Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL 1. Meet the Stars

**Yugioh: Reach the Stars**

**Disclaimer**: I do not nor will ever own the Yugioh series. If I did, the main character's hair wouldn't be registered as a lethal weapon.

**Note**: This is my first time trying something like this, so don't expect any great quality of logical content. I would really appreciate if people could review my story and give some advice on how to improve, as long as it's not a complete flame. Thanks.

* * *

**Chapter One: Meet the Stars**

Nebula City was always so fun to watch during the night. The human transportation vehicles were clustered from end to end, blaring loud noises, and the humans themselves were swarming the walkways, some taking careful consideration to knock each other over. It was like a blissful symphony of chaos and confusion. And best of all, the city's overuse of light blotted out the twinkling stars of the night sky like a blanket of darkness – the very thought made him giddy. As the hairless primates ceaselessly screamed at one enough with their primitive language, one man stood above all of them as he rightly should.

Sitting himself across the edge of the largest structures leisurely, the superior life-form laughed as a pair of homo sapiens jumped out of their vehicles and started scuffling around on the ground. Humans – such an imbecilic and barbaric species. The identity of the creature watching them was obscured by the cloak he wore with the hood flipped over to conceal his facial expression. The cloak itself was black as the night sky with an eerie symbol that bared a resemblance to a leering, horned beast in the center.

The mysterious creature chortled when one of the humans managed to break the others nose until he realized that he wasn't going to be alone that night. Another creature in similar attire joined him at the building edge; this one twice as large as his companion.

"Didn't expect to be seeing you here anytime soon." The smaller creature giggled; its voice actually more feminine than expected. "I thought you would still be kissing the butt as the humans appropriately call it. Don't tell me Leader-Sama found a new pet to play with."

"Leader-Sama…" The taller creature said; his voice sounding gravely and rough. "Has noticed that the Astral and Barian worlds are starting to become more active recently. Leader-Sama has followed their unique energy patterns to somewhere up north in a city called Heartland."

"Bah! Let's those ghosts have their fun!" The female conspirator. "They know what'll happen if they try to mess with us. Besides, we have something more important to worry about."

"Hard to believe that tomorrow it will be a hundred years since the last one." The taller comrade said roughly. "The next 'star' should make him appearance any day now. Leader-Sama will have good reason to be concerned if next one chosen is anything like the previous ones."

"I can only imagine." The female mumbled. "No doubt this one will be as strong, dedicated, and focused as the others."

* * *

Artemis Academy for Girls was one of the two most prestigious schools in all of Nebula City – only the rich of excessively smart were allowed to attend. It was hear that girls learned the finest education money could buy that extended from the arts such as music and literature to the many science programs like astronomy. But the subject that most students looked forwards to at the end of the day was Dueling 101. It was the one lesson in the entire school that everyone was attentive of and almost never slacked off – key word being 'almost'. The only person that could ever slack on in the middle of a dueling lesson was the school problem child, Yui Ryuusei, who was presently using her arms as a pillow as she slept blissfully on her desk.

The girl was about 16 years of age with short, brunette hair that framed her face perfectly with a few wild fringes. She was wearing the school uniform which was required to attend: A pair of black-polished shoes with knee-high socks, a black pleated skirt, and a silver blazer with a white undershirt. The School symbol – a white crescent moon – was stamped on the breast pocket of her blazer.

Yui was lost blissfully in a land of cakes and marshmallows – some drool dripping down her chin – when someone started shaking her by the shoulder. The lazy brunette tried playing dead; maybe they would go away like those bears in that TV show. Unfortunately, her 'brilliant' plan fell through when her classmate started shaking her again.

"Yui, wake up already." The exasperated student commanded.

"Five more minutes." Yui mumbled. "I wanna see the lollipop queen."

"It's scary to think what is going through her head." The student sweat-dropped.

"Maybe you can wake her with a kiss like in sleeping beauty." Another student suggested.

At the mention of the word 'kiss' Yui kept her eyes firmly closed, but puckered her lips hopefully. There were a few things you needed to know about Yui Ryuusei: she was very optimistic, easily excitable, lazy when it comes to school work…and a shameless lesbian. And when you attend an all-girls school, that tends to lead to a mass of problems. Yui had already received multiple detentions for inappropriately groping other students in the shower. While her antics tended to go a little overboard, it was admirable to see that she wasn't afraid to show the world who she really is – very few people are that brave. Yui was still holding out for her kiss, but was instead smacked upside the head. The crazy brunette whined tragically as she rubbed the sore sport on her head – at least she was up now.

Pouting childishly, Yui turned to her supposed friends, Moriko Hayashi and Makea Sokeri. Moriko was the student council president and thus in charge of making sure Yui stayed awake during lectures; she failed dismally in that aspect. Moriko has long, silky-black hair, was very gifted in the chest region, and wore a pair of corrective glasses for her poor eyesight. Makea was the richest girl in Artemis Academy – probably in all of Nebula city – but she was a very down-to-earth kind of person. She had fluffy blond hair and flawless skin that only added to her sense of perfection.

"Ne, why you have to be so mean, Mori-Chan?" Yui whined immaturely. "That really hurt."

"I had to wake you up somehow." Moriko stated firmly with her arms crossed. "Classes are over and school has been out for an hour now. Makea and I were just coming back from a student council meeting when Makea noticed you were still asleep."

"I thought you looked so cute." Makea giggled lightly.

"Eh?" Yui said clueless, looking around the classroom. True to her word, the lecture hall was completely empty. "Hey, they are left me here alone. How rude."

"Well, you do sleep through class all the time." Makea hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe they though you needed your beauty sleep."

"Ne, ne, where's captain?" Yui complained. "Why didn't she wake me up?"

"Eira-Chan when to Milky Square about an hour ago." Makea said thoughtfully. "She said she wanted to get there before all the good duelists were taken. Or did she say she wanted to get there before all the good duels were taken. She was taking so fast that it was hard to understand her."

"Captain, you meanie!" Yui screamed before running out the door.

"It always nice to see her so energetic." Makea smiled.

"I think she's beyond energetic and just plain crazy." Moriko sweat-dropped.

* * *

Milky Square was quite a distance from Artemis Academy since it was in the very center of town and traffic was usually horrible due to the number of people that lived there. But once passing through the serene gardens and laying in the soft, nuzzling grass, all your troubles seem to disappear for a short while. It was the perfect calm atmosphere that could make one forget that Nebula City was one of the most populated and short tempered cities in the world. And the aspect of using it as a dueling ground only made it more popular. When Yui, Moriko, and Makea arrived, the park was alive with duelists clashing against one another in friendly competition. Most of them were teenagers that had just gotten out of school like them.

"Wow, look at all the duels!" Yui said excitably.

"Yui, don't forget your D-gazer." Makea said in a motherly manner.

"Hai!" Yui replied cheerfully.

The D-Gazer was essential for dueling – it allowed one to change the electromagnetic spectrum of their vision to view the Duel Monsters in what is referred to as AR Vision. Yui's D-Gazer was white with a light-blue lens and a yellow shooting star on the brow; Moriko's had a green frame shaped like a leaf with an orange lens; and Makea's was bright-pink with a little strawberry in the corner and a red lens. Once the AR link was established is when Milky Square truly came alive. Now they could see the progress of each and every duel as the cards started appearing in in every direction under the command of their duelists. Much of the scenery was destroyed as a result of the intense battles though they instinctively knew it wasn't real – Yui covered her eyes when a Red-Eyes gobbled up a poor defenseless Kuriboh.

"It's always so wonderful to see so many people having fun." Makea commented happily.

"Hey, I see Samurai of the Ice Barrier up there." Moriko stated, pointing to one of the higher elevated hills in the park. Sure enough, there was a monster clad in crystalized samurai armor facing down a golden four-armed, half-man-half-beast monster. "That's one of Eire's favorite cards…and it's going up against a Worm King."

"Hang on, Captain, we're coming!" Yui screamed, knocking over a pair of duelists on the way over.

"Yui, watch where you're going!" Moriko chastised the girl, bowing apologetically to the pair. "I'm sorry about her. She's just…very excited."

Makea just smiled absently at the scene – Moriko often wondered if she was as thoughtless as their lazy schoolmate. Pushing that aside, the girl followed their friend up the hillside and stopped at the edge of the duel taking place between their friends, Eira Kald, and another kid from one of the local public schools. Eira was a Norwegian girl that transferred last year as a freshman in the same class as Yui, Moriko, and Makea. She had bright-orange hair that was tied into a low ponytail that contributed in the exposure of her wide forehead – the sun often reflected off it to blind others. She clearly didn't take the time to go home and change as she was still in her Academy uniform. Eira was admired and respected as the greatest duelist in Artemis Academy despite only being a second year, thus earning the title of unofficial "captain" of the Academy.

And right now, the Captain seemed to be in a spot of trouble. Eira was suffering from a severe lack of Life Points in comparison to her opponent and her only monster on the field was Samurai of the Ice Barrier **(1800/1500)**, which was powerless against the opponent's Worm King **(2700/1100)**. But instead of panicking at the situation, Eira looked almost confident that she had her opponent right where she wanted her.

**Eire: 200 LPS – ?: 2000 LPS**

"My turn! Draw!" Eira shouted eagerly, pulling her fourth card. The wide-forehead girl glimpsed at her newest acquisition, grinning victoriously. "Ja! It's finally here! I summon Geomancer of the Ice Barrier!" A woman in ancient Japanese clothing with a Feng Shui mirror obscuring her face appeared on the field **(800/1200)**. "Now I tune my level 3 Geomancer with my level 4 Samurai of the Ice Barrier. Synchro Summon! Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!"

On the command of her master, the Geomancer of the Ice Barrier discarded her precious mirror, fading from existence in the process. The mirror was segmented into three electronic rings, all of which soon entrapped the frozen samurai. In a matter of moments, the samurai and the rings were replaced by glowing stars that represented their levels, coming together for one last burst. When the light show had ended, a cold chill swept over the field and a low growl emanated from the fog that had formed on the field. From the depths of the mist rose a masculine dragon made of pure crystal with his eyes glowing dangerously red **(2500/1700).**

"It's Captain's best card!" Yui cheered.

"But it doesn't look strong enough to win." Makea said concerned, noticing the difference in their levels.

"This is Eire we're talking about." Moriko said admirably. "I'm sure she has something up her sleeve."

"Now I activate Gungnir's special effect!" Eira announced confidently. "Once per turn, I can discard up to two cards in my hand and destroy the same number of cards on my opponent's field equal to the number I discard!"

She slipped one of the cards into her graveyard slot, giving the signal for her dragon strike. The crystalized behemoth exhaled a large mist of cold air to cover the Worm King, which was instantly frozen the moment the frost cloud made contact. There was series of sharp _creaks_ as a spider web of cracks spread across its body before ultimately crumbling under the weight of its own defeat. The duelist that once commanded the Worm King flinched as his former champion was reduced to ice cubes at his feet, leaving him vulnerable for attack.

"Now, Gungnir, attack him directly!" Eire commanded. "Breath of Endless Winters!"

With a final breath of chilling air, the crystalized dragon sent her opponent flying as the last of his Life Points dropped to 0

**Eire: 200LPS – ?: 0LPS – Winner: Eire**

"Ah, nothing warms me up like a come from behind victory." Eira said proudly as she removed her D-Gazer.

"Yay! Captain won, Captain won!" Yui cheer as she hugged the victor with her lips puckered out. "Victory kiss!"

"Cut it out, you idiot!" Eira snapped as she thrashed her knuckles over the brunette's skull, earning a painful whine. "You know I don't swing that way and even if I did, couldn't you have the decency not to do that in the middle of a public area."

"This is Yui we're talking about." Moriko said obviously; Yui continued whining in the background. "By the way, that was some very impressive dueling back there. You seem to have a talent for making OTK (One-Turn Kills), but wouldn't it be better just to defeat your opponent's right away. I've seen the way you play and you could take out anyone in a few turns if you wanted to."

"Nah, way too boring." Eira waved offhandedly. "Where I'm from, you need to heat things up or else you'll be left out in the cold."

"Oh, I get it." Makea gasped in realization. "Because Eira-Chan is from Norway and Norway is cold."

"Ja…nice catch, Makea." Eira sweat-dropped; the sweet little rich girl smiled happily.

"I'm just saying that I'm worried you'll one day slip up and won't be able to save yourself." Moriko said worriedly.

"Oh, Moriko, I had no idea you felt this way. I don't know what to say." Eira said with an expression of false embarrassment; the throbbing vein on Moriko's temple must have been blatantly obvious. "Alright, alright, relax already. My strategy is to let the other guy think he can win before I crush his dreams like a block of ice. That trick always worked back in Norway and it still works even in Japan. After all, I'm not the Captain of Artemis Academy for nothing."

"Ya hear that boys." A young, arrogant-sound voice called. "She the 'captain' of that lame girl scout school. Whaddya do, enter a beauty pageant? Nah, you'd probably lose that one, too."

Eira scowled darkly – she didn't need to turn around to recognize that stuck-up tone and air of self-importance. The four girls of Artemis Academy found themselves matched by four boys all wearing the same styled uniform: black pressed jeans, a pair of black-polished shoes, and golden-yellow blazers with white undershirts. The crest on the left side of their jackets was a white sun that represented the Apollo Academy for Boys, Artemis Academy's rivaling school. Since they were founded by the twins, Artemis and Apollo Muxroma, student that attended each school had been viewed as mortal enemies. The students rarely see each other due to each school being on opposite sides of Nebula City, but they did meet quite often in Milky Square.

Eire had dealt with many Apollo students since first joining the Academy and all of them held the same level of superiority in their heads. They all believed that they were better than Artemis Academy because it was a school for girls. Well, Eire had contributed to knocking down their ego a peg or two. And it looked like they would be needing another lesson, especially their leader. He just reeked of egotism that only matched his overall appearance – it looked like someone had just slapped a wad of grease on his head.

"And to what do we owe the displeasure of you Artemis losers joining us today." The leader questioned smugly. "I thought your type burned easily in sunlight."

"Heh, good one, Vanite." One of the lackeys laughed stupidly.

"So they think we're vampires or something?" Makea whispered in confusion to Yui.

"Vampires are so cool." Yui commented airily.

"Can we help you with something?" Moriko questioned seriously; her student council president persona taking control. "If not, please move along. We don't need any trouble."

"Hey, it's no trouble at all." Vanite said casually. "We just couldn't help noticing you Artemis chumps dueling from afar. Your flat chested friend there…" Yui and Makea quickly moved to lock Eire in place. There are two things that Eire is sensitive to: her forehead and bust size. "Got real lucky with that last draw. That loser she was up against didn't have a clue what he was doing, so she just lucked out on that win."

"What you call luck, others call skill." Eira retorted.

"Please." Vanite scoffed. "A brain-dead dueling monkey could beat ya Artemis chumps blindfolded with one armed tied behind its back."

"Now there's no need to bring your mama into this." Eira said mockingly; the audience 'ooh' at the effective insult. "I could take you Apollo idiots any day of the week."

"Then how about a little wager." Vanite offered confidently. "Say…and Ante Duel. Winner gets the loser's best card."

"Eira, don't." Moriko hissed, grabbing her friend's arm urgently. "Ante Duels are illegal and for a good reason, too. If you lose…"

"Ikkje uro deg!, Moriko." Eira replied nonchalantly, taking back her limb. "I've beaten dozens of snobbish chumps like these all the time. And after I humiliate him, I promise I won't take his card – probably wouldn't be worth much anyway." She turned back to the greasy-haired Apollo student. "You're on, shark bait."

Vanite grinned wickedly – he seemed way too happy in Yui's opinion. As Eira and Vanite walked over to opposite sides of the hill, the Apollo and Artemis Academy students remained on the sidelines with their D-Gazers already locked on. Eira decided to show off in her usual fashion by throwing her D-Pad – which was custom made in the shape of a snowflake – into the air and catching it by her wrist gauntlet. She then attached her D-Gazer, which had a white frame with a snowflake in the upper-right corner and a deep-blue lens.

"D-Pad – set!" Eira exclaimed. "D-Gazer – set!"

**AR Vision Link Established!**

"DUEL!" Eira and Vanite shouted simultaneously.

**Eira: 4000 – Vanite: 4000**

"Ladies first!" Eira announced, drawing her sixth card. "And to start things off, I'll summon Strategist of the Ice Barrier." An elderly man in Chinese robes with a snow flake hat appeared on the field **(1600/1600).** "And now I activate Strategist of the Ice Barrier's special ability. By sending one Ice Barrier monster from my hand to my graveyard, I can draw one card from my deck. And I send Numbing Grub in the Ice Barrier to the graveyard and draw one card." Throwing the frozen worm into graveyard, drawing her fifth card. "Then I activate the field spell: A legendary ocean."

As the card appeared on the field, the hillside of Milky Park was suddenly engulfed by a thunderous wave that came completely out of nowhere. The area was quickly flooded with water that reached to the clouds and ancient, crippled buildings began to emerge from the ground. The ocean flood was covered in undersea plant life and fish swam past the duelists without a care. If they had proof that the lost city of Atlantis existed, this would probably be the closest representation of the ancient civilization in modern days. Despite how convincing the scenery was, everyone knew it was just a simulation. Everyone except Yui.

"I'm drowning! I'm drowning!" Yui screamed, flapping her arms and trying to hold her breath. "Help! I can't swim!"

"Shouldn't we tell her it's not real?" Makea whispered to the student council president.

"She'll get tired eventually." Moriko said blandly.

"The effects of Legendary Ocean lower the levels of all Water-Attribute monsters by one." Eira explained. "But it increases the attack and defense of all Water –Attributes monsters by 200 points." Strategist of the Ice Barrier – **(1600/1600) – (1800/1800). **"And now I end my turn.

"About time." Vanite said mockingly, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Thunder King Rai-Oh in attack mode." A robotic cylinder with electrical antennas and a ruby-red core emerged on the field **(1900/800). **"Now, Thunder King Rai-Oh, destroy that Artemis chump's monster!"

The electrified buzzed with energy as the collecting lightning power stored within its power zipped across the field and zapped the elderly strategist with 10,000 volts. With the destruction of her monster, Eira was thrown backwards by the impact and smashed through the wall of one of the Legendary Ocean's ancient structures. It was fortunate that the building wasn't real or that could have hurt.

**Eira (3900) – Vanite (4000)**

"Yeah, go, Vanite!" The stooges cheered.

"Don't give up, Eira-Chan!" Makea cheered helpfully. "You can do it!"

"Now I set one card face-down and end my turn." Vanite called out, placing his last card on the field. "So ya ready to admit you Artemis chumps are losers or do I have to spank ya a little more."

"That's bordering on sexual harassment." Eire said, climbing out of the AR building. "And just because you score a 100 point hit doesn't mean you stand a chance of winning. It's my turn now! Draw!" She drew another card from her deck, making a total of five. "And thanks to the power of Legendary Ocean, I can summon my level 5 Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier without a tribute."

A hulking monster decked out in crystalized knights armor wearing diamond plates, diamond crown, and crystalized lance appeared on the field **(2000/2000) – (2200/2200).**

"Sorry to burst your bubble." Vanite interrupted cackling. "But I activate my face-down trap card: Compulsory Evacuation Device. With this trap, I can target one card on the field and return it to the controller's hand. And I choose Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier!"

Just as quickly as he came, the diamond plated knight was catapulted into the air by mechanical cannon that appeared beneath its feet. Eira scowled menacingly as she found her card forced back into her hand.

"All right…" Eira mumbled, not sounding as confident as her usual self. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Eira isn't doing so well." Makea said with concern. "You don't think she could lose, do you?"

"N-No way." Moriko replied, not sounding as confident as she hoped. "This is just uh…part of her plan. Yeah, that's it. It's all part of her plan.

"Still…drowning." Yui moaned; everyone just ignored her.

"My turn! Draw!" Vanite called out, bringing his hand count up to five. "Now I summon D.D. warrior Lady." A blond woman clad in tight leather-black armor carrying a small knife appeared on the field – Yui briefly forgot she was drown and stared shamelessly **(1500/1600)**. "And now I'll have D.D. Warrior Lady attack you directly! Dark Dimension Cut!"

"Just what I'd expect from an Apollo idiot." Eira said smugly. "You fell right into my trap card: Metal Reflect Slime! When this trap card is on the field, it can be special summoned as a Water Attribute monster in defense mode with 3000 defense points. And since it's a Water-Attribute, Legendary Ocean increases it by 200 points!"

As the trap card was flipped up on the field, a shapeless form of silver metal floated aimlessly in the currents of the ocean waves **(0/3000) – (200/3200)**. Having been sent under her master's orders, D.D. Warrior Lady pushed against the fluid waters and dashed across the field to swipe her dagger for the silver mass. Consequently, the Metal Reflect Slime felt the present danger and forced its shape into a solidified sphere covered in spikes. The poor woman's meager dagger stood little chance in scraping the reflective suface of the slime and snapped off, leaving the Warrior Lady without a weapon and causing a sever amount of damage to her duelist. The girls of Artemis Academy burst into cheers as the man's Life Points took a nose dive.

**Eira (3900) – Vanite (2300)**

"I told you she could do it!" Moriko exclaimed joyously.

"You can do it, Eira-Chan!" Makea cheered.

"How ya like me now, idiot?" Eira asked smugly.

"Don't get too cocky." Vanite snickered in a wicked manner. "I may have taken a hit, but now I can activate D.D. Warrior Lady's special effect. When I attack a monster with D.D. Warrior Lady, I can remove both it and the monster it battled from play after the damage calculation! And guess what, your trap still counts as a monster!" And his sword, the broken half of the Warrior Lady's dagger fell into a soft side of Metal Reflect Slime at the same time D.D. Warrior Lady stabbed herself, destroying both of them. "And that leaves you wide open! Thunder King Rai-Oh, attack her directly!"

A quick jolt of 10,000 volt lightning jumped up and down Eira's spine, forcing the poor girl to her knees.

**Eira (2000) – Vanite (2300)**

"I place one card face down and end my turn." Vanite concluded.

"You can do it, Eira-Chan!" Makea shouted encouragingly.

"Tell me something I don't know." Eira grumbled irritably. She was normally used to making sudden rebounds when it came to dueling, but there was just something about this guy that made her uncomfortable. And she wasn't referring to his greasy hair. "My turn now! Draw!" She swiped a card from her deck, making the total once again five. Glancing at the new card, Eira regained her former swagger. "Ja! I play the spell card: Double summon! With this card, I can normal summon two card in the same turn! And with Legendary Ocean still in effect, I can summon my level 5 Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier along with Defender of the Ice Barrier!"

Like last time, the crystal armored knight with its diamond lance emerged from the depths of the simulated ocean floor **(2000/2000) – (2200/2200). **And joining the hulking soldier was brilliant-orange vulpine wearing a sapphire crown and necklace and carrying a jagged row of crystals on its tail **(200/1600) – (400/1800).**

"Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier, attack Thunder King Rai-Oh with Frozen Spiral!" Eira commanded.

"Bad luck for you!" Vanite cackled, flipping up his hidden card. "Cause I activate the trap card, Threatening Roar. For this turn only, you can't declare an attack."

The Royal Knight that had previously been charging for the mechanical battery with his crystalized lance was suddenly pushed back to its original position by a grating echoing sound radiating from the machine. Eira looked irritated that she wouldn't be able to take the lead as she had hoped, but everything was still working in her favor now that she had two Ice Barrier's on the field. And there was one card in her hand that could turn the tide on the duel and assure her victory. She just needed to last one more turn.

"All right, I'll end my turn now." Eira conceded.

"My turn now! Draw!" Vanite called, withdrawing his fourth card. "Now that the pieces are in place, I tribute Thunder King Rai-Oh to summon Vanity's Fiend!"

The mechanical voltage amp dissolved into a cluster of and was quickly replaced by a tall man, rather handsome looking man with bloody-red hair. He wore a black cloak that covered most of his body with a silver skeleton frill around his neck and piece of a black mask on the left side of his face. From the depths of its bottomless cloak, the handsome monster exposed its left arm, which was completely covered in blood-red fur **(2400/1200).**

"Vanity's Fiend crush Defender of the Ice Barrier with Blood Claw!"

The handsome, yet hairy, monster dived across the simulated ocean with its cape fluttering until it loomed directly over the vulpine creature. Vanity's Fiend brought back its lengthy nails and sliced across the fox's face, but quickly found itself blocked off by a thick wall of pure ice that had formed between the two. The Defender of the Ice Barrier seemed to be mocking the poor creature as Vanity's Fiend returned to its side of the field with an irritable expression.

"You activated Defender of the Ice Barrier's special effect!" Eira declared. "When there is another face-up Ice Barrier monster on my side of the field, your monster can't attack as long as its attack points are greater than their defense points. Since your Vanity's Fiend is 2400 and the defense points of Royal Knight and Defender are 2200 and 1800, you can't attack either of them!"

"Yeah, that's our Captain!" Yui cheered.

"You finally realized we were underwater?" Makea asked smiling.

"We're underwater?" Yui screamed. "Help, I can't swim!"

"Oh, Yui." Moriko sighed.

"Since I can't attack, I guess I'll end my turn." Vanite concluded.

"And it's the last turn you'll ever have!" Eira exclaimed confidently, drawing her third card. "Cause now I seal your fate by summoning Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier!"

A dark-skinned man dressed in traditional warriors garb carrying two snowflake-shaped clubs appeared on the field **(1300/0) – (1500/200).**

"This is it – Eira's turn around play." Moriko stated assuredly, earning confused stares from her classmates. "Under normal conditions, Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier would be level 5, Defender of the Ice Barrier would be level 3, and Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier would be level 2. But because of Legendary Ocean, all their levels drop by 1, making it a total of 7 levels. And since she has 2 Tuner Monsters on the field…"

"She can Synchro Summon Gungnir!" Makea cheered in realization.

"It's game over for you, greasy!" Eira proclaimed with certainty. "I tune my level 1 Cryomancer and level 2 Defender with my level 4 Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier." As the sequence went on, Cryomancer and Defender dissolved into electronic rings, quickly surrounding the diamond warrior. "Synchro Summon! Come forth, Gungnir…"

"You're out of luck, Artemis chump." Vanite interrupted wickedly.

Without a word of warning, Vanity's Fiend dashed across the aquatic atmosphere and slashed his razor claws across the synchro rings. With that simple action, the Synchro Summon was instantly ended and Defender of the Ice Barrier and Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier reappeared on their side of the field.

"What happened?" Yui asked in confusion; no one bothered to remind her of her environment. "Why didn't Gungnir show up?"

"Because of Vanity's Fiend's special ability." Vanite informed. "As long as Vanity's Fiend is in play, all special summonses are cancelled out." The Artemis girls gasped in simultaneous shock – a card that destroys special summons was a disastrous opponent. "That means no fusion, ritual, Xyz, and definitely no Synchro Summons."

"No…Synchro summons…" Eira stammered fretfully.

"But Eira's deck is built on Synchro Summoning her best monsters." Makea whispered worriedly.

"Don't worry, this is Eira we're talking about." Moriko said, mostly trying to assure herself. "She's the queen of OTK. I'm sure she has one more trick up her sleeve."

"I…I end my turn." Eira finished halfheartedly. "_I was not expecting to lose my Synchro Summons, but I can still make this work. His Vanity's Fiend still has attack points that are higher than my monster's defense points, so I'm still safe thanks to Defender of the Ice Barrier's special effect. When my next turn comes, I'll tribute summon General Grunard of the Ice Barrier and take out his Vanity's Fiend. After that, I can attack his directly with Royal Knight and take the rest of his Life Points._"

"Remember what you said about it being game over." Vanite grinned maliciously. "Well, you were right. Because I just drew Skill Drain! By sacrificing 1000 Life Points, I can negate all the effects of every monster on the field. That includes your Defender of the Ice Barrier!"

Eira was finally driven into full panic mode. Without the effect of Defender of the Ice Barrier, her Life Points were completely exposed. Vanite slapped the card onto the field and felt the draining effect of Skill Drain sapping away his Life Points in a mist of purple fog. But to make up for this crucial blow, the purple fog drifted over the Ice Barrier monsters, who showed expressions of being poisoned.

**Eira (2000) – Vanite (1300)**

"Time for the final blow!" Vanite yelled victoriously. "vanity's Fiend, show that Artemis chump who's boss! Blood Claw!"

Like before, the handsome man-beast glided across the ancient underwater city with his cloak fluttering in his wake. But unlike the previous results, the Defender of the Ice Barrier did not have the comfort of its special effect to protect it. With a single swipe, the vulpine monster was literally ripped to shreds by the Vanity's Fiends beastly calws, exploding from the devastating attack. The impact of the blast send Eira rocketing backwards with her cards flying dramatically out of her deck holster and flopping painfully on her back as the new winner was declared.

**Eira (0) – Vanite (1300) – Winner: Vanite**

"Eira!" The Artemis girls screamed, removing their D-Gazers and rushing to their friend. "Eira, are you ok?"

"Ja, ja, I'm fine." Eira groaned, pushing herself up. "I'm not too beat up."

"I can't believe Captain lost." Yui uttered sadly.

"Oh, believe it, Artemis chumps." The girls turned and glared at Vanite and his group standing over them like they were superior. The girls were particularly stunned to find Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier clutched in Vanite's greasy hands. "And according to the rules of the Ante Duel, this card now belongs to me."

"The Ante Duels are illegal, so give it back!" Moriko stood up and demanded with the rest of the girls.

"You want it back that badly? All right, you can have it." Vanite offered devilishly.

There was no reason for an Artemis student to trust a filthy Apollo, but Eira desperately wanted her card back – only a handful of them were produced and distributed in her home country. The Norwegian immigrant held out her hand to take back her prize and nearly had it until Vanite pulled back just as it was within inches of her fingers. The greasy-haired Apollo gripped either side of the card and pulled…hard. The world went deathly silent with only the sound of tearing paper to break the stillness. The Artemis students stared with open mouths and wide eyes as the once precious Gungnir was unceremoniously dropped to the ground in two halves. Eira was at a loss for words, merely dropped to her hands and knees with the same horrified expression.

"Whoops, hand slipped." Vanite laughed cruelly with his minions.

"You did that on purpose!" Yui yelled outrageously. "You better apologize or else?"

"Or else what, Artemis chump?" Vanite snickered wickedly, flicking the girl in the forehead.

"Yui, just forget about them." Moriko advised cautiously, trying to pull back her friend.

"No!" Yui yelled defiantly, pulling back her arm. "These guys ripped Eire's favorite card! They can't be allowed to get away with that! Someone needs to teach them a lesson!"

"And let me guess, that's going to be you." Vanite said mockingly, earning a round of jeers from his lackeys.

"Actually, yeah!" Yui retorted; that shut them up. "I challenge you to a duel! If I win, you apologize to Eira and if you win, I give you my best card!"

"Forget that – you Artemis chumps have nothing good that would improve my perfect deck." Vanite denied until he scratched his chin in though; a mischievous grin stretched across his already ugly expression. "Although, I will accept under one condition. The winner gets the losing school's flag."

That wasn't something they were expecting to bid. Artemis and Apollo Academy both displayed customized flags in front of their schools to symbolize themselves and for what the school represented. There had been multiple accounts of each school stealing the other school's flag in the early years of both Academies until the practice was banned and anyone caught stealing the flag would be subject to suspension, expulsion, and even serving time in jail – they were that serious. Eira, Moriko, and Makea all knew that the greasy-haired jerk was just trying to lure Yui into a trap, but there was no way she was stupid enough to fall for it.

"Deal!" Yui agreed.

Then again…

"Done." Vanite concluded, shaking Yui's hand as a way of confirming their contract. "Meet back here tomorrow at 5:00 after school. And be sure to fold it nicely – I don't want too much of a hassle when we take it off your hands."

With one final laugh, Vanite walked down the hillside with his mindless lackeys following in his footsteps.

"That was both incredibly brave and incredibly stupid." Makea commented.

"Forget brave; it was most stupid!" Moriko shouted strictly. "Do you have any idea of the kind of trouble you'll get in if you get caught? You could be thrown in jail and you mother doesn't have the kind of money to bail you out!"

"I couldn't just let him get away with hurting my friends like that." Yui proclaimed seriously. "We need to make sure that he never hurts anyone again."

"Yui…you are lazy, uncoordinated, absentminded, airheaded, and somewhat of a glutton." Eira counted off; Yui didn't feel comforted by her Captain's choice of words. But then the Norwegian student settled a friendly hand on the girl's shoulder, flashing an appreciative smile. "But you're a good girl that's always looking out for her friends. Back in my country, that showed real character. I don't know how, but I think you can beat that _uekte_if you set your mind to it."

"Hai!" Yui nodded happily. "So does that mean you'll teach me how to duel?"

A pregnant moment of silence passed over them as they suddenly realized the horrify truth: Yui didn't know how to duel.

"We're royally screwed." Eira moaned sadly.

"EH?!" Yui exclaimed shockingly.

* * *

**This is my first chapter, so I know I have a lot to learn before it can be considered halfway decent. But hopefully, I will be able to improve as the story moves forward. For now, please read and review.**


	2. Rising Star

**Yugioh: Reach the Stars**

**Disclaimer**: I do not nor will ever own the Yugioh series.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Rising Star**

"Sorry, Yui, you lose again."

"EH?!"

It was late in the evening after the tragedy of Eira's defeat and the subsequent destruction of her favorite card. After Yui had naïvely challenged Vanite to a duel to reclaim Eira's honor, the Artemis Girls had spent practicing for the upcoming match. Needless to say, it was a disaster. The four friends were gathered around the small square table in the middle of Yui's apartment. The apartment itself wasn't remotely impressive: it was a one room area with a small kitchen and a conjoining bathroom – not really the kind of household one would expect to see from someone attending a prestigious school like Artemis Academy. It was no secret that Yui's family was poor and her mother had to work three jobs just to pay for tuition. This caused some discrimination between Yui and the snobbish, rich girls that attended the Academy, but Yui was fortunate enough to make good friends like Eira, Moriko, and Makea.

The airheaded brunette had listened to her friend's instructions and surprised everyone how well she understood the concept of dueling. This brought up the question why Yui claimed that she didn't know how to duel. But when they started practicing, it became obvious why: she – sucked – big time. Yui groaned loudly and fell back in frustration as Makea once again annihilated her Life Points with Queen Madolche Tiaramisu without sustaining any damage herself. This was Yui's twelfth match against Makea after going eight rounds with Moriko and fifteen matches with Eira, all of which ended in absolute defeat even when using her friend's decks. With another defeat added to her roster, Yui started flailing her limbs like a child having a temper tantrum.

"It's no fair! It's no fair!" Yui whined. "Why can't I get this right? It's not fair!"

"Just how old are you?" Eira sweat-dropped.

"I just don't understand why you keep losing so badly, Yui." Moriko commented, collecting the cards from her deck. "You always score 100 in the practical exams for dueling class. In fact, you're the only one in the entire class that actually has a triple A+. So why are you having such a hard time with this?"

"I don't know." Yui moaned, sitting back up. "When we do the exams in class, it easy because the problem is already laid out for us and we just have to pick the best choice to solve it. That's just a one-turn scenario. An actually duel is longer and more complicated." Yui smacked her forehead against the table. "And besides that…it just doesn't feel right."

"What doesn't feel right?" Makea asked curiously.

"The cards." Yui explained. "Whenever I use you decks, it just doesn't feel right – like I'm not supposed to be using them."

"Well, you need to pick one for your match tomorrow." Eira grumbled disappointedly. "I'd recommend using Moriko's Naturia deck because it relies mostly on tribute summoning, which should offer a good counter against that _Uekte's _Anti-meta deck."

"Anti-meta?" Makea repeated confused.

"It's a deck that focuses on eliminating special summons." Moriko explained. "It's a very dangerous deck because most people these days rely heavily on special summons like Fusion, Ritual, Synchro, and Xyz summoning. It takes advantage of people's dependence on special summon monsters and leaves them vulnerable for elimination."

"And unless we teach Yui properly, Artemis Academy is going to lose its flag and we'll be expelled for sure." Eira reminded everyone; the girls sighed in unison.

"Yui, I'm home!"

The Artemis Girls perked in attention as Yui's mother, Polaris Ryuusei, walked through the door carrying a bag of groceries no doubt meant for dinner. She was very beautiful 32 year-old woman – fairly young for the mother of a 16 year-old teenager – with short, inky-black hair and very lean figure that comes from hours of hard work. She also had a wide array of tattoos covering every inch of her arms from a fire-breathing Darkblaze Dragon to a cute little Card Ejector – tokens from her rebellious teenage years. Closing the door behind her, Polaris smiled at the sight of her daughter playing with her friends while making her way to the mini-kitchen.

"Hi, girls." Polaris greeted.

"Hi, Polaris-san/mama!" The Artemis Girls greeted in return.

"It's great to have you all over, but please try not to make a mess." Polaris requested, referring to the cards strewn all over the floor. As she started taking out the groceries, she rummaged through the cabinets for the proper cooking utensils. "Are any of you going to join us for dinner? We're having beef and cabbage stew tonight."

"Actually, it's getting late." Moriko said, standing up properly and bowing respectfully to the woman. "But thank you for the offer."

"See you tomorrow, Yui-Chan." Makea waved with a brilliant smile.

"Be sure to get some rest." Eira advised, following the others to the door. "You don't want to be tired for your big match tomorrow."

Yui saluted like a soldier to her general and Eira returned the gesture – those two have an unusual friendship. The Artemis Girls thanked the Ryuusei's one last time for their hospitality before Polaris shut the door behind them. Those girls were very nice in rejecting her offer, but the older woman understood the real reason they had to leave. The girls understood that Polaris worked long hours to provide for her daughter, so they carefully avoided anything that would cost the woman money. Makea once offered to help with financial support, but Polaris hated the idea of accepting charity. She had done well to get Yui food, clothes, shelter, and a decent education, but being a single parent working three jobs for minimum wage could be very stressful.

"I got it, mama." Yui said, cutting off her mother's train of thought. The young brunette forced her way into mini-kitchen and pushed the older woman out. "You rest up while I cook dinner. Don't worry, I promise I won't burn the sink again this time."

Yui was a very sweet girl – she always seemed to be aware of other people's feelings. Though she normally advised her daughter to stay away from the cooking utensils, Polaris was too tired from working all day to argue. The tattooed mother dropped on to the couch like a lead weight, leaned back into the cushions with a loud groan, and closed her eyes peacefully.

"Yui, what was Eira talking about when she said you had a big match tomorrow?" Polaris asked like any concerned mother would.

"Oh, I challenged a bully from Apollo Academy to a duel." Yui informed, filling the pot with water. "He was very mean to Captain and ripped up her favorite card. It's a soldier's duty to defend the honor of their commanding officer!"

"Maybe I should have sent you to military school." Polaris said jokingly. "Well, I guess I don't have much to worry about. After all, you always been interested in dueling since you were a little girl and you've watched your friends duel hundreds of time. Did your friends buy you a deck or are you using one of theirs?"

"I'm borrowing Mori-Chan's deck." Yui said, sounding uncharacteristically doubtful. "But I don't know what I'm gonna do when I start dueling. I've seen Mori-Chan use her deck over hundreds of times and I know most of the strategies she uses. But when I use her deck, it just feels…wrong." Her mother hummed curiously. "I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like…like I'm not supposed to use it…like there's something out there that's waiting for me."

Polaris stared at the back of her daughter's head, studying the lazy teenager and repeating the words in her head. The tattooed woman pushed herself off the couch with a long groan, drawing a curious stare from her daughter, and padded across the room to the small closet. Yui forgot the stew and walked over as her mother got down on all-fours and started rummaging through everything. Polaris pushed away the blankets and clothes that no longer fit Yui until she stumbled across an old box that had been pushed into the back. The tattooed mother grabbed the old container and pulled it out – biting back a curse when she hit the top of the head. The box clearly hadn't been touched for years based on the pile of dust, which the mother carefully brushed away.

"Yui, sit down for a moment." Polaris asked kindly; Yui nodded and followed the instructions. "Yui, I always had a feeling that would become a duelist ever since you were a baby. You always loved watching other duelists on the street and you could recite every monster, traps, and spell can in their decks by heart. That's why I got you that D-Gazer despite our tight budget and encouraged you to watch as many duels as you can."

"Yeah, it looks like fun." Yui smiled happily.

"I've been waiting for this day for a long time." Polaris beamed, pushing the box to her daughter. "Open it."

The airheaded brunette blinked inquisitively. Yui never asked a lot from her mother because she understood their financial difficulties, so she rarely got any gifts outside her birthday and Christmas. But since neither of those were the case, Yui was curious why her mother had decided to bring this out all of a sudden. She tentatively grasped the lid and pulled it up, gasping in absolute amazement once seeing what it contained. It was a beautiful, pure-white D-Pad with light-blue slots and a golden star in the center. And next to it was a white case with a deck of cards already prepared. Despite being untouched for so many years, it looked brand new.

"Whoa…" Yui said in awe.

"I've wanted to give you this for the longest time, Yui." Polaris stated. "This deck and D-Pad used to belong to your mother – your real mother."

Yui stared at the woman in shock, but not for the reason you would think. Yui was fully aware that she was adopted and that Polaris wasn't her real mother. The tattooed woman had told her the story on her 13th birthday. Polaris was walking by the river at night after having another fight with her parents when she spotted a frail woman half in the water with her D-Pad active and holding a crying baby in her arms. Polaris had tried to call for help, but woman rejected the idea, knowing that she would be dead long before anyone could help her. So instead, she gave Polaris her child and asked that she be taken care of before slowly passing away.

Being only 16 years-old at that time, Polaris could have just pushed the child off to an orphanage at that time and moved on with her life. But holding that innocent child and seeing that sweet little face, something changed in her and decided that she would keep the baby. This caused more fighting with her parents and was eventually kicked out of her home, but she was able to manage with the support of her friends and did her best to raise that baby into a responsible adult. Well…Yui wasn't exactly an adult or particularly responsible, but it was a work in progress.

Yui deeply loved her adopted mother over her birth mother, but that didn't stop her from questioning what the woman was like and what happened that forced her to give up her only child. This D-Pad and deck was now her last connection to her real mother – it was a bit overwhelming.

"This…was my real mama's?" Yui murmured softly.

"Yes." Polaris nodded in confirmation. "Around the same time she gave you to me, she also gave me these and made me promise that I would one day pass them on to you. She told me that these cards were meant for you and said how you would one day 'Reach the Stars' or something like that. Now that you feel ready to start dueling, I think it's time I returned them to their rightful owner." The tattooed woman stiffened when her daughter's eyes started welling up. "Yui, are you…?"

"MAMA!" Yui cried jubilantly, tackling the poor woman to the floor with a strong bear hug. "Thank you, mama! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"It's nothing, Yui." Polaris smiled, patting her tearful child on the back. "I hope that – what's burning?"

The heartfelt moment was over – the stew was burning.

"Oopsie." Yui laughed nervously.

* * *

You know when you wish that time would slow down; it has a funny tendency to speed up? The school day passed in the blink of an eye and before they knew it, the Artemis Girls were already at the top of the hill in Milky Park for Yui's match against Vanite. The pompous jerk was already waiting for them by the time they arrived with his ugly henchmen massaging his shoulders and pumping him up like something out of those American boxer movies. The greasy-haired bully was looking too relaxed for someone that was about to head into a duel, but his reasoning was understandable given Yui's less than poor dueling skills. Casting a glance over to her self-proclaimed "soldier", Eira was concerned that perhaps Yui would be too scared to face Vanite and duck out at the last minute. But it was just the opposite: she looked very eager to get started, like a child waiting for Christmas Day to come.

"Didn't think you Artemis chumps would come after I humiliated you yesterday." Vanite mocked arrogantly. The greasy-haired student snapped his fingers, signaling one of the more stupid-looking henchmen to pull up a bright-yellow flag with a white sun. "We brought our school flag as promised, but I not scared of losing it to a bunch of little girls."

"And we brought our as well." Moriko replied, bringing up a grey flag with a white crescent moon.

"How did you manage to get that?" Makea whispered curiously.

"I…called in a few favors…from the student council." Moriko muttered embarrassingly.

"Moriko, you sneaky devil." Eira grinned devilishly while nudging the bespectacled teen.

"Take a good long look at your flag, girls." Vanite said confidently. "Cause this'll be the last time you'll ever see it."

"You'll be ok, Yui, as long as you remember the strategies I taught you last night." Moriko said encouragingly, but more to herself than to her friend. Passing off the school flag to Eira, the student council president carefully pulled out her deck and held it out for Yui to accept. "I tried rearranging some of the cards to match your style and added in a few extras, but it'll be up to you to make it work."

"Aw, I don't need borrow your deck, Mori-Chan." Yui beamed, flashing her pure-white deck case. "I brought my own."

Eira, Makea, and Moriko could not hide their bewildered expressions – since when did Yui have a deck of her own? Because of their financial troubles, Yui barely had the money to buy a D-Gazer, let alone an entire deck. But as they said in Eira's country: Ser ikke en gave hesten i munnen (Don't look a gift horse in the mouth). While Yui and Vanite took center stage, their friends and followers moved to opposite sides of the field with their D-Gazers active. The Norwegian girl had proven to be a bad influence on the innocent brunette, who had thrown and captured her new customized D-Pad with her wrist gauntlet before slapping on her D-Gazer.

"D-Pad – set!" Yui exclaimed. "D-Gazer – set!"

**AR Vision Link Established!**

"Duel!" Yui and Vanite shouted in unison.

**Yui (4000) – Vanite (4000)**

"I think it's only fair that the returning champion should start." Vanite smirked, drawing his sixth card. "And first I summon Psi-Blocker." A humanoid-like machine with neon-green markings appeared on the field **(1200/300)**. "This card is special because once per turn, it allows me to declare monster's name and anyone with that name can't attack or use their effects until the end of my next turn."

"So no matter what card Yui plays, he can just block in." Eira examined, biting her thumb anxiously. "And when his next turn comes, he can summon that Vanity's Fiend and clinch the duel."

"Let's not lose hope that Yui has a trick up her sleeve." Makea stated optimistically. "She's surprised us before, so maybe she can do it again."

"And then I place two cards face down and end my turn." Vanite concluded as the images appeared on the field.

"My turn! Draw!" Yui shouted giddily, squealing like the school girl she is. "Yay! I made my first draw in a duel! This is so cool!"

"Is she going to be ok?" Moriko asked doubtfully.

"I have no idea." Eira muttered in response.

"Sorry, got a little excited." Yui apologized to her friends in a childish manner. "Ok, back to the game! I summon Constellar Pollux!"

A decked out in bulking armor appeared on the field, though he appeared very unusual because half of his body was coated in rough golden armor and the other half was covered in smooth silver armor – the twin-bladed sword it carried was made in a similar fashion. **(1700/600)**

"Constellar?" Makea blinked in confusion. "I've never heard of a Constellar before."

"Maybe it's new." Eira shrugged.

"Flashy entrance, but you still forgot about my Psi-Blocker." Vanite snickered mockingly. "Now that I declare that any monster with the name Constellar Pollux can't attack or use its effect, your monster is completely useless now."

"Not for long." Yui replied eagerly. "Because I play the continuous spell card: Constellar Belt!" The card showing a loop of light made by two monsters appeared on the field. "As long as this card remains on the field, the effects of all light-attribute monsters can't be cancelled. Now I activate Constellar Pollux's special effect! When Constellar Pollux is normal summoned, I can special summon another Constellar monster from my hand. I summon Constellar Aldebaran!"

A massive monster decked out in bulking white armor and cape with bronze-horned helmet and carrying a neon-red ring appeared on the field **(1300/800)**

"Because he already declared the effect on one monster, he can't stop the other from attack." Moriko analyzed impressively. "That's very cleaver plan for someone like Yui."

"Aldebaran, attack Psi-Blocker!"

On the command of its master, the horned knight leaped across the field and swiped its glowing ring across Psi-Blocker's abdomen, flawlessly cleaving the human-machine hybrid in one smooth line. The psychic monster exploded just as Aldebaran returned to its side of the field and Vanite staggered slightly from the aftershock of the destruction.

**Yui (4000) – Vanite (3900)**

"And now that Psi-Blocker isn't in effect anymore, I attack you directly with Constellar Pollux!" Yui ordered.

"I activate my face-down trap card: Damage Diet!" Vanite interjected, flipping the card up. "With this card, any damage I take is cut in half."

Flashing its mismatched twin-bladed sword, Constellar Pollux jumped to an impressive height considering his weight and dive-bombed for the greasy-haired Apollo student. But thanks to the effect of the newly played trap card, a row intersecting walls formed around Vanite to shield him from the blow. Pollux's sword effortlessly cut through the wall like a hot knife, but the force behind it was greatly reduced. Still, the effect was enough to send Vanite flying backwards on to his back, earning a rousing cheer from the Artemis Girls.

**Yui (4000) – Vanite (3050)**

"Boss, get up, you're losing!" One of the Apollo henchmen cried.

"Shut up! I'm not losing!" Vanite retorted angrily, hastily climbing back to his feet. "I'm just giving her a false sense of security."

"Really? Thanks." Yui smiled innocently; the crowd sweat-dropped. "Now I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

"There's no way I'm gonna let an Artemis airhead get the best of me!" Vanite growled, drawing his fourth card. "I play the spell card: Premature Burial. By sacrificing 800 Life Points, I can bring back on monster from my graveyard. And I choose Psi-Blocker!"

The humanoid machine returned to the field similar to how it was before its destruction, though not without the cost of a large sum of Life Points.

**Yui (4000) – Vanite (2250)**

"This is where I take over now!" Vanite exclaimed in assurance. "I sacrifice my newly revived Psi-Blocker to Tribute Summon Vanity's Fiend!"

Eira visibly cringed – this was exactly the kind of tactic that resulted in her losing her Gungnir card. She had trained Yui for hours on strategies on how to counteract Vanity's Fiend's summon blocking ability, but she hadn't expected him to pull it out so soon. The human-machine hybrid dissolved into a cluster of stars and was quickly replaced by a tall man, rather handsome looking man with bloody-red hair. He wore a black cloak that covered most of his body with a silver skeleton frill around his neck and piece of a black mask on the left side of his face. From the depths of its bottomless cloak, the handsome monster exposed its left arm, which was completely covered in blood-red fur **(2400/1200).**

"Awesome!" Yui cheered, creating widespread confusion. "Now I have a chance to activate my trap card: Gravity Bind!" She pressed the button on her D-Pad, revealing the digital field card. "As long as this card remains on the field, any monsters at Level-4 or higher can't attack."

"All right, she bought herself some time." Moriko sighed in relief.

"Good work because now I get the chance to activate my trap card: Dark Illusion!" Vanite smirked haughtily, revealing the demonic-looking card. "When a magic, trap, or monster effect targets one of my dark-attribute monsters, this card allows me to negate the effects and destroy that card." A wave of shadowy mist glided across the field and evaporated Yui's trap card, causing her to flinch. "And to add insult to injury, I play two spell cards: Riryoku and Twin-Swords of Flash Light – Tryce." Both spells appeared on the field and Vanity's Fiend was found holding a pair of narrow swords. "Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce allows Vanities Fiend to attack twice, but reduces its attack by 500."

**Vanity's Fiend (2400/1200) – (1900/1200)**

"But thanks to the effect of Riryoku," Vanite continued victoriously. "I can cut the attack points of one of your monsters in half and add them to Vanity's Fiend until the end of my turn. And the one I choose is Constellar Pollux."

Yui and the Artemis Girls gasped in horror as the life energy of the dual-sided knight was sapped through the openings in its armor and dropping to its knees. The transparent energy wafted over to Vanity's Fiend, who proceeded to devour the life force like a thirsty vampire – Makea thought it was a vampire, anyway.

**Constellar Pollux (1700/600) – (850/600); Vanity's Fiend (1900/1200) – (2750/1200)**

"Now to go in for the kill." Vanite laughed evilly. "Vanity's Fiend, slaughter both of her monsters."

With Pollux rendered helpless and Aldebaran too powerless against the strength of their opponent, Yui could only watch helplessly as her poor monsters were simultaneously sliced in half by Vanity's Fiend. For that one instant before they were slain, Yui thought she could feel the fear in their hearts, but was quickly brought back to reality by the Fiend's lightning-fast cuts. Vanity's Fiend casually glided back to his original position as the Constellar knights were segmented into multiple pieces of broken armor before spontaneously combusting. The force of the attack threw Yui back a good distance, even causing her to flip backwards and land painfully on her chest.

**Yui (650) – Vanite (2250)**

"YUI!" The Artemis Girls screamed fearfully over the Apollo's laughter.

"That should be the end of my turn." Vanite announced smugly. "And Vanity's Fiend dropped down to its earlier attack points."

**Vanity's Fiend (2750/1200) – (1900/1200)**

"You stupid little Artemis chump." Vanite insulted. "Did you really think that someone who's never been in a duel all her life would stand a chance against me: one of the top students at Apollo Academy? You should have done the smart thing and run away with your tail between your legs; at least then you would be spared the humiliation of being beaten by my Anti-Meta Deck." Yui remained flat on the ground, almost as if she was unconscious. "What's the matter? Got nothing to say? How typical of an Artemis ch…"

A strange noise reverberated around the hillside, which was originating from the fallen duelist. The airheaded schoolgirl was trembling like a leaf and the Artemis Girls were afraid that Yui had finally broken down to tears. But it only took a quick moment for everyone to realize that it wasn't sobbing…it was laughter? The audience stared at the brunette with stunned expressions as Yui slowly pushed herself to her hands and knees, shooting her signature sparkling smile. She was absolutely amazing. She was on the ground after being blown back with her clothes dirt and her hands covered in scratches, but she still managed to find a way to smile. Vanite was flabbergasted – what could be so funny about losing so badly.

"Owie, that hurt." Yui muttered childishly, dusting off her skirt as she stood up. "That was a really cool trick you did – using those two spell cards at once to destroy both of my monsters. I'm kinda sad that Pollux and Aldebaran are gone and I'm almost out of Life Points, but that was still pretty exciting. Even if it's only my first duel, this is the most fun I've ever had!"

"Fun?" Vanite repeated quizzically. "How can this be fun? I destroyed your monsters, draining you of your Life Points, insulted you repeatedly, and now I'm about to humiliate you and take your school's flag away. So explain to me how losing is supposed to be fun?"

"It's not about winning or losing." Yui said knowingly; Vanite grimaced at the notion. "I've watched my friends have fun dueling for years and this is the first time I ever had a chance to duel myself. I don't really know a lot about what I'm doing and people say I can be a little scatter-brained." Eira, Makea, and Moriko whistled innocently. "But there's just something about dueling gets gets me so excited that I feel like these emotions are going to explode out of my chest. I've never really known what I wanted to do since I'm so bad at school, but now I know what I want to be for the rest of my life. I want to become a professional duelist someday so that I can meet loads of strong opponents and have lots and lots of fun!"

"That Yui." Eira shook her head amusing.

"She's so simple-minded." Moriko chuckled.

"That just means she's a sweet girl." Makea smiled brightly.

"You think you can become a pro." Vanite scoffed loudly. "As if you'll ever get that far. I'm gonna crush you and rip your deck to shreds!"

"That'll never happen!" Yui responded powerfully. "Because no matter what happens, I'll never give up! I won't stop dueling until I Reach the Stars!"

This is the first time Yui had ever sound so assured since…ever. Eira had only known the girl for a year since they were freshmen and couldn't help feeling proud at how far the lazy airhead had come in such a short amount of time. But while watching her so-called "soldier" pump herself up for the next round, the Norwegian girl noticed something different about Yui – something that shouldn't seem right by scientific standards. Beneath her crystal-blue D-Gazer lens, Yui's left eye was miscoloured from its usual innocent-blue to a royal-purple with her pupil converted to an unnatural eight-pointed star.

"Hey, what's wrong with Yui's eye?" Eira sounded worried.

"Huh?" Moriko replied perplexed. "What do you mean? What's wrong with her eye?"

"Looks fine to me." Makea remarked.

"_They can't see it._" Eira thought in bewilderment, turning her attention back to the duel. "_I know my eyes aren't playing tricks on me – I definitely saw something._"

"My turn! Draw!" Yui announced, pulling her third card from the deck. But unlike the last few rounds when everything seemed normal, there was something strange going with her cards now. There was a luminescent glow radiating around a specific card in her hand; this was the first time she had seen this. "_That's weird. Why is it glowing like that? I wonder if maybe…_" She cautiously took the card and slapped it on her D-Pad. "I play the Spell Card: Graceful Charity! I can now draw three cards as long as I discard two from my hand."

Yui drew three more cards as instructed, making her hand a total of five without counting the card she already used. The airheaded brunette wondered what could have possessed her to make such a risky play with only a bare minimum chance of turning things around until her eyes were guided by the unnatural glow of one specific card. She couldn't believe it – she had forgotten that this card was even in her deck. And with two other cards already in her hand, she may just be able to pull this off. With a small smile on her face, Yui discarded two cards from her hand and faced her opponent – Vanite seemed a little shaken by her positive attitude.

"I told you nothing was gonna stop me and you're about to see why." Yui grinned brightly, slapping down one of the cards. "I activate the spell card: Forbidden Chalice! By selecting one monster, I can increase its attack points by 400 points. And since it's the only one on the field, I choose Vanity's Fiend."

The handsome monster gratefully accepted the golden chalice that appeared before it, casually sipping the delicious liquid it contained.

**Vanity's Fiend (1900/1200) – (2400/1200)**

"What's the point in giving my monster a boost?" Vanite asked in obvious confusion.

"Vanity's Fiend may be a little stronger, but..." Yui stated dramatically, pointing to the managing monster. Vanite followed her hand and stammered fearfully as the aura of power that once surrounded his monster had faded away with a single breathe. "Now Vanity's Fiend loses all of its effects."

"Now Yui can use special summons again!" Makea exclaimed happily.

"She broke his ultimate defense!" Moriko squealed.

"Go for it, Yui!" Eira cheered.

"Now I play Constellar Algiedi!" Yui continued triumphantly. A woman decked out in silver armor carrying a sapphire-encrusted scepter appeared **(1600/1400).** "And thanks to Constellar Algiedi's special effect, I can special summon one Level-4 Constellar monster from my hand. And now I summon Constellar Kaust!" Appear besides its ally in knighthood was a half-man/half-horse machine protected by white armor wielding a golden long bow **(1800/700). **"And now I can activate Kaust's special ability!"

"There's more…" Vanite moaned pathetically.

"Twice per turn, I can target a Constellar monster on my field and increase its level by 1." Yui explained.

The centaur archer neighed powerfully as it aimed its enchanted bow and released two airs directly into the air. The twin projectiles spiraled wildly for a short moment before gravity took control and propelled the arrowheads back down to connect with the two knights. The touch of the arrows empowered the Constellars with new strength that came from their new level of 5.

"Why would Yui increase their Levels?" Makea openly pondered until she was suddenly struck with realization. "Unless…"

"Her first Xyz Summon." Eira grinned. "I've never been more proud."

"I overlay Level-5 Constellar Kaust and Constellar Algiedi!" Yui announced. "I activate the Overlay Network with these two monsters! Xyz Summon! Reach the Stars, Constellar Pleiades!"

The two Constellar knights dissolved into brilliant spheres of yellow light and were propelled into the air in a twisting motion. When a spiral-galaxy gateway formed in the center of the battlefield, the twin lights submerged into the depths of darkness and exploded in a spectacular array of lights and stars. Emerging from the galactic crossroad was a colossus monster that showed gave off the presence of both honor and power. The new Constellar was protected by thick layers of silver armor with golden plates overlapping them on the arms, legs, shoulders, and torso – including the golden eight-point star of the Constellar on its chest. He also wore a frilled helmet with serrated eye holes and a seven-point cape that was white with golden diamonds on one side and a galaxy of stars on the other. In its hands was a sterling-silver sword with a golden guard rail around the handle **(2500/1500 ORU: 2).**

Dear Kami…" Makea murmured.

"Ja, Yui!" Eira roared proudly. "Now you can destroy his monster!"

"I'll do more than that." Yui grinned excitedly. "I detach one overlay unit to activate Constellar Pleiades' special effect! I can target one monster on the field and return it to the user's hand! And I choose Vanity's Fiend!"

One of the yellow spheres orbiting the colossus knight merged with Pleiades' sword to give it a golden aura. With a large grunt, Constellar Pleiades swung its silver swords across the air and created a golden wave that cut across Vanity's Fiend's torso, forcing the handsome monster back into its master's hand. Vanite was too stunned to catch his card. His ultimate Anti-Meta deck crushed by a clueless Artemis Girl – this should be happening, it can't be happening!

"Constellar Pleiades, attack Vanite directly!" Yui commanded victoriously. "Sword of the Seven Sisters!"

The noble warrior raised his sword with one hand pressed against the side and gently resting its head against the blade edge, almost as if in a meditated state. The background eroded into a map of the starry-night sky with seven particular stared creating connected lines to form the constellation of the seven sisters: Pleiades. The warrior's sword inherited a transcendent-white glow from the blessings of the seven sisters and Pleiades raised it head for battle. The stellar knight glided across the field and showed no mercy as he slashed the duelist seven times – one for each of his matrons. Vanite was pitched backwards, yelling n agony as his Life Points quickly dropped to 0.

**Yui (650) – Vanite (0) – Winner: Yui**

The park was unnaturally silent – everyone was stricken speechless at the sudden turn of events. While the AR Vision deactivated and the observers removed their D-Gazer's, the true reality had washed over them. Yui had won – she won her first duel against Vanite. The airheaded brunette wasn't sure when it happened, but she suddenly found herself being lifted off the ground and thrown up by her classmates, chanting her name in jubilation. On the other side of the field, the Apollo delinquents tried to help their defeated leader, but the greasy-haired loser shoved them aside while shooting an angry glare at Yui. His Anti-Meta deck beat by a stupid Artemis – impossible. She must have cheated, Vanite kept telling himself. Eira quickly wrapped up their celebration and strutted over to the Apollo group with a Cheshire grin.

"Well, well, well, isn't this familiar." Eira said teasingly. "Not so tough now without your little trump card, are ya? Now that you have been properly embarrassed, we'll be taking that flag now."

"Grr…like hell you will!" Vanite snapped.

Artemis Academy had always recognized Apollo Academy as a lying; cheating school, but this was taking it to a new low. Despite his promise, Vanite quickly jabbed the Norwegian student in the stomach and reached for the Artemis flag while the Girls were distracted with their friend. There was no way he was going to go back to the Academy empty-handed – he could just steal the flag and say he won. No one was gonna argue with his goons backing him up. Vanite thought he had come up with the perfect plan and started to make a run for it. It didn't get very far, however, as an arm stretched into view and effectively clotheslined the cheater. The greasy-haired deceiver flopped on his back with a painfully loud thud, which caught the attention of the Artemis Girls as they turned to the assailant.

He was a teenage roughly a year older than the girls with a mass of messy, machine-grey hair and a pair of wire-rim glasses, which he pushed up the bridge of his nose to prevent from falling off. He was wearing the standard uniform of Apollo Academy: black pressed jeans, a pair of black-polished shoes, white undershirts, and golden-yellow blazers with white suns. But as opposed the people they were used to seeing from Apollo Academy, he didn't seem particularly hostile – he actually looked downright friendly. A noise in the background caused the Artemis Girls to look over as Vanite's minions were subdued by other Apollo students.

"Now that wasn't very honorable, Vanite." The bespectacled man said casually. "You know how we feel about cheaters in the Academy."

"Kaiku Shinka?" Vanite mumbled dizzily.

"The captain will want to hear about your…dealings." The man known as Kaiku said venomously, pulling the boy up by his collar and throwing him to one of the other students. "Take him directly to the Captain. I'm sure he's gonna wanna hear all about this." The younger student nodded and pushed Vanite away with the rest of his followers in tow like criminals being carted off to jail. All the while, Kaiku reached down to pick up the Artemis flag and held it out for the girls to take. "You'll have to excuse him for his idiocy. Hope you don't think that all Apollo students are like that."

"Don't you think Artemis students are stupid?" Eira said rudely as she snatched up the flag.

"Completely the opposite." Kaiku said politely. "The Captain holds many students from Artemis Academy in high regard. It's just the typical stereotype that Apollo and Artemis students hate each other because the founders had a little sibling quarrel. I hope you don't think badly about our school because of one brat's actions."

"Aw, it's ok." Yui waved nonchalantly before the others had a chance to complain. "He was very rude, but I had a lot of fun dueling him."

"Yes, I heard your speech earlier." Kaiku chuckled amusingly; Yui scratched her head embarrassingly. "Well I hope you don't mind if we take back our flag. Vanite had no right to take it in the first place and can assure you he will be properly punished for everything he's done. It'll be a miracle if the Captain doesn't decide to burn his deck."

"I don't think it needs to go that far." Moriko said worriedly.

"We take honor very seriously at Apollo Academy. And speaking of which…" Kaiku spoke, reaching into the pocket of his golden blazer. The bespectacled man pulled out a card and offered it to Eira – it was Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. "I hope you accept this as token of our sincerest apology. Only a truly evil _teme _would tear up someone else's card."

"_Herregud_!" Eira screamed in her native tongue, quickly snatching up her prize. "This…I…but…I thought this was only made in my country!"

"Thank Kami for modern express mail." Kaiku smirked knowingly, watching the Norwegian student kissing her precious card lovingly. "When we heard about want happened, a few of the students chipped in the pay for a replacement. Quite a few of them understand how it feels to lose something precious."

"Wow, you Apollo students are really nice after all." Makea said cheerfully.

"Yes, but we have a tendency to be a little competitive." Kaiku said seriously, pushing up his glasses. "Make no mistake, Yui Ryuusei. Vanite is one of the biggest jerks in Nebula City, but he is also ranked as the one of the top ten students in the Academy. And now that you've beaten him, others will be coming around more often and challenging you until they win."

"Really? Great!" Yui responded giddily. "I bet there are lots of tough duelists in Apollo Academy just like in Artemis Academy. I want to duel each and every one of them!"

"You know, you're a good kid, Yui Ryuusei." Kaiku stated in a praising tone. "Don't ever change."

The airheaded brunette laughed embarrassingly with her cheeks tinged red – it wasn't very often someone outside her mother and friends praised her. Since there was nothing left to discuss, the bespectacled Apollo student left the girls to bath in the euphoria of Yui's first victory. Probably the first of many victories to come based on his observations. The Constellar cards were nothing like Kaiku had ever seen and Yui herself was an unknown factor: simpleminded and clumsy, but dueled on a professional level. No doubt the Captain would want to hear this and he would…..eventually. This was a very special day for the Ryuusei girl. Let her enjoy it for a while.

"_I think we found an interesting one this time._" Kaiku thought fascinatingly, taking one last glance at the departing women. "_I'm can't wait to see where the road will take you, Yui Ryuusei._"

* * *

**I know this probably isn't one of the most exciting chapters ever, but maybe a little advice would help me improve along the way. Please take it into consideration as you read and review.**


	3. Stardom

**Yugioh: Reach the Stars**

**Disclaimer**: I do not nor will ever own the Yugioh series.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Stardom**

To those who were familiar with astrology, many would know of the Asteroid Belt that orbited the region between Mars and Jupiter, creating a perpetual loop around the system. But what a majority would not notice was the man-made structure that was constructed atop one of the larger meteors. Its design was modeled to resemble the Greek Parthenon of Athena down on Earth, but had a few noticeable distinctions between them. The once polished-white marble columns were tainted to the darkest black with golden snakes slithering upwards and a pediment depicting scenes of war and bloodshed.

Deep within the malevolent temple, the shadows covered the region so thoroughly that even a blind man would be frightened. But for creatures that could penetrate this darkness, the chamber was decorated with twelve granite-grey thrones lined in two rows. Behind each of the thrones was a banner woven with illustrations of one of the Greek Zodiacs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. And at the farthest end of the chamber, raised by a layer of stairs, was a single obsidian-black throne with golden snakes caressing the edges and two black banners of the thirteenth Zodiac: Ophiuchus.

At the moment, the Dark Parthenon was vacant. But not a moment later, a jagged line of rainbow light ripped the ceiling open and opened the void to an unknown realm of space and time. Eleven globes of multi-colored lights glided through the rift and descended to the thrones before the void was behind them. Each of the spheres reached their respective seats and transformed into humanoid creatures concealed in midnight black cloaks with beastly signs on their back. The only distinction between them with the silver chains around the necklines bearing the symbols of their zodiac signs.

The man sitting under the banner of Leo turned his head slowly to look over the gathering. Everyone was accounted for with the exception of their leader and Libra. But this was nothing to be concerned with as their master was still resting and Libra remained…unstable after that event.

"Wha the hell, Leo?" Virgo yelled irritably. "You have a lot of nerve dragging us all back to the citadel after so many years! Whatever you have to say better be good because I have a room full of oily men and women in leather bikini's waiting for me back on Earth!"

"It's amazing how your name is Virgo and yet you're the biggest pervert in the galaxy." Cancer chuckled.

"Shut up before I turn you into dinner!" Virgo snapped.

"Not a bad idea." Sagittarius added jokingly. "I'm in the mood for crab legs."

"You guys are all idiots, you know that!" Aquarius groaned.

"So what…"

"Enough!" Leo commanded with authority; the squabbling members fell silent. "I believe everyone here understands the purpose of this meeting. Though it has been two years since our last commune, the goal of the Zodiac remains that same. I would hope that _some _of you remembered that goal." As he stressed the word, his attention was centered on Aries and Virgo. "Back to the matter at hand. Yesterday afternoon – at exactly 18:07 – there was strange anomaly that took place in Heartland City."

"Strange anomaly?" Taurus grunted questionably.

"It would seem that the Door between worlds has been forced open." Leo stated lowly. "With the gateway unlocked, it has allowed visitors from the Astral World and the Barian World to cross through the dimensional gateway into our universe. Not only that, but that power of the Door has also been dispersed into ninety-nine cards called 'Numbers'.

"That's it?" Pisces grumbled in annoyance. "That's why you pulled us back to this godforsaken temple? Because you're worried about a few energy creatures immigrating into our universe? The Astral and Barian are nothing but a bunch of pushovers – the Zodiac were the ones that sealed them behind the Door in the first place."

"I understand the facts, but that is not what concerns me." Leo proclaimed calmly. "What worries me is the event that took place in Nebula City at the same moment as when the Door was forced open. Somewhere in that city…I could feel the power of our oldest enemies…the Constellar."

The members of the Zodiac visibly stiffened – Scorpio actually fell out of his throne before scuttling back up. The cloaked supporters of the Zodiac organization had remembered the times of war against their most ancient enemies and the younger members were actually shaking. The Constellar were a serious threat and were revered as one of the most powerful creatures in the galaxy, close to matching the powers of the Egyptian Gods. Much to everyone's surprise, Aries had slammed her fist against the armrest of her stone throne and leaned towards Leo with fury laced in her voice.

"That's impossible!" Aries yelled, threatening to leave her seat. "All the Constellar were destroyed years ago! Aries made sure of that!"

"Are you absolutely sure?" Leo questioned seriously.

"Of course!" Aries exclaimed, slowly falling back into her seat with a hint of uncertainty. "Well…that it's to say…Aries might have…overlooked…perhaps…maybe…one?" The Zodiac order audibly groaned. "Hey, it's not my fault! Besides, it's not like just anyone can use the Constellar. You agree with me, right, Taurus?" The tallest of the Zodiac kept his silence. "Some help you are, traitor."

"_The third star shines_…" Capricorn uttered for the first time.

"Don't tell me you're still hung up on that old prophecy." Aquarius scoffed. "Obviously, it's just the effect of the messenger from the Astral World arriving in our dimension. The Constellar and the Astral were allies at one point, so it could just be that this that…intruder is giving off the same energy as our old enemy."

"That could be true, but I'd rather not leave it to chance." Leo said lowly, turning his attention back to their youngest member. "Aries, you were stationed at Nebula City at the time of the event. I want you to investigate everything and see if the Constellar truly have returned. If so, then the Zodiac may be forced to accelerate our plans ahead of schedule…Leader-Sama would not pleased if that were the case."

"Sure, push all the hard stuff on the newbie." Aries complained.

"I want you to take this seriously." Leo commanded strongly. "If the Constellar truly have returned, then the one who uses their power is no doubt as powerful as he is cunning. Quite possibly, we could be dealing with our most intelligent adversary yet."

* * *

"That had to be the stupidest idea you ever had, Yui!" Moriko scolded.

It was early in the morning the day after Yui competed, and won, her first ever duel against the bully from Apollo Academy. The Artemis Girls celebrated their friend's victory well into the night with an old-fashioned pajama party – it was mostly on Yui's pleading. Unfortunately, the consequences of their overnight celebration found the Girls sleeping through their alarm clocks and were already twenty minutes late for their first class. Realizing their own tardiness, Yui and her friends scrambled to pack up their stuff and trampled out of the apartment complex without touch the simple breakfast Polaris made before she left for work.

Eira made the Girls swear never to tell anyone what happened that morning, but let's just say it involved missing a train, outrunning a Rottweiler, and skateboarding on a hotdog vendor cart. It was a very hectic morning. Thankfully, they were able to make it to the front gates of Artemis Academy five minutes before the morning bell, which was strange considering how late they woke up. It was Makea that reminded everyone that today was daylight savings time, effectively making all their efforts worthless. But with the sweet relief of knowing they weren't going to get detention for tardiness…again…the Girls trudged the rest of the way to their school.

"Ne, you're mean Mori-Chan?" Yui whined childishly. "How was I supposed to know you were supposed to touch the doggy?"

"They have thirteen signs that specifically said 'Beware of Dog'." Moriko remarked monotonously; Yui giggled shyly. "I swear, if we were friends, I would have left you behind that dog chased you up the tree."

"Aw, we know you're too good to do that." Makea proclaimed brightly. Noting a complete lack of noise from their loudest friend, the sweet little rich girl turned to the Norwegian student with a concerned look in her eyes. "Are you ok, Eira-Chan? I've been awfully quiet since yesterday? You're not coming down with something, are you?"

"Huh?" Eira blinked, finally realizing that they were talking to her. "O-oh yeah, I'm fine! Really! I'm just…really tired from partying all night. But it was worth it after watching Yui grind that _Uekte _into the ground." The Girls accepted this answer and chatted animatedly amongst themselves as they walked into the school courtyard. "_Actually, I've tried to figure out what happened with Yui yesterday. Moriko and Makea said they didn't see anything, but I definitely noticed something weird about Yui's eye during the duel and it helped her win. But if that is the case, how come I was the only one that noticed it._"

"There she is!"

The Girls perked up in attention to the stampede of screaming girl's heading their way. The scene wasn't that unusual at Artemis Academy as Eira tend to draw a large fan base, given her rank as "Captain" of the school. So one could understand why it would seem strange when the teeming masses admirers promptly pushed Moriko and Makea aside and the Norwegian duelist was headfirst in a trash can that wasn't there a moment ago. Yui was taken back when Eira's former entourage suddenly started swarming the poor girl; she was worried they might be back to bully her again. But that didn't seem to be the case.

"Yui, is it true you had your first duel yesterday?!"

"Did you really beat that jerk from Apollo Academy?"

"They said you got in a fight with Apollo's Captain! Is that true?"

"Are they telling the truth when they say you only date girls?"

They weren't bullies, they were admirers – Yui Ryuusei was in a state of bliss. Deep in the recesses of the Yuri girl's perverted mind, she imagined the scene on the beach and everyone was in bikini's lathered in suntan oil. A few of the fanatics stepped back when a considerable amount of blood started seeping from the Constellar Duelist's nostril. Makea and Moriko dusted themselves after being tossed aside so carelessly with the student council president glaring at the flock dismissively and the sweet, rich girl just smiling casually.

"It looks like word got out about Yui's duel." Moriko said, readjusting her glasses. "But honestly, don't they have anything better to do than mob a defenseless girl. In fact, it was only a week ago when they were making fun of Yui's social status."

"My big brother says women can be fickle." Makea giggled, earning a strange look from her friend. "Aw, relax, Mori-Chan. It's not every day Yui-Chan becomes the center of attention for something other than groping people in the locker room. Let her have this moment."

The student council president did seem enthusiastic about the fangirls flocking around Yui when it was so close to class time, but she decided to hold her tongue just this once. Makea was right: Yui deserved to share some of the limelight everyone and a while. Meanwhile, the original glory hound was still stuck in the wastebasket, flailing her legs and spouting off curses in Norwegian. But while everyone was preoccupied with the rising star of Artemis Academy, a pair of sharp eyes was watching the scene from the third floor window.

Two Artemis Academy students, both roughly a year above Yui and her classmates, spotted Yui Ryuusei amidst the chaotic crowd of screaming fans with a look of interest. Both were very beautiful beyond the comparison of any other woman in the school, but one of them gave off the feeling of playfulness and the other seemed more attentive than her friend. The friendlier of the two was strikingly tall – possibly close to six feet – with silky-soft, nocturne-black hair that reached to her thighs. The other was at an average height with shoulder-length, golden-blond hair and the sharp eyes of a hawk.

"Is that her, Lyta?" The raven-haired beauty asked coolly.

"Yes, ma'am." Lyta replied strictly. "Yui Ryuusei, Junior Year, Class 2-3. All rumors have been confirmed that she confronted and defeated Vanite, the Anti-Meta Duelist, shortly after Eira Kald was defeated. There weren't many details on the duel itself, but the 1st Lieutenant of Apollo Academy has issued a formal apologize to Artemis Academy."

"I only asked a simply question, not for a military report." The dark-haired beauty laughed airily; her friend blushed embarrassingly. Noticing the flushed expression of her friend, she casually leaned over and kissed Lyta's cheek happily. "You're so cute when you blush. But I'm happy you told me because it looks like the huntress has found her new prey."

* * *

Several hours later in the day after breaking through the crowd of rabid fangirls and enduring torturous class periods, it was time for everyone's favorite time of the day: lunch hour. Students packed the academy courtyard looking to find a perfect spot to enjoy their downtime and, as of recently, have the perfect view of the new school hero. Yui, Makea, and Moriko were used to being the center of attention because they were close friends with Artemis Academy's best duelist. But today, Eira was relieved to say that she was no longer the reason for everyone's stares and instead was replaced by her best friend and soldier. The Norwegian student finally felt like she could eat her _Kjøttkaker _in peace.

The Artemis Girls moved to their usual lunch spot underneath the large Oak tree in the courtyard; Yui remembers that she had forgotten her bento during the morning rush. But like every lunch period, Makea offered to share her meal with the airheaded brunette since her butler always brought her a four course meal – her parents were always trying to spoil her. While the Constellar Duelist threw her arms in celebration and literally scarfed down her meal – occasionally splashing gravy and bits of vegetables – Moriko and the others chose to pass the time talking. Today's conversation topic: Yui's popularity.

"As stereotypical as it may sound, Makea's may have a point." Moriko commented. "Woman can be a little fickle sometimes. It was just the other day I caught Leina-san picking on Yui for wearing mismatched socks. Today, she pretty much glomping her."

"I don't Yui minds the attention." Eira chuckled jokingly. "At least this way, Yui won't chase away any potential girlfriends."

"I think Yui-Chan should hold out for someone who's a little more committed to a relationship." Makea remarked, giggling lightly at Yui's cheeks puffing out from cramming mounds of food. "That's isn't really healthy, Yui-Chan. You should really chew your food or you might end up choking."

"Hai, Ma-Chan!" Yui saluted after swallowing her food whole.

"You are disgusting, Yui." Eira said blandly; Yui grinned sheepishly.

"While it all right to enjoy a little fame, I think we should be careful." Moriko said seriously. "Remember what Kaiku-san said: other duelists will start showing up and challenging Yui until they win. There could be other dangerous duelists like Vanite, so we need to be careful."

"Relax, Moriko." Eira said nonchalantly, leaning back against the trunk of the tree. "We're on school grounds. What's the worst that could happen?"

Moriko had always assumed that the Norwegian transfer student was a magnet for bad luck and she had been proven right on multiple occasions. This just happened to be one of them. The Artemis Girls were startled to their feet by a feminine war cry, followed by an oddly-clothed woman dropping from the branches to land between them. It was the third-year student who had watched Yui earlier in the day, but she had changed out of her uniform and into something less appropriate. She was wearing dirt-brown shorts with an animal pelt around her waist, rows of bandages around her legs with decorative buckles, Mayan-colored bands on her forearms, a tan-colored bra with animal teeth, a tribal necklace, and an eye patch with a silver skull over her right eyes. **(1)**

Looking at her from head-to-toe, she looked like a cross between and jungle girl and a pirate. In most normal cases, this would seem very unusual. But having spent a year in Artemis Academy, the Girls have learned that their school was full of freaks and weirdoes – they once met a girl who claimed to be the daughter of a butterfly. In comparison to that, the jungle girl seemed fairly normal. The tall third-year's sudden appearance was drawing a large crowd from the other students who were in the area, closely watching the scene from a distance. With a predatory grin, the raven-haired beauty stepped forward and pointed to the airheaded brunette.

"Yui, Ryuusei, I have come for you!" The third-year student called.

There was a quick wave of gasps among the students – they usually overdramatic. A woman in savage attire roughly a head taller than themselves would intimidate many students. But in Yui's eyes…

"Oh my." Yui sighed dreamily, pressing her hands against her reddened cheeks. "This is so sudden – I don't know what to say. I never thought a beautiful woman would come to whisk me away to her jungle home; kissing and caress me while protecting me from the harsh elements of the jungle. Just like Tarzan and Jane – ooh, how romantic."

"That…isn't at all what I was going to say." The raven-haired giantess answered dumfounded. "I just wanted to duel you. I already happen to be in a very committed relationship with my girlfriend."

"Boo!" Yui complained.

"You're Diana Thalestris, third-year student and president of the drama club." Makea said in recognition.

"That's me." Diana grinned cheerfully. "I've heard a lot of rumors about the Artemis Academy captain losing to someone from Apollo Academy. Then I start to hear rumors about some newbie duelist beating the jerk that defeated our captain. As the 4th Lieutenant of Artemis Academy, naturally I want to see her skills up-close and personal."

"Lieutenant?" Yui blinked curiously.

"Since you never pay attention to anything at school," Moriko said in a dignified manner, readjusting her glasses. "It doesn't surprise me about the schools ranking system." The airheaded brunette confirmed this with her stupefied expression. Allow me to explain: thinking our school as a military system. Academically, we have the Student Council President on top with the Class Presidents below and the students at the bottom. In terms of dueling, everyone is ranked based on their skills. There is the captain, who is the best duelist in the entire school, then there are the six lieutenants below her, and then the cadets are everyone else."

"You already know that Eira-Chan is the school captain." Makea continued. "And Diana is the 4th Lieutenant, which means she is the fourth best duelist under Eira-Chan."

"Moe, why does the school have such a complicated system in the first place?" Yui whined, her head hurting from all the information.

"Who knows?" Eira shrugged casually. "It's been that way since the school was first made and Apollo Academy uses the same system."

"There's been a lot of talk about you, Yui." Diana said interestingly. "Word in the hallways is that you might become the new Captain since Eira-Chan couldn't beat that guy from Apollo Academy. Personally, I think it was just dumb luck. But I want to see with my own eyes if you really have what it takes to rank up with the rest of us."

"You want to duel me?" Yui asked excitedly.

"Yeah." Diana nodded; Yui cheered eagerly. "But since its lunch hour and we don't have time for a full match, let's go with Duelist Kingdom Rule. Both of us start out with 2000 Life Points and there are no tribute restrictions, but we can't attack the opponent's Life Points directly. Sound fair to you."

"Sounds Like fun!" Yui exclaimed joyously.

As the rest of the students quickly dashed to the sidelines and activated their D-Gazers, Diana and Yui were quick to dash toward opposite ends of their courtyard. The 4th lieutenant quickly slapped on her D-Pad – a steel-gray surface curved like a sword – and activated her D-Gazer, which turned out to be her decorative eye patch. Opposite to her, Yui caught her D-Pad by her wrist gauntlet and slapped on her starry D-Gazer to next moment.

"D-Pad – set!" Yui exclaimed. "D-Gazer – set!"

**AR Vision Link Established!**

"Duel!" Yui and Diana shouted in unison.

**Yui (2000) – Diana (2000)**

"I'll start us off! Draw!" Diana called, swiping her sixth card. "I activate the Field Spell: Amazoness Village!"

Inserting the Field Spell Card into the specialized sixth slot, the augmented reality altered the environment to match accordingly to the Field Match. The school courtyard was replaced by a thick jungle encircling them with crudely fashioned huts popping in several spaces. Some decorative masks were hanging from the huts, a few wild chickens were running loose in the bushes, and there was a giant boar hanging over a small fire. It reminded Yui of those scenes she saw when watching those jungle movies with her friends. And by watching, she meant staring at the women in leopard-print bikinis.

"With this Field Spell active, all Amazoness monsters gain an extra 200 attack points." Diana explained. "Which gives me the perfect reason to play Amazoness Swords Woman!" A warrior woman with dangerously wild, burning-red hair appeared on the field wearing a dark-blue bikini littered with animal teeth and carrying a silver sword matching her in height **(1500/1600) – (1700/1600)**. "Then I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"That's our Diana-Sama!"

"Yui-Chan still has a shot!"

"Go get 'em, Yui-Chan!"

"Yui-Chan?" Moriko scoffed loudly. "Since when do they call her Yui-Chan. Honestly, she wins one duel, and suddenly they think they're friends."

"Now, now, Mori-Chan." Makea smiled supportively, patting the student council president.

"_Diana may dress funny, but she's a very dangerous duelist._" Eira thought seriously. "_She's ranked as the 4__th__ lieutenant because she's known for getting results. If she backs Yui into the corner, she might show that thing with her eye again. Maybe this time someone other than me will be able to see it and then I'll have proof I'm not going crazy!_"

"Awesome move!" Yui cheered, pulling out her sixth card. "But now it's my move! And to start, I play Constellar Aldebaren!" A massive monster decked out in bulking white armor and cape with bronze-horned helmet and carrying a neon-red ring appeared on the field **(1300/800)**. "Now I can activate Constellar Aldebaren's special effect! When he's normal summoned, I can special summon one level-3 monster from my hand! And I choose Constellar Leonis!"

Slapping down the card into the field slot, the airheaded brunette called forth another shining knight on to the field. Like the rest of his comrades, he was decked out in sparkling-white armor with the eight-pointed star of the Constellar stamped on his chest and shoulders. He had a wild mane of electric-blue hair escaping from his lion-shaped helmet and electric-blue nails that stretch for a foot length **(1000/1800)**.

"Yui-Chan already has two level-3 monsters on the field." Makea noted. "She's getting really good at these Xyz Summons."

"I'm not surprised." Eira commented. "When I was looking at Yui's deck last night, I noticed that the Constellar were built specifically from Xyz Summoning. They are probably the most diverse archetype in the entire game."

"I overlay Level-3 Constellar Aldebaren and Constellar Leonis!" Yui announced, watching her shining knights dissolve into yellow balls of energy. "I activate the Overlay Network with these two monsters! Xyz Summon! Reach the Stars, Constellar Hyades!"

When a spiral-galaxy gateway formed in the center of the battlefield, the twin lights submerged into the depths of darkness and exploded in a spectacular array of lights and stars. Replacing the two fallen knights was a great beast as tall as the jungle trees garbed in sparking-silver and gleaming-gold armor with the Constellar symbol pressed on her stomach. He had two massive, golden bull horns jutting from his segmented helmet, wore a starry, four-point cape, and carried two massive daggers with red rings on the handles **(1900/1100 ORU:2)**.

The crowd was alive with screams and cheers – many of the students at Artemis Academy rarely had the chance to see an Xyz Summon, let alone see Yui Ryuusei perform one.

"Now I attack Amazoness Swords Woman with Constellar Hyades!" Yui commanded.

"Going all out on your first turn, huh?" Diana laughed entertainingly. "That might work on an ordinary duelist, but not me. I activate my face-down: Amazoness Archers!" She flipped her trap card upwards, revealing five Amazonesses with their bows pulled toward the approaching Constellar knight. "This card activates when my opponent declares an attack. When activates, all your monsters are flipped up into attack position and they all lose 500 attack points."

Taking aim on the unsuspecting Constellar knight, the five Amazoness Archers released the strings of their bows and sent their barbs flying through the air. Despite being so thickly covered in armor, the layers of metal were unable to prevent the arrowhead from piecing through the shell and into the monster's skin.

**Constellar Hyades (1900/1100) – (1400/1100).**

And the worst part was that they were still in the middle of the battle sequence. The Amazoness Swords Woman charged ahead with her massive demon-blade at her side and the best Hyades could do was raise his daggers in defense. But his best wasn't enough; the burly Amazoness cut through the silver daggers and the bull-horned Constellar with a single swipe of her sword. Constellar Hyades exploded into a shower of golden stars just as Amazoness Swords Woman stepped back on to her side of the field. Consequently, Yui was caught in the blast range of her monster and was hurtled backwards into the chicken coop.

**Yui (1700) – Diana (2000)**

"Yui!" Makea yelled fretfully.

"Is she all right?" Moriko asked with concern.

"_Hun kommer til å bli fine_." Eira muttered in her native tongue. "She was hit with a lot worse when she was dueling Vanite. This is Duelist Kingdom Rules, so it's not as bad as the standardized rules." Though she said that out loud, her mind was somewhere else. "_Perfect. It's the first move and Yui's already down a notch. Come on, Yui, show me what did last time._"

"Owie, that hurt." Yui whined childishly, rubbing her sore bottom. "You're better than I thought you'd be, but I'm not done yet! I special summon Constellar Schet in defense mode!" A tiny knight in white armor and cape with the Constellar star symbol on his chest appeared on the field carrying a silver jar the same size as him **(100/1600)**. "When you have a monster on the field and I don't I can special summon Constellar Schet to the field. Then I place one card face down and end my turn!"

"_I got her now._" Yui thought proudly. "_She'll definitely attack Constellar Schet and when she does, I can activate my face-down card: Constellar meteor, which will send her monster back into her deck. Then whatever other monster she summons, I can counter with another Xyz monster. It's perfect!_"

"My turn! Draw!" Diana called, pulling her fourth card. "I summon Amazoness Sage!" A beautiful, dark skinned woman with ocean-blue hair appeared on the field, wearing the revealing attire of the Amazoness, but also with a leather cape and carrying a staff with animal teeth on top **(1400/700) – (1600/700)**. "Then I play the trap card, Strike Slash!" She slapped in into the slot, revealing the card to the audience. "During the battle phase, Amazoness Sage gains 700 extra attack points and can do Piercing Damage."

**Amazoness Sage (1600/700) – (2300/700)**

"Piercing damage?" Makea blinked curiously. "What's that?"

"When a monster attacks another in defense mode," Moriko explained. "The difference between the attack and defense is taken away from the owner's life points. Meaning that even if Constellar Schet is in defense mode, Yui can still take damage because Amazoness Sage is stronger."

"Oh no, Yui!" Makea gasped.

"Amazoness Sage!" Diana commanded. "Attack Constellar Schet!"

The voodoo warrior woman slammed her staff into the ground, lodging the wooden weapon into the dirt. The warrior priestess folded her hands into a pray and called forth the powers of the goddesses, whom answered her thoughts in the form of miniature earthquake. The ground momentarily split apart and the mini-knight unknowing dropped into the dark pit before the rift suddenly slammed back together, crushing the Constellar within. Yui received the blowback of her monster's destruction, this time falling into a simulated mud pit.

**Yui (1000) – Diana (2000)**

"That was pretty good." Yui complimented, brushing off the simulated mud. "But now you just activated my Trap Card: Constellar Me…" Before the airheaded brunette had the chance to finish, the Amazoness Sage summoned a bolt of lightning from the sky to incinerate Yui's card. "EH?!"

"I guess I forgot to mention Amazoness Sage's special effect." Diana grinned. "If Amazoness Sage succeeds in battle, she can destroy one magic or trap card on my opponent's side of the field. Now I place one card face-down and end my turn, meaning Amazoness Sage goes back to her original attack points.

**Amazoness Sage (2300/700) – (1600/700)**

"_Ok, she is really good."_ Yui thought. "_I need to pick it up or I'm gonna lose. I'm seriously gonna lose!_"

"Hey, you all right." Diana called with concern, taking notice of Yui's brief expression of panic. "I know you must be a little nervous – this the first time face someone on my level. But you shouldn't worry about losing after only your second match. This is just a friendly match between two classmates…well, a match between Senpai and kouhai, but you get the idea. Just relax and have fun."

"Moe…it's not fair." Yui whined childishly, earning a lot of strange stares. "You're so cute and understanding – I wish you were my girlfriend instead."

"_That's completely off-topic._" Diana sweat-dropped.

"But you're right; this is a lot of fun even if I'm still losing." Yui grinned playfully. "If there are people as strong as you in this school, then I can't wait to meet the other lieutenants. But I have to warn you: I have no intention of losing here! Because one day, I'm gonna Reach the Stars!"

Those were the same words Yui said in her last match before she made a complete turnaround – Eira remembered that moment avidly. With a glint of hope, the Norwegian transfer student focused her attention to Yui's left eye and was not disappointed. Just like last time, Yui's left eye was miscoloured from its usual innocent-blue to a royal-purple with her pupil converted to an unnatural eight-pointed star. Now that she thought about it, that eight-point star seemed oddly similar to the crests on her Constellar monsters.

"_There must be a connection between them._" Eira thought before scanning the surrounding crowd. "_And yet no one seems to notice this except me. Is it something special that only I can see? Why?"_

"My turn now! Draw!" Yui shouted, drawing her third card. Just like in her last match, there was an eerie aura surrounding her cards that seemed to form a pattern in the depths of Yui's mind. Her winning strategy played out in her head and decided it was time to implement it. "I summon Constellar Algiedi!" A woman decked out in silver armor carrying a sapphire-encrusted scepter appeared **(1600/1400)**. "Now I activate Constellar Algiedi's special effect: I can special summon one Level-4 Constellar monster from my hand. Come on down, Constellar Kaust!"

The beast the appeared beside the female warrior was half-man/half-horse machine protected by white armor wielding a golden long bow **(1800/700).**

"This is the same strategy Yui used against Vanite." Moriko smiled happily. "She's brining out her ace monster!"

"I overlay Level-5 Constellar Kaust and Constellar Algiedi!" Yui announced. "I activate the Overlay Network with these two monsters! Xyz Summon! Reach the Stars, Constellar Pleiades!"

The two Constellar knights dissolved into brilliant spheres of yellow light and were propelled into the air in a twisting motion. When a spiral-galaxy gateway formed in the center of the battlefield, the twin lights submerged into the depths of darkness and exploded in a spectacular array of lights and stars. Emerging from the galactic crossroad was a colossus monster that showed gave off the presence of both honor and power. The new Constellar was protected by thick layers of silver armor with golden plates overlapping them on the arms, legs, shoulders, and torso – including the golden eight-point star of the Constellar on its chest. He also wore a frilled helmet with serrated eye holes and a seven-point cape that was white with golden diamonds on one side and a galaxy of stars on the other. In its hands was a sterling-silver sword with a golden guard rail around the handle **(2500/1500 ORU: 2).**

"Whoa, awesome!"

"It's so big!"

"That is admittedly a very impressive monster." Diana commented casually.

"Constellar Pleiades, attack Amazoness Sage with Sword of the Seven Sisters!" Yui commanded victoriously.

"Not so fast!" Diana interjected, revealing her face-down card. "I activate my Trap Card: Shift! Now instead of attacking Amazoness Sage, Constellar Pleiades will be attacking Amazoness Swords Woman!"

No doubt try to save as many Life Points as possible, Amazoness Swords Woman made the daring leap in front of the Constellar's path, throwing out her arms to protect her sister. It meant very little to Constellar Pleiades as the noble warrior raised his sword with one hand pressed against the side and gently resting its head against the edge of his blade. The seven stars of Pleiades eroded into the background and filled the warrior's sword the blessings of the seven sisters. Swiftly and without mercy, Pleiades slashes across the Amazoness warrior seven consecutive times. The Amazoness Swords Woman screamed in agony before she was ripped apart by the celestial energy.

Waves of cheers erupted from the audience, celebrating Yui's first successful attack against Diana.

"Yes!" Yui cheered with a fist-pump. "One down, one to go." But as the cloud of destruction began to settle, Diana appeared on the opposite end of the field; her Life Points virtually untouched. "EH?! What happened? I destroyed your monster!"

"I activated Amazon Swords Woman's special effect." Diana grinned. "If she is destroyed in battle, any damage taken is redirected back at you."

Yui was caught off-guard. In her moment of euphoria, she had completely overlooked the notion of Amazoness Swords Woman's special effect coming into play. That explained why Diana had activated the Shift Card. A gale of strong card suddenly blew through the jungle and blasted Yui off her feet, taking a good portion of her Life Points with it.

**Yui (200) – Diana (2000)**

"This is unbelievable." Makea murmured softly. "No matter what Yui does, Diana is always one step ahead of her."

"Diana is the 4th Lieutenant for a reason." Moriko remarked. "At this point, I don't see how Yui can turn this around."

"She'll find a way." Eira proclaimed monotonously. "_She has to. I have to see it happen for myself._"

"And thanks to the special effect of Amazoness Village," Diana continued. "I can special summon one Amazoness monster who's level is equal or below the monster that was destroyed. So that gives me a chance to summon Amazoness Scouts."

Two Amazoness children – one with red-hair one with blue-hair - wearing short skirts and tops of yellow and blue respectively appeared on the field with the red-head carrying a sword and the blue-head carrying a bow **(500/1100) – (700/1100)**.

"Oh…I place one card face-down and end my turn." Yui concluded, throwing down her last card. "_All right, next turn I can destroy the Amazoness Scouts with Constellar Pleiades and then we'll be tied. And if she tries to attack me, I can use Constellar Pleiades' special effect to send her monster back to her hand._"

"My move! Draw!" Diana announced, pulling her second card. She looked down at her newest acquisition and smiled. "You're a lucky girl, Yui. Not many people survive long enough to see my ace monster: Amazoness Paladin!"

A woman with dangerous untamed blond hair emerged from the jungle, carrying a lengthy silver sword at her side. As opposed to her Amazoness sisters, who were themed around the jungle, Paladin seemed to take more of an Egyptian theme. Donning a sand-colored cloak that severed double as a cape and a hood, a tan bra with purple feathers on her shoulder and under the breasts, a tan cloth around her waist suspended by a silver belt, and golden bands around her forelimbs. The Amazoness warrior treaded lightly between the sage and the scouts, staring down the Constellar without fear **(1700/300) – (1900/300).**

"Impressive, eh?" Diana laughed happily. "Wait until you see her special effect. For every Amazoness on the field including herself, Amazoness Paladin gains 100 attack points."

**Amazoness Paladin (1900/300) – (2200/300)**

"Now for the finisher!" Diana yelled excitedly. "I activate the Spell Card: Amazoness Fighting Spirit!" She threw down her last card, casting a shimming gold aura around the Paladin. "If an opponent's monster is stronger than my Amazoness, she instantly gained 1000 extra attack points!"

**Amazoness Paladin (2200/300) – (3200/300)**

"3200 attack points!" Makea exclaimed.

"Yui better think of something quick or she's done for!" Moriko yelled worriedly.

"Amazoness Paladin!" Diana commanded. "Attack Constellar Pleiades with Sword of Athena!"

Pulling up her sword within her level of vision, the Amazoness warrior briefly stared into her reflection until her eyes were locked on her target: Constellar Pleiades. Dashing across the field and leaping at a range far greater than any human, the Amazoness Paladin glided high above the armored knight with her sword positioned to stab him through his helmet.

"I activate Constellar Pleiades' special effect!" Yui called out in a hurry. "By using one overlay unit, I can send one monster on the field back to the owner's hand!"

"That's where Amazoness Scout's special effect comes in!" Diana interrupted, catching her opponent by surprise. "By sacrificing Amazoness Scouts, all Amazoness monsters are unaffected by monster effects!"

This was a turn of events that Yui's unique vision had not predicted. While Constellar Pleiades was preoccupied with Amazoness Paladin, he failed to notice the two Amazoness children sneaking around at his feet. The blue-haired Amazoness took aim with her bow and stabbed the overlay unit that was meant to be used for his monster effect before vanishing. The sword-wielding Amazoness managed to climb up the Constellar unnoticed and slashed her sword against his, shattering both weapons before she vanished as well. With not overlay unit and no sword to defend himself, Constellar Pleiades was virtually defenseless as the Amazoness Paladin descended over him. Her sword came close to piercing through his skull when…

*****_**Ding-dong-dang-ding***_

Everyone jumped at the sudden sound of the school bell signaling the end of lunch period – they had completely forgotten that they were still on the school campus. Thanks to the automated signal provided by the academy, the AR Vision link was disconnected and everything went back to normal before the conclusion of the duel. But not before announcing the results.

**Yui (200) – Diana (2000) – Winner: Diana**

"Well, that sucks." Diana groaned, deactivating her D-Pad. "I didn't even get a chance to finish."

"It was a great duel though." Yui remarked, walking over to her sempai.

"Yeah, I guess it was." Diana smiled brightly. "Not many people survive long enough to give me a chance to use Amazoness Paladin and Amazoness Fighting Spirit in the same turn. You've got potential, Yui Ryuusei. We' should duel again sometime." She patted the kouhai's head lightly, earning an elated giggled. "Now if you excuse me, I have to figure out where I left my underwear."

A geyser of blood rocketed out of Yui's nostrils, effectively knocking the airheaded duelist unconscious – no one was particularly concerned. The president of the drama club dashed away to the opposite end of the courtyard to retrieve her cloths and the students dispersed to head for their respective classes save for Yui's friends. As they left, Eira caught wind of a few remarked from some of the passing students – many of them were saying how Yui won against Vanite through 'dumb luck'.

"_These girls change their minds more than I change socks._" Eira commented, assisting in lifting the Constellar duelist off the ground. "_But I don't understand how Yui lost against Diana. I thought that weird eye thing of hers was supposed to give her the advantage against her opponents. Maybe it's just in my head._"

"We should get Yui to the nurse's office." Moriko said exasperatedly.

"She's been there so many times, she even has her own private bed." Makea giggled.

"That's not a good thing, Makea." Moriko sighed. "It's too bad that Yui lost like that. Going against the 4th lieutenant isn't easy especially when she only just started dueling yesterday."

"I'm sure with a little more practice, she be right back on top." Makea said supportively.

But as the Artemis Girls dragged the airheaded duelist away to the nurse, everyone in Artemis Academy failed to notice that someone had watched them very close the entire time. Aries, hidden by her black coat, was perched in the tall oak tree that Diana had swung from with her shadowed eyes focused on Yui Ryuusei. The youngest of the Zodiac Organization had examined the entire duel from every angle, even the ones that she disgusting…humans couldn't have seen. That's what left her unsettled.

"That face-down card Ryuusei had placed." Aries whispered softly. "It was the Trap Card: Space Jump. If she had been allowed to finish the duel, she would have not only been able to cancel the attack, but she also would have delivered direct damage to her opponent equal to the attack points of Constellar Pleiades. That one card would have given her the win. That Diana girl was no pushover – she would have been difficult even for me."

She stared up into the sky through the leaves, humming to herself.

"If Yui Ryuusei has the Constellar cards and can use them so effectively…she may be a bigger threat than we thought."

* * *

**(1) **Modeled after Amazoness Queen.

* * *

**Following the advice of some friends, I have tried my best to make the duels longer and more interesting, but only you can tell me if they are getting better or worse. If you have some friendly advice, please feel free to tell me – I can only get better.**

**I'm also still looking for more duelists to be used in this story, maybe even fill up some of the positions of lieutenants for both academies. If you have a character you want to appear in this story, please fill out the following.  
**

**Name:  
**

**Year:  
**

**Appearance:  
**

**Personality:  
**

**Deck: (Archetype or Billy Deck)  
**

**Notes: (Anything extra you might want to add)  
**

**Please, read and review.**


	4. Rockstar

**Yugioh: Reach the Stars**

**Disclaimer**: I do not nor will ever own the Yugioh series.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Rockstar**

The final bell signaled the end of classes at Artemis Academy for Girls; Yui resisted the urge to jump on her desk and cheer. She appreciated that her mother worked hard to get her in the best school in Nebula City, but did it have to be so boring? The airheaded brunette wasted no time gathering all her notes – which were completely blank, by the way – and dashed out of the history classroom as fast as her legs could carry her. Now that classes were over, the rest of the day was open to endless hours of dueling practice with Captain and the others…or at least until her mama called her home for dinner.

Speaking of dueling, Yui was still reeling from her vicious beat down against Diana the other day. Though they were very lenient with the Duelist Kingdom rules, the Constellar Duelist couldn't believe the difference in their level of dueling experience. Even after Yui pulled out her ace monster – Constellar Pleiades – she couldn't touch the Amazoness. And now that Yui thought about it, the duel would have probably ended in Diana's favor even if she had used Space Jump. She remembered Makea-Chan saying that Diana was only one of the six strongest duelists in the Academy under Captain Eira. If the Amazoness was untouchable, she could only imagine how powerful the others were – she was tingling with excitement.

The Constellar Duelist was dashing down the hall when she came up Eira, Moriko, and Makea talking amongst themselves. Yui quickly skidded to a halt and waved cheerfully to her schoolmates.

"Hey, guys!" Yui screamed in an unnecessarily loud tone, causing many students to give the brunette a wide berth. "Oi! Oi! Let's go to Milky Park so we can get some dueling practice! There's this new trick I thought of last night that I really wanna…"

"Sorry, Yui." Moriko interrupted apologetically. "We all have meetings with our clubs, so we can't duel with you today."

"Clubs?" Yui blinked.

"The Student Council is holding an emergency meeting for the school fundraiser money." Moriko sighed, rubbing the potential migraine in her head. "Some of the class presidents want to use the money to purchase new uniforms for the school athletic clubs, but others are arguing that we should buy new supplies."

"I have to go to my cooking club." Makea smiled sweetly. "Today, we are making hummingbird cake and I hear it's simply delicious."

"I got ta go to a World Leaders Assembly." Eira groaned; the three girls stared at the Norwegian student in disbelief. "What? You thought I got transferred her because of my dueling skill?" The others made no attempt to answer, but instead nonchalantly looked in different directions. "_Noen venner du er_."

"Moe, you all are so busy with your clubs." Yui pouted childishly. "Now who am I supposed to duel?"

"You know, Yui-Chan, you really should join a club yourself." Makea suggested in a worried tone, much to the brunette's confusion. "It's already your second year and you haven't joined any afterschool clubs. Most students join at least one in their freshman year." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We only have one more year after this, so there isn't a whole lot of time."

"If you don't join a club soon, there's a chance you could end up as a NEET." Moriko proclaimed seriously.

"EH?!" Yui exclaimed fearfully, practically trembling in her boots. "Y-You don't really mean that, right, Mori-Chan? I-I-I'm not going to be a NEET…am I?"

"There's a good chance." Eira said bluntly; Yui dropped like she had been hit with a haymaker. "You're really lazy, your grades are almost less than average, and you've never really showed any motivation for extracurricular activities." Each negative comment was like a kick to Yui's gut. "The only thing you've ever been serious about is dueling."

"M-Maybe I can join a dueling club?" Yui asked hopefully, practically begging on her knees.

"There isn't one." Moriko answered; that was the knock out for Yui. "There used to be one twenty years ago, but they discontinued it after too many members signed up and the other clubs started losing its already existing members. If you want to join a club, you're gonna have to find something other than dueling."

"I'm doomed…." Yui moaned in the corner; a dark aura shrouded her being.

"Don't give up, Yui-Chan." Makea said supportively, gently caressing the girl's back. "There are lots of other things you are good out. You just have to find the right club for you and stick with it."

"The school clubs are always looking for new members." Moriko stated. The bespectacled girl unzipped her school bag and started digging through the mass of files lodged in the tiny bag; Student Council President was a lot of work. It took a moment before she found the paper she was looking for and handed it off to Yui. "This is a list of all the clubs and room numbers in the Academy. Just look around and see which one you like."

"You just happen to carry a flyer off all the clubs in your bag." Eira commented strangely.

"I'm student Council President; it's my job." Moriko said in a dignified manner. The bespectacled girl looked at the wall clock and squeaked at the time. "Oh no, the meeting starts in six minutes! Good luck, Yui!"

"_Gjør ditt beste_, Yui." Eira said with a thumbs-up before chasing the president.

"We'll talk after school." Makea promised, running in the other direction.

"Bye, everyone!" Yui waved to her friends. As the brunette looked around, she noticed that everyone else was hurrying up and down the hallway, no doubt trying to make it to their clubrooms on time. Even though they looked like they were in a rush, she seemed real excited about today. Maybe she could consider join one… "Hmm…school clubs, huh?"

* * *

**Karate Club**

The Constellar Duelist somehow found herself sitting off to the side of a martial arts dojo she didn't know the school had – she really needed to get out more. Yui had been outfitted with a Karate gi and offered a white belt the first moment she had set foot in the dojo, not even given a chance to ask questions. She sat side-by-side with a row of serious students as they observed their sempai performing feats of martial arts talents that were way beyond Yui's skill set. The airheaded brunette actually squeaked when one of the fighters delivered a powerful roundhouse kick that knocked out her opponent's front teeth. And the worst part was, one of them landed in her lap.

"_Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!_" Yui mentally screamed. "_I've gotta get out of here before._"

"New girl!" The unnaturally muscular training instructor called. "Your next!"

"Eh?!" Yui shrieked as she was forced to the center of the dojo. "What a minute! I'm not a…!"

"_Hajime!_" The instructor shouted.

Before Yui even had a chance to defend herself, her opponent ran up to the petrified duelist and delivered a deadly rising kick to the brunette's chin. The Constellar Duelist was still a little fuzzy on the details, but somewhere between the throbbing pain, smacking her head on the floorboard and waking up in the nurses office and hour later, Yui had been rejected from the Karate Club. Not that the brunette minded – she was just happy to live another day.

**Karate Club: KO!**

* * *

**Tea Ceremony Club**

The next group Yui decided to try was the Tea Ceremony Club, which had converted its club room to a traditional Japanese tea room as done in ancient times. The airheaded brunette had chosen this club after crossing out everything that had anything to do with athletics in general; she was concerned about her health. The club members greeted her kindly and welcomed her to their tea room without question, even offering her to try one of their kimonos. Yui sat across the table from the host with the other two members and took in the nice and quiet atmosphere…nice and quiet…nice and…

"And then we ground the leaves as such." The club president in a drawling voice, grinding tea leaves with a mortar and pestle at a turtle pace. "You must make sure to grind the leave thoroughly or you won't be able to draw out the flavor. Do you understand?"

"Hai!" The two club members nodded eagerly.

"And when you're done grinding the leaves…" The club president continued. "The next step is to…"

There was a small thump of the table that gently shook the supplies, drawing the attention of the Tea Ceremony Club president to its newest recruit. For the past half-hour, Yui had been fighting desperately against her drowsiness while trying to focus on the president's lecture about tea leaves. But despite all her efforts, the Ryuusei girl had lost consciousness of the outside world and drifted to sleep with her forehead smacking the table; snoring loudly for all to hear.

"Uh…president…" One of the members said slowly.

"I know." The president sighed.

**Tea Ceremony Club: Rejected**

* * *

**Occult Club**

Yui stood outside the door of the Occult Club on the second floor, double checking the list of clubrooms Moriko had given her. The club room didn't seem to stand out much; they only had a piece of marker taped to the door with "Occult Club" written in marker. It's funny how she had passed this room every day to math class and had never really noticed it before. At the very least, it didn't seem as dangerous as karate or boring as the Tea Ceremony Club.

"Hello!" Yui greeted as she threw open the door. "I was wonder if I could…"

The airheaded brunette quickly stiffened. The Occult Club room was very dark and empty except for a single spot light shining down over the center of the room. The people she assumed were club members were dressed in hospital scrubs and masks, surrounding a small surgical table with a gray alien-like creäture lying dead on the surface. Yui and the club members stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before slowly…slowly…closing the door.

**Occult Club: Avoid at all costs!**

* * *

"Moe, why is this so hard." Yui whined pathetically as she wandered the halls of Artemis Academy aimlessly. It had already been two hours since she started searching through clubs and she had run through the list at an alarming rate. "Every club I go to either hurts me, puts me to sleep, or is just plain weird." The brunette took a seat on a nearby bench and sighed with her head in her hands. "I just wish I could find just one club that would suit me. One club with lots of cool sempai that would teach me something interesting. If only…"

The Ryuusei daughter was starting to lose hope of ever finding a suitable club for her – the threat of becoming a NEET was almost becoming too realistic for her to handle. The Constellar Duelist was starting to conceded defeat and trudge home to tell her mother the bad news when she hear something vibrating against her ear drums. The brunette snapped her head in attention, becoming increasingly aware of a faint noise reverberating down the hallway. Drawn by curiosity, Yui slowly stood up and followed the noise down the hall and around the corner, becoming much louder with each step she took. As she walked closer to the source, she realized that the noise was music – possibly hard rock or something.

Yui followed the sound to the doors of the auditorium where the music was at its loudest. The girl was aware of anyone performing at this time, so Yui slowly stepped through the doors as quietly as possible to make sure she didn't interrupt. Inside the expansive auditorium, Yui couldn't help gasping in awe. Four girls – one senior, two juniors, and one freshman – were standing in center stage with all lights on them, performing a popular song that Yui had heard on television once.

Yui was never one to listen to music often, but she could clearly see that these girls were talented in their own rights. The girl on drums was the freshman of the group with shaggy-blond hair that curled into lime-green tips, beating away at her instrument with great vigor. The keyboardist was a rather slender girl with silky-brunette highlighted with violet stripes, calmly attacking the notes in rhythm with the rest of the group. The other junior was surprisingly shorter than the freshman with fiery-red hair that changed to a sky-blue ponytail, striking the cords of her guitar at a rapid session.

But the one who drew Yui's attention was the senior vocalist. She was tall, kinda lean, and had onyx-black hair cut short in a boyish manner and spiked it with crimson-red tips. Though she looked like a tomboy, her voice was very feminine and the most beautiful sound Yui had ever heard in her life – even more than her mother. The music started to slow down and the vocalist slowly brought the song to a close with a small whisper of her lovely voice. For the briefest moment, Yui was lost in the atmosphere and clapped for the band without realizing it. Of course, the brunette snapped back to her senses when the band focused their attention to the intruder.

"Um…Sorry." Yui apologized sheepishly, tentatively making her way back to the door. "I didn't mean to interrupt you. I was just in the hall when I heard and um…"

"Did ya like it?" The senior asked with a smirk, earning a confused stare from the duelist. "I was asking if you like it. I know it's not an original song, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? So, what'd ya think? Think we sound good?"

"Oh…you sounded great!" Yui proclaimed excitedly, dashing down the aisle eagerly. "I don't have a lot of musical experience to compare to, but that was one of the best songs I've ever heard."

"Aw, it was nothing." The senior grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck. "I'm Risty, by the way. Risty Rokkusutā – the vocals of the band. The girl on drums is Carla Naguru. Our keyboardist is Sheila Onpu. And the guitarist is Rin Tsuru. We're with the Rock Music Club."

"Rock Music Club?" Yui blinked in confusion. The brunette searched the list of clubs, looking for any mention of the Rock Music Club. "I never heard of the Rock Music Club before."

"That's because we just started yesterday." Risty grinned, taking a seat at the edge of the stage. "I've tried to start the Rock Music Club since I was a freshman, but it's always been so hard finding members to join. The rules say you need at least four members to join before you are officially established at an official club. It took a lot of work, but we finally got it down."

"Risty-sempai is very determined." Sheila said coolly, quickly wiping her keyboard of any prints. "Anyway, we told you about ourselves, but we don't know a thing about you."

"Oh, sorry." Yui bowed apologetically. "I'm Yui Ryuusei, Junior Year, Class 2-3."

"Hey, I heard of you." Rin said with a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. Yui blushed and giggled embarrassingly; she still wasn't used to having fans at school. "You're that airheaded lesbian that got her ass handed to her by Diana-sempai."

"Gerk!" Yui yelped; that wasn't what she was expecting.

"Rin-sempai, that's rude!" Carla scolded.

"What? It's true." Rin shrugged like she did nothing wrong.

"Just ignore her." Risty said supportively, jumping down to the floor and patting the junior's head. Yui had the faint urge to purr like a kitten. "Rin's just a foul-mouthed little imp." The guitarist yelled in retaliation. "So, Ryuusei, what are you doing here in the middle of the afternoon? Shouldn't you be with your club about now?"

"Actually, I don't have a club." Yui moaned in a begrudged tone. "I've been looking for a club to join all afternoon, but none of them seem to suit me. At this rate, I'm going to end up a NEET."

"Well, that's kinda bad." Carla commented, tapping her chin with her drumsticks. Not a moment later, the freshman drummer expression changed to an optimistic one as she leaned over her drum set to address the future NEET. "Hey, how 'bout you join the Rock Music Club! We could always use new members!"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea." Risty said eagerly, playfully ruffling the junior's hair. "Whatcha say, Ryuusei? Ever consider joining the Rock Music Club?"

"I don't know…" Yui murmured hesitantly. "I'm not exactly talented with music."

"C'mon, everyone has something their good at." Rin stated impatiently. "Vocals, drums, keyboard, kazoo – anything!"

"Well…" Yui said slowly, wondering if she should tell them or not. "My mama used to play the bass for me when I was little. She taught me some lessons like the chords and stuff a few years ago before I got serious in dueling."

"Perfect." Risty acknowledged, gesturing her head to the shortest member of the band. The guitarist stepped over to the side and retrieved a sold-blue bass from behind the curtains before throwing it to the president. "We've been looking for someone to play the bass for a while, but there aren't many girls wilingl to try it." The boyish senior helped Yui adjust to holding the bass before stepping back to observe. "Go on, play a little. No one's going to judge you."

"Well…ok." Yui muttered with uncertainty.

It had been years since she had been interested in the bass, ever since Polaris-mama sold her vintage bass to help pay for their apartment. She had forgotten how heavy it was and how deadly-sharp the silver chords looked. The airheaded duelist was almost tempted to throw down the instrument and run away, but something in the back of her mind compelled her to stay. And so…closing her eyes…and taking a deep breathe…Yui motioned her finger across the first chord…then the second…then the third. Feeling the cold steel of the chords against her digits, Yui was suddenly brought back to the time when Polaris-mama would let her sit in her lap and watch her fingers dance across the instrument.

She wasn't sure how – maybe out of instinct or luck – but Yui Ryuusei managed to play her way through the chorus of simple song. It might not be the same as dueling, but Yui thought it was really fun. Especially since she was playing the same instrument as Polaris-mama used to. After two minutes of gentle rhythm, Yui closed the song with a quick strum of the chord and grinned sheepishly as the Rock Music Club applauded her performance.

"That wasn't half bad." Sheila complimented. "You were a little sloppy on a few of the notes, but it's nothing we can't fix."

"The Rock Music Club could use someone like you." Carla said pointedly with her drumsticks.

"So…I can be in the Rock Music Club?" Yui asked almost hopefully.

"Not so fast, little girl!" Rin exclaimed dramatically. The airheaded brunette didn't really know how to respond to that considering the guitarist was a head shorter than her. "Before anyone can join the Rock Music Club, they had to go through the trials of music in the heart and soul! Only those who are genuinely passionate about music could dare to call themselves Rock Music Club! Therefore…" She pointed an accusing finger at the brunette, causing her to jump slightly. "You must show you passion…in a duel!"

"Eh?" Yui said bewildered.

"What are you talking about?" Sheila questioned exasperatedly, ruining her friend's dramatic moment. "We don't have anything like that. If she wants to join the Rock Music Club, we should let her."

"But we have to have an initiation!" Rin demanded. "That's the cool part about being in a club."

"All right." The gang of girls snapped their attention back to their president, who was staring at their new recruit with a flame of eagerness in her eyes. "Yui can join the club if she wants, but I wouldn't mind having one duel with her." She stepped up to her brunette junior. "I heard what you did to that jerk from Apollo Academy and I've been itching for a chance to duel you. So how about one little duel before we officially welcome you to the club."

"A duel?" Yui asked with excitement laced in her voice. She had been waiting to challenge someone all day and there was no way she was going to pass this opportunity up. "You're on!"

The Rock Music Club wasted no time moving their instruments to safety as Risty and Yui took opposite ends of the stage. The band vocalist activated her D-Pad – an apple-red structure shaped like a sixty-fourth note – and activated her D-Gazer, which was a simple red frame with green lens. Opposite to her, Yui caught her D-Pad by her wrist gauntlet and slapped on her starry D-Gazer to next moment.

"D-Pad – set!" Yui exclaimed. "D-Gazer – set!"

**AR Vision Link Established!**

"Duel!" Yui and Risty shouted in unison.

**Yui (4000) – Risty (4000)**

"Seniority rules! Draw!" Risty declared, swiping her sixth card from her deck. "Stepping up to the stage is Thunder Nyan Nyan!" Slapping the card on her D-Pad, a redheaded Oni girl in tiger-skinned clothing appeared with a set of traditional style drums surrounding her **(1900/800)**. "Then I place two cards face-down to end this round."

"Senpai's brining out Thunder Nyan Nyan on her first turn." Carla commented surprisingly. "She's not fooling around with this one."

"Yui-san may have lost to Diana-Senpai…" Sheila remarked nonchalantly. "But you have to remember that she is the 4th lieutenant – one of the seven strongest duelists in the Academy. Not even Risty-Senpai can beat her. Yui-san, on the other hand…" The trio looked towards the newcomer, who had drawn her sixth card. "She has defeated a man with an anti-meta deck using an XYZ summon. That is almost impossible to accomplish."

"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it." Rin said unconvinced.

"I summon Constellar Algiedi!" Yui exclaimed, calling forth scepter-wielding knight **(1600/1400)**. "Then I activate Constellar Algiedi's special ability. Now I can special summon one level 4 Constellar monster from my hand. Now here comes Constellar Pollux!"

The sapphire blue gem of Constellar Algiedi's scepter illuminated in a mysterious fashion, slowly forming a lengthy whip of brilliant-blue light. The scepter knight lashed at the floor to form a summoning circle, pulling its new companion much like a fisherman reeling in his prey. Dragging on the field by the glowing line was a bulking knight with half of his body was coated in rough golden armor and the other half was covered in smooth silver armor – the twin-bladed sword it carried was made in a similar fashion. **(1700/600)**

The pair of knights looked armed for battle when…

"I expected as much." Risty interrupted with a satisfied grin. "That's why I played my trap card: Black Horn of Heaven!" The tomboy vocalist pressed the button on her D-Pad, revealing the face-down card. "Whenever a monster is special summoned, Black Horn of Heaven instantly destroys the summoned monster."

With an excited 'meow', the cat-like Oni girl reached over her drums and grabbed the bat-winged horn. Thunder Nyan Nyan took in a death breath and blew into the horn with all her might – the cartoonish Oni looked very dizzy afterwards. The sound of the horn was something like a funeral march, which was very appropriate considering Constellar Pollux was destroyed immediately after being hit with the sound waves.

"Oh no!" Yui yelped, mourning over the loss of her monster.

"When I watched you duel against Diana-Chan," Risty explained proudly. "I realized that you use a deck that specializes in XYZ Summons. So I thought it would be best to prepare for such an emergency."

"I'm not out of this yet." Yui proclaimed determinedly. "It's still my turn and I activate the Spell Card: Forbidden Chalice!" She slapped the magic card on the field. "For this turn, I can increase the attack points of Constellar Algiedi by 400 points." A golden chalice appeared in the knight's hand, calmly sipping the crimson liquid. "But in return, my monster loses its special effect."

**Constellar Algiedi ****(1600/1400) – (2000/1400)**

"Since Yui-Senpai already used her monster's special effect…" Carla noted impressively. "She basically removes the negative effects of the card. Nice work, Yui-Senpai."

"Constellar Algiedi, attack Thunder Nyan Nyan!" Yui commanded.

Accepting the command of her master, the armored warrior launched herself to the sky; her scepter poised to aim for the Oni girl. Thunder Nyan Nyan was visibly terrified – spouting animated tears while drumming fretfully. The Constellar warrior released a heavy blast of sapphire-blue light that enveloped the drummer until there was nothing left but a pair of singed drumstick. Upon the destruction of her monster, Risty skidded backwards slightly from the following shockwave, but was otherwise unharmed.

**Yui (4000) – Risty (3900)**

"Now I place one card face-down and end my turn." Yui concluded proudly. "And since my turn is over, the effects of Forbidden Chalice are over as well."

**Constellar Algiedi ****(2000/1400) – (1600/1400)**

Heh, not bad for your first turn." Risty complimented. "But this performance isn't finished yet. My turn! Draw!" The tomboy vocalist withdrew her fourth card; a smirk crossed her expression. "I play the Spell Card: Duet!" The quickly slipped the magic card into its respective slot. "With this card, I can normal summon two monsters in one turn. By using this card, I have to sacrifice 100 life points for their combined levels. Now I summon Hibikime and Spirit of the Harp!"

Slapping down her cards enthusiastically, the tomboyish leader of the Rock Music Club summoned her monsters in a glimmer of golden light. The first was an ocean-haired beauty in a sea foam-green dress, carrying a scythe-like weapon in the shape of a musical note **(1450/1000).** The second monster summoned was a spiritally bliss woman with canary-yellow robes; leaning leisurely against the harp she plucked so gently **(800/2000).**

Yui noted that neither monster seemed to have any special effects, which was rather strange given this day and age. But before she could think about it any further, the effects of Risty's risky spell card were activated. Without a word of warning, both monsters turned on their master and assaulted the mannish girl with a shockwave of musical notes from their respective tools. Risty was definitely as tough as she looked as she gritted her teeth and took the musical blast head-on. When the noise had passed, the leading vocalist dropped to her knees, panting heavily.

**Yui (4000) – Risty (3100)**

"Risty-Senpai!" Rin and Carla exclaimed fearfully.

"No worries, girls." Risty chuckled lightly, slowly bringing herself back up. "It'll take a lot more than that to bring me down. Either way, it's still my turn. And I bet you already know what I'm planning don't ya, Ryuusei?"

"You risked your Life Points to summon two Level-4 monsters." Yui analyzed thoughtfully. "The only reason you would summon monsters without special effects is if you were planning to use them for an XYZ summon."

"Hey, you really are a dueling genius." Risty said jokingly, thrusting her hand out dramatically. "I overlay Level-4 Hibikime and Spirit of the Harp!" The two monsters dissolved into perfect spheres of pure light – one yellow and one orange. ""I activate the Overlay Network with these two monsters! Xyz Summon! Rock on, Maestroke the Symphony Djinn!"

When a spiral-galaxy gateway formed in the center of the battlefield, the twin lights submerged into the depths of darkness and exploded in a spectacular array of lights and stars. Replacing the musical beasts was a tall and lanky humanoid male with light-orange hair. The XYZ summon was clothed in a red and black uniform similar to that of a general of war with a white-winged conductors hat placed perfectly on his head. Strapped to his side was a silver sword personalized with a golden hilt much the ones used by the French during war – Risty called it his 'baton' **(1800/2300 ORU: 2)**.

"Isn't that Risty-Senpai's ace monster?" Carla whispered to Sheila.

"No, but it is one of her strongest." Sheila answered distantly; her eyes never leaving the battle. "Though in my opinion, I don't think Risty-Senpai is being all that serious in this duel. If she wanted to, she could have summoned something stronger on her first turn. But it seems like she's just playing around."

"What'd ya expect?" Rin grinned impishly. "This is Risty-Senpai after all. She'd feel bad if she went all out against and underclassman."

"Whatever." Sheila said unconvincingly.

"Sweet monster." Yui complimented, tapping a button on her D-Pad. "But I was also ready for this. I activate my face-down quick-play Spell: Forbidden Dress!" As the spell card was revealed to the crowd, Constellar Algiedi found herself clothed in a lengthy-white dress with golden lining – the Constellar looked visibly depressed. "Forbidden Dress lowers my monster's attack point by 600, but now it can't be targeted or destroyed!"

**Constellar Algiedi ****(1600/1400) – (1000/1400)**

"Now I'm safe for this turn." Yui sighed in relief.

"You do know that Forbidden Dress only works on card effects, right?" Sheila stated monotonously. "It doesn't work in actual battle."

There was a brief pause of silence from the Constellar Duelist as she stared blankly at the pianist, possibly hoping that she was making a joke. But given the fact that Sheila didn't seem like the kind to joke – or show any form of emotion at all – Yui was starting to sweat a flood; the Rock Music Club sweatdropped.

"Oh crap!" Yui shrieked in a panicked frenzy. "I didn't read the card right! And I planned this awesome strategy all night!"

"I guess even dueling prodigies are prone to mistakes." Carla chuckled lightly.

"Well, at least you can say this was a learning experience." Risty said kindly before slipping in the last card from her hand. "But unfortunately for you, I play the Spell Card: Amplifier." As the card was brought on to the field, Maestroke suddenly had an electric guitar in his hands with a stereo amplifier at his feet. "By sacrificing 500 Life Points, my monster gains a 1000 attack point boost for one turn."

**Yui (4000) – Risty (2600)**

**Maestroke the Symphony Djinn ****(1800/2300 ORU: 2) – (2800/2300 ORU: 2)****.**

"Time to rock out, Maestroke!" Risty commanded enthusiastically. "Attack Constellar Algiedi with Symphonic Destruction!"

Shooting the amplifier to maximum volume and stepping on the stereo in a dramatic fashion, the conductor-rocker raised his hand slowly before ripping his hand across the chord. The decibels that discharged from the instrument were louder than anything Yui had ever heard in her life – and she had heard Eira's singing voice. Both duelist and monster slapped their hands over their ears in a vein effort to block out the noise, but the damage was too intensive. Constellar Algiedi was slowly shattered into tiny pixels in the shockwave and Yui was thrown a great distance on the stage, coming close to falling over the edge.

**Yui (2200) – Risty (2600)**

"Now I end my turn." Risty concluded. "Which means that the effects of Amplifier are no longer available."

**Maestroke the Symphony Djinn ****(2800/2300 ORU: 2) – (1800/2300 ORU: 2)****.**

"Man, that's some heavy damage." Rin commented with a small chuckle.

"I hope she's all right." Carla commented with some concern.

"Hey, that was a very serious blow you just took." Risty called calmly, taking notice that her kohai's body was trembling – did she make her cry? "Hey, it doesn't matter if you win or lose. You're still in the club if you want to join, so there's no reason to get upset."

"Upset? Upset?" Yui repeated as she shot up to her feet, surprising everyone with a fabulous grin that stretch from ear-to-ear. "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen! Why would I be upset?" Her body continued to tremble viciously, but she looked far from depressed. "I don't know why, but I'm even more excited than I've ever been before. I haven't felt this way even when going against Vanite or Diana-Senpai – It's like I'm on a completely different level!"

"_I wonder if Yui-San subconsciously know who she's dealing with._" Sheila hummed thoughtfully.

"Well, seeing as you're not backing down." Risty smirked. "Ready to give it another go?"

"There's no way I'm gonna back down now!" Yui proclaimed, drawing her third card. "I'm gonna Reach the Stars!"

"_She's got a determined look in her eyes…literally._" Risty thought smiling.

"Though everyone else was unable to see it, Risty noticed the change in left eyes the same as Eira did: the innocent-blue changed to a royal-purple with her pupil converted to an unnatural eight-pointed star. Despite this unnatural anomaly, Risty didn't seem all that surprised. Quite the contrary, she looked like she had expected it. As Yui looked over her hand, the familiar glow surrounding specific cards had returned to her sight. After dueling several times with the phenomenon repeating itself, Yui learned to trust this phantom hand dealt to her.

"Since you have a monster on your side of the field and I have none," Yui began confidently. "I special summon Constellar Siat! From my hand." In an explosion of light, a chibi knight deck in silver armor and cape appeared on the field riding a large, silver jar twice his size **(100/1600)**. "And since he was special summoned, I can use my normal summon to bring out Constellar Kaust!"

The half-human, half horse archer appeared on the field close to his miniature ally **(1800/700).**

"So what was the point of that?" Rin grumbled impatiently. "Both of them are no match for Maestroke and neither of them are the same level. What does she expect to do with them?"

"Keep quiet and find out." Sheila commended, earning a dark glare from the guitarist.

"Now I activate Constellar Siat's special effect!" Yui continued, much to the surprise of the band members. "By targeting one Constellar monster on my field or graveyard, I can change Constellar Siat level to match it. That's why I choose my Level-4 Constellar Algiedi from my graveyard!"

The chibi knight reached over the edge of his silver jar and removed the lid, allowing a flow of water to wash over the stage floor until it created a large puddle at their feet. From the depths of the inch high pool, the spirit of Constellar Algiedi emerged in a dramatic form before slowly gliding over to Siat. The phantom knight threw her essence over the mini warrior, suddenly filling him with new strength.

**Constellar Siat (Level-1 – Level-4)**

"Here it comes." Risty murmured softly.

"I overlay Level-4 Constellar Kaust and Constellar Siat!" Yui announced. "I activate the Overlay Network with these two monsters! Xyz Summon! Reach the Stars, Constellar Praesepe!"

The two Constellar knights dissolved into brilliant spheres of yellow light and were propelled into the air in a twisting motion. When a spiral-galaxy gateway formed in the center of the battlefield, the twin lights submerged into the depths of darkness and exploded in a spectacular array of lights and stars. As the light died away, the newest Constellar emerged on the field in an intimidating fashion. The warrior was much larger and bulkier than Constellar Pleiades, covered in a thick layer of silver armor with golden details covering nearly every inch of his plating. Including his three-pointed cape and the golden bracers on his back, the hulking knight also carried a golden claw in his right hand and golden shield in his left. His blaring-gold eyes could be seen through his silver helmet, which had a five-pointed star on top. **(2400/800 ORU: 2)**

"Oh…" Carla began.

"My…" Rin continued.

"Hmm…" Sheila hummed, ignoring the stupefied stares from her bandmates.

"That is one seriously awesome monster." Risty laughed excitedly, leaning back to get a better look. "You were holding out on me."

"It gets better!" Yui continued triumphantly. "By detaching one overlay unit, Constellar Praesepe gains 1000 attack points during the battle phase!"

The floating orbs that had circled the hulking knight were quickly drawn towards the eight-pointed star on the warrior's chest, carefully absorbed one at a time. A golden glow surrounded the Constellar Knight with both overlay units now empowering him.

**Constellar Praesepe (2400/800 ORU: 2) – (4400/800 ORU: 0)**

"Constellar Praesepe! Attack Maestroke with Cluster Smash!" Yui commended.

A golden glint was spotted in the Constellar's eyes, finally allowed to break free. The hulking warrior brought back his clawed arm as a golden flame surged from the tips of its pincer and traveled to his shoulder. The behemoth warrior glided across the stage, effortlessly overshadowing the symphony warrior. For a moment, Risty looked tempted to say something – something that would alter the outcome of the duel. But it the end, she chose to say nothing, merely offering a gentle smile to the Constellar Duelist.

Quick and merciless, Constellar Praesepe slammed his claw shut around the symphony warrior's waist until he literally exploded from the pressure. Risty suffered the unfortunate backlash of the monsters destruction as she was thrown haphazardly across the stage and landed roughly on her side as the remainder of her life points was depleted.

**Yui (2200) – Risty (0) – Winner: Yui**

There was a moment of silence as the AR Vision vanished at the conclusion of the duel and the audience slowly removed their D-Gazers. Yui in particular seemed very troubled: the rest of the band mates were staring at her as if she had done something terrible. A small moan echoed from across the stage, alerting everyone that Risty was steadily getting back to her feet. The tomboy vocalist sighed momentarily before snapping her focus back on the recruit; her eyes steely and cold. There was a brief thought in Yui's mind to run away, but that idea was squashed when the Rock Music Club suddenly surrounded her. She had to say one thing: they were quick.

Risty lightly stepped across the stage without her usual smile, stopping until she was directly above the junior. Risty drilled a hard glare into Yui's forehead, causing the poor brunette to shake fearfully. Risty placed a hand on Yui's shoulder and…

"You passed!" Risty exclaimed cheerfully with a thumbs-up. "That was one of the best duels I had in a long time! You're a serious pro!"

"Hardly anyone ever beats Risty-Senpai!" Carla clapped happily. "Congratulations!"

"You definitely have my seal of approval." Rin nodded. "Now we just need to get you some highlights to make it official. I see you as more of a yellow or even an orange. Red doesn't seem like your style, but…"

"Uh…guys." Sheila said, calming down the excited members. "I think she fainted."

The rest of the band did a double take, looking over their newest member carefully. Yui definitely wasn't shaking anymore, but her eyes were chalk-white and hardly a sound was coming from the loud brunette. Yeah, she was gone.

* * *

It was finally in the afternoon and all school clubs were leaving for the day. As each student went their own way back to their homes, Eira, Moriko, and Makea were waiting patiently at the school gate for their absentminded friend. Though club activities had been over for almost half an hour now and Eira had half a mind to march in and drag the Constellar Duelist out kicking and screaming.

"It's getting late." Moriko sighed, checking her watch again. "Where is Yui?"

"I hope she found a good club to join." Makea said wishfully. "It'd be so nice if she had some friends to visit whenever we weren't available. It must get very lonely all by herself."

"Well, if she doesn't show up soon, I'm gonna…" Eira grumbled irritably.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late guys!" Yui voice echoed across the courtyard.

"It's about ti – AHH!" Eira screamed.

The Artemis Girl took a quick step back with their eyes wide and their mouths agape in shock. Their normally brunette friend now looked like something that had just gotten ambushed by a troupe of circus clowns. Yui's hair was unnaturally bright with every color of the rainbow covering each follicle on her head. Moriko was tempted to pull it to make sure it wasn't a wig.

"Um…Yui-Chan." Makea said carefully. "Um…did you do something with your hair?"

"Oh, this." Yui grinned playfully. "Me and Rin-Chan were testing out highlights to see which one matches me. I kinda like the black one because it looks cool, but the pink one is so cute! We spent for forever trying to figure out which one looks best for the club."

"So…you joined a circus club?" Eira blinked.

"Mou, it's not a circus club!" Yui pouted with puffed out cheeks. "It's the Rock Music Club! They're really cool and…"

While Yui was animatedly explained why the Rock Music Club was so amazing, Diana Thalestris was watching the conversation from the Academy's second floor window. The Amazoness Duelist was dressed in a traditional Roman gladiator's outfit – she was aiming for the lead in the new play coming up. Smiling down at her lovable kohai, Diana slowly turned to her right as Risty from the Rock Music Club walked up next to her. Both seniors stared at Yui was common interest, smiling with mirth when Eira smacked her over the head.

"That Ryuusei girl is an interesting one, isn't she?" Risty commented, leaning against the windowsill. "The way she is now, it wouldn't surprise me if she became one of the six lieutenants soon."

"Is that why you held back in your match?" Diana asked casually; Risty blinked in confusion. "I was walking by the auditorium when I saw your duel against Yui. You could have used Maestroke's special ability to force her Constellar Praesepe into defense mode and cancel out her attack. Once it was in defense mode, you could have easily destroyed it and wipe out the rest of her Life Points."

"Yeah, I could have done that." Risty shrugged. "But she looked so happy that I could take the victory away from her. Besides…" She pushed herself off the window, resuming her stroll down the hall. "I don't really need to win anymore – I gave up that title a while back."

"As you say…" Diana smiled knowingly. "Artemis Academy's former Captain, Risty Rokkusutā."

* * *

**As you may have noticed, I have used some original cards in this chapter. This was for the sake of keeping the elements and themes of one's deck and this will most likely happen again in the future. Before anyone says anything, I don't want to hear anything about only using real cards – more people than myself have made their own original cards before. If you have any questions on the original cards, please feel free to PM me.**

**Please, read and review.**


	5. Debate

**Yugioh: Reach the Stars**

**Disclaimer**: I do not nor will ever own the Yugioh series.

* * *

**Chapter Five: Debate**

The final bell of classes rang within the halls of Artemis Academy, signaling the end of the day's classes – something the students often couldn't help cheering for. Because the end of the school day was the beginning of the afterschool clubs, which was great incentive for the students who had suffered hours of grueling lectures. But while most extracurricular were chosen because they were fun, challenging, or easy, there 'club' or sorts that had a more immediate role in school functions. The chosen few that looked out for their fellow classmates in the backdrop to make certain their academic career was as successful as possible: The Student Council.

At the start of each week, all class and club presidents were asked to attend a mandatory meeting to discuss events for the rest of the week. Within the student council room, there was a long, polished-oak table that curved into a 'U' shape with a designated seating chart for each of its members. All the positions were filled with the exception of two regularly absent participants: Eira Kald, the unofficial captain of Artemis Academy, and Risty Rokkusutā, the former captain and president of the Rock Music Club. But ignoring the ghost members of the council, everyone turned their attention to the head of the table.

Moriko Hayashi stood at the center of attention, naturally being the Student Council President. Sitting directly to her left was her vice-president, Niva Saseru; a notably short girl despite being in her second year of high school with wavy, emerald-green hair and jade eyes sharpened to spot any trouble. To Moriko right-hand side was student treasurer, Erica Adams; an American senior with shoulder-length, tomato-red hair, wire-rim glasses, and an odd fascination with steel-toed boots. Hey, as long as she kept the school budget in line, they weren't going to say anything.

"…And by a unanimous decision…" Moriko concluded her briefing. "The school swim team will not be receiving a hot tub." Off to the side, the swim team captain grumbled under her breath. "And to conclude this meeting, I would like for us to discuss the upcoming Cultural Festival next month. I've already received the votes from the class presidents that students will be participating in the haunted house, the confection stand, and the maid café."

"Yay!" Diana, the drama club president, cheered happily. "Lyta's gonna be so cuuuute!"

"Uh…right…" Moriko sweat-dropped. "And like every year, Artemis and Apollo Captains will participate in the commemorative duel to help build relations between our two schools. So that means Eira will be dueling against…"

"Might I object to that statement?" The Mathlete president interjected. "While Eira is the school captain and a decent duelist, I was thinking that…maybe…Yui Ryuusei might compete in the school duel instead?"

The student council was quickly abuzz at the mention of Artemis' Academy's rising star – no pun intended. Moriko sighed, readjusting her glasses while the council members talked amongst themselves. It was only natural that they would think that Yui would be the best choice to represent their school. The Constellar Duelist had only been active for a month and already she had dueled Vanite from Apollo, Diana the 4th lieutenant, and the Former Captain Risty. She had many other duels between and after classes, giving her a record of 12 victories and 2 losses – the second loss was contributed by Polaris-san reinforcing the girl's curfew.

"Settle down, settled down!" Moriko shouted; it was very rare that the Student Council President was forced to raise her voice. "Look, I see where you are going with Yui representing our school, but it's tradition that school captains must face each other. That's why Eira is going to be dueling…"

"This isn't about tradition." Niva interrupted, grinning devilishly at the president's obvious contempt. "This is about the pride of Artemis Academy. Last year, the captain of Apollo Academy dueled Risty-Sama and match barely ended in a tie. Risty-Sama was so humiliated that she was forced to step down from her position." She folded her hands and leered among the council, much like a businessman looking down on his workers. "Apollo Academy had embarrassed us for the last 10 years – this is our chance to one-up them."

"But tradition says…" Moriko began.

"Screw tradition! We need a win!" Niva challenged. "I say we all put it to a vote! All those in favor of Yui Ryuusei…"

Just as the Student Council Vice-Present was prepared to defy her superior with a systematic vote, the entire student council was literally blown out of their seats by a blaring screech. When the furniture actually started to shake, many of the council members thought it was an earthquake and dived under the table. Those with more common sense such as Moriko, Niva, Diana, and Erica were able to distinguish the thundering thumps as the rhythm section to a popular song by the Dueling Crows. It didn't take much to put two and two together. While their fellow members were cowering in fear, the president and vice-president rushed out of the room and marched to the audition a few doors down – Erica was too busy playing with her handheld and Diana just didn't want to walk.

As the presidential duo arrived at the auditorium doors, the music was blasted to full volume that the doors were literally shaking from their hinges. Moriko wanted to approach this situation in a sensible manner, but Niva's impatiently grabbed the doors by the handles and threw them open. Bad idea. With the sound waves no longer restricted, the Student Council Vice-President was blasted off her feet and slamming into the opposite wall – Moriko was smart enough to jump out of the way in time. Once prying her second-in-command from the wall, Moriko and Niva waited until the song was over before barging their way in.

Now everyone knew about the Rock Music Club's afternoon practice sessions were regularly done in the auditorium to prevent distracting other clubs. But this was the first time the band had ever played so loudly before. This was contributed to the Rock Music Club's new bass guitarist, Yui Ryuusei, who was now sporting bubblegum pink bangs. The Constellar Duelist had only joined the Rock Music Club two days ago and she was already shredding the instrument like a pro alongside Rin, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Hell yeah!" Risty shrieked victoriously as the song concluded. "Best – practice –ever!"

"Since Yui-Senpai joined the band, we've played on a whole new different level." Carla smiled cheerfully, bowing to airheaded bass player. "Thank you for joining us, Yui-Senpai."

"Aw, shucks." Yui said embarrassingly. "It was nothing."

"You're good, we get it." Rin grumbled, rolling her eyes. "No need to get all 80's sitcom on us."

"If you're done patting yourselves on the back..." Sheila said in her usual monotone, meticulously wiping down her keyboard. "We have an audience…again."

"Oh, hey!" Risty waved once realizing they had visitors. The senior vocalist jumped off the stage to meet the authority figures of the school, one of whom looked seriously pissed. "All hail the chiefs. If you're lookin' for front row seats to our concert, you'll have to get in line like everyone else."

"We're doing a concert?" Yui shouted in a panic, quickly running down the stairs and clinging to the Student Council President's legs. "But I haven't practiced enough! I can't play in a concert yet! Help me, Mori-Chan!"

"It's a joke, baka." Rin remarked blandly; Yui laughed sheepishly.

"This is absolutely ridiculous." Niva growled, prying Yui off the president and throwing her haphazardly in a random direction. "What in the name of Artemis' hunting bow is going on here? Risty-Sama, what are you and these…hooligans doing in the school auditorium after hours?"

"Hooligans?" Carla blinked, wondering if people still say that anymore.

"Ya need ta chill before ya burn out, ok." Risty grinning nonchalantly, taking a seat in one of the auditorium chairs before properly addressing her juniors. "Now about what we're doing here: the Rock Music Club is using the auditorium for a practice session. You can get really good acoustics in here."

"Who gave you the authorization to be in here?" Niva questioned sternly.

"We're supposed to get authorization?" Risty repeated in a clueless tone; the throbbing vein on the vice-presidents neck was a good indication that she had answered wrong. "Well…since we don't official have a club room because we were late in filling out the requisition form, I just figured we could borrow this place for a bit. I mean, it is kind big and we aren't really bothering anyone."

"Your 'music' nearly gave 22 council members a heart attack!" Niva snapped, not really caring if this girl was Artemis' Academy's former captain. The shorter council member turned to Moriko, who trying to bring her airheaded back to the realm of consciousness. "President Moriko, are you really gonna let them get away with this? They're violating school rules and regulations!"

"Well…" Moriko said hesitantly; that was never a good sign. "I can kinda understand that they need a place to practice and this would be the ideal location for the Rock Music Club. As long as Risty-Sama comes by the Student Council's office and signs the necessary paperwork and promises to lower the volume, I think we should be good."

"Yay! Mori-Chan saves the day!" Yui exclaimed as she inexplicably woke up, hugging her bespectacled with her lips puckered. "Victory kiss!"

"Knock it off!" Moriko snapped, delivering a well-executed haymaker.

Niva could only stare in confusion and contempt for the Student Council President. Moriko Hayashi, who regularly abided and enforced the school rules and systematic laws, was letting them off with only a slap on the wrist. This was unacceptable. If it was anyone else, the president would have reduced certain privileges for the club. This was because her best friend was in the Rock Music Club – Moriko would always let her friends get away with rule breaking. And as Niva marched angrily out of the auditorium, listing to them prep for their next session, the vice-president swore that she would correct this error.

* * *

The following day, the end of the school session was coming to a close and Yui could only jump for joy of being free from her academic shackle. Except that there were still five minutes before the final bell. Overlooking Yui's daily display of airheaded antics, Moriko, Makea, Eira, and the Constellar Duelist walked out of the classroom as a group when the final bell rang. Since Makea and Eira didn't have afterschool clubs today, they thought it would be cool to come by the Rock Music Club and watch the band perform.

"I was thinking about going with midnight-blue…" Yui hummed, twirling her new highlighted bangs. "But mama said that pink compliments my looks and personality, so we spent the day getting the right shade."

"You mamma is so cool, Yui." Eira moaned jealously. "I once got a fake tattoo back in Norway and my mamma flogged me for an hour straight with a mackerel she had caught while fishing." The girls stared at the foreigner, wondering how a single group of words could fit together. "Hey, don't saying about your weird Japanese bucket holding punishment – really, what kind of punishment is that?"

"I think it makes Yui-Chan look cute." Makea giggled.

"Really?" Yui asked bashfully; she loved being complimented.

"Yui-Senpai!" The Artemis Girls stopped for a moment and turned as Carla of the Rock Music Club pushed her way through the crowd of student to make her way over. The Constellar duelist was slightly alarmed when he kohai screech to a halt, panting heavily like she had run a marathon. "Yui…Senpai…it's…it's horrible…it's…"

"Whoa, calm down." Moriko said calmly, hoping to give the freshman a breather. "Take a deep breath and tell me what's going on."

"It's…the club room…" Carla wheezed, not slowing down in the least. "It's…"

* * *

"CLOSED?!"

Once receiving Carla's tired and broken message, the Artemis Girls wasted no time dashing across the school to the auditorium; Eira had to carry the poor kohai on her back. They weren't even hallway there when they heard Risty-Sama's outraged scream echoing down the halls, catching the attention of a few students. The girl's came to a screeching halt in front of the auditorium doors – Eira unceremonious dropped the drummer – with the other members of the Rock Music Club staring down their instigator. And much to Moriko's shock, Niva had finished chaining the auditorium doors and snapping the padlock shut all while wearing a victorious grin.

"You heard me." Niva said boastfully. "From now on, the Rock Music Club is banned from using the stage for anything beyond school concerts and public gatherings. And if any of you are found violating these rules, you will be faced with the threat of detention, suspension, and in your case, Risty-Sama, expulsion."

"You can't do that!" Rin growled in frustration. "Risty-Senpai signed all the necessary paperwork and I got permission from the student council president herself!"

"The Student Council President can't make these types of decisions on her own." Niva said knowingly, pulling out an official sheet of paper with a list of names. "She needs the majority consent of the student council before she grants executive permission. And before you ask, I already asked he rest of the student council beforehand and I've gotten signatures from exactly half of the council wishing to shut down the auditorium. And until unless one more person votes against it, the Rock Music Club can't practice on school property from now on."

"Can she do that?" Makea asked curiosity.

"Actually, she can." Moriko conceded begrudgingly. "Until a definite decision is made, the rule is passed by the student government." She bit her thumb to hold back her anger; which was very uncommon from the bespectacled girl. "Dan Niva. I bet she's just doing this to spite me."

"What's the story with you and this Niva girl?" Eira asked curiously. "I've only known you for a year, but I can tell you two don't like each other."

"It wasn't always like that." Moriko sighed sadly. "In fact, we've been best friends since we met in kindergarten. We did everything with each other: reading, writing, studying, playing…and…" It might have been Yui's imagination, but she thought she saw Moriko blushing while gently brushing her lips. "We even joined the student council together. But when the last president graduated, we both competed for the position. I always knew about Niva's competitiveness, but she used every dirty trick in the book to bring me down."

"But you still won in the end." Eira concluded.

"She never forgave me taking her place as the Student Council President." Moriko continued sadly. "Even after I convinced the student council to let her be my vice-president, she still blamed me for pitying her. Ever since then, our friendship has become nonexistent."

"No matter how many times you say it, it's not gonna change." The girls were brought back to the present with the vice-president still arguing with Risty. "The student council has already made its decision, so you'll have to deal with it."

"Where are we supposed to practice?" Sheila asked monotonously; it was hard to tell if she was angry or not.

"That's not my problem." Niva scoffed, slowly walking away from the angry rock stars. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Wait just a second!" Moriko shouted; an idea suddenly formed in her head. "The student council only needs one more vote before it can lift the ban on the Rock Music Club's practice, right? So if Niva can change her vote, the rule will be overturned."

"And why would I do that?" Niva snickered. "I'm the one that made the rule in the first place."

"Because I challenge you to a duel." Moriko declared seriously, earning surprised gasps from the crowd. "If I win, you have to change your vote and allow the Rock Music Club free reign over the auditorium."

"Interesting…" Niva said thoughtfully. "And if I win?"

"I…I will step down as Student Council President." Moriko answered hesitantly. "That'll make you the new president."

"Mori, are you sure you know what you are doing?" Eira asked worried. "I've heard the rumors: Niva's the favorite to become the next 6th lieutenant when the old one graduates. Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into?"

"If I don't do anything, Yui loses the only place she has in this school." Moriko said with determination. "I have to try."

"I like where this is going." Niva grinned sadistically. "All right, I accept your challenge and I'm gonna have a fun time crushing you."

Moriko was a little apprehensive about going up against her childhood friend; especially since she was considered to be the next 6th lieutenant. But Yui already had a hard enough time fitting in school with her less than spectacular grade and her sexual orientation. The Rock Music Club was the one that made her excited to go to school and there was no way she was going to let Niva take that away.

The two student council members – followed by Makea, Eira, and the Rock Music Club – relocated to the school grounds just outside the entrance. If she was going to humiliate the Student Council President, Niva wanted an audience. While Niva sported a standard-blue D-Pad and D-Gazer, Moriko's D-pad was stylized in plant-green with the cartridges shaped like a leaf to give it the appearance of a tropical plant.

"D-Pad – set!" Moriko exclaimed. "D-Gazer – set!"

**AR Vision Link Established!**

"Duel!" Moriko and Niva shouted in unison.

**Moriko (4000) – Niva (4000)**

"As the president, I go first! Draw!" Moriko called, swiping her sixth card. "I activate the Field Spell: Naturia Forest!"

As the Student Council resident slipped the field card into the special slot, the school grounds began to rumble and nearly knocked the players off their feet. The freshly cut grass became long and unruly, massive trunks of trees from cedar to oak sprouted from the ground, and an assortment of flowers and bushes popped into existence. When the environment had settled, the duelists and their audience found themselves standing in the heart of a pristine forest that had been untouched by the cruelty of humanity. It was very rare to see such a thriving forest alive as this one – it was almost sad that it was only a hologram.

"Whoa, this looks like somethin' out of a fairy tail." Risty whistled impressively. "Or somethin' out of my cousin's backyard."

"KYAA!" The whole audience jumped more in shock than surprise. The normally expressionless Sheila was clinging to her senior's arm, pointing to a tiny ladybug on a nearby leaf. "BUG! BUG! KEEP IT AWAY FROM ME!"

"I didn't think Sheila could get scared." Rin blinked dumbfounded.

"It's kinda cute." Carla commented astonishingly.

"I play Naturia Spiderfang in attack mode!" Moriko continued uninterrupted. A yellow polka-dotted arachnid with leafy pincers appeared on the field **(2100/400)**. "The reason it has high attack points despite being a level-4 monster is due to its special effect. Naturia Spiderfang can only attack if an opponent uses a magic, trap or monster effect. It might not be useful for battle, but it'll be enough to keep you away. Now I'll end my turn."

"That's so typical of you; always playing the safe card." Niva scolded, swiping her sixth card. "I play the Silent Swordsman LV3!" A child sized warrior garbed in black carrying a silver sword on his shoulder appeared on the field. "Then I play the spell card: Level up! With this card, I can send my Silent Swordsman LV3 to the graveyard and special summon Silent Swordsman LV 5 from my deck!"

A alchemic circle appeared below the feet of the stoutly swordsman as he evaporated into a shower of light particles and was dissolved into the magical seal. A column of light erupted from the circle and the Silent Swordsman's aged replacement appeared on the scene. He appeared very similar to his predecessor, but was around the size of an average adult male with armor plating around his tunic and carrying a massive silver sword on his shoulder the size of his body. **(2300/1000)**

"Silent Swordsman, squash that bug!" Niva commanded.

Grunting in confirmation, the swordsman gripped his enormous blade and held it forward to the tiny arachnid, which appeared to be sweating. No one was sure how it happened, but in a split second of time, the Silent Swordsman vanished from Niva's side of the field and appeared behind the spider, stealthy as his name implied. A flash of silver passed and the Silent Swordsman returned to his master's side while Spiderfang was sliced directly down the middle before exploding into light particles. Moriko was struck by the aftermath of the attack and tossed wayward into one of the trees, crying out from the sudden pain in his back.

**Moriko (3800) – Niva (4000)**

"Well, that was fun." Niva grinned victoriously. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Don't give up, Mori-Chan!" Makea shouted supportively. "It was just a minor setback; you can still win this."

"I know." Moriko grunted after finally making it back to her feet. "My turn! Draw!" She swiped her fifth card, taking a moment to look over her hand. "First, I summon Naturia Beetle from my hand!" a tiny beetle made from an acorn with leafy wings appeared on the field; Sheila was surprisingly scared of even this monster **(400/1800)**. "Next I activate the spell card: shield and sword. Now the attack and defense of all monsters on the field is switch."

**Naturia Beetle (400/1800) – (1800/400); Silent Swordsman LV5 (2300/1000) – (1000/2300)**

"Naturia Beetle, destroy the Silent Swordsman!" Moriko commanded.

"Not so fast!" Niva shouted urgently. "I activate my trap card: Ordeal of a Traveler! When my opponent's monster attacks, my opponent randomly selects a card from my hand and guesses if it's a magic, trap, or monster card. If my opponent is wrong, her monster is sent back to her hand."

"Counter trap: Exterio's Fang!" Moriko interjected, bringing the card into view. "If I have one Naturia monster on my field, I can negate the activation of one magic or trap card on my opponent's side of the field. In return, I have to send one card from my hand to the graveyard. I send Naturia Ladybug to the graveyard and continue the attack!"

Naturia Beetle buzzed in tiny leaf wings in excitement and zoomed across the field towards the menacing swordsman. While the Silent Swordsman attempted to defend itself by swinging his massive blade, the silver dagger shockingly rebound off the tiny insect's tiny wooden body and was send flying into the forest. With no means of defending himself, the Silent Swordsman was stabbed through the chest by the beetle's wooden horn, exploding into particles of light. The tiny beetle continued its charge until it slammed into Niva's stomach and send her flying onto her back.

**Moriko (3200) – Niva (3800)**

"And due to Naturia Forest's effect…" Moriko continued. "Whenever one of my opponent's effects are negated – magic, trap, or monster effect – I can special summon 1 Naturia monster from my hand. I summon Naturia Mosquito in attack mode!" A little mosquito with fairy wings, an eggplant body, and leafy limbs appeared on the field. How on Earth was Sheila still afraid of these things? **(200/300)**. "And as long as I have another Naturia monster on my field, Naturia Mosquito cannot be targeted for battle. I end my turn."

"Whoa, I had no idea Moriko was this good." Eira whistled impressively. "Where'd she learn to _koordinere_ something that complicated?" The giggling coming from the little rich girl next to her kinda clued her in. "Makea, did you have anything to do with this?"

"Well, I've known Moriko since middle school and I kinda give her lessons every now and then." Makea smiled proudly, sounding like she was holding something back. "And…well, you know how I can be when it comes to dueling. It looks like those lessons are finally paying off."

"So she's been getting all this from you, eh?" Eira grinned like she knew a secret. "_Ønsker du kunne ha fortalt oss at fra start. _I guess we didn't have anything to worry about…since it's you."

"Huh?" Yui beamed in confusion, looking between her friends for answers. "Whatcha talking about?"

"Nothing/ _Ingenting!_" Eira and Makea replied quickly, looking away from the airhead.

"Tch, your friends are getting overexcited because you go one lucky shot." Niva glared, drawing her fourth card. "But this duel is far from over. I summon my ace monster, Horus the Black Flame Dragon!" In a pillar of black flame, a silver eagle-dragon rose on the field like a metallic phoenix, consequently burning the area around the area where it was summoned **(1600/1000)**. "Then I play a spell card that you are familiar with. It's called Level Up!"

"She has more of those cards?" Rin exclaimed, turning to Senpai in worry. "Isn't that against the rules or something?"

"A good LV duelist always keeps extra Level Ups so they can gain the advantage." Risty said with an unnaturally serious expression. For a moment, Sheila, Rin, and Carla had thought their president had been unknowingly replaced. "The real question is how well Miss President can handle the pressure when the odds are stacked against her."

"Now I use Level up to replace Horus the Black Flam Dragon LV4…" Niva announced dramatically as a sphere of dark inferno surrounded her metallic beast. "For Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8!"

The cocoon of shadowy flames was launched skyward until it exploded into an alchemic circle colored in the same hues as the fire. What emerged from the summoning circle was another metallic eagle beast similar to the previous Horus, but had a serrated wingspan and a dragon-like tail. As the Black Flame Dragon fluttered closer to the ground, the forest environment around it steadily started to spark until everything within five feet of the beast was alight with black flames **(2300/1600)**.

"Since I can't take out your little mosquito…" Niva smirked deviously. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon, squash the bug with Flames of the Underworld!"

The metallic eagle-dragon's eyes glistened with an ominous red, reeling back its head with an ear-piercing shriek that caused many of the audience to cover their ears. Summoning a sphere of dark inferno from her gullet, the metallic beast thrust forward and unleashed a torrent of dark flames that effortlessly consumed the tiny acorn insect. And in the wake of her monster's destruction, Moriko was was thrown backwards and skidded across the grass by a good distance.

**Moriko (3300) – Niva (3200)**

"I activate Naturia Mosquito's special ability." Moriko said strongly while still lying on the ground. "Any damage I can in battle is also redirected back at you."

Niva barely had a chance to gasp before the column of dark fire circled back around and devoured the unsuspecting vice-president, coating her in a decent shade of virtual soot.

**Moriko (3300) – Niva (2700)**

Grr…lucky shot! You're not gonna get any more." Niva growled irritably, but soon gained a mischievous grin. "I end my turn here and that allows me to activate Horus the Black Flame Dragon's special ability. If Horus destroys a monster during battle, then I can send him to the graveyard to special summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8!"

His eyes glowed once before shrieked its inhumane roar, sinking into the black alchemy circle that appeared below its talons. Once the beast was fully submerged, a column of black inferno exploded from the ground and stretched as far as the clouds. In a flash of darkness, the entire Naturia Forest was charred to a pitch-black where all planets had withered and died. And then it appeared. The final evolution of Horus was taller than the deceased trees and looked more like a dragon than anything else – one could say it was a metallic Blue-Eyes. With darkened flames seething from its maw, Horus howled like the great beast that it was **(3000/1800)**.

"3000!" Carla exclaimed fearfully, suddenly clinging to her Senpai. "Yui-Senpai, does Mori-Chan have a card that can beat that?"

"Moriko could use Naturia Leodrake." Eira said analytically. "But that would require a fusion on top of two Synchro Summons. Not even I could pull off a trick like that in a couple of turns."

"Is Mori-Chan going to be all right?" Yui asked worried.

"It'll be all right, Yui-Chan." Makea smiled confidently, never taking her eyes off the duel. "She's a lot stronger than you give her credit for. You'll see."

"This is your last chance, Moriko." Niva said snidely. "No matter what you summon, it won't be enough to match my trump card. May as well turn in your letter of resignation now and I'll be happy to fill in."

"Before I begin, I just wanna know one thing." Moriko stated after drawing her one and only card. "What changed between us, Niva? We used to be close friends until last year when we started running for Student Council President. I even offered you a place as the vice-president after I was inaugurated. But no matter what I do, it still isn't good enough. Are you really that desperate to become president that you would be willing to hurt innocent students?"

"You think this is about being president?" Niva snapped harshly, catching the Naturia Duelist off guard. "I couldn't care less about becoming Student Council President, or vice-president, or treasurer, or whatever! The only reason I did it was…" The vice-president stopped herself, looking away angrily. "Anyway, if you haven't figured it out by now, then there's no point in telling you."

"But…"

"Just make your move!" Niva growled.

"I…" Moriko started, but merely sighed in the end. "This is my last card. I play the spell card: Herbal Medicine! By giving up half of my life points, I can draw three cards from my deck."

Moriko touched her fingers on top of the deck, but didn't draw her cards just yet. The Student Council President was well aware that Horus was capable of negating – and destroying – any spell card that was put into play. But after a minute of no reactions from her opponent, the Naturia Duelist swiped the top three cards from the top of her deck, grimacing as her life points were leeched away. All the while, Moriko couldn't help but wonder if Niva had allowed the spell card to play because it weakened her opponent…or perhaps it was something more.

**Moriko (1650) – Niva (2700)**

"It's here." Moriko murmured after looking over her cards. "I summon Naturia Pumpkin!" A stuffy, unnatural-green pumpkin monster with a bewildered expression carved in its face appeared on the field **(1400/800)**. "And by using Naturia Pumpkin's special effect, I can special summon Naturia Butterfly!"

A frilly-pink butterfly emerged in the blackened forest, giggling at the metallic dragon. And for some odd reason, Sheila still found a reason to cling behind her Senpai **(500/1200).**

"Now I tune my level-3 Naturia Butterfly with my level-1 Naturia Mosquito and level-4 Naturia Pumpkin!" Moriko chanted dramatically. "Synchro Summon! Bloom forth, Naturia Landoise!"

Given the order by her master, Naturia Butterfly glided into the air with Mosquito and Pumpkin following in step. The frilly insect evaporated into powdered light and the remains it efforts formed in the shape of three electronic rings that slid through Pumpkin and Mosquito simultaneously. The vegetable and insects eventually dissolved into stars as well until they were both enveloped by a final burst of light. And almost miraculously, the appearance of this new monster sprout new life in the Naturia Forest – flowers and leaves bloomed in the burned wasteland once more. The monster in question appeared as a giant stone turtle with a hill of flowers growing on its hump complimented by a flourishing oak tree **(2350/1600)**.

"She Synchro summoned!" Carla cheered.

"But it's still not enough." Rin commented.

"That's what all the drama was about." Niva laughed mockingly. "Sorry, but your little tortoise isn't gonna lay a finger on my Horus the Black Flame Dragon. You've got nothing."

"Which is why I activate Naturia Landoise's special ability." Moriko continued, much to the shock of her opponent. "By send one spell card from my hand to the graveyard, I can negate the effect of one effect type monster and send it to the graveyard. So I discard Landoise's Luminous Moss and destroy Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8!"

Weather by coincidence or fate, the sun peeked through the clouds that loomed over the battlefield and shined down over the rocky tortoise. Landoise craned its head, reaching closer to the source of warmth as the tree on its back suddenly caught fire. The burning tree emitted a flowing wave of inferno that did nothing to harm the plant life of the forest, smothered the metallic dragon. Horus could only shriek in pain until the fire had devoured its body entirely and reduced it to ash to feed the plants.

"And don't think this is over yet." Moriko continued, earning the ire of her opponent. "Since Naturia Landoise was a Synchro Summon, I can special summon Naturia Ladybug from my graveyard." On command, the flowery ladybug emerged on her side of the field; Sheila had already passed out a while ago **(100/100)**. And since it's still in the middle of my Main Phase, I can sacrifice Naturia Ladybug to give Naturia Landoise a 1000 attack point power boost!"

**Naturia Landoise (2350/1600)** – **(3350/1600)**

"She has enough to wipe out her life points!" Eira cheered.

"Go, Mori-Chan!" Yui and Makea screamed in unity.

"Naturia Landoise, attack Niva directly!" Moriko commanded.

After remaining in stupor for a while, the stony turtle finally altered its gaze from the sun to the pint-sized human near its heels. Now the massive tortoise could have easily crushed the human underfoot, but that would require too much effort. Naturia Landoise simply chose to open its maw and unleashed a mighty howl that put Horus to shame. Niva covered her eyes and close her eyes, but that did nothing to save her and the stout vice-president was sent flying across the courtyard, landing roughly on her back.

**Moriko (1650) – Niva (0) – Winner: Moriko**

"Yay! Mori-Chan!" Moriko was surprised when the Rock Music Club tackled her to the ground just as she deactivated her D-Gazer. And, unsurprisingly, Yui was trying to move closer than necessary. "Victory kiss!"

"How many time do I have to say I'm not like that?" Moriko screamed, amazingly punting the brunette across the courtyard. Once her adrenaline was back to normal, the Student Council President returned her focus to her former friend. Seeing Niva still on her hands and knees in defeat, the Naturia Duelist quickly walked over and offered her a helping hand. "Hey…nice duel, Niva. We should…really do this again sometime…sound good?"

"Spare me your pity." Niva replied rudely, coldly slapping away the hand. The stout vice-president stood properly to her free, wiping the dirt and grass from her uniform. "You won the duel, so I'll ask the student council to turn over their votes. The Rock Music Club can continue using the auditorium as they wish." Not even sparing a glance to her former friend, Niva started walking away. "Good day to you, madam president."

"Niva, wait!" Moriko called; Niva stopped briefly. "You still haven't answered my question? Why are things so different between us now? What happened to my best friend who I used to know and love?"

"I said it before." Niva said monotonously. "If you haven't figured it out by now, there' no point in me telling you."

Without a word left to be shared between them, Niva marched back to the academy to undergo the process of recovering the Rock Music Clubs auditorium rights. And though she could hear the cheering going on in the background over her successful victory, Moriko couldn't help but feel that she may have lost this battle…and maybe something more.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Student Council room, the majority of the student council had already returned to their afterschool clubs and extracurricular activities. The only people who were still left in the chamber was the student council treasurer, Erica Adam, who was busy playing with her handheld, and Diana sitting opposite of the president of the Chess Club. The three council members were well aware of what was going on between the president and vice-president given that they had window that peered over the courtyard. It didn't take a genius to tell that Niva's unhappy expression only meant that she had failed to meet her goal.

"Ara, ara, things are just getting more complicated these days." Diana smiled absently, pressing forward across the board with her white pawn. She didn't bother to hide her ignorance for the game; the fact that half her board was clear clued that in. "I know I'm the president of the drama club, but high school drama is just so tasteless and repetitive."

"It looks like my little knight failed in taking the enemy rook." The Chess President smiled knowingly, taking Diana's knight with minimal effort. "But while the Knight can be a wild card, it's always best to have a few rooks and bishops the ease the flow of play."

"Schach-San…" Diana sweat-dropped. "You know no one understands your chess analogies."

"Niva-Chan has potential, but is blind because of her passion." Schach proclaimed, still waiting for Diana's turn. "She could have stopped madam president's turn by destroying that Herbal Medicine spell card, but allowed it anyway. She probably didn't expect such a turn around, but her feelings towards the president are obvious, even if madam president doesn't see it."

"So you want to do something about it." Diana concluded, advancing her bishop. "You want to help her embrace those feelings…or reject them. Either way, it could only help her become a better duelist."

"Niva will be the one to replace me when I graduate." Schach proclaimed confidently, taking her queen and carrying it across the board. "But before then, I think it's only right that we as seniors do our best to help our poor kohai." She placed the queen two squares away from Diana's King. "Checkmate."

* * *

**I personally don't like this chapter because of the confusion towards the end, but I think I can let it go because I'm still just a newbie. Since Yui's had the spotlight for a while, I'd like to show off some of the other characters now and then to give them some character development. I hope it's good enough.**

**Credit for the creation of Erica Adams goes to Flame Sergeant Reissem **

**Please, read and review.**


End file.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL, Adventure, Sci-Fi