Nakamura Tsubasa left the field screaming.
After his first-round prelim victory—Yugen was pleased with his performance. He'd once again taught someone the true essence of Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Surely, after reviewing the match, Nakamura would gain valuable insight and ultimately thank him.
Day one saw Yugen play several matches at a relentless pace. The Moonlight Cup wasn't a high-ceiling event, attracting a flood of participants. Prelims ran simultaneously across multiple fields, streamlining the schedule.
Nothing surprised him. No big-name characters appeared in his prelim matchups, and based on the anime, ordinary duelists outside the protagonist's circle were generally mediocre. He hadn't seen any standout decks yet.
Still, Yugen didn't underestimate them. After the day's matches, he reviewed other games, getting a feel for the advancing players.
Though he was unlikely to lose to most, he played it safe. As the art of war says, "Know yourself and your enemy, and you'll win every battle." Even more so in Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Understanding an opponent's deck, playstyle, and making pre-match adjustments could drastically boost win rates.
The dojo had given him a pre-tournament subsidy to upgrade his deck, which he accepted without hesitation. With the budget, he refined his strategy, frantically buying cards over the past few days to assemble a few more fun, competitive decks.
"Hand Destruction" might've been a world champion deck, but relying solely on it in this anime world was impractical. Once opponents caught on, he'd be an easy target—something he wanted to avoid.
So, he hit the market, cobbling together two or three decks he thought were strong and entertaining based on available cards.
He swapped decks and adjusted builds to match opponents' tactics, keeping his approach versatile and unpredictable. This gave him a matchup edge while making him harder to counter.
...
Master Takeuchi brewed a coffee, sinking into a soft sofa under the afternoon sun. He casually flipped through the latest Duelist Times.
Published by Kaiba Corporation, Duelist Times covered dueling news and oddities.
Busy with family matters, he hadn't attended his students' matches. Still, he'd heard both the participating dojo students passed the first day of prelims, which warmed his heart.
Opening the paper, he found a report on the Moonlight Cup prelims:
[Moonlight Cup Prelims: Near Assault on Opposing Duelist]
[A contestant lost control mid-duel, furiously attempting to harm their opponent but was stopped. This resulted in the assailant's disqualification.]
"Hmm?"
Curious, Master Takeuchi read on.
This sort of thing happens?
Duelists' manners were slipping—losing and resorting to violence showed a lack of basic dignity.
The brief report used aliases to protect privacy: "Kento" and "Tomoki."
Further down:
[Moonlight Cup Day 3: Contestant Shota (Alias) Suffers a Hemorrhagic Stroke Mid-Duel Against Kento (Alias). Timely Rescue; Shota Now Stable.]
Dueling can cause a brain bleed?
The master was shocked. This year's Moonlight Cup is wild.
Wait…
He noticed something. Both incidents involved an opponent named "Kento." Could it be the same person?
Once could be a fluke, but twice…
What if the opponent was that guy?
He recalled dueling Yugen a few days ago, his blood pressure mysteriously rising as the match progressed.
A bad feeling crept in.
No way it's that coincidental, right?
...
Three days later:
"Quarterfinals already?"
The ticket came so easily that Yugen felt a bit unsatisfied.
As expected, this tournament's level was average—mostly "local experts." He wondered if the quarterfinals would ramp up.
Watching Yugen breeze through with a regretful look, Koji felt the urge to punch something.
Unlike Yugen, who bulldozed his way to the quarterfinals like a cheater, Koji was knocked out on day two.
With no matches left, he lingered near his dojo junior, sourly spectating.
The silver lining? He'd been eliminated before facing that monster, sparing him public torment.
Now, he could front-row watch others get crushed.
After observing his junior's opponents' expressions, as if their blood pressure had spiked, Koji felt a strange sense of familiarity, recalling his own similar experience.
It filled him with confusing... delight.
Humans are such contradictory creatures.
"By the way, Junior, did you check your quarterfinal matchup?" Koji asked eagerly. "Who's your opponent?"
He couldn't wait to see the next victim step up.
"Oh, it's a student from Duel Academy's middle school division," Yugen said.
"Chazz Princeton."
...
"Big Bro Chazz is insanely strong!"
Chazz Princeton, lounging on a sofa with his legs crossed, basked in the flattery of his two lackeys.
As the third son of the prestigious Princeton Group, he topped the middle school elite class and was exempt from exams, guaranteeing his entry into Duel Academy's high school division—an absolute prodigy.
Raised as a dueling elite, his family had a plan: one brother for business, one for politics, and him to rule the dueling world as a future Duel King, the group's pillar.
It sounded laughable next to his brothers' paths, but look at Seto Kaiba—dueling trumped commerce or politics in this world.
Chazz had competed in countless tournaments since childhood, amassing trophies and medals galore.
The Moonlight Cup was another family directive—his final training before entering Duel Academy's high school division.
Like always, his brothers' orders were clear: compete to win.
To the family, second place was failure. A tournament without ranking first was meaningless.
But this time, even he felt pressure.
Among the contestants was Rex Raptor —the former national runner-up who'd dueled Joey Wheeler!
'Can I really beat a legend like that?'
Chazz rubbed his fingers, staring at the floor, lost in thought.
"By the way, Big Bro's quarterfinal opponent—I've never heard of him. Fujiki Yugen? Is he a newbie?"
"Huh?"
Chazz snapped back, checking the info.
Duelist rank… 1-star?
He double-checked, thinking he'd misread.
One star? A rookie among rookies? In a tournament? In the quarterfinals??
His tournament history and honors were blank.
"A total nobody," Lackey A scoffed. "How'd a guy like that stumble into the quarterfinals?"
"Maybe luck?" Lackey B suggested.
"Even with luck, getting this far takes some skill…"
Regardless, reaching the quarterfinals in a debut tournament meant he wouldn't stay one-star post-event.
"Could be one of those breakout dark horses—rare talent types," Lackey B mused. "But against Big Bro, he's toast either way."
"Makes sense."
Lackey A nodded, chuckling.
"Poor guy, though. Running into Big Bro so soon. Looks like his run ends at the quarterfinals."
Chazz smirked silently, aiming for a cool, expert vibe, but his upturned lips and instinctive lean-back betrayed his smugness.
He didn't speak, but he agreed with his lackeys.
Fujiki Yugen? Never heard of him.
Even if he's a dark horse, it's his first tournament. What, you gonna take out the Duel Academy's middle school elite class' No. 1?