[Soul Power Duel Shop] [Soul Power level: Lv2] [Soul Power progress: 79%] [Duel Coins: 1700]
After glancing at the system panel, Yūki walked out of Duel Arena 2, his steps a little lighter than when he had arrived.
Seventeen hundred Duel Coins.
His Soul Power progress had also reached seventy-nine percent.
He was only twenty-odd points away from Lv3.
At the rate he gained Soul Power at this level, even a dozen or so duels against ordinary people might not yield much improvement.
But in an official tournament, or against a sufficiently strong duelist, the system was generous with its rewards.
The Eight-School League had been like that.
Mokuba Kaiba had been like that.
Even this Duel Academy examiner had given him fifteen hundred Duel Coins and twelve points of Soul Power.
Yūki looked at the translucent panel, feeling quite pleased.
"I really do need to find strong people to play against."
The system panel silently disappeared.
Yūki had just stepped out of the glass partition when a figure rushed straight toward him.
"Yūki!"
Jaden ran so fast that his schoolbag swung wildly behind him, nearly hitting another applicant waiting nearby.
He stopped in front of Yūki with a huge grin on his face.
"That was so cool! I saw Silent Magician's final blow from outside! When that light shot out of the arena, I thought Arena 2's projection system had malfunctioned!"
Yūki glanced at him.
"Your exam hasn't even started. Should you really be running over here to watch?"
"Of course I should!"
Jaden answered without a shred of hesitation.
"When my friend's playing that well, I've gotta come cheer him on! And you worked so smoothly with Silent Magician. She looked really strong!"
The corner of Yūki's mouth twitched.
Smoothly?
Jaden clearly hadn't seen that silver-haired beauty glaring at him through the card when he had first drawn her.
As they talked, two people approached from behind Jaden.
One was short, wore a small pair of glasses, and had pale blue hair, with a large Booster Pack on his back that stood out even more than he did.
His steps noticeably slowed as he approached, his fingers gripping his schoolbag strap, but his gaze remained fixed on the deck box in Yūki's hand.
The other boy was taller, with his uniform collar meticulously buttoned and a pen clipped to his chest.
He first glanced at the result display still lit by the entrance to Duel Arena 2, then looked at Yūki, making no attempt to hide his desire to study him.
Jaden slapped his forehead.
"I almost forgot to introduce you! Yūki, these two are friends I just made!"
He first extended a hand toward the shorter boy.
"This is Syrus Truesdale!"
At the mention of his name, Syrus Truesdale hurriedly stepped forward.
"H-hello! My name's Syrus Truesdale."
He nodded at Yūki, his voice a little strained.
"You actually beat the examiner in that duel just now, and during the practical exam, too."
Syrus's eyes brightened a little as he spoke.
"You'll definitely pass, right? Being able to duel an academy teacher like that is amazing."
Yūki smiled.
"The results aren't out yet. Don't celebrate for me just yet."
"But you won!"
After blurting that out, Syrus realized he had spoken too hastily, and his ears grew a little warm.
"I mean, the teacher's deck looked really strong."
"Axe Raider, Curse of Dragon, plus Equip Spells and Smashing Ground. If I'd been up there, I probably couldn't even have dealt with that Axe Raider."
He looked down at his Duel Disk.
The image of his older brother, Zane Truesdale, standing in the spectator stands happened to flash through his mind again.
Syrus knew perfectly well that duelists like his brother saw Cyber Dragon, Fusion Monsters, and absolute attack power.
Meanwhile, even a practical entrance exam made his palms sweat with nerves.
But Yūki was different.
He had looked relaxed standing on the dueling platform.
Even when his opponent brought out two monsters, he could still turn things around.
Syrus was terribly envious.
Noticing his unease, Yūki said casually, "Axe Raider isn't that hard to deal with. Monsters with high attack power tend to think they can cut through anything."
"You only need to make it swing at the wrong thing once."
Syrus Truesdale froze for a moment.
That sounded simple enough.
But as he recalled Spirit of the Harp on the field, then thought of Axe Raider being restrained by Torture Wheel afterward, he suddenly felt that Yūki had a point.
High attack power didn't necessarily guarantee victory.
The taller boy beside them finally spoke.
"That's exactly what I wanted to discuss."
His tone was brisk, as though he had long been waiting for this opportunity.
"Fujiwara Yūki, my name is Bastion Misawa."
"I watched the recording of your duel with the examiner."
"From setting Spirit of the Harp, to calculating Secret Barrel's damage based on the number of cards on the field and in the hand, to restraining Axe Raider with Torture Wheel, every one of your cards targeted your opponent's current resource distribution."
Bastion spoke quickly, his eyes growing brighter.
"When ordinary duelists build decks, they usually focus on attack power, summoning difficulty, and synergy between monsters."
"But your build accounted for your opponent's desire to attack, their field presence, their hand size, and even the requirements for a Tribute Summon."
He paused.
"Very interesting."
Yūki looked at him.
Bastion Misawa, the analytical master from GX whose theoretical knowledge was highly developed, but who often got caught in the gap between data and reality during actual duels.
Sure enough, the moment he opened his mouth, he sounded like he was defending a thesis.
"You paid close attention."
"Because your deck is worth analyzing."
Bastion was perfectly frank.
"I've always believed that Duel Monsters is fundamentally about information, probability, and resource allocation. With a sufficiently rigorous build, a duelist can gain an advantage in most situations."
He looked at Yūki, his gaze settling on the deck box.
"But your deck made me realize that conventional resource calculations aren't enough. You made your opponent's resources part of your own win condition."
"The higher Axe Raider's attack power, the safer Spirit of the Harp becomes."
"The more cards your opponent has on the field and in their hand, the more damage Secret Barrel deals. The stronger their monster, the greater the payoff after Torture Wheel restrains it."
Bastion tapped his fingers lightly in midair a few times, as though writing a formula.
"This build conceals its aggression within its defense."
Jaden nodded repeatedly as he listened beside them.
"Exactly, exactly! That's what Yūki's deck is like! It doesn't look like it attacks much, but once it gets going, his opponent finds that nothing feels right!"
Yūki glanced at him.
"Does that sound like a compliment to you?"
"Of course it's a compliment!"
Jaden looked utterly serious.
"If you can make your opponent feel like you're hard to beat, that means your tactics are great!"
Syrus Truesdale quietly added something too.
"Though I think anyone facing Yūki must have a rough time."
Bastion nodded in complete agreement.
"A rough time is inevitable, but from a deck-building perspective, it's an excellent competitive design."
At that, he suddenly raised his Duel Disk a little.
"Fujiwara, if possible, I'd very much like to duel you."
Yūki raised an eyebrow.
"Now?"
"I wish it could be now, too."
A trace of regret appeared on Bastion's face.
"But my practical exam is about to begin. There isn't enough time."
He looked up at the electronic screen above the venue.
"Your deck has a very strong, distinctive construction philosophy. My deck isn't built around a single Attribute either. I put monsters of different Attributes and Spell Cards into the same deck, establishing an advantage through Attribute matchups, Type reinforcement, and tactical shifts."
"Many people think a deck should be built around one Attribute or one archetype, but I believe all six Attributes have their own value."
"As long as the calculations are correct, they can form a complete system."
After hearing him out, Yūki nodded.
"The Six-Attribute Deck."
Bastion's eyes lit up.
"You know about it?"
"I've heard a little."
Yūki's expression remained unchanged.
Bastion stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.
"Even better, then. Once we pass the exam and enter Duel Academy, I'll definitely come find you for a duel."
His attitude held little provocation, and more of the excitement of discovering a new research topic.
Yūki was amused too.
"Sure."
"But let me make this clear first. I have quite a few decks. Which one I use will depend on my mood."
Bastion nodded seriously.
"Rotating between multiple decks is also part of deck-building ability. I'll include that variable in my preparations."
Jaden scratched his head beside them.
"That sounds so complicated. But it's a card game. Can't you just start playing?"
Bastion glanced at him.
"Jaden, preparations before a duel directly affect your win rate. Deck ratios, the probability of drawing key cards, your opponent's usual strategies-all of those are worth calculating in advance."
Jaden grinned and patted his deck box.
"I believe in my partners!"
"Believing in your partners and preparing in advance aren't mutually exclusive."
"But when you get the right feeling while drawing, a lot of things just fall into place!"
"Feelings can't be quantified."
"But they really work!"
The two looked at each other for a while.
Caught between them, Syrus Truesdale opened his mouth, then ultimately decided not to offer an opinion.
Watching them, Yūki felt like laughing.
They hadn't even enrolled at the GX academy yet, and Jaden and Bastion's dueling philosophies were already clashing.
For the moment, it really was hard to say which of them had the better point.
Before you continue