A wave of groans followed, especially from the students of Yellow Dormitory, whose faces looked miserable. The moment they thought about possibly being matched again with that certain person from Yellow Dormitory, their backs felt cold.
They still had three years ahead at this school, and who knew how many times they would have to play cards against him. The future suddenly did not look bright.
"Well then, if there's nothing else, you're dismissed," the senior girl said with a smile. "But Duel Department encourages everyone to Duel anytime. Since we're all here, we can start with a small friendly match to get to know each other."
"Senior! I just remembered I left the kettle on. I have to go back!"
"Me too!"
Within moments, more than half the room had run off.
"This year's newcomers are so boring."
The senior crossed her arms and pouted. Then she saw Yugen walk up to her with a smile.
"Senior, looks like there aren't enough people left for a group match. How about we make do and have a game ourselves?"
She took a sharp breath.
"Ah, sorry, junior. I just remembered I left my blankets outside. I need to head back first. You all have fun, haha."
She turned and fled without hesitation.
With no opponent to be found, Yugen shrugged. He did not mind much.
Over the past two days he had already played quite a few games at Duel Department. Most opponents were one time only, and after playing him once, few seemed willing to come back for a second round. The situation felt strangely similar to when he had first arrived at Duel Dojo.
Still, the gains were solid. He had earned a good number of DP this week and found several interesting cards in Duel Department's inventory.
One of the more notable ones was this card.
Abyss Soldier, Level 4, ATK 1800.
Effect: Once per turn, discard one WATER monster from your hand, then select one card on the field and return it to its owner's hand.
Although it was considered a Rare Card, it was not very expensive. WATER was a relatively unpopular attribute, and most Duelist did not value it highly.
In any case, the card's performance was well worth its price. After some thought, Yugen bought three copies.
At the same time, a new and rather entertaining Deck concept began to take shape in his mind.
After dinner, he took a short walk and returned early to his dorm. Since arriving on the island, he had kept a steady routine of sleeping early and waking early. Teachers at Duel Academy said that a Duelist needed to maintain good mental condition, and poor focus could affect performance.
Not long after returning tonight, however, Yugen sensed something unusual.
He walked to the window and saw that the Spirit of Black Luster Soldier had floated outside at some point. It hovered beyond the glass, staring into the distance as if focused on something far away.
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This kind of reaction from a Spirit was rare. Yugen opened the window.
"What is it?"
Black Luster Soldier hesitated before replying, "I am not completely certain, but there is a Spirit reaction."
"A Spirit on the island?" Yugen thought for a moment. "Can you sense the direction?"
Black Luster Soldier nodded.
Yugen grabbed his coat. "Let's go take a look."
They left the dorm and followed the coastline into the forest. The trees blocked most of the moonlight, and only thin beams filtered through the branches onto the damp ground. The air smelled of soil and fallen leaves.
Duel Academy Island was a special place. In the original story, openings to the Spirit world had appeared here more than once, and not even from the same dimension each time. Various Spirit would sometimes appear without warning, including the beloved Dark Magician Girl.
The anime had even mentioned that Duel Academy was built in one of the areas where this dimension was closest to the Spirit world. That might explain why so many strange events happened within three years at Duel Academy. Encountering some unknown Spirit here would not be surprising.
Leaves crunched underfoot as he moved forward. Before long, an old building appeared ahead.
It looked like an abandoned dormitory. The outer walls were cracked and peeling, and the windows were broken, leaving only empty frames tangled with cobwebs that creaked in the wind.
"Is this Abandoned Dorm?"
Yugen suddenly understood. Rumors said that many students had gone missing here, including Tenjoin Fubuki, known as the King of Blizzards, Asuka Tenjoin's older brother. He had once been called one of the two aces of Duel Academy alongside the Kaiser.
Of course, judging by his record in the anime, that title might have been exaggerated. He had plenty of screen time but never actually won a single Duel.
A rustling sound came from the other side of the abandoned dorm. Someone was approaching.
Sho Marufuji said in a shaky voice, "Bro, it's so dark and scary here. Maybe we should just go back."
"What are you talking about!" Judai Yuki sounded full of energy. "If we back out this easily, what kind of adventure is that?"
Another voice muttered, "Wasn't it Judai Yuki who dragged us here in the first place?"
A branch snapped behind them.
Sho and his friend grabbed each other and screamed, "Ah! It's here! A ghost!"
A flashlight beam swung toward him. Yugen raised an arm to shield his eyes.
"Relax. It's me."
They calmed down at once.
"Oh, it's you," Judai Yuki said.
"And the one from Yellow Dormitory recently…" the other added, looking at Yugen with a complicated expression. He had clearly watched a few of Yugen's Duel and heard the rumors.
"Well, if it's Yugen, there's nothing to be afraid of," he said awkwardly with a laugh. "With you here, even ghosts would probably be scared."
Yugen gave him a flat look. "That's a bit much."
He had thought the guy was honest, yet even he was repeating those slanders. Yes, some people lost their smiles after playing a Duel with him, but overall, he believed his Duel brought more happiness than not.
Many of those he defeated looked quite cheerful once they became spectators. In total, his Duel created more joy. The rumors spreading around Duel Academy were clearly malicious exaggerations.
"So what are you doing here?" Yugen asked.
"Exploring!" Judai Yuki put his hands on his hips proudly. "Daidouji-sensei told us about this place. It sounded interesting!"
Yugen understood immediately.
So tonight was the night in the story when Judai Yuki and the others encountered the fraudulent member of the Shadow Duelists, Titan.
It was also the first true appearance of a real Shadow Duel in the GX storyline.
Titan claimed to be one of the Shadow Duelists, but in truth he was exposed by Judai Yuki during a Duel as nothing more than a fraud. He relied on hypnosis-like tricks to make his opponents believe they were staking their souls in a Shadow Duel. After each Duel, he liked to forcibly take his opponent's Rare Card.
People like him were not recognized as real Shadow Duelists in the underworld. They were called Rare Hunters, the kind despised by both the legitimate and the criminal sides.
In the original storyline, Titan had been hired by Professor Chronos de Medici to come to the island and deal specifically with the underperforming Judai Yuki. This was the darkest stain on Professor Chronos de Medici's reputation. However, judging from his attitude toward Shadow Duel during the Seven Stars Arc and his reaction when he met Titan again later, Professor Chronos de Medici probably never believed that something like a Shadow Duel truly existed. His real goal had simply been to have Judai Yuki expelled.
"Oh, what a rare chance! Yugen, want to have a Duel?" Judai Yuki said eagerly. "I've been waiting for a chance to duel here."
"Here?" Hayato Maeda scratched his head. "Isn't that a bad idea?"
Sho Marufuji lowered his voice. "I heard if you're caught sneaking into the Forbidden Zone, you get expelled. Bro, maybe we should head back."
"It's fine." Judai Yuki put his hands on his hips, full of confidence. "Even a top student like Yugen is here, right?"
