When Tachibana Shingo stepped down from the dueling platform, City First Middle School's spectator section was still silent.
His two teammates had prepared plenty of comforting words for after the match, but neither spoke first now.
The boy from City First Middle School stared at the replay and only managed to squeeze out a sentence after a long while.
"Shingo, just where did that Lava Golem of his come from?"
Tachibana Shingo put his Duel Disk into his Deck Box and looked up toward the central arena.
Yūki was walking toward Third Municipal Middle School's stands.
Jaden had already rushed to the edge of the passage and was waving to him over the railing.
"That was so cool, Yūki! Giving your opponent a huge monster with three thousand attack, then making them lose their own Life Points-that move is so much fun!"
Yūki raised a hand to block the palm Jaden nearly slapped onto his shoulder.
"Don't pick that up."
"Why not?"
"Get the hang of Fusion Summoning first."
Jaden scratched his head and looked down at his deck.
"But I think Lava Golem feels like a real partner too. Even though it's on the other side of the field, it keeps helping you win."
Yūki glanced at him.
This kid's way of looking at cards was always rather different from everyone else's.
"It probably wouldn't want to hear that assessment."
Kurosawa stood nearby with his arms folded.
"How many more decks do you have?"
Yūki thought for a moment.
"Enough for a few matches."
Kurosawa's lips moved, but all that came out in the end was a short sigh.
He was already used to Yūki leaving things half-said.
Ask how many decks he had, and Yūki wouldn't say.
Ask where his new cards came from, and Yūki wouldn't say either.
But those decks were right there before their eyes, each harder to defend against than the last.
Kurosawa was even beginning to suspect that Yūki's schoolbag didn't contain Deck Boxes at all, but the inventory of some Kaiba Corporation laboratory.
Sato Renshan walked over to them, his suit collar slightly askew. Clearly, he had gotten a little too absorbed in clapping earlier.
He glanced at Yūki first, then swept his gaze toward City First Middle School.
"Not a bad match."
Yūki nodded.
"I had a good club president to teach me."
"Cut that out."
Sato Renshan shot him a glare, but couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
"The afternoon is what matters. The player who got a bye is already preparing, and Tachibana Shingo still has a chance in the repechage. Just because you've reached the Championship Match doesn't mean you can lie back and wait for the awards."
"Understood."
"One more thing."
Sato Renshan's gaze fell on Yūki's Deck Box.
"Tell me where that Lava Golem came from later."
Yūki rubbed his nose.
"Picked it up."
"Where? I'll go pick up a few too."
Sato Renshan stared at him.
Yūki looked back at Sato Renshan.
The two stared at each other for several seconds before Sato Renshan raised a hand and rubbed his forehead.
"Fine. You're putting less and less effort into making up excuses now, kid."
"I really did get it for nothing."
"I believe you."
That was what Sato Renshan said, but his face plainly read, "I don't believe a single word."
At the center of the main arena, the staff had already begun readjusting the projection equipment.
The opening match was over, and the repechage was about to begin.
Tachibana Shingo needed to face the other player who had made the top three.
That player came from Beiqiu Academy and had used a Beast-Type beatdown strategy in the previous two rounds, developing his field very quickly and applying plenty of pressure during the Battle Phase.
Yūki returned to his seat in the stands and casually unscrewed a bottle of water.
Jaden sat beside him, leaning far forward.
"Who do you think will win?"
"Tachibana."
"You're that sure?"
"The Dinosaur deck has stronger low-level monsters and better field development. If my deck hadn't happened to counter it, he wouldn't have lost so badly."
Yūki took a sip of water.
"And Tachibana really needs a win right now."
Jaden only half understood.
"He needs to win, so he will?"
"He needs to win, so he'll do everything he can."
Yūki leaned back in his chair.
"Those Dinosaur-style guys have pretty much the same stuff in their heads as you."
Jaden pointed at himself.
"Me?"
"You're all full of energy when you duel."
"Is that a compliment?"
"I suppose."
The repechage soon began.
When Tachibana Shingo returned to the dueling platform, his whole demeanor had changed.
The discomposure from losing the opening match remained, and he had squeezed a shallow mark into the edge of his Deck Box.
But the moment he raised his Duel Disk again, his expression turned serious.
His opponent was clearly well prepared.
He secured the first turn, immediately set two cards, summoned a low-level Beast-Type monster, then used an effect to access resources from his deck, adopting a stance ready for a series of plays.
Quite a few people in the stands nodded.
Tachibana Shingo's Dinosaur beatdown deck had suffered badly against Yūki.
But a high-speed Beast-Type beatdown deck might be able to seize the tempo before the Dinosaurs fully established themselves.
Tachibana Shingo drew.
He said nothing more about his dojo, school, teacher, or fellow students.
He simply took out a Monster Card and slapped it into his Duel Disk.
"I summon Hydrogeddon in attack position."
Brown water burst across the field.
Hydrogeddon landed amid the splashing water, with sixteen hundred attack points.
His opponent raised an eyebrow.
The same opening?
A set card flipped faceup, and a trap projection descended toward Hydrogeddon, clearly intended to destroy the Dinosaur outright.
Tachibana Shingo raised his hand and flipped a card in his back row.
"I activate the Trap Card, Royal Decree."
A golden palace rose from the back row, its massive gates slamming down.
"As long as this card remains on the field, the effects of all other Trap Cards on the field are negated."
His opponent's trap projection stopped in midair, then quickly dissolved into fragments of light.
A low murmur rose from the sidelines.
Yūki raised an eyebrow as he watched that Royal Decree.
When Tachibana Shingo had set it in the first match, he hadn't even gotten a chance to activate it.
This time, however, he had timed it precisely.
His opponent's Beast-Type deck relied heavily on traps to disrupt the Battle Phase, and also needed its back row to protect the resources on its field.
Once Royal Decree flipped faceup, many of those preparations were shut down completely.
Tachibana Shingo followed up by activating Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying one of his opponent's set cards.
Then he activated Big Evolution Pill.
Hydrogeddon was tributed, and Ultimate Tyranno burst out of the ground once more.
The value of three thousand attack points lit up above the main arena.
The confidence on his opponent's face finally froze.
Tachibana Shingo gave him no room to adjust.
Ultimate Tyranno charged into the Battle Phase and shattered the opponent's Beast-Type monster with one swipe of its claws.
Immediately afterward, Tachibana Shingo used a Dinosaur from his hand to reinforce his front row and cut through all of his opponent's remaining LP in one go.
[Beiqiu Academy player LP: 0]
The result appeared on the big screen.
[Winner, City Middle First Academy, Tachibana Shingo]
Applause rang through the venue.
City First Middle School's two teammates stood up almost simultaneously.
"He won!"
"I knew Shingo could get back on track!"
Tachibana Shingo removed his Duel Disk and looked up toward the waiting area for the Championship Match.
Yūki sat there, looking down as he sorted his deck.
Their gazes met across half the main arena.
Tachibana Shingo raised his right hand and gestured toward Yūki.
During the lunch break, the restaurants near Kaiba Land were almost entirely filled with people from the Eight-School League.
Third Municipal Middle School's group sat at a table by the window.
Sato Renshan had originally intended to put on his team leader's air and tell everyone that they still had matches that afternoon: less talking during the meal, fewer iced drinks, and no running off.
But Kurosawa first placed a piece of fried pork cutlet on Yūki's plate.
Asakawa Suzune pushed the juice over to Yūki's hand.
Jaden was even more direct, squeezing right in with his own tray.
"Yūki, that Lava Golem of yours is seriously amazing!"
Sato Renshan opened his mouth.
Forget it.
Clearly, no one at this table was going to listen to his pre-match lecture anymore.
Before you continue