Just then, the automatic doors opened and the female teacher from the Academic Affairs Office walked in.
"Principal, we have held an emergency internal meeting and would like to withdraw the previous punishment decision regarding Abandoned Dorm," she said. "We plan to reassign Yugen Fujiki and Judai Yuki as a team for the group Duel."
Principal Samejima was stunned.
So were Asuka Tenjoin and Hayato Maeda.
Was their decision not supposed to be final? Was it not about their authority?
The authority seemed much less firm now.
Thus, the Academic Affairs Office penalty Duel change was happily decided.
Yugen and Judai Yuki, the two so called masterminds, would form a team and accept the punishment Duel. Judai Yuki accepted the result without complaint. He was happy as long as he could play cards, and he had only just enrolled, so he was not especially close to Sho Marufuji. In fact, he had never even seen Sho Marufuji play a real Duel.
If he had to choose, someone like Yugen, who had fought beside him in a life and death match in Spirit World, was clearly the better partner. As for Sho Marufuji, he was even more relieved. He had been nervous from the moment he heard about the punishment, and now that he had been replaced, he no longer had to worry about dragging his bro down.
Everyone was satisfied with the adjustment. A world where no one got hurt had been achieved.
Since the opponent for the Duel still had to be contacted and scheduled, it could not happen immediately. The notice from Academic Affairs Office listed the time as undecided, giving them a few days to get to know each other and adjust their Decks for team coordination. Judai Yuki had no intention of making changes. He believed that whoever came, he would just play as usual.
Even if the opponent had some special combo, he felt there was no need to overthink it. A true Duelist should trust his Deck, because there was always a chance no matter the situation. In other words, a mature Deck should learn to counter the opponent by itself without the Duelist working too hard.
Yugen did not agree.
Although the opponent had not been announced, he was almost certain it would be Meikyu Brothers, the duo who claimed to have faced the first generation Duel King Yugi Muto. In GX they used a Gate Guardian Deck. While that Deck would receive support many years later, the version in this era should not include those future cards.
From the logic of the anime world, those future cards were simply undeveloped potential. Thinking about teaming with Judai Yuki, Yugen grew excited. In his view, Judai Yuki had overwhelming destiny on his side, which meant plenty of miracle draws.
If he could properly borrow that power, maybe he could design some fun combos that were hard to achieve alone. There was no rush yet, since the Duel date had not been announced.
Meanwhile, the first year Exchange Duel Tournament at the Duel Department began.
The same well endowed senior was hosting again. When she saw Yugen, she looked pleased. She said she had heard about the team Duel and thought he might skip the tournament to prepare.
"How could I miss something this fun?" Yugen replied with a grin. "It is a great chance to bond with the new members."
There were credits for participating, and the champion could pick a card from the Duel Department private stock. There was no way he would miss that. The new members nearby, however, wore complicated expressions and clearly did not share his enthusiasm.
The senior laughed and announced the start of the tournament. The joyful Duel time began again.
In the first round, Yugen faced a student from Yellow Dormitory who had played him during the Dorm Exchange Duel. This time the atmosphere felt different. On Yugen's turn, he summoned Abyss Soldier, set two cards, and ended.
His opponent sneered and claimed he had surpassed him, then slammed down four cards in the Back Row. Yugen paused, feeling the scene was strangely familiar. The Yellow Dormitory student boldly invited him to break through the defense and attack directly.
"Activate Continuous Trap, Royal Decree."
The student nearly coughed up blood and stared in disbelief. Why would you bring that card yourself? Have you led a betrayal?
The first duel ended smoothly. A single Solemn Warning combined with Abyss Soldier was enough to crush the field, making it feel even easier than their previous match. It reminded Yugen of bullying games back in Duel Dojo before enrolling at Duel Academy.
The friendly in house matches continued. From the stands, the senior leaned over the railing and kept most of her attention on Yugen. There were screams as monsters were run over, gunshots from Don Zaloog, torpedoes flying across the field, and Abyss Soldier swinging its trident again and again.
More and more upperclassmen gathered to watch. They pointed at the crying freshmen below, smiling brightly. Among them was Shuichi Watanabe, who had suffered during the club entry battle. Shuuichi watched every Duel of Yugen with a wide smile, looking even happier than his peers.
After a streak of victories, Yugen reached the semifinals against a girl from Obelisk Blue Dorm.
"I activate the Equip Spell Flaming Sword and equip it to your Dark Jeroid. Then I use the effect of my Abyss Soldier Unit 1, discarding Sinister Serpent to return Flaming Sword to my hand. Because of its side effect, Dark Jeroid is banished."
The girl fell silent.
"I activate Flaming Sword again, equip it to your Warrior of Zera. Then I use the effect of Abyss Soldier Unit-02 to bounce it back again. Warrior of Zera is also banished."
She remained speechless.
"For the third time, I activate Flaming Sword. This time I equip it to my own Abyss Soldier Unit 1, increasing its ATK by 400."
Abyss Soldier Unit 1 rose from 1800 to 2200 ATK, while Unit 2 remained at 1800.
"Both Abyss Soldiers attack directly."
Her Life Points dropped from 4000 to 0. She collapsed onto the ground, her expression as messy as her hair.
Who am I? Where am I? Why did I Duel?
I want to quit school.
On the other side of the arena, Jun Manjoume, who had also fought his way to the finals, clenched his fist as he watched.
This was the second chance he had been waiting for.
This time, it had to be different.
By the time the finals began, even more onlookers had gathered around the Duel Department arena.
"That's Jun Manjoume versus Yugen Fujiki. Both are the most talked about freshmen this year."
"You have not heard? This is a grudge match. They already played once."
"Really?"
"Before enrollment, at the Moonlight Cup. Manjoume got knocked out in the Top Eight back then."
Up in the higher stands, the Duel Department senior host sat watching. "I have been observing Jun Manjoume since he joined Duel Department. He is very different from when he first arrived."
Her companion tilted her head. "Different how?"
"His Deck, his tactics, even the way he carries himself. It feels like a complete transformation. I cannot say how much stronger he is, but it is obvious he changed. Since this is a grudge match, Manjoume definitely does not want to lose."
She leaned forward with interest. "Let us see where this Duel goes."
Both duelists stepped onto the final stage.
"Thanks to you, I had a hard time facing my two older brothers after the last match," Manjoume said in a low voice. "But this time will be different."
"Funny, I was thinking the same," Yugen replied with a smile as he activated his Duel Disk. "Today is not like last time."
Manjoume snorted. "Your calm act ends here. Since enrolling, I have completed my transformation. Watch closely. This is my evolved, elite Duel style."
"Duel!" they both called.
Yugen, LP 4000. Manjoume, LP 4000.
"I go first. Draw!" Manjoume declared. "I activate the Spell Card Pot of Greed! I draw two cards from my Deck. But this turn, I cannot activate any other Spell Card or set any cards." (ANIME EFFECT)
He added the two cards to his hand, then placed another onto the field.
"I Summon Dorado in Defense Position."