Chapter 78: First Place
Chapter 78: First Place
"I concede."
Asuka exhaled, feeling a mix of emotions. While she was slightly disappointed, she wasn't one to dwell on defeat. Her opponent had outmaneuvered her at every turn, expertly employing traps and disrupting her dueling rhythm while maintaining complete control over the duel.
She had no excuses; she lost fair and square.
"You won," Asuka acknowledged as she stood up. "But I won't give up. I'll continue to work hard over the next three years and challenge you again."
You Xuan was about to jokingly reply that he'd gladly accept another duel, but at double the stakes, but the atmosphere didn't seem right for such banter. He decided to save it for their next encounter.
Earning ten credits so effortlessly made him wish for more opportunities like this.
Nakamura from the student council cautiously approached at this moment. "So, who will you be voting for now, You Xuan?"
You Xuan suddenly remembered the initial purpose of today's duel—the election. To be honest, he hadn't paid much attention to the campaign, so he didn't particularly care who won. But Asuka spoke up before he could even answer, "Vote for Hinata-senpai. She needs this more than I do."
"Don't joke around," Hinata Kohaku said from the sidelines, her arms crossed and her gaze averted with a slight pout. "After that duel, it doesn't matter who the remaining votes go to."
Asuka: "?"
Hinata Kohaku turned and waved her hand dismissively. "Forget it, I'm dropping out."
Asuka was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events. She hesitated before speaking, "But I want to be recognized as a dueler, not just..."
Hinata shot her a glare. "Idiot, do you think I'm dropping out because I can't win?"
"Huh?"
"This is a Duel Academy. All titles and recognition must be earned through dueling, or they are meaningless. That's why I lost to you."
Asuka was at a loss for words.
When she turned to look for the opponent who had taught her such a valuable lesson, she found that he had already disappeared.
It seemed that he only cared about dueling and had no interest in the election or any subsequent discussions.
Asuka: "."
That guy... perhaps he was a pure duelist as well.
Unbeknownst to them, amidst the bustling crowd in the venue, a student with bright red jellyfish-like hair, known as Osiris Red, was searching for You Xuan while holding a dueling disk. "Hey, has anyone seen You Xuan? I want to challenge him to a duel."
And no one knew that Hinata Kohaku, who had voluntarily withdrawn from the election, had sneaked into a corner and used her student terminal to access the competition interface, casting her vote for her junior, Asuka Tenjo.
A satisfied smile spread across her face.
Perhaps this was what they called a "turnaround," where a detractor became a supporter.
"."
You Xuan, having squeezed out of the crowded venue, happily tallied his newly acquired credits while simultaneously checking the academy's inventory for any new card additions using his student-exclusive terminal.
His eyes immediately landed on a newly restocked card.
Chaos Sorcerer!
It was a card he had wanted since before the entrance exam, but by the time he finished registering, the sole copy in stock had already been snatched up. And today, a new copy had finally appeared.
Without hesitation, You Xuan immediately reserved the Chaos Sorcerer.
Now that he had the Grand Creator and Chaos Sorcerer, he could finally start working on his next World Champion deck.
As You Xuan walked, he suddenly heard someone speak beside him, "Hey, First Place."
He paused and looked up, only to see the famous background character from the Yellow Dormitory, Sanzawa Daichi.
"That was an impressive duel; truly worthy of the top spot," Sanzawa greeted him with a smile. "The exchange program has been going on for a week now, and it seems like only we remain undefeated."
"You're strong as well," You Xuan replied, not missing a beat. "So, are you suggesting we should give it a try?" he asked, his mind already plotting to raise the stakes this time around.
However, Sanzawa shook his head. "No, our names haven't come up on the duel list yet, and I'm not quite ready. When we duel, it must be with my strongest deck, fused with my blood and soul, and that deck is not yet complete."
You Xuan raised an eyebrow. This statement reminded him that Sanzawa was also a counter-expert.
In the original story, during his first duel against Manjome, he saw through his opponent's Fire Attribute deck and specifically chose a Water Attribute deck from his 'Six Attributes' deck. His ace monster, "Water Dragon," had an effect that reduced the attack of all Pyro and Fire Attribute monsters on the field to zero, completely throwing Manjome off his game.
When facing Judai Yuki, he took it a step further. After studying his Elemental Hero deck, he concluded that it was toothless without Fusion Summoning. So, he printed an 'Enchanted Javelin' card overnight and banned Judai's Fusion Spell Cards for the entire duel, prohibiting their use.
You Xuan was perceptive enough to sense a kindred spirit.
Was he a fellow substitute? And did Sanzawa just refer to a deck designed specifically to counter him as his "strongest"?
"Don't worry, First Place, it won't be long," Sanzawa said confidently. "You should know that the first round of entrance exams for the new students is coming up soon, right?"
Entrance exams?
You Xuan quickly realized he was referring to the events of the fourth episode in the anime. New students were required to undergo periodic practical tests, and their assigned opponents were usually dorm-mates of similar rankings.
However, in the original story, Professor Cronos pulled some strings, arguing that "Judai's strength was too outstanding, and an internal duel within the Red Dormitory would be pointless." As a result, Judai was pitted against the Obelisk Blue elite, Manjome, from the very start.
Needless to say, Manjome was utterly crushed.
But if there had been no such manipulation and matchups were based on rankings within the same dormitory...
"Indeed, we'll most likely face each other during the exam," Sanzawa said with a slight smile. "I heard that winning the periodic tests comes with a substantial amount of credits, so I won't hold back.
I look forward to witnessing your dueling prowess firsthand."
You Xuan felt like he hadn't heard anything else besides "a substantial amount of credits."
He had initially thought of it as just another periodic test.
Now, it seemed like winning was imperative.
(End of Chapter)
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