Two weeks later, Ken received a package from Duel Academy. He knew that it was arriving from the emails that the school sent over after his Duel with the examination instructor, but he didn't expect the package to be this... big.
He whistled as he signed the documents for the parcel; the package was larger than he thought. Hefty too, by the weight of it.
Placing it on his living room coffee table, he grabbed a letterbox opener before carving away at the tape that kept it sealed.
Eventually, he took out the items, and he's got to say.
He absolutely loved the jacket that came with the Academy-issued Duel Disk.
It was decently long, extending neatly to the waist. A white band wrapped around the shoulders, secured with a snap button near the collar. The sleeves tapered down into cuffs, each wrapped in a ribbed band that matched the deep crimson red of the jacket itself.
A concealed zipper ran up the front, starting from the bottom hem and ending just beneath the white shoulder band. Once zipped, the snap button near the collar would seal the seam completely.
He tried the jacket on, zipping it all the way up to the top, but left the snap button undone. Turning toward the living room's television screen, he gave his reflection in the dark glass a quick look.
Not bad. It fit him well. Surprisingly well, actually. Thank god for his growth spurt; he'd shot up over ten centimeters in the past year alone. If he hadn't, he would've looked like a clown drowning in red colors.
Wait... How did they get his measurements, though? He surely didn't send them.
Eventually, he shrugged. No point stressing over it. Maybe Kaiba had some creepy-but-efficient system in place where secret agents measured prospective students from the shadows or something.
... Yeah. Honestly, with how over-the-top the guy was, it wouldn't even be the craziest explanation.
Looking in the package, he mentally counted five identical sets of the same red jacket. Same color, same sizes.
Right beneath them were three more, but these looked different. The color scheme was flipped: white as the base, with crimson lining on the shoulders, cuffs, and hem.
Ken couldn't help but smile. What was he even supposed to do with eight jackets? Then again, he's not complaining; he got these for free, after all.
Then, his attention shifted to the real prize. Nestled beneath the jackets, encased in a jet-black box, was the Academy-issued Duel Disk.
Now this he paid for. The same price as the commercial KC-mass-produced Duel Disk model, actually. He paid through the official Duel Academy website once he received his student ID and temporary password and was instructed to purchase the Duel Disk before the semester started.
Opening the tightly sealed box, his grin widened as he picked up the Academia Disk, the name listed in the box.
It looked exactly like the one Edo used when they'd dueled. Same angular shape, same cornered finish on the card platform; it even had the same shift motion, where only the top section of the card platform extended outward when entering Duel Mode.
But unlike Edo's model, which had that dull, silver finish, the edges of the card platform of the Disk had the same red shade as his jacket. Even the buttons used to activate the back row were red.
He strapped the Academia Duel Disk onto his left arm. It clicked snugly into place with a firm magnetic lock around his forearm. It was much lighter than the KC-mass-produced model, too.
Looking at the manual of the device, he noted that the functions of the Disk were the same as what Edo explained that day.
The central gem on the Disk acted as a card database interface, being able to instantly display card information the moment a card was played.
Cards that were searched through effects would automatically slide out from the top of the deck, ready to be drawn.
And the deck itself had an automatic self-shuffling feature.
A very big upgrade to his standard Duel Disk. Though... It felt different.
His eyes drifted to the KC-modeled Duel Disk that lay on the kitchen counter.
It's been with him since his early days and stayed with him through thick and thin in every Duel he played. It'd be a shame to just decommission the Duel Disk after so much time spent together... Like leaving behind an old friend.
Humming in thought, an idea suddenly surfaced in his head as he snapped his fingers. He knew just the thing to do with it!
He peeled off the school-issued jacket, folded it neatly, and set it aside. With practiced hands, he packed both Duel Disks into a duffle bag, tucking in his trusty deck boxes right after.
As he slung the bag over his shoulder and stepped out of his condominium, he reached into his pocket and fished out his phone. There was one person he had in mind, so he gave a quick call to ask for a meet-up.
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"Me?"
Rei repeated, pointing to herself as Ken nodded, unzipping the duffel bag and carefully lifting out his KC-modeled Duel Disk.
They were in their regular meet-up location, the game store where they first met. It was he who recommended making this place their usual spot.
"You usually use the Virtual Nexus for online duels, and we just use regular playmats when we meet up in person. I figured this might be a nice gesture."
Rei stared at the Duel Disk, eyes wide as he handed it over to her with both hands.
"Plus, it's mandatory to use Duel Academy's issued Academia Disk. Rather than let this one gather dust, I thought that it'd mean more if it went to someone I knew that would take care of it."
He averted his gaze then, clearing his throat as he coughed lightly into his fist.
And... Well, it was also a thank you for being his first friend in this universe. But that part, he'll take that to his grave.
With the Duel Disk in her hands, Rei stared at it for a long moment. Then, with a breath, she slid her arm through the strap and fastened it tightly onto her left arm.
"...Mnn, I'll take good care of it."
Without missing a beat, he slipped on his Academia Disk. Gesturing for her to follow, he led her toward the open space at the back of the game store, cleared specifically for customers looking to Duel with Duel Disks.
"Come on, for your first Duel using a Duel Disk, I'll give you the quick crash course on how to use it."
Excited, Rei slotted her Lightsworn deck into the deck slot, eyes filled with glee as the Duel Disk came to life, shifting into Duel Mode.
"Let's do this."
He followed suit, sliding his Silent Magician Spellbook deck into the red Academia Disk's deck slot. The system detected the connection instantly, humming as it shifted its card platform outwards with the top section of the card platform extending fully.
""DUEL!""
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Four months before the Duel Academy examination...
Ken glanced at the map in his hand, then looked up, scanning the storefront in front of him.
He'd never been this far from Central Domino before. The buildings here were older, the streets quieter, and the atmosphere had a different kind of feeling compared to the packed and busy streets of Central Domino.
This should be the right place… right?
The storefront looked half-abandoned. A faded but well-maintained sign above the door read "G.A.M.E."
For some odd reason, Pegasus sent him here to do... something?
He was very vague and unclear about his instructions, but he said something along the lines of "improving" his Dueling capabilities.
Still, something about the whole setup didn't sit right. This store looked like it belonged in a residential district, not smack in the center of a district surrounded by towering skyscrapers and glass-panel offices.
What really threw him off was the land. The shop sat comfortably on what looked like its own private plot, with a wide perimeter of neatly trimmed grass and carefully kept bushes and flower beds.
How the hell does a beat-up game store afford to stay open here?
Curious, he opened the entrance of the store, hearing a bell jingle softly above the door as it swung open.
The store was way bigger than he'd expected from the outside and packed with inventory. But it wasn't just Duel Monsters products that lined the shelves.
Off to the sides, he noticed shelves stacked with something he hadn't seen in a long time.
Actual board games. Classic card games. Tabletop RPG manuals. Entire walls of colorful boxes, tokens, miniatures, and dice sets.
Most shops these days catered exclusively to Duel Monsters. Ever since it skyrocketed into fame and practically became a form of currency in today's world, other games have slowly been pushed to the background.
Walking in the store, he took his time to appreciate all the games available, hoping to even cop a few for himself.
"It's refreshing to see the new generation appreciate such classics."
A sudden voice echoed from deeper inside the store. He turned to the source; his eyes landed on an old man emerging from behind one of the tall shelves.
"Hi, excuse me. I'm looking for the owner? Pegasus sent me here to give something."
Ken spoke politely as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a neatly stacked envelope, sealed and marked with the familiar wax insignia of Industrial Illusions.
"Ah... that's what this is about."
The old man said with a light chuckle, already turning to beckon Ken further inside.
"Haha, I already told the young man no harm was done. But come in, come in. I was just about to make some tea."
Ken hesitated for only a second before nodding, the door slowly swinging shut behind him with a soft click as he followed the old man inside the store.
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Come support me on my Pa tre on where I post early chapters (sometimes) and new story ideas not on any websites yet.
There's currently extra chapters that I haven't posted, want to stockpile them beforehand, so if you want to read early come join!
pa tre on .cōm / damaine_n
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