Ace Romanov walked into his first Duel Academy class with the same confidence he carried everywhere. His polished boots echoed in the lecture hall, drawing the attention of nearly every student before he even took his seat. The girls whispered amongst themselves, their cheeks pink as they drank in his tall, muscular build and platinum blond hair, which seemed to glow under the fluorescent lights. His cold blue-green eyes scanned the room, assessing it like a battlefield.
"Sit with them," Mo Ye's voice chimed in his mind, her tone teasing.
Ace's gaze landed on Jaden, Syrus, and Chumley seated together in a far corner. Jaden waved enthusiastically, while Syrus and Chumley appeared too nervous to meet Ace's eyes directly.
"Why?" Ace replied softly in Russian. "They're hardly impressive."
"Because they're genuine," Mo Ye answered. "You might even like them if you gave them a chance."
With a soft sigh, Ace strode over and dropped into the empty seat beside Jaden. The Slifers stared at him, wide-eyed, as if he were a king gracing peasants with his presence.
"Dude! You're sitting with us? That's awesome!" Jaden exclaimed, grinning.
Ace smirked faintly. "It seems I have little choice."
The class began with Dr. Crowler striding to the front of the room, his flamboyant demeanor impossible to ignore. His gold-framed glasses glinted under the classroom lights as he launched into a lecture about the fundamentals of dueling. Ace resisted the urge to yawn; the material was basic, almost insultingly so.
"Alexis Rhodes," Crowler called, interrupting his lecture. "What is the primary purpose of a trap card in a duel?"
Alexis, seated a few rows ahead, answered without hesitation. "To counter your opponent's plays or disrupt their strategy."
Crowler beamed. "Correct! Such intelligence is why you're one of the academy's top students!"
The room erupted into murmurs of admiration, but Ace rolled his eyes. "Is this what they consider impressive?"
Jaden leaned closer and whispered, "Alexis is pretty amazing, huh? She's super smart and a great duelist."
"She is competent at best," Ace replied dismissively, though Mo Ye chuckled in his mind. "And you're impossible to please."
The lecture continued, and Crowler turned his sights on Syrus. "You there, Slifer! What's the best way to counter a high-level monster without relying on spells or trap cards?"
Syrus stammered, his face turning beet red. "Um… well, you could… uh…"
"Slifer standards are at an all-time low," Crowler sneered, earning a few chuckles from the class.
"Hey!" Jaden stood up, his voice ringing with defiance. "You're the one who lost to a Slifer, remember? So what does that say about you?"
The class erupted in gasps and laughter. Crowler's face turned a deep shade of crimson as he glared at Jaden. "Sit down, Yuki!"
Crowler's gaze then landed on Ace, his expression dark. "Perhaps our esteemed transfer student can enlighten us. Mr. Romanov, what is the optimal strategy for dealing with an opponent's control-heavy deck?"
Ace leaned back in his chair, his cold eyes locking onto Crowler's. "Establish tempo early with cards that generate resource advantage. Deny their key plays with well-timed negations, and force them into a reactive position."
Crowler's jaw tightened, but he couldn't deny the perfection of Ace's answer. "Correct," he muttered begrudgingly.
In the back of the class, Alexis's friend Jasmine nudged her. "He's good and he's gorgeous," Jasmine whispered. "Like, seriously, Alexis. That's the full package."
"Don't forget rich and famous," Mindy added. "He's a pro-level duelist! I bet his deck is crazy expensive."
Alexis glanced at Ace, her curiosity piqued. He didn't seem fazed by the attention, and there was an air of mystery about him that set him apart from the other students.
That night, chaos erupted. Crowler, still fuming from Jaden's humiliation, concocted a plan to have him expelled. A love letter, written in Alexis's name, was slipped into what he thought was Jaden's locker. Unfortunately, Jaden had accidentally swapped lockers with Syrus earlier that day.
Syrus found the letter and practically burst into tears of joy. "Alexis Rhodes… likes me?" he whispered, clutching the note like it was the Holy Grail.
Hours later, Syrus found himself at the girls' dorm, trembling with a mix of excitement and fear. However, his fantasies were quickly dashed when Alexis and her friends confronted him.
"This isn't my handwriting," Alexis said, frowning as she examined the letter. "And it's addressed to Jaden, not you."
Syrus stammered apologies, but Alexis's sharp gaze softened. "Still, you're here, and that's against the rules. If I don't report you, I'll get in trouble too."
"Please don't!" Syrus begged, falling to his knees.
Alexis sighed, an idea forming. "Fine. Bring Jaden here, and I won't report this… or you."
Jaden didn't come alone. Ace, annoyed but intrigued, followed him to the girls' dorm.
"This is insane," Ace muttered as they approached the building.
"Relax, man," Jaden said, grinning. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Inside, Alexis stood with her arms crossed, flanked by Jasmine and Mindy. "You must be Jaden," she said. Her gaze shifted to Ace, and for a moment, she faltered. "And you're…"
"Ace Romanov," he replied coolly, his tone polite but distant.
"I see. Well, if you're here, I might as well make this interesting." She pointed at Ace. "Duel me. If you win, I won't report any of you."
Ace smirked. "You think you can threaten me into a duel?"
"Think of it as a favor," Alexis replied with a sly smile. "Unless you're scared."
Ace's eyes gleamed, and Mo Ye's voice whispered in his mind. "She's bold. I like her."
[DUEL STARTS]
Alexis Rhodes – LP: 4000 | Hand: 5 | Monsters: 0
Ace Romanov – LP: 4000 | Hand: 5 | Monsters: 0
Turn 1: Alexis
Alexis drew her first card with determination. "I'll go first," she declared.
"I activate Polymerization! I fuse Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater from my hand to summon Cyber Blader in Attack Mode!" (Level 7 / ATK: 2100 / DEF: 800)
A sleek warrior materialized on her field, spinning her blades with elegance.
"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Alexis concluded.
Turn 2: Ace
Ace drew his card, calmly analyzing the field. "My turn. I activate Tenyi Spirit - Ashuna's effect! Since I control no Effect Monsters, I can Special Summon it from my hand in Defense Mode." (Level 7 / ATK: 1600 / DEF: 2600)
Ashuna's serpentine form shimmered onto the field, coiled defensively.
"I Normal Summon Sword Soul of Mo Ye in Attack Mode." (Level 4 / ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1800)
"Mo Ye's effect activates! By revealing The Abyss Dragon Swordsoul in my hand, I summon a Sword Soul Token to my field." (Level 4 / ATK: 0 / DEF: 0)
A glowing token appeared alongside Mo Ye.
"I tune my Level 4 Mo Ye with the Level 4 Token to Synchro Summon Sword Soul Grandmaster – Chixiao! (Level 8 / ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000)"
Chixiao stepped onto the field, his sword glowing with authority.
"Chixiao's effect activates! I add Sword Soul Emergence from my deck to my hand." Ace placed the card into his hand, glancing at his remaining cards.
"Chixiao, attack Cyber Blader! Destroy it!"
Chixiao charged forward, slicing through Cyber Blader in one swift motion.
Alexis LP: 3300
"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Ace said calmly.
Ace's Field:
Monsters: Tenyi Spirit - Ashuna (DEF: 2600), Sword Soul Grandmaster - Chixiao (ATK: 2800)Spells/Traps: 1 set cardHand: 3 cardsTurn 3: Alexis
Alexis drew her next card, her mind racing. "I summon Cyber Tutu in Attack Mode!" (Level 3 / ATK: 1000 / DEF: 800)
"Thanks to her effect, she can attack you directly since your monsters have higher ATK than hers!"
Cyber Tutu dashed past Ace's formidable monsters, landing a quick, graceful strike.
Ace LP: 3000
"I end my turn," Alexis said, her field vulnerable but her resolve firm.
Alexis's Field:
Monsters: Cyber Tutu (ATK: 1000)Spells/Traps: 1 set cardHand: 3 cardsTurn 4: Ace
Ace drew his next card, his expression calm. "My turn."
"I activate Chixiao's effect! By banishing Mo Ye from my Graveyard, I can negate Cyber Tutu's effect until the end of this turn."
With Mo Ye's banished energy reinforcing Chixiao, Cyber Tutu's effect was nullified.
"I Special Summon Swordsoul Strategist Longyuan by discarding Tenyi Spirit – Adhara from my hand." (Level 6 / ATK: 1200 / DEF: 2300)
Longyuan appeared in a flash, and with him came another Sword Soul Token. (Level 4 / ATK: 0 / DEF: 0)
"I tune my Level 6 Longyuan with the Level 4 Token to Synchro Summon Sword Soul Supreme Sovereign – Chengying! (Level 10 / ATK: 3000 / DEF: 1500)"
Chengying descended onto the field, radiating an aura of immense power.
"Chengying's effect activates! For every banished card, your monsters lose 100 ATK, and Chengying gains 100 ATK!" (Level 10 / ATK: 3100 / DEF: 1600)
With one card banished, Cyber Tutu's ATK dropped to 900, while Chengying's rose to 3100.
"Chixiao, attack Cyber Tutu! Destroy her!"
The Grandmaster swung his blade, effortlessly shattering Cyber Tutu.
Alexis LP: 1400
"Chengying, finish this duel! Attack directly!"
The dragon roared, unleashing a powerful blast of energy that overwhelmed Alexis.
Alexis LP: 0
[DUEL END]
The holograms faded, leaving Alexis staring at her empty field. Despite the loss, a small smile tugged at her lips. "You're as good as they say," she admitted.
Ace stepped forward, his expression as composed as ever. "I'm better than they say."
Alexis raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a playful smirk. "Confident, aren't you?"
"Confidence is justified when it's earned." His cold blue eyes met hers, and for a moment, the air between them seemed to crackle.
"You're an interesting one, Ace Romanov," Alexis said, crossing her arms. "Maybe next time, I'll win."
"Doubtful," Ace replied, though his tone held a faint trace of amusement.
Jaden stepped in, breaking the tension. "Man, that was awesome! You crushed it, Ace!"
Syrus, still trembling from the earlier confrontation, managed a shaky smile. "Yeah… that was incredible. Thanks for helping us."
"I didn't do it for you," Ace said bluntly, though his gaze softened slightly. "Let's leave before anyone else finds us here."
As they turned to go, Alexis called out, "Hey, Ace!"
He paused, glancing over his shoulder.
"You should smile more. It suits you," she said with a wink.
Ace didn't reply, but Jaden swore he saw the faintest hint of a smirk as they walked back to the Slifer dorms under the moonlit sky.