Chapter Text
Duel Academy Admission Test Essay – Hachiman Hikigaya – Examinee No. 108318
“Just draw the out.”
This is the iconic statement used when faced against an impossible scenario, that the more skilled Duelist will simply draw the correct cards in the correct order in order to win. Of course, no one really takes this seriously. However, the statement reveals something about Duel Monsters, about the card game that dominates so much of our life: a Duel is always won before it's ever even begun.
Archetype choice, Deck building, and the order the Deck is shuffled in determines who will win even before the Duel even begins. There is almost no real choice made in the matter. Of course, choosing which cards are played first, which cards to search for, and which monsters to summon also play a role in winning the duel. Timing is a skill. But, in truth, these are all already determined by the Deck you’re playing.
For instance, it’s fairly obvious that a Law of the Normal Deck would stand no chance against something that was clearly meta warping such as a Dragon Ruler Deck. One continuously gained infinite advantage turn after turn while the other is filled with nothing but low-Level Normal Monsters. It’s no secret that in order to render the Dragon Rulers unplayable, all but Tempest was banned from the game. Even then, Tempest was limited. Thus, in a Law of the Normal versus Dragon Ruler matchup, even if it weren't a Traditional Duel, the Dragon Rulers win a hundred percent of the time.
Even when Decks use the same base archetypes, the win lies in the secondary archetype. In the Tenyi Swordsoul versus Tenyi Adventurer matchup, assuming both decks were back to full power, the Swordsoul player clearly has the advantage. Not only does Tenyi Swordsoul have easy Synchro access, Tenyi Adventurer fundamentally lacks the proper means to deal with the grind game. Deal with Fateful Adventure, ban Gryphon Rider and what does the deck do? Nothing.
This gets even worse when you get into mirror matches. Which is better? A D/D/D deck that runs Effect Veiler or Infinite Impermanence? That's right, it’s fundamentally the one that runs Effect Veiler. Not only is he a Monster Card, allowing one to use him as cost for One for One in order to Special Summon D/D Savant Kepler from the Deck, he's also a Tuner. Being a Tuner he can be, in a pinch, used to Synchro Summon.
Oftentimes, a young person believes they have the capability to become a great Duelist, the Duel Monarch even, if they just believe in the so-called “heart of the cards” but the reality is simple: those who are skilled will simply draw the out. Because those who are skilled have built their Deck in a way that allows it to consistently draw outs. Because those who are skilled know how to properly play their outs.
In short, those who simply tell others to “just draw the out” and “believe in the heart of the cards” without further elaboration should just have their souls banished to hell.
•••
The reason I was running late for the Duel Academy Senior High School Practical Admission Test was because my bike was trashed, run over by a black, expensive-looking car. Of course, I should've realised then and there that I wasn't meant to be part of Duel Academy. But I wasn't late yet and, despite the pain in my presumably broken leg, I ran anyway. It wasn't that I wanted to particularly go to Duel Academy, I was never really the type to enjoy Dueling even as a hobby. In fact, I already passed the Sobu Senior High School Entrance Exam. This was a mere formality. It was simply a way of showing myself that such petty tactics and feelings were useless and that everything I was needed to die. It was me saying goodbye to my youth.
Youth, after all, is a lie. It’s evil.
To those who are old, youth gives them the delusion of nostalgia. The idea that life was perfect back then, that if only they could turn back time then everything was going to be alright. Of course, this isn't true. The past was riddled with intense suffering and loneliness and a yearning for a better time. Yet the old delude themselves anyway. They believe in love and dreams and hope. Forgive them, they have forgotten.
To those who are young, youth gives them the delusion that is grandeur. The idea that one should seize the day, that the future has nothing but opportunities. Of course, this isn't true. The future is riddled with worries and uncertainty. Yet the young delude themselves anyway. They believe in love and dreams and hope. Forgive them, they don't know yet.
Truly, one must say farewell to youth as much as possible. The best moment, after all, is the present and, in the present, you are the oldest you’ll ever be.
After barely making it to registration, I entered Kaibaland Tokyo looking for the Advanced Duel Gym, the test centre for those entering the Advanced Format Track. I found it next to the Speed Duel Stadium and in front of the Turbo Duel Riding Hall.
The Advanced Duel Gym had ten Duel Fields which connected to form a larger, singular Duel Field. I went up the bleachers and sat near the back, at the good seats, looking across the Duel Fields. That’s when she caught my eye, Kaori Orimoto from my own junior high. Though, calling it my junior high was wrong. It was Orimoto’s school. She was the Ace Duelist, winning Duel after Duel and proclaiming to everyone that she would be the next Duel Queen. You would be infatuated with her. She played a Harpie Lady Deck, a Deck that is by no means good. At most it could end on Barrier Statue and stall for a bit, with the when effects really dragging it down. Of course, that was part of the appeal. In your folly, in your naivete, you would ask her out and the only outcome would arise. Of course she rejected you. It was as clear as Blue-Eyes bricking or HEROs getting more support. You applied for Duel Academy, because you wanted to go to the same senior high as her when you became her boyfriend, and now, to save face, because Duel Academy’s admission test records are all public, all you needed to do was fail. Something thousands of examinees do. An easily winnable game.
Anyway, I was watching Orimoto’s Duel. She had a Barrier Statue and Cyber Slash Harpie Lady up along with Harpies’ Hunting Ground and no backrow. The proctor… just activated Floowandereeze and the Magnificent Map! It was an unbalanced Duel. Undoubtedly deliberately engineered by the school in order to properly weed out those who aren't cut out for Duel Academy. It was a dirty trick, forcing us to send in the Deck list for our practical test. Though, I couldn’t blame the school. If you could still win against an unfavourable matchup, against impossible odds, then you could really call yourself the elite of the elite, a part of the top 10% of the top 10%.
It was brutal though. The proctor did the usual Floo combo and ended with an Empen, a set Dreaming Town, and a Raiza. Even if Orimoto was a huge jerk to you, no one deserved to be under a draw lock. She took both Empen and Raiza’s attacks. The top card of her deck was the Barrier Statue. If I were her, I would've surrendered and saved myself a lot of trouble and embarrassment. Though, surrendering a Duel is embarrassing in its own right. Duel Academy was full of idiots like that, people who believed in never giving up. Eventually, Orimoto set the Barrier Statue in her hand, which was bounced back to the top of her Deck with a second Raiza, and she lost the Duel.
She bowed her head. No doubt to hide her tears. That was the problem with Orimoto, even if she was a jerk to you, without even trying, she could make you care about her. Because despite everything, I knew for a fact those were real tears.
“Stupid,” I found myself muttering, “rigged Duel.”
“I agree, my fellow future Academy student,” a deep, cringe-inducing voice coming from right next to me said aloud. “All the decks the proctors use are designed to mess you up. My own proctor played a Prank-Kids Deck and had a There Can Be Only One face-up!”
I put my Duel Gazer on. It automatically connected to all the Duels in the area, allowing me to view public knowledge such as Life Point totals, hand sizes, and banished cards. Since we were in the middle of the admission tests, we could check the Duel Logs of past Duels. An unfair advantage for those arriving late but information gathering is a skill a good Duelist has. As I suspected, Orimoto’s proctor activated a Dimension Shifter at the beginning of her turn. All cards were banished. There was nothing she could've done. Not against the handtraps the proctor had.
“Ah! Forgive me! My name is Yoshiteru Zaimokuza! Yoshiteru as in the reincarnation of the great 13th shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate: Yoshiteru Ashikaga!!”
I took off my Duel Gazer and looked at him. He was chubby and had silver hair tied to a ponytail, black rectangular glasses, and a stupid brown longcoat. That's when it clicked. This person, Zaimokuza, was a chuuni freak! You had a phase like that, you dressed up all in black, proclaimed yourself to have magical powers, and swore the wrathful deities of heaven and hell were at your beck and call. That the light and darkness you controlled opened the gateway to chaos with you as their legendary warrior!
I almost died there.
I cleared my throat.
“Hachiman Hikigaya,” I told him.
“Hachiman?” He adjusted his glasses, that didn't need to be adjusted, with the tips of his fingers. “Hachiman as in the syncretic divinity of archery and war? As in the god of warriors? As in the shrine in Zaimokuza within the Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture: Moto Hachiman?!”
There was nothing wrong with what he said, technically speaking. Though, he chose to omit key aspects of the deity. “As in the god of agriculture and fishing,” I sarcastically added.
“This must be fate! We are honour bound to be together, Great God Hachiman!”
I physically cringed at that. “Just call me Hikigaya.”
“Hachiman!”
“Fine.”
“And you shall address me as the Great Shogun Yoshiteru.”
“Zaimokuza.”
“That is acceptable as well!”
“So you were bamboozled by the proctors too?” I asked him.
He nodded. “While not exactly countering my Deck, my proctor had used a Deck that was favourable against mine.”
“Plus the floodgate.”
He nodded. “It was a miracle I even won.”
I tapped his shoulder. “So you’re in,” I told him. “Congrats.”
“Judging by how you said that… you haven't had your Duel yet, Hachiman?”
I sighed. “Nope.”
“Well,” he told me, “I know your Deck will shine through! Your cards will listen to your heart!”
I laughed awkwardly as the announcer called my name and number, telling me I was at Duel Field 5. “Well,” I lied to him, “I’ll see you around.”
“May we be roommates at the Academy! Such is fate!”
“Right…”
I stood up to walk down to the Duel Fields when I saw Orimoto, eyes red, walk up to the good seats.
“Hikigaya…” she said aloud, looking at me. “Uh… good luck!” she quickly told me, flashing a smile.
“Thanks,” I told her, nodding slightly. “And there's always North Academy, right?”
I quickly walked down before I could see her reaction. You wouldn't believe what her red eyes and flashed smile could do. You were almost swept up in everything.
When I entered Duel Field 5, I put my Duel Gazer on and slotted the Deck Box containing my Deck into the Duel Disk on my arm. Across from me was a woman who appeared to be in her late thirties, wearing a white lab coat over her suit and tie. She also had a more traditional Duel Disk, one that still had a blade and physical zones not to mention a touchscreen, and an old school Duel Gazer that still needed glass.
“Good afternoon, kid,” she greeted me.
Kid? I wanted to tell her I was only a kid to people her age. Though, having lacked the courageous heart of a teenager, I simply bowed and introduced myself. “Good afternoon, Ma’am. Hachiman Hikigaya, Examinee 108318.”
“My name is Shizuka Hiratsuka, the Japanese language teacher and guidance counsellor at Duel Academy Island Senior High School.”
I wanted to ask why she even wore a lab coat but decided against it.
“Well, Hikigaya,” she told me, tapping on her Duel Disk’s touchscreen to send me a Duel request, “let’s start.”
I accepted the prompt that appeared as a hologram in front of me.
“Advanced Duel!” we both shouted.
“Examinees go first,” she told me.
I sighed. “I start my turn,” I announced, miming drawing a card as the Solid Vision system projected holograms of my starting hand in front of me along with my Life Points, the number of cards in my opponent’s hand, my opponent’s Life Points, whose turn it was, and the turn count. Ma’am physically drew five cards from her Deck.
Looking at the cards in front of me, I quickly selected one. “I activate Dark World Dealings,” I announced. “Both players draw one card then discard one.”
I mimed drawing a card, which added a card to the cards in front of me. Ma’am Hiratsuka’s card counter went up by one. I selected a card to discard and Ma’am physically discarded one as well, both going to the Graveyard at the same time. Her card counter went back down to five and new options appeared, allowing me to view both of our Graveyards.
“I discarded Ojamagic,” I announced.
“I discarded Magician of Black Chaos,” she told me.
It was an odd choice. This meant she was playing a Chaos Ritual Deck. Though, Magician of Black Chaos was worse than useless. It was a Non-Effect Ritual Monster, after all. Not that I should say anything about Non-Effect Monsters.
I shook my head and took a deep breath, continuing my turn. “Ojamagic’s effect activates,” I announced. “If it’s sent to the Graveyard from either my hand or field, I get to add the three Ojama Brothers.”
Her hand suddenly went down to four cards. “I respond with Droll and Lock Bird!” she declared, discarding the card.
I had to take a step back. “No effect to chain,” I admitted.
“Then the chain resolves.” I saw her smirk from the holographic video feed. “Due to Droll and Lock Bird’s special ability cards cannot be added to either player’s hand from the Main Deck.”
A table with baskets appeared before me as Droll and Lock Bird showed up and destroyed it.
I found myself clicking my tongue and selecting two cards. “I set a monster and a card face-down,” I told Ma’am. The Solid Vision system made the hologram of my face-down Ojama Blue appear as the platonic ideal of a Duel Monster, a blue horned humanoid with claws, while my set Ojama Pajama was simply a face-down card with the default card back. “I end my turn.”
“Then it’s my turn,” Ma’am told me, revealing a card in her hand. “During my Draw Phase, before I conduct my draw for turn, I reveal Black Luster Soldier - Legendary Swordsman and activate his special ability. Instead of drawing for turn I can add a Ritual Magic Card to my hand.” A card popped out of her Duel Disk, which she drew. “I add Advanced Ritual Art to my hand. I’ll move to my Standby then First Main Phase where I activate the Advanced Ritual Art I added to my hand. I offer the Level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my Main Deck as a sacrifice!”
A deep blue summoning circle appeared before Ma’am Hiratsuka, its various runes glowed as a Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared in the centre, enveloped by a green light and surrounded by eight blue flames.
“I Ritual Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon!”
Blue-Eyes White Dragon glowed a bright, blue light and transformed, revealing her new form. Her claws and light blue eyes glowed a neon blue as similarly coloured gems appeared all over her body. She stretched her white wings as their edges, the tips, started to fade into a neon blue light. With her majestic roar, the green light and summoning circle disappeared and Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon graced the field.
“Battle Phase!” Ma’am Hiratsuka declared, pointing at my set Ojama Blue. “Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon, attack his Set Monster!”
Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon roared, my set Ojama Blue flipped face-up, the platonic idea of a Duel Monster turned into a blue gremlin in red spandex briefs. But there was something wrong. Ojama Blue flipped up in…
“Attack?!” I gasped.
“Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon’s special ability!” Ma’am Hiratsuka explained. “If Blue-Eyes White Dragon was used as Ritual Material for her Ritual Summon, when she declares an attack then all my opponent's monsters change their battle position with both Attack and Defense Points dropping to zero then the difference between her Attack Points and your monster’s Defense Points are dealt to you as damage.”
It was pointless being in Defense then, I thought to myself.
Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon shot a Chaos Neutron Blast destroying my Ojama Blue. My Life Points went from 8000 to 5000.
“When Ojama Blue is sent to the Graveyard as a result of Battle, I get to add two Ojama Cards to my hand,” I announced. A holographic list of my deck appeared before me and I selected two. “I add Ojama Red and Ojama Country to my hand.”
Ma’am Hiratsuka smiled. “I end the Battle Phase.”
“During your Main Phase Two,” I declared, “I activate Ojama Pajama.” My Set Card flipped face-up to reveal the Continuous Trap. “I get to add an Ojama Card to my hand then I have to discard a card. I add Ojama Pink then discard it. When Ojama Pink is sent to the Graveyard from my hand or field, we both draw a card then discard a card.” After we both drew then selected a card to discard, I announced, “I discarded Ojamagic.”
Then Ma’am Hiratsuka announced, “I discarded Magician of Black Chaos MAX.”
A table appeared before me with the three Ojama Brothers popping in and out of the baskets in top. “When Ojamagic is sent to the Graveyard, I get to add the three Ojama Brothers to my hand.” The three cards appeared in my hand. “You may continue Main Phase Two,” I declared.
“Then I’ll move to End Phase and end my turn,” she told me.
“I draw for turn,” I declared. I had eight cards in hand but the problem with playing an Ojama Deck was that they were all mostly useless trash from the bottom.
“What’s wrong?” Ma’am Hiratsuka asked, crossing her arms. “You didn't draw the out?”
I glared. “I don't need luck,” I told her, selecting a card. “I summon Ojama Red. His effect activates allowing me to summon as many Ojama Monsters from my hand as possible.”
“I respond with Maxx C!”
“No effect to chain.”
“Chain resolution. Maxx C resolves first.”
“Now Ojama Red resolves and I summon Ojama Yellow, Green, Black, and Pink.”
“Because you special summoned, Maxx C’s special ability activates!”
“But, because it was considered a single summon, you only draw one card.” Though, if I kept summoning, then Ma’am Hiratsuka would keep drawing cards. Not that I had a choice. I had to take the Maxx C Challenge! “I set the Link Arrows with Ojama Red, Ojama Pink, and Ojama Black.”
A Link Circuit appeared on the ground, where the Left Extra Monster Zone is on my field. My three declared monsters turned into red light arcing across the field onto the three bottom Link Arrows of the Circuit.
“I Link Summon Ojama Emperor!”
A beam of honeycombed blue light burst from the Circuit as a purple gremlin wearing a white crown with red briefs and a white longcoat sitting on a golden throne appeared.
“Then I draw card,” Ma’am Hiratsuka declared.
“Since Ojama Pink was sent to the Graveyard,” I declared. “We both draw a card then discard one. I discarded Ojama Duo.”
“I discarded Dark Magician.”
“I activate Ojama Emperor’s effect to Special Summon the Ojama Black in my Graveyard.”
“I respond with Effect Veiler, targeting Ojama Emperor!”
“No effect to chain.”
“Chain resolution.”
Effect Veiler showed up and restrained Ojama Emperor with his wings.
“Ojama Emperor’s special abilities are negated until the end of the turn.”
I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at my hand. “I activate Polymerization! I fuse the Ojama Yellow and Ojama Green on my field.”
A blue swirling vortex appeared on the ground. Ojama Yellow and Ojama Green were pulled into it, stretching their bodies and turning them orange, forcibly ripping apart and combining their two bodies.
“I Fusion Summon Ojama Knight!”
In a flash of purple light, a gremlin in plate armour and red spandex briefs appeared with a dull, rusted sword and gleaming shield appeared. Two elderly Ojamas were drinking tea on her field, blocking her two leftmost zones.
“But a monster with zero Attack Points in Attack Mode?” Ma’am Hiratsuka asked me as she drew her card.
“Ma’am,” I said aloud, “I know you’re old but try to remember last turn.”
“OLD?!” she shouted before calming down and asking, “Last turn?” Then her eyes widened in realisation.
“I activate the Field Spell Ojama Country!” The ground turned into dirt roads as small huts and wind turbines materialised from the very earth below. “With Ojama Country,” I explained, “the Attack and Defense of all monsters are reversed as long as an Ojama is on the field.”
Ojama Knight’s Attack steadily increased to 2500 as his Defense decreased to 0, his shield rusted and dulled while his sword gleamed and sharpened. Simultaneously, Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon’s Attack steadily decreased to 0 while her Defense increased to 3000, the light dulled from her eyes and wings.
“Battle Phase!” I declared. “Ojama Knight attack Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon!”
Ojama Knight spun the sword in his hand and charged towards Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon, stabbing her straight through the heart and destroying her. Ma’am’s Life Points went from 8000 to 5500.
“Main Phase Two,” I announced. “I activate the effect of Ojama Pajama to add Ojamagic then discard it. I add the three Ojama Brothers due to Ojamagic. I set a card then I move to End Phase to end my turn.”
“I use Black Luster Soldier - Legendary Swordsman’s special ability to add Black Luster Ritual to my hand instead of drawing for turn.”
“Black Luster Ritual?!” I stared at her, unable to say anything else.
She smiled. “Standby then First Main Phase. I activate Harpie’s Feather Duster!”
“I chain Necro Fusion!” My Set Card flipped face-up.
“No response.”
“Then I continue the chain with Ojama Pajama!”
“No response.”
“Chain resolution. First, Ojama Pajama resolves, I add Ojama Duo then discard it. Next, Necro Fusion resolves. By banishing the Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black from my Graveyard face-down, I can fuse them together.”
The three Ojama Brothers appeared on my field as a dark blue swirling vortex appeared on the ground. Emerging from the vortex was a red horned demon and a black decaying dragon. They ripped the three Ojama Brothers apart and dragged their remains back into the vortex, forcibly combining them.
“I Fusion Summon Ojama King!”
In a flash of purple light, an ugly white egg with eye stalks wearing nothing but red briefs, one on his head and one normally, a green cape, and a dull yellow crown appeared on my field. The light blue aura indicated he was in Defense. The three Ojama Brothers appeared on her field, lazing about and blocking her remaining three zones.
“Finally,” Ma’am Hiratsuka told me, “Harpie’s Feather Duster resolves, destroying all Magic and Trap Cards on your field.”
A large duster appeared and sweeped my backrow, destroying everything. The huts and wind turbines broke apart and fell, sinking into the ground, as the ground slowly turned back into the Duel Field.
I smirked. “But Ma’am,” I told her. “Ojama Knight’s effect prevents two Main Monster Zones from being used and Ojama King’s effect prevents three Main Monster Zones from being used. Which means, all your Monster Zones are blocked. This is my surekill combo!”
She smirked back, faltering mine. “You’re a frog in a well,” she told me. “Ribbit ribbit,” she taunted.
“What do you mean?”
“And I actually liked your essay.”
I visibly cringed when she said that.
“You've already so elegantly shown everyone my out,” she said, staring into my very soul.
I didn't know what she was talking about.
“I activate Magicalized Fusion.”
My eyes widened. “Your Main Monster Zones have all been blocked…”
“But not my Extra Monster Zone,” she completed my sentence, her Left Extra Monster Zone popping out of her Duel Disk.
“But the Fusion Materia–”
“Are right here,” she explained, as Magician of Black Chaos, Droll and Lock Bird, Magician of Black Chaos MAX, Effect Veiler, and Dark Magician appeared on her field. “Thanks to all your discard effects, I have enough.”
I just stood there, watching the five Spellcasters draw a magic circle on the ground which transmuted itself, turning into a mirror with a golden frame and four purple crystal orbs on its cardinal points.
“I remove from play the five Spellcasters in my Graveyard in order to fuse them together!”
Dark Magician floated above the mirror as the remaining four Spellcasters stood by the purple crystal orbs. The runes on the mirror glowed as all five screamed in terror, their bodies being forcibly stretched, torn apart, and combined as they swirled into the mirror.
“I Fusion Summon Quintet Magician!”
In a flash of purple light, a deathly pale man with necrotic blue skin and long golden locks, clad in deep purple robes with golden trimmings, emerged from the mirror.
“Quintet Magician’s special ability! Since his materials were five Spellcasters with different names, he destroys all cards on your field!”
Quintet Magician clapped his hands together and pulled them apart, creating a purple staff with a yellow crystal on top. He waved it, turning the mirror used in his Fusion Summon into five yellow spell circles that corresponded to my five columns. With a snap of his finger, a flash of bright yellow light, and a bang, my entire field was empty.
“I’m not done,” Ma’am told me. “I activate Black Luster Ritual offering the Beginning Knight and Evening Twilight Knight in my hand as sacrifices!”
The Duel Field was cloaked in darkness. Then, engulfed in bright orange flames, Beginning Knight and Evening Twilight Knight appeared on her field. The fire illuminated two large, brown pots and a singular tile with a sword and shield motif between them.
“I Ritual Summon!”
The fire burned brighter turning from orange to yellow to white then finally blue, reducing the two knights into ash.
“The soul of beginnings shall become one with darkness as the soul of the evening twilight becomes one with the light!”
The two flames then rose, entering the pots and setting them ablaze, turning them into fireballs. The two then separated into eight and encircled the tile.
“From the rift of light and darkness, the gateway of chaos opens! Come forth! My favourite card! Black Luster Soldier!”
From the tile’s motif emerged, in a flash of blue light, a knight clad in deep blue armour with golden trimming holding a scimitar and shield.
The legendary swordsman himself descended before me.
My heart was beating fast.
I felt my breathing hasten.
My brain finally registered the signals my eyes and ears were sending.
I was staring down a Legendary Monster.
The original Ritual Monster.
“Battle Phase!”
What was this pain in my chest?
“Black Luster Soldier, direct attack!”
I shook my head.
“I activate the Ojama Duo in my Graveyard,” I announced. “I banish it to summon Ojama Blue and Ojama Pink from my Deck!”
“Replay occurs!” she announced. “Black Luster Soldier attack Ojama Pink!”
Black Luster Soldier sliced Ojama Pink in half, destroying him.
“Since Ojama Pink was sent to the Graveyard, we both draw and discard a card,” I announced. I drew Flash Fusion. A worthless card. But still better than… “I discarded Ojama Black,” I declared.
“I discarded Magician of Chaos.”
“The Battle Phase may continue.”
“Black Luster Solider, attack Ojama Blue!”
“How?!”
“Thanks to Beginning Knight’s special ability,” Hiratsuka explained. “Since he was used as Ritual Material, Black Luster Soldier can attack a second time if he destroys a monster.”
Black Luster Soldier beheaded Ojama Blue.
“Since Ojama Blue was destroyed by battle, I get to add Ojama Country and Ojama Delta Hurricane–”
It was then I realised my mistake.
“Quintet Magician,” Ma’am pointed at me, “attack Hikigaya!”
Quintet Magician twirled his staff, forming a large magic circle, from which a black ball of energy flew out and shot me bringing my Life Points from 5000 to 500. He crossed his arms.
“Second Main Phase,” Ma’am declared. “Because Evening Twilight Knight was used as Ritual Material, Black Luster Solider can remove from play a random card from your hand face-down until the end of your next turn.”
Black Luster Soldier pointed at the Ojama Green in my hand, clefting it in twain.
Ma’am Hiratsuka crossed her arms. “End Phase. I end my turn.”
I took deep breaths.
Looking at the field, I understood my real priorities.
I looked at the cards in my hand.
Ojama Yellow.
Ojama Delta Hurricane.
Ojama Country.
Flash Fusion.
None of them would help me against Quintet Magician: both of his Attack and Defense are 4500 and he can't be Tributed, used as Fusion Material, or destroyed.
This was it.
I was about to say good-bye to my youth, good-bye to my delusions.
“What's wrong?” Ma’am asked.
Why was I staring at the ground?
“It’s your turn.”
I looked at her.
“Or have you lost the fighting spirit?”
What was that pain in my chest?
“Well, at the bottom does lie the bottom.”
I placed my fingers on top of my deck.
Why were my fingers trembling?
Why could I feel the entirety of my body shake?
Oh.
It was in anticipation.
Because I was riding all of my potential in this…
“Draw!” I screamed against the heavens.
I smirked.
“I activate Faustian Bargain!”
“Faustian Bargain?” Ma’am Hiratsuka asked, uncrossing her arms and taking a step back.
“I target Quintet Magician!” I declared, pointing at the Special Summoned Monster.
His body mass started growing and his eyes merged into one as his skin turned a sickly green and eyes blood red. Crouching over, covering his head, spikes grew on his back. He howled in pain as his mouth ripped apart and fangs started growing.
Then he silently stood up and raised both of his arms. A soft, yellow light appeared in his hands.
“I send Quintet Magician to the Graveyard and Special Summon Ojama Yellow!”
Ojama Yellow emerged from the light and stood proudly on my field in Attack as the transformed Quintet Magician melted into the floor.
“What a play, kid!” Ma’am said aloud. “Quintet Magician’s special ability prevents him from being sacrificed, used as Fusion Material, or destroyed but doesn't protect him from being directly sent to the Graveyard!” Her expression hardened. “But you still don't have enough to take out Black Luster Soldier.”
“You’re right Ma’am, a loser, on their own, can't do anything. And what lies at the bottom is the bottom. But what lies at the bottom also lies on top! And there are great heights you can only see from the bottom! I activate the Ojama Duo in my Graveyard! I Special Summon from my Deck, Ojama Green and Ojama Black!”
The two appeared on my field in Attack.
“What good will your fragile losers do you?” she asked. “They're nothing more than Normal Monsters.”
“The three Ojama Brothers are just Normal Monsters with no Attack. But these loser brothers are strong together thanks to their brotherly love,” I told her. “I activate Ojama Delta Hurricane!! The three Ojama Brothers, show Ma’am what a group of losers can do together! Destroy Black Luster Soldier!”
Ojama Yellow and Ojama Black got on their knees as Ojama Green flew up. Their hands formed a purple-white triangle from which emerged a hurricane of yellow, green, and black energy surrounded by streaks of blue, red, and pink obliterating Black Luster Soldier.
“Now! I activate Ojama Country!”
The field changed back to a world where losers have a fighting chance.
“Battle Phase! Ojama Black, Ojama Green, and Ojama Yellow, all of you, attack Ma’am directly!”
The three Ojamas shakily ran forward and punched Ma’am together.
Her Life Points went from 5500 to 2500.
“But I still have Life Points and a guaranteed Ritual Summon next turn,” Ma’am Hiratsuka told me. “I’ll be sure to have Black Luster Soldier - Legendary Swordsman slice your fleeting dreams in half.”
“Are you sure about that?” I asked her, my heart beating fast.
“Let me teach you a lesson about this unchanging world: a Duel is won before it’s even started.”
I knew that already. So… “Let me ask you a question, Ma’am. How does one change an unchanging world?”
Her eyes widened as a smile crept onto her face. “How?” she responded.
I actually smiled. “You become the king of a new one!” I took a deep breath and activated the last card in my hand. “Flash Fusion!”
“That card…” she said aloud.
“Is a Quick-Play Spell that allows me to Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster using monsters on my field as Fusion Materials,” I completed her sentence.
“Then!” Her eyes widened.
“I fuse the three Ojama Brothers on my field!”
A green and orange swirling vortex with a purple centre appeared on my field.
“Enough specks of dust can create a mountain. Three heads are better than one. The three worthless brothers gather together to become stronger.”
The three Ojama Brothers were pulled into it, stretching their bodies and turning them a light blue, forcibly ripping apart and combining their bodies.
“I Fusion Summon! Show yourself and become the king of a new world! My very soul! Ojama King!”
In a flash of purple light, Ojama King appeared on my field, his two hands were up in v-signs as his cape bellowed in the wind.
“Go Ojama King! Attack Ma’am Hiratsuka!”
Ojama King flexed, revealing a six-pack with large biceps and sizeable gams.
“My dreams may betray me,” I told her, “but hard work always wins in the end!”
Ojama King began running towards Ma’am Hiratsuka.
“Surekill! Flying Belly Flop Drop!”
Ojama King jumped into the air and dropped onto Ma’am Hiratsuka, belly first.
Her Life Points went down to 0.
The Solid Vision disappeared as I released a breath I didn't know I was holding and realised the mistake I just made.
“Congratulations,” Ma’am Hiratsuka said, walking up to me.
No, I wanted to say.
“You won and the details of your Dueling were splendid,” she told me, offering her hand.
This is a mistake, I wanted to tell her.
“As your proctor, I’ll be recommending you to the acceptance committee,” she declared, shaking my hand.
Please don't bother. You’ll just be taking a slot away from someone who actually wants it, I wanted to beg.
Instead, all I said was, “Thank you, Ma’am,” as my vision blurred, remembering I was practically hit by a car earlier that day.
My eyes wandered, setting themselves at the bleachers. Zaimokuza was there, shouting something and giving a thumbs up. Next to him was Orimoto, her eyes wide and mouth agape. I noticed a familiar looking person with short, brown hair tied in a side bun right below them. And, at the very top, I spotted a glimpse of a girl with icy blue eyes, hair blacker than night, and beautiful skin like freshly fallen snow glaring at me. But my eyes focused on the guy sitting next to her, looking at her. He had blonde hair and a smile that made me forget the pain. He was undoubtedly incredibly handsome and definitely popular. Silently, I cursed him, telling him to go ahead and be banished to hell, as I collapsed.