Dealing with Darkness Chapter 4

'Master, you need to awaken if you want to fulfil your destiny.'

"Hear you loud and clear goldy... what the hell, we have a whole hour and a half to get there." After groggily opening his eyes, Leo's gaze cast onto his alarm clock. "There's no need to rush."

'You can never be too early, master.'

Ignoring Felgrand Dragon for once, Leo yanked his bedsheets off his form before standing up. He was quick to get dressed, catching a glimpse of himself. It was strange how different he looked now, and sometimes he even jumped in the mirror when he saw his own face, but he liked to think that he was a good enough looking lad. He'd definitely outgrown any baby fat on his face, with his features being sharper, and his brown hair was slightly curled. He actually looked kind of handsome, in a plain sort of way at least. Except his eyes, they were obsidian black with no other colour in sight. He'd also tried to be healthy enough, especially since he was on his second life, though he didn't have a huge amount of muscle either.

With it being the exam day, he wanted to try and look his best so he splashed some water on his face to wake him up and made sure to style his hair a tad before moving over to his deck editing area, where all his cards laid. He'd been trying to get his dragon deck just right, since it still felt lacking to him, and it was the deck he planned on using the most. That way, when he came at them with his other deck, they wouldn't know what hit them.

Shifting through all his cards, he tried not to let out an annoyed growl at how incomplete it felt. He didn't have access to several notable 'chaos' dragons that would pair amazingly with his other cards. Those would be Wyverburster, Collapserpent and Levianeer. Without them his deck just felt like it was missing something, and it bugged him to no end.

To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure what cards did and didn't exist in the world currently. Apparently Dark Side of Dimensions completely fucked with the card pool, and he'd even somehow seen cards that only recently came out when he was alive in his last world! He wasn't even sure of the 'chaos' dragons he wanted were even around, though they easily could be, and as a result he'd become kind of a collector who gathered rare cards. He'd even intentionally searched for some cards that could help the main cast, since it would probably be good if he could help empower their decks early on.

Nodding to himself, he put his deck securely away before wandering out of his room and downstairs where two familiar faces laid. Marlene was cooking breakfast, which looked to be eggs, whilst Yuri was tearing apart a bacon sandwich at a rate that told him he was too late to get any for himself.

As he entered, all eyes were set on him and Marlene gave a small grin as she greeted him. "Top of the morning, you ready for the exams?"

"Of course I am, who do you think your talking to?" He replied as he took a seat, raising an eyebrow at Yuri who had more than a tad of ketchup on her face. She could be a messy eater, and not in a cute way. She blushed as she eased away, showing some shame at the very least.

Today was finally the day, the time for the final exams. He was going to get into Duel Academy! Most likely anyway, since he'd already aced the practical exam. Whilst it admittedly, with some questions involving specific scenarios in duelling, he still passed it with relative ease. Because, no matter how complex they try to make it sound, Duel Monsters was a children's card game that he knew the ins and outs for. Yuri was also impressive, since she was practically his student, though didn't manage to beat him or Bastian Misawa in the ranks. She was comfortably at number two, with him and Bastian being tied for first.

Either way, she was the only person he'd ever duelled that managed to beat him. If it was an important match with real stakes, he'd actually be worried to go against her. Heart of the cards or not.

Marlene gave him a plate of eggs, which he ate at a leisurely pace as he spoke. "I've been trying to improve my decks a bit more, but I've kinda hit a ceiling at the moment. Until I have access to more cards, I don't think I'll be able to improve them anymore." It was sad, but also true. The last few times he'd looked over his cards, he just hadn't come up with any worthwhile changes to make. Duel Academy had a system in place to give their students access to rare cards, and he fully intended to abuse that as much as possible.

Yuri rolled her eyes. "Oh please, it's not like you need to get any better right now. You can crush me as it is, I don't need the gap between us to get any larger."

"It's just the opposite actually, the gap between us is actually very small. I've been racking my brain to improve, and you could definitely beat me if I don't keep going. As expected of you." He commented, not noticing the way Yuri's cheeks tinted pink as she turned away. Marlene grinned slightly, though chose not to comment.

Leo ate the rest of his breakfast in silence, choosing to savour his eggs whilst he could. Duel Academy was a boarding school, so he wouldn't be didn't plan on wasting a scrap of cooking his guardian mother put in front of him.

"So, any good cards lately?" Marlene asked out of nowhere.

"Not really to be honest." He answered honestly, putting his cutlery down. "My luck has been shit lately, but then again I'm not in too much of a rush to improve my deck."

Maintaining her smile, Marlene's eyes wandered onto her daughter. "What about you, Yuri?"

The dark haired girl shrugged. "I've gotten some lucky pulls, but nothing crazy. Why?"

Her mother's smile widened as she reached into her jacket's pocket, pulling out two white packs with the millennium symbol and offering them to us. "Well, I managed to pull some strings and have some cards commissioned just for you two."

His eyes widened as he turned to Yuri, who's shock equalled his own, before he reached out and grabbed the pack going his way. It felt heavy for some reason, and he doubted it was thanks to the cards' weight.

He opened the pack slowly, taking a peak at what was inside. There were just four cards in there, a fusion monster, and three effect monsters, but those were enough to make him go still.

"No fucking way." He muttered in English as he snapped his head upwards, finding that Marlene had her back turned; though his sharp eye could tell she was smirking. Drama queen.

"Mum, how did you get this." Yuri asked, with her holding a single hidden card forward as though it were the holy grail. He could tell she got more cards than him and tried not to feel like he got a bad break.

"I have my ways, daughter." She answered cryptically, turning to wink at them.

"Thank you, Marlene."

"Thanks, mum." Yuri thanked, immediately pulling out her cards to add them to the deck.

"Don't mention it. You guys will need all the help you can get."

After his guardian gave them some cards, Leo huffed out his nostrils when he remembered that he forgot to pack his toothbrush away. The exams he was taking later would be worth 60% of his grade, with the written portion being worth 40%, and if he hit the minimum bar then he'd be immediately shipped away to Duel Academy. So, he had to pack away anything important to take to the island.

It was almost bizarre, leaving his new home after so long. He'd come to like the place, and his new mother, and he couldn't deny his heart clenched at the idea of going away. He wasn't much of a crier, but there were times he'd come scarily close to shedding a tear.

Regardless, he still put on a smile when he closed the door to his room for a final time. He was in for a rough few years, because even if he did plan on leaving the world ending stuff to Jaden that didn't mean he planned on staying away from the action all together. If he could help then he would, but only if he somehow got roped into it.

However, he had no intention of planning his interactions out, no thanks. He wasn't going to carefully calculate every single twitch of his muscles to ensure canon lived on, he wasn't Miguel O'Hara afterall. Besides, even if he did want to preserve the original timeline, that would just be too much work. The events with the Shadow Riders, the Society of Light, Yubel. That was all miles away, the last two especially.

He left his suitcase by the house door, knowing he'd be leaving shortly, before strutting into the living room and picking up his charging Duel Disk. That's right, these things needed something to run on. This wasn't an anime where your electronics will conveniently run forever, so you need to keep the battery strong.

Leo cracked out in a grin as he traced the familiar device, knowing he was taking that first step to living his dream.

In his last life, he never did enjoy what he did. He worked as a programmer because he needed to get a job, but that was just it. He had to do something with his life, because staying still and kicking back just wasn't an option. But, in his new life he could do something he actually enjoyed for a living. He could play a card game to earn his life, he could use those skills he developed for something worthwhile.

The duel disk slid onto his arm, tightening as Marlene called for Yuri to leave for the exams. It was time.

----------------------

Leo felt some nostalgia as his car rolled up to the Kaiba Dome, and he eyed the building appreciatively. It was hardly the first time he'd laid eyes on the structure, since he'd gotten out a lot to view whatever sights he could from the anime, but it still felt special to him nonetheless.

Marlene was surprisingly quiet as they passed through the gates, with the examiners only requiring a showing of his and Yuri's letters of recommendation before they were let through, and none of them broke the tension in the air whilst they breezed past a few landmarks. Some he remembered from the show, but there were more he didn't recognise. An absolutely massive statue of a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon was present, it's wings spread wide and proud as a show of dominance.

The actual building they were supposed to be doing their exam in was actually very far away, and it actually made him question Jaden's athleticism to cover the amount of distance he'd need to run to make it to the facility. It was amazing he made it at all.

But, eventually a familiar Kaiba Dome came into view and it was simply huge, easily as big as a stadium. As he got out of his car, grabbing his bags, he felt a pang of nostalgia knowing he'd be joining his childhood heroes.

Marlene was quick to wrap them both in a big hug before they left, sniffing as though she were about to cry. "I'm going to miss you both."

Yuri smiled kindly, noticeably leaning into it more than him. "So will I, mum."

"Yeah, I'll remember to call every night. Actually, I probably won't. Forget I said that." He admitted that last part, earning a laugh from his surrogate mother as she regained some of her natural joy.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to remember for you." She snorted, though tears were still left in the corners of her eyes.

Yuri's eyes also started to water, and she nodded before stating. "Don't worry. Unlike Leo, I don't think I could ever forget to call you."

"I take offense to that."

His words went ignored as Marlene broke the hug off, wiping her eyes slightly. "That's nice to hear. Anyway, make sure to take care of each other."

Yuri nodded, but apparently her mother wasn't done. Some of her mischievous nature rearing it's head, Marlene leaned into her daughter's ear and whispered something. It was low, but he could have sworn he heard his name, and when she was done Yuri's ears reddened as she glanced away.

"Mum." She groaned, not meeting his eyes as her mother grinned and got back into the car. But, before she left, the window fell down and Marlene gave some final words. "Oh, make sure to kick their asses extra hard for me!" Then, she promptly rolled away and left them alone.

Yuri, having mostly overcome her previous embarrassment, wiped her eyes before glancing his way. "Hey Leo, we aren't gonna be able to see mum until the school semester is over, right?"

"No, we won't. Why, you homesick already?" He raised an eyebrow at her. Yuri never seemed the type to fret over things like that, then again he couldn't really talk. When you end up losing a whole world- or is it future?- the idea of homesickness becomes insignificant. At least for the most part.

"Nothing I- it's just gonna be hard not seeing mum, you know? You'd think I'd be used to moving houses by now." She fidgeted with her thumbs as she stared down, her black hair obscuring her face.

Leo could understand that, there were times he's gotten seriously depressed about having his life taken from him. But, he always managed to brush it off when she came by and cheered him up. Maybe it was time he did that for her.

He glanced at her hesitantly, before suddenly giving her a hug. She was shorter than him, even though he wasn't exactly giant himself, and her frame felt very dainty in his arms. Like he'd break something if he wasn't careful.

She jolted, apparently not expecting the physical contact, though notably didn't push him away. "W-What are you doing?"

"I'm giving you a hug." He began. "Because I get what it's like to be away from your parents. I have to deal with that all the time."

Her eyes, blue like her mother's, stared up at him in realisation.

Leo pulled away, though his hands still rested on her shoulders. "Mum and dad... I loved like nothing else. I played with them when I was little, I laughed with them, I cried with them and I made so many good memories with them. I think about them all the time, I cared about them so much... but they're never coming back."

As much as he tried not to think about it, he'd left an entire world behind. Even if he didn't have family, that didn't mean he hadn't lost anything that night. His home, his life, his world... it left him scarred. It left his heart feeling heavy.

He pulled away fully, setting down on the pavement. "You aren't alone, Yuri. I hope you don't forget that."

Suddenly, he was feeling lonely. Wasn't he meant to be the one helping her? How did it become about him? Why was he getting emotional?

A weight brushed up to his side, causing him to look up from the pavement. Yuri had sat next to him, looking similarly saddened. Oh, it seemed as though she was feeling down now, the complete opposite of what he wanted. Great job.

"I didn't know you felt that way." She uttered after a minute, though she didn't elaborate on what 'that' was. "Have you talked about this with anyone else?"

"No." He answered immediately, his mouth not uttering another word.

A silence descended on them, and Leo tried not to squirm at how awkward he'd made things. Why did he always do this? And to his best friend of all people.

"Listen... if you ever need someone to talk to just come to me." Yuri grasped at his hand, forcing him to look up into those pretty blue eyes. "We've got each other, and that's all that matters. If I get sad, you're the first person I'll come to, and that just means you should do the same. Can you do that, for me?"

He stared at her for a moment, giving a weak nod. Some part of him admittedly didn't want to talk about his issues, especially since he had no plans of telling anyone about his true nature, but it was nice knowing she cared. He could count on her.

Regaining his bearings, he rose to his feet and grabbed his bags. He wasn't a child, and he had no plans of breaking down, so it was best to just distract himself. His dragons spent most of their time asleep, with them being quite lazy, but if he summoned them in a duel they'd be ready and raring to go.

"Lets go." Leo stated, pulling his belongings along as Yuri snapped out of it and did the same. They had a long day ahead of them, and it was no time to get emotional. He needed to focus.

----------------------

"Fucking hell, this place is huge." Leo noted from besides her, and she couldn't help but agree. They had entered the main battle area of the Kaiba Dome, and it blew her expectations out of the park by somehow looking even bigger on the inside than out. Rows upon rows of seats, that could easily fit thousands, sat above her head with some students seated and kicking their legs back. They were probably early risers, ones who suffered from nerves, not that she could talk. She was definitely among them.

Their luggage had been taken, much to her confusion the moment they stepped through those doors, and should the two of them fail they could pick it back up later in the day. Not that she planned on it, because she didn't doubt that she hit the minimum bar. She could thank Leo for that.

Yuri glanced to the side, noting that Leo seemed to have shrugged off the rather intense topic they'd just touched on. He seemed to be distracting himself with the duels going on below, and she was ashamed to admit that him dropping it was preferable to the alternative.

The two of them took a seat which was relatively isolated, though it was hard not to feel that way with how few people were filling the seats, but they were at the front so she could get a good view of the other students. It wasn't anything that important, but she felt like measuring herself against her piers. She didn't think they'd be much competition, but who could say. Maybe they'd surprise her.

Her gaze ran around the room, with her even having to quint. Not many people stuck out to her eyes, but Yuri could tell apart a few people who sticked out from the crowd. There was a black haired boy, with rather spiky hair that stuck out from his dark blue uniform. He looked bored, almost to the point it could be take offensively, and two other boys were sat at his sides. They appeared to be prep school students, if Leo was correct about the uniform colouring system, and she wondered if they could give a good challenge.

She zoned in on a girl duelling below, who was very beautiful with blonde hair. Her expression was like ice, and on her field laid a single monster she could recognise easily enough. That long blue hair, which resembled her Duelist's, and those skates made Cyber Blader stand out like a sore thumb and most of the eyes in the stadium were gained as a result.

Though, up in the stands sat a blue haired figure who stared down at everyone below. She didn't have the best view of him, though he seemed tall and gave all his attention to the girl battling below.

The Duelist below yelled out, with speakers above making her voice radiate. "Cyber Blader, end this!" Her monster nodded and leapt forward to finish the proctor off with a direct attack. Dust picked up as the majestic dancer brought it's leg down, though she honestly questioned if it was just a hologram. The game was built on drama afterall, which was why they had speakers to begin with.

As the holograms faded, the proctor below didn't seem upset about the loss, simply nodding his head as he spoke. "Congratulations applicant Rhoades. You've earned your right to enter Duel Academy. We expect great things from you."

The blonde girl bowed her head, not acknowledging the claps she received. "I'll make sure not to disappoint. Thank you for the amazing duel." After that, knowing that she'd done what was needed, the Rhoades girl started walking back to her seat.

Yuri leaned back, looking Leo's way. "You think I can do this."

"Of course you can, I taught you remember? And awesomeness is something I'm an expert at teaching. Might as well give me a degree." He spoke so flatly she had to hold back a snort. It seemed he was back to his usual self. "What about me, you think I can do this?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

He didn't respond, just giving a slight grin. This was nice. She was worried the tension from before would make things awkward, but he seemed to be handling things just fine. It was one of the things she loved about him.

Wait, love?

She tried in vain to quell the heat in her cheeks, which had been a recurring thing for her lately, and decided to turn away from Leo. It was strange, Yuri figured her crush would have faded if she spent more time with him and got a little more comfortable, but it didn't. It got even worse actually. It was bad enough he was practically her brother, not by blood thankfully, but he'd never shown that mutual interest in her. It was best if she just forgot it.

Yuri shook her head, pushing those thoughts away as she began to make conversation. They started to talk about the usual topics, that being Duel Monsters amongst other things. He'd been working hard on a new deck, using that legendary monster he'd gotten from that tournament, and apparently it was going to be stronger than his old one. She tried not to freak out at that. His dragon deck was already monstrous enough.

Eventually, a bunch of applicants started to get called out. The both of them were called at the same time coincidentally, which meant they wouldn't be too far behind the other.

"Try not to mop em' up too quick." Leo grinned her way, waving a goodbye. "See ya' later."

She grinned back. "Of course, I won't keep you waiting."

They parted ways, walking in opposite directions. It felt odd, since most of her duels were against him, and it was nerve-racking to be duelling in front of so many people. She wanted to curse her dad for not letting her take part in tournaments. Maybe then she wouldn't be such a scaredy cat!

"What's wrong, nerves?" A spirit she'd gotten familiar with spoke into her ear, inciting a slight jump from her in surprise. The magician giggled. "Come on, you should relax."

"What's there to be calm about?" She in annoyance, hoping nobody caught her talking to herself. "If I fuck this up then Leo will go off the Duel Academy without me. My best friend will have to leave me alone, and what will I do then?"

Even without showing herself, Yuri could practically feel the blonde's eyebrows raise. "You really think this will be an issue? We've beaten Leo before, this will be a cake walk. Just put me out there and blam, they'll be dead before they can stop drooling over me."

Yuri snorted. "Confident as ever, but these aren't-" She paused when she arrived at the terminal, walking through and trying to find her duel pitch before continuing. "This isn't a casual match, where losing just means my ego is a bit bruised. If I draw a bad hand-"

"Impossible. As my old master would say: the heart of the cards will guide-"

"If I draw a bad hand." Yuri continued, starting to feel annoyed. "Then I could lose everything. Duel Monsters is a card game, and luck is a massive factor in card games."

Yuri shut her mouth when she got in front of her proctor, who was stood waiting patiently for her with an easy smile on her face. She was a pretty woman with red hair and large grey eyes, she wore lipstick on her tips, and she was honestly quite pretty.

Seeing Yuri arrive, she raised an eyebrow. "Are you Yuri Carvel?" Her voice was soothing, though held some sternness to it. Made sense for a teacher.

"Yes, that's me." Yuri held up her Duel Disk when she heard her last name. "I'm honoured to be here."

The proctor smiled. "You're a nice girl. I'm Professor Fontaine, and I'll be your P.E teacher. If you pass that is."

'Bring it on.' She thought, feeling her pulse pick up with her first five cards. 'I'm ready for this. I have to be.'

Fontaine's smile took a slight turn as she held up her duel disk, clearly excited for action. "Great. Then, without further ado. Let's-"

"Duel!"

----------------------

When Leo saw who his proctor was, he had to pause and do a double-take. It was just fate messing with him, it had to be, how else could he be battling-

"My name is Doctor Vellian Crowler. Am I to assume you are Leonardo Rave?" The familiar blonde man declared, sweeping his arms outward in a grand display. Truthfully, the man looked a bit ridiculous. His hair was tied back, for some reason he was wearing lipstick and the Duel Disk he was using was certainly interesting. Actually, it looked a bit difficult to hold. "I will be your proctor today, so don't feel too bad about losing. You could chalk it up to bad luck."

"I'll take more than bad luck to lose to you." He sweat dropped, taking a jab on reflex. "I would never be able to show my face in daylight again if I lost to a school mascot." It felt like a low blow to take Jaden's words, but he wasn't wrong.

Crowler grounded his teeth, sending a glare his way before calming himself. "Well, laugh all you want, but like they say those who talk trash just have trash skills. Lets see if you're all talk or not."

Leo grinned back, though didn't insult the man again. Whilst he usually gloated his opponents, he wasn't dumb enough to earn the complete ire of his school teacher. "You're on, I've been looking for a challenge."

Crowler huffed, pulling out his deck and placing into that vest he called a Duel Disk. "Very well, lets-"

"Duel!"

The professor huffed in annoyance as he drew five cards. "As the examinee, you get the first move. I hope you enjoy it, because you won't be getting many of thm."

Turn 1 - Leo LP: 4000 - Cards in hand: 6

Leo glanced at his hand, not acknowledging the teacher's words. Whilst it wasn't quite ideal, he'd gotten a hand with two of his spirit partners. His friends were right there with him, and he couldn't lose. Not now.

He grinned when he saw what his last card was. "That'll work just fine. I'll kick things off by summoning the Rescue Rabbit!"

Leo slapped the card onto his disk, watching as the cute rabbit appeared on his field. The bunny stared scornfully at Crowler, but that only incited some of the audience to beam at his cuteness. Well, part of him couldn't blame them. The little guy was cute.

"Ha, what a pathetic weakling." He heard the voice of an NPC talk out from the stands, earning them a glare in that general direction. His monster did the same, though the rabbit's mostly went unnoticed. He seemed to pout at that.

However, Crowler merely narrowed his eyes. Smart man. At least he knew his stuff, even if most of the others were idiots.

"I activate Rescue Rabbit's effect!" He yelled as his monster shattered into pixels which descended onto his deck, making it glow majestically. "By destroying him, I can summon two normal monsters from my deck with the same name. I summon two Hunter Dragons!"

The two monsters ejected from his deck, and after he placed them on the two orange dragons materialised. The twins roared as they descended, flapping their wings as they snarled at his opponent.

Hunter Dragon (Atk: 1700/Def: 100/ Level 3/ Dark/ Dragon/ Normal)

Hunter Dragon (Atk: 1700/Def: 100/ Level 3/ Dark/ Dragon/ Normal)

Watching them land, Crowler remained unimpressed. "I am no amateur, Mr Gray. I know that the monsters you summoned using your rabbits effect will be destroyed at the end of the turn. So, what was the point of summoning them? You've already used up your normal summon, so tributing them isn't an option. What were you thinking summoning two monsters that you can't use?"

Leo smirked evilly as he held up another card, this time a spell. "I can't use them? I disagree. Because, with the spell card Dragonic Tactics I can tribute two dragons on my field to summon a level eight dragon type monster from my deck!"

Crowler gasped. "You what?!"

Two stone foundations rose from the ground, flawless stone shining under the light. Both his dragons landed on it, slowly turning to rock themselves before shattering into stardust.

He grinned, enjoying himself thoroughly as he picked a card out. "I summon a dragon who will guard me till' the last, the Armed Protector Dragon!"

The light from before coalesced into the shape of a familiar monster, which grew and grew until his dragon materialised. It was large and amphibious in appearance, with a long red tail and two wings aligned with tendrils, and it appeared with a roar that made Crowler narrow his eyes.

Armed Protector(Atk: 2000/ Def: 2800/ Level 8/ Light/ Dragon/ Effect)

"But, I'm not done. I equip him the equip spell Dragon Shield onto Armed Protector Dragon." Leo added, smiling stupidly as the spell card zapped his monster. The spell fit perfectly onto the defensive dragon's form, shrouding him head to toe in bloody red and brown armour that caused it's more fish-like traits completely morphed into something far more intimidating.

"When my dragon is equipped with an equip spell it gains five hundred attack points." Leo explained joyfully, his dragon standing straighter as it's attack points got a boost.

(Atk: 2000 - 2500)

Crowler scowled much to his delight, but admitted. "A strong monster, applicant." He seemed begrudging to admit that. "But, you can't attack me this turn so why play your equip spell so soon?"

"I have my reasons." Leo vaguely stated as he continued. "I play Graceful Charity to get some more cards." He didn't bother expanding as he drew and discarded, his eyes glinting when he saw what he drew. This would be fun.

"Since I discarded Eclipse Wyvern, I can banish a monster and if my wyvern is banished I can add that card to my hand." He did just that, proceeding to pick up two more cards from his hand. "Now, I play two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2 - Crowler LP: 4000 - Cards in hand: 6

Crowler looked a tad nervous, but otherwise kept his composure. "That was a good turn, Mr Rave. A monster with twenty five hundred attack points on the first turn. If you were Duelling a regular Duellist you'd certainly have them on the ropes. But, I am far from regular, as you will now find out."

Leo raised his eyebrow as Crowler drew his first card, curious about what the teacher had in mind.

----------------------

Yuri looked at her hand for a moment, before letting a slight grin slip upon seeing her spirit friend's card. It wasn't the most ideal card, since she couldn't play it on the first turn, but it was symbolic in a way.

Turn 1 - Yuri LP: 4000 - Cards in hand: 6

"First, I'm going to activate my field spell Magical Citadel of Endymion." She began, watching in amusement as the proctor jumped back in surprise. The pitch around them began to change, with pink aura written like ancient symbols wrapping around the battlefield, before four towers arose around them with the seal providing the illusion of imprisonment. It was quite grandiose, and she actually struggled to see through the hologram, but anyone who'd arrived looked surprised.

Fontaine, having regained her composure, wasn't nearly as awestuck. "What does this field spell do?"

"You'll have to find out on your own." She gained a cheeky grin. "But, I'll give you a hint: Spell Counters."

"'Spell Counters'?" Fontaine parrotted.

"Yes, a Spell Counter is added to this card whenever one of us activates a spell. So, by activating Pot of Greed, my citadel starts it's stockpile." She activated the well known spell, replenishing her hand whilst a pure blue orb appeared on top of a tower's spire.

(Citadel's SC: 0 - 1)

"Now, I summon Breaker The Magical Warrior." She declared, a swordsman garbed in red with appeared with a shout.

Breaker The Magical Warrior(Atk: 1600/ Def: 1000/ Level 4/ Dark/ Spellcaster/ Effect)

"When this monster is normal summoned, I can place a Spell Counter on it. And, for every one he had, he gains three hundred attack points." She explained as her monster glowed, bolstering it's point total.

(Breaker's SC: 0 - 1)

(Atk: 1600 - 1900)

"Now, I activate Spell Power Grasp." The spell card showing one of her ace monster in the artwork appeared on the field. "When this card is activated, I can place a Spell Counter on one card that I control, then I can search another copy of this card from my deck. I target my citadel!"

(Citadel's SC: 1 - 2)

Another orb appeared, this time on yet another tower as she added her second spell to the hand. "And, since a spell was played, it gets another spell counter." After she explained, one of those towers lit up like a Christmas tree again.

(Citadel's SC: 2 - 3)

"Now, I place two cards facedown and end my turn." Yuri concluded, feeling a bit of satisfaction that her field was set up relatively well. Maybe not the best, since she hadn't gotten her best cards, but still a decent turn.

Fontaine had a surprisingly hard expression. "A good opener, but let's see how you handle being on the defense." She drew her sixth card, signalling it was her turn's beginning.

Turn 2 - Fontaine's LP: 4000 - Cards in hand: 6

Fontaine smirked slightly, showing the card she'd just drawn. "Now, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon. You're planning something with your field spell, so I think I'll just destroy it."

Yuri felt a touch of relief, since it would have been bad if her facedowns were targetted. She could even hear her spirit laughing from inside her card, and had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She was such a free spirit, no pun intended.

A wild blue cyclone picked up, which grew and attempted to swallow up her citadel, but Yuri chose this moment to inform her opponent. "Whenever Magical Citadel of Endymion is about to be destroyed, I can remove a Spell Counter from it instead."

That knowledge made Fontaine frown, knowing she'd truly wasted her spell when the winds died down. However, since a spell had been activated, the amount of Counters of the towers stayed the same.

Regardless, Fontaine continued. "That's a useful effect, but don't think I'm done. I summon the Lesser Dragon." A moment after she placed the card down, a wingless green dragon crawled out of the ground and roared at Yuri.

Lesser Dragon(Atk: 1200/ Def: 1000/ Level 4/ Dark/ Dragon/ Normal)

Yuri remained unthreatened, at least for the moment. Without any outside support, a monster like that couldn't hurt her. Which was why she had a bad feeling, since there was no way her opponent didn't have something else.

Fontaine wasn't done, activating another card. "Now, I activate the equip spell, United We Stand. For each monster I control, my Lesser Dragon gains eight hundred attack points!"

(Atk: 1200 - 2000)

The monster targeted by the spell reaped it's benefits, and the once crawling low dragon suddenly rose to it's hind legs with it's eyes set on the red knight in front of it. The field spell gained another Counter, but nobody paid that any mind.

(Citadel's SC: 3 - 4)

"Now, we do battle!" Fontaine began, throwing her arm out. "Lesser Dragon, destroy Breaker!"

The mossy dragon raised it's arms as it lunged forward, prepared to tear the magician to shreds, and if Yuri had acted a moment later it would have succeeded.

"I activate a trap! Impenetrable Attack!" Yuri declared, the card flipping up as her monster glowed and raised it's shield. Lesser Dragon tried to attack, but her monster held strong as the enemy was forced backwards as she chose to save her monster. Her lifepoints went down ever so slightly, but otherwise she was unscathed.

(Yuri LP: 4000 - 3900)

Fontaine apparently didn't need an explanation, looking mildly annoyed but didn't draw her turn out. " I place one card facedown and end my turn. Good move."

----------------------

Zane Truesdale watched the duels from above the balcony, his gaze showing how little interest he held in the battles going down below. At first, he was hopeful that there would be some talent but even against the proctor's testing decks he'd seen too many struggle much too hard. And to make things worse, the time told him the day wasn't even close to finished. Why did he stop by again?

"So, you actually decided to show up? Colour me surprised." Alexis commented, gaining his attention as who she, unlike the rest of the Obelisks, actually had the nerve to approach him(His history with her brother probably helped with that).

"I wanted to see if there was any promising new blood." Zane spoke truthfully, though he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to see if she was alright. Because Duel Academy was a boarding school, he hasn't had the chance to speak with her very much. In fact, this morning the first time they'd spoken face to face for a long time.

Alexis stood by his side as she asked. "Are you disappointed."

"I'm certainly not impressed." Zane muttered as a dark haired boy who seemed to be battling Crowler took to the stage. Zane narrowed his eyes, wondering why the boy felt so familiar, but was quick to brush it off. What he didn't brush off was the way Alexis seemed to react to him, her eyes instantly honing onto him as he began his turn.

Zane was never one to keep quiet when needed, so he questioned her. "Do you know him?"

Alexis shook her head. "Not personally, but I've seen him Duelling in a tournament before. He left quite the impression."

"Good, or bad?" Zane pressed. Alexis only took interest in truly unique characters, he could admit he was curious.

A frown crossed her features. "He was skilled, but lacked any respect for his opponent and Duelled in a very unorthodox style." As though reinforcing her point, a dragon Zane couldn't quite recognise burst onto the field with the help of a clever application Dragonic Tactics. He then equipped his dragon with Dragon Shield, a card he did recognise this time, and ended his turn with two facedowns.

"Do you remember his name?" Whilst a good judge of character, and he'd take her word for it, Zane still wanted to get this new student's name. If he'd learned the error of his ways, then he could make for an interesting opponent.

All he got was an uncertain look. "I can't say for sure, but it was something European."

Zane was tempted to push further, though when he averted his eyes, he noticed a strange field spell was being played by a girl going against Professor Fontaine. Whilst he couldn't claim to know every card in the game, he could say with confidence that field spell and that dragon are cards that never caught his ear. How strange.

"Well, this Duel will tell it all." Zane rarely saw Duellists who knew the value of respect, and he hoped a few of these freshmen would. The year would be boring otherwise, he could use a challenge.

----------------------

Leo took a glance at the other side of the arena, where Yuri was Duelling. She'd just played Endymion, so that meant she'd probably be good against any tester decks. All he had to do was deal with Crowler, then the two of them would be set.

The Professor began with a spell he recognised. "First, I'll activate the Ancient Gear Castle!" As an old yet sturdy looking castle rose behind Crowler, the man explained it's effects. "Now, all of my monsters with 'Ancient Gear' in their name gain three hundred attack and defense points!"

With a huff, Leo glanced at the spell. It seemed that Crowler had Ancient Gear support, though even if he had the latest back in modern day, it probably wouldn't be enough. They weren't exactly a top tier archetype

"Now, I summon the Ancient Gear Soldier in defense mode!" Crowler yelled, a robotic soldier with a gun for an arm and glowing blue eyes dropped onto the field, gaining a minor stat boost in the face of his dragon. Not that it would make a difference.

Ancient Gear Soldier(Atk: 1300/ Def: 1300/ Level 4/ Earth/ Machine/ Effect)

(Def: 1300 - 1600)

Crowler frowned, evidence that he wasn't satisfied with his hand. "Now, I'll place three cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3 - Leo LP: 4000 - Cards in hand: 2

Leo was a bit surprised by how underwhelming that was, but continued regardless as he drew his card and had to withhold a smirk. "I'll flip up my trap, Castle of Dragon Souls. Using it, I'll banish Eclipse Wyvern to give Armed Protector Dragon seven hundred more attack points."

The castle depicted on the trap appeared on the field, the ghost of Eclipse Wyvern flying into his other dragon, causing the monster to roar in enthusiasm at the power boost. Say what you want about Kaiba, he doesn't do anything by halves with his inventions.

(Atk: 2500 - 3200)

"Since Eclipse Wyvern was banished, the monster it banished is added to my hand." Leo got his selected monster, though he probably wouldn't be needing it. "Now, by banishing both a light monster and a dark monster from my graveyard, I can summon Lightpulsar Dragon!"

He quickly banished Rescue Rabbit and a Hunter Dragon, summoning one of his ace monster to the field with the intent to, at the very least, take a huge chunk out of Crowler's lifepoints.

Light shone on the battlefield like a star was forming, which coalesced into the form of a dragon which roared as it appeared on the field. His spirit partner snarled at his opponent. The dragon seemed oblivious to the awes he drew from the cloud, either that or he just didn't care.

"We'll battle now." Leo declared, entering the battle phase as he pointed at the lone monster on Crowler's field. "Lightpulsar Dragon, attack Ancient Gear Soldier!"

His dragon's core began to resonate, charging up to his maw as he prepared a powerful beam attack. Whilst Armed Protector Dragon didn't have quite enough to finish the job, with just eight hundred lifepoints left Crowler would be easy pickings. Especially if he used the card Marlene gave him.

Crowler was quick to flip his set card. "I activate Negate Attack! It stops your attack and brings this battle to a close!"

Lightpulsar unleashed his light beam attack, but it was sucked into a void and cancelled out. He seemed annoyed by this, a feeling Leo could share.

Leo stared at his hand for a moment, before declaring. "I end my turn." With only two high level monsters in his hand he couldn't do anything else. Armed Protector Dragon's attack points returned to normal, causing it to let out a dissatisfied growl.

(Atk: 3200 - 2500)

Turn 4 - Crowler LP: 4000 - Cards in hand: 2

Crowler actually looked a bit nervous, but upon drawing his next card that seemed to fade as he grinned. That probably wasn't good, because Leo would have to be an idiot to completely dismiss the man.

"Now, I'll show you a real move! First, I'll activate my facedown, Zero Gravity!" Crowler began, and when the trap was flipped every single monster on the field was overcome by a wave that forced them to change modes. Armed Protector Dragon and Lightpulsar Dragon kneeled down, their wings drawn to protect themselves, whilst Ancient Gear Soldier rose to it's feet with a raised gun.

The Obelisk Professor's smirk widened as he held up a card Leo could recognise. "Now, I activate the field spell Gear Town!" All around them, building and towers began to rise, each of them streamline and mechanical in appearance, before eventually they settled and he narrowed his eyes. He knew what this card did.

"Because this card is in play, I can summon any of my high level 'Ancient Gear' monsters with one less tribute." Crowler explained, holding up his ace monster almost boastfully. "So, prepare yourself to be crushed by a legendary monster, my trusted ace in fact! I tribute my Ancient Gear Soldier to summon my Ancient Gear Golem!"

His weaker soldier dissolved into pixels, and behind Crowler a new monster began to arise. It was dusty, rusted away, and held a helmet that looked like it was straight out of ancient Rome. Still though, it was an imposing sight when it stood over it's master with glowing red eyes. It also gained a slight boost from Ancient Gear Castle's effect.

Ancient Gear Golem(Atk: 3000/ Def: 3000/ Level 8/ Earth/ Machine/ Effect)

(Atk: 3000 - 3300)

Crowler threw his hand out, activating his other facedown with a grin on his face. "Now, I activate the spell Double Cyclone! By destroying a spell card on my field, I can destroy one on yours!"

The card flipped onto the ground, facing up as both a yellow and a red cyclone appeared that swallowed up both Crowler's field spell and his Castle of Dragon Souls. That was a bit annoying, but not a total loss.

Leo was quick to interrupt Crowler. "When the Castle of Dragon Souls is destroyed, I can summon one of my banished dragon-type monster!" He grabbed a card, selecting a dark monster. "I summon my Hunter Dragon!"

He summoned his new monster in attack mode, since he didn't know if Crowler had a second Gear Golem or not.

Hunter Dragon(Atk: 1900/ Def: 100/ Level 3/ Dark/ Dragon/ Normal)

Crowler didn't seem worried. "Yes yes, but with my Gear Town destroyed I can summon any 'Ancient Gear' monster I wish from my hand or deck." On perfect timing, a card was ejected from the Professor's deck. "I summon the Ancient Gear Hydra!"

Next to his golem, Crowler's field glowed as a mechanical dragon appeared. It has a rusted and 'old' looking body, with three head that all roared at once. It also gained a small boost, courtesy of Crowler's castle.

Ancient Gear Hydra(Atk: 2700/ Def: 1700/ Level 7/ Earth/ Machine/ Effect)

(Atk: 2700 - 3000)

Leo remained unworried, actually feeling a bit of relief. It would have been worse if he'd summoned a second Golem, now his lifepoints would remain solid even if he did take a bit of damage.

"Now, it's time to teach you your first and last lesson!" Crowler began, pointing at Lightpulsar Dragon. "It should be noted that my Ancient Gear Golem can deal damage even if your monster is in defense mode. Attack his dragon with Mechanised Melee!"

As the giant robot pulled back it's fist, Leo acted almost on instinct. "I activate my hand trap, Sphere Kuriboh!" After he discarded the cute little menace, who winked his way, the Golem, who was about to attack, suddenly took a knee as he shifted into defense mode. This made Crowler looked shocked, before glaring his way.

"What did you do?!" Crowler demanded.

"It's Sphere Kuriboh's effect. By discarding him from my hand when you attack, I can change the attacking monster into defense mode. You can't attack whilst in defense, so your Golem is stuck."

Crowler growled as he understood. "Maybe... but my Hydra isn't. So, I'll have my dragon attack your Hunter Dragon! Go, Mechanical Overload!"

His final monster opened it's three mouths which immediately burst with power, engulfing the orange dragon and taking a decent chunk out of his lifepoints. Still though, Leo didn't mind too much.

(Leo's LP: 4000 - 2900)

Crowler seemed annoyed that he didn't deal much damaged, but couldn't do anything else with no cards on hand. "I end my turn, but it makes no difference. You might have stopped my monsters this turn, but next time it comes back to me I'll finish you off."

Leo let a chuckle slip by his lips as he threw his arms out in a grand gesture. "I'm sorry Professor, but this ends now. You're better than most of my opponents, so pat yourself on the back, but what was it Atem used to say? Oh, that's right, playtimes over."

Crowler laughed mockingly, obviously not getting the reference attempting. "Oh, stop trying to act tough. Just make your move."

"With pleasure!" Leo responded. He briefly pondered on whether or not Crowler would target him for what he was about to do. If so, then fine, but it could prove to be a pain. Regardless, he wasn't going to hold back on any of his opponents, even if it did cost him a little extra work. His monsters hungered for a fight, and he needed to break a new monster in. Regardless, he needed the right card or he'd look like a total punk.

"I draw!" He took his next card, unable to hold back his grin knowing he'd won.

----------------------

"I draw!" Yuri declared, getting her find card before she began and had to stop herself from squealing when she saw what it was. Then again, it probably wouldn't do her good to draw too much attention right away. It was best she saved him for later.

Turn 3 - Yuri LP: 4000 - Cards in hand: 4

She pointed at Fontaine's spell card, using her red warrior's ability. "First, I activate the effect of my Breaker The Magical Warrior. By removing a Spell Counter from him, I can destroy a spell or trap card you control. I destroy your facedown."

Fontaine grimaced as her monster raised it's blade overhead, which glowed with white, before it slashed forward and sent a beam flying onto the only set card. It blew away to reveal Magic Cylinder, and Yuri almost sighed in relief. Her monster grew a bit weaker, but that wouldn't really mean much.

(Atk: 1900 - 1600)

"Now, it's time for you to see why I deserve a spot at Duel Academy." She said. "I summon the Silent Magician Lv 4!"

Her field glowed brightly, her opponent's eyes widening as a tiny little white clad magician with a wand clenched in her two hands took to the field. She looked determined for a moment, but when she realised how many people were on the field she faltered slightly. Yuri smiled slightly, knowing the shy little monster was about to grow up.

Silent Magician Lv 4(Atk: 1000/ Def: 1000/ Level 4/ Light/ Spellcaster/ Effect)

"Where did you get that?" Fontaine asked, clearly surprised. "Ever since Yugi Moto hit the scene, finding his iconic cards is next to impossible."

Yuri smirked proudly. "I've had this card for years, and she's never let me down. But, before you get to see her true strength, I activate Spell Power Grasp to add another Counter to my Citadel."

(Citadel's SC: 4 - 5)

(Citadel's SC: 5 - 6)

She took her final copy from the deck as the spire's around her filled up with more counters, her field spell setting up perfectly for her next move. "Now, I activate my magician's effect! By sending Silent Magician Lv 4 to the graveyard when it has five Spell Counters, I can summon Silent Magician Lv 8!"

Fontaine pointed out. "But your monster doesn't have any."

Yuri grinned mischievously. "My Citadel's effect means that, instead of my magician needing to give up Spell Counters, I can remove that many from my citadel as a substitute. So, goodbye Lv 4, and hello Lv 8!"

The field spell in place suddenly shifted, with most of the light balls it had built up going out to activate her monster's effect, and they all gathered onto Silent Magician to grant her the power she'd need to evolve.

(Citadel's SC: 6 - 1)

Her monster nodded, suddenly filled with quiet confidence as the tiny sorcerer was engulfed by light so bright she had to cover her eyes. But, when she looked back, the small timid little girl she'd once seen was gone, and in her place was a fully grown woman prepared to face down her enemies.

Silent Magician Lv 8(Atk: 3500/ Def: 1000/ Light/ Spellcaster/ Effect)

"Thirty five hundred attack points?!" She heard someone from the crowd yell out, though she didn't acknowledge them. Fontaine kept her composure mostly, but she looked more on edge than before.

"I'm sorry, but this duel is over. I enter the battle phase and attack Lesser Dragon with Breaker The Magical Knight." Yuri declared, but right after her monster started rushing in she held up a hand trap her mother had given her. "By sending Dark Honest to the graveyard, my dark attribute monster I control gains attack points equal to the monster it battles."

(Atk: 1600 - 3600)

With that explanation, her monster grinned savagely as it held up it's magical blade and glowed darkly as a demonic figure's ghost surrounded him. It's attack points jumped up as the mossy dragon was sliced apart with ease.

(Fontaine's LP: 4000 - 2400)

Not wanting to drag this out any longer, Yuri thrust her arm forward for her victory. "Now, Silent Magician, finish her off and secure our place!"

The white magician nodded, any meekness in her previous form long gone. She jumped up high, her wand shining with energy, before she built up a blast of blue light that finished off the defenceless Fontaine.

(Fontaine's LP: 2400 - 0)

(Winner: Yuri)

Yuri breathed out in relief as the holograms faded, grateful that the duel was over. She was surprised by how basic that game was though, then again the tester decks probably weren't made to be too difficult. Yeah, that was probably it.

Fontaine brought her out of thought. "That was fine Duelling young lady. Now, go collect your student ID and register your Duel Disk. You've exceeded my expectations, welcome to Duel Academy"

Yuri's face felt a bit warm at the praise, since what she did wasn't even particularly impressive, but gave a slight bow. "Thank you, Mrs."

Fontaine smiled back. "No problem, now go."

Yuri raised her head, taking her leave since there was nothing more she had to say. Interestingly enough though, she saw that Leo was battling and he had an unfamiliar dragon on his field.

----------------------

Crowler narrowed his eyes at the boy across the pitch, trying to assure himself of his security. He had two powerful monster on his field, plus the facedown Mirror Force to ensure any attacks his opponent threw would just backfire. Logic dictated that just two cards wouldn't be enough to turn the tide, but the Professor wasn't so sure.

As much as he loathed to admit it, especially since the boy was so arrogant, Leonardo Rave was a skilled Duelist. Afterall, no newbie would be able to erect a field like the one he'd put up. And now that they were duelling, Crowler could have sworn he'd heard the boy's name somewhere before. In a tournament a few years ago, around the time for prep school.

Turn 5 - Leo's LP: 2900 - Cards in hand: 2

Leo played his first card. "First, I activate the spell card Dragon Shrine. With this spell, I can send a dragon type monster from my deck to the grave, and if it's a normal monster I can send another. I send Divine Dragon Ragnarok, and since it's a normal monster I get to send White Horned Dragon."

Crowler narrowed his eyes. Normally, sending your monsters to the graveyard was generally a bad thing, but his opponent had proved to be no amateur, so whatever he had planned wasn't likely to be good.

Then, the younger man held up his final card with a surprising amount of seriousness. "Tell me Professor Crowler, why did you chose to become a teacher?"

The blonde man raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason in particular. You don't even have to answer really, but considering you'll be my teacher soon I wanted to learn about your character. There are some things you can only do in person."

Crowler thought about correcting the young man, but decided to answer anyway. What was the harm?

"I wanted to teach the younger generation the way." He answered honestly. "Young people these days tend to have little discipline, I want to be someone who can bring out their potential." The student seemed surprised by that answer, but smiled after a moment.

"Good, it's nice to know you'll be teaching me." Leo stated, but his eyes narrowed a second later. "But, I'm not going easy on you. There was a reason I played Dragon Shrine other than to thin out my deck. This monster was given to someone special to me, just this morning in face, and I'll use it to beat you right here!"

The card he was holding radiated phantasm for a few seconds before he slapped it down, the ground behind him distorting as he called out. "Because there are exactly three dark monsters in my graveyard, I can summon a special monster from my hand. The punished of hell and the shaker of earth, the Dark Armed Dragon!"

Crowler's eyes widened as a huge dragon, standing a bit taller than even the other two of it's brethren, clawed it's way out of the ground and lorded over it's master. It's body was littered with blades that jutted out at sharp angles, it's tail ending in a drill that looked like it could cut diamond. It roared ferociously, it's glowing red irises narrowing on Crowler and his monsters as it snarled their way.

He instinctively took a step back. He could admit he was intimidated.

Dark Armed Dragon(Atk: 2800/ Def: 1000/ Dark/ Dragon/ Effect)

Leo held his hand forward, clenching it as he explained. "Whilst he might not be enough to beat your machines physically, he had a neat effect. He can banish a dark type monster from my graveyard to destroy one card you control. Oh, and this isn't one per turn."

Crowler's eyes bulged, panic and fear spiking as Leo declared with a smirk. "I banish two Hunter Dragon's and White Horned Dragon to destroy both your monsters and your facedown!"

Dark Armed Dragon roared in bloodlust, crossing it's arms as the spikes jutting out of it's arms started to glow the same crimson as it's eyes. After a few seconds of build up, it released and three slashes of red energy shot out and shredded every card on Crowler's field, causing him to cry out as him monsters were reduced to pixels.

Leo pointed at Crowler, a grin on his lips. "Now, it's time to end this! I switch Armed Protector Dragon and Lightpulsar Dragon into attack mode." As he declared that, his dragons stopped kneeling and stanced to pounce on him and end the duel.

"Wait!" Crowler couldn't help but call out, not wanting the students around to see him lose. If he did, that would make him lose their respect, it would be much harder to teach them if they thought he was a mediocre duellist!

"Sorry Professor, this has gone on long enough! Now, Lightpulsar Dragon blow him away!" Upon it's master's command, the shockingly realistic looking light dragon's core began to shine like a star. Energy built up to it's mouth, and after a few seconds, it released a concentrated blast of light that knocked Crowler onto the floor, groaning as he stood once again. Though it was futile.

(Crowler's LP: 4000 - 1500)

"It's over." Leo declared with finality. "Dark Armed Dragon, attack him directly!"

The dark dragon roared with malice, it's razor sharp mouth opening up to show an orb of blood red light that was fluctuating wildly. But, it wasn't in that state for long before the demonic dragon unleashed it's attack and he was given hardly a moment's notice before a red aura had engulfed him whole and knocked him back to the ground.

(Crowler's LP: 1500 - 0)

(Winner: Leo)

'Damn it!' Crowler couldn't help but curse internally, knowing this would be a stain on his reputation as he laid still for a few moments. He could already hear the whispers of those in the crowds, speaking about how the head of Duel Academy's staff lost to a mere student. It was humiliating!

But, eventually he did rise up, and greet the student. He might have been bitter, but unfortunately he still had a job to do. With gritted teeth, he uttered out. "You passed, boy. Make your way out to collect your student ID and connect your Duel Disk to the academy servers."

Leo either didn't notice his reluctancy, which his amused expression all but disproved, or he simply didn't care. Either way, he still responded. "Cool, see ya' around Professor."

With that, the candidate simply walked away, and Crowler likewise made his way back up to the proctors stands. He didn't feel like Duelling much, not after this. Anyone who made him would get on his bad side, that he swore. And it would just be bad luck to find two slackers who earned his ire in a single day.

----------------------

"Well, I can see what you meant." Zane frowned, watching the retreating form of that European boy as he spoke to his best friend's sister. "He really didn't show much respect for his opponent, disappointing." He couldn't help but lament that he wouldn't be able to face another Duellist, but the outcome was already obvious. Though strong, his monsters just weren't on the level to battle his Cyber Dragons.

"Well, I figured as much." Alexis mumbled, frowning as she focused on said boy. "He hasn't changed at all. Well, it's not like I knew him personally. Besides, without respect for his opponents, he won't get very far."

Zane shrugged. "Doesn't matter. There's bound to be someone else with a bit of talent down there."