MANLY HOMEWORK COMPLETION! [David]

["Jugan" Kannouteki]

Jugan was standing in the Duel Arena, in his typical 'point towards the sky' pose. His arm was numb, but it wasn't manly to acknowledge numbness like that. He was waiting for the first person other than a Slifer to enter the room. Truth be told he was waiting for a certain transfer student to walk in, but Jugan didn't care who. He just wanted the grade so Stein-sensei wouldn't drop him from the class. He NEEDED this class.

"WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS, KEEPING ME WAITING LIKE THIS!? Granted I haven't seen him all day, but that's beyond the point." Jugan used his other hand to push up this glasses, still waiting for a Mr. David Frost to come in. "DAMN IT, DAVID! GET IN HERE!"

[David Frost]

It was around that time when the young man that Jugan happened to be waiting so "patiently" for came strolling in through the Duel Arena's front doors. As usual, David had his nose buried within the pages of a book as he walked along. But only when his gaze hadn't been momentarily diverted to some fine and shapely ladies who happened to pass him by. Quite frankly, it was a wonder that he didn't unknowingly walk right into a pole or even a wall by mistake, so rapt was his attention for the beauty of the female form.

In fact... He had just happened to turn his attention away from a pair of apple-bottomed redheads who were on their way out of the Duel Arena when he saw a familiar face standing in the middle of the Duel Field. A familiar face wearing even more familiar shades and striking an even more foolishly familiar pose with his finger pointed straight up in the air. It was enough to make David suddenly stop in his tracks, close his book, and then stare at Jugan blankly. "What in the-...?" the silver-haired boy began before his words trailed off into silence.

And then he promptly turned on his heel and started going back the way he had come through the doors.

["Jugan" Kannouteki]

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, DAVEY-BOY!" Jugan leaped off the Arena platform and tackled David. "I need to do some homework and you're gonna help me with it! I need to duel someone other than a Slifer for homework, and you're the only one I know!" Jugan grinned. He blinked at a sound and saw a few girls laughing at him. "STOP DOING THAT! IT'S NOT MANLY! NOW, DAVEY-BOY! DUEL ME!"

Jugan grinned. "Besides, I've gotten better since my days at West." Jugan had stopped clinging to David and was now tapping on his deck case with a single finger. "And I wanna go up against those Rune Beasts of yours!" In Jugan's s eyes, those Rune Beasts were incredibly manly cards. Enough so that Jugan, who had lost every single duel out of twenty back at Duel Academy West, wanted to keep testing his deck against them. That and catch a glimpse of them in action.

"Besides, I have some new strategies that I want to test out!" Jugan grinned, expecting nothing less than pure shock from his admittance of not using machines for once.

[David Frost]

David had only gone about two steps before Jugan had tackled him. The next thing he knew was that he was lying on his stomach halfway out of the Duel Arena's front doors and that Jugan now seemed to be sitting on him. Not a very pleasant way to start the afternoon, as you can probably guess. "Jugan..." David growled from his spot on the floor, fingers drumming on the polished marble beneath him. "You know there's a better way to ask for homework. It's called ASKING, ya damn idiot! Not get off me before you-..."

That was when the sound of feminine giggling reached his years and he looked up to see that the two redheads he had passed by.... were now covering their faces and laughing at him. It was quite possibly the worst sight David had ever encountered in his life. His eyes grew wide and his mouth hung open as if he were searching for a logical explanation for why he was on the floor with Jugan sitting on his back. And he did have one. JUGAN WAS JUST AN IDIOT!

"Wait! Come back! I can explain!" the poor boy cried out to the backs of the departing and still-giggling redheads. They had vanished beyond the door without so much as a second glance thrown at David's pleas, and now he was left with only the haunting echoes of his own embarrassment.

And with Jugan still on his back.

"GET OFF!" David suddenly roared just as Jugan had done just that, his face red and infuriated at the world. But when Jugan told him the reason why he needed David's help, the most the silver-haired boy could do was sit up and stare at Jugan rather blankly just like before. "Last time I checked, I thought your idea of 'strategy'...", he began with fingerquotes, "was just striking a pose and overwhelming your opponent with 'manliness'. Or something. So pardon me if I say no. Last thing I need is some crazy dude flexing his muscles at me."

With that, he simply got to his feet, brushed himself off, and then fixed Jugan with an even glare. "Besides, I'm also busy. I've got to do some invest-... I mean, research for this paper I'm working on." Naturally, David thought it best to not tell Jugan the real reason why had requested a transfer to Duel Academy. If this idiot ever caught wind of David's search for answers pertaining to the Tablet of the Seven Attributes, then he was bound to just randomly insert himself into David's plans while claiming to be "helping". He mostly respected Jugan for his conviction, but right now David needed Jugan's help like he needed a sliver in his finger.

["Jugan" Kannouteki]

Jugan just froze as David walked by him. The other boy had never refused a chance to horribly defeat him. In fact, Jugan was left entirely speechless. "I uh.. you... just... um..." Jugan just stood there as David glared at him. Then it hit him. "David. What exactly are you 'investigating'? There's only a few words that start like that. And I really doubt you're investing in a company."

"People think I'm an idiot, but I'm not entirely stupid, you know. So you can pretend I don't know what I'm talking about and try to leave, or you can duel me. I win, you tell me. You win, and I'll leave it alone, no more questions." Jugan knew others found him annoying, but it wasn't in him to change his personality for their sake. "What'll it be, David? Insult my intelligence a little more, or at least give me a chance to learn something?"

[David Frost]

Ya know.... David really hated it when people played the ol' "Man Up or Shut Up" trick on him like that. Here he was trying to an unravel a 10,000 year old mystery, and potentially stop a supernatural disaster in the making, and this nincompoop wouldn't leave him alone! And the worst part was that David couldn't refuse Jugan's challenge simply because it would make him look like a douchebag. Not to mention feel like one, too.

David only had this to say about Jugan. He might've acted like an idiot, but he certainly knew how to push David's buttons.

"Fine." the Obelisk student sighed with an exasperated eyeroll. He followed Jugan up to the Duel Field and stood on the side across from him, his glare deepening into a light but still annoyed scowl. "If that's how you want it, then that's how you'll get it. But don't be surprised if you walk out of here feeling just as ignorant as you were before. Now duel."

With that, David lifted his arm and activated his Duel Disk with a soft hum of moving gears and a flash of holographic light. "I'll give the first move over to you. After that, you're mine, Jugan."

["Jugan" Kannouteki]

"Not on the first date, Davey-Boy." Jugan drew his hand and thought for a moment. "I'll open up by setting a monster in face-down defense mode, Not much else to say here but 'end turn'." Jugan was in his serious game now. The word 'manly' probably wouldn't even appear in this whole duel.

For once, the Slifer just wanted people to stop treating him like an idiot. He may not have been as smart or as skilled as his older brother, but Jugan wasn't a total moron! And this is what he aimed to prove with this duel!

CiH: 4
Monsters: 1 facedown
S/T: 0
LP: 8000

[David Frost]

And so it began...

David took his time in studying Jugan's posture as he watched the other boy draw his card. He had been expecting Jugan to open up with a combo move to summon more than one monster this turn, but apparently Jugan was planning something else. He had set only one face-down monster and had also left his Spell and Trap Zone completely open. "Hmm..." thought David while his eyes narrowed thoughtfully at Jugan's field. This was unusual for Jugan, especially considering all of the drama and fanfare that their Duels consisted back at Duel Academy West, but it wasn't not all that surprising either. Even the most well-built Decks could give the owner a lemon for an opening draw.

"All right, then it's my turn. I draw." David called out to Jugan at the start of his turn. He took one look at the cards in his hand and then selected one of them to begin his own strategy. "I'll start things off by setting one card in my back row. And then I'll summon Rune Beast - Baldyr and equip him with the Rune of Wealth!"

At his command, the ground in front of David's feet suddenly split open as a pillar of light shot up towards the Duel Arena's domed ceiling. The sound of a bear roaring echoed throughout the room, and then the light faded to reveal the creature that had made that call. A great and sabretoothed brown bear now stood where the pillar of light and earth had been. A bear that David had called Baldyr. He was easily twice the size of any normal bear, and he also sported a pair of small black horns atop his head and a few jagged patterns of yellow fur along his back. His long sabreteeth glinted in the Duel Arena's bright lights and the claws of each foot left small but jagged marks upon the floor as he lumbered closer to the edge of David's field.

At the same time, a golden rune stone materialized in David's Spell and Trap Zone and then streaked off towards Baldyr in a bolt of radiant light. The bolt struck the creature squarely in the back of his head, yet he did not flinch. Instead, a runic glyph that matched the one previously on the rune stone before it appeared in the center of the bear's brow and glowed golden.

David allowed the corners of his mouth to curve into a cool smile. "And since you don't have any Spells or Traps for me to worry about.... I attack with Baldyr!" he exclaimed with a dramatic point of his finger at Jugan. "Go! Smash it to pieces!"

All of a sudden, Baldyr opened his sabretoothed jaws wide and unleashed a bellow that shook the Duel Arena as a mystical aura suddenly appeared around his body. The aura seemed to somehow increase the bear's primal fury! And it made the size of his already huge body grow along with it! After growing another three feet in height at the shoulder gaining an unknowable amount of muscle power beneath his thick fur, Baldyr narrowed his glare at Jugan's face-down monster and then entered a thundering charge straight at it.

David saw this. And he seemed satisfied by it. "You already know this as well as I. But whenever Baldyr attacks a monster, he gains an extra 400 Attack Points for each Rune that's equipped to him. And since the Rune of Wealth is bestowed on him... His attack power rises to 2200! And if your monster is destroyed by this attack, I get to draw one more card due to the Rune of Wealth's effect!"

Baldyr lifted a single tree-trunk sized paw and then brought it smashing down over Jugan's face-down monster. A small and shrill cry came from the card as Baldyr's claws crushed and tore into it, revealing a Sangan that leered at David even as it was destroyed. And since the mighty bear Baldyr had destroyed a monster by battle, the Rune of Wealth showing on his brow activated and shone with a soft golden light, allowing David to draw one more card from his Deck after the battle. He only glanced at his card and before setting it next to his other face-down in his Spell and Trap Zone.

"I end my turn." he said coolly to Jugan.

-------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------
Life Points: 8000
Monsters Zone:
- Rune Beast - Baldyr (Attack Position)
Spell and Trap Zone:
- Rune of Wealth (Equipped to Rune Beast - Baldyr)
- 2 Face-Down Cards
Cards in Hand: 3 Cards
Graveyard: 0 Cards

["Jugan" Kannouteki]

Jugan's face didn't even betray a grin as Sangan was destroyed. The Slifer, calm for once, activated the monster's effect. "Using Sangan's ability, I'll add A-Summon Drone to my hand." Jugan then selected another card in his hand, throwing it down with none of the usual flair.

"I'll summon my X-Head Cannon, in Attack mode!" The half-robot materialized onto the field, dwarfed by the large rune beast. "Now, utilizing its effect, I'll summon A-Summon Drone!" Another robot appeared next to the X-Head Cannon. "And now I'll sacrifice my A-Summon Drone to Special Summon Y-Dragon Head!" The A-Summon Drone disappeared in a brilliant flash of light and was replaced by a mechanical dragon. Really, the whole thing seemed useless. A giant bear... sloth... What the hell was that thing anyway? Whatever.

"Now I can remove both of my monsters from the game to Fusion Summon my XY Dragon Cannon!" The X-Head Cannon ascended and then lowered itself. The spherical bottom of the machine joined with the back of the dragon. The end result was a rather ridiculous looking robot. All in all, it was exactly the sort of monster you would expect Jugan to use. "And now I can use my XY's ability! I'll discard one card from my hand and destroy your Rune of Wealth!" The Y Dragon Head portion of the monster opened its mouth, a series of circular waves emanating from it, destroying David's Rune.

"And since your Rune Beast doesn't have a Rune equipped to it anymore, my XY Dragon Cannon can easily destroy it!" With a snap, Jugan pointed back at David with what normally would've been crammed full of masculinity. Oddly enough though, it was lacking. "XY DRAGON CANNON! COMBINATION SPIRAL ASSAULT!" Jugan roared as the machine charged. As it left Jugan's side, the robot began to spin, energy issuing from the top portion's barrels and from the dragon's mouth. All these swirled together to form a pseudo-shield around the monster. The humanoid portion leaned down as the distance closed, reducing drag and speeding the attack up.

[David Frost]

"I chain!" David suddenly exclaimed just after XY-Dragon Cannon had begun to attack. It was a close call, too. If he had been one second later, then he doubted that he would've been in time to save Baldyr from harm. Timing was everything in Duel Monsters and it was a lesson that David learned the hard way many times in the beginning. "I activate Archaic Barrier! Your monster's attack is negated and the Battle Phase is now ended."

At that moment, one of David's two face-down cards flipped up to reveal a picture of a large dome of light surrounded by floating rune stones. A flash of light came from the center of the card, and then another dome exactly like the one depicted in the card suddenly sprang up around Baldyr and deflected the XY-Dragon Cannon's rampant aerial tackle. The two forces met with a collision of metal and energy, knocking XY-Dragon Cannon off balance and sending it lurching back to Jugan's side of the field. After that, the dome faded from sight and all was quiet once again.

"Better luck next time, Jugan." David said to his opponent with a wry smirk. Losing the Rune of Wealth on Baldyr was a pity right now, but it definitely wasn't a gamebreaker for David. All in all, this part of Jugan's turn could've definitely turned out a lot more difficult to deal with than it was right now.

["Jugan" Kannouteki]

With his attack intercepted, Jugan made a "Tsk." noise. He examined the one card left in his hand and waved David on. "I've got nothing. You're move, David." Jugan ran a hand through his hair staring at the single card he had left. "Geeze. What am I gonna do with you?"

CiH: 1
Monsters: XY Dragon Cannon
S/T: 0
LP: 8000

((Short conclusion is short))

[David Frost]

Once Jugan had finished with his turn, David began his by placing his hand on top of his Deck and drawing a card. He took a momentary glance at the card he had drawn, seemed somewhat satisfied with it, and then directed his attention back to Jugan and the XY-Dragon Cannon that hovered in place on his field. "Hmm..." the boy muttered thoughtfully, noting the lack of Spells or Traps in Jugan's back row. "A powerful monster but nothing to protect it. Looks like I don't have much too worry about right now." His gaze darted to the single card in Jugan's hand. "Except for maybe that card. But then again, Jugan never struck me as the type to play with cards like Honest or Kuriboh."

Knowing that he was probably safe for the moment, David selected one card from his hand and then promptly slapped it down onto his Duel Disk. "I summon the Rune Beast - Munin! And then I'll equip Rune Beast - Baldyr with the Rune of Defense!"

At David's command, a towering black whirlwind suddenly sprang up from a spot on his side of the field. The sound of roaring winds were mixed with the flapping of great feathered wings, a shrill cry coming from somewhere within the whirlwind. And then, with a final piercing shriek, the black whirlwind suddenly burst apart and the creature inside of it was revealed. A black and raven-headed griffin had emerged from the center of the whirlwind and was deftly gliding down to land next to where Baldyr was standing. In addition to possessing black wings and a black lion's body, Munin also an iron mask that covered everything but his beak and the two long ears poking out through the top. He regarded Jugan with a pair of wide eyes that glowed red behind the eye holes of his mask.

Just a moment after Munin's summoning, a small red rune stone materialized in David's Spell and Trap Zone and glowed with a soft crimson light. The stone only hovered in place for a few moments, but then the soft glow surrounding it grew into a harsh light that turned into arching beam and struck Baldyr in the middle of his back. However, just like with the Rune of Wealth, he did not flinch. Instead, he simply stood his ground and eyed Jugan's XY-Dragon Cannon as a runic glyph appeared on his brow. It matched the one on the rune stone hovering behind him perfectly.

"Due to Munin's special ability, I get to draw one card whenever a Rune Beast becomes imbued with a Rune Spell's power." David told Jugan while drawing his card. He only took a glance at before placing it into his hand and then redirecting his attention once more to the field. "The Rune of Defense saves my monster from being destroyed by battle. And since Baldyr is equipped with a Rune Spell again... His attack power increases back to 2200 again whenever he attacks. And since your XY-Dragon Cannon also has 2200 Attack Points... I think you know what's coming."

And so did Baldyr. Because even as David was still talking to Jugan, a harsh and wild glare came over the sabretoothed bear's eyes and he uttered a rumbling growl that sounded like an avalanche. His body was already starting to grow again just like it had done before during the previous turn, the runic glyph on his brow shining brightly as Baldyr drew on it's power to increase his own strength.

"Baldyr and Munin! Attack Jugan's XY-Dragon Cannon and then strike at him directly!"

Baldyr, ever the courageous warrior, was already moving before David had finished speaking. He opened his mouth wide in a roar, sabreteeth glinting in the Arena's bright lights, and then leapt as hard as he could straight at the center of the XY-Dragon Cannon. The machine saw this and leveled it's twin shoulder cannons at Baldyr, firing off a pair of laser blasts aimed for the bear's head and heart. The bolts struck precisely, but they had no effect on their target. Not like the effect that Baldyr's fangs and claws had on the XY as they ripped it apart limb from limb before it exploded.

That was when Munin made his move.

Only moments after Jugan's XY-Dragon Cannon's met its end at Baldyr's fury, the black griffin took to the air once more and entered a dive-bombing charge straight at where Jugan was standing. A shriek left Munin's beak as he slashed the talons of his front feet forward, ripping them into Jugan's torso before settling back next to Baldyr on David's side of the field. The attack had left no physical wounds on Jugan, since they were holograms, but the loss of 1600 Life Points was not an easy thing to overlook.

"Your move, Jugan." David said simply once his monsters had settled down.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Life Points: 8000
Monsters Zone:
- Rune Beast - Baldyr (Attack Position)
- Rune Beast - Munin (Attack Position)
Spell and Trap Zone:
- Rune of Defense (Equipped to Rune Beast - Baldyr)
- 1 Face-Down Cards
Cards in Hand: 3 Cards
Graveyard: 0 Cards

["Jugan" Kannouteki]

Jugan watcjed as his XY Dragon Cannon was destroyed by Baldyr. Then the shrieking griffin flew threw the smoke, raking Jugan's bare chest with its talons. "Hey, David! I keep forgetting! Is Baldyr a bear or a sloth?" Jugan called out randomly. This would keep bugging the Slifer until he knew. Without waiting for a response, Jugan got on with his move. He reached to his Duel Disk and drew a card. Jugan sighed and emptied his hand, setting both backfield.

"Looks like I won't be learning anything at this rate." Jugan groaned and scratched his shoulder. This was NOT going well for the Slifer student.

CiH: 0
Monsters:
S/T: 2 Facedown
LP: 6400

[David Frost]

In the end, David was no longer quite sure what to make of this. "He's a bear, Jugan. Obviously." he told the other student, yet his tone didn't sound as annoyed as it should've been. In all of the other duels he and Jugan had fought together, he had always managed to put up more of a fight than this. Could it be that something was bothering the Slifer student? Or maybe it was just a case of bad luck that was messing with his draws? Or maybe it was all an act that Jugan was putting on. As unlikely as that sounded, David couldn't help warning himself to never underestimate your opponent. It was another lesson that he had to learn the hard way more than once in the past.

"All right... Now I draw." David began as he drew his card. "I'll start by summoning the Rune Beast - Grane."

A second column of wind rose up from a spot on David's field, but unlike the one that bore the black griffin Munin, this one was of pure white. The sound of a horse's scream and an eagle's cry filled the room as the whipping winds rose higher and higher toward the Duel Arena's ceiling, and then the whirlwind burst apart as if something from inside of it had torn it asunder. And that "something" was a white horse who wore the raiment of a noble knight's steed and had shimmering pale-feathered wings.

As Grane's hooves lightly touched down on the ground on the other side of Baldyr, the horse's more beastly aspects became apparent. He stared at Jugan with eyes that were black and seemed to snarl at him with a mouth that was full of small but doubtlessly sharp fangs. Even the edges of his hooves seemed to glint with an unusual sharpness.

"When Grane is present on the field, my opponent cannot activate Trap Cards during the Battle Phase." David solemnly explained to Jugan. He knew that this wasn't the first time seeing Grane or any of the other Rune Beasts, but it seemed that something more was bothering Jugan than he had first expected. This was the first time David had ever seen the other boy not get excited about seeing the Rune Beasts up close. Or go through a duel while not striking some ridiculous "manly" pose.

But then, almost as if on cue with David's words, Grane suddenly unleashed the sound that was between a horse's whinny and the cry of an eagle once more and then reared up on his hind legs. He then started to flap his wings over and over as if he were about to take flight, but instead he only succeeded in whipping a torrent of wind at Jugan's side of the field. The two face-down cards he had in his back row seemed like they were about to be flipped up, but then the wind came along and pressed them back down before slowly dying away.

"And since you have nothing to defend you... I'll attack with all three of my monsters. Baldyr, Munin, and Grane..." David began to his three monsters. "Go. Strike hard and fast."

That was all the Rune Beasts needed to hear. Acting in unison and roaring simultaneously, the two winged beasts took to the air while Baldyr entered a charge that took him straight to Jugan. His sabreteeth flashed as he opened his jaws to roar, he lifted his paw to strike, and then he brought it swatting down over Jugan with all the force of a sledgehammer. The blow would certainly feel real to Jugan's sense. Even if he would feel no actual pain or suffer any real damage from the bear's attack.

Munin and Grane came after that. The two beasts circled the air over Jugan's head, one shadowy black and the other shimmering white, and then they both dive-bombed at Jugan at the same time. The claws of Munin's front talons slashed at the Slifer's waist while the hooves of Grane's back legs swung forward to kick at his head. But once again, the impact of the blows was only a mere shadow compared to the onslaught they would've inflicted on Jugan if they were real.

After that, the Rune Beasts simply flew or lumbered back to David's side of the field to await further orders. A grand total of 4900 points of damage had been inflicted to Jugan's Life Points. A hefty blow, but not enough to end him. Not yet, anyway.

"I end my turn." David told Jugan. "You're not dueling like your usual self, Jugan. I'm almost insulted by that."

----------------------------------------------------

Life Points: 8000
Monsters Zone:
- Rune Beast - Baldyr (Attack Position)
- Rune Beast - Munin (Attack Position)
- Rune Beast - Grane (Attack Position)
Spell and Trap Zone:
- Rune of Defense (Equipped to Rune Beast - Baldyr)
- 1 Face-Down Cards
Cards in Hand: 3 Cards
Graveyard: 2 Cards

["Jugan" Kannouteki]

Jugan watched as David completed his turn. The Rune Beasts never ceased to awe the Slifer, their majestic appearance, their wondrous abilities. Jugan had made a point to ask David where he'd gotten them, but it kept slipping his mind every time they dueled.

Then the assault came. Unlike other melodramatic students, Jugan made no show of 'pain'. They were just holograms, people! "Nice one, David." Jugan told the other student coolly.

"You're not dueling like your usual self, Jugan. I'm almost insulted by that."

"I'm just being serious for once. Everyone says I need to learn how to. Besides, is it against the rules to want to win?"

"My turn." The Slifer drew a card and examined his hand in conjunction with what he had on the field. Slipping the other card face down onto his field. And that's it. I lose. I called Frost out and he beat me, fair and square. Jugan thought as the card slid into his Duel Disk. "Your move, David."


CiH: 0
Monsters:
S/T: 3 Facedown
LP: 1500