Era of Spirits and Shadows Chapter 1 (Yu-Gi-Oh GX Story) (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you a new story! This one is for one of my favorite shows back when I was growing up, Yu-Gi-Oh GX! I loved the first two series of the Yu-Gi-Oh anime the most. It was shortly after GX ended that I no longer had time to play the actual game anymore and I fell out of the Fandom for several years. Imagine my surprise to see how much the game has changed when I checked it out again! But the old anime is still the same and I’m still a nostalgic sucker for it. That being said, let’s get this started!

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So without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 1 – Ancient Knowledge, Entrance Exam

Long ago, when the pyramids were still young, Egyptian Kings played a game of great and terrible power. But these Shadow Games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world. Until a brave and powerful Pharaoh locked the magic away, imprisoning it within the mystical Millennium Items. Three thousand years later, and a boy named Yugi unlocked the secrets of the Millennium Puzzle and rose to defend the world from the Shadow Games, just as the Pharaoh did before him.

Now, ten years have passed since Yugi’s defeat of the Ancient Evil known as Zorc Necrophades. A new generation of Duelists is on the rise, seeking to master the game of Duel Monsters and become the next King of Games!

“Dad, are these your notes from when you helped on the Pegasus Expedition?” A young boy asked his father with excitement in his eyes. He looked at the box of files filled with copies of research and translations of ancient hieroglyphs and texts.

“Those’re the copies at least.” The man smiled at his son fondly. He was happy to see an interest in history from his son. That was probably to be expected from an Archaeologist though. “Do you want to read them, Drake?”

“Can I?” Drake asked with a huge smile on his face. He was about nine years old, though he’d tell you he was nine and a half in a heartbeat, and had dark black hair like his mother but with faint traces of his father’s platinum-colored hair mixed in. He had bright grey eyes like his father’s as well.

“Just be careful with them and put them back properly when you’re done.” The proud father ruffled his son’s hair gently. He watched as his son unpacked the first folder and began to read the notes covering the very first Archaeological Expedition he’d ever been a part of in his career.

To be fair, if it hadn’t been for his University Professor recommending him for the expedition then Wesley Roth would have never been a part of it. He was fresh out of University with no real world experience and Maximillian Pegasus wanted only the best on his expedition. The experience of delving into ancient Egyptian tombs and uncovering the secrets of their mysticism and ritual rites had been amazing. The research had brought to light unknown details of the long-dead culture and had propelled his career for years afterwards. Watching his son read the copies of his old notes and findings made Wesley smile happily.

Hours later -after dinner- Drake was engaged in an epic showdown!

“I tribute my Blackland Fire Dragon to summon Luster Dragon #2.” Drake moved the Normal Monster to the graveyard and placed down the stronger Dragon card.

Luster Dragon #2 – Level 6 – WIND – Dragon – 2400 ATK/1400 DEF

“Alright, your Dragon is as strong as my Monster now.” Grace Roth, Drake’s mother, smiled at her son. “But a battle between your Dragon and my Chaos Command Magician would just destroy both.”

Chaos Command Magician – Level 6 – DARK – Spellcaster/Effect – 2400 ATK/1900 DEF

“I know,” Drake grinned at his mother before he placed a card in the Spell/Trap Zone. “I play Mystical Space Typhoon to remove your facedown card.”

“You remembered the backrow, good job.” Grace chuckled as she moved her Negate Attack Trap card to the graveyard. Drake moved his Mystical Space Typhoon to his graveyard too.

“Then I play the Spell card Monster Reborn,” Drake placed the Spell card down on a different area of the Spell/Trap Zone. “I’ll use it to special summon my Alexandrite Dragon from the graveyard.” He moved the Monster card from the graveyard and onto the field next to his Luster Dragon #2.

Alexandrite Dragon – Level 4 – LIGHT – Dragon – 2000 ATK/100 DEF

“Oh my,” Grace grinned at the game state. She was fairly certain she knew what her son was about to do.

“I attack your Chaos Command Magician with Luster Dragon #2.” Drake declared his first attack. Both Grace and Drake removed their monsters from the field and put them into their respective graveyards. “Then I attack you directly for game with Alexandrite Dragon!”

“You win, Drake.” Grace beamed at her young son as her remaining 1800 Life Points were wiped out by his Monster.

“Good game, mom!” Drake’s excitement was clear as they both gathered their cards and stacked them back into their Decks. “Can we play again?”

“Not tonight, you have school tomorrow and you still need your bath.” Grace reminded him.

“Aww, okay.” Drake took his Deck back to his bedroom and grabbed his pajamas to change into after his bath.

“He’s getting better,” Wesley commented with a teasing grin to his wife. “How many turns was that? Thirteen? Fourteen?”

“Twelve actually,” Grace playfully swatted her husband’s arm. “It’s hard to believe he’s only been playing for about a year.”

“You’re still taking it easy on him, aren’t you?” Wesley gave her a knowing look.

“Not as much as you might think,” Grace shook her head, her long ebony locks swaying from the motion. “He actually gets annoyed if I go too easy on him. I’m playing almost as well as I can nowadays and he still takes a fair amount of wins.”

“Huh,” Wesley hummed thoughtfully. “If he keeps improving like that maybe we could take him over to the game shop for one of their little tournaments sometime.”

“You think he’ll be surprised with his birthday gift when the time comes?” Grace giggled at what they’d decided to get for Drake.

“I’m sure he’ll be absolutely thrilled to have his own Duel Disk.” Wesley chuckled as Grace stood up and the two shared a quick kiss.

“He spends a chunk of his allowance going to the arcade to use their Duel Platform and play with his friends after school,” Grace nodded at her husband. “Being able to play with the holograms whenever he wants might just send him over the moon.”

-Months Later ~ Drake – Age 10-

“Ba and Ka?” Drake blinked at the unfamiliar terms as he read his dad’s old notes on the discoveries the Expedition had made in Egypt long before he was born. “Let’s see…” He read on into the translated notes depicting the teachings of the ancient hieroglyphics. ‘Ba, the Soul, is the essence of a person's personality or self, and it is linked to the mind. Ba is necessary to channel Ka, the Monsters and Spirits. When someone summons or commands a monster, called manifesting Ka, they use their Ba. If a person loses too many Ka in a Magical Rite, similar to a duel between court magicians, this leads to their death and the Ba leaves the body.’

“I see you’ve gotten to the section on the Rites.” Wesley spoke up and Drake looked up at his dad. “Fascinating how the court magicians would wager their very lives on their mysticism. They did it all for the Pharaoh and his protection, the level of dedication is staggering.”

“It says they used their souls to summon monsters, is that like a Duel Monsters game?” Drake questioned as he paralleled his only similar experience to what he’d read.

“It is what Mr. Pegasus based Duel Monsters on,” Wesley informed his son with a smile. He was happy that his son could see the connection so easily. “He made the world’s most popular card game loosely based on ancient Egyptian magical rites and mysticism.”

“Does that mean it’s real?” Drake looked back over the notes curiously.

“Afraid not, son.” Wesley chuckled with a shake of his head. “It’s just a game based on the magic that people believed in a long time ago. It’s mysticism, which is how the people of the ancient world came up with explanations for the natural phenomena they witnessed but didn’t have the science to understand.”

“Oh,” Drake looked bummed out. “That’s not as fun. Well the summoning monsters part, not the dying part.” He corrected himself quickly.

“Sorry kiddo,” Wesley grinned at him. “But hey, you can summon your monsters whenever you want with your Duel Disk, right?”

“Yeah!” Drake exclaimed as he looked over at his birthday gift again. He’d played with it dozens of times already and he’d only had it for a few days. He could finally play with some of the kids at school that had their own Duel Disks too. Recess had never been more entertaining for Drake.

-Weeks Later-

“Open your mind. Focus on what lies within the self.” Drake whispered the words to himself slowly and quietly as he tried to do what the translated notes described. He was ten, so there was a part of him that was still young enough to believe in magic, so he tried to learn the magic that the ancient hieroglyphs had recorded. So far he’d not seen any changes. There was no ‘seeing that which cannot be seen’ as his dad’s notes had roughly translated.

He focused as best he could. He was still trying to look within to find his Ba, his soul. He still believed that this could be real. The term Shadow Game was still a Duel Monsters urban legend after all. A simple internet search would bring up links to all sorts of stories about people that had claimed to have seen or even been part of a Shadow Game. Drake Roth was a boy on a mission to learn ancient magic! He wouldn’t give up so easily.

-Months Later-

“I’d love to have a Red-Eyes Black Dragon.” Drake sighed as he looked through a Duelist Magazine on the playground. He’d just finished dueling one of the other kids that had their own Duel Disk and was spending the last few minutes of recess to flip through the magazine. He was almost eleven now and his secret magic practice, as he referred to it, had yet to show results. He glanced at the price list on the page again for a Red-Eyes Black Dragon card. They were incredibly rare, especially the first printings. The alternate artwork re-printings were cheaper and more of them existed, but they were still some of the rarest cards in the game.

As a Dragon Deck Duelist, Drake was in love with the Red-Eyes Archetype. While most Dragon Deck players would prefer a Blue-Eyes Deck, everyone knew Seto Kaiba hoarded those cards, and their alternate artwork reprints, with his vast wealth. Even Pegasus, founder and president of Industrial Illusions, lamented the Second Ranked Duelist in the world hoarding all of the Blue-Eyes cards that his company had created.

“Maybe someday.” Drake sighed as he gazed longingly at the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card on the page just as the bell rang to end recess.

-A Month Later-

“Is…is this it?” Drake blinked as he felt like the world was brighter for lack of a better term. He noticed the shadows in his room, the way the light from his window made the shadows stretch across the floor. His Deck, which was over on his desk, almost seemed as if it had a faint glow to it. He stood up and walked over to his cards. He picked the top card off the Deck and smiled at seeing Luster Dragon. He felt like the card wasn’t just a card, as if it could have more purpose than it appeared. He couldn’t explain why though. He put the card back on top of his Deck for now. “Maybe now I can figure out the Ka part of the magic?”

Drake spent most of the rest of the evening re-reading his father’s notes on the rites of Ba and Ka.

It was a few days later and Drake was reading up on Ka to make sure he understood the concept. ‘Ka, also known as Spirits or Monsters, is a spirit able to manifest as a supernatural being; these spirits were used for magical battles in ancient Egypt. A spirit reflects the nature of the person it comes from; the Ka is given form by the energy of the soul, the Ba.

Ka and Ba, spirit and soul, are complementary energies. As Ka are essentially living energy, the manifestation of spirits is strenuous and potentially dangerous to anyone connected with them. The energy of either one’s own Ba or others’ Ba can be utilized to strengthen Ka and is also necessary to maintain them.’

“So I need to strengthen my Ba to form my own Ka.” Drake mused as he looked over the rites associated with refining one’s Ba. There were two rites by which one could refine and strengthen their Ba. There was meditation to deepen one’s connection to their Ba and thereby become more familiar with it. The other rite involved utilizing one’s Ba in a magical duel. Win or lose, so long as ones Ba wasn’t attacked and damaged, the Ba would grow stronger from the experience.

“Meditation is gonna be boring,” Drake sighed like the eleven year old he was. “I wonder if winning duels in general will help my Ba grow? The Duel Disks make the monsters appear already, that’s like the science version of magic, right?” He knew the only way to find out was to practice both rites and see for himself. As it was almost bedtime, he’d try meditation tonight.

-Drake ~ Age 12-

Junior High had started last month and Drake Roth was officially a First Year at his local school. He was already gaining a reputation as one of the best Duelists in the school with his Dragon Deck. More students now had their own Duel Disks and Duels were common to see during breaks throughout the school day. He’d only lost a few times so far and that had been from bad luck or an unexpected strategy or combo from his opponent. At the moment he was heading over to his mom’s restaurant to help out.

“Drake, how was school?” Grace asked her son with a smile as she cooked.

“It was alright, I passed my Math test, if only barely.” Drake informed her as he entered through the backdoor of the restaurant. “What can I help with?”

“We need some dishes washed,” Grace nodded towards a stack of dirty dishes and the dishwasher. “After that, wash your hands, put on your apron and help me finish up these orders. You know how to make most of these already.”

“Sure thing, mom.” Drake was already moving as he hung his school bag up on a hook on the back wall. He started loading up the dishwasher quickly, as he’d been shown multiple times. His mom’s restaurant was just a small, local diner. They had their regulars though and he loved learning to cook from his mom, almost as much as he loved learning to play Duel Monsters from her.

-That Night-

‘Breathe in, hold it, and exhale slowly.’ Drake slowed his breathing as he began to meditate again. He’d gotten better in the last year and could do it without much trouble now. He’d refined and strengthened his Ba as much as he could ever since he’d become aware of it. Now he was going to take the next step and try to form his very own Ka. A Ka born from his own Ba would protect him from both mundane dangers, as well as the very slim chance of him ever being in magical danger.

His only lament was that he didn’t feel like he could tell his parents about his Ba and Ka training. Neither of them was superstitious in the least, and he was pretty sure both would want him to focus on ‘real world’ issues rather than magic. So he kept his practice to himself. Maybe it also came with him growing up and entering puberty? His parents both joked that he was getting closer to the age of not being their ‘little boy’ anymore. Regardless he banished those thoughts for later as he focused on his Ba and began to follow the rite he’d practically memorized.

‘Expand the Ba; let it eclipse all of my consciousness.’ Drake’s focus shifted completely inward as the outside world fell away. ‘From the Ba the Ka most closely aligned with its wavelength will develop. Attachment to a form and a presence will give rise to the Ka.’

Drake didn’t know how long he maintained his meditative state, but he did notice when his Ba felt like it was divided into two. A feeling of lethargy immersed his being even as the other presence developed itself. After a few moments a distinct image appeared in his mind’s eye.

‘Is this an egg?’ He wondered as he looked at the dark, black and red egg. It almost looked like a cross between an egg and a crystalline stone. The image had its own unique presence within his perception. And he mentally placed his hands on it. ‘Welcome to the world, my friend.’

When Drake opened his eyes he blinked and looked over to his clock. He stared for a moment at the late hour. It was a bit past midnight! An odd sight met his eyes as he was about to move to get under his blankets and sleep. There, directly in front of him on top of the blanket were three Duel Monsters cards. They most certainly hadn’t been there when he’d started meditating. Carefully he reached down and picked up the one in the middle.

The Black Stone of Legend – Level 1 – DARK - Dragon/Effect – 0 ATK/0 DEF

“It worked…” Drake exhaled in both shock and excitement. He read over the card’s effect just to make sure it was the real deal. He knew what this card was! He’d seen it plenty of times when he perused cards in the Red-Eyes Archetype. This was the weakest Red-Eyes Monster there was, but it’s effect let you tribute it to special summon any Level Seven or lower Red-Eyes Monster from the Deck. If it went to the graveyard then you could activate its second effect to target a Level Seven or lower Red-Eyes Monster in the graveyard and return it to the Deck and shuffle. Then the Black Stone of Legend would return itself to your hand.

The lethargy of the Ka formation hit him hard again and the almost teen blinked as he felt his whole body sag. He carefully picked up his three new cards and put them on his nightstand. He’d work out what to do with them in the morning. Now he was far too tired to contemplate anything but sleep. He was deep in slumber only seconds after his head hit the pillow.

It had only taken a week for The Black Stone of Legend to hatch. Drake had actually met his Ka for the first time as Black Dragon’s Chick had emerged from the dark, gem-like egg. The hatchling had taken to him instantly and passively absorbed extra energy from his Ba to feed on. The drain was minimal and nothing Drake couldn’t handle. Since his Ka had formed from his own Ba, the Monster Spirit had a powerful desire to keep him safe from harm. It would never harm him, even indirectly by feeding too much. He’d also gotten three more cards from his Ka’s development.

Black Dragon’s Chick – Level 1 – DARK – Dragon/Effect – 800 ATK/500 DEF

Having the young spirit around was fun as only Drake could see him. The hatchling flew around his classroom, intangible but curious. During Duels the little spirit watched on from just behind his shoulder. He’d noticed that his draws had gotten slightly better too. He seemed to get what he needed a bit more often than normal statistics would account for.

-Summer Break-

“I’ll summon Lord of D. in attack mode.” Drake declared as he placed the Monster card onto his Duel Disk. In a flash of light a man in dragon-bone armor appeared with a dark cape flowing behind him.

Lord of D. – Level 4 – DARK – Spellcaster/Effect – 1200 ATK/1100 DEF

“I play the Spell card, Flute of Summoning Dragon!” A golden flute with a dragon head design appeared in the Lord of D. monster’s hand. The monster blew into it, making a sound closer to a horn than a flute. “This lets me special summon two Dragon Type Monsters from my hand. I summon Alexandrite Dragon and Koumori Dragon in attack mode!”

In a bright light the jeweled form of Alexandrite Dragon roared onto the field. The western dragon stood bipedal and looked down at his opponent’s lone monster, a Battle Ox.

Battle Ox – Level 4 – EARTH – Beast-Warrior – 1700 ATK/1000 DEF

The second of his special summoned dragons emerged from a black flame that sprang up on the field. The long purple body, with large sharp yellow claws and a narrow, pointed head and a jaw full of fangs denoted it as the Koumori Dragon.

Koumori Dragon – Level 4 – DARK – Dragon – 1500 ATK/1200 DEF

“Any response?” Drake asked his opponent, an older teen who just shook his head. “I’ll attack Battle Ox with Alexandrite Dragon!”

Alexandrite Dragon reared back its head and then let loose a blast of intense flames. The sea of fire washed over the Battle Ox and destroyed it. This reduced his opponent’s Life Points from 1600 down to 1300.

“Now I attack you directly with Koumori Dragon for game!” Drake pointed at his opponent.

Koumori Dragon let loose with its own flames. The dark, red-orange fire washed over his opponent and reduced his Life Points to 0. The teen only flinched slightly as the realistic hologram simulated everything about the flames except for the actual burning.

“Good game.” Drake nodded to his opponent as the holograms faded away. Both of their Duel Disks deactivated and folded away to their default, standby mode.

“Good game.” The older teen agreed. The two shook hands as their audience clapped. “My plan to use Dark Hole to reset the field got turned around on me pretty quick.”

“I just got lucky to pull the Flute of Summoning Dragon when I did.” Drake shrugged as the organizer of the locals’ tournament came forward to present him with the prize.

“That was a great Duel you two!” The older man chuckled as he held out the small tray to Drake. “Your prize, Mr. Roth.”

“Thank you, sir.” Drake gave a short bow as he picked up the three cards on the tray, three copies of Red-Eyes Wyvern. Technically the prize had been any three cards that the local shops had available, barring Secret Rares and Ultra Rares, both of which were incredibly expensive. Red-Eyes Wyvern was a bit of an oddity in its own Archetype.

Red-Eyes Wyvern – Level 4 – WIND – Dragon/Effect – 1800 ATK/1600 DEF

It wasn’t even a DARK Attribute Monster like the rest of the Monsters in the Red-Eyes Archetype. But with how his Ka had developed he felt he had to get this particular card on his own. His Black Dragon’s Chick was a hatchling no more. He glanced over at the larger spirit that was looking at the three cards in his hand. His Ka was bigger now, with developed wings, four limbs, a long tail, and a sharper look over all. A full-fledged Red-Eyes Baby Dragon. Drake instantly remembered the three cards he now had for his Ka’s current form.

Red-Eyes Baby Dragon – Level 3 – DARK – Dragon/Effect – 1200 ATK/700 DEF

With every Duel he won, his Ba grew ever so slightly stronger. The further into his meditation he delved, the more refined his Ba became. His Ka had developed as a result and become this new form not that long ago. With knowledge he wasn’t sure how he knew, Drake felt like if he wanted any copies of Red-Eyes Wyvern, he’d have to get them himself as his Ka wouldn’t be able to provide them.

“That was great, Drake.” Grace praised her son as she pulled him into a hug.

“Thanks mom.” Drake returned the hug, not caring about the other kids his age watching.

“How does it feel to be in the winner’s circle?” Wesley joked with his son as he patted him on the pat.

“Pretty good, actually.” Drake replied instantly as he and his dad both cracked up a bit.

-Time Skip-

By Drake’s second year of Junior High his Ba had developed enough for his Red-Eyes Baby Dragon to grow further again. He stared up at his newly changed Ka as its intangible form was partially phased through the ceiling and walls. He checked the three cards his Ka had gifted him with upon its evolution into a superior form of Red-Eyes.

Red-Eyes Retro Dragon – Level 4 – DARK – Dragon/Effect – 1700 ATK/1600 DEF

“You’re a bit too big for the house now, buddy.” Drake patted the dragon’s scales. Red-Eyes Retro Dragon looked similar to the regular Red-Eyes Black Dragon, the major differences being the red markings covering the Red-Eyes Retro Dragon’s scales and the two, brass-looking gears, one on each leg of the dragon.

His Ka snorted lightly in his direction, ruffling his hair slightly as his Ka was now strong enough to affect the material world, at least slightly, even while incorporeal. Drake patted its scales again, which only he could do as Red-Eyes Retro Dragon was his Ka. To anybody that couldn’t perceive spirits, Drake would look like he was patting air like a crazy person.

-End of Third Year of Junior High-

“Hey, did you hear that Drake is trying for Duel Academy?” A male student whispered to his friends.

“Really? Kaiba’s school?” His buddy whispered back.

“Why wouldn’t he?” The third teen whispered to the first two. “He’s easily the best Duelist in our school. He’s won almost every tournament held within a hundred kilometers of here at least once too. If I had his win record I’d try out for Duel Academy too, no question about it.”

‘I wonder if they’d freak out if I told them I could hear them?’ Drake wondered bemused as he overheard another whispered conversation about his choice of High School. His parents had both been supportive, especially with his amount of wins in tournaments. His skills as a Duelist were leagues better than when he’d first learned to play at the kitchen table with his mom. If he got into the prestigious Duel Academy, then he’d have a legitimate chance of a future career as a Professional Duelist.

The feeling of a warm breeze on the back of his neck made Drake glance behind him. The large and imposing form of a Red-Eyes Black Dragon looked back at him. The see-through spirit was bent down to look at him easier. But its wings still phased through both the ceiling and the walls. The same could be said for its tail disappearing through the back wall of the classroom. Drake got the distinct impression his Ka didn’t like the others whispering about him.

‘Be nice,’ Drake thought to his Ka. ‘They’re not saying anything bad.’ The dragon gave the equivalent of a light snort before shrinking down into a ball of red-black light and disappearing into his Deck which was in a protective case attached to his belt. That had been another thing that had changed over the last couple of years. He’d transitioned his Dragon Deck over to a Red-Eyes Deck as his Ka developed further and granted him more cards. With the various tournaments he’d won, many having monetary prizes, he’d bought multitudes of Red-Eyes Spell and Trap cards. That wasn’t to say he’d abandoned his old Dragons though. No, he kept them as one of many Side Deck options for when he needed to switch up his Deck during tournaments and the like. It was always good to keep your opponents guessing after all.

The side benefits of Ba and Ka had become apparent over the last couple of years as well. Drake was stronger than someone his size and build should be. He hadn’t gotten sick in over a year, not even a cold or the seasonal flu. On the off chance he did get injured, like when he’d nicked himself on a knife in the kitchen, he healed quickly from the injury. His healing was so fast that he hadn’t even been able to tell that he’d been cut just an hour after it happened.

Aside from the physical benefits, he’d learned of the two aspects of Ba and Ka that he could perform now that he was strong enough. The first was from the power of his Ba; Invocation allowed him to invoke a Shadow Game around any game or contest. This was most powerful when combined with Duel Monsters, but could be applied to any game. He’d only used it for small, trifling games of chance so far, just to make sure he could control the ability. The second was the result of his Ka; Manifestation allowed him to bring his Ka into the physical world so long as he had enough Ba to sustain the dragon and its power. He’d taken a few short flights on the back of his Ka during the night when Red-Eye’s jet-black scales would be hard to distinguish in the night sky. It was an amazing experience and he had to repeat it after the first time.

‘For now it’ll be best to focus on studying for the Duel Academy Entrance Exam. If I don’t want to bomb the Math section I need to memorize some more of these formulas.’ Drake exhaled at his own thoughts as he looked at the open Math book in front of him. The various equations stared back at him almost mockingly. ‘I really hate Math…’ The teen lamented.

-Duel Academy Entrance Exams-

“Why does the train have to be late today of all days?” A teen yelled as he raced down the street towards a large domed building in the distance. He wore a black, Junior High school uniform with the top unbuttoned revealing a red t-shirt underneath and he had a backpack on his back. His two-toned brunette hair was being tousled by the wind as he ran as fast as he could. “I’m gonna be late!”

In his rush to get to the domed building he didn’t see the person walk into his path in time. He tried to skid to a stop but ended up colliding with the young man anyway. Strangely, it was the teen that ended up knocked to the ground, even though he’d been the one running. The young man in the dark-blue pants and sleeveless black shirt hadn’t budged. Unfortunately for the teen, his backpack hadn’t been zipped closed properly and his Kaiba Corp style Duel Disk fell out onto the ground. A few cards from his Deck also escaped the device and lay on the ground for all to see.

“Oh man, I’m really sorry about that.” He apologized as he turned and began picking up his cards, gently brushing them off and checking that they weren’t damaged.

“You’re a Duelist?” The young man with the spiky, tri-toned hair asked with a slight smile.

“Yep!” The teen nodded with a grin. “The name’s Jaden Yuki. I’m about to go try out for Duel Academy, that’s why I was in such a rush. Sorry that I bumped into you like that.” He picked up his Duel Disk and placed the fallen cards back into the Deck. He stuffed the device back into his backpack and made sure to fully close it this time.

“Why don’t you take this card?” The young man pulled a single card from the protective Deck case on the back of his belt. “It’s a lucky card, and I think it wants to go with you.”

“Um, alright.” Jaden took the card, noticing it was an Effect Monster. “Winged Kuriboh?” He thought he heard a faint sound, like a friendly cry from an animal as he held the card.

“Good luck on your exams.” The young man wished the teen well.

“Wait…” Jaden blinked as he finally caught up with just who he was talking to. “Aren’t you?” The young man waved that off with a grin as he turned and started walking away. “Thank you, sir!” The brown-eyed teen gave a short bow. “I won’t let you down!”

The young man with the spiky red, yellow, and black hair in a very familiar style looked over his shoulder and gave the teen an encouraging smile and thumbs up.

“That was amazing.” Jaden grinned before he saw the time on a nearby clock. “Oh man, I’m so gonna be late!” He placed the Winged Kuriboh card into the breast pocket of his uniform shirt and bolted towards the domed building.

-Inside the Duel Academy Testing Site-

Well over a hundred students were there, some that would be Second or Third Years in the coming school year. But most were applicants that had both already passed and received their Academy uniforms earlier, or student candidates that were waiting for their own Exam Duels and were dressed in their regular clothes.

“He’s lower on Life Points, but he doesn’t look worried.” Drake noted as he watched the second to last exam duel. His own was last on the docket today, according to the display screens hanging in the four corners of the large indoor stadium. Down on the fields, four different Duels were taking place in their own sectioned off areas of the stadium floor. Drake’s eyes were drawn to the dark-haired teen in the white outfit. Bastion Misawa was the name on the screen for that field.

Bastion Misawa: 3200 LP

Proctor Wade: 1900 LP

“No matter how elite you may be, now that my Hyper-Defense Deck has built up my field, you won’t be able to get to my Life Points anymore.” Proctor Wade informed Bastion.

“If I can’t go over your Monsters, then I’ll go around them.” Bastion informed the Proctor as he pressed a button on his Duel Disk. “I activate my Trap card, Ring of Destruction!” The hologram of the facedown card flipped face-up to show everyone the metal ring with eight grenades attached to it.

“Even if you destroy one of my monsters, both of them have Attack Points too low to finish this Duel.” Proctor Wade commented to the examinee.

“Then it’s a good thing I’m not targeting your monsters.” Bastion mentioned as his Trap card appeared as a metal ring around his Monster’s neck.

Vorse Raider – Level 4 – DARK – Beast-Warrior – 1900 ATK/1200 DEF

With a titanic, hologram blast, the Ring of Destruction detonated obscuring the field for a moment. Drake grinned at the tactic to get around the wall that the Proctor had built up. Bastion Misawa was purported to be a genius, a real talent in Duel Monsters, and he seemed to live up to the hype.

Bastion Misawa: 1300 LP

Proctor Wade: 0 LP

“Exam Duel complete, congratulations, you won.” Proctor Wade nodded to the Examinee. “Welcome to Duel Academy.”

“Thank you very much, Proctor.” Bastion gave a bow to the man before he straightened up and walked off the field.

“That was awesome. He made a great combo.” Jaden spoke up and Drake looked over to the two-toned brunette that was a few meters away from him.

“Bastion Misawa lives up to his reputation as a genius.” Drake mentioned to the other teen.

“A genius, huh?” Jaden grinned at the thought of Dueling the guy.

“I’m Drake Roth,” Drake introduced himself with his hand out.

“Jaden Yuki, nice to meet ya.” Jaden shook the dark-haired teen’s hand in return.

“Examinee #109, please make your way to Dueling Field three.” A voice called out over the PA system.

“Oh, that’s me, looks like I’m up.” Drake noted as he stopped leaning on the railing.

“Awesome, I’m looking forward to seeing your Duel already!” Jaden grinned at his new acquaintance.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Drake chuckled as he threw a wave over his shoulder while heading down the stairs.

Shortly after Drake left, Bastion came up the stairs and sat down close to where Jaden was leaning against the railing. The white-clad teen gave a relaxed sigh as he removed his Duel Disk from his left arm. He kicked back slightly to watch the last of the Duels and pick out any other Examinees that showed promise.

“That was an awesome Duel you had,” Jaden smiled at Bastion. “Top-notch combo to finish the Duel without having to destroy those tanky Monsters.”

“Thank you,” Bastion nodded at the compliment. “It wasn’t that hard with the cards I had.”

“I’d say you might be Number 2 in the whole Exam.” Jaden grinned at the other teen.

“Number 2?” Bastion raised an eyebrow at the brown-eyed Examinee. “Who’s Number 1 then?”

“Yours truly, of course.” Jaden pointed his thumb at his chest with a confident smirk.

“Really now?” Bastion grinned at the challenge.

“Oh hey, Drake is about to Duel.” Jaden noticed his acquaintance down on the field. Bastion refocused on the fields to watch the upcoming Duel. He didn’t want to miss the last one of the day.

“Welcome Examinee, I’ll be your Proctor for this Exam Duel, my name is Professor Harris.” Professor Harris introduced himself to Drake.

“Thank you for the Duel, sir,” Drake gave a short bow to the man. “Let’s have a good match!” He activated his Duel Disk and let it auto-shuffle his Deck.

Drake Roth: 4000 LP

Proctor Harris: 4000 LP

“Call the coin-flip to decide first turn.” Professor Harris flipped a coin high into the air.

“Heads.” Drake chose and the coin hit the ground, bounced once, and then lay flat.

Professor Harris reached down, picked up the coin without flipping it and noted the side. He held the coin out to show the side that had landed face-up. Drake saw the tails side and shrugged, it looked like he’d be going second.

“I’ll begin then,” Professor Harris drew his first five cards and then drew for his turn. “I’ll summon Marauding Captain in Attack Mode.” A blonde knight in full armor appeared on the field, his brown cloak flowed in an unfelt breeze as the Monster drew his swords.

Marauding Captain – Level 3 – EARTH –Warrior/Effect – 1200 ATK/400 DEF

“Marauding Captain’s effect activates,” Professor Harris informed Drake. “When he is summoned I can special summon one Level Four or lower Monster from my hand. I special summon Daybreaker!” A knight in full silver armor, helm included, with a fluttering red cape appeared on the field. It drew a sword with an odd circular handle that had four spikes protruding from it.

Daybreaker – Level 4 – LIGHT – Warrior/Effect – 1700 ATK/0 DEF

“When Daybreaker is special summoned, I can special summon another Daybreaker from my hand!” Professor Harris put another Daybreaker card onto his Duel Disk. A second fully-armored knight appeared next to the first Daybreaker.

Daybreaker – Level 4 – LIGHT – Warrior/Effect – 1700 ATK/0 DEF

“But I have one more trick to complete this combo! I’ll play Polymerization and fuse my Guardian of the Labyrinth with my Protector of the Throne!” Two monsters briefly appeared as Professor Harris placed all three cards on the Duel Disk so that his fusion summon would be recognized as a legitimate play by the device. “I fusion summon Giltia the D. Knight!”

A blonde knight in a purple outfit, covered by metallic green armor studded with large red orbs appeared on the field brandishing a spear.

Giltia the D. Knight – Level 5 – LIGHT –Warrior/Fusion – 1850 ATK/1500 DEF

“I’ll end my turn.” Professor Harris nodded as he’d used every card in his hand already. “I hope you didn’t think getting into Duel Academy was going to be easy.”

“Four Monsters on the first turn, one of them being a Fusion too, that’s impressive.” A beautiful girl in the uniform of an Obelisk Blue student noted of the Duel going on in field three. She had semi-long auburn hair that reached her shoulders and lovely grey-eyes.

“Yeah, I didn’t know any of the Exam Decks were that good, did you Jasmine?” Another beautiful teen questioned her friend as she watched the Duel with her. She also wore the uniform of an Obelisk Blue student. She had long raven-black hair in a low ponytail going down to her upper back and warm brown-eyes.

“I guess it’s really all in how the Professors use them, Mindy.” Jasmine replied as they watched the Examinee draw for his turn.

Higher up, above the stadium seating, was a balcony where many students were watching the Duels. Two students stuck out more than the others because of how much space they were being given. One was a tall teen with long dark-blue hair and a critical look in his sharp eyes. He wore the uniform of an Obelisk Blue, though he’d chosen a white coat with blue outlines rather than the blue coat with white outlines. This was Zane Truesdale, the current Number 1 Duelist in Duel Academy and returning for his Third Year.

The girl with him was absolutely gorgeous, with long dark-blonde hair flowing down her back, bright hazel-eyes that almost looked golden in the light, and a look of interest on her face as she saw the first play in field three. She was very blessed in the looks department to say the least with elegant facial features, a full bosom, a thin waist, trim stomach, wide hips, a generous butt that a few of the other males on the balcony were sneaking peeks at since she was leaning forward on the railing, and finished off by long legs with healthy thighs. This was Alexis Rhodes, the top-scoring First Year from the Duel Prep School that was affiliated with Duel Academy.

“A seven card combo on the first turn, that’s not bad,” Alexis commented as she looked over the line-up of Monsters that Professor Harris had summoned. “All of them with 1200 Attack Points or higher and protected from attacks by Marauding Captain’s effect.”

“He got a good hand,” Zane didn’t look impressed. “But he burned through all six of his cards and left nothing in reserve.”

“Draw,” Drake drew his card for his first turn. Looking over his hand, two Alexandrite Dragons, one Luster Dragon, one Raigeki, one Magic Cylinder, and his newly drawn card was Double Summon. ‘Not even going to bother showing yourself?’ He questioned his Ka amused. He received the Dragon equivalent of a sigh, as if the Dragon just couldn’t be bothered with the opponent they were facing. “Well, sir, as my mom used to say when she was teaching me how to play; backrow is important! I activate the Spell card Raigeki!”

The green Spell card appeared as a hologram on the field. The entire card turned a bright yellow and crackled like electricity. A bolt of lightning was fired at the four Monsters on his opponent’s side of the field. The Warrior Monsters cried out as they were struck before all four of them burst apart into fragments and disappeared.

“I summon Alexandrite Dragon in Attack Mode!” Drake continued as the large, bipedal western dragon appeared on the field with a roar. “Now I activate the Spell card Double Summon! This lets me make a second normal summon on my turn. I’ll summon another Alexandrite Dragon!” A second gem-encrusted dragon roared onto the field to stand beside its counterpart. “Now I’ll attack for game! Hit him with Vitreous Flame!”

Both Alexandrite Dragons roared before shimmering flames appeared in their jaws. They threw their heads forward and doused Professor Harris in a glittering blaze of multi-hued flames. After a few seconds for the Life Point counter to tick down, the attacks stopped and the Duel was over.

Drake Roth: 4000 LP

Proctor Harris: 0 LP

“You know what, forget what I said Examinee, welcome to Duel Academy.” Professor Harris chuckled as he clapped for the impressive OTK.

The entire test site erupted into cheers or exclamations of shock at the First Turn Kill that the examinee had just pulled off. Not a single examinee had managed such a thing against any of the Proctors so far! The reactions varied between the multiple onlookers but some noticeable ones were the shocked look of a black-haired Obelisk Blue First Year boy. His face was a rictus of shock at seeing an OTK executed flawlessly by some nobody examinee.

“Make that the third best Duelist,” Jaden remarked to Bastion with a wide smile on his face for Drake’s victory.

“Astounding,” Bastion leaned forward, interested in this new variable to Duel Academy. This was why he wanted to enroll at the school, to Duel the best of the best of their generation and stand at the top.

“That was amazing!” Mindy cheered and was already out of her seat and clapping for the dark-haired boy. She was almost bouncing in her excitement.

“No kidding,” Jasmine was also on her feet and giving the teen applause. “Drake Roth, huh? We’ll have to remember that name.”

“Not bad at all,” Alexis had straightened up and was clapping along with most of the stadium for the short Duel. “He’ll be one to watch.”

“That remains to be seen, but he shows promise at least.” Zane remarked as his eyes followed Drake as he left the field. Alexis shook her head at Zane’s critical nature of other Duelists.

“Jaden Yuki to Duel field number two, please.” The same voice called over the PA system and Jaden perked up at hearing his name called.

“Wish me luck!” Jaden grinned at Bastion before heading down the stairs towards the field. On the way to the field he met up with Drake who was walking through the same corridor. “That was a sick match, Drake!”

“I got a good hand and he didn’t play any backrow support,” Drake shrugged before raising his hand into the air. Jaden realized what he was doing and raised his hand to match, the two teens high-fived as they passed each other. “See you at the Academy, Jaden.”

“See you there, Drake!” Jaden called back as he exited the corridor and entered the field.

Looking across the field to his opponent, Jaden saw a blonde man with a long ponytail being assisted by two women in yellow Duel Academy uniforms. He was a tall man, probably close to two meters tall at Jaden’s best guess. His opponent wore an outfit that looked like a more regal variation on the standard Obelisk Blue uniform. It was complete with gold trimmings and a ruffled pink collar, shoulders, upper chest, and sleeves. He also wore crescent-shaped earrings. He carried an Academy-issued Duel Disk known as a ‘Duel Vest’ worn horizontally across his torso.

“Good afternoon, Examinee,” The man spoke up once the two ladies left.

“Good afternoon, sir,” Jaden gave a polite bow to the man. “I’m Jaden Yuki.”

“Well Mr. Yuki, my name is Dr. Vellian Crowler, Head Professor and Department Chair of Techniques here at Duel Academy.” Crowler introduced himself to Jaden.

“Oh, thanks for taking the time to Duel with me today,” Jaden thanked the man. “I didn’t think a Department Chair would have time to be a Proctor.”

“Yes, I’m quite a busy man; at least you can recognize that.” Crowler’s tone was rather self-important. “At the very least you do appear to have some manners, but your punctuality needs work. Barely making it to registration on the day of the Exams is unbecoming of a student of this Academy.”

“The train was late, I couldn’t really help that, sir,” Jaden rubbed the back of his head. “But I really like that Duel Blazer you’ve got there. Can I get one like that?”

“These have to be earned with a lot of hard work and very high-marks.” Crowler’s tone was almost condescending at this point. “Now, let’s begin, you may have first turn. Duel!”

Jaden Yuki – 4000

Vellian Crowler - 4000

“Duel!” Jaden agreed as he activated his Duel Disk. They both drew five cards. “I draw!” Jaden drew for turn and looked over his hand. “Alright, I’ll summon Elemental Hero Solidman in Attack Mode!” In a yellow light the Elemental Hero appeared on the field. The Monster was a muscular man in a black spandex suit. His torso was covered in bright metal armor, he had a matching helmet on his head, his legs had shining greaves on them and both forearms were strapped with large, oval shields.

Elemental Hero Solidman – Level 4 – EARTH –Warrior/Effect – 1300 ATK/1100 DEF

‘A Hero Deck, huh?’ Crowler mused as he saw the Monster the boy had summoned. ‘He probably thinks of himself as a Hero back in whatever small town he comes from. He’ll soon see that Duel Academy is far beyond him!’

“When Solidman is normal summoned, I can special summon another Level Four or lower Hero Monster from my hand! I special summon Elemental Hero Avian in Attack Mode!” In a simulated windstorm the Monster appeared.

Avian was a mostly green hero with large wings covered in white feathers behind him. His costume appeared to be made of fur or perhaps feather down. His feet were talons and his human-like hands were covered by clawed gauntlets that matched his talon-like feet.

Elemental Hero Avian – Level 3 – WIND –Warrior– 1000 ATK/1000 DEF

“Now I’ll throw down a facedown and end my turn.” Jaden smirked as a facedown card materialized on the field.

“Yes, yes, very good,” Crowler had the most ‘ho-hum’ voice as he gave insincere praise. “I draw,” The ‘Duel Vest’ beeped as it removed the top card from Crowler’s Deck and held it out for the man to pick up. The instructor looked over his hand and had a smug grin. “First I’ll be playing the Spell card called Confiscation!”

“What does that do?” Jaden was unfamiliar with that particular card.

“What it does is allow me to pay 1000 Life Points to look at your hand and send one card to the graveyard.” Crowler snapped and a holographic display appeared in front of him of the remaining cards in Jaden’s hand. “Hmm, yes, a novice Deck indeed. I’ll choose to send Monster Reborn to the graveyard.”

Jaden Yuki – 4000

Vellian Crowler - 3000

“You shouldn’t insult other people’s Decks, sir.” Jaden glared at the blonde man even as he discarded Monster Reborn to the graveyard.

“If I see cards like that, what else am I supposed to call it but a novice Deck?” Crowler shrugged mockingly. “I set two face-down cards and then activate my Heavy Storm Spell card.” The card appeared as a hologram on the field for a moment before unleashing a mighty gale upon the field. Jaden’s face-down was blown upwards, revealing it to be a Draining Shield, before it shattered. Likewise, both of Crowler’s face-down cards were flipped face-up and destroyed.

“Why would you destroy your own Trap cards?” Jaden questioned as he tried to piece together the strategy that Crowler was obviously implementing.

“Since you’re obviously an amateur at this game, I’ll explain,” Crowler acted as if he was bestowing some great privilege on Jaden. “My two Trap cards were called Statue of the Wicked. When they’re face-down and destroyed by a card effect, they allow me to special summon a Wicked Token to the field.” The field was engulfed by thick, dark clouds and from the dark clouds two golden monsters formed. They had mask-like faces and mouths full of fangs. Two arms emerged from their almost serpent-like bodies, each arm ending in three sharp claws.

Wicked Token – Level 4 – DARK – Fiend – 1000 ATK/1000 DEF

Wicked Token – Level 4 – DARK – Fiend – 1000 ATK/1000 DEF

“That’s not an Exam Deck.” Alexis noted as she saw the Trap cards being used. “Is he really bullying this kid with his own Deck and his best cards?”

“I’m more interested in seeing that rare Monster that Crowler keeps in his Deck.” Zane mentioned as he watched the ongoing Duel. Alexis shot him a look that practically screamed ‘Really?’, but Zane ignored it.

“Since my Wicked Tokens are special summons, that means I still have my normal summon for this turn.” Crowler had a satisfied grin on his face. “I’ll be tributing both of my Wicked Tokens to summon my Ancient Gear Golem!” Both of the golden beasts were engulfed in flames before bursting apart. From the flames rose a massive, metal Monster. It was humanoid in shape, but was clearly a machine with its worn metal body. Gears were visible inside of the colossal Monster and its sole red-eye glowed brightly.

Ancient Gear Golem – Level 8 – EARTH – Machine/Effect – 3000 ATK/3000 DEF

“There it is!” Alexis stared at the mechanical titan as it loomed over the field. “The rare Monster card of Crowler’s Deck.”

Zane only looked mildly interested, even though he was getting to see the rare card. What he was really interested to see was how Crowler used it.

“Now, I’ll enter my Battle Phase,” Crowler grinned as he looked between the two Hero Monsters on the field. “I think I’ll destroy Solidman, go Ancient Gear Golem, Mechanized Melee!” The giant machine’s gears began to spin faster than the eye could keep track of as it cocked back its huge fist and slammed it into Solidman. The Hero Monster went flying for a second before bursting apart into fragments of light. “One down and your Avian will be next!”

Jaden Yuki – 2300

Vellian Crowler – 3000

“With that I believe I will end my turn.” Crowler chuckled at putting this drop-out in his place. Duel Academy didn’t need any more students that were barely capable of playing the game.

“Not bad Teach,” Jaden grinned as he drew for his turn. He grinned when he saw the card he pulled. “But let me show you how wrong you are about my Deck! I play Pot of Greed and draw two cards!” The Spell card appeared on the field for a moment before bursting apart into fragments of green light. Jaden drew two extra cards and smiled as his Deck came through for him. He faintly thought he heard the same almost cooing sound from earlier as he drew the two cards but put it aside for now. “First I’ll summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in Attack Mode!” Burstinatrix was a female hero with a red and white color scheme, along with a skintight costume that hugged her body. She had long, black hair flowing behind her head in a fan-like wave. On her head was a golden, crown-like helmet.

Elemental Hero Burstinatrix – Level 3 – FIRE – Warrior – 1200 ATK/800 DEF

“You do know that you’re supposed to summon Monster’s with higher Attack Points than what is already on the field, right?” Crowler mocked the teen as he beheld the lower ATK of Burstinatrix.

“Don’t you know, Teach?” Jaden smirked at Crowler as he placed a Spell card into his Duel Disk. “If a single Hero can’t defeat an enemy, then other Heroes will come together to defeat them!”

“What?” Crowler blinked at Jaden’s words.

“I play Polymerization to fuse Elemental Hero Burstinatrix with Elemental Hero Avian to create the Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!” Jaden declared and the spell card appeared on the field. Burstinatrix and Avian both spiraled into the Polymerization card and it disappeared as a new Hero was formed. “Fusion Summon!” Jaden declared as Flame Wingman appeared on the field.

Elemental Hero Flame Wingman had a green and black color scheme across his body. Behind his right shoulder was a single white-feathered wing, and his left arm was a red dragon head. Behind him a matching dragon tail swung as the Hero landed on the ground.

Elemental Hero Flame Wingman – Level 6 – WIND – Warrior/Fusion/Effect – 2100 ATK/1200 DEF

“Meet one of my favorite Heroes!” Jaden smiled as he held his fist in front of him.

“I believe you’re still overlooking the large disparity in our Monsters’ Attack Points, young man.” Crowler nearly cackled at the 900 ATK difference between his Ancient Gear Golem and Jaden’s Flame Wingman.

“Remember how I said that when one Hero isn’t enough, that multiple would come together to defeat the opponent? I’m going to use the Equip Spell called Favorite Hero on Flame Wingman!” Jaden grinned as he slotted the card into his Duel Disk. The card appeared behind Fame Wingman and the Fusion Monster began to glow with a red aura. “Now I enter my Battle Phase! When I enter Battle Phase, the effect of Favorite Hero lets me activate a Field Spell card from my Deck! So I’ll play the Field Spell, Skyscraper!” Jaden searched his Deck and found the card he wanted. The Field Spell slot on his Duel Disk opened up and he inserted the card into it.

The area around the two Duelists changed dramatically as Skyscraper took effect. Buildings seemingly rose from the ground until a towering hologram city surrounded them. Crowler looked curiously at the Field Spell wondering what it was supposed to do.

“Now comes the fun part! “Jaden had a bright smirk on his face. “You see, when I have a Field Spell active, Favorite Hero allows me to increase Flame Wingman’s Attack Points by the same number as his Defense Points!”

Elemental Hero Flame Wingman – Level 6 – WIND – Warrior/Fusion/Effect – 3300 ATK/1200 DEF

“No way!” Crowler exclaimed as Jaden’s Monster became stronger than his Ace Monster.

“Flame Wingman, attack with Skydive Scorcher!” Jaden declared his attack and Flame Wingman launched itself forward while igniting into an intense fiery maelstrom. The Hero blasted straight through the Golem and then flew up and around to land back in front of Jaden. The Ancient Gear Golem toppled backwards and exploded into fragments before it hit the ground.

Jaden Yuki – 2300

Vellian Crowler – 2700

“Now Flame Wingman’s effect activates,” Jaden smirked at Crowler. “You see, when Flame Wingman destroys a Monster, he deals that Monster’s Attack Points to you as damage, pretty sweet, huh?”

“Wait, then that means!” Crowler suddenly found Flame Wingman’s dragon head hand right in his face. A powerful stream of flames covered the tall, blonde man who screeched in panic, even though he knew it was only a hologram.

Jaden Yuki – 2300

Vellian Crowler – 0

“That’s game!” Jaden pointed his right index and middle fingers at Crowler with a smile. “Nice Duel, Teach!”

“Y-you…how can this be?!” Crowler demanded as the holograms disappeared.

Once again the crowd erupted into cheers for the Duel. To see another nobody take down not only a Legendary Rare Monster but also the Head Professor and Department Chair of Techniques was insane! Jaden had just beaten a Duelist that had never lost once he’d gotten his Ace Monster on the field! The fact that he’d done it in only two turns wasn’t lost on a select few people either.

“Well, he’s certainly interesting.” Alexis mused as she looked at Jaden waving to the crowd.

“Hmm.” Zane hummed non-committally as he turned and walked away from the edge of the balcony. Alexis could only shake her head at his attitude. Being at the top for so long without a real challenge seemed to have made Zane even more critical of other Duelists.

“Not bad, Jaden.” Drake was one of the many students and examinees clapping for Jaden’s victory. He was looking forward to Duel Academy even more now.

‘You think he realizes that he has a Spirit that wants to bond to him?’ Drake thought to his Ka that was lazing within his Deck at the moment. The short, almost hiss-like, sound he got in response might as well have been a visible shrug. ‘Well, where we’re going I’m sure you won’t have any reason to be a lazy dragon anymore. Duel Academy is home to the best and brightest upcoming Duelists. I’m sure there will be people there that can give us a run for our money.’

“Maybe I can teach him how to use his Ba properly?” Drake hummed as he watched Jaden leave the field. “He’s certainly strong enough to sustain a Ka like the spirit that’s floating around him.” He watched amused as the Kuriboh with wings followed along behind Jaden looking pleased at the teen’s victory.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Finally got this idea down on digital paper! Maybe now my Muse will calm down and let me focus on the other stories!

I’ve had this Premise in my head for a while, and with help from my buddy Ori, A LOT of help, and the encouragement of many others, I’ve finally delved into this story.

What can change when Ancient Knowledge is known?

How does a new variable change the story?

What other changes exist in this version compared to Canon?

Things are already very different, how much more will be seen as the story progresses!

Is Jaden the only one that Drake will want to teach?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!