In the frigid polar region, the sky was shrouded in a gloomy hue. Thick storm clouds hovered above the massive academy building, churning like colossal waves rolling in an endless abyss.
This was the location of the North Academy.
"The Chazz! The Chazz! The Chazz!"
Below the raised platform, all the students had gathered, waving their fists and chanting the name of the new king from the main campus who had swept through the school in just a single day.
Lightning slashed across the sky, its brilliance like a silver sword piercing the thick clouds. Chazz stood beneath the thunderclouds, the hem of his black attire billowing like a cape in the electric light.
He raised his fist and led the chant: "Chazz it up!"
The crowd responded in unison, all waving their fists and shouting: "Chazz it up! The Chazz—!"
Well, it seemed no one felt embarrassed about this at all.
"Very good."
The Chancellor of the North Academy adjusted his glasses and stepped in front of Chazz, holding out a deck of cards.
"Chancellor, this is…"
"This is the most precious rare deck our school has kept. In your hands, it should be able to display its full power."
The Chancellor handed the deck over. "Take this deck, and fight with all your strength, new King! Or perhaps I should call you… The Chazz!"
Even the principal seemed to intentionally raise his voice at the end, causing another wave of cheers from the crowd.
"King! King! King!"
Chazz took the deck, quickly fanning through it, then looked up in surprise. "Isn't this deck…?"
"Hmph, that's right."
Chancellor Foster pushed up his glasses again, the reflection hiding his eyes and making him look somewhat sinister.
"What I mean is, do whatever it takes for this victory. Listen up, Chazz, we've lost several years in a row in the annual friendly duel with the main campus.
But this time, no matter what happens, I must win—even if it's for Ms. Dorothy—uh, I mean, for the honor of our school!"
Chazz: "Wait, did you just say something weird there…?"
But the Chancellor gave him no chance to ask: "So this time, even if we use any means necessary, we must win!"
With that, he raised his fist again.
"The Chazz!"
The students' synchronized shouts once again drowned out the hall, cutting off Chazz's doubts.
He fell silent, then looked at the deck in his hand.
He then reached into his card case, pulling out his own deck, gazing at it in a daze.
These were the incredible cards he had encountered during his journey from the main campus to the North Academy.
Even he himself had never imagined the power residing within them.
As if responding to his thoughts, a soft white light seemed to radiate from the deck, converging toward the thunderous sky.
Chazz looked up, staring in a trance at the thunderclouds. The brilliant light converged into a massive illusion, outlining the shape of a dragon.
Interwoven with light and shadow, its body seemed to be split by an invisible boundary—one half bathed in radiant light, the other in endless darkness.
Light and darkness coexisted mysteriously within the same body.
Chazz stared at the dragon's apparition, entranced.
"Chazz, what are you spacing out for?"
The Chancellor's question snapped him back to reality.
"Chancellor…" Chazz regained his senses and asked strangely, "Chancellor, can't you all see this?"
The Chancellor looked in the direction of his gaze, puzzled.
"See what? Did you see something?"
The Chancellor scratched his bald head and looked toward the empty sky.
"…Nothing."
Chazz retracted his gaze.
The crowd once again erupted in cheers, shouting his name, but Chazz remained absent-minded.
When no one was paying attention, he once again drew out that card from his case.
It was the wondrous card named "Light and Darkness Dragon" he had encountered on his long journey—a card inhabited by a spirit.
"So this is a spirit… Is that it? Will you also lend me your power, give me the strength to defeat that guy and reclaim my place at the top?" he muttered to himself.
But just then, another semi-transparent apparition floated out. A ridiculously cute yellow figure, a miniature version like a keychain, wearing an exaggerated pair of red underpants, bounced onto Chazz's shoulder.
"Boss~ I'm a spirit too! Won't you look at me?"
The mischievous yellow spirit covered its blushing face, wiggling its red-underpanted butt.
A vein bulged on Chazz's forehead.
"Get lost."
…
A day later, the massive submarine fortress surfaced at the shore of the academy's main campus island. Chancellor Sheppard personally led a large group of students from the student council to greet the arriving party.
"Chancellor Sheppard!"
"Chancellor Foster!"
The two Chancellors, both bald, greeted each other warmly, the atmosphere seemingly harmonious.
At least, on the surface.
Sheppard: "You're looking well."
Foster: "You too, ha ha, getting younger every year."
"Once again, I'll be counting on your guidance, Chancellor Foster."
"Oh, not at all, I should be the one saying that."
"…"
After the perfunctory pleasantries, Chancellor Foster adjusted his glasses, his gaze suddenly becoming sharp. "By the way, how's Ms. Dorothy been lately?"
Chancellor Sheppard's smile instantly faded, his eyes narrowing in vigilance. "Hmph, of course. Ms. Dorothy is an indispensable figure in this year's tournament."
Some new students couldn't help but be puzzled.
Ms. Dorothy? That chubby lady from the school store?
But everyone in the academy knew, though she was kind and a good cook, she knew nothing about dueling. What did she have to do with the tournament?
But Kira knew. To the Chancellors, Ms. Dorothy was the true core of the match.
The reason both Chancellors insisted "no matter what, we must win" was because the reward for the winner was a kiss from Ms. Dorothy.
So Kira figured Ms. Dorothy must have been a real beauty in her youth, and probably had a dramatic story with both Chancellor Sheppard and Chancellor Foster.
What happened back then was anyone's guess, but the outcome was clear—Ms. Dorothy stayed at the main campus with Sheppard, and there was even a secret passage from the school store directly to the Chancellor's desk. Meanwhile, poor Chancellor Foster was exiled to the barren north.
Who won back then was unclear, but who claimed the high ground was obvious.
"Kira!"
Before he even appeared, Chazz's voice was heard from afar. He approached with a cold face.
"Chazz." Kira nodded with a smile. "Haven't seen you for a while, you look a bit more world-weary."
Another vein popped on Chazz's forehead.
Who do you think caused that?
He was about to snap but was interrupted by a deafening roar. A sudden gust swept the shore, forcing everyone to squint.
The roar shook the air, forming a transparent whirlwind. Everyone squinted toward the sky as a black steel giant bird slowly descended, reflecting the sunlight.
It was a helicopter.
On the cabin's underside, a large "Princeton" character was written.
Princeton Group's helicopter.
Chazz was shocked: "Big brothers!?"
PS: 3 Chapters at 2000 PS.