Chapter 308: The Competition
Chapter 308: The Competition
"Ah, now that you mention it, I think I've heard about it too."
Sho Marufuji rested his chin on his hand as he thought.
"I saw the promotion; it said that this year's Duel City competition will be different from previous years."
"Different?" Hayato asked curiously, leaning forward.
Hayato was quite indifferent to most things. As an Osiris Red student constantly on the brink of expulsion, he spent most of his days sleeping in his dorm room, semi-isolated from the outside world.
Although he had become more spirited since Jaden's arrival, he was still a homebody who didn't pay much attention to outside news.
"You guys don't even know about this? It's the biggest event that the Kaiba Corporation has been promoting tirelessly lately."
Sho quickly pulled out his device and brought up the promotional poster with a few taps.
Yuan Xuan leaned over to take a look.
As expected, the poster featured a large white dragon. Kaiba stood there in his usual arrogant pose, and although the caption invited duelists to participate, his stance made it look more like a challenge than an invitation.
"Haven't they held Duel City every year?" Jaden asked, confused.
"Yes, but everyone knows that except for the first one held in Domino City, the quality of the subsequent competitions has actually declined," Sho explained.
"However, that's inevitable. Each year's Duel City is still a high-profile event, attracting duelists with considerable skill, including some top players from the professional circuit."
Top players from the professional circuit?
Before hearing this, Yuan Xuan hadn't thought much of it, but after his recent duel with the so-called eighth-ranked player, he felt that the professionals might not be as impressive as they were made out to be. It wasn't meant to disrespect the professionals, but that guy had made him question their overall strength. Now, hearing about the formidable professionals made him feel like people were exaggerating their skills, similar to how people talked about the elite jonin of the Leaf Village. They didn't seem particularly weak, but when it came to strength, he got the impression that the entire professional circuit's prowess was concentrated in Adrian's hands.
Adrian Gecko might indeed be the only true ace of the GX professional league, and if you included the newcomer, Cesar, then perhaps there were two.
Aside from them, most professional duelists featured in the anime were little more than background characters, and during the Light of Destruction arc, they were even defeated by elite students from Duel Academy. Their true strength was difficult to gauge.
"However, the criteria for entering the competition in previous years were based solely on the duelist's rating as determined by the Kaiba Corporation's system," Sho explained. "As long as a duelist's rating met the requirements, anyone could sign up. Of course, generally speaking, duelists with higher ratings are skilled, but they still can't compare to the first generation."
Jaden nodded. "That's only natural."
The recordings of the first Duel City competition were still priceless collectibles. It wasn't entirely fair to say that the dueling world was declining with each generation; the first generation had simply set an incredibly high bar.
Yugi Muto was recognized as the most valuable champion across all generations of competitions and was acknowledged as the King of Games by the entire dueling world. He had earned that title during Duel City, and the opponents he defeated during that tournament were no ordinary duelists.
People had analyzed those matches later, and the top four duelists of the first Duel City were all extraordinary. Not to mention, legendary monsters like the Egyptian God Cards had also been involved.
There was Yugi Muto, who commanded the Sky Dragon of Osiris, Seto Kaiba with his mighty Obelisk the Tormentor, Marik Ishtar, the descendant of guardians, wielding the Winged Dragon of Ra, and the legendary gambler, Kaiba Seto, whose victories depended solely on the roll of the dice.
It seemed like something strange had slipped into the mix.
In any case, looking back now, many believed that the top four, and even some of the quarter-finalists like Isis and Mai Valentine, would have been champions in the subsequent tournaments.
It was safe to say that the first Duel City had been a true clash of legends.
"But surely there aren't any duelists nowadays who can compare to those from back then," Jaden remarked in wonder.
"Indeed. However, this time, even Seto Kaiba himself has explicitly stated that he will be participating! It's the first time in so many years!" Sho exclaimed excitedly. "Do you know how long it's been since anyone has seen Seto Kaiba compete in an open tournament?"
"Wow, that's amazing!" Jaden's eyes sparkled.
"So, does that mean that as long as we enter the competition, we'll have a chance to face Kaiba himself?"
"Well, I'm not done yet," Sho continued. "The requirements to enter this year's competition are much more stringent than before. In addition to meeting the rating requirements set by the Kaiba Corporation, there's also a qualification review team led by Seto Kaiba himself.
I've heard that even some legendary duelists weren't able to pass the review."
Yuan Xuan's mind immediately flashed to the image of a certain pair of labyrinth brothers.
He wondered if those two would make it through the review in Kaiba's eyes.
"I think your brother, as a student of Osiris Red, would probably be eliminated before his file even reaches the review team," Sho said, sweating a little.
"Huh?" Jaden pouted, disappointed. "That's unfair. Then how come Yuan Xuan gets to go?"
Hayato whispered, "Yuan Xuan is different. If someone told me he was on the review team, I'd believe it."
Jaden's eyes lit up. "Really? Do you think Yuan Xuan could get me a spot?"
"Don't get your hopes up. I'm not on any review team; I was just invited to participate," Yuan Xuan clarified with a smile.
"However," he continued after a brief pause, "if you're just looking for a spot in the competition, it might not be impossible."
Jaden blew an excited whistle and then gave Yuan Xuan an enthusiastic bear hug.
"Thank you so much! I'll remember this forever!" he exclaimed.
"You're overreacting. I just said I'd make a phone call to inquire; I don't even know if it's possible yet," Yuan Xuan replied, slightly embarrassed.
"Ahaha, but still, thank you so much!" Jaden's enthusiasm didn't waver.
". . ."
The group continued chatting as they walked, their shadows stretching long on the ground in the sunlight.
On the same day, in the principal's office of Duel Academy...
"Any plans for the holidays, Ryou?"
Chancellor Sheppard leaned back in his chair, smiling as he asked his closed disciple and the rightful heir to his electronic dueling style, Ryou Marufuji.
"Not yet, Master. I plan to seek out duelists outside the school to hone my skills and strive for a breakthrough," Ryou replied with a smile.
"I see. Well, in that case, I might have a good opportunity for you," Chancellor Sheppard said, a smile playing on his lips as he handed over a promotional poster.
Ryou took it and raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Duel City GX?"
(End of Chapter)
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