Italics indicate thinking
Yuki's POV
"What's the problem?" I sighed walking passed the card shop to see a huge commotion.
"There's a bit of a commotion around the tickets for the deck exhibition." The store clerks told me "There's only one ticket left so the last two are dueling for it."
"Haa…I see." I sighed "Guys I went through a lot of trouble to get this exhibition allowed, so please don't make too much of a fuss."
I had pulled some strings with some old friends and managed to get Yugi's old deck on display, frankly I owe him a lot for letting me do this, but so many of the students look up to him that I had to try and get it here.
I looked up to see who was still dueling, it was Syrus and Dimitri, a student from my dorm that I was all too familiar with. Dimitri is a serious Cookie-Cutter duelist, he's obsessed with the idea that he can only be strong by copying a strong deck and not learning on his own.
Case and point was right now when Dimitri was using a carbon copy of Crowler's Ancient Gear Deck, since he had no real way of doing it except copying strategies he lost to Syrus, someone who was far more adaptable.
"Haa…" I sighed a bit "Alright shows over back to class!"
Everyone mumbled and went on their way.
"You tried Dimitri but you still just don't quite understand what it takes to be the best duelist you can be." I sighed as the loser left "You're a bright boy, you just have to really apply yourself to a deck that's important to you."
I went about my day for a while teaching and filing out some stuff while checking on the exhibit. Soon though it was nightfall.
"Let's give the exhibition hall one more look over then head to bed." I yawned.
"Sounds good." Cleopatra floated behind me.
I headed into the hall and opened the door, only to find about five people in there, Crowler, Jaden, Syrus, Chumley and Bastion.
"What the hell are you morons doing?" I groaned "You know what don't say anything I don't wanna know."
"Yuki…where is Yugi's deck?" Cleopatra asked.
"Huh?" I looked passed them all and saw the case was smashed open "GRR!"
I glared sharply at all of them "Who has the deck?!"
They all rapidly pointed at one another.
"It was gone when we got here I swear!" Jaden said.
"Please I can't get nearly expelled again!" Syrus begged.
"Tsk." I hissed a bit "You better find it before morning, or I'm expelling you four and Crowler's getting fired got it!"
I stormed out.
"What should we do?" Cleopatra asked.
"We find the cards and whoever stole them." I growled "Yugi leant us his deck I'm not letting some punk steal it for kicks!"
It didn't take me too long to follow a few rumblings and find it.
"DIMITRI!" I snapped stepping onto the rocky shore "Gimme back the deck and I'll think about not giving you detention till you're my age!"
"And if I refuse."
"REFUSE?!" Cleopatra jumped in "You little-."
"GRR!" I took back in control "You're not supposed to come out in front of students you know."
"This is the ultimate deck I've been looking for." He said "I've done my research, I can 100 percent reproduce Yugi Muto's dueling. I won't ever lose again."
I looked behind me and saw the students had caught up to me, not to mention Syrus had just lost trying to get the deck back.
"Syrus, gimme you're duel disk." I told him.
"Yes Ma'am." He handed me the device.
"If you insist you can't lose then you duel me." I glared "When I win you're giving me the deck back."
"This is still Yugi's deck, be careful." Cleopatra warned me.
"I'll be fine." I told her "We've dueled Yugi before."
"And we lost." She told me.
"It was a battle royal that barely counts as a lost." I said.
"Who's she talking to?" Jaden asked.
"It's nothing!" I yelled.
"DUEL!"
"I'm going first." I drew a card "I summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier in attack mode."
Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier: LVL 4 ATK 1500 DEF 1000
"One face down then I end my turn." I glared.
"I draw!" Dimitri smirked "I start with this Magic Card Field Barrier!"
"Field barrier!" Cleopatra and I both gasped.
"With this no one can play any new Field Spell cards." He said.
"So much for getting Necrovalley on the field and quarantining his Graveyard." I hissed.
"And strengthening our monsters." Cleo added.
"I then play the card Polymerization to fuse Gazelle King of Mythical Beasts with Berformet and summon Chimera the Mythical Flying Beast!"
Chimera the Mythical Flying Beast: LVL 6 ATK 2100 DEF 1800
"A monster like that on turn one?" I gulped.
"Destroy her spear soldier!" he yelled.
"GRR!" I hissed as I took 600 Damage and lost my monster "I trigger my trap, Pyramid of Light!"
I drew a card and looked at my hand as a golden pyramid formed behind us.
"Play these." Cleopatra pointed.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Hmph." She smirked.
"Okay, I pay 500 life points in order to special summon Sphinx Teleia from my hand!"
I was now down to 2900 life but had a strong womanly sphinx on my field.
Sphinx Teleia: LV 10 ATK 2500 DEF 3000
"Destroy Chimera!" I yelled dealing 400 damage.
"Chimera's effect activates and I'm allowed to resummons a piece of it, Berformet!"
"I end my turn." I said playing one more face down card.
"I activate Monster Reincarnation!" Dimitri discarded a card to revive Gazelle.
He's not gonna fuse them, again is he?
"Next I'll play Swords of Reveling Light to seal your attacks for three turns." He laughed "I also set one card."
"Tsk." I grumbled a bit.
"I draw, I summon Gravekeeper's Nobleman in Defense mode!"
Gravekeeper's Nobleman: LVL 3 ATK 1000 DEF 1000
"I end the turn."
"Heh." Dimitri smirked "I sacrifice Berformet and Gazelle to summon a level seven monster, Dark Magician!"
Dark Magician: LVL 7 ATK 2500 DEF 2000
"Crap." I hissed looking at the monster.
"I then play the spell Dedication through Light and Darkness!" he slapped a spell down "I tribute Dark Magician to summon Dark Magician of Chaos!"
An even cruder version of Yugi's favorite card appeared.
Dark Magician of Chaos: LVL 8 ATK 2800 DEF 2600
"Since I summoned Dark Magician of Chaos I can add a spell form my grave to my hand, in this case I'll choose Monster Reincarnation, now destroy Sphinx Teleia."
"GAH!" I hissed taking 300 more damage, I was already down to 2600 life points.
I need to do something.
"I draw…and play Pot of Greed!"
I drew two cards then ended my turn with a face down monster and Trap.
"I summon Kuriboh!" and then had Dark Magician of Chaos attack Gravekeeper's Nobleman!"
"TSK!" I hissed a bit.
"When Gravekeeper's Nobleman is destroyed I can summon another Gravekeeper from my deck in face down defense mode." I played a card.
"I play a face down card and end my turn." Dimitri said.
"I go and flip summon Gravekeeper's Guard!" I smiled "It's flip effect activates and I can send one of your monsters back to your hand, I choose Dark Magician of Chaos!"
"Heh." Dimitri sneered.
"I then play Gravekeeper's Descendant and use his effect to tribute my Gravekeeper's Guard and destroy one card on the field, your Swords of Reveling Light!"
Gravekeeper's Descendant: LVL 4 ATK 1500 DEF 1200
"Now destroy Kuriboh!" I smiled.
"I activate Multiply!" Dimitri laughed "It summons Kuriboh tokens to fill my field!"
"That blasted card." I grumbled "I end my turn."
"I draw, I activate Card of Sanctuary." Dimitri said "We both draw will we have six cards."
"Right." I drew.
"I drew Watapon so I can activate it's effect and special summon it from my hand, but I'll tribute it right away to summon this card!" he slapped it down "Dark Magician Girl!"
Dark Magician Girl: LVL 6 ATK 2000 DEF 1700
"Hmm!" she winked at me.
"She gets 300 attack points for each Dark Magician in the Graveyard." He explained "So she has 2300."
"Attack Gravekeeper's Descendant!" he told her.
"GYAAA!" I hissed as my life dropped to 2100
"We're in a bad spot." I hissed as I started my turn "This card could solve it, I play Dark Hole to destroy every card on the field!"
I blew away every last defense.
"Then I play Gravekeeper's Commandant."
Gravekeeper's Commandant: LVL 3 ATK 1000 DEF 1500
A muscular man with an Anubis shaped helmet appeared.
"Hmph." I smiled "Attack him directly!"
"GAH!" Dimitri took the most damage he had in a while.
"I end my turn with a face down." I said.
"I draw." Dimitri smiked "Hmph."
"What?"
"I remove Kuriboh and Watapon from play to meet the summoning conditions for a special monster.
"What?!" I gasped.
The only card you summon that way is…
"Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning!"
Black Luster Soldier Envoy of the Beginning : LVL 8 ATK 3000 DEF 2500
"Attack Grave Keeper's Commandant!"
"GAH!" I yelled as my life dropped to 100 points.
"Black Luster's effect activates when he destroys a monster so he can attack again!" He yelled "You're finished."
"Negate Attack!" I yelled flipping a trap "You're battle phase is over now!"
"Hmm." Dimitri glared "I end my turn. You only live one more turn, you have no hope of stopping me."
"I'll fight to the end. The cards in that deck aren't yours and that's why you're going to lose!" I yelled holding my hand up "My deck is my own and that's why I will win!"
I pulled my card up.
Give it to me…
"Heh." I smirked "Game over, I summon Gravekeeper's Priestess!"
Gravekeeper's Priestess: LVL 3 ATK 1000 DEF 1500
"Then I play the Creature Swap Spell!" I smiled "We each pick a creature and trade for the turn, since we only have one each we're swapping my Priestess for your Black Luster Soldier!"
"Hmm." The monster looked at me.
"No!" he gasped.
"I attack my Priestess!" I yelled.
Sorry about this.
"AHH!" I dealt damage to Dimitri and then followed up with another attack.
"I win!" I threw my hand up.
"I…lost." Dimitri fell to his knees "I couldn't even win with this powerful deck. I really have no talent."
"That's not true." I looked at him.
"Yuki…" Cleopatra said.
"You can all stop hiding now." I looked back and saw we had a lot of students watching us "It's super embarrassing to duel in front of all you guys, and nearly lose too. But I'm sure you all wanted to see Yugi's deck in action so I won't punish anyone for being out so late."
I laughed a bit "But this does have something good I want to talk about with all of you, so listen."
"It was an amazing duel." They all said.
"But I still lost." Dimitri frowned "Why?"
"This is what I wanted to talk to t you all about." I faced the students "There is something every duelist needs, you have to believe in yourself and your cards. Yugi's deck is strong but it was made by him for him. That's why Dimitri lost this duel. When you put in time and effort you'll be able to believe in your deck with all your heart. Feelings like that are what can keep you fighting till the last turn no matter what. Had I fought Yugi here I would have lost because he wouldn't have let up until the very end because he would have trusted his deck to give him the right card when he needed it. Bringing out the power of your deck is something only you can do, I want you to all walk away remembering this one lesson. Drawing and deck structure isn't all luck."
I looked up at the students on the cliffs "A truly powerful duelist can shape the outcome of a duel. They can even generate the very card that they need to draw! Believe in your deck at all costs, and never give up!"
"Now it's late, everyone get back to your dorms." I laughed.
"In the end after all this time we're still learning from Yugi it seems." Cleopatra laughed.
"There's a reason he's the greatest." I smiled.
AN
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Till Next Time!
