Mocked by Morgan, Hakun's face turned crimson, yet he had no options. He hadn't even used his Normal Summon, but with only a single Thunder Dragonmatrix in hand, bringing it out would just give him a wall monster.
Still, Hakun had no choice. With all his other plays sealed, he could only stall and wait for an opening.
"I Set a monster and end my turn."
Seeing Hakun's frustrated state, those who had Dueled Morgan before sighed knowingly. They had all been crushed like this countless times. Every time, Morgan only grew sharper. But this newcomer? One turn of being suppressed, and he was already fuming. Clearly, he needed more training.
"This guy's already mad? I'd be glad if Morgan crushed me a few more times."
"Bro, that's taking it too far. I play with the lights off already."
"Morgan could stomp me a thousand times, and I'd still treat her like my first love. Hope she steps on me forever."
"Good grief, what era's corny love talk is that?"
Rowe glanced at Hakun's Set monster. She didn't even need to guess—it had to be Thunder Dragonmatrix. Especially since he had just searched it. His face-down card still hadn't been activated either—obviously something that Special Summoned. But with Barrier Statue locking the field, it was useless.
This Floowandereeze Deck really was formidable. In Jade's hands, it hadn't seemed so strong; meanwhile, with Morgan piloting, its true power was on display. Under her guidance, Jade would probably reach that level soon, too.
Rowe cast a jealous glance at Jade.
At the same time, she understood why Morgan had no interest in clubs. With her Deck-building ability, why would she need them?
"My turn, draw!"
Morgan added the drawn card to her hand, then gave Hakun a look. Something about him seemed off—not like a normal student. Her suitors were crazy enough, but Hakun's vibe was more like obsession, even hysteria.
Still, he reminded her of those guys a little…
Regardless, Morgan wasn't planning to waste more time. Evening was falling, and she was hungry.
Tonight—barbecue!
"I activate the Continuous Spell, Floowandereeze and the Unexplored Winds, from my hand!"
"As long as this card is in the Spell & Trap Zone, when I would Tribute Summon a monster that requires 2 Tributes, I can Tribute 1 monster I control and 1 card my opponent controls instead."
Hakun's face twisted. If he still had two wall monsters, maybe he could hold out—but with only one left, he was doomed.
"Next, I Normal Summon Floowandereeze & Stri in Attack Position!"
"Since a monster was Summoned, I return Eglen and Robina from the Banished Zone to my hand!"
"Then I Summon Eglen, and search Floowandereeze & Snowl from my Deck!"
Her chain accelerated, and the card she had just drawn was another Floowandereeze boss. Though less common than Empen, it was still powerful—and boasted the highest ATK of them all, 2900. With Unexplored Winds, she needed only one Tribute.
"I activate Unexplored Winds!"
"I Tribute Stri on my field and your Aloof Lupine, and Tribute Summon Floowandereeze & Snowl!"
Snowflakes drifted from the sky. A cold wind swept through as a snow-white owl glided down.
[Floowandereeze & Snowl] Level 10│WIND│Winged Beast│2900 ATK / 800 DEF
Though not much larger than Empen, no one dared underestimate it.
Morgan Summoned Snowl not only for its Attack, but for its piercing effect as well.
"Battle! Snowl attacks your Set monster!"
Snowl leapt high, diving with icy wind, piercing Hakun's monster.
The card flipped—it was Thunder Dragonmatrix.
"Why am I losing Life Points?!" Hakun gasped. His monster was in Defense Position. How could he take damage?
His eyes shot up sharply at Morgan.
She smiled brightly. "You guessed it—Snowl has piercing damage. You take the difference between ATK and DEF."
"Now you've got no wall left."
"Attack continues! Empen, direct attack!"
Morgan's monsters struck in succession. Hakun's Life Points dropped to zero. The Duel was over. The holograms faded, leaving him frozen in place, unable to accept defeat.
Anyways, Morgan didn't care. She packed up her Duel Disk and walked off, already hearing the call of grilled meat.
With the match over, the crowd dispersed. Charles watched her retreating back, the usual grim lines of his face easing into a faint smile. School life would be interesting now.
Meanwhile, Morgan's rejected admirers clustered together. For their first rejection in the Senior Division, it was a day worth remembering. They decided to celebrate.
One clapped Hakun on the shoulder, taking him for one of them. "Don't sweat it, bro. Chasing girls—especially one like Morgan—is all about losing over and over until you win. We've got plenty of time."
"To our first rejection in the Senior Division, we drink till we drop tonight!"
"Yeah!"
Before he even knew what was happening, Hakun was dragged off to drink with them.
Hannah shook her head, about to leave—then turned to find a man with roses standing before her.
"Miss Hannah, would you have dinner with me tonight?"
She glanced at him. She vaguely recalled this teacher being among the strongest in the Senior Division.
Her lips curved. "Professor Mayn, you saw that Duel just now, right?"
He blinked, then nodded quickly.
"That's how you pursue a Duelist. Don't you agree?"
He caught her meaning instantly. "I understand! Miss Hannah, when might you accept my challenge?"
"Right now."
She turned away. Mayn clenched his fists in excitement, thinking he'd gotten a chance—unaware of the tendrils of shadow curling at Hannah's feet.
…
Elsewhere, at the same time, in a dim Silver Dorm room, Anneli streamed alone.
Her streams were nothing but Virtual Duels. No gimmicks, no flashy plays—unappealing and unnoticed.
"Still no viewers today…"
She stretched. Honestly, she'd only started streaming to be noticed. Always invisible, she'd hoped to change herself this way. But with streaming so competitive, and no support, only a handful of viewers lingered for her looks.
What inspired her most was that mysterious Duelist who had exploded in popularity without exposure. She envied, even worshiped them.
Later, she learned their name—Morgan.
Not only had Morgan revealed her identity, she'd easily won the Junior Division of the Duelist League.
Anneli never dared dream of such feats.
Just then, her phone lit up. A friend had sent a picture with a string of exclamation marks. Curious, she opened it—and her eyes widened.
It was Morgan's photo.
⟨Anneli, Morgan just entered the Senior Division! She's Dueling right now!⟩
⟨And she's in the Silver Dorm too! I'm so excited—I might see her in person!⟩
'Morgan… in the Senior Division?!'
The news struck like thunder. Her idol was at the same school… same dorm. It had to be fate.
And it gave Anneli an idea.
She wasn't popular, but Morgan was absurdly so. If she streamed a Duel with Morgan, viewers would flood in.
Immediately, she grabbed her custom streaming Deck. Even if Morgan refused, maybe she'd at least critique it.
This was her one chance. She had to try.
Anneli was always impulsive. She threw on a jacket, grabbed her Duel Disk, and left.
Meanwhile, Morgan and the others were walking back to the dorm after the barbecue. Jade, tipsy from fruit wine, leaned against her shoulder.
Full and content, Morgan was already thinking about what came next. Strengthening their Decks was most important—strong Decks were a Duelist's capital. Albeit that required heavy investment in both Duel Points and money.
She needed to think about income.
She frowned slightly—when suddenly, a girl appeared before her.
Red crop top under a loose jacket, denim shorts, sheer tights—Morgan blinked. She'd seen this look before.
"Excuse me, are you Morgan?" Anneli asked eagerly.
Morgan nodded.
Confirmed, Anneli couldn't hold back. "I'm Anneli. Morgan, will you have a live-stream Duel with me?"
'...Live-stream Duel?'
Morgan stared, confused. Then she recalled where she'd seen that outfit—the twin streamers, the Red One.
'Could it be…'
Still, a live-stream Duel sounded fun. She remembered retired Duelists who made money that way.
After a moment's thought, she smiled. "Sure. But I get a cut of the stream revenue."
"Of course!" Anneli said firmly. She'd planned to ride Morgan's fame—it was only right that Morgan got the lion's share.
Once agreed, Anneli set up her gear. The two faced off.
When Jade heard Morgan was Dueling again, she sobered instantly, eyes on her.
Their Duel Disks lit up, Life Points displayed.
Drawing five cards, both declared together:
"Duel!"
Anneli seized the first move, unable to wait to show Morgan her carefully built Deck.
"My turn first—draw!"
...
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