Chapter 20: Claiming the Championship
Chapter 20: Claiming the Championship
"Did I...lose?"
Ryozaki fell to his knees in the posture of a criminal suspect from Death Note, his hands supporting him on the ground, and his face still bewildered.
It felt surreal.
After years of training and secluding himself to perfect his skills, he had finally returned with the determination to make a grand comeback. But did he just lose at the teaching stage?
He couldn't accept it!
The delayed applause from the audience, which rang out a few seconds later, tore through his fantasy and dragged him back to the cruel reality. At first, it was sparse, as if the spectators were still recovering from the shock of the duel. Then, it turned into a deafening cheer, with some even chanting the name of the victor.
Yes, they were clearly not cheering for Ryozaki but for the newcomer who had dominated him.
The legendary duelist, Ryozaki, had failed in his return, only to become a stepping stone for a rising star.
"Congratulations to Fujiki Yoh, who has successfully defeated the Dinosaur Ryozaki and claimed the championship of this Moonflower Cup!"
Commentator Koji excitedly shouted.
"What an incredible duel! A newcomer, making his first appearance and winning against the reclusive Ryozaki, maintaining the upper hand throughout the entire duel... No, it's not just that. Even at the end, his Life Points remained untouched at 4000! It's a literal flawless victory!"
Ryozaki: Please stop, please stop.
"Indeed. And based on my years of commentary experience, I dare say that this might not even be the limit of this duelist." Commentator Sasaki added, "'Card Cannon' has another effect. When it is destroyed, the duelist who controlled it can draw a card from their deck.
After the Machine-type monster accepted the effect of 'Limit Release,' it self-destructed, which means Yoh gets to draw three more cards all at once due to 'Card Cannon's' effect."
And on Ryozaki's side, the field is empty. Because of 'Reckless Greed' which he activated last turn, he has to skip his next two draw phases. So..."
He didn't need to say more; the implication was clear.
Even if Ryozaki had one more turn, even if he managed to defend against 'Card Cannon's' total attack this turn, his chances of winning were slim to none.
Not to mention, Yoh still had two 'Mechanical Fortresses' in his graveyard, ready to be revived at any moment if he had the right Machine-type resources in his hand.
At this point, the gap between the two duelists was just too wide.
Ryozaki: "..."
"The new generation is truly awe-inspiring," Commentator Koji said, unable to hide his admiration for the newcomer, "But regardless, let's first congratulate Yoh on his championship win."
He had a premonition.
This probably wouldn't be the last time he would see this duelist in action.
Or perhaps, for Yoh, this was just the beginning.
"I really won..."
Satou Kouji, who was already seated in the audience, blinked in disbelief as he witnessed the unfolding events. He then pinched himself hard.
Ouch! It hurt.
He wasn't dreaming.
His junior disciple had actually defeated the legendary duelist. Suddenly, all the anger and frustration he felt when he was crushed by his disciple vanished, replaced by a sense of pride.
Such an incredible junior disciple, and I was beaten by him! He couldn't help but stand a little taller.
Yoh's victory also brought instant celebration to the Duel Monsters Dojo.
As the champion was announced, Master Takeuchi fainted dramatically, his eyes rolling back and his body slumping backward. He was quickly attended to by his flustered disciples, who helped him up.
However, Master Takeuchi waved them off, assuring them that he was alright and merely overwhelmed with emotion.
Unbeknownst to the excited apprentices, Master Takeuchi later snuck away to the depths of the dojo. He extended his hand and lightly tapped a seemingly ordinary wall with his fingertips in a peculiar, secret pattern. Suddenly, the wall came to life, trembling slightly before slowly splitting open to reveal a hidden door.
He was the only one in the entire dojo who knew of its existence.
Stepping into the tunnel, the hidden door closed silently behind him. At the end of the tunnel, the only source of light illuminated a single point directly ahead.
There, within a transparent display case, rested a single card.
"Could it be that someone capable of inheriting it has finally appeared?" Master Takeuchi murmured to himself.
"You're truly the champion! Even a dueling demon like Ryozaki couldn't stand against you, junior disciple. You're incredible!" exclaimed Senior Brother Satou Kouji, his attitude completely transformed as he enthusiastically offered to carry You Xuan's luggage.
"Hey, junior disciple, why are you carrying your luggage yourself? Let your senior brother help you," he said.
You Xuan attempted to decline, but his senior brother was too insistent.
"By the way, I heard someone say that in learning, there's no concept of seniority. How about from today onwards, you become the senior master, and I'll be your junior disciple?" suggested Satou Kouji.
You Xuan: "..."
"Your mentality is truly something else," Satou Kouji remarked. "You don't seem to have any reaction to becoming the champion. If it were me, I'd be floating on cloud nine right now."
You Xuan was, of course, happy about his victory, but he had foreseen this outcome, so it wasn't a huge surprise.
What he was more concerned about was when the tournament prize money would be credited to his account.
The deeper he delved into this world, the more he realized that money wasn't everything in the world of Duel Monsters, but not having money could be a significant hindrance.
Take Kaiba and Manjoume, the money-fighting warriors, for example. The protagonist of the first generation, Yuugi, came from a family that ran a card shop, and Yuuki, the protagonist of the second generation, seemed to be a rich second-generation as well.
Although Krabby, the protagonist of the third generation, grew up in a poor household, he was a heavyweight boss who recycled trash to create an immortal engine. He scrounged a top-tier card set from trash and even had a Red Dragon printing machine to print his cards.
Even the protagonists of the anime series continuously modified their card sets as the story progressed, constantly adding new cards.
Thus, dueling was indeed an expensive hobby. Aside from a few dueling prodigies with the innate ability to create cards, most people had to spend a fortune on their card decks.
This further highlighted the advantages of Duel Academy, which enjoyed generous sponsorship from Kaiba.
". "
The two of them left the venue, one after the other.
In the shadows, a figure clad in a black robe stood in the corner, watching You Xuan's retreating back.
Under the black hood, a dangerous smirk tugged at the corners of their mouth.
Suddenly, a green glow flashed beneath the hood, and for a brief moment, a pair of eyes burned with an eerie green light, like will-o'-the-wisps in the darkness.
(End of Chapter)
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