"I can't believe it! My very first duel at the Academy is finally happening!" Leo, a boy with chestnut hair and dreamy blue eyes, spoke with pure excitement as he strapped on his Duel Disk. He stood tall in the center of the Academy's main arena, his heart racing.
"Are you quite finished?" his opponent asked, crossing her arms. "A future Queen doesn't have time to waste on your daydreams."
"Go for it, Luna!" a voice cheered from the stands.
"Yeah!" Leo replied with a grin. "Let's do this!"
"DUEL!"
"I'll take the lead!" Leo announced. "Come forth, Elemental HERO Sparkman (1600/1400) in Attack Position! I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn."
"My move. Draw!" Luna said coldly. "I activate the Field Spell, The Sanctuary in the Sky. Next, since the Sanctuary is on the field, I can Special Summon The Agent of Entropy - Uranus. Now, I Normal Summon The Agent of Miracles - Jupiter (1800/1000)."
Leo watched, impressed, as the celestial monsters appeared.
"Uranus's effect allows me to send a monster from my deck to the Graveyard to change its Level. I send The Agent of Wisdom - Mercury to the Grave!" (Uranus Level 5 → 4). "Now, I tune my monsters! Synchro Summon! Rise, Avenging Knight Parshath (2600/2100)!"
"Whoa! A Synchro Monster already?" Leo was wide-eyed with genuine wonder.
"Don't look so surprised. Parshath's effect lets me change Sparkman's battle position, and he deals piercing battle damage when attacking a defense-position monster. Parshath, attack!"
The knight charged, shattering Leo's monster. (Leo's LP: 4000 → 2800).
"You triggered my trap!" Leo shouted, his enthusiasm undeterred. "HERO Signal! When my monster is destroyed, I can Special Summon an 'Elemental HERO' from my deck. Come out, Avian (1000/1000)!"
"I'll set two cards and end my turn," Luna finished, her expression neutral.
Leo was beaming. "My turn! Draw! First, I activate my second facedown: Reinforcement of the Army. This lets me add a Warrior-type monster from my deck to my hand. I choose Burstinatrix (1200/800). Now, get ready for my favorite monster! Polymerization! I fuse Avian and Burstinatrix to summon... Elemental HERO Flame Wingman (2100/1200)!"
As the fusion hero landed, Leo slammed another card into his Duel Disk. "And now, the Equip Spell Fusion Weapon!" (Flame Wingman ATK: 2100 → 3600). "Go, Flame Wingman! Infernal Fire! Burn!"
Leo's eyes sparkled with the thrill of the move.
"Trap activate," Luna said calmly. "Magic Cylinder. You take damage equal to your monster's Attack points. In other words... I win."
The blast reflected off the cylinders and struck Leo directly. (Leo's LP: 2800 → 0).
"Aw, man!" Leo sighed as the holograms faded away. "I was so close! Still, that was awesome. Your deck is sensational—what kind of story does it tell?"
"Story?" Luna looked at him, completely bewildered. "What are you talking about?"
"Every deck has a story," Leo said, nearly laughing. "Mine is about those who want to protect others. What about yours?"
Luna didn't answer. She simply rolled her eyes and turned away. "What an idiot," she thought as she swept out of the arena.