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Upon entering the examination hall, You Xuan stood at a high vantage point in the audience seating area, scanning left and right. It didn't take him long to spot several familiar faces.
For instance, Kaiser Ryo Marufuji of Duel Academy, who was also observing from the elevated platform, and Asuka Tenjoin, the female side character with the highest screen time in GX, who was almost always by his side in the early episodes.
Nearby, in the audience seating, was Sho Marufuji, already wearing the Obelisk Blue uniform, accompanied by his two underlings.
Both Sho and Asuka were direct-entry students, having been top performers in Duel Academy's middle school division. Only students like them, who were promoted directly, could enter the academy and immediately join the prestigious Obelisk Blue dormitory.
Other examinees, even if they scored full marks on all subjects, would only be assigned to Ra Yellow. This was why, in the anime, Mitsuo Maeda—despite ranking first in the entrance exam—was placed in Ra Yellow. Advancement to Obelisk Blue was contingent upon consistently excellent performance throughout the school year.
You Xuan scanned the area again, but even though it was already exam time, he didn't see any sign of a certain familiar jellyfish-haired duelist.
If everything went according to the usual script, Jaden Yuki's train must have been delayed today. Right about now, he should have bumped into Yugi Mutou on the way and received a Winged Kuriboh card—the first spirit monster in Jaden's storyline, which would serve as his guardian during the many dark duels in the early episodes.
If you only watched GX, Yugi's act of randomly gifting a lucky jellyfish-headed kid a spirit monster might seem unexplained in the opening episodes.
However, if you connect this event to the later movie Bonds Beyond Time, it's reasonable to infer that Yugi had already met a future-traveling Jaden years ago. Thus, in the present timeline, Yugi already regarded Jaden as an unseen comrade-in-arms.
"Examinee Number 001, Fujiki You Xuan."
Finally, it was time.
You Xuan rose and made his way to the dueling arena.
While observing from the stands earlier, he had already scoped out the situation. Today's examiners were using a rotation of standardized test decks. The same few decks were being cycled through for different examinees, and You Xuan had already familiarized himself with their contents.
Nothing here was beyond his capabilities.
...
...
One minute earlier, Sho Marufuji and his two lackeys were sitting confidently in the stands.
"According to the groupings, the first examinee of the year should be up next," Lackey A said. "I wonder who this year's top scorer is."
Lackey B: "Heh, doesn't matter who it is. The ruler of this year's freshman class has already been decided—it's Sho-sama."
Sho smirked, letting out a low, arrogant chuckle.
"There can only be one ruler of the academy. As the saying goes, two tigers cannot share the same mountain... But if that guy turns out to be exceptional, I wouldn't mind having him as a sparring partner to pass the time. After all, ruling the academy too easily would make these three years unbearably boring, heh heh..."
"You're absolutely right, Boss, hahaha..."
The three erupted into laughter.
Then came the automated announcement.
"Examinee Number 001, Fujiki You Xuan, please proceed to Arena One for your exam... Examinee Number 001..."
Their laughter abruptly stopped.
Lackey A: "What? That name... Could it be...?"
Lackey B: "Boss!"
Both turned to look at Sho... only to find him missing.
"Huh? Boss, how'd you end up under the chair?"
Though bruised from the fall, Sho didn't have time to dwell on it. He scrambled out from under the seat, eyes wide as saucers, staring intently at Arena One.
And there, walking onto the field, was a familiar figure.
The once-promising reign of Academy Tyrant Sho Marufuji ended before it even began. His dream of dominating the academy crumbled into dust before he'd even stepped foot inside, replaced instead by a growing sense of dread from the abyss...
Why does it have to be you again!?
...
...
"Good day, Sensei."
You Xuan approached the field and stood respectfully.
The examiner was a stern-faced man in sunglasses, exuding an air of professionalism and seriousness. "Prepare for the duel."
"Yes, Sensei."
You Xuan activated his duel disk, but just before the match began, something occurred to him, causing him to furrow his brow slightly.
"One moment, Sensei. Hypothetically speaking... If I win, but you feel displeased or dissatisfied with the process during the duel... Is there any chance I could fail?"
"Rest assured." The sunglass-clad examiner remained expressionless. "We examiners are professionally trained. We're not low-quality duelists who get upset easily. No matter what happens during the duel, I won't lose my temper."
He paused, then added:
"Besides, the final decision on grades rests with Chief Examiner Professor Cronos, not me."
"Understood."
You Xuan relaxed.
He remembered Professor Cronos well—the man whose appearance bore a 90% resemblance to the card artwork of Pot of Greed, earning him the nickname "Greed Spirit."
Though Cronos seemed like an antagonist in the early episodes of the anime, he only targeted underperforming students. For high achievers, like Mitsuo Maeda, Cronos would laugh off even getting hit in the eye with a baseball, saying, "No problem, no problem, keep up the good work, and I'll heal up soon..."
Thus, You Xuan reasoned that since he ranked first in the written exam, the Greed Professor probably wouldn't give him a hard time.
"Duel!" x2
[You Xuan, LP4000]
[Examiner, LP4000]
"I'll take the first turn. Draw."
You Xuan drew three cards.
"I'll set one monster face-down, and two back-row cards. End of my turn."
Up in the stands, Sho felt a suffocating sensation wash over him as soon as he saw this opening hand.
That familiar stench, that aura from the abyss...
"My turn, draw," the examiner declared. "I summon Gene-Warped Werewolf in attack mode."
[Gene-Warped Werewolf, ATK 2000]
As soon as this card appeared, You Xuan recognized which of the test decks the examiner was using.
This was a beatdown deck centered around four-star monsters, most of which boasted over 2000 attack points. Combined with equip spells, they could easily surpass 3000 attack power, creating overwhelming field control.
It was one of the more troublesome decks for new students during the entrance exams.
At this point, some spectators in the stands commented: "Oh, look over there. Number One drew the beatdown deck."
"Yeah, lucky him. Thank goodness I didn't get that one. Poor guy..."
Only Sho sat there, his fists clenched tightly, silent.
Poor? No, no, no.
The poor one here is the examiner facing this guy.
To think he'd randomly pick the beatdown deck against someone like this—it's as if fate itself conspired against him...
"I attack with Gene-Warped Werewolf!"
The set card flipped over, revealing an old magician holding a green staff.
[Stubborn Old Magician, DEF 600]
"Stubborn Old Magician, activate effect," You Xuan declared. "When this card is flipped, destroy one monster on your field. I destroy your Gene-Warped Werewolf."
With his dying breath, the old magician unleashed a burst of magical energy, obliterating the werewolf in a flash.
The werewolf barely lasted ten seconds before being sent to the graveyard, but this still fell within the realm of normal gameplay. At this point, the examiner hadn't yet realized anything was amiss.
"So it's a flip-effect destruction monster, huh? Then I'll end my battle phase."
The examiner drew a card and inserted it into his duel disk.
"I activate the magic card Monster Reborn. It allows me to revive one monster destroyed this turn in attack position."
The magic card activated, and a vortex leading to the underworld opened. Amidst a flash of golden light, the battered Gene-Warped Werewolf returned to the field.
"I activate a trap card, Dark Deal."
You Xuan pressed a button on his duel disk, flipping up a back-row card.
"When you activate a magic card, pay 1000 life points to discard one random card from your hand."
[You Xuan, LP4000 → LP3000]
"What?!"
The examiner gasped, looking down at his hand. Sure enough, one of his cards vanished in a flash of golden light.
"Not done yet. Next, I chain-activate the trap card Torrential Tribute," You Xuan declared, flipping another back-row card. "When a monster is summoned, special summoned, or flipped, this card can be activated. Destroy all monsters on the field!"
A torrent of water surged forth from the card, roaring across the field. The hapless Gene-Warped Werewolf, still struggling to regain its footing, was swept away in the flood and obliterated into nothingness.
Examiner: "..."
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