Chapter 151: Speaking Out of Turn?
Chapter 151: Speaking Out of Turn?
In the original story, Tenma Yako first appeared as an antagonist, but in person, Yako gave You Xuan a rather favorable first impression.
He was polite and courteous, and most importantly, generous.
After their duel, without hesitation, Yako promptly retrieved a limited-edition super-rare card, the "Thousand-Eyes Restrict," a replica personally crafted by Pegasus.
This card is legendary. Firstly, it is likely the first boss monster in the history of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, and the air of mystery and oppression it exuded when it first appeared in Pegasus' hands may have inspired the creation of many subsequent villain monsters.
From a card pool perspective, it was also the first Fusion Monster to be banned, spending a full decade in the forbidden list before being released again in 2016.
And its effect of "absorbing opponent's monsters as equipment" could be considered a precursor to the Minotaur-like monsters that came after, pioneering similar effects for future generations of monsters.
All in all, You Xuan was quite satisfied with this trip's gains.
Kaiba Corporation and Tenma Yako temporarily formed an alliance against the black-hat hackers. Yako seemed to believe that an AI with super-era capabilities was responsible for the incident, which Kaiba Corporation viewed with skepticism. However, after negotiations, both parties agreed to cooperate temporarily on this matter, forming a united front against AI.
Of course, the big shots would handle that matter. As for You Xuan, after dueling and receiving his reward, he boarded the helicopter arranged by Kei, returning directly to the academy.
By the time he reached the island, it was already late at night. Tired from the day's duel, and with classes the next morning, You Xuan returned to his dormitory for a quick wash before resting.
And so, he returned to his routine of diligent studies and joyful duels at the Duel Academy.
This trip to Kaiba Corporation further affirmed the effectiveness of his current study plan. Dueling with Yako made him realize that his time at the academy thus far had not been wasted; his growth as a duelist and the strength of his deck were visibly evident.
However, with each step forward, he also recognized the long road ahead and the vast room for improvement. If he wanted to be among the best in this world and attain the highest level of strength, he still had a long way to go.
As You Xuan dedicated himself to his studies and training, events at the academy continued to unfold.
Over the next two days, he heard rumors that Manjyome had gone missing.
It seemed like the world lines were converging, and although the process was different, Manjyome was still headed down a similar path of growth.
Poor Manjyome had been an elite for the first half of his life, but ever since coming to the Duel Academy, he had been on the receiving end of constant defeats, causing him to become reclusive. The students who once respected and treated him politely gradually grew cold as his reputation in Professor Cronos' eyes plummeted.
Angrily, Manjyome went to find Professor Cronos, hoping to request another chance to duel with Judai Yuki and redeem himself. However, the professor refused.
The reason given was that even if he dueled, it would likely be a waste of time. Instead of obsessing over dueling a poor student, he should focus on his grades, or he might soon find himself falling to the Ra Yellow Dormitory.
This news was like a bolt from the blue for Manjyome.
Fall to the Yellow Dormitory? Him, a top elite?
He couldn't accept that!
And so, on the second day, Manjyome disappeared without a trace.
You Xuan guessed that Manjyome had probably set sail, and he was right. What awaited Manjyome was a maritime disaster, drifting to the Northern Branch of the Duel Academy, where he would encounter a sprite of fate—Yellow.
Yes, this was a convergence of world lines, an event that was always meant to happen.
And it had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Judai, on the other hand, was concerned about Manjyome's disappearance and went searching in the nearby woods. However, halfway through his search, he encountered a monkey wearing a Duel Disk, and his surprise at being able to duel with a monkey quickly made him forget about his good friend. He happily dueled with the monkey instead.
According to the anime, there was a research institute on the Duel Academy island dedicated to studying whether monkeys had higher sprite affinity than humans.
Card drawing practice was also a key focus. He felt that his divine draws were much more thoughtful than before his enrollment, as drawing cards was a way for duelists to harmonize with their decks and spirits.
Of course, merely practicing against a wall was theoretical; regular sparring was essential. Thus, You Xuan included a minimum of one sparring session per day in his training schedule.
However, he encountered a slight problem with finding sparring partners.
His first choice of opponents was naturally the Duel Club, as dueling was the very reason for the club's existence.
Yet, a strange phenomenon emerged as he diligently practiced dueling every day.
Whenever he caught a duel partner, a swarm of people would immediately gather around, pointing and chatting casually, creating a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere akin to watching a show in the square.
But the moment You Xuan's opponent donned a painful mask and was knocked to the ground, and a satisfied You Xuan, having completed his daily training, turned to find the next victim... er, the next respectable opponent, he would immediately discover that the crowd of onlookers had vanished.
Some had soup boiling on the stove, some had girlfriends calling, and others had forgotten to make their beds—in short, they all scattered in the blink of an eye.
Thus, You Xuan began to reflect. Was it inappropriate to keep shearing the same flock of sheep? Perhaps it was time to consider expanding his pool of targets.
Then, on this particular day, during their regular laboratory research session, he casually brought up this issue while chatting with his two colleagues during a break.
"These newcomers to the Academy really don't know why they're here," You Xuan said, shaking his head.
"What's the point of coming to the Academy if they don't want to duel? They're so unmotivated."
Mitsuishi and Asuka looked at each other.
While they felt that what You Xuan said made sense, they also thought that if they were in the shoes of those opponents, they might not be so keen to duel with him either.
"But you know," Asuka said, "it doesn't have to be just the Duel Club. After all, this is Duel Academy, and while there are various different clubs, most of them usually have free sparring sessions.
For example, the Tennis Club held an intra-club tournament last week. Oh, and I heard that even the Student Council held an internal tournament, and their rare card inventory is supposedly quite impressive. They also have higher extra credits and management privileges than other clubs."
You Xuan suddenly stood up, startling Asuka.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Miss Tenjoin, you are truly a genius," he said earnestly.
Asuka: "?"
Really?
His sudden seriousness made her feel a bit uncomfortable.
"No, no," she said.
But You Xuan had already stopped paying attention to her and was gathering his things.
"By the way, where is the Student Council office? Are they still recruiting?"
"Um, it's on the second floor of the teaching building. You'll see a sign on the left side of the stairs," Mitsuishi added, looking a bit strange himself.
"Okay, thanks. Then I'll head out early today since I have something to do."
You Xuan smiled at them.
"See you tomorrow."
You Xuan's figure disappeared beyond the door.
Mitsuishi and Asuka looked at each other again.
Suddenly, Asuka felt a twinge of unease.
Had she inadvertently said something she shouldn't have?
(End of Chapter)
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