"What are you two even doing?"
Before the duel, inside the private waiting room, Chazz frowned in annoyance as he glared at the two older brothers he hadn't seen in months.
"The Princeton Group pulled some strings with the television network. This year's Duel Academy inter-school match is being broadcast live nationwide," the eldest brother, Slade Princeton, said coolly.
"Nationwide broadcast?" Chazz's heart skipped a beat.
Duel that guy... live in front of the entire country?
A sudden wave of tension seized his chest.
"Precisely. This broadcast is part of our plan to realize the pact we made as brothers," Slade continued. "To build a global Princeton Empire. The two of us will climb to the absolute pinnacles of politics and business, while you, Chazz, will stand at the summit of Duel Monsters. Together, the three of us will forge an empire to rival KaibaCorp itself. You haven't forgotten, have you?"
Chazz stayed silent: "..."
"We heard all about it from Dr. Crowler. He said you dropped out three months ago."
"That was"
"Save your excuses." The second brother, Jagger Princeton, rose from his seat. "You've always been the dead-last among us brothers. You should know better than anyone how much we've invested in you, and how little you've delivered in return. Failure on this live broadcast is utterly unacceptable. You must win, and you must win decisively in front of the entire nation! Do you understand?"
Chazz fell quiet for a moment.
"...Yes."
Outside, the academy's dueling arena was packed to the brim. The stands looked like a rolling ocean of spectators, buzzing with deafening cheers and shifting bodies. Television cameras glided between the crowd and the stage, locking onto the field from every angle to beam the match straight into millions of homes.
"Here we are again, Chazz," You Xuan said with a smile, strapping on his Duel Disk as he stepped onto the arena floor. "This makes the third time, doesn't it?"
"It will be completely different from before," Chazz replied coldly, snapping his Duel Disk open. "This time, I crawled back from the deepest depths of hell! I have undergone a total transformation! Crushing you and conquering the wall that once stopped me in my tracks is the first obstacle I must overcome! So this time, victory will be mine..."
He casually glanced toward the VIP section where his two brothers sat.
"...It must be mine!"
The moment his words fell, the spirit of Ojama Yellow drifted out from his deck. "Don't worry, Boss! I'll put my heart and soul into this, giving it everything I've got"
"Shut up!" Chazz snapped in fury. "Think for a second! In a match this important, why would a piece of trash like you ever get to hit the field?"
"Whaaat?!" Ojama Yellow looked deeply wounded, both of his bulbous eyes drooping. "How could you be so mean..."
"Oh? Looks like you made some interesting friends on your journey, Chazz," You Xuan said, chuckling.
"What? No, that's not... like I'd ever associate with trash like that!"
Chazz shoved Ojama Yellow right back into his deck with an irritated scoff.
Although the Ojamas would eventually become his signature monsters in the future, at this stage, Chazz still looked down on weak monsters. During his time at North Academy, he had crossed paths with Ojama Yellow, but no matter how much the little spirit begged, Chazz refused to let it fight. In his eyes, letting such a pathetic weakling onto a grand stage like this was pure lunacy.
"My deck has been honed to its absolute peak. Watch closely, You Xuanthis time will be different."
"Interesting. I've prepared a deck specifically tailored for you as well," You Xuan replied with a grin. "Let's see how this plays out, then."
"Duel!"
[You Xuan, LP: 4000]
[Chazz, LP: 4000]
"I'll take the first turn. Draw!" Chazz announced. "I activate the Spell Card Graceful Charity! I draw three cards from my deck, then discard two cards from my hand. Next, I set a monster in face-down Defense Position, then set one card face-down. I end my turn."
"Then it's my turn. Draw."
You Xuan drew his card, calmly taking a card from his hand and slotting it into his Duel Disk.
"First, I activate the Spell Card Graceful Charity. I draw three cards, then discard two."
Two cards slid into his Graveyard slot, but almost immediately, one of them automatically ejected back out.
"One of the cards I discarded was Learning Elf. When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I draw one card from my deck."
Needless to say, this card was courtesy of Industrial Illusions' sponsorshipthe exact same card Gekko Tenma had used in his duel against You Xuan.
"Next, I activate thisthe Spell Card Reasoning."
"Reasoning, huh?"
Chazz was no stranger to this card; after all, he had used it before.
"That's right. My opponent declares a Level. Then, I excavate cards from the top of my deck until I reveal a monster that can be Normal Summoned," You Xuan explained. "If the excavated monster's Level matches the Level you declared, that monster is sent to the Graveyard. If you guess wrong, that monster is Special Summoned, and all other excavated cards are sent to the Graveyard."
Chazz frowned.
Even though this was their third duel, this guy played a completely different deck every single time. Guessing the Level was a total shot in the dark.
Still, based on their previous encounters, You Xuan had used a banish-focused Dimensional Slash deck in their first duel and a VWXYZ build in the second. In both of those decks, the most common Level by far had been Level 4.
"I declare Level 4," Chazz said.
You Xuan excavated three cards in a row. On the fourth card, a monster appeared.
"Ha, look who it is."
You Xuan displayed the card in his hand.
"What a shame. The monster I excavated is Spell Canceller. It's Level 5one Level higher than your guess. Therefore, Spell Canceller is Special Summoned."
[Spell Canceller, ATK 1800]
"Spell Canceller..."
Chazz frowned again in contemplation.
He knew You Xuan ran this card frequently. As everyone knew, continuous field-wide lockdown effects that shut down an opponent's plays were some of the most obnoxious, degenerate strategies in all of Duel Monsters. It made total sense that this bastard loved using it.
"Spell Canceller attacks your set monster," You Xuan declared.
A beam of energy lanced out from the mechanical device, striking the face-down card. The card flipped face-up to reveal a Level 3 Dragon monsterMasked Dragon.
"When Masked Dragon is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, its effect activates!"
As Chazz spoke, a ray of golden light erupted from his deck.
"I can Special Summon a Dragon monster with 1500 or less ATK from my deck! Come forth! I Special Summon the ace monster I obtained from North Academy"
Chazz raised his arm high. The golden light coalesced onto his field, taking the form of a petite, armored dragon.
"Armed Dragon LV3!"
[Armed Dragon LV3, ATK 1200]
Seeing their school's ace monster hit the field, the students of North Academy pumped their fists into the air and shouted at the top of their lungs:
"Thunder! Thunder! Chazz Thunder!"
Syrus blinked in surprise. "A Level Monster?"
"It's similar to You Xuan's Silent Magician," Bastion, ever the model student, chimed in. "A series of monsters that level up on their own once specific conditions are met. But that's supposed to be a legendary, ultra-rare card..."
Up in the stands, Chancellor Sheppard was equally stunned. "That card is a secret treasure entrusted to the North Academy branch. Foster, you..."
Facing Chancellor Sheppard's questioning gaze, Principal Foster simply crossed his arms, wearing an enigmatic, crafty smirk.
"Heh heh... I believe I told you, I'm playing for keeps this year. No matter what, that prize will be mine."
Hearing that, Sheppard couldn't sit still for another second and shot straight out of his seat.
Ms. Dorothy's kiss... going to this old geezer?!
Impossible! Absolutely impossible! There was no way in hell he could accept that!
"Don't kid yourself! This year's reward is mine!"
Chancellor Sheppard flailed his fists and roared with all his might.
"Student You Xuan! You must win! You cannot lose under any circumstances!!!"
You Xuan couldn't help but chuckle.
The Chancellor is up there in age, yet he's going all out just for a kiss from Ms. Dorothy...
"In that case, I'll also set a monster face-down on the field."
You Xuan drew two cards from his hand, placing one in his monster zone and one in his spell and trap zone.
"Then, I set one card face-down. Turn end."
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