Two minutes earlier—
"Field Spell Card, activate—Geartown! As long as this card remains in the Field Zone, the number of tributes required to Normal Summon an 'Ancient Gear' monster for either player is reduced by one!"
The mechanical city unfolded across the field, gears grinding and pistons churning as if concealing a massive, unseen steel beast beneath its streets.
"Heh, brat—time to show you the price of recklessly challenging a professor of this academy!"
Crowler smirked inwardly. His opening hand was perfect, and with only a single pathetic face-down monster on Jaden's field, victory already seemed assured.
"Thanks to Geartown's effect, I tribute one Red Gadget on my field to Advance Summon—Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon!!"
[Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon ★★★★★★★★★ (Level 9)][EARTH][Machine/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 3000]
The enormous mechanical dragon coiled above the gear-laden streets, vents hissing with steam and arcs of electricity sparking across its body.
"It's here! Professor Crowler's ace—Reactor Dragon!"
The upperclassmen watching immediately recognized the monster. After being humiliated by Akasha just minutes earlier, Crowler was now going all out to reclaim his pride.
"When Reactor Dragon is Tribute Summoned using a 'Gadget' monster, it can attack twice during the same Battle Phase, nonono!"
Tightening his grip on the Quick-Play Spell Limiter Removal, Crowler grinned. Once Reactor Dragon destroyed Jaden's set monster, he'd double its ATK for a second strike—finishing Jaden in an instant.
A perfect redemption duel.
"Go, Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon—Thermal Blast!"
Blistering steam erupted from the dragon's maw, melting through Jaden's face-down monster with ease.
[Winged Kuriboh Destroyed.]
At that, Hoshino's eye twitched slightly. "Kuriboh…? When did Jaden get that card?"
Crowler sneered mockingly. "To think you'd pack such a pitiful monster in your deck. As expected of a failure, nonono!"
"Winged Kuriboh isn't a 'pitiful' monster—it's a precious partner entrusted to me by Mr. Yugi!"
As the destroyed Kuriboh was sent to the Graveyard, Jaden declared, "During the turn Winged Kuriboh is destroyed, I take no battle damage!"
"What—! A monster with a defensive effect? So you'll barely survive Reactor Dragon's second attack, nonono! But that changes nothing!"
Crowler paused mid-motion, pulling back the Limiter Removal he was about to activate, and instead set it face-down on his field.
"I set one card and end my turn."
"My turn, huh?" Jaden drew, eyes burning with determination. "The hope Winged Kuriboh gave me… I'll carry it forward myself!"
He slid a card into his Duel Disk, and a swirl of light burst forth from the field—Fusion Summon!
"I activate the Spell Card Polymerization! I fuse Elemental HERO Avian and Elemental HERO Burstinatrix from my hand! Fusion Summon—come forth, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman ★★★★★★ (Level 6)][WIND][ATK 2100/DEF 1200]
['Elemental HERO Avian' + 'Elemental HERO Burstinatrix']
"So you're using a HERO Fusion strategy—but with only 2100 ATK, it's no match for Reactor Dragon, nonono!"
Jaden grinned, expanding the side panel of his Duel Disk. "Not quite! Every HERO deserves their own battlefield! I activate the Field Spell Card—Skyscraper!"
Towering skyscrapers erupted from the ground, shattering the metallic streets of Geartown and replacing them with a gleaming urban skyline.
[Geartown Destroyed]
"Heh, you've outsmarted yourself, failure! Only one Field Spell can exist at a time—and when Geartown is destroyed, I can Special Summon one 'Ancient Gear' monster from my Deck! Appear—Ancient Gear Golem!"
[Ancient Gear Golem★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][EARTH][Machine/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 3000]
From the ruins of the collapsing Geartown, a massive steel giant rose, gears grinding as it awakened. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Reactor Dragon amidst the skyscrapers, the scene looked straight out of a Hollywood disaster film.
"He actually let Professor Crowler summon two of his 'Ancient Gear' bosses? That poor freshman's doomed…"
The onlooking students sighed silently. According to Crowler's own wager, if Jaden couldn't defeat him, he wouldn't even be allowed to enroll. It was a fate worse than being stuck in the Slifer Red dorm.
Yet Jaden only smiled wider. "Heh, I was waiting for you, Ancient Gear Golem! Let's finish this, Professor!"
He slammed a Spell Card onto his Duel Disk with full force. The holograms flared to life as he pointed toward Flame Wingman perched atop the skyscraper.
"This duel's ours! Flame Wingman—I activate the Spell Card Skydive Scorcher!!"
Flame Wingman leapt from the top of the building into the night sky, the dragon head on his arm blazing with emerald fire.
[Skydive Scorcher Effect: Target 1 face-up 'Elemental HERO' Fusion Monster you control; destroy all face-up monsters your opponent controls with higher ATK than that target.]
"Go, Flame Wingman—Skyscraper Blaster!!!"
A roaring torrent of fire engulfed the battlefield, melting through the mechanical bodies of both the Golem and Reactor Dragon. Their shattered parts crashed down around the screaming Professor Crowler.
"When Skyscraper is on the field, Skydive Scorcher also inflicts damage to your opponent equal to the total original ATK of all monsters destroyed by its effect! The combined ATK of Ancient Gear Golem and Reactor Dragon—6000 points of damage! I win, Professor!"
[Crowler LP 0]
"Aaaaaaah! Mamma mia! How can this beeee!?"
[Duel End!]
[Winner: Jaden Yuki!]
"That was one awesome duel, Professor~"
Jaden mimicked the taunting pose he had picked up from Hoshino during their first duel. Although Hoshino had done it unintentionally back then, it had somehow become Jaden's signature victory pose.
Professor Crowler, his pride in ruins, collapsed to the ground.
"orz… I've been defeated again… it's over… my career, my dignity—they're all gone, mamma mia…"
Alexis watched in stunned silence. That was such a clean, beautiful reversal—it was even more satisfying than Akasha's previous duel. Even though she'd long grown used to watching her brother—the academy's top duelist—this one still managed to amaze her.
"He actually defeated Professor Crowler… Looks like you were right, Akasha. That new student really is as incredible as you said."
Arms folded, Hoshino nodded in satisfaction.
"As expected of my first student. It's clear that Jaden hasn't just grown taller lately—his skills have skyrocketed too."
"Student?" Alexis's worldview took another hit.
"Wait, Jaden Yuki is your student, senpai? Don't tell me… you're even stronger than both Jaden and Akasha?"
Defeating Professor Crowler so easily—that level of strength was almost on par with her brother, the academy's so-called "King." Yet this cute upperclassman before her… was supposedly even stronger?
Akasha puffed out her chest proudly.
"Of course! When it comes to Senpai, Jaden's the student of students~"
Then by that logic, you're the student of the student too, right…?
"You've got to be kidding me…" Alexis muttered in disbelief. How could someone this strong have completely escaped her notice until now?
At Duel Academy, strength meant fame—every top duelist was instantly known across campus. The "Twin Pillars" of the Academy, Atticus Rhodes and Zane Truesdale, were already being featured in professional dueling magazines and even scouted by major teams—before they'd even graduated.
So how could such a powerhouse be hiding right under her nose?
Or rather… Alexis didn't want to believe it.
As a duelist aiming to become the world's strongest female pro, Alexis had always believed she stood among the elite of her generation. She'd even thought that if she were the same age as Hoshino Chiyuki—the Duel King herself—she might have been able to give her a real fight.
Having one Akasha show up was already shocking enough—but now this Hoshino, who shared the same surname as the legendary Duel King, looked even younger than Alexis yet possessed strength comparable to her brother's.
Honestly, not being shaken would've been impossible.
Jaden jumped off the platform, his face glowing with excitement.
"I did it, Akasha! Sensei!"
He said "sensei," but everyone could hear that what he really meant was "master." Alexis once again confirmed that this girl truly was Jaden's teacher.
Hoshino smiled.
"Great job, Jaden! That duel was solid—definitely high marks. But as my top student, this level is only natural~"
Akasha nodded and added,
"With this, Jaden should be joining me in the Obelisk Blue dorm."
"Yeah, it'll be nice being in the same dorm~"
Jaden himself didn't really care about dorms—but if it meant being with Akasha, Academy life was bound to be more fun.
"You're all really strong," a cheerful male voice called out.
A handsome boy, drawn over by Jaden's duel, approached them. "I'm Minazuki. What about you guys?"
"Jaden Yuki."
"Akasha."
"Alexis Rhodes."
After introductions, Minazuki sighed in admiration.
"Man, with wins like that, you're all bound for Obelisk Blue. Meanwhile, I actually beat my instructor—but they deducted points because I had a Leo Wizard in my deck. Said it was for fun!"
Jaden blinked. "You get penalized for running Leo Wizard? Wow, that's a strict grading system. I mean… it's not the strongest card, sure…"
Akasha shot him a side-eye. "Says the guy who put Winged Kuriboh in a pure HERO deck."
At that, Hoshino suddenly frowned.
"Wait—Jaden, why is Winged Kuriboh in your deck? I remember you tweaking your deck yesterday, and that card wasn't in it."
"Oh, that's from Mr. Yugi! He flew all the way to Duel Academy this morning to give it to me as a welcome gift!"
Hoshino blinked. "Yugi… came back from America? How did I not hear about that?"
Jaden scratched his head, thinking.
"Yeah, he said he caught an early morning flight just to bring it over. Handed it to me, then rushed off again. I almost missed the practical exam because of it."
"Almost?" Hoshino deadpanned. "You did miss the exam, Jaden…"
Still, at least she now understood why Jaden had been late to something that important.
"Oh, right! Speaking of gifts—Yugi also gave me one back when we were in the States."
Akasha rummaged through her bag and pulled out a silvery, glowing card.
"It's this one—Field Spell Card: Mystic Mine! Though I still haven't figured out how it works."
Hoshino's expression froze. "He gave that card as a welcome gift? …That's… certainly a choice."
"Attention, all incoming students—!"
After exchanging a few words with the dejected Crowler, Professor Hakutaku stepped onto the main stage.
"The practical exams are over, and we've compiled your results. I will now announce your scores and dorm placements!"
Hoshino tilted her head. "Wait, shouldn't the Headmaster give the post-exam speech?"
"Senpai, the Headmaster's speech comes before the exams," Alexis explained with a smile, then sighed.
She had really been hoping the honorary principal—the Duel King herself—would give the speech. But the one who appeared was only Principal Sheppard, which was a bit of a letdown.
Besides, the Duel King hadn't appeared in public for years, which only made Alexis more curious about her.
Hoshino's inner voice: Wait—what? The entrance speech was before the exams?! Then that means I was even later than Jaden?!
Hoshino Alter chimed in cheerfully, "Good thing old Sheppard covered for you, aibo~ Make sure you thank him later!"
"Next, the results! Candidate No. 01, Bastion Misawa—written exam: 50 points, practical: 45, total 95 points—Ra Yellow Dorm!"
A 95 overall with a perfect written score—clearly a top-tier new student.
…
"—Candidate No. 32, Alexis Rhodes. Written: 48 points, practical: 65, total 113 points—Obelisk Blue Dorm!"
The crowd began murmuring excitedly.
"Wow, first year and already in Blue! As expected of Atticus's sister—she's definitely this year's academy goddess."
"—Candidate No. 35, Kashar Hawkins. Written: 46, practical: 68, total 114 points—Obelisk Blue!"
"Her too?! Her score's even higher than Alexis's! The goddesses of this batch are monsters!"
"—Candidate No. 88, Minazuki. Written: 36, practical: 30, total 66 points—Slifer Red."
"Figures…" Minazuki sighed, disappointment written all over his face.
Jaden patted his shoulder encouragingly.
"Don't sweat it, Minazuki! Red's not that bad. Let's work hard together!"
"Easy for you to say. You beat Professor Crowler—you're obviously going Blue."
Jaden grinned, scratching his nose. "Heh, well, maybe~"
"—Candidate No. 99, Jaden Yuki. Written: 4 points, practical: 65 points, total 69 points—Slifer Red."
Hoshino, Akasha, Alexis, and Minazuki:
"=_= …"