The first Duel of the GX Tournament begins.
All over the world, whether it's day or night, whether adults or children, anyone interested in dueling, anyone in pursuit of dueling, is watching this duel at this moment.
As the screen lights up, an ad for Kaiba Company flashes by, and a giant white egg appears before everyone's eyes.
As the white egg appears, its top slowly cracks open, then, like a blooming lotus, it slowly extends outward, revealing its interior.
A huge and spacious dueling arena the size of several basketball courts slowly rises, and as it does, various filming and lighting equipment around it light up with a snap.
Accompanied by a loud "Wow———" of cheers, the stands within the giant egg reveal the audience seating area.
In the stands, there are students from various branches, some holding signs to cheer for their supported student, while others are simply here to watch the duel, celebrating loudly.
Among these students, there is also a special group of spectators, the native Spirits!
They are placed in the stands opposite the dueling arena, able to see both duelists at the same time. Compared to human spectators, there are undoubtedly fewer of them, but their appearance not only brings cheers from the students here, but also exclamations from the audience watching live.
It's actually the legendary Spirits!
These are the first Spirits to appear before humans and watch a duel together since dimension exploration began!
Many curious people feel it was worthwhile to have stayed in front of the screen for so long just to see the Spirits.
Moreover, the purpose of these Spirits coming here is not merely to join in the fun.
In this grand "genius showdown" of humanity, if they encounter some interesting Warrior, they are quite willing to support them—
As the audience and lights turn on, colorful fireworks also rise into the sky.
This grand event has finally opened its first duel.
Duelists 23 and 31.
Tenjo is 19, Manjome is 20, followed by Jim and O'Brien, so 23 is someone Tenjo Hikari doesn't know.
John is the last duelist to arrive, numbered 37, the earlier they arrive does not necessarily indicate lesser strength.
In short, there are a total of 37 duelists in this finals, so it's very likely there will be a bye or resurrection race scenario, and Tenjo Hikari is not very sure; it depends on Kaiba Company's arrangements.
Anyway, the first match of the GX finals starts just like that.
The two duelists about to face off are people Tenjo Hikari has no impression of. They seem to be his classmates, dressed in blue and red. From their appearances, it's hard to distinguish which academy they are from. Only when they start introducing themselves does Tenjo Hikari learn that one is from the Eastern Branch, and the other is a student from the Northern Europe Branch.
Speaking of the Eastern Branch, Tenjo Hikari remembers it's the academy "Amon Garam" was from in the original work, but he doesn't see Amon in the tournament this time.
Perhaps at this moment, he's still searching for Exodia's power.
"Duel!" X2.
Two unknown classmates just start the first duel like this.
Tenjo Hikari sits in the standby seats, hands behind his head, watching the live broadcast, and his few friends are also watching curiously, evidently ready to analyze the duels of opponents they might face next.
Although they're people he doesn't recognize, who knows what kind of duel it might be?
Every person present should be a worthy opponent to watch—
And as if to respond to this idea…
"Synchro Summon, LV 6, Explosive Magician!"
Oh my, Synchro!
The audience erupts into intense exclamations, but in the standby hall, after the initial shock, everyone quickly calms down and starts discussing the duel's content.
Occasionally, someone would glance at Caesar.
Caesar doesn't mind the stares at all, his eyes fixed intently on the screen's images.
Because Marufuji Ryo suddenly used an Xyz Summon in their dimension, even summoning an Xyz Monster, everyone has gotten the idea of using Xyz and Synchro Summons.
Coming to this Critical Point Dimension, meeting the Spirits here, it's only natural for some special ideas to arise.
The number of people trying to learn Xyz and Synchro here at this Critical Point is countless!
However, the vast majority of students simply can't gain the Spirits' approval.
Besides, even if they do gain approval, those powers can only be used within the Critical Point Dimension.
Back in their world, it's said to be impossible for them to perform Xyz or Synchro.
Unless in the case of… Marufuji Ryo.
In the face of Synchro demonstrations, though one duelist is surprised, they aren't intimidated, promptly showcasing their special skill—Skill Drain!
"Gasp… What a powerful card." Manjome sucks in a cool breath as he watches the Trap Card used by duelist 31.
Although it can't stop him completely, "As long as this card remains on the field, the effects of face-up Monsters are negated" is truly a terrifying card.
His VtoZ, Light and Darkness Dragon on the field, will also become useless, unable to fully function.
"I see. By using Skill Drain to negate the opponent's Monster effects, and then summoning a high ATK Monster with drawbacks to duel? Because of Skill Drain's effect, the Monster becomes a blank slate, so there's no need to worry about drawbacks. The Monster's stats become an absolute advantage."
Mitsuzawa Daichi nods continuously at the side.
As a calculative Duelist, he finds this tactic quite good.
As everyone talks, Tenjouin Fubuki unknowingly slides over to Tenjo Hikari's side, asking softly, "Hikari, what did you drop earlier?"
Watching the duel, Tenjo Hikari hears the question and, without making a fuss, responds in a low voice, "It's an Electromagnetic Resistance Potion I got from an Alchemist of Pharmacy in the Spellbook Dimension."
"Electromagnetic resistance… Electric shock… I knew it wasn't my imagination." Tenjouin Fubuki takes a deep breath after listening.
He drags Marufuji Ryo around the Critical Point, dueling not just to hang out with friends and his sister, but also to see how they were faring.
His sister is still the same, brilliant and beautiful but never considering her own future; Marufuji Ryo seems wiser and more composed than before, but Fubuki clearly sees his health deteriorating by the day.
Finally, he's got a definitive answer.
"So, what about it?"
Tenjo Hikari thinks for a moment, saying, "Principal Samejima told me that Cyber Dark Style cards are so powerful, they shock their holders… It serves as a test of the Card Spirit on the holder."
"A test of life?!" Fubuki's expression is filled with dissatisfaction.
But soon, he returns to his usual self, rubbing the back of his head, "Oh, I see! Hahaha~ Little Hikari, whenever you encounter anything interesting, make sure to tell me—"
He shouts while patting Tenjo Hikari's arm.
"Brother, stop bothering Tenjo-san!" Asuka, who was focusing on the duel, hears her brother's excessive laughter, turns her head, and reprimands him.
Tenjo Hikari returns her a smile, "Haha, sure. I will tell you next time."
Fubuki nods earnestly.
He isn't interested in becoming a Champion at all—
He isn't that type of Duelist.
But at least this time, he wants to settle the score with Ryo… once and for all!