Thank you everyone, I just reached my first 100 collection. I hope everyone continue to enjoy my book.
The following week was grueling for Syrus. Ace drilled him relentlessly, teaching him not only how to play his new Speedroid deck but also how to think strategically and adapt under pressure.
"Focus, Syrus!" Ace barked during one practice duel. "Your opponent won't wait for you to think. Act!"
"I-I'm trying!" Syrus stammered, sweat dripping down his face.
"Trying isn't good enough," Ace snapped. Then, softening slightly, he added, "But you're improving. Keep it up."
All the while, Ace's duel spirits offered their advice.
"Come on, Syrus! You can do better than that!" Mo Ye cheered during one duel, her enthusiasm contagious.
"Focus on exploiting weaknesses," Longyuan added. "Stop reacting and start anticipating."
Even Swordsoul Sovereign - Chengying weighed in, his deep voice resonating like a father's guidance. "Confidence comes from preparation. Trust in your cards, Syrus."
"You need to keep up the pressure," Qixing Longyuan said one afternoon, his voice cold and calculating. "A single moment of hesitation could cost you everything."
"Don't scare him, Qixing!" Mo Ye pouted. "Syrus, just trust in the deck Ace built for you. It's a masterpiece!"
Syrus smiled faintly, his confidence slowly growing. For the first time in his life, he began to believe he could stand on equal footing with his brother.
By the end of the week, Syrus stood taller, his deck refined and his strategy sharper. As they approached the lighthouse for his duel with Zane, Ace gave Syrus a rare smile.
"Remember," Ace said, placing a hand on Syrus' shoulder. "This duel isn't about winning. It's about proving to yourself that you belong here."
Syrus nodded, determination gleaming in his eyes. "I won't let you down, Ace."
"You'd better not," Ace replied, his tone teasing but encouraging. Mo Ye appeared beside him, giving Syrus a thumbs-up.
"Go get him, little guy!" she cheered.
As the duel began, Ace watched from the sidelines, his arms crossed. Alexis stood beside him, her expression a mix of worry and hope.
"You believe he can do this?" she asked.
"I know he can," Ace replied, his gaze never leaving Syrus. "And so will Zane."
[ DUEL STARTS ]
Zane Truesdale – LP: 4000 | Hand: 5 | Monsters: 0
Syrus Truesdale – LP: 4000 | Hand: 5 | Monsters: 0
Turn 1: Syrus
Syrus drew his first card with determination. "I'll go first," he declared.
"I activate Speedroid Scratch!"
He discarded a card from his hand and searched his deck for a suitable target.
"I summon Speedroid Marble Machine in Attack Mode!" (Level 2 / ATK: 200 / DEF: 100)
A small mechanical creature appeared, rolling into battle.
"Marble Machine's effect activates! I add Speedroid Taketomborg to my hand!"
Syrus followed up by Special Summoning Speedroid Taketomborg (Level 3 / ATK: 600 / DEF: 1200) from his hand.
"I Special Summon Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice in Attack Mode!" (Level 1 / ATK: 100 / DEF: 100)
With a quick adjustment, he tuned his Red-Eyed Dice to Level 4 and Synchro Summoned Hi-Speedroid Hagoita (Level 5 / ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1000).
"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Syrus said confidently.
Turn 2: Zane
Zane drew his card, eyes narrowed with focus. "My turn. I summon Proto-Cyber Dragon in Attack Mode!" (Level 3 / ATK: 1100 / DEF: 600)
"Next, I activate Polymerization to fuse Proto-Cyber Dragon and Cyber Dragon from my hand!"
The two machines merged, creating Cyber Twin Dragon (Level 8 / ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2100).
"Cyber Twin Dragon, attack Hi-Speedroid Hagoita!"
The mighty twin-headed dragon fired its energy blast, destroying Hagoita in one shot.
Syrus LP: 3200
"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Zane concluded.
Turn 3: Syrus
Syrus drew his next card, his resolve hardening. "I summon Speedroid Terrortop in Attack Mode!" (Level 3 / ATK: 1200 / DEF: 600)
"Terrortop's effect activates, allowing me to add Speedroid Taketomborg to my hand!"
He Special Summoned Speedroid Taketomborg (Level 3 / ATK: 600 / DEF: 1200) once again.
"Time to Synchro Summon! I tune Terrortop and Taketomborg to Synchro Summon Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (Level 7 / ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000)."
The wind howled as the majestic dragon soared onto the field.
"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Syrus said.
Turn 4: Zane
Zane drew his card, calm as ever. "I summon Cyber Dragon Core in Attack Mode!" (Level 2 / ATK: 400 / DEF: 1500)
"Core's effect activates! I add Power Bond to my hand."
"I activate Power Bond and fuse Cyber Dragon Core and Cyber Dragon from my hand!"
The two machines merged, summoning Cyber End Dragon (Level 10 / ATK: 4000 / DEF: 2800).
"Cyber End Dragon, attack Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"
Cyber End Dragon unleashed a blast of energy, destroying Clear Wing Synchro Dragon in one mighty strike.
Syrus LP: 1700
"I end my turn," Zane said, his expression unflinching.
Turn 5: Syrus
Syrus drew his next card. "I activate Speed Recovery to bring back Hi-Speedroid Cork Shooter from my Graveyard!" (Level 3 / ATK: 800 / DEF: 1200)
"I summon Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice from my hand in Attack Mode!" (Level 1 / ATK: 100 / DEF: 100)
He adjusted the level of Red-Eyed Dice to 4 and Synchro Summoned Hi-Speedroid Chanbara (Level 5 / ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1800).
"Chanbara, attack Cyber Dragon Core!"
The sword-wielding monster sliced through Zane's machine, dealing 2000 points of damage.
Zane LP: 2000
"I end my turn, with a face down," Syrus said, his field still vulnerable.
Turn 6: Zane
Zane drew his card and smiled. "I summon Cyber Dragon Drei in Attack Mode!" (Level 4 / ATK: 1800 / DEF: 800)
"Cyber Dragon Drei's effect activates, allowing me to attack directly with Cyber End Dragon!"
Zane's massive dragon fired a devastating blast that destroyed Hi-Speedroid Chanbara, But before it hit Syrus directly Syrus activated his face-down card "I activate Final Fusion".
He gritted his teeth as the trap card activated, sending shockwaves through the field.
"Both players will take damage equal to the combined ATK of all monsters on the field!" ( I have modified the effect of Final Fusion to account for the inclusion of Synchro Summoning in the GX universe. As a result, I will adjust some effects to apply not only to Fusion monsters but to all Special Summoned monsters. However, Synchro Summoning will remain a rare phenomenon in this world, with only the wealthy and powerful having access to Synchro cards. )
Zane's field: Cyber End Dragon (4000 ATK)
Syrus's field: Hi-Speedroid Chanbara (2400 ATK)
Total ATK: 6400 damage to both players.
The field erupted in an explosion as both monsters disappeared. Both players staggered, falling to the ground from the immense power of the attack.
Zane LP: 0
Syrus LP: 0
[DUEL END]
Ace watched as Syrus beamed with pride, clutching his duel disk. From the corner of his eye, Ace spotted a faint figure—Speedroid Taketomborg, watching over Syrus with a small smile.
"So, even he has a duel spirit," Longyuan mused. "Interesting."
Ace smirked. "Looks like you've got someone watching your back, Sy."
Syrus turned to him, confused. "Huh?"
"Nothing," Ace said, turning away. "Good work, kid."
As the group headed back to the dorms, Alexis fell into step beside Ace. "You're really not as cold as you pretend to be, you know."
"Don't get used to it," Ace replied, though his smirk betrayed his amusement.