Chazz's face drained of color the moment he realized who stood across from him. Of all opponents… Slifer.
Still, he clenched his fists. His deck was stronger now. His skills sharper. This duel, he could win.
"I have to win!" He muttered under his breath, hyping himself up as his sharp gaze locked onto Yumi.
With a snap, Chazz activated his Duel Disk.
From the deck slot, a familiar little figure floated out, striking a ridiculous pose and shaking its butt, Ojama Yellow.
"Don't worry, Boss! I'll do my best!"
"Shut up!" Chazz barked. "Do you think I'd let a loser like you show up in an important match like this!?"
"Eh!?" Ojama Yellow's eyes went watery, his lips trembling. "H-How could you say that, Boss…"
Yumi wasn't surprised. Chazz had already bonded with Ojama Yellow, whether he admitted it or not. One day, the Ojamas would become his trademark cards. But right now, Chazz still couldn't stand them. No matter how much Ojama Yellow begged, he refused to play such "weaklings" on a grand stage like this.
"My deck is stronger than ever!" Chazz shouted, glaring across the arena. "I'm not afraid of you, Slifer!"
"Interesting," Yumi replied, his smile calm and confident. "I'll be testing a new deck myself."
The casual tone only made Chazz's blood boil, while the students and staff watching from the stands shifted nervously.
"Let's see how this goes."
Both duelists raised their arms.
"Duel!" x2
[Yumi, LP 4000]
[Chazz, LP 4000]
"I'll go first, draw!" Chazz declared, his expression tightening. He knew he needed to build a solid defense before his deck could truly shine.
"I activate the Continuous spell, Goblin Negotiator!" He slapped the card onto his duel disk, then immediately pulled out another.
"Next, I Normal Summon Armed Dragon LV3!"
A glowing light burst from his field, and a small dragon with orange scales and bone-like white armor emerged, flexing its claws.
[Armed Dragon LV3, 1200 ATK]
The moment the card hit the field, Chancellor Sheppard nearly leapt out of his chair. "Foster! You guy actually handed over the supreme rare card that was entrusted to your North Academy for safekeeping…"
There was no strict regulation, but everyone knew the unspoken rule: academy-treasured rare cards were never meant to be used in inter-academy exchange duels.
"Hmph, shut up!" Chancellor Foster barked back, his lips curling into a sneer. "For duelists, as long as they can win, it doesn't matter what they do!"
Then, with a gleam in his eye, he muttered darkly to himself.
"This year's reward… after all these years, all those failed attempts, I'll finally get it! Ms. Dorothy's kiss will be mine, no matter what it takes!"
Sheppard gritted his teeth. "Damn it… Yumi, come on, you have to win!!!"
Yumi: "?"
It wasn't even his turn yet; how could he even fight back without any setup? Does the Chancellor think he is playing Tearlaments or something?
Meanwhile, Chazz pressed on. "Next, I activate the Spell card, Quick Rush! I can either draw one card or Level 4 or lower monsters I control can attack during the first turn!"
He jabbed a finger forward. "I chose the second effect. Go! Armed Dragon LV3, player direct attack!"
The small dragon lunged, its right arm spinning like a drill before slamming toward Yumi.
"Kuriboh's effect! I discard it and make the battle damage zero."
The fluffy brown furball appeared, squeaking before taking the hit. And leave without elaborating further.
"Tch!" Chazz clicked his tongue, glaring at his opponent. "You're using weak trash like that in a duel like this!?"
Yumi smirked, completely unfazed. "I told you, this duel is just for fun. Don't expect me to take it seriously."
Chazz's blood boiled. Here he was, fighting with everything he had, and yet Yumi treated it like a casual warm-up match.
"Fine! I'll make you regret that attitude. I activate the Continuous Spell, The Dark Door! And then I set two cards face-down!" He slammed the last two cards into place.
He crossed his arms, brimming with confidence. "Turn end!"
"My turn, draw." Yumi pulled a card, glanced at his hand, then grinned. "I Normal Summon, Kuriboh!"
He slapped the card onto his Duel Disk, and the familiar brown puffball hopped onto the field once more.
[Kuriboh, 300 ATK]
Kuriboh: "Kuri kuri!"
The crowd collectively blinked. Summoning Kuriboh in attack position? Everyone knew its purpose: to block one hit of battle damage. This was the first time many had ever actually seen it willingly thrown onto the field like this.
The students and staff of North Academy were outraged. To them, this wasn't a move, it was an insult. Yumi might as well have spit in Chazz's face.
"Take this seriously, damn it!" one of them shouted.
That lone protest somehow snowballed into a chant as everyone from North Academy started to chant.
"The Chazz! The Chazz! The Chazz!"
The room shook with their voices, as if Chazz had already secured victory.
Yumi: "..."
Yumi was confused; even with his thick skin, if people suddenly chanted "The Yumi" repeatedly, he would get uncomfortable. Yet Chazz stood there with his arms crossed, basking in the chant as though it were his natural birthright.
Deciding not to linger on that weirdness, Yumi continued. "Quickplay spell, Multiply, Special Summon any number of copies of a monster I control with 500 or less ATK."
Kuriboh suddenly split into five identical furballs, bouncing around the field.
[Kuriboh, 300 ATK] x5
Kuribohs: "Kuri kuri!"
Yumi placed down another card. "Quickplay spell, Detonate! Destroy any number of Kuriboh monsters I control, then destroy your cards up to the number of Kuriboh monsters destroyed!"
Chazz: "NANI!!"
North Academy: "NANI!!?"
The five Kuribohs charged forward, each latching onto one of Chazz's cards before bursting in a chain of fluffy explosions.
Chazz's entire setup, obliterated in seconds.
His Armed Dragon LV3 can level up to LV5 during his next Standby Phase.
Goblin Negotiator makes it so that once per turn, his monster can't be destroyed by battle, and he takes no battle damage from that battle.
The Dark Door makes it so that only one monster can attack.
Even his two face-down cards, Call of the Haunted, which can help bring back his Armed Dragon LV 3, and Draining Shield, used to block an attack and gain Life Points, were completely wasted.
The perfect first turn setup he had built was wiped so completely that the field in front of him was barren.
What makes it even worse is that his opponent only used three cards to empty his entire field.
Chazz's fists trembled. His pride was shredded, his field empty. But he refused to crumble. Yumi had already used his Normal Summon; at least he wouldn't have to worry about getting crushed this turn.
Still, the humiliation burned; his opponent wasn't even trying to take him seriously.
Yumi casually slid the rest of his hand into his Duel Disk. "I set two cards and end my turn."
Two holographic cards materialized before him, while Chazz inhaled deeply, trying to steady himself. His only chance now lay in his next draw.
"I won't lose! Draw!"
Chazz ripped his next card, his eyes widening before a grin spread across his face. "It seems Lady Luck hasn't abandoned me yet!"
He slammed the card onto his Duel Disk. "Spell card, Card of Demise! This lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand, but on my fifth turn, I have to discard my entire hand!"
The crowd of North Academy erupted in renewed hope as Chazz eagerly drew his five cards.
But before he could even breathe.
"Trap card, Tailsman of Reversal!" Yumi snapped his fingers, and one of his face-downs flipped up. "When a card is added to your hand outside your Draw Phase, I can draw until I have the same number of cards."
Yumi calmly drew five cards, his hand swelling while Chazz and the North Academy students glared daggers at him. Chazz's jaw clenched as he glanced at his cards.
"I activate Spell card, Magical Mallet, I shuffle this card and three cards from my hand back to my deck and draw the same number of cards." Chazz finished shuffling and drew once more, adjusting his hand to hold the necessary cards.
But Yumi raised his hand again. "Trap card, Trickstar Reincarnation!"
Midori, watching from the teacher's seat, winced, recalling her first meeting with Yumi.
Yumi's voice was smooth, almost cruel. "Banish your entire hand and draw the same number of cards."
He revealed another card in his hand. "And since you added a card from your deck to your hand outside your Draw Phase. I discard, Droll & Lock Bird. Until the end of this turn, cards can't be added from either player's deck to the hand."
The chain resolved in brutal silence. Chazz's entire five-card hand vanished, banished into nothingness.
Everyone: "..."
It was devastating. Not only did Yumi refill his own hand with ease, he also confiscated Chazz's entire hand and locked him out of drawing.
Worse yet, Card of Demise now hung over Chazz like a curse. When his fifth turn came, he would be forced to discard an empty hand. Meanwhile, Yumi would still be sitting comfortably with his freshly refilled one.
Zane's expression darkened as he glanced sideways at Momoyo. She stood with her arms crossed, lips curled in a smug smirk. He vividly remembered her running a copy of Trickstar Reincarnation and Droll & Lock Bird in her deck. Fortunately, she had never unleashed that nightmare combo against him… but unfortunately, now he knew she absolutely could. The thought alone made his skin crawl.
"Turn end…" Chazz growled, his teeth grinding, his face burning red with humiliation and fury.
"My turn, draw." Yumi casually drew, glanced at his hand, then smirked. "I set three cards face down, turn end."
He didn't summon a monster, didn't play a spell, just left three ominous face-downs lying menacingly on the field.
Chazz's stomach twisted. "My turn… draw!" He pulled his card, but his focus kept snapping back to that deadly-looking back row.
"Trap card! Dinomorphia Frenzy!" One of Yumi's cards flipped open immediately. "During your main phase, I can pay half my Life Points, and fusion summon one Dinomorphia monster from my Extra deck, using monsters from my deck and extra deck!"
[Yumi, LP 4000 -> 2000]
"I sent Dinomorphia Therizia from my deck, and Dinomorphia Stealthbergia from my Extra deck to fusion summon!"
A girl with futuristic dinosaur-themed enhancement, with claws and tails, appeared beside a large metal flying dinosaur, as the two merged into one.
"Come forth! Dinomorphia Kentregina!"
The field erupted in a pillar of orange flame as a woman stepped out. She has snow white hair tied in a ponytail, eyes sharp, and a cocky grin plastered on her lips.
Her entire body is clad in sleek cybernetic dino-armor, with sharp razor-like claws and cybernetic crimson blades on her wrists.
Her body was mature, with a large chest, slender waist, and round hips. Her claw feet stepped onto the field, and the metal dinosaur tail behind her moved lightly.
[Dinomorphia Kentregina, 4000 -> 2000 ATK]
Many students exploded, especially those in the Waifu-theme clubs in Duel Academy. Once again, Yumi Uzushi just pulled out another sexy waifu card.
First Raye, then Roze, before female HEROes, the rumor battle nuns waifu, and now dinosaur waifu too!
Several students clutched their hearts like they'd just been betrayed by destiny itself, saying the world is too cruel. A majority of them even cursed inwardly, saying.
"IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME! NOT HIM! IT'S NOT FAIR!!"
Zane's eyes widened, feeling a sense of deja vu. Kentregina's confident stance, her sharp gaze, that arrogant smirk… even her figure. His gaze slowly slid to Momoyo, standing beside him with arms crossed, then back to the monster on the field.
The same confident stand, sharp gaze, cocky grin, even down to the three sizes, are the same.
To put it short, Kentregina's look is base off Momoyo.
"Kentregina lost ATK equal to my Life Points." Yumi finally said, which only caused the others to widen their eyes, realizing Kentregina's original ATK is 4000, easily surpassing Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Chazz's grip tightened on the Pot of Greed in his hand, sweat forming at his temple. But before he could act.
"I activate Kentregina's effect!" Yumi cut in smoothly. "Once per turn, I pay half my Life Points, then banish one Normal Trap in my Graveyard to copy its effect!"
[Yumi, LP 2000 -> 1000]
[Dinomorphia Kentregina, 2000 -> 3000 ATK]
Originally, Kentregina's effect only worked on Dinomorphia Normal Trap; Yumi changed it to just Normal Trap, making her even stronger than the original version, basically a monster version of Transaction Rollback.
The armor on Kentregina's body flared crimson as she flexed her claws.
"I banish, Dinomorphia Frenzy, from my grave to fusion summon once more!"
Another vortex ripped open, spitting out a titanic beast, an unholy blend of Tyrannosaurus and Spinosaurus, wrapped in glowing cybernetic armor. Its roar shook the arena.
"Rise, Dinomorphia Rexterm!"
[Dinomorphia Rexterm, 3000 ATK]
Chazz staggered back as the massive dinosaur glared down at him with glowing blue eyes.
But Yumi wasn't finished. "Now, I activate the trap card, Dinomorphia Alert. Pay half my Life Point, Special Summon up to two Dinomorphia monsters from my grave, whose total Levels are equal to or less than eight."
[Yumi, LP 1000 -> 500]
[Dinomorphia Kentregina, 3000 -> 3500 ATK]
A chilling screech tore through the air as the cybernetic pterosaur, Stealthbergia, swooped back onto the field, hovering ominously beside Kentregina and Rexterm.
[Dinomorphia Stealthbergia, 2500 DEF]
Everyone: "..."
The members from North Academy turned pale the moment Yumi summoned three powerful monsters during Chazz's turn. Meanwhile, Duel Academy's side could only feel a little sorry for Chazz, this didn't even look like a duel anymore.
"I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards!"
Still, Chazz refused to give up, placing all his hope in his next draw. He closed his eyes, drew, and slowly a confident smile formed.
"I activate Graceful Charity! I draw three and discard two."
He drew quickly, sending two to the grave.
"One of those is Card of Compensation! When it's discarded, I draw two more!" His momentum picked up as his hand grew again.
"Next, Card of Adversity! Since you control a Special Summoned monster and I don't, I draw two more cards!"
His empty hand just a moment ago was now restored to a full five-card starting hand. Watching him climb back from nothing to five cards, the North Academy members felt their hope flicker back to life, it was like being trapped in a tunnel and finally seeing light at the end.
"I activate the Spell card, Level Down! I reveal Armed Dragon LV5 in my hand, lowering it by two Levels!" He slapped the card onto his Duel Disk. "Now I Normal Summon Armed Dragon LV5!"
[Armed Dragon LV5, 2400 ATK]
A bulky, red-scaled dragon clad in black armor emerged, though it instantly flinched under the pressure of Yumi's terrifying field.
"Next Spell card, Level Up! I send Armed Dragon LV5 to the Graveyard to Special Summon Armed Dragon LV7!"
The dragon's body elongated, its armor sharpening as it evolved into its next form.
[Armed Dragon LV7, 2800 ATK]
"And now, the ultimate evolution! I tribute Armed Dragon LV7 to bring forth Armed Dragon LV10!"
Chazz thrust his arm forward dramatically. His dragon roared, transforming into a massive beast with crimson hide, black armor, and silver blades glinting across its scales.
[Armed Dragon LV10, 3000 ATK]
Chancellor Foster shot up from his seat, eyes wide with excitement at finally seeing the Academy's prized dragon in action. The North Academy students erupted, chanting Chazz's name like a battle cry.
"Now, Armed Dragon LV10's effect activates! By discarding one card, I destroy all your face-up monsters!" Chazz declared triumphantly, discarding his last card, Ojama Yellow, from his hand.
If Yumi's monsters fell here, victory was his!
Chancellor Sheppard also stood up from his seat, panic edging in his face.
However, the Ojama Yellow card popped right back out of the Graveyard. Armed Dragon LV10's effect didn't activate.
"What!?" Chazz stared, shoving Ojama Yellow back down, only for it to bounce out again.
Yumi suddenly realized and began explaining casually, after forgetting that in Yu-Gi-Oh, players can't just pause mid duel, walk to the other side, and ask to read the opponent's card effect. "Ah, right. Rexterm's effect. While it's on the field, you can't activate monster effects with ATK equal to or greater than my Life Points."
Everyone: "..."
The blazing hope of Chazz and North Academy was snuffed out instantly, like a matchstick in a snowstorm.