Yu-Gi-Oh! The 3rd Generation

Duel 3: Mia

It was another peaceful day at Duel Academy. Shujinkō decided to escape from the busy school and travel to his favorite, quiet place to refresh himself. As Shujinkō made his way toward the breezy ledge, he noticed a familiar figure, with the bright sunlight and ocean in the horizon. A short, young girl, dressed in a Slifer Red suit, with short black hair, with two ponytails, and bright red eyes, was standing there, in his usual spot for relaxation. He walked up next to this girl.

"I see you've taken my spot today, Mia," Shujinkō joked with her. She was surprised by his presence but didn't express it.

"Oh... my Shujinkō... how are you?" Mia said nervously. "I've heard about the many duels you've been winning... You're still the 'Invincible Duelist Of Duel Academy.'"

"Yes, I have been winning a lot of duels. I guess some things never change, huh?" Shujinkō grinned. She looked at him and gave him a faint, but genuine, smile.

"Now, tell me... What brings you to this place all alone, Mia? How are you?"

"I'm okay..."

"Well, you know, Mia. If you're not happy, then the answer to your question about how I am would be the same. I'm not happy either if you aren't."

She looked at him, blushed, then she placed her sight back toward the sea. She said, "I just wanted to be away from everyone for a while... and... I had a feeling you might be here."

Shujinkō examined her expression worriedly and sighed, "Mia..." He suddenly began remembering the year he first enrolled at Duel Academy, in a flashback of his mind. No one had ever been fond of Mia. She was weaker than many of the other female duelists in Obelisk Blue, and she was constantly picked on.

"You must be one of those girls that got into Obelisk Blue, just 'cause you're a girl," one Obelisk Blue boy said.

"Nah. She shouldn't have even been able to make it in if you ask me," an Obelisk Blue girl said.

"I bet her parents are just rich," another girl said, which was not actually a lie. Mia did, in fact, come from a traditional, royal family of the country of Japan. She had a burning desire to be a professional duelist. Mia was never allowed to have the kind of fun she knew she could have in that setting. After begging her parents to allow it, they sent her off to the main branch of Duel Academy. Even when she barely flunked her entrance exams, her parents still paid her way in.

"Leave her alone," being the kind person that he was, Shujinkō became the only person to actually come into her life for good.

"Who do you think you are, you Slifer Red slacker?"

"I said, leave her alone."

"Or what?"

"Look out ladies, I'll teach this loser to know where he's at on the food chain. Let's duel, kid."

"I'll acknowledge your little games, but only if you back off when I win."

"I would say, 'sure,' but you won't be winning this duel, pal."

"I am not your 'pal.'"

"Hey, Ina, hold on!" a girl who just happened to be passing by noticed that the boy was midway through a duel and stopped to watch. It was Snow.

"What is it, Snow? Oh... It's that cute guy that did crazy good on the entrance exams," Snow's friend, which was Ina, went back to watch with her.

"Wait, Brock, I think I recognize this guy! That's that kid that passed the entrance exams with a perfect score!" one of the Obelisk Blue girls spoke up, but it was too late. The duel was almost over, and Shujinkō was already making his last move and winning the duel. Just like in his senior years coming, he won without losing a single Life Point. Everyone was completely blown away by his dueling skill, but none were more astounded than Mia. There was a shine in her eyes, as she watched him.