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"Lost... Lost?"
Ryoji knelt in a pose reminiscent of a suspect whose conspiracy had been exposed in Death Note, his hands braced against the ground, his expression still dazed and confused.
It felt unreal.
Years of preparation, dedicated training in seclusion, and this was supposed to be his triumphant return as the king of dueling...
...and he got knocked out in the tutorial round?
He couldn't accept it!
The delayed applause from the audience shattered his illusions, dragging him back to the harsh reality. At first, it was sparse and scattered, as if the crowd was just recovering from the shock of the duel. But then, spurred on by someone's lead, it erupted into a thunderous cheer, accompanied by chants of the winner's name.
Clearly, they weren't chanting for him—Ryoji—but for the newcomer who had utterly crushed him.
The legendary duelist Ryoji, attempting a grand comeback, had instead become the stepping stone for a rising star.
"Congratulations to Yuxuan Fujiki, who successfully defeated Dinosaur Ryoji and claimed the championship of this year's Tsukihana Cup!"
Commentator Watanabe shouted excitedly.
"What an unbelievable duel this was! A newcomer appearing for the first time, winning against the returning Ryoji in his debut match—and not only that, but maintaining the upper hand throughout the entire duel...
...No, it's more than that. His LP didn't even drop once—he finished with a perfect 4000 points! You could literally say this was a flawless victory!"
Ryoji: Please stop roasting me.
"Yes," added Commentator Sasaki. "And based on my years of commentary experience, I dare say this might not even be the limit of this player's abilities." He continued, "The Card Gunner has another effect. When it's destroyed, the duelist can draw one card from their deck.
After accepting the effects of Restriction Removal, the Machine-type monsters will self-destruct, meaning Yuxuan would get to draw three more cards thanks to the destruction of the Card Gunners.
On the other hand, Ryoji's field is completely empty—both front and back rows. Because of the Reckless Greed he played last turn, he has to skip two draw phases. So..."
He trailed off, but the implication was clear.
Even if Ryoji somehow managed to survive this turn and defend against the combined assault of the Card Gunners, his chances of winning were slim to none.
Not to mention that Yuxuan still had two Meklord Fortresses in his graveyard, ready to resurrect at any moment if he had the resources.
At this point, the gap between the two duelists was insurmountable.
Ryoji: "......"
"Truly, the younger generation is fearsome," Watanabe remarked, his admiration for the newcomer growing. "But regardless, let's congratulate Yuxuan Fujiki for claiming the championship..."
He had a premonition.
This wouldn't be the last time he'd see this duelist on the tournament stage... No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that for Yuxuan, this was only the beginning.
...
...
"Did we really win...?"
Sato Koji, the senior disciple of the Duel Dojo, sat among the spectators, blinking dumbfoundedly at the unfolding scene. Then he pinched himself hard.
Ouch—it hurt.
Not a dream.
His junior had really defeated a legendary duelist...
Suddenly, all the frustration and anger he'd felt when his junior had trounced him earlier vanished, replaced by an unexpected sense of pride.
Such an amazing junior—I've actually been beaten by him!
He straightened his back unconsciously, puffing out his chest.
With Yuxuan's victory, the Duel Dojo erupted in celebration. Imagining the headlines that would surely appear in tomorrow's Duelist Times, the apprentices felt an immense sense of pride. Mentioning their dojo's name in public would now carry extra weight.
And if there was anyone who was most excited, it was undoubtedly the dojo's master.
The moment the champion was announced, Master Takeuchi's eyes rolled back, and he nearly fainted backward...
But after being hastily helped up by his frantic disciples, he waved them off, insisting he was fine, just overcome with emotion.
Later, when no one was paying attention, Master Takeuchi rose and made his way to the depths of the dojo. He extended his hand, lightly tapping a seemingly ordinary section of the wall.
The gesture appeared casual, but his fingertips followed a specific pattern. Moments later, the wall seemed to come alive, trembling slightly before splitting open down the middle, revealing a hidden door.
No one else in the dojo knew about this door's existence.
He stepped into the tunnel, and the hidden door closed automatically behind him. At the end of the tunnel, the only source of light illuminated a single point in the center.
A transparent display case stood there, containing a single card.
The master muttered to himself.
"The one worthy of inheriting it... has finally appeared?"
...
...
"You're really the champion! Even a big bad like Ryoji got handled by you, little bro—you're too incredible!"
By the time they left the venue, Senior Sato Koji had completely transformed, enthusiastically offering to carry Yuxuan's luggage.
"Eh, little bro, why are you carrying it yourself? Let your senior take it..."
Yuxuan tried to decline, but Koji's enthusiasm was overwhelming.
"By the way, I heard someone say that learning knows no order of precedence. Starting today, how about you become the senior, and I'll be the junior..."
Yuxuan: "..."
"Speaking of which, your mentality is really something else. How are you so calm after winning the championship?" Koji couldn't help but comment. "If it were me, I'd be floating on cloud nine right now..."
In truth, Yuxuan wasn't unhappy—it was just that he had foreseen this outcome from the start, so it didn't come as a surprise.
What concerned him more was when the prize money would arrive.
The deeper he delved into this world, the more he realized that while money wasn't everything in the Yu-Gi-Oh universe, lacking it was definitely a problem.
Take Seto Kaiba or Jounouchi Katsuya—those cash-powered warriors were a different breed altogether. The protagonist of the first series, Yugi Mutou, came from a family that sold cards. The second series' protagonist, Jaden Yuki, was apparently also a wealthy second-generation duelist.
Even third-series protagonist Judai Yuki, though born in poverty, was a heavy-hitter who crafted perpetual motion machines out of garbage. Not only did he build a top-tier competitive deck from scraps, but he also had a literal Red-Eyes Black Dragon printing press—capable of creating cards on his own.
Even the anime protagonists' decks kept evolving with the plot, constantly upgraded and replenished with new cards.
So, dueling was truly a bottomless pit. Unless you were one of those rare individuals with the innate ability to print cards, the average duelist could only burn money to keep up.
Which highlighted just how great Duel Academy was, with Kaiba's generous sponsorship.
"..."
The two walked out of the venue, one ahead of the other.
From the shadows, a cloaked figure stood in the corner, watching Yuxuan's retreating figure from afar.
Underneath the black hood, the figure's lips curled into a dangerous smile.
Then, a flash of green light flickered beneath the hood, and the eyes hidden in the darkness momentarily glowed like embers burning in the pupils.