"Trap Card Interdimensional Matter Transporter! Until the End Phase, I banish 1 face-up monster I control!"
A high-tech device tore open space itself, pulling XYZ-Dragon Cannon into a swirling vortex until it vanished.
Asuka Tenjoin froze. "You escaped?"
"When Dakini's effect resolves, I control no monsters," Yugen said. "So there is nothing to send to the Graveyard."
"Then your field is empty," Asuka Tenjoin shouted. "Cyber Angel Dakini, direct attack!"
Dakini flew forward, twin blades cutting toward the open field. With 2700 ATK, the strike should have ended everything.
At the last moment, a burst of white light flared as a transparent gate formed in front of Yugen.
"Trap Card 'Negate Attack'," Yugen Do said. "It activates when a direct attack is declared. That attack is negated, and I draw one card. (ANIME EFFECT)"
The light exploded outward, forcing Dakini back as Yugen completed his Card Draw. The decisive blow failed.
"…Then I set one card and end my turn."
As Asuka Tenjoin's turn ended, the nearby students finally exhaled. The pace and layers of exchanges had been overwhelming, far beyond what most of them were used to seeing.
Asuka Tenjoin felt the pressure settle on her shoulders. She had done everything she could, pushing herself to the limit, yet she still could not break through. Her opponent did not even look tense.
"End Phase. The effect of Interdimensional Matter Transporter ends," Yugen said. "XYZ-Dragon Cannon returns to the field."
XYZ-Dragon Cannon, ATK 2800.
"My Turn!. Card Draw. I activate the effect of XYZ-Dragon Cannon. I discard one card and destroy one card on your field. I destroy 'Cyber Angel Dakini'!"
"I was ready for that!" Asuka Tenjoin shouted. "I flip my set card, the Continuous Trap 'Fiendish Chain'!"
Dark green chains burst from the card and wrapped tightly around XYZ-Dragon Cannon, locking it in place.
"Fiendish Chain prevents that monster from attacking and negates its effects," she said. "Your 'C-Crush Wyvern' was a Union Monster, and when XYZ-Dragon Cannon left the field last turn, it lost its target. Now that it has returned, it no longer has Trap immunity!"
"Excellent," Daichi Misawa commented. "XYZ-Dragon Cannon is completely shut down."
Judai Yuki watched with shining eyes. "They are both amazing. I really want to Duel with them!"
Yugen simply smiled. "You even prepared an answer for XYZ. Impressive."
But her resources were gone. The moment had passed.
"I Normal Summon 'V-Tiger Jet'," Yugen said.
V-Tiger Jet, ATK 1600.
"At this moment, the Continuous Spell 'Union Hangar' activates," Yugen Do continued. "When a monster is Summon to my field, if there are banished Union Monster whose card text lists a monster on my field, those Union Monster can be Special Summon from the banished zone. (ANIME EFFECT)"
He revealed another card.
"I Special Summon 'W-Wing Catapult'."
W-Wing Catapult, ATK 1300.
"V-Tiger Jet and W-Wing Catapult, combine!"
The two Machina machines transformed and locked together in a flash of sparks.
"VW-Tiger Catapult, Fusion Summon!"
VW-Tiger Catapult, ATK 2000.
"Now I use 'VW-Tiger Catapult' and 'XYZ-Dragon Cannon' for a further combination. Polymerization!"
"Level 8, VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon!"
The machines reshaped once more, metal grinding as a towering steel giant took form, wings spreading as arcs of electricity danced across its body.
VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon, ATK 3000.
"Effect of VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon," Yugen said. "Once per turn, I can banish one card on your field. I banish 'Cyber Angel Dakini'!"
Electric light flared as the cannon fired, erasing Dakini into a fading silhouette.
"Then VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon attacks directly!"
Asuka Tenjoin closed her eyes as the barrage fell.
That was it.
Asuka Tenjoin Life Points 200 to 0.
Asuka Tenjoin let out a long breath and said she had lost.
She felt a bit frustrated, but she was not someone who could not accept defeat. Whether it was the use of traps, disrupting her Duel rhythm, or controlling the field, her opponent had clearly been ahead in every way. She lost fair and square, with nothing to argue.
"You won," Asuka Tenjoin said as she stood up. "But I will not stop here. Over the next three years I will work hard to become stronger, and then I will challenge you again."
Yugen almost wanted to say something like sure, next time double the credits, thanks for the business. Looking at the mood around them, though, it clearly was not the right moment, so he decided to save that for another time. Getting an extra ten credits so easily felt pretty good, and he would not mind getting more like this.
Only then did Nakamura from the Duel Academy Student Council carefully step forward. "Um, so with this result, Yugen, who will you cast your vote for?"
Yugen suddenly remembered the reason for the cards in the first place. Right, this had been about the election, not his credits. He did not really care who he voted for since he had never paid attention to the event, but Asuka Tenjoin spoke first. "Vote for Senior Hinata. She needs this vote more than I do."
"Do not joke," Seika Kohinata said from outside the field, crossing her arms. She looked aside with an awkward expression and puffed out her cheeks. "After that Duel, the remaining votes no longer matter."
Asuka Tenjoin looked confused. "Huh?"
Seika Kohinata turned away and waved her hand. "Forget it. I am withdrawing on my own."
The unexpected turn left Asuka Tenjoin a little stunned. After hesitating, she said, "But what I hoped for was to be recognized as a Duelist, not…"
Senior Xinghua paused and shot her a look. "Idiot, why do you think I chose to withdraw?"
"Eh?"
"This is Duel Academy. Any title only means something if it is won through a Duel. That is exactly why I lost to you."
Asuka Tenjoin fell silent.
When she turned to look again for the opponent who had taught her such a deep lesson through that Duel, she found that he was already gone. It seemed that all he cared about was the Duel itself, with no interest in negotiations or the election results that followed. Asuka Tenjoin said nothing, but thought that maybe he was also a pure Duelist.
No one noticed that within the moving crowd, a certain Osiris Red member with Jellyfish Hair was holding a Duel Disk and looking around. "Huh? Has anyone seen where Yugen went? I want to Duel him."
No one knew either that Seika Kohinata, who had voluntarily withdrawn and left the venue, slipped into an unnoticed corner. She quietly took out her Student Terminal, opened the competition interface, and casually cast her vote for junior Asuka Tenjoin. She then showed a satisfied smile, as if this was what people meant by turning dislike into support.
Yugen squeezed out of the venue and happily counted his newly earned credits. As he walked, he used the Duel Academy student terminal to check whether there were any new cards in stock today. His eyes immediately locked onto a newly restocked card.
Chaos Sorcerer.
It was a card he had been watching since before the entrance exam, but after completing enrollment he discovered that the only copy had already been bought. A new one finally appeared today, so there was nothing more to say. Yugen immediately reserved the Chaos Sorcerer.
With Dimension Fusion and Chaos Sorcerer, the next world champion Deck he had been planning could finally be put on the schedule. The Chaos theme had won three consecutive world championships and once held a dominant position, and while Yugen did not remember the full build, he recalled the general idea and planned to adapt it to his current collection. He was still missing a few cards, but none were especially rare, and with his funds and recently converted credits, buying them from Duel Academy should be easy.
As Yugen walked on, he suddenly heard someone beside him speak. "Yo, first place."