The waiting area for Zone A was set up inside Kaiba Land's main duel hall.
The hall had an exceptionally high ceiling, surrounded by blue-and-white metal structures, and the smell of plastic from new equipment mingled with the crowd's quiet chatter.
Over a hundred candidates sat in designated seating sections while the electronic screens on the walls continually displayed numbers and arena information.
Yūki sat down in Waiting Area 9, while Jaden had to head to a section at the other end. They waved to each other from far apart.
"Yūki! Don't be nervous! Go all out!"
"You should worry about yourself first."
Yūki replied casually, his gaze sweeping upward.
A ring of semi-open stands circled the upper level of the Main Hall, somewhere ordinary candidates were unlikely to notice.
Two figures in Obelisk Blue uniforms leaned by the railing, looking down over the entire examination hall.
One was a young man with blue hair.
His blue uniform looked exceptionally sharp on him. He stood straight, broad-shouldered, with both hands in his pockets, and even the way he looked at people carried a cold, hard air of "you'd better not waste my time."
Zane Truesdale.
The legendary Kaiser, one of Duel Academy's most famous upperclassmen.
The other person held Yūki's gaze for longer.
Alexis Rhodes stood by the railing, her short Obelisk Blue jacket accentuating her slender figure. Her long golden hair fell behind her shoulders, and the strands over her forehead swayed gently in the arena's air-conditioning.
Unlike the other candidates, she did not look around. She simply observed those below in silence, her expression reserved, yet she was difficult to ignore.
This was Duel Academy's future ice queen, Alexis Rhodes.
Yūki took a couple of looks, then promptly averted his gaze.
She really is beautiful, and her presence is impressive too.
Unfortunately, her first impression of me when we meet later probably won't be very friendly.
Up in the stands, however, Asuka frowned.
The candidate below had looked at her strangely just now. It was not the undisguised admiration ordinary boys showed, but more as though he knew her-and knew her quite well.
Yet she searched her memory and could not place his face.
"What is it?"
Zane Truesdale turned his head.
"Nothing."
Asuka glanced toward the waiting area. "I saw a slightly strange candidate. The way he looked at me, it was like he'd known me for a long time."
Zane Truesdale followed her gaze and saw Yūki sitting in the waiting area.
Black hair, regular features, and a neatly worn school uniform. Aside from being more strikingly handsome than the people around him, there was nothing particularly special about him.
"An Exempt Entrance Exam Student."
Zane Truesdale scanned the information on the electronic screen. "He should have some skill."
"There are a few promising candidates this year. They might be worth watching."
Asuka turned her gaze elsewhere, her tone even. "If we can start training them early, the academy's results should be better this year."
Zane Truesdale did not respond to that, leaving only a brief remark. "We'll see."
His face showed little expression.
Potential was something that only showed itself in a duel.
Before stepping onto the Dueling Arena, anyone might be nothing more than a string of numbers on a file.
An announcement sounded through the hall.
"Practical examination candidate number nine, Fujiwara Yūki, please proceed to Duel Arena 2 for your examination."
Yūki stood, his deck box making a soft clack inside his schoolbag.
In the distance, Jaden immediately waved his hand, as though afraid Yūki would not hear him.
"Yūki! Good luck! Show the examiner what you can do!"
Quite a few nearby candidates turned to look.
Yūki raised a hand and motioned downward.
"Keep it down."
Duel Arena 2 was on the left side of the Main Hall. A standard dueling platform stood inside a separate glass enclosure, with electronic equipment embedded in the walls to record Life Points and the sequence of actions.
The examiner was already waiting on the opposite side.
He was a middle-aged man in an Obelisk Blue uniform, his hair immaculately combed, with a Duel Academy teacher's badge pinned to his chest.
When he saw Yūki enter, he glanced through the file first, then smiled.
"Fujiwara Yūki, practical examination number nine, Eight-School League champion, exempt from the written examination."
Yūki walked up to the Dueling Arena and nodded. "Hello, sir."
"No need to be so stiff."
The middle-aged man fastened his Duel Disk onto his wrist. "The practical examination doesn't require you to win. Just perform at your usual level and let us see how you duel."
Yūki nodded with a thoroughly earnest expression.
"Understood. I'll do my best to make this enjoyable for you."
The examiner felt there was something off about that remark, but the electronic screen had already lit up, so he did not ask any further questions.
They placed their decks into their Duel Disks.
"Duel!"
"Duel!"
The projection screen in Duel Arena 2 lit up, and both players' Life Points appeared simultaneously.
[Fujiwara Yūki LP: 4000] [Ryosuke Uchida LP: 4000]
"I'll go first. My turn! I draw!"
Yūki drew a card, glanced at it, and paused with his fingers at the edge of his deck box.
He had still been agonizing last night over which deck to use for the exam.
After thinking it over for a long time, Yūki had decided to follow his heart.
For an entrance exam, of course he had to bring the deck best suited to showcasing his personal style.
He inserted a Monster Card into his Duel Disk.
"I set one monster."
A face-down card appeared in his front row.
Immediately afterward, Yūki took three more cards from his hand and inserted them into his back row one by one.
"I set three cards in my back row and end my turn."
Inside Duel Arena 2, one monster and three set cards lay quietly.
The examiner looked at the four face-down cards on Yūki's field, still wearing that patient smile.
Quite a cautious defense.
Against an unknown opponent, probing with a face-down monster first, then using back-row cards to protect the field, was a very standard, steady opening.
At least, that was how it looked on the surface.
In the waiting area on the other side, Tachibana Shingo stood with his arms folded, watching Arena 2.
His examination number was close to Yūki's, but a few examinations ahead of his had yet to finish.
The moment Yūki had put down one monster and three set cards, his expression had become rather odd.
Tachibana Shingo looked at Yūki's back row, then at the examiner opposite him.
A moment later, he silently looked away.
He felt a little sympathy.
Really, just a little.
This teacher probably had not yet realized that he was facing no ordinary candidate.
Tachibana Shingo did not know just how many things lay buried among those four face-down cards.
But he knew one thing.
When Fujiwara Yūki set cards, it usually meant someone was about to have a bad time.
"My turn! I draw!"
The examiner drew a card, commenting as he looked at it.
"A defensive opening?"
"Fujiwara, prioritizing the protection of your own field before you've figured out your opponent's deck strategy is a commendable decision."
"The practical examination doesn't just test your offensive ability. Being able to remain calm is equally important."
As he spoke, he slapped a Monster Card into his Monster Zone.
"I Normal Summon Axe Raider!"
The card lit up with an earthy yellow glow.
The projection spread across the center of the field, and a burly warrior emerged from the dust.
He wore rugged leather armor, his muscles bulging against his bracers, while his right hand dragged an enormous battle-axe taller than he was.
The axe's blade bore numerous chips, as though it had just hacked its way out of a chaotic battle.
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