Duel Monster Saviors
Ch. 14 – The Spirit of Red-Eyes
Written by TheAmariaShadow
As the School Dance officially came to a close, the night slowly passed as all the students slumbered and slept. As for me, I wasn't expecting that tomorrow would bring a rather peculiar person into my life that would finally make Duel Monsters a pleasure and no longer a curse thanks to my mother. Who am I, you may ask? My name is Dash Anderson, and today would change my life once again. As the sun finally crept over the horizon, I could feel the warmth creeping into my room, my slumber interrupted by a loud alarm blaring in my ears….
I grumbled softly as I tried to hide my head underneath my pillow, the alarm seemingly getting louder with each passing second. I grunted as I sat up in my bed and looked at the clock and said, "Alright, alright, I'm up! Another day of classes for the exhausted." I sighed as I crawled out of bed and shivered slightly, rubbing my arms furiously as I walked over to the window and opened the shades wide to let more of the sunlight in. I looked down as I realized that I was only wearing a pair of boxers, remembering that I fell asleep without slipping into a pair of pajamas. "Man, I must've been tired by the time I got to my room. Oh well, might as well get ready for the day. Now where did I put that PDA?", I stated as I looked around, seeing the PDA I received at the start of the term next to the locket I always wore. I picked it up and tapped the screen slightly as I accessed my class schedule, frowning as I immediately saw Prof. Nomura's name appear on the very top of the list. I sighed as I said, "Again with that crazy cat? That guy seriously pisses me off. But, I can't switch classes unfortunately, so I just got to deal with it."
As I placed the PDA down, I immediately retired to the bathroom for a morning shower. However, I was not expecting what was going down over at the Slifer Red dorm….
A knock was heard at Jaden's room door, Jaden replied saying, "Its open! Come on in." The door opened slightly, Jaden raised an eyebrow as he noticed that nobody entered, but then his attention was caught as a soft voice said, "Excuse me. Is this the Slifer Red Headmaster's office? I was told to come here as soon as I got off the boat." Jaden peeked over his desk as he was met face to face with a pair of pink eyes shielded behind a pair of round-rimmed glasses. He smiled as he said, "So, you're my new dorm student? Let me be the first to bid you welcome to Duel Academy." He looked over the mysterious person and raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Pardon me for asking, but how old are you?" The being readjusted their glasses as they said, "I'm eight. When my parents heard that students eight and older could apply to Duel Academy, it was only a matter of days before I was being sent to the entrance exams. However, due to some health issues, I am starting a little late." Jaden smiled as he stood up from his desk and walked around as he said, "It's no problem at all. So, you have a few minutes before class. Allow me to show you there, and don't worry about your things. Prof. Wheeler will have everything situated for you." The person nodded as Jaden said, "Alright, try to keep up. You wouldn't want to be late!" The child nodded as she kept a steady pace behind Jaden, an audible boing sound was being heard with each step she took. He looked down at her as he said, "By the way, what is your name?" As the two stepped out of the dorm and into the sunlight, the figure of a rather top-heavy and busty oppai loli bear looked back at Jaden as she said, "My name is Miho Koyonagi, Headmaster Yuki."
Jaden laughed as he said, "No need for that! Just call me Jaden. Everyone does!" Miho smiled as the two continued on their way to the campus.
Meanwhile, not far from the Slifer dorm heading for their first class…
"I cannot believe that you guys actually woke up on time for once! It's a miracle!", Mikey stated as he looked at Onyx & Crystal. Onyx frowned with a sleepy face and said, "I wouldn't get used to it. I am probably going to fall right back asleep once I sit down in Yami's class. Actually, scratch that: I KNOW I will." Crystal chuckled as she says, "Well, since we have the farthest distance to walk to get to Yami's class, it is safer for us to leave a little earlier, right?" Mikey nodded as he looked over at Jessie and saw that she was looking at her PDA with a frustrated look. He raised an eyebrow as he said, "Jessie, something wrong?" She pouted as she said, "The new Duel Monsters banlist came out today. Some of the Kozmo cards got banned and limited. Looks like I'll have to fix my deck up yet again." Mikey giggled as he patted Jessie on her back and said, "Well, those are the breaks in this game! Sometimes you can have a deck that doesn't get affected by the list and sometimes it will."
Jessie nodded as a voice rang behind them saying, "Hey guys, wait up!" Onyx and Crystal looked behind them as they saw Leslie, Ben, Ranko, and Akio walk up behind them, Leslie waving to everyone as he said, "Good morning, guys!" Crystal smiled as she said, "Leslie, good morning!" Ranko walked up to Mikey as he slapped him on the back and said, "Yo, Mikey! Did you sleep well?" Mikey rubbed his back as he said, "Of course I did!" Ben walked up to Onyx as he said, "How about you, Sairenji? Last night didn't scar you too much, did it?" Onyx groaned as he said, "None of you are going to ever let me forget that, are you?" Crystal patted Onyx on his shoulder and said, "What you did took a lot of guts, Onii-chan. I definitely owe you big time for that." Onyx sighed as he smiled softly and said, "Anything for you, Cryssi. Well guys, let's get on to the classroom."
As that was said, I finally left my dorm room and walked outside the dorm….
I sighed softly as I saw the other Obelisk Blues far ahead of me, catching a glimpse of Kaitlyn in the far distance. I tried to immediately catch up with her as I passed a few trees, coming to a complete stop as I heard a slight roar. I looked around to see where the source of the roar came from, my attention immediately turning to one sole tree. I immediately remembered that tree from my very first day on the campus. I walked over to the tree and touched it slightly, hearing the roar again, easily remembering it as I thought, 'That was….Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon's cry. What is it, partner? What are you trying to tell me?' I closed my eyes, only for my thoughts to be broken by the sound of the school bell. "Oh crap, I'm going to be late again!", I exclaimed as I left the tree behind, running for the school campus.
As I ran towards the campus, the other students piled into Yami's classroom, eager to start the new day. Meanwhile, Jaden and Miho finally made it inside the building….
"So, do you have everything you need?", Jaden asked the young Slifer Red, Miho nodding as he said, "Very well then, we shall be at your first class momentarily. Ah, speaking of which, there's your teacher right there!" Miho looked in the direct that Jaden was looking as she spotted a humanoid being sporting cat ears and a matching tail as she said, "He looks just like a kid!" Jaden chuckled and said, "He's a lot older than he looks. Prof. Nomura!" Yami's ears twitched as he looked over at Jaden and immediately spotted Miho and said, "Whoa, she's pretty mature for her height." Jaden raised an eyebrow as he said, "Professor, behave. I'd like to introduce you to your newest student, Miho Koyonagi. She's a little late in the term, but she is a fully registered student." Yami frowned as he said, "I didn't get any news of a new student. One moment, please." He turned his attention to his attendance roster and looked at the names on it, seeing Miho's name among the remainder of his students. "Ah yes, here you go! The chancellor did say that my attendance roster would be updated today. Very well then, Ms. Koyonagi. Let us go inside so you may meet the other students." Miho smiled as she said, "Ok, Prof. Nomura." Jaden patted Miho on her shoulder gently and said, "And this is where I shall leave you now, kiddo. Have a great time here at the Academy. If you need any questions answered, you can ask your fellow classmates or the other teachers, alright?"
Miho nodded as she replied, "Ok, Jaden. Thank you for bringing me to the classroom." Jaden smiled as he said, "My pleasure! Have a good day!" With that, the brunette walked away, leaving the young bear with Yami. Yami cleared his throat as he said, "Alright, Ms. Koyonagi. Please follow me."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the door….
"Phew! We made it just in time!", Mikey said, finally sitting down in his chair. He looked over to his right and his jaw dropped immediately as he saw Onyx fast asleep next to him. Crystal giggled and said, "Well, he wasn't joking when he said he would fall asleep the moment he got into the classroom." Jessie hummed softly as she doodled what appeared to be a picture of Kozmo Goodwitch on a piece of paper as Yami walked in. Jessie looked up to the door and blinked as she saw a young girl follow in behind him. "Oh hey, guys! Looks like we got ourselves a new student!", Jessie exclaimed with a happy grin. Crystal smiled softly and said, "She looks like she a lot younger than most of the students in this class. I am guessing eight, at least." Mikey was in awe as he said, "Wow, is she a bear or something? She definitely looks like one!" Onyx snored softly as Yami said, "Alright, alright class! Everyone to their seats. We've got ourselves a busy day today, so let's get straight into it." Yami frowned as he heard the snores coming from the young Slifer. He walked over to Onyx and spoke softly as he said, "Onyx. Time to wake up." Onyx mumbled softly towards Yami and a vein of anger appeared on the catboy's forehead. He immediately raised his hand and karate chopped Onyx in the head, only to get a loud yell from the sleeping student.
"Owwwww! Alright, Yami, alright! I am awake, no need to hit me!", Onyx exclaimed as he held his head in pain. Yami smiled as he looked at his students and frowned as he saw two empty seats in the entire classroom. He looked at Miho and said, "Well, obviously one of the chairs is for our newest student, so who is missing here?" He then turned his attention to his attendance roster and frowned as he saw that he didn't put a present mark next to Dash's name. "Ah, Mr. Anderson hasn't arrived yet. Ah well, he'll get here when he gets here. So, to start today's class, we have ourselves a new student for the Slifer Red class. I'll allow her to introduce herself to each of you.", Yami stated, looking back at Miho. Miho cleared her throat as she readjusted her glasses and said, "Hi, everyone! My name is Miho Koyonagi, and I am a first-year Slifer Red. I'm eight years old and I am a pretty easy person to get to know. I do hope we can all become great friends!" Onyx smiled as he said, "She seems to be a pretty nice individual. I wonder what kind of duelist she is though. I can't wait to find out."
As Yami was about to say something, the classroom door squeaked open as he spotted me trying to sneak in. "Dash Anderson!", Yami said loudly. 'Uh-oh! Busted!', I thought to myself as I looked down at the Exodia Purple co-headmaster and said, "Yes, Prof. Nomura?" Yami sneered as he said, "Glad to see that you have finally joined us. Would you please join me up here at the front of the classroom?" I frowned as I tossed my stuff into my chair, then immediately walked down own step towards the front. I grunted as I slipped on a piece of paper, tumbling down the rest of the stairs to stop face-first at Yami's feet. "Oww! Whose bright idea was it to leave a piece of paper for someone to trip on the stairs?!", I exclaimed loudly. I sat up slightly to meet a furry hand holding a handkerchief in front of me. I looked up to see the new student that was introduced earlier while I was sneaking in. "Are you ok? Nothing's broken, right?", Miho stated with a worried tone. I blinked softly as I looked at the handkerchief in her hand again and took it from her gently, rubbing my face with it as I said, "I'm alright. My fave hurts worse than my body." Miho giggled softly, then readjusted her glasses as she said, "Why is your partner so sad?" I raised an eyebrow when she said that. "Huh? What are you talking about?" Before Miho was able to reply, Yami clapped his hands and said, "That's enough of that, you two! Class is about to start, so please go to your seats now! Dash, I expect you to stay behind for a while after class. Now go to your seat."
I snorted slightly as I continued to rub my face with the handkerchief, cleaning my face off with it as I walked back up the stairs, getting a few giggles from some of the students as I walked past them, my eyes turning down towards Miho who had sat down next to Crystal. As I sat back down at my chair next to Kaitlyn, my attention returned to the handkerchief in my hand as she asked, "That was a nasty fall, Dash. Are you alright?" I frowned as I stashed the handkerchief into my blazer and said, "I'm fine." His attention turned to Yami as Yami said, "Now that everyone is seated, we shall begin with an announcement. As I mentioned to you all earlier this week, the Chancellors have been contacted by the Dimensional Protection Unit about a new universe within our very own dimension. As we all know, it is their job to connect these universes back with Amaria in order to watch over them in order to protect the peace. However, with the predicament that the Aelitatrix Bearer is dealing with, this job has been delegated to those who are open to do so. Therefore, the Chancellors are choosing ten students and one professor to journey to this new universe. Please do keep your ears peeled for when the final decisions are made. Any one of you may be eligible for this job. Now, let's return to our lesson. Yesterday, we were talking about the usage of Dark Magic Circle for the Dark Magician archetype…."
As Yami droned on about the many different spells and traps that are within the Duel Monsters game, my mind wandered back down to the young bear that gave me the handkerchief that I kept tightly clenched in my pocket-hidden hand. What did she mean by "my partner felt sad?" Could she be talking about Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon? ….No, it isn't possible. No one knows about that side of my life….not a one…. However, what I was going to be most shocked over happened after the bell for classes to end….
"Alright, everyone. It's time for Duel Period! Please report to the Duel Fields as soon as possible for your next class!", Yami stated as he shut down all the holoscreens in the room for the day. Crystal shook Onyx slightly as she said, "Wake up, Onyx! It's time for Duel Period!" Onyx yawned loudly as he stood to his feet and said, "Man, I thought this class would never end. But it is all worth it when the next class is Jaden's Dueling class! A full class where we do nothing but duel for a full hour! Who could ask for a better class to teach?" Mikey nodded as he said, "I must agree: Duel Period just has that extra bit of fun compared to the other classes. You should come with us, Miho. We could lead you there!" He looked around Crystal and his eyes widened as he noticed that the young child was no longer there. "Hey, where did she go?", Mikey asked. Robin walked up next to Crystal and said, "If you are looking for the new girl, she just ran past me out of the classroom. From the way she was running, I figure she was running after someone."
Mikey looked at Onyx as Onyx crossed his arms and said, "We have a new student?" Everyone groaned as Onyx said that, Onyx looking at each of them with a confused look in his eyes, completely oblivious to the entire hour they were there.
Meanwhile, on the outside of the Slifer Red school campus….
Miho panted heavily as she continued to run, seeing Dash far ahead of her. 'Curse me for being so young! Why won't he slow down?!', Miho thought to herself as her mind wandered back to earlier. 'Something is definitely off with this guy, and I must know what!' She blinked slightly, then came to a screeching halt as she noticed that Dash had finally disappeared completely from her sight. "Darn it, lost him! He must've returned to his dorm room or something! Does that mean he isn't going to attend Duel Period?", Miho asked herself out loud. She sighed softly as her ears picked out an audible roar in the distance. She looked around as another roar was heard, this one coming from her own Duel Deck. She opened the box she kept her deck within and noticed a solitary card was glowing within it. She pulled out to see that it was her ace monster: the Red-Eyes B. Dragon. She looked on her shoulder as a miniature Red-Eyes materialized on her shoulder and said, "You heard it too, didn't you partner?"
The dragon hissed softly as it flapped its wings slightly, flying off towards what seemed to be a sole dead tree. Miho followed the dragon as it continued to fly near the tree, not realizing that she was near the Obelisk Blue dorms.
Meanwhile, within the dorms….
I sighed as I unlocked the door to my room, closing it behind me as I kicked my shoes and socks off. I placed my things on my desk as I looked at the clock and said, "Duel Period ends in an hour. I may as well make the most of it and get a few winks of sleep." I walked over to my balcony doors and opened them wide as I stepped out onto it, sitting down near a chair as I looked out among the island getting a good view of everything. I sighed as I looked back down at the dead white tree near our dorm and thought, 'Why? Why can't I just get into the game anymore? ….Damn it, mother. Why did you make the game no longer fun for me?' I sighed again, then frowned as I reached into my blazer and pulled out Miho's handkerchief and smirked as I walked inside, then tossed it into a dryer. I whistled softly as the handkerchief dry cleaned, not noticing Miho walk up to the dead tree.
Back outside….
Miho looked up into the tree as Red-Eyes landed on a branch, roaring loudly as the roar from earlier roared in harmony with it. "The source of that roar is here, partner?", Miho asked the Red-Eyes as it looked at her with a glare before vanishing in a red flame. She dropped to her knees and felt around on the ground until she came across one spot in front of the tree that was just recently disturbed. She immediately dug at the spot for a few minutes until she came across a tiny wooden box. She picked up the box and heard the roar once again, immediately opening it to be met with the face of Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon. "These are….!", Miho stated before getting a yell from above. "Hey! What do you think are doing with that?!", I yelled from above at the young child. "I get it now! The reason why your partner is so sad! Why do you keep him hidden underground as if he was placed in a coffin, Dash?", Miho asked.
"That is NOT your concern, Slifer slacker! Now put the box back where you found it!", I exclaimed, tightly gripping the cleaned handkerchief in my hand. Miho tilted her head and said, "Shouldn't you be in Duel Period right now, Dash? You're a student, just like everyone else. You and Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon would definitely do great in a duel together." I growled slightly as I said, "Not going to happen. Now PUT THE BOX BACK." Miho closed the box and sighed softly, then immediately ran off in the opposite direction back to the Slifer Red campus. My eyes widened when she did that, and I immediately jumped from my balcony into the dead tree, landing on the ground safely as I made chase after the young girl. "Come back here with that!", I yelled loudly. "No! Not going to happen!", Miho exclaimed, breathing heavily as she continued to run faster and faster to the campus, immediately running within the building.
As Miho continued to run, the anger within me continued to grow. Why is she doing this?! What does she have to gain for stealing my deck?! However, I couldn't tell that Miho definitely had an ulterior motive….
"Alright kids, welcome back to Duel Period! You know how it works: duel free, duel happy, and have fun! So, activate your Duel Disks cause it's time to GET YOUR GAME ON!", Jaden exclaimed. The entire class cheered when Jaden said his recognizable catchphrase. He then looked at his roster and frowned as he said, "Looks like Dash is a no show yet again. And our newest student is late? We'll give her a few minutes to get here. She must've gotten lost." Jessie looked at Ben and said, "Oh, I hopes she makes it here in time." Ben patted his sister on her shoulder and said, "She will. She probably just wanted to get the lay of the land on her own." Leslie chimed in and immediately said, "Ben's right. She may have just lost track of time." Jessie looked away sadly as Crystal placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "No need to get so glum. See look, there she is right now."
Jessie looked up in the direction Crystal pointed and saw the young bear running frantically towards them. However, she immediately looked around her and her eyes widened to see one thing she wasn't expecting: ME….
"Look out! Coming through!", Miho exclaimed as she ran closer towards Jessie and the others. Onyx's eyes widened as he saw me chasing after Miho and said, "Oh no, Dash is on the war path again! Run, Miho! Run and don't stop!" Miho panted heavily as her legs finally gave up and tripped from underneath her, her grip on the box finally releasing as the box flew into the air. She looked up as she winced and said, "Someone catch that! And don't let Dash get it!" With that said, Onyx immediately moved quickly as he jumped into the air and caught the box with his hands. I finally came to a stop behind Miho as Onyx said, "What do we have here? A duel deck?" I snarled as I said, "Don't even think about opening that, Sairenji!" Onyx grinned as he immediately opened the box, his eyes widening to see Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon staring back at him. "No way, this can't be what I think it is!", Onyx exclaimed as Miho walked over to him with her hand stretched out. "Please give me that, Onyx. What I am about to do is important.", Miho stated.
"That's not yours to claim, runt! It's mine!", I exclaimed, only for Onyx to immediately place it in her hands. She then walked over to the grassy Duel Field and said, "Is it really? Then prove it!" My eyes grew colder when she said that. "What do you mean?", I asked. She shook her head as she said, "I haven't the slightest idea why you were hiding this deck, but I do know one thing: a duelist NEVER runs from their problems! They deal with their problems and feelings out on the Duel Field! My number one goal here is to make new friends and have memorable duels with said friends, and I've decided to start with you, Dash Anderson! You will duel me with this deck: RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW." I frowned as I said, "And if I refuse?" Miho smiled sweetly as she said, "Then I'll toss these into the ocean. And it so happens that that we are close to a beach right now."
I flinched when she said that as Jaden walked over to us and said, "It appears we have a bit of a conundrum here. Sorry, I overheard everything. So, what shall it be, Dash?" I growled softly, closing my eyes as I thought silently to myself. I finally sighed and said, "Fine. But I left my Duel Disk back in my room." Jaden smiled as he handed me a spare Duel Disk and said, "Glad you can join us for today's class, Dash. Please step out to the Duel Field…..uh, Dash. Where are your shoes?" I frowned as I wiggled my toes and said, "Ignore it." I placed the Duel Disk on my arm and walked over to Miho and said, "I'll be needing my deck back." Miho smiled as she placed the deck in my hand as I said, "Here's your handkerchief. You'll be needing it." Miho shook her head as I held the handkerchief to her and she placed her hands on mine and said, "You keep it. You'll be needing it to dry your tears afterwards."
I smirked as I walked over to the other side of the Duel Field and stashed the handkerchief back into my blazer and said, "Are you sure you wanna go through this?" Miho grinned confidently and said, "Don't think I am a pushover just because I am eight years old!"
"SO LET'S DUEL!", Miho and I exclaimed, both of our Life Point counters raising to 8000 and the two of us draw five cards into our hands. "As they say, ladies first! So to start things off, I shall activate the Spell Card Pre-Preparation of Rites!", Miho exclaimed. Ben whistled softly when Miho stated the name of that card. Jessie looked at her brother and said, "What does it do, Ben?" Ben crossed his arms and replied, "Pre-Preparation of Rites allows the user to add one Ritual Spell and one Ritual Monster to their hands. Looks like our new student must know a thing or two about Ritual Summoning." Miho smiled as she drew two cards from her deck and said, "I shall now activate the Ritual Spell Dark Dragon Ritual! With this card, I can send one monster from my hand in order to summon Paladin of Dark Dragon to the field!" My eyes widened when her monster appeared on the field, being in total shock to have realized what kind of deck user she was. "Paladin of Dark Dragon, huh? That must mean you are a Red-Eyes user, right runt?", I asked. Miho smiled as she said, "Isn't Red-Eyes just the coolest dragon you've ever seen?! I've been dueling with them ever since I was introduced to the game!"
I smirked as I said, "I'm not impressed. Everyone all knows that when it comes to power, the Blue-Eyes are on top of the food chain. Now finish your move!" Miho frowned as she said, "Dueling is not about having strength. But I guess I'll just have to show you that….BY WINNING THIS DUEL! So, for my next move, I shall use my Paladin's special ability. By sacrificing him, I can Special Summon one monster from my hand or deck, and the monster I shall choose is my Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon to my field! And to end my turn, I shall play two cards facedown! Your move, Dash!" I frowned as I said, "It's my turn, I draw!", I exclaimed, only for Miho to say, "I activate my trap card, Return of the Red-Eyes!" I raised an eyebrow and said, "What does that do?" Miho grinned as she said, "Well, what it does is allows me to target one Red-Eyes Normal monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field as long, unless that monster is Red-Eyes B. Chick. Also, if you destroy this card, I can also Special Summon a Red-Eyes monster from my Graveyard. The effect of this card can only be used once per turn." I frowned as I said, "Then it is a good thing that I am going to blow it away! I activate the Spell Card Twin Twister! By discarding one card, I can destroy up to two Spell or Trap cards on the field, and I choose the two cards on your side of the field!"
Miho gasped slightly as her cards vanished from the field, but smiled as she said, "Thanks for that! Now with Return of the Red-Eyes in the Graveyard, I can Special Summon the Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon I sent there earlier! Looks like your plans backfired, Dash!" I laughed loudly as I said, "You are a fool to believe that I didn't make that move without a plan, kid! And now you shall see why it was a bad idea to dig up my deck!" Miho's eyes widened when I said that as I stated, "I shall now play three cards facedown and summon Sage with Eyes of Blue in attack mode!" Miho raised a curious eyebrow as she readjusted her glasses and said, "That monster only has zero attack points. What's it going to do?" I grinned coldly as I said, "What it's going to do is allow me to activate its special ability! When it is summoned, I can add one Light Tuner monster from my deck to my hand, and the card I choose is my Maiden with Eyes of Blue! And with that, I shall end my turn for now the ability of the card I sent to the Graveyard activates! Go, The White Stone of Ancients!"
"Oh no, not that card!", Miho exclaimed. "You thought you were the only one who could play moves from the Graveyard? Big mistake! When this card is sent to the Graveyard during my turn, I can use its effect to Special Summon one Blue-Eyes monster from my deck, so that spells big trouble for you! I Special Summon…. THE BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!", I exclaimed as a bright white light escaped from my deck, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon appearing behind me as it roared loudly at Miho. She seemed shocked at first, but then I noticed something peculiar: she was smiling with the biggest grin I have ever seen. "There he is: Blue-Eyes White Dragon! It's good to finally meet you!", she said as the dragon hissed slightly. She nodded as she said, "Oh yeah, I think he's feeling it too!" Miho then looked back at me and said, "Your dragon can feel it: you're having fun, Dash! And I can feel it too!" I raised an eyebrow when Miho said that. 'Weird kid. She actually talked to my Blue-Eyes! Could it be possible that she…..no, that's not possible. It can't be that she can hear Duel Spirits too….or could she?', I thought to myself as I looked back up to my Blue-Eyes. I shook my head as Miho said, "It's my turn now! I draw! I think I shall activate the effect of my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon now!" I frowned as Miho stated, "Once per turn, I can activate his ability which will allow me to Special Summon one Red-Eyes monster from my hand or Graveyard!" I shook my head as I said, "That would be the case, IF I didn't have this! I reveal my facedown Trap Card, Solemn Strike! When a monster is Special Summoned or a monster's effect is activated, I can pay 1500 Life Points to negate it and destroy the card. So, say bye-bye to your Red-Eyes!"
I watched as my Life Point counter drop to 6500 as her monster got destroyed. She looked back at me and said, "Well, my monster may be gone now, but two can play at that game! Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon, attack Dash's Sage with Eyes of Blue!" I grunted as her dragon blasted away my monster, my Life Points dropping down to 4400. She smiled as she said, "I shall end my turn with that. It's your move, Dash!" I frowned as I thought, 'Alright, so right now she has Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon on the field, and for me, I have Blue-Eyes White Dragon in attack mode and two Spell Cards facedown: Burst Stream of Destruction and Trade-In. I need to draw a card to tip the scale in my favor, and I need to do it right now!' I looked back at Miho as I said, "It's my turn, so I draw!" I looked at the card in my hand and grinned as I said, "I shall now activate the Spell Card The Melody of Awakening Dragon!" Miho's eyes widened when she said, "No way! You have that card?!" Crystal looked at Mikey and said, "Dash drew a good card?" Mikey nodded as he said, "And how! The Melody of Awakening Dragon allows Dash to add two dragon monsters with 3000 or more Attack and 2500 or less Defense points to their hand in exchange for discarding one card to the Graveyard. For a person who uses a Blue-Eyes deck, that Spell is definitely par for the course!"
"The song has been heard and by discarding my Maiden with Eyes of Blue, I can add Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon and another Blue-Eyes White Dragon to my hand! And with that, I shall now reveal the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand in order for me to activate Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon's special ability, which allows me to Special Summon it directly to my field! Go, my mighty dragon!", I exclaimed as my second dragon appeared onto the field. "This….is not good.", Miho exclaimed as she saw the two dragons staring down at her. "It's not! Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack her monster! Eradicate it from the field with WHITE LIGHTNING!", I exclaimed, Miho gasping loudly as her monster vanished in front of her. "No, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!", Miho exclaimed. "Alternative White Dragon, you're up next! Attack Miho directly!" Miho yelled loudly as Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon's attack connected with her, a cloud of smoke enveloping her as her Life Points dropped drastically, tying her Life Points with mine at 4400. Miho coughed loudly as she came out from the smoke cloud, her glasses covered in soot. "Well, that wasn't pretty.", she said as she cleaned her glasses. She smiled as she said, "Still, that was such a cool turnabout move! I've never had this much fun dueling anyone before! Thank you, Dash!"
'What is with this girl!? She is still smiling as if she was the one winning this duel!', I thought silently. 'Don't you get it already, Dash? She's smiling because she is having fun dueling with you. Haven't we taught you many times before that the best time to smile during a duel is when you are having fun?", a voice echoed through my head. I looked towards the source of the voice and my eyes widened as I saw my mom and dad staring back at me. A tear fell from my eye as I saw my dad throw a thumbs-up at me and my mom said, 'You can finally hear us, Dash. It has been too long, son.' I blinked as I said, 'Am I dreaming or something? You guys couldn't be here, could you?" My dad walked over to me and said, 'Of course we are. We were always here beside you, son. And of course, we were right here as well." He tapped a finger on my chest right over my heart as my mother walked over to me and placed a hand on my cheek and said, 'My little boy has grown up so much. Remember everything that we have always taught you: never let anyone bring you down, always believe in your skills as a duelist, and always have fun. Because, in the end…."
"That's what our son has always wanted.", both Mom and Dad stated before they vanished, my attention returning to my surroundings. I inhaled deeply and exhaled as I heard Miho said, "I saw that. Were they your Mom and Dad?" I turned to Miho and nodded then said, "I end my turn. It's your move!" Leslie tilted his head as he said, "What's up with Dash? He seems to be acting differently now." Onyx smiled softly as he said, "He's finally letting himself enjoy the game. Looks like that is what the new girl was aiming towards." Miho smiled as she said, "It all comes down to this last card. Come on, draw something good!" She drew from her deck and looked at the card, her smile getting even wider as she said, "Yes! I activate the Spell Card Red-Eyes Fusion!" Ben's eyes widened when Miho called out that card. "Incredible! She has THAT card?!", Ben exclaimed. Robin looked at the young Ra Yellow and said, "Red-Eyes Fusion is sort of like Polymerization, right?" Ben shook his head and said, "Yes and no. Red-Eyes Fusion is a Fusion card that only Fusion Summons monsters with Red-Eyes in their descriptions."
"He's right! So now I shall fuse together The Red-Eyes B. Dragon and the Summoned Skull in my hand in order to summon my ultimate monster! When these two combine, they are a force to be reckoned with! I Fusion Summon Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!", Miho stated, her monster appearing before the field. "That thing has 3200 Attack points!", I exclaimed as Miho stated, "That's right, and they are coming straight for you! Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, attack his Blue-Eyes White Dragon with MOLTEN FIREBALLS!" I growled as my Life Points dropped down by 200 and said, "That's not enough to get rid of me!" Miho nodded and said, "You're right, it's not. But my Archfiend's special ability will help out even more. Once the Battle Phase is over and I have dealt damage to you with him, I can target a Red-Eyes monster in my Graveyard and hit you with damage equal to that monster's Attack points, and then return that monster to my deck." My eyes widened when she said that because I knew what was coming next.
"I choose to send my Red-Eyes B. Dragon back to my deck, so you're going to be hit with a whopping 2400 points worth of damage!", Miho said, my Life Points dropping down to 1800. "And with that, I shall end my turn. Looks like I'll be winning this duel, Dash. It was fun while it lasted though.", Miho stated. I closed my eyes slightly, then smiled as I said, "Some very wise people once told me something before: never claim victory until the final card is played. Those people were my birth parents, and I stand by those words, even to today." Crystal gasped as she said, "Unbelievable. He actually smiled!" Onyx chuckled as he said, "Go for it, Dash! Let's see what you got!" I smirked as I heard Onyx say that and said, "My turn now. I….DRAW!" The world went silent as I drew. Thoughts ran through my mind as I knew that only one card could turn this around, but did I draw it? I immediately looked at my card, then smiled as I said, "Perfect. I activate the Spell Card Return of the Dragon Lords! With this card, I can Special Summon a Level 7 or 8 Monster back to the field from my Graveyard, so come on back Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"So you brought Blue-Eyes back. So what? My monster is still stronger than both your dragons!", Miho exclaimed. I laughed when Miho said that. "For once, I have to say thank you to my mother. A long time ago, she gave me two cards that I didn't think I could use properly in my deck, but I added them anyway. This time, I definitely KNOW I can use them to win! I now build the Overlay Network with my two dragons!" Onyx's eyes widened when I said that. "What the what!? There isn't any Blue-Eyes Xyz monsters! What is he up to?" I grinned confidently as I said, "With the power of these two dragons, a mighty beast takes to the field! Behold as I Xyz Summon Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon!" Miho's glasses slipped down her nose as she said, "Ok, I wasn't expecting that one!" I smirked as I said, "Then you weren't expecting this one either! I rebuild the Overlay Network with Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon! Go, Chaos Xyz Evolution!"
"Incredible! He even knows how to go a step further as an Xyz summoner?!", Mikey exclaimed. "Even the brightest star casts the darkest shadow! Appear, Number 95: Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon!", I exclaimed as my monster appeared before me, glaring down at Miho's monster. She gulped as she said, "That thing has 4000 Attack points!" I nodded and said, "And now, they are coming your way! Go, Galaxy-Eyes! Take down Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" Miho dropped to her knees as her monster disappeared before her, her Life Points dropping to 3600. "Aw man, there goes my monster.", she said with a depressed tone. She smiled as she placed her hand to her deck and said, "That's it for me. You win, Dash." I was shocked when she said that. "You're giving up?", I asked. She shook her head and said, "Archfiend Black Skull Dragon was my most powerful monster. I wouldn't have been capable of turning the duel around at this point. You won, no doubt about it. Although, I do want to ask you a question, and it is very important." I tilted my head when she said that and immediately asked, "What question?"
Miho smiled at me and said, "Did you have fun?" I lowered my head when she said that. I walked over to her and kneeled slightly, patting her on the head gently. I smiled softly and said, "Thank you, Miho. I needed that wake-up call." Miho giggled as she said, "Anytime!" I chuckled as I helped her up to her feet, then heard Jaden say, "Now that was an awesome duel, you two! Now Dash, I do hope this means you'll be joining us more often in class now." I smirked as I said, "Alright, Prof. Yuki. I get where you are driving at." Jaden smiled as Onyx said, "Man, that duel was awesome! I'm absolutely fired up now! Hey, Ben, how about we duel next?"
Ben chuckled as he patted his deck box and said, "It's not time yet. Still need a few more preparations for when we duel. Maybe next time." Onyx frowned, then immediately got himself lost amongst the other students as he was searching for his next opponent.
As the time passed, each student had their chance of dueling each other. As the final bell rang for the day, I found myself walking alone, back to the Obelisk Blue dorm….
I came to a stop as I saw the dead tree where I kept my deck buried at. I walked over to the tree and looked up at it, inhaling deeply as I said, "Mom, Dad, I think I am finally starting back on the right path. Thanks for always looking out for me." I closed my eyes as I pulled off the locket I always wore and clicked it open to see myself staring back at me along with my parents Bryan and Jacquelyn. I smiled softly as I heard someone yell out, "Dash! Heeeeeyyyy!" I looked towards my right to see Miho run up towards me, breathing heavily. She gasped as she tried to recollect some air in her lungs as she said, "I forgot to ask you….something important!" I raised an eyebrow as I said, "Something else that's important? What is it?" She looked at me and said, "Will you please be my friend?!" My eyes widened when she asked me that, but I immediately smiled as I reached into my pocket and showed her the handkerchief that she gave me earlier that day. "I thought it was already a done deal that we were friends, Miho? I'm shocked that you had to ask.", I teased. Miho giggled as she said, "Yay! My very first friend here at the Academy! I'm so glad! Oh yeah, I also have something for you!"
I raised an eyebrow again when she reached into her pocket and pulled out a card, the light flashed across it as I saw a picture of what appeared to be a Blue-Eyes, but it was definitely different than what I was used to. "Is that a Blue-Eyes card? I've never seen it before.", I said as I took it from Miho's hands. "That's because it is a new one that was just released. It's called Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon, a Fusion Monster that uses two Blue-Eyes instead of just one. Since it is a well-known fact that Seto Kaiba is the only person who owns Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Maximillian Pegasus made another multi-headed Blue-Eyes card. This one here has a pretty nifty ability, but I was never capable of using this card since I never use Blue-Eyes. I figure that it must've been fate that this card belongs to you, Dash." I chuckled as I nodded and said, "I shall keep treasure it always, Miho. Thank you." She smiled as she said, "It's getting a bit late now, and I still have to find my dorm room. I hope to see you in class tomorrow, Dash! Bye!" With that said, she turned from me and ran off, leaving me behind with a wave of her hand.
I chuckled as I looked back at the card and said, "She truly is an interesting one, huh partner?" I looked back as I saw Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon wrap its wings around me, a sign that only showed me that he was happy to be back alongside me. I placed the new card into my deck and immediately turned away from the tree, walking back inside of the dorm for the night.
Meanwhile, back at the Slifer Red dorm….
"Let's see here, my dorm room number is….428. It should be right around here….ah, here it is!", Miho stated as she pulled out her dorm room key, only to hear the door knob rattle slightly as the door opened, Miho immediately being greeted by Onyx and the other Slifers she met earlier. "Oh! It's you guys! Does that mean we all share the same room or something?", Miho asked as she readjusted her glasses on her nose. Crystal shook her head as she said, "Oh no. Mikey, Onyx and I live in the room across the hall. Jessie is the one who lives in this room, which makes you two roommates. We're here because we've organized a little get-together for you, Miho." Jessie bounded towards Miho as she said, "Yeah! We've got cake, sodas, and all sorts of tasty foods in here! Come on, don't just stand there, and come inside!" Miho smiled as she walked into the room, amazed at the accommodations within the room. Onyx cleared his throat as he held a cup in his hand, Mikey handing a cup to Miho as he said, "Alright guys, I'd like to officially be the one to say welcome to Slifer Red to our new friend and classmate, Miho Koyonagi! Welcome!" The others immediately said, "Welcome, Miho!" as Miho smiled widely and said, "Thanks guys! I really feel welcomed here!"
As the night slowly crept by, the five Slifer Reds laughed as they enjoyed the food that Onyx and Crystal made. As for me, I went to bed, happy that I made a new friend and healed a wound that I was afraid would never go away. Thank you, Miho. Without you, I doubt my love of dueling would ever have been rekindled. However, as the night went by, tomorrow held new adventures for us all….
A beeping noise was heard in a room over in the Ra Yellow dorms. A hand reached out to their PDA as they looked to see a message on it. The figure tapped the screen as Dorothy's face appeared and said, "Tomorrow, brand new cards shall be arriving to Duel Academy! These new cards will be available at the School Store at exactly 9AM sharp! A few archetypes that are to be expected in these new cards are the new Performapal cards as well as Lunalights, Speedroid, and new support cards for the Buster Blader archetype! I do hope everyone is able to find what they need to make their decks perfect!" The moon shined into the room as Ben's face appeared in the light as he said, "Finally. Next time, Onyx, you are definitely going to meet on the Duel Field. I'll finally get to see just how good of a duelist you really are." Leslie's voice rose from the other side of Ben as he said, "Ben, go back to sleep. Now's not the time to get active, ok?" He smiled as he ran a hand through Leslie's hair next to him and said, "Alright, sweetie, alright. Good night." With that said, Ben tucked himself back into the sheets and dozed off, anxious for the new cards in the morning.
What new adventure awaited for Onyx and Ben? We shall find out very soon….
To be continued…..
