After a full week at Duel Academy, during that time, Celina had managed to learn the Academy's schedule and, more importantly, what the teachers actually taught, something the website conveniently left out.
Professor Banner taught Alchemy and Duel Alchemy, whatever that meant. Fonda Fontaine ran PE for both boys and girls. Mr. Stein, with a voice deep enough to shake windows, handled History. Satyr taught English, Professor Marco covered Dueling Linguistics, and Doctor Crowler… well, he taught both Math and everything related to Dueling.
Honestly, for the world's top Dueling school, the subject list felt a little underwhelming. But Celina shrugged it off; at least it wasn't boring.
Scratch that. It was very boring.
Currently, every freshman was packed into one of Crowler's classes, enduring a painfully basic lecture. He stood at the front, theatrically quizzing students about card types, spell effects, and monster fusion requirements.
"Alexis Rhodes," he called, gesturing toward the Obelisk Blue section. "Tell me, how do we differentiate Spell and Trap Cards?"
Alexis stood up confidently, quickly answering the question.
"Very good!" Crowler said, beaming with delight. "Such brilliance from an Obelisk Blue!"
Celina, meanwhile, looked seconds away from falling asleep.
Is this seriously what they're teaching?
She thought, barely holding back a yawn.
Then Crowler turned to the Slifer Red section, a malicious grin stretching across his face.
"You, Truesdale."
Syrus jolted up in his seat like he'd been electrocuted. "Y-Yes, sir?"
"Tell me... what does a Field Spell do?"
Syrus froze, eyes darting everywhere as panic set in. Jaden gave him an encouraging nod, but it did little good.
"Uh… it's a card… that… um… affects the… uh… I don't know…"
Laughter erupted from the Obelisk Blue and Ra Yellow sections. Syrus sank back into his seat, face red with embarrassment.
Crowler put on a fake smile. "Now, now. It's fine. Everyone gets stage fright. Let's hear from someone not in Red, thank you."
"Didn't you lose to me, a Red?" Jaden cut in lazily, glancing at Crowler. "So by your logic… you're worse than us."
Laughter exploded in the classroom. Crowler's face twitched as he pulled out a napkin and angrily stuffed it into his mouth, chewing in raw frustration.
That's it!
He snapped, nearly shredding the napkin in his hands.
I've had it with you, Jaden!
A malicious idea began to form in his mind. One that could, potentially, expel Jaden Yuki on the spot. He'd been waiting for an excuse to get rid of a Slifer Slacker, any excuse. And now, he had one.
While Crowler quietly plotted academic doom, Celina glanced to her side.
There sat Yumi. He was resting his cheek on one hand, eyes completely unmoving, and oddly focused. A little too focused.
Her brow twitched.
"…Are those eyes…painted on?" she muttered under her breath.
A closer look confirmed it. Yumi had painted fake open eyes on his eyelids and was dozing off right there in class, as if nothing was wrong with his brilliant little disguise.
Celina stared blankly.
"I've seen people sleep in class before… but this? This is another level."
The bell started ringing, meaning it was break before Banner's class, one of the most liked teachers, thanks to his relaxed and easy-going attitude.
As Professor Banner entered the Class, Raye's duel spirit appeared beside Yumi, nudging him awake.
Thanks to his special status, he understands a few key events that would happen later on.
The current Class is Alchemy, and the teacher in charge was Professor Lyman Banner, dorm head of Slifer Red.
At first, he looked like the most useless and laid-back teacher in the whole academy, always seeming timid and weak.
But in the Sacred Beasts arc, it turned out he was a hidden boss. Some fans even think that if he hadn't intentionally gone easy to help Jaden grow, Jaden wouldn't have stood a chance against him early on.
That's just speculation, but there's no doubt Lyman is one of the academy's most powerful characters.
His alchemy skills are said to be supernatural. His backstory says he had a terminal illness and used a forbidden human transmutation ritual to create a new body and transfer his soul.
Even after losing a Shadow Duel to Jaden and his body crumbling away, his soul persisted and was eventually absorbed by his pet cat. He stayed with Jaden until the end of GX, becoming a crucial mentor and friend.
But Yumi was interested in the alchemy itself. While other students thought Lyman was just a slacker, Yumi knew he was a big deal.
After all, his own system lets him exchange his spirit energy to create cards. Alchemy is practically the same thing, just that many it could be learn.
Yumi wanted to see if, with the help of Lyman and Alchemy, could he print out new cards or not? Most of the cards that he created using his system were just alternative versions of the cards that he already knew. Changed to fit the current world setting.
So, by mixing his knowledge with Alchemy, could he make original cards?
Yumi listened to this class with rapt attention. While half the class dozed off, he took detailed notes, never missing a word from Lyman, whether intentional or offhand.
Alchemy was a niche subject, and Lyman probably wasn't used to anyone paying this much attention; even Celina looked at Yumi with a strange expression, seeing him so focused on Lyman's class.
But she quickly decides to ignore him and pay more attention to the cat, which is resting on his lap.
If Lyman didn't know that Pharaoh was sleeping on Yumi's lap, he might think that the two were doing something improper in his class.
When class ended, Lyman walked over to pick up his cat from Celina's reluctant grasp before leaving the classroom.
After class, the two of them wandered the academy grounds together. Celina, always drawn to strong opponents, found herself intrigued by Yumi. Having someone like him around meant good competition, and for her, that meant growth.
Yumi, on the other hand, didn't mind the company. Having a walking, talking spirit energy battery tagging along was hardly a burden.
"Hey!"
A voice called out, snapping them both from their thoughts. They turned to see two groups of Slifer Red students gathered ahead, a clear divide between them. One side was all male, the other all female.
"You're Yumi Uzushi, right?" the leading boy asked as he stepped forward confidently.
"Depends," Yumi replied with a raised brow. "You need something?"
He didn't remember anything like this happening in the original timeline.
"As you probably know, us Slifer Reds have it tough. If we want to rise through the ranks, we've gotta stick together," the boy explained, puffing his chest. "We call ourselves the Fire Red. We support each other and push to get promoted to Ra Yellow or higher."
Yumi's eyelid twitched. Fire Red? He fought to suppress the laugh threatening to break free. A self-proclaimed gang of underdogs trying to claw their way out of the bottom tier. Noble enough in concept, sure. But the name...
"What kind of cringy name is that?" Yumi asked with a smirk, his tone casual, but sharp.
The leader froze mid-speech, blinking in disbelief like someone had just insulted his entire family.
"Pfft! Ahahaha!" Celina burst out, doubling over and holding her stomach. "Rose Red? Seriously!? That's the dumbest name I've heard all day!"
Judging by her reaction, she'd clearly received a similar offer from the Slifer Red girls instead of the boys. And just like Yumi, she wasn't impressed.
Their laughter didn't sit well with either group.
"Tch! You're just like those arrogant Obelisk Blues, thinking you're better than the rest of us!" the male leader snapped, his fist clenched tight.
"You think you're above us, huh!?" the female leader hissed, shooting a deadly glare at Celina.
Celina straightened up, resting a hand on Yumi's shoulder to steady herself. "If you need to team up just to get promoted out of Slifer Red, then maybe you never had the strength to begin with."
That stung.
"Oh yeah?" the boy growled, lifting his duel disk. "Then let's see if you've got the power to back that up!"
"Hmph," the girl scoffed, activating her own duel disk. "If that's how you feel, I'll enjoy crushing you."
Yumi's grin widened. Free spirit energy and a warm-up match? Win-win.
"Why don't we spice it up with a tag duel?" he offered, eyes glinting with mischief.
Both leaders shot him a sharp glare.
"What, scared you can't win without backup?" Yumi taunted, his voice low and cocky. "How about this, two-on-one. I'll take you both."
That did it.
"You're on!" the Fire Red leader shouted, slamming his deck into place and activating his duel disk.
"This is a complete waste of time," the Rose Red leader muttered as she did the same, "but I'll play along."
Yumi turned slightly, glancing back at Celina. "Wanna join, or just gonna enjoy the show?"
Celina shrugged. "I'll pass. Rather watch you mop the floor with these two."
Normally, she wouldn't sit out a challenge, but Yumi's confidence was infectious. Besides, getting a better read on his play style might be more valuable right now.
Yumi smirked and turned to face his new opponents, duel disk humming to life. "Alright then… let's play."
"DUEL!" x3
[Yumi, LP 4000]
[Fire Red Leader & Rose Red Leader, LP 4000]
"I'll take the first move! Draw!" Yumi declared, drawing six cards.
"I set four cards face-down." He quickly laid them out across his back row. "Then I activate Monster Recovery! I shuffle all the monsters I control, along with my entire hand, back into my deck."
He slid his single card into the deck, shuffled, then drew five fresh cards.
"Then drew five cards."
Celina was surprised to see a card like this; its draw engine was pretty strong, and if used correctly, like how Yumi just did, you can basically exchange one for five.
This was the card that was used in the early era of Yu-Gi-Oh! DM!, played by Yugi during the Duelist Kingdom arc, before completely disappearing from his deck.
"Next, I flip one of my face-down cards!" One of the set cards snapped upright. "I activate the Spell: Take Over 5! I send the top five cards of my deck to the Graveyard."
Yumi excavates the top five cards without hesitation.
"Then I set one more card face-down and end my turn."
"Hmph," the Fire Red leader scoffed, arms crossed. "All that draw power and still no monsters?"
He slid his fingers over his deck. "Let's see where you really stand. Draw!"
His lips curled into a grin as he looked at his hand. "I Normal Summon Marauding Captain in Attack Position!"
A blonde warrior in silver armor and a flowing red cape leapt onto the field, dual blades gleaming.
[Marauding Captain, 1200 ATK]
"When Marauding Captain is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my hand. I summon Knight Day Grepher!"
A tall, muscular warrior in purple chest and shoulder armor appeared beside him, holding a greatsword with confidence, his long blue cape billowing.
[Knight Day Grepher, 1700 ATK]
"And now I'll play- Legendary Sword! Equipping it to Marauding Captain!"
[Marauding Captain, 1200 -> 1500 ATK]
"I activate Double Summon! I can Normal Summon once more this turn. Come forth, Fiend Sword!"
A demonic, sentient blade shimmered into view.
[Fiend Sword, 1400 ATK]
The field was stacked, but Yumi's expression didn't flinch.
"When my Marauding Captain is on the field, you can't target any other Warrior Monster for attack except him."
"Battle!" the Fire Red leader commanded. "Marauding Captain, direct attack!"
"Quick-Play Spell- Command Silencer!" Yumi's card flipped open, conjuring a massive totem that pulsed with sonic energy.
"This card activates when you declare an attack, it negates that attack, ends the Battle Phase, and lets me draw one card."
Yumi drew coolly.
"Tch..." the Fire Red leader scowled, fists clenched. "I end my turn."
"Draw!" Yumi's eyes barely twitched. He was unimpressed.
"I banish Take Over 5 from my Graveyard to draw one card!" He drew. "Then, I activate Sky Striker Mecha - Hornet Drones! I Special Summon a Sky Striker Ace Token in Defense Position!"
A holographic version of Raye appeared, kneeling with crossed arms.
[Sky Striker Ace Token, 1500 DEF]
"Since I have three or more Spells in my Graveyard, she gains 1500 ATK and DEF. Now, I Fusion Summon! The condition is a non-WIND 'Sky Striker Ace' monster..."
The field pulsed.
"Henshin! Sky Striker Ace - Hayate!"
The token transformed into Hayate, now in sleek green mech armor, rifle locked and loaded.
[Sky Striker Ace - Hayate, 1500 ATK]
"Next, Reinforcement of the Army! I add Necro Gardna to my hand."
Another card was drawn.
"Then I activate Desperado Manager! Since I have at least one other card in my hand, I draw two cards, then return three to the top of my deck in any order."
He drew and manipulated the top three cards with precision.
"Now, Battle Phase. Hayate, attack directly!"
"Wait, wha-!?"
Hayate dropped into a low stance and fired. A glowing green blast struck the Fire Red Leader squarely.
[Fire Red Leader & Rose Red Leader, LP 4000 -> 2500]
"Hayate's effect lets her attack you directly," Yumi said calmly. "And since Marauding Captain's effect only worked when I attacked your Warrior monster. His effect is completely useless against a direct attack."
"Now then, for the ultimate spell! Quick-Play Spell- Berserker Soul!" Yumi's voice rang out as he revealed a card.
"I have to discard my entire hand!" He said sending his entire hand to his graveyard.
"Then I get to draw a card from my deck. If I drew a monster, I must discard it, and a Monster with 1500 or less ATK I control can attack again."
Celina's eyes narrowed.
Knowing that her roommate's deck consisted mostly of spell cards, the chances of him drawing a monster were very low. But remembering his previous card, 'Desperado Manager', he could at least get another free attack or two.
"The first draw! Monster Card! Necro Gardna!"
Yumi quickly discarded the just-drawn card, and Hayate fired again.
[Fire Red Leader & Rose Red Leader, LP 2500 -> 1000]
"Second draw! Monster Card! Sphere Kuriboh!"
A third shot rang out.
[Fire Red Leader & Rose Red Leader, LP 1000 -> 0]
"Nice!" Celina cheered, impressed by her roommate's strength, and looked like with the right setup, he could indeed perform an OTK (One-Turn-Kill). He didn't even give the Rose Red girl a chance to duel.
"Third Draw!"
Everyone: "Ehhh!!?"
"Monster card!"
Yumi didn't stop as he drew another card, revealing it to be a 'Cyber Jar' that quickly got sent into the graveyard.
Hayate also didn't stop and fire again despite the opponent's Life Points having already reached zero.
"Fourth draw! Monster card!" The Ash Blossom was sent to the graveyard.
Hayate fires again.
"Draw! Monster card!" Yumi discarded the Ankuriboh.
Another shot.
"Draw! Monster card!" The Magician of Faith was discarded.
"Alright, alright!" Celina finally ran forward and bear-hugged him from behind, easily lifting him off the ground.
"Yumi, they're already dead!" she scolded, laughing but alarmed. "Stop traumatizing them!"
The Fire Red and Rose Red leaders were as pale as the Ash in his graveyard, visibly shaking from psychological damage. They looked like they'd been on the receiving end of a nuclear strike.
Still grinning, Yumi reached for his next card, clearly not finished.
Celina sighed and adjusted her grip, lifting him bridal-style as she walked off the field. "We're done here. Time to cool off."