"Eek!"
Yaoyao shuddered in fright, wanting to flee from Morgan, but Morgan was right behind her. In just this short while, Morgan's skill at riding the D-Wheel had already become remarkably proficient—no matter how Yaoyao accelerated, she couldn't shake her off.
Morgan, in no time, caught up and shouted:
"I activate Accesscode Talker's effect!"
"By banishing 1 Link Monster from my field or Graveyard, I can target 1 card on your field and destroy it!"
"I banish Sky Striker Ace - Kaina from my Graveyard!"
A card ejected from her Graveyard—the very one used as the access key. Accesscode Talker's eyes lit up, raising its lance high before hurling it with force. The spear pierced Frightfur Kraken, shattering it instantly.
The spectators gasped. They had thought Accesscode Talker's effect only raised its Attack Points, but hadn't expected it to carry such a devastating destruction effect!
Morgan's Deck was centered on Link Monsters—her Graveyard had plenty to spare.
Which meant that as long as attributes didn't overlap, Morgan could keep banishing her Link Monsters to destroy every card her opponent controlled.
Even if Yaoyao had filled her field with monsters, it wouldn't have been enough to stop Morgan's advance.
After destroying Kraken, Morgan pressed on with Accesscode's effect, aiming to clear Yaoyao's field completely.
"Next, I banish Sky Striker Ace - Zeke from my Graveyard!"
"Destroy your Fluffal Wings!"
Another lance flew out, annihilating Fluffal Wings. Now only one Continuous Spell remained on Yaoyao's field—Frightfur Factory. But even that wasn't safe. Today, Morgan intended to fully 'visit' Yaoyao.
"Continue! I banish Sky Striker Ace - Hayate from my Graveyard!"
"Destroy your Frightfur Factory!"
Yaoyao could do nothing but watch as her cards were destroyed one after another. The sight dealt a heavy blow to her young heart… Morgan had practically become her living nightmare.
Even if Morgan couldn't bring her Life Points to zero this turn, Yaoyao could no longer continue the Duel.
With a screech of metal, Yaoyao's D-Wheel screeched to a halt, venting thick gas.
She abandoned her D-Wheel entirely and fled the field in tears—terrified of Morgan's relentless Accesscode.
Morgan froze. She hadn't expected things to turn out like this. To her, it had only been an ordinary Duel. She never held back against anyone… but that ruthlessness seemed to have truly frightened Yaoyao.
The crowd buzzed at the dramatic scene. They all felt that dueling Morgan was simply too suffocating, the pressure far too overwhelming. One mistake, and the entire Duel was lost.
And the hardest to endure was precisely this kind of comeback.
"To throw away such a massive lead… any pro duelist's mentality would collapse."
"Even in this situation, Morgan turned it around… no wonder she's called the Witch."
"That Yaoyao girl is strong, but Morgan's continuous 'Accesses' broke her completely."
"I want Morgan to continuously 'visit' me too."
"Ridiculous…"
As the chatter rose, Morgan returned her D-Wheel to the pit crew, only to be greeted by Jade and Isla rushing over. Jade threw her arms around her with a smile:
"You scared me! I thought you were going to lose!"
Feeling the softness against her, Morgan sighed helplessly. "Relax. Frightfurs are oppressive, but Sky Strikers can break boards too. As long as she slipped up even slightly, the Duel was already mine."
Isla chuckled. "So you really had it all planned. Still, that poor girl… you made her cry."
Plenty of people had cried after losing to Morgan, but this was the first time in a Riding Duel. What stuck in people's minds most, though, was Morgan's high-stakes wager with Rowe. Rowe herself remembered it vividly… she could understand exactly how Yaoyao felt now.
"Since you're fine with Riding Duels, that means you can participate in the upcoming Team Battle, right?"
'...Team Battle?'
Morgan blinked in surprise. Could Duel Academy really be hosting Riding tournaments, too? However, because they were already a team, this would be the perfect chance to build synergy. Since their team's founding, they hadn't played in a proper event yet.
"That's right. It's a Duel Academy tradition, one of the most important events of the year," Isla explained with a smile.
"The Riding Team Battle has no grade restrictions. As long as you have four people—three members and one substitute—you can enter. The prize is a personal promise from the Senior Division's principal. So long as the request isn't unreasonable, he'll agree."
'A prize like that?'
Morgan was astonished, then quickly realized what a golden opportunity this was. The Duel King selection tournament was still far off—they couldn't just dive in without practice. The Senior Division clearly hosted this event so students could gain experience for the future.
She nodded. "Alright then, let's join. This can be Team 5Ds' first official battle."
That said, another detail left her unsettled.
The Duel Points she'd earned this match were unusually high. Beating Yaoyao had yielded several times more than usual. Did that mean Yaoyao was actually that much stronger?
Morgan wasn't sure. The only time she'd gotten this kind of reward before was against Shadow Duelists.
Could Yaoyao be one, too?
She didn't look like it. What Shadow Duelist was ever a cute moe girl?
Still, to be safe, Morgan decided she'd 'visit'… or rather, pay Yaoyao a personal call.
Meanwhile, Hannah had already left the arena, list in hand. With Morgan's Duel finished, she had no reason to stay.
Next, she'd flush out the infiltrators hiding among the students, forcing them to cooperate with her plans. Until everything was ready, she wouldn't move against Morgan. If Morgan discovered the Shadow Duelists too early, it would cause trouble.
With that thought, Hannah turned away, leaving only a graceful silhouette behind.
…
Soon, the day of the Riding Team Battle arrived. As the Senior Division's annual festival, anticipation was sky-high.
Beforehand, Morgan had already upgraded Isla and Jade's Decks, then spent her remaining Duel Points to build herself a new one. Although unlike Morgan, Isla and Jade needed more time to master theirs. By the time the tournament began, they had only learned some basic combos—their adaptability still couldn't match Morgan's.
"Morgan, are you sure it's okay for us to go in like this? And this outfit is a bit tight…"
Jade tugged at the white bodysuit clinging to her. Its snug fit only made her impressive chest stand out more against the snowy fabric, leaving her flustered.
"Just remember the combos I taught you—you'll be fine." Morgan smiled after failing the ten-second challenge not to look.
With Floowandereeze, summoning Empen basically meant the Duel was already half-won.
Not long ago, the Junior Division's prize had arrived—a fiery red D-Wheel, perfectly matching Morgan's outfit. She had specifically requested the color, and the unique design left her very satisfied.
The Riding Team Battle soon began. Jade went first, Isla second, and Morgan anchored the lineup.
They were like a galactic dreadnought—many teams didn't even make it to Morgan, falling to Isla or even Jade before then.
And in those matches, Jade finally regained her confidence, smoothly executing her Deck's combos.
"Unbelievable! Morgan's team has already racked up ten straight wins—and as captain, she hasn't even taken the field yet!"
"Could this year's Riding Team Battle champions already be decided?!"
"It would be the first time in history that freshmen claimed the title!"
"It looks like nothing can stop them… Wait! What's this?! Oh my god, Isla's LP just hit zero! And their opponent still has their first player standing… it looks like this match isn't over after all!"
Isla braked hard, her D-Wheel skidding to a halt. She removed her helmet and spoke regretfully into the mic:
"Sorry, I let my guard down this time."
She admitted that the string of victories had made her underestimate a fellow first-year team—and in that moment of carelessness, she was crushed. Even she hadn't expected to falter like this. Jade had already lost earlier, which meant it all came down to Morgan now.
Despite that, something about her opponent felt off. This was no ordinary student.
Just like the ones who'd run Thunder Dragon and Frightfur earlier—their skill far exceeded the average, even reaching pro duelist caliber.
Why were there so many monsters among this year's freshmen?
From the stands, Hannah watched with satisfaction. After her special training, those little recruits finally looked presentable. Morgan now faced a team composed entirely of Shadow Duelists. Jade and Isla's losses were no surprise—they were facing duelists on a professional level.
If one person couldn't beat her… what about three?
Hannah laughed softly. Next would be a three-on-one Duel.
At that moment, a red comet streaked into the arena. The crowd erupted in excitement—they knew what was coming. Could Morgan really pull off a three-man sweep?
All eyes fixed on the scarlet blaze.
The boy who had beaten Jade and Isla accelerated. Because monsters summoned in this kind of relay Duel remained on the field even after one duelist fell, his stayed with him.
He looked at Morgan with interest. As their D-Wheels drew level, the next Duel began.
"Duel!"
...
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