Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh!-Chapter 122: Leading the Betrayal

Just like that, the Academic Affairs Office's punishment duel plan was happily changed.

Now, Kira and Jaden, the two ringleaders, would team up for the punishment duel.

Jaden was fine with this—he was just happy to get to duel anyway. Besides, he'd only just started school and barely knew Syrus, who he hadn't even seen duel in a real match yet.

Given the choice, of course, he'd rather team up with Kira, who'd been through life-or-death duels with him in the Spirit World.

Syrus was even happier. He'd been nervous and wilted ever since hearing about the duel. Now, knowing he'd been replaced and wouldn't drag his big bro down, he was instantly relieved.

Everyone was happy with this change—world peace was achieved.

But since the opponents still needed to be contacted and scheduled, the duel couldn't happen right away. The Academic Affairs Office notified them that the time was TBD, giving them a chance to get to know each other and adjust their decks for team play.

As was Jaden's style, he had no intention of adjusting his deck. Whoever the opponent was, he'd just play like usual.

Even if the opponent had some special tactic, he didn't need to overthink it. A true duelist just trusts in their deck—no matter the situation, there's always a way.

In other words, a mature deck should be able to deal with anything the opponent throws at it, without the duelist having to sweat it.

Kira disagreed.

The opponents hadn't been announced, but Kira suspected it would be the "Paradox Brothers," who in the original series were described as having dueled Yugi himself.

In GX, these two used the Gate Guardian deck. Though that deck got unexpected upgrades years later, in the GX anime, the brothers didn't have those new cards yet.

From the anime's perspective, those future upgrades were still untapped potential.

With Jaden as his teammate, Kira's mind was already spinning. Jaden's Destiny Draw luck should easily overpower the Paradox Brothers, making for some epic top-deck moments.

If Kira could harness Jaden's luck, he might be able to pull off some combos that would be impossible on his own.

But no rush—the duel date hadn't even been set, so there was still time to prepare.

...

Meanwhile, the freshman round of the Duel Club's tournament began.

As always, the busty senpai presided over the event. When she saw Kira arrive, she looked pleased. "You made it. I heard about your team duel—I thought you'd be too busy to join and might have to miss the tournament."

"How could I miss such a fun duel? It's a great chance to bond with the new club members too," Kira said cheerfully.

Besides, dueling for credits and the chance to pick a card from the club's vault as champion—there's no way he'd skip that.

But the new club members around him had mixed expressions.

Go away! Who wants to bond with you!?

The busty senpai laughed, unable to stop herself. "I'm glad you came. I was worried you wouldn't."

She didn't finish the thought:

If you didn't show up, how much less fun would this year's tournament be?

"Alright, the Duel Club Freshman Cup is officially starting. Everyone, please prepare for your first-round matches according to the pairings."

And so, happy duel time began again.

Kira's first opponent was a fellow Yellow Dorm student.

He remembered this guy—he'd faced him in the dorm exchange match before, but this time, things looked different.

Kira went first, summoning "Abyss Soldier," set two cards, and passed. His opponent trash-talked him, saying, "Is that all you've got? I've surpassed you now. Let me show you my evolved dueling!"

With a dramatic gesture, he set four cards in his back row.

Kira paused.

Hmm, this scene feels familiar.

The Yellow Dorm student laughed loudly, "This time I'm not the same as before! Come, don't hold back—if you can, break through my defenses and attack me! Hit me in the face!"

Kira had never heard such a strange request, but, well, as you wish.

"Activate Continuous Trap—Royal Decree."

The Yellow Dorm student spit blood.

He stared at Kira, disbelief on his face.

You... you're leading the betrayal!?

"..."

Kira easily won the first round—easier than last time. Royal Decree plus Abyss Soldier locked it down, making it feel like beating up newbies in his pre-Academy days.

The club matches continued. The busty senpai watched Kira's duels from the stands, focused almost entirely on him.

She saw scenes of bike crashes and the gunshots of the one-eyed Don Zaloog. Torpedoes from Submarineroid, Abyss Soldier swinging his trident—his opponents could only respond with wails.

Others might not get it, but the busty senpai was loving every minute.

She knew—this year's tournament wouldn't be boring with this freshman around.

Looking around, she noticed this year's Freshman Cup had more spectators than ever. Many upperclassmen had come to watch, grinning as they pointed at the devastated freshmen, their smiles a sharp contrast to the newbies' tearful faces.

She even spotted Watanabe Shuichi, who'd suffered most at the hands of Kira during the club entry test. Shuichi was fixated on Kira's matches, smiling even brighter than his friends.

With win after win, Kira soon made it to the semifinals, facing a girl from Obelisk Blue.

"I activate the Equip Spell 'Big Bang Shot,' equipping it to your 'Archfiend of Gilfer.'

"Then, I activate my 'Abyss Soldier #1's' effect—discarding 'Sinister Serpent' to bounce 'Big Bang Shot' back to my hand. Since 'Big Bang Shot' leaves the field, your 'Archfiend of Gilfer' is banished."

Girl: "..."

"Then I reactivate 'Big Bang Shot,' equipping it to your 'Field-Commander Rahz.'

"Then, 'Abyss Soldier #2' bounces 'Big Bang Shot' again, and 'Field-Commander Rahz' is also banished."

Girl: "..."

Kira: "Third time, 'Big Bang Shot' equips to my own 'Abyss Soldier #1,' raising its ATK by 400."

[Abyss Soldier #1, ATK 1800 → 2200]

[Abyss Soldier #2, ATK 1800]

"Both Abyss Soldiers attack directly."

[Girl, LP 4000 → LP 0]

Banished twice and OTK'd, the girl collapsed to the floor, her expression as messed up as her hair.

Who am I? Where am I? Why am I dueling?

Mom, I want to drop out...

Meanwhile, Chazz, who'd also made it to the finals, watched and unconsciously clenched his fists.

This was the moment he'd been waiting for—his second chance.

This time, it had to be different.

PS; Pfft!