GAME START! Duel Academy Entrance Exam

Yuriko almost spilled the juice that she was drinking when Caihong had chimed in to the group. But she kept a grip on it as she turned and waved at the last member of the new group that will likely be formed in the future should the four pass the entrance exam. "Oh hey!" Yuriko greeted.

But almost dropped her drink again when she realised that the next part of the exam was...Dualing. Since when did she have to do dualing in order to pass an exam?

Oh that's right, she's joining an academy that's related to dualing, and Yuriko felt as if she failed this dual. Then she will fail this exam, "Uhh, yeah. I have a great deck!" Yuriko hoped that she did, she never really properly used her new deck before and as she looked down at the stadium she began to wonder.

Will it help her pass the exam? I guess she will find out soon enough.

"Huh. Are all of the proctors using Ancient Gear decks? I guess we know what we're up against."

Murasaki's eyes scanned over the arena, taking note of the individual duels being played out, occasionally lingering on interesting cards and pivotal moments, primarily getting a sense for the sort of people in the incoming class rather than dwelling on the strategies that the proctors were using.

She recalled that Ancient Gears had a habit of trying to stop tricky stuff from happening in the Battle Phase, and it seemed that a number of the proctors were also adding in some nasty, disruptive cards to set players back. Between cards that could deal piercing damage and effects that limited trap usage in the Battle Phase, they would probably have to exercise some amount of caution when pushing through.

Well, in theory, anyway! Honestly, Murasaki was still planning on winging it and seeing what happened rather than plan specifically for the matchup. After all, there was always the possibility that the proctors would swap out decks, or that indvidual proctors would build their decks differently. And beyond that, she had already done all the thinking and overthinking she needed for the day on the written exam. Here, she could cut loose and experience the duel.

"Oh, nice!" Murasaki caught the moment a zombie player won his exam duel. She turned to the others and cracked a grin as she turned her attention back to the group. People were starting to talk about the cards they ran.

"That wasn't a bad duel, but..." Murasaki unclasped and opened tbe sturdy white deck box on her belt and pulled out a considerably large deck of cards in lavender card sleeves. "I'm aiming to play an even flashier game! You guys should, too. I want to hear all about your crazy victories when we all come out of the exam."

She gave her new-found friends a confident a thumbs-up.

Shiki's dull eyes slowly shifted towards Murasaki as she approached. When the chipper girl offered juice, Shiki took it, cupping it with her two pale hands and looking down on it thoughtfully.

"Ah, thank you," she said.

When Murasaki asked about her exam, Shiki merely murmured "Inconsequential," she said. "The divines shall decide if it was my success or defeat."

Caihong joined in shortly, explaining that they would soon be flaunting their decking abilities. Shiki's expression didn't change, but she did bite her lips. It was unsure if it was due to nervousness or just the need to shred at the dead skin from being thirsty.

She'd then crack her can and open it for a small sip. Everyone started talking about decks and victory.

"My deck is...suitable to my tastes," she commented. "And while I cannot ascertain my victory, I shall wish the odds to ever be in everyone's favors."

~~ An Hour later...

The practical exams were still underway. The spectator seats were progressively filling up as more students who had just finished their written exams came in. There were noticeable vendors in locations selling food and drink and students. Many stared at the massive monitors positioned at the bottom of each section. When group numbers were called, entrants crowded the monitors and hunted down their entry number and results. The majority shuffled away in disappointment, but the rest either collapsed in relief or jumped in victory.

Either way, things were getting busy as people waited patiently for their results.

After making her way back to the spectator seats, Caihong stretched and let out a loud sigh of relief. "Gah, that was close. A few years of this nonstop is gonna be intense. Kind of looking forward to it!" she said to herself before looking around. She didn't notice anyone else from the little group from before yet - had she finished up first, or just ran back here too fast due to excitement?

"I wonder how they're doing..." she muttered, scanning the duel fields to see if she could spot any of them. Hopefully they were having less trouble than she had.

Murasaki glowed with satisfaction striding out of her match. She cut it somewhat close, but the way that things clicked, and the way that she got to debut all four of her Plant Princesses... that was why she played this crazy game. Refreshed from her match, she wandered around the aisles, grinning when she saw Caihong.

"Hey! How'd your test go?"

She held out The Calculator, smile widening. "Or can I make a leap of logic and congratulate you already?"

"Hello."

From behind Caihong and Murasaki, Shiki stood staring at them rather blankly. It was hard to say how long she had been there considering how still she was, but she was now talking to them nonetheless.

"Did all fare well with the exams?"

After the ordeal regarding the duel she had. Yuriko soon made it back to the waiting area where Caihong, Murasaki and Shiki were. It seems that they have finished they're duel as well, much to Yuriko's relief. Although she was worried about what would happen if she told the girls about what happened regarding her fight in the Entrance Exam.

Either way they're going to know soon enough when Yuriko get's the results back from her exam and it will most likely reveal that she had failed it.

"Hi girls, i'm guessing you're exams went well?" Yuriko asked, sounding slightly afraid in her tone of voice. Not helped that, when going back to the waiting area, she got lost a few times thinking about what will happen when she returns to her new friends.

"Did...Anyone see my fight, If they could?" Yuriko eagerly asked the three.

Caihong flashed a smile and her own Calculator card at Murasaki as she approached to answer her question. Before she could say anything though, she let out a tiny yelp as Shiki appeared out of nowhere. "Was a fight, but got through it. I take it you did well too?" she asked the girl just before Yuriko arrived as well.

Her tone of voice didn't lead to good tidings, though. "I was looking, but I guess you were already done by the time I got up here. I got through mine, how'd you do?" she asked, raising the card in her hand - if both she and Murasaki had one, then anyone who passed should have one. Shiki seemed calm enough that she probably passed, but hopefully Yuriko was simply being nervous again and would produce proof of her own win.

"Murasaki-san! Good to see you! I showed those Ancient Gears a thing or two!"

Murasaki waved hello. She gave a good-hearted smile, both glad to see Shiki and also still amused that her given name was Shiki's surname. In some mirror world somewhere, it was completely possible that there was a Murasaki Murasaki running around, and that gave Murasaki joy.

When Yuriko flitted by, nervous and uncertain, Murasaki didn't hesitate in dialing up the enthusiasm.

"I caught some of yours, Yuriko-chan, Caihong-chan. You both crushed it! There's seriously no need to worry about the exams."

She looked to Yuriko. "Did you have fun?"

"My exam was...interesting," she said vaguely in answering to Caihong.

She appreciated that both Caihong and Murasaki seemed ecstatic. It was a pity that she missed everyone else's fights, but she had a feeling the two had done well. Yuriko soon came along, looking nervous nonetheless. Shiki furrowed her eyebrows, trying to decipher why the girl was down.

"I'm afraid I did not get to see your fight, Yuriko-san," she said. "However, from what Maeda-san said, it was a good one. No doubt you did well. I wonder when the results will appear, though..."

Despite Murasaki saying that she did well in her fight against her Proctor. Yuriko was unsure and rubbed the back of her neck. "I had fun. But my fight with the Proctor was a disaster." Yuriko revealed as she crossed her arms.

"I needed a lot of help during the battle. If the Proctor was even more stricter then he was I would of probably lost by the end of the first round. Heck he even said my Brother could of won at the end of the second round." Yuriko sighed.

She sat down on a nearby chair. "While it was good...I'm not good when it comes to fighting. I'm sort of new to this, unlike my Brother." Yuriko revealed to the girls, looking down at the floor sadly...

Before taking out her new calculator card and smiling.

"But I got the same card as you girls once the battle was over!" Yuriko happily showed off to the trio.

"Well obviously your match is going to go different if you're not your brother, right?" Murasaki laughed. [color:306f=#9966ff']"You can't that weigh you down. I mean, if you had fun, it means you belong here. If after that match you want to learn and get better, that means that you have the attitude of a duelist, even if you have room to grow."

As Yuriko revealed the card, Murasaki grinned. "But hey, remember what it's like to win. You'll get the hang of it soon."

She turned then to Shiki and gestured with her card. "Come on, read the mood a little."

Caihong listened with a slightly worried expression on her face as Yuriko spoke, but when the girl pulled out proof of her victory, Caihong let out an excited noise before launching forward and lightly hugging her, an excited smile on her face as she hopped back and stood up.

"Yeah! Everyone starts somewhere, and since you won, you'll get to start right along with us! Forget how your brother plays, everyone has their own style. We just gotta find yours!" she said before turning expectantly towards Shiki as Murasaki egged her to pull out her own trophy. All they'd need after that were their official results, and then they'd be in!

Shiki would have said some encouraging words to Yuriko herself, but Caihong and Murasaki had beaten her to it. When Murasaki suggested she showed her card, she blinked and showed it as well.

"Ah, right, we all got cards for winning the duels," she said. She then turned to Yuriko and offered a small smile. "Mistakes only mean growth. A path that came to one without flaw means no journey was truly traveled at all. That you made blunders means you grew, and that you reached this destination despite those blunders means you were remarkable."

She gently shook the runes in her hand before tossing it. It showed two positive marks. She revealed them to Shiki.

"Truly, this is where you belong. Just like your brother. The only difference is this path is yours alone, and not his."

The waiting adolescents were immersed in either watching the other exams or chatting among themselves. There were many different matches, some intense and others quick losses. There was even a match where a kid held their ground using nothing but trap cards and another where the player couldn't hold up a defense after the loss of their best monster.

Suddenly the monitors that were mounted below lit up, display several group numbers. Students got up and made their way down to the screens. Dozens of names were displayed in order of their entry number, each with either a pass or fail labeled next to it. There was an overwhelming number of bright red "Failed" marks across the board. Scanning down the list of names and seeing all the red marks as you tried to find your name was less than encouraging.

However...

Murasaki Maeda B Pass

Caihong Chang B+ Pass

Shiki Murasaki B Pass

Yuriko Yamashita C- Pass

At the bottom of the screen, instructions were displayed:

Quote :

Temporary lodging will be provided at the Shine Palace Hotel for those who have passed. Present your entry papers to reception upon arrival. Please be prepared to board an academy shuttle bus at approximately 9:00 tomorrow morning to be taken to academy grounds for your orientation. Thank you and have a nice day.

Yuriko smiled slightly when her new friends cheered her up after her battle. "Yeah, I guess I did have fun with the battle. If I pass, it would give me a lot of time for me to practice before I can do another duel, which I can't wait to do." Yuriko sounded a little bit cheerful then before.

"Unless, my cards might go on a rampage if I screw up badly again." She played with her hair. She slightly laughed soon after.

"Don't worry, I was just joking. Thanks girls." She crossed her arms looking happy at the three girls.

As the results of the exam were soon posted. "The results. I HOPE I PASS, I HOPE I PASS, I HOPE I PASS!" Yuriko sounded excited as she raced towards the results screen and tried to find her name. She hoped that it wasn't marked in red unlike the other people who were here today, failed and realised that they wasted a lot of money getting on this island only to fail and have to go back home to wait for another year.

Yuriko hoped she wasn't one of those people and was relieved to see that she passed...Barely, but she passed. She took a few steps back happily to let other people through so they can see if they passed or not.

"Yes, I passed!" Yuriko loudly exclaimed as she looked back down at her deck.

"And it was thanks to you. We passed together." Yuriko sat down at a nearby seat to look down at her dragunity deck as she waited for the other girls to see they're results.

Murasaki's expression soured momentarily when she looked up her name on the bulletin, but broke into a grin when she saw how ecstatic Yuriko was. She swept the board and looked up other names too... Caihong Chang and Shiki Murasaki.

Her eyes lingered on her own score, but she sighed and gave a good-natured smile. "Guess they don't see four A+s when it hit them. If they were grading based on style alone, I'd probably be valedictorian right now."

She winked as she made her boast.

"So. We're totally going to celebrate, right?"