# Chapter 158: When It Comes to Putting on a Show, It's Gotta Be Sawatari!
"First to appear is an officer from Security! He once set a brilliant record of thirty consecutive successful arrests, but after a recent string of failures, he was demoted. Now, he's looking to prove himself in the Friendship Cup! He is the star Security Officer, DC369!"
As DC369 rode out from the competitor's channel on his Security-issued D-Wheel, the audience's reaction could only be described as polarized.
The audience from The Top Echelons in the private boxes gave him a warm cheer, while the audience from the Commons showered him with curses.
It was no surprise. As the enforcers for The Top Echelons, Security did less to maintain public order and more to serve as a tool for the elite to oppress the Commons. Naturally, the people of the Commons had no kind words for anyone from Security.
Amidst this polarized reaction, DC369's expression remained unchanged as he arrived at the starting line.
"And next up, from the Lancers, is the Duelist who first demonstrated Pendulum Summoning for everyone in the Underground Duel Arena! Sawatari Shingo!"
The moment the Female Commentator's voice fell, countless fireworks inexplicably appeared and exploded in the center of the stadium, stunning her for a moment.
"What is this? The organizers didn't arrange for this, did they?"
Just as the Female Commentator was puzzling over the sudden fireworks, an incredibly flashy golden D-Wheel shot out from the competitor's channel.
"I'll handle the self-introduction myself!"
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Sawatari's flamboyant voice echoed through every corner of the stadium. "Appearing now, from the Standard Dimension, is the greatest entertainment duelist in history! A super-invincible, ultimate, and powerful existence! The Neo New Sawatari!"
Aboard his D-Wheel, Sawatari snapped his fingers. More fireworks shot into the sky and exploded, forming the multi-colored words "NEO NEW SAWATARI" in the air.
Watching this on the screen, Yūga Hōzumi's mouth twitched.
*That's our Sylvio Sawatari, alright!*
Even though he was always getting beaten in the original story, when it came to putting on a show, Sylvio Sawatari was endlessly enthusiastic.
"Don't do anything unnecessary!" The Female Commentator was somewhat displeased with Sawatari's superfluous entrance, but the audience loved it. Cheers and playful jeers erupted simultaneously, and the scene strongly resembled a performance by a famous comedy troupe from Yūga Hōzumi's previous life.
After the cheers gradually subsided, Sawatari parked his D-Wheel at the starting line. DC369, who had been waiting there, scoffed disdainfully, "Where did this clown come from?"
Unfazed by his opponent's provocation, Sawatari casually replied, "Hello there, Mr. Supporting Character. Let's work together in this duel to give the audience a good laugh."
"Hmph." DC369 snorted coldly and turned away from Sawatari. Just then, the Female Commentator's voice rang out.
"Action Field On: Crossover Acceleration!"
"3! 2! 1!"
"Riding Duel! Accelerate!"
The two D-Wheels shot off, one after the other.
Just like Gongenzaka, Sawatari was using a D-Wheel for the first time and quickly fell behind his opponent, an old hand who had grown up riding them.
"Hmph, a clown is still a clown. I'll be taking the first turn!" DC369 sneered, seeing Sawatari's fumbling.
But this was Sylvio Sawatari we were talking about. Was he going to take that lying down?
Gritting his teeth, Sawatari twisted the D-Wheel's throttle to its absolute limit, regardless of whether he could control it.
The front of Sawatari's D-Wheel lifted, its rear wheel kicking up a shower of sparks from the ground. It wobbled wildly as it shot forward, overtaking DC369.
"Is he insane?!" DC369 watched the scene in shock. "At that speed, he'll fly off the track on the curve!"
Indeed, by the time Sawatari reached the curve, it was too late to slow down. The D-Wheel slammed straight into the curved guardrail and went spinning into the air.
But miraculously, after rotating several times in mid-air, Sawatari's D-Wheel landed on the straightaway past the curve. After a few more spins, it miraculously regained its balance.
After a brief silence, the arena erupted in a tsunami of cheers.
Yūga Hōzumi, watching from the screen, was utterly stunned. Even if the system granted him the Crab-Head Big Boss's perfect driving skills, his success rate in replicating what Sawatari had just done would be less than five percent!
However, Sawatari, the one who had accomplished this feat, had only just recovered from the dizziness caused by the spinning. Though he himself was bewildered, he instinctively waved to the cheering crowd.
"Duelist Sawatari has seized the first turn with his spectacular driving skills! Now, what kind of defense will he set up?" the Female Commentator announced.
"Huh? It's my first turn?" Hearing the commentator's words, Sawatari finally snapped back to reality.
"My turn!"
"I set the Scale 0 Abyss Actor - Leading Lady and the Scale 2 Abyss Actor - Wild Hope in the Pendulum Zones!"
As Sawatari slapped the cards onto the left and right sides of his Duel Disk, two pillars of light rose behind him.
"I activate the Pendulum Effect of Abyss Actor - Leading Lady! By paying 1000 Life Points, I can add one 'Abyss Actor' Pendulum Monster from my Deck to my hand, other than this card."
"I add the Level 7 Abyss Actor - Superstar to my hand!"
Sawatari Shingo's LP: 4000 → 3000
"Level 7?" The Female Commentator recalled the rules of Pendulum Summoning. "But Duelist Sawatari's current Pendulum Scales are 0 and 2. That means he can only Pendulum Summon a Level 1 monster!"
"Don't be so quick to judge," Sawatari said with a grin.
"I activate the Pendulum Effect of Abyss Actor - Wild Hope! Once per turn, I can target the other 'Abyss Actor' card in my Pendulum Zone and make its Pendulum Scale become 9 until the end of the turn."
Abyss Actor - Leading Lady's Scale: 0 → 9
"With this, I can simultaneously Pendulum Summon monsters from Level 3 to Level 8! Appear, my servants!"
"Let the show begin! This is my entertainment theater!"
"Level 4, Abyss Actor - Sassy Rookie!"
"Level 4, Abyss Actor - Pretty Heroine!"
"And for the grand finale! The star of my theater! Abyss Actor - Superstar!"
Three beams of light shot out from between the two pillars behind Sawatari, landing neatly beside him one after another.
Abyss Actor - Sassy Rookie ATK: 1700
Abyss Actor - Pretty Heroine ATK: 1500
Finally, amidst dazzling flashbulbs, the superstar demon, clad in a gorgeous gown, made a magnificent entrance!
Abyss Actor - Superstar ATK: 2500
The grand entrance of the actors from Sawatari's theater elicited enthusiastic cheers from the audience in the arena.
"It's too early to cheer! It's about to get even more exciting!" Sawatari declared. "I activate the effect of Abyss Actor - Superstar! Once per turn, I can add one 'Abyss Script' Spell Card from my Deck to my hand! (Anime Effect)"
"I add the Spell Card, Abyss Script - Opening Ceremony, to my hand, and now I'll activate it!"
"I regain 500 Life Points for each 'Abyss Actor' monster on my field!"
Sawatari Shingo's LP: 3000 → 4500
"I set one card and end my turn!"
...
(end of chapter)