Even Sayako, the young girl from the Cyber Association who'd come with the Chief, was dazed, unable to accept what had just happened.
And not to any other deck, but to a user of her own Cyber deck—and a Duel Academy student at that.
To add insult to injury, the final blow came from her ace, Cyber Blader.
Sayako thought for a moment.
She didn't know how the Chief would feel, but if it were her, she'd probably have a mental breakdown—a real one.
She looked at Alexis, who was putting away her Duel Disk.
Was that a Cyber Angel?
The effect that could only activate with graveyard hopping, the absolute defense with healing and attack locks, the sheer torment to the opponent... even the devil might yield to such a card.
After the duel, Alexis looked at her Natasha card in the Duel Disk, her expression complicated.
She'd just printed the card two days ago; this was her first time trying it in a real duel, and she hadn't had much chance to rework her deck. The strategic guidance mostly came from Kira.
When Kira first shared this interesting idea, Alexis instinctively resisted.
She'd spent years playing Cyber Angels, and summoning big monsters to slug it out was in her DNA. Kira's suggestion to make a 1000-ATK, absolute-defense, zombie-angel the core felt wrong.
But after trying it, Alexis had to admit—a strange, inescapable feeling had taken root. (Come to the dark side.)
It was a subtle feeling she'd never experienced in her usual exhilarating duels—hard to describe.
But in the moment the duel ended, one phrase from Jaden popped into her head—
—"That was a fun duel!"
Turns out, dueling could be fun too.
Alexis took a deep breath and carefully put away "Cyber Angel - Natasha," her heart racing.
It felt like she'd opened the door to a new world.
The experts were all satisfied with the duel, discussing it enthusiastically, and the atmosphere suddenly much lighter.
Some said the Duel Academy students were outstanding—using a Cyber deck to defeat the association's chief, their future was limitless.
Some experts were already talking with Kira and Misawa.
The conference hadn't even started, but the opening duel had already fired up the crowd. The experts discussed with smiles, especially interested in the new Cyber Angel card, asking the Duel Academy trio all sorts of questions.
The usually energetic Chief Takahashi, however, was now cold and withdrawn.
She should be happy today.
She'd discovered a prodigy who perfectly inherited the Cyber deck, and a breakthrough card that could break through the years-long stalled.
Two reasons to be happy, but why couldn't she feel it?
As the conference was about to start, Tenma Yako, as host, stood up, took the mic, and cleared his throat to get attention.
"Alright! First, thanks to Duel Academy's Alexis Rhodes and the Cyber Association's Chief Takahashi for their wonderful duel."
The experts all nodded in agreement. Follow current novels on novelFɪre.net
Only Chief Takahashi was expressionless.
Wonderful? Enjoyable?
I don't feel that way.
"And, the results brought by the Duel Academy student team have already been shown. I think everyone has seen their amazing breakthrough."
Tenma glanced at Kira, a faint smile on his face.
Kira wasn't sure what it meant but felt it was a "not bad for the man who defeated me" look.
He thought to himself—
This can't go on, I need to find a way to turn this attention into profit.
"And I believe these young people have set a good example for us—it's an excellent inspiration."
"The world of Duel Monsters is vast. We card developers are the vanguard, the pioneers, the explorers.
And as explorers, our biggest taboo is to stick to the old ways, to let ourselves be trapped by established frameworks. It's dangerous to let conventional thinking restrict the possibilities of the decks we develop, and neglect the new possibilities that might exist."
As Tenma spoke, the experts nodded thoughtfully.
"These young people showed us another way—finding a new direction apart from the old lines. I hope this will inspire us all to take Duel Monsters further!"
The voice came from above.
Everyone looked up to the second floor.
The speaker was elegantly dressed in a red suit, silver-white hair covering half his face, his left eye hidden.
It was this man who, to save his late wife, searched the world, dug up the ancient Duel Monsters stone tablets in Egypt, and brought Duel Monsters' power into the modern era.
With the rise of Industrial Illusions, many considered Pegasus' work the start of a new era.
He was the man known as the "Father of Duel Monsters."
"He came in person..."
The experts all stood in respect.
Everyone knew most of Industrial Illusions' affairs were now handled by Pegasus's two adopted sons—the Tenma twins, Yako and Gekko.
Pegasus himself had long retired and rarely appeared in public. No one expected to see him here today.
"No need to be nervous, everyone, please sit."
Pegasus walked down the stairs, smiling, his single eye scanning the hall, resting on Kira and the others.
"Duel Academy students? May I ask, young man, how should I address you?"