Yuki Judai couldn't believe he had scored just enough points to pass his entrance exams into Duel Academy. Ever since he was a child, he had always dreamed of being a pro duelist and following in the steps of his father, Yuki Katsu. 'My father is the best! There's no one in the whole world who can beat him!' Judai thought as he worked on his deck for the tenth time that day. He was sitting on the floor alone in his room, where he usually spent his time at home. His invitation to the academy was lying idly on his bed. Judai could barely control the excitement building up within him.
Tomorrow was the day he would start his education at Duel Academy, hopefully landing himself a place in the highest dueling ranks. Itching for a duel, Judai quickly put his deck back together and rushed downstairs to his parents, who were watching the news together. Putting on his complimentary Duel Disk, Judai exclaimed, "Sorry to interrupt, father, but I challenge you to a duel!" A small grin formed on his father's face.
"Are you sure you want to do that now? Losing to me might not do good for your confidence at school…" Yuki Katsu joked as he reached for his own Duel Disk, which he kept near his side at all times. Leading Judai outside, Katsu stood on the far side of the backyard, shuffled his deck, and set his LP to 4000. As Judai prepared himself, Katsu called, "This will be a normal 4000-LP duel. Whoever runs out of LP first loses, got it, Judai?" Judai rolled his eyes in annoyance. 'Of course I know that! Duh!'
Once everything was ready, both Judai and Katsu drew five cards and began their duel. Judai got to make the first turn. Drawing his sixth card, Judai exclaimed, "I set a card facedown and summon Geo-Kamen (Atk/1000 Def/1000) in defense mode! I then end my turn!" The monster card Geo-Kamen resembled that of a cliché superhero youngster normally seen in old American cartoons. Katsu just shrugged and drew a card, beginning his own turn. 'You're not a little kid anymore, Judai. Stop depending on such cartoony monsters…'
"First, I play a spell card: 'Polymerization'! I fuse two monster cards in my hand, E-Hero Avian (Atk/1000 Def/1000) and E-Hero Bubbleman (Atk/800 Def/1200), to create Elemental Hero Sailorman (Atk/1400 Def/1000), who I have attack and destroy Geo-Kamen! Now, I summon E-Hero Sparkman (Atk/1600 Def/1400) and attack you directly!" Judai let out a cry as his LP was knocked down from 4000 to 2400. Finally, Katsu set two cards and ended his turn.
Judai: 2400 LP, Katsu: 4000 LP
Judai grimaced as he drew a card. He didn't expect to take so much damage so quickly! 'Argh…I can't lose so easily!' he thought angrily as he drew a card. "Alright! I now decide to activate my facedown card! It's 'Healing Sacrifice'! By sacrificing one monster from my hand, which I choose to be Emerald-Kamen (Atk/1000 Def/1800), I regain the same amount of LP as half of the sacrificed monster's attack points, so my LP is brought up to 2900! I then summon Diamond-Kamen (Atk/1800 Def/1200) in attack mode, which activates its effect! I can special summon one Ruby-Kamen (Atk/1700 Def/1300) onto the field from my deck! I now have Diamond-Kamen destroy E-Hero Sailorman and I have Ruby-Kamen destroy E-Hero Sparkman! End turn!"
At this point, Katsu only had two cards facedown on his field and 3500 LP left. As Katsu drew a card, he thought, 'Hmm…Judai's Kamen deck isn't half-bad. It is very powerful, but…using this deck will only keep him from truly becoming an adult. I want you to realize that, my son!' Looking down at his hand, Katsu realized he might just be able to end this duel now. He only pondered on it for a moment before deciding his answer on what to do next.
"First, I summon E-Hero WildHeart (Atk/1500 Def/1600) in attack mode! I then activate one of my facedown cards: 'Soul Union'! I can increase the attack power of one monster on my field with the power of an E-Hero in my graveyard! So, I combine WildHeart's power with that of Sparkman's, bringing its attack up to 3100! I then use my other facedown card: 'Hellish Rebellion'! By giving up half my LP (Katsu: 1750 LP) and all the cards in my hand, I destroy all the cards on your side of the field! I then…attack you directly!"
Judai let out a painful cry as WildHeart slashed against his body, knocking his LP all the way down to 0. He had been completely overwhelmed by his opponent. Falling to his knees, Judai sighed. He felt like crying, but he couldn't show such feelings of defeat. 'I…I had just really hoped I was going to win this time…' he thought sadly. Walking over to his son, Katsu lifted Judai up off the ground and exclaimed, "Do not feel upset, my son. Your journey into the world of pro dueling has just begun! Tomorrow…you will be an official student at Duel Academy! Don't let me down, son!"
Putting on a smile, Judai sniffled a bit and exclaimed, "Don't worry, dad…I won't let you down! Ever! I won't let mom down either! I won't let my uncle down! I won't let Mr. Mutou down! I won't let that mean old man next door down! I won't let-"
"Okay, that's enough, Judai. Let's just go inside. I have a gift for you…" Katsu said as he headed into the house. The gift Katsu was talking about…was the arm bracelet he had worn at his very first match in the big leagues. Judai knew that he had to wear it with pride; after all, the kanji of his family name was stitched into it.
Thrusting his fists into the air, Judai shouted, "ALRIGHT! I CAN'T WAIT…FOR DUEL ACADEMY!"