Walking calmly through the streets of Domino City, a boy with magenta hair made his way forward, dressed in a simple black jacket layered over a sleeveless shirt. His blue jeans were worn but clean, tucked neatly into scuffed boots that had seen better days.
The boy moved with quiet confidence, heading toward the exam hall. Today marked the practical exams for Duel Academia, an elite institution known for shaping top-tier duelists. This year, the venue was none other than Kaiba Land.
At the top of the audience stands, he paused, scanning the crowd. It didn't take long to pick out several familiar faces. A hand rose to cover his expression, not to hide worry, but to stifle the grin spreading across his face.
All these people… here in the flesh. Hah. This is going to be fun.
"Exam number 111: Yumi Uzushi."
His name echoed through the loudspeakers. It had begun.
Yumi's smirk widened as he casually descended the steps, hands in his pockets, making his way to the duel field.
"Hello, teacher," Yumi greeted the examiner politely.
The man before him was the picture of a hard-nosed instructor, stone-faced and solidly built, clad in the Obelisk Blue uniform.
"Let's duel," the examiner said curtly.
"Yes, sir."
Yumi slid on his duel disk, the mechanism locking into place with a satisfying click. Just as the duel was about to begin, he paused and raised a hand.
"Wait, teacher. Hypothetically, just hypothetically, if I win, but you end up, say… mad at me, is there any chance I still fail?"
The examiner didn't blink. "We're professionally trained, not low-class duelists. No matter what happens, I won't get mad."
He paused.
"Besides, the final score is decided by Chief Examiner Professor Crowler. Not me."
"Oh. That's good to hear," Yumi replied, genuinely relieved.
Professor Crowler… or as fans liked to call him, Professor Greed, thanks to his uncanny resemblance to the card Pot of Greed.
He had the air of a cartoon villain and often played the part when dealing with so-called "problem students." But once you got past the theatrics and inflated ego, he was actually a solid teacher. Annoying? Sure. But fair.
And today, Yumi planned to make quite the impression.
"Duel!" x2
[Yumi, LP 4000]
[Examiner, LP 4000]
"I'll go first. Draw."Yumi pulled the first card from his deck, a grin forming the moment he saw it.
"First, I'll Normal Summon 'Sky Striker Ace - Raye' in Attack Position."
He slid the card onto his Duel Disk. A flash of light erupted, and from it emerged a teenage girl with flowing snow-white hair, clad in a sleek black-and-white uniform. Her legs were wrapped in thigh-high black stockings, and she held a polished, high-tech katana in hand.
[Sky Striker Ace - Raye, 1500 ATK]
A ripple of surprise swept through the audience upon seeing Raye, after all, she was supposed to be printed out much later on as the game, Yu-Gi-Oh, evolved.
But thanks to Yumi Uzushi, someone who wasn't originally from this world. Transported here by unknown means, and now armed with his Card Printing System, he'd managed to bring his own custom cards to life. And with it, one of his favorite card waifus entered the game years ahead of schedule.
"Sky Striker Ace… Raye," the examiner murmured, eyes narrowing with interest. "Is this a new archetype? I've never heard of it."
Truth be told, the examiner found Raye… distracting. Stylish. Deadly. Kinda cute.He wouldn't have minded pulling a Raye of his own.
After all, female monster cards had a long-standing popularity streak, just like how Dark Magician Girl became an icon, thanks to Yugi Muto. Both guys and girls wanted that card, and for good reason.
"She is," Yumi answered with a knowing smile, picking up three cards from his hand. "You'll be seeing more of her soon."
"I'll set two cards face-down."
Two holographic panels materialized behind Raye, flaring with red warning glyphs.
"And then, I'll activate 'Take Over 5', sending the top five cards from my deck to the Graveyard."
A glowing green Spell Card appeared on the field. Yumi pulled the top five cards from his deck and slid them into his graveyard slot without hesitation.
The duel disk processed the action instantly, scanning and updating the field with a soft digital hum.
With his setup complete, Yumi casually rested a hand in his pocket.
"I end my turn."
"My turn. Draw," the examiner declared, swiftly drawing a card.
"I Normal Summon 'Mystery Shell Dragon' in Attack Position."
[Mystery Shell Dragon, ATK 2000]
Yumi's eyes narrowed the moment the card hit the field. Ah, one of the test decks. Level 4 beatdown.
Straightforward and brutal, monsters with over 2000 ATK, boosted further with equip spells to hit 3000 and dominate the field. A trial by fire for new students.
From the stands, whispers sparked.
"Oh man, he's facing the beatdown deck."
"Yikes. Glad I didn't pull that one."
"Poor guy."
"Now, I'll attack 'Sky Striker Ace - Raye' with 'Mystery Shell Dragon'!" the examiner called out, and the metallic dragon let out a roar as it launched toward the girl on Yumi's field.
Yumi raised his hand. "At that moment, I activate Raye's effect!"
As energy surged around her, Raye's form began to shift, her body glowing with radiant light.
"By tributing her, I can Special Summon one 'Sky Striker Ace' monster from my Extra Deck!"
He smirked.
"Henshin! 'Sky Striker Ace - Kaina'!"
Where Raye once stood now stood a futuristic warrior. She still resembled Raye, but now she was clad in a sleek orange-and-yellow mecha suit, complete with four mechanical arms extending from her back like a blooming machine lotus.
[Sky Striker Ace - Kaina, 1500 ATK]
Gasps spread through the audience. The student's brain could barely process it.
Cute anime waifu? Check.
High-tech robot mecha? Check.
Combine them? Shut up and take my Duel Points.
It was a deadly combo. And dangerously marketable.
"Oooh~ it seems #111 has brought something special to the exam," Professor Crowler cooed from the stands, his eyes gleaming as he leaned forward in amusement.
Of course, Kaina wasn't originally a Fusion Monster, she was a Link Monster. But this was still the GX era. No Synchros. No Xyzs. No Pendulums. No Links.
So when Yumi printed his cards, he made sure to tweak them to fit this world's rules.
"Hmph. Your monster's still weaker than mine," the examiner pointed out, gesturing at Kaina's 1500 ATK. "You placed her in Attack Position."
"I know," Yumi said, unfazed. "That's why I'm activating Kaina's effect. When she's summoned, I can target one of your face-up monsters and prevent it from attacking until the end of the turn."
He pointed toward the looming dragon. "I choose your 'Mystery Shell Dragon'."
Kaina's mechanical arms extended, locking around the dragon and freezing it in place. Energy pulsed through the battlefield as the assault was forcefully halted.
"…Tch." The examiner clicked his tongue. "Since I can't attack anymore… I'll set three cards face-down and end my turn."
Three cards flashed into place behind the shell dragon in a practiced rhythm.
"My turn. Draw!" Yumi declared, drawing a card in a smooth flourish. His eyes lit up. "I'll activate the effect of 'Take Over 5' in my Graveyard. By banishing it, I get to draw one card."
He banished the card without hesitation and drew again.
"And now… I activate 'Snatch Steal'!" he declared, slamming the spell onto his Duel Disk. "I equip it to your 'Mystery Shell Dragon', and take control of it."
The crowd gasped as the dragon roared and turned against its original controller, walking over to Yumi's side under the influence of the spell card.
"Battle!" Yumi shouted. "Kaina, attack directly!"
The armored waifu surged forward, boosters flaring. Her mech-fists glowed as she closed in on the examiner.
"Too naive!" the examiner snapped. "Trap Card open, 'Sakuretsu Armor'! When your monster declares an attack, I can destroy it!"
A spectral warrior lunged from the trap card's vortex, piercing through Kaina's mecha body with a devastating strike. A cloud of smoke obscured the field.
But when it cleared-
"W-What?" the examiner blinked. "She's back!?"
[Sky Striker Ace - Raye, 1500 ATK]
"When Raye is in my graveyard, if an Extra Deck 'Sky Striker Ace' monster I control is destroyed, I get to summon her back to my field." Yumi calmly explained, knowing that in this world, you can't just pause the duel and walk over to read your opponent's card effect.
Raye stood tall, katana drawn.
"Now, Shell Dragon - attack directly!"
The repurposed monster reared back and rushed toward its original owner, swinging its sharp claws.
[Examiner, LP 4000 -> LP 2000]
"Trap card- 'Damage Condenser'!" the examiner countered. "When I take battle damage, I discard 1 card to Special Summon a monster from my Deck with ATK equal to or less than the damage taken!"
"Not happening." Yumi snapped, holding up a card. "From my hand, I activate 'Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring'! When you try to Special Summon from the Deck, I discard her to negate the effect."
The ghostly image of Ash Blossom fluttered into view, and with a single glance, the trap's glow flickered and fizzled out.
The examiner scowled. Why does this card exist? he thought bitterly. Wondering why such a toxic card was ever printed.
"Now, Raye- attack directly!" Yumi commanded.
She obeyed without hesitation, charging forward, black katana gleaming.
"Trap Card open- 'Call of the Haunted'!" the examiner barked dramatically, even striking a pose, trying to act cool. "I Special Summon 'Tri-Horned Dragon' from my Graveyard!"
A purple glow surged as a monstrous blue dragon with countless razor horns emerged with a mighty roar.
[Tri-Horned Dragon, 2850 ATK]
"2850 Attack point!? That's almost as high as the Legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon." a student cried out in shock from the stands.
Unfazed, Yumi looks at the 2850 beat stick on the examiner's side of the field with a calm smile, before waving his hand to activate his set card.
"Quick-Play Spell- 'Gravity Lash'! I target one monster, and it loses ATK equal to its DEF until the end of the turn. I choose your dragon."
The Tri-Horned Dragon roared in confusion as crushing gravitational pressure slammed it down.
[Tri-Horned Dragon, 2850 ATK -> 500 ATK]
Examiner: "..."
The examiner began to look annoyed. He just summoned the ace monster of his deck, acting all cool like President Kaiba when he summoned his Blue-Eyes. But the moment his dragon set foot on the battlefield, its attack was dropped to 500, making the once menacing dragon look somewhat pitiful.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
"Now then, the battle continues, Raye, attack Tri-Horned Dragon!" Yumi declared.
"Ace Striker!"
Raye lunged, leaping into the air and bringing her sword down in a clean slash. The once-mighty dragon was cleaved in half, vanishing in a burst of data particles.
"Gahhh!" He grunted, being pushed back by the aftershock of his monster being destroyed.
[Examiner, LP 2000 -> LP 1000]
"Quick-Play Spell- 'Berserker Soul'!" Yumi shouted. "By discarding my entire hand. Then draw one card, if it's a monster, I can discard it, and a monster I control with 1500 or less ATK can attack once more."
Yumi said with a smirk as he tossed the last of his hand into the Graveyard, then touched the top of his deck with two fingers.
In the anime, Berserker Soul was used by Yami Yugi to perform one of the most overkill plays ever shown in Yu-Gi-Oh, where even when his opponent's Life Point has reached zero, the effect still continues and Yugi's monster mercilessly beats up that poor bastard.
He has been wanting to recreate this overkill play for some time now, but with his mostly stacked deck of spells and traps, pulling that move off with Berserker Soul is a bit hard.
"This is it… Draw!"
He flipped the card. Then blinked.
"…Spell card."
He sighed, visibly deflating. "Another failed..."
The examiner exhaled in relief. "Finally, a break-"
"Quick-Play Spell- 'Mask Change II'!" Yumi interrupted, activating his final face-down. "By discarding one card, I can transform a monster I control into a 'Masked HERO' of the same Attribute and higher Level!"
"Nani!?" the examiner gasped.
Raye's body glowed once more. A black mask formed over her face. Her body was encased in obsidian armor. The aura around her shifted, no longer a sleek, futuristic soldier, but now a shadowy, merciless figure. Her fingers were covered by clawed gauntlets, a wolf motif forming on her chest and shoulders.
"Henshin! Masked HERO Dark Law!"
[Masked HERO Dark Law, 2400 ATK]
The examiner took a step back. Just making eye contact with this thing gave him chills.
"Dark Law, finish this!" Yumi commanded. "Rider Kick!"
The masked HERO's eyes flashed gold. In a flash of movement, he launched into the air, somersaulted, and drove a brutal jump kick straight into the examiner's face.
[Examiner, LP 1000 → LP 0]
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Author's Note: Yo, A here. I've been feeling a bit bored and a bit burned out, so I decided to write this random idea of mine for fun. If you guys enjoy then I might continue; otherwise, I will mostly write more chapters when I feel like it.