Era of Spirits and Shadows Chapter 17 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter for Era of Spirits and Shadows! With Jaden and Drake now in Ra Yellow, they start hanging out with Bastion more often. The top student in Ra Yellow when it comes to academics and the highest scorer among the Ra Yellows on the promotion exams outside of those that were promoted to Obelisk Blue, he’s a very impressive Duelist. So it makes sense that he’d be the student that would be chosen when one of the First Year Obelisks has lost so many Duels and is at risk of being demoted down to Ra.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 17 – The Genius: Bastion Misawa

“Welcome to my dorm room.” Bastion said with a smile as he opened the door and let Jaden and Drake inside.

It was the standard dorm room for Ra Yellow; spacious for one person, with a bed, a desk, a computer, a large closet, a chest of drawers, and a small kitchenette in the corner. The walls were covered in writing though. Various mathematical formulas that were far too complex for Drake or Jaden to figure out covered the walls from floor to ceiling.

“Dude…” Jaden blinked at all of the writing.

“No kidding.” Drake stared at the formulas. “I know you said you used formulas and statistics when coming up with your Decks…but damn.”

Bastion chuckled at their shocked faces. “It’s the most efficient and best way to create Decks with the greatest synergy that I’ve found.” He pointed to the left wall. “That area is for Trap cards.” The right wall was pointed at next. “That area is Spell cards.” And then the far wall. “And that’s for Monster cards, of course.”

“It’s even on the ceiling…” Jaden looked up at the writing across the ceiling and around the recessed lights.

“That’s for Fusion Monsters.” Bastion said with a smile. As if writing formulas all over his dorm room walls was perfectly normal.

Drake shook his head with a laugh. “I’d heard that geniuses were eccentric. I guess this proves it.”

“So, why’d you want to show us your room?” Jaden asked Bastion with a smile.

Bastion motioned towards the walls and ceiling. “I’ve memorized all of these formulas, and as you can see, I’m running out of space.” He held up a bottle of cleaning spray and three sponges. “I was hoping for a little help in cleaning off the walls.”

“I believe we’ve been tricked into coming here for free labor… Run!” Drake jokingly rushed for the door.

“Don’t leave me behind!” Jaden got in on the joke, both young men out the door in seconds.

Bastion laughed at them both as they came back in and took a sponge each. “Thank you both.”

Jaden picked up another spray bottle of cleaner. “No problem, dude.”

Drake caught the cleaner that Bastion tossed to him. “Yeah, buddies help each other out.”

The three guys started cleaning off the walls while chatting about their classes and different things happening with Duel Monsters recently. New cards, support for older cards, new Archetypes that had just come out, whatever was new and interesting. Eventually the conversation turned to mechanics within the long-running card game and what each of the guys thought about them.

“Personally, I’ve always seen the LV cards as somewhat clunky.” Bastion said as he scrubbed near the baseboard on the right wall. “The effects can be useful, occasionally, but having to climb the ladder of levels, as it were, seems rather slow for getting out your strongest Monsters.”

“That’s true.” Drake agreed as he scrubbed off some equations on the left wall. “I think the only good LV Monsters were the Dark Mimics and the Horus cards.”

Jaden, currently on a short ladder and scrubbing part of the ceiling, added his opinion. “The Horus cards are really rare though. I’ve never played against anyone with them before. I always thought the Armed Dragons looked cool, even if they were kind of slow or could be bricks in the hand.”

Bastion stood up, having finished scrubbing near the floor. “Looking cool doesn’t equal being good for serious competition, I’m afraid.”

“Wasn’t there news about a potential retrain of the Armed Dragons a while back?” Drake asked, trying to recall where he’d heard about the rumor.

“A lot of the older cards in the game are getting retrains nowadays.” Jaden grinned as he hopped off the ladder, finally finished with the ceiling. “I think it’s great to see some of the older cards get another shot in the modern game.”

Bastion smiled at his newly cleaned walls and ceiling. “Top notch work, my friends! I’ll be able to continue my equations for a good while now.”

Drake shook his head at Bastion. “Ever heard of this useful invention called paper? It’s made to be written on.”

Jaden cracked up a little at Drake’s snarky joke.

“Ha ha.” Bastion fake laughed with a grin. It was nice to have friends that accepted his eccentricities so easily.

Unlike the three buddies cracking jokes and having a good day off from classes, elsewhere in the Academy, someone else wasn’t fairing nearly so well.

-Obelisk Blue Male Dorm ~ Chazz’s Room-

“What’s so hard to understand, Chazz?” A man’s voice came from the monitor in front of Chazz as he sat on the couch in his dorm room.

“Nothing.” Chazz said while looking down at his lap.

The response didn’t seem to please the one that had spoken. “What was that?”

“I said that I understand.” Chazz spoke louder and looked at the monitor directly.

On the screen, evenly split down the middle, were his two older brothers; Slade Princeton and Jagger Princeton.

“Well you had better.” Slade said with narrowed eyes. “We’ve had this plan since you showed some talent for Dueling as a kid. Jagger and I are following through with our parts of the plan.”

Jagger took over the berating of their little brother. “You’d better follow through with your part, Chazz, or this is all for nothing! Slade and I have worked hard to get to our current positions! Slade has spent years moving up the political ladder and has established a faction within the government; while I’ve spent the same amount of time moving up in the financial world, making deals and growing the Princeton family’s wealth and influence. With politics, finance, and dueling under our control, we would essentially control the world! So, be the best Duelist!”

“The entire Princeton family future depends on this plan, which depends on you!” Slade drilled home the pressure they were putting on Chazz to claim the position as the number one Duelist in the world. “Don’t fail and screw everything up!”

The monitor went blank as both of his brothers cut their connections.

Chazz sat on the couch with a scowl on his face. “Be the best. They say that like it’s so easy. They have no idea what they’re talking about.” He stood up and felt the stress throughout his body that always built up after talking to his older brothers. With an annoyed grimace he headed out of his room and towards one of the many amenities provided to Obelisk Blue students.

-Obelisk Blue Lounge and Spa-

“Yo, tea and a foot massage, make it snappy!” Chazz ordered as soon as he walked through the door.

“You’ll have to wait.” One of the other Obelisks, currently getting a foot massage from one of the spa staff members, said with a dismissive wave.

Chazz barely recognized the other student, but thought he might be a second year. “What was that?!”

“Does he not know?” A different student, this one a first year like Chazz, asked his friends at one of the tables, each of them sitting in a cushy chair.

“Guess not.” One of the others said with a mocking grin.

Chazz was more than a little annoyed now. “Know what?”

“Chazz, what do you think you’re doing, making demands?” A different Obelisk student asked, walking right up to the Princeton. “You’re not in any position to be doing such a thing.”

“What’re you talking about? I’m doing what I’ve always done.” Chazz shot back.

The other Obelisk smirked at Chazz. “That’s not something the bottom ranked Obelisk can get away with.”

“Bottom ranked?!” Chazz nearly got into the other guy’s face. “You want to say that again?!”

The other Obelisk merely pulled out his PDA and tapped the screen a few times before showing Chazz. On the screen was the familiar student rankings page for Obelisk Blue. It was scrolled all the way down to the bottom and revealed Chazz’s name in last place. “Yes, bottom ranked, just like I said.”

“This is all wrong!” Chazz stared at his name in last place among all the Obelisk students.

“What’s the commotion?” Crowler, who had just entered the lounge and spa, questioned, seeing what looked like a confrontation about to happen between two of his students.

“Dr. Crowler, tell them that this is a mistake! Tell them that the rankings page is wrong! That I belong higher up!” Chazz demanded, his stress from dealing with the pressure his older brothers put him under mixing with this shot to his self-confidence.

Crowler didn’t look moved in the slightest at the demand. If anything, he narrowed his eyes at Chazz. “But you don’t, and you haven’t since you lost to a Slifer student. The rankings page isn’t wrong, Mr. Princeton. In fact, you’ll soon be having an aptitude test against the top ranked, first year, Ra Yellow student: Bastion Misawa, to determine if you still qualify to be an Obelisk Blue. Should you lose to him, arrangements will be made to switch both of your dorms.”

Chazz looked like he’d been slapped. “You mean…I’d become a Ra Yellow Duelist?!”

“Yes, very good, now if only you dueled as well as you listened.” Crowler said with a slow clap. “This would’ve been discussed privately later today, but since you’ve made such a scene here, it seemed appropriate to tell you now.”

“I won’t be a Ra Yellow!” Chazz stated, nearly growling, as he stormed out of the lounge and back to his dorm room.

-Next Day ~ Obelisk Dueling Field-

Bastion had been more than a little surprised when Dr. Crowler had sent him information pertaining to a chance at promoting to Obelisk Blue. Outside of the promotion exams, it was very rare to move up a dorm. But this chance came as the result of an aptitude test for the current bottom-ranked Obelisk Blue first year student.

‘Honestly, I don’t feel like I deserve a special promotion.’ Bastion thought to himself as he made his way towards the dueling field. He’d scored the highest in his year among the Ra Yellows, but it was only a handful of third year Ra students that had moved up to Obelisk Blue. ‘If I was truly the best, then I’d have been promoted at the exams. In fact, I doubt I’ll be the best until I can unequivocally take the top spot among the first years.’ Bastion looked over at his friends and companions that were coming to watch the duel and cheer him on. Jaden and Drake were there, of course, but with them were Mindy and Jasmine, both ranked in the Top 5 of the first years, and the current holder of the number one spot for first years, Alexis Rhodes. ‘These are the Duelists that I need to defeat if I truly want to be the best.’

“Ah, Bastion, you’ve made it!’ Crowler greeted with a smile. Then his eyes caught sight of Jaden and Drake, the two newly promoted Ra students might irk him, but they’d proven themselves by crawling out of the bottom of the Academy and getting promoted. Then he saw Alexis, Jasmine, and Mindy and his smile returned in full force. “I see that you’re already keeping some good company as well!” Left unsaid was the fact that he was only looking at the Obelisks when he said that.

Chazz glowered at Bastion from up on the dueling platform. “Let’s get this over with, Misawa.” It was clear that he didn’t see Bastion as a threat at all.

“Yes, let’s.” Bastion said as he undid the buttons on his blazer and pulled it open, revealing a vest with six deck boxes attached to it, much to the surprise of everyone. “As I doubt you’ll be playing with your Chthonian Deck after getting the A to Z Deck filled with all those new and powerful rare cards…” Bastion tapped two of the deck boxes before choosing the second. “I believe this Deck will more than suffice after a few Side Deck changes.” He pulled the Deck out of the box and then pulled out a smaller stack of cards as well, quickly going through both and switching out a few cards.

Mindy tilted her head slightly. “I know the A to Z Deck is powerful, but how can Bastion be absolutely certain that Chazz will play it over his Chthonian Deck?” Having multiple Decks was a common strategy to throw off other Duelists so that they never knew which Deck they were facing.

“Because Chthonian is only a Series, not an actual Archetype. There’s something like four or five cards total that belong to the Series.” Alexis said with certainty, her golden eyes looking between Chazz and Bastion as the Duel was about to begin. “Archetypes like A to Z have way more support and power, not to mention having enough cards to create great Deck synergy.”

“I wonder what Deck Bastion chose to go up against Chazz’s A to Z Deck?” Jaden’s excitement was building for the upcoming Duel, a wide smile on his face already.

Jasmine had a little smirk on her lips. “Honestly, I hope he puts Chazz in his place.” Chazz hadn’t exactly made a good impression on her, Mindy, or Alexis during their years at Duel Prep School.

“Vicious.” Drake smiled at Jasmine. His girlfriend only grinned at him in return as they moved to the stands to watch the Duel.

Jaden sat down first, Alexis sitting next to him. Mindy sat next to Alexis, while Drake sat next to her, and then Jasmine sat on Drake’s opposite side. This didn’t seem odd to Bastion, Crowler was clearly ignoring it, but Chazz nearly glared daggers at Jaden for being so close to Alexis.

“Begin!” Crowler, acting in his position as Professor and administrator, started the aptitude test.

“DUEL!” Chazz and Bastion declared simultaneously.

Bastion – 4,000

Chazz – 4,000

“Hope you’re ready, nerd! I’ll start off with the Spell card: Terraforming!” Chazz said as he placed the green card onto the field. The hologram appeared, showing a barren, rocky planet being transformed into a lush blue and green world by a massive wave of blue energy. “This card lets me search my Deck for any Field Spell card that I want and add it to my hand!” He searched his Deck and quickly found the card that he wanted. “I choose Union Hangar!” Chazz showed Bastion the card before adding it to his hand while his Deck was auto-shuffled. “And since it’s such a good card, I’ll play it right away!” He slotted the Field Spell into the zone on his Duel Disk.

The field changed as the floor become dark metal and a yellow tower rose up high behind Chazz, with various orange metal crates revolving around it, each marked with a letter like ‘X’, ‘Y’, ‘A’ and the like. The whirring of motors was heard as the tower moved the crates around, just waiting for Chazz to activate the Field Spell’s effects.

“When Union Hangar is activated, I can add one LIGHT Machine Union Monster from my Deck to my hand!” Chazz said with a smirk as he pulled his Deck out to search for the Monster he wanted. “I think I’ll go with my A-Assault Core!” He showed off the Effect Monster to Bastion before putting it into his hand.

“And now it begins…” Mindy rolled her eyes, knowing from Chazz’s Duel with Jaden just how much could be done in a single turn with the A to Z Deck.

Chazz took the card he’d just placed in his hand and put it onto the field. “I summon my A-Assault Core!” In a glow of golden light, the yellow machine appeared on the field, it’s treads rumbling against the metal floor of the Field Spell as it’s large ‘tail’ moved and aimed straight at Bastion, the cannon locking on to its target.

A-Assault Core – Level 4 – LIGHT – Machine/Union/Effect – 1900 ATK/200 DEF

“Because my A-Assault Core was summoned, I can activate Union Hangar’s second effect!” Chazz said as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the tower behind him. The yellow tower whirred to life again as the orange metal crates were moved around. “I can take one Light Machine Union Monster, with a different name, from my Deck and equip it to my A-Assault Core!” He searched his Deck again and took the card he wanted. “I choose B-Buster Drake!” Chazz slotted the Monster into one of his Spell/Trap slots.

The Union Hangar tower lowered one of the orange crates to the floor and the door rolled upwards. From within the crate the familiar green and yellow robotic dinosaur emerged with its black jet wings and double barreled cannon on its back.

“RAAAWWWRRR!!!” The machine roared before its body shifted and changed as it linked up with the A-Assault Core with a series of blue-white electrical bolts.

Chazz’s smirk never left his face as he placed another Spell card on the field. “Hope you didn’t think I was done, you Ra Reject! I play the Continuous Spell card Frontline Base!” The hologram appeared on the field, depicting Dark Blade riding Dark Dragon and landing on a castle wall. “Now, I’ll activate Frontline Base!” The green card glowed. “This let’s me special summon a Level 4 or lower Union Monster from my hand!” He took one of the last three cards in his hand and put it onto the field. “Say hello to C-Crush Wyvern!”

In a second golden glow, a purple robotic wyvern with blue wings and two missile launchers flew into the air on Chazz’s side of the field.

C-Crush Wyvern – Level 4 – LIGHT – Machine/Union/Effect – 1200 ATK/2000 DEF

“And now you’ll banish all three to Contact Fusion Summon the ABC-Dragon Buster.” Bastion took the wind out of Chazz’s sails by predicting his play. “I’ve already seen this strategy in your Duel with Jaden.”

Chazz scoffed at Bastion. “You may have seen it, but let’s see you deal with it, loser! I banish my A-Assault Core, B-Buster Drake, and C-Crush Wyvern to special summon ABC-Dragon Buster!”

The three Machine Monsters shot into the air above the dueling field. The A-Assault core sparked with electricity as both the B-Buster Drake and the C-Crush Wyvern landed upon its back. The B-Buster Drake’s legs compacted downwards, locking together with the A-Assault Core, its left side then attached to the tail cannon of the Assault Core in another glow of electricity. The C-Crush Wyvern’s right wing disconnected and attached to the right side of the now connected B-Buster Drake, while the left cannon from the Buster Drake’s back attached to the left side of its body. The purple dragon-like machine then attached its body to the opposite side of the A-Assault Core’s main cannon as well, completing the Contact Fusion.

ABC-Dragon Buster – Level 8 – LIGHT – Machine/Fusion/Effect – 3000 ATK/2800 DEF

“I’ll get right on dealing with it, if your turn is over, that is.” Bastion clearly had no fear of the massive engine of destruction on Chazz’s side of the field.

“You wish it was over!” Chazz played another card. “I activate the Continuous Spell card, Mirage of Nightmare!” The hologram of the green card appeared on the field, showing a man in red and yellow clothing screaming as he was surrounded by mummies. “Now, during every one of your Standby Phases, I get to draw cards until I have four in my hand!” He then slotted the last card in his hand into his Duel Disk. “I’ll set a facedown and end my turn!” The hologram of a facedown card appeared on the field directly in front of Chazz.

“Mirage of Nightmare also makes you discard the same number of cards that you drew on your next Standby Phase though.” Jaden knew how that card worked because he’d played it in his own Deck once upon a time. “That’s a gamble considering you might lose a card that you need.”

Alexis shook her head after a second of thought. “It’s not as bad for Chazz’s Deck. The Union Monsters in the graveyard are just more material for him to use for another Contact Fusion.”

Mindy looked at the card on Chazz’s field with new understanding. “So, he’s setting up his graveyard for a blitz-style strategy probably. With the A to Z Deck, what’s normally a downside to Mirage of Nightmare is practically turned into another bonus.”

“His turn took a while and used up every card in his hand though.” Jasmine said, wondering if that wasn’t also part of Chazz’s strategy somehow, as the group watched Bastion draw for his turn.

“Draw!” Bastion drew his first card and looked at it calculatingly before adding it to his hand.

Chazz smirked. “Mirage of Nightmare activates!” The Spell card glowed and Chazz drew four cards, smirking at his new hand.

“I believe you told me to ‘deal with’ your ABC-Dragon Buster earlier.” Bastion said as he picked a different card from his hand and placed it into his Spell/Trap zone. “Then I’ll do just that! I play the Spell card: System Down!” The green card appear on the field and showed a grey tower with multitudes of black lines making patterns all over it. The metal tower was sparking and frying all of the other machines around it. “I pay 1,000 Life Points to activate this card, but in exchange it banishes all Machine type Monsters that you control!”

Bastion – 3,000

Chazz – 4,000

“What?!” Chazz cried out as the spell card emitted arcs of lightning at his ABC-Dragon Buster.

“ERRRNNNHHH!!!” The ABC-Dragon Buster let out a metallic groan as it was blasted by the lightning and all of its many parts activated and deactivated rapidly before it exploded into pixels.

Chazz nearly ground his teeth as he moved the ABC-Dragon Buster to his banished pile.

“You think that was one of the cards he side-decked in?” Drake questioned the others. “System Down is a perfect card for breaking the strategy of the A to Z Deck by banishing the Monsters so that they can’t be used for material.”

Jaden had a wide grin on his face. “I bet it was! He chose his Deck on the belief that Chazz would be using the A to Z Deck. I bet his whole Deck has been fine-tuned to tear down Chazz’s Machine Monsters!”

“If it is, then Chazz is about to have a very bad time.” Alexis said, her eyes watching the Duel with sharp focus, her Duelist spirit just as excited as Jaden’s.

“I activate the Spell card: Unexpected Dai!” Bastion placed the card onto the field, the hologram appearing a second later showing the Warrior Dai Grepher appearing while surrounded by a sphere of blue light with electricity arcing off of it. “This card allows me to special summon a Level 4 or lower normal Monster, so long as I control no Monsters currently.” The Spell card glowed blue and Bastion searched his Deck. “I special summon, Alpha the Magnet Warrior!” He placed the Monster onto his field while his Deck was auto-shuffled.

In a glow, the metal warrior appeared, almost every part of it a grey color except for the blue and red marks that indicated positive and negative on its magnet body. It raised it’s magnet shield and held its magnet sword at the ready.

Alpha the Magnet Warrior – Level 4 – EARTH – Rock – 1400 ATK/1700 DEF

“Is that a Magnet Warrior Deck?” Jasmine asked with a small grin appearing on her face. She’d only ever seen one a few years ago at a local tournament that she’d gone to.

“I think it is!” Mindy beamed at the cards that had become an Archetype after being used by the King of Games.

Bastion placed another Spell card on the field. “Now I’ll activate Magnet Induction!” The hologram appeared and the green card showed the Magnet Warriors: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma covered in blue electricity. “Did you learn about magnetic induction in school, Chazz? Because this card will give you a good summary of it! While I control a ‘Magnet Warrior’ Monster whose Level is 4 or lower; I can special summon another Level 4 or lower ‘Magnet Warrior’ Monster with a different name from my Deck!”

The spell card glowed and sent a bolt of electricity at Alpha. The Monster sparked and seemed to emit a barely visible wave from its body. Bastion’s Deck glowed in response to the wave.

Bastion searched his Deck and chose the Monster he wanted. “I special summon Beta the Magnet Warrior!” As soon as Bastion placed the card on the field, a new Monster appeared in a series of sparks that connected it briefly to Alpha. It was yellow with a rounded body and head. Its head and both hands were yellow spheres with large magnets protruding from them and it had tiny black eyes.

Beta the Magnet Warrior – Level 4 – EARTH – Rock – 1700 ATK/1600 DEF

“Big deal! I’m not afraid of your dumb magnet Monsters!” Chazz scoffed at Beta and Alpha, despite that their combined ATK points would leave him with only 900 Life Points if they connected.

“You seem to be forgetting something, Chazz!” Bastion pulled another card from his hand. “I haven’t normal summoned this turn!” He placed a third Monster on the field. “I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior!”

In a flash of light a pink, round Monster appeared n the field, it had large wings coming from its back, a large magnet at the base of its neck, a huge blue ‘S’ on its chest, and it’s pink arms and legs were relaxed as it floated in the air next to its fellow Magnet Warriors.

Gamma the Magnet Warrior – Level 4 – EARTH – Rock – 1500 ATK/1800 DEF

“Is he going to summon the big one?!” Mindy really hoped Bastion was about to summon the boss of the Magnet Warriors on his first turn.

“That would be awesome!” Jasmine and Jaden both said at the same time.

Drake laughed at the unintentional stereo effect from the two of them.

“I enter Battle Phase!” Bastion declared.

Mindy, Jaden, and Jasmine face-faulted.

“I mean, he wins the Duel if he attacks with all three…” Alexis looked at her friends and gave a shrug. Valkyrion would be cool to see, but it only had 3500 ATK, and Chazz still had all 4,000 of his Life Points. A single turn was all that was needed to turn a Duel around, so it was better to attack with all three of the Magnet Warriors and take Chazz down with an OTK (One Turn Kill).

“I attack you directly with Alpha the Magnet Warrior!” Bastion pointed at Chazz and Alpha leapt towards the Obelisk Blue with his sword raised high.

Chazz smirked and pulled a card from his hand. “I told you that I wasn’t scared of your dumb Monsters! I special summon Battle Fader with its effect!” He placed the card onto the field in Defense Position.

The Monster that appeared was a black and silver item with a small face in the center and a golden pendulum swinging from beneath it.

 Battle Fader – Level 1 – DARK – Fiend/Effect – 0 ATK/0 DEF

“When I’m about to be attacked directly, Battle Fader can be special summoned to my side of the field, and if it’s summoned by its own effect, the Battle Phase immediately ends!” Chazz laughed as Alpha stopped and returned to Bastion’s side of the field.

“A hand trap.” Drake wasn’t expecting Chazz to have Battle Fader of all cards in an A to Z Deck. It wasn’t a Machine type nor a Light Attribute, so unless Chazz drew into it, there was no way to search for it.

“I was expecting him to activate his facedown card.” Alexis said as she looked at Chazz’s side of the field.

Bastion didn’t look perturbed in the slightest. “Clever move, Chazz. I activate Graceful Charity!” He put the spell card into his Duel Disk and the hologram appeared on the field a second later showing an angel holding a glowing white card. “I’m sure you know, but this card allows me to draw three cards…” He drew three from his Deck and looked at them closely. “And then I discard two.” Bastion slid two cards into his graveyard.

“Is it my turn then?” Chazz asked, his hand hovering over his Deck, eager to draw his next card.

“Not quite!” Bastion denied. “I tribute Alpha, Beta, and Gamma to special summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!” Bastion moved the three Monsters into his graveyard and placed the new Monster onto his field in Defense Position.

On the field, the holograms of Alpha, Beta, and Gamma burst into multiple parts and then swirled around each other. The parts combined together, slamming together like the magnets they were, forming a humanoid shape with large wings on the back and an almost robotic appearance. The new Monster’s head was yellow, looking like a helmet with a large magnets fused to it. It’s left side had a blue ‘S’ on each joint while its right side had a red ‘N’ on each joint. In its hand was a larger version of Alpha’s sword with a yellow circle on the guard with a red ‘N’ on it.

Valkyrion the Magna Warrior – Level 8 – EARTH – Rock/Effect – 3500 ATK/3850 DEF

“He did it!” Jaden, Mindy, and Jasmine cheered at the appearance of the Boss Monster.

“None of Chazz’s Fusion Monsters can get over Valkyrion’s DEF points either.” Drake noticed the large 3850 that the Defense Position Monster had.

Alexis was quick to remind everyone of the out that said Monsters had. “Unless they use their effect to destroy it, instead of attacking.”

“I’ll set one card facedown and then end my turn there.” Bastion said as he placed the card in the Spell/Trap zone and the hologram appeared on the field. He had no cards left in hand and Valkyrion was his only Monster on the field.

“Draw!” Chazz said as he drew for turn.

Mirage of Nightmare glowed on the field as he entered Standby Phase. The downside to using the card coming into effect.

“Whatever.” Chazz put all four cards into the graveyard. “You played Graceful Charity last turn, nerd. But have you ever heard of the alternate version?” He activated the facedown card on his field. The hologram flipped up to show a Trap card. “I activate the Trap card: Disgraceful Charity!” The Trap card depicted the Darklord Marie holding a glowing white card. “Now both of us add all cards from our graveyards that were discarded by a Spell effect this turn to our hands. And would you look at that, my whole hand was sent to the graveyard by Mirage of Nightmare’s effect!” He took back his four cards from the graveyard. “Unfortunately for you, you didn’t have any cards discarded this turn.” Chazz mocked as he used Mirage of Nightmare’s negative effect to his benefit.

Bastion didn’t let the taunting get to him at all. He continued to look at Chazz like a problem to be worked out, something that irritated the Obelisk Blue.

“I activate Frontline Base!” Chazz pointed at the Continuous Spell and it glowed white. “I special summon Y-Dragon Head!” He put the Monster onto the field.

In a blast of light, the red machine dragon appeared and flapped its wings twice to get into the air.

Y-Dragon Head – Level 4 – LIGHT – Machine/Union/Effect – 1500 ATK/1600 DEF

“And now that I’ve special summoned, I can activate my Union Hangar!” Chazz declared and the yellow tower started moving again. “I equip Z-Metal Tank from my Deck to my Y-Dragon Head!” The orange crate labeled ‘Z’ lowered to the ground and the metal door rolled up. The yellow and blue tank with the single robotic eye in the center rolled out of the crate and directly underneath the Y-Dragon Head. The two Monsters were briefly connected by sparks of electricity before fusing together. Y-Dragon Head now resting atop Z-Metal Tank as its ATK and DEF increased.

Y-Dragon Head – Level 4 – LIGHT – Machine/Union/Effect – 2100 ATK/2200 DEF

Jaden looked at the play with familiarity. “He’s gonna use that XYZ Spell, I bet.”

“Probably.” Jasmine agreed as both ‘Y’ and ‘Z’ were already on the field.

“I play the Continuous Spell card: XYZ Combine!” Chass put the green card into his Duel Disk. “The hologram appeared on the field, the card art showing Z-Metal Tank, Y-Dragon Head, and X-Head Cannon all connected by a stream of electricity as they were about to combine into XYZ Dragon Cannon. “Now I banish Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank to Contact Fusion Summon YZ-Tank Dragon!”

Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank glowed on the field before fusing together in a shower of sparks to form their Fusion Monster.

Meanwhile, Chazz moved the two cards to the banished pile and placed the Fusion Monster on the field.

YZ-Tank Dragon – Level 6 – LIGHT – Machine/Fusion/Effect – 2100 ATK/2200 DEF

“Because my LIGHT Machine Union Monster was banished, I can activate XYZ Combine!” Chazz pointed at the card as it glowed. “Now I can special summon my X-Head Cannon from my Deck!” He searched his Deck quickly and put the Monster on the field.

In a white glow the blue and yellow half-humanoid machine appeared. It’s massive arms were held at the ready and its two large cannons were aimed at Bastion.

X-Head Cannon – Level 4 – LIGHT – Machine – 1800 ATK/1500 DEF

“This is starting to look really familiar.” Mindy said as she could already see what Chazz was about to do.

“To be fair, he’s using the Deck well for only having it for a short time.” Drake mentioned, knowing that it took a while to really get the feel for a Deck. Chazz only knowing two strategies for his A to Z Deck wasn’t bad, considering how powerful they were.

Chazz smirked at Bastion. “Get ready, Ra Reject! I’m about to blast you to pieces!” He pointed at XYZ Combine. “I activate XYZ Combine and return YZ-Dragon Tank to my Fusion Deck!” The two Monsters on the field separated from each other in a blinding series of sparks. Chazz moved the Fusion card back to the Fusion Deck area and pulled Z-Metal Tank and Y-Dragon Head out of the banished pile and put them back on the field.

Z-Metal Tank – Level 4 – LIGHT – Machine/Union/Effect – 1500 ATK/1300 DEF

Y-Dragon Head – Level 4 – LIGHT – Machine/Union/Effect – 1500 ATK/1600 DEF

“I/You banish X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank to Contact Fusion Summon XYZ-Dragon Cannon!” Chazz and Bastion said at the same time.

Chazz flinched in surprise at Bastion copying him word for word, showing off how thoroughly the Ra Yellow had predicted the move. “You mind if I play my turn on my own?!” He nearly snarled at Bastion.

On the field the three Machine Monsters linked up in streams of bright electricity before combining and forming XYZ-Dragon Cannon.

XYZ-Dragon Cannon – Level 8 – LIGHT – Machine/Fusion/Effect – 2800 ATK/2600 DEF

“I discard one card to activate my XYZ-Dragon Cannon’s effect!” Chazz put one card into the graveyard. “Now I can target one card on your side of the field and destroy it!” he smirked as he pointed at Valkyrion. “Say bye-bye to your big Boss Monster!”

XYZ-Dragon Cannon aimed all of its weapons at Valkyrion and opened fire.

“I think not!” Bastion said as he flipped up his facedown card. “I activate my Trap card: Magnet Force!” A power magnetic field, visible to the eye, emanated from the Trap card and covered Valkyrion. “This turn, all of the Monsters of the Rock or Machine Types on the field are unaffected by their opponent’s Monster effects!”

The blasts exploded against the powerful magnetic field, but not a single one touched Valkyrion.

“What the hell?!” Chazz bit out in frustration. He’d been so close to wiping out Valkyrion and then he could’ve blasted 2,800 from Bastion’s Life Points with XYZ-Dragon Cannon’s attack. That would’ve left the so-called ‘genius’ with only 200 Life Points. His victory would’ve been guaranteed! “You just got lucky! Next turn you’re toast!”

“Is it just me, or does Chazz seem like he’s in a hurry to win?” Jasmine asked the group.

“Yeah, kinda.” Mindy replied with a shrug. “It’s not working out for him though.”

Alexis and Jaden both nodded along, never taking their eyes off the Duel.

Drake looked at Chazz and saw the frustration and anger. ‘Is something else going on here? It’s like he’s desperate to win for some reason. Surely, being demoted to Ra Yellow isn’t that much of a big deal, right?’

“I draw!” Bastion drew for his turn. “Ah, excellent. My formula was correct on the statistical likelihood of drawing this card within my first three draws.”

“Mirage of Nightmare activates!” Chazz said, cutting Bastion off. The Continuous Spell glowed and Chazz drew four cards.

Bastion only smiled as he put the his newly drawn Spell card on the field. “I activate Pot of Greed!” Bastion’s smile turned into a smirk. “I trust I don’t need to tell you what this card does?”

“Just draw your cards, loser.” Chazz snapped back at the dig to his card knowledge.

The hologram of the card appeared and glowed before the famous green and blue pot appeared on the field, the red eyes and viciously smiling mouth showing all teeth seemed to mock Chazz before it glowed green and vanished into pixels.

Bastion drew two more cards and looked them over before nodding. “I summon Beta the Electromagnet Warrior!” In a spark of electricity the retrain of the original Beta appeared on the field. The sleek copper-colored body and the addition of more magnets on its hands and coils used to attach its limbs to its body made for a sharper and more advanced looking Monster.

Beta the Electromagnet Warrior – Level 4 – EARTH – Rock/Effect – 1700 ATK/1600 DEF

“I activate Bet the Electromagnet Warrior’s effect!” Bastion declared and the Beta began to spark before producing magnetic waves. “When it’s summoned, I can add another ‘Magnet Warrior’ Monster from my Deck to my hand.” He searched his Deck and found the Monster he wanted. “I add Alpha the Electromagnet Warrior to my hand.” Bastion showed Chazz the card before putting it into his hand. “Now I activate my own Field Spell: Magnetic Field!” He put the card into the slot for Field Spells.

On Bastion’s side of the field, the floor began to spark and the air wavered almost like a heat haze. Both Valkyrion and Beta seemed to resonate with the Field Spell as small sparks covered them and leapt between the two Monsters occasionally. But neither their ATK nor DEF changed at all.

“I’m sure you’re curious as to what my Field Spell does, Chazz. Allow me to show you.” Bastion said with a confident grin. “As long as I control one Level 4 or lower EARTH Rock Monster, Magnetic Field allows me to target one ‘Magnet Warrior’ Monster in my graveyard and special summon it. I special summon my Gamma the Electro Magnet Warrior that I discarded with Graceful Charity!” He pulled the Monster from the graveyard and placed it onto the field.

Another flash of sparks and the retrain of Gamma appeared on the field. This version was made of almost teal steel and had a more squat and bulky design. Electromagnetic coils on each shoulder sparked, and the heavy body had a large magnet around the ‘neck’ area of the Monster. Each of its heavy fists also had a large magnet on it as well.

Gamma the Electromagnet Warrior – Level 4 – EARTH – Rock/Effect – 800 ATK/2000 DEF

“And now, I activate Gamma’s effect!” Bastion pointed at his Monster. “When Gamma is summoned, I can special summon a ‘Magnet Warrior’ from my hand!” He placed the last card in his hand onto the field. “I special summon Alpha the Electromagnet Warrior!”

Gamma’s shoulder-mounted magnetic coils sparked wildly and in a bolt the new Monster appeared on the field.

The retrain of Alpha was much sleeker than the original. Its metallic body looked fully robotic, copper coils could be seen at its waist and along its arms, connecting the heavier metal body parts together. Its shield was larger and had magnetic coils on the top corners with a large magnet in the center. Its sword had been replaced with a lance that had more copper coils along the length of the haft as well.

Alpha the Electromagnet Warrior – Level 4 – EARTH – Rock/Effect – 1700 ATK/1100 DEF

“Wait… Alpha, Beta, and Gamma again?” Jaden blinked at the line up. “Did Valkyrion get a retrain too?”

“It did.” Alexis had a smile at what they were about to see. “But they gave it a different name.”

Bastion pointed at Alpha. “I activate Alpha’s effect. When its summoned, I can add one Level 8 ‘Magna Warrior’ Monster from my Deck to my hand.” He searched his Deck and pulled out the card he wanted. “I’m adding Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior to my hand!”

Chazz glared at Bastion, knowing what was about to happen.

“I banish Alpha, Beta, and Gamma to special summon, Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior!” Bastion moved the three cards to the banished pile and set the new Boss Monster onto the field.

On the field the holograms of Alpha, Beta, and Gamma came apart and the various pieces floated around before the powerful magnetic forces began slamming them together into a humanoid shape. The Monster formed from the union of the other three Electromagnet Warriors was huge, easily as tall as Valkyrion, but bulkier and sleeker. The huge robot had a heavy body made of thick metal, electromagnetic coils were on the shoulders, the bulky arms and fists, and in the center of its body, all of them sparking and letting off powerful electromagnetic waves. The weapon in its hand was held like a sword but looked like a long sharp spike with a heavy ring of metal just a bit below the pointed tip to use like a hammer.

Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior – Level 8 – EARTH – Rock/Effect – 3000 ATK/2800 DEF

“That’s so cool!” Jaden exclaimed with a bright laugh.

“Both at once! That’s awesome!” Mindy was nearly bouncing in her seat.

Jasmine had a big grin on her face. “And it still has an effect too.” She didn’t know what it was, but if it helped Bastion win, then it would be great.

“I hope you’re proud of yourself! But I have a response!” Chazz flipped his facedown card up. “I activate my Trap card: XYZ Hyper Cannon!”

Bastion looked at the card for a moment, trying to recall if he knew of it. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar, do you mind explaining?”

Chazz laughed at the request. “Sure, it’s really simple. As long as I have XYZ-Dragon Cannon on the field, I can discard any number of cards from my hand, and then I can destroy the same number of cards on your field!”

“Shit…” Mindy let the curse slip out.

The others couldn’t help but agree with her. Chazz had four cards in hand, if he wanted to, he could completely clear Bastion’s field.

“I’ll discard two cards.” Chazz smirked as he slid the cards into the graveyard. “Then I’ll target both of your Monsters and destroy them!”

XYZ-Dragon Cannon opened fired with every weapon it had, raining absolute destruction down upon Valkyrion and Berserkion. The two Magna Warriors exploded into pixels while Bastion covered his face with his arm as the holographic capabilities of the dueling area kicked up simulated dust, fire, and smoke.

“Quite the powerful Trap card.” Bastion complimented. “But I have response.” He mimicked Chazz. “When my Berserkion is sent from the field to the graveyard, I can special summon one each of the banished Alpha, Beta, and Gamma!” He moved the three Monsters from the banished pile and put them back on his field.

Gamma appeared in Defense Position.

Gamma the Electromagnet Warrior – Level 4 – EARTH – Rock/Effect – 800 ATK/2000 DEF

Beta reappeared in Attack Position.

Beta the Electromagnet Warrior – Level 4 – EARTH – Rock/Effect – 1700 ATK/1600 DEF

Finally, Alpha appeared again in Attack Position.

Alpha the Electromagnet Warrior – Level 4 – EARTH – Rock/Effect – 1700 ATK/1100 DEF

“I’ll attack your XYZ-Dragon Cannon with Alpha!” Bastion entered his Battle Phase with what seemed like a crazy move.

“Did losing your two best Monsters scramble your brains? You’re only throwing away your own Monster!” Chazz mocked as Alpha rushed at XYZ-Dragon Canno with its sword raised. “Destroy it!”

Alpha lunged towards the XYZ-Dragon Cannon, but was blasted into pixels by the heavy firepower of the Fusion Monster.

Bastion – 1,900

Chazz – 4,000

“Life Points are just another resource.” Bastion said with a grin. “I activate Magnetic Field’s second effect! Once per turn, when an EARTH Rock Monster that I control battles an opponent’s Monster but the opposing Monster isn’t destroyed at the end of the Damage Step, I can return that Monster to its owner’s hand.”

“What?!” Chazz cried out in shock as the magnetic waves spread from Bastion’s side of the field over to his side and his XYZ-Dragon Cannon glowed before vanishing from the field entirely.

Alexis’s golden eyes were practically burning at the direction the Duel had just taken. “If a Fusion Monster is hit with a ‘return to the hand’ effect, then it goes back to the Fusion Deck because it cannot be placed in the hand.”

“And because it wasn’t destroyed or banished, none of Chazz’s effects apply to XYZ-Dragon Cannon or its materials.” Drake said with a sharp nod. “It’s a powerful effect in the game because of how much interaction it cancels out from other cards.”

“Alpha, attack Battle Fader!” Bastion pointed at the Defense Position Monster that had been mostly ignored since it was special summoned.

Alpha sparked and let off a bolt of electricity that blasted the Battle Fader into pixels.

Bastion nodded at wiping out Chazz’s Monsters completely. “With that I believe I’ll end my turn.”

Chazz was clenching his jaw as he drew his card, knowing that he was about to be hit by Mirage of Nightmare. His Standby Phase began and Mirage of Nightmare glowed.

“I activate Beta the Electromagnet Warrior’s effect!” Bastion declared and everybody looked at him confused. “By tributing it, I can special summon one Level 4 or lower Magnet Warrior from my Deck as a Quick Effect.” He searched his Deck and moved Beta to the graveyard. “I special summon, Delta the Magnet Warrior!” He placed the card into Defense Position on the field.

“There’s a Delta?” Mindy and Jasmine asked at the same time.

“That’s news to me too.” Drake blinked as Bastion placed the new Monster onto the field.

In a spark, Delta appeared on the field. The new Magnet Warrior was made of cylindrical grey metal, but the head, back, feet, hips, chest, and the back of the hands were covered in blue prisms. The Monster’s small, glowing yellow eyes looked straight at Chazz.

Delta the Magnet Warrior – Level 4 – EARTH – Rock/Effect – 1600 ATK/1400 DEF

Chazz glared at the new Monster on Bastion’s field as he discarded the three cards in his hand. His mind was running as fast as it ever had as he tried to find some strategy available to him to get back in the game.

“I activate Delta the Magnet Warrior’s effect!” Bastion declared while pointing at his Monster. “When it’s summoned I can send one ‘Magnet Warrior’ Monster from my Deck to the graveyard.” He searched the half of his Deck that remained quickly and placed a Monster into the graveyard.

“Anything else?” Chazz asked as he didn’t know enough about the Magnet Warriors to know all of their effects.

“No, that’s it, continue.” Bastion said politely.

‘Good, because I think I just found a way to win this Duel!’ Chazz smirked as he continued his turn. “I activate the graveyard effect of my Union Scramble! By banishing it from the graveyard I can return one LIGHT Machine Union Monster to my hand!” He moved the Trap card to the banished pile and then chose his Monster from the same pile. “I choose A-Assault Core!” He showed Bastion the card and then pointed at his Frontline Base Continuous Spell. “I activate Frontline Base to special summon A-Assault Core!” The Spell card glowed and Chazz summoned his Monster.

In a glow of white light, the yellow machine returned, aiming its ‘tail’ cannon straight at Delta the Magnet Warrior.

A-Assault Core – Level 4 – LIGHT – Machine/Union/Effect – 1900 ATK/200 DEF

“Since I summoned a LIGHT Machine Union Monster, Union Hangar activates!” Chazz grinned as the yellow tower whirred to life behind him. “I’ll choose B-Buster Drake to equip to my A-Assault Core!” The orange crate with a ‘B’ on it lowered to the ground and the green and yellow robotic dinosaur walked out before attaching to the A-Assault Core in a shower of electric sparks. “Now, A-Assault Core attacks Delta!” Chazz entered Battle Phase with payback on his mind.

“Mnnn!” A-Assault Core hummed before firing its cannon at Delta and blasting the Magnet Warrior into pixelated dust.

“I believe you forgot about my Magnetic Field’s second effect. If my Monster battles and the opposing Monster survives, it’s returned to the hand.” Bastion reminded Chazz. “But first, I’ll start a short chain by activating Delta’s second effect. When Delta is sent to the graveyard, I can banish three ‘Magnet Warriors’ other than Delta and summon Valkyrion from my hand or Deck, ignoring its summoning conditions.” He moved Alpha, Beta, and Gamma from his graveyard and into his banished pile. Bastion easily found his second copy of Valkyrion in his thinned out Deck and placed it on the field.

In a spark of static the large and imposing form of Valkyrion stood on Bastion’s side of the field again, large sword held at the ready.

Valkyrion the Magna Warrior – Level 8 – EARTH – Rock/Effect – 3500 ATK/3850 DEF

“And now you’re A-Assault Core returns to your hand.” Bastion said with a nod.

“That’s what you think! When equipped with B-Buster Drake, the equipped Monster is immune to your Spell effects!” Chazz shot back. He hadn’t forgotten about Magnetic Field; he’d taken precautions against it. “I end my turn.” Chazz swore he was about to crack a tooth I frustration and rage. There was nothing else he could do though.

“Very well, I’ll draw.” Bastion drew for his turn and smiled at the card he’d pulled. “Well within calculations.”

“Mirage of Nightmare activates!” Chazz said as the Continuous Spell glowed and he drew four cards, hoping for something, anything, that would let him win.

Bastion placed his new card onto the field. “I activate Magnet Reverse! This card allows me to target one Rock or Machine type Monster in my graveyard that cannot be normal summoned and special summon it.” He pulled the card that everyone expected and placed it onto the field. “I special summon Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior!”

A bright flash of electricity made those watching wince slightly as the huge magnet robot returned to the field, its weapon raised and ready to strike.

Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior – Level 8 – EARTH – Rock/Effect – 3000 ATK/2800 DEF

“I activate Berserkion’s effect!” Bastion declared and Berserkion was covered in electricity. “I banish one Level 4 or lower ‘Magnet Warrior’ from my graveyard,” He moved Beta to the banished pile. “Then I destroy one of your Monsters!” he pointed at the combined A-Assault Core and B-Buster Drake.

“By its effect, B-Buster Drake is destroyed instead.” Chazz moved the Monster from the Spell/Trap zone and into the graveyard. “B-Buster Drake’s effect activates. When sent from the field to the graveyard, I can add one Union Monster from my Deck to my hand.” He looked through his shrinking Deck and chose his Monster. “I add C-Crush Wyvern to my hand.” He showed the Monster to Bastion before placing it into his hand.

“I switch Gamma the Electromagnet Warrior into Attack Position.” Bastion turned the horizontal card vertical. “Valkyrion attacks A-Assault Core!” He entered battle phase with the declaration.

Valkyrion flapped its metal wings and cut A-Assault Core in two, the two halves sparked before exploding into pixels.

Bastion – 1,900

Chazz – 2,400

“A-Assault Core’s effect activates.” Chazz picked out a card from his graveyard. “When it’s sent to the graveyard, I can add one Machine Union Monster from the graveyard to my hand.” He showed Bastion his choice. “I pick B-Buster Drake.” There was a noticeable lack of Chazz’s usual mean-spirited bluster now.

Bastion nodded but pointed at Chazz. “Berserkion attacks you directly for game!”

The huge magnet robot rushed Chazz and stabbed through him with the tip of its sharp metal spike.

“Nnnngh!” Chazz growled in anger as he watched his Life Points hit zero.

Bastion – 1,900

Chazz – 0

“Way to go, Bastion!” Jaden cheered loudly and clapped for his buddy.

“That was a great Duel!” Drake applauded with a smile.

Mindy, Jasmine, and Alexis were all clapping for Bastion as well. The Duel had been fantastic and all of their Duelist spirits were burning hot.

The holograms faded away and Crowler stepped forward. “Mr. Princeton, your things will be moved to your new dorm room by days end.” The noticeable lack of warmth from the Professor for a student that used to be a favorite was impossible to miss. “As for you, Bastion, let me the first to welcome you to Obelisk Blue!” The bright smile on Crowler’s face was a complete one-eighty to what he’d just shown Chazz.

“Thank you for the offer, sir, but I’m afraid I must decline.” Bastion shook his head once, shocking everyone with his refusal. “I wasn’t good enough to be promoted in the normal exams, and until I defeat the true top Duelists of my year,” He looked over at Alexis, Jasmine, and Mindy. “I don’t believe I’m deserving of any special promotion.”

“I… But… You…” Crowler was flabbergasted, never having seen a student turn down a promotion to Obelisk Blue. There was no rule against denying a promotion though, so the man could only accept Bastion’s choice. Crowler slumped over, an almost visible cloud of depression hanging over him.

Bastion walked off the dueling platform and locked eyes with his friends and their female companions. “I hope you heard that.”

Alexis smiled at Bastion. “Loud and clear.” Her golden eyes welcomed the challenge.

“Ready whenever you are!” Mindy grinned brightly, though her eyes looked at Bastion like prey, much like her Beast Monsters.

“Anytime.” Jasmine had a little smirk on her lips.

Drake chuckled at his buddy. “Bring it on, man.”

“Let’s Duel right now!” Jaden declared; looking like he was about to jump over the railing.

Drake held him back with a laugh.

“I need a bit more time before I challenge any of you, but I hope you’ll be just as enthusiastic then.” Bastion laughed at Jaden’s exuberance.

The group of six was quick to head out, Drake taking Jasmine and Mindy’s hands in his own as the throuple walked hand-in-hand through the corridors together.

None of them noticed Chazz having drudged off the platform only to collapse to his knees as soon as he was around the corner and lean against the wall while it felt like the weight of the world was crushing him. A splitting headache quickly formed and the, now former, Obelisk Blue held his head in pain while wondering how this had happened.

-End Chapter-

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Bastion versus Chazz happened, but went MUCH differently than in Canon!

Chazz kept the A to Z Deck and tried to crush Bastion with it.

Bastion responds with one of his many Decks, this time Magnet Warriors!

The Duel went back and forth, but everything went as Bastion calculated in the end!

The genius definitely prepared countermeasures specifically for the A to Z Monsters as Side Deck options!

Chazz isn’t doing so well as he’s mentally crushed under the weight of his older brothers’ expectations.

One wonders where the actual parents are in this situation, huh?

Bastion makes his intention to challenge the top rankers among the first years clear! Alexis, Jasmine, Mindy, Jaden, and Drake are ready to Duel whenever!

The Duelist Soul burns brightly!

What happens next at Duel Academy?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!