All the lights above the central arena came on.
When Fujiwara Yūki emerged from the competitors' tunnel, the silver-gray passage beneath his feet was extending forward, ending at Kaiba Corporation's latest holographic Dueling Arena.
The stands on both sides were packed.
The competitors eliminated over the past two days had not hurried to leave, and even many team leaders and teachers had moved to seats closer to the front.
Anyone who made the top three was already beyond the level seen in ordinary school competitions.
Besides, Third Municipal Middle School had a player with a hellish playstyle here today.
"Fujiwara! Over here!"
Jaden, who had come to watch, waved vigorously from Third Municipal Middle School's stands, as comfortable as if he were back in his own home.
Yūki raised a hand in acknowledgment.
In the competing teams' stands, Kurosawa folded his arms and said nothing.
Asakawa Suzune sat on the other side, quietly watching the center of the arena.
Sato Renshan stood in the very front row, his suit buttoned up tight, as though afraid anyone might fail to notice that Third Municipal Middle School had achieved results this year.
Across the arena, Tachibana Shingo also walked onto the platform along another passage.
A black Duel Disk was fastened to his left arm, and the metal nameplate on its casing reflected a cold gleam under the overhead lights.
The two came to a stop more than ten meters apart.
An enormous screen of light rose in the center of the venue, and the eight schools' crests lit up in sequence.
The Kaiba Corporation staff finished adjusting the projection equipment and withdrew to the sidelines.
At the commentary desk, the two commentators had already picked up their microphones.
The male commentator wore a dark gray suit, with the Kaiba Corporation's KC badge pinned to his chest.
He raised a hand toward the stands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final top-three placement matches of the Eight-School Campus Duel League!"
Applause and cheers swept down together.
The female commentator took over.
"Joining us today, besides the eight school principals and each school's Duel Club faculty advisor, is a special guest sent by the Kaiba Corporation, Mr. Mokuba Kaiba!"
The camera immediately cut to a corner of the VIP seating.
Mokuba Kaiba wore a white jacket. He was young, but sat very upright.
He nodded at the camera in greeting.
Seto Kaiba, of course, could not possibly have come.
A middle school league like this was not enough to make that president look up from his mountain of technology projects. His current goal was to go to the underworld and play cards with the Pharaoh.
Sending Mokuba was already more than enough recognition from the Kaiba Corporation for a youth tournament.
The eight school principals were also in the front row of the VIP seats.
Third Municipal Middle School's principal sat ramrod straight, looking perfectly composed, but his hand had remained on the armrest the whole time.
The male commentator cleared his throat.
"Before the matches begin, let me explain the rules for the top-three placement matches once more."
"The top three competitors will draw lots to determine the first matchup. The loser of that duel will face the competitor who received a bye, and the winner will then face the winner of the first match for the championship."
"In other words, the two competitors who play first each have two chances, while the last competitor to take the stage will have everything decided by a single match."
Three school crests appeared on the big screen.
Third Municipal Middle School, City First Middle School, and the emblem of another school.
The female commentator smiled. "Looking at the format, the competitors drawn first seem to have an advantage. However, second and third place receive the same points. Only the champion has the right to stand at the very end."
"Exactly!"
The male commentator raised his voice. "Having made it this far, our competitors shouldn't be aiming for a second-place finish handed to them by the format!"
A chorus of agreement rose from the stands.
Listening, Yūki thought the rules were very much Kaiba's style.
On the surface, they gave you a second chance. In reality, they were saying that since second and third were the same, you might as well go all out for the championship.
The drawing cursor spun rapidly.
A moment later, two names locked into place in the center.
[Third Municipal Academy, Fujiwara Yūki] [City Middle First Academy, Tachibana Shingo]
The third competitor, who received the bye, returned to the waiting area, looking far from pleased.
Tachibana Shingo looked up at Yūki.
"Looks like we're meeting sooner than expected."
Yūki secured his Duel Disk.
"I thought you'd go after Kurosawa first. Too bad you never got matched up."
Tachibana Shingo's gaze passed over him and landed at the edge of Third Municipal Middle School's stands.
Kurosawa stood there, expressionless.
"Last year's match is over."
Tachibana Shingo said, "Making the top six proves he's improved considerably. But this year, you're clearly the one from Third Municipal Middle School worth studying."
"I've heard about both your decks."
"Needle Worm deck destruction, and that control setup that starts by dismantling the hand."
He paused.
"They're certainly distinctive."
The words sounded like praise.
Yet when Tachibana Shingo said them, it sounded as though he were reading from an opponent profile he had already compiled.
Yūki looked at him.
"So what did you figure out?"
"Your mill deck relies on Flip monsters and stalling with backrow. It's vulnerable to destruction by monster effects, as well as repeated spell and trap removal."
"Your hand destruction requires paying a large amount of Life Points. If you don't open with all the pieces, its ability to suppress the opponent drops considerably. Once you fail to empty your opponent's hand quickly, you're liable to run short of resources first instead."
Tachibana Shingo spoke slowly.
Every sentence landed firmly.
"I won't deny that your tactics are troublesome. But taken apart, they're not impossible to counter."
Yūki blinked.
The analysis was pretty accurate.
He had hit the mark on practically every weakness of the hand-control deck in particular.
Tachibana Shingo had not represented City First Middle School in the finals two years running just by making snide remarks before matches.
"You've prepared thoroughly."
Yūki said.
"Matches aren't won by luck."
Tachibana Shingo raised his Duel Disk. "The more you prepare, the higher your chances of winning."
The projectors on both sides of the Dueling Arena lit up.
"Both competitors, please confirm your Duel Disk connections."
"Duel!"
"Duel!"
[Fujiwara Yūki LP: 4000] [Tachibana Shingo LP: 4000]
The cursor that determined who went first began to spin.
Tachibana Shingo pressed the confirmation button a step ahead of Yūki.
"I'll take the first turn."
Yūki's movement stopped for half a second.
In this era, most people did not scramble to go first, because going second gave them the first chance to attack.
Tachibana Shingo clearly was not one of them.
He did not want Yūki to drop his three-piece hand-destruction combo on the first turn, much less face the Needle Worm deck's opening of setting five backrow cards before slowly serving his prison sentence.
Understanding, Yūki extended a hand in invitation.
"Go ahead, then."
Tachibana Shingo frowned slightly.
The gesture made him a little uncomfortable, as though the first turn he had fought so hard to secure was worth very little in his opponent's eyes.
He lowered his head and scanned his opening five cards.
His brow soon relaxed.
This hand was good enough.
"My turn! I draw!"
Tachibana Shingo drew a card and looked up at Yūki.
"I'm a core disciple of the Dinosaur School. From the moment I stepped onto this Dueling Arena, it wasn't just City First Middle School standing behind me, but also the teachers who taught me at the dojo and my fellow disciples."
"They believe I can win."
"So do I."
He slapped a monster card onto his Duel Disk.
"I summon Hydrogeddon in Attack Position!"
A dark brown fissure split open in the virtual ground.
A dinosaur with brown water surging all over its body charged out of the fissure, churning streams swirling around it.
[Hydrogeddon, ATK 1600]
The dinosaur threw back its head and roared, the sound rolling from the center of the arena toward the stands.
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