Midori-sensei stares at Yumi and the two duel spirits standing beside him with wide eyes.
In the world of Yu-Gi-Oh, Duel Spirits represent a duelist's strength and their bond with their cards.
Although there are countless cards in this world, not every card has a duel spirit inside. Duel spirits could also be called card spirits, since they aren't dueling at that point and are just simply existing.
The most famous ones were the three Blue-Eyes White Dragon in the hand of President Kaiba. The bond with their master is so strong that they alter fate and destiny, letting the President see the past, and guiding him to tribute a god to summon his beloved White Bride.
Yugi's Dark Magician is also a Duel Spirit, or more precisely, the spirit of the Pharaoh's most loyal servant, who turned himself into the Dark Magician to serve the Pharaoh even after his death.
The knowledge of the existence of Duel Spirits isn't something unheard of. Years ago, when Duel Spirits came alive and started to attack people, during the Waking of the Dragons arc in Yu-Gi-Oh! DMs!
The incident was somewhat covered up by the higher-ups, but those who dug more into the incident understood what had happened.
Thus, the existence of Duel Spirits was exposed.
Midori knew about this since her brother could also call out his duel spirit, the ace of his deck, Elemental HERO Terra Firma.
So she began learning about spirit energy and how to control it, even just a little.
One could forcefully take control of a Duel Spirits by suppressing the spirit's power and controlling it, though this will weaken its power.
"How is this even possible... Terra Firma shouldn't listen to you..." Midori murmurs, as The Earth looks identical to Terra Firma.
Which just confirmed her suspicion that The Earth = Terra Firma.
"Like I said... Sensei. This is The Earth, not Terra Firma. You got the wrong card." He said with a straight face, still staying calm after the whole situation.
From what she has said so far and the way she is reacting to his cards, it's more likely that Koyo Hibiki has gone missing and is not lying in the hospital like a vegetable.
So this is what Yumi has pieced together.
Koyo Hibiki has gone missing, and as his older sister, Midori Hibiki, went looking for him. She couldn't afford to drop everything and still needed money, so she went back to her job as a teacher in Duel Academy. Only to run into him, who possessed The Earth, which is just Terra Firma, but with a different name. So she suspected him of having something to do with her missing brother.
"Then can you tell me where you get that card?" She asks, still not believing him.
"I can't and have no obligation to tell you that, Sensei." Yumi answered coolly, not wanting to reveal that he printed The Earth into existence.
"If that's your answer, then..." She said before activating her duel disk. "Student Yumi Uzushi, as the female head professor of the Slifer Red. I order you to duel me! If I win, you must tell me where you get my brother's card!"
Yumi: "..."
Raye: "..."
The Earth: "...?"
As expected of the Yu-Gi-Oh world logic, if any conflict occurs, resolve it through playing cards.
Yumi followed Midori-sensei out to the back of the Slifer Red dorm. There, beneath the dim glow of the moonlight, the two stood face to face.
Without a word, both activated their Duel Disks.
A cold night breeze swept through, rustling their hair and causing the tails of their jackets to flutter in the wind.
"DUEL!" x2
[Yumi, LP 4000]
[Midori, LP 4000]
"I'll go first! Draw!" Midori declared confidently, the edge in her voice reminding Yumi she wasn't just a teacher, she was a seasoned Duelist.
She swiftly slid a card into her Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity! I draw three cards, then discard two."
After drawing, she calmly sent two cards to the Graveyard without hesitation.
"Now, I Normal Summon Darklord of Pleasure!"
A pale, blueish-skinned woman with black hair materialized onto her field. She wore an elegant black dress that clung to her slender figure, a single black-feathered wing extending from her back.
[Darklord of Pleasure, 1600 ATK]
"Darklord of Pleasure's effect activates!" Midori announced, retrieving her deck. "When she's Normal or Special Summoned, I can take two Darklord monsters from my hand or deck, Special Summon one in Defense Position, and add the other to my hand."
She selected two cards and held them up with a graceful flourish.
"I Special Summon Darklord Ixchel in Defense Mode, and add Darklord Tezcatlipoca to my hand!"
Another figure emerged, this one a curvaceous woman with dark tan skin and flowing violet hair. She wore a white gown and thigh-high stockings, four obsidian wings unfurling behind her. She reclined provocatively on the ground, casting Yumi a sultry glance before winking and licking her lips.
[Darklord Ixchel, 2900 DEF]
Yumi stared blankly at the spirit.
Realizing that either this was the teacher's duel spirit, or this was originally a normal card until the spirit from within sensed the large amount of spirit energy within him, so it showed up wanting to eat him.
Damn if I don't beat you up, you will act like a closet perv, huh!
This situation reminded him of that ghost girl trying to ambush him last time; she was also looking at him like a meal, licking her lips in hunger, before getting beaten up by him.
"I'll set two cards face down and end my turn." She placed down two cards before passing her turn.
"My turn. Draw!" Yumi declared, swiftly drawing his card and slotting it into his hand.
"I tribute your Darklord Ixchel to Special Summon Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju to your field!"
"Huh!?" Midori blinked in surprise as her sultry Darklord vanished in a shimmer of light, replaced by a towering, armored sea turtle with glowing blue eyes.
[Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju, 2200 ATK]
Midori: "..."
Midori stared at the massive monster now on her side of the field.
"Next, I activate Polymerization!" Yumi shouted, revealing two cards. "I fuse Elemental HERO Avian and Elemental HERO Burstinatrix from my hand!"
The two HEROes burst onto the field and were instantly swept into a swirling vortex.
"Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Burst Wingman!"
The fire HERO descended, landing on the field with his fire wings spread wide, illuminating the night.
[Elemental HERO Burst Wingman, 2100 ATK]
Similar to the other two HEROes players in the GX anime, Jaden Yuki and Aster Phoenix, who also use the two Elemental HERO Avian and Burstinatrix to fusion summon their respective versions of this Elemental HERO.
With Jaden having Flame Wingman.
Aster has Phoenix Enforcer.
And now Yumi with Burst Wingman.
Two specific monsters, three different Elemental HEROes.
"I activate the Spell Card, Hero Solidarity!" Yumi slammed down another card. "By banishing HERO monsters from my Graveyard, I can destroy the same number of Spells and Traps on your field!"
This was a manga-only card, with the effect of banishing up to 2 Elemental HERO to destroy Spells and Traps the opponent controls. Yumi adjusted it to support the HERO deck and not just the Elemental HERO.
"I'll remove the Avian and Burstinatrix from my grave. To destroy your two face-down cards!" The two HEROes vanished in streams of light as ethereal swords rose from the ground and hurled themselves toward Midori's set cards.
"Before they're destroyed, I chain my Trap!" Midori snapped, pressing a button as one of her face-down cards flipped open. "Darklord Rebellion! I send Darklord Ukoback from my hand to the Graveyard to destroy your Burst Wingman!
"And I'll chain my second Trap, The Sanctified Darklord!" Her other card revealed itself. "I send Darklord Tezcatlipoca from my hand to negate Burst Wingman's effect this turn and gain Life Points equal to it ATK!"
"Quickplay spell!" Yumi didn't flinch, placing down his final card. "Monster Recovery! Return all monsters on my field and cards in my hand to my deck, shuffled. And draw five new cards!"
Burst Wingman was returned to his Extra Deck, as he shuffled his deck before drawing five new cards.
Since the target, Burst Wingman, had left the field before both of Midori-sensei's traps could hit their target, both of her cards fizzled out, wasted.
Midori frowned, her confident aura momentarily slipping, having an expression of: As expected of the Strongest Slifer Red student.
He not only dodged the double-trap chain but also managed to refill his hand.
"I still haven't performed my Normal Summon yet." Yumi pulled another card from his fresh hand.
"I'll Normal Summon, the Ace of my deck! Sky Striker Ace - Raye!"
A column of blue light appeared as data particles materialized into a slender, sword-wielding girl clad in her signature uniform.
[Sky Striker Ace - Raye, 1500 ATK]
Midori narrowed her eyes at the new arrival. "So... this is the infamous Sky Striker Ace - Raye, the one who's taken down over forty students..." she murmured.
As a faculty member, she has access to the student's duel record. After checking out Yumi Uzushi's duel record, he has dueled 48 times since joining Duel Academy, with a 100% win rate.
Out of those 48 duels, Sky Striker Ace - Raye appeared in 41 duels.
"I'll equip the Spell, Blade Graveyard, to Raye, increasing her ATK by 800!"
Ghostly swords pierced the ground around Raye like tombstones, radiating an ominous aura.
[Sky Striker Ace - Raye, 1500 -> 2300 ATK]
"Battle! Raye, attack Darklord of Pleasure!" Yumi commanded.
"Ace Striker!"
Raye surged forward, blade in hand. With a swift, precise slash, she cleaved through the dark angel, shattering it in a burst of dark feathers and light.
[Midori, LP 4000 -> 3300]
"I'll activate Raye's effect!" Yumi continued. "By tributing her, I Special Summon a Sky Striker Ace from my Extra Deck!"
As Raye's body glowed, the swords around her vanished. A green, high-tech armor formed over her body, and a massive sniper rifle materialized in her hands.
"Henshin! Sky Striker Ace - Hayate!"
[Sky Striker Ace - Hayate, 1500 ATK]
"Hayate's effect: she can attack directly. Go! Player direct attack!"
Dropping to one knee, Hayate took aim past the lumbering sea turtle. A glowing shot fired from her rifle, zipping through the air and striking Midori directly.
[Midori, LP 3300 -> 1800]
"Since Hayate battled, I can send a Sky Striker Spell from my deck to the grave." Yumi swiftly pulled a card from his deck. "I'll send Sky Striker Mecha - Hornet Drones."
He slid two cards into his duel disk. "I'll set two cards face-down... then activate Take Over 5! Sending the top five cards of my deck to the graveyard."
Two set cards materialized behind Hayate, and five cards slid from his deck into the grave.
"Turn end."
With no plays left, Yumi calmly passed the turn to his teacher, who now looked visibly tense.
Last turn, Midori had burned through most of her resources trying to maximize the value of her two traps, unwilling to let them go to waste. She wanted to squeeze every last bit of utility out of them.
Who could've predicted that Yumi's final card would let him completely dodge her carefully planned double-trap?
Not only that, he'd flipped the game in his favor and left her cornered.
Midori clenched her teeth, her hand trembling slightly as she reached for her deck with fierce determination.
"I… I must know the truth about what happened to my brother. That's why… I won't lose!"
She declared it like a vow, placing everything on this draw.
Yumi: "..."
Raye: "..."
Sensei! This is a friendly duel between teacher and student! Not a Shadow Game! Why are you making it sound like a life-or-death mission!?
In this scene, how come it looks like I am the villain?
Although Midori's LP is still quite large, not enough to get into a blood lock yet, it could be said that even 4000 LP is already counted as a blood lock when facing someone like Yumi.
As he is known for OTK-ing most of his opponents.
"My turn... Draw!!"
She ripped the card from her deck, and even the wind seemed to trace a sharp arc through the air.
Yumi: "..."
Raye: "..."
Sensei, what's with the protagonist energy!? This is supposed to be a fun match!
Why do you suddenly look like you're about to top-deck the ultimate plot armor card that just got printed and save the world?
I'm just a student! You're the one who came to challenge me, remember!?
"I'll set one card and activate the spell, Card of Demise! Letting me draw until I have five cards, but after my fifth turn, I have to discard my entire hand!"
She drew four cards in a single, elegant motion, ready to launch her comeback.
"Trap card open, Talisman of Reversal!" One of Yumi's face-down cards flipped.
"When a card(s) is added to your hand except during your draw phase, I get to draw until I have the same number of cards as you do, Sensei."
This card was used by the protagonist of 5Ds, Yusei Fudo, not the most broken card, but a solid hand-refiller. Although Yumi's deck has many draw engines, adding more is never too bad since he hardly get bricks.
Midori frowned as Yumi calmly drew five cards to match hers. Still, she quickly refocused. She had made up her mind; this was a duel she couldn't afford to lose.
"I'll activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards." She announced, placing down her spell and was ready to draw until.
"Not so fast, Sensei! Trap card open, Trickstar Reincarnation! With this, I banish your entire hand, and you draw back the same number of cards." Yumi's second face-down flipped open, revealing another card from the future that has appeared ahead of its time.
Yumi smiled calmly. "And since cards were added from your deck to your hand, except during your draw phase. I'll activate Droll & Lock Bird from my hand."
He revealed the monster card that he drew before sending it to his graveyard.
"This card's quick effect allows me to send it to the graveyard, and until the end of this turn, neither player can add cards from their Deck to their hand."
Midori: "..."
Midori-sensei suddenly had a massive headache and nearly collapsed on the spot.
As her four cards got removed from play, she couldn't draw more cards, and even her Pot of Greed was wasted.
Now she stood there, hand completely empty, unable to make a single play.
This toxic play style...
For a moment, a strange illusion crossed her vision. The boy standing across from her blurred with the image of one of her old students.
For some reason, Yumi Uzushi suddenly looks a lot like Momoyo Kawakami.