The first Duel of the GX Tournament began.
All over the world, whether it was night or day, whether adult or child, everyone interested in Dueling, everyone pursuing it, tuned in to watch this match.
As the screen lit up, KaibaCorp's GG logo flashed by, and a massive white dome appeared before everyone's eyes.
As the dome appeared, its top slowly cracked open. Then, like a blooming lotus, the dome unfolded outward, revealing its interior.
A huge Duel Field, vast as several basketball courts, slowly rose up. Around it, cameras and lighting equipment flickered to life.
With a thunderous cheer of "Woaaaahhh—!" the seating inside the dome revealed itself.
In the stands sat students from various branch campuses. Some held placards to cheer for their own schoolmates, while others were simply here to enjoy the Duel, celebrating loudly.
And beyond the students, a special group of spectators had also gathered—the Duel Spirits!
They were placed on the stands opposite the Duelists' sides, able to see both competitors. Compared to human spectators, they were far fewer in number, but their presence made the students roar and stunned countless viewers watching the stream.
Spirits! The legendary Duel Spirits!
Since the beginning of Dimensional Exploration, this was the first time they appeared before humanity and watched a Duel together.
For many curious viewers, simply seeing Spirits made all the waiting worthwhile.
And these Spirits weren't just here for fun.
In this grand "Clash of Geniuses," if they encountered an interesting warrior, they'd gladly lend their support—
With the lights blazing and the crowd's cheers booming, colorful fireworks burst overhead.
The grand event had truly begun with its first Duel.
Duelist #23 versus Duelist #31.
Hikaru Amaki was #19, Chazz Princeton was #20, and then came Jim and Axel Brodie. So #23 was someone Hikaru didn't recognize.
Jesse Anderson was the last to arrive, holding #37. The lower the number, the earlier they had shown up, albeit, that didn't necessarily mean they were weaker.
In total, 37 Duelists entered this tournament. So there would almost certainly be byes or revival matches, KaibaCorp would decide the details later.
No matter what, the first Duel of the GX Tournament was underway.
The two competing Duelists were strangers to Hikaru. Both seemed like classmates; one wore blue, the other red. From appearance alone, it was hard to tell which Academy they belonged to.
Only when they introduced themselves did Hikaru learn: one was from the Eastern Branch, the other from the Northern Europe Branch.
The Eastern Branch… Hikaru remembered that was where Adrian Gecko came from in the original story. But this time, he hadn't seen Adrian.
Perhaps Adrian was still searching for Exodia's power.
"Duel!" the two shouted together.
And so, two unknown classmates began the tournament's opening Duel.
Hikaru lounged in the standby seats, hands behind his head, watching the stream. His friends leaned in as well, clearly intending to analyze the match for any future opponents they might face.
Strangers or not… who knew what kind of Duel might unfold?
Every Duelist here was worth paying attention to;
And, as if answering everyone's anticipation;
"Synchro Summon! Level 6, Explosive Magician!"
Whoa, Synchro!
The audience erupted in shock. However, in the standby hall, once the first surprise passed, they quickly settled into a serious discussion of the Duel.
Occasionally, some glanced at Kaiser.
Zane, however, paid no mind, eyes locked on the stream.
After all, he had used Xyz Summoning in their dimension and even brought out an Xyz Monster. Naturally, that sparked everyone's interest in trying Synchro and Xyz Summons themselves.
Arriving in the Critical Nexus Dimension and meeting Spirits—of course, they'd be inspired with new ideas.
Countless students here were trying to learn Synchro and Xyz Summons.
Yet, most failed to earn the Spirits' recognition.
Even if they did, those powers only worked inside the Critical Nexus.
Back in their own world, Synchro and Xyz should still be impossible.
Unless… it was a case like Zane's.
While one Duelist showcased Synchro Summoning, the other didn't flinch—because he revealed his own trump card: Skill Drain!
"Hiss… that's one nasty card." Chazz Princeton sucked in a cold breath as Duelist #31 flipped his Trap Card.
It couldn't fully stop the opponent; that said, "While this card remains on the field, the effects of all face-up Monsters are negated"—that was terrifying.
His VtoZ and Light and Darkness Dragon would both become blank slates, unable to use their true power.
"I see. Using Skill Drain to negate the opponent's Monster effects, then Summoning high-ATK Monsters with drawbacks to fight? With Skill Drain, the drawbacks vanish, leaving raw stats as absolute advantage."
Bastion Misawa nodded repeatedly.
As a calculation-based Duelist, he found the strategy highly effective.
While they discussed, Atticus Rhodes unknowingly leaned close to Hikaru, whispering: "Hikaru, what did you throw away earlier?"
Eyes still on the Duel, Hikaru replied quietly: "An electromagnetic resistance potion. I got it in the Spellbook Tower Dimension, from an alchemy apothecary there."
"Electromagnetic resistance… so it really was electricity… I knew it wasn't my imagination." Atticus drew a deep breath.
Dragging Zane through the Critical Nexus for Duels hadn't just been about hanging out with his sister and friends, he'd been watching them closely.
His sister was still herself: brilliant, beautiful, yet never thinking about her own future. Zane… seemed even sharper, wiser, more magnanimous than before. But Atticus had clearly seen his body worsening by the day.
Now… he finally had his answer.
"So what's the truth?"
Hikaru thought for a moment. "Principal Sheppard told me: Cyberdark cards are too powerful. They shock their wielder. It's the Spirits' way of testing their bearer."
"A test of life itself?!" Atticus's outrage was plain.
But soon, he forced a grin, scratching his head. "Hahh, so that's it. Hahaha—Hikaru, if anything fun happens again, you'd better tell me, alright?"
He laughed and patted Hikaru's arm.
"Brother, stop bothering Hikaru!" Alexis, distracted from the Duel by his laughter, turned and scolded him.
Hikaru only smiled. "Haha, alright. I'll tell you next time."
Atticus nodded solemnly.
He couldn't care less about winning championships.
That wasn't the kind of Duelist he was.
But this time, he had to settle things with Zane… one way or another.
...
Bonus @600 PS
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