Chapter 88: The First Contest
Chapter 88: The First Contest
"Yugo Tenjo, there is indeed something special about him that others lack."
Mizuki observed his classmate, Jaden, proudly flashing a V-sign, his confidence almost pushing Chazz to a corner.
"It's not about analysis or calculation. It's about dueling with sheer passion and impulsive instincts, and yet he possesses an unexpected talent."
Yugo Xuen explained it as something complex, but it simply boiled down to divine draws. Jaden, blessed with a natural talent for drawing cards, seemed to have an innate advantage. In the early episodes of the anime, his Elemental Hero construct appeared to consist of only seven or eight monster cards—each monster had only one copy, with no duplicates, and most of them were common. The rest of his deck was filled with inscrutable spells and traps.
If a seasoned duelist were to examine this construct, their first reaction would likely be, "Is this even combat-ready?" However, if one considered the premise that Jaden always drew the cards he needed, then filling the deck with dozens of supportive cards to handle various situations might even be considered a clever strategy.
"I'll definitely have to duel Jaden in the future. But before that..."
Mizuki stood up from his seat and looked intently at Yugo.
"Let's settle the issue within the Slifer Red dorm first. I'm not ready to give up the top spot so easily."
"Then you'd better step up your game, number two," Yugo replied as he also stood up, a playful tone in his voice.
"Of course," Mizuki smiled, "I've been preparing for today for a long time, and I've specifically assembled my seventh deck for this duel."
From certain perspectives, Yugo could see reflections of himself in Mizuki.
Mizuki was the only other duelist Yugo had encountered in the academy who carried multiple decks. Upon enrollment, he used the standard issue experimental deck, and he always carried six decks of different attributes and themes, which he referred to as his "Hexadecimal Decks."
In the original story, Mizuki devoted himself to creating a seventh deck to challenge the self-proclaimed number one, Jaden. However, it seemed that Yugo had now claimed that honor.
"What a coincidence," Yugo smiled faintly, "I've also spent some time refining my main deck, and it was just completed yesterday."
"Oh?" Mizuki revealed a confident smile, laced with anticipation, "So I'm the first one to experience your main deck firsthand? I'm flattered."
"The feeling is mutual," Yugo replied, "I'm equally honored to face your seventh deck, tailored specifically for me."
"Then let's begin," Mizuki said, his fighting spirit high, "Today, we decide who is the strongest in Slifer Red!"
The two made their way to the dueling arena, and the eyes of the Slifer Red students quickly turned towards them. Both of them had displayed overwhelming strength in the preliminary exchanges, and today would determine who among them was the true alpha.
"Duel!" x2
[Yugo: LP 4000]
[Mizuki: LP 4000]
"I'll start by drawing!" Mizuki took the first turn, "I summon 'Mathmech Laplace' in attack position!"
A white-bearded old man with glasses appeared on his field, holding a thick textbook.
[Mathmech Laplace: ATK 1500]
"The effect of Mathmech Laplace activates when it is successfully summoned. I can send one Level 4 or lower monster from my deck to the graveyard!"
It was evident that this card had a powerful effect, allowing the player to send any lower-level monster from their deck to the graveyard, regardless of type or attribute. Moreover, when Mathmech Laplace was destroyed in battle, it allowed the player to draw an additional card.
This card was also quite versatile in the actual card game environment and was even restricted on the Forbidden & Limited List at one point. However, many competitive players who were familiar with it might not know that this ferocious card originally belonged to Mizuki.
While Mizuki appeared rather lackluster in the anime, with his ace cards being largely ineffective in the competitive card game environment, many were unaware that he was actually responsible for several powerful lower-level monsters and support cards that were commonly used in competitive play.
"Next, I activate the spell card 'Angel's Charity.' I draw three cards and then discard two cards from my hand." Mizuki swiftly refreshed his hand, "Finally, I set one card face-down and end my turn."
Having completed his first turn, Mizuki narrowed his eyes, studying Yugo.
In his opinion, Yugo was a rather unpredictable opponent. Unlike ninety percent of duelists, Yugo was the type to constantly switch up his deck and strategies. Additionally, Mizuki noticed that his opponent, like himself, preferred to research their opponents in advance to find weaknesses.
Based on Mizuki's observations so far, Yugo's deck themes, types, and attributes seemed to follow no particular pattern, and his tactics were ever-changing, making tactical blockage challenging.
However, the same could be said for Yugo regarding Mizuki's decks. Mizuki's Hexadecimal Decks had almost no overlap, and his newly completed seventh deck was brand new. It was unlikely that Yugo had a specific countermeasure in place.
Nevertheless, Mizuki had found a starting point for his strategy after his research.
"My turn, draw!" Yugo announced. "I'll also start by playing 'Angel's Charity.' I draw three cards and then discard two cards from my hand."
He then declared, "Now I activate the Spell Card, 'Trick Goblin!' "
Sanza narrowed his eyes.
So it begins!
After carefully observing and charting the various cards and tactics Yugo had employed, Sanza noticed that his opponent tended to include similar card choices across several distinct decks.
One of the more frequently used strategies was hand destruction.
"Pay 1000 Life Points. Randomly discard one card from your opponent's hand, after which they will discard one more card of their choice."
[Yugo: LP 4000 → LP 3000]
"Not so fast."
Sanza abruptly revealed a card from his hand.
"I activate the effect of 'Twin-Head Thunder Dragon' in my hand!
When my opponent activates a card effect that includes discarding my hand, I can send this card from my hand to the Graveyard to negate that activation and destroy it!
Furthermore, after that, I draw one card!"
The usually infallible Trick Goblin suffered its first setback, as the Twin-Head Thunder Dragon that materialized on Sanza's field delivered a thorough beating, forcing it to retreat in disgrace.
"As a result, the effect of Trick Goblin is negated, and I draw a card!" Sanza smiled.
"I see," Yugo chuckled softly. "So you've prepared a countermeasure against hand destruction. Well done, number two."
"When dueling against the number one, one must be cautious to the utmost," Sanza said, his arms crossed. "For this duel, I have prepared meticulously!"
Yugo drew three more cards.
"I'll set one monster in Attack Position and two cards in my Spell & Trap Zone. End turn."
Sanza frowned slightly.
Three more face-down cards appeared on the field. However, he was not attacking.
This made it difficult to discern what Yugo meant by his "main" strategy.
"Is it still a defensive counter-attack deck?"
Sanza smiled at the thought.
"If so, then I'm even more confident about winning this duel!"
Yugo offered a faint smile. "You'll find out soon enough."
"Then I won't hold back." Sanza raised his voice. "My turn, draw!"
"I activate the Equip Spell, 'Magical Stone Tablet'!" Sanza declared. "It increases the ATK of an equipped monster that belongs to the Spellcaster Type by 500 points.
I equip it to the Spellcaster 'Mathmech Laplace'!"
[Mathmech Laplace: ATK 1500 → ATK 2000]
"Now watch closely, number one. Witness the first killer combo of my seventh deck, crafted specifically to defeat you!"
Sanza revealed another card from his hand.
"I Tribute Summon 'Variable Machine Beast - Cannonsaurus'! This card can be Special Summoned without Tributing, but its original ATK and DEF are halved!"
[Variable Machine Beast - Cannonsaurus: ATK 2800 → ATK 1400]
"Next, I activate the Equip Spell, 'Meteor Bow - Flame' from my hand, equipping it to 'Variable Machine Beast - Cannonsaurus'!
The equipped monster's ATK becomes 1000 points lower, and it can attack my opponent directly!"
[Variable Machine Beast - Cannonsaurus: ATK 1400 → ATK 400]
The students watching were baffled by this series of moves.
Why decrease the already low ATK of Cannonsaurus by another thousand points? What good would a direct attack do at that level?
"Maybe he has a 'Dull Axe' in his hand."
A voice suddenly spoke behind Tenjoin Asuka, who was observing from the stands. She turned to see none other than Marufuji Ryo, the Caesar of the Duel Academy.
"You're here to watch the newcomers' assessment as well?"
"Yeah," Marufuji nodded. "There are a few interesting ones this year."
"Indeed," Asuka acknowledged. "'Dull Axe' could negate the effect of Cannonsaurus, granting it an additional 1000 ATK boost, which would counteract the effect of 'Meteor Bow.' If that's the combo he's going for, Sanza will have a 2800 ATK Cannonsaurus that can attack directly!"
At that moment, Sanza smiled and said, "You must be wondering if I have a 'Dull Axe' in my hand, right?"
Yugo: "."
"The 'Dull Axe' combo would indeed give me a powerful direct attacker. But my dueling goes beyond that!
My goal is not just to inflict significant damage but to win this duel in this very turn!"
This statement shocked the entire room.
The duel had barely begun, and yet he was so confident?
"I activate the Magic Card, 'Machine Duplication' from my hand!
Select a Machine-Type monster with 500 or less ATK on your field, and Special Summon up to two tokens with the same name from your deck!
I choose 'Variable Machine Beast - Cannonsaurus' with an ATK of 400 on my field!"
Students: "!!!"
Such a move is possible?!
[Variable Machine Beast - Cannonsaurus: ATK 2800] x2
A student in the crowd exclaimed, "He's summoned three Level 7 monsters in one go with that move!"
High above, Chronos nodded in approval. "As expected of Nonami, Sanza. He's showing far more promise than Manjoume did."
Even the disappointment he felt from having to move Manjoume to the Slifer Red dorm due to his recent crushing defeat at Judai's hands began to fade.
"But can he really pull this off so smoothly? Judai's duels are..." Asuka trailed off as her gaze shifted to Judai's back row.
Having experienced it firsthand, she knew better than to underestimate any of his back row cards.
True to her prediction, Judai flipped a card from his back row. "I activate my face-down Trap Card, 'Torrential Tribute'! When a monster(s) is summoned, special summoned, or flipped face-up, destroy all monsters on the field!"
"As expected," Asuka murmured.
She knew Judai wouldn't make things that simple.
Right from the start of the duel, the intense back-and-forth had the entire audience holding their breath. Sanza had executed a dazzling combo to set up an OTK, but now, a single card from Judai threatened to sweep away his entire field, turning the tables on him.
However, Sanza remained unflustered, a confident smile playing on his lips. "As expected. Statistical analysis shows that hand destruction and Trap interference are tactics you employ across various decks.
But I anticipated this! Watch closely, number one. This is my answer to you!"
He raised his hand, and as he flipped a card from his back row, an overwhelming pressure seemed to fill the room.
"I activate the Continuous Trap, 'Royal Decree'! As long as this card remains face-up on the field, all other Trap Cards on the field are negated!"
The effect of "Torrential Tribute" was immediately negated, and the surging torrent faded into nothingness under the Trap's binding power.
"It's 'Royal Decree,'" Ryo murmured, his eyes narrowing. "Indeed, for a Trap-heavy deck, that card is a devastating counter. It seems that Sanza has done his homework on his opponent.
Things aren't looking good for his opponent now.
With Traps completely blocked and a 'Variable Machine Beast' on the field, it's unlikely he'll make it through this turn, and even if he manages to survive this onslaught, breaking through that setup next turn will be nearly impossible."
"That's true. But..." Asuka wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the railing, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Underestimating that guy will come at a cost."
"Oh?" Ryo glanced at Asuka. "I heard you dueled him. Did you gain some insight?"
"Mmm."
As she spoke, a fleeting memory flashed through Asuka's mind—the overwhelming power of the five-part mech and the sense of helplessness that came with it, despite her giving it her all.
"I think," Asuka said, "that this impression of him being 'especially reliant on Trap resistance' might be part of his strategy."
"What do you mean?"
"He deliberately creates this image of himself, so that anyone who sees him once will remember this most striking feature. This way, even if someone tries to analyze and counter him, they will undoubtedly start with his most prominent trait.
If someone were to gather intelligence on him in secret and study him with the intent to counter him, he would be at a disadvantage. But if he uses this intentionally crafted persona as bait..."
"...then he can predict how his opponent will counter him and turn it into an advantage." Ryo understood what she was saying, but he furrowed his brow, a hint of skepticism in his eyes. "But if that's the case, this freshman is incredibly cunning.
And it's based on the premise that he can skillfully handle various tactics and countermeasures even without relying on his usual strategies. Are you sure he's that kind of duelist?"
"I think so. He's strong," Asuka said seriously.
Ryo smiled. "To have such faith in him after only one encounter...you're quite confident in your assessment, Asuka."
"I-it's not like that!" Asuka protested, a hint of a blush creeping onto her cheeks. "I just understand him because we've dueled before!"
(End of Chapter)
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