Duel Monster Saviors
Ch. 15 – The Art of Pendulum
Written by TheAmariaShadow
Another day gone, another adventure has gone through. I am still shocked that Dash actually had such an experience with the new student. Well, when it comes right down to it, maybe this experience will mellow him out. But, that day is gone and this one….this one is my day. Who am I? My name is Ben Kiriyama, and today is the day that I shall finally challenge Onyx to a duel….
I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror as I adjusted my tie around my neck, frowning as I tightened it too tightly. 'Hmm, that's not right.', I thought to myself as untied my tie once again to readjust it. I inhaled deeply as I smelled food being cooked in the room, I peeked my head out as I saw Leslie cooking in the tiny kitchen. "What are you cooking for breakfast, Leslie?", I asked. "Omelets with bacons and sausage. My father always says that in order to start the day off right, you have to have a hearty breakfast!", Leslie replied. I chuckled softly as I finally tied my tie properly and walked over to the table, watching as Leslie placed two plates of food on the table, my eyes catching the pink apron Leslie was wearing. "Cute apron.", I replied. Leslie blushed as I said that and said, "Why thank you, Ben. Anyway, eat up while it is still hot. I'll fix you a glass of orange juice!" I nodded as Leslie walked back to the kitchen and grabbed two glasses as I ate, hearing him ask, "So, did you hear that there are going to be new cards released at the Card Store today, Ben?" I nodded as I said, "Yes, I got the message late last night. This was the release I was waiting for, for now I shall finally be able to complete the deck I was wanting to work on and then I'll challenge Onyx to a duel."
Leslie smirked as he placed a glass of orange juice next to my plate and sat across from me and said, "So, today's the day, huh? You've been wanting to duel Onyx ever since the term began." I nodded as I continued to eat, my mind already thinking of a strategy on the cards I was going to try and get.
Meanwhile, back at the Slifer Red dorms….
Mikey looked at a picture of his mom and dad as Onyx and Crystal slept the morning away. His attention was ripped from the picture as a knock was heard at the door. "Who is it?", Mikey asked. "Package for Mikey Redheart!", a voice called out from the other side. Mikey raised an eyebrow as he walked over to the door and saw a mail carrier holding a package that had his home address on it. "No way, it's finally here!", Mikey exclaimed. "Just need your signature here, Mr. Redheart!", the mail carrier stated as he handed Mikey a clipboard and pen. Mikey nodded as he signed his name on the paper as the mail carrier handed him the package and said, "Have a pleasant day, Mr. Redheart!" Mikey smiled as Jessie walked out of her dorm room and said, "Morning, Mikey! What do you got there?" Mikey smiled as he said, "If it is what I think it is, it's something that I have been waiting for for a long while now! Say, where's Miho?" Jessie shrugged her shoulders as she said, "No idea. She was gone earlier. My guess, perhaps she is over at Dash's place? He was her very first friend here after all."
"Makes sense. Anyway, come on in. And please, BE AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE. Onyx and Crystal are still asleep.", Mikey stated. Jessie grinned as she said, "Let me handle this one." She walked past Mikey and stood between Onyx and Crystal's beds and inhaled deeply, only to stop as she saw both Onyx and Crystal's decks glow slightly. She inhaled again and said loudly, "ONYX! CRYSTAL! WAKE UP! YOU TWO NEED TO SEE THIS!" Onyx and Crystal sat up from their beds immediately as the two cupped their ears and said, "Ow! Ok ok, we're up!" Mikey closed the door to the room as he walked over to his bed with the package and also spotted Onyx and Crystal's decks glowing as well and said, "Hey, you two. What's going on with your decks?" Onyx raised an eyebrow when that was said, then immediately looked down to his Celestial Guard deck and picked it up, seeing it glow slightly. "Huh. That's weird. I wonder why it is doing that?", Onyx stated as he pulled the top card from the deck, seeing the Aelitatrix Bearer's face looking back at him. The card pulsed slightly as the card changed color, the original orange coloring of the Effect monster gaining a green coloring as well alongside an additional effect for the card. As that happened, Crystal also looked at Retsu's card as it did the exact same thing, along with the remainder of every monster and card in their decks changed to match up with it.
"Whoa, is that normal?", Jessie asked. "We don't know. Mom always said that the Celestial Guard archetype was a special archetype, so maybe this is something that should happen?", Crystal asked. Mikey shrugged his shoulders as he opened up his package, pulling out a blue backpack and what appeared to be a deck along with a letter. "What's that, Mikey?", Onyx asked as he crawled out of bed, yawning slightly. Mikey grinned as he said, "A long time ago, my parents and I created a few robots for me to play with when I was younger. My dad and I created the bodies, but my mother created the AI. My dad and I used whatever we could find to create the bodies and I had dubbed these bots the Deskbots. We created nine in total just before my mom passed away." Crystal smiled softly as she said, "That sounds pretty cool, Mikey. I wish we could see them." Mikey nodded as he held up the backpack and said, "Say hello to Deskbot Base. Every single Deskbot is right here!" Onyx's eyes widened when Mikey said that. "Really?! Let us see them!", Onyx exclaimed. "Now hold on, hold on. I still have this letter to look at here."
Jessie spotted the letter in Mikey's hand, a squeal of excitement escaped from her as she said, "No way! Mikey, that letter has the Industrial Illusions logo on it!" Onyx's eyes widened as he said, "Industrial Illusions?! As in, Maximillian Pegasus' company that creates the Duel Monsters cards? THAT Industrial Illusions?" Crystal reached over to her bedside drawer and pulled out a brush as she asked, "Why would Industrial Illusions send you a letter, Mikey?" Mikey grinned as he said, "Well then, let's just find out, shall we?" With that said, Mikey ripped open the letter and cleared his throat as he said, "Dear Michelangelo Redheart, I am pleased to be writing you that you have won first place in our Create An Acrhetype contest. Enclosed with this letter is the very first Deskbot deck. Use it with pride, young child. Signed, Maximillion Pegasus, President of Industrial Illusions." Once Onyx heard that, he immediately swiped the deck out of the box and said, "You made the Deskbots into actual cards?! No way, that is really cool, Mikey!"
Mikey giggled as Onyx looked at the deck, then Onyx said, "Hey, these cards are just like ours!" Mikey raised an eyebrow as Onyx showed the monsters in the deck had the exact same coloring as the monsters in their decks. Mikey frowned as he looked at the letter that Pegasus sent and said, "That's strange, the letter doesn't say anything about these cards. Maybe Prof. Nomura may know something about it." Onyx groaned as he said, "We do have a class with Yami today, don't we, sis?" Crystal chuckled softly as she said, "Sorry, Onii-chan. Those are the breaks." Onyx sighed as he said, "Well, we best get going, otherwise we'll be late." Jessie stood up immediately as she said, "I'll catch up with you guys a little later. The Duel Store is releasing new cards, and I want to see if I can find anything good!" Crystal nodded as the four of them walked out of the room, Onyx locking the door behind them as Miho walked out of her and Jessie's room to join us to the classroom.
Meanwhile, at the Duel Store….
I thought silently to myself as I stood in line at the Store, nodding my head as I thought hard on my strategy to beat Onyx. As I finally got the cash register, Dorothy greeted me with a smile as she said, "I thought you would find your way to the Duel Store today, young Benjamin. Are you here for your order?" I nodded as I said, "The Lunalights, if you please, Ms. Dorothy. I'll also take some extra card packs as well, I think ten should suffice." Dorothy nodded as she reached below the counter and pulled out a small box with my name on it as well as the ten card packs I picked out. "Alright, that shall be 200 duel credits.", she said with a smile as I ran my PDA over what appeared to be a credit card reader, a small ding was heard as the credits were transferred. Dorothy immediately packed the purchase into a small bag as she said, "Please enjoy your purchase and have a nice day, Ben!" I nodded as I turned away from Dorothy and walked to the front entrance of the store, passing by my younger sister who was eagerly hopping in line. I chuckled as I exited from the store and walked immediately to Prof. Nomura's classroom nearby, retiring to my seat as I reached into the bag and opened up my card packs to see what I got. 'Hmm, a few Paleozoic's, some Machines, some Utopia cards here and there. Not much that is useful for me. Now, let's see how the Lunalight order I made came out.', I thought to myself as I turned to the small box that sported a mysterious monster on it.
I opened it as I looked at the cards, noticing that a couple of the monsters sported a two-toned coloring on them. 'Hm, what's this all about?', I thought as a small slip of paper fell out of the box. "Some instructions for these cards, perhaps? According to this, these new cards are classified as Pendulum cards. Each Pendulum card has an extra effect added to them, and if they are used as Pendulum cards and not as regular monsters, they classify as spells. Each Pendulum Monster has a scale, ranked from Scale 1 to Scale 12. When these monsters are placed on the opposite sides of the Duel Disk, the Pendulum Scale grants the user the ability to Special Summon monsters whose levels match the numbers between the set Pendulum Scale. What an interesting twist to this crazy game, these Pendulum Monsters. This would definitely upset a lot of dueling strategies.', I thought as my fellow classmates piled into the classroom. As time passed, I continued looking over my new cards, learning more about them as Leslie sat down next to me. As Yami finally walked into the classroom, I believed I had a decent idea of how my cards worked and I immediately constructed a deck that would lead me to victory. As Yami reached the front of the class, the classroom doors opened wide as Onyx & his friends walked in as Onyx said, "We made it in time!"
Yami looked at the watched on his left wrist as he said, "Well, you four are cutting it awfully close. Please, take your seats. We have a lot to discuss today." As that was stated, Onyx and his friends took their places in the front of the class. Yami nodded as he said, "Alright, now when we were here last, we were talking about the history behind the Legendary Knights of Atlantis. Would anyone like to name these three's names?" Onyx raised his hand as he said, "Uncle Yami, I actually have a bit of a question myself for you!" Yami raised an eyebrow and said, "In the classroom, I am Prof. Nomura to you, Onyx. But very well, what is your question?" Onyx reached into his deck case and pulled out the Aelitatrix Bearer and flashed it at the feline and asked, "Well, when Crystal and I woke up this morning, a majority of our cards changed into these things. What's up with that, teach?"
Yami walked over to Onyx and eyed the card closely, then said, "Well, I'll be. Looks like that rumor about the Celestial Guard archetype was no mere rumor after all." Onyx raised an eyebrow when Yami said that. "May I borrow this for a second?", Yami asked Onyx, pointing at the Aelitatrix Bearer card. Onyx looked at Crystal with a uncertain look on his face, but hesitantly handed the card to Yami as the feline returned to the front of the class. He held the card out as a light shone from the ceiling, a giant hologram of the Aelitatrix Bearer appeared in the middle of the stage along with other key figures of the Celestial Guard archetype. "Alright, everyone, looks like there has been a change of plans for today's lesson. Instead, I shall explain a little bit about the Celestial Guard archetype and try to answer Mr. Sairenji's question to my fullest capabilities. First off, it should be know that the Celestial Guard archetype is a pretty special archetype in the Duel Monsters community. Can anyone answer why?", Yami asked, only to see every student in the classroom raise their hand.
Yami chuckled as he said, "Alright alright, no need for everyone to raise their hands. It's quite obvious why this archetype is special: it is an entire archetype based on the Celestial Guard, the group of elite warriors led by Allen Henegan the Aelitatrix Bearer himself. It is their solemn duty to protect the peace within the multiverse as well as to correct any inconsistencies in time if necessary. But, can anyone answer why these cards are what they are now?" Once Yami asked, all the hands of his students dropped excluding Ben's. "Yes, Ben, what do you think?", Yami asked. Ben stood to his feet as he said, "It's because these cards were created by the founder of Duel Monsters, Maximillion Pegasus, right?" Yami nodded as he said, "Right you are, Ben: these cards were hand-created by Mr. Pegasus himself. It is said that anything that holds the image of Amaria and its inhabitants are imbued with the power of the Dimensional Rift itself, and the Rift controls the very essence of time and space within it. Now, knowing that these cards were originally not like this, why do you suppose these would've changed?" Yami then walked over to Onyx and placed the card in his hand and said, "What do you think, Onyx?"
Onyx looked at his sister as she whispered, "Go on, Onyx. You can figure this one out." Onyx looked back at Yami as he said, "Well….maybe it's somehow tied with that new universe that's connected to this one? One of the duties of the Aelitatrix Bearer is to connect any and all undiscovered universes to Amaria so they can oversee that universe's timeline. So perhaps these strange looking cards are part of that new world?" Yami grinned as he said, "Give the child a medal, that is precisely correct, Mr. Sairenji!" Onyx sighed heavily as he said, "So, these designs are part of that new world? Then what ARE they?" Yami walked back up to his desk as he said, "They are known as Pendulum Cards." The entire class broke out in whispers over what Yami said as Mikey asked, "What are Pendulum Cards, Prof. Nomura?" Yami frowned as he said, "Unfortunately, we only know a little bit about these cards. We haven't gotten a full access to this world, so we only have so many Pendulum Cards at our disposal. According to what we have learned, Pendulum Cards allow us to access a new summoning method known as the Pendulum Summon. Onyx, please take a look at the Aelitatrix Bearer card. And I want you to do the same with the Last Celestian card, Crystal."
"Oh! Well, alright then.", Onyx stated as his attention returned to the card in his hand, Crystal retrieving the Last Celestian from her deck. "What are we supposed to be looking at, Professor?", Crystal asked. "First off, all Pendulum Cards are monsters, but when used to Pendulum Summon, they are treated as Spell Cards." Onyx's eyes widened when Yami stated that. "So that explains the two-toned colors on the cards and why they have extra abilities!", Onyx stated. Yami nodded, then he stated, "Now, take a look right underneath the picture on the cards. You see how they have a number underneath them?" Onyx looked back at his card, then noticed the number that Yami was talking about: the number 8. "Mine says 8.", Onyx stated. "And mine has the number 1 on it.", Crystal replied. "Those numbers are known as Scales. When these two cards are played in the Pendulum Scale with another card that has a Scale that is higher or lower than it, you are then allowed to Special Summon, or as it is more properly called, Pendulum Summon monsters from your hand whose levels are between those two numbers." Crystal looked at Yami when he said that and said, "So, you are saying that if Retsu and Allen were in this Pendulum Scale thing, any monster with a Level of 2 through 7 can be Special Summoned from our hands?" Yami smiled as he said, "Yes, that's exactly what would happen. And finally, Pendulum Cards. Any cards in the Pendulum Scale as well as any Pendulum Monsters that are Pendulum Summoned are sent to the Extra Deck instead of the Graveyard when they are destroyed, and you can Pendulum Summon them back to your field whenever you feel like it. However, you can only Pendulum Summon once per turn." Onyx and Crystal whistled with an impressed tone, looking back at their cards as they both said, "Wow, these Pendulum Cards certainly changed the game in a bold new way!"
Yami chuckled as a knock was heard at the classroom door, his attention turned to the doors as he said, "Enter!" The doors opened wide as Seto Kaiba walked in, followed by a swarm of KaibaCorp employees sporting labcoats, each one carrying a box of assorted sizes. "Seto, can I please ask why you are interrupting my class at this time? I was just teaching my students a very important lesson about Pendulum Summoning!", Yami stated with an angry tone. Kaiba looked over at the Exodia Purple co-headmaster and said, "It is because of the Pendulum Summon that this interruption is important, Prof. Nomura." Yami raised an eyebrow when Kaiba said that, as the chancellor looked out at the class and said, "I am certain Prof. Nomura here has taught as much as we know about the Pendulum Summon method, but there is one thing that has yet to be rectified: the Pendulum Scale itself." Yami's eyes widened as his glasses slid off his nose slightly as he said, "Well, I'll be. You actually beat me to the punch, Seto. Guess you're not one of the best duelists on the island for nothing after all." Kaiba's eye twitched in annoyance as he said, "I…guess that is a compliment. In any case, the Pendulum Scales are two new zones on your playing field, so in order for this to be used properly, KaibaCorp is pleased to reveal the brand-new Duel Disks we have been mass producing for the last few months."
"NEW DUEL DISKS!?", Onyx exclaimed in excitement, Mikey's eyes widening as he said, "Maybe this is the project that my dad was talking about?" Jessie nodded as she said, "It must be! What else could he have been talking about?" The entire class went into an uproar over the excitement of the new Duel Disks, before Yami shouted, "Quiet! Quiet!" The entire class went silent once they heard the feline say that. Kaiba cleared his throat as he said, "Alright, now we shall have each of you come up to the front and collect a Duel Disk. Remember, once you get this Duel Disk, if it gets damaged, you will have to pay a fee of 1000 Duel Points at the Duel Store to get it repaired." As Kaiba said that, each of his employees called off the names of each student in the classroom to collect their new Duel Disk. It didn't take too long since Prof. Nomura's class was rather small that morning, and as quick as he arrived, Kaiba left the classroom behind, each student in awe over their new Duel Disks.
"Alright, now that takes care of that, let's move on to the next part of our lesson.", Yami stated before getting interrupted by Onyx saying, "Hold on, Yami!" Onyx shouldn't have done that, because a loud yelp was heard from him as he got a face full of stylus, thrown expertly by the feline. "Mr. Sairenji, if I have to say it again, we will officially have a problem: on this island, you respond to me as PROF. Yami or Prof. Nomura if we aren't on good terms! Now, what is it?", Yami asked with a frown. "Owww! Dang it, Prof. Yami. Calm down that Prof. Moody personality for just a second, will ya?", Onyx stated as he tossed the stylus back to Yami. Yami caught the stylus, immediately spinning it around in his hand as he said, "My patience is wearing thin, Onyx. What is so important for you to interrupt my class a second time?" Onyx rubbed his face to numb the pain it was still feeling then grinned as he said, "I think the best way for us as students to learn everything we can about Pendulum Summoning is to duel! Right here, right now!" Yami sighed, shook his head as he said, "Just like your mother, you are. Alright alright, I guess my lesson can wait another day. So, a duel you say? That sounds like a fantastic idea, however I have a better idea."
Onyx raised his eyebrow as Yami reached into his labcoat and pulled out a deck of his own and inserted it into his new Duel Disk, the Disk activating immediately as he said, "I suggest a Tag Duel: you and your sister against me and one other student who decides to volunteer. Think of it as a pop quiz since only you and the other two students will be using Pendulum Monsters. Also think of it as a punishment when my partner and I defeat you, ok?" Onyx grinned as he said, "Sis and I don't plan on losing, teach! It's a deal!" As Onyx said that, he hopped from the other side of his desk and stood next to Yami, Crystal shrugged her shoulders as she joined Onyx in the front. Yami then looked out to the class and said, "So, who would like to volunteer to duel with me? Anyone? Anyone at all?" The class was silent for a few seconds, then I raised my hand and said, "I'll volunteer, Prof. Nomura." Yami nodded as he said, "Very well, Ben. With that settled, let us all journey over to the Slifer Red Duel Field!"
With that said, the entire class made their way to the Slifer Red Duel Field. As we arrived there, most of the class immediately noticed it was significantly smaller compared to the Duel Field that is normally used over in the Obelisk Blue side of the campus, but it was definitely a pretty large arena. What stood out the most was the wooden statutes that hugged the walls, each one of a recognizable duelist: from Chancellors Muto and Kaiba to Superintendent Henegan himself. In the middle of all the statues stood the largest ones that were perfect replicas of Headmaster Jaden Yuki and Co-Headmaster Joey Wheeler. I guess it makes sense that those two would have the larger statues in the Slifer Red campus, after all. A couple of seconds later, the four of us made our way onto the Duel Field….
"Wow, when did the Slifer Red campus get a Duel Field?", Onyx asked in awe of his surroundings. "It's been here the entire time, Onii-chan. But since the school normally uses the Obelisk Duel Arena a lot more frequently, this one tends to get neglected a lot.", Crystal replied. "Now that's just a crying shame! This place looks amazing! We should talk to Jaden later and have him considering having his Duel Period here in the Duel Arena instead of outside, ok?", Onyx replied. Crystal nodded as Yami said, "Alright, everyone. Now that we are settled, let me explain the rules of this duel. Since this is a Tag Duel, no one is allowed to attack until we've each made one turn. Our Life Points will be shared equally, so damage one of us, we'll both be taking the hit. We will each start with 8000 Life Points, and the first team to drop to 0 loses. The objective of this Tag Duel is to successfully Pendulum Summon at least one monster. If you cannot, you will fail the quiz, even if you win the duel. Do I make myself clear?" Onyx and Crystal nodded as they said, "Got it, Professor!" Yami looked at me and said, "Understand the rules so far, Ben?" I nodded as Yami continued and said, "Alright, the order of turns shall be as followed: I shall start first, then Crystal, then Ben, then Onyx, and finally back to me." Each of us nodded as we said, "Got it." Yami nodded as he said, "Well then, without further ado!"
"LET'S DUEL!", the four of us said in unison, Yami immediately stating, "Alright, to start things off, I shall make things a little interesting. First off, I shall activate the Spell card Allure of Darkness! With this card, I can banish a DARK-attribute monster from my hand in order to draw 2 cards from my deck!" As Yami said that, he drew the two cards from his deck and looked at them and smiled and said, "Children, I am about to have you embark on a grand journey to a marvelous kingdom!" Onyx raised an eyebrow when Yami said that. "A grand journey to a marvelous kingdom? What on Earth does that mean?", Onyx asked. "This journey shall be full of adventure, full of danger, full of excitement…..FULL OF TOONS! I activate the Field Spell Toon Kingdom!" Onyx's eyes widened in fear as he said, "YOU RUN A TOON DECK?!" Yami grinned as he said, "Precisely, young child! Now, let me explain how this card works. When this card is activated, I have to banish the top three cards from my Deck. A simple price to pay since when this card is in play, none of my Toon monsters can be targeted by any card effects. Also, when a Toon monster is destroyed, I can banish one more card from the top of my deck facedown in order to save it. After all, the most impossible thing to kill is a Toon! And with that, I shall end my turn."
Crystal frowned as she said, "Looks like the duel is already off to a rocky start. But, that won't rattle us. It's my turn now, I draw!" Crystal drew from her deck and looked at the card to immediately be faced with Retsu Taimukipa, the Last Celestian. 'Oh, hello Lady Retsu! You'll certainly tip the scales in our favor. Now let's see here….', Crystal thought to herself as she looked at her hand, then nodded as she said, "So, we have to successfully Pendulum Summon one monster, right? Then I'm certainly not going to fail this quiz! I'm going to build the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 2 Yuki DeBlanc and the Scale 9 Ghost Taimukipa in my hand! This duel is going to swing my way starting now!" As Crystal placed the Pendulum Monsters into their proper places, her eyes widened as the word PENDULUM appeared on her Duel Disk in bright orange letters. Her shock grew even more as the two monsters appeared in a column of light on either side of her, the numbers of their scales appearing underneath them. "Wow….this is so beautiful….", Crystal said in awe. Yami smiled as he said, "Looks like you were paying attention to my class, Crystal. Now go on, continue your move."
Crystal nodded as she said, "With this, I am now allowed to simultaneously Pendulum Summon monsters from level 3 through 8 all at the same time! Come forth, my trusted partner! Together, we shall reign victorious! I Pendulum Summon the Level 7 Retsu Taimukipa, the Last Celestian!" The crowd of students in the arena went in uproar as Retsu emerged on the field, Jessie smiling widely as she said, "There she is: Cryssi's ace monster! It is always a good day to see Lady Retsu in play, don't you think, Mikey?" Mikey nodded as he said, "Of course, Jessie! Retsu is the heart and soul of Crystal's entire deck. It'd be bizarre to not see her show up in a duel!" Akio nodded in agreement as he continued watching the duel and said, "It is good to see Retsu appear on the field, but the question is, will it be enough?" Mikey and Jessie returned their attention to the field when Crystal said, "When Retsu is Pendulum Summoned, I can add one "Mina Taimukipa" and one "Ghost Taimukipa" to my hand. But since Ghost is already on the field, I'll just be adding Mina to my hand. And since Retsu is on the field, Mina's special ability activates! I can treat her as an Equip Spell and Equip her directly to Retsu, and when she is, Retsu's Attack and Defense points raise by 800!" As Crystal played Mina, the young bunnygirl immediately hopped onto the field next to Retsu. In a flash of light, Mina backflipped and her form changed into Retsu's legendary scythe, the Celestian spinning it around in her hands rapidly as she returned to a normal battle stance. "With that, I shall play three cards facedown and end my turn. Your move, Ben!"
"Thank you, Crystal. Now, it is time for me to see what my deck is capable of! I draw!", I stated, drawing a card from my deck. Ranko raised an eyebrow from the stands as I looked at my hand and said, "Wait a minute, how is Ben expecting to win this duel?" Leslie looked at the panda and said, "What do you mean, Ranko?" Ranko looked back at Leslie and said, "I was there when Ben got his cards this morning from the Duel Store. There is absolutely no way he could've come up with a strategy with the cards he picked up so quickly." Leslie looked back at the field and said, "Maybe. But I would underestimate Ben: he's not the top of our class for nothing, after all." Ranko returned his attention to the field as I said, "If you can Pendulum Summon, then so can I! But first, I shall activate the Spell card Fire Formation – Tenki from my hand!" Crystal frowned as she asked, "Ok, so what does that do?" I grinned softly as I said, "What it does is allow me to add one Level 4 or lower Beast-Warrior monster from my Deck to my hand. Also, as long as Tenki is on the field, every Beast-Warrior I play gains 100 extra Attack points." Once I said that, I drew a card from my deck and said, "And now I shall activate the effect of my Lunalight Black Sheep! By discarding this card to the Graveyard, I can add one Polymerization from my Deck to my hand!" Crystal frowned even more as she thought, 'Polymerization? That must mean that Ben is a Fusion summoner. What are you planning?' I looked at my cards and said, "Now, the stage has been set. I'll set the Scale 1 Lunalight Wolf and the Scale 5 Lunalight Tiger in the Pendulum Scale. When it comes to strategies, you two are out of your league! With this, I can now Pendulum Summon monsters from levels 2 through 4 at the same time. Arise, my monsters! I Pendulum Summon the Level 2 Lunalight White Rabbit and the Level 3 Lunalight Purple Butterfly in Attack Mode!"
As my monsters joined me on the field, Onyx tilted his head as he said, "Ok, why is all your monsters female and all wearing skintight gym uniforms, Ben?" I frowned as I replied, "Focus, Sairenji! You're in for a treat! I'll now activate Polymerization, fusing together Lunalight White Rabbit and Lunalight Purple Butterfly! With the cunning instinct of a docile creature with the combined stealth of a midnight huntress, they make way for a brand new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Come on out, Lunalight Cat Dancer!" Onyx whistled as my Fusion Monster appeared on the field and said, "That's a pretty impressive monster." I smirked as I said, "Glad you think so, but she won't be here for long." Onyx's eyes widened as he said, "Say what?! You don't have any cards in your hand! What else can you do?!" I smirked as I said, "I'll now activate Lunalight Wolf's Pendulum Ability!" Robin leaned over Akio's head as she said, "Impressive. Looks like in the short span of time we've had, Ben has severely upped his game." Miho nodded as she said, "He's pretty intelligent, isn't he? Not only has he Pendulum Summoned successfully, he can Fusion Summon and he knows about his Pendulum Monster's abilities too!" Jessie grinned widely as she said, "That's my big brother for you! Always one step ahead of the game!"
"Ok, so what does Lunalight Wolf do?", Crystal asked. "When I activate her Pendulum Ability, I can Fusion Summon one 'Lunalight' monster from my Extra Deck by banishing monsters from my field or Graveyard. So now, I shall fuse together my Cat Dancer with my White Rabbit! With the graceful movement of a lunar entertainer with the instinct of a docile creature, make way for a brand new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon Lunalight Panther Dancer in Attack Mode!", I stated as my newest monster appeared on the field. I nodded as I said, "And with that, I shall end my turn. Your move, Onyx." Crystal stared hard at my monster as she said, "Onyx, she has 2900 Attack points and Retsu only has 800. You better turn the tide and I mean right now!" Onyx grinned as he said, "Consider it done! IT'S TIME TO KICK THINGS TO THE NEXT LEVEL! I draw!" Onyx looked at the card he drew and saw that it was a card that had a picture of Tails on it. He then looked at his hand and thought, 'Dang it, the Aelitatrix Bearer isn't here. Oh well. At least there are a few other options I can make. Like this one!' Onyx grinned as he said, "My turn! I'm going to build the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Miles "Tails" Prower and the Scale 7 Knuckles the Echidna! I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" As he placed his cards on his Duel Disk, an automated voice replied with the words, "Error!" Onyx's eyes widened as he said, "Huh? What just happened? I did exactly what you did, Cryssi!" Crystal slapped her hand to her forehead as she said, "On the farthest ends of the Duel Disk, Onyx." Onyx blinked a couple of times, then turned to his Duel Disk as he noticed that both his Pendulum Cards were next to each other and not in their proper places. Onyx blushed slightly out of embarrassment as he said, "Oh. Sorry, guess I put the cards in the wrong spot out of the excitement."
Mikey sighed as he said, "Come on, Onyx. That was embarrassing!" Onyx looked back at Mikey and said, "Sorry, I'll get it right this time!" Dash laughed loudly as he looked down at Onyx and said, "Wow, that was so bad, Slifer slacker! Everyone in the duel got it right and you still messed up!" Onyx frowned as he moved his cards into the proper spaces on his Duel Disk, the word PENDULUM appearing on his Duel Disk as Tails and Knuckles took their proper places in the Pendulum pillars. "Alright, that was a bit of a slip-up, but that'll definitely be the last! With these two scales, I can Pendulum Summon monsters from levels 2 through 6 all at the same time! But before I do that, I'll activate one of Knuckles' Pendulum abilities! Go, Sonic Heroes!", Onyx stated. Yami re-adjusted his glasses on his nose as he said, "So, what does that do, Mr. Sairenji?" Onyx grinned as he said, "If Tails is in the Pendulum Scale alongside Knuckles, I can add one "Sonic the Hedgehog" to my hand from my Deck! And now, I Pendulum Summon two monsters from my hand in Defense mode! Come forth, Sonic the Hedgehog!" As that was said, two copies of Sonic appeared before Onyx, both sporting a total of 2300 Attack points. "With that, my turn is done. Your move, teach.", Onyx stated.
Yami chuckled as he said, "Very impressive, Onyx. But as you can see, Mr. Kiriyama's monster is obviously the strongest monster in play, so even with two Sonics on the field, they cannot overpower it." Onyx grinned as he said, "Maybe so, but it doesn't matter! This is only a taste of what my deck has in store for this duel! So make your move, teach!" Yami chuckled as he said, "Very well then, I draw!" Yami looked at the card he drew and grinned as he said, "This'll do just fine. I must thank you, Mr. Sairenji. You summoning Sonic makes this next move play out just the way I was hoping for." Onyx frowned as he said, "You're bluffing." Yami smiled as he replied, "I activate the Spell card Comic Hand! When I have Toon World on my field, this card allows me to take control of one of your monsters, and as long as this card is in play, that monster is treated as a Toon! Plus, while my opponent controls no Toon monsters, it gets to attack your Life Points directly." Onyx's eyes widened as he said, "That's not good!" Yami grinned as he said, "So, Comic Hand, how about you bring one of Onyx's Sonics over here and allow him passage into Toon Kingdom?!" When that was said, a giant gloved hand escaped from the Toon Kingdom book and grabbed one of the Sonics on Onyx's field, dragging the hedgehog into the book as it closed with a loud burp. The book glowed brightly as Onyx said, "What are you doing to Sonic?!" Yami closed his eyes as he said, "I'm just turning him into a more powerful and cuddly form. Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls! Say hello to Pixel Sonic the Hedgehog!" The book opened before Yami once more, a wild wind whipped from within as a shorter and chubbier Sonic appeared before him, Onyx's jaw dropped in shock as he said, "That's not Sonic! What is that?!"
"On the contrary: this is what Sonic looked like back in his youth. But now, let's have him attack. Pixel Sonic, attack Onyx's Life Points directly!", Yami stated as Pixel Sonic rolled into the shape of a buzzsaw, bouncing over the older Sonic as he immediately slammed into Onyx's chest. Onyx groaned loudly as both he and Crystal's Life Points dropped by 2300, leaving them with 5700 points. "Owww, that wasn't nice.", Onyx said out loud. "And I'm not done. Now, Lunalight Panther Dancer, attack his other Sonic!", Yami stated as my monster attacked Sonic, I immediately stated, "At this moment, Panther Dancer's ability activates! When your monster is to be destroyed by Panther Dancer for the first time, it is not destroyed. Then, she gets to attack all your monsters twice this turn! And since Tenki is on the field, you two will be taking some serious damage!" Crystal's eyes widened as she said, "All our monsters?! But that means we won't hardly have any Life Points left!" Yami grinned as he said, "Precisely! Continue your attack, Panther Dancer!", Yami stated as Sonic was attacked, it not getting destroyed by her first attack. "Next, attack the Last Celestian!", Yami stated as Retsu got attacked, Crystal and Onyx's Life Points dropping by 2100 to 3600. "Now, attack Sonic for the second time and destroy him!", Yami stated as the Lunalight attacked Sonic once again, Sonic immediately being destroyed. Onyx growled as he said, "Sis, best brace yourself. This is going to hurt!" Yami nodded as he said, "Panther Dancer, attack Retsu once again and destroy her!" Crystal grinned as Panther Dancer's claws reached close to Retsu as she said, "Not so fast, Professor! I activate my trap Magic Cylinder! So all that damage I would've taken is now being sent back at you and Ben! Sorry!" As that was said, two cylinders appeared on either side of Retsu, Panther Dancer being absorbed into one as she was launched at the other right back at Yami, the monster hacking away 2100 Life Points worth of damage. Yami frowned as the Life Point counter for him and Ben dropped to 5900.
"Nicely played, Crystal. Nicely played. I'll end my turn with that.", Yami stated. Onyx sighed heavily as he said, "That was too close for comfort." Crystal grinned as she said, "There was no way I was going to let Uncle Yami take away our Life Points like that. Now, it's my turn! I draw!" Crystal's eyes widened as she saw the card she drew and smiled as she said, "If you can have a Field Spell, then so can I! I activate the Field Spell The City of Amaria! When this is in play, all Celestial Guard archetype monsters gain 1000 extra Attack points, and as long as there is a Celestial Guard monster on the field, this card cannot be destroyed by a Spell, Trap, or Monster effect! And with that, I shall end my turn. So do your worst, Ben. IF you can." I nodded as I said, "As you wish. It's my turn, I draw! With the set Pendulum Scale, I shall Pendulum Summon once again! Come forth, Lunalight Black Sheep! Now, I shall activate Lunalight Tiger's Pendulum ability! I can target one "Lunalight" monster from my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field, but it cannot attack and its special effects are negated, and when my turn ends, it is destroyed. So, I shall bring back Lunalight Purple Butterfly!" Crystal frowned as she said, "Ok, so what? Neither of your monsters are strong enough to take on Retsu." I smirked as I said, "Not alone, they can't. But you are forgetting about Lunalight Wolf's Pendulum ability! I can Fusion Summon a Lunalight monster from my Extra Deck by banishing monsters from my field or Graveyard, so I banish both Black Sheep and Purple Butterfly to Fusion Summon Lunalight Cat Dancer once again!" As my monster appeared on the field once again, I immediately stated, "Thanks to Fire Formation – Tenki, my monster gains an extra 100 Attack points. And now, Panther Dancer, attack Onyx directly!" Onyx stared at Panther Dancer as it launched towards him, his face cracked into a confident grin as he said, "I'll activate Tails' Pendulum Ability! Go, Power Cord Whip!"
"Ok, so what does that do?", I asked. "What it does is allows me to whip out a Trap Card from my deck, place it on the Field, and activate it on the same turn it is played!", Onyx stated as a card was ejected from his deck. "You can do WHAT?!", I exclaimed as Onyx played his card and said, "I activate the Trap Mind Crush! When this Trap is activated, your Battle Phase is ended and all your monsters are switched to Defense Position!" I growled as my monsters switched into Defense mode alongside Prof. Nomura's Pixel Sonic. "Fine. I end my turn. Your move, Onyx.", I stated. Onyx frowned as he said, "Alright, here goes nothing! I draw!" Onyx looked at his card as he thought, 'This is Son Goku! Dang it, this can't help me! With the Pendulum Scale I have out now, I can't summon him. His level is too high! As for my other two cards, Beyond Super Saiyan God and Shadow the Hedgehog, they can't help me either.' Onyx immediately looked at his Pendulum Scale, then back at his Duel Disk. He noticed that the Extra Deck was glowing for some peculiar reason. 'What's that all about, I wonder?', Onyx thought as he tapped his the screen slightly, watching as his Extra Deck revealed all his monsters in his Extra Deck including the Sonic the Hedgehog monster that was destroyed earlier. 'Oh right! Pendulum Monsters aren't sent to the Graveyard, but to the Extra Deck instead! Hmm, but that still doesn't help me here….unless!', Onyx thought as he looked up at Knuckles, then his eyes widened as he said, "That's right! I can still do that!"
Both Yami and I raised an eyebrow as Yami said, "If you have a move, then make it while we're still young, Mr. Sairenji!" Onyx grinned as he said, "Not this time, teach. I have nothing I can do. So, I'll end my turn for now. Your move!" Yami frowned as he said, "All that time for nothing? Sometimes I really worry about you. It's my move. I DRAW! I'll be switching Pixel Sonic back into Attack Position, along with Panther Dancer and Cat Dancer! Now, my monsters! Attack Onyx and wipe out the rest of him and his sister's life points!" I looked at Crystal and said, "If you have something, now's the time to use it, sis!" Crystal nodded as she said, "I activate my second Trap: MIRROR FORCE! Your attack is redirected and all your monsters are destroyed!" Yami frowned as he drew a card from his deck and said, "That may be for the Lunalights, but my Toon still remains! By removing a card from play from the top of my deck, my Toon avoids destruction!" Onyx grinned as he said, "And at that moment, I shall activate Knuckles' second Pendulum Ability!" I growled as my monsters were destroyed by Crystal's trap and said, "Knuckles has a second ability?!"
"That's right! Go, Treasure Hunter! I can only activate this ability during the Battle Phase. This ability allows me to use a Spell or Trap in my or my opponent's Graveyard! And the card I choose is Yami's own Allure of Darkness!", Onyx stated as Yami's Duel Disk glowed slightly, his Spell card returning to the field next to him. "My Allure of Darkness? What are you planning over there?!", Yami exclaimed. "With faith, a victory for me and my sister. As a wise duelist once said, 'As long as you trust in the heart of the cards, there is nothing you cannot do.' And as long as I believe in my deck, it'll never let me down!", Onyx stated, not noticing a confident grin appear on the Pharaoh's face behind him. "Alright, now by banishing Shadow the Hedgehog from play, I can draw two cards from my deck!", Onyx stated, closing his eyes as he thought, 'Heart of the cards, guide me!' He opened his eyes as he said, "I draw!" He looked at the cards as he said, "Did I get it?" The first card he drew was Super Saiyan Transformation, a Spell card that would allow him to Xyz Summon a LIGHT-attribute monster that had a rank that was higher than the level of the monster it was used on. Once Onyx looked at the second card he drew, his eyes immediately locked onto a recognizable pair of amethyst purple eyes looking back at him. Onyx grinned as he said, "Alright, Cryssi. It all comes down to you. Better make your next move count."
Crystal saw the look in her brother's eyes and nodded as she looked back at Yami and said, "Well, Prof. Yami. If you are done, could you please end your turn?" Yami frowned as he said, "I end my turn." Crystal nodded as she said, "It's my move. I draw!" She looked at the card she drew and said, "This couldn't have come at a better time! If Onyx can be gutsy, then so can I! As long as City of Amaria is on the field the same time Retsu is on the field, any Traps I play can be activated on the turn they are played! So, I'll play this card facedown and activate the Trap Trial of the Dimensional Court!" Onyx's eyes widened as he said, "Are you sure about this, sis? That's a bit of a risky gamble!" I looked over at the twins and asked, "What does it do?" Crystal grinned as she said, "It's precisely as Onyx said: it's a gamble. I call out the name of a monster in my Extra Deck or in our Graveyard and flip a coin. If its heads, I can Special Summon that monster and we gain Life Points equal to that monster's Attack Points. But if it lands on tails, we lose Life Points equal to that monster's points."
"Well well well, that is a bit of a risk. It's a make or break situation you got here, Crystal.", Yami stated. "I know. This card is to be used only as a last resort since my Life Points have to be lower than my opponent's in order to use it. So now, I choose the Synchro monster Super Silver the Hedgehog! His 3000 Attack Points will definitely help things turn in our favor!", Crystal stated as she reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out a silver coin. "Alright, the twins need heads!", Crystal stated as she flipped the coin, the coin landed gently in her hand as she placed it on her palm and covered the coin immediately. The silence in the arena was staggering. As Crystal removed her hand, I immediately asked, "What did it land on?" Crystal looked at the coin with a frown, but immediately smiled and said, "Its heads! So we gain 3000 Life Points and Super Silver joins Retsu on the field!" My eyes widened as I said, "That's not possible! The possibility of it landing on heads is a billion to one! There is no way that just happened!" I watched as Super Silver emerged next to Retsu on Crystal's field, the twins' Life Points raising to 6600 as she said, "I'll now activate Silver's ability! Go, Mind Reader! When this ability is played, I am allowed to see all the cards in my opponent's hand then send one card to the Graveyard! So, Prof. Yami, let's see what you are holding over there."
Yami frowned as he held his cards up in the sky, a laser light scanning the cards as giant holograms appeared before Crystal. She whistled softly as she said, "Toon Dark Magician, a second Allure of Darkness, Terraforming, Instant Fusion, and a second Toon Kingdom. This hand isn't really the best a person could have, but you're not the co-Headmaster of Exodia Purple for nothing, so this probably could've helped you out in some way. So, I choose to send your Toon Kingdom to the Graveyard!" Yami frowned as he placed his Field spell into the Graveyard slot, watching as it was sent to an early grave. "And now that that's gone, I'll have Silver attack Pixel Sonic!", Crystal stated, watching her monster launch towards the chubby hedgehog and assaulting with a psychic energy wave. "What's the point of doing that? Pixel Sonic is protected by Toon Kingdom!", I exclaimed. "Ben is right. By removing a card from my deck from play, I can protect my monster." Crystal grinned and said, "Just what I was wanting you to do. I activate my final Facedown card, the Trap Solemn Warning!"
"You had that the entire time?!", I exclaimed in shock. "Prof. Yami is using a Toon deck, so I had a feeling he had multiple copies of Toon Kingdom in his deck. With Super Silver's help, my feelings were confirmed so I knew that Solemn Warning would be a waste if I had used it during Onyx's turn! So by paying 2000 Life Points, I can negate the activation of Toon Kingdom and destroy it!", Crystal stated, wincing as her and her brother's Life Points dropped to 4600 as Yami's Field spell was obliterated from play. Yami sighed softly as he said, "And since Toon Kingdom is no longer in play, Comic Hand is destroyed and your monster returns back to your side of the field." As he said that, Pixel Sonic's body morphed and distorted itself back to its original form, the speedy hedgehog immediately running back over to Onyx's side of the field. "Welcome back, Sonic! Good to see you back to normal!", Onyx stated. Crystal grinned as she said, "And with that, I shall switch Retsu to Defense mode and end my turn. Your move, Ben!"
I frowned as I said, "How? How are you two able to duel so perfectly? My strategy was without flaw! You two should've lost already!" Onyx's eyes widened as he said, "Strategy or not, nothing is perfect, Ben. My sister and I just believed in our cards and just made sure to have fun, no matter what is thrown at us." I frowned as I said, "No, I am not going to stand for that. I have been perfecting my formula for defeating you two ever since the term began. With this next turn, I will prove to you two that all my hard work has paid off! I draw!" I looked at my card and said, "I'll Pendulum Summon once again! Appear to the field, Lunalight Crimson Fox! And while I am at it, I shall activate Lunalight Wolf's Pendulum Ability as well to fuse together Panther Dancer, Cat Dancer, and Crimson Fox in order to bring forth my ultimate creature! Come fourth, Lunalight Leo Dancer!" Onyx and Crystal's eyes widened as my final monster appeared on the field, sporting a grand total of 3600 Attack points due to the effects of Fire Formation – Tenki. "Leo Dancer cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects, and when she attacks, she can attack twice! Also, when she destroys a monster, all Special Summoned monsters on my opponent's side of the field are destroyed!", I stated.
Both Onyx and Crystal frowned as I said, "Leo Dancer, attack Onyx's Sonic!" Onyx grinned as he said, "Did you forget about Knuckles' Pendulum Ability? I believe I said I could use any Spell or Trap card out of my opponent's Graveyard as well as my own! So I shall use that ability and call on the power on a Trap I used earlier this duel: GO, MIND CRUSH!" My eyes widened as Onyx's trap returned once again, watching as my monster immediately stopped her attack and switched into Defense mode. I sighed as I said, "Fine then. I end my turn. But when my next turn comes around, this duel is over." Onyx grinned as he said, "You're right, this duel is over. But like I said: the victory goes to my sister and I." Yami and I both looked at Onyx as we both said, "What?! No way!" Onyx grinned as he said, "Yes way! It's time to kick things to the next level! I draw!" As he drew, he immediately stated, "With the Pendulum Scale set, I am allowed to Pendulum Summon monsters from levels 2 through 6 all at the same time! So first, making his grand return from the Extra Deck is my second Sonic the Hedgehog! And finally, with the help of Yami's Allure of Darkness, I Pendulum Summon the hero of the multiverse himself! It's time to save the day, Allen Henegan the Aelitatrix Bearer!"
"Incredible, you got him!", I exclaimed in disbelief. The entire arena roared in excitement as the hero of Amaria appeared on the field as Onyx stated, "When Allen is Pendulum Summoned, I can draw five cards from my deck, and if each of them are Equip spells that has 'Aelitatrix Bearer' in the description, I can immediately equip them to Allen. But, if I draw a card that isn't an Equip spell, I must send the card to the Graveyard and take 1000 points of damage for each one that is not an Equip spell! So, let's see how this go! My first card is….the Equip spell Lucky Red Headband! When this card is equipped to the Aelitatrix Bearer, his Attack points raise by 500!" Crystal immediately chimed in and said, "Also, since the Aelitatrix Bearer is now on the field, Retsu gets a boost as well: her Attack points raise by the total of the Aelitatrix Bearer's own points with an added 1000 extra points, so now her Attack points are a whopping 3300!"
"This….CAN'T….be! There is no way this is happening!", I exclaimed. "Oh, it is, buddy! And I am nowhere near finished! I draw again! And I drew…..aww, it's Allen's Digimon partner Lucemon. Even though this is a really cool monster, it is not an Equip spell, so we lose 1000 Life Points and he sent to the Graveyard. You're in luck, you two. Normally, the chances of Yami Allen showing up in a duel are incredibly high at this point, but I guess that's not the case this time. So, my next card….is the Equip spell Masamune! With this, Allen's Attack points raise again by 1000! And as a result, Retsu's Attack points now rise to 4300! And I draw again and I drew….the Equip spell the Millennium Puzzle! Once again, Retsu and Allen's Attack points raise by another thousand points, bringing their totals to 5300 and 2500 Attack Points! Finally, I draw my last card….I drew the Trap card Aelitatrix Bomb, so I lose another 1000 Life Points, but with the monsters Crystal and I have, this duel is ours!", Onyx stated.
'This can't be happening! How did the duel make a complete 180 like this? My strategy was perfect from start to finish!', I thought to myself as Onyx said, "This was a great duel, you two! We definitely got to do this again! Now, I shall switch my sister's Retsu back to Attack mode! And now Retsu, attack Ben's Leo Dancer!" As that was said, Retsu immediately attacked my monster, the Life Point counter over my head dropped to 4200. "With Leo Dancer gone, you and Prof. Yami are wide open! Sonic, it's your turn! Use your patented Sonic Spin Dash and attack Prof. Yami!" Sonic immediately rolled up into a ball and launched at Prof. Yami, the feline grunting as the hedgehog slammed hard into his chest before he bounced away, taking 2300 points of damage away from him and myself, leaving us with a total of 1900. Onyx grinned as he said, "This duel is over. Allen, attack Ben with directly! Go, Shining Sword Kamehameha!" My eyes widened as the Aelitatrix Bearer launched at me and swung his sword down on me, slashing at me in random directions before finishing with a Kamehameha Wave. I yelled loudly as the Life Point counter immediately dropped to ZERO, Onyx & Crystal's faces appearing on the holoscreen with the word WIN underneath their faces. "That's it, the duel is done! The winners are Onyx Sairenji and Crystal Noroi!", Yami stated, Onyx and Crystal giving each other a high-five as Onyx walked over to me and held his hand out and said, "Great match, Ben. You are really good with those Lunalights, and I hope that we can duel again really soon."
I looked at Onyx's hand and sighed as I smiled softly and gripped his hand tightly, shaking it gently as I said, "Of course. But realize this now: next time, the victory shall be mine." Onyx smirked as he said, "We'll see about that! I certainly won't make it easy on you!" Yami chuckled as he said, "And that is the beauty of Dueling. Even in the toughest of battles, the important thing is that you have fun while doing so." He then turned to the crowd of students in the stands and said, "I do hope this duel was an entertaining one as well as a good learning experience for each of you. Not everyone will wish to use Pendulum, but it is always good to learn every twist and turn about this game to finely tune your decks. After all, we are all duelists and we all must grow alongside the game in order to continue to strive to be the best of the best!" Everyone in the auditorium shouted in agreement before the bell for classes to end rang out, the auditorium emptying out as I returned to the Ra Yellow dorm with Leslie. Prof Yami stayed behind as he sighed softly and said, "So, how did I do?" He looked behind him as the Exodia Headmaster walked up behind him. The mysterious being removed their hood as the face of his wife Sanjiel Nomura-Noroi looked back at him and said, "You did well for a deck you had just made. But why a Toon deck, Yami? Why not your real deck?"
Yami shook his head as he said, "It's not time, Sanji. It's not time." As he said that, a shadowy figure appeared behind him sporting red and green eyes, a loud draconic roar escaped from the figure as the two heads of Exodia Purple vanished without a trace.
As the day finally gave way to evening, I found myself looking over my deck once more while Leslie cooked us a meal for the night….
I held Lunalight Leo Dancer in my hand as I said, "The heart of the cards….huh. To think that Onyx and Crystal actually follow that belief, even after all this time….I wonder just how far those two will go in this crazy world of ours." As I stated that, Leslie said, "Ben, dinner's ready. Come eat while it's still hot." I smiled softly as I placed the card back on my desk and walked to the small table and sat down with Leslie, eating the delicious meal he cooked. What I didn't notice, however, was a silhouette of Leo Dancer floating above me as well with a look of happiness on her face.
Exactly what awaits in store for us students? Only time can tell, that is for sure. However, there is one thing I am truly certain on: our love for Duel Monsters will definitely take each of us far….
To be continued…
