[Chazz Princeton loses due to a Deck Out.]
[Duel End...]
"Ha, what was that? I saw him shouting so passionately earlier, I actually thought he was going to pull off a comeback."
"Exactly. That was pathetic. He didn't even get a chance to fight back against a little girl."
"I bet if it had been Jaden Yuki, he would have won for sure, right?"
The surrounding holographic images gradually faded away.
The students who had been watching the match left while tossing out disdainful remarks.
Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring happily departed, clutching her rewards.
Only Chazz remained, kneeling on the ground. His expression looked as if it had lost all color; he was practically petrified.
He slammed his fist against the ground in frustration, a flicker of resentment burning in his eyes.
Me...
I can't even beat one of Jaden's spirits?
How am I ever supposed to surpass Jaden at this rate?
"Chazz, that was a decent duel just now."
"!"
The sudden voice made Chazz snap his head up.
He saw Atticus Rhodes leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, watching the kneeling Chazz with a smile.
"Senior Atticus?" Chazz rose slowly.
Though he didn't have much interaction with Atticus Rhodes, Chazz rarely acted arrogant toward the upperclassmen out of a baseline of respect.
Furthermore, Atticus Rhodes was once known as one of the Two Pillars of Duel Academy alongside Zane Truesdale, holding the title of Fubuki the Righteous.
King Fubuki and Hell Kaiser.
It wasn't hard to see that Atticus Rhodes possessed formidable dueling skills!
"Did you see that duel just now...?" Chazz frowned slightly.
He didn't want anyone to see how ugly his defeat had been.
"I did. I watched the whole thing."
Atticus Rhodes crossed his arms and nodded solemnly.
"I can feel your determination, Chazz. Your desire to defeat your opponent and surpass Jaden Yuki!"
"However, your dueling is missing one thing."
Atticus looked at Chazz with a serious expression.
Missing something?
Chazz's body trembled, and his eyes involuntarily widened.
"Please, tell me! What is my dueling missing?!" Chazz suddenly became agitated, grabbing Atticus's arm and shouting, "Senior Atticus... no! Master!"
Master?
Atticus Rhodes watched as Chazz fell to his knees before him with a thud.
Atticus nodded with satisfaction.
"Very well. It seems you are ready to step onto the path of Asura's hell, Chazz."
"Yes! Master! Please teach me how to become strong!" Chazz gripped Atticus's sleeve tightly.
"Good! Then I shall take you as my disciple!" Atticus Rhodes lightly patted Chazz Princeton's shoulder. "Let us march together toward the path of becoming the strongest duelist!"
"Yes! Master!"
A vision of his future as the "strongest duelist" danced in Chazz's eyes.
He didn't notice that by taking Atticus Rhodes as his master, he was actually wandering further and further down the path of becoming a gag character.
...
The Duel Academy School Festival was gradually drawing to a close amidst a series of duels.
As night fell.
Students gathered around a bonfire, discussing the interesting events of the day.
The academy girls who cosplayed as Duel Monsters drew cheers from countless boys.
However, compared to the Dark Magician Girl from earlier that day, it always felt like something was missing.
"Alexis, are you still moping here?"
Jasmine and Mindy walked over to Alexis with plates of grilled meat.
Seeing the slightly dejected look on Alexis's face, Jasmine and Mindy exchanged a glance and shared a wry smile.
It seemed the scene from earlier that daywhere the girl cosplaying as Dark Magician Girl had forced a kiss on Jaden Yukihad dealt a significant psychological blow to Alexis.
The usually confident and serious girl now appeared somewhat listless.
"No, I'm fine. I'm not moping," Alexis forced a couple of laughs, but she still rested her chin in her hand and couldn't help but sigh.
"You're really not being honest with yourself, are you?"
Jasmine and Mindy sat down beside Alexis, their eyes twinkling with mischief.
"If you really like him, why don't you just tell him yourself?"
"What are you two saying..." Alexis's face flushed red. She wanted to argue, but Jasmine and Mindy pressed down on her shoulders, cutting off her excuses.
"With your personality, if you can't find the courage to speak up now, you won't be able to say it even two years from now."
"Exactly. Are you planning to wait until after graduation to confess? Someone like Jaden Yuki... once he graduates from this academy, you might never see him again."
Looking at the serious expressions on Jasmine and Mindy's faces...
Alexis opened her mouth, but she couldn't find a single stubborn word to say.
"Sure, Jaden is a bit cold, but anyone can see he's a very responsible man."
"Yeah, and his dueling strength is unmatched in the academy. Plus, he's definitely in the handsome category. You'd better pursue a catch like him quickly."
The two pulled Alexis up from the ground and began pushing her from behind toward the Obelisk Blue boys' dormitory.
"You... you two..."
Alexis didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But feeling the concern of her two best friends, a faint warmth rose in her heart.
"Fine, fine! I get it! You don't have to keep pushing me!"
Alexis stomped her foot, a rosy hue coating her face. "I'll go right now, alright!"
With that, she ran toward the Obelisk Blue dormitory with a red face.
"Hehe, good luck! Alexis!"
Jasmine and Mindy waved their hands vigorously from behind, shouting words of encouragement.
"Even if you fail, don't get discouraged!" Jasmine cried out.
"What are you talking about, Jasmine?" Mindy glanced at her.
"Well, I can't help it. If it were a normal guy, someone with Alexis's qualities would take him down easily."
"But that man is Jaden Yuki."
"With that temper of his, it would be the strangest thing in the world if he actually accepted a confession."
"I'm just giving Alexis some mental preparation so she doesn't get too heartbroken," Jasmine sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
Mindy was silent for a moment before shaking her head helplessly.
"...You're just telling the cold, hard truth."
"But he isn't exactly made of stone. As long as Alexis persists, she should succeed eventually..."
"..." Both girls fell silent at the same time.
They looked at each other and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"Actually, I think Senior Zane is a pretty good guy too."
"It's a pity Zane is graduating soon. Otherwise, I would definitely go after him!"
"Senior Atticus is quite handsome as well."
"The only downside is that he's probably too much of a flirt, hahaha."
The two girls chatted about the boys in the academy, one sentence at a time.
In their hearts, they were silently rooting for Alexis.
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