The final part of the morning exchange program course focused on the use of Speed Spell Cards.
Of course, before actually using them, they first had to figure out how to redeem Speed Spell Cards.
Unlike Spellcraft Synthesis, which had clearly tiered rarity levels, all Speed Spell Cards required a uniform cost of 5 SP Points to redeem. If a duplicate card was redeemed, the SP cost would double, just like in Spellcraft Synthesis.
Miles thought for a moment. Aisha's 30 SP Points happened to be the equivalent value of six Speed Spell Cards.
What? You're asking what to do about the money they owed Viel?
Ever heard the saying, "The one who owes money is the boss"?
Obviously, they'd think about repaying that SP debt after completing their Speed Spell setup.
On a smaller scale, that could be called "delaying debt payment," but in broader terms, this was called "strategic investment."
Only by refining their Speed Spell lineup could they raise their Turbo Duel win rate, which in turn would increase their future SP income.
It's called sharpening the axe before chopping wood.
"Turbo Duels are Synchron Academy's signature duel format. According to each academy's specialties, experiencing other academies' signature duel formats during exchange studies has long been a standing tradition among the Three Great Academies. I believe XYZ Academy would be most familiar with this."
As Takehiko introduced this topic, there was a hint of proud satisfaction in his tone.
Back when he was a third-year student at Synchron Academy, he had gone on an expedition to XYZ Academy and suffered plenty under their unique 'Number' card rule.
['Number' Rule: Non-'Number' monsters cannot destroy 'Number' Xyz Monsters by battle.]
However, this year, Synchron Academy had finally claimed the top rank and earned the right to host the exchange program. Naturally, he intended to use Turbo Duels to pay back the resentment he had accumulated over years of suffering under that 'Number' rule.
Aisha asked curiously, "Senpai Irena, Turbo Duels are Synchron Academy's specialty, and the 'Number' cards are XYZ Academy's. So what's Fusion Academy's specialty?"
With a perfectly straight face, Irena said, "Our Fusion Academy's specialty is… having no specialty!"
"Wow, that sounds so lame! So embarrassing!" Ren criticized mercilessly.
Even so, while the other two academies had distinctive, exclusive duel formats, Fusion Academy's lack of restrictions could also be considered its own kind of specialty.
Of course, the real reason was that Fusion Academy couldn't even remember the last time they had won the Spirit Sanctuary Ranking War.
As a result, the exchange program had never once been held there.
"Turbo Duels, huh? We've been ready for this for a long time!"
The excited Xyz students were indeed prepared this time—determined to make a scene on the racetrack.
Izumi added, "Regarding Speed Spell Cards, to keep things fair, each academy will receive 20 SP as starting funds. Please use them wisely. Of course, if you want more points, you're free to earn them yourselves. The Republic of Axet encourages dueling anytime, anywhere."
Since each Speed Spell Card cost 5 SP, that meant the free 20 SP would grant them four cards.
Considering that Speed Spells could be shared across the entire team, and that Aisha already had 30 SP for six more, that made ten cards in total.
Ten Speed Spell Cards, when reasonably distributed among general-use cards, would already be plenty.
In any case, they absolutely had to start by getting a copy of [Speed Spell - Angel Baton]. Depending on how things went, they might even endure the double fatigue of duplicate redemption to get a second one.
"Oh, right! While SP Points for Speed Spell redemption will be provided, if you don't have a D-Wheel, then you'll have to run on the racetrack instead~"
"Run on the racetrack?" Lishia exclaimed in shock. "That was close! Thank goodness Senior Alester told us about that super workshop where you can build a D-Wheel in just half a day!"
Miles said, "No way they'd actually make people run on the track, right?"
Judging by Izumi's grin, he undoubtedly knew both academies had already prepared D-Wheels beforehand and was just teasing them.
As for the following explanation of Turbo Duel rules… Miles had already experienced them firsthand last night during his duel with the Shadow Duelist.
Compared to theory, practice gave a faster, deeper understanding.
As a teacher at Synchron Academy, Izumi, of course, knew that too.
And so, at the end of the morning class, Izumi finally announced the part that the visiting students had been waiting for most:
The Duel Schedule for Synchron Academy's Exchange Program.
"Starting this afternoon, we'll be holding the Synchron Academy Exchange Turbo Duel Tournament!"
"This afternoon already? Perfect! Bring it on!"
The most excited, of course, were the XYZ Academy students; eager to avenge their loss from last year's ranking war.
"The Synchron Academy Turbo Duel Tournament will feature three Turbo Duels each day. Each academy will send out two duelists, six in total, for three 1v1 Turbo Duels. The winning academy earns one point per victory. On the final day, total points will be tallied, and the academy with the highest cumulative score will be crowned champion."
Each day, two duelists from every academy would compete against their counterparts from the other two schools.
For example, from Fusion Academy's perspective, if Aisha and Ren were chosen today, one would duel against Synchron Academy, and the other against XYZ Academy.
In addition, each participant was limited to a maximum of two matches for the entire tournament.
If Aisha dueled both today and tomorrow, that meant she'd be unavailable for later matches.
This setup effectively prevented any team from relying on one person to sweep the event.
Excluding substitutes, each academy had four duelists—each could battle twice for a total of eight duels, with a maximum of eight points possible.
Assuming they won all eight, of course.
"That's all!" Izumi concluded. "I hope everyone uses the lunch break to prepare well. Carefully select the Speed Spells you'll need for your Turbo Duels. And remember… Victory first, friendship second. Ah, wait, I said that backwards… whatever. Class dismissed!"
Even though he said it backward, he didn't correct himself—indeed, he had done it on purpose.
The morning exchange course finally ended.
It had been pretty interesting overall, except for the dull history section at the start.
Well, interesting for Fusion Academy's students who managed to summon a Tuner Monster… maybe not so much for XYZ Academy.
Before leaving the classroom, Irena, as team leader, received the 20 bonus SP Points from Instructor Izumi.
The SP card even had a label reading [For Speed Spell Redemption Only].
Which meant the 20 SP could only be used for cards, not for spending like money.
Synchron Academy sure was cautious.
As for selecting Speed Spells for the entire team, Irena decisively handed the task off to Aisha.
Officially, she said it was Aisha's responsibility… that said, Irena had accurately predicted that Miles wouldn't just sit this out.
In other words, Miles would be the one to handle all Speed Spell selection for the team.
It wasn't a big deal for him anyway—choosing ten Speed Spells suited for Turbo Duels was something he actually enjoyed.
After spending the entire lunch hour carefully deliberating at the SP Speed Exchange Center, Miles perfectly selected ten cards for the team, headed by [Speed Spell - Angel Baton].
Next came the afternoon's duelist selection.
Following the principle that the first match had to show Fusion Academy's spirit, Miles mounted his custom D-Wheel and took the lead under Aisha's name.
Seeing Aisha prepare for a Turbo Duel, her childhood friend Ren, naturally unwilling to fall behind, decided to join her in battle that afternoon.
Thus, the two chosen to represent Fusion Academy on the first day of the Synchron Academy Turbo Duel Tournament were: Aisha Carlos & Ren Austin.
"Aisha Carlos, huh? Starting off with the headliner match, are we?"
With home-field advantage, Takehiko had already received Fusion Academy's roster, so Synchron Academy would naturally respond accordingly.
"If they're opening with their ace, then of course we can't lose our momentum either!" Izumi decided firmly.
When it came to Aisha Carlos, the number of buffs stacked on that girl was simply overwhelming.
Holder of a Divine Relic, wielder of Stardust Dragon, and now today she had even summoned the mysterious Tuner Monster [Converging Wills Dragon].
To face all those buffs head-on, Synchron Academy didn't need to hold back.
Since destiny was about to bring them together anyway… then they might as well meet it head-on.
"Krista, you're up first this afternoon!"
"Mm, leave everything to me." Krista nodded confidently.
…
Afternoon, Synchron Academy Turbo Duel Arena—
Just like Fusion Academy's exclusive Duel Platforms, Synchron Academy also had several dedicated racetracks built specifically for Turbo Duels.
Among them, the track chosen for this exchange program was the academy's largest and most luxurious, used only for major events such as the Academy Festival. It was the highest-grade circuit Synchron Academy possessed.
"Th-th-there are so many people, senpai!"
Lishia, a country girl who had never seen such a spectacle, was utterly stunned by the overwhelming sea of people filling the spectator stands.
Irena looked around, tilting her head back. "Whoa, with this many people, they can't all be Synchron Academy students."
Even with its popularity and large enrollment, Synchron Academy had only a few hundred students at most.
Yet, the audience now surrounding the open-air Turbo Duel circuit was easily in the thousands.
Ren speculated, "So the tournament's open to the public, huh?"
Indeed, not just this Turbo Duel Tournament, most of Synchron Academy's major duel events were open to ticket sales for nearby townsfolk.
After all, unlike Fusion Academy, which primarily catered to nobles, the Republic of Axet had no strict class hierarchy, and Synchron Academy was no noble institution.
Public ticket sales not only brought revenue to the academy but also allowed the energy generated from Turbo Duels to be harnessed by the townspeople.
Looking more closely, it was evident that many spectators were holding magic stones in their hands.
They could both enjoy the exciting Turbo Duels and use the emitted energy to charge their magic stones… making the ticket price well worth it.
That was also the secret to Synchron Academy's consistent popularity among Axet citizens.
Especially this time, after many years, the Three Great Academies had gathered in Synchron for an inter-academy Turbo Duel event. The draw was irresistible.
Aisha muttered, "To duel in front of so many people… I suddenly feel nervous, Mr. Miles!"
"No matter how many people are watching, it won't change the essence of the duel. Besides, why are you nervous? I'm the one dueling here."
If we're talking about audience size… during that battle at the church clock tower against the strongest Wicked God, the duel had been streamed live across the sky. The number of forced viewers back then wasn't any less than this.
"Don't worry about the crowd. In a duel, all you need to do is give it your best."
At the center of the arena, the preparation area was reserved as a VIP viewing section for students from the three academies, conveniently placed so duelists could launch straight onto the racetrack.
"Ren, over here!"
Finally freed from the restrictions of morning lectures, the Xyz student Korys immediately found a chance to pounce.
"Korys, we're from different academies. Could you please mind the impression you're giving?"
"Even if our academies differ, our hearts will always be one, Ren~"
The XYZ Academy trio was long accustomed to Korys's flirtatious behavior toward girls.
But for Fusion Academy, this was news. No one had ever heard of Ren having such tentencies… or even knowing anyone from XYZ Academy besides Miles.
Lishia chimed in, "Ren-senpai, love and preferences are free! Even if she's from a rival academy, love knows no bounds!"
Ren cried out in despair, "Please don't just casually support me! My preferences are completely normal!"
Standing at the track's center, surrounded by thousands of roaring spectators, Takehiko decided it was time to start the first Turbo Duel—with a show-stopping opening match to ignite the battlefield of speed.
"Then, I hereby announce the first duelists for the Synchron Turbo Duel Tournament! First, representing Fusion Academy… Aisha Yuna Carlos!"
Since they had applied to go first, Miles—currently soul-swapped with Aisha—was already astride his D-Wheel, waiting.
Aisha's legs weren't as long as Ren's, but she could barely manage to reach the pedals.
Izumi continued, "And her opponent—representing Synchron Academy, Krista Shia!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOH!!"
The crowd erupted the instant Krista's name was called.
As a third-year student who had competed in numerous academy tournaments, Krista's three years of Turbo Duel experience had made her one of the hottest rising stars in all of Axet.
Combined with her androgynously handsome looks, rumors said her national fan club had surpassed ten thousand members.
Having her open the first match instantly sent the atmosphere of the tournament soaring to its peak.
"Tch, guess it's not our turn for the opener," Leon from XYZ Academy mumbled irritably.
Regardless, that couldn't be helped… Turbo Duels were 1v1, so one academy would always sit out.
At the starting line of the circuit, the two D-Wheels—Miles and Krista—aligned side by side.
"Even if this is your first Turbo Duel, I won't hold back, Aisha Carlos. Show me what you can do."
"Don't worry, this isn't my first Turbo Duel!"
Since Miles was piloting, it wasn't a lie—his own first Turbo Duel had been a hellish one, facing an Earthbound Immortal with his HERO Deck.
"Oh? So you came prepared then." Krista's lips curved into a smile beneath her helmet. "If my opponent's strong, that just makes things more exciting… this duel where fate converges!"
"A duel where fate converges?"
"Let's decide which Stardust shines brighter… with this duel!"
The moment she finished speaking, Krista slammed her Field Spell Card [Speed World 2] onto her D-Wheel's console.
The Field Spell, perfectly synchronized with the racetrack, activated and spread layers of mana across the ground, beginning to accumulate Speed Counters each turn.
"Let's go!"
"Riding Duel! Acceleration—!!"
With the Turbo Duel declaration, both D-Wheels launched forward simultaneously, shooting into the racetrack like twin arrows.
From the very first second, they were already in battle mode. Even before drawing their opening hands, seizing the first curve was a critical step.
With three years of racing experience, Krista's D-Wheel handling was undoubtedly top-tier.
Yet, to her surprise, the seemingly inexperienced Aisha Carlos from Fusion Academy was keeping up effortlessly—Krista couldn't open any distance.
By all rights, her superior experience should have given her the advantage.
That meant the only explanation was the difference in D-Wheel performance.
They'd only been in Axet for one day, yet Fusion Academy already had a D-Wheel with specs this extreme?
Feeling the overwhelming performance radiating from Miles's D-Wheel, Krista suddenly realized something… something both Synchron and XYZ Academies had completely misunderstood.
Sending second- and even first-year students to the exchange program wasn't a sign that Fusion Academy didn't take it seriously.
On the contrary, this year, Fusion Academy was treating it with unprecedented focus. Whether it was their reputation as the bottom-ranked academy or their choice to field underclassmen, they were absolutely planning an underdog counterattack… a stunning change that would shake the entire Spirit Continent.
In the opening speed battle, the D-Wheel's sheer performance allowed Miles to take the first curve ahead.
"First turn's mine! Draw!"
...
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