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Dormitory Head Kashiyama succinctly outlined the events for the Yellow Dormitory's orientation program.
In short, it was an intra-dormitory exchange tournament.
People of this world often said that dueling wasn't just about winning or losing—it was also a way for duelists to connect on a deeper level. A duel was a collision of two souls, and through it, they could understand each other better.
Kashiyama clearly adhered to this philosophy. He believed that rather than having everyone give dry introductions—only to forget names afterward—a card game tournament would be far more effective in helping students get to know one another quickly.
The list of new students had already been handed over to him in advance, so Kashiyama had meticulously arranged the match-ups to facilitate interactions between the students.
"The competition will last for the first two weeks of school. Of course, with so many new students, it's impossible for everyone to duel against one another, and there's no need to focus solely on winning every match. However, as a special incentive..."
Kashiyama gave a mysterious smile and waved his hand dramatically.
"For every victory you achieve in this dormitory exchange battle, you'll earn an extra credit point outside of the regular curriculum!"
The eyes of the new students immediately lit up.
Everyone knew that credits at Duel Academy weren't just ordinary credits—they could be exchanged for "DP points," which circulated within the academy and were used for all kinds of transactions, from meals to shopping... including buying cards.
It was only fitting for Duel Academy to kick things off with a card game event on the very first day.
With such stakes, how could anyone afford not to win?
The new students were instantly fired up.
Of course, while duels were important, no one could ignore their stomachs. It was said that Kashiyama himself had joined the kitchen staff today to prepare a lavish feast for the newcomers, complete with a variety of exquisite dishes.
These included—but were not limited to—curry beef, curry chicken rice, curry fish blocks, curry tofu...
The new students: "..."
While the dishes were undeniably delicious, they couldn't help but feel the overwhelming depth of their dormitory head's love for curry.
After the feast ended but before the gathering dispersed, a burly, sharp-eyed freshman in the yellow uniform approached You Xuan.
"Fujiki You Xuan?"
You Xuan paused his movements and sized up the newcomer.
"Yamamoto... Yuuichi?" You Xuan ventured, recalling the name.
That was the name listed on the dormitory head's schedule as his first opponent.
"Correct."
The boy smirked confidently.
"I saw the list. You're supposedly this year's top-ranked student. I'm fifth... though I didn't do well on the written test because I stayed up too late the night before."
"But it doesn't matter. When it comes to real combat, I'm undoubtedly number one."
He raised his arm, indicating the duel disk already strapped to his wrist.
"It's random pairing, but I'm quite satisfied with this match-up. Since we'll end up dueling sooner or later, why not start with the strongest? What do you say? A little post-meal exercise?"
"Hmm, sure."
You Xuan brushed off his clothes and stood up.
Since he'd have to duel eventually, finishing early would just mean getting it out of the way.
The banquet had just concluded, and the new students hadn't left yet. It didn't take long for others to notice the impending duel.
"Eh? They're dueling already? So soon?"
"Isn't this the match between the first and fifth-ranked students? Are we starting off with the ace versus ace showdown?"
The students swarmed out, gathering around the open space outside the dormitory to watch.
"Hey, did any of you see the entrance exam duel of that top-ranked student?"
"Nope. Was it something special?"
"It's not about whether he's special or not—he's just... really unusual..." The student scratched his head. "I can't quite explain it, but you'll probably understand once you see it..."
Mitsuzawa Daichi stood silently among the crowd, arms crossed, observing You Xuan with narrowed eyes.
Most students hadn't noticed, but Mitsuzawa had seen You Xuan's entrance exam duel. At the time, he'd been curious about this top-ranked student who had bested him, so he looked into it further.
To his astonishment, he discovered that before entering the academy, this person had defeated none other than the legendary Ryuuji!
"A duel with the top-ranked student, huh..." Mitsuzawa murmured with interest, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Let me see what you're made of."
"..."
"Duel!" x2
[You Xuan, LP4000]
[Yuuichi, LP4000]
"My turn. Draw!"
Yamamoto Yuuichi took the first move.
"I summon Hell Dragon in attack mode!"
A majestic black dragon appeared on his field, its tail whipping as it let out a deep, resonant roar.
[Hell Dragon, ATK 2000]
As expected, the onlookers gasped like typical GX extras: "Whoa, a monster with 2000 attack right off the bat!"
"Then I set two cards face-down and end my turn." He declared.
Yamamoto was confident in his opening hand.
A four-star monster with 2000 attack was rare, and summoning such a powerful creature right away was already impressive. Not to mention one of his set cards was the powerful trap Naraku's Drop-Off Hole, which destroyed and banished any monster summoned with 1500 or more attack.
Such an opening hand was enough to give him control over most duels against other students.
"My turn. Draw." It was now You Xuan's turn. "I activate the spell card Angel's Charity. I draw three cards from my deck, then discard two cards from my hand."
Taking advantage of the exchange tournament, he decided to test out a deck he had purchased from the academy store but hadn't used much.
"I activate the field spell Mecha Metropolis!"
The magic card clicked into place on his duel disk, and the surroundings shifted dramatically. Intersecting highways rose from the ground, transforming the entire duel arena into a sprawling mechanical cityscape.
"Mecha monsters, huh?" Yamamoto chuckled. "Pretty standard deck."
You Xuan continued, "I normal summon Blenderroid in defense position."
Using anime-style summoning mechanics, he placed the anthropomorphic blender truck on his field. Its wheels flailed like fists, the blender on its back whirred loudly, and its headlights blinked like cute, oversized eyes.
[Blenderroid, DEF 2000]
Yamamoto frowned.
Its defense was 2000, but its attack was 0, meaning Naraku's Drop-Off Hole wouldn't trigger...
"I activate Blenderroid's effect. By tributing one Machine-type monster on my field, I can special summon a non-Wind attribute -roid monster from my deck. Blenderroid is a Machine-type, so I'll tribute it!"
The blender on the truck's back spun wildly, creating a green vortex that swallowed it whole. The blenderroid dissolved into golden light, forming a summoning portal.
"I special summon this card from my deck—Submarineroid, summon!"
[Submarineroid, ATK 800]
Yamamoto glanced at his set cards again. With only 800 attack, it still wouldn't trigger Naraku's Drop-Off Hole...
"Hmph. What good does summoning such weak monsters do?"
At this point, Yamamoto clearly hadn't realized the gravity of the situation.
"Battle. Submarineroid attacks directly!" You Xuan commanded.
"What? A direct attack?" Yamamoto exclaimed in surprise.
"Submarineroid can bypass monsters on the field to attack directly!"
"Tch, clever tricks." Yamamoto sneered. "But even so, it's only 800 damage..."
"At this moment, the effect of the field spell Mega Metropolis activates!" You Xuan declared. "When a -roid monster battles, during damage calculation, you can send a -roid monster from your deck to the graveyard. For that battle, the attacking monster's original attack and defense switch!"
"What?" Yamamoto's expression changed.
Switching attack and defense? That meant...
"I send Kite Roid from my deck to the graveyard and swap Submarineroid's attack and defense!"
[Submarineroid, ATK 800 → ATK 1800]
"Uh-oh, 1800 attack..."
The tiny submarine launched into the air, firing a torpedo that streaked across the field and exploded on Yamamoto with a loud bang. The impact sent him staggering back two steps, grimacing under the simulated holographic shockwave.
[Yamamoto, LP4000 → LP2200]
"Tch." Yamamoto wiped his mouth and snorted. "Not bad..."
"Submarineroid's other effect activates. After battling, it can change to defense position. Additionally, the effect of Mega Metropolis ends, and its defense returns to normal."
The little submarine ducked back into a defensive stance after delivering its blow, leaving its rear end facing the opponent.
[Submarineroid, DEF 1800]
"Then I set three cards face-down and end my turn."