Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Over the course of a month, the Academy-standard Duel Disk records each person's performance in duels and arrives at a final score. Regardless of whether they are students from the main campus or other branch campuses, the top eight students in the final ranking will qualify to participate in the final stage of the exchange competition. It is said that this rule is adapted from Duel City."

"Is it really such an interesting event? Does that mean that the selected students can duel with students from other grades at the main campus or exchange students from other branch campuses? I can't wait!" Jaden said excitedly after listening to Maeda Hayato's explanation.

Seeing this, Manjoume complained, "You were just as upset when you heard the explanation a couple of days ago. Don't forget it again in a couple of days, will you?"

"No way! I only forgot before because the qualifying rounds hadn't started yet, but all the exchange students have already arrived at school, which means the qualifying rounds registration can start now, right?" Jaden quickly turned around, went back to his dorm to get his Duel Disk, and said excitedly, "It's already noon, and we're way behind everyone else. Let's go! I'm going to register right now!"

"Hmph, you idiot, you really don't remember anything. Registration could have started days ago, or rather, it was already over by now that the exchange students have arrived." Seeing that Judai was about to walk down the stairs, Manjoume crossed his arms and said contemptuously, "Thank me, Mr. Manjoume. I registered you a few days ago because I knew you would definitely want to participate but would completely forget about registering."

"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you so much, Manjoume!"

"It's Mr. Manjoume!"

David, with his hands in his pockets and walking with an air of nonchalance, heard the commotion coming from the Red Dormitory in the distance. He instinctively turned around and saw Manjoume standing on the second floor, arrogantly pushing away Judai who was trying to hug him. Having participated in the exchange competition before, he naturally knew the dormitory allocation system at headquarters.

“Is that Osiris-Red Dormitory over there? It’s quite lively,” Ricky Mackenzie remarked casually.

But David scoffed dismissively: "Hmph, all I'm good at is being energetic. In the end, the only thing that matters in the academy that trains duelists is their strength as duelists. I think that the wins that I'm assigned to the Red Dormitory, which are just for racking up points in the selection process, would lower the value of my selection."

"The noisier it is, the less it is worth paying attention to in my opinion, especially that brat with the jellyfish hair over there. The guy next to him wearing the blue dormitory uniform is about the same. Being able to hang out with people from the red dormitory means he has already given up on himself."

David Labb said somewhat arrogantly, "The only opponent I want to defeat is Hugi Tingjo, and if possible, I'd like to meet Caesar again so I can prove that I am the strongest."

"That guy over there looks weak; there's no need to pay him any attention."

Professor Chronos, walking ahead of David Labb and Ricky Mackenzie, shrugged slightly, one hand covering his mouth as he tried to suppress a laugh.

Should I tell these two students from the Western branch campus that the one who fought Fubuki was the same poor student from the Red Dorm who you said was "unnecessary to care about"? Although I like top students, Professor Chronos considers even the poor students from my own college to be much more important than the top students from other colleges.

Oh no, he was already anticipating the scene of David Labborg, arrogant and conceited, facing Jaden Yuki and getting utterly thrashed. I can't laugh! What if I laugh at a time like this and arouse his suspicion?

But when you think of such a funny scene, who can resist laughing!

"Professor Chronos, what's wrong?" a student from the Eastern Branch asked with concern.

“I’ve thought of something good,” Professor Chronos said casually. “The International Illusion Society has released new enhancement cards for my Ancient Gear deck.”

Chapter 1208 A Book from the Past...Friend

"My turn, draw a card!"

"Next, I activate the Spell Card [Power Weld], sending three [Cyber ​​Dragon] cards from my hand to the Graveyard as Fusion Materials to perform a Fusion Summon of a Machine-Type monster. I then Fusion Summon this [Cyber ​​Ender Dragon] from my Fusion Deck, and due to the effect of [Power Weld], its ATK is doubled!"

[Electronic Terminator] [ATK4000→8000]

Opposite Ryo Marufuji, an exchange student from Duel Academy's Eastern branch, who looked somewhat like an Indian, stared at the monster on the field with a pale face and disbelief.

"Attack power, 8, 8000 points!? That's too much!" Swallowing hard, the student spoke with a strong curry accent, still stubbornly insisting, "But my Alien Destroyer is equipped with the Reptile-type Equip Spell Card [Melting Escape]. It can't be destroyed by battle once per turn, and when this effect is applied, it gains an additional 300 attack power during the Damage Step."

"I don't believe that a card like [Power Welding] comes without a price."

Hearing what the other party said, Marufuji Ryo calmly nodded and said, "The Cyber ​​End Dragon that is fused and summoned by the effect of Power Weld will deal effect damage to me at the end of the turn it is fused and summoned, which is 4000 points of its original attack power. After all, there is a saying that 'powerful cards are often accompanied by great risks'."

Marufuji Ryo's words made the exchange student from the Eastern branch school smile. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Marufuji Ryo speak again: "--However, the duel will be decided before my final phase arrives."

"I declare that I am entering my battle phase, and then I chain-activate the last card in my hand—the Quick-Play Spell Card [Arrow of the Seal]. This card can only be activated at the start of both players' battle phases, and neither player can activate the effects of Spells, Trap Cards, or Monsters in response to the activation of this card."

Playing the last card from his hand, Ryoichi Marufuji pointed to the opponent's field, "And the effect of [Sealing Arrow] is that after this card is activated, until the end of the turn, neither player can activate the effects of Spell/Trap Cards!"

"In this way, all three face-down cards in your back row, regardless of what they are, will be locked by [Arrow of the Seal] and unable to be activated. And the effect of [Cyber ​​Dragon] is a defense penetration ability that allows you to inflict battle damage to your opponent for the portion of its ATK exceeding its DEF when attacking a Defense Position monster!"

"N-Nani?!"

Marufuji Ryo wouldn't back down just because of the other person's surprised expression. After all, he had only wanted to go out for a meal. It was the other person who blocked his way and insisted on playing cards with him. In that case, all he could do was defeat the other person as quickly as possible—he still needed to go to the infirmary to check on Fubuki's condition that afternoon.

"Go! [Electronic Terminator Dragon], attack [Alien Destroyer]!" With a wave of his hand, Ryo Marufuji coldly issued the order, "Eternal Evolution Flame!"

The three-headed mechanical dragon unleashed a beam attack that instantly pierced through the body of the [Alien Destroyer]. Although the latter shed its skin and escaped in the first instance, using the empty shell to deceive the attack and avoid being destroyed in the battle, the damage calculation still continued. The [Electronic Terminator Dragon]'s attack bypassed the [Alien Destroyer] and hit the duelist himself without much reduction, instantly wiping out his still full Life Points.

【Mini Curry Huangbula: 4000LP → 0】

Seeing that his opponent had been defeated, Marufuji Ryo had no intention of lingering there. He walked past the exchange student who was kneeling on the ground, seemingly unable to accept reality, and headed straight for the cafeteria. A few days before the Duel Academy Exchange Tournament began, the new head chef named "Ameruda" had already started taking over the cafeteria, which was originally more like a "restaurant."

Considering that students from all over the world will be coming to the main campus during the exchange competition, the variety of dishes served in the cafeteria has increased significantly due to the appointment of the new head chef. In addition to Italian dishes that even Professor Chronos would call authentic, there are dishes prepared in various ways. In addition, the prices are affordable, so even Jaden and his friends, who are used to eating duel bread, have recently started to eat in the cafeteria.

I started late and was delayed for a while because of the duel. Even though I ended the duel as soon as possible, the delay was an unavoidable fact. If I don't hurry, Jaden and the others will probably have finished lunch.

As for the exchange student he had defeated? Marufuji Ryo had little interest in paying attention to him. Putting aside his own personality, which was at least outwardly quite cold, the fact that the other person had come out during mealtime to block his way and forcefully demand a duel already annoyed Marufuji Ryo.

What's more, the other party is a guy who doesn't even have the slightest self-awareness. He's not even a big name among the exchange students, yet he comes in shouting that he'll defeat the strongest in Duel Academy and become the strongest in one step.

There won't be any punishment, because—

After taking only a few steps, the Duel Disk on Marufuji's left wrist emitted a perfectly volumeed notification sound, and a string of text lit up on the circular screen displaying the Life Points.

"Congratulations on winning the duel. Your current total number of wins is 5, and your overall duel score is 100. Your overall ranking is 17th."

"Only seventeenth place?" Marufuji Ryo was somewhat surprised to see that he was only ranked seventeenth in the selection competition for the exchange competition. Although he was not particularly competitive, Marufuji Ryo was still somewhat looking forward to seeing who was ranked ahead of him.

Meanwhile, another sound rang out from the duel disk of the exchange student from the Eastern branch school whom Marufuji had defeated. Even the notification tone was slightly jarring: "Duel lost. Accumulated wins detected as 0. Congratulations, you have lost your qualification for the qualifiers. Out!"

Immediately afterwards, a special voice message even played from that person's duel disk. The voice was that of Principal Hayato Kobayashi: "This student, you are different from the others. You must not waste your time on duels. Hurry up and go into the arena to fix screws. At least it's better than playing cards, which is a waste of time and money, right?"

Ryo Marufuji had heard this voice message more than once, because the exchange student from the Eastern branch was not actually the first exchange student to approach him. Perhaps because of the different schools, they had no real sense of Ryo Marufuji's strength and recklessly came to challenge him to a duel. Then, because they had never won a single match before, they were directly eliminated after being defeated by Ryo Marufuji.

That audio recording seemed to be a sarcastic message directed at those losers who hadn't won a single game but still actively sought out the specially marked trainees. The fact that Principal Hayato would record something like that shows he still has the same twisted sense of humor.

Shaking his head, Marufuji Ryo left without looking back. Beside the defeated exchange student, his companions who had come with him were discussing: "That guy was terrifying! He actually pulled off an OTK? Is this the strength of 'Kaiser' from Duel Academy...?"

"It must be a coincidence. No one can have the exact same starting hand every time. Great Father King Lama, shall we continue—"

"If you're going to embarrass yourself, don't drag me down with you. I don't want to be eliminated without winning a single game like Little Curry and Spicy. It would be so embarrassing if people asked me about it when I got back to school."

The exchange student who had already been defeated blushed with shame as he listened to his companions' words. He made an excuse and left, intending to lock himself in his room for a few days before going out again. Meanwhile, his companions continued to discuss and, with their astonishing wisdom, finally came up with a perfect strategy.

Having witnessed Caesar's power, they immediately abandoned the idea of ​​causing trouble for the top students in the Obelisk-Blue dormitory at headquarters. As for the students in the Sun God-Yellow dormitory, they weren't very confident about their abilities since they hadn't faced them yet. However, there was no doubt that the students in the Osiris-Red dormitory were poor students.

If they can't beat "Caesar," why don't they go find the students in the red dormitory to rack up some winning streaks before challenging the stronger ones? Even if they fail, they'll have another chance and won't be eliminated immediately, and if they win, those top students will get even more recognition.

They remembered that during class this morning, there seemed to be a poor student from the red dormitory who couldn't even study hard to improve himself. Instead, he wore an eye mask with his eyes open and slept through class. That jellyfish-headed guy must be the weakest one who had entered a state of giving up!

Meanwhile, on the other side, these two Eastern branch schools, which they considered the "weakest," were also playing cards—

"Release two monsters on your opponent's field, and I bestow upon you this powerful monster—[Lava Demon]!"

"Then, using [E·hero Winged Man] and [E·hero Burst Girl] from my hand as Fusion Materials, I Fusion Summon [E·hero Flame Winged Man - Flame Strike], and use its effect to add [Beloved Hero] from the deck to my hand."

"Improve the second effect of [E·hero Flamewing Man - Flame Strike] by releasing it. Special Summon [E·hero Flamewing Man] from my Fusion Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions. Then Fusion Summon [E·hero Sparkman] from my hand with it to Fusion Summon [E·hero Flash Flamewing Man]!"

"I equip the Equip Spell Card that can only be equipped to a Level 5 or higher [Hero]—[Beloved Hero]—to [E·hero Shining Flame Wingman], and then enter my Battle Phase. Then, I activate [Skyscraper] from my Deck using the effect of [Beloved Hero]! Heroes have their own stage to fight on!"

"【E·hero Shiny Flame Wingman】's ATK will increase by its DEF due to the effect of 【Beloved Hero】. Additionally, 【E·hero Shiny Flame Wingman】's ATK will also increase by the number of 【E·hero】 monsters in my Graveyard x 300, which is 900 points!"

【E·hero Flash Flame Wingman】(Beloved Hero)【ATK2500→4600→5500】

"【E·hero Flame Wingman】Attacks 【Lava Demon God】! Sky-high Strike!"

A flying kick, streaked with sparks and lightning, pierced through the opponent's [Lava Demon] on the field, destroying it and returning it to Jaden's graveyard. The exchange student from the Southern Branch School who had dueled Jaden released his finger from the button that had been repeatedly pressing to activate the face-down card, and said in a frantic and confused voice, "Why? I pressed the button to activate the face-down card countless times!"

"Move! [Explosive Armor], why aren't you moving!"

[Keeper: 4000 → 1500 LP]

"Uh, even I know that [Exploding Armor] isn't used like that, right? Isn't the main purpose of that card to bait other people's [Whirlwind]?" Jaden scratched the back of his head and said, somewhat surprised that he would be the one to teach others. "As for why [Exploding Armor] can't be activated, it's because [Beloved Hero] also gave my [E·hero Flash Flame Wingman] resistance to being targeted by the opponent's effects."

"Is that card a fake? Why does it have so many effects?!"

Jaden shrugged and said helplessly, "Yeah, why? I'm looking for the answer too. In the end, this card was traded between Asuka and me, and I don't know why it has so many effects."

"Huh? Why are you looking at me like that, like you're saying, 'Asuka? A woman's name,' or 'Why do you have girls exchanging cards with you?'" Jaden said, puzzled. "Don't girls at the South Campus exchange cards with you?"

"You're asking for it! Are you crazy?!"

The exchange students at the Southern branch were trembling with anger and clenching their teeth. The problem with the Northern branch's enrollment was that there were too few students; it was a miracle if there were any. However, the Southern branch's enrollment also had many problems. It was almost entirely boys with very few girls. It would be a miracle if there were even a handful of girls in the three grades. There was no such situation in the main campus, the Eastern branch, or the Western branch.

He came to the exchange competition to play cards. He deliberately sought out the underachiever from the red dormitory first, thinking that he could at least get a minimum score so that he wouldn't be eliminated directly when he challenged a renowned powerhouse like "Caesar". It's one thing for this underachiever from the red dormitory to play cards so well, but why did he have to play "Spring Shadow"... cough, I mean why did he have to make a personal attack!

Looking at his remaining 1500 base points, he said angrily, "When my turn comes, I'm going to beat you up, you jerk!"

"Ah, sorry, it seems you don't have a next turn?" Jaden rubbed his nose and gave a bright smile. "After destroying a monster in battle, [E·hero Flash Flame Wingman] will also inflict effect damage equal to the original ATK of the destroyed monster on the opponent duelist."

"Flashbang!"

"Whoa!!!"

[Keeper: 1500LP → 0]

"Yosh, Big Brother won again!" Marufuji Sho, who was watching the Jaden duel from the sidelines, was so excited that he almost jumped up. He pumped his fist and said, "Now Big Brother has won five matches in a row! Yay!"

"With a single drumbeat, a thousand armies rise; after scooping up the yellow sand to wash their iron armor, what a great victory!" The special voice line indicating a five-game winning streak echoed from Jaden's duel board. Needless to say, it was recorded by Hayato again, and Jaden's current stats were also displayed on his duel board.

There won't be many evaluation criteria for duel ratings in this selection tournament. It will only look at the basic score and the number of consecutive wins at the end of each duel. Judai's score is still the same as Marufuji Ryo's, with a maximum of 100 points that has not dropped. As his number of victories increases, his ranking has risen all the way up, and he has successfully tied with Marufuji Ryo for the seventeenth place.

However, if they want to stand out from the selection tournament, Jaden and his team need to rise at least nine places to enter the top eight. But the people ahead of them won't stop and wait for Jaden and his team to catch up. They are also trying to keep their ratings from dropping and increase their number of wins as much as possible.

So what was Hayato doing, organizing this selection competition for the exchange and competition, and even mischievously stuffing a lot of his specially recorded voice messages into the students' duel disks?

While all the students in the academy were on the island working hard for the selection tournament, and some even planned to use the duel bread from the convenience store to save their meal time to play as many hands of cards as possible, Hayato appeared at the dock on the outlying island, watching a ship gradually dock at the shore.

A man and a woman emerged from the cabin. Upon seeing Hayato, the blond young man grinned foolishly, raised his hand in greeting, and said, "Hey, Hayato, long time no see!"

The blonde woman beside him looked at the blond youth's actions and helplessly rubbed her forehead, looking troubled by his immature and boyish personality. She also greeted Hayato on the shore.

As the boat docked, even with utmost care, there was still some inertia. The blonde woman leaned to one side and nestled into the blond young man's arms. His hair brushed past her nose, leaving behind a familiar yet still heart-pounding fragrance. As the blond young man supported the blonde woman, a blush uncontrollably rose on his cheeks, which he had deliberately turned to the side.

Chapter 1209 Such a cheesy couple!

The man and woman who arrived at the dock could only be Jonouchi and Mai.

"Wow, what a cheesy couple! And they happen to be my friends. They're so pathetic now."

Despite joking, Hayato gave Jonouchi a warm hug as soon as they reached the shore, then whispered in his ear, "How was your round-the-world honeymoon?"

"Hahaha..." Jonouchi tried to brush it off, "It's...it's normal, like a regular trip. Although it's not like those times when Pegasus treated us and we could spend money lavishly, since it's just Mai and me, our savings made it easy..."

"Come on, you know that's not what I'm asking." Hayato released Jonouchi and put his arm around his shoulder. "You've got your marriage certificate, you've finished your trip, so what are your plans now?"

The slightly shy Jonouchi immediately reverted to his usual self upon hearing Hayato's words, exclaiming with anticipation and excitement, "Of course! It's going to the World Duelist Championship doubles with Mai! Hayato, you know there aren't many duelists who can keep up with my pace. I've been wanting to team up with someone to participate in the professional doubles and win the Grand Slam for a long time!"

"Although I've won championship medals more than once before, I've never actually seen what the doubles medals are like. This time, Mai and I will definitely beat those two stingy guys from the Maze Brothers, who won't even lend me a trophy, to a pulp, hahaha!"

If you talk to Jonouchi about love, even if you're married, you can still make him blush. But if the topic is Duel Monsters, Jonouchi will immediately wake up and start talking non-stop.

"Hey Hayato, although I'm not planning to participate in the singles tournament this year, there's this kid whose dueling skills are surprisingly good. He even seems to have broken his winning streak record. But after facing Jonouchi-san, he gave up the duel without a second thought, as if someone had laid out proof in front of him that he would definitely lose to me and convinced him to quit. That kid isn't very old, I think he's just a middle school student. He might be able to get into the Duel Academy in a while..."