Chapter 8: Better Lucky Than Good

Bryan gathered his cards after a rather humiliating and sudden loss to Fats and his Naturia Mosquito. The fact that they had to duel on a classroom desk instead of the electronic duel tables was pitiful. The proctor had offered them a chance to move their duel to a holographic table as soon as one was made available, but the duel was over so quickly that the option was moot. Bryan never even put up a real fight.

Should he even bother dueling in the second round? Maybe he'd be just as well off disappearing back to the dorm and hiding out for the rest of the day. Two automatic forfeits would leave him with a dismal rank, but would losing in a duel be any better for him or his pride?

He missed his window to slip away. A girl gently tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey. Bryan, right?" He didn't recognize her face straight away, but the green Duel Academy jacket narrowed down the name list quickly. The fact that it looked to be the size of a circus tent is what really struck his memory.

"Oh, hey. Um…" She was plenty cute, with a round face and a complexion holding up well against teenage acne. Obviously she was one of the Guardian Duelers and he had met her before, but he blanked on her name.

"Lucy."

"Right. I'm sorry. Terrible with names."

She forced a smile that, frankly, looked a bit disingenuous. "Don't worry. There are a lot of people at school here. It's tough to remember all the names. How are you?"

He smiled back, making sure his grin looked more sincere than hers did. "I'm good. Feeling a bit overwhelmed about all this."

Her smile grew brighter as sympathy entered into her eyes. "I remember what it was like last year. The one true advantage to being a Guardian is I don't miss the commotion."

"Don't you also have Obelisk the Tormentor in your deck? That's a pretty sweet benefit." Maybe having a god card in his deck would give Bryan a decent showing at just one of his official duels; however, it'd be impossible for him to earn one at this rate.

Lucy reacted as if she had been punched in the gut. Bryan figured she was just as shy about her deck as she was about her body. "Sometimes it's nice knowing I have a true, one-of-a-kind card that's unique to the world. The effect on a duel is kind of rare since I don't get to summon it all the time, but as far as ace monsters go, it is pretty much unstoppable. You're not wrong about the benefit. How did your first duel go?"

Bryan had hoped she wouldn't ask. Finally he sucked in his wounded pride and said, "I lost. One turn, too, so it was painfully one-sided."

"Aw, don't worry about it. One-turn kills are factored into your score because they can be so hard to defend against. If you do well in your next two duels, you could still place well."

"Thanks for the boost, but I don't see that happening." He waffled between wanting to give a blanket statement about everyone on campus being a strong duelist and wallowing in self-pity for a moment. The decision was taken away from him when Matt finally found him. Three other Guardians followed close behind, stepping aside for a moment to speak to someone they knew in the corner of the room.

"Hey, bro. Long time, no see."

Bryan chuckled. "Yeah, it must have been an hour already. How was your duel?"

"Asserted my dominance over the US Navy. Pretty sure that makes me the president now. Any luck on your end?"

"Yeah, bad luck. I lost to Fats."

Matt said, "Well, you already know he learned to duel from his champion grandmother, so that's nothing to be ashamed of." Lucy had started to back away when Matt quickly focused his attention on her. "Good morning, Lucy. It's a pleasure to see you again." Sometimes when he tried too hard to sound sincere, it came across as sarcastic. Bryan felt like this was one of those times.

"Hi, Matt," she said, shaking his hand briefly. "Off to a good start with the exams?"

"So far, so good," he said. "What brings you around today? If I remember correctly, you are exempt from this dog-and-pony show by virtue of being a Guardian Dueler. Your worth has been proven already."

"You remember right. I'm here because all of us help out school functions like this."

"That's great. Do you know anything about the ranking algorithm or how the results are calculated?"

"Nothing that detailed. I've assisted in proctoring two duels so far."

At the same moment Matt said "Were they exciting?" Justin turned around from the conversation he and the others had behind Matt. "What was that about the ranking algorithm?"

Lucy answered, "Matt was curious about it."

Justin's eyes were lit like a Christmas tree, or perhaps more like the kid who was busy tearing into the boxes underneath the tree. "It's completely adaptive. There's a reason you didn't have all three rounds scheduled right off the bat. When everyone finishes the first round, all the results are thrown into a formula so the computer can match everyone against someone who, so far, has shown equal skill. You won your first duel, right? So the next duel will be a stronger opponent."

"Cool. How much stronger?" Matt was intrigued.

"Depends on the result of the formula. Other variables include Life Points, how many turns it took, misplays, panic—which is like your ability to respond when overpowered—and coordination. There are probably more variables, too. It's so tightly protected that probably no one knows the whole formula anymore."

Lucy looked at her phone. "I have to go. It was good to see you guys, though. Good luck in the next round." She gave a little wave before walking away. Bryan noticed how intently Matt stared but chose not to say anything in front of Justin and the others.

"You scared off Lucy?" asked Dave. He and Andy had finally finished their other conversation.

Matt, still eyeing her across the room even though she was frequently hidden behind other bodies, asked, "What's her story?"

Andy jeered and pressed his fist to Matt's shoulder. "Oh, got a thing for her, do you?"

"Absolutely, I do. To be specific, I would like to see her naked."

Bryan figured a line that blunt meant it was fair to tease him. "Looking to give away your V-card finally?"

"Come Valentine's Day I will give her as many cards as she wants."

Bryan rolled his eyes. "You know that means 'virginity.'"

"I gave that away already."

"Oh, yeah?" he asked doubtfully. "To who?"

"To whom," said Dave, correcting his grammar. Bryan drolly thanked him for the help, mentally thinking that the last thing he had wished for in a new friend was a grammar nerd.

Matt missed a beat, a sure-fire sign that he might lie about it. "Melissa Yarbo, right before we left for Duel Academy."

The name was quick enough and had a ring of accuracy. Bryan wracked his brain to remember who Melissa Yarbo could be when Dave rescued him from the need. "Yarbo is a small town in Saskatchewan."

Suddenly it made sense to Bryan. Andy and Justin picked it up right away, too. Andy laughed and pointed. "Oh, no! You used the fake girlfriend from Canada excuse? And then Dave just geography-blocked you."

Dave asked, "You didn't know I was from Canada, did you?"

"I did not. The last census put Yarbo at 72 people. I was counting on no one knowing anything about it. But you caught me." He glared at Bryan. "If you want a direct, albeit crass answer, then yes. I would like to bang it out with Lucy."

"Good luck," said Justin. "She has body issues and no desire to see a therapist about it. Ever since she showed up last year, she has always worn loose-fitting clothes to make sure no one knows exactly how big she is. Even living in the same house with her, I've never seen her in anything tighter than an XXL sweater." Andy and Dave nodded their agreement.

"Sounds like you might have to give that one up," said Bryan. He could tell by the look in Matt's eye that a simple statement like that wasn't enough to sway him. "Besides, don't you have a thing going with Kasumi?"

Dave recognized the name. "That's Cary's roommate, right? She's cute."

Matt scoffed. "There's also a culture gap there. People in Japan act like hugging is an act of lifelong commitment instead of a greeting between friends."

"Not even kind of accurate when you generalize it like that," said Andy, shaking his head vehemently. "Traditional, conservative families, maybe. Vast minority."

"But Kas is one of them, you're saying," said Bryan. "So instead of being crazy patient with a girl who kind of likes you, you're going to pursue a girl who seems uninterested?"

Matt smirked. "Absolutely. Don't they always say the thrill is in the chase?"

"Which is exactly why I'm starting to think you just seek excuses to be single all the time. It feeds into your little fantasy world where you're always miserable."

Dave chuckled. "What's that?"

"Oh, guys!" said Bryan, snickering and going into full make-fun-of-Matt mode. "This dude is smart as hell and not tragically flawed, so a few girls back home actually tried to make a move on him instead of waiting for him to come to them. I know, guy's dream, right? But then this idiot always says or does something stupid to make sure the girl changes her mind. I used to assume it was because he's just socially impaired, but maybe he does it on purpose."

"Maybe he needs some tips from Andy," said Justin, nudging his roommate. "This guy has been with Wikolia since freshman year. They've got the high school sweethearts thing down pat."

Andy raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, there's not much to it. Just listen, pay attention, and never ever say she looks fat."

"Sounds simple," said Matt. He shared a smile with the group. "I'm sure you'll know if it works because I'll be around the Guardhouse a lot more often."

Following a groan from everyone, Andy added, "Girls like tenacity, too. It lets them know you won't abandon them just because things get a little difficult sometimes. But make sure you don't cross that line into 'creepy stalker' territory. That's different and illegal almost everywhere."

"Almost," Dave repeated with a laugh.

Bryan shook his head. Getting Amber Kohler to date him had felt like an impossible task because of how analytical she was about every little thing. A misspoken word in conversation, taking too long to respond to questioning, using periods in text messages… The first three months were crucial for getting past that and to a point of comfort between them so that she could utterly crush him eleven months later. "I don't miss the game-playing."

Matt smiled back. "Life is all about games. It's only upsetting when you don't know the rules. That's when you have to take Andy's advice: listen, learn, and undermine."

Andy started, "That's not exactly what I—"

"Oh, there goes my phone," said Matt, diving into his pocket and ignoring the lesson Andy would have delivered. Bryan's phone buzzed at the same time. He pulled up his Duel Academy email and read the newest message. His second round had been decided.

"Looks like I'm up in an hour," said Bryan. He almost dreaded reading the information. Being social had led him to miss the window for fleeing back to the Slifer dorm. "How about you?"

"Forty-seven minutes, but same idea." He craned his neck to check out Bryan's phone. "Looks like we're even in the same room this time."

"Too bad our duels are simultaneous or else I'd get to watch you."

Matt waved him off. "I'm boring. My deck is the same every time. I'm more interested in watching you duel instead. Round 1 was rough, but maybe Round 2 is where you'll find your footing."

Nodding through a frown, Bryan said, "Yeah, maybe." In reality, he was certain another devastating loss was coming his way. After all, he had already lost to this particular opponent once before. Unless he pulled off something special, they were just in for a repeat performance.

Dave asked, "Did you bring a side deck? Maybe we can take a look at it and give you some tips to get ready."

"Side deck?" asked Matt. "Is that like a deck you keep in your back pocket in case your main deck stops putting out?"

Andy made a face at him. "I feel like you're being facetious, but just in case… You're allowed to carry a fifteen-card side deck to the placement exams and swap some cards from your main deck between rounds based on little changes you think need to be made." Looking to the others for support, he added, "I think you can end up with more cards in your main deck than when you started, if you want."

"Yeah," affirmed Dave. "The only limitation is your side deck can't start out bigger than fifteen cards."

"Side decking is another factor in your rank," said Justin. He thought briefly about the accuracy of his own claim before adding, "It's a judgment piece by the admins, I think, but if you change out cards and your performance improves, it helps your score."

Bryan asked, "How will they know you swapped out cards?"

"The system scans the deck when you load it. That's how it knows which cards you're allowed to take for certain effects."

Dave said, "Come on. Let's head for the library and check out your cards. You guys coming?"

Andy confirmed he would join Dave and Bryan, but Justin shook his head. "Those two are more than enough support for you. We'll check out the progress of some of the other duelists."

"And mock their fashion sense," said Matt, obviously joking since everyone wore practically the same outfit. Aside from the Guardians wearing green, he was the only person who stood out at all with his unzipped jacket. "Names, too. I hear there's a Russian student named Ivan Drago."

"Pretty sure you made that up," said Bryan. "That's the guy from Rocky IV."

Matt and Justin went off to do their thing and mock their fellow duelists while Bryan followed his Guardian Dueler escorts to the library where they could discuss tweaks to his deck. He had not wanted to push so hard for people he knew for only one week to help him out, but he desperately wanted their help before he got himself kicked out of school.

The library was surprisingly busy. The instant Round 1 concluded, there was a twenty-minute break where everyone could either relax and get a coffee or stress out and anxiously flurry through their decks. Every person in the library appeared to be the latter. Cards were scattered over tables as panicked duelists tried to piece together their best combos heretofore unrealized in time to make use of new cards in the next round. On top of seeking stronger combos, duelists reached for the element of unpredictability in case their next opponents had also seen part of their decks in Round 1. Overall, the air was heavy with anxiety, paranoia, and sweat. The smell was worst coming off a Slifer who Bryan recognized from the first floor of the dorm. Instead of saying hi, he and the Guardians went upstairs to the bigger hall.

Tables upstairs were likewise filled with duelists, many of whom had built small forts out of books in order to shield their cards from prying eyes. A small section of the closest table was open enough for the three of them. Incidentally, Cary sat in the middle of the table—reading a book for some inexplicable reason.

"Hey, Cary," said Dave as he greeted his cousin with a familial side-hug. "Hunger Games?"

"I appreciate the effect it has on the other people here to see me reading a book about teenagers trying to kill one another in mortal combat," she said with a smirk. Indeed, there was practically a bubble around Cary where no one else sat. They gave her a wide berth, either because she was radioactive or because no one wanted to invite her potentially murderous wrath.

Cary stopped reading long enough to give Bryan and Andy each a chin tilt, as if to say "'Sup?" but without any spoken words. Bryan attempted a nonchalant shrug and half-frown as if to say "Nothin' much," but he put too much effort into it and ended up looking more like he was just clueless to his surroundings instead.

"You're not side decking?" asked Dave.

"Why would I? I landed a one-turn kill in that first duel. Don't mess with perfection."

Andy and Dave exchanged glances. "Whoa. So much confidence," remarked Andy.

"I'm not sure she wasn't just talking about her hair," said Bryan.

Joke or not, Cary smiled back at him and presented her cheek as if posing for a picture while thanking him for the compliment. She quickly returned to her book, but she continued to multitask as the boys sat down. "You guys helping Bryan with his side deck?"

"A few tips, maybe," said Dave. "You have any issue with that?"

"No. It's good for the best duelist in school to help out the worst."

Bryan felt like he'd been stabbed right in the gut. "Thanks a lot," he grumbled. He couldn't even be mad at her. It felt too true to argue. "I may be hopeless."

A beat passed as everyone waited for him to finish the thought. Cary cocked an eyebrow in lieu of saying "But…?"

He shrugged. "No but. I might be hopeless."

Dave jabbed him on the shoulder. "Not if you keep trying, you aren't. Let's take a look."

Somewhere in the middle of a discussion about how Bryan should look into focusing his deck on one type of Hero—either use Neos support or focus on Fusion Heroes, Cary's phone buzzed. She grabbed it and stood from the table without a word.

"Leaving so soon?" asked Dave. "I hope it wasn't something I said."

"Or the way I smell," joked Bryan.

Cary neither confirmed nor denied either claim. She pushed her chair under the tabletop, dropped her book in a nearby bin, and headed toward the door. On her way out, she heard Andy explain her sudden exit. "I saw it. She had an alarm on her phone. Ten minutes until her next duel."

"Should we go watch?" asked Bryan.

Cary stopped and hollered back, "No. You study." She was quickly shushed and buffeted with sneers from people whose concentration was shattered by her outburst. It didn't matter. More important was that no one followed her. She didn't want anyone trying to cheer her on.

She found her opponent upstairs in the humanities wing. Mitch Zielinski was the top-ranked student in Ra Yellow at the end of the previous year. Born to a Polish father and Scottish mother, he was practically destined for Duel Academy since he won the children's world championship at eight years old. He was finding as he aged, however, there was a difference between a prodigy and a genius. A prodigy does things other people can do but at a young age: Mitch proved his dueling prowess in his youth, but others of his age and across the globe caught up by the time he was ready for Duel Academy.

He was struggling at this point to ascend past his current peak at the top of Ra Yellow, and Cary had no qualms about stepping on him while she raced for the top herself.

Mitch was a decent-looking guy. He had a pronounced nose on a round face, generally a Slavic look about him. Most importantly, he had his deck all ready to go. He shuffled it exactly thirteen times—a quirk Cary had heard about him. Unlike most people, he found the number thirteen to be lucky. He refused to duel if he shuffled his deck any fewer than thirteen times, and if he went over even by one, then he started over with a new thirteen shuffles.

"Cary Strickland," he said. He didn't offer a handshake. Rumor had it he was germaphobic. Cary didn't mind. Touching other people was a bother for her, too.

"Mitch Zielinski. Pleasure to meet you."

"Same. I hear you're a force to fear in a duel."

She shrugged. "Want to find out?"

He smiled, looking more at her nose than in her eyes. Either he was nervous, maybe somewhat autistic, or he hated green eyes. "Let's duel." Straight to the point. Not enough people like that, in Cary's opinion.

Following the onscreen prompts, Cary took the first turn. She played Pot of Duality to look at her top three cards, keep one, and shuffle her deck. After that, she had no moves to make. Or more accurately, she had no moves she wanted to make… yet.

Mitch hesitated a moment at what he thought was a trap, but he ultimately decided that an empty field and nothing in the graveyard was the least threatening an opponent could be.

"Charge of the Light Brigade," he said. A brilliant light flashed through the projectors as a white dog sprinted across the field and jumped into Mitch's hand. He sent three cards from his deck straight to the graveyard in order to claim a Lightsworn monster to his hand.

"Tour Guide From the Underworld (3: 1000|600)," he said next, summoning a uniformed lady who stood in front of a ghastly-looking bus. She carried a speaker by her side to make sure she could be heard when she spoke. "Special summon Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (3: 800|2000)." The bus door opened and a demon with wild hair, snarling teeth, expansive wings, and tendril-like fingers emerged. Its teeth snarled like a prison warden ready to torture its victims. "Overlay for Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss (3: 1000|2500)." Named for Dante Alighieri, his card dressed as an old, Italian explorer ready for a voyage through Hell.

Mitch continued his turn. "Dante's effect: Lose one xyz material, then three cards from my deck." He first sent Scarm to the graveyard and then discarded three cards straight from his deck. Doing so raised Dante's (+2500) power by 500 points per card. Freshly powered up, Dante drew his sword and lunged at Cary for a direct attack, quickly taking a defensive stance in case of counterattack.

Cary 5500: Mitch 8000

Despite her words to Dave, Cary had, in fact, already researched Mitch and completed a few trades with her side deck. From checking out the details of his profile on the Duel Academy website, she knew he mixed the Lightsworn monsters into a Burning Abyss deck in order to make use of their complimentary abilities, such as his closing move: As he ended his turn, Mitch pointed out that Scarm was sent to the graveyard, so he got to move another Burning Abyss monster to his hand from the deck.

At the moment, Cary wasn't bothered. Mitch took a commanding lead given the way she left herself open, but she knew she was capable of a comeback. The problem was she didn't have all the cards she needed just yet. She decided to play another Pot of Duality, again searching the next three cards to take the one she wanted. Now that she found most of her preparations complete, she was stuck waiting for her next turn. As helpful as it was to pick and choose her cards, Pot of Duality also prevented her from performing any special summons, which were vital to her Dragunity strategy.

Setting only one card on the field, she put her faith in the fact that 5500 Life Points was a lot to take out in just one turn. Maybe Mitch wouldn't be able to do it.

When Mitch drew, he looked contemplative and serious, but not worried. Despite the look on his face, it took him a mere glance to decide on a course of action. Maybe he wasn't a genius, but he was quick to act.

"Dante (1000) to attack mode. Then Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn (4: 1700|1000)." His new warrior was shirtless and proud of it, showing off rippling muscles and wielding a sword with a blade like shimmering sapphire. In his other hand he held a small chisel, which he used to strike Mitch's deck. "His effect: Two cards from the deck to the graveyard." He sent Shaddoll Falco to the graveyard, which activated its own effect of being special summoned in face-down defense position.

Dante lost another xyz material and sent three more cards to the grave to raise his power by 1500 points again. With a swift flick of his wrist, Dante's (+2500) sword found its home in Cary's Life Points, followed soon by the heavy swing of Raiden's (1700) powerful blade.

Cary 1300: Mitch 8000

"You don't attack as much as I thought you would," said Mitch.

"Just waiting for the right moment."

"So you can do another OTK?" he asked. She looked up at him, which made him nervous. "One-turn-kill. I saw that you did so in Round 1."

"Maybe. Can you stop me?"

"Probably not. The one thing people could never get over where prodigies are concerned is that we're just as susceptible to bad luck as anyone else. And you're good with your cards."

"Trap Stun," she said. Her card flipped up and stood on its end, watching the field ready to freeze any trap cards before they could activate.

Mitch nodded. "I thought so." Turns out he was able to predict that for Cary to set a card and not use it to protect her own Life Points, she was betting everything on a single turn. Her trap was intended to make sure nothing interfered with her play.

Cary next threw "Upstart Goblin," bringing a fat goblin wearing decadent clothes to the field. He seemed to demand payment from Mitch, which translated to Cary drawing one new card, and then the goblin gave a pittance of 1000 LP to Mitch in exchange. "Next, Dragon Shrine." The effect brought forth a series of towering dragon bones that had been adapted into a local shrine. The bones came from a dragon card Cary sent from her deck to the graveyard.

Cary 1300: Mitch 9000

"Dragunity Dux (4: 1500|1000)." She summoned a toga-clad man dressed in armored wings and a headdress resembling the form of a falcon. He wielded a cat o' nine tails in his left hand. She reached into her graveyard and showed Mitch her Dragunity Phalanx (2: 500|1100) as she equipped it to Dux. The tiny dragon curled around Dux's other arm and withdrew into its bronze armor, leaving the appearance of brass knuckles with twin spearheads as the weapon. "Phalanx summons itself." Releasing its hold on Dux's arm, Phalanx became a second monster—a dragon in bronze armor.

And the duel continued in almost the exact same fashion as when she faced Jeri Fleig. Cary sent Phalanx away for Mystletainn only to summon Phalanx right back to the field. Dux and Phalanx resonated and combined into Gae Dearg, which overlaid with Mystletainn to summon Hieratic Dragon King of Atum. Its effect led to Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, whose effect led to another Phalanx. Zephyros put Red-Eyes back in her hand and then combined with Phalanx to summon Vajrayana, who brought Phalanx right back only to be removed for a full-strength Red-Eyes, joined by Gae Dearg.

Finally the course of her cards shifted. "Vajrayana (+2500) gets Dragunity Divine Lance," a golden polearm adorned with wings matching every Dragunity monster Cary ever laid eyes on. "Effect, summon Phalanx (2: 500|1100) from the deck." Her bronze-armored dragon equipped to Vajrayana as a weapon, but then it slithered aside and stood upright as its own entity. "Gae Dearg (6) and Vajrayana (6) overlay into Constellar Ptolemy M7 (6: 2700|2000)." Her two dragon riders merged their core energy into a white, mechanical dragon with wings like the expanse of the night sky. When Cary detached an xyz material from it, the wings shone even more brightly until the light consumed Mitch's face-down Shaddoll Falco, sending it back to his hand.

Mitch watched every move with fascination. Every move Cary made wrought the wonders of the universe in his eyes.

"I special summon Garuda the Wind Spirit (4: 1600|1200)," said Cary as she banished a monster from her graveyard. An eagle-headed man wearing orange pants flew to the field, but not for long. Phalanx (2) began to resonate again, this time merging with Garuda (6) to summon another copy of Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana (6: 1900|1200), her red dragon with the armored knight holding the reins. Predictably, she used the dragon rider's effect to summon Phalanx (2: 500|1100) back to the field. This time, Phalanx (2) resonated with Vajrayana (6) to summon Scrap Dragon (8: 2800|2000), a mechanical dragon assembled from uniform strips of metal sheeting.

"I special summon Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms (7: 2400|2200)," she said while banishing more monsters from her graveyard. A vicious storm whipped up on the field, so intense that vents on the duel station began to blow air at its two seated players. The winds rapidly took the shape of a towering dragon, as if the beast had no body of its own outside the storm. "Overlay Atum (6) into Gaia Dragon, the Thunder Charger (7: 2600|2100)." The purple dragon with the golden armor was replaced with a new dragon rider. Unlike her other dragon riders, this one appeared more mechanical, each arm replaced with a jousting lance.

Mitch held his fingers out for a moment, like he was ready to play a piano, but then he pulled them back. He was doing mental math just like Cary already had. The duel was over.

First the Red-Eyes (2800) obliterated Raiden (1700) in a fiery breath attack. Second, Gaia Dragon (2600) skewered Dante (2500) with his powerful lance, piercing Mitch during the effort. Alongside the lingering effect of Trap Stun, Mitch's field was defenseless against an onslaught of attacks by Ptolemy (2700), Tempest (2400), and Scrap Dragon (2800).

Cary 1300: Mitch 0

"I saw it coming," said Mitch.

"Maybe that's part of your talent," said Cary, mostly to pity him. She figured being a prodigy was overrated if it couldn't help you get a better ranking at Duel Academy.

"They'll come for you," he added.

Now he had Cary's full attention. She stared at him wide-eyed, with a look that said, "Please say that again in a way that sounds less rapey."

"Team OTK has some roster openings after people graduated last year. You've proven you're a candidate."

Oh. That was much less intense than she had expected. "I'm more of a lone wolf-type."

"Teams aren't about getting help," he explained. "It's about representing Duel Academy and making a name for yourself."

She rolled her eyes. The concept sounded dumb, but she'd ask Dave what he thought about it later. Cary needed to know more about the dueling teams before she could form any solid opinion.

Matt snuck up on Bryan in the Kazama B room. He was already standing at the duel station beside Jack Hardy. They were talking about something, but Matt couldn't care less what it was. He stepped between them and made eye contact with Bryan. "Don't worry too much about this duel. You've seen his deck. You know what's coming. And I'll be two tables over, watching you kick ass." Matt looked Jack in the eye with a smile on his face. "I'd wish you luck, roomie, but you don't need it, do you? You've already succeeded once. What challenge can there be in doing it again?"

Bryan uttered, "Dude…"

"Relax. Have fun. Remember: It's just a game."

Matt could see the look of sarcasm on Jack's face in contrast with Bryan's face, twisted in a mix of bewilderment and anxiety. Their reluctant roommate remarked, "Considering what I've heard about your luck with girls, playing both sides of the field sounds like exactly the kind of behavior I'd expect from you." Matt ignored the double entendre and winked at him, which made Jack shift uncomfortably. If all went well, Jack would be so annoyed that he would slip up. If not, he would double-down and give Bryan an even harder fight than last time. Either way, it ought to be entertaining.

When Matt sat down, he found himself across from Shane Pricer in his Ra Yellow jacket. A glance showed Shane looking unamused. Matt said, "You don't have your usual vigor. What's wrong? Forget to put extra sugar in your Wheaties this morning?"

"You have to ask that stupid question? I'm dueling against a Slifer," he griped, scowling now. "In what way will that improve my rank?"

"It won't," said Matt frankly.

"Yeah. This sucks. All because I made one mistake in the first round. But goddamn it, to fall so far as to duel a Slifer!"

A tall, black guy wearing a green Duel Academy jacket stepped closer to the table and said, "Chill, dude. Slifer duelists have some skills, too."

Matt frowned at the guy. He didn't look old enough to be a teacher, but he was older than the average student. From the green jacket it was obvious he numbered among the Guardian Duelers. His was not a face Matt had seen anywhere on campus, however. "Who the hell are you?"

"Mikey Brittle, and I'm here to proctor your duel. That won't be a problem, will it?"

For a moment, Matt made a face that implied he didn't care. He never shrugged or shook his head. "Which god card do you have?"

Shane's eyes flicked toward Mikey. He knew the topic was never supposed to be explicitly discussed except in the strict circumstances of a duel involving the god cards. Any unwarranted mention of the cards could result in reprimand by the faculty, at their discretion. Mikey seemed not to notice the infraction, or perhaps he didn't care. He merely motioned toward the table and said, "Why don't you guys just start your duel? Keep it clean, calm, and fair."

"Whatever," said Matt, turning to take a look at Bryan's duel. They had just drawn their opening hands. No one made a move yet.

Shane said, "Looks like you're up first, smart guy."

"You want to place a wager on this duel?"

Shane sneered at him.

"Isn't that a thing you do?"

"Are you upset because your buddy Bryan owes me a favor?"

"No. But I'm curious what card you were going to offer him. You feel like duplicating the bet from that night? If I win, you give me whatever Hero card you were willing to part with."

Shane smirked. "You're a Slifer. You won't win."

"Then there's no reason not to take the bet."

"Fine. But since you're so insistent, you'll owe me two favors when I win."

Matt shrugged. "Whatever tickles your fancy." He finally looked in Shane's direction to say, "I'm not really into fancy tickling. That was just an expression." The look of disdain on Shane's face was pricerless.

Mikey stepped up again to say, "You guys know you aren't required to ante up on the placement exams, right? I mean, I won't stop you if you want to do it…"

"Then let's get this duel underway," said Matt, taking up his opening cards. He looked into a sea of blue-green—mostly spell cards in his hand. No monsters at all, which was not the best way to win. Shane only played a couple of monsters in his duel against Bryan, but they hinted that an Assault Mode deck was possible. He was going to summon a big monster first and then make it bigger. Matt needed his own monsters to fight back. "I'll set three cards to end my turn."

"Nothing better than that?" asked Shane. "Too bad. You might make this even easier than Bryan did. I'll start the game with Windwitch – Ice Bell (3: 1000|1000)." A whirlwind whipped and lashed through the field as a petite witch with a spiraling hat swooped down, riding sidesaddle on a broom that looked more like a crystalline flower with a ribbon tied around the end. "Summoning her also summons Windwitch – Glass Bell (4: 1500|1500)." The first witch was joined by a second, dressed in white. Instead of riding a flower, her broom resembled a bell. "Summoning this one moves another Windwitch to my hand.

"But now let's resolve all the effects." He finished planting his monster cards and searched the deck for a third. Ice Bell hopped off her broom and swung it like a baseball bat, sending a flurry of wind so cold and sharp it struck Matt like shards of ice. "That's 500 points of damage just for using her effect to summon her."

Matt 7500: Shane 8000

To Shane's chagrin, Matt appeared to be disinterested in the duel. His neck was craned in the direction of Bryan's duel. Matt recognized the silence, though, and asked, "Why are you so mad about dueling a Slifer?"

Shane sputtered. "No one wants to duel someone beneath them. It means they're checking to see if I even deserve to be in Ra Yellow."

Instead of making a big deal about a duel he expected to win anyway, Shane continued playing. "Windwitch – Snow Bell (1: 100|100) is summoned because I have two Windwitches already." His third witch was the first not to look humanoid; instead it resembled a floating, silver bell with two sapphires for eyes and two tiny wings protruding from its head.

Shane's two human witches clanged their brooms together, allowing the sound waves to resonate loudly until the moment their pitches became one and the two entities merged into a single being that could have been a paper airplane. In total it resembled a blue jay riding atop a single blue wing like a sled through the wintry mix of weather spraying through the air. "I synchro summoned Windwitch – Winter Bell (7: 2400|2000)."

Matt didn't pay attention to the table, but he did shiver once in response to the lowering temperature, an effect intended to give the duelists a feel for the Windwitch power coursing through the field. "More damage, right?" he asked. Somehow he was able to stay abreast of the events in his own duel even without watching said events unfold.

His ability to do so visibly irked Shane. "Yeah," he agreed. "Winter Bell hits you for 800 points: 200 times the level of a Windwitch like Glass Bell (4) in my graveyard." Wave after wave after wave after wave of winter weather slammed Matt as he shivered in his seat.

Matt 6700: Shane 8000

"My turn now?" He still stared off in the distance.

"Not yet. My two monsters synchro summon Stardust Dragon (8: 2500|2000)." The Snow Bell and Winter Bell rang just as loudly and clearly as the earlier witches until they transformed into sound waves that grew and took the form of a dragon shining as brightly as the stars in the night sky. Despite the muscle behind his dragon, Shane looked over Matt's cards. "That ends my turn." No point in taking unnecessary risks until the second turn, where he would be significantly better prepared.

"Before your turn ends, I activate Eternal Soul," said Matt. A monolith bearing the inscribed outline of a Dark Magician rose from the ground on his field. "I'll move Dark Magic Attack from my deck to my hand." He searched his deck for a card and then gave the deck to Mikey to shuffle.

"I thought you wasn't paying attention," said the big guy as he handled the deck.

Matt shook his head. "I got the gist of it." He took a card from the top of the deck. "Now I'll use Eternal Soul again to take Thousand Knives from my deck to my hand." He handed his deck back to Mikey. "Too bad I couldn't just let you keep it last time."

"No worries. I got you shuffled up again."

"Thanks."

"I'm chaining Assault Mode Activate," said Shane, grumbling to himself about missed timing. "Stardust goes to the graveyard so he can evolve into Stardust Dragon|Assault Mode (10: 3000|2500)." Although the overall structure of his monster remained the same, every bone lengthened and strengthened, every claw sharpened, spikes sprouted from its spine, wings grew pointed, and the overall size of the dragon became formidable.

"I like it. Got a grandiose sparkle-thing going on. Does it sell toothpaste? Maybe some of those whitening strips?"

Shane shook his head. "No. None of that. It doles out pain and frustration for you."

"Luckily that's also what four out of five dentists recommend," said Matt. "I continue with Magical Mallet. All of my cards go back to my deck so I can draw a new hand instead." After taking a look at his new cards, Matt said, "Who needs to pay attention with cards like these? Set one card and summon Apprentice Illusion Magician (6: 2000|1700) in defense." He dropped one card from his hand to the Graveyard to see a female magician appear on the field. She was nearly identical to the Dark Magician Girl save her younger and shorter features, violet robes, and long hair, platinum in color.

Matt made a face. "That will end my turn."

"Not until I chain Call of the Haunted," said Shane. His Stardust Dragon (8: 2500|2000) emerged on the field, now giving him two night lights, as Matt remarked. "No need to fear the dark with this kind of firepower," he admitted.

Drawing a card for his turn, Shane activated Assault Teleport. "I shuffle this Stardust Dragon|Assault Mode from my hand back into the deck, and then I draw two new cards. I'll set two, and then I'll have Stardust Dragon (2500) attack your Apprentice Illusion Magician (1700)."

"Maybe I'll use Eternal Soul to get another Thousand Knives."

"Except it won't work this time. Stardust Assault Mode has an effect to negate that." Stardust Assault Mode flashed white-hot and flew into the monolith while the light shone on its insignia. In the collision, the monolith exploded, fragments striking Apprentice Illusion Magician and removing her from the field. Stardust Assault Mode was also gone, but it was more accurate to say it had faded temporarily while it regained its energy. "My monster is banished, but your card is gone. And it looks like there was a nice bonus effect, too."

"Of course. Any card so useful is bound to have a downside. When Eternal Soul goes away, my field is cleared of monsters."

Shane smirked. "That makes a perfect opportunity for Stardust Dragon (2500) to land a direct attack." His shining dragon cocooned itself inside translucent wings momentarily and then unleashed beams of light energy that struck Matt multiple times, including right in the eyes.

He removed his glasses and rubbed his face. "Thanks for that."

"I don't control the holograms. That was just a bonus for me."

"Cute. But I thanked you for the direct attack. Now I can activate Magician Navigation. You dealt 2500 points of damage to me, which means I get to summon a monster from my deck with 2500 points." He laid out a Dark Magician (7: 2500|2100), looking taller and more confident than the Apprentice had earlier. "And also from my graveyard." He pulled a second Dark Magician (7: 2500|2100) from the graveyard and placed it on the field. One of his cards in purple and one in red, he wielded two spell casters identical in power.

Matt 4200: Shane 8000

"When did you get a Dark Magician in the grave?" asked Shane.

"I had to discard something to play my Apprentice without a tribute earlier. You'd know what it was already if you paid more attention to our duel and stopped watching everyone else." Matt rolled his eyes just to get a rise out of Shane.

It worked. Shane looked even more upset than before. "Whatever. Stardust Assault Mode comes back at the end of the turn, so you're fucked no matter how many magicians you play."

Mikey asked, "Is that language really necessary?"

Shane grumbled something unintelligible under his breath. Matt thought that was an excellent summary of Shane's acumen.

"So you have two shiny monsters now instead of one."

"And I took out Eternal Soul. That's the clutch card in your deck," said Shane proudly.

"It sure is. And the thing about Dark Magician," his voice began dripping with sarcasm, "is that it only has one support card. Once that's gone, there's no way a Dark Magician can do anything useful." He drew a card and put on an exaggerated expression of shock and surprise. "Oh, my god! There's actually more than one!" He made a googly-eyed face at Shane. "What do you think of this one?"

Meanwhile two tables down, Bryan felt like his duel was just as one-sided. It was bizarre, in fact. Last time he dueled with Jack, he got stomped—hard. But so far this time, it was like his deck was coming up all aces. Specifically, in this case, he turned King of the Swamp and Elemental Hero Sparkman into Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman, which proceeded to CA-RUSH every one of Jack's monsters so far, preventing any of his summoning chains. As a stellar bonus, defense mode offered no protection since Flare Wingman's added damage effect took place every time it destroyed a monster.

The game changer, quite possibly, was the addition of Royal Decree to his deck. With this card out, Jack was unable to use any of his traps at all. As things looked, Bryan might actually win one!

Bryan 8000: Jack 2600

He watched as Jack set one face-down card and a set a monster for the fourth turn in a row. Lady Luck was just not with his poor roommate at all.

On the other hand, Bryan's luck slowed after that first turn. Shining Flare Wingman was the only monster he had managed to keep on the field. Don't get him wrong: If he were stuck with any one monster for the rest of his life, he was glad to have his luminescent ace monster, but every turn he didn't finish the duel left him nervous that Jack might fight back.

"Things are taking a sharp turn compared with our previous duel," said Bryan. He wasn't trying to provoke his roommate, but he wasn't one to ignore the elephant in the room, either, especially not while it sat right there on the couch wearing armor as bright as the sun. Bryan almost wished he had been bold enough to offer a bet before the duel began. Maybe he could get back the eternal cock-block Jack was holding over him.

"Don't mock me. It's painful enough having an off day during an exam," said Jack.

"I wasn't," Bryan promised. But it was easy to say that when Flare Wingman destroyed a second Hieratic Dragon of Nuit (1700) and left Jack's side of the field smoldering in flames. It was harder to be diplomatic on the receiving end. Bryan knew that from experience.

Bryan 8000: Jack 900

Something in the air shifted, and Bryan felt a short breeze. When Jack drew, he scowled at his card. "I'll play Dark Hole and just wipe the field clean." A star in the center of the stage rapidly collapsed on itself and became a black hole, gravity so strong that even the brilliant shine of Bryan's monster was unable to escape its direct course to the card graveyard.

With a slow nod, Bryan accepted the loss of his best card. The duel wasn't over yet, and Jack was rattled. A brief setback didn't mean anything.

"I play Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb (4: 1800|400)." His dragon was sleek, any curves almost impossible to discern among its golden scales. It had a look of gelatin molded into the form of a dragon and then armored with flawless gold. "Finally some payback." Gebeb flew across the field like a golden missile and pummeled Bryan directly.

Bryan 6200: Jack 900

"That was a good move," said Bryan, not intending to sound antagonistic. Part of him felt bad for taking the lead when even he expected to lose this duel. Watching Jack land a direct attack just felt like the duel was resuming its natural course.

"Yeah, whatever. It's your turn."

When Bryan drew, he experienced the same situation he had so many times before. It was exactly what Dave and Andy had warned him about: You don't want to be stuck in a situation where you need a monster and you end up drawing another trap card, especially while Royal Decree is in play. All of a sudden, the trap card that protected him to this point was holding him back. He decided to hold out for one more turn, hoping that the weak monster in his hand would find support on the next turn.

"Nothing?" asked Jack. He tried to slump back and act sympathetic, but he couldn't hide the pleased smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. "Bummer. I'll just throw another Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb (4: 1800|400) and deliver two more direct attacks." Bryan was walloped twice by the dragons of shimmering gold.

Bryan 2600: Jack 900

"This could be it," said Bryan as he lifted the top card of his deck. It wasn't a monster, but it was crucial support. "I play E – Emergency Call and move Burstinatrix to my hand. Now if I polymerize Burstinatrix and Avian…" A spatial rift on the field swirled and combined the green and red of Bryan's two Heroes to summon a warrior comprising both: half winged predator, half fiery dragon, all Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (6: 2100|1200).

Jack pursed his lips as he saw what was coming. Bryan saw the disappointment in Jack's eyes and actually felt a pang of guilt for not losing the duel this time.

But the experience was so bizarre and contrary to the last two weeks that he almost choked on the words. "Flame Wingman (2100) attacks Gebeb (1800)." Flames poured from Flame Wingman's draconic arm and consumed the golden dragon until its body had become flame. But even when the attack ended, the damage continued, for Gebeb's flaming body continued to raise the heat on Jack directly, inflicting the full brunt of the dragon's power as damage.

For the first time since arriving at Academy Island, Bryan was victorious.

Bryan 2600: Jack 0

Jack collected his cards slowly. He was visibly upset but not angry. It was more like he had figured himself likely to win yet prepared for the opposite—like maybe he foresaw only a fifty-one percent chance. "Does this mean you want out of our previous agreement?"

The question threw Bryan for a loop. Of course he did, but a part of him felt like making any request after-the-fact was unsportsmanlike. He smiled instead. "No. We didn't put stakes on this duel, so I can't make something up now just because I won for once. Neither of us was very fast this time. If anything, our two duels only prove how much luck is involved in the cards. The cards weren't there for you this time so you didn't get as many summons as last time."

"Yeah, I knew I wouldn't be able to win every time. It just sucks to lose during the placement exams, ya know? Just rotten luck. It'll hurt my result."

"But you can always challenge your way up the chain, right? So don't put too much pressure on yourself for this last duel. The cards will fall where they will."

Follow your own advice, E-Hero Boy.

"I'll bet that's why they make us play three rounds for this exam when they could just as easily use our entrance scores." As Jack took Bryan's hand for a congratulatory shake, he mumbled, "Hey, I feel bad about being so harsh last time we dueled."

"Don't worry about it." In reality, Bryan was hardly fazed by Jack making him promise to stay away from any girl Jack had the hots for. Bryan hadn't felt himself truly drawn toward any of the girls on campus. Plenty of them were gorgeous in face and body. A year ago, he'd love to get with any of them. Right now, though, even his interest in Erica was more for the fun of flirting than the beginning of a serious relationship. Until he worked through these unknown issues, his promise to Jack wouldn't be hard to keep.

With a smirk, Bryan nudged him. "For my reference, have you picked a girl yet? Just so I know who to avoid."

Jack's expression softened. His eyes darted back and forth as he leaned in to whisper, like he was about to divulge state secrets. "I have. And lucky for you, she's easy to remember because she wears a green jacket."

Bryan's heart skipped a beat. Was Jack about to steal his chances with Erica away? But when he followed the trajectory of Jack's subtle nod, he found someone different on the other end. "Lucy?"

"Lucy…" Jack muttered. He didn't know her name before Bryan said it. "You know her?"

"I've only talked to her twice. Have you ever met her?"

"Not yet, but you can introduce me."

"Yeah, I suppose." At least it sounded easy until Bryan remembered that Matt had a thing for her. Sure, Matt was caught between two girls at the time, but he was still Bryan's best friend. Given the choice between his best friend and a roommate he barely knew, he just couldn't bring himself to help Jack in this arena. "Why her?" he asked, hoping to shift the subject. "She's pretty big."

"Big is not an issue, but 'pretty' doesn't even cover it. Her face is more perfect than any I've ever seen—like crafting a bust of marble with all the flawless features of humanity and then breathing life into it." It was interesting to hear that. Bryan considered Lucy to be closer to "interesting-looking." Sure, she was pretty, but she didn't have the onscreen actress face that Erica had or the supermodel look like his ex-girlfriend. Obviously Jack saw something in her that Bryan didn't. "Big girls need love, too, especially when they're hot."

"That's fair. I guess there's no harm in introducing you sometime. Have you thought about dating that girl Cary? She's cute, plus she uses a Hieratic card like you do."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm not married to my cards, dude. You and Matt both use Prisma but you don't date."

"No, not after that one time at band camp. Turns out we just aren't what the other is looking for." Jack chuckled at the joke. Bryan checked his phone for the time. "I guess it's time for lunch before we get the schedule for Round Three. Good luck to you."

"And you. See you later."

As soon as Jack walked away, Matt slid into his seat opposite Bryan. "How did it go?"

"Weren't you watching?"

"I was in the beginning, but I got distracted for a minute. You shouldn't feel bad about losing to Shane. Dude can duel."

Bryan frowned. "Did you actually lose?"

"Hell no! He got down on the business end of three Dark Magicians and kissed my ass. I speak figuratively, of course. Given the conservative rules of this school, I'm pretty sure literal ass-kissing is a violation. Especially in public. Anyway, here you go."

Bryan was bewildered to see Matt holding Vision Hero Trinity in his hand. "Where did you get this?"

"From Shane. It's the card he was going to give you if you had managed to beat him that other time."

"Dude, you don't have to waste the spoils of your duels on me. You probably could have gotten something to help your own deck instead."

"Why? I'm undefeated so far. I'd rather give you a boost."

"Thanks, man. Will it work, though? I don't have any other Vision Heroes."

Matt smirked. "That's the great thing about doing your homework and reading the card effects. It works with all types of Heroes." Bryan marveled at the card when he realized Matt was right. He went through the effect word by word while Matt said, "Seriously. We should get you into the library. I'll bet they have plenty of books about Hero play."

"That was one of Andy's suggestions earlier. I didn't even know that was an option before then."

"Karma for putting so much faith in football over the library all these years."

"Two. Two years. And a half," said Bryan.

"Still. You weren't exactly a bookworm before then."

Bryan knew that was a true statement. "They're just so… inanimate."

"Whereas a football moves by itself."

"Not by itself, but the damn thing does move around a lot."

Matt slapped Bryan on the shoulder. "You'll get there. Let's grab some lunch."

Between all the worry about placement exams and consideration of quitting school at Duel Academy, Bryan never stopped to consider that the pit in his stomach could be the result of hunger instead of misery. The idea of filling his belly amplified the feeling and drove him toward the door even ahead of Matt and the Guardians who rejoined them.

The Duel Academy kitchen had a buffet line set up every day for lunch. Normally the hours were restricted to the two hours surrounding noon—the open period between classes. The cafeteria was somewhat small, just big enough to house the 150 students all at once. Bryan gravitated straight toward the buffet line, but Andy stepped away. Dave said, "We'll catch up. We're gonna go make rounds and check on some of the results so far." He and Andy split up to speak to those seated at two of the lunchroom tables.

Justin caught up a moment later and asked, "Where'd Dave and Andy go?"

Bryan motioned toward the tables. "They went to see how everyone else is doing."

"Right on. I'll catch up with you guys." Following the lead of the other Guardians, Justin walked away and mingled with the other lunchroom attendees.

With a short grumble, Bryan asked, "You ever get the feeling those guys have other friends besides just us?"

"Who has friends?" It turned out Matt wasn't even looking that way. His gaze was fixated on the food, already mentally selecting his lunch items and figuring out how to arrange them on his tray so that he fit everything without the moist items touching the crispy items and making them soggy.

That level of nonchalance made Bryan chuckle. "I keep forgetting that you hardly notice other people."

"People can only distract you if you let them. Who are you again?"

"Very funny."

Matt took advantage of Bryan's attention gap to slip ahead of him in line. He rapidly filled his plate with roasted asparagus, strips of beef brisket, steamed corn, and two potato rolls. Following a different approach, Bryan piled up the chicken nuggets and French fries, and then he grabbed some corn just for the vegetable.

"Nice plate of brown," said Matt.

"At least my pee won't smell because of it."

Despite the room being big enough for everyone, exam day found the students coming and going frequently. More than half the tables were completely empty, and Matt chose one of those to sit.

Shrugging as he sat beside his grumpy friend, Bryan said, "I'm young and my immune system is strong. Gotta eat like this now while I can still recover from it." Which meant there was a fifty percent chance that Bryan would be doubled over on the toilet in an hour "recovering" from lunch. As long as it didn't interfere with his third duel, he didn't mind a little evacuation drill.

But thinking about that made him realize how close they were now to finishing the day. The second round was still wrapping up, and then there was an hour-long lunch break for the professors and judges. He wondered what would happen to him in the third round. Most likely, he was looking at a coming loss. The second round felt like a fluke victory, and a win implied that he'd be facing an even stronger opponent next. Did he even have a shot at a second consecutive victory?

As tough as Bryan's third duel would be, Matt had to set his own bar way too high. He won both rounds so far, including against a Ra Yellow. Who would he end up facing next?

"Who do you think you'll end up dueling in the third round?"

"Some asshole, I'm sure," Matt snipped between mouthfuls.

"What happens if you win?"

"If there's any justice in the world, I'll get a trophy and my choice of the girls on campus. I've already chosen, just for reference."

"And back here in reality... Do you think they'll bump you up to Ra Yellow?"

"I never thought about it."

When he said nothing else, Bryan asked, "Would you think about it now?"

"I don't like hypotheticals."

"But you think you'll win."

"Well, yeah. It feels stupid to bother dueling if I don't think I'll win."

"Losing can be a good teacher, too."

Matt scoffed, clearly unimpressed with Bryan's nugget of modest wisdom. "If there's something to learn, then yes, losing can be a good teacher. But when you undermine that ability by expecting to lose, then what you learn is that you know how to lose. There is little gained in doing anything less than dueling like you're going to win."

Bryan didn't have a clear response to that. Matt made an interesting point. If anyone always expected to lose, it was Bryan. Did that expectation only perpetuate a cycle of losing? It was the typical outcome for him. How much influence could he wield over his duels simply by changing his outlook?

Cutting through the silence after a mouthful of brisket, Matt asked, "So if you win your next duel, you'll end up near the top of Slifer Red. Does that excite you at all?"

"I guess. Originally I figured I would lose again. In the worst case scenario, what do you think a record of one win, two losses will do for me?"

"Nothing that bad. Statistically speaking, there's at least a twenty-five percent chance of ending with that record. As many people will end the exams with a losing record as with a winning record. Whatever happens, get your algorithmic rank, fix your deck, then duel your way up the chain. It's simple as that."

Bryan guffawed. "That's not so simple."

"Then change your goal. If you want to lose all the time, I'm sure you can make that happen."

"Dude, that's not what I meant. But I get your point. Maybe next time don't be such a dick about it." Matt clearly had a caustic way of getting his point across, but his advice was the same as Dr. Arbus: Take it one duel at a time. That advice netted Bryan his first victory at Duel Academy, and as soon as the moment passed, the victory ultimately means nothing. His only goal right now was the same as before: Win just one duel.

Just a continuation of Placement Exam Day. As I mentioned last time, I was torn between wanting to go through all three duels for all three duelists and thinking that was overkill. So these past two chapters along with the next one will contain hefty word counts, but I feel there is significant character points contained in all of the described events. Following the exam conclusion, we will see more movement in the story plot.

Thanks to my readers for submitting Jack Hansbury to the story. Just a reminder that of 150 students, I have only named 29 (plus a few professor slots are still open). If you want to submit a character for the story's first year, feel free!