Disclaimer: I do not own the properties in this story. All rights belong to the creators and companies of said properties.
Beta by Slothful, Demonoid, and Old man of the mountain
Chapter 6: Level UP!
{Yukito's P.O.V.}
"Dude. Did you sleep at all last night?" Kenji asks, a hint of concern in his voice. Before Kenji and I headed out for the tournament, he and his family came for breakfast. We recently finished breakfast and are just killing time until we need to leave, with our dads drinking coffee while our moms chat.
"Nope," I answered, making a popping sound when pronouncing the P. I tried rubbing the sleepiness outta my eyes only to fail with another yawn escaping my mouth.
"You're Nervous about the big tournament, aren't you?" my dad chuckles, lightly patting my back. "I can't say that I don't blame you. You and Kenji are going to be on live television after all. You probably didn't get a wink of sleep because of that."
"I doubt your boy gives two shits about being on TV, Tomoya! I bet your boy was staying up, watching the other finalists duels to plan how to beat them!" Kenji's dad, Kenzo, laughs loudly. Kenzo is a portly man with quite an impressive beard on his face. He is also unusually tall for a Japanese man, reaching six feet tall and two inches. However, despite his size and height, the male is, by definition, a gentle giant. Kenzo is sometimes a bit too loud for my liking, but Kenji's dad is a good man. "Though, I doubt he needed to do that! Your boy has been a dueling genius ever since he started playing!"
"Yeah. Yukito has certainly inherited my brain." My dad said, puffing his chest out in pride.
"Nah. Your boy didn't get his intelligence from you. After all, our entire business started because your son was smart enough to start a successful online card-selling business at age eleven." Kenzo chuckles. "I still don't know where your boy gets his hands on all of those cards, especially those super rare ones Kenji tells me about, but as long as he supplies them, and pay our bills, I don't care."
Need sleep. Need Coffee.
As I reach for the black liquid, my mother slaps my hand, instantly retracting it back.
"Ow." I dryly said, not out of pain, but out of reaction.
"You can't have coffee, Yukito, you're too young for that right now. And you also shouldn't be drinking all those energy drinks in the first place. Don't bother trying to hide it. I saw everything in the recycling bin." my mother scowled. "You wouldn't be so tired if you went to bed. Sleep is important for your growth and health." Part of me wants to bring up how Kenji and I had to take care of them last night after they had too much to drink, but all that would accomplish would be me getting in trouble. I will admit it was strange seeing my parents being okay the next day with how drunk they were the night before, but I chalked that up to them being anime characters.
"That's what I said, but when it involves dueling, it seems whatever we say goes in one ear and out the other," Ray complains, shaking her head side-to-side in disappointment. Ray had gained the habit of having one-sided conversations with my family, Kenji, and Kenji's parents. Why does Ray talk to them when she knows they can't hear or see her? It's probably something to keep her mind busy. Her ghostly nature limits what she can do. Ray either talks with me, us having duels, watches TV, or uses me to play her D character when Kenji and I set up a session.
I had gotten so many weird looks that day.
"Hey, Honey. Why are you so engrossed with the TV right now?" Kenzo asks his wife.
Emi, Kenji's mother, is a chubby woman—not super big, but plump. While some would argue that she coddles Kenji a bit too much, some even blame her attitude toward her son for his younger troublemaking years. However, she is a mother; most of the good ones tend to act that way toward their sons.
"My coworkers told me that the news will have a segment for the Junior Tournament, and I want to see if they will be talking about our boys," Emi asks, finally stopping her channel surfing when she finds the news channel.
My mother lets out a small laugh at her long-time friend's antics. "I don't doubt the news wouldn't be talking about the tournament; I doubt they will mention either of our boys-"
"Next question for Manjoume Jun. During the Southwest Block of the preliminary round, the duelist, Yamamoto Kenji, used the trap card, There Can Be Only One, a powerful trap that prevents both duelists from having multiple monsters of the same type on their field. How will you handle this situation, considering your deck's monsters consist solely of Dragon-Type monsters?" A woman's voice rings out from the TV set, causing everyone besides me to stop moving.
The next moment, my parents, Kenji's dad, and Kenji bum-rush towards the TV, with my mother dragging me. As expected, a female news reporter sits with a younger Manjoume, but they aren't the only people in the interview room. A similarly aged Edo and Asuka. It's unsurprising, as those three are the crowd favorites to win the tournament. So, they would be doing interviews before the main event begins.
"Simple. I destroy it with a card like Mystical Space Typhoon before the card activates. The card's weakness is that it is a continuous trap, meaning it needs to stay on the field for its effects to work; and it affects my opponent as well, so they need to plan for it accordingly to work right." Manjoume said.
He's right. TCBOO isn't without flaws; plenty of ways exist to eliminate it. TCBOO isn't like IO or Anti-Spell Fragrance, which shuts down the most common way of dealing with floodgate traps. However, Manjoume realizes how much his deck will struggle against an open TCBOO, so I'm betting he is filling his deck with back-row or simple trap removal, such as Seven Tools of the Bandit. The same can be said for Edo, as his deck is full of Warrior monsters.
Well, relying on stun plays was never that fun to begin with. I decided to crash on the couch and get as much sleep as possible.
{Two Hours Later}
"Here is the waiting room. There is a snack table; you can have as many as you want. There is also a restroom if you need to use it. However, you can't leave the room until it's your match or an emergency. If you do leave, it will be considered you forfeiting the match." the woman who led us when we first came stressed. She also expressed how there are cameras in the room, explaining that it's for deterring participants from sneaking peeks into our opponent's decks or damaging their cards or duel disks. With such actions would be grounds for immediate disqualification. The woman opens the door, gesturing us to enter. As Kenji and I went through the doors, with me immediately noticing the fourteen other youths in the room. My ears also picked up the female guide talking to her walkie, probably telling her superiors that all the duelists were now present.
After the door closes, Kenji and I wander into our own little corner, waiting for the tournament to begin. Thankfully for me, the other duelists were too busy talking among themselves or going over their decks, making some last-minute adjustments. While we waited, I decided to watch the TV they had set up in the room. It only shows the tournament's live stream, but it keeps my mind occupied as I know I will fall asleep if I don't. I'm not paying too much attention to the livestream, but I know who the judges are.
Unsurprisingly, Leo and Daitokuji are there, but so are Cronos de Medici and Emi Ayukawa. Then again, they are the heads of the Obelisk Dorms, so I should have been expecting it. They had an opening ceremony, discussing how former partners now face each other for the crown and explaining the rules, but I just tuned them out. But after several minutes, they announced who was dueling in the first round:
Kenji and Rei.
Kenji got up, pulled out his duel disk and deck box from his bag, and was ready for the duel. I didn't say anything as Kenji and his opponent left the room. Technically, I could have said good luck, but I doubt Kenji will need or welcome it. We are now opponents, and knowing Kenji, he wants me to treat him like one.
I grab a soda can from the snack table and get comfortable as the tournament begins.
{Kenji's P.O.V.}
Man. This duel feels nothing like the duels in the preliminary round. I can feel my heart pounding in my ears. I'm unsure what is causing the nerves: dueling on live TV with several cameras around me or dueling in front of the head teachers of Academia, including the Chairman himself.
Breathe, Kenji. Now isn't the time to get cold feet. You wanted to become a professional duelist, so you can't have stage fright. Just focus on what you do best: dueling.
I tune out the noise around me and take deep breaths to calm my heart, feeling the harsh beats slowing down.
The blonde man with purple lipstick stands up and clears his voice as he speaks into his mic.
"Welcome all to the Junior Tournament! In the first round, we have the Yamamoto Kenji of the Southwest Block facing off against the Northwest Block's Saotome Rei! Now! It's time to-" The blonde man pauses as my opponent and I turn to face each other.
"DUEL!"
Kenji LP: 4000
Rei LP: 4000
"I will take the first turn!" Rei declares, drawing her opening hand. I follow suit, drawing mine, seeing that my hand consists of Foolish Burial, Spirit Reaper, Torrential Tribute, Cyber Jar, and Needlebug Nest. "I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4!" Rei summons what appears to be a metallic bird, which lets out a metallic screech.
Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4: FIRE/ Level 4/ Dragon/ Effect - 1600/1000
LV monsters? Yuki told me about them and their gimmick and how most of them suck. However, he told me about two with solid effects; one was the Mystic Swordsman LV monsters, as they destroy set monsters without triggering their flip effects if they have one, and the other was Horus, though it was the level eight one, as it stuns spell cards.
"I play the spell card, Level Up! This spell card lets me send an LV monster on my field to the grave to special summon a monster listed in the chosen monster's text from my hand or deck! I send my level four Horus to summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 from my deck!" Rei explains as her monster cloaks itself with black fire before breaking it and revealing its more powerful and evolved self.
Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6: FIRE/ Level 6/ Dragon/ Effect - 2300/1600
"I set two cards face down. Turn end." Rei said, ending her board with a monster immune to spell effects, two cards in the back row, and one in hand.
"My turn. Draw." I drew my card for my turn, seeing that it was Breaker. Okay. I don't have much to deal with Horus outside of setting Cyber Jar and hoping she doesn't draw Mystic Swordsman if she is playing an LV deck or any monster removal if her deck is purely Horus-focused. I'm better off playing defensive for now.
"I play Foolish Burial to send Electromagnetic Turtle to my grave."
"I activate my trap, Magic Drain!" Rei yells, activating the counter trap card. "This card negates the activation of your spell unless you discard another spell card!"
Well, there goes that plan. Part of me believes that Rei sided that card in to counter my deck, as Horus is safe from spell cards once it becomes level six, but I could be reading into it too much, as spell cards tend to be the power card for most decks.
"I set a monster and two back row—your move," I said, setting Spirit Reaper and my two traps while keeping Jar and Breaker in hand.
"It seems Signora Saotome has already backed Signore Yamamoto into a corner." The blonde man said.
"Indeed. But Yamamoto's deck is full of powerful monsters, so we can't declare anything too fast, Dr. Cronos." Daitokuji said.
"It's my turn! Draw!" Rei said, glancing at her new card. I play Pot of Greed!" My eyes narrow when Rei plays arguably the most powerful draw spell in the game.
Most people here would consider the north side of the main island to be the rich side, so it isn't surprising that Rei, who likely lives in the Northwest part of the island, has such powerful cards. I remember Yukito's shock when someone from the north side used Graceful Charity against him. Yukito still won that duel, but he was ranting about how expensive those cards were.
Rei drew her two cards thanks to her spell card. "I play Graceful Charity!"
…
Did I just jinx myself?
"Oh my. Saotome isn't holding anything back." The only female judge comments. I believe her name is Emi. It feels weird that this pretty lady and my mom share the same name.
"As she should," Cronos nods in approval. We are talking about the Junior Tournament. It is reasonable to hold nothing back."
Rei draws her three cards, debating what to discard before sending Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 and Mystic Swordsman LV4.
"I summon Mystic Swordsman LV2!" A short boy in samurai armor with an energy sword stands beside Rei's metallic dragon.
Mystic Swordsman LV2: EARTH/ Level 2/ Warrior/ Effect - 900/0
"I active my trap! Torrential Tribute! When either of us summons a monster onto the field, I can activate this card to destroy all monsters on the field!" I yell as a massive wave of water engulfs my set Spirit Reaper and Rei's swordsman and metal dragon, destroying them. "Next, I activate my other set card, Needlebug Nest," I said, flipping open my other trap. Needlebug Nest isn't as good as That Grass Looks Greener, but beggars can't be choosers. " Needlebug Nest sends the top five cards of my deck to the grave," I explained, checking the cards and wrenching when I saw BLS, Grass, and CED among the cards, along with Jinzo and Swords of Revealing Light. But say nothing as I send the cards into the graveyard.
"See? I told you Yamamoto isn't far from out." Daitokuji said.
"Yes. It would also seem that Signore Yamamoto understands his cards' 'when' condition." Cronos comments. "I can't tell you how often I have seen students lose a duel just because they were too trigger-happy to activate their cards."
I flinched slightly when Cronos said that, as it brought up some bad memories. It wasn't as bad as the MST debacle Yukito and I had when our friendship started, but I would instead not recall some of those moments.
Rei's lips turn into a thin line as she looks at her sole remaining card.
"I play Level Modulation to special summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 from my grave, ignoring its summoning conditions, but you drew two cards, and the monster summoned by this card can not attack, and its effects are negated for this turn," Rei explains. A massive pillar of black flames erupts as an enormous metal dragon rises from the ground, emitting a loud, metallic cry.
Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8: FIRE/ Level 8/ Dragon/ Effect - 3000/1800
Crap. That isn't good. Now, my spell cards are dead because of Horus's floodgate effect, and most of my monster removal and play starters are spell cards.
Thankfully, because of Rei's spell, I can draw two cards. It's almost as if she was repaying me for using Pot of Greed. And I will get another draw, assuming Rei's face down doesn't further any plays. Hopefully, one of those three cards will get me out of this. I drew the two cards thanks to Level Modulation's effect. Sure, I have an out in the form of Cyber Jar, but my deck is full of high-level monsters, spells, and traps, so the risk of getting nothing while Rei manages to get enough bodies for game is quite possible. So, the weight of these three draws is massive.
The draws were Raigiki and Monster Reborn. Typically, they are great draws, but both are bricks due to Horus's effect.
"Turn end," Rei said, ending with her floodgate monster and her remaining set card.
I place my fingers on my deck, taking a deep breath.
"DRAW!" I yell, drawing the card that will decide this duel. My eyes widened at the sight of the card I had just drawn.
"I banish Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End, and Jinzo from my grave to special summon Chaos Dragon Levianeer!"
The ghostly figures of my banished monsters appeared, with BLS cloaked in a white aura while CED and Jinzo's aura were black. The three monsters turn into two balls of darkness and a ball of light before colliding, summoning a massive white dragon.
Chaos Dragon Levianeer: DARK/ Level 8/ Dragon/ Effect - 3000/0
"Oh, a new chaos monster! Cronos! Have you ever seen this card before?!" Daitokuji asks his fellow teacher, his voice filled with excitement.
"As much as it shames me, no. I haven't." Cronos admits. "The world of Duel Monsters is large, so it isn't surprising that there are cards that I don't know the existence of."
" Chaos Dragon Levianeer's effect depends on the number of LIGHT and DARK monsters I banished to summon it. Because the banished monsters are LIGHT and DARK, I can destroy up to two cards!" I explained. Rei gasps as her boss monster doesn't stop the monster effects. As her two cards blew up, I checked to see what the set card was and saw that it was a Mirror Force.
"A monster whose effects change depending on how the player summons it? That is certainly new." Emi said.
"I pick your set card, and Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8!" I declare as my dragon fires an orb of light and an orb of darkness at Rei's remaining cards. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior!" The red wizard knight takes to the field, drawing his blade.
Breaker the Magical Warrior: DARK/ Level 4/ Spellcaster/ Effect - 1600/1000
"When Breaker is summoned, he gains a Spell Counter and three hundred attack points for each counter!" I explained, though it didn't matter as I had game. The magical knight gains a red aura, signaling his attack has increased.
Breaker the Magical Warrior: DARK/ Level 4/ Spellcaster/ Effect - 1900/1000
"Battle! Breaker and Levianeer attack you directly!"
"AAHH!" Rei yells as she flies backward, ending the duel.
Kenji: Winner
Rei LP: 0
"The winner of the first round and duel of this year's Junior Tournament is Yamamoto Kenji!" Cronos declares as the crowd cheers, causing me to smile.
I walk up to my former opponent, extending my hand. "Good Game," I say. Rei looks at the hand offered before taking it into her own.
"Yeah. Good Game." Rei said, her voice a lot more meek. The crowd seemed to appear in action as there was a round of applause. Rei quickly breaks the short handshake and leaves the stage.
Seeing that, I also made my exit. As I left the stage, the female tournament worker was already there, silently gesturing to follow, to which I didn't complain. These rules are annoying, but you must follow them to participate in the tournament. I spotted a vending machine as we walked down the hallway to return to the participants' room.
"Hey," I said, getting the woman's attention. Would it be okay to grab something from the vending machine?" I asked. The woman gave me a harsh glare, her lips about to say no, but I cut her off before she could. "I'm just going to buy an energy drink or two. It will take me two minutes. Tops." I argue. I refuse to let Yuki lose just because his dumb ass decided to stay up all night to research his opponents.
The woman seems to debate it for a moment before sighing. "Fine. Just don't take too long, or you will be disqualified." The woman said, leaving me in the hallway, probably getting the next round of duelists.
After getting a couple of cans of Yukito's go-to energy drink, I returned to the participants' room. However, as I made my way, my ears picked up the faint sound of crying.
I should know better than to interfere with someone else's business, especially if it causes them to cry, but my curiosity has improved. I follow the noise and spot Rei wiping her eyes as she's full-on ugly crying, being comforted by two other girls. I guess she took losing harder than I thought.
Fuck. Now I feel like shit. And my dad will kick my ass if he somehow learns that I caused a girl to cry and did nothing to make her better. And my mom would be worse.
I let out a small sigh and cleared my throat, getting the three girls' attention.
"Hey," I said awkwardly, forcing a smile. Part of me wants to blame Yuki's awkward nature rubbing off on me, but that would be a lie. I'm just naturally awkward when dealing with girls outside of dueling.
So, I decided to use Duel Monsters to break the uncomfortable silence.
"Your boss monster, Horus, was cool. Its ability to stop spell cards and have a three-thousand attack point body makes it quite powerful. It kind of sucks that you can't buff it with equip spells or protection with a card like Moon Mirror Shield or Forbidden Lance-"
"I don't care about what you think of my monsters!" Rei suddenly shouts, shooting a heated glare at me.
"Fuck!" I shout back. "I was just trying to be nice! There's no need to bite my head off! I heard you crying and wanted to help cheer you up! There is no reason to be such a sore loser!"
Rei's angered expression calms down and looks away in slight shame.
"Sorry." Rei meekly said. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It's just so frustrating."
I relaxed a little, scratching the back of my head. "Yeah. It must suck for you to get eliminated in the first round."
"I could care less about the tournament. I needed to beat him." Rei sighs.
Him?
"Don't beat yourself so much, Rei. You don't need to take down that jerk for us. Besides, Asuka is still in the tournament, and we know she will kick his ass." The brown-haired girl said.
"Yeah! Junko is right! Asuka will destroy that cheater!" The black-haired girl said in a happy-go-lucky tone.
"But I can't stand it! I just want to wipe that smug look off his face! I almost snapped while waiting in the same room as him!" Rei shouts, her two friends' mood dampening a bit.
"Excuse me, but what the hell are you talking about? You said something about a cheater? You can't be seriously saying someone here cheated their way here. Right?" I asked, only to be answered with silence.
The three girls glance at each other.
"We should tell him." The black-haired girl finally said.
"But what if he doesn't believe us, Momoe?" Junko asks, glancing at me. "He doesn't seem the trustworthy or reliable type."
"I'm standing right here." Annoyance creeping on my face.
"But there is a good chance he might face that guy in the next round," Rei argues.
And they're ignoring me.
After discussing this, the three girls have made their decision. They turned to face me as they resolved to give me what's on their minds.
"Junko and I took part in the Northeast Block of the preliminary round. Rei, our friend Asuka, Junko, and I thought it would be a great way to challenge our skills. And maybe to meet some cute boys on the side." Momoe's tone suddenly brightens, breaking the tension.
"Only you were doing that, Momoe." Junko sighs before turning to me. "Back to the point. When we signed up for Northeast Block we signed up for Northeast Block because we didn't want to duel against Asuka or Rei, partners in the Northwest Block, out of the gate. However, during our first match…"
"Our spell cards didn't work." Momoe finishes Junko's sentence.
"What do you mean they didn't work?" I asked.
"We try playing a spell card during the duel, only for the Solid Vision not to work," Momoe explains, her voice beginning to break.
"We tried telling the judge something was up with our duel disks and asked if we could restart the duel, but he refused and said that if we had taken care of our duel disks better, it would have worked properly," Junko said, her voice getting more heated. "As expected when you can't play one-third of the cards in the game, we lost."
"After the match, we checked our duel disks to see what went wrong, but when we tried playing a spell card again, it worked perfectly fine without doing anything. While Junko and I tried to understand what was happening, we overheard our first-round opponent talking to someone on the phone, telling someone that the device was working great." Momoe's eyes begin to well up with tears.
"That's when we heard him bragging about how he is unstoppable now as he can block anyone from their spell cards," Junko said, turning her back to me, but I could tell she was barely holding it together by her shaking shoulders. "We tried to inform the judge about the cheating, but they didn't believe us. Calling us 'brats who can't take care of their belongings and whine when the consequences of our actions finally bite us on the butt'." Momoe and Junko were starting to break down, and Rei was also breaking down.
"Do you know how it feels? The tournament you have been waiting to enter for so long, only to lose against a cheater and nobody listening to you?" Junko asks through her sobs.
Only light sobs echo in the hallway. I took a deep breath and answered.
"No. I don't." I said. "But I do know what to do."
"And what is that? Tell the judges?" Junko asks with a bite in her voice.
"No. I'm going to beat this guy."
"But how? You will be locked out of your spell cards?" Momoe asks.
"Then I will slide in more traps and monsters," I answered, pulling out my side deck from my second deck box. "Besides, a buddy of mine taught me how to handle cheaters." I return my side deck to its deck box. "I'll show this guy that his cheats are nothing but cheap tricks against a proper duelist," I said, walking back to the participants' room. As I walk, my blood begins to boil. The idea of a cheater being here in the Junior tournament is sickening. After that time I spent practicing and learning from Yuki, the thought of a cheater possibly winning the tournament angered me.
While in my angered state, something my dad told me returned to my mind.
If a guy makes a girl cry, make them pay.
{Rei's P.O.V.}
I watch as Yamamoto walks off, seeing the chunky boy fade from view.
"Do you think he stands a chance?" Junko asks.
"I'm not sure. Yamamoto's deck is full of powerful and rare cards." I answered, thinking back to his Chaos Dragon Levianeer. If the rest of his cards are like that one, he might be able to fight back despite the massive handicap.
"You know, he is kind of cute, in a chubby way," Momoe said.
I sigh but let out a small but genuine laugh. That's our Momoe.
{Kenji's P.O.V.}
"I'm back," I said to Yuki, handing him the energy drink.
"Where were you? You almost missed the entirety of the second round." Yuki said, opening the can and taking a sip.
"My mom wanted to take some pictures with me after winning." I lied. "How is the match?" I asked.
"It's a shit show," Yuki said. "Watch."
Following Yuki's suggestion, I turned to watch the second round.
Kagurazaka LP: 1400
Ryuga LP: 4000
"Oh my! It seems Kagurazaka's luck isn't with him today! Not only was his opponent his former tag duel partner in the Northeast Block, but now his duel disk isn't responding to his spell cards!" Daitokuji said through the mic.
Spell cards not working?
I look at who I'm assuming was Ryuga, a young boy with sleek black hair and glasses. On his field is a massive black T-Rex, its jaws wide opening, ready to strike. Kagurazaka's field has a set monster and two face-down cards. However, I doubt those face-downs are anything beyond a bluff. Kagurazaka panics as he tries to play his spell card before deciding to send it to the grave without its effect resolving.
"While Kagurazaka has a set monster, it wouldn't be helping him thanks to Black Tyranno's effect, as it can attack Kagurazaka directly if Kagurazaka's monsters are in defense position," Cronos said, nodding.
Seeing as he can do nothing, Kagurazaka ended his turn, passing over to Ryuga. Ryuga drew his card for his turn, but he didn't even glance at it before entering his Battle Phase and ordering Black Tyranno to attack, bypassing Kagurazaka's set monster thanks to its effect. The black dinosaur slams its massive body against the youth, causing him to fly backward.
Kagurazaka LP: 0
Ryuga: Winner
While the crowd cheers, my eyes don't move away from Ryuga, who gives the camera a smug grin.
"I don't know if he is bold or stupid," Yuki said.
I glance at Yuki. "You think he's-"
"Cheating? Yeah. I don't know how he is doing it. But I know you need to be prepared, as he is the next block pponent."
Author's Note
Yukito and Kenji are not the only ones with busted cards in this tournament. They even have the most powerful card in Yu-Gi-Oh history, a credit card.
I'm also part of the SGO server, so if you want to join and chat, here is a link
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I also started my server for anyone who wants to ask me about my fics or to hang out.
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