The day of the tag-team duel had arrived.
Although it was labeled a punishment duel, word had spread throughout the academy, drawing a sizable, curious crowd. Many idle students came specifically to watch, and all the teachers and administrators had gathered as well.
Kira and Jaden were already somewhat famous among this year's freshmen, especially among students who had previously fought them. Whether out of a desire to learn or just for entertainment, no one wanted to miss today's duel.
The only person looking sour was Professor Crowler, who had originally proposed this game.
That was because the perennial underachiever, Syrus Truesdale—whom Crowler had handpicked to get kicked out alongside Jaden—had been replaced.
Crowler watched Kira and Jaden walk up to the stage, his face set in a perpetual grimace.
Given the way things were unexpectedly playing out, even if the pair lost, it was unlikely the problem students would actually be expelled.
So what had he gone through all this trouble for? Why orchestrate this duel and even invite big shots to spectate?
On the stands, Chazz watched the pair head to the field, unconsciously clenching his fists until veins bulged on his forehead.
"Damn it, both of them at once—number one and two on my list of people I must defeat!"
He gritted his teeth. "This should've been my duel! Both of them—no, all of them—should be my opponents to defeat!"
His minion B looked puzzled. "Huh? But Boss, you couldn't beat either of them one-on-one. If they team up, won't you just get completely thrashed—mmm!"
Before he could finish, minion A quickly covered his mouth. But it was too late; Chazz's sore spot had been hit, and he glared at the two fiercely.
"Hmph!"
He scowled.
Just wait—one day, Chazz will pin them all under his feet.
He would become the new king of this academy!
"..."
"All right, looks like the students are ready," Chancellor Sheppard said, rubbing his hands in anticipation. "Professor Crowler, please call in your duelists."
"Ahem, of course."
Crowler took the microphone.
"This time, I've specially invited experts with deep experience in tag-team dueling. Take a look!"
As he finished, two bald men emerged from the crowd!
They each did a series of acrobatic flips onto the stage, landing back-to-back in a flashy display.
One had "Para" written on his forehead, the other "Dox".
"We are the Wandering Guardians—the Paradox Brothers!" the bald duo announced, arms crossed, faces brimming with confidence. "We have no grudge against you; we're just here for a full-power battle."
"If you defeat us, the path ahead will open!"
The arena erupted in surprise.
"Those are... the legendary duelists?!" a student exclaimed, jumping up.
"That's right! The Paradox Brothers once dueled the King of Games himself, Yugi Muto," Crowler declared. "They're tag-team duel specialists!"
The entire student body was stunned.
A punishment duel—in which their opponents turned out to be legendary duelists? How outrageous!
"I've heard of them," Alexis said. "Supposedly, even the King of Games struggled against them."
"Indeed," Misawa added, furrowing his brow and glancing at Kira and Jaden on the field. "I've also heard that Kira once defeated a legendary duelist before coming to the academy."
"If they can surpass legends, I'd love to see it for myself," Misawa muttered.
"..."
Jaden, meanwhile, was wide-eyed. "It's them! The real deal! We get to duel against legends—how awesome is that?"
"Haha, it's not bad," Kira chuckled.
How much weight "fought against the King of Games" actually carried was debatable. When they faced Yugi, it was back in the Duelist Kingdom, with a maze-based duel and different rules. Not necessarily the best reference point.
"Don't get too excited—remember our strategy," Kira reminded him.
Jaden nodded enthusiastically. "I remember, I remember!"
With all four duelists in place, Crowler stepped into the center with the mic.
"Each team shares 8000 LP, and both the field and graveyard zones are shared. Neither team can attack in their first turn. Now then, if everyone is ready..."
Crowler sliced his arm down.
"Tag-team duel—begin!"
He hurriedly jumped off the stage.
"Duel!" x4
[Kira & Jaden, LP 8000]
[Paradox Brothers, LP 8000]
"I'll go first—draw!" said the elder Paradox Brother.
"I summon 'Jirai Gumo'. Turn end."
[Jirai Gumo, ATK 2200]
An opening move identical to their anime debut.
Jaden: "Whoa, straight away with a 2200 ATK monster!"
Misawa raised an eyebrow in the stands.
"Jirai Gumo has high ATK for a four-star, but when attacking, you have to toss a coin. If you guess wrong, your LP gets halved before the attack continues—a risky side effect. As a first-turn field presence, it's good, but..."
Alexis: "But?"
"Uh, nothing. It's just that next turn, it's Kira's move. If the opening is handled so simply, they might not get another easy chance."
Alexis quickly caught his meaning and nodded. "True."
Only those who'd dueled Kira understood how much of a luxury it was to have the first turn against him, with no interference.
The legendary duelists had wasted such a golden opportunity by summoning just one monster. They'd soon realize how wasteful that was.
Kira: "My turn, draw."
"I activate the Spell Card 'Pot of Greed' to draw two cards from my deck."
He then revealed a monster card.
"I summon 'Ojama Yellow' in Defense Position."
A thick-lipped, golden yellow creature leaped onto the field, sporting a bright red pair of briefs.
The Paradox Brothers frowned at the oddball monster.
What's with this pointless-looking weakling?
"Ojama...?"
Even students familiar with Kira were taken aback.
The Ojama series was common but generally considered weak. However, experience had taught them that anything in Kira's hands was not to be underestimated.
What strange tactic would it be this time?
Kira set three cards in his back row.
"I set three cards face-down. Turn end."
A classic three set as a greeting. Alexis and Misawa exchanged knowing looks, while the Ra Yellow Dorm students looked on in anticipation.
But the Paradox Brothers, being outsiders, didn't yet understand the gravity of the situation.
Paradox Brother (Younger): "My turn, draw."
"I'll use this card—"
He revealed a Spell Card, its hologram gleaming gold on the field.
"Spell Card—'Tribute Doll'! I tribute one monster on my field to Special Summon a Level 7 monster from my hand, but it can't attack this turn."
He glanced at his brother and smiled. "Big bro, I'll need to borrow your monster."
The elder brother laughed. "No need to be polite—go ahead!"
"Okay, I tribute big bro's 'Jirai Gumo' to Special Summon one of our ace monsters from my hand!"
"Guardian of the wind, appear—Kazejin!"
A green whirlwind shot up, and a green demon with "Wind" emblazoned on his chest appeared, muscular arms flexing.
[Kazejin, ATK 2400]
The brother posed, arms crossed. "Kazejin! One of our three ace monsters, with unmatched—"
"I activate a face-down—Trap Card, 'Bottomless Trap Hole'," Kira interrupted. "When a monster with 1500 or more ATK is summoned, destroy and banish it."
A pit opened up, swallowing the green demon before he could finish his boast.
The brother froze mid-pose.
"..."
"Uh, not bad," he coughed, trying to maintain his legendary aura.
"Next, I activate Spell Card 'Dark Designator'! I declare a monster name, and if your deck contains that monster, you add it to your hand!"
Jaden was shocked. "Wait, you declare the opponent's card?"
"No," Kira explained. "In tag-team duels, your teammate can also be treated as an opponent."
"Really?"
The brother laughed. "Exactly! So the card I'll declare is—"
He pointed at his elder brother.
"Suijin!"
The elder brother smiled. "What luck, I happen to have 'Suijin' in my deck. Thanks, little bro. By the effect, I add 'Suijin' to my hand."
He showed the card, then added it to his hand.
In the stands, Misawa frowned. "They're cleverly using the tag format's rule that teammates can be treated as opponents."
"Using a teammate's deck for precise searches—built for tag duels," Alexis said, worried. "These two are formidable. I hope Kira and Jaden will be okay..."
The brothers both raised their arms.
Elder Brother: "Let us—"
Younger Brother: "Show you—"
Both: "The true essence of tag-team dueling!"
"Incredible, using the rules like that!" Kira praised. "Now, I activate Trap Card 'Mind Crush'! I declare a card name—if the declared card is in your hand, you must discard it. If not, I discard a random card from my hand."
The Paradox Brothers' faces changed. "NANI?!"
Mind Crush—once a staple in the real card meta. Early on, it wasn't popular, but as Yu-Gi-Oh environments sped up and search effects became common, its value rose.
Back in Kira's dueling days, this card was as essential as a must-have counter for search-heavy decks in modern Yu-Gi-Oh.
And in early meta, decks weren't as resilient as modern ones; losing a key search to Mind Crush could shut you down.
The card's name, "Mind Crush," was apt—getting hit with it really could break your mentality.
Kira: "Let's see... I'll declare 'Suijin'."
The brothers exchanged glances and gritted their teeth.
The elder brother revealed the freshly searched "Suijin" and tossed it to the graveyard.
"What luck, just happened to have 'Suijin' in your hand," Kira said, mimicking the brother's earlier tone.
"Such good luck."
On the brothers' bald heads, anger veins popped up.
Their rage meter was building.