Sea wind carried white waves crashing against the reefs.
One week later.
Out on the ocean, enormous hydraulic push rods lifted wide gray steel road sections from beneath the water. Spray burst into the air as heavy metal locks between the bridge segments slammed together with deafening clacks.
The blue glow of holographic projections spread along the sealed seams, and just like that, a brand-new ring-shaped ocean highway assembled itself above the waves, extending all the way toward the mainland.
The Turbo Duel instructor stood beside the coastal guardrail with an electronic attendance roster in hand. Beside him, more than a dozen white training D-Wheels were neatly lined up.
"As you can all see, Duel Academy is built on an island surrounded by the sea. Even though the island itself is spacious, supporting a two-hundred-kilometer highway for Turbo Duels would still be difficult." He pointed toward the endless track stretching across the ocean. "That's why Kaiba Corp spent an enormous amount of money constructing this ocean highway. Aside from the main Kaiba Bridge route, the track directly connects to the outside mainland. Be proud of it."
The freshmen in formation let out low gasps of amazement, their eyes fixed firmly on the track beyond the guardrail.
"However!" The instructor raised a hand to calm them down. "Since this is your first Turbo Duel, or at least the first time for most of you, I'm not asking you to Duel well. Your priority is staying safe. These training D-Wheels prepared by the school are all equipped with autopilot systems."
A grease-stained hand shot up from the front row.
"But teacher, can autopilot even win the race for first turn?"
Niobe stared at the training D-Wheels with furrowed brows, practically dying to pry one open and inspect the internals. As an Adamancipator player, the temptation of a first-turn combo was irresistible.
"Autopilot naturally has a hard time securing first turn. So once you truly get the hang of things, the academy fully supports manual driving." The instructor tapped at the names on the roster. "But for now, just don't cause a chain-reaction pileup for me."
He scrolled through the names on the screen.
"Now then, regarding the rules of Turbo Duels, we already covered them in theory classes over the past week. Someone summarize them for me."
The instructor's gaze swept across the formation.
"Phila, you answer."
The person hiding near the back of the formation and trying to minimize her presence instantly stiffened.
Raku: Tch. So the day finally came.
During this entire week, even when I wasn't inside my own body at night, I still had to waste energy building an off-road jeep inside that unlucky girl's dream castle. Pedal to the floor, chasing her through the hallways at full speed.
Turbo Duels weren't just about Deck construction. The real key to survival was being able to keep your grip on your hand while facing the physical impact of monster projections at high speed. If someone got scared by a little gust of wind and fell off the bike, how were they supposed to Duel at all? I've already sent her flying so many times that even Ultraseven's training regimens weren't this intense. She should've developed at least some muscle memory by now.
Phila slowly stepped out from behind Niobe.
Her hands tightly gripped the hem of her dark blue school skirt while she stared down at the tips of her shoes.
"W-When a Turbo Duel begins, both players' Field Zones are forcibly occupied, and a Field Spell Card called [Speed World 2] appears." Phila swallowed nervously. "It's a Rule Card. It can't be destroyed, banished, returned to the hand or Deck, and it also can't be sent to the Graveyard."
She paused for a moment before raising her eyes a bit.
"Then... during each player's Standby Phase, they gain one Speed Counter. Different effects can be activated by removing Speed Counters."
As she spoke, the hands clutching her skirt loosened a little.
Compared to getting rammed by a jeep in a dream or having a Vampire Fraulein bite her neck to pay Life Points, taking 2000 damage somehow didn't sound all that terrifying anymore.
"Very good. Looks like you really were paying attention." The instructor closed the electronic roster, revealing a satisfied expression.
"Alright, theory is nothing without practice. Let our honor student give everyone a demonstration first." The instructor pointed toward the two D-Wheels at the very front. "Pick a partner and take a lap around the track."
Phila's eyes shot wide at once, and she subconsciously pointed at her own nose.
"Eh?! M-Me?"
A hand directly wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her two steps forward.
"Come on, Phila, don't just stand there. This is a rare opportunity!"
Niobe grinned broadly while her other hand already started fumbling with the buckles on her tool pouch.
"I've wanted to test the thrust of this thing's motor for ages. Let's give it a spin together!"
She strode toward the white training D-Wheel and slapped her palm against the cold metal body with a loud smack.
...
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