Entering the examination hall, Yugen stood on the high platform, surveying the surroundings. He quickly spotted several familiar faces.
For example, Kaiser Marufuji Ryo of Duel Academy, who was also observing from the high OB stand, and Tenjoin Asuka, who in the early stages of GX was always glued to his side, the most frequently appearing female background character.
Then there were Manjome Jun and his subordinates, already wearing their Obelisk Blue uniforms, on the stands nearby.
Manjome and Asuka were both scholarship students, having been excellent students in Duel Academy's Middle School division. Only students like them, guaranteed admission, could directly enter the highest-tier Obelisk Blue dormitory upon matriculation.
Other examinees who entered through the exams, even with perfect scores across all subjects, could only be assigned to Ra Yellow. This was why Misawa, despite being first in his class, still ended up in Ra Yellow in the anime. Only through excellent performance later on would there be a chance to be promoted to Obelisk Blue.
Yugen looked around, and although it was already examination time, he didn't see a certain familiar jellyfish head.
If nothing unexpected happened, Jaden Yuki's train should be late today. At this point, he should be encountering Yugi Muto on the way and receiving a Winged Kuriboh from Yugi-san, which was Jaden's first spirit card in the main story and protected him in various Dark Duels during his early stages.
Just watching the GX story, there was no explanation in the prologue for why Yugi would casually meet a lucky jellyfish head on the way and give him a spirit.
But if combined with the later movie "Bonds Beyond Time," one could speculate that Yugi had already met Jaden, who had returned from the future, many years ago. Thus, in the present, he already regarded Jaden as an unseen comrade.
"Registration number 001, Fujiki Yugen."
It finally began.
Yugen stood up and walked towards the duel arena.
While observing from above earlier, he had noticed that the examiners today were using several rotating sets of examination-specific decks. The same few decks would be used repeatedly for different examinees. He had roughly figured them all out.
Nothing he couldn't handle.
One minute earlier, Manjome Jun and his two subordinates sat calmly in the stands.
"According to the grouping, it should be number 001's turn next," Subordinate A said. "I wonder who this year's top student is."
Subordinate B: "Ha, it doesn't matter who it is. This year's freshman king has already been decided: Manjome-sama."
Manjome smirked, letting out a cold chuckle.
"There's only one ruler in this academy, as the saying goes, 'one mountain cannot hold two tigers.' Well, if that guy is good enough to challenge me, that wouldn't be bad. After all, if ruling is too easy, these three years in the academy would be quite boring, heheh..."
"Big brother is right, hahaha..."
The three laughed together.
Then they heard the announcement.
"Registration number 001, Fujiki Yugen, please proceed quickly to Arena 1 for your examination. Registration number 001..."
The laughter abruptly stopped.
Subordinate A: "Nani? That name... Could it be...?"
Subordinate B: "Big brother!"
Both turned to look at Manjome. But they couldn't find him at first glance.
"Oh? Big brother, why did you go under the seats?"
Although falling hurt a bit, Manjome didn't bother. He crawled out from under the seats, using both hands and feet, his eyes wide as he stared intently at Arena 1.
Then he saw a familiar back enter the arena.
The overlord of the academy, Manjome, died prematurely before he could even start his journey. Even before he matriculated, his dream of ruling turned into foam, replaced by a fear dominated by the "Yin-Yang" (Darkness).
Why is it you again?!
"Hello, Professor."
Yugen, standing firm on the arena, was very polite.
The examiner had a cold, tough-guy image, wearing sunglasses and appearing serious and cautious: "Prepare for the duel."
"Hello, Professor."
Yugen unfolded his Duel Disk, but just before starting, he thought of something and couldn't help but frown slightly.
"Wait a moment, Professor. Just hypothetically, even if I win, but you experience unpleasant emotions during the duel, or are dissatisfied with the process itself, is it possible for me to be judged as failed?"
"Don't worry," the sunglasses-wearing examiner still had a poker face. "We examiners are professionally trained, not low-quality, third-rate duelists. No matter what kind of duel, I will not get angry."
He paused, then added.
"Besides, the final decision on the score is made by Professor Chronos, the head examiner, not me."
"Is that so?"
Yugen relaxed.
He still remembered Professor Chronos, the man nicknamed "Greed Spirit" for his appearance, which was ninety percent similar to the artwork of Pot of Greed.
Although this professor seemed like a villain from the early anime's perspective, he only targeted poor-performing students. For excellent students, such as Misawa Daichi, even if they hit him directly in the eye with a baseball, he could still laugh heartily and say "No problem, no problem, just maintain your grades, and the teacher will be happy."
So Yugen figured that since he was first in the written exam, the "Greed Professor" surely wouldn't make things difficult for him.
"Duel!" x2
[Yugen, LP 4000]
[Examiner, LP 4000]
"I'll go first, draw!"
Yugen immediately drew three cards into his hand.
"Set one monster card on the field, and set two face-down cards in the backrow. End turn."
On the high platform, Manjome started to suffocate the moment he saw that opening hand.
That familiar smell, that aura from the underworld.
"Then, my turn, draw!" the examiner said. "I Normal Summon 'Gene-Warped Warwolf' in Attack Position."
[Gene-Warped Warwolf, ATK 2000]
The moment this card appeared, Yugen recognized which of the several examination decks it belonged to.
It was a Four-Star Beatdown deck, mostly composed of four-star monsters with 2000+ ATK, combined with equip spells to easily reach two to three thousand ATK, forming a field-controlling pressure deck.
It was considered one of the more troublesome decks for new students in the entrance exam.
At this moment, some spectators on the platform also commented: "Oh, look over there, number one ran into that strong beatdown deck."
"Yeah, good thing I didn't. What an unlucky guy."
Only Manjome clenched his fists, speechless.
Unlucky? No, no, no.
The unlucky one is the examiner, that's right.
To actually use a beatdown deck against this kind of bastard... it's practically eight lifetimes of bad luck.
"Attack with 'Gene-Warped Warwolf'!"
The face-down card flipped, revealing an old magician with a green staff.
[Old Vindictive Magician, DEF 600]
"'Old Vindictive Magician's effect activates," Yugen said. "When this card is flipped, I target one monster on your field and destroy it.
I destroy your 'Gene-Warped Warwolf'."
The old magician, before his demise, waved his hand, unleashing a magic bullet. Gene-Warped Warwolf exploded with a bang.
Gene-Warped Warwolf was destroyed less than ten seconds after entering the field, but this was still within the normal scope of a duel. At this moment, the examiner didn't notice anything amiss.
"So it's a flip-effect monster that destroys a monster. Then, the Battle Phase ends."
The examiner drew a card and inserted it into his Duel Disk.
"Then I activate the Spell Card 'Return of the Doomed'. I can Special Summon one monster that was destroyed this turn in Attack Position." (anime effect)
The spell's effect activated, and a vortex leading to the underworld opened. After a flash of golden light, the dusty Gene-Warped Warwolf returned to the field.
"Activate my set card, Trap Card 'Terrible Deal'."
Yugen pressed the button on his Duel Disk, directly flipping up his backrow.
"When your opponent activates a Spell Card, pay 1000 Life Points to randomly discard one card from their hand."
[Yugen, LP 4000 → LP 3000]
"Nani!?"
The examiner was startled. When he looked down at his hand again, one of his hand cards had vanished into thin air with a golden light effect.
"It's not over yet. I chain to that and activate the Trap Card - Torrential Tribute." Yugen waved his hand, flipping another set card. "Can be activated when a monster is Normal Summoned, Special Summoned, or Flip Summoned.
Destroy all monsters on the field!"
A flood roared out from the card, sweeping across the entire field. The pitiful Gene-Warped Warwolf, before it could even stand firm, was once again swept into the flood's vortex, crushed into fragments.
Examiner: "..."