Duel Monster Saviors
Ch. 16 – Evaluation Week – Pt. 1
Written by TheAmariaShadow
Yesterday was a blast getting to see Onyx and Ben duel! Who knew that Pendulum Summoning would change the game of Duel Monsters so much? I can't wait until I get to try out my own deck! If only I knew that my wish was going to be a lot sooner than I thought. My name is Mikey Redheart, and today is definitely going to be a shocker for us all. Today started like any other day, I woke up and stretched my arms as far as I could to wash the sleep away….
I groaned slightly as I ran a hand through my hair and looked around the room with a sleepy look in my eyes. I reached over to the left side of the bed and placed a hand on the alarm that was going off and hit the snooze button, hearing snores coming from the Sairenji-Noroi twins. I shook my head as I thought, 'Same as usual, huh?" I pulled the covers off of me and felt the large shirt I slept in slide off of my shoulder slightly as I shivered and said, "Time to get some sun in this room!" I walked over to the balcony doors and pulled the curtains wide open and smiled softly as the sun shined brightly into the room. "Not a single cloud in the sky, it's certainly going to be a good day!" I immediately frowned as I heard Onyx snort loudly as he continued sleeping. I immediately walked over to one corner of my room where I left the Randoseru full of Deskbots that were sent to me as I pulled out one that sported a yellow ruler on it. "Deskbot 003, activate!", I stated slightly, the miniature robot twitching to life as it said, "Orders, Master Michelangelo?" I sighed as I said, "No need for the formality. Just wake those two up, please." The Deskbot nodded as its yellow eyes flashed slightly, it immediately launched towards Onyx and Crystal as I fiddled with my hair and said, "May as well get prepared" As I said that, the Deskbot yelled loudly as he said, "Wake up, you lazy children! It's time for you to get prepared for class!" As he said that, he whacked against the twins' heads with the ruler connected to him, getting yelps from both of them as they sat up immediately.
"Ow ow ow, ok ok, we're up! Call him off, Mikey!", Onyx exclaimed loudly, getting smacked in the head again by the Deskbot, only for it to immediately head towards Crystal and do the same. "Ouch! Is this going to be a normal thing around here, Mikey? We're up!", Crystal exclaimed, rubbing her head feverishly. I scoffed as I whistled slightly, the Deskbot nodded as it returned to the Randoseru and said, "You two always oversleep. If you guys are tardy again, you may end up getting in trouble, and you never wake up when the alarm clock goes off. The way I wake you two up is pretty effective, so until you guys can wake up on time, this will continue to happen." Onyx grumbled as his stomach growled loudly as he said, "So hungry. Crystal! Breakfast!" Crystal chuckled as she said, "Well, guess that's my cue. How does some homemade pancakes sound to you guys?" Onyx drooled slightly when he said, "With bacon and grape juice?" Crystal nodded as she said, "Is there any other way of having breakfast? You two go ahead and get freshened up and I'll get everything cooked."
As time passed, neither I nor my friends knew what events were about to transpire today…..
Joey sat behind a deck and shuffled his deck as he chuckled and said, "Alright, my deck is ready for action! Our students won't even know what hit them today!" Jaden chuckled as he said, "Easy, Wheeler. Remember, on evaluation day, each student has an equal opportunity chance to graduate to their next rank depending on how their decks are run and how skilled they are using them. You could lose." Joey sat up straight at his desk and said, "Me, lose?! Have you forgotten who I am? I am da godfather of games! There's no way that Joey Wheeler is going to lose!" Jaden sighed as he looked at Joey and said, "I think you are missing the point, Joey. But whatever. You are in charge of the underdog rank of duelists this year, so here's the list of duelists in this curriculum that you'll be facing today." As he said that, Jaden placed a list on Joey's desk, Joey immediately looking it over as he frowned in disappointment and said, "Really? At least half of the students on this list doesn't deserve to even be here! Look at this for example: Onyx Sairenji and Crystal Noroi are both on this list! Didn't they both beat Mokuba back at the entrance exams?"
Jaden shrugged his shoulders as he said, "Mokuba's a Kaiba. Duelists that are unknown beating him that bad are bound to get treated wrongly due to his status here on the island. In any case, you may tackle this list in any way you feel. Yugi's going to make an announcement later this morning to let the entire student body know what is going to happen. The graduation duels are to last for three days, not a day more." Joey nodded as Jaden left him in his office, Joey leaning back in his chair as he looked at the list and said, "Alright then, Wheeler. Who is going to be first?"
Meanwhile, back upstairs….
A soft beeping noise rang out in our room. I immediately looked down to the PDA that was poking out of my blazer jacket. I pulled it out as Onyx and Crystal ate and said, "Hey guys, we got an announcement from Chancellor Muto." Onyx coughed slightly when he heard that name, Crystal immediately beating her brother on his back as he said, "I'm ok! I'm ok! An announcement from Yugi? What does it say, Mikey?" I looked at the message as I replied, "It says for all students to report to the Exodia Purple Duel Arena today. ….THE EXODIA PURPLE ARENA?! NO WAY!" Crystal's eyes widened as she stated, "Isn't that arena the largest one on the entire island? Why would we be called there?" I shook my head as I immediately pulled my blazer on and said, "No idea, but if we are being called to the Exodia Purple arena, we need to get going right now!" Crystal nodded as she gathered her things and turned to Onyx who was still eating his breakfast. "Right now, Onii-chan! Stuff your face later!", Crystal stated as she tossed Onyx's things over to him. Onyx grumbled as he swallowed the remainder of his breakfast and got himself ready as the three walked to their door, immediately walking into Jessie and Miho exiting out of their rooms. "You guys heading to the Exodia Purple arena too?", Miho asked the three of us. Crystal nodded as she said, "The entire school must've gotten the message by now. We better hurry." Jessie nodded as she skipped to the elevator and pressed the button to call the elevator. "I wonder what Mr. Muto has to tell us all? Maybe it's a surprise party!", Jessie exclaimed. I chuckled as I said, "Even though that would be pretty awesome, I think a surprise party is not the case, Jessie." Jessie pouted as the elevator gave a small ding as the doors open, the five of us coming face to face with Akio, his arms crossed as if he was in deep thought. "Morning, Akio!", Onyx stated as we stepped into the elevator with him. Akio looked up at us as he said, "Oh, good morning, everyone. I believe we are all heading the same way. Shall we walk together?" I smiled as the elevator closed and said, "I wouldn't have it any other way, friend!"
As the six of us made our way to the Exodia Purple arena, the entire campus was not prepared for what was about to happen. Today, the skills we possess as duelists would be put to the test in a very big way...
As the six of us piled into the building, we were each in awe of how enormous the building was. On each wall was statues of not only each of the world's most well-known duelists, each of them were standing side by side a very iconic monster known in their era: from Yugi Muto and his Dark Magician to Yusei Fudo and his Stardust Dragon and so on. In the very middle of the arena stood a hologram of the Aelitatrix Bearer alongside Retsu Taimukipa. No matter how you sliced it, those two are definitely the cream of the crop at this school. My attention finally broke away from the surroundings of the room as Chancellor Muto stood up from his seat in the stands, his voice being broadcast across the entire arena as if he was a human surround sound system.
"Good morning, fellow students and staff of our fine Duel Academy! I am absolutely certain that all of you are curious on why I have called you all here today. Some of you may have a pretty decent idea, while others may be completely in the dark. Well, I will not keep you in suspense any longer: it's Evaluation Week!", Yugi stated out loud. The entire crowd of students broke out in whispers when Yugi said that. Onyx nudged me in the shoulder and asked, "Yo, Mikey: what is Yugi talking about? What is this Evaluation Day?" I was pouring sweat from how terrified I was over what Yugi had said. I looked at Onyx and said, "E-Evaluation Week is basically a mini-graduation for us students. Every student will be put against another student on the campus to see if they are eligible to graduate to the class rank above them. Slifer Reds graduate to Ra Yellow, Ra Yellow to Obelisk Blue, and so on! It's literally one of the most important duel exam weeks throughout the entire year!"
"DUEL EXAM?!", Onyx and the others exclaimed before Ben stated, "Mikey is absolutely correct, Onyx. Whether you are friend or foe, each student will have to duel someone else today in order to move on to the next class." Ranko looked around at each other as he stated, "That sounds pretty intense! How is it that none of us were told about any of this?" Miho piped in as she said, "According to the rulebook, Evaluation Week is always chosen on a date that Seto Kaiba chooses. It's never the same day, so it is always random, no matter what! We have to be on our toes all year long for this day! I just didn't realize that it would be three days after I arrived here. This definitely is not a good thing for me."
Dash laughed as he said, "I feel sorry for all of those who are weaker than the others! Many students don't pass these exams are normally held back." Dash immediately looked down at Onyx and Crystal from the section of stands he was in and said, "I'm just hoping that I am pitted against you two this time. My dragons are rusty after that dirt nap, and dueling Miho was just the start!" Onyx frowned as he said, "It sounds like you think you've already won, Dash. The duels haven't even began yet!" Just before Dash could reply, Yugi replied, "Now, for those that do know about Evaluation Weel, it is known to be a student versus student duel, each duel being randomly selected by Kaiba and I. However, this year, with the suggestion of our very own Exodia Purple Co-Headmaster, Prof. Nomura has brought up a very interesting idea that I would like to bring into effect starting immediately. Prof. Nomura, would you like to let the students know what is happening this year?"
As Yugi stated that, Yami stood to his feet and nodded as he said, "Thank you for allowing me this time, Chancellor Muto." Onyx slapped his face in annoyance as he said, "Oh great! If Uncle Yami ended up being the one who chose how the duels work this year, this is definitely going to be a challenge for us all!" Yami cleared his throat as he spoke out loud and said, "Slifer Reds, Ra Yellows! Obelisk Blues and Exodia Purples! These four classes are what make up the very soul of our Duel Academy! We are all duelists, and as such, I believe that the duels our students must partake must be that on the very highest caliber to prove that they deserve to call themselves duelists! As such, for this year, we are going by not only the class rank, but the duelist's very own rank as well!" The campus went silent when Yami stated that. He smirked as he pulled out his PDA and said, "When each of you took the entrance exam, each of you received a rank, from Underdog to Pro! Each of these ranks are overseen by a specific staff member here on the Academy! For this year's Evaluation Week, each student will have to duel a staff member chosen randomly in that rank!"
"WAIT, A STAFF MEMBER?!", I exclaimed. "Each member of the staff here are some of the toughest duelists known in the dueling world! We would be facing duelists like Jaden or even Kaiba depending on our ranks!", Jessie stated in shock. "I-Is it too soon to go back to my room and hide and pretend this day isn't happening?", Ranko muttered as he looked around nervously. Onyx stood to his feet and clenched his fist tightly and said, "For once, Uncle Yami actually did something very interesting! This is the perfect way to see how our skills fare against some of the best duelists there is! I'm definitely excited about this!" Crystal giggled and shrugged her shoulders as she said, "Typical Onyx: always one to never back down from a challenge. Then again, neither am I!" Onyx grinned as Yami stated, "Now, let's not waste any more time! Each student in this arena, please take a look at your duelist profiles and please prepare for your names to be called! Once the student and staff member is chosen, those two must report to the Duel Field immediately!"
As that was stated, various beeping noises were heard across the arena as everyone immediately turned their attentions to their PDA's. I overheard Onyx grumble as he said he was ranked in the Novice duelist rank. Apparently, Crystal was ranked the same way, which I could only imagine was Mokuba's doing. Ranko was ranked amongst the Intermediate class alongside with Miho. According to her, Miho had gotten pretty high scores during her dueling exam, but had an average score during the written portion, but her scores were just high enough to push her over Novice. It was no surprise that Ben was in the Expert rank. He was, in a nutshell, the highest graded student in our class. I could hear Dash swearing a storm as he had dropped from Semi-Pro to Expert as well. Shows that all those losses and skipping classes definitely took its toll, Dash! Akio was the only one out of us with the rank Student. According to him, it meant he was not eligible to graduate just yet. I wonder why he wasn't given a proper rank? Robin, being an Exodia Purple, she was already at the rank of Semi-Pro. All she truly had to do was complete the remainder of her classes for the term and she would get the chance for her final graduation exam against The Headmaster herself. As for Jessie and I…
"Underdog?", I said with a sad tone. "That's the lowest rank out of the entire ranking system. I am sorry that happened, you guys. You two have got potential as great duelists!", Onyx stated. Jessie sighed as she smiled softly and said, "Thanks for that, Onyx, but its fine. I'm not here at Duel Academy to be a better duelist. My dream is to be a duel card artist at Industrial Illusions. I want to be able to design cards like Pegasus or Huffington!" Robin smiled as she nudged Jessie and said, "That's a great dream, Jessie. Keep working towards it." Jessie giggled as Kaiba stated, "That's enough looking! Now, the duel exams shall begin now! We have data on every single student and staff member here on the campus, and with KaibaCorp's tech, we shall come up with a random duel selection on the parameters chosen by Prof. Nomura accordingly!" As that was stated, a giant TV screen appeared behind Kaiba and the others as Mokuba's face appeared on it. "Mokuba, is the duel generator ready?!", Kaiba asked. "Of course, Seto! We can start whenever you are ready!" Kaiba looked at Yami and nodded as Yami said, "Start the generator now!" Mokuba nodded as the screen cut to an image of the iconic Slot Machine, the three slots spinning violently. "The first slot stops now! This slot represents the rank that shall be tested today, and will not change for the remainder of the day!" The entire school went quiet as the slot slowed down drastically, landing on a slot labeled UNDERDOG.
"Well well! Looks like our underdogs shall be duking it out in the arena today!", Yami said. My eyes widened as I thought in my head silently, 'Let the other dials choose someone other than me. I don't want to be the very first person to lose!' Yami smiled as said, "Slot Machine, spin again! How about you give us the teacher who will be dueling first?" As the Slot Machine continued to spin, the third dial on its face landed on a familiar blonde. "Alright, so for the very first duel, it shall be Joey Wheeler! Even though he himself is ranked as an underdog, he is still known as the third strongest duelist in the world! Whoever is his opponent shall have to be on their toes at all times!" I gulped loudly as I looked down towards Joey who was already strapping his Duel Disk on as he walked to the Duel Field. He grinned confidently as he said, "Alright, who's going to be my challenger? Go, Slot Machine! Give me a winner!" As Joey stated that, the Slot Machine began to spin again. I crossed my fingers tightly as I desperately prayed that it wouldn't land on my face. Onyx grinned as he said, "The dial's starting to slow down! This is getting me excited to see the very first match of the Evaluation Week!"
The arena went silent as the dial slowed down with a few clicks, finally coming to a stop as it flashed a being with a familiar pair of dual-colored eyes. My face fell to one of despair as I saw the slot dial had my face on it. 'Of all the rotten luck! Why me?!', I thought to myself as Onyx and the others looked at me with a look of surprise. Yami smiled as he stated, "Alright, so our first duel for the week shall be against Mikey Redheart vs. Joey Wheeler! This shall surely be an exciting match! So, as soon as Mr. Redheart makes his way to the Duel Field, we shall get this Evaluation Week underway!" I gulped loudly as I said, "What am I going to do, guys? There is no way I can defeat Joey Wheeler of all people! He's the third most powerful duelist here!" Onyx looked back at me with a smile and said, "What you are going to do is go down there and duel your best, Mikey!" I looked at Onyx with a look of worry as Jessie nudged me in the arm and said, "Relax, Mikey. You can do this, I know you can! Remember, you defeated Dash who is an Obelisk Blue! If you can beat him, you can beat anyone!" I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I looked down to the field and said, "Wish me luck, guys." Onyx and the others nodded as I stood to my feet and strapped my Duel Disk onto my arm. I pulled my deck from my blazer pocket and frowned as I said, "If I am going to duel Joey, I cannot use my old bag of tricks. I need to try a new strategy."
I looked down to my Randoseru and reached into and pulled out the deck Pegasus had sent me as I said, "Time to give this a test run!" I walked down the stairs, keeping my attention to the field as a hologram of myself and Joey stood apart from each other, hearing whispers from others in the crowd as I finally reached the field and looked at Joey as I said, "So, how is this going to work, Prof. Wheeler?" Joey grinned confidently as he said, "Since I'm the so-called underdog duelist, I'm going to keep it simple: It's gonna be a standard duel with a Life Point counter of 8000! Sounds alright with you, kid?" I nodded as Yami stated, "Well then, in that case there is only one thing left to do! Duelists: prepare your Duel Disks!" I frowned as I placed my deck into my Duel Disk, my deck immediately shuffled as the counter on it showed my face and Life Points. Joey grinned as he said, "We'll play rock-paper-scissors to see who goes first!" I nodded as the two of us stared each other down, immediately picking the first thing that came to mind. Joey clicked his teeth as he said, "You picked rock, I picked scissors. Looks like you'll be going first!"
"Right!", I exclaimed.
"SO LET'S DUEL!", the two of us stated as we drew our first five cards from our decks. I looked at my hand and thought, 'Ok, Mikey. This duel is just the first step to my future here in the Academy. I got to do what the others said: duel to my very best. What was that catchphrase Onyx always said? It always got me excited when he dueled because I knew he was confident that he would win. …..Right, I remember!' I looked at Joey and grinned as I said, "Alright, Joey! IT'S TIME TO KICK THINGS TO THE NEXT LEVEL!" The crowd roared with excitement as Onyx laughed from the crowd said, "Alright, Mikey! The crowd is on your side! Show them what you can do!" Crystal looked at her brother as she asked, "He is using the new deck that Mr. Pegasus sent him in the mail. You think he can pull this off?" Onyx nodded as Ben chimed in and said, "What's this about a deck Pegasus made?" Jessie looked at her brother as she said, "Oh, Mikey was the winner of that Make-An-Archetype contest Mr. Pegasus started last year! He just got a full deck of cards this morning!"
"No way! Mikey won that contest?!", Ranko exclaimed, overhearing the conversation. Jessie nodded as a loud cough was heard from behind them, Jessie immediately turned around to see a very angry Dash looking back down at the field. Miho looked towards Dash as she thought, 'Wow, Dash is upset. I guess this contest was a pretty big deal!'
"Alright, my move first! And I'll start things off by activating the Field Spell Deskbot Base!", I stated as I played my Field Spell, the field morphing to match the photo on the card. Joey looked around and said, "Deskbot Base? I've never heard of that card before!" I grinned as I said, "That's because it's new. And that I am the creator of this card and every other Deskbot card in my deck!" Joey's eyes widened as he said, "Say what?!" Mokuba looked at the field as he said, "Interesting. So young Mikey Redheart is showing us a new archetype in the very first Evaluation Duel! To think that this Slifer slacker has a bit of an advantage against Joey is certainly a shock!" Seto looked over at his younger brother and said, "You are underestimating them both, Mokuba. The duel hasn't even gotten past the first turn yet. You may be surprised on what may happen."
Mokuba frowned as Joey stated, "Alright, Mikey. Ya got me there with the new card. So what does it do?" I replied, "What it does is allow me to do this: while it's on the field, all 'Deskbot' monsters shall gain 500 attack and defense points. Also once per turn, I can reveal any number of Deskbot cards in my hand and send them back to my deck and draw the same number of cards from my deck. And I think I shall use that effect right now! I have a total of four Deskbot monsters in my hand, so back to the deck they go!" I showed Joey my hand as I returned all four monsters to my deck, my deck being shuffled once more as I drew four new cards. I looked at my hand as I said, "Alright, so now I shall summon Deskbot 004 in Attack mode!" Joey raised an eyebrow as he said, "That monster only has 500 attack and defense points!" I nodded as I said, "That is true, but with Deskbot Base on the field, all my monsters get an attack and defense boost of 500, so that brings 004 to 1000 ATK and DEF. Sure, it may not be much now, but my Deskbots are sure to surprise you!"
Joey grinned as he said, "Is that so? You got my attention, kid! Continue your move!" I nodded as I said, "I shall now place two cards facedown and end my turn. Your move, Joey!" Joey nodded as he said, "Alright then, it's my turn! I draw! And I'm going to start things big! I activate the Spell Card The Claw of Hermos!" My eyes widened as he said that. "No way, you have that card?!", I exclaimed. Joey chuckled slightly as he said, "So you know what it does? Well then, I guess you know what comes next! I'm fusing Hermos with my own Black Stone of Legend! I Fusion Summon…..Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword! And once this bad boy is played, it's ability activates!" I frowned as I said, "What ability?" Joey grinned as he said, "Think of it as a gift since your Deskbot is the only monster on the field: when Dragon Sword is Special Summoned, it is equipped to a face-up monster on the field and as long as that card is equipped, it'll gain 1000 attack points, plus an additional 500 attack and defense points for every Dragon-type monster on the field and in the graveyard." I tilted my head as Joey's monster immediately equipped itself to my monster and thought, 'Ok, Prof. Wheeler. Just what are you planning this time?' Robin looked down at the field in confusion as she said, "Wait, did Joey just mess up? That card gave Mikey's monster a serious power boost!" Ben placed a hand to his chin as he thought, "Well, I'm not too sure on this one myself. Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword is a very powerful card, but its true strength lies in it's ability to equip to a face-up monster that the user chooses to equip to. Which is a shame really, since if this was done during Joey's SECOND turn and he himself had a monster on the field, he could've boosted a monster of his own instead of Mikey's."
"So you're saying that he was in a bind in his first move, big brother?", Jessie asked. "Maybe, but I would not underestimate Wheeler. He's not known as the 3rd best duelist in the universe for nothing, after all.", Ben stated as their attention returned to the field, Joey immediately stating, "And next, I shall activate the Spell Card Red-Eyes Insight! With this, I shall send Red-Eyes Baby Dragon from my Deck to add Red-Eyes Fusion to my hand! And now, I shall activate the Black Stone of Legend's ability from my Graveyard! By targeting Red-Eyes Baby Dragon, I can shuffle it back into my deck and add Black Stone of Legend back to my hand! And to end my turn, I shall play a monster facedown as well as a card facedown. And that's it for me. Your move, Mikey!"
"Alright then, I draw!", I stated. I looked at the card I drew and thought, 'Speedroid Menko! This could help me!' I looked at Joey and said, "Alright, for my next move, I shall summon out Speedroid Menko in attack mode! And as an added bonus, I shall activate the Spell Card Machine Duplication!" Joey frowned as I said, "By targeting Speedroid Menko, I can now Special Summon two more Speedroid Menkos from my deck!" As I said that, two more Menkos appeared on the field. "However, they won't be here for long. I shall now build the Overlay Network with two of my Menkos in order to Xyz Summon…..Gear Gigant X in Attack mode!" Once that was stated, a giant mech made entirely of gears appeared in front of me, Joey whistled as he said, "Impressive monster, Mikey! Too bad he has to go! I activate the Trap Solemn Strike!" My eyes widened as I said, "No, not that card!" Joey grinned as he said, "By paying 1500 Life Points, I negate the Special Summon of your Gear Gigant X and destroy it!" As the trap activated and Joey's Life Points dropped from 8000 to 6500, I watched as my monster crumbled in front of me before being sent to the Graveyard. "Aww, but he was such a cool robot too….well, at least he won't be going alone! 004, attack Joey's facedown monster and activate your special ability!"
"What ability does he have?", Joey asked. "What 004 can do is allow me to send a Deskbot to the Graveyard and 004 will gain Attack points equal to the monster's level times 500! Of course, you don't take any battle damage, but by sending Deskbot 009 to the Graveyard, things are going to get quite interesting later in the duel! Now attack!", I stated as my monster destroyed Joey's facedown monster. Joey frowned as he sent his monster to the Graveyard as I said, "And with that, I shall end my turn. Its your move." Joey looked at me as he said, "My turn, I draw!" He looked at his card as he said, "Alright, I got what I needed! Now I shall activate Red-Eyes Fusion!" Miho's eyes widened as she said, "Is he going to bring out what I think he is?!" I frowned as Joey said, "I'm going to fuse Red-Eyes Black Dragon with Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact! This duel is going my way now! I Fusion Summon…..Meteor Black Comet Dragon!"
My eyes widened as I saw Joey's monster appear on the field, it roared loudly at me as I said, "Wow, what a beast!" Joey grinned confidently as he said, "Alright, I got one of my strongest monsters out of my Extra Deck! And now his special ability kicks in! When Meteor Black Comet Dragon is Fusion Summoned, I get to send one Red-Eyes monster from my hand or Deck to the Graveyard, and I get to inflict damage to you equal to that monster's Attack points!" I shook my head as I said, "That would've been the case IF I didn't have this! I reveal my own copy of Solemn Strike! Comet Dragon, you're getting scrapped!" Joey's eyes widened as he saw his dragon explode in flames in front of him. "What?! You had that on the field too?!" I winced as my Life Points dropped from 8000 to equal Joey's at 6500. Joey laughed as he said, "Hah, good move! But now I will activate Black Stone of Legend's ability again and once again return Red-Eyes Black Dragon to my deck and Stone to my hand! I shall also activate my second Red-Eyes Insight and send a copy of Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact to my Graveyard to add the trap card Return of the Red-Eyes to my hand! I shall play a monster and one card facedown and call it a turn!"
I frowned as I said, "It's my move. I draw!" I drew my next card and Joey immediately said, "With that, I shall activate the Continuous Trap Return of the Red-Eyes! Its effect is pretty useless right now, but better safe than sorry." I tilted my head at Joey as I looked at the card I drew and said, "Alright, 004! Attack Joey's monster again and activate your ability! This time, I shall be sending Deskbot 001 to my Graveyard!", I stated as 004 destroyed Joey's Stone of Legend once more. "And now that I have destroyed your monster, 004's other ability activates! I can now Special Summon up to two Deskbot monsters from my hand or Graveyard, so rise from the scrapyard Deskbot 009 and 001!" As my two monsters appeared on the field, Crystal looked at Onyx and said, "Mikey's holding his own so far." Onyx nodded as he stated, "Mikey's deck is amazing. From how he is playing it so far, the Deskbots are a swarm type of deck that allows him to use abilities from the Graveyard as well as power up his monsters as long as there is other monsters on the field. It's like the Deskbots are this tiny army that all work together in harmony."
Crystal smiled as Joey said, "So now you have four monsters on the field. But it doesn't matter if you can't get to my Life Points! As long as I can bring Black Stone of Legend back to my hand, my Life Points are always protected!" I looked at my hand for a few seconds, then back at Joey as I said, "For now. Until then, I'll activate Deskbot Base once again. The card I am returning to my Deck is the Pendulum Monster Deskbot 008! So I get to shuffle my deck and draw one card! I summon Deskbot 002 in Attack mode and with that, I end my turn!" Joey nodded as he said, "Its my turn, I draw! Once again, Black Stone of Legend shall return to my hand by sending Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact to my deck! And I shall play a monster facedown and end my turn!" I growled slightly as I thought, 'Black Stone again! Well, this time I am definitely getting to your Life Points, Joey!' I clenched my hand tightly as I said, "My turn! I draw!" I looked at the card I drew and thought, 'Another Deskbot 002. This won't help me right now. I've got plenty of monsters on my field, however my strategy does not feel complete just yet.' I sighed softly as the glove on my right hand glowed a neon blue as I thought, 'Mom, this next move is for you. Time for you to see the one Deskbot you weren't able to complete while you were still alive!'
Joey looked over at me and said, "Yo, Mikey! You still with us, man? You're deep in thought over something!" I shook my head slightly as I said, "Sorry, Joey. It's just….the Deskbots was a project that I did alongside my Mom and Dad when I was younger. As a result, we made nine robots in total. My mother developed the AI that made up each of their personalities. We were actually going to make another one….but then my mom fell ill. We had drew up the plans, but my dad and I could never fully make the dream a reality without my mom by our side." The crowd went silent as I said this. Joey looked over at me and said, "What happened to her, Mikey?" I shook my head as I said, "She died. My dad always said that she was a sickly woman, but she always lived her life to the fullest with a smile on her face. It's what attracted him to her. Just before she passed, I got enrolled here to the Academy and I had entered the Make-An-Archetype contest that Mr. Pegasus announced a month prior to her passing. My Deskbots are the only thing I have left of my time with her and I spent endless hours making sure that each monster was perfect. Still, that one project was left behind gathering dust. But no more. This next move is for my Mom!"
Jessie leaned forward in her chair as she said, "Whoa, Mikey. That's pretty deep. What do you think he is about to do, Ben?" Ben furrowed his brow as he said, "From the looks of it, SOMETHING BIG." I sighed deeply as I said, "Alright! I shall now tune Deskbot 009 with the Deskbot 001 Tuner monster!" Joey's eyes widened as he said, "What?! Deskbot 001 is a Tuner monster!?" I grinned as I said, "Mom, this is it: our final project finally awakens! Always soar to new heights! I Synchro Summon…..Deskbot Jet!" The crowd broke out in impressed cries as they saw my strongest monster appear on the field, it sporting an attack and defense of 1500. "Wow, that's a pretty cool monster, kid." I nodded as I said, "Just like my other Deskbots, it gains attack and defense points for every other Deskbot card on the field. So with my two other Deskbot monsters, as well as the effects of Deskbot 002 and Deskbot Base, it raises Deskbot Jet to a whopping total of 4000! And to add more firepower, I shall play a second Deskbot 002 to bring Deskbot Jet's total to 4500!"
"What?! That monster's attack points are through the roof! He can end this in one move!", Dash exclaimed. Onyx smiled as he heard someone chuckle next to him. He looked to his right as he saw Akio smiling. "What's up, Akio? You were silent throughout the entire duel." Akio shook his head as he said, "Can't you feel it? Mikey's resolve in this duel. He never did seem like a confident individual when it came to dueling, but if this duel proves anything, it is that he is certainly good at the game." Onyx nodded as I stated, "Alright, 002! Destroy Joey's Black Stone of Legend ONE MORE TIME!" Joey groaned as he saw his monster disappear once again. "Without Meteor Black Comet Dragon on the field, your strategy crumbled! 004, attack Joey directly with SPECTRUM CANNON!" 004 moved quickly towards Joey as the monster blasted Joey in the face, the crowd laughing as the monster's attack left an assortment of colors on his face while dropping his Life Points from to 2000. "Hey! That's not funny!", Joey said, shaking his head furiously as Deskbot Jet hovered over him menacingly. "Alright, Deskbot Jet! End this! Laser Cannons, FIRE!", I said, watching as the Jet fired its lasers at Joey, Joey yelping loudly as he dodged as many lasers he could before his Life Points dropped down to zero.
"And that's it! The victory for this duel goes to Mikey Redheart!", Yami exclaimed from side of the arena. I sighed slightly as Joey walked over to me and said, "Great dueling, kid! You trusted your cards and they lead you to victory. With this, I hearby grant you permission to Ra Yellow! Good job, Mikey!" I blinked slightly as I thought, 'Ra Yellow? But won't that mean….I have to leave the Slifer Red campus along with my friends?'
As I continued that thought, Yami immediately stated, "Now that was a fantastic way to start this week! Everyone, for the next six days, each of you will be put to the test to see whether you can graduate to the next rank or not. So, I say to you all: good luck and duel your hardest!" When Yami said that, everyone broke out into a roaring crowd, except for Onyx and the others in the crowd. "Well, looks like Mikey will be moving into the Ra Yellow dorm soon. To be honest, it's quite sad that he has to leave.", Crystal said. Jessie sniffled slightly as she said, "The Red dorms aren't going to be the same without Mikey there!" Onyx grinned as he said, "Relax, guys. In the end, Mikey won! That's what is important!" Crystal nodded as she looked down and said, "Hey, where did Mikey go anyway?" Onyx looked down and saw that I was no longer on the stage as two other duelists had took me and Joey's place. "You're right! Where did he go?" Ben cleared his throat as he said, "You two didn't notice, but Mikey ran out of the arena following after Joey and Prof. Yuki. Once he won, he is to report back to the headmaster's office to make the transfer official."
Onyx and Crystal looked at each other as they both said, "Well then, let's go and catch up with him!" Jessie stood to her feet as she said, "I'm with you guys! Let's go!" Ben chuckled and said, "I think I'll stay here and watch the remainder of the duels. Go, catch up with your friend." Everyone nodded as they made their way to the stadium exit, Miho and Ranko following close behind. As the group made their way to the Slifer Red dorms, I sat amongst Jaden within his office as he said, "Let me just say congratulations for your advancement to Ra Yellow, Mikey. With the scores you received during the entrance exams, some of us staff members didn't think you would progress to the next class, but with all the hard work you put into your dueling skills as well as the tests you have taken, you have completely turned everything around!"
I looked down to the ground as I said, "Thank you, Headmaster." Jaden looked up as he heard the door to his office open as Joey walked in with a Ra Yellow uniform. He walked in front of me as he said, "Hopefully it fits well!" I sighed softly, Jaden immediately asking, "What's wrong, kid?"
Meanwhile, on the outside of the door….
"Is he in there?", Jessie asked. Onyx shushed her slightly as I said, "I can't hear, Jessie! Keep it down a little." Crystal leaned in close to the door as she said, "What are they talking about in there?" As she said that, I replied to Jaden saying, "Prof. Yuki, as much as I am glad that I am being offered to go to Ra Yellow, I don't think I want to go. I mean, for the last few months, Slifer Red has been home to me. All my closest friends are here." Joey smirked as he looked at Jaden and said, "Now, why does that sound vaguely familiar?" I raised an eyebrow with a confused look as Jaden said, "He's talking about me, Mikey. You see, I was actually offered to be in Ra Yellow during my time at Duel Academy. And what you are doing now, I did the exact same thing. I chose not to progress to the next class because I wanted to stay with all my friends." My eyes widened as I said, "Really? You did that?" Jaden nodded as he stood to his feet and walked over to me from behind his desk. He looked me in the eyes as he said, "And now, the same rules apply to you, Mikey. If you wish to stay in Slifer Red, that is entirely up to you." I looked away from Jaden for a few minutes in thought, and then immediately said, "I want to stay."
As I said that, a lot of cheers came out from the other side of the door, my eyes widening as Jaden said, "Well, it seems like your friends are happy for that decision." I blushed slightly as I said, "They were worried about my decision too." Joey chuckled as he said, "I guess I'll be returning this uniform back to the Ra Yellow dorms. Congratulations on your win once again, Mikey. Go, go enjoy your victory with your friends." Jaden nodded as I stood to my feet and ran out the door, meeting the smiling faces of all my friends waiting for me.
As we all returned to the arena, we did not spot a sole individual watching us from afar in the hallways….
'True friends….what a wonderfully sickening concept. I'll be sure to crush it once I am back to full power…', Neferti thought to herself, her right eye flashing from silver to the oh-so familiar green eye of Arufunu the Malevolence. She chuckled softly as she walked away from the group, wearing a twisted grin that only spelled trouble.
Meanwhile, back at the Arena….
"Alright, with the tenth duel of the day completed, it's time to matchup the duel for tomorrow! Slot Machine, give us a winner!", Yami stated as the crowd cheered as the Slot Machine spun its dials once again. As I walked into the arena with Onyx and the others, we took our seats back as I asked everyone who was still there, "So, did we miss anything?" Akio looked up at us as he said, "A few great duels, and now they are about to announce the duel that'll start tomorrow's exams." Leslie chimed in, looking at Mikey as he said, "Mikey, you're not wearing the Ra Yellow uniform! You chose to stay in Slifer Red?" I nodded as Yami immediately stated, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Tomorrow's matchup has been decided! We'll be having our very first Turbo Duel with duelists Robin Okazuya verses Ra Yellow's co-headmaster and the King of Turbo Duels: JACK ATLAS! Don't miss out on it!"
"Oh wow, a Turbo Duel against Robin and Mr. Atlas? That sounds awesome! Congrats, Robin!", Jessie said, only to see a look of panic on Robin's face. "Robin?! What's wrong", Jessie exclaimed. 'I have to duel….against Papa Jack?', Robin thought silently to herself.
Papa? What is she thinking about? Looks like things are going to get a lot more interesting next time….
To be continued…..
