"Gyaaaaa….. So tired…."

Akiko sighed in exhaustion as she finally managed to pull her luggage up the stairs to the second floor catwalk of the small dormitory. Collapsing against the railing, she wiped her forehead, allowing the cool late August air to chill her skin.

"Maybe trying to beat the crowd wasn't such a good idea….." Akiko mumbled to herself, wondering if she should have just went to the welcoming committee instead of trying to bring her belongings directly to the dorms so that she would not have to lug them around all day. At least, even if there was congestion later, she could have gotten some help lugging her suitcase, containing all her essentials from clothes and toiletries to her entire computer setup, screens, her obscene amounts of stuffed toys and of course, her brand-new academy duel disk and her cards. It was a small wonder that her luggage had not burst open yet.

After resting a little, she finally regained enough energy to pull herself to her feet before proceeding down the catwalk with her luggage in tow, checking what her room number was on her school-issued PDA, that doubled as her school ID.

"208…. Hmmm, 204, 205, 206….. There we go! 208!" She came to a stop at a room about three quarters down the hallway, rejoicing as her arduous journey was about to end. She reached into the pocket of her skirt before freezing up as she realized it was empty.

"Wait, where are my keys?" She frantically searched every pocket of the white skirt she wore and the scarlet sleeveless jacket that were her school uniform. However, every one of them turned up empty.

"Oh no, you've got to be kidding me! I forgot my keys?! Wait, did I even get my keys?!" Akiko flew into a full blown panic as she realized that she'd made her way all the across half the island to get to her dorm on the edge of a cliff just to be locked out of her own room. She stared deadpan at the door, feeling her soul leave her body through her mouth.

"Uwa….."

"Hngh, Gah! Geez, what are with these stairs?" Akiko turned her deadpan stare to the source of the voiced before her eyes widened and her soul was shocked back into her body at the sight of long impossibly white hair, the color of the heart of winter, glistening in the sunlight. She found the body that it was attached to catching her breath in the same position she had been in earlier. Akiko's heart skipped a beat, even though she was staring at another girl, as her beauty seemed to be unearthly in nature. However, even more so, there was no way she could ever forget that face or her hair.

"Lulu?"

Lucy froze up upon hearing her childhood nickname, clearly caught off guard as she turned to look at the one who had called out to her, her mouth gaping in disbelief as she recognized the face.

"A-Aki?!"

"You're Lulu right? I'm not hallucinating from exhaustion and despair am I? You're really Lucy right?!" As Akiko spoke her words, she quickly advanced on the other, shorter girl before she could react.

"Wha- wait!" But it was too late as Akiko jumped into her chest, causing her to painfully fall backwards onto her butt with a short scream.

"Owwwieeee….." Lucy then lit up like a tomato as she realized that Akiko was drooling sillily as she rubbed her cheek into Lucy's chest.

"Aki! What are you doing?!"

"Ahhhhh…"

"Stop that!"

"What's the problem, we're both girls~~ hehehe~~ "

"That's not the point! Kyaaa!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Eh hehehe, sorry, I just got really excited when I saw you again." Akiko rubbed the large bruise on her head sheepishly, courtesy of Lucy's fist.

Said girl was crossly tidying her similarly red uniform with her cheeks matching it in color.

"Geez... You're just the same as I remember…"

"Eh hehehe..."

Lucy looked at her oldest and only friend, astounded at how she had not changed a bit since they last saw each other. Her on the other hand….

It was then that it finally occurred to her why she had been so surprised to see Akiko way out there in the first place.

"Aki, why are you wearing red?"

Akiko seemed surprised, as though she'd just been asked why the sky was blue.

"Isn't this the school uniform?"

Lucy's jaw dropped as she finally realized that Akiko did not have a clue how the color coding worked, even more amazed that Akiko had not noticed that students were wearing different colors.

"Harh?! You're joking right?!" Akiko simply gave her a confused tilt of the head. Lucy sighed as she resigned herself to explaining everything that had already been explained in the pre-enrollment briefing to her air-headed friend.

"The colors are a code for what dorm you're from. Blue is for Obelisk, the elite of the elite, Yellow is for Ra, the middle class who are either decent or talented but lacked connections to go directly to Obelisk. And then there are the Reds…" Akiko's eyes lit up as a realization dawned on her.

"Ahhh! That's why there were different colored uniforms! I thought it had to do with your year ah hahahahaha, so Reds are us right?"

"Well, I'm a Slifer Red, yes, and we're pretty much the bottom of the barrel. But there's absolutely no reason why you should be in Slifer! Slifer doesn't even have accommodations for girls! Girls should usually be in Ra at least! Plus, you even defeated Professor Larkheart in a publicly shown duel, so why on earth are you here?!" Akiko did not seem to understand the question.

"Ha….. So what's the problem?" Lucy simply facepalmed, realizing it was her own fault for expecting something like common sense from the happy-go-lucky girl.

"What's your room number? I'll sort it out with the Dorm Manager. There's no way they could let a girl like you bunk with a bunch of boys."

"Ehhhhh, then what about you? You're a girl too."

Lucy stopped short, a lump forming in her throat before she forcibly swallowed it back down. Akiko gave a small tilt of her head as she noticed the slight change in demeanor from her old friend.

"I'm a- urm… Special case….." Akiko thought to ask more but decided against it, as Lucy clearly was not willing to divulge more information.

"Well I'm in room 208."

"208… Wait, that's my room!"

"Really?! Doesn't that mean we're roommates?!"

Lucy watched Akiko light up like a christmas tree and was embarrassed to admit that the thought of rooming with the friend she'd missed so much was a very tempting prospect. However, she'd read that Slifer only had a public bath for their students and each room housed up to 3 students. So she still would make sure to speak with the manager to have Akiko's dorm changed, not wanting her only friend to suffer the same circumstance as her if she did not need to. She did not know why Akiko was placed in Slifer in the first place, a clerical error perhaps. However, unlike Lucy, there was no reason for her to be placed in Slifer. However, for now, she decided to play along with Akiko's enthusiasm.

"*Sigh* What am I going to do with you…. Alright, let's go. Which reminds me, why haven't you gone into the room yet?"

"Ah." Akiko froze up, drawing a raised eyebrow from Lucy.

"I errr… Don't have my key…"

"What? But you're holding your PDA."

"Eh?" Akiko blinked, much to Lucy's exasperation.

"I should have known…. Come on…"

Lucy brought her luggage along to the door that Akiko's was set next to, before hovering her PDA over the door handle. Both girls heard a click after a second before Lucy pressed on the handle and opened the door, much to Akiko's amazement.

"Eh?! Is that magic?! Lucy-Chan, did you disappear all these years to become a wizard?!" Lucy simply gave an unamused face.

"What are you talking about? All the Dorm locks are electronic, they'll only unlock to your PDA ID."

"Eh?! So there's no key?! So I didn't get a key after all?!"

"Do you see a keyhole…" Akiko stared at the door handle, finally realizing that there was no slot for keys.

"All the locks have backup batteries on them, so they won't fail even if there's a power outage." Lucy ignored Akiko's "I just saw something amazing" face as she pulled her luggage into the room.

Lucy was pleasantly surprised when she found that the room was bigger than the pictures of Slifer dorms that she'd seen, even having a door on the side that led to a private, albeit somewhat basic, bathroom.

"Ehhhh… This doesn't look as bad as I thought."

The beds were still bunk beds but instead of the usual triple deck, theirs was only a double deck and the pillows, mattresses and blankets looked far more comfortable than what she'd expected. Lucy gave a small smile as she set her luggage aside, making room for an ecstatic Akiko who was busy exploring every inch of the room with childish excitement, before plopping herself down on the bottom bed.

"Gaaahhhh, so comfortable~~~~"

Lucy found a handwritten note on the moderately sized desk, picking it up before reading it out loud.

"Dear Hakuryuu-San and Akihiro-San,

Congratulations on being accepted into Duel Academy as well as being the first two female residents of Slifer Red. I will admit that this unorthodox arrangement shocked me at first, as we did not have the facilities to appropriately house female students. I had brought it up to the board, requesting that you be transferred to Ra Yellow instead, but alas, my request was turned down. However, an executive order from the Chairman himself allocated a budget to renovate the dorms to combine two rooms into one and implementing a private bathroom to better accommodate you both. I do hope the arrangements are to your satisfaction. Our welcome dinner will be at 7pm tonight, and you are both allowed to explore the school at your leisure until then but do steer clear of Off-Limits areas as well as the Obelisk dorms as they are quite particular of their privacy.

Warm Regards, Tachikawa Jun, Slifer Red Dormitory Manager."

"Ehhh, so they made this room just so we could live here? That's so cool!"

"Guess so."

"I can't wait to meet everyone! This is going to be so much fun!"

Lucy smiled slightly at her friend's excitement.

"I wish I had half your positivity, Aki….."

"Whatchu say?"

"Ah-er- nothing… Hey, dinner's only gonna be at 7, you wanna go explore?"

Akiko sat up with a sly smirk on her face.

"Ehhhh, you're not gonna start crying your eyes out if we get lost again are you?"

Akiko's tone was cheeky as Lucy completely flushed.

"Gah- That's- That was 5 years ago, Baka! And it was your fault we got lost in the first place!"

"Eeeehh, was it? I seem to remember it was because you were chasing down that guy in the big bear costume..."

Impossibly, Lucy seemed to turn even redder.

"Sh-shush! You're remembering it wrong, Baka Aki!"

Lucy spun around with her arms folded, making an adorable "Hmph" sound. Akiko smiled smugly as she had a feeling that was not the case. She then got up before catching Lucy off guard with a large hug from behind.

"Eh, Aki?!"

"Waaaaahh, I missed your soft hair so much~~~ You moved so suddenly we didn't even get to say goodbye."

Lucy blushed slightly as she felt Akiko's cheek nuzzle into her hair, simultaneously feeling the pang of guilt as she remembered how she had been quickly whisked away by her father after her mother's death, leaving no time for her to say goodbye to her best friend. Lucy was struck by just how lonely she'd been the past few years. Her sentiment was abruptly cut short as she felt slender fingers close on the very modest volume of her chest.

"Though it'd be nice if there was something soft to squeeze here too~~~ Are you sure you've been eating properly~~~"

Lucy felt a volcano erupting in her cheeks.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

About 20 minutes later

The pair of Slifer Red girls walked down the path leading to the main school building, the one on the right with her arms folded and scarlet cheeks puffed up in anger while the other gently nursed the large bruise on her head.

"Ow, ow, ow... Are you still mad at me, Lulu-Chan?"

"What do you think?!"

"Geez, you're still as violent as ever…" Lucy's cheeks impossibly lit up even brighter than they already were.

"Shut up, Baka Aki!"

It was then that the two noticed a boy in a Ra yellow jacket excitedly gesturing to another pair, a girl in a Ra yellow uniform and a boy in Slifer red, before running off towards the main school building.

"Come on! We're gonna miss the duel!"

The excited voices of multiple groups of students could be heard and the two girls shared a look.

"Shall we…"

"Oh yeah!"

The two grinned like little children before running off to join the crowd.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Cyber-Twin Dragon(ATK:2800 DEF:2100), make your second attack and destroy Stardust Charge Warrior!"

Two beams of light cut through the air, completely bisecting the mechanical warrior before it exploded into fragments, the shockwave assaulting its master, blowing at her white sleeveless top rimmed in blue and sapphire skirt of the same shade, her long auburn hair flying in the simulated wind.

Charlotte- 2400

Sherman- 3200

Charlotte barely noticed the large cheering crowd that had gathered in the stands to watch their duel, her attention far more preoccupied by the twin-headed mechanical serpent lined with glowing lights, a dangerous glow in both its jaws. A single bead of sweat fell from her forehead as she smiled nervously. On the other side of the field was the dark-haired boy, clad in a full coat, the same color as her skirt, with his arms crossed impassively.

"Not bad, Sherman."

"I'll take that compliment, thank you. I set two cards and end my turn."

Discussion among the crowd reached a fever pitch as the duel took a turn. The many spectators had been shocked when Charlotte pulled out the newly invented summoning method of synchro on her 2nd turn, destroying Sherman's first monster. However, Sherman had remained unphased, completely countering the next turn with good old fashion fusion.

"Even with Synchro, this was never going to be easy, heh. As expected of my rival."

"Please, you and I both know this is far from what you're truly capable of."

Charlotte gave a smirk as her turn began and she drew her card.

"Guess I can't afford not to be serious. Since I control no monsters, I special summon Wind Witch Ice Bell (ATK:1000 DEF:1000) in defense mode!"

The field glowed before a cute witch with dark blue hair riding on a rose shaped staff materialized and winked at the audience.

"With Ice Bell's effect, I special summon Wind Witch Glass Bell (ATK:1500 DEF:1500) from my deck!"

Another witch with shorter, cyan hair and riding a bell shaped staff materialized next to the first witch.

"Moreover, with Ice Bell's effect, you take 500 damage to your life points!"

Charlotte- 2400

Sherman- 2700

"Now, with Glass Bell's effect, I add Wind Witch Snow Bell from my deck to my hand. And finally, because I control 2 wind monsters and nothing else, I special summon Wind Witch Snow Bell ( ATK-100 DEF-100)!"

An ornate white ball with wings and a crown atop a jewel sitting on top of it appeared on the field. The audience was left puzzled as while the move had been flashy, none of the monsters summoned could stand up to the might of 2800 ATK. However, Sherman knew better and smiled slightly.

"Here it comes."

"I tune Glass Bell and Ice Bell together to Synchro Summon Wind Witch Winter Bell (ATK:2400, DEF:2000)."

A gust of snow enveloped both Glass Bell and Ice Bell, building up into a full on tempest as green glowing rings surrounded it like a pillar before exploding into white powder ,revealing something of a cross between a ball and a jet plane took the stage, gaining cheers from the crowd.

"I activate Winter Bell's effect and target Glass Bell in my graveyard, allowing me to do damage to your lifepoints equal to her level multiplied by 200! That's 800 straight to your lifepoints!"

Charlotte- 2400

Sherman- 1900

The crowd exploded as Charlotte suddenly took the lead from quite a substantial disadvantage, all within a single turn. Yet, the threat of Cyber Twin Dragon had yet to be dealt with and it remained a force to be reckoned with. However, one would be a fool to believe Charlotte was finished.

"And now, the grand finale, I tune Snow Bell with Winter Bell, to synchro summon Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon(ATK:3000, DEF:2500)!"

A large armored dragon, with clear crystals for legs and wings stormed the field, causing hurricane gale winds to manifest from the Hologram's effect replicator. Now it was Sherman's turn to sweat as a massive threat appeared before him and his smile turned nervous.

"When Crystal Wing battles a level 5 or higher monster, it adds that monster's ATK to its own!"

"But that means-"

" That's right, let's end this!"

But Sherman was not about to give up. Before Charlotte could declare her attack, he made his move.

""I activate my magic card, De-Fusion! I split Cyber Twin Dragon back into 2 Cyber Dragons in defense mode!

Cyber Twin Dragon split into two seperate serpentine machines, both with 2100 ATK and 1600 DEF.

"Next, the trap card, Attack Reflector Unit! By tributing one of my Cyber Dragons, I special summon Cyber Barrier Dragon (ATK-800, DEF:2800) in Attack mode!"

One of the Cyber Dragons evolved into a similarly shaped machine, but with a thick metal ring around its neck.

"Attack mode?" The crowd were purplexed by the seemingly suicidal move. However, any duelist worth their salt knew that effects were the name of the game.

"While Cyber Barrier is in Attack mode, I can negate one of your attacks, once per turn!"

However, Charlotte simply smirked.

"That's too bad, Crystal Wing's other effect activates. Once per turn, when an opponent's monster activates its effect, I can negate its effect, as well as destroy that monster. Moreover, Crystal Wing gains ATK equal to that of your dragon for the rest of the turn. So long, Cyber Barrier Dragon~~~"

Sherman's expression turned to one of shock, as Crystal Wings' wings began to glow in a white light, before deadly beams assaulted his monster and destroyed it, causing the shockwave to hit him while he braced himself.

Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 3800 DEF:2500)

"Now Crystal Wing, destroy Cyber Dragon!"

Crystal Wing reared back as a glowed charged within its maw before it released a brilliant beam, completely engulfing Cyber Dragon and vaporizing it, leaving Sherman's field wide open.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I can't believe he survived that turn, I thought it was over for sure!"

"Yeah, but now his field is empty and he only has 2 cards left in his hand."

Lucy and Akiko's eyes shot back and forth between the two extremely skilled duelists. Only three turns had passed and yet the battle already seemed of epic proportions. This was the first time either of them had seen Synchro summoning in action, owing to the fact that the new summoning methods were still fresh and only a few had managed to successfully adopt them so far.

Akiko's eyes were glowing as she cheered for both the duelists while Lucy behaved more reserved, carefully studying each of their moves. There was no question that they both deserved their spots in Obelisk. In fact, she'd wager they were among the tops in the entire school, regardless of year. She carefully watched the Cyber Dragon user, eagerly anticipating his next action.

"Now then, what will you do in this situation."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Draw!"

Sherman eyed the card he drew and immediately drew up a combo in his head to turn the situation around.

"I discard Cyber Dragon Core, to special summon Cyber Dragon Nachster (ATK: 200 DEF:200)"

A winged metallic serpent that looked more alien than machine appeared.

"Next, with Nachster's effect, its name becomes Cyber Dragon while on the field! However, that's not all. When Nachster is normal or special summoned, I can special summon a machine monster with 2100 ATK or less from my grave, and I choose Cyber Dragon!"

"I won't let you! Crystal Wing's effect activates! I negate Cyber Dragon Nachster's effect and it destroyed! Finally, its ATK is added to Crystal Wing's"

Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 3200 DEF:2500)

However, Sherman would not be deterred.

"No matter! That's Crystal Wing's effect out of the way for this turn!"

"What?!"

Charlotte looked flabbergasted as she realized she had just been baited.

"I activate the spell card, Cyber Revsystem! With this, I get to summon a Cyber Dragon from my graveyard, and it cannot be destroyed by card effects! Moreover, it's not just the field where Nachster's name becomes Cyber Dragon. I special summon it back to the field, and with its effect, I bring along Cyber Dragon with him!"

Both dragons reappeared on the field, yet none could pose a threat to the powerful monster in Charlotte's control.

For now at least.

"Now I summon Cyber Dragon Drei (ATK:1800 DEF:800) in ATK mode!"

A mechanical cross between a snake and a hammerhead took to the field.

"While on the field, Drei's name is treated as Cyber Dragon as well, moreover when it is summoned, all Cyber Dragons on my field are now level 5!"

The two Slifer girls in the spectators blinked in confusion, wondering what that would do. However, Charlotte knew what was coming and smirked, feeling honored that her opponent had decided to go all out and unveil his own new summoning method.

"Overlay! By overlaying Cyber Dragon and Cyber Dragon Nachster, I XYZ summon Cyber Dragon Nova(ATK:2100 DEF:1600)!"

The two monsters overlayed with one another, in a manner not unlike fusion or synchro. However, in this case, it seemed like they were on top of one another instead, producing a new form.

A new dragon took their place, majestically slithering out of the summoning, its form awing everyone in the room. It appeared similar to Cyber Dragon but now it had a pair of mechanical wings and its entire body was lined in a red glow, permeating from within its obsidian shell and silver belly.

"I activate Nova's effect, and by removing one material, I special summon a second Cyber Dragon to my field. And now, for its other effect. By banishing Cyber Dragon Drei from by field, Cyber Dragon Nova gains 2100 ATK!"

Cyber Dragon Nova(ATK:4200 DEF:1600)

In terms of raw power, the tables had turned completely, but there was still Crystal Wing's battle effect to contend with, so while Charlotte was impressed by his combo, she still held the upper hand. Or so she thought.

"Your monster is definitely far stronger than mine now, but haven't you forgotten? Crystal Wing's gains ATK equal to the level 5 and above monster it battles."

Sherman only chuckled.

"I remember. Too bad XYZ monsters don't have levels."

Charlotte's expression turned shock before panic as she realized her folly. The entire audience gasped in shock as well.

"But with both Cyber Dragon Nova on the field and Cyber Dragon, that means…."

It dawned on the crowd that the match was about to be over.

"Cyber Dragon Nova, atta-"

"What's all this commotion about?!"

Sherman's command was interrupted as an authoritative voice rang out in the arena.

All heads turned to the source of the voice, Professor Larkheart who had just entered the arena, and was looking rather displeased.

"The use of the arena has not been authorized by the school, what do you think you're doing?"

Both Charlotte and Sherman looked as though they had been slapped. Clearly, neither of them had bothered reading the rulebook within their PDAs.

"Ah, authorized? We didn't realize…."

The duel cancelled itself as both players deactivated their duel disks, causing the monsters to disappear and the crowd to grumble in disappointment.

"Aww man, why'd you have to ruin it, Teach? It was just getting good!"

Larkheart sighed as the students protested.

"Every year, the same thing. Why do we even bother having a rule book. Alright, everyone clear out. If I see anyone still here after 5 minutes, it's detention for the whole first semester."

"Oh look at the time! We should really get ready for the welcome dinner! Come on Sherman!"

At the mention of detention, Charlotte suddenly perked up in a far too cheerful voice before grabbing Sherman and dashing out of the arena, leaving the other students to clear out as well, including a not so inconspicuous pair of Slifer Red girls.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

7PM Same Day

The welcome dinner for Slifer Red was modest but had a rather homely and campy feeling to it. While the Red dorms could be lacking in facilities, no one could argue that the students were lacking in camaraderie. Every student in red jacket laughed and socialized in a manner that gave the whole affair the feel of a regular school camp. All in all, it was not all that bad.

Those were the thoughts of the new first years joining the Red family, though at the moment, most eyes were falling on the only two girls in the dining room. Both were pretty in their own right, the one with short brown hair and red eyes had a tomboyish and upbeat charm to her. This was only emphasized with the way she wore only a black tank top with the newly made Slifer Red female sleeveless jacket and white skirt. However, even she was overshadowed by the incredibly conspicuous girl with long straight hair like snow and eyes of pure ice. The girl's features were near fairy like and they contrasted greatly with the Slifer Red uniform. Everyone in the room thought she would look breathtaking in the Obelisk girls' uniform. She wore her uniform similarly to her friend next to her, but had chosen a white blouse to wear under the unbuttoned jacket instead. She had also chosen to wear a pair of white leg warmers over her school boots. Further contrasting from her appearance, was the manner she had piled her plate sky high and was burning through her food like a furnace while the other girl grinned sheepishly at her. The audience she had unknowingly gathered did not quite know how to feel about the sight they were witnessing.

"Geez, you're just as gluttonous as before, Lulu. Actually, I think you eat even more now."

"Shush, Aki! I can't help that I'm a bottomless pit!"

Lucy blushed indignantly but still continued with her food, savoring the taste of freshly fried tempura. The food served was rather commonplace in family restaurants or small establishments, but Lucy always had a fondness for simple fare. Meals usually came in the form of sets, usually having a main dish, such as tempura or grilled salmon, along with a few side dishes like pickles or fruit in addition to a bowl of rice and a bowl of miso soup. However, for the purpose of the welcoming dinner, the kitchen had set up a buffet instead, and the gluttonous girl was definitely not going to pass up the chance to satisfy her hunger.

The room's attention shifted when the sound of a spoon clashing with a glass cup. Everyone turned to look at the Dorm Manager, Tachikawa Jun, calling for attention. He was a kindly middle-aged man, with kind eyes under a pair of spectacles in addition to scruffy hair and stubble.

"A very good evening to all of you! I hope all of you are enjoying the effort the kitchen put into this meal!"

Cheers resounded throughout the dining room, an especially loud "whoop" coming from Lucy who looked on cloud nine after enjoying the food.

"Now then, we will now proceed with the annual tradition of having each of our freshmen come up and introduce yourself to the rest of our family."

As to be expected from any such ice breaking endeavor, there were mixed feelings, some feeling excited and others nervous or shy. In a perfect example of the contrast, Akiko was practically rearing to share about herself, whereas Lucy's face had turned ghastly at the prospect, actually dropping the fried shrimp in her chopsticks.

"Now now, no need to share your deepest darkest secrets, though if you'd like to share the dirty details, by all means!"

The students laughed at his joke.

"Just your name, the kind of deck you play and a hobby or two will do! To get the ball rolling, I'll start! My name is Professor Jun Tachikawa, the Dorm Manager of Slifer Red and the teacher in charge of Monster Effect Theory. I've begun experimenting with newer cards, and currently, I'm playing an X-Saber deck. As for hobbies, hmm, I supposed when I'm not preparing lesson plans, I do enjoy a good nap."

Once again, his laid back attitude earned numerous laughs and chuckles from his students. Many of them privy to the fact that Jun was often found napping around the school grounds, usually having been in the middle of doing something else. The ball was passed from freshman to freshman, until eventually it reached the quiet boy sitting next to Akiko. The boy had a weak presence, different from Lucy's. While she lacked confidence, her appearance and her relaxed behavior around her friend made her stand out even though she was trying not to. However, this boy seemed to blend perfectly into the background. He had jet black hair, long for a boy, falling to his chin and a curved ahoge sticking out on top. He wore a white hoodie under the Slifer jacket along with the standard pants. He nonchalantly stood up, and gave a non-committal smile to his cohorts.

"Rei Aikawa. I play… Well, I guess you could call it a plant deck. Back on the mainland, I frequented arcades pretty often…. I guess… Pleasure to meet all of you. (A non-commital "yoroshiku") " With that, he returned to his seat and sat back down, causing many of the other students to share a look but the two girls, even Lucy, had perked up upon hearing they had found a fellow arcade enthusiast.

Finally, it was Akiko's turn and the outgoing girl shot to her feet like a bullet and was at the front of the room before anyone could react.

"Hi hi! Akihiro Akiko desu~~~ I play the absolute coolest deck of all, Heroes!"

That gained many laughs and a few cheers from the crowd, causing Akiko to wink at them.

"Right?! I mean, Heroes just swoop in from out of nowhere and save the day! I aspire to be just like them one day!"

She followed this up with a fist to her chest while she stuck it out in what she would describe as a heroic pose.

"Eto, my nickname is Aki, but actually, only Lulu calls me that. Ah! Lulu is the adorable Lucy-Chan sitting all the back there by the way!"

Akiko prattled on, ignoring Lucy's frantic gestures for her to cease her shenanigans immediately, finally burying her face into the table in embarrassment. Someone was definitely heading to bed with a colossal bruise on her head. The crowd on the other hand cheered, with many calling her "Lulu-Chan".

"Eh he he he he, wow, everyone is so friendly! Red Dorm must be the best Dorm in the school!"

That shocked everyone and normally, no one would have the audacity to agree, but everyone seemed to be caught up in her infectious energy and simply cheered.

"Slifer Red for life!"

"As for hobbies, I enjoy exercising, volleyball, video games and of course, DUELLING!"

The crowd went wild and even Professor Jun had joined in.

"Yoroshiku ne!"

Akiko took a dramatic bow before skipping happily back to her seat, prompting Lucy to finally show her deadpan face.

Akiko wrapped her arms around Lucy, cheering her own before sitting back down, allowing Lucy to sigh deeply with resignation and meekly made her way to the front. Despite all efforts to downplay her presence, they only seemed to have the opposite effect, with more than half the room eyeing her with blushes. It was obvious that a number of the students had already developed crushes on her. When she finally reached the front, she took a deep breath and began her introduction.

"Urm, hello…. My name is er… My name is Lucy. I'm half japanese, hence my name…."

"Hello Lulu-Chan!"

"PLEASE DONT CALL ME THAT!"

Lucy's voice was uncharacteristically loud and her cheeks were bright pink. After composing herself, she continued, but her outburst seemed to have shaken off some of her nervousness, causing her to seem ever so slightly more relaxed.

"Ahem, a-anyway, I play a err… Light deck? For hobbies, like the two before me, I guess I enjoy arcade games quite a fair bit."

"It's true! She was Domino City's DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) Champion 3 years ago!"

"SHUT UP, BAKA AKI!"

Needless to say, the crowd was savoring the gap moe between Lucy's usual demeanor and her reactions to Akiko.

"But it's something to be proud of! I remember you were so happy the day you took the high score, we went to that one restaurant and you made the owner cry because of how much yo-"

Lucy was across the room faster than a jet and her hand clamped firmly over Akiko's mouth while she laughed nervously.

"Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu! (Nice to meet you and please take good care of me!)"

With that, she dragged a muffled Akiko who was still trying to speak through Lucy's hand out of the dining room and upstairs before everyone heard a door slam. However, the thin walls of the Slifer dorm did nothing to mask the sounds that followed.

"Why did you drag us back to the room?! We haven't finished dinn- AH, AH, AH, THAT HURTS, THAT HURTS A LOT LULU-CHAN, AH, AH, PLEASE HAVE MERCY LUCY-SAMA!"

The details of this encounter was left to the imagination of the rest of the Red Dorm.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

2 hours later

Lucy stepped out of the bathroom with her towel around her neck while brushing her blow dried hair. Akiko was still whimpering on her bed and nursing her injuries from being obliterated by Lucy's retribution.

"Oi, I'm done, your turn."

"That's mean ("Hidoiii"), Lulu, how can you act like nothing happened after what you did to me… I'll never look at a hair brush the same way again…."

"Good. Maybe that'll teach you to blab about everything." Lucy plopped down on her bottom bunk and set the brush on her night stand, satisfied that her hair was now soft and silky. Akiko peeked her head over her top bunk and looked down at her roommate and reunited best friend.

"I'm surprised though, you were always the more confident of the two of us. I was shocked at how shy you are now. Though I guess 3 years is a long time, he he he."

Lucy sighed and stared off into nothing.

"It sure iis…."

"But this shy and girly Lucy is really cute too!"

"Oh shut up."

However, this time Lucy's reply was non-committal and she could not help herself from smiling. Only a day since she'd been reunited with the closest friend she ever had and even she could not deny that the ice she had frozen her heart was beginning to melt. She almost felt like she could feel a glimmer of her former self.

"Go take a shower, Aki, we've been running around all day and if you shower too late, you'll catch a cold."

"Haiiiiiii, I like this onee-chan side of you too hehe."

With that, Akiko dropped down from her bed and headed into the bathroom while Lucy lay back on her pillow, hugging the plush puppy she had brought with her. She found herself unable to prevent the small laugh that followed.

"Maybe Duel Academy won't be tooooo bad after all."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Author's note: Just a heads up, I will alter certain cards to make them stronger and will keep a change log to keep track of them at the end of each chapter. This is because I feel that some cards are needlessly underpowered, especially when they have stronger counterparts. Also, my primary objective in alterations is for the cards to make duels more exciting, so for the first change, I will just make Cards of Sanctity follow the anime rules! Also, I've decided to give each character a voice actor (Japanese of course) as well as the the voice they do that's closest to the character, so that you have a better idea of how they sound like!

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Character Profile: Charlotte Roux

Age: 15

Birthday: March 23rd

Gender: Female

Deck: Wind Witch/Stardust/Synchro (Wind Witch is ridic with how optimized it is for many different Synchro decks tbh)

Personality: Charlotte is a rather playful and whimsical girl, rarely ever taking anything seriously. She is rather carefree and usually acts purely on her whims and interests. She is very curious by nature and enjoys learning new things and finding new things to interest her. However, she has trouble holding an interest for long. She and Sherman grew up together and have known each other for almost 10 years. She also enjoys teasing others and playing pranks on others, having a very broad sense of humor.

Hobbies: Piano, Painting, Playing Pranks, Reading

Favorite Food: Crepes

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Voice Cast:

Akihiro Akiko: Tomatsu Haruka (Shinomiya Rina from Digimon)

Hakuryuu Lucy: Koshimizu Ami (Morgana from House in Fata Morgana)

Charlotte Roux: Hanazawa Kana (Mifune Yuriko from Kotoura-San)

Sherman Bowers: Natsuki Hanae (Arima Kousei from Your Lie in April)

Hakuryuu Riko: Okamoto Nobuhiko (Bete Loga from Danmachi/Bakugou from Boku no Hero)

William Larkhart: Suwabe Junuichi (Archer/EMIYA from Fate Stay Night)

Yamiya Kuroki: Kamiya Hiroki (Levi from Attack on Titan)

Aikawa Rei: Murase Ayumu (Allen Walker from D Gray Man Hallow)

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Card Changelog:

Cards of Sanctity: Use anime ruling instead of TCG ruling