Current Signers and their Dragons: Yuma (Stardust Dragon), and Akiza Izinski (Black Rose Dragon)

*I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal, Yu-Gi-Oh GX, or Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's!*

Dialogue Key

"Stardust Dragon!" = Normal Speech

'Stardust Dragon!' = Thoughts

(Stardust Dragon [Monster/Synchro/Effect] Dragon/ WIND [8] ATK: 2500/ DEF: 2000) = Monster Card Stats

"Stardust Dragon!" = Someone Yelling

Going fast makes me feel alive

My heart beats in hyperdrive

Do you think you can win?

Only if I lose

Just let destiny choose

I can hear you breathin'

I can see you comin'

I can feel the wind

It's blowing me around

Take a shot at me runnin' side by side

It's a blur… as I go by

I can hear you breathin'

I can see you comin'

I can feel the wind

It's blowing me around

See the sun arising

Fire in the sky

Greatness thrusts itself into our lives

Welcome to Duel Academy!

Riding along in a luxury helicopter provided by Kaiba Corp, the Duel Academy applicants who passed their tests were all in high spirits and anticipation about their chance to prove themselves at Duel Academy. Yuma was especially happy with this. It meant he would no longer have to deal with the taunts from afar that his former friends instigated back when he was training with Yugi. And he certainly wouldn't have to deal with Astral's pathetic death glares. Honestly, Kaiba and Joey have scarier glares than that guy!

But more to the point here, Yuma looked out the window as he watched the waves of the ocean down below, simply enjoying the peace that he was feeling. The sights of the rolling waves and the pods of dolphins and porpoises swimming by certainly helped him to take his mind off of his fear of heights.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" asked a voice.

Yuma looked up and saw a certain blonde Obelisk student holding her carry on bag in her hand. Our hero felt an air of familiarity about her, but he wasn't quite sure why or how. But that doesn't matter at this time.

"Go right ahead. I don't mind having somebody to talk to." Yuma said, patting the seat next to him.

Alexis allowed herself a small smile at this behavior. He was being chivalrous, and yet he wasn't turning into a lovestruck, stuttering mess like most other men become when she approaches them or they approach her. Not to mention, from what she's seen, that he's a great duelist. So both of those reasons earn him a few good points in her book.

"Thank you." she said, taking a seat next to him. "My name's Alexis. Alexis Rhodes. If you can't tell from the colors of my uniform, I'm in the Obelisk Blue rank."

"Nice to meet you, Alexis. I'm Yuma, but I guess you already knew that from my entrance exam." Yuma said in response.

"How could I not? I saw the whole thing, and I have to say, you really showed your stuff with those new cards you used. They're pretty cool cards." Alexis complimented.

"Thanks. They really are one of a kind until Pegasus and Kaiba make more Synchro monsters, but Stardust Dragon truly is a one of a kind monster. He's one of my personal favorite cards, alongside Junkuriboh and one other monster." Yuma explained.

"What monster is that?" Alexis asked, raising a delicate eyebrow.

Yuma gave a teasing smile and pat Alexis's head, like she was a small child, causing the Obelisk Blue femme fatale to pout at his actions.

"Now, that would be telling, wouldn't it?" Yuma asked playfully. "By the way, do you think you could give me a little bit of a rundown on how the dorm sorting system works at Duel Academy. With all that's been happening recently, I clean forgot."

"Sure. It's really not too hard." Alexis replied as she began to explain. "You see, Duel Academy's students and faculty are divided into three different colors that represent the Egyptian God monster cards. Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and The Winged Dragon of Ra. The Obelisk Blue dorm is the highest rank one can go as a student of this academy, but most of the time you need to go to a dueling prep school or buy your way in if you want to start there as a freshman. Very rarely do students start in Obelisk Blue due to their skills. The Ra Yellow dorm is sort of in the middle. They're generally those who are great at dueling and get good grades, but they're not good enough to be considered the best. Last, but not least, we have the Slifer Red dorm. This is the lowest ranking dorm where students don't get very high grades, nor are they that good at dueling. They've also earned themselves a few nasty nicknames such as the 'Red Drop-Outs' and the 'Slifer Slackers' due to many of the students either not caring about the work, or having to leave the academy early on due to being unable to pay the tuition costs. Now, I'm not really sure why the dorms are set up in this particular order, but my guess is that it has something to do with Kaiba's eternal rivalry with Yugi."

Yuma chuckled at the thought of Kaiba having a silent continuation of his rivalry with Yugi. He never was one to simply let go of the past. Especially when it comes to people beating him in a duel. He may have lightened up a bit over the years, but not enough to have a serious personality change. But that's what makes him so interesting.

"Yeah, you're probably right about that." Yuma remarked.

"Attention, passengers, this is your captain speaking. We are now approaching Academy Island and will be beginning our descent shortly. Please fasten your seatbelts and make sure you have all of your belongings with you."

"Well, I guess that ends this riveting conversation, doesn't it." quipped Yuma.

Alexis had to stifle a laugh at his dry humor. She couldn't help herself. Yuma seems to have this easily likeable personality that just draws people in and if she's being honest, she likes it. It's quite the welcome change from all the bozos she has to deal with on a regular basis. Especially those that she has to literally beat away with a stick. Still, she found it hard to contain her excitement at the prospect of going to a prestigious school like Duel Academy.

It wasn't too much longer before the students landed. Maybe two minutes at most. And as they all disembarked, Yuma finally got a good look at the school. A towering building that seemed to be divided into many different sections due to both the ranking system and the many different facilities (not to be mixed with the bathroom definition) the school has to offer. Inhaling deeply through his nose, Yuma smiled at the scent of nature that blessed his nostrils. He always has enjoyed camping out in the wilderness and living off the fat of the land.

Following the crowd, Yuma walked up to a booth where there were people handing out Duel Blazers and Academy Standard Duel Disks to the students. All based upon their rank. Kaiba had actually offered Yuma the chance to begin as an Obelisk Blue student in his freshman year, but he respectfully declined the offer stating that he'd rather start out at the lowest rank and work his way up. This way he could prove to the Obelisk Blue students who buy their way in that what matters is skill, and not money. Surprisingly, Kaiba wasn't mad in the slightest. He had a feeling that Yuma would want to start in Slifer Red, and one of the academy's best students, Koyo Hibiki, graduated with full honors as a Slifer Red and is one of the greatest pro duelists out there now.

When he got up to collect his blazer and Duel Disk, he was actually surprised to find that there was something about his blazer that was quite different from the others. Unlike the ordinary Slider Red blazers that are designed like leather jackets and come in the standard red with white accents or white with red accents, Yuma's blazer looked a bit more like the ones that are given to the male students in Obelisk Blue. It has a set of coattails that don't seem to be starched to all hell just so they'll defy gravity, and it's base color is a darker red, possibly maroon, while the accents are black. It also has a set of baubles on the shoulders that look like the same gems that grow out of Stardust Dragon's body.

"Excuse me, but why is my Blazer so much different from everyone else's?" Yuma asked.

"It was actually a request from Mister Pegasus. He wanted you to be able to show off a little more style and stand out amongst your peers. So he commissioned a custom Duel Blazer and Duel Disk for you." explained the man working in the booth. "Speaking of which, I almost forgot about your Duel Disk and PDA. The PDA has a set of instructions that you'll need to follow before the welcome speech today, so I advise heading to Chancellor Sheppard's office right away."

Yuma thanked the man after he was handed his PDA and a box containing his new Duel Disk before setting off for the Chancellor's office. He won't have any problems finding the place since he took the time to study the layout of the school before coming here, and if he's being honest, he's impressed. Kaiba really went all out when designing and building the place.

Of course, the credit for the building part goes to Kaiba's workers. Yuma's seen them and knows first hand that they're faster than Joey when he meets his favorite YouTubers at a convention. He's broken that habit, fortunately.

While he was walking, Yuma opened the box and was seriously impressed with his new Duel Disk. Design wise, it looks the same as all the other academy standard Duel Disks. However, the color scheme was a sort of inverted version of his blazer. The main color was an obsidian black while the red accents that show he's part of Slifer Red are maroon. Yuma had to admit, it's quite the welcome change.

Quickly slipping on the Duel Disk and inserting his deck into the deck slot, Yuma continued on until he was at the Chancellor's office. Standing outside the office was a young woman wearing a maroon blazer similar to his own, only this one lacks the coattails and has white accents instead of black.

"Excuse me, miss? My name is Yuma, and I'm here to see Chancellor Sheppard. Is he in right now?" Yuma asked.

The woman looked up from the files she was sorting and gave a friendly smile as she saw the young man who matched the Chancellor's description of the one who he sent for. She had a feeling he'd be visiting soon, and was actually glad to see that he's quite punctual.

"Ah yes, the Chancellor told me that you'd be visiting today. Go right on inside." she said with a kind smile. "My name's Annabelle, by the way, and I'm the Chancellor's secretary."

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Annabelle. Hope you enjoy the rest of your day." Yuma said politely.

The woman gave a nod of thanks as she got back to her work, which was thankfully less than normal, and Yuma walked into the Chancellor's office. Sitting at the desk was a man who looked like he was in his mid to late forties with a bald head, a gray beard, tan skin, and wearing a maroon duel blazer just like Yuma does. But like Annabelle, the accents on his blazer are also white instead of black. Yuma had to grin at the sight of the familiar uniform.

'Nice to see the head honcho here holds the Slifer Reds in high regard.'

"Ah, Yuma! You're early!" Sheppard exclaimed in a jovial manner. "Please, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable."

Yuma simply walked in and sat down in the offered chair, glad to get off his feet after all of that walking.

"So, what's this about, Chancellor?" Yuma asked. "I feel like this is more than just a simple talk about the weather."

"You're right, Yuma. Kaiba and Pegasus told me about the Signers and how you are one of them. Your Stardust Dragon is proof of you being one. I have reason to believe that the other five are going to be attending Duel Academy and shall be discovered as the year progresses. That's where you come in." Sheppard explained. "I need you to be my eyes and ears. Someone who can alert Pegasus, Yugi, Kaiba, or myself whenever a new Signer has been found. Once you've found and reported who the new Signer is, we'll then use a special scanner to determine which of the other five dragons is their partner and recreate that dragon as a card along with making a set of Tuner monsters to go with it. So what do you say? You in?"

*To Be Continued…*