Hello. This is my first fanfiction. It's basically a sort of self-insert even though I'm not too much like Lance, so maybe it's just more of an OC centric fic. I decided to write this because I was bored and I love those new Red-Eyes cards that came out, especially Red-Eyes Fusion and Black Dragon Archfiend, so I thought I'd give this whole writing thing a shot.

That said, he won't only use Red-Eyes monsters. There'll be other dragons and the rare non-dragon, especially in Season Two, when Synchros will be introduced. Personally, I like Xyz more, but Synchros are nice, too.

I don't really expect this story to be all that popular (or good), but I hope there are at least a few people out there that will enjoy this.

Also, don't expect romance. I just don't think I'd be any good at it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, or anything to do with the franchise at all.

That said, let's begin.

In a small house on the outskirts of Domino City, an alarm clock blared to signal the start of a new day. A boy, about the age of fifteen, sat up and reached over to the annoying machine, turning the alarm off. This boy's name was Lance Drake.

He stood up, stretching his arms above his head as he walked towards the bathroom. As he turned on the shower, it hit him.

Today was the day.

Soon, he would be accepted into the prestigious Duel Academy. All he would have to do was pass the entrance exams. He had already taken the written exam the week before, getting a 92%, so now all he'd have to do was pass the practical, which would be held in just a few hours.

"Lance, are you awake?" he heard his mother call from downstairs.

"Yeah, mom!" he called back, pulling on a black, long-sleeved shirt. "I just got out of the shower. I'll be down in a few!"

"Just checking. You don't want to be late for your exam, do you?" she replied in a slightly teasing tone.

"'Course not!"

After brushing his teeth, he ran down the stairs to the kitchen, where his mother was setting out breakfast. He took a seat next to his twelve-year old brother, ruffling his hair, which was a bright, vibrant red, unlike his own, which had a more pink-ish tinge.

"Oh, I like that shirt, honey. I brings out the green in your eyes." his mother complimented, smiling softly at him.

"Thanks, mom..." he replied awkwardly, embarrassed at her comment.

"But did you have to use so much gel for your hair? It looks silly." she continued, still with that soft smile on her face.

He rolled his eyes, "I've told you a million times, mom, I like it like this." he said in exasperation. They had this conversation before, and no matter how many times he told her that he liked his hair spiked up the way it was, she always had to comment on it anyway.

"I-I think it l-looks f-fine." his brother commented quietly.

"Aw, thanks Mason!" Lance replied, ruffling his brother's hair again. His brother gave a small smile, but looked a bit sad for some reason. "Hey, what's wrong, buddy?" His mother rolled her eyes at him, as if that was a stupid question. His brother slumped a little.

"I-It's n-nothing." Mason said weakly. Lance just gave him a look, causing the younger boy to slump even more, "I-It's just... y-you'll be g-gone s-soon! I-I-I won't s-see you f-for a-almost a y-year!" he exclaimed quietly.

Lance blinked, surprised as he shoveled some scrambled eggs into his mouth. "Oh...Well, that's not totally true!" he said, trying to cheer his brother up. "We can still talk on the phone, and I can write letters. It's not like they cut off all outside communication on that island. And maybe I won't even make it in! I might not pass the practical."

Mason rolled his eyes uncharacteristically, "You'll p-pass, Lance. Y-You're the b-best Duelist I-I've e-ever s-seen." he replied.

"He's right. You haven't lost a duel in over a year." his mother added, pride clear in her voice.

Lance blushed a bit in embarrassment. It was true. No one in the neighborhood or at school had been able to defeat him since last year. He was always able to overwhelm them with his dragon deck. His hand reached up, grabbing the pendant around his neck as he looked at it. It was a small black dragon head with menacing red eyes, causing him to smile as he heard a faint roar in his head.

He looked back to his brother, who still seemed to be a bit upset. A thought occurred to him, "You know, Mason, if you're good enough, Duel Academy accepts students younger than fifteen."

His brother whipped his head around to stare at him as his mother frowned, "R-Really?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "Yep! If you pass the written exam with over a 95%, and defeat your opponent in the practical, you can be accepted. So, you could go to Duel Academy with me next year!"

Mason smiled happily before he suddenly deflated, "B-But I don't t-think I-I'm good e-enough for t-that..."

Lance frowned, "Hey, none of that. Need I remind you who it was that won that National Junior Tournament and received a set of one-of-a-kind cards from Maximillion Pegasus himself?" he said wryly, causing his brother to smile bashfully.

"I-I did." he said quietly.

"That's what I thought. If anyone can make it in early, it's you." he said, smiling. Then, he frowned, "Speaking of, has dad decided where Lilith will go?"

His mother scowled, "Yes, that bastar-uh..." she began sharply before cutting herself off with a small cough, as if just realizing Mason was still there, "I mean, your wonderful father has decided to enroll your sister in South Academy."

Lance frowned, "Huh. Too bad, I was hoping to see her in Duel Academy..."

His mother stood up, "Well, you'd better grab your deck so we can get going, honey."

Lance raised an eyebrow, looking over to the clock which showed he still had an hour to kill before his duel was scheduled, but seeing the look on his mother's face, he decided not to question it.

Parents weren't allowed into the testing center, so with a final 'Good Luck!' from his mother, he signed in and entered the large building.

He whistled, impressed at the large number of aspiring duelists. He looked to the several duels taking place, getting an idea of the level the instructors were dueling on. They didn't seem to be using too much skill, but they definitely weren't going easy on the applicants, either.

Deciding not to stand around, he took a seat next to black-haired boy in a blue uniform, obviously revealing his rank as an Obelisk Blue.

"Yo! I'm Lance." he introduced himself, holding out his hand.

The other boy looked at him for a moment before grasping his hand, "Noah."

"Nice to meet you! Have you already dueled?" he asked the other boy.

Noah shook his head, "Not yet. Should be soon."

Lance began to nod before he froze, "If you haven't dueled yet, why are you already wearing the Obelisk uniform?"

Noah turned his blue eyes to Lance. "I graduated from a prep school. I've already been accepted into Duel Academy's Obelisk Blue. My duel is just a formality." he explained succinctly.

Lance nodded in understanding. He supposed it made sense. Going through three years of school just for Duel Academy would naturally allow its students automatic passes into the prestigious school and its highest-ranked dorm.

On the other hand, it seemed like a waste of time and money to go through three years of Duel School just to be able to get an automatic pass to the highest dorm, which could be easily achieved through hard work and talent. Lance didn't want to come off as arrogant, but by next year, he'd probably be in Obelisk Blue himself. To him, it just seemed like these prep students were making getting into Obelisk more time-consuming than it had to be.

Eh, maybe it looked good when a Duelist went pro.

Lance was shaken out of his thoughts when a voice came over the P.A. System, "Lance Drake to field four. Lance Drake to field four."

He jumped up excitedly, "That's me!"

"Good luck." Noah said stoically.

"Don't need luck when I got skill, but thanks anyway." he called as he walked towards field four.

As the small platform he was standing on was rising up to field four, he strapped on his duel disk, which was custom made so he could wear it on his right arm instead of his left since he was left handed. As the platform reached the top, he saw the proctor already there, ready and waiting.

"Lance Drake?" the man questioned, causing him to nod. "If you win this duel, you will be a lock for the Academy. Fail, and you will have to try again next year, unless your written score was over 90%. If that is the case, you will be put in the Slifer Dorm on probation. Understand?"

Lance nodded, "So, I guess I'll be in Ra then?" he said cockily.

"We'll see." the proctor replied stoically.

"Now..."

"Let's..."

"DUEL!"

Lance: 8000
Proctor: 8000

Turn 1 – Proctor

"I'll go first." the proctor said, drawing a card. "First, I'll activate the spell card Meteor of Destruction! I can activate this card when my opponent's life points are higher than 3000. Now, you take 1000 points of damage!" the man exclaimed, placing the card in the Spell/Trap zones.

The hologram of the card appeared, followed by a large sphere of fire launching at Lance, exploding as it made contact, taking a chunk of his Life Points with it.

Lance: 7000
Proctor: 8000

"Next, I'll summon Great Angus in attack mode!" the proctor called. A large, red beast appeared on the proctor's side on the field as he placed the card on his duel disk, roaring in anger.

Great Angus – Fire/Beast/Normal/LV4 – 1800 ATK/600 DEF

"Now, I'll activate the Field Spell, Molten Destruction!"

The plain dueling field they were standing on changed, becoming a rocky, mountainous area while a massive volcano sprouted up behind the proctor, spewing a copious amounts of lava all around them.

"Because of this card, all fire attribute monsters on the field gain 500 attack points and lose 400 defense points!"

Great Angus – 1800 ATK - 2300 ATK/600 DEF - 200 DEF

"Finally, I'll place two cards face down and end my turn." the man finished, causing Lance to smile.

"About time! Now, it's my move! Draw!" Lance cried, taking a card from the top of his deck.

Turn 2 – Lance

Lance looked at his hand, contemplating, "First, I'll activate the spell card Dragon Shrine! This card lets me send one Dragon type monster from my deck to the graveyard, and if the card I sent was a Normal Monster, which it was, I can send one more!"

"Next, from my hand, I'll activate the spell card Silver's Cry! Now, I can special summon one normal Dragon-type monster from my graveyard, and I pick Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!" he shouted, placing one of his favorite cards in the monster zone.

A large, black dragon with leathery, dark red wings and glowing red eyes appeared on the field, roaring with power.

Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon – Dark/Dragon/Gemini/Effect/LV7 – 2400 ATK/2000 DEF

"That's not all!" he continued.

"Oh?" the proctor prompted.

Lance nodded, grinning, "Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon isn't any normal monster! It's a Gemini monster. And since I haven't normal summoned this turn, I can Gemini summon it! Now, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon, show your true power!" Lance's monster roared in triumph, its wings bursting into intense flames.

"Impressive." the proctor admitted. "But your monster's attack points have not changed at all."

Lance smirked, "True, but his points are still higher than your Great Angus'! Now, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon! Attack his Great Angus! Inferno Fire Blast!"

The powerful black dragon roared, gathering a large sphere of fire in its maw before firing, annihilating Great Angus in an explosion of flames as the proctor braced himself.

Lance: 7000
Proctor: 7900

The proctor thrust his arm out, "I activate my traps, both of which are known as Backfire! Now, whenever a fire attribute monster I control is destroyed, you take 500 points of damage!" he explained.

Lance's eyes widened, "What?" he yelped, bracing himself as two separate explosions happened around him.

Lance: 6000
Proctor: 7900

Lance recovered quickly, "Didn't expect that, but don't think I'll be the only one taking burn damage this turn!"

"Excuse me?"

Lance smirked, "That's Black Flare's effect! Whenever he attacks or is attacked, my opponent takes 2400 points of damage! Now, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon! Once more! Inferno Fire Blast!" he ordered.

Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon opened its mouth again, firing yet another fiery blast at his master's opponent. The proctor flinched, holding his duel disk up to instinctively stave off the attack, to no avail.

Lance: 6000
Proctor: 5500

"Finally, I'll place two cards face down, and end my turn." Lance smiled, placing two cards in his Spell/Trap Card zones.

"Not bad, applicant." the proctor complimented with a smile. "But don't think you've won just yet! My turn, draw!"

Turn 3 – Proctor

"First, I'll activate the spell card Premature Burial! By paying 800 Life Points, I can revive one monster from my graveyard, and since I only have one monster in my graveyard, of course I'll pick Great Angus!"

Lance: 6000
Proctor: 4700

The proctor's ferocious beast returned to the field, roaring in anger at its destroyer.

Great Angus – Fire/Beast/Normal/LV4 – 1800 ATK - 2300 ATK/600 DEF - 200

"Now, I'll activate the spell card Creature Swap! Now, we each choose one monster and switch them with each other!" he explained. "Since we each only have one monster on the field, I think you can see where this is going."

Lance grimaced, easily understanding what was about to happen.

"Now, Great Angus! Switch with Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!" the proctor commanded.

Black Flare roared in anger as it was forced to the proctor's field. If the proctor didn't know better, he would think Black Flare was actually glaring at him. But that was ridiculous. It was only a hologram.

Right?

The man shook the thoughts out of his head, returning his focus to his opponent, who looked rather miffed about his monster being stolen from him. The proctor smirked, "Now, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon, destroy Great Angus! Inferno Fire Blast!"

Black Flare launched its signature attack at Great Angus once again, sending it back to the graveyard as it cried in betrayal.

Lance: 5900
Proctor: 4700

Lance frowned, knowing what was coming next.

"I see by the look on your face, you know what's coming." the proctor said.

"Of course I do! It's my monster, after all." Lance growled.

The man smirked, "Well then, get ready! Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon! Go! Inferno Fire Blast!"

Lance held up his right arm, blocking the holographic attack with his duel disk. This didn't stop him from taking the burn damage.

Lance: 3500
Proctor: 4700

"And with that, I'll end my turn." the proctor said, smiling at him somewhat regretfully. "Well, it was an impressive showing, applicant, but it appears you will have to wait until next year to enter Duel Academy."

Lance looked down and took a deep breath. Then, he looked up at the proctor with a smirk, "I don't think so! 'Cause this duel... is over! My turn, draw!"

Turn 4 – Lance

"First, I'll activate the spell card Monster Reborn! I'm sure I don't have to explain what this does, but I will anyway. This card lets me revive any monster from either of our graveyards! And I'll pick the first monster I sent to the graveyard with Dragon Shrine, the one, the only, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

The black dragon of potential appeared on the field, roaring in rage as it saw its opponent, as if it were angry at Black Flare for serving another Duelist. Black Flare seemed to realize this as it shrunk back.

Red-Eyes Black Dragon – Dark/Dragon/Normal/LV7 – 2400 ATK/2000 DEF

"Don't worry, Red-Eyes. I'll end it this turn, so he'll be back with us soon." Lance declared.

The proctor raised an eyebrow, "Oh? As far as I can tell, Red-Eyes has the same amount of attack points as Black Flare, and I know for a fact that Red-Eyes has no effect."

Lance grinned, "It doesn't need one. This will end it either way! Now, Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Attack Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon! Inferno Fire Blast!" he commanded, surprising the proctor.

"But our monster's have the same amount of attack points! If you attack, both of them will be destroyed!" the man shouted.

"I know what I'm doing!" he replied, twitching only slightly at the man declaring Black Flare 'his'.

Red-Eyes opened its maw, gathering the energy for its signature attack, trusting its Duelist to know what he was doing.

"In that case, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon! Return fire with your own Inferno Fire Blast!" he commanded. Black Flare opened its own mouth, hesitantly gathering energy for its own attack.

"Fire!/Attack!"

Both black dragons launched their identical attacks simultaneously, annihilating each other at the same moment.

"Now, I activate my face down, Red-Eyes Burn! When a Red-Eyes monster I control is destroyed, we both take damage equal to its attack points!" Lance revealed, activating his trap.

The proctor's eyebrows rose, "Ah, I understand. But I still fail to see how this ends in my defeat."

Lance smirked, "Well, then you should wait for me to finish. See, we would both take damage if it weren't for my other face-down, Barrel Behind the Door!" he revealed, thrusting his arm out. "Now, when a card is activated that would cause me effect damage, you take that damage instead!" he explained triumphantly. He could have activated this card when his opponent used Black Flare's effect, but he had already formed this plan when his opponent stole Black Flare from him.

The proctor's eyes widened, "But that's...!"

Lance grinned, "4800 points of damage! Which is more than you can spare!"

A large, fiery explosion overtook the whole field, engulfing the proctor. It also tried to engulf Lance as well, but the Barrel absorbed it before firing it back at the proctor, depleting the last of his Life Points.

Lance: 3500
Proctor: 0

"It's my win!" Lance said, smiling happily as the proctor walked over to him.

The man held out Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon to him, "Congratulations, applicant! Well done, and welcome to Duel Academy."

"Thanks! Happy to be here!" he replied, handing over Great Angus to the proctor.

'Well, that wasn't too difficult.' the red-haired teen thought absentmindedly as he made back to where he had been sitting before.

Noah seemed to be reassessing him as he got there, "Not bad."

Lance smiled, "Thanks. Hope you do well, even though you don't really need to, I guess."

Noah inclined his head in thanks, "I thought he had you when he took your dragon. You turned that around wonderfully. If I might ask, why did you not use Barrel Behind the Door when he used Black Flare's effect?"

"Oh, well, I could have, but I already had my strategy when he took Black Flare, and it wouldn't have really made a difference in the end." he explained.

Noah nodded in understanding, "I see. Well-"

He was cut off by a voice coming over the P.A. System, "Noah Thomas to field seven. Noah Thomas to field seven."

Noah sighed, rising from his seat. "Well, it seems it's my turn."

Lance nodded at him, "Good luck. I'll be watching." he said as Noah walked away. Thinking about it for a few seconds, he decided to find a seat closer to field seven so he could have a better view.

After a few minutes, Noah appeared on the field with his duel disk strapped to his arm. The proctor across from him – a different one that Lance had dueled – began speaking to him. Lance leaned forward to hear better.

"I see you've already been accepted into the Academy, applicant." the man said gruffly, activating his duel disk. "Let's see if you've earned it!"

Noah said nothing in reply, only activating his own duel disk.

"Let's Duel!"

Noah: 8000
Proctor: 8000

Turn 1 – Proctor

"My turn, draw! First off, I'll play the Field Spell, A Legendary Ocean!" the proctor announced, placing the card in the Field Spell zone. A large underwater city sprouted up around them, making it seem like they were dueling underwater. "This spell decreases the level of all Water attribute monsters on the field and in our hands by one. Also, all Water monsters gain 200 attack and defense points."

"Next, I'll play the continuous spell, Water Hazard! Once per turn, if I control no monsters, I can special summon one level 4 or lower Water monster in my hand. Since I do not control any monsters at the moment, I'll special summon Cyber Shark in attack mode!" the proctor declared. A large, cybernetic shark appeared on the field, roaring ferociously at Noah as its attack and defense points increased due to A Legendary Ocean.

Cyber Shark – Water/Fish/Effect/LV5 - LV4 – 2100 ATK - 2300 ATK/2000 DEF - 2200 DEF

"Next, I'll summon Mermaid Knight in attack mode!" he continued, a beautiful mermaid with a shield and sword appearing on his side of the field beside Cyber Shark.

Mermaid Knight – Water/Aqua/Effect/LV4 - LV3 – 1500 ATK - 1700 ATK/700 DEF - 900 DEF

"Now, I'll play the spell card, Aqua Jet! This lets me increase the attack points of one fish, sea serpent, or aqua type monster I control, and I pick Mermaid Knight!"

Mermaid Knight – 1700 ATK - 2700 ATK

"Finally, I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

Throughout all this, Noah continued to stare flatly at his opponent. "Hmph. My turn, draw."

Turn 2 – Noah

"First, by banishing two Infernoid monsters in my hand, I can special summon Infernoid Seitsemas in attack mode." Noah said stoically.

A large, predominantly purple, winged, metallic... thing appeared on the field, crying out with a grating metallic sound, carrying a spear in its right hand.

Infernoid Seitsemas – Fire/Fiend/Effect/LV7 – 2600 ATK/0 DEF

Noah then waved his arm in a grand gesture, "Now, Infernoid Seitsemas, attack Cyber Shark!"

Infernoid Seitsemas roared its metallic cry again before rushing forward and impaling the cybernetic shark through its eye, causing the shark to explode into thousands of tiny pixels.

Noah: 8000
Proctor: 7700

"Now, Seitsemas' effect activates! At the end of the Battle Phase, if this card attacked my opponent's monster, I can banish one card on the field, and I choose Mermaid Knight!" the black-haired boy exclaimed quietly. Infernoid Seitsemas raised its right arm and fired out a plume of purple fire at Mermaid Knight, causing it to cry out as it vanished into a void.

The proctor grimaced as he took Mermaid Knight off his duel disk and placed it into his deck pouch.

Up in the stands, Lance was impressed, 'Wow, he managed to clear the field of two powerful monsters in one turn easily.' he thought with a smirk. 'Heh, I want to duel him.'

"Next, I'll set a monster and finish my turn with a face down." Noah finished, crossing his arms.

Turn 3 – Proctor

The proctor grimaced as he took in situation, but continued the duel nonetheless, "My turn, draw! I play Pot of Greed! This allows me to draw two cards." the man said, doing so. Lance saw the smile that spread across his face from where he was sitting, "First, I activate the effect of Water Hazard. Since I control no monsters, I can special summon Space Mambo in attack mode!"

Space Mambo – Water/Fish/Normal/LV4 - LV3 – 1700 ATK - 1900 ATK/1000 DEF - 1200 DEF

"That card will not help your situation." Noah said flatly.

The proctor smiled, "Perhaps. But since I haven't normal summoned this turn, I can sacrifice Space Mambo to summon the mighty Levia-Dragon Daedalus in attack mode!"

An absolutely gigantic blue sea serpent appeared behind the proctor, its ear-shattering roar shaking the field.

Levia-Dragon Daedalus – Water/Sea Serpent/Effect/LV7 - LV6 – 2600 ATK - 2800 ATK/1500 DEF - 1700 DEF

The proctor thrust his arm out dramatically, "Even though my monster is now stronger than yours, I think I'll activate its effect instead! Now, by sending Umi on the field to the graveyard, I can destroy all cards on the field except for Daedalus!" he explained.

Noah's eyes widened slightly, "And A Legendary Ocean is treated as Umi..." he murmured to himself, but the proctor heard him anyway.

"That's right, applicant!" the man shouted as Levia-Dragon opened its maw wide and sucked in all the water around them.

Noah closed his eyes in annoyance, "I activate my trap, Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai! With this trap, I tribute one of my Fire attribute monsters, and my opponent takes damage equal to that monster's attack points! And of course I'm going to tribute the only one I can, Infernoid Seitsemas! And that means 2600 points of damage!" he exclaimed. The proctor frowned, bracing himself for the damage.

Noah: 8000
Proctor: 5100

"Regardless of that, your last card will still be destroyed!" the man exclaimed as Daedalus fired a frankly impossible amount of water from its mouth, annihilating Noah's last card.

Noah smiled slightly, "The monster you just destroyed with Daedalus' effect was Fiendish Hound Octhros!" he began, showing the card to his opponent. "When this card is sent from the field to the graveyard, I can take one Level 8 Fiend type monster from my deck and add it to my hand. And the monster I choose is Infernoid Attondel!" he explained, grabbing the card from where it protruded from his deck.

Lance smiled, 'Man, he made that proctor's move more wasteful for him than hurtful to himself. I really want to duel him now. Still...'

The proctor smiled, "Good move, applicant. However, that won't save you from my monster's attack!" he shouted, causing Noah to grimace, knowing it was the truth. "Now, Levia-Dragon Daedalus, attack!" Daedalus roared, spewing a high-pressure stream of water at the aspiring Obelisk.

Noah: 5400
Proctor: 5100

"And with that, I end my turn." the proctor finished.

Noah stood with his eyes closed, releasing a slow breath. His eyes suddenly snapped open, "My turn, draw!" he shouted as he ripped the top card from his deck.

Turn 4 - Noah

"I play Pot of Greed! This lets me draw twice more! Now, by banishing the two Infernoid monsters I just drew, I can special summon Infernoid Attondel from my hand." he explained, slamming the card down on his duel disk.

A massive mechanical dragon-like creature with a fire burning in its chest plate appeared behind Noah, its roar so thunderous it drew the attention of everyone in the testing center.

Infernoid Attondel – Fire/Fiend/Effect/LV8 – 2800 ATK/0 DEF

"Now I play Burial From a Different Dimension! With this card, I can select up to three of my banished monsters and return them to my graveyard!" Noah explained, taking the three Infernoid monsters from his deck pouch. "But they won't be staying around for long! Because now I banish two of them to special summon Infernoid Seitsemas from my graveyard in attack position!" he yelled while the mechanical creature reappeared on the field beside Attondel.

Infernoid Seitsemas – Fire/Fiend/Effect/LV7 – 2600 ATK/0 DEF

The proctor's mouth twisted into a deep frown, "It seems I've lost this duel. Go on, applicant. Finish this."

Noah inclined his head, "Very well. Now, Infernoid Attondel, attack Levia-Dragon Daedalus!"

Attondel screeched, crossing its enormous arms across its chest, building up the fire in its chest plate. Everything was still for a moment before Attondel uncrossed its arms sharply, kicking up a heavy wind while also firing a massive sphere of flames at Daedalus, annihilating it in a vast explosion.

Noah: 5400
Proctor: 4900

Noah thrust his arm out, "Now, Infernoid Attondel's effect activates! Whenever it destroys my opponent's monster, it can attack again! Go, Infernoid Attondel, attack him directly!" Infernoid Attondel roared once more, again firing a sphere of flames from its chest plate at the proctor.

Noah: 5400
Proctor: 2100

"Now, Infernoid Seitsemas! Attack him directly and finish this duel!" the black-haired boy ordered stonily.

Infernoid Seitsemas screeched, pulling its arm back and throwing its spear at the proctor, who gulped noticeably as the large, decorative weapon went through his chest.

If it had been real, it would surely have split him in half.

Noah: 5400
Proctor: 0

Noah's opponent took a deep breath, "Congratulations, applicant. Your performance just now shows that you certainly belong in this Academy. Welcome to Obelisk Blue." he congratulated, holding his hand out.

Noah nodded, shaking the man's hand, "Thank you. I'll be sure to learn much from such a prestigious institution."

Lance was applauding cheekily as Noah sat down next to him, "Good job, man. You had that duel under control from the beginning." he complimented, honestly impressed.

Noah inclined his head, "Thank you. As I said before, you did well, too."

Lance scoffed, "Not as well as you."

Noah simply shrugged, "Perhaps."

…

…

"...So, what do we do, now?" Lance asked after a short silence.

"It does not matter. You can leave. If you did well enough in your practical, you'll be contacted. I, on the other hand, am going to stay." Noah said brusquely.

"Scoping out the competition?" Lance asked perceptively, smirking wryly.

Noah hummed noncommittally.

"You mind if I stay?"

Noah looked at him from the corner of his eyes, "Not at all."

Both boys stayed for several more hours, watching duel after duel, some of which were better than others. Only a few really stuck out, such as Chazz Princeton, who Noah had gone to Preparatory School with, but didn't seem overly fond of, actually sneering when he first saw the boy. He Princeton was decent, but he gave off the air of thinking he was way, way better than he actually was.

Another was Alexis Rhodes, who won the duel with few life points, but clearly had control of it the entire time. Most of the hits to her life points were caused by her own cards and her taking direct attacks to save her monsters.

Noah also pointed out Bastion Misawa, who had gotten the highest score on the written exam of all the applicants that had taken it. He had won his duel, but neither Noah or Lance were all that impressed. His deck wasn't anything special – almost suspiciously so – and he hadn't performed any amazing moves. But, Lance supposed, the fact that he won was all that mattered in the end.

After Bastion, there was one more, last minute duel, one Jaden Yuki against...

"What in the world is that?" Lance exclaimed loudly.

Noah chuckled softly, "That would be Doctor Vellian Crowler. He's unfortunately the head of the Obelisk Blue boy's dorm as well as a Professor at Duel Academy." he said before his eyes narrowed. "Why is he dueling? That's not his job." he murmured to himself.

"Maybe that kid's a special case, or something?" Lance said, though he sounded as if he didn't believe it.

Noah leaned forward, linking his fingers together and resting his chin on them, "Hmm, I'm sure we'll see soon."

"Duel!"

Jaden: 8000
Crowler: 8000

Turn 1 – Jaden

"Well, here goes!" Jaden began, looking at his hand. "Sweet! I'm summoning Elemental Hero Avian in defense mode!"

Elemental Hero Avian – Wind/Warrior/Normal/LV3 – 1000 ATK/1000 DEF

"Next, I'll throw down a face down! Alright! Get your game on!" Jaden said, grinning.

Turn 2 – Crowler

Crowler grumbled as he drew, "Alright, first off, I'll play two face downs, and then play the spell card, Heavy Storm! This spell card destroys every other spell and trap card on the field!" he announced. A gale-force wind kicked up around the two duelists, destroying Jaden's trap – which turned out to be Draining Shield – as well as taking out both of Crowler's.

"Whoopsie! Did you forget that you had two trap cards on the field yourself?" Jaden yelled gleefully.

Crowler's mouth twisted into an ugly smirk, "Now, now, you really must learn not to speak out of turn!" he said condescendingly as the field around them darkened.

Jaden gasped, "What's happening?"

Crowler's smirk widened, "It's quite simple. Both of the trap cards that I just destroyed with Heavy Storm are known as Statue of the Wicked." he explained as two golden, snake-like creatures rose up in front of him, roaring at the Kuriboh-haired duelist. "When Statue of the Wicked is destroyed, I get to special summon two Wicked Tokens to the field!"

Wicked Token – Dark/Fiend/Token/LV4 – 1000 ATK/1000 DEF

Wicked Token – Dark/Fiend/Token/LV4 – 1000 ATK/1000 DEF

"Ready for your next lesson?" Crowler taunted smugly. But Jaden only laughed.

"Haha! You bet! I can't remember the last time learning was this much fun!" he said happily.

Crowler humphed, "Yes, well, I'm quite an excellent teacher, thank you." the supposed man then waved his arm in a grand gesture. "And now I sacrifice my two Wicked Tokens to summon Ancient Gear Golem!" he called out, a massive ancient-looking automaton appearing on the field behind him.

Ancient Gear Golem – Earth/Machine/Effect/LV8 – 3000 ATK/3000 DEF

"That is no test deck." Noah said, his eyes narrow.

Lance arched an eyebrow, "Really?"

The Infernoid duelist nodded seriously, "No test deck would have such powerful cards, especially not one as rare as that Ancient Gear Golem. In fact, I'd say that deck probably belongs to the Doctor himself."

Lance frowned slightly, "But why would he duel some random kid with his real deck?"

Noah stayed silent.

Lance's eyes suddenly widened, "Wait! Don't tell me it's because that Jaden kid came in a little late!" he blurted out.

Noah shrugged, "I don't know Crowler at all, but that seems to be the case." he answered stonily.

Lance slumped back in his seat, "Wow, that's low. I already don't like this guy." he muttered angrily, glowering at the blond man. "Let's hope that guy can turn it around."

Noah looked at him, "You suddenly want Yuki to win?"

"Yep." the redhead answered simply. "I don't like people like that."

"Now, now, I hope you're not too scared by my legendary Ancient Gear Golem." Crowler said smugly.

Jaden only smirked, "Aw, no way! I've always wanted to take one on!" he declared, causing gasps to erupt from the students watching the duel.

Crowler cackled, "Golem, attack! Mechanized Melee!"

Ancient Gear Golem pulled its massive, mechanical fist back before throwing it forward in a lurching way, smashing Avian into thousands of tiny, yellow pixels.

"And don't think you're safe just because your monster was in defense position. Because, you see, my Golem inflicts piercing damage!" Crowler announced shrilly.

Jaden gulped, bracing himself as Ancient Gear Golem's holographic fist went through him, taking a chunk of his life points with it.

Jaden: 6000
Crowler: 8000

Crowler chuckled, "Don't feel bad, this is the top Dueling School in the country!" he called out to Jaden smugly, who had his head down. "Some people simply aren't cut out for..."

He was cut off by Jaden laughing loudly, "Boy, I really want to come to this school now! You really know your stuff, teach."

Crowler gritted his teeth, growling. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn.

Turn 3 – Jaden

Jaden was oblivious to the blond Professor's anger. He drew his next card and stared at it in slight surprise. "Okay, I summon Winged Kuriboh in defense mode."

Winged Kuriboh – Light/Fairy/Effect/LV1 – 300 ATK/200 DEF

"And I'll place one card face down." Jaden finished. "Not bad, huh, teach?"

Crowler laughed loudly, "No, not bad, but you must understand... I'm a master tactician. A Kuriboh to me is rather pedestrian. Even if it has wings, its defense points are still no match for my Ancient Gear Golem's attack points. It's a textbook mistake, don't feel bad. Now, let's proceed." he said faux-soothingly.

Turn 4 – Crowler

"With the legendary Ancient Gear Golem! Attack that Kuriboh with Mechanized Melee!"

The small, furry creature stood no chance against the ancient machine's power and was annihilated instantly.

'Sorry, Winged Kuriboh.' Jaden thought regretfully.

"Hmph, check your gear. You're life points haven't changed." Crowler said with a frown.

Jaden smiled, "My gear's fine. On the turn Winged Kuriboh is destroyed, I take zero damage."

Crowler looked shocked, but quickly recovered, "Fine, fine. I guess your lame little monster save you there."

For the first time since the duel began, Jaden became upset, "Hey, slow down there! You may have beaten him, but that doesn't give you the right to call him lame!" the Kuriboh-head yelled indignantly.

Crowler chuckled, "Ah, yes, I forget how attacked you new duelists get to your monsters. I'm sorry." he said mockingly.

Jaden smirked, "Well you should be! Because by destroying my monster, you set off my trap card! One of my favorites, too! Hero Signal!" A bright light shot out of the trap, making a stylized 'H' on the ceiling above them. "And that brings out my second Elemental Hero, Burstinatrix!"

The first female Elemental Hero appeared on the field in a small burst of flames and a war cry.

Elemental Hero Burstinatrix – Fire/Warrior/Normal/LV3 – 1200 ATK/800 DEF

Turn 5 – Jaden

"My turn, draw!" Jaden continued. "Alright, Winged Kuriboh, this next one's gonna be for you. First off, I'm gonna bring back Avian to my hand with the spell card, The Warrior Returning Alive! And now I'm gonna summon him to the field!" Jaden retrieved the feathered Hero and immediately placed it onto his duel disk.

Elemental Hero Avian – Wind/Warrior/Normal/LV3 – 1000 ATK/1000 DEF

"Oh, okay, another amateurish mistake, but this is good, this is good... Now, would anyone like to tell me what our little friend here-"

"Actually, I wasn't done yet." Jaden cut in. "See, I know neither of my heroes are very powerful by themselves, but if I can form them together, that's another story!" Jaden said, taking another card from his hand and showing it to his opponent. "And I have just the card to unite them! Polymerization! Join Avian and Burstinatrix! Fusion Summon! Level Six! Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" Jaden cried passionately.

Avian and Burstinatrix were sucked into a swirling void, and reappearing in their place was a powerful-looking red and green amalgamation of both with a large dragon head for a right hand.

Elemental Hero Flame Wingman – Wind/Warrior/Fusion/Effect/LV6 – 2100 ATK/1200 DEF

"I hope your Gear Golem is ready for a clash of the titans!" Jaden said with a grin on his face. "So, teach, what do ya think?"

"I think you're dueling very well for an amateur. But next time, try summoning a monster with more attack points than what's already on the field." Crowler answered snobbishly. "Now, I am a busy man, so are you done yet?"

"Of course I'm not done yet! And of course I knew that my Flame Wingman had less attack points than your Golem. That's why I had this." Jaden said, showing the last card in his hand to his opponent. "Skyscraper."

As soon as he placed the Field Spell into his duel disk, holographic skyscrapers sprouted up around him and the field was shrouded in a moonlit darkness, mimicking a city during the nighttime. Flame Wingman rose up and took a perch on the highest building.

Jaden grinned widely, "Alright Flame Wingman, go show those heroics and attack that Ancient Gear Golem! Skydive Scorcher!"

Flame Wingman grunted, enveloping himself in fire as he leapt from his perch, diving straight for the Ancient Gear Golem.

Crowler snickered, "Fine with me. Bring him on! This silly little field spell hasn't lowered my Golem's attack points at all!"

"Yeah, but whenever an Elemental Hero monster attack another monster that has more attack points than it and Skyscraper is on the field, that Hero gains 1000 attack points!" Jaden explained triumphantly.

Elemental Hero Flame Wingman – 2100 ATK - 3100 ATK

Crowler blanched, "W-Wait! Time-out!" he cried, but it was for naught as Jaden's monster annihilated his ace.

Jaden: 6000
Crowler: 7900

"T-This can't be! He was one of my best cards!" the Ancient Gear duelist bemoaned.

Jaden interrupted the man's lamenting, "And, thanks to Flame Wingman's effect, you take damage equal to that Golem's attack points. Sweet, huh?"

"N-No way..."

Jaden: 6000
Crowler: 4900

Lance laughed, "Man, he turned that around quick!"

Noah was smiling slightly, "Perhaps, but its not over yet."

Turn 6 – Crowler

Crowler growled loudly, "You think you can make a fool of me! It's not over yet! My turn, draw!" He looked at the card in his hand and smiled, "My hand is a little low right now, so I think I'll fill it up with the spell card, Card of Sanctity! This card allows both of us to draw until we hold six cards in our hand." he explained as he refilled his hand, Jaden doing the same. Crowler then smiled in a very unfriendly way, "Ah, perfect. First, I think I'll activate the spell, Mystical Space Typhoon! This handy little card allows me to destroy one spell or trap card on the field, and I think I'll pick Skyscraper!"

Jaden grimaced as his field spell was annihilated by the massive space vortex.

Crowler laughed uproariously, "Now, I'll summon Red Gadget in attack mode!"

Red Gadget – Earth/Machine/Effect/LV4 – 1300 ATK/1500 DEF

"Uh, teach, that monster doesn't have enough attack points to beat my Flame Wingman..." Jaden trailed off awkwardly.

"All in due time. And my little friend here has an effect. Whenever Red Gadget is summoned, I can bring one Yellow Gadget to my hand from my deck." Crowler continued, grabbing the card from where it was protruding from his deck. "Next, I'll activate my continuous trap, Ultimate Offering!" Crowler began, thrusting his arm out as the trap card he had placed on his first turn revealed itself. "This nifty little trap allows me to to summon another monster by paying a trivial 500 life points. I think I'll use its effect now to summon Yellow Gadget!"

Jaden: 6000
Crowler: 4400

The small yellow mechanical creature appeared on the field next to its red counterpart.

Yellow Gadget – Earth/Machine/Effect/LV4 – 1200 ATK/1200 DEF

"Er, I'm still not seeing it..."

"Patience, young scholar. You see, the wonderful think about my Ultimate Offering is that I can use it however my times I wish!" he revealed grandly.

Jaden blinked, "Really? Wow, that's one sweet card."

Crowler chuckled, "Indeed it is. Now, I'll use its effect once again, paying another measly 500 life points..."

Jaden: 6000
Crowler: 3900

"...And sacrifice my Red Gadget and my Yellow Gadget to summon my other rare monster, Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon!"

With an ear-shattering roar, the ancient mechanical dragon-like beast appeared on the field, its form even bigger than that of the Ancient Gear Golem.

Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon – Earth/Machine/Effect/LV8 – 3000 ATK/2000 DEF

Lance leaned forward, his eyes wide, "Whoa, he had another monster just as powerful as that Golem?"

Noah watched the duel blankly, "So it seems. This certainly isn't good for Yuki."

"Yeah, that combo with Skyscraper and Flame Wingman was great, but I don't see how he'll get out of this one." the redhead said, grimacing.

"Now, Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon! Annihilate Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" Crowler ordered gleefully. The great creature roared in response before it lurched forward and snapped its powerful jaws around Flame Wingman, who cried out as he was destroyed.

Jaden: 5100
Crowler: 3900

Jaden grimaced as he watched one of his favorite monsters be annihilated. Crowler's voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"And that's not all, Yuki!" the blond man grinned. "You see, depending on which monsters I sacrificed to summon it, my Gadjiltron Dragon gains two different effects!"

"What?!"

Crowler snickered, "Oh, yes, and since I summoned it using Red Gadget, whenever my Dragon inflicts you with battle damage, you take an extra 400 points of damage!"

Jaden grimaced as his life points dropped further.

Jaden: 4700
Crowler: 3900

But Crowler wasn't finished, "And since I summoned it by also sacrificing Yellow Gadget, whenever it destroy a monster by battle, you take yet another 600 points of damage!" he revealed, cackling loudly as Jaden's life points took another hit.

Jaden: 4100
Crowler: 3900

"Now, do you see? Your field is empty and I doubt you have a monster capable of competing with my Dragon. Why don't you just surrender now and perhaps keep a little of your dignity?" Crowler taunted, a smug smile on his face.

Jaden only laughed, "No way! I have to admit, that's one powerful card, but I'll never give up until my life points hit zero! My turn, draw!"

Turn 7 – Jaden

Jaden grinned, "Aw, sweet! Thanks to your Card of Sanctity, I drew another Polymerization! And I think I'll play it now! So, I'll fuse the Elemental Hero Ocean and the Elemental Hero Ice Edge in my hand to Fusion Summon the Level Eight Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" the Hero user cried out.

Ice spread across the floor and in a blast of cold mist, a warrior in elegant snow-white armor and a long white cape appeared on the field with a battle cry.

Elemental Hero Absolute Zero – Water/Warrior/Fusion/Effect/LV8 – 2500 ATK/2000 DEF

Crowler shrugged, "Impressive monster, I admit, but without Skyscraper, I'm afraid he stands no chance against my Dragon."

"I know that!" Jaden said with a big smile. "But he won't be sticking around long! Because now I play the spell card, De-Fusion! Now, by sending Absolute Zero back to my Extra Deck, I can special summon both monsters I fused together onto the field! Say hello to Elemental Hero Ocean and Elemental Hero Ice Edge!"

In a burst of cold mist, Absolute Zero vanished from the field and in his place a fish-like warrior with a large spear and what looked like a smaller weaker version of Absolute Zero appeared on Jaden's field.

Elemental Hero Ocean – Water/Warrior/Effect/LV4 – 1500 ATK/1200 DEF

Elemental Hero Ice Edge – Water/Warrior/Effect/LV3 – 800 ATK/900 DEF

"And what, pray tell, was the point of that?" Crowler scoffed.

"That's easy! See, whenever Absolute Zero leaves the field, all monsters my opponent controls are automatically destroyed." Jaden explained happily.

Crowler stood uncomprehendingly for a moment before the realization hit him, "It can't be!" he screamed as he looked up at his dragon, which, sure enough, was being steadily covered in a thick layer of ice. With a mournful groan, Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon shattered into thousands of pixels.

"And now, since I haven't normal summoned this turn, I can summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat!" Jaden continued, the second female Elemental Hero appearing on the field beside the other two Heroes.

Elemental Hero Lady Heat – Fire/Pyro/Effect/LV4 – 1300 ATK/1000 DEF

Jaden thrust his arm out, "Now, Elemental Hero Ocean! Ice Edge! Lady Heat! Attack him directly!"

Crowler stepped back, a horrified look on his face as he was blasted with water, ice, and fire, "No, no, no!"

Jaden: 4100
Crowler: 300

Noah smiled in slight amusement, "Yuki is completely overwhelming Crowler."

Lance had no response. He was too busy laughing.

The blond Professor stood stock-still with a furious look plastered on his face, "Y-You little...!" he trailed off, taking a deep breath to calm down. After looking at his remaining hand, that anger turned into glee and he began chuckling, which soon turned into an uproarious laugh.

Jaden looked confused, "Uh... are you okay, Doc?"

Crowler looked at him with amusement, "Oh, I'm fine, my boy! Just fine! You certainly had a fine showing, but I'm afraid this is as far as you go."

"Huh?"

"Yes, you see, with the cards I have in my hand, my victory is assured." the Professor said arrogantly.

"Uh..."

"Yes, next turn I will activate Monster Reborn to revive my Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon! And then, using Limiter Removal, I can double its attack points. True, my Dragon will be destroyed during my end phase, but since its attack points will be a whopping 6000, that will be more than enough to take out the rest of your life points no matter which monster I choose to destroy." Crowler explained smugly, cackling once more.

Lance looked incredulously at the blond man, "Did he seriously just tell his opponent his strategy?"

Noah shook his head, a disgusted sneer on his face, "Fool."

Jaden decided to interrupt the blond man's gloating, "Er, I hate to burst your bubble, doc, but you're not gonna have a next turn..." he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

Crowler pinned the boy with his gaze, "What are you babbling on about? You've already summoned this turn and conducted your battle phase! There's nothing left for you to do."

"Not exactly. See, my Lady Heat has an effect..."

Crowler began to feel a pit of dread form in his stomach.

"...when I end my turn, you take 200 points of damage..."

The pit of dread began to loosen as he realized he'd still have some points left. That is, until Jaden finished.

"...for every Elemental Hero monster on my field." the Kuriboh-head said, flashing his opponent a peace sign. Lady Heat raised here arms and gathered a small ball of flames before firing it at the Ancient Gear duelist.

"W-What?! This can't be!" Crowler choked out as his life points dwindled to zero.

Jaden: 4100
Crowler: 0

Jaden winked and pointed his fingers at Crowler, "And that's game!"

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

"Ha! He's pretty good! Wouldn't mind dueling him myself." Lance said with a grin. Noah nodded in agreement as they both watched Jaden celebrate his entrance into the Academy and flash peace signs at the watching audience.

Soon after, Lance and Noah parted ways, the former returning home to celebrate his Academy entrance with his mother and brother.

As you've seen, I will be using the occasional anime/manga only cards, and sometimes I'll also use the anime effect while other times I'll use the real effect. It works out better this way.

If your wondering why I'm using 8000 instead of 4000, well, the burn damage of Black Flare and later on, Black Dragon Archfiend is just so massive, I had to find a way to make duels last longer than a couple turns, especially since he could get out both rather easily, albeit perhaps not in the same turn.

By the way, Arc-V's pretty kick-ass, isn't it? Even though I'm not really a fan of Pendulum Summoning.

Until next time!