...not even gonna bother with this part, continue with your lecture.

As the first match of the fortune cup reaches its end, the massive cheers of the people inside could be heard outside of the stadium. Most, if not all of the spectators waited long enough for it and finally got what they were waiting for, however, the intense volume of the cheers mixed with the loud yell of the masses claiming for more was more than enough for a certain cyan-haired girl.

Luna and company had gone back to the waiting area of the stadium as the sheer volume took a toll on Luna's ears, she could feel the incessant sound buzzing through her ears. None of them could imagine the pain she must've felt.

"Here we are, now sit and relax"

Yuya said as Luna took the nearest seat to rest, he'd been on stadiums multiple times both as a spectator and as a contestant but he has never felt pain outside of the augmented reality. Leo stood on the same boat with him judging by his expression. To be honest he was greatly surprised that both of them were okay with the stadium's tantrum.

"There must be an infirmary somewhere"

Luna's eyes widen at the words of her caretaker while Leo's face paled.

"There is no need to go to an infirmary, I am fine!"

Her words made Yuya flinch while Leo sighed. Yuya has taken care of the twins for a while now, which naturally leads Yuya to learn about the twins, he knew about Luna's health issues, however, he was unaware of her reactions toward it. Yuya looked at the girls clad in a red uniform in front of him

"Sorry girls but I have my hands full at the moment, I'll be cheering on you"

"No problem/Don't sweat it"

Mika and Tera said at the same time. Yuya sighed after her two friends were out of sight before he lowered himself to be on Luna's sight, face to face. Luna thought that he may have thought about the infirmary, that maybe she didn't have to go to it, she even got her hopes up once he placed his hand over her shoulder and flashed his trademark smile.

"You are not getting out of it"

Yuya said as he slowly took her hand and walked to the opposite way the girls took. Leo didn't even say a thing as he followed his caretaker.

As the girls walked through the deserted hall, Mika looked behind them. Tera looked at her childhood friend as she spoke.

"Don't worry, Yuya should know how to handle those two by now"

"I guess… but I'd never expected to see Luna snap like that"

Tera had to give her that, the way she yelled was out of character for a shy person like Luna, at least on her eyes, however, she found herself chuckling at it.

"You know? It reminds me of you, I still remember when we were little and you bite uncle Attie just to stay at home"

Mika blush at the thought, she was a child at the moment yes but, to this day she was still afraid of medical check-ups.

"A-Any children would be afraid if they told them that a person would pinch them with a needle! It was Atticus fault for not telling me beforehand"

"He tried but we couldn't fully explain it, you overslept"

Tera said followed by a dry laugh, one Mika followed with a small smile. She had known very little of her parents, but in her uncle Atticus' words, she inherited the best of the two… and his father's heavy sleep.

"Uncle Attie said he'd be back in a week or two, but he'll be supporting us. I wouldn't be surprised if he was looking at Neo Domino's Fortune Cup Stream right now"

Mika laughed as she imagined Atticus on a fanboy attire cheering on them. To this day she still thought highly of her mother, an admiration that had come from his uncle Atticus Rhodes, both she and Tera have been on his care since the Ener-D reactor failure. He would always compliment both of them for anything they did right but sometimes she couldn't shake off the feeling that he favored her just a bit more than Tera… not that she minded, but Tera doesn't have to know that.

"I'd be better if he was here to cheer on us…"

"Don't be like that, his modeling career is important, we can't do a lot about it, besides, it's better if he doesn't make a fool out of himself, remember the first time we went to a tournament?"

Both girls loved Atticus but he is the only person that would bring an entire cheerleading team to an amateur tournament… a young league amateur tournament. They loved him but he had a natural talent to place them both in the most embarrassing situations.

"Point taken"

Both girls laughed as they recalled their foster parents. What would have been of both of them if Atticus wasn't so insistent? They would probably be with- Wait, now is not time to have those thoughts, she needs to be focused!

"Look what the Cat of Ill Omen brought to the stadium!"

Of course! Both girls stopped on their tracks to look at the annoying being in front of them. They admit that Matsuda Hiroto is a top duelist with an impressive duel record, but they also know that his attitude and arrogance are what make him such a hard person to relate with. Most, if not all, of his friends, only stick with him due to his abilities.

"What do you want? In case you haven't noticed we have to prepare for our oncoming duels"

Hiroto scowled at Tera, she always found the way to hit him where it hurt. Hiroto would've replied with the same intent but hold himself. Both girls expected one of his infamous replies but were confused to find him struggling to talk, it took him half a minute for him to talk again.

"As much as I'd like to argue with you, that's not the reason why I am here"

Both girls looked at the teen they had grown tired of, while they were forgiving… while Mika was forgiving, they still felt rather annoyed at the sight of the arrogant idiot that stood in front, however, they didn't expect him to take two cards from his deck.

"Here, this might help you both"

The girls looked at the cards in his hands, two copies of the Continuous Trap Card Call of the Haunted, a powerful card under the right circumstances, not to mention that it could come in handy should they were left with no monsters on the field. The girls took the cards but looked at the guy in front of them with curiosity and intrigue.

"Listen to you both, while I might have acted like a sore loser- "

"Kind of is an understatement"

Mika said with no remorse as Hiroto flinched from her voice, but continued.

"As I was saying before being interrupted!... I realized that you both got here fair and square so… I give you these two copies of Call of the Haunted so you can have an edge on the field"

The girls looked at each other, curious as to why the guy that got pissed off because he was denied his opportunity to participate in the most famous tournament of the city would now act like this, especially toward the person that eliminated him.

"I'm not saying that we won't use it but why to give us this all of a sudden?"

Tera needed answers, she was all in for free cards but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was a reason about this.

"Can't you just accept that this is a gift from a benevolent duelist who wants to amend his past and become the best that no one ever was?"

His words were ignored by the two persons that he always picked up on, they turned around not wanting to hear another word of the zombie duelist.

"Wait! Alright, I'll tell you… After my duel with your boyfriend, I realized that I was being kind of an… idiot "

"I wouldn't say, idiot, more like a bast- "

"Alright, a complete jackass, whatever you want to call it, the point is… I lost to you and you both are now Neo Domino's Academy representatives, a position that I wanted, however, I thought about it and realized that if I lost against you then I wouldn't have had much of a chance on the tournament so, as a sign of respect, I'm giving you these cards"

"I see…"

Tera thought about it, she looked calm on the outside but she was thinking about how she could get an advantage of the situation, to be fair she couldn't go all out as this could be the opportunity to teach this guy a lesson… oh right!

"I'll take this as an apology for the meantime, but don't think for a second that you are forgiven! This is just the start…"

Hiroto didn't know if he should feel concerned about that, the malicious tone of her words didn't help either. Tera took her card with no problem, who knows? Maybe it could help. Hiroto shook those thoughts out and called for Mika.

"This one is for you, someone who uses ritual should use this card to his best as you send a lot of monsters continuously, you can even summon your rituals from the grave if you summoned them as they should"

Hiroto extended the card to Mika, it may have been because his focus was on the card and Tera, but he finally realized that Mika stood in place with a visible blush on her face. Mika slowly took a copy of the continuous trap card as she said in a low voice that could barely be heard.

"…he's not my boyfriend"

Hiroto stood unsure of how to respond to that, for the way that he defended Mika with no second thought and the rumors of a guy who was always seen with them he thought that was the case, but it appears that he was wrong… it seriously made the situation awkward.

"I see… anyway, I'll be going right now, just so you know the guys at our class came to cheer on you, don't disappoint"

Hiroto left the two girls before the situation escalated. Soon after he left they could hear the voice from the extravagant MC ran through the hallway.

"We better hurry"

Mika said leaving aside their meeting with Hiroto while Tera followed her, not before teasing her best friend one last time.

"You're right, I doubt you want your leave your boyfriend waiting"

Leo and Luna waited patiently outside of the infirmary as Yuya talked with the personal.

Luna stood grumpily as she was forced to attend to the infirmary for just a little headache, she knew that Yuya meant well but of all the things that he had to do was to take her to the infirmary? Leo noticed this and, against his better judgment, decided to talk to her.

"Come on Luna, it was a quick revision nothing to worry about, the doctor said that you were fine so we can leave as soon as Yuya finishes his conversation and get back to business!"

Leo said as he placed his hand on Luna in an attempt to cheer her up, which failed as Luna puffed her cheek, Leo made sure that Yuya was not hearing them and decided to continue.

"Besides, he doesn't know what happened to you"

Leo said quietly while Luna sighed. Yuya had done so much during the time that he had been with them, he even made the dull and boring life inside their apartment into a more joyful and lively one, he even taught them how to be better duelist… but neither of them had been able to tell them about Luna's condition. Sure he does know that she was ill in the past and that her body is frail, more than the average kid, but he never pressured about the topic, something Luna was relieved of.

"…do you think it's a good idea to tell him?"

Leo turned toward her sister, she trusts him but it was still a sensitive subject to her. Leo pondered about it for a bit until he delivered his ultimatum.

"I think it's up to you, I may have been the person who stood by your side through your coma, but you are the person who suffered from it, besides, you always said that it was quite pleasant over there, what I'm trying to say is that it's your decision and no one else"

Luna smiled at his brother's words, she knew that she could always count with him even for the most trivial matter… which reminds her.

"Thanks for that Leo, one thing though, when are you going to tell Yuya about your excursion to the Daimon Area?"

Leo's heart stopped for a second as he looked beside him. He sighed in relief as Yuya stood with the old lady. For a second he thought about the worst-case scenario where Yuya heard Luna's words and became a furious teenager who scolded him way harsher than he had ever been scolded before. Leo talked in a low voice to make sure Yuya couldn't hear a thing

"Luna, don't say that out loud! He could hear you… I'll tell him when the whole tournament is over"

Leo had thought about it, of course, he couldn't let Luna told him about that, it would make things worse for him, that's why he planned on going to the top of the tournament, have his duel with Jack Atlas, defeat him and then present the trophy as a signal that he could handle himself as a duelist, Yuya would be impressed and he would forget about that, he just needed time for his plan to work. Luna, on the other hand…

"Are you serious? Do you plan on holding the truth for three whole days? Last time I remember you couldn't even hold a secret for half a day and I'm pretty sure Patty remembers that too"

A sweatdrop made a presence on Leo as he remembered the incident where he accidentally said out loud that Patty had skipped class in favor of a day off at the amusement park, to this day he could still feel her intimidating presence behind him.

"That was a small slip that is not going to happen this time! I have it under control"

Luna frowned at his words, she was not convinced that Leo would tell him about all the mess he caused because of his curiosity.

"You do realize that the more you stall the truth the harsher the punishment will be?"

Leo flinched as he looked at the ground, she was right and he hated to admit it, it was as simple as telling him the truth and get this over with but the thought of his brother figure going mad on him… it scared him. Luna noticed the emotional state of Leo but before she could say a thing both twins heard a voice at the distance.

"Sorry guys! I guess I lost track of time with the doctor"

Yuya said as he closed the distance with them. Leo froze in place as the fear took hold of him, fortunately for him, Yuya ignored it as he went straight for Luna. Yuya kneeled in front of her so they were both at eye level.

"Take this, I know you may think that you don't need them but keep them, just in case"

Yuya handed Luna a pair of earplugs. Luna wanted to tell him that she was fine but she could hear the worry on his voice. Luna didn't know why his words made her feel so warm inside, was it because he was the closest figure they had to a role model? Luna chooses to place the earplugs in her pocket.

"Thank you"

Yuya then turned and took Leo's hand. Leo went back to the world of the living when he felt an object on his hand, for a second it felt like a chill ran through his body, and with a reason as the person he had to talk with was in front of him.

"I also got a pair four you Leo, like I said you might not need them but I don't want to risk it"

Leo gulped as his grip on the earplugs intensified. For a moment he was tempted to tell him right here and now, but as soon as that idea came it banished. Yuya stood there while he looked at the teal-haired young boy while Luna sighed.

"Let's go already, I don't want to miss the next duel"

Luna followed Leo while Yuya scratched the side of his head. He didn't know why the twins were acting like this, but it would be useless to think about it right now. He followed the twins while he registered the number of the doctor on his phone.

Mika checked herself one last time before she ventured herself into the arena. She had her Academy's top brand Duel Disk, she had her uniform in check, she had her Deck in perfect condition and most importantly…

Mika took one single card from her deck. She doesn't have a lot of memories from her parents but Atticus always spoke highly of them, both from her mother and her father. She was told that this card paved the path for her father. To this day even when she opted to play with the Cyber Angels, she never took a duel without this one card. Mika closed her eyes as she shuffled the sole copy of the card onto her.

"I won't disappoint you"

Mika walked onto the field as she steeled herself, there was no turning back!

She could hear the screaming of the people chanting her name. Mika couldn't help but place her hand on her deck on instinct, the number of people in the stadium could easily overcome the number of students that come to see her duel, however, with all the commotion of the stadium she could see her name displayed on the left side of the stadium.

"So he didn't lie after all"

The entire Academy came to the stadium to cheer for both of them, not a surprise though as it was like a non-formal tradition. Tera stood on the right side of the battlefield ready to start at any second, however, her opponent stood without moving as he eyed her, it was nerve-wracking as she had never been on this kind of position before.

"Welcome back Neo Domino City! After the marvelous battle that took place against machine vs warrior, we found ourselves on the verge of another intense battle! On our left, we have the calm but fierce duelist who strategizes his way into victory, The Professor!"

The stadium cheered for the now called uniformed duelist that stood on the other side of the field, but Mika was thrown off not by his calm demeanor but for his nickname. Mika couldn't believe that he could just call himself The Professor, sure it was a given that some other duelist, even pro duelist, choose to give themselves a nickname instead of using their real name but just being called The Professor was kind of weak.

"…and on the right side of the battlefield, one of the two duelists who represent the prestigious Neo Domino's Academy, the angel whose beauty is only rivaled by her cunningness, Mika Rhodes!"

It didn't take long for the audience to explode into a commotion as she was called, she walked to the middle of the field while The Professor did the same, they both shared a handshake before starting things off.

While Mika stood seconds away from the duel that would define her path to glory, Tera found herself in the middle of Neo domino's high school students, why she is not with Yuya and his twins you may ask? That's because after going to check on Luna, Yuya took the advice of the doctor as order and choose to cheer Mika inside of the stadium. Was she disappointed? Yes, but even she knows that there wasn't a lot to do about it, Yuya just took his role as the 'caretaker' too seriously. As Mika's duel was about to start, Tera chooses to cheer her with the rest of their schoolmates, even Hiroto.

She wasn't surprised once she took a seat and all eyes were on her, even if it was for a second she stood out, but as soon as those eyes met her they left as their companion choose to look at the field, save for one.

"What are you doing here?"

Tera didn't expect that from Hiroto himself, she wanted to leave and take another seat but there were none left and the match was about to start so Tera choose to entertain him to end this quickly.

"I was on my way to the VIP duelist seat when I realized that no one would be there and choose to stay with a group that wouldn't make much of a deal from my presence, now shut up the duel is about to start"

Hiroto was startled by her sudden ferocity, he would have retaliated but she was right, he mumbled some words about her as he looked at the match.

Mika stood on the right side of the stadium while she steeled herself. She took her stance as the MC lifted his hand into the air, with a deep breath she placed her hand on the top of her deck, it's time…

"Duel!"

Professor - 4000 – 5 cards

Mika - 4000 – 5 cards

As the representative of Neo Domino's Academy Mika was given the first turn of the duel. She inspected her hand and formulated what could be a plan for now.

"I draw!"

Mika – 6 cards

"I set one card and summon Shining Angel"

A blonde man with an aureole sporting four golden wings appeared on the field while the back of a card made a presence on Mika's feet.

Shining Angel – Level 4 – 1400/800

"…I end my turn"

Mika – 4 cards

To say that it was a bland turn would be an overstatement, most of the stadium felt a bit down after the way Mika took her turn, or lack of it to say the least, however, to the students of Neo Domino Academy, it was a common view. Hiroto sighed as he looked at it.

"I now know that she likes to get defensive on the first turns but she could at least make something a bit more impressive"

Mika was unable to ignore his statement.

"At least that is a strategy that works, but you should know that better than anyone don't you?"

Tera said with a smug look as she looked at the pissed off Hiroto, however, it appeared that he had something to say.

"Says the girl whose 'solid field' lasted about half of her turn, at least I am cautious about Mirror Force"

Sparks fled as both duelists looked at each other, no one noticed as they had their focus on the duel.

"It appears that you want to take your chances, so I'll make sure to take mine into consideration, I draw"

Professor – 6 cards

"It is wise to take a defensive stand against an opponent whom you have no information of, so I'll summon Naturia Cliff in attack position, then I'll set a card"

A monster made of white stone with a rectangular body rose on the field, simulating hair with red roots and leafs coming from the upside of his body

Naturia Cliff – Level 4 – 1500/1000

Mika braced herself for whatever her opponent would do, she thought she could think of a plan the moment he summoned a monster or placed his strategy in motion, however, the Naturia style of game is a tricky one as it can go from one strategy to another in the blink of an eye.

"Shining Angel is a fairy who summons a Light monster with 1500 or less once it is destroyed by battle, you expect me to take him down as part of your strategy"

Mika knew her strategy could work, but it was also easy to predict. The professor raised his hand and pointed at her Shining Angel.

"However, a person cannot hesitate on the battlefield, if I were to leave Shining Angel you could easily change it into defense position, or worse, use it for a synchro summon for example. To prevent that I am forced to play with your strategy for the moment, that's why Naturia Cliff attack Shining Angel"

The rectangular white cliff rammed itself into the angel, destroying it, however, as he disappeared the halo under him started to glow.

Mika – 4000 – 100 = 3900

"The effect of Shining Angel activates the moment it is destroyed by battle, and just as you said I can summon a LIGHT monster from my deck as long as it has 1500 or less ATK"

The effect was in play, Mika was not sure what the professor wanted to do by allowing her to special summon a monster, but right now the focus should be on the duel, she could think about that later on.

"From my deck, I special summon Cyber Petit Angel"

A pink mechanical little 'angel' descended from the sky as it emitted cute growls. The girls on the audience thought that it was one of the cutest monsters they have seen. Mika thought that if she was 'forced to play' then she would deliver.

"My Cyber Petit Angel may be cute, but he also provides! I activate his effect, once he is summoned I am allowed to add a 'Cyber Angel' monster from my deck or a 'Machine Angel Ritual' and I'll do the latter"

A Spell card was ejected from her deck and Mika took it with grace. The professor laughed as he looked at the young girl.

"So that was your plan, it is unusual to see a Ritual focused deck when Synchro monsters are so popular"

Mika was a little taken back by this, she was aware that her mother was known due to she being the old principal of Duel Academy, maybe this 'Professor' character met her before the Ener-D incident?

"I set one last card and activate the Field Spell Naturia Forest"

The field itself grew vines and flowers of all sorts while some rocks floated in the middle of the field. Mika was brought back to the world of the living by this.

"That's right, you're in a duel, you cannot get lost in thoughts"

Mika took a breath as she placed her hand on top of her deck.

Professor – 2 cards

Mika – 6 cards

"I'll make you know professor that despite my status as a student, I am a tough nut to crack, and I'll show you! From my hand, I summon the Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands!"

A greyish green monster materialized beside Cyber Petit Angel with hundreds of hands at his side, and as soon as he took the field a blue aura soon enveloped him.

"His effect activates once he's either normal or flips summoned and it lets me search a ritual monster or a ritual spell card directly from my deck to my hand, and the monster I search is not to be taken lightly, I add Cyber Angel Benten to my hand"

Mika took the card from her deck and as soon as her deck shuffled she took the ritual spell she added the previous turn.

"Now that I have the resources I can work my way to victory and I'll start by activating Machine Angel Ritual from my hand! With this, I can summon a ritual 'Cyber Angel' monster from my hand by tributing monster whose levels are equal to or exceed the level of the monster I summon, by tributing both Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and Cyber Petit Angel I can summon Cyber Angel Benten!"

A massive golden circle enveloped the ground and glowed as both monsters were absorbed by it as a blinding yellow pillar rose from the circle. As the light vanished a black-haired woman clad in a white bodysuit adorned with black lines on the side, red gloves and boots stood, she held a fan with a chain as her weapon.

Cyber Angel Benten – Level 6 – 1800/1500

The audience roared as the duel started to get interesting. The students from Duel Academy were impressed by the first representative while most of the girls praised Mika.

"That guy is up to something"

Hiroto, unlike his companions, couldn't shake the feeling that this 'Professor' character had a trick up his sleeve.

"Oh come on, can't you see that Mika is taking rends of the duel? Just look at it, the guy has a low-level monster to defend himself and it'll soon be taken down"

Hiroto had a hard time trying not to lash at Tera.

"You know that Naturia Cliff has a similar effect compared to Shining Angel, right?"

Tera's confusion was visible. Hiroto had to remember that, unlike Mika who studied her way to 'be the best' as his friends would say, Tera's skills were more 'on the moment' rather than learned, which led to her being ignorant of some card effects.

"Benten, go and take down Naturia Cliff! Angelic Turn!"

Benten jumped from her position and quickly destroyed Naturia Cliff using the chain of her fan.

Professor – 4000 – 500 = 3500

"And not only that, when Benten destroys a monster by battle she can inflict damage equal to the destroyed monster"

Benten was about to send a gust of wind against the Professor when she noticed a monster rising from the debris left by Naturia Cliff, what looked like a small brown ant with leaf wings appeared.

Naturia Antjaw – Level 2 – 400/200

"Do not mind the effect of Naturia Cliff, it is similar to your Shining Angel in which it summons a monster from my deck, however, I can summon whichever Naturia monster I choose as long as it is level 4 or lower, now you can continue"

Benten sent a gust of wind to the Professor which took down his life points.

Professor – 3500 – 1000 = 2500

Mika knows that this won't be an easy duel, Naturia monsters are known to be restrictive against their opponents, to the point where they barely let you play. She needs to be careful and just as restrictive if she wants a chance to win.

"I set a card and end my turn"

The Professor smiled as he took a card from his deck.

Mika – 3 cards

Professor – 3 cards

"Things have been on your favor until now miss, but you should now that things could always turn against you, even with the most formidable defense. I summon Naturia Pumpkin from my hand, and with his effect, I can summon a level 4 or lower Naturia monster from my hand, and so with Pumpkin I summon Naturia Ladybug"

A green monster was born from the ground of the battlefield holding a yellow flower with his hands, a dreamy look on his face as from inside of his body came a red-colored ladybug with a flower pattern on its body

Naturia Pumpkin – Level 4 – 1400/800

Naturia Ladybug – Level 1 – 100/100

Not a tuner on sight, Mika was relieved that this guy had a 'bad hand' if he was unable to summon one of the Synchro monsters that Naturia had on their roster, she just needs to keep the advantage and-

"I activate the Continuous Trap Card Naturia Sacred Tree"

The Professor said calmly as a giant three appeared on his spell and trap zone. Mika was left dumbstruck as she had never heard of Naturia holding a trap like that. Tera stood on her seat looking at Hiroto, she could see some uncertainty on his eyes.

"Hey, any clue on what that card does?"

"I… don't, it's the first time I've heard of it, never seen or even heard about it on my life"

Now that was strange, Tera thought a lot of things about Hiroto, most of them on the negative side but she had to give him credit about his knowledge on Duel Monsters, him not knowing of a card is rather strange.

"It appears that you weren't expecting this, but it's understandable so I'll explain, Naturi Sacred Tree allows me to summon a level 4 or lower earth Plant-Type monster from my deck by tributing an EARTH Insect-Type monster and vice versa, and I'll use its effect right now by tributing Naturia Ladybug to summon Naturia Tullip"

Said monster got inside of the tree as a single red flower with two eyes and a cape made of leaves took its place. Mika swallowed once she got a glance at the monster he summoned.

Naturia Tullip – Level 2 – Tuner – 600/1500

"If I had to guess, you'd think that I would use Ladybug to raise Pumpkin's attack by 1000 and attack despite the two set cards on your field"

Mika swallowed as he guessed her thoughts, then she heard the Professor giggling as he took a card from his Extra Deck.

"The people have been waiting for a proper battle miss. I'll use the level 4 Naturia Pumpkin and the level 2 tuner Naturia Tullip on my field to summon a monster from my extra deck"

2 green rings appeared on the sky as 4 light dots got into the middle of them.

"The two dwellers of the forest will become one to bring the defender of nature! Come to the field Naturia Barkion!"

As the light engulfed the two green rings a large figure of a dragon whose head and underbelly appeared to be made of rock and whose scales appeared to be made of wood landed beside Naturia Antjaw as it growled at Benten.

Naturia Barkion – Level 6 – 2500/1800

"As a Naturia Synchro monster has been Synchro summoned on my side of the field I can summon Naturia Ladybug from my grave"

The same ladybug which had been tribute by the Naturia Sacred Tree appeared on the field once again as Benten took a defensive stance. Mika now was in a tough spot; things were bound to get worse if she stood without doing nothing, especially since she had her traps sealed by Barkion.

"I tribute Naturia Ladybug to select Naturia Barkion and add 1000 points of ATK until the end of this turn"

Naturia Barkion was encased in a reddish aura as his ATK got bigger.

Naturia Barkion – 3500/1800

"Now that things are set I send Naturia Barkion to attack Benten"

Hiroto and Tera, alongside the students of Neo Domino, felt a shiver run down their spines as the dragon prepared to strike. Both Hiroto and Tera knew that this was not the end as Mika is stronger than that, but she would take a good chunk of damage if the attack went through. Mika acted on the spot, praying silently that her plan worked.

"I activate the Continuous Trap Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light, by paying 1000 points of life I am allowed to negate the attack of an opponent monster"

Mika – 3900 – 1000 = 2900

Mika knows that this could make things more complicated than they already are but she had no choice, if she was to take Barkion then she had to give it her all.

"I chain the effect of Naturia Barkion, by banishing two cards from my grave the activation of Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light"

Banishing cards was a cost and Mika knew this, right now he had around four cards in his grave. The Professor banished Naturia Cliff and Naturia Tullip from his grave to pay the cost of Barkion. Mika acted just in time to Barkion's effect.

"Don't think I didn't anticipate that! From my hand, I send Eva and Herald of Orange Light to negate Naturia Barkion's effect and destroy him!"

An orange light enveloped Naturia Barkion as he struggled to get free from it. Mika looked intently at the Synchro monster, if it worked then she could make her way through his monster and attack for-

"Interesting play miss Rhodes, but just like you I have my countermeasures, I chain Called by the Grave!"

Mika gritted her teeth as she looked at the trap card her opponent activated. Hiroto stood in shock while Tera cursed at her best friend's luck. She covered her mouth while the rest of Domino's student and Hiroto looked at her. Hiroto snickered.

"Classy of you"

Some of her friends laughed at his remark but soon the attention was drawn back to the duel.

"The effect of this card is quite simple, I simply target a monster in my opponent's graveyard and banish it, and until the end of the next turn the effect of said monster is negated, of course, I banish the Herald of Orange Light"

A hand appeared and took the Herald of Orange Light and took it by force, dragging him into a void. As the orange light disappeared so did the struggle of Barkion. With no visible intervention, the Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light disappeared from the field.

"As I negated a card effect my Field Spell allows me to add a Level 3 or lower Naturia monster from my deck to my hand and I think I'll add Naturia Cosmobeet"

Mika was not going to let this opportunity to waste.

"I'll also activate the effect of Eva on my grave, if this card was sent to the GY I can banish up to two other LIGHT fairy monsters to add the same number of Level 2 or lower monsters from my deck to my hand, I'll banish both Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and Cyber Petit Angel to add Cyber Egg Angel and Diviner of the Heralds from my deck to my hand, and just in case I activate the effect of Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light from my grave, by banishing it I can prevent your monsters from attacking me directly this turn"

Just as the Professor added a monster from his Deck to his hand, Mika did the same to keep the hand advantage, however, as there was no effect to continue this also means that Barkion's attack struck Benten without mercy. Mika choose to let Benten take the hit, why? She had another strategy on her head and if what she planned worked then she needed a copy of Machine Angel Ritual to stay on her GY.

3500 – 1800 = 1700

Mika – 2900 – 1700 = 1200

The Professor chuckled as he had no way to end the duel, while he could prevent the activation of Trap cards he chooses not to, if he did then he would be vulnerable to the sole card on her backrow and choose not to risk it.

"Things don't look so good, right? I end my turn"

Professor – 1 cards

Mika – 3 cards

Mika gritted her teeth. Her plan had been foiled and while she could still do something, she had to be careful, the moment she summoned anything then Antjaw would trigger and let him summon whatever he wanted, most possibly a way to interrupt her, and the moment she did then the forest would let him have a card, and as long as Barkion stood on the field she would be neglected the use of traps, like the one that rested on her backrow. She placed her hand on top of her deck.

"I draw"

Mika – 4 cards

She had to be calm and collected to prevent mistakes from happening, however, deep inside her she enjoyed when duels turned interesting, something that in words of her uncle did resemble her father's persona.

"First of all I'll start by activating Pre-preparation of Rites, what this card does is to let me add a Ritual spell directly from my deck and a monster which is specifically listed on that same card. You know something Professor? Naturia's are known for restricting the opponent, so let's see how things go when things are reversed. I add the Ritual Spell Dawn of the Herald and with it, I add the Herald of perfection from my deck to my hand"

Mika – 5 cards

"And not only that! I activate the Equip Spell Fulfillment of the Contract! I still have pointed to use and I'll use them to their full extent! By paying 800 life points I target the Cyber Angel Benten from my grave and bring her back to the field, however, if for some reason the Equip spell is destroyed then Benten is banished instead of sent to the grave"

As her life points decreased, Benten appeared once again on the field, something that the Professor didn't let goes unnoticed.

Mika – 1200 – 800 = 400

"I see, you try to build yourself from scratch, but as you summoned a monster I can summon a Level 3 or lower Naturia monster from my deck, and I choose Naturia Stinkbug"

A green big stinkbug appeared near Pumpkin as it looked in fear at the monster in front of it. Mika was no fool, she knows that she'll get neglected her attacks if she doesn't get rid of it, but she still had plans of her own

Naturia Stinkbug – Level 3 – 200/500

This was it! She needed to stop the Professor, and this guy on her hand would help her do exactly that.

"Now I activate the Ritual Spell Dawn of the Heralds! By using Benten as the whole tribute I can summon the Herald of Perfection from my hand"

An angelic voice could be heard as multiple pillars appeared between a white monument in the middle of the field. Benten was engulfed in bright light as a monster appeared above the monument.

"Angelic heralds combine and protect your allies with your vision, Ritual Summon! Descend from heaven, Herald of Perfection!"

A white mechanic angel with purple, green, and orange feathers and outlines stood in front of Mika as it protected her from the opponent. Hiroto and Tera stood in awe at the monster that appeared on the field.

"I'll have to admit, that monster is an eye-candy, and one with the best effects I've seen on my life"

Tera could only nod as she sighed in relief, now that that monster was on the field there was nothing that could stop Mika.

"I activate the grave effect of Dawn of the Herald when I summon a Herald of Perfection I can banish it and target one of the monsters used for its summon and add it to my hand, and not only that! I chain the effect of Benten when she is tributed I can add a LIGHT Fairy monster from my deck to my hand!

The Professor acted on the spot

"Very well, but I can still use Antjaw to- "

"I don't think so! I activate the effect of Herald of Perfection, during either player's turn I can send a Fairy-Type monster from my hand to the field to negate the activation of a Spell, Trap or Monster effect, and just so you know I can chain this effect as many times as I can as long as I have a Fairy on my hand! I send the Cyber Egg Angel that I added previously"

The Professor gasped after he heard this, if he even tried to activate a card then she could just negate it, and to think that it wasn't limited once per turn. An orange light was emitted from the Herald of Perfection that destroyed Naturia Antjaw and prevented it from summoning a monster.

"Now that's my girl!"

Tera said loudly as the public went insane, the first Domino representative now had the upper hand and could turn the tables. Hiroto huffed as he muttered something under his breath. Mika now had the Professor where she wanted, it's time for her retaliation!

"Now that that is out of the way I resolve both of my effects and add Cyber Angel Dakini from my deck to my hand by the effect of Benten, and add Benten from my grave to my hand"

Mika – 3 cards

"Now I summon from my hand the Tuner Monster Diviner of the Heralds"

A purple-haired woman dressed in a ceremonial white and purple gown appeared next to the Herald of perfection sporting the same set of wings it had.

Diviner of the Heralds – Level 2 – Tuner – 500/300

"And you know what she does? When she is normal or special summoned I can send one Fairy monster from my Deck or Extra Deck to the GY for her to gain levels equal to the level of the monster sent. From my Extra Deck, I send the Herald of the Arc Light, a level 4 monster, so Diviner gains a total of 4 levels"

Diviner of the Heralds – Level 6

"And now that Herald of the Arc Light was sent to the graveyard I can activate its effect to add a Ritual Monster or a Ritual Spell from my deck to my hand, and I add Cyber Angel Idaten, and to spice things up I activate the Trap Card Reckless Greed, I can draw two cards by forfeiting my next two draw phases unless of course, you choose to negate my card"

Mika said in confidence while the Professor wondered if he could let that happen, the moment he'd try to do that then the Herald of Perfection would destroy Barkion. He just smiled and looked at her.

"I let you"

"That's what I thought"

Mika took the top two cards of her deck and drew, and she couldn't be any happier by the results.

Mika – 5 cards

"I activate Preparation of Rites to add a Level 7 or lower Ritual Monster from my deck to my hand, and when I do I can add a Ritual Spell resting on my grave. I add Cyber Angel Natasha and re-add Machine Angel Ritual from my grave to my hand"

Mika – 6 cards

"And here is where thing gets even better, I activate Machine Angel Ritual and use it to summon Cyber Angel Idaten from my hand!"

Once again a golden circle appeared in the middle of the field as Diviner of the Heralds opened her arms to let herself be the tribute for Idaten, an Indigo-haired female monster clad in a pink bodysuit with black outlines on her sides and her breast area. Unlike Benten, Idaten stood unarmed on the field.

Cyber Angel Idaten – Level 6 – 1600/2000

"Unlike Benten, Idaten has an effect when she is summoned properly, and that is to add a Ritual Spell from my Deck or GY, and Diviner of the Heralds also has another effect coming, when she is tributed I can special a level 2 or lower Fairy monster from my hand or Deck, and I summon Herald of Purple Light!"

A small purple machine with purple wings appeared on the field while Mika recovered the Ritual Spell.

Herald of Purple Light – level 2 – 300/500

"And you know what? I activate Machine Angel Ritual once more! I use both Cyber Angel Idaten and Herald of Purple Light to bring Cyber Angel Dakini from my hand!"

Both monsters became a golden light that made yet another golden circle appear on the field.

"The dancer of blades, take the fight with all your might and crush your enemies! Appear, Cyber Angel Dakini!"

A brunette blue-skinned woman with four arms and a golden armor appeared in the middle of the field, her two upper arms held two swords while the lower ones were used for a blue staff. She stood next to the Herald of Perfection, ready for battle.

Cyber Angel Dakini – Level 8 – 2700/2400

The stadium exploded into cheers as Mika took the lead of the duel. Tera yelled in excitement while Hiroto smirked as he could guess how things would end.

"Something about Idaten that relates her to Benten is her effect by being tributed, and when she is I can raise the attack and defense of all Ritual Monsters I control by one thousand!"

Both Dakini and Herald of Perfection were encased in blue light while doing so, Dakini pointed her staff pointed at the Professor.

"By the way, once Dakini is Ritual summoned I get to make my opponent send a monster they control to the grave"

The Professor smiled peacefully as he sends Naturia Stinkbug to the grave, this duel was over and there was no point to try to chain anything as the Herald of Perfection would negate it.

Cyber Angel Dakini – 3700/3400

Herald of Perfection – 2800/3800

"And here is the moment we've been waiting for, battle!"

Mika couldn't help but yell the last part in excitement. She had this on the bag, and now all she needs to do is to attack for game!

"My first step as a big-league duelist"

"Cyber Angel Dakini attack Naturia Barkion! Heaven's Dawn!"

Dakini raised her swords high in the air while she sprinted against the dragon, Barkion fired green balls of energy at Dakini but she took them out using her staff. Dakini quickly closed the distance and struck Barkion with her staff. She yelled as her swords finished Barkion off and finally destroyed it.

3700 – 2500 = 1200

Professor = 2500 – 1200 = 1300

"Time to end this, Herald of Perfection attack directly!"

The herald of perfection sent a tri-colored beam at the Professor and took him out for game

Mika – 400 – 3 cards

Professor – 0 – 1 card

"I can't believe it, folks! Even against all odds, Mika Rhodes managed to fight her way through his opponent and achieve victory! Domino's Angel gets to the next phase of the tournament!"

The stadium went ecstatic as the first representative of Domino's Duel Academy achieved her victory. Tera yelled as loud as she could while the rest of Domino's student chanted Mika's name. Tera even on her small celebration over her best friend's victory could still hear Hiroto loud and clear.

"Of course she won, I wouldn't expect less of the representative that defeated me!"

Tera rolled her eyes, even on the short end of the stick this guy would go all the way to place himself above others, she can't imagine anyone as egocentric as Hiroto.

Mika couldn't believe it, she had won! Her first step as an elite duelist was done, now she had to keep things up and keep winning. Mika made sure to spot Tera and the others, and once she did she made one of the trademarks that defined her as a duelist. With her right hand using only her middle and index finger, she pointed at them.

"Gotcha!"

Yuya smiled as he looked at the screen. He decided to stay inside of the stadium and keep Luna away from the loud sound of the masses, needless to say, that the twins were against this. Luna sighed in relief while Leo was marveled at the duel that just unfolded.

"Wow, I had no idea that Mika had such awesome plays! And she even took against those annoying Naturias"

"Don't you have a lot of those monsters yourself, Leo?"

Leo nodded as he recalled the amount of Naturia cards that he got from previous boosters he bought. Yuya smiled warmly as he looked at those two being so cheerful.

"Maybe Luna already got over it"

"She is, and believe me that you'll have a run for your money if she locks you out of cards"

Yuya said as he got closer to the twins. Leo's eyes sparkled at the vision of him going against a skillful duelist like Mika and, of course, defeating her and then going against Jack himself while Luna… puffed her cheeks as she avoided Yuya's sight. Yuya sweatdropped at her.

"Alright, she hasn't gotten over it"

Luna must've been quite annoyed by his decision to stay inside. Maybe she would forgive him if they go for a treat? No, if he learned something from his mother Yoko was not to get swayed and stay firm in your decisions.

"Yuya"

Yuya looked at Leo. He appeared to be looking at someone and followed his sight, soon Yuya found himself staring at a raven-haired woman. From what he recalled the woman's name was Hattori, and that's all that he knows about her, well, that and that she'd been stalking him for a good amount of time but of course he would save that for himself.

Inspector Hattori walked over the three duelists that would participate in the Fortune Cup with her gaze fixed on Yuya, her main objective ever since that fateful night. Why would she do that? There had been a report of a beaten up duelist who participated in the tournament and due to the lack of evidence, there was no clue that leads to a responsible. Hattori took the matter on her own hands to track down the attacker. As she spotted Yuya she also took the opportunity to get herself closer to her target.

The trio now looked at the woman in front of them and Luna stood behind Leo, a little intimidated by her appearance. Hattori took the lead.

"Sorry for my intromission. I am part of the security team that keeps the Fortune Cup in order if it's not much to ask I would like to talk with you, Mr. Sakaki"

Inspector Hattori was a woman that made sure to make things short, if she could then she'd cut the talk and go straight to business. Yuya thought about it for a second and looked at the twins.

"I'll be out for just a minute, wait here"

He said reassuring both kids, Leo nodded while Luna slowly did the same. Yuya went with the inspector, he didn't know what she wanted but he better not make a cop angry, especially one that was a higher up.

Leo and Luna stood there watching the screen of the waiting area as the announcement of the next duel appeared. They both were reminded that the next match was between them. They both looked at each other.

"Let's make this a good duel"

Luna smiled at her brother, to think that he had grown so much it almost was as if it wasn't' his blood-related twin…

"You still have to tell him"

Leo's mood was brought down by Luna's words.

"Oh come on that's not fair! At least wait until after our duel"

Leo said as he looked down at his feet. Was it really necessary to remind him of a mistake that happened a day ago?

"A foggy mind won't make a good decision"

Luna said in a fake old man's voice as she told her quote. Leo giggled, she was always more serious than him that he almost forgot that she was a kid.

"Where did you get that from, the envelope of your 3rd ice cream?"

They both laughed at Leo's words, a laugh that soon died as Luna got a bit more serious.

"I'm serious Leo, you need to tell Yuya about what you did, it'll take the weight down your shoulders"

Luna was right, he could stop feeling guilty about it if he just told him the truth but could she blame him? It was hard to do so, he needed time and he'll eventually tell Yuya that he almost got himself killed…

"That sounded better on my head"

They both stared at the screen of the room as the first call echoed through the walls of the stadium. The second duel of the Fortune Cup had ended and now was the turn for the two signers to go against each other.

All right, here is a new chapter, not a lot of things to say this time only that I choose to 'renew' some of the chapters that I have done before, why? the answer's simple, they are hard to read and I don't feel at ease knowing that I have a badly written chapter on this fic... alright, see you on the next chapter.