Hello Duelists! My name is Knightmare, and this is my Fic. For those who don't know, I actually love the Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise, and own many cards and made a few decks.
Hopefully This story will only have two OC's, but GX was the best story for me to insert them without affecting the story too much. However this means there will be no new rules or summoning methods after GX. (Which is hard to remember when I write sometimes XD) I hope you all enjoy it!

"Duel"- talking

'Duel'- thinking

"Duel" – Duel Spirit talking

*** POV change

- Time break in same POV

Nighttime in Domino City. Most people would be in their homes, getting ready for the next day. Only a few people roam the city streets.

In an alleyway, away from the lights of the streets, a Duel was taking place. Or at least, about to end.

"You're weak," a cloaked figure said to his weakened opponent. "You were not worth my last duel. But no matter, it ends here. Cosmo Queen end this duel. Attack the Player directly!"

The monster obeyed the figure's command and blasted a sphere of cosmic energy at the opposing player. The attack not only defeated the player but rendered them unconscious.

"Pathetic," The cloaked figure said as the holograms disappeared. The figure removed his cards from the Battle City Duel Disk he wore and removed the device from his arm. Pulling out a marker, the figure wrote the letters 'KM' on the Disk. "Now all will know me and fear the name: Knightmare."

Dropping the disk, Knightmare left the alley, knowing the disk would delete any data on it. He would not need it anymore. That night was the end, but a new day would soon arrive. ***

-The Next Morning-

A young man of 15 awoke to a blaring alarm and bright sunlight. Smacking the alarm off, the boy begrudgingly got out of bed. Even without the alarm, he would not have slept in. He got up and went to shower, for today was a big day.

After washing up, the boy inspected himself in the mirror. His silver eyes showed no red, meaning he got a good amount of sleep. He ran a hang through his raven hair, noticing how long it has gotten. It was long enough for him to tie it into a small ponytail, which he didn't mind.

Overall, he was a healthy young man. His skin was not pale. His muscles were defined but not bulky.

"Luke, you'll be late," a voice from behind him called.

The boy, Luke, turned to look at his Duel Spirit partner. It was his favorite card, the Black Luster Soldier. It has been his favorite monster since he was young. It also was the focus for his Dueling Deck.

"I'll be fine, I have plenty of time." Luke said, "Besides, today is important. There is no way I'd be late."

"Even after your last late-night duel?" Soldier asked.

"I got back at a decent time." Luke told his Spirit as he packed a few items.

Luke made sure to pack extra clothes, his card case, and his Battle City Duel Disk. Today was the final exam day for the entrance test to Duel Academy. Luke knew he barely passed the Written test, but was confident, nonetheless. His deck would help him out.

Luke put on his old high school uniform and strapped on his belt pouch. His, unlike most, had two pouches. One kept his main deck with its side cards. The other was for a secret deck, one he never hoped had to use. But he never went anywhere without it.

Luke grabbed the backpack filled with his items and headed to his apartment's door. He took one last look around, because no matter what happened, this would be his las day here. Luke exited the apartment and closed and locked the door. He put the key under a mat, like he told his parent he would, and left. Today would change the rest of his life. ***

"Today is the day!" a young woman said excitedly.

15-year-old Sierra looked at herself in her full-length mirror. Her red tipped, blonde hair waved as she twirled. Her sky-blue eyes sparkled as she examined her life.

Sierra was in the standard Obelisk Blue girls' uniform. After attending Duel Prep and being accepted into Duel Academy, Sierra was overjoyed. She wanted to take the entrance exam but was pardoned due to her transcript. Though she was shy when meeting new people, on the Dueling field she was a ball of fire.

"Today is the entrance exam for the other students." She said happily, "I can't wait to see how strong the others will be."

Sierra hummed a tune as she got her bags and deck belt. She had not received her Duel Disk yet. The students were informed they would be received before they depart for DA Island. Beside that Sierra was overjoyed and ready for anything.

"Someone is happy," her mother said as Sierra sat down. She set some food in front of her hyperactive daughter. "Eat up. Even if you're not Dueling you still need nutrients."

"Yes ma'am." Sierra ate happily. Nothing could ruin her mood for two good reasons: (1) she was about to be enrolled in the best dueling school in the world, and (2) she got to see her closest friend again.

'I wonder how she is?' Sierra though as she finished her meal.

"I'm ready!" Sierra cheered. Her mother chuckled as she jumped out of her seat. The young woman was anxious to go.

"Alright then, lets head to the Exam Hall."

"Yes Ma'am," Sierra said excitedly. Sierra wasn't aware that today would change the rest of her life. ***

"What do you think Jaden?" the inspector asked.

Jaden Yuki was known as a Duelist Detective. Though being only 15, he was called on a lot of dueling-related cases. Due to his contact with the Duel Spirits, he could deal with anything if a Spirit caused it.

Jaden looked at the body once more. The victim was a thug by the looks of things. But his face was paralyzed in fear. Jaden could tell the man was unconscious, and his cards were scattered around his body.

The only other evidence of the crime was a Battle City Duel Disk, with the initials "KM" on it. It was lying near the victim's body. Jaden assumed the culprit left it. By accident or on purpose, is what Jaden wanted to know. But he did know this would be a tough case.

Being 15 did come with a downside though…

Jaden's watch alarm went off, reminding him what time it was. He looked at his watch and freaked out. The entrance exams for Duel Academy were starting. It had slipped his mind since he started the case so early in the morning.

"Sorry Inspector, but I gotta go," Jaden said apologetically, "I forgot about the exams. If you learn anything, please let me know."

With that said, he bolted out the alley and down the street. Though he was on the other side of town, he didn't think to ask for a ride. His adrenaline just made him run.

"Are you sure you'll make it?" His Duel Spirit, Yubel, asked. "You could have just asked for a ride to the exam hall."

"Too late now," Jaden replied, "I just gotta book it. Let 's hope I don't get detention before even getting in the school."

Yubel sighed as she disappeared. She knew Jaden was forgetful and reckless, but she didn't mind. That was just how he was. ***

Luke was staring down some fierce opposition. He made it to the exams early. After sitting through 3 Duels, his name was called. He headed to his assigned Duel Field and waited for the Proctor. When they arrived, the Duel began.

In the first few turns, Luke gained the advantage. He struck his opponent directly twice, but the damage was low. Unfortunately, the Proctor summoned a wall monster with 2600 DEF points.

The Proctor currently had the wall monster and two face down cards. Luke had one face-down card and his Marauding Captain in Defense position. He had switched the mode after the wall monster came into play. The Proctor was down to 1000 LP, while he was at 2600.

Luke looked at his hand. With only four cards, he didn't have enough for his combo. But he did have a plan.

"My turn. I draw." Luke drew his next card. He saw it was the Card of Sanctity. 'Perfect,' He thought.

"Piercing finish, I assume," Black Luster Soldier asked him.

'If I can get the cards I need,' Luke though to his monster.

"First, I play four cards face-down," Luke said as the holograms appeared next his previous face down. "Next, since he is the only card in my hand, I can Normal Summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, without a tribute."

Gaia appeared on the field, his horse whinnying in anticipation. (S.G.F.K ATK: 2300 DEF: 2100)

"Next I activate Card of Sanctity. Allowing both players to draw until we have six cards." Luke drew his hand and grew a mischievous smirk. "Reveal face-down: Mystical Space Typhoon." The magic card triggered a vortex that destroyed one of the Proctor's face-down trap card. "I'll reveal my next face-down Black Luster Ritual. With this card, I Ritual Summon my ace monster. By using the level 4 Big Shield Gardna and the level 4 Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in my hand, I can Ritual Summon my Black Luster Soldier."

The mentioned monster appeared from the Shield that came from the card. (Black Luster Soldier ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500)

"Good strategy," The proctor said, "Ridding my face-down and getting two high-levelled monsters. Only a few duelists have done this successfully."

Luke smirked. "And fewer have been able to finish a duel by relying on that power. I activate my last two face-downs: Lightning Blade and Big Bang Shot, both of which I'll equip to my Black Luster Soldier. Lightning Blade will add 800 ATK to my Soldier, while Big Bang Shot adds another 400 and the ability to deal piercing damage." (B.L.S ATK: 3000 + 800 + 400 = 4200) "Game over. Lightning Saber Slash!"

Black Luster Soldier gripped the lightning infused sword and charged the wall monster. With a downward slash, the monster was cut cleanly in two, causing it to explode. Soldier then pointed the sword at the proctor and let the lightning fly. The resulting shock caused the proctor's Life Points to hit 0.

"Congratulations and welcome to Duel Academy."

Luke smiled as he stowed his cards and exited the arena. Unknown to him a pair of sky-blue eyes were watching in awe. ***

Sierra couldn't believe the last duel. The boy pulled a combo that was almost never seen. Even though he had a lead in Life Points, he did not hold back. On the outside, she was calm and collected. On the inside, she was overjoyed with all the strong Duelists that were applying.

"Someone's anxious. Am I right, Sierra?"

Sierra turned to the new voice, smiling. The voice belonged to her old friend Alexis Rhodes. Though they haven't seen each other for a few years, the two Duelists kept in touch.

Alexis was a young woman of 15 with dark blonde hair and brown eyes. She had the body of a model, which made all the boys want her. Unfortunately for them, she did not want any of them. She was a Duelist first, and she wanted everyone to know it. Her personality shut out all but her close friends, Sierra being one of them.

"Maybe Lex," Sierra said childishly, "All these Duelists are amazing, and we'll be studying in the same place."

"I'm aware," Alexis smiled as she turned to the Arenas below. "Who knows, maybe we'll get to improve our skills against them."

"Don't get too excited girls," a male voice spoke. The voice belonged to the infamous Zane Truesdale, a third-year Obelisk Blue, nicknamed the Kaiser. His long, dark blue hair and green eyes were a sight to the ladies. Sierra could honestly say he was handsome, but not her type.

"What do you think of the crop, Zane?" Alexis asked. "Your brother will be here this year, right?"

"It seems we'll have a good year." Was his answer.

"I keep forgetting how cold you can be Kaiser, "Sierra joked. Around him, Sierra couldn't be shy. Her fire made her want to break his barrier whenever she saw him.

"I only speak my mind," Zane replied.

"Right, whatever you say," Sierra giggled.

Sierra looked around for the raven-haired Duelist again. Once his Duel ended, he seemed to disappear. She was hoping to tell him how amazing his final combo was.

"What's wrong, Sierra?" Alexis asked.

"Oh…nothing." Sierra lied. A lie she knew Alexis saw through. But the other blonde kept quiet.

"Okay." ***

Jaden climbed the fence to the Exam hall in the nick of time. The receptionists outside were just about to pack up.

"Don't leave just yet," Jaden called, flashing a victory sign. "You can mark Jaden Yuki as present." He then lost his grip and fell face first over the fence, causing him to smack into the dirt. He got up and sputtered whatever got into his mouth.

Thanks to an unforeseen detour, with a well-known duelist, Jaden almost didn't make it in time. He did receive a new card out of the encounter.

Jaden walked into the Hall to see a young man with swept back black hair finish up his test Duel. The final move was the young man using Ring of Destruction to blow up the rest of his opponents Life Points.

"That was amazing," a timid voice next to him said. A young duelist, who could have been mistaken for a child, was the owner. His light blue hair and large gray eyes did not help his appearance. It was obvious, he was an innocent boy. "I barely won my Duel."

"I'm sure you did great," Jaden said, nearly scaring the boy out of his skin. "Whoops, sorry. I didn't mean to scare ya. I'm Jaden Yuki, nice to meet you."

"I'm Syrus Truesdale," the boy said shyly.

Jaden smiled warmly and noticed the Duelist from before sitting down near the two. "You might be the second-best Duelist here," he said with a smirk.

The Duelist looked up confused. "If I'm second-best, then who would be the first?" he asked in a British accent.

"Yours truly," Jaden said pointing at himself.

"Will Jaden Yuki please report to Duel Field 4? Jaden Yuki to Field 4."

"Before I go, can I ask your name?" Jaden inquired.

"Bastion Misawa," was the answer.

"Nice to meet ya." Jaden said before darting off. ***

Luke sat in the shadows of the stands. There was a part of him that welcomed the Darkness. It calmed him down. And after his last duel, he needed the serenity. He almost lost control. He was glad that whenever he summoned Black Luster Soldier, the Darkness could not cause him to go feral.

He wasn't paying attention to the current duel. He did overhear a few students mention a special card. Luke looked up in time to see the card Ancient Gear Golem be summoned and attack his controller's opponent.

'A rare card like that in an Exam Duel?' He thought confused. 'That doesn't make sense.'

"Because it's probably a personal deck," Soldier said. "The Exam Decks have a theme depending on the strategies to be used. I can tell the Duelist is using his Heart Deck against the student."

'His Heart Deck, huh?' Luke thought. 'Then the student doesn't have a chance.'

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Soldier said, "Look."

Luke looked to the Duel, in time to see the Field Spell Skyscraper be played. Since he was talking to Soldier, he missed the summoning of the new monster. The monster looked to be a man of green with one white wing, and a dragon's head as a right arm and a dragon's tail.

The dragon-man stood at the top of the skyscraper and descended on command. Before striking the Golem, it leapt in the air and received a power boost. Upon decent, the dragon-man cloaked itself in fire and cut through the Golem. The attack resulted in the Golem shattering and falling on top of its Duelist, ending the match in the student's favor.

Luke was surprised. The student had to have been strong. He took out a teacher's Heart Deck easily. Luke made a note to find the Duelist with the dragon-man. ***

Sierra, much like all the other students, was awestruck. Not only did the student, Jaden, win, but he beat Professor Crowler's personal deck, which included the rare Ancient Gear Golem. She couldn't help the smile on her face. She was so happy; she couldn't compose herself.

Alexis and Zane remained composed, but Sierra could tell they were shocked too. They exchanged a few words she didn't hear because of her internal cheering.

'This year is going to be amazing!' she thought happily. -

So before anyone asks; Yes Knightmare is the same as my Username, because it was something else and the initials were to similar to a well known game character. And No, this isn't technically an AU, because Jaden's will not be changing his personality, I just wanted to have a reason for conflict, and I feel Jaden WOULD use his abilities to help.
Two Oc's and the first episode covered, and there was a reason I didn't cover Jaden's duel. Anyway, see you next time!