Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh! novel Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - 6: Let's Win a Championship First

"You want to go to Duel Academy?"

Takeuchi was taken aback.

Come to think of it, it was indeed almost time for Duel Academy's admissions to open.

For young duelists, Duel Academy was nothing less than a holy land. The top students gathered there, and almost everyone who graduated was destined to become an elite. Thanks to Seto Kaiba's management, it didn't matter if you were a world-class tycoon's son or from a powerful political family—if you didn't have talent, all the money and connections in the world wouldn't help you get in.

Who was Seto Kaiba, anyway?

The world's number one duelist, wielder of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon—the strongest Duel Spirit of the current era, rivaling even the three Egyptian Gods. Rumor had it he was developing technology to travel across dimensions and time, trying to open a gateway to the Underworld with science so he could duel the ancient Pharaoh who slumbered there. He wasn't just the richest man alive; he stood at the pinnacle of both the mystical and technological worlds. After Yugi Muto sealed his deck, Kaiba was universally recognized as the world's greatest duelist.

And he recognized nothing but card skill.

So, if Kaiba said there were no back doors and only strength was considered, then it was truly only about strength. No matter how powerful or influential someone was, they'd have to take the exam like everyone else—no shady dealings allowed.

He admired strength and elite education. You could see that from the strict hierarchy and the contempt for underachievers at Duel Academy in GX.

Many dojos offered scholarships or support for students applying to Duel Academy. If they succeeded, those students became distinguished alumni, which was great publicity for the dojo.

Takeuchi's dojo offered such support too, but spots were limited each year.

Given that Kira had defeated the entire dojo, including Takeuchi himself, over the past three days, he was naturally qualified.

If the application was approved, a student would receive a tuition subsidy and a grant to build a deck. The dojo master would even provide one-on-one guidance to help the student optimize their deck and purchase new cards.

Of course, given Kira's situation, he didn't need the guidance—just the money.

"Wait."

Takeuchi paused as if a thought had struck him.

"What's your duelist rank again?"

"...One-star."

Takeuchi: "..."

To be honest, even though he'd seen it with his own eyes, he still couldn't understand how a one-star student had suddenly improved so dramatically.

But after personally experiencing Kira's current dueling skills, he thought Kira had a strong chance at getting in.

"But a one-star can't meet the application threshold..."

"I know," Kira nodded. "That's why I'm planning to hit the arena tomorrow and climb the ranks as fast as possible."

"Hmm, but there's only a month left until the entrance exam—that's a tight schedule," Takeuchi mused. "If you could place in a public tournament, it'd be much easier."

Placing in a public tournament would let you skip straight to a high rank, instead of grinding slowly in the arena. Plus, having a major tournament record would help your duelist career.

"How about this?" Takeuchi turned to Koji Sato. "Koji, weren't you preparing to enter the Moonlight Cup this year?

Although the registration window was closed, I know someone on the organizing committee. It shouldn't be hard to get one more person in. The dojo will cover your entry fee—how about it?"

This year, Koji was the only one in the dojo to reach three stars, so he was the only one originally set to apply to Duel Academy. He was entering the Moonlight Cup to pad his resume before the entrance exam; placing would be even better.

"Thank you, Sensei," Kira replied.

Koji Sato, standing nearby, gasped.

He's entering too?

What if I end up facing him in the tournament...

Just imagining it made a shiver run down his spine.

But then he thought, with so many contestants, what were the odds they'd face off? Or maybe, he'd get to see other duelists get crushed by his kouhai, just like he was.

That thought made the corners of his mouth twitch upward.

His smile turned a little twisted.

Truly, dueling brings happiness.

It just depends on who's happy.

...