Chapter 30: Alumni Challengers

Matt had never felt more out of place in his entire life. Stepping back out of the Slifer dorm on Day 2 of the Spirit Day Festival only reminded him of the insanity and chaos that consumed the Duel Academy campus over the weekend. The vibrant colors that had taken over the fields were so different from the primary color scheme Duel Academy usually adhered to. And the smells were foreign and overwhelming. He enjoyed foreign foods as much as the next guy, but why were they already frying takoyaki at nine in the morning? Even the duel station outside the Slifer dorm was already in use, occupied by Joel Hullum and a group of kids that could easily have been family members.

"Smell that festival air," said Bryan, stretching wide enough to cover the entire breezeway with his wingspan. "I wish it could last even longer."

"We already lost our whole weekend. Isn't that enough?"

Jack said, "I'm with the big guy. This has been a nice change of pace."

Bryan laughed. "You and your brother just enjoyed chatting up that alumni girl last night."

"Alumna," said Matt.

But Bryan kept talking as if Matt weren't there. "What was her name?"

"Ilka Minos." Jack's face looked like Bryan's after a grilled cheese sandwich with extra pan cheese on the crust. "You know the best part? She didn't seem too concerned about our age gap."

Matt said, "Because you told her you were…?"

Looking guilty, he answered, "Nineteen."

"There it is."

"But she's only twenty-one. It's not that bad."

"Sure. Nothing creepy at all about a twenty-one-year-old dating a fifteen-year-old. Some of the southern states encourage it, even. But there's two of you, so that makes you thirty, right?"

Jack made a face. "Obviously we' wouldn't both date her at the same time."

Bryan asked, "Are you coming with us today?"

Matt frowned. "I'd rather shower with a bear."

"There's an image only a true recluse can provide. Would you rather have another all-day work assignment?"

"Yes. They told me I wasn't allowed, that I had to enjoy the festival. I already missed the Boss Duel. What else is there to enjoy?"

"The costume contest," said Jack, as if the answer had been so obvious.

Matt looked him up and down, realizing that Jack wore a suit of armor made out of cardboard. It made him think of that line from History of the World: "I'm fightin' with cardboard!"

So he asked, "What costume contest?"

Jack's face about exploded. "Are you kidding me? You didn't read the program? And you didn't ask any questions about all the people dressed in crazy costumes? I mean, this isn't exactly standard-issue Duel Academy garb."

Bryan said, "He's messing with you. Of course he noticed." Matt wouldn't admit it, so he just grinned instead. "Kudos to your cardboard armor crafting. I'm surprised you made it all the way through yesterday without any damage."

"My brother and I have been Transformers ever since we were kids. I got this shit figured out by now. I'm all in for that contest."

"Why didn't you do a partner costume, like how Andy and Wikolia were the imps from Delinquent Duo?" asked Bryan.

Jack shook his head. "There's no way he'd accept the restraints I've been under to build my costume from here. You saw his Ancient Gear Golem, right? So much higher quality—too high to qualify me for the student costume award."

The costume contest was barely a blip on Matt's radar. As much as he'd rather hide in his room and study, Kasumi wanted to spend a day at the festival with him—another event that might not sound so bad at first, but Kasumi's parents were on the island. In short, Kasumi wanted Matt to meet her parents. He even considered ducking back into the dorm room and faking illness, but he had waited too long for that decision: Kasumi was on the sidewalk in front of the harbor—unless that was actually a walking rose bush with Kasumi's skin tone and hair color. The walking roses had already seen Matt and waved an instant before Kasumi sent him a text message verifying he was on his way over.

Walking from the Slifer dorm toward the harbor, Matt found all the duel stations were in use. Slifer had just the one station available, but the two harbor stations were also flashing and making noise already. Seemed like visiting a school for dueling got everyone excited to duel. Who knew?

Matt realized why Kasumi was so brightly colored: She wore a full-length skirt made entirely of fabric shaped like rose petals. A black corset with red boning gave her hips even more shape than usual. Detached sleeves matched the corset in color and design. Her hair was braided to look like auburn vines, with a single rose attached to her headband. Without looking exactly like Black Rose Dragon, she looked a lot like Black Rose Dragon.

"That is an amazing dress," said Bryan. He shot Matt a quick glare. "Isn't it?"

Matt didn't need instructions for how to talk to girls. "You look… perennial." Though her confused response suggested maybe he should rely on more cliché comments from time to time.

Jack said, "Ignore him. This dress is beautiful on you. Anyone can tell with a glance that you're wearing Black Rose Dragon as a dress."

"That's right," she said, beaming. So maybe the boring, predictable statement was the better option.

Cary stood behind her, wearing a green crop top with a matching mini skirt and boots, partly hidden by the wide-brimmed hat and cape she wore. All of her clothes were tattered and dirty as if she had crawled through an ant farm to get out of bed that morning. She asked, "Was that somehow a pun?"

He shrugged. "Roses are technically woody perennial flowering plants, but people also refer to the flower alone as a rose."

"A pun, then. I get it now."

Kasumi took his hand and gave it a light squeeze. It wasn't on par with a kiss, but to do it out in the open, where people might see her express affection, was huge for her.

Jack asked Cary, "What is your costume?"

She made an exaggerated motion as if checking her clothes. "What costume?" Bryan nudged Jack as a sign that he should apologize for the insult, but Matt knew she was being sarcastic. "I'm Warrior Lady of the Wasteland."

Matt asked, "Why?"

She smirked. "My parents will hate it. Whenever they finally get off the boat." Yesterday, she had had the look of a lonely puppy while she walked around with Dave and four adults bearing familial resemblances. It was enough for Matt to guess that Dave was the golden child in the family. Cary probably couldn't claim the spotlight for herself no matter how fervently Dave supported her.

"Why aren't you dressed up?" asked Kasumi. Considering Bryan's bare chest and Jack's cardboard armor, it was clear she directed that to Matt.

"What do you mean? I'm Magician's Rod." Matt turned around so she could see where he strapped the long, purple shaft with the green orb on top.

She made a face. "That's a pretty lazy costume."

"And yet, still a costume. At least I'm participating."

Jack said, "You'd never win the costume contest with that."

Matt made a face. "What contest?" At least Jack understood his sarcasm by now.

Bryan said, "This dress might be a contender, though. How is the corset?"

"It's fine. Why?"

"I've read a lot of comments about how they can be restrictive and prevent breathing. Don't they compress your organs or something?"

She smiled and shook her head. "If you can't breathe with it on, it doesn't fit. Corsets aren't supposed to be painful to wear. Not more than having an elastic waistband that covers your waist."

Matt rolled his eyes. "You ever wonder why women would wear something for hundreds of years if they were really so bad? Maybe on special occasions you wear something crazy and stupid, like the ridiculous outfits at the Oscars, but everyday use shouldn't break your ribs."

Kasumi said, "I don't understand. It's a supportive garment. It bends and flexes." She demonstrated by dipping her torso at the waist, and the dress bent with her. "I could do a somersault, but I don't want to get dirty."

"Don't prove anything to them," said Cary.

Bryan put up his hands. "No, it's my fault for asking. I didn't mean to be rude. I just heard some things that I guess don't make a lot of sense. As long as you're comfortable, keep rocking it. It looks really good on you."

"Thank you."

Movement in the corner of Matt's eye drew his attention to a couple whose trajectory put them on a collision course. The man was tall and imposing, with a stern, angular face and a meticulously trimmed mustache. He carried himself with an air of quiet authority, his every step radiating a sense of confidence and control. The woman, on the other hand, was the complete opposite—petite and delicate, with a serene, almost ethereal beauty. She glided with grace and regal bearing, her long hair flowing behind her like a silken banner. Matt felt his stomach twist into knots as they drew closer. These people were the epitome of wealth and sophistication, and he couldn't help but feel like a scruffy, awkward interloper in their pristine world.

"Kasumi, dear," the woman said, her voice soft and melodious. She pulled Kasumi into an embrace that was shallow—mostly just briefly pressing their bodies together—but it caused the tension to melt from Kasumi's shoulders.

"Mother, Father," Kasumi said, her tone timid but sincere as she bowed. "I'm so glad you could make it."

The man nodded, his expression unreadable. "Of course. We wouldn't miss this." He did not hug Kasumi, even pretend. His gaze then shifted to Matt, who suddenly felt as though he were being scrutinized under a microscope. "Which is the young man you've been telling us about?"

"Not the naked one?" said her mother, hopefully.

Bryan blushed and fidgeted uncomfortably. He was only half naked, but he folded his arms over his chest to seem slightly more covered. That comment was enough to break a lot of the tension Matt didn't even realize he carried. "He's in costume, pretending to be a warrior. I'm probably the one Kasumi talks about, though I can't imagine there's much to say. I'm Matt."

Mr. Okuyama accepted Matt's handshake. "Your family name?"

Matt's expression dipped, but he didn't let it fall all the way. "I currently use the name Luther. My father is Lex Luthor." Spoken out loud, it was impossible to tell that they were spelled differently.

But not impossible to tell he was joking. "Your father is a comic book character?" His expression remained calculating. Jokes were not the way to go with this family.

"It would be easier that way. I don't know who my father is. I live in foster care."

For a moment, everyone seemed to stall with that comment. Probably everyone felt a sudden wave of pity for the poor orphan boy. Even Bryan was silent, and he was usually the first to defend Matt from anyone else talking about parents. But Kasumi's father made an expected reply: "I have heard American foster care is chaotic. To be accepted to this prestigious academy despite that environment shows true devotion to your future."

Mrs. Okuyama said, "Kasumi speaks very highly of you, but she did not mention your home."

"I didn't know," said Kasumi. Her expression was the worst, a mixture of pity and sorrow. Mostly the same look that Matt hated so much from his classmates back home.

"I study hard. Duel Academy is a grueling institution," Matt said, changing the subject as abruptly as possible. "The facilities here are top-notch, so the students have to be, too. And the faculty is dedicated to their craft. Even the general education professors have duel chops. They only accept the best, which is why I'm here."

Mr. Okuyama nodded, seemingly satisfied with Matt's response. "You wear an expensive Duel Disk on your arm."

Matt looked at his arm, not because he forgot he was wearing his Duel Disk but just as another chance to look at it and remember its significance. "It was a gift. Or more like a prize, for winning a major tournament."

"Are you not wearing a Spirit Day costume?"

Kasumi motioned toward the staff sticking out just over Matt's head. "He is a card that has no body."

"Magician's Rod," Matt clarified. He produced a copy of the card for Kasumi's parents to see. "The card shows the essence of a sorcerer using it, but the monster itself is just the rod. This way, I can participate without being impractical."

Once again, Mr. Okuyama seemed to agree. His clothes certainly did. "I do not understand the desire to wear costumes."

Matt said, "People dressing up like cards isn't interesting to me. Their reasons for dressing up can be interesting." He looked to Kasumi.

She was mildly offended. "It's a way of celebrating this part of my life. I want a career with Yu-Gi-Oh! Gaming, so here I am to show spirit. I told you I'll be part of the costume contest tonight. So will Jack." She turned to point at him, but he was gone along with Bryan and Cary. "Everyone left?"

Right around the time I made it awkward, thought Matt.

Mrs. Okuyama said, "Maybe they have plans already. Are their parents coming? Your roommate found her family right there." Cary hadn't gone far to join up with Dave and her family, but they were out of earshot.

"Are we ready to wander?" asked Matt.

As they walked, the four of them lapsed into a slightly awkward silence. Matt could sense Kasumi's renewed tension as she fidgeted beside him. He wanted to reach out and reassure her, but he couldn't seem to find the right words, and he knew that she wasn't comforted by physical touch.

But a distraction occurred as the sound of a taiko drum thundered through the air, followed by the high-pitched wail of a shamisen. A group of students and their families in traditional Japanese clothing began to perform a lively dance, their movements graceful and synchronized. Matt found himself mesmerized by the performance, his eyes darting from one dancer to the next. The intricate patterns of their kimonos, the rhythmic stomping of their feet, the vibrant colors of the cherry blossom petals that rained down around them—it was all so captivating, so unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

"The Sakura Dance," said Mrs. Okuyama. Her voice was tinged with nostalgia. "Such a beautiful tradition. Remember the first time we went together?" she asked her husband.

Matt asked, "Is this something that occurs in your home?"

Her eyes sparkled with delight. "Yes. It's a highlight from the Sakura Festival. Students in our community have performed this dance since we were children."

As the dance performance came to a close, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. The students bowed gracefully, their faces flushed from exertion and pride. Matt couldn't help but join in the ovation, though with significantly less vigor than the average viewer.

Mr. Okuyama handed Matt a slip of paper. "Perhaps you can explain this to me." It was a golden challenge card. Surely he understood how to use it, given his daughter's enrollment at a school for dueling.

"Father, Matt is the best duelist in our year. Better than a lot of juniors." Matt couldn't even muster the humility to argue with her. He had the strength for a smirk, though.

Her father said, "Then he should be comfortable accepting my challenge."

Matt shrugged. "Happy to. There are duel stations in front of the main building, if you want to walk a little bit farther."

"We can duel in that field there. I can use Kasumi's Duel Disk." Doing so required ten minutes for Kasumi and her father to figure out how to log out of her student account so that her dueling stats wouldn't be affected, but eventually he was proven correct: He armed himself with Kasumi's Japanese model Duel Disk.

"Take your cards," he said as he removed the main deck and handed them to Kasumi. He produced another deck from his pocket.

"You always carry that around or only when you visit prestigious dueling schools?"

"I built the deck for a work event. It performed quite well. I shall show you."

Matt shrugged. "Great. You want to go first?" He handed his deck to Kasumi to shuffle for him.

"Please. I issued the challenge. You deserve the option to go first."

"Works for me." As Matt loaded his deck again, Kasumi shuffled her father's deck. When they were both ready, Matt started. "I'll play Dark Magical Circle." Kasumi's father flinched when a circular energy field appeared in the grass by Matt's feet. Clearly, he didn't have much experience with dueling holograms. "Just because it's fun, I'll summon Magician's Rod (4: 1600|100)." As the hologram appeared on the field, Matt slung the Magician's Rod prop off his back and wedged it into the ground so it stood up on its own. "Summoning Magician's Rod activates an effect that lets me take a Dark Magician support card from my deck to my hand." He showed Kasumi that he took Magician Navigation and let her shuffle the deck again.

"No other major plays ready, so I'll set three cards and end my turn."

Matt: 8000 LP, 2 cards

Okuyama: 8000 LP, 5 cards

Mr. Okuyama took much longer each turn to read his cards. He was slow and meticulous to the point where Matt actually looked around and greeted a handful of students as they walked by. He wondered whether Mr. Okuyama would have the good sense to ask Kasumi for strategic advice.

Finally, he said, "I will play Twin Twister: I discard, and then I destroy two of your cards." He picked Dark Magical Circle and one of the face-down cards.

But Matt needed the card, so he activated it. "I'll chain Illusion Magic: By sending Magician's Rod as Tribute, I can take two Dark Magicians into my hand." He again showed Kasumi the cards he took and then let her shuffle the deck.

Mr. Okuyama nodded as if acknowledging the play. "I will summon Rescue Rabbit (4: 300|100). Then I can banish it to summon two Metalfoes Silverd (3: 1700|100) from my deck." The monsters were essentially just girls riding silver jets that looked like wyverns. But most interesting was that they were Pendulum Monsters. Matt was familiar but didn't see many of those around Duel Academy.

"I will now play Fire King Island." The field became a volcano sitting on an island—very similar to Academy Island, in fact. "I destroy one of my monsters so I can add a Fire King to my hand." If he took a long time to read through his hand, he was even slower at picking a card from the deck. But he managed to pick out a card before Matt decided to commit seppuku. Kasumi shuffled his deck, too.

"Now I place Metalfoes Volflame (8) and Metalfoes Goldriver (1) into the Pendulum Zones." The two monsters hung out on the outside of the field, kind of like the third base coach standing outside the baseball field for extra support and advice. "Metalfoes Goldriver has an effect: I destroy my other Metalfoes Silverd so I can place a Metalfoes card from my deck to the field." Again, he took so long to decide which card to take that Matt grew a beard… or at least a hair.

But his Metalfoes Silverd cards didn't go to the Graveyard: They were in his Extra Deck. And that meant… "I can now Pendulum Summon both of my Metalfoes Silverd (3: 1700|100) back to the field. And I also summon Fire King Avatar Barong (4: 1800|200)." Both jet riders returned beside a new monster, which looked a bit like a bipedal lion with blue fire coming out of its limbs and a penchant for dual wielding. "With these monsters, I use Metalfoes Fusion so Metalfoes Silverd times two becomes Metalfoes Orichalc (8: 2800|2200)." Maybe not technically fire, but the bronze-copper axes held by this warrior looked as hot as flame. "I activate Metalfoes Fusion from the Graveyard: It goes back to my deck, and I can draw one card."

Given he only held one last card, the next move didn't take much deliberation. "I will attack with Fire King Avatar Barong (1800) and then with Metalfoes Orichalc (2800)." Since Magician's Rod had been removed, there were no monsters to defend against the attacks. Matt honestly hadn't expected to find that Mr. Okuyama had any dueling chops at all, especially since he was too proud to ask Kasumi for advice. But with a combo like that one, maybe he really didn't need her help. "I place my last card face-down. That will end my turn."

"Hang on," said Matt. "I'll chain Magician Navigation. With this Trap, I summon Dark Magician (7: 2500|2100) from my hand in attack mode and also Magician of Black Illusion (7: 2100|2500) from my deck in defense mode." He amused himself thinking about how the Dark Magician now wielded the Magician's Rod that Matt had propped up on the field.

Matt: 3400 LP, 3 cards

Okuyama: 8000 LP, 0 cards

Mrs. Okuyama said, "Look at that! He's leading by half the Life Points."

Kasumi said, "That doesn't mean anything. Matt beat me once with just 300 Life Points left." Then she blushed because that particular duel had been… saucy.

In the present, Matt summoned Magician's Rod (4: 1600|100) again.

Mr. Okuyama flipped over his Trap Card. "I have Torrential Tribute, which responds to your summon by destroying all monsters on the field."

"I'm not okay with that," said Matt. "I'll chain Magician Navigation again. By removing it from the Graveyard, it negates your card." As the holographic rain brought on by the Trap faded, Magician's Rod resolved: "Summoning this card again lets me take Dark Magical Circle from my deck to my hand.

"Now's the time to activate Eternal Soul." The monolithic Dark Magician was one of Matt's most feared cards. "With this, I can summon Dark Magician (7: 2500|2100) from my hand to the field. I'll also overlay my two Dark Magicians (7) to summon Ebon Illusion Magician (7: 2500|2100)." It was like watching two magicians with purple robes fuse into a single magician with midnight-colored robes. "By detaching one of his overlay materials, I can revive the Dark Magician (7: 2500|2100) from my Graveyard. Now's also a good time to activate that Dark Magical Circle from earlier, so I look at my top three cards, keep one in my hand, and put the others back. Since I activated a Spell while Magician of Black Illusion is on the field, his effect lets me revive another Dark Magician (7: 2500|2100) from my Graveyard. And summoning Dark Magician activates Dark Magical Circle to banish your Metalfoes Orichalc."

To sum up: Matt was back to a field of two Dark Magicians, Ebon Illusion Magician, Magician of Black Illusion, and Magician's Rod. So it was no wonder that Mr. Okuyama began to sweat when his strongest monster disappeared.

"I'll start my attack with Dark Magician (2500). But it doesn't matter how strong Barong (1800) is: Dark Magician's attack activates Ebon Illusion Magician's effect to banish one card from your side of the field." Now Mr. Okuyama's field was empty while Matt's was completely full. Attacks from three sorcerers (2500) and their sentient Rod (1600) totaled more damage than Mr. Okuyama's Life Point counter could manage.

Matt: 3400 LP, 3 cards

Okuyama: 0 LP, 0 cards

Mr. Okuyama tried to keep a straight face as he powered off Kasumi's Duel Disk, but Matt could see right through that expression. He was a competent duelist who never truly expected to win against a Ra or an Obelisk, but he had thought beating a Slifer would be feasible. Typical armchair duelist mentality.

"Kasumi is right. You duel well."

Matt nodded, forcing himself to say "Thank you" instead of "Duh!"

"Let's wait and go explore the rest of the festival," said Mrs. Okuyama. "There's so much we didn't see yesterday."

And thanks to Matt's presence, seeing the rest of the festival would take longer than it should as he proceeded to stop for six more random challenges, all of which were issued because of his Deck Limitations championship and not because he was dating anyone else's daughter.

When Bryan finally caught up with Howard, it was just as a duel kicked off between Lori Colman and Dr. Kerr. The background context came from Howard. "Dr. Kerr was Lori's mentor for her senior research project, so they spent a lot of time together. Lori really wants to see how much she's improved, so she used her challenge card."

Bryan asked, "What challenge card?"

Howard showed him a small card, shaped and patterned like a golden Yu-Gi-Oh! Gaming card on the back. The front had an image of Duel Academy with the words "Spirit Day Challenge" as the name. In place of an effect, the card read, "Activate this card to challenge any Duel Academy resident to a duel."

Reading the effect unlocked a memory in Bryan's brain. "Oh, right. I remember this announcement. Everyone on the ship got one, right? The idea is that you can challenge any of the students whenever you want."

"Some of us need a chance to see if we still remember how to duel," said Alister. He was the quiet one in the group, so Bryan tried to remember if that was the first thing he ever heard Alister say.

Howard added, "And the faculty want to know if the students are good enough to beat all the non-professional alumni and family members."

"Yeah, they gave some kind of threat about how we're not allowed to decline," said Bryan. "I guess the trick is to lie low and avoid drawing too much attention."

Howard poked him in the sternum. "Maybe wear a shirt next time."

Dr. Kerr finished her first turn with Kozmotown and Kozmo Forerunner (7: 2800|1400) on the field.

Dr. Kerr: 8000 LP, 3 cards

Lori: 8000 LP, 5 cards

Bryan asked, "Does the challenge card work on faculty members?"

"They're Duel Academy residents just like you are," said Howard.

Alister added, "Sasha didn't really want to, but she accepted the challenge. Must be the faculty follow the same guidelines they set for you students."

Lori started by placing Performapal Monkeyboard (1) on the side of her Duel Disk, in the backfield. Then she placed Performapal Lizardraw (6) on the other side. They were both monsters that she placed in the backfield where Spells and Traps go. Just as Bryan remembered what Pendulum cards were—how they had the properties of both monster and Spell—Lori destroyed Performapal Lizardraw with its own effect so she could draw another card. Then she summoned Performapal Skullcrobat Joker (4: 1800|100) to the field. Clash of the Dracorivals was next, so she showed two of her cards to Dr. Kerr. Dr. Kerr picked the Vector Pendulum, the Dracoverlord (4: 1850|0), which Lori summoned to the field. The card that Dr. Kerr did not pick went into Lori's Extra Deck—a mechanic of Pendulum monsters that Bryan had forgotten about.

When she placed Performapal Guitartle (6) into the Spell Zone where Lizardraw had been previously, Lori suddenly had a complete Pendulum again. That let her summon Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer (4: 1850|0) from her Extra Deck, Performage Damage Juggler (4: 1500|1000) from her hand, and Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer (4: 1500|800) from her hand. Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer activated its effect to destroy Performapal Monkeyboard just so Lori could take a different Performapal monster from her deck to her hand.

Finally, she played without the Pendulum mechanic: Luster Pendulum (4) and Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer (4) resonated until they merged into Ignister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer (8: 2850|0)—easily the card name Bryan had the most trouble reading out loud in his life. Lori activated Ignister Prominence's effect to destroy one of Dr. Kerr's card, but she had Effect Veiler ready to discard and negate the activation.

But instead of deterring Lori, that move made her even more confident. She summoned Performage Hat Tricker (4: 1100|1100), which she overlaid with Performage Damage Juggler (4) to Xyz Summon the Abyss Dweller (4: 1700|1400). She detached a card so that Abyss Dweller could negate all effects in Dr. Kerr's Graveyard, which struck Bryan as odd because Dr. Kerr didn't have any Graveyard effects going. But then Lori banished Performage Damage Juggler from her own Graveyard so she could take another Performage Hat Tricker (4: 1100|1100), which Special Summoned itself to the field.

Hat Tricker (4) overlaid with Skullcrobat Joker (4) to Xyz Summon Performage Trapeze Magician (4: 2500|2000). She detached a card and declared that Performage Trapeze Magician's effect would let Ignister Prominence (2850) attack twice that turn. And that's when the battle started. Ignister Prominence (2850) destroyed Kozmo Forerunner (2800), then it attacked directly. The rest of Lori's monsters attacked in succession: Performage Trapeze Magician (2500), Vector Pendulum (1850), and Abyss Dweller (1700).

Dr. Kerr: 0 LP, 3 cards

Lori: 8000 LP, 2 cards

Howard and his friends all cheered and congratulated Lori on pulling off an "unlikely victory" while thanking Dr. Kerr for giving her a chance to prove herself. Bryan could hardly believe what he just saw. Consciously, he suspected the faculty were fallible, able to lose a duel just like anyone else could. But subconsciously, part of him had believed they were invincible. Watching Dr. Kerr lose in just one turn was unreal! Dr. Kerr seemed to be just as upset, pressing her hand to her chest as if trying to slow down her heart rate.

"Are you okay?" Bryan asked her quietly. "That was just bad luck. It's hard to defend against a successful OTK strategy."

She forced a smile. "Thank you, Bryan. I'll be fine. Are you enjoying the festival?"

"It's a lot of fun. Everything's so different from usual."

"Where's Matt?" she asked. "He is out and about and not hiding in his room, right? I denied his request for a second full day of work assignment so he would engage in the festivities."

"He's doing that. He's with Kasumi and her parents."

She smiled, still stressed but slightly more relaxed. "Oh. That's probably good for him. I didn't know you were friends with alumni here, though."

Howard patted Bryan on the back. "We met in Florence at the Denkard. He was Matt's adjutant in the Deck Limitations Tournament, and I was adjutant to Darcy Purves."

Dr. Kerr said, "Ah, that makes sense. I'm glad you're networking with the graduates."

Fusayo made an exaggerated motion to point at Bryan. "That's right! You're the guy everyone should challenge!"

Big Brad agreed. "Yeah, didn't you beat Darcy but only after you lost all your Life Points?"

"Anyone can win a duel when you get to keep going forever," said Fusayo.

Howard said, "Go easy on him, guys. Bryan won that duel within the rules of that round of the tournament. It was unconventional, and he would have lost anywhere else, but he did what was required to win."

Lori stepped up and patted Bryan's arm. "That's right. No reason to be ashamed of that." But she wasn't just encouraging him: Her hand stayed in place way too long, and she started tracing his triceps with her lengthy fingernails.

"What happens to students who lose during duels today?" Brad asked Dr. Kerr as he tried to slide away from the fingernails subtly and gracefully.

She made a face. "The same thing that happens when they lose to current students. We evaluate their opponent, their performance, and the outcome to determine how it affects their rank."

"So losing to a former Obelisk isn't as bad as losing to someone's little sister," said Fusayo. Dr. Kerr nodded. "That's great! Then this won't hurt as much as it should." He handed Bryan his challenge card. "Do you think you can win a duel without losing all your Life Points first?"

Bryan wasn't excited about the idea of dueling against a Duel Academy graduate, especially one who used to be in Obelisk and now worked as a data technician by day and a hobby duelist by night. "I'm not allowed to decline, am I?"

Fusayo shrugged. "You know how Duel Academy treats students who decline challenges, don't you? If I recall correctly, that's the only thing worse than losing to an unqualified opponent. But if you really don't want to duel, I'm willing to let you off the hook."

Unfortunately, Dr. Kerr witnessed the challenge. Bryan knew that even if she verbally let him walk away, she would judge him harshly for it. He would lose the respect of Slifer's faculty advisor, maybe to the point where she would kick him out of school, or at least she'd stop being available to give advice.

She smiled at him. "I have to get back to my festival duties. You got this. Go prove it to yourself." Those little words from a member of the faculty were enough to give Bryan a figurative kick in the pants.

"I'm just a Slifer, but I won't get better by avoiding challenges."

"That's the spirit," said Lori. She used the faux excitement as an excuse to place both hands on Bryan's pecs. He quickly backed away so her grip fell, then Dr. Kerr stepped between them before Lori could lunge again.

As Bryan powered on his Duel Disk, Fusayo said loudly, "I can't wait to see how a champion duelist handles himself in person. You have no idea how exciting this is for me." He tried really hard to sound gleeful, and Bryan wanted to take his words at face value, but it was impossible to ignore the strong undertone of malice. (He had too much practice listening to Matt to not notice the same tone from other people.)

Fusayo took the first turn. "I summon Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince (1: 800|0)." Bryan knew a little about Atlanteans, so the guy with the octopus armor wasn't a huge surprise. "Neptabyss lets me send an Atlantean from my deck to the Graveyard so I can move another Atlantean to my hand." He showed his cards to Brad but not to Bryan. At least Bryan could check the Duel Disk terminal to see Fusayo's Graveyard. "And since I discarded Atlantean Dragoons, I also get to take another Atlantean to my hand." Again, he showed only Brad his card.

"Now I'll discard another card to Special Summon Mermail Abyssteus (7: 1700|2400)." His armored amphibian wielded a seashell spear in a defensive pose. "Summoning Abyssteus lets me move yet another monster to my hand." He showed his card to Brad again. "Now I'll discard two cards to summon Mermail Abyssmegalo (7: 2400|1900)." This one looked more like an armored shark with a curved blade made from a shark's jaw. "I discarded Atlantean Dragoons to summon him, plus Abyssmegalo also activates on summoning, so I'll move another monster and a support card to my hand." Again he showed Brad. He finally let Brad shuffle his deck, which meant he might be done searching through it.

"I'll overlay my Mermails (7) to Xyz summon Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack (7: 2600|2200)." His armored monsters were replaced with a jet shaped like a dragon. "By discarding an Xyz material, I summon two Phantom Beast Plane Tokens (3: 0|0) to the field. That puts five Water monsters in my Graveyard, so now I can summon Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord (8: 2800|2200)." An icy sea serpent swam onto the field, covered in similar white and gold armor to the other water warriors so far. "With that, you have to discard two cards at random."

Howard offered to help out. Bryan folded his hand and shuffled the cards before Howard grabbed two for him to discard. One of them was Elemental Hero Shadow Mist: "For that, I can move another Bubbleman to my hand." Maybe Fusayo was right and not every card had to be shared with the opponent, but it felt like the polite thing to do. He also let Howard shuffle his deck.

"I'll set one card. Your turn," said Fusayo.

Fusayo: 8000 LP, 2 cards

Bryan: 8000 LP, 5 cards

Since Bryan had lost a card before his turn even started, he was glad to have Card of Cupidity in his opening hand. "I banish ten cards from my deck, then I draw two cards."

Fusayo laughed and pointed as if Bryan's pants had fallen down. The act made Bryan blush and feel quite a bit upset, but he didn't feel like he could say anything about it. Luckily, Howard said, "Calm down, Fu."

The only way to move on was to ignore it. So Bryan played Miracle Fusion: "I banish Shadow Mist and Bubbleman to fuse them into Elemental Hero Absolute Zero (8: +3500|2000)." He felt slightly more comfortable with one of his most powerful monsters on the field, even before it gained 1000 points from Fusayo's Water monsters. At least with Absolute Zero's effect to destroy all monsters on the field, Fusayo's five-monster army was less intimidating. "I also play Summoner Monk (4: 800|1600) in defense mode," as its effect required. "By discarding Upstart Goblin, I can summon Elemental Hero Shadow Mist (4: 1000|1500) from my deck." This time, his Hero with the black armor stayed on the field. "When Shadow Mist is summoned, I move Mask Change from my deck to my hand." Again, he shared the card he pulled from the deck whether it was required or not.

When he pressed the Phase button on his Duel Disk, Bryan's cards moved to the Battle Phase. He considered using Absolute Zero to take out the biggest monster—and he did agree to do so, in a way—but he realized the best first attack was, "Absolute Zero (3500) will destroy Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince (800)." When Fusayo's points dropped, Bryan continued. "Now I'll use Mask Change II: I send Summoner Monk to the Graveyard to summon Masked Hero Anki (8: 2800|1200)."

Fusayo said, "Is that the play you're going with?"

"I have more," said Bryan. "Form Change sends Absolute Zero back to the Extra Deck and replaces him with Masked Hero Acid (8: 2600|2100)." Absolute Zero wasn't destroyed, but he still disappeared behind an explosion of icicles. "First, Acid destroys your face-down card," which he did by shooting it with an acid gun. The acid splattered onto Fusayo's monsters. "Then Absolute Zero destroys all monsters on your field."

Fusayo shook his head. "Not all. While there's a Phantom Beast Plane on the field, Dracossak (-2300) is immune to destruction." But not immune to the acid, which decreased its attack points by 300. And the rest of Fusayo's monsters were still destroyed, including both Phantom Beast Planes.

Bryan pointed to Anki (2800) on his Duel Disk. "But Dracossack (2300) isn't immune to destruction now, right?" Anki leapt across the field and punched out the dragon jet, smashing it into pieces. "And since Masked Hero Anki destroyed a monster in battle, I can take Form Change from my deck to my hand.

"Now Acid (2600) can attack directly. And I'll use Mask Change in my hand to swap Shadow Mist (Dark) with Masked Hero Dark Law (6: 2400|1800). And it's still the Battle Phase, so now Dark Law attacks." According to the Duel Disk, that was just enough attack points to end the duel.

Fusayo: 0 LP, 2 cards

Bryan: 8000 LP, 1 card

As the duel closed, Fusayo wore significant disappointment on his face, but not anger. Even when Alister, Lana, and Lori started jeering and ragging on him for losing to a Slifer in his first year, Fusayo only waved for them to shut up but didn't actually fight back. "Okay, okay. Maybe the freshie isn't so bad at this game after all. Still don't know about champion level, though."

Lori said, "He looks good to me." She gave him a not-subtle wink and placed her hand on his arm, giving his tricep a squeeze before Bryan pulled away again.

Lana almost had a smile on her face. "I don't know. That combo could have won championship duels, too. Especially if you're getting good enough to do that consistently… and you don't duel against destruction decks or anyone with a decent counter strategy."

Howard said, "Yeah, there are plenty of counters for Hero decks, but still. That deck looks better than the one you played against Darcy. Looks like you've been studying. If you got that much better in just a few months, you might be pretty decent by the time you graduate."

"He'd be even better if he stops playing Heroes," said Fusayo.

Even Brad nudged him. "Says the guy who lost to those Heroes."

Bryan felt his phone buzz. It was a text message from Lucy: Congrats!

He looked around to see if she had been close enough to watch his duel. A decent crowd had gathered, in fact, but he didn't see Lucy. Where are you? He wondered why she wouldn't stop to congratulate him in person. Maybe she was too shy with all the other people around? Maybe she was with her parents and rushing off to the next spectacle? Or maybe she didn't feel close enough to him to make talking in-person a priority. All those conflicting thoughts gave him a mix of emotions when he should have been excited about winning a duel against a graduate student.

Somewhere around the fifth time stopping to watch some random visitor challenge Dave to a duel, Cary started to wonder whether anyone would actually notice if she went somewhere else. There was a point during the day where she stopped to have a long conversation with Mitsuro—mostly about how annoying the crowd was but also with a few minutes to meet Mitsuro's mother and discuss why her father couldn't be present—but Aunt Jill was the only one who commented about Cary being gone so long, probably because she relied on Cary to explain some of the complicated card combos to her while Dave was dueling.

In Dave's shadow, it felt like no one cared how strong Cary was. She didn't want to actively invite challengers—nothing worse than a pity challenge against a half-assed opponent. She just wished someone would give girls as much credit as boys for being good duelists. After all, why not challenge the girl who's walking around beside the school's top duelist? Surely they hang out because they have a lot in common, right?

"Hey, look!" said Dave. For the first time, he made his parents stop to watch someone else's duel. "That's my friend, Bryan."

"He's a Slifer," said Uncle Bill.

Dave said, "Yeah, but he's a good guy. Really friendly. And he's getting better. I wonder how he ended up dueling against Fusayo Yamakawa."

Bryan's duels rarely interested Cary, especially if he was dueling against a Duel Academy graduate. It was only a matter of turns before Bryan lost that one. Literally everything else was potentially more interesting.

That's when she noticed Matt stalking the space behind the card shop stall. He looked like he was trying to sneak in and steal something. That behavior didn't seem consistent with his character, but she had only known him in school and couldn't be certain… not until he slipped past the card shop and disappeared behind one of the taiyaki stands. She stepped away from her family briefly so she could get a better view, but Matt had disappeared. No matter how she anticipated his path from one side of the grounds to the other, she couldn't figure out where he went.

Until she caught sight of him just before he turned around the side of the Duel Academy building. She thought about telling her family she'd be right back, but they were still deep in the throes of discussion over the next steps to Dave's professional career. So Cary left them there, figuring the big surprise would be if they even noticed she had gone. She slunk around the building to follow Matt.

When she found him, he was pressed against the fallen pillar. He saw her before she could sneak up on him. He held his open hand toward her as if telling her to stop, but he pressed one finger against his lips to signal silence. Cary was curious enough to follow his instructions, so she closed the distance silently, taking even lighter steps than usual.

What Cary heard but could not see was Dr. Kerr and Dr. Aseel speaking heatedly to Dr. Houtz. "We can't just play it cool anymore. I just lost mine because of these ridiculous challenge cards. We have to keep you out of sight so you can't be challenged," said Dr. Kerr.

"Am I really the last one?" asked Dr. Houtz. Her hand was pressed to her collar.

"You and Oscar might be the last of the faculty," said Dr. Aseel.

Dr. Houtz sounded sad as she said, "I'm shocked they managed to win. When did it happen?"

Dr. Kerr said, "Just before lunch was served today and before the boss duel yesterday. It doesn't matter anymore. That's why there were seven of us."

"Do you think they know what they're doing by challenging us? I mean, I can see people challenging Kevin because he's the main student liaison. I just can't believe they beat him."

"Well, not yet, but he's been challenged three times already," said Dr. Kerr. "We just need you hidden for a while longer. If we make it to graduation, the seal will reset and the rest of our keys will regenerate."

Dr. Aseel said, "I'm going to look for Oscar. Roger, Patty, and Sebastian are already figuring out how to cover your duties for the rest of the day."

Dr. Kerr said, "I know how much you were looking forward to the costume contest."

"It's fine," said Dr. Houtz, sounding decidedly not fine. "This is more important. I'll head back to my room and lock up for the night."

"Too far," said Dr. Kerr. "People also might look for you there. Let's go to my room instead. It's the farthest dorm from the festival, and no one would expect to find you there."

Cary and Matt pressed themselves silently against the pillar while they waited for the professors to leave from their secret discussion. Just as they described, Dr. Aseel wandered into the throngs of festival-goers while Dr. Kerr led Dr. Houtz straight to the Slifer dorm. When they were gone, Cary gave Matt an inquisitive glance. He seemed to understand what she meant without words. But he wasn't there that time before class when Dr. Aseel and Dr. Houtz spoke in hushed, urgent tones. Dr. Houtz had made the same motion of pressing her hand to her collarbone at that time. Although she was possibly trying to keep her own heart rate down, Cary felt certain that was not the issue. Dr. Houtz carried something around her neck that needed protecting.

In that instant, Cary walked away, heading straight into the crowd to find Dr. Lankford. According to that conversation, he had one, too—some kind of key—and they were already assuming he'd lose it as the result of fielding nonstop challenges. Cary kind of wanted to find out what it was, but seeing Dr. Houtz look so scared had been jarring. This was a woman who was petite, for sure, yet she projected the presence of ten women. Whatever scared her was something Cary had no interest in seeing. Instead, she wanted to run interference, if possible. When Dr. Lankford finished his next duel, she would step in and tell Dr. Lankford to go find Dr. Kerr.

"What do you think they're protecting?" asked Matt.

"Later," she said. She was less interested in speculation than she was in finding Dr. Lankford.

As expected, he was already in the middle of a duel. And it wasn't going in his favor. The opponent was an alum named Anand Miyagawa, and he had just resolved two copies of Phoenix Wind Wing Blast to send both of Dr. Lankford's monsters off the field and back to the deck. Luckily Dr. Lankford was able to banish Pantheism of the Monarchs from his Graveyard to get a support card to his hand. By the time that effect resolved, Cary was close enough to hear the duel.

"Eidos the Underworld Squire (2: 800|1000). I get one more Normal Summon for Majesty's Fiend (6: 2400|1000)." He used Eidos as Tribute to summon Majesty's Fiend to the field. "Attack Card Trooper (400)." When it attacked, Majesty's Fiend (+3200) gained 800 points because Dr. Lankford also had Domain of the True Monarchs active as a Field Spell. It destroyed Card Trooper, which was the only card Anand had left in play. He also banished a card to summon The Prime Monarch (6: 1000|2400) in defense mode from his Graveyard. "I set one card face-down. End turn."

Dr. Lankford: 8000 LP, 2 cards

Anand: 5200 LP, 0 cards

Anand was severely disappointed when he drew his card. "I can't summon this one right away, so it's your turn."

Dr. Lankford: 8000 LP, 2 cards

Anand: 5200 LP, 0 cards

Maybe Dr. Lankford wasn't at risk after all. "I send Majesty's Fiend as Tribute to summon Ehther the Heavenly Monarch (8: 2800|1000)." His monster was a total badass—some kind of female knight just brimming with light energy. "By discarding two Monarch cards from my deck, I can summon another Ehther the Heavenly Monarch (8: 2800|1000)." Two badasses! So badass that he didn't even need to make any more plays because they had enough power between them to end the duel right there.

Dr. Lankford: 8000 LP, 2 cards

Anand: 0 LP, 1 card

Dr. Lankford shook Anand's hand and immediately another alum stepped up. Cary recognized her as Talulla Rollins, a former student who had since joined the pro leagues.

Cary stepped in front of her and said, "Dr. Lankford needs a break so he can go complete some of the duties he's actually paid for. Why don't I take this challenge for you?"

Talulla looked disappointed. "You're just a student, though. I was looking forward to dueling the professors, and Dr. Lankford is the strongest."

"Doesn't change the fact that he has obligations." She looked to Dr. Lankford. "Why don't you go find Dr. Kerr?"

He gave her a curious look, but now wasn't the time to ask questions. He simply nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Strickland." He walked away, pretty quick for a man his age.

"Strickland?" said Talulla. "As in Dave Strickland?"

Cary groaned. "He's my cousin."

Talulla shrugged. "Okay, I'll give you a shot."

Fucking finally! Even if she only got the attention because of Dave's name, at least she got some attention.

So... FanFiction ate my author's spiel tonight, and I'm really annoyed about it, so you get the short version. I didn't come up with this challenge card gimmick until literally the moment I started writing this chapter and needed a reason that professors would accept duels. But I like it because it's so Kaibaesque: "I'll challenge anyone once, but you're not worth my time after that." I can't keep mentioning the costume contest for two chapters and then not deliver, so the next chapter will finally wrap up the Spirit Day Festival.

As always, thanks to those who contribute OCs. This chapter included:

* Jack Hansbury...jack-hansbury (but it's a period, not a hyphen)