The non-original characters in this fanfiction are copyrighted to Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallup and Toei where applicable. All other characters are considered public domain by the author and may be used freely, but he does request that you ask permission as a courtesy.
The card names used are translations of the Official Card Game (OCG) names. For the TCG names, see the "Cards used" at the end of the story. And don't forget to e-mail me your thoughts (vm_postitnotes@yahoo.com). Thank you very much for reading.
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YU-GI-OH! -0
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Turn One: "The Ultimate Rare Card, Dark Armed Dragon"
It was the beginning of another new year in Duel Academia and the entrance exams were drawing to a close.
The newly-named head professor of Duel Academia, Asuka Tenjouin, was going through her files when one of her assistants tapped her on the shoulder.
"There's an applicant who's come in five minutes after the deadline," he told her. "He's already completed the written exam portion from last week, and he wants a chance to complete the Battle aspect."
"Deadlines are deadlines," Tenjouin said. "If I let someone in past deadline, I'll never hear the end of it from the Chancellor."
"But that's just the thing," the assistant replied. "I just received a request from the Chancellor himself that you let him in."
"The Chancellor?"
"Yes."
Tenjouin paused and thought to herself. 'The Chancellor?' she thought. 'This child must be someone special if he made the call himself to let him in.'
Her curiosity was piqued.
"Very well, then," she said. "It seems most of the proctors have gone home, so I'll take it upon myself to duel this applicant. Give me his information."
one of her assistants passed her a file, and she looked through it.
''Aoyama Shougo, 16 years old, from Domino. Only barely passed the examinations. Test proctors noted an extreme lack of confidence.' Hmm. He's not from one of the elite families. He seems to be strictly middle class economic-wise. I'll have to see what this boy has that makes the Chancellor want to let him in.'
"Thank you, sir," she said, returning the file.
"Will you be taking an examination deck?" she was asked.
"No, thank you. Don't forget, the rules have changed. I don't have to be defeated for the examinant to be allowed entry. And after all, it *has* been a long time since I used my old deck."
Tenjouin smiled as she retrived her Duel Academia deck. 'A deck is full of memories,' she thought. 'It will be nice to relive a few.'
--
When Tenjouin entered the duel arena, she saw her opponent - a frumpled-looking young man with grown-out hair covering his roaming eyes. She could tell he didn't like all the attention that came with his duel being the last of the day.
He finally noticed Tenjouin enter, and bowed awkwardly. "Hello there," he said politely.
"Hello," Tenjouin said, equally politely. "My name is Tenjouin Asuka, the lead professor of Obelisk Blue and head professor of Duel Academia. I'm going to be your opponent for the Battle test. Please remember that the outcome of this Duel is not important, as your skill will determine whether or not you get into the school." She smiled.
"So, I don't have to win?" Shougo asked, putting his deck hesitantly into his deck.
"Just do your best," Tenjouin replied.
"Okay," Shougo said. He turned on his Duel Disk and Tenjouin did so as well. 'I wonder why the Chancellor himself would ask me to give this child a chance. He seems so...'
"Let's do this!" Shougo shouted.
"Excuse me?"
"If I defeat you in front of everyone, I can prove my worth. So let's get on with it." Shougo spoke coarsely now.
Tenjouin's eyes narrowed.
"Duel!" they said in unison.
The professor was amazed. When the duel was declared, something changed in Shougo's expression. His body straightened and his movements became more determined.
"As the challenger, I will go first," Shougo said. "Draw!"
Tenjouin looked carefully at the candidate's body movements.
"I play the Magic card, 'Angel's Charity'. I draw three cards from the deck, and then discard two to the Cemetery." Shougo then followed through. His movements were determined, and Tenjouin looked at the two cards he discarded. She recognized one of them as Dark Dimension's Release, but the other...
...her eyes widened. 'Could it be...?'
"Now I play the Magic card 'Premature Burial'," Shougo said. "By paying 800 Life Points, I can Special Summon a card from my Cemetery. The card I choose is..."
Shougo's Life Points lowered to 3200 as a roar filled the field. A roar that sounded eerily familiar to Tenjouin...
"Come out! Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
The slender, black dragon appeared on the field, to the amazement of all the spectators.
'Red-Eyes... Black Dragon.' That was the signature card of Tenjouin's brother, Fubuki. He had much knowledge of the events surrounding the "Duel Academia incident", but since graduating, he'd left most of that behind to pursue a musical career. The card itself was very rare, with very few existing, and was known to most as the signature card of legendary duelist Katsuya Jonouchi.
"I haven't Normal Summoned this turn yet," Shougo spoke, as if reminding his opponent. "I summon Blood Vorse in attack mode as well. Turn end."
The spectators grasped. This young upstart had summoned two powerful monsters in his first turn. But Tenjouin wasn't moved.
'This child's confidence is gone now,' she noted. 'He's nothing like the duelist I saw before. I'm somewhat disappointed. Still... I can't deny that I'm in a troublesome position.'
"What's wrong, Tenjouin-sensei?" Shougo said. "Are you impressed? Why don't you just let me in the school now? You said yourself whether I win or lose this doesn't make any difference."
'And his attitude is starting to annoy me,' she thought to herself.
"My turn... draw. I summon Cyber Tutu in attack mode."
The image of a young girl in skin-tight clothing and ballerina accents appeared on the field.
"Cyber Tutu's special effect activates," Tenjouin explained. "When all my opponent's monsters are stronger than her, she can attack you directly. Go, Cyber Tutu! Attack Aoyama-kun... Nouvelle Point!"
The monster span around in place several times, then leaped towards Shougo, ready to attack.
But a strange, furred creature appeared to block the attack.
"I discard Kuriboh from my hand to negate the damage from your attack," Shougo announced.
'That was Kuriboh!' Tenjouin thought to herself. 'Why would he use him on such a minor attack?'
"I set one card face down, and end my turn," Tenjouin said.
"My turn," Shougo said. "Draw!"
His eyes no longer wavered and he moved with determination again. 'His confidence is back,' Tenjouin noted. 'What's with this guy?'
"I summon Knight of the End in attack mode!" Shougo announced. "And now his special effect activates; I can search my deck for a Dark-attribute monster and send it to the cemetery. I choose Blood Vorse!"
He slipped the card into his graveyard slot, and then shuffled his deck.
"Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" he shouted. "Attack Tenjouin-sensei's Cyber Tutu... Dark Mega Flare!"
The dragon reared up to release its attack, and Tenjouin grunted. 'He's completely ignoring my facedown,' she thought to herself. 'How naive.'
"Reverse card open - Quick-play Magic card, Prima Light! By tributing Cyber Tutu, I can summon from my deck - Cyber Prima! Come out!"
The image of the young woman faded away in a stream of light to be replaced by a woman wearing a mask and blue-grey clothing. She had a white mane of hair and two rotating 'rings' for a dress.
"Prima Light's effect has this summon treated as a Sacrifice Summon," Tenjouin explained. "Which means I can activate Cyber Prima's effect, destroying all face-up Magic cards on the field."
Shougo was taken aback. "But that means..."
"Red-Eyes!" Tenjouin shouted. "Return to sleep! Cyber Prima... destroy Premature Burial!"
The monster fired shocks of energy at the hologram of Shougo's revival card and shattered it. With another howl, Red-Eyes Black Dragon's image shimmered off the field. With Prima's attack power of 2300, neither Blood Vorse nor Knight of the End could challenge her.
But Shougo smiled.
"I wanted to avoid showing this in front of everyone," he said. "But I guess it can't be helped now."
"What?" Tenjouin asked.
"I have three dark attribute monsters in my cemetery - Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Kuriboh and Blood Vorse. That means I can now special summon my trump card!"
A dark rumble erupted in the arena as the lights started to fade. He was summoning a powerful monster! 'It couldn't possibly be... could it?' Tenjouin thought to herself...
Shougo posed triumphantly. "I summon to the field... Dark Armed Dragon!"
Tenjouin heard the impressed murmurs of the crowd as the metallic dragon emerged on the field from a dark mist. It looked similar to the Armed Dragon cards that her fellow student Jun Manjoume used, but colored nearly black.
She stared up at the dragon. 'This is an incredibly rare card. People have payed insane amounts of money to get their hands on it, yet this boy calls it out so effortlessly.'
"My Battle Phase is over," Shougo said. "But I can still do some damage to your field. Dark Armed Dragon's special effect, activate! By removing the Blood Vorse in my cemetery from play, I can destroy one card on your field. Dark Armed Dragon... destroy Cyber Prima!"
The dragon reared up its arm and dark energy began to glow on both its palms.
"Dark Genocide!" Shougo ordered. And the dragon threw two energy bolts at Cyber Prima. The monster shielded herself, but was destroyed.
"Turn end."
The whispers of shock could still be heard in the silent auditorium, as this was the last match of the day. Tenjouin, however, would not be fazed.
"My turn... draw!" Tenjouin looked at her hand. 'Perfect.'
"I play the Magic card Fusion," she announced. "Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater fuse together to form Cyber Blader!"
A flash of light erupted in the arena as the two fighters formed into one, a mechanical figurine which floated on the field.
"2100 attack points?" Shougo scoffed. "What is she going to do?"
Tenjouin ignored him for now. "I play the Magic card Fusion Recovery, to bring back the Fusion card I just used, plus a monster used in the fusion. I pick Blade Skater! And I'll summon her to the field in attack mode!"
Another figurine, this one noticeable by her bald head, appeared beside Cyber Blader.
"Blade Skater... attack Shougo-kun's Knight of the End. Accel Slicer!"
Shougo blinked, obviously confused. "Knight of the End... counterattack!"
The two monsters collided in an explosion and the two duelists shielded their faces instinctively.
Tenjouin then smiled. "Now, Cyber Blader's effect activates. When the opponent has only two monsters on the field, her attack strength doubles."
It was Shougo's turn to shout "What?" as an aura of power surrounded Tenjouin's monster.
"Cyber Blader! Destroy Dark Armed Dragon... Glissade Slash!"
Cyber Blader was already sliding towards the giant dragon. She spun, leaped forward, and slashed it with a kick. The dragon's image shattered in a flash of light, and Shougo's Life Points were down to 1800.
"Aoyama-kun," Tenjouin said. "If you want to enter this school, you have to understand that power isn't everything. It's one of the first lessons everyone must learn."
"Shut up!" Shougo shouted.
"I set one card face down and end my turn," Tenjouin said simply. Shougo's anger was simply the kind of frustration all new duelists faced. She was used to it.
"My turn." Shougo pulled a card, then grinned. "I'm going to get into this school, Tenjouin-sensei. What's more, I'm going to show everyone that I'm a worthy duelist! First, I'm going to sacrifice Blood Vorse to summon Meteor Dragon in attack mode."
As the fire dragon appeared on the field replacing Blood Vorse, Tenjouin heard people wondering why he sacrificed a stronger monster for a weaker one. She simply waited to see what the duelist was planning.
She didn't have to wait long. "Now I play the Magic card 'Dragon's Mirror'!" Shougo announced, placing the card on his Duel Disk. "By removing monsters in my cemetery and on the field from the game, I can fusion summon a strong Dragon."
He then brought the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card out of his graveyard.
"The Red-Eyes doesn't bring victory but potential," he thought aloud. "That's what he showed me..."
"Who?" Tenjouin asked, wanting to know this boy's connection with the Red-Eyes.
"You don't know? The King of Duelists himself."
'...Yugi Mutou? Impossible... he no longer duels. And this boy is fifteen... it's impossible for him to have known Yugi-san while he was still dueling.'
"Now I fuse the Red-Eyes in my cemetery and my Meteor Dragon on the field to special summon the strongest card in my deck... the Meteor Black Dragon in attack mode!"
A dragon that looked like it was made out of lava appeared onto the field from the fusion of the two monsters and gave off a shrill cry. With 3500 attack points, it was indeed a strong dragon.
"Meteor Black Dragon! Destroy Cyber Blader... Burning Dark Meteor!"
Whispers in the crowd were heard as the monstrous dragon shot a fiery blast at Cyber Blader. Tenjouin shielded herself from the blast as she lost 1400 Life Points.
But when the dust cleared, Cyber Blader was still alive.
"Sorry, Aoyama-kun," Tenjouin explained. "Cyber Blader has another effect when the opponent has only one monster. She can't be destroyed in battle."
'And he still neglected my facedown,' she added in her mind. 'But now's not the time for that.'
"Turn end," Shougo said.
"My turn. Draw! I play Pot of Greed." Tenjouin drew two cards. 'I could win this duel right now,' she pondered. 'But this boy seems rather fragile. I don't want to humiliate him in front of everyone, even as much as he bothers me. I'll let the Chancellor decide.'
"I set one card face down and summon Cyber Petit Angel in defense mode," she announced. "And now I activate Cyber Petit Angel's effect. From my deck, I take a Machine Angel Ritual and put it in my hand. Turn end."
"My turn," Shougo replied. He then started to laugh. "You're underestimating me, aren't you, Tenjouin-sensei? I can tell. But now I'll make you regret it! I play the Magic card Monster Reincarnation!"
Tenjouin's eyes widened for a moment.
"I discard Super Hot-Blooded Baseball Kid from my hand to place Dark Armed Dragon back in my hand," Shougo shouted. "And you know what that means? I have three Dark monsters in my cemetery still - Kuriboh, plus the Blood Vorse I sacrificed and the Knight of the End you destroyed. So now I can bring him back! Resurrect, Dark Armed Dragon!"
Once again, the lights in the arena faded a bit as the massive metallic dragon re-appeared on the field.
"I know your Cyber Blader's attack points will double," Shougo went on. "So I'll take care of her right now. I remove Knight of the End in my cemetery from play to destroy your Cyber Blader. Dark Genocide!"
The dragon fired bolts of dark energy at Tenjouin's monster.
"I won't let you do that," Tenjouin said. "Reverse card open, Fusion Cancel! I'll return Cyber Blader to my deck, and then special summon Blade Skater and Etoile Cyber from my cemetery in defense mode!" The energy harmlessly slammed on the field where Cyber Blader was, as the two fusion components returned to the field and raised their arms to guard from future attacks.
'Of course, I could have used this last turn to get rid of Meteor Black Dragon and win the duel,' Tenjouin sighed. 'I just hope I won't regret this.'
Shougo grunted bitterly. "I'll remove Blood Vorse from play, then, and destroy your other facedown card."
But Tenjouin was ready for that, too. As another bolt fired from the dragon, she declared her move. "Reverse card open, Emissaries of Harmony! This turn, none of my monsters can be destroyed by battle, and I'll take no damage from any of your attacks." Once again, the bolt of energy did nothing more than kick up dust on the arena, and Shougo had wasted his card.
"You have one card left," Tenjouin reminded her opponent. "Which of my monsters will you destroy?"
"I'll destroy your Etoile Cyber," Shougo said, pulling his Kuriboh out of the graveyard. "Dark Armed Dragon! Dark Genocide!"
Tenjouin fell back as her monster was destroyed. 'I'm in trouble again,' she thought to herself. 'Unless I draw a good card next turn, I could lose.'
Shougo's hand was empty, so there was nothing left for him to do. "Turn end," he announced.
"My turn... draw!" Tenjouin looked at the card she drew, and felt a mixed sense of relief and frustration. 'I was really lucky to draw this, but I have to go with what I receive,' she thought. "I play the Magic..."
A beep from the cell phone in the professor's pocket brought her out of her dueling mindset. She opened it up. It was the Chancellor.
"This duel doesn't need to go on any longer," he said. "I've reviewed the boy's file and decided to accept him as an Osiris Red student."
"Yes, Sir, but I request you to allow me to finish this Duel," she replied. "I don't like to leave things unfinished."
"You are to end this duel now. As I said, it does not need to continue, and you do have to prepare for future examinations."
"Understood, Sir. Will that be all?"
"Yes, Tenjouin-sama, that is all."
She hung up the phone and sighed, lowering her Duel Disk. "That was the Chancellor of Duel Academia," she said. "He said you've been accepted, so there's no need for the duel to continue."
"R...really?" Shougo put his disk down, and reverted to his nervous personality from earlier. "I'm in?"
"Yes, Aoyama-kun. My assistants will give you information and directions to the flight that will lead you to the island tomorrow morning."
"I'm in!" Shougo shouted. "I did it!" He then exhaled a sigh of relief. If Tenjouin hadn't dueled him herself, she would find it hard to believe he was the same boy who had been fighting so fiercely just a moment ago.
'All the same, I do wonder about him... even if he was dueling with all his heart, his skills aren't up to par with the other duelists here. He didn't know about my card effects. He didn't play any facedowns. He seemed to rely on power. Is that the kind of person we want here?'
As Tenjouin walked away from the arena, she could still hear Shougo celebrating his acceptance into the school. She sighed, smiled and shook her head.
'I guess we all can learn.'
--
CARDS USED BY SHOUGO AOYAMA:
* Angel's Charity (Graceful Charity), Dark Dimension's Release (Escape from the Dark Dimension), Premature Burial, Red-Eyes Black Dragon (Red-Eyes B. Dragon), Blood Vorse (Vorse Raider), Kuriboh. Knight of the End (Armageddon Knight), Dark Armed Dragon, Meteor Dragon, Dragon's Mirror, Meteor Black Dragon (Meteor B. Dragon), Monster Reincarnation, Super Hot-Blooded Baseball Kid (Ultimate Baseball Kid)
CARDS USED BY ASUKA TENJOUIN:
* Cyber Tutu, Prima Light, Cyber Prima, Fusion (Polymerization), Etoile Cyber, Blade Skater, Fusion Recovery, Pot of Greed, Cyber Petit Angel, Machine Angel Ritual, Fusion Cancel (De-Fusion), Emissaries of Harmony (Waboku)
--
TODAY'S FEATURED CARD: The Effect Monster, "Dark Armed Dragon"
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by having exactly 3 Dark-Attribute Monsters in your Cemetery. You can remove from play 1 Dark-Attribute Monster from your Cemetery to destroy 1 card on the field.
NEXT TIME: "The Warrior Deck of the Friendly Roommate, Chiba"
