Duelists Never Surrender! Chapter 2

Hara Shichi LP: 4000

vs

Julie LP: 4000

"Beep!"

The red light on Julie's Duel Disk lit up, indicating that she could choose whether to go first or second.

"I'll take the first turn!" Julie curled her lips upward and slapped a card onto her Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell Card—Fusion!"

"She drew Fusion on the first turn? That's insanely lucky, isn't it?"

"Senior Julie is so strong. I still haven't learned how to Fusion Summon yet."

"So what if you learned it? Do you even have any powerful Fusion Monsters?"

"Pulling out her ace right at the start—is this the strength of a second-year senior?"

"..."

Hara Shichi and Julie's duel quickly drew the attention of the surrounding students. The moment Julie activated Fusion, they began discussing it excitedly.

Julie did not stop because of the chatter around her. She sent two cards from her hand to the Graveyard and continued, "I send Mezuki and Gozu-Meizu from my hand to the Graveyard. Fusion Summon—come forth, Dragon of the Underworld!"

"Kehehehe..."

As that chilling laughter rang out, the monster that had appeared earlier returned to the Duel Field, its scarlet eyes fixed firmly on Hara Shichi.

"So it really is that thing. I suspected it, but..." Hara Shichi muttered as he looked at the monster before him. "Looks like she's running Zombie-Type. I wonder if she has Zombie-Type's ace, Vampire Lord."

"I'm not done yet! I activate Gozu-Meizu's effect in the Graveyard. I banish this card to activate the Field Spell Card Zombie World from my Deck!" As Julie activated Zombie World, the bright Gymnasium was swallowed by darkness in an instant. Withered branches and skulls of all shapes and sizes filled the entire Gymnasium, drawing waves of startled cries.

"You can't attack on the first turn. I'll Set two cards, then End turn." Julie confidently Set her cards and ended her turn.

"So? Creepy surroundings, a gigantic monster... Don't tell me your legs have gone weak from fright?" Yi asked, shooting a glance at the unusually silent Hara Shichi.

"No. I was actually wondering why she didn't call out Main Phase 1 just now." Hara Shichi shook his head and placed his hand over his Deck. "Forget it. No point thinking about it."

"My turn, draw!"

You Don't Have a Next Turn ### "My turn, draw!" Hara Shichi glanced at the card he had drawn, then continued, "I enter Main Phase 1. I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Magicalized Pâtissière Ticket, from my hand."

"Hold it! I chain by activating my Set Card, Mystical Space Typhoon, and destroy your Magicalized Pâtissière Ticket." The moment Hara Shichi inserted his Spell Card into his Duel Disk, Julie activated her Quick-Play Spell Card Mystical Space Typhoon and destroyed the Magicalized Pâtissière Ticket.

"It appeared! A rare card I could never own!"

"A Quick-Play Spell Card that can directly destroy Spells and Traps? Fake. So fake! Why hasn't the League banned Mystical Space Typhoon yet?!"

Hearing the praise from around her, Julie lifted her chin like a goose. "Honestly, it's just Mystical Space Typhoon. I have plenty of rare cards at this level in my Deck."

"P-Plenty?!" Yukikaze, who had secretly positioned herself behind Hara Shichi to watch, could not stop herself from crying out. Her cute little face turned pale. It was over. Not only had she lost the Deck her sister gave her, she had dragged someone else into losing their Deck too. What should she do? What should she do... Maybe... she could forcibly interrupt the duel and run away with this kind-hearted person?

Meanwhile, Hara Shichi, the one Yukikaze was worrying about, remained utterly calm. The only uncertain factors on his opponent's field were one Set Card and one card in hand. Since a duel of this level probably would not involve hand traps, all Hara Shichi needed to do was find a way to force out that Set Card.

"Then, I Normal Summon Madolche Madeleine from my hand." As soon as he spoke, a young witch in a cute dress appeared on the Duel Field, seated atop a massive silver fork. Beneath her was a cake that looked as though it had been coated in chocolate.

"Oh my God! This monster... this monster... is way too cute!" A first-year girl stared at Madeleine with hearts in her eyes.

"But she only has 1400 ATK," a male student beside her could not help pointing out.

"That fluffy long skirt, those little black shoes... and that loose, floppy witch hat..."

"But she only has 1400 ATK."

"And that adorable, lively little face, that flowing hair, and those gemstone-like heterochromatic eyes! This is what a true Duel Spirit looks like!"

"But she only has 1400..."

"Damn it, are you ever going to shut up? Eat this!"

The adorable witch's appearance won the affection of some of the duelists. Even Julie had to admit that the Madolche monster on Hara Shichi's field was far cuter than her Dragon of the Underworld, but...

"She's just a weakling with 1400 ATK. What can you possibly do by Summoning something like that? My Dragon of the Underworld has the same 3000 ATK as Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Julie mocked mercilessly.

"Madeleine is no weakling. Watch closely—she'll lead me to victory in this duel." Hara Shichi retorted coldly. "I activate Madeleine's effect. When this card is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, I add one Madolche monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose Magicalized Pâtissière - Jelly Angel!"

"A search card? So what? You can only Normal Summon once per turn, and you've already used your Normal Summon for this turn—"

"Used it up, right?" Hara Shichi interrupted before Julie could finish. "Then I'll just gain another one. I activate the Spell Card Double Summon! This turn, I can Normal Summon twice!"

"Then, I Normal Summon Magicalized Pâtissière - Jelly Angel from my hand!"

A cute little girl in a snow-white dress floated above a soft, jiggly red jelly. Behind her spread a pair of pure white wings, just like an angel's.

"No, she is an angel! Madolche! Madolche! I'll remember this Deck! I'm buying Madolche!"

"But she only has... mmph mmph..."

When Julie saw that Jelly Angel had only 1000 ATK, the tension in her heart immediately eased. "What a show-off. Are these the only kinds of monsters you have?"

Hara Shichi could not be bothered to respond to Julie. He sent the angel to the Graveyard and said, "I activate Jelly Angel's effect. I tribute herself to Special Summon one Madolche monster from my Deck. I Summon Madolche Puddingscess. Then I activate Puddingscess's effect, banishing one monster from the Graveyard to Special Summon one Madolche from my Deck. I Special Summon another Madeleine."

Thus, in only a few short minutes, Hara Shichi had three monsters on his field.

"If I remember correctly, Madeleine's effect can only be used when she is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned. Since you Special Summoned Madeleine, that means your combo is over. You've used up all your Normal Summons and Special Summons!"

Julie watched as Hara Shichi Special Summoned Madolche Madeleine. As a veteran duelist—self-proclaimed—she had already seen through the situation. All three monsters on the field had already used their effects. If he wanted to break through her Dragon of the Underworld, he would have to use an extremely rare card like Raigeki or Dark Hole. Otherwise, he stood no chance at all. And even if Hara Shichi used a rare card like Raigeki, she still had the Set Card Sakuretsu Armor, which could destroy one monster when he declared an attack. Next turn, she could banish Mezuki from the Graveyard to revive Dragon of the Underworld once more!

This duel was hers to win!

"You're right. I've used up both my Normal Summon and Special Summon opportunities," Hara Shichi nodded. "But I still have one final combo step."

One more combo step? Julie frowned. A Fusion Summon? She had never heard of a Fusion Monster made from three Earth Attribute monsters. A Synchro Summon? There wasn't even a Tuner Monster on his field. Wait, there were two Madolche Madeleines, meaning they were the same Level. Could it be...? No, impossible! Absolutely impossible! That was a summoning method even the teachers couldn't use!

Yet Hara Shichi's voice shattered her hopes.

"I have two Level 4 monsters. I overlay the two Madolche Madeleines. The two monsters form an Xyz Network—Xyz Summon, Madolche Queen Tiramisu!"

A bottomless void appeared on the Duel Field. As the two monsters turned into light and entered it, a queen wearing a crown and holding a scepter appeared before everyone, seated upon her throne.

"H-Hey... this has to be a joke..."

"This is huge... this is huge!"

"It's an Xyz Summon!"

The Gymnasium erupted like a boiling pot. In an instant, the crowd surrounding Hara Shichi and Julie tripled in size. Even people who had been in the middle of duels abandoned them and rushed over.

What kind of joke was this? That was an Xyz Summon! An Xyz Summon that even many teachers couldn't perform!

"What's going on? Aren't they reacting a little too strongly?" Hara Shichi felt that the atmosphere around him was off, especially the way the watching duelists looked at him—as though starving ghosts who had escaped from prison had just spotted meat.

"Didn't I tell you before? On this continent, dueling contains energy," Yi explained from beside him. "Not just the power contained within Duel Spirits. Fusion Summons produce Fusion Particles, Synchro Summons produce Synchro Particles, and Xyz Summons produce Xyz Particles. All of them are massive sources of energy, and to perform the corresponding summon, you have to master those energies skillfully."

"And since Xyz Summoning was only discovered two years ago, very few people can use it now. Of course they'd be dumbfounded seeing you perform an Xyz Summon." After saying that, Yi added, "Of course, as an outsider, you technically shouldn't be able to control Xyz Particles, so I was actually the one helping you with that Xyz Summon just now. What do you think? Isn't your cheat pretty reliable?"

"No wonder you gave me this deck. Your goal was to cause a sensation, wasn't it?" Hara Shichi realized belatedly.

"Enough!" Julie pointed at Hara Shichi, her expression twisting dramatically. "Stop talking to yourself! So what if it's an Xyz Summon? Your Queen Tiramisu only has 2200 ATK, while my Dragon of the Underworld has—"

"An ATK as high as Blue-Eyes White Dragon's 3000, right?" Hara Shichi sighed helplessly. "Could you please stop bringing up ATK? My ears are practically callused from hearing it."

"Don't you think constantly talking about ATK is kind of lame?"

Julie choked on his words, but she still taunted, "Then attack! Go on, destroy my monster!"

"I will, but before that, I activate Queen Tiramisu's effect. I remove one Xyz Material to target up to two Madolche cards in my Graveyard. Return them to the Deck, then return the same number of cards on your field to their owner's Deck." As he spoke, Hara Shichi sent a Madolche Madeleine to the Graveyard, then returned Madolche Ticket and Madolche Madeleine from his Graveyard to the Deck. "I return these two cards to the Deck. Then I return your Dragon of the Underworld and the Set Card in your back row to the Deck."

"No way! How could there be such a powerful effect?!" Julie stared blankly as the monster and Set Card on her field vanished.

"Sorry, it's just that powerful." Hara Shichi had no intention of sympathizing with the girl who had been all talk. "I enter the Battle Phase. Madolche Puddingscess, attack directly!"

The owl only had 1500 ATK, so the impact was not particularly great, but Julie's LP had fallen to just 2500.

"Queen Tiramisu has 2200 ATK. 2500 minus 2200... I still have another turn." Julie's mind raced as she calculated whether she had any powerful cards left unused. If she drew one, she could turn the tables in a desperate counterattack!

"No, you don't have another turn." Hara Shichi shook his head. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card—Forbidden Chalice. This card can target one face-up monster on the field. Until the End turn, that monster gains 400 ATK and its effects are negated. I choose Queen Tiramisu. Her ATK rises to 2600. I attack directly with Queen Tiramisu—"

"Wait!" Julie clenched her fists and shouted unwillingly.

Hara Shichi stopped what he was doing and quietly looked at her.

"Wait, I... I surrender." Julie lowered the arm holding her Duel Disk. "I lost."

Enrollment

"As agreed, here's your deck back." Julie handed the deck she had just taken to Hara Shichi.

"Mm. Your dueling skills are pretty good, but you should really change that arrogant personality of yours," Hara Shichi said softly. "Otherwise, you'll learn a painful lesson."

"Shut up! Don't think winning means you can lecture me!" Julie shot Hara Shichi a vicious glare. "You only won because you have a powerful Xyz Monster! Just you wait! Once I get even stronger Monster Cards, I'll definitely crush you beneath my feet!"

"Did you hear that? If she really gets stronger cards, she'll destroy me in our rematch," Hara Shichi hinted to a certain goddess.

"Don't worry. You did well this time, and I've accumulated enough Duel Energy. I'll print cards for you afterward, but before that, deal with what's in front of you first." Yi pointed at the surrounding duelists. Before the duel had ended, they had still been able to restrain themselves. But now that Julie had left, they excitedly rushed toward Hara Shichi.

"Say, want to duel me? I'm really skilled too!"

"Me, me! I can Synchro Summon! We can learn from each other!"

"I'm only asking you to Xyz Summon one more time. I didn't feel anything just now—do it again! One more time!"

"...Silence!" A loud, crisp voice suddenly overwhelmed every student's. "Pushing and shoving around—what do you all look like? No organization, no discipline! Undisciplined and unruly! Can you even call yourselves duelists?!"

The noise came to an abrupt stop. The students surrounding Hara Shichi hurriedly scattered, allowing him to finally see the owner of the voice—a tall young man with curly hair, dressed in casual black clothes.

"Our fish took the bait." Yi giggled as she whispered into Hara Shichi's ear.

"Hello. I'm Nafili, a teacher at Duelist Academy and also its Vice Headmaster. I watched the entire duel from beginning to end. It was truly an excellent duel." Nafili extended a hand. "Are you interested in joining Duelist Academy?"

"You aren't going to ask how I got in here, or investigate my identity and background?" Hara Shichi asked doubtfully.

"That isn't my responsibility. Let the Headmaster worry about that. As Vice Headmaster, my only job is to bring the duelists I want into the academy." Nafili shrugged.

"So, what do you say?" Nafili asked.

"I'd be honored to become part of Duelist Academy." Hara Shichi smiled.

"Then welcome to the academy..." Nafili trailed off halfway through, then asked, "What was your name again?"

"Hara Shichi. My name is Hara Shichi."

"Alright, Hara Shichi. Starting today, you're a first-year student at Duelist Academy. I'll sort out the enrollment procedures and come find you afterward. Until then... Yukikaze, please show Hara Shichi around the academy." After saying that, Nafili gave Hara Shichi a meaningful smile and flashed him a thumbs-up before leaving.

"Wait, I can show you around too. How about I take you on a tour?" As soon as the teacher left, a male student eagerly volunteered.

"You can help my ass! Do you know the history of every building on campus? Do you know the story behind every person on the photo wall? Do you know the stories behind every statue in the plaza? This is exactly the kind of thing I should be doing!"

"Stop arguing! I've caught a disease where I'll die if I don't help people! I have to show Hara Shichi, who isn't familiar with the campus, around the school, or I'll die!"

"Bullshit!"

"..."

Yet while they were arguing, they failed to notice that Hara Shichi had already slipped away.

With Yukikaze in tow.

"Phew—" Yukikaze panted as she ran after Hara Shichi, only stopping beneath a large tree in the courtyard.

"W-why did we have to run?" Yukikaze asked foolishly.

"If we didn't, something very troublesome would've happened." As Hara Shichi spoke, he pulled a deck from his pocket. "Here. I won your deck back for you."

"Mm!" Yukikaze hugged the deck to her chest, bowing and nodding repeatedly. "Thank you, thank you so much. I don't even know how to thank you."

"Just show me around the school." Hara Shichi waved it off. After all, he had had his own purpose in that duel; it wasn't entirely for the girl in front of him.

"That won't do!" Yukikaze furrowed her delicate brows, puffed out her cheeks, and said seriously, "Showing you around the school is something I was supposed to do anyway. How can that count as thanks?"

"Then what do you suggest?" Hara Shichi asked.

"Hmm... let me think." Yukikaze tilted her head, putting on a thoughtful expression. Before long, she clapped her hands. "I've got it!"

"Got what?" Seeing her like this, Hara Shichi grew a little curious as well.

"You know where the Duel Monster Cards we use come from, right?" Yukikaze winked playfully, deliberately keeping him in suspense.