[Kazuko, LP 4000]
[Aki, LP 3100]
[Blair, LP 4000]
"My turn! Draw!" Aki drew, her gaze briefly lingering on Yumi for just a moment before she pulled her attention back to her hand, her expression returning to its usual calm focus.
"First, I activate the Spell, Graceful Charity! I draw three cards, then discard two." She said, already moving without hesitation. Three cards slid into her hand, and after a short glance, she picked two and sent them to the grave.
Then she raised another card slightly. "Since Rose Fairy was added to my hand by a card effect, I can Special Summon it."
She placed it down, and a small pink fairy appeared on her field, fluttering lightly in the air.
[Rose Fairy, 600 ATK]
It hovered for only a moment before Aki continued.
"Now, I tribute Rose Fairy to Normal Summon Queen Angel of Roses."
The small fairy dissolved into particles of light, replaced almost immediately by a mature blonde woman clad in a red dress with golden markings. Two large wings made of red roses spread out behind her, and in her hand was a sharp blade with a rose-shaped hilt.
[Queen Angel of Roses, 2400 ATK]
Aki kept her tone even as she explained, "Queen Angel of Roses can be Normal Summoned in Attack Position by tributing a Plant monster."
She glanced down at her remaining hand, taking a second to consider before making her next move.
"I set two cards face-down. Turn end."
Two face-down cards appeared behind Queen Angel of Roses, their presence quiet but deliberate. Aki didn't relax after ending her turn, her eyes shifting once again toward Yumi, standing just behind Kazuko.
It wasn't subtle.
From the outside, it looked like hostility directed at Kazuko, especially with how focused her gaze was. A few students nearby started whispering, already assuming there was some kind of tension between the two girls.
None of them realized she wasn't looking at Kazuko at all.
After all, from their perspective, deliberately picking a fight with Slifer was the kind of thing only someone reckless would do.
"My turn. I draw!" Blair said, breaking the moment as she pulled her card.
Unlike Aki, Blair's expression was more open, though still focused as she checked her hand.
"I Normal Summon Maiden in Love in defense position!"
She placed the card down, and a young brunette girl in a large, fluffy yellow dress appeared on her field. She looked harmless, almost completely out of place compared to the more imposing monsters already on the field.
The girl knelt down gently, crossing her arms with a soft, calm expression.
[Maiden in Love, 300 DEF]
A few of the watching students immediately softened at the sight, some already reacting to how cute the monster looked, completely forgetting for a moment that this was still a duel.
Blair didn't seem bothered by the reactions.
"I set a card face-down. Turn end."
A face-down card materialized behind Maiden in Love, forming a simple setup. She took a small step back, her gaze shifting between both of her opponents.
"My turn." Kazuko said with a small smile as she placed her fingers on top of her deck. "Draw!"
She slid the card into her hand, barely glancing at it before moving on.
"I activate Meteor Black Comet Dragon's effect! I send Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact from my deck to the grave."
She pulled her deck out, quickly finding the card she needed and sending it away without hesitation.
"Since it has 1800 ATK, you take 900 damage." She added, casually pointing toward Aki.
The Meteor Black Comet Dragon let out a deep roar, its body glowing as another wave of heat surged forward across the field.
[Aki, LP 3100 -> 2200]
Kazuko didn't wait for a reaction before continuing.
"I activate the Spell, Instant Fusion! By paying 1000 Life Points."
[Kazuko, LP 4000 -> 3000]
"A Level 5 or lower Fusion monster from my Extra Deck is Special Summoned. It can't attack, and it gets destroyed at the end of the turn. This still counts as a Fusion Summon."
A misty white vortex opened in front of her, and from it flew out a yellow dragon clad in blue and red armor.
"Come out, Curse of Dragon, the Magical Knight Dragon!"
[Curse of Dragon, the Magical Knight Dragon, 2000 ATK]
The moment it appeared, the crowd reacted immediately, some recognizing the design, others just surprised to see another variation of a familiar monster once used by the King of Games.
But before anyone could get a deeper look at the new form of this dragon, Kazuko already waved her hand forward, taking the card off her Duel Disk and placing down a different card.
"Now I tribute my Curse of Dragon to Special Summon-"
The dragon dissolved into light before it could even settle, and in its place, a blue-armored warrior stepped forward. Gold edges lined his armor, and a red and blue cape flowed behind him as he gripped a trident tightly in his hand.
"-Soldier Gaia the Fierce Knight!"
[Soldier Gaia the Fierce Knight, 2800 ATK]
The armored warrior looked up from his masked helmet, looking directly at the opponent standing before him.
The crowd was once again shocked to see another new form of a monster used by the King of Games appearing here in Duel Academy.
"Soldier Gaia the Fierce Knight can be Special Summoned by tributing a Dragon Fusion monster," Kazuko continued, completely unaffected. "And when he's Special Summoned, I can change one Attack Position monster on the field to Defense Position."
She pointed straight at Aki's field.
Gaia's gaze locked onto Queen Angel of Roses, and under that pressure, the angel was forced down onto one knee.
[Queen Angel of Roses, 1300 DEF]
"I switch Buster Blader to Attack Position." She shifted the position of the card on her Duel Disk.
[Buster Blade, 2600 ATK]
Without pausing, Kazuko raised her hand again.
"I activate the Trap Card, Meteorain! This turn, my monsters inflict piercing battle damage!"
Both girls widened their eyes in shock, understanding what this meant.
"I activate my Trap Waboku!" Aki quickly flipped open one of her face-down cards. "During this turn, I take no battle damage, and my monsters can't be destroyed by battle!"
Kazuko tilted her head slightly, then smiled.
"Wow, you reacted fast."
She shifted her attention to the side.
"How about you?" she asked, looking at Blair. "Can you defend against me?"
Blair swallowed nervously, as she didn't expect this outcome, after all, her Maiden in Love can't be destroyed by battle, which is why she so confidencely place it down. But against piercing battle damage, all of her defenses now seem as thin as water paper.
Her gaze dropped to her field, then back up again. "Uh..."
She didn't get to answer, as Kazuko didn't wait.
"Battle! Go, Buster Whelp attack Maiden in Love!"
The small dragon let out a tiny roar and rushed forward, swiping at the kneeling girl.
The attack connected, pushing Maiden in Love back slightly. This caused her to collapse on her knees, acting all pitifully and gaining the sympathy of the other males watching.
[Blair, LP 4000 -> 3900]
"Buster Blader, attack Maiden in Love!"
Before the maiden could even recover, Buster Blader was already moving. The large sword came down without hesitation, striking her again and sending her tumbling back, rolling on the ground.
[Blair, LP 3900 -> 1600]
Seeing a knight willing to swing his blade down on a gentle, defenseless, innocent little girl. The male population watching couldn't hold back and criticized Kazuko's monsters.
"Hey, isn't that too much!?"
"She's literally just standing there!"
"That's messed up!"
"What kind of a knight who sided with the evil black dragon and attacked the damsel in distress!"
Kazuko: "?"
Kazuko was somewhat confused by their seemingly pointless words.
What damsel in distress? Her knights and dragons are all on the same side here. That Maiden in Love is the enemy. Why should she or her monsters hold back just because the opponents look pretty and harmless?
Her big brother has taught her that looks can be deceiving.
Have you seen a Kuriboh with 10,000 ATK charging toward you before?
Momoyo let out a short laugh from behind her, arms crossed.
"You really are as pathetic as I remember," she said, looking at the crowd. "Got any complaints about my baby sister? Come to me. I'll answer to each and everyone on of you."
She slowly clenched her left fist, the loud cracks and popping sound was enough to sense shiver down the spines of many.
Even Zane, who has done nothing wrong, felt his old injury acting up again. So he could only gave who ever unlucky enough to pissed those two off his best wishes that they would be reincarnated into a better life.
Yumi, standing beside her, didn't even bother hiding his expression.
"If you've got that much to say," he added calmly, his golden eyes shifting into an ominous red, as black mist spread out from behind him. "Then we can settle this like true Duelists. All of you versus me… again."
The sight of the two of them was enough to cause those idiots to shut up, knowing that if they kept talking nonsense, those two might really decide to start a purge and hunt them down.
Ignoring all of this, Kazuko continued.
"Gaia attack Maiden in Love!"
The armored warrior stepped forward without hesitation, thrusting his trident straight through the maiden's heart, stabbing it, and lifting her off the ground.
[Blair, LP 1600 -> 0]
Blair gasped as her Life Points dropped to zero, her field dissolving into particles of light as she was forced out of the duel.
With her gone, the field cleared, leaving only Kazuko and Aki facing each other.
Kazuko exhaled lightly, then placed two cards down.
"I set two cards. Turn end."
Two face-down cards appeared behind her monsters.
"Don't disappoint me, okay?" Kazuko said with a cheerful smile, tilting her head slightly as she looked at Aki. Seeing that the other girl was still standing after that turn, she actually looked a bit more interested now. "It's boring when people just drop the moment I get to battle."
"Don't get so cocky. The result of this duel hasn't been decided yet!" Aki shot back immediately, her eyes narrowing as she glared straight at Kazuko.
This time, there was no mistaking it. That glare wasn't casual, and it definitely wasn't aimed at the situation alone.
The Izinski family was one of the older aristocratic families, the kind that had been around long before Duel Monsters became what it was now. Back then, they had their own traditions, their own priorities, and dueling wasn't one of them.
When President Kaiba pushed Duel Monsters into the spotlight and turned it into a global stage, a lot of people adapted quickly. The Izinski family didn't.
At first, many of them dismissed it outright. A game, a passing trend, something that wouldn't last.
They were wrong.
As the years went on, Duel Monsters didn't fade. It only got bigger. More influence, more recognition, more opportunities. Ignoring it stopped being an option.
That was when the shift happened.
One by one, the younger generation was pushed into learning the game. Training, competing, studying strategies, and things they hadn't been raised for suddenly became mandatory.
It wasn't smooth. Some resisted, some failed, some simply couldn't keep up.
Aki didn't have that luxury.
She fought through it, competing against her own siblings, cousins, and anyone else put in front of her. One by one, she defeated them.
That was how she ended up being acknowledged as the temporary heiress of the Izinski family.
Her goal of entering Duel Academy early was so that when she graduates, she can enter the Pro League and restore the family's standing properly this time.
That was the official reason.
The other reason for entering Duel Academy early was to come into contact with and try to convince him to return to the Izinski family.
The so-called "true heir" who was suddenly acknowledged out of the blue by the Family Head...
Yumi Izinski.
Aki still remembered the conversation clearly.
When she first heard about it, she didn't believe it. An unknown cousin who had left home long ago, suddenly acknowledged by the Family Head as the rightful heir? It didn't make sense.
So she asked her grandmother about it.
Her grandmother didn't answer immediately. The old woman had just sighed, like she didn't really want to explain it, but knew she had to.
Their family, the Izinski, once had psychic abilities. Not rumors, not myths, but actual psychic power. They could interact with Duel Monster spirits directly, not just summon them as projections, but bring them into the real world with presence, personality, existence.
But as time went by, that power faded.
Generation after generation, this ability slowly faded into history as the once pure psychic bloodline slowly weakened, until it became nothing more than a story the elders talked about.
Only the head of the family, or someone who could truly inherit that position, had any chance to even know about this forgotten power.
Then her grandmother told her about that tournament.
She had gone there out of boredom, invited by old acquaintances to watch their grandchildren duel. It wasn't supposed to be anything special, just a bunch of rich kids dueling to show off the rare and rich cards their families brought for them.
But then she saw him. The orphan was picked up by the Kawakami Temple. Someone who no one expected to win.
Yumi Uzushi.
He didn't struggle. He didn't adapt mid-duel. He didn't get lucky.
He completely dominated the tournament, ending duels in one of two turns. That overwhelming power even makes many drop out of the tournament out of fear.
He swept through the entire tournament without slowing down, took the championship, and walked away like it was nothing.
Her friends had asked her whether this Yumi Uzushi was from her family or not, seeing how he had the natural pink hair of the Izinski family, but she didn't answer any of them, as she had seen it clearly.
Sky Striker Ace - Raye didn't act like your typical projected hologram; she moved, smiled, had personality, and she even gave Yumi a high five. Those were all the Izinski Head needed to understand that Yumi had fully awakened the long-lost power of the Izinski family.
After the duel, she tried to approach him, but was stopped by her old rival. The Kawakami Head stopped her before she could even take a few steps, standing there with that knowing look, like he had been waiting for this exact moment.
That old man prevented her from approaching his 'grandson' with a smug smile.
She wanted to argue, but Yumi didn't even give her a glance as he walked beside that old Kawakami. Not to mention, because his name was no longer Izinski, there was nothing she could do.
After that, the old Izinski went home and disowned Yumi Izinski's parents out of anger. After who knows how long, the long-hidden power of their family finally resurfaced, only to be discarded and picked by their rival.
After the old Izinski Head told Aki that, she fully understood why her grandmother had been so fixated on bringing Yumi back to the Izinski Family.
But that was the issue. Legally, officially, and personally, Yumi Izinski is considered dead; he no longer exists. But Yumi Uzushi is the adopted grandson of the Kawakami Head, which makes him part of the Kawakami family, even if his last name is different.
So, they couldn't bring Yumi back to the Izinski Family, because Yumi Izinski no longer exists. They can only try to convince him to come home willingly now.
Aki still have mix feeling toward Yumi, didn't know what to say to this. But she understands her purpose and mission here, and she understands the long wishes of her grandmother and all the previous family heads before her.
So even if she didn't want to, she would still try to complete this mission.
Still, all of that aside… losing to Yumi's little sister, a Kawakami, is something she couldn't accept.
The Izinski and Kawakami have been long rivals since the founding.
"My turn." Aki said, placing her fingers on top of her deck, her voice steady again. "Draw!"