Brent was running full speed through the streets of Miami City. Why did I have to miss the bus today of all days, Brent thought. I've got to get up there. I was chosen as one of the participants for today's exhibition match! He turned a corner and nearly plowed into a woman standing next to a news stand. "Sorry," he called back to her, still running. The satchel he always wore flapped behind him. Luckily he had his Duel Disk on his arm, otherwise it may have fallen from his bag already. He knew he had lost at least two sheets of his homework already, but he couldn't spare the time to grab them.

He was two blocks away, and he saw one of the buses that had dropped its students off already. He dashed across a crosswalk, but the signal still showed the orange palm that signaled not to cross. He narrowly avoided being hit by a small car that was pulling out of the side-road he had been crossing.. Despite the angry honking of the driver, he continued to push on. Now he was one block away, but on the wrong side of the street. He closed the distance quickly between him and the next crosswalk. This time he waited for the signal to allow him passage, which only took ten seconds, thankfully, and dashed across to the other side, where Leo Duel School's doors were. He got inside just before the tardy bell rang, and just about collapsed on the floor.

He had to make it to the Center Court now and prepare for the exhibition Duel he had. He still hadn't heard who his opponent was, but was fairly confident he could handle whoever it was, especially now that he had made it to school just in the nick of time. He just needed something to drink first.

After stopping by one of the schools vending machines and getting a bottled water, Brent Rytora calmly made his way to the Center Court, the biggest and most incredible Dueling arena in the school. He sat in the waiting area, flipping through cards, grabbing sample hands, and swapping out certain cards in his Deck for what he thought he would need the most for this Duel. After about five minutes, he slid his Deck back into the Duel Disk, feeling as ready as he could be for the Duel. He then drained the last of his water and tossed the leftover bottle in a trashcan just as the Duel Coordinator poked his head in the room and gave Brent the thumbs up, indicating that the crowd of potential students had gathered for the Duel and were ready for some action.

He stepped out of the waiting room and into the Court. It was enormous, and unlikely that he and his opponent would be able to see each other once the Action Field had been activated. But then again, that depended all on what the Action Field was. Sometimes fields were flat and open, while others involved obstacles or hills. So now all he had to do was await his opponent and the MC's opening announcement.

Joshua, unlike Brent, got on the bus on time. He took a seat in the back and put on a pair of headphones, turning the volume up to the max and closing his eyes, blocking out everything around him. The ride to school was never important to him. The only important part was the school itself and whatever happened inside of it. When the bus finally stopped at the school, he opened his eyes and slowly worked his way off the bus with the rest of the students and then proceeded into the school. He made his way to the Court and took a seat among the gathering crowd. If he got called up the duel, that would be fine with him but he was just as happy watching the years new students duel and observe their decks to see if any of them would be interesting opponents.

Amelia had arrived at the school before it even opened up for the day, more because her parents made it so then because she wanted too. After they were out of view and went around the corner to wait. It was an hour before the first buses had arrived and the young girl hesitantly made her way to the front gates and into the school. She followed any instructions given until she ended up in the waiting room that would lead up to the Center Court and made her way to a secluded corner, taking out her deck and looking it over. She had yet to use the deck and she had only gotten it the night before. That fact made her scared that she wouldn't do very well but she would try her hardest and she hoped she would get better. She knew the rules of the game, having watched several duels on television.

Before she knew it she was called out to duel against someone. Taking a deep breathe she got up and walked out onto the Court, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Today was the day for the school entrance exhibition matches, but before he could drop in and watch them, Magnus had to prepare his classroom for the students he would soon have. unlike most of the other teachers, Magnus liked the idea of presentation, and decorated his room with dark braizers, holograms of occult objects, and gave the classroom the appearance of an occult temple, complete with a large holographic ring in the center of the classroom for him to teach what special summoning was and why it was so important. Not to mention Magnus's red warlock looking attire, complete with oversized book and a long burning staff which he carried in his left hand, set the mood quite nicely for teaching about summoning.

When he was happy with his decorations, his room looking vastly different from the others in the school, he set off towards the exhibition hall, making his way to the staff seats. Magnus was a newish professor to the school, and this would be his first year. Because of this, most of the faculty were not used to his overly zealous and eccentric nature, and didn't know how to think with his wardrobe and decoration choices. But they knew he was a skilled duelist in his own right and didn't treat him poorly, they just looked at him oddly, well, most of them.

"Good, I finished on time." He said as he entered the observers box for the exhibition match, sitting down at a chair near the front and looking down at the students who were getting ready to duel.

Michelle was looking through her cards while riding the bus, waiting for it to reach LDS. It was a big day, and she needed to make sure her deck, and more importantly, she, was strong enough to hold its own on the field. She had brought her other cards and was looking through all of them, swapping out cards when she felt it was necessary if her deck was to stay strong. Eventually she thought she was finished, but maybe there were other cards she hadn't gotten yet that could help. Nevertheless, she had to make do for now, and decided to put away her cards until it was time to duel. She could hardly sit still at the prospect of dueling, and she forced herself to stay calm. Eventually the bus arrived and she stepped out, taking a deep breath. She followed the other students into the school and into the Center Court, where apparently there was going to be an exhibition duel. That would be exciting, and might help her figure out which cards she would need to add and which to remove from her deck.

Once the last of the students had gotten off the bus, the driver started to pull away from the curb. his job done. It was only when he looked up in the mirror that he saw that there was still someone on the bus. A boy with brown hair was fast asleep in the seat just behind the driver's. If he'd been in any other seat the bus driver likely would have never seen him and continued to drive off.

"Boy, wake up!"

Saze slowly opened his eyes just enough to see who was yelling at him. Then he turned his head around to look at the other seats of the bus. "Where did everyone else go?" the boy mumbled still more than half asleep.

Something was off about this kid. "You were asleep when everyone else got off at the school," the driver explained, his exasperation showing in his words.

"Oh, okay" Saze stood up and started to walk towards the door off the bus. Something thunked to the floor as he stood, a gray metal cube that was connected to the boy's clothes by a long chain. "Oh, I need that," the boy said softly as he picked up the box. And with that he pushed open the bus door and stepped off.

"Why do I get the feeling that that one's going to be a hassle?" the bus driver said with a sigh. He'd just stared up the bus to drive off again when someone knocked on the bus door. It was the boy. The driver opened the door and said, "Yes?"

"Which way is it to the school?" Saze stifled a yawn with the back of his hand, unintentionally adding a half dozen extra O's to the word school.

The driver pointed back down the road, where the front entrance of the school was not a hundred beet away and clearly visible.

"Oh, thank you," Saze mumbled as he walked away. The bus driver drove off before the boy could think of any other way to hold him up.

Saze walked down the road a ways with his eyes mostly shut. After walking a little while, he opened his eyes and turned his head to the side. The front gate of Leo Duel School was open before him. He turned and shuffled onto school grounds. Since he wasn't really paying attention to where he was going, the next time Saze really looked around to get his bearings he found himself in a completely empty hallway. He didn't know where he was, but he did see a vending machine a ways away, so he walked towards it.

There was candy and snacks in the machine! Saze had't been hungry a second ago, at least he didn't think he had been, but seeing all the yummy snacks so near he was suddenly starving. After a few fruitless grabs, his fingers eventually found the chain that led to his box. He unlocked the metal box with a key from around his neck. Inside the box there was two places to put decks, one of which held his deck and the other of which was just filled with cards he occasionally put into his deck, and a small slot to hold a plastic card. Saze pulled out the latter and used it to buy as many snacks as he could carry.

Saze was much more awake and alert walking down the halls while chewing on yummy sugary gummy worms. He found a group of people gathered and followed them into a big arena-like space. Since he didn't know anyone else, Saze just took a seat next to the stairs and ate his snacks, humming nonsensical tunes with his mouth full and kicking his feet back and forth. He had no clue why he and everyone else was sitting in a big noisy arena, but he was glad that he'd managed to find something to snack on.

((Collab between Rethel34 & Joshua Tamashii))

“Alright students,” the MC began, “it’s time for an exhibition match featuring our Fusion and Synchro Courses! For our Fusion Course, the representative will be Brent Rytora! Then, his opponent and the representative of our Synchro Course . . . Amelia Averyonna! This Duel will be conducted under the official Action Duel guidelines, and in concordance with that, an Action Field must be selected.

“Action Field on!” the MC shouted. “And what better field for an entertaining public performance than the Field Spell, ‘Magical Broadway’!”

The Solid Vision with Mass generator below emitted its bright beams of light, and before everyone’s eyes, the Action Field took form, a gigantic street filled with neon signs and colors. The street was definitely built to make finding Action Cards difficult, but Brent had an idea he knew where to find some of them, but first he had to get there.

When “Magical Broadway” finally took its full shape, the MC continued. “Now Duelists, draw your first five cards!” As per the instructions, Brent activated his Duel Disk and grabbed the first five cards of his Deck. One glance at his hand was all he needed to know he had a chance to win.

“Duelists locked in battle, kicking against the earth and dancing through the skies with their monsters, they storm through this field! Behold, the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling! Action . . . !” The MC snapped his fingers above his head, and the Action Cards scattered across the field. A beat later, the audience shouted as one.

“DUEL!”

Amelia looked at the ground as her name was announced. She was already nervous enough as it was but to suddenly be in the spotlight was enough to scare her out of her mind. However, her fear was soon replaced by a feeling of awe as the Action Field was generated. She looked up just in time to see the action cards fall around them and her face lit up.

"So pretty," she said in amazement.

For a split second, Brent hesitated, nervous in front of the majority of the school’s students, but then went forward at a full sprint, scanning for Action Cards. “I’ll start by Summoning ‘Elemental HERO Blazeman’ to my side of the field in Attack Position!”

The HERO materialized beside him, and Brent called out in response: “This triggers my monster’s effect, allowing me to search my Deck for one ‘Polymerization’ card! Now I’ll activate the card added to my hand by this effect, fusing the ‘Elemental HERO Blazeman’ from my field with the ‘King Pyron’ in my hand! Hero born from flame . . . king of all that burns . . . meld together in a whirlwind of raging fire! Fusion Summon! Show us your power, ‘Elemental HERO Nova Master’!”

When the monster was fully in shape beside him, Brent gave it its first command. “Get us up there, ‘Nova Master’!” The ‘Elemental HERO’ grabbed Brent and jumped to the top of a building, continuing his search for an Action Card. He found one wedged behind one of the neon signs and picked it up. Awesome, he thought. I’ll have to hold on to this. “Now I’ll place two cards face-down and end my turn!”

"Alright then. I draw a card here," Amelia said to herself, before looking at her hand. She wasn't sure if it was a good hand, but she might be able to do something with it. She quickly looked at "Nova Master's" stats and saw she had no chance of beating it with her monsters. Her hand didn't present a lot of options so she took made the only move she could.

"I put one monster in face-down Defense Position and set one card. Then I'll end my turn," she said, the cards appearing in front of her. She just had to hope things went well for her. She had studied her Deck as much as she could after getting it only the day before and hoped that that would be enough to let her put up a fight.

Brent was shocked when Amelia didn't play an elaborate turn. He was used to hearing that Synchro and Xyz Decks focused on bringing out their Extra Deck monsters as swiftly as possible. Maybe this was a decoy? He frowned, but knew he wouldn't defeat Amelia by just standing around. "My turn; draw!"

Brent glanced down at his hand. There wasn't anything helpful there yet, but with the right other cards, he could perform a combo that would blow the minds of others. "Doesn't look like I have much else to do," Brent declared, "other than to jump straight to my Battle Phase! 'Nova Master', attack her face-down monster!"

"Nova Master" raised its hands above its head, the flames from its palms becoming one massive fireball. Then "Nova Master" leaped into the air. Brent watched, expecting Amelia to run for an Action Card, activate the face-down card, something! But nothing happened to resist the attack.

Amelia was almost blown back by the explosion caused by Nova Master's fireball as it struck her monster. From among the flames a small bird could be seen only to shatter to pieces the next second. "You destroyed 'Gusto Gulldo'." She said as the card appeared on her field. "When 'Gulldo' is sent to the Graveyard I can Summon a level 2 or lower Gusto monster from my Deck to take it's place, so I bring out Gusto Falco in defense position!"

"So be it, but my monster's effect also triggered since it successfully destroyed a monster," Brent explained, "allowing me to draw 1 card." There had been a catch, but when Brent saw the card he had drawn, he smiled a bit. "It's time to start burning! I play the effect of the monster in my hand, 'King of the Swamp'! Now by discarding him, I can add 1 'Polymerization' card from my Deck to my hand! Just like before, I activate that 'Polymerization' card, and chain to it the Trap Card: ‘Chain Material’, so I can banish monsters from my Graveyard as Fusion Materials! I fuse ‘King Pyron’ and ‘King of the Swamp’ in my Graveyard! King of all that burns . . . great master of Fusion . . . join forces to create a powerful blazing machine! Fusion Summon! Take to the skies, ‘Blaze Fenix, the Burning Bombardment Bird’!"

In a fantastic spiral of flame, the gigantic blazing bird became airborne, its whole body seemingly constructed by the fire it generated. "With that done," Brent continued, "I activate the effect of 'Blaze Fenix', allowing me to inflict 300 damage to you for each card you control! Since it was Summoned during my second Main Phase, my monster's inability to attack when this effect is activated is of no consequence to me. 'Blaze Fenix', strike with 'Burning Tempest'!"

Amelia braced herself as the flames washed over her. She had nothing to counter this but she had to believe she could do something, even with the odds stacked against her at the moment. Taking a deep breath she looked at the field. Falco was still there. That meant she might have a chance so she would just have to do what seemed like the best choice.

Brent watched Amelia's Life Point counter drop from 4000 to 3400 from the effect damage she had just taken. He had more than an upper hand now, as his field and his Life Points both looked better at this point in the game than Amelia's. "Now we've reached my End Phase, where the effect of 'Chain Material' would destroy 'Blaze Fenix', but," Brent stated, "I have this. Action Spell: 'Wings of Dimension' activate and negate the destruction of 'Blaze Fenix'! With this, the baton passes to you, Amelia."

---

Gale was excited when she saw her brother down on the court. Though he had missed the bus, he had still made it on time, which was good; Gale enjoyed watching her brother Duel. Then the Action Field was activated and Gale was instantly excited, almost wishing she could be Dueling down there as well. With Brent's first turn he was already Fusion Summoning, making Gale even more excited.

Then his second turn came around and he Fusion Summoned again! Gale was off her seat and cheering for her brother when she saw 'Blaze Fenix' rise into the air. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a boy sitting all by himself. The friendly, fearless, and outgoing person that she is, Gale stood and walked to the boy, who had just slurped up a gummy worm.

"Hi there!" Gale said loudly when she came to his side. "I'm Gale Rytora, one of the students in the Ritual Course and the younger sister of the awesome guy Dueling down there! I don't think we've ever met before. What's your name?"

Michelle was quite immersed in the duel, marveling at the fusion user's tactics. Also, she didn't quite know how an action duel worked, and was eager to learn. She wondered about the action cards and the field spell that was played in the beginning of the duel. All she could do right now, though, was watch and see what the synchro user would do.

(collab between me and welsh coming soon)

(No message was posted)

((Collab: Rethel34 & Joshua Tamashii; Continued from Duel: Brent Rytora vs. Amelia Averyonna.

Brent: LP - 4000; Hand - 2; "Blaze Fenix, the Burning Bombardment Bird" - ATK 2800; "Elemental HERO Nova Master" - ATK 2600; 1 face-down Spell/Trap Card

Amelia: LP - 3400; Hand - 4; "Gusto Falco" - DEF 1400; 1 face-down Spell/Trap Card

End of Turn 3: Brent))

Amelia took a deep breath as she looked at the field. The odds were stacked against her, but hope was not lost. "I draw," she said. "From my hand I summon 'Kamui, Hope of Gusto'!" On her side, a young boy with green hair wearing simple clothes and holding a staff tipped with a blue gem appeared on her field. "Then I tune 'Falco' to 'Kamui' to Synchro Summon the Level 4 'Daigusto Falcos'."

"Kamui" smiled as "Falco" flew into the air. At the peak of it's flight "Falco" grew several times bigger before flying back down, hovering a short distance above Amelia, now it much more impressive armor. "Kamui" jumped back and stood on top of the now bigger bird. "'Daigusto Falcos' grants all 'Gusto' monsters a permanent 600 point power boost to their attack, including 'Falcos' himself." Amelia said "And since 'Falco' left the field by means other then battle I can special summon a 'Gusto' monster in face-down Defense Position!" Another card was partially ejected from her deck, which she grabbed and placed on the field before her deck was shuffled.

"Next I activate my face-down: 'Blessings for Gusto'. With this I can target three 'Gusto' monsters in my Graveyard. Two of them are returned to my Deck while I Summon the third one onto the field. I return 'Falco' and 'Kamui' to my Deck while I Summon 'Gulldo' to my field." Amelia placed the first two cards from her Graveyard into her Deck, which was once again shuffled while 'Gulldo' was placed on the field in Defense Position.

"Now I tune Level 4 'Falcos' with Level 3 'Gulldo' to Synchro Summon the Level 7 'Daigusto Eguls' in Defense Position," Amelia said, quietly criticizing herself. In her haste she had selected the wrong Tuner to bring back from the Grave to get rid of 'Fenix', but she could still fill up her field and destroy something. Her two monsters turned into the number of stars their Levels were before floating up in the air and forming a line. There was a flash of light and then an even bigger bird with an older rider appeared above Amelia" Thanks to 'Gullo's' effect I can Special Summon a Level two or lower 'Gusto' monster. I Special Summon 'Winda, Priestess of Gusto' in Defense Position.

"Now I use 'Eguls'' effect. By banishing one WIND Attribute monster from my Graveyard, I destroy one face-down card on your field. I'll destroy your face-down after banishing 'Falcos'."

Brent held his ground when he saw 'Eguls', but when it destroyed his face-down 'Paradox Fusion', he realized there may be some difficulty. "Let's go, 'Blaze Fenix'! Let's find another Action Card!"

The enormous bird swooped down and wrapped its fiery talons around Brent's arm, but did not burn him. As he scanned the ground below himself, Brent did his best not to panic, as he was not comfortable with dangling in the air in such a fashion, but he had to find an Action Card, and this was the best way to do so.

Amelia glanced at her hand. She then glanced up at Eguls and held out her hand. The rider of the giant bird reached down and took it before taking off and flying around the boulevard. She spotted an Action Card on the top of one buildings and her mount swooped down, allowing her to jump up and grab it, adding it to her hand. "Turn end" she said, her tone a bit down. Still, the card that had been destroyed was a trap so she had probably saved herself from some future problems.

"Blaze Fenix" dropped Brent atop another building that was an excellent outlook for finding other cards. He saw Amelia a few buildings away, feeling in his heart that she had to have a trick up her sleeve for protecting that Synchro Monster. Regardless, this was going to turn into a battle of the birds. "My turn . . . draw!"

Brent's hand had become a montage of random pieces to a large puzzle. Though he had the cards to pull off victory this turn, with the right Action Cards, it was possible that Amelia could defend herself from the onslaught and turn the Duel around on him. He had to stay prepared. "I'll once again go straight to my Battle Phase! 'Blaze Fenix', it's time to show off your true power! Attack 'Daigusto Eguls'! Inferno Skydive!"

"Blaze Fenix" rose into the air and dived straight at the other bird, burning brighter than before. The two enormous winged creatures collided, and Amelia was blown back by "Fenix's" attack as "Eguls" left the field. But her Action Card could be used now, if she was recalling the Action Duels she had watched on. "I activate my Action Card: 'Nightmare Prey'," she declared, playing the card she had picked up. "Since 'Eguls' was destroyed by battle, this card will destroy your 'Fenix' and inflict 700 points of damage onto you."

"No, 'Fenix'!" Brent cried out. His ace monster had been destroyed. His Life Points were now 3300 while Amelia's were 3400, but there were still two other monsters on her field: "Winda, Priestess of Gusto" and a face-down monster. He decided to hit the face-down monster. "Alright, 'Nova Master'! Time to attack that face-down monster!"

The assault was reminiscent of Brent's previous turn, the fireball rushing toward the face-down card. When the miniature sun hit its mark, Amelia's face down revealed itself to be 'Kamui, Hope of Gusto' before shattering into pieces "Since 'Kamui' was flipped face-up I can Summon a 'Gusto' Tuner monster. I summon 'Gusto Egul' from my Deck in Defense Position," she said, the small bird appearing on her field.

"Somehow I'm not surprised," Brent smiled. "Alright, now the effect of 'Nova Master' activates, letting me draw one card after it successfully destroys a monster in battle! Now I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"I draw," Amelia said, drawing her card and looking at her hand. She had nothing she could really use in a Synchro Summon with what was on her field. So she would have to ditch them for something different. "I sacrifice 'Winda' and Summon from my hand 'Reeze, Whirlwind of Gusto'!"

A whirlwind formed around "Winda", obscuring her from sight. When it vanished an older girl stood in her place, in Attack Position surprisingly. "I switch 'Egul' to Attack Position and then use 'Reeze's' skill. By sending one card from my hand to the bottom of the Deck, I can switch control of one 'Gusto' monster I control with one monster you control. I switch control of 'Egul' and 'Nova Master'!"

Not good, Brent thought. He had lost control of his only monster. Now it was time to find an Action Card. He searched frantically, spotting one in a door across the street. "Well, if you're going to be on my field, do you think you could get me down there, 'Egul'?" But the little bird seemed content to just sit there and flap away. Just great, he thought as he quickly climbed to street level using protrusions from the buildings as grips and footholds, nearly falling twice along the way.

"Now, 'Nova Master', attack 'Egul'." Amelia said. Her new friend conjured a fireball before throwing it at the small bird. Since it was still in Attack Position, if the attack went through Brent would be taking 2400 points of damage. Not only that, but Amelia would also be drawing a card thanks to 'Nova's' effect since he was on her side now.

Brent sprinted for the Action Card. He had to grab the card before the attack landed if he were to survive this turn. The fireball rushed closer and closer to "Egul", and it nearly looked like he would lose. But then, just a split second before the menacing comet landed, his fingers wrapped around the card. "Action Spell: 'Avoid'!" Brent yelled as the spell activated and "Gusto Egul" dodged around the fireball, only inches from the searing flames.

Brent breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He would survive to the next turn, at least, even if he was about to take more damage. Of course, his victory relied on his next draw.

"Oh, well. 'Reeze', please put 'Egul' out of his misery," Amelia said. The older girl raised her staff as a whirlwind surrounded 'Egul' and attempted to destroy him again. Even with 'Egul' being on his field at the time of its destruction, its effect wouldn't likely be of benefit to Brent. After the attack succeeded, inflicting Brent with 1700 points of damage, she continued, "I then set one card face-down and end my turn."

"I draw!" Brent exclaimed. With 1600 Life Points, which was less than half of Amelia's current 3400, only three cards in his hand and one face-down card to work off of, and no idea what tricks Amelia may have up her sleeve, Brent was uncertain about how to progress with his next move. He could go offensive, or he could be defensive. He had the power to defeat her, but there was a problem with such a reckless strategy: If he wasn't careful, everything could backfire. He had to take a more cautious approach. He could set up an offense, then bring in a defensive maneuver if something went wrong. That's how he'd have to do it. There was little other choice.

"I activate the Spell Card: 'Fusion Recovery'. This allows me to return one 'Polymerization' and 'Elemental HERO Blazeman' from my Grave to my hand! I then activate 'Polymerization' one more time! With this I can fuse 'Elemental HERO Blazeman' and 'Golem Dragon' from my hand! Hero born from flame . . . stone dragon of barriers . . . collide with the force of a great earthquake! Fusion Summon! Rise from the mountains of the earth, 'Elemental HERO Gaia'!"

The enormous creature rose up out of the ground, and the road shook with each step and movement it made. "Now the effect of 'Elemental HERO Gaia' activates, cutting the ATK power of 'Elemental HERO Nova Master' in half and giving that power to himself!" At Brent's command, "Gaia" stomped its right foot, and a fissure formed that encircled "Nova Master", sinking the latter halfway into the ground. "Now, it's time for these two brothers-in-arms to battle! 'Gaia', attack 'Elemental HERO Nova Master'!"

The titanic earthen HERO struck the ground with its fist, upturning stones, the largest of which it grabbed and hurled like a baseball toward its ex-comrade.

That's not good, Amelia thought looking at her hand. She had nothing that could help between her face-down and her hand, so she just had to brace herself as her new comrade was destroyed and her Life Points dropped down to 1200, only 400 points less then Brent's. She just had to hope 'Reeze' could stay around for her next turn and that she could finish it then. She looked around and was lucky enough to find another Action Card.

"'Reeze', a little help," she said. The older girl nodded before wrapping an arm around Amelia and using some wind magic to jump over to where the action card was, allowing Amelia to take it. It looked like it could prove useful.

With his attack done and Amelia's Life Points cut down to size, Brent was suddenly relieved that the attack had succeeded. But there had been no resistance. He could have finished the Duel! Well, what was done was done. "I Summon 'Cyber Valley' to my field in Attack Position!" Brent declared. Now his hand was on empty. "Now it's come to my End Phase, and 'Gaia's' ATK returns to normal. Your move, Amelia."

"I draw." Amelia said, looking at her hand. She took a moment to study "Cyber Valley" and saw it's defensive abilities rivaled hers. Still she had something she could do. "I summon 'Gusto Egul'. Then I use 'Reeze's' effect to send one card from my hand to the bottom of the deck in order to switch control of 'Egul' and 'Gaia'." She said as the small bird appeared on her field, only to switch positions with the giant monster on Brent's side. Praying this would work she decided to follow through with her plan and played one of the last cards in her hand. "I activate Dark Hole to destroy all the monsters on the field!"

In between the two players a gravity well appeared and began sucking 'Reeze', 'Egul', 'Cyber Valley', and 'Gaia' inside as it grew bigger and bigger. When it finally vanished, all the monsters should have been gone. That is, all except 'Gaia', who was still on Amelia's field, where another spell card was: 'Wings of Dimension'.

"Now Gaia, attack him directly!" Amelia commanded, and the attack commenced that would conclude the Duel.

Brent couldn't believe it! The same card he had used to save "Blaze Fenix" from destruction by "Chain Material" had just been used to save "Elemental HERO Gaia" from the effects of "Dark Hole". Brent searched frantically for an Action Card, but none was to be found. Dang it, he thought, the huge HERO now throwing its stone at him. The boulder landed only inches from him, causing a tremor that threw Brent from his feet. He heard his Duel Disk give the beep that signaled the last of his Life Points had gone. He landed flat on his back and saw the Action Field fading away, and the MC began his wild commentary about how Amelia Averyonna, a relatively new student here at LDS, had defeated the veteran student, Brent Rytora.

Forcing air back into his lungs, Brent got to his feet and made his way over to Amelia, offering her a handshake. "That was awesome," he said. "With how uncertain you looked at the beginning, I'm amazed you pulled that off. Maybe we can Duel again sometime? Next time I won't underestimate you."

Amelia was shocked. She had won. She had actually won. She didn't get over her shock until Brent approached her an congratulated her and asking if they could duel again.

"Uh, thank you." She said, looking at the ground as her cheeks turned red." I got lucky I guess. I've never had a duel before now. If you want I'll Duel you again though."

"How 'bout a couple of days from now after school? I have a huge essay due in three days, so I won't have much time to spend having fun until that's done," he said with a smile. Next time he'd have to use every avenue he had to defeat her. No holding back.

"Okay," Amelia said before walking away so the next Duel could start.

"See ya," Brent said as he, as well, turned and left the court. Now to get up in the stands to watch the next Duel.

Michelle watched as the duel came to an end, completely transfixed onto it. So this was what an action duel was about. She couldn't believe that the synchro user had won. It seemed like an impossible comeback, even though that's what duels could do. Then again, that's what dueling was all about. She only wondered now about what was going to happen next now that the duel was over. Then she heard her name and someone named Saze Ivar being called to the field. Startled, she looked around in panic, then forced herself to calm down and went down to the field.

(Collab between Scarifar and IVIasterJay)
"Alright students," the MC started. "This duel with feature our Generic Special Summoning and Pendulum Courses! Our representative for our Generic Course will be Michelle Kine! Our representative for our Pendulum course will be Saze Iver!"

"Now, action field... ON!" the MC shouted, and the field began to transform. "Featuring 'Cosmo Sanctuary', a field that will surely keep you on the edge of your seat!"

“Duelists locked in battle, kicking against the earth and dancing through the skies with their monsters, they storm through this field! Behold, the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling! Action . . . !” The MC snapped his fingers above his head, and the Action Cards scattered across the field. A beat later, the audience shouted as one, just like before.

“DUEL!”

(Turn 1 - 4000 | 4000)
Saze looked around, everywhere but at his opponent. The duel began and he drew five cards. It looked like he was going first. Darn, he hated going first. Oh well, if he had to. He looked down at his five cards. Darn, he'd drawn a dead hand too. He might lose.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and set two cards and end my turn. Thanks to Odd-Eyes' effect I'll send him to my Extra Deck and add one Qliphoth Tool to my hand." Saze stifled a yawn with the back of his hand. "Your turn."

(Turn 2 - 4000 | 4000)
Michelle took a deep breath, then said, "Interesting. I draw," and drew one card. She felt a familiar feeling in her head and looked at the card she drew: 'Freya, Spirit of Victory'. "There you are, girl," she muttered as she stared at the card for a second. She examined the rest of her cards, wondering what she should do, and decided on a favorite action of hers. "I summon Freya, Spirit of Victory!" Michelle said, and out she appeared, jumping out of a spiral of light, landing with her left hand out in a "V". Michelle smiled and continued on, "Now I activate the spell card, 'Court of Justice'!" and a metallic yellow ring being circled with two little angel-like sprites appeared. "When I have a level one fairy-type monster on the field, I can special summon one fairy-type monster from my hand! And I choose Splendid Venus!" Michelle said, and the Court of Justice began to shine with a blinding light, a golden goddess descending from said light, landing gently onto the ground. Michelle was about to call for both Venus and Freya to attack, but then a feminine voice spoke in her mind, "Don't attack yet." She looked around briefly, then realized it was Freya who spoke. Thinking, Michelle said, "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

(Turn 3 - 4000 | 4000)
Saze cocked his head to the side and asked, "Why didn't you attack? You could have nearly won."

Michelle hesitated, not willing to reveal Freya's existence as a spirit, then said cryptically, "I have my reasons. Please, continue."

"It won't be fair if I win because you went easy on me, but I won't return the favor." Saze drew one card, exactly what he needed to start getting serious.

"I summon Qliphoth Genome in attack position." A creature - or was it a vehicle? - made of twisted matal and crackling energy appeared above Saze's head. For a split second its attack registered as 2400 before plummeting all the way down to 1300. The ship dropped closer to the ground, allowing Saze to take a seat on the metal spike on its front, before it rose again into the air.

Saze yelled from his perch, "I'll equip Qliphoth Genome with Qliphoth Sacrifice from my hand." The air around the ship shimmered as a yellow field of energy engulfed it, and its attack rose back up to 1600. "And then I'll activate Qliphoth Tool as a pendulum and use its effect to add Qliphoth Archive to my hand." Saze's lifepoints dropped down to 3200. "Your turn," he said as Qliphoth Genome started moving around the field at a relaxed pace.

(Turn 4 - 4000 | 3200)
Michelle smiled as she drew one card. "Using the effect of 'Court of Justice', I summon 'Gellenduo', in defense mode!" she said as a flash of light appeared next to Freya, revealing 2 little creatures, one pink and one green, each with its own little halo around its waist. "And by the way, Gellenduo counts as two sacrifices for a light fairy-type monster! So now I sacrifice Gellenduo to summon the bane of effect monsters: 'Angel 07'!" she yelled out, Gellenduo disappearing in a flash of light, replaced with a giant white creature. She then point straight at Qliphoth Genome and said, "Alright you, time to destroy that hunk of junk! Splendid Venus, attack Qliphoth Genome!" Venus put her hands together to form an orb of light, then fired a beam of light straight at the heart of Genome, light engulfing Genome and dealing 1600 points of damage.

Saze shut his eyes as a blinding light engulfed the monster he was riding, and with it him as well. He opened his eyes a second later. Not only was he not falling to the ground, but Genome was untouched by the attack, the yellow forcefield surrounding it preventing its destruction. Saze looked at his lifepoints, which had dropped down to 1600. The field hadn't stopped that.

"This is getting a little too rough for my liking," he mumbled, knocking his knuckles twice against the metal side of his creature. Genome hovered over to the nearest high column to allow Saze to jump off before the ship lifted off to again face the enemy's monsters.

"What? But- crap, the equip spell!" Michelle muttered as she snapped her fingers. "That doesn't matter, it wouldn't stop you from taking damage! Angel 07, attack Genome!" Michelle said, and Angel 07 fired another beam of light from its halo, aimed directly toward Genome, engulfing it some more light.

This time when the light faded it wasn't that Genome hadn't been destroyed, but there was no trace of it whatsoever, and Saze's lifepoints hadn't dropped at all. The boy flipped around the card that he held between his fingers with a grin. It was the action spell "Avoid". The air above the boy's head shimmered, and his mechanical monster materialized there. "Too bad, you almost had me there," he said completely truthfully.

Michelle sighed, lowering her head. This time she couldn't do anything against it. "Hey, cheer up. We'll win this," Freya said in Michelle's mind. Michelle looked up, and saw Freya looking back ever so slightly, winking. Michelle smiled, and said, "I set one card face down, and end my turn."

(Turn 5 - 4000 | 1600)
Saze drew one card, and then he fell backwards to lay on his back atop the white column. "I guess you are pretty good," he yelled down to Michelle.

"I activate Qliphoth Tool's effect to add one Apoqliphoth Killer to my hand, then I'll use Qliphoth Archive to set the pendulum scale from one to nine. And with that I can pendulum summon another Qliphoth Archive from my hand." Another strange machine-like craft appeared in the air next to Genome. "And then I'll tribute both to summon Apoqliphoth Killer to the field." The air inside the action field vibrated as a massive creature descended from above. Apoqliphoth Killer seemed to fill the space available with its presence.

Michelle started to quiver in fear at the sight, and even her own monsters seemed to back away, especially Freya.

Saze yawned audibly, he was tired. "I would activate the effects of Genome and Archive since they were tributed, but your Angel will just negate them, so I won't even bother. I can use the effect of Qliphoth Sacrifice in my grave though to add Qliphoth Shell to my hand though."

"I activate Killer's effect to make you send one monster from your hand or field to the grave," Saze mumbled, still on his back looking up at his monster.

"Wait one moment there!" Michelle interjected. "Did you forget already? Angel 07 prevents any effects from activating! That includes Killer's!"

Saze yawned again. It was rude to yawn during a duel, especially an action duel, but he couldn't help it. "Oh, yes, I forgot," he said simply. "Then I guess I'll have Killer take out Angel 07 first." The massive monster hummed to life, and a countless number of purple beams of light fired from it, all bending to converge on the one angel. "Boom," Saze mumbled, a fraction of a second before the beams hit.

Michelle was frozen in place as the beams fired, then Freya spoke, "Michelle, Action Card! To your left!" Michelle's head snapped to the left, and spotted it in one of the ruins. "Venus, hurry!" Michelle yelled, and Venus lowered her arm for Michelle to jump onto, and together they flew toward at a high speed, hoping against hope that it would help. As soon as Michelle grabbed it, the beams hit Angel 07, destroying it in a cloud of smoke. Michelle watched as her lifepoint gauge dropped from 4000 to 3900, then looked to see what her action card would have been. 'Cosmo Arrow'. She sighed, as she knew it wouldn't have helped anyway. Still, she knew it might help later on. With Venus, she flew up to Saze and said, "You may have destroyed my monster, but this Duel is still on!"

Saze pulled himself up to look at his opponent properly. "I know, it's not over until someone's lifepoints drop to zero. Until then, it's anyone's game." Saze looked at the girl that was his opponent and then looked up at his monster. "So... can I activate Killer's effect now?"

Michelle blinked in surprise, seeing how apethetic he seemed at Michelle. "Umm... I guess you can," Michelle said, lowering herself back to the ground to avoid injury.

"Okay, then I activate Apoqliphoth Killer's effect. Choose the monster from your field or hand to send to the grave."

Michelle looked between her two monsters, Freya and Venus. "I choose Venus," she said, and Venus disappered in a flash of light. Michelle picked up Venus' card and sent it to the graveyard. "I'm sorry, Venus," she whispered, feeling like she might not win after all. She looked at Freya, who gave her a small smile of reassurement.

Killer hummed to life as it moved closer to Saze's pillar so that he could reach out to grab one of the lower spikes of Killer's arm. The huge machine delicately set the boy down back on the center platform of the field. "Your turn."

(Turn 6 - 3900 | 800)
Michelle looked at her deck and drew one card, hoping it was a good card. It wasn't bad, but it wouldn't do her much good right now. "I switch Freya to defense mode, and end my turn."

(Turn 7 - 3900 | 800)
Saze sat down on the ground and drew a card, and then he rubbed his eye with the same hand, inadvertently showing the card to be Qliphoth Genome. When he opened his eyes and saw the back f the card, his only reaction was to say, "Oops," and turn it back around.

"First I'll activate Killer's effect to make you send one monster to the grave."

Michelle sighed. Freya was the only monster she had left. "Goodbye, Freya," she muttered as Freya disappeared in a flash of light. Before she disappeared comepletely, Freya turned her head and smiled, letting Michelle know that it wasn't her fault.

"And then I'll pendulum summon Qliphoth Archive and Genome from my Extra Deck, and a second Qliphoth Genome from my hand. The air shimmered as three floating machines materialized around Killer. "And by tributing the two Genomes I'll summon Qliphoth Shell from my hand at full power." The two machines of twisted metal and energy vanished, and a machine that very much resembled a giant conch shell appeared in their place. Now there were three machines on Saze's side of the field, but he wouldn't need all three of their attacks to end the duel.

"Apoqliphoth Killer, attack Michelle directly please," he requested of his most powerful monster, though Qliphoth Shell actually had more attack power.

Michelle watched as the purple beams of light shot out of the machine and went straight for her. She looked down, and realized something. Her face downs! She still had cards that could save her. "I activate my face down card: 'Flute of Summoning Kuriboh'! I summon 'Winged Kuriboh'!" A small, brown ball of fur with wings appeared on her field in defense position. That was the card she had set on her first turn, and now, with another card she had set before, she could do it. "I activate another face down: 'Transcendent Wings'! By discarding two cards, I can tribute Winged Kuriboh, and summon 'Winged Kuriboh LV10'!" Michelle discarded her last two cards in her hand, and Winged Kuriboh was engulfed in light, reappearing in glorious armor. "I activate Kuriboh's effect! By tributing Winged Kuriboh LV10, I can destroy all face up attack-position monsters you control and deal damage equal to the original attack of your destroyed monsters!" Winged Kuriboh then exploded in a blinding flash of light, destroying Shell, Killer, and Archive, and reducing Saze's life points to zero. A screen then popped up, showing Michelle as the winner. Michelle jumped for joy, exhilerated that she managed to not only survive, but win the Duel. Then the field spell faded away, returning the environment to its original state.

Saze yawned and looked through blurry eyes down at his cards, specifically at the two copies of Qliphoth Genome sitting face-up in his extra deck. "Oops, I forgot," he mumbled as he pushed his cards back into his deck and then retunred his deck to its case. He stood up from where he sat in the middle of the now-faded field and shuffled away to find somewhere to fall asleep. He probably should have congratulated his opponent, but he forgot. He forgot a lot of things when he was half asleep.

After Michelle calmed down, she started looking around, and realized that Saze was gone. It was a shame too, as she wanted to thank him for an exciting Duel, but she thought nothing more of it as she left the field, going back to watch the next Duel that would soon take place.

Brent, now relaxed, sat in the stadium where exhibition matches would continue until lunch, then it would be time for a Study Hall/Free Period for the rest of the day. Of course, Brent would use that time to work on that massive essay he had due for the Fusion Summoning class. Oh well. For now, he could enjoy himself. He tapped his foot along to some instrumental theme that looped through his mind. It was always fun for him to imagine a theme that would fit as background music for a Duel. After all, everything was always more fun with dramatic music.

Then came the "Apoqliphoth Killer", and Brent was certain the yawning boy would win. In fact, the yawns became a bit contagious, and Brent had to stifle a yawn of his own. But, not everything was completely as it seemed. As the final Battle Phase rolled in, Brent was shocked to find that the Duel turned around, and Michelle had won during her opponent's Battle Phase! It simply didn't seem possible, but it had happened, and Saze had lost. The boy walked off the field with a look about him as if he might fall asleep soon, and Brent wondered about his health. Didn't he get sleep at night? Brent was impressed at the girl's skill. Michelle had turned the Duel around when all had seemed hopeless. But he figured that was essentially what Amelia had done against him.

He sighed and shook his head. He had to get better. Fusion hadn't been enough on its own. Maybe he would have to learn to use a different form of Summoning? But would he be able to take multiple Summoning Courses as just a Junior Youth? He hadn't thought he could, but maybe he would just have to perfect his current methods. Unpredictability is one thing, but it doesn't win all Duels. He had to form an effective Dueling strategy. Maybe some cards would need to be swapped into and out of his Deck? Perhaps. But Action Duels relied on the Action Cards, too. Those things were more unpredictable than anything sometimes.

Brent was still pondering when the next Duel was announced.

---

Professor Alexander was jotting down notes on the other Duels. He always loved keeping his students ahead of the other Courses. Xyz Summoning was the most elite Summoning method, after all. Okay, well maybe not. He had had students to lose Duels to other Courses in the past. He just loved seeing his students win. It gave him a sense of pride to know his students had learned. Of course, he never really challenged his students with overwhelming tactics. Though he was in shape, he wasn't nimble or graceful. The weight room was more his place than the ballet studio. Not to be offensive to the more agile students. Some of them he envied, as they were capable of acrobatics he could only dream of.

He knew he had at least one student who had been approached for today's exhibition matches. He wondered, though, whether there would be more as the second Duel came to an end.

"Your face is spelling what you think. You're wondering if you could've countered that girl using a different summoning method." a voice said. Joshua had gotten up to change seats and ended up sitting next to Brent as a result. Joshua considered Brent something of a rival but also a friend as well. He challenged the fellow Fusion-duelist fairly often and always seemed to have fun when dueling him." You played just fine but her deck did what it's supposed too. Gusto's suck playing a pure offensive game but excel in pure defense. You saw it yourself, the trinity of recruiters: Winda, Gulldo, Egul. So long as one of those three is on the field, the only way you're likely to hurt her is a monster with piercing. Given their stats, Bladedge would've done plenty of damage to her.

You did fine, but the moment her defenses weren't enough was the same time your offence couldn't keep going. at that point, Reeze wrecked you but the action cards she got didn't help you either. I think Nightmare Prey was the turning point, was it not?"

Brent wasn't altogether shocked when Josh sat beside him. The two had a healthy rivalry going, but Brent figured without a rival, he'd never want to improve. Competition was one of the best motivators after all. "Kind of, but not completely. I held back to an extent, ready to counter an attack on one of my Fusions. It was more of expecting an offense that didn't come. At least not as I expected it. But you said something about piercing? That's something I'll have to keep in mind for the next time I Duel her."

The suggestion of "Elemental HERO Bladedge" was appealing. It had tons of power, but he'd have to get out enough monsters he was willing to Tribute. Maybe there was an alternative . . . "Aha!" he exclaimed when an idea hit him, much to the annoyance of some of the other students around him and Joshua. "Sorry," he said, his voice quieting. "What about the 'Meteorain' Trap I keep in my case? That's enough to allow all my monsters piercing damage for a turn, right?"

Michelle was looking for a place to sit, her previous spot now taken by someone else, and eventually spotted an empty seat. As she got closer, she noticed that the spot was next to the Fusion user, what was his name... Brent, that was it. He seemed to be talking to someone, so he probably didn't notice Michelle sitting down next to him. They were apparently talking about piercing damage, which sparked her interest. "Hey boys, mind if I join you here?" Michelle asked them. Without waiting for a reply, she said, "Someone could easily negate damage, piercing or not, using cards like 'Spirit Barrier' or my personal favorite, 'Sanctuary in the Sky'." Not saying piercing is a bad thing, far from it, but just letting you know."

Brent didn't even have a chance to reply to the girl and give her the thumbs up before she sat down. He wasn't going to argue anyway. Then he recognized her as Michelle, the one who had just won against Saze. "Um . . . " Brent hesitated, not sure on how to reply to her sudden introduction. "We were talking about strategies I could've used to turn things around in my Duel with Amelia. And since I'm going to have a rematch, I've got to stay on top of my game. Congrats on the win, by the way. I was expecting you to just stick with a plain 'Winged Kuriboh'. It alone would have saved you any more damage, right? But hey, I guess unexpected moves like that are what make Dueling exciting," he smiled.

---

Gale was looking for her brother in the stands, and found him sitting beside two others: The first was Joshua, a friend of Brent's whom Gale knew well, but the other was a girl Gale had only seen once, and that was only minutes ago down on the court. "Hey, Brent!" she called.

"Uh oh," was Brent's only response. Gale always found him after his Duels, no matter how hard he tried to hide. She'd either congratulate him on his win, or chastise him about a loss. She was perhaps his biggest critic. And she wasn't even a great Duelist.

"What happened out there?" Gale asked. "I thought you were gonna win today!"

"Uhm, just a slight miscalculation on my part," he grimaced.

"I'd say. You've gotta get your act together," she attacked.

"Don't you have some friends to play with?" Brent said. He was protective, but that didn't mean his sister didn't drive him insane sometimes.

"Actually, I think I'll stay and talk to Michelle, who actually won her Duel, unlike you."

Brent had to take a deep breath. She wore his patience thin sometimes. And of course she would get the last word in. Always. Or she'd whine for ages. He hated hearing her whine.

"Hey, Michelle, can I see your Deck? Those monsters are just soooooooo cute!" Gale said, and Brent just shook his head and turned back to Joshua.

For a moment, Michelle was very reluctant to let Gale see her deck. She was worried Gale might unintentionally do something bad to her deck, and a duelist's deck was as important as life itself, if not more so. Then the moment passed, and Michelle took out her deck and smiled, holding out her deck to Gale. "Sure, but be careful with my cards. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how important they are to me," Michelle said. "Do you have a deck? Come to think of it, I don't think you introduced yourself yet."

"Oh, sorry," she replied, taking the Deck with careful hands. "I'm Gale," she said as she pulled out her own Duel Disk and ejected the Deck. "Gale Rytora; I'm Brent's sister. I'm in the Ritual Course." She smiled at the card that was showing from her Deck. One of the three copies she had of her favorite card: "Divine Grace - Northwemko". "Here, you can look through this if you want. Just don't hurt 'Divine Grace'. I don't know if I can do anything without her."

Michelle carefully took Gale's deck and said, "Thanks, Gale," looking through them. One of the cards caught her eye and she pulled it out of her deck to examine it. 'Divine Grace - Northwemko'. "So this is Divine Grace," Michelle said. "She looks powerful. Then again, being a Ritual monster, I guess she'd have to be." She carefully placed her back into the deck and searched for the ritual spell card. "A lot of normal monsters..." Michelle muttered, wondering why that was so, and then found cards like 'Cú Chulainn the Awakened' and 'Lycanthrope'. "Oooo, these look interesting," Michelle muttered.