. "I'm not sure what you're paying at Midori, but my gut tells me to trust you for now. Make no mistake, though!" Naruto warned. "If I find out you're playing me or Kaiba, you'll be sorry." The dragon duelist opened the door and left, and Midori sighed in relief.
"He's very loyal to you," Midori said to her phone, which was sitting on her desk.
"I should hope so." The cold tone of Seto Kaiba responded. The second greatest duelist in the world had been, unknowingly to Naruto, on the phone with Midori when he entered her room. "We have some things to talk about, Midori."
"Yes," Midori replied. "I believe we do."
"Oi! Uzumaki!" Naruto turned to see Taiyou standing there with a disgusted look. "I've been looking for you!"
"And why would you be looking for me?" Naruto asked heatedly. "The last time I checked you Blues thought us Reds were the scum of the earth?"
"You Reds are the scum of the Earth!" Taiyou said venomously. "And it's time us Blues prove it to you. Chazz Princeton challenges you to a duel. He wants to prove you're just a lucky Red who acquired a rare card!"
"And where would the almighty Chazz like to have this duel?" Naruto asked dryly.
"Meet at the lake if you're not a coward, that is!" Taiyou answered before storming off. Naruto shook his head but headed to his room.
"Hey, Naruto." Chumley greeted. The large Australian-themed duelist raised a brow curiously as Naruto grabbed his duel disk and deck. "Where are you headed to."
"Hey Chumley," Naruto said casually. "Just gonna go beat Chazz. You want to come?"
"Oh, sure... Wait, what?!"
"Yeah, Chazz just challenged me to a duel," Naruto explained with a smirk. "And I, for one, would just hate to disappoint."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Chumley asked as he followed after Naruto. "I mean, Chazz almost beat Jade!"
"And I did beat Jade. So Chazz shouldn't be a problem." Naruto shrugged as they made their way to the lake. Chumley pulled his PDA out and sent Jade, Syrus, and Blair a message. They wouldn't want to miss this.
"So you actually decided to show up," Chazz said snidely. "And here I thought you would wimp out."
"Big talk from a guy with a stick up his ass," Naruto replied calmly as he placed his duel disk on his arm and shuffled his deck. Chazz bristled from the insult and did the same. "You know Chazz, you remind me of a guy I knew from my childhood. I beat his ass too. And then I beat him in a duel," Naruto said with a sharp grin.
"I'll enjoy shutting you up, Slifer slime!" Chazz snapped.
"Beat him good, Chazz!" Raizou shouted.
"Show this Slifer his place!" Taiyou added.
"DUEL!" Naruto and Chazz called out.
"Chumley!" Chumley turned to see their other friends running up. "Has the duel started? Have we missed anything?" Jade asked quickly as Syrus and Blair caught their breaths.
"Why," Syrus heaved, "Are we always running?"
"You guys are just in time," Chumley answered as Chazz drew a card.
"It's my move!" Chazz declared. "And I'll start things off by summoning my Chthonian Soldier in attack mode!" An armored warrior appeared in front of Chazz. It wielded a long blade. "And I'll place one card face down and then end my turn."
Chthonian Soldier: Att: Dark/ Type: Warrior/ Level: 4/ ATK:1200/ DEF: 1400
Effect: When this card is destroyed by battle, the Battle Damage taken from this battle is also inflicted on your opponent.
"My move then," Naruto said, drawing a card. "Hmm, what to do..." Naruto contemplated. Did he make it quick, or did he let Chazz suffer?
"Just make your move already!" Chazz shouted.
"No need to hurry, Chazz. I'm gonna beat you either way." Naruto said with a grin. "I summon Masked Dragon to the field!" A grinning white and red dragon appeared on the field. Its fangs were sharp and its grin seemed savage as it looked across the field at Chazz.
Masked Dragon: Att: Fire/ Type: Dragon/ Level 3/ ATK: 1400/ DEF: 1100
Effect: When this card is destroyed by battle: You can special summon one Dragon-Type monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck.
"Now go Masked Dragon! Attack Chazz's Chthonian Soldier!" Naruto ordered fiercely. Masked Dragon snarled behind his mask and charged at Chazz's monster, crushing Chthonian with its clawed hands.
Chazz LP: 4000-200=3800
"Ha! Bad move, Slacker!" Chazz jeered. "When Chthonian Soldier is destroyed by battle, the same damage is dealt to you!"
"Crap..." Naruto muttered as a beam of light struck him.
"Chazz used that same move on me the other night," Jade said.
Naruto LP: 4000-200=3800
"Should have studied more Slacker." Chazz mocked as Naruto ended his turn by playing a face-down card.
"There's still a lot of duel left Chazz," Naruto retorted.
"Not for you there's not," Chazz said drawing a card. "I summon Gil Garth to the field!" A purple-armored fiend wielding a blade appeared on the field.
Gil Garth: Att: Dark/ Type: Fiend/ Level: 4/ ATK: 1800/ DEF: 1200
"And I'll follow that up by activating my trap card, Call of the Haunted!" Chazz said, revealing his face-down card. "So Chthonian Soldier returns!"
Call of the Haunted: Continuous: Target one monster in your Graveyard; Special summon that targeted monster in attack position If this card leaves the field, destroy that monster. If that monster is destroyed, destroy this card.
Chthonian Soldier rose from the ground and took a place next to Gil Garth. Jade could only watch as both monsters brandished their blades and pointed them menacingly at Naruto.
"Chazz isn't holding back, I see." A new voice said from behind them. The group turned to see Alexis standing with a tall teen in a third-year Obelisk uniform and two other girls that Jade had never met before.
"Zane!" Syrus exclaimed, surprised to see his big brother. The small teen was so loud that he caught Chazz and Naruto's attention.
"Syrus, " Zane gruffly said. His eyes shifted to Blair, and his cold facade almost broke into a sigh. "Blair..."
"H-hi Zane..." Blair said with a blushing face.
"Who are these guys Alexis?" One of the girls asked. Her name was Jasmine and she had medium-length light auburn hair, light grey eyes that were filled with incredulity, and she wore the standard Obelisk girls uniform.
"And why is Chazz dueling that Slifer?" The other Oblisk girl added. Her name was Mindy and she had long dark hair and dark brown eyes. Mindyl gave off a ditzy air and looked around mildly confused.
"That Slifer is one of the duelists that beat Crowler," Zane answered eyeing the field. "He's the one who possesses the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."
"That's the duelist you were talking about, Alexis?" Jasmine said with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey, he's kinda cute!" Mindy admitted, causing Alexis and Jade to stiffen.
"Let's focus on the duel, shall we?" Jade said, grimacing.
"Yes, the duel..." Alexis added agreeing.
"It would seem we've got a crowd to see you lose Slacker." Chazz mocked.
"You know I have a name," Naruto said dryly. "I mean seriously, I'm getting tired of being called Slacker all the damn time."
"Whatever! Gil Garth! Attack his Masked Dragon!" Chazz commanded. The mighty fiend charged at the dragon with his sword swinging. With one slash Masked Dragon was cut in half. "How's that feel that feel?"
Naruto LP: 3800-400= 3400
"Pretty good considering you activated my dragon's effect!" Naruto shot back with a grin. "When Masked Dragon is destroyed by battle I can special summon one dragon from my deck with 1500 or less attack points. So welcome to the field my second Masked Dragon!" The same white and red dragon appeared on the field and snarled at Chazz.
"Nice! Naruto managed to protect his life points!" Chumley cheered.
"Something tells me Chazz is just getting started," Alexis said with Zane nodding. The younger Obelisk might have been annoying, but he wasn't stupid.
"Fine, keep your pathetic dragon. I'll just keep destroying it." Chazz muttered, ending his turn.
"And for that comment, I'm gonna enjoy this." Naruto drew and smirked at his card. I sacrifice my Masked Dragon to summon my Strong Wind Dragon!" A tornado engulfed Masked Dragon only to fade away and reveal the larger green-scaled Strong Wind Dragon. The mighty beast unleashed a roar as it glared across the field.
Strong Wind Dragon: Att: Wind/ Type: Dragon/ Level: 6/ ATK: 2400/ DEF:1000
Effect: Can not be destroyed by battle with a monster that has the same ATK. If this monster is tribute summoned by tributing a Dragon-type monster, it gains ATK equal to half the original ATK of the tribute monster. If this monster attacks a defense position monster, inflict piercing damage.
"And Strong Wind has pretty neat ability as well. When a dragon is used to summon him, half of that monster's ATK points are added to his!" Naruto said as energy rushed into Strong Wind.
Strong Wind Dragon: 2400+700=3100
"Not bad," Zane said quietly, eyes focused intently on the duel. Alexis actually looked shocked at Zane's comment as the older student rarely gave compliments.
"Strong Wind! Attack his Gil Garth!" Naruto ordered. Chazz could only watch as the dragon launched a fireball that engulfed Gil Garth. The Obelisk grunted and covered his eyes.
Chazz LP:3800-1300=2500
"Grr... This duel is far from over Slacker!" Chazz snapped. Naruto ended his turn, and Chazz drew a card from his deck. A smirk crept across his lips, and he made his move. "I sacrifice my Chthonian Soldier to summon Dragon Seeker!"
"Oh no!" Alexis muttered.
"What's Dragon Seeker?" Mindy asked, confused.
"The perfect counter to Naruto's dragon," Blair answered.
Dragon Seeker: Att: Dark/ Type: Fiend/ Level: 6/ ATK: 2000/ DEF: 2100
Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, destroy one face-up Dragon-type monster on the field.
Chthonian Soldier faded away only to be replaced by a dragon-like fiend monster. Dragon Seeker let out a guttural growl and focused on Strong Wind Dragon. Naruto's dragon seemed to freeze and gave out a pained roar.
"As you can see, you're not the only one with monsters with special effects! When summoned, Dragon Seeker can destroy one dragon monster on the field!" Chazz declared. A beam shot out of Dragon Seeker's eyes, destroying Strong Wind Dragon. "And now I can attack you directly!" Dragon Seeker flew at Naruto, slashing him across the torso and eliciting a grunt from the Slifer.
Naruto LP: 3400-2000=1400
"And just like that, Chazz showed that Slifer his place!" Raizou cheered.
"Let this be a reminder, Slackers!" Taiyou added pointing at Jade, Syrus, Blair, and Chumley.
"Are you going to say anything?" Alexis whispered to Zane after noticing Syrus's demeanor.
"I'll let Naruto do the talking for me," Zane replied. This wasn't his battle to fight, and it would be insulting to Naruto and the other Slifers to say anything.
"So Uzumaki, do you have anything to say?" Chazz snidely remarked, an arrogant smirk lighting up his face.
"Yeah..." Naruto said with his hair covering his eyes. The blonde looked up with a fierce grin on his face. "Is that the best you got?"
"What?!"
"You destroyed one dragon, and you think I'm beaten?" Naruto mockingly asked as he drew a card. "Let me show you just how wrong you are. I summon my Alexandrite Dragon!" The beautiful jewel-scaled dragon appeared on the field with a savage snarl.
Alexandrite Dragon: Att: Light/Type: Dragon/Level: 4/ATK: 2000/DEF:100
"What is Naruto hoping for?" Syrus asked, looking at both monsters and seeing identical ATK points. "A mutual destruction?"
"You're forgetting something, Sy." Jade reminded glancing at Naruto's face-down.
"And next I activate my Castle of Dragon Souls trap card!" Naruto called out as a mighty stone structure rose behind him; a castle with looming stone dragons.
Castle of Dragon Souls: Continuous Trap: Once per turn: You can banish one Dragon-type from your graveyard, then target one monster you control; it gains 700 ATK points until the end of the turn. When this card is on the field and sent to the graveyard. You can target one of your banished Dragon monsters; Special summon that monster. You can only control one "Castle of Dragon Souls".
"With this nifty trap card, I can take one of my dragons in the graveyard and take it out of the game. In return, I can power up one monster on my field. So I remove one of my Masked Dragons to power up Alexenadrite Dragon!" One of the dragon statues surrounding the castle lit up and a white ghostly dragon vaguely resembling Masked Dragon flew from the statue. The ghostly dragon hovered in the air before flying into Alexandrite Dragon causing the dragon to release a mighty roar of triumph.
Alexandrite Dragon: 2000+700=2700
"Do you see Syrus?" Zane said, catching his brother's attention. "Naruto waited for the perfect time to activate his castle. And it looks like it's going to pay off."
"Alexandrite Dragon, go! Destroy Dragon Seeker!" Naruto's dragon fired a beam of energy that tore through Dragon Seeker, causing the fiend to cry out. Chazz growled as his life points dropped.
Chazz LP: 2500-700=1800
"I'll end my turn by throwing down a face-down. Your move, Chazz."
Chazz gritted his teeth in frustration. This Slacker didn't get it! But Chazz would show him the truth. He would show him how futile he was being.
"It's my draw." Chazz glanced at the new card in his hand and a plan started to form. " I summon my Mystic Tomato in defense mode!" A large red fruit-like monster resembling a jacko lantern appeared on the field with a large grin on its face. "I'll end my turn."
Mystic Tomato: Att: Dark/ Type: Fiend/ Level: 4/ ATK:1400/ DEF: 1100
Effect: When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard: You can special summon one DARK monster with 1500 or less ATK in face-up attack position.
'Mystic Tomato? That's a searcher like Masked Dragon...' Naruto thought with a critical eye. The difference being that Masked Dragon looked for other dragons, while Mystic Tomato looked for other dark monsters. "Let's see what you have planned.' Naruto drew a card from his deck and made his move. " I'll have my Alexandrite Dragon attack!"
The dragon fired a beam of energy that tore through Chazz's Mystic Tomato. The monster laughed mockingly as it was destroyed, sending shivers down some of the watchers' backs.
"I have a bad feeling, guys," Jade muttered as a laugh escaped Chazz.
"Ditto." Blair agreed.
"Perfect! Thank you, slacker! Because by destroying my Tomato, I can summon a dark monster from my deck!" Chazz explained. "And I special summon my Legendary Fiend!" Rising from the ground in a sparkle of light was a three-headed demon-like monster with black fur on its legs, black wings, and razor-sharp claws.
Legendary Fiend: Att: Dark/ Type: Fiend/ Level: 6/ ATK:1500/ DEF: 1800
Effect: Once per turn, during your standby phase: This card gains 700 ATK.
"Whoa! Marik Ishtar used that monster..." Blair exclaimed with wide eyes.
"And as soon as Naruto ends his turn, Legendary Fiend will gain 700 ATK points," Jade added with a frown.
"This is not good," Syrus muttered.
"Wait, shouldn't Naruto be safe as long as his castle is on the field?" Chumley asked, catching everyone's attention. "I mean, as long as Naruto has monsters in the graveyard, he should be able to strengthen his dragon, right?"
"Unless Chazz has a way of removing Naruto's dragon," Alexis said.
"I'll throw down a face-down and end my turn," Naruto said.
"It's my move!" Chazz said, drawing a card. 'Perfect!' Chazz thought with a smirk.
"I don't like that smirk," Syrus said nervously.
"First, I'll think my Fiend needs a boost!"
Legendary Fiend: 1500+700=2200
"Next I activate my Allure of Darkness spell card. This spell allows me to draw two more cards from my deck!"
Allure of Darkness: Normal: Draw 2 cards, then banish 1 DARK monster from your hand. If you do not have a DARK monster in your hand, send your entire hand to the graveyard.
"Of course, I need to banish one dark monster from my hand so I'll banish my Reborn Zombie. And I think I'll use one of my newly drawn cards. I activate Dark Core!"
Dark Core: Normal Spell: Discard one card, then target one face-up monster on the field; banish that target.
A black orb appeared on the field and started to suck in Alexandrite Dragon. The mighty beast let out a roar as it was sucked away, leaving Naruto defenseless.
"Dark Core allows me to banish one monster on the field at the cost of discarding one card from hand," Chazz explained, sending another card to the graveyard.
"Crap baskets..." Naruto muttered looking at his empty field.
"This is it for you, Uzumaki! Legendary Fiend! Attack him directly!" Chazz ordered viscously. The massive fiend charged forward and prepared to slash Naruto.
"Oh no! Naruto's gonna lose!" Jade exclaimed.
"I don't think so. Go Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Naruto called out as a small metal golem made of scarp stood guard in front of Naruto. Legendary Fiend went to cut through it, but the scarecrow refused to budge.
"What?!" Chazz exclaimed shocked.
Scrap-Iron Scarecrow: Normal Trap: When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target the attacking monster; negate the attack, also, after that, Set this card face-down instead of sending it to the graveyard.
"Scrap-Iron Scarecrow not only stops your attack, but I can also Set it after activation!" Naruto revealed with a cheeky grin.
"Grr, fine! I end my turn." Chazz finished with no other moves to make. Naruto looked at him with a look of boredom.
"That's it?" Naruto asked, annoyed. "Tsk, how boring."
"I think you've forgotten something loser." Chazz snapped in return. "I have a monster on the field that will continue to grow stronger while you have nothing!"
"Let me show you something Chazz," Naruto said showing three cards in his hand. A look of surprise came over everyone as Naruto showed one of the cards to be the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "I've had this card in my hand the entire duel along with Ancient Rules and Riryoku. I could have ended this duel at any moment, but I wanted to test your metal." Naruto said with a cocky smirk. "And I have found you... Lacking." The roar of his partner echoed through the air in agreement and on the sidelines Jade looked about startled.
'What was that?' She thought to herself, looking around. Why did no one else hear it? That roar was plain as day, yet no one else had heard it. Jade shook it off and refocused on the duel. Her crazy imagination she would deal with later.
"What?" Chazz said outraged.
"Damn, that was cold," Blair said with a grin. Finally, someone had shut Chazz up, and Naruto did it brutally.
"Indeed," Zane said with the smallest of smirks. Chazz was used to being the big dog due to being from a Duel Prep school. But in Duel Academy, backgrounds like that no longer mattered.
"It's time I finished this duel but you haven't earned the honor of battling my Blue-Eyes. Instead, I have a different dragon in mind." Naruto said with a grin. "First, I activate my Graceful Charity spell card, allowing me to three cards as long I discard two from my hand." Naruto looked at his hand. 'Just the card I need to end this duel.' Naruto took two cards from his hand and sent them to the grave while Chazz seemed to finally find his words.
Graceful Charity: Normal Spell: Draw three cards, then discard two cards.
"There's no way. I'm one of the best in the school!"
"Please, you're a second-rate duelist with a third-rate deck." Naruto insulted. "I activate Monster Reborn to bring about the dragon that will end this duel!"
Monster Reborn: Normal Spell: Target one monster in either graveyard; Special Summon it.
"Now rise up from my graveyard! Darkblaze Dragon!" A tornado of flames appeared behind Naruto followed by a piercing roar. The flames formed the outline of a mighty creature and faded away to reveal a black-scaled dragon with an orange-scaled underbelly. Its eyes were a deep green, and its wings were outlined in red. The dragon released a roar and flared its wings.
"When did he send that monster to the graveyard?" Chumley asked, confused.
"Think about it, Chumley. Naruto just used Graceful Charity for a reason." Alexis pointed out. Chumley thought about it before realizing the effects of Graceful Charity.
"So he sent Darkblaze to the graveyard..." Syrus started.
"To bring out its full potential." Zane finished with a smirk. He knew what was coming, but Chazz seemed oblivious.
Darkblaze Dragon: Att: Fire/ Type: Dragon/ Level: 7/ ATK: 1200/ DEF: 1000
Effect: If this card is Special Summoned from the graveyard: Its ATK and DEF become doubled. If this card destroys a monster by battle: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's original ATK.
"That's your big move? That monster is way weaker than my Legendary Fiend!" Chazz exclaimed with narrowed eyes.
"Then it's a good thing Darkblaze has a cool ability!" Naruto joked with a grin.
"Please, my lord. No puns..." The dragon mentally said to his duelist.
'Still have a poor sense of humor, don't you, buddy.' The dragon next to him might have a new name and a new form, but to Naruto, it would always be one of his greatest allies. It would always be Attack Volcano Dragon.
(Earlier That Day)
"Is there a reason you dragged me up here?" Naruto asked his fiery duel spirit. As much as he liked exploring, getting that close to a volcano wasn't exactly his idea of a good time. The form of a large dragon appeared over him and stared at the volcano.
"There's an energy here." The dragon grumbled. " I'm having trouble drawing it out, but it feels like it's calling to me!"
"Maybe I can help?" Tired as he might be Naruto concentrated on his bond with his dragon. Attack Volcano was one of the cards he had longer than even his Blue-Eyes, and while only recently appearing as a Duel Spirit, the dragon had quickly become one of his go-to monsters.
Deep within Naruto, a power stirred, and the Blue-Eyes felt his chosen duelist drawing on his power.
"C'mon, big guy, help us out!" Naruto shouted, and the spirit of the mighty dragon appeared in the air. Blue-Eyes took a long look at Attack Volcano and then up into the mountainside. It also felt the stored energy and drew it out with a roar. Fiery red energy flowed through the air and into Attack Volcano, who let out a screech. Its body glowed a dark red and a flash of light blinded Naruto
When the light finally died down, he was looking at a new dragon.
'Let's test that new strength of yours, Darkblaze.' Naruto thought with a grin. "When Darkblaze Dragon is special summoned, ATK and DEF become doubled!" Naruto announced as the dragon became outlined in the same red energy as before.
Darkblaze Dragon: ATK: 1200+1200=2400/ DEF: 1000+1000=2000
"What?!"
"That's right, Chazz! My dragon now has 2400 attack points! More than enough to take out your fiend," Naruto said. "But why stop there? I activate my Castle of Dragon Souls! Now I remove my second Masked Dragon from the graveyard to power up Darkblaze!" Another statue lit up on the castle, and the spectral Masked Dragon flew into Darkblaze Dragon electing a mighty roar from the beast.
Darkblaze: 2400+700=3100
"Darkblaze, go! Attack Legendary Fiend!" A dark fireball formed in the jaws of Darkblaze. The dragon tilted its head back before unleashing a devastating wave of pitch-black flames that engulfed Chazz's monster. The Legendary Fiend let out a horrifying scream before turning into ash.
Chazz LP: 1800-900=900
"And Darkblaze has another powerful effect. When it destroys a monster by battle, you take damage equal to your monster's attack points!" Naruto revealed sharply. Darkblaze snarled and fired another blast of dark fire and the flames engulfed Chazz. The Obelisk dropped to his knees as the reality of the situation set in.
"AHH!" Chazz cried.
Chazz LP:900-1500=0
"And that's game!" Naruto said, looking up at his fiery companion. The dragon nodded at his duelist before fading away. It might have had a new name and power, but it was still his old friend. His thoughts were soon interrupted by a brunette missle latching onto his back.
"You did it!" Jade shouted with a cheer.
"Did you doubt me?" Naruto asked sarcastically with a grin.
"Nope, not even for a second!" Jade answered as the others joined them.
"Totally, liscous!" Chumley howled delighted as he hugged Naruto and Jade, picking them off the ground and swinging them through the air.
"That was a great duel, Nar!" Syrus exclaimed.
"Yeah, you showed Chazz what us Slifers are made of!" Blair added.
As Naruto stood there surrounded by his friends and supporters, Chazz was still on the ground in shock. Taiyou and Raizou looked at him in disgust.
"Chazz lost to a Slifer?" Taiyou asked with wide eyes.
"What a joke..." Raizou muttered before walking away. Taiyou looked like he would protest for a moment before deciding against helping Chazz up. Chazz looked at Naruto with narrowed eyes and growled.
"This isn't over Uzumaki!" Chazz snapped angrily. He pointed at the red-clad blonde. "If you think this means anything, then there you're wrong! I demand a rematch!"
"Enough!" Zane interrupted with a cold stare. "Go back to the dorm, Princeton." The older Obelisk ordered. Chazz looked like he would argue for a moment but instead stood up and stormed away furious.
"That guy has some serious issues," Blair noted.
"Agreed," Naruto said, nodding.
"Uzumaki," Zane said, turning to Naruto. The older teen scrutinized Naruto for a moment and then nodded. "That was... acceptable. I look forward to seeing your progress."
"Uh... Thank you?" Naruto replied, unsure.
"Syrus," Zane said to his brother before walking away.
"Whoa, that was intense."
"You'd better be careful, Naruto," Alexis said, catching Naruto's attention. "You've caught Zane's attention... and mine," Alexis said with a determined look in her eye. "See you around," Alexis said, leaving with her two friends. Mindy and Jasmine gave Alexis questioning looks as they made their way back to their dorm.
"This has been a strange day," Naruto said watching as Alexis departed. His gaze shifted over to Jade and softened. "I might have apologized to Ms. Hibiki..." Apologizing had never been Naruto's strong suit, but he was capable of it.
"Oh?" Jade replied with a small smile. "Then maybe you might be forgiven!" She teased with her arms folded under her chest.
"C'mon Jade, cut me some slack here!" Naruto grumbled.
"I'll cut you some slack if you give me your dessert tonight." Jade bargained as the group made their way back to the Slifer Dorm
"Not a chance." Naruto grinned.
So far, so good, and on the first day of class, Naruto had a gut feeling that this was only the beginning. He had no idea just how right he was.
Welcome back for another new chapter. As of this chapter, Attack Volcano is now Darkblaze Dragon. A lot of Naruto's duel was inspired by the first duel with Chazz in Spirit Caller. The big thing I wanted to emphasize is that Naruto will not rely on Blue-Eyes to win every duel. So do expect some more dragons in this fic. Darkblaze and Strong Wind are just the beginning.
One of the few things I didn't like about GX is that for a show about a school for duel monsters, you really don't see any classes or teachers other than Banner and Crowler. Surely Crowler isn't the only professor, right? Otherwise, you would have a lot more homeschooled duelers. Hell, in the actual show, Banner teaches Alchemy which makes no sense whatsoever when it comes to a card game.
Here are the teachers and their classes.
Crowler: Duel Strategies
Midori: Intro to Archetypes
Banner: History of Duel Monsters
Fonda: Physical Education
And lastly, there is one more teacher who will be in charge of Intro to Dueling. I won't reveal who it is yet, but I will give a hint. They are from a different Yugioh show.
I'm happy that everyone is enjoying this story. It's so far one of my favorites to write. As always, I don't own either Yugioh or Naruto. Til next time, guys.
(Next Time on Legacy of the Duelist)
Naruto glanced up at his opponent with a grin. Alexis had been someone he had wanted to duel since the exam. A challenge that had tempted him since he had come to the island. He was eager to see just what she was made of.
"Are you ready, Naruto?" Alexis asked with a raised brow.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Naruto answered as his duel disk came to life. "Show me what you got, Alexis!"
'Oh, I'll show...' Alexis thought to herself. 'And once this duel is done, you'll tell me why you challenged my brother that night!'