A/N: The following text was included with the original release:

[Episode II Comments: No, that isn't much of an epilogue. Wait an eppy; numero trois will explain all, and also begin the story of two major characters we introduced a while ago but never really brought up. Neither of those is the enigmatic Shizuka Akihara, mind; you'll have to wait a while longer for that. Sorry.

Also, moar foreshadowing!]

Masaru Takemasa (originally Hinatsu, but c'mon, we need variety) is actually much better - and three-dimensional - than he looks; Daigo just got very, very lucky. For the record, these Duels are done legitimately, with random shuffles of forty-card Decks; thus, I only control the outcome, not the process. I won't settle for something that boring in the future unless I really need a curb stomp, though.

Game II: Hi, I'm Going to Be Your Family This Year

King's Duel Academy is established on a remote artificial island in the Pacific.

In preparation for the new semester, which begins this fall...

...the students who passed through the entrance gates have been assembled.

One of the first things that struck Daigo Harukawa about the academy complex was how bright everything was.

Though the whole island was still quite forested, the muted teal of the trees seemed only a backdrop for the four great buildings that dominated the landscape. Three of them were easily identified by their vivid colours — the red, yellow, and blue dormitories for the students of Osiris, Ra, and Obelisk. The building in the centre, then, must have been the main academy, with its glass dome of a ceiling and four golden obelisks surrounding it. With the morning sun shining down on it, the whole island looked vivid and alive, in one way or another.

This was ironic, since the whole thing was artificial. It was eerie to think the trees and shrubs were growing on soil transported from the far corners of the world, but there they were.

"That's amazing, isn't it?"

Sachiko Natsuki had sought him out after her exam — he'd bombed it rather more quickly, his Deck not at all equipped to face the sort of defence presented by the proctors — and sat next to him on both the bus to the airport and the plane to Duel Academy. Apparently, his presence was comforting.

"I know, right?" Daigo smiled, letting his awe show. "And to think the whole island is artificial..."

"Huh?" Apparently, Sachiko hadn't known this. "B-but the forest, and —"

It was very rare that Daigo got the chance to explain something; more often than not, he was the one being explained to. Naturally, he seized the opportunity when it came around. "Well, the plants are real and stuff, but the soil is collected and imported from other places. Other countries build islands like this, too." In fact, he only knew of one such country — Octavian Island, built by the government on New Albion, had triggered the war that led to New Albion's assimilation by the neighbouring United Kingdom, and had thus been advertised worldwide on the news for several months. But if Japan was bothering to put a Duel Academy on their precious artificial island, Daigo supposed that America and Germany, the countries that currently dominated the Duelling scene, must have built artificial islands as well.

"That's really amazing..." Sachiko looked rather like an awestruck toddler.

A loud ping interrupted the redhead's reverie; the PA system aboard the plane had activated. "Hello, everyone," the hôtesse de l'air said in crisp, enunciated tones. "As you can see, we've reached King's Duel Academy. On landing, we request that all students report to the main academy building, surrounded by the four large obelisks, and follow all instructions given there. Thank you for your attention and good luck during the coming year."

As the PA system shut off, the plane began its decline towards the academy.

/

"Eh, figures..."

Daigo reluctantly took the scarlet nametag from the older girl's hand.

He really hadn't done all that badly on his Duel, especially considering how his opponent's Deck seemed specialized to beat his, but then again, the girl that had greeted them had said that the written exams counted for most of the sorting, and he knew he'd bombed that. So here he was, stuck with Osiris Red as a dormitory.

The uniforms the students would be wearing still had to be selected, sewn, and shipped, along with the black-and gold nametags customary for Duel Academy students. For now, then, "trial nametags" were being distributed, with gold text and a background the same colour as the dormitory in which the student would live. A little booth had been set up in the academy's lobby for the distribution of these nametags; Daigo was now at the front of the line, interfacing with the receptionists.

"It's fine," the girl smiled. "Our school isn't as elitist as other Duel Academies; you'll still have a great time."

An even older blonde next to her added, "There are inter-dorm tournaments anyway, so you can enjoy those."

Daigo blinked. "Eh, how'd you know...?"

"I was one of the student judges," she smiled. "So what uniform style did you want...?"

Though any respectable Japanese school would have a uniform, King's catered to foreign students as well by having a large selection of uniform styles, ranging from vests to the sort of long coat you'd expect a spy or criminal to be wearing. The catalogue of available styles was opened on the large desk from which these students conducted the sorting ceremony; here, Daigo would select which style he'd be wearing during the year.

He brushed a bit of hair out of his eyes as he bent to examine the uniforms. Everything on this page seemed too formal, he frowned. The next page was even worse, populated entirely by long coats. He flipped two pages back... There was something; a light jacket with jeans.

"This'll be good." He smiled as he looked up; he'd look excellent in that.

"Gotcha..." This time, it was a young man that took down his choice. "What density of black markings do you want?"

The first girl to speak slapped the boy. "Ow..." he muttered, rubbing his cheek.

"Mm, black markings... Is it possible to get just a rim around the cuffs and down the middle?"

"Of course." The boy smiled awkwardly up at him. "Harukawa Daigo, number... twenty-three-M-A. Good luck," he said cheerfully.

"Thanks," Daigo replied with all the happiness he could muster. Then he stepped aside and let the next person step up to the line.

As Daigo left, he heard the boy add, "What was that for?"

"Using that phrase on a Red, honestly..." the girl hissed back.

Daigo chuckled; they certainly seemed to have an interesting dynamic going on. "So now I guess I have to find the dorms..." he muttered to himself."Shouldn't be hard, I could see 'em from the air."

Somehow, he felt as if some burden was being lifted from him as he spoke. It'd be better if I had someone to talk to, but... Sachiko had vanished on him; he was on his own.

"Guess I'm crazy for the day," he grinned, continuing on his way.

Stepping outside the complex did Daigo's mood some good. The lobby, oddly, had been stifling; the light and fresh air outside were highly refreshing. He didn't have a map, but then again, he hardly needed one; all he needed to do was find a towering red building and he'd have found his dorm. Just ahead of him, he realized, was the Obelisk Blue dorm, a hulking blue building on the horizon.

"The buildings were in a triangle..." As usual, just hearing words aloud was calming. "So the other two dorms should also be visible from here. And I'll get to see the other students..."

As he jogged around the circumference of the building, he did, indeed, get some good people-watching done. A small group of boys from Obelisk Blue, for example, were loitering on the path, but an imposing dark-haired girl in a long coat from the same dorm was clearly not happy with their behaviour.

"I told you, it's to learn about the competition for the next year..." The speaker was the only one that wasn't silenced by what Daigo could now see was a bone-chilling glare from the girl; Daigo guessed that he was the leader of the group. "Colleges love it if you do well in the inter-dorm tournaments..."

Already, the new Osiris Red was quite happy, but the girl's reply made him laugh aloud, icy tone or no. "Mm-hm. So when he's eyeing up Fuyumi-san, he's learning about the competition? You learn something new every day; I wouldn't have thought his mind was capable of that."

A yellow building was starting to enter his field of vision. "Ah, there's the Ra dorm... Guess I went the wrong way."

There was Sachiko; her nametag, he could see from here, was a muted yellow. The gold text was a bit darker than on his, so as to make it stand out from the background. She was talking to the girl he'd sat next to during exams, Nagi Yuryuin, who also wore a yellow nametag. Daigo couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.

Not like I won't see her during classes, though. He'd be rather embarrassed if she saw him with the red tag; it'd be best if she found out later, when he didn't have to explain himself.

"It's strange, though..." Sachiko was saying, a bit anxious about something. "I mean, I thought for sure I was going to Osiris Red... and just from your speech, it sounds like you're more of an Obelisk Blue type..."

"Well, I suppose impressions don't give the whole story," Nagi shrugged. Now Daigo knew what was making Sachiko nervous; Yuryuin didn't sound friendly at all. He didn't know if he'd associate her with an intellectual, but she sounded almost as cold as the Obelisk girl he'd seen earlier, albeit in a different way.

"So, ah, I'd like to explore the dorm..." Nagi turned her shoulder first and walked quickly; Sachiko, affronted, followed only tentatively, biting her lip.

"I'll worry about them tomorrow," Daigo muttered to himself, continuing to jog.

It wasn't long before his future home loomed before him. The walls were much darker than the absurdly bright roof; Daigo would probably be grateful for that as the days wore on. Only two people wore the full red uniform there; one wore a light jacket and was very tall, while the other wore a tank top and skirt and was very short. Their hair colours and complexions were so similar that, were it not for the absurd difference in height, Daigo would have thought the two siblings. Everyone else was in normal clothes, red-and-gold nametags excepted, and Daigo recognized some from the plane ride there.

The two in full uniforms were being approached by an outright thuggish young man. His bulky shoulders were hunched a bit, but his step was strong and confident — almost arrogant, Daigo wanted to say based on his first impression. Though Daigo couldn't see his face from his angle, his head was held high — or was his nose in the air? The line between bravery and snobbishness blurred in this boy.

The tall boy, on the other hand, was firmly on the "bravery" side of the line as he cocked his head, his handsome golden hair falling to one side, at the new boy's arrival. "Hi, I guess," he said in a marvellously diplomatic tone — not overtly offensive, but clearly less than impressed with his new roommate. "So, yeah. You've got a room ready with your name on it. Good luck."

The thuggish boy nodded slightly and stalked inside.

Daigo couldn't help but notice that the students around him had pretty much stopped in their tracks for fear of their new peer. He frowned a bit. I guess his face was that scary, then. But c'mon, no one can be that bad...

...right?

He strolled up to the door through the crowd.

"Hi." The tall boy greeted him with a considerably lighter tone than he'd just used, and he accompanied it with a dazzling smile. "So you're in this dorm, huh? You'll be fine, unless that guy acts up." He frowned at the door. "There's always one or two of those thugs in our dorm every year. Most people hate 'em and with good reason."

Daigo was having trouble coming up with a better word to describe this boy than thug.

"So your room is..." The short girl was speaking now, apparently invigorated by her partner's words. She consulted a small pad of paper in her hands, flipping through the pages a bit.

Then her face fell. "Oh... you're that boy's roommate..."

"Oh, of all the luck..." Though Daigo was very unhappy, the people around him seemed to have breathed a collective sigh of relief. "I guess I'll take one for the team, then," he shrugged.

"Well, um, the door has your name on it," the girl directed, "and if you go in and take a left, and then keep going straight until you reach the corner, your room should be there."

"Thanks." Today just wasn't his day, was it? Oh, well.

Time to go meet his new roommate.

/

Daigo's new room looked like a luxurious hotel room more than anything else. A surprisingly wide set of bunk beds was on the far wall — with red sheets, of course. The walls were still red, but they were a muted pinkish colour where the beds were a vivid scarlet. A dark red carpet covered the floor of the room; on it was a long wooden desk. On the other side of this desk, Daigo noted, was his suitcase, and his roommate, who was apparently going through Daigo's possessions and removing anything of value.

...wait.

"Hey!" No matter how fearsome this thug might be, there were some things Daigo just couldn't forgive, and stealing his things before term had even begun was among them. "That's my stuff!"

The thug gave him a demonic glare with deadened brown eyes. "And?" he challenged.

Definitely arrogant, Daigo reflected, no matter how confident he might think himself.

"I'd appreciate it if you left my belongings to me." The boy's leer was ominous, but he had nothing on the Obelisk girl from earlier; there was no cold intelligence behind his eyes, but an uncontrolled fire. Daigo was not impressed.

"And I'll leave your belongings to you," he added, hoping this boy was more of a yakuza than a bully.

"..." His roommate ignored him entirely and continued rummaging through Daigo's suitcase.

Now Daigo was angry. "Leave my stuff alone!" he roared. Personally, he thought he was rather scarier than his roommate's ineffectual glaring.

"No, thanks," said roommate said flippantly. He would have kept going if Daigo hadn't slammed the case's cover down on his arms.

"I said," Daigo repeated slowly, "leave... my... stuff... alone."

Daigo would be damned if his roommate would intimidate him out of having a good time at this academy. His roommate, apparently, would try, starting with a horrible glower that Daigo met with stalwart confidence.

"I'm afraid," Daigo proclaimed, "that you won't be pushing me – or anyone on this island," he added, thinking of the Obelisk girl, "around with just glares and arrogance."

The roommate just glowered at him. Daigo met his gaze for what seemed like hours. It seemed to lose much of its effect as time went on, he noted. Finally, his opponent lowered his head and turned away.

Well, at least he wouldn't be too much of a problem. It seemed he was a typical bully – cowering from anyone he couldn't control. He slinked over to the top bunk, where his own suitcase, recognizably beige and battered, was opened, and his clothes strewn about.

As he turned around to lie down, Daigo caught his nametag — Masaru Takemasa.

Already, anger was swelling within Daigo. This was going to be a long year.

/

The dorm was a luxury hotel. The walls didn't burn her eyes despite being yellow (the colour was well-muted). She hadn't failed her entrance exams. Yet Nagi was still berating her own lack of foresight well into the night. Why?

Nagi had quite forgotten, in the excitement of having not failed her entrance exams too badly, that she was supposed to have a roommate. For someone who, in her own words, didn't like talking to people, having to live with someone she'd never met before was a bad thing.

Well, she'd technically met Natsuki before, but...

Still, she didn't feel comfortable at all sleeping in the same room as someone she didn't properly know. If she did, she probably would have been asleep five hours ago.

/

"Time for tea, sir?"

A young blonde popped her head in the door to the small white room.

"Ah, most certainly."

The man who responded was seated at a black chair at a black table in the back of the room. Nevertheless, he was dressed in a crisp black-and-gold suit. His black hair, slightly greying, was slicked back neatly, and, puzzlingly, he also grew a black goatee.

The blonde couldn't help but wonder why such a good-natured and jolly man was so preoccupied with the colour black.

Beside him stood a woman with dark red hair in a neat bun. She wore a similar suit, contributing to the effect of the black mass in the white room.

"Eh?" The red-haired woman narrowed her eyes warily. "But your appointment..."

"Oh, was there an appointment?" the blonde said sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I must have missed something on the schedule..." She produced a PDA from her shirt pocket and consulted it again.

"It wasn't publicized to your level," the redhead said sharply. The man, however, smiled.

"Oh, it's fine," he said, dismissively waving a hand. "We can all have tea together... it can help us welcome our special guest."

The blonde was absolutely mystified now. "Special...?"

The redhead sighed deeply and inhaled. Then she rattled off a canned explanation:

"One of our new students is to play a special role with us this year. We're relying on her for certain services, so we have to keep her happy. The headmaster arranged for an appointment to discuss her impressions of the school, so as to ensure she's willing to work with us."

"...wow..." The blonde wasn't sure what to be more impressed with: the mysterious student employee, or the fact that her superior had managed to say all of that without stopping to breathe.

"You make it sound so business-like." The man chuckled, his chocolate eyes laughing with him. "I just want to make sure we're providing for our students. After all, while we're certainly relying on our special guest, it's possible that we can teach her some things, too."

"That is what we do best," the blonde laughed, stepping fully into the room. "So, shall I set this down?"

"Ah, please do. She should be here any moment..."

On cue, the door creaked open. The blonde blinked in surprise; her superior glared at her.

"Ah, here you are!" the headmaster said enthusiastically. "Come, sit down. Do you like tea?"

Rei Yumura nodded silently.

/

Joy. He hadn't even learned anything, and already Daigo was betting the rest of the year on a Duel. Why had he bothered agreeing to something like that?

Oh, yes, that's right.

/

"Wh - now you're stealing my toothpaste? I thought we just went over this!"

Masaru Takemasa was stubbornly silent.

"Takemasa-san, cut it out. Gimme back my toothpaste."

"Don't say my name."

How arrogant can this thug be? Daigo marvelled silently. Once again, it seemed that force was necessary "Now," he growled.

Another contest of wills ensued. Once again, Daigo won without much difficulty.

But it seemed that he'd won too easily. He'd have to check if anything else of his was stolen after he brushed his teeth.

By the time he was done, Takemasa had climbed into bed and was pretending to sleep. Daigo wasted no time in finding his suitcase and rummaging through all the contents.

Clothes... check. Toiletries... check. Deck... deck... deck... check? No, no deck...

...no Deck?

"Takemasa-san!"

Takemasa pretended to sleep, though it was painfully obvious he was still wide awake.

"Where's my Deck, Takemasa-san?"

No response.

"Takemasa-SAN! WHERE'S MY DECK?"

Finally, he got up and started rummaging through his things. It took him altogether too long to find a Deck and throw it back down to me, scattering the cards all over the floor.

"You're using it wrong, anyway," Takemasa grumbled before turning over again. "Now lemme sleep."

Daigo now had to collect his cards - thankfully, they were his. "This isn't going to go on, Takemasa-san," he growled as he scampered about. "I'm not gonna tolerate this."

"I'm not gonna tolerate you," Takemasa replied.

"You misunderstand. You don't own this dorm," Daigo growled, still packing his cards together.

"It's a Duel Academy," Takemasa said dismissively. "So obviously the better Duellist is in charge. Since you have that crappy Deck, I'm obviously the better Duellist."

"You say that like it settles things." Daigo had finished now, and he stood with a snarl. "But in fact, we're both in Osiris Red. So you can't be that great either."

"I am."

Daigo was now so angry he could barely see straight, which would probably explain why he quietly but furiously murmured, "You and me, tomorrow, the Duelling field. Then we can decide who, based on your insane troll logic, should rule this dorm."

"Fine."

And that was that.

/

But really, this was ridiculous! The Duel fields were only opening today!

And yet he was still loading his Deck into his Duel Disk and tossing the sensor bats to either side as he began the first Duel of the year.

"Ready for this?" Takemasa challenged, cracking his neck ominously. You're still trying to intimidate me? Daigo snarked in his mind. Give me a break!

"Yeah," he replied, smiling confidently. Well, at least he looked confident. He still couldn't get one bit of advice out of his mind, though, from a magazine he once read:

"Don't try and fight a mugger. They do this for a living. They're better at it than you."

Granted, Takemasa was the least competent mugger Daigo had ever seen, but...

/Duel Start/

Masaru Takemasa VS Daigo Harukawa

[4000||4000]

Whew, a good hand. Doom Fighter XF-04, one of the game's fastest beatsticks since Cyber Dragon, and Syvor the Battlemaster, a 1900-ATK Level 4 monster, had both landed in his hand on the first turn. He even had Compulsory Evacuation Device, which would help if he needed to save his monsters in a pinch or pull out the Doom Fighter, and two other monsters, Andrag the Shieldmaster and Brash Wind Fighter, to help him.

Takemasa, in contrast, frowned a bit at his hand. We're off to a good start, Daigo thought happily.

"For my first move," he intoned, "I Summon the Android Army - Missile Black!" A steel cylinder about two metres tall popped out of the ground in front of Daigo's foe, and from it emerged a surprisingly short black robot. Its distinctly inhuman blue eyes leered with mechanical menace as a plaque materialized above its head.

/The Android Army - Missile Black\

[****]

|1600/ATK|

|DEF/1300|

"Then I activate its effect," Takemasa continued, "letting me send a card from your hand to the Graveyard. Go on, send one."

Daigo barely hesitated before throwing Andrag the Shieldmaster into the Graveyard.

"Now I end my turn," he said flatly.

Wait... that's it? No face-downs or anything?

Daigo could barely believe his eyes. He tapped his Duel Disk to see what else Missile Black did - when it attacked, his card effects would be negated, except for the defending monster's effect. That was a detrimental effect, to be sure, but it had nothing terribly effective, especially on the first turn.

He drew his sixth card and frowned - Secret Ambush Strategy was worthless while Missile Black was on the field. Oh, well. "I Summon Syvor the Battlemaster!"

A tall knight slightly taller than Takemasa literally fell from the sky, kicking up a huge cloud of dust as he landed. The reason for that became clear as the dust did - besides his armour, he carried a massive claymore as his weapon. A plaque soon followed him.

/Syvor the Battlemaster\

[****]

|1900/ATK|

|DEF/0400|

"Attack Missile Black, Syvor!" he commanded, eager to see how his opponent would respond. "Battlemaster's Blade!"

The android fired several missiles at Syvor, but he managed to dodge through them all. He actually slashed straight through the last missile before hurtling forward at high speed and eviscerating his mechanical opponent.

[4000||3700]

"Then I'll place a face-down..." It was possible that Masaru had a bigger beatstick up his sleeve - it wouldn't surprise Daigo, given his name and personality - so it was best to lay Compulsory Evacuation Device now in case he needed to retreat and play the Doom Fighter.

"...and end my turn."

Masaru drew and frowned again. "I Set a monster in face-down Defence Mode and end my turn."

That's Defence Position, Daigo couldn't help but think as he drew, his own frequent misuses of the word notwithstanding. Sanati the Bowmistress - good, but irrelevant while a certain other monster was in his hand. "I Summon Brash Wind Fighter," he smirked.

A small tornado whirled into existence on Daigo's field. From the centre of it emerged a scantily-clad, braided-pigtailed blonde wielding a maple leaf fan and a confident smirk. A confident warrior girl from a tornado... just what you'd expect a Brash Wind Fighter to be.

/Brash Wind Fighter\

[**]

|1000/ATK|

|DEF/0000|

"It's so weak," Masaru smiled.

"She's a Tuner," Daigo smiled back. "And I'm gonna tune her to Syvor the Battlemaster."

Masaru's smile vanished.

"Synchro Summon...

Kaiser Attack Challenger!"

/

"Eh? Those students are Duelling already..."

Nagi blinked.

Earlier that morning, after a completely sleepless night, she had allowed Natsuki to drag her around the academy complex, supposing it was the best way to tour the grounds. It had turned out surprisingly well; while she certainly hadn't been at all comfortable, they'd already found the dorm advisor, a cheerful young blonde named Takahata-sensei, carrying a tray of tea to the headmaster's office, which made two essential acquaintances already. Then they'd explored inside the main building, finding a few of their classrooms before finding the Duel arenas in the centre of the facility.

Natsuki was correct - one stadium was already in use, and it had attracted quite a crowd. From the hallway, Nagi watched as six glowing green rings aligned into a huge cylinder.

"A Synchro Summon..." Natsuki was in awe, her eyes shining. Nagi found it impressive as well, but that was a bit ridiculous. She pondered trying to escape while her roommate was distracted; then she remembered that Natsuki was her roommate and that it was probably best to try and get along with her.

A great green laser filled these rings, and when the light disappeared, a female warrior in massive black armour had taken the stage. She wielded, of all things, a titanic kusarigama.

Nagi couldn't see the plaque from this angle, but it didn't much matter, since Natsuki was already grabbing her arm and trying to drag her away, towards the duel fields.

"Can you let go of me?" Nagi asked as she shook her hand loose. "Thanks..."

Natsuki was already walking away, rather more slowly than Nagi would have expected. She followed anyway.

/

/Kaiser Attack Challenger\

[******]

|2000/ATK|

|DEF/1800|

Masaru was not impressed. "You had me worried there for a second," he said in a tone that somehow made Daigo even angrier.

Don't let him get to you, he thought. That's letting him win. You're in charge.

"If you think my Attack Challenger is a beatstick, think again," he smirked. Wait - he probably doesn't think... Oh, whatever, it sounded witty enough. "I still have to make my Attack Challenge!"

"And just what is that supposed to be?"

"I get to drag a monster out of your hand. Go on, pick one," he echoed. The Attack Challenger whirled its kusarigama menacingly.

Masaru frowned and placed his monster.

The armoured knight lashed out with her holographic chain at an amazing speed, snagging the card on the sickle's blade. She dragged out a pod similar to the one that had carried Missile Black. However, the metallic monster that walked out of this one was much bigger - a supernaturally huge metallic skeleton that matched the Kaiser Attack Challenger in size.

"Chrome Skull gains a hundred ATK for every level star on the field," he explained dejectedly.

/The Android Army - Chrome Skull\

[******]

|1200/ATK|

|DEF/0000|

"How ironic," Daigo grinned. "Kaiser Attack Challenger gains a hundred attack for each Level Star your summoned monster has!"

/Kaiser Attack Challenger\

[******]

|2600/ATK|

|DEF/1800|

"Now," he finished, "they do battle. Go forth, Kaiser Attack Challenger! Kaiser Sichel!"

It was one of the greatest anticlimaxes Daigo had ever seen. The Kaiser Attack Challenger eviscerated her opponent in mere moments.

[4000||2300]

"She can't attack again," he said, "so I end my turn."

Masaru drew his card quickly and irritably. Then he smiled. "Flip Summon," he ordered. "The Android Army - Laser Blue."

Yet another pod emerged from the holographic card. The inhabitant was a humanoid blue robot toting a very large gun.

/The Android Army - Laser Blue\

[****]

|1500/ATK|

|DEF/1800|

"If you have a monster whose DEF is higher than this card's ATK," Takemasa warned, "this guy's effect will take it out right away in a battle."

Oh. Well. That rather ruined Daigo's plans... or did it?

"Go and attack!"

"Not so fast," Daigo replied. "I activate my Trap Card, Compulsory Evacuation Device! It'll send a monster on the field back to its owner's hand... and I pick Laser Blue."

"Compulsory..." Masaru couldn't believe his eyes. "You actually used..."

The android loaded its gun onto its shoulder and took careful aim at the armoured warrior before it. Rings of cyan energy began pulsing down its rifle. A pinpoint of blue light appeared on the exposed neck of the Attack Challenger.

And then the ground below it exploded. It twirled about through the air for a few seconds before it was finally thrown away in a glimmer of light.

"...I Set another monster," Takemasa muttered, "and end my turn."

Oh, for... He can still stall? No wonder he has no counters, he must not have any Spells or Traps! But that's total n00bishness, I mean, really...

But Daigo was elated - he'd basically won. His draw cinched it. "I activate The Warrior Returning Alive," he declared with a goofy grin. "That'll let me add Syvor the Battlemaster, victim of synchronization, back to my hand. So, of course, I'll Summon him to the field."

Once again, the claymore-wielding soldier dropped from the sky, shooting a smile at his comrade as he did so. The Kaiser smiled back, though her smile was obviously a great deal more chaste than Syvor's.

/Syvor the Battlemaster\

[****]

|1900/ATK|

|DEF/0400|

"Attack his face-down," Daigo ordered. Another pod appeared, but with a massive slash, Syvor was able to cut it in half without its even opening. Only the death animation revealed that another Missile Black had fallen.

"I think we know who the better Duellist is now," Daigo Harukawa said. "Finish him, Kaiser Attack Challenger! Kaiser Gnadenschuss!"

And in one lightning-fast flick of the kusarigama, Daigo's total superiority was established.

\\\\Duel End\\\\

Victory: Daigo Harukawa, 4000-0

/

"Hmm..."

Unlike his friends earlier, Kazuya Kashiwaya really was learning about the competition. This second-floor walkway was the perfect vantage point from which to do so - it would allow him to think and express emotion on the Duel without being disturbed.

He lowered his head as he thought, letting his white-blond hair cover his eyes. The victorious Duellist had only really won, he reflected, by luck - Takemasa's deck almost certainly wasn't that bad, especially if he'd bothered running Laser Blue. But what had gotten his attention wasn't Harukawa's total victory, but his inclusion of the card Compulsory Evacuation Device. Ordinarily, that card was considered vastly inferior to its cousin, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, but it had two advantages... it didn't have a cost, and it could instead add cards to its user's hand.

Significant, if one sought to wield the Doom Fighter XF-04 as Harukawa had.

Doom Fighter XF-04 wasn't a statistical nightmare - 2400 ATK, 1900 DEF; most Synchros could stand up to it - but its Summoning conditions were truly what made it great. It wasn't Summoned by Tributing two monsters on the field, but instead by discarding two monsters from the hand. It couldn't attack on the turn it was Summoned and it was destroyed whenever it was targeted by an effect, or else it wouldn't be unlimited, but Akihara had demonstrated to him last year what a powerful wall it could be.

Compulsory Evacuation Device had almost certainly been included to allow its wielder to Summon the Doom Fighter in an emergency during a period of field superiority such as Andrag the Shieldmaster, discarded on turn one, might provide. But Harukawa had also used it to disrupt his opponent's attempt at a turnaround - a fairly advanced manoeuvre, especially for a Red, and one that demonstrated versatility and flexibility.

This in turn meant two things about him as an opponent. The first was that he tended towards flexibility and versatility - and a tendency, as Kazuya knew all too well, meant a weakness.

The second was that he would nevertheless be a dangerous foe.