This year's Duel Academy inter-school tournament drew a level of attention unlike anything seen in previous years.
The main reason was naturally the involvement of the Princeton Group. Using their formidable network of connections and the raw power of cold, hard cash, they had secured a live television broadcast. Their pre-event media blitz had also raised public expectations for this elite clash to an all-time high.
As a result, a massive audience tuned in to watch the duel live.
Whether they were casual duelists looking to learn a trick or two, office workers just killing time, or hardened pros scoffing at the thought of academy rookies, every single viewer was swiftly captivated by what was unfolding on screen.
It was simply too entertaining.
In particular, a duelist named Yugen Fujiki instantly etched his name into the minds of everyone watching.
It was impossible to forget himhis playstyle was pure comedy gold. The moment he dumped three hideous Ojama Tokens onto the opponent's side of the field and slapped down Cyber Blader to lock Chazz completely out of the game, viewers were howling with laughter and cheering in delight.
Yet against all odds, Chazz had clawed his way out of that suffocating lock with a single, brilliant top-deck, earning widespread praise of his own. Even veteran professional duelists were caught off guard.
Had students at Duel Academy reached this high of a level already?
And to think both representatives this year were just first-year freshmen?
Either of these two could walk straight onto the professional circuit right now!
Back in the broadcast studio, the production crew was having a grand old time, chuckling and pointing at the monitors. The control room buzzed with cheerful excitement.
That was, until Yugen used D2 Shield to send Ojama King's defense skyrocketing all the way to 6000, leaving Chazz to watch in utter despair as his 4000-Attack Light and Darkness Dragon crashed straight into it.
"Whoa, look at that! A 6000-Defense Ojama King!" an engineer cheered.
"Hahaha, what a hilarious kid! Did he seriously take down a magnificent dragon like that using bottom-tier trash like Ojamas the whole game?"
Right on cue, an ear-splitting roar tore through the control room like a thunderclap: "What the hell are you laughing at?! CUT! CUT THE FEED RIGHT NOW!!"
Their ultimate sponsor was on the verge of total humiliation, yet these idiots were sitting around pointing and laughing. Did none of them care about keeping their jobs?!
The next instant, just before the dragon breath of Light and Darkness Dragon collided with Ojama King, every television screen across the nation abruptly cut to static. A heartbeat later, a smiling weather presenter materialized on screen.
"We interrupt this program for a brief weather update. The forecast for today and tomorrow... is clear and sunny!"
"..."
"Wait, WHAT?!"
Viewers across the country lost their minds.
Are you serious?! You cut it right at the climax?!
It felt worse than stripping down for a hot livestream, only to discover the streamer was an eighty-year-old grandma using a beauty filter.
Of course, the abrupt cutoff told everyone all they needed to know. Pulling the plug on the broadcast was practically a signed confession of the outcome. The only point was to spare the loser the embarrassment of showing his final defeat on live television.
"..."
Down on the arena floor, Chazz fell to his knees, utterly dazed.
He had lost. Again.
Stranger still, the instant his Life Points hit zero, he realized to his astonishment that he wasn't nearly as disappointed as he thought he would be.
In fact, it almost felt... natural.
Why?
Had his subconscious already accepted the idea that I can never beat this guy?
The realization crushed whatever remained of his spirit.
Worse than losing was the terrifying fact that he had already grown numb to defeat.
"That was a great duel, Chazz," Yugen said with a polite smile as he folded up his Duel Disk. "Coming back from North Academy, your growth has been truly remarkable."
Chazz offered no response.
Remarkable growth?
Still on his knees, he tilted his head up to look at Yugen. Under the blinding arena lights, the boy's figure seemed taller than ever, towering like an insurmountable mountain.
Or perhaps he had always been that towering, and Chazz had simply been too blind to see it.
Even after everything he had endured, after growing so much stronger, the chasm between them hadn't narrowed in the slightest.
Perhaps from the very beginning, they were beings from entirely different dimensions.
Perhaps he had never stood a chance to begin with.
"Ojamas..."
A bitter, self-deprecating smirk tugged at Chazz's lips.
Even with absolute bargain-bin garbage like that, I wasn't even close to being his match? Is that what you're trying to tell me?
"What do you think you're doing, Chazz?!"
The two older brothers marched down from the VIP stands, the eldest, Slade, barking furiously.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
Jagger raised his voice in tandem. "Did you think this match was just about you? This is about our family! Do you know how much money we poured into this event, or how much damage your loss will do to the group's reputation?!"
Chazz kept his head bowed, voice barely a whisper. "I'm sorry..."
"Hey, knock it off!"
A hot-blooded youth in a red blazer couldn't bear to watch any longer and vaulted straight onto the stage.
"The Chazz put up an awesome fight!" Jaden declared. "He went all out and gave it everything he had! Everyone watching saw how incredible he was, didn't they?!"
Slade shot an irritated glare at the Slifer Red kid with the jellyfish-like hair.
"We don't care about the process; we only care about the result," Slade replied coldly. "The result is that he lost, and our entire investment was flushed down the drain. That's all there is to it. A duel without victory is utterly meaningless."
"You're wrong!" Jaden fired back. "Dueling isn't just about winning or losing! What matters most is what you gain from it!"
Both brothers frowned at the jellyfish-headed boy.
Their expressions made their thoughts obvious: Who the hell is this brat? What is he to Chazz? By what right is he butting into family business?
"Chazz has been dueling all this time under the ridiculous, suffocating pressure you two put on him," Jaden continued. "Even through all that pain, he kept standing and fought his heart out. In this duel, the real obstacle Chazz had to overcome wasn't Yugenit was the two of you!"
"Excuse me?" Slade's brow furrowed deeper.
Jagger sneered. "Say whatever pretty words you want, the cold fact remains: he lost to a pile of worthless trash cards. You can't deny that, can you?"
Chazz remained silent.
Looking back on it now, Chazz had to face the bitter truth. Whether it was Armed Dragon or Light and Darkness Dragon, every card he used was an ultra-rare powerhouse, the kind only dueling elites could get their hands on.
By contrast, Yugen's entire deck had looked like bulk commons. Most of those cards were things you could pick up for pennies in any random card shop down the street.
The thought sent Chazz spiraling even deeper into despondency.
"No, that's not it at all," Jaden interrupted. "Yugen has tons of decks and so many options to choose from. Yet in a crucial match like this, facing Chazz as his opponent, he specifically picked this one. Chazz, do you know why?"
Chazz blinked, caught off guard.
Why?
Could it be...
Because this guy has a twisted, sadistic streak and gets a kick out of watching his opponents squirm in agony?
"Because that deck," Jaden said with absolute conviction, "carried the very message Yugen wanted to share with you through this duel!"
Chazz stared blankly.
Huh?
Is that really what happened?
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